Question 02:
Answer: a
World Press Freedom Index
• It is released by the global media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
• The objective of the World Press Freedom Index, which it releases every year, “is to compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories” in the previous calendar year.
• The RSF defines press freedom as “the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety.”
• Countries are ranked after being assigned a score ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest possible level of press freedom and 0 the worst.
• The scoring has two components: a quantitative one, that tallies abuses against journalists and media outlets, and a qualitative analysis based on the responses of press freedom specialists to an RSF questionnaire.
• Countries are evaluated on five contextual indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context, and safety.
• India’s ranking in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index has fallen to 150 out of 180 countries, in last year’s report, India was ranked 142.
• The top three positions for countries with the highest press freedom were taken by the Nordic trio of Norway (a score of 92.65), Denmark (90.27) and Sweden (88.84).
Answer: a
World Press Freedom Index
• It is released by the global media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
• The objective of the World Press Freedom Index, which it releases every year, “is to compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories” in the previous calendar year.
• The RSF defines press freedom as “the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety.”
• Countries are ranked after being assigned a score ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest possible level of press freedom and 0 the worst.
• The scoring has two components: a quantitative one, that tallies abuses against journalists and media outlets, and a qualitative analysis based on the responses of press freedom specialists to an RSF questionnaire.
• Countries are evaluated on five contextual indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context, and safety.
• India’s ranking in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index has fallen to 150 out of 180 countries, in last year’s report, India was ranked 142.
• The top three positions for countries with the highest press freedom were taken by the Nordic trio of Norway (a score of 92.65), Denmark (90.27) and Sweden (88.84).
Question 01:
Answer: d
Shigella Bacteria
• Symptoms of shigellosis include diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, stomach cramps, and fever. Sometimes people infected with Shigella have no symptoms at all, but can still pass the bacteria to others.
• Shigella is found in the stool (feces) of infected people, in food or water contaminated by an infected person, and on surfaces that have been touched by infected people.
What is Shigella Bacteria?
• About: Shigella is a genus of bacteria that causes an infection called shigellosis. It is the second leading cause of diarrhea (after Rotavirus) worldwide and the third leading cause of death in children less than 5 years old.
• The annual number of shigellosis episodes throughout the world is estimated to be 164.7 million.
• Possible Symptoms: Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramps which can last for seven days.
• Transmission: Shigella is generally transmitted through contaminated food or water, or through person-to-person contact.
• Shigellosis is primarily a disease of poor and crowded communities that do not have adequate sanitation or safe water.
• Incubation Period: The incubation period of shigellosis is typically 1–4 days.
• Different Species: The severity of the disease varies by the infecting species:
• Vaccines: Currently, there are no vaccines available for shigellosis.
• Medium Priority Bacteria: Due to the increasing rate of multidrug resistance, in particular resistance to fluoroquinolone in Asian and African regions, this has been classified as a medium priority for research and development of new and effective antibiotic treatments by the WHO Priority Pathogens List of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Answer: d
Shigella Bacteria
• Symptoms of shigellosis include diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, stomach cramps, and fever. Sometimes people infected with Shigella have no symptoms at all, but can still pass the bacteria to others.
• Shigella is found in the stool (feces) of infected people, in food or water contaminated by an infected person, and on surfaces that have been touched by infected people.
What is Shigella Bacteria?
• About: Shigella is a genus of bacteria that causes an infection called shigellosis. It is the second leading cause of diarrhea (after Rotavirus) worldwide and the third leading cause of death in children less than 5 years old.
• The annual number of shigellosis episodes throughout the world is estimated to be 164.7 million.
• Possible Symptoms: Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramps which can last for seven days.
• Transmission: Shigella is generally transmitted through contaminated food or water, or through person-to-person contact.
• Shigellosis is primarily a disease of poor and crowded communities that do not have adequate sanitation or safe water.
• Incubation Period: The incubation period of shigellosis is typically 1–4 days.
• Different Species: The severity of the disease varies by the infecting species:
• Vaccines: Currently, there are no vaccines available for shigellosis.
• Medium Priority Bacteria: Due to the increasing rate of multidrug resistance, in particular resistance to fluoroquinolone in Asian and African regions, this has been classified as a medium priority for research and development of new and effective antibiotic treatments by the WHO Priority Pathogens List of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Question 01: Consider the following statements:
1. It is commonly found in tropical scrub and deciduous forests.
2. It is a nocturnal primate and is arboreal in nature.
3. They are very social at dusk and dawn with two mating seasons in a year.
4. It has been listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
1. It is commonly found in tropical scrub and deciduous forests.
2. It is a nocturnal primate and is arboreal in nature.
3. They are very social at dusk and dawn with two mating seasons in a year.
4. It has been listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
Question 01: Identify the species.
