1.Which state in India has been witnessing African Swine Fever, which claimed over 4500 pigs?
[A] Goa
[B] Mizoram
[C] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Bihar
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: The state of Mizoram has been severely affected by African Swine Fever (ASF), which has claimed more than 4,700 pigs in over two months, since the first case was reported. As of now, the state government has declared 99 villages and localities as “infected areas”, of which 56 are located in Aizawl District, which is the state capital. ©navclasses
2.Which type of Mahseer fish, has been moved out of the IUCN “Endangered Red List”?
[A] Himalayan mahseer
[B] Copper mahseer
[C] Golden Mahseer
[D] Blue Finned Mahseer
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: The Tata Power group, which is involved in conservation of Blue Finned Mahseer and Golden Mahseer in Lonavala for the past 50 years, has stated that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has moved Blue Finned Mahseer out of its “Endangered Red List”. The species has been moved to “Least Concern”. But the Golden Mahseer is still on the endangered list. ©navclasses
3.Great Barrier Reef, which was seen in the news recently, is a famous coral reef situated in which country?
[A] USA
[B] Australia
[C] Japan
[D] India
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: Great Barrier Reef spans for 2,300km off Australia’s north-east coast. It gained World Heritage ranking in 1981 due to its scientific and intrinsic importance. Recently, UNESCO recently said the Great Barrier Reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” due to the damage it has suffered. Several bleaching events on the reef in the past five years caused significant loss of coral. ©navclasses
4.Indian biologists have identified a new plant species named ‘Bryum bharatiensis’, in which continent?
[A] Africa
[B] Antarctica
[C] Asia
[D] Europe
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: Indian biologists have identified a species of moss during an expedition to Antarctica in 2017. This has been published in an international journal recently. The biologists, based in the Central University of Punjab, have named the species as Bryum bharatiensis. Bharati is the name of one of India’s Antarctic research stations. The most astonishing fact is how the moss survives in the landscape of rock and ice. ©navclasses
5.Which marine animal, also known as ‘Sea Cow’ is facing mass deaths in the USA?
[A] Manatees
[B] Sea Otter
[C] Sperm Whale
[D] Bottlenose Dolphin
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: At least 841 of the manatees have died this year in the US state of Florida, mainly from starvation. Manatees are large, aquatic marine mammals, also known as sea cows. They are generally herbivores. In 2013, as many as 830 manatees died after exposure to harmful algae. The main issue is the increasing waste contamination of Florida’s waterways, which leads to the accumulation of algae and the loss of seagrass. Most of the deaths are said to have happened when manatees migrated to the Indian River Lagoon, where most seagrass had died. ©navclasses
6.What is the name of the fish, that has been caught in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand for the first time in three decades?
[A] Mrigal Carp
[B] Hilsa
[C] Silver Pomfret
[D] Mystus
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: Hilsa, the pricey fish has been caught in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand for the first time in three decades. The fish lives in the seas but spawns in the rivers. This has been witnessed after the gates and fish locks of Farakka barrage were changed to allow the upstream migration of the fish. Hilsa or ilish, has been the favourite gift to Indian leaders from the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It depleted after the Farakka barrage was constructed in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal and nets were put on the Bangladesh side. ©navclasses
7.Chrysilla volupe, a rare organism spotted in Kerala, belongs to which category of species?
[A] Spider
[B] Turtle
[C] Snake
[D] Frog
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: A pair of rare Chrysilla volupe spiders was recently spotted at Puttenahalli lake in Kerala. The Chrysilla volupe was believed to be extinct for 150 years, until it was discovered at the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) in 2018. The spider belongs to the family of jumping spiders (Salticidae). Male spiders are 5.44 mm long including stretched legs and 1.76 mm wide. They have a upper skin in reddish orange colour with two shining blue stripes. Females measure 2.61 mm long and 0.88 mm wide, and have a greyish upper skin with grey eyebrows with yellow legs. ©navclasses
8.Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah, the motto of India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant has been taken from which of the following scriptures?
[A] Rig Veda
[B] Mundak Upanishad
[C] Yajurveda
[D] Brhadaranyaka Upanishad
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: Recently, Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant successfully accomplished its maiden sea voyage. It is under a series of trial currently. INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1) is an aircraft carrier constructed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy. It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India. The name Vikrant means “courageous” and the motto of the ship is “Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah”, which is taken from Rigveda and can be translated as “I defeat those who fight against me”. ©navclasses
9.Bhindawas has been recognized as a Ramsar site. In which state is it located?
[A] Gujarat
[B] Rajasthan
[C] Odisha
[D] Haryana
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: Recently, four more wetlands from India have been recognized from the Ramsar Secretariat as Ramsar sites. These sites are Wadhwana and Thol from Gujarat and Sultanpur and Bhindawas from Haryana. The number of Ramsar sites in India is 46 and the surface area covered by these sites is now 1,083,322 hectares. While Haryana gets its first Ramsar sites, Gujarat gets three more after Nalsarovar which was declared in 2012. The goal of the Ramsar List is to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands vital to the conservation of global biodiversity and sustaining human life through the maintenance of benefits, ecosystem components and processes. ©navclasses
10.In which State/UT, a new frog species named Adi Cascade Frog has been discovered?
[A] Arunachal Pradesh
[B] Assam
[C] Sikkim
[D] Nagaland
SHOW ANSWER
Explanation: A team of researchers from Delhi University (DU), along with biologists from the Wildlife Institute of India and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, USA, have discovered a new species of cascade frog in Arunachal Pradesh. It has been named after the indigenous Adi tribe and the hills they inhabit. Discovered on the Adi hills in Arunachal Pradesh, the new frog species has been named Adi Cascade Frog (Amolops Adicola). The hills are home to the Adi tribe. The findings were published in the Journal of Natural History, London, in a scientific article titled ‘Phylogenetic position of the poorly known montane cascade frog Amolops Monticola (Ranidae) and description of a new closely related species from Northeast 2 India’. ©navclasses