PRELIMS 2017 REVISION TEST 15

Solution: d)

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RFID vs Barcodes: RFID is not necessarily better than barcodes. The two are different technologies and have different applications, which sometimes overlap. In many circumstances, RFID offers advantages over traditional barcodes. The big difference between the two is that barcodes are line-of-sight technology. That is, a scanner has to “see” the barcode to read it, which means people usually have to orient the barcode toward a scanner for it to be read.

One advantage of RFID is that the technology doesn’t require line of sight. RFID tags can be read as long as they are within range of a reader. Barcodes have other shortcomings as well. If a label is ripped or soiled or has fallen off, there is no way to scan the item, and standard barcodes identify only the manufacturer and product, not the unique item. For example, the barcode on one milk carton is the same as every other, making it impossible to identify which one might pass its expiration date first.

See the table below for a direct comparison of the two technologies.

Comparison of RFID & Barcode

Solution: d)

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Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an appropriate name to describe the technologies that build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material, whether the material is plastic, metal, concrete or one day…..human tissue. Common to AM technologies is the use of a computer, 3D modeling software (Computer Aided Design or CAD), machine equipment and layering material. Once a CAD sketch is produced, the AM equipment reads in data from the CAD file and lays downs or adds successive layers of liquid, powder, sheet material or other, in a layer-upon-layer fashion to fabricate a 3D object. The term AM encompasses many technologies including subsets like 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping (RP), Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), layered manufacturing and additive fabrication. AM application is limitless. Early use of AM in the form of Rapid Prototyping focused on preproduction visualization models. More recently, AM is being used to fabricate end-use products in aircraft, dental restorations, medical implants, automobiles, and even fashion products.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/513716/additive-manufacturing/

Solution: a)

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Even option (d) is correct, but with reference to question, option (a) more correct.

Scientists have identified materials that can withstand temperatures of nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius.  Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK discovered that the melting point of hafnium carbide is the highest ever recorded for a material.  Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat.  Their ability to withstand extremely harsh environments means that refractory ceramics could be used in thermal protection systems on highspeed vehicles and as fuel cladding in the super-heated environments of nuclear reactors.

Solution: c)

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Project Loon is a research and development project being developed by X (formerly Google X) with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas. The project uses high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 18 km (11 mi) to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds. It was named Project Loon, since even Google itself found the idea of providing Internet access to the remaining 5 billion population unprecedented and crazy/loony.

Solution: d)

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Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification, a way of changing the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds.  The most common chemicals used for cloud seeding include silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice (solid carbon dioxide). Liquid propane, which expands into a gas, has also been used.

Solution: d)

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Food irradiation is a technology in which food products are subjected to a low dosage of radiation to treat them for germs and insects, increasing their longevity and shelf life.  The radiation can be emitted by a radioactive substance or generated electrically. The irradiated food does not become radioactive.  International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommends the irradiation doses for Food irradiation.  It does not reduce the nutritional value of food products and does not change their organoleptic properties and appearance.  The irradiation treatment delay/eliminate ripening or sprouting and reduce the risk of food borne illness.

Solution: d)

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There are two types of vaccine that protect against polio: inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). o IPV contains live killed virus and OPV contains live weakened virus. o OPV is made up of attenuated or weakened poliovirus and there is a risk of vaccine derived polio. o IPV is made up of inactivated (killed) polio virus and will provide immunity from all three strains of polio.

Solution: b)

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Zika virus is vector borne disease transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.  Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947.  The virus is capable of causing foetal deformation known as Microcephaly in which infants are born with abnormally smaller heads.  It is associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS: a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system).  Zika virus is related to the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses.  It can be transmitted sexually also.  In mid-2015 more than 1.5 million people were infected, mostly in Brazil and other countries in South America.  The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared a global health emergency in February 2016, and declared it over in November 2016.  As of 2016, the illness cannot be prevented by medications or vaccines.  Brazilian scientists have identified Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito infected by the Zika virus as another type of Zika-transmitting mosquito.

Solution: b)

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A Chinese group has become the first to inject a person with cells that contain genes edited using the revolutionary CRISPR–Cas9 technique.  Researchers used a novel version of the CRISPR system called CRISPR/Cas9n to successfully insert a tuberculosis resistance gene into the cow genome.  CRISPR o CRISPR, short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, was named “2015 Breakthrough of the Year” by the U.S. journal Science. o It allows scientists to selectively edit genome parts and replace them with new DNA stretches. o It’s already been done with pigs, fish, mice, and mosquitoes, as well as human embryos. o Cas9 is an enzyme that can edit DNA, allowing the alteration of genetic patterns by genome modification.

Solution: c)

The reactors are pressurised water reactor of Russian design, model VVER-1000/V-412 referred also as AES-92. Thermal capacity is 3,000 MW, gross electrical capacity is 1,000 MW with a net capacity of 917 MW.[23] Construction is by NPCIL and Atomstroyexport. When completed the plant will become the largest nuclear power generation complex in India producing a cumulative 2 GW of electric power.[24] Both units are water-cooled, water-moderated power reactors.

