Daily GK Update 24th August 2017

1. Important Cabinet Approvals- 23rd August

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The full list of Cabinet Approvals is given as follows-

ii. Cabinet has approved-

1. Setting up of a Commission to examine the Sub-Categorization within OBCs.

2. MoU between India and Nepal for laying down implementation arrangement for construction of a Closure of loss making Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company.
3. MoU between India and Nepal on Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and precursor chemicals and related matters.
4. Cabinet gives in-principle approval for Public Sector Banks to amalgamate through an Alternative Mechanism (AM). The salient features of the approval Framework for Consolidation of Public Sector Banks are as follows:

• The decision regarding creating strong and competitive banks would be solely based on commercial considerations.
• The proposal must start from the Boards of Banks.
• The proposals received from Banks for in-principle approval to formulate schemes of amalgamation shall be placed before the Alternative Mechanism (AM).
• After in-principle approval, the Banks will take steps in accordance with law and SEBI’s requirements.
• The final scheme will be notified by Central Government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India.

2. Alibaba's Jack Ma is Asia's Richest Man: Forbes

i. Alibaba Group’s Jack Ma is back on top as Asia’s richest man following gains in the company's earnings and share price. Jack Ma is worth $37.4 billion, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list.

ii. In the latest rankings, Chinese Internet billionaire- Tencent Chairman Ma Huateng, the latter has slipped to No. 2, with a fortune worth $36.7 billion. Jack Ma currently ranks as the world’s No. 18 richest man and is No. 1 in Asia.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese e-commerce company.
• Alibaba Headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

3. Creamy Layer Ceiling Raised to Rs 8 LPA

i. The government has hiked the ceiling for the creamy layer from Rs. 6 lakh per annum to Rs. 8 lakh per annum for central government jobs, according to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. In the OBC category, those earning up to Rs. 8 lakh per annum will get reservation benefits.

ii. The Cabinet also approved a commission to examine sub-categorization of OBCs. The better-educated member of Other Backward Classes who cannot avail government-sponsored educational and job benefits are called the creamy layer.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Supreme Court had raised this ceiling from Rs. 1,00,000 to Rs. 6,00,000 in 2013 and is to be revised every 3 years.

4. Supreme Court Declares Right to Privacy as Fundamental Right

i. The Supreme Court of India pronounced that individual privacy is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution. A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar ruled that the right to privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty, thus coming under Article 21, and comes under the various fundamental freedoms in PART III of the Indian Constitution.

ii. All the nine judges arrive at the same conclusion, though through different but concurring judgments, that right to privacy is intrinsic to right to life and liberty. With this now India has total seven fundamental rights.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Right to equality, Right to freedom, Right against exploitation, Right to freedom of religion, Cultural and Educational rights, and Right to constitutional remedies are the 6 fundamental rights of India.
• Deepak Misra will be the new Chief Justice of India.
• Supreme Court of India came into existence on 26th January 1950.

5. Cabinet Renames SAMPADA Scheme as PMKSY

i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the renaming of the new Central Sector Scheme- SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) as "Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)" for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission cycle.
ii. The new Central Sector Scheme- SAMPADA was approved in May 2017 with same allocation and period. The objective of PMKSY is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease Agri-Waste.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Agricultural Minister of India is Radha Mohan Singh.

6. TRAI Signs Deal with Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission

i. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation.

ii. The agreement would help both regulators to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• R. S. Sharma is the Present Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

7. Sushma Swaraj to Inaugurate First Videsh Bhavan in Mumbai

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate the country's first Videsh Bhavan, assimilating all Regional Passport Offices under one roof, at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

ii. As a first pilot project, four offices of MEA - Regional Passport Office (RPO), Protector of Emigrants (PoE) office, Branch Secretariat and Regional Office of ICCR - have been assimilated and brought under one roof at the state-of-art office.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Sushma Swaraj is an Indian politician, former Supreme Court lawyer and the current Minister of External Affairs of India.

