Technology Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The mission is Astrosat.

Astrosat, launched by ISRO on a PSLV in September 2015, is India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory. Its five instruments observe celestial sources in X-ray, optical and ultraviolet bands at the same time, which lets astronomers study objects such as black holes and neutron stars across the spectrum simultaneously.

Chandrayaan-2 is a lunar mission, Gaganyaan is India's human spaceflight programme, and the Cartosat satellites are Earth-observation satellites for mapping. None is an astronomy mission.

Answer: D

The correct statement is Agni is intermediate range surface-to-surface missile with nuclear warhead capability.

The Agni series, developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, is India's family of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, with the core versions in the intermediate range and later versions reaching inter-continental distances.

The other statements each have a fault. Prithvi is a short-range surface-to-surface missile, not long-range. Akash is a medium-range surface-to-air missile that flies at supersonic speed, not sub-sonic. Trishul is a short-range surface-to-air missile; India's third-generation anti-tank missile with imaging infra-red guidance is Nag.

Answer: B

The best definition is that science involves systematic inquiry to understand natural phenomena, while technology applies this knowledge for practical benefits.

Science seeks to explain how the natural world works, through observation, experiment and theory. Technology uses that understanding to design tools, processes and systems that solve practical problems. The two feed each other: scientific discoveries make new technologies possible, and new instruments make new science possible.

The other options are too narrow or plainly wrong. Science is not only theoretical, and technology is far wider than manufacturing. The two are closely related and shape everyday life. Technology without any reliance on scientific principles describes trial-and-error craft, not modern technology.

Answer: C

The primary objective is to promote research, innovation and sustainable development across the nation.

India's national policies in this field, such as the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy of 2013, aim to strengthen research capacity, encourage innovation and its use by industry and society, and direct science and technology towards inclusive and sustainable development.

The other options contradict that purpose. These policies stress practical application rather than exploration for its own sake, they seek to spread technology in education rather than remove it, and they promote technological development rather than restricting it. Traditional knowledge is protected and studied, but not by holding back technology.

Answer: A

The initiative is Digital India.

Digital India, launched in July 2015, aims to make India a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. It focuses on digital infrastructure such as broadband and mobile connectivity, government services delivered online, and digital literacy, all of which are uses of information and communication technology.

The other initiatives have different aims. Make in India promotes manufacturing and investment, Skill India provides vocational training, and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a sanitation and cleanliness campaign. They may use ICT, but promoting it is not their primary purpose.

Answer: D

Netiquette is the set of guidelines for respectful and ethical behavior when communicating online.

The word blends network (or internet) and etiquette. It covers conduct such as being polite in email and forums, not typing in all capitals (read as shouting), respecting others' privacy, not spamming, and checking facts before sharing them.

The other options misread the word. A computer virus is malicious software, internet hardware means physical equipment such as routers and cables, and a communication protocol is a technical standard such as TCP/IP. Netiquette is a code of behaviour, not a program, a device or a protocol.

Answer: B

AI and robotics enhance automation, increase efficiency, and improve precision across various sectors.

Artificial intelligence lets machines analyse data, recognise patterns and make decisions, and robotics carries out physical tasks with speed and consistency. Together they automate repetitive work in manufacturing, health care, agriculture, logistics and services, reduce errors and improve precision, for example in robotic surgery or quality inspection.

The other options are wrong. These technologies are adopted to cut costs, and while they change and replace some jobs, they do not cause complete job replacement. They are used well beyond academic research, and their effect on industrial productivity is large, not minimal.

Answer: C

ICT streamlines administration and improves service delivery to citizens.

Information and communication technology is the basis of e-governance: online applications, digital records, direct benefit transfer, and portals for certificates, taxes and grievances. It makes administration faster and more transparent and brings services to citizens' doorsteps, reducing delays and opportunities for corruption.

The other options are wrong. ICT simplifies government operations rather than complicating them, it is used for public services and not only internal communication, and it supports rather than replaces every traditional method of governance; offline counters and human decision-making remain.

Answer: C

The item that is not part of Gaganyaan astronaut training is nuclear radiation shielding tests.

Astronaut training prepares the crew's bodies and skills for spaceflight. Centrifuge training and high-G acceleration tests accustom them to the heavy g-forces of launch and re-entry, and underwater simulations train them for weightlessness and for survival after a splashdown at sea, which is how the Gaganyaan crew module is meant to return.

Radiation shielding is a matter for the design and testing of the spacecraft, not something the astronauts are trained in, so it is the odd one out among the four.

Answer: B

The item that is not a challenge is low-cost fuel availability.

A reusable launch vehicle has to survive the return through the atmosphere and land intact so it can fly again. The hard engineering problems are protecting the vehicle from the intense heat of re-entry, controlling it aerodynamically at hypersonic speeds, and landing it precisely, which is what ISRO's RLV technology demonstrator flights have tested.

Fuel is a small fraction of the cost of a launch, and its availability is not a technical obstacle to reusability. Reusability exists to save the cost of the vehicle itself, so the other three options are genuine challenges.