Ans: B

Exp:

• • Bhashini-Enabled e-Shram Portal now available in all 22 Scheduled Languages. The previous version was available only in English, Hindi, Kannada and Marathi.

• Bhashini AI Tool is a real-time Artificial Intelligence-based translation tool. Hence, Option (b ) is correct.

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
• Objective: It can be used by people to communicate in their own language while talking to speakers of other Indian languages.
• ‘Bhasadaan’ section:  Bhasha Daan includes the following categories for citizens to contribute to:
  • Suno India: Contribute by typing out audio content or validating transcriptions made by others.
  • Bolo India: Donate your voice through sentence recordings. Validate audio recordings contributed by others.
  • Likho India: Contribute by translating the provided text. Validate translations submitted by others.
  • Dekho India: Contribute by typing text seen or labeling images. Validate images contributed by others.

Ans: D

Exp:

• Singapore has reclaimed its crown as the world’s most powerful passport in 2025 with visa-free access to 195 of the 227 global destinations, as per the annual results of the Henley Passport Index. 
• Japan secured second place, offering visa-free access to 193 countries.
• The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. 
• The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest, most accurate travel information database
• Statement 1 is Correct: India emerged as 85th on the list, which means Indian passport holders can travel visa free to 57 nations of the world.
• Statement 2 is Correct: It is compiled and published by Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory firm.

Ans: C

Exp:

• Six people died and many were injured in a stampede at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. The incident occurred during the token distribution for Vaikunta Dwara Sarva Darshan.

• The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is situated in Andhra Pradesh, positioned on Venkata Hill, which is one of the seven hills (Saptagiri) of the Tirumala Hills.
• The temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, who is considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
• Statement 1 is correct: The renowned Tirupati Laddu, given as prasad at the temple, holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• Statement 2 is correct:The temple has a rich history, with significant contributions from South Indian dynasties, including the Pallavas, Cholas, and Vijayanagara rulers.
  •  It was revived in the 12th century by Saint Ramanuja.

• Statement 3 is correct: The temple is constructed in the Dravidian architectural style.

• Three entrances lead to the sanctum sanctorum, also known as “Ananda Nilayam,” which houses the main deity, Venkateswara, in a standing posture facing east.

Ans: C

Exp:

• About 430 million light years from Earth, in the Leo constellation, a new ultra-diffuse galaxy has been discovered to be under formation at the end of the tidal tail, a long, thin stream of stars and interstellar gas, of galaxy NGC 3785. The discovery of the galaxy formation, driven probably by the gravitational interaction between NGC 3785 and a neighbouring galaxy. marks a major milestone in understanding galaxy evolution.

About Tidal Tail:

• A tidal tail is a long, thin stream of stars and interstellar gas formed due to gravitational interactions between galaxies.

• Formation:

• • • Statement 1 is correct: It occurs during close encounters or mergers between galaxies.
    • Gravitational forces strip material (stars, gas, dust) from galaxies’ outer regions.
    • Creates two tidal tails—one leading and one trailing.

• Significance:

• • Galaxy Formation: Provides insights into the formation of ultra-diffuse galaxies with low surface brightness.
  • Galaxy Evolution: Demonstrates how interactions shape galaxy structure and star formation.
  • Statement 2 is correct: It serves as a marker of past galactic mergers, tracing evolutionary history.

Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, researchers have demonstrated that reducing nitric oxide (NO) levels in plants can significantly improve nitrogen uptake and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in rice and Arabidopsis. The study offers a promising pathway for better, sustainable and efficient agricultural practices encouraging researchers to find ways to reduce NO levels in the plants.

Highlights of the Study:

• • Significance of Nitric oxide (NO)  → Plays a pivotal role in regulating various physiological processes in plants.
    • Lowering NO levels activates high-affinity nitrate transporters (HATs), especially under limited nitrogen conditions.
  • High-affinity nitrate transporters (HATs) → Crucial for nitrogen uptake, especially under low nitrogen conditions

• Reducing NO levels has been shown to enhance the expression of HATs like NRT2.1 and NRT2.4, which are essential for efficient nitrogen uptake. NO plays a regulatory role in nitrate transporters, and reducing it improves NUE by enhancing these transport processes.

• • Hence, option A is Correct.
• Methods Used:
  • Pharmacological Manipulation → Involves using chemical compounds called Nitric oxide (NO) scavengers to reduce nitric oxide concentration in plants. 
  • Overexpressing phytoglobin (A natural Nitric oxide scavenger) → Increases the expression of high-affinity nitrate transporters (HATs) like NRT2.1 and NRT2.4, leading to more efficient nitrogen uptake under low NO conditions.
  • Genetic Manipulation → Genetic manipulation involves altering plant genes to control nitric oxide levels in the cells.
  • Protein Nitrosylation (a biochemical modification of proteins by NO) → Plays a crucial role in nitrogen regulation.
• Targeting this process has shown improved NUE outcomes.
• Nitrogen Use Efficiency: 
  • Term that is used to describe the efficiency of a plant in using applied or fixed nitrogen for biomass production.
  • Ratio between crop yield and the amount of nitrogen absorbed from the soil through roots or from the atmosphere through fixation by bacteria.
• Improving NUE is critical for:
  • Reducing excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers,
  • Mitigating environmental pollution, such as nitrate leaching and greenhouse gas emissions,
  • Enhancing crop yields.