Current Affair - Sep 2012

CURRENT AFFAIR


1. Which of the following countries is not a member of the elite league of six nations that have nuclear-powered submarines?
a. China  b. India c. Germany  d. UK


2. Who amongst the following has been awarded the prestigious 'Dadasaheb Phalke award' for the year 2012?
a. Manna Dey b. Soumitra Chatterjee c. VK Murthy  d. K Balachander


3. Tiger Woods' former swing coach, Hank Haney, has written a book about his time working with the golfer. The name of the book is:
a. The Lord of the Rings  b. Rules of Attraction  c. Strong Motion   d. The Big Miss


4. The Titanic, with 2,200 people on board, departed from which of the following British ports on 10 April 1912, for its fateful voyage from Europe to the US?
a. Port of Southampton  b. Port of Barrow  c. Port of Swansea   d. Port of Immingham


5. According to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which country is the secondlargest weapons importer?
a. Pakistan  b. India c. China  d. South Korea


6. The Para Athletics National Championship 2012 was held in:
a. Hyderabad   b. Gurgaon  c. Bhopal    d. Bengaluru


7.  Who among the following politicians has been declared the winner of the prestigious ‘International Jurists Award-2012’?
a. Sheila Dixit  b. Nitish Kumar  c. Narendra Modi    d. Mulayam Singh Yadav


8. Oil has been discovered for the first time in which East African nation recently?
a. Kenya  b. Tanzania  c. Burundi  d. Uganda


9. Who among the following is the surprise choice of US President Barack Obama for the post of World Bank president?
a. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala  b. Jim Yong Kim  c. Jose Antonio Ocampo   d. Robert Zoellick


10. After WWE wrestler Great Khali, who is the second sportsperson keen on opening a cricket academy in Himachal Pradesh?
a. Suresh Raina  b. Yuvraj Singh  c. Mahendra Singh Dhoni   d. Harbhajan Singh


11. To promote institutional deliveries, create awareness and ‘responsibility towards health’ in pregnant women, which of the following states has recently introduced the ‘Surakshit Maa' and ‘Swasth Maa' awards?
a. Bihar  b. Haryana  c. Madhya Pradesh   d. New Delhi


12. The Prime Minister has appointed a panel on the feasibility of executing the controversial Sethusamudram project through Dhanuskodi instead of routing it through Rama Sethu. The committee is headed by:
a. Vandana Shiva  b. Ashok Khosla  c. T Srinivasa Rao    d. RK Pachauri


13.  The Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF), the fi rst international fi lm festival in Ladakh and the highest-altitude fi lm festival at 13,500 feet above sea level, will begin from:
a. 15 June 2012   b. 29 March 2012    c. 15 April 2012   d. 29 May 2012


14. Ms Tawakul Karman, titled the ‘Mother of the Revolution’, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2011. She belongs to:
a. Kenya  b. Liberia c. Yemen    d. Morocco


15. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated (in 2010) across the globe to celebrate the beauty of the house sparrow. The World Sparrow Day is observed on:
a. 21 March  b. 20 March  c. 5 January  d. 27 January


16. The ‘Pudhu Vazvu Thittam' scheme has been launched in which of the following states with the aim of improving livelihood activities of the poorest of the poor, differently abled, destitute widows, and orphaned women?
a. Tamil Nadu  b. Kerala  c. Karnataka   d. Andhra Pradesh


17.  Who has been chosen for the Chameli Devi Jain award?
a. Shailaja Bajpai   b. Aruna Sharma  c. Tusha Mittal   d. Shahina K.K


18. Which Indian NGO was selected for the US' fi rst ‘Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls’ for training and organising wastepickers and eliminating child labour from recycling?
a. Pahal   b. Smile foundation  c. HelpAge India  d. Chintan


19. Who among the following is the current Director-General of the United Nations Educational Scientifi c and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)?
a. Irina Bokova  b. Luther Evans  c. Koïchiro Matsuura  d. Federico Mayor Zaragoza


20. Tihar Prison became the fi rst jail in the country to attain near total literacy among inmates. Which of the following programmes has been launched in Tihar jail in collaboration with the National Literacy Mission?
a. 'Aao Padhein'   b. 'Padho aur Padhao’  c. 'Padhana Likhana Sikho'  d. 'Aao Sakshar Bane'


