(Papers) UPSC Pre Topic Wise Papers : Science and Technology

2015 :

1. With reference to the use of nano-technology in health sector, which of the following statements is/ are correct?
1. Targeted drug delivery is made possible by nanotechnology.
2. Nanotechnology can largely contribute to gene therapy.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: C
Exp: Nanotechnology has provided the possibility of delivering drugs to specific cells using nanoparticles. The overall drug consumption and side-effects may be lowered significantly by depositing the active agent in the morbid region only and in no higher dose than needed. Targeted drug delivery is intended to reduce the side effects of drugs with concomitant decreases in consumption and treatment expenses. Drug delivery focuses on maximizing bioavailability both at specific places in the body and over a period of time. This can potentially be achieved by molecular targeting by nanoengineered devices. Bionanotechnology is a specific application of nanotechnology. For example, DNA nanotechnology or cellular engineering would be classified as bionanotechnology because they involve working with biomolecules on the nanoscale. Conversely, many new medical technologies involving nanoparticles as delivery systems or as sensors would be examples of nanobiotechnology since they involve using nanotechnology to advance the goals of biology. However whether it can largely contribute to gene therapy or not is not clear.)

2. In the context of modem scientific research, consider the following statements about ‘IceCube’, a particle detector located at South Pole, which was recently in the news:
1. It is the world’s largest neutrino detector, encompassing a cubic kilometre of ice.
2. It is a powerful telescope to search for dark matter.
3. It is buried deep in the ice.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: D

Exp: The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (or simply IceCube) is a neutrino telescope constructed at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. Its thousands of sensors are distributed over a cubic
kilometre of volume under the Antarctic ice. Similar to its predecessor, the Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA), IceCube consists of spherical optical sensors called Digital Optical Modules (DOMs), each with a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a single board data acquisition computer which sends digital data to the counting house on the surface above the array. IceCube was completed on 18 December 2010. However, a neutrino is an electrically neutral elementary particle with half-integer spin. The neutrino (meaning “little neutral one” in Italian) is denoted by the Greek letter í (nu). All evidence suggests that neutrinos have mass but that their masses are tiny, even compared to other subatomic particles. They are the only identified form of dark matter, specifically hot dark matter.

3. With reference to ‘Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology’, which of the following statements is/ are correct?
1. It is a contactless communication technology that uses electromagnetic radio fields.
2. NFC is designed for use by devices which can be at a distance of even a metre from each other.
3. NFC can use encryption when sending sensitive information.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) Only 3
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: C

Exp: Near field communication (NFC) is the set of protocols that enables smartphones and other devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching the devices together or bringing them into proximity to a distance of typically 10 cm (3.9 in) or less.

4. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is constituted under the
(a) Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
(b) Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
(c) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
(d) Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Ans: C

Exp: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body constituted in the Ministry of Environment and Forests under ‘Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells 19892 , under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. (Source: website of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change)

5. In which of the following activities are Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites used?
1. Assessment of crop productivity
2. Locating groundwater resources
3. Mineral exploration
4. Telecommunications
5. Traffic studies
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 4 and 5 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Ans: A

Exp: Data from Indian Remote Sensing satellites are used for various applications of resources survey and management under the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS). Following is the list
of those applications:

Space Based Inputs for Decentralized Planning (SIS-DP)
National Urban Information System (NUIS)
ISRO Disaster Management Support Programme (ISRO-DMSP)
Biodiversity Characterizations at landscape level
Preharvest crop area and production estimation of major crops.
Drought monitoring and assessment based on vegetation condition.
Flood risk zone mapping and flood damage assessment.
Hydro-geomorphological maps for locating underground water resources for drilling well.
Irrigation command area status monitoring
Snow-melt run-off estimates for planning water use in down stream projects
Land use and land cover mapping
Urban planning
Forest survey
Wetland mapping
Environmental impact analysis
Mineral Prospecting
Coastal studies
Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (initiated in 1992) for generating locale-specific prescriptions for integrated land and water resources development in 174 districts.

