🚨 This story is part of our special initiative for UPSC and other competitive exams. Look out for UPSC KEY on weekdays and UPSC Essentials everyday, Weekly news express with MCQs, Key Terms of the past week, Quizzes as well as The Indian Express 360° Upsc Debate, Society & Social Justice, UPSC Mains Practice, Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik, UPSC Ethics Simplified, Experts Talk, and more. 🚨 UPSC Weekly Quiz is a current affairs-based quiz on relevant topics from the past week, curated for the aspirants of competitive examinations. Attempt the weekly quiz every Saturday and find answers to the MCQs with explanations at the end of the article. QUESTION 1 With reference to the Digital Services Act (DSA) of the European Union, consider the following statements: 1. Social media companies are required to add “new procedures for faster removal” of content deemed illegal or harmful. 2. Users should display personalised ads directed towards minors or based on sensitive personal data. 3. It does not impose penalties for non-compliance. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None QUESTION 2 The Bairabi-Sairang railway project was in the news due to collapse of the under-construction railway bridge. The railway project is located in which state? (a) Assam (b) West Bengal (c) Mizoram (d) Odisha QUESTION 3 Consider the following statements: 1. The point closest to Earth in the moon’s elliptical orbit is called apogee. 2. A full moon occurs when the moon is directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. 3. The blue colour of the moon appears due to the scattering of light. 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 G-20, consider the following statements: 1. It was formed in 2009 in the backdrop of the financial crisis that hit East Asia and Southeast Asia. 2. It represents around 85 per cent of the global GDP. 3. The G20 Presidency rotates bi-annually. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None QUESTION 5 With reference to the Aditya L-1 mission, consider the following statements: 1. It is India's first space-based mission to study the Sun. 2. The mission will be carried into space by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in ‘XL’ configuration. 3. The spacecraft will finally be stationed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system. 4. The objective of the mission is to study the inner atmospheric layers of the Sun. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four QUESTION 6 With reference to the Parliamentary Session, consider the following statements: 1. The Constitution specifies that six months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions. 2. The Constitution uses the term “special session” which refers to sessions the government has convened for specific occasions, like commemorating parliamentary or national milestones. 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 7 Consider the following pairs: 1. Shiv Shakti Point - The point where the Chandrayaan-3 rover touched down on the lunar surface. 2. Jawahar Sthal - The point where Chandrayaan-2 crashed in 2019. 3. Tiranga - The point where the Probe strikes the lunar surface during India's first lunar orbiter mission Chandrayaan-1 How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None QUESTION 8 Consider the following factors: 1. Urbanisation 2. Infrastructural development 3. Monocultures 4. Environmental Pollutants How many of the above factors are responsible for the decline of birds in India? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four ANSWERS TO THE MCQs 1. (a) FYI: — The European Union’s groundbreaking Digital Services Act (DSA) came into effect which constitutes an overhaul of the EU’s social media and e-commerce rules and tightly regulates the way intermediaries, especially large platforms such as Google, Meta, Twitter, and YouTube, moderate user content. The key features of the Digital Services Act are: — Social media companies are required to add “new procedures for faster removal” of content deemed illegal or harmful. They must explain to users how their content takedown policy works. Users can challenge takedown decisions, and seek out-of-court settlements. Hence, statement 1 is correct. — The legislation has junked the one-size-fits-all approach and put a greater burden of accountability on the big tech companies. — Under the DSA, ‘Very Large Online Platforms’ (VLOPs) and ‘Very Large Online Search Engines’ (VLOSEs), that is, platforms with more than 45 million users in the EU, have more stringent requirements. — These requirements and their enforcement will be centrally supervised by the European Commission itself, ensuring that companies are not able to sidestep the legislation at the member-state level. — VLOPs and VLOSEs will face transparency measures and scrutiny of how their algorithms work, and will be required to conduct systemic risk analysis and reduction to drive accountability about the societal impacts of their products. — VLOPs must allow regulators and researchers to access their data to assess compliance and identify systemic risks of illegal or harmful content. — Online platforms must ensure that users can easily identify advertisements and understand who presents or pays for the ads. They must not display personalised ads directed toward minors or based on sensitive personal data. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. — The DSA imposes heavy penalties for non-compliance, which can be up to 6 per cent of the company’s global annual turnover. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. — Meta which operates Facebook and Instagram has said it will introduce non-personalised digital feeds. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. 2. (c) FYI: — A steel girder for an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram collapsed, killing 23 people working on it, they were at a dizzying height of around 100 metres above ground. — The bridge — being constructed over an undulating hilly forested terrain and a river — is part of a long-in-the-works project to take railway connectivity to Aizawl, the state capital. — The site of collapse was in Sairang, around 19 km from Aizawl, and the bridge is on the approach to Sairang station, the last point of this broad gauge railway project. — The bridge is one of 185 bridges part of the 51.38 km long Bairabi-Sairang railway project. Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer. 3. (b) FYI: — The orbit of the moon around the earth is not circular; it is elliptical, that is, an elongated or stretched-out circle. It takes the moon 27.3 days to orbit the earth. — The point closest to Earth in the moon’s elliptical orbit is called perigee, and the point that is farthest is called apogee. