General Knowledge & Current Affairs Questions and Answers 2012

Re: General Knowledge & Current Affairs Questions and Answers - Set 2

Answer # 1

1. Who among the following has been appointed the National Security Adviser by the UPA Government ? (a) Brajesh Mishra (b) J. N. Daxit (c) Soli J. Sorabjee (d) T. K. A. Nair Ans: ( b ) J. N. Daxit 2. Who among the following is the new Chief Minister of Karnataka ? (a) S. M. Krishna (b) Uma Bharti (c) Dharam Singh (d) Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy Ans: ( c ) Dharam Singh 3. Who among the following has won the Miss Universe 2004 crown ? (a) Jennifer Hawkins (b) Shandi Finnessey (c) Alba Reyes (d) None of these Ans: ( a ) Jennifer Hawkins 4. A solemn ceremony to mark the 60th Anniversary of D-Day landings of the Allies troops during the Second World War, was held in (a) Pearl Harbour (b) Normandy (c) New York (d) Lisbon Ans: ( b ) Normandy 5. Which of the following cricketers holds the world record of maximum number of sixes in Tests ? (a) Chris Carins (New Zealand) (b) Viv Richards (West Indies) (c) Sachin Tendulkar (India) (d) Wasim Akram (Pakistan) Ans: ( a ) Chris Carins (New Zealand) 6. Who among the following has been appointed the new Chief Justice of India ? (a) Justice Rajendra Babu (b) Justice V. N. Khare (c) Justice R. C. Lahoti (d) None of these Ans: ( c ) Justice R. C. Lahoti 7. Who among the following sports persons got the honour of lighting the Olympic flame at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi recently ? (a) Anjali Bhagwat (b) Abhinav Bindra (c) Viswanathan Anand (d) K. M. Beenamol Ans: ( a ) Anjali Bhagwat 8. Who among the following has been appointed new chairman of the National Commission for Farmers ? (a) Ajit Singh (b) K. C. Pant (c) Dr. M. S. Swaminathan (d) Sharad Pawar Ans: ( c ) Dr. M. S. Swaminathan 9. Which of the following planets crossed the face of the sun (in transit) after 122 years recently ? (a) Mars (b) Venus (c) Jupiter (d) Saturn Ans: ( b ) Venus 10. Which of the following countries was readmitted to the Commonwealth recently ? (a) Nepal (b) Myanmar (c) Pakistan (d) None of these Ans: ( c ) Pakistan 11. The world governing body of which of the following sports celebrated its 100 years in existence recently ? (a) Football (b) Hockey (c) Badminton (d) Cricket Ans: ( a ) Football 12. Who among the following won the men?s singles title of the French Open 2004 ? (a) Guillermo Coria (b) Roger Federer (c) Andy Roddick (d) Gaston Gaudio Ans: ( d ) Gaston Gaudio 13. Who is India?s first Woman Grand Master in Chess ? (a) Aarthie Ramaswamy (b) Koneru Humpy (c) S. Meenakshi (d) S. Vijayalakshmi Ans: ( b ) Koneru Humpy 14. The age of a tree can be determined by (a) Measuring its height (b) Measuring its diameter (c) Analyzing its sap (d) Counting the annual growth rings of its stem Ans: ( d ) Counting the annual growth rings of its stem 15. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ? Mountains Continents (a) The Rocky : North America (b) The Andes : South America (c) The Alps : Europe (d) The Ural : Africa Ans: ( d ) The Ural : Africa 16. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched ? (a) ?Purna Swaraj? Resolution : 1929 (b) Martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat Singh : 1931 (c) Formation of the Congress Socialist Party: 1939 (d) Simla Confeence : 1940 Ans: ( b ) Martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat Singh : 1931 17. The Lingaraja Temple built during the medieval period is at (a) Bhubaneswar (b) Khajuraho (c) Madurai (d) Mount Abu Ans: ( a ) Bhubaneswar 18. Which one of the following is essentially a solo dance ? (a) Kuchipudi (b) Kathak (c) Manipuri (d) Mohiniattam Ans: ( d ) Mohiniattam 19. The deepest oceanic trench ?Mariana? is located in (a) Atlantic Ocean (b) Arctic Ocean (c) Pacific Ocean (d) Indian Ocean Ans: ( c ) Pacific Ocean 20. Although fog consists of fine drops of water, we cannot see clearly through it because (a) The light rays undergo total internal reflection in the drops (b) Fine drops of water in fog polarize the light (c) The fine drops are opaque to the light (d) The drops scatter most of the light Ans: ( d ) The drops scatter most of the light 21. During the Mughal period, which one of the following were the first to come to India as traders ? (a) Portuguese (b) Dutch (c) Danish (d) English Ans: ( a ) Portuguese 22. Who among the following Delhi Sultans is known for introducing market control mechanism ? (a) Iltutmish (b) Balban (c) Alauddin Khalji (d) Firoze Tughlaq Ans: ( c ) Alauddin Khalji 23. Which one of the following mountain peaks of the Himalayas is NOT in India ? (a) Annapurna (b) Nanda Devi (c) Mt. Kamet (d) Kanchenjunga Ans: ( a ) Annapurna 24. A rift valley is formed mainly due to (a) The forces of tension in the earth?s crust (b) The subsidence of the floor of a river valley (c) The valley formed after the formation of fold mountains (d) The deepening of a valley by ice action Ans: ( a ) The forces of tension in the earth?s crust 25. Who is the author of the book, ?The Man Who Divided India? ? (a) Arun Shourie (b) Dominique Lapierre (c) Rafiq Zakaria (d) Salman Rushdie Ans: ( c ) Rafiq Zakaria

