GROUP: GK TREASURE HOUSE !

Event: Latest Current Affairs May 2013

Host: GV King

CONTENTS Topic P.No.

1. National

2. Economy

3. International

13

4. Science and Technology

15

5. Environment

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CURRENT AFFAIRS - MAY 2013 (Answers are highlighted in yellow) NATIONAL

1. As per the Street Vendors Bill 2013, the town vending committees have been mandated to i. Ensure that 2.5 percent of the total population of the ward/ the zone has vending certificates. ii. conduct a survey after every five years to identify the vendors a. only 1 is true b. only 2 is true c. Both 1 & 2 are true d. Neither 1 nor 2 are true.

2. Which of the following is not one of the changes approved to Aajeevika, the National Rural Livelihood Mission ? i. Identifying the target groups below poverty line through Aadhar ii. Replacing Capital subsidy with a community investment Support fund iii. Setting up of National Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society under the Executive. iv. Rolling out changes through the womens self help group across the country. a. i & ii b. i, ii & iv c. i & iii d. i, ii, iii & iv.

3. The National Child Policy defines a child as a. One who is less than 18 years old b. One who is more than 18 years old c. One who is in his/her teenage d. None of these. 3

4. India organised the immunisation week through the Special Vaccination Programme in high risk areas in collaboration with a. UNESCO b. UNDP c. UNICEF d. World Bank & IMF

5. The Cabinet Committee on Security a project for the modernisation of which of the following a. NCTC b. Intelligence Bureaus c. Paramilitary forces d. Navy

6. The Union Cabinet approved the launch of National Urban Health Mission to a. reduce infant mortality b. reduce maternal mortality c. provide universal access to reproductive health care d. All of the above.

7. The National Food Security Bill has been suggested which of the following amendments a. Instead of 75% rural and 50% urban beneficiaries there would be only one category of beneficiaries with uniform provision of 5 kg per person per month b. Identification of eligible households is left to the States or UTs. c. Households come under Antyodaya Anna Yojana will get 35kg per household per month. d. All of the above.

8. The Union Government set up a committee to measure Backwardness of states under a. Montek Singh 4

b. Rangarajan c. Raghuram Rajan d. Bharat Ramaswami

9. Indira Awas Yojana a. is a flagship scheme under the rural development ministry for the construction of dwelling units for BPL families. b. makes building toilets compulsory c. gives preference to manual scavengers, freed bonded labourers and tribal groups in allotment d. All of the above.

10. The new OBC Creamy layer limit .6 lakhs is a move based on a. Inflation b. Consumer Price Index c. To provide equal opportunities to all categories d. The recommendation of National Commission for Backward Classes. 11. Which State has recently brought the sale of ammonium nitrate under its purview? a. Maharashtra b. Madhya Pradesh c. Delhi d. Andhra Pradesh

12. The Cauvery Water Award settles the definition of a. Reception of rain water percentage during Monsoons and Irrigation season b. Water year & the quantity of water to be released c. Water year, irrigation season d. None of these

13. Which of the following are the classical languages of India? 5

a. Sanskrit & Malayalam b. Gujarati & Marathi c. both a & b d. only b 14. The United Nations Public Service Award is given to a. Gujarat b. Delhi c. Maharashtra d. Madhya Pradesh

15. The National Skill Development Agency comes under the a. Ministry of Human Resource Development b. Ministry of Finance c. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment d. Ministry of Social Welfare.

16. The amendments in the Parliament Prevention of Disqualification Act, 2013 exempts who among the following from Office of Profit. a. The Chair person for National Commission for SC & ST b. The Chairperson for National Commission for Backward Classes c. The Chairperson for National Human Rights Commission d. The Chairperson for National Development Council

17. The Supreme Court of India has held that who cant be released after spending 14 years in prison a. Death Sentenced Prisoner b. Prisoner under Rigorous imprisonment c. Prisoner under Life Imprisonment d. All of the above. 6

18. UIDAI enabled new ID authentification a. e-KYC b. One Time Pin c. Both a & b d. Finger impression

19. The Supreme Court of India directed the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to ensure the safety of the Kundankulam nuclear plant with the a. TamilNadu Government b. Nuclear Power Corporation of India c. BARC d. People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy

