ENGLISH Quiz 01-02-2021

1.Where will the India’s first leather park be established?

A.Kanpur

B.Coimbatore

C.Ranipet

D.Rampur

2.Which state was adjudged the best among the 32 tableaux that participated in the Republic Day Parade 2021?

A.Madhya Pradesh

B.Uttar Pradesh

C.Arunachal Pradesh

D.Maharashtra

3.Which has released the “Inequality Virus Report”?

A.UNICEF

B.World Economic Forum

C.Oxfam

D.WHO

4.How many more Rafale fighter jets joined the Indian Air Force?

A.Seven

B.Five

C.Four

D.Three

5.Who has been appointed as the first woman Prime Minister of Estonia?

A.Kaja Kallas

B.Srishti Goswami

C.Srishti Maheshwari

D.Garima Verma

6.Which state won the National Award for Best e Election System 2020?

A.Manipur

B.Meghalaya

C.Mizoram

D.Leh

7.Which country announced $ 1,50,000 for United Nations peacebuilding?

A.France

B.Nigeria

C.India

D.Turkey

8.Which country’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi, erupted again?

A.Indonesia

B.Malaysia

C.Japan

D.Turkey

9.Which meeting of India-Japan Act East Forum was held?

A.Fourth

B.Fifth

C.Sixth

D.Seventh

10.World Leprosy Day of Education celebrated?

A.15 January

B.16 January

C.30 January

D.24 January

11.Consider the following statements related Corruption Perception Index 2020:

1. India secures 86th rank in Corruption Perception Index 2020.
2. Transparency International has released the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2020 covering 280 countries.

Which of the above statement/statements are correct?

A.1 only

B.2 only

C.Both 1 and 2

D.Neither 1 nor 2

12.Consider the following statements related to Lowy Institute’s Covid-19 Response Index :

1. India ranks 86th in Lowy Institute’s Covid-19 Response Index.
2. India was ranked 186th in a coronavirus performance index among the 98
3. Report highlights that, New Zealand handled the pandemic more effectively than any other country across the world.

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. Cabinet approved a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of milling copra .
2. The government will be giving 52% and 55% more than the cost of production.

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 :

1. Martian mineral, rare on Earth, found locked in Antarctic ice
2. The discovery was made after drilling deep into the Antarctic ice.
3. The name of the mineral is ‘jarosite’, it is a sulfate of potassium and iron.

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

1.Answer: A

Explanation

Uttar Pradesh govt will establish India’s 1st leather park in Kanpur district. This leather park is expected to provide employment to 50,000 people directly and more than 1,50,000 people indirectly. It will be established in 268 area of land in Ramaipur village of Kanpur and is expected to attract an investment of more than 5850 crores. It will have all the facilities for production as well as exhibition of leather products and will also have food and lodge arrangements.

2.Answer: B

Explanation

Ram Temple tableau of Uttar Pradesh that was on display during Republic Day 2021 has bagged 1st prize among all tableaux. Ram Temple tableau showcased Maharishi Valmiki composing Ramayana, followed by a model replica of the Ram temple, that is being built in Ayodhya, that showed how it would look after its construction. Tripura tableau won 2nd prize for the Republic Day parade, followed by Uttarakhand’s tableau which was themed around Kedarkhand.

3.Answer: C

Explanation

Recently, the Inequality Virus Report, released by Oxfam International, has found that the Covid pandemic deeply increased the existing inequalities in India and around the world.The report states that Covid has the potential to increase economic inequality in almost every country at once – the first time this has happened since records began over a century ago.

Key Findings of the report

• As per the report, the pandemic has stalled the economy that in turn has forced millions of poor Indians out of job.
• However, the richest billionaires in India have increased their wealth by 35 percent during the lockdown. Thus, India has been ranked at sixth in the world following the US, China, Germany, Russia and France.
• The report calculates that, India’s top 100 billionaires have increased their fortunes by Rs 12.97 trillion. Such amount is enough to give around 95000 Rupees for each one of the 138 million poorest Indians.
• Report further highlights that, 170,000 people lost their jobs every hour in the April 2020.
• India’s large informal workforce accounts for 75 per cent of the 122 million jobs that were lost. Informal workers had lesser opportunities to work from home.

