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General ScienceEasyAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2017, Paper I

Bronze is an alloy of copper and

  1. A.nickel
  2. B.iron
  3. C.tin
  4. D.aluminium

Correct answer

C. tin

Explanation

The correct answer is C, tin. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, usually about 88 parts copper to 12 parts tin.

Adding tin makes copper harder, stronger and easier to cast, and bronze also resists corrosion well. It was so important to early societies that a whole stage of history, the Bronze Age, is named after it; the Harappans made the famous bronze Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro, and the Cholas cast their celebrated bronze images of Nataraja by the lost-wax method. Today bronze is used for statues, bells, medals, coins and ship propellers. It is often confused with brass, which is copper and zinc.

Option A is wrong because copper with nickel forms cupronickel, used for coins. Option B is wrong because iron is not a part of bronze; iron with carbon makes steel. Option D is wrong because ordinary bronze contains tin; copper with aluminium gives a special alloy called aluminium bronze, which is named after bronze but is not the bronze the question means.

Exam tip: Bronze is copper and tin, brass is copper and zinc; German silver is copper, zinc and nickel.

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Q3.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following actions :

1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously

2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive

3. Detection of the tilt of the smartphone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode

In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required?

  1. A.Only one
  2. B.Only two
  3. C.All three
  4. D.None
Show answer
Correct answer: C. All three

An accelerometer measures acceleration, including the pull of gravity, and each of the three actions depends on reading it. An accelerometer is a small sensor, today usually a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) chip, that senses changes in speed and the direction of gravity.

Q4.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · CSE Prelims 2023, GS Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements :

1. Carbon fibres are used in the manufacture of components used in automobiles and aircrafts.

2. Carbon fibres once used cannot be recycled.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1 only

Carbon fibre is widely used in cars and aircraft for its strength and low weight, and it can be recovered and recycled.