[Mission 2022] Insta– QUED ( Questions from Editorials. ) 4 November 2021

Solution: b)

The Depsang Plains represent a high-altitude gravelly plain at the northwest portion of the disputed Aksai Chin region of Kashmir, divided into Indian and Chinese administered portions across a Line of Actual Control. India controls the western portion of the plains as part of Ladakh, whereas the eastern portion is controlled by China and claimed by India.

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Solution: c)

Russia announced that it would be withdrawing from the International Space Station in 2025, and build and manage its own floating laboratory that will be launched into orbit by 2030.

A space station is essentially a large spacecraft that remains in low-earth orbit for extended periods of time. It is like a large laboratory in space, and allows astronauts to come aboard and stay for weeks or months to carry out experiments in microgravity.

The Mir space station of the former Soviet Union, and later operated by Russia, was functional from 1986 to 2001. The ISS has been in space since 1998, and has been known for the exemplary cooperation between the five participating space agencies that have been running it: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).

The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.

As per NASA, 243 people from 19 countries have so far visited the ISS, and the floating laboratory has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas, carrying out cutting edge research in various disciplines, including biology, human physiology, and physical, material and space science.

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Solution: d)

India is home to 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, out of the 1121 such spots identified around the world. So far, only China, Italy, Spain, Germany, and France have more locations on the list than India.

ICOMOS in 1982 had decided to celebrate April 18 as the International Day for Monuments and Sites or World Heritage Day. Approved by UNESCO in 1983 during its 22nd General Conference, the day is dedicated to recognising sites of historical importance, raising awareness regarding them, and stressing the need to restore and preserve them.

Currently, there are 38 World Heritage Sites located in India. Of these, 30 are ‘cultural’, such as the Ajanta Caves, Fatehpur Sikri, Hampi monuments and the Mountain Railways of India, and 7 are ‘Natural’, including Kaziranga, Manas and Nanda Devi National Parks. One is classified as ‘Mixed’, the Khangchendzonga National Park.

In 2019, ‘Jaipur City’ became the 38th addition to the India list under Culture.

Cultural (30)

Agra Fort (1983)

Ajanta Caves (1983)

Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar (2016)

Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004)

Churches and Convents of Goa (1986)

Elephanta Caves (1987)

Ellora Caves (1983)

Fatehpur Sikri (1986)

Great Living Chola Temples (1987,2004)

Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986)

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984)

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987)

Hill Forts of Rajasthan (2013)

Historic City of Ahmadabad (2017)

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi (1993)

Jaipur City, Rajasthan (2019)

Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986)

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002)

Mountain Railways of India (1999,2005,2008)

Qutub Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993)

Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (2014)

Red Fort Complex (2007)

Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003)

Sun Temple, Konârak (1984)

Taj Mahal (1983)

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (2016)

The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (2010)

Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (2018)

Natural (7)

Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (2014)

Kaziranga National Park (1985)

Keoladeo National Park (1985)

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985)

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988,2005)

Sundarbans National Park (1987)

Western Ghats (2012)

Mixed (1)

Khangchendzonga National Park (2016)

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Solution: c)

Apollo 11 became one of the most publicly recognised missions of NASA and was the first manned mission to the Moon.

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Solution: d)

Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) also known as the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), is a geological fault along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Kopili Fault is a 300-km northwest-southeast trending fault from the Bhutan Himalaya to the Burmese arc.

A fault is “a fracture along which the blocks of crust on either side have moved relative to one another parallel to the fracture”. When an earthquake occurs on one of these faults, the rock on one side of the fault slips with respect to the other. The fault surface can be vertical, horizontal, or at some angle to the surface of the earth.

The Northeast is located in the highest seismological zone.

The collision zone between India and Eurasia along the tremendous Himalayan mountain range has one of the highest seismic hazards in the world.

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