1. Which country has formed its first all-woman communication team?
[A] New Zealand
[B] United States
[C] Myanmar
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United States]
Notes:
US President-elect Joe Biden has recently appointed the country’s first all-female White House communications team.
He also appointed Jen Psaki, who earlier served as the spokesperson in Barack Obama administration, as the White House Press Secretary. Six other women who had held important positions, were appointed in the official Press Team.
2. ‘Gurupurab’ is the celebration of birth anniversary of which Sikh Guru?
[A] Guru Nanak
[B] Guru Gobind Singh
[C] Guru Tegh Bahadur
[D] Guru Arjan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Guru Nanak]
Notes:
The birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak is celebrated as the Guru Nanak Dev Gurpurab, commonly called as ‘Gurupurab’.
On this occasion, a book titled ‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Government’s Special Relationship with Sikhs’ was launched. It is published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and was released in English, Hindi and Punjabi languages with the messages of Guru Nanak.
3. Which is the headquarters of the ‘Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW)?
[A] Switzerland
[B] Netherlands
[C] Italy
[D] Japan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Netherlands]
Notes:
‘Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare’ is observed on November 30 every year, across the world.
United Nations observes the day to pay tribute to millions of lives lost round the globe in the wake of chemical warfare. ‘Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) is the implementing body for Chemical Weapons Convention. It is headquartered at the Hague, Netherlands.
4. When is the World Aids Day observed every year?
[A] December 1
[B] December 5
[C] December 10
[D] December 15
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [December 1]
Notes:
The World AIDS Day is observed every year on the 1st of December, since 1988. It is an international day dedicated to raise awareness about AIDS and to mourn for those who have lost life due to this pandemic.
The theme for this year’s AIDS Day is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact”. There were 38 million people living with HIV infection, in the year 2019.
5. ‘Balsnehi (Child-Friendly) Police Station’, which was seen in the news recently, was inaugurated in which city?
[A] Mumbai
[B] Pune
[C] Ahmadabad
[D] Varanasi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Pune]
Notes:
Pune City Police has recently inaugurated the ‘Balsnehi (Child-Friendly) Police Station’, on the premises of Lashkar Police Station in Pune Camp.
The Police Station has a room designated for children, who would come to report cases to the station. It also aims to create a set-up to rehabilitate children in need. Earlier, a Child-friendly Police Station was set up in Krishna District on the premises of Machilipatnam.
6. India’s Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA), formed recently has how many members?
[A] 5
[B] 11
[C] 17
[D] 25
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [17]
Notes:
The Indian Government has constituted a Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA). It was formed through a gazette notification.
The committee comprises of 17 members. It is entrusted with the responsibility of formulating policies and programmes for implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), under Paris Agreement 2015. The Secretary of Union Environment Minister would be the Chairperson.
7. India-Suriname Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held recently. Where is Suriname located?
[A] Africa
[B] North America
[C] Europe
[D] South America
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [South America]
Notes:
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a small country on the north-eastern coast of South America. It was previously known as ‘Dutch Guiana’.
The 7th India-Suriname Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was recently held virtually. The JCM was co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan and his counterpart in Suriname.
8. CBIC has mandated HSN Code while issuing GST invoice. What does HSN stand for?
[A] Harmonised System of Notification
[B] Harmonised System of Nomenclature
[C] Horizontal System of Notification
[D] Horizontal System of Nomenclature
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Harmonised System of Nomenclature]
Notes:
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has mandated to mention the 8- digit HSN code or tariff code for 49 chemical-based products.
The HSN (Harmonised System of Nomenclature) code should be mentioned while issuing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) invoice. At present, businesses mention up to 4-digit tariff code, while issuing invoice. This new direction is expected to curb tax evasion.
9. Which Indian state has approved to rename caste-based settlements?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Karnataka
[D] Maharashtra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Maharashtra]
Notes:
The government of Maharashtra has decided to rename the settlements in the state having names based on caste.
Habitations like Maharwada, Mangwada, Bramhanwada etc that have indications of caste-based settlements would be changed and named after leaders of the nation. The State Cabinet has recently approved to change the names of those settlements.
10. Bashan Char Island, which were seen in the news, are located in which country?
[A] Japan
[B] China
[C] Bangladesh
[D] Laos
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bangladesh]
Notes:
Bhasan Char is an uninhabited island in Bangladesh. It is located in the Bay of Bengal, about 60 kilometers from the mainland.
The Bangladesh government started the process of relocating the Rohingyas from Cox’s Bazar refugee camp to the newly developed facility at the Bhashan char Island. Bangladesh constructed shelter houses for Rohingya refugees at an estimated cost of 2,300 crore takas.