Current Affairs Quiz
1. Indian American _______________________ won $50K Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award.
a) Jalong Kayra
b) Andrezj Solra
c) Syamantak Payra
d) Haley Fatra
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Answer c) Syamantak Payra.A 15-year-old Indian-American boy has won the prestigious ‘Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award’ for developing a low-cost electronically-aided knee brace that allows a person with a weakened leg to walk more naturally. Syamantak Payra, a Texas resident, won the $50,000 award along with 17-year-old Kathy Liu. The award was given by Intel Corporation and the Society for Science and the Public (SSP) at the 2016‘Intel International Science and Engineering Fair‘in Arizona last week.
2. Indian American scientist __________________________ received the prestigious ‘National Medal of Science’ award from US President Barack Obama.
a) Rakesh K Jain
b) Prakash Jain
c) Krishna M Jain
d) Vignesh S Jain
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Answer a) Rakesh K Jain.A 65-year-old Indian American scientist will receive the prestigious ‘National Medal of Science’ award from US President Barack Obama. Rakesh K Jain, a professor of tumor biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harvard Medical School, will receive the award from Obama along with 16 other recipients of the ‘National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation’ on May 19.
3. _____________________ becomes first Indian to be awarded IAF’s ‘Hall of Fame’ Award.
a) Madhavan Nair
b) Radhakrishnan
c) Shailesh Nayak
d) UR Rao
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Answer d) UR Rao. Former ISRO Chairman Prof UR Rao became the first Indian to be given the ‘Hall of Fame’ award by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). The IAF award is intended to reward personalities for their contributions to the progress of astronautics and the Federation. The IAF Hall of Fame consists of a permanent gallery of these personalities, including a citation, biographical information, and a picture, in a special part of the IAF web presence. This year’s 67th International Astronautical Congress will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico in September, where Rao will receive the award.
4. IIT student who won Young Scientist Award for contribution to materials science?
a) Priya Singh
b) Nandini Bhandaru
c) Kalyani Chandran
d) Anjali Ramakrishnan
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Answer b) Nandini Bhandaru. Nandini Bhandaru of IIT-Kharagpur wins honour for her outstanding contribution. A doctoral researcher at IIT-Kharagpur has bagged the European Materials Research Society’s (E-MRS’s) Young Scientist Award for contribution to materials science. Nandini Bhandaru won the award based on her outstanding contribution to materials science and nanotechnology, particularly nano-patterning of soft films and surfaces.
5. HDFC Bank Ltd has launched SmartUp, a first-of-its-kind dedicated solution for start-ups in _____________________
a) Hyderabad
b) Mumbai
c) Kolkata
d) Chennai
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Answer c) Kolkata. HDFC Bank Ltd has launched SmartUp, a first-of-its-kind dedicated solution for start-ups in Kolkata. SmartUp is HDFC Banks tailored solution to meet all the banking requirements of start-ups, and offers banking and payment solutions, along with advisory and forex services.
6. Which Bank approved $625 million loan to support India’s grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy?
a) BRICS Bank
b) World Bank
c) NABARD Bank
d) Asian Development Bank
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Answer b) World Bank. The World Bank’s Board has approved $625 million loan to support India’s grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy. The Board also approved a co-financing loan of $120 million on concessional terms and a $5 million grant from Climate Investment Fund’s (CIF) Clean Technology Fund. The project will finance the installation of at least 400 MW of grid connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (GRPV) across India.
7. The Income Tax department has launched __________________ portal to fast track tax payers grievances.
a) e-nivaran
b) e-bharat
c) e-grievances
d) e-nissan
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Answer a) e-nivaran. The Income Tax department has launched a special electronic grievance redressal system called ‘e-nivaran‘ in order to fast track taxpayer grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints. A separate and dedicated window for grievance redressal has been launched recently in the Income Tax Business Application (ITBA), the new smart electronic platform for the regular operations of the department.
8. International Museum Day is observed on?
a) May 10
b) May 18
c) May 15
d) May 12
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Answer b) May 18.International Museum Day (IMD) is an international day a celebration that held every year on or around 18 May, coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The event highlights a specific theme that changes every year and that is at the heart of the international museum community’s preoccupations.
