1. Who has been chosen for the prestigious J.C. Daniel Award for 2017?
[A] Satyan Anthikkad
[B] K.G. George
[C] Sreekumaran Thampi
[D] Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Sreekumaran Thampi]
Notes:
Sreekumaran Thampi, the renowned Lyricist and director, has been chosen for the prestigious J.C. Daniel Award for 2017 in recognition of his sterling contributions to the Malayalam film industry. The J.C. Daniel Award, which is Kerala’s highest award in Malayalam cinema, will be presented to Thampi at the upcoming Kerala State Film Awards distribution function in Kollam. The J.C. Daniel Award, conferred by the state government annually in recognition to an individual’s contributions to Malayalam cinema, carries a purse of Rs 5 lakh, a plaque, and a citation.
2. Who will lead the Indian delegation in the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS – 2018)?
[A] Narendra Modi
[B] Sushma Swaraj
[C] Nirmala Sitharaman
[D] Ajit Doval
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Nirmala Sitharaman]
Notes:
The 7th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS – 2018) will be held in Moscow, Russia from April 4. The 2-day conference will be focused on the defeat of terrorists in Syria. The Indian delegation will be led by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. This will be her first visit to Russia in her capacity as the Defence Minister. During her 3-day tour, she will meet her Russian counterpart Army General Sergei Shoigu and other senior leaders. The visit will provide an opportunity to reinforce the traditional warm and friendly relations that exist between the two countries with particular reference to military technical cooperation.
3. Who has been adjudged ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ at the Telangana Sports Journalists Association annual awards for 2017?
[A] Sania Mirza
[B] Kidambi Srikanth
[C] P V Sindhu
[D] Mithali Raj
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Mithali Raj]
Notes:
Mithali Raj, Indian women’s cricket team captain, has been adjudged ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ at the Telangana Sports Journalists Association annual awards for 2017 in Hyderabad on March 31, 2018. Beside her, Ace shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and P V Sindhu bagged the best senior male and female athletes. Former Indian cricketer V V S Laxman presented ‘best coach of the year’ award to Gopichand, who received this award for the second time in a row. Triple Olympian and former national Hockey player N Mukesh Kumar was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the event.
4. Who is the newly elected president of Badminton Association of India (BAI)?
[A] Devender Singh
[B] Ajay Singhania
[C] Himanta Biswa Sarma
[D] Anbumani Ramadoss
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Himanta Biswa Sarma]
Notes:
Himanta Biswa Sarma, a cabinet ranked minister and convener of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), has been elected as the new president of Badminton Association of India (BAI) unopposed during the federation’s annual general body meeting and election in Goa on April 3, 2018. He will serve as the president for a term of four years. Sarma took over as the interim president of BAI last year after the demise of former president Akhilesh Das Gupta.
5. Steven Bochco, the noted writer has passed away. He belonged to which country?
[A] Brazil
[B] Chile
[C] South Africa
[D] United States
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [United States]
Notes:
Steven Bochco (74), the noted television producer and writer, has passed away in Los Angeles, California on April 1, 2018. He was known for creating the groundbreaking police drama ‘Hill Street Blues’.
6. The joint anti-piracy, search and rescue exercise ‘Sahyog – Hyeoblyeog 2018’ was held between India and which country?
[A] Japan
[B] South Korea
[C] South Africa
[D] Brazil
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [South Korea]
Notes:
Indo-Korean joint anti-piracy, search and rescue exercise ‘Sahyog-Hyeoblyeog 2018’ was conducted off the Chennai coast, in Tamil Nadu on April 6. The Korean Coast Guard ship ‘BADARO’ took part in the exercise. Indian Coast Guard deployed a Dornier aircraft to carry out sea-air coordinated search along with ICG Shaurya, Rani Abbakka, C-423, C-431 in the exercise. Director General of Indian Coast Guard Rajendra Singh and Commissioner of Korean Coast Guard General Park Kyung reviewed the exercise. The mission of the joint exercise is to develop working level co-operation and enhance inter-operability in the fields of maritime search and rescue, anti-piracy operations.
7. The joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Chakravath 2018’ is organised by the Indian Navy in coordination with which state government?
[A] Kerala
[B] Odisha
[C] Tamil Nadu
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Kerala]
Notes:
The joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Chakravath 2018’ is organised by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Kerala government at Kochi Airport. The exercise is conducted by the Southern Naval Command from April 5 to 8. The highlight of the 4-day disaster management exercise is Skill Demo, which was conducted in the Mattancherry Channel off the BTP Jetty. The skill demo showcased the capabilities and prowess of the Armed Forces, as well as all state agencies, in tackling an emergency using all available resource.
8. What is the theme of the 55th edition of National Maritime Day (NMD-2018)?
[A] Connecting India through Shipping
[B] Indian Coast Line – A New opportunity
[C] Blue Economy
[D] Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity]
Notes:
The National Maritime Day (NMD) is celebrated every year in India on 5th April since 1964 to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian –owned ship “SS Loyalty” sailed from Bombay to London on 5th April 1919. This was a crucial step for Indian shipping history when sea routes were controlled by the British. The theme of the 55th edition of the NMD 2018 is ‘Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity’. The United Nations’ World Maritime Day (WMD) is observed every year on September 29 to highlight the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment.
9. What is the theme of the 2018 World Health Day (WHD)?
[A] Ageing and Health
[B] Good health adds life to years
[C] Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere
[D] Move for health
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere]
Notes:
The World Health Day (WHD) is observed every year on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of World Health Organization (WHO) and to spread awareness about health and well being. As this year (2018) is WHO’s 70th Anniversary year too, the organization has appealed the world leaders to live up to the pledges they made and agreed to in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2015 and for taking concrete actions to progress towards Health For All. The 2018 theme “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere” is an indication that nations around the world are aspiring to provide higher accessibility of healthcare to their citizens.
10. Who has been appointed the whole-time member of market regulator SEBI?
[A] Sanjeev Kaushik
[B] PK Barua
[C] SK Mohanty
[D] Ananta Nagpal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [SK Mohanty]
Notes:
Santosh Kumar Mohanty has been appointed a whole-time member of market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of three years. At present Executive Director in SEBI. Prior to this assignment, he was serving as Director in the erstwhile commodity market regulator Forward Markets Commission. An officer from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Mohanty has earlier served in the Income Tax Department in various capacities in Kolkata, Nagpur and Mumbai.