21. Which of the following social activists recently became a part of the ‘Global March to Jerusalem' to uphold secularism in the region?
a. Swami Agnivesh  b. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  c. Anna Hazare   d. Medha Patkar


22. Recently, which of the following countries qualified for the silver medal in the women's 4x400m relay of the last Asian athletics championships due to the disqualifi cation of athletes from Kazakhstan and Iraq?
a. Sri Lanka   b. Pakistan  c. India    d. China


23. 'Malabar 2012' is an annual naval exercise between India and:
a. Japan  b. Russia  c. France  d. USA


24. Which of the following countries has topped the list of 27 MDR-TB high-burden countries worldwide?
a. India  b. Bangladesh  c. China  d. Pakistan


25. The Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh, has announced a national award for sanitation and water - in the name of: 
a. Sant Gadge Baba  b. Sant Vadiraja Tirtha  c. Sant Variyar Swamigal  d. Swami Yogaswami




BUSINESS & INDUSTRY


1. 'Phaeton' is a full-size luxury sedan launched by:
a. Audi  b. Volkswagen  c. BMW  d. Daimler


2. Global private equity major Warburg Pincus has sold its 3.6% stake in which bank for about Rs.1,400 crore?
a. HDFC Bank  b. Kotak Mahindra Bank  c. ICICI Bank  d. Yes Bank


3. Tatra is
a. A vehicle manufacturer  from the Czech Republic  b. A drug that increases the  life expectancy of the  elderly  c. A new variety of Bt Cotton  developed by Monsanto  d. A new operating system  developed by Samsung


4. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established to facilitate development of countries in Asia. It is headquartered in:
a. Singapore  b. Philippines  c. Japan  d. Malaysia


5. Recently, the state-owned Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL), signed a contract for exploration, development, and mining in the Akjoujt Iron Ore project at Mauritania in West Africa, with which of the following companies?
a. Curve Capital Ventures  b. South African Mining  c. Talvivaara Mining  Company Plc  d. North Bay Resources Inc


6. Which of the following server chips has recently been launched by Intel Corp?
a. 64-bit ARM server chip   b. Opteron 6200  c. Opteron 4200  d. Xeon E5-2600


7. Which of the following countries is India’s second largest supplier of crude oil - against which western countries have imposed sanctions?
a. Iraq    b. Iran  b. Russia  d. Saudi Arabia


8. Who is the current chairman and chief executive offi cer of Pepsico?
a. John Compton  b. Pamela Culpepper  c. Indira K Nooyi  d. Josh Luis Parado


9. Which IT company has launched the 'MyEdu tablet' in India?
a. HCL  b. Wipro  c. Dell  d. Samsung


10. Which of the following California-based companies has recently been acquired by chipmaker AMD for $334 million?
a. Antec  b. SeaMicro  c. Intel  d. Memorex


11. Which motorcycle company has launched its gearless scooter portfolio with the launch of the Swish 125?
a. Suzuki Motors  b. Hero MotoCorp  c. Bajaj Motorcycles  d. Honda Motorcycles


12. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) recently launched a single premium plan called:
a. Jeevan Chhaya  b. Jeevan Nidhi  c. Jeevan Vriddhi  d. Jeevan Saathi


13. Kobelco Cranes India Pvt. Ltd (KCI), which is a part of the Kobelco Cranes Company, has commenced production at its hydraulic crane manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh. This company belongs to:
a. South Korea  b. Germany  c. Japan  d. Sweden


14. AP Choudhary is the current Chairman-cum-Managing Director of:
a. Hindustan Aeronautics  Limited (HAL)  b. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam  Limited (RINL)  c. Bharat Heavy Electricals  Limited (BHEL)  d. Gas Authority of India  Ltd. (GAIL)


15. Which of the following state governments has decided to give cycles to the girls studying in Classes XI and XII under the 'Mai Bhago Vidya scheme'?
a. Punjab  b. Haryana  c. West Bengal   d. Himachal Pradesh  


16. To improve corporate governance, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has constituted a committee headed by:
a. Kiran Majumdar Shaw  b. Adi Godrej  c. Sidharth Birla  d. MK Chanu


