UPSC Prelims 2015 GS Paper I · Q45 of 100 General Science easy

The term 'Goldilocks Zone' is often seen in the news in the context of

  1. (a) the limits of habitable zone above the surface of the Earth
  2. (b) regions inside the Earth where shale gas is available
  3. (c) search for the Earth-like planets in outer space ✓ UPSC's answer
  4. (d) search for meteorites containing precious metals

Why the answer is (c)

• The 'Goldilocks Zone' is the habitable zone around a star where temperatures are 'just right' for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface — neither too hot nor too cold.

• Astronomers use it in the search for Earth-like exoplanets that might support life, as with the Kepler and TESS missions — option (c).

• It is not about Earth's atmosphere (a), shale gas (b) or meteorites (d).

• Hence option (c).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) the limits of habitable zone above the surface of the Earth
It refers to orbital distance from a star, not Earth's atmosphere.
(b) regions inside the Earth where shale gas is available
It has nothing to do with shale gas.
(d) search for meteorites containing precious metals
It is not about meteorites.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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