Daily Current Affairs UPSC: News Based MCQs Quiz | 1st September 2025

Answer: (A) Only one

Detailed Explanation

• The Indian state formed by the admission of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 was Jammu and Kashmir itself. However, in 2019, the state was reorganized into two union territories: the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the union territory of Ladakh, following the abrogation of its special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
• Background
• Instrument of Accession: The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, acceded the state to the Dominion of India by signing the Instrument of Accession under the Indian Independence Act 1947.
• Special Status: Jammu and Kashmir had a special status under Article 370 of the Constitution of India, granting it a degree of autonomy.
• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019: This Act, passed by the Indian Parliament, reorganized the state into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, effective from October 31, 2019.
• Goa was established as a state in India by the State of Goa Act, 1986, which granted it statehood on May 30, 1987. Before becoming a state, Goa, along with Daman and Diu, was a union territory administered by India. On May 30, 1987, Goa attained statehood and became the 25th state of India.
• Act of Parliament: The State of Goa Act, 1986, was passed to grant statehood to Goa.
• Date of Statehood: Goa became India’s 25th state on May 30, 1987.
• Previous Status: Goa was part of a union territory called Goa, Daman, and Diu from 1961 to 1987.
• Significance: The establishment of statehood in 1987 gave Goa its own Legislative Assembly and government.
• Maharashtra was formed in 1960 when the Bombay Reorganisation Act divided the existing Bombay State into Maharashtra and Gujarat, based on linguistic lines. The state was created to unite the Marathi-speaking populations and establish linguistic states after India’s independence, following a long struggle known as the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.
• Date of Formation: May 1, 1960.
• Basis for Formation: Linguistic, specifically to unite Marathi-speaking regions.
• Legislation: The Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960.
• Previous State: Maharashtra was formed from the Marathi-speaking areas of the former Bombay State.
• Associated Movement: The Samyukta Maharashtra Movement was a popular struggle for a separate state for Marathi speakers.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the orca (killer whale) as Data Deficient (DD) on the global Red List due to ongoing taxonomic uncertainties, despite a large global population. However, this status does not reflect the threats faced by specific subpopulations, such as the Strait of Gibraltar orcas, which are at risk of extinction and have been proposed for threatened categories like Critically Endangered.
• Orca whales are found in all of the world’s oceans, from polar to tropical waters, though they are most abundant in cold, nutrient-rich areas like the Antarctic, Norway, and the Pacific Northwest. Specific hotspots for sightings include the Pacific Northwest of North America (California to Russia), New Zealand, Australia, Norway, and Argentina. While most are in the ocean, rare sightings have been reported in freshwater rivers and even off the coast of India.

Answer: (A) 1 only

Detailed Explanation

• A microatoll is made up of a single, large, discoid colony of massive coral, typically Porites, with a flat, dead upper surface and a living, vertical outer rim.
• Its unique shape forms when the coral’s upward growth is limited by exposure to the air at low tide, forcing the colony to grow laterally instead.

Answer: (B) 2 and 3

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (B) 2 only

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (A) Only one

Detailed Explanation

• Orographic rainfall is a type of precipitation that occurs when moist, warm air is forced to rise over a mountain barrier, causing it to cool, condense, and release rain. This results in lush, rainy conditions on the mountain’s windward (upwind) side and arid or semi-arid conditions on the leeward (downwind) side, known as the rain shadow.
• A common example of orographic rainfall in India is the heavy precipitation on the windward slopes of the Western Ghats during the monsoon, with places like Mahabaleshwar receiving significant rainfall, while the leeward side, such as Pune, experiences a dry “rain shadow”. Another instance is Cherrapunji in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, which receives some of the world’s highest rainfall as moist winds from the Bay of Bengal are forced to rise over the mountains.
• Frontal rainfall, also known as cyclonic rainfall, occurs when two air masses of different temperatures collide, forming a front. The warmer, lighter air mass rises above the cooler, denser air mass, cools as it ascends, and condenses into clouds, which then release rain. This process is a key mechanism for rainfall in temperate, mid-latitude regions and is associated with the movement of temperate cyclones, like the western disturbances that bring winter rain to parts of India.
• Convectional rainfall is a type of precipitation that occurs when the sun’s energy heats the Earth’s surface, causing warm, moist air to rise, cool, condense into clouds, and then fall as heavy rain. This process, known as convection, typically happens on a daily basis in equatorial and tropical regions, often in the afternoon, and is characterized by short, intense showers with thunder and lightning.
• An example of convectional rainfall is the daily heavy afternoon showers in places like the Amazon Rainforest and the Congo Basin, which are known for their “4 o’clock rainfall” due to intense solar heating of the ground.