Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (12 May 2023)

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

Date: 12 May 2023

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. In 1952, the Asiatic Cheetah was officially declared extinct from India.
2. Asiatic Cheetah is considered vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened Species.

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:

  • India’s last Asiatic cheetah died in the Koriya district of present-day Chhattisgarh in 1947 and the species was officially declared extinct in 1952. Thus, statement 1 is correct.
  • Asiatic Cheetah is considered Critically Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened Species. However, African Cheetah is considered vulnerable under IUCN red list. Thus, statement 2 is incorrect.

Q2. Reduction in aerosol concentrations in the Indian region could potentially result in:

1. Higher local temperatures
2. Increased heat absorption by oceans
3. Increased cloud cover

Choose the Correct Option:

(a) 1 and 2 Only
(b) 1,2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 Only
(d) 2 and 3 Only

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • Aerosols have a cooling effect on temperatures as they scatter and reflect sunlight back into space. Therefore, a reduction in aerosol concentrations would decrease this cooling effect, potentially leading to higher local temperatures. Hence option 1 is correct.
  • Aerosols can also impact the heat absorption by oceans. With reduced aerosols, less sunlight would be scattered back to space, allowing a greater amount of solar radiation to be absorbed by the oceans, leading to increased heat absorption. Hence option 2 is correct.
  • Aerosols play a role in cloud formation and properties. They can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nuclei (IN), affecting the formation and characteristics of clouds. With reduced aerosols, there may be a decrease in the number and properties of clouds, potentially leading to decreased cloud cover. Hence option 3 is Not correct.

Q3. Consider the following statements:

1. Operation Smiling Buddha (Pokhran-I) was the assigned code name of India's first successful nuclear bomb test on 18 May 1974.
2. Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in May 1998.
3. Recently, India has signed the NPT.

Select the correct option-

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) All

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • Operation Smiling Buddha (Pokhran-I) was the assigned code name of India's first successful nuclear bomb test on 18 May 1974.
  • Thus statement 1 is correct.
  • Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in May 1998.
  • So statement 2 is also correct.
  • The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
  • India has not signed the NPT.
  • Therefore, statement 3 is NOT correct.