Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

Describes the 2015 LIGO detection of spacetime distortions from two colliding black holes ~1.3 billion ly away, linking black-hole mergers to observable gravitational waves.

A student could use this to note that the observation confirms gravitational-wave emission from mergers, not any direct evidence of wormholes, and compare what signatures a wormhole would need to produce.

Explains that gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime predicted by general relativity produced by massive accelerating objects like orbiting black holes.

One could extend this by checking whether wormhole travel would produce comparable gravitational-wave signatures or different observables, thereby distinguishing the two possibilities.

Gives the exact UPSC question options including that gravitational-wave detection was the intended significance and lists 'possibility of intergalactic space travel through wormhole' as an alternative choice.

A student can use this to infer that mainstream sources treat merger observations as evidence for gravitational waves (not wormholes), prompting investigation of why wormholes are not the accepted interpretation.

States that black holes strongly distort the space around them, a basic concept underlying both gravitational waves and theoretical wormhole discussions.

Using this, a student could explore whether spacetime distortions from known black-hole physics naturally imply traversable bridges (wormholes) or require additional exotic conditions.

Notes the universe's accelerating expansion and the vast, increasing separations between galaxies.

A student might combine this with distances to infer practical challenges for inter-galactic travel and assess whether wormholes would need to overcome cosmological expansion to enable such travel.

Reports that LIGO sensed distortions in spacetime from colliding black holes show that mergers produce measurable signals detectable on Earth.

A student could infer that because mergers emit observable spacetime disturbances, such observations provide empirical data about strong-gravity events to test theories related to black holes.

Explains that gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by massive accelerating objects and that these waves carry information about their origins.

One can extend this to ask whether the information carried by waves includes details about the innermost structure (singularity) or only about the dynamics outside it.

Defines a singularity as a region where gravity is so intense that spacetime 'ceases to exist' and our laws break down; links singularities to the theoretical existence of black holes under General Relativity.

Combining this with the fact that mergers produce gravitational waves lets a student consider whether observations that probe spacetime distortions can test or illuminate the breakdown-of-law aspects of singularities.

States that the density of matter in a black hole cannot be measured (infinite) and that nothing can escape its surface, characterizing extreme interior conditions.

Using the basic fact that nothing escapes a black hole, a student might reason that signals reaching Earth originate outside the 'no-escape' region, so they may not directly reveal the interior singularity.

Contains the UPSC question framing the observation of distant black hole mergers and lists possible significances, including gravitational waves detection and the (incorrect) option that the observation 'enabled the scientists to understand singularity'.

A student can use this as an example of the plausible conclusions drawn from the event and thus be prompted to evaluate which options are supported by the physics described in other snippets.