1. It is primarily caused by excessive freshwater influx reducing salinity levels.
2. It involves accumulation of carbon dioxide leading to reduced oxygen availability in water.
3. It adversely affects the role of mangroves as breeding and nursery grounds for fish.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: Hypercapnic hypoxia is not caused by freshwater influx or reduced salinity; it is primarily driven by elevated carbon dioxide levels.
Statement 2 – Correct: It involves the accumulation of carbon dioxide, which reduces dissolved oxygen levels in water.
Statement 3 – Correct: Oxygen depletion disrupts the ecological functioning of mangroves, particularly their role as breeding and nursery grounds for fish.
1. Mangroves are restricted to equatorial regions and are absent in subtropical intertidal zones.
2. Mangrove vegetation in India includes distinct categories such as Red, Black, White and Buttonwood.
3. The combined mangrove cover of Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands exceeds that of West Bengal.
4. Mangrove ecosystems in India are present in both mainland coastal regions and island territories.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: Mangroves are found in both tropical and subtropical intertidal zones, not limited to equatorial regions.
Statement 2 – Correct: Mangrove vegetation is broadly classified into Red, Black, White, and Buttonwood types.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: West Bengal accounts for the largest share of mangrove cover (about 42.45%), so the combined cover of Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands does not exceed it.
Statement 4 – Correct: Mangroves are present across mainland coastal regions as well as island territories such as the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
1. Microfinance includes only collateral-free credit provided to low-income households.
2. It aims to integrate individuals lacking access to formal banking into the financial system.
3. Microfinance institutions are required to mobilize deposits from borrowers as a mandatory condition.
4. A significant proportion of microfinance borrowers in India are women.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: Microfinance is broader in scope and includes services such as savings, insurance, and remittances, not just collateral-free credit.
Statement 2 – Correct: It promotes financial inclusion by integrating individuals who lack access to formal banking systems.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: Microfinance institutions are not mandatorily required to mobilize deposits; many NBFC-MFIs operate as non-deposit-taking entities.
Statement 4 – Correct: A very high proportion of microfinance borrowers in India are women (around 95%), as noted in the Economic Survey 2025–26.
1. The Index of Core Industries is compiled as a component sub-index within the Index of Industrial Production.
2. A slowdown in the year-on-year growth rate of ICI implies a corresponding decline in the month-on-month output of core industries.
3. The Index of Core Industries is released by the Office of the Economic Adviser under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
4. All industries included in the ICI are assigned equal weight in the Index of Industrial Production.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: The Index of Core Industries is a separate index and not a sub-index of the Index of Industrial Production, though it carries a weight of about 40.27% in IIP.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: A slowdown in year-on-year growth does not necessarily imply a decline in month-on-month output, as both measure different dimensions and may be affected by base effects.
Statement 3 – Correct: The Index of Core Industries is released by the Office of the Economic Adviser under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (DPIIT).
Statement 4 – Incorrect: Core industries are assigned differential weights in the Index of Industrial Production, not equal weights.
1. Molecular clouds are regions where atomic hydrogen is the dominant form of hydrogen due to high-energy radiation.
2. The opacity of molecular clouds is primarily due to scattering and absorption by dust grains present within them.
3. Molecular clouds typically exhibit well-defined outer boundaries due to gravitational confinement.
4. Star formation within molecular clouds can be triggered by external events such as nearby supernova explosions.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: Molecular clouds are dominated by molecular hydrogen (H₂), not atomic hydrogen.
Statement 2 – Correct: Their opacity arises from internal dust grains that absorb and scatter light, making them appear as dark clouds.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: Molecular clouds have irregular shapes and lack clearly defined outer boundaries.
Statement 4 – Correct: Star formation can be triggered by external events such as nearby supernova explosions, which compress the cloud and initiate collapse.