1) Consider the following statements with respect to MILAN Exercise
It is a series of multilateral naval exercise commenced in 1995.
It will be conducted every year at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
For the first time, MILAN 2020 will be held on the mainland at Visakhapatnam.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
MILAN series of biennial a multilateral naval exercise which commenced in 1995, was conducted at Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) until last year, is being conducted for the first time on the mainland at Eastern Naval Command (ENC) Visakhapatnam with increased scope and complexity of the Exercise.
MILAN 2020 will be held in March 2020.
MILAN 2020 is aimed to enhance professional interaction between friendly foreign navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain.
The event would also provide an excellent opportunity for Operational Commanders of friendly foreign navies to interact with each other in areas of mutual interest.
2) With respect to English Channel, consider the following statements:
It is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and is a part of the Atlantic Ocean.
It separates the island of Britain from the northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
3) Consider the following statements
Heliopause is formed by the Sun's magnetic field and solar winds that can reach speeds of three million kilometres per hour.
Heliosphere is the relatively thin contact boundary where solar wind of charged particles and interstellar wind collide.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
Heliosphere is formed by the Sun's magnetic field and solar winds that can reach speeds of three million kilometres per hour.
Heliopause is the relatively thin contact boundary where solar wind of charged particles and interstellar wind collide.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to Orangutans
Like humans, orangutans have opposable thumbs.
Earlier, orangutans were found throughout eastern Asia including Java, China and Laos but now restricted only to islands of Sumatra and Bornea.
Both the Sumatran and Bornean orangutans are listed as critically endangered under the IUCN Red List.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammals in the world. They are apes, who are closely related to humans, having 97% of DNA in common.
Like humans, orangutans have opposable thumbs.
They prefer to live in swamp forests.
Unlike other apes and monkeys, orangutans prefer to lead a solitary life.
Thousands of years ago, orangutans could be found throughout eastern Asia including Java, China and Laos.
But today, their population is restricted islands of Sumatra and Bornea.
The Sumatran orangutans have a narrow face and longer beard than their Bornean counterparts.
Both the species were endangered and feature on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List under the critically endangered category.
They are threatened by the loss of habitat, deforestation, climate change and wildfires.
5) Consider the following statements with respect to
Places in News – Country
Ghumar – Israel
Al-Baqoura – Jordan
Which of the pair(s) given above is/are correctly matched?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Jordan has pulled out of a 25-year-old landmark agreement that allowed Israeli farmers to cultivate in two pieces of agricultural land that was leased by Israel.
Under the deal, part of the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty, two territories straddling the border were recognised as under Jordanian sovereignty but with special provisions allowing Israeli farmers to work the land and visitors to tour the Isle of Peace park in the area.
But in 2018, Jordan said it did not want to continue the arrangement, in what was widely seen as a sign of increasingly strained diplomatic relations.
King Abdullah II has formally declared recently the end of the 25-year special regime and announces Ghumar and Al-Baqoura’s return to ‘full sovereignity’.
6) Kalapani a place which was in news recently is located in
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
The new political map of India, recently released by the government to account for the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, has triggered fresh protests over an old issue in Kathmandu.
Mapped within Uttarakhand is a 372-sq km area called Kalapani, bordering far-west Nepal and Tibet.
While the Nepal government and political parties have protested, India has said the new map does not revise the existing boundary with Nepal.
Nepal’s western boundary with India was marked out in the Treaty of Sugauli between the East India Company and Nepal in 1816.
Nepali authorities claim that people living in the low-density area were included in the Census of Nepal until 58 years ago.
7) Consider the following statements with respect to Taku glacier
It is one of the thickest known alpine glaciers in the world.
It is located in Oceania.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
A new analysis found that one of the world’s thickest glaciers, Taku Glacier has began retreating.
The visible retreat is shown on new satellite photos released by NASA taken in 2014 and 2019.
It is located near Juneau, in the U.S. state of Alaska.
The massive glacier, which measures 4,860 feet from surface to floor, was gaining mass for almost 50 years, but now appears to be shrinking.
8) Consider the following statements with respect to Anemia
Iron deficiency is thought to be the most common cause of anaemia globally.
Anemia Mukt Bharat has the target of reduction in anemia prevalence by one-third of NFHS 4 levels by 202
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
A recent study published in The Lancet Global Health, which looked at anaemia among men in India, found that nearly a quarter of them (23.2% in a sample of 1 lakh men) in the age group 15-54 had some form of anaemia.
Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiologic needs, which vary by age, sex, altitude, smoking, and pregnancy status.
Iron deficiency is thought to be the most common cause of anaemia globally, although other conditions, such as folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A deficiencies, chronic inflammation, parasitic infections, and inherited disorders can all cause anaemia.
The Anemia Mukt Bharat focusses on six target beneficiary groups, through six interventions and six institutional mechanisms to achieve the envisaged target under the POSHAN Abhiyan.
It focuses on the target of reduction in anemia prevalence by one-third of NFHS 4 levels by 2022.
9) Consider the following statements with respect to Black Hole
It is a surface in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out.
It can be seen directly with special Space telescopes.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Recently, in a first researchers have created simulations explaining how the largest of black hole mergers may have happened, showing one may have devoured another "in a 'Pac-Man-like' behaviour.
A black hole is a place/ region of space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out.
It does not have a surface, like a planet or star.
Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible and cannot be seen directly.
Although black holes cannot be seen, we know they exist from the way they affect nearby dust, stars and galaxies.
Many of them are surrounded by discs of material.
As the discs swirl around them like a whirlpool, they become extremely hot and give off X-rays.
Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes.
The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other stars.
10) Consider the following statements with respect to Bioremediation
It is a process that uses only Bacteria to remove contaminants, pollutants, and toxins from soil and water.
It is traditionally used to clean oil spills.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
The United Nations has rolled out a project to use bioremediation process with the help of naturally occuring soil bacteria to decontaminate land poisoned by oil spills in war-torn Iraq.
The UNEP has partnered the Iraqi government for the project.
Bioremediation is defined as a process that uses microbes, bacteria, and other living organisms or their enzymes to treat polluted sites for regaining their original condition.
It is traditionally used to clean oil spills or contaminated groundwater.
It may be done "in situ," at the site of the contamination, or "ex situ," away from the site.
