Current Affairs Quiz
1. Indian researcher ________________ awarded for their innovative green ideas by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
a) Ramesh Chowdhury
b) Arjun Chowdhury
c) Shamik Chowdhury
d) Vikas Chowdhury
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Answer c) Shamik Chowdhury. Shamik Chowdhury, a 29- year-old PhD student in environmental engineering from the National University of Singapore was among 25 scholars awarded for their innovative green ideas by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. His research focus is: Green synthesis of 2D grapheme nano sheets (thinnest two-dimensional material) and their self-assembly into advanced 3D macrostructures for sustainable urban development.
2. The country’s first “tea museum” was inaugurated in ______________
a) Assam
b) Tamil Nadu
c) West Bengal
d) Kerala
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Answer d) Kerala . The country’s first “tea museum” was inaugurated at Munnar in the high ranges of Kerala’s Idukki district. The museum gives a glimpse of the tea plantation and its growth over 100 years in this once verdant hilly district of Kerala. The Acting MD of Tata Tea P Signaporia formally inaugurated the museum.
3. The government allowed online applications for affordable homes under the ____________________________ from November 3
a) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana
b) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
c) Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana
d) Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
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Answer b) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The government allowed online applications for affordable homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) from November 3, with an aim to ease the process and boost the number of applications. In MoU signed on Wednesday between Amrit Abhijat, joint secretary, ministry of housing & urban poverty alleviation (HUPA) and Dinesh Tyagi, CEO, Common Services Centre e-Governance Services India Limited, ministry of electronics and information technology, about 60,000 common services centres (CSCs) located in urban areas will enable online submission of applications at Rs 25 per application.
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Saur Sujala Yojana” in ________________ that would provide solar powered irrigation pumps to farmers at a subsidized price
a) Gujarat
b) Uttar Pradesh
c) Chhattisgarh
d) Haryana
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Answer c) Chhattisgarh . Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Saur Sujala Yojana” in Chhattisgarh that would provide solar powered irrigation pumps to farmers at a subsidized price. Chhattisgarh would be the first state to implement the scheme. Under the scheme, solar powered irrigation pumps of 3HP and 5HP capacity worth Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh respectively would be distributed to the farmers by March 31, 2019. The beneficiaries would get the pumps at the subsidised price.
5. NHPC, India’s largest hydropower generation company, announced that it has commissioned its 50 Megawatt (MW) wind power project (WPP) in _______________
a) Rajasthan
b) Sikkim
c) Punjab
d) Tamil Nadu
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Answer a) Rajasthan . NHPC, India’s largest hydropower generation company, announced that it has commissioned its 50 Megawatt (MW) wind power project (WPP) in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The project achieved synchronization with the national grid in the month of October. NHPC has signed a power purchase agreement with Inox windand Rajasthan government to set up 25 turbines of 2 MW for the project.
6. TRAI sets _________ as minimum broadband speed in India
a) 256kbps
b) 512 kbps
c) 1 mbps
d) 2 mbps
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Answer b) 512 kbps. India’s Telecom regulatory authority, TRAI, has made it compulsory for all the Broadband providers to at least ensure a minimum speed of 512Kbps after users exhaust their initial data quota. The mandate also asks the service providers both fixed and wired to clearly notify the users about the throttled speed instead of masking it with the unlimited internet shenanigans.
7. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed banks to issue ___________ bonds
a) Foreign Bonds
b) Treasury Bonds
c) Investment Bonds
d) Masala Bonds
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Answer d) Masala Bonds. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed banks to issue rupee denominated bonds, or masala bonds, in the overseas market to shore up their capital base as well as for financing infrastructure and affordable housing. To strengthen their capital base, banks can raise perpetual debt instruments, which can be considered for calculating a bank’s additional tier 1 capital, or debt capital instrument that can go into calculating a bank’s tier-2 capital.
8. Which two countries consider joint patrols in South China Sea?
a) Australia and Indonesia
b) Japan and India
c) India and Australia
d) Russia and South Korea
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Answer a) Australia and Indonesia. Australia is considering joint military patrols with Indonesia in the contested waters of the South China Sea amid growing concerns in the west that a Chinese diplomatic offensive in Southeast Asia is upending the region’s balance of power. Julie Bishop, Australia’s foreign minister confirmed that Canberra was exploring options with Jakarta aimed at increasing maritime co-operation, including co-ordinated activities in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea.
9. Which IT company signed MoU with University of New South Wales to pursue technology research collaboration?
a) Infosys
b) TCS
c) Wipro
d) HCL
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Answer b) TCS. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT Services provider said that University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia and TCS have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue technology research collaboration. The agreement will enable the University and TCS to work together in areas of common interest such as machine learning, virtual reality, robotics, data analytics and cloud computing.
10. An HRD Ministry panel setup to give recommendations for a common paper pattern for class ____ across all boards has suggested removing multiple-choice questions
a) VIII
b) X
c) XI
d) XII
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Answer d) XII. An HRD Ministry panel setup to give recommendations for a common paper pattern for class XII across all boards has suggested removing multiple-choice questions. The panel also recommended keeping the theory and practical weightage at 70:30, and giving extra 15 minutes to students for reading the question paper. The panel also ruled out considering open book examinations.
