GK UPDATE: APRIL PART-II

1. Former New Zealand wicketkeeper __________ has announced retirement.

Ans. Gareth Hopkins

BACKGROUND:

Gareth Hopkins the former New Zealand wicketkeeper on 11 April 2014 announced his retirement from cricket. He announced his retirement after a career spanning over 17 years. Hopkins made his test debut on 5 June 2008 against England at Trent Bridge, as usual Wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum played in a specialist batsman role. He contributed a total of 27 runs and took 3 catches in New Zealand’s innings defeat. The 37-year-old Hopkins played four Tests, 25 one-dayers and 10 Twenty20 internationals with his last Test and ODI appearance coming against India back in 2010.

2. Which Public Sector Bank has recently launched a Twitter handle account?

Ans. SBI

BACKGROUND:

State Bank of India (SBI) on 11 April 2014 launched its Twitter handle account. SBI aims to strengthen its social media presence with this launch. The Twitter handle for SBI is TheOfficialSBI. The bank expects this Twitter handle to connect better with the tech-savvy young generation. Earlier, SBI had also launched accounts on Facebook and Youtube. Mid-sized private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank had launched twitter-linked current accounts in March 2014. Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco and has offices in New York City, Boston, San Antonio and Detroit. Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables users to send and read short 140-character text messages, called tweets. Registered users can read and post tweets, but unregistered users can only read them. Users access Twitter through the website interface, SMS, or mobile device app. Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass and the site was launched in July 2006.

3. Who has been appointed the Next Chief Justice of India?

Ans. Justice R.M.Lodha

BACKGROUND:

President of India on 11 April 2014 appointed Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha as Next Chief Justice of India. Justice Lodha will take his charge from 27 April 2014. He will be the 41st Chief Justice of India. He will succeed Justice P. Sathasivam. Justice Lodha will have a brief tenure of five months as the Chief Justice of India (CJI). He is scheduled to retire on 27 September 2014. He is 64. Justice Lodha is the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after CJI P. Sathasivam. The name of Justice Lodha was recommended as the next CJI by Justice Sathasivam. He practiced Law in the Rajasthan High Court and dealt with all branches of law — constitutional, civil, company, criminal, taxation and labour. He was elevated as a Permanent Judge of the Rajasthan High Court in January 1994. He was transferred to the Bombay High Court where he assumed office in February 1994. Justice Lodha was transferred back to the Rajasthan High Court in February 2007. He had been the Administrative Judge of the Rajasthan High Court and was chairman of State Judicial Academy. He was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on 13 May 2008 and elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on 17 December 2008.

4. USFDA has approved Lupin to sell Pioglitazone tablets in America. Expand USFDA.

Ans. US Food and Drug Administration

BACKGROUND:

US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA. on 10 April 2014 approved Lupin to sell generic diabetes management drug Pioglitazone tablets in the American market. USFDA’s approval has been granted for the tablets in strengths of 15 mg, 30 mg and 45 mg. The company will shortly commence marketing the product in US. Pioglitazone is indicated as second or third line treatment of type 2 diabetes as monotherapy and dual oral therapy. It is also indicated for combination with insulin in type 2 diabetes mellitus in adult patients with insufficient glycaemic control on insulin for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance.

ABOUT LUPIN:

• Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the US wholly owned subsidiary of Lupin Limited in India.
• The Company delivers the high-quality, branded and generic medications across the world.
• The company has a state-of-the-art R&D center in Pune which is a leading global player in Anti-TB, Cephalosporins (anti-infectives) and cardiovascular drugs. It has a notable presence in the areas of diabetes, anti-inflammatory and respiratory therapy.

5. Shompens Tribes of ____________ islands casted votes for the first time in Lok Sabha elections.

Ans. Andaman & Nicobar

BACKGROUND:

Shompens of Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) islands for the first time casted their votes in Great Nicobar on 10 April 2014. Shompens – one of the stone-age tribes – casted the votes for the Lok Sabha constituency of Bay Islands for Lok Sabaha election 2014. Shompens are one of the six tribes that inhabit the forest in the southern-most tip of the country. They are classified as primitive tribal group along with the four other tribes Jarawa, Andamanese, Onge and the Sentinelese. According to 2011 Census, their population is only 229 and about 60 Shompens cast their votes at the polling station which is in the interior jungle in Great Nicobar Biosphere reserve.

About Shompens

The Shompens have very limited contact with outsiders and live in about 12 habitations made of bamboo and leaf thatch. The Shompens are of Mongoloid stock and they are skilled hunter-gatherers but they do not have knowledge of raise plantation of various crops. Primarily they survive on the hunting and gathering, besides honey and fish.

6. Who has been appointed member of China-backed Board of Boao Forum for Asia?

Ans. Ratan Tata

BACKGROUND:

Ratan Tata on 10 April 2014 was appointed as a member of the Board of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA). The post is a rare distinction for an Indian in the Chinese government-backed influential body. Ratan Tata is one of the 15 members of the Board of BFA. The other influential personalities include former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badwai, former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and former Prime Minister of France Jean-Pierre Raffarin besides former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) is an ordinary member of the forum. The appointment of Ratan Tata to the board of the BFA is seen as part of China’s efforts to push closer ties with India. Tata is the most successful Indian business group in China. TCS has also done well by making forays into the local Chinese IT market. Range Rover SUV manufactured by TATA-owned Jaguar Land Rover is a big hit in China. BFA was formed in 2001 on the lines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It has its fixed address in Bo’ao in Hainan province of China, although the Secretariat is based in Beijing. Every year top political and business leaders of World gather at Boao to brain storm on global political and economic issues.

BFA
The founding of the BFA was driven by the People’s Republic of China and founded by 26 Asian and Australasian states on 27 February 2001. The organisation held its first meeting on 12 April 2002. Initiated in 1998 by Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Philippines, Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia, and Morihiro Hosokawa, former Prime Minister of Japan, the Boao Forum for Asia was formally inaugurated in February 2001. The Boao Forum for Asia is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in this dynamic region and the world at large. The Forum is committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries even closer to their development goals.

7. Which of the following countries has been suspended from the powerful G8 grouping recently? A. Italy B. Germany C. Russia D. Canada

ANS.C

Background:

The Group of Eight (G8) was the name of a forum for the governments of a group of eight leading industrialised countries, that was originally formed by six leading industrialised countries and subsequently extended with two additional members.^[1] Russia, which was invited to join as the last member, was excluded from the forum by the other members on March 24, 2014 as a result of its involvement in the 2014 Crimea crisis in Ukraine.^[2] Thus the group now comprises seven nations and will continue to meet as the G7 group of nations. The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six governments: France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became known as the Group of Seven or G7 the following year with the addition of Canada. The G7 is composed of the seven wealthiest developed countries on Earth (by national net wealth or by GDP^[3]), and it remained active even during the period of the G8. Russia was added to the group from 1998 to 2014, which then became known as the G8. The European Union is represented within the G8 but could not host or chair summits.

8. According to the data from World Health Organization, the most drug-resistant TB patients live in which of the following countries? A. China B. Pakistan C. US D. India

ANS. D

9. Which of the following countries has announced a surprise air tax reform in its budget statement which will slash air ticket prices from the country to India? A. US B. UK C. Japan D. Germany

ANS.B

10. Which of the following state govts. has finalized Rs. 4,000 cr relief package to farmers in 28 districts of the state hit by hailstorms? The unseasonal rains had caused heavy damage to about 20 lakh hectares crops in these districts. A. Gujarat B. Rajasthan C. Madhya Pradesh D. Maharashtra

ANS.D

11. The recently concluded TROPEX drill was conducted by: A. Indian Army B. Indian Navy C. Indian Air Force D. All the above combined

ANS.B

BACKGROUND:

The Navy has successfully completed one of its largest war drills spread over Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal region and involving its frontline assets such as INS Chakra and 75 combat and surveillance aircraft. “The Navy’s major annual exercise Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX) concluded on Friday involving large scale naval manoeuvres in all three dimensions surface, air and underwater, across the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR),” a Navy release said on Saturday.

