25 January 2023

Q1. Hubble Space Telescope was successful by making which of the following observations?

1. Tracking interstellar objects
2. Capturing a comet colliding with another planet
3. Discovering moons around Pluto.
4. Probing supermassive black holes.

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 1, 2, 3
3. 1, 2
4. 1, 2, 3, 4

 D – EXPLANATION

•  Launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 1.4 million observations, including tracking interstellar objects, capturing a comet colliding with Jupiter, and discovering moons around Pluto.
•  Hubble has captured galaxies merging, probed supermassive black holes and has helped us understand the history of our universe.

 Q2. Artificial Intelligence is beneficial in which of the following areas?

1. Credit card frauds prevention
2. GPS mapping technology
3. Identify nutrient deficiencies in the soil
4. Self-driving vehicles
5. Personalized online Shopping.

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2, 3, 4
2. 2, 3, 4, 5
3. 1, 2, 4, 5
4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

D – EXPLANATION

•  AI’s exponential growth It is embedded in the recommendations we get on our favourite streaming or shopping site; in GPS mapping technology; in the predictive text that completes our sentences when we try to send an email or complete a web search.
•   Personalized Shopping Artificial Intelligence technology is used to create recommendation engines through which you can engage better with your customers.
•  Fraud Prevention Credit card frauds and fake reviews are two of the most significant issues that E-Commerce companies deal with. By considering the usage patterns, AI can help reduce the possibility of credit card frauds taking place.
• AI in Agriculture Artificial Intelligence is used to identify defects and nutrient deficiencies in the soil. This is done using computer vision, robotics, and machine learning, AI can analyze where weeds are growing.
•  AI in Automobiles Artificial Intelligence is used to build self-driving vehicles. AI can be used along with the vehicle’s camera, radar, cloud services, GPS, and control signals to operate the vehicle.

Q3.  Consider the following statements regarding Bio-enzymes.

1. Bio-enzymes are organic solutions produced through fermentation of organic waste like fruits, vegetable peels and flowers by mixing in sugar, jaggery/molasses and water.
2. Yeast can be used to slow down the process of fermentation.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

A – EXPLANATION

•  Bio-enzymes are organic solutions produced through fermentation of organic waste including various fruits, vegetable peels and flowers, by mixing in sugar, jaggery/molasses and water.
•   It takes 60-100 days to ferment organic waste. To fasten the fermentation, yeast can be used as culture to prepare it in 45-50 days.

 Q4. Which of the following can be achieved using Nanotechnology?

1. Delivery of active drugs to target tissues in the Human eye.
2. Deliver drugs at the cell-level using DNA-based nanostructures.
3. Manipulation of nanoscale biological specimens such as bacteria, viruses and proteins in human body using light.

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

D – EXPLANATION

• Nanomicelles is an emerging platform for drug delivery to the eye. Conventionally nanoparticles are said to be hydrophobic and hence unsuitable for delivering water-soluble drugs.
•  However, this has been overcome by development of nanomicelles which are capable of delivering poorly water-soluble drug. DNA Origami is a process of making 2-D and 3-D nanostructures out of DNA.
•   Since the DNA has the property of self-assembly, combination of DNA nanostructures can be used to make drug delivery systems. Given the small size of DNA-nanostructures, they can deliver drugs at cell level.
•   Researchers have developed a technique to trap and move nano-sized particles using light called as ‘nanotweezers technology’. This technique uses a focused laser beam to trap and manoeuvre nanoparticles and would enable non-invasive manipulation of fragile biological specimens such as bacteria, viruses and proteins.

Q5. Graphene is being termed as wonder material due to various properties it exhibits. It is used in which of the following

1. Wearable devices like heart-rate monitors
2. Solar Cells
3. Touch screens
4. Biosensors

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 1, 3, 4
3. 2, 3, 4
4. 1, 2, 3, 4

 D – EXPLANATION

•  Graphene is one-atom thick carbon-based material that is known to have high electrical and heat conductivity, high strength, flexible, optical properties etc. Graphene has a unique property of conducting electrons very fast and hence, are used in manufacture of ultrafast transistors.
• Thus, it can be used in wearable devices to monitor basic bodily functions. Given its optical reflectivity with an applied voltage, Graphene is said to be ideal for photonic applications. Thus, it can be used in solar cells, LEDs, touch screens, lasers etc., which work on the principle of photo-electric effect.
•  An optical fibre coated with graphene is used to detect an anti-body that is found in blood plasma, which is an indicator of presence of cardio-vascular diseases.

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding Proteins.

