11. Which country has recently voted to ban rental e-scooters?
[A] USA
[B] India
[C] France
[D] Finland
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [France]
Notes:
In a non-binding referendum held in France, 89.03% of the votes cast were opposed to the freestanding scooters, which are booked on a short-term basis through apps.
The rental e-scooters, which were introduced in 2018 to promote green alternative for cars. The city will completely ban these devices by September 1 this year.
12. 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.
13. Christina Koch, who was seen in the news, is associated with which profession?
[A] Sports-person
[B] Business-person
[C] Astronaut
[D] Scientist
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Astronaut]
Notes:
NASA named the first woman and the first African-American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission.
Christina Koch, an engineer who already holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman, was named as a mission specialist, along with Victor Glover, a U.S. Navy aviator, who was selected as the Artemis II pilot.
14. Aroma Mission has been originally launched in which state/UT?
[A] Jammu and Kashmir
[B] Sikkim
[C] Karnataka
[D] Tamil Nadu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Jammu and Kashmir]
Notes:
Aroma Mission, which was started off in Jammu and Kashmir, aims to promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for the manufacture of essential oils, which are in high demand in the aroma industry.
Himachal Pradesh Government is set to collaborate with the Central Government on this initiative to replicate its success seen in the Jammu and Kashmir.
15. Petra Kvitova, who won the Miami Open crown, is from which country?
[A] Czech Republic
[B] Russia
[C] Ukraine
[D] Serbia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Czech Republic]
Notes:
Czech player Petra Kvitova defeats Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina to win her first Miami Open crown. The 33-year-old Kvitova, had won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.
In the men’s game, Daniil Medvedev wins the Miami Open title and his 4th trophy of the season.
16. As per the ‘Indian Space Policy 2023’, which institution focusses on research and development of space technologies?
[A] NSIL
[B] ISRO
[C] DRDO
[D] IN-SPACe
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ISRO]
Notes:
The ‘Indian Space Policy 2023’ was approved recently by the Union Cabinet. It seeks to streamline the process of private participation in the Indian Space Sector.
The policy will see Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) focusing on research and development of advanced space technologies. It delineates responsibility to ISRO, New Space India Limited (NSIL, a space sector PSU), and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe).
17. Who is the head of the Finance Ministry committee set up to review the pension system for government employees?
[A] Nirmala Sitharaman
[B] T V Somanathan
[C] Shaktikanta Das
[D] M K Jain
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [T V Somanathan]
Notes:
The Union Finance Ministry notified the formation of a committee to review the pension system for government employees.
The four-member committee is headed by Finance Secretary T V Somanathan. It will also have Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT); Special Secretary, Department of Expenditure; and Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) as its members.
18. Which institution launched the ‘cVigil App’?
[A] Supreme Court of India
[B] Election Commission of India
[C] Indian Medical Association
[D] Reserve Bank of India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Election Commission of India]
Notes:
cVigil App was launched by the Election Commission of India to fast track complaints regarding the Model Code of Conduct violations.
It is currently playing a critical role in enforcing the Model Code of Conduct and preventing irregularities in the polling process.
19. Genome India Project aims to sequence how many Indian human genomes?
[A] 1000
[B] 10000
[C] 1 lakh
[D] 1 crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [10000]
Notes:
Genome India Project is an initiative of the Central Government that involves sequencing of 10,000 Indian human genomes and creating a database.
The Department of Biotechnology has sequenced close to 7,000 genomes and 3,000 of these are already available for public access.
20. ‘Support for Poor Prisoners Scheme’ is associated with which Union Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs
[B] Ministry of Defence
[C] Ministry of External Affairs
[D] Ministry of Finance
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ministry of Home Affairs]
Notes:
The ‘Support for Poor Prisoners Scheme’ is set to be launched by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Under this scheme, state government will receive financial support from the Home Ministry to help underprivileged prisoners who are unable to get bail or secure release from prisons due to financial constraints.