1) Kalapani border issue sometimes seen in the news recently is related to which of the following two countries?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Nepal has raised objections after India released its new political map in November 2019 following the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Nepal claimed that Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani areas were shown under India’s territory even though they lie within the Nepalese territory.
2) With respect to Sugauli Treaty of 1816, consider the following statements
It was signed between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Gorkha.
The treaty was signed on the conclusion of the Anglo-Nepalese War and it ceded some Nepalese controlled territory to the British.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
The Anglo-Nepalese War is also known as the Gurkha War.
It was fought between the Kingdom of Gorkha (present-day Nepal) and the East India Company as a result of border disputes and ambitious expansionism of both the belligerent parties.
The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, which ceded some Nepalese controlled territory to the British.
Under the treaty, the Nepalese-controlled territory that was ceded included all areas that the king of Nepal had won in earlier wars such as the kingdom of Sikkim in the east and Kumaon and Garhwal in the west.
3) Consider the following statements with respect to Savitribai Phule
She was the first woman Governor of an Indian state after independence.
She led the Dharasana Satyagraha with other leaders in 1930.
She started Mahila Seva Mandal in 1852, which worked for raising women’s consciousness about their human rights, dignity of life and other social issues.
She started the first ever infanticide prohibition home of India in 1853.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
Savitribai Phule was the wife of Jyotirao Phule, an Indian activist, thinker, social reformer and writer from Maharashtra.
She was determined to study and was one of the very few indigenous literate women in her era.
Savitribai, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, stood up for the rights of women and fought against the injustice faced by them.
They were the pioneers of women education in India and started the first girls’ school in 1848 in Pune.
Their work extended to many fields including eradication of untouchability and the caste system, women's emancipation and the reform of Hindu family life.
Savitribai Phule started Mahila Seva Mandal in 1852, which worked for raising women’s consciousness about their human rights, dignity of life and other social issues.
First ever infanticide prohibition home of India was started by Savitribai Phule in 1853.
They championed widow remarriage and started a home for lower and upper caste widows in 1854.
In September 1873, Phule, along with the followers, formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) to attain equal rights for peasants and people from lower castes.
Savitribai Phule was the first Dalit woman, in-fact the first woman whose poems got noticed in the British Empire.
The prestigious University of Pune was renamed to Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2014.
The Government of Maharashtra has instituted an award in her name to recognize women social reformers.
Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of an Indian state after independence.
Sarojini Naidu led the Dharasana Satyagraha with other leaders in 1930.
4) Cyber Safe Women’ initiative was launched recently by which of the following states?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
Maharashtra Government has launched a ‘Cyber Safe Women’ initiative under which awareness camps will be held across all the districts of the state regarding cyber safety.
The initiative will help in educating women about how the web is used by anti-social elements and child predators to commit various types of crimes.
5) Lai Haraoba is the ritual festival celebrated by which of the following communities?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
In Tripura, Lai Haraoba, a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities since ancient times, began recently.
The five day long festival is jointly organised by Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of Tripura, Puthiba Lai Haraoba Committee and Puthiba Welfare & Cultural Society, Agartala.
The festival aims to uphold tradition and cultural values of Meitei community.
Lai Haraoba is celebrated through oral literature, music, dance and rituals.
A cultural troupe from Manipur has also come to take part in festival.
They will be performing various cultural and traditional musical skits including Manipuri martial arts, folk music and folk dances during the festival.
6) Consider the following statements with respect to the Stock Markets in India
Bear market refers to a market condition in which the prices of securities are falling or are expected to fall.
BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange) are the only two Stock Exchanges functioning in India.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : a
Madras Stock Exchange (MSE) strikes the gong in new avatar with the Mobile app DailyGong offers a gamut of financial products.
Plans are also afoot to bring mutual funds, fixed deposits under DailyGong in the near future.
While digital transformation rendered it irrelevant earlier, MSE in its new avatar has leveraged the same technology to serve investors. If it gets its act right, it may even regain its lost glory.
A bull market is a financial market of a group of securities in which prices are rising or are expected to rise.
Bull markets are characterized by optimism, investor confidence and expectations that strong results will continue.
Bear market refers to a market condition in which the prices of securities are falling, and widespread pessimism causes the negative sentiment to be self-sustaining.
Along with BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange) there are other Stock Exchanges functioning in India.
According to SEBI the above listed are the Stock Exchanges functioning in India and few others are closed recently.
7) Consider the following statements with respect to Gaganyaan Mission
India will become the 3rd country after Russia and USA to launch human spaceflight mission.
Gaganyaan is an indigenous mission that would take Indian astronauts to space.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : b
ISRO has decided to send 4 air force pilots to Russia to train them as astronauts for the country’s maiden human spaceflight, Gaganyaan.
The spacecraft is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The Gaganyaan programme, an indigenous mission that would take Indian astronauts to space.
It consists of a Service module and a Crew module,collectively known as the Orbital Module.
The Crew module house the astronauts and a Service module maintains the speed and orientation of the spacecraft.
ISRO's GSLV Mk III, the three-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan.
The programme will make India the 4th nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission.
So far, only the USA, Russia and Chinahave launched human spaceflight missions.
8) Consider the following statements with respect to Monsoon
When the ITCZ is shifted to north of the Equator, the southeast trade wind changes to a southwest wind as it crosses the Equator.
The Indian climate is characterized by the complete reversal of wind system with the change of season in a year.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
Recently, the Northeast, or Winter monsoon has ended on a high, with an overall surplus rainfall being recorded for the season.
ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) is a zone between the northern and southern hemisphere where winds blowing equator-ward from the mid latitudes and winds flowing poleward from the tropics meet.
It shifts from north and south seasonally according to the movement of the Sun.
When the ITCZ is shifted to north of the Equator, the southeast trade wind changes to a southwest wind as it crosses the Equator.
The Indian climate is characterized by the complete reversal of windsystem with the change of season in a year.
During the winter season winds generally blow from north-east to south-west in the direction of trade winds.
These winds are dry, devoid of moisture and are characterized by low temperature and high pressure conditions over the country.
During summer season complete reversal in the direction of the winds is observed and these blow primarily from south-west to north-east.
9) MANI app which was in news is related to,
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : c
RBI launched the “Mobile Aided Note Identifier (MANI)”, a mobile application for aiding visually impaired persons to identify the denomination of Indian Banknotes.
MANI, has the following features:
Capable of identifying the denominations of Mahatma Gandhi Series and Mahatma Gandhi (New) series banknote by checking front or reverse side/part of the note including half folded notes at various holding angles and broad range of light conditions (normal light/day light/low light/ etc.).
Ability to identify the denomination through audio notification in Hindi/English and non-sonic mode such as vibration (suitable for those with vision and hearing impairment).
After installation, the mobile application does not require internet and works in offline mode.
Ability to navigate the mobile application via voice controls for accessing the application features wherever the underlying device & operating system combination supports voice enabled controls.
The application is free and can be downloaded from the Android Play Store and iOS App Store without any charges/payment.
This mobile application does not authenticate a note as being either genuine or counterfeit.
10) Consider the following
Iraq
Turkmenistan
Kuwait
Armenia
Syria
Which of the countries given above do not share border with Iran?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer : d
US kills top Iranian general in Baghdad airstrike.
Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force, killed in an air strike as tensions between US and Iran escalate.
Iran has one of the longest land borders of any country in western Asia covering 3,662 miles in length.
There are 7 countries that Iran shares this long land border, these countries are Iraq, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Of these countries, Turkmenistan shares the longest border with Iran.
