Q1. Who has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University?
(a) David Beasley
(b) Sima Kamil
(c) Vanaja Sarna
(d) Sunaina Singh
(e) George Yeo
Q2. Name the Indian forward player, who has named the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year for 2016.
(a) S V Sunil
(b) Arjun Halappa
(c) Sardara Singh
(d) P. R. Shreejesh
(e) Sandeep Singh
Q3. President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the "Namami Brahmaputra" festival on the banks of the river Brahmaputra in 21 districts of-
(a) Jharkhand
(b) Tripura
(c) Assam
(d) West Bengal
(e) Arunachal Pradesh
Q4. Which among the following countries has become the first country in the world to ban metals mining nationwide?
(a) Panama
(b) El Salvador
(c) Guatemala
(d) Belize
(e) None of the given options is true
Q5. Name the American astronaut, who made history when she floated outside the International Space Station (ISS) and broke the record for the most spacewalks by a woman?
(a) Thomas Akers
(b) Aydyn Aimbetov
(c) Vladimir Aksyonov
(d) James Adamson
(e) Peggy Whitson
Q6. As per the government announcement the returns on small savings schemes, including Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC) and Kisan Vikas Patra, has been lowered by 0.1 percent for the April-June (2017) quarter. Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.6% and mature in ________.
(a) 116 months
(b) 114 months
(c) 108 months
(d) 110 months
(e) 112 months
Q7. The Loan Agreement for New Development Bank (NDB) financing of ____________ for Development and Upgradation of Major District Roads Project in Madhya Pradesh was signed between Government of India and the New Development Bank (NDB).
(a) US$ 1000 Million
(b) US$ 750 Million
(c) US$ 500 Million
(d) US$ 350 Million
(e) US$ 100 Million
Q8. Parliament has passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016, which provides healthcare and services to the people with mental illness and also decriminalizes suicide. Who is the present Union Health Minister of India?
(a) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
(b) Smriti Zubin Irani
(c) Jagat Prakash Nadda
(d) Ravi Shankar Prasad
(e) Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Q9. Which among the following two banks have launched co-branded credit cards for the customers recently?
(a) PNB and South Indian Bank
(b) SBI and Karnataka Bank
(c) ICICI and Indian Overseas Bank
(d) Axis Bank and Bank of Baroda
(e) Indian Bank and Bandhan Bank
Q10. Who has appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)?
(a) Vanaja N. Sarna
(b) Swati Gupta
(c) Tanushree Pareek
(d) Upendra Tripathy
(e) T S Anantharaman
Q11. Which among the following countries has committed an 'Official Development Assistance' (ODA) of 371.345 billion yen (about Rs 21,590 crore) under 2016-2017 for various infrastructure projects, including the dedicated freight corridor in India?
(a) Malaysia
(b) Thailand
(c) South Korea
(d) Japan
(e) China
Q12. Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh has become the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot of its own. The Mascot has been named as.................?
(a) Bhoorsingh the Barasingha
(b) Shersingh the Sheraham
(c) Baghathakut the Bhaghwar
(d) Singham the Singhatam
(e) None of the given options is true
Q13. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has given the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Najib Tun Razak is present Prime Minister of-
(a) Bhutan
(b) Nepal
(c) Malaysia
(d) Singapore
(e) Russia
Q14. Name the private sector bank, which has tied up with Wells Fargo (the third largest American bank by assets) to offer real-time remittances from the Indian diaspora to their relatives back home?
(a) HDFC Bank
(b) Axis Bank
(c) ICICI Bank
(d) South Indian Bank
(e) Karnataka Bank
Q15. The Indian Army has entered into an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) to the objective of the agreement is to identify and enhance the critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces. Who is the present Chief of Army Staff?
(a) General Birender Singh Dhanoa
(b) General Sunil Lanba
(c) General Bikram Singh
(d) General Dalbir Singh
(e) General Bipin Rawat
Solutions
S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Sunaina Singh has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University. She was Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad-based EFL University. The University has been without Chancellor and Vice Chancellor after George Yeo resigned from the post. The University has received a total of 160 applications for the position and six people were called for interviews and three names were then sent to the Visitor. Singh’s name was on top.
S2. Ans.(a)
Sol. Indian forward player S V Sunil has named the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year for 2016. Drag-flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh was chosen as the Promising Player of the Year in the continental body’s annual awards. S.V. Sunil played a vital role in India's successful outing at the FIH Champions Trophy in London where the team earned a historic silver medal.
