ENGLISH QUIZ 24.01.2020

1. Which of the following states topped in the Khelo India Youth Games (3rd- edition) in Guwahati?

A. Maharashtra

B. Punjab

C. Assam

D. Haryana

2. Which financial company has acquired the Essel Finance’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) loan business in India?

A. Tata capital

B. Adani Capital

C. Bajaj final

D. Mahindra and Mahindra Capital

3. Which state government has launched ‘Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana’?

A. Maharashtra

B. Jharkhand

C. Uttar Pradesh

D. Madhya Pradesh

4. In which of the following African countries India opens its first Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre?

A. South Africa

B. Nigeria

C. Ghana

D. Niger

5. Who will chair the Committee formed by the Supreme Court to firm up draft legislation to give legal sanctity to disputes settled through mediation?

A. Niranjan Bhat

B. AS Chandok

C. PS Narasimha

D. Shriram Panchu

6. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on January 22, 2020 unveiled its first ‘woman’ astronaut. What is the name of this humanoid astronaut?

A. Disha Anant

B. Vyom Mitra

C. Gagan Aditi

D. Divya Jyoti

7. Where did India’s first global mega science exhibition ‘Vigyan Sangam’ started in January 2020?

A. Bangalore

B. Ahmedabad

C. Delhi

D. Hyderabad

8. What is India’s ranking in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2019?

A. 41st

B. 61st

C. 71st

D. 51st

9. According to ‘ Airpocalypse-IV-an annual report released by Greenpeace India, which is the most polluted city in India?

A. Jharia

B. Dhanbad

C. Noida

D. Delhi

10. Which country has elected Katerina Sakellaropoulou as its first woman President?

A. Ethiopia

B. Greece

C. Italy

D. Ireland

11. Consider the following statements related to Democracy Index 2019:

1. The Economist Intelligence Unit has recently released the Democracy Index.

2. It is prepared by Economist Intelligence Unit, the research and analysis division of The Economist Group.

3. It provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide in 155 independent states and two territories.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

12. Consider the following statements related to Exercise Topchi:

1. Indian army showcased firepower demonstrations at Exercise Topchi.

2. Exercise Topchi means a Runner in English is an annual exercise by the School of Artillery, Deolali.

3. The exercise aims to showcase the Indian Army’s artillery firepower, aviation and surveillance capabilities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

13. Consider the following statements:

1. Govt sets up National Startup Advisory Council.

2. It will be chaired by the commerce minister.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

14. Consider the following statements related to Green Peace India Report:

1. Green Peace India Report: Jharia of Jharkhand is the most polluted city in the country, Lunglei of Mizoram is the lowest.

2. Jharia and Dhanbad both are in Jharkhand were ranked as the first and second polluted city in the country in 2018.

3. These cities are known for their underground coal fires.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 are correct

B. 1 and 3 are correct

C. 2 and 3 are correct

D. All of the above

15. Consider the following statements:

1. 32nd Edition of PRAGATI chaired by Prime Minister.

2. In PRAGATI meeting, PM discussed a total of 11 items, out of which Seven are delayed projects.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWERS:-

Answer: 1) A

Explanation

In the third edition of Khelo India Youth Games medal tally, Maharashtra topped with 234 medals including 74 gold medals. Haryana is on the second spot with 57 golds while Delhi is on third spot with 35 gold medals. The 3rd Khelo India Youth Games is being held from 10 January 2020 and 22 January 2020 in Guwahati, Assam, India.

Khelo India Youth Games

• Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), formerly Khelo India School Games (KISG), meaning Play India Youth Games, held annually in January or February, are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India held for two categories, namely under-17 years school students and under-21 college students.
• Every year best 1000 kids will be given an annual scholarship of ₹5 lakh (US$7,000) for 8 years to prepare them for the international sporting events.
• The Training of Trainers (TOT) Programme will be held in December 2018- January 2019 in the first phase. Here total of 160 trainers will be trained in 4 batches of 40 each in December-January period.
• This TOT Programme will be carried out semi-annually or quarterly to include all the interested teachers, principals, vice-principals and physical education trainers.

