Daily Current Affairs & GK Quiz: 28 January 2014

1) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 28 January 2014 decided to increase the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility by 25 basis points. What is the present repo rate?

(A) 7.25%

(B) 8%

(C) 7.50%

(D) 8.25%

2) Which pigment gives plants and leaves their green colour?

(A)Betalain

(B)Chlorophyll

(C)Carotenoid

(D)Anthocyanin

3) Which country became the first country in South Asia to ban the testing of cosmetics and its ingredients on animals on 28 Jan 2014?

(A) Japan

(B) China

(C) Nepal

(D) India

4) Name the American folk singer, activist & Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner who passed away on 27 Jan 2014?

(A) Pete Seeger

(B) Sebastian Iguno

(C) Peter Parker

(D) Louis Peter

 

5) Which mythological weapon is depicted on the Param Vir Chakra medal?

(A)Vajra

(B)Khatvanga

(C)Sudarshan Chakra

(D)Kaumodaki

6) Name the cabinet minister of Social Justice and Empowerment ministry who resigned on 28 January 2014 from union cabinet?

(A) Jayanti Natarajan

(B) Jayaram Ramesh

(C) Kumari Selja

(D) Sachin Pilot

7) Who was popularly known as the 'Iron Man of India'?

(A)Bhagat Singh

(B)Chandrashekhar Azad

(C)Veer Savarkar

(D)Vallabhbhai Patel

8) Name the high performance computing system of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which was unveiled on 28 January 2014?

(A) Yuva-2

(B) Dhruva-3

(C) Anurag-3

(D) Saral-2

9)  To put out the fire, which gas is released by Fire Extinguishers?

(A)Oxygen

(B)Hydrogen

(C)Carbon dioxide

(D)Carbon monoxide

10)  Mykola Azarov who resigned on 28 January 2014 in order to facilitate peaceful settlement of the political crisis was the Prime Minister of which country?

(A) Libya

(B) Ukraine

(C) Egypt

(D) Tunisia

  

Answers

1) Ans. (B) 8%

2) Ans. (B) Chlorophyll

3) Ans. (D) India

4) Ans. (A) Pete Seeger

5) Ans. (A)Vajra

6) Ans. (C) Kumari Selja

7) Ans. (D)Vallabhbhai Patel

8) Ans. (B) Dhruva-3

9) Ans. (C)Carbon dioxide

10) Ans. (B) Ukraine

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Current Affairs Quiz for exams: 26 & 27 January 2014

1) Who among the following won the Australian Open 2014 men's singles title on 26 Jan 2014?

(A) Roger Federer

(B) Stanislas Wawrinka

(C) Rafael Nadal

(D) Andy Murray

 2) 4th National Voters Day was observed across the country on January 25th. What was the theme for the day this year?

(A) Vote for Democracy

(B) Inclusion

(B) Greater Participation for a Stronger Democracy

(D) Ethical Voting

3) Which among the following day was observed across the world on January 26th?

(A) World Leprosy Day

(B) World Literacy Day

(C) World Literature Day

(D) World Laughter Day

4) Which city on 25 January 2014 became the first in India to offer free Wi-Fi spots for the public?

(A) Chennai

(B) Kolkata

(C) Bangalore

(D) Mumbai

5) After the third one-day international (ODI) of the India-New Zealand series at Auckland on 25 January 2014 ended in a nail-biting tie, MS Dhoni created history by becoming the ............ ODI captain to have participated in four tied matches?

(A) First

(B) Second

(C) Third

(D) Fourth

6)  Karl Slym, who passed away on 26 January 2014 in Bangkok, was the Managing Director associated with which Indian automobile company?

(A) Ashok Leyland

(B) Hero MotoCorp

(C) Tata Motors

(D) Hindustan motors

7) Who won the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold badminton crown ( event held in  Lucknow) on 26 January 2014?

(A) PV Sindhu

(B) Saina Nehwal

(C) Ashwani Ponappa

(D) Jwala Gutta

8) India languishes at ......th place out of 178 countries globally in 'Environment Performance Index 2014 released recently in Jan 2014?