11. Which country unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter during an air show in Zhuhai?
a) India
b) USA
c) China
d) Japan
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Answer c) China . China unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter jets at ‘Airshow China’, the country’s biggest expo of plane makers and buyers. The radar-evading jets which did a 60-second flypast are reportedly seen as “a big step forward in Chinese combat capability”. China also put up the AG600, the largest amphibious plane in production, on display.
12. The Centre has reportedly decided to give a 100% raise to the Members of Parliament, taking their basic pay from ₹50,000 to _________
a) 75000
b) 100000
c) 150000
d) 200000
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Answer b) 100000. The Centre has reportedly decided to give a 100% raise to the Members of Parliament, taking their basic pay from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh per month. The government would also reportedly be revising their allowances. The recommendation was submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office by the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs, headed by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath.
13. Who is the new Prime Minister of South Korea?
a) Choi Kyoung-hwan
b) Lee Wan-koo
c) Kim Byong-joon
d) Roh Hoe-chan
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Answer c) Kim Byong-joon. South Korean President Park Geun-hye nominated a former policy advisor Kim Byong-joon as the new prime minister. This reportedly is an attempt to restore public confidence following the political scandal over the involvement of Geun-hye’s “Puppetmaster” Choi Soon-sil, in the government. This comes after reports indicated that prosecutors will seek an arrest warrant for Soon-sil.
14. Human Resource Development Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ____________ to create more job opportunities for Indian students
a) Monsterindia
b) Shine
c) Naukri
d) linkedIn
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Answer d) linkedIn. Global professional network LinkedIn has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Human Resource Development Ministry to create more job opportunities for Indian students. LinkedIn’s ‘Placements’ product will be adopted by all Indian colleges affiliated with AICTE, the company said. ‘Placements’ provides direct access to job openings to students regardless of their location or college.
15. A ₹1.5 trillion mega refinery and petrochemical complex proposed by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) will come up in _____________
a) Kerala
b) Maharashtra
c) Rajasthan
d) Tamil Nadu
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Answer b) Maharashtra . A ₹1.5 trillion mega refinery and petrochemical complex proposed by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) will come up in Rajapur city of the Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, senior OMC officials said. The OMCs and the Maharashtra government have been looking for land for the past 10 months, ever since Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the project on December 28, 2015.
16. Who was unveiled as the brand ambassador of Equitas Small Finance Bank, the first private sector bank from Tamil Nadu post independence?
a) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
b) Virat Kohli
c) Murali Vijay
d) Ravichandran Ashwin
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Answer d) Ravichandran Ashwin. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was unveiled as the brand ambassador of Equitas Small Finance Bank, the first private sector bank from Tamil Nadu post independence. Ashwin stated that it was a “proud moment” for him to get associated with the bank. “I love their vision of empowering 5% of Indian households through financial inclusion,” he added.
17. GST council panel has fixed a four-tier GST rate structure at _________________slabs
a) 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%
b) 7%, 14%, 21%, and 28%
c) 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%
d) 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%
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Answer c) 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%. Following the GST Council meet, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the panel has fixed a four-tier GST rate structure at 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28% slabs. The peak rate will be applicable for FMCG and consumer durables. Further, there will be zero tax rate on food grains used by common people, Jaitley added.
18. Who is the new Prime Minister of Lebanon?
a) Saad al-Hariri
b) Nabih Berri
c) Samir Geagea
d) Gebran Bassil
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Answer a) Saad al-Hariri. Lebanese President Michel Aoun named Saad al-Hariri, leader of the Future Movement, as the new Prime Minister after al-Hariri secured the endorsement of 110 members of the 127-seat Parliament. This comes after Speaker Nabih Berri, who opposed the recent election of President Aoun, announced that he will support the new government that will be led by al-Hariri.
19. The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was observed globally on _______________
a) November 01
b) November 02
c) November 03
d) November 04
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Answer b) November 02. The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was observed globally on 2 November 2016. The Day is celebrated to spread awareness against the violence and crimes done to journalists and media workers and to bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers, and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies.
20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated Rio Paralympics medal winner ______________ with a cash award of Rs 4 crore
a) Deepa Malik
b) Varun Bhati
c) Devendra Jhajharia
d) Mariyappan Thangavelu
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Answer a) Deepa Malik. Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated Rio Paralympics medal winner Deepa Malik with a cash award of Rs 4 crore. Malik, who hails from Haryana, was the first Indian woman athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics in Rio. She won a silver medal in the women’s shot put event with a throw of 4.61m at the Paralympics.
21. E-commerce retailer __________, which began piloting its food delivery business in Bengaluru in March this year
a) Snapdeal
b) Amazon
c) Flipkart
d) Paytm
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Answer c) Flipkart. E-commerce retailer Flipkart, which began piloting its food delivery business in Bengaluru in March this year, is scaling up its food delivery arm and planning to enter the vertical on a larger scale. Flipkart in February had shut down its grocery delivery business ‘Nearby’. Flipkart’s rival Amazon is also reportedly entering the business by investing in a food delivery startup.
22. Mangat Ram Sharma who passed away recently, he was a former deputy Chief Minister of ________________
a) Tamil Nadu
b) Maharashtra
c) Gujarat
d) Jammu and Kashmir
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Answer d) Jammu and Kashmir. Former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma passed away in Jammu after a prolonged illness. He was 85. Mr Sharma was not keeping well for the past few days. He was Deputy Chief Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led government and later served as Health Minister in 2008 in the dispensation headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad.