12. The recently published book ‘Rogue Elephant: Harnessing the Power of India’s Unruly Democracy’ has been authored by whom among the following? A. Simon Denyer B. Anita Nair C. Indrajit Hazra D. Solomon Northup

ANS. A

BACKGROUND:

Five years ago, India was an emerging world power being courted by the world’s most powerful political and business leaders, an upbeat story of unparalleled economic growth. Since then, it has failed to account for the human capital at the heart of its effort to modernize: more than one billion people clamoring for what has become known as the “Indian Dream”—an education, a career, and an opportunity to pull one’s family out of poverty and into prosperity. Today, India is suffering an immense crisis of confidence crippling political corruption, politicians mired in the status quo, economic inequality, brutal violence against women, and rampant social injustice. Simon Denyer, former Indian bureau chief for the Washington Post, perceptively captures India at this crucial tilting point in its history—from the Nehru-Gandhi family dynasty that has ruled the country for most of its post-independence years, to flawed heroes such as news anchor Arnab Goswami and anticorruption crusader Arvind Kejwiral, to, most compelling, ordinary people fighting daily against corruption and the system.

13. What is the expanded form of NCBC? A. National Commission for Broadcasting Control B. National Commission for Backward Classes C. National Commission for Border and Coasts D. National Commission for Backward Communities

ANS.B

BACKGROUND:

National Commission for Backward Classes is an Indian statutory body established on 14 August 1993, under the provisions of National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (Act No. 27 of 1993). The commission was the outcome of the direction of the Supreme Court in the Mandal case judgement. The commission has five members: a Chairperson who is or has been a judge of the Supreme Court or of a High Court; a social scientist; two persons, who have special knowledge in matters relating to backward classes; and a Member-Secretary, who is or has been an officer of the Central Government in the rank of a Secretary to the Government of India. Their term is of Three years.

14. International think tank SIPRI is associated with which of the following? A. Arms control B. Sanitation C. Child rights D. Refugees

ANS.A

BACKGROUND:

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an independent international institute in Sweden, dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open source, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. In the University of Pennsylvania’s 2013 Global Go To Think Tanks Report, SIPRI is ranked the fifth most influential think tank in the world, after the Brookings Institution, Chatham House, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

15. The Women in Politics Map 2014 launched by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women has ranked India at which of the following positions? A. 24^th B. 42^nd C. 73^rd D. 92^nd

ANS.C

BACKGROUND:

This map tells a very powerful story. There is now an average of 21.8 per cent women Members of Parliament worldwide. This is the highest figure ever achieved, and an increase of 8.7 percentage points since 2000. However it also shows that while progress is being made, significant challenges remain. As the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report has shown, progress on political participation remains very slow – much slower than in other areas such as health and education. At this pace, it will take decades to reach gender parity in parliaments.

16. As per the revised ceiling for assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Puducherry, the poll expenditure per candidate now allowed up to is: A. 16 lakh B. 18 lakh C. Rs 20 lakh D. Rs 28 lakh

ANS.C

17. Sri Lanka recorded the fastest ever victory in a Twenty20 International match as they thrashed which of the following countries by nine wickets in just five overs in the ICC World T20 in Chittagong recently? A. Netherlands B. Afghanistan C. Nepal D. UAE

ANS.A

18. Which of the following teams has won the 4th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship recently? A. Haryana B. Railways C. Punjab D. Jharkhand

ANS.B

19. Which of the following teams has clinched the 3rd South Asian Handball Championship title recently? A. Pakistan B. India C. Nepal D. Afghanistan

ANS.B

20. Bangladesh celebrated its 44th Independence Day recently. Identify the day in 1971, when the country’s independence was formally declared by the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: A. 21 Mar B. 22 Mar C. 24 Mar D. 26 Mar

ANS.D

21. According to the UN refugee agency report, from which country is the largest number of people fleeing currently? A. Afghanistan B. Ukraine C. Syria D. Nepal

ANS.C

22. The book ‘A Strange Kind of Paradise: India Through Foreign Eyes’ is written by: A. Sam Miller B. Robert Nickelsberg C. Malvika Singh D. Vandana Vasudevan

ANS.A

BACKGROUND:

