1. What was India’s fiscal deficit for 2020-21 as per the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) data?
[A] 10%
[B] 9.3%
[C] 8%
[D] 3.5%
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [9.3%]
Notes:
As per the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), India’s fiscal deficit for 2020-21 stood at 9.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for the financial year 2020-21. This is lower than the Finance Ministry’s Budget estimates of 9.5%.
As per the CGA data, the revenue deficit stood at 7.42% during 2020-21.
2. What is Canadarm2, which was making news recently?
[A] Covid Vaccine Initiative
[B] Robotic Arm of International Space Station
[C] Super Computer
[D] New Microprocessor
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Robotic Arm of International Space Station]
Notes:
Recently, a piece of space debris hit and damaged a part of the ISS’s robotic arm, called as Canadarm2.
The astronomers confirmed that the arm’s functions will not be impacted by the damage. Canadarm2, the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), is used to move objects outside the station and to help in repairing works in the station.
3. Kharg, the largest warship of which country, has recently caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Oman?
[A] Iraq
[B] Iran
[C] Oman
[D] Qatar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Iran]
Notes:
The largest warship in the Navy of Iran has recently caught fire and later sank in the Gulf of Oman, according to the media reports.
The support warship Kharg was named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran. Though the firefighters tried to contain the blaze, the vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman. It is near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
4. Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, who performed a 7-hour spacewalk recently, are from which country?
[A] USA
[B] Russia
[C] Israel
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Russia]
Notes:
Two Russian cosmonauts named Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov ventured out of the International Space Station on a 7-hour spacewalk to prepare for the arrival of a new Russian module.
It’s the first spacewalk for both the cosmonauts, who arrived at the space station in April. They conducted technical works including replacing the old batteries outside the International Space Station, before the arrival of the new Nauka (Science) multipurpose laboratory module.
5. CSIR-NCL developed a technology called ‘SWASTIIK’, to disinfect water using which medicinal system?
[A] Siddha
[B] Ayurveda
[C] Homeopathy
[D] Sowa-Rigpa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ayurveda]
Notes:
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) Pune has developed a hybrid technology called “SWASTIIK”, for disinfecting water by using natural oils.
With support from the Water Technology Initiative of the department of science and technology (DST), the team has developed the technology. It involves boiling of a liquid as a result of pressure reduction (cavitation) and also uses natural oils having antimicrobial properties, to disinfect.
6. Which meat supplying company has recently fallen trap to ransomware attacks?
[A] McDonald
[B] KFC
[C] JBS
[D] Cooper Farms
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [JBS]
Notes:
The computer networks of world’s largest meat supplier JBS have been hacked and the firm has fallen trap to ransomware attacks. This has forced the company to shut its operations in Australia, Canada and the US.
A ransomware attack involves hacking of computer networks and threatening to cause disruption or delete files unless a ransom is paid.
7. Under which regulation, the Government of India proposed for a rent authority to regulate renting of premises?
[A] RERA
[B] Model Tenancy Act
[C] Rent Authority Regulation Act
[D] Housing Regulation Act
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Model Tenancy Act]
Notes:
The Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister has approved the Model Tenancy Act, whose draft was first released in the year 2019. The Union Government has requested all states to enact this law by fresh / amendment legislations.
The model act proposed for a rent authority to regulate renting of premises. This aims to protect the interest of landlords and the tenants.
8. Who has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission?
[A] Arun Mishra
[B] A K Sikri
[C] Markandey Katju
[D] Ranjan Gogoi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Arun Mishra]
Notes:
Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Arun Mishra took charge as the new Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.
Justice Mishra is the first non-CJI to be appointed to the NHRC chief post since the amendment of the Protection of Human Rights Act in 2019. Former Chairperson Justice H L Dattu completed his tenure in December last year. Two other members were also appointed in the Commission.
9. Leadership Group for Industry Transition, LeadIT, is the climate change initiative led by India and ………
[A] France
[B] Sweden
[C] Switzerland
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sweden]
Notes:
Leadership Group for Industry Transition, LeadIT, is an Indian-Swedish climate change initiative. It will help the countries to take the lead in heavy industry transition as well as meet Paris Agreement goals and create new sustainable jobs,
Recently, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended India and Sweden for their climate change initiative. He announced this during the Clean Energy Ministerial hosted by Chile.
10. Who is the winner of the 2021 International Booker Prize?
[A] David Diop
[B] Douglas Stuart
[C] Margaret Atwood
[D] Bernardine Evaristo
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [David Diop]
Notes:
David Diop has become the first French writer to win the International Booker Prize, as he was selected for the prestigious award in 2021.
His second novel, At Night All Blood is Black, was translated by the US author and poet Anna Moschovakis. The book was inspired by his Senegalese great-grandfather’s silence about his experiences in First World War.