[Mission 2024] Current Affairs Quiz , 12 December 2023

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing carbon dioxide emissions with removal (often through carbon offsetting) or simply eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether (the transition to the “post-carbon economy”).

Although both renewable and non-renewable energy both produce carbon emissions in some form, renewable energy has a lesser to almost zero carbon emissions.

Solution: b)

Statement 1 is incorrect.

What are rare diseases?

Rare diseases as the name suggests are conditions that affect very few people. The World Health Organisation defines it as any debilitating lifelong disease or disorder with a prevalence of ten or less per 10,000 population; other countries follow standards ranging between 1 and 10 cases per 10,000 to define a condition as rare disease.

There are about 7,000 to 8,000 conditions globally that have been defined as rare diseases. The landscape of rare diseases keeps changing, with newer conditions being identified and reported constantly.

With limited experience of these diseases, they are extremely difficult to diagnose and more difficult to test for. 

Why are drugs for rare diseases so expensive?

Even though there have been developments in the treatment of rare diseases in the recent year, almost 95 per cent of the conditions do not have specific treatment.

With a very small number of people suffering each of the 7,000- 8,000 rare conditions, they do not make a good market for drugs. This is the reason most pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to spend on research for treatments of the disease.

The most commonly reported rare disease includes primary immunodeficiency disorder (a genetic condition that impairs the immune system), lysosomal storage disorders (a group of metabolic disorders that lead to a buildup of toxic materials in the cells), small molecule inborn errors of metabolism (a large group of genetic conditions where the genetic code for metabolic enzymes are defective), cystic fibrosis (a condition that severely damages the lung leading to the need for a transplant), osteogenesis imperfect (a condition where bones fracture easily), and certain forms of muscular dystrophies and spinal muscular atrophy.

Solution: a)

The McMahon Line serves as the de facto boundary between China and India in the Eastern Sector. It specifically represents the boundary between Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, from Bhutan in the west to Myanmar in the east.

The McMahon Line was drawn during the Simla Convention of 1914.

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Solution: b)

Around 1200 years ago, a great king built a grand temple, dedicated to Martand, the Sun god. The temple survives partially today in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag. It still makes for an impressive sight with the formidable grey walls standing stark against the blue sky, broken grey fragments strewn around the green grass. Some of the walls bear clear carvings of deities, and the beauty and symmetry of the temple are still amply evident. The temple is ringed by a row of pillars—the peristyle common in Kashmiri temple architecture.

The Martand Temple was built by the Karkota dynasty king Lalitaditya Muktapida, who ruled Kashmir from 725 AD to 753 AD.

Dedicated to Vishnu-Surya, the Martand Temple has three distinct chambers—the mandapa, the garbhagriha, and the antralaya—probably the only three-chambered temple in Kashmir.

The temple is built in a unique Kashmiri style, though it has definite Gandhar influences.