General Studies & Current Affairs for Bank, SSC, CLAT, Civil Services and other Competitive Exams

CURRENT AFFAIR 1. Which of the following countries is not a member of the elite league of six nations that have nuclear-powered submarine...

Current Affair - May 2012

CURRENT AFFAIR


1. Which of the following countries is not a member of the elite league of six nations that have nuclear-powered submarines?
a. China  b. India c. Germany  d. UK


2. Who amongst the following has been awarded the prestigious 'Dadasaheb Phalke award' for the year 2012?
a. Manna Dey b. Soumitra Chatterjee c. VK Murthy  d. K Balachander


3. Tiger Woods' former swing coach, Hank Haney, has written a book about his time working with the golfer. The name of the book is:
a. The Lord of the Rings  b. Rules of Attraction  c. Strong Motion   d. The Big Miss


4. The Titanic, with 2,200 people on board, departed from which of the following British ports on 10 April 1912, for its fateful voyage from Europe to the US?
a. Port of Southampton  b. Port of Barrow  c. Port of Swansea   d. Port of Immingham


5. According to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which country is the secondlargest weapons importer?
a. Pakistan  b. India c. China  d. South Korea


6. The Para Athletics National Championship 2012 was held in:
a. Hyderabad   b. Gurgaon  c. Bhopal    d. Bengaluru


7.  Who among the following politicians has been declared the winner of the prestigious ‘International Jurists Award-2012’?
a. Sheila Dixit  b. Nitish Kumar  c. Narendra Modi    d. Mulayam Singh Yadav


8. Oil has been discovered for the first time in which East African nation recently?
a. Kenya  b. Tanzania  c. Burundi  d. Uganda


9. Who among the following is the surprise choice of US President Barack Obama for the post of World Bank president?
a. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala  b. Jim Yong Kim  c. Jose Antonio Ocampo   d. Robert Zoellick


10. After WWE wrestler Great Khali, who is the second sportsperson keen on opening a cricket academy in Himachal Pradesh?
a. Suresh Raina  b. Yuvraj Singh  c. Mahendra Singh Dhoni   d. Harbhajan Singh


11. To promote institutional deliveries, create awareness and ‘responsibility towards health’ in pregnant women, which of the following states has recently introduced the ‘Surakshit Maa' and ‘Swasth Maa' awards?
a. Bihar  b. Haryana  c. Madhya Pradesh   d. New Delhi


12. The Prime Minister has appointed a panel on the feasibility of executing the controversial Sethusamudram project through Dhanuskodi instead of routing it through Rama Sethu. The committee is headed by:
a. Vandana Shiva  b. Ashok Khosla  c. T Srinivasa Rao    d. RK Pachauri


13.  The Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF), the fi rst international fi lm festival in Ladakh and the highest-altitude fi lm festival at 13,500 feet above sea level, will begin from:
a. 15 June 2012   b. 29 March 2012    c. 15 April 2012   d. 29 May 2012


14. Ms Tawakul Karman, titled the ‘Mother of the Revolution’, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2011. She belongs to:
a. Kenya  b. Liberia c. Yemen    d. Morocco


15. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated (in 2010) across the globe to celebrate the beauty of the house sparrow. The World Sparrow Day is observed on:
a. 21 March  b. 20 March  c. 5 January  d. 27 January


16. The ‘Pudhu Vazvu Thittam' scheme has been launched in which of the following states with the aim of improving livelihood activities of the poorest of the poor, differently abled, destitute widows, and orphaned women?
a. Tamil Nadu  b. Kerala  c. Karnataka   d. Andhra Pradesh


17.  Who has been chosen for the Chameli Devi Jain award?
a. Shailaja Bajpai   b. Aruna Sharma  c. Tusha Mittal   d. Shahina K.K


18. Which Indian NGO was selected for the US' fi rst ‘Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls’ for training and organising wastepickers and eliminating child labour from recycling?
a. Pahal   b. Smile foundation  c. HelpAge India  d. Chintan


19. Who among the following is the current Director-General of the United Nations Educational Scientifi c and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)?
a. Irina Bokova  b. Luther Evans  c. Koïchiro Matsuura  d. Federico Mayor Zaragoza


20. Tihar Prison became the fi rst jail in the country to attain near total literacy among inmates. Which of the following programmes has been launched in Tihar jail in collaboration with the National Literacy Mission?
a. 'Aao Padhein'   b. 'Padho aur Padhao’  c. 'Padhana Likhana Sikho'  d. 'Aao Sakshar Bane'


