Explanation: The tusks of elephants are actually modified second upper incisors. They are made primarily of dentine, commonly known as ivory, and covered by a thin layer of enamel at the tip (which wears off with time). Tusks grow continuously throughout the elephant’s life and are used for digging, lifting objects, stripping bark, defense, and dominance displays.

Note: Both male and female African elephants have tusks, whereas in Asian elephants, tusks are generally present only in males.

Composition: Tusks are composed of dentine (ivory) with fine concentric growth lines, and they grow from sockets in the skull.

A Hygrometer is an instrument used to measure the humidity (moisture content) in the atmosphere. It helps determine the percentage of water vapor present in the air, which is essential for weather forecasting, climate studies, and maintaining controlled environments in industries or laboratories. Some common types include the dry and wet bulb hygrometer and the digital hygrometer.

Other options (for context)

• Barometer: Used to measure atmospheric pressure.
• Anemometer: Used to measure wind speed.
• Thermometer: Used to measure temperature.

Explanation: The pyloric sphincter is a circular band of smooth muscle located at the junction of the stomach and the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). It regulates the passage of partially digested food (chyme) from the stomach into the small intestine and prevents backflow. The cardiac sphincter, by contrast, controls food entry into the stomach from the esophagus.

The O blood group, specifically O negative (O−), is considered the Universal Donor because it can be safely transfused to people of all other blood groups. This is due to the absence of A and B antigens on red blood cells, minimizing the risk of immune reactions during transfusion.

• A: Can donate only to A and AB groups.
• AB: Universal recipient, not donor.
• B: Can donate only to B and AB groups.

Explanation: Measles is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the measles virus (a member of the Paramyxovirus group). It spreads through droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, rash, and watery eyes. Other diseases listed — scurvy, asthma, and diabetes — are non-communicable as they do not spread from person to person.

The Moon takes about 27.3 days to complete one revolution around the Earth with respect to the stars (called the sidereal month). However, due to the simultaneous movement of the Earth around the Sun, the Moon takes approximately 29.5 days to complete one full cycle of phases (from new moon to new moon), known as the synodic month. This period is commonly rounded to 28 days in general usage.

Other options (for context)

• 45 days: Much longer than the Moon’s actual orbital period.
• 50 days: Incorrect — the Moon completes more than one revolution in this time.
• 65 days: Far too long compared to the real lunar cycle.

Explanation: PARAM 8000 is India's first supercomputer, developed in 1991 by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the leadership of Dr. Vijay Bhatkar. It marked India’s entry into high-performance computing and was capable of 1 GigaFLOP (one billion calculations per second).

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a major cause of acid rain. When released into the atmosphere from vehicle exhausts and industrial emissions, it reacts with water vapor to form nitric acid (HNO₃). Along with sulfur dioxide forming sulfuric acid, it contributes to acid rain, which damages vegetation, aquatic life, and buildings.

• Carbon dioxide: Causes global warming, not acid rain.
• Carbon monoxide: A toxic gas but not acidic.
• Oxygen: Essential for respiration, not a pollutant.

Explanation: The speed of light is maximum in a vacuum (approximately 3 × 10⁸ m/s) and decreases as it passes through denser media. Among the given options — vacuum, air, water, and glass — light travels slowest in glass because glass has the highest refractive index (around 1.5). The greater the refractive index, the slower the light travels. This slowing down of light causes refraction, or bending of light, when it passes from one medium to another.