SHANKAR

R IAS ACADEM
A MY
4 - SCIENCE AND
TEST 14 A INTERNA
ATIONAL OR
RGANISATION – II - ANSW
WER KEY

1
1. Ans (a)
(
Explaanation: Praatyush is thee fourth fasttest supercomputer in the world deedicated for weather an nd
ws machines in Japan, USSA and the United
climaate research, and follow U Kingddom. It will also move an
a
Indiaan supercomputer from thet 300s to thet 30s in the Top500 list, a respecteed internatio
onal tracker of
o
the world’s
w fastest supercommputers

2
2. Ans (d)
(
Explaanation:
 In security, piggybacking
p g, similar to tailgating, refers to wheen a person n tags along with anotheer
p
person who is
i authorizedd to gain entrry into a resttricted area, or pass a certain checkppoint.
 Cybersquatti
C ng (also kno
own as domaain squatting), is registeriing, traffickinng in, or usin
ng an Interneet
d
domain nam
me with bad faith intentt to profit from f the gooodwill of a trademark belonging to t
s
someone elsee.
 In the contexxt of networkk security, a spoofing atttack is a situaation in whicch one perso on or programm
s
successfully m
masquerade s as anotherr by falsifyingg data, thereeby gaining an illegitimate advantage.

3
3. Ans (a)
(
Explaanation:

4
4. Ans (a)
(
Explaanation: Theere are 44 rivers in Kerala, all but th
hree originatting in the W
Western Ghatts.41 of themm
flow westward and
a 3 eastwaard.There arre three rive ers rise in Keerala and flo
ow eastward
ds, Kabini intto
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY
Karnataka and the other two into Tamil Nadu. The Bhavani River originated from Tamilnadu Nilgiris
eastwards and runs towards western side into kerala state.
1. Kabani (57)
2. Bhavani (38)
3. Pambar (25)

5. Ans (c)
Explanation: Design of quantum computers has not reached a higher level of artificial intelligence in
which the system becomes self-aware of its existence.

6. Ans (b)
Explanation: The WPC is dedicated to the promotion of sustainable management and use of the
world’s petroleum resources for the benefit of all.

7. Ans (c)
Explanation: The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss education reforms various methods to
foster equity in education, fostering quality education and strengthening BRICS collaboration in the
field of education.

8. Ans (b)
Explanation:
 VoLTE is a technology update to the LTE protocol used by mobile phone networks. Under LTE, the
infrastructure of telecom players only allows transmission of data while voice calls are routed to
their older 2G or 3G networks. This is why, under LTE, you cannot access your 4G data services
while on a call. This leads to problems such as slow internet speeds and poor voice clarity.
 VoLTE allows voice calls to be ‘packaged’ and carried through LTE networks. This would mean 4G
data accessibility even during calls
 If VoLTE becomes a reality, it could enable call quality that is much superior to the previous
networks. Apart from high definition voice quality, it can also provide improved coverage.

9. Ans (a)
Explanation:
 Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated scenario that simulates a realistic experience. The
immersive environment can be similar to the real world in order to create a lifelike experience
grounded in reality or sci-fi.
 Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment
whose elements are "augmented" by computer-generated perceptual information, ideally across
multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory, and olfactory

10. Ans (b)

Explanation: Thrissur - Pooram Festival
 Theyyam (Teyyam,Theyam, Theyyattam ) is a popular ritual form of worship of North Malabar in
Kerala, India, predominant in the Kolathunadu area (consisting of present-day Kasargod, Kannur
Districts, Mananthavady Taluk of Wayanad and Vatakara and Koyilandy Taluks of Kozhikode of
Kerala) and also in South Canara and Kodagu of Karnataka as a living cult with several thousand-
year-old traditions, rituals and customs. The performers of Theyyam belong to the lower caste
community, and have an important position in Theyyam. People of these districts consider
Theyyam itself as a God and they seek blessings from this Theyyam. A similar custom is followed in
the Mangalore region of neighbouring Karnataka known as Bhuta Kola.
 The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular Vallam Kali held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha,
Kerala, India. Vallam Kali or Vallamkali literally means boat play/game, but can be translated to
boat race in English. The most popular event of the race is the competition of Chundan Vallams
(snake boats). Hence the race is also known as Snake Boat Race in English. Other categories of
boats which participate in various events of the race are Churulan Vallam, Iruttukuthy Vallam, Odi
Vallam, Veppu Vallam (Vaipu Vallam), Vadakkanody Vallam and Kochu Vallam.
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY
 The Nehru Trophy Valam kali is conducted on the second Saturday of August every year and is a
famous tourist attraction

11. Ans (b)

Explanation: Kuttanad is a region covering the Alappuzha and Kottayam Districts, in the state of
Kerala, India, well known for its vast paddy fields and geographical peculiarities. The region has the
lowest altitude in India, and is one of the few places in the world where farming is carried around 1.2
to 3.0 metres (4 to 10 ft) below sea level. Kuttanadu is historically important in the ancient history of
South India and is the major rice producer in the state. Farmers of Kuttinad are famous for Biosaline
Farming. FAO has declared the Kuttanad Farming System as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage
Systems (GIAHS). Four of Kerala's major rivers, the Pamba, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala flow
into the region. It is well known for it boat race in the Punnamada Backwaters. Also known in
Malayalam as: (Vallamkalli).

12. Ans (a)

Explanation: All the features are present.