A Strange Kind of Paradise is an exploration of India’s past and present, from the perspective of a foreigner who has lived in India for many years. Sam Miller investigates how the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Chinese, Arabs, Africans, Europeans and Americans – everyone really, except for Indians themselves – came to imagine India. His account of the engagement between foreigners and India spans the centuries from Alexander the Great to Slumdog Millionaire. It features, among many others, Thomas the Apostle, the Chinese monk Xuanzang, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Vasco da Gama, Babur, Clive of India, several Victorian pornographers, Mark Twain, EM Forster, Allen Ginsberg, the Beatles and Steve Jobs. Interspersed between these tales is the story of Sam Miller’s own 25 year-long love affair with India. The result is a pellbinding, 2500-year-long journey through Indian history, culture and society, in the company of an author who informs, educates and entertains in equal measure, as he travels in the footsteps of foreign chroniclers, exposes some of their fabulous fantasies and overturns longheld stereotypes about race, identity and migration. A tour de force that is at once scholarly and thought-provoking, delightfully eccentric and laugh-out-loud funny, this book is destined to become a much loved classic.

23. IUCN is an international union associated with which of the following? A. Conservation of Nature B. Consumption of Nutrients C. Countries with Nuclear power D. Cure and Neutralisation

ANS. A

BACKGROUND:

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature [UICN], in French) is an international organization dedicated to finding “pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges”. The organization publishes the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects globally and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network—a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by more than 1,000 professional staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. The Union’s headquarters are located in Gland, Switzerland, near Geneva.

24. Who among the following is the winner of the best actor Oscar at the 86th academy awards? A. Jared Leto B. Leonardo DiCaprio C. Woody Harrelson D. Matthew McConaughey

ANS.D

BACKGROUND:

The nominees for the 86th Academy Awards were announced on January 16, 2014, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy, and actor Chris Hemsworth. American Hustle and Gravity tied for the most nominations with ten each, and American Hustle lost in all of its nominations. The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 2, 2014. Steve McQueen became the first black filmmaker in the history of the Academy Awards to win the Oscar for Best Picture, while Alfonso Cuaron became the first Latino director to win Best Director. For the second year in a row, the film that won the most Oscars did not also win Best Picture (before the 2012 ceremony the last occurrence of this was at the 77^th Academy Awards). For the twenty-third time, the Academy chose to split the awards for Best Picture and Best Director, which went to 12 Years A Slave and Gravity director Alfonso Cuarón respectively. This was the first time in 61 years that Best Picture and Best Director split in back-to-back years. Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep broke her own record for most nominations ever received by an actor with 18. With her nomination for American Hustle, Jennifer Lawrence became the youngest actress (23) ever to have landed three acting nominations, a record previously held by Mrs. Miniver star Teresa Wright. American Hustle became the 42nd film in history to have scored the Big Five nominations and the 15th to have four acting nods, the latter of which was also achieved by director David O. Russell in his 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook. However, American Hustle joined True Grit (2010) and Gangs of New York (2002) in second place for most Academy Award nominations without a single win (10); The Turning Point (1977) and The Color Purple (1985) still retain the record with eleven each. In the acting races, Matthew McConaughey‘s and Jared Leto‘s respective wins in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories made Dallas Buyers Club the fifth film to win both male acting awards, Cate Blanchett became the sixth actress to have won both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in her career, and Lupita Nyong’o became the ninth performer to win Best Supporting Actress in her film debut. With Robert Lopez winning an Oscar for “Let It Go” from Frozen, he became the 12th person ever and the youngest one to garner the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) awards, and the only one to do it within a decade. With the film winning Best Original Song and Best Animated Feature Film, Frozen became the first Disney animated feature film to win an Academy Award since Tarzan in 2000 and the first film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios to win in the Best Animated Feature Film category.

