1.Which type of Mahseer fish, has been moved out of the IUCN “Endangered Red List”?
[A] Himalayan mahseer
[B] Copper mahseer
[C] Golden Mahseer
[D] Blue Finned Mahseer
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Explanation: The Tata Power group, which is involved in conservation of Blue Finned Mahseer and Golden Mahseer in Lonavala for the past 50 years, has stated that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has moved Blue Finned Mahseer out of its “Endangered Red List”. The species has been moved to “Least Concern”. But the Golden Mahseer is still on the endangered list. ©navclasses
2.Lufengosaurus, the 180-million-year-old dinosaur’s fossil, has been unearthed in which country?
[A] Greece
[B] China
[C] Japan
[D] Russia
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Explanation: Paleontologists in China have unearthed a fossil of an 8-metre-long dinosaur, which is estimated to have lived 180-million-years ago. The fossil is found to be 70 percent intact and the Dinosaur Fossil Conservation and Research Center carried out emergency excavations to help prevent damage to the bones. This is a type of giant Lufengosaurus, which lived during the Early Jurassic period, as per media reports. ©navclasses
3.Mount Eko Dumbing, which was making news recently, is located in which state?
[A] Uttarakhand
[B] Sikkim
[C] Arunachal Pradesh
[D] Himachal Pradesh
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Explanation: Recently, a team of wildlife enthusiasts have sighted two species of monal birds on Mount Eko Dumbing at 4,173 metres above mean sea level. It is located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) is widely distributed from Afghanistan to northeast India, the Sclater’s (Lophophorus sclateri) monal is found in China and Myanmar. ©navclasses
4.Great Barrier Reef, which was seen in the news recently, is a famous coral reef situated in which country?
[A] USA
[B] Australia
[C] Japan
[D] India
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Explanation: Great Barrier Reef spans for 2,300km off Australia’s north-east coast. It gained World Heritage ranking in 1981 due to its scientific and intrinsic importance. Recently, UNESCO recently said the Great Barrier Reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” due to the damage it has suffered. Several bleaching events on the reef in the past five years caused significant loss of coral. ©navclasses
5.In which state, over 400 parrots are alleged to have died, due to chemical spray?
[A] Kerala
[B] Punjab
[C] Gujarat
[D] Haryana
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Explanation: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the chief wildlife warden (CWW) of Punjab to look into the allegation of death of 400 parrots in Faridkot. As per a plea by a social activist, nearly 400 parrots died in the premises of the Faridkot deputy commissioner due to a chemical having been sprayed on jamun trees. The district administration claimed that the parrots died due to a sand storm. ©navclasses
6.“Monk Fruit” whose field trials have commenced in Himachal Pradesh, originally belongs to which country?
[A] Nepal
[B] Thailand
[C] China
[D] Myanmar
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Explanation: The “Monk Fruit”, which is originally grown in China, is known for its property of “non-caloric natural sweetener. The CSIR has commenced its field trials of growing the Monk Fruit in Himachal Pradesh at the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Kullu. The trials commenced three years after the seeds were imported from China. ©navclasses
7.‘Kraaling’ is a process used in training/ taming which animal?
[A] Elephant
[B] Camel
[C] Giraffe
[D] Gorilla
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Explanation: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is to develop a standard operating procedure for the capture and release of wild elephants based on science and best practices. As per the state officials, the process of kraaling and training an adult into captivity could be generally tortuous and scientifically not well-established. Kraaling involves capture of the animals by closing them in a stockade (kraal). The Asian elephant species in Tamil Nadu is declining to an alarming level, and so they propose the wild elephants should be sent back to the breeding population. ©navclasses
8.Which National Park has become the first national park in India to be equipped with satellite phones?
[A] Jim Corbett National Park
[B] Bandhavgarh National Park
[C] Kaziranga National Park
[D] Sundarban National Park
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Explanation: Kaziranga National Park has become the first national park in India to be equipped with satellite phones. Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua handed over 10 satellite phones to the forest personnel of the Kaziranga National Park. The satellite phones will be used in pockets of the park’s six ranges with no wireless or poor mobile connectivity. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority had procured the 10 satellite phones for Kaziranga at an estimated cost of Rs 16 lakh. The park authorities will bear the monthly expenses for the service provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. ©navclasses
9.Which Indian city was adjudged the second most polluted city out of the 50 ‘most polluted cities’ in the world?
[A] Ghaziabad
[B] Kanpur
[C] Gurugram
[D] Delhi
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Explanation: Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad was adjudged the second most polluted city out of the 50 ‘most polluted cities’ in the world in 2020 by a report prepared by British company HouseFresh. Ghaziabad reported an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 2.5 particulate matter (PM) in 106.6µg/m3, the report said. Preceding Ghaziabad, Chinese city of Hotan in Xinjiang province has been named the most polluted city with a PM2.5 of 110.2µg/m3. The report attributed the air pollution in Hotan to sandstorms resulting from its closeness to the Taklimakan Desert, which is the largest shifting sand desert in the world. For Ghaziabad, the cause of pollution has been assigned to traffic volumes in the “gateway” to Uttar Pradesh. ©navclasses
10.From which State/UT, a rare orchid species has been found for the first time in India?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Ladakh
[C] Jammu & Kashmir
[D] Uttarakhand
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Explanation: A rare orchid species — Cephalanthera erecta var. oblanceolata– has been found for the first time in India in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district at an altitude of 1870 metres. A research paper on the new addition to Indian flora has been published in Nelumbo, the six-monthly journal of BSI and volumes listing the orchid species of India will soon be updated. ©navclasses
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