Daily Static Quiz (Science and Tech) Oct 27, 2025
Daily Static Quiz (Science and Tech) Oct 27, 2025
Question 1
Consider the following statements regarding Pulsars and Gravitational Waves:
Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit regular pulses of radio waves.
Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) can detect gravitational waves by measuring variations in the arrival times of pulsar signals.
The gravitational waves detected by PTAs have frequencies in the range of nanohertz and are caused by merging supermassive black holes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 2
With reference to the Lagrange Points, consider the following statements:
Lagrange Point L1 is located between the Sun and the Earth at approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
The L1, L2, and L3 points are dynamically stable, while L4 and L5 are unstable.
India’s Aditya-L1 mission was launched to study the Sun from the Sun-Earth L1 point.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 3
Which of the following statements about gravitational waves is/are correct?
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) uses pulsar timing to detect ultra-low frequency gravitational waves.
Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light and can pass through matter without any interaction.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 4
Consider the following missions launched or planned by ISRO:
XPoSat – India’s first dedicated mission to study X-ray polarization of celestial sources
Gaganyaan – India’s first crewed spaceflight mission
Chandrayaan-4 – Lunar sample-return mission planned for 2027
Which of the above missions is/are correctly described?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 5
With reference to NASA’s recent missions, consider the following:
Europa Clipper mission was launched in October 2024 to study Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Artemis II mission will be the first crewed mission to land on the Moon since Apollo 17.
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected complex organic molecules outside the Milky Way galaxy.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 6
Consider the following pairs:
| Mission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1. Perseverance Rover | Collecting samples from Mars for future return to Earth |
| 2. NISAR | Joint ISRO-NASA mission for Earth observation |
| 3. Artemis III | First human landing mission to Moon’s South Pole |
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Question 7
With reference to CRISPR-Cas9 technology, consider the following statements:
CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene-editing tool that can precisely modify DNA sequences in living organisms.
In December 2023, the US FDA approved the first CRISPR-based gene therapy called Casgevy for treating sickle cell disease.
CRISPR-Cas9 can only be used for treating genetic disorders and has no application in agriculture.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 8
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of:
(a) CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology
(b) microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation
(c) mRNA vaccines for COVID-19
(d) Monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment
Question 9
Consider the following statements regarding Coal Gasification:
Coal gasification converts coal into synthesis gas (syngas) primarily consisting of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
The Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology produces lower emissions compared to conventional pulverized coal combustion.
India’s National Coal Gasification Mission aims to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Question 10
With reference to Lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, consider the following statements:
The cathode in a lithium-ion battery typically contains materials like lithium cobalt oxide or lithium iron phosphate.
During charging, lithium ions move from the anode to the cathode.
The electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries is typically a non-aqueous solution containing lithium salts.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
ANSWER KEY WITH DETAILED EXPLANATIONS
ANSWER 1: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
All three statements are correct.
Statement 1: Pulsars are indeed rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit regular pulses of radio waves from their magnetic poles. They were discovered in 1967 and their regularity rivals atomic clocks, making them perfect for detecting gravitational waves.
Statement 2: Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) are international collaborations using radio telescopes to observe multiple pulsars. They detect gravitational waves by measuring tiny variations (less than a millionth of a second) in the arrival times of pulsar signals caused by spacetime distortions.
Statement 3: PTAs detect gravitational waves in the nanohertz frequency band (corresponding to oscillation periods of several months to years). These ultra-low frequency gravitational waves are believed to originate from merging supermassive black holes. India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) is part of the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA) and contributed to this groundbreaking research.
ANSWER 2: (b) 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 3 are correct, but statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 1: Correct. The L1 point lies on the line between the Sun and Earth, approximately 1.5 million kilometers (0.01 AU) from Earth in the direction of the Sun. At this point, the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth combine to create an equilibrium point.
Statement 2: Incorrect. This statement has the stability reversed. The L1, L2, and L3 points are dynamically unstable (requiring periodic corrections), while L4 and L5 are stable points. L4 and L5 form equilateral triangles with the two large masses.
Statement 3: Correct. India’s Aditya-L1 mission was launched on September 2, 2023, and successfully entered its orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point in January 2024. It is India’s first mission dedicated to studying the Sun, specifically examining the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona.
ANSWER 3: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
All three statements are correct.
Statement 1: Correct. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime, first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 as a consequence of his theory of general relativity. They are produced by violent and energetic events in the universe, such as merging black holes or neutron stars.
Statement 2: Correct. India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), located near Pune, is part of the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA) collaboration. GMRT uses pulsar timing to detect ultra-low frequency (nanohertz band) gravitational waves by monitoring the precise timing of pulsar signals over many years.
Statement 3: Correct. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (approximately 300,000 km/s) and can pass through matter without significant interaction. This property makes them valuable for observing distant cosmic events that would be otherwise obscured.
ANSWER 4: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
All three mission descriptions are correct.
Statement 1: Correct. XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) was successfully launched on January 1, 2024, aboard PSLV-C58. It is India’s first dedicated mission to study the polarization of X-rays from bright celestial sources. The satellite carries two payloads: POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing), with an expected operational lifespan of at least five years.
Statement 2: Correct. Gaganyaan is India’s first crewed spaceflight program. ISRO is planning multiple test flights (Gaganyaan-1, 2, 3) before the first crewed mission (Gaganyaan-4) planned for 2026. If successful, India will become the fourth country to independently send humans to space.
Statement 3: Correct. Chandrayaan-4 is a planned lunar sample-return mission, scheduled for 2027-2028. It will be the fourth mission in India’s Chandrayaan program and will consist of multiple modules: Transfer Module (TM), Lander Module (LM), Ascender Module (AM), and Reentry Module (RM).