25. Who among the following has not been given the annual US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award in 2014? A. Maha Al Muneef B. Malala Yousafzai C. Fatimata Toure D. Roshika Deo

ANS.B

26. The Reserve Bank of India has recently extended the timeline for full implementation of the Basel III capital regulations by a year to ___________. A. 31 Mar 2018 B. 31 Mar 2019 C. 31 Mar 2020 D. 31 Mar 2021

ANS.B

BACKGROUND:

Basel III (or the Third Basel Accord) is a global, voluntary regulatory standard on bank capital adequacy, stress testing and market liquidity risk. It was agreed upon by the members of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in 2010–11, and was scheduled to be introduced from 2013 until 2015; however, changes from 1st April 2013 extended implementation until 31 March 2018. The third installment of the Basel Accords (see Basel I, Basel II) was developed in response to the deficiencies in financial regulation revealed by the late-2000s financial crisis. Basel III was supposed to strengthen bank capital requirements by increasing bank liquidity and decreasing bank leverage. Capital requirement (also known as Regulatory capital or Capital adequacy) is the amount of capital a bank or other financial institution has to hold as required by its financial regulator. This is usually expressed as a capital adequacy ratio of equity that must be held as a percentage of risk-weighted assets. These requirements are put into place to ensure that these institutions do not take on excess leverage and become insolvent. Capital requirements govern the ratio of equity to debt, recorded on the assets side of a firm’s balance sheet. They should not be confused with reserve requirements, which govern the liabilities side of a bank’s balance sheet–in particular, the proportion of its assets it must hold in cash or highly-liquid assets.

27. Which of the following teams has won the 2014 Deodhar Trophy finals recently? A. North Zone B. West Zone C. Central Zone D. Sough Zone

ANS.B

28. China has recently allowed direct domestic trading of its currency Yuan against the currency of which of the following countries to encourage such trading as it internationalizes the Chinese currency? A. Japan B. South Korea C. Australia D. New Zealand

ANS.D

BACKGROUND:

China has allowed direct domestic trading of the yuan against the New Zealand dollar to encourage such trading as it internationalizes the Chinese currency. The move, announced on Tuesday by the central bank during a visit by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to Beijing, comes after China doubled the yuan’s trading band over the weekend in a milestone step that gives investors more freedom to set the value of the tightly controlled currency. China is New Zealand’s largest export destination and a major buyer of dairy products produced in the South Pacific nation. The move was seen as promoting trade between the two countries, which rose 25.2 percent to NZ$18.2 billion ($15.71 billion) in 2013, and increase capital flows.

29. In a step towards better management of its borrowings, the central govt has prepared PDMA Bill. What is expanded form of PDMA? A. Public Debt Minimizing Agency B. Public Default Minimizing Agency C. Public Dealing Management Agency D. Public Debt Management Agency

ANS.D

BACKGROUND:

Public Debt Management Agency will handle the borrowings by Government which is currently being handled by RBI.

30. Based on current prices, India’s per capita income is projected to soar to _________ in 2013-14: A. Rs 54,200 B. Rs 61,420 C. Rs 65,290 D. Rs 74,920

ANS.D

31. Name the city where the five-day fourth edition of the India Aviation show was held recently. A. Bangalore B. Pune C. Hyderabad D. Chennai

ANS.C

32. The term EPIC is associated with which of the following in the context of elections? A. Voter identification B. Poll code of conduct C. Property declaration D. Poll expenditure ceiling

ANS.A

BACKGROUND:

With Punjab almost reaching the 100% coverage in issuing electoral photo identity card (EPIC) to voters, the EPIC would be the only identification document, which would be recognized by the polling booth staff in the coming elections. Not only that, the election commission has this time, decided to engage the department staff to issue voters’ slips to the electorate, a task which was earlier done by various political parties, ostensibly to help their own supporters outside the booths.

33. Which of the following teams has won the men’s 2014 ICC World T20 cup in Dhaka recently?  A. India B. Sri Lanka C. West Indies D. Australia

ANS.B

34. Sonia Gandhi, Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi have been named among top 5 in the list of 100 Most Influential Asian People of 2014 published by Asian Awards Ltd recently. The list is topped by whom among the following?  A. Park Guen-Hye B. Pranab Mukherjee C. Xi Jinping D. Ban Ki Moon

ANS.C

35. World Health Day is celebrated on 7 Apr every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO). When was WHO founded? A. 1946 B. 1947 C. 1948 D. 1950

