Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.
Panchen Lama was just six years old when he was allegedly abducted by the Chinese government on 17 May 1995, along with his family members, after he was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama.
On the 25th anniversary of his disappearance, the Tibetan government-in-exile on Sunday demanded China to release the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, considered to be a reincarnation of Bodhisattva Amitabha.
In a statement issue here, the President of the exiled government, Lobsang Sangay, said China’s abduction of the Panchen Lama and forcible denial of his religious identity and the right to practice in his monastery is not only a violation of religious freedom but also a gross violation of human rights.
After orchestrating the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama, Sangay alleged that China, a self-declared atheist government and infamous for its persecution of religious groups, placed a young boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, as their own 11th Panchen Lama.
“This politically-motivated action failed, however, to displace the position of the true Panchen Lama from the hearts and minds of the Tibetan people. For Tibetans and Buddhists around the world, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima will always be the true Panchen Lama,” he added.
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 11th Panchen Lama’s disappearance, said Sangay, adding that 25 years is a significant time in an individual’s life.
He said the communist government must honour its claim of ethnic harmony in China by fulfilling the aspirations of the Tibetan people.
“It must right the wrong and release the 11th Panchen Lama along with his family, Chadrel Rinpoche, and all Tibetans unjustly imprisoned,” he said while appealing to the international community to make a concerted effort to press China to release Nyima and resolve the critical human rights situation in Tibet.
SSC CPO 2021331)What is the demand of the Tibetan Government-in-exile?
China should release the 11th Panchen Lama along with his family.
Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.
First, thousands of flamingos coloured the Talawe wetlands near NRI Complex in Navi Mumbai pink during the lockdown, their numbers bolstered by the sheer lack of human activity. Now, the water in part of the wetland itself has turned pink, probably due to an explosive blooming of red algae that thrives in saline water, especially as the summer picks up and the wetland loses water.
The deep pink water, located towards the south-eastern end of the wetland, was spotted on 14 May 2020. The pink water was not there till late last week. The bloom has been identified as a rare and first-of-its-kind occurrence for Mumbai Metropolitan Region by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) that plans to take samples of the water for study. However, a local resident, Seema Tania from NRI Complex, Seawoods, said she had spotted the pink wash across a much larger area at the same creek in 2016.“Almost 500-600m patch of the creek turned bright pink and we thought chemicals had been dumped in the creek,” she said.
BNHS and independent microbiologists presume that the colour is from microscopic algae. “Owing to high salinity in the area, it looks like an algal bloom. Our researchers have never witnessed something like this along Mumbai’s creeks,” said Deepak Apte, director, BNHS. “Around the world, such a phenomena has been observed regularly with red algae but it has to be investigated how it has appeared along the Mumbai creek.”
Flamingos are known to feed on this algae, crustaceans, shrimp, and aquatic plants, which gives them the pink colour, said Apte. Dr P Sathiyaselvam, assistant director (wetland conservation), BNHS said, “This is clearly an algal bloom. We have observed the same at the northern portion of Chilika Lake (in Odisha) during early winter months over the years, and also towards the northern end of wetlands in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.” “This is a natural phenomenon. Vigorous growth of algae or bacteria having beta-carotene gives this type of characteristic colouration to the water. It is also related to increased evaporation, salinity, and the current hot and humid weather conditions,” said Rahul Khot, assistant director (in-charge of the flamingo monitoring program).
Ornithologist, naturalist and writer Sunjoy Monga said a similar discolouration of water with a pink hue was witnessed at a flamingo habitat in Porbandar in May 2007. “This happened at the edges of the creek cramped with flamingos with high salinity displaying a pinkish maroon wash to it.” A similar example of what has been observed in Navi Mumbai was recently witnessed across a massive stretch at the Edgars Creek in Melbourne, Australia, that started on 10 Mayand intensified subsequently. The source of the pink water is being investigated, the Epoch Times reported. Other examples of changing water colour to pink across a much larger area has been observed at Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada and the Dead Sea, a salt lake between Israel and Jordan, to name a few.
SSC CPO 2021332)Which of the following individuals thinks that the presence of beta-carotene in the algae gives the water its pink colour?
Rahul Khot
SSC CPO 2021333)The explanation for the pink water, as given by most scientists, is that it is due to:
an explosion of red algae blooming in the saline water
SSC CPO 2021334)The main theme of the passage is:
why the water in some parts of Mumbai wetland has turned pink
SSC CPO 2021335)Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
The phenomenon of pink water has occurred in Mumbai wetland for the first time.
SSC CPO 2021336)After reading the passage, it can be inferred that the:
source of pink water at Edgar’s creek has not yet been determined
Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it.
Western MP has received 1,335.4 millimetres of average rainfall from June 1 to September 25, 58% more than the region’s historical normal of 845.3 mm for this period. However, the real story lies in the month-wise figures. In June, the opening month of the southwest monsoon season, the rains were actually 25.6% below the long-period average. In July, they were 31.2% above average. That surplus rose to 63.6% in August, while a whopping 158% more, so far in September.
The monsoon has taken its toll mainly on soyabean. According to the Union agriculture ministry’s data, a total area of 113.449 lakh hectares (lh) has been planted under this leguminous oilseed in the current kharif season, with the bulk of it accounted for by MP (55.16 lh), Maharashtra (39.595 lh) and Rajasthan (10.608 lh). Within MP, the main soybean growing districts are Ujjain, Dewas, Indore, Dhar, Ratlam, Mandsaur, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Sehore and Vidisha. The crop in low-lying areas is the one that has been worst affected.
“Farmers who had sown early-maturity (80-90 days duration) varieties such as JS 9560 and JS 2034 just after mid-June will take the biggest hit. Their crop would already have matured; the longer it remains in the field, the more the chances of the grain rotting. Also, these farmers will not be able to save this grain for using as seed next year,” admits V S Bhatia, director of the Indian Institute of Soyabean Research at Indore.
On the other hand, longer-duration varieties maturing in 95-105 days, like JS 20-69, NRC 86 and JS 97-52, are unlikely to suffer major yield loss, as their grain is not fully ripe yet for harvesting. Moreover, since the rains were poor in June, much of sowing anyway took place in July, thereby further reducing the likelihood of damage. “The vegetative growth and pod formation has been very good. As of now, the overall loss may be 10-15% and the areas where the crop is still good should compensate for those badly impacted,” adds Bhatia.
SSC CPO 2021337)Which of the following is a short-duration variety of soybean maturing in 80-90 days?
JS 9560
SSC CPO 2021338)In which month, according to the passage, has the rainfall been the maximum?
September
SSC CPO 2021339)This passage is mainly about:
the impact of rain on the soybean crop in MP
SSC CPO 2021340)Why would the farmers who sowed their crop in June be the worst hit?
Their crop would already be mature and could rot in the rain.