Impact on Education

• The report finds that, India does not report case data desegregated by socio-economic or social categories.
• Thus, distribution of disease among the communities is difficult to find.
• But India has become the world’s second-largest country with respect to the number of COVID-19 positive cases.

Impact on Poor communities

• Covid-19 disease also impacted the poor communities who were living in crammed areas. This is because of poor sanitation.
• As per the report, only 6 per cent of the poorest 20 per cent households had access to non-shared sources of improved sanitation as opposed to 93 per cent of the top 20 per cent households in India.

Impact on gender disparity

• As per the report, unemployment rate among women have risen to 18 percent from 15 per cent before COVID-19.
• This could result in a loss to India’s GDP by 8 per cent or $218 billion.

4.Answer: D

Explanation

Tweeted by @IAF_MCCCountry’s Rafale squadron added third batch of three fighter jets which arrived last night after flying non-stop from France.This is Rafael’s third delivery from France. India signed an agreement with France in September 2016 to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets. The total cost of the deal is Rs 59,000 crore. With these three Rafale fighter jets, the number of Rafale in the IAF list has increased to 11. These fighter planes will increase the strength of the Air Force’s only Rafale squadron based in Ambala.

The first squadron of the Rafale jet will be operational from Ambala airbase, the second AirS will be located in Hashimara in West Bengal to counter the Chinese threat. The first batch of 5 Rafale jets arrived at Ambala airbase on 29 July 2020. While the second batch of 3 Rafale fighters arrived in November 2020. Recently Rafale fighter aircraft were also included in the Republic Day Flypast of 2021 for the first time. These Rafale aircraft are manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation.

5.Answer: A

Explanation

Leader of the Reform Party, Kaja Kallas has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Estonia. She is first female Prime Minister of Baltic country, Estonia since it regained independence in 1991. She succeeded Juri Ratas, who resigned recently for being accused in corruption scandal. After her appointment, Estonia became the only country in the world where both the President (Kersti Kaljulaid) and Prime Minister are women.

 

6.Answer: B

Explanation

Election Commission of India (ECI) has conferred Office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Meghalaya for Special Award for Information Technology (IT) applications in the category of National Best Electoral Practices Awards 2020. The award recognizes sustained and consistent IT application efforts in electoral activities for the entire Enrolment to Elections (E2E) process and for leveraging technology for the benefit of all categories of voters.

7.Answer: C

Explanation

India has announced a pledge of USD 150,000 to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) for the year 2021 to support the activities and programs this year. The Peacebuilding Fund has put forth its five-year strategy, which requires 1.5 billion dollars for 2020-2024.  India highlighted that; it has extended the support to the activities of the peacebuilding fund. India is conscious to prioritize the building of governance structure so as to strengthen the democracy and the rule of law. India also recognized the critical role played by women and youth in activities related to the peacebuilding activities. Further, India also focused on the security structures and civilian structure engaged in the good governance.

United Nations Peacebuilding

• The United Nations Peacekeeping operations are policing and peacebuilding actions. It is carried out by the United Nations to bring order and stability in the nations affected by the war.
• The UN Peacekeepers are known as ‘Blue Helmets’ or ‘Blue Berets’. They are the personnel comprising of the soldiers, military officers, police officers and civilian personnel from other countries.
• The Department of the Peace Operation is headed by the “Jean-Pierre”.

Functions of United Nations Peacekeepers

• The United Nations Peacekeepers works to ensure peace agreements or the peace accords are successfully implemented in war prone zones.
• They also help in confidence-building measures, electoral support, improving law and order and boosting the social development in the region to bring peace.

