Ans: B

Exp:

Pair 1 is correctly matched: The inaugural edition of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Military Exercise ‘SADA TANSEEQ’ took place at Mahajan, Rajasthan. The Exercise will enable both sides to share their best practices in the tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting operations in the sub-conventional domain. It will facilitate developing interoperability, bonhomie and camaraderie between troops from both sides.

Pair 2 is correctly matched:  The exercise Surya Kiran provides a platform for soldiers from India and Nepal to exchange ideas and experiences, share best practices and foster a deeper understanding of each other’s operational procedures. It signifies the strong bonds of friendship, trust, and common cultural linkages that exist between India and Nepal.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Konkan is an annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. The exercises cover all domains of maritime operations, air, surface and subsurface, and included gunnery shoots on surface inflatable target ‘Killer Tomato’, helicopter operations, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare drills, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), ship manoeuvres and exchange of personnel.

Ans: A

Exp:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty, ‘the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage’, adopted by UNESCO in 1972. Some of the World Heritage Sites are:

• • Agra Fort

• Ajanta Caves

• Ellora Caves

• Taj Mahal

• Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
• Sun Temple, Konârak
• Kaziranga National Park
• Keoladeo National Park etc.

The “Maratha Military Landscapes of India” will be India’s nomination for recognition on the UNESCO World Heritage List for the year 2024-25 and is not yet recognised as UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. 

Ans: A

Exp:

In vitro fertilisation, also called IVF, is a complex series of procedures that can lead to a pregnancy. It’s a treatment for infertility, a condition in which you can’t get pregnant after at least a year of trying for most couples. IVF also can be used to prevent passing on genetic problems to a child.

Statement 1 is correct: During in vitro fertilisation, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilised by sperm in a lab. Then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilised eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop. One full cycle of IVF takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts, and the process can take longer.

Statement 2 is incorrect: IVF can be done using a couple’s own eggs and sperm. Or it may involve eggs, sperm or embryos from a known or unknown donor. In some cases, a gestational carrier- someone who has an embryo implanted in the uterus- might be used.

Ans: D

Exp:

NBS fertilisers- unlike urea, whose maximum retail price (MRP) is fixed by the government- are technically decontrolled. Under the NBS scheme, introduced in April 2010, their MRPs are supposed to be market-determined and set by the individual companies selling them. The government merely pays a fixed per-tonne subsidy on each of these fertilisers, linked to their nutrient content or specific percentage of:

• Nitrogen  (N)

• Phosphorous (P)

• Potassium (K)

• Sulphur (S)

But the Department of Fertilisers (DoF) has now, in an office memorandum dated January 18, issued detailed guidelines for the evaluation of the ‘reasonableness’ of the MRPs for all non-urea fertilisers covered under NBS. The guidelines, to be effective retrospectively from April 1, 2023, have prescribed maximum profit margins that will be allowed for fertiliser companies- 8% for importers, 10% for manufacturers and 12% for integrated manufacturers (those producing finished fertilisers as well as intermediates such as phosphoric acid and ammonia).

Ans: B

Exp:

‘Humboldt’s enigma’ is a challenge that tries to explain the extraordinarily high biodiversity of mountain regions, particularly in the tropics. With about 25% of all land area, mountain regions are home to more than 85% of the world’s species of amphibians, birds, and mammals, many entirely restricted to mountains. Biodiversity varies markedly among these regions. Together with the extreme species richness of some tropical mountains, this variation has proven challenging to explain under traditional climatic hypotheses. However, the complex climatic characteristics of rugged mountain regions differ fundamentally from those of lowland regions, likely playing a key role in generating and maintaining diversity. With ongoing global changes in climate and land use, the role of mountains as refugia for biodiversity may well come under threat.