1. Who has been appointed as the UPSC member?
A. Suman Sharma
B. Parminder Chopra
C. Muskan Sharma
D. Santosh Kumari
2. How many Indian peacekeepers have been awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal by the UN?
A. 3
B. 2
C. 4
D. 5
3. Who has been honored with the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2023?
A. Chris Evans
B. Robert Downey
C. Koji Yakusho
D. Jennifer Lawrence
4. Which Indian shuttler has recently won the title of ‘Malaysia Masters 2023’?
A. Kidambi Srikanth
B. Mithun Manjunath
C. Parupalli Kashyap
D. HS Prannoy
5. Which country has approved new hydroelectric project with Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam?
A. Nepal
B. Denmark
C. Australia
D. Iceland
6. Anti Tobacco Day is celebrated on?
A. 28 May
B. 31 May
C. 29 May
D. 30 May
7. Who has become the first woman to head the Power Finance Corporation?
A. Jagruti Verma
B. Muskan Sharma
C. Parminder Chopra
D. Santosh Kumari
8. Who has been named in the advisory committee for the global climate change panel COP28?
A. Gautam Adani
B. Ratan Tata
C. Anand Mahindra
D. Mukesh Ambani
9. Which are the top performing states in the Health Index report of the Covid year?
A. Kerala Tamil Nadu and Telangana
B. Rajasthan Tamil Nadu and Telangana
C. Kerala Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan
D. Kerala Telangana and Rajasthan
10. American musician Tina Turner passed away, she was associated with which profession?
A. Author
B. Singer
C. Journalist
D. Politics
11. Consider the following statements:
1. Delhi High Court has constituted a five-member committee to implement the rare diseases policy formulated by the central government.
2. There are 6,000-8,000 classified rare diseases, but less than 10% have therapies available to treat them.
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:
1. Statista site stated that India is the sixth largest producer of coffee in the world, after Brazil (largest producer of coffee), Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Honduras.
2. In recent times, there has been increasing attention on the health benefits of South Indian coffee blend, particularly highlighting the role of chicory and coffee with milk.
3. South Indian Coffee BlendIncludes an admixture of coffee and chicory powders.
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. NVS-01 satellite was successfully launched by Indian Space Research Organization using GSLV-F12 and precisely placed in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit after a flight of 19 minutes
2. GSLV-F12 is the 15th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and the 6th flight with an indigenous gyro stage.
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. India and Russia joint venture BrahMos missile program has completed 25 years.
2. BrahMos Aerospace was formed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and joint stock company “Military Industrial Consortium NPO Mashinostroyenia” (formerly Federal State Unitary Enterprise of Russia NPOM).
3. The company was established in India through an intergovernmental agreement signed between the Republic of India and the Russian Federation on February 12, 1988.
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
Answer: 1) A
Explanation
Suman Sharma, a member of the 1990 batch, took oath as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
UPSC Chairman Dr Manoj Soni administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Suman Sharma has served as an officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) for more than 30 years.
Suman Sharma has been associated with matters such as International Taxation, Transfer Pricing, Export Promotion Schemes and Power Trading Agreements.
Answer: 2) B
Explanation
Indian head constables Shishupal Singh and Sanwala Ram Vishnoi were posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal.
The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is the highest award given to United Nations peacekeepers.
The medals were received by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations on behalf of the departed Head Constables.
The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is awarded posthumously to peacekeepers who have lost their lives during peacekeeping operations.
Answer: 3) C
Explanation
Japanese actor Yakusho Koji has been honored with the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in the film Perfect Days. The film is directed by Wim Wenders of Germany.
The Cannes Film Festival is one of the world’s three major film festivals, along with Venice and Berlin.
For the first time in 19 years, a Japanese actor has won this award. Yagira Yuya became the first Japanese to win the award in 2004 for his role in the film Nobody Knows. The film was directed by Koreida Hirokazu.
Japanese screenwriter Sakamoto Yuji won the Best Screenplay award for the film Monster. The film is also directed by Koreida Hirokazu.
The Palme d’Or, the top prize, went to the French mystery film Anatomy of the Fall, directed by Justin Trieu.
Answer: 4) D
Explanation
India’s star shuttler HS Prannoy won his maiden BWF World Tour title with a hard-fought three-game victory over China’s Wang Hongyang in the men’s singles final.
Prannoy, ranked ninth in the BWF rankings, defeated Wang Hong Yang of China 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 to win his maiden BWF World Tour title. It was also the 30-year-old Prannoy’s first men’s singles title in six years.
Answer: 5) A
Explanation
Nepal decided to allow India’s Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Ltd to develop a second hydroelectric project in the country.
SJVN is currently developing a run-of-river 900-MW Arun III hydroelectric project on the Arun River in eastern Nepal, scheduled for completion in 2024.
