Answer: (B)

Explanation: NASA celebrated Halloween by sharing the “ghost hand" in space that was caused by a pulsar. Most neutron stars are observed as pulsars. Pulsars are rotating neutron stars observed to have pulses of radiation at very regular intervals that typically range from milliseconds to seconds. Pulsars have very strong magnetic fields which funnel jets of particles out along the two magnetic poles. These accelerated particles produce very powerful beams of light. Often, the magnetic field is not aligned with the spin axis, so those beams of particles and light are swept around as the star rotates. Young pulsars sometimes create jets of matter and antimatter that move away from their poles, along with an intense “wind,” creating what is known as a “pulsar wind nebula”. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory first observed this pulsar with a wind nebula shaped like a human hand labelled PSR B1509-58 in 2001. The pulsar wind nebula is called MSH 15-52 and is located about 16,000 light-years away from our planet. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Answer: (C)

Explanation: Hamas – is an Islamist militant movement and one of the Palestinian territories’ two major political parties. It governs more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, but the group is best known for its armed resistance to Israel. In October 2023, Hamas launched a massive surprise attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and taking dozens more as hostages.
Hezbollah – is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon. It was founded in the chaos of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
Fatah – is the main pillar of the Palestinian national movement within the Palestine Liberation Organization. It has been politically crushed and seen sagging popularity in recent years, which has given a boost to Hamas, founded in 1987.
Houthis – are a large clan belonging to the Zaidi Shia sect, with roots in Yemen. The Houthi movement, officially called Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), began in the 1990s against the dictatorship of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. At present, the Houthis are one faction in a bloody civil war that has raged in Yemen since 2014. Hence, pair 3 is not correctly matched.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been a highly effective treatment for non-severe cases of malaria since the early 2000s. Plasmodium falciparum is the parasite responsible for malaria’s most dangerous form, is transmitted to humans via female Anopheles mosquitoes. The treatment of this parasite primarily relies on the administration of artemisinin-based medications in combination with a complementary anti-malarial drug. ACT reduces the number of parasites during the first three days of treatment, while the role of the partner drug is to eliminate the remaining parasites and cure the infection. The failure of ACT in the Horn of Africa is a severe concern for global health, as the spread of drug-resistant strains could make it much more difficult to control the disease. Hence, option (b) is correct.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: The Lucy space craft is set to cross the ‘Dinkinesh’, an asteroid situated in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched the Lucy mission on October 2021 and its main aim was to observe the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. It is possible for Lucy to observe so many because it won’t stop or orbit the asteroids. Jupiter Trojan asteroids refers to a huge group of small bodies that orbit the Sun in two “swarms.” Lucy will first fly by Dinkinesh and another asteroid in the main belt called Donaldjohnson. The mission has been visually tracking Dinkinesh since September and it will be the first asteroid that Lucy will visit on its 12-year-long journey. Dinkinesh is about a kilometre wide and orbits the Sun in the main belt of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Answer: (A)

Explanation: Recently, Kozhikode in Kerala and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh were named to UNESCO's renowned list of innovative cities for their contributions to literature and music, respectively. In 2004, UNESCO established the Creative Cities Network (UCCN). This network presently includes around 300 cities from around the world. Its objective is putting creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their local development strategies and actively cooperating at the international level. UNESCO recognises creative cities in seven categories: craft, folk art, media arts, film design, gastronomy, literature, and music. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Every year, UNESCO seeks applications from towns all around the world to join its UCCN project. In India, applications go through the Ministry of Culture. Kozhikode is home to the annual Kerala Literature Festival and various other book festivals. Gwalior has a rich musical tradition that includes classical Hindustani music, folk music, and devotional music. In addition, the city features some prominent music institutes and holds popular festivals.
Other Indian towns added to this network:
Srinagar and Jaipur are known for their crafts and folk arts.
Mumbai: Film category
Chennai and Varanasi are in the music category.
Hyderabad is in the Gastronomy category.
Hence, statement 2 is not correct.