UPSC Prelims 2016 Analysis

Explanation

Bitcoins are not tracked by Central Banks in the same way traditional currencies are. Bitcoin transactions are recorded on a public ledger called a blockchain, but this ledger does not necessarily link transactions to individual users. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

Anyone with a Bitcoin address can send and receive Bitcoins from anyone else with a Bitcoin address. These addresses are like account numbers but don't necessarily require identification. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Online payments can be sent with a certain degree of anonymity using Bitcoins. While the transaction itself is recorded on the blockchain, the identities of the sender and receiver are not directly revealed on the ledger. However, it's important to note that complete anonymity is difficult to achieve with Bitcoin due to the public nature of the blockchain. Hence, statement 3 is also correct.

Explanation

Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)' is an electric plane that has been recently tested by NASA.

Some key points about GL-10

1. It is a subscale, remotely-piloted, hybrid-electric aircraft designed and developed by NASA.
2. The GL-10 is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that can also transition to wing-borne flight.
3. It is being tested by NASA as a potential future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or cargo plane.
4. The GL-10 is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of distributed electric propulsion technology, which uses multiple propellers or fans to provide lift and thrust.

Explanation

Neem-coated Urea dissolves slower, unlike normal Urea which prevents leaching. Neem has properties that check nitrogen loss at each stage. It slows down the process of nitrate formation and hence excess nitrate is not available for denitrification.

The government made it compulsory for the producers of Neem-coat per cent of the Urea they produce. It is believed to check the diversion of fertiliser (which is highly subsidised) to the chemical industry also.

Explanation

Scientists at the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have discovered a new species of banana from a remote tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman islands. This unique plant stands out for its impressive height, reaching up to 11 meters, which is about three times taller than the average banana plant we're familiar with.

The species, Musa indandamanensis, was located about 16 km inside the Krishna Nalah forest in the island. It is a distinct global species with unique green flowers and fruit bunch lux (axis) thrice the size of a regular banana species. The fruit pulp is orange in colour, distinctive from the white and yellow colour of regular bananas. Unlike the other banana species whose flowers are conical, its flowers are cylindrical.

Explanation

DigiLocker is a digital locker system offered by the Government of India under the Digital India Programme. It aims to minimize the use of physical documents and enable easy access to digital copies.

DigiLocker allows you to access your electronic documents (e-documents) anytime and anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. This provides convenience and eliminates the need to carry physical documents.

Therefore, both statements are correct.

Explanation

Mangalyaan is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). This was its official designation. Thus, statement 1 is correct.

India was not the second country to orbit Mars. Several countries had successfully sent spacecraft to Mars before Mangalyaan, including the USA, Russia, and the European Space Agency (ESA). Thus, statement 2 is incorrect.

India was indeed the only country at that time to succeed in placing a spacecraft into Martian orbit on its very first attempt. This was a significant achievement for ISRO. Thus, statement 3 is correct.

Explanation

All the statements provided are correct.

Viruses that infect bacteria are known as bacteriophages or phages. These viruses use bacterial cells as hosts to replicate and propagate.

Certain viruses, called mycoviruses, can infect and replicate within fungal cells, using them as hosts.

Viruses that infect plants are known as plant viruses. They can hijack the cellular machinery of plant cells to replicate and spread within the plant.

Explanation

AstroSat is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously. India is the 5th country to join the space observatory elite list after the USA, Russia, Japan, and Europe. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

AstroSat with a lift-off mass of about 1513 kg was launched into a 650 km orbit inclined at an angle of 6 degrees to the equator by PSLV-C30. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (D) is the correct answer.

Explanation

INS Astradharini is an indigenously built torpedo launch and recovery vessel for the Indian Navy.

Explanation

The movie The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the life of the famous Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. It portrays his journey from India to England and his collaboration with the British mathematician G.H. Hardy.

Explanation

The transcriptome is the set of all RNA molecules in one cell or a population of cells.

It is sometimes used to refer to all RNAs, or just mRNA, depending on the particular experiment.

It differs from the exome in that it includes only those RNA molecules found in a specified cell population and usually includes the amount or concentration of each RNA molecule in addition to the molecular identities.

Explanation

Project Loon, though no longer operational, was an initiative related to providing internet connectivity.

Project Loon was a project by Loon LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (Google's parent company). It aimed to deliver internet access to remote and underserved areas around the world. The project utilized high-altitude balloons that floated in the stratosphere, carrying equipment to create an aerial wireless network. Sadly, Project Loon was shut down in January 2021 due to challenges in achieving commercial viability.

Explanation

Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) utilizes light waves for data transmission. It uses rapid flickering of light, invisible to the human eye, to carry information.

Li-Fi is a wireless technology and has the potential to be significantly faster than Wi-Fi. While actual speeds depend on various factors, Li-Fi boasts theoretical speeds exceeding 100 Gbps compared to the current Wi-Fi standards offering up to 11 Gbps.

Therefore, both statements are correct.

Explanation

India is an important member of the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject, which will be the world's largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment. So, it can help India build Nuclear Fusion reactors for large-scale power generation.