13. Ans (d)

Explanation: Universal service obligation fund
 Provide widespread and non-discriminatory access to quality ICT services at affordable prices to
people in rural and remote areas.
 Provide an effective and powerful linkage to the hinterland thereby mainstreaming the population
of rural and remote parts of the country.
 Ensure that universal services are provided in an economically efficient manner.
 Ensure that by developing hitherto unconnected areas, the benefits of inclusive growth are
reaped by our nation, bringing in its wake rapid socio-economic development and improved
standards of living.

14. Ans (c)

Explanation: There is one remedial action where the party could pay the ransom money which gives a
chance that the information could be got back

15. Ans (a)

Explanation: EternalBlue, sometimes stylized as ETERNALBLUE, is an exploit developed by the U.S.
National Security Agency (NSA) according to testimony by former NSA employees. It was leaked by the
Shadow Brokers hacker group on April and was used as part of the worldwide WannaCry ransomware
attack.

16. Ans (a)

Explanation: The National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) is a project initiated in 2011 and funded by
Universal Service Obligation Fund to provide broadband connectivity to over two lakh (200,000) Gram
panchayats of India at an initial cost of ₹20,000 crore ($3 billion). It aimed at using existing fiber
optical network of Central utilities - BSNL, RailTel and Power Grid - to provide internet connectivity to
gram panchayats. The project intended to enable the government of India to provide e-services and e-
applications nationally. A special purpose vehicle Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) was
created as a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Companies Act of 1956 for the execution of
the project. The GPON order for BBNL to connect 200,000 villages was awarded to United Telecoms
Limited (UTL).

17. Ans (d)

Explanation: It is a counter terrorism measure that collects and collates a host of information from
government databases including tax and bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and
immigration records and itineraries of rail and air travel. This combined data will be made available to
11 central agencies, which are: Research and Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of
Investigation, Financial intelligence unit, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence, Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control Bureau, Central Board of Excise and Customs
and the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence.
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

18. Ans (b)

Explanation: Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India) define objectives as
follows:
 To create a secure cyber ecosystem in the country, generate adequate trust and confidence in IT
system and transactions in cyberspace and thereby enhance adoption of IT in all sectors of the
economy.
 To create an assurance framework for the design of security policies and promotion and enabling
actions for compliance to global security standards and best practices by way of conformity
assessment (Product, process, technology & people).
 To strengthen the Regulatory Framework for ensuring a SECURE CYBERSPACE ECOSYSTEM.
 To enhance and create National and Sectoral level 24X7 mechanism for obtaining strategic
information regarding threats to ICT infrastructure, creating scenarios for response, resolution
and crisis management through effective predictive, preventive, protective response and recovery
actions.
 To improve visibility of integrity of ICT products and services by establishing infrastructure for
testing & validation of security of such product.
 To create workforce for 500,000 professionals skilled in next 5 years through capacity building skill
development and training.
 To provide fiscal benefit to businesses for adoption of standard security practices and processes.
 To enable Protection of information while in process, handling, storage & transit so as to
safeguard privacy of citizen's data and reducing economic losses due to cyber crime or data theft.
 To enable effective prevention, investigation and prosecution of cybercrime and enhancement of
law enforcement capabilities through appropriate legislative intervention.
Strategies
 Creating a secured Ecosystem.
 Creating an assurance framework.
 Encouraging Open Standards.
 Strengthening The Regulatory Framework.
 Creating mechanism for Security Threats Early Warning, Vulnerability management and response
to security threat.
 Securing E-Governance services.
 Protection and resilience of Critical Information Infrastructure.
 Promotion of Research and Development in cyber security.
 Reducing supply chain risks
 Human Resource Development (fostering education and training programs both in formal and
informal sectors to support Nation's cyber security needs and build capacity.
 Creating cyber security awareness.
 Developing effective Public Private Partnership.
 To develop bilateral and multilateral relationship in the area of cyber security with other country.
(Information sharing and cooperation)
 Prioritized approach for implementation.

19. Ans (d)

Explanation:
 Diplomacy is a form of communication between two parties and this is the sole way through
which international relations can be maintained. Hence, the rules concerning the regulation of
diplomatic relations are considered one of the earliest expressions of international law.
Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain government officials are
not subjected to the jurisdiction of local courts and other higher authorities. It is to a great extent
that in order to carry on diplomatic relations between different nations, a special body of
diplomatic law is of utmost necessity. Thus, post the adoption if the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations in 1961, the codification and liberalization from the age-old practices,
customs and treaties governing the body of diplomatic law and its relations.
 Diplomatic immunity has been designed in such a way so as to protect the diplomatic channels of
communication by absolving diplomats from local jurisdiction in order that they can perform their
duties independently, with complete security and non-intervention from external authorities. It is
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY
not for personal benefit of individuals; it is solely for the resolve that foreign officials can do their
work. Since the concept of reciprocity applies, diplomats who are assigned to work in any country
in the world benefit equally from the concept of diplomatic immunity.
 The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular
Relations, 1963 led to the codification of most of the modern diplomatic and consular practices,
inclusive of diplomatic immunity. These conventions provide immunity to persons in accordance
with their rank in a particular diplomatic mission or consular post and according to the
requirement of immunity in performing their responsibilities. Indeed diplomats are relieved from
the civil, criminal, and administrative jurisdiction of the sending state. However, their host country
might waive this exception. Furthermore, a diplomat’s immunity from the jurisdiction of the
sending state does not absolve him or her from the jurisdiction of his or her homeland. It is also
on the discretion of the sending state to declare a diplomat persona non grata and he or she can
be terminated from his or her mission following inappropriate action in a mission on the part of
the diplomat and the host country is not under any obligation explain such expulsion. The Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations also provides specific guidelines to be adhered to in case of
violation or abuse of diplomatic immunity, which happens in a rampant manner. Also, till date, no
nation has objected to the provisions entailed under the Convention and no proposals have come
forward for rescinding the provisions of the same.

20. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial
institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses
investment as a tool to build market economies.
 The EBRD was founded during the dissolution of the Soviet Union by representatives of 40 nations
from 3 continents and two European institutions, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the
European Economic Community (EEC, now European Union – EU), after reaching agreement on
the bank's charter, size, and distribution of power among shareholders.
 EU is thus one of the financing members and EBRD is not for supporting EU policy.

21. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The RFID tag is affixed to the windshield and not to the windscreen.
 The wireless communication is one way and not two-way.

22. Ans (c)

Explanation: Project Owl is an endeavor by Google to try to reduce the amount of fake news and hate
speech from showing in its search results. The effort is supported primarily through user feedback
with changes to a few of its search capabilities.

23. Ans (b)

Explanation: Worldwide wireless web (WWWW), i.e. comprehensive wireless-based web applications
that include full multimedia capability beyond 4G speeds.

24. Ans (c)

Explanation: The Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an Asian–European political dialogue forum to
enhance relations and various forms of cooperation between its partners. It was officially established
on 1 March 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand, by the then 15 members of the European
Union (EU) and the European Commission, the then 7 members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), and the individual countries of China, Japan, and South Korea. A series of
enlargements saw additional EU members join as well as India, Mongolia, Pakistan and the ASEAN
Secretariat in 2008, Australia, New Zealand and the Russian Federation in 2010, Bangladesh, Norway,
and Switzerland in 2012, as well as Croatia and Kazakhstan in 2014[citation needed].
The main components of the ASEM process rest on the following 3 pillars:
1. Political Pillar
2. Economic Pillar
3. Social, Cultural & Educational Pillar
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

25. Ans (b)

Explanation: The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a
permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the
three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. The Head of RATS is elected to a three-year term.
Each member state also sends a permanent representative to RATS

26. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is
an international organisation of 7 nations of South Asia and South East Asia, housing 1.5 billion
people with 2.5 trillion combined economy (2014),including Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.[4] The BIMSTEC states are among the countries dependent on
the Bay of Bengal. 14 priority sectors of cooperation has been identified and several BIMSTEC
centres have been established in these areas. Free Trade Agreement is under negotiation (c.
2018).
 Chairmanship is rotated in alphabetical order and the permanent secretariat is at Dhaka.

27. Ans (d)

Explanation: The Convention for the Unification of certain rules relating to international carriage by
air, commonly known as the Warsaw Convention, is an international convention which regulates
liability for international carriage of persons, luggage, or goods performed by aircraft for reward.

28. Ans (a)

Explanation: India has not ratified the UN Convention on Torture

29. Ans (b)

Explanation: The Fortaleza Declaration was adopted in 2014 and is associated with BRICS for the
creation of New Development Bank.

30. Ans (c)

Explanation: Google lens is an app announced by Google during Google I/O 2017, designed to bringing
up relevant information using visual analysis. For example, when pointing the device's camera at a Wi-
Fi label containing the network name and password, it will automatically connect to the Wi-Fi source
that has been scanned; when directing the camera at an object, Lens will attempt to identify the
object and show relevant search results and information. Lens is also integrated with the Google
Photos and Google Assistant apps.

31. Ans (d)

Explanation: For White-Fi, the spectrum that is available on television networks can be harnessed for
internet usage. Current Wi-Fi technology allows you a range of about 100 metres, whereas the 200-
300 MHz spectrum in the white space can reach up to 10 km. This spectrum currently belongs to
Doordarshan TV channel and isn't used at all.

32. Ans (a)

33. Ans (c)

Explanation: Google announced a new “Solve for India” initiative that aims to expand and energise
the start-up ecosystem in tier II cities across the country. The campaign will mentor and inspire
upcoming entrepreneurs and startups in emerging cities like Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi,
Indore, Nagpur, Nashik, Madurai, Kanpur and Chennai.

34. Ans (c)

Explanation: The Ashgabat agreement is a Multimodal transport agreement between Oman, Iran,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and India for creating an international transport
and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY
35. Ans (d)
Explanation: The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode
network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe. The route primarily involves moving freight from India,
Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road.

36. Ans (d)

Explanation:
 The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging
issues facing the global community. Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil
society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international
policy matters.
 The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the
Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs.

37. Ans (d)

Explanation: The Lapis Lazuli corridor was a process initiated by the United States of America to
facilitate connectivity from Afghanistan to Black Sea through Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea and Georgia.
Later Pakistan joined the corridor but means of connectivity are still to be sorted out.

38. Ans (d)

Explanation:
 South Korea is part of the RCEP negotiations and not North Korea.
 The negotiations regarding RCEP are still in progress and not concluded.

