Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister and Prime Minister of Mauritius jointly inaugurated an airstrip and a jetty that India has built on Agaléga, a two-island Mauritian dependency 1,100 km to the north of Port Louis and 2,500 km southwest of Malé.

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Agaléga island is very centrally located in the Indian Ocean region. It is about 2,000 nautical miles from the southern coast of India, 1,000 nautical miles from Diego Garcia and about 1,400 nautical miles from the Horn of Africa.

Pair 2 is not correctly matched: Hawaii is a group of volcanic islands in the Central Pacific Ocean.

Pair 3 is not correctly matched: Thitu island also known as Pag-asa Islands is located in South China Sea.

Pair 4 is correctly matched: Diego Garcia Island is a coral atoll located in the central Indian Ocean.

Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, the President of India inaugurated a national seminar on ‘Tribes of Keonjhar: People, Culture and Heritage’, organized by Dharanidhar University at Gambharia, Keonjhar.  

• Keonjhar is a tribal dominated district rich in natural beauty and is home to Munda, Kolh, Bhuiyan, Juang, Saanti, Bathudi, Gond, Santhal, Orang and Kondh. 

Statement 1 is correct: Under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution, the President may, with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a state, after consultation with the Governor thereof by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall, for the purposes of this constitution, is deemed to be scheduled tribes in relation to that state or Union Territory, as the case may be.

• However, the Parliament by law can amend the list.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The criteria presently followed for specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe are : (i) indications of primitive traits, (ii) distinctive culture, (iii) geographical isolation, (iv) shyness of contact with the community at large, and (v) backwardness. 

• However, these criteria are not spelt out in the Constitution.

Ans: A

Exp:

Recently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) announced the discovery of a new marine species of head-shield sea slug with ruby red spot, Melanochlamys droupadi, named after the esteemed President of India, Droupadi Murmu from West Bengal and Odisha coast.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Melanochlamys droupadi is a marine species, not an invasive species. It is a small invertebrate with a maximum length up to 7 mm.

• It is brownish black in colour with a ruby red spot in the hind end, shell inside the body, hermaphrodite (possessing both male and female reproductive organs) and normally crawling on the intertidal zone.
• According to ZSI, species of this group are generally distributed in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Oceanic realm and only three species are truly tropical distributed, Melanochlamys papillata from the Gulf of Thailand, Melanochlamys bengalensis from West Bengal and Odisha coast and Melanochlamys droupadi from West Bengal and Odisha coast.

Statement 2 is correct: Melanochlamys droupadi animals continuously secrete transparent mucus, forming a protective sheath against sand grains. 

• It crawls beneath smooth sand to form a moving capsule where the body is rarely visible.

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, the Union Cabinet formally announced the establishment of International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) with one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore from the central government until 2028.

• The IBCA is an initiative launched by the Indian Prime Minister in April 2023 in Mysuru commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger. 

Statement 1 is incorrect: Modelled on the International Solar Alliance founded in 2015, the IBCA “has been conceived as a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of 96 big cat range countries with an objective to ensure cooperation for the conservation of seven big cats: lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, snow leopard, jaguar, and puma. 

• Five of these cats, apart from jaguar and puma, are found in India.

• Besides range countries (which house one or more of these big cats), the alliance will also include “non-range countries interested in big cat conservation, conservation partners and scientific organisations working in the field of big cat conservation.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The establishment of the IBCA, headquartered in India, marks a major step towards conserving big cats and their habitats, and also reinforcing India’s leadership in global biodiversity conservation.

Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs has launched the “Coal Logistics Plan and Policy” organized by the Indian National Committee World Mining Congress with the patronage of the Ministry of Coal.

Statement 1 is correct: Coal sector was nationalised in two phases under Indira Gandhi Government (the first with the coking coal mines in 1971-72 and the second with the non-coking coal mines in 1973).

Statement 2 is correct: Top five states in India in terms of total coal reserves are Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. 

Statement 3 is correct: On the basis of carbon content, anthracite is the best quality of coal (80 to 95%) and has the highest calorific value. 

• Bituminous has a low level of moisture content with 60 to 80% of carbon content. Lignite carries 40 to 55% carbon content. Peat has less than 40% carbon content and has low calorific value.