UPSC Daily Quiz | 01 October 2024

Relevance: The chikungunya outbreak in Pune and nearby regions has been traced to the Indian Ocean lineage of the virus, according to scientists at the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

Explanation:

• Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bites of mosquitoes infected with the chikungunya virus. (Hence, statement 1 is correct)

• It is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes, Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, which can also transmit dengue and Zika viruses.
• It is not spread from person to person. (Hence, statement 2 is not correct)
• It was first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952 and has now been identified in nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
• There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for chikungunya virus infections.
• The goal of treatment for the infection is to relieve symptoms with rest, fluids and drugs. (Hence, statement 3 is correct)

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | S&T

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

Relevance: Recently, the Union Food and Public Distribution Minister said that India has become the World’s third largest Producer and Consumer of Ethanol.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Ethanol is a clear, colourless liquid used in alcoholic beverages and can be produced via plant fermentation and the hydration of ethylene.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: While ethanol is used in hand sanitizers, cosmetics, and food products, it is not used in fire extinguishers due to its highly flammable nature. In fact, it should be kept away from open flames.
• Statement 3 is correct: Ethanol is blended with petrol to form a mixture known as E10, which helps in oxygenating fuel and reducing air pollution.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | S&T

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

Relevance: Researchers recently surveyed the bottom of Lake Michigan after spotting strange circles on the lakebed in 2022, and new observations show the circles are craters.

Explanation:

• Lake Michigan is the third largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. (Hence, statement 1 is not correct)

• It is the only one lying wholly within the United States. (Hence, statement 2 is correct)

• It is the fourth largest freshwater lake and the fifth largest lake in the world ranked by surface area.
• Lake Michigan is connected directly to Lake Huron, into which it drains, through the broad Straits of Mackinac. (Hence, statement 3 is not correct)

• This hydrologic connection through the Straits keeps the water levels of the two lakes in equilibrium, causing them to behave in many ways as though they are one lake.

• Water flows into Lake Michigan from several rivers, including the Fox-Wolf, the Grand, the St. Joseph, and the Kalamazoo rivers, among others. 

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Geography

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

Relevance: Jordan becomes the first country in the world to eliminate leprosy, receiving official verification from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Explanation:

• • Jordan is an Arab country of Southwest Asia, in the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula.
  • It is named for the Jordan River, which passes on its western border.

• It is bounded to the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, to the southeast and south by Saudi Arabia, and to the west by Israel and the West Bank. 

• The capital and largest city in the country is Amman—named for the Ammonites, who made the city their capital in the 13th century BCE.
• Jordan has 26 km of coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) in the southwest, where Al-ʿAqabah, its only port, is located.
• Jordan has three major physiographic regions (from east to west): the desert, the uplands east of the Jordan River, and the Jordan Valley (the northwest portion of the great East African Rift System).
• The desert region is mostly within the Syrian Desert—an extension of the Arabian Desert. The Jordan Valley region contains the Dead Sea. 

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Geography

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

Relevance: Recently, hundreds protested in the Canary Islands against an influx of migrants to the Spanish archipelago, which has welcomed more than 19,000 migrants since the beginning of 2024.

Explanation:

• • Located off the coast of north-west Africa, the Canary Islands have become an increasingly popular destination for people braving the perilous Atlantic crossing in the hope of finding a better life in Europe.

• Although the Atlantic route is especially dangerous, it is becoming increasingly popular because it is less closely monitored than the Mediterranean.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Geography

Level of Difficulty: Easy | Factual