IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 1]

Hello Friends, 

The 60 Days Training has finally begun:)

Before any competition, there is a preparatory phase. That phase involves a lot of sessions on strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the preparatory phase, the athletes train in a gradual manner.

In the last phase, just before the actual competition, the training is done so as to sharpen their skills. This training requires complete focus and dedication. In this phase, the athletes do not try anything new or train in a new fashion rather focus on sharpening of skills, focusing on strength and precision.

Similarly, the upcoming 60 days, is like the last phase (training session), just before the actual competition. Here, the focus should be on sharpening the concepts, consolidating the knowledge base and solidifying the learning with loads and loads of revision.

You will come across many distractions in between in the name of sources and resources (exclusive and inclusive), beware of them. Be alert and objective in selecting your companions in this preparation. Trust your effort and revise more than falling prey to multiple resources and doing nothing in the end.

Few hundreds of questions with concept building, restricted sources and content, that trains you to closely solve UPSC questions are far better than 15000 questions, 1000 pages of exclusive revision modules and multiplicity of initiatives that barely hits the right concepts of UPSC (direct vs indirect marketing). You are the best guide for selecting between right and wrong. Do not put yourself in the dark by being ignorant.

Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. 

Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days!

Importance of Self – Tracking: Learning from Last Year

Last year, aspirants used to comment their answers in the comment box on daily basis. There were huge participation in discussion. Putting answers in comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile.

It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes.

The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last two months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice.

So, take out few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise.

How can you make the best use of it?

Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants here just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 20 minutes only. 

Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then?

The same will be replicated in UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat 😛

DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE– is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself.  DOWNLOAD

• You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis.
• Feedback talks about daily test results.
• Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout.

Are you ready? Let’s start!

[Day 1]: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

TOPIC:

• General Science of NCERTS
• Biotechnology- Applications
• All the concepts w.r.t Biotechnology, covered in NCERT’s class 6^th to 10^th

 

Q.1) Consider the following about applications of biotechnology

1. Therapeutics and Diagnostics
2. Genetically modified crops for agriculture and processed food
3. Bioremediation and waste treatment
4. Energy production

Choose the correct answers using the codes given below.

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 1, 2, 3 and 4
3. 2, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q.2) Consider the following statement about induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC).

1. They are derived from embryonic stem cells.
2. Pluripotent stem cells hold promise in the field of regenerative medicine.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None of the above

Q.3) Recently Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) was in news. Consider the following statements about it?

1. BIO is the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology companies only.
2. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.
3. The BIO International Convention 2017 was hosted by India.

Choose the correct answers using the codes given below.

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. All the above

Q.4) Consider the following statements about Bird Flu.

1. It is caused by both viruses and bacteria.
2. India has declared itself free from Bird Flu.
3. Bird Flu can be a reason to restrict imports via sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

Choose the correct answers using the codes given below.

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. All the above

Q.5) Recently the term ‘nosocomial infections’ was in news. It refers to

1. Any chronic ailment that occurs because of work or occupation.
2. An infection that is acquired in a hospital or other healthcare facility.
3. An infection that is acquired due to indoor air pollution.
4. An infection that is acquired due to mercury-contaminated water.

Q.6) The term ‘Orphan Drug’ was in news refers to

1. The drugs supplied by the government to orphanages under its various schemes.
2. A biological product or medicine that is intended to treat diseases so rare that sponsors are reluctant to develop them under usual marketing conditions.
3. Any drug that is derived from endangered species of plants.
4. Drugs that are developed to treat a rare syndrome called parents phobia.

Q.7) Choose the correct code which defines `Bioprospecting’

1. It is a technique of extracting metals from ores and other solid materials typically using prokaryotes or fungi.
2. It is the process of discovery and commercialization of new products based on biological resources.
3. It is the term used to refer to the use of bio-resources by multinational companies and other organizations without proper authorization from the countries and people concerned without compensatory payment.
4. It is a process of discovery of new biodiversity conservation methods.

Q.8) Consider the following statements with regard to Human Genome Project (HGP):

1. Goal of the project was complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings.
2. The potential benefits of HGP include providing new solutions to diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya.
3. A group of scientists from India recently proposed an ambitious project named as Human Genome Project-Write (HGP-Write) to create a genetic blueprint or synthetic human genome.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.9) Consider the below statement with regard to human genome sequencing:

1. India is among the league of countries who have demonstrated the capability of mapping all the genes of a human.
2. The world’s first human genome sequence was completed in 2003 by the International Human Genome Project, in which Indian scientists had also participated.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.10) Which among the following are examples of biotechnology?

