Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed nine and injured hundreds in Taiwan, which lies inside the Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone around 

Statement 1 is correct: It is also known as the Circum- Pacific Belt. It traces the meeting points of many less dense tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, Philippine, and other smaller plates, which all encircle the large Pacific Plate.

Statement 2 is  incorrect: Plates overlap at convergent boundaries called subduction zones along much of this ring of fire. A significant exception is the border between the Pacific and North American Plates. This stretch of the Ring of Fire is a transform boundary, where plates move sideways past one another. So, transform faults also form near this ring of fire.

Statement 3 is correct: The Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ is an area along the Pacific Ocean that is characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. 

• It is home to about 75 per cent of the world’s volcanoes with more than 450 volcanoes. 
• Also, about 90 per cent of the world’s earthquakes occur here.

Ans: B

Exp:

According to a study conducted by IIM-A, nuclear energy makes up only 1.6% of India’s energy mix.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Unlike fossil fuel-fired power plants, nuclear reactors do not produce air

pollution or carbon dioxide while operating. 

• Some radioactive wastes are produced such as uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor fuel, and other radioactive wastes which are removed during refuelling or maintenance. 

Statement 2 is correct: Reactors cooled and moderated by water generate more liquid waste than those cooled by gas. 

• Hence, the volumes of liquid waste generated at boiling-water reactors (BWRs) are significantly higher than at pressurised water reactors (PWRs).

Statement 3 is correct: The most frequently applied methods for treating the liquid waste generated by

nuclear reactors are cementation, bituminization, or incorporation into polymers. 

• Bituminization is a hot process which allows the wet stream to be dried off before being immobilized and packaged. 
• This technique is widely used for conditioning of radioactive waste at nuclear power plants in the USA, Japan, Sweden, USSR, Switzerland, and other countries.

Ans: C

Exp:

Recently, the Uttarakhand government has constituted two teams of experts to evaluate the risk posed by five potentially hazardous glacial lakes in the region

Statement 1 is correct: GLOFs are difficult to predict in advance due to their suddenness and the many factors that can trigger them. However, scientists are working on developing models and monitoring systems to improve early warning and preparedness.

Statement 2 is correct: GLOF can be triggered by several reasons, including earthquakes, extremely heavy rains and ice avalanches.

• The 2021 Uttarakhand flash floods are believed to be caused by a GLOF triggered by a massive rock and ice avalanche from a hanging glacier. 

Ans: D

Exp:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Radio telescopes are larger than optical telescopes because radio waves have significantly longer wavelengths than visible light.

Statement 2 is incorrect: PRATUSH (Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen): PRATUSH is being built by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru with active collaboration from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Agriculture was so crucial to the Indus people that it was their only means of subsistence. Those who were unable to trade turned to farming and agriculture. Wheat, barley, peas, lentils, linseed, and mustard seeds were planted in the winter, while millet, sesame, and rice were planted in the summer

Statement 2 is correct: Excavation made at a burial site, spread over 16 hectares in a Kutch village- Khetia, shows that it can be considered as the largest pre-urban Harappan cemetery. The findings at the burial site are consistent with its pre-urban Harappan status.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The late Harappan phase saw the gradual breakdown of the urban networks and an expansion of the rural ones along with an agricultural economy.