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![GENERAL AWARENESS – AUGUST 2014 36
NUMERICAL ABILITY
41) The unit digit in the product (784 x 618 x 917
x 463) is
1) 2 2) 3
3) 4 4) 5
5) None
42) What is the unit digit in (795
– 358
)?
1) 4 2) 3
3) 7 4) 9
5) None
43) [(140)2
÷ 70 x 16] ÷ 8 = 14 x ?
1) 38 2) 65
3) 35 4) 40
5) None
44) (800 64) x (1296 36) =?
1) 450 2) 460
3) 500 4) 540
5) None
45) (1000)9
(10)24
=?
1) 10000 2) 1000
3) 100 4) 10
5) None
46) ?
15
1
9
17
2
7
4
3
9
1)
1020
719
7 2)
1020
817
9
3)
1020
719
9 4)
1020
817
7
5) None
47) 217 x 217 + 183 x 183 =?
1) 79698 2) 80578
3) 80698 4) 81268
5) None
48) {(476 + 424)2
– 4 x 476 x 424} =?
1) 2906 2) 3116
3) 2704 4) 2904
5) None
49) ?
476)476963(963
476)(963476)(963 22
1) 1449 2) 497
3) 2 4) 4
5) None
50) (15.6% of 1296) – (10.8% of 870) = ?
1) 125.526 2) 216.109
3) 109.156 4) 108.216
5) None of these
51) 527924 - 527516 = 3532 - ?
1) 3104 2) 3224
3) 3024 4) 3124
5) None
52) (162
– 152
) x 17 = ?
1) 257 2) 527
3) 517 4) 357
5) None
53) 24336 ÷ ? = 78 x 24
1) 11 2) 15
3) 17 4) 13
5) None
54) 48.24 ÷ 2.01 = ?
1) 24 2) 24.01
3) 240 4) 2.4
5) None
55) ?% of 56 = 10.08
1) 564.48 2) 1.80
3) 0.18 4) 1.19
5) None
56)
2
1
336
?
23
21
1) 184 2) 148
3) 704 4) 736
5) None
57) 6% of 380 + 40% of 6.8 =?
1) 230.72 2) 25.08
3) 25.52 4) 50
5) None
58) 1180of
3
?
of
8
1
of
5
1
of
3
1
1) 3 2) 2
3) 4 4) 1
5) None
59) ?
38
950
45.11
1) 288.75 2) 274.8
3) 296.25 4) 286.25
5) None of these
60) 2.135
?
1092
2.5
1) 41 2) 40
3) 39 4) 38
5) None of these
61) (1.03)2
x 700 = ?
1) 748.3 2) 742.63
3) 1126.3 4) 74.283
5) None of these
62) 195 x 37 – 37 = ?
1) 7178 2) 0
3) 195 4) 7148
5) None of these
63) If it takes A four days to dig a certain ditch,
whereas B can dig it in 8 days and A, B, C
together can dig it in
7
2
2 days, how long C
alone would take to dig it?
1) 8 2) 4
3) 6 4) 12
5) None of these
64) If Rs. 1,105/- were distributed among A, B
and C in the ratio
4
1
:
2
1
:
3
1
, How much did B
receive, more than A?
1) Cannot be determined
2) Rs.255/- 3) Rs.85/-](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/joineddocument3-140723051000-phpapp01/75/Joined-document-3-36-2048.jpg)
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- 2. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 2 GENERAL AWARENESS AUGUST 2014 Year: 2014 Vol. 3, Issue 02 A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD. SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH CONTENTS SECTION – A CURRENT AFFAIRS April to June 2014 1-19 SECTION – B BULLET NEWS Jan 2014 TO March 2014 20-32 SECTION – C 2 SBI CLERK MOCK TEST CENTRAL SCHEMES MCQs ON POLITY 33-58 59-61 62-71 SECTION – E LATEST GK BYTES 72-92 FIGURES TO REMEMBER REPO RATE 8.00% REVERSE REPO RATE 7.00% MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE 9.00% STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 22.5% CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 9.00% BASE RATE(s) (of various banks) 9.80% – 10.25 % INDIA’S RANK IN Economic Confidence Index 01st Choice for FDI 4th Global Peace Index 143rd Press Freedom Index 2014 78th Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 134th Social Progress Index 102nd World Press Freedom Index 140th Environment Performance Index 155th Index for Nuclear Safety 23rd Index of Economic Freedom 120th Rank in Energy Usage 69th Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 98th Corruption Perception Index 94th World Prosperity Index 106th Global Hunger Index 2013 63rd Human Capital Index 78th Global Gender Gap Index 101st NATIONAL NEWS JUNE 2014 PANJAB UNIVERSITY BEST IN INDIA Panjab University, Chandigarh, is the highest ranked Indian higher educational institution in the globally recognized Times Higher Education’s Asia rankings. Placed 32nd in Asia’s top 100 institutions, PU has outperformed IITs on all ranking parameters. The list is topped by the University of Tokyo INDIA SIGNS ‘WASHINGTON ACCORD’ Indian students with accredited technical education degrees will now find it easy to get academic recognition and jobs in 17 major nations across the world, including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and Russia as India has become a permanent signatory to the Washington Accord (WA), a global agreement that covers mutual recognition in respect of tertiary-level engineering qualifications among the signatory countries. INDIA HOUSE TO 1.56 LAKH MILLIONAIRES According to the World Wealth Report 2014, released by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management, there were 1,56,000 high net worth individuals in India in 2013, up from 1,53,000 in 2012. India has been ranked 16th in the list of countries with highest number of HNWI population, the US topping the chart with 40,06,000 millionaires, followed by Japan (23,27,000). U N AWARD FOR ‘MOBILE SEVA’ 'Mobile Seva', an initiative conceptualised by Indian government’s Department of Electronics and Information Technology for delivery of public services electronically through the mobile platform has been awarded a United Nations Public Service Award. INDIA NO 1 IN ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE In a 25 nation-list compiled by global research firm Ipsos, India has been placed at number one rank in terms of economic confidence of citizens. As many as 60 per cent Indians surveyed have predicted that domestic economy would be stronger in the next six months, making it the most confident nation. INDIA 4th CHOICE OF MNCs FOR INVESTMENT Unctad's annual World Investment Report 2014 shows that China remained the first choice of MNCs, followed by the US. But, Indonesia has overtaken India as the third most preferred destination for 2014-16. A series of policy flip-flops and harsh tax measures commonly referred to as "tax terrorism", have dented India's image. AIR INDIA JOINS STAR ALLIANCE National carrier Air India has joined Star Alliance - a group of 26 (now 27) carriers with as many as 4,338 aircraft flying to 1,328 destinations across 195 countries. It is an agreement between member airlines to use each other’s existing routes and facilities. For an Air India passenger it means simpler transit through single booking across multiple airlines to places where the national carrier does not operate.
- 3. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 3 PROJECT ‘MAUSAM’ FOR INDIAN OCEAN Union Ministry of Culture has launched the Project Mausam at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Doha, Qatar. The Project aims to explore the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean region. P M VISITS BHUTAN ON FIRST FOREIGN TRIP Prime Minister Mr. Modi made his first overseas trip by visiting Bhutan. He inaugurated the new Supreme Court building at Thimpu, constructed with Indian assistance. He also laid the foundation for a 600 megawatt hydroelectric power station as part of an energy cooperation plan. ANSARI VISITS CHINA Vice-President Hamid Ansari visited China to meet President Xi Jinping and Vice- President Li Yuanchao. He unveiled the first jointly compiled two - volume encyclopaedia, chronicling a 2,000-year history of cultural exchanges between India and China. TELANGANA, THE 29th STATE OF INDIA June 2, 2014 witnessed the birth of 29th state of India – Telangana. Formed by carving out 10 districts of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the new state will have an area of 1.14 lakh sq kms and a population of over 3.5 crore. Telugu and Urdu are the main languages in the region. City of Hyderabad will continue to remain the joint capital of both – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for next ten years. Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is the new Chief Minister of the state. INDIA 143RD IN TERMS OF PEACE Global Peace Index (GPI) 2014 released by the Institute for Economics and Peace released in London has placed India at 143rd place in list of 162 countries. Syria is the least peaceful nation while Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh on her first solo overseas visit. The Narmada Control Authority gave its nod to Gujarat for raising the height of the Narmada dam to a level of 138.72 metres from the present 121.92 metres. MAY 2014 INDIA 2nd BEST IN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE As per the Nielsen global survey, Consumer confidence level in India jumped to 121points in the first quarter of the current fiscal, the highest optimism level since the fourth quarter of 2012. India retains its position as the second most-optimistic country in the survey. Indonesia leads the global index with 124 points and the Philippines is in third place with 116 points. INDIA 3rd IN GDP SIZE Data released by the international comparison programme of the World Bank group shows that in a matter of six years, India has emerged as the world's third largest economy (in terms of PPP) in 2011, from being the 10th largest in 2005, moving ahead of Japan, while the US remained the largest economy closely followed by China. The world produced goods and services worth over $90 trillion in 2011 and almost half of this came from low and middle-income countries. INDIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN CHINA India started its biggest year-long cultural festival, “Glimpses of India” in China with a performance of classical Indian dances in Shanghai by artists from Chennai-based Kalakshetra cultural academy. INDIA 134TH IN ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’ World Bank and International Finance Corporation have released their annual report for “Doing Business” as per which India ranks 134th among 189 nations when it comes to ease of doing business. Singapore ranked first in the list. INDIAN EVMs TO BE USED IN NAMIBIA Namibia has imported 3400 India-made Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for use in their Presidential Election. Namibia is the first African country to use such machines in any of its Polls. These EVMs are manufactured by the public sector unit, Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) based in Bangaluru. ‘TITLI’ SCREENED AT CANNES Indian film Titli (butterfly), directed by Kanu Behl and produced by Aditya Chopra was screened at Cannes Film Festival at Cannes, France. The film is about the journey of a boy called ‘Titli’ who wants to escape from his oppressive brother. INDIA 78TH IN PRESS FREEDOM Latest Press Freedom Index 2014 has placed India at 78th place on the basis of freedom of media in the country. Press freedom in India has deteriorated due to increased "interference" by media owners ahead of the general elections this year. Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden topped the list, which included 197 countries.
- 4. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 4 W B AID FOR SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN – III World Bank has agreed to provide $ 1billion assistance to India to support its Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan – III, the largest school education programme in the world. Funds will be deployed by the HRD Ministry over a period of three years. S C BANS BULLS USE IN ‘JALLIKATTU’ The Supreme Court has prohibited use of bulls in Tamil Nadu’s ‘Jallikattu’ festivals, holding that use of bulls in such events severely harmed the animals and constituted an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animals Act. HIGHEST INFANT MORTALITY IN INDIA More than seven lakh newborns die in India every year, the highest number of such deaths globally, a new study has claimed. Each year 5.5 million babies leave the world without celebrating their first birth day. SC NOD FOR PROBING SENIOR BUREAUCRATS A three judge Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India has held as invalid the legal provision that makes prior sanction mandatory for the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe against senior bureaucrats (joint secretary and above) in corruption cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act as it violates the article 14 (equality before law) of the constitution. INDIA TOPS IN ‘OPEN DEFECATION’ A UN report- ‘Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation, 2014 says that 82 per cent of the one billion people practising open defecation in the world live in just 10 countries, topped by India having sixty per cent (597 million) of this population. DELHI MOST POLLUTED CITY WHO has stated that the quality of air in most cities worldwide failed to meet the WHO standards for safe levels of pollution. The release counted Delhi among one of the most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality as it has highest concentration of particulate matters less than 2.5 microns, which is considered most serious. APRIL 2014 KEJRIWAL, MODI IN TIME TOP 100 The Time has named the 100 most influential people in the world without ranking them and four Indians have made it to the list. The four are - Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal (highest score), followed by BJP leader Narendra Modi, noted author Arundhati Roy and Coimbatore-based health activist Arunachalam Muruganantham. ‘AADHAAR’ NOT MANDATORY – S C The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to immediately withdraw the instructions, if any, issued by it for making Aadhaar card mandatory for citizens to avail government services. The Court also said that biometric or any other data should not be shared with any authorities unless the accused gives consent in writing. INDIA RANKS 83RD IN USE OF ICT A World Economic Forum report says that India has slid down to 83rd spot among 148 economies in terms of leveraging information and communications technologies for growth and well being. In 2013, it ranked 68th out of 144 countries. SMALL STATES TOP IN POLICY EFFECTIVENESS The India Public Policy Report 2014, brought out by Jindal School of Government and Public Policy at the Sonepat- based O.P. Jindal Global University, in association with the Oxford University Press, has ranked India’s smallest states — Sikkim, Mizoram, Goa, Punjab and Delhi — best in policy effectiveness, while Gujarat has slipped over the decades to the 16th place and Kerala comes in at 21st slot. INDIA RANKS 102ND IN SOCIAL PROGRESS The Social Progress Index 2014 compiled by US-based non- profit group Social Progress Imperative ranks India102nd among the 132 countries. The index aims to measure quality of life using measures of access to basic human needs such as food and shelter and of equality of opportunity such as education and personal freedom. INDIA BHUTAN FOR JOINT HYDROPOWER India and Bhutan have signed an agreement on development of four hydropower projects for producing 2120 MW on a joint venture-model between public sector undertakings of the two countries. EUNUCHS RECOGNIZED AS ‘THIRD’ GENDER In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court has recognised transgenders or eunuchs as third category of gender and directed Centre and states to take steps to treat them as socially and educationally backward classes and extend reservation for admission in educational institutions and for public appointments. The Court clarified that its verdict pertains only to eunuchs and not other sections of society like gay, lesbian and bisexuals who are also considered under the umbrella term 'transgender'.
- 5. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 5 NEWS FROM STATES JUNE 2014 U K AWARD FOR BENGAL’s GIRL SCHEME Kanyashree Prakalpa, a West Bengal government scheme that provides scholarship to girls from economically- backward backgrounds, has been given international recognition jointly by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development and UNICEF. ‘GAURAVI’ TO HELP WOMEN IN STRESS India’s first One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) named Gauravi was launched in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 16 June 2014. It was launched by the Bollywood actor Amir Khan. The centre is first of its kind in India for women who are victims of violence. It will provide help and assistance to rape survivors and victims of dowry harassment, domestic violence and other atrocities on women, all under one roof. MUMBAI BECOMES 4TH CITY TO GET METRO Mumbai became the fourth city in the country to have Metro rail operations, besides Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore. The 11.4 km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar section, connecting western suburbs with eastern suburbs, will carry around 11 lakh passengers every day. $100 MN WORLD BANK LOAN FOR HIMACHAL World Bank will provide $ 100 million to Himachal Pradesh for promoting development of sustainable hydropower, adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change and empower local communities to conserve their watersheds. SIKKIM TO GIVE JOBS TO BPL CANDIDATES Sikkim government has announced 12 per cent reservation in all state government jobs and posts in public sector undertakings for candidates of Sikkimese origin living below poverty line, with immediate effect. Gujarat has become the first state in India to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force, across all cadres. MAY 2014 VIDHAN SABHA ELECTIONS IN 5 STATES Along with the general elections, five states also elected their new MLAs (member of legislative assembly). Following were elected as the new Chief Ministers: Naveen Patnaik (Biju Janata Dal) – Odisha, 4th time Pawan Chamling (Sikkim Democratic Fund) – Sikkim, 5th time, becoming the longest serving C M in India. Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu Desam Party)—Andhra Pradesh K Chandrasekhara Rao (Telangana Rastra Samithi) – Telangana Nabam Tuki (Congress) -- Arunachal Pradesh Some other Chief Ministers were also changed: Anandiben Patel (BJP): Elected as Chief Minister of Gujarat in place of Narendra Modi. Jitan Ram Manjhi became new Chief Minister of Bihar as present CM Nitish Kumar resigned owing the responsibility for poor performance of his party in general elections. T R Zeliang (Naga People's Front): Elected as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland following the resignation of current C M Neiphiu Rio as he got elected as M P. A four-year ban which barred short messaging service (SMS) on prepaid mobile phones in Jammu and Kashmir has been lifted by the state government. Rajasthan has decided to open 325 Ma Bari centres in tribal areas of the four districts to provide education to the children of 6 to 12 age where there are no schools. APRIL 2014 ARUNACHAL GETS CONNECTED BY RAIL The Arunachal Pradesh was put on the country’s railway map on April 7 with the first passenger train of about 400 commuters arriving at Naharlagun, near state capital Itanagar, starting from Dekargaon, Assam. MAHARASHTRA TOPS IN INVESTMENT According to an Assocham report, Maharashtra has emerged as the number one investment destination in the country replacing Gujarat, attracting cumulative investment proposals of Rs 14,73,466 crore as on December 2013, while Gujarat drew proposals worth Rs. 13,98,347 crore only. Asia’s largest Tulip garden - Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden is located on the banks of Dal Lake, Srinagar, J&K. Spread on 15-hectares, it has over 1.5 million tulips. India’s first double-decker flyover opened in Mumbai on 18th April connecting the eastern suburbs with western suburb via the Santa Cruz-Chembur link road.
- 6. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 6 GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES JUNE 2014 NO TRANSFERS FOR PARENTS OF DISABLED Central government has decided that all the government employees who have differently abled children to take care of will be exempted from routine transfers and they will not be asked to take voluntary retirement on refusing such postings. GOMs AND EGOMs SCRAPPED With a view to improve accountability and responsibility, govt has decided to abolish, with immediate effect, all the Groups of Ministers (GoMs) and Empowered Groups of Ministers (EGoMs) set up by the previous UPA-II govt. FOOD BUDGET RAISED FOR POWER SPORTS Govt has decided to increase the daily food supplement budget from Rs 280 to Rs 750 for the power games which include boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo and boxing. The decision was taken keeping in mind the Commonwealth Games & Asian Games this year and Rio Olympics in 2016. 12000 LABOUR CHARGES TO POOR FOR HOUSE The Centre has decided to give Rs 12,000 per household as labour charges to the poor for building their homes under Indira Awaas Yojna-IAY. Govt. provides Rs. 75,000 for construction of a house under IAY in hilly areas and Rs 70,000 in plains, of which 20% is the labour component. MAY 2014 SIT FOR PROBING BLACK MONEY The Supreme Court has reconstituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the chairmanship of retired judge MB Shah to monitor the probe into the black money cases, both inside and outside the country. Incidentally, this is also the first major decision taken by the new Union Cabinet. SECURITY PACT SIGNED WITH MYANMAR India and Myanmar have inked a pact to enhance security cooperation in combating the key issues of insurgency, arms smuggling and human trafficking. The agreement was signed at Nay Pyi Taw, capital of Myanmar. In a move that signals changed priorities, the ministry of environment and forests has been renamed as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. APRIL 2014 FREE SALE OF 5KG LPG CYLINDERS Indian Oil Corporation has introduced the sale of market- priced 5-kg Free Trade LPG (FTL) cylinders through kirana stores and supermarkets for the first time in India. To begin with, these have been launched in Bangalore, Chennai, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Aligarh. ECONOMIC INDICATORS JUNE 2014 GDP GROWS @ 4.7% IN 2013-14 Latest data released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) has estimated value of India’s GDP at current market prices at Rs. 113.55 lakh crore, achieving a growth rate of 4.7 percent in 2013-14 as against 4.5 percent achieved in 2012- 13. This is the first time in 26 years after 1987-88 that GDP has grown at sub 5% in two successive years. The per capita income at current prices during 2013-14 is estimated to have attained a level of Rs.74,380. RBI PUTS GROWTH RATE AT 5-6 PER CENT In its Second Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement, the Reserve Bank has stated that economic growth is expected to be between 5 and 6 per cent in 2014-15 even as uncertainty over the monsoon clouds the forecast for agriculture. India's economic growth stayed below 5 per cent for the second year in a row at 4.7 per cent in 2013- 14, mainly due to a decline in manufacturing and mining output. INDIA TO GROW @ 5.5% - WORLD BANK The World Bank has projected a 5.5% growth for India in 2014-15, estimating that this will accelerate to 6.3% in 2015-16 and 6.6% in 2016-17. IIP TURNS POSITIVE BY 3.4% Raising hopes of turnaround, Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in April moved up by 3.4 per cent, after contracting in previous two months. The recovery came around especially in output of manu- facturing, mining and electricity production and capital goods. CORE SECTOR GROWS BY 4.2% Helped by healthy growth in electricity, fertilizers, cement and coal, the output of eight core industries increased 4.2 per cent in April, up from 2.5 per cent in the previous month. The growth in April, 2013, was 3.7 per cent.
- 7. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 7 EXPORTS JUMP BY 12.4% TO $28 BN Buoyed by an improvement in major markets such as the US and Europe, exports grew by 12.4% to $ 28 billion in May, the fastest growth in the past six months. Imports dipped by 11.4% at $39.23 billion, giving a trade deficit of $ 11.23 billion. MAY 2014 UN PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 5% According to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2014 report, Indian economy will grow 5 per cent in 2014 and record a slightly higher expansion of 5.5 per cent next year riding on stronger consumption and investment. ECONOMY TO GROW BY 4.9% - OECD Latest economic outlook by the Paris-based think-tank- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says that India's economy is expected to grow up to 4.9% in calendar year 2014 from 4.5% a year earlier, helped by a rebound in capital investments as well as a pick-up in private consumption, but rising bad loans at its banks threaten to choke the recovery. APRIL 2014 LOW GROWTH DUE TO INTERNAL FACTORS World Economic Outlook report by the International Monetary Fund has attributed India's declining economic growth, which has touched a decade's low of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13, to mainly internal factors. India's economic growth, which touched 8.9 per cent in 2010-11 declined to 6.7 per cent in the following year and touched a decade's low of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13. GDP GROWTH MAY IMPROVE - IMF According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), growth of India’s GDP could recover to 5.4 per cent in the current fiscal year (2014- 15) from 4.4 per cent expected in 2013-14. It may further increase by one percentage point to 6.4 per cent in the year 2015-16 due to stronger global growth, an improvement in export competitiveness and implementation of the recently- approved investment projects. ADB PUTS GROWTH RATE AT 5.5% The Asian Development Bank has cut India's growth projection for 2014-15 to 5.5% against 5.7% estimated earlier, on account of weaker than expected industrial growth. The Bank pointed out that government needed to clear projects quickly and boost manufacturing, besides carrying out structural reforms. ECONOMY JUNE 2014 SOLO EVENTS NOT PART OF CSR The Corporate Affairs Ministry has clarified that one-off events such as marathons / awards / charitable contribution /advertisement / sponsorships of TV programmes etc would not be qualified as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure. Activities like housing for Economically Weaker Sections, slum clearance, disaster management, rural development, road safety, skill development of agriculture labour can be considered under the CSR. CSR rules are applicable to companies having at least Rs 5 crore net profit, or Rs 1,000 crore turnover or Rs 500 crore net worth. As per CSR rules, such companies are required to shell out at least two per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR activities. BAN ON MILK PRODUCTS FROM CHINA The government has extended the ban on imports of milk and its products from China for one more year till June 2015. The ban was first imposed in September 2008 due to presence of melamine in milk products, a chemical used for making plastics and fertilisers. F I OF 10% TO BE TREATED AS FDI Foreign investment of 10 per cent or more in a listed company will now be treated as foreign direct investment (FDI) as the government has accepted the Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram committee’s recommendations on rationalising definitions of FDI and FII. NEW SEBI NORMS FOR DEBT SECURITIES SEBI has issued new norms for public issuance of debt securities (debentures, bonds etc.) under which such offers will have to be of minimum Rs 100 crore and the companies will have to attain at least 75 per cent subscription. ISRAEL TO HELP IN AGRICULTURE Israel is planning to open two centres of excellence at Nalanda and Vaishali in Bihar in the field of vegetables and mango respectively to help cultivators increase their produc- tivity. In these centres, Israeli agricultural experts along with local farm scientists would impart knowhow of the latest technology to growers to help them raise the production level. PSUs TO HAVE 25% PUBLIC HOLDING SEBI has said that public sector undertakings listed on stock exchanges to have should also adhere to the mandatory 25% public shareholding norms that are applicable to private companies. At present, private sector companies are compulsorily required to have at least 25% public shareholding, while for government-owned companies, minimum threshold level is only 10%.
- 8. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 8 India has overtaken Germany and Italy to emerge as the world's second largest textile exporter. But it lags China, whose exports are nearly seven times higher. The World Bank has approved funding of USD 107 million (nearly Rs 650 crore) for a road project in Mizoram, connecting Myanmar and Bangladesh. MAY 2014 AGRI PRODUCTION TO CROSS 264 MN TON The 3rd Advance Estimates of crop production in the 2013- 14 crop year (July-June) released by the Agriculture Ministry says that India is likely to produce 264.38 million tonnes of foodgrains during 2013-14 compared to 257.13 million tonnes last year, supported by higher production of wheat and rice. The Agriculture Ministry comes out with four estimates on foodgrains production at different stages of crop harvesting. INDIA IS CHEAPEST MAJOR ECONOMY A report from German banking giant - Deutsche Bank says that a weaker Indian rupee has allowed India to remain the cheapest major economy in the world despite persistently suffering the highest inflation rate. Australia is overall the most expensive major economy, while the United States is the cheapest developed country and Brazil most expensive developing country. TELECOM BASE TOUCHES 933 MILLIONS India’s telecom industry added over one million users in March, taking the total number of subscribers to 933 million, as per latest data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Rural India is growing faster claiming 377.73 million subscribers. Exim Bank has extended $ 100 million in line of credit to Nigeria for building energy projects that will eventually help boost Indian exports. FDI inflows from Singapore added up to nearly $6 billion in 2013-14, making it largest source of FDI in India, followed by Mauritius at $4.9 billion. APRIL 2014 INDIA TOPS IN INWARD REMITANCES As per a World Bank report, India ranked first in receiving global remittances in the year 2013 with a whopping $70 billion in its kitty, of which $65 billion were earned from the country's flagship software services exports. STEEL EXPORTS EXCEED IMPORTS India became net steel exporter in 2013-14 after a gap of six years and is likely to maintain the momentum in 2014- 15. Total steel exports by India during the last fiscal stood at 5.59 million tonnes (MT), as against imports of 5.44 MT. India is the world's fourth largest steel maker. JICA TO FUND FOREST PROJECT IN U’KHAND The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has approved a loan of about Rs 674 crore for a forest project in Uttarakhand. The project will support implementation of disaster reconstruction and prevention measures in the forest area of Uttarakhand where heavy rains caused devastating floods and landslides in June 2013. MORE WOMEN DIRECTORS IN COMPANIES Under the rules notified by the Corporate Affairs Ministry, every listed company and those public firms having paid up share capital of Rs 100 crore or more should have at least one woman director on their board. It will be also applicable to entities with a minimum turnover of Rs 300 cr. SC ALLOWS IRON ORE MINING IN GOA The Supreme Court has allowed mining of iron ore in Goa after a gap of nearly one-and-a-half year when it was banned. However, the court has fixed an annual cap of 20 million tonnes of iron ore that can be extracted in Goa. SUN PHARMA BUYS OUT RANBAXY In the biggest deal in two years, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries announced to fully acquire rival Ranbaxy Laboratories in an all-stock transaction valued at USD 3.2 billion to become the largest pharmaceutical company in India, with estimated combined revenue of USD 4.2 billion, and 5th largest speciality Generics Company in the world. CADBURY COMPANY CHANGES ITS NAME Cadbury India has changed its name to Mondelez India Foods Limited to fall in line with its parent company - Mondelez International. The change in name will have no impact on the names or packaging of its products such as Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Gems, Perk, Bournvita, Tang and Oreo.
- 9. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 9 BANKING & FINANCE JUNE 2014 RBI CUTS SLR DOWN TO 22.5 % RBI in its second bimonthly policy statement reduced statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) to 22.5% from 23%, freeing almost Rs 40,000 crore of resources. Interest rates on home and auto loans are unlikely to fall soon, but they could gradually ease as the banks may lend more to companies and individuals rather than buy government securities. SLR is the mandatory provision for banks to block a certain prescribed percent of their total deposits in government securities. INTEREST ON ‘UNCLAIMED’ DEPOSITS RBI has advised that Interest on unclaimed deposits transferred to a newly set up fund for educating depositors shall be payable only from the date of their transfer to the fund. Banks will transfer the accounts to the fund after applying up-to-date accrued interest. PROOF OF LOCAL ADDRESS NOT REQUIRED RBI has advised that for opening of bank accounts, in case the proof of address furnished by the customer is not the local address or address where the customer is currently residing, the bank may take a declaration of the local address on which all correspondence will be made by the bank with the customer. No proof is required for this local address. ECR REDUCED TO 32 PER CENT The Reserve Bank has reduced the availability of funds under the export credit refinance (ECR) window from 50 per cent of export credit outstanding to 32 per cent with immediate effect. To compensate for the resulting reduction in liquidity, RBI has introduced a special term repo facility up to 0.25 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities- NDTL (total deposits). RBI ALLOWS ENGAGING NBFCs AS BC The Reserve Bank has permitted non-banking finance companies -NBFCs to act as business correspondents (BCs) of banks, allowing them to offer limited services with the aim of spreading financial inclusion. The RBI said the existing guidelines on the appointment of BCs were reviewed taking into account recommendations of the Nachiket Mor Committee. LIMIT RAISED TO CARRY CURRENCY ABROAD The Reserve Bank has permitted residents and non- residents, except Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, to carry up to Rs 25,000 in Indian currency notes while leaving the country as against Rs 10,000 earlier. Till now, foreigners were not allowed to carry Indian currency while leaving the country. BANK BUSINESS GROWS BY OVER 13 % Bank deposits grew at 13.91 per cent year-on-year to Rs 79,00,894 crore as of June 13, as per latest RBI data. Bank credit grew at 13.88 per cent year-on-year to Rs 60,90,030 crore in the fortnight ending 13 June. India's forex reserves rose by $950.9 million to $313.536 billion in the week to June 13, on account of gains in currency assets. IndusInd Bank has launched ‘video branch’ - a unique service allowing customers to interact face-to-face with their bank branch using desktop, tablet or smartphone. Reserve Bank has raised the annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to $ 125,000 from present $ 75,000. The Reserve Bank has asked banks to disclose sector wise loans in their financial statements from 2014/15 onwards. MAY 2014 NAYAK COMMITTEE SUBMIT ITS REPORT P J Nayak Committee appointed by the RBI to review Governance of Boards of Banks in India has recommended that the government should cut its stake in public sector banks to below 50 percent. All banks be incorporated under the Companies Act and a Bank Investment Company (BIC) be constituted to which the Government transfers its holdings in banks. It has also said that RBI — and not the finance ministry — should have the last word on regulation of public sector banks which command 70% of the market share. NO PENALTY FOR TERM LOAN PREPAYMENT RBI has asked banks to consider allowing their borrowers the facility of prepaying all floating rate term loans without any penalty. Earlier this facility was available on house loans only. Some banks are charging pre-payment penalty of up to 2 per cent of the outstanding loans. NO PENALTY IN INOPERATIVE ACCOUNTS RBI has asked banks not to levy penalties on customers who don’t maintain a minimum balance in any inoperative account, as part of a consumer protection initiative. Already, Banks are not allowed to charge customers for non-operation or activation of Basic Savings Bank deposit accounts. However, Banks are permitted to recover charges for non maintenance of minimum balance in normal savings accounts. INDEPENDENT SB ACCOUNTS FOR MINORS RBI has advised that banks are allowed to open only savings bank account in the name of minors of age above 10 years, independently, without the name of their guardians. However, it has been left to the banks to decide various terms and conditions, including amount of withdrawal, issuance of cheque book / debit cards.
- 10. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 10 RUPAY CARD LAUNCHED BY THE PRESIDENT President of India formally launched India’s first indigenous payment gateway, RuPay, to counter rival networks such as Visa and Mastercard to work on ATMs and merchant outlets and help in reducing cash transactions. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), it is the seventh such payment gateway in the world. LOK ADALATS FOR CHEQUE BOUNCE CASES The Law ministry is working on amendments to the Legal Services Authority Act that would allow leading banks to set up permanent Lok Adalats on their premises for settlement of all disputes related to cheque bouncing. Retired district judges or additional district judges may be appointed as chairpersons of such Lok Adalats. CRYSTALLIZE INOPERATIVE FC ACCOUNTS-RBI The Reserve Bank has directed banks to convert credit balances in any inoperative foreign currency (FC) denominated deposit into Indian rupee if the former remains not in use for three years from the date of maturity of deposit. BANKS TO HAVE TALKING / BRAILLE ATMs RBI has directed that all new ATMs to be installed by commercial banks from July 2014 onwards would provide audible instructions and Braille keypads to customers. Later, all existing ATMs should also be converted as talking ATMs with Braille keypads. RBI also asked banks to provide the facilities of magnifying glasses at all bank branches for the use of persons with low vision. 10 YEAR TERM LOANS FOR EXPORTERS The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to provide long-term loans of up to a maximum tenor of 10 years to exporters to be utilised for execution of long-term supply contracts for export of goods. Existing norms allow banks to give loans for up to one year only. BMB DECLARED AS SCHEDULED BANK Bharatiya Mahila Bank, the country's first all-women lender, has been included in the second schedule to the RBI Act. This means that now it is eligible for loans from RBI on bank rate and to acquire membership of clearing houses. RBI TO LAUNCH PLASTIC CURRENCY RBI has advised that one billion plastic notes of Rs.10 denomination will be introduced in a field trial to be launched in the latter half of 2014 in five cities selected for their geographical and climatic diversity. The selected cities are Shimla, Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, and Bhubaneswar. Plastic notes have an average life span of about five years and are difficult to imitate. RBI DEFERS BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION RBI has put on hold its order requiring all future credit card swipe machines and ATMs to be capable of biometric authentication. Instead, a pilot project will be launched where issuers of prepaid cards will be allowed cash withdrawals on the basis of biometric authentication. APRIL 2014 BANK LICENCE FOR IDFC AND BANDHAN The Reserve Bank of India has granted "in-principle" bank licences to only two applicants - Infrastructure Development Finance Company and microfinance lender Bandhan Financial Services Ltd. The in-principle approval is valid for 18 months. The announcement took time as there was a debate over whether corporate houses and entities with exposure to real estate should be given licences or not and finally they lost the race. RBI TO MEASURE INFLATION BY CPI The Reserve Bank has adopted the new Consumer Price Index (combined) as the key measure of inflation. Earlier, RBI had given more weightage to Wholesale Price Index (WPI) than CPI as the key measure of inflation for all policy purposes. This has been done on recommendations of Urjit R. Patel panel. NO CHARGES ON MIN BALANCE VIOLATION The Reserve Bank has asked banks not to levy penal charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance in ordinary savings bank account and inoperative accounts. Instead, banks could curtail the services accorded to those accounts until the balance is restored. DOUBLE PASSWORD FOR ONLINE BANKING The RBI report on 'Enabling Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in Payment System Applications’ has suggested that banks should introduce two-stage authentication to ensure security of online transactions. It also said that banks should also inform customers about risks associated with different types of online banking transaction. RBI TO LAUNCH MSS FOR 50,000 CRORE The Reserve Bank has fixed the quantum of intervention through Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) at Rs 50,000 crore to manage liquidity. The government launched MSS in consultation with RBI in 2004 with the objective to absorb excess liquidity, arising out of significant foreign exchange inflows, by issuing treasury bills or dated securities. SBI JOINS TWITTER COMMUNITY State Bank of India has taken one more step on the social media front by launching a twitter handle. The Twitter handle for SBI is https:// twitter.com/ The Official SBI". The bank expects this Twitter handle to connect better with the tech-savvy young generation.
- 11. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 11 PRE PAID CARD LIMIT FIXED AT Rs 50,000/- The Reserve Bank has fixed the upper limit to Rs. 50,000 for issuance of pre-paid payment instruments to make all issuers comply with the strict money laundering laws and all the relevant KYC norms. No card can be issued without verifying the KYC of the issued party. FIMMDA/FEDAI TO ADMINISTER BENCHMARKS Accepting the recommendations of the Vijaya Bhaskar committee, the Reserve Bank has asked the Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India (FIMMDA) and the Foreign Exchange Dealers’ Association of India (FEDAI) to act as administrators of the Indian rupee interest rate and foreign exchange benchmarks. GOVERNMENT INTERNAL REVENUE ORDER The panel set up by RBI under chairmanship of Umesh Bellur to suggest modalities for setting up a system for GIRO - Government Internal Revenue Order has suggested a mechanism for centralised bills payment system in the country, primarily by setting up two organisations - Bharat Bill Payment Services or BBPS and the Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units or BBPOUs. The BBPS will function as a 'not-for-profit' organisation which has necessary experience in the payment systems while the BBPOUs may be operated on commercial lines. The Reserve Bank has directed banks offering gold metal loans (GML) to strengthen their credit appraisal process in the wake of frauds committed by certain jewelers. DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2014 INS KAMORTA TO JOIN INDIAN NAVY India’s first indigenously- built anti submarine warfare corvette INS Kamorta will be commissioned into the Indian Navy next month. Built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata, it will be the first warship armed with an indigenous rocket launcher for anti submarine warfare. BRAHMOS MISSILE TEST FIRED Indian-Russian joint venture Brahmos Aerospace test-fired its 290-km range supersonic missile from the stealth destroyer INS Kolkata off India's west coast near Karnataka. GARUDA-V: AIR EXERCISE WITH FRANCE The fifth Indo-French bilateral air exercise — Garuda-V was held at the Jodhpur Air Base. It is aimed at enhancing operational cooperation and validating capabilities. During the war games, both the Air Forces will practice aerial warfare, including manoeuvres to carry out surgical strikes. NASA TO BUILD WORLD’s LARGEST TELESCOPE NASA plans to build world’s most powerful telescope - Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) to analyse the environment of other planets and ability to track existence of aliens life. It will be able to track life which is as far as thirty light years away. EARTH’s LARGEST WATER RESERVOIR FOUND Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico believe they have found the Earth's largest water reservoir around 643 km underneath North America, inside mantle rock. Though not in the familiar liquid form - the ingredients for water are bound up in rock deep in the Earth's mantle. ‘KEPLER 10 C’ – NEW GIANT PLANET A huge Earth-like planet found by US astronomers has changed the perception of planet formation. The newly discovered Kepler-10c planet has been dubbed ‘Mega-Earth’ thanks to its diameter of 29,000 kilometers and an estimated weight 17 times greater than Earth, which has a diameter of 12,742 kilometers. This makes Kepler-10c the biggest rocky planet ever discovered. MAY 2014 NANO FINGERPRINTS FOR CURRENCY / CARDS Scientists have developed invisible nano 'finger- prints' that could be embedded into gadgets, banknotes and credit cards, making it impossible to counterfeit the objects. Unique patterns made from tiny, randomly scattered silver nanowires have been created in an attempt to authenticate goods and tackle the growing problem of counterfeiting. NEW ANTIBIOTICS DISCOVERED In a breakthrough, scientists have discovered a new class of antibiotics to fight deadly bacteria such as methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other drug- resistant bacteria that threaten public health. The new class, called oxadiazoles, was discovered by University of Notre Dame, USA. JOINT NAVAL DRILL WITH SINGAPORE Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise - SIMBEX 14, the 2014 series of annual bilateral naval exercises between the Indian Navy and Singapore Navy was conducted in the Andaman Sea from 22 May to 28 May 14 to enhance inter- operability and mutual understanding between two navies.