(A) 177

(B) 150

(C) 164

(D) 155

9) Civil Aviation Ministry removed restrictions on operations of Airbus A-380 in India on 27 January 2014. This large aircraft is now allowed to operate in how many  airports equipped to handle them?

(A) Four

(B) Five

(C) Two

(D) Seven

10) National Innovation Council (NInC) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) come together to set up 'India Inclusive Innovation Fund' (IIIF) on 27 Jan 2014. Who is the minister in charge of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)?

(A) V Narayanaswamy

(B) Kumari Shelja

(C) K.H. Muniyappa

(D) Gulam Nazbi Azad

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Daily Current Affairs: 31 January 2014

1) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna resigned:  Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna resigned from his post on Friday. Addressing the press, Bahuguna said he has submitted his resignation to the state Governor. He added he was merely following the wishes of his party. Union Minister Harish Rawat and state minister Pritam Singh have emerged as the frontrunners for the top job in the hilly state. The decision to replace Bahuguna was taken at a meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had with senior party leaders on Thursday.

2) Diesel price hiked by 50 paise; non-domestic LPG cut by Rs 107: Oil companies have increased diesel price by 57 paise a litre but cut non-subsidised cooking gas rate by Rs 107 per cylinder from Saturday.

3) German President to begin 5-day India visit on Feb 4: German President Joachim Gauck will arrive in New Delhi on February 4 on a five-day State visit during which he will focus on the vast spectrum of bilateral relations. The President will be accompanied by a high-ranking delegation comprising, among others, representatives of the German cabinet, Parliament and business, a release from the External Affairs Ministry said. Germany continues to be India's largest trading partner in Europe.

4) Music Director and Singer Bappi Lahiri joined BJP: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, famous music director and singer Bappi Lahiri joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. Party president Rajnath Singh welcomed Lahiri's decision of joining BJP. 

5) Web portal on Gandhi's life launched:  A first of its kind web portal, "Mahatma Gandhi for children", was launched last evening as a tribute to the Father of the Nation on his 66th death anniversary. The portal was launched by the advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations and Chairman of the National Innovation Council Sam Pitroda during a Twitter conference, said a press release. The portal - "Search for Gandhi" targets children from the age of 6 to 15 years and is available in English as well as Hindi. The portal is available at www.Searchforgandhi.In.

6) Rajasthan joined Delhi in banning FDI in retail: Following Delhi, Rajasthan has scrapped the decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retailing, evoking sharp criticism from the Commerce Minister, who said “states cannot retract unilaterally on such commitments.”

7) Satya Nadella likely to be next Microsoft CEO: Report- Senior Microsoft executive Satya Nadella would replace Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO, two media reports said, citing sources familiar with the processes of selecting the new leader at the Redmond-based company. Satya Nadella was born in Hyderabad and had completed his engineering from Manipal University before heading to the US for higher studies. Currently, Satya Nadella is the president of server & tools business at Microsoft. He landed his current assignment in 2011.

8)  India lost the fifth and final one-day against New Zealand: A listless Indian cricket team slumped to its worst ODI series defeat in New Zealand, going down 0-4, after the Black Caps hammered them by 87 runs in the inconsequential fifth and final one-dayer  played at Wellington.India also lost the No.1 rankings in ODI.

9) Saina rises to No. 7, Sindhu back in top-10: Following her win at the India Grand Prix Gold on Sunday, Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal jumped two places to No. 7 in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women's singles rankings released on Thursday. The runner-up of the Lucknow event PV Sindhu entered the top-10 for the second time in her career with her spot at 10th.

10) Department of Posts released commemorative stamp on International Year of Crystallography: The Department of Posts has brought out a commemorative stamp on International Year of Crystallography 2014 (IYCr2014) to acknowledge the contribution of crystallographers in every sphere of life and provide impetus to young scientists to study the subject.

11) Janet Yellen to be sworn in as Fed chief on Feb 3: Federal Reserve’s key monetary policy making panel, the Federal Open Market Committee, officially chose incoming Fed chief Janet Yellen as its chair. She is scheduled to be sworn in as the new chair of the Fed overall on February 3.

12) Sachin & Prof C N R Rao to get Bharat Ratna on February 4: President Pranab Mukherjee will confer cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao with Bharat Ratna on February 4 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

13) India became third largest crude oil importer in the World: India overtook Japan to become the third largest crude oil importer in the World. As per the data released by Reuters on 30 January 2014, India imported 3.86 million barrels-per-day of crude oil in the year 2013.

14) Dhoni is 4th fastest batsman to score 8000 runs in ODIs: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today became the fourth fastest batsman to complete 8,000 runs in one-day cricket during the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand in Wellington.

15) Mumbai police chief quits, likely joining politics: Mumbai Police Commissioner, Satyapal Singh, tendered his resignation to the State Home Department on Thursday and plans to explore a career in politics.

16) Jayawardene becomes sixth-highest scorer in Test cricket: Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene has become the sixth-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket with his unbeaten double-century on the third day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

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Daily Current Affairs: 30 January 2014

1) Govt Hiked Subsidised LPG Cylinder Quota to 12 per Year & Aadhaar Link Put on Hold : Bowing to party pressure, the government on Thursday raised the quota of subsidised LPG to 12 cylinders per household in a year from nine at present and also put on hold paying users the subsidy into bank accounts using Aadhaar platform. Announcing the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said raising the LPG quota will cost Rs 5,000 crore in additional subsidy annually. Moily also said the direct benefit transfer for LPG (DBTL) scheme, where consumers in as many as get 289 districts in 18 states got the subsidy amount in their bank accounts so that they could buy cooking gas at market rate, has been put on hold.

2) Nation paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 66th death anniversary: The nation on Thursday paid homage to Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on his 66th death anniversary. Prominent leaders from various political parties and other dignitaries paid floral tributes at his Samadhi at Rajghat in the national capital. A series of functions were organized throughout the country to mark the occasion. India observes Gandhi's death anniversary as Martyrs' Day in the memory of its freedom fighters.

3) New PAN allotment norms put on hold; old procedure to continue: New norms for issuing of PAN (Permanent Account Number) cards have been put on hold by the Finance Ministry. They would have come into force from February 3 and required verification of original documents of applicants. Currently, a PAN applicant has to just submit photo copies of documents required. The originals are not checked. The statement, however, did not give reasons for keeping the proposed norms on hold.

4) Fixed 2-year tenure for IAS, IPS, IFoS officers: Officers of the three premier services - IAS, IPS and IFoS - will now spend a minimum of two years at each posting and any exception in the form of transfers or new appointments will only be done upon the recommendation of a civil services board, according to new rules aimed at checking political interference.

5)  Google to sell Motorola phone business to Lenovo for $2.9 billion:  Google is selling Motorola's smartphone business to Lenovo for $2.9 billion, a price that makes Google's biggest acquisition look like its most expensive mistake. The deal announced on Wednesday will rid Google Inc. of a financial headache that has plagued the internet company since buying Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion in 2012. Motorola has lost nearly $2 billion since Google took over, while trimming its workforce from 20,000 to 3,800.

6) Andhra Pradesh Legislature rejected Telangana Bill: Both Houses of the Andhra Pradesh Legislature rejected the AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013 by a controversial voice vote on Thursday. All eyes will now be on the President and how the Union Government goes about getting Parliamentary consent.

7) India’s first monorail to run from Sunday:  Come Sunday and India’s first monorail will be thrown open to the public, eight years after it was first proposed. With the Maharashtra government now keen on unveiling key projects before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the monorail will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday. With this, India will join countries like the U.S., Germany, China, Japan, Australia and Malaysia that run monorails.

8) Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP decides to contest over 350 Lok Sabha seats: The Aam Aadmi Party announced it would contest more than 350 Lok Sabha seats and vowed to take on tainted candidates and political leaders.

9) Kiwi Kathy Cross is first woman in ICC umpire's panel: New Zealand's Kathy Cross on Thursday became the first woman to be inducted in an ICC umpires' panel when she was named as an Associate and Affiliate International official following the annual review and selection process.

10) Anand Kumar, the founder of Super30 got Ramanujan Mathematics award: Anand Kumar, a mathematician and founder of Super30 classes was conferred with the 2014 Ramanujan Mathematics Award in Rajkot on 27 January 2014.

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Current Affairs & GK Quiz: 25 January 2014

1) How many persons have been conferred with India’s second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan for 2014 on 25 January 2014?

(A) 2

(B) 4

(C) 1

(D) 3

2) Speed of sound is maximum in which among the following?

(A)Solids

(B)Gases

(C)Liquids

(D)Vacuum

3) Election Commission of India celebrated the 4th National Voters Day across the country on which day of January recently?

(A) January 23

(B) January 21

(C) January 25

(D) January 26

4) Which among the following is Southern Most point of India?

(A)Kanyakumari

(B)Nicobar Island

(C)Indira Point

(D)Tamil Nadu

5) Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau lost in the final of Australian Open mixed doubles 2014 on 25 Jan 14. Sania had lifted Australian Open mixed doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi in which year?

(A) 2009

(B) 2010

(C) 2011

(D) 2012

6) Which among the following is a common salt in Detergents?

(A) Sulphate

(B) Nitrate

(C) Sulphonate

(D) Carbonate

7) The nationalization of Banks in India took place in 1969 by ____?

(A)An Act of Parliament of India

(B)An Ordinance Promulgated by President of India

(C)An amendment of Constitution of India

(D)A Notification by Government of India

8) Who among the following won the Australian Open 2014 women’s singles title on 25 January 2014?

(A) Serena Williams

(B) Victoria Azarenka

(C) Dominika Cibulkova

(D) Li Na

9) Which among the following is oldest living language of India?

(A)Bengali

(B)Tamil

(C)Gujrati

(D)Marathi

10) Who among the following sports person has been awarded the Padma Bhushan 2014 by Union Government on 25 Jan 2014?

(A) Yuvraj Singh

(B) Leander Paes

(C) Sachin Tendulkar

(D) Dipika Pallikkal

Answers

1) Ans. (A) 2 (B.K.S. Iyengar, the renowned Yoga guru and R.A. Mashelkar, former chief of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

2) Ans. (A)Solids

3) Ans. (C) January 25

4) Ans. (C)Indira Point

5) Ans. (A) 2009

6) Ans. (A) Sulphate

7) Ans. (B)An Ordinance Promulgated by President of India

8) Ans. (D) Li Na

9) Ans. (B)Tamil

10) Ans. (B) Leander

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Daily Current Affairs updates: 29 January 2014

1) India (Goa) emerged overall champions in the 3rd Lusofonia Games 2014: India (Goa) emerges overall champions with a rich haul of 92 medals (37 Gold, 27 Silver and 28 Bronze) in the 3rd Lusofonia Games 2014 held in Goa.  Portugal and Macau (China) finished second and third respectively in this edition of the Portuguese Commonwealth Games that featured 12 countries.

2) Beating Retreat Marks End of R-Day Celebrations: Soul-stirring martial tunes and foot-tapping drumbeats on Wednesday reverberated as bands played near the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan lit by thousands of bulbs during Beating the Retreat event, marking the end of the Republic Day celebrations. 'Beating the Retreat' has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded. The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands.

3) Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize: A former Norwegian minister nominated fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prizeon Wednesday in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

4) U.P. government launched Samajwadi pension scheme: Uttar Pradesh government launched Samajwadi pension scheme on 28 January 2014. The scheme will benefit over 40 lakh families. Under the scheme pension from 500 rupees to 700 rupees will be given to beneficiaries.

5) BCCI to assume Central Leadership responsibility in ICC: The International Cricket Council, ICC Board has strongly backed the principles related to future structure, governance and financial models of the apex cricket body of the world.

6)  India ranks at the bottom in terms of Intellectual Property: Despite the current decade being called India’s ‘decade of innovation’, the country has ranked at the bottom of the list of 25 countries in terms of its intellectual property (IP) environment.

7) Google is best company to work for: Fortune- For the fifth consecutive year, Internet search giant Google has been named as the best company to work for by Fortune  Magazine.

8) BJP to launch `Ek Note, Kamal Par Vote` campaign in Delhi: BJP`s Delhi unit will on Monday launch the "Ek Note, Kamal Par Vote" campaign for collecting voluntary contributions from public ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

9) Mohammed Azharuddin to contest Lok Sabha polls from West Bengal: Former India captain and current Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Azharuddin, in all likelihood, would contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from a constituency in West Bengal.

10) Om Prakash Singh takes over as ADG in CISF: Senior IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh Om Prakash Singh has been appointed as the chief of the airport sector of the CISF security at the country`s civil air terminals.

11) Bhutan lifts ban on furniture, alcohol import from India: Bhutan has decided to lift a ban on import of furniture and alcohol from India, saying the restrictions did not serve their intended purpose. The decision to reverse the ban, which was imposed in 2012 in the wake of global financial crisis, was taken during a cabinet meeting in Thimphu this week.

12) National Waqf Development Corp. Limited inaugurated by PM: Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India on 29 January 2014 inaugurated National Waqf Development Corporation Limited (NAWADCO) that is a new Central Public Sector Enterprise in New Delhi.

13) Bharti Airtel has appointed Manoj Kohli as MD: Bharti Airtel has appointed Manoj Kohli as MD of Bharti Enterprises of all non-telecom businesses of the group retail insurance, food and agriculture, realty and other businesses of the group. Currently he is the MD &CEO (International) of Bharti Airtel.

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General Knowledge & Current Affairs Quiz: 24 January 2014

1) National Girl Child Day was observed across the nation on 24 Jan 2014. It commemorates the day when Indira Gandhi was sworn in as the first woman prime minister of the country on January 24 in which year?

(A) 1965

(B) 1966

(C) 1971

(D) 1975

2) Which one of the following is the first National Park of India?

(A)Jim Corbett National Park

(B)Bandipur National Park

(C)Kanha National Park

(D)Sariska National Park

3) Which among the following bank has strengthened its social media presence with the launch of its Youtube channel on 24 January 2014?

(A) ICICI Bank

(B) Bharatiya Mahila Bank

(C) Indian overseas Bank

(D) State Bank of India

4) On 6th April 1909, who became the first person to reach the North Pole?

(A)Richard E. Byrd

(B)Robert Edwin Peary

(C)Roald Amundsen

(D)Lincoln Ellsworth

5) Hockey India on 24 January 2014 unveiled the charismatic trophy & Mascot ‘Gaurav’ meaning Pride of Hero Hockey India League in New Delhi. This is the ...... edition of HIL?

(A) First

(B) Second

(C) Third

(D) Fourth

6) Top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci  beat Russia's Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-4 3-6 7-5 to retain the Australian Open women's doubles title 2014. They are from which country?

(A) Russia

(B) Australia

(C) France

(D) Italy

7)  Rafael Nadal on 24 Jan 2014 entered the finals of Australian Open 2014 beating which player in the semi finals?

(A) Andy Murray

(B) Novak Djokovic

(C) Roger Federer

(D) Juan Martin Del Potro

8)  Micromax, India’s leading and world’s 11th largest handset maker on 23 Jan 2014 launched its operations in which among the following countries?

(A) Australia

(B) China

(C) Russia

(D) South Africa

9)  India and which country on 24 January 2014 launched the Year of Friendly Exchanges at a colourful Republic Day reception in New Delhi attended by Vice President Li Yuanchao of that country?

(A) China

(B) South Korea

(C) Japan

(D) Indonesia

10) Which of the following is also known as “ Silicon valley of India”?

(A)Hyderabad

(B)Bangalore

(C)Chennai

(D)Noida

Answers

1) Ans. (B) 1966

2) Ans. (A)Jim Corbett National Park

3) Ans. (D) State Bank of India

4) Ans. (B)Robert Edwin Peary

5) Ans. (B) Second

6) Ans. (D) Italy

7) Ans. (C) Roger Federer

8) Ans. (C) Russia

9) Ans. (A) China

10) Ans. (B)Bangalore

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