8. 8 MOUs signed between India and Nepal

i. Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba accompanied by his spouse Dr. Arzu Deuba is on a State Visit to India at the invitation of PM of India, Shri Narendra Modi. On the Second Day of his visit following MoUs/Agreements were signed between the two countries-

1. MoU on Modalities for Utilization of India’s Housing Grant Component to support Reconstruction of 50,000 Houses.
2. MoU on Implementation of the Grant Component of India’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Package in the Education Sector in Nepal.
3. MoU on Implementation of the Grant Component of India’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Package in the Cultural Heritage Sector in Nepal.
4. MoU on Implementation of the Grant Component of India’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Package in the Health Sector in Nepal.
5. MoU for Implementation Arrangement on Cost Sharing, Schedules and Safeguard Issues for Construction of Mechi Bridge under ADB's SASEC Road Connectivity Program.
6. MoU on Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemical and Related Matters.
7. Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Standardization and Conformity Assessment.
8. MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal.

9. Rajnath Attends SCO Meet in Kyrgyz Republic

i. A two-day Meeting of Heads of Governments of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States begun at Choplon Ata in Kyrgyz Republic. The meeting focused on prevention and elimination of emergency situations.

ii. Home Minister Rajnath Singh lead the Indian delegation which includes senior officers from Home and External Affairs Ministries and National Disaster Management Authority. India had joined the SCO in June 2017 in Kazakhstan capital Astana.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The Capital of Kyrgyz Republic is Bishkek.
• Its Currency is Kyrgyzstani som.

10. Microsoft Launches 'Project Brainwave' for Real-Time AI

i. Software giant Microsoft has announced its 'Project Brainwave' deep learning acceleration platform for real-time artificial intelligence (AI). With the help of ultra-low latency, the system processes requests as fast as it receives them.

ii. The 'Project Brainwave' uses the massive field-programmable gate array (FPGA) infrastructure that Microsoft has been deploying over the past few years.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Satya Nadella is the CEO of the USA based Microsoft Company.

11. Andhra Pradesh First to Implement Bharat QR Digital Payments

i. Andhra Pradesh’s Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Power Distribution Corporation of AP Ltd. (SPDCL) have become the first state-owned distribution companies in India to accept payments through Bharat QR.

ii. As part of the ‘Vizag less–cash city’ initiative underway between Visa and the Andhra Pradesh government, the state has witnessed a slew of initiatives aimed at increasing the rate of digital payment adoption across the masses. 

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Bharat QR Code is the world’s first interoperable quick response code acceptance solution launched by the Reserve Bank of India.
• N. Chandrababu Naidu is the present CM of Andhra Pradesh.
• E S L Narasimhan is the Present Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

12. Two RRBs Record Over Rs 150-cr Profit in FY17: RBI

i. Of the 56 regional rural banks (RRBs), Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank and Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank recorded net profit of more than Rs 150 crore during 2016-17. These are among the 49 RRBs that recorded a profit in 2016-17.

ii. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s ‘Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India’, 45 of the 56 RRBs earned profits without carrying any accumulated losses during 2015-16.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The first RRB of India is Prathama Bank located in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
• The three RRBs promoted by Syndicate Bank - Prathama Bank, Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank, and Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank.

13. Government Announces Rajiv Bansal as New Air India CMD

i. Rajiv Bansal, additional secretary in the petroleum ministry, has been named the interim CMD of Air India.

ii. Bansal is an Indian Administrative Services officer from the 1988 batch. The government has appointed current Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani chairman of the Railway Board. Lohani's appointment came a day after AK Mital resigned from the post of railways chairman.

