UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 62 of 99

UPSC Prelims 2018 question on General Relativity Predictions

Consider the following statements:

1. Light is affected by gravity.
2. The Universe is constantly expanding.
3. Matter warps its surrounding space-time.

Which of the above is/are prediction/predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, often discussed in media?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

Analysis

All three are predictions of General Relativity, so the answer is (d) 1, 2 and 3.

Statement by statement

Statement 1 is CORRECT. General relativity predicted radical things, among them that light is deflected by gravity, and it also predicted black holes.

Statement 3 is CORRECT. The theory showed that space and time are malleable, which is precisely the claim that matter warps its surrounding space-time.

Statement 2 is CORRECT. Because space and time are flexible rather than fixed, the theory implies a universe that is not static but ever expanding.

Source

Indian Express explained piece on the validation of the theory and the Indian LIGO project.

How to crack it

The news hook was gravitational wave detection and the Indian LIGO announcement, and the fusion needed here is a single conceptual core: gravity is the geometry of space-time rather than a force acting through fixed space. Every listed item follows from that one idea, since warped space-time bends light paths and permits an evolving universe. When a science question lists several consequences of one famous theory, ask whether they all flow from its central postulate rather than checking them one by one.

More questions on Physics

All 17 questions on Physics →

← Full 2018 question paper · All Science and Technology questions