UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment, Geography, Sci-Tech MCQs on Naegleria fowleri, Indian rhinoceros and more (Week 59)

1. It lives in warm saline water.

2. It infects people when it enters the body through the nose.

3. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

Humboldt Glacier was recently in news due to its disappearance at a faster rate than expected. It was the last remaining glacier of:

(a) Denmark

(b) Mongolia

(c) Venezuela

(d) Tanzania

QUESTION 3

With reference to the Indian rhinoceros, consider the following statements:

1. The Indian rhinoceros is found only in the Brahmaputra valley.

2. It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List.

3. Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has the maximum population of Indian rhinoceros.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

Prachand is a:

(a) Air to air missile

(b) Unmanned aerial vehicle

(c) Surface to air missile

(d) Light Combat Helicopter

QUESTION 5

Consider the following:

1. Satellites

2. Spacecrafts

3. Electric power grids

4. Navigation signals

5. Radio communications

How many of the above are impacted by the solar flares?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(c) Only four

(d) All five

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— A five-year-old girl undergoing treatment for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare infection caused by Naegleria fowleri or “brain-eating amoeba”, died at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.

— Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri. It is a free-living amoeba or a single-celled living organism. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Naegleria fowleri lives in warm fresh water and soil all over the planet. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It infects people by entering the body through the nose. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Higher temperatures of up to 115°F (46°C) promote its growth, and it may live for brief periods of time in hotter conditions.

— The amoeba can be found in warm freshwater bodies such as lakes and rivers, swimming pools, splash pads, surf parks, and other recreational facilities that are poorly managed or have little chlorination.

— Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nose, generally while people are swimming. It then travels to the brain, destroying brain tissue and inducing edoema.

— Notably, humans cannot become infected with Naegleria fowleri by ingesting water contaminated with the amoeba. PAM is also noncommunicable.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (c)

FYI:

— Venezuela used to have six glaciers in the Andes mountains, which were around 5,000 metres above sea level.

— By 2011, five of them had disappeared. Scientists predicted the Humboldt glacier would last another decade. However, it melted faster than planned and has reduced to fewer than 2 hectares, resulting in its relegation from glacier to ice field.

— Other glaciers throughout the world, including the Humboldt glacier, are receding and disappearing faster than researchers expected, with two-thirds forecast to melt out of existence by 2100 if current climate change patterns continue, according to a 2023 study.

— Glaciers are enormous and thick volumes of ice that grow on land as snow accumulates over decades. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), they typically exist and form in areas where mean annual temperatures are near freezing; winter precipitation results in significant snow accumulations; and temperatures throughout the rest of the year do not completely remove the previous winter’s snow accumulation.

— The Andes, a mountain range that runs through Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, has experienced a rapid temperature increase of 0.10 degrees Celsius during the last seven decades. This is one of the primary reasons Venezuela has lost all of its glaciers.

— El Niño, which started in July 2023, has accelerated melting at the Humboldt glacier. El Niño is an anomalous warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, resulting in warmer temperatures.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

3. (a)

FYI:

— The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is found only in the Brahmaputra valley, parts of North Bengal, and parts of southern Nepal. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It possesses a single black horn that can grow up to 60 cm and a strong, grey-brown hide with skin wrinkles, giving the animal its distinctive armour-plated appearance.

— The Indian rhino is now listed as vulnerable (better than endangered, worse than near threatened) on the IUCN Red List, having previously been classified as endangered. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— According to the WWF, there are around 3,700 Indian rhinos in the wild today. Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) alone has 2,613 animals. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Rhinos have been poached for their horns, which are valuable in some cultures. According to an Assam Forest Department press release from 2021, “ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac”; in Vietnam, a rhino horn is considered a status symbol. “Due to demand in these countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent against which one cannot let the guard down,” the press statement stated.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

4. (d)

FYI:

— The indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), which can destroy enemy air defences and execute counter-insurgency strikes, was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Jodhpur air station.

— The helicopter will be called ‘Prachand’, which means fierce.

— According to its designers, the LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world capable of landing and taking off at 5,000 metres with a significant load of weapons and fuel, matching the Indian Armed Forces’ unique needs.

— Hindustan Aeronautics Limited designed and manufactured the Prachand light combat helicopter (LCH). It is an attack helicopter based on the existing Dhruv chopper.

— The LCH can be used to track slow-moving aerial targets and remotely piloted aircraft, conduct counter-insurgency operations in jungle and urban areas, destroy enemy defences, conduct search and rescue missions, engage in anti-tank operations, and perform scouting missions.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: http://www.airforce-technology.com)

5. (d)

FYI:

— The Sun released an incredibly powerful solar flare that was categorised as an X6.3 solar flare, with X-class denoting the most intense flares and the number indicating more about its strength, the higher the better.

— It was the third solar flare in a 24-hour period as the Sun approaches its maximum.

— Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy that can potentially impacts radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals and even threaten astronauts in space, satellites and spacecraft.

— According to SpaceWeather.com, a coronal mass ejection (CME) is projected to pass through Earth’s magnetic field on February 25th, perhaps causing mild G1-class magnetic storms. CMEs occur when the sun emits significant amounts of plasma and magnetic fields.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 59)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 59)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 58)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 58)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 58)

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