[MISSION 2024] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 21 October 2023

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process used to identify and evaluate the potential environmental effects of a proposed project, plan, or development. Its purpose is to ensure that decision-makers have a thorough understanding of how a project may impact the environment, enabling them to make informed decisions and take steps to mitigate or minimize any adverse effects.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/himalayan-region-need-for-eia/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct. EIA is a process of identifying, predicting, and evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. EIA is not mandatory for all projects in India. It is only mandatory for certain categories of projects, as listed in the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. EIA can be conducted by the government, but it can also be conducted by private consultants.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/himalayan-region-need-for-eia/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 2 is incorrect.
• CORAL REEFS
  • Coral has a symbiotic relationship with ‘zooxanthellae’ microscopic algae which live on coral
• Types of reefs :-
  • Fringing reef / Patch reefs are isolated and discontinuous patches, lying shoreward of offshore reef structures as seen in the Palk bay, Gulf of Mannar and Gulf of Kutch.
  • Barrier reefs are linear offshore reef structures that run parallel to coastlines and arise from submerged shelf platforms. Barrier reefs are seen in Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
  • Atolls are circular or semicircular reefs that arise from subsiding sea floor platforms as coral reef building keeps ahead of subsidence. The examples are the atolls of Lakshadweep and Nicobar.
• Functions of Coral Reefs
  • Coral reefs are natural protective barriers against erosion and storm surge.
  • The coral animals are highly adapted for capturing plankton from the water, thereby capturing nutrients
  • Largest biogenic calcium carbonate producer
  • They provide substrate for mangroves.
• Causes of coral bleaching:–
  • Temperature (Major Cause):- Coral species live within a relatively narrow temperature margin, and anomalously low and high sea temperatures can induce coral bleaching. Bleaching is much more frequently reported from elevated sea water temperature.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/coral-reef-fossils-in-ladakh/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect.
• Coral reefs are essentially just big limestone structures built by thousands of tiny coral creatures called polyps.
• Increased ocean temperature caused by climate change is the main cause of coral bleaching events. That’s when reefs expel the symbiotic algae responsible for their colour. If that happens over longer periods, the corals can eventually die.
• Coral reefs act like low-crested breakwaters and absorb 97% of wave energy. This substantially reduces coastal flooding and erosion.
• Coral reefs cover less than 0.5% of the earth’s surface, but they are home to about 25% of all marine species.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/coral-reef-fossils-in-ladakh/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 2 is incorrect.
• Corals are very sensitive to the temperature of the water in which they live. When water gets too warm, they expel the algae known as zooxanthellae, living in their tissues, causing them to turn entirely white. This is called coral bleaching.
• When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.
• Coral bleaching has severe consequences as it reduces the reproductivity of corals and makes them more vulnerable to fatal diseases. Not only this, thousands of marine animals depend on coral reefs for survival and damage to corals could, in turn, threaten their existence.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/coral-reef-fossils-in-ladakh/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct.
• Using a remote-controlled submarine, researchers at Smithsonian Institution, Washington, discovered five new species of black corals living as deep as 2,500 feet (760 metres) below the surface in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea off the coast of Australia.
• Black corals can be found growing both in shallow waters and down to depths of over 26,000 feet (8,000 metres), and some individual corals can live for over 4,000 years.
• Unlike their colourful, shallow-water cousins that rely on the sun and photosynthesis for energy, black corals are filter feeders and eat tiny zooplankton that are abundant in deep waters.
• Similarly to shallow-water corals that build colourful reefs full of fish, black corals act as important habitats where fish and invertebrates feed and hide from predators in what is otherwise a mostly barren sea floor.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/coral-reef-fossils-in-ladakh/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Green Energy Corridor (GEC) is an initiative aimed at integrating and evacuating renewable energy into India’s power grid, promoting sustainable growth, and enhancing energy security. It has two phases.
• Implementing Agency: Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID)

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/green-energy-corridor-gec-2/

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• Niemann-Pick disease refers to a group of inherited metabolic disorders in which abnormal amounts of lipids (fatty materials such as waxes, oils, and cholesterol) build up in the brain, spleen, liver, lungs, and bone marrow.
• Symptoms: Enlarged liver and spleen, difficulty in coordinating movement, frequent respiratory infections, slurred speech among others.
• Causes: This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, where both gene copies must be faulty to manifest the disease.
• Occurrences: Niemann-Pick disease affects one in 250,000 individuals and is expensive to treat.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/niemann-pick-disease/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context: INS Imphal, India’s third indigenous stealth destroyer of the Project 15B class, was delivered to the Indian Navy four months ahead of schedule by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.
• Features:
  • It’s the first warship with accommodation for women officers and sailors, can carry 312 crew, has a 4,000 nautical mile range, and is armed with Brahmos missiles, Barak-8 missiles, and anti-submarine weapons. This class of destroyers is more versatile than previous ones and capable of various maritime missions.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/ins-imphal/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• All four statements are correct. The FIDE World Cup is a single-elimination chess tournament held every two years. The top two finishers in the FIDE World Cup qualify for the Candidates Tournament, which is the qualifying tournament for the World Chess Championship. The FIDE World Cup is open to all chess players with a FIDE rating of 2500 or above. The FIDE World Cup is organized by FIDE, the international governing body for chess.
• About FIDE:
  • The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE, is an international organization (HQ: Lausanne (Switzerland); Founded 1924) that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It was
  • FIDE was constituted as a non-governmental institution. It is the governing body of the sport of chess and regulates all international chess competitions. It was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999. It has 199 countries as affiliate members (including India), in the form of National Chess Federations

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/10/21/fide-world-cup/