Hard Level – GK Questions

Pradeep Kumar was among early Indian swimmers at Olympics, but Virdhawal Khade (2008) and later Sajan Prakash (2016, 2020) achieved qualifying standards more notably. Context varies; historically, Shamsher Khan (1956) was among first.

Sepak Takraw uses a rattan ball and a net similar to volleyball, but players use feet, knees, chest, and head (like football) to keep the ball in play.

Fouaad Mirza competed in Eventing at Tokyo 2020, following Imtiaz Anees who participated in Sydney 2000. Fouaad also won silver at 2018 Asian Games.

Arvind Singh and Arjun Lal Jat represented India in Lightweight Men's Double Sculls at Tokyo 2020, finishing 11th overall.

Dipa Karmakar competed at Rio 2016 and narrowly missed a bronze medal in vault. She is also known for performing the high-risk Produnova vault.

Rugby Sevens is played with only 7 players per side on a full-size pitch, making it faster-paced than the traditional 15-a-side Rugby Union. It debuted at Rio 2016 Olympics.

Table Tennis made its Olympic debut at Seoul 1988. China has dominated the sport ever since, winning the majority of gold medals.

Neeraj Chopra won gold in men's javelin throw at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), marking India's first individual track-and-field Olympic gold and only the second individual gold overall after Abhinav Bindra (2008).

Signals traversing curved spacetime experience extra delay proportional to gravitational potential; Cassini solar conjunction test verified GR to 10⁻⁵ precision.

IKAROS (2010) and LightSail-2 (2019) validated photon pressure propulsion; enables indefinite missions limited only by sail degradation/orbital mechanics.

Pair production reduces photon pressure triggering catastrophic core contraction/explosion completely disrupting star; leaves no remnant unlike core-collapse SN.

Io's volcanic SO₂ ionizes forming plasma torus; corotation enforcement currents accelerate electrons precipitating into polar atmosphere generating persistent aurorae.

Atmospheric species absorb specific wavelengths increasing effective planet size; JWST transmission spectra detect H₂O/CO₂/CH₄ in exoplanet atmospheres.

HEX-01 reached Mach ~5 during re-entry from 65 km altitude, testing aero-thermodynamics/navigation/control for reusable launch vehicle concept.

p-mode/g-mode frequencies constrain internal sound speed profile, revealing tachocline location and differential rotation; validated solar models.

Voyager 2 conducted Uranus flyby Jan 1986 and Neptune flyby Aug 1989; no subsequent missions have visited ice giants, leaving major knowledge gaps.

GW170817 kilonova confirmed r-process production of gold/platinum/lanthanides in neutron-rich ejecta, resolving origin of half elements heavier than iron.

Hera (ESA, launch 2024) will characterize crater morphology and momentum enhancement factor β, calibrating kinetic impact models for planetary defense.

Flat rotation curves imply enclosed mass increases linearly with radius beyond visible disk, requiring extended dark matter halo dominating gravitational potential.

Aerocapture achieves orbit insertion in one atmospheric pass requiring precise guidance; aerobraking gradually lowers apoapsis over weeks/months. Aerocapture remains unflown but studied for Mars/Venus/Titan.