11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Which state topped the ‘India Justice Report 2022’ among the large and mid-sized states?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Karnataka
[D] Rajasthan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Karnataka]
Notes:
India Justice Report 2022 is a national periodic reporting that measures the capacity of the four pillars of justice system (police, prison system, judiciary and legal aid).
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana took up the top three spots among the 18 large and mid-sized States (population above 10 million).
14. What is the repo rate as of April 2023, after the Monetary Policy Committee Meeting?
[A] 6.2 per cent
[B] 6.5 per cent
[C] 6.8 per cent
[D] 7.2 per cent
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [6.5 per cent]
Notes:
After raising repo rate in six consecutive policies, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), decided to pause its rate hike cycle amid rising concerns over global financial stability.
The Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent in this meeting.
15. What is India’s growth forecast for this fiscal year, as per the World Bank?
[A] 6.1 %
[B] 6.3 %
[C] 6.7 %
[D] 7.2 %
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [6.3 %]
Notes:
The World Bank has forecast a 6.3% economic growth rate for India in the current fiscal year (FY) 2023-24, in its South Asia Economic Focus: Expanding Opportunities: Toward Inclusive Growth report.
This is a downgrade of 0.7 percentage points since its October forecast. The primary reasons for this are high borrowing costs and slower income growth causing weaker consumption, as well as the government tightening fiscal expenditure.
16. The ‘Draft National Curriculum Framework for School Education’ provides frame work for children of which age group?
[A] 3-18
[B] 5-15
[C] 5-10
[D] 6-18
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [3-18]
Notes:
The Draft National Curriculum Framework for School Education provides framework for educational curriculum for children age groups 3 to 18 years.
The pre-draft of this framework was released recently and the Ministry of Education invites suggestions and public opinion.
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. ‘Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution Instrument’ is a device of which space agency?
[A] ISRO
[B] NASA
[C] ESA
[D] JAXA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [NASA]
Notes:
Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution Instrument is a new NASA device that will track pollution over North America.
It will enable scientists to monitor air pollutants and their sources from space. The spectrometer designed to measure air pollution across greater North America at a high resolution and on an hourly basis.
20. ‘Rayyanah Barnawi’ is set to become the first woman astronaut from which country?
[A] UAE
[B] Saudi Arabia
[C] Israel
[D] Pakistan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Saudi Arabia]
Notes:
Rayyanah Barnawi is set to become the first woman astronaut from Saudi Arabia. Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni will take off from Florida on a private mission to the International Space Station.
There are two other astronauts who will join Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni in their voyage. They are Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee who will serve as pilot.