04 Jan 2024

Daily practice questions for CLAT - (04 Jan 2024)



India will be providing Rs [1] crore to the multinational Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project, whose telescope arrays or groups of telescopes will be built in Australia and South Africa. The Union Cabinet approved the monetary contribution to the international astronomical collaboration involving more than a dozen countries. Once constructed, the telescopes will scan the skies faster than any previous of its kind, mapping out all visible galaxies up till the edge of the universe, in more detail than ever before. Survey data from SKA observation will provide deep insights into the early days of evolution of our galaxy, and the telescope will also search for signs of life elsewhere outside the Earth. The SKA will be built in two phases in both places, with the first phase of construction of SKA1 having begun in December 2022. It is expected to begin operations by [2]. SKA will be a group of radio telescopes operating out of South Africa and Australia in two different ranges of radio frequency. Its headquarters are at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK. The project aims to answer a wide variety of long-standing questions in physics and cosmology, by observing the universe. It will study the Milky Way in great detail. Since our home galaxy’s view is better from the Southern Hemisphere, the arrays are being constructed there. SKA will be a group of radio telescopes operating out of South Africa and Australia in two different ranges of radio frequency. Its headquarters are at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK. The project aims to answer a wide variety of long-standing questions in physics and cosmology, by observing the universe. It will study the Milky Way in great detail. Since our home galaxy’s view is better from the Southern Hemisphere, the arrays are being constructed there. Once constructed, the SKA will be the most powerful telescope ever built, and is expected to make unanticipated discoveries of the unknown. It will also be one of the world’s largest collaborative research projects, involving thousands of researchers and the world’s fastest supercomputers.

Question1:- How much India will be providing to the multinational square kilometer array project, redacted as [1] in the above passage?
  • A. Rs. 1150 crore
  • B. Rs. 1250 crore
  • C. Rs. 1350 crore
  • D. Rs. 1450 crore
Answer is B is correct. On January 3, 2024, the Indian government approved a contribution of Rs 1,250 crore to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project. Hence, B is the correct option.
Question2:- The multinational Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project is expected to begin its operation by what year, represented as [2] in the above passage?
  • A. 2025
  • B. 2027
  • C. 2029
  • D. 2050
Answer is C is correct. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is expected to begin operations by 2029. The SKA is a group of radio telescopes being built in South Africa and Australia in two phases. The first phase of construction began in December 2022. Hence, C is the correct option.
Question3:- NASA has relaunched a spacecraft to explore an asteroid nicknamed the ____ that will make an extremely close flyby of Earth in 2029.
  • A. Juno
  • B. God of Chaos
  • C. God of Grace
  • D. Palestine
Answer is B is correct. NASA launched the OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft to study the asteroid Apophis, also known as the "God of Chaos". The asteroid is expected to fly by Earth on April 13, 2029, at a distance of about 20,000 miles. This is closer than some man-made satellites and will be visible from the Eastern Hemisphere. Hence, B is the correct option.
Question4:- Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint project between USA and which country?
  • A. India
  • B. Germany
  • C. Japan
  • D. France
Answer is B is correct. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft that used infrared light to observe the universe. It is a joint effort between NASA and the German Aerospace Center and was cancelled in 2022 due to its high cost and inadequate scientific output. Hence, B is the correct option.
Question5:- 5. Which of the following is the India’s first X-ray Polarimeter satellite launched by ISRO?
  • A. X-Rasat
  • B. X-Posat
  • C. X-Nosat
  • D. None of the above
Answer is A is correct. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its first X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) on January 1, 2024. The satellite was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Hence, A is the correct option.