Test: Monthly Current Affairs June- 2 - UPSC MCQ

In News: Recently, scientists have come up with an understanding of the emergence of order in chaotic systems by drawing an analogy with Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC).
Statement 1 is correct: Under BEC, Albert Einstein generalized Satyendra Nath Bose’s theory and predicted that at sufficiently low temperatures particles would become locked together in the lowest quantum state of the system.
Statement 2 is correct: The phenomenon only happens for Bosons, which are elementary particles having spins that take integer values, such as 0, 1 or 2.

In News: The Indian Navy is set to receive its first set of multi-role helicopters.
Option D is correct: India and the USA have signed over- ₹ 16,000 crore deal to buy 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from Lockheed Martin in 2020 under fast track procedures on a governmentto-government deal to hasten the process. The First batch of the Indian pilots has reached the US for training on the helicopters and we would be receiving three of these helicopters in the US in July. The 24 MH-60 Romeos would be equipped with multi-mode radars and night-vision devices as well as armed with Hellfire missiles, torpedoes and precision-guided weaponry. The MH-60 would be replacing Sea Kings which would be on their way out of the force very soon.

In News: Recently, NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power utility under the Ministry of Power, has become a signatory to the CEO Water Mandate.
Statement 1 is correct: The United Nations Global Compact Initiative aims to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies and to report on their implementation.
Statement 2 is not correct: It is a non-binding pact.
Statement 3 is correct: India is also a part of it. It is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with more than 12,000 corporate participants and stakeholders from more than 140 countries.

In News: Recently, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has coordinated Operation Pangea XIV.
Option B is correct: Operation Pangea XIV is a collaborative effort against the sale of fake and illicit medicines and medical products. It involved police, customs and health regulatory authorities from 92 countries including India. It resulted in 113,020 web links (websites and online marketplaces) being closed down or removed, arrest of 277 suspects and seizure of potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals worth over USD 23 million, the highest number since the first Operation Pangea in 2008.

In News: Recently, local wildlife enthusiasts have sighted two species of monal, a colour pheasant, together in Upper Siang district of central Arunachal Pradesh.
Statement 1 is not correct: Sclater's Monal is a high-altitude bird and rarely comes down below 1,500 metres.
Statement 2 is correct: It is an endemic bird of the Eastern Himalaya and is mostly recorded from the junction of India, Myanmar, Tibet and Yunnan province of China. It is restricted to Arunachal Pradesh on the Indian side.
Statement 3 is correct: It has been classified as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. It is also protected under the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

In News: More than 200 contingency workers of the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh went on an indefinite strike over non-payment of wages.
Option A is correct: Pakke Tiger Reserve lies in the foothills of the Eastern Himalaya in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It falls within the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot and lies to the east and the Bhareli River to the west and the north. It is considered one of the best protected national parks in the country and is also the only Hornbill sanctuary in India.

In News: The Navies of India and Thailand started their three-day, bi-annually IndiaThailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) in the Andaman Sea.
Option D is correct: The Indo-Thai CORPAT, which began in 2005, serves to reinforce maritime links between Thailand and India and forge strong bonds of friendship between the two navies, besides helping consolidate interoperability. It ensures an exchange of information pertaining to the prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration and in the conduct of search and rescue operations at sea, thereby enhancing the operational synergies.

In News: Recently, the government opened online nominations and recommendations for Padma Awards 2022.
Statement 1 is not correct: The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The Awards are given in three categories namely, Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The awards are presented by the President of India every year where the awardees are presented a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion.
Statement 2 is correct: The names of the awardees are published in the Gazette of India on the day of the presentation ceremony. The award does not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardees’ name.

In News: Recently, the Maharashtra government has decided to make amendments to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act of 1975, to introduce provisions for the protection of ‘heritage trees’.
Option C is correct: The most common method of determining the age of the tree is Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating). Each year, roughly a tree adds to its girth, the new growth is called a tree ring. By counting the rings of a tree, the age can be determined. However, the process is invasive as core samples are extracted using a borer that’s screwed into the tree and pulled out, bringing with it a straw-size sample.

In News: Recently, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has finished the execution of Operation Olivia.
Statement 1 is correct: Olive Ridley Turtles have one of the most extraordinary nesting habits in the natural world, including mass nesting called arribadas.
Statement 2 is not correct: In India, Odisha coast has three arribada beaches at Gahirmatha, the mouth of the Devi river, and in Rushikulya. A new mass nesting site has also been discovered in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Statement 3 is not correct: These turtles are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Apart from this, they have been enlisted as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List and come under Appendix I of CITES.
Statement 4 is correct: Operation Olivia was initiated in the early 1980s and has been carried out every year by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ever since. It helps protect Olive Ridley turtles as they congregate along the Odisha coast for breeding and nesting from November to December.

In News: Russia has been preparing to give Iran a Kanopus-V satellite.
Option A is correct: Kanopus­-V Satellite is an advanced satellite system and will be given with a high-resolution camera. It would be launched in Russia and contain Russian-made hardware. Russian trainers have helped ground crews who would operate the satellite from a new site near the northern Iranian city of Karaj. It would allow Iran greater monitoring of the Persian Gulf, Israeli bases and America’s troop presence in Iraq.

