Daily Current Affairs MCQ- April 19, 2024 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted an increase in the maximum temperature and the frequency of heatwave conditions in the forthcoming days over eastern and southern India.

• The definition of a heatwave depends on the physiography of regions.
• Qualitatively, heat wave is a condition of air temperature which becomes fatal to human body when exposed.
• Quantitatively, it is defined based on the temperature thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its departure from normal.
• The IMD will declare a heatwave
• If the maximum temperature recorded at a station is 40 degrees Celsius or more in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius or more in the coast, and 30 degrees Celsius or more in the hills.
• A heatwave’s severity is determined by its departure from normal temperature.
• There is a ‘normal heatwave’ when the departure is by 4.5-6.4 degrees Celsius and a ‘severe heatwave’ if the departure is greater.
• Heat wave declaration could also be based on actual maximum temperature:
• A ‘heatwave’ is when this figure is greater than 45 degrees Celsius and a ‘severe heatwave’ when greater than 47 degrees Celsius.
• The IMD takes these two ‘routes’ only when at least two stations in a meteorological subdivision report such a high maximum or when at least one station has recorded a corresponding departure from the normal for at least two consecutive days.
• Governments at various levels — State, district, and city — have prepared heat action plans (HAPs).
• HAPs aim to increase preparedness and lower the adverse impacts of extreme heat by outlining strategies and measures to prepare for, address, and recover from heatwaves. 
• The National Disaster Management Authority and IMD are reported to be working with 23 States to develop HAPs.
• There is no centralised database on HAPs, but at least 23 HAPs exist at the State and city level, with a few States, such as Odisha and Maharashtra, laying out district-level HAPs.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, scientists have found that Leaf Litter Frog emits ultrasonic sounds that are inaudible to humans but can scare off predators.

• It is the most abundant species of frog in the forest community. 
• It utilizes its high-frequency screams as a survival strategy.
• Habitat: It inhabits primary and secondary forest and forest edges. It is usually found in the leaf-litter on the forest floor, or on leaves in low vegetation inside the forest.
• Appearance: They are tiny and the largest of the species are females. In size, they are barely up to 64 millimeters (2.5 inches) in length.
• Distribution: It is a species of frog endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest.
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Least concern

What are Ultrasonic waves?

• These are sound waves whose frequencies are higher than those of waves normally audible to the human ear.
• The angular frequencies of the ultrasonic waves produced in laboratories lie from about 105 sec−1 to about 3 × 109 sec−1, the former value representing the limit of audibility of the human ear.

Hence both statements are correct.

Nigeria has taken a historic step in the fight against meningitis, becoming the first country in the world to introduce a new, highly effective vaccine called Men5CV.

• It protects against strains A, C, W, Y and X of the meningococcus bacteria, all of which can cause meningitis and blood poisoning.
• It is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Funding: The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Key facts about Meningitis

• It is a serious infection that leads to the inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord.
• There are multiple causes of meningitis, including viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic pathogens.
• Bacterial meningitis, specifically caused by the meningococcus bacteria, is a particular concern in Africa and can also result in septicaemia (blood poisoning), and can seriously disable or kill within 24 hours those that contract it.  
• Symptoms: It often includes headache, fever and stiff neck.
• A region of 26 countries known as the “African meningitis belt” stretches across the continent, including Nigeria.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Recently, a state-of-the-art Submersible Platform for Acoustic Characterisation and Evaluation (SPACE) was inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Defence (R&D) and Chairman DRDO in Kerala.

• It is set up by the Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory of DRDO.
• It has been designed as a premier testing and evaluation hub for sonar systems destined for Indian Navy onboard various platforms including ships, submarines and helicopters.
• Features: It will consist of two distinct assemblages - a platform which floats on the water surface, and a submersible platform which can be lowered to any depth upto 100 m using winch systems.
• Uses: It will mainly be utilised for evaluation of complete sonar system, allowing for quick deployment and easy recovery of scientific packages such as sensors and transducers. It will be suitable for survey, sampling, and data collection of air, surface, mid-water, and reservoir floor parameters using modern scientific instrumentation.
• It will cater to the needs of data processing and sample analyses in modern, well equipped scientific laboratories heralding a new era of Anti-Submarine Warfare research capabilities.

What is Sonar?

• Sound NAvigation and Ranging (SONAR) is a tool that uses sound waves to explore the ocean.
• Scientists primarily use sonar to develop nautical charts, locate underwater hazards to navigation, search for and identify objects in the water column and on the seafloor such as shipwrecks, and map the seafloor itself.
• Sonar is used for oceanography because sound waves travel farther in the water than radar and light waves can.

Hence option (a) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

• Statement 1: The Iron Age did not occur in America is correct. The Iron Age is typically considered to have occurred in different regions at different times, but generally occurred after the Bronze Age. America did not have a distinct Iron Age period like other regions.


• Statement 2: The statement that the Iron Age was followed by the Stone Age is incorrect. The Stone Age actually predates the Iron Age, with the Stone Age being followed by the Bronze Age and then the Iron Age.


• Therefore, the correct answer is Option C: 1 only.


 

Six months into the war, Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis disproportionately impacting women and girls, according to a new report by UN Women.

