11. Recently, Supreme Court of India has asked the centre to consider deployment of which force to guard various courts of India?
[A] Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
[B] Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
[C] National Security Guard (NSG)
[D] Indian Army
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) ]
Notes:
Supreme Court recently asked the Centre to consider the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to guard the various courts in India — taking over the job of securing the courts from the local police forces.
12. On 9th January 2020, birth anniversary of Har Gobind Khorana was observed. He won Nobel Prize in Physiology in which year?
[A] 1965
[B] 1968
[C] 1972
[D] 1979
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ 1968 ]
Notes:
Khurana shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that showed the order of nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell and control the cell’s synthesis of proteins. In 1972, he also created the first ever artificial gene.
13. Election Commission recently declared February 8, 2020 as date of assembly elections in Delhi. What is the total number of seats in Delhi Legislative Assembly?
[A] 65
[B] 67
[C] 70
[D] 72
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ 70 ]
Notes:
About 1.46 crore voters (80.55 lakh males + 66.35 lakh females) will have a chance to vote in the Delhi assembly elections on February 8. The results will be declared on February 11. Delhi Legislative Assembly has 70 seats of which 67 seats were won by AAP in last elections.
14. For how many times, India has emerged as winner in the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament since it began in 2009?
[A] One
[B] Two
[C] Three
[D] Four
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Three ]
Notes:
India has emerged winner in the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament for three times since it began in 2009. P.V. Sindhu won it in 2013 and 2016, and Saina Nehwal in 2017. This year, B. Sai Praneeth has been already knocked out.
15. The Union External Affairs Minister recently launched a book titled ‘PAX SINICA: Implications for the Indian Dawn’. Who is the author of the book?
[A] Samir Saran
[B] Samrat Upadhyay
[C] Sharad Rathore
[D] Sumit Agarwal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Samir Saran]
Notes:
The Union External Affairs Minister S. Jai Shankar recently launched the book titled ‘PAX SINICA: Implications for the Indian Dawn’ authored by Dr. Samir Saran. The book was co-authored by Akhil Deo. The book highlights the steps of China during the presidency of Xi Jinping and the key policy measures of China.
Dr Samir Saran is the President of the renowned Asian think tank, Observer Research Foundation. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s South Asia advisory board.
16. What is the rank of Indian passport in the recently released ‘Henly Passport Index 2020’?
[A] 84
[B] 85
[C] 86
[D] 87
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [84]
Notes:
The International passport ranking ‘Henly Passport Index’ was recently released. It ranks various countries of the world in the order of travel-friendly passports based on the data of International Air Transport Association.
In the recent report, India’s rank is 84, which is two ranks above that of last year. The mobility score of Indian passport is 58, and it means that Indian passport holders can travel to 58 countries without a prior visa. The first rank in the index is bagged by Japan with a score of 191, followed by Singapore.
17. The Union Home Minister recently launched a centre named I4C in New Delhi. What is the centre associated with?
[A] Intellectual property rights
[B] Cyber Crime
[C] Internal Security
[D] Border Management
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Cyber Crime]
Notes:
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi. The centre involves a project cost of Rs. 416 Crores and it would deal with all cyber crimes comprehensively. Many states and Union territories will also set up their Regional Cyber Crime Coordination Centres.
The Union minister also launched National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, with the URL of www.cybercrime.gov.in. All citizens can report cyber-crimes online through this portal, which will be redressed by the concerned authorities.
18. DRDO’s Naval variant of Light Combat Aircraft made its first successful landing on which aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy?
[A] INS Vikramaditya
[B] INS Vikrant
[C] INS Viraat
[D] INS Vishal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [INS Vikramaditya]
Notes:
After completion of extensive trials on the Shore Based Test Facility, the naval variant of indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) made its first successful landing on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The Light Combat aircraft is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO.
INS Vikramaditya was formally inducted into the Indian Navy on June 2014. It is a flagship air-craft carrier of the Indian Navy. Prior to this commission, it served with the Russian Navy.
19. Which of these festivals of other parts of India does not coincide with Makar Sankranti celebrated in North India in January?
[A] Pedda Padanga
[B] Magh Bihu
[C] Thai Pongal
[D] Vishu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Vishu]
Notes:
Lohri is a festival celebrated in North India, especially in Punjab ahead of the Makar Sankranti Festival. The festival marks the completion of Winter and the arrival of sunny weather in the region. It is also regarded that the festival commemorates the passing winter solstice.
According to the traditional calendar, this year the festival Lohri falls on January 13. People of North India celebrate the festival by lighting bonfires, with their friends and relatives. It is mainly celebrated in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
This festival is celebrated as Makara Sankranti (Pedda Pandaga) in Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal (also called Poush sôngkrānti), Karnataka and Telangana, Sukarat in central India, Magh Bihu by Assamese, and Thai Pongal by Tamils. Vishu concides with Vaishakhi.
20. Which Indian monument has found place in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list?
[A] Taj Mahal
[B] Statue of Unity
[C] Konark Sun Temple
[D] Ajanta Caves
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Statue of Unity]
Notes:
The recently built monument of Gujarat, ‘Statue of Unity’ was recently included in the ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list released by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It is the tallest statue of the world, which was built as a tribute to the Indian leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The 182-metre statue was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India in October 2018 in Gujarat’s Kevadiya colony. The statue was built on the river Narmada, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam. SCO comprises of eight member states, which are India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
