1. Which PSU announced on 2 January 2012 that its board
approved in a meeting held on 30 December 2011 the switching over to
internationally-accepted Gross Caloric Value-based pricing mechanism?
a) BHEL
b) ISPAT
c) CIL
Ans(c)
2. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) entered the
media and entertainment sector by making a major investment in one of India’s
largest broadcast companies. Name the broadcast company.
a) Network18 Group
b) Adlabs Films
c) Balaji Telefilms
d) Bag Films
Ans(a)
3. India approved the acquisition of French advanced missile
systems to arm the Mirage-2000 fighter jets. Consider the following statements:
i) The cabinet committee on Security cleared the contract
for the fire and forget MICA with French company MBDA.
ii) MICA are interception and aerial combat missiles.
Choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii are correct.
b) Only i is correct.
c) Only ii is correct.
d) Neither i nor ii is correct.
Ans(a)
4. The Union government approved Katra-Quazigund Railway
line project. The project is located in__.
a) Jammu and Kashmir
b) Bihar
c) Punjab
d) Haryana
Ans(a)
5. (1) Theatre director, screenplay writer and actor Satyadev
Dubey, credited with introducing existential and absurd theatre, passed away on
25 December 2011. Which facts about the concerned person is/are not true?
(2) he got attracted to the post-1947 theatre and joined
Theatre Unit, the theatre group-cum-school founded by Ebrahim Alkazi
(3) Dubey came into prominence with Dharamvir Bharati’s
radio-play Andha Yug that brought to the fore the pervasive criminal and
homicidal tendencies during the times of war.
(4) He penned screenplays/dialogue of some acclaimed films
in the 1970s, including Shyam Benegal's Nishant, Ankur, Kalyug and Bhumika
(5) He won the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue in 1980 for
the film Ankur
a) Only 1
b) Only 4
c) 2 & 3
d) Only 2
Ans(b)
6. Lok Sabha on 27 December 2011 passed the Lokpal and
Lokayukta bill, 2011. Consider the following statements:
i) The setting up of Lokayuktas by the states would not be
mandatory.
ii) The constitutional amendment bill fell through.
Choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii are correct.
b) Only i is correct.
c) Only ii is correct.
d) Neither i nor ii is correct.
Ans(a)
7. (1) Reserve Bank of India deregulated non-resident external
(NRE) deposits on 16 December 2011 allowing banks to offer higher interest
rates to dollar-denominated accounts. Which of the following facts related to
the above statement is/are not true?
(2) Reserve Bank freed the rates on non-resident external
accounts, offering interest as high as 9.6% per annum
(3) Following RBI’s deregulation five Indian banks,
including HDFC Bank and Yes Bank on 23 December 2011 raised their interest
rates on such deposits in order to lure foreign money
(4) Private lender Yes Bank increased the interest rates on
fixed deposits held by non-resident Indians (NRIs) to 8.4 per cent from 3.82
per cent
(5) The new rates are effective from 24 December for fresh
deposits as well as those being renewed on maturity.
a) 1 & 2
b) Only4
c) Only 3
d) 1 & 4
Ans(c)
8. According to the RBI data, India's foreign exchange
reserves fell by what amount to $302.1 billion during the week ended 16
December 2011 on account of a fall in foreign currency assets?
a) $4.67 billion
b) $3.33 billion
c) $5 billion
d) $5.75 billion
Ans(a)
9. Telecom Commission, the decision-making body of the
Department of Telecommunications recommended a uniform licence fee of what per
cent of adjusted gross revenues (AGR) as against the prevalent rate of 6-8 per
cent?
a) 10%
b) 8%
c) 5.2%
d) 9.3%
Ans(b)
10. NASA's Kepler mission discovered the first Earth-size
planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. These planets are
called ___ and____.
a) Kepler-20e; Kepler-20f
b) Kepler-20a; Kepler-20b
c) Kepler-20c; Kepler-20d
d) Kepler-20m; Kepler-20n
Ans(a)
11. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
report discovered a missing link between the body’s biological clock and sugar
metabolism system. Consider the following statements
i) Sugar Metabolism is a process by which the body uses
sugar for energy.
ii) If the human body produces too little insulin, the
amount of sugar in the blood increases abnormally, a condition known as
hyperglycemia. Choose the right option:
a) Both i and ii are correct.
b) Neither i nor ii is correct.
c) Only i is correct.
d) Only ii is correct.
Ans(a)
12. Name the gene found by the neuroscientists, which could
help in creating and altering memory.
a) Mpas 4
b) Npas 4
c) Npas 3
d) Mpas 2
Ans(b)
13. Name the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader who was inducted
into the Union Cabinet as civil aviation minister on 18 December 2011.
a) Ajit Singh
b) Jayant Chaudhary
c) Devendra Nagpal
d) Sanjay Singh Chauhan
Ans(a)
14. Popularly known as Adam Gondvi, this Hindi poet who
wrote revolutionary poetry focusing on the pathetic state of dalits and the
poor breathed his last in Lucknow on 18 December 2011. Name the poet.
a) Bharat Bhusan
b) Ram Nath Singh
c) Uday Prakash
d) Shail Chaturvedi
e) Naresh Mehta
Ans(b)
15. The Union cabinet of India on 22 December 2011 approved
__ percent share for minorities within the 27% OBC quota in jobs and university
seats.
a) 4.5
b) 5.6
c) 3.4
d) 5
