Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, the Commissioner of Food Safety of a State is legally empowered to prohibit—in the interest of public health—the manufacture, storage, distribution, or sale of any article of food. This power forms the statutory basis for states like Maharashtra to ban gutkha and tobacco-containing pan masala.

Statement 2 is incorrect: According to Section 30(2)(a) of the FSS Act, 2006, any such prohibition order issued by the Commissioner can only be for a period not exceeding one year at a time. State governments must issue fresh prohibitory notifications annually to renew and extend the ban. It cannot be made permanent in its initial notification.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Food regulators have the legal authority to scrutinise any product if its branding, presentation, or market context indirectly promotes a restricted or prohibited product. There is no regulatory exemption simply because the product itself (like elaichi) is permissible; if the branding "maintains, reinforces, or enhances" an identity linked to a banned product, it faces regulatory action.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Under the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), a surrogate advertisement is defined as one that indirectly promotes a product/service whose advertising is prohibited or restricted by law, by rendering it as an advertisement for a permissible product/service.

Statement 2 is correct: Contemporary regulatory frameworks in India—including the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the FSS Act, 2006—place a distinct legal obligation on celebrity endorsers to perform due diligence before endorsing a product. This includes verifying that the brand identity does not mislead consumers or act as a proxy for an illegal substance. Regulators routinely demand proof of due diligence and endorsement contracts during investigations.

Statement 3 is incorrect: While the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) monitor broadcast content, the State Food and Drug Administrations (FDAs) hold concurrent statutory power under the FSS Act, 2006. If a surrogate campaign uses a permitted food item (like mouth freshener/elaichi) to project a banned food item (like pan masala), the State Food Safety Commissioner has full jurisdiction to issue show-cause notices and initiate legal proceedings.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: An earthquake swarm is a cluster of minor earthquakes—sometimes numbering in the dozens or hundreds—that hit a specific area over a short span. Unlike typical sequences, there is no distinct "mainshock" that is significantly larger than the rest.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Swarm earthquakes are typically shallow, occurring at very shallow crustal depths (often 5 to 10 km or less), rather than deep in the lower mantle.

Statement 3 is correct: These clusters are frequently linked to volcanic processes (movement of magma), hydrothermal or geothermal activity, or localized pore-pressure changes from underground fluids, rather than a sudden release of stress along a major tectonic fault boundary.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Traditional rockets and jet engines use standard subsonic combustion (deflagration). In contrast, an RDE uses continuous supersonic detonation waves spinning around an annular chamber, creating hyper-efficient thrust.

Statement 2 is incorrect: RDEs feature mechanical simplicity with minimal moving parts. Unlike conventional gas turbine engines, they do not require complex turbine blades or shaft bearings in the core detonation loop; they function largely through the physics of the geometry and continuous fuel-air injection.

Statement 3 is correct: Because of superior energy extraction from fuel and higher thermal efficiency (roughly 15–25% higher), RDEs are heavily researched globally for hypersonic cruise weapons, reusable launch vehicles, and spacecraft.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The breakthrough test was carried out by the defense start-up D-Propulse at a DRDO facility in Hyderabad, marking a vital milestone for private-public partnerships in Indian defense deep-tech.

Statement 2 is correct: The system successfully paired the RDE setup with an advanced aerospike nozzle, which self-adjusts to ambient pressure changes and improves thrust efficiency across multiple altitude profiles.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Despite extensive global testing by space agencies and defense firms (such as NASA and D-Propulse), the technology is still maturing; no country has yet operationally deployed a fully functional RDE for active combat or commercial flight use.