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Q52 (IAS/2020) Science & Technology › ICT, AI, Cybersecurity & Emerging Tech › Internet of Things Official Key

Consider the following activities : 1. Spraying pesticides on a crop fieldthe importance of using 2. Inspecting the craters of active volcanoes 3. Collecting breath samples from spouting whales for DNA analysis At the present level of technology, which of the above activities can be successfully carried out by using drones ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 4 (1, 2 and 3) because modern drone technology has evolved to perform all three complex tasks efficiently.

  • Statement 1: Drones are widely used in precision agriculture for spraying pesticides. They reduce human exposure to chemicals and ensure uniform application over large crop fields.
  • Statement 2: Drones equipped with thermal cameras and gas sensors can inspect active volcano craters. They reach hazardous, inaccessible areas to monitor volcanic activity without risking human lives.
  • Statement 3: "SnotBots" or specialized drones are used to collect breath samples (blow) from spouting whales. This non-invasive method allows scientists to analyze DNA, hormones, and microbiomes without disturbing the animal.

Since current technology supports autonomous flight, remote sensing, and payload delivery in diverse environments, all three activities are feasible. Thus, 1, 2, and 3 are correct.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following activities : 1. Spraying pesticides on a crop fieldthe importance of using 2. Inspecting the craters of active vol…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 3.3/10 · 3.3/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is the classic 'Science & Tech Possibility' archetype. Statement 1 is standard static syllabus (Agri-tech), while 2 and 3 are 'plausible applications'. In UPSC S&T, if a technology 'can' theoretically perform a task without violating physics, the answer is almost always 'Yes'. Do not hunt for the specific 'Whale Breath' news article; rely on the logic of technological potential.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
At the present level of technology, can drones be used to spray pesticides on crop fields effectively?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Smart Farming > p. 359
Presence: 4/5
“These robots can also be used in harvesting and lifting. Heavy farming vehicles can also be navigated from the comfort of homes through phone screens to perform tasks and GPS can track their positions at every time.• Drones equipped with sensors and cameras are used for imaging, mapping and surveying the farms. They can be remotely controlled or they can fly automatically through software-controlled flight plans in their embedded systems, working in coordination with sensors and GPS. From the drone data, insights can be drawn regarding crop health, irrigation, spraying, planting, soil and field, plant counting and yield prediction and much more.• IoT based remote sensing utilizes sensors placed along the farms like weather stations for gathering data which is transmitted to analytical tool for analysis.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly lists 'spraying' among applications derived from drones equipped with sensors, cameras, GPS and automated flight plans.
  • Describes drones as capable of remote-controlled or software-controlled field operations, enabling precise field tasks.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Application of Technology in Agriculture: > p. 358
Presence: 3/5
“By using drone technology with AI enabled cameras, agricultural farmers and pest control companies can virtually walk every crop and provide nearly full-time monitoring to look for irregular crop degradation, pests, disease spots or dead soil. A farmer can then collect data from a specific crop area and stop the spread of disease. Unmanned drones are able to cover far more land in much less time than humans on foot allowing for large farms to be monitored more frequently.• The volume of data collected through technologies like farm machinery, drone imagery and crop analytics is too abundant for humans to process.”
Why this source?
  • Describes drones with AI-enabled cameras providing near-continuous monitoring for pests and disease over large areas.
  • Notes drones cover far more land in much less time than humans, supporting scalable pest-control interventions.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > Smart Farming > p. 360
Presence: 3/5
“The images are used for quality control, disease detection, sorting and grading yield and irrigation monitoring through Image processing combined with machine learning which uses images from database to compare with images of crops to determine the size, shape, color and growth therefore controlling the quality. • Traditional Farming: Same set of practices for cultivation of a crop throughout the region; Smart Farming: Each farm is analyzed to see the suitable crops and water requirements for optimization • Traditional Farming: Geo-tagging and zone detection not possible; Smart Farming: Satellite imagery detects the different zones in farms • Traditional Farming: Application of fertilizers and pesticides throughout the field; Smart Farming: Early detection and application at the affected region only, saving costs • Traditional Farming: No way to predict weather; Smart Farming: Weather analysis and prediction Drip irrigation system with smart IoT • Traditional Farming: Traditional irrigation method is used to; Smart Farming: enabled sensors track moisture level • Traditional Farming: irrigate the field wasting a lot of water; Smart Farming: and apply the water effectively where • Traditional Farming: resources; Smart Farming: needed”
Why this source?
  • Contrasts blanket pesticide application with smart farming's early detection and localized application, implying precision targeting.
  • Links image-based detection to applying inputs only to affected regions, which supports effective, reduced spraying.
Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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