Answer: c

Explanation:

Context: India’s remarkable run at the Paralympic Games has been attributed to several factors — athlete classification, wider array of sports, bigger qualifying contingent, the Centre’s TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) and the use of assistive technology for Paralympians.

• According to World Health Organisation Assistive technology Products and their related systems (mechanical or electronic) which aid any individual’s functioning with respect to his cognition, hearing, mobility, vision, communication. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• Assistive technology is used mainly by old people, children and adults with disabilities and people with long-term health issues such as diabetes, dementia. Sometimes assistive technology is temporarily used by people recuperating from an accident or illness. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.
• These products help assist people in bettering their health, well-being and inclusion of participation in their family, community, sports and all areas of society. 
• Common examples of assistive devices are hearing aids, wheelchairs, and therapeutic footwear which are used by people for general use. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
• Sportspersons use assistive technologies like modified racing bicycles, release brace in archery, running blades, modified wheelchairs to name a few.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Pair 1 is correct: Mundra port is the largest private port in India.  The port of Mundra is located on the north shores of the Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district, in the state of Gujarat. Mundra is a major hub for containers and bulk cargo. It is run by Adani Ports and SEZ Limited (APSEZ) and began operations in 2001. Mundra Airport is undergoing major developments to convert it into an international airport for air cargo.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust – Nhava Sheva (JNPT) is the largest container port in India and one of the most essential subcontinent harbours on the Western coast.

Pair 2 is Correct: Recently, the government has designated the international trans-shipment hub at Galathea Bay in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a Major Port. 

• The proposed Rs 44,000 crore mega project is also eligible for central funding and will be developed under the public-private partnership model. 

Pair 3 is Correct: Union Cabinet approved setting up a Major Port at Vadhavan,  Palghar District in Maharashtra. The Vadhavan Port will be developed as an all-weather Greenfield deep draft major port. The Project will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), an SPV formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) with a shareholding of 74% and 26%, respectively. 

Pair 4 is correct: Kamarajar Port, located on the Coromandel Coast about 24 km north of Chennai Port, Chennai, it is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company. The Kamarajar Port is the only corporatized major port and is registered as a company. Today, the landlord port is the dominant port model in larger and medium sized ports.

Ans: B

Exp:

Context: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Riyadh in the Saudi capital  on a two-day visit to attend the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers’ meeting.

About Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC):

• Statement I is Correct: It is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union established on 25 May 1981, with formal signing of the Charter of the GCC. 
• Member states: It comprise of 6 national monarchies of the Gulf region:

1. Bahrain
2. Kuwait
3. Oman
4. Qatar
5. Saudi Arabia
6. United Arab Emirates.

• Statement II is Incorrect: No, Iran and Iraq are not founding members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
• Headquarters: Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia
• Military arm: The Peninsula Shield Force is the military arm of the GCC, formed in 1984.
• Objectives:  To effect coordination, integration and inter-connection between member states in all fields in order to achieve unity between them.

Answer: D

Explanation:

Context: A spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency and Japan made its closest approach yet to Mercury, sending back sharp, black-and-white images of the planet’s barren, speckled surface at sunrise.

• It is an international mission comprised of two spacecraft riding together to Mercury to orbit and study the planet from unique vantage points. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
• The spacecraft were launched on October 20, 2018, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. It is scheduled to begin orbiting Mercury in 2025.
• Objectives: To study Mercury’s magnetic field, its composition, the geology of its surface, and its interaction with the solar wind.
• The mission will also investigate the planet’s exosphere and study its geological history.
• It is a joint mission between the  European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese counterpart JAXA. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.
  • ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) will study the planet’s surface and interior.
  • JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MIO) will study the planet’s magnetic field.
  • ESA is also responsible for the launcher, the interplanetary cruising engine, and the placement of BepiColombo into Mercury’s orbit.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Context: Bolivia declared a national emergency due to raging forest fires.

Bolivia has seen the largest number of wildfires since 2010 with at least 3 million hectares (7.5 million acres) burned this year.

About Bolivia: 

Bolivia is a landlocked country located in western-central South America.

• It is named after independence fighter Simon Bolivar.
• Location: The country is located in the rugged Andes Mountain, with a highland plateau and lowland plains in the Amazon basin.
• One-third of the country is within the Andean mountain range. 
• Bordering Countries: It borders the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru.
• Capital: The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the seat of government and executive capital is La Paz.

Bolivia shares control of Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest lake navigable to large vessels, at 12,500 feet above sea level.