UPSC Daily Quiz | 22 April 2024

xplanation: 

• Statements 1 and 2 are correct: Ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub native to regions of India, Africa, and the Middle East. It thrives in arid and semi-arid climates and can be cultivated in these areas for medicinal or commercial purposes. 
• Ashwagandha's scientific name is Withania somnifera, and it has been utilized as a key medicinal herb in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, for thousands of years. Ashwagandha is known for its adaptogenic properties, helping the body manage stress, anxiety, and fatigue, among other health benefits

Explanation: 

• What is the Innovation trap?
  • It refers to a situation where organizations strive to innovate but inadvertently fall into patterns of thinking and behaviour that stifle genuine creativity and progress. This trap often arises when organizations prioritize conformity, rely too heavily on past successes, or resist challenging the status quo.
• Explanation using example:
  • Kodak’s downfall can be attributed to its reluctance to embrace digital photography despite inventing the first digital camera in 1975. Instead of capitalizing on this innovation, Kodak continued to focus on its traditional film business, believing that digital photography was just a passing fad. This lack of foresight and innovation allowed competitors like Canon and Nikon to gain a foothold in the digital camera market.

Explanation: 

•  Dravidian literature is mostly composed of the four languages Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Tamil is the oldest language that has retained its Dravidian flavour the most. Kannada, as a cultural language, is nearly as ancient as Tamil.
• The Sangam classics, which include 18 works (eight anthologies of lyrics and ten lengthy poems), are renowned for their directness of language.
•  To better understand early Tamil poetry, a Tamil grammar book called Tolkappiyam was written during the period.
• The twin epics, Silappadhikaram (the narrative of the anklet) by Ilango-Adigal and Manimekalai (the story of Manimekalai) by Chattanar, were composed between A.D. 200 and 300 and provide detailed descriptions of Tamil culture at the time.
•  Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar in Tamil, has long been recognised as a Tamil cultural and moral symbol, adored by Tamils of all castes and religions as an ancient saint, poet, and philosopher.
•  The ‘Thirukkural’, a compilation of 1,330 couplets (‘kurals’ in Tamil), is an integral element of every Tamil home, just as the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana/Ramcharitmanas are in traditional North Indian Hindu households.
•  Thiruvalluvar, the author of the renowned Tamil classic Kural, wrote an advise for the monarchs of the Sangam age, warning them about the corrupting influence of unrestrained power.

Explanation: 

• Statement 1 is correct but 2 is incorrect: 

• Heavy rains in Dubai:  The primary reason for these heavy rains was a storm system, which was passing through the Arabian peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman.
•  According to a different report by the AP, rains could have been exacerbated by cloud seeding, a process of spraying salt mixtures in clouds that would result in condensation of the cloud and eventually cause rainfall.

Explanation: 

• Challenging the idea that ageing is inevitable, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has launched a ‘Longevity India Initiative’ aimed at increasing human healthspan and overcoming challenges associated with growing older.
•  It primarily focuses on identifying early disease indicators, investigating ageing biomarkers, and developing new therapeutics and technologies to aid healthy ageing. The initiative was launched on April 18.