ANSWER 5: (b) 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 3 are correct, but statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 1: Correct. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission was successfully launched on October 14, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles to reach Jupiter in April 2030 and conduct 49 close flybys of Europa to study the subsurface ocean and determine if conditions could support life.
Statement 2: Incorrect. Artemis II is planned as a crewed lunar flyby mission, not a landing mission. It will carry four astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the Moon without landing, scheduled for April 2026 (possibly February 2026). Artemis III, scheduled for September 2026, will be the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, specifically targeting the lunar South Pole.
Statement 3: Correct. In October 2025, the James Webb Space Telescope detected complex organic molecules, including methanol, ethanol, acetaldehyde, and acetic acid, in frozen ice around a young star (ST6) in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, approximately 160,000 light-years away. This is the first detection of such “seeds of life” outside the Milky Way.
ANSWER 6: (c) All three
Explanation:
All three pairs are correctly matched.
Pair 1: Correct. NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars in Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021. One of its primary objectives is to collect and cache rock and soil samples in tubes for potential return to Earth by future NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return missions. As of October 2025, Perseverance has been operational for over 1,640 sols (Martian days).
Pair 2: Correct. NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a joint Earth observation mission between NASA and ISRO. It will be the first dual-frequency (L-band and S-band) synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite for remote sensing, planned for launch in 2024-2025. The mission will study Earth’s surface, ecosystems, ice sheets, and natural hazards.
Pair 3: Correct. Artemis III is planned for September 2026 and will be NASA’s first human lunar landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission will land astronauts near the Moon’s South Pole, a region never visited by humans. It will mark the first landing of a woman and the first person of color on the Moon, using SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander.
ANSWER 7: (b) 1 and 2 only
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 2 are correct, but statement 3 is incorrect.
Statement 1: Correct. CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows scientists to precisely modify DNA sequences in living organisms. It works like “molecular scissors” that can cut DNA at specific locations to add, remove, or alter genetic material.
Statement 2: Correct. In December 2023, the US FDA approved Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), the first CRISPR-Cas9 based gene therapy for treating sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. This marked a historic milestone in gene therapy, as it modifies patients’ hematopoietic stem cells to produce functional hemoglobin.
Statement 3: Incorrect. CRISPR-Cas9 has diverse applications beyond treating genetic disorders. In agriculture, it has been used to develop pest-resistant crops, improve crop yields, engineer drought-resistant plants, and create genetically modified organisms (GMOs) with improved traits. It also has applications in biotechnology for producing valuable compounds, functional genomics research, and developing disease models.
ANSWER 8: (b) microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation
Explanation:
The correct answer is (b).
Victor Ambros (University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School) and Gary Ruvkun (Harvard Medical School) were jointly awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
Their research, conducted in the early 1990s while studying the nematode worm C. elegans, revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) are tiny non-coding RNA molecules (typically 20-25 nucleotides) that regulate gene expression by binding to messenger RNA (mRNA) and controlling protein production. This discovery unveiled a completely new principle of gene regulation essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
The human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs, which play crucial roles in development, cellular function, and disease processes. MicroRNAs are now known to be dysregulated in various conditions, including cancer, making them potential therapeutic targets. Ambros discovered the first microRNA (lin-4) in 1993, while Ruvkun’s work showed how it regulated the lin-14 gene by binding to complementary sequences in its mRNA.
ANSWER 9: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation:
All three statements are correct.
Statement 1: Correct. Coal gasification is a thermochemical process that converts coal into synthesis gas (syngas), which is primarily a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂), along with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and water vapor. The process involves reacting coal at high temperatures (typically 1,000-1,400°C) with a controlled amount of oxygen and steam.
Statement 2: Correct. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology is a cleaner alternative to conventional pulverized coal combustion. IGCC plants gasify coal to produce syngas, remove impurities (sulfur, particulates, mercury) before combustion, and use both gas and steam turbines for power generation. This results in lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and facilitates easier carbon capture, while achieving higher thermal efficiency (43-44%).
Statement 3: Correct. India’s National Coal Gasification Mission was launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Coal with the ambitious goal of gasifying 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030. The mission aims to diversify coal usage, reduce dependence on oil and gas imports (India imports 83% of oil and 90% of methanol), and promote cleaner utilization of India’s abundant coal reserves (344 billion tonnes of non-coking coal). In January 2024, the Cabinet approved equity investments by Coal India Limited to form joint ventures with BHEL and GAIL for gasification projects.
ANSWER 10: (b) 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 3 are correct, but statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 1: Correct. The cathode (positive electrode) in lithium-ion batteries typically contains lithium-rich materials such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), or lithium manganese oxide (LiMn₂O₄). These materials serve as the source of lithium ions and determine the battery’s voltage, capacity, and safety characteristics.
Statement 2: Incorrect. This statement describes the direction incorrectly. During charging, lithium ions move from the cathode to the anode (not anode to cathode). The ions are extracted from the cathode, pass through the electrolyte and separator, and are stored in the anode (typically made of graphite). During discharging (when the battery is in use), the process reverses: lithium ions move from the anode back to the cathode, generating electrical current.
Statement 3: Correct. Lithium-ion batteries use a non-aqueous electrolyte because lithium reacts vigorously with water. The electrolyte is typically a mixture of organic carbonates (such as ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, or diethyl carbonate) containing dissolved lithium salts like lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆). This electrolyte allows lithium ions to move between electrodes while preventing electrical short circuits. The non-aqueous nature is essential for battery safety and performance.
