UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Science and Technology MCQs on Satellite communication, advantages of sodium-ion batteries and more (Week 114) | UPSC Current Affairs News

QUESTION 1

What are the advantages of sodium-ion batteries over lithium-ion batteries?

1. It is way more abundant than lithium and can be extracted from seawater at relatively lower costs.

2. It is more environmentally friendly.

3. It can be transported at zero volt, making it safer.

4. It uses aluminum, which is cheaper than copper used in the lithium-ion battery tech.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— A fast-charging sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery that can charge up to 80% in six minutes and claims to survive over 3,000 charge cycles, making it virtually similar to more common lithium-ion batteries. This is a breakthrough claimed by a research team at the Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, and is being hailed as yet another promising step in India’s efforts to develop an alternative to lithium-ion chemistry, the most common element in battery manufacturing, where China has a virtual stranglehold.

— The new battery, developed by a JNCASR team led by Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan and Ph.D. scholar Biplab Patra, is based on a ‘NASICON-type’ chemistry, a class of polyanionic materials with a known structure in electrochemical materials, but with significantly improved performance claims using novel material engineering. Unlike ordinary sodium-ion batteries, which have slow charging and short lifespans, this new battery combines a clever combination of chemistry and nanotechnology to achieve a substantially shorter charge time and more charge cycles.

Advantages over li-ion batteries

— It is way more abundant than lithium and can be extracted from seawater at relatively lower costs.

— It is more environmentally friendly.

— It can be transported at zero volt, making it safer, unlike lithium, which is less environmentally friendly and must be always stored with a minimum charge, increasing fire risks.

— It uses aluminum, which is cheaper than copper used in the lithium-ion battery tech.

— Sodium-ion batteries also have a higher operating temperature range and are hence safer, given that these can be used in more extreme temperatures without the risk of thermal runaway.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to Satellite communication, consider the following statements:

1. Satellite communication services rely on an array of satellites in orbit to offer connectivity to homes and businesses on the ground.

2. It requires a vast network of wires to transmit data.

3. OneWeb operates the world’s largest satellite constellation.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— Elon Musk’s Starlink, which offers satellite internet services, has won regulatory permission from the government, nearly three years after originally seeking for an operator licence, opening the way for the company to begin selling the service in the country.

— Satellite communication services rely on a constellation of satellites in orbit to provide connectivity to homes and businesses on Earth. They are an alternative to ground-based communication, known as terrestrial networks, such as cable, fibre, or digital subscriber line (DSL), and they do not need wires to transport data. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.

— Starlink manages the world’s largest satellite constellation, with around 7,000 satellites in orbit. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Satellite-based communication and broadband services benefit end users in two ways: they provide larger coverage and a more resilient network. Even though satcom services have higher latency than terrestrial broadband networks, they may cover large areas with very little physical equipment installed.

— The approval of Starlink comes just days after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued guidelines for satellite communication businesses. The recommendations require enterprises to establish local manufacturing, data localisation, use domestic navigation systems, install a blocking mechanism, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Hakuto-R mission, in which the spacecraft was likely unable to decelerate sufficiently in the final moments, and crashed on the lunar surface. The mission was launched by:

(a) South Korea

(b) China

(c) Japan

(d) Taiwan

Explanation

— A Japanese space mission designed to land on the Moon has failed. Like Chandrayaan-2, the spacecraft was most likely unable to decelerate sufficiently in its last seconds and crashed on the lunar surface.

— The Hakuto-R mission was led by the private Japanese corporation ispace, which sent the lander Resilience and the rover Micro. Just before the touchdown this morning, mission control lost contact with the spacecraft.

— “The lander dropped from an altitude of around 100 km to 20 km before successfully firing its main engine to begin deceleration. While the lander’s height was confirmed to be nearly vertical, telemetry was lost after that, and no data indicating a successful landing was received, even after the intended landing time had passed,” ispace stated.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements:

Statement 1: The most common black holes are formed when massive stars — more than eight times the mass of the Sun — run out of fuel.

