UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Tethered balloons for TV coverage: study findings

Q1. With reference to the 1976 study that proposed the use of tethered balloons for television coverage in India, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Information, Planning and Analysis Group (IPAG) that conducted the study was a body of India's Electronics Commission.
  2. The study proposed a Tethered Balloon Communication System (TBCS) using 18 balloon-borne transmitters to cover the whole country.
  3. The study estimated the capital cost of the balloon network at about one-fifth that of a conventional ground-transmitter network.
  4. The study was commissioned by ISRO solely to make NASA's ATS-6 satellite a permanent fixture over India.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q2. According to the 1976 IPAG study, how many balloon-borne transmitters were estimated to be sufficient to provide television coverage for the whole of India?

  • A. 9
  • B. 12
  • C. 18
  • D. 24

Q3. With reference to the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), ATS-6 was:

  • A. a NASA Applications Technology Satellite that received signals from Indian earth stations and retransmitted educational television directly to receiver sets in villages
  • B. India's first indigenously built communications satellite, launched in 1975
  • C. a Soviet satellite provided to India under an Indo-Soviet space cooperation accord
  • D. a network of high-power ground-based terrestrial transmitters operated by All India Radio

Q4. Consider the following States. Which of the above is/are correctly identified as being among the six States covered by SITE (1975–76)?

  1. Rajasthan
  2. Karnataka
  3. Tamil Nadu
  4. Bihar
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q5. The National Balloon Facility, established in 1971, is best described as:

  • A. a Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) scientific-ballooning facility at Hyderabad for launching high-altitude research balloons
  • B. an ISRO satellite-launch complex on the east coast at Sriharikota
  • C. a DRDO aerostat surveillance base at Agra Cantt
  • D. an India Meteorological Department weather-balloon station at Pune

Q6. Consider the following statements about TIFR's balloon programme. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. TIFR began developing plastic balloon technology in 1956.
  2. TIFR's National Balloon Facility is located at Hyderabad.
  3. The National Balloon Facility was established in 1971.
  4. TIFR's balloon programme was headquartered at its launch centre in Sriharikota.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q7. According to the 1976 IPAG study, which of the following was identified as the most cost-effective option for providing nationwide television coverage after the end of SITE?

  • A. A system of tethered balloon-borne transmitters
  • B. A dense network of ground-based terrestrial transmitters
  • C. Leasing a dedicated foreign communications satellite
  • D. Indefinitely extending the loan of NASA's ATS-6 satellite

Q8. In which year was the IPAG study proposing the Tethered Balloon Communication System (TBCS) published?

  • A. 1969
  • B. 1971
  • C. 1974
  • D. 1976

Q9. The television programmes broadcast to villages during SITE (1975–76) were produced by which of the following organisations?

  • A. All India Radio
  • B. Indian Space Research Organisation
  • C. Films Division of India
  • D. Prasar Bharati

Q10. SITE (1975–76) was carried out with the support of which of the following UN specialised agencies?

  • A. UNESCO
  • B. WHO
  • C. FAO
  • D. WIPO

Q11. The Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) was jointly designed and conducted by NASA and which Indian organisation?

  • A. Indian Space Research Organisation
  • B. Defence Research and Development Organisation
  • C. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
  • D. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre