Explanation: Athlete’s foot, scientifically known as Tinea pedis, is a fungal infection caused mainly by dermatophytes such as Trichophyton species. It thrives in warm, moist areas like the skin between the toes. Symptoms include itching, scaling, redness, and sometimes blistering. It spreads easily in communal areas like locker rooms and swimming pools. Proper hygiene and antifungal treatment can prevent and cure the infection.

Explanation: An F1 (Formula One) car is primarily made of carbon fibre, a lightweight yet extremely strong and durable material. Carbon fibre provides high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent rigidity, and improved safety — essential for achieving high speeds and ensuring driver protection in racing conditions.

Explanation: Gamma rays are the most dangerous type of radiation because they have very high energy and strong penetrating power. They can pass through most materials, including human tissue, and may cause serious cellular and genetic damage. Proper shielding with dense materials like lead is required for protection.

Explanation: Amniocentesis is a medical diagnostic procedure used to determine the genetic and chromosomal makeup of a developing fetus. It involves the withdrawal of a small amount of amniotic fluid from the uterus using a fine needle. This fluid contains fetal cells that can be tested to identify genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome and also to determine the sex of the fetus. However, using amniocentesis for sex determination is illegal in India under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act to prevent female foeticide.

Explanation: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is headquartered in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka. It was established in 1969 under the guidance of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, who is known as the father of the Indian space program. ISRO is India’s national space agency, responsible for space research, satellite launches, and planetary exploration. It developed major missions such as Chandrayaan (Moon mission), Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission), and PSLV & GSLV launch vehicles.

Sericulture is the rearing and cultivation of silkworms for the production of silk. The process involves raising silkworms on mulberry leaves, harvesting their cocoons, and then extracting silk fibers from these cocoons. The most commonly used silkworm species is Bombyx mori. Sericulture is an important cottage industry in countries like India, China, and Japan.

Other options (for context)

• Fishes: Their rearing is called Pisciculture.
• Honey bees: Their rearing is called Apiculture.
• Earth worms: Their cultivation for composting is called Vermiculture.

Explanation: Alcohols are organic compounds composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O). They are characterized by the presence of one or more hydroxyl (-OH) functional groups attached to a carbon atom. The general formula of alcohols is C_nH_2n+1OH. A common example is ethanol (C₂H₅OH), which is used in beverages, fuels, and sanitizers. The -OH group makes alcohols polar, soluble in water (especially lower alcohols), and reactive in many organic reactions.

Explanation: A parity bit is added to binary data in a computer system for error detection. It helps identify whether data has been altered during transmission or storage. The parity bit makes the total number of 1s either even (even parity) or odd (odd parity), allowing simple error checking.

Explanation: An endoscope works on the principle of total internal reflection of light. It uses optical fibers to transmit light into the body and carry the reflected image back to the observer. This allows physicians to view internal organs without surgery.

Explanation: PROLOG (Programming in Logic) is a high-level programming language widely used in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computational linguistics. It is based on formal logic and is especially useful for solving problems involving pattern matching, rule-based reasoning, and natural language processing.