Daily Current Affairs MCQ- December 20, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) powered by solid fuel.

• Solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fuelled immediately ahead of launch.
• They are often easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support.
• They are harder to detect and more survivable than liquid-fuel weapons.
• Working of Solid Fuel Technology
• Solid propellants are a mixture of fuel and oxidiser.
• Metallic powders such as aluminium often serve as the fuel, and ammonium perchlorate, which is the salt of perchloric acid and ammonia, is the most common oxidiser.
• The fuel and oxidiser are bound together by a hard rubbery material and packed into a metal casing.
• When solid propellant burns, oxygen from the ammonium perchlorate combines with aluminium to generate enormous amounts of energy and temperatures of more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), creating thrust and lifting the missile from the launch pad.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, unique, prehistoric rock art drawings have been discovered in the Andriamamelo Cave in western Madagascar.

About Andriamamelo Cave:

• It is situated in the western Madagascar.
• It is located in karstified limestone of the Paysage Harmonieux Protege de Beanka.
• This is part of an extensive karst region that includes the Parc National de Bemaraha to the south, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the little-studied Antsingimavo karst area to the north.

Key findings

• In this cave truly pictorial art, depicting images of nature with human-like and animal-like figures have been discovered.
• The dramatic discoveries contained several surprises, including hints at some remarkable cultural connections.
• First, scenes depicted in some cases linked up fairly directly to Egyptian religious motifs from the Ptolemaic period (300-30 BCE)
• Second, other inferences from symbols and writing on the walls showed connections to the Ethiopian and Afro-Arab worlds.
• Finally, prevalent symbology and motifs evoked a two-millennia-old cave art style from Borneo.
• At least three extinct animals of Madagascar (thought to have been extinct for many centuries) may be depicted – a giant sloth lemur, elephant birds and a giant tortoise.
• Egyptian connections are hinted at in eight major images, including a falcon (Horus); the bird-headed god Thoth; the ostrich goddess Ma`at and two human-animal figures which were similar to Anubis – an ancient Egyptian god usually depicted as a man with a canine head.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

Recently, experts from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) had cautioned farmers against the late blight disease attack on potato crop.

• It is caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans.
• It is the most important disease of potato that can result into crop failures in a short period if appropriate control measures are not adopted.
• It is common in humid regions with temperatures.
• Symptoms
• The first symptoms of late blight appear as small, light to dark green, circular to irregular-shaped water-soaked spots.
• During cool, moist weather, these lesions expand rapidly into large, dark brown or black lesions, often appearing greasy. A pale green to yellow border often surrounds the lesions
• Mode of spread
• The infected tubers and the infected soil may serve as a source of primary infection.
• The diseased tubers are mainly responsible for persistence of the disease from crop to crop.
• The air borne infection is caused by the sporangia.
• This disease can be controlled by the prompt destruction of infected crop residue from the field to prevent the spread of the disease to nearby fields.

Hence both statements are correct.

India needs to work on finding alternate trade routes in the sea, as heavy reliance on the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait could impact the country's trade with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, economic think tank GTRI said recently.

About Bab-el-Mandeb Strait:

• It is a strait of great strategic and economic importance, connecting the Red Sea in the northwest to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in the southeast.
• It also separates Arabia, in the northeast, from the African continent, in the southwest.
• It further acts as a link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
• The name of the strait, Bab el-Mandeb means “Gate of Tears” in Arabic, referring to the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred in this region. 
• The strait is 30 kilometers (KM) wide and is divided into two channels by the Yemeni island of Perim, with the eastern channel being called Alexander’s Strait and is around 3 kilometers wide, while the western-lying Dact-el-Mayun Channel is 26 kilometers wide.
• The flow through this strait provides for the circulation between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, since no flow takes place through the Suez Canal. 

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Around 70 persons belonging to the Andhra Pradesh special police have lost nearly Rs 12 crore in a chit fund scheme recently.

About Chit Funds:

• Chit funds are a financial instrument that is used in both borrowing and saving aspects. 
• Chit fund is also termed Kuri and Chitty. 
• Chit funds are a kind of financial arrangement wherein a few individuals gather and pool a fixed sum of money at regular intervals. 
• This is done with an understanding or agreement that a single member of the group will receive the total sum of money collected during each interval.
• This process continues until every member has received their share of the pooled money.
• This type of financial instrument is generally conducted by a chit-fund company that is responsible for the smooth carrying out of this process.
• How Do Chit Funds Work?
• Under a chit fund scheme, a number of individuals make contributions towards the chit value at regular intervals for a period equal to the total number of subscribers or members (investors).
• A person, chosen through an auction or a lucky draw, receives the money collected. 
• Through an auction allotment system, an individual who agrees to receive the lowest amount (with the lowest bid) gets the money. It is known as a reverse auction system.
• The sum forgone by a winner is distributed equally among the other bidders post subtracting a foreman’s charges and commission.
• An amount that each bidder receives is termed a dividend.
• A winning bidder will continue to invest even after agreeing to claim the sum.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully test fired the 'SAMAR' air defence missile system recently.

