Answer: B

Explanation:

On Friday (April 26), the Supreme Court dismissed the call for complete verification of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) in Indian elections. The idea of the VVPAT machine emerged in 2010, followed by field trials and feedback from political parties. After necessary amendments and trials, VVPATs were first used in the Noksen Assembly constituency of Nagaland in 2013, with full adoption by June 2017. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

Initially, one randomly selected polling station per Assembly constituency counted VVPAT slips, later increased to five polling stations per Assembly seat following a Supreme Court judgment in April 2019. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Attached to the EVM's ballot unit, the VVPAT machine provides visual verification of a voter's choice by printing a slip of paper displaying the candidate's serial number, name and party symbol. Voters have seven seconds to verify their vote before the slip falls into a compartment underneath. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government announced plans to conduct a synchronized survey of the Nilgiri Tahr starting from April 29. The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is a mountain goat native to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern parts of the Western and Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

It is the only species in the genus Nilgiritragus and is closely related to sheep. Eravikulam National Park in Kerala hosts the largest surviving population of this species. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Nilgiri Tahr is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. It is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and protected under Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. According to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund India in 2015, there are around 3,000 Tahrs in the Western Ghats. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Recently, NASA achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of its Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft from New Zealand. ACS3, or Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, is a NASA mission that launched a solar sail spacecraft into Earth's orbit on April 23, 2024.  Hence, statement 1 is correct.

The mission aims to test the potential of solar sails for space transportation by deploying a sail about the size of a small apartment from a toaster oven-sized spacecraft. The mission is a partnership between NASA Ames Research Center and NASA Langley Research Center, with support from the NASA Small Spacecraft Technology Program. ACS3 is built to the 12U CubeSat standard and features four 7 m long deployable composite booms. Solar sails work similarly to traditional boat sails by catching external pressure to push an attached vessel. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Recently, the researchers have discovered a biosphere of extreme microbes located 13 feet below the Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world, located on the Pacific coast of South America. The desert is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the Andean Cordillera. Hence, statement I is correct.

It receives less than 1 mm of precipitation annually and some areas haven't seen rain in more than 500 years. The extreme dryness of the Atacama Desert stems from a combination of factors, including the rain shadow effect of the Andes, ocean currents, climatic conditions, prevailing winds, high air pressure and the cold Humboldt Current from the Pacific Ocean. The Atacama Desert is also valuable for its large supply of sodium nitrate. Hence, statement II is correct.

Here, statements I and II both are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation of Statement-I. Hence option (a) is correct.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Recently, the Food Safety department in Tamil Nadu ordered enforcement actions against Food Business Operators using liquid nitrogen for direct consumption with food items like biscuits, ice creams, and wafer biscuits. Liquid nitrogen (LN₂) is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature, with a boiling point of about -196°C (-321°F).  It is a colorless, odorless, noncorrosive, nonflammable and extremely cold liquid. It is used in a variety of scientific and culinary applications due to its ability to freeze quickly. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

It is also used as a coolant for various storage purposes, such as food storage during transportation and cryopreservation of various cells or tissues. Liquid nitrogen is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. It disappears as soon as it touches the floor because it rapidly boils and changes back to a gas at room temperature. Hence, statement 2 is correct.