UPSC Essentials | Key terms of the past week with MCQs

— The sites are protected by the state archaeology department and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). In April, these sites in the Konkan region were added to a tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. While the UNESCO listing dates these sites to be over 12,000 years old, some experts have claimed that these sites might go as far back as 20,000 years, and that this can be ascertained through carbon and geological dating.

— The Barsu-Solgaon site was proposed after the original plan to construct a refinery in Nanar village of the district was dropped in 2019.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Omkar Gokhale writes:

What are geoglyphs?

— Geoglyphs are a form of prehistoric rock art, created on the surface of laterite plateaus (Sada in Marathi). They are made by removing a part of the rock surface through an incision, picking, carving or abrading. They can be in the form of rock paintings, etchings, cup marks and ring marks.

— The UNESCO listing mentions “Konkan geoglyphs.” However, elsewhere, the term petroglyph (literally, “rock symbol/character”) is also used. As per the UNESCO listing, petroglyphs and geoglyphs share similarities as both require the skills of removing parts or engraving a symbol on the rock surface.

What is the significance of Ratnagiri’s prehistoric rock art?

— Clusters of geoglyphs are spread across the Konkan coastline in Maharashtra and Goa, spanning around 900 km. Porous laterite rock, which lends itself to such carving, is found on a large scale across the entire region.

— Ratnagiri district has more than 1,500 pieces of such art, also called “Katal shilpa,” spread across 70 sites. UNESCO’s tentative world heritage list mentions seven sites with petroglyphs in Ratnagiri district — Ukshi, Jambharun, Kasheli, Rundhe Tali, Devihsol, Barsu and Devache Gothane, one in Sindhudurg district –Kudopi village, and nine sites at Phansamal in Goa.

— According to UNESCO, “rock art in India is one of oldest material evidence of the country’s early human creativity.” Ratnagiri’s rock art is evidence of the continued existence of human settlements from the Mesolithic (middle stone age) to the early historic era. The geoglyphs also show the existence of certain types of fauna that are no longer present in the region today.

— Ratnagiri’s prehistoric sites are among three Indian attractions that may soon become World Heritage Sites. The other two include Jingkieng Jri, the living root bridge in Meghalaya, and Sri Veerabhadra Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Lepakshi.

What does the imagery in these sites tell us?

— UNESCO’s World Heritage Site listing says that imagery from these sites shows how people “adapted to ephemeral wetlands in a dry-arid plateau having shallow rock pools, streams and watercourses”. Experts say that the discovery of geoglyphs has added to ongoing research on human resilience and adaptation to extreme fluctuations in climates.

— The geoglyph clusters also are examples of advanced artistic skills, showing the evolution of techniques of etching and scooping in rock art.

— The figures depicted in the geoglyphs include humans and animals such as deer, elephant, tiger, monkey, wild boar, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, cattle, pig, rabbit, and monkey. Moreover, they also include a high number of reptilian and amphibian creatures such as tortoises and alligators, aquatic animals such as sharks and sting rays, and birds like peacocks.

— Some clusters have one or two standalone figures of larger-than-life scale, while others show multiple figures gathered together, seemingly for a purpose.

— The largest rock engraving or geoglyph in India is at Kasheli in the Ratnagiri district, which has a large figure of an elephant with dimensions of 18X13 metres.

“The iconography, content, scale and composition record faunal, especially marine and large mammals that have become extinct in the Indian subcontinent over 30,000 years,” the UNESCO listing states.

Why have experts raised red flags over the refinery project site at Barsu- Solgaon?

— The committee of experts appointed by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology visited Ratnagiri last month to assess the funds required for the conservation of geoglyphs. Senior archaeologist Professor Vasant Shinde, who headed the team said that more than 250 geoglyphs have been identified in the area where the petrochemical refinery will be built. He said that if the project starts at the presently proposed site in Barsu, the rock carvings will get destroyed due to construction and chemical reaction at the site. “A refinery project can be set up elsewhere in Konkan beyond 5-6 km of the petroglyphs,” Shinde said.

(Source: Ratnagiri’s pre-historic rock art: Why a proposed oil refinery has experts worried? by Omkar Gokhale)

Point to ponder: What is Mandala in art?

