[Mission 2023] Current Affairs Quiz , 7 Jun 2023

Solution: a)

Only Statement 2 is correct.

Graphene has the potential to absorb and dissipate electromagnetic waves, making it valuable for developing stealth coatings and materials that reduce radar signatures and electromagnetic interference. Graphene is highly sensitive to environmental changes, which makes it an excellent candidate for sensing chemical and biological agents, explosives, radiation, and other hazardous substances. Besides, graphene-based materials can also protect us against chemical and biological attacks. Better energy storage and electronics properties make graphene attractive in defence and aerospace as well as in civil and commercial applications.

Among the leading countries in graphene research are China, the U.S., the U.K., Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Singapore. Till 2012, graphene-related patent filing was dominated by the U.S. From 2013 to 2016, South Korea and China matched the U.S. After 2017, China surged ahead. In 2018, China filed 218 patents while the other leading countries together filed 79. India had eight filings.

China and Brazil are global leaders in the commercial production of graphene. 

Source

Solution: b)

The weight of an aircraft is a crucial component that governs the choices a pilot has to make while operating the flight. The pilot has to intricately balance the weight of passengers, baggage and fuel to ensure that the aircraft is not overloaded.

If an aircraft is overloaded, it would need a higher takeoff and landing speed, which, in turn, calls for a longer takeoff run and landing roll. It would also reduce the manoeuvrability of the aircraft and place excess pressure on landing gear, resulting in wear and tear.

The maximum weight an aircraft can carry is also significantly impacted by the length of the runway at the departure and arrival airports and whether there is wet grass or water on the runway.

Source

Solution: c)

Iran and Afghanistan are locked in a long-standing dispute over the sharing of water from the Helmand River. 

The Helmand is Afghanistan’s longest river. It originates near Kabul in the western Hindu Kush mountain range and flows in a southwesterly direction through desert areas for a total of about 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) before emptying into Lake Hamun, which straddles the Afghanistan-Iran border.

Lake Hamun is the largest freshwater lake in Iran.

Source

Solution: b)

The country’s three existing strategic oil storage facilities — at Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh — are made up of excavated rock caverns.

Source

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

In 2013, the Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict, introduced ‘None of the Above’ or NOTA to allow voters to cast a “negative vote” to reject all candidates as unworthy.

The court held that the right to vote as well as the right to say “none of the above” constituted a basic right of the voters, and said the option would foster “purity” and “vibrancy” in elections.

The main objective of the ‘NOTA’ option is to enable electors who do not wish to vote for any of the candidates to exercise their right to reject without violation of the secrecy of their decision. The voter must be eligible to register a vote of rejection if they feel that the contesting candidates do not deserve to be voted for. The Right to vote granted to all citizens must allow the vote of disapproval.

This symbol appears in the last panel on all Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).