9. Which Metro Rail Corporation has conducted the trial run of the country’s first ever Metro train equipped to run in the ‘Unattended Train Operation’ or driverless mode?
a) Chennai Metro Rail
b) Bangalore Metro Rail
c) Mumbai Metro Rail
d) Delhi Metro Rail
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Answer d) Delhi Metro Rail.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has conducted the trial run of the country’s first ever Metro train equipped to run in the ‘Unattended Train Operation’ or driverless mode. The train was ceremonially flagged off by Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The inaugural train moved out from the Mukundpur depot and travelled up to the Majlis Park Metro stationof the Majlis Park – Shiv Vihar Metro corridor of Phase 3 (Pink Line).
10. In which State World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity was inaugurated?
a) Punjab
b) Rajasthan
c) West Bengal
d) Tamil Nadu
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Answer a) Punjab .World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity was inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab. Spread at a single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised earlier this year. In addition to single largest rooftop solar power plant, seven rooftop solar power plants of 8Mw capacity were also inaugurated in Beas Dera campus making this place the highest single campus generating solar power of 19.5 Mw at multiple rooftops in the country.
11. Which State Government launched Green Passage scheme for orphan students?
a) Bihar
b) Kerala
c) Odisha
d) Assam
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Answer c) Odisha .The Odisha government has launched Green Passage scheme for orphan students to ensure that they get free of cost higher education in the state. A proposal of the higher education department in this regard, was approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaikher. As per the scheme,orphan students pursuing higher education from Plus-II level to post-graduation level, will no longer have to bear the education expenses.
12. Who is the Union minister of Women and Child development?
a) Uma Bharathi
b) Smriti Irani
c) Sushma Swaraj
d) Maneka Gandhi
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Answer d) Maneka Gandhi.Union Minister Maneka Gandhi unveiled the draft ‘National Policy for Women, 2016’ focusing on protecting women from cyber crime and recognising the rights of single women. “The focus has shifted from just welfare to welfare with a heavy dose of rights. This policy will define government action towards women for the next 15 to 20 years”, Gandhi said.
13. NASA successfully launched a super pressure balloon from ____________________
a) Australia
b) New Zealand
c) Russia
d) Japan
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Answer b) New Zealand . NASA successfully launched a super pressure balloon from New Zealand’s South Island Wanaka Airport to conduct near-space scientific investigations. The launch marks the fifth attempt to get the massive balloon airborne, with previous bids thwarted by bad weather. Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.
14. The new indigenously produced Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile named as _______________ was tested in the Balashore district off the Odisha coast.
a) Akash
b) Agni
c) Ashwin
d) Ajay
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Answer c) Ashwin .The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has come up with a new indigenously produced Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, Ashwin. The missile was tested on the newly named Abdul Kalam Island located in the Balashore district off the Odisha coast. This was the 12th test in the series to develop interceptor missiles.
15. The world’s first artificial intelligence lawyer has been employed by a law firm in _____________
a) USA
b) Japan
c) China
d) Russia
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Answer a) USA.The world’s first artificial intelligence lawyer has been employed by a law firm in the US, which will use the robot to assist its various teams in legal research. The robot called ‘ROSS’ is built upon Watson, IBM’s cognitive computer. With the support of Watson’s cognitive computing and natural language processing capabilities, lawyers can ask ROSS their research question and the robot reads through the law, gathers evidence, draws inferences and returns highly relevant, evidence-based answers.
16. Which team won the Spanish league La Liga Title?
a) Real Madrid CF
b) Sevilla FC
c) Barcelona FC
d) Valencia CF
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Answer c) Barcelona FC.Barcelona FC has retained the Spanish league title La Liga with 3-0 score againstGranada in the final match. Luis Suárez finished as top scorer, being the first player apart from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to do so since the 2008–09 season. The football club finished the tournament with 91 points in total. It is Barcelona FC’s fifth straight win and eighth league title in 12 seasons. Football ClubReal Madrid finished second with a 2-0 win over Deportivo.
17. Andre Brahic who passed away recently was a/ an
a) Actor
b) Scientist
c) Economist
d) Singer
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Answer b) Scientist.Andre Brahic, one of the people who discovered the rings of Neptune, has died aged 73. The Frenchman was one of the team who first spotted the rings in 1984, naming them Equality, Fraternity and Liberty after the motto of the French Republic. In a tribute, French President Francois Hollande said Brahic had known “how to easily explain the mysteries of space”.