- 12. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 12 UN WARNS AGAINST ‘EL NINO’ EFFECT The UN weather agency-World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned that there is strong possibility of an "El Nino" climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean this year, bringing droughts and heavy rainfall to the rest of the world, including India. The El Nino phenomenon occurs every two to seven years, when the prevailing trade winds that circulate surface water in the tropical Pacific start to weaken. ARMY HOLDS WAR PRACTICE IN RAJASTHAN Indian Army conducted the “Sarvada Vijay” exercise in West Rajasthan as part of regular training with a large army formation for practising and honing war fighting skills in tough desert conditions. ‘NABHRATNA’ TO TEST RADAR SYSTEMS Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered a Dornier light-weight aircraft named Nabhratna to the Defence Research and Development Organization to carry out testing of its under-development radar systems. ASTRA MISSILE TEST FIRED India’s first indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air to air missile successfully test fired from a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet. It has a range of 60 kilometers. SINO INDIA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE India and China have decided to conduct a joint military exercise at Bathinda, Punjab, less than 100 kms from Pakistan. Bathinda is the base of the Indian Army’s 10 Corps and has a big airbase also. The DRDO has successfully test-fired the surface to air Akash air defence missiles off the coast of Balasore in Odisha. Pakistan successfully test-fired its surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hataf-III - Ghaznavi capable of carrying nuclear weapons up to 290 kilometers. APRIL 2014 IRNSS 1B LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY India successfully launched its second navigational satellite IRNSS 1B onboard PSLV-C24 from Sriharikota on Andhra coast. The 1,432 kg satellite will form part of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), an equivalent to GPS of the USA, comprising of seven satellites. MICROSOFT SAYS GOODBYE TO WINDOWS XP From April 8, Microsoft has stopped technical support for its most popular operating system (OS) Windows XP globally. The OS launched in October 2001, is three generations behind the latest Windows 8 that hit markets in Oct. 2012. NAVY SELLS OFF ITS FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER The Navy has sold the iconic air craft carrier INS Vikrant to a ship-breaking company for Rs. 63.2 crore. The ship decommissioned in 1997 played a major role in 1971 war. INS Vikrant (formerly HMS Hercules) was purchased by India from the United Kingdom in 1957. It was operated from 1961 to 1997. (The present INS Vikrant is the indigenously built aircraft carrier which was launched in 2013 will be commissioned around 2018.) NEW INTERCEPTOR MISSILE TESTED In a significant milestone in the direction of developing a two-layered ballistic missile defence system, India successfully tested its maiden Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) for engaging targets (incoming missiles) at more than 120 km altitude. JOINT INDO FRENCH AIR EXCERCISE From June 3, India and France will start a 10-day joint Air exercise 'Garuda-5 in Rajasthan's Jodhpur airbase, aimed at training the pilots and crew of Indian and French fighters in air superiority operations. WOMEN TO BECOME COMBAT OFFICERS The government has approved recruitment of young women as 'combat officers' in Sashastra Seema Bal. Young women up to the age of 25 years will be recruited as direct entry officers in the rank of Assistant Commandants. AGNI -I TESTED IN NIGHT India successfully conducted maiden night test of its indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface to surface ballistic missile – Agni-I, with strike range of 700 km from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island, off Odisha coast. INS SHIVALIK: The advanced Indian missile frigate visited Qingdao - the eastern port city of China, to take part in exercises to mark the Chinese Navy’s 65th anniversary. The Army successfully test fired an advanced version of 290-km range supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, at the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. DRDO team successfully tested its indigenously developed surface-to-air missile Aakash from the Integrated Test Range near Chandipur, District Balasore in Odisha.
- 13. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 13 INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2014 ISIS LAUNCHES FIERCE ATTACK IN IRAQ Sunni militants, led by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have since the beginning of June, killed thousands of civilians and army personnel in Iraq in their bid to dethrone the present Shia government led by Premier Nouri al-Malikii. They have been successful in gaining control of some major cities like Tikrit and Mosul. ISIS militants are supporters of Saddam Hussein, ex president of Iraq who was sentenced to death in 2012. The rift between the two major Islamic communities – Sunnis and Shias, runs like a tectonic fault-line. The division between Sunni and Shia Muslims is the oldest in the Middle East — and yet it is one which seems increasingly to be shaping the destiny of this troubled region. The rift goes right back to the beginning — and a row over who should succeed the Prophet Mohamed as leader of the emerging Islamic community when he died in the early 7th century. The majority of his followers thought his closest associate, Abu Bakr, should take over. They became the ‘Sunnis’. But a minority thought the Prophet’s closest relative, his son-in- law and nephew Ali, should succeed. This minority came to be known as ‘Shias’. Word Shia is an abbreviation of Shiat Ali “the party of Ali”. Intrigues and violence followed. Eventually Ali was killed, as was his son Hussein, and persecution and martyrdom became ingrained in the Shia psyche. The two sides agreed on the Quran but had different views on hadith, the traditions recorded by the Prophet’s followers about what he had said and done in his life. From time to time, however, violence has flared in which the Shia, in the main, have been brutally and even genocidally persecuted. There are around one and a half billion Muslims in the world. Of these, somewhere between 10 and 20 per cent — estimates vary considerably — are Shia. In most countries Shias are minority in a Sunni homeland. But in Iraq, Iran, Bahrain and Azerbaijan, Shias are in majority. For past several years, Shia majority of Iraq was ruled by Sunni warlord – Saddam Hussein, until the invasion of Iraq by US forces that ended with hanging of Saddam in 2012. Afterwards, when elections took place, Shias came in to power. Since then, Sunni supporters of Saddam have been waging a war against the elected govt. They got together to form the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ISIS with the sole objective of regaining the lost power. USA FIRST CHOICE FOR FDI A survey by global consulting firm A T Kearney has shown that the USA is the top destination in the world for foreign direct investment. India has slipped to its lowest position; seventh, in over a decade. China plans to shut down over 2,000 small coal mines by next year to eliminate outdated capacity and improve work safety and address pollution concerns. G7 meet of industrialized nations held at Brussels, Belgium MAY 2014 RUSSIA, CHINA VETO AGAINST SYRIA Russia and China on 22 May 2014 exercised their veto power in UN Security Council against a draft resolution which was intended to refer the Syrian civil war to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Of the total 15 votes in Security Council, the resolution received 13 votes in favour but was double vetoed by the Russia and China for the fourth time. VIETNAM PROTESTS AGAINST CHINA Widespread violent protests against China spread in Vietnam over the South China Sea dispute as thousands of angry Vietnamese torched several Chinese projects to protest attempts by a Chinese oil rig to drill in the disputed waters. US TROOPS TO STAY IN AFGHANISTAN USA has said that America will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan completely by 2016. The current 32,000-strong US deployment in Afghanistan will be reduced to around 9,800 by the start of 2015 and to bare minimal by end of 2016. OVER 200 GIRLS ABDUCTED BY BOKO HARAM Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants abducted more than 200 school girls aged between 12 and 15 from north- eastern Nigeria to pressurize Nigerian government for release of their ally militants. USA and several other countries have condemned this ghastly act and offered all possible help to Nigeria for locating the girls. Boko Haram literally means ‘Western education is forbidden’. E E S FORMED LED BY RUSSIA The leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus have signed a treaty in Astana on the creation of a Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) to create a territory for unified customs tariffs beginning on January 1, 2015. WORLD ECONOMY TO GROW BY 2.8% - U N The United Nations has lowered its forecasts for global economic growth in 2014 and 2015 to 2.8 per cent and 3.2 percent respectively, for reasons such as the exceptionally cold winter in the United States, the escalating political crisis in Ukraine, and financial turbulence earlier this year.
- 14. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 14 WHO WARNS AGAINST POLIO The World Health Organisation has warned that polio has reemerged as public health emergency, as new cases of this crippling disease have been noticed in countries like Syria and Pakistan. UNO AND IOC TO PROMOTE SPORTS The United Nations and the International Olympic Committee have signed a historic agreement to use the power of sports to promote peace and economic development, a move that strengthens collaboration between two of the world's major organizations. TRAIN TUNNEL AT AN ALTITUDE OF 3.6 KMS The world's highest tunnel for high-speed trains became operational in northwest China on May 1 passing through the Qilian Mountains at an altitude of 3,607.4 metres (11835 feet). The 16.3-km-long tunnel links the Gansu and Xinjiang provinces of China. MOLDOVA AND GEORGIA JOIN HAND WITH E U Two former Soviet republic countries-Moldova and Georgia have signed the European Union (EU) Association Agreement to strengthen their trade and political ties with EU. The accord will also help them defend from threats by Russia which opposes the EU's eastward expansion. ISLAMIC BANKING IN AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan's Central Bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) has signed an agreement with a non-profit independent organization 'Harkat' for implementing the Sharia compliant banking system in the country. The Islamic banking or Sharia compliant banking is a system based on the principles of Islam which prohibit payment/charging of interest on deposit/loans, respectively. Bhutan is likely to become the first country in the world to go wholly organic in its food production, totally avoiding usage of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Royal Navy Submarine Service of United Kingdom for the first time in its 110-year history has appointed female submariners. Spain has suspended the 12th bull fight festival (called San Isidro festival in Spain) after matadors got injured by bulls. Brazil released two postage stamps to pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema. Saudi Arabia has decided to ban the import of Indian chilies due to presence of high pesticide residues. APRIL 2014 G-20 FMs MEET AT WASHINGTON Finance Ministers and business leaders from G20 nations met at Washington, USA, to discuss ways to boost investment in infrastructure to boost world GDP by more than $2 trillion over the coming five years. E U BANS IMPORT OF MANGOES FROM INDIA The European Union has decided to temporarily ban the import of Alphonso mangoes and four other vegetables from India from May 1 due to the alleged presence of pests in them. The trading community pegs the loss because of the ban at more than Rs100 crore as India is the leading exporter of mangoes in the world. India accounts for more than half of the total Mango production in the world. WORLD TRADE TO GROW BY 4.7% Latest WTO report projects global trade to recover and grow by 4.7% in 2014, more than double of what was achieved in 2013. The growth is projected to be slightly faster at 5.3% in 2015, which is also the 20-year average growth rate. For the past two years, global trade growth averaged 2.2%. PERSONS IN NEWS JUNE 2014 ARUNADHATI BHATTACHARYA: Chairperson of State Bank of India has been ranked as most powerful women in India by the Forbes Magazine. She stands at 36th rank. KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAW: India's biotechnology queen, Chairperson of Biocon Industries, has been awarded the coveted Global Economy Prize for business by the Kiel Institute in Germany during its centenary celebrations. The annual prize is awarded to three individuals - a high-ranking policy maker, a renowned economist and an outstanding entrepreneur. IROM SHARMILA CHANU: A local court in Imphal, Manipur has ruled that there is prima facie evidence of attempt to commit suicide against Manipur social activist who has been on fast for the past 13 years demanding withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the State. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: 45 year old German Formula One champion was in news as he emerged out of coma after almost five and a half months, following his devastating ski accident in December, 2013. ANGELA MERKEL: Chancellor of Germany, she has been declared as most powerful women in the world by Forbes Magazine.
- 15. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 15 BOWE BERGDAHL: An US sergeant was in news as he was released by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan on May 31 to American forces in exchange for five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison in USA. JUAN CARLOS: Spain's King, who led Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy, was in news as he announced his abdication in favour of his son, Prince Felipe, making way for a "new generation”. MAY 2014 YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Prime Minister of Thailand was removed from office by a Constitutional Court as she was found guilty of abusing her power when she transferred a civil servant to another post more than three years ago. The court ordered her to step down immediately along with all members of her cabinet who were in office at that time. Later the army imposed martial law in the country. RAMARNI WILFRED: An 11-year-old boy in the UK has achieved the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test, making him brainier than physicist Albert Einstein. ALENKA BRATUSEK: First lady Prime Minister of Slovenia submitted her resignation as she lost the majority in her own party. APRIL 2014 CHUNG HONG-WON: South Korea’s Prime Minister resigned taking moral responsibility for the sinking of a passenger ferry that left 300 people dead or missing. He apologized for having been unable to prevent the accident from happening and unable to properly respond to it afterwards. SERIK AKHMETOV: Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest economy, was in news as he resigned from his post, along with his entire cabinet. JEAN-MARC AYRAULT: Prime Minister of France was in news as he was sacked by his President after a stinging defeat of his (Jean’s) group in local elections. NANCY POWELL: The U.S. ambassador to India has resigned following a row over the arrest of a junior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York and her subsequent strip search that pushed relations between the world's biggest democracies to their lowest ebb in more than a decade. APPOINTMENTS JUNE 2014 RANJIT KUMAR: Solicitor General of India Dr. AJIT KUMAR DOVAL: National Security Adviser, Govt of India ARUN JAITLEY: The Union Finance Minister has been appointed as India's Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank. MADHURI DIXIT: The Bollywood celebrity has been appointed as UNICEF's 'celebrity advocate for child rights'. VISHAL SIKKA: Chief Executive Officer, Infosys SUMITRA MAHAJAN: Speaker, Lok Sabha DR. SUDHIR KUMAR MISHRA: CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace Corporation Arun Mishra, Adarsh Kumar Goel and Rohinton Nariman: Judge in Supreme Court N. SRINIVASAN: First Chairman of International Cricket Council, Dubai JUSTICE VK RAJAH: Attorney General of Singapore, he is an Indian-origin judge. ALEXANDER STUBB: Prime Minister of Finland REUVEN RIVLIN: President of Israel, from Likud party BASHAR AL-ASSAD: Elected as President of Syria, for the third time successively. PRINCE FELIPE: New King of Spain ABDUL FATTAH AL-SISI: President of Egypt MAY 2014 MUKUL ROHATGI: 14th Attorney-General of India RAJIV MATHUR: Chief Information Commissioner Lt Gen D S SUHAG: Chief of Army Staff (28th) RAJEEV SURI: President and CEO of Finnish tele- communications equipment maker Nokia. AHMED MAITEEQ: Prime Minister of Libya DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE: President of Lithuania, popular as ‘Iron Lady’ of Lithuania PETRO POROSHENKO: President of Ukraine JACOB ZUMA: President of South Africa, from African National Congress party LUIS GUILLERMO SOLIS: President of Costa Rica
- 16. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 16 APRIL 2014 RAJENDRA MAL LODHA: Chief Justice of India (41st), appointed by President of India ILA PATNAIK: Noted economist has been appointed Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance. Admiral Rabinder Kumar Dhowan: New Chief (22nd) of Indian Navy ARVIND MAYARAM: Union Finance Secretary. R. CHANDRASEKARAN: Chairman, National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) R. GANDHI: Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India VIKTOR ORBÁN: Prime Minister of Hungary KARIM MASSIMOV: Prime Minister of Kazakhstan ABDELAZIZ BOUTEFLIKA: President of Algeria MANUEL VALLS: Prime Minister of France AWARDS & HONOURS JUNE 2014 49TH JNANPITH AWARD – 2013: Noted Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh. The award includes Rs 11 lakh as cash prize. 27TH MOORTIDEVI AWARD – 2013: Renowned scientist-turned- Malyalam writer C Radhakrishna for his book 'Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram' Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction : Eimear McBride for her first novel ‘A girl is a Half-Formed Thing’ 'LEGION OF FRANCE': Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan for his contribution to Cinema. It is one of its highest civilian awards conferred by France. TANG PRIZE 2014 DECLARED Dr. Samuel Yin, a business tycoon from Taiwan established the Tang Prizes in December 2012 in four major fields of Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, Rule of Law to encourage research in these fields. They are given once in two years. FIELD NAME CONTRIBUTION Sinology Yu Ying-shih Research in Chinese cultural, intellectual and political history Sustainable Development Gro Harlem Brundtland, Ex. PM of Norway. innovation, leadership and implementation of sustainable development Rule of Law Albie Sachs fight against apartheid Bio-pharma- ceutical science Dr. Tasuku Honjo & James Allison fight against cancer WORLD FOOD PRIZE: won by Sanjaya Rajaram, India born veteran plant scientist from Mexico, for his contribution in increasing the wheat production in world. The Prize, carrying a cash prize of $ 250,000, would be presented during the U.N. World Food Day on October 16. DAG HAMMARSKJOLD Medal: Gallantry award given by UNO to eight Indian soldiers on 29th May - International Day of UN peacekeepers. Two Indian-Americans Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe jointly won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbour, Maryland (USA). MAY 2014 GOLD MEDAL FOR INDIAN DOCUMENTARY “Silent Screams — India’s Fight Against Rape” a documentary film directed by Pria Somiah won a Gold World Medal for ‘Best Investigative Report’ as well as Bronze Medals each in the ‘Current Affairs’ and ‘Human Concerns’ sections respectively at the 2014 New York Festivals International TV and Film Awards. NEW FRONTIERS AWARD 2014 FOR INDIA Arabian Travel Market (ATM) awarded this award to India for its outstanding contribution to rebuild physical infrastructure and its rural tourism economy in the wake of the June 2013 floods, landslides in the northern state of Uttarakhand and the devastation wreaked by tropical Cyclone Phailin. PALME D’OR: The top prize for best picture at the Cannes Film Festival won by Turkey’s Winter Sleep directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan National Florence Nightingale Awards 2014 conferred on 35 nursing personnel by President of India for their meritorious services. APRIL 2014 THE IIFA 2014 AWARDS Held at Tampa Bay, Florida, USA Best Picture: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Best Actor: Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Best Actress: Deepika Padukone for Chennai Express Best Director: Rakeysh Om Mehra for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Lifetime Achievement Award: Shatrughan Sinha Best Entertainer of the Year: Deepika Padukone GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE: Indian environment activist Ramesh Agrawal has won the prestigious award ‘Green Nobel’ that honours heroic grassroot environmentalists around the world for their achievements. Agrawal founded Jan Chetana, a grassroots movement to protect people and the environment from rampant industrialisation. The award is given to six persons across the world annually by Goldman Environmental Foundation based in San Francisco, USA.
- 17. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 17 61ST NATIONAL FILM AWARDS – 2013 NAME OF AWARD NAME OF THE WINNER Best Feature Film Ship of Theseus (English-Hindi) by Anand Gandhi Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Hindi) by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Best Hindi Film Jolly LLB by Subhash Kapoor Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Thalaimuraigal(Tamil) by Balu Mahendra Best Direction Hansal Mehta for Shahid (Hindi) Best Actor Raj Kumar For Shahid (Hindi) & Suraj Venjaramoodu for Perariyathavar(Malayalam) Best Actress Geetanjali Thapa for Liar’s Dice (Hindi) FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2014 (KOYAL RANA) 1st Runner Up Jhataleka Malhotra 2nd Runner Up Gail Nicole Da Silva Femina Miss India Asia Lopamudra Raut Pacific 2014 PULITZER PRIZE (PUBLIC SERVICE): American journalism’s highest honour awarded to the leading US newspapers The Washington Post and The Guardian for revealing the massive U.S. government surveillance effort. PULITZER PRIZE (POETRY): India-born poet Vijay Seshadri, for his witty and philosophical collection of poems – ‘3 sections’. MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE: Stuart Parkin, British-American physicist has won the 1 million-Euro prize for discoveries leading to a thousand-fold increase in digital data storage on magnetic disks. His discoveries enabled cloud services and the online distribution of social networks, music and film. THE KNIGHT GRAND CROSS: Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata has been decorated with the British government’s highest civilian honour in recognition for the work his group is doing in England. 45th DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD – 2013: Gulzar, veteran poet and film lyricist. His real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra. It is the highest honour from the govt side to recognize a person’s contribution in promoting Indian cinema. BOOKS & AUTHORS JUNE 2014 Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. The Obamas by Edward Klein Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Americanah Hannah Kent – Burial Rites Audrey Magee – The Undertaking Eimear McBride – A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing Donna Tartt – The Goldfinch MAY 2014 Post Haste: Quintessential India by B.G. Verghese Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton India Junction – A Window to the Nation brought out by Public Relations Directorate, Railway Board. A Stamp is Born by C. R. Pakrashi Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut Capital in The Twenty First Century by Thomas Piketty My Years with Rajiv and Sonia by R.D.Pradhan Shivaji, the Real Hero: A pictorial book by the artist Brijesh Mogre, released in Parliament of UK. APRIL 2014 ‘An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election’ by S. Y. Quraishi Story of A Death Foretold by Oscar Guardiola-Rivera Good Governance: Never On India's Radar by Madhav Godbole OBITUARY JUNE 2014 SULTAN AZLAN SHAH: Known as the 'Father of Malaysian Hockey' for his colossal contribution to the international hockey for over 41 years -- both as a player and as an administrator. He was Sultan of Perak, Malaysia. GOPINATH MUNDE: Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Prominent BJP leader from Maharashtra. MAY 2014 RUSSY MODI: Noted corporate personality, Ex Chairman and Managing Director of Tata Steel MADHAV MANTRI: India's oldest Test cricketer, maternal uncle of the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar GARY BECKER: Nobel Laureate economist from Chicago, USA.
- 18. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 18 APRIL 2014 V K MURTHY: Renowned cinematographer and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee, known for capturing breathtaking images in Guru Dutt's classics like Pyaasa, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Kagaz Ke Phool. GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ: The Nobel laureate, most popular veteran Spanish-language story writer and novelist from Colombia. His famous works include ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ and ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’. PLACES IN NEWS JUNE 2014 INDIRA GANDHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: The airport in Delhi was declared second best in service quality in world and sixth best airport in the world. MEHRANGIR: Name of the bungalow of Late J. J. Bhabha, a pioneer nuclear scientist, at Malabar Hills, Mumbai that was auctioned for a record price of Rs. 372 crore. Sh. Bhabha wanted that auction money may be used for the development and the upkeep of the National Centre for the Performing Arts- NCPA, a non-profit organization. However, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has appealed to the govt to acquire the property and to maintain it as a monument. RANI-KI-VAV, PATAN: The 11th century step well at district Patan of Gujarat has been approved as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, describing it as an “exceptional example of technological development” in utilising ground water resources. Rani-ki-Vav (queen’s step well) is a particularly large and complex example of a stepwell with seven storeys of ornamented panels and relief representing the height of the Maru-Gurjara style. GHNP, KULLU: The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh has been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status for its “exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity.” Some other Indian World Heritage Sites (WHS) include the Taj Mahal, Ellora Caves, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas National Park, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and the Sunderbans. THALOT/ LARJI: place about 40 km from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh was in news as 24 engineering students, including six girls, were washed away in River Beas due to sudden release of water from the reservoir of Larji hydropower project on river Beas, some five kilometers away from the accident site. The students were from a Hyderabad engineering college on an educational trip. The accident took place when they were taking photographs on the bank of the river. GARIPHEMA: Village in Nagaland was in news as it has been declared the country’s first tobacco-free village on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on May 31. MAY 2014 HERAT: City in Afghanistan was in news as militants armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Indian Consulate. The Indian diplomatic staff escaped unharmed, while all four attackers were killed. MANISA: place in the western Turkey was in news as over 300 people were killed and hundreds more remained trapped underground after an explosion and fire in a coal mine took place. AAB BAREEK: a village in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan was in news as several hundreds of persons were killed when their village was swept away due to a heavy mud slide. APRIL 2014 THE EBOLA (GUINEA): A deadly disease, outbreak of which in West Africa has claimed more than 145 lives so far. More than 240 people, mostly in Guinea, are suspected of having caught the illness. There is no vaccine, no treatment and the disease is almost always fatal. SPORTS WORLD JUNE 2014 Jitu Rai became first Indian shooter to win three medals in successive ISSF Shooting World Cup. Also, by winning his first-ever Gold medal and one Silver at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia, he became the first Indian shooter to win two medals at the same World Cup. Abhishek Verma has become the first Indian archer to win three gold medals in a single international tournament after a silver medal he won last year was converted to gold. Abhishek won a silver in the compound men’s event at the Asian Archery Championship in Chinese Taipei in October- November last year. Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil won the gold medal and silver medal respectively, in wrestling in International Competition in Sassari city, Italy. Indian Premier League – 7: Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL title beating Kings Eleven Punjab at the final played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Viswanathan Anand won the bronze medal at the World Rapid Chess Championship held at Dubai. National Games: The 35th edition of these will be held in Kerala in Jan– Feb, 2015. Sachin Tendulkar has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for these games. FRENCH OPEN TENNIS at Roland Garros, Paris Rafael Nadal of Spain won the men’s title for the ninth time, and the fifth time in a row, beating Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Women’s title was won by Maria Sharapova of Russia, defeating Romania's Simona Halep.
- 19. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 19 Hockey World Cup (men) Australia defeated The Netherlands to win the cup at The Hague, Netherland. Women’s cup was lifted by The Netherland defeating Australia 16th Asian Junior Athletics Championship: India won 2 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze medals to finish 5th in final medal tally at Taipei City, China from 12 June to 15 June 2014. MAY 2014 Uber Cup for women’s badminton: China beats Japan in the final played at New Delhi. Indian team lead by Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal for the first time in Uber Cup. Thomas Cup: (men’s badminton) Japan beats Malaysia to lift their maiden trophy in the final played at New Delhi. National Football Championship (women’s): Manipur beats Odisha to clinch the title at Golaghat, Assam. Virat Kohli was ranked no 1 in the latest ICC list of One Day International (ODI) rankings. Malavath Purna: The 13 year old school girl from Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh created history by becoming the youngest female to scale the Mount Everest. Ronnie O'Sullivan: Snooker player from UK named World Snooker's ‘player of the year’ World Snooker Championship 2014: won by Mark Selby of England at Sheffield, England, beating the defending champion Ronnie O Sullivan. EUROPEAN CUP (football): Real Madrid won the cup beating Atletico Madrid in the finals played at Lisbon, Spain WTA Portugal Open 2014: Sania Mirza of India and Cara Black of Zimbabwe won women’s doubles title held in Oeiras, Portugal. ATP World Tour Masters Tennis: Men’s title won by Rafael Nadal (Spain) at Mutua Madrid, Spain. Women’s title was won by Maria Sharapova of Russia. FIFA WORLD CUP TO USE ‘BRAZUCA’ BALLS In the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June 2014, technology will get a new meaning as the ‘Brazuca’ balls to be used in the mega event will come with six in-built HD cameras capturing 360 degree view of the on-field action. These footballs have been specially manufactured by the global sports company Adidas. The word Brazuca meaning the Brazilian way of life was chosen by over one million football fans. Barcelona Club to retain Football player Lionel Messi on net annual salary of 20 million Euros ($27.4 million) making him world’s highest paid player India has slid down two places to the 147th spot in the latest FIFA Rankings of Football playing countries. APRIL 2014 Manavjit Singh Sandhu: won the men's trap gold medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, USA. Saurav Ghosal: India's numero uno squash player has been awarded the Dato Alex Lee Award for the 'Outstanding Asian Men's Player of the Year 2013'. Heena Sidhu has been ranked world No.1 in the 10 meters air pistol event by the International Shooting Sport Federation. Chitra Magimairaj: won the senior’s title in World Snooker Championships held in Leeds,UK. 7th South Asia Judo Championships: Indian judokas won 10 gold, one silver and one bronze medal at Kathmandu, Nepal. USA Open Karate Championship: Indian players won eight medals comprising two gold and six bronze in held at Las Vegas, USA. Sri Lanka lifts ICC World T20 trophy after beating India in the final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Australia beats England to lift the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 trophy at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Stanislas Wawrinka won the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters Tennis Cup beating Roger Federer at Monte Carlo, Monaco. 2019 Asian Games: Vietnam has decided to quit as hosts due to lack of preparedness and concerns that holding the multi-sport event would not be financially viable. DAYS & DATES JULY Architecture day, Doctor’s day July 01 World Sports Journalists Day July 02 Free 4th of July July 04 World Zonnosis Day July 06 International day of Co-Operatives July 07 World Population Day July 11 Man Walks on the Moon July 20 Kargil Vijay Divas July 26 JUNE International Children’s Day June 01 World Naturist Day June 03 World Environment Day June 05 Father’s Day June 16 World Refugee Day June 20 International Olympic Day June 23 International Widows Day June 23 International Anti-Drugs day June 26 World Diabetes Day June 27 ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES
- 20. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 20 (January 2014– March 2014) For details please visit our website: www.gyanm.in N A T I O N A L N E W S MARCH 2014 The largest Solar Power Plant of India, producing 130 MW of power, was launched at Bhagwanpur in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh on 26 February 2014. India has offered Bangladesh a $1 billion soft loan for infrastructure development. Travellers from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria and Pakistan will have to receive mandatory oral polio vaccine (OPV) before visiting India. India continues to be the largest buyer of arms in the world, much ahead of China and Pakistan. A commemorative postage stamp released in the honour of freedom fighter “Maulana Hasrat Mohani” . Global Ayurveda Festival held at Kochi, Kerala. FEBRUARY 2014 Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from his seat and the state was put under President’s rule. For the first time in its history, President’s Rule was imposed in Delhi following the resignation by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The ceiling on poll expenditure for Lok Sabha seat has been raised to Rs. 70 lac per candidate from Rs. 40 lac at present and to Rs. 28 lac from Rs. 16 lac for assembly seat. Joachim Gauck, President of Germany visits India. India’s electorate for the general election 2014 will be 81.5 crore, Prime Minister attended the BIMSTEC-Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Summit at Nay Pyi Taw, capital of Myanmar. India ranked 8th among 10 countries in their use of "digital government". As per World Press Freedom Index, India has been ranked 140th in the list of 180 countries in terms of freedom of press. Govt has directed that Companies should use words such as 'Bank', 'Stock Exchange' and ‘Exchange’ only after receiving no-objection from the concerned regulator. Government has decided to give two additional attempts to all categories of candidates of the prestigious exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission. Indian to construct the 450 kms long Haramain High Speed Railway project in Saudi Arabia to link two of Islam’s holiest cities, Makkah and Medina. Purushottam Express, a super-fast train running between Delhi and Puri will become the first train in India to be attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach. The National Green Tribunal has banned the burning of tyres at public places and also during protests by political and religious groups as it is likely to cause health hazard. India and China have agreed to celebrate 2014 as the 'Year of Friendly Exchanges'. India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with Fiji. India signs three security agreements with Israel. 57.62 crore Aadhaar cards issued till January 31, 2014. People not having document based identity and address proof can avail of introducer-based enrolment. India currently has the largest population of illiterate adults in the world at 287 million. 37 per cent of the global total. India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of defence manufacturing. World Islamic Tamil Conference held at Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu from 14 to 16 February. 101st Indian Science Congress held at the University of Jammu, J&K, 3-7 February. A commemorative stamp released in honour of noted ghazal singer Jagjit Singh DAVID JOHNSTON: Governor General of Canada visits India. Ali Mohamed Shein, President of Zanzibar visited India. Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Baharin visited India.
- 21. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 21 JANUARY 2014 The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, passed by the President. It has come in to force from 16th Jan. 2014. Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade of 2014. The 12th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was held from 7-9 January, 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi Malaysian Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, G Palanivel, who is president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, was the chief guest at this year’s PBD. Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea, the country’s first woman president, visited India on a four-day state tour. India has completed three years without reporting any case of polio. Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives visited India. Export-Import Bank has agreed to provide a Line of Credit of $ 19.50 million to Vietnam Govt. has allowed super jumbo A-380 aircraft to fly into India. Jeevan Raksha Padak awarded to 37 people for their meritorious act of bravery in saving human lives. The 18th National Youth Festival held in Ludhiana from Jan 12 to 16. 12th January is birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, observed as the National Youth Day. After Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis, now the Jains have been accorded minority status by the central government. A newly built railway platform at Gorakhpur has been declared as the longest railway platform in the world, spanning 1,355.40 metre. In the Nuclear Materials Security Index 2014 released by the US-based think-tank Nuclear Threat Initiative, India has been ranked at 23rd place. Finance Minister presented the vote-on-account for 2014-15 on February 17 in the Lok Sabha in place of regular budget. The Index of Economic Freedom-2014 ranks India 120th globally as India continues to suffer from low, but improving levels of economic freedom. Indian Ordnance Factory has come out with “Nirbheek”, a .32 bore light-weight (500gram) revolver designed especially for women to defend themselves. Global Intellectual Property Cente, USA has placed India last in list of 25 countries in terms of protection and enforcement of intellectual property practices. India has been ranked at a low 155th position in a list of 178 countries compiled by the 2014 Environmental Performance Index. The seventh edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival started on 17th January in Jaipur with a keynote speech by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. The National Capital Region Planning Board has approved the inclusion of Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana in the National Capital Region, NCR. Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to celebrate 50 years of its existence (Feb.1964) India’s first Mono Rail starts operation in Mumbai India signs labour cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to cover about a quarter of the 28 lakh Indian expatriates working there. Asia’s biggest botanical garden will come up on 153 hectares of area near the Khandwa reservoir, in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh. India and Israel have agreed to set up a $40 million joint fund to support technological ventures for consolidating and strengthening economic ties. Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Queen Jetsun Pema were in India on a five-day official visit. Foundation stone laid for Global Centre for Nuclear Energy at Jassaur Kheri in district Jhajjar, Haryana. UGC- University Grants Commission celebrates its Diamond Jubilee on completion of its 60 years. NEWS FROM STATES MARCH 2014 First phase of the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project started in Maharashtra. Nagaland and Assam became the first two states to be issued with Plastic Photo Identity Card for elections in India. FEBRUARY 2014 The Union Cabinet has approved Odia as the sixth classical language of India. The other five classical languages are - Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Sikkim has become first state to achieve more than 100 percent sanitation in rural and urban households and other public sanitary centers. The Union Ministry of Tourism declares Sikkim as the best State in implementation of rural tourism projects. Taj Mahotsav 2014 held at Agra, U P with the theme - Paigham-e Mohabbat - the message of love. West Bengal and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a campaign about safe drinking water and safe sanitation practices. Central Govt. to develop the 37 km stretch between Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in South Buckingham Canal, Tamil Nadu as the National Waterway-4 (NW-4). JANUARY 2014 Karnataka has topped the first ever ranking of state governments on the basis of their performance and implementation of the midday meal scheme.
- 22. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 22 Odisha is the Best State for providing self employment to urban poor under SJSRY (Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana) during 2012-13. Kerala won the ‘UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance’ for the world renowned backwater resort of Kumarakom. Odisha has launched 'Ama Jangal Yojana' (AJY) to enhance forest cover in the state jointly by govt. and forest dependent communities. Uttarakhand became the first State to adopt the provisions of the recently passed Lokpal Act by passing the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill-2014. Jonbeel Mela held in Assam to promote harmony between people of Assam and Meghalaya Bihar has announced a bonus of Rs 250 per quintal on procurement of paddy, pushing the MSP to Rs 1560 a quintal, highest in the country. GOVT INITIATIVES MARCH 2014 'Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme' launched for health check up minority students in the age group of 5-14 years FEBRUARY 2014 Govt has accepted the long pending demand of ex- servicemen for ‘one rank, one pension’. A Bill that provides for the protection of livelihoods rights, social security of street vendors and regulation of urban street vending has been passed by the parliament. A Bill to set up a regular mechanism to encourage and protect persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants has been passed. Quota of subsidized LPG cylinders has been raised from nine to 12 in a year A committee led by M. P. Bezbaruah, has been formed to examine the cause for violence and discrimination against people from the northeast The government has extended Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna to auto and taxi drivers by committing to pay half of the premium amount and other half by state govt. The Planning Commission has introduced an annual rating system for states to enable them improve on their business climate. India will extend visa-on arrival to tourists of 180 nations as against 11 at present, to boost tourism. In order to utilize and harness the benefits of Cloud Computing, Government of India has launched the ‘GI Cloud’ named as ‘MeghRaj’. The Union government has launched an ambitious project titled ‘Green Mission’ to increase forest cover by 50 million hectares in the next 10 years India plans a multi-nation and multi-modal transport corridor between India and Central Asia - Russia. JANUARY 2014 Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram launched to cover health needs of the nearly 243 million children in the age group of 10 to 19 years. On recommendations of the Sachchar Committee, Govt has set up the National Waqf Development Corporation Limited for the development of Waqf properties. Govt. has launched the India Inclusive Innovation Fund (IIIF), with the initial corpus of Rs 500 crore to invest in innovative, sustainable and profitable ventures. PAN card applicants will now have to submit Proof of Address also. Govt. has decided to include works relating to rural sanitation also in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) launched in Bangalore to provide adequate and efficient urban public health delivery system for the urban poor The Union Cabinet has approved a new framework for release of TRPs (Television Rating Points), fixing a sample size of not less than 50,000 households. Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to constitute a Rail Tariff Authority, RTA to advise the Railway Ministry on fares. Govt. has launched the Housing Start Up Index (HSUI) to measure level of house construction activity. The HSUI is a joint initiative of the National Building Organisation and RBI. Scheduled Tribes (ST) households living in forest areas who have received land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 will get 150 days employment under mgnrega scheme. The government has approved a proposal to pay formal sector workers a minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000, benefiting over 27 lakh pensioners. Govt has adopted the new National Youth Policy (NYP- 2014) to improve their participation in priority areas of education, skill development and entrepreneurship. The Centre has approved the rollout of the Multi- sectoral Nutrition Programme to address the problems of maternal and child under-nutrition in the country. To encourage school children to explore scientific discoveries, 100 innovation hubs will be set up by the National Innovation Council in the country by 2017. ECONOMIC INDICATORS MARCH 2014 Global rating agency Fitch expects that India's economy may grow 4.7 per cent in the current year, lower than the official estimate of 4.9 per cent.
- 23. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 23 FEBRUARY 2014 India’s GDP growth during October-December 2013 was at 4.7 per cent Due to subdued performance in agriculture, mining and manufacturing in 2012-13, govt has revised growth rate for the year to 4.5 per cent, from earlier 5 per cent. Per Capita Income in India at ‘current prices’ for the year 2013-14 will be Rs.74920 India has recorded an average annual economic growth rate of 8 per cent during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007- 12) compared to targeted 9 per cent. JANUARY 2014 The Reserve Bank says that growth of GDP is expected to fall below 5 per cent in 2013-14 in absence of pick- up in manufacturing sector. Moody's Analytics says that India’s GDP growth will be in the 5 to 5.5 per cent range through 2014, before heading north of 6 per cent in 2015. UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 (WESP) report projected India’s growth rate at less than 5.3 per cent for this year. ECONOMY MARCH 2014 The government has launched an exchange-traded fund of central public sector enterprises, to raise 3,000 crore rupees for its disinvestment plan. Govt has decided to hike interest rates on fixed deposit schemes offered by post offices by up to 0.2 per cent, to 8.4 per cent, w.e.f. April 1, 2014. FEBRUARY 2014 INTERIM BUDGET FOR 2014 – 15 HIGHLIGHTS Income tax rates kept unchanged; 10 pc surcharge on 'super-rich' having annual income above Rs. 1 Crore to continue; 5 pc surcharge on corporates with turnover of Rs 10 cr. Defence allocation increased by 10 per cent to Rs 2.24 lakh crore; Moratorium on interest on student loans taken before March 31, 2009; to benefit 9 lakh borrowers Rs 11,200 cr. to be infused as capital in PSU banks in 2014-15. Target for banks for credit to farm sector during 2014- 15 fixed at Rs. 8 Lakh Crore Disinvestment target for FY2014-15 fixed at Rs. 36,925 Cr; plus Rs. 3000 Crore by residual stake sale. Allocates Rs 1,000 Cr more to Nirbhaya Fund; Rs. 2,46,397 Crore for food, fertiliser and fuel subsidy. KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2014-15 BUDGET HEAD Rs in Cr 1 Revenue Receipts (2+3) 1167131 2 Tax Revenue (net to centre) 986417 3 Non-Tax Revenue 180714 4 Capital Receipts (5+6+7) 596083 5 Recoveries of Loans 10527 6 Other Receipts 56925 7 Borrowings and other liabilities 528631 8 Total Receipts (1+4) $ 1763214 9 Non-Plan Expenditure (10+12) 1207892 10 On Revenue Account - of which, 1107781 11 Interest Payments 427011 12 On Capital Account 100111 13 Plan Expenditure (14+15) 555322 14 On Revenue Account 442273 15 On Capital Account 113049 16 Total Expenditure (9+13)(Budget Size) 1763214 17 Revenue Expenditure (10+14) 1550054 18 Of Which, Grants for creation of Capital Assets 146581 19 Capital Expenditure (12+15) 213160 20 Revenue Deficit (17-1) 3.3% of GDP 382923 21 Effective Revenue Deficit (20-18) 1.8% of GDP 236342 22 Fiscal Deficit {16-(1+5+6)} 4.8% of GDP* 528631 23 Primary Deficit (22-11) 1.5% of GDP* 101620 *–GDP for 2014-2015 has been projected at `12839952 crore (Rs. 128.39 trillion) GOVT HOUSE KEEPING (In %) Rupee Comes From Rupee Goes To Borrowings 25 Central Plan Outlay 10 Corporate Tax 21 Plan Asst. to State / UTs 16 Income Tax 14 Non Plan expenditure State/UTs 03 Custom Duty 09 Non-Plan Expenditure 11 Excise Duty 10 States Share of Taxes 18 Service Tax 10 Interest Payments 20 Non-Tax Revenue 10 Defence 10 Non Debt Capital Receipts 01 Subsidies 12 Total 100 Total 100 ADB to give $ 605.2 million loan for road development in the N E region, power distribution in Madhya Pradesh and improvement of railways services in the country. India and Namibia have agreed for early conclusion of a preferential trade agreement between New Delhi and Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Govt plans to roll out electronic toll collection on all national highways by December to streamline the toll collection and reduce commuter hassle.