About SAMAR Air Defence Missile System:

• Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) is a short-range air-defence system. 
• It has been developed by a unit under the IAF’s Maintenance Command.
• The system is credited with a maximum range of 10–12 km and is used against low-flying aerial targets.
• It can engage aerial threats with missiles operating at a speed range of 2 to 2.5 Mach.
• The SAMAR-1 system uses the IAF's existing inventory of shelf-life-expired Russian Vympel R-73E infrared‐guided air-to-air missiles (AAMs) for the surface-to-air role.
• The system features a twin-turret launch platform capable of launching two missiles in single and salvo modes, depending on the threat scenario.
• Each missile launcher had an electro-optic system visible.
• It is expected to supplement the IAF’s Akash and SPYDER systems, replacing the ageing improved Pechora and OSA-AK systems.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Tamil Nadu cancelled the decision to open the spillway shutters of Mullaperiyar dam recently after a lull in rainfall and a reduced inflow of water to the dam.

About Mullaperiyar Dam:

• It is a masonry gravity dam situated on the Periyar River in Thekkady, Idukki district, in Kerala.
• It is located 881 m above sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats.
• The dam is built at the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers.
• Its construction began in 1887 and was completed in 1895. The construction was carried out by the British Corps of Royal Engineers under the leadership of Pennycuick.
• It has a height of 53.6 m from the foundation and a length of 365.7 m.
• The dam was constructed with limestone and “Surkhi" (burnt brick powder and a mixture of sugar and calcium oxide).
• The dam's purpose was to divert the waters of the west-flowing River Periyar eastward to the arid rain shadow regions of the Theni, Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu. 
• The Periyar National Park is located around the dam's reservoir.
• Although the dam is located in Kerala, it is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. It was according to a 999-year lease agreement made during the British rule that the operational rights were handed over to Tamil Nadu.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Indian destroyer INS Kochi recently evacuated one of the 18 sailors on board the hijacked commercial vessel MV Ruen off the coast of Somalia.

About INS Kochi:

• It is the second ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers built under the code name Project 15A for the Indian Navy. 
• It was constructed by Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. 
• It was commissioned into Indian Navy service on September 30, 2015.
• Features:
• It measures 164 meters in length and approximately 17 meters in width, with a full load displacement of 7500 tonnes.
• The ship has a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion system, comprising four powerful reversible gas turbines.
• It can attain speeds in excess of 30 knots.
• The ship has a complement of 40 officers and 350 sailors.
• It is equipped with the advanced supersonic and long-range BrahMos Surface-to-surface Missile.
• The entire anti-submarine weapon and sensor suite fitted onboard, consisting of Indigenous Rocket Launchers (IRL), Indigenous Twin-tube Torpedo Launchers (ITTL), and a bow-mounted New Generation HUMSA Sonar, are fine examples of India’s indigenous efforts in the field of underwater warfare.
• A state-of-the-art Combat Management System (CMS-15A) has been integrated with the onboard weapons and sensors. 
• The ship is equipped to operate two Sea King or Chetak helicopters.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, for the first time breeding nests of crab-plovers spotted at Great Vedaranyam Swamp near Point Calimere, Tamil Nadu.

• It is a long-legged, black and white bird of Indian Ocean coasts, related to plovers and allied species of shorebirds.
• This is the only shore bird that lays white eggs and chicks remain inside the burrows until the fledging stage.
• The chicks are semi-nidifugous, unlike chicks of other shorebirds that leave the nests shortly after hatching.
• Distribution:
• They are residents on the coasts and islands of the Indian Ocean.
• They breed around the Arabian Sea of Pakistan, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, Red Sea,Somalia the Andaman Islands and Sri Lanka in the east and Tanzania and Madagascar.
• Habitat
• These birds inhabit sandy coastlines, mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, exposed coral reefs, and rocky shorelines.
• During the breeding season, they can also be found in sand dunes.
• Conservation Status
• IUCN: Least Concern
• It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, suspected Maoists reportedly opened fire at Forest department watchers at the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannur, Kerala.

• It is located on the western slopes of the Western Ghats.
• It is the northern most wildlife sanctuary of Kerala which was established in 1984. 
• It is contiguous with Wayanad-Brahmagiri, Wayanad northern slopes and the Protected Areas of Karnataka State namely the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and also the forests of Coorg.
• Highest peak of this sanctuary is Katti Betta.
• It is the only protected area of the West Coast Tropical Evergreen forest of Dipterocarpus-Mesua- Palaquium type.
• The river Cheenkani flows through this wildlife sanctuary.
• Vegetation: Forest coast tropical evergreen and west coast semievergreen forests are predominant here.
• Flora: The common trees in the semievergreen areas are Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Hopea parviflora, Largestroemia lanceolata, Xyliaxylocarpa, Mallotus and Philippinensis.
• Fauna: Deer, boar, elephant, and bison are quite common. Leopard, jungle cat and various types of squirrels are sighted here.

Hence option (b) is the correct answer.