Daily Current Affairs UPSC: News Based MCQs Quiz | 4th June 2025

Answer: (c) Only three

Detailed Explanation

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10–14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. 
• The five Founding Members were later joined by: Qatar (1961) – terminated its membership in January 2019; Indonesia (1962) – suspended its membership in January 2009, reactivated it in January 2016, but decided to suspend it again in November 2016; Libya (1962); United Arab Emirates (1967); Algeria (1969); Nigeria (1971); Ecuador (1973) – suspended its membership in December 1992, reactivated it in October 2007, but decided to withdraw its membership effective 1 January 2020; Angola (2007) – withdrew its membership effective 1 January 2024; Gabon (1975) – terminated its membership in January 1995 but rejoined in July 2016; Equatorial Guinea (2017); and Congo (2018). 
• OPEC had its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in the first five years of its existence. This was moved to Vienna, Austria, on September 1, 1965.
• OPEC’s objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry.

Answer: (b) 2 Only

Detailed Explanation

• Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) uses solar panels as a building material, generating electricity while serving a structural function like roofing, facades, or windows. This approach combines solar energy generation with architectural design, offering a sustainable energy solution and aesthetic appeal. 
• The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar initiative, is transforming India’s energy landscape with a bold vision to supply solar power to one crore households by March 2027.
• Statement 1 is correct: The projects under PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana shall be commissioned as per the technical specifications given below. The vendor will be solely responsible for any shortcomings or negligence/malpractice, which may lead to the delisting/blacklisting of the firm/vendor from participation in any programme of the Ministry. A Roof Top Solar (RTS) Photo Voltaic (PV) system shall be installed on rooftops/terraces/balcony/Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) or on elevated structures. In case of installation on an elevated structure, the structure must have a minimum ground clearance of 8 feet at the lowest point, in order to be considered eligible for the CFA under the scheme. 
• Statement 2 is incorrect: BIPVs can be used as a replacement for the balconies, skylights, windows etc that makes it compatible for all the buildings.

Answer: (a) Only one

Detailed Explanation

• A thermophile is a type of extremophile that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between 41 and 122 °C. Many thermophiles are archaea, though some of them are bacteria and fungi. 
• Statement 1 is correct: Thermophiles can tolerate 45 degrees Celsius in hot springs, deep-sea thermal vents, and compost piles offer a mineral-rich environment with few competitors. To gain an edge, some thermophilic bacteria produce potent antibiotics as weapons to neutralise their competitors
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Not all thermophiles produce antibiotics. They are  cultured with the prospective bacteria with different pathogenic strains: Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. If the test bacteria could inhibit the growth of the pathogenic bacteria on a culture plate, it was confirmation that an antimicrobial compound was being produced.In
• Statement 3 is correct: The potential of thermophiles goes beyond antibiotics: they have many applications across industries. For example, the PCR test – widely in use during the COVID-19 pandemic to check for the virus’s presence – requires an enzyme that was first found in a thermophile called Thermus aquaticus. Cocktail of bacteria from a hot spring in the Chumathang area of Leh district has the ability to promote plant growth.

Answer: (a) Methane

Detailed Explanation

• Flu gas is another term for exhaust gas that is a byproduct of combustion. It is the result of burning natural gas, recovered natural gas, oil, coal, and other fuels in industrial equipment. Analysis of flu gas can significantly impact equipment performance, fuel consumption, and environmental emissions. This article will talk more about flu gas, the importance of monitoring it, and systems that can assist with this vital process.
• Flu gas actually contains a mixture of gases, such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, nitrogen oxides (NO & NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), other trace pollutants, and often some particulate matter. This mixture can escape through long pipes, chimneys, and ducts traditionally called ‘flues’, hence the term ‘flu gas’. The exact composition of flu gas will vary depending on the type of fuel used and the combustion conditions.

Answer: (d) Neither of the statements are correct

Detailed Explanation

• Statement 1 is incorrect: For initial complaint of the the judges of either Supreme Courts or High Courts, the motion can originate in either of the houses of the Parliament. 100 members of the Lok Sabha or 50 members of the Rajya Sabha need to sign the motion in whichever house the resolution is required to be passed.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Two-thirds majority of the total membership is required to impeach a judge of the Supreme Court or High Courts.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest such forests in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. 
• It is adjacent to the border of India’s Sundarbans World Heritage site inscribed in 1987. 
• The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. 
• Statement 1 is correct: The area is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.
• The Sundarbans was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Specifically, Sundarban National Park, which forms the core area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve, received this recognition. 
• Statement 2 is correct: The Sundarbans is also a designated Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, receiving that designation in 2001.

Answer: (d) All of the above

Detailed Explanation

The rainfall at a place in influenced by all of the above mentioned factors:

1. Altitude of the place – Coastal areas tend to receive more rainfall than inland areas, and higher altitudes often experience more precipitation
2. Leeward side of the mountain – Windward side receives more rainfall as compared to the leeward side.
3. Prevailing Winds – Winds carrying moist air from oceans or other water bodies can bring significant rainfall to areas they blow over.
4. Atmospheric Pressure – High atmospheric pressure receives less rainfall as compared to the low pressure areas.

Answer: (b) Only Two

Detailed Explanation

• Chimborazo is a stratovolcano situated in Ecuador in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes.
• Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising 5,642 m above sea level, and is the highest volcano in the supercontinent of Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. 
• Mount Bona is one of the major mountains of the Saint Elias Mountains in eastern Alaska, and is the fifth-highest independent peak in the United States.

Answer: (b) Statement 2

Detailed Explanation

• Statement 1 is correct: The basic customs duty on crude soybean, palm and sunflower oil has been reduced by 10% by the Central government. Earlier the duties were increased for the crude oil imports which caters to almost 57% of the domestic demand. This was done as a measure to prevent dumping from the international markets via cheap imports in order to fulfill the domestic demand.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The Fast Moving Consumer Goods supply chain will further strengthen and will be positively affected as domestic demand now can be fulfilled easily via imports and domestic production of oilseeds in India.

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• Statement 1 is correct: Aravalli Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, and it is the oldest mountain range in India. The range is estimated to be around 670 million years old, predating the Himalayan range. The Aravalli Range stretches over 692 kilometers across multiple states in western India, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. The Aravalli Range formed through a process called orogeny, a form of mountain building caused by tectonic plate collisions.
• Statement 2 is correct: Aravalli Range generally runs parallel to the direction of the southwest monsoon winds. This means the mountains do not act as a barrier, and consequently, Rajasthan receives less rainfall than areas where monsoon winds encounter a perpendicular barrier.