UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 22)

QUESTION 1

With reference to “mitochondrial diseases”, consider the following statements:

1. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA can cause mitochondrial disorder.

2. These diseases are incurable and can be fatal within days if diagnosed in a newborn.

3. Mitochondrial diseases can affect almost any part of the body except the kidneys and liver.

4. The three-person IVF procedure is known to help eliminate mitochondrial diseases that are passed on from  mother to child.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 2

Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary was in the news due to habitat fragmentation of hoolock gibbon by a railway track that divides the sanctuary. The sanctuary is located in:

(a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Uttarakhand

(c) West Bengal

(d) Assam

QUESTION 3

With reference to “Gucchi” sometimes mentioned in the news, consider the following statements: (PYQ 2020)

1. It is a fungus.

2. It grows in some Himalayan forest areas.

3. It is commercially cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of north-eastern India.

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 Cloud Seeding, consider the following statements:

1. It is a weather modification technology to create artificial rainfall that can work without pre-existing clouds in the atmosphere.

2. These ‘seeds’ of rain can be the iodides of silver or potassium.

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 5

Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft was recently in the news because it transmitted an encrypted message to Earth to simulate a scenario where we receive a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence. Which space agency launched Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft?

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

2. European Space Agency (ESA)

3. Roscosmos

4. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 2 and 3 only

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (c)

FYI:

— Mitochondria or the power membrane of a cell are unique; they have their own DNA called mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA.

— Mutations in this mtDNA or in nuclear DNA (DNA found in the nucleus of a cell) can cause mitochondrial disorder. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Mitochondrial diseases are chronic (long-term), genetic, often inherited disorders that occur when mitochondria fail to produce enough energy for the body to function properly.

— Mitochondrial diseases can affect almost any part of the body, including the cells of the brain, nerves, muscles, kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, ears or pancreas. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— The symptoms of mitochondrial diseases can include poor growth, muscle weakness, muscle pain, low muscle tone, exercise intolerance, vision and/or hearing problems, learning disabilities, delays in development, swallowing difficulties, diarrhea or constipation, unexplained vomiting, cramping, reflux, etc.

— Notably, mitochondrial diseases are incurable and can be fatal within days or even hours of birth, if diagnosed in a newborn. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The three-person IVF procedure is known to help eliminate mitochondrial diseases that are passed on from mother to child. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

2. (d)

FYI:

— Hoolock gibbons (Bunopithecus hoolock) are the only ape species found in India, with the entire stock confined to the Northeast.

— The track, laid by the British to connect Dibrugarh with Chittagong through Lumding, cut the sanctuary into two parts. Since then, several gibbon families in the southern half have remained cut off from the majority on the northern side.

— Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary is a small Sanctuary located in the Jorhat district of Assam, with semi-evergreen forests and evergreen patches amidst tea gardens and human settlements.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: environmentandforest.assam.gov.in)

3. (b)

FYI:

— Guchhi mushroom is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae of the Ascomycota. They are pale yellow in colour with large pits and ridges on the surface of the cap, raised on a large white stem. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— These mushrooms usually grow in clusters on logs of decaying wood, leaves or humus soil.

— Apart from its flavour, guchhi also owes its high price to the challenges in cultivation. The mushrooms cannot be cultivated commercially and grow in conifer forests across temperature regions, and the foothills in Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Jammu and Kashmir. Hence, statement 2 is correct and statement 3 is not correct.

— These mushrooms are rich in potassium, vitamins and copper. They are also a rich source of vitamin D apart from several B vitamins.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer

4. (b)

FYI:

— Cloud seeding is a kind of weather modification technology to create artificial rainfall.

— It works only when there are enough pre-existing clouds in the atmosphere. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The seeds of rain can be the iodides of silver or potassium, dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), or liquid propane. The seeds can be delivered by plane or simply by spraying from the ground. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Rain occurs when moisture in the air reaches levels that it can no longer hold, and cloud seeding tries to help and expedite that process by making chemical ‘nuclei’ accessible for condensation to occur.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

5. (d)

FYI:

— On May 24, 2023, the European Space Agency’s Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft, which is in orbit around Mars, transmitted an encrypted message to our planet to simulate a scenario where we receive a signal from an extraterrestrial intelligence.

— According to the SETI Institute, which is leading the project, the purpose of the project was to understand how to decode and interpret an extraterrestrial message by engaging a worldwide community, including professionals from different fields and the broader public.

— The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (ExoMars TGO) is searching for methane and other trace gases in the Martian atmosphere that could be evidence of possible biological or geological activity.

— The orbiter is the first in a series of joint missions between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: solarsystem.nasa.gov)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 22)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 22)

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

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 21)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 21)

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