UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 21)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), consider the following statements:

1. It is a set of emergency measures that prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.

2. It is decremental in nature.

3. Stage 3 is activated when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is in the ‘Poor’ category (201-300).

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 2

With reference to the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), consider the following statements:

1. The session adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships.

2. It includes a commitment to ensure an uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

QUESTION 3

With reference to the Navigation satellite, NVS-01, consider the following statements:

1. It is the first of the five second-generation satellites for the Navigation by Indian Constellation (NavIC).

2. It was launched using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

3. The vehicle used the new 4m Ogive payload fairing — the shield within which the satellites are housed to protect them from atmospheric friction and heat.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

Hakuto-R — the privately built lunar lander was in the news recently. The lander was built by which country?

(a) Japan

(b) South Korea

(c) North Korea

(d) China

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Agni Prime, consider the following statements:

1. It is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles with range capability between 4,000 and 5,000 km.

2. It is a supersonic cruise missile.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (a)

FYI:

— Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— It was approved by the Supreme Court in 2016 and notified in 2017.

— The plan was formulated after several meetings that the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) held with state government representatives and experts.

— GRAP is incremental in nature and thus, when the air quality dips from ‘poor’ to ‘very poor,’ measures listed under both sections have to be followed. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Stage 1 of GRAP is activated when the AQI is in the ‘poor’ category (201 to 300),

— Stage 2 is when it’s in the ‘Very poor’ category (301-400),

— Stage 3 is when the AQI is in the ‘Severe’ category (401-450) Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Stage 4 is when it rises to the ‘Severe +’ category (more than 450).

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

2. (c)

FYI:

— International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted revised strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meeting at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80), have adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, with enhanced targets to tackle harmful emissions.

— The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping close to 2050, a commitment to ensure uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030, as well as indicative check-points for 2030 and 2040. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Source: http://www.imo.org)

3. (b)

FYI:

— The Indian Space Research Organisation  successfully launched the first of the five second-generation satellites for the Navigation by Indian Constellation (NavIC). Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The 2,232 kg satellite, launched using a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle or GSLV rocket, will add to India’s regional navigation system and provide accurate and real-time navigation. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The constellation has been plagued by failing atomic clocks and satellites nearing the end of their mission life. The satellite has a mission life of over 12 years, which in itself is longer than the 10-year life of the first-generation satellites in the constellation.

— The vehicle also used the new 4m Ogive payload fairing— the shield within which the satellites are housed to protect them from atmospheric friction and heat—capable of carrying bigger payloads. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

4. (a)

FYI:

— Hakuto-R, the lunar lander built by private Japanese space technology firm Ispace, has sent back another image of the Moon.

— The latest image taken by the mission shows many brightly lit craters on the Moon. It also shows some partially lit craters on the edge of the Moon’s visible “disc” in the image. The rest of the image is dominated by the deep blackness of space.

— The Hakuto-R lander is aiming for the Atlas crater in the northeastern section of the Moon’s near side.

— The Hakuto-R lander is aiming for the Atlas crater in the northeastern section of the Moon’s near side. The crater measures more than 87 kilometres across and is over two kilometres deep.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

5. (d)

FYI:

— The Agni Prime new generation ballistic missile was successfully test-fired off the coast of Odisha. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— During the test flight, the missile travelled the maximum range and all test objectives were successfully met. With this third consecutive successful flight test of the Agni Prime missile, the accuracy and reliability of the system has been established.

— The performance of system has been validated using the data obtained by a number of range instrumentation like Radar, Telemetry, and Electro-Optical Tracking systems deployed at different locations including two down range ships at terminal point to cover entire trajectory.

— Agni Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles with range capability between 1,000 and 2,000km. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 21)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 21)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 20)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 20)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 20)

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