[MISSION 2023] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 20 June 2023

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/20/un-adopts-first-ever-high-seas-treaty/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982 is an international agreement that establishes the legal framework for marine and maritime activities.
• It is also known as the Law of the Sea. It divides marine areas into five main zones namely- Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas.
• India is a state party to the UNCLOS.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/20/un-adopts-first-ever-high-seas-treaty/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is an independent stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• NavIC consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km (930 miles) from its boundaries.
• Currently, NavIC’s use is limited. It is being used in public vehicle tracking in India, for providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity, and for tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.
• HOW DOES NavIC COMPARE?
  • The main difference is the serviceable area covered by these systems. GPS caters to users across the globe and its satellites circle the earth twice a day, while NavIC is currently for use in India and adjacent areas.
  • Like GPS, there are three more navigation systems that have global coverage – Galileo from the European Union, Russia-owned GLONASS and China’s Beidou. QZSS, operated by Japan, is another regional navigation system covering Asia-Oceania region, with a focus on Japan.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/20/isro-to-set-up-satellite-terminals-on-fishing-boats-in-13-coastal-states/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Successful reintroduction of the critically endangered Gharial (Gavialis Gangeticus) in the rivers of Punjab where it had become extinct half a century ago.
• The gharial reintroduction in the Beas Conservation Reserve is an ambitious programme of the Punjab government.
• The gharial can be found in north Indian rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal and their tributaries.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/20/alligator-gar-fish/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• India announced the gifting of the indigenously-built missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam. This gesture strengthens the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Vietnam and reinforces defence cooperation as a key pillar of their relationship.
• Vietnam is located on the eastern margin of the Indochinese peninsula. It borders the Gulf of Tonkin, the Gulf of Thailand, and the Pacific Ocean, along with China, Laos, and Cambodia.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/06/20/vietnam/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
• The World Trade Organization, as an institution, was established in 1995. It replaced the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) which was in place since 1946.
• The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994.
• India has been a member of GATT since 1948; hence it was a party to Uruguay Round and a founding member of WTO.
• While WTO came into existence in 1995, GATT didn’t cease to exist. It continues as WTO’s umbrella treaty for trade in goods.

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• A bottlenose dolphin found dead in a Florida canal in the spring tested positive for a highly virulent strain of bird flu. This version of the virus, which has spread widely among North American and European birds, has affected an unusually broad array of species. But these findings represent the first two documented cases in cetaceans, a group of marine mammals that includes dolphins, porpoises and whales.
• Bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide, being found everywhere except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle regions.

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: Einstein’s theory of relativity has important astrophysical implications. For example, it implies the existence of black holes—regions of space in which space and time are distorted in such a way that nothing, not even light, can escape—as an end-state for massive stars.
• There is ample evidence that the intense radiation emitted by certain kinds of astronomical objects is due to black holes; for example, micro quasars and active galactic nuclei result from the presence of stellar black holes and super massive black holes, respectively.
• The bending of light by gravity can lead to the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, in which multiple images of the same distant astronomical object are visible in the sky. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• S2: General relativity also predicts the existence of gravitational waves, which have since been observed directly by the physics collaboration LIGO. In addition, general relativity is the basis of current cosmological models of a consistently expanding universe. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• S3: General relativity is Einstein’s law of gravity, his Justification of that fundamental force which holds us to the surface of the Earth. Gravity, Einstein asserted, is caused by warping of space and time or space-time. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity
• http://www.einstein-online.info/spotlights/light_deflection.html
• https://www.its.caltech.edu/~kip/index.html/PubScans/VI-47.pdf

Refer: UPSC CSE 2018

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: It is developed by using three genes viz., barnase, barstar and bar from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens for hybrid seed production.
• The barnase gene confers male sterility to a plant in which it is inserted and the barstar gene restores the fertility to produce fertile hybrid plants and seeds.
• The third gene bar synthesizes an enzyme called PAT, which is responsible for tolerance to glufosinate in the plant. Glufosinate is a broad spectrum herbicide, which indiscriminately eliminates weeds and any plant that does not have the bar gene.
• Glufosinate herbicides contain the active ingredient phosphinothricin, which kills plants by blocking the enzyme responsible for nitrogen metabolism and for detoxifying ammonia, a by-product of plant metabolism.
• S2: It has mainly two genes (‘barnase’ and ‘barstar’) that allow for cross-pollination and hybridisation in mustard, which is largely a self-pollinating plant because of its individual flowers containing both female and male reproductive organs. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• S3: GM mustard was developed by scientists at Delhi University and the project was part-funded by the Department of Biotechnology, a division of the Science Ministry.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2018

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The carbon fertilization effect suggests that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the rate of photosynthesis in plants. The effect varies depending on the plant species, the temperature, and the availability of water and nutrients.
• From a quarter to half of Earth’s vegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2018