Current Affairs Quiz

1. Name the place where India recently installed its tallest and heaviest national flag?

a) Amritsar
b) Attari
c) Ludhiana
d) Jalandhar

Right Answer: B) b is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is b) Attari is the place where India recently installed its tallest and heaviest national flag. This installation is 110 metres high, 24 metres wide and weighs 55 tons with a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. This flag was a project of the Amritsar Improvement Trust Authority of the Punjab government. Pakistan is reportedly not happy with India yesterday installing what is its tallest and heaviest flag that can be seen from Lahore. Islamabad believes India could use this giant flag for espionage purposes. Pakistan's Rangers have also reportedly conveyed its unhappiness to the Border Security Force and asked India to move the flag away from the border.

2.Which educational institute recently became the first Indian educational institute to make it to the top 10 of the global university?

a) IIT, Mumbai
b) IIT, Chennai
c) IIT, Delhi
d) IISc, Bangalore


Right Answer: D) d is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is d) IISc, Bangalore which stands for Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore recently became the first Indian educational institute to make it to the top 10 of the global university. The Times Higher Education (THE) recently revealed that India is home to one of the world's best small universities, as it made public the 2017 edition of the rankings. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has been ranked eighth at the 'THE's Best Small Universities in the World 2017'. IISc, a public university for scientific research and higher education, was established in 1909 with active support from Jamshed ji Tata and Sir Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. In 2015-16 it became the first Indian institute to be ranked among the top 100 in THE World University Rankings for engineering and technology at 99th position.

3. What are the services which will be offered by the Digital Locker Portal which is being set up the government?

a)Allowing citizens to sign up for a Digital Locker account via web based portal or mobile app
b)Allowing accessing of documents from issuers using document references available in the Digital Locker account
c)Allowing access to requesters to access issued documents by providing document references
d) None of the above


Right Answer: C) a, b & c is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is a, b & c) Allowing citizens to sign up for a Digital Locker account via web based portal or mobile app, Allowing accessing of documents from issuers using document references available in the Digital Locker account, Allowing access to requesters to access issued documents by providing document references are the services which will be offered by the Digital Locker Portal which is being set up the government. The government is planning to give license to public and private agencies to provide Digital Locker Services for which the government has set up The Digital Locker Authority which will provide licenses to Digital Locker Service Providers (DLSPs). The first Digital Locker service Provider called as Digi Locker (https:www.digilocker.gov.in) was launched by Honble Prime Minister on 1st July 2015. In July 2016, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology notified Information Technology (preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2016 under Information Technology Act (2000) and further amendments rules on 8th Feb.2017. As per provisions of these rules government has planned to issue licences to public and private agencies for Digital Locker Services.

4. Name the country whose President recently was removed by constitutional court over a graft scandal involving the country's conglomerates?

a) Singapore
b) South Korea
c) North Korea
d) France


Right Answer: B) b is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is b) South Korea is the country whose President Park Geun-hye was removed by constitutional court over a graft scandal involving the country's conglomerates. Park becomes South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office, capping months of paralysis and turmoil over a corruption scandal that also landed the head of the Samsung conglomerate in jail. A snap presidential election will be held within 60 days..

5. Name the planet whose moon will be probed by NASA's mission which is set to be launched in 2020?

a) Saturn
b) Venus
c) Mars
d) Jupiter


Right Answer: A) d is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is d) Jupiter is the planet whose moon Europa will be probed by NASA's 'Europa Clipper' which is set to be launched in 2020. The ultimate aim of Europa Clipper is to determine if Europa is habitable, possessing all three of the ingredients necessary for life: liquid water, chemical ingredients and energy sources sufficient to enable biology. Europa has long been a high priority for exploration because it holds a salty liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust

6. Name the cities in which the field trial of the new polymer-based Rs.10 bank note will be conducted by Reserve Bank of India?

a)Kochi
b)Mysore
c)Jaipur
d)Shimla


Right Answer: D) a, b, c & d is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is a, b, c & d) Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla along with Bhubaneswar are the five cities in which the field trial of the new polymer-based Rs.10 bank note will be conducted by Reserve Bank of India. Plastic notes were first adopted by Australia in 1988 and now used in more than 20 countries. These are smaller and stronger than cotton-based paper notes, with more security features that make them harder to counterfeit. These cities have been selected for their geographical and climatic diversity.

7.What are the main features of The Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme which will be implemented from April 1, 2017?

a)Budgetary allocation of Rs.600 crore for 3 years
b)Budgetary allocation of Rs.900 crore for 3 years
c)Annual outlay of Rs.200 crore
d)Annual outlay of Rs.300 crore


Right Answer: C) a & c is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is a & c) Budgetary allocation of Rs.600 crore for 3 years, Annual outlay of Rs.200 crore are the main features of The Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme which will be implemented from April 1, 2017. The scheme will provide assistance for setting up and upgrade of infrastructure projects with 'overwhelming exports linkages' such as border haats, land customs stations, quality testing and certification labs, cold chains, trade promotion centres, dry ports, export warehousing and packaging, special economic zones, ports and airports. It will provide grant-in-aid up to half of equity being put in by implementing agencies; with a ceiling of Rs.20 crore per project and 5% of the grant approved will be used appraisal, review and monitoring.

8.How many clusters have been identified for building multimodal logistics parks (MLPs) to improve transportation and warehousing in the country?

a)35 clusters
b)36 clusters
c)37 clusters
d)38 clusters


Right Answer: D) a is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is a) 35 clusters, accounting for half of all freight movement, have been identified for building multimodal logistics parks (MLPs) to improve transportation and warehousing in the country. Out of this, 15 would be developed across Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The proposed parks would reduce transportation cost by a tenth for industries in the 35 clusters, enabling freight movement on higher sized trucks and rail. Locations for development of MLPs have been prioritised based on the level of production and consumption activity in a particular city, as measured by freight flows, quality of road and rail connectivity to there and its importance in international trade, he said. National Highways Authority of India would be the nodal agency for development of the first set of MLPs. It would form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with state governments. Within the SPV, states are expected to provide land for the MLPs.

9. Which city topped consulting firm Mercer's list of cities offering the highest quality of life for the eighth year in a row?

a) Paris
b) Frankfurt
c) Vienna
d) New York

Right Answer: C) c is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is c) Vienna, Austria's grand capital on the Danube River, has topped consulting firm Mercer's list of cities offering the highest quality of life for the eighth year in a row. The survey of 231 cities helps companies and organisations determine compensation and hardship allowances for international staff. It uses dozens of criteria such as political stability, health care, education, crime, recreation and transport. Vienna's 1.8 million inhabitants benefit from the city's cafe culture and museums, theatres and operas. Rents and public transport costs in the city, whose architecture is marked by its past as the centre of the Habsburg empire, are cheap compared with other western capitals. Singapore was the highest ranked Asian city, at 25 while 29th-placed San Francisco was the United States' highest entry. Top of the list in Africa was South Africa's Durban at 87.

10.Name the two bowlers who were ranked joint-first on ICCs list of best bowlers in Tests released recently?

a) R. Ashwin
b) Ishant Sharma
c) Ravindra Jadeja
d) Deyl Steyn

Right Answer: C) a & c is the correct answer
Explanation: The correct answer is a & c) R. Ashwin along with Ravindra Jadeja were ranked joint-first on ICCs list of best bowlers in Tests. This is the first time two bowlers of the same country have share the top spot. The last time the top Test bowler's spot was shared was between South Africa's Dale Steyn and Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan in April 2008. It is also the second time that the top two bowlers are Indians-Bishan Singh Bedi and B Chandrasekhar were top two in 1974.