21. Which of the following social activists recently became a part of the ‘Global March to Jerusalem' to uphold secularism in the region?
a. Swami Agnivesh  b. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  c. Anna Hazare   d. Medha Patkar


22. Recently, which of the following countries qualified for the silver medal in the women's 4x400m relay of the last Asian athletics championships due to the disqualifi cation of athletes from Kazakhstan and Iraq?
a. Sri Lanka   b. Pakistan  c. India    d. China


23. 'Malabar 2012' is an annual naval exercise between India and:
a. Japan  b. Russia  c. France  d. USA


24. Which of the following countries has topped the list of 27 MDR-TB high-burden countries worldwide?
a. India  b. Bangladesh  c. China  d. Pakistan


25. The Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh, has announced a national award for sanitation and water - in the name of:
a. Sant Gadge Baba  b. Sant Vadiraja Tirtha  c. Sant Variyar Swamigal  d. Swami Yogaswami




BUSINESS & INDUSTRY


1. 'Phaeton' is a full-size luxury sedan launched by:
a. Audi  b. Volkswagen  c. BMW  d. Daimler


2. Global private equity major Warburg Pincus has sold its 3.6% stake in which bank for about Rs.1,400 crore?
a. HDFC Bank  b. Kotak Mahindra Bank  c. ICICI Bank  d. Yes Bank


3. Tatra is
a. A vehicle manufacturer  from the Czech Republic  b. A drug that increases the  life expectancy of the  elderly  c. A new variety of Bt Cotton  developed by Monsanto  d. A new operating system  developed by Samsung


4. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established to facilitate development of countries in Asia. It is headquartered in:
a. Singapore  b. Philippines  c. Japan  d. Malaysia


5. Recently, the state-owned Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL), signed a contract for exploration, development, and mining in the Akjoujt Iron Ore project at Mauritania in West Africa, with which of the following companies?
a. Curve Capital Ventures  b. South African Mining  c. Talvivaara Mining  Company Plc  d. North Bay Resources Inc


6. Which of the following server chips has recently been launched by Intel Corp?
a. 64-bit ARM server chip   b. Opteron 6200  c. Opteron 4200  d. Xeon E5-2600


7. Which of the following countries is India’s second largest supplier of crude oil - against which western countries have imposed sanctions?
a. Iraq    b. Iran  b. Russia  d. Saudi Arabia


8. Who is the current chairman and chief executive offi cer of Pepsico?
a. John Compton  b. Pamela Culpepper  c. Indira K Nooyi  d. Josh Luis Parado


9. Which IT company has launched the 'MyEdu tablet' in India?
a. HCL  b. Wipro  c. Dell  d. Samsung


10. Which of the following California-based companies has recently been acquired by chipmaker AMD for $334 million?
a. Antec  b. SeaMicro  c. Intel  d. Memorex


11. Which motorcycle company has launched its gearless scooter portfolio with the launch of the Swish 125?
a. Suzuki Motors  b. Hero MotoCorp  c. Bajaj Motorcycles  d. Honda Motorcycles


12. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) recently launched a single premium plan called:
a. Jeevan Chhaya  b. Jeevan Nidhi  c. Jeevan Vriddhi  d. Jeevan Saathi


13. Kobelco Cranes India Pvt. Ltd (KCI), which is a part of the Kobelco Cranes Company, has commenced production at its hydraulic crane manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh. This company belongs to:
a. South Korea  b. Germany  c. Japan  d. Sweden


14. AP Choudhary is the current Chairman-cum-Managing Director of:
a. Hindustan Aeronautics  Limited (HAL)  b. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam  Limited (RINL)  c. Bharat Heavy Electricals  Limited (BHEL)  d. Gas Authority of India  Ltd. (GAIL)


15. Which of the following state governments has decided to give cycles to the girls studying in Classes XI and XII under the 'Mai Bhago Vidya scheme'?
a. Punjab  b. Haryana  c. West Bengal   d. Himachal Pradesh  


16. To improve corporate governance, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has constituted a committee headed by:
a. Kiran Majumdar Shaw  b. Adi Godrej  c. Sidharth Birla  d. MK Chanu


