1. Who has been appointed as the new chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)?
[A] Keshav Prasad Maurya
[B] Ram Shankar Katheria
[C] P M Kamalamma
[D] PL Poonia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ram Shankar Katheria]
Notes:
Ram Shankar Katheria, a BJP MP from Agra, has been appointed as the new chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) for a period of three years. The post has been lying vacant since the retirement of the previous chairman PL Poonia in 2016. Beside this, L. Murugan has appointed as Vice-Chairman of the NCSC and K. Ramulu, Dr. Yogendra Paswan and Dr. Swaraj Vidwan as its Members. The commission is a constitutional body to safeguard interests of the dalits.
2. Gurdeep Singh is associated with which sports?
[A] Boxing
[B] Table Tennis
[C] Weightlifting
[D] Chess
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Weightlifting]
Notes:
Recently, Gurdeep Singh from India created three new senior national records in +105 Kilogram weight category in the just-concluded IWF World Weightlifting Championships at Anaheim in USA. Singh finished 13th overall with a total lift of 388kg (172 + 216) but created national records in snatch, clean and jerk, and the total lift. In snatch, he bettered his own earlier national record of 171kg by one kilogramme. In the total lift also, Gurdeep bettered the earlier national record of 384kg.
3. Which among the following represents an example, in which National Income is double counted?
[A] Wages of Bus and Wages of Train Drivers
[B] Coal energy output and hydro electric energy output
[C] Tax receipts and Salaries of Revenue Officers
[D] Cotton Output and Cotton cloth output
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Cotton Output and Cotton cloth output]
4. SAICM Initiative is related to which of the following industries?
[A] Chemical Industry
[B] Aviation Industry
[C] Agriculture Industry
[D] Food Processing Industry
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Chemical Industry]
Notes:
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a voluntary initiative that helps countries manage chemicals to reduce their harmful impact on human health and the environment. The goal of SAICM is to ensure that by 2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health.
SAICM is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The development of SAICM was endorsed by Heads of State and Government at their summits in Johannesburg in 2002 and in New York in 2005.
5. Which city has topped the Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2018?
[A] Zurich
[B] Hyderabad
[C] Munich
[D] Vienna
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Vienna ]
Notes:
According to Mercer’s 20th annual Quality of Living survey 2018, Vienna has topped the ranking among 231 cities for the 9th consecutive year. It is followed by Switzerland’s Zurich, while New Zealand’s Auckland and Germany’s Munich tied for third place. In the 2018 survey, Hyderabad and Pune have been jointly ranked at 142, making the best Indian cities to live in. They were closely followed by Bengaluru (149), Chennai (151), Mumbai, (154), Kolkata (160), with New Delhi (162) taking the last spot as it continues to battle rising traffic congestion and air pollution. The quality of living survey is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. The survey also identifies those cities with the highest personal safety ranking based upon internal stability, crime, effectiveness of law enforcement and relationships with other countries.
6. In astronomical context, the terms Great Red Spot and String of Pearls are associated with which planet?
[A] Mars
[B] Jupiter
[C] Saturn
[D] Earth
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Jupiter]
Notes:
NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which successfully entered the orbit of Jupiter on July 4, 2016, has revealed several secrets of the Planet Jupiter. The Great Red Spot is a giant, spinning and persistent storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere, like a hurricane on Earth, and is almost twice the size of our planet earth. It has been discovered in southern hemisphere of Jupiter and is observed since 400 years. Similarly, String of Pearls are massive counter clockwise rotating storms that appear as white ovals in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere.
7. Which of the following is the correct order of states/UTs for their per hectare carbon stock?
[A] Arunachal Pradesh> Andaman & Nicobar Islands> Chhattisgarh> Madhya Pradesh
[B] Andaman & Nicobar Islands> Arunachal Pradesh> Sikkim> Karnataka
[C] Mizoram> Sikkim> Arunachal Pradesh> Chhattisgarh
[D] Madhya Pradesh> Chhattisgarh> Arunachal Pradesh> Maharashtra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Andaman & Nicobar Islands> Arunachal Pradesh> Sikkim> Karnataka]
Notes:
As per the Indian State of Forest Report 2017, the total carbon stock is estimated to be 7083 million tonnes. Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is the largest pool of carbon followed by Above Ground Biomass (AGB), Below Ground Biomass (BGB), Litter and dead wood The report shows that the per hectare carbon stock of different states/UTs as Andaman & Nicobar Islands (170.68 tonnes) with highest carbon stock per hectare, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (148.52 tonnes), Sikkim (145.14 tonnes) and Karnataka (126.52 tonnes).
8. Which two cities will be connected under India’s first Defence Industrial Corridor Project as announced in Budget 2018?
[A] Ahmedabad and Mumbai
[B] Mumbai and Chennai
[C] Chennai and Bengaluru
[D] Bengaluru and Hyderabad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Chennai and Bengaluru]
Notes:
In Budget 2018, the finance minister announced for two defence industrial corridors. Recently, the defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the path for first of the two. The first defence industrial corridor will connect Chennai and Bengaluru and will pass through Coimbatore and several other industrial clusters.
9. Which country has recently signed an agreement with India to set up integrated irradiation centres in India to reduce agricultural losses?
[A] Israel
[B] Japan
[C] Russia
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Russia]
Notes:
Recently, India and Russia have signed an agreement to set up integrated irradiation centres in India to reduce agricultural losses. The irradiation centres are recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In the first phase, seven centres are proposed to be set up in Maharashtra.
10. The term Operation Resolute Support, sometimes seen in news, is associated to:
[A] Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
[B] North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
[C] European Defence Agency
[D] Collective Security Treaty Organization
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]
Notes:
Operation Resolute Support is a NATO-led counter-terror mission in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan which began on January 1, 2015. The mission aims to assist the Afghan security forces and institutions as well as counter-terror and combat.