Answer: 2) B

Explanation

Business tycoon Gautam Adani-controlled Adani Group’s Non-Banking Financial (NBFC) arm has acquired Essel Finance’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) loan business. According to a statement, Adani Capital Pvt. Ltd secured a loan book of about Rs 145 crore with this acquisition. It didn’t give any other financial details. Essel Finance’s MSME vertical has about 1,100 customers and 40 employees in 10 cities. Adani Capital is a 100% subsidiary of Adani Finserve Pvt. Ltd, the holding company of Adani Group’s financial services business.

Answer: 3) C

Explanation

Uttar Pradesh Government has launched Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana. This scheme will provide financial assistance to the family of farmers who die or become handicapped while working in fields. The scheme will also include the Bataidars, who work in the field of other persons and share the crop after it is harvested. The scheme will cover farmers and their family members in the age group of 18-70 years. The assistance program for the first time will also cover Bataidars, the people who work in the fields of other owners and receive the crops after harvesting. To boost the tourism sector of the state, the state government has also decided to implement Mukhyamantri Paryatan Samvardhan Yojana, under which Rs 50 Lakh will be allotted to all the assembly segments in the state for developing one tourist spot in the particular assembly area.

Answer: 4) D

Explanation

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar visited Niamey, Republic of Niger. During the visit, S Jaishankar and the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou jointly inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre (MGICC). MGICC is the first centre to be established in Africa by India to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi whose 150th birth anniversary was observed in 2019.

The establishment of the Centre is a landmark for India-Niger friendship, as also a symbol of India’s firm commitment towards Africa. The Convention Centre, has been designed as a spacious, modern and eco-friendly facility, including a 2000 capacity Plenary Hall, to witness high-level and wide-ranging participation from AU Member States and other high level Conventions. The construction of MGICC was completed in record time by M/s Shapoorji Pallonji Private Limited. M/s NBCC, a Govt of India undertaking, were the project management consultant for the project.

Answer: 5) A

Explanation

The Supreme Court set up a panel headed by mediator Niranjan Bhat to firm up draft legislation to give legal sanctity to disputes settled through mediation. Which would then be sent to the government as a suggestion from the apex court. The Committee met in Hyderabad. The other members includes Justice K Kanan, AS Chandok, PS Narsimha, Sriram Panchu, JP Singh, Susheela S, Sadhna Ramchandran, Laila Ollapally, and Anil Xavier.

Answer: 6) B

Explanation

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled its first ‘woman’ astronaut Vyom Mitra to an international gathering in Begaluru. The humanoid will simulate the human functions required for space before real astronauts take off before August 2022. ISRO will send the human-resembling model in a space capsule Gaganyaan by 2020-end or early 2021 to study how she — and later real astronauts — respond to living outside earth in controlled zero-gravity conditions.

It is the half-humanoid which means it has no legs. Two trial flights without crew will take place with a humanoid — the first around December 2020 and the second around July 2021. The Union Cabinet also approved a budget of Rs 10,000 crore for Mission Gaganyaan. In this mission, three astronauts will be sent to space for 5-7 days. India will become the fourth country to do such a feat.

Answer: 7) C

Explanation

The Union Minister of State (I/C) Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that three-tier teams should be set up for scientific research involving older and younger generations, so that continuity can be maintained in research work. He said that exhibitions should be organised with focus on educating the young students, so that they can choose science as a career in future. He was addressing at the inauguration of India’s first global Mega Science Exhibition “Vigyan Samagam” at National Science Centre, here. Dr Jitendra Singh congratulated the organisers for organising this exhibition, which is first of its kind initiative. He informed that this is fourth such exhibition after bring organised at Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Answer: 8) D

Explanation

The latest edition of the Democracy Index spells gloom for India. The world’s biggest democracy slipped 10 places in the 2019 global ranking to 51st place. The survey published attributes the primary cause of “the democratic regression” to “an erosion of civil liberties in the country”. India’s overall score fell from 7.23 to 6.9, on a scale of 0-10, within a year (2018-2019) — the country’s lowest since 2006.

