[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 19 April 2023

Solution: b)

Researchers in the UK, led by Nobel laureate Andre Geim, have discovered another property of graphene – a single-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms bonded in a honeycomb pattern – that further distinguishes this ‘wonder’ material.

Dr. Geim & co. found that graphene displays an anomalous giant magnetoresistance (GMR) at room temperature.

GMR is the result of the electrical resistance of a conductor being affected by magnetic fields in adjacent materials. It is used in harddisk drives and magnetoresistive RAM in computers, biosensors, automotive sensors, microelectromechanical systems, and medical imagers.

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Solution: c)

The One China principle is the position held by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the ruling party Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the PRC serving as the sole legitimate government of that China, and Taiwan is a part of China.

It is opposed to the idea that there are two states holding the name “China”, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) (Taiwan called itself the Republic of China); as well as the idea that China and Taiwan form two separate countries.

13 countries recognise Taiwan now: Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, Eswatini, Vatican City, Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The US did not recognise the PRC till 1979, doing so only after it ended its ties with Taiwan. In a 1978 US-PRC joint communique, they said: “The United States of America recognises the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.”

The United States’ One-China policy was first stated in the Shanghai Communiqué of 1972: “the United States acknowledges that Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China.

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Solution: a)

What is the H1-B visa?

The H-1B is a temporary (non-immigrant) visa category that allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in “specialty occupations” that require at least a bachelor’s degree. Jobs in fields such as mathematics, engineering, technology, and medical sciences often qualify for this visa type. While the initial duration of an H-1B visa is three years, it may be extended.

Since the category was created in 1990, Congress has limited the number of H-1Bs made available each year. The current annual statutory cap is 65,000 visas, with 20,000 additional visas for foreign professionals who graduate with a master’s degree or doctorate from the US.

What is B1/B2 visa?

Visitor visas are non-immigrant visas for those who want to enter the US temporarily for business (B-1), for tourism (B-2), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2). Interviews are generally required for visa applicants with certain exceptions, pertaining to age-group and whether it’s a first-time applicant or a renewal case. B1/B2 allows for multiple entries and is generally issued for a period of 10 years, where a person can stay for up to six months at a time.

However, an individual on a visitor visa (B1/B2) is not permitted to accept employment or work in the US, even as searching for employment and interviewing for a position are permissible B-1 or B-2 activities.

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Solution: d)

There are 16 elements essential to growth of crop plants:

• Supplied by air and water: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
• Macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium
• Secondary Nutrients: calcium, magnesium, sulfur
• Micronutrients: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn).

Solution: c)

A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate in the same direction, as the propagation of the wave.

A transverse wave is a wave in which particles move perpendicular to the direction of the wave propagation.

Sound can propagate through a medium such as air, water and solids as longitudinal waves and also as a transverse wave in solids.

Light waves are just electromagnetic radiation of certain frequencies in the visible range. Hence, light waves are elctromagnetic waves. And as electromagnetic waves are transverse in nature, light waves are transverse in nature as well.