UPSC Prelims 2014 · Question 48 of 100

UPSC Prelims 2014 question on Cassini Messenger Voyager Missions

Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?

Spacecraft : Purpose

1. Cassini-Huygens : Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2. Messenger : Mapping and investigation of Mercury
3. Voyager 1 and 2 : Exploring the outer solar system

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Answer: B. 2 and 3 only

Verdict

The answer is 2 and 3 only. Messenger did map Mercury and the Voyagers did explore the outer solar system, but Cassini Huygens went to Saturn, not Venus.

Analysis

Pair 1 is INCORRECT. Cassini Huygens orbited Saturn and the Huygens probe landed on its moon Titan. Pair 2 is CORRECT. Messenger was the NASA mission that orbited, mapped and investigated Mercury. Pair 3 is CORRECT. Voyager 1 and 2 surveyed Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and Voyager 1 crossed into interstellar space, a crossing announced in 2013.

Source

Times of India report on the Cassini spacecraft imaging Earth from Saturn.

How to crack it

Fix one pair with certainty and let the option structure do the rest. Here rejecting Cassini and Venus removes every option containing 1, which leaves a single survivor without needing to verify the Voyagers at all. Reading option structure before evaluating all statements is the single biggest time saver in matching questions. The name itself also helps: Huygens discovered Titan, so a mission carrying his name pointing at Venus should feel wrong.

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