Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in Current Affairs.

Corals are short-lived microscopic organisms, which live in colonies. They flourish in shallow, mud-free and warm waters. They secrete calcium carbonate. The coral secretion and their skeletons form coral deposits. Lakshadweep islands group lying close to the Malabar Coast of Kerala is composed of small coral islands.

The answer is (A) Lakshadweep

A narrow gap in a mountain range providing access to the other side is Pass.

Kanchenjunga

Lakshadweep islands of India are called Coral Islands.

The period of Emergency is referred to as the period of constitutional crisis because:

(i) The Parliament brought in many new changes in constitution which made an amendment declaring that elections of Prime Minister, President and Vice President could not be challenged in the court. 

(ii) An amendment was also passed to bring a series of changes in constitution like ‘duration of legislatures’, ‘elections can be postponed by one year during Emergency’.

(iii) The fundamental rights of the citizens and provisions such as habeas corpus were suspended by the government and supported by the Supreme Court. 

(iv) Article 342 was misused by the government for self-benefit and had to change after the Emergency. 

(v) The government put restrictions on Article 368 and on judicial review of the decisions of the Parliament and executive.

Three classifications are there:

1. Metallic Minerals: These have particles of metals like iron, copper, aluminium, gold, silver, etc.

2. Non-Metallic Minerals: These don’t contain particles of metal like Sulphur, Abhrak, Gypsum, Potassium, etc.

3. Power Minerals: We get power and energy from such minerals which drive vehicles and run factories for us. Coal, Petrol, Natural gas, etc. are considered power minerals.

Because atmosphere is the factor which mostly affects the life on earth.

It is a non-metallic mineral. It has many uses:

1. Used in electric goods making industry.

2. Used mostly in lamp chimneys, colours, rubber, paper, medicines, vehicles and transparent sheet industry, etc.

3. Slim sheets of this mineral are put in electric motors as insulator.

During the Bangladesh Crisis, 80 lakh people migrated to India and the crisis led to a War between India and Pakistan that further burdened the Indian economy.

• Building materials: Rocks like granite, sandstone, slate and limestone are used in building roads and houses. Marble is used in more expensive building decoration.
• Fossils: Fossils are found in sedimentary rocks. They are very useful to us because they tell us about the past environment, about animals and plants that are no longer found on earth.
• Tools and implements: Since early civilization, rocks and stone have been used to make tools and implements. Clay bricks have been used for house construction and stones for the construction of pyramids, temples and buildings.
• Fertilizers: Potash, nitrates and phosphates found in sedimentary rocks are used in the manufacturing of fertilizers.

There is a big protective balloon around the earth with a radius of almost 1600 kins. But the breatheable air (99%) is in the radius of 32 kms only.

The distinction between rocks and minerals :

A diagram showing the interior of the earth is given ahead :

From the diagram it will be noticed that density goes on increasing towards the interior of the earth. Three main divisions of the interior of the earth are crust, mantle and core. Each of these three divisions has upper and lower part. Like density, temperature and pressure increase with the increase in depth inside the earth.

Crust: The thickness of the crust is 4-7 km below the seafloor and about 35 km below the continents. Beneath the mountain, the crust is 70 km thick. Continents are however made of a lighter material and rise above the oceanic crust.

Mantle: It extends upto 2900 km. The upper part is only about 100 km thick forming part of the lithosphere. The lower Mental is in a semi-plastic state.

Core: It has a radius of 3470 km and its upper part is in a liquid state and the lower part has enormous heat and is highly compressed, therefore at a solid rate. Iron and nickel are said to be the constituents of the Inner Core.

The distinction between Sial and Sima :

The distinction between Igneous and Sedimentary rocks :

Soil erosion. Soil erosion is the destruction and removal of top soil by running water, wind, etc. Soil formation is a slow process and takes thousands of years to develop soil; but it may be removed in a matter of few years.

Types of Soil Erosion :

Soil erosion is of three types :

1. Sheet erosion: When the surface soil is washed away by rain or blown away by the wind.

2. Gully erosion: When torrential rain forms deep gullies on sloping land.

3. Wind erosion: When strong winds blow away fine soil in arid areas.

Various methods are being practised for soil management :

• Afforestation” Reforestation in old areas and afforestation in new areas are required to hold the soil. Surface run-off can be checked. Advance of deserts can be checked by planting trees along the margins of deserts.
• Controlled grazing” This number of animals to be grazed on slopes should be according to the carrying capacity of the pastures. It gives time for the grass to grow again.
• Terraced agriculture” Terraced cultivation on slopes should be practised to check the flow to rain water.
• Contour ploughing” Contour ploughing, terracing and bunding is done to check soil erosion on slopes. Ploughing is done at right angles to the slopes.

