RAS EXAM 2026

A) Neerakshi is the correct option. Explanation: 🟢 Neerakshi (meaning "Eyes in the Water") is India's first completely indigenous, man-portable Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) specifically designed for mine detection, mine counter-measures, and underwater surveying. Development: It has been jointly developed by the defense public sector undertaking Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd and an MSME entity called AEPL (Aerospace Engineering Private Ltd). Specifications: The platform consists of a 2.1-meter-long cylindrical drone weighing approximately 45 kg. It possesses a deep operational dive capability of up to 300 meters and an autonomous battery endurance of nearly 4 hours. It employs side-scan sonar technology to actively map out the seabed and alert naval ships to hidden explosives. Why the other options are incorrect: ❌ B) Vagir: This is not an unmanned AUV. It is the fifth Kalvari-class (Scorpene-class) diesel-electric conventional submarine built under Project-75 and actively commissioned into the Indian Navy's manned fleet. ❌ C) Mahendragiri: This is the name of an Indian Navy stealth frigate built under Project 17A (Nilgiri-class), launched at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. It is a large, heavily armed surface warship. ❌ D) Varunastra: This is India's indigenous Heavy Weight Torpedo (HWT) designed by the DRDO's Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL). It is an offensive underwater weapon launched from ships or submarines to destroy enemy hulls, not an autonomous mine-hunting vehicle. 💡 BPSC Prep Checklist for Naval Tech: The Mine-hunting Gap: The Indian Navy previously relied heavily on older, retired Soviet-era Pondicherry-class minesweeper vessels. Deploying AI-powered autonomous systems like Neerakshiprovides a safer, faster, and highly mobile capability to secure harbors and littoral zones without risking personnel.

C) A highly effective, low-cost vaccine designed to prevent Malaria in children is the correct option. Explanation: 🟢 The Malaria Breakthrough: R21/Matrix-M is the second-ever malaria vaccine to receive official recommendation and prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO). It targets the Plasmodium falciparum parasite during its early sporozoite stage, stopping it before it can multiply inside the liver. The India Connection: The vaccine was developed by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxfordand is manufactured at a massive commercial scale by the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune. Novavax provided the specialized saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant component to boost the body's immune reaction. Key Advantages: During clinical trials, R21 demonstrated an exceptionally high efficacy of over 75%. Most importantly, it is highly cost-effective (costing roughly $2 to $4 per dose), making it a massive game-changer for large-scale child immunization in malaria-endemic regions. Why the other options are incorrect: ❌ A) A highly selective antiviral drug for Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), meaning it is treated with specialized multi-drug antibacterial regimens (like Bedaquiline or Delamanid), not antiviral drugs or the R21 vaccine. ❌ B) A multi-strain vaccine for Dengue fever: While dengue vaccine trials (such as Qdenga or India's indigenous variants by Serum Institute/Panacea Biotec) are moving forward, R21/Matrix-M is engineered exclusively to fight the malaria parasite. ❌ D) A gene-drive technology to sterilize mosquitoes: Gene-drive is a genetic engineering method used to pass modified genes down through generations of insects to lower pest populations. It is a biological vector-control tool, whereas R21 is a medical vaccine given directly to human patients. ❌ E) Not attempted: The standard BPSC option if a candidate chooses to leave the answer sheet blank to prevent negative marking. 💡 BPSC Prep Checklist for Malaria Vaccines: The Predecessor: R21/Matrix-M is the second malaria vaccine approved by the WHO. The first was RTS,S/AS01 (commercial name Mosquirix), approved in 2021. Why Two? The global demand for the older RTS,S vaccine vastly outstrips manufacturing capabilities. Bringing SII online to supply up to 200 million annual doses of the cheaper R21 variant completely closes this supply bottleneck.

B) They exhibit significantly higher photosynthetic efficiency under high temperatures and drought conditions. is the correct option. Explanation: 🟢 Bypassing Photorespiration: The primary physiological advantage of C4 plants is their ability to minimize a wasteful biochemical process called photorespiration. In traditional C3 plants, when temperatures rise or water is scarce, the main carbon-fixing enzyme (RuBisCO) begins mistakenly binding with oxygen instead of carbon dioxide. This error wastes up to 25–40% of the plant's captured energy. Kranz Leaf Anatomy: C4 plants (like maize, sugarcane, sorghum, and millets) have evolved a unique internal cell arrangement known as Kranz anatomy. They isolate the RuBisCO enzyme deep inside protective bundle-sheath cells, while initial carbon capture happens in surrounding mesophyll cells using a highly efficient enzyme called PEP carboxylase (which has zero affinity for oxygen). Climate Resilience: This structural separation allows C4 plants to pump carbon dioxide directly to RuBisCO at high concentrations. As a result, they can keep their stomata partially closed during hot, dry days to save water, yet still maintain an incredibly high rate of photosynthesis. This makes them highly resilient to global warming and drought. Why the other options are incorrect: ❌ A) They require completely submerged soil: This describes the germination environment of certain wetland plants like traditional paddy rice (a C3 plant), not a defining trait of the C4 pathway. In fact, C4 plants are adapted to dry, arid environments. ❌ C) They do not possess any stomatal openings: All terrestrial agricultural crops require stomata to perform essential gas exchange (\(CO_{2}\) intake and \(O_{2}\) release). A plant with zero stomata could not photosynthesize at all. C4 plants simply control their stomatal openings much more efficiently. ❌ D) They bypass respiration entirely at night: Like all living plant tissues, C4 plants must undergo cellular respiration 24/7 (consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide) to break down sugars and generate ATP for survival during non-photosynthetic hours. ❌ E) Not attempted: The standard BPSC choice if a candidate leaves the bubble blank to prevent negative marking. 💡 BPSC Prep Checklist for Plant Physiology: The "C4 Rice" Project: Rice is a traditional C3 plant that struggles in extreme heat. A major global biotechnology project is currently underway to genetically engineer C4 pathways into rice crops. If successful, it could boost rice yields by up to 60% while using significantly less water and nitrogen fertilizer. First Product: The initial stable carbon compound formed during C3 photosynthesis is a 3-carbon molecule (3-PGA). In C4 plants, it is a 4-carbon organic acid called Oxaloacetic Acid (OAA), which gives the pathway its name.