The average global score also recorded its worst value ever, down from 5.48 in 2018 to 5.44, driven by a sharp regression in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, a lesser one in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and by stagnation in the remaining regions that were covered. The report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit — the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, which is the sister company to The Economist newspaper — records how global democracy fared, analysing 165 independent states and two territories.

Answer: 9) A

Explanation

Jharia, known worldwide for its underground coal fires, continued to be the most polluted city in the country, according to Airpocalypse-IV, an annual report released by Greenpeace India. The report, based on analysis of particulate matter data across 287 cities, said Delhi was 10th most polluted city in 2018, an improvement by two ranks as compared to 2017. Lunglei in Mizoram was the least polluted city in India, followed by Meghalaya’s Dowki, according to the report. Six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh: Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad.

Answer: 10) B

Explanation

Greece has elected Katerini Sakellaropoulou as the first woman president in the country’s history. The 63-year-old was elected to the top post in a historic parliamentary vote, which saw 261 of the total 294 MPs vote in favour of her.

Greece

• Greece is a country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and Ionian seas. Influential in ancient times, it’s often called the cradle of Western civilization.

Answer: 11) A

Explanation

The Economist Intelligence Unit has recently released the Democracy Index.

About the Democracy Index

• It is prepared by Economist Intelligence Unit, the research and analysis division of The Economist Group.
• It provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide in 165 independent states and two territories.
• It is based on the electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.

Highlights of the Index

• The Democracy Index described 2019 as a “tumultuous year” for Asian democracies.
• Norway topped the index, with a score of 9.87, while North Korea was at the bottom of the global rankings, with a score of 1.08.
• China’s score fell to 2.26, and it is now ranked 153rd, close to the bottom of the rankings.
• Three countries – Chile, France and Portugal – moved from the “flawed democracy” category to the “full democracy” category
• Malta moved in the opposite direction, falling out of “full democracy” to become a “flawed democracy”.

In this index, 165 countries and 2 regions of the world have been ranked on the basis of four types of standards based on their governance –

1. Full Democracies
2. Flawed Democracies
3. Hybrid Regimes
4. Authoritarian Regimes

India’s position in the index:

• In this report, India has been ranked 51 in the list of 167 countries, but India has been placed eighth in the Asia and Australasia group.
• India got a total of 6.90 points.
• If we look at India’s rank on different scales, then India is given 8.67 in electoral process and pluralism, 6.79 in the style of government, 6.67 in political participation, 5.63 in political culture and 6.76 in civil liberties.
• In this index, India is categorized as defective democracy. The category of flawed democracy refers to countries where free and fair elections are held and basic civil liberties are respected but various problems in aspects of democracy, such as problems in governance, an underdeveloped political culture and low level of political participation Etc.

Reason for decline in India’s ranking:

• According to this index, a major reason for the decline in India’s ranking is the exclusion of 1.9 million persons due to the implementation of the National Register of Citizens- NRC in Assam.
• This report discusses repeal of both Article 370 and Article 35A. And it was said that the Indian government deployed a large number of troops to Jammu and Kashmir, implemented various security measures and kept local leaders under house arrest, including pro-India figures.

Answer: 12) B

Explanation

Indian Army recently showcased its artillery firepower capability at Exercise Topchi at Deolali Camp near Nashik.

About Exercise Topchi

• It means a gunner in English is an annual exercise by the School of Artillery, Deolali.
• The exercise aims to showcase the Indian Army’s artillery firepower, aviation and surveillance capabilities.