20. The Union government is going to set up committee to enhance Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises under the chairmanship of a. S.R. Rao b. Rajiv Takru c. R.S. Gujral d. Raghuram Rajan

Economy 1. The European Union, for the first time in two decades, had a surplus in trade with a. China b. India c. South Korea d. Singapore

2. The reason for Chinas industrial dominance is a. China offers subsidies to all the industries in China b. China spends a lot in advertising its products c. Chinese products excel more in quality than the products of other countries d. China offers subsidies to all state-owned enterprises

3. The recent austerity measures and moves to tackle budget deficits are steps taken by many a nations based on the theory of Kenneth Rogoff & Carmen Reinhart. According to this, economic growth slows down, a. When a governments debt exceeds 90 % of a countrys annual economic output b. When a government subsidies exceeds 90 % of a countrys annual economic ouput c. When the Balance of Payment (BOP) is not stable. d. None of these.

4. According to the 2013 Human Development Report, what remains a major problem to the developing countries ? a. Health & Nutrition b. Education c. Unemployment d. Poverty

5. World Bank recently commended which State in India for its higher growth a. Delhi b. Maharashtra c. Andhra Pradesh d. Bihar

6. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has set its goal to increase indirect tax-to-GDP ratio by at least a. 2 % b. 3% c. 4% d. None

7. The Finance Ministry has rejected the natural gas pricing formula recommended by the Rangarajan Committee, because the Wellhead Prices (formula) do not take into account a. Transportation costs b. Customs tax c. Both a & b d. None of these.

8. Which sector has a majority of PPP projects in India? a. Energy & Ports b. Roads c. Both a & b d. None of these.

9. The Supreme Court of India recently asked which of the following institution to toughen its stand in dealing with the deceptive ways of trading followed by the companies in India. a. NIFTY 9

b. NSE C. SEBI d. None of these.

10. According to the Companies Bill 2012, which of the following is true? i. Every listed public company must have at least one-third of the total no. of directors as independent directors ii. Companies having multiple businesses cannot appoint same individual as Chairperson as well as Managing Director or Chief Executive Office at the same time. a. only i b. only ii c. both i & ii d. None of these.

11. Bombay Stock Exchange launched Islamic Equity Index to, i. Fulfill Islamic finance principles such as bans on investing in alcohol, tobacco and gambling related businesses. ii. let more no. of Islamic investments by setting up an ifs and buts-free environment. a. only i b. only ii c. Both i & ii d. None of these. 12. The RBI decided to launch IIBs to wean away investors from gold. In this IIB stands for, a. Investment - indexed Bonds b. Inflation indexed Bonds c. Issued Capital indexed bonds d. None of these.

13. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Ministry of Shipping for setting up of 10

two major ports in the country. These ports are planned to set up in a. Kerala & Andhra Pradesh b. Gujarat & Maharashtra c. West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh d. Sagar Island & Tin Kona Island.

14. Telecom Carriers, Reliance and three others formed a consortium to set up a submarine cable system which is called as a. Asia Pacific Gateway b. Asia America Gateway c. Bay of Bengal Gateway d. None of these.

15. The estimation of Retail Inflation is based on a. Consumer Price Index b. Wholesale Price Index c. Net National Product d. Balance Of Payment

16. NSE recently introduced a. SCX 40 & Shariah Index b. Debt Trading Platform c. NSD OM d. None of these.

17. Factory Asia means a. completely structured supply chain management of Asian countries. b. Investor friendly nature of Asian countries c. Asian countries which have a large no. of Special Economic Zones 11

d. None of these.

18. RBI imposed restrictions on Gold Imports to avoid a. The recession of Indian economy and the rise of inflation. b. The deterioration of Current Account Deficit that would add up the burden of external debt. c. Both a & b. d. None of these.

19. According to the Better Life Index released by the OECD, which of the following is the happiest country among the developed nations ? a. India b. USA c. UK d. Australia.

20. RBI mooted India Bill Payment System which will work on a. GIRO based electronic bill payment system b. SCX 40 based electronic bill payment system c. Both a & b d. None of these.