14. Ajay Vipin Nanavati is New Syndicate Bank Chairman

i. Ajay Vipin Nanavati was appointed as the chairman of Syndicate Bank. The appointments committee of the cabinet has approved his appointment as non-official director/non-executive chairman of Syndicate Bank for three years.

ii. In 2015, the government had bifurcated the posts of chairman and managing directors in public sector banks.  While the chairman became responsible for overall policy directions, the managing director and chief executive officer became the executive head, accountable for day-to-day functioning of the bank.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Syndicate Bank Headquarters in Manipal Karnataka.

15. Wayne Rooney, England's Record Goalscorer, Retires

i. Wayne Rooney, hailed from England retired from international football to prioritize ending his career on a high with boyhood club Everton.

ii. The 31-year-old was England captain and is the all-time record goalscorer. Rooney’s England career spanned 14 years.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• London is the capital of England.
• Pound sterling is the currency of England.

TEST OF THE DAY

Q1. Which among the following bank is the first bank to launch the Mudra Card based on the RuPay platform?

 SBI

 Corporation Bank

 Vijaya Bank

 PNB

 HDFC Bank

Solution:

Corporation Bank is the first bank to launch the Mudra Card based on the RuPay platform under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY).

Q2. ______________ in partnership with Visa launched India’s first co-branded e-commerce credit card

 Flipkart and ICICI Bank

 Snapdeal and ICICI Bank

 Flipkart and HDFC Bank

 Snapdeal and HDFC Bank

 Flipkart and Axis Bank

Solution:

Snapdeal and HDFC Bank in partnership with Visa launched the India’s first co-branded e-commerce credit card.

Q3. The Data centre of which bank has achieved the distinction of becoming the country's first Platinum rated project under IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Green Data Centre Rating System?

 Karnataka

 Axis Bank

 Bank of Baroda

 ICICI Bank

 State Bank of India

Solution:

The ICICI Bank Data Centre in Hyderabad has achieved the distinction of becoming the country's first Platinum rated project under IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Green Data Centre Rating System. Prem C Jain, Chairman, IGBC presented IGBC plaque to Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank at a programme organized on recently in Hyderabad. IGBC Green Data Centre Rating System would facilitate in providing tremendous tangible and intangible benefits.

Q4. In which among the following state government and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has signed an agreement for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery in the presence of Union Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan?

 Rajasthan

 Haryana

 Bihar

 West Bengal

 Gujarat

Solution:

In Rajasthan, the state government and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has signed an agreement for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery in the presence of Union Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in a ceremony held in Jaipur. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL. The government has made 4800-acre land available at Pachpadra for the project.

Q5. Uttar Pradesh government has changed the name of Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the department of welfare of the differently abled. The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as _______________ after the founder of the Nath monastic movement.

 Madan Mohan Airport

 Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport

 Mahayogi Goraknath Airport

 Adityanath Airport

 None of the given options is true

Solution:

In the third meeting of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, the UP government changed the name of Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the department of welfare of the differently abled. The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport after the founder of the Nath monastic movement. Likewise, the Agra Airport will be renamed after Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport. The Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as 'Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment'.

Directions (6-10): Study the information carefully and answer the questions given below. 
Eight students A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H are sitting in a row facing north but not necessary in the same order. No two successive students are sitting together according to alphabetical order. For Example: A does not sit with B; similarly, B does not sit with C and so on.
They also like different sports like Hockey, Badminton, Swimming, Chess, Football, Volleyball, Tennis, and Cricket but not necessary in the same order. Either D or B sits at the extreme end of the row. A likes cricket and sits second from the left end of the row. D sits third to left of one who likes Tennis. B sits third to left of G, who likes Volleyball. G does not sit the extreme end of the line. The one who likes football sits second to left of F. E does not sit any of the extreme end of the line. One of the immediate neighbors of B likes Chess. F does not like Chess. The one who likes Swimming sits second to right of one who likes Hockey.

 Q6. Which of the following student is sitting third to the right of one who likes Chess?

 E

 G

 C

 B

 F

Solution:
(6-10)

Q7. How many students sit between D and E?

