UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 35)

1. It is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

2. It is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.

3. It is endemic to the Western Ghats.

4. It is locally known as Varaiaadu.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 2

Excess build-up of iron in the body can damage the liver. This is genetic but some may also acquire it through blood transfusions, certain blood problems, liver disease or binge alcoholism. Type 1 of this disorder is a leading cause of iron overload disease and quite common.

The above-mentioned lines refer to

(a) Hemochromatosis

(b) Hepatitis C

(c) Hyperoxaluria

(d) Wilson’s disease

QUESTION 3

With reference to the Natural Rubber, consider the following statements:

1. It is a major raw material for the automobile industry.

2. It is mainly imported from South-East Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

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 4

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2023 has been awarded to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov for:

(a) the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry

(b) the development of a method for genome editing

(c) the design and synthesis of molecular machines

(d) the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots

QUESTION 5

The Kamlang Tiger Reserve was recently in the news due to a white-bellied heron was spotted here. The reserve is located in

(a) Assam

(b) Arunachal Pradesh

(c) Sikkim

(d) Manipur

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (c)

FYI:

— The Tamil Nadu government issued orders to conserve the Nilgiri tahr through a project. The Rs 25.14-crore project would be carried out over a 5-year period, from 2022 to 2027, and would employ a strategy that included synchronised surveys to estimate the number of tahrs via radio telemetry and radio-collaring, among other things.

— It is locally known as Varaiaadu. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

— The tahr has been an endangered species and protected under schedule-I of the Wildlife (protection) Act of India, 1972. Hence, statement 1 is not correct and 2 is correct.

— The animal is endemic to the Western Ghats, which are internationally recognised as a region of immense global importance due to its bio-diversity. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— As per a Worldwide Fund for Nature Report 2015, there are 3,122 Tahrs in the wild.

— The project – the Nilgiri tahr – aims to restore its original habitat and try to re-introduce the species in areas where they originally lived.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

2. (a)

FYI:

— Hemochromatosis is genetic but some may also acquire it through blood transfusions, certain blood problems, liver disease or binge alcoholism.

— Excess build-up of iron in the body — Hemochromatosis –can damage the liver.

— According to doctors, men are more likely to have too much iron build up in the body as women get rid of the extra iron through blood during menstrual cycles or pregnancy.

— Hemochromatosis can be treated to avoid serious complications. However, if not treated, hemochromatosis will continue to accumulate iron in the body.

— Classic Hemochromatosis (HHC), a type 1 hemochromatosis, is a leading cause of iron overload disease and is quite common. People who have HHC (too much iron) absorb extra iron from their diet. Extra iron cannot be eliminated by the human body.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

3. (c)

FYI:

— Rubber products have a wide range of utilisation, from automobiles to medical devices. Natural rubber is a major raw material for the automobile industry (and is used to make everything) from tyres to engine parts. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— India’s captive consumption of natural rubber is 11 lakh tonnes per year, of which 4 lakh tonnes is imported. Similarly, of the 7 lakh tonnes of synthetic rubber consumed in the country annually, 4 lakh tonnes is imported.

— Natural rubber is imported from countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam etc. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— To protect farmers, the government imposes a 25% import duty on natural rubber, but this has exacerbated our problems.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

4. (d)

FYI:

— The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2023 has gone to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov for “the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots”.

— These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide surgeons when they remove tumour tissue, among many other things.

What are quantum dots?

— The properties of any element are determined by the number of electrons it possesses. However, when matter is extremely small, as in nano-dimensions, its properties are determined by its size. The more electrons are squeezed together in a smaller particle, the more its properties are affected. Quantum dots are particles whose size determines their behaviour.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— A video of a critically endangered white-bellied heron spotted in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit district has surfaced online.

— The white-bellied heron is mainly dark greyish with contrasting white throat, belly and vent, white-streaked scapulars, fore neck and upper breast.

— According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), both males and females have two lace-like white plumes on the back of their neck.

— The species, Ardea insignis, is found in the eastern Himalayan foothills of Bhutan, Northeast India to the hills of Bangladesh, north Myanmar, and west central Myanmar.

— According to the IUCN, the heron is critically endangered due to its extremely small and rapidly declining population. Their population is expected to decline further as a result of the loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 35)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 35)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 34)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 34)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 34)

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