INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 21 June 2021) REVISION THROUGH MCQS

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• June 21- this day is referred to as the summer solstice, the longest day of the summer season. It occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
• For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and is the day with the longest period of daylight. At the pole, there is continuous daylight around the summer solstice.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/summer-solstice/

Ans: (b)

Explanation: The Integrated Power Development Scheme:

• S1: Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is the Nodal agency for implementation of the scheme.
• S2: All Discoms will be eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/integrated-power-development-scheme-ipds/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: Ebola is caused by viruses in the Ebolavirus and Filoviridae family. Ebola is considered a zoonosis, meaning that the virus is present in animals and is transmitted to humans.
  • Ebola is spread by direct contact with blood or other body fluids (such as: vomit, diarrhea, urine, breast milk, sweat, semen) of an infected person who has symptoms of Ebola or who has recently died from Ebola.
• S2: There is no cure or specific treatment for the Ebola virus disease that is currently approved for market, although various experimental treatments are being developed. For past and current Ebola epidemics, treatment has been primarily supportive in nature.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/ebola-outbreak/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• S1: Myanmar is a member of the East Asia Summit, Non-Aligned Movement, ASEAN, and BIMSTEC, but it is not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
• S2: Myanmar is bordered in the northwest by the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and the Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states of India.
• S3: Of the 13 countries that lie on the equator, seven are in Africa—the most of any continent—and South America is home to three of the nations. The remaining countries are island nations in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=176718&action=edit&classic-editor

Ans: (b)

Explanation: What are Monoclonal antibodies?

• They are artificially created antibodies that aim to aid the body’s natural immune system.
• They target a specific antigen — a protein from the pathogen that induces immune response.
• How are they created?
  • Monoclonal antibodies can be created in the lab by exposing white blood cells to a particular antigen.
  • To increase the quantity of antibodies produced, a single white blood cell is cloned, which in turn is used to create identical copies of the antibodies.
  • In the case of Covid-19, scientists usually work with the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which facilitates the entry of the virus into the host cell.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/monoclonal-antibodies/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Bt cotton remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in the country.
  • Developed by US giant Bayer-Monsanto, it involves insertion of two genes viz ‘Cry1Ab’ and ‘Cry2Bc’ from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into cotton seeds.
• This modification codes the plant to produce protein toxic to Heliothis bollworm (pink bollworm) thus making it resistant to their attack. The commercial release of this hybrid was sanctioned by the government in 2002.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/sale-of-illegal-htbt-cotton-seeds-doubles/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• About the Hubble Space Telescope:
  • The Hubble Space Telescope is a large telescope in space. NASA launched Hubble in 1990.
  • It was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions from the European Space Agency.
  • Hubble is the only telescope designed to be serviced in space by astronauts.
  • Expanding the frontiers of the visible Universe, the Hubble Space Telescope looks deep into space with cameras that can see across the entire optical spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet.
  • The Hubble Space Telescope makes one orbit around Earth every 95 minutes.
• About SOFIA:
  • SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP jetliner that flies at altitudes up to 45,000 feet.
  • It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center.
  • It has an infrared camera that picks up the wavelength unique to water molecules.
  • SOFIA’s mission is to look at dark and distant objects. The Moon, on the other hand, is so close and bright that it fills the SOFIA guide camera’s entire field of view.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/hubble-space-telescope/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Brown hydrogen is produced using coal where the emissions are released to the air
• Grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas where the associated emissions are released to the air
• Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas, where the emissions are captured using carbon capture and storage
• Green hydrogen is produced from electrolysis powered by renewable electricity.
• Pink hydrogen is generated through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/summit-on-green-hydrogen-initiatives/

Ans: (c)

Explanation: Ajit Mishra expert group:

• The Central Government has constituted an Expert Group under the Chairmanship of Professor Ajit Mishra, a renowned economist.
• Its mandate is to provide technical inputs and recommendations on fixation of Minimum Wages and National Floor Wages to the Government.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-21-june-2021/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN) is a Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology initiative that empowers farmers, especially women farmers. It aims to understand the problems of water, soil, seed and market faced by the farmers and provide simple solutions to them.
• It is a pan-India program, following a hub-and-spoke model and stimulates entrepreneurship and innovation in farmers and empowers women farmers.
• It identifies and promotes local farm leadership in both genders. Such leadership helps to develop science-based farming besides facilitating the transfer of knowledge.

Refer: facts for prelims: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/06/21/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-21-june-2021/