Statement 2: As long as the star burns hydrogen in its core, it generates energy that pushes outward, balancing the inward pull of gravity. But when the fuel is exhausted, this balance tips. Gravity takes over. The core collapses in on itself.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(b) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(c) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.

(d) Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct.

Explanation

— A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape — not even light.

— At the heart of a black hole is a “singularity” – a place where our physical laws break down and gravity becomes infinite.

— The most common black holes arise when huge stars—more than eight times the mass of the Sun—run out of fuel. As long as the star burns hydrogen in its core, it produces energy that pushes outward, counterbalancing gravity’s inward pull. However, as the fuel is depleted, this balance shifts. Gravity takes over. The centre collapses into itself. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

— If the remaining mass is huge enough — usually more than three times the mass of the Sun — not even neutron pressure (the final barrier) can stop the collapse. A black hole is created.

Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Large Hadron Collider, consider the following statements:

1. It has been developed by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.

2. It uses a distribution system of liquid sodium to keep its critical components ultracold at minus 271.3 degrees Celsius.

3. It has been built to study infrared rays.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— The Large Hadron Collider is a giant, complex machine built to study particles that are the smallest known building blocks of all things. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— It is structurally a 27-km-long track loop buried 100 metres underground on the Swiss-French border. It fires two beams of protons almost at the speed of light in opposite directions inside a ring of superconducting electromagnets.

— The magnetic field created by the superconducting electromagnets keeps the protons in a tight beam and guides them along the way as they travel through beam pipes and finally collide.

— Prior to the collision, another type of magnet is used to ‘squeeze’ the particles closer together to increase the chances of collisions.

— The particles are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 km apart with such precision that they meet halfway,” according to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, or CERN, in French), which runs the particle accelerator complex that houses the LHC. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The LHC’s powerful electromagnets carry almost as much current as a bolt of lightning, they must be kept chilled. The LHC uses a distribution system of liquid helium to keep its critical components ultracold at minus 271.3 degrees Celsius, which is colder than interstellar space. Given these requirements, it is not easy to warm up or cool down the gigantic machine. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 6

Consider the following statements:

1. Indian Space Research Organisation operates under the Ministry of Science & Technology.

2. The Ministry of Earth Sciences was formerly the Department of Ocean Development.

3. India Meteorological Department operates under the Ministry of Earth Science.

Which of the above given statements is/are true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

— According to moes.gov.in, “MoES was formerly the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), which was created in July 1981 as a part of the Cabinet Secretariat directly under the charge of the Prime Minister of India.” Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— According to isro.gov.in, ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation, operates under the Department of Space (DoS). Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— According to mausam.imd.gov.in, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) of the Government of India. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 7

Consider the following Indian origin scientists:

1. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

2. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar

3. Hargovind Khorana

Which of the above mentioned scientists were also the recipients of the Nobel Prize?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

— It has been 95 years since an Indian won a Nobel Prize in the sciences — Physics, Chemistry or Medicine — while working in India. CV Raman’s Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 remains the only such honour. Three more Indian-origin scientists have won — Hargovind Khorana in Medicine in 1968, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in Physics in 1983, and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan in Chemistry 2009 — but they did their work outside India and were not Indian citizens when they were honoured.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 8

‘Ebb’ and ‘Flow’, the twin spacecraft, were part of which NASA mission?

(a) Hakuto-R

(b) Atmospheric Limb Tracker for Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (Altius)

(c) BepiColombo

(d) Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)

Explanation

According to science.nasa.gov,

— “NASA’s GRAIL mission flew twin spacecraft—Ebb and Flow—in tandem around the Moon to map variations in the lunar gravitational field. The probes generated the highest resolution gravity map of any celestial body to date. At the end of the mission, the probes purposely crashed on the Moon.”

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 114)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 114)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 113)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 113)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 113)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 113)

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