UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 29th May 2021

Solution (c)

A reclining Buddha statue or image represents The Buddha during his last illness, about to enter Parinirvana, the stage of great salvation after death that can only be attained by enlightened souls. The Buddha’s death came when he was 80 years old, in a state of meditation, in Kushinagar in eastern Uttar Pradesh, close to the state’s border with Bihar.

Statues and images of the Reclining Buddha show him lying on his right side, his head resting on a cushion or on his right elbow. It is a popular iconographic depiction in Buddhism, and is meant to show that all beings have the potential to be awakened and be released from the cycle of death and rebirth.

The Reclining Buddha was first depicted in Gandhara art, which began in the period between 50 BC and 75 AD, and peaked during the Kushana period. Ajanta contains a 24-foot-long and nine-foot-tall sculpture of the Reclining Buddha, believed to have been carved in the 5th century AD.

Article Link: The Reclining Buddha and his various other depictions in art

Solution (d)

Methane is produced by the breakdown or decay of organic material and can be introduced into the atmosphere by either natural processes or man-made processes.

Natural processes include the decay of plant material in wetlands, the seepage of gas from underground deposits or the digestion of food by cattle. Human activities such as oil and gas production, rice farming or waste management lead to methane emission in the atmosphere. Human-caused methane emissions are increasing faster currently than at any other time since record keeping began in the 1980s.

In a UN report it was found that Oil and gas extraction, processing and distribution account for 23 per cent of methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector. Coal mining accounts for 12 per cent of emissions.

Landfills and wastewater made up about 20 per cent of emissions in the waste sector. In the agricultural sector, livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation constitute for roughly 32 per cent and rice cultivation eight per cent of emissions.

Article Link: Reduce human-caused methane emissions by 45% to avoid worst of climate change: UN

Solution (a)

The Sea of Marmara is an inland sea. It lies within the border of Turkey. It connects Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, separating Turkey’s Asian and European lands.

The Bosphorus Strait connects Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea and the Dardanelles strait connects it to the Aegean Sea.

Article Link: Turkey struck by sea snot because of global heating

Solution (d)

Mayun Island is a volcanic island located in the Strait of Mandeb at the southern entrance into the Red Sea. Also known as the Prim Island, it comes under the jurisdiction of Yemen. Its strategic significance enhanced with the opening of Suez Canal, leading to major powers like UK and Russia controlling it at some point in recent history.

Recently, a mysterious airbase has cropped up on this island. No country has claimed ownership to the new Mayun Island airbase. 

Article Link: Mysterious airbase being built on Volcanic Island off Yemen

Solution (b)

Bhitarkanika National Park, located in Odisha, is famous for its mangroves, migratory birds, turtles, estuarine crocodiles and countless creeks. It is India’s second- largest mangrove forest. Bhitarkanika is home to a wide range of fauna, including 3,000 spotted deer, bird species and other species such as wild boars, jackal, hyenas, jungle cat, fishing cats, water monitor lizards, rhesus macaques, common languor, hyena, otters, jungle cat, mongooses, fox, leopard cat, porcupine, Indian civet cat and hare. 

The area was designated a national park in September 1998 and as a Ramsar site by UNESCO in August 2002.

Article Link: Cyclone Yaas fells hundreds of trees in Bhitarkanika, hit on fauna being assessed