1. ‘National League for Democracy’ is a famous political party based in which country?
[A] India
[B] Myanmar
[C] Sri Lanka
[D] Pakistan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Myanmar]
Notes:
National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has been dissolved after it refused to comply with a tough new party registration law imposed by Myanmar’s military.
The military, which seized power in a coup in February 2021, set a deadline for political parties to re-register under the restrictive new law. It has promised to hold an election, though such a vote has been widely dismissed as lacking in any credibility.
2. ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice’ is associated with which country?
[A] USA
[B] Australia
[C] Greece
[D] Italy
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Correct Answer: B [Australia]
Notes:
First Peoples of Australia are people who lived in the Australia’s continental mainland and surrounding islands for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of first Europeans in the early 17th century.
A referendum will be issued this year by the Australian government to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. It will decide whether these people should be formally consulted in the law making process.
3. World Health Organisation (WHO) certified which countries as Malaria-free recently?
[A] India and Sri Lanka
[B] Azerbaijan and Tajikistan
[C] Pakistan and Afghanistan
[D] Nepal and Bangladesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Azerbaijan and Tajikistan]
Notes:
Recently, the World Health Organisation certified Azerbaijan and Tajikistan as Malaria-Free Countries.
They succeeded in eliminating the Anopheles mosquito-borne disease in their territories. In Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, the last cases of regional spread of Plasmodium vivax malaria were discovered in 2012 and 2014.
4. The ‘Foreign Trade Policy 2023’ aims to boost India’s merchandise and services exports by 2030 by?
[A] USD 1 trillion
[B] USD 2 trillion
[C] USD 5 trillion
[D] USD 10 trillion
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [USD 2 trillion]
Notes:
The Indian government unveiled its Foreign Trade Policy 2023 which seeks to boost merchandise and services exports by USD 2 trillion by 2030 from the current level of USD 765 billion.
The Policy also seeks to make the Indian Rupee the global currency in settling international trade payments.
5. Which country is the host of the Bilateral Maritime exercise ‘SLINEX-2023’?
[A] India
[B] Sri Lanka
[C] France
[D] Singapore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sri Lanka]
Notes:
SLINEX-2023 is the 10th edition of the annual Indian – Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime exercise. It is scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The Indian Navy is represented by INS Kiltan, an indigenous Kamorta class ASW corvette and INS Savitri, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, while the Sri Lanka Navy is being represented by SLNS Gajabahu and SLNS Sagara.
6. ‘Salar de Atacama’ is the largest salt flat found in which country?
[A] Argentina
[B] Chile
[C] South Africa
[D] Brazil
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Chile]
Notes:
Salar de Atacama is Chile’s largest salt flat. Much of the country’s lithium deposits are found in this region.
Chile is planning to collaborate with India to tap into the lithium value chain. The copper-producing nation- Chile, holds the world’s largest known lithium reserves.
7. What is the name of the mineral concentrations on the bottom of the sea, which is a source for cobalt, copper, nickel and manganese?
[A] Polymetallic Nodules
[B] Universal Concentrations
[C] Undersea Nodules
[D] Seabed Metals
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Polymetallic Nodules]
Notes:
International Seabed Authority has decided to start taking permit applications in July from companies that want to mine the ocean’s floor.
The undersea mining will be conducted to extract key battery materials — cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese — from potato-sized rocks called ‘polymetallic nodules’ found at depths of 4 kilometers to 6 kilometers.
8. Hexacentrus ashoka, which was seen in the news, belongs to which species?
[A] Spider
[B] Bush Cricket
[C] Turtle
[D] Snake
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Bush Cricket]
Notes:
Three new species of bush cricket was found recently. Two of these species (Hexacentrus tiddae and Hexacentrus ashoka) were found in Haryana. In the local dialect of Haryana, bush crickets are referred to as tiddaes.
The third species found in Meghalaya was named Hexacentrus khasiensis — after the Khasi hills where it was discovered.
9. Palm Sunday is an event associated with which religion?
[A] Islam
[B] Sikhism
[C] Christianity
[D] Jainism
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Christianity]
Notes:
Palm Sunday is the Christian moveable feast that occurs on the Sunday before Easter. It was observed on April 2 this year.
The feast commemorates Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. Its name originates from the palm branches waved by the crowd to greet and honour Jesus Christ as he entered the city.
10. What is the name of the single shape that can be used to cover a surface completely without creating a repeated pattern?
[A] Einstein Tile
[B] Ramanujan Tile
[C] C V Raman Tile
[D] Newton Tile
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Einstein Tile]
Notes:
The Einstein tile is a single shape that can be used to cover a surface completely without creating a repeated pattern. It was discovered recently by mathematicians.
“Einstein” is a play on German ein stein or “one stone”. A set of tile-types is considered to be aperiodic if copies of these tiles can only form patterns without repetition.