GK & Current Affairs: April 13, 14, 2015

1. Which space agency designed the Bed Rest research to study the effects of prolonged exposure to micro-gravity?
[A]ISRO
[B]NASA
[C]ESA
[D]NAOA
Answer: NASA
Notes:
The US space agency NASA designed the Bed Rest research to study the effects of prolonged exposure to micro-gravity. Under this study participant requires to remain horizontal for a period of 70 days. In the study, scientist will gauge how effect exercise would be for astronauts who lose muscle, cardiovascular and bone function while in zero gravity conditions.
2. Who emerged as winner of the 2015 Time magazine 100 reader’s poll?
[A]Vladimir Putin
[B]Narendra Modi
[C]Lady Gaga
[D]Rihanna
Answer: Vladimir Putin
Notes:
Russian president Vladimir Putin emerged the winner of this year’s Time 100 reader’s poll. He surpassed rapper-singer CL to claim the number one spot with 6.95 percent of the votes in the final tally. Pop stars Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Taylor Swift rounded out the top five. Prime Minister Modi and Arvind Kejriwal have been placed in the list.
3. Nobel laureate Günter Grass who died recently, was a famous novelist from ___?
[A]Germany
[B]Spain
[C]France
[D]Brazil
Answer: Germany
Notes:
Günter Grass was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist and sculptor. Grass is best known for his first novel, The Tin Drum (1959), a key text in European magic realism. The Tin Drum was adapted as a film of the same name, which won both the 1979 Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature, praising him as a writer “whose frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history”.
4. Which country receives maximum inward remittances?
[A]China
[B]India
[C]USA
[D]Russia
Answer: India
Notes:
India has topped the World Bank list on global remittances. As per the report NRIs sent $70.4 billion to India in 2014, which is 12% of global remittances which stood at $583 billion. Top 5 remittance receiving countries are India, China, Philippines, Mexico and Nigeria.
5. Ramman is a religious festival and ritual theatre of ____?
[A]Uttarkhand
[B]Uttar Pradesh
[C]West Bengal
[D]Madhya Pradesh
Answer: Uttarkhand
Notes:
Ramman is a religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal region, Uttarkhand. It is a festival of the Hindu community in the Saloor Dungra village in the Chamoli district of Uttarkhand. The festival and the eponymous art form are conducted as an offering to the village deity, Bhumiyal Devta.
6. Who among the following served as first Prime Minister of Nepal under the Panchayat System?
[A]Surya Bahadur Thapa
[B]Lokendra Bahadur Chand
[C]Girija Prasad Koirala
[D]Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Answer: Surya Bahadur Thapa
Notes:
Surya Bahadur Thapa was former Prime Minister of Nepal. He served as Nepal’s prime minister five times. Thapa served Nepal’s prime minister three times before 1990 when kings ruled the country with a rubber-stamp parliament and a ban on political parties. After a multiparty democracy was established in 1990, he formed the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and held the prime minister twice.
7. Meenakshi Madan Rai has been appointed as first woman judge of which court?
[A]Delhi High Court
[B]Allahabad High Court
[C]Sikkim High Court
[D]Karnataka High Court
Answer: Sikkim High Court
Notes:
Meenakshi Madan Rai has sworn in as first woman judge of Sikkim high court. She also said to be the only the third judge to come from the small state of Sikkim.
8. Who won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award?
[A]Roger Federer
[B]Novak Djokovic
[C]Rafel Nadel
[D]Daniel Ricciardo
Answer: Novak Djokovic
Notes:
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has won the Laureus Sportsman of the year award. This is for the second time Djokovic won the award. He was first bestowed the honour in 2011.
9. Who is the chairman of the Panel set up to look into various contentious issues relating to inter-linking of rivers?
[A]B N Navalawala
[B]Hardip Singh Puri
[C]Prodipto Ghosh
[D]Gopalakrishnan
Answer: B N Navalawala
Notes:
The union government has set up a panel headed by B N Navalawala to look into various contentious issues relating to inter-linking of rivers. The panel will works towards speedy implementation of the inter-linking of river projects. The panel comprising of water experts and senior officials of different ministries will facilitate interlinking of intra-state and intra- basin rivers.
10. Which body publishes the Global Networked Readiness Index?
[A]International Telegraph Union
[B]World Economic Forum
[C]Information Technology Group
[D]World Trade Organisation
Answer: World Economic Forum
Notes:
The global networked readiness index is prepared by the World Economic Forum. It measures the propensity for countries to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communication technology (ICT). The index is published annually.

The above 5 questions are part of Daily Current Affairs 20 MCQs Series in GKToday Android Application. This series can be subscribed in the app only for Rs. 799/- for entire year. Download Now