Daily Current Affairs Quiz: March 16, 2026

Option (a) is correct: Kurumba painting is an ancient tribal art tradition of the Kurumba tribe inhabiting the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. It is believed to be over 3000 years old and traditionally involved paintings on rock surfaces, cave walls, and cow dung-coated walls using natural pigments derived from forest resources.

Option (b) is incorrect: The Thar Desert region of Rajasthan is known for folk art traditions such as Phad painting and Mandana, which depict mythological stories and decorative motifs. Kurumba painting, however, originates in the forested hill ecosystems of the Nilgiris, not desert landscapes.

Option (c) is incorrect: The Brahmaputra valley of Assam has distinct cultural traditions including Assamese manuscript painting and textile arts like Muga silk weaving. Kurumba painting is unrelated to the artistic traditions of Northeast India.

Option (d) is incorrect: The Bastar region of Chhattisgarh is known for tribal art forms such as Bastar metal craft and Gond painting. Kurumba painting is specifically linked to the Kurumba tribal community of the Nilgiri hills in South India.

Option (a) is correct: Section 301 of the US Trade Act, 1974 empowers the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate foreign trade practices that are considered unfair, discriminatory, or harmful to US commerce. If such practices are confirmed, the US government may impose tariffs or other trade restrictions.

Option (b) is incorrect: Currency exchange rates and monetary policies are generally handled through central banks and international financial institutions. Section 301 focuses on trade practices and market access issues, not currency regulation.

Option (c) is incorrect: Subsidies to domestic industries fall under industrial or fiscal policy instruments within national economic frameworks. Section 301 is designed to address unfair external trade practices, rather than directly provide subsidies to US industries.

Option (d) is incorrect: Export restrictions on strategic commodities are typically implemented under national security or export control laws. Section 301 specifically deals with investigating and responding to foreign trade practices affecting US commerce, often through tariffs or trade sanctions.

Option (a) is incorrect: Long chains of nucleotides forming genetic material refer to DNA and RNA, which are nucleic acids. These molecules store and transmit genetic information but are structurally and functionally different from peptides.

Option (b) is correct: Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. They usually contain 2–50 amino acids and play important biological roles such as acting as hormones, signalling molecules, and regulators of physiological processes in the body.

Option (c) is incorrect: Complex carbohydrates such as glycogen or starch function mainly as energy storage molecules in biological systems. Peptides, by contrast, are protein-related biomolecules derived from amino acids, not carbohydrates.

Option (d) is incorrect: Lipids such as phospholipids and cholesterol form key structural components of cell membranes. Peptides do not function as membrane lipids; instead, they primarily serve biological signalling, regulatory, and structural roles within organisms.

Option (a) is incorrect: The Vulnerable category includes species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium term. Although some local populations of spotted hyenas face threats such as habitat loss and human conflict, the species overall does not meet the criteria for Vulnerable status.

Option (b) is incorrect: Endangered status is assigned to species facing a very high risk of extinction in the near future due to severe population decline or restricted distribution. The spotted hyena maintains a relatively stable and widespread population, so it is not classified as Endangered.

Option (c) is incorrect: Near Threatened refers to species that may soon qualify for a threatened category if current trends continue. The spotted hyena’s broad distribution and ecological adaptability mean it currently does not fall into the Near Threatened category.

Option (d) is correct: The Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This status reflects its relatively wide distribution across sub-Saharan Africa and its adaptability to diverse habitats such as savannas, grasslands, woodlands, and semi-desert regions.

Option (a) is incorrect: Mandatory insurance for pharmaceutical companies is a risk management or regulatory requirement, not the core principle of a no-fault compensation system. The policy focuses on supporting affected individuals, rather than protecting manufacturers through insurance mechanisms.

Option (b) is incorrect: A no-fault compensation framework does not grant blanket legal immunity to pharmaceutical companies. Instead, it creates an alternative compensation mechanism so victims do not have to pursue complex negligence-based litigation in courts.

Option (c) is correct: A no-fault vaccine compensation policy provides financial relief to individuals who suffer serious adverse effects after vaccination without requiring them to prove negligence or wrongdoing by the government or manufacturers. The objective is to ensure quick support while maintaining public trust in immunisation programmes.

Option (d) is incorrect: Government subsidies for vaccine production relate to public health funding and pharmaceutical policy. A no-fault vaccine compensation policy, in contrast, deals specifically with providing financial compensation to individuals affected by rare vaccine-related injuries.