 One

 Two

 Three

 More than three

 None of these

Q8. D likes which of the following sports?

 Football

 Swimming

 Hockey

 Chess

 None of these

Q9. Who among following sits immediate left of B?

 A

 The one who likes Swimming

 H

 The one who likes Volleyball.

 F

Q10. Who among following likes Chess?

 D

 A

 F

 B

 H

Directions (11-15): Study the information carefully and answer the following questions. 
 A total of 1650 employees are working in a mechanical company in florida, US. The ratio of male employees to female employees is 86 : 79. There are total 5 departments in the company i.e. Designing, Quality, Production, Maintenance and HR. Total 198 males work in “Designing department”. 18% employees works in quality department, in which male to female ratio is 5 : 4. In Maintenance department, 77 males are working and the number of females in this department is 5/7 of the number of males. The number of males in quality department is equal to number of females in designing department. The number of males of Maintenance department is half of the number of males in HR department. Male to female ratio in production department is 14 : 19.

 Q11. No. of males in production department is how much more than females in designing department?

 99

 91

 109

 105

 None of these

Solution:
(11-15)

Required difference = 266 – 165 = 101

Q12. Females in production department is what percent of total number of females in the company (approximate)?

 44.7%

 45.7%

 48.9%

 49.2%

 38.9%

Solution:

Q13. No. of Females in Maintenance department is what percent less than the no. of females in designing department?

 

 

 

 70

 None of these

Solution:

Q14. What is the difference between no. of male employees of Designing, Quality and HR department together and no. of females of Designing, Maintenance and production department together.

 54

 64

 35

 96

 None of these

Solution:

No. of males in designing, quality and HR departments = 198+ 165 + 154 = 517
No. of females in Designing, maintenance and production department = 361 + 55 + 165 = 581
Difference = 64

Q15. If the 5/12 of the females of the quality department are shifted to HR department. Then males in HR department is what times of no. of females in the same department. (round off to 2 decimal places).

 1.07

 1.17

 1.27

 1.37

 None of these

Solution:

Directions (16-20): Each question below has two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 

 Q16. Drawing attention to the pitfalls of __________ solely on Uranium as a fuel for nuclear reactors, Indian scientists warned that Uranium will not last for long and thus research on Thorium as its __________ must be revived.

 using, substitute

 believing, replacement

 depending, reserve

 reckoning, option

 relying, alternative

Solution:

Option E is the correct choice. Relying means depend on with full trust or confidence.
As Uranium has some drawbacks so thorium is viewed as its alternative.

Q17. In an effort to provide __________ for high education to all, most of the universities have been providing education without adequate infrastructure, thus churning our __________ graduates every year.

 chances, fresh

 platform, capable

 opportunities, unemployable

 prospects, eligible

 policy, incompetent

Solution:

Option a,b,d can be eliminated easily as it is clear that second blank needs  a negative word.
Option C thus is the correct choice.

Q18. The move to allow dumping of mercury __________ an outcry from residents of the area who __________ that high levels of mercury will affect their health and destroy will affect their health and destroy ecologically sensitive forest area.

 resulted, insist

 provoked, fear

 incited, determined

 activated, accept

 angered, belief

Solution:

Option B .
Residents of the area in afraid of ill effects of mercury on health.

Q19. __________ has been taken against some wholesale drug dealers for dealing in surgical items without a valid license and maintaining a stock of __________ drugs.

 Note, overwhelming

 Step, impressive

 Execution, outdated

 Action, expired

 Lawsuit, invalid

Solution:

 Option D is the correct choice. Only 'outdated', expired' and 'invalid' are applicable in the second blank. Among the three options, only 'action' is suitable in the first blank because of the use of the words 'has been taken' after the blank. So, Option D is the best answer.