About UN Women:

• It is the United Nations (UN) entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
• In July 2010, the UN General Assembly created UN Women.
• The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.
• A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
• The main roles of UN Women are:
• To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards, and norms.
• To help member states implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
• To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.
• It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.
• Within countries that request its assistance, UN Women works with government and non-governmental partners to help them put in place the policies, laws, services, and resources that women require to move towards equality.
• Grant-making Funds: UN Women provides grants to fuel innovative, high-impact programmes by government agencies and civil society groups through two funds—the Fund for Gender Equality and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. 
• Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): A global policy-making body, the CSW is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women.
• Aside from the CSW, UN Women offers regular information on women’s rights issues to the General Assembly, the ECOSOC, and the Security Council.
• It maintains the UN Secretary-General’s database on violence against women, which tracks measures to end violence taken by UN Member States and UN organizations.

Hence both statements are correct.

Physicists recently proposed the radical idea that our universe is dominated by tachyons, a hypothetical kind of particle that always moves faster than light. 

About Tachyons:

• Tachyons are hypothetical subatomic particles that move faster than the speed of light.
• The term "tachyon" was coined by physicist Gerald Feinberg in 1967.
• They are distinguished from "bradyons," particles that travel at less than the speed of light.
• While bradyons are familiar and include protons, electrons, and neutrons, tachyons have never been observed.
• According to special relativity, particles with mass cannot reach or exceed the speed of light in a vacuum because their energy would become infinite.
• However, tachyons are thought to have imaginary mass, meaning their mass squared is a negative value. This implies that they could potentially travel faster than light without violating the laws of physics as we currently understand them.
• Tachyons would slow down if they gained energy, and accelerate if they lost energy. 
• There have been a few experiments to find tachyons using a detector called a cerenkov detector.
• This detector is able to measure the speed of a particle traveling through a medium.
• Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. However, in other mediums, particles can potentially move faster than light. 
• If a particle travels through a medium at a speed that is greater than light for that medium, cerenkov radiation occurs.
• This is analogous to the sonic boom produced when an airplane travels faster than the speed of sound in air or the shock wave at the bow of a ship.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Ashwagandha is growing in popularity, both in India and abroad. 

About Ashwagandha:

• Ashwagandha, also called Indian ginseng or Indian winter cherry, is an evergreen shrub native to India, northern Africa, and the Middle East.
• Scientifically known as Withania somnifera, the shrub got its name Ashwagandha because its roots are said to smell like a wet horse ('ashwa' for horse and 'gandha' for smell).
• It belongs to the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family—the same family as tomatoes and potatoes. 
• Benefits:
• It has been in use as a medicinal plant for thousands of years, especially in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
• It is often called an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body adapt to stressors and restore balance.
• Its other benefits are reducing inflammation, increasing energy, alleviating anxiety, ease pain, and improving sleep.
• Different parts of the ashwagandha plant, such as the root, leaves, and berries, may have different concentrations of bioactive compounds.
• Notable among these arewithanolides, naturally occurring steroid compounds which have been associated with beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the body.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

In recent times, nature lovers, bird watchers, students and many tourists have been having an enjoyable time at Atapaka Bird Sanctuary with thousands of migratory birds arriving at Kolleru Lake.

• It is situated on the Kolleru Lake in the Indian State Andhra Pradesh.
• It is the home to a vast repertoire of birds. It is especially known for sheltering Pelicans.
• It spans over an area of 673 square kilometres with wetland marsh habitat extending across two districts namely West Godavari and Krishna.
• Atapaka Bird Sanctuary falls under Kaikalur forest range.
• The common species that can be witnessed in the sanctuary include Cormorants, Common Redshanks, Pied Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Red-crested Pochards etc.

Key facts about Kolleru Lake

• It is the largest freshwater lake in India.
• It is located in Andhra Pradesh between the Krishna and Godavari deltas.
• The lake serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers.
• The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru streams, and is connected to the Krishna and Godavari systems by over 68 inflowing drains and channels.
• It serves as a habitat for migratory birds.
• The lake was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention.

Hence option (d) is the correct answer.

Recently, the Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs, launched ‘ETHANOL 100, a revolutionary automotive fuel at Indian Oil Retail Outlet. 

• It has a high-octane rating, typically between 100-105.
• It proves ideal for high-performance engines, ensuring improved efficiency and power output all while minimizing environmental impact.
• Moreover, ETHANOL 100’s versatility shines through, as it can be used in a wide array of vehicles, including Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) designed to run on gasoline, ethanol, or any blend of the two.
• Its practicality and potential to become a mainstream fuel option with the right infrastructure in place.
• It includes 93-93.5 percent ethanol blended with 5 percent petrol and 1.5 percent co-solvent, which is a binder. 
• It stands as a cleaner, greener alternative to gasoline, boasting lower emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants, thus aiding in combating climate change and enhancing air quality in our communities.

What are flex-fuel vehicles?

• These are designed to run on a variety of fuels.
• These are equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE) which can run on petrol or ethanol or methanol, giving consumers choice at the point of sale of the fuel.
• Apart from a few modifications, flex fuel vehicles are similar to petrol-only cars.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.