11. Which film won the ‘Best film’ award in the British Academy of Film Awards (BAFTA) presented recently?
[A] Once upon a time in Hollywood
[B] 1917
[C] Joker
[D] The Irishman
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [1917]
Notes:
The World war- based drama directed by the British filmmaker Sam Mendes won the Best film award in the British Academy of Film Awards (BAFTA) presented recently. The movie dominated the event by winning seven awards, including best British film, best cinematography and best director.
‘Joker’ actor Joaquin Phoenix was named the best actor and biopic ‘Judy’ actor Renee Zellweger was named the best actress in the award ceremony. Prince William presented this year’s BAFTA Fellowship to ‘Star Wars’ producer Kathleen Kenned. South Korean film “Parasite” won two awards including best original screenplay and film not in the English language.
12. The Transport Corporation of which Indian state/ UT has received the Road Safety Award 2018-19 for the lowest accident rate?
[A] Kerala
[B] Delhi
[C] Assam
[D] Odisha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Delhi]
Notes:
Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), the public transporter of Delhi, has been conferred with the Road Safety Award 2018-19 in the urban category for the lowest rate of accidents.
The Director of DTC received the award from the Union Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. The award was presented during the 3rd Edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Public Transport Innovation (ICEPTI) 2020, which was organised at New Delhi. The award carries a trophy and a cheque of Rs. 1 Lakh.
13. As per a recent report on medical data leaks, which state is at the top of Indian states that are affected by leaks in medical details?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Mizoram
[C] Maharashtra
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Maharashtra]
Notes:
A German cybersecurity firm called Greenbone Sustainable Resilience recently published a report on medical data leaks. It revealed that the medical details of more than 120 million Indian patients have been leaked and made available on the Internet.
The state of Maharashtra is placed at the top of the list of states that are affected by the data leak, followed by Karnataka and West Bengal. It also classifies countries in three categories of good, bad and ugly, based on the action taken by the governments after its first report was released. India is placed second in the ugly category.
14. Britain’s Prince Charles has launched a new Children’s protection fund for which Asian country?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] India
[C] Bangladesh
[D] Nepal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
The Prince of Britain, Charles has recently unveiled a new children’s protection fund for India. This fund is a part of the charity founded by him in 2007, the British Asian Trust. The trust was founded to fight poverty in South Asia.
Noted American singer Katy Perry was named as the ambassador of the new fund. The Protection fund will focus on reducing the exploitation of children by 50 per cent in India over 10 years. The Children’s Protection Fund will primarily cover child sexual abuse, child labour and trafficking. School safety nets are also proposed to be aet up through child-friendly village models.
15. Which state is set to host the Hornbill Festival this month, which was originally celebrated in Nagaland?
[A] Assam
[B] Tripura
[C] Mizoram
[D] Meghalaya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tripura]
Notes:
Tripura government is to hold the two-day Hornbill Festival for the first time from February 8, 2020. The festival has been an important state festival of Nagaland, which is usually held in the month of December in the Naga heritage village of Nagaland.
Tripura hosts the festival with an aim to conserve the Hornbill bird and to boost the livelihood of the state’s people through tourism. Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur also had started organising the Hornbill festival in their states, following Nagaland.
16. Which famous writer was recently selected for the Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Indian and Global Languages)?
[A] Manoj Das
[B] Pratibha Ray
[C] Surendra Mohanty
[D] Ramakanta Rath
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Manoj Das]
Notes:
The prestigious Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Indian and Global Languages) is to be presented to the noted Odia and English writer Manoj Das. The award would be presented during the Mystic Kalinga Festival (MKF) which commences in Bhubaneswar on February 8.
The Mystic Kalinga Literary Award is conferred to a person who has made significant contribution to the literature and culture of Odia. The bilingual writer recently received the country’s third-highest civilian award- Padma Bhushan, for his contribution in the field of literature and education. He had also been conferred with the Saraswati Samman award.
17. Which organisation is set to release Digital Payments Index (DPI), which will assess the digitalisation of payments in the country?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
[C] Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
[D] National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently released its statement on developmental and regulatory policies, along with the February 2020 Monetary policy statement.
In the statement, the central bank announced about the launch of Digital Payments Index (DPI), which will assess the digitalisation of payments in the country. The DPI will accurately measure the penetration of digital payment modes among the general public of the country. The index is proposed to be launched from July 2020.
18. Which state recently signed agreement with the Survey of India, to use drones in land surveys for mapping the villages of the state?
[A] Odisha
[B] Telangana
[C] Madhya Pradesh
[D] Rajasthan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Madhya Pradesh]
Notes:
The state government of Madhya Pradesh recently announced that drones would be used in land surveys for mapping the villages. The Revenue department of Madhya Pradesh has signed agreement in this regard with the national mapping agency, Survey of India.
The land survey work is being done manually or with the assistance of satellite images, until now in the state. As many as 55 thousand villages of the state have been selected for mapping. Using the drone technology, the map of the area will be made on a scale of 1:500, for a better resolution. Last year in August, Maharashtra started using drones for mapping its villages.
19. The first glass-floor suspension bridge of India is to be built in which state?
[A] Uttarakhand
[B] Arunachal Pradesh
[C] Sikkim
[D] Assam
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Uttarakhand]
Notes:
The country’s first glass floor suspension bridge is to be built across the river Ganga in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The state government has recently approved the design of the glass-floor bridge.
This bridge is to be built as an alternative to the iconic Lakshman Jhula which was closed last year, citing safety reasons. The Public Works Department (PWD) is to construct the bridge, which would have a floor with toughened transparent glass, through which the pedestrians can see the surface of the river. The length of the proposed bridge will be 132.3 metres and it will have toughened glass railings on either side.
20. The cybersecurity project codenamed Dejfa, that was recently making news, belongs to which country?
[A] Pakistan
[B] Iran
[C] Malaysia
[D] China
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Iran]
Notes:
Digital Fortress (Dejfa in Persian) is the name of a cybersecurity project of Iran. This has been frequently in news in recent times as Iran faces frequent DDoS attacks and cyber attacks. On 8th February also, the agency was able to avert a massive DDoS attack.