Daily Current Affairs MCQ- October 21, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, health experts shared the information related to the Neurocysticercosis. 

• It is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system and is caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium.
• Humans become infected after consuming undercooked food, particularly pork, or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs, or through poor hygiene practices.
• Taeniasis is the intestinal infection of the adult tapeworm.
• When left untreated, a more serious condition known as cysticercosis develops as T. solium larvae invade body tissues.
• When larvae build up in the central nervous system, muscles, skin and eyes, it leads to neurocysticercosis.
• It is the most severe form of the disease and a common cause of seizures worldwide.
• Symptoms
• Most often, neurocysticercosis in other areas or organs of the body may remain asymptomatic.
• But when the condition affects the brain, it causes severe symptoms like seizures or epilepsy.
• Treatment: It is mainly treated symptomatically and by management of seizures by anticonvulsants.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has delivered the Third Stealth Destroyer of Project 15B Class Guided Missile Destroyer i.e. Yard 12706 (IMPHAL) to the Indian Navy.

• The ship is constructed using Indigenous Steel DMR 249A and is amongst the largest Destroyers constructed in India, with an overall length of 164 meters and a displacement of over 7500 Tons.
• The ship is propelled by a powerful Combined Gas and Gas Propulsion Plant (COGAG), consisting of four reversible Gas Turbines, which enables her to achieve a speed of over 30 knots (approx 55 Kmph).
• The ship is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare.
• It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface ‘Brahmos’ missiles and ‘Barak-8’ Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles.
• Towards undersea warfare capability the Destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull mounted Sonar Humsa NG, Heavy weight Torpedo Tube Launchers and ASW Rocket Launchers.
• It is more versatile than the previous classes of Destroyer and Frigates in Naval inventory.
• It has all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force.

Key points about Project 15B

• Project 15B (P15B) / Visakhapatnam-class is the latest destroyer design currently under construction for the Indian Navy.
• These ships have been designed indigenously by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design, New Delhi.
• Each ship spans 163 meters in length and 17.4 meters in beam and displaces 7,300 tonnes.
• These ships will be propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speed in excess of 30 knots.
• According to the Indian Navy, the P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping, stealth, and maneuverability.

Hence option b is the correct answer.

From 2018 to 2021, an estimated 10 billion snow crabs disappeared from the eastern Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, with the population plummeting to record lows in 2021. 

• The snow crab is named after the climate where it lives: the coldest parts of the North Atlantic Sea and the Northern Pacific Ocean, where the water temperature is always below 4°C.
• Appearance: On top they are brownish in color and underneath they are lighter. Their eyes are green or greenish blue.
• Males and females can be distinguished by the shape of their abdominal flaps. On males this flap is triangular, and on females it is broadly rounded.
• Distribution: These are found off the coast of Alaska in the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas.
• Habitat: Usually, cold, arctic water makes ideal habitat for snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio).

Key points about the Bering Sea

• It is bordered by the US state of Alaska to the east and northeast, the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Far Eastern region of Russia in the west, and the chain of the Aleutian Islands in the south.
• It is connected with the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean via the Bering Strait in the north.
• The Bering Sea can be divided into two equal portions: a shallow area along the continental shelf in the northern and eastern parts of the sea, and a deeper area in its southwestern part.
• This deeper portion of the sea is divided by ridges into three basins, namely the Aleutian Basin, the Bowers Basin, and the Komandor Basin.
• The deepest point of the Bering Sea is located in the Bowers Basin at a depth of 4,097 m.
• The two rivers which drain into the sea are the Anadyr and the Yukon River.

Hence option a is the correct answer.

The Mid Planning Conference (MPC) of MILAN 24 Exercise to be hosted by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam from 19 - 27 February 2024.

• The Flagship event, MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise.
• It was incepted by the Indian Navy in 1995.
• Originally conceived in consonance with India's 'Look East Policy, MILAN expanded in ensuing years with the Govt of lndia's 'Act East policy' and Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative, to include participation from other Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs).
• The harbour phase of MILAN 24 will comprise of International Maritime Seminar, City Parade at RK Beach, Swavlamban Exhibition, Subject Matter Expert Exchange and Milan of Young Officers. Ships, Maritime patrol aircraft and submarines of Friendly Foreign Countries would participate in the sea phase along with Indian Navy units.
• They will involve large-force manoeuvres, advanced air defence operations, Anti-submarine warfare and Anti-surface warfare operations.
• MILAN 22 was conducted at/ off Visakhapatnam from 25 Feb - 04 Mar 22 and witnessed participation from 39 countries.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

The James Webb Telescope recently unveiled a stunning image of Jupiter, featuring snapshots of extraordinarily fast jet streams racing across the planet's equator.

