Current Affairs Quiz
1. Who has been topped in the Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of global billionaires?
a) Mark Zuckerberg
b) Warren Buffett
c) Bill Gates
d) Larry Page
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Answer c) Bill Gates. Bill Gates has once again topped Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of global billionaires. It’s the second time in a row that the Microsoft founder has been crowned the world’s richest person, and the 16th time in the past 21 years. Mr Gates’ net worth rose to $79.2bn (£51bn) from $76bn a year earlier, after he unloaded one third of his remaining stake in the tech firm he co-founded in the 1970s.
2. The World Sparrow Day observed on?
a) March 19
b) March 20
c) March 21
d) March 22
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Answer b) March 20. The World Sparrow Day was observed across the world on 20 March 2017. The day was created with an aim to raise awareness about the house sparrow and then other common birds to urban environments. The World Sparrow Day also speaks of threats to their populations. The day also provides an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the common biodiversity which is taken so much for granted.
3. ___________ retained the spot of India’s richest person, with a net worth of $23.2 billion
a) Anil Ambani
b) Sunil Mittal
c) Dilip Shanghvi
d) Mukesh Ambani
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Answer d) Mukesh Ambani. Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is once again India’s richest person with a net worth of US $22.7 billion, according to the latest Forbes list. India’s richest pharmaceutical magnate, Dilip Shanghvi, remains at number 2 with a net worth of $16.9 billion. His wealth fell by $1.1 billion along with a drop in the shares of his Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, the world’s fifth-largest generics maker.
4. The International Day of Happiness observed on?
a) March 20
b) March 21
c) March 22
d) March 23
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Answer a) March 20. The International Day of Happiness (known as Happiness Day) is celebrated throughout the world on the 20th of March. The International Day of Happiness (“Happiness Day”) was founded by United Nations adviser Jayme Illien on June 28, 2012, when all 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted UN resolution 66/281 The International Day of Happiness, following a multiyear campaign initiated in 2011 by the Illien Global Public Benefit Corporation.
5. Who is the world’s wealthiest woman with a $39.5 billion net worth?
a) Susanne Klatten
b) Laurene Powell
c) Liliane Bettencourt
d) Jacqueline Mars
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Answer c) Liliane Bettencourt. France’s Liliane Bettencourt is the world’s wealthiest woman with a $39.5 billion net worth for the second year with a net worth of $39.5 billion, according to Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2017. The 94-year-old, who suffers from dementia, has been mired in a legal battle against former confidante and photographer Francois-Marie Banier.
6. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the KCK International Award for Excellence in Print Journalism organized by Rajasthan Patrika in __________
a) Mumbai
b) Hyderabad
c) Bangalore
d) New Delhi
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Answer d) New Delhi. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the KCK International Award for Excellence in Print Journalism organized by Rajasthan Patrika in New Delhi. Print journalism has its own impact because journalists through their columns/ stories/ comments etc. find a permanent place in the minds of readers. He stated that media has expanded with increasing use of technology and the influence of social media has also increased over the years.
7. The Government of India has decided to merge the Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with the State Bank of India (SBI), Headquarters of Bharatiya Mahila Bank located in _________
a) New Delhi
b) Mumbai
c) Kolkata
d) Bangalore
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Answer a) New Delhi. The Government of India has decided to merge the Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with the State Bank of India (SBI) to ensure greater banking services outreach to a larger number of women, at a faster pace. The objectives of affordable credit to women as well as propagation of women-centric products need to be quickly achieved through a wider network and lower cost of funds.
8. Who will be the chairman of the merged entity created by the merger of Idea Cellular and Vodafone?
a) Sunil Bharti Mittal
b) Adi Godrej
c) Azim Premji
d) Kumar Mangalam Birla
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Answer d) Kumar Mangalam Birla. British telecom major Vodafone and Aditya Birla group-run Idea Cellular have announced the merger of their operations, creating the largest mobile operator by customer and revenue market share. The merged entity, which will come into force over the next two years, will be headed by Kumar Mangalam Birla as Chairman.
9. Snapdeal has appointed ________________ as Chief Executive Officer of its digital payments subsidiary Freecharge
a) Rishabh Gupta
b) Jason Kothari
c) Rahul Yadav
d) Kunal Bahl
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Answer b) Jason Kothari. Snapdeal has appointed former online real estate portal Housing.com executive Jason Kothari to the position of Chief Executive Officer of its digital payments subsidiary Freecharge, while also committing to invest a further $20 million into the firm. Kothari’s appointment to the role comes a month after former Freecharge CEO Govind Rajan quit the company and amid growing concerns of Freecharge losing out to larger rival Paytm in India’s fast growing digital payments space.
10. Which state High Court has recognised river Ganga as the first living entity of India, a move that grants it the same legal rights as a human being?
a) Uttarakhand
b) Maharashtra
c) Assam
d) Kerala
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Answer a) Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand High Court has recognised river Ganga as the first living entity of India, a move that grants it the same legal rights as a human being. The new status means that if someone pollutes the Ganga — considered to be the holiest river in the country — the law will see it equal to harming a human being. The court also ruled that the government form a Ganga Administration Board for better maintenance and cleaning of the river.
