31. Jacob Zuma, who was in the news recently, is the former President of which country?
[A] Brazil
[B] Cuba
[C] South Africa
[D] Chile
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [South Africa]
Notes:
Jacob Zuma was the President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. After being charged for corruption, he became the first South African president since the end of white-minority rule in 1994 to receive a prison sentence.
This arrest has triggered looting and violence in the two most populous provinces of the country, Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu-Natal. A record wave of Covid-19 infections is also grappling the country. The Current President of South Africa is Cyril Ramaphosa. Over 25,000 troops have been deployed to silence the violence.
32. The Jayanagar – Kurtha Railway link, which was seen in the news recently, connects India with which country?
[A] Nepal
[B] Bangladesh
[C] Myanmar
[D] Laos
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Nepal]
Notes:
IRCON / Indian Railway Construction Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, which is involved in engineering & construction.
The company has built the Jayanagar – Kurtha Railway between India and Nepal under the India – Nepal friendship rail project at a cost of Rs. 619 crores. The project is financed by the Government of India.
33. What is the name of the online discovery platform for the most promising start-ups of the country?
[A] Start-up India Showcase
[B] Startup India Discovery
[C] Start-up India Finder
[D] Start-up India Lens
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Start-up India Showcase]
Notes:
Startup India Showcase is an online discovery platform for the most promising startups of the country.
As per a recent data from the Union Commerce Ministry, as many as 104 startups from different sectors have been registered on the Startup India Showcase platform. In the platform, the promising start-ups, chosen through various programmes, are exhibited in the form of virtual profiles.
34. Marine Aids to Navigation Bill seeks to repeal which of the following legislations?
[A] Marine Act 1900
[B] Lighthouse Act 1927
[C] Ships Act 1936
[D] Navigation Act 1940
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Lighthouse Act 1927]
Notes:
The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill has been recently introduced in the upper house of the parliament by the Union Minister of Ports Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.
The bill seeks to repeal the colonial era legislation of the Lighthouse Act of 1927 and is aimed to strengthen the marine aids for navigation across the country.
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. Approval for what quantum of additional government spending has been sought from the Parliament, for the year 2021-22?
[A] Rs.23,675 crore
[B] Rs.15,500 crore
[C] Rs. 7,700 crore
[D] Rs. 5,500 crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Rs.23,675 crore]
Notes:
The Government of India has sought an approval from the Parliament of India, for additional spending of Rs.23,675 crore for the financial year 2021-22. Of this, Rs.17,000 crore would be for additional expenditure to be made by the Union Health Ministry.
The bill for approval of additional expenditure was tabled in the Parliament by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
37. Which is the first High Court in India, to begin live-streaming of court proceedings?
[A] Madras High Court
[B] Gujarat High Court
[C] Mumbai High Court
[D] Delhi High Court
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Gujarat High Court]
Notes:
The Gujarat High Court has become the first high court to begin live-streaming of court proceedings. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana launched the first live broadcast of the court functioning.
The Chief Justice also announced that the Supreme Court will start the live broadcast soon. This is seen as a step towards ensuring transparency and openness in the Indian judiciary. He also released the Gujarat High Court (Live Streaming of Court Proceedings) Rules, 2021.
38. 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.
39. 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.
40. 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.