UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 24 December 2025

Solution: C

The SHAKTI Scholars program is entirely focused on women-centric issues. The goal is to study challenges that women face in India, such as safety, legal rights, health, and leadership. By giving grants to researchers in fields like Law, Social Sciences, and Public Policy, the government hopes to get better data. This data is then used to improve “gender-responsive governance,” which simply means making sure that government rules and laws work better for women.

Solution: D

• The Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) is a parasite native to North America.
• Statement 1 is correct as raccoons are the natural hosts.
• Statement 2 is correct because if humans accidentally swallow the eggs, the larvae move through the body, causing neurological damage (brain) or blindness (eyes).
• Statement 3 is correct; the eggs are very tough and remain infectious in the environment for years. While rare in humans, the infection is dangerous, especially for children who might play in contaminated soil.

Solution: A

MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) is an orbiter dedicated to studying the upper atmosphere of Mars. Its main job is to find out how the planet turned from a “wet and warm” world into a “cold and dry” one. It found that solar winds from the Sun have been stripping away the Martian atmosphere for billions of years. MAVEN also helps by acting as a communication bridge, sending data from rovers on the ground back to Earth.

Solution: D

• Ghost Pairing is a trick used by hackers to gain access to your messaging apps (like WhatsApp). The attacker uses social engineering—sending a fake message or link that creates panic—to trick you into “pairing” your account with their device. Once linked, they can see all your chats, photos, and contacts in real-time. You can prevent this by never clicking on suspicious links and regularly checking the “Linked Devices” section in your app settings to remove any unknown phones.

Solution: B

• MMOD stands for Micrometeoroids (natural) and Orbital Debris (human-made).
• Statement 1 is correct as it includes everything from tiny space dust to old rocket parts.
• Statement 2 is correct; the Kessler Syndrome is a dangerous situation where there is so much junk in space that one collision leads to many more, making orbits unusable.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because millions of small pieces are too small to be tracked by radar, making them a hidden danger to astronauts and satellites because they travel at extremely high speeds.

Solution: A

Yellowstone is the world’s first national park, established in 1872 in the Northwestern United States (mostly in Wyoming). It is famous for its geothermal features like geysers (Old Faithful) and hot springs. The park sits on top of a “hotspot” where magma (molten rock) is close to the surface, causing mud pots and frequent minor earthquakes. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to animals like grizzly bears and bison.

Solution: C

Most space junk is found in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is the region between 200 km and 2,000 km above Earth. This is where most satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) operate. Because this area is so crowded, there is a higher risk of collisions. This junk includes old satellites, pieces of rockets, and even flecks of paint. Because these objects move at very high speeds (around 10 km per second), even a tiny piece of debris can hit a spacecraft with the force of a bullet.

Solution: B

Yellowstone National Park is world-famous for its geysers, and Old Faithful is the most well-known of them all. It is called “Faithful” because it erupts very predictably—roughly every 90 minutes. A geyser is a rare type of hot spring that builds up pressure and shoots a tall column of hot water and steam into the air. Yellowstone has over 300 geysers, which is about half of all the geysers on Earth. This happens because the park sits on a giant volcanic hotspot that heats up the underground water.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct: The Rasa theory explains aesthetic experience through the Rasa–Bhava framework, detailing how emotions (Bhava) are transformed into aesthetic flavor (Rasa).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The classical rasas in the Natyashastra include Shringara, Hasya, Karuna, Raudra, Veera, Bhayanaka, Bibhatsa, and Adbhuta. Shanta Rasa (peace) was added by the later tradition (often associated with commentators like Abhinavagupta) and was not part of the original eight rasas in the earliest texts.
• Statement 3 is correct: Rasa theory is regarded as the core contribution of the Natyashastra to Indian aesthetics.

Solution: C

• Statement I is correct: The political crisis began when the Awami League, having won a mandate in the 1970 elections, was denied the transfer of power. This democratic subversion triggered the mass agitation and subsequent military crackdown in East Pakistan.
• Statement II is incorrect: The Simla Agreement (1972) was the post-war settlement between India and Pakistan to establish a framework for bilateral relations and peace. While the refugee crisis was a cause of the war, the Simla Agreement focused on the repatriation of Prisoners of War (POWs), the Line of Control, and bilateral dispute resolution. The refugees had largely begun returning immediately after the liberation of Bangladesh in December 1971, well before the Simla Agreement in July 1972.