Q20. Even as the __________ elsewhere in the world are struggling to come out of recession, Indian consumers are splurging on consumer goods and to __________ this growth, companies are investing heavily in various sectors.

 economies, meet

 countries, inhibit

 governments, measure

 nations, inflict

 companies, counter

Solution:

Except Option E, all the other words are suitable in the first blank. But for second blank, Only A is suitable because companies don't try to reduce the growth.

TEST OF THE DY

Q1. Name the public lender that surpassed oil exploration major ONGC to become most valued public sector undertaking (PSU) stock in terms of market capitalization (m-cap) in intra-day trade.

 BHEL

 SBI

 HPCL

 IOCL

 BOB

Solution:

State Bank of India (SBI) surpassed oil exploration major Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to become most valued public sector undertaking (PSU) stock in terms of market capitalization (m-cap) in intra-day trade.

Q2. World hemophilia day is observed globally on ___________.

 18 April

 15 April

 21 April

 17 April

 20 April

Solution:

World hemophilia day is observed globally on 17 April.

Q3. In 2017, the theme of International Day for Monuments and Sites is _____________.

 Protect our culture

 Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism

 The Heritage of Sports

 Heritage for Future

 None of the above themes are true

Solution:

In 2017, the theme of International Day for Monuments and Sites is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism”.

Q4. Which of the following Internet giants has launched an app aggregating food delivery and home services in India named Areo?

 Amazon

 ebay

 You Tube

 Facebook

 Google

Solution:

Google has recently launched an app aggregating food delivery and home services in India named Areo.

Q5. _______ is a deposit account provided by a bank or other financial institutions for individuals to save money and earn the modest interest for that money held in the account.

 Fixed Deposit Account

 Savings Bank Account

 Recurring Account

 Current Account

 None of the given options is true

Solution:

A savings account is an account maintained by a bank or other financial institutions for individuals to save money and earn interest on the cash held in the account.

Directions (6-10): In each of these questions the symbols @, #, $, % and ⋆ are used with different meanings as follows. 
I. ‘P @ Q’ means ‘P is not smaller than Q’. 
II. ‘P # Q’ means ‘P is not greater than Q’. 
III. ‘P $ Q’ means ‘P is neither smaller than nor greater than Q’. 
IV. ‘P % Q’ means ‘P is neither smaller than nor equal to Q’. 
V. ‘P ⋆ Q’ means ‘P is neither greater than nor equal to Q’. 
In each question, four statements showing relationships have been given, which are followed by four conclusions I, II, III and IV. Assuming that the given statements are true, find out which conclusion(s) is/are definitely true. 

Q6. 
Statement: 
L # T, T⋆D, D @ H, H $ K 
Conclusions: 
I. K ⋆ D 
II. K # D 
III. L ⋆ D
IV. K $ L

 I and III are true

 II and III are true

 III and IV are true

 I and II are true

 None of the above

Solution:

I. K ⋆ D (Not True)
II. K # D(True)
III. L ⋆ D(True)
IV. K $ L (Not True)

Q7. Statements: 
E $F, F @ I, I % K, L ⋆ K 
Conclusions 
I. E @ I 
II. L ⋆ F 
III. F % K
IV. E % K

 None is true

 I and II are true

 II and III are true

 I, II and III are true

 All are true

Solution:

I. E @
I (True)
II. L ⋆ F(True)
III. F % K (True)
IV. E % K (True)

Q8. Statement: 
R @ J, J⋆ F, F # M, M % V 
Conclusions: 
I. J % V 
II. R @ M 
III. J # V
IV. R ⋆ M

 Either I or III is true

 Either II or IV is true

 II and III are true

 Either I or III and either II or IV are true

 None of the above

Solution:

I. J % V (Not true)
II. R @ M(Not true)
III. J # V (Not true)
IV. R ⋆ M (Not true)

Q9. Statement: 
V % W, W # Z, Z @ T, T $ H 
Conclusions 
I. Z % H 
II. V @ Z 
III. V ⋆ Z 
IV. W $ T 

 Either II or III is true

 Only I is true

 Only IV is true

 I and II are true

 None of the above

Solution:

I. Z % H (Not true)
II. V @ Z(Not true)
III. V ⋆ Z(Not true)
IV. W $ T (Not true)

Q10. Statements: 
H % L, L @ Q, Q ⋆ R, R # N 
Conclusions 
I. H @ Q 
II. H % Q 
III. N @ Q 
IV. N % Q

 I and III are true

 II and III are true

 II and IV are true

 All are true

 None of these

Solution:

I. H @ Q(Not true)
II. H % Q(True)
III. N @ Q(Not True)
IV. N % Q(True)

Direction (11- 15): In the following questions, two equations numbered I and II are given. You have to solve both questions and give answer among the following options. 

Q11.

 If x>y

 If x≥ y

 If x<y

 If x≤y

 If x=y or the relationship cannot be established

Solution:

Q12.

 If x>y

 If x≥ y

 If x<y

 If x≤y

 If x=y or the relationship cannot be established

Solution:

Q13. 

 If x>y

 If x≥ y

 If x<y

 If x≤y

 If x=y or the relationship cannot be established

Solution:

Q14. 

 If x>y

 If x≥ y

 If x<y

 If x≤y

 If x=y or the relationship cannot be established

Solution:

Q15. 

 If x>y

 If x≥ y

 If x<y

 If x≤y

 If x=y or the relationship cannot be established

Solution:

Directions (16-20): Each question below has two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Choose the set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 

 Q16. A controversial plan to build an immense dam in Brazil’s rainforest was stalled when it __________ a formidable bloc of __________ in ecologists and indigenous tribes alike. 

 resulted, hostilities

 gained, supporters

 attracted, opponents

 lead, protesters

 drew, proponents

Solution:

Option C is the most suitable choice.

Q17. According to a recent survey, sales figures of high-end cars have seen a __________ growth in the past year, which shows that Indian consumers have __________ the impact of the recession.

 unprecedented, negated

 unbelievable, suffered

 unusual, worsened

 insignificant, endured

 adequate, proven

Solution:

Options B, C and D can be eliminated logically, as they state that consumers faced negative impacts of recession and still thy purchased luxury cars. Option E can be eliminated as 'proven' is not an apt choice and can't be used as consumers never prove recession. Hence, only Option A provides coherent meaning to the passage.

Q18. The National Knowledge Commission has said that India will have to bring __________ in education if it has to emerge as the most __________ workforce of the world.

 changes, biggest

 reforms, talented

 alleviation, skillful

 quality, brighter

 outcomes, demanded

Solution:

Option B is the correct choice. A, D can be eliminated as most can't be preceded by superlative or compartive form of adjectives. C can be eliminated as alleviate means to lessen.

Q19. Norway has stolen a march over other developed countries by __________ that it would reduce 40% of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and __________ carbon neutral by 2030.

 allowing, turn

 posing, grew

 estimating, exist

 perceiving, arising

 declaring, become

Solution:

'Steal a march on' is an idiom means to precede someone who has the same goal; to accomplish something before someone else does. So, the hidden meaning here is Norway has reacted before its fellow nations and is going to perform the necessary action in-order to become carbon-neutral in future. In Option B 'grew' is the past form of grow, hence incorrect. D can be eliminated because verb ‘ing’ form is used only when the there are simultaneous actions. E is correctly expecting the idea.

Q20. According to the language experts, children should begin talking in their mother tongue rather than a foreign language which can __________ affect their comprehension abilities leading to serious language based __________ later in their lives.

 significantly, abilities

 appropriately, achievements

 severely, advantages

 adversely, problems

 positively, issues

Solution:

The sentence means that foreign language affect the students comprehending abilities and become troublesome later in their lives. A,B,C can be eliminated because it states that foreign language has a positive effect on children. D clearly states that foreign language is having a negative impact on children and will lead to complications in future.