UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Science and Technology MCQs on hippocampus region, superbug and more (Week 133)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the hippocampus region, consider the following statements:

1. It is the brain’s quick-access memory.

2. When you learn something new, the details or ‘file’ are stored in the hippocampus region.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— It is common that we spend a lot of time daydreaming, allowing our minds to wander freely. This is known as the ‘offline state’, and the study shows that nearly half of our waking hours fall into this state, in simple words, in an activity where we do not focus on anything around us. This state would have been seen as wasteful traditionally, but scientists beg to differ.

— To understand this better, imagine the brain’s memory consolidation as something like saving a document. When you learn something new, the details or ‘file’ are stored in the hippocampus region, which is also the brain’s quick-access memory. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

— When you are resting, the hippocampus replays the information to the cortex, a region that is responsible for long-term storage. According to the paper, this replay seems to happen during sleep and moments of quiet wakefulness.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the superbug, consider the following statements:

1. It is a bacterial strain that would become resistant following exposure to an antibiotic.

2. They can be easily treated with higher doses of common antibiotics.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Superbug is a common term used to describe strains of bacteria that are resistant to at least one or more commonly used antibiotic, according to the article, Superbugs: An invincible threat in post antibiotic era, published in Science Direct.

— It is typically a bacterial strain that would become resistant, following exposure to an antibiotic. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) superbugs directly cause over a million deaths and contribute to nearly five million every year, according to the WHO.

— The UNGA declaration, after 17 years in September 2024, underlined the associated risks, and called for measures to reduce this pollution.

— Superbugs are resistant to multiple medications, so just raising the dosage of conventional antibiotics is ineffective and may be hazardous. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Which of the following instruments aboard India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission has confirmed an increase in the density of molecules in the Moon’s exosphere, or its extremely thin atmosphere, during a major solar event called a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)?

(a) Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM)

(b) Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC-2)

(c) Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR)

(d) Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2 (CHACE-2)

Explanation

— An instrument aboard India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission has confirmed what scientists had long predicted — an increase in the density of molecules in the Moon’s exosphere, or its extremely thin atmosphere, during a major solar event called a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) last year.

— The Moon’s exosphere, found close to its surface, is made up of molecules released through processes such as solar radiation, solar wind, and meteorite impacts. During a CME — when the Sun ejects a burst of plasma from its outer layer — more molecules are knocked off the lunar surface, raising the density of the exosphere. Unlike Earth, the Moon lacks a magnetic field to shield it from these solar blasts, making it especially vulnerable.

— This is what Chandrayaan-2’s payload, the Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2 (CHACE-2), recorded during a series of powerful CMEs in May last year. The event led to a noticeable increase in total pressure in the Moon’s sunlit exosphere, exactly when the CME reached the lunar surface.

— “This is the first experimental evidence for the enhancement of lunar exospheric densities during a CME,” states the study published in the Geophysical Research Letters. The first author of the study is MB Dhanya from ISRO Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The terms “SWAS”, “STAR”, and “SAFAL” are associated with:

(a) Types of Rockets

(b) Green Crackers

(a) Space-based and satellite monitoring programmes

(d) Agricultural Fertilisers

Explanation

— Traditional firecrackers rely on chemical mixtures of potassium nitrate, barium nitrate, aluminium powder, sulphur, and charcoal. These compounds produce brilliant colours and loud bangs but also emit fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) — all major contributors to smog.

— Scientists sought to reformulate these mixtures by reducing toxic metals and introducing additives that suppress dust. Green crackers, branded as SWAS (Safe Water Releaser), STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker) and SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium), typically replace barium nitrate with potassium nitrate or strontium salts, limit aluminium content, and add compounds like zeolite and iron oxide to capture soot.

— In NEERI’s emission tests, such formulations achieved 30-40 per cent lower PM and gas emissions compared with conventional fireworks (Wankhede et al., Environmental Pollution 2023).

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to the DNS (Domain Name System) issue, consider the following statements:

1. A DNS issue is a problem where a computer cannot connect to a website because it fails to translate the human-readable domain name into its corresponding numerical IP address.

2. They are caused when a computer’s hardware malfunctions.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— An outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud services provider that underpins much of online platforms, took nearly the entire Internet down for several hours on Monday, underscoring the fragility of companies that use cloud-based servers to host their data and how suddenly an unplanned outage can affect businesses around the globe.

— It appears that at the heart of the outage was a DNS (Domain Name System) issue in AWS’s DynamoDB service endpoints. A DNS issue is one of the more common issues to occur in Internet infrastructure. A DNS issue is a problem where a computer cannot connect to a website because it fails to translate the human-readable domain name (like example.com) into its corresponding numerical IP address. This prevents the browser from finding the correct server, resulting in symptoms like slow loading times, inability to access a site, or an error message. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— DNS (Domain Name System) difficulties are caused by domain name resolution, server misconfigurations, or network issues rather than hardware breakdowns. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 128)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 132)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 132)

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