In News: Monoclonal antibody treatment is now seen as a relatively effective and safer alternative in treating COVID-19 patients
Statement 1 is not correct: The Monoclonal Antibodies are clones of an antibody that targets one specific antigen.

● They are artificially created in the laboratory and bind to the spike protein of the SARsCOV-2 virus, blocking the entry to the healthy cells and protecting the body from the same.
○ Monoclonal antibodies have previously been used to treat infections such as Ebola and HIV.
Statement 2 is correct: The therapy is now said to help avoid hospitalisation in high-risk groups, progression to severe disease, and to reduce the usage of steroids.
● It is to be given only to mild COVID-19 patients who are not requiring oxygen, and there is high risk of progression or hospitalisation due to existing comorbidities..
● “It seems to be a useful molecule, effective against mutant strains as well, and prevents progression of COVID if given at the right time.
● During monoclonal antibodies treatment there is less requirement of steroids and other immune-suppressive drugs.
● Monoclonal antibody treatment could prove to be a game changer in times to come if used at the appropriate time.
● Monoclonal antibody therapy cost ₹ 60,000-70,000 and significantly reduced hospital stay.
● It may reduce the burden of cost on the healthcare sector.

In News: The work from home norm during Covid-hit 2020 delivered some good news for the Parsi community which saw a record 61 births, assisted through the Centre’s Jiyo Parsi scheme.

• The Government of India through the Ministry of Minority Affairs had formulated the Jiyo Parsi Scheme in September 2013.
• The scheme is meant for the notified minority community i.e. Parsi/Zoroastrian only.
• It aims to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and structured interventions to stabilize their population and increase the population of Parsis in India.

In News: Recently, the Prime Minister of India has greeted the people of Odisha on the festival of Raja Parba.
Statement 1 is not correct: It is celebrated in Odisha and is natively pronounced as ‘raw-jaw’, while ‘Raja’ is derived from the word ‘Rajaswala’ which means menstruating women. During the festival, girls play around swings tied on tree branches, along with other indoor and outdoor games.
Statement 2 is correct: It is observed to combat prejudices that surround the menstrual cycle and celebrates a girl’s womanhood. A four-day festival celebrated every year in June, it calls for women to come together and acknowledge the gift of Mother Earth or Bhudevi. Each day of the festival has its own name and significance. The first day is Pahili Rajo, second day is Mithuna Sankranti, third day is Bhu Daaha or Basi Raja and fourth day is called Vasumati Snana.

In News: Recently, the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has developed a device called ‘Jivan Vayu’.
Option C is correct: Jivan Vayu is India’s first Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device which functions even without electricity and is adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals. CPAP is a treatment method for patients having breathing problems during sleep called sleep apnea and to treat infants whose lungs have not fully developed. Jivan Vayu is leak-proof, low-cost, customisable and can run during power failures. It has an inbuilt viral filter at the air entertainment end which has a viral efficacy of 99.99 per cent.

In News: "Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward", a report by ILO and the UNICEF, has stated that progress to end child labour has stalled for the first time in 20 years.
Statement 1 is correct: ALLIANCE 8.7 is an inclusive global partnership committed to achieving Target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It works for eradicating forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour around the world.
Statement 2 is not correct: The International Labour Organization (ILO) currently serves as Secretariat for Alliance 8.7.

In News: Recently, the US President and the British Prime Minister have inspected documents related to the Atlantic Charter.
Statement 1 is not correct: The Atlantic Charter was a joint declaration released by the then US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 14th August 1941, following a meeting in Newfoundland. The Charter provided a broad statement of US and British war aims.
Statement 2 is correct: It set out common goals for the world after the Second World War. Those goals included freer trade, disarmament and the right to self-determination of all people. The charter aimed to promote worldwide collaboration to improve labour standards, economic progress, and social security.

In News: Recently, the Gippsland region of Victoria state (Australia) has witnessed spiders spin webs stretching across trees, road signs and paddocks.
Option D is correct: Heavy rains and floods have caused spiders to climb to higher ground using a survival tactic called “ballooning”, in which they throw out silk that latches on to vegetation, allowing them to escape. Spiders can produce a wide variety of silks and this ballooning silk is very thin, delicate and lighter than air. The silk latches on to objects such as tree tops, tall grass and road signs, allowing the spiders to climb up.

In News: The police seized about 96 gelatin sticks from an isolated property along the forest fringes of Konni in the district.
Statement 1 is correct: Gelatin sticks are cheap explosive materials used by industries for the purpose of mining and construction related work, like building structures, roads, rails and tunnels etc. Only licensed explosive manufacturers can make gelatin sticks. The manufacture is regulated by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), formerly known as the Department of Explosives.
Statement 2 is not correct: They cannot be used without a detonator, which is a device containing a detonating charge that is used to initiate an explosion reliably, at a specified time, and, as applicable, in a prescribed sequence.

In News: Recently, a shipment of Geographical Indication (GI) certified ‘Jalgaon banana’ was exported to Dubai.
Option D is correct: In 2016,Jalgaon Banana got GI certification, which was registered with Nisargraja Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Jalgaon. Jalgaon District is located in the north-west region of the state of Maharashtra. It is bounded by Satpura mountain ranges in the north, Ajanta mountain ranges in the south. Jalgaon is rich in volcanic soil which is well suited for cotton production.