17. The Indian Government has imposed anti-dumping duty for fi ve years on imports of phosphoric acid from Israel and:
a. China  b. Canada   c. South Korea   d. Taiwan


18. A unique scheme, titled ‘Master Health Card', of the Rahbar Group of Companies, was launched in:
a. Andhra Pradesh  b. Uttar Pradesh  c. Karnataka  d. New Delhi


19. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India recently experienced the second-strongest domestic air traffi c growth (at 12.3%) among the major domestic markets in the world after:
a. USA  b. Brazil  c. Saudi Arabia  d. Russia


20. Who is the current Director General of the World Trade Organisation?
a. Pascal Lamy  b. Supachai Panitchpakdi  c. Mike Moore  d. Renato Ruggiero


21. Which telecom company has selected ZTE Corporation to plan, design, supply, and deploy its 4G network in Kolkata?
a. Idea  b. Bharti Airtel  c. Reliance  d. BSNL


22. The GSM Association has said that 3G mobile connections in India are expected to grow to more than 10 crore by 2014  - the highest in the world - while India would become the second largest mobile broadband market globally within the next four years after:
a. USA  b. South Korea  c. UK    d. China


23. 'Mini Countryman' is a SUV car launched by:
a. Hyundai  b. BMW  c. Volkswagen  d. Toyota


24. Which of the following countries is the world's most nuclear-dependent country, deriving 75% of its electricity needs from 58 reactors and has been a leading international proponent of atomic energy?
a. France  b. Canada  c. Sweden  d. Japan


25. Pratt & Whitney is an aerospace manufacturer and leading supplier of aerospace engines, space propulsion systems, and industrial gas turbines. Its headquarters are located in:
a. France  b. UK  c. Canada  d. USA


26. Which of the following railway stations has bagged the ‘Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station' award for 2010-11?
a. Madgaon railway station  b. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai  c. New Delhi Railway Station  d.  Mangalore  railway station


27. Who among the following is the current Chairman and CEO of  General Motors?
a. Daniel F Akerson  b. Edward Whitacre  c. Frederick Henderson  d. Stephen J Girsky


28. Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has a joint venture with which of the following country's aeronautical manufacturing company, 'Aerostar'? 
a. Italy   b. Germany  c. Romania  d. South Africa


29. Which of the following motor companies will launch a new bike in 250cc categories under Korean brand 'Hyosung'?
a. Garware Motors  b. TVS Motors  c. LML  d. Honda Motors


30. US-based New York Life has recently sold its 26% stake in Max New York Life Insurance to which of the following insurance companies for  Rs.2,731 crore?
a. Aviva   b. Mitsui Sumitomo  Insurance (MSI)  c. MetLife  d. American International    Group (AIG)

ANSWERS

CURRENT AFFAIR
1. (c) Germany
2. (b) Soumitra Chatterjee
3. (d) The Big Miss
4. (a) Port of Southampton
5. (c) China
6. (d) Bengaluru
7. (d) Mulayam Singh Yadav
8. (a) Kenya
9. (b) Jim Yong Kim
10. (c) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
11. (b) Haryana
12. (d) RK Pachauri
13. (a) 15 June 2012
14. (c) Yemen
15. (a) 21 March
16. (a) Tamil Nadu
17. (c) Tusha Mittal
18. (d) Chintan
19. (a) Irina Bokova
20. (b) 'Padho aur Padhao'
21. (a) Swami Agnivesh
22. (c) India
23. (d) USA
24. (c) China
25. (a) Sant Gadge Baba


BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
1. (b) Volkswagen
2. (b) Kotak Mahindra Bank
3. (a) A vehicle manufacturer from the
Czech Republic
4. (b) Philippines
5. (a) Curve Capital Ventures
6. (d) Xeon E5-2600
7. (b) Iran
8. (c) Indira K Nooyi
9. (a) HCL
10. (b) SeaMicro
11. (a) Suzuki Motors
12. (c) Jeevan Vriddhi
13. (a) Japan
14. (b) Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)
15. (a) Punjab
16. (b) Adi Godrej
17. (d) Taiwan
18. (a) Andhra Pradesh
19. (b) Brazil
20. (a) Pascal Lamy
21. (b) Bharti Airtel
22. (d) China
23. (a) BMW
24. (a) France
25. (d) USA
26. (c) New Delhi Railway Station
27. (a) Daniel F Akerson
28. (c) Romania
29. (a) Garware Motors
30. (b) Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (MSI)

