ASKiIMAN™
NEXUS / 2022 / GS1
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UPSC 2022: Nexus 31—40

Digital Architectures, Orbital Weapons, Microbial Ecology & Solar Storms. [Set A]

Question 31

Digital Public Infrastructure

Consider the following:

  1. Aarogya Setu
  2. CoWIN
  3. DigiLocker
  4. DIKSHA

Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms?

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

The Core Concept: India’s digital governance strategy heavily relies on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) built entirely on open-source frameworks. Aarogya Setu's source code was officially made public by NIC. CoWIN utilizes open APIs. DigiLocker relies on open standards for secure document exchange, and DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) is explicitly built on Sunbird, a free and open-source platform developed by EkStep.

Tethered to: REALM 75: Digital Public Infrastructure

< / > 1. Aarogya Setu 2. CoWIN 3. DigiLocker 4. DIKSHA The India Open-Source Stack
Big Corp USER CONTROLLED Decentralized Internet

Question 32

Emerging Web Technologies

With reference to Web 3.0, consider the following statements:

  1. Web 3.0 technology enables people to control their own data.
  2. In Web 3.0 world, there can be blockchain based social networks.
  3. Web 3.0 is operated by users collectively rather than a corporation.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Web 1.0 was read-only. Web 2.0 is read-write, but dominated by centralized Big Tech silos that own user data. Web 3.0 is the vision for a decentralized, read-write-execute web built on blockchain technologies, tokenomics, and DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). In this paradigm, individuals retain cryptographic ownership of their own data (1 is true), social networks operate on distributed ledgers rather than corporate servers (2 is true), and governance is collective via token voting rather than corporate boards (3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 201: Fourth Industrial Revolution

Question 33

Cloud Computing

With reference to "Software as a Service (SaaS)", consider the following statements:

  1. SaaS buyers can customise the user interface and can change data fields.
  2. SaaS users can access their data through their mobile devices.
  3. Outlook, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are forms of SaaS.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers cloud-based applications over the internet. Enterprise SaaS users (like Salesforce or Zendesk admins) can extensively customize UIs and data fields for their business needs (1 is true). Because the processing happens on cloud servers, users can access their SaaS accounts universally via mobile apps or browsers (2 is true). Consumer webmail services like Outlook and Yahoo are classic, foundational examples of SaaS—the software runs on their servers, you just log in to use it (3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 484: IT-Enabled Services & Apps

CLOUD SERVER App Custom UI
EARTH FOBS Weaponization

Question 34

Space Weapons

Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the "Fractional Orbital Bombardment System" often talked about in media?

  • (a) A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid...
  • (b) A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.
  • (c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.
  • (d) A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed...

Official Verdict: (c)

The Core Concept: FOBS was a Cold War-era Soviet concept recently revived by Chinese hypersonic tests. Unlike traditional ICBMs that fly in a highly predictable parabolic arc, FOBS launches a nuclear glide vehicle into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It completes a fraction of an orbit around the planet—evading traditional early warning radars (like NORAD) by attacking from the South Pole instead of the North—before firing retro-rockets to deorbit and drop onto its target without warning.

Tethered to: REALM 399: Geopolitics, A-SAT & Space Weapons

Question 35

Advanced Computing

Which one of the following is the context in which the term "qubit" is mentioned?

  • (a) Cloud Services
  • (b) Quantum Computing
  • (c) Visible Light Communication Technologies
  • (d) Wireless Communication Technologies

Official Verdict: (b) Quantum Computing

The Core Concept: In classical computing, information is stored in binary "bits" which exist strictly as a 0 OR a 1. In Quantum Computing, the basic unit of information is a quantum bit, or qubit. Thanks to quantum superposition, a qubit can exist as a 0, a 1, or both simultaneously, allowing quantum computers to process complex calculations exponentially faster than classical supercomputers.

Tethered to: REALM 480: Supercomputers & Cloud Computing

|1⟩ |0⟩ Superposition
RFID WLAN CCTV LOCALIZED RADIUS (SHORT RANGE)

Question 36

Telecommunication Engineering

Consider the following communication technologies:

  1. Closed-circuit Television
  2. Radio Frequency Identification
  3. Wireless Local Area Network

Which of the above are considered Short-Range devices/technologies?

