31. “Saad Hariri” who has stepped down as the Prime Minister-designate, of which country?
[A] Iraq
[B] Lebanon
[C] Israel
[D] Palestine
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Lebanon]
Notes:
The Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon Saad Hariri has stepped down from the post since he has failed to form a responsible government in the country for the last 8 months.
He resigned from the position, after meeting the country’s President Michel Aoun. It is said that the PM refused to accept the amendments proposed by President Michel Aoun on the latest cabinet lines proposed by the PM.
32. As per Twitter, which country made the highest number of government requests for account information for July-December 2020 period?
[A] Japan
[B] India
[C] China
[D] USA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
As per Twitter, Indian Government made the largest number of requests for account information during the July-December 2020 period.
Also, it is reported that India is the second in terms of volume of legal demands for content removal, after Japan. These details were shared by Twitter in its bi annual transparency report.
33. Amrabad Tiger Reserve, which was making news recently, is located in which state/UT?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Telangana
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Kerala
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Telangana]
Notes:
Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) is located in the state of Telangana. The Telangana Forest Department have recently identified 14 tigers in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) during the 2020-2021 annual estimation and monitoring exercise.
During the previous survey conducted in 2019-2020, 12 tigers were identified. Of the 14 tigers, five are male, seven are female and two could not be classified. Also, there might be more big cats in the reserve that are yet to be identified. Spotted deer and wild boar are found most in the reserve.
34. Viswanathan Anand won against which former world champion in the Sparkassen Trophy chess tournament at Dortmund?
[A] Magnus Carlsen
[B] Vladimir Kramnik
[C] Garry Kasparov
[D] Anatoly Karpov
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Vladimir Kramnik]
Notes:
Two world former champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik played at the finals of Sparkassen Trophy at Dortmund, during which Viswanathan Anand defeated Vladimir Kramnik to win the trophy.
Viswanathan Anand is an India chess champion, who became a grand master as early as 1988. Also, he is one of the few in the world to surpass Elo rating of 2800.
35. FIDE is the international federation of which sports/game?
[A] Football
[B] Chess
[C] Basketball
[D] Hockey
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Chess]
Notes:
Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) is the World Chess Federation, headquartered at Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded on July 20, 1924 and has as many as 195 member countries.
To commemorate the formation of FIDE, World Chess Day is celebrated on July 20, every year since 1966. The day encourages more people to play and enjoy the game of chess. Chess originated in India, moved to Persia and spread across the Southern Europe.
36. Which space agency is building a telescope named ‘SuperBIT’?
[A] ISRO
[B] NASA
[C] ESA
[D] Rocosmos
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [NASA]
Notes:
NASA and the Canadian space agency are building a telescope named the Superpressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope or SuperBIT. It is said to be the successor to the Hubble telescope.
As per recent media reports, a stadium-sized helium balloon is going to be used to lift up the telescope, which is to be sent to the upper levels of the earth’s atmosphere. It has been designed by the University of Toronto, Princeton University and Durham University in England together, in conjunction with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.
37. Which Indian state has set up India’s second village of books?
[A] Odisha
[B] Kerala
[C] Karnataka
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Kerala]
Notes:
Bhilar, a village in Maharashtra’s Satara district, was declared a ‘village of books’ by the State government in 2017.
India’s second village of books, has been set up in the small Kerala village, Perumkulam, five kilometres from the Kottarakkara town in Kollam district. A library has been started in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, to promote readers from the village to read more books.
38. The AERAI (Amendment) Bill 2021 increased the threshold of annual passenger traffic in a major airport to?
[A] 20 lakh
[B] 25 lakh
[C] 35 lakh
[D] 50 lakh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [35 lakh]
Notes:
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has approved the The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021, without any changes.
The Bill amends the term ‘major airport’ to include group of airports. It also increased the threshold of annual passenger traffic in a major airport to 35 lakh. Previously, an airport with annual traffic more than 15 lakh were called as major airports. AERA will regulate tariff and other charges for aeronautical services for major airports and also a group of airports.
39. Which institution released a Regional Report on Drowning Prevention in South-East Asia and Western Pacific?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] World Health Organisation
[C] World Bank
[D] International Monetary Fund
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [World Health Organisation]
Notes:
WHO launched its first Regional Status Report on Drowning Prevention in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions.
As per the report, nearly two-thirds of global drowning deaths occur in the Asia Pacific. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, at 7 per cent of all injury-related deaths. Low and middle-income countries account for more than 90 per cent of unintentional drowning deaths.
40. Sela Tunnel, which was in the news recently, is located in which state/UT?
[A] Sikkim
[B] Arunachal Pradesh
[C] Jammu & Kashmir
[D] Uttarakhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Arunachal Pradesh]
Notes:
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director General virtually conducted the last blast of escape tube of the Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, which is under-construction.
This blast will enable its faster completion, as per the Defence Ministry notification. The tunnel is being constructed to provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh through the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road.