Kudankulam unit 1 to generate 1,000 MW by January 2013

Unit I of the multi-crore Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) will generate 1,000 MW power by January next year, a senior official of KKNPP said.

KKNPP site director, R S Sundar, in his Independence Day (I-Day) address at the nuclear plant site in coastal Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district said that the entire team was working hard, day and night for initial fuel loading (IFL) and first approach to criticality (FAC). The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had given the clearance for IFL and FAC few days back.

"I am very hopeful and confident that we will be generating 1,000 MW from unit one when we will be celebrating the next flag hoisting during the Republic Day. All our efforts to commission unit two is also being taken up in the same spirit and hopefully by next August 15, we will achieve significant milestones in unit two also," he said.

The power generation in unit one of KKNPP is a major milestone. The project was born out of an inter-governmental agreement between India and Russia in 1988 and the construction of plant began in 1997. But the project ran into a rough weather after anti-nuclear activists stalled progress last year when the first unit was nearing commissioning. Work eventually resumed and the AERB gave the go ahead, for uranium fuel loading.

However, the anti-nuclear protesters under the aegis of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) are still continuing the protest though in a feeble level at nearby Idinthakarai village.

TNN | Aug 16, 2012

Activities at Kudankulam plant focused on fuel loading: Official

Koodankulam Site Director R. S. Sundar has expressed confidence that the first unit of the power plant would generate 1000 MW before January 26, 2013.

Kudankulam (TN), Aug. 15:  All activities at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant are now focused on Initial Fuel Loading for the first reactor, a top KNPP official said here today.

“With the Atomic Regulatory Board giving clearance to the initial fuel loading and first approach to criticality, we are focussed on loading the fuel,” Koodankulam Site Director R. S. Sundar said, speaking at the Independence Day celebrations here.

He expressed confidence that the first unit would generate 1000 MW before January 26, 2013.

“Efforts to commission Unit 2 are also being taken up and hopefully by August 15 next, we will achieve significant milestones on this unit also,” he said.

Stating that all safety standards would be fully satisfied, he said plant operation engineers were licensed to operate VVER reactors. “We have also signed the inter-governmental agreement for finalising credit terms between India and Russia for the third and fourth units,” he said.

He also said the Central expert group had made “sincere” efforts to help allay the fears of the local people over safety aspects of KNPP and explained various facts scientifically.

Under the neighbourhood development programme, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd would contribute Rs 200 crore for the uplift of the local community, he said.

The first unit of KNPP, an Indo-Russian joint venture, was scheduled for commissioning in December last, but was bogged down by delays due to protests against the project.

PTI | Aug 16, 2012