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Short-Range Devices (SRDs) transmit data over highly localized distances with low power consumption, requiring no overarching national telecom license. RFID uses electromagnetic fields to identify tags mere centimeters or meters away (2). WLAN (Wi-Fi) links devices within a building or small campus (3). CCTV circuits are traditionally closed loops wired directly to local monitors within a single facility (1). All three are textbook examples of localized, short-range telecommunications.

Tethered to: REALM 496: IoT, Big Data & Mobile Gens

Question 37

Microbial Ecology

Consider the following statements:

  1. Biofilms can form on medical implants within human tissues.
  2. Biofilms can form on food and food processing surfaces.
  3. Biofilms can exhibit antibiotic resistance.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Biofilms are dense, sticky communities of microorganisms adhering to surfaces, encased in a self-produced polymeric matrix (slime). They aggressively colonize artificial medical implants like pacemakers or catheters, causing chronic infections (1). They form rapidly on stainless steel food processing equipment, causing food spoilage and listeria outbreaks (2). Crucially, the thick matrix acts as a physical shield, rendering the bacteria inside highly resistant to standard antibiotics and disinfectants (3).

Tethered to: REALM 326: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Sticky Matrix Resistant!
Gut Microbiome (Natural) Milk Sugar Not Naturally Occurring ❌

Question 38

Nutritional Biochemistry

Consider the following statements in respect of probiotics:

  1. Probiotics are made of both bacteria and yeast.
  2. The organisms in probiotics are found in foods we ingest but they do not naturally occur in our gut.
  3. Probiotics help in the digestion of milk sugars.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Official Verdict: (c) 1 and 3

The Core Concept: Probiotics are live beneficial microorganisms. While most are bacteria (like Lactobacillus), beneficial yeasts (like Saccharomyces boulardii) are also widely used probiotics (1 is true). The trap is Statement 2: These exact beneficial organisms do naturally reside and thrive in a healthy human gut microbiome; we ingest them to replenish depleted natural populations. Lactobacillus famously produces the enzyme lactase, directly helping lactose-intolerant individuals digest milk sugars (3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 204: Metabolism & Energy

Question 39

Vaccine Biotechnology

In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements:

  1. The Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using mRNA platform.
  2. Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector based platform.
  3. COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen based vaccine.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Official Verdict: (b) 2 and 3 only

The Core Concept: Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca), manufactured by SII, is not an mRNA vaccine (like Pfizer or Moderna). It is a viral vector vaccine built on a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus (Statement 1 is false). Russia's Sputnik V similarly uses a recombinant human adenovirus vector platform (2 is true). Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN uses traditional vaccine tech: an inactivated (dead) whole SARS-CoV-2 pathogen (3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 317: Vaccination Technologies

Covishield Viral Vector (NOT mRNA ❌) Sputnik V Viral Vector ✅ Covaxin Inactivated ✅
Satellites (6) No Tsunamis (2) ❌ No Forest Fires (5) ❌

Question 40

Heliophysics & Space Weather

If a major solar storm (solar flare) reaches the Earth, which of the following are the possible effects on the Earth?

  1. GPS and navigation systems could fail.
  2. Tsunamis could occur at equatorial regions.
  3. Power grids could be damaged.
  4. Intense auroras could occur over much of the Earth.
  5. Forest fires could take place over much of the planet.
  6. Orbits of the satellites could be disturbed.
  7. Shortwave radio communication of the aircraft flying over polar regions could be interrupted.

Official Verdict: (c) 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 only

The Core Concept: Solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) bombard Earth's magnetosphere with electromagnetic radiation and charged particles. This geomagnetically induces massive currents capable of frying transformers in power grids (3), increasing atmospheric drag that degrades satellite orbits (6), ionizing the upper atmosphere to blackout shortwave radios and GPS (1, 7), and supercharging the Auroras (4). However, solar storms interact with the magnetic field and ionosphere; they do not cause tectonic/seismic shifts (Tsunamis - 2) or generate enough atmospheric heat to spontaneously ignite global forest fires (5).

Tethered to: REALM 115: Sun, Solar Flares & CMEs