The physical, chemical and organic changes that take place in the exposed rock over a long period of time lead to formation of soils.

Following factors influence this process of soil formation:

1. Climate: Weathering depends on and is influenced by climate. It is the climate that causes disintegration of rock on account of differences in temperature and moisture.

2. Rock Types: Parent rock and its type determines the rate of weathering and erosion. For example, sedimentary rock may be disintegrated quickly as well as cause form action of soil and be a source of humus content in soil.

3. Vegetation: Roots of plants help in weathering. The vegetation also provide materials for decomposition and formation of soils.

4. Slope of land: Slope of land and general topography affect deposition and erosion of materials oi weathering. They may also form transported and residual soils.

5. Time: The changes that lead to formation of soil are spread over thousands to millions of years. The soils also undergo drastic changes with the passage of time.

Soil-erosion. It is the destruction and removal of top soil by running water, wind, etc. So erosion has become a serious problem in many areas Soil formation is a slow process and takes thousands of years to develop, but it may be removed in the matter of a few years.

Causes of Soil Erosion :

1. Steep slopes: Steep slopes increase the rapidity and intensity of soil erosion.

2. Torrential rainfall: Heavy rainfall forms gullies and ravines leading to a bad land topography.

3. Strong winds: Winds, through the process of deflation, blow away layers of fine soil.

4. Overgrazing: Over cropping and shifting cultivation renders the soil infertile.

5. Deforestation: Deforestation exposes the area to soil erosion. Reckless cutting of trees has resulted in soil erosion by chos of the Shiwaliks.

India is located to the north of the equator between 8°4′ and 37°6′ north latitudes and 68°7′ and 97025′ east longitudes.

Correct Answer is: (c) Jaipur

Correct option: (c) 7500 km

1. The children who come with their parents are engaged in piling the canes that are cut and removed the leaves if they are of working age.

2. As their parents are living in bamboo huts, it is difficult for children to go to school. 

3. It is a seasonal migration. 

4. There is no provision of schools. 

5. It is possible to bring these children to schools. 

6. It requires a lot of care and interest on the part of the government.

7. There are provisions like setting up of Bridge schools and seasonal hostels for children of migrated parents.

1. They live in small conical huts. 

2. They live together with animals in congested conditions. 

3. They have to fight exhaustion all the time. 

4. The living conditions of these workers have to be improved. 

5. The owners of sugarcane cultivating lands, the government at the state and even local self governments should take initiative to develop their living conditions. 

6. They should set up health clinics, make shift houses and schools, fix proper wages and work hours. 

7. See that children are not engaged in work, but sent to schools.

1. Sugarcane cutters are employed only for six months. 

2. Because the season ends with it. 

3. Sugarcane cutters come there due to distress caused in rural areas. 

4. They might do agricultural works or MNREGA works during the other six months of the year.

The Kopis are cramped together and bullocks are parked in front. Animals and humans live together in congested conditions.

1. Geological time scale is the arrangement of major divisions of geological time into eras, periods and epochs on the time scale.

2. This division is based on the study of fossilized organisms obtained from the different strata of the earth. 

3. The characteristic significant events that occurred in the organization of organisms helped the geologists to understand the geological time scale. 

4. The major divisions of geological time are called eras. 

5. The eras are divided into periods and the periods into epochs. 

6. By studying fossils in the earth crust, the evolutionary changes in the organisms have been traced out.

Barren and wasteland in India decreased by 12.01% to 8.61% between 1960-61 and 2008-09. This was caused due to massive efforts by the government of India. They have introduced new farming techniques and irrigation like the introduction of HIV seeds, use of tractors and ploughing machines to harvest crops and other such technologies to increase the rate of income of farmers. Other methods include the use of wastelands for agricultural activities to increase net sown areas, the uncertainty of current fallow techniques which depend on rainfall and sowing of regular crops, encroachment of rural and urban settlements which place undue pressure on wastelands.

Net Sown Area represents the total area of land sown once or twice in a year. The land is estimated by the sowing of crops in a year. The plains of Haryana in India have more percentage of the net sown area. This is calculated to keep track of the number of crops sown in a particular piece of land and form an estimate of the progress of agriculture and the overall economy of the country.

(a) When the land becomes unproductive or have no further use, we say that the land is degraded. There are both natural and human activities that damage the land, but recently the increase in land degradation is mainly caused due to human activities. 

1. Deforestation:

Forests are helpful in binding up of soil particles with the help of roots of vegetation. Therefore, cutting о forests will affect the soil adversely. 

2. Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides: 

Excessive use of fertilizers is causing an imbalance in the number of certain nutrients in the soil. This imbalance adversely affects the vegetation. 

