UPSC Quiz – 2023 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 19th December 2023

·       It is named for Sargassum, a holopelagic, golden drift algae that can aggregate to form extensive floating mats on the surface of the ocean.

·       This extraordinary open-ocean ecosystem is bounded by currents circulating around the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre and is unique for supporting the center of distribution and abundance for a community of continuously pelagic drift algae.

·       It provides habitats, spawning areas, migration pathways and feeding grounds to a diverse assortment of flora and fauna, including endemic, endangered, and commercially important species.

·       The Gulf Stream establishes the Sargasso Sea’s western boundary, while the Sea is further defined to the north by the North Atlantic Current, to the east by the Canary Current, and to the south by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current.

·       Drainage Basin: This transboundary river drains an area of about 185,000 square kilometers and flows through six countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and the Netherlands.

·       Names: It is known by different names depending on which country it flows through. Some of its names include Rhein (Germany), Rijn (Dutch), Rhin (French), Rhenus (Latin), and Renos (Celtic).

·       Tributaries: Some of the notable tributaries of the Rhine River include Aare, Tamina, Moselle, Erft, Rein da Tuma, Plessur, Rotach, and Wiese.

·       It is the 12th longest river in Europe, stretching approximately 1,230 kilometers from its source in Switzerland to its mouth on the North Sea in the Netherlands.

·       It facilitates industrial transportation and supports industrial production, with about 20% of the world’s chemical industries manufacturing along the river.

·       He was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion.

·       His father and the sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind Sahib (1595-1644) changed the name to Teg Bahadur.

·       He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik Hills, near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the last two Sikh Gurus lived and where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699.

·       He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to Granth Sahib which cover various topics, such as the nature of God, human attachments, body, mind, dignity, service etc.

Martyrdom:

·       He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi.

·       His martyrdom is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year on 24 November, according to the Nanakshahi calendar released by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 2003.

·       It is an inert, colourless, and odourless gas.

·       Radon gas usually exists at very low levels outdoors, but the gas can accumulate in areas without adequate ventilation, such as underground mines.

·       Radon can get into homes and buildings through small cracks or holes and build up in the air.

·       Radon levels may be higher in homes that are well insulated, tightly sealed, and/or built on soil rich in the elements uranium, thorium, and radium.

·       It is the second-most important cause of lung cancer after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

·       According to the WHO, radon is estimated to cause between 3% to 14% of all lung cancers in a country, depending on the national average radon level and smoking prevalence.

·       It distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.

·       It can induce a state of sedation (feeling calm and relaxed), immobility, relief from pain and amnesia and is abused for the dissociative sensations and hallucinogenic effects.

·       Owing to its powerful effects, ketamine is consumed by those patients who haven’t responded to traditional therapies.

·       Mental illness patients usually take ketamine through an IV, nasal spray or tablet once or twice a week for 6 to 8 weeks (some might need it for longer).

·       Ketamine is also used as a recreational drug, popularly known as K or Special K among club-goers.

·       When it comes to recreational purposes, it is consumed by snorting a white crystalline powder.

·       India – It is included in the stringent schedule X of the Drug and Cosmetics act, 1940.

·       The drugs in schedule X, cannot be purchased over the counter without a valid prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP).

·       Causes – It can cause both mental and physical problems.

·       Ketamine can cause depression, delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure and potentially fatal respiratory problems.