- 24. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 24 The government has set a deadline for public transport vehicles running in major cities with a population of over 10 lakh to install GPS devices by Feb. 20, 2014. Government mopped up around Rs 61,141 crore from the auction of 2G spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz bands of radio waves. Asian Development Bank to give a $300 million loan to improve road connectivity along key corridors in Chhattisgarh state. JANUARY 2014 Govt has approved setting up of the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) and formation of the AKIC Development Corporation (AKICDC). India, Bangladesh, China and Myanmarwill to develop a joint trade corridor from Kunming in China to Kolkata, via Mandalay (Myanmar), Dhaka and Chittagong. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board has approved UK-based Tesco Plc's proposal to enter the multi-brand retail segment in jointly with a Tata Group company. After a 16-month gap, India and Pakistan resumed their trade talks by announcing a series of steps, including 24x7 trade activity at the Attari-Wagah border. EPFO has decided to increase the rate of interest on provident fund deposits from 8.5% at present to 8.75% for 2013-14. South Korean steel giant Posco has won environmental clearance to build Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha, involving the largest-ever FDI in India. RBI to include 'Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul’ (MRO) of aircrafts as part of airport infrastructure for the purpose of external commercial borrowings (ECB). The World Bank to give $500 million loan for the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low Income States (Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh). The ADB to provide $700 million loan under the Accelerating Infrastructure Investment Facility in India (AIIFI) to accelerate infrastructure growth. ADB to provide $100 million loan for the project -- Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya for vocational and educational training to youth. As per a UN report, India received $ 28 billion as FDI, ranking 16th among the top 20 global economies receiving the most FDI in 2013. BANKING MARCH 2014 RBI has extended the timeline for full implementation of the Basel III capital regulations by a year to March 31, 2019, instead of as on March 31, 2018. State Bank of India has launched a payment intermediary christened as 'SBI ePay', which will facilitate e-commerce or m-commerce transactions among merchants and customers. SWIFT India, the domestic arm of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication has tied up with nine domestic banks to provide local operations. RBI guidelines issued for forming Joint Lenders’ Forum (JLF) and adoption of Corrective Action Plan (CAP) for handling high value NPAs. Reserve Bank has extended the date for exchanging the pre-2005 banknotes to January 01, 2015. Axis Bank has become first private sector bank to introduce the "Kisan Card" through which a farmer can withdraw up to Rs 1 lakh per day from ATMs. RBI to announce the Monetary Policy at bi-monthly intervals from 1st April, 2014 onwards. FEBRUARY 2014 RBI has allowed four companies for setting up and operating White-Label ATMs (ATMs allowed to NBFCs). The country's first Post Office ATM was inaugurated at Thiyagaraya Nagar Head Post Office (HPO), Chennai Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has tied with New India Assurance Company to launch health insurance products - BMB Sakhee, BMB-Nirbhaya and BMB-Parivar Suraksha. NABARD has developed the concept called Joint Liability Group (JLG) to provide institutional credit to small farmers RBI has formed G Gopalakrishna committee to look into capacity building and skill requirements at various levels of banking and financial services The Reserve Bank has withdrawn from April 1, 2014, the ceiling of 26% on the maximum interest rate that the micro finance institutions (MFIs) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to refinance existing infrastructure project loans through take-out financing agreements with any financial institution. IBA has cautioned banks to ensure business continuity after Microsoft ends support for its Windows XP operating system on April 8, 2014. HDFC Bank has launched its six basic banking transactions through toll-free numbers. RBI has directed banks to provide credit data in a revised format for all loan accounts of Rs. 5 crore or more to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits-CRILC. Finance Minister has proposed to infuse Rs.11,200 crore in public sector banks in the next financial year – 2014- 15 to enhance their capital. In a bonanza for farmers, the government has set an agriculture credit target of Rs 8 lakh crore for the banks for 2014-15. Govt. has advised that every old bank branch should have ATM facility by March 31, 2014. JANUARY 2014 The Reserve Bank hiked the repo rate to 8% from 7.75% per annum w.e.f. 28th Jan. RBI has advised that all banknotes issued prior to 2005 will be withdrawn after Jan 1, 2015 as they have lesser security features compared to notes issued thereafter.
- 25. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 25 Dr. Nachiket Mor Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households submitted its final report on December 31. The Mor committee set up by the RBI has called for establishing differentiated lenders, including one for small businesses and low-income households. RBI has advised banks that amount of loans sanctioned by them against pledge of gold jewellery should not exceed 75 per cent of the value of the gold. Reserve Bank has allowed payments from abroad in Indian rupees to utility service providers, tax payments in India to promote cross-border inward remittances. Reserve bank has announced issuance of Inflation Indexed National Savings Certificates (IINSC) to offer an inflation savvy investment option. The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to permit bullet payment of gold loans of up to Rs.1 lakh provided the period of the loan does not exceeds 12 months. The Reserve Bank has decided to establish ‘Depositor Education and Awareness Fund’ by taking over amount lying in unclaimed deposit accounts. State Bank of India has strengthened its social media presence with the launch of its channel on popular video sharing website Youtube. Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI) has asked banks to compensate bank customers who have been victims of electronic / online fraud. RBI has allowed Banks collection of account payee cheques drawn for an amount not exceeding Rs 50,000 in the accounts of co-operative credit societies RBI has constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of P. J. Nayak (former Chairman of Axis Bank) to review governance of boards of banks. Govt. has revised its target upwards for opening new bank branches to 10,000 a year, from 7000 a year at present. Axis Bank has become the first domestic private sector bank to have a branch in China. Prizm Payment Services has launched ‘Money Spot’, a chain of 10, 000 white label ATMs, under licence from the RBI. DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014 Astronomers have spotted the largest yellow star ever observed in our galaxy that is 1,300 times larger and one million times brighter than the sun. Britain has unveiled the world’s largest aircraft—a 300 feet long monster which is part plane, airship and helicopter, capable of flying non-stop for 3 weeks without refuelling. BRAIGO: Name of the low-cost Braille printer developed by 12 years old Indian-origin boy Shubham Banerjee in USA by using toy construction Lego pieces. VENOM GT: World’s fastest car developed by the US car manufacturer Hennessey, with a top speed of an incredible 435 km/hr. Indian Air Force lost a C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft that crashed near Gwalior (MP), killing all five IAF personnel on board. Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI: Joint Indian and Nepal army military exercise at Saljhandi in Rupandehi district, Nepal. Prithvi-II: India successfully test-fired it’s indigenously developed nuclear-capable missile having a strike range of 350 km, from a test range in Odisha. FEBRUARY 2014 Two naval officers died and seven Indian others were injured after smoke filled a compartment in the Russia made INS Sindhuratna submarine TROPEX (Theatre level readiness and operational exercise): Indian Navy’s major annual exercise held in Indian Ocean Indian Navy has started high tech Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa in Panaji, Goa. The SBTF is primarily used for flight testing of naval aircrafts that operate from aircraft carriers JANUARY 2014 'MILAN 2014', the biennial international naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy held in Andaman & Nicobar Islands between February 5 and 9. Indian Coast Guard Ship Abhinav, a Fast Patrol Vessel inducted in to service at Kochi base of Indian Coast Guard. India’s first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant is now ready for sea trials. Sahayog - Kaijin 2014’: Joint exercise held by the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart, off the Kochi coast, Kerala. The Mountain Strike Corps, aimed at countering China, raised at Ranchi - its headquarters in Jharkhand. Agni-IV: India successfully test-fired its nuclear- capable strategic missile, with a strike range of about 4,000 km, from a test range off the Odisha coast. ISRO launched the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-D5 (GSLV-D5), carrying 1,982 kg communication satellite GSAT-14, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched India's high performance computing system 'Dhruva-3’. SUPERCOMPUTER PARAM YUVA-II developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C- DAC) rated 1st in India and 44th in the world. British Scientists have achieved the fastest ever broadband speeds of 1.4 terabits per second that can transmit 44HD movies at once on existing fibre network Indian Council for Medical Research has developed two low cost glucose (sugar) monitoring devices and testing strips, Suchek and Quickcheq for diabetic patients.
- 26. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 26 I N T E R N A T I O N A L MARCH 2014 Crimea voted to join Russia, breaking away from Ukraine. Crimea has now become a province of Russia, despite strong protests from USA and its European allies. The Group of 8 has expelled Russia from the Group to punish for its lightning annexation of Crimea. No traces found of Beijing-bound Boeing 777-200 flight MH370 of Malaysia Airlines, having 239 passengers aboard that went missing over the South China Sea on March 7. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has regained the title of the world's richest man with $ 76 billion, in the Forbes magazine's annual billionaire list Air pollution claimed seven million lives around the world in 2012, according to figures released by the World Health Organization. The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) 2014 held at The Hague, Netherlands. Changi Airport, Singapore: Declared as world’s best airport FEBRUARY 2014 Facebook has acquired mobile messaging company WhatsApp for 19 billion dollars in a cash and stock deal. Latest official data shows that the U.S. economy grew at a 3.2 per cent annual rate in the October-December quarter The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has approved domestic trading in the Indian Rupee and some other foreign currencies. China has emerged as the largest buyer of gold in the world in 2013 having bought 1,066 tonnes (up32 per cent), surpassing India as the largest gold consumer. North and South Korea have agreed to hold a reunion for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, the first such event since 2010. BiblioTech: First Paperless public Library of the world opened in Bexar County, Texas, USA. It has only e- books to read. 35th meeting of SAARC Council of Minister meeting held in Bandos Island Resort in Maldives. Theme of this year’s World Cancer Day, observed on Feb. 4, is 'Debunk the myths'. JANUARY 2014 The coldest, most dangerous blast of polar air in decades-‘polar vortex’ gripped the US Midwest and adjoining East and South eastern Canada. The U.S. Federal Reserve has announced tapering of its massive asset purchase programme, widely known as quantitative easing (QE), starting from January, 2014. 44th annual meeting of World Economic Forum – WEF held at Davos, Switzerland was attended by over 2,500 participants from almost 100 countrie. The GDP growth rate for the quarter ending December 31, 2013 was pegged at 7.7%, lower than 7.8% in the previous quarter. China has formally abolished its controversial labour camps and relaxed family planning restrictions from ‘one’ child norm to ‘two’ child norm. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to make military service compulsory for all adult males aged between 18 and 30, but kept it optional for women. Latvia has become 18th country to adopt Euro as its currency. Its earlier currency was ‘Latvian Lats’. Greece takes over the Presidency of the European Union Council. (not the presidentship) PERSONS IN NEWS MARCH 2014 NANDAN NILEKANI: He was in news as he resigned from the Chairmanship of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to contest Lok Sabha election from the Bangalore South on congress ticket. He lost the election. K. C. CHAKRABARTY: Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India was in news as he resigned three months ahead of the completion of his term. ARJUN KAPOOR: Bollywood actor was in news as he became the national ambassador of the Earth Hour 2014 that was observed on March 29. ALI ZEIDAN: Prime Minister of Libya was in news as he was ousted by his country’s parliament, after passing a no- confidence motion against him. FEBRUARY 2014 K.T. THOMAS: The former Supreme Court judge has been appointed head of the eight-member search committee to select the persons for various posts of Lokpal. LAKSHMI SWAMINATHAN: Lady from Chennai has become the first Indian to be elected as the President of the Administrative Tribunal of the Asian Development Bank. SANJEEV KULKARNI: A noted Professor of electrical engineering in USA has been appointed as the next dean of the Princeton University Graduate School in the Princeton University, USA. VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH: President of Ukraine was in news as he fled from his country to an unknown destination following the public revolt against him. The Parliament impeached the absconding President and he has been put on the international list of wanted persons.
- 27. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 27 MARK ZUCKERBERG: Facebook founder and chief executive and his wife Priscilla Chan were the largest philanthropic donors in the United States in 2013, donating nearly 1 billion dollars to charity, according to the annual list published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. JANUARY 2014 ANAND SINHA: Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India was in news as he retired from the service. He was looking after the new bank license process. ANEES SALIM: Kerala-based writer won The Hindu Prize for Best Fiction 2013 for his novel Vanity Bagh for consistent writing and humour and imagination. The Prize recognises the contribution of Indian writers to literary culture. CYRUS MISTRY: Mumbai-based author-journalist won the prestigious $50,000 DSC prize for South Asian literature, given at the Jaipur Literature Festival for his book Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer narrating the painful lives of members of the small Zoroastrian community of corpse carriers. SACHIN TENDULKAR: Legendary cricketer was placed fifth on a list of 30 most admired persons on the planet compiled by by YouGov for The Times by surveying almost 14,000 people. The list was topped by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. MEERA CHANDRASEKHAR: An Indian-American university professor of physics and astronomy has been honoured with the top US teaching award “Baylor University's 2014 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching”. The award carries the single largest monetary reward of $250,000. GEN. BIKRAM SINGH: Indian Army Chief took over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC), a body of three service chiefs with the senior-most among them heading it. ASHA KHEMKA: A Bihar born eminent educationist has been awarded one of Britain's highest civilian award-Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), making her the first from the community to earn the honour in past 83 years. The Damehood is in recognition of her services to the deprived areas of the West Midlands as Principal of West Nottinghamshire College for last 8 years. A. JOSEPH PAULRAJ: Indian origin Professor of technology at Stanford University, USA, has been awarded the 2014 Marconi Prize, a Nobel equivalent for technology pioneers, for his work that is at the heart of the current high speed Wi-Fi and 4G mobile systems. RAKESH KHURANA: Indian-American professor of Sociology has been appointed Dean of the prestigious Harvard College, at Harvard University, USA. AITIZAZ HASAN: A 15-year-old school boy who died while trying to defend his school in Pakistan’s troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district from a suicide bomber has been hailed as a hero for saving the lives of many of his classmates. He has been decorated with the Sitara-e-Shujaat — a high civilian award for bravery. ALI LARAYEDH: Tunisia’s Islamist Prime Minister was in news as he resigned as part of a plan to end months of political deadlock. His resignation sees the departure of Tunisia’s first democratically elected government, which came to power after veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in the first of the Arab Spring uprisings almost three years ago. MYKOLA AZAROV: Ukrainian Prime Minister was in news as he resigned to counter widespread political protests in the country against harsh anti protest laws. MARGARET THATCHER: The ‘Iron Lady’ of Britain was voted the most successful post-war British Prime Minister. She passed away on April 8, 2013. A P P O I N T M E N T S MARCH 2014 JUSTICE R.M. LODHA: 41st Chief Justice of India RAJIV TAKRU: Finance Secretary, Govt. of India SHEILA DIKSHIT: Governor of Kerala RAKESH SETHI: Chairman and Managing Director of Allahabad Bank. JUSTICE B N SRIKRISHNA: Chairman of Financial Planning Standards Board India AJAY SHRIRAM: President CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) AAMIR KHAN: National Icon of The Election Commission to spread awareness about the importance of voting and to urge people to cast their votes. ARJUN BAHADUR THAPA: Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). SANCHEZ CEREN: President of El Salvador MICHELLE BACHELET: First women President of Chile FEBRUARY 2014 R K TIWARI: Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes RAJESH KR. AGRAWAL: Judge, Supreme Court N V RAMANA: Judge, Supreme Court HARISH RAWAT: New Chief Minister of Uttrakhand KTS TULSI: Nominated by the President as Member of Rajya Sabha in the category of eminent persons. Justice Tulsi is a leading legal luminary. JATINDER BIR SINGH: Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab & Sindh Bank ASHOK KUMAR MATHUR: Chairman, 7th Central Pay Commission SATYA NADELLA: CEO of Microsoft Inc., USA SUSHIL KOIRALA: Prime Minister of Nepal ABDUL BASIT: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India MATTEO RENZI: Prime Minister of Italy
- 28. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 28 MEHDI JOMAA: Prime Minister of Tunisia IBRAHIM MAHLAB: Prime Minister, Egypt OLEKSANDR TURCHYNOV: Acting President of Ukraine ARSENIY YATSENYUK: Prime Minister of Ukraine JANUARY 2014 SUBODH AGGARWAL: President of the South Asian Federation of Accountants. R. CHANDRASHEKHAR: President of NASSCOM ARUP RAHA: Air Chief Marshal, Indian Air Force VINOD KUMAR DUGGAL: Governor of Manipur JANET YELLEN– First lady Governor of the US Federal Reserve (US equivalent of RBI) SHEIKH HASINA: Awami League leader of Bangladesh who was sworn-in as Prime Minister for the third time. LAIMDOTA STRAUJUMA: 1st woman PM of Latvia HERY RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA: President of Madagascar AWARDS & HONOURS MARCH 2014 GANDHI PEACE PRIZE- 2013: Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist, founder of ‘Chipko Movement’ to save forests. The award, given by Govt. of India, carries a cash reward of Rs one crore. SARASWATI SAMMAN 2013: Noted writer Govind Mishra for his Hindi novel, Dhool Paudhon Par. The award carries a cash reward of Rs. 10 lac. Protein Science Young Investigator Award: Dr. M. Madan Babu, Indian-born scientist won the award at Cambridge University, UK. International Women of Courage Award: Won by Indian acid attack victim, Ms. Laxmi for successfully leading the campaign against acid attacks on women in India. 86th ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS) LOS ANGELES, USA Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity, Best Actor: McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club Best Actress: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine TEMPLETON PRIZE- 2014: Tomas Halik, Czech priest and intellectual has been awarded £1.1 million prize for his “exceptional contribution to life’s spiritual dimension.” THE PRITZKER Architecture Prize: Shigeru Ban (Japan) for his simple low cost designs. FEBRUARY 2014 VYAS SAMMAN 2013: Vishwanath Tripathi, noted Hindi writer for his memoir ‘Vyomkesh RAMANUJAN MATHEMATICS AWARD: Anand Kumar, founder of Super 30 classes in Patna. E&Y ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2013: Uday Kotak, executive vice-chairman, Kotak Mahindra Bank E&Y LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Dr Yusuf K Hamied, Chairman, Cipla. AMAZING INDIAN AWARD: Arunima Sinha for scaling Mount Everest despite being physically challenged. She lost her right leg in 2011 after being thrown off a moving train. Zayed's international prize in environment won by Indian environment expert Ashok Khosla, awarded by UAE with prize money of $300,000 for scientific achievement. 67TH BAFTA AWARDS Best Picture: 12 Years A Slave by Steve McQueen Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave Best Actress: Kate Blanchet, Blue Jasmine Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for ‘Gravity’ CRYSTAL BEAR AWARD: won by Marathi film 'Killa', directed by Avinash Arun at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. INTERNATIONAL GANDHI AWARD-2013: Dr. Vijay Kumar Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang for making outstanding contributions in the field of leprosy treatment. 'ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP'- a prestigious civil award of Russia, conferred on A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief of BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russia joint venture to produce supersonic BrahMos missiles. JANUARY 2014 PADMA AWARDS - 2014 PADMA VIBHUSHAN – 2 Only Name Field State Dr. Raghunath A Mashelkar Science & Engineering Maharashtra B. K. S Iyengar Yoga Maharashtra PADMA BHUSHAN – TOTAL 24 Kamala Haasan, Art-Cinema, Tamil Nadu Justice Dalveer Bhandari Public Affairs, Judge in ICJ Delhi Anita Desai Literature and Education, Novelist Delhi Ruskin Bond Literature and Education, Novelist Uttarakhand Pullela Gopichand Sports-Badminton Andhra Pradesh Leander Paes Sports-Tennis Maharashtra Late Justice J S Verma Public Affairs Uttar Pradesh Prof Anisuzzaman Literature and Education, writer Bangladesh Prof Lloyd I Rudolph Literature and Education USA Prof Susanne H Rudolph Literature and Education USA
- 29. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 29 PADMA SHRI - TOTAL 101 Yuvraj Singh Sports, Cricketer Haryana Bansi Kaul Art-Theatre J & K Sudarsan Pattnaik Art-Sand artist Odisha Paresh Rawal Art-Cinema Maharashtra Santosh Sivan Art- Cinema Tamil Nadu Vidya Balan Art-Cinema Maharashtra Ashok Chakradhar Lit. and Education Delhi Anjum Chopra Sports- Cricket Delhi Sunil Dabas Sports- Kabbadi Haryana Mamta Sodha Sports- Mountaineering Haryana 59th FILMFARE AWARDS 2014 Best Actor: Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Best Actress: Deepika Padukone (Goliyon Ki Raslila Ram Leela) Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) Best Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag THE HINDU PRIZE for Best Fiction 2013: Anees Salim for his novel Vanity Bagh DSC PRIZE for South Asian literature-2014: Cyrus Mistry for his book Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer 71ST GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS These awards are given annually by Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in California, USA for recognizing the excellence in the field of cinema and TV. Best film-Drama: 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen Best Comedy Film: American Hustle by David O. Russell Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club Best Actress: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Mexico) for his spectacular 3D space drama – Gravity. 56TH GRAMMY AWARDS-2014 (At Los Angeles, California, USA) Record of the Year: Get Lucky by French musical group-Daft Punk featuring singer Pharrell Williams Album of the Year: Random Access Memories by Daft Punk Song of the Year: Royals by Joel Little and Lorde Best Pop Solo Performance: Royals by Lorde Best World Music Album: shared by - Live: Singing for Peace Around the World by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Savor Flamenco by Gypsy Kings. MARCONI PRIZE-2014: A. Joseph Paulraj, USA, for his work in developing high speed WiFi and 4G mobile systems. FIFA Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (best footballer of the year in world) OBITUARY MARCH 2014 KHUSHWANT SINGH: Writer, historian, novelist, humorist and columnist. Known for his popular column ‘with malice towards one and all’. His famous novels include ‘Train to Pakistan’, ‘Delhi: A Novel’, ‘The Company of Women’. NANDA: Veteran film actress of Hindi Cinema FEBRUARY 2014 AMAR KANT: Noted Hindi writer, Jnanpith Award winner BALU MAHENDRA: Noted Tamil film director and cinematographer PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN: A popular Oscar winner U S cinema actor JANUARY 2014 SUCHITRA SEN: Legendary Bengali actor, Padmashri awardee, known for her outstanding performances in several Bengali and a few Hindi films like ‘Aandhi’, ‘Devdas’. Known as ‘Greta Garbo’ of Indian Cinema. Dr. SYEDNA MOHAMMED BURHANUDDIN: 52nd Dai al- Mutlaq (spiritual head) of the world wide Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub group within the Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam. AKKINENI NAGESWARA RAO: Veteran actor of Telugu cinema, popular as ‘ANR’, Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, the 91-year-old acted in more than 250 Telugu films, including a few in Tamil. SUNANDA PUSHKAR: High profile socialite and wife of Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor KARL SLYM: Managing Director of Tata Motors Ltd, died after falling from a high floor of a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. ARIEL SHARON: Former Israeli Prime Minister, one of the most influential figures in Israel’s history, a military commander and political leader. PAUL TORDAY: British novelist, famous for his debut novel "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" P L A C E S I N N E W S MARCH 2014 RAKHIGARHI: Place in Hissar district, Haryana, was in news as the discovery of two more mounds at this Harappan site has led archaeologists establishing it as the biggest Harappan civilisation site. BHAGWANPUR: Site of the 130-MW solar power plant, largest in India, set up at a cost of Rs. 1,100 crore on 305 hectares of land in district Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh.
- 30. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 30 AJNALA: City in Amritsar district was in news as the remains of at least 282 persons who were executed by the British for participating in the First War of Independence in 1857, were exhumed from a well at the local Gurdwara Shaheedganj, during digging of a well. KUNMING: Capital city of Yunnan province in China was in news as a terrorist attack by knife wielding Islamic Uighur fanatics killed over 30 civilians and injured 140 others in city’s main Railway Station on March 1. FEBRUARY 2014 CHANDOLI: village in Alwar district of Rajasthan was declared as India’s first Minority Cyber Gram (village). JANUARY 2014 GORAKHPUR: village in Fatehabad district of Haryana was in news as foundation stone was laid there for a 2,800 megawatt nuclear power plant- Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojna. KARBI ANGLONG: A hilly district in Central Assam was in news as it witnessed widespread violent clashes between the ethnic insurgent Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT) and the Rengma Naga Hills Protection Force (RNHPF). As a result thousands of Karbi and Rengma tribals were forced to leave their homes and take shelter in local refugee camps. SOUTH SUDAN: The country has been hit by unrest since Dec. 15, when fighting among loyal and rebel presidential guards in the capital city Juba later spiraled across the country. Anti govt forces are being led by the former Vice- President Riek Machar and his men from Nuer tribe. Currently, battle is on for control of Bor - a major town in eastern Sudan. VOLGOGRAD: the Russian city was in news as it witnessed two ghastly terror attacks by suicide bombers, killing over thirty persons and seriously wounding several others. The surge in terror attacks comes a little over a month ahead of Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi in Russia. S P O R T S W O R L D MARCH 2014 RECENT SPORTS EVENTS Event Venue Winner Looser Vijay Hazare Trophy – Cricket Eden Gardens, Kolkata Karnataka Railways Deodhar Trophy – Cricket Vishakhaptnam West Zone North Zone Santosh Trophy - National Football Championship Siliguri, West Bengal Mizoram Railways Federation Cup – Volleyball (Men’s) Kerala Tamil Nadu Services Federation Cup – Volleyball (Women’s) Kerala Railways Kerala Hockey India Senior Men National Championship Lucknow Air India CAG India Hockey India Senior Women National Championship Bhopal, MP Railway Haryana Manisha National Snooker Championship (Men’s) Lucknow, UP Pankaj Advani Kamal Chawla Manisha National Snooker Championship (Women’s) Lucknow, UP Vidya Pillai Arantxa Sanchis 64th National Basketball Championship (Men’s) New Delhi Tamil Nadu Punjab 64th National Basketball Championship (Women’s) New Delhi Chhattisgarh Railways BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells Tennis (Men’s) California, USA Novak Djokovic Roger Federer BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells Tennis (Women’s) California, USA Flavia Pennetta Agnieszka Radwanska Candidates Tournament – Chess Khanty Mansiysk, Russia Viswanathan Anand Peter Svidler Malaysian Grand Prix – F1 Sepang, Malaysia Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg 7th Asian Air Gun Championship in Kuwait: Chain Singh and Ms Heena Sidhu clinched gold medal Arvind Bhat won the Grand Prix Gold beating Hans- Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark at German Open Badminton Championship at Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany. Sachin Tendulkar voted Cricketer of the Generation by a 50-member international jury.
- 31. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 31 R V Rahul won two gold and one silver in the boys’ 77kg weight category in the 16th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships at Bangsaen, Thailand LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS - 2014 Men - Sebastian Vettel: Formula 1 world champion from Germany Women - Missy Franklin: American Olympic swimmer, winner of 6 golds. ICC World T20 tournament for men and women to be held in Bangladesh from March 22 to April 6, 2014. ICC U-19 World Cup: South Africa won the cricket trophy defeating Pakistan in final played at Dubai, UAE. Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship: Roger Federer beats Tomas Berdych to lift the cup. 1st Asian Grand Prix Archery Championships held at Bangkok, Thailand. FEBRUARY 2014 SOCHI OLYMPICS – 2014 The 22nd Winter Olympic games 2014 were held at Sochi in Russia. The official mascots for these games were named - the Leopard, the Polar Bear and the Hare. Motto of this year’s games was “Hot-Cool-Yours” Sochi. Of the 88 countries who took part in 98 events, Russia secured highest number of medals winning 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals. 2014 Paralympic winter games to be held at Sochi, Russia from 7th to 16th March, 2014. Sourav Kothari won the National Billiard Championship title at Lucknow, beating Alok Kumar. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) lifted the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after approving the new elections of office bearers of the IOA. N. RAMACHANDRAN: President, Indian Olympic Association N. SRINIVASAN elected as Chairman, International Cricket Council Irani cup: Karantaka defeats Rest of India to lift prestigious cricket trophy at Bangalore Mithali Raj will lead the Indian women’s cricket team in the ICC Women's World Twenty20 to be held from March 16 in Bangladesh. 35th National Masters Athletic Championship held at Coimbatore, Kerala. Ranji Trophy: Karnataka won their seventh title after beating Maharashtra in finals held at Hyderabad. Sakshi Malik won gold at the 2014 Dave Schultz International Wrestling Tournament in Colorado Springs, USA. Kathy Cross: First woman to be inducted in the International Cricket Council‘s (ICC’s) umpires’ panel. She is from New Zealand. JANUARY 2014 75th Senior National table tennis championships: Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das bagged the men’s and women’s titles respectively at Patna. 62nd Senior National Volleyball Championship: Tamil Nadu and Railways bagged the men's and women's titles respectively, at Moradabad, UP. Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold badminton championship held at Lucknow, UP. Results: Men’s singles: Xue Song of China; Women’s singles: Saina Nehwal, India 6th All India Inter-university Fencing Championship: won by the Punjabi University, Patiala, at Patiala, Punjab. The 61st Senior National Kabaddi Championship held at Patna, Bihar. Evans Ruto of Kenya won the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. Dinknesh Mekash of Ethiopia won the women’s race. Lusofonia Games-2014 was held at Goa from Jan. 18 to 29. It is a multinational multi sports event where sportspersons from Portuguese speaking countries participate. Aditya Joshi: Young shuttler (17) from Madhya Pradesh has become the first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world by the World Badminton Federation (WBF). Shiva Keshavan won the silver in the 16th Luge Asia Cup, held in Nagano, Japan. A Luge is a small one- or two- person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet- first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. M S Dhoni became the first Indian wicketkeeper and the fourth in world to effect 300 dismissals in One Day Internationals when he caught a Ross Taylor nick in the opening ODI against New Zealand in Napier, New Zealand. TAX EXEMPTION TO SPORTSPERSONS Central Board of Direct Taxes-CBDT has announced that Indian sportspersons who win medals at Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games will be exempted from paying Income Tax on cash or other rewards given by the government. AUSTRALIAN OPEN Tennis Cup, Melbourne, Australia Men: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland defeated Rafa Nadal of Spain Women: Li Na of China defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia; the oldest woman (31) ever to win the title. ATP Chennai Open Tennis: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the title beating Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France. Malaysian Open 2014(badminton): Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia won the men’s title in, beating Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia. Women’s title was lifted by China's Li Xuerui beating teammate Wang Shixian.
- 32. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 32 Hero Hockey World League: Netherlands beats New Zealand to win the championship held at New Delhi. Corey Anderson: New Zealand all-rounder scored the quickest century ever in international cricket, taking just 36 balls against West Indies at Queenstown, New Zealand to break the record of Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (in 1996). Fuleco-the Armadillo, name of the official mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil in June, 2014. BOOKS AND AUTHORS BOOK AUTHOR The Hindus: An Alternative History Wendy Doniger India at Risk Jaswant Singh My Way by Derek O’Brien, Rajya Sabha member In Pursuit of a Lesser Offence Sujata Parashar Be Careful What You Wish For Jeffrey Archer The Country Without a Post Office Agha Shahid Ali Dhool Paudho Par Govind Mishra The Political Economy of Energy and Growth Najeeb Jung, Lt. Governor of Delhi The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success Jed Rubenfeld, Amy Chua Water, Peace and War – Confronting the Global Water Crisis Brahma Chellaney Public Issues Before Parliament Vijay Darda From Ghalib’s Dilli to Lutyens’ New Delhi Mushirul Hasan and Dinyaar Patel The Islamist Challenge in West Asia Talmiz Ahmed Vyomkesh Darvesh Vishwanath Tripathi India at Turning Point: The Road to Good Governance T.S.R. Subramanian Vanity Bagh Anees Salim Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer Cyrus Mistry Insurgent Veronica Roth Wheat Belly William Davis Prophet of Love by Farrukh Dhondy From a Minister’s Journal F S Aijazuddin India’s Military Conflicts and Diplomacy VP Malik Doctor Sleep Stephen King NOW ALSO AT S E C T O R 1 5 CHANDIGARH Exam Oriented Study Material Emphasis on Shortcuts Full Day Batch / 5 Hour Classes Exclusive Mock Tests For Punjab Exams SCF 22, 1ST FLOOR, OPP. POLICE POST, SECTOR 15–C, 9646-15-9977
- 33. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 33 STATE BANK OF INDIA CLERICAL - MODEL TEST PAPER-1 REASONING Directions (Q.1-3): Following questions are based on the letter-number sequence given below: S E 5 7 J I B K X 3 8 Q D 2 P G R I Z N 9 A W L 6 H V 4 M Y 1) Which of the following will be sixth to the right of the fifteenth from the right end? 1) I 2) A 3) W 4) X 5) None of these 2) What should come in place of the question mark (?) in the following series with reference to their position in the above sequence? 5I, K8, 2R, ?, ME 1) NW 2) 9L 3) ZA 4) WH 5) None 3) Which of the following will be exactly midway between the seventh letter from the left and fourth letter from the right end? 1) P 2) Z 3) N 4) R 5) I 4) Rohit walks Southwards then takes a right turn then a left turn. In which direction is he walking now. 1) South 2) East 3) South-East 4) North 5) None 5) Ankit starts walking towards east. After 30mts, he turns left and covers 40mts. Then again he turns left and walk for 50mts. Again he turns towards left and covers 50mts. How far is he from the starting point? 1) 50mts. 2) 40mts. 3) 30 mts 4) 20mts. 5) 510 mts. 6) ‘BD’ is related to ‘EG’ and ‘MO’ is related to ‘PR’ in the same way as ‘FH’ is related to 1) JM 2) IL 3) JL 4) IK 5) None of these 7) If the first half of the alphabet series is reversed, which alphabet will be 4th to left of 10th from right? 1) A 2) B 3) O 4) C 5) E Direction (8-11): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below: K is the mother of M, who is the wife of O. N is the brother of K and L is the husband of K. 8) How is L related to O? 1) Father 2) Mother-in-law 3) Brother-in-law 4) Father-in-law 5) Niece 9) How is K related to O? 1) Sister 2) Mother 3) Mother-in-law 4) Brother-in-law 5) None 10) How is N related to L? 1) Son 2) Cousin 3) Brother 4) Brother-in-law 5) None 11) How is M related to L? 1) Aunt 2) Niece 3) Daughter 4) Daughter-in-law 5) Mother 12) Introducing a man, a woman said, “His father- in-law’s father is my father-in-law”. How is the man related the women? 1) Husband 2) Son 3) Nephew 4) Son-in-law 5) None of these Directions (13-14): Read the following information carefully and answer the questions based on them: (I) P, Q, R, S, T and U are six members, three are male members. (II) There are two married couples among them. (III) R is the father of P and T is the mother of R. (IV) P is the grand daughter of Q (V) S is son of R 13) Which of the following pairs is one of the married couples? 1) TU 2) QS 3) TQ 4) PU 5) None of these 14) How Q is related to U? 1) Brother 2) Grandfather 3) Husband 4) Father in law 5) None of these
- 34. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 34 15) Select the related pair of words: Burglary : Theft : : ? 1) Doctor : Patient 2) Clerk : Assistance 3) Peon : Director 4) Sheriff : Crime 5) None of these 16) A woman said to a man, “The sister of your only brother is my mother.” How is the woman related to the man? 1) Mother 2) Daughter 3) Sister 4) Niece 5) None of these 17) A+B’ means ‘A is the father of B, ‘A – B’ means ‘A is the wife of B’ ‘AB, means ‘A is the brother of B’ ‘A B’. means ‘A is the mother of B, and ‘A =B’ means ‘A is the sister of B’ on the basis of this information. What does P + Q – R means? 1) P is the father – in –law of R 2) P is the son of R 3) P is the uncle of R 4) P is the brother of R 5) None of these 18) On the basis of the information given in question 17, what does PQR means? 1) P is the brother of R 2) P is the father of R 3) P is the maternal uncle of R 4) P is the nephew of R 5) None of these 19) “Zoology” is related to “Animal” in the same way as “Botany” is related to? 1) Rock 2) Petrol 3) Fossil 4) Plants 5) Humans Directions (Q. 20-27): In each question below are given three statements followed by four conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follow from the given statements, disregarding commonly known facts. 20) Statements: No stapler is a radio, No book is a radio, Some books are buckets. Conclusions:I. Some staplers are books. II. Some staplers are not books. III. Some buckets are radios. IV. Some buckets are not radios. 1) Only II and IV follow 2) Either I or II and either III or IV follow 3) Only II and either III or IV follow 4) Only either I or II and IV follow 5) None of these 21) Statements: Some trunks are staplers, No stapler is a book, Some boxes are books. Conclusions: I. No book is a trunk. II. Some trunks are not books. III. No book is a stapler. IV. No boxes are staplers. 1) Only II, III and IV follow 2) Only I, II and III follow 3) Only I and II follows 4) Only II follows 5) None of these 22) Statements: Some books are boxes, Some toys are books, Some toys are pens. Conclusions:I. Some pens are toys. II. Some pens are books. III. Some toys are boxes. IV. Some books are not pens. 1) Only II follows 2) Only either II or IV follows 3) Only I and either II or IV follow 4) Only I, II and III follow 5) None of these 23) Statements: Some shirts are keys, Some cassettes are locks, All keys are cassettes. Conclusions:I. Some keys are locks. II. Some shirts are locks. III. Some shirts are cassettes. IV. Some keys are not locks. 1) Only III and either I or IV follow 2) All follow 3) Only III and I follow 4) Only either I or IV follows 5) None of these 24) Statements: All dishonests are marplots, No queen is a dishonest, All kings are queen. Conclusions:I. Some marplots are kings. II. Some marplots are not kings. III. Some dishonests are marplots. IV. All kings are dishonests. 1) Only either I or II follows 2) Only II and III follow 3) Only III and either I or II follow 4) Only I, II and IV follow 5) None of these 25) Statements: All apples are oranges, Some oranges are sweet, No fruit is sweet. Conclusions:I. Some oranges are not fruits. II. Some apples are not fruits. III. Some apples are fruits. IV. Some fruits are oranges. 1) Only I follows 2) Only I and II follow 3) Only I, II and IV follow 4) Only I and either II or III follow 5) None of these 26) Statements: All animals are four-footed, All birds are files, Some animals are birds. Conclusions:I. All animals are files. II. Some animal are files. III. Some birds are four-footed. IV. All birds are four-footed. 1) Only II and III follow 2) Only I and IV follow
- 35. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 35 3) None follow 4) All follow 5) None of these 27) Statements: All farmers are Indians, All patriots have credit card of SBI, All Indians are patriots. Conclusions:I. Some farmers have credit card of SBI. II. All Indians have credit card of SBI. III. All farmers are patriots. IV. Only patriots are farmers. 1) Only I, II and IV follows 2) Only I, II and III follow 3) Only II, III and IV follow 4) All follow 5) None of these 28) The son of M is the father of N and grandfather (Mother’s father) of R, S is the daughter of N and sister of B, on the basis of this information. How is M related to B. 1) Grand father 2) Grandmother 3) Data inadequate 4) grandmother’s mother 5) Grandfather’s father 29) A is the brother of B, C is the brother of A. To establish a relationship between B and C, which of the following information is required? (I) Sex of C (II) Sex of B 1) Only I is required 2) Only II is required 3) Both I and II are required 4) Neither I nor II is required 5) None of these Directions (Q. 30-35): Study the following information carefully and answer the question given below: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and J are sitting around a circle facing the centre. C is third to the left of A. E is fourth to the right of A. D is fourth to the left of J who is second to the right of A. F is third to the right of B. G is not an immediate neighbour of A. 30) What is H’s position with respect to E? 1) Third to the left 2) Fourth to the left 3) Fifth to the right 4) Fifth to the left 5) Sixth to the left 31) Who is third to the right of G? 1) B 2) D 3) A 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 32) Who is fifth to the right of E? 1) F 2) C 3) H 4) A 5) None of these 33) Who is second to the left of H? 1) A 2) F 3) D 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 34) Who is to the immediate right of D? 1) F 2) C 3) A 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 35) In which of the following groups is the third person sitting between the first and the second persons? 1) CDF 2) EBC 3) HFA 4) JGE 5) EGB Directions (36-40): Each of the questions below consist of a questions and two statements numbered I and II given below it. You have to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to answer the question. Read both the statements and --- Give answer (i) If the data in statement I alone are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in statement II alone are not sufficient to answer the question. Give answer (ii) If the data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in statement I alone are not sufficient to answer the question. Give answer (iii) If the data either in statement I alone or instatement II alone are sufficient to answer the question. Give answer (iv) If the data in statement I and II together are not sufficient to answer the question. Give answer (v) If the data in both statements I and II together are necessary to answer the question. 36) How is ‘jump’ written in a certain code language? I. ‘jump and play’ is written as ‘3 5 7’ in that code language. II. ‘play for now’ is written as ‘5 9 8’ in that code language. 37) What is R’s position from the left end in a row of children facing South? I. There are forty children in the row. II. D is tenth to the left of R and fifteenth from the right end of the row. 38) How many daughter does A have? I. A has four children. II. B and C are sisters of D who is son of A. 39) Among P, Q, R, S, T each having a different height, who is the tallest? I. T is taller than only P among them. II. S is shorter than only R among them. 40) Towards which direction was D facing when he started his journey? I. D walked 20 metres after he started took, a right from turn and walked 30 metres and again took a right turn and faced West. II. D walked 20 metres after he started took a left turn and walked. 30 metres and again took left turn and faced West.