3. Overgrazing: 

Increase in livestock population results in overexploitation of pastures. Due to this, grass and other types of vegetation are unable to survive and grow in the area, and lack of vegetation cover leads to soil erosion.

4. Salination: 

Salts dissolved In Irrigation water accumulate on the soil surface due to inadequate drainage, especially during the flood.  

(b) Soil erosion removes the topsoil that is necessary for organic matter, nutrients, micro-organisms that ware required for plants to grow and shine. Soil conservation protects the soil from being washed away. 

The methods of soil conservation are : 

Contour Plowing – plowing grooves into the desired farmland, then planting the crop furrows in the grooves and following the contours is a very effective way for farmland on slopes to prevent runoff improve crop yields. 

Terrace Farming – Terracing is a method of carving multiple, lat leveled areas into hills. Steps are formed by the terraces which are surrounded by a mud wall to prevent runoff and hold the soil nutrients in the beds. 

Crop Rotation – Covering crops with cash crops in order to blanket the soil all year- round and produces green manure the replenishes nitrogen and other critical nutrients 

Green Manures – Green manures are a few different crops that can be grown, not for produce or food usage, but grown in order to fertilize the farmland on which it grows.

Land degradation is a major problem that the environment is facing in modern times. Human activities are the major factors for degradation due to:

(i) Over-Grazing: Over-grazing involves the grazing of livestock like cattle, sheep, etc., over large areas of grassland and pastures. The large herds contribute to over-grazing because when they eat the grass or other shoots, they rip out the roots, leaving the land barren and infertile.

(ii) Shifting cultivation: It is a process of agriculture in which some areas of land are cleared for cultivation and then abandoned to retain its fertility by natural means. This practice leaves various lands unfertile and barren due to over-farming, or the excess growth of weeds.

(iii) Jhumming: Jhum cultivation is the name given to slash and burn method of cultivation in India. It is practiced by tribes and involves clearing up a piece of land by burning of vegetation, cutting of trees in forests to cultivate crops. After a few years of cultivation, the land is left unfertile and severe erosion occurs on the barren land.

(iv) Deforestation: This involves cutting trees on a massive scale to clear lands for building houses, agriculture and other human activities. It causes major land degradation because such lands become deserts due to infertility, erosion of essential soils, the extinction of some animal species etc. Rainfall is also affected drastically.

i. Cell forms the basic structural and functional unit of life in all living organisms.

ii. All organisms show presence of endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, mitochondria as cell organelles.

iii. Similarities in proteins and genes performing a given function among diverse organisms proves common ancestry.

iv. Basic processes like catabolic activities to liberate energy, synthesis of macromolecules like proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids, etc. are similar. ATP is the energy currency in all the living organisms.

 All these are molecular evidences favouring evolution.

i. Geological time scale is divided on the basis of significant events occurred in the organization of organisms.

ii. Major divisions of time scale are called eras.

iii. Eras are divided into periods and periods into epochs.

Let masses of the two objects be m

 v₁ = 2 m/s 

v₂ = 6 m/s 

KE₁ = 1/2 m.(2)² 

KE₂ = 1/2 m.(6)² 

Ratio = (KE₁)/(KE₂) = 1/9

Mass = 1 kg 

Velocity = 2 m/s 

KE = ½ mv² = 2J

a) Both kinetic and potential energy 

b) Both kinetic and potential energy 

c) Only kinetic energy 

d) Only potential energy 

e) Only potential energy

Let the masses of A and B = m 

Height of A = h 

Height of B = 2h 

Potential energy for body A, PE_A = mgh 

Potential energy for body B, PE_B = mg2h 

Ratio = PE_A : PE_B = (mgh)/(mg2h) = ½

Given: 

Mass (m) = 500 kg 

Height (h) = 10 m

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 9.8 m/s²

To Find: 

Potential energy (P.E) = ? 

Formula: P.E = mgh 

Solution: 

P.E = mgh = 500 x 9.8 x 10 

= 500 x 98 

= 49000J 

The P.E of the stored water is 49000 J

If the water concentration inside the cell is higher, it means that the concentration of solutes will be lesser inside the cell as compared to the outside where the water concentration is lower. Due to osmosis, the water will move inside the cell and hence the cell will swell.

(c) Hiroshima

(b) Battle of Midway

Battle of midway   :D

Break-even point occurs when TR = TC or AR = AC.

Flowers are the sexual reproductive organs which after fertilization give rise to fruits.

i) Amoeba is a unicellular organism. It obtains its food by a process known as "endocytosis". 

ii) In endocytosis, the plasma membrane extends outwards to engulf the particles on the outside. 

iii) In amoeba, the plasma membrane also engulfs the food particles on the outside and takes it inside the cell via endocytosis