Answer: 6) B
Explanation
World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every year on 31 May with the aim of making people aware about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.
The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2023 is “We need food, not tobacco”.
The World No Tobacco Day initiative was adopted by WHO in 1987.
After this, resolution WHA 42.19 was passed in 1988, in which 31 May was issued as ‘World No Tobacco Day’.
Smokers in India
According to this study, there were around20 million smokers in the age group of 15-24 in India in 2019. This is the second largest number of tobacco smokers worldwide.
Answer: 7) C
Explanation
Parminder Chopra has been recommended by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to become the next Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power Finance Corporation (PFC), India’s largest non-banking financial company (NBFC) by net worth.
Parminder Chopra has been working with PFC since 2005 and is serving as Director (Finance) and CFO since 2020.
She is also a member of the Board of Directors.
In the third quarter of FY 2022-23, PFC registered a 7% year-on-year growth in its consolidated net profit, which reached Rs 5,241.10 crore.
Answer: 8) D
Explanation
Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani has been nominated to the Consultative Committee for the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This committee will work to guide and advise the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) on Climate Change.
Apart from Sunita Narayan, director general of the Center for Science and Environment, Ambani is the only Indian to be included in the COP28 President’s Advisory Committee.
It is noteworthy that Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is promoting renewable energy.
Along with this, he is diversifying his conventional crude refinery and petrochemical business. For this reason, Ambani has been included in the committee’s 31 international experts.
Answer: 9) A
Explanation
The three southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have emerged as the top performing states in the NITI Aayog’s annual ‘Health Index’ for the year 2020-21 among ‘large states’. While the performance of Tripura has been the best among the ‘small states’.
Answer: 10) B
Explanation
The world is mourning the passing of Tina Turner, an icon in the music industry.
She made history as an African-American female rock-and-roll performer in the 60s and 70s before becoming a pop sensation in the 80s.
Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee, Tina Turner’s musical journey began when she joined Ike Turner’s band.
The duo achieved huge success with hits such as “River Deep, Mountain High” and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary”.
Tina’s contributions to music and her cultural significance have been recognized with numerous awards, including eight Grammys and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Answer: 11) A
Explanation
Delhi High Court has constituted a five-member committee to implement the rare diseases policy formulated by the central government. Justice Pratibha M Singh had directed setting up of a five-member committee to implement the rare disease policy and look into the cases registered at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Rare Diseases
There are 6,000-8,000 classified rare diseases, but less than 5% have therapies available to treat them.
Example: Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD), Pompe disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, haemophilia etc.
About 95% rare diseases have no approved treatment and less than 1 in 10 patients receive disease-specific treatment.
80% of these diseases have genetic origins.
These diseases have differing definitions in various countries and range from those that are prevalent in 1 in 10,000 of the population to 6 per 10,000.
Answer: 12) D
Explanation
Statista site stated that India is the sixth largest producer of coffee in the world, after Brazil (largest producer of coffee), Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Honduras.
In recent times, there has been increasing attention on the health benefits of South Indian coffee blend, particularly highlighting the role of chicory and coffee with milk.
South Indian Coffee Blend
It Includes an admixture of coffee and chicory powders.
Gives the blend a unique flavor and characteristics.
Chicory
Herb native to Europe and Asia.
Contains inulin, a starchy substance beneficial for health which is found in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, including wheat, onions, bananas, leeks, artichokes, and asparagus.
Possesses mild laxative properties and it decreases swelling and is rich in beta-carotene, providing superior protection against oxidative damage.
Absence of caffeine in chicory makes it a suitable complement to coffee, which contains caffeine.
Answer: 13) A
Explanation
NVS-01 satellite was successfully launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) using the GSLV-F12, and after a 19-minute flight, it was accurately placed into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.GSLV-F12 is the 15th flight of India’s GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) and the 9th flight with indigenous cyro stage.
This is the 6th operational flight of GSLV with indigenous cryogenic stage.
NVS-01
This satellite is the first of the second-generation satellites of ISRO’s NVS (Navigational Satellite) series of payloads.
It weighs 2,232 kg, making it the heaviest in the constellation.
The NVS-01 carried navigation payloads L1, L5 and S bands.
Answer: 14) A
Explanation
India and Russia joint venture BrahMos missile program has completed 25 years.
BrahMos Aerospace was formed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and joint stock company “Military Industrial Consortium NPO Mashinostroyenia” (formerly Federal State Unitary Enterprise of Russia NPOM).
The company was established in India through an intergovernmental agreement signed between the Republic of India and the Russian Federation on February 12, 1998.
The name BrahMos represents the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers. The company was established with an authorized capital of $250 million with 50.5% from the Indian side and 49.5% from the Russian side.
The collaboration was made possible by sharing the technical capability of both the DRDO and NPOM partners.