1. Pathani Patnaik, who passed away recently, was the renowned litterateur from which state?
[A] Assam
[B] Odisha
[C] Gujarat
[D] Maharashtra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Odisha]
Notes:
Pathani Patnaik (89), the renowned litterateur, poet, writer and academician, has recently passed away in Cuttack, Odisha. He was the former principal of Christ College and also served as President of Odisha Sahitya Akademi. He had written over 50 books on different aspects of literature, including short stories and poems and also received the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award in 2010 for his autobiography “Jeebanara Chalapatha”.
2. Mohit Ahlawat is associated with which sports?
[A] Chess
[B] Boxing
[C] Cricket
[D] Badminton
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Cricket]
Notes:
Mohit Ahlawat (21) from Delhi has become the first batsman in the world to score a triple century in a T20 match at a level. He achieved this feat in a local T20 tournament at Delhi’s Lalita Park, playing for Maavi XI against Friend’s XI. Mohit’s unbeaten 300 run innings came off just 72 balls and was laced with a staggering 39 sixes and 14 boundaries. In professional cricket, the highest individual score in T20 cricket belongs to Chris Gayle, who made 175 runs in just 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The highest individual in international cricket is 156 that Aaron Finch smashed in 63 balls for Australia against England.
3. Which sports outreach programme has been launched by the Union Government to promote football among school children?
[A] Mission-XI-Million
[B] Mission-XIV-Million
[C] Mission-XII-Million
[D] Mission-XV-Million
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Mission-XI-Million]
Notes:
The Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel has recently launched the “Mission-Eleven-Million” sports outreach programme to promote football among school children. The main purpose of the Mission XI is to instill the passion for football in 11 million children from every part of the country. The first-of-its- kind programme will encourage children to play the football, gain healthy habits and learn important life lessons in teamwork and sportsman spirit. As part of the programme, Government will motivate and incentivize school principals and sports teachers to promote football games in school on a regular basis. The programme will also provide schools with necessary knowledge and equipment to encourage football as a sport played on a regular basis.
4. Which state government has observed “Parents’ Worship Day” on February 14?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Odisha
[C] Assam
[D] Chhattisgarh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chhattisgarh]
Notes:
The ‘Parents’ Worship Day’ (or ‘Matru-Pitru Diwas’ ) is celebrated every year by the Chhattisgarh government on February 14 at all schools in the state to teach ‘Bharatiya sanskriti’ to students.
5. Who is the author of the book “Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl”?
[A] Pooja Gautam
[B] Ram Kamal Mukherjee
[C] Rakesh Anand Bakshi
[D] Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ram Kamal Mukherjee]
Notes:
The book “Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl” has been penned by author-columnist Ram Kamal Mukherjee. It’s about actress achievement as a politician apart from her sojourn as an actor, danseuse and filmmaker. It will offer a new perspective on Bollywood’s first female superstar.
6. Who is the author of the book “Every Time It Rains”?
[A] Vikram Seth
[B] Nikitha Singh
[C] Mahi Jadon
[D] Amitav Ghosh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Nikitha Singh]
Notes:
The book “Every Time It Rains” has been authored by Nikitha Singh. It is the sequel of author’s “Like a Love song” , in which Mahi and Laila were the protagonists with the story from Mahi’s perspective. The book “Every Time It Rains” revolves around Laila’s life, how she picks up the broken pieces of her shattered heart and whether she gives love another chance in her life remains a mystery till the end.
7. Who is the newly appointed Prime Minister of Republic of the Sudan?
[A] Hassan al-Bashir
[B] Hassabu Mohamed Rahman
[C] Bakri Hassan Saleh
[D] Muhammad Ahmad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bakri Hassan Saleh]
Notes:
On 1 March 2017, Bakri Hassan Saleh has been appointed by President Omar al-Bashir as Sudan’s first Prime Minister since the post was abolished in 1989. The post of Prime Minister was re-established with limited powers, while most power remained in the hands of the President. As Prime Minister, Saleh retained his post as First Vice President of SUdan.
8. The “Destination North East-2017” festival has started in which city?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Chandigarh
[C] Guwahati
[D] Pune
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Chandigarh ]
Notes:
The ‘Destination North East-2017’ festival has started in Chandigarh from March 6, 2017 to showcase North East as a potential destination for investment. The main theme of this festival is to highlight the use of appropriate technologies in all sectors of development for North East Region (NER). It will see round table discussions and exhibition stalls showcasing various features of the NER in order to attract investments in tourism, food processing, handlooms and handicrafts, horticulture and floriculture, medicinal & aromatic plants, organic farming and bamboo development. The festival has organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India (GoI) and an industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
9. Who has been selected for ‘SERB Distinguished Fellow’ award by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)?
[A] Lalji Singh
[B] Dinakar Salunke
[C] P B Behere
[D] J C Bose
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Lalji Singh]
Notes:
Dr. Lalji Singh, who served as dDirector of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), has been selected for ‘SERB Distinguished Fellow’ award by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of Government of India. The SERB has instituted ‘Distinguished SERB Fellowship Award’ to support research of eminent scientists active even after superannuation. The award carries an amount of Rs. 60,000 per month and a research grant of Rs. 5 lakh. The research grant is for three years and is extendable for a further two years. Currently, Lalji Singh runs the ‘Genome Foundation’, a non-profit company in Hyderabad.
10. Ronald Drever, the co-founder of Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO), has recently passed away. He hailed from which country?
[A] United Kingdom
[B] United States
[C] Germany
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [United Kingdom]
Notes:
Prof. Ronald Drever (85), a pioneer in the field of gravitational waves, has recently passed away in Scotland, United Kingdom (UK). He was one of the co-founders of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors that detected the gravitational waves emited by the merger of a binary black hole pair.