Current Affairs :January 2010

1. … actor, Vishnuvardhan died of cardiac arrest. Frenzied fans, who could not pay tribute to the icon due to surging crowd, went berserk and threw stones which did not spare even the wife of the deceased.
   a. Tamil
   b. Kannada
   c. Telugu
   d. Malyalam
   
2. Name the head of All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) who was sworn in as a minister in Jharkhand Assembly alongside Shibu Soren as the chief minister.
   a. Sudesh Mahato
   b. Raghubar Das
   c. Aditya Swaroop
   d. Yashwant Sinha
   
3. N Ram, editor-in-chief of newspaper ‘The Hindu’, has been conferred the second Lokmanya Tilak National Journalist Award by the Kesari Mahratta Trust. Who was the recipient of the first award in 2009?
   a. Barkha Dutt, NDTV
   b. Rajdeep Sardesai, CNN-IBN
   c. Govind Singh, ‘Amar Ujala’
   d. Vir Sanghvi, ‘Hindustan Times’
   
4. Name the barrister of Indian-origin, who has been appointed as the Recorder by Queen Elizabeth in the United Kingdom.
   a. Kalyani Kaul
   b. Arpita MAjumdar
   c. CV Ramanna Rao
   d. Austin Joseph
   
5. Which country does the al Qaeda suspect, charged with trying to blow up a United States airliner, belong to?
   a. Egypt
   b. Iraq
   c. Nigeria
   d. Ghana
   
6. Why has a constitutional amendment bill been tabled in the legislature Parliament in Nepal?
   a. To extend term of the present government
   b. To make Nepal a Hindu state
   c. To define boundaries of Nepal’s constituencies
   d. To allow people of authority to take oath in their mother tongue
   
7. Recently Japan showed its keenness for India to ratify a treaty. Which treaty is it?
   a. Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty
   b. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
   c. Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security
   d. None of the above
   
8. The Union tourism ministry has launched an initiative on ‘safe and honourable tourism’ which would essentially promote the cause of protecting ….
   a. Women
   b. Children
   c. Women and children
   d. Beggers
   
9. According to a survey by Hotels.com, an accommodation website, which is the most favourite building of the world among the international travelers?
   a. Taj Mahal
   b. Statue of Liberty
   c. Empire State Building
   d. Eiffel Tower
   
10. An Indian Airline’s plane from Kathmandu, bound to Delhi, was hijacked in December 1999 by terrorists demanding release of their friends. Where did the terrorists take the plane?
    a. Back to Kathmandu, Nepal
    b. Delhi, India
    c. Kandhar, Afghanistan
    d. Peshawar, Pakistan
    
11. The ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Firoz Shah Kotla, Delhi was cancelled due to bad condition of the pitch. Where was a match between the same countries cancelled due to same reason in 1997?
    a. Kanpur
    b. Indore
    c. Hyderabad
    d. Chennai
    
12. The by-election to the Pennagaram Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu was postponed as some political parties said that the current schedule was close to Pongal festival. Who is the chief electoral officer of Tamil Nadu?
    a. Naresh Gupta
    b. Shekhar Channe
    c. Pooja Kulkarni
    d. Ajit Srivastava
    
13. According to the US magazine, ‘Entertainment Weekly’, who/what is “the greatest entertainer of the decade”?
    a. Harry Potter
    b. YouTube
    c. Facebook
    d. Friends, serial on Star World
    
14. Which country’s top legislature has adopted an amendment to the renewable energy law mandating electricity grid companies to buy all the power produced by renewable energy generators?
    a. United Kingdom
    b. Germany
    c. China
    d. Japan
    
15. With which country will the DRDO tie-up to develop the Kaveri aero engine?
    a. Switzerland
    b. France
    c. United States
    d. Australia
    
16. The Danish police had to fire at a person who had attacked the cartoonist who had made the controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammad. Name him. What was the attacker’s nationality?
    a. Somalia
    b. Iraq
    c. Lebanon
    d. Libya
    
