Explanation: Humans first landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first and second humans to walk on the Moon, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module. Neil Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” marked this historic achievement in space exploration.

Explanation: Carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (also known as the carpus) in the human skeletal system. These bones are arranged in two rows — a proximal row (closer to the forearm) and a distal row (closer to the hand). They connect the bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) to the bones of the hand (metacarpals) and allow for the flexibility and movement of the wrist. The carpals are essential for various hand motions like bending, rotation, and gripping.

Explanation: Acids do not turn red litmus to blue; instead, they turn blue litmus paper red. Acids are sour in taste, corrosive in nature, and have a pH value less than 7. Therefore, the statement that acids turn red litmus to blue is incorrect.

Explanation: The DNA sequencing technique was developed by Frederick Sanger in 1977. His method, known as the Sanger chain termination method, determines the nucleotide sequence of DNA using labeled dideoxynucleotides (ddNTPs) that terminate DNA chain elongation. This technique revolutionized molecular biology and became the foundation for genome sequencing projects such as the Human Genome Project.

Explanation: When a car moves forward while rain is falling vertically, the rain appears to fall at an angle relative to the car’s motion. As a result, the raindrops strike the front windscreen of the car, not the rear screen. This is due to the relative velocity between the car and the falling rain.

The Green Muffler technique is used to control noise pollution. It involves planting dense rows of trees and shrubs around roads, industrial areas, and public places. The vegetation acts as a natural sound barrier by absorbing, deflecting, and refracting sound waves, thereby reducing the intensity of noise reaching nearby areas. Common plants used for green mufflers include Neem, Ashoka, Ficus, and Cassia.

Other options (for context)

• Air pollution: Controlled by measures like emission filters and afforestation, but not directly by green mufflers.
• Soil pollution: Managed by waste treatment and reduced chemical use, not vegetation barriers.
• Water pollution: Controlled by sewage treatment and reducing industrial discharge, not by plants as mufflers.

The Abacus is considered the first calculating device in human history. It was invented around 2500 BCE and used in ancient civilizations such as China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The Abacus consists of beads that slide on rods or wires, representing numbers, and is used to perform basic arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It laid the foundation for modern computing and calculating tools.

Other options (for context)

• Calculator: A modern electronic device for computation, developed much later.
• Turing machine: A theoretical computational model proposed by Alan Turing in 1936.
• Pascaline: A mechanical calculator invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, long after the Abacus.

Explanation: Mesons are subatomic particles found in cosmic rays. They are unstable particles composed of one quark and one antiquark, making them part of the hadron family. Mesons are produced when high-energy cosmic rays from outer space collide with atoms in the Earth's atmosphere. These collisions generate a variety of secondary particles, including pions and kaons (types of mesons). Mesons have very short lifespans and quickly decay into other particles such as muons and neutrinos.