Anonymous Quiz
26%
a. Slender Loris
34%
b. Amur Leopard
32%
c. Koala
8%
d. Monitor Lizard
Question 02: With reference to Kalbaishakhi, consider the following statements:
1. These are localized rainfall and thunderstorm events which occur in Bangladesh and the Indian states.
2. They occur mostly in the month of August with their frequency increasing in early December.
3. These are helpful for Kharif crops like jute and paddy and gives relief after the midday heat.
1. These are localized rainfall and thunderstorm events which occur in Bangladesh and the Indian states.
2. They occur mostly in the month of August with their frequency increasing in early December.
3. These are helpful for Kharif crops like jute and paddy and gives relief after the midday heat.
Question 02: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Anonymous Quiz
13%
a. 1 and 2 only
27%
b. 2 and 3 only
41%
c. 1 and 3 only
19%
d. 1, 2 and 3
Question 01:
Answer: a
The forests bordering Karur, Dindigul, and Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu will be made a sanctuary to protect the Slender Loris.
Slender Loris
• IUCN has listed them as Endangered; whereas they are listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, according to them the highest level of legal protection.
• It is commonly found in the tropical scrub and deciduous forests as well as the dense hedgerow plantations bordering farmlands of Southern India and Sri Lanka.
• It is a small nocturnal primate, which prefers to inhabit thick, thorny bushes and bamboo clumps where it can evade predators and also find insects, which is its main diet.
• They have a small, vestigial tail. (Vestigial: remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function.)
• Their most prominent feature is the pair of two large, closely set, brown eyes.
• Being arboreal, they spend most of their life in the trees.
• Though their movements are slow, they can climb up fast to the treetop when threatened.
• They either hunt on their own or in pairs.
• They are known to be very social at dusk and dawn.
• Their mating season is twice a year, from April to May as well as October to November and gestation is 166-169 days.
• The females give birth to normally one and rarely two infants at one time.
Answer: a
The forests bordering Karur, Dindigul, and Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu will be made a sanctuary to protect the Slender Loris.
Slender Loris
• IUCN has listed them as Endangered; whereas they are listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, according to them the highest level of legal protection.
• It is commonly found in the tropical scrub and deciduous forests as well as the dense hedgerow plantations bordering farmlands of Southern India and Sri Lanka.
• It is a small nocturnal primate, which prefers to inhabit thick, thorny bushes and bamboo clumps where it can evade predators and also find insects, which is its main diet.
• They have a small, vestigial tail. (Vestigial: remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function.)
• Their most prominent feature is the pair of two large, closely set, brown eyes.
• Being arboreal, they spend most of their life in the trees.
• Though their movements are slow, they can climb up fast to the treetop when threatened.
• They either hunt on their own or in pairs.
• They are known to be very social at dusk and dawn.
• Their mating season is twice a year, from April to May as well as October to November and gestation is 166-169 days.
• The females give birth to normally one and rarely two infants at one time.
Question 02:
Answer: C
Statement 1 is correct: These are localized rainfall and thunderstorm events which occur in Bangladesh and the Indian states.
Statement 2 is incorrect: They occur mostly in the month of March with their frequency increasing in May and early June. Statement 3 is correct: These are helpful for Kharif crops like jute and paddy and gives relief after the midday heat.
When and where does Kal Baisakhi occur?
Violent thunderstorms in the Gangetic plains of India are regionally known as Kal Baisakhi or Nor’westers. These localised events are usually correlated with thunderstorms accompanied by strong squally winds and torrential rainfall.
Origin of Kal Baisakhi
Kal Baisakhi originates over Bihar and Jharkhand area, moves eastwards and strikes West Bengal and Odisha. These are extremely severe in nature and takes Chhattisgarh under its purview as well. Kal Baisakhi mainly originates in the Chhotanagpur Plateau, in and around the cities of Ranchi and Jamshedpur. In times of incursion of moist air in these elevated regions, amidst high temperatures, these extremely destructive thunderstorms occur.
Answer: C
Statement 1 is correct: These are localized rainfall and thunderstorm events which occur in Bangladesh and the Indian states.
Statement 2 is incorrect: They occur mostly in the month of March with their frequency increasing in May and early June. Statement 3 is correct: These are helpful for Kharif crops like jute and paddy and gives relief after the midday heat.
When and where does Kal Baisakhi occur?
Violent thunderstorms in the Gangetic plains of India are regionally known as Kal Baisakhi or Nor’westers. These localised events are usually correlated with thunderstorms accompanied by strong squally winds and torrential rainfall.
Origin of Kal Baisakhi
Kal Baisakhi originates over Bihar and Jharkhand area, moves eastwards and strikes West Bengal and Odisha. These are extremely severe in nature and takes Chhattisgarh under its purview as well. Kal Baisakhi mainly originates in the Chhotanagpur Plateau, in and around the cities of Ranchi and Jamshedpur. In times of incursion of moist air in these elevated regions, amidst high temperatures, these extremely destructive thunderstorms occur.