17. The Indian Government has imposed anti-dumping duty for fi ve years on imports of phosphoric acid from Israel and:
a. China  b. Canada   c. South Korea   d. Taiwan


18. A unique scheme, titled ‘Master Health Card', of the Rahbar Group of Companies, was launched in:
a. Andhra Pradesh  b. Uttar Pradesh  c. Karnataka  d. New Delhi


19. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India recently experienced the second-strongest domestic air traffi c growth (at 12.3%) among the major domestic markets in the world after:
a. USA  b. Brazil  c. Saudi Arabia  d. Russia


20. Who is the current Director General of the World Trade Organisation?
a. Pascal Lamy  b. Supachai Panitchpakdi  c. Mike Moore  d. Renato Ruggiero


21. Which telecom company has selected ZTE Corporation to plan, design, supply, and deploy its 4G network in Kolkata?
a. Idea  b. Bharti Airtel  c. Reliance  d. BSNL


22. The GSM Association has said that 3G mobile connections in India are expected to grow to more than 10 crore by 2014  - the highest in the world - while India would become the second largest mobile broadband market globally within the next four years after:
a. USA  b. South Korea  c. UK    d. China


23. 'Mini Countryman' is a SUV car launched by:
a. Hyundai  b. BMW  c. Volkswagen  d. Toyota


24. Which of the following countries is the world's most nuclear-dependent country, deriving 75% of its electricity needs from 58 reactors and has been a leading international proponent of atomic energy?
a. France  b. Canada  c. Sweden  d. Japan


25. Pratt & Whitney is an aerospace manufacturer and leading supplier of aerospace engines, space propulsion systems, and industrial gas turbines. Its headquarters are located in:
a. France  b. UK  c. Canada  d. USA


26. Which of the following railway stations has bagged the ‘Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station' award for 2010-11?
a. Madgaon railway station  b. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai  c. New Delhi Railway Station  d.  Mangalore  railway station


27. Who among the following is the current Chairman and CEO of  General Motors?
a. Daniel F Akerson  b. Edward Whitacre  c. Frederick Henderson  d. Stephen J Girsky


28. Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has a joint venture with which of the following country's aeronautical manufacturing company, 'Aerostar'?
a. Italy   b. Germany  c. Romania  d. South Africa


29. Which of the following motor companies will launch a new bike in 250cc categories under Korean brand 'Hyosung'?
a. Garware Motors  b. TVS Motors  c. LML  d. Honda Motors


30. US-based New York Life has recently sold its 26% stake in Max New York Life Insurance to which of the following insurance companies for  Rs.2,731 crore?
a. Aviva   b. Mitsui Sumitomo  Insurance (MSI)  c. MetLife  d. American International    Group (AIG)


ANSWERS
CURRENT AFFAIR
1. (c) Germany
2. (b) Soumitra Chatterjee
3. (d) The Big Miss
4. (a) Port of Southampton
5. (c) China
6. (d) Bengaluru
7. (d) Mulayam Singh Yadav
8. (a) Kenya
9. (b) Jim Yong Kim
10. (c) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
11. (b) Haryana
12. (d) RK Pachauri
13. (a) 15 June 2012
14. (c) Yemen
15. (a) 21 March
16. (a) Tamil Nadu
17. (c) Tusha Mittal
18. (d) Chintan
19. (a) Irina Bokova
20. (b) 'Padho aur Padhao'
21. (a) Swami Agnivesh
22. (c) India
23. (d) USA
24. (c) China
25. (a) Sant Gadge Baba


BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
1. (b) Volkswagen
2. (b) Kotak Mahindra Bank
3. (a) A vehicle manufacturer from the
Czech Republic
4. (b) Philippines
5. (a) Curve Capital Ventures
6. (d) Xeon E5-2600
7. (b) Iran
8. (c) Indira K Nooyi
9. (a) HCL
10. (b) SeaMicro
11. (a) Suzuki Motors
12. (c) Jeevan Vriddhi
13. (a) Japan
14. (b) Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)
15. (a) Punjab
16. (b) Adi Godrej
17. (d) Taiwan
18. (a) Andhra Pradesh
19. (b) Brazil
20. (a) Pascal Lamy
21. (b) Bharti Airtel
22. (d) China
23. (a) BMW
24. (a) France
25. (d) USA
26. (c) New Delhi Railway Station
27. (a) Daniel F Akerson
28. (c) Romania
29. (a) Garware Motors
30. (b) Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI)