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Daily Current Affairs Prelims Quiz 06-05-2022 - (Online Prelims Test)

1) Consider the following statements regarding Black Widow Binary System:

  1. It refers to a system where a rapidly spinning neutron star is being consumed by the brighter companion star.
  2. Black widow binaries are powered by pulsars that emit flashes of high-energy gamma and X-rays.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

  • a. 
  • b. 
  • c. 
  • d. 
Answer : b

Astronomers have spotted a black widow binary.

Black Widow Binary Star

  • It is a unique system that consists of a pulsar (rapidly spinning neutron star) that is circling and slowly consuming a smaller companion star, just like the female black widow spider does to its mater, hence the name.
  • The particular cluster from which this system formed may have drifted towards the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
  • The gravity of this central black hole must have been enough to pull the cluster apart while leaving the black widow intact.
  • Black widow binaries are powered by pulsars — rapidly spinning neutron stars that are the collapsed cores of massive stars.
  • Pulsars have a dizzying rotational period, spinning around every few milliseconds, and emitting flashes of high-energy gamma and X-rays in the process.

2) Consider the following statements:

  1. Fundamental rights given under the Indian constitution in case of violation can only be enforced against the public authorities and not against private individuals.
  2. In Shamdasani vs Central Bank of India, the SC laid down that, violation of rights by the private individuals gives the aggrieved person a right to seek remedy under general laws only.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

  • a. 
  • b. 
  • c. 
  • d. 
Answer : c

Article 19 can’t be asserted against private parties; Facebook tells Delhi HC.

Fundamental Rights

  • Article 19: Article 19 of the Constitution provides freedom of speech which is the right to express one's opinion freely without any fear through oral/written/electronic/broadcasting/press.

P.D. Shamdasani vs Union Bank of India, 1951

  • The question of the enforceability of fundamental rights against private actors came for the first time.
  • The Court drew a line between private and state action and held that fundamental rights are not enforceable against private actors.
  • Violation of Fundamental rights can only be enforced against the public authorities and not private individuals.
  • Rights guaranteed under articles 19, 21, and 31 are guaranteed against the state as distinguished from violation of such rights by the private individual.
  • The violation of rights by private individuals gives the person aggrieved a right to seek remedy under general laws.

3) Consider the following statements with respect to Lepakshi Temple:

  1. The original structure of the temple was built by Agastya and was rebuilt by the Chalukyas.
  2. It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India
  3. It is an example of the Vijayanagara Architecture.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

  • a. 
  • b. 
  • c. 
  • d. 
Answer : b

Vijayanagara Architecture

  • The Veerabhadra Swami temple here has found a place on UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites in India for 2022.
  • It is situated atop the Kurmasailam (tortoise-shaped) hill in the state of Andhra Pradesh and is a glorious example of the much-celebrated Vijayanagara architecture.
  • The name of the place itself is linked with the Ramayana. Legend has it that Jatayu fell at this spot after Ravana cut its wings when he tried to prevent Sita’s abduction.
  • After the injured bird narrated what had happened, Rama coaxed him to rise again, “le, pakshi” (rise, bird in Telugu).
  • The Jatayu looks over a marvelously sculpted six-meter tall Nandi wearing layers of bells and ornaments.
  • It is said to have been carved out of a monolith, and it dates back to the 16th century.
  • For every part of the temple, there are two layers of stories — one that links it to incidents in the Ramayana, and the other talks about life during the reign of the Vijayanagara kings.
  • The entire temple complex was believed to be re-built by Virupanna, and his brother Veeranna under the rule of Vijayanagara king Achyuta Devaraya.
  • The brothers were officers/governors in the Penukonda region.
  • The original structure is said to have been built by Sage Agastya and finds itself mentioned in the Skanda Purana as one of the 108 Saivaite pilgrimage centers of ancient India.

4) Consider the following statements:

  1. It is commonly found in tropical scrub and deciduous forests.
  2. It is a nocturnal primate and is arboreal in nature.
  3. They are very social at dusk and dawn with two mating seasons in a year.
  4. It has been listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Identify the species.

  • a. 
  • b. 
  • c. 
  • d. 
Answer : a

The forests bordering Karur, Dindigul, and Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu will be made a sanctuary to protect the Slender Loris.

Slender Loris

  • IUCN has listed them as Endangered, whereas they are listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, according to them the highest level of legal protection.
  • It is commonly found in the tropical scrub and deciduous forests as well as the dense hedgerow plantations bordering farmlands of Southern India and Sri Lanka.
  • It is a small nocturnal primate, which prefers to inhabit thick, thorny bushes and bamboo clumps where it can evade predators and also find insects, which is its main diet.
  • They have a small, vestigial tail. (Vestigial: remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function.)
  • Their most prominent feature is the pair of two large, closely set, brown eyes.
  • Being arboreal, they spend most of their life in the trees.
  • Though their movements are slow, they can climb up fast to the treetop when threatened.
  • They either hunt on their own or in pairs.
  • They are known to be very social at dusk and dawn.
  • Their mating season is twice a year, from April to May as well as October to November and gestation is 166-169 days.
  • The females give birth to normally one and rarely two infants at one time.

5) Consider the following statements:

  1. It is a waterfall on the Sharavati river in the Western Ghats.
  2. It is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India.
  3. The falls are fed by the water released from the Linganamkki Dam.

Identify the waterfalls.

  • a. 
  • b. 
  • c. 
  • d. 
Answer : c

Centre questions the environmental impact of the Jog Falls project.

Jog Falls

  • It is on the Sharavati river in the Western Ghats of Shivamogga district in Karnataka.
  • It is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India, the first being the Nohkalikai Falls located near Cherrapunji.
  • Plunge waterfalls: a waterfall that falls vertically without making any contact with the underlying cliff face.
  • It is a segmented waterfall that depending on rain and season becomes a plunge waterfall.
  • Another popular name for Jog Falls is Gerusoppa Falls.
  • It is the third-highest waterfall in India after the Nohkalikai Falls and Dudhsagar Falls.
  • The water comes down in four distinct falls, Raja, Rani, Roarer, and Rocket.
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