About School of Artillery

• The School of Artillery was established for the Indian Army at Kakul now in Pakistan in April 1918 afterwards it moved to Devlali in June 1941.
• Since 1947, the School of Artillery has undergone many changes, in conformity with modernisation and expansion of the Indian Army and consequently of the Regiment of Artillery.

About Deolali Camp

• Deolali is a small hill-station in the Nashik district of Maharashtra.
• It has one of the oldest military centres in India.
• It was established in 1869 and is situated on the banks of the River Darna.

Nashik

• Nashik or Nashik is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
• Nashik is located in the northwest of Maharashtra, 150 km from Mumbai and 205 km from Pune.
• The city is predominantly the center of Hindu pilgrims.
• Nashik is situated on the banks of the sacred Godavari River.
• Its height is 565 meters above sea level. Many beautiful ghats are located on the banks of the Godavari river.
• The most prominent part of this city is Panchavati.
• Apart from this, there are many temples here.
• Nashik attracts a large number of crowds during festivals.

Answer: 13) C

Explanation

The government has set up a National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Centre on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and start-ups in the country.

Composition of the Council

• It will be chaired by the commerce minister.
• It will also consist of non-official members to be nominated by the Centre, founders of successful start-ups, veterans who have grown and scaled companies in India, persons capable to represent interests of investors into start-ups.
• The term of the non-official members will be for a period of two years.
• The ministry added that the nominees of the ministries, departments and organisations concerned not below the rank of joint secretary will be ex-officio members.

Mandates of the Advisory Council

• It helps startups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.
• It will also suggest measures to facilitate public organisations

a. to assimilate innovation

b. promote creation

c. protection and commercialisation of intellectual property rights

d. make it easier to start, operate, grow and exit businesses by reducing regulatory compliances and costs.

Answer: 14) D

Explanation

Greenpeace India has released an annual report on the most polluted cities in India. The Greenpeace report is based on analysis of particulate matter data across 287 cities. It has used the Central Pollution Control Board data to rank the most polluted cities in India.

Highlights of the Report

• Jharia and Dhanbad both are in Jharkhand were ranked as the first and second polluted city in the country in 2018.
• These cities are known for their underground coal fires.
• Delhi was 10th most polluted city in 2018 an improvement by two ranks as compared to 2017.
• Lunglei in Mizoram was the least polluted city in India followed by Meghalaya’s Dowki.
• The other six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh namely Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad.

About Greenpeace India

• Greenpeace India is the Indian branch of the global environmental group Greenpeace, a non-profit NGO, with a presence in 55 countries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
• Greenpeace India has legally registered society in 4 locations with Bengaluru has its headquarters and other branches at Delhi, Chennai, Patna.
• It’s permanently headquartered is in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Answer: 15) A

Explanation

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the first PRAGATI meeting of the year 2020. It marked Prime Minister’s thirty-second interaction through PRAGATI – the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State governments.

11 items discussed

In PRAGATI meeting, PM discussed a total of 11 items, out of which nine are delayed projects. These nine projects, worth over Rs. 24,000 crores, are spread over nine states viz. Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh and three Union ministries. These include three from the Ministry of Railways, five from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and one from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

PMJJBY and PMSBY schemes reviewed

• Prime Minister in the meeting, reviewed the performance with regard to in grievances related to insurance schemes under Department of Financial Services viz. ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana’ (PMJJBY) and ‘Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana’(PMSBY).
• Prime Minister also reviewed the progress under Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project- a comprehensive and integrated system for effective policing through e-Governance.
• In the previous thirty-one PRAGATI interactions, Prime Minister has reviewed a total of 269 projects with a total investment of Rs. 12.30 lakh crores. Prime Minister has also reviewed the resolution of grievance redressal related to 47 government programmes and schemes across 17 diverse sectors.

About PRAGATI

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had launched the ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) on 25th March 2015.
• PRAGATI is a unique integrating and interactive platform. The platform is aimed at addressing common man’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.