1. MCQ:

Consider the following historical places (2013):

1. Ajanta Caves

2. Lepakshi Temple

3. Sanchi Stupa

Which of the above places is/are known for mural paintings?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) None

Delimitation

Why in news?

— The Election Commission of India said that it has begun the process of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Assam. The process will be based on Census data from 2001. The last delimitation of constituencies in Assam was done in 1976 on the basis of the 1971 Census.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

— Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes in population. The main objective of delimitation is to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population.

— For instance, in 1971, Assam’s population was 1.46 crore. In 2001, it increased to 2.66 crores. Further, the population does not grow uniformly across all areas of a state. Hence, delimitation of constituencies is periodically carried out to reflect not only an increase in population but changes in its distribution.

Who carries out delimitation?

— Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission, appointed by the Government of India under provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act. The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India. It is composed of the following: a retired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner of India and respective State Election Commissioners.

— The Delimitation Commission is to work without any executive influence. The Constitution mandates that the Commission’s orders are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up an election indefinitely.

How is delimitation supposed to be carried out?

— Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census. Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up the Delimitation Commission.

— The Commission is supposed to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies in a way that the population of all seats, so far as practicable, is the same. The Commission is also tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

— The draft proposals of the Delimitation Commission are published for public feedback. The Commission also holds public sittings. After hearing the public, it considers objections and suggestions, and carries out changes, if any, in the draft proposal. The final order is published in the Gazette of India and the State Gazette concerned and comes into force on a date specified by the President.

How have previous delimitation exercises actually worked?

— In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. There was no delimitation after the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses.

— However, the 2002 Act did not make any changes in total Lok Sabha seats or their apportionment between various states. It also left out a few states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur from the exercise due to “security risks.” The central government reconstituted the Delimitation Commission for these four states as well as the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 6 March 2020.

Why have we not seen delimitation exercises after each census?

— The last delimitation exercise that changed the state-wise composition of the Lok Sabha was completed in 1976 and done on the basis of the 1971 census (more than half a century ago at this point). The reason for not having more frequent delimitation processes is an unintended consequence of how the Constitution envisioned constituencies to be delimited.

— The Constitution mandates that the number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to a state would be such that the ratio between that number and the population of the state is, as far as practicable, the same for all states. However, this provision meant that states that took little interest in population control could end up with a greater number of seats in the Parliament.

— The fear of losing meaningful political representation was especially great in the southern states which not only had had greater success in controlling populations but also economically developed such that they generated a lot more per capita revenue than the northern states. Delimitation on the basis of population would disenfranchise them politically while the central government would continue to benefit from these states’ economic contributions to the country.

— To allay these fears, the Constitution was amended during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency rule in 1976 to suspend delimitation until 2001. Another amendment postponed this until 2026. It was hoped that the country would achieve a uniform population growth rate by this time.

(Source: Election Commission begins ‘delimitation’ in Assam: What this exercise is, why it is important? )

Point to ponder: How proposals of delimitation commission in J&K and the north east ensure greater fairness and balance?

2. MCQ:

Which of the following statements are not true with reference to the process of Delimitation ?

(a) Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission appointed by the Election Commission of India.

(b) The draft proposals of the Delimitation Commission are published for public feedback.

(c) Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census.

(d) In the history of the Indian republic, Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times.

Remote Voting Machines

Why in news?

— While discussions within the Election Commission (EC) to enable remote voting by migrants are not new, the poll body has this week come out with a plan to test its latest proposal to help domestic migrants cast their ballots for their home constituencies, from polling stations in the cities they work in.

Naegleria fowleri

Why in news?

— South Korea on Monday reported its first case of infection from Naegleria fowleri or “brain-eating amoeba”, according to The Korea Times. The authorities said a 50-year-old Korean national, who had recently returned from Thailand, died 10 days after showing symptoms of the rare yet fatal infection.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Alind Chauhan writes:

What is Naegleria fowleri?

— Naegleria is an amoeba, a single-celled organism, and only one of its species, called Naegleria fowleri, can infect  humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was first discovered in Australia in 1965 and is commonly found in warm freshwater bodies, such as hot springs, rivers and lakes.