About Jet Streams:

• Jet streams are bands of strong wind that generally blow from west to east all across the globe.
• Earth has four primary jet streams: two polar jet streams, near the north and south poles, and two subtropical jet streams closer to the equator.
• They impact weather, air travel, and many other things that take place in our atmosphere.
• What causes Jet Streams?
• Jet streams form when warm air masses meet cold air masses in the atmosphere.
• The Sun doesn’t heat the whole earth evenly. That’s why areas near the equator are hot and areas near the poles are cold.
• So when Earth’s warmer air masses meet cooler air masses, the warmer air rises up higher in the atmosphere while cooler air sinks down to replace the warm air. 
• This movement creates an air current, or wind.
• A jet stream is a type of air current that forms high in the atmosphere.
• They are located about five to nine miles above Earth’s surface in the mid to upper troposphere, the layer of Earth’s atmosphere where we live and breathe.
• Speed:
• On average, jet streams move at about 110 miles per hour. 
• But dramatic temperature differences between the warm and cool air masses can cause jet streams to move at much higher speeds -250 miles per hour or faster.
• Since these hot and cold air boundaries are most pronounced in winter, jet streams are the strongest during both the northern and southern hemisphere winters.
• How Do Jet Streams Affect Weather?
• They play a crucial role in shaping weather patterns. They can affect the movement of weather systems, such as high-pressure and low-pressure areas, and influence the direction and intensity of storms.
• Storms tend to follow the edge of the jet stream, where the difference between cool and warm air creates the turbulent conditions for storms. 
• How Do Jet Streams Affect Air Travel?
• Airplanes also fly in the mid to upper troposphere. So, if an airplane flies in a powerful jet stream and they are traveling in the same direction, the airplane can get a boost.
• That’s why an airplane flying a route from west to east can generally make the trip faster than an airplane traveling the same route from east to west.

Hence both statements are not correct.

The Supreme Court recently held that the Union and States are duty-bound to the pledge to completely eradicate manual scavenging through the stringent implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

About Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013:

• It was passed in 2013 to provide for the prohibition of employment as manual scavengers and the rehabilitation of manual scavengers and their families.
• The broad objectives of the act are to eliminate unsanitary latrines, prohibit the employment of manual scavengers and the hazardous manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks, and to maintain a survey of manual scavengers and their rehabilitation.
• Provisions:
• No person or agency can engage or employ any person for manual scavenging.
• Any person or agency who engages any person in manual scavenging in violation of the provisions of the MS Act, 2013 is punishable with imprisonment upto 2 years, a fine upto Rs. One Lakh, or both.
• It outlines the provisions for the rehabilitation of sanitation workers and their families.
• After a survey of manual scavengers, the local administration must give them a photo identity card with details of their family members and monetary compensation. Their children must get a government scholarship, and they must get a residential plot and money to construct on it.
• It is also illegal for a sewer or septic tank to be cleaned by a person without the employer providing protective gear and cleaning devices and observing safety precautions.
• Under the Act, every local authority must make sure that there are no insanitary latrines in its jurisdiction and no manual scavengers are employed. A local authority is a municipality or a panchayat, which is responsible for sanitation in its jurisdiction.
• Local authorities must construct community sanitary latrines (which don’t require the manual removal of human excreta) and make arrangements for their hygienic upkeep at all times. They must also ensure the use of technological appliances for cleaning sewers, septic tanks and other such spaces in their jurisdictions.
• How do the states ensure the Act is implemented?
• Every state must have a monitoring committee consisting of the chief minister, the minister representing Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and the director-general of police, among other officials. 
• Every state government or union territory administration must send periodic reports to the central government about its progress on implementing this Act.
• The government has to ensure that local authorities and district magistrates implement the law. For this, a vigilance committee has to be set upat the sub-division, district, state and central levels.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently gave approval to reintroduce eight tigers into the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) in Maharashtra.

About Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR):

• Location: It is located in the Sahyadri Ranges of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
• The reserve spreads over Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, forming the northern portion, and Chandoli National Park, forming the southern part of the reserve. STR was created by merging the areas of these two forests in 2007.
• The region of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve includes the area around the Koyna Dam, the Warna River, and many other small rivers and streams originating from the Western Ghats and flowing to the east.
• History:
• The history of the area dates back to the Maratha Empire, and many forts built or captured by the first Maratha Emperor Shivaji Bhonsle can be found here.
• The legendary temple from which Shivaji received the Bhavani Sword from divine providence is also said to be among the many ruins in this region.
• Habitat:
• The total area of STR is undulating, with steep escarpments along the western boundary.
• The most distinct feature of the Tiger Reserve is the presence of numerous barren rocky and lateritic plateaus, locally called “Sadas”, with less perennial vegetation and overhanging cliffs on the edges, along with numerous fallen boulders with dense thorny bushes.
• STR is the only place where climax and near-climax vegetation are plentiful and prospects of adverse anthropogenic influence in the future are minimal.
• Flora:
• The forest cover here is that of moist evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist, and dry deciduous vegetation.
• There are many medicinal and fruit-bearing trees along with the commercial hard wood trees in the reserve.
• Fauna:
• The main carnivores are the tiger, leopard, and some Lesser Cats along with the wolf, jackal, and wild dog.
• The large herbivores are several deer species like Barking Deer, Sambar, and other large and small animals like Indian Bison, Sloth Bear, Mouse Deer, Giant Indian Squirrel and Macaque.

Hence option c is the correct answer.

Recently, the Gujarat state government banned Conocarpus tree plantation in forest or non-forest area, underlining its “adverse impacts on environment and human health”.

About Conocarpus tree:

• It is a flowering plant belonging to the family of Combretaceae.
• It is an invasive mangrove species.
• Trees of this species flower in winter and spread pollen in nearby areas.
• It has been used by various public authorities in India as landscaping for road medians, along roads, and in public gardens. 
• Countries in the Arabian Peninsula have used the plant to block sand from desert storms and to control pollution.
• This tree is famous for its dark green leaves color throughout the year and withstands harsh environmental conditions such as high and low temperatures.
• It is very adaptive and could grow even in areas with extreme salinity.
• It absorbs more water from soil than other species and is a threat to groundwater.
• This species goes deep into the ground and grows too much to damage the communication cables, drainage lines and drinking water pipelines.
• It is native to parts of North and South America, as well as parts of Africa.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A parasitic worm scientifically known as Angiostrongylus cantonensis, typically found in rats, has been spreading in southeastern America recently.

About Angiostrongylus cantonensis:

• Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the rat lungworm, is a parasitic nematode (roundworm) that infects rodents, particularly rats.
• It is typically found in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii.
• While rats serve as the primary hosts for this parasite, humans and other animals, including snails and slugs, can become infected as incidental hosts.
• Transmission: It is spread through rat faeces and can infect humans and other animals through produce or other food items.
• Impact on Humans:
• Once inside a human, the worm could cause a rare brain infection known as eosinophilic meningitis.
• Symptoms can include headaches, still neck, tingling, fevers, vomiting, or painful feelings in the skin.
• Most infections resolve spontaneously over time without specific treatment because the parasite cannot survive for long in the human body.
• The worm can, in severe cases, cause coma or even death in humans, and can also infect pets.
• Treatment:
• There is currently no specific treatment for the parasite.
• The most common types of treatment are for the symptoms of the infection, such as pain medication for headache or medications to reduce the body’s reaction to the parasite.

Hence both statements are correct.

Adding to the eight known species of pangolins, scientists recently discovered a ninth variety, tentatively named “Manis mysteria”.

About Manis Mysteria:

• It is a newly discovered Pangolin species.
• The newly identified pangolin species emerged from a detailed study of scales seized in China’s Yunnan province in 2015 and 2019.
• This new species is believed to have diverged from its Philippine and Malayan relatives approximately five million years ago.

What are Pangolins?

• They are mammals known for their distinctive appearance and protective scales.
• They are often referred to as "scaly anteaters" due to their characteristic scales and their diet, which primarily consists of ants and termites.
• Pangolins are found in parts of Africa and Asia and are known for their elusive nature and status as the most trafficked mammals in the world.
• Features:
• They are easily recognizable by their armor-like scales, which cover their bodies. These scales are made of keratin, the same protein found in human hair and nails. They are the only known mammals with this feature.
• When threatened, pangolins can curl into a tight ball, with their scales forming a protective barrier.
• Their diet consists mainly of ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues (A pangolin’s tongue is longer than its body).
• Pangolins have no teeth; they chew with gravel and and keratinous spines inside the stomach.
• They are most active at night and are solitary creatures.
• Threat:
• All pangolin species are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
• The Indian pangolin, also called thick-tailed pangolin, is classified as Endangered under the IUCN Red List.

Hence option c is the correct answer.