11. Australia recently witnessed which disaster that killed many lives and caused huge destruction?
[A] Flood
[B] Cyclone
[C] Wild fires
[D] Tsunami
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Wild fires]
Notes:
Australia recently witnessed severe wild fires that killed nearly 25 people and destroyed several homes across the country. More than hundred bush fires were burning in New South Wales and they could not be controlled. Several million animals are also reported to be killed by the severity of bush fires. Scientists have cited Global warming to be the reason of this early and devastating wild fires.
12. Which state will have the country’s first rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Bihar
[C] Chhattisgarh
[D] Odisha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Bihar]
Notes:
India’s first rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in the Bhagalpur forest division of Bihar. The centre, which is to be open soon can accommodate 500 turtles at a time. The forest division is near to the river Ganga, which makes it a perfect breeding area for freshwater turtles. The turtles are abducted and hurt by smugglers will be rescued by the team of the rehabilitation centre and will be provided proper treatment.
13. ArogyaSri Scheme, which is an initiative to provide free medical treatment to the poor, is the flagship scheme of which state?
[A] Telengana
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Kerala
[D] Tamil Nadu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Andhra Pradesh]
Notes:
ArogyaSri Scheme is the flagship scheme of Andhra Pradesh Government is an initiative to provide free medical treatment to the poor. Named as Dr. YSR ArogyaSri scheme, the scheme is available to people with annual income up to Rs. 5 Lakhs. The people will be given cards with QR codes and they can use it for availing treatment above Rs.1000. Under the scheme, several super-speciality hospitals are to be included in the network and various medicines are to be made available in the state government run hospitals.
14. Hyundai partnered with which ride-sharing company to develop electric air taxis?
[A] Didi
[B] Uber
[C] Lyft
[D] Grab
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Uber]
Notes:
Automobile Major Hyundai recently unveiled an air electric taxi, developed in collaboration with Uber, in the Consumer Electronics Show 2020.
According to their partnership, Hyundai will develop and deploy vehicles and Uber will provide support service, ground transport connection and customer Interface. Uber is to launch urban commercial flights by 2023 and Hyundai is its first carmaker partner in the project.
15. Which Indian city is host to the 1st edition of ‘Khelo India University Games 2020’?
[A] Guwahati
[B] New Delhi
[C] Bhubaneswar
[D] Kolkata
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bhubaneswar]
Notes:
The Union Sports Minister recently released the schedule of the 1st edition of ‘Khelo India University Games 2020’. The event is to be conducted in Bhubaneswar from February 21 to March 1, 2020.
Students from various universities across the country will take part in the event in 17 different sports. The logo and the jersey of the players were also released by the Sports Minister along the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik.
16. Pune is set to host the fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference. What is a Drosophila?
[A] An Insect
[B] A Fish
[C] A plant
[D] Bacteria
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [An Insect]
Notes:
Drosophila is an insect, which is also called as small fruit fly. It belongs to the species of flies and the family of Drosophilidae. This fruit fly serves as the model organism for biological research all over the world.
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) is to organise the fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) in Pune. The five-day conference will commence from January 6, 2020.
17. A devastating earthquake hit Puerto Rico recently. Which is the capital city of Puerto-Rico?
[A] Santo Domingo
[B] San Juan
[C] Kingston
[D] Havana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [San Juan]
Notes:
The Government of Puerto Rico recently declared a state of emergency, after it was hit by a deadly earthquake. The 6.4 magnitude quake was the strongest and the most devastating earthquake, the country has ever had for hundred years.
Puerto Rico is a group of islands located in the Caribbean Sea. It is one of the unincorporated territories of the United States. The capital city and the largest city of the country is San Juan.
18. 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.
19. The North East Natural Gas Pipeline Grid is being implemented by a joint venture of five Indian Central Public Sector Undertakings. What is the name of this joint venture firm?
[A] North-East Gas Grid Corporation (NEGGC)
[B] Indian Gas Grid Company (IGGC)
[C] Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL)
[D] BharadGrid Limited (BL)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) ]
Notes:
North East Gas Grid project is being implemented by IGGL, a Joint Venture company of five CPSEs (GAIL, IOCL, ONGC, OIL and NRL). The total length of the pipeline is planned to be 1,656 km and will be built at estimated cost of Rs. 9,265 crore (Including interest during construction). It will cover eight states of the North-Eastern region i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, MeghMizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
20. Which state is set to conduct a dedicated state-level Adalat for LGBT community?
[A] Telengana
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Kerala
[D] Gujarat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Kerala]
Notes:
For the first time in the state, the Kerala State Youth Commission has announced that it would conduct a state-level Adalat for LGBT community. The programme would be held at the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
The main objective of the Adalat is to encourage the transgender community to come out with their grievances and to make arrangements for redressal of the issues. The Government of Kerala had introduced a Transgender policy in 2015 and it has a dedicated ‘Transgender Cell’ working under the state’s Social Justice Department.