Ans: D

Exp:

The Election Commission of India (ECI) assured the Bombay high court that the ‘whistle’ symbol would be allotted to candidates of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls.

• Statement 1 is correct: The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968  order mandates the EC to provide for “specification, reservation, choice and allotment of symbols at parliamentary and assembly elections, for the recognition of political parties”.
  • For unregistered parties, they are supposed to give the names of ten symbols, in order of preference, out of the list of free symbols notified by the Election commission.
• Symbols can be either reserved, meaning they are exclusive to a recognised political party (having garnered a minimum amount of votes or seats at the national or state level elections), or ‘free’.
• When a recognised political party splits, the Election Commission takes the decision to assign the symbol to split groups. For instance, the Congress party, in the first elections of 1952, had a pair of bulls as its symbols. 
  • Following splits in the party over the years, the current symbol of hand eventually went to the party.
• Statement 2 is correct: According to Rule 10B of the Symbols Order, a registered unrecognized party can use a common free symbol for two consecutive general elections.

Ans: C

Exp:

Delhi is among the bottom five cities in terms of fund expenditure under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) — 68% of its funds are unutilised. 

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

• Nodal Ministry : The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Launch: It was launched in January 2019. 
• It is the first national effort to create a framework for air quality management.
• Statement 1 is correct: It aims to reduce the levels of coarse particles (PM10) and fine particles (PM2.5) by at least 20% within five years, using 2017 as the base year.
• Target Cities:
  • The programme focuses on 131 cities, Includes 123 non-attainment cities (NACs) and additional million-plus cities (MPCs).
  • Statement 2 is correct: Non-Attainment Cities (NACs) are the cities Identified for not meeting national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for five consecutive years.
  • Million-Plus Cities (MPCs): Identified by the 15th Finance Commission (XV-FC) for receiving performance-based grants for air quality improvement.

Ans: C

Exp:

 Researchers have identified a previously unknown Mayan city hidden within Mexico’s dense jungle using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology.

Applications of LiDAR Technology

• Statement 3 is correct: Used to study atmospheric particles, wind patterns, clouds, and weather profiles.

• Statement 1 is correct: LiDAR helps measure distances to distant objects like the Moon with high precision and creates guide stars for telescopes. 

• • Statement 2 is correct: Helps map land topology, monitor crop growth, and assess needs for fertilizers and irrigation.

• Automobile Industry: LiDAR is a key sensor in self-driving vehicles, working alongside cameras and radar to detect objects in the environment.

• Topographic and Bathymetric Mapping: Topographic LiDAR uses infrared to map land, while bathymetric LiDAR uses green light to map underwater features like riverbeds and seafloors.

• Archaeology: Enables mapping of ancient structures under dense vegetation, such as old roadways and ruins.

Ans:  A

Exp:

India and Algeria today signed the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) on bilateral defense cooperation.

• Statement 1 is correct: Algeria is a country located in the Maghreb region of North Africa. 
• Statement 3 is correct:It is located in the Northern Hemisphere. 
• As the Prime Meridian passes through the country, it has territory in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. 
• Statement 2 is not  correct:Algeria is bordered by seven countries. 

These are Tunisia, Libya, and Niger to the northeast, east, and southeast respectively. Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara lie to the southwest. Morocco borders Algeria to the west.

Ans: A

Exp:

 India recently engaged in two significant joint military exercises with the US and Indonesia, focusing on enhancing cooperation and tactical capabilities.

• Pair 2 is not correctly matched: Exercise Vajra Prahar is a Joint Special Forces exercise between India and the United States.

• Pair 1 is correctly matched: Exercise Garud Shakti  is a Bilateral joint special forces exercise between India and Indonesia scheduled from November 1 to 12, 2024.
• Pair 3 is not correctly matched: Exercise Indra is a joint military exercise between  India and Russia.