Daily Current Affairs (MCQ's) | 19-11-2022

Q1. Consider the following statements

1. Baliyatra commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Ahom and Bali
2. The festival includes the boita bandana or the worshipping of the boats

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Baliyatra: Celebrating Odisha’s ancient links with Indonesia and Southeast Asia

• During the G20 Summit, PM Modi mentioned Baliyatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, one of the country’s largest open-air fairs that commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga (today’s Odisha) and Bali and other South and Southeast Asian regions like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

• The origins of the festival, which begins on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the month of Kartik) can be traced back more than 1,000 The Bay of Bengal region had several ports, and sadhavas (traders) traditionally began their voyage across the sea on this auspicious day, when the winds were favourable for the boats, known as boita, to sail.
• According to historians, popular items of trade between Kalinga and Southeast Asia included pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, silk, camphor, gold, and jewellery.
• Even today, thousands of people across Odisha sail decorative miniature boats made of banana stems, paper, or thermocol to celebrate the boita bandana or the worshipping of the boats.

Q2. Recently, events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi, a freedom fighter from the Pasi community, were held. In 1857 revolt she fought to defend

1. Awadh
2. Maratha
3. Ahom
4. Sikh

Answer (a)

Explanation:

Death anniversary of Uda Devi: Who was this Dalit freedom fighter

• On November 16, events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi, a freedom fighter from the Pasi community, were held at various places in Uttar Pradesh, including Sikandar Bagh in Dalit men and women from UP as well as Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, and Bihar gathered to pay homage to Uda Devi.
• Uda Devi is remembered not only for her stories of valour but also for her skill as a leader who managed to mobilise people — especially Dalit women — to take up arms against the British.
• Born in Ujirao, Lucknow, she was part of the royal guard of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh. Her husband, Makka Pasi, worked as a foot soldier in the army of Awadh’s Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.
• On November 16, 1857, Uda Devi was among the soldiers who clashed with the British regiment stationed near the Gomti River. Although not much of the fight has been documented in history, it is said that Uda Devi killed at least three dozen British soldiers from atop a tree before she could be spotted.

Q3. Consider the following statements

1. In a ‘narco’ or narco analysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused
2. Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short- duration anaesthetic
3. A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological responses that are triggered when a person is lying are different from what they would be otherwise

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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

Answer (d)

Explanation:

What is a narco test?

• In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused, which transports them to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralised. In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying and is expected to divulge information that is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short- duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate patients during It belongs to the barbiturate class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.
• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”, and is said to have been used by intelligence operatives during World War II.

Polygraph test:

• A polygraph test is based on the assumption that physiological responses that are triggered when a person is lying are different from what they would be otherwise.
• A polygraph test does not involve injecting drugs into the body; rather instruments like cardio-cuffs or sensitive electrodes are attached to the suspect, and variables such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, change in sweat gland activity, blood flow, etc., are measured as questions are put to them.
• A numerical value is assigned to each response to conclude whether the person is telling the truth, is deceiving, or is uncertain.

Q4. Consider the following statements

1. Rhino are poached for their bones mainly
2. Indian one horned rhinos are critically endangered

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Rhino horns trafficked with impunity: report

• In terms of weight, there has been an increase in the seizure of rhino horns after 2017, despite an overall reduction in poaching, says a global threat assessment report presented at a convention of wildlife conservation agencies in Panama City.
• The report says that “prolific” Vietnamese and Chinese criminal networks drive the trafficking of horns throughout the illegal supply chain globally.
• But what has alarmed the wildlife crime fighters is the audacity with which the smugglers transport the rhino horns unconcealed, indicating that “corrupt elements” help the traffickers move the horn shipments without bothering to disguise the products.
• The report said six countries and territories have dominated the rhino horn trafficking routes from the source to the destination locations, though more than 50 countries and territories were implicated in the transnational These countries were South Africa, Mozambique, Malaysia, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Vietnam, and China.

Q5. Consider the following statements

1. Called ‘Muli’ in northeast India, Melocanna baccifera is the largest fruit-producing bamboo
2. It is associated with the occurrence of ‘bamboo death,’ ‘rat floods’ and famines in northeast India

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (c)

Explanation:

Sweet, not protein, in bamboo fruits, triggers rat boom

• A study spanning 13 years has shed interesting light on flowering in Melocanna baccifera, a tropical bamboo species that has long fascinated researchers for its association with the occurrence of ‘bamboo death,’ ‘rat floods’ and famines in northeast India.
• Among other things, researchers detected a correlation between the sugar content in the fruit of Melocanna baccifera and the frenzied feeding and population boom in rats during ‘Mautam’, the cyclical, mass bamboo flowering that occurs once in 48 years.
• Researchers observed and listed a surprisingly large variety of animal visitors/predators attracted by the fruit and flowers of this They also reported the highest-ever fruit production in a bamboo clump (456.67 kg).

Rat flood:

• Called ‘Muli’ in northeast India, Melocanna baccifera is the largest fruit-producing bamboo and is native to the northeast India- Myanmar region.
• During its gregarious flowering, the bamboo produces large fruits which draw animal visitors/predators. Of these, black rats greatly relish the fleshy, berry-like fruit.
• During this period, they also multiply rapidly, a phenomenon dubbed as ‘rat flood.’ Once the fruits are gone, they start devouring standing crops, causing famines that have claimed thousands of human lives.
• Earlier, it was presumed that ‘high protein in fruits/seeds’ was attracting the rats. However, a study found that the fruit actually contains very little protein. The predation is mainly due to the high content of sugar.