ENGLISH QUIZ 09.05.2020

1.Who has been selected as new Prime Minister of Iraq by the Iraqi Parliament?

A. Mustafa Al Kadhimi

B. Barham Salih

C. Haider al-Abadi

D. Muqtada al-Sadr

2.Which of the following entity has launched virtual ‘Surakshit Dada-Dadi & Nana-Nani Abhiyan’ to ensure well being of senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic in association with Piramal Foundation?

A. National Institute of Social Defense (NISD)

B. National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog

C. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

D. Social Justice and Empowerment Department

3.Which housing finance company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Delhi to develop washable and reusable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits?

A. Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd.

B. St Bank Home Finance Limited

C. PNB Housing Finance Limited

D. ICICI Home Finance Company Ltd

4.Who among the following has been appointed as the Chairman of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla?

A. Mallikarjun Kharge

B. Rahul Gandhi

C. Shashi Tharoor

D. Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary

5.Who has authored the book titled ‘Vijyant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil Hero’, a biography of Vir Chakra awardee (posthumously) Captain Vijyant Thapar?

A. VN Thapar

B. Neha Dwivedi

C. Mayanti Langer

D. Both A and B

6.World Red Cross Day was celebrated on:

A. 8 May

B. 7 May

C. 6 May

D. 5 May

7.Consider the following statements:

1.States like Delhi and Andhra Pradesh are levying an additional 70-75% excise duty on the purchase           of liquor due to the damage caused by the Kovid-19 epidemic.

2.This number is 18 percent more than Rs 1,50,657.95 crore collected during the financial year 2018-            19.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. Both 1 and 2

D. Neither 1 nor 2

8.Consider the following statements:

1.Gas leakage has come to light in a pharma company in Visakhapatnam.

2.Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced a grant of Rs 2 crore to the families of those                  killed in this incident.

3.Styrene is a chemical compound that has been identified as neruo-toxins.

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

9.Consider the following statements related to Pulitzer Prize:

1.Indian Photojournalists Won Pulitzer Prize.

2.The Pulitzer Prize is considered America’s most prestigious honor in the field of journalism.

3.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

Mustafa Al Kadhimi has been chosen as Iraq’s new Prime Minister.In November 2019, Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned due to massive anti-governmental protests. Since then, it is Mustafa who has become the proper Iraq Prime Minister.

Al Kadhimi

• Al Kadhimi does not belong to any political party. He was a former intelligence chief and was nominated for the post of PM in April.
• He was nominated by the President of Iraq Barham Salih.
• He was a vocal opponent of Saddam Hussein.
• He left Iraq in 1985, settled in UK living in exile for several years.
• Kadhimi was an editor and columnist of the Iraq Pulse for Al-Monitor.
• Al Kadhimi has been appointed the PM based on the Constitution that was framed in 2005.

Constitution of Iraq

• The Constitution of Iraq came into force in 1925.
• It remained under effect till 1958. Later several adoptions were made under the constitution in 1964, 1968 and 1970.
• The current constitution was framed in 2005 by the Iraqi Governing Council that was selected by the Coalition forces and the USA.

Answer: 2)B

Explanation

NITI Aayog has virtually launched a campaign titled “Surakshit Dada-Dadi & Nana-Nani Abhiyan” in association with Piramal Foundation to protect senior citizens during COVID-19. The campaign targets to reach 2.9 million senior citizens that are spread in 25 Aspirational Districts. The districts are spread in Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh. The scheme is aimed to create awareness about several aspects of senior citizens including their lifestyle and health. The main objective of the scheme is to protect the senior citizens.

Aspirational Districts

• The Aspirational District Programme was launched by PM Modi.
• Aspirational Districts are those districts in the country that are affected by poor socio-economic factors.
• Around 115 districts were identified from 28 states under the programme.
• The main principles of the programme is convergence, collaboration and competition.
• The programme focuses on five main themes namely Education, Health and Nutrition, Financial Inclusion, Agriculture and Water Resources and Skill Development.

Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog: Rajiv Kumar.

Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.

Answer: 3)C

Explanation

PNB Housing Finance , signed a Memorandum of  Understanding  (MoU) with IIT Delhi to help research and development in regards to kits that are being used by healthcare workers across India, for fighting Covid-19. In a notification, PNB Housing stated that the will  support  critical  research and development (R&D) of a unique prototype material to be used in manufacturing sustainable (washable and reusable) PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) surgical gowns and masks.The kits will be supplied to notable government hospitals.

Answer: 4)D

Explanation

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been reappointed as chairperson of the Parliament’s public accounts committee (PAC) by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Public accounts committee

• The Public Accounts Committee is a parliamentary committee that audits the expenses of the Indian government.
• It was established in 1921 by the Government of India Act 1919. It consists of 22 members of which 15 are from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha.
• The Speaker is nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• Till 1967 it was headed by the ruling party while from 1967 it was headed by the opposition. Union ministers cannot become its members.

Answer: 5)A

Explanation

Penguin Random House will publish the e-book titled as “Vijyant at Kargil: The Life of a Kargil Hero”. The book is“first-ever” biography giving a rare insight into the heart and mind of one of India’s bravest soldiers.  The book has been penned by Vijyant’s father Colonel VN Thapar and writer Neha Dwivedi, a martyr’s daughter herself. Captain Vijyant Thapar was only 22 when he was martyred in the Kargil war in 1999.

Answer: 6)A

Explanation

May 8 is observed as the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. Every year, the day celebrates the principles of the “International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement”. The celebrations aim to pay tribute to the volunteers who participated in the event as well as welcome their precious contribution to helping people in need. Mainly, World Red Cross Day focuses on the food shortage, natural calamities, war as well as diseases of the epidemic. This day commemorates the birth anniversary of the Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Henry Dunant. Henry Dunan won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. The Red Cross Society has won the Nobel Prize thrice: in 1917, 1944 and 1963. No other organisation has won the Peace Prize more than the Red Cross.

Answer: 7)A

Explanation

States like Delhi and Andhra Pradesh are levying an additional 70-75% excise duty on the purchase of liquor due to the damage caused by the Kovid-19 epidemic.

State governments’ earnings from alcohol?

• The RBI report shows that during the financial year 2019-20, 29 states and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry jointly kept an estimated budget of Rs 1,75,501.42 crore from the state levied excise duty on liquor, which is its own You have a very large number.
• This number is 16 percent more than Rs 1,50,657.95 crore collected during the financial year 2018-19.
• According to the RBI, the states collected an average of around Rs 12,500 crore per month from excise duty on liquor in the year 2018-19 and an average of around Rs 15,000 crore per month in the year 2019-20, an average of 15,000 per month in the current financial year.

What are the other sources of revenue for the states?

The states’ revenues comprise broadly two categories

1. Tax Revenue
2. Non-Tax Revenue.

Tax revenue:

• It is divided into two further categories: State’s Own Tax Revenue, and Share in Central Taxes.

Again, Own Tax Revenue comprises three principal sources:

• Taxes on Income (taxes on professions, trades, callings and employment).
• Taxes on Property and Capital Transactions (land revenue, stamps and registration fees, urban immovable property tax).
• Taxes on Commodities and Services (sales tax, state sales tax/VAT, central sales tax, surcharge on sales tax, receipts of turnover tax, other receipts, state excise).

Non tax revenues:

• Collected by the governments for providing/facilitating any goods and service.

