11. ‘Sharang’, which is to be inducted into the Indian Army, is an upgraded version of which weapon?
[A] Artillery gun
[B] Assault rifle
[C] Combat Shotgun
[D] Sniper rifle
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Artillery gun]
Notes:
The Sharang Artillery gun would be inducted into the Indian Army on February 7, 2020, as per the recent announcement of the Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The 155 mm-Sharang is an upgraded version of the existing 130 mm M-46 field guns.
He also announced that Sig Sauer assault rifles and Spike anti-tank missiles are being issued to the army troops, who are deployed in the forward areas. The Gun Carriage Factory (GCF) in Jabalpur upgraded the Sharang artillery gun along with the ordnance factories and technical teams of Army and DRDO.
12. The term “Batterygate”, recently in news, is related to which of the following tech giants?
[A] Google
[B] Samsung
[C] Apple
[D] Microsoft
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Apple]
Notes:
Batterygate refers to implementation of performance controls on older models of Apple’s iPhone line in order to preserve system stability on degraded batteries.
13. Which country has recently unveiled Raad-500 missile?
[A] Pakistan
[B] Iran
[C] Iraq
[D] Saudi Arabia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Iran]
Notes:
Raad-500 is a short-range ballistic missile recently unveiled by Iran. It can be powered by a “new generation” of engines designed to put satellites into orbit.
14. Municipal Performance Index (MPI), is an index recently launched by which organisation/ Ministry?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] National Development Council
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs]
Notes:
The Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has recently launched two Assessment Frameworks, namely Ease of Living Index (EoLI) and Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2019.
The two indices are expected to assess the quality of life of citizens in 100 Smart Cities and 14 other cities, with more than 1 million population. The MPI assesses the performance of municipalities based on five parameters of Service, Finance, Planning, Technology and Governance.
15. Giriraj Kishore, who recently passed away recently, was associated with which field?
[A] Literature
[B] Arts
[C] Politics
[D] Sports
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Literature]
Notes:
Renowned writer and academician Giriraj Kishore passed away recently. The Gandhian writer was 82-years-old. He was also the recipient of the prestigious civilian award ‘Padma Shri’.
The famous literary works of Giriraj Kishore include ‘Pahla Girmitiya’ and ‘Dhaai Ghar’. A recipient of ‘Sahitya Samman’, he was also a former member of the Sahitya Academy working committee.
16. Which city is host to the 33rd African Union (AU) summit, being held recently?
[A] Addis Ababa
[B] Nairobi
[C] Cairo
[D] Harare
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Addis Ababa]
Notes:
The 33rd African Union (AU) summit has commenced recently in Addis Ababa, the capital of the African nation Ethiopia. The summit is being held under the theme ‘Silencing the Guns: Creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development’.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, took over as the African Union chair, from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Heads of countries and government officials from across Africa have assembled in the city for participating in the summit.
17. Which Indian hockey player was named as the 2019 Women’s Rising Star of the Year, by the International Hockey Federation (FIH)?
[A] Rani Rampal
[B] Lalremsiami
[C] Navneet Kaur
[D] Vandana Katariya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Lalremsiami]
Notes:
Ace Indian hockey player Lalremsiami has been named as the ‘2019 FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year’, by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The 19-year-old player from the state of Mizoram, is the first Indian woman player to win the award.
In the men’s category, the Indian men’s team midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad was named as the ‘2019 Rising Star of the year’ by FIH.
18. When is the ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’ celebrated across the world?
[A] 10 February
[B] 11 February
[C] 12 February
[D] 13 February
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [11 February]
Notes:
The ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’ is celebrated across the world on 11 February. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution in 2015 and declared 11 February as the day of Women and Girls in Science. Since then, the day is celebrated annually.
The day is aimed to achieve complete gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and to encourage more women to take up their career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field.
19. The 2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise, 2020 has been conducted in which city?
[A] Thimphu
[B] Bhubaneswar
[C] Colombo
[D] Kathmandu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Bhubaneswar]
Notes:
The 2nd Seven-nation BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise, 2020 was recently inaugurated at Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha by its Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The Exercise is hosted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the nodal agency. The theme of the exercise is- “Response to a cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in an earthquake” & “Response to a Cultural Heritage site that is affected by flooding or storm surge”.
20. Which state government recently launched toll-free helpline numbers for students to resolve their queries by experts?
[A] Odisha
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] West Bengal
[D] Haryana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
The state government of Uttar Pradesh has recently launched toll-free helpline numbers for students. This initiative is aimed at solving queries of students ahead of the Board Examinations.
A senior officer of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad is designated as Nodal Officer of the initiative. Several academicians and experts of different subjects will be made available on call, to resolve the doubts of students.