Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (08 July 2023)

Current Affairs MCQs Quiz for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, MPPSC. BPSC, RPSC & All State PSC Exams

Date: 08 July 2023

1. Consider the following statements:

1. The Garo people practice shifting cultivation as their primary agricultural method.
2. The Garo tribe follows a monotheistic religious belief system influenced by Islam.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • The Garo people, an indigenous tribe in Northeast India and Bangladesh, practice shifting cultivation, also known as Jhum cultivation, as their primary agricultural method. Shifting cultivation involves clearing land, cultivating crops for a few years, and then moving to a new area when the soil fertility declines. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.
  • The Garo tribe does not follow a monotheistic religious belief system influenced by Islam. The Garo people traditionally follow their own indigenous religious practices, which involve animism and ancestor worship. While there may be individuals within the Garo community who have adopted Islam or other religions, it is not a characteristic of the tribe as a whole. Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect.

2. Recently, a boy in Kerala's Alappuzha district succumbed to a rare infection caused by Naegleria fowleri , Naegleria fowleri is:

(a) A rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba
(b) A type of virus found in freshwater bodies
(c) A bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food
(d) A fungal disease affecting the respiratory system

Answer: (A)

Explanation: Naegleria fowleri is a type of free-living amoeba that can cause a rare but severe infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). It is commonly referred to as a "brain-eating amoeba" because it can enter the human body through the nose and reach the brain, causing inflammation and destruction of brain tissue.

3. Consider the following statements:

1. Solar shooting stars contribute to heating up the Sun's outermost atmosphere, known as the corona.
2. Coronal rain is a phenomenon where hot plasma in the Sun's corona rapidly cools, condenses, and falls to the surface.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • Solar shooting stars, also known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are actually not responsible for heating up the Sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona. The corona is a layer of the Sun's atmosphere that extends millions of kilometers into space and is much hotter than the Sun's surface. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
  • Coronal rain is a phenomenon that occurs in the Sun's corona when hot plasma cools and condenses in strong magnetic fields and falls to the photosphere. It is usually associated with active regions. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

4. Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL) is a profound gravitational anomaly in the Indian Ocean caused by the presence of gravity holes.
Statement-II: The gravity hole is a region of the ocean where the effects of gravity are greater than usual.

Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation of Statement-I.
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.
(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect.
(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • The Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL) is a profound gravitational anomaly in the Indian Ocean. Discovered in 1948 by Felix Andries and Vening Meinesz, it spans over three million square kilometres, around 1,200 kilometres southwest of India's southern tip.Estimated to have formed 20 million years ago, the IOGL consists of slabs from the Tethys Ocean, a lost sea that submerged into the Earth. Hence, statement-I is correct.
  • The gravity hole is a region of the ocean where the effects of gravity are less than usual. Hence, statement-II is incorrect.

5. Supercomputing plays an important role in the following fields:

1. Quantum mechanics
2. Weather forecasting
3. Genomics
4. Oil and gas exploration

How many of the above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

Answer: (D)

Explanation: Supercomputing, which involves the use of advanced computing technologies and high-performance computing systems, plays a crucial role in various fields, including:

  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Weather Forecasting
  • Oil and Gas Exploration
  • Genomics
  • Drug Discovery
  • Scientific Research
  • Weather Forecasting
  • Astrophysics and Cosmology
  • Computational Biology
  • Energy and Environmental Science
  • Aerospace and Engineering
  • Financial Modeling
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning