The 2018 Codex
Questions 61 to 70 (Set A)
With reference to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), consider the following statements:
1. IRNSS has three satellites in geostationary and four satellites in geosynchronous orbits.
2. IRNSS covers entire India and about 5500 sq. km beyond its borders.
3. India will have its own satellite navigation system with full global coverage by the middle of 2019.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) 1 only
Statement 1 is True: The IRNSS (NavIC) constellation consists of 7 satellites: 3 in Geostationary orbit (over the equator) and 4 in Geosynchronous orbit (inclined in a figure-8 pattern over India).
Statement 2 is False: It covers India and a region extending up to 1,500 sq. km beyond its borders, not 5,500.
Statement 3 is False: IRNSS is a Regional navigation system, not a global one like GPS (USA) or Galileo (Europe). It does not have full global coverage.
Route: [REALM 381: Starlink, GPS, NavIC, Galileo] & [REALM 351: Orbits]The Regional Constellation
Einstein's Fabric
Consider the following phenomena:
1. Light is affected by gravity.
2. The Universe is constantly expanding.
3. Matter warps its surrounding space-time.
Which of the above is/are the prediction/predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, often discussed in media?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Einstein's General Relativity entirely redefined gravity. It is not a "pulling force", but rather, matter warps space-time (Statement 3 is True), creating a curve. Therefore, as light travels through this warped space-time, its path bends (Gravitational Lensing) (Statement 1 is True).
Finally, Einstein's field equations originally predicted that the universe is expanding or contracting (though he initially added a "cosmological constant" to force it to be static, which he later called his biggest blunder when Edwin Hubble proved it was indeed expanding). (Statement 2 is True).
Route: [REALM 60: Relativity Theory] & [REALM 61: Special & General Relativity]With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements:
1. GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide variety of pests.
2. GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridization.
3. GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is False: You are confusing GM Mustard with Bt Cotton. Bt Cotton uses genes from Bacillus thuringiensis for pest resistance. GM Mustard (DMH-11) uses the Barnase/Barstar system, which is not for pest resistance, but to create a viable hybrid.
Statement 2 is True: Mustard is a self-pollinating plant, making hybridization difficult. The Barnase gene induces male sterility (so it can't self-pollinate), and the Barstar gene restores fertility in the offspring. This allows controlled cross-pollination and hybridization to increase yields.
Statement 3 is False: It was developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) at Delhi University (led by Deepak Pental), not IARI or Punjab Agri Univ.
Route: [REALM 259: Transgenic Plants & GM Crops]The Hybrid Seed
The Tech Mix-Up
Consider the following pairs:
| Terms in news | Context/Topic |
|---|---|
| 1. Belle II experiment | Artificial Intelligence |
| 2. Blockchain technology | Digital/Cryptocurrency |
| 3. CRISPR-Cas9 | Particle Physics |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) 2 only
Pair 1 is False: The Belle II experiment (conducted in Japan) is a major particle physics experiment designed to study B-mesons and the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. It has nothing to do with Artificial Intelligence.
Pair 2 is True: Blockchain is the decentralized, distributed ledger technology that underlies digital cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Pair 3 is False: CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing technology (molecular scissors), not Particle Physics.
Route: [REALM 241: CRISPR & Gene Therapy], [REALM 15: Crypto Assets], [REALM 63: Standard Model]Which of the following statements best describes "carbon fertilization"?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (a) Increased plant growth due to increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Plants use CO2 for photosynthesis. When humans pump excess CO2 into the atmosphere, it acts as a "fertilizer" for plants, temporarily boosting their rate of photosynthesis and causing them to grow faster and larger (though often with lower nutritional density). This specific physiological phenomenon is called the Carbon Fertilization Effect.
Option B describes the Greenhouse Effect. Option C describes Ocean Acidification.
Route: [REALM 207: Climate Change Basics]The CO₂ Boost
The Connected Web
When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning... geyser switched on... smart mirror... refrigerator orders fresh grocery... car warns you about traffic... Which one of the following terms best applies to the above scenario?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (b) Internet of Things
This long, descriptive scenario is the textbook definition of the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT refers to a network of everyday physical objects (things)—like refrigerators, cars, mirrors, and thermostats—that are embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity, allowing them to collect and exchange data with each other autonomously over the internet.
Route: [REALM 496: IoT, Big Data & Mobile Gens]With reference to solar power production in India, consider the following statements:
1. India is the third largest in the world in the manufacture of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units.
2. The solar power tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Statement 1 is False: While India has massively increased its solar power *generation* capacity, it has almost zero commercial manufacturing of the raw silicon wafers/ingots used to make the panels. We import the vast majority of our solar wafers and cells from China and Taiwan.
Statement 2 is False: The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is an implementing and facilitating agency (it conducts the auctions). The actual legal determination and regulation of solar power tariffs are done by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) or State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs).
Route: [REALM 74: Solar Energy]The Imported Sun
The Bengal Cargo
The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium
Before the Industrial Revolution kicked in fully and ruined Indian artisans, Bengal was the wealthiest province and the "workshop of the world". The English EIC's primary exports from Bengal in the mid-18th century (around the time of the Battle of Plassey) were fine Cotton textiles, raw Silk, Saltpetre (potassium nitrate, essential for making gunpowder for Europe's constant wars), and Opium (which the EIC aggressively smuggled into China to buy tea).
Note: Tea cultivation in India only started in the 1830s in Assam, so it was not a staple export in the mid-18th century (eliminating C).
Route: [REALM 13: Economic Transformation] & [REALM 88: European Trading Companies]Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India's National Movement
Champaran (1917) was Gandhi's very first Satyagraha in India, launched against the oppressive Tinkathia system forced upon indigo farmers. Before Gandhi, the Indian National Congress was largely an elite, urban debating club of lawyers and English-educated upper classes.
Champaran's massive significance is that it successfully bridged the gap between the impoverished rural peasants and the mainstream nationalist political movement, turning the freedom struggle into a true mass movement for the first time.
Route: [REALM 30: Emergence of Gandhi] & [REALM 48: Peasant Movements]The Great Bridge
The Worker's Forge
Who among the following were the founders of the "Hind Mazdoor Sabha" established in 1948?
The Secret Whisper
Official Key: (d) Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta
Right after independence, the Indian trade union movement fractured along political lines. While the INTUC was aligned with the Congress and the AITUC was aligned with the Communists, the socialists and independent unionists wanted a separate, independent labor organization.
In December 1948, leaders from the Socialist Party and Forward Bloc met in Calcutta and founded the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS). Its principal founders were socialist stalwarts like Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam, G.G. Mehta, R.S. Ruikar, and Maniben Kara.
Route: [REALM 50: Working Class Movement]