17. ‘Three Idiots’, the recent movie directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is at the center of controversy due to credit placement to the author Chetan Bhagat, from whose book ‘Five Point Someone’ the movie is inspired. Which other film is based on one of Chetan Bhagat’s works?
    a. ‘Love Aaj Kal’
    b. ‘Aloo Chat’
    c. ‘Hello’
    d. ‘Chai, Paani etc’
    
18. The environment and forest ministry has cleared this 56,400 crore project and has allowed it to acquire 2,900 acres of forestland to this project. Name it. 
    a. Vedanta
    b. Posco
    c. Tata Nano
    d. Arcelor Mittal
    
19. The BJP has stated that in the year 2010 it will keep a watch on the Congress on … issues. 
    a. 5
    b. 7
    c. 9
    d. 10
    
20. MK Alagiri had requested to be allowed to speaking in Tamil in the Parliament, as he is neither comfortable with Hindi, nor with English. Which ministry does he head?
    a. Mines
    b. Shipping
    c. Chemicals and fertilisers
    d. Overseas Indian affairs
    
21. Who is the author of newly-released ‘A Tale of Two Revolts: India 1857 & the American Civil War’?
    a. Ramachandra Guha
    b. Rajmohan Gandhi
    c. William Dalrymple
    d. Sumit Sarkar
    
22. Who is the author of ‘We Must Have No Price’, which scrutinizes several scams and takes up issue of internal security?
    a. Mani Shankar Aiyer
    b. Arun Jaitley
    c. Sitaram Yechury
    d. Arun Shourie
    
23. A court in this country has set aside government’s ban on Christians using the name of Allah, saying that Christians have the Constitutional right to the word. Which country are we talking about?
    a. Indonesia
    b. Malaysia
    c. Pakistan
    d. Oman
    
24. Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu has scored a first. What is it?
    a. She has become the first person to ski to the South Pole
    b. She has become the first Indian to ski to the South Pole
    c. She has become the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole
    d. She has become the first Indian woman to skydive onto the South Pole
    
25. Salman Rushdie’s visit to this site has angered the Muslim clerics, 21 years after the Fatwa against him over Satanic Verses. Name the monument he visited in a hush-hush manner.
    a. Jama Masjid, Delhi
    b. Taj Mahal, Agra
    c. Ajmer Sharif
    d. Haji Ali, Mumbai
    
26. Billy Arjan Singh, who passed away on January1 this year, was the man behind ….
    a. Kanha National Park
    b. Dudhwa National Park
    c. Kaziranga National Park
    d. Sariska Bird Sanctuary
    
27. This state has enacted a legislation, which makes voting in local body polls mandatory. We are talking about ….
    a. Gujarat
    b. Maharashtra
    c. Tamil Nadu
    d. Karnataka
    
28. The Harvard Business Review has named this Indian among the world’s five best performing CEOs. Whom are we talking about?
    a. Sunil Bharti Mittal
    b. Shiv Nadar
    c. Anil Ambani
    d. Mukesh Ambani
    
29. The Indian team won 16 out of 21 gold medals in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships. In which city was the Championship held?
    a. Jalandhar
    b. Ludhiana
    c. Amritsar
    d. Karnal
    
30. Who is the author of ‘The Rediscovery of India’?
    a. Rahul Gandhi
    b. Priyanka Gandhi
    c. Gurcharan Das
    d. Meghnad Desai

Answers 1. b. Kannada 2. a. Sudesh Mahato 3. d. Vir Sanghvi, ‘Hindustan Times’ 4. a. Kalyani Kaul 5. c. Nigeria 6. d. To allow people of authority to take oath in their mother tongue 7. b. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty 8. c. Women and children 9. d. Eiffel Tower 10. c. Kandhar, Afghanistan 11. b. Indore 12. a. Naresh Gupta 13. a. Harry Potter 14. c. China 15. b. France 16. a. Somalia 17. c. ‘Hello’ 18. b. Posco 19. d. 10 20. c. Chemicals and fertilisers 21. b. Rajmohan Gandhi 22. d. Arun Shourie 23. b. Malaysia 24. c. She has become the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole 25. b. Taj Mahal, Agra 26. b. Dudhwa National Park 27. a. Gujarat 28. d. Mukesh Ambani 29. a. Jalandhar 30. d. Meghnad Desai

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