ANS.C

36. The Indian Navy participated in the multilateral, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) exercise, dubbed Komodo 2014 held from 28 Mar to 3 Apr in which of the following countries?  A. Indonesia B. Japan C. South Korea D. Russia

ANS.A

37. Following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region, NATO has suspended all practical civilian and military co-operation with Russia recently. Which of the following nations is NOT a member of NATO, the 28-nation military alliance headquartered at Brussels?  A. Slovenia B. Ukraine C. Iceland D. Estonia

ANS.B

38. The READ (Read-Engage-Achieve-Dream) initiative, aimed at improving the reading skills of primary school children in the country, is launched by agencies of India and which of the following countries?  A. South Korea B. China C. Japan D. US

ANS.D

39. In the recently held elections, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party has won the third term in which of the following countries? A. Croatia B. Hungary C. Slovakia D. Austria

ANS. B

40. What does the letter ‘L’ denote in the term LAF?  A. Lending B. Liability C. Liquidity D. Legality

ANS.C

41. Which of the following teams has recently won the women’s 2014 ICC World T20 Cup?  A. India B. Sri Lanka C. England D. Australia

ANS. D

42. In a move that aims at encouraging inflows of long-term overseas fund, the capital market regulator SEBI has restricted foreign investors (FIIs and QFIs) from buying govt securities having maturity of less than: A. one year B. two years C. three years D. four years

ANS. A

43. Which of the following countries is NOT a Baltic country?  A. Estonia B. Latvia C. Lithuania D. Albania

ANS.D

44. Dada Saheb Phalke awardee VK Murthy passed away recently. He was a renowned:  A. cinematographer B. story writer C. composer D. lyrist

ANS.A

45. Who among the following has recently won the men’s singles title of the India Super Series Badminton in New Delhi? A. Lee Chong Wei B. Chen Long C. Peter Gade D. Taufik Hidayat

ANS.A

46. Name the Indian shooter who has clinched the World’s Number One spot in 10 metres air pistol event in the recent rankings released by International Shooting Sport Federation recently:  A. Shagun Chowdhary B. Anjali Bhagwat C. Heena Sidhu D. Annu Raj Singh

ANS.C

47. Which of the following drug makers has recently announced to buy Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd for $3.2 bn in the biggest ever Indian pharma deal, creating the world’s fifth largest generic drug manufacturer? A. Sun Pharmaceuticals B. Reckitt Benckiser C. GlaxoSmithKline D. Daiichi Sankyo

ANS.A

48. Which of the following is considered by banks as a risky form of lending?  A. Education loan B. Loan against property C. Credit card D. Housing loan

ANS.C

49. The Army successfully test fired an advanced version of 290 km range supersonic cruise missile BrahMos which already has been inducted into the Army and Navy. BrahMos missile has been developed by India in partnership with:  A. Israel B. US C. Germany D. Russia

ANS.D

50. World Health Day is celebrated on 7 Apr every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and each year a theme is selected that highlights a priority area of public health. The theme for 2014 is:  A. Make every mother and child count B. Vector-borne diseases: small bite; big threat C. Working together for health D. Good health adds life to years

ANS.B

51. Who among the following has won the women’s singles title of the India Super Series Badminton held in New Delhi recently? A. Shixian Wang B. Li Xuerui C. Zhao Yunlei D. Wang Kar Wai

ANS.A

52. In a major step aimed at boosting tourism, the govt. has decided in principle to give the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travellers from 180 countries starting this Oct. This facility will be available to which of the following countries among others?  A. US B. Sri Lanka C. Pakistan D. Iran

ANS.A

53. The book “Lowland” has been shortlisted for this year’s Baileys Prize, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Who is the author of the book? A. Bharati Mukherjee B. Kiran Desai C. Jhumpa Lahiri D. Arundhati Roy

ANS.C

54. SBI Life Insurance is a joint venture between State Bank of India (SBI) and which of the following international insurance companies:  A. BNP Paribas Cardif B. AEGON C. Munich Re Group D. ING

ANS.A

55. Which of the following associate banks has been merged into the State Bank of India (SBI)? A. State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur B. State Bank of Hyderabad C. State Bank of Indore D. State Bank of Patiala

ANS.C