Prelims 2021 Current Flash Cards 27Th Oct 2020 by IAS Toppers | 2020-10-27 00:00:00

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Prelims 2021 Current Flash Cards 27th Oct 2020 By IAS Toppers | 2020-10-27 00:00:00

# Question 1

The ‘Rongkhli’ festival is celebrated in which state of India?

Answer:

Meghalaya

Detailed Answer:

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Rongkhil

One of the most boisterous festivals of this Meghalaya tribe, Rongkhli ('rong' meaning festival and 'khli' tiger) is held whenever a tiger is killed or is hunted down. The festival usually tales place after the harvest anytime between January and March. According to the people of Megahalaya, the Tiger is given a grand farewell amidst pomp and gaiety. The animal killed is the endangered clouded leopard, which inhabits the nearby hills. Its flesh and intestines are taken out and dried. The stuffed caracass is kept outside the village on the ‘phlong’ or the village gate till the day of the festival. The caracass is brought into the village just a day before the festival and kept in a special place. The next day, it is taken out in a ceremonial procession across the village. Prayers are offered for the general well – being of the villagers, followed by the ‘Shadkhla’ or tiger dance. The man who killed the tiger, has the privilege of dancing first. Rituals over, people head for the gate where the head of the tiger was cut off and fixed on a bamboo pole. The caracass, once consecrated, becomes holy and a small piece, they believe, brings good luck to a person.

# Question 2

The Noble Prize 2020 in Chemistry has been given for which revolutionary technology?

Answer:

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)

Detailed Answer:

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CRISPR/Cas9

Much like what Microsoft (MS) Word does for writing, the CRISPR/Cas9 system allows for adding, altering and deleting the genomic code in living beings. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) are pieces of DNA that bacteria snip off from viruses that once attacked them, much like file names used to store various documents we write in MS Word. Using the tool, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with precision. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 was awarded jointly to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna "for the development of a method for genome editing’.

How is the tool different from other editing systems?

Other genome editing systems like TALENs and Zinc-Finger Nucleases can do similar jobs, but several users consider the Charpentier-Doudna tool more adaptable and easier to use. It is less than a decade since this system gained wide research and commercial interest, but in the past few years, scientists have been able to make precise single-base-pair changes or larger

insertions. Coupled with the availability of genome sequences for a growing number of organisms, the technology allows researchers to find out what genes do, move mutations that are identified and associated with disease into systems where they can be studied and tested for treatment, or where they can be tested in combinations with other mutations. Earlier this year, a person with hereditary blindness became the first to have a CRISPR/Cas-9-based therapy directly injected into her body. The most controversial application of CRISPR/Cas9 was in 2018, when Chinese researcher He Jiankui announced that he had used it to create ‘gene-edited twins’ Lula and Nana via in-vitro fertilisation. Even though the CRISPR/Cas-9 system allows a democratic usage in labs across the world to tinker with genomes, it still has not reached the level of precision required to be sure that it does not cause unintentional side effects.

# Question 3

The Taiwan is the member of the United Nations (UN). True or False?

Answer:

False, Taiwan is not the member of UN.

Detailed Answer:

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Location of Taiwan

Taiwan officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. Neighbouring countries include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The main island of Taiwan has an area of 35,808 square kilometres with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanised population is concentrated. Taipei is the capital as well as the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Other major cities include New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan. With 23.7 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries, and is the most populous country and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN).

# Question 4

Which organization carried out a study revealing that the climate change driving butterflies, moths higher up Himalayas?

Answer:

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

Detailed Answer:

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Climate change driving butterflies, moths higher up Himalayas: study

Rising average temperatures in the Himalayan region have driven several dozen species of butterfly and moth to habitats higher up the mountains. The findings of the study will be used as a baseline indicator to track the impact of climate change on animal species over the coming decade. The survey, funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and carried out by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), identified at least 49 species of moth and 17 species of butterfly

that have shown “considerable new upward altitude records”, with a difference of more than 1,000 metres between their current and previously recorded mean habitat altitudes. Seven species in particular have started to inhabit altitudes more than 2,000 metres higher than the previous mean, officials said. These include the moth species Trachea auriplena (Noctuidae), Actias windbrechlini (Saturniidae), and Diphtherocome fasciata (Noctuidae), with mean altitudinal differences of 2,800 m, 2,684 m and 2,280 m respectively. The study found that eight moth species, including the mulberry silkworm moth and tiger moth, which would historically be found at 2,000 m, are now typically found at 3,500 m or higher altitudes. Butterflies are sensitive species that are extremely susceptible to changes in climate. They are, therefore, good indicators of long-term change in climatic conditions. Increasing human habitation too, has contributed to the shift. Shimla and Darjeeling were two big hotspots of rich butterfly diversity. But expanding towns have encroached on virgin territory, and the space for the butterfly has shrunk. Butterflies like the Red Apollo are highly prized by collectors and are often poached. One butterfly sells for up to £100 on the international market.

Impact of Climate Change

Receding ice caps and glaciers leading to a scarcity of water in the Himalayas has been a major reason for the altitudinal shift of the Lepidoptera. The study revealed an increase in the richness of Lepidoptera biodiversity from the Western to the Eastern Himalayas The increase in average temperature has also resulted in an altitudinal shift in vegetation – trees, shrubs, and plants that once grew at lower altitudes in the Himalayas are now found only higher up in the mountains.

Key facts

The Himalayas are home to more than 35 per cent of Lepidoptera — the order of insects that includes butterflies and moths – species found in India.

# Question 5

The 2 + 2 US- India talk includes which two important areas of discussion?

Answer:

Defence and Foreign Policy

Detailed Answer:

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2 + 2 US-India Talks

The third India-US two plus two dialogue is expected to take place here on October 26-27 with the Narendra Modi government ready to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geo- spatial cooperation. The 2+2 dialogue is the highest-level institutional mechanism between India and USA that brings together the perspectives of the two countries on foreign policy, defence and strategic issues. It is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country. Apart from India, the United States holds such ministerial dialogues only with Australia and Japan. India holds such talks with Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level but with Japan and the US at the ministerial level.