39. Ans (d)

Explanation:
 Bharat QR code is an interoperable payment acceptance solution that supports Visa, MasterCard.
Amex and RuPay cards & BHIM-UPI for wider acceptance. Bharat QR code will enable rapid rollout
of digital payments acceptance infrastructure throughout the country, as it does not involve any
upfront investment in Point of Sale (PoS) machine.
 To facilitate massive rollout in a short span of time, Bharat QR code based payment solution is
introduced with following advantages:
 Bharat QR code does not require any upfront expenditure.
 Bharat QR code is a single unified QR code capable of accepting payments from Visa,
MasterCard, RuPay Cards for wider acceptance.
 Customer can easily make payments through Bharat QR code and does not require to carry
physical Debit or Credit card.
 The risk of data theft or security issues through tampered or cyber-compromised point of sale
devices is minimised.
 Bharat QR code supports dynamic QR codes, which may be printed on electricity bills, gas bills
and other utility bills to make payments to the respective vendors.
 Merchants accepting the payment through Bharat QR code, receives the amount directly in
their Bank accounts.

40. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 A blockchain, originally block chain, is a continuously growing list of records, called blocks, which
are linked and secured using cryptography. Each block typically contains a cryptographic hash of
the previous block, a timestamp and transaction data. By design, a blockchain is inherently
resistant to modification of the data. It is "an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions
between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way". Once recorded, the data
in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks,
which requires collusion of the network majority
 One of the advantages of blockchain is that it cannot be tampered easily. As it is decentralised a
particular transaction is verified before being encrypted and added to the block chain.
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

41. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 Open wallets are ones which can be used for purchase of goods and services, including financial
services such as funds transfer at merchant locations or point of sale terminals that accept cards,
and also cash withdrawal at automated teller machines or business correspondents. These kinds
of wallets can only be issued by banks.
 The Telangana Government has launched a digital wallet, named T-Wallet, which doesn’t charge
transaction fee from consumers. Those without the phones can access the wallets through e-
governance centres of the government.

42. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 Xicc++ is a new kind of quark, or a subatomic particle, that is a basic building block of matter.
Something like the Xicc++ was known to exist in theory since decades but was finally ‘observed’ by
physicists working at the Large Hadron Collider facility in Geneva and made public last week.
Nearly all the matter that we see around us is made of baryons, which are common particles
composed of three quarks, the best-known being protons and neutrons. But there are six types of
quarks — top, bottom, up, down, charm and strange. Theoretically many different potential
combinations could form other kinds of baryons. Unlike a proton, which is made up of only up and
down quarks, the new entity has two charm quarks.
 This is the first time that researchers have seen two charm quarks in a baryon and therefore,
throws new light on the relationship between the most fundamental forces of nature. The mass of
the newly identified particle is about 3621 MeV, which is almost four times heavier than the
proton.

43. Ans (d)

Explanation: The Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was established on November 10, 2000, at
Vientiane at the First MGC Ministerial Meeting. It comprises six member countries, namely India
(Look-East connectivity projects), Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The four areas of
cooperation are tourism, culture, education, and transportation. The organization takes its name from
the Ganga and the Mekong, two large rivers in the region.

44. Ans (b)

Explanation: India's Look East policy is an effort to cultivate extensive economic and strategic
relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to bolster its standing as a regional power and a
counterweight to the strategic influence of the People's Republic of China. Initiated in 1991, it marked
a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. It was developed and enacted during the
government of Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao (1991–1996) and rigorously pursued by the
successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998–2004) and Manmohan Singh (2004–2014)

45. Ans (b)

Explanation: Project ‘Mausam’ is the initiative of Ministry of Culture to be implemented by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency with research support of the Indira Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum as associate bodies. This project aims to
explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean ‘world’ – collating archaeological and historical research in
order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean
– extending from East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka to the
Southeast Asian archipelago. It also aims to promote research on themes related to the study of
Maritime Routes through international scientific seminars and meetings and by adopting a
multidisciplinary approach.

46. Ans (b)

Explanation: The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative is a sub regional architecture of
countries in Eastern South Asia, a sub region of South Asia. It meets through official representation of
member states to formulate, implement and review quadrilateral agreements across areas such as
water resources management, connectivity of power, transport, and infrastructure.
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY

47. Ans (d)

Explanation: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and
security organisation, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the
leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation Charter was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on 19 September 2003.[1] These
countries, except for Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five group, founded on 26 April
1996 in Shanghai. India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at a summit in
Astana, Kazakhstan.

48. Ans (d)

Explanation: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit organization
responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the
namespaces of the Internet, ensuring the network's stable and secure operation. ICANN performs the
actual technical maintenance work of the Central Internet Address pools and DNS root zone registries
pursuant to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) function contract. The contract regarding
the IANA stewardship functions between ICANN and the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) of the United States Department of Commerce ended on October
1, 2016, formally transitioning the functions to the global multi-stakeholder community.

49. Ans (d)

50. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of communication protocols that enable two electronic
devices, one of which is usually a portable device such as a smart phone, to establish
communication by bringing them within 4 cm of each other.
 As NFC operates within a short range it is not used in asset tracking and baggage identification.

51. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The Internet of things (IoT) is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and
other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which
enables these objects to connect and exchange data. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its
embedded computing system but is able to inter-operate within the existing Internet
infrastructure.
 Sources of earthquakes are extremely complicated as the process of formation takes place below
the crust where not much information monitoring can be done. Hence IoT network cannot be
used.

