1. What is the transaction limit for small value digital payments in offline mode, as of September 2023?
[A] Rs 1000
[B] Rs 500
[C] Rs 200
[D] Rs 100
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Rs 500]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced to enhance transaction limits for small value digital payments in offline mode to ₹500 from the earlier cap of ₹200.
These can be made using any channel or instruments such as cards, wallets, mobile devices in face-to-face mode only. Although the upper limit of an offline payment transaction shall be ₹500, the total limit on a payment instrument will be ₹2,000 at any point in time.
2. The ancient city of Kalhu is located in which present-day country?
[A] Greece
[B] China
[C] Iraq
[D] USA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Iraq]
Notes:
In a new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, uncovering a wealth of information about the plant life cultivated during that era.
The brick analyzed in this study was found in the palace of the Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, located in the ancient city of Kalhu, in modern day Iraq.
3. Which company has launched a new mobile application called ‘Share(dot)Market’?
[A] PhonePe
[B] Paytm
[C] BharatPe
[D] CRED
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [PhonePe]
Notes:
PhonePe has entered into stock broking business with the launch of a new mobile application called ‘Share(dot)Market’, under its subsidiary PhonePe Wealth Broking.
It provides market intelligence and quantitative research-based WealthBaskets, a scalable technology platform. It will be available as a mobile app and a dedicated web platform, enabling retail investors to buy stocks, engage in intra-day trades, buy curated WealthBaskets and mutual funds.
4. The DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) has entered into a collaboration with which Indian state?
[A] Kerala
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Odisha
[D] Goa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Maharashtra]
Notes:
The DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) has entered into a collaboration with the Government of the State of Maharashtra, after a MoU was signed as part of the prestigious Shree Shiv Chhatarapati Awards ceremony in Pune, India.
The MoU lays out three core elements to support the advancement of football within the state of Maharashtra: improving the technical and sporting expertise at all levels within clubs, associations, colleges and schools; strengthening football structures across the Indian subcontinent; and specifically supporting the progression of football within the Maharashtra district.
5. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned 3.32 crore grant for safe public transport travel in which city?
[A] Chennai
[B] Hyderabad
[C] Pune
[D] Mysuru
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Hyderabad]
Notes:
A team of technology experts of BITS Hyderabad, IIT Mumbai and IIT Kharagpur, has won Asian Development Bank’s grant of USD 3.99 lakh (₹3.32 crore) to develop TUTEM.
TUTEM stands for Technologies for Urban Transit to Enhance Mobility and Safe Accessibility. It aims for safe public transport travel in Hyderabad.
6. Nilachal Flyover, which was seen in the news, is located in which state?
[A] Assam
[B] Sikkim
[C] Arunachal Pradesh
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Assam]
Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the State’s longest flyover, named Nilachal Flyover after the Nilachal Hills near which it stands.
It measures a total of 2.63 kilometres and starting from Maligaon Chariali to Kamakhya Gate in Guwahati. The flyover was built at a cost of ₹420.75 crore.
7. Which was the wettest town in the country, during August 2023?
[A] Rishikesh
[B] Cherrapunji
[C] Haridwar
[D] Mawsynram
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Rishikesh]
Notes:
For most of August 2023, Rishikesh in Uttarakhand held the record as the wettest town in the country.
Between August 1 and August 25 the town received 1,901 millimetres of rainfall, according to Typhoon Research Centre of Jeju National University in South Korea. During the same period, the two wettest places in India and the world, Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, received 1,876.3 mm and 1,464 mm rainfall respectively.
8. Which space agency helps India in tracking the Solar mission Aditya-L1?
[A] NASA
[B] ESA
[C] JAXA
[D] ROCOSMOS
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ESA]
Notes:
The European Space Agency (ESA) is helping India in tracking the Solar mission Aditya-L1.
It is offering deep space communication services and assisting with the validation of new flight dynamics software developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
9. Which city is the host of ‘International Aerospace Conference’?
[A] Pune
[B] Gwalior
[C] Bengaluru
[D] Hyderabad
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Gwalior]
Notes:
‘International Aerospace Conference: Moving Towards Inclusive Global Value Chains’ was jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
It is a G20 initiative in the aerospace sector under G20 and B20 priority, focusing on developing inclusive global value chains for Global trade and Investment and aims to promote and strengthen trade and investment among the G20 countries.
10. Tharosaurus indicus, dinosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic period, was recently discovered in which region?
[A] Deccan Plateu, India
[B] Thar Desert, India
[C] Gobi Desert, China
[D] Indus Valley, Pakistan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Thar Desert, India]
Notes:
Recently, scientists from IIT Roorkee made a discovery by characterizing dinosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic period, unearthed in the Thar Desert near the Jaisalmer Basin, by the Geological Survey of India. The fossils belong to a species known as Tharosaurus indicus, a member of the Dicraeosauridae family within the superfamily Diplodocoidea. These fossils represent the first dicraeosaurid sauropods ever found in India and are approximately 167 million years old, making them the world’s oldest known diplodocoid fossils.
The scientists coined the name Tharosaurus indicus, drawing from “Tharo” (referring to the Thar desert), “sauros” (Greek for lizard), and “indicus” (indicating its Indian origin). These dinos were distinct within their family, characterized by smaller size and shorter necks and tails compared to their long-necked sauropod counterparts. Sauropods originated during the Jurassic period around 200 million years ago and were a dominant group of dinosaurs, surviving until the late Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs met their demise. While dicraeosaurid fossils have been found in other parts of the world, this discovery sheds new light on prehistoric India’s biodiversity.