11. Which day is celebrated in the month of May, to observe and create awareness on a blood-related disorder?
[A]
World Anaemia Day
[B] World Haemophilia Day
[C] World Thalassaemia Day
[D] World Leukaemia Day
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [World Thalassaemia Day]
Notes:
The World Thalassaemia Day is observed every year across the world on May 8. It is observed with an aim of creating awareness about a blood disorder called Thalassaemia.
Thalassaemia is a genetic blood disorder that affects the production of haemoglobin. Lesser red blood cells and low haemoglobin are the effects of this disorder. This year the theme is “The dawning of a new era for thalassaemia: Time for a global effort to make novel therapies accessible and affordable to patients”.
12. Humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) outreach, that was seen in news recently, is a diplomatic initiative of which Armed Force of India?
[A] Indian Air Force
[B] Indian Coast Guard
[C] Indian Army
[D] Indian Navy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Indian Navy]
Notes:
As a part of the humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) outreach of the Indian Navy, the armed force has deployed five of its biggest amphibious warfare vessels on a mission to provide essential supplies to friendly Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries.
Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari, INS Jalashwa, INS Magar, INS Airawat and INS Shardul are deployed in the operations. On their return journey some of them will bring back the stranded Indian nationals in those countries.
13. ‘Read along’, that was in news recently, is an application of which multi-national company?
[A] Microsoft
[B] Amazon
[C] Google
[D] Facebook
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Google]
Notes:
Global Information Technology giant Google has recently announced the launch of its mobile application ‘Read Along’ in over 180 countries and in 9 languages.
The application was initially launched in India in the name of ‘Bolo’ along with an in-app reading buddy named Diya. The Read Along app uses Google’s speech recognition technology to develop reading skills of young children along the globe.
14. Which is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers?
[A] Sundarbans Mangrove forest
[B] Florida Mangroves
[C] Bahia Mangroves
[D] Chitwan and Bardia National Park
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Sundarbans Mangrove forest]
Notes:
The Sunderbans delta, which is spread over India and Bangladesh, is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.
According to the latest estimation conducted by the West Bengal Forest Department, the count of tigers has increased by 8 in 2019-20 to 96, from 88 in the previous year. The increase was significant as this is the biggest annual jump ever reported from the Sundarbans, which is a world heritage site and a Ramsar site.
15. What is the theme of the World Migratory Bird Day 2020 observed on May 9?
[A] Love the Birds
[B] Birds Connect Our World
[C] Birds transcend the Globe
[D] Birds are precious
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Birds Connect Our World]
Notes:
The World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on May 9 every year, across the world. The theme of the World Migratory Bird Day 2020 is ‘Birds Connect Our World’.
The day is celebrated to raise awareness about conservation and ecological importance of migratory birds in the global ecosystem. The day was first introduced in the year 2006 and since then several awareness events and bird watching events for bird enthusiasts will be conducted on the day.
16. The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) announced a research collaboration with which company to develop a vaccine for Covid-19?
[A] Bharat Biotech International Ltd
[B] Biocon
[C] Serum Institute of India
[D] Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Bharat Biotech International Ltd]
Notes:
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) recently announced a research collaboration with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
The virus stains that had been isolated at the National Institute of Virology, Pune (an ICMR institute), have been transferred to the Biotech firm. The ICMR and BBIL will seek approvals to speed-up vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the indigenous vaccine.
17. As per the recent data released by the Registrar General of India in its SRS bulletin, which state has the worst infant mortality rate in the country?
[A] Bihar
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Madhya Pradesh
[D] Haryana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Madhya Pradesh]
Notes:
According to the data released by the Registrar General of India in its Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin based on data collected for 2018, the infant mortality rate was found to be 32 per thousand of the population. The national birth rate and death rate stood at 20 and 6.2 respectively.
Madhya Pradesh has worst infant mortality rate in the country with 48 per thousand while Nagaland has the best IMR (4). Bihar continues to top the birth rate list with Andaman and Nicobar Islands at the bottom. Chhattisgarh has the highest death rate, while Delhi has the lowest.
18. Which Indian state witnessed the death of as many as 13000 pigs due to the outbreak of African swine fever (AFS)?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Assam
[C] West Bengal
[D] Bihar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Assam]
Notes:
Due to the outbreak of African swine fever (AFS), more than 13,000 pigs have died in the last few days in nine districts of Assam. The officials have dug a two km long canal inside Agoratoli range to prevent wild boars from going to nearby villages and domestic pigs from entering.
According to a 2019 census, the pig population in the state was 21 lakhs which has become 30 lakhs now. This outbreak has affected the livelihood of hundreds of people involved in the animal husbandry.
19. Who is the first Indian to win the Fed Cup Heart Award for Asia/Oceania zone?
[A] Leander Paes
[B] Sania Mirza
[C] Rohan Bopanna
[D] Prajnesh Gunneswaran
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sania Mirza]
Notes:
Tennis star Sania Mirza became the first Indian to win the Fed Cup Heart Award for Asia/Oceania zone. The Fed Cup Heart Award winners were determined through online voting by fans, starting from May 1.
She has been nominated for her successful return post motherhood. She secured more than 10,000 votes out of the total 16,985 cast for the nominees of this year. The Fed Cup Heart Award is an International Tennis Federation (ITF) initiative that was established in 2009 to recognise the Fed Cup players for their distinction, courage and commitment.
20. The TVS group and the Sundaram Medical Foundation collaborated with which institution to develop a respiratory device called ‘The Sundaram Ventago’?
[A] AIIMS
[B] IISC
[C] IIT-Madras
[D] IIT-Guwahati
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [IIT-Madras]
Notes:
The TVS group and the Sundaram Medical Foundation collaborated with IIT-Madras to develop an affordable and automated respiratory assist device called The Sundaram Ventago.
This device has been developed in collaboration with hospitals like Madras Medical College and Kauvery Hospital along with guidance from institutions like MIT-Boston. The device uses automated squeezing of a self-inflating bag or AMBU bag to provide respiratory support to patients.