- 36. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 36 NUMERICAL ABILITY 41) The unit digit in the product (784 x 618 x 917 x 463) is 1) 2 2) 3 3) 4 4) 5 5) None 42) What is the unit digit in (795 – 358 )? 1) 4 2) 3 3) 7 4) 9 5) None 43) [(140)2 ÷ 70 x 16] ÷ 8 = 14 x ? 1) 38 2) 65 3) 35 4) 40 5) None 44) (800 64) x (1296 36) =? 1) 450 2) 460 3) 500 4) 540 5) None 45) (1000)9 (10)24 =? 1) 10000 2) 1000 3) 100 4) 10 5) None 46) ? 15 1 9 17 2 7 4 3 9 1) 1020 719 7 2) 1020 817 9 3) 1020 719 9 4) 1020 817 7 5) None 47) 217 x 217 + 183 x 183 =? 1) 79698 2) 80578 3) 80698 4) 81268 5) None 48) {(476 + 424)2 – 4 x 476 x 424} =? 1) 2906 2) 3116 3) 2704 4) 2904 5) None 49) ? 476)476963(963 476)(963476)(963 22 1) 1449 2) 497 3) 2 4) 4 5) None 50) (15.6% of 1296) – (10.8% of 870) = ? 1) 125.526 2) 216.109 3) 109.156 4) 108.216 5) None of these 51) 527924 - 527516 = 3532 - ? 1) 3104 2) 3224 3) 3024 4) 3124 5) None 52) (162 – 152 ) x 17 = ? 1) 257 2) 527 3) 517 4) 357 5) None 53) 24336 ÷ ? = 78 x 24 1) 11 2) 15 3) 17 4) 13 5) None 54) 48.24 ÷ 2.01 = ? 1) 24 2) 24.01 3) 240 4) 2.4 5) None 55) ?% of 56 = 10.08 1) 564.48 2) 1.80 3) 0.18 4) 1.19 5) None 56) 2 1 336 ? 23 21 1) 184 2) 148 3) 704 4) 736 5) None 57) 6% of 380 + 40% of 6.8 =? 1) 230.72 2) 25.08 3) 25.52 4) 50 5) None 58) 1180of 3 ? of 8 1 of 5 1 of 3 1 1) 3 2) 2 3) 4 4) 1 5) None 59) ? 38 950 45.11 1) 288.75 2) 274.8 3) 296.25 4) 286.25 5) None of these 60) 2.135 ? 1092 2.5 1) 41 2) 40 3) 39 4) 38 5) None of these 61) (1.03)2 x 700 = ? 1) 748.3 2) 742.63 3) 1126.3 4) 74.283 5) None of these 62) 195 x 37 – 37 = ? 1) 7178 2) 0 3) 195 4) 7148 5) None of these 63) If it takes A four days to dig a certain ditch, whereas B can dig it in 8 days and A, B, C together can dig it in 7 2 2 days, how long C alone would take to dig it? 1) 8 2) 4 3) 6 4) 12 5) None of these 64) If Rs. 1,105/- were distributed among A, B and C in the ratio 4 1 : 2 1 : 3 1 , How much did B receive, more than A? 1) Cannot be determined 2) Rs.255/- 3) Rs.85/-
- 37. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 37 4) Rs. 170/- 5) None of these 65) The amount of Re 1 in 5 years at a certain rate of simple interest is Rs. 1.25. What should be the amount of Rs. 600/- in two years? 1) Rs. 660/- 2) Rs.750/- 3) Rs. 850/- 4) Cannot be determined 5) None of these 66) The area of a square is 2.25 cm2 . What is its perimeter? 1) 9.0 cms 2) 6.0 cms 3) 1.5 cms 4) 4.5 cms 5) None of these 67) If the cost price of 24 articles is equal to the selling price of 21 articles, what is the percentage gain or loss? 1) 14 7 2 % gain 2) 14 7 2 % loss 3) 12.5% loss 4) 12.5% gain 5) None of these 68) If twelve years hence, a man is going to be 3 1 1 his age twelve years ago, what is his present age? 1) 24 years 2) 72 years 3) 96 years 4) 84 years 5) None of these 69) What will come in place of the question mark (?) in the following series? 1.7 3.2 2.7 4.2 3.7 ? 4.7 6.2 1) 6.2 2) 5.5 3) 5.2 4) 4.3 5) none of these 70) A and B started towards each other all the same time from places 114 kms. Apart and met in 8 hours. If A’s rated was 6 kms an hour, what was B’s? 1) 14.25 km/hr. 2) 7 km/hr. 3) 7 8 1 km/hr 4) 8 ½ km/hr 5) None of these 71) If 4 1 of A’s monthly salary is equal to 7 2 of B’s monthly salary and their total salary is Rs. 30,000/-, how much is the B’s salary? 1) Rs. 20,000 2) Rs.16, 000 3) Rs. 10,000 4) Rs.14000 5) None of these 72) A company sells the T.V at 75,000/ at a gain of 50%. For how much should the T.V be sold so that the company gains 70%? 1) 90,000 2) 70,000 3) 65,000 4) 87,000 5) 85,000 73) If x = 3.2 and y = 4, what is the value of 5x + 4y + 3 (x/y)? 1) 35.2 2) 34.4 3) 32.8 4) 18.4 5) None of these 74) The number of voters in town A is 17,640 and in town B is 19,320. What is the ratio of voters from town A to that in B? 1) 22: 21 2) 23: 21 3) 21: 23 4) 21: 22 5) None of these 75) If 9% of number is 200 81 , what is 7 2 of that number? 1) 1 7 2 2) 1 8 1 3) 2 7 1 4) 25 7 2 5) None of these Directions (Q. 76-80) Study the table carefully and answer the questions given below it. Production of major crops in India (in million tones) Crops 1994- 95 95-96 96-97 97-98 98-99 Rice 78.3 89.2 71 79.2 85.5 Wheat 47.8 41.3 52.5 46.1 47.2 Coarse Cereals 21.9 27.8 25.3 32.5 34.1 Pulses 13.2 18.3 15.8 14.2 17.3 Oilseeds 19.5 20.1 18.7 22.5 23.1 Sugarcane 240.0 297.0 294.3 284.5 287.8 76) By what percent approximately did the production of wheat increase from the year1995-96 to ‘96-97? 1) 25% 2) 27% 3) 30% 4) 20% 5) 22% 77) What was the average production of oilseeds during the given years (In million tonnes?) 1) 21.78 2) 21.38 3) 20.78 4) 20.38 5) None of these 78) The production of rice in 1994-95 was approximately what percent of production of oilseeds in the year 1996-97? 1) 440% 2) 380% 3) 410% 4) 420% 5) 460% 79) In which of the given years the production of pulses was close to its average production over the years? 1) 94-95 2) 95-96 3) 96-97 4) 97-98 5) None of these 80) The total production of coarse cereals and oilseeds in 1995-96 was approximately what percent of the production of wheat in that year? 1) 120% 2) 80% 3) 115% 4) 85% 5) 95%
- 38. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 38 ENGLISH LANGUAGE Directions (Q. 81-85): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. Once upon a time, there lived a herd of elephants at the bottom of the majestic Himalayas. Their leader was a rare white elephant who was an extremely kindhearted soul. He greatly loved his mother who had grown blind and feeble and could not look out for herself. Each day this white elephant would go deep into the forest in search of food. He would look for the best of fruits to send to his mother through other elephants of the herd. But his mother never received any. This was because the other members of the herd would always eat them up themselves. Each night; when he returned home he would be surprised to hear that his mother had been starving all day. He was absolutely disgusted with his herd. Then one day, he decided to leave them all behind and disappeared in the middle of the night along with his dear mother. He took her to Mount Candorana to live in a cave besides a beautiful lake. It so happened that one day, when the white elephant was feeding, he heard loud cries. A forester from Benaras had lost his way in the forest and was absolutely terrified. The white elephant told him not to worry as he knew every inch of this forest and could take him to safety. He then lifted him on to his back and carried him to the edge of the forest from where the forester went on his merry way back to Benaras. On reaching the city, he heard that King’s personal elephant had just died and the king was looking for a new elephant. His heralds were roaming the city, announcing that any man who had seen or heard of an elephant fit for a king should come forward with the information. The forester was very excited and immediately went up to the King and told him about the white elephant that he had seen on Mount Candorana. The King was quite pleased with the information and immediately dispatched a number of soldiers and elephant trainers long with the forester. After travelling for many days, the group reached the lake besides which the elephants resided. They slowly crept down to the edge of the lake and hid behind the bushes. The white elephant was collecting lotus shoots for his mother’s meal and could sense the presence of humans. When he looked up, he spotted the forester and realised that it was he who had led the King’s men to him. He was very upset at the ingratitude but decided not to put up a struggle as many of the men would be killed. And he was just too kind to hurt anyone. So he decided to go along with them to Benaras and then seek a solution to this problem. On reaching the beautiful city of Benaras, the trainers laid out a feast for their new State elephant but he refused to touch a morsel. He did not respond to any kind of stimuli, be it the fragrant flowers or the beautiful and comfortable stable. He just sat there looking completely despondent. The King was extremely concerned. He offered the elephant food from the royal table and asked him why he was grieved, in this manner. The white elephant replied that he would not eat a thing until he met his mother back home on Mount Candorana as she must be hungry because she was blind and had no one to feed her and take care of her. He was afraid that she would die. The compassionate King was touched by the elephant’s story and assured him that his soldiers would bring his old mother to the palace as soon as possible. The king kept his promise and his soldiers took good care of his mother as well for as long as she lived. She blessed the kind King with peace, prosperity and joy till the end of his days. In this way the white elephant could serve the king and also enjoy the royal perks at the King’s palace along with his mother. 81) What did the white elephant do when he realised that this mother had been starving even though he had been sending food for her? 1) He punished his herd members and told them to leave the jungle. 2) He went to Benaras to report the happenings of the herd to the King. 3) With the help of the King’s soldiers, he got the herd members killed. 4) He left the herd behind and took his mother to Mount Candorana to live in a cave. 5) None of these 82) What did the King do when the forester told him about a white elephant? 1) He rewarded the forester with lots of valuables. 2) He sent his soldiers to the forest to bring the white elephant to Benaras. 3) He sent his soldiers to the forest to hunt down the white elephant. 4) He ordered the forester to bring the white elephant to him from the forest. 5) None of these 83) Why did the white elephant’s mother never receive the fruits sent by her son? 1) The other members of the herd would eat up the fruits themselves instead of taking them to her. 2) The King’s soldiers blocked her food supply in order to make her weak and capture her to be taken to the king. 3) Because the King would never let any food sent by the white elephant reach his mother. 4) Because the ungrateful forester sold the fruits collected by the white elephant in Benaras. 5) None of these 84) Why was the forester terrified and crying for help in the forest? 1) He was scared to see a white elephant. 2) The elephant had lifted him forcefully to his back. 3) He wanted to warn the white elephant against the King’s men. 4) He had lost his way and wanted someone’s help. 5) None of these 85) Why did the white elephant collect food for his mother daily?
- 39. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 39 1) The king did not provide food to the elephant’s mother 2) All the elephants from the herd refused to collect food for the old mother elephant. 3) The elephant’s mother could not feed for herself. 4) The white elephant’s mother would not accept food from anyone but her son. 5) None of these 86) Why did the white elephant not put up a struggle against the King’s soldiers? 1) He did not want anyone to get hurt in the struggle 2) He was blind and feeble and thus could not put up a struggle 3) He surrendered as he realised that he would not be able to fight so many soldiers. 4) He feared that the King might kill his mother if he did not go to the palace. 5) None of these 87) Why was the white elephant upset to see the forester alongwith the King’s soldiers? 1) He had invited only the forester and not the King’s soldiers to the forest. 2) The King’s soldiers had arrested the forester for concealing the whereabouts of the white elephant. 3) He did not expect such ingratitude from the forester as he had helped him once. 4) The forester, along with the soldiers had captured the white elephant’s mother. 5) None of these 88) Why was the white elephant unhappy and refused to eat in the King’s palace? 1) He was unhappy with the royal treatment and expected more comforts. 2) He was worried about his mother who was blind and weak. 3) He was protesting against the forester’s ingratitude towards him. 4) The King’s soldiers had injured him and his mother while captivating both of them. 5) None of these 89) Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage? 1) The forester could never go back to Benaras from the forest. 2) The white elephant’s herd members were cooperative and honest. 3) The forester ultimately became a good friend of the white elephant. 4) The while elephant’s mother was finally left alone in the forest. 5) None is true 90) Which of the following best describes, the King as mentioned in the passage? 1) Ungrateful 2) Weak and feeble 3) Dishonest 4) Sympathetic 5) Ingenious Directions (Q. 91-93): Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 91) DISAPPEARED 1) Hid 2) Departed 3) Escaped 4) Disintegrated 5) Strayed 92) SPOTTED 1) Blemished 2) Experienced 3) Appeared 4) Projected 5) Saw 93) STRUGGLE 1) Hardship 2) Adversity 3) Fight 4) Striving 5) Argument Directions (Q. 94-95): Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 94) FEEBLE 1) Strong 2) Intense 3) Unbreakable 4) Preserved 5) Substantial 95) EDGE 1) Blunt 2) Beginning 3) Indoors 4) Interiors 5) Rim Directions (Q. 96-100): Which of the phrases 1), 2), 3) and 4) given below of each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given and no correction is required, mark 5) as the answer 96) If you would have taken the medicine, you could have gone to school today. 1) If you would take 2) Had you taken 3) If you would be taking 4) If you been taking 5) No correction required 97) Earning lots of money is one of the desires which are never satisfied. 1) which are never satisfy 2) who are never satisfied 3) who is never satisfies 4) which is never satisfied 5) No correction required 98) The passage was so difficult that I could not comprehend it in the first reading. 1) as difficult that 2) so difficult as 3) as difficult as 4) very difficult that 5) No correction required 99) Besides his wife, his children and other relatives also attends the function. 1) too attends 2) also attending 3) also attended 4) too attending 5) No correction required
- 40. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 40 100) Good leaders are always attentive towards his subordinates’ needs. 1) A good leader is 2) Good leader is 3) Some good leader are 4) All good leaders are 5) No correction required Directions (Q. 101-105): In each question below a sentence with four words printed in bold type is given. These are numbered 1), 2), 3) and 4). One of these four words printed in bold may be either misspelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word which is wrongly spelt or inappropriate if any. The number of that word is your answer. If all the words printed in bold are correctly spelt and also appropriate in the context of the sentence, mark 5) i.e., ‘All Correct’ as your answer. 101) He was unable 1) to give a satisfactory 2) explanation for his absence 3) from the meeting. 4) All correct 5) 102) Much 1) countries are starting to turn 2) their attention 3) to new sources 4) of energy. All correct 5) 103) As the ship was sinking 1) fast, the captain 2) gave orders to abandon 3) it immediately. 4) All correct 5) 104) The council 1) denied having any hand 2) in the recently 3) unearthed scandle. 4) All correct 5) 105) Their 1) has been a series of abductions 2) of young children 3) of the schools in the area. 4) All correct 5) Directions (Q. 106-110): Rearrangement the following six sentence A), B), C), D), E) and F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them. A) The man immediately got off the car, slapped a young boy who had thrown the brick and asked him why he did so? B) The boy then requested the driver to help him since he was unable to lift his injured brother alone. C) The driver stood to watch the young boy push the wheelchair down the road and decided to never repair the dent. D) A man was driving down a highway when a brick smashed on the side of his expensive, brand new car. E) Moved beyond words, the driver apologised to the young boy and quickly lifted his brother and provided first aid to him. F) The boy was in teas and said that he had to do so as no one on the highway had stopped to help his handicapped brother who had slipped from his wheelchair. 106) Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement? 1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) E 107) Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement? 1) B 2) A 3) D 4) F 5) E 108) Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement? 1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) F 109) Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement? 1) B 2) C 3) D 4) E 5) F 110) Which of the following should be the LAST (SIXTH) sentence after rearrangement? 1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) E Directions (Q. 111 -120): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The number of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is 5). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any) 111) Hostility between the (1)/ two groups have (2)/ increased in the (3)/ past few months. (4)/ No error (5) 112) Her class is very special (1)/ because it has children (2)/ with many different (3)/ abilities and skills. (4) No error (5) 113) Many peoples were (I)/ brought to safety (2) by the army helicopters (3)/ from the flood hit area. (4)/ No error (5) 114) It is difficult to (1)/ understand the problems (2) that the physically challenged people (3)/ encounters in their daily life. (4)/No error (5) 115) I had gone only a little way (I)/ down the street (2) when I realised that (3)/1 had not lock the door. (4)/ No error (5) 116) Mammoths were a (I)/ species of elephants (2) who lived millions of years ago (3)/ but are now extinct. (4)/ No error (5) 117) The sink is (I)/ so dirty that (2)/ one needs a very strong (3)/ abrasive to cleaning it. (4)/No error (5) 118) The talks ended (I)/ abruptly when one of (2) the delegate walked (3)/ out in protest. (4)/ No error (5) 119) A twenty year old (I)/ absconder was caught (2) in a local restaurant (3)/ this morning. (4)/No error (5) 120) If she will secure more than (I)/ 90% marks in the exams (2) I will give her (3)/ a suitable reward. (4)/No error (5)
- 41. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 41 GENERAL AWARENESS 121) Reserve Bank of India has proposed an electronic GIRO based bill payment system in India. What is the full form of GIRO? 1) Government Interlinked Recurring Order 2) Government Internal Revenue Order 3) General Internal Revenue Order 4) General Instant Recurring Order 5) None of these 122) Which is the Shariah Compliant Index launched by Bombay Stock Exchange? 1) Islamic Shariah Index 2) BSE TASIS Shariah Index 3) BSE Islamic Index 4) BSE Nijamudin Index 5) None of these 123) Which film was given the best picture award at the international Indian film academy (IIFA) awards 2014? 1) Jolly LLB 2) Ship of Theseus 3) Bhag Milkha Bhag 4) Chennai Express 5) None of these 124) The book title ‘Water’ Peace and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis’ has been authored by who among the following? 1) G. Parthasarthy 2) Brahma Chellaney 3) K R Kamath 4) Sudha Murty 5) None of these 125) Name the surface to air missile indigenously developed by DRDO as part of integrated guided missile development programme? 1) Prithvi – I 2) Agni – VI 3) Akash 4) Trishul 5) None of these 126) What is the name of pilot less target aircraft developed by India? 1) Nirbhay 2) Dhruv 3) Lakshya 4) Trishul 5) None of these 127) Mr. Anil Kumar Browne has been appointed as the India’s next ambassador to Norway. Which position did he hold in the Indian services previously? 1) He was chief of Army 2) He was chief of Air Staff 3) He was Chief Secretary in Ministry of Defence 4) He was a Cabinet Secretary 5) None of these 128) Mr. Narinder Modi has resigned as Chief Minister of Gujarat. Who has succeeded him? 1) Kehsu Bhai Patel 2) Amit Shah 3) Anandi Ben Patel 4) Shankar Singh Vaghela 5) None of these 129) Nabam Tuki was sworn in as the Chief Minister of which of the following states? 1) Tripura 2) Mizoram 3) Arunachal Pradesh 4) Sikkim 5) None of these 130) With which game is Manavjit Singh Sandhu an Indian player associated with 1) Cricket 2) Squash 3) Shooting 4) Athletics 5) None of these 131) Which women player from India has won the Senior Title in World Snooker Championship? 1) Chitra Magimairaj 2) Saina Nehwal 3) P.V. Sindhu 4) Mithali Raj 5) None of these 132) Which country has decided not to host 18th Asian Games to be held in the year 2019 due to lake of preparedness and concerns that holding the event would not be financially viable? 1) Vietnam 2) Turkey 3) Philippines 4) South Korea 5) None of these 133) Sebastian Vettel the winner of Men’s Laureus World Sports Award for the year 2014 associated with which game? 1) Car Racing 2) Football 3) Swimming 4) MotoGP 5) None of these 134) Some Indian companies are said to be in the process of issuing FCCB to raise foreign currency funds. What is the full form of FCCB? 1) Foreign Currency Convertible Bond 2) Foreign Currency Creditable Bond 3) Foreign Convertible Cashless Bond 4) Fixed Currency Convertible Bond 5) None of these 135) BSE Sensex is a barometer Indian capital markets issued by Bombay Stock Exchange representing basket of large, liquid and representative companies. How many companies are represented in S & P BSE Sensex? 1) 30 2) 35 3) 40 4) 50 5) None of these 136) Which of the following companies are authorized to issue Initial Public Offer or Follow on public offer? 1) Private Ltd. Company 2) Public Ltd. Company 3) Limited Liability Partnership 4) Both 1 and 2 5) None of these 137) Which law governance the functioning of stock exchanges? 1) Indian Contract Act 2) Forward Contract Act 3) Securities Contract Regulation Act
- 42. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 42 4) Stock Exchange Regulation Act 5) None of these 138) Normally become across the term capital market. Which of the following statement about capital market is true? 1) These are financial markets for buying and selling of long term debt and or shares 2) Sale and purchase of shares through Bombay Stock Exchange or National Stock Exchange 3) Issue of shares by the company for the first time 4) Sale of shares by a govt. owned company 5) None of these 139) The term Banking is defined in which Act: 1) Banking Regulation Act 2) RBI Act 3) Negotiable Instrument Act 4) Indian Contract Act 5) None of these 140) Capital of Reserve Banks of India is held by: 1) Central Government 2) Central and State Government Jointly 3) Ministry of Finance 4) By all the commercial banks jointly 5) None of these 141) In newspapers sometimes we generally come across a term bridge loans. What is the meaning of bridge loan? 1) Loan given by commercial banks to construct a bridge 2) Loan given by Govt. of India through Reserve Bank of India 3) A short gap loan given to the promoter of companies 4) Advance granted by World Bank to meet and bridge the balance of payment requirement of the country 5) None of these 142) After how many days of finalization of a public issue the process of listing has to be completed? 1) 12 2) 7 3) 21 4) 9 5) None of these 143) As per companies act which of the following business entities are authorized to raise money from public for investment in their business? 1) Private Ltd Companies 2) Public Ltd Companies 3) Sole Proprietorship Concerns 4) Partnership Firms 5) Limited Liability Partnerships 144) Which of the following statement regarding “shares” issued by a public limited company is true? 1) These can be sold and purchased in the primary market 2) These can be sold and purchased in the secondary market 3) These can be sold and purchased in the money market 4) These can be sold and purchased with prior permission from SEBI 5) None of these 145) After its ten and half years service in orbit, on 1st April 2014 ISRO decommissioned which Communication Satellite? 1) INSAT-IE 2) INSAT-2E 3) INSAT-3E 4) INSAT-4E 5) None of these 146) Which launched vehicle was used to put the first satellite IRNSS-1A in the Orbit? 1) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle 2) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle 3) Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark – III 4) Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle 5) None of these 147) Which Indian shooter got the 1st rank in 10 meter Air Pistol event held by International Shooting Sports Federation? 1) Anjali Bhagwat 2) Shagun Chowdhary 3) Heena Sidhu 4) Abinav Bindra 5) None of these 148) After how many days of non receipt of installment in a term loan account is an advance categorized as Non Performing Account (NPA)? 1) 90 days 2) 30 days 3) 60 days 4) 120 days 5) None of these 149) Ways and Means advances are provided by Reserve Bank only to: 1) Central Government 2) State Government 3) Both a and b 4) None of the above 5) None of these 150) Money market in India is regulated by which organization? 1) Securities Exchange Board of India 2) Ministry of finance 3) Reserve Bank of India 4) Financial Stability & Development Council 5) None of these 151) The Bank Rate means: 1) Rate of interest charged by commercial banks from borrowers 2) Rate of interest at which commercial banks discounted bills of their borrowers 3) Rate of interest allowed by commercial banks on their deposits 4) Rate at which RBI purchases or rediscounts bill of exchange of commercial banks / provides credit to commercial banks 5) None of these
- 43. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 43 152) The abbreviation NABARD stands for: 1) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 2) National Bank for Agricultural Refinance and Development 3) National Board of Agricultural Research and Development 4) National Academy of Banking on Agricultural Research and Development 5) None of these 153) What is the full form of NBFC as used in the financial sector? 1) Non Banking Finance Company 2) National Banking and Finance Corporation 3) New Business Finance and Credit 4) New Business Fund Company 5) None of these 154) Government of India, for the first time nationalized 14 large Commercial Banks in the year: 1) 1956 2) 1959 3) 1969 4) 1971 5) None of these 155) DTC and GST are the two terms associated with 1) Direct – Indirect taxes 2) Only Direct taxes 3) Only indirect taxes 4) Corporate taxes 5) None of these 156) India has signed DTAA with several countries to check tax evasion and proliferation of black money. DTAA stands for 1) Double Taxation Action Agreement 2) Durable Taxation Avoidance Agreement 3) Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement 4) Direct Treaty & Avoidance Agreement 5) None of these 157) Which of the following rates is NOT decided by the Reserve Bank of India? 1) Bank Rate 2) Repo Rate 3) Reverse Repo Rate 4) Base Rate 5) All of these 158) Which of the following organizations has the privilege of issuing Bank Notes (Currency) in India? 1) State Bank of India 2) Reserve Bank of India 3) Govt. of India 4) Note Printing Press in India 5) None of these 159) Which amongst the following organizations make major credit policies for the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)? 1) NABARD 2) Asian Development Bank 3) RBI 4) State Bank of India 5) None of these 160) The exchange of commodities between two countries is referred to as: 1) Balance of trade 2) Bilateral trade 3) Volume of trade 4) Multilateral trade 5) None of these COMPUTER / MARKETING 161) Passwords enable users to 1) get into the system quickly 2) make efficient use of time 3) retain confidently of files 4) simplify file structure 5) None of the above 162) When sending an e-mail, the ____ line describes are contents of the message 1) subject 2) to 3) contents 4) cc 5) None of these 163) A(n) ____ is a program that makes the computer easier to use. 1) utility 2) application 3) operating system 4) network 5) None of these 164) The ____ tells the computer how to use its components. 1) utility 2) network 3) application program 4) operating system 5) None of the above 165) A ____ is a named set of characters that have the same characteristics. 1) Recycle Bin 2) Floppy disk 3) clipboard 4) motherboard 5) None of the above 166) Name the fourth layer of OSI Model. 1) application layer 2) data link layer 3) transport layer 4) session layer 5) None of these 167) A _____pre-designed document that already has coordinating fonts, a layout, and a background. 1) guide 2) model 3) ruler 4) template 5) None of these 168) Personal computers can be connected together to form a a) server 2) supercomputer 3) enterprise 4) network 5) None of these 169) Which elements of a Word document can be displayed in colour? 1) Only graphics 2) Only text 3) All elements 4) All elements, but only if you have a colour printer 5) None of the above 170) A complete electronic circuit with transistors and other electronic components on a small silicon chip is called a(n)____
- 44. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 44 1) workstation 2) CPU 3) magnetic disk 4) integrated circuit 5) None of these 171) To access properties of an object, the mouse technique to use is______ 1) right-clicking 2) shift-clicking 3) dragging 4) dropping 5) None of these 172) During the _____ portion of the Information Processing Cycle, the computer acquires data from some source. 1) storage and output 2) storage 3) input 4) output 5) None of these 173) The ______ of software contains lists of commands and options 1) menu bar 2) tool bar 3) title bar 4) formula bar 5) None of these 174) A ____ can make it easier to play games. 1) mouse 2) Joystick 3) keyboard 4) pen 5) None of these 175) How many different documents can you have open at any one time? 1) Not more than three 2) Only one 3) As many as your computer memory will hold 4) No more than your Taskbar can display 5) None of the above 176) To make the number pad act as directional arrows, you press the _____ key. 1) shift 2) arrow lock 3) num lock 4) caps lock 5) None of these 177) Something which can be easily-understood by the user is said to be 1) user friendly 2) information 3) word processing 4) icon 5) None of these 178) What is output? 1) What the processor takes from the user 2) What the user gives to the processor 3) What the processor gets from the user 4) What the processor gives to the user 5) None of the above 179) A set of instructions telling the computer what to do is called _____ 1) mentor 2) instructor 3) compiler 4) program 5) None of these 180) Softcopy is the intangible output, so then what is hardcopy? 1) The physical parts of the computer 2) The printed parts of the computer 3) The printed output 4) The physical output devices 5) None of the above 181) Market share means - 1) Share market 2) Sensex 3) Market price of shares 4) Market fluctuations 5) Share of business among peers 182) Marketing is influenced by______ 1) Public taste 2) Buyer behaviour 3) Product Demand 4) Brand image 5) All of these 183) Marketing skills are tested by – 1) Buying more 2) Selling more 3) Paying more 4) Talking more 5) All of these 184) Service marketing is – 1) Transaction marketing 2) Internal marketing 3) Relationship marketing 4) Outdoor marketing 5) Only A and B 185) Marketing of services is resorted to in - 1) Manufacturing concerns 2) Hotels 3) Airlines Business 4) Only A and B 5) Only B and C 186) A true marketing mindset requires – 1) Active Mindset 2) Passive mindset 3) Control mindset 4) Command mindset 5) Inert mindset 187) ADSA is useful for – 1) Boosting telemarketing 2) Boosting digital marketing 3) Boosting door-to-door campaigns 4) Strengthening internal marketing 5) Strengthening indirect marketing 188) A marketing survey is required for – 1) Deciding marketing strategies 2) Deciding product strategies 3) Deciding pricing strategies 4) All of these 5) None of these 189) Market information denotes - 1) Knowledge of industries 2) Knowledge of peers 3) Knowledge of households 4) Knowledge of customer needs 5) All of these 190) Customisation means – 1) Adding more customers 2) Customers selling goods 3) Unhappy customers
- 45. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 45 4) Tailor made products for each customer 5) All of these 191) Target groups can be identified by. Find the incorrect answer. 1) Data Mining 2) Data warehousing 3) Market survey 4) Market Research 5) Market Segmentation 192) Proper identification of target group helps in - 1) Better lead generation 2) More calls per day 3) More profits 4) All of these 5) None of these 193) Generation of sales leads presupposes - 1) Personal and professional contacts 2) Profile fitting 3) Data mining 4) All of these 5) None of these 194) Lead generation is followed by – 1) Personal calls 2) Presentation 3) Product designs 4) Market segmentation 5) None of these 195) Market segmentation involves – 1) Dividing the salesman into homogeneous groups 2) Dividing the employees into talent groups 3) Dividing the products 4) Measuring the service level 5) None of these 196) Market segmentation can be resorted to by way of – 1) Segmenting geographically 2) Segmenting by income 3) Segmenting by income 4) Only A and B 5) All A, B and C 197) Market segmentation is useful for – 1) Targeting existing clients 2) Identifying prospects 3) Preferential marketing 4) Internal marketing 5) All of these 198) Find the correct statement- 1) Leads are same as prospects 2) Leads are easier to convert than prospects 3) Prospects are easier to convert than leads 4) All of these 5) None of these 199) The most important stage in a sales process is – 1) Generating sales leads 2) Clinching the sale 3) Sales presentation 4) Sales meeting 5) All of these 200) Effecting selling involves …..Find the incorrect answer. 1) Good physical appearance 2) Good communication skills 3) Good negotiation skills 4) Sympathetic approach 5) Aggressiveness ANSWER KEY REASONING Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 1 5 5 6 4 7 1 8 4 9 3 10 4 11 3 12 4 13 3 14 4 15 2 16 4 17 1 18 3 19 4 20 4 21 5 22 3 23 1 24 3 25 4 26 1 27 4 28 3 29 2 30 1 31 5 32 4 33 2 34 1 35 3 36 4 37 5 38 4 39 2 40 3 NUMERICAL ABILITY Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 41 1 42 1 43 4 44 1 45 2 46 4 47 2 48 3 49 3 50 4 51 4 52 2 53 4 54 1 55 5 56 1 57 3 58 2 59 4 60 5 61 2 62 1 63 5 64 4 65 1 66 2 67 1 68 4 69 3 70 5 71 4 72 5 73 2 74 3 75 1 76 2 77 3 78 4 79 3 80 3 ENGLISH Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 81 4 82 2 83 1 84 4 85 3 86 1 87 3 88 2 89 5 90 4 91 2 92 5 93 3 94 1 95 4 96 2 97 4 98 5 99 3 100 1 101 5 102 1 103 5 104 4 105 1 106 4 107 2 108 5 109 1 110 3 111 2 112 3 113 1 114 4 115 4 116 5 117 4 118 3 119 5 120 1 GENERAL AWARENESS 121 2 122 2 123 3 124 2 125 3 126 3 127 2 128 3 129 3 130 3 131 1 132 1 133 1 134 1 135 1 136 2 137 3 138 1 139 1 140 1 141 3 142 2 143 2 144 2 145 3 146 1 147 3 148 1 149 3 150 3 151 4 152 1 153 1 154 3 155 1 156 3 157 4 158 2 159 1 160 2 COMPUTER 161 3 162 1 163 1 164 4 165 5 166 3 167 4 168 4 169 3 170 4 171 1 172 3 173 1 174 2 175 3 176 3 177 1 178 4 179 4 180 3 181 5 182 5 183 2 184 3 185 5 186 1 187 3 188 4 189 4 190 4 191 1 192 1 193 4 194 4 195 1 196 5 197 2 198 2 199 1 200 5
- 46. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 46 STATE BANK OF INDIA CLERICAL - MODEL TEST PAPER - 2 REASONING 1) Each surveyor in a factory has his own call, which has been converted into a password and kept in a code language. The call of Ashutosh is “hard work is the best solution”, and its coded form is “is best hard the work solution”. If the call of Amit is “honest work is always appropriately rewarded”, then what will be its password code? 1) work appropriately honest rewarded always is 2) is appropriately honest always work rewarded 3) honest appropriately always work rewarded is 4) reward appropriately always honest is work 5) None of these 2) If ‘A$B’ means ‘A is brother of B’, ‘A# B’ means ‘B is father of A’, ‘A*B’ means ‘B is mother of A’, then which of the following represents ‘A is grandfather of B’? 1) B$C*D#A 2) A#DSC*B 3) B$C#D*A 4) B*C#D$A 5) None of these 3) If both the statements “Some pens are files” and “All files are books” are true, then which of the following statements is definitely true? 1) All files are pens 2) No books is pen 3) All books are files 4) Some pens are books 5) None of these Directions (Q. 4-5): Study the following letter- number-symbol sequence carefully and answer the questions given below it. SMP© 2 LT@ND45#ZAQ98OFG*73EH 4) If in the above sequence from the beginning each letter, number or symbol is interchanged with the alternate letter, number or symbol, then which element will be fourth to the left of A? 1) P 2) 9 3) D 4) @ 5) T 5) Which of the following is exactly midway between the seventh from left and the eighth from the right? 1) A 2) Z 3) # 4) N 5) None of these 6) ‘Shirt’ is related to ‘Button’ in the same way as ‘Shoes’ is related to 1) Stitch 2) Leg 3) Sleeper 4) Socks 5) None of these 7) Which of the following pairs of words bears the same relationship as that of the pair of words given at the question place? Victory : Defeat : :? 1) King : Poor 2) King : Queen 3) Father : Brother 4) Mother : Sister 5) None of these 8) There are 43 students in a class. If the rank of Raja from the beginning is 21st , then what will be his position from the last? 1) 21 2) 22 3) 23 4) 24 5) None of these 9) In a certain code language COACHING is written as ENCBJHPF. How will the word SCHOOL be written in that code language? 1) KQNJBU 2) UBNQKJ 3) NQKJBU 4) UBJNQK 5) None of these 10) Complete the following number series: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ? 1) 32 2) 34 3) 36 4) 30 5) None of these 11) Which of the following is odd one? 1) XYZ1 2) PQR9 3) STU2 4) DCB5 5) None of these 12) Which of the following pairs of words bears the same relationship as that of the pair of words given at the question place? Head : Cap :: Finger : ? 1) Nail 2) Skin 3) Blood 4) Thumb 5) None of these 13) According to Gourav the birthday of his sister is after January 15 but before 20. According to the father of Gourav the birthday of Gourav’s sister is after January 18 but before January 22. What is the birthday of Gourav’s sister? 1) January 18 2) January 19 3) January 20 4) January 21 5) None of these 14) Onkara says that his brother leaves home half an hour before he reaches home. If Onkara observes that it is 11.00 am, 15 minutes after
- 47. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 47 he entered home, then at what time his brother did leave the home? 1) 10.30 AM 2) 9.45 AM 3) 9.30 AM 4) 10.00 AM 5) None of these 15) Rahul is elder than Vipul but as old as Sakul. Sakul is younger than Jeetu but elder than Ramu. If Ramu is elder than Vipul, then who is youngest? 1) Rahul 2) Vipul 3) Sakul 4) Ramu 5) None of these 16) If the first and second letters of the word PRGMATISMS are interchanged, similarly the third and the fourth letters are interchanged. And so on, then which of the following will be seventh from the right? 1) M 2) G 3) A 4) T 5) None of these 17) If all the letters of English alphabet are written in reverse order then which of the following will be third to the right of eighth from the left? 1) Q 2) P 3) R 4) T 5) None of these 18) In a certain code language MATRIMONY is written as AMRTMINOZ. How will be the word STRATAGIC be written in the that code language? 1) TSARTAGIC 2) TSARATIGD 3) TSARATGID 4) TSARTAIGD 5) None of these 19) In a certain code language ‘Po Cho To’ means ‘who came yesterday’, ‘Ho No To’ means ‘who play there’ and ‘Bo Po No’ means ‘beauty came there’ How will the word ‘yesterday’ be written in that code language? 1) Po 2) Cho 3) To 4) Cho or To 5) None of these 20) If the second half of the following alphabets is written in the reverse order, then which of the following will be the tenth letter to the left of 17th from the left? ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1) S 2) R 3) T 4) V 5) None of these 21) ‘Garden’ is related to ‘Gardener’ in the same way as ‘Agriculture’ is related to 1) Plant 2) field 3) farmer 4) Produce 5) None of these 22) Ramji is brother of Sangeeta. If Sangeeta’s sister Urmila is niece of Pawar, then how Ramji is related to Pawar? 1) Son 2) Nephew 3) Either nephew or Son 4) Brother 5) None of these 23) What will be the next term of the number series given below? 3 9 27 81 ______ 1) 263 2) 253 3) 243 4)162 5) None of these 24) Suresh walks 5 km towards south of point A, turns to his right and walks 2 km, turns to his right and walk 5 km and then he turns to his left and covers a distance of 5 km. How far is he from the point A” 1) 7 Km 2)17km 3) 15km 4) 5km 5) None of these 25) What should come in the place of question mark (?) so that the similar relationship could be established between the words of first pair as that of the words of second pairs? ? : Foot :: Arm : Hand 1) leg 2)Thigh 3) Nail 4) Arm 5) None of these Directions (Q. 26-30): In the following questions, the symbols $, %, @, © and are used with the following meaning as illustrated below. ‘P % Q’ means ‘P is not smaller than Q’. ‘P $ Q’ means ‘P is not greater than Q’. ‘P Q’ means ‘P is neither greater than nor equal to Q’. ‘P @ Q’ means ‘P is neither greater than nor smaller than Q’. ‘P © Q’ means ‘P is neither less than or equals to Q’. 26) Statements: J © M, M K, K % D Conclusions: I. J © D II. D M III. K © J 1) None is true 2) Only I is true 3) Only II is true 4) Only III is true 5) None of these 27) Statements: R @ K, K $ F, F N Conclusions: I. N © R II. F @ R III. F © R 1) Only I true 2) Only either II or III is true 3) Only I and either II or III are true 4) Only II and III are true 5) None of these 28) Statements: R $ D, D @ N, N © F Conclusions: I. F D II. F R III. N % R 1) Only I and II are true 2) Only I and III are true 3) Only II and III are true 4) All are true 5) None of these 29) Statements: H T, T $ B, B © R Conclusions: I. R © H II. B © H III. T R 1) Only I is true 2) Only I and II are true 3) Only I and III are true 4) Only II and III are true 5) None of these 30) Statements: M % D, D K, K $ N Conclusions: I. K © M II. N © D III. M © N
- 48. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 48 1) Only I is true 2) Only II is true 3) Only III is true 4) Only I and II are true 5) None of these Directions (Q. 31-40): Below are given three statements followed by four conclusions. You have to take the given statements to be true even if they appear to be at variance with commonly known facts, and then decide which of the conclusions logically follow(s) from the given statements. For each questions, mark out an appropriate answer choice that you think is correct. 31) Statements: Some charts are darts. All darts are carts. Some carts are smarts. Conclusions:I. Some charts are carts. II. Some carts are darts. III. Some darts are smarts. IV. Some smarts are charts. 1) Only I and III follow 2) Only II and III follow 3) Only I and II follow 4) Only I, III and IV follow 5) None of these 32) Statements: All boxes are tables. No desks are tables. Some desks are curtains. Conclusions:I. No boxes are desks. II. Some boxes are desks. III. Some curtains are not boxes. IV. Some curtains are boxes. 1) Only III and either I or II follow 2) Only I and either II or IV follow 3) Only Either I or II, and either III or IV follow 4) Only I and III follow 5) None of these 33) Statements: Some drops are cups. All cups are docks. No dock is a flop. Conclusions:I. Some drops are not flops. II. Some docks are drops. III. No cup is a flop. IV. Some flops are not cups. 1) Only I, II and III follow 2) Only II, III and IV follow 3) Only I, II and IV follow 4) Only I, III and IV follow 5) All follow 34) Statements: Some big are small. No small is large. Some large are tiny. Conclusions:I. Some large are not big. II. No big is large. III. Some small are not tiny. IV. Some big are not tiny. 1) Only I follows 2) Only II follows 3) Only II or III follows 4) Only IV follows 5) None of these 35) Statements: No student is decent. Some decent are bags. All bags are roses. Conclusions:I. Some bags are not students. II. All bags are students. III. Some decent are roses. IV. All roses are decent. 1) Only I follows 2) Either I or II follows 3) Only III follows 4) Either I or II and III follow 5) Only I and III follow 36) Statements: All birds are books. All books are quarters . Conclusions:I. All birds are quarters. II. Some quarters are birds. III. Some quarters are books. IV. Some books are birds. 1) Only I, II and III follow 2) Only II, III and IV follow 3) Only I, III and IV follow 4) Only I, II and IV follow 5) All follow 37) Statements: Some books are novels All novels are dishes. Conclusions:I. Some books are dishes. II. Some books are not dishes. III. Some dishes are novels. IV. Some dishes are not novels. 1) Either I or II follows 2) Either III or IV follows 3) Either I or II, and III or IV follow 4) Only I and III follow 5) Can’t say 38) Statements: Some desks are pens. No pen is a paper. Conclusions:I. Some desks are papers. II. Some desks are not papers. III. No desks is paper IV. No paper is a pen. 1) Only II and IV follow & either I or III 2) Either I or II follows 3) Only II either I or III follows 4) Only II and III follow 5) Only II, III and IV follow 39) Statements: All boys are girls. No books are boys. Conclusions:I. Some books are girls. II. Some books are not girls. III. All girls are books. IV. Some girls are not books. 1) Either I or II follows 2) Either III or IV follows 3) Only II and IV follow 4) Either I or II and IV follow 5) Either III or IV, and II follow 40) Statements: All books are pens. All books are tigers. Conclusions:I. Some pens are books. II. Some pens are tigers. III. Some tigers are pens. IV. Some pens are not tigers. 1) Only I and III follow 2) Only II and III follow 3) Only I follow 4) Only I, II and III follow 5) Only I and either II or IV follow
- 49. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 49 NUMERICAL ABILITY Directions (Q. 41-65): What should come in place of question mark (?) in each of the following questions? 41) 0676. 0225.0 = ? 1) 6 5 2) 26 15 3) 24 15 4) 5 4 5) None of these 42) 2 2 (0.868) (0.236) ? 1) 0.6666 2) 0.6347 3) 0.697728 4) 0.8763 5) None of these 43) 0.003 ? 0.0003 0.0000027 1) 6 2) 3 3) 0.03 4) 0.06 5) None of these 44) 49% 490 490% 49 ?of of 1) 265.42 2) 245.81 3) 2302 4) 480.2 5) None of these 45) 1521 ? 169 768 1) 6821 2) 2304 3) 380 4) 470 5) None of these 46) 7897 - ? = 2930- 1875 1) 6447 2) 8796 3) 7645 4) 6745 5) None of these 47) 5787 167.87 87.845 ? 1) 553.285 2) 485 3) 5551.285 4) 490.51 5) None of these 48) 1 2 3 4 5 ? 2 7 4 14 1) 14 4 13 2) 10 4 9 3) 6 5 13 4) 28 24 11 5) None of these 49) 441 7 ? 1) 3 2) 6 3) 9 4)5 5) None of these 50) 5705 2786 9760 ? 1) 12679 2) 12697 3) 11679 4) 12971 5) None of these 51) 8000 16 256 6000 ? 1) 122000 2) 12600 3) 12285 4) 12500 5) None of these 52) ? % of 160 = 64 1) 60 2) 30 3) 40 4) 45 5) None of these 53) 1 800 15 3 ? 3 1) 3 2 57 2) 5 4 50 3) 33.812 4) 4 2 48 5) None of these 54) 2 4 (77 61) 3 13020 ? 2 7 186 of 1) 56 2) 46 3) 76 4) 73 5) None of these 55) 20% 850 ?%170of 1) 100 2) 50 3) 75 4) 25 5) None of these 56) 247.459 488.67 789.679 ? 1) 1525 2) 1425.808 3) 485 4) 1525.808 5) None of these 57) 4.9 10 7 ? 1) 8 2) 0.7 3) 15 4) 49 5) None of these 58) 16 0.016 100 ? 1) 0.08 2) 64 3) 0.084 4) 9 5) None of these 59) 36 0.0036 100 ? 1) 35.87 2) 36 3) 539.94 4) 35.64 5) None of these 60) 4 0.02 8 0.2 8 0.002 ? 1) 44.08 2) 43.09 3) 40.88 4) 45 5) None of these
- 50. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 50 61) 1 16 0.5 ? 2 1) 18 2) 17 3) 16 4) 12 5) None of these 62) 7584 3 609 ? 1) 8196 2) 8434 3) 8571 4) 8472 5) None of these 63) 505.0089 17.045 8.567 ? 1) 479 2) 479.3969 3) 477.3969 4) 497.3969 5) None of these 64) 4085 45 13 ? 1) 23897 2) 2489725 3) 25725 4) 29725 5) None of these 65) 5 25 5 5 ? 1) 100 2) 10 3) 20 4) 25 5) None of these Directions (Q. 66-70): What should come in the place of question make (?) in each of the following number series? 66) 1,2,10,37,101,? 1) 226 2) 148 3) 195 4) 258 5) None of these 67) 5,69, 150, 250, ? 1) 295 2) 148 3) 195 4) 258 5) None of these 68) 2, 3, 8, 27, 112, ? 1) 242 2) 565 3) 484 4) 395 5) None of these 69) ? 6,13 40, 161, 806 1) 3 2) 4 3) 5 4) 1 5) None of these 70) 3, 4.5, 9, 22.5, 67. 5, ? 1) 235.25 2) 285 3) 205.85 4) 290 5) None of these 71) A train running with the speed of 45 kmph crosses 300 m long another train running in the same direction. Find the speed of the second train. 1) 35kmph 2) 45 kmph 3) 55 kmph 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 72) The ratio between the present ages of Vijay and Sanjay is 6:7. Three years hence the ratio will become 7 : 8 respectively. What is the present age of Vijay? 1) 17 years 2) 18 years 3) 13 years 4) 25years 5) None of these 73) The speed of a boat in still water is 15 kmph and its speed upstream is 7 kmph. Find the speed of the boat downstream. 1) 23 kmph 2) 25 kmph 3) 35 kmph 4) 13 kmph 5) None of these 74) The price of rice has been increased by 20%. How many per cent should Sanjay reduce the consumption of rice in the family so that the expenditure on rice remains the same as before in increase in the price of rice? 1) % 3 2 15 2) % 3 2 16 3) 20% 4) 18% 5) None of these 75) If a certain sum becomes Rs. 5375 in two years at compound interest, then what the rate of interest? 1) 8% 2) 14% 3) 5% 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these 76) A can do a work in 12 days. If A and B together can do that work in 6 days in how many days B alone could do that work? 1) 12 days 2) 11 days 3) 15 days 4) 17 days 5) None of these 77) A group of 84 men can complete a work in 17 days. In how many days that work can be completed by 119 men? 1) 15 days 2) 14 days 3) 12 days 4) 18 days 5) None of these 78) A certain sum is to be divided among A, B, and C in the ratio of 8:5 : 8 respectively. If the share of A and B together is Rs. 500 more than that of ‘C’ share then find the share of A. 1) Rs. 800 2) Rs.500 3) Rs. 600 4) Rs. 700 5) None of these 79) If two-third of three-fourth of a certain number is 50, find the number. 1) 85 2) 100 3) 105 4) 110 5) None of these 80) An article is sold at a discount of 20% on the marked price. In order to gain 60% on marked price at how many more per cent of the discounted price it should be sold? 1) 75% 2) 25% 3) 65% 4) Data inadequate 5) None of these
- 51. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 51 ENGLISH LANGUAGE Directions (Q. 81-95): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/ phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. There was a time in my life when beauty meant something special to me. I guess that would have been when I was about six or seven years old, just several weeks or may be a month before the orphanage turned me into an old man. I would get up every morning at the orphanage, make my bed just like the little soldier that I had become and then I would get into one of the two straight lines and march to breakfast with the other twenty or thirty boys who also lived in my dormitory. After breakfast one Saturday morning I returned to the dormitory and saw the house parent chasing the beautiful monarch butterflies that lived by the hundreds in the bushes strewn around the orphanage. I carefully watched as he caught these beautiful creatures, one after the other, and then took them from the net and then stuck straight pins through their head and wings, pinning them onto a heavy cardboard sheet. How cruel it was to kill something of such beauty. I had walked many times out into the bushes, all by myself, just so the butterflies could land on my head, face and hands so I could look at them up close. When the telephone rang the house parent laid the large cardboard paper down on the back cement step and went inside to answer the phone. I walked up to the cardboard and looked at the one butterfly who he had just pinned to the large paper. It was still moving about so I reached down and touched it on the wing causing one of the pins to fall out. It started flying around and around trying to get away but it was still pinned by the one wing with the other straight pin. Finally its wing broke off and the butterfly fell to the ground and just quivered. I picked up the torn wing and the butterfly and I spat on its wing and tried to get it to stick back on so it could fly away and be free before the house parent came back. But it would hot stay on him. The next thing I knew the house parent came walking back out of the back door by the garbage room and started yelling at me. I told him that I did not do anything but he did not believe me. He picked up the cardboard paper and started hitting me on the top of the head. There were all kinds of butterfly pieces going everywhere. He threw the cardboard down on the ground and told me to pick it up and put it in the garbage can inside the back room of the dormitory and then he left. I sat there in the dirt, by that big old tree, for the longest time trying to fit all the butterfly pieces back together so I could bury them whole, but it was too hard to do. So I prayed for them and then I put them in an old torn up shoe box and I buried them in the bottom of the fort that I had built in the ground, out by the large bamboos, near the blackberry bushes. Every year when the butterflies would return to the orphanage and try to land on me I would try and shoo them away because they did not know that the orphanage was a bad placed to live and a very bad place to die. 81) In the passage what has the author compared the orphanage to? 1) An educational institute 2) An old age home 3) A nursery 4) A military school 5) None of these 82) Why had the author walked into the bushes many times? 1) So that he could save the butterflies 2) So that the butterflies could sit on his head, face and hands, so he could look at them up close 3) So that he could give the butterflies to the house parent 4) So that he could kill the butterflies 5) None of these 83) Why would the author try to shoo away the butterflies which tried to land on him? 1) Because he thought that the butterflies would suffer a very bad death if they stayed in the orphanage. 2) Because the house parent had warned him against it. 3) Because the butterflies were too many in number. 4) Because the author did not like the butterflies sitting on him. 5) None of these 84) Which of the following words can be used to describe the author? 1) Cruel 2) Adventurous 3) Daring 4) Caring 5) None of these 85) Why was the author trying to fit all the butterfly pieces back together? 1) Because he was told to do so by the house parent. 2) Because he was responsible for the death of the butterflies. 3) Because the house parent would yell at him otherwise. 4) Because he was able to find all the pieces. 5) None of these 86) Why did the butterfly’s wing break off? 1) Because the house parent had broken it. 2) Because the author broke one wing. 3) Because one of its wings was still pinned to the cardboard and it tried to fly away. 4) Because the butterfly fell on the ground. 5) None of these 87) Why were butterfly pieces flying everywhere? 1) Because the author realised that the house parent was not doing the right thing. 2) Because the house parent went to attend a phone call. 3) Because the house parent-did not pin the butterflies correctly. 4) Because the author picked up the cardboard paper 5) None of these 88) What did the author do with all the butterfly pieces? 1) He stuck all the pieces together.
