31. The recently developed self-powered sensor for detecting blood sugar levels by CECRI makes use of which enzyme?
[A] Invertase
[B] Glucose oxidase
[C] Alcohol dehydrogenase
[D] Amylase
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Glucose oxidase]
Notes:
CECRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi) developed a self-powered sensor for glucose. It makes use of an enzyme called glucose oxidase. Unlike conventional sensors, it doesn’t required batteries to power its function. The sensor was developed by coupling a polymer with the catalytic enzyme.
32. President Miguel Diaz Canel is reintroduce the post of Prime Minister in his country after more than 4 decades. What country is he the president of?
[A] Cuba
[B] Honduras
[C] Vietnam
[D] Guatemala
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Cuba]
Notes:
The Cuba government is to get the office of Prime Minister after more than 40 years. The last Prime Minister of the Central American country was Fidel Castro who abolished the post after becoming the president. The Cuban Prime Minister is to be the head of the government with a 5 year term.
33. What is Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that is being tested?
[A] Solar space probe
[B] Mars space probe
[C] Astronaut capsule
[D] Jupiter space probe
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Astronaut capsule]
Notes:
The Starliner spacecraft of Boeing is an astronaut capsule. It is being developed as a part of NASA’s commercial crew program. The capsule is intended for transferring astronauts to the International Space Station. It is capable of carrying 7 astronauts.
34. The Operation Joint Dolphin’s Nose was launched by the intelligence department of which state?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Kerala
[C] Karnataka
[D] Andhra Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Andhra Pradesh]
Notes:
The operation ‘Joint Dolphin’s Nose’ was launched by the Andhra Pradesh intelligence unit in collaboration with the naval intelligence and the CIA. Several persons including a hawala operators and navy personnel were arrested under this operation for having espionage links with Pakistan.
35. Which pope abolished the ‘pontifical secrecy’ rule’s applicability to sexual abuse cases?
[A] Pope Francis
[B] Pope Benedict XBI
[C] Pope Pius XII
[D] Pope Paul VI
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Pope Francis]
Notes:
The applicability of ‘pontifical secrecy’ to sexual abuse of minors was abolished by the current pope, Pope Francis. Pontifical secrecy allows the Roman Catholic Church to keep certain matters in secrecy, like communications between it and papal embassies. This is in accordance with the ‘Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church’.
36. Which state saw the majority of execution since 1947?
[A] Bihar
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Rajasthan
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
According to the study by the National Law University in Delhi, majority of the execution was carried out in Uttar Pradesh since 1947. The state saw the execution of 354 people. The next highest in this list is Haryana, followed by Madhya Pradesh. In 2018 alone, India has imposed 162 new death sentences – 50% more than the previous year and the highest in nearly 2 decades.
37. The South Central Railway recently adorned the Hyderabad to New Delhi Express in the colours of which company as a part of its vinyl wrapping advertisement?
[A] Singareni Collieries Company Limited
[B] Mahanadi Coal Mine Limited
[C] Tata Steel
[D] Eastern Coal Field
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Singareni Collieries Company Limited ]
Notes:
The South Central Railway, Hyderabad, has launched the first of its kind initiative to advertise the government departments/PSUs. It had tied up with Singareni Collieries Company Limited, the government-owned coal producing company, to vinyl wrap the Hydrabad-New Delhi Telangana Express.
38. The TurkStream is a gas pipeline that runs under which water body?
[A] Mediterranean Sea
[B] Black sea
[C] Red sea
[D] Caspian sea
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Black sea]
Notes:
The TurkStream is a natural gas pipeline link between Russia and Turkey. It runs underneath the Black Sea. An earlier pipeline link between the two countries, called Blue Stream, also runs through the Black Sea. The pipeline runs for a distance of 930 km.
39. Which NASA spacecraft has recently taken a picture of the asteroid Phaethon?
[A] Voyager 1
[B] Voyager 2
[C] Orion
[D] Parker Solar Probe
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Parker Solar Probe]
Notes:
Phaethon is an asteroid that had once flew too close to the Sun and had cracked due to scorching conditions. The scientists, for many years, had struggled to photograph the debris left behind by the asteroid and recently, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which was launched in 2018, has taken picture of it.
40. What is thermal inversion which caused Iran to close down its schools recently?
[A] A type of heat wave
[B] Drought-like condition
[C] Hot air held close to the ground by cold air above
[D] Cooler air held close to the ground by the hot air above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Cooler air held close to the ground by the hot air above]
Notes:
In Iran, schools were closed for a week due to severe air pollution. Tehran was engulfed in thick toxic smog and the situation was worsened due to the thermal inversion, a phenomenon that occurs when a layer of warm air settles over a layer of cooler air that lies near the ground. The warm air holds down the cool air and prevents the pollutants from dispersing.
