Science and Technology MCQ Set 17
Showing question 81 to 85 of total 301 MCQs
MCQ Set: 17
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Question No: 81
DST has launched which of the following yojanas to experiment and formulate S&T interventions for sustainability through cluster approach?
- Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana
- Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Kshetra Sankul Pariyoja
- Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Panchayat Sankul Pariyojana
- Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Sankul Pariyojana
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
Department of Science and Technology is implementing several initiatives for upliftment and economic development of rural areas in the country.
A number of appropriate technologies have been developed, demonstrated and deployed at several locations in the country.
The Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Harshvardhan launched “Pt Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana” which will experiment and endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate S&T Interventions for Sustainable Development through cluster approach in Uttarakhand.
This project has been inspired by teachings and ideals of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay whose birth centenary is being celebrated this year.
DST has conceived to adopt a few clusters of villages in Uttarakhand and transform them to become self-sustainable in a time bound manner through the tools of Science and Technology (S&T).
The key deliverable in this approach is to utilise local resources and locally available skill sets and convert them in a manner using science and technology, that substantial value addition takes place in their local produce and services which can sustain the rural population locally.
Further, the local communities are not compelled to migrate from their native places in search of jobs and livelihoods.
Once this concept is validated in the few selected clusters, it can be replicated across large number of village clusters in the country.
Four clusters at Gaindikhata, Bazeera, Bhigun (in Garhwal) and Kausani (in Kumaon) have been selected for the intervention through a series of dialogues held among officials of DST and Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology (UCOST); Gramodaya Network, Surabhi Foundation and Uttarakhand Utthan Parishad; and other experts.
Intensive interaction with local population and field visits were carried out to identify the challenges and opportunities that exist in the clusters.
About a lakh of people would benefit directly or indirectly through this project in four identified clusters of 60 villages in Uttarakhand for pilot phase which are located at different altitudes (up to 3000 meters).
As the living conditions and resources available at different altitude is relatively different, the adopted strategy would help in creating models that are appropriate for different altitudes and could then be replicated in other hill states as well.
Areas of interventions in these selected clusters would be processing and value addition of milk, honey, mushroom, herbal tea, forest produce, horticulture and local crops, medicinal & aromatic plants and traditional craft and handloom of Uttarakhand.
Post-harvest processing of Kiwi, Strawberry, Cherry, Tulsi, Adrak, Badi Elaichi through solar drying technology, extraction of apricot oil using cold press technology.
Stringent product and process control interventions for energy and water conservation would also be ensured through this project.
Novel strategies for sustainable development in this ecologically fragile state are important.
Practice of agriculture, agro-based cottage industries and animal husbandry in an eco-friendly manner will be emphasized during the implementation of the project.
Sustainable employment and livelihood options within the clusters such as eco-tourism, naturopathy and yoga, are also planned to be promoted.
These clusters would act as model production cum training and demonstration centres.
There is a possibility of replicating this pilot phase initiative in other hill states of the country once it is established and stabilized.
Various scientific institutions would participate collectively in this endeavour to accomplish the dream of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay towards ‘Swavlamban’.
Department of Science and Technology (DST) has committed INR 6.3 crore support for a period of three years for this project.
Question No: 82
What are qubits?
- how information is stored in quantum computers
- information storage according to principles of quantum mechanics
- Both a and b
- None of the above
Answer and Explanation
Answer: C
Explanation
Keen to tap into the next big advance in computing technology, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is planning to fund a project to develop quantum computers.
A quantum computer, still largely a theoretical entity, employs the principles of quantum mechanics to store information in ‘qubits’ instead of the typical ‘bits’ of 1 and 0.
Qubits work faster because of the way such circuits are designed, and their promise is that they can do intensive number-crunching tasks much more efficiently than the fastest comparable computers.
For instance, to sort a billion numbers, a quantum computer would require 3.5 million fewer steps than a traditional machine, and would find the solution in only 31,623 steps, says a Morgan Stanley analysis.
Solving other problems, many having to do with computing physics, becomes possible on quantum machines, the authors say, whereas they might never be possible on traditional computers.
Experts from across the country are expected to gather this month in Allahabad for a workshop to develop such a computer.
Internationally, Canada’s D-Wave Systems, is a pioneer in developing quantum computers and has sold machines to Lockheed Martin and Google.
Experts, however, say that ‘true quantum computers’ are still years away, and existing systems use principles of quantum computing to solve very limited problems.
Question No: 83
What is a coma?
- Bright halo of material on the comet
- Long tail of dust
- Two asteroids orbiting each other
- Two planets orbiting each other
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A
Explanation
An unusual object, discovered in the solar system’s asteroid belt, is actually two asteroids orbiting each other, scientists including one of Indian origin have found using the Hubble Space Telescope.
The object has comet-like features including a bright halo of material, called a coma, and a long tail of dust.