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INTERNATIONAL 1. Senkaku Islands is also called as a. Zenith Islands b. Zeitgeist Islands c. Ryukyu Islands d. Pinnacle Islands

2. The International North-South Transport Corridor is the a. Ship and Road route b. Ship route c. Road route d. None

3. India and Thailand signed a. FTA b. CECA c. Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement d. Extradition Treaty 4. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO) signed a long-term agreement with Brazilian mining company Vale SA for the supply of a. Potash b. Urea c. Rock Phosphate d. Phosphate 5.Which of the following countries pioneered the usage of plastic currency notes? a. Singapore 13

b. USA c. Canada d. Australia 6. Which country recently has new constitution ? a. Syria b. Zimbawe c. Sudan d. None of these 7. Vedanta Sterlite industries Ltd. is a Company based in a. Sourth Korea b. India c. UK d. USA 8. The law on Elimination of violence against women is blocked in/by a. Syria b. Yemen c. Afghanistan d. All of the above. 9. As per UNs World Economic Situation & Prospects 2013, World Economy will regain its momentum in a. the middle of 2013 b. the middle of 2014 c. between 2013 & 2014 d. 2015 10. Indians can enjoy super priority VISA service in a. Pak b. Sri Lanka c. Britain d. All of the above. 14

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India unveiled its first indigenously made vaccine for which of the following a. Bovine Parvo Virus b. Comovirus c. Rotavirus d. None of these 2. Agni II is a a. Surface to surface ballistic missile b. cruise missile c. Continent to continent ballistic missile d. anti aircraft missile. 3. The nation that has second largest Telecom sector in the world a. China b. Mexico c. France d. India 4. ISRO is going to set its foot in transferring production of a. Communications Satellites b. Communications Satellites & PSLVs c. GSLVs & PSLVs d. Communications Satellites, PSLVs & GSLVs 5. Scientists designed a new_________- based platform to deliver it for the cure of cancer a. Glucose b. Peptides c. Lipids d. Proteins 15

6. Indian Institute of Chemical Technology found what could be effective in delivering anti-cancer drugs a. Gold nano particles b. Silver nano particles c. Platinum nano particles d. All of the above. 7. What gives the Bengal tigers white stripes? a. Melanin b. Peptides c. Lipids d. Amino acids. 8. What Vitamin shows features to kill drug-resistant TB a. Vitamin C b. Vitamin D c. Vitamin E d. All of the above. 9. Carbon Aerogel is claimed to be the a. heaviest element b. lightest element c. both a & b d. effective anti-cancer drug 10. Ageing is due to a. Pituitary glands b. Hypothalamus glands c. Adrenal glands d. All of the above.

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ENVIRONMENT 1. India declared 2013 as a. Water Conservation Year b. Social Forestry Year c. Year of Mathematics d. None of the above. 2. Which of the following Shawl gets GI tag ? a. Pashtoon Shawl b. Todas Shawl c. Puthukkulli Shawl d. None of these. 3. The Ministry of Environment and Forests decided to ban the buying and selling of a.Bamboo leaves b. chincona leaves c. Peacock feathers d.None 4. Which state doesnt want its populated area to be announced as ecologically sensitive area? a. Gujarat b. Maharashtra c. Madhya Pradesh d. Kerala 5. India, US & Australia are to collaborate in the production of Climate-resilient crops: a. Rice & Wheat b. Maize c. Both a & b d. only a 17

6. The acidification on the rise in Arctic Ocean is due to a. CO2 b. CH3 c. SO2 d. All of the above. 7. Wildlife biologist Aparajit Datt wins Whitley Award Green Oscars for her Hornbill Project. The objectives of the project are a. ecologically important as seed dispersers b. Expansion of the Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme from in villages c. Establishment of the Hornbill Nyishi Festival d. All of the above. 8. The European Commission will restrict the use of Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides, as they harm a. Wasps b. bees c. sparrows d. None of these 9. Which of the following islands is declared as Biosphere reserve by UNESCO a. Andaman Islands b. Lakshadeep Islands c. Nicobar islands d. Great Andaman island 10. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) removed the critically endangered SYZGIUM TRAVNCORICUM endemic to Kerala. This species is a/an a. Aquatic animal b. Tree c. bird d. plant 18

THE END