Consider the following pairs:
| Terms sometimes seen in news | Context/Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Belle II experiment | Artificial Intelligence |
| 2. | Blockchain technology | Digital/Cryptocurrency |
| 3. | CRISPR – Cas9 | Particle Physics |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only the blockchain pair is right. Blockchain is the technology behind cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Belle II is a particle-physics experiment in Japan, and CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene-editing tool used in biotechnology.
- ✗ 1. Belle II is a particle-physics experiment at the SuperKEKB collider at KEK, Tsukuba, Japan. It studies rare decays of B and D mesons and tau leptons, with an Indian team led by TIFR.
- ✓ 2. Blockchain is a shared, distributed ledger. NITI Aayog notes that it is the Bitcoin paper of 2008 that is most credited for the advent of the technology, so it is closely tied to digital currency.
- ✗ 3. CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome-editing technology; the Cas9 enzyme cuts DNA at a location set by a guide RNA. It belongs to biotechnology, not particle physics.
Remember · Belle II = particle physics (KEK, Japan); blockchain = ledger behind cryptocurrencies; CRISPR-Cas9 = gene editing.
Sources
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (DAE): Belle (II) Collaboration ↗ · reference work “The Belle experiment at the KEK B-factory in Tsukuba (about 50 km northeast of Tokyo) was built to study that phenomenon, called charge-parity (CP) violation, in the decays of B mesons”
- NITI Aayog: Blockchain: The India Strategy, Part I ↗ “it is the paper on the Bitcoin that is most credited for the advent of the new technology.”
- PIB, Ministry of Science & Technology: CRISPR gene-editing possible in temperature sensitive organisms, plants & crop varieties (3 November 2022) ↗ “the associated Cas9 enzyme, which acts as molecular scissors to cut DNA at a location specified by a guide RNA”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·