11. The fifth India-Russia Military Industrial Conference was recently organised in which city?
[A] Moscow
[B] New Delhi
[C] Lucknow
[D] St. Petersburg
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Lucknow]
Notes:
The fifth edition of the India-Russia Military Industrial Conference was recently organised in the northern Indian city, Lucknow. The Conference was organised on the sidelines of the biennial Defence exhibition DefExpo 2020.
As many as 14 MoUs related to production of different defence equipment, radar systems, ASW Rocket launchers and 3D modeling were signed between the companies from India and Russia. Among several Indian companies, the prominent ones which signed the agreements were BHEL, Bharat Dynamics Limited and Vista control.
12. Which city plays host to the 22nd India International Seafood Show, after a gap of 12 years?
[A] Vishakhapatnam
[B] Goa
[C] Kochi
[D] Chennai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Kochi]
Notes:
The city of Kochi, Kerala hosts the 22nd India International Seafood Show, after a gap of 12 years. The three-day seafood show has been inaugurated by the Governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan on February 7,2020.
The event will provide a platform for collaboration of the exporters and importers of the country’s marine products and seafood industry. The theme of the programme is ‘Blue Revolution: Beyond production to value addition’. Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA) organises the event in association with Seafood Exporters’ Association of India.
13. Raju Bharatan, who passed away recently, was a famous personality in which field?
[A] Arts
[B] Politics
[C] Business
[D] Sports journalism
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Sports journalism]
Notes:
The 86-year-old renowned cricket journalist and film historian Raju Bharatan recently passed away. Raju Bharatan had worked with the news magazine-‘Illustrated Weekly of India’ for more than 40 years. He has worked with several famous personalities including Khushwant Singh.
Raju Bharatan was also a columnist in sports magazines. He is the director of “The Victory Story” (1974) the first full-length cricket documentary. The film was based the first victory of the Indian cricket team over England during the tour of 1972. He was also a film historian and he had given voices for several cricket matches in radio.
14. 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.
15. Which Indian crop faces danger due to a fungus called Alternaria brassicae as per recent news?
[A] Rice
[B] Wheat
[C] Mustard
[D] Sugarcane
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mustard]
Notes:
Alternaria brassicae is a fungus that causes blight in the Mustard and Rapeseed crops. Yield in a field infected by fungus Alternaria brassicae can come down by as much as by 47 per cent, if remedial measures are not taken.
16. Which American astronaut has recently set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman?
[A] Jessica Meir
[B] Anne McClain
[C] Nicole Aunapu Mann
[D] Christina Koch
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Christina Koch]
Notes:
Christina Koch has set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman. The U.S. astronaut landed in Kazakhstan on February 6 after 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS).
17. Which state has recently launched an initiative to establish hotels to provide meals at subsidised price called ‘Kudumbashree’ hotels?
[A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Telangana
[C] Kerala
[D] Tamil Nadu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Kerala]
Notes:
The state government of Kerala has recently unveiled a scheme to establish hotels to provide meals at subsidised rates called ‘Kudumbashree’ hotels. The announcement was made during the presentation of state’s budget.
The hotels are to be set up in in each of the 1034 local bodies and Kerala meals is to be available at a subsidised price of Rs 25. Kudumbashree is an initiative of the state government for poverty eradication and women empowerment.
18. Recently, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act. When was the original act of 1989 amended?
[A] 2016
[B] 2017
[C] 2018
[D] 2019
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [2018]
Notes:
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 was legislated to protect the scheduled communities from harassments and atrocities.
In March 2018, the Supreme court gave a judgement diluting the original act and it even granted anticipatory bail for those booked in the atrocity case. After huge protest, the government amended the original act and passed the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018. This amendment has been upheld by the apex court.
19. Which famous cricketer of Australia received the Allan Border medal from Cricket Australia?
[A] Aaron Finch
[B] Marnus Labuschagne
[C] David Warner
[D] Steven Smith
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [David Warner]
Notes:
The 33-year-old cricket star of Australia, David Warner won the Allan Border medal of Cricket Australia, for being the Player of the year.
He had been suspended in 2018 for ball-tampering. This is Warner’s third award after he won the coveted award in 2016 and 2017. He was also named the T20 player of the year. Women’s all-rounder Ellyse Perry won the Belinda Clark award.
20. 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.