531: The chemical used as a 'fixer' in photography is
(a) sodium sulphate
(b) sodium thiosulphate
(c) ammonium persulphate
(d) borax
532: Vultures which used to be very common in Indian countryside some years ago are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to
(a) the destruction of their nesting sites by new invasive species
(b) a drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle
(c) scarcity of food available to them
(d) a widespread, persistent and fatal disease among them
Explanation:
Use of diclofenac in animals has been reported to have led to a sharp decline in the vulture population in the Indian subcontinent, 95% decline in 2003, 99.9% decline as of 2008. The mechanism is, it is presumed, renal failure, a known side-effect of diclofenac. Vultures eat the carcasses of livestock that have been administered veterinary diclofenac, and are poisoned by the accumulated chemical, as vultures do not have a particular enzyme which breaks down diclofenac. At a meeting of the National Wildlife Board in March 2005, the Government of India announced that it intended to phase out the veterinary use of diclofenac. Meloxicam is a safer candidate to replace use of diclofenac. Meloxicam is a safer candidate to replace use of diclofenac. It is more expensive than diclofenac, but the price is coming down as more drug companies begin to manufacture it. The loss of vultures has had a social impact on the Indian Zoroastrian Parsi community, who traditionally use vultures to dispose of human corpses in Towers of Silence, but are now compelled to seek alternative methods of disposal.
533: The major component of honey is
(a) glucose
(b) sucrose
(c) maltose
(d) fructose
Explanation:
Fructose of Levulose (38.19%), the sweetest sugar, is the major component of honey. Dextrose (21.28%), Maltose (8.81%), Pigment (2.21%), Ash (1%), Water (7.2%) are the other constituents of honey.
534: Atoms of the same element having the same atomic number but different atomic weight are called
(a) Isobars
(b) Isotopes
(c) Polymers
(d) Isomers
535: Chlorine is:
(a) A rare earth element
(b) A halogen
(c) A noble gas
(d) Coinage metal