UPSC Editorials Quiz : 22 April 2026

Solution: D

• Statement (d) is incorrect; Varaha became the dominant royal emblem of Vijayanagara from its early rulers. Devaraya I (reigned 1404–1422 CE) was a later ruler of the Sangama Dynasty.
• Statement (a) is correct; he was the son of Harihara II.
• Statement (b) is correct; he is well-known for his focus on agriculture and irrigation, constructing significant dams to supply water to the capital city of Vijayanagara.
• Statement (c) is correct; recent discoveries of his coronation copper plates are unique because they use the Vamana seal, which deviates from the standard dynastic Varaha emblem. This discovery provides valuable insights into land administration, as the plates record the gift of the village Gudipalli (renamed Devarayapura) to Brahmins.

Solution: C

• GARBH-INI DRISHTI is a digital platform developed under the GARBH-Ini (Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes – DBT India Initiative) programme of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. The platform functions as a centralized data repository and information-sharing system for pregnancy cohort data collected across India.
• The GARBH-Ini initiative focuses on understanding maternal and child health, especially adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirths. Large volumes of clinical, biological, genomic, and epidemiological data are collected from pregnant women participating in cohort studies. DRISHTI (Data Repository, Integration and Sharing for Health Tracking and Insights) was created to store, curate, integrate, and enable secure sharing of this data among researchers and health institutions.
• The platform supports data standardization, interoperability, and collaborative research, helping scientists analyze risk factors affecting pregnancy outcomes. Insights generated from this data can contribute to improved maternal healthcare policies, early risk detection, and evidence-based interventions.

Solution: C

• In India, thorium is primarily obtained from monazite sands, which are found in coastal placer deposits. Monazite is a phosphate mineral containing rare earth elements along with thorium (typically about 8–12% thorium oxide). These mineral sands occur along the beaches of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, where wave action concentrates heavy minerals such as monazite, ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and garnet.
• India possesses one of the world’s largest reserves of thorium, mainly in the form of monazite-bearing beach sands. Because of this resource advantage, India’s nuclear energy strategy—particularly the three-stage nuclear power programme proposed by Homi J. Bhabha—aims to eventually utilize thorium-based reactors (such as those using U-233 derived from thorium-232) to generate nuclear energy.

Solution: A

• Both statements are correct, and Statement II provides the medical justification for the claim in Statement I. Industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFA) are created through the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils to make them solid and increase shelf life.
• Statement I is correct because iTFAs are a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases and stroke, causing approximately 540,000 deaths annually worldwide. There is no known safe level of trans-fat consumption.
• Statement II accurately explains this danger: unlike other fats that may affect only one type of cholesterol, trans-fats provide a “double blow” by raising Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), which clogs arteries, and lowering High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), which normally helps clear cholesterol from the blood.
• Because of this unique and severe impact on the lipid profile, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the REPLACE initiative to eliminate these fats from the global food supply. Many countries, including India through the FSSAI, have implemented a mandatory limit of no more than 2 g of trans-fat per 100 g of total fat to protect public health.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct. Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a compound of silicon and carbon that belongs to the Wide Bandgap (WBG) family of semiconductors. It is highly valued in the electronics industry because it can operate at higher voltages and temperatures than standard silicon.
• Statement 3 is correct because SiC’s thermal conductivity is more than three times better than silicon’s, meaning it can transfer heat away from components much faster, reducing the need for heavy and complex cooling systems.

Statement 2 is incorrect; SiC is a high-tech material used in Electric Vehicle (EV) inverters, fast chargers, and renewable energy systems, not in low-cost plastic goods. Its ability to handle high power densities allows for the creation of smaller, lighter, and more efficient power supplies, which is critical for extending the driving range of EVs. While it is currently more expensive to manufacture than silicon, its performance benefits are driving widespread adoption in the automotive and industrial sectors.