Daily UPSC Prelims Current Affairs – March 2, 2023 [Mock Test]
March 18, 2023 March 20, 2023
1. Consider the following statements about Sendai Framework:
- It is an initiative launched by World Meteorological Organization in 2015 in Sendai, Japan.
- It is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action.
- It is an initiative to saves lives, assets and livelihoods through increased access to early weather warnings and risk information for people in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] Only 2
[B] Only 1 & 2
[C] Only 2 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 2]
Notes:- Sendai Framework was adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in 2015 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
- The Sendai Framework is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
- It aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disasterrisk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years.
- The specialized Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) an initiative under World Meteorological Organization, saves lives, assets and livelihoods through increased access to early weather warnings and risk information for people in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
2. With respect to silver metal, consider the following statements:
- It exhibits highest electrical conductivity.
- It reflects almost all wavelengths in the visible spectrum.
- The metal is found in the Earth’s crust as an alloy and not in the pure, free elemental form.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 1 & 2
[C] Only 1 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1 & 2]
Notes:- Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal.
- The metal exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. Metals have high reflectivity, reflecting almost all wavelengths in the visible region of the spectrum.
- The metal is found in the Earth’s crust in the pure, free elemental form (“native silver”), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite.
- Most silver is produced as a by-product of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining. Silver is mined as a mixture in ores along with other metals such as copper, gold, lead, zinc, sulphur, antimony, arsenic or chlorine.
- By states, largest resources in terms of silver ore are located in Rajasthan accounts (87%), Jharkhand (5%), Andhra Pradesh (4%), and Karnataka (2%).
- Zawar mines in Udaipur (Rajasthan) is the largest silver producing mine in the country.
3. Which of the following statements about Mangroves is/are correct?
- They can survive in saline waters.
- They need high oxygen levels for respiration.
- They are viviparous meaning their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree.
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 3
[C] Only 1 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Only 1 & 3]
Notes:- Mangroves are defined as assemblages of salt tolerant trees and shrubs that grow in the intertidal regions of the tropical and subtropical coastlines.
- They grow luxuriantly in the places where freshwater mixes with seawater and where sediment is composed of accumulated deposits of mud.
- They can survive under extreme hostile environments such as high salt and low oxygen conditions.
- Underground tissue of any plant needs oxygen for respiration. But in a mangrove environment, the oxygen in soil is limited or nil.
- For the purpose of breathing, they develop special roots called pneumatophores.
- With their roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions that would quickly kill most plants.
- They are viviparous meaning their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree. Once germinated, the seedling grows into a propagule.