Role of Alcohol in State Economy

• It may be noted that the ‘Special Corona Fee’ of the Delhi Government imposed on liquor, underlines the importance of liquor in the economy of the states.
• The manufacture and sale of liquor is one of the major sources of revenue of the state government and the opening of liquor shops is being done at a time when all the states are struggling to get revenue in view of the disruption caused by the lockdown. Huh.
• Apart from Gujarat and Bihar, where liquor is prohibited, liquor contributes substantially to the government revenue of all states and union territories.
• Excise Duty is normally levied on the manufacture and sale of state liquor. Some states like- Tamil Nadu also impose Value Added Tax-VAT on liquor.
• States also levy special duties on foreign liquor imported, including transportation fees; Label and brand registration fees are included.
• It is noteworthy that some states like Uttar Pradesh have also imposed a special duty on liquor to collect money for special purposes like maintenance of stray animals.
• In September last year, a report published by the Reserve Bank of India-RBI revealed that about 10-15 percent of the total tax revenue of most states comes from state excise duty on alcohol.
• This is the reason that states have always kept alcohol out of the purview of Goods and Services Tax-GST.

Answer: 8)B

Explanation

A case of gas leakage has come to light in a pharma company in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The incident occurred on the morning of 07 May 2020. Chemical gas leaked at the LG Polymer Industry plant in RS Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam when people were sleeping in their homes. When people had difficulty breathing due to gas leakage and more than thousand people fell ill.

What is Styrene Gas?

• Styrene is a chemical compound that has been identified as neruo-toxins.
• It is also known as ethenylbenzene, vinylbenzene, and phenylethene and has chemical formula of C6H5CH=CH2.
• Styrene Gas is a by-product of highly flammable raw material Styrene. The gas produced by burning styrene is poisonous in nature.
• Coming to chemical properties, Styrene Gas is a colour-less and odour-less compound.
• However, in few cases, the gas has been reported as having a mild sweet odour. It quickly spreads in air.

In which products it is used as a raw material?

• Styrene is used as a raw material for making products that are commonly used in electric fan blades, cups and cutlery as well as containers in which cosmetic products are stored.
• It is widely used in plastic and rubber industry as a raw material.

How does inhalation of Styrene Gas Affect a Human Body?

Going by the reports coming in from Vizag, inhalation of Styrene gas affects body in following stages

• Step 1: Upper respiratory irritation and burning chest sensation
• Step 2: Chest Congestion: Wheezing, Air hunger and Gasping
• Step 3: Muscular Weakness Abrupt Paralysis
• Step 4: Full Respiratory Paralysis
• Step 5: Comatose state
• Step 6: Death from oxygen depravation

Declaration of grant of subsidy

• Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced a grant of Rs 1 crore to the families of those killed in this incident.
• 10 lakh rupees will be given to all those who are being treated on ventilator due to gas scandal. Apart from this, other people who have been admitted to the hospital but are not on ventilator will be given Rs 1 lakh each.
• Jagan Mohan government has constituted a 5-member committee to investigate the gas leak case.

Answer: 9)C

Explanation

Recently, five Indian Photographers were among the winners of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize.

Highlights of Prize distribution

• The three photographers from Andhra Pradesh, Mukhtar Khan, Dar Yasin, and Channi Anand, were recognized for their work in the Feature Photography category, for their “striking images on life” in Jammu and Kashmir after the state’s special status was revoked.
• The Reuters’ photographers Anushree Fadnavis and Adnan Abidi were awarded the Pulitzer in the Breaking News Photography category for their coverage of the citizens’ protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.

Pulitzer Prize

• The Pulitzer Prize is considered America’s most prestigious honor in the field of journalism.
• The award was instituted in the year 1917, which is administered by Columbia University and the ‘Pulitzer Prize Board’.
• The ‘Pulitzer Prize Board’ is formed by judges appointed by Columbia University.
• The award is given in honor of the famous newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
• Joseph Pulitzer gave his will to start a school of journalism at Columbia University and to start the award.
• Each award winner is awarded a certificate and prize money of $ 15,000. In the ‘public service category’ the award winner is given a gold medal.
• The award is given in a total of 22 categories.
• Which includes 15 categories of journalism and 7 categories of book, drama, music etc.