How does it infect humans?

— The amoeba enters the human body through the nose and then travels up to the brain. This can usually happen when someone goes for a swim, or dive or even when they dip their head in a freshwater body. In some cases, it was found that people got infected when they cleaned their nostrils with contaminated water. Scientists haven’t found any evidence of the spreading of Naegleria fowleri through water vapour or aerosol droplets.

— Once Naegleria fowleri goes to the brain, it destroys brain tissues and causes a dangerous infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), according to the CDC.

What are the symptoms of PAM?

— The CDC says the first signs of PAM start showing within one to 12 days after the infection. In the initial stages, they might be similar to symptoms of meningitis, which are headache, nausea and fever. In the later stages, one can suffer from a stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations, and even coma. The US public health agency also observed that the infection spreads rapidly and on average causes death within about five days.

— The fatality of PAM is as such that only four people have survived out of 154 known infected individuals in the United States from 1962 to 2021, the CDC mentions.

What is the treatment for the infection?

— As the Naegleria fowleri infection is rare and progresses quickly, scientists haven’t been able to identify any effective treatments yet. At present, doctors treat it with a combination of drugs, including amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine, and dexamethasone.

Can climate change increase the spread of the infection?

— According to the CDC, with the rising global temperatures, the chances of getting Naegleria fowleri infection will go up as the amoeba mainly thrives in warm freshwater bodies. The organism best grows in high temperatures up to 46°C and sometimes can survive at even higher temperatures.

— Various recent studies have found that excess atmospheric carbon dioxide has led to an increase in the temperature of lakes and rivers.

— “These conditions provide a more favourable environment for the amoeba to grow. Heat waves, when air and water temperatures may be higher than usual, may also allow the amoeba to thrive,” the CDC website says. It also adds that initially the infections in the US were mostly reported in southern states, however, in recent years, they have been seen in northern states too.

— So far, Naegleria fowleri has been found in all continents and declared as the cause of PAM in over 16 countries, including India.

(Source: ‘Brain-eating amoeba’ kills South Korean man: What is the infection by Alind Chauhan )

Point to ponder: Climate change amplifying health impacts of multiple crises. Discuss.

4. MCQ:

Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing? (2013)

1. Chikungunya

2. Hepatitis B

3. HIV-AIDS

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Bomb cyclone

Why in news?

— An intense blizzard (or snowstorm) is wreaking havoc across the United States and Canada, with more than 30 people confirmed dead in the US as of Monday, December 26. Four people died in Canada after a road accident on an icy path.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

What is happening with the blizzard?

— According to an AP report, the scope of the storm has been nearly “unprecedented”, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the US population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal in major areas of the country, the National Weather Service said.

What is a “bomb cyclone”?

— Forecasters have termed the blizzard as different from the usual weather events and called it a “bomb cyclone.” While this kind of storm is not exceedingly rare, this one is very strong, with high winds that are bringing heavy snow or rain to many areas.

— Storms form when a mass of low-pressure air meets a high-pressure mass. The air flows from high pressure to low, creating winds.

— What defines a bomb cyclone is how rapidly the pressure drops in the low-pressure mass — by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. This quickly increases the pressure difference, or gradient, between the two air masses, therefore making the winds stronger. This process of rapid intensification has an even more ferocious-sounding name: bombogenesis.

— John Moore, a meteorologist and spokesperson for the National Weather Service, explained in an article in The New York Times that as the area where the two air masses meet moves northward and eastward, conditions for bombogenesis should continue moving as well.

(Source: Unprecedented ‘bomb cyclone’ in US, Canada: What is happening, and why? )

Point to ponder: How and why are cyclones named?

5. MCQ: 

With reference to the Bomb Cyclone, consider the following statements:

1. What defines a bomb cyclone is how rapidly the pressure rises in the low-pressure mass.

2. This quickly decreases the pressure difference, or gradient, between the two air masses, therefore making the winds stronger. 

Which of the above statements are incorrect?

(a) Only 1

(b) Only 2

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWERS TO MCQs: 1 (b), 2 (a), 3 (d), 4 (b), 5 (c)

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