Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams (19 September 2022)

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

Date: 19 September 2022

Q1. With reference to Cheetah, Consider the following statements:

1. Recently Asiatic cheetahs have been reintroduced in India Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.
2. The cheetah was officially declared extinct by the Indian government in 1952.
3. Asiatic cheetah is classified as a “critically endangered” species by the IUCN Red List.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • Recently African cheetahs were reintroduced in India Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park.
  • In 1952, the Indian Government declared the Cheetah extinct in the country.
  • The Asiatic cheetah is classified as a “critically endangered” species by the IUCN Red List and is believed to survive only in Iran. African Cheetah has been listed as vulnerable in IUCN red-listed species.

Q2. Consider the following statements:

1. India has the largest arable land resource in the world.
2. There are 20 agro-climatic regions in the world.
3. India has the largest livestock population in the world.
4. No state in India has yet formed an agro-tourism policy in India.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 and 4 only
d) 1 and 4 only

Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • India has the second-largest arable land resource in the world.
  • With 20 agro-climatic regions, all 15 major climates in the world exist in India.
  • India has the largest livestock population of around 535.8 million, which is translated to around 31% of the world’s livestock population in 2019.
  • Maharashtra is the first State to formulate an agri-tourism policy, which aims at rural development.

Q3. Which of the following Assisted Reproduction Technology(s) (ARTs) is/are based on the principle where fertilization of egg and sperm takes place outside the human body?

1. In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF).
2. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
3. Cryopreservation and Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).
4. Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA).

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 1, 2 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only

Answer: (A)

Explanation:

  • In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process of fertilization where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass").
  • IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology used for infertility treatment and gestational surrogacy.
  • IVF and ICSI are forms of assisted reproductive treatment (ART) in which eggs are fertilized with sperm outside the body.
  • ICSI is used when there is a male cause of infertility because male partner produces too few sperm to do artificial insemination.
  • In the ICSI process, a tiny needle, called a micropipette, is used to inject a single sperm into the center of the egg.
  • Cryopreservation and Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) is a technique which is used to preserve selected embryos to be kept frozen for long times which may be used at later stages. FET is not an ART itself.
  • The sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) is a diagnostic tool that can detect sperm samples that have a high degree of DNA fragmentation. It is also not an ART itself, rather a sperm diagnostic tool.

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding climate pattern:

1. El Nino describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
2. La Nina is the “cool phase” of a larger phenomenon called the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
3. El Nino occurs more frequently than La Nina.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

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

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

El Nino

  • El Nino is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
  • It is the “warm phase” of a larger phenomenon called the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
  • It occurs more frequently than La Nina.

La Nina

  • La Nina, the “cool phase” of ENSO, is a pattern that describes the unusual cooling of the tropical eastern Pacific.
  • La Nina events may last between one and three years, unlike El Nino, which usually lasts no more than a year.
  • Both phenomena tend to peak during the Northern Hemisphere winter.

Q5. With reference to the ‘Saffron cultivation’, which of the following statements are not correct?

1. Saffron cultivation is thought to be a native of India, and grows best under temperate climate conditions.
2. It is cultivated and harvested in the karewa of Jammu and Kashmir.
3. India grows nearly 90% of the world’s saffron production.

Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (C)

Explanation:

  • It is thought to be a native of Greece, and grows best under Mediterranean climate conditions.
  • It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • Today, Iran grows nearly 90% of the world’s saffron.
  • Pampore region, in India, commonly known as Saffron bowl of Kashmir, is the main contributor to saffron production.
  • It is one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage systems (GIAHS) recognised sites in India.