 

8.Answer: A       

Explanation

Indonesia’s most active volcano erupted with a river of lava and searing gas clouds flowing 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) down its slopes.It was Mount Merapi’s biggest lava flow since authorities raised its danger level in November.The 2,968-meter (9,737-foot) volcano is on the densely populated island of Java and near the ancient city of Yogyakarta.It is the most active of dozens of Indonesian volcanoes and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently.Merapi’s last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people.

Mount Merapi

• The Mount Merapi is the Fire Mountain in Indonesia and Java.
• It is an active stratovolcano that is located on the border between the Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia.
• It is considered as the most active volcano in Indonesia and is erupted regularly since 1548.
• It is the youngest group of volcanoes in southern Java that is situated at a subduction zone of the Indo-Australian Plate and Sunda Plate.
• At this subduction zone, the Indo-Australian Plate subducts under the Sunda Plate.

About Indonesia

• Indonesia, the archipelago of 270 million people, is situated in the Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
• It comprises of more than seventeen thousand islands, including Java, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, parts of Borneo (Kalimantan) and New Guinea (Papua).
• It is considered as the world’s largest island country and the 14th-largest country with respect to area.
• The country is also the 4th-most populous country in the world. It is also the most populous Muslim-majority country.
• The most populous island of Indonesia is Java which is also the most populous island in the world.
• The country is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity as it sits along the “Pacific Ring of Fire”.

Pacific Ring of Fire

• The region sits around rim of the Pacific Ocean which is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
• It is a horseshoe-shaped belt which is about 40,000 km in length.
• It includes the Pacific coasts of South America, North America and Kamchatka apart from the western Pacific Ocean areas.

9.Answer: B       

Explanation

India and Japan held the fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum in New Delhi. The Act East Forum reviewed progress of ongoing projects in the North Eastern Region of India in various areas including connectivity, hydropower, sustainable development, harnessing of water resources, and skill development. Discussions were also done on various ongoing projects under India-Japan bilateral cooperation. Both the countries exchanged views on cooperation in new areas like agro-industries and SMEs, healthcare, bamboo value chain development, tourism, smart city, and people-to-people exchanges. Both the co-chairs also appreciated the role played by the Act East Forum.

Act East Forum

• Act East Forum was established in the year 2017.
• The agreement was establishing the forum was signed in September 2017 during the visit of Prime Minister Abe to India.
• Act East Forum provides a platform for Japan’s vision for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and India-Japan collaboration in the North Eastern Region under India’s “Act East Policy”.
• The Forum also identifies specific projects for economic modernization of India’s North-East region including those related to developmental infrastructure, connectivity, culture, industrial linkages, and sports-related activities.

10.Answer: C

Explanation

World Leprosy Day is an annual observance day celebrated on January 30th in India even though the world celebrates it on the last Sunday of the first month of the year. The day is observed as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and to raise awareness about leprosy.Leprosy cases across the world

As per the report, there were 2,08,619 new leprosy cases globally registered in the year 2018. This figure has come from 159 countries.

Leprosy day in India

• In India, the day is being observed on January 30 in the year 2021.
• January 30 is selected as a remembrance of the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

What is leprosy?

• Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s disease.
• It is an infectious disease which is caused by a bacillus Mycobacterium leprae.
• The disease has been named after Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen who was a Norwegian physician.
• Hansen proved that leprosy is not a hereditary disease but is caused by a bacterium.
• The disease is a curable disease and treatment at the early stage can prevent any disability.
• It can cause a progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes if it is left untreated.
• The incubation period of the disease is 5 years usually. Symptoms of the disease can be seen within 1 year but it could also take 20 years or even more years to occur.

11.Answer: A       

Explanation

India has secured 86th rank with a score 40, among 180 countries in Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2020.The index is released by Transparency International, which is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. India has secured 80th rank in 2019. Top Country: New Zealand and Denmark have jointly secured first position with scores of 88, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. Lowest Country: Somalia and South Sudan are ranked lowest with scores of 12.

