1) Consider the following statements with respect to Operation Digital Board
Under the initiative, all classrooms of Government Schools in India will be equipped with digital boards in the next five years.
Department of School Education is the sole implementing agency for this operation.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
The Ministry of Human Resource Development has recently launched the Operation Digital Board (ODB) to leverage technology in order to boost quality education in the country.
It was launched on the lines of Operation Blackboard to provide better digital education in schools.
Under the initiative ODB, the digital board will be introduced all over the country in government and government aided schoolsfrom class 9th onwards as well as in higher education institutions in the next three years.
University Grants Commission (UGC) will be the implementing agency for Operation Digital Board in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
2) Digidhan Mitra, a Chatbot launched recently was designed and developed by which of the following agencies?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Designed and developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), the AI based Digidhan Mitra enables a text & voice based conversation with the user, mining the Digidhan Portal, to give customized information in graphical, tabular and textual format.
It provides bank wise transactions details as well as growth pattern of various modes of transactions like BHIM, IMPS, Cards etc. in tabular as well as graphical form.
3) Consider the following statements with respect to Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs 2.0 (TIDE-2.0) Scheme
It provides financial as well as technical support to incubators engaged in supporting ICT start-ups using emerging technologies.
It is implemented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) is implementing a scheme titled “Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE)”.
It aims to assist institutions of higher learning to strengthen their Technology Incubation Centres and enable young entrepreneurs to initiate technology start-up companies for commercial exploitation of technologies developed by them.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has launched the TIDE 2.0 Scheme recently at the VIVID 2019 event.
TIDE 2.0 has been devised to promote the momentum into the tech entrepreneurship landscape.
The Scheme provides financial and technical support to incubators engaged in supporting ICT startups using emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, Block-chain, Robotics etc. in seven pre-identified areas of societal relevance.
4) Consider the following statements with respect to “Festival of India event” which was held recently
It is a month-long festival celebrated by the Government of India to familiarise the younger generations with the cultural diversity of India.
It is organised by the Ministry of Culture in association with Government of Odisha.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
In Nepal, a month-long 'Festival of India' has recently begun in Kathmandu.
It aims at familiarising the new generation of Nepal about the similarities between the Himalayan nation and India.
The event is organised by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Embassy of India, Kathmandu and is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
5) The indelible ink that we used in our elections to prevent double voting was designed and developed by?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
The indelible ink, a heady mix of chemicals, dyes, aromatic materials and silver nitrate, is a singular commodity that is exclusively used in state-run elections from local bodies to the Indian Parliament.
Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited (MPVL) is the sole supplier of indelible ink for election purposes since 1962.
MPVL is paying royalty annually to the state-run National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for licensing the chemical formula developed by the Delhi-based National Physical Laboratory(NPL).
6) Consider the following statements with respect to Swine flu
It requires swine as an intermediate carrier to affect a person.
Bedaquiline is the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended medicine to treat Swine flu in India.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are incorrect?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
The name Swine flu has persisted even though the virus has long bypassed the need for swine as an intermediate carrier.
H1N1 is a self-limiting viral, air-borne diseasespread from person to person, through large droplets generated due to coughing and sneezing, indirect contact by touching a contaminated object or surface and close contact, including handshaking, hugging and kissing.
Complications do not generally arise out of swine flu. However, the elderly and ailing are susceptible to complications.
In order to tackel the menace, the Drug Controller General of India has been asked to coordinate with drug manufacturers and monitor the availability of OSELTAMIVIR, the medicine recommended by WHO, in various states.
7) Consider the following statements with respect to Sea Squirts
It is a round; palm-sized animal migrated based on the pollution of its habitat.
It could help measure plastic pollution as it can filter tiny particles from the ocean and store them in its soft tissue.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
Israeli researchers have recently found that Ascidians – round, palm-sized animals also known as Sea Squirts can thrive in dirty industrial areas and pristine waters alike, allowing them to detect and analyze waste and its impact in various regions..
Sea squirts are primarily sessile (permanently fixed to a surface), potato-shaped organisms found in all seas, from the intertidal zone to the greatest depths.
It just sit in one place all their life and filter the water, like a pump.
These rubbery sea creatures with an irritating habit of clinging to ships and invading beaches could help measure plastic pollution as it can filter tiny particles from the ocean and store them in its soft tissue.
They can give a picture of what the whole reef, the whole ecosystem felt during its life.
8) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed “2019” as the International Year of ________
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on the 21st of February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Since 2019 is also the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the theme of this year’s Mother Language Day is Indigenous Languages as a factor in development, peace and reconciliation.
2024 – International Year of Camelids
2022 – International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture
2020 – International Year of Plant Health
2019 – International Year of Indigenous Languages
9) Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Issa ports sometimes seen in the news were located in which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Yemen's government and Houthi rebels have agreed on phase one of a mutual pullback of forces from the key city of Hodeidah.
The deal on the first phase has been finalised and they have agreed in principle for the second phase.
Under phase one, forces from both sides will withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Issa.
A pullback from Hodeidah was part of December's ceasefire between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-supported Yemeni forces.
10) Consider the following events
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood.
Gandhi gave up the title of Kaiser-i-Hind, bestowed by the British for his work during the Boer War.
The two events described above were to protest against which of the following events?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
The entire nation was stunned after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919.
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest.
Gandhi gave up the title of Kaiser-i-Hind, bestowed by the British for his work during the Boer War.
