Q64 · UPSC Prelims 2018 · Set A · Art and Culture

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Consider the following pairs:Terms sometimes seen in news - Context/Topic1.Belle II experiment - Artificial Intelligence2.Blockchain technology - Digital/Cryptocurrency3.CRISPR-Cas9 - Particle PhysicsWhich of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

A 1 and 3 only
B 2 only
C 2 and 3 only
D 1, 2 and 3

Correct answer: (b) 2 only

Explanation

  1. A

    1 and 3 only

    (a) 1 and 3 only. Belle II is a particle-physics experiment at SuperKEKB (B-meson factory), not artificial intelligence. CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene-editing tool, not particle physics. Both pairs 1 and 3 are mismatched. This option is not the key.

  2. B

    2 only

    (b) 2 only. Blockchain is the distributed-ledger technology underlying cryptocurrencies and related digital assets, so pair 2 is correctly matched. Pairs 1 and 3 swap fields. Hence only 2. This option is the official key.

  3. C

    2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only. Pair 2 is right, but CRISPR-Cas9 is biology/genome editing, not particle physics. This option is not the key.

  4. D

    1, 2 and 3

    (d) 1, 2 and 3. Two of the three pairs are wrongly matched. This option is not the key.

Summary. Official key is (b) 2 only. Blockchain belongs with digital/cryptocurrency. Belle II is a collider experiment on B mesons, not an AI project. CRISPR-Cas9 is a programmable nuclease used in gene editing, not in particle physics. Only the second pair is therefore correctly matched. Options that keep Belle II or CRISPR in the wrong context fail.

Same topic · past papers

UPSC has asked this before

These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.

  1. 2015 · Q30 · General Studies · 2 marks

    In the context of modern scientific research, consider the following statements about 'IceCube', a particle detector located at South Pole, which was recently in the news: 1. It is the world's largest neutrino detector, encompassing a cubic kilometre of ice. 2. It is a powerful telescope to search for dark matter. 3. It is buried deep in the ice. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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