Prelims Exam 

Polity 

1.Parliamentary Candidate Requirements

• Constitution (Article 84):
  • Citizen of India
  • Minimum age: 25 years (Lok Sabha) & 30 years (Rajya Sabha)
  • May be prescribed other qualifications by Parliament
• Representation of the People Act, 1951:
  • Lok Sabha candidates must be enrolled voters in any constituency.
• Domicile not a Criterion:Candidates can contest from multiple seats.

Science and Tech 

2.Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

• Function:
  • Defines best practices for emissions reduction and net-zero targets aligned with climate science.
  • Develops standards and guides for companies and financial institutions to set science-based targets.
  • Validates companies’ and financial institutions’ targets.
• Recent Criticism:Allowing companies to use carbon offsets to meet climate commitments.

Economy

3.Sensex

• Benchmark stock market index of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
• Launched in 1986.
• Comprises 30 stocks representing India’s largest, financially sound companies.
• Sensex value increase indicates a general rise in share prices. Conversely, a decrease suggests a general decline.
• Reflects overall sentiment of the Indian stock market.

4. Shrinkflation 

• Practice of companies reducing product size/quantity while keeping the price the same.
• Example:Reducing ice cream scoops in a container or chips in a packet.
• Causes:Rising production costs, avoiding consumer price hike sensitivity.

 

Environment

5.Corals

• Invertebrates belonging to Cnidaria group.
• Formed by tiny soft organisms called polyps secreting a calcium carbonate exoskeleton for protection.
• Coral reefs are massive carbonate structures created by millions of polyps.
• Colors:Range from red, purple, blue to brown and green (due to algae living inside polyps).
• Types:Fringing reefs (along shorelines), barrier reefs (open water), atolls (circular reefs around sunken volcanoes).
• Significance:
  • Provide food, shelter, breeding grounds for a quarter of marine life.
  • Support over 1 billion people through food, livelihoods, and recreation.

6.Biodegradable Straws Protect Lab-Grown Coral

• Context:South Florida researchers use biodegradable drinking straws to prevent lab-grown coral from becoming fish food.
• Coral Cage Design:
  • Small biodegradable cage made partly with drinking straws.
  • Consists of a limestone disc surrounded by eight vertical straws.
  • Increases transplanted coral survival rate to over 90%.

7.Carbon Offsets Explained

• Concept:A way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere.
• Process:
  • Organizations/individuals purchase carbon offsets to compensate for their own emissions.
  • Offsets achieved through projects capturing/storing carbon or preventing emissions (e.g., renewable energy, reforestation).

 

Geography

8.Ringwoodite: Earth’s Hidden Ocean

• Discovery:Researchers found a massive reservoir of water 700 km beneath Earth’s surface trapped within a mineral called ringwoodite.
• Size Estimation:This subterranean ocean is estimated to hold three times the volume of all Earth’s surface oceans combined.
• Detection Method:Scientists analyzed the speed of seismic waves from earthquakes to infer the composition of Earth’s inner layers.

Ringwoodite: The Water-Storing Mineral

• Location:Exists in Earth’s transition zone.
• Unique Property:Crystal structure allows it to absorb and hold significant amounts of water like a sponge.

9.Mount Etna 

• Active stratovolcano on Sicily’s east coast (Italy’s largest island).
• Europe’s tallest mountain south of the Alps and one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
• Has five summit craters responsible for most eruptions.
• Located above the convergent plate margin between the African and Eurasian Plates.
• A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.
• Recent Activity:Volcanic vortex rings emerged from a new pit crater.