1. Who is the author of the book “Lincoln in the Bardo”?
[A] Junot Díaz
[B] George Saunders
[C] Marie Claire
[D] Zadie Smith
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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.
2. Who is the author of the book “The Secret Diary of Kasturba”?
[A] Neelima Dalmia Adhar
[B] Aruna Chakravarti
[C] Som Sharma
[D] Narendra Verma
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Correct Answer: A [Neelima Dalmia Adhar]
Notes:
The book “The Secret Diary of Kasturba” has been authored by Neelima Dalmia Adhar. It’s an imaginary chronicle of the life of Kasturba, the wife of Father of Nation “Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi”. The book is written in a diary form with Kastur penning her experiences in Porbandar where she was born on April 11, 1869- six months before the birth of Mohandas Gandhi who was born in neighbourhood on October 2, 1869 and, early life with young Mohandas, her days in Africa and Mohandas’s rise as a mass leader. The book tries to tell the world what it meant to Kasturba to be wife of Mahatma Gandhi.
3. Who is the author of the book “From Inside the Steel Frame: The Memoirs of an Administrator”?
[A] Sujata Sanghamitra
[B] R Sivapriya
[C] Ashok Pandey
[D] Vikas Swarup
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Correct Answer: C [Ashok Pandey]
Notes:
The book “From Inside the Steel Frame: The Memoirs of an Administrator” has been authored by Dr. Ashok Pandey, a retired IAS officer. This is an account of his journey from a small village in Bihar to the corridors of powers in Delhi.
4. Which among the following major United Nations site is known as UNO city?
[A] New York
[B] Washington
[C] Geneva
[D] Vienna
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Correct Answer: D [Vienna]
Notes:
Along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna is a major Un site which holds the offices of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO, International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Please note that The VIC (Vienna International center) is an extraterritorial area and is free from local area jurisdiction.
5. At which of the following places UN Charter was signed?
[A] New York
[B] Geneva
[C] Paris
[D] San Francisco
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [San Francisco]
Notes:
The UN Charter was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, during the United Nations Conference on International Organization. This event marked the establishment of the United Nations, aimed at promoting peace and cooperation among nations after World War II. San Francisco was chosen for its historical significance and its role in the Pacific theater during the war.
6. The Jasmine Revolution of late 2010, is related to which among the following countries?
[A] Egypt
[B] Myanmar
[C] Poland
[D] Tunisia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Tunisia]
Notes:
The Tunisian Revolution is also called the Jasmine Revolution. It was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
7. Who among the following author composed Krityakalpataru?
[A] Lakshmidhara
[B] Bhoja
[C] Shri Harsha
[D] Ballal Sena
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Correct Answer: A [Lakshmidhara]
Notes:
During the reign of Govindachandra ( ruler of Sena dynasty), his minister Laksmidhara wrote “Kritya Kalpataru”.
8. Which one of the following is used by the International Court of Justice in disputes concerning riparian rights?
[A] Geneva Agreement
[B] Helsinki Agreement
[C] Paris Agreement
[D] Reykjavik Agreement
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Reykjavik Agreement]
Notes:
Riparian water rights are a system for allocating water among those who possess land along its path. It has its origins in English common law. Riparian water rights exist in many jurisdictions with a common law heritage. Riparian rights also depend upon “reasonable use”.
9. Whose autobiography is the book “My music. My Life”?
[A] Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma
[B] Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
[C] Pandit Ravi Shankar
[D] Ustad Zakir Hussain
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Pandit Ravi Shankar]
Notes:
An autobiography, a history of Indian classical music, and a manual on how to play the sitar, this book is about music as a both a lifestyle and an art. It embodies Ravi Shankar’s unique approach to his craft.
10. Consider the following statements:
I. Kofi Annam – the UN Secretary General is from Nigeria.
II. Kofi Annam is the first UN Secretary General to be appointed from the ranks of the United Nations staff.
III. Kofi Annam was appointed for a second term to the office of the UN Secretary General.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
[A] I, II and III
[B] I and II only
[C] II and III only
[D] None of these
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [II and III only]
Notes:
Kofi Annan of Ghana is the seventh Secretary- General of the United Nations. The first Secretary- General to be elected from the ranks of United Nations staff, he began his term on 1 January 1997. On 29 June 2001, acting on a recommendation by the Security Council, the General Assembly appointed him by acclamation to a second term of office, beginning on 1 January 2002 and ending on 31 December 2006.