Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon- July 14

Statement 1 is incorrect.

El Nino usually causes less than normal rainfall in the case of south-west monsoon. However, it does the reverse in the case of the northeast monsoon. It causes above-normal rainfall during the northeast monsoon. This is due to the difference in seasonal wind patterns between the two monsoons.

Statement 2 is correct.

More about El-Nino:

• El-Nino is a weather phenomenon, during which temperature at sea surface is warmer than normal sea-surface temperatures.
• El Nino is a warming of the Pacific Ocean between South America and the Date Line, centered directly on the Equator, and typically extending several degrees of latitude to either side of the equator.
• It accompanies high air surface pressure in the western Pacific.
• El Niño occurs when tropical Pacific Ocean trade winds die out and ocean temperatures become unusually warm.

Statement 1 is correct. White tigers in India are nothing but a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger. They have been reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar.

Statement 2 is incorrect. These tigers have white fur because of the lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange color fur.

About White Tigers in India:

• In India, white tigers are predominantly found in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
• They have been reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar.
• The striking white coat is caused by a double recessive allele in the genetic code, and only turns up naturally about once in every 10,000 births.

About Dew:

• When the moisture is deposited in the form of water droplets on cooler surfaces of solid objects (rather than nuclei in air above the surface) such as stones, grass blades and plant leaves, it is known as dew.
• The ideal conditions for its formation are clear sky, calm air, high relative humidity, and cold and long nights.
• For the formation of dew, it is necessary that the dew point is above the freezing point.

Both the statements are correct.

Statement 1: Sambhar Salt Lake is India’s largest inland salt lake. It is located in Nagaur and Jaipur districts of Rajasthan. It is surrounded on all sides by the Aravali hills.

Statement 2: It is important wintering area for flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia.

Both the statements are incorrect.

Statement 1: Halophytes plants are important in the context of increasing salinisation of land especially due sea level rise because of climate change and global warming.

Statement 2: They constitute two per cent of terrestrial plant species.

About Halophytes:

• Halophytes are salt-tolerant or salt-resistant plants.
• They can thrive and complete their life cycles in soils or waters containing high salt concentrations.
• In recent times, alarming rise in the sea level has prompted agriculture scientists to call for the cultivation of saline-tolerant crops in light danger of sea intrusion.

Option c is the correct answer.

The most important fishing grounds of the world are found where warm and cold oceanic currents meet.

More details:

The major commercial fishing grounds are located in the cool waters of the northern hemisphere in comparatively high latitudes. Commercial fishing is little developed in the tropics or in the southern hemisphere. The best fishing grounds are found above continental shelves which are not more than 200 meters below the water surface, where plankton of all kinds are most abundant. The world’s most extensive continental shelves are located in high or mid ­latitudes in’ the northern hemisphere, e.g., the ‘banks’ off Newfoundland, the North Sea and the continental shelf off north-western Europe, and the Sea of Japan.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Agenda 21 is a non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development.

More about Agenda-21:

• Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.
• The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels.