General Knowledge Quiz: 29 January 2015

1) Planning Comission of India came into existence in which year? - 1950 (Now it has been revamped as NITI Aayog from January 2015). 

2) When were the fundamental duties incorporated in the Constitution? - 1976

3) Second Five Year plan gave priority to? - Heavy Industries

4) How many items are there in the Union List? - 99

5) How much of India's total geographical area is forest land? - 23%

6) What is "God Save the Queen/King"? - Name of British National Anthem

7) When was 'Jana Gana Mana' first sung? - Second day of the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911.

8) First oil refinery in India was set up at? - Digboi

9) India switched over to the decimal currency system in which year? - 1957

10) Biosphere reserve of India Nanda Devi is located in which state? - Uttarakhand

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Download IB ACIO-II Exam (22 February 2015) Admit Card/Call Letter

Friends.. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has activated the facility to download admit card of its Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade-II/EXE Examination-2014. The exam is scheduled to be held on 22 February 2015 (Sunday) between 11 AM to 1 PM. You can download the Admit Card from the below link by entering your Registration Number and Password. In case you forgot your Registration No, you can check your registered e-mail id, where an e-mail at the time of registration bearing Reg No was delivered. Password will be by default first three letters of your name followed by date of birth. (Eg: MHA29012015). All the best.

Download Admit Card: Click Here

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Current Affairs Questions: 28 January 2015

1) India on 26 January 2015 celebrated its 66th Republic Day. Who among the following was the Chief Guest at this year's Republic Day Parade?

(A) Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand

(B) King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk,  Bhutan

(C) Shinzo Abe, Japan

(D) Barack Obama, United States

2) Paulina Vega who was crowned Miss Universe recently is from which country?

(A) Venezuela

(B) South Africa

(C) Colombia

(D) Ukraine

3) Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, the two army personnel who laid down their lives combating militants in Kashmir Valley, were on 26 January 2015 awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously. Ashok Chakra is awarded as a?

(A) Wartime Gallantry Award

(B) Peacetime Gallantry Award

(C) Wartime distinguished service medal

(C) None of these

4) Government on 26 January 2015 appointed whom as special director with Intelligence Bureau?

(A) Durga Prasad

(B) DP Sinha

(C) R.K. Upadhyay

(D) Syed Asif Ibrahim

5) Who among the following is not a Padma Vibhushan awardee this year?

(A) Sanjay Leela Bhansali

(B) L. K. Advani

(C) Amitabh Bachchan

(D) Prakash Singh Badal

6) Saina Nehwal recently defeated Carolina Marin of which country to retain the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament?

(A) Malaysia

(B) Singapore

(C) Serbia

(D) Spain

7) World Leprosy Day 2015 was recently observed on?

(A) 25 January

(B) 27 January

(C) 26 January

(D) 24 January

8) US and India recently signed pact for developing 03 smart cities in India. Which city is not included in this list?

(A) Ajmer

(B) Visakhapatnam

(C) Varanasi

(D) Allahabad

9) Edgar Lungu was recently sworn in as the new president of which country?

(A) Zambia

(B) Kenya

(C) Zimbabwe

(D) Turkey

10) Barack Obama during his recent 03 day Indian visit, became the ____ sitting U.S. president to visit India twice?

(A) Fourth

(B) First

(C) Third

(D) Second

Answers

1) Ans. (D) Barack Obama, United States

2) Ans. (C) Colombia

3) Ans. (B) Peacetime Gallantry Award

4) Ans. (B) DP Sinha

5) Ans. (A) Sanjay Leela Bhansali. (He was awarded Padma Shri).

6) Ans. (D) Spain

7) Ans. (A) 25 January

8) Ans. (C) Varanasi

9) Ans. (A) Zambia

10) Ans. (B) First

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Questions related to Sukanya Samridhi Yojana

Friends.. As you are aware Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 January 2015 launched a small deposit scheme Sukanya Samridhi Yojana for girl child under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign. In this post we are bringing you some probable questions that can be asked related to this Yojana in the upcoming exams.

1) Who can open account in the name of Girld Child under Sukanya Samridhi Yojana? - Guardian/Natural Guardian

2) A Guardian can open how many accounts under SSY? - Only one account in the name of one girl child and maximum two accounts in the name of two different girl children.

3) An account under SSY can be opened up to the age of ___ years only from the date of birth? - 10 Years

4) Whether nomination facility is available for accounts under SSY? - No

5) Minimum amount for opening of SSY Account? - Rs.1000 (Subsequent deposit should be in multiple of Rs.100/-)

6) Maximum amount that can be deposited in a financial year in this account? - Rs.1,50,000

7) Whether there is any limit on the number of deposits? - No

8) What is the interest rate for the financial year 2014-15 under Sukanya Samridhi Yojana account? - 9.1%

9) Partial withdrawal, maximum upto 50% of the balance standing at the end of the preceding financial year can be taken after Account holder is attaining age of ___ years? - 18 Years

10) Sukanya Samridhi Account can be closed after completion of ___ years? - 21

11) If account is not closed after maturity, balance will continue to earn interest as specified for the scheme from time to time. State whether the statement is correct? - Yes

12) Normal premature closure will be allowed after completion of 18 years provided which condition? - Girl is married

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 27 January 2015

1) Steve Smith won Allan Border Medal 2015: Steve Smith on 27 January 2015 capped a remarkable season by sweeping the main awards at the annual Allan Border Medal ceremony, including Australian player of the year. The prolific batsman, who was promoted to national captain in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke, also took out the one-day and Test player awards. The 25-year-old Smith became the youngest winner since a 23-year-old Clarke in 2005. Glenn Maxwell was rewarded for his efforts with bat and ball to win Twenty20 player of the year. Sean Abbott, whose bouncer killed the Australian batsman Phillip Hughes, receives Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award.

2) Dubai International is now the busiest international airport: Dubai has emerged the busiest international airport in the world. Dubai overtook London Heathrow last year, thanks to a growth of 9.3 lakh flyers to and from the India subcontinent — which was second only to the increase of 11.9 lakh flyers the Emirate saw in passengers to and from Europe. Dubai International (DXB) handled over 7 crore international flyers in 2014. India played an important role in Dubai emerging as the busiest international airport.

3) Winter snow storm hit the northeastern states of the United States: A blizzard swept across the northeastern United States on 27 January 2015, dropping more than a foot of snow across Massachusetts and Connecticut even as its impact on New York City fell short of dire predictions. Winter snow storm was named ‘Juno’.

4) Tomas Berdych stuns Rafael Nadal in Australian Open quarterfinals: Czech Tomas Berdych ended a demoralizing run of outs to dump a struggling Rafael Nadal out of the Australian Open in a straight sets triumph to reach the semifinals on 27 January 2015. It ended a record-equalling 17-match winning run Nadal had over Berdych, who claimed his second consecutive semifinal appearance in Melbourne after losing to Stan Wawrinka last year.

5) Sunil Narine pulled out of West Indies World Cup squad: Sunil Narine on 27 January 2015 pulled out of the West Indies World Cup squad, saying he needed more time to work on his bowling action. The 26-year-old has undergone "intense remedial work" after being suspended from last year's Champions League Twenty20 for an illegal action, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said in a statement.

6) Max India to be split into 3 units: The board of Max India, the flagship of serial entrepreneur Analjit Singh, has approved splitting the company into three verticals that would be listed to unlock the value of these businesses. The demerger is expected to be completed in six to nine months. The leadership would remain unchanged upon the demerger. After the split, Max India will be renamed Max Financial Services and will solely focus on the group's flagship life insurance activity, through 72.1 per cent stake in Max Life, making it the first Indian listed company solely focused on life insurance.

7) RBI signed MoU with Banco Central do Brasil on info exchange: The Reserve Bank of India has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation and exchange of information with Banco Central do Brasil (BCB). With this RBI has signed 23 such MoUs, one letter for supervisory cooperation and one statement of cooperation with overseas regulators or supervisors, the central bank said in a statement.

8) Maharashtra government to set up memorial for RK Laxman: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on 27 January 2015 announced a memorial for eminent cartoonist RK Laxman who died in Pune on 26 Jan 2015. The last rites were performed at Vaikunth crematorium at 1pm. A 21-gun salute and a guard of honour were presented by the Maharashtra police.

9) Church of England consecrated first woman bishop: The Church of England consecrated its first woman bishop on 26 January 2015, more than two decades after the Church allowed women to become priests. The Reverend Libby Lane, 48 and a mother-of-two was consecrated as Bishop of Stockport in a ceremony at York Minster, a Gothic cathedral in northern England. The new Bishop called it a "profound and remarkable moment".

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Quiz on Current Affairs: 27 January 2015

1) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 24 January 2015 has lifted ban on carrying Indian bank notes of Rs 1,000 and 500 denominations to and from which countries?

(A) Nepal and Bhutan

(B) Pakistan and Bangladesh

(C) China and Srilanka

(D) Myanmar and Thailand

2) National Girl Child Day was observed on?

(A) January 26

(B) January 25

(C) January 24

(D) January 23 

3) Who is now the world’s oldest living monarch following the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, at age 90 recently?

(A) Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan

(B) Elizabeth II, Britain’s Queen

(C) Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, King of Oman

(D) Sonja, Queen of Norway

4) Who has recently won the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize for Poetry?

(A) Amita Kanekar

(B) Jhumpa Lahiri

(C) Priya Davidar

(D) Arundhathi Subramaniam

5) Who will inaugurate the 35th National Games, to be hosted by Kerala from January 31 to February 14, as announced recently?

(A) Pranab Mukherjee

(B) Arun Jaitley

(C) Venkaiah Naidu

(D) Narendra Modi

6) Hockey India League 2015 started on 22 January 2015 at Kalinga Stadium in _____ with inaugural match between Kalinga Lancers and Ranchi Rays?

(A) New Delhi

(B) Bhubaneswar

(C) Pune

(D) Ahamedabad

7) TRAI recently issued draft rules for full mobile number portability. Full mobile number portability is set to start from which date?

(A) May 3, 2015

(B) August 15, 2015

(C) April 1, 2015

(D) March 8, 2015

8) Who recently won his seventh senior National snooker title beating Varun Madan by six frames to three?

(A) Subhash Agarwal

(B) Pankaj Advani

(C) Geet Sethi

(D) Aditya Mehta

9) National Voters’ Day (NVD) was observed on 25th January 2015. What was the theme for the day this year?

(A) Ethical Voting

(B) Inclusion

(C) Greater Participation for a Stronger Democracy

(D) Easy Registration, Easy Correction

10) Which Wing Commander on 25 January 2015 became the first woman officer to lead the ceremonial Guard of Honour at Rashtrapathi Bhavan?

(A) Pooja Thakur

(B) Sandhya Chauhan

(C) Divya Ajith

(D) Sneha Shekhawat

Answers

1) Ans. (A) Nepal and Bhutan

2) Ans. (C) January 24

3) Ans. (B) Elizabeth II, Britain’s Queen

4) Ans. (D) Arundhathi Subramaniam

5) Ans. (C) Venkaiah Naidu

6) Ans. (B) Bhubaneswar

7) Ans. (A) May 3, 2015

8) Ans. (B) Pankaj Advani

9) Ans. (D) Easy Registration, Easy Correction

10) Ans. (A) Pooja Thakur

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26th January 2015 Current Affairs Updates

1) Nation celebrated its 66th Republic Day: India on 26 January 2015 celebrated its 66th Republic Day. US President Barack Obama has become the first American President to be Chief Guest on Republic Day celebrations. India’s military might and cultural diversity was showcased in the nearly two-hour-long republic day parade. President Barack Obama broke Secret Service's sacred security protocol by remaining in the open for more than two hours when he graced the Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest. Obama spent over two hours in the open as the Chief Guest of India's 66th Republic Day celebrations. The security guidelines of Secret Service, the exclusive agency responsible for an American President's security, mandate that he does not spend more than 45 minutes at any open-air venue.

2) DP Sinha appointed security secretary: The government on 26 January 2015 appointed special director with Intelligence Bureau, Divya Prakash Sinha, as secretary (security) in the Cabinet secretariat. The post had been lying vacant since November 2013 when Yashovardhan Azad, holding the post then, was appointed information commissioner by the government.

3) Eminent cartoonist R K Laxman died: R K Laxman, the country's best-known cartoonist, passed away on 26 January 2015, at the Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital in Pune, where he was on life support for the past few days. He was 93. Born in 1921 in Mysore, Laxman had no formal training in cartooning but the work he put out over decades was sheer genius. He began by drawing for local papers, and illustrating the stories of his famous elder brother, novelist R K Narayan, while still at college. The recipient of numerous awards, among them the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Magsaysay Award, Laxman's fan base ran into millions. He is best known for creation of iconic character ‘The Common Man’, for his daily cartoon strip, ‘You Said It’ in The Times of India(TOI) started in 1951.

4) Durga Prasad appointed special DG of CRPF:  Government on 24 January 2015 appointed K Durga Prasad, previously sacked as the director of the Special Protection Group, as the special director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was unceremoniously removed as chief of the SPG — which provides security to the prime minister, former prime ministers and their family members — during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Nepal to attend the Saarc summit. 

5) First ever all-women contingent marched through the 66th Republic Day Parade: For the first time in the history of India’s Republic Day, all-women contingent from the three forces Army, Air Force and Navy marched down in the parade. Army contingent was led by Capt Divya Ajith. Navy contingent was led by Lt Commander Sandhya Chauhan. Air Force contingent was led by Squadron Leader Sneha Shekhawat. While women officers have been participating in previous Republic Day parades, this was for the first time that an all-women contingent of the armed forces participated.

6) Colombia’s Paulina Vega crowned Miss Universe 2014: Colombia’s Paulina Vega was crowned 63rd Miss Universe after beating out contenders from the United States, Ukraine, Jamaica and Netherlands. Miss USA Nia Sanchez from Las Vegas was named a runner-up, along with Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha. The event is actually the 2014 Miss Universe pageant. The competition was pushed back until now to try to get a bigger television audience.

7) Major Mukund Varadarajan, Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh posthumously awarded Ashok Chakra: Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, the two army personnel who laid down their lives combating militants in Kashmir Valley, were on 26 January 2015 awarded posthumously the highest peacetime military honour, the Ashok Chakra, by President Pranab Mukherjee. The awards were received by their wives at the 66th Republic Day celebrations, which was graced by US President Barack Obama.

8) Alexis Tsipras sworn in as prime minister of Greece: Greek left-wing leader Alexis Tsipras was sworn in on 26 Jan 2015 as the Prime Minister of a new hard-line, anti-bailout government determined to face down international lenders and end nearly five years of tough economic measures. 40-year old Alexis Tsipras will be Greece’s youngest Prime Minister.

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Daily GK Quiz: 27 January 2015

1) Name the clarion call of National Games 2015 to be held in Kerala? - 'Get Set Play'

2) Which is the only ocean to be named after a country? - Indian Ocean 

3) The book "My Truth" is on the life of? - Indira Gandhi

4) Electron is discovered by? - J.J Thomson

5) The resolution of Swadeshi was adopted in which session of Congress? - Calcutta session of 1906

6) C.V Raman got Nobel Prize in which year? - 1930

7) Dilwara Temple is situated at? - Rajasthan

8) International Nurses Day? - May 12

9) 'Cricket My Style' is a book written by? - Kapil Dev

10) Who was the first cricket player to take ten wickets in one innings of a Test Cricket Match? - Jim Lecker

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Daily Current Affairs: 25 January 2015

1) LK Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar among Padma Vibhushan awardees: Former Deputy Prime Minister and BJP veteran L K Advani, film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal are among the nine personalities who have been selected for Padma Vibhushan this year. Twenty personalities including Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap, lawyer Harish Salve, Microsoft Chief Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, journalists Rajat Sharma and Swapan Dasgupta will be conferred with Padma Bhushan. Film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is among the 75 personalities who have been selected for Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, and sports, every year on the occasion of Republic Day. Check full list: http://goo.gl/h1emql

2) Barack Obama arrived in India for 03 day visit: U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in India on 25 January 2015 on his historic 3-day visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke with protocol to meet the President as he landed in New Delhi. Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit India twice. Obama has already made a state visit of India during November 2010. Obama will also become the first American President to become Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day Celebrations.

3) PM Modi congratulated bankers for Jan Dhan Yojana’s success: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has sent an email to all bankers, congratulating them on the success of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. In the email, the Prime Minister said that the target set for opening bank accounts has surpassed well ahead of the target date of 26th of January this year. He said, by opening 11.5 crore new accounts in a very short span, the country achieved a coverage of 99.74 per cent of all households in the country. The Prime Minister said there is need to redouble efforts on financial literacy and linking of Aadhaar needs to improve further.

4) For the first time, woman officer leads Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan: Wing Commander Pooja Thakur became the first woman to lead the ceremonial Guard of Honour which was inspected by the U.S. President Barack Obama at Rashtrapti Bhavan on 25 January 2015. Wing Commander Thakur belongs to the administrative branch of the Indian Air Force and is currently posted at ‘Disha’, the publicity cell under the Directorate of Personnel Officers at the Air Force Headquarters. She hails from Rajasthan and is active in para-jumping and adventure sports.

5) Zambia's new president Edgar Lungu sworn into office: Zambia's new President Edgar Lungu was sworn in on 25 January 2015 to become the country's sixth president after narrowly winning a vote rejected by the opposition. Lungu placed his hand on a bible to pledge allegiance to the people of Zambia in front of thousands of jubilant supporters, regional heads of state and diplomats.

6) Saina Nehwal defeated Carolina Marin to retain Syed Modi Grand Prix: Saina Nehwal staged a scintillating comeback to defeat reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain and retain the women's singles title, while Parupalli Kashyap beat K Srikanth in an all-India final to win men's singles crown of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament on 25 January 2015. India's third seed Parupalli Kashyap defeated top seed and compatriot Kidambi Srikanth to win the men's singles title of the $120,000 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships.

7) National Voters Day observed: Fifth National Voters’ Day (NVD) was observed on 25 January 2015. Theme of this year was Easy Registration, Easy Correction. On this occasion, awards for best electoral practices are given to Chief Electoral Officers and District Election Officers. Media houses and civil society organisations are also given awards for best campaign in Voters’ Education and Awareness.

8) US, India signed pact for developing smart cities in Ajmer, Allahabad & Visakhapatnam: India on 25 January 2015 signed three agreements with the US for developing smart cities in Ajmer, Allahabad and Visakhapatnam, with the government saying that the agreements would make significant contribution to building such cities in the country. The agreements were signed by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) with state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

9) World Leprosy Day observed: World Leprosy Day was observed internationally on 25 Jnauary 2015. The day was observed internationally on January 26 or its nearest Sunday.

10) India and US announced nuclear 'breakthrough' after Modi-Obama talks: India and the United States reached an agreement on 25 January 2015 to break a deadlock that has been stalling the implementation of a landmark civilian nuclear deal between the world’s two largest democracies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India was moving towards commercial cooperation on civil nuclear trade with the United States, six years after the two sides signed the deal.

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Latest Current Affairs Questions: 26 January 2015

1)  Abdullah bin Abdulaziz who died on 23 January 2015 was the King of which Gulf nation?

(A) Oman

(B) Saudi Arabia

(C) Bahrain

(D) Kuwait

2) Who among the following has defeated four-time champion Roger Federer in the third round of Australian Open 2015 on 23 January 2015?

(A) Mikhail Youzhny

(B) Simone Bolelli

(C) Andrey Kuznetsov

(D) Andreas Seppi

3) Actor and comedian M.S. Narayana who passed away on 23 Jnauary 2015 was famous in which film industry?

(A) Telugu

(B) Tamil

(C) Malayalam

(D) Kannada

4) Nation remembered which veteran freedom fighter on his birth anniversary on 23 January 2015?

(A) Mangal Pandey

(B) Chandra Shekhar Azad

(C) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

(D) Bhagat Singh

5) Which regulatory body on 23 January 2015 has asked commercial banks to display loan interest rates on their websites, a move aimed at enhancing transparency for borrowers?

(A) TRAI

(B) RBI

(C) IRDA

(D) PFRDA

6) Which IIT in Indian has recently developed a 10-inch netbook, which it claims could be the world's cheapest, at around Rs 6,000?

(A) IIT Bombay

(B) IIT Madras

(C) IIT Delhi

(D) IIT Kanpur

7) Lee Wan Koo was recently named as the new Prime Minister of which Asian Country?

(A) China

(B) Japan

(C) South Korea

(D) Mauritius 

8) Yingluck Shinawatra who was on 23 January 2015 impeached by military-appointed legislature, for her role in overseeing a government rice subsidy program that lost billions of dollars, was the former Prime Minsiter of?

(A) South Korea

(B) Bhutan

(C) Nepal

(D) Thailand

9) Name the eminent Indian academician who has been named on advisory panel to Review UN Peace-Building Architecture recently?

(A) Saraswathi Menon

(B) Atul Khare

(C) Vikas Swarup

(D) Nalini Sharma

10) Vodafone has recently appointed whom as the India CEO?

(A) Martin Pieters

(B) A.K. Sinha

(C) R.K. Upadhyay

(D) Sunil Sood

Answers

1) Ans. (B) Saudi Arabia

2) Ans. (D) Andreas Seppi

3) Ans. (A) Telugu

4) Ans. (C) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

5) Ans. (B) RBI

6) Ans. (A) IIT Bombay

7) Ans. (C) South Korea

8) Ans. (D) Thailand

9) Ans. (A) Saraswathi Menon

10) Ans. (D) Sunil Sood

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