[MISSION 2024] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 24 August 2023

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3) (previously known as GSLV-MK III) is a three-stage launch vehicle consisting of two solid propellants S200 strap-ons on its sides and a core stage comprising L110 liquid stage and C25 cryogenic stage. The vehicle is also dubbed as one of the heaviest for its ability to carry satellites up to 8,000 kg.
• LVM3 will be capable of placing the 4 tonne class satellites of the GSAT series into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits.
• Launch Vehicle Mark-3 is the launch vehicle of Chandrayaan-3

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/isro-and-chandrayaan-3-mission/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• PSLV is the most reliable rocket used by ISRO to date. Its first launch was in 1994, and it has been ISRO’s main rocket ever since.
• Apart from Indian satellites, it also carries satellites from other nations into space, like in the current mission, where it carried payloads from Singapore. The reason for this is that apart from being reliable, the PSLV is also more affordable than the launch vehicles of many other countries.
• The vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft, Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013, that later travelled to Moon and Mars respectively.
• PSLV has four parts — PS1, a solid rocket motor augmented by 6 solid strap-on boosters; PS2, a storable liquid rocket engine, known as the Vikas engine; PS3, a solid rocket motor that provides the upper stages high thrust after the atmospheric phase of the launch; and PS4, the uppermost stage consisting of two Earth storable liquid engines.
• As technology evolves, the effort is to make the various parts of a rocket reusable. PSLV’s PS4 has been able to achieve this.
• As part of POEM, PS4, instead of being discarded, is now utilised as a “stabilised platform” to perform experiments.
• What is POEM?
• The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module is a platform that will help perform in-orbit experiments using the final, and otherwise discarded, stage of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/isro-and-chandrayaan-3-mission/

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Eco-anxiety refers to a chronic fear or worry about environmental issues and the potential negative impacts of climate change.
• It is characterized by a sense of distress and anxiety related to the state of the planet’s environment, including concerns about the future well-being of ecosystems, wildlife, and human populations due to factors like pollution, climate change, and natural disasters. This emotional response can lead to feelings of helplessness, sadness, and fear about the Earth’s future.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/eco-anxiety/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1: The IOD, also known as the Indian Niño, is an irregular oscillation of sea-surface temperatures in which the western Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer and then colder than the eastern part of the Indian ocean (not tropical eastern pacific ocean.
• Statement 2: IOD has a much more significant effect on the rainfall patterns in south-east Australia than the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific Ocean as shown in several recent studies.
• http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/iod/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean_Dipole

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/indian-ocean-dipole-turns-positive/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The “Fujiwhara effect,” where two cyclones (or hurricanes) spinning in the same direction interact in a dance-like manner around a common centre. If one cyclone is stronger, it can absorb the weaker one.
• When of similar strength, they might merge or rotate around each other. In some rare instances, the two cyclones could merge into a mega-cyclone with significant destructive potential.
• The Fujiwhara effect was first described by Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara in 1921.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/the-fujiwhara-effect/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context: A study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington suggests that utilizing bacteria known as methanotrophs, which consume methane, could potentially slow down the rate of global heating.
• Methane is a potent greenhouse gas emitted from various sources including energy production, industry, agriculture, and waste management.
• The researchers have identified a specific strain of bacteria, methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C, that efficiently removes methane, even when present in lower concentrations.
• Unlike many other proposed methane reduction strategies, this method doesn’t produce nitrous oxide emissions, which have a significant global warming potential.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/bacteria-that-eat-methane/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) can prevent pneumococcal disease.
• Pneumococcal disease refers to any illness caused by pneumococcal bacteria, including Pneumonia and sepsis (which is a bloodstream infection disease in children), So 1 is correct.
• See https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/pcv13.html
• S2: This is also correct, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6183139/
• Vaccines as tools to reduce Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) have historically been under-recognized, yet the positive effect in reducing AMR has been well established. For example Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) as well as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal) conjugate vaccines have impressive track records in not only preventing life threatening diseases caused by these bacteria, but also reducing antibiotic use and AMR.
• S3: Mild side effects of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV), the version of the pneumococcal vaccine given to adults and children over the age of 2, include:
• mild soreness or hardness at the site of the injection lasting 1 to 3 day a slightly raised temperature More serious side effects of the PPV vaccine, such as allergic reactions, are rare.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/pfizers-rsv-vaccine/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Context: India has established its 54th tiger reserve in the Karauli and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan, following approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• This new reserve marks Rajasthan’s fifth, joining the existing reserves of Ranthambore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills, and Ramgarh Vishdhari.
• The Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve’s approval is seen as a significant step forward for wildlife conservation in the state.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/dholpur-karauli-tiger-reserve-in-rajasthan/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Japan is set to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, a move that has been met with opposition from neighbouring countries.
• The water, which has accumulated since the 2011 tsunami that damaged the plant, will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. The water contains tritium and carbon-14, both of which emit low levels of radiation and may impact marine biodiversity.
• Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, the Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/24/japan/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a technology for authenticating users and devices in the digital world. The basic idea is to have one or more trusted parties digitally sign documents certifying that a particular cryptographic key belongs to a particular user or device.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2020