11. The US Defence officials have shot down a surveillance balloon of which country?
[A] India
[B] China
[C] Russia
[D] Afghanistan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [China]
Notes:
After floating over the US for days, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon has been shot down by the US Defence officials.
The balloon is said to have a payload the size of several buses. China’s foreign ministry denied that the balloon was used for surveillance, and it said that it was a civilian airship used for meteorological and other scientific research
12. Which city is the host of the First G20 Sustainable Financial Working Group meeting?
[A] Mysuru
[B] Guwahati
[C] Shimla
[D] Puducherry
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Guwahati]
Notes:
First G20 Sustainable Financial Working Group meeting was recently inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam.
Guest delegates visited several places of importance like Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Gorbhanga Reserve Forest, Brahmaputra’s River Island and Brahmaputra Heritage Centre.
13. Which institution releases the ‘Digital Payments Index’?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] Ministry of Finance
[C] RBI
[D] NPCI
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [RBI]
Notes:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) releases the Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) twice a year, to measure the adoption of online transactions, digital payments across India.
As per the recent data, the digital payments registered a growth of 24.13% in a year through September 2022. RBI-DPI stood at 377.46 in September 2022 against 349.30 in March 2022 and 304.06 in September 2021.
14. As per the recent guidelines of 2023, what is the minimum download speed of Broadband in India?
[A] 512 kbps
[B] 1 mbps
[C] 2 mbps
[D] 5 mbps
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [2 mbps]
Notes:
According to a recent gazette notification, the government has revised the definition of broadband connectivity, specifying a higher minimum download speed of 2 megabits per second.
Earlier, the definition notified by the Telecom Department in 2013 had benchmarked it to 512 kbps (kilobits per second) as minimum download speed. As of November 30, 2022, India had about 825.4 million broadband subscribers, of which 793.5 million were wireless broadband users.
15. Which country’s Prime Minister has been named as the most popular leader in Global Leader Approval survey?
[A] China
[B] Japan
[C] India
[D] Australia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [India]
Notes:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi named as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 78 per cent.
The Global Leader Approval survey, carried out by the USbased Morning Consult, featured 22 global leaders. PM Modi stood on top of the list with 78% approval rating. The second most popular leader as per the survey is Andres Manual Lopez Obrador ( Mexico ), while Alain Berset (Switzerland ) stood third. US President Joe Biden came seventh while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was placed 12th.
16. Parli Vaijnath Electrification Project, which was seen in the news, was undertaken in which state?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Assam
[D] Jammu and Kahmir
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Maharashtra]
Notes:
Parli Vaijnath-Vikarabad Railway Electrification Project was completed recently, after which the entire route of 268 kilometers is now electrified.
Parli Vaijnath is a city of Maharashtra. The project will benefit the people of Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
17. Who is the only living Indian to win the Grammy Award thrice?
[A] A R Rahman
[B] Ricky Kej
[C] Resul Pookutty
[D] Babbu Mann
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ricky Kej]
Notes:
Ricky Kej is an Indian musician and environmental activist. The Indian music composer recently won his third Grammy Award for the album ‘Divine Tides’.
He is the youngest person to win this award and only the fourth Indian to achieve this feat. He recently made another history by becoming the only living Indian to win the Grammy Award thrice.
18. Erzincan earthquake occurred in which country in 1939?
[A] USA
[B] Turkey
[C] Japan
[D] Philippines
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Turkey]
Notes:
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the earthquake that hit Gaziantep in southern Turkey was the country’s worst disaster since 1939 Erzincan earthquake.
The 1939 Erzincan earthquake resulted in the deaths of around 33,000 individuals. It was caused by the movement of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, which resulted in a quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. This earthquake caused damage to the Erzincan Plain and the Kelkit River Valley.
19. The birth anniversary of which 15th-century poet and saint of Bhakti movement, is observed in February every year?
[A] Guru Ravidass
[B] Kabir Das
[C] Basava
[D] Guru Nanak
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Guru Ravidass]
Notes:
Guru Ravidass Jayanti is celebrated to mark the birth of Guru Ravidas, a mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th century.
The poet was a contemporary of Kabir Das and he taught monotheistic spirituality and message of equality and liberation from Indian caste system. His teachings are widely followed in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, among others.
20. The Indian Armed Forces are set to procure armed Predator MQ 9A drones from which country?
[A] France
[B] Israel
[C] USA
[D] Russia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [USA]
Notes:
The Indian Armed Forces are looking to procure 18 armed Predator MQ 9A drones from the United States.
Of these 18 drones, six will be provided for each of the three armed forces. These unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of flying up to 50,000 feet for a maximum duration of 24 hours. It is capable of carrying air-to-ground missiles to target high-value ground targets or air-to-air missiles.