21. What is the rank of India in the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021?
[A] First
[B] Third
[C] Fifth
[D] Seventh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Fifth]
Notes:
India’s national accreditation system ranked fifth in the world in the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021.
The GQII ranks the 184 economies in the world on the basis of the quality infrastructure (QI). India’s overall QI system ranking continues to be in the 10th position, with the standardization system (under BIS) at 9th and the metrology system (under NPL-CSIR) at 21st position in the world.
22. Nebraska’s Sand Hills, where a new type of quasi-crystal was discovered, is located in which country?
[A] China
[B] Turkey
[C] USA
[D] Ukraine
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [USA]
Notes:
Quasicrystal is a substance that has atoms orderly arranged like a crystal but its atomic structure is more complex and does not repeat periodically in all directions. This unique complex pattern makes it different from a normal crystal.
Recently, a new type of quasicrystal was discovered in the north central Nebraska’s Sand Hills in the USA. It had 12-fold symmetry. It may have been created during an accidental electrical discharge because of a downed power line or a lightning strike.
23. Prime Minister Modi recently inaugurated a new campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in which city?
[A] Mysuru
[B] Varanasi
[C] Mumbai
[D] Chennai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mumbai]
Notes:
Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah is an Arabic academy that exclusively caters to the education of children belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community.
Prime Minister Modi recently inaugurated a new Mumbai campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah. It is the second such campus in India. The first campus was set up in 1810 in Surat.
24. Which country has planned to launch Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness (MIIRA)?
[A] USA
[B] India
[C] Indonesia
[D] Sri Lanka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
India has planned to launch a global initiative called the Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness (MIIRA) to promote the consumption and production of millets.
MIIRA will coordinate international millet research programs and support research on millet crops. This global initiative will also raise awareness and promote millet consumption. India will provide the initial funding, while other G20 countries will contribute to the budget.
25. Which Indian reformer found the ‘Arya Samaj’?
[A] Rabindranath Tagore
[B] Dayanand Saraswati
[C] Ramakrishna Paramahams
[D] Shri Aurobindo
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Dayanand Saraswati]
Notes:
Dayanand Saraswati was an Indian philosopher and social reformer who founded the Arya Samaj, a movement aimed at promoting Hindu reformation and the pursuit of Vedic knowledge.
He believed in the unity of God and rejected the caste system and idol worship. Dayanand Saraswati is known for highlighting the importance of education, particularly for girls and the downtrodden sector. His birth anniversary was recently observed in India.
26. What is the name of the exercise between National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF)?
[A] VIKAS
[B] TARKASH
[C] BHIM
[D] VIRAT
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [TARKASH]
Notes:
The TARKASH exercise is a joint bilateral exercise between India’s National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF).
The sixth edition of this exercise is being held in Chennai from January 16 to February 14. This is the first time that the ‘Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terror response’ is included in TARKASH.
27. Tanimbar corella, which was seen in the news, are cockatoos found exclusively in which country?
[A] India
[B] Indonesia
[C] China
[D] Argentina
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Indonesia]
Notes:
The Tanimbar corella, which is also referred to as Goffin’s cockatoo, is a type of cockatoo that is found exclusively in the forests of Yamdena, Larat, and Selaru islands in the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia.
It was later introduced to the Kai Islands, Singapore, and Puerto Rico. A new study found that Goffin’s cockatoos are capable of combining multiple tools to achieve a complex task that is only been recorded in humans and chimpanzees.
28. Which Telescope has been selected for the ‘2023 John L. Jack Swigert, Jr.’ Award for Space Exploration?
[A] James Webb Telescope
[B] Hubble Space Telescope
[C] Chandra X-ray Observatory
[D] Spitzer Space Telescope
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [James Webb Telescope]
Notes:
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team has been selected to receive the ‘2023 John L. Jack Swigert, Jr.’ Award for Space Exploration.
It is a prestigious award from the Space Foundation. This annual award honors a space agency, company, or consortium of organizations in the realm of space exploration and discovery.
29. Natalia Gavrilita stepped down from the position of Prime Minister of which country?
[A] Moldova
[B] Malta
[C] France
[D] Italy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Moldova]
Notes:
Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita stepped down from her position citing a lack of support in the country.
Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe and a former Soviet Republic. The pro-Western government had been in power for just 18 months. Moldova’s President Maia Sandu accepted Gavrilita’s resignation.
30. Which is the first European country to approve a law that grants paid menstrual leave?
[A] Sweden
[B] Spain
[C] Switzerland
[D] Finland
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Spain]
Notes:
Spain recently became the first European country to approve a law that will grant paid menstrual leave.
It is part of broader legislation that also provides increased access to abortion in public hospitals. The new Spanish legislation provides paid medical leave for women who suffer from severe period pain. It allows workers who are suffering from menstrual pain to take as much time off as required.