1. Consider the following statements regarding Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) seen in news recently.

1. It is a marine propulsion technology that allows non-nuclear submarines to operate without much access to atmospheric oxygen.
2. Fuel cell based AIP converts Hydrogen and Oxygen  into electricity, with water and heat released as by-products. 
3. A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity through the electrolysis chemical reaction

Which of the statements given above /are correct?

A. 1  and 2 only

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 3 only

D. All of the above

2. Recently Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched an airspace map of India for drone operation. Which among the following statement/s is/are correct in this context. 

1. It shows red, yellow and green zones across the country. 
2. In yellow zone drones can be operated only after a permission from the Central Government.
3. Red zone is the ‘no-drone zone’ within which drones can’t be operated in any condition

Which of the statements given above /are correct : 

A. 1 only

B. 1 and 2 only

C. 2 and 3  only

D. 1 and 3 only

3. Consider the following statements regarding critical information infrastructure (CII):

1. It is defined under  Information Technology Act of 2000 
2. The government has the power to declare any data, database, IT network or communications infrastructure as CII 
3. IT resources of ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank are declared as critical information infrastructure

Which of the statements given above /are correct : 

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 1 and 3  only

D. All of the above

4. Recently India reported few 100 cases of the Tomato Flu. It is caused by:

A. Virus

B. Bacteria

C. Fungi

D. Parasite

5. Consider the following statements in context to Dark matter:

1. Dark matter is made up of particles that do not have a charge 
2. They possess mass like normal matter and hence interact through electromagnetic interactions 
3.  More than 50% of  the universe’s content is Dark matter

Select the correct answer code: 

A. 1 only

B. 1 and 2 only

C. 1 and 3 only 

D. 2 and 3 only

Answers with Explanation

1. Consider the following statements regarding Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) seen in news recently.

1. It is a marine propulsion technology that allows non-nuclear submarines to operate without much access to atmospheric oxygen.
2. Fuel cell based AIP converts Hydrogen and Oxygen  into electricity, with water and heat released as by-products. 
3. A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity through the electrolysis chemical reaction

Which of the statements given above /are correct?

A. 1  and 2 only

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 3 only

D. All of the above

Answer: A

Explanation

Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) 

• Technology which allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without the need to access atmospheric oxygen

Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) 

Fuel cell AIP

• An electrolytic fuel cell releases energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen, with only water as the waste product. 
• The cells are highly efficient, and do not have moving parts, thus ensuring that the submarine has a low acoustic signature.

Basics 

Electrolysis

• When each water molecule splits into its components: two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. That process is called electrolysis.

Fuel cell (Reverse electrolysis)

• What takes place inside a fuel cell is electrolysis in reverse: Combine hydrogen and oxygen, and you get water and electricity

Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) 

• Fuel cell technology-based AIP generates power through the reverse electrolysis of oxygen and hydrogen. In this process, the two elements chemically combine, thereby generating electricity to charge the submarine’s batteries. This process does not need air, but requires storage of highly inflammable hydrogen on board

DRDO’s AIP

Innovative Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell technology

• This process is more  tolerant of fuel impurities, offers longer life and efficiency, and is much safer, since it does not require hazardous Hydrogen to be stored on board.

2. Recently Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched an airspace map of India for drone operation. Which among the following statement/s is/are correct in this context. 

1. It shows red, yellow and green zones across the country. 
2. In yellow zone drones can be operated only after a permission from the Central Government.
3. Red zone is the ‘no-drone zone’ within which drones can’t be operated in any condition

Which of the statements given above/are correct : 

A. 1 only

B. 1 and 2 only

C. 2 and 3  only

D. 1 and 3 only

Answer: A

Explanation

TOP 10 FEATURES OF THE DRONE AIRSPACE MAPS

1. The drone airspace map is an interactive mapof India that demarcates the yellow and red zones across the country. 
2. Green zone is the airspace upto 400 feet that has not been designated as a red or yellow zone; and upto 200 feet above the area located between 8-12 km from the perimeter of an operational airport.
3. In green zones, no permission whatsoever is required for operating drones with an all-up weight upto 500 kg. 
4. Yellow zone is the airspace above 400 feet in a designated green zone; above 200 feet in the area located between 8-12 km from the perimeter of an operational airport and above ground in the area located between 5-8 km from the perimeter of an operational airport.
5. Drone operations in yellow zone require permission from the concerned air traffic control authority – AAI, IAF, Navy, HAL etc. as the case may be. 
6. Yellow zone has been reduced from 45 km earlier to 12 km from the airport perimeter.
7. Red zone is the ‘no-drone zone’ within which drones can be operated only after a permission from the Central Government.
8. The airspace map may be modified by authorised entities from time to time.
9. Anyone planning to operate a drone should mandatorily check the latest airspace map for any changes in zone boundaries.
10. The drone airspace map is freely available on the digital sky platform to all without any login requirements.

3. Consider the following statements regarding critical information infrastructure (CII):

1. It is defined under  Information Technology Act of 2000 
2. The government has the power to declare any data, database, IT network or communications infrastructure as CII 
3. IT resources of ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank are declared as critical information infrastructure

Which of the statements given above /are correct : 

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 1 and 3  only

D. All of the above

Answer: D

Explanation

Critical information infrastructure

• The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has declared IT resources of ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and UPI managing entity NPCI as ‘critical information infrastructure’. 

What is critical information infrastructure? 

• The Information Technology Act of 2000 defines “Critical Information Infrastructure” as a “computer resource, the incapacitation or destruction of which shall have debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety”. 
• The government, under the Act, has the power to declare any data, database, IT network or communications infrastructure as CII to protect that digital asset.

4. Recently India reported few 100 cases of the Tomato Flu. It is caused by:

A. Virus

B. Bacteria

C. Fungi

D. Parasite

Answer: A

Explanation

Tomato Flu

• Identified first in Kerala, Tomato Flu is caused by a virus and shows symptoms similar to those of Covid-19 but is not related to SARS COV-2. 
• This disease was first identified in Kerala’s Kollam district. 
• Instead of being a viral infection, Tomato Flu might be an after-effect of Dengue fever or Chikungunya in children
• Till now, there are no specific drugs for this disease, and it is being treated with different combinations of medication for chikungunya and dengue. 

5. Consider the following statements in context to Dark matter:

1. Dark matter is made up of particles that do not have a charge 
2. They possess mass like normal matter and hence interact through electromagnetic interactions 
3.  More than 50% of  the universe’s content is Dark matter

Select the correct answer code: 

A. 1 only

B. 1 and 2 only

C. 1 and 3 only 

D. 2 and 3 only

Answer: A

Explanation

What is dark matter ? 

• All interactions in the universe are a result of four fundamental forces acting on particles — strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electromagnetic force and gravitation. 
• Dark matter is made up of particles that do not have a charge — which means they do not interact through electromagnetic interactions. So, these are particles that are “dark”, namely because they do not emit light, which is an electromagnetic phenomenon, and “matter” because they possess mass like normal matter and hence interact through gravity.

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