11. India has been ranked _________ in terms of nations with most number of billionaires at 101
a) Seventh
b) Fifth
c) Third
d) Fourth
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Answer d) Fourth. According to Forbes 2017 World’s Billionaires List, India has been ranked fourth in terms of nations with most number of billionaires at 101. This marks the first time that India has had more than 100 billionaires, Forbes said. The US continues to have most number of billionaires than any other nation, with a record 565, followed by China with 319.
12. How many Indians in the World Economic Forum’s 100 Young Global Leaders list?
a) Five
b) Ten
c) Fifteen
d) Twelve
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Answer a) Five. Five Indians, including Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Shruti Shibulal of The Tamara Hospitality, have made it to the World Economic Forum’s 100 Young Global Leaders list. The other individuals who represented India in the list include Ambarish Mitra Founder and CEO Blippar, a mobile phone app business valued at USD 1.5 billion; Hindol Sengupta Editor-at large Fortune India and Rwitwika Bhattacharya – Agarwal Founder and CEO Swaniti Initiative.
13. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the 5th foundation day function of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in __________
a) Mumbai
b) Hyderabad
c) New Delhi
d) Bangalore
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Answer c) New Delhi. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the 5th foundation day function of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in New Delhi. Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri Y.S Chowdary, will be the Guest of Honour. The discussion will focus on the impact the Biotech Ecosystem is making on the Indian economy and the opportunities which exist for the Indian Biotech Sector as a global player.
14. Which country is the world’s happiest country in a new report released?
a) Norway
b) India
c) Singapore
d) Iceland
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Answer a) Norway. Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country in a new report released. Countries in Africa, along with Syria and Yemen, are the least happy of the 155 countries ranked in the fifth annual report released at the United Nations. Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government.
15. Which country has been ranked the healthiest country on Earth in the Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countries?
a) Russia
b) Japan
c) Italy
d) Switzerland
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Answer c) Italy. Italy has been ranked the healthiest country on Earth in the Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countries. According to the study, the average life expectancy in the country is 80-89 years. Iceland, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia are also among the top five most healthy countries in the index. Singapore was placed on the fourth spot. Also on the top ten are Spain, Japan, Sweden, Israel, and Luxembourg.
16. Which state has won the Vijay Hazare Trophy after beating Bengal by 37 runs in the final of the 2017 edition?
a) Karnataka
b) Tamil Nadu
c) West Bengal
d) Maharashtra
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Answer b) Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has won the Vijay Hazare Trophy after beating Bengal by 37 runs in the final of the 2017 edition. With the win, Tamil Nadu has become the only team to win the tournament five times (one of them was shared with Uttar Pradesh in 2004-05). Dinesh Karthik was adjudged Man of the Match for his century.
17. National record holder K T Irfan clocked an impressive timing to won a _________ medal in the 20 kilometre men’s event in the Asian Race Walk Championships in Japan
a) Gold
b) Silver
c) Bronze
d) None of these
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Answer c) Bronze . National record holder K T Irfan clocked an impressive timing to won a bronze in the 20 kilometre men’s event in the Asian Race Walk Championships in Japan. In the event held at Nomi, Irfan finished the race in 1 hour 20 minutes and 59 seconds, a tad slower than his national record timing of 1 hour, 20 minutes, 21 seconds. He had set the national recod while finishing 10th in the 2012 London Olympics.
18. Who won the Indian Wells Masters title 2017 for the fifth time?
a) Stan Wawrinka
b) Novak Djokovic
c) Andy Murray
d) Roger Federer
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Answer d) Roger Federer. Swiss tennis player Roger Federer defeated compatriot Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 to win the Indian Wells Masters for the fifth time, tying Novak Djokovic’s tournament record. With the win, 35-year-old Federer became the oldest player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title. This was Federer’s 90th career title, putting him third on the all-time list in the Open era.
19. Noted poet and ghazal writer Chinu Modi who passed away recently, He was the poet and writer of ____________ language
a) Marathi
b) Guajarati
c) Hindi
d) Bengali
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Answer b) Guajarati . Noted Gujarati poet and ghazal writer Chinu Modi passed away in Ahmedabad, he was 78 and hospitalised last week after severe heart attack. Born on 30th September 1939, Chinu Modi has made a great contribution to Gujarati literature with his poetry, plays, novels and stories.
20. Former Rajya Sabha MP and president of Janamorcha party, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra who passed away recently, he was from ___________
a) Odisha
b) Sikkim
c) West Bengal
d) Punjab
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Answer a) Odisha . Former Rajya Sabha MP and president of Odisha Janamorcha party Pyari Mohan Mohapatra passed away in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. He was 77. Mohapatra, who was also called ‘Chankya of Odisha politics. Mohapatra was the Principal Secretary to the chief minister when Biju Patnaik occupied the top post.
21. Dev Raj Sikka who passed away recently, was a/an
a) Journalist
b) Economist
c) Meteorologist
d) Politician
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Answer c) Meteorologist. Dev Raj Sikka, former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, who first proposed a link between the El Nino phenomenon and the Indian monsoon, died of a cardiac arrest. He was 85. The El Nino Southern Oscillation phenomenon, a see-sawing of temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, is now among the most significant factors that meteorologists scan to forecast the performance of the Indian monsoon.