- 52. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 52 2) He put them in a shoe box and buried them in the ground. 3) He gave them away to the house parent. 4) He threw them away in the garbage can. 5) None of these 89) Which of the following is NOT true in the context of the passage? 1) The author liked watching the house parent stick the butterflies on the cardboard. 2) The author felt that killing butterflies was a cruel thing to do. 3) The house parent stuck the butterflies on the cardboard paper. 4) The author tried to repair one wing of the butterfly. 5) None of these 90) What did the house parent ask the author to do? 1) To tend to the butterflies while he was gone. 2) To fetch butterflies for him. 3) To throw the cardboard paper in the garbage can. 4) To stick all the butterflies back together before burying them. 5) None of these Directions (Q. 91-93): Choose the word which is most similar in meaning to the word printed in bold as used in the passage. 91) LAND 1) cement 2) grounding 3) sit 4) earth 5) wait 92) CAREFULLY 1) closely 2) anxiously 3) vaguely 4) strongly 5) artificially 93) QUIVERED 1) fainted 2) trembled 3) waved 4) flew 5) fell Directions (Q. 94-95): Choose the word/phrase which is most opposite in meaning to the word / phrase printed in bold as used in the passage. 94) GETAWAY 1) find place 2) get down 3) lose sight 4) come closer 5) get lost 95) BOTTOM 1) below 2) height 3) tall 4) length 5) top Directions (Q. 96-100): Which of the phrases 1), 2), 3) and 4) given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold in the sentence to make it grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is given and no correction is required, mark 5) as the answer. 96) He is a very lazy person and hate doing any kind of work. 1) hated doing 2) hate does 3) hates do 4) hates doing 5) No correction required 97) She opened the door as she know the person very well and had spent quite a few mornings with him. 1) as she knows 2) as she was knowing 3) as she knew 4) as she knowing 5) No correction required 98) Usha could not thinking of travelling without her car and feared the crowd. 1) could not think 2) cannot thinking 3) cannot think 4) could not thinks 5) No correction required 99) After a great deal of effort she finally managed to success in her venture. 1) managing to succeed 2) managed to succeed 3) managing success 4) manage to success 5) No correction required 100) As she bought quite a number of books she got a heavy discount. 1) quite numbers 2) heavy numbers 3) some numbers 4) many numbers 5) No correction required Directions (Q. 101-105): In each question below, a sentence with four words printed in bold type is given. These are numbered as 1), 2), 3) and 4). One of these four words printed in bold may be either wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word which is wrongly spelt or inappropriate, if any. The number of that word is your answer. If all the words printed in bold are correctly spelt and also appropriate in the context of the sentence, mark 5) i.e. ‘All correct’ as your answer. 101) As it was the tenth 1) day of the festival 2) the constables 3) on duty were tried 4) of patrolling. All correct 5) 102) Rita was tending 1) to her flower 2) beds with joy 3) and pride. 4) All correct 5) 103) The most wonderfullest 1) thing about miracles 2) is that they sometimes 3) happen 4) All correct 5) 104) It is better 1) to die 2) on your feet then 3) live 4) on your knees. All correct 5) 105) He glanced 1) around the room suspiciously, 2) sure they were 3) hiding somewhere 4) All correct 5) Directions (Q. 106-110): Rearrange the following six sentence A), B), C), D), E) and F) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them. A) I could not even hide myself, which would have saved me. B) Once a monkey escaped from one of the rooms in the palace and came into my room. C) This frightened the animal, who jumped out of the window and climbed onto the roof. D) Suddenly my sister entered my room and screamed when she saw the monkey scratching me.
- 53. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 53 E) I was so scared when I saw the monkey that I could not move. F) Seeing that I was scared, the monkey started scratching me. 106) Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after rearrangement? 1) B 2) C 3) D 4) E 5) F 107) Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after rearrangement? 1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) E 108) Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after rearrangement? 1) A 2) B 3) C 4) D 5) E 109) Which of the following should be the LAST (SIXTH) sentence after rearrangement? 1) B 2) C 3) D 4) E 5) F 110) Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement? 1) B 2) C 3) D 4) E 5) F Directions (Q. 111-120): Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error or idiomatic error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence, the answer is (5). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any.) 111) She was running 1) a very high fever 2) and thus her mother takes 3) her to the doctor. 4) No error 5) 112) He talked on the phone 1) for hours together 2) who really irritated 3) his parents a lot. 4) No error 5) 113) Although his speech 1) was not very clearly 2) everyone understood 3) the underlying meaning. 4) No error 5) 114) Despite working 1) very hard he 2) failed to achieve 3) the desiring results. 4) No error 5) 115) He was very excited 1) about go to 2) the park with 3) his younger brother. 4) No error 5) 116) Saddened by 1) the sudden demise of 2) his favourite pet he decided 3) not to go to the party. 4) No error 5) 117) There is a ray of hope 1) among the masses 2) this year as more candidates 3) are being educated well. 4) No error 5) 118) As she is late 1) for work she decided 2) to skip breakfast and 3) head directly to office. 4) No error 5) 119) In my visiting 1) to the country 2) I decided to go 3) on a tour all by myself. 4) No error 5) 120) The tiger was not 1) the only dangerous animal 2) in the forest 3) there was hyenas too. 4) No error 5) GENERAL AWARENESS 121) Name the committee setup by Reserve Bank of India to study the feasibility of implementation of GIRO based payment system in India. 1) G Padmanabhan Committee 2) HR Khan Committee 3) KC Chakrabarty Committee 4) Anand Sinha Committee 5) None of these 122) Which is the dollar linked version of S&P BSE Sensex? 1) S&P Bombay Dollar Index-50 2) S&P BSE Dollex-30 3) S&P American Dollar Index-45 4) S&P Indian Rupee Index-50 5) None of these 123) IIFA award 2014 were recently held at which place? 1) Mumbai, India 2) Singapore 3) Toronto, Canada 4) Tampa Bay, USA 5) None of these 124) The book title ‘Be careful What You Wish For’ has been authored by who among the following? 1) Jeffrey Archer 2) Sudha Murthy 3) K R Kamath 4) Brahama Challany 5) None of these 125) What is the name of only supersonic cruise missile of India which is being developed jointly with Russia? 1) Brahmos 2) Nirbhay 3) Ashtra 4) Dhanush 5) None of these 126) Akash missile developed by DRDO is which type of missile? 1) Surface to Surface 2) Air to Air 3) Surface to air 4) Air to Surface 5) None of these 127) Anil Kumar Browne has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to which country? 1) Pakistan 2) Russia 3) UK 4) Norway 5) None of these 128) Who has been elected as Chief Minister of Sikkim for the record 5th time? 1) Pawan Kumar Chamling 2) Gurung Narang 3) Gegong Apang 4) Kazi Lhendup Dorjee 5) None of these 129) Elections to the Vidhan Sabha of certain states were held recently. In which of the following states the elections were not held along with the parliamentary elections 2014? 1) Gujarat 2) Arunachal Pradesh
- 54. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 54 3) Sikkim 4) Odisha 5) None of these 130) Heena Sidhu recently won gold medal in the international event associated with which game? 1) Cricket 2) Squash 3) Shooting 4) Athletics 5) None of these 131) Chitra Magimairaj has won the Senior Title in which game? 1) Chess 2) Snooker 3) Billiards 4) Shooting 5) None of these 132) 17th edition of Asian Games will be hosted by which country? 1) New Delhi, India 2) Shanghai, China 3) Incheon, South Korea 4) Manila, Philippines 5) None of these 133) Who won the National Santosh Trophy Championship 2014 held at Siliguri, West Bengal recently? 1) Mizoram 2) Punjab 3) Goa 4) Kerala 5) None of these 134) Some Indian companies are said to be in the process of issuing Foreign Currency Convertible Bond (FCCB) to raise foreign currency funds. What is FCCB? 1) It is a type of convertible bond issued in a currency different from the Indian currency 2) It is a bond issued to a foreign investor in Indian currency 3) It is a share issued in Indian currency to a foreign investor 4) It is a share issued in foreign currency to a Indian investor 5) None of these 135) S&P BSE Sensex is said to be the barometer of Indian capital markets and is issued by Bombay Stock Exchange. What does S&P stands for? 1) Standard & Poor 2) Secure & Profit 3) Systems & Procedures 4) Systems & Procedures 5) None of these 136) All companies register under companies Act are required to use the word “Limited” in their name. What is the meaning of word Limited in the context of Indian Companies Act? 1) The company can raise “Limited” capital for its business 2) The company can undertake only “Limited” activities mentioned in the companies Act 3) The liability of the shareholders is “Limited” to the extent of their investment 4) The promoters have a “Limited” interest in the running of the business 5) None of these 137) Which body has been constituted in law to protect the interest of depositors? 1) Reserve Bank of India 2) Securities Exchange Board of India 3) Insurance Regulatory Development Authority 4) Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority 5) None of these 138) Normally become across the term capital market. Which of the following statement about capital market is true? 1) Both primary market and secondary market constitute capital market 2) Only secondary market constitute capital market 3) Only primary market constitute capital market 4) Only money market 5) None of these 139) As per Banking Regulation Act, 1949, important functions of a bank are: 1) Discounting of bills 2) Collection of cheques and bills 3) Remittances 4) Safe custody of articles 5) All of these 140) Reserve Bank can issue notes of different denominations from: 1) Re. 1 to Rs. 5000 2) Rs. 2 to Rs. 5000 3) Rs. 2 to Rs. 10,000 4) All these 5) None of these 141) Shares of a public limited company are required to be listed on the stock exchange. What is the meaning of listing? 1) Listing implies that the shares are now available for trading in the secondary market 2) It means that SEBI has granted permission to the company to issue shares to the public 3) Listing means that the shares are included either in SENSEX or NIFTY 4) That the shares are being traded at the face value 5) None of these 142) In capital market we come across the term BEARS and BULLS. Which of the following statement regarding BEARS and BULLS is true? a) BEARS are those persons who think that the share prices will rise in near future b) BEARS are those persons who think that the share prices are likely to fall in near future c) BULLS are those persons who think that the share prices will rise in near future d) BULLS are those persons who think that the share prices are likely to fall in near future 1) Only a and c 2) Only b and c 3) Only a and d 4) Only b and d 5) None of these 143) Generally we come across in the newspaper that the company intends to raise money by issuing shares. It is part of __________? 1) Secondary market 2) Money market 3) Primary market 4) Share market 5) None of these
- 55. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 55 144) Which of the following statement regarding equity shares holders in public limited companies is true? 1) They do not have voting rights but are entitled to get dividend 2) They have the voting rights but are not entitled to the dividend 3) They have neither voting rights nor are entitled to dividend but are entitled to the bonus shares 4) Equity share holders are not entitled to bonus shares 5) None of these 145) Who has been named the Asian by Asian Awards Ltd recently? 1) Park Guen-Hye 2) Narendra Modi 3) Shinzo Abe 4) Xi Jingping 5) None of these 146) Who among the following won the men’s singles title of the India Super Series Badminton held in New Delhi recently? 1) Lee Chong Wei 2) Lin Dan 3) Peter Gade 4) P Kashyap 5) None of these 147) Who has authored the book “The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh”? 1) Vinod Dua 2) Sanjaya Baru 3) P.C. Parakh 4) Nidhi Razdan 5) None of these 148) The advances granted by the banks can be broadly categorized into performing advances and non performing advances. Which is the first stage of non performing advances? 1) Doubtful 2) Substandard 3) Non Profitable Advances 4) Likely bad advances 5) None of these 149) Which of the following statement regarding open market operations undertaken by Reserve Bank of India is true? 1) Reserve Bank of India sells foreign exchange in the open market to stabilize the value of Indian Currency 2) Open market operations refer to sale and purchase of govt. securities with the objective to maintain adequate rupee liquidity in the market 3) OMO is facility extended by RBI to scheduled commercial banks to avail liquidity in case of requirements or to park excess fund with RBI on an overnight basis 4) OMOs refer to providing the central govt. with temporary advances to meet their immediate needs 5) None of these 150) The Head Office of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is located in: 1) New Delhi 2) Hyderabad 3) Mumbai 4) Lucknow 5) None of these 151) In which year was the Reserve Bank of India established? 1) 1935 2) 1940 3) 1947 4) 1949 5) None of these 152) As per the provisions of which Act bankers have been empowered to take possession of the assets charged to them, without intervention of court? 1) Banking Regulation Act, 1949 2) Bankers Recovery of Loans Act, 1971 3) SARFAESI Act, 2002 4) Debt Recovery Tribunal Act, 1993 5) No such provision 153) XBRL is the computer language used for the purpose of implementation of 1) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles 2) International Financial Reporting Standards 3) International Fiscal Reporting Standards 4) General Anti Avoidance Rules 5) None of these 154) As per the Companies Act 2013, the maximum number of shareholders in a private limited company can be: 1) 300 2) 200 3) 100 4) 50 5) None of these 155) Fiscal deficit is: 1) Total income less Government borrowing 2) Total payments less total receipts 3) Total payments less capital receipts 4) Total borrowings raised by Govt. 5) None of these 156) The headquarter of World Trade Organization (WTO) is situated at: 1) Doha 2) Geneva 3) Rome 4) New York 5) None of these 157) The most important indicator of short term interest rates in the international banking is LIBOR. Full form of LIBOR is 1) London Inter Bank Offered Rate 2) London Inter Business Offered Rate 3) Life Insurance Bank Offered Rate 4) Liquidity Interest Business Offering Rate 5) None of these 158) Many times we read in newspapers that the RBI has revised certain rates / ratios under LAF. What is the full form of LAF? 1) Liquidity Adjustment Facility 2) Legal Adjustment Facility 3) Long-term Achievement Facility 4) Legal Adjustment Formality 5) None of these 159) Banking Ombudsman can pass orders upto Rs. ______ in complaints related to General Banking. 1) Rs. 10 lac 2) Rs. 12 lac 3) Rs. 15 lac 4) Rs. 20 lac 5) No limits 160) Share of agriculture in the GDP of India is less than _______ per cent. 1) 14 2) 13 3) 12 4) 11 5) 10
- 56. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 56 COMPUTER / MARKETING 161) The primarily take(s) care of the behind-the- scenes details and manage(s) the hardware. 1) operating system 2) application software 3) peripheral devices 4) hard disk 5) None of these 162) A _____ is a professionally designed ‘empty’ document that can be adapted to the user’s needs 1) file 2) guide 3) template 4) user guide file 5) None of these 163) A group of 8 bits is known as a – 1) byte 2) kilobyte 3) binary digit 4) megabit 5) None of these 164) The hardware device commonly referred to as the “brain” of the computer is the – 1) RAM Chip 2) data input 3) CPU 4) secondary storage 5) None of these 165) What is the intersection of a column and a row on a worksheet called? 1) Column 2) Value 3) Address 4) Cell 5) None of these 166) _____ are often delivered to a PC through an email attachment and are often designed to do harm. 1) Viruses 2) Value 3) Address 4) Cell 5) None of these 167) What is the storage area for email messages called? 1) A folder 2) A directory 3) A mailbox 4) The hard disk 5) None of these 168) A desktop computer is also known as a – 1) Palm Pilot 2) PC 3) laptop 4) mainframe 5) None of these 169) When a file contains instructions that can be carried out by the computer, it is often called a(n) _____ file. 1) data 2) information 3) executable 4) application 5) None of these 170) Documents converted to _____ can e published to the Web. 1) a .doc file 2) http 3) Machine Language 4) HTML 5) None of these 171) If a user needs information instantly available to the CPU, it should be stored – 1) on a CD 2) in secondary storage 3) in the CPU 4) in RAM 5) None of these 172) To what temporary area can you store text and other data, and later paste them to another location? 1) The clipboard 2) ROM 3) CD-ROM 4) The hard disk 5) None of these 173) In a spreadsheet, a ____ is a number you will use in a calculation. 1) label 2) cell 3) field 4) value 5) None of these 174) Click _____ check box of transition in a slide group of an animation tab if you want to move a slide automatically after stipulated time. 1) Transition timer 2) Automatically after 3) Transition after 4) Automatic timer 5) None of these 175) All of the following are included in removable media Except – 1) CD-ROMs 2) Diskette 3) DVDs 4) Hard Disk Drive 5) None of these 176) If you do not want to select any option after opening a menu then click menu title again or press key ____ to close the menu. 1) Shift 2) Tab 3) Escape 4) F1 5) None of these 177) It is easier to change the name of file using _____process. 1) Transforming 2) Christening 3) Renaming 4) Retagging 5) None of these 178) _______ view shows how the contents on printed page will appear with margin, header and footer. 1) Draft 2) Full Screen Reading 3) Outline 4) Page Layout 5) None of these 179) We can enter and edit the text efficiently using – 1) Spreadsheet 2) Typewriter 3) Word Processing Program 4) Desktop Publishing Program 5) None of these
- 57. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 57 180) _______ may be included in other folder while making hierarchical structure folder. 1) Minifolder 2) Tiered folder 3) Sub-folder 4) Object 5) None of these 181) Efficiency in selling skills is determined by – 1) Number of leads generated 2) Number of prospects met 3) Number of conversions made 4) All of these 5) None of these 182) Push style of selling is effective because – 1) Push is the only style of selling 2) It motivates the sales person 3) It pushes the customers to buy the products 4) It helps in quicker conversion 5) Push style can never be effective 183) Sales forecasting involves study of – 1) Sales planning 2) Proper selling price 3) Distribution outlets 4) Consumer needs and demands 5) All of these 184) Benchmark connotes – 1) Bank counters 2) ATMs 3) Standard value for comparison 4) Evaluation 5) All of these 185) USP in marketing language means – 1) Unique selling plan 2) Unique selling proposition 3) Unique selling person 4) Unique selling procedure 5) None of these 186) The USP of a savings bank account is: 1) Low EMI 2) Low rate of interest 3) Liquidity 4) High yield 5) There is no USP for SB ‘accounts 187) The USP of a current deposit account is – 1) Flexi operations 2) High rate of interest 3) Liquidity 4) Restricted balances 5) None of these 188) The USP of a personal loan is – 1) Available only to businessmen 2) Available only to salaried persons 3) Available to all professions 4) Easy EMIs 5) None of these 189) Marketing channels means – 1) Delivery time 2) Delivery Place 3) Delivery period 4) Purchase Outlets 5) None of these 190) Marketing channels for banks are – 1) Bank branches and ATMs 2) Bank branches and back office set ups 3) ATMs and back –office set ups 4) Only A and B 5) Only A and C 191) Internal Banking means - 1) Marketing on the net 2) Surfing on the net 3) Phishing 4) Banking on the net 5) None of these 192) Marketing of internet banking can be focused among ……….find the wrong option. 1) All existing customers 2) All corporate 3) All outsourced agencies 4) All NRIs 5) None of these 193) CRM means – 1) A charitable and religious movement 2) Customers meet 3) Customers reactions 4) Customer relationship management 5) Critical Reaction means 194) CRM is useful for the study of ……..find the wrong answer. 1) Customer needs 2) Customers information 3) Customer profiles 4) Customer threats 5) Customer satisfaction levels 195) Good customer service helps to boost – 1) Customer retention 2) Better image 3) Consumer loyalty 4) Higher sales 5) All of these 196) Cross – selling means and includes – 1) Selling to HNIs 2) Selling to NRIs 3) Conversion of prospects 4) Selling additional products 5) All of these 197) Cross-selling yields good results in the case of one of the following products – 1) Debit cards 2) SDV lockers 3) Personal loans 4) All of these 5) None of these 198) Incentives are paid to sales person in order to – 1) Distribute profits 2) Improve performance of the sales person 3) Impress targets of the sales persons 4) All of these 5) None of these 199) The performance of a sales person is directly linked to – 1) The amount of incentives paid 2) Profit level of the company 3) Ability of the sales persons 4) All of these 5) None of these 200) Study of marketing environment means – 1) Study of economic political, cultural and technical environment 2) Study of the company’ markets, potentials and competitions 3) Study of current developing trends 4) Study of employees’ potential 5) Study of sales persons potential
- 58. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 58 ANSWER KEY REASONING Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 1 2 2 1 3 4 4 2 5 3 6 5 7 1 8 3 9 4 10 1 11 4 12 5 13 2 14 5 15 2 16 2 17 2 18 2 19 2 20 5 21 3 22 2 23 3 24 1 25 1 26 1 27 3 28 2 29 5 30 2 31 3 32 4 33 5 34 5 35 5 36 5 37 4 38 1 39 4 40 4 NUMERICAL Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 41 2 42 3 43 2 44 4 45 2 46 5 47 5 48 5 49 3 50 1 51 1 52 3 53 5 54 5 55 1 56 4 57 5 58 5 59 4 60 5 61 5 62 1 63 2 64 5 65 2 66 1 67 5 68 2 69 3 70 5 71 4 72 2 73 1 74 2 75 4 76 1 77 3 78 1 79 2 80 4 ENGLISH Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 81 4 82 2 83 1 84 4 85 5 86 3 87 5 88 2 89 1 90 3 91 3 92 1 93 2 94 4 95 5 96 4 97 3 98 1 99 2 100 5 101 4 102 5 103 1 104 3 105 5 106 4 107 1 108 2 109 2 110 5 111 3 112 3 113 2 114 4 115 2 116 5 117 4 118 1 119 1 120 4 GENERAL AWARENESS Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 121 1 122 2 123 4 124 1 125 1 126 3 127 4 128 1 129 1 130 3 131 2 132 3 133 1 134 1 135 1 136 3 137 1 138 1 139 5 140 3 141 1 142 2 143 3 144 5 145 4 146 1 147 2 148 2 149 2 150 3 151 1 152 3 153 2 154 2 155 4 156 2 157 1 158 1 159 1 160 1 COMPUTER / MARKETING Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A 161 1 162 3 163 1 164 3 165 4 166 1 167 3 168 2 169 3 170 4 171 2 172 1 173 4 174 2 175 4 176 3 177 3 178 4 179 4 180 3 181 4 182 3 183 1 184 3 185 2 186 3 187 1 188 4 189 5 190 2 191 4 192 4 193 4 194 2 195 5 196 4 197 4 198 3 199 2 200 1 NOW ALSO AT S E C T O R 1 5 CHANDIGARH Exam Oriented Study Material Emphasis on Shortcuts Full Day Batch / 5 Hour Classes Exclusive Mock Tests For Punjab Exams SCF 22, 1ST FLOOR, OPP. POLICE POST, SECTOR 15–C, 9646-15-9977
- 59. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 59 CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES Govt. of India spends trillions of rupees every year on various Centrally Sponsored Schemes to provide basic facilities to common man in the areas like infrastructure, education, health and employment generation. In all, there are 39 such schemes including 17 flagship programmes. Some major Schemes are given below: SCHEMES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE BHARAT NIRMAN: It is the main infrastructure development programme of govt. of India for development of rural areas, started on 17.12.2005. The programme covers six main areas as under: (WRITE – H) a) WATER: Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission – Every habitation to have drinking water supply by 2012 under National Rural Drinking Water Programme. b) ROADS: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) - Every village in India with population of over 1,000 in plains and over 500 in hilly and tribal area to be connected with an all-weather road by end 2012. c) IRRIGATION: 1 Crore hectares to be brought under irrigation by end of 2012 under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). d) TELEPHONY: Every village to be provided with telephone connectivity. The target is to achieve 40% teledensity in rural areas by the end of 2014. Further, 2.50 lac village panchyats to be provided broadband connectivity by 2014. e) ELECTRICITY: To electrify 1 lakh villages and to provide free electricity connections to 175 lakh BPL households by March 2012 under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidutikaran Yojana. f) HOUSING: Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) -1.20 crore houses to be constructed for BPL rural households by 2014. The financial assistance provided for new construction in the form of grant is Rs.70,000/- per unit for the plain areas and Rs.75,000/- for the hilly/difficult areas. The house will be registered in the name of women. Engagement of contractors is prohibited. PROVISION OF URBAN AMENITIES TO RURAL AREAS (PURA) Concept of PURA was given by our former President, Sh APJ Abdul Kalam and is being implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development. The essence of the PURA scheme is to have the best of both the worlds– Private and Public, the leveraging of public funds with private capital and management expertise for creation and maintenance of rural infrastructure in an economically viable and sustainable manner. JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU NATIONAL URBAN RENEWAL MISSION (JNNURM) Also known as ‘City Modernization Scheme - JNNURM was launched in 2005 to build basic infrastructure, improve governance and provide basic facilities to the urban poor in 63 cities over seven years. Funds were to come from Center, state and the local bodies. Recently the scheme has been extended to 28 more centers. RAJIV AWAS YOJANA The scheme envisages a slum free India by 2022 where every slum dweller and urban poor will have access to basic civic and social services and decent shelter. Implemented by the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Ministry, RAY aims to bring existing slums within the formal system and enable them to avail the same level of basic amenities as the rest of the town. RAY Phase II has been launched in 2013. RASHTRIYA KRISHI VIKAS YOJANA This scheme was started in 2007 to spur growth in the agriculture and allied sectors with a view incentivize States to draw up comprehensive agriculture development plans taking into account agro-climatic conditions, natural resources and technology for ensuring more inclusive and integrated development of agriculture and allied activities. NFSM: National Food Security Mission BGREI: Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) PROGRAMMES IN EDUCATION SECTOR 1) SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SSA) Launched in 2001, it aims at achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India (article 21 a) making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right. SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations. 2) RASHTRIYA MADHYAMIK SHIKSHA ABHIYAN The goal of RMSA is to make secondary education of good quality available to all young students in the age group 15- 18 years (classes IX TO XII). It aims at providing a secondary school within 5 kms and hr sec within 7 kms. 3) RASHTRIYA UCHCHATAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN This programme aims at improving access, equity and quality in the state higher education system comprising of colleges and universities for improving the overall quality by ensuring conformity to prescribed norms and standards. 4) KASTURBA GANDHI BALIKA VIDYALAYA Launched in July 2004, for setting up residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minority communities. 75% of the seats are reserved for girls belonging to SC, ST, OBC or minority
- 60. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 60 communities and in remaining 25%,seats, priority is accorded to girls from families below poverty line. 5) MID-DAY-MEAL SCHEME (MDMS): Ranked as the largest school meals programme in the world, it provides nutritious meals to over 11 crore children in class 1 to 8 aimed at reducing the menace of malnutrition. Of these, 8.24 crore kids are in primary sections (class 1 to 5). Only women are allowed to be engaged as cooks. The Government has revised the food norms to ensure that every child upto class five gets 100 grams food items and 150 grams for children of class 6 to 8. In case food is not available, a cash compensation of Rs. 5 has to be provided up to class five and Rs.7.50 for class 6 to 8. Tamil Nadu was the first state to launch the scheme. Aamir Khan has been appointed brand ambassador for spreading awareness against malnutrition. 6) SAAKSHAR BHARAT aims at achieving 80% literacy level (as against 74.04% in 2011 census) by focusing on adult women literacy, covering 70 million adults in the age group of 15 years and beyond, in 410 districts belonging to 26 States/UTs. In 2011, literacy in men was at 82.14% and for women 64.40%. Bihar has lowest literacy rate – 63.82% while Tripura tops at 94.65%. PROGRAMMES IN HEALTH SECTOR 1) NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION Launched in 2005, it was initially named as National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to build a healthcare delivery system covering the entire rural population. NRHM aims to build or upgrade infrastructure, appoint medical personnel and address key issues like infant / maternal mortality. A key element of the programme is to promote traditional alternative system of medicines under AYUSH programme (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy). NHM now includes National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) also to cover underdeveloped urban areas. Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) For reducing maternal and neo-natal mortality by promoting institutional delivery. It provides cash assistance of Rs 1400 to mother and Rs 600 to ASHA in rural areas, and Rs 1000 for mother and Rs 200 for ASHA in urban areas. ASHA: Accredited Social Health Activist – Min 8th pass in the age group of 25 to 45. ANM: Auxiliary Nurse Midwife 2) INDIRA GANDHI MATRITVA SAHYOG YOJANA This is a scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) formulated for pregnant and lactating mothers. Under this Scheme, a cash incentive of Rs. 4000 is provided directly to women of 19 years and above for the first two live births, from the second trimester of pregnancy till the new born completes 6 months of age. 3) INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES To provide nutritional supplements, health check-ups and immunization coverage to children up to the age of 6 years. Main vaccine is DPT – Diphtheria, Pertusis and Typhoid. 4) PRADHAN MANTRI SWASTHYA SURAKSHA YOJANA: Objective: Correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/reliable tertiary health care services and to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country by providing more medical institutions. 5) RAJIV GANDHI SCHEME FOR EMPOWER- MENT OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS (RGSEAG) Popularly called Sabla, the scheme has been launched recently to focus on self-development, nutrition and health status needs, literacy and numerical skills and vocational skills of adolescent girls in the age group 11-18 years. 6) SAKSHAM SCHEME: Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched this scheme to empower adolescent boys in the age group of 11 to 18 years by educating them on gender sensitivity and moral behaviour. 7) RASHTRIYA KISHOR SWASTHYA KARYAKRAM Also known as National Adolescent Health Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched this programme to comprehensively address the health needs of the nearly 243 million children forming over 21 per cent of India’s population. It envisages that every village with 1,000 persons will select peer educators and train them to discuss issues of adolescent health — from nutrition and gender-based violence to substance abuse and mental health — with their friends from the community. The programme defines an adolescent as a person within 10-19 years of age, in urban and rural areas, includes both girls and boys, married and unmarried, poor and affluent, whether they are in school or out of school. 8) POLIO ERADICATION (PULSE POLIO): Launched in 1994, Pulse Polio drastically reduced polio (Poliomyelitis-a viral disease) cases, and India has been declared polio-free by WHO leaving only three nations affected with polio – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. It covers children upto the age of 5. 9) NIRMAL BHARAT ABHIYAN Launched in 1999 as Total Sanitation Campaign, it aims at making India 100% free from open defecation by 2022 and thus reduces the spread of various diseases. Vidya Balan has been appointed as brand ambassador for this programme. Nirmal Gram Puraskar is given to panchayat of the village which attains 100% target of indoor toilets. As per 2011census, only 33% households have indoor latarines. Sikkim has become India’s first open defecation free state while Kerala and HP are next in line. 10) AAM ADMI BIMA YOJANA (AABY): Date of Launch : October 2, 2007 Through - LIC Coverage: Head of a family or rural landless households, in the age group of 18 to 59 years, against natural death as well as accidental death and partial/permanent disability. Sum insured: Death due to accident - Rs.75,000 Permanent disability due to accident - Rs. 37,500 Normal death - Rs.30,000
- 61. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 61 Premium: Rs. 200 per annum, 50% by central government and 50% by state government. A free add-on scholarship benefit of Rs 100/- pm is available for two children, studying between 9th to I2th Standard, of the members of AABY. 11) RASHTRIYA SWASTHYA BIMA YOJANA: Date of Launch: April 1,2008 Coverage: BPL workers / families in unorganized sector ; Auto and taxi drivers will have to bear 50% of the premium Sum insured: Rs. 30,000 per family per annum Premium: Rs. 750 per annum, Central Govt – 75%; State Govt – 25%. Beneficiary to pay only Rs 30 for registration POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES Govt. of India has launched a number of programmes aimed at bringing people above the poverty line by providing them appropriate earning alternatives. 1) MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT / SCHEME: Launched on February 2, 2006, Act passed in 2005 Work Assured 100 days work per family; 150 days for Scheduled Tribes (ST) households living in forest areas who have received land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Allocation for the year 2013-14 is Rs.33,000 cr. Minimum wage is now linked to CPI (Agriculture Labour) and thus differs from state to state. Highest - Haryana – Rs.214; Lowest - Sikkim, Tripura and Nagaland – Rs. 135. Govt has assured that families completing 100 days work under MGNREGA will be provided with skill development and placement support for one person per family. Work has to be provided within 15 days of receipt of application, within 10 kms of residence, failing which wages will have to be paid without work. The scheme includes works under rural sanitation projects and sericulture. 2) SWARANJAYANTI GRAM SWAROJGAR YOJANA Launched on 01-04-1999 Applicable to all BPL families in rural areas with population upto 50,000. It is part of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), popularly known as AAJEEVIKA. Full cost of projects developed by NABARD can be financed by banks. 3) SWARNA JAYANTI SHAHRI ROZGAR YOJANA SJSRY was introduced on 01-12-1997, revised in October, 2009. The new scheme has five major components the project has been given a new name – National Urban Livelihood Mission. The scheme covers all BPL families in urban areas (population above 50,000) for project costing up to Rs. 2 lac. 4) PRIME MINISTER EMPLOYMENT GENERA- TION PROGRAMME (PMEGP): Date of Launch 10th October 2008 A scheme for providing bank finance to individuals of 18 years and above with no income limit or minimum educational qualification. If the project cost is more than Rs 10 lakh (manufacturing) or Rs 5 lakh (services), then min. 8th pass. Projects upto Rs. 25 lac in manufacturing sector and upto Rs. 10 lacs in business and service sector can be financed SOME OTHER SCHEMES ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA: Launched on 25th December,2000 Aimed at the poorest of poor BPL families are provided 35 Kg food grains per family per month @ Rs.2/-Kg for wheat and Rs. 3/-Kg for rice. NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement etc. Government of India introduced National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) in 1995 with five schemes for BPL persons:- i) Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme To provide subsistence to the Senior Citizens in the BPL category. All persons in the age group of 60 and above (earlier 65 years) are entitled to receive a pension of Rs. 200per month. Super senior citizens i.e. persons with age of 80 years and above are entitled to a pension of Rs. 500. ii) Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme pension of Rs 300 to widows in the age group of 40-64 years, with equal contribution from state. iii) Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme pension of Rs. 300 per month to severely disabled persons, with equal contribution from state. iv) National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS); A lump sum grant of Rs 20,000 in case of natural or accidental death of the “primary breadwinner” of the BPL family. v) Annapurna Scheme Date of Launch 01–01-2002 Aim : Providing food security to those BPL Senior Citizens who though eligible have remained uncovered under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) 10 Kg. of food grains per month are provided 'free of cost' to the beneficiary
