1. Where was the event held to commemorate the 76th Anniversary of the First Flag Hoisting by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose?
[A] Kashmir
[B] Jammu
[C] Ladakh
[D] Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Andaman and Nicobar Islands]
Notes:
A function was held to commemorate the 76th Anniversary of the First Flag Hoisting of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Port Blair. Subhash Mela Committee Swarajdweep has organised bike rally. The cultural programmes were also conducted.
2. The Union Home Minister had recently reviewed the functioning of the Sashastra Seema Bal. SSB was previously known as _______.
[A] Special Service Bureau
[B] Secret Service Bureau
[C] Strategic Support Branch
[D] Sashastra Seema Ayog
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Special Service Bureau]
Notes:
The Union Minister for Home Affairs had recently visited Sashastra Seem Bal Headquarters in New Delhi. He reviewed the functioning of the SSB during this visit. The deployment, operational achievements and concerns were reviewed. SSB, one of the Central Armed Police Forces, was known as Special Service Bureau prior to 2001.
3. From which Indian organization, the four personnel have been selected for training in Russia for the Gaganyaan Mission, that is going to be launched in 2022?
[A] ISRO
[B] IAF
[C] MARCOS
[D] Indian Navy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [IAF]
Notes:
Recently, four men from Indian Air Force have been identified for Gaganyaan, India’s first manned mission to space. They will undertake astronauts’ training in Russia. Gaganyaan is a crewed orbital spacecraft intended to send astronauts into space for a minimum of 7 days by 2022 as a part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
4. Who will launch the “Earthshot Prize” to motivate new solution to tackle climate crisis?
[A] Duke of Cambridge
[B] Queen Elizabeth II
[C] Duke of Sussex
[D] Prince of Wales
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Duke of Cambridge]
Notes:
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge will launch the environmental prize called the Earthshot. The multi-million pound award will be given to five winners each year for the next 10 years, starting from 2021. Its aim is to provide at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.
5. Who will be the head of the recently created Sainya Karta Vibhag?
[A] Prime Minister
[B] Defence Minister
[C] Finance Minister
[D] Chief of Defence Staff
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chief of Defence Staff]
Notes:
A new Department of Military Affairs, also known as Sainya Karta Vibhag will be headed by the Chief of Defence Staff. This department is an addition to the four other departments of the Ministry of Defence – the Department of Defence, Defence Production, Defence and Development and Ex-service welfare.
6. Which nation has recently banned the ‘reef toxic’ sunscreen?
[A] Australia
[B] New Zealand
[C] Palau
[D] Nauru
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Palau]
Notes:
Palau has banned “reef-toxic” sunscreens. The scientific evidence showed that chemicals found in most sunscreens were toxic to corals. Therefore, from New Year’s Day, any reef-toxic sunscreens that are imported or sold in Palau will be confiscated and the owner will be fined.
7. Which is the world’s first major city to celebrate the start of the 2020 New Year and new decade?
[A] Sydney
[B] Auckland
[C] Christchurch
[D] Welllington
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Auckland]
Notes:
Auckland in New Zealand has become the world’s first major city to celebrate the start of the 2020. Australia and New Zealand were followed by Europe, the Middle East and Asia to welcome the year 2020. The firework display in Sydney, Australia was put up despite the ongoing bushfire crisis.
8. What is the aim of the recently formed Akhil Bharatiya Gujarati Samaj Sankalan Samiti?
[A] Include NRIs in the State’s development process
[B] Include non-resident Gujaratis in the state’s development process
[C] Include persons of Indian origin in state’s development process
[D] Include Indians outside Gujarat in the development process
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Include non-resident Gujaratis in the state’s development process]
Notes:
The Akhil Bharatiya Gujarati Samaj Sankalan Samiti, with the state’s chief minister as chief patron and the Minister of Non-resident Gujaratis (NRGs) as the president, aims to include Gujaratis living outside the state in the state’s developmental process. The Samiti will meet twice a year – once in Gujarat and next in another state.
9. What is Landouria tonywhitteni that was named after Tony Whitten?
[A] Snail
[B] Grasshopper
[C] Snake
[D] Beetle
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Snail]
Notes:
Tony Whitten was a British conservationist who documented biodiversity in Asia before he died due to cycling crash. A prize fund was set up in his name after his death. One of the recent winners of this prize named a snail in Indonesia after him. These species live in a limestone habitat and are threatened due to quarrying for the cement industry.
10. The US Congress has recently demanded a probe into the aging Runit Dome as a part of the recently approved defence bill. Where is the Runit Dome located?
[A] Marshall Islands
[B] Palau
[C] Maui
[D] Federated States of Micronesia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Marshall Islands]
Notes:
The US Congress has demanded the Department of energy to investigate the concrete dome full of nuclear wastes due to the threat posed by the rising sea levels in the Marshall Islands. The Runit Dome holds tonnes of radioactive wastes from dozens of US atomic bomb tests that were carried out during the Cold War.
