UPSC Essentials — Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 16)

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QUESTION 1

With reference to cloud seeding, consider the following statements:

1. It is a weather modification technology to create artificial rainfall.

2. It can work only if there are no pre-existing clouds in the atmosphere.

3. These ‘seeds’ of rain can be the iodides of silver or potassium or liquid propane.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

The MISHTI programme was launched by India on the World Environment Day to

(a) Protect marine animals

(b) Increase the forest cover

(c) Protect olive ridley turtles

(d) Planting mangroves

QUESTION 3

With reference to Leptospirosis, consider the following statements:

1. It is a viral disease.

2. The common symptoms include fever, rash, body aches, and vomiting.

3. It cannot be treated.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

With reference to the GEMCOVAC-19, consider the following statements:

1. It is the indigenously developed first mRNA covid-19 vaccine.

2. It can be stored at the temperature of a standard medical refrigerator.

3. The technology uses genetically engineered mRNA to instruct cells to make the S-protein found on the surface of the Covid-19 virus.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 5

With reference to the short-lived Halogens, consider the following statements:

1. They have a lifetime of around two years in the atmosphere.

2. They are naturally produced by the oceans.

3. They cause depletion of ozone in the troposphere.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

ANSWERS TO MCQs

1. (b)

FYI:

— Cloud seeding is a weather modification technology to create artificial rainfall. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— It works only when there are enough pre-existing clouds in the atmosphere. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Rain happens when moisture in the air reaches levels at which it can no longer be held, and cloud seeding aims to facilitate and accelerate that process by making available chemical ‘nuclei’ around which condensation can take place.

— These ‘seeds’ of rain can be the iodides of silver or potassium, dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), or liquid propane. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— The seeds can be delivered by plane or sprayed from the ground.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

2. (d)

FYI:

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Union government’s Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) programme on World Environment Day on June 5.

— MISHTI aims at planting mangroves in 540 sq km on the coastline, spanning 11 states and two Union territories.

— “Under the MISHTI project, work is underway to increase mangroves cover along the coast.

— This programme to plant mangroves started in Dwarka on around 3,000 hectares through initiatives under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and public-private partnership.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

3. (a)

FYI:

— Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease usually affects animals and can spread to human beings if they are travelling through waterlogged areas. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— Leptospira is a bacteria which is present in the excreta and urine of animals can infect human beings if they are exposed to it – they can be exposed if they are wading through contaminated water, if there is a cut in the skin which has been exposed to the bacteria.

— The common symptoms of leptospirosis include fever, rash, body ache, and vomiting. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— If leptospirosis is left untreated, it can cause kidney damage and even prove to be fatal. This can be treated with antibiotics. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

4. (c)

FYI:

— The country’s first home-grown mRNA Covid-19 vaccine — GEMCOVAC-19 — developed at Pune’s Gennova Biopharmaceuticals has got a ‘restricted emergency use’ nod for the 18-and-above age group. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— As mRNA vaccines are required to be kept at sub-zero temperatures, it was a mammoth task for Gennova scientists to develop a thermostable mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.

— Scientists had to innovate to suit local needs to make it affordable and deployable. The new vaccine can now be stored at the temperature of a standard medical refrigerator. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Basically, the technology uses genetically engineered mRNA to instruct cells to make the S-protein found on the surface of the Covid-19 virus. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— According to a new study published in Nature, Oceans help absorb carbon dioxide and moderate the climate as they also cool the planet by releasing short-lived halogens such as chlorine, bromine and iodine.

— Short-lived halogens have a lifetime of less than six months in the atmosphere. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— They are naturally produced by the oceans. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Human activities cause pollutants such as ozone to deposit in the ocean, which then converts the soluble short-lived halogens into insoluble ones, forcing them out of the seawater and into the atmosphere.

— Halogens cause a depletion of ozone in the troposphere. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Source: http://www.downtoearth.org.in)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 16)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 16)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 15)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 15)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 15)

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