- 62. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 59 CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES Govt. of India spends trillions of rupees every year on various Centrally Sponsored Schemes to provide basic facilities to common man in the areas like infrastructure, education, health and employment generation. In all, there are 39 such schemes including 17 flagship programmes. Some major Schemes are given below: SCHEMES FOR INFRASTRUCTURE BHARAT NIRMAN: It is the main infrastructure development programme of govt. of India for development of rural areas, started on 17.12.2005. The programme covers six main areas as under: (WRITE – H) a) WATER: Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission – Every habitation to have drinking water supply by 2012 under National Rural Drinking Water Programme. b) ROADS: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) - Every village in India with population of over 1,000 in plains and over 500 in hilly and tribal area to be connected with an all-weather road by end 2012. c) IRRIGATION: 1 Crore hectares to be brought under irrigation by end of 2012 under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). d) TELEPHONY: Every village to be provided with telephone connectivity. The target is to achieve 40% teledensity in rural areas by the end of 2014. Further, 2.50 lac village panchyats to be provided broadband connectivity by 2014. e) ELECTRICITY: To electrify 1 lakh villages and to provide free electricity connections to 175 lakh BPL households by March 2012 under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidutikaran Yojana. f) HOUSING: Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) -1.20 crore houses to be constructed for BPL rural households by 2014. The financial assistance provided for new construction in the form of grant is Rs.70,000/- per unit for the plain areas and Rs.75,000/- for the hilly/difficult areas. The house will be registered in the name of women. Engagement of contractors is prohibited. PROVISION OF URBAN AMENITIES TO RURAL AREAS (PURA) Concept of PURA was given by our former President, Sh APJ Abdul Kalam and is being implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development. The essence of the PURA scheme is to have the best of both the worlds– Private and Public, the leveraging of public funds with private capital and management expertise for creation and maintenance of rural infrastructure in an economically viable and sustainable manner. JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU NATIONAL URBAN RENEWAL MISSION (JNNURM) Also known as ‘City Modernization Scheme - JNNURM was launched in 2005 to build basic infrastructure, improve governance and provide basic facilities to the urban poor in 63 cities over seven years. Funds were to come from Center, state and the local bodies. Recently the scheme has been extended to 28 more centers. RAJIV AWAS YOJANA The scheme envisages a slum free India by 2022 where every slum dweller and urban poor will have access to basic civic and social services and decent shelter. Implemented by the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Ministry, RAY aims to bring existing slums within the formal system and enable them to avail the same level of basic amenities as the rest of the town. RAY Phase II has been launched in 2013. RASHTRIYA KRISHI VIKAS YOJANA This scheme was started in 2007 to spur growth in the agriculture and allied sectors with a view incentivize States to draw up comprehensive agriculture development plans taking into account agro-climatic conditions, natural resources and technology for ensuring more inclusive and integrated development of agriculture and allied activities. NFSM: National Food Security Mission BGREI: Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) PROGRAMMES IN EDUCATION SECTOR 1) SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SSA) Launched in 2001, it aims at achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India (article 21 a) making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right. SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations. 2) RASHTRIYA MADHYAMIK SHIKSHA ABHIYAN The goal of RMSA is to make secondary education of good quality available to all young students in the age group 15- 18 years (classes IX TO XII). It aims at providing a secondary school within 5 kms and hr sec within 7 kms. 3) RASHTRIYA UCHCHATAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN This programme aims at improving access, equity and quality in the state higher education system comprising of colleges and universities for improving the overall quality by ensuring conformity to prescribed norms and standards. 4) KASTURBA GANDHI BALIKA VIDYALAYA Launched in July 2004, for setting up residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minority communities. 75% of the seats are reserved for girls belonging to SC, ST, OBC or minority
- 63. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 60 communities and in remaining 25%,seats, priority is accorded to girls from families below poverty line. 5) MID-DAY-MEAL SCHEME (MDMS): Ranked as the largest school meals programme in the world, it provides nutritious meals to over 11 crore children in class 1 to 8 aimed at reducing the menace of malnutrition. Of these, 8.24 crore kids are in primary sections (class 1 to 5). Only women are allowed to be engaged as cooks. The Government has revised the food norms to ensure that every child upto class five gets 100 grams food items and 150 grams for children of class 6 to 8. In case food is not available, a cash compensation of Rs. 5 has to be provided up to class five and Rs.7.50 for class 6 to 8. Tamil Nadu was the first state to launch the scheme. Aamir Khan has been appointed brand ambassador for spreading awareness against malnutrition. 6) SAAKSHAR BHARAT aims at achieving 80% literacy level (as against 74.04% in 2011 census) by focusing on adult women literacy, covering 70 million adults in the age group of 15 years and beyond, in 410 districts belonging to 26 States/UTs. In 2011, literacy in men was at 82.14% and for women 64.40%. Bihar has lowest literacy rate – 63.82% while Tripura tops at 94.65%. PROGRAMMES IN HEALTH SECTOR 1) NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION Launched in 2005, it was initially named as National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to build a healthcare delivery system covering the entire rural population. NRHM aims to build or upgrade infrastructure, appoint medical personnel and address key issues like infant / maternal mortality. A key element of the programme is to promote traditional alternative system of medicines under AYUSH programme (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy). NHM now includes National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) also to cover underdeveloped urban areas. Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) For reducing maternal and neo-natal mortality by promoting institutional delivery. It provides cash assistance of Rs 1400 to mother and Rs 600 to ASHA in rural areas, and Rs 1000 for mother and Rs 200 for ASHA in urban areas. ASHA: Accredited Social Health Activist – Min 8th pass in the age group of 25 to 45. ANM: Auxiliary Nurse Midwife 2) INDIRA GANDHI MATRITVA SAHYOG YOJANA This is a scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) formulated for pregnant and lactating mothers. Under this Scheme, a cash incentive of Rs. 4000 is provided directly to women of 19 years and above for the first two live births, from the second trimester of pregnancy till the new born completes 6 months of age. 3) INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES To provide nutritional supplements, health check-ups and immunization coverage to children up to the age of 6 years. Main vaccine is DPT – Diphtheria, Pertusis and Typhoid. 4) PRADHAN MANTRI SWASTHYA SURAKSHA YOJANA: Objective: Correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/reliable tertiary health care services and to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country by providing more medical institutions. 5) RAJIV GANDHI SCHEME FOR EMPOWER- MENT OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS (RGSEAG) Popularly called Sabla, the scheme has been launched recently to focus on self-development, nutrition and health status needs, literacy and numerical skills and vocational skills of adolescent girls in the age group 11-18 years. 6) SAKSHAM SCHEME: Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched this scheme to empower adolescent boys in the age group of 11 to 18 years by educating them on gender sensitivity and moral behaviour. 7) RASHTRIYA KISHOR SWASTHYA KARYAKRAM Also known as National Adolescent Health Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched this programme to comprehensively address the health needs of the nearly 243 million children forming over 21 per cent of India’s population. It envisages that every village with 1,000 persons will select peer educators and train them to discuss issues of adolescent health — from nutrition and gender-based violence to substance abuse and mental health — with their friends from the community. The programme defines an adolescent as a person within 10-19 years of age, in urban and rural areas, includes both girls and boys, married and unmarried, poor and affluent, whether they are in school or out of school. 8) POLIO ERADICATION (PULSE POLIO): Launched in 1994, Pulse Polio drastically reduced polio (Poliomyelitis-a viral disease) cases, and India has been declared polio-free by WHO leaving only three nations affected with polio – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. It covers children upto the age of 5. 9) NIRMAL BHARAT ABHIYAN Launched in 1999 as Total Sanitation Campaign, it aims at making India 100% free from open defecation by 2022 and thus reduces the spread of various diseases. Vidya Balan has been appointed as brand ambassador for this programme. Nirmal Gram Puraskar is given to panchayat of the village which attains 100% target of indoor toilets. As per 2011census, only 33% households have indoor latarines. Sikkim has become India’s first open defecation free state while Kerala and HP are next in line. 10) AAM ADMI BIMA YOJANA (AABY): Date of Launch : October 2, 2007 Through - LIC Coverage: Head of a family or rural landless households, in the age group of 18 to 59 years, against natural death as well as accidental death and partial/permanent disability. Sum insured: Death due to accident - Rs.75,000 Permanent disability due to accident - Rs. 37,500 Normal death - Rs.30,000
- 64. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 61 Premium: Rs. 200 per annum, 50% by central government and 50% by state government. A free add-on scholarship benefit of Rs 100/- pm is available for two children, studying between 9th to I2th Standard, of the members of AABY. 11) RASHTRIYA SWASTHYA BIMA YOJANA: Date of Launch: April 1,2008 Coverage: BPL workers / families in unorganized sector ; Auto and taxi drivers will have to bear 50% of the premium Sum insured: Rs. 30,000 per family per annum Premium: Rs. 750 per annum, Central Govt – 75%; State Govt – 25%. Beneficiary to pay only Rs 30 for registration POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES Govt. of India has launched a number of programmes aimed at bringing people above the poverty line by providing them appropriate earning alternatives. 1) MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT / SCHEME: Launched on February 2, 2006, Act passed in 2005 Work Assured 100 days work per family; 150 days for Scheduled Tribes (ST) households living in forest areas who have received land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Allocation for the year 2013-14 is Rs.33,000 cr. Minimum wage is now linked to CPI (Agriculture Labour) and thus differs from state to state. Highest - Haryana – Rs.214; Lowest - Sikkim, Tripura and Nagaland – Rs. 135. Govt has assured that families completing 100 days work under MGNREGA will be provided with skill development and placement support for one person per family. Work has to be provided within 15 days of receipt of application, within 10 kms of residence, failing which wages will have to be paid without work. The scheme includes works under rural sanitation projects and sericulture. 2) SWARANJAYANTI GRAM SWAROJGAR YOJANA Launched on 01-04-1999 Applicable to all BPL families in rural areas with population upto 50,000. It is part of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), popularly known as AAJEEVIKA. Full cost of projects developed by NABARD can be financed by banks. 3) SWARNA JAYANTI SHAHRI ROZGAR YOJANA SJSRY was introduced on 01-12-1997, revised in October, 2009. The new scheme has five major components the project has been given a new name – National Urban Livelihood Mission. The scheme covers all BPL families in urban areas (population above 50,000) for project costing up to Rs. 2 lac. 4) PRIME MINISTER EMPLOYMENT GENERA- TION PROGRAMME (PMEGP): Date of Launch 10th October 2008 A scheme for providing bank finance to individuals of 18 years and above with no income limit or minimum educational qualification. If the project cost is more than Rs 10 lakh (manufacturing) or Rs 5 lakh (services), then min. 8th pass. Projects upto Rs. 25 lac in manufacturing sector and upto Rs. 10 lacs in business and service sector can be financed SOME OTHER SCHEMES ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA: Launched on 25th December,2000 Aimed at the poorest of poor BPL families are provided 35 Kg food grains per family per month @ Rs.2/-Kg for wheat and Rs. 3/-Kg for rice. NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement etc. Government of India introduced National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) in 1995 with five schemes for BPL persons:- i) Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme To provide subsistence to the Senior Citizens in the BPL category. All persons in the age group of 60 and above (earlier 65 years) are entitled to receive a pension of Rs. 200per month. Super senior citizens i.e. persons with age of 80 years and above are entitled to a pension of Rs. 500. ii) Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme pension of Rs 300 to widows in the age group of 40-64 years, with equal contribution from state. iii) Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme pension of Rs. 300 per month to severely disabled persons, with equal contribution from state. iv) National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS); A lump sum grant of Rs 20,000 in case of natural or accidental death of the “primary breadwinner” of the BPL family. v) Annapurna Scheme Date of Launch 01–01-2002 Aim : Providing food security to those BPL Senior Citizens who though eligible have remained uncovered under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) 10 Kg. of food grains per month are provided 'free of cost' to the beneficiary
- 65. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 62 200 MCQs ON INDIAN POLITY (SPECIAL SSC) 1) Who among the following can participate in the proceedings of both the houses of parliament? 1) Vice-President 2) Solicitor General 3) Chief Justice 4) Attorney General 2) What can be the maximum interval between two sessions of parliament? 1) 3 months 2) 4 months 3) 6 months 4) 9 months 3) How are legislative excesses of parliament and state assemblies checked? 1) Intervention from President/Governor 2) No-Confidence motions 3) Judicial review 4) General elections 4) Which of the following non-member of Parliament has the right to address it? 1) Attorney General of India 2) Solicitor General of India 3) Chief Justice of India 4) Chief Election Commissioner 5) In order to be recognized as an official Opposition Group in the parliament, how many seats should it have? 1) 1/3rd of the total strength 2) ¼ of the total strength 3) 1/6th of the total strength 4) 1/10th of the total strength 6) Which functionary can be invited to give his opinion in the parliament? 1) Attorney General of India 2) Chief Justice of India 3) Chief Election commission of India 4) Comptroller and auditor General of India 7) Age of a candidate to contest parliamentary election should not be lesser than: 1) 18 years 2) 21 years 3) 25 years 4) 26 years 8) The most important feature of the Indian Parliament is that: 1) It is the union legislature in India 2) It also comprises of the President 3) It is bicameral in nature 4) The upper house of the parliament is never dissolved 9) Japan’s Parliament is known as – 1) Diet 2) Dail 3) Yuan 4) Shora 10) Who said, Parliamentary system provides a daily as well as a periodic assessment of the Government? 1) B.R. Ambedkar 2) B.N. Rau 3) Jawahar Lal Nehru 4) Rajendra Prasad 11) The vice-President is the ex-officio chairman of the– 1) Rajya Sabha 2) Lok Sabha 3) Planning Commission 4) National Development council 12) The Rajya Sabha is dissolved after – 1) Every five years 2) Every six years 3) On the advice of the Prime minister 4) None of these 13) The upper house of Indian Parliament is known as – 1) The Rajya Sabha 2) The Lok Sabha 3) The national Assembly 4) The Indian Parliament 14) Who is the chairman of Rajya Sabha – 1) The President 2) The Vice-President 3) Legislative Council 4) Legislative assembly 15) Which is the House where the chair person is not the member of that House? 1) Rajya Sabha 2) Lok Sabha 3) Legislative Council 4) Legislative Assembly 16) How many members are nominated by the President in the Rajya Sabha? 1) 2 2) 10 3) 12 4) 15 17) The speaker of Lok Sabha can resign his office by addressing his resignation to – 1) The president 2) The prime Minister 3) The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha 4) The chief justice of India 18) A money bill passed by the Lok Sabha is deemed to have been passed by the Rajya Sabha also when no action is taken by the Upper House (Rajya Sabha ) within – 1) 10 days 2) 14 days 3) 20 days 4) 30 days 19) What can be maximum interval between two sessions of Parliament? 1) 3montsh 2) 4 months 3) 6 months 4) 9 months 20) Bill of which of the following categories can be initiated only in Lok Sabha? 1) Ordinary Bill 2) Private Members bill 3) Money bill 4) Constitution Amendment bill 21) Who decides whether a bill is a money bill or not? 1) Speaker of the Lok Sabha 2) The President 3) The Prime Minister 4) The parliamentary select committee
- 66. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 63 22) By which bill the Government propose collection of revenues for a year? 1) Economic Bill 2) Finance Bill 3) Supplementary Bill 4) None of these 23) Who calls the joint session of the two Houses of the Parliament? 1) The President 2) The Prime Minister 3) The Lok Sabha Speaker 4) The vice President 24) What is Zero Hour? 1) When the proposals of the opposition are raised 2) When matters of utmost importance are raised 3) Interval between the morning and afternoon sessions 4) When a money bill is introduced in Lok Sabha 25) Which of the following Ministries prepares its own budget and presents in the Parliament every year? 1) Finance Ministry 2) Railway Ministry 3) Ministry of Defence 4) Ministry of Home affairs 26) The Governor of a state in India is – 1) Directly elected by the people of India 2) Appointed by the state chief Minister 3) Appointed by the Prime Minister 4) Appointed by the President 27) Which one of the following offices is held during the pleasure of the President of India? 1) Vice-President 2) Chief Justice of India 3) Governor of a State 4) Chairman of UPSC 28) The Chief Minister is appointed by – 1) The Governor 2) The President 3) The Chief Justice of Supreme Court 4) The Chief justice of High court 29) Who among the following was the first woman chief minister in independent India? 1) Amrit Kaur 2) Sarojini Naidu 3) Sucheta Kriplani 4) Vijaya lakshmi Pandit 30) Who was the first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand State? 1) Bhagat Singh Koshyari 2) Nityanand Swami 3) N.D. Tiwari 4) None of these 31) Which Indian State had the first woman chief Minister? 1) U.P. 2) Bihar 3) Tamil Nadu 4) Delhi 32) The total number of members of the legislative council can in no case be less than: 1) 40 2) 50 3) 60 4) No minimum strength has been fixed 33) Who among the following recommendation to the parliament for the abolition of the legislative council in state? 1) The President of India 2) The Governor of the concerned state 3) The legislative council of the concerned state 4) The legislative assembly of the concerned state 34) Which is the upper chamber of state legislature in India? 1) Legislative Council 2) Legislative Council 3) Governor’s Office 4) None of these 35) The Maximum number of members that the legislative assembly of a state in India can have is: 1) 400 2) 450 3) 500 4) 600 36) The Chief justice of a high court is appointed by: 1) President 2) Governor 3) Chief Justice of India 4) President and the chief Justice of India 37) To which of the following state the special Marriage Act 1954 does not apply? 1) Meghalaya 2) Nagaland 3) Tripura 4) Jammu and Kashmir 38) Which article of the constitution of India accords special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir? 1) 311 2) 324 3) 356 4) 370 39) Which one of the following states has a separate constitution? 1) Arunachal Pradesh 2) Assam 3) Jammu and Kashmir 4) Sikkim 40) In Indian constitution, article 370 is related with which? 1) Jammu and Kashmir 2) Reservation of Scheduled castes and Scheduled 3) Punjab and Haryana States 4) Karnataka and Tamil Nadu States 41) Who appoints the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir? 1) The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir 2) The Chief Minister of High court of Jammu and Kashmir 3) The Prime Minister of India 4) The President of India 42) Which of the following states can nominate two women members to the Legislative assembly? 1) Himachal Pradesh 2) Uttar Pradesh 3) Jammu and Kashmir 4) Kerala 43) Where was the first Municipal Corporation in India set up? 1) Bombay 2) Calcutta 3) Delhi 4) Madras 44) The Constitutional (74th ) Amendment act, 1993 mentions of the: 1) Composition of the National Development Council 2) Functions of the state Finance Commission 3) Functions of the Kaveri Water Authority 4) The Municipalities 45) Provisions regarding Municpalities and Panchayats was made in the Indian Constitution in which year? 1) 1991 2) 1993
- 67. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 64 3) 1995 4) 2000 46) All day-to-day functions of the Panchayat in which of the following states are being operated on electronic system and are web- based? (This is being done for the first time in India for a Panchayat) 1) Kerala 2) Karnataka 3) Andhra Pradesh 4) Maharashtra 47) The Constitution of India mandates that the elections of the Panchayati Raj should be held regularly after a gap of: 1) 2 years 2) 3 years 3) 4 years 4) 5 years 48) The first finance commission was constituted in: 1) 1950 2) 1951 3) 1952 4) 1954. 49) Which agency acts as co-ordinator between union government, Planning commission and state Governments? 1) National integration council 2) Finance Commission 3) National Development Council 4) Inter State Council 50) Fiscal Deficit is – 1) Total Expenditures – Total receipts 2) Revenue expenditures – Revenue receipts 3) Capital expenditure – capital receipts – Borrowings 4) Sum of Budget Deficit and Government’s market borrowings and liabilities 51) Which one of the following forms the largest share of deficit in Government of India budget: 1) Primary Deficit 2) Fiscal Deficit 3) Revenue Deficit 4) Capital Deficit 52) Which is NOT a central service? 1) Indian Police Service (IPS) 2) Indian Foreign service (IFC) 3) Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) 4) Indian Revenue Service (IRS) 53) The annual report of the UPSC is submitted to: 1) The President 2) The Supreme Court 3) The Prime Minister 4) The Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission 54) Which of the following service is not part of the All India Services? 1) IAS (Indian Administrative Services) 2) IFS (Indian Forest Services) 3) IPS (Indian Police Services) 4) IMS (Indian Military Services) 55) Consider the following statements: 1. The number of the Members of Union Public service Commission is determined by the President of India 2. The Union Public Service Commission was constituted under the provisions in the Constitution of India Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1) 1 only 2) 2 only 3) Both 1 and 2 4) Neither 1 nor 2 56) Who appoints the Chairman and the members of Union Public Service Commission? 1) Parliament 2) President 3) Chief Justice of India 4) Selection Committee 57) In which schedule of the constitution will the new State of Telangana be mentioned as the 29th State of the India? 1) First Schedule 2) Second Schedule 3) Fourth Schedule 4) Tenth Schedule 58) When was the mandate that a candidate at an election should file with his nomination papers an affidavit recording the particulars of the spouse and the dependents, enforced at a General Election for the first time? 1) Assembly elections held in Madhya Pradesh / Chhattisgarh in Dec. 2003 2) Assembly election held in Mizoram in Nov. 2003 3) Assembly elections held in Himachal Pradesh in 2003 4) Assembly elections held in Rajasthan /Delhi in Dec. 2003 59) A National political party is one which receives 6% of the total votes polled in: 1) Two or more states 2) The capital city 3) Four or more states 4) In all states 60) What is the minimum age prescribed in India for its citizens to cast their vote? 1) 21 Years 2) 18 Years 3) 25 Years 4) 16 Years 61) The election disputes regarding the election of President and Vice –President can be heard by: 1) Parliament 2) Central Election commission 3) Supreme Court 4) Attorney-General of India 62) The Constitutional Amendment by which the age for voting has been revised from 21 years to 18 years is: 1) 51st 2) 56th 3) 61st 4) 64th 63) The right to vote in India is given to all people on the basis of: 1) Education 2) Property 3) Religion 4) Age 64) Now-a-days the election commission of India uses EVM during the General Election in the country. What is the full form of EVM? 1) Electronic Voting Machine 2) Election Validation Machine 3) Electronic validation management 4) None of these 65) NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Day is observed on which of the following day? 1) 9th January 2) 9th February 3) 19th March 4) 9thMatch
- 68. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 65 66) English is the official language of which one of the following Indian States? 1) Nagaland 2) Tripura 3) Assam 4) Manipur 67) Which article of the constitution provides power to the parliament to make any provision with respect to acquisition and termination of citizenship and all other matters related to the citizenship: 1) Article 11 2) Article 13 3) Article 12 4) Article 111 68) Andhra Pradesh was created as a linguistic state in: 1) 1950 2) 1953 3) 1956 4) 1961 69) The first Indian state which was created on a linguistic basis following a long drawn agitation is: 1) Andhra Pradesh 2) Assam 3) Tamil Nadu 4) Karnataka 70) How many types of emergencies are envisaged by the constitution? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 71) In India, within how much period, should the proclamation of emergency be approved by both houses of the Parliament? 1) 14 days 2) 1 month 3) 3 months 4) 6 months 72) Which one of the following articles of the constitution of India has provision for the President to proclaim emergency? 1) Article 352 2) Article 355 3) Article 356 4) Article 360 73) Under which of the following circumstances can the national emergency under Article 352 of the Indian constitution be proclaimed? 1) Failure of constitutional machinery 2) Breakdown of law and order 3) Internal disturbance 4) War, external aggression or armed rebellion 74) How many times has financial emergency been declared in India so far? 1) Once 2) 4 times 2) 5 times 4) Never 75) How many spokes are there in the Dharma Chakra (Ashok Chakra) depicted on the national flag of India? 1) 16 2) 32 3) 24 4) 22 76) What is the scientific name of National Animal-tiger-of India? 1) Panthera Leo 2) Panthera tigris 3) Elephas Indicus 4) Bos domesticus 77) Which is National Flower of India? 1) Rose 2) Lotus 3) Lily 4) Sunflower 78) India borrowed the concept of ‘sovereignty of parliament’ from _________. 1) China 2) Russia 3) France 4) Britain 79) The Supreme Court of India was inaugurated on __________. 1) January 28, 1951 2) January 28, 1950 3) January 30, 1950 4) January 30, 1949 80) At present, how many members are there in Supreme Court of India? 1) 35 judges 2) 31 judges 3) 33 judges 4) None of these 81) In which case, the Supreme Court ruled that ‘the senior most judge of supreme court should alone be appointed to the office of the Chief justice of India’? 1) First judges case 2) Second judges case 3) Third judges case 4) None of these 82) Which among the following act is not related to the advisory jurisdiction of Supreme Court? 1) Coal Bearing Areas Act 2) Delhi Laws Act 3) Sea Customs Act 4) Kerala Education Bill 83) In which year the Jammu and Kashmir Resettlement Act was passed 1) 1978 2) 1980 3) 1982 4) 1984 84) The write-_______ literally means ‘we command’ 1) Habeas Corpus 2) Prohibition 3) Quo-wauanto 4) Mandamus 85) Which among the following Articles of Directive Principles of State Policy deals with the promotion of international peace and security? 1) 51 2) 48A 3) 43A 4) 41 86) Which among the following rights was described by Dr. BR. Ambedkar as the heart and soul of the constitution? 1) Right to freedom of Religion 2) Right to property 3) Right to equality 4) Right to Constitutional Remedies 87) Five year plan in India is finally approved by _ 1) Union Cabinet 2) President on the advice of Prime Minister 3) Planning Commission 4) National Development Council 88) In the Indian Constitution, the Right to equality mentioned from………………… 1) Article 16 to Article 20 2) Article 15 to Article 19 3) Article 14 to Article 18 4) Article 14 to Article 17 89) Which one of the following amendments to the Indian Constitution empowers the President to send back any matter for reconsideration by the Council of Ministers? 1) 39th 2) 40th
- 69. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 66 3) 42nd 4) 44th 90) Which one of the following bills must be passed by each house of Indian parliament separately by special majority? 1) Ordinary Bill 2) Money Bill 3) Finance Bill 4) Constitution Amendment Bill 91) Which Amendment Act facilitated the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states? 1) 7th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1956 2) 8th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1960 3) 10th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1961 4) 15th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1963 92) Increased salary of Governor from 2008 is _________. 1) 36,000 2) 1.10 lakh 3) 1,50,000 4) None of these 93) The salary and allowances of the Chief Minister is determined by ________. 1) President 2) Governor 3) Parliament 4) State Legislature 94) Duty of the Chief Minister is described in the Article ________. 1) Article 165 2) Article 163 3) Article 154 4) Article 167 95) Article 163 deals with _________. 1) Appointment and tenure of the ministers 2) Council of Ministers to aid and advise Governor 3) Oath or affirmation by the Governor 4) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Legislative Assembly 96) Which part of the constitution deals with composition and powers of State Legislature? 1) Part III 2) Part IV 3) Part VI 4) Part XII 97) Among the following states, which one has a bicameral system of state legislature? 1) Kerala 2) Madhya Pradesh 3) Andhra Pradesh 4) Tamil Nadu 98) The maximum strength of the Legislative Assembly is ________. 1) 545 2) 520 3) 450 4) 500 99) In which year, the Supreme Court ruled that the decision of Chairman/speaker is subject to judicial review? 1) 1990 2) 1992 3) 1995 4) 1989 100) The adjournment power of state legislature lies with ________. 1) Presiding officer of the house 2) Governor 3) President 4) Vice-Chairman of Rajya Sabha 101) The Governor of a State is appointed by the President on the advice of the 1) Prime Minister 2) Vice- President of India 3) Chief Minister of the state 4) Chief Justice of High Court 102) If the President wants to resign, he will submit his resignation to: 1) Chief Justice of India 2) Speaker of Lok Sabha 3) Vice President 4) Council of Ministers headed by Prime Minister 103) The Vice President of India is elected for a period of ------ to hold office? 1) 5 years 2) Till he attains the age of 65 years 3) 6 years 4) 2 years 104) Who among the following holds office during the pleasure of the President? 1) Governor of State 2) Election Commissioner of India 3) Chief Minister of State 4) Prime Minister of India 105) Which of the following is not true regarding the payment of the emoluments of the President? 1) They are paid out of Consolidated Fund of India. 2) They are shown separately in the budget. 3) They are charged on the Contingency Fund of India. 4) They do not require any parliament sanction. 106) The total number of members nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha is 1) 16 2) 18 3) 14 4) 12 107) Which of the following is not a part of the ‘electoral college’ for electing the President of India? 1) Elected members of Lok Sabha 2) Elected members of the Vidhan Sabha of each state. 3) Elected members of the Vidhan Parishad 4) Elected members of Rajya Sabha 108) The Council of Ministers in a Parliamentary type of Government can remain in office till it enjoys the support of the 1) Majority of members of both Houses of Parliament 2) Majority of the members of the Upper House of Parliament 3) Two third (2/3) of members of the Lower House 4) Majority of the members of the Lower House of Parliament 109) Which of the following appointments is not made by the President of India? 1) Chief of the Army 2) Speaker of the Lok Sabha 3) Chief Justice of India 4) Chief Election Commissioner 110) Who has the authority to appoint the Prime Minister of India? 1) Speaker of Lok Sabha 2) President of India
- 70. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 67 3) Parliament 4) Citizens of India 111) The first woman Governor of a state in free India was 1) Mrs. Indira Gandhi 2) Mrs. Vijaya Laxmi Pandit 3) Mrs. Sarojini Naidu 4) Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani 112) The minimum age required for a person to contest the election for President is 1) 25 years 2) 21 years 3) 35 years 4) 45 years 113) The charge of impeachment against the President of India for his removal can be preferred by 1) Both Houses of Parliament 2) Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha 3) Rajya Sabha 4) Majority of the elected members of Lok Sabha 114) The Chief Minister of a Union Territory where such a set up exists, is appointed by the 1) Lt. Governor 2) Chief Election Commissioner 3) President 4) Prime Minister 115) Who was the first Prime Minister of independent India? 1) Jawaharlal Nehru 2) Mrs. Indira Gandhi 3) Dr. Rajendra Prasad 4) Mahatma Gandhi 116) As per the Constitution of India, if a President dies while in office, the Vice President can act as President for a maximum period of 1) 1 years 2) 3 months 3) 6 months 4) 2 years 117) The Union Council of Ministers consists of 1) Cabinet Ministers, Minister of State and Deputy Ministers 2) Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers of the States 3) Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers 4) Cabinet Ministers and Cabinet Secretary 118) Who administers the oath of office to the President of India before he enters office? 1) Chief Justice of India 2) Speaker 3) Vice President 4) Prime Minister 119) Who among the following enjoys the rank equivalent to the Cabinet Minister of the Indian Union? 1) Secretary to the Government of India 2) Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission 3) Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha 4) None of the Above 120) A person who is not a member of Parliament can be appointed as a Minister by the President for a maximum period of 1) 9 months 2) 3 months 3) 12 months 4) 6 months 121) When can a President use his discretion for appointing the Prime Minister? 1) When no political party enjoys a clear majority in the Lok Sabha. 2) Only when the Lok Sabha has been dissolved. 3) Under all circumstances 4) President has no discretion 122) If in a country there happens to be the ‘office of monarchy’ as well as a Parliamentary form of government, then the monarch will be called 1) Head of the State 2) Head of the Cabinet 3) Head of the Government 4) Both Head of the government and State 123) Constitution of India was adopted by constituent assembly on? 1) 25th October, 1948 2) 25th October, 1949 3) 26th November, 1948 4) 26th November, 1949 124) Chief Ministers of all the states are ex-officio members of the 1) Planning Commission of India 2) National Development Council 3) Administrative Reforms Commission 4) Finance Commission 125) Who, among the following, has the final right to sanction the expenditure of public money in India? 1) Speaker 2) President 3) Prime Minister 4) Parliament 126) Which of the following is not an essential qualification for appointment as a Governor? 1) He must not be a member of either House of Parliament. 2) He should be a domicile of the state to which he is being appointed. 3) He should be a citizen of India. 4) He must have completed the age of 35 years 127) The President nominates 12 members of the Rajya Sabha according to 1) Their performance as office bearers of political parties. 2) The recommendations made by the Vice President. 3) Their role played in political affairs of the country. 4) Their distinction in the field of science, art, literature and social service. 128) Which Article of the Constitution empowers the President to appoint a Commission to investigate the condition of backward classes in general and suggest measures to improve their condition? 1) Art. 342 2) Art. 344 3) Art. 340 4) Art. 339 129) Where can initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of India be initiated? 1) Either House of Parliament 2) Any Vidhan Sabha 3) Only Lok Sabha 4) Rajya Sabha only 130) Who among the following was the member of the Rajya Sabha when first appointed as the Prime Minister of India?
