[MISSION 2022] INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS ( 21 April 2022 ) REVISION THROUGH MCQS – INSIGHTSIAS

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Born in Amritsar on April 21, 1621 to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru.
• He was the ninth Sikh guruwho stood up against forcible conversions by the Mughals.
• He set up his headquartersin present-day Anandpur Sahib in 1665.
• He helped Raja Ram Singhto broker a truce with the Ahom king. Gurdwara Dhubri Sahib on the banks of the Brahmaputra commemorates this peace accord.
• Aurangzebordered the public execution of the Guru on November 11, 1675 after he declined to embrace Islam

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/21/guru-tegh-bahadur/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• GoI launched the smart cities mission in 2015.
• The cities were given five years to complete the projects under the mission, with the first set of Smart Cities expected to complete in 2021.
• The objective is to integrate city functions, utilize scarce resources more efficiently, and improve the quality of life of citizens.
• It is an innovative initiative under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/21/guru-tegh-bahadur/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The CPCB has laid down the permissible noise levels in India for different areas. Noise pollution rules have defined the acceptable level of noise in different zones for both daytime and night time.
• In industrial areas, the permissible limit is 75 dB for daytime and 70 dB at night.
• In commercial areas, it is 65 dB and 55 dB, while in residential areas it is 55 dB and 45 dB during daytime and night respectively.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/21/noise-pollution/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Earlier, noise pollution and its sources were addressed under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• They are now, however, regulated separately under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
• Additionally, noise standards for motor vehicles, air-conditioners, refrigerators, diesel generators and certain types of construction equipment are prescribed under the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986.
• Noise emanating from industry is regulated by State Pollution Control Boards / Pollution Control Committees (SPCBs / PCCs) for states / Union territories under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/21/noise-pollution/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Any unwanted sound that causes annoyance, irritation and pain to the human ear is termed noise. It is measured in A-weighted decibels (dB (A)) that indicate the loudness of the sound.
• Noise level refers to the decibel levels of noise produced by any appliance or machine. In general, the human ear can tolerate noise levels up to 85 dB. Anything beyond that can affect their productivity and quality of life.
• The decibel levels of common sounds above 80 dB are considered ‘loud’, while the decibel levels of common sounds between 100-125 dB are termed ‘uncomfortable’.
• All machines operating in an area should produce noise within the acceptable level to maintain the well-being of people around.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2022/04/21/noise-pollution/

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) is a term adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to denote work under Article 6 of the Convention (1992) and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement.
• The over-arching goal of ACE is to empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues.

• Implementation of all six focus areas is crucial to the global response to climate change. Everyone, including and perhaps especially the young, must understand and participate in the transition to a low-emission, climate-resilient world.

Refer: https://unfccc.int/topics/education-youth/the-big-picture/what-is-action-for-climate-empowerment

Ans: (c)

Explanation: Three Percent Club

• A coalition of countries, businesses and institutions has announced its commitment to putting in place ambitious policies to help drive a 3% annual global increase in energy efficiency. The coalition reports that this target, which was announced at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit, is necessary to meet global climate goals while enhancing economic prosperity in all countries.
• The ‘Three Percent Club’ brings together 15 governments (Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Portugal, Senegal and the UK) and 13 businesses and international organizations to help put the world on a path to achieve the necessary annual energy efficiency improvements to meet the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Refer: https://sdg.iisd.org/news/global-coalition-commits-to-3-annual-global-increase-in-energy-efficiency/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant.
• The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant’s rhizosphere, its root system. Mycorrhizae play important roles in plant nutrition, soil biology and soil chemistry.

• Disease, drought and salinity resistance and its correlation to mycorrhizae: Mycorrhizal plants are often more resistant to diseases, such as those caused by microbial soil-borne pathogens. These associations have been found to assist in plant defense both above and belowground. Mycorrhizas have been found to excrete enzymes that are toxic to soil borne organisms such as nematodes. More recent studies have shown that mycorrhizal associations result in a priming effect of plants that essentially acts as a primary immune response. When this association is formed a defense response is activated similarly to the response that occurs when the plant is under attack. As a result of this inoculation, defense responses are stronger in plants with mycorrhizal associations.
• Resistance to insects: Research has shown that plants connected by mycorrhizal fungi can use these underground connections to produce and receive warning signals. Specifically, when a host plant is attacked by an aphid, the plant signals surrounding connected plants of its condition. The host plant releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that attract the insect’s predators. The plants connected by mycorrhizal fungi are also prompted to produce identical VOCs that protect the uninfected plants from being targeted by the insect. Additionally, this assists the mycorrhizal fungi by preventing the plant’s carbon relocation which negatively affects the fungi’s growth and occurs when the plant is attacked by herbivores.
• Colonization of barren soil: Plants grown in sterile soils and growth media often perform poorly without the addition of spores or hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi to colonise the plant roots and aid in the uptake of soil mineral nutrients. The absence of mycorrhizal fungi can also slow plant growth in early succession or on degraded landscapes. The introduction of alien mycorrhizal plants to nutrient-deficient ecosystems puts indigenous non-mycorrhizal plants at a competitive disadvantage. This aptitude to colonize barren soil is defined by the category Oligotroph.
• Resistance to toxicity: Fungi have been found to have a protective role for plants rooted in soils with high metal concentrations, such as acidic and contaminated soils. Pine trees inoculated with Pisolithus tinctorius planted in several contaminated sites displayed high tolerance to the prevailing contaminant, survivorship and growth. One study discovered the existence of Suillus luteus strains with varying tolerance of zinc. Another study discovered that zinc-tolerant strains of Suillus bovinus conferred resistance to plants of Pinus sylvestris. This was probably due to binding of the metal to the extramatricial mycelium of the fungus, without affecting the exchange of beneficial substances.

Refer: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-8770-7_13