1. Cloning
2. Beer brewing
3. Penicillin
4. Gene therapy

Choose the correct answer:

1. 1 and 4 only
2. 1, 3 and 4
3. 2 and 4
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q.11) Which one among the following statements is not true with respect to DNA and RNA?

1. They both carry genetic information.
2. DNA is a double-stranded molecule while RNA is a single-stranded molecule.
3. RNA is not stable under alkaline conditions while DNA is stable.
4. Compared with RNA, DNA is relatively resistant and less susceptible to UV damage.

Q.12) Which among the following biomaterials can be potentially retrieved and stored?

1. Skin
2. Bones
3. Ligaments and tendons
4. Heart valves
5. Corneas

Choose the correct answer:

1. 3, 4 and 5
2. 2, 4 and 5
3. 1, 2, 3 and 5
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Q.13) Svalbard Global Seed Vault, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its official opening. Consider the following in regard to it:

1. It is a facility located on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean and it houses the world’s largest collection of seeds.
2. The facility is located in Finland and the permafrost surrounding the facility will help maintain the low temperature of the seeds when the electricity supply fails.
3. A temperature of -18ºC is required for optimal storage of the seeds, which are stored and sealed in a custom made three-ply foil packages.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.14) Ability of a living cell to express all of its genes to regenerate a whole new individual, is defined by the term –

1. Totipotency
2. Organogenesis
3. Hybridoma
4. Cybrids

Q.15) Which of the following reasons make Escherichia coli suitable for gene cloning?

1. The E. coli genome was the first to be completely sequenced
2. It grows slowly and gives a stable condition for observation
3. E. coli is naturally found in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals
4. E. coli has no adverse impact on human health

Select the code from following:

1. 1 and 2
2. 1 and 3
3. 1,2 and 3
4. 2,3 and 4

Q.16) What are cry1Ac and cry2Ab in context of Bt crops?

1. They are proteins produced by a bacteria
2. They are viruses which affect Bt cotton
3. They are names of Bt cotton seeds
4. They are farm techniques which are used to produce Bt cotton.

Q.17) Consider the following statements regarding ‘Luciferase’

1. It is an enzyme that gives fireflies their glow
2. It can be used for low light intensity indoor lighting
3. It can be used to transform trees into self-powered street lights

Which of the above statements are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2
3. 2 and 3
4. All of the above

Q.18) Consider the following statements:

1. Y chromosome controls only male sexual characters.
2. X chromosome controls only female sexual characters.
3. Mutation in mitochondrial DNA does not cause any genetic disorder because that DNA is not used in protein synthesis.

Which of the above statements are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 3 only
3. 1 and 2
4. All of the above

Q.19) Which of the following have identical DNA fingerprints

1. Conjoint twins
2. Identical twins
3. Clones
4. Father & Son

Select the code from following:

1. 3 only
2. 1 and 2
3. All of the above
4. None of the above

Q.20) Consider the following statement regarding mitochondrial disease:

1. Mitochondrial disease can be caused by an adverse effect of drug infection and other environmental causes.
2. Mitochondrial disease is the group of disease caused by a dysfunctional nucleus.

Which of the given options are NOT correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.21) Which of the following statements about Dr. Har Gobind Khorana is/are correct?

1. He was the first Indian-born Nobel Prize winner in Medicine
2. The award was given for discovering that the order of nucleotides in DNA determines which amino acids are built.
3. He is credited with making the first synthetic genes by cutting and pasting different bits of DNA together.

Select the code from following:

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1 and 3
4. All the above

Q.22) Recently, ‘Rutland Island’ was in news in what context?

1. It filed a case against India accusing of not fulfilling its obligations relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament
2. India’s long-range missile test facility
3. India’s overseas military base in Seychelles to counter China’s growing influence over the Indian Ocean
4. Sovereignty dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom

Q.23) Consider the following statements about ‘NICER’ in the context of space technology

1. It is an external payload aboard the International Space Station
2. It focuses especially on pulsars
3. It was funded through NASA’s ‘Small Explorer’ program

Select the correct statements

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.24) Consider the following statements about the report ‘Sending Money Home: Contributing to the SDGs, one family at a time’

1. It is released by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
2. According to the report, India is the top receiving country for remittances

Select the correct statements

1. 1 Only
2. 2 Only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.25) Consider the following statements about ‘Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh’

1. It is a National Human Milk Bank launched by Ministry of Women and Child Development
2. It is established as part of the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI)
3. It will promote, support and protect the breastfeeding by providing lactation support to mothers

Select the correct statements

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1 and 3
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.26) Which of the following groupings established ‘a one million dollar fund for boosting media cooperation’?

1. Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
2. South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
3. The Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS)
4. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC)

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