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Science & TechnologyMedium

Which of the following satellites was built jointly by ISRO and the French space agency CNES?

  1. A.Megha-Tropiques
  2. B.Oceansat-3
  3. C.RISAT-2B
  4. D.EMISAT

Correct answer

A. Megha-Tropiques

Explanation

The correct answer is Megha-Tropiques. It is named, along with SARAL, as a satellite jointly built by ISRO and CNES, and both were cited as milestones of a partnership that goes back to sounding rocket experiments of the 1960s. Oceansat-3 is wrong because it is an Indian ocean observation satellite of the Oceansat series and was not presented as a joint Indo-French build. RISAT-2B is wrong because it belongs to India's radar imaging series and does not appear among the joint missions named by the minister. EMISAT is wrong for the same reason: it is an Indian electronic intelligence satellite and finds no mention in the list of joint satellites, which covers Megha-Tropiques, SARAL and the forthcoming TRISHNA. Cooperation between the two countries also extends to launch vehicle engine development.

Read the full article: India-France Space Ties Widen to Gaganyaan, TRISHNA and Start-ups

Q1.Science & TechnologyEasy

TRISHNA, in the news recently, is the third joint satellite of India with which country?

  1. A.Japan
  2. B.France
  3. C.Germany
  4. D.Israel
Show answer

Correct answer: B. France

Explanation

The correct answer is France. TRISHNA is described as the third joint satellite of India and France, and its realisation is progressing well. The two earlier joint satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organisation and the French space agency CNES are Megha-Tropiques and SARAL. Japan is wrong because the satellite discussed here belongs to the Indian-French track, not to any Indo-Japanese mission; the French minister himself called TRISHNA a strong example of what the two countries can achieve together. Germany is wrong for the same reason: the delegation that met Dr Jitendra Singh in New Delhi was French, led by Prof. Philippe Baptiste, and the cooperation named in the talks runs between the Indian and French agencies. Israel is wrong because no Israeli agency figures in this partnership; the discussion covered space, CEFIPRA and the Blue Economy, all of them Indo-French channels of cooperation.

Q2.Science & TechnologyMedium

According to the minister, how many space start-ups are now working in India?

  1. A.More than 100
  2. B.More than 250
  3. C.More than 400
  4. D.More than 800
Show answer

Correct answer: C. More than 400

Explanation

The correct answer is more than 400. Dr Jitendra Singh said that reforms in the space sector and the growth of the private ecosystem have brought more than 400 Indian space start-ups into areas such as rocket building, satellite building and space applications. He argued that the next phase of Indo-French cooperation should therefore bring together government institutions, industries and start-ups on both sides, creating a larger ecosystem and a wider resource pool rather than limiting the partnership to the two space agencies. The options giving a hundred, two hundred and fifty and eight hundred are all wrong because the minister gave only the one figure, and it was cited as evidence of how far the private space ecosystem has already grown after the reforms.

Q3.Science & TechnologyMedium

The Ashwagandha safety study was published in which journal?

  1. A.The Lancet
  2. B.Frontiers in Medicine
  3. C.Nature Medicine
  4. D.Indian Journal of Medical Research
Show answer

Correct answer: B. Frontiers in Medicine

Explanation

The correct answer is Frontiers in Medicine, where the paper appeared on 20 August 2026 under a title describing the prolonged prophylactic use and tolerability of Ashwagandha after COVISHIELD vaccination over twenty-four weeks. The Lancet is wrong because the study was not carried in it, although it is among the best known medical journals and therefore a tempting distractor. Nature Medicine is wrong for the same reason. The Indian Journal of Medical Research is wrong because, despite the study being run entirely at Indian sites by Indian institutions, the publication venue was the international journal named above. The work involved forty-five researchers drawn from nine institutions, including the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences. The Ministry of Ayush drew attention to the paper as part of its wider effort to build a body of rigorous clinical evidence for standardised Ayurvedic preparations, a point made by the Ayush Secretary, by the National Professor of Ayush and by the Director General of the research council.

Q4.Science & TechnologyMedium

What daily dose of standardised aqueous Ashwagandha root extract was given to participants in the trial?

  1. A.250 mg
  2. B.500 mg
  3. C.750 mg
  4. D.1,000 mg
Show answer

Correct answer: B. 500 mg

Explanation

The correct answer is 500 mg a day, a quantity stated to be equivalent to four grams of raw root powder. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either this standardised aqueous extract or a matching placebo, and the assignment was double-blind, meaning neither the participants nor the assessors knew which arm a person belonged to. The options of two hundred and fifty, seven hundred and fifty and one thousand milligrams are wrong because only the one dose was tested; the study was a safety and tolerability trial rather than a dose-ranging one. Over the twenty-four weeks, liver enzymes, bilirubin, creatinine and blood urea were tracked, and all stayed within the reported reference ranges. The study also looked at whether the extract interfered with the immune response after vaccination, and found virus-neutralising activity above eighty-five per cent in both arms, with no statistically significant difference between the group taking the extract and the group taking the placebo.

Q5.Science & TechnologyEasy

How many participants were enrolled in the multicentre clinical trial on standardised Ashwagandha root extract?

  1. A.600
  2. B.900
  3. C.1,200
  4. D.1,500
Show answer

Correct answer: C. 1,200

Explanation

The correct answer is 1,200. The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled that many apparently healthy adults between eighteen and seventy years of age, each of whom had already received a first, second or booster dose of the COVISHIELD vaccine, across seven study sites in India. The options of six hundred, nine hundred and fifteen hundred are wrong because none matches the enrolment reported for this study. A related figure is worth keeping separate: of those enrolled, 1,032 participants, which works out to eighty-six per cent, actually completed the full course, having taken the extract or a matching placebo for twenty-four weeks and been followed up to the twenty-eighth week. The trial was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India, and it was designed as a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which is the form of evidence regarded as the most reliable for questions of safety and tolerability in a healthy population.