1. Proteins need to take a precise three-dimensional shape to become functional entities.
2. Most of the time, protein folding happens automatically.
3. Misfolding of proteins can cause a number of diseases like Parkinson’s disease and cataract.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1, 2
2. 1 only
3. 1, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

 C – EXPLANATION

•  DNA is a linear chain of nucleotides, portions of which are faithfully transcribed into linear messenger RNA. The message in this RNA is translated into strings of amino acids – proteins. Proteins need to take a precise three dimensional shape to become functional entities.
•  This protein folding does not happen all by itself, at least most of the time. A special bunch of proteins called molecular chaperones assist in correctly folding the protein. Misfolding of proteins can cause a number of diseases.
•   Alpha-synuclein protein, present in neurons, is wrongly folded in Parkinson’s disease. Aberrant folding of crystallins of the eye lens leads to cataract. In the eye lens, an abundant subset of proteins called alpha-crystallins themselves serve as chaperones.

Q7. Consider the following statements.

1. Traditional way of diagnosing Cancer is through Histopathology, where the tumour tissues are sliced and examined under a microscope.
2. Digital histopathology involves the use of deep learning techniques and machine learning to diagnose cancer by looking at whole slide images of the tumour.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

C – EXPLANATION

•   Indian Institute of Technology Madras researchers use a combination of deep learning techniques and traditional machine learning to develop a tool that can diagnose cancer by looking at whole slide images of the tumour.
• The tool has been tested on datasets of breast, liver and colon cancer tissue images. It is economical in terms of the time required to process the images and analyse them. Digital histopathology: Traditionally, histopathologists slice the tumour tissue into approximately 20-micron-thick slices which they put on slides.
•   They look at enlarged images of the slides and go over it cell by cell to manually classify it as cancerous or otherwise. This is highly time-consuming, and it is to alleviate this burden that digital histopathology developed. In this, after preparing the slides, the entire slide is scanned using a high-resolution microscope and digitised. This is then analysed using computerised tools.

Q8. Which of the following are the applications of Carbon Nanotubes?

1. They are used as semiconductors in electrical circuits.
2. They can be used to reinforce graphite in tennis rackets.
3. They be used as a container for transporting a drug in the body.

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2
2. 2, 3
3. 1, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

 D – EXPLANATION

•  The fullerenes are a large class of allotropes of carbon and are made of balls, ‘cages’ or tubes of carbon atoms. Nanotubes are nano-structures made of fullerenes with properties including high tensile strength, high electrical conductivity, high ductility, high heat conductivity, and relative chemical inactivity.
•   Nanotubes can be used to reinforce graphite in tennis rackets because they are very strong. Due to the abovementioned properties, they are also used as semiconductors in electrical circuits. The nanotube’s structure allows it to be used as a container for transporting a drug in the body. A molecule of the drug can be placed inside the nanotube cage.
•  This keeps the drug ‘wrapped up’ until it reaches the site where it is needed. In this way, a dose that might be damaging to other parts of the body can be delivered safely to, for example, a tumour.

Q9.  Consider the following statements.

1. The consumption of alcohol by pilots can be known by conducting pre-flight and post-flight breath analyser tests.
2. When the blood alcohol levels are zero in the body, there will be no effect of hangover.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

A – EXPLANATION

• To ensure aviation safety is not compromised due to the consumption of alcohol by pilots, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued revised guidelines for conducting pre-flight and post-flight breath analyser tests on the crew.
•   It is a well-known fact that even when the blood alcohol levels are zero in the body, there could be some effect of hangover, which is mainly due to congeners. These congeners may take 15 to 18 hours to get dissipated and may produce ill effects for up to 36 hours depending upon the amount of alcohol consumed.
•  Alcohol also interfered with the enzymatic cellular process or oxidation, causing hypoxia and reduced an individual’s tolerance with increase in altitude.
•   Consumption of alcohol results in significant deterioration of psychomotor performance and decreases the amount of mental capacity available to deal with many essential tasks involved in the conduct of safe flight.

Q10.  Consider the following statements regarding carbon nanotubes.

1. Carbon nanotubes have higher strength than steel, but also weigh significantly more.
2. They can conduct heat and electricity better than copper.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

  B – EXPLANATION

•  Carbon nanotube is a tube-shaped material, made of carbon, having a diameter measuring on the nanometre scale. Researchers have developed thin Carbon Nanotube (CNT) textiles that exhibit high electrical conductivity and a level of toughness about 50 times higher than copper films, currently being used in electronics.
•  CNTs are at least 100 times stronger than steel, but only one-sixth as heavy, so nanotube fibres could strengthen almost any material