UPSC Daily Quiz | 26 September 2024

Relevance: Recently, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a “Pact for the Future” a comprehensive agreement designed to reshape global governance for the twenty-first century at the Summit of the future.

Explanation:

Pact for the Future

• It is a landmark declaration reaffirming the commitment of UN Member States to sustainable development, peace, and stronger global governance.

The Pact’s five broad focus areas include

• Sustainable development: It includes a pledge to move faster towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement commitments on climate change. (Hence, point 1 is correct)
• International peace and security: Redouble efforts to build and sustain peaceful, inclusive and just societies and address the root causes of conflicts and protect all civilians in armed conflict. (Hence, point 2 is correct)
• Science and technology and digital revolution: Science, technology and innovation have the potential to accelerate the realization of the aspirations of the United Nations across all three pillars of its work. (Hence, point 4 is correct)
• Youth and future generations: Listen to young people and include them in decision-making, at the national and global levels. (Hence, point 5 is correct)
• Transforming global governance: Build stronger partnerships with civil society, the private sector, local and regional authorities.
• Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (option 3) is not explicitly listed as one of the five broad focus areas of the “Pact for the Future,” although it remains a critical area in other UN agendas. (Hence, point 3 is not correct)

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | IR

Level of Difficulty: Moderate | Factual

Q2. Which of the following statements correctly describes the Nagar Van Yojana (NVY)?

(a) Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) was launched in 2020 to promote agroforestry in rural areas of India.

(b) The primary objective of Nagar Van Yojana is to enhance urban greenery, improving the quality of life and fostering social cohesion in cities.

(c) Under the Nagar Van Yojana, the government aims to establish tree nurseries in schools across rural and urban areas.

(d) Nagar Van Yojana was launched to incentivize private companies to create parks and green spaces within industrial zones to improve worker well-being.

Answer: b

Relevance: Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India achieved a 100-Day Target of 100 Nagar Vans under Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) with the objective to Enhance Urban Greenery.

Explanation:

• The Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change with the aim of increasing urban greenery. 
• It focuses on creating and developing urban forests in various cities, promoting green spaces that improve the quality of life, enhance biodiversity, and increase social cohesion in urban environments.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Schemes

Level of Difficulty: Easy| Factual

Relevance: Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India achieved a 100-Day Target of 100 Nagar Vans under Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) with the objective to Enhance Urban Greenery.

Explanation:

• The Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change with the aim of increasing urban greenery. 
• It focuses on creating and developing urban forests in various cities, promoting green spaces that improve the quality of life, enhance biodiversity, and increase social cohesion in urban environments.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Schemes

Level of Difficulty: Easy| Factual

Relevance: DD Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), astronomers detected a new millisecond pulsar associated with a recently observed globular cluster known as Terzan 6.

Explanation:

Pulsars

• Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that blast out pulses of radiation at regular intervals ranging from seconds to milliseconds. (Hence, statement 1 is correct)
• Pulsars have very strong magnetic fields, which funnel jets of particles out along the two magnetic poles. These accelerated particles produce very powerful beams of light.
• Often, the magnetic field is not aligned with the spin axis, so those beams of particles and light are swept around as the star rotates.
• The periodicity of pulsars is caused by these beams of light crossing the line of sight on Earth, with the pulsar appearing to 'switch off' at points when the light is facing away from us. The time between these pulses is the 'period' of the pulsar.
• Pulsars have been primarily observed at radio wavelengths. 
• Pulsar masses range between 1.18 and 1.97 times that of the Sun, but most pulsars have a mass 1.35 times that of the Sun.

Neutron Star

• Neutron stars are highly dense remnants of massive stars that have collapsed, composed mainly of neutrons and other elementary particles.
• Neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses.
• The very central region of the star – the core – collapses, crushing together everyproton and electron into a neutron. (Hence, statement 2 is not correct)
• If the core of the collapsing star is between about 1 and 3 solar masses, these newly-created neutrons can stop the collapse, leaving behind a neutron star.

What is the Green Bank Telescope (GBT)?

• With a 100 m × 110 m off-axis paraboloid dish, the GBT is the largest fully steerable radio telescope on Earth. 
• It is located at Green Bank Observatory in the National Radio Quiet Zone in Green Bank, West Virginia, U.S.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | S&T

Level of Difficulty: Easy| Factual

Relevance: Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), astronomers detected a new millisecond pulsar associated with a recently observed globular cluster known as Terzan 6.

Explanation:

• A fjord is a long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches far inland, typically formed by glacial activity. (Hence, statement 1 is correct)
• While fjords can have rocky islands, they do not commonly contain coral reefs. Coral reefs are typically found in tropical and subtropical marine environments, not in the cold waters of fjords. (Hence, statement 2 is not correct)
• Fjords are primarily found in Norway, Chile, New Zealand, Canada, Greenland, and Alaska.
• The mouth of a fjord typically has a shallower opening compared to the body of water it leads to, which results in fast-moving water, including strong currents and saltwater rapids. (Hence, statement 3 is not correct)

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Geography

Level of Difficulty: Medium | Factual

Relevance: The United Nations Security Council met in emergency session recently following Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and in the south, which have left at least a dozen dead.

Explanation:

• Lebanon, with its capital at Beirut, is a country located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia. 
• It is part of an area known as the Fertile Crescent, also known as the “Cradle of Civilization”. 
• It borders the Mediterranean Sea in the west, Syria in the north and east, and Israel in the south. (Hence, statement 1 is not correct)
• Byblos, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, is around 30 km north of modern Beirut. (Hence, statement 2 is correct)
• In 1920, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon was ruled by France. (Hence, statement 4 is correct)
• The fertile Bekaa Valley in Lebanon receives water from the Litani, the only river in Lebanon that flows throughout the year. (Hence, statement 3 is not correct)

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Subject: Current Affairs | Geography

Level of Difficulty: Medium | Factual