[Mission 2024] Current Affairs Quiz , 29 August 2023

Solution: a)

Only statement 2 is correct.

In a warming world, marine creatures are in danger of suffocating. Gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolve better at colder temperatures, so that means the warmer the water, the less oxygen is available to breathe.

Conversely, higher temperatures also cause an increase in metabolism, which in turn means animals have to breathe even more than usual.

The rise in temperature accelerates metabolism, and the organisms need more food to maintain this metabolic rate.

Algal blooms are more common in hotter waters too. Such blooms can further deplete oxygen levels and produce toxins harmful for fish, marine mammals and birds, for instance.

High water temperatures are most harmful for animals living at the bottom of oceans, lakes or rivers. These benthic species include corals, mussels, sponges, starfish and plants like sea grasses, and are often attached to rock or solid ground. They can’t migrate when it gets too hot.

Source

Solution: c)

Many benthic species are crucial to the marine ecosystem. They filter the water and keep seas, rivers and lakes clean by eating dead organisms. Some species are an important food source for other creatures or are harvested by humans. Benthics like soft corals, seaweed and seagrasses provide some of the main ocean habitats.

Source

Solution: c)

What are vegetated canopies?

Introduced in Santa Maria Street in Valladolid, Spain, the awnings are tensioned sail-like structures that have been anchored to the facades of surrounding buildings. They mimic natural canopies found in forests and various plant species.

The lightness and ease of installation of the ‘Greenshades’ allow for shade and the presence of greenery in commercial streets and public spaces, where trees or other vegetation are often absent.

The awnings can be placed in streets, where planting trees may not be feasible owing to the lack of space. The plants grow hydroponically, with a water supply point and water outlet for draining purposes.

As per Singular Green, the company that created the awnings, the tensile spaces are designed to reduce the temperature both in their surroundings and under the cover. Behind this is the phenomenon of evapotranspiration, which is the transfer of water to the atmosphere by plants.

The plants chosen for these awnings belong to species that are optimised for the absorption of gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The substrate also absorbs sound waves, reducing noise pollution.

A square metre of a vegetated canopy generates the oxygen required by a person for the whole year, apart from filtering harmful gases, according to the company.

Source

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Reserve assets are currencies or other assets, such as gold, that can be readily transferable and are used to balance international transactions and payments.

A reserve asset must be readily available, physical, controlled by policymakers, and easily transferable.

The U.S. dollar is a reserve currency, meaning it is widely held as a reserve asset around the world.

The reserve assets remained the dominant component at 62.9 per cent share in India’s international financial assets.

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 2 is incorrect.
• What is Uniform Civil Code?
  • A UCC would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities, in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
  • All Hindus of the country are not governed by one law, nor are all Muslims or all Christians. For instance, in the Northeast, there are more than 200 tribes with their own varied customary laws. The Constitution itself protects local customs in Nagaland. Similar protections are enjoyed by Meghalaya and Mizoram. Even reformed Hindu law, in spite of codification, protects customary practices.
  • The exception to this rule is the state of Goa, where all religions have a common law regarding marriages, divorces, and adoption.
• What does the Constitution say about a UCC?
  • Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for citizens throughout the territory of India.
  • Article 44 is among the Directive Principles of State Policy. Directive Principles are not enforceable by court, but are supposed to inform and guide governance.
  • “However, in some senses, Article 44 is unique in this manner. While Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc. Furthermore, the phrase “by suitable legislation” is absent in Article 44. All this implies that the duty of the state is greater in other directive principles than in Article 44,” Mustafa wrote.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/08/26/nikah-halala/