ENGLISH QUIZ 15.09.2020

1.Consider the following statements:

1.US Spacecraft Named After Late Indian-American Astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

2.The Cygnus spacecraft for the NG-16 mission will deliver approximately 3,629 kg of cargo to the                  space station.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

2.Consider the following statements

1.Government bans export of all kind of onions with immediate effect.

2.The government had earlier banned export of onions in September 2017.

3.A sharp down surge in the onion price is expected once the market opens after the release of                       government’s notification.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

ANSWERS:-

Answer: 1)A      

Explanation

An American commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been named after fallen NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first India-born woman to enter space, for her key contributions to human spaceflight.

As per Northop Grumman, the decision to name an American Commercial cargo Spacecraft bound for the International Space Station after Kalpana Chawla has been taken to acknowledge her key contributions to the human spaceflight.

Naming of US Spacecraft “S.S. Kalpana Chawla”:

• While informing about its decision, Northop Grumman further added that Kalpana Chawla was selected in honour of her prominent place in history as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space.
• It also mentioned that while Kalpana Chawla had made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the space programme, her legacy is still there through her fellow astronauts and those she has inspired to follow in her footsteps.
• Her final research which was conducted onboard Columbia helped us understand astronaut health and safety during the spaceflight.
• Today we honor Kalpana Chawla, who made history at @NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent.

When is “S.S. Kalpana Chawla” scheduled for launch?

• The “S.S. Kalpana Chawla” capsule is all set to launch on the NG-14 mission atop a Northop Grumman Antares rocket from MARS- Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Flight Facility of NASA in Virginia on September 29, 2020.
• The Cygnus spacecraft for the NG-14 mission will deliver approximately 3,629 kg of cargo to the space station.
• The spacecraft will be arriving at and will be attached to the space station two days later.

Kalpana Chawla at NASA

• Kalpana Chawla began her career in NASA in 1988 as a powered-lift computational fluid dynamics researcher at the Ames Research Centre, California. Her work had concentrated on the simulation of the complex air flows encountered by the aircraft flying in ‘ground effect’.
• Kalpana Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc. in 1993 as a Vice-President and a researcher in aerodynamics.
• After becoming a naturalized US citizen in April 1991, she applied for the NASA astronauts corps. In December 1994, she was selected and reported to the Johnson Space Centre in Houston in 1995 as an astronaut candidate in Group 15.
• Kalpana Chawla was assigned as a mission specialist in November 1996 as STS-87 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the first woman of Indian descent to fly into space.
• Her second spaceflight experience came in 2001 when she was selected for the crew of STS-107. The flight was dedicated to research and science, with approx. 80 experiments completed.

About Kalpana Chawla:

• Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana.
• She did a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in 1982.
• She moved to the United States to pursue her graduate education and in 1984 she received a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas.
• She also did her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University in Colorado, in 1988.
• Kalpana Chawla also held commercial pilot’s licenses for the single and multi-engine aeroplanes, gliders, and seaplanes. She was also a certified flight instructor.
• She lost her life during the STS-107 mission in 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering the Earth’s atmosphere.

Answer: 2)B

Explanation

The government banned the export of all kinds of onion with immediate effect. The decision comes at a time the prices of onions in domestic retail markets are soaring due to a shortage of supply.

Why the ban on export?

• There seem to be two major reasons why the government imposed the ban on export.
• One in recent times there has been a steady increase in the wholesale prices of onions.
• This price surge has made onion a popular kitchen staple, costlier item in the Indian household. Secondly, the high CFPI value released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI).

There was a ban on exports earlier

• The government had earlier banned export of onions in September 2019.
• At that time, onion prices had increased considerably due to huge difference in demand and supply.
• Onion crop suffered major damage due to rain and floods in large onion producing states like Maharashtra.

Why the onions are costlier in the market?

• This year country received heavy rainfall in August. This has badly impacted the ready crop which was supposed to hit the Indian market this year.
• The stock also got badly affected in MP, Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra.

Will the export ban reduce the price?

• A sharp down surge in the onion price is expected once the market opens after the release of government’s notification.
• However, the marketers and traders speculated that the price may increase again within a week.
• The new crop will only arrive after November.

What is the Essential Commodities Act 1955 and what all changes have made in the act recently?

• Indian economy like every other economy works on demand and supply basis.
• Prices are apparently decided by demand and supply.
• However, in order to protect the interests of the consumer certain country law empowers the Indian government to intervene in the market.
• The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 is one of such Act which empowers the government to regulate the production, supply and distribution of essential commodities to consumers at fair prices.
• In a recent change, the Central Government made the imposition of stock limit and movement restrictions on commodities only applicable in extreme conditions like war or natural calamity.

Highest onion exports from India

• Most of the onion exports from India are to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Now that onion exports have been banned, it will remove the shortage of onions in the country and its prices will fall.