[Mission 2022] QUIZ – 2022: INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ, 29 April 2022 – Science & Technology and IR

Solution: d)

What is ENA?

It is a byproduct of the sugar industry.

Formed from molasses that are a residue of sugarcane processing.

It is the primary raw material for making alcoholic beverages.

Features:

It is colourless food-grade alcohol that does not have any impurities.

It has a neutral smell and taste and typically contains over 95 per cent alcohol by volume.

Other applications of ENA:

An essential ingredient in the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products such as perfumes, toiletries, hair spray, etc.

Utilized in the production of some lacquers, paints and ink for the printing industry, as well as in pharmaceutical products such as antiseptics, drugs, syrups, medicated sprays.

Solution: c)

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.

It is added to water adulterated milk to increase the nitrogen content and hence its apparent protein content.

Addition of melamine into food is not approved by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (food standard commission), or by any national authorities.

Melamine alone causes bladder stones in animal tests. When combined with cyanuric acid, which may also be present in melamine powder, melamine can form crystals that can give rise to kidney stones.

Melamine has also been shown to have carcinogenic effects in animals in certain circumstances.

Solution: c)

Doppler radars are crucial for gauging the intensity of rainfall and impact area in real-time. It can carry out weather surveillance up to a radius of 450-500 km.

How does a Doppler radar work?

• In radars, a beam of energy– called radio waves– is emitted from an antenna. When this beam strikes an object in the atmosphere, the energy scatters in all directions, with some reflecting directly back to the radar.
• The larger the object deflecting the beam, the greater is the amount of energy that the radar receives in return. Observing the time required for the beam to be transmitted and returned to the radar allows weather forecasting departments to “see” raindrops in the atmosphere, and measure their distance from the radar.
• What makes a Doppler radar special is that it can provide information on both the position of targets as well as their movement.

Solution: a)

Ultraviolet (UV) is a type of light or radiation naturally emitted by the Sun. It covers a wavelength range of 100-400 nm. The human visible light ranges from 380–700 nm.

UV is divided into three bands: UV-C (100-280 nm), UV-B (280-315 nm) and UV-A (315-400 nm).

UV-A and UV-B rays from the Sun are transmitted through our atmosphere and all UV-C is filtered by the ozone layer.

Solution: c)

According to the definition adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006, a dwarf planet is, “a celestial body orbiting a star that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but has not cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite. 

In essence, the term is meant to designate any planetary-mass object that is neither a planet nor a natural satellite that fits two basic criteria. For one, it must be in direct orbit of the sun and not be a moon around another body. Second, it must be massive enough for it to have become spherical in shape under its own gravity. And, unlike a planet, it must have not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.