Current Affairs: Passage of the Day - 9 May 2024 | Current Affairs: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - CLAT PDF Download

Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

One of the most challenging things about the Indian roads has been the situation of potholes, especially in the rural areas. Well, as technology is advancing there's been an immense growth in the highway connectivity across the country, the National Highways Authority of India is exploring an innovative solution to tackle the issue of potholes - self-healing materials for road construction.
As per DD News, this innovation will enable a road to autonomously repair itself, thanks to a new asphalt blend. This composite will be a mix of steel fibres and bitumen. In the event of a gap formation, the bitumen will expand to fill it, while the steel threads will assist in patching potholes. Besides the benefit of reducing the potholes, this technology also has the potential to prolong the road's durability and cut maintenance costs.
Potholes create big problems for people driving in India, leading to traffic jams, damage to vehicles, and sometimes accidents. During the rainy season, the situation gets worse as water makes the roads weaker. Even though the idea of using self-repairing materials for roads isn't new, it's still being thought about on a big scale in India. NHAI might start small tests on some highways to see if these materials work well and are worth the cost. Having self-healing highways could be really good news for India's roads in the future.
[Excerpt from Times of India “NHAI Explores New Self-Healing Road Technologies” Dated 09/05/24]

Q1: Which technology for achieving self-repairing capabilities in roads involves microcapsules mixed into the asphalt that contain healing agents?
(a) Induction Heating
(b) Bacteria-Based Self-Healing
(c) Microencapsulation
(d) Rejuvenator Capsules

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Q2: What is the focus of NHAI's approach to self-healing roads?
(a) Bacteria-Based Self-Healing
(b) Induction Heating
(c) Microencapsulation
(d) Infused Bitumen and Steel Fibres

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Q3: Which technology for self-healing roads involves integrating steel fibres into the asphalt mix and heating them with an induction machine to seal cracks?
(a) Microencapsulation
(b) Induction Heating
(c) Bacteria-Based Self-Healing
(d) Rejuvenator Capsules

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Q4: Which university has extensively researched microencapsulation technology for self-healing roads?
(a) Binghamton University
(b) Delft University of Technology
(c) University of Cambridge
(d) Harvard University

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Q5: What is the purpose of rejuvenator capsules in self-healing road technology?
(a) To produce calcium carbonate
(b) To integrate steel fibres into the asphalt mix
(c) To release healing agents to seal cracks
(d) To soften the surrounding asphalt

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