S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the "Namami Brahmaputra" festival on the banks of the river Brahmaputra in 21 districts of Assam. The main purpose of the 5 day festival (31st March to 04th April, 2017) is to give a boost to the investment and tourism prospect in the state. Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay and Governor of Assam Banwarilal Purohit has attended the inaugural ceremony.
S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. El Salvador, Central America’s smallest nation, has become the first country in the world to ban metals mining nationwide. The new law, supported by 70 lawmakers, bans all exploration, extraction, and processing of metals both in open pits and mines. The level of environmental pollution in El Salvador is one of the highest in the region and the availability of drinking water is the lowest, according to UN data.
S5. Ans.(e)
Sol. American astronaut Peggy Whitson made history when she floated outside the International Space Station (ISS). She broke the record for the most spacewalks by a woman. Whitson at the age of 57, is making her eighth career spacewalk, surpassing the record of seven previously held by American Sunita Williams. Ms Whitson earned a doctorate in biochemistry and served as the first female space station commander in 2008.
S6. Ans.(e)
Sol. As per the government announcement the returns on small savings schemes, including Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC) and Kisan Vikas Patra, will be lowered by 0.1 percent for the April-June quarter. According to finance ministry notification, investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch lower annual rate of 7.9%, the same as a five-year National Savings Certificate. The existing rate for these two schemes is 8%. Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.6% and mature in 112 months.
S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Loan Agreement for New Development Bank (NDB) financing of US$ 350 Million for Development and Upgradation of Major District Roads Project in Madhya Pradesh was signed between Government of India and the New Development Bank (NDB).
This is the First Loan Agreement for NDB assisted project in India. The objective of the Project is upgradation of major district roads (Approx. 1,500 km) in Madhya Pradesh to improve connectivity of the interior areas of the state with the national and state highway networks.
S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Parliament has passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2016, which provides healthcare and services to the people with mental illness and also decriminalizes suicide. The government will set up a Central Mental Health Authority at the national level and a State Mental Health Authority in every state. Under the Mental Healthcare Bill, the punishment for flouting of provisions will attract up to six months in prison or Rs 10,000 fine or both. Jagat Prakash Nadda is the present Union Health Minister of India.
S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Karnataka Bank and SBI Card have launched co-branded credit cards for the customers of Karnataka Bank. Through this alliance, Karnataka Bank and SBI Card will launch two variants of the co-branded credit card named ‘Karnataka Bank Platinum SBI Card’ and ‘Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card’. ‘Karnataka Bank Platinum SBI Card’, which has been designed keeping in mind the premium customers, offers features in line with their lifestyle and spending patterns. ‘Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card’ is aimed at value-conscious consumers and offers rewards and features that enable customers to maximise their savings on their regular spends.
S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Vanaja N. Sarna has appointed as the new chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). She has replaced Najib Shah after his retirement. Prior to becoming Member of the CBEC, she held the charge of Director General of Vigilance and Chief Vigilance Officer of the Department.
S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. Japan has committed an 'Official Development Assistance' (ODA) of 371.345 billion yen (about Rs 21,590 crore) under 2016-2017 for various infrastructure projects, including the dedicated freight corridor, in India. The notes in this regard were exchanged in New Delhi between S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India.
S12. Ans.(a)
Sol. Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh has become the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot of its own. The Mascot has been named 'Bhoorsingh the Barasingha' to present the hard ground swamp deer as the spirit of the reserve and spread awareness to save it from possible extinction. The Kanha tiger reserve, spread over Mandla and Balaghat districts, is the only place in the world where the species exists. Barasingha or Swamp Deer is the State animal of Madhya Pradesh.
S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is on a 6-day visit to India. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has given the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. This year marks the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations. Malaysia’s father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, visited India in 1962. India and Malaysia signed their strategic partnership in 2010. India has trained Malaysian pilots for the Russian SU-30 aircraft.
S14. Ans.(b)
Sol. Axis Bank has tied up with Wells Fargo (the third largest American bank by assets) to offer real-time remittances from the Indian diaspora to their relatives back home. Under the arrangement between the two banks, any member of the Indian diaspora with an account with the Wells Fargo will be able to transfer money to their relatives back home and there will be no transaction fee applicable to the money transfers from the USA. But the relative or the beneficiary in India will need to have an account with Axis Bank.
S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. The Indian Army has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). The objective of the agreement is to identify and enhance the critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces.It also aimed at facilitating the prestigious institutions such as the IITs to achieve a better understanding of the critical technology requirements of the Indian Army through seamless interaction between the IIT M faculty and the Army officers. General Bipin Rawat is the Chief of Army Staff.