52. Ans (c)

Explanation: Key highlights from TRAI recommendations on Net Neutrality:
 Discriminatory treatment of content is prohibited. Internet access services should be governed by
a principle that restricts any form of discrimination or interference in the treatment of content,
including practices like blocking, degrading, slowing down or granting preferential speeds or
treatment to any content.
 TRAI has kept content delivery networks (CDN) out of the regulation. CDNs enable telecom deliver
content within their network without going through the public internet in order to create a
content ecosystem to drive user traction.
 Internet of Things (IoT), as a class of services, is not excluded from the scope of the restriction on
non-discriminatory treatment.
 TRAI has also recommended a watchdog along the lines of BARC India for enforcing Net Neutrality
and proposed reasonable measures of traffic management, in line with Trai guidelines.
 International treaties, court orders, government order on blocking certain sites is exempt from
these guidelines.
 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY
53. Ans (a)
Explanation: The vision areas of Digital India:
 Infrastructure as Utility to Every Citizen:
 High speed internet as a core utility shall be made available in all Gram Panchayats.
 Cradle to grave digital identity - unique, lifelong, online and authenticable.
 Mobile phone and Bank account would enable participation in digital and financial space at
individual level.
 Easy access to a Common Service Centre within their locality.
 Shareable private space on a public Cloud.
 Safe and secure Cyber-space in the country.
 Governance and Services on Demand:

 Seamlessly integrated across departments or jurisdictions to provide easy and a single window
access to all persons.
 Government services available in real time from online and mobile platforms.
 All citizen entitlements to be available on the Cloud to ensure easy access.
 Government services digitally transformed for improving Ease of Doing Business.
 Making financial transactions above a threshold, electronic and cashless.
 Leveraging GIS for decision support systems and development.
 Digital Empowerment of Citizens:
 Universal digital literacy.
 All digital resources universally accessible.
 All Government documents/ certificates to be available on the Cloud.
 Availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages.
 Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance.
 Portability of all entitlements for individuals through the Cloud.

54. Ans (d)

Explanation:
 The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), also known as Trans-Afghanistan
Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh – TAPI Pipeline Company
Limited with participation of the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport natural gas
from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to
India.
 The Iran–Pakistan gas pipeline, also known as the Peace pipeline, or IP Gas, is an under-
construction 2,775-kilometre pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Pakistan. The IPI is
independent of the TAPI pipeline.

55. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East
Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian regions. Pakistan is not a member of East Asia Summit.
 The Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth), also known as simply the
Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that are mostly
former territories of the British Empire. The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental
consensus of the member states, organised through the Commonwealth Secretariat and non-
governmental organisations, organised through the Commonwealth Foundation

56. Ans (c)

Explanation: The Antarctic Treaty System is the whole complex of arrangements made for the
purpose of regulating relations among states in the Antarctic. At its heart is the Antarctic Treaty itself.
The original Parties to the Treaty were the 12 nations active in the Antarctic during the International
Geophysical Year of 1957-58. The Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 and entered
into force on 23 June 1961. The Consultative Parties comprise the original Parties and other States
that have become Consultative Parties by acceding to the Treaty and demonstrating their interest in
Antarctica by carrying out substantial scientific activity there.
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57. Ans (c)
Explanation: The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an international organization (group of countries)
who do not want to be officially aligned (friends) with or against any major power bloc (group of
countries). In 2018, the movement had 125 members and 25 observer countries.

58. Ans (c)

Explanation: It belongs to self awareness category of artificial intelligence

59. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 InterBot is a first of its type bot-to-bot communication platform aiming to revolutionise botkind.
 With the power to communicate with each other, robots or simply bots will be able to transact,
co-ordinate, compete, collaborate and negotiate with each other.

60. Ans (b)

61. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 Cybernetics is a trans-disciplinary approach for exploring regulatory systems—their structures,
constraints, and possibilities. Norbert Wiener defined cybernetics in 1948 as "the scientific study
of control and communication in the animal and the machine." In the 21st century, the term is
often used in a rather loose way to imply "control of any system using technology." In other
words, it is the scientific study of how humans, animals and machines control and communicate
with each other.
 A cyborg (short for "cybernetic organism") is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body
parts. The term cyborg is not the same thing as bionic, biorobot or android; it applies to an
organism that has restored function or enhanced abilities due to the integration of some artificial
component or technology that relies on some sort of feedback
 A cyber-physical (also styled cyberphysical) system (CPS) is a mechanism that is controlled or
monitored by computer-based algorithms, tightly integrated with the Internet and its users. In
cyber-physical systems, physical and software components are deeply intertwined, each operating
on different spatial and temporal scales, exhibiting multiple and distinct behavioral modalities,
and interacting with each other in a myriad of ways that change with context. Examples of CPS
include smart grid, autonomous automobile systems, medical monitoring, process control
systems, robotics systems, and automatic pilot avionics

62. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 Software giant Microsoft has announced its Project Brainwave deep learning acceleration
platform for real-time artificial intelligence (AI).
 The 'Project Brainwave' uses the massive field-programmable gate array (FPGA) infrastructure
that Microsoft has been deploying over the past few years.

63. Ans (b)

Explanation: At present, the Central Asian region is considered to be the part of India’s “extended
neighbourhood.” Modern Central Asia consists of five nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. All five nations became independent after the collapse of the USSR in
1991.

64. Ans (b)

65. Ans (d)

Explanation:
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is an underconstruction 2.4 GWe nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.
The nuclear power plant is under construction at Rooppur (Rupppur), adjoining Paskey, in the Ishwardi
Upazila of Pabna District, on the bank of the river Padma, 87 miles (140 km) west of Dhaka, in the
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northwest of the country. Nuclear fission reactors which is under construction in Bangladesh are The
Water-Water Energetic Reactor (VVER) based.

66. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 Scientists using the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator have discovered a new
system of five particles all in a single analysis.
 The exceptionality of this discovery is that observing five new states all at once is a unique event,
researchers said. The LHCb experiment is one of seven particle physics detector experiments
collecting data at the Large Hadron Collider accelerator at CERN (European Organization for
Nuclear Research).
 The collaboration has announced the measurement of a very rare particle decay and evidence of a
new manifestation of matter-antimatter asymmetry, to name just two examples. The new
particles were found to be in excited states—a particle state that has a higher energy than the
absolute minimum configuration (or ground state)—of a particle called Omega-c-zero. This
Omega-c-zero is a baryon, a particle with three quarks, containing two “strange” and one “charm”
quark.
 Omega-c-zero decays via the strong force into another baryon, called Xi-c-plus, (containing a
“charm”, a “strange” and an “up” quark) and a kaon K-. Then the Xi-c-plus particle decays in turn
into a proton p, a kaon K- and a pion p+.

67. Ans (d)

Explanation:
 Excitonium is a condensate—it exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor,
or superfluid, or insulating electronic crystal. It’s made up of excitons, particles that are formed in
a very strange quantum mechanical pairing, namely that of an escaped electron and the hole it
left behind.
 It defies reason, but it turns out that when an electron, seated at the edge of a crowded-with-
electrons valence band in a semiconductor, gets excited and jumps over the energy gap to the
otherwise empty conduction band, it leaves behind a “hole” in the valence band. That hole
behaves as though it were a particle with positive charge, and it attracts the escaped electron.
When the escaped electron with its negative charge, pairs up with the hole, the two remarkably
form a composite particle, a boson—an exciton.
 In point of fact, the hole’s particle-like attributes are attributable to the collective behavior of the
surrounding crowd of electrons. But that understanding makes the pairing no less strange and
wonderful.

68. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 Contributions to the WTO are determined according to each Member’s share of international
trade (%), based on trade in goods, services and intellectual property rights for the last five years
for which data is available. There is a minimum contribution of 0.015 per cent for Members whose
share in the total trade of all Members is less than 0.015 per cent.
 WTO will fund programs that assist in development of trade in LDC countries.

69. Ans (a)

 Explanation:
Tariff cut formulae are either linear or non-linear. In a linear formula, tariffs are reduced by the
same percentage, irrespective of how high the initial tariff is. As opposed to a linear formula, in a
non-linear formula, tariff cuts are directly or inversely proportional to the initial tariff rate.
 Swiss formula is a non-linear formula. In the Swiss formula, tariff cuts are proportionally higher for
tariffs which are initially higher. For instance, a country which has an initial tariff of 30% on a
product will have to undertake proportionally higher cuts than a country which has an initial tariff
of 20% on the same product.

70. Ans (d)

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71. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 Arihant is a 6,000-tonne ‘Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear Submarine’ (SSBN) that is capable of
carrying ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. It’s India’s first indigenously built nuclear
submarine.
 INS Arihant is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core which was
developed with extensive help by the Russians.

72. Ans (c)

Explanation: The High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation (KEK) in Japan is getting ready to
launch the Belle-II experiment, a massive collaboration of 700 scientists from across the globe. At
Belle-II, highly intense electron-positron beams will be made to collide and a huge number of B-
mesons (a boson containing the B, or beauty, quark) produced. Building a detector to observe the
resultant decay products is a challenging task and that is one area where Indians have contributed
significantly

73. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 Nuclear reactors generate energy through fission, the process by which an atomic nucleus splits
into two or more smaller nuclei. During fission, a small amount of mass is converted into energy,
which can be used to power a generator to create electricity. In order to harness this energy, a
controlled chain reaction is required for fission to take place. When a uranium nucleus in a reactor
splits, it produces two or more neutrons that can then be absorbed by other nuclei, causing them
to undergo fission as well. More neutrons are released in turn and continuous fission is achieved.
 Neutrons produced by fission have high energies and move extremely quickly. These so-called fast
neutrons do not cause fission as efficiently as slower-moving ones so they are slowed down in
most reactors by the process of moderation. A liquid or gas moderator, commonly water or
helium, cools the neutrons to optimum energies for causing fission. These slower neutrons are
also called thermal neutrons because they are brought to the same temperature as the
surrounding coolant.
 In contrast to most normal nuclear reactors, however, a fast reactor uses a coolant that is not an
efficient moderator, such as liquid sodium, so its neutrons remain high-energy. Although these
fast neutrons are not as good at causing fission, they are readily captured by an isotope of
uranium (U238), which then becomes plutonium (Pu239). This plutonium isotope can be reprocessed
and used as more reactor fuel or in the production of nuclear weapons. Reactors can be designed
to maximize plutonium production, and in some cases they actually produce more fuel than they
consume. These reactors are called breeder reactors.

74. Ans (d)

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 ten
other Members: Qatar (1961); 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, but reactivated it in October 2007; Angola (2007); Gabon (1975) - terminated its
membership in January 1995 but rejoined in July 2016; and Equatorial Guinea (2017). 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.

75. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 A core responsibility of the IMF is to oversee the international monetary system and monitor the
economic and financial policies of its 189 member countries, an activity known as surveillance. As
part of this process, which takes place at the global, regional, and country levels, the IMF identifies
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potential risks to stability and recommends appropriate policy adjustments needed to sustain
economic growth and promote financial and economic stability.
 When a country joins the IMF, it agrees to subject its economic and financial policies to the
scrutiny of the international community. It also makes a commitment to pursue policies that are
conducive to orderly economic growth and reasonable price stability, to avoid manipulating
exchange rates for unfair competitive advantage, and to provide the IMF with data about its
economy. The IMF's regular monitoring of economies and associated provision of policy advice is
intended to identify weaknesses that are causing or could lead to financial or economic instability.
This process is known as surveillance.

