Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, Mount Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, and among the world’s most active and iconic volcanoes, has been sending up rings of smoke into the air known as volcanic vortex rings

Statement 1 is incorrect: Volcanic eruptions can be explosive, sending ash, gas and lava high up into the atmosphere, or the magma can form lava flows, known as effusive eruptions.

•  Whether an eruption is explosive or effusive largely depends upon the amount of gas in the magma.

Statement 2 is incorrect: If a magma rises very slowly within the conduit or the throat of the volcano, all the gas can escape. 

• When the magma is viscous (or sticky), it can’t flow when it reaches the surface, so it builds up forming a lava dome.

Statement 3 is correct: Vortex rings are vortices that form in a fluid or gas, often when the speed of a fluid/gas is rapidly changed or when a fluid or gas of a different makeup or speed is injected into a second fluid or gas

• Vortex rings are generated when gas, predominantly water vapour, is released rapidly through a vent in the crater. 

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, Apple issued a warning  that the Iphone may have been individually targeted by a “mercenary spyware attack” attempting to remotely compromise their iPhone.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Malware not spyware, short for malicious software, encompasses a broader range of harmful programs that can include viruses, worms, ransomware, and more.

•  Malware typically aims to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorised access to a computer system or network.

Statement 2 is correct: The mercenary spyware that Apple has detected in the iPhone is software. It works in exactly the same way as Pegasus Spyware works. Through this type of spyware, hackers obtain personal information of smartphone users. 

• Mercenary spyware attacks are highly complex, targeting specific individuals with exceptional resources, surpassing regular cybercriminal activity and consumer malware. 
• They are difficult to detect & prevent due to their substantial investment & short lifespan. They have been targeting some users, but most people are probably safe.

Statement 3 is correct: Pegasus is a malware/spyware developed by Israel’s NSO Group. The spyware suite is designed to access any smartphone through zero-click vulnerabilities. 

• Once a phone is infiltrated, the spyware can access entire data on that particular phone.

Answer: D

Exp:

 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration recently sought help from the Wildlife Institute of India to relocate the teeming population of chital (spotted deer) in Ross Island.

Statement 1 is correct: Invasive species often have high reproductive rates, allowing them to spread quickly in their new environment.

•  They flourish due to reduced competition and predation pressure as they are introduced without their natural predators from their native habitat.
•  They can outcompete native species, which leads to a decline in their population and even species extinction.

Statement 2 is correct:  Globalization has led to a surge in the movement of goods and people around the world, which has allowed invasive species to easily infiltrate new ecosystems.

•  For example, ships with ballast water can carry aquatic organisms across oceans, while planes and cars can transport insects, seeds, and other plant material unknowingly.

Statement 3 is correct: Invasive species can act as vectors for diseases like West Nile virus or Lyme disease.

•  For example, the Giant African land snail has become a pest in agriculture, which poses a risk of transmitting diseases to humans. These can pollute water bodies, which, in turn, causes myriad health impacts.

Statement 4 is incorrect: At the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF – 2022), it has been agreed under the  United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and it aims to reduce the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030.

• Global Invasive Species Programme; GISP was established in 1997 to address global threats caused by Invasive Alien Species (IAS), and to provide support to the implementation of Article 8(h) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the CBD. GISP is in essence an enabling body, focusing on effective information exchange and networking mechanisms among an expanding number of partner organisations.

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) department at Command Hospital (Southern Command) in Pune conducted two piezoelectric Bone Conduction Hearing Implants (BCI).

• Active piezoelectric bone conduction hearing implant system is an implantable medical electronic device for hearing impaired patients [conductive loss (including aural atresia), mixed hearing loss and single-sided deafness].
• The cost of the equipment has always been a concern, making its outreach limited.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, the Supreme Court held that an election candidate has a right to privacy from voters and need not lay out every scrap of his or her personal life and possessions.

Statement 1 is correct: The right to privacy is safeguarded by Article 21 as an inherent aspect of the right to life and personal liberty, as well as by aspect III of the Constitution’s guarantees of freedom.

• Privacy is acknowledged as a fundamental human right according to Article 12 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Supreme Court in the KS Puttaswamy judgement stated that,the right can only be constrained by state action that passes all three tests:

• To justify state action, it must have a legislative mandate. 
• Serve a legitimate purpose, and be proportionate.
• In a democratic society, state action should be necessary and minimally intrusive.