Current Affairs Quiz
1. Who has been honoured with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan?
a) Vikram Seth
b) Kiran Desai
c) Mahabaleshwar Sail
d) Chetan Bhagat
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Answer c) Mahabaleshwar Sail. Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honoured with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan. The 74-year-old’s novel was shortlisted out of 22 books written in as many languages. The award carries a cash prize of ₹15 lakh and a citation. Mr. Sail is a bilingual writer who has four Marathi dramas and seven Konkani novels to his credit. He has also written five short stories and a novel in Marathi.
2. Who has been appointed to a second term as president of the European Council?
a) Bronisław Komorowski
b) Beata Szydło
c) Andrzej Duda
d) Donald Tusk
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Answer d) Donald Tusk. Donald Tusk was appointed to a second term as president of the European Council; one of the European Union’s governing bodies, despite objections from the government of his own country, Poland, which had created an unprecedented confrontation in Brussels.
3. State-run power giant NTPC has commissioned 45 MW capacity for solar project in ___________
a) Maharashtra
b) Gujarat
c) Rajasthan
d) Haryana
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Answer c) Rajasthan . State-run power giant NTPC has announced commissioning of 45 MW solar capacity at Bhadla in Rajasthan taking the total installed capacity of the project to 160 MW. “The 45 MW of Bhadla solar power project of NTPC in Rajasthan has been commissioned. With this, the installed capacity of Bhadla solar power project has become 160 MW and that of NTPC’s solar power projects has become 520 MW.
4. The Lok Sabha passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which will raise the maternity leave for working women in public and private sector from 12 weeks to ____ weeks
a) 23
b) 24
c) 25
d) 26
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Answer d) 26. Women employees in the organized sector will now get six months of paid maternity leave, more than double the entitlement so far, after the Lok Sabha amended the law on maternity benefits. Terming the move a “gift on International Women’s Day”, labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the legislation will have far reaching consequences both in terms of child care and female work force participation in India.
5. Which state Government inaugurated a 24×7 toll free helpline number 181 for distressed women on the occasion on International Women’s Day?
a) Odisha
b) West Bengal
c) Punjab
d) Andra Pradesh
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Answer a) Odisha . Odisha Chief Mnister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated a 24X7 toll free helpline number 181 for distressed women on the occasion on International Women’s Day. The helpline will facilitate quick response of various services including lodging police complaint to provide medical, legal and counselling to women victims.
6. India and __________ have signed a Protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two countries
a) Poland
b) Belgium
c) Sweden
d) Magnolia
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Answer b) Belgium . India and Belgium have signed a Protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two countries. This Protocol was signed by Sushil Chandra, Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on behalf of India and Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India, on behalf of Belgium.
7. Following Tamil Nadu, traders in _________ have decided to stop sale of drinks produced by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, to promote local beverages like lime soda
a) Andra Pradesh
b) Karnataka
c) Maharashtra
d) Kerala
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Answer d) Kerala . Following Tamil Nadu, traders in Kerala have decided to stop sale of drinks produced by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, to promote local beverages like lime soda. The boycott is in protest against exploitation of groundwater by the companies amid threats of a drought. Around seven lakh shops and traders will join the boycott, which will formally be announced on March 14.
8. Which country is developing a manned submersible capable of reaching the deepest known points in the world’s oceans in search of precious metals?
a) India
b) UK
c) China
d) USA
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Answer c) China . China is developing a manned submersible capable of reaching the deepest known points in the world’s oceans in search of precious metals. The 11,000-metre deep-sea submersible is planned to conduct its first ocean test in 2021, said Yan Kai, director of the state key laboratory of deep-sea manned submersible under the China Ship Scientific Research Centre.
9. INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy at _____________
a) Karnataka
b) Andra Pradesh
c) Maharashtra
d) Odisha
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Answer a) Karnataka . INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, at Karwa. INS Tillanchang is the third ship of four follow-on WJFAC built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata. The first two ships of the class, IN ships Tarmugli and Tihayu were commissioned in 2016 and are based at Visakhapatnam.
10. The CBSE has made it mandatory for the students appearing for Class 10 board exams from next year to study _____ subjects instead of five subjects
a) Seven
b) Six
c) Eight
d) Nine
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Answer b) Six . The CBSE has made it mandatory for the students appearing for Class 10 board exams from next year to study six subjects instead of five. Currently, the Class 10 students have to study two languages along with social science, mathematics and science. However, it will be compulsory for Class 10 students to study a vocational subject from 2017-18 academic year.
11. ___________ became the first country in the world to force companies to prove they pay all employees the same, regardless of gender, sexuality or nationality
a) Poland
b) Switzerland
c) Singapore
d) Iceland
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Answer d) Iceland. Iceland became the first country in the world to force companies to prove they pay all employees the same, regardless of gender, sexuality or nationality. The country’s government announced a new law that will require every company with 25 or more staff to get a certificate demonstrating pay equality. Notably, Iceland has pledged to eradicate gender pay gap by 2022.
12. The Indian women’s ice hockey team registered its first victory ever in an international match by beating __________
a) Germany
b) Australia
c) Philippines
d) South Africa
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Answer c) Philippines. The Indian women’s ice hockey team registered its first victory ever in an international match by beating Philippines at the Challenge Cup of Asia fixture held in Bangkok. The score after fulltime read 4-3 in favour of India and there was very little to choose between the teams.
13. Veteran artist Sir Howard Hodgkin who passed away recently, he was from ___________
a) UK
b) USA
c) China
d) Russia
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Answer a) UK. Veteran British artist Sir Howard Hodgkin has died at the age of 84. Sir Howard was born in London in 1932, but as a child he was evacuated to the US during the war. During his artistic career he served as a trustee of both the Tate and the National Gallery in the 1970s and 80s, and was represented Britain at the Venice Biennale – the art world’s most coveted festival – in 1984.