- 71. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 68 1) Lal Bahadur Shastri 2) Charan Singh 3) Morarji Desai 4) Indira Gandhi 131) What is the minimum age for appointment of a person as a Governor of a State? 1) 35 years 2) 40 years 3) 25 years 4) 30 years 132) Chief Minister of a State is responsible and answerable to 1) Prime Minister 2) Rajya Sabha 3) Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) 4) Governor 133) The administrative and operational control of the Armed Forces is exercised by the 1) Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs with Prime Minister as the Chairman 2) Ministry of Defence 3) Three Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force Staff 4) Senior most member of officer, among Chief of Army, Navy and Air force staff 134) What is the position of a Minister of State in the Central Government? 1) He is a Minister of Central Government but not a member of the Cabinet. 2) He looks after the interests of the Cabinet Minister. 3) He is the nominee of the State Governor. 4) He is the nominee of the President. 135) Who among the following is directly responsible to Parliament for all matters concerning the Defence Services of India? 1) President of India 2) Chief of Army 3) Defence Minister 4) Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs 136) How many times a person of India can seek re-election for the post of President of India? 1) Once 2) 3 times 3) 2 times 4) Any number of times 137) Who among the following has the power to form a new state within the Union of India? 1) Speaker of Lok Sabha 2) President 3) Prime Minister 4) Supreme Court 138) Is the Prime Minister bound to advise the President on matters on which his advice is sought? 1) If the Council of Ministers so desires. 2) Yes 3) No 4) It is discretionary 139) When the Vice President officiates as President he draws the salary of 1) Chairman of Rajya Sabha 2) Both President & Vice President 3) President of India 4) Member of Parliament 140) Who among the following can attend meetings of the Union Cabinet? 1) All members of Council of Ministers 2) Cabinet Ministers 3) Ministers of State 4) Deputy Ministers 141) Who among the following has the Constitutional authority to make rules and regulations fixing the number of members of the UPSC? 1) Vice- President 2) President 3) Home Ministry 4) Cabinet Secretary 142) On whose advice does the President of India declare Emergency under Article 352? 1) Chief Ministers of all states 2) Prime Minister of India 3) Written communication of Cabinet decision 4) Council of Ministers 143) Who acts as the President of India when neither the President nor the Vice President is available? 1) Prime Minister of India 2) Chief Justice of India 3) Speaker of Lok Sabha 4) None of the above 144) A proclamation of emergency issued under Article 356 must be approved by the resolutions of the two houses of Parliament within 1) 3 months 2) 2 months 3) 1 Month 4) None of the above 145) The Union Council of Ministers is appointed by the 1) President of India according to his discretion 2) President of India on the advice of the Prime Minister 3) Prime Minister of India 4) Speaker of Lok Sabha on the advice of the Prime Minister 146) The President can proclaim national emergency on the written advice of the 1) Speaker of Lok Sabha 2) Prime Minister 3) Chief Justice of India 4) Union Cabinet 147) The Union Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to 1) Rajya Sabha 2) President 3) House of the People (Lok Sabha) 4) Prime Minister 148) Article 78 of the Constitution deals with 1) President's power to get information from the Council of Ministers. 2) Prime Minister's duty regarding keeping the President informed about the government's decisions and policies. 3) Emergency powers of the President 4) President's power to send advisory messages to the Parliament. 149) The maximum duration for which the Vice President may officiate as the President, is 1) 1 year 2) 6 months 3) 4 months 4) 9 months 150) The proclamation of emergency in a state under Article 356 of the constitution, when approved by the both houses of the
- 72. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 69 parliament can be continued for a maximum period of 1) Two years 2) One year 3) Six months 4) Three years 151) Which of the following writs is issued by the court in case of illegal detention of a person? 1) Quo Warranto 2) Habeas Corpus 3) Mandamus 4) Certiorari 152) When a State Governor dies or resigns, the Constitution provides that ________ will exercises his functions till a new Governor is appointed? 1) Chief Justice of the High Court 2) Advocate General of the State 3) Chief Minister of the State 4) Chief Justice of Supreme Court 153) When a financial emergency is proclaimed 1) Union budget will not be presented 2) Salaries and allowances of any class of employees may be reduced 3) Repayment of government debts will stop 4) Payment of salaries to public servants will be postponed 154) Who according to the Constitution of India is authorised to appoint the Chairman of the UPSC? 1) President 2) Speaker of Lok Sabha 3) Chief Justice of India 4) Prime Minister 155) Which of the following is correct regarding the Governor of a State? 1) He can recommend to the President to impose President's Rule in the State. 2) No money bill can be introduced in the State Legislature without his prior permission. 3) He has the power of issuing ordinances when the legislature is not in session. 4) All of the above 156) Which is not an eligibility criterion for appointment as a Judge of the High Court? 1) Must have been an advocate of a High Court for not less than 10 years 2) Must be, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist. 3) Must have attained the age of 55 years 4) Must have been a High Court Judge for at least 5 years 157) The High Courts in India were first started at 1) Bombay, Delhi, Madras 2) Madras and Bombay 3) Bombay, Madras, Calcutta 4) Delhi and Calcutta 158) The President is elected for a period of five years and his term of office is calculated from the 1) Last day of the month he assumes charge 2) Date of his election result 3) Day he assumes charge 4) First day of the month he assumes charge 159) Who is the ex- officio Chairman of the Council of States? 1) Vice- President 2) Leader of the opposition 3) President 4) Speaker 160) Under which Article of the Constitution is the President's rule promulgated on any state in India? 1) 326 2) 370 3) 380 4) 356 161) At a time, President's rule can be imposed on a state for a maximum period of 1) 3 year 2) 5 years 3) 2 years 4) 4 years 162) For the enforcement of Fundamental Rights, the Supreme Court may issue a/an 1) Notification 2) Writ 3) Decree 4) Ordinance 163) Judges of the High Court are appointed by the 1) Chief Justice of the High Court 2) President 3) Governor 4) Chief Justice of India 164) The President of India is elected by an electoral college comprising of 1) Elected members of Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. 2) Elected member of both Houses of Parliament and State Legislative Assembly 3) Elected members of both Houses of Parliament only 4) Elected member of State Legislative Assemblies 165) If the office of the President of India falls vacant, within what time should the next President be elected? 1) Within Two months 2) Within One year 3) Within Six months 4) Within One Month 166) The President can proclaim a state of emergency in case of 1) Threat to financial stability of the country. 2) External aggression or internal disturbances threatening the security of the country. 3) Failure of Constitutional machinery in a particular state. 4) All of the above 167) Who among the following is authorised to declare elections of the Lok Sabha? 1) President 2) Election Commissioner 3) Prime Minister 4) Union Cabinet 168) The Indian President is 1) Fictional executive 2) Titular executive 3) Real executive 4) Real/Titular executive 169) The minimum age required for becoming the Prime Minister of India is 1) 30 years 2) 35 years 3) 40 years 4) 25 years 170) The President may for violation of the Constitution be removed from the office by 1) The Prime Minister 2) The Electoral College consisting of members of Parliament and the State Legislatures.
- 73. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 70 3) Process of Impeachment 4) A vote of no- confidence vote 171) In which of the following situations does the President act in his own discretion? 1) In returning a proposal to the Council of Ministers for reconsideration 2) Imposing President’s Rule in a State 3) In appointing the Council of Ministers 4) Both of these 172) The Prime Minister, Union Cabinet Minister, Chief Minister and Council of Ministers are all members of 1) National Development Council 2) Inter State Council 3) Planning Commission 4) State Integration Council 173) The President's Rule in a state means that the state is ruled by 1) A caretaker government 2) The Chief Minister nominated by the President 3) The Governor of the State 4) The President directly 174) The Chief - Minister of a Union Territory whenever such a set up exists, is appointed by 1) The Lt. Governor 2) The majority party in the legislature 3) The President 4) The Prime Minister 175) Under what article of the Constitution of India can the President take over the administration of a state in case its constitutional machinery breaks down? 1) Art. 352 2) Art. 343 3) Art. 356 4) Art. 83 176) The President can make laws through ordinances 1) Only on subjects contained in the concurrent list 2) Under no circumstances 3) On certain subjects even when Parliament is in session. 4) During the recess of the Parliament 177) Which of the following qualification is not essential for a person to become the Vice- President? 1) He must be an Indian. 2) He must be qualified to be a member of the Rajya Sabha. 3) He must not be less than 35 years. 4) He must be a graduate. 178) How many types of Emergency have been visualised in the Constitution of India? 1) Four 2) Three 3) One 4) Two 179) The impeachment proceedings against the Vice- President can be initiated 1) Only in Lok Sabha 2) In neither Hosue of Parliament 3) In either House of Parliament 4) Only in Rajya Sabha 180) Who appoints the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir? 1) Chief Minister of the State 2) Prime Minister 3) Chief Justice of the High Court 4) President 181) The President of India can be removed from his office by the 1) Parliament 2) Chief Justice of India 3) Prime Minister 4) Lok Sabha 182) If the President returns a Bill sent to him for his assent and the Parliament once again passes the Bill in its original form, then the President 1) Can seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on the bill 2) Gives assent to the bill 3) Can once again return the bill for further reconsideration 4) Can ask for a referendum on the bill 183) If a Minister loses a no- confidence motion, then 1) Lok Sabha is dissolved 2) Only Prime Minister and that Minister resigns. 3) The whole Council of Ministers resigns 4) The Minister resigns 184) The only instance when the President of India exercised his power of veto related to the 1) Indian Post Office (Amendment Bill) 2) Dowry Prohibition Bill 3) Hindu Code Bill 4) PEPSU Appropriation Bill 185) The control of the preparation of electoral rolls for parliament and legislature vests with the 1) President 2) Election Commission 3) Cabinet 4) Prime Minister 186) What is contained in the tenth schedule of the constitution? 1) Languages recognised by constitution 2) Forms of oath or affirmation 3) Laws that cannot be challenged in any court of law 4) Provision regarding disqualification on grounds of defection 187) The Election commission holds election for 1) The Parliament, State Legislature and the posts of the president and the Vice-President 2) The parliament, State legislative Assemblies and the State Council 3) The Parliament 4) The parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies 188) For Election to the Lok Sabha, a nomination paper can be field by 1) Any citizen of India 2) Any citizen of India whose name appears in the electoral roll of a Constituency 3) Anyone residing in India 4) A resident of the Constituency from which the election to be contested 189) In India, political parties are given recognition by
- 74. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 71 1) Election Commission 2) Speaker of Lok Sabha 3) President 4) Law Commission 190) The Vice President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of members of 1) Both Houses of Parliament and state legislative 2) Both Houses of Parliament 3) Lok Sabha 4) Rajya Sabha 191) The election Commission does not conduct the elections to the 1) Lok Sabha 2) President's election 3) Rajya Sabha 4) Local Bodies 192) The maximum age prescribed for election as president is 1) No such Limit 2) 62 years 3) 58 years 4) 60 years 193) The power to decide an election petition is vested in the 1) High Court 2) Election Commission 3) Parliament 4) Supreme Court 194) To elect the President of India, which one of the following election procedures is used? 1) System of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote 2) Secondary voting system 3) Proportional representation through list system 4) Collective Voting system 195) In which year were the first general election held in India? 1) 1950-51 2) 1948-49 3) 1951-52 4) 1947-48 196) Election to the house of the people and the Legislative Assemblies of States in India are conducted on the basis of 1) Single Transferable vote 2) Propotional Representation 3) Limited sufferage 4) Adult Franchise 197) Who appoints the Chief Election Commissioner of India? 1) Chief Justice of India 2) President 3) Prime Minister 4) Parliament 198) Which among the following is not a part of the electoral reforms? 1) Installation of electronic voting machines 2) Appoinment of election Commissioner 3) Registration of Political parties 4) Disqualifying the offenders 199) Recognition to a political party is accorded by 1) The Election Commission 2) A Committee of Whips 3) The ministry of parliament Affours 4) The speaker of the Lok Sabha in the case of national Parties and the Speaker of Legislative assemblies in the case of regional parties 200) The Chief Minister of a state in India is not eligible to vote in the Presidential election if 1) He is a member of the Upper House of the State Legislature 2) He is a caretaker Chief Minister 3) He himself is a candidate 4) He is an political member ANSWER KEY Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 4 2 3 3 3 4 1 5 4 6 1 7 3 8 2 9 1 10 1 11 1 12 4 13 1 14 2 15 1 16 3 17 3 18 2 19 3 20 3 21 1 22 2 23 1 24 2 25 2 26 4 27 3 28 1 29 3 30 2 31 1 32 1 33 4 34 2 35 3 36 4 37 4 38 4 39 3 40 1 41 4 42 3 43 4 44 4 45 2 46 1 47 4 48 2 49 3 50 1 51 2 52 1 53 1 54 1 55 3 56 2 57 1 58 3 59 4 60 2 61 3 62 3 63 4 64 1 65 1 66 1 67 1 68 2 69 1 70 3 71 2 72 1 73 4 74 4 75 3 76 2 77 2 78 4 79 2 80 2 81 2 82 1 83 3 84 4 85 1 86 4 87 4 88 3 89 4 90 4 91 1 92 2 93 4 94 4 95 2 96 2 97 3 98 4 99 2 100 1 101 1 102 3 103 1 104 1 105 3 106 3 107 3 108 4 109 2 110 2 111 3 112 3 113 1 114 1 115 1 116 3 117 1 118 1 119 2 120 4 121 1 122 1 123 4 124 2 125 2 126 2 127 4 128 3 129 1 130 4 131 1 132 3 133 2 134 1 135 3 136 4 137 2 138 2 139 3 140 2 141 2 142 3 143 2 144 2 145 2 146 4 147 3 148 4 149 2 150 3 151 2 152 1 153 2 154 1 155 4 156 3 157 3 158 3 159 1 160 4 161 1 162 1 163 2 164 2 165 3 166 4 167 1 168 2 169 4 170 3 171 1 172 1 173 3 174 1 175 3 176 4 177 4 178 2 179 4 180 4 181 1 182 2 183 3 184 1 185 2 186 4 187 1 188 2 189 1 190 2 191 4 192 1 193 2 194 1 195 3 196 4 197 2 198 1 199 1 200 1
- 75. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 72 Latest G.K .Bytes JUNE – 2014 1) Latest data released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) has estimated value of India’s GDP at current market prices at Rs. 113.55 lakh crore, achieving a growth rate of _____ percent in 2013-14: 4.7 2) The per capita income at current prices during 2013-14 is estimated to be around Rs.________ Rs.74,380 3) Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi has been elected as President of which country: Egypt 4) Name the new Solicitor General of India: Ranjit Kumar 5) Who has been appointed as National Security Adviser, Govt of India: Dr. Ajit Kumar Doval 6) Dag Hammarskjold Medal is by UNO for what purpose: Show of Gallantry 7) In an effort to eliminate outdated capacity and improve work safety and address pollution concerns, which country plans to shut down over 2,000 small coal mines by next year: China 8) Why govt. has decided to abolish, with immediate effect, all the Groups of Ministers (GoMs) and Empowered Groups of Ministers (EGoMs) set up by the previous UPA-II govt.: To improve accountability and responsibility 9) Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil won the gold medal and silver medal respectively, in which International Competition in Sassari city, Italy: Wrestling 10) Name the cricket team that won the Indian Premier League – 7: Kolkata Knight Riders 11) The final match of IPL – 7 was played at _______ stadium in Bangalore: M. Chinnaswamy 12) Sultan Azlan Shah who passed away recently, was associated with which sports: Hockey 13) Sultan Azlan Shah who passed away recently, was from which country: Malaysia 14) Name the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj who was killed in a road accident recently: Gopinath Munde 15) RBI in its second bimonthly policy statement, reduced statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) to ______ from 23%: 22.5% 16) Reduction of SLR by 50 basis points is expected to increase banks’ lendable resources by Rs. _____ crore: 40,000 17) The RBI has reduced the availability of funds under the ECR window from 50 per cent of export credit outstanding to 32 per cent with immediate effect. ECR Stands for: Export Credit Refinance 18) Juan Carlos, King of Spain was in news for what reasons: He abdicated his throne for his son 19) Who has been made the new king of Spain: Prince Felipe 20) Which village in Nagaland has been declared as the country’s first tobacco-free village: Gariphema 21) World No Tobacco Day is observed on which date: May 31 22) Name the first Indian archer to win three gold medals in a single international tournament: Abhishek Verma 23) SEBI has said that public sector undertakings listed on stock exchanges to have should also adhere to the mandatory _____ public shareholding norms that are applicable to private companies: 25% 24) Bashar Al-Assad has been elected as President of_________ for the third time successively: Syria 25) Name the fifth Indo-French bilateral air exercise held at Jodhpur Air Base in Rajasthan: Garuda-V 26) Kepler 10 C is the name of the biggest rocky ________ ever discovered: Planet 27) Which state has announced 12 per cent reservation for BPL candidates in all the state government jobs: Sikkim 28) What is the popular name for the French Open Tennis Championship held at Paris: Roland Garros 29) Name the winner of the Men’s title at French Open Tennis Championship: Rafael Nadal 30) Name the winner of the Women’s title at French Open Tennis Championship: Maria Sharapova 31) Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal is from which country: Spain 32) Ace tennis player Maria Sharapova is from which country: Russia 33) G7 meet of industrialized nations was held at which place: Brussels, Belgium 34) Name the new speaker of Lok Sabha: Sumitra
- 76. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 73 Mahajan 35) RBI has advised that for opening of bank accounts, the proof of __________ is not necessary if customer has submitted proof of his permanent address: Local Address 36) India recently test fired its 290-km range supersonic missile from the stealth destroyer INS Kolkata. What is its name: Brahmos 37) Central government has decided that all the government employees who have differently abled children to take care of will be exempted from ___________: Transfers 38) In which river 24 engineering students, including six girls, were washed away due to sudden release of water from the reservoir: River Beas 39) Reuven Rivlin has been elected ________ of Israel: President 40) Who has been appointed as new Chief Executive Officer, Infosys: Vishal Sikka 41) World Bank will provide $ 100 million to which State for promoting development of sustainable hydropower: Himachal Pradesh 42) Name the Union Minister who has been appointed as India's Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank: Arun Jaitely 43) Name the Bollywood celebrity who has been appointed as UNICEF's 'celebrity advocate for child rights': Madhuri Dixit 44) Which country has overtaken Germany and Italy to emerge as the world's second largest textile exporter: India 45) Name the country that is largest exporter of textiles in the world: China 46) The Centre has decided to give Rs. ______ per household as labour charges to the poor for building their homes under Indira Awaas Yojna: 12,000 47) Govt. provides Rs. _____ for construction of a house under IAY in hilly areas: 75,000 48) Govt. provides Rs. _____ for construction of a house under IAY in plain areas: 70,000 49) Which private sector bank has launched ‘video branch’ - a 24x7 unique innovative service allowing customers to interact face-to-face with their bank branch using desktop, tablet or smartphone: IndusInd Bank 50) Govt. has recently cleared to raise the height of which dam from present 121.92 metres to 138.72 metres: Narmada Dam 51) Name the city which has become the fourth city the country to have Metro rail operations: Mumbai 52) India recently signed Washington Accord with a group of 17 nations for what purpose: Academic recognition of its degrees 53) For which type of sports Govt. has decided to increase the daily food supplement budget from Rs 280 to Rs 750: Power Games 54) As per new SEBI norms for public issuance of debt securities (debentures, bonds etc.), these offers will have to be of minimum _______ crore: Rs. 100 55) Name the German Formula one champion who emerged out of coma after almost five and a half months, following his devastating ski accident in December, 2013: Michael Schumacher 56) 16th Asian Junior Athletics Championship was held at which place: Taipei City, China 57) Name the India’s first One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) launched in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: Gauravi 58) Name the prize won by Sanjaya Rajaram, India born veteran plant scientist from Mexico, for his contribution in increasing the wheat production in world: World Food Prize 59) World Food Day is observed on which date: October 16 60) Name the historical monument of Gujarat that has been approved as world heritage site by UNESCO: Rani-Ki-Vav 61) Rani – Ki – Vav, a world heritage site, is what type of monument: Stepwell 62) Foreign investment of ______ per cent or more in a listed company will now be treated as foreign direct investment (FDI): 10 63) Arvind Mayaram committee has been setup for what purpose: To review definitions of FDI and FII 64) Rohinton Nariman, the noted advocate has been appointed to which important post: Judge in Supreme Court 65) Kanyashree Prakalpa, a West Bengal government scheme that has been recognized by UK and UNICEF, is for what purpose: To provide scholarship to poor girls 66) Name the IT initiative of the govt. for delivery of public services through the mobile platform has been awarded a United Nations Public Service Award: Mobile Seva 67) Where is the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) that has been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status for its “exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity.”: Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh 68) ISIS militants have been waging a fierce civil battle against the democratically elected govt. of which country: Iraq 69) What is the full form of ISIS: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
- 77. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 74 70) Which country won the Men’s title in hockey world cup: Australia 71) Which country won the Women’s title in hockey world cup: The Netherland 72) The World Cup Hockey Championship was held at which place: The Hague, Netherland 73) Which Indian university has been named as the best higher educational institution in India by the Times Higher Education’s Asia rankings: Panjab University, Chandigarh 74) Viswanathan Anand won the _______ medal at the World Rapid Chess Championship held at Dubai: Bronze 75) Name the India's biotechnology queen, Chairperson of Biocon Industries who has been awarded the coveted Global Economy Prize for business: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 76) India’s first indigenously-built anti submarine warfare corvette __________ is to be commissioned into the Indian Navy next month: INS Kamorta 77) National carrier Air India has joined ___________ a group of 26 (now 27) carriers with as many as 4,338 aircraft flying to 1,328 destinations across 195 countries: Star Alliance 78) In a 25 nation-list compiled by global research firm Ipsos, India has been placed at ______ rank in terms of economic confidence of citizens: First 79) RBI has permitted which new entities to act as business correspondents (BCs) of banks, allowing them to offer limited services: Non-banking finance companies –NBFCs 80) RBI has permitted residents and non-residents, except Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, to carry up to ________ in Indian currency notes while leaving the country: Rs. 25,000 81) The Corporate Affairs Ministry has recently notified new CSR expenditure rules for the companies. What is CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility 82) The 35th edition of the National Games will be held in _______ in Jan– Feb, 2015: Kerala 83) _______ has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for national games: Sachin Tendulkar 84) The World Bank has approved funding of USD 107 million (nearly Rs 650 crore) for a road project in which state: Mizoram 85) The government has extended the ban on imports of milk and its products from which country: China 86) Which country plans to open two centres of excellence at Nalanda and Vaishali in Bihar in the field of vegetables and mango respectively to help cultivators increase their productivity: Israel 87) Which state has become the first state in India to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force, across all cadres: Gujarat 88) Prime Minister Mr. Modi made his first overseas trip by visiting which country: Bhutan 89) Bhutan is major partner with India in production of __________: Hydroelectric Power 90) India’s External Affairs Minister made a goodwill visit to which country as her first solo overseas visit: Bangladesh 91) Name the Indian statesman who recently visited China: Hamid Ansari 92) Who has been elected as the First Chairman of International Cricket Council, Dubai: N. Srinivasan 93) International Widows Day is observed on which date: 23rd June 94) Name the first Indian shooter to win three medals in successive ISSF Shooting World Cup: Jitu Rai 95) 49th Jnanpith award – 2013 has been awarded to which noted Hindi poet: Kedarnath Singh 96) The Moortidevi Award is given in which field: For a work in Indian philosophy and cultural heritage 97) Name the winner for Moortidevi Award 2013: C. Radhakrishna 98) The 2013 Moortidevi Award winner, C. Radharkrishna writes in which language: Malayalam 99) World Refugee Day is observed on which date: June 20 100) Union Ministry of Culture has launched the Project Mausam for what purpose: To explore the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean region 101) As per the Global Peace Index 2014, _________ has been declared as the most peaceful country: Iceland 102) As per the Global Peace Index 2014, _________ has been declared as the most unpeaceful country: Syria 103) As per the Global Peace Index 2014, India has been placed at which rank: 143rd 104) The book titled The Goldfinch has been authored by whom: Donna Tartt 105) Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014 has been won by __________ for her first novel ‘A girl is a Half-Formed Thing’: Eimear McBride 106) Which Indian Airport was declared second best in service quality in world and sixth best airport in the world: Indira Gandhi International Airport 107) Name the lady who has been declared as most powerful women in the world by Forbes Magazine:
- 78. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 75 Angela Merkel 108) Angela Merkel has been declared as most powerful women in the world. Who is she: Chancellor of Germany 109) Who has been declared as most powerful women in India by the Forbes magazine: Arunadhati Bhattarcharya 110) Which Indian actor has been conferred with ‘Legion of France’ recently: Shahrukh Khan MAY – 2014 111) As per are recently World Bank report, India emerged as the world's _________largest economy in 2011, from being the 10th largest in 2005: Third 112) Which country has the largest economy in the world: USA 113) India and China have decided to conduct a joint military exercise at which place in India: Bathinda, Punjab 114) World’s highest train tunnel at an altitude of 3,067.4 metres in China passes through which mountain: Qilian Mountain 115) World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned that there is strong possibility of an "El Nino" climate phenomenon this year. It occurs at which place in the world: Tropical Pacific Ocean 116) For what banking purpose govt. is considering establishment of exclusive Lok Adalats: For cheque bouncing cases 117) Aab Bareek, a village in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan was in news for what reasons: Its suffered a devastating mud slide 118) Which state has lifted the four years ban on SMS on prepaid mobile phones: Jammu & Kashmir 119) Ahmed Maiteeq has been elected as Prime Minister of which country: Libya 120) What is the recent guideline from RBI in contest of prepayment of all floating rate term loans: Banks not to charge penalty for prepayment 121) RBI has asked banks not to levy penalties on customers who don’t maintain a minimum balance in which type of accents: Any inoperative account 122) Prime Minister of which country was removed from office by a Constitutional Court: Thailand 123) Which country has decided to introduce Islamic banking: Afghanistan 124) United Nations has signed an agreement with which international body to use power of supports to promote piece and economic development: International Olympic Committee (IOC) 125) What is the brand name of the football that will be used in the Brazil FIFA World Cup: Brazuca 126) What is the name of the India’s first indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air to air missile successfully test fired from a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet: Astra 127) What is the range of India’s air to air Astra missile: 60 kms 128) What is the recent Supreme Court ruling in context of investigation against senior bureaucrats in corruption cases: Prior permission not required for investigation 129) Name the Pakistan’s surface-to-surface ballistic missile test fired recently: Hataf-III 130) India has been given New Frontiers Award 2014 for what achievement: for fast development of infrastructure after the June 2013 floods, landslides in Uttarakhand 131) WHO has identified which Indian city having worst air quality in the world: Delhi 132) What is the name of the recent book released by Hillary Clinton: Hard Choices 133) Arctic Summer novel has been written by which author: Damon Galgut 134) The book My Years with Rajiv and Sonia has been written by which author: R. D. Pradhan 135) In which country’s parliament a pictorial book on India’s war hero Shivaji, was released: UK 136) In which country Islamist militant group Boko Haram abducted more than 200 school girls: Nigeria 137) Gary Backer who passed away recently was a Noble Laureate in which field: Economics 138) In which country females have been allowed entry in their navy, for the first time in its 110 year history: United Kingdom 139) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited developed “Nabhratna” to carry out testing of its under- development airborne radar systems. What type of equipment it is: Light-weight Aircraft 140) As per Press Freedom Index 2014, India has been placed at _____ place on the basis of freedom of media in the country: 78th 141) The Supreme Court has reconstituted a SIT under the chairmanship of retired judge MB Shah. What is full form of SIT: Special Investigation Team 142) The Supreme Court has reconstituted a SIT under the chairmanship of retired judge MB Shah for what purpose: To monitor the probe into the black money cases 143) Which country has imported 3400 India-made Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for use in their Presidential Election: Namibia
- 79. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 76 144) Name the public sector undertaking that is responsible for manufacturing EVMs in India: Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) 145) Name the Cricket player was ranked no 1 in the latest ICC list of One Day International (ODI) rankings: Virat Kohli 146) Noted cueist Mark Selby of England recently won world championship in which game: Snooker 147) Sania Mirza of India and Cara Black of Zimbabwe won women’s doubles tennis title in which tournament: Portugal Open 2014 148) In terms of consumer confidence India has been ranked _______ most optimistic country: 2nd 149) Saudi Arabia has decided to ban the import of Indian ____ due to presence of high pesticide residues: Chilies 150) India and ________ have inked a pact to enhance security cooperation in combating the key issues of insurgency, arms smuggling and human trafficking: Myanmar 151) Name the Indian who has been appointed President and CEO of Finnish tele- communications equipment maker Nokia: Rajeev Suri 152) The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) has been nominated for the prestigious UNESCO- approved World Heritage Site status. It is in which state: Himachal Pradesh 153) Name the Indian documentary film that won gold medal and two other medals at the 2014 New York Festivals International TV and Film Awards: Silent Screams — India’s Fight Against Rape 154) Who has been named as the world snookers ‘player of the year’: Ronnie O’Sullivan 155) The Supreme Court has prohibited use of ______in Tamil Nadu’s ‘Jallikattu’ festivals as it harmed the animals and constituted an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animals Act: Bulls 156) In which country over 300 miners were killed in a coal mine blast: Turkey 157) Which country has decided to go wholly organic in its food production, totally avoiding usage of chemical fertilisers and pesticides: Bhutan 158) P J Nayak Committee appointed by the RBI has submitted its report recently. What was the task of this committee: To review Governance of Boards of Banks in India 159) A major recommendation of PJ Nayak Committee has been objected to by bank employees unions. It is about what: Government should cut its stake in public sector banks to below 50 percent 160) Nayak committee has recommended that a __________ should be constituted to which the Government transfers its holdings in banks: Bank Investment Company 161) RBI has decided to conduct a field trial for one billion Rs. ___________ denomination plastic notes: Ten 162) The field trial for Rs. 10 plastic notes will be conducted in how many cities: 5 163) Russy Modi who passed away recently was a noted corporate figure. He was associated with which company: Tata Steel 164) Along with General Election 2014, how many states also elected their new MLAs: Five 165) Name the five states that also held state elections along with General Election 2014: Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana 166) Name the Chief Minister of Sikkim state who has been elected for the record 5th time: Pawan Chamlilng 167) Who has been elected as new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: Chandrababu Naidu 168) Who has been elected as new Chief Minister of Telangana: K Chandrasekhara Rao 169) Nabam Tuki has been elected as Chief Minister of which state: Arunachal Pradesh 170) Name the new Chief Minister of Nagaland: TR Zeliang 171) Why a new Chief Minister has been placed in Bihar when there was no state election: Current CM Nitish Kumar resigned on moral grounds for poor performance of his party 172) Who has replaced Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat: Anandiben Patel 173) A World Bank report on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ placed India at ______ rank among 189 nations: 134th 174) Which country was put under martial law recently when months of deadly anti-government protests caused political paralysis: Thailand 175) A study by UNO has forecasted global economic growth rate to be at _____ per cent in 2014: 2.8 176) In a study by Deutsche Bank, which major country has been ranked as cheapest economy in the world: India 177) Which bank has recently been declared as a ‘Scheduled Bank’ by the RBI: Bhartiya Mahila Bank 178) Which banks are called scheduled bank: whose name appears in the 2nd schedule of the RBI Act, 1934 179) By becoming scheduled bank, a bank is entitled to avail which facility from RBI: Taking Loans
- 80. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 77 180) The 3rd Advance Estimates of crop production in the 2013-14 crop year (July-June) by the Agriculture Ministry has estimated India’s agriculture production at _______ million tonnes: 264 181) RBI has directed that all new ATMs to be installed by commercial banks from July 2014 onwards should provide __________ instructions and ________ enabled key pads: Audio, Braille 182) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to provide long-term loans of up to a maximum tenor of _____ years to exporters to be utilised for execution of long-term supply contracts for export of goods: 10 183) Name the recently held war exercise by Indian Army in West Rajasthan: Sarvada Vijay 184) Name the international badminton championship for Men and Women held recently in New Delhi: Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, respectively 185) India started its biggest year-long cultural festival, “Glimpses of India” in which country: China 186) India’s first indigenous payment gateway, RuPay has been launched to counter rival networks such as ___________. : Visa and Mastercard 187) India’s first indigenous payment gateway, RuPay has been launched by which financial institution: National Payments Corpo-ration of India 188) Jacob Zuma has been re-elected as President of which major South African Country: South Africa 189) Name the India’s oldest test cricketer who passed away recently: Madhav Mantri 190) Mr. Rajiv Mathur has been appointed as new ____ ____ Commissioner of India: Chief Information 191) Who has been appointed as 28th Chief of Army Staff: Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag 192) The women’s title in National Football Championship 2014 has been which team: Manipur 193) Which football player, reportedly, is the highest paid in the world: Lionel Messi 194) In which country violent protest were held against China to protest against China’s oil exploration in South China Sea: Vietnam 195) Which country in the world suffers highest number of death of newborns: India 196) At which place office of Indian Consulate was attacked by militants: Herat, Afghanistan 197) Malavath Purna, the 13 year old school girl from Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh was in news for what reasons: Youngest female to scale the Mount Everest 198) Which country has released two postage stamps to pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema: Brazil 199) Name the country that lifted Uber Cup for women’s badminton championship: China 200) Thomas Cup (Men’s) badminton championship was won for the first time this year by which country: Japan 201) The honour ‘Palme d’Or’ is given for which achievement: Best film 202) The honour ‘Palme d’Or’ is given for Best film at which international film festival: Cannes 203) Name the film that won Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival: Winter Sleep 204) The prestigious European Cup 2014 that was won by Real Madrid is for which sports: Football 205) Petro Poroshenko has been elected as President of which country: Ukraine 206) Exim Bank has extended $ 100 million in line of credit to which country: Nigeria 207) Through which country India receives its largest inflow of FDI: Singapore 208) USA has declared that by ________ it will withdraw its troops completely from Afghanistan: 2016 209) The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to remit amount lying in deposit accounts classified as unclaimed to which account: Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) 210) Which deposit accounts are classified as unclaimed account: Accounts in which there are no transactions for 10 years or more 211) Which financial Act provides the definition of an unclaimed deposit account: Banking Regulation Act 212) National Florence Nightingale Awards are given in which field: Excellence in Nursing 213) Which two countries exercised their veto power in UN Security Council against a draft resolution which was intended to refer the Syrian civil war to the International Criminal Court (ICC): China and Russia 214) World Turtle Day is observed on 23rd May. What is a turtle: An reptile similar to tortoise 215) SIMBEX 14 is the name of the joint naval exercise conducted by India with which country: Singapore 216) International Nurses’ Day is celebrated on which date: 12th May 217) Which two countries have signed association agreement with European union: Moldova and Georgia 218) Men’s title in ATP World Tour Masters Tennis was won by which player: Rafael Nadal 219) Women’s title in ATP World Tour Masters Tennis was won by which player: Maria Sharapova
- 81. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 78 220) Who is the author of the book ‘Post Haste: Quintessential India’: B.G. Verghese APRIL – 2014 221) The Social Progress Index 2014 compiled by US- based non-profit group Social Progress Imperative ranks India _______among the 132 countries: 102nd 222) Who is Nancy Powell who resigned recently: U.S. ambassador to India 223) Viktor Orban has been elected as Prime Minister of which country: Hungary 224) Global monetary agency International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India’s GDP growth to reach ________ per cent in the current fiscal year: 5.4 225) The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has pegged India’s GDP growth rate during 2013-14 at _____ per cent: 4.9 226) RBI has issued new licences for banks to how many applicants: Two 227) Name the two applicants who have been granted licences to open new bank: Infrastructure Development Finance Company and Bandhan Financial Services Ltd. 228) As per rules notified by the Corporate Affairs Ministry, every listed company and those public firms having paid up share capital of Rs 100 crore or more should have at least ______ woman director on their board: One 229) According to an Assocham report, ______has emerged as the number one state in the country replacing Gujarat, attracting cumulative investment proposals of Rs 14,73,466 crore as on December 2013: Maharashtra 230) The Reserve Bank has fixed the upper limit to Rs. ______for issuance of pre-paid payment instruments to make all issuers comply with the strict money laundering laws: 50,000 231) Name the India’s top shooter who won the men's trap gold medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, USA: Manavjit Singh Sandhu 232) Name the bank that recently started rendering its services from the social site Twitter: SBI 233) The Reserve Bank has directed banks offering GMLs to strengthen their credit appraisal process in the wake of frauds committed by certain unscrupulous jewelers. What is the full form of GMLs: Gold Metal Loans 234) Guljar, the veteran poet and film lyricist has been awarded 45th Dada Saheb Phalke Award for which field: No film, it is life time achievement award 235) What is the real name of the Phalke award winner Gulzar: Sampooran Singh Kalra 236) Name the Indian state that has recently witnessed its first rail line: Arunachal Pradesh 237) The pharmaceutical major Ranbaxy laboratories of India has been bought out by which Indian pharma company: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries 238) The Millennium Technology Prize is given every two years for what purpose: To recognize technological innovation for improving human life 239) Name the winner of 2014 Millennium Technology Prize: Stuart Parkin 240) What is the strike range of nuclear-capable surface to surface ballistic missile – Agni-I: 700 kms 241) As per a World Bank report, which country ranked first in receiving global remittances in the year 2013 to the tune of 70 billion US dollar: India 242) What is the full name of the New Chief Justice of India: Rajendra Mal Lodha 243) Justice R M Lodha is the _______ Chief Justice of India: 41st 244) The RBI has decided to adopt which tool as the key measure of inflation: Consumer Price Index 245) Who has been appointed as Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India: R. Gandhi 246) Where in India we have Asia’s largest tulip garden - Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden: Srinagar, J&K 247) V K Murthy, winner of Dada Saheb Phalke Awrad passed away recently. He was from which field of Cinema: Cinematographer 248) Who has been elected as New Chairman of National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom): R. Chandrasekaran 249) Name the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy that has been sold off as scrap: INS Vikrant 250) Name the India-born poet who has been awarded Pulitzer Prize for his witty and philosophical collection of poems: Vijay Seshadri 251) What is the name of the Pulitzer Prize winning book written by Vijay Seshadri: 3 sections 252) Arvind Mayaram has been appointed as new Union ________ Secretary: Finance 253) The seventh South Asia Judo Championships were held at which place: Kathmandu, Nepal 254) Who has been appointed as the New Chief of the Indian Navy: Admiral Rabinder Kumar Dhowan 255) The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has approved a loan of about Rs 674 crore for a forest project in which State: Uttarakhand 256) Recently declared National Film Awards were _____
- 82. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 79 in the series: 61st 257) Name the film that won the national award for best feature film: Ship of Theseus 258) Name the film that won the national award for best Popular Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 259) Which film has been selected for National Award for best Hindi Film: Jolly LLB 260) Who has been selected as Femina Miss India World 2014: Koyal Rana 261) Gabriel Garcia Marquez who passed away recently was a noted story writer and novelist of which language: Spanish 262) Which country has decided to quit as hosts of the 2019 Asian Games due to lack of preparedness and concerns that holding the multi-sport event would not be financially viable: Vietnam 263) Prime Minister of which country recently resigned from his post, along with his entire cabinet: Kazakhstan 264) Prime Minister of which country was recently sacked by his President after a stinging defeat of his (PM’s) group in local elections: France 265) Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been elected as President of which African country: Algeria 266) India successfully launched its second navigational satellite IRNSS 1B recently. What is the full form of IRNSS: Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System 267) Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System is also known as _____ of India: GPS 268) In which city we have India’s 1st double-decker flyover: Mumbai 269) Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata has been decorated with the British government’s highest civilian honour. Name this award: The Knight Grand Cross 270) Name the stadium in Dhaka in which final match of ICC T20 World Cup was played: Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium 271) The recently played ICC T20 world-cup was _____ in the series: 5th 272) ICC Women’s World Twenty20 trophy was won by which country: Australia 273) What is the name of the supersonic cruise missile recently tested by Indian Army: BrahMos 274) The 290-km range supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos was test a recently at which place: Pokhran, Rajasthan 275) Name the operating system launched in October 2001 for which Microsoft has stopped the technical support: Windows XP 276) Sports person Heena Sidhu has been ranked world No.1 in which game: Air Pistol Shooting 277) The government has approved recruitment of young women as 'combat officers' in which paramilitary force: Sashastra Seema Bal 278) The Supreme Court has allowed mining of _______in Goa after a gap of nearly one-and-a-half year when it was banned: Iron Ore 279) With which country India has signed an agreement on development of four hydropower projects for producing 2120 MW on a joint venture basis: Bhutan 280) RBI has appointed Umesh Bellur panel to suggest modalities for setting up a system for GIRO. What is the full form of GIRO: Government Internal Revenue Order 281) RBI has asked banks to introduce two-stage authentication to ensure security of which type of transactions: Online Transactions 282) India has slid down to ______ spot among 148 economies in terms of leveraging information and communications technologies for growth and well being: 83rd 283) Ila Patnaik, a noted economist has been appointed to which key central government post: Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance 284) The Reserve Bank has fixed the quantum of intervention through MSS at Rs 50,000 crore to manage liquidity. What is the full form of MSS: Market Stabilisation Scheme 285) What is the name of the 10 days joint air exercise conducted jointly by India and France: Garuda-5 286) Indian and French pilots conducted joint air exercise Garuda-5 from which air base: Jodhpur, Rajasthan 287) Saurav Ghosal, India's numero uno (No. 1) _______ player has been awarded the Dato Alex Lee Award for the 'Outstanding Asian Men's Player of the Year 2013': Squash 288) Chitra Magimairaj won the senior’s title at international level in which game: Snooker 289) The DRDO team recently tested its Akash Missile from Chandipur near Odisha. It is what type of missile: Surface to Air 290) Name the South Korea’s Prime Minister who resigned taking moral responsibility for the sinking of a passenger ferry that left 300 people dead or missing: Chung Hong-Won 291) Name the advanced Indian missile frigate which visited Qingdao - the eastern port city of China, to take part in exercises to mark the Chinese Navy’s 65th anniversary: INS Shivalik 292) Name the new interceptor missile system recently
