GK & Current Affairs – November 27, 2015

1. Which country has approved the human consumption of a genetically engineered (GE) Salmon?
[A]Japan
[B]China
[C]United States
[D]Australia
Answer: United States
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of United Statues has approved the human consumption of a genetically engineered (GE) Salmon. It marks the first time the FDA has authorized the sale of a genetically engineered (GE) animal as food. The FDA said that there are no biologically relevant differences in the nutritional profile of GE Salmon compared to that of other farm-raised Atlantic Salmon.
2. Which among the following countries are playing the first day-night Test cricket match?
[A]Australia and West Indies
[B]Australia and New Zealand
[C]Sri Lanka and New Zealand
[D]West Indies and Sri Lanka
Answer: Australia and New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand have created history by playing first day-night Test match at the Adelaide Oval Cricket Stadium with a pink Kookaburra ball. The first day-night test match was the third match of the series between Australia and New Zealand played for 2015 Trans-Tasman Trophy. The idea of playing day-night test matches par with One Day Internationals (ODIs) was mooted by Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland. It was approved by International Cricket Council (ICC), an apex body for regulating cricket in July 2015.
3. The World Robot Olympiad 2016 will be held in which city?
[A]Bangalore
[B]Beijing
[C]New Delhi
[D]Tokyo
Answer: New Delhi
The 12th World Robot Olympiad-2015 was held in Doha, Qatar. The theme of this year’s World Robot Olympiad was Robot Explorers. The 13th World Robot Olympiad will be held in New Delhi during November, 2016 for the first time. It will be organized by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) with India STEM Foundation (ISF).
4. In which country, a new form gold that is as light as air was created by scientists?
[A]Japan
[B]China
[C]Switzerland
[D]France
Answer: Switzerland
Switzerland’s researchers have created a lightest form of gold consisting of 98% air, 20-carat gold, and milk protein. The new gold aerogel is made almost entirely of air while retaining the regular metallic sheen of its regular form. The new form of gold has a range of curious properties that give it potential far beyond the jewellery cabinet.
5. Noboru Karashima, who passed away recently, related to which among the following fields?
[A]Environmentalist
[B]Peace activist
[C]Historian
[D]Physicist
Answer: Historian
Distinguished Tamil scholar and historian of South India and South Asia, Noboru Karashima from Japan passed away in Tokyo. He was 82. His research has rewritten the economic and social history of medieval South India and had published number of writings on them. He also had played a critical role in developing Indo-Japan cultural ties. His use of statistical techniques to distil information from a mass of inscriptions was his seminal contribution to South Indian history.
6. Who has been declared the IAAF’s male athlete of the year for 2015?
[A]Will Claye
[B]Christian Taylor
[C]Usain Bolt
[D]Ashton Eaton
Answer: Ashton Eaton
American decathlete Ashton Eaton was named as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) male athlete of the year for 2015 after breaking the world record to win the world title. Eaton won the award ahead of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia won the female award after breaking the 1500 meters world record in July in Monaco.
7. Which banking major is shutting down its private banking operations in India?
[A]BNP Paribas
[B]Deutsche Bank
[C]HSBC
[D]Standard Chartered Bank
Answer: HSBC
As a part of its global overhauling, the HSBC Holdings is shutting down its private banking operations in India. The bank would offer its private banking clients the choice to move to HSBC Premier, the bank’s global retail banking and wealth management platform.
8. The Bhavishya online system was launched for what purpose?
[A]Online Insurance tracking system
[B]Online pension tracking system
[C]Online MSME registration system
[D]Online passport tracking system
Answer: Online pension tracking system
Under the Bhavishya online system, progress of a particular pension case can be tracked by the individuals. The administrative authorities will also use it for the pension preparatory procedure and subsequently provide retirement benefit and monthly pension after retirement. The system will enable a retiring employee to keep himself informed about the progress of his pension process case through SMS or e-mail.
9. Who among the following has been awarded the Freedom of the City of Cape Town?
[A]Denis Goldberg
[B]Ahmed Kathrada
[C]Prakash Utsav
[D]Govan Mebki
Answer: Ahmed Kathrada
Indian-origin South African freedom fighter Ahmed Kathrada(86) has been awarded the Freedom of the City of Cape Town. He is the sixth such recipient of the award. He was a close confidante of South Africa’s first black president and global anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. The other recipients of the honour include Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. Three years ago, Kathrada also received the Freedom of the City of Johannesburg.
10. Which among the following birds spotted in India is under ‘Critically Endangered’ category of IUCN?
[A]White-rumped Vulture
[B]Great Knot
[C]Egyptian Vulture
[D]Steppe Eagle
Answer: White-rumped Vulture
According to the Salim Ali Bird Count conducted by BNHS in association with Bird Count India, India is home to 514 species of birds. Maharashtra state ranks first with a total of 123 lists, followed by Kerala with 59 lists and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu each with 40 lists. Of the 514 species of birds spotted during the bird count 30 species were from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Birds 2015. White-rumped Vulture was the only bird spotted from the ‘Critically Endangered’ category.

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