Daily Quiz 30 December 2024

Answer: C

Explanation:

• Option C is the correct answer: The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) released highly detailed 3D images of the foetal brain through studies focussing on mapping the complex human brain. This dataset known as ‘DHARANI’ is available to all researchers on an open-source portal.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct: The olive ridley gets its name from the olive green color of its heart-shaped shell. The species is among the smallest of the world’s sea turtles and is found primarily in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans.
• Statement 2 is correct: Olive ridley turtles, like all sea turtles, are marine reptiles and must come to the surface to breathe. Adult female sea turtles return to land to lay their eggs in the sand, they are remarkable navigators and usually return to a beach in the general area where they hatched. Arribada nesting is a behavior found only in the genus Lepidochelys which includes the Kemp’s ridley and olive ridley sea turtles. Although other turtles have been documented nesting in groups, no other turtles (marine or land) have been observed nesting in such mass numbers and synchrony.

Statement 3 is correct: The olive ridley is mainly a pelagic (open ocean) sea turtle, observed by trans-Pacific ships over 2,400 miles from shore, but they are also known to inhabit coastal areas. Olive ridleys are globally distributed in the tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. In the Atlantic Ocean, they are found along the coasts of West Africa and South America. In the Eastern Pacific, they occur from Southern California to Northern Chile.

Answer: A

Explanation:

• “India would have attained independence long back if only it had a few stalwarts like him”, were Gandhiji’s words about Potti Sriramulu, a freedom fighter who sacrificed his life for the creation of Andhra Pradesh.
• Potti Sriramulu was an ardent Gandhian who answered Gandhiji’s call to serve India’s villages, where the majority of the population lived. In 1946, he returned to Nellore to work for the welfare of the downtrodden. In addition to fighting for India’s independence, he championed the Dalit community’s social and economic liberation. He insisted that all temples in Madras Province be opened to the Dalit community and he refused to break his fast till Gandhiji convinced him to do so. Such was his commitment and spirit of patriotism that Gandhiji often said, “if only I have eleven more followers like Sriramulu, I will win freedom [from British rule] in a year.”
• After Gandhiji died in 1948, Sriramulu proposed the idea of establishing a separate state for Telugu-speaking territories. Unfortunately, his idea was rejected outright by political stalwarts such as Nehru and C Rajagopalachari on the grounds that a territory like Madras will never be a part of a Telugu speaking region, as both Telugu and Tamil populations were staking a claim for it. On 19 October 1952, Sriramulu began a fast to press home the demand of the people of Andhra for a separate state.
• The delay in the official announcement resulted in the deterioration of Sriramulu’s health, and ultimately after 58 days of fasting, he passed away on 15 December 1952. On 19 December, following the protests that ensued after the death of Sriramulu, Jawahar Lal Nehru formally announced the decision to form a separate Andhra state.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Option B is the correct answer: The Indian Government has launched a new scheme named the “Jalvahak” for enhancing long-distance cargo transportation via inland waterways. It aims to promote transportation across multiple waterways, thereby alleviating congestion on roads and rail networks.
• The program inaugurated fixed sailing services across key routes, such as Kolkata-Patna-Varanasi and Kolkata-Pandu (Guwahati). This service will allow for timely and reliable cargo delivery. The scheme is also heavily incentivizing early adopters by offering around 35% reimbursement of operating costs for all cargo that is transported farther than 300 kilometers. Initially, this scheme is set to be valid for 3 years.

The new Jalvahak scheme is also intended to promote a more eco-friendly mode of transport than roadways or the Indian railways, which are the go-to methods for the majority of goods transport in India.

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct: The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Bosporus strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

Statement 2 is not correct: Kerch Strait separates the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai in the east. Borporus strait separates parts of Asian Turkey (Anatolia) from European Turkey.