- 83. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 80 successfully tested by India: Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) 293) The IIFA Awards 2014 were held at which place: Tampa Bay, Florida, USA 294) Name the artist who won IIFA 2014 best entertainer of the year award: Deepika Padukone MARCH – 2014 295) Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme has been launched for what purpose: For free health check-ups twice a year for the students 296) Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme is meant for which age group of students: 5-14 years 297) Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme has been formulated for students belonging to which particular category: Minority Community 298) There are how many communities in India recognized as “Minority Community”: Six 299) Name the six minority communities of India: Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains 300) Name the picture that won the OSCAR for the best picture: 12 Years a Slave 301) ICC U-19 World Cup 2014 was won by South Africa by defeating which country: Pakistan 302) Final match of ICC U-19 World Cup 2014 was played at which place: Dubai (UAE) 303) Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship was won by Roger Federer. He is from which country: Switzerland 304) India’s largest solar power plant with a capacity of 130 MW power production is located at which place: Bhagwanpur, Madhya Pradesh 305) Reserve Bank has extended the date for exchanging the pre-2005 banknotes to ___________: January 01, 2015 306) Name the politician who has authored the book India at Risk: Jaswant Singh 307) The book titled The Political Economy of Energy and Growth has been written by Sh. Najeeb Jung. Who is he: Lt. Governor of Delhi 308) Name the author of the book Be Careful What You Wish for : Jaffrey Archer 309) Name the newly appointed governor of Kerala: Sheila Dikshit 310) As per the Forbes magazine's annual billionaire list, who has been declared as the world’s richest person: Bill Gates 311) Arvind Bhat won the Grand Prix Gold at the International German Open Championship of which sports: Badminton 312) World Wildlife Day is celebrated on which date: March 3 313) The newly formed State of Telangana is the _______ State of the Country: 29th 314) Federation Cup is linked to which popular sport: Volleyball 315) The National Football Championship is also known by which another name: Santosh Trophy 316) Santosh Trophy 2014 has been won by _______ State: Mizoram 317) Santosh Trophy 2014 final match was played at Siliguri. It is in which state: West Bengal 318) Gandhi Peace Prize is given for what purpose: For promotion of Gandhian principles for social empowerment 319) Who is the winner of Gandhi Peace Prize 2013: Chandi Prasad Bhatt 320) Chandi Prasad Bhatt, winner of Gandhi Peace Prize 2013 is from which field: Environmentalist, founder of ‘Chipko Movement’ to save forests 321) Govt has notified that ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) rules with effect from April 1, 2014 as part of which Act: Companies Act-2013 322) As per CSR norms, the big corporates are required to spend _____ per cent of their three-year average annual net profit on CSR activities in each financial year, beginning 2014-15: Two 323) Uighur community of Islamic fanatics is active in which country: China 324) Name the place in Punjab that was in news on account of discovery of around 280 human skeletons of British era: Ajnala, Amritsar 325) India has made it mandatory for travellers coming to India from 7 countries to have which vaccine: Oral Polio Vaccine 326) The scheduled General Elections will elect how many members for the Lok Sabha: 543 327) General Election 2014 will constitute the ____ Lok Sabha of the country: 16th 328) Who is the Chief Election Commissioner of the India: V.S. Sampath 329) Which State of India has largest number – 80 of Lok Sabha constituencies: Uttar Pradesh 330) The ____ is the 2nd largest state of India in terms of number of Lok Sabha Constituencies: Maharashtra (48) 331) Maharashtra has launched development of Shendre- Bidkin industrial city under DMIC project. What is the full form of DMIC: Delhi- Mumbai Industrial Corridor 332) Name the country which is providing financial and
- 84. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 81 technical support to India for DMIC project: Japan 333) Prime Minister of which country was recently ousted by its Parliament after passing a no-confidence motion against him: Libya 334) President of which country was recently ousted by its Parliament after passing a no-confidence motion against him: Ukraine 335) Name the President of Ukraine who was ousted by its Parliament: Viktor Yanukovych 336) International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards are to be held in which country from April 23-26: USA 337) Rakesh Sethi has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director of which bank: Allahabad Bank 338) Templeton Prize – 2014 has been awarded to Tomas Halik. Who is he: A priest from Czech Republic 339) Templeton Prize is given in recognition of which purpose: Promotion of Peace, Harmony and Spiritualism 340) To which neighbouring country in India has offered a $1 billion soft loan for infrastructure development: Bangladesh 341) Name the bank which is first in India to launch its own online payment intermediary: State Bank of India, SBI ePay 342) SWIFT India has tied up with nine domestic banks to provide financial messaging on transactions between banks and other financial institutions. What is the full form of SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication 343) The government has launched an ETF of central public sector enterprises, to raise 3,000 crore rupees for its disinvestment plan. What is the full form of ETF: Exchange-Traded Fund 344) R V Rahul won two gold and one silver in the 16th Asian Youth _________Championships at Bangsaen, Thailand: Weightlifting 345) National Hockey Championship (Men) 2014 has been won by__________: Air India 346) National Hockey Championship (Women) 2014 has been won by__________: Railways 347) National Snooker Championship were held recently at which place: Lucknow, UP 348) ICC World T20 tournament, for both men and women are being played in which country: Bangladesh 349) Karnataka defeated Railways to lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy in which sports: Cricket 350) Michelle Bachelet has been elected as 1st women President of which country: Chile 351) 1st Asian Grand Prix Archery Championships were held at which place: Bangkok, Thailand 352) Name the veteran writer, historian, novelist, humorist and columnist who passed away recently: Khushwant Singh 353) Khushwant Singh was known for his popular column titled __________ that published in several newspapers: With Malice Towards One and All 354) Name the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India who was in news as he resigned three months ahead of the completion of his term: K. C. Chakrabarty 355) Name the country that has been expelled from G-8 Group of countries: Russia 356) The summit of G-8 nations that was to be held at Sochi, Russia will now be held at which place: Brussels, Belgium 357) Deodhar Trophy is linked with which sport: Cricket 358) Rakhigarhi, a place in Distt Hissar was in news recently for what reasons: Finding of vast remains of Harappan Civilizations 359) The Reserve Bank has extended the timeline for full implementation of the Basel III capital regulations by a year to which date: March 31, 2019 360) Who has been elected the President of El Salavador: Salvador Sanchez Ceren 361) Salvador Sanchez Ceren belongs to which political party: FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front 362) Name the province which has ceded from Ukraine and has now become part of Russia: Crimea 363) Name the capital of Ukraine: Kiev 364) Dr. M. Madan Babu has been awarded Protein Science Young Investigator Award by which international university: Cambridge University, UK 365) A commemorative postage stamp released in the honour of “Maulana Hasrat Mohani”. Who was he: Freedom Fighter 366) Global Ayurveda Festival was held at which place: Kochi, Kerala 367) ‘Braigo’ is the name of the _________ developed by a 12 years old Indian origin boy in USA: Braille Printer 368) ‘Venom GT’ is the name of the _______: Fastest Car 369) Ms. Laxmi has been honoured with International Women of Courage Award for what purpose: Successfully leading the campaign against acid attacks on women in India 370) Name the Joint Indian and Nepal army military exercise held at Saljhandi in Rupandehi district,
- 85. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 82 Nepal: Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI 371) Name the winner for the 64th National Basketball Championship for Men: Chhattisgarh 372) Name the winner for the 64th National Basketball Championship for Women: Tamil Nadu 373) Which two States are the first to be issued with Plastic Photo Identity for elections in India: Nagaland and Assam 374) Who has been elected as the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): Arjun Bahadur Thapa 375) Who has been appointed as “National Icon” by the Election Commission of India to spread awareness about the importance of voting and to urge people to cast their votes: Aamir Khan 376) The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) 2014 held at _________: The Hague, Netherlands FEBRUARY – 2014 377) Central Statistical Office has revised growth rate for the year 2012-13 to _______ per cent, from the earlier estimate of 5 per cent: 4.5 378) Indian Navy has started high tech Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa at which place: Panaji, Goa 379) Name the country that accounts for 37% of total illiterates in the world: India 380) Mehdi Jomaa has been elected as ______ of Tunisia: Prime Minister 381) Name the new Chief Minister of Uttrakhand State: Harish Rawat 382) The final match of prestigious Ranji Trophy (2014) was played at which place: Hyderabad 383) Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy in Cricket by beating which State: Maharashtra 384) As per Environmental Performance Index 2014 released by the Yale University, USA, India has been ranked at which place: 155th 385) Which country has been ranked No. 1 in terms of its performance in various environment related parameters: Switzerland 386) The govt. has decided to raise the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from 9 to _____ in a year: 12 387) The govt. has decided to add about _______ castes and communities to the list of Other Backwards Castes in 13 states/UTs: 60 388) The govt. has decided to add about 60 casts and communities to the list of other backward cast in 13 states / UTs on the basis of recommendation of: National Commission for Backward Casts 389) 101st Indian Science Congress was held at _________: University of Jammu, J&K 390) Sakshi Malik won gold at the 2014 Dave Schultz International _______Tournament in Colorado Springs, USA: Wrestling 391) Name the first woman to be inducted in the International Cricket Council‘s (ICC’s) umpires’ panel: Kathy Cross 392) Kathy Cross is from which country: New Zealand 393) Name the high profile Indian technocrat who has been appointed as the CEO of Microsoft Inc., USA: Satya Nadela 394) Jatinder Bir Singh has been appointed Chairmen Managing Director of which Bank: Punjab & Sind Bank 395) Name the Chairman of the seventh central pay commission: Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur 396) Philip Seymour Hoffman who passed away recently was a prominent ____ in USA: Film Actor 397) The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has issued an advisory to banks to ensure business continuity after Microsoft ends support for its popular _______operating system on April 8, 2014: Windows XP 398) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to refinance existing _____loans through take-out financing: infrastructure project 399) India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) recently with which country: Fiji 400) India signed a preferential trade agreement with SACU. What is the full form of SACU: Southern African Customs Union 401) Joachim Gauck who recently visited India is _____ of Germany: President 402) Which country has offered support of one billion Euros to India for setting up a green energy corridor: Germany 403) In which field Ashok Khosla won Zayed’s international prize instituted by United Arab Emirates: Environment 404) Lakshmi Swaminathan has become the first Indian to be elected as the President of the Administrative Tribunal of which International Organization: ADB (Asian Development Bank) 405) Which two countries have made arrangements for reunion of families separated by a war held between them in 1950-53: North and South Korea 406) India has decided to extend visa-on arrival to tourists of 180 nations barring_____ countries to boost tourism: Eight 407) The winter Olympic games held recently were ______ edition of the games: 22nd
- 86. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 83 408) 2014 winter Olympic games were held at which place: Sochi, Russia 409) Amongst the popular animals like Lion, Leopard, Polar Bear and the Hare, which one was not a mascot of the winter Olympics 2014: Lion 410) Name the newly elected prime minister of Nepal: Sushil Koirala 411) Name the winner of the 2014 Irani Cup: Karnataka 412) The Irani Cup is associated with which sports: Cricket 413) Per capita income for India in the year 2013-14 is likely to be in the range of _______ thousand rupees: 75 414) The country is likely to achieve record __________ million tonnes foodgrain production this year: 263 415) Agriculture in India contributes about ______ percent of total GDP: 14 416) Around _______ percent of total workforce of India is engaged in Agriculture: 53 417) As per a recent study, India has emerged as the _____largest global military power in terms of military expenditure: Ninth 418) The National Green Tribunal has banned the burning of _____ at public places: Tyres 419) Which country scored highest number of medals at Sochi Olympics-2014: Russia 420) 2014 Paralympic winter games will be held at ______ from 7th to 16th March, 2014: Sochi, Russia 421) World Islamic Tamil Conference was held at ______, Tamil Nadu: Kumbakonam 422) _____ has been elected as Chairman, International Cricket Council: N Srinivasan 423) Name the newly elected President of Indian Olympic Association: N. Ramachandran 424) ______ is a tool to measure level of industrial production at the national level: Index of Industrial Production 425) As per World Press Freedom Index, India has been ranked ________in the list of 180 countries in terms of freedom of press: 140th 426) In terms of freedom of press, _______ is number one country in the world: Finland 427) Department of India Post released a commemorative stamp in the honour of which noted ghazal singer: Jagjit Singh 428) Name the noted Tamil film director and cinematographer who passed away recently: Balu Mahendra 429) Which wing of Indian defence forces conducted its annual war fitness exercise named TROPEX: Navy 430) Government mopped up around Rs 61,141 crore from the auction of 2G spectrum. Name the item / service sold by the government: Right to use part of radio waves spectrum 431) Government has decided to give two additional attempts to all categories of candidates of the prestigious exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission. What is the revised upper age: 32 years 432) Meeting of Finance ministers and business leaders from G20 nations was held at _______: Sydney, Australia 433) RBI has formed G Gopalakrishna committee for what purpose: To review skill upgradation in banking 434) _______has become first state to achieve more than 100 percent sanitation in rural and urban households and other public sanitary centers: Sikkim 435) RBI has directed banks to provide credit data in a revised format for all loan accounts of Rs. ____ crore or more to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits-CRILC: Five 436) The government has set a deadline for public transport vehicles running in major cities with a population of over 10 lakh to install ____ devices by February 20, 2014: GPS (Global Positioning System) 437) Matteo Renzi has been elected as the youngest Prime Minister of which country: Italy 438) Licence for ATMs is given by Reserve Bank of India under which Act: Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 439) _______ has been appointed as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India: Abdul Basit 440) ________ has been declared as the best State in the implementation of rural tourism projects: Sikkim 441) _______has emerged as the largest buyer of gold in the world in 2013: China 442) BAFTA award for best picture has been won by ________: 12 Years a Slave 443) Alfonso Cuaron won the BAFTA award for best Director for which movie: Gravity 444) Write the full form of BAFTA: British Academy of Film and Television Arts 445) BAFTA awards for cinema are given in which country: UK 446) Who has been named as the E & Y entrepreneur of the year 2013: Uday Kotak 447) Name the female cricketer who will lead the Indian
- 87. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 84 women’s cricket team in the ICC Women's World Twenty20 to be held from March 16 in Bangladesh: Mithali Raj 448) The Union Cabinet has approved _____as the sixth classical language of India: Odia 449) Which of the following is not a classical language of India – Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam: Hindi 450) Name the capital of Ukraine that witnessed public revolt against the govt.: Kiev 451) Name the President of Ukraine who fled from his country following the public revolt against him: Viktor Yanukovych 452) The term Orange Revolution refers to which moment: Revolt in Ukraine in 2004 453) The Army successfully flight-tested Akash missile recently. It is what type of missile: Surface to Air 454) What is the name of the missile testing site of India: Integrated Test Range 455) The Integrated Test Range is located at which place: Wheeler Islands, Chandipur, Odisha 456) NABARD has developed the concept called Joint Liability Group (JLG) to provide institutional credit to which category of borrowers: Small Farmers 457) The economic growth rate during the 11th Five Years Plan (2007-12) has been recorded as __ per cent: 8 458) In terms of digital governance i.e. usage of information technology by govt., _____ has been ranked as No. 1 country: Singapore 459) Which national organization has introduced an annual rating system for states to enable them improve on their business climate: Planning Commission 460) Govt has directed that Companies and limited liability partnership firms floated by private entities should not use certain words such as _____ in their name: National, Bank, Exchange, etc. 461) The government has decided to roll out electronic toll collection on the Golden Quadrilateral route by August, 2014. Name the metros linked by Golden Quadrilateral: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai 462) In what way persons not having proof of identity and address are allowed to enroll for Aadhaar Card: On introduction basis 463) The government has set an agriculture credit target of Rs ______ for the banks for 2014-15: 8 lakh crore 464) Sakhee, Nirbhaya, Parivar Suraksha are the names of the what type of products offered by Bhartiya Mahila Banks: Health Insurance 465) Which national level bank has launched its six basic banking transactions through toll-free numbers: HDFC Bank 466) The Rajya Sabha has passed The Whistleblowers’ Protection Bill. Who is whistleblower: Person who discloses information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by Public Servants 467) The Union government has launched an ambitious project titled ______to increase forest cover by 50 million hectares in the next 10 years: ‘Green Mission’ 468) Forest cover in India covers roughly ____ per cent of total area: 21 469) The EC has added nearly ____ crore new voters to the rolls between 2009 and 2014, one of the largest-ever such increases between two elections: Ten 470) Name the Governor General of Canada who visited India recently: David Johnston 471) Indian labour force will help in construction of the 450 kms long Haramain High Speed Railway project in which country: Saudi Arabia 472) Which metropolitan city has recorded the worst Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 30 newborns dying for every 1,000 live births: New Delhi 473) Ibrahim Mahlab has been elected as new Prime Minister of which country: Egypt 474) 35th National Masters Athletic Championship held at____: Coimbatore, Kerala 475) What is the theme of this year’s World Cancer Day, observed on Feb. 4: 'Debunk the myths' 476) Ramanujan Mathematics Award-2013 has been given to ______ founder of Super 30 classes in Patna: Anand Kumar 477) What is the name of project launched by Govt. of India for cloud computing: Meghraj 478) Name the chairmen of the committee formed to examine the cause for violence and discrimination against people from the northeast: M.P. Bezbaruah 479) Vyas Samman is given for achievement in which field: Hindi Literature 480) Who has been honoured with Vyas Samman 2013: Vishwanath Tripathi 481) The book Vyomkesh Darvesh is a biography of which veteran Hindi Scholar: Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi 482) Arunima Sinha has been honoured with Amazing Indian Award for which achievement: Scaling Mount Everest despite having an amputed leg 483) With which country India has agreed to celebrate 2014 as year of friendly exchanges: China 484) In which train a Braille-embedded AC coach to facilitate visually challenged passengers has been
- 88. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 85 introduced for the first time: Purushottam Express 485) Crystal Bear Award for best film is given at which international film festival: Berlin Film Festival 486) Name the Indian Film that won the Crystal Bear Award at Berlin Film Festival: Killa 487) Dr. Vijay Kumar Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang have been awarded International Gandhi Award- 2013 for what purpose: Making outstanding contributions in the field of leprosy treatment 488) India’s first Minority Cyber Gram (village) has been established at which place: Chandoli, Distt Alwar, Rajasthan 489) The book “Public Issues Before Parliament” has been authored by whom: Vijay Darda 490) What is the theme of the Taj Mahotsav 2014 held at Agra: Paigham-e-Mohabbat 491) Name the noted Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award winner who passed away recently: Amar Kant 492) Who has been appointed as Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes: R K Tiwari 493) Name the Indian submarine that suffered an accident on board, claiming life of two officers and injuring seven others: INS Sindhuratna 494) Name the Indian naval chief who created history by resigning on moral grounds, accepting his responsibility for recent mishaps in naval ships and submarines: Admiral D.K. Joshi 495) Name the country whose application for membership of WTO as its 160th member was approved at the Ministerial Conference held in Bali recently: Yemen 496) Govt. has agreed to pay half insurance premium for ________ to cover them under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana: Auto and Taxi Drivers 497) What is the amount of coverage available under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana: Rs. 30,000 498) ADB has agreed to give a loan of $300 million to which state for improvement of road network: Chhattisgarh 499) Prime Minister had gone to Myanmar to attained BIMSTEC summit. What is the full form of BIMNSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation 500) The BIMSTEC Summit was recently held at which place: Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar 501) The first ATM for Post Office Saving Bank accounts was opened at which place: Thiyagaraya Nagar HPO, Chennai 502) A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief of BrahMos Aerospace has been honoured with ‘Order of Friendship’ award by which country: Russia 503) With which country India has signed a MoU for cooperation in the field of defence manufacturing: Saudi Arabia 504) With which country India signed three agreements for various security subjects: Israel 505) India is planning a multi-nation and multi modal transport corridor to connect with which Central Asian country: Russia JANUARY – 2014 506) Paul Torday who passed away recently was a famous ________: British Novelist 507) Which prominent educational organization of India is recently is celebrating 60 years of its completion: UGC (University Grants Commission) 508) Recently there was news headline – “US goes in for stimulus tapering”, what does it means: USA has decided to reduce purchase of long term maturity bonds 509) Name the state which won the 62nd Senior National Volleyball Championship (Men’s) held at Moradabad, UP: Tamil Nadu 510) Who has been appointed as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC): General Bikram Singh 511) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to sanction loans of up to Rs. _______against pledge of gold ornaments and jewellery: Rs.1 lakh 512) Abdulla Gayoom has been elected as ____ of Maldives Islands: President 513) Asha Khemka, a Bihar born eminent educationist has been awarded one of Britain's highest civilian award-DAME COMMANDER of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for what purpose: For spreading education in deprived areas 514) The Mountain Strike Corps raised recently for countering China is based at which place: Ranchi (Jharkhand) 515) Corey Anderson, the New Zealand all-rounder was in news recently for what reasons: For scoring the quickest century ever in international cricket, taking just 36 balls 516) Name the MNC which has filed first proposal to enter the Indian Multi Brand retail segment: Tesco Plc, USA 517) How much FDI is permitted in multi brand retail segment: 51% 518) BCSBI has ruled that bank customers who have been victims of electronic / online fraud will have to be compensated for such loss unless the bank can prove that the fraud occurred due to negligence on part of the customer. What is the full form of BCSBI: Banking Codes and Standards Board of India
- 89. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 86 519) The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention held from 7-9 January in Delhi was ______ in series: 12th 520) Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on which date: 9th January 521) Who was the chief guest at the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention: G Palanivel 522) G Palanivel is from which country: Malaysia 523) Who is G Palanivel: Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, Malaysia 524) 6th All India Inter-University Fencing Championship held at Patiala, Punjab was won by ___: Punjabi University Patiala 525) Margaret Thatcher was voted as the most successful post-war British Prime Minister. She is also known as _________: The ‘Iron Lady’ of Britain 526) What is the formal name of the Lokpal Bill recently approved by the President: Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 527) What is the objective of recently launched Multi- sectoral Nutrition Programme: To address the problems of maternal and child under- nutrition in the country 528) Which country recently announced to adopt Euro as its currency: Latvia 529) Which country has been named to take over the Presidency of the European Union: Greece 530) The Index of Economic Freedom ranks India at _______ place: 120th 531) Name the country which ranks no. 1 in the Index of Economic Freedom – 2014: Hong Kong 532) The term EBID is used to indicate profits of a company. What is the full form of EBID: Earnings Before Interest and Depreciation 533) The government has approved a proposal to pay formal sector workers a minimum monthly pension of Rs ______ benefiting over 27 lakh pensioners: 1,000, 534) The Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households recently submitted its report. Name the chairman of this committee: Nachiket Mor 535) What was the purpose of setting up Mor committee: To propose measures for achieving better financial inclusion 536) Mor committee recommended that each Indian resident above the age of ___ with an individual Universal Electronic Bank Account (UEBA): 18 years 537) Name the organization proposed to be formed for exploring the potential of generating power through wind energy: National Offshore Wind Energy Agency 538) Name the first lady President of South Korea who visited India recently: Park Geun-hye 539) Name the capital of South Korea: Seoul 540) 44th annual meeting of World Economic Forum – WEF was held at which place: Davos, Switzerland 541) What is the formal name of the mega literature festival held annually in Jaipur, Rajasthan: Jaipur Literature Festival 542) Name the dignitary who made the inaugural key note speech at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Dr. Amartya Sen 543) Dr. Amartya Sen is from which field: Economics 544) World Banks has approved a loan of $ 500 million to the Low Income States (Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh) for what purpose: To improve piped water supply and sanitation services 545) A news headline read, “India joins ‘Cryo Club’ with GSLV-D5”. What is meant by Cryo Club: India has joined is select group of countries having cryogenic engine technology 546) How many countries, other than India have the capability of cryogenic engine capability: Five – USA, Russia, France, Japan & China 547) In the abbreviation GSLV-D5, the letter D5 stands for what: 5th Development Flight 548) Name the satellite that was recently launched by GSLV-D5: GSAT-14 549) GSAT-14 satellite is used for what purpose: Communication 550) Jigme Wangchuck who recently visited India is ____ of Bhutan: King 551) Name the hilly district of central Assam that was in news as it witnessed widespread violent clashes between the ethnic insurgent Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT) and the Rengma Naga Hills Protection Force (RNHPF): Karbi Anglong 552) What is the name of the official mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil in June: Fuleco the Armadillo 553) Laimdota Straujuma has been elected as the first woman Prime Minister of which country: Latvia 554) India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile. What is the strike range of this missile: 350 kms 555) At which place in Haryana the foundation stone was laid for a 2800 megawatt nuclear power plant: Gorakhpur, Distt. Fatehabad (Haryana) 556) Govt. has decided to widen the scope of MGNREGS to include works relating to_______ also in it in collaboration with the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan:
- 90. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 87 Rural sanitation 557) What is the objective of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan: To make India free from open defecation 558) Name the country from which started the wide spread uprising of common public, called Arab Spring: Tunisia 559) Recently Posco was granted environmental clearance to build Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha. It is from which country: South Korea 560) India’s largest and most modern airport has recently been inaugurated in which city: Mumbai 561) What is the formal name of the new airport terminal started at Mumbai: Terminal – 2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport 562) World’s largest railway platform is located at which place: Gorakhpur (UP) India 563) Aitizaz Hasan, a 15 year old school boy in Pakistan was decorated with the Sitara-e-Shujaat — a high civilian award for bravery, for what purpose: He died confronting a suicide bomber to save his school 564) Ariel Sharon who passed away recently was a prominent ____: Statesman 565) Ariel Sharon was a former Prime Minister of which country: Israel 566) In the Nuclear Materials Security Index 2014 released by the US-based think-tank Nuclear Threat Initiative, India has been placed at which rank: 23rd 567) India has completed three years without reporting any case of polio. The official confirmation in this regard has to be issued by which international organization: WHO – World Health Organization 568) Name the Awami League leader of Bangladesh who was sworn-in as Prime Minister for the third time: Sheikh Hasina 569) In a list of 30 most admired persons on the planet compiled by by YouGov for The Times by surveying almost 14,000 people, India’s Sachin Tendulkar has been placed at which rank: 5th 570) Who is the most admired person in the world as per a recent survey by YouGov for The Times: Bill Gates 571) Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das bagged the men’s and women’s titles respectively at the 75th Senior National _________ championships held at Patna: Table Tennis 572) The Hindu Prize for Best Fiction 2013 has been won by ____ for his novel _______: Anees Salim, Vanity Bagh 573) The prestigious $50,000 DSC prize for South Asian literature is awarded at which event: Jaipur Literature Festival 574) The prestigious $50,000 DSC prize for South Asian literature has been won by ________ for his book ________: Cyrus Mistry, Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer 575) Govt. has agreed to provide an additional 50 days of employment beyond the stipulated 100 days under the NREGA scheme to which category of people: Scheduled Tribes (ST) households living in forest areas who have received land rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 576) Name the Asia’s largest brackish water lake: Chilika backwater lagoon, Odisha 577) Chilika backwater lagoon is famous for______: Massive gathering of migratory birds 578) The word brackish refers to what quality of water: Excess of Salt 579) The Golden Globe Awards are given in which field: Cinema and TV 580) The Golden Globe Awards are given in which country: USA 581) Name the film that won the Golden Globe for the best film: 12 Years a Slave 582) Alfonso Cuaron of Mexico won the Golden Globe for Best Director for which film: Gravity 583) Name the index recently launched by the government to measure level of house construction activity: Housing Start Up Index (HSUI) 584) The recently launched Housing Start Up Index is a joint initiative of which two organizations: National Building Organisation and the Reserve Bank 585) Indian railways entered a new territory recently in which part of the country: Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh 586) Govt. has recently sold its 10% stake in which mega oil company to raise around Rs. 5000 crore: Indian Oil Corporation 587) Name the legendary Bengali actress who died recently, known for her outstanding performances in several Bengali and Hindi films: Suchitra Sen 588) Late Suchitra Sen was also properly known as _____ of Indian cinema: Greta Garbo 589) Greta Garbo of Sweden was a renowned legendary _____ of Hollywood: Actress 590) Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin who passed away recently was the spiritual head of which community: Dawoodi Bohra 591) Dawoodi Bohra committee is a sub group of which religion: Islam 592) Sunanda Pushkar who passed away recently was holding which ministry in the central government: None
- 91. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 88 593) Akkineni Nageswara Rao, veteran actor of _____ cinema passed away recently. He was popularly known as _____ : Telugu, ANR 594) The famous historical cultural event - Jonbeel Mela is held in which state: Assam 595) Name the India’s nuclear-capable strategic missile, with a strike range of about 4,000 km tested successfully: Agni-IV 596) Which community has recently been granted minority status by the central government: Jains 597) What is the present number of minority communities in India: Six 598) Under which Act government grants minority status to a community: National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 599) Name the multinational multi sports event in India where sportspersons from Portuguese speaking countries participate: Lusofonia Games 600) Lusofonia Games 2014 were held at which place: Goa 601) The 18th National Youth Festival was held at which place: Ludhiana 602) What was the theme for the 18th National Youth Festival: 'Youth For Drugs Free World' 603) The National Youth Festival is organized every year on January 12th for what reasons: It is birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda 604) Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to constitute a Rail Tariff Authority for what purpose: To advise the Railway Ministry on fares 605) Which is the apex authority in India authorize to fix the railway fare: Railway Board 606) Name the two districts of Haryana that have recently been included in the National Capital Region: Jind and Karnal 607) The 61st Senior National Kabaddi Championship were held at which place: Patna, Bihar 608) Government has approved setting up of the AKIC Development Corporation for what purpose: For the development of Amritsar – Kolkata Industrial Corridor 609) Name the mega infrastructure project being developed by the central government for promoting industrial townships between Delhi and Mumbai: Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) 610) What is the objective of setting up of various industrial corridors: To boost up infrastructure and manufacturing activity 611) Name the three countries that have decided to develop a joint trade corridor with India: Bangladesh, China and Myanmar 612) The multination joint trade corridor proposed to be developed will start from ____ in India and run up to ____ in SW China: Kolkata, Kunming 613) The ATP Chennai Open Tennis title was won by Stanislas Wawrinka. He is from which country: Switzerland 614) Name the programme launched recently to comprehensively address the health needs of the nearly 243 million children of the country: Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram 615) The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram aims to cover children in the age group of ___ to ___ yeas: 10 to 19 years 616) What is the English name of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram: National Adolescent Health Programme 617) The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram has been launched by which ministry in the central government: Health and Family Welfare 618) Name the ace badminton player who became the first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world by the World Badminton Federation (WBF): Aditya Joshi 619) Name the country which suffered recently the coldest, most dangerous blast of polar air in decades, causing wide spread extremely heavy snowfall leading to total disruption of daily life: USA 620) Name the climatic phenomena that cause wide spread dangerous blast of polar air in USA and adjoining Canada: Polar Vortex 621) Evans Ruto of _____ won the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon: Kenya 622) The Hero Hockey World League championship held at New Delhi was won by ______ beating ______: Netherlands, New Zealand 623) Name the international football player who has been declared as the best footballer of the year by FIFA: Cristiano Ronaldo 624) Cristiano Ronaldo is from which country: Portugal 625) The interest rate on EPFO has been increase to _______ percent from 8.5 percent at present: 8.75 626) Name the light weight pistol specially developed by the Indian Ordnance Factory especially for women to defend themselves from assault: Nirbheek 627) Who has been named as the captain of the Indian Women Cricket Team: Mithali Raj 628) Name the joint naval exercise undertaken by the Indian coast guard and its Japanese counterpart: ‘Sahayog- Kaijin 2014’ 629) ‘Sahayog- Kaijin 2014’ - a joint naval exercise was recently held at which place: off the Kochi coast, Kerala
- 92. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 89 630) Malaysian Open 2014 tournament was held for which sports: Badminton 631) Name the winner of Men’s single title in the Malaysian Open 2014 tournament: Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia 632) Name the winner of Women’s single title in the Malaysian Open 2014 tournament: Li Xuerui, China 633) Name the cricketer who became the first Indian wicket keeper to claim 300 dismissals in One Day Internationals: M.S. Dhoni 634) Playing against which country M S Dhoni achieved the milestone of claiming 300 dismissals: New Zealand 635) At which border post India and Pakistan have agreed to liberalize various trade activities: Attari Wagah Border 636) Name the state that has been ranked No. 1 in implementation of SJSRY programme during 2012- 13: Odisha 637) What is the full form of the poverty alleviation programme SJSRY: Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana 638) Which category of persons are eligible to obtain bank loan under SJSRY: BPL families in urban area 639) Name the poverty alleviation scheme of the central government for providing bank loans to BPL families in rural area: Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana 640) Name the poverty alleviation scheme of the central government for providing bank loans to non BPL families in both rural and urban areas: Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme 641) RBI has advised banks that amount of loans sanctioned by them against pledge of gold jewellery should not exceed ____ per cent of the value of the gold: 75 642) The Reserve Bank has constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of _____(former Chairman of Axis Bank) to review governance of boards of banks: P. J. Nayak 643) Name the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India who recently retired from the service: Anand Sinha 644) Name the state that topped in the first ever ranking of state governments on the basis of their performance and implementation of the midday meal scheme: Karnataka 645) The Union Cabinet has approved a new comprehensive regulatory framework for TV rating agencies for release of TRPs. What is the full form of TRPs: Television Rating Points 646) RBI has decided that for the purpose of external commercial borrowings (ECB), 'Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul’ (MRO) of _______will be treated as a part of infrastructure: Aircrafts 647) Why RBI has decided that all banknotes issued prior to 2005 will be withdrawn after March 31, 2014: These have less security features compared to notes issued thereafter 648) What is the maximum amount of pre 2005 currency notes that an individual can exchange at a bank at a time: No such limit 649) Rakesh Khurana has recently been appointed dean of which prestigious international educational institution: Harvard College, at Harvard University, USA 650) Name the India’s first indigenously built nuclear- powered submarine, that is now ready for sea trials: INS Arihant 651) Name the first Indian State to adopt the provisions of the recently passed Lokpal Act: Uttarakhand 652) Which committee appointed by RBI has recommended that retail inflation should be measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and not by the wholesale price index as being done currently: Urjit Patel Committee 653) Urjit Patel Committee has recommended to bring the retail inflation rate down at ____ per cent with a band of +/- 2 per cent: Four 654) Who has been appointed as the new President of NASSCOM: R. Chandrashekhar 655) What is the full form of NASSCOM: National Association of Software and Services Companies 656) The Jeevan Raksha Padak are given in how many categories: Three 657) Name the Supercomputer developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) that has been rated as India’s most power efficient computer system: PARAM Yuva-II 658) Which bank has became first domestic private bank to have a branch in China: Axis Bank 659) Which country India has signed a labour cooperation to cover about 28 lakh Indian expatriates working there: Saudi Arabia 660) Name the Japanese PM who was the Chief Guest at the 2014 Republic Day Parade: Shinzo Abe 661) For the expansion which major rapid transport project Japan has sanctioned a loan of $2 billion: Delhi Metro 662) Kerala tourism has won the top tourism award from UNWTO for the promotion of which back water resort: Kumarakom
- 93. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 90 663) What is the full form of abbreviation UNWTO: United Nations World Tourism Organization 664) The ambitious National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), aimed at providing adequate and efficient urban public health delivery system for the urban poor, was launched recently at which place: Bangalore 665) The National Urban Health Mission plans to cover urban poor for healthcare. Which areas will be treated as urban for this purpose: Areas with population of over 50,000 666) With which country India is working on developing a satellite designed for climate change studies: France 667) Which public sector bank has announced to increase its presence in the social media by joining Youtube and Twitter: State Bank of India 668) The government has introduced a new procedure for issuance of PAN card as per which now the applicants will have to submit a documentary proof of _______ also: Address 669) RBI has decided to establish a fund to be called ‘Depositor Education and Awareness Fund’ from which source: By taking over amount lying in unclaimed deposit accounts with banks 670) As per Banking Regulation Act, 1949, an unclaimed deposit account is one in which there is no transaction for past ___ or more years: 10 671) International Marconi Prize is given for achievements in which field: Communication Technology 672) Government has decided not to present regular budget for the year 2014 – 15 in view of upcoming general elections. It will instead present the ______ for 2014-15 in Lok Sabha: Vote on Account 673) Name the film that won 2014 Filmfare award for the best film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 674) Name the director of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag who also won the Filmfare award for Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra 675) Who has been declared the winner of 2014 Filmfare award for the Best actor: Farhan Akhtar for BMB 676) Deepika Padukone has won the 2014 Filmfare award for best actress for which film: Goliyon Ki Raslila Ram - Leela 677) Asia’s biggest botanical garden will come up on 153 hectares of area near the Khandwa reservoir, in Naya Raipur, in which State: Chhattisgarh 678) Men’s title in Australian Open Tennis Cup was won by which player: Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 679) Women’s title in Australian Open Tennis Cup was won by which player: Li Na of China 680) Grammy Awards are given for achievements in which field: Music 681) Name the musical album that won the 2014 Grammy for best album of the year: Random Access Memories by Daft Punk 682) What is the maximum number (excluding posthumous awards and award to foreigners) of Padma Awards that can be given in a year: 120 683) A Padma Vibhushan awardee gets a cash reward of what amount: Nil 684) Padma Awards are announced every year on which particular date: Eve of Republic Day (25th January) 685) Dr Raghunath A Mashelkar has been awarded Padma Vibhushan in science and engineering category. He is from which field of science: Chemical Technology 686) Name the veteran Yoga maestro decorated with the Padma Vibhushan: BKS Iyengar 687) The Yoga form propagated by Padma Vibhushan awardee Sh. B K S Iyengar is known as: Iyengar Yoga 688) Name the iconic Tamil film actor, producer who has been awarded Padma Bhushan recently: Kamala Hasan 689) Name the renowned badminton coach decorated with Padma Bhushan in 2014: Pullela Gopichand 690) What is the current assignment of Justice Dalveer Bhandari who has been awarded Padma Bhushan recently: Judge in International Court of Justice 691) Name the women cricket star who has been awarded Padma Shri recently: Anjum Chopra 692) Sudarsan Pattnaik has been awarded Padma Shri recently. He is from which field: Renowned Sand artist 693) Reserve bank has announced issuance of Inflation Indexed National Savings Certificates (IINSC) to offer an inflation savvy investment option. These ______ year Bonds will earn interest equal to the CPI inflation rate plus ____ per cent per annum: 10, 1.50 694) Which country has decided to make military service compulsory for all adult males aged between 18 and 30, but kept it optional for women: United Arab Emirates 695) Name the Russian martial art that has earned recognition of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for inclusion in the Asian Games: Sambo 696) DRDO recently launched Dhruva-3 for promoting critical applications for defence research and development, particularly in advanced aircraft designing defence research. What is Dhruva-3:
- 94. GENERAL AWARENESS –AUGUST 2014 91 High performance computing system 697) In a recently compiled environmental performance index of 178 countries, India has been placed at ____ position: 155th 698) Name the Super Jumbo Aircraft, capable of carrying over 850 passengers at a time, that has been allowed to land in India: A-380 of Airbus 699) Central Vigilance Commission was in news recently for what reasons: Celebrating 50 years of its existence 700) Prime Minister of which country resigned recently to counter widespread political protests in the country against harsh anti protest laws: Ukraine 701) Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold badminton championship was held at which place: Lucknow, UP 702) Govt has launched the India Inclusive Innovation Fund (IIIF), with the initial corpus of Rs 500 crore for what purpose: To promote profitable venture that take care of social needs also 703) Which State has launched 'Ama Jangal Yojana' (AJY) to enhance forest cover in the state: Odisha 704) Name the jumbo naval exercise of 16 navies from the Indian ocean region being held in 2nd week of February: Milan 2014 705) The joint exercise of 16 navies from the Indian ocean region – Milan 2014 will be held at which place: Near Andaman & Nicobar Islands 706) To which country Exim Bank has agreed to provide a Line of Credit of $ 19.50 million: Vietnam 707) ADB has agreed to give $100 million loan to which state for boosting education and skills there: Meghalaya 708) To which category of customers RBI has allowed collection of account payee cheques even for third party accounts: Cooperative Credit Societies 709) With which country India has agreed to set up a $40 million joint fund to support technological ventures for consolidating and strengthening economic ties: Israel 710) Which national organization has decided to set up 100 innovation hubs at an outlay of Rs 99 crore, throughout the country by 2017: National Innovation Council 711) Who is the head of the National Innovation Council: Sam Pitroda 712) Which state in India has announced the highest MSP of Rs. 1560 per quintal for paddy crop: Bihar 713) J N Chaudhury has been appointed Director General of which paramilitary force: National Security Guard 714) India’s first Mono Rail has started operation in which city: Mumbai 715) Core sector is a part of index of industrial production. Its weightage in IIP is _____ per cent in IIP: 37.90 716) Gaganjeet Bhullar is top rank player of which sports: Golf 717) Name the Emperor and Empress of Japan who recently visited India: Akihito and Michiko 718) Shinzo Abe is the Prime Minister of which country: Japan 719) What is the name of the currency of Japan: Yen 720) Name the capital of Japan: Tokyo 721) India’s cricket team captain MS Dhoni has recently been honoured with which international award: ICC LG People’s Choice Award - 2013 722) Tour de India championship is organized in which sports: Cycling 723) Tour de India championship was won by Mohd. Nor Umradi. He is from which country: Malaysia 724) India has agreed to train naval officers of which country: Sri Lanka 725) Name the international event recently won by ace shuttler of India – P V Sindhu: Macau Open Grand Prix 726) 29th Junior National Athletics Championships was held in which place: Bangalore 727) Name the state which won 29th Junior National Athletics Championship: Kerala 728) Who has been named at Chief Executive of Indian Banks Association: Mohan V Tanksale 729) Are foreign banks allowed to become member of Indian Bank Association: Yes 730) Who has been named as the new Chief Information Commissioner: Sushma Singh 731) As per Right to Information Act, any person seeking information has to be provided the required information within ____ days: 30 732) In corruption ranking of countries by the international watchdog Transparency International, India has been ranked at which place: 94th 733) Nelson Mandela, the iconic statesman from South Africa passed away recently. He was called _________ out of love and affection: Madiba 734) Mandela was known for his anti-apartheid struggle. What is the meaning of apartheid: Observing racial discrimination Edited, Printed and Published by Varinder Mohan Singh Grover for Gyanm Education and Training Institute Pvt. Ltd., SCO 13-14-15, 2nd Floor, Sector 34- A, Chandigarh – 160022 and printed by him at All tech Print Pack, 182/4, Industrial Area – I, Chandigarh.
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