[Mission 2023] QUED ( Questions from Editorials ) 19 June 2023

Solution: c)

A combination of factors led to the occurrence of the Texas fish kill.

First was the warm water. When sea surface temperatures rise, it becomes difficult for the fish to breathe as oxygen dissolves easily in colder water in comparison to warmer water. Things take a turn for the worse when a school of fish gets trapped in shallow water, which gets warmer more quickly.

Another factor that contributed to the Texas fish kill was calm seas. Experts suggest that one of the ways for oxygen to enter the water is by mixing with wind and waves. But in the past few weeks, the waves along the Texas Gulf Coast have been very calm, causing the depletion of dissolved oxygen.

One more problem was the overcast weather in Texas. Officials pointed out that due to cloudy skies, phytoplankton were unable to carry out the process of photosynthesis, which is another way of producing oxygen in the water. Photosynthesis is driven by sunlight and it slows down on cloudy days, resulting in decreased dissolved oxygen concentration.

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Solution: d)

The dual control structure:

Its uniqueness lies in the fact that Assam Rifles is the only paramilitary force with a dual control structure. While the administrative control of the force is with the MHA, its operational control is with the Indian Army, which is under the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This means that salaries and infrastructure for the force is provided by the MHA, but the deployment, posting, transfer and deputation of the personnel is decided by the Army.

In some ways, the force is the only central paramilitary force (CPMF), as its operational duties and regimentation are on the lines of the Indian Army. However, being a Central Armed Police force under MHA, its recruitment, perks, promotion of its personnel and retirement policies are governed according to the rules framed by the MHA for CAPFs.

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Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Motion capture, or mo-cap, is the name for the technology that records the movement of people or objects. The data thus captured will be transferred to a computer programme and can in turn be translated to a CGI character. Mo-cap, in detail, tracks specific motions such as facial expressions and body movements, so that the features can be provided to the computer-generated 3D character on screen.

The technology works with the help of components such as a mo-cap suit, a head-mounted camera and the software required to create the digital character. While the mo-cap suit captures the body movements of an actor, the head-mounted camera tracks their facial expressions, including the minute ones.

Once these two components capture all that’s necessary, the data is then transferred to computer software to create a fully realised digital character.

Motion capture, as we know it today, was first used in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, in which Andy Serkis, as Gollum, wore a mo-cap suit on location, with special cameras recording his movements and facial expressions. But it was James Cameron’s Avatar that popularised the technology across the globe.

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Solution: d)

The apex body responsible for clearing all capital acquisitions for the Indian Armed Forces, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), approved the procurement of armed Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), an aeronautics company based in the United States.

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Solution: b)

Statement 2 is incorrect.

What is the Federal Funds Rate (FFR) and how does the US Fed tweak it?

The FFR is the interest rate at which commercial banks in the US borrow from each other overnight. Arguably, if banks borrow at higher rates from each other, they will also lend the money to consumers at a higher rate.

Now, unlike in India, where the RBI decides what the repo rate (or the interest rate at which RBI lends money to banks) will be, in the US, the Fed can’t directly specify the FFR. Instead, it tries to “target” the FFR by controlling the money supply. So when the Fed wants to raise the prevailing interest rates in the US economy, it reduces the money supply. This forces every bank in the economy to charge higher interest rates. The process starts with commercial banks charging higher interest rates to lend to each other for overnight loans.