Solution: d)

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Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen.  Melamine is widely used in plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards.  The addition of melamine increases the nitrogen content of the milk and therefore its apparent protein content.  However, addition of melamine into food is not approved by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (food standard commission), or by any national authorities.

Please read this FAQ on melamine:

http://www.who.int/csr/media/faq/QAmelamine/en/

Solution: c)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 4

• When an oil is saturated, that means that the molecule has all the hydrogen atoms it can hold. Unsaturation means that some hydrogen atoms have been removed, and this opens the structure of the molecule in a way that makes it susceptible to attack by free radicals.
• Free radicals are reactive molecular fragments that occur even in healthy cells, and can damage the cell. When unsaturated oils are exposed to free radicals they can create chain reactions of free radicals that spread the damage in the cell, and contribute to the cell’s aging.
• Rancidity of oils occurs when they are exposed to oxygen, in the body just as in the bottle. Harmful free radicals are formed, and oxygen is used up.

Solution: b)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 13

The amended Delhi Special Police Establishment Act empowers a committee to appoint the director of CBI. The committee consists of:

• Prime Minister – chairperson • Leader of Opposition – member • Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court Judge recommended by the Chief Justice – member When making recommendations, the committee considers the views of the outgoing director. Above Selection committee was constituted under The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013

Solution: d)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 18

The tribe-wise population of Scheduled Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as per Census 2011 is given below: –

Solution: b

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 24

It refers to Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman born in Dublin, as well as an author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher who, after moving to London, served as a member of parliament (MP) for many years in the House of Commons with the Whig Party.

Burke is remembered for his support for Catholic emancipation, the impeachment of Warren Hastings from the East India Company, and for his later opposition to the French Revolution.

Solution: c)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 29

Bhitarkanika National Park is a national park located in Kendrapara district of Odisha in eastern India. Core area of 145 square kilometre of the Bhitarkanika Wild Sanctuary, spread over 672 km2, has been designated as a National Park since 16th Sep 1998. Also a Ramsar Convention 19th Aug 2002. The national park is surrounded by the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.

Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary lies to the east, and separates swamp region cover with canopy of mangroves from the Bay of Bengal. Thus it become a vicinity of rich biodiversity The park is home to Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), White Crocodile, Indian python, King Cobra, black ibis, darters and many other species of flora and fauna. The national park was created in September 1998 from the core area of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, which was created in 1975. The sanctuary is the second largest mangrove ecosystem in India.

Solution: d)

Shelter belts are rows of trees, usually along fence lines. They are planted mainly to protect animals or crops from cold winds, but also to give shade in hot weather. In regions such as Canterbury where there is a lot of cultivated land, shelter belts also reduce wind erosion.

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 35

Solution: d)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 44

The crucial parts of Nehru – Mahalanobis strategy were (a) high savings rate, (b) heavy industry bias, (c) protectionist policies and public sector, (d) import substitution, and (e) socialistic pattern of society.

• Mahalanobis stressed on investing in commanding heights of the economy, to sacrifice present consumer goods for capital goods. • It believed that India should no longer need to rely on imports of foreign capital goods which are the critical imports. • If a high savings rate is to be achieved and sustained profitable investment opportunities have to be provided on a sustained basis, it would be possible only with investment in heavy industries and capital goods that generate returns.

Solution: c)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 67

• The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr. Thaawarchand Gehlot on April 5, 2017. It seeks to grant the National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC) constitutional status, at par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
• Role of NCSC: Currently, under the Constitution the NCSC has the power to look into complaints and welfare measures with regard to Scheduled Castes, backward classes and Anglo-Indians.  The Bill seeks to remove the power of the NCSC to examine matters related to backward classes.
• Constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes: The NCBC is a body set up under the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.  It has the power to examine complaints regarding inclusion or exclusion of groups within the list of backward classes, and advise the central government in this regard.  The Bill seeks to establish the NCBC under the Constitution, and provide it the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes.
• Note that this Bill was introduced alongside the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017 that seeks to repeal the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.

Solution: b)

Insights Prelims Tests 2017, Test 25 Q 68

Transcription is the process by which DNA is copied (transcribed) to mRNA, which carries the information needed for protein synthesis. Transcription takes place in two broad steps. First, pre-messenger RNA is formed, with the involvement of RNA polymerase enzymes. The process relies on Watson-Crick base pairing, and the resultant single strand of RNA is the reverse-complement of the original DNA sequence. The pre-messenger RNA is then “edited” to produce the desired mRNA molecule in a process called RNA splicing.

The mRNA formed in transcription is transported out of the nucleus, into the cytoplasm, to the ribosome (the cell’s protein synthesis factory). Here, it directs protein synthesis. Messenger RNA is not directly involved in protein synthesis − transfer RNA (tRNA) is required for this. The process by which mRNA directs protein synthesis with the assistance of tRNA is called translation.