Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 01-10-2022

Q1. Which of the following are correctly matched?

Select the correct answer from codes given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 2 and 3 only

Answer (a)

Explanation:

UNESCO lists 50 iconic Indian textiles

Hand-embroidered shawls made by the Toda community of the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu are on display.

• UNESCO released a list of 50 exclusive and iconic heritage textile crafts of the country. Toda embroidery and Sungadi from Tamil Nadu, Himroo from Hyderabad, and Bandha tie and dye from Sambalpur in Odisha were some of the textiles that made the cut.
• Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textile lists the histories and legends behind the textiles, describes the complicated and secret processes behind their making, mentions the causes for their dwindling popularity, and provides strategies for their preservation.
• According to UNESCO, one of the major challenges to the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South Asia is the lack of proper inventory and documentation. The publication, which aims to bridge this gap, brings together years of research on the 50 selected textiles.
• Some of the iconic handcrafted textiles documented from north India are Khes from Panipat, Chamba rumals from Himachal Pradesh, Thigma or wool tie and dye from Ladakh, and Awadh Jamdani from Varanasi.

Finding a place

• From the south, Ilkal and Lambadi or Banjara embroidery from Karnataka, and Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari from Thanjavur have been included.
• Kunbi weaves from Goa, Mashru weaves and Patola from Gujarat, Himroo from Maharashtra and Garad-Koirial from West Bengal also find a place among the 50 iconic textiles.

Q2.    The “world’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) terminal” is coming at

1. Gujarat
2. Rajasthan
3. Kerala
4. Odisha

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Behind the ‘world’s first CNG terminal’ at Bhavnagar, Gujarat

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the “world’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) terminal” at Bhavnagar in Gujarat (September 29).

• This is a three-year-old project that is expected to infuse Rs 4,000 crore in developing the existing port infrastructure at

Q3. Famous Mahakaleshwar temple is situated in the state of Bhavnagar.

1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Assam
3. Gujarat
4. Madhya Pradesh

Answer (d)

Explanation:

Mahakaleshwar, which means the ‘Lord of time’, refers to Lord Shiva. As per Hindy mythology, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma and is presently located alongside the holy river Kshipra.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain is one of the 12 jyotirlingas considered the most sacred abodes of Shiva. As per records, the temple’s Mahakal Lingam is believed to be Swayambhu (self-manifested) and unlike any other jyotirlingas in the country, the idol of Mahakaleshwar faces south.

The bhasma-aarti is the first ritual conducted at the temple in the morning to wake the god, anoint him, and make the first offering of fire for him. It attracts thousands of devotees across the country. The shrine is revered as one the 18 Maha Shaktia Peeth in India.

The temple in its present form was built by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in 1734 CE. Before Independence, the Dev Sthan Trust used to look after the temple. This was replaced by the municipal corporation of Ujjain post-Independence. The collectorate office of Ujjain district now manages the administration of the temple.

Q4. Consider the following statements about Suborbital flight

1. Such a trip allows space travellers to experience a few minutes of weightlessness
2. It is linked to space tourism
3. It can not facilitate microgravity experiments

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Suborbital flight: Fast enough to reach space, not stay there

This brief trip to the “edge of space” and reaching an altitude of 85 km from Earth before returning is called a “suborbital flight”.

What’s suborbital

1. When an object travels at a horizontal speed of about 28,000 km/hr or more, it goes into orbit once it is above the atmosphere. Satellites need to reach that threshold speed in order to orbit Earth.
2. Such a satellite would be accelerating towards the Earth due to gravity, but its horizontal movement is fast enough to offset the downward motion so that it moves along a circular path.
3. Any object travelling slower than 28,000 km/hr must eventually return to Earth. However, Branson’s spacecraft travelled far enough, as Bezos’s will, to reach the “edge of space”.
4. These are suborbital flights because they will not be travelling fast enough to orbit Earth once they reach there.
5. Such a trip allows space travellers to experience a few minutes of “weightlessness”.
6. A suborbital flight is travelling fast enough to reach the “edge of space”, and yet without enough horizontal velocity to go into orbit
7. If an object travels as fast as 40,000 km/hr, it will achieve escape velocity, and never return to