76. Ans (a)

Explanation: The multipurpose fast research reactor project, also known as MBIR, is coming up at the
International Research Center in Dimitrovgrad, located in the Ulyanovsk region. The purpose of the
programme is the creation of a new technological platform for nuclear energy, which will be based on
the closed fuel cycle with fast neutron reactors. A fast neutron reactor, also known simply as a fast
reactor, is a type in which nuclear fission chain reaction is sustained by fast neutrons. Such a reactor
needs no neutron moderator. With fast-neutron reactors, it is possible to solve the major ecological
problem of reprocessing and deactivation of the accumulated radioactive waste, at the same time
providing society with much needed energy.

77. Ans (d)

Explanation:

78. Ans (d)

Explanation: Chernobyl nuclear disaster became the first disaster to measure Level 7 on the INES.

79. Ans (d)

80. Ans (c)

Explanation:
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 The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is an India-Japan economic cooperation agreement aimed at the
socio-economic development of Asia and Africa. The vision document for AAGC was released by
India in the 2017 African Development Bank meeting.
 The aim of the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is to develop infrastructure and digital connectivity in
Africa through Indo-Japan collaboration. It will envisage a people-centric sustainable growth
strategy by engaging various stakeholders. The priority areas will be health and pharmaceuticals,
agriculture and agro-processing, disaster management and skill enhancement.
 The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor is to be based on four pillars:
 Enhancing capacity and skills.
 Quality Infrastructure and Institutional Connectivity.
 Development and Cooperation Projects.
 People-to-People partnership.

81. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is the world’s oldest international financial
organization. It was established in May 1930.
 It is based in Basel, Switzerland, with representative offices in Hong Kong and Mexico City.
 It has 60 member central banks, representing countries from around the world that together
make up about 95% of world GDP.
 The BIS carries out its work through subcommittees, the secretariats it hosts and through an
annual general meeting of all member banks.
 The mission of the BIS is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability,
to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks.
 Basel III is an internationally agreed set of measures developed by the Basel Committee on
Banking Supervision in response to the financial crisis of 2007-09. The measures aim to strengthen
the regulation, supervision and risk management of banks.
 Like all Basel Committee standards, Basel III standards are minimum requirements which apply to
internationally active banks. Members are committed to implementing and applying standards in
their jurisdictions within the time frame established by the Committee.

82. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 Weighing roughly 10,000 kg, and measuring 10 metres in length and a metre in width, the MOAB
is a very high yield conventional GPS-guided munition, which was designed in 2002 by the US Air
Force Research Laboratory. It was developed by the Alabama-based aeronautics company
Dynetics at a reported cost of $ 16 million each for the Iraq War, and was first tested in 2003.
 How is the MOAB different?
 For two reasons. One, it packs in 8,000 kg of explosives — in comparison, the average weight of
most deployed conventional bombs is roughly 250 kg. Two, it is a thermobaric weapon, which
uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate an intense, high-temperature blast wave that
packs an incredible amount of energy into a small, localised area. In comparison, most
conventional bombs consist of a mix of fuel and oxygen-generating substances. Thermobaric
weapons consist of almost entirely 100% fuel, and rely on atmospheric oxygen.

83. Ans (a)

84. Ans (b)

85. Ans (c)

Explanation:
The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) is an Indian digital knowledge repository of the
traditional knowledge, especially about medicinal plants and formulations used in Indian systems of
medicine. Set up in 2001, as a collaboration between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) and the MINISTRY OF AYUSH the objective of the library is to protect the ancient and traditional
knowledge of the country from exploitation through biopiracy and unethical patents, by documenting
it electronically and classifying it as per international patent classification systems. Apart from that,
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the non-patent database serves to foster modern research based on traditional knowledge, as it
simplifies access to this vast knowledge of remedies or practices.

86. Ans (b)

Explanation: Copyright issues will remain under Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

87. Ans (a)

88. Ans (b)

Explanation:
The European Free Trade Association is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of
four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland

89. Ans (a)

Explanation:
 On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of commitments to
enhance the protection of refugees and migrants. These commitments are known as the New York
Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. The New York Declaration reaffirms the importance of the
international refugee regime and represents a commitment by Member States to strengthen and
enhance mechanisms to protect people on the move. It paves the way for the adoption of two
new global compacts in 2018: a global compact on refugees and a global compact for safe, orderly
and regular migration.
 In adopting the New York Declaration, Member States:
 expressed profound solidarity with those who are forced to flee;
 reaffirmed their obligations to fully respect the human rights of refugees and migrants;
 agreed that protecting refugees and the countries that shelter them are shared international
responsibilities and must be borne more equitably and predictably;
 pledged robust support to those countries affected by large movements of refugees and
migrants;
 agreed upon the core elements of a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework; and
 agreed to work towards the adoption of a global compact on refugees and a global compact
for safe, orderly and regular migration.

90. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 All UN member states based in Africa and African waters are members of the AU. Totally there are
55 nations that are present in AU.
 The AU future confederation’s goals include the creation of a free trade area, a customs union, a
single market, a central bank, and a common currency, thereby establishing economic and
monetary union.

91. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel in the city has acquired an `image trademark', making it the first
building in the country to get intellectual property rights protection for its architectural design.
 Indian trademark law statutorily protects trademarks as per the Trademark Act, 1999 and also
under the common law remedy of passing off. Statutory protection of trademark is administered
by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, a government agency which
reports to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry.

