Daily MCQs 7 October

Q 1. Which of the following is/ are the Objective/ Objectives of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)?

1. To coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries.

2. To ensure the stabilization of oil markets.

3. To secure an efficient, economic, and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d)

Recently, OPEC+ agreed its deepest cuts to oil production since the 2020 COVID pandemic at a Vienna meeting. The grouping of the world’s largest oil-producing countries, the OPEC and its allies, together known as OPEC+, decided to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day.

Option (d) is correct: Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was established in 1960 by founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, OPEC has since expanded and has 13 member states. With the addition of another 11 allied major oil-producing countries that include Russia, the grouping is known as OPEC+.i.e., OPEC+ is a group of 24 oil-producing nations. OPEC+ format was born in 2017 with a deal to coordinate oil production among the countries in a bid to stabilize prices. The OPEC bloc is nominally led by Saudi Arabia, the group’s largest oil producer, while Russia is the biggest player among the non-OPEC countries.

Objective

• To coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries;

• To ensure the stabilization of oil markets;

• To secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers

• To ensure a fair return on capital for those investing in the petroleum industry.

Q 2. Nobel Prize winning scientist Carolyn R Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K Barry Sharpless is known for his work in which area? 

(a) development of Metallurgy

(b) development of Meteorology 

(c) development of Environmental protection

(d) development of click chemistry and biorthogonal chemistry.

Answer: (d)

Option (d) is correct: The 2022 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to Carolyn R Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K Barry Sharpless. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 is about making difficult processes easier. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 is about making difficult processes easier. Click chemistry and bioorthogonal reactions have taken chemistry into the era of functionalism.

Barry Sharpless and Morten Meldal have laid the foundation for a functional form of chemistry – click chemistry – in which molecular building blocks snap together quickly and efficiently. Carolyn Bertozzi has taken click chemistry to a new dimension and started utilising it in living organisms.

Click chemistry is utilised in the development of pharmaceuticals, for mapping DNA and creating materials that are more fit for purpose. Using bioorthogonal reactions, researchers have improved the targeting of cancer pharmaceuticals.

Q 3. With reference to Strait of Hormuz, consider the following statements:

1. It links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

2. It lies between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2 

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a)

Recently, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) has announced new visa rules in order to attract tourists as well as those who wish to work or live in the UAE.

Most crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq – all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – is shipped through this waterway.

It is also the route used for nearly all the liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by the world’s biggest LNG exporter, Qatar.

Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct: The strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea the Strait of Hormuz is located between Oman and Iran. The Strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point. The shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil chokepoint because of the large volumes of oil that flow through the strait. 

Q 4. Which of the following are released into atmosphere due to the burning of crop/biomass residue?

1. Carbon monoxide

2. Methane

3. Ozone

4. Sulphur dioxide

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 1 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d)

The Ministry of Power is considering cutting coal supply to plants, which do not comply with biomass cofiring Norms. The Power Ministry in October 2021 had decreed that all thermal power plants ensure 5% compliance by October 2022. In 2020-21, only eight power plants had co-fired biomass pellets, and this number had risen to 39 recently.

Option (d) is correct: Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy. Biomass contains stored energy from the Sun. Plants absorb the Sun’s energy in a process called photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. Crop residue and biomass burning (forest fires) is considered as a major source of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and Nitrogen Oxides (NOX). Burning of rice crop residue releases Suspended Particulate Matter, SO2, NO2 and O3 in the atmosphere.

Q 5. Which of the following statement is/are correct about Scheduled Castes?

1. According to The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 only marginalized Hindu communities can be deemed Scheduled Castes in India.

2. These communities were notified as Scheduled Castes as per provisions contained in Clause 1 of Article 341 of the Constitution.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2 

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c)

The Supreme Court has sought the position of the government on a petition challenging the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950 and including Dalit Christian under SC.

Statement 1 is correct: Scheduled castes are sub-communities within the framework of the Hindu caste system who have historically faced deprivation, oppression, and extreme social isolation in India on account of their perceived ‘low status’. Only marginalized Hindu communities can be deemed Scheduled Castes in India, according to The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950. 

Paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 states that no person who professes a religion different from Hindu (the Sikh or the Buddhist) religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.

• Union government: In 2019 rejected the possibility of including Dalit Christians as members of SCs.

Statement 2 is correct: Scheduled castes are those castes/races in the country that suffer from extreme social, educational and economic backwardness arising out of age-old practice of untouchability and certain others on account of lack of infrastructure facilities and geographical isolation, and who need special consideration for safeguarding their interests and for their accelerated socio-economic development. These communities were notified as Scheduled Castes as per provisions contained in Clause 1 of Article 341 of the Constitution.