6. The term ‘IndARC’, sometimes seen in the news, is the name of
(a) an indigenously developed radar system inducted into Indian Defence
(b) India’s satellite to provide services to the countries of Indian Ocean Rim
(c) a scientific establishment set up by India in Antarctic region
(d) India’s underwater observatory to scientifically study the Arctic region
Ans: D
Exp: A major milestone in India’s scientific endeavors in the Arctic region has been achieved on the 23rd July, 2014 when a team of scientists from the ESSO-National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) and the ESSONational Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) uccessfully deployed IndARC, the country’s first multi-sensor moored observatory in the Kongsfjorden fjord of the Arctic, roughly half
way between Norway and the North Pole. This moored observatory, designed and developed by ESSO-NIOT and ESSO-NCAOR with ESSOIndian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) was deployed from the Norwegian Polar Institute’s research vessel R.V. Lance during its annual MOSJ-ICE cruise to the Kongsfjorden area. The observatory is presently anchored (78°57´ N 12°01´E), about
1100 km away from the North Pole at a depth of 192 m and has an array of ten state-of-the-art oceanographic sensors strategically positioned at discrete depths in the water column. These sensors are programmed to collect real-time data on seawater temperature, salinity, current and other vital parameters of the ford. (Source: PIB)

7. HINI virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?
(a) AIDS
(b) Bird flu
(c) Dengue
(d) Swine flu

Ans: D

Exp: Influenza A (H1N1) virus is the most common cause of human influenza (flu). In June 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new strain of swine-origin H1N1 as a pandemic. This strain
is often called swine flu by the public media.

8. With reference to bio-toilets used by the Indian Railways, consider the following statements:
1. The decomposition of human waste in the biotoilets is initiated by a fungal inoculums.
2. Ammonia and water vapour are the only end products in this decomposition which are released into the atmosphere.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: D

Exp: The bio-toilets introduced by the Indian Railway with assistance from DRDO uses bacteria. The naerobic bacteria named ‘inoculum’ are used in the bio-toilets have been collected and analysed by DRDO from Antarctica and the efficiency of this system has been tested in extreme climates and conditions. it will be kept in a container under the lavatories that convert human waste into water and small amounts of gases. Gases will be released into the atmosphere and the water will be discharged after chlorination onto the tracks.

9. With reference to ‘fuel cells’ in which hydrogenrich fuel and oxygen are used to generate electricity, consider the following statements:
1. If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, the fuel cell emits heat and water as by products.
2. Fuel cells can be used for powering buildings and not for small devices like laptop computers.
3. Fuel cells produce electricity in the form of Alternating Current (AC).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: A

Exp: It can be used in small devices also and Fuel cells produce electricity in the form of Direct Current(DC).

10. The term ‘Goldilocks Zone’ is often seen in the news in the context of
(a) the limits of habitable zone above the surface of the Earth
(b) region inside the Earth where shale gas is available
(c) search for the Earth-like planets in outer space
(d) search for meteorites containing precious metals
Ans: C
Exp: In astronomy and astrobiology, the circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ), or simply the habitable zone, is the region around a star within which planetary-mass objects with sufficient atmospheric pressure can support liquid water at their surfaces. The bounds of the CHZ are calculated using the known requirements of Earth’s biosphere, its position in the Solar System and the amount of radiant energy it receives from the Sun. Due to the importance of liquid water to life as it exists on Earth, the nature of the CHZ and the objects within is believed to be instrumental in determining the scope and distribution of Earth-like
extraterrestrial life and intelligence. The habitable zone is also called the Goldilocks zone, a metaphor of the children’s fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a little girl chooses from sets of three items, ignoring the ones that are too extreme (large or small, hot or cold, etc.), and settling on the one in the middle, which is “just right”.

2014 :

1. With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statemenrs:

1. ‘Photovoltaics’ is a technology that generates
electricity by direct conversion of light into
electricity, while ‘Solar Thermal’ is a technology
that utilizes the Sun’s rays to generate heat
which is further used in electricity generation
process.

2. Photovoltaics generates Alternating Current
(AC), while Solar Thermal generates Direct
Current (DC).

3. India has manufacturing base for Solar Thermal
technology, but not for Photovoltaics.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None

2. With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called ‘coalbed methane’ and ‘shale gas’, consider the following ‘statements:
1. Coalbed methane is the pure methane gas extracted from coal seams, while shale gas is a mixture of propane and butane only that can be extracted from fine-grained sedimentary rocks.
2. In India abundant coalbed methane sources exist, but so far no shale gas sources have been found. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: D

3. Which of the following pair is/are correctly matched?
Spacecraft Purpose
1. Cassini-Huygens : Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2. Messenger : Mapping and investigating the Mercury
3. Voyager 1 and 2 : Exploring the outer solar system
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) Only 1
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: B

4. There is some concern regarding the nanoparticles of some chemical elements that are used by the industry in the manufacture of various products. Why?
1. They can accumulate in the environment, and contaminate water and soil.
2. They can enter the food chains.
3. They can trigger the production of free radicals.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) Only 3
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

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(Papers) UPSC Pre Topic Wise Papers : Science and Technology