Main point

• Transparency International has released the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2020 covering 180 countries.
• This index ranks countries on a scale of 100 according to the level of corruption.
• Here, 100 means a completely clean or non-corrupt country and ‘0’ means highly corrupt.
• This index was topped by New Zealand and Denmark; These two have a CPI score of 88 out of 100.
• India is ranked 86 on this index. India has slipped 6 places as compared to the previous year’s index.
• The CPI score of India is 40.
• Somalia and South Sudan are ranked 179th at the bottom of the index with a score of 12.

Corruption Perception Index-CPI

• CPI is an index which gives ranking to countries across the world on the basis of corruption, this index has been released since the year 1995.

Transparency International

• Transparency International is a non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany.
• It was established in the year 1993 with the objective of combating corruption and curbing crime.

12.Answer: B

Explanation

India has been ranked 86th among 98 countries in Coronavirus Performance Index

The index has been released by Australia-based Lowy Institute.New Zealand topped the index, followed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Key findings of the index

• India was ranked 86th in a coronavirus performance index among the 98
• Report highlights that, New Zealand handled the pandemic more effectively than any other country across the world.
• Brazil was ranked at the bottom of the list.
• In the index, New Zealand was followed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and Cyprus.
• US was ranked as the fifth-worst performing country.
• Sri Lanka was placed at 10th position in handling the Covid-19
• The report further reveals that, the smaller populations, cohesive societies and capable institutions were big factors to successfully deal with the pandemic.
• China was not included in the study since its testing rates are not publicly available.
• India has so far reported 07 crore infections and 1,53,847 deaths – one of the world’s lowest fatality rates from the disease, attributed partly to its younger population.

About the Index

• The indicators used for ranking the countries point out that how well or poorly countries have managed the pandemic.
• An average of the rankings was given across the six indicators. Then it was normalised for each country so as to produce a score between 0 for the worst performing and 100 for best performing.
• The study was conducted for 36

The Lowy Institute

• It is an independent think tank that was founded in April
• It was founded by Frank Lowy.
• The think tank is involved in conducting the original, policy-relevant research about the international political, strategic and economic issues.
• The institute is based in Sydney, Australia.
• The institute is funded by donations from the investment management firm, Manikay Partners.

13.Answer: C       

Explanation

The Cabinet approved a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of milling copra by ₹375 per quintal and ball copra by ₹300 per quintal, a commodity grown in 12 coastal states.MSP of both milling and ball copra have been increased. Cost of production for both the variants of copra is Rs. 6,800. The government will be giving 52% and 55% more than the cost of production. The increase in the MSP was in line with the recommendations of the Swaminathan.

Minimum support price (MSP)

• MSP is an agricultural product price which is set by the Government of India. On this price, the government purchases the commodities directly from the farmer. The MSP is not enforceable by law.
• MSP seeks to safeguard the farmer interest by providing them a minimum profit for their harvest in case the open market has lesser price than the actual cost incurred.
• The price of the 23 commodities is set by the government twice a year. The MSP is fixed based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). CACP sets the price since 2009 on the basis of cost of production, demand & supply, price fluctuations, market price trends, international market prices and agricultural wage rate.

List of Commodities for which MSP is set

A total of 23 commodities are covered by the MSP. They are:

1. Among Cereals– Paddy, Maize, Wheat, Barley, Sorghum, Pearl millet and Ragi.
2. Among Pulses-Chickpea or Gram, Moong, Tur, Urad and Lentil.
3. Among Oilseeds– Peanut, Rapeseed, Sesame, Soyabean, Sunflower Safflower, Niger seed and
4. Among Commercial crops– Copra, Cotton, Sugarcane and Raw jute.

14.Answer: D

Explanation

Jarosite, a mineral from mars scarcely seen on earth has been unearthed from Antarctic ice.The discovery was made after drilling deep into the Antarctic ice.The name of the mineral is ‘jarosite’, it is a sulfate of potassium and iron.It can be formed by both water and acidic conditions.These conditions are rarely found on mars, according to NASA.Jarosite was first discovered on Mars in 2004 by a rover named ‘opportunity’.After that discovery, it was found in several other locations on Mars.