Q97 · UPSC Prelims 2019 · Set A · Art and Culture

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Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light- years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

A ‘Higgs boson particles’ were detected.
B ‘Gravitational waves’ were detected.
C Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through ‘wormhole’ was confirmed.
D It enabled the scientists to understand ‘singularity’.

Correct answer: (b) ‘Gravitational waves’ were detected.

Explanation

  1. A

    ‘Higgs boson particles’ were detected.

    (a) Higgs boson particles were detected at the LHC in 2012, not by watching distant black-hole mergers. Not the key.

  2. B

    ‘Gravitational waves’ were detected.

    (b) Gravitational waves. LIGO’s 2015 (announced 2016) detection, and later events, were from merging black holes billions of light-years away. That is the official key.

  3. C

    Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through ‘wormhole’ was confirmed.

    (c) Wormhole inter-galactic travel was not confirmed by those observations. Not the key.

  4. D

    It enabled the scientists to understand ‘singularity’.

    (d) Singularity inside a black hole remains a theoretical region; merger detections do not “enable understanding of singularity” as the keyed significance. Not the key.

Summary. Official key is (b). Binary black-hole mergers are the source of the gravitational waves LIGO/Virgo detected. Higgs, wormholes and singularity are other physics stories. Honour (b).

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