Daily Quiz 30 January 2025

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: A megathrust earthquake is a very large earthquake that occurs in a subduction zone, a region where one of the earth’s tectonic plates is thrust under another.The Japan Meteorological Association (JMA) warning is the first issued under new rules drawn up after a 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. The “megathrust quakes”, which often occur in pairs, have been known to unleash dangerous tsunamis along Japan’s southern coast.
• Statement 2 is correct: Nankai Trough is a 800 km undersea trough runs from Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, to the southern tip of Kyushu Island in Japan. It has been the site of destructive quakes of magnitude eight or nine every century or two. These so-called “megathrust quakes”, which often occur in pairs, have been known to unleash dangerous tsunamis along Japan’s southern coast.
  • In 1707, all segments of the Nankai Trough ruptured at once, unleashing an earthquake that remains the nation’s second-most powerful on record. That quake – which also triggered the last eruption of Mount Fuji – was followed by two powerful Nankai megathrusts in 1854, and then a pair in 1944 and 1946.
• Statement 3 is correct:  A few large regional earthquakes (greater than magnitude 6) are considered to be related to a subsequent eruption or to some type of unrest at a nearby volcano. However, volcanoes can only be triggered into eruption by nearby tectonic earthquakes if they are already poised to erupt. This requires two conditions to be met:
  • Enough “eruptible” magma within the volcanic system.
  • Significant pressure within the magma storage region.
  • If those conditions exist, it’s possible that large tectonic earthquakes might cause dissolved gases to come out of the magma (like a shaken soda bottle), increasing the pressure and possibly leading to an eruption

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Certain strains of HPV (most often types 16 and 18) can cause changes in the cells of your cervix, a condition called cervical dysplasia. Left untreated, cervical dysplasia sometimes advances to cervical cancer.
  • Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the cervix, or the wall of the cervix. It is among the leading causes of cancer in Indian women, and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), is responsible for 99.7% of cervical cancers worldwide

Statement 2 is not correct: In India currently, HPV vaccines are only available under prescription by private practitioners, even though the National Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (NTAGI) has recommended that the HPV vaccine be included in the national immunisation programme.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct: Jallikattu, also known as sallikkattu is a traditional sport of Tamil Nadu that is celebrated on the third day of Pongal – Mattu Pongal Day. (Usually it falls on January 16.)
  • The history of this bullfight dates back to 400-100 BCE when it was played by the Ayars, an ethnic group in India. The name is coined from two words, Jalli (silver and gold coins) and Kattu (tied).
  • A bull is let loose among a crowd of people and whoever tames it will get the coins tied to its horn. The people who participate in the sport try to hold on to the animal’s hump to stop it. Sometimes, they run along with the bull. Pulikulam or Kangayam is the breed of bulls used for the sport. The bulls which win in the festival are in high demand in the market, and fetch the highest price. They are also used for breeding.

Statement 3 is correct: In the ancient Tamil society, jallikattu was said to have been confined to ‘Ayars’ (pastoralists). Subsequently, youths from other communities were also attracted to the sport. In the 20th Century, it began to outgrow its narrow regional definitions and caste hierarchies, becoming a symbol of rural Tamil culture.

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct: ​Commercial cultivation of natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) was introduced in India by the British.  Although the experimental efforts to grow rubber in India were initiated as early as 1873 at the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, the first commercial Hevea plantation was established at Thattekadu in 1902. The importance of rubber production in India from strategic and security reasons had been realized by the then government during the Second World War period.
• Statement 2 is not correct: India is the third largest producer, fourth largest consumer of natural rubber and fifth largest consumer of natural rubber and synthetic rubber together in the world.
• Statement 3 is not correct: Kerala, with a total area of 3.84 lakh hectares under rubber cultivation and an annual production of 3.70 lakh tonnes, produces over 90% of India’s natural rubber.

Answer: C

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Water Hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to the Amazon River Basin of South America.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct: Usually, the presence of water hyacinth is linked to pollution. It is known to thrive in the presence of contaminants and grows quickly. Water Hyacinth is one of 24 species found in Bermuda that appear on the IUCN list of the world’s top 100 most invasive species.