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Home » Current Affairs Quiz » Prelims 2024 Current Affairs Quiz: Series 1, November 2023

Prelims 2024 Current Affairs Quiz: Series 1, November 2023

Q.1. Consider the following statements regarding CERT-In:

  1. It is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents
  2. It has been in operation since 2011
  3. It has developed M-Kavach 2

Which of the above statements is/are true?

  • (a) Only 1
  • (b) 1 and 2
  • (c) 1 and 3
  • (d) All of the above

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

  • CERT-In has been functioning since January 2004.
  • It was established by India’s Government under the Information Technology Act, 2000, Section (70B). It operates under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
  • Its duties overlap with other agencies like the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
  • NCIIPC is part of the National Technical Research Organisation, under the Prime Minister’s Office.
  • NDMA works under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • M-Kavach 2 is a product developed by C-DAC, Hyderabad.
  • C-DAC, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, is the leading R&D organisation under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
  • C-DAC conducts R&D in IT, Electronics, and related fields.

Context:

Opposition leaders have claimed that their iPhones were hacked by the Government. This claim came after they received a warning from Apple about potential “State-sponsored attackers.” Subsequently, Apple and CERT-In (the government’s computer security agency) have assembled teams. The purpose of these teams is to investigate the nature of the alleged attack.

Source: The Indian Express

Q.2. Match the following:

Column A

A. Maitree Express

B. Mitali Express

C. Bandhan Express

Column B

i. Siliguri-Dhaka

ii. Kolkata-Khulna

iii. Kolkata-Dhaka Cantonment

Choose the answer from the choices given below:

  • (a) A-i, B-ii, C-iii
  • (b) A- iii, B-I, C—ii
  • (c) A-iii, B-ii, C-i
  • (d) None of the above

Answer: (b)

Explanation

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh inaugurated a rail link on November 1, 2023.
  • The inauguration took place virtually.
  • The rail link connects Northeast India with Bangladesh.
  • This project is named Agartala-Akhaura.
  • The rail link will reduce travel time between Agartala and Kolkata.
  • The current travel time of 31 hours will be cut down to 10 hours.

Read more about this news.

Significance of the Project

  • Tripura, being land-locked, greatly benefits from connectivity projects. Dr. Manik Saha, the Chief Minister of Tripura, was present virtually at the inaugural event.
  • He stated that the Agartala-Akhaura train service is crucial for the Northeast region’s connectivity and will promote Tripura as a tourism hub.
  • The train service between Agartala and Akhaura is a part of several initiatives to boost India-Bangladesh connectivity. Currently, three trains, the Bandhan Express, The Maitree Express, and the Mitali Express, facilitate this connectivity via West Bengal.
  • The Bandhan Express revives an old railway link between Kolkata and Khulna, Bangladesh’s third-largest city. This route was previously served by the Barisal Express until the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The service was resumed in 2017 by the governments of PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina, utilising the Petrapole-Benapole border crossing.
  • The Maitree Express, a service between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment, was initiated in April 2008.
    PM Modi announced the introduction of the Mitali Express during his March 2021 Dhaka visit. This train connects Siliguri in North Bengal with the capital of Bangladesh.

Q.3. Consider the following statements:

  • A. Among Indian states, Tripura shares the longest international border with Bangladesh.
  • B. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on two sides
  • C. Tripura shares an 856-km international border with Bangladesh

How many of the statements given above are correct?

  • (a) A and C
  • (b) Only A
  • (c) Only B
  • (d) Only C

Answer: (d)

Explanation: Tripura shares an international border of 856 kilometres with Bangladesh, the second longest in India after West Bengal. It is bordered by Bangladesh on three sides, with Assam being the only exception on the fourth side. (Source: The Indian Express)

Q.4. Consider the following statements:

  1. The Central Drugs Standard Control has granted India’s first indigenously –developed CAR-T cells therapy
  2. CAR-T cells therapy treats various forms of cancer
  3. CAR-T cells modifies immune cells
  4. T-cells are known as immune cells

How many of the statements given above are correct?

  • (a) Only 1
  • (b) 1 and 2
  • (c) 2 and 3
  • (d) All of the above

Answer: (d)

Explanation:

  • The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) granted market approval to Nex-CAR19.
  • Nex-CAR19 is India’s first home-grown CAR-T cell therapy.
  • The approval was given to ImmunoACT, a company incubated by IIT Bombay.
  • This approval enables the commercial introduction of this therapy in India.
  • The cost of this therapy in India is expected to be only a tenth of its cost abroad.

Source: The Indian Express

Read More: CAR-T Cell Therapy Gets Regulatory Approval For Cancer Treatment

Q.5. Consider the following statements:

  • Statement A: NITI Aayog releases the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) every year on June 7.
  • Statement B: World Food Safety Day is observed every year on June 7.

Choose the correct option from the choices given below:

  • (a) Only statement A is true
  • (b) Both Statement A and Statement B are true
  • (c) Only statement B is true
  • (d) Neither Statement A nor Statement B is true

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

  • The State Food Safety Index (SFSI) is released annually by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on World Food Safety Day, June 7.
  • Since its inception in 2019, SFSI has been used to encourage states to improve food safety.
  • As per the 2023 report, 19 out of 20 large states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, showed a decline in their scores from 2019.
  • Maharashtra experienced the largest drop, with a 2023 score of 45 out of 100, down from 74 in 2019.
  • Bihar’s score also plummeted, standing at 20.5 in 2023, a significant decrease from 46 in 2019.
  • Gujarat’s score was 48.5 in 2023, down from 73 in 2019.

Source: The Indian Express

Q.6. Consider the following terms:

  1. Balfour Declaration
  2. Six-Days War
  3. Yom Kippur War
  4. Oslo Accords

Which of the following terms is/are true with respect to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine?

  • (a) All of the above
  • (b) 1 and 2
  • (c) 1, 2 and 4
  • (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a)

Source: History Of The Israel-Palestine Conflict

Q.7. World’s first AI Safety Summit was held recently in which of the following countries?

  • (a) US
  • (b) UK
  • (c) Canada
  • (d) France

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

  • The first-ever global AI Safety Summit took place in the UK from November 1-2, 2023.
  • Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of India, participated in the summit.
  • The summit location was Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, southern England.
  • Bletchley Park has historical significance as the base for WWII code-breaking efforts.
  • The summit’s focus was ‘frontier AI’, models with potentially serious public safety risks.
  • Notable WWII code-breakers, including Alan Turing, broke the Enigma code of Nazi Germany at Bletchley Park.
  • They used the world’s first digitally programmable computer for this task.
  • The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park holds the biggest collection of functional historical computers worldwide.
  • Future AI Safety Summits are scheduled in South Korea and France, six months apart from each other.

Source: The Hindu

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