1. Which country to host the 2017 Mobile World Congress?
[A] Spain
[B] India
[C] Germany
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Spain]
Notes:
The 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) will be held in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 to March 2, which will be organised by the Global System Mobile Association (GSMA). The MWC is the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry. In it, the Indian researchers from IIT Hyderabad will showcase its C-RAN prototype for 5G technology, which is one of the first prototypes in the world.
2. Which country to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championship?
[A] Russia
[B] United Kingdom
[C] United States
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United Kingdom]
Notes:
The 16th edition of the IAAF World Championships will be held in August 2017 in London, United Kingdom (UK). In it, Russia will remain suspended after athletics’ governing body voted to extend their suspension from international competition for state-sponsored doping. Though, some Russians may be able to compete under a neutral banner, if they can satisfy testing criteria.
3. What is the theme of the India’s National Productivity Week (NPW)-2017?
[A] Build Smart for a future ready India
[B] Ease of Doing Business for higher productivity
[C] Lean management for productivity enhancement
[D] From waste to profits-through reduce, recycle and reuse
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [From waste to profits-through reduce, recycle and reuse]
Notes:
The National Productivity Week (NPW) is observed every year from February 12-18 by the National Productivity Council (NPC) to stimulate and promote productivity and quality consciousness across all sectors in India. The 2017 theme is “From Waste to Profits-through Reduce, Recycle and Reuse”. The National Productivity Council (NPC) is an autonomous body under Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry and was established on 12th February 1958.
4. Who has been appointed the new chief of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)?
[A] D R Mehta
[B] Brijesh Mukherjee
[C] Saurav Patra
[D] Ajay Tyagi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Ajay Tyagi]
Notes:
Ajay Tyagi, a 1984 batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed the new chief of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Currently, Tyagi is an additional secretary at the finance ministry’s economic affairs department and will succeed U.K. Sinha, who retires from the post on March 1, 2017. The chairman of SEBI receives a consolidated pay package of Rs 4.5 lakh per month.
5. What is the theme of 2017 BRICS Summit?
[A] BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future
[B] Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions
[C] BRICS Partnership – A Powerful Factor of Global Development
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future]
Notes:
The 9th edition of BRICS summit-2017 will be held at Xiamen in the Fujian Province of east China on September 2017 with the theme “BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future”.
6. Consider the following:
- Meghaduta is a work of Kalidasa
- Abhijyanashakuntalam is a work of Kalidasa
- Mrichchhkatikam is a work of Kalidasa
Which of the above statements is / are correct?
[A] Only 1 and 2
[B] Only 1
[C] Only 2 and 3
[D] All Are Correct Statements
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 1 and 2]
Notes:
Kalidasa is known as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. Some of his notable works include Abhijyanashakuntalam and Meghaduta. However, Mrichchhkatikam was composed by Shudraka, not Kalidasa.
7. How much loan amount has been sanctioned by the World Bank (WB) for the Tejaswini project?
[A] 55 million
[B] 78 million
[C] 63 million
[D] 89 million
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [$63 million]
Notes:
The World Bank (WB) will provide 63 million loan to India to empower approx 6.8 lakh adolescent girls in Jharkhand under the ‘Tejaswini: Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women’ project. For this, a financing agreement for International Development Association (IDA) credit of 63 million (equivalent) has recently signed between the WB and the Government of India (GoI). The Tejaswini project will be delivered in 17 districts of Jharkhand. It has three main components — expanding social, educational and economic opportunities; intensive service delivery; and state capacity-building and implementation support. The closing date for the project is June 30, 2021.
8. Who has become new Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)?
[A] Ahmed Saleem
[B] Abul Ahsan
[C] Amjad Hussain B Sial
[D] Arjun Bahadur Thapa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Amjad Hussain B Sial]
Notes:
Amjad Hussain B Sial, a senior Pakistani diplomat, has become the new Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He succeeded Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal. Sial has 33 years of experience in Pakistan’s Foreign Service. He has also served at SAARC Secretariat as director in Kathmandu. The Secretary-General tenure is of three years and is the head of the SAARC Secretariat, which is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. The SAARC Secretariat coordinates and monitors the implementation of activities, hosts meetings, and serves as a channel of communication between the Association and its member states as well as other regional organizations.
9. Who has been appointed as India’s permanent representative to World Trade Organization (WTO)?
[A] J S Deepak
[B] G Latha Krishna Rao
[C] N K Sinha
[D] Pramila Lalan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [J S Deepak]
Notes:
Telecom Secretary J S Deepak, a 1982 batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh, has been appointed as India’s permanent representative to World Trade Organization (WTO) from June 1, 2017. According to the official order, he has been shifted from the telecom ministry and has made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Commerce in the Ministry of Commerce and Industries with immediate effect till May 31, 2017. The WTO is a global international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
10. Who is the author of the book “Lincoln in the Bardo”?
[A] Junot Díaz
[B] George Saunders
[C] Marie Claire
[D] Zadie Smith
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [George Saunders]
Notes:
The book “Lincoln in the Bardo” has been authored by George Saunders, the Folio prize-winning author. The novel is a tale of death and beyond that captures the grief of Abraham Lincoln over the death of his 11-year-old son Willie while the Civil War raged on in the United States of America (USA). The book draws a parallel line between the lives of Willie’s ghost and a similar uncertain state of Lincoln, after the boy’s death. In simple words, the novel is a confrontation with the mysterious beyond the inevitable death, a question that has haunted humankind, and the way death can bring even the head of a nation to his knees.