Hubble was used to image the asteroid, designated 300163 (2006 VW139), in September 2016 just before the asteroid made its closest approach to the Sun.
The images revealed that it was actually not one, but two asteroids of almost the same mass and size, orbiting each other at a distance of 96 kilometres.
Asteroid 300163 (2006 VW139) was discovered by Spacewatch in November 2006 and then the possible cometary activity was seen in November 2011 by Pan - STARRS.
Both Spacewatch and Pan-STARRS are asteroid survey projects of NASA’s Near Earth Object Observations Program.
After the Pan-STARRS observations it was also given a comet designation of 288P.
This makes the object the first known binary asteroid that is also classified as a main-belt comet.
The more recent Hubble observations revealed ongoing activity in the binary system.
The combined features of the binary asteroid - wide separation, near-equal component size, high eccentricity orbit, and comet - like activity- also make it unique among the few known binary asteroids that have a wide separation.
Understanding its origin and evolution may provide new insights into the early days of the solar system.
Main-belt comets may help to answer how water came to a bone-dry Earth billions of years ago.
Binary Asteroid System: Know More
The team estimates that 2006 VW139/288P has existed as a binary system only for about 5,000 years. The most probable formation scenario is a breakup due to fast rotation.
After that, the two fragments may have been moved further apart by the effects of ice sublimation, which would give a tiny push to an asteroid in one direction as water molecules are ejected in the other direction.
The fact that 2006 VW139/288P is so different from all other known binary asteroids raises some questions about how common such systems are in the asteroid belt.
We need more theoretical and observational work, as well as more objects similar to this object, to find an answer to this question.
Question No: 84
What is LC3 technology?
- New cement material technology that reduces CO2 emissions in manufacturing process
- Limestone calcined clay cement technology
- Combination of clinker limestone and clinker calcined clay
- All of the above
Answer and Explanation
Answer: D
Explanation
A research collaboration between India and Switzerland on a new cement material that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the manufacturing process is set to take off into implementation.
The construction sector is a major contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions.
Though this is known, it appears difficult to reduce the scale of construction, especially as it is a route to establishing more equitable conditions in developing countries like India.
One way of mitigating the emissions factor is the use of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement or the LC3 technology.
Traditional processes that manufacture cement from clinker-limestone or clinker-calcined clay combinations are well known.
LC3 effects a synergy between these processes. The combination of the new method and the material properties effectively reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 30% as compared to the traditional way of manufacturing cement.
How It Works
In manufacturing Portland cement, limestone and materials like clay are heated together in huge kilns to high temperatures (approximately 1,450 degrees C), so that they fuse without melting to give clinker.
This is the most CO2-intensive part of the whole process.
The carbon dioxide comes both from the burning of the fuel needed to create that temperature and due to the breakdown of limestone into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.
The latter part accounts for 60% of the CO2 emissions in manufacture of cement.
The best thing to do would be to substitute CO2-intensive clinker with a different material.
In India, fly ash - a waste produced in the burning of coal for producing energy - is used in the manufacture of blended cement.
However this is used in a lower proportions and only where available; therefore, for effectively reducing emissions, more clinker is to be substituted with calcined clay and limestone.
This reduces emissions by 30% with respect to Portland cement.
There is an added advantage to the new material when used in coastal areas where reinforced concrete can be damaged by chloride diffusing through the material.
The new cement has less porosity and it is more difficult for the chloride to get in and damage the steel rods.
This gives the new cement a longer service life.
Question No: 85
What is the name of the two-tiered barge that is a boat lab for River Brahmaputra?
- Brahmaputra Biodiversity Biology Boat
- B3
- B4
- Both a and c
- None of the above
Answer and Explanation
Answer: D
Explanation
Soon, it will be possible to cruise along the Brahmaputra along while doing some serious science.
The Department of Biotechnology will commission a two-tiered barge that will roughly be the size of two large conference rooms and host scientists and a full-fledged lab.
This will allow those on board to collect samples from various stretches of the river, perform tests on water quality and biodiversity of the wider ecosystem.
The proposed vessel, now only known as the Brahmaputra Biodiversity Biology Boat (B4), would also be linked to smaller boats and research labs.
The first experiments will likely begin this December and will have the boat - a re-purposed one - trawl Pasighat, Dibrigarh, Neemati, Tejpur and Guwahati in Assam and managed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.
The “B4” will also have a teaching laboratory for school and college children.
Specifying that this wouldn’t be just a show boat, officials indicated there would also be ‘mobile labs’ that would run along the tributaries of the Brahmaputra to feed in data to the B4.
For a river of the size and diversity of the Brahmaputra, there is very little research done to understand its hydrology, water quality and biodiversity.
A boat of this nature would be one of its kind in the world though there were a few precedents in China and mobile laboratories that studied the Amazon river.
Government aimed to spend ?200 crore across a range of programmes.