1. Eravikulam National Park, recently seen in the news, is located in which state?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Kerala
[C] Odisha
[D] Karnataka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Kerala]
Notes:
Eravikulam National Park (ENP), in Kerala’s Idukki district, closing for the Nilgiri tahr’s calving season, hosts diverse flora and fauna. Declared a National Park in 1978, it spans 97 sq.km, featuring Anamudi, the highest peak south of the Himalayas. Famous for the “Neelakurinji” flower blooming every twelve years, the park experiences heavy monsoons. Rich in biodiversity, it houses species like Nilgiri Tahr, Gaur, Sloth Bear, and hosts rare butterflies and the world’s largest moth, the Atlas moth.
2. According to Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) report, which state/UT has the highest number of snow leopard?
[A] Ladakh
[B] Jammu and Kashmir
[C] Himachal Pradesh
[D] Sikkim
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ladakh ]
Notes:
Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav released India’s first-ever Snow Leopard Population Assessment report. The four-year-long scientific exercise, coordinated by the Wildlife Institute of India, estimates approximately 718 snow leopards in the wild. Ladakh leads with 477, followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (nine). India holds 10-15% of the global snow leopard population.
3. What is the theme of ‘World Wetland Day’ 2024?
[A] Wetlands and Human Wellbeing
[B] Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future
[C] Wetlands and Climate Change
[D] Wetlands and Water
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Wetlands and Human Wellbeing]
Notes:
The theme for World Wetlands Day 2024 is “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing”. The theme highlights how wetlands and human life are interconnected, and how people gain sustenance, inspiration, and resilience from wetlands. World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd each year. It’s an international day that promotes the sustainable management and conservation of wetlands.
4. Researchers recently uncovered a new genus and five new species of ‘Millipedes’ in which country?
[A] Australia
[B] Africa
[C] Russia
[D] China
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Africa]
Notes:
Researchers recently uncovered a new genus and five novel millipede species in African jungles. Millipedes, not insects but arthropods related to lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp, boast approximately 12,000 global species. These cylindrical or slightly flattened invertebrates, often black or brown, inhabit moist areas with decaying vegetation. Ranging from 2 to 280 mm, they possess multiple segments, each housing two pairs of legs and internal organs. Although not poisonous, some species produce irritating fluids. Nocturnal scavengers, millipedes primarily feed on decaying plants and occasional dead insects.
5. What is Cygnus X-1, recently seen in the news?
[A] Asteroid
[B] Black hole
[C] AI tool
[D] Submarine
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Black hole]
Notes:
Astro Sat, India’s inaugural multi-wavelength astronomy mission, successfully measured the X-ray polarization of the Cygnus X-1 black hole system. Discovered four decades ago, Cygnus X-1 is among the first confirmed black hole systems in our galaxy. The black hole is 20 times the Sun’s mass, with a companion supergiant star (40 times more massive) in a binary system. Located 400 times farther than Earth-Sun distance, the gravitational pull forms an accretion disk, generating soft X-rays.
6. What is ‘Trichoglossum’, recently mentioned in the news?
[A] Ancient irrigation system
[B] Anti ship missiles
[C] A genus of fungus
[D] Asteroid
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [A genus of fungus]
Notes:
Researchers discovered a new fungus species, Trichoglossum syamviswanathii, in Kerala. Trichoglossum is a genus of fungus known as “hairy earth tongues” due to its filamentous structure. The fungus, with 55 identified genera and 21 recognized species globally, exhibits saprotrophic behavior and can be found in plant roots as endophytes. Predominantly distributed in tropical and temperate forests across five continents, these fungi play a crucial role in decomposing organic matter.
7. Which country became the first country in the European Union (EU) to issue digital Schengen visas?
[A] Finland
[B] Spain
[C] France
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [France]
Notes:
France became the first country in the European Union (EU) to issue digital Schengen visas. The visas are for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, and will be integrated into accreditation cards for approximately 70,000 international visitors. The country plans to fully digitize its Schengen visa application process by 2026.
8. What is ‘Aldabra rail’, recently seen in the news?
[A] Flightless bird
[B] Spider
[C] Invasive plant
[D] Fish
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Flightless bird]
Notes:
The flightless Aldabra rail, scientifically known as Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus, was thought extinct 130,000 years ago but reappeared through iterative evolution. Residing on a coral atoll off Africa’s southeast coast, it resembles a chicken with a gray back, red head, and white throat. A subspecies of the white-throated rail, it’s the only flightless bird in the Indian Ocean. The Aldabra rail evolved twice, losing its ability to fly, a phenomenon explored in a 2019 Zoological Journal study on the atoll’s fossil record. Iterative evolution involves the repeated emergence of traits from the same ancestral lineage at different times.
9. Lake Rotorua, recently seen in the news, is located in which country?
[A] France
[B] New Zealand
[C] Australia
[D] Russia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [New Zealand]
Notes:
New maps reveal a hidden hydrothermal system under Lake Rotorua, at a dormant volcano’s heart in New Zealand. Hydrothermal systems, common near convergent plate boundaries and mid-ocean ridges, need fluids, heat, and permeability. Seawater percolates through oceanic crust, heating to 350-400°C, producing chemically modified hydrothermal fluid. Ejected to the seafloor, it forms chimney-like deposits, supporting deep-sea chemosynthetic communities. This discovery highlights the dynamic geological processes beneath the lake, providing insights into hydrothermal systems’ intricate workings.
10. What is the primary focus of the Gamma Ray Astronomy PeV EnergieS phase-3 (GRAPES-3) project, recently seen in news?
[A] To study cosmic rays
[B] To study exoplanet
[C] Investigating dark matter
[D] Measuring Earth’s natural resources
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [To study cosmic rays]
Notes:
The GRAPES-3 experiment, situated in Ooty, India and operated by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, made a significant discovery in the cosmic-ray proton spectrum, revealing a new feature at 166 TeV. Equipped with air shower detectors and a large muon detector, GRAPES-3 aims to investigate the origin, acceleration, and propagation of cosmic rays, including the existence of the “Knee” in their energy spectrum. It also explores the production of highest-energy cosmic rays, astronomy of multi-TeV γ-rays, and the impact of the Sun on Earth.