Daily Quiz 18 September 2023

Explanation:

• Option (1) is the incorrect: Santiniketan is a renowned cultural and heritage town located in Birbhum District, West Bengal (Santiniketan literally means “abode of peace” in Bengali). Initially, it started as an ashram (hermitage) founded by Rabindra Nath Tagore’s father, Debendranath Tagore
• Option (2), (3) and (4) are correct: Eventually Santiniketan developed into a centre of art, culture, and learning. Santiniketan is famous for Visva-Bharati University, established by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921. Until Independence, it was a college, and the institution was given the status of Central University in 1951 through a central Act. Recently, Santiniketan became the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and the third in West Bengal, after the Sundarbans National Park and the Darjeeling Mountain Railways.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Moonquakes are seismic activities or tremors that occur on the moon’s surface. The moon experiences a wide temperature range, from scorching hot (up to 121 degrees Celsius) to extremely cold (as low as -133 degrees Celsius). This drastic temperature difference leads to the moon’s surface contracting and expanding, causing stress and strain in the moon’s crust, ultimately resulting in seismic activity.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Moonquakes are similar to earthquakes on Earth, but they are not primarily driven by the movement of tectonic plates like on Earth. Moonquakes can be caused by several factors including the tidal pull of Earth on the moon, meteor impacts, and the change in temperature on the surface of the moon
• Statement 3 is correct: The moon’s lack of an atmosphere means that even small meteoroids can strike its surface with significant force. These impacts create shockwaves that can deform the lunar ground and trigger seismic events. Lander Activities: Recent research has suggested that even human-made activities, such as the landing of lunar modules like the Apollo 17 lander in 1972, can induce moonquakes.

Explanation:

Recently, Prime Minister of India launched the PM Vishwakarma Yojana for traditional artisans and craftsmen. It was originally announced in the Union Budget 2023.

• Statement 1 is correct: PM Vishwakarma is a new scheme and envisages to provide end-to-end holistic support to the traditional artisans and craftspeople. This scheme aims to benefit individuals skilled in traditional craftsmanship, especially from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community. Skilled asrtisans like weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers, among others, will be empowered through this scheme.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Benefits of the scheme shall be restricted to one member of the family. The minimum age of the beneficiary should be 18 years on the date of registration. Moreover, the beneficiary should not have availed loans under similar credit-based schemes of Central Government or State Government, e.g., PMEGP, PM SVANidhi, Mudra, in the past 5 years.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: H1B Visa is an employment-based and non-immigrant visa category for temporary workers. Typically, the initial duration of an H-1B visa classification is three years, which may be extended for a maximum of six years. Once H-1B holders reach that six-year maximum, they must leave the U.S. and remain outside for at least one year before being eligible for a new six years of H1B.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The H-1B visa programme permits US companies to temporarily recruit foreign workers in speciality occupations such as mathematics, engineering, technology, and medical sciences.
• Statement 3 is correct: Indians are by far the most active users of the US H-1B program and made up 73% of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in fiscal year 2022. The US is likely to announce that Indians and other foreign workers on H-1B visas will be able to renew those visas in the US, without having to travel abroad.

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. It is believed to have existed for at least 3000 years. It spread through close, face-to-face contact. The smallpox vaccine, created by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed.
• Statement 2 and 3 are incorrect: In the early 1960s, India accounted for nearly 60% of the reported smallpox cases in the world. In response to the situation, in 1962 the Government of India launched the National Smallpox Eradication Program (NSEP) with a focus on mass vaccination of the population. The World Health Organization’s International Smallpox Assessment Commission has declared India free from smallpox in 1977.