UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 6 April 2024

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The World Bank (as per “Jobs for Resilience, South Asia Development Update”) warned that South Asia, including India, is not utilizing its demographic dividend effectively.
• What is a Demographic Dividend?
  • The demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential that arises from changes in a population’s age structure.
  • It occurs when the proportion of working-age individuals (15-64) in a population is larger than the dependent population (children and elderly), leading to increased productivity and economic growth.
  • India is expected to enjoy this window for 37 years starting in 2018 and up to 2055

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/world-bank-warns-of-squandered-demographic-dividend/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Context: Archaeologists have unearthed a 5,200-year-old Harappan settlement at Padta Bet in Gujarat’s Kachchh district, near the Juna Khatiya necropolis.
• The excavation revealed evidence of Early Harappan to Late Harappan period occupation, including pottery, artefacts, animal bones, and structural remains.
• Option (d): Kundina is an ancient Indian city, named as part of Kanishka’s territory in the Rabatak inscription.
  • It is thought that is it the locality of Kaundinyapura on the Wardha River in the Amravati Division of Vidarbha, or Berar in Maharashtra, which is an archaeological site identified as a trading city during the Early Historic period (c. 3rd century BCE to 4th century CE).

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/5200-year-old-harappan-settlement/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: The Punnett square, named after British geneticist Reginald Punnett, is a grid used to predict the possible genetic outcomes of offspring when two individuals with known genotypes are crossed.
  • It consists of a simple grid with squares representing possible combinations of traits inherited from each parent.
  • This tool helps visualize the probabilities of different traits appearing in offspring and is commonly used in biology to understand inheritance patterns, such as dominant and recessive genes.
  • Researchers utilize Punnett squares alongside Mendelian inheritance principles to study genetic traits in offspring, including those of animals and humans.
• The letters in the boxes of a punnet’s square represent a particular genotype, with each alphabet representing an allele, contrasting forms of a gene.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/punnett-square/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Context: Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India, have proposed a credible explanation for the “gravity hole” in the Indian Ocean.
• The “gravity hole” is a circular depression in the Indian Ocean that has a weaker gravitational pull than the rest of the planet.
• It’s officially called the Indian Ocean geoid low and is the world’s largest gravity anomaly.

Refer:https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/gravity-hole-in-the-indian-ocean/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Only statement 1 is correct.
• Context: The “Mother of Dragons” comet, officially named Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, is making a rare appearance in the Northern Hemisphere skies.
  • This unique “Halley-type” comet, which completes its orbit around the sun every 71 years, is visible after dusk, marking its first appearance since 1954.
  • Named by the European Space Agency due to its association with the “kappa-Draconids” meteor shower, the comet exhibits a bright green colour due to the emission of emerald-coloured light from diatomic carbon molecules.
  • Notable for its cryovolcanic nature, the comet regularly erupts, creating stunning displays of brightness.
• Comet tail glow predominantly consists of ionized gases that emit light when they interact with the solar wind. This process forms the characteristic tails of comets as they approach the Sun.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/mother-of-dragons-comet/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Context: Astronomers are keen on deploying telescopes on and around the moon to overcome challenges faced by instruments on Earth, such as atmospheric interference and radio noise.
• India’s contribution, PRATUSH (Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen), is being developed by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• PRATUSH, or Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen, is a future radiometer planned for lunar orbit.
  • It aims to uncover the Cosmic Dawn of the Universe, answering questions about the formation of the first stars, their nature, and the light they emitted.
  • The project focuses on studying the Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionization (EoR) using radiation from neutral hydrogen gas, which emits a signal at a 21-cm wavelength.
  • This signal can provide insights into the early Universe’s transition from neutral to ionized states.
  • PRATUSH will carry instruments designed to detect this weak signal, operating over a frequency band of 30-250 MHz.
  • Its observations will be free from ground-based interference, enabling more accurate measurements.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/pratush/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• S1: Registration of a trademark is not compulsory. However, the registration is the prima facie evidence of the proprietorship of the trademark under registration. While registration provides certain benefits, trademarks can still be valid and enforceable even if they are not registered. Common law trademarks can be established through consistent use in commerce.
• S2: Trademarks can protect various elements including words, phrases, symbols, and designs as long as they distinguish the goods or services of one party from those of others.
• S3: Trademarks can protect both products and services. Service marks are essentially the same as trademarks but are used to identify and distinguish services rather than products.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/trademark/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial (occurring every 4 years) international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. It originated in 1930 (The 1st Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada) as the British Empire Games and evolved into its current format, embracing athletes with disabilities since 2002 and achieving gender equality in medal events in 2018. Hosted by various cities, Australia has held the Games the most times. The most recent Games were in Birmingham in 2022. India hosted the event in 2010 (in Delhi)
• The Commonwealth Games are open only to countries that were formerly part of the British Empire or territories that have a historical, constitutional, or geographical link to the Commonwealth. This criterion guides the eligibility of participating nations.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/2026-commonwealth-games/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• Context: A powerful earthquake of 7.2 magnitude struck Taiwan.
• What makes Taiwan and Japan so prone to earthquakes?
  • Taiwan and Japan are highly prone to earthquakes due to their location along major tectonic plate boundaries. Both countries sit on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where several tectonic plates converge. Taiwan is situated on the boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) and the Eurasian Plate (EP), while Japan is located at the juncture of the Pacific Plate (PP), Philippine Sea Plate (PSP), and Eurasian Plate(EP). The intense geological activity along these plate boundaries results in frequent seismic events, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Additionally, both Taiwan and Japan have rugged terrain and mountainous regions, further exacerbating the impact of earthquakes.
• The Richter Scale, developed by Charles F. Richter in 1935, is a logarithmic scale used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes based on the amplitude of seismic waves.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/earthquake-in-taiwan/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• The Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped region in the Pacific Ocean characterized by frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The Ring of Fire marks the convergence of several tectonic plates, including the Pacific Plate, and is associated with approximately 90% of the world’s earthquakes. The Ring of Fire hosts numerous volcanoes formed through subduction, where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another, leading to volcanic eruptions.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2024/04/05/earthquake-in-taiwan/