Daily Current Affairs MCQ- November 8, 2022 - UPSC MCQ

Due to the conservation efforts Pirarucu, also known as arapaima has returned to the lakes of the Medio Jurua in Brazil.

• It can weigh up to 200 kilos (440 pounds), by far the largest of 2,300 known fish species in the Amazon.
• It is found primarily in floodplain lakes across the Amazon basin, including the region of Medio Jurua.
• It is one of the few fish species in the world that surfaces to breathe. It does that with a big splash, flashing its red tail out of the water.
• The giant fish not so long ago nearly vanished from Jurua, due to unregulated fishing.
• The illegal and unsustainable fishing left river and Indigenous communities struggling to catch their staple food.
• And it left pirarucu designated as threatened with extinction, unless trade in the fish is closely controlled by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Hence both statements are correct.

After implementing a series of anti-pollution measures to control the plummeting air quality index (AQI) in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party government is also considering bringing back the ‘odd-even’ vehicle rationing scheme. 

• ‘Odd-even’ was first introduced in 2016 by the AAP government to control vehicular pollution and bring down increasing particulate matter levels.
• Under it, private vehicles with registration plates ending in odd numbers could ply on odd dates, and even numbers on even dates.
• Studies and research done on its impact in Delhi suggest positive results — from reduction in congestion to a slight drop in pollution levels and consequent improvement in air quality.
• According to a study done by Delhi Technological University (DTU) published in 2016, when the scheme was implemented for a roughly two-week period, concentration of PM 2.5 and PM 1 saw a drop.
• Studies have also shown that on an average, there was a reduction in PM 2.5 of 5.73 per cent and 4.70 per cent in PM 1 levels. 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

A study published in Nature Communications recently estimated that a vast majority of snakebite deaths globally — up to 64,100 of the 78,600 deaths — occur in India.

• The study used data from verbal autopsy and vital statistics (civil registration) to estimate snakebite deaths from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study.
• The global estimate of deaths due to snakebite comes 14 years after the previous one in 2008 and provides a more robust estimate. 
• Snakebite (a neglected tropical disease) is a public health problem in India and many other low- and middle-income countries has been long known.
• Within India, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of deaths, estimated to be up to 16,100, followed by Madhya Pradesh (up to 5,790 deaths), and Rajasthan (up to 5,230 deaths).
• The study estimated that the age-standardised death rate (which accounts for different age-structures in different countries, thus allowing comparison between countries) in India, at 4.0 per 1,00,000, is also among the highest globally, and many times over than the global figure of 0.8 deaths per 1,00,000. 
• Only Somalia has a higher age-standardised death rate than India at 4.5 per 1,00,000.
• Within India, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have even higher age-standardised death rates, at 6.5, 6.0, and 5.8 per 1,00,000, respectively.

Treatment:

• Anti-snake venom (ASV) are effective treatments to prevent or reverse most of its harmful effects.
• Steps by WHO:
  • In June 2017, WHO added snakebite envenoming to its priority list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
  • Anti-snake venom (ASV) is included in the WHO Essential Medicines List.

Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.

A study in Nature finds a near-complete skeleton of an early reptile from the Middle Jurassic period of Scotland. 

• The skeleton is of Bellairsia gracilis, a primitive squamate.
• Squamates are a group of reptiles that includes more than 10,000 living species descended from a shared common ancestor that lived 240 MYA.
• The fossil may improve our understanding of the anatomical transformations that led to the establishment of the body plan of reptiles such as modern lizards.
• If the anatomical interpretation is correct, then primitive squamates survived for tens of millions of years after the first lizards and snakes evolved and lived alongside them.

Hence both statements are correct.

In October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time recommended the large-scale use of a malaria vaccine for children living in areas with moderate-to-high malaria transmission. The RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) was developed by GlaxoSmithKline.

• It took more than 30 years and approximately $700 million for this breakthrough.
• Malaria kills nearly 600,000 people every year, the majority of whom are children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Malaria is a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
• The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
• There are many different types of plasmodium parasite, but only 5 types cause malaria in humans.
  • Plasmodium falciparum – mainly found in Africa, it's the most common type of malaria parasite and is responsible for most malaria deaths worldwide.
  • Plasmodium vivax – mainly found in Asia and South America, this parasite causes milder symptoms than Plasmodium falciparum, but it can stay in the liver for up to 3 years, which can result in relapses.
  • Plasmodium ovale – fairly uncommon and usually found in West Africa, it can remain in your liver for several years without producing symptoms.
  • Plasmodium malariae – this is quite rare and usually only found in Africa.
  • Plasmodium knowlesi – this is very rare and found in parts of Southeast Asia.
• Transmission:
  • The plasmodium parasite is spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which are known as "night-biting" mosquitoes because they most commonly bite between dusk and dawn.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

A total lunar eclipse will occur on 8 November, 2022. The eclipse is visible from all places of India at the time of Moonrise.