92. Ans (d)

Explanation: There are three different types of G.M. Crops which are:
Transgenic
A transgenic GMO crop is defined to be a crop that contains a gene or multiple genes that artificially
inserted using recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology. The genes that were inserted into the host plant
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are now called transgenes and can come from different species. An example of a transgenic crop is Bt
Corn.
Cisgenic
Cisgenic crops are made using using the same technique, recombinant DNA technology but instead of
instead of inserting genes that are from different species, genes that are found within the same or in
close nature of the species is insterted into the host crop. The cisgenic modification is used on plants
that have trouble crossbreeding.
Subgenic
Unlike trangenic and cisgenic modifications, subgenic modifications uses splicing methods to cut the
host gene and remove the unnecesary genes instead of inserting genes into the host plant. According
to the USDA, even though this is a modification, subgenic crops are not considered to be genetically
modified organisms.

93. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the
order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts that make up an organism's DNA. The human genome is made up of
over 3 billion of these genetic letters.
 Today, DNA sequencing on a large scale—the scale necessary for ambitious projects such as
sequencing an entire genome—is mostly done by high-tech machines. Much as your eye scans a
sequence of letters to read a sentence, these machines "read" a sequence of DNA bases.
 A DNA sequence that has been translated from life's chemical alphabet into our alphabet of
written letters might look like this:

 That is, in this particular piece of DNA, an adenine (A) is followed by a guanine (G), which is
followed by a thymine (T), which in turn is followed by a cytosine (C), another cytosine (C), and so
on.
 Polymorphism, in biology, a discontinuous genetic variation resulting in the occurrence of several
different forms or types of individuals among the members of a single species. A
discontinuous genetic variation divides the individuals of a population into two or more sharply
distinct forms.

94. Ans (b)

Explanation:
 The world's first baby has been born using a controversial new "three-parent" fertility technique
emplyed by scientists to include DNA from three people in an embryo, said a report in New
Scientist magazine on Tuesday.
 The baby boy, Abrahim Hassan, was born five months ago in Mexico to Jordanian parents, and is
healthy and doing well. He has the usual DNA from his mother and father, in addition to a tiny bit
of genetic code from a healthy female donor.
 The boy's mother carries genes for a disorder known as Leigh syndrome, a fatal neurological
disorder that causes the progressive loss of movement and deterioration of mental functions. It
affects the DNA in mitochondria and passes down from mother to child.
 Children with the condition usually die within two or three years due to respiratory failure.

95. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies,
representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic
product and over 75 per cent of global trade.
 The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the
United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

96. Ans (a)

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Explanation:
 In 2013, China’s president, Xi Jinping, proposed establishing a modern equivalent, creating a
network of railways, roads, pipelines, and utility grids that would link China and Central Asia, West
Asia, and parts of South Asia. This initiative, One Belt and One Road (OBOR), comprises more than
physical connections. It aims to create the world’s largest platform for economic cooperation,
including policy coordination, trade and financing collaboration, and social and cultural
cooperation. Through open discussion, OBOR can create benefits for everyone.
 The State Council authorized an OBOR action plan in 2015 with two main components: the Silk
Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (exhibit). The Silk Road Economic
Belt is envisioned as three routes connecting China to Europe (via Central Asia), the Persian Gulf,
the Mediterranean (through West Asia), and the Indian Ocean (via South Asia). The 21st Century
Maritime Silk Road is planned to create connections among regional waterways. More than 60
countries, with a combined GDP of $21 trillion, have expressed interest in participating in the
OBOR action plan.
 India has not joined this initiative.

97. Ans (c)

98. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 Southern blot was the first method that was used in the detection of a specific DNA sequence in
various DNA samples. It combines transfer of electrophoresis-separated DNA fragments to a filter
membrane and subsequent fragment detection by probe hybridization. Southern blotting
methods can enable the investigation of DNA modifications in a sequence context–dependent
manner. For example, by using cloned X chromosome–specific probes and Southern blot, Wolf &
Migeon (1982) studied methylation along 28 kb of human X chromosome DNA.
 Minisatellites are the most highly variable sequence element in the human genome and the
variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) is used for DNA fingerprinting analysis in forensic
science.

99. Ans (c)

Explanation:
 Scientists have created a new gene editing tool that tweaks the individual RNA ‘letters’ in human
cells without making changes to the entire genome, paving the way for therapies that can reverse
disease-causing mutations.
 The molecular system, called RNA Editing for Programmable A to I Replacement (REPAIR) has
profound potential as a tool for both research and disease treatment. REPAIR is based on the gene
editing tool CRISPR that can be used to modify DNA in cells.
 The new system, developed by scientists from The Broad Institute and Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) in the US, can change single RNA nucleosides in mammalian cells in a
programmable and precise fashion. REPAIR has the ability to reverse disease-causing mutations at
the RNA level, as well as other potential therapeutic and basic science applications.
 To create REPAIR, the researchers systematically profiled the CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme family for
potential “editor” candidates. They selected an enzyme from Prevotella bacteria, called
PspCas13b, which was the most effective at inactivating RNA. The team engineered a deactivated
variant of PspCas13b that still binds to specific stretches of RNA but lacks its “scissor-like” activity,
and fused it to a protein called ADAR2, which changes the nucleoside adenosine to inosine in RNA
transcripts.

100. Ans (b)

Explanation: India was declared free from infective Trachoma, a contagious bacterial infection of the
eye. The infection causes inflamed granulation on the inner surface of the lids.