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. — A super moon happens when the moon is passing through or is close to its perigee, and is also a full moon. — A full moon occurs when the moon is directly opposite the sun (as seen from earth), and therefore, has its entire dayside lit up. The full moon appears as a brilliant circle in the sky that rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. Hence, statement 2 is correct. — The moon appears ‘full’ not just on Purnima, but also on the night before and after the full moon night. — The smoke or dust in the air can scatter red wavelengths of light, as a result of which the moon may, in certain places, appear more blue than usual. Hence, statement 3 is correct. — According to NASA, a full moon at perigee (super moon) is about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee (called a “micro moon”). Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. 4. (a) FYI: — The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will be held on September 9-10, 2023 at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan. — The Bharat Mandapam is India’s largest conference and exhibition venue. It has the capacity to seat 7,000 people in its multi-purpose and plenary halls combined — larger than the iconic Sydney Opera House which can hold around 5,900 in its various halls. — The central idea that has instructed its design is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', which is also the theme for India's ongoing G20 presidency. — The G20 or the Group of Twenty comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States) and the European Union. — It was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the financial crisis of the late 1990s that hit East Asia and Southeast Asia in particular, and aims to secure global financial stability by involving middle-income countries. Hence, statement 1 is not correct. — G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. Hence, statement 2 is correct. — The G20 Presidency rotates annually among the members – the Presidency is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda, organising its workings and hosting summits. India holds the Presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023. After India, Brazil will take over the G20 presidency in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025. Hence, statement 3 is not correct. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. 5. (b) FYI: — The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched Aditya L-1, its first space-based mission to study the Sun, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 11:50 am on September 2, 2023. Hence, statement 1 is correct. — The solar probe was carried into space by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in ‘XL’ configuration. PSLV is one of the most reliable and versatile workhorse rockets of ISRO. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. — The rocket is most powerful in the ‘XL’ configuration as it is equipped with six extended strap-on boosters — they are larger than the boosters of other configurations and, therefore, can carry heavier payloads. — The PSLV will initially place the Aditya L-1 in a lower Earth orbit. Subsequently, the spacecraft’s orbit around the Earth will be raised multiple times before it is put on a path to a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrange point. — The spacecraft will finally be stationed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system (more on this later), which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth. Hence, statement 3 is correct. — The mission’s main objective is to expand our knowledge of the Sun, and how its radiation, heat, flow of particles, and magnetic fields affect us. The other objectives that the mission will embark upon: — To study the upper atmospheric layers of the Sun called chromosphere and corona. While the corona is the outermost layer, the chromosphere is just below it. Hence, statement 4 is not correct. — To examine coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona. — To analyse the corona’s magnetic field and the driver of the space weather. — To understand why the Sun’s not-so-bright corona is a million degree Celsius hot when the temperature on the surface of the Sun is just about 5,500 degree Celsius. — To help scientists know the reasons behind the acceleration of particles on the Sun, which leads to the solar wind — the constant flow of particles from the Sun. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. 6. (a) FYI: — Pralhad Joshi, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, announced that a “special session” of Parliament would be held from September 18 to 22. — India’s Parliament has no fixed calendar of sittings. In 1955, a Lok Sabha committee had proposed a timetable for parliamentary sessions. It recommended that the Budget session of Parliament begin on February 1 and go on till May 7, and the Monsoon session start on July 15 and end on September 15. — The committee suggested that the Winter session, the last session of the year, commence on November 5 (or the fourth day after Diwali, whichever is later) and finish on December 22. — The government determines the date and duration of parliamentary sessions. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs takes this decision. It currently has ten Ministers, including those for Defence, Home, Finance, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting. — The Constitution specifies that six months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions. This provision is a colonial legacy. The framers of the Constitution borrowed it from the Government of India Act of 1935. Hence, statement 1 is correct. — The Constitution does not use the term “special session”. The term sometimes refers to sessions the government has convened for specific occasions, like commemorating parliamentary or national milestones. Hence, statement 2 is not correct. Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer. 7. (d) FYI: Points on the Moon Remarks Shiv Shakti Point The point where the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface. Tiranga Point The point where Chandrayaan-2 crashed in 2019. Jawahar Point The point where the Probe strikes the lunar surface during India's first lunar orbiter mission Chandrayaan-1. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. 8. (d) FYI: — According to a report based on data from about 30,000 birdwatchers, a large number of bird species in India are either currently declining or projected to decline in the long term. — Out of the 942 bird species that were assessed, 142 are diminishing and only 28 are increasing. — According to the report, raptors, migratory shorebirds, and ducks have declined the most, birds living in habitats like open ecosystems, rivers, and coasts are among the worst affected, the State of India’s Birds (SoIB). The key factors responsible for the decline are: — Urbanisation — Infrastructural development — Environmental pollutants — Climate change — Monocultures — Energy Infrastructure — The report said the transmission lines have also led to the death of many large-bodies species because of collision and numerous small-bodies species have been electrocuted. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer. Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. 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