• An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon – when Earth is located directly between the Sun and the Moon –, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. 
• That shadow is composed of two cone-shaped components - 
  • The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun's rays from reaching the Moon. 
  • The inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. 
• Types: Astronomers recognize three basic types of lunar eclipses – 
• Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: The Moon passes through Earth's penumbral shadow. These events are of only academic interest because they are subtle and hard to observe. 
• Partial Lunar Eclipse: A portion of the Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow. These events are easy to see, even with the unaided eye. 
• Total Lunar Eclipse: The entire Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow. These events are quite striking due to the Moon's vibrant red colour during the total phase (totality). 

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The first-ever recording of the snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila region has renewed the hope for the elusive predator in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

• Snow leopard surveys have often focused in neighbouring areas of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The survey was expanded to the Baltal-Zojila region of Kashmir recently.
• Camera trapping exercises also raised hopes for other important and rare species such as the Asiatic ibex, brown bear and Kashmir musk deer in the upper reaches of the northernmost part of India.
• Snow Leopard population estimation is part of the Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI).
• The Department of Wildlife Protection has been conducting surveys with partner NGOs to understand presence and abundance of snow leopards under the SPAI project funded by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change.
• The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has been concluded so far in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The estimated population of the great cat is 50 and 100 in these two States respectively.
• Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI):
  • It was launched on International Snow Leopard Day on 23rdOctober 2019.
  • It has evolved from international effort to develop a global protocol for PAWS under the aegis of GSELP.
  • Objective – To help the snow leopard double its population.
  • Under SPAI, a two-step process is undertaken to estimate the snow leopard population.
    • First step– An occupation-based assessment of snow leopard distribution, which involves identifying the area where the study will be conducted based on conducting preliminary surveys and using interview or sign-based methods.
    • Second step– Population sampling for regional density estimation by carrying out a thorough review of already sampled areas.
  • Online tools including a data-sharing portal, training app for identifying individual leopards through photographs and threat mapping tool would be utilized.
• Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP):
  • The GSLEP is a world first joint initiative that aims to conserve the endangered snow leopard within the broader context of also conserving valuable high mountain ecosystems.
  • It unites all 12 range country governments, nongovernmental and inter-governmental organisations, local communities, and the private sector around this aim.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

On November 1, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy rocket into a geosynchronous Earth orbit from the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, U.S.

• This is considered as a National Security Space Launch for the U.S. military.
• This is the fourth launch of the giant rocket system, and the first one in nearly three years since its last launch in 2019.

Specifications:

• SpaceX claims Falcon Heavy to be the most powerful rocket in the world today by a factor of two.
• With a lifting capacity of around 64 metric tonnes into orbit, Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy.
• Falcon Heavy has 27 Merlin engines which together generate more than five million pounds of thrust at lift-off, equalling around eighteen 747 aircraft at full power.
• The rocket can lift the equivalent of a fully loaded 737 jetliner, complete with passengers, luggage and fuel, to orbit.
• Merlin is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles.
• Merlin engines use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle.
• These engines were designed for recovery and reuse.

Hence both statements are correct.

Keeping alive a tradition dating back to the reign of the Kachhwaha rulers, a family in the Walled City of Jaipur makes an indelible black ink, or kali syahi, used 250 years ago for writing royal firmans (decrees) and ledgers.

• The fourth generation of the family now produces the ink every Deepavali.
• While the erstwhile royal family used the ink for its official transactions, the businessmen of the princely State used it to write their accounts. 
• Even universities established after Independence awarded degrees written with this ink. The ink was believed to ward off evil and bring prosperity to its users.

Features:

• The ink was made of natural ingredients using a traditional procedure handed down from generations.
• The black ink is prepared on a no-moon night with the chanting of mantras.
• It is made of kaajal (homemade mascara), gondh (edible gum) and other locally sourced herbal ingredients.
• The ink has medicinal properties, as some of its ingredients were used in the traditional Ayurvedic system for the treatment and healing of wounds.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the citizens to visit Nadabet and other border areas as part of Seema darshan to further tourism.

• It was initiated with the aim to provide an opportunity to the people so that they can visualize the life and work of the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on our border.

Nadabet:

• It is located in the Rann of Kutch region. It is also known as the ‘Wagah of Gujarat’.
• The access provided to civilians at Nadabet to view the fenced international border with Pakistan at ‘Zero Point’.
• Nadabet played a key role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. It was in this region that the BSF not only stalled the enemy trying to invade from the west, but also captured 15 enemy posts.
• During the war, the BSF had captured 1,038 square km of Pakistan territory in Nagarparkar and Diplo areas. The area was returned to Pakistan after the Shimla Agreement was signed.

Jaislamer:

• BSF has set up a unique memorial museum named Seema Darshan to create awareness about the duties of BSF to the general public and the incidents of bravery at Sam sand dunes in Jaislamer.

Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.