Static Quiz 28 August 2026 (Science & Technology)

Quantum Supremacy is the milestone where a quantum computer solves a specific problem that would take classical supercomputers an impractically long time, not a universal superiority claim, and Google's Sycamore achieved this in 2019 for a specific random circuit sampling task. Option (a) instead describes a fault-tolerant threshold, a separate and more advanced milestone beyond supremacy, and option (b) describes Quantum Key Distribution, a different quantum application entirely. Option (d) overstates the claim, since quantum computers excel at specific problem classes such as factoring, simulation, and optimisation, but remain slower than classical computers for many everyday tasks.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct, while Statement 4 is wrong. NavIC covers India and a region extending up to about 1,500 km beyond its borders, a regional system unlike the global GPS, its constellation has 7 operational satellites, 3 in Geostationary Orbit and 4 in Geosynchronous Inclined Orbit, and it provides SPS for open civilian use and RS, an encrypted service for military and strategic users with higher accuracy, mirroring GPS's dual-service architecture. While the government pushed for NavIC integration in smartphones, the January 2023 mandatory deadline was actually deferred multiple times due to industry readiness concerns and never took effect as a hard mandate.

A Digital Twin is a real-time virtual model of a physical asset, system, or process, continuously updated through IoT sensors, enabling simulation, failure prediction, performance optimisation, and scenario testing without touching the physical system, and PM Gati Shakti uses digital twin concepts for infrastructure planning. Option (a) instead describes a data backup or disaster recovery system, and option (c) describes an aspirational Artificial General Intelligence benchmark unrelated to digital twins, while option (d) describes a redundant satellite, which has no connection to digital twin technology.

Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct, while Statement 3 is wrong. Green Hydrogen uses renewable electricity to split water via electrolysis with zero direct carbon emissions, distinguishing it from Grey Hydrogen, produced from natural gas with high emissions, and Blue Hydrogen, natural gas with carbon capture, India's National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched January 2023, targets 5 MMT per year by 2030, positioning India as a global green hydrogen hub and exporter, and hydrogen has the highest gravimetric energy density of any fuel at roughly 120 MJ/kg compared to about 44 MJ/kg for diesel, making it ideal for heavy industries and transport where battery electrification is impractical. Green Hydrogen is actually significantly more expensive than Grey Hydrogen, roughly $4-6/kg versus $1-2/kg, and achieving cost parity around $1/kg by 2030 is the mission's central challenge, requiring massive electrolyser and renewable energy scaling.

CRISPR-Cas9 is incorrectly matched, since it actually uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to cut DNA at a precise genomic location for targeted editing, and does not use viral vectors, a description that instead applies to traditional transgenic technology. Small Modular Reactors are correctly described as under 300 MW(e), modular, and factory-fabricated, being pursued by NTPC and NPCIL in India as a clean energy option, SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) was correctly described as successfully demonstrated by ISRO in January 2025, making India only the fourth country to achieve space docking capability, and Reusable Launch Vehicles are correctly described as designed for recovery and reuse, with ISRO successfully demonstrating autonomous runway landing of its RLV-TD in 2023.