Why the buzz

1. With Branson and Bezos kicking off private space flight, several companies are looking for customers wanting to go on suborbital or even orbital journeys.
2. There is also excitement among scientists who want to use suborbital flights for microgravity Such flights would be far less expensive than carrying experiments and people to the International Space Station.
3. Suborbital flights could also be an alternative to parabolic flights in aeroplanes that space agencies currently use to simulate zero gravity.

Q5. Vultures health and survival is widely affected by the drug

1. Aspirin
2. Oxytocin
3. Melatonin
4. Diclofenac

Answer (d)

Explanation:

The clean-up crew we need

Vultures are very important scavengers in our ecosystem, yet India lost more than 95% of its vulture population through the 1990s and by the mid- 2000s. Today, the country requires urgent conservation efforts to save vultures from becoming extinct.

Myths and facts

1. Vultures are often misunderstood as a source of diseases. Although they feast on carrion almost exclusively, they are sometimes capable of preying on extremely sick, wounded, or infirm creatures if there is no food As a result, they are demonised.
2. Some consider vultures ugly, unlovable and even a bad omen. Given the lack of understanding and knowledge about them, let’s first understand what vultures do and why they are important.
3. Vultures belong to the Accipitridae family whose members include eagles, hawks and They are relatively social birds with an average lifespan of 10-30 years in the wild. Being bulky, they nest on tall trees or rocky cliffs.
4. Vultures are slow breeders and so the survival of every individual is very crucial. With their excellent eyesight and a strong sense of smell, vultures can detect the presence of dead animals from great Vultures don’t have a voice box and so they cannot sing. They communicate via grunts and hisses.
5. Generally, vultures rely on other carnivores to open carcasses. Their powerful bills and long slender necks are designed to help them tear off the meat chunks from inside the carcass.
6. Unlike other raptors, vultures have weak legs and claws (talons). They do not carry food; instead, they regurgitate food and feed their young ones. Vultures have a highly acidic stomach that helps them digest rotting carcasses and kill disease-causing bacteria.

Vultures in India:

1. India has nine species of vultures. Many are critically endangered. The main reason for the decline in the vulture population is the use of the drug, diclofenac.
2. Diclofenac, which relieves cattle of pain, is toxic to vultures even in small doses and causes kidney failure and death. Myths about the medicinal healing powers of vultures’ body parts have led to the hunting of vultures.
3. Quarrying and blasting of stones where vultures nest have also caused their Interestingly, studies show that while the vulture population has declined, the feral dog population has increased. The health hazards associated with feral dogs are well known.
4. Removing vultures from the ecosystem leads to inefficient clearing of carcasses and contaminates water systems. If dead animals are left to rot for long durations, it may give rise to disease-causing pathogens.
5. The animals that consume such flesh become further carriers of Very few animals/birds can ingest rotting carcasses. Thanks to their acidic stomach, vultures can. Thus, they play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.

Steps to increase numbers

1. To tackle this problem, India banned diclofenac for veterinary use in Five States are to get vulture breeding centres under the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation for 2020-2025, approved in October 2020.
2. There are no rescue centres for treating vultures as of now, so this too has been mooted under the Plan. Vulture ‘restaurants’, which exist in some countries, are also a way of preserving the population.
3. In these ‘restaurants’, diclofenac-free carcasses of cattle are dumped in designated areas where vultures gather to feed. These measures have slowly started making a positive impact, but there is still a long way to go.
4. Awareness and action must go hand in hand. With International Vulture Awareness Day coming up on September 4, it is important for us to spread awareness about the importance of vultures in our ecosystem.