sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alyz Henrich, Arunima Sinha, Chanda Kochhar, Fatehabad district, Lusofonia Games, Mamta Sodha

General Awareness

APRIL 2014 Year: 2014 Vol. 2, Issue 10

A PUBLICAITON OF GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD. SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A,

CONTENTS NATIONAL NEWS

SECTION – A FEBRUARY 2014

CURRENT AFFAIRS TH From December to 1-24 TELANGANA TO BE 29 STATE February 2014 ANDHRA PUT UNDER PRESIDENTT’s RULE SECTION – B After prolonged at most bizarre Hungama that ever happened in the Parliament, the bill for formation of BULLET NEWS Telangana as 29th State of the Indian Union was From September to 25-34 passed. To protest against this decision, chief November minister of Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy SECTION – C resigned from his seat as well as from the congress

500 SAMPLE MCQS FOR party. As a result the state was put under 35-60 BANKS/ SSC President’s rule.

CAPITAL PUT UNDER PRESIDENT’s RULE SECTION – E For the first time in its history, President’s Rule was imposed in Delhi when the Union th LATEST GK BYTES 61-87 Cabinet on 15 February approved the recommendation of Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung for keeping the Delhi Assembly under suspended animation following the resignation by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. FIGURES TO REMEMBER

REPO RATE 8.00% POLL EXPENDITURE CEILING RAISED Union Cabinet has approved Election Commission’s suggestion to increase the ceiling REVERSE REPO RATE 7.00% on poll expenditure for Seat to Rs. 70 lac per candidate from Rs. 40 lac at MARGINAL STANDING 9.00% present. For assembly polls, the limit has been raised to Rs. 28 lac from Rs. 16 lac at FACILITY RATE present. These ceilings are however, applicable to big states only. STATUTORY LIQUIDITY 23% RATIO GERMAN PRESIDENT IN CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% Joachim Gauck, President of visits India. India and Germany signed an BANK RATE 9.00% agreement worth one billion Euros (about Rs 8,500 crore) for financial and technical BASE RATE(s) 9.80% – cooperation for setting up a green energy corridor. (of various banks) 10.25 % VOTERS NUMBER SWELLS TO 81.5 CRORE INDIA’S RANK IN Summary revision data released by the Election Commission shows that India’s electorate for the World Press Freedom Index 140th upcoming general election will be 81.5 crore, The Environment Performance Index 155th electorate is now nearly five times what it was when

rd India first voted, over 60 years ago. The EC has Index for Nuclear Safety 23 added nearly 10 crore new voters to the rolls between Index of Economic Freedom 120th 2009 and 2014, one of the largest-ever such Rank in Energy Usaage 69th increases between two elections. Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 98th PM TO ATTEND BIMSTEC AT NAY PYI TAW Corruption Perception Index 94th Prime Minister to attend the BIMSTEC Summit (March 1-4) at Nay Pyi Taw, capital th World Prosperity Index 106 of , with an eye on giving a boost to India's Look East policy, focus on Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 134th increasing connectivity that will benefit the north-east and enhance cooperation in Global Hunger Index 2013 63rd counter-terrorism. BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical Human Capital Index 78th and Economic Cooperation.

Global Gender Gap Index 101st INDIA RANKS 8TH IN DIGITAL GOVERNMENT Global Competitiveness Index 60th th A new comparative study by Accenture has found that , and the Corruption Risk Index 69 United Arab Emirates (UAE) rank first, second and third, respectively, among 10 th Human Development Index 2013 136 countries in their use of "digital government". India ranked 8th in 10 country study.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 1 INDIA 140TH IN PRESS FREEDOM Ashok Kumar Mathur. The recommendations of the panel As per World Press Freedom Index, India has been ranked are likely to be implemented from January 2016. 140th in the list of 180 countries in terms of freedom of press. ranks first, followed by and INDO- YEAR OF FRIENDLY EXCHANGES Norway. India and China have agreed on a slew of measures, including RESTRICTION OF USAGE OF CERTAIN WORDS holding of joint Army exercise Govt has directed that Companies and limited liability this year and strengthening partnership firms floated by private entities should not use maritime security cooperation the word 'National' in their names. Similarly, words such as while maintaining peace and 'Bank', 'Stock Exchange' and ‘Exchange’ should be used only tranquility on the dispute border. after receiving no-objection from the concerned regulator. The two sides agreed to celebrate 2014 as the 'Year of Friendly Exchanges'. TWO MORE CHANCES FOR UPSC EXAMS In good news for lakhs of civil services aspirants, the DATA SIGNED WITH government has decided to give two additional attempts to India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement all categories of candidates of the prestigious exam (DTAA) with Fiji. DTAA are signed to ensure that undue tax conducted by Union Public Service Commission. The burden is not imposed on a person by taxing him twice, candidates who have exhausted their four attempts and are once in the country of his residence and again in the running 30 years of age will get two more attempts till 32 country from where income is derived. years of age. S C ATTAINS FULL STRENGTH INDIA TO SUPPORT ARABIAN RAIL PROJECT The Supreme Court of India got its full Indian labour force will help in construction of the 450 kms strength of 31 judges (including Chief long Haramain High Speed Railway project in Saudi Arabia Justice) on 17th February when two to link two of ’s holiest cities, Makkah and Medina. new judges - Justice Rajesh Kumar The rails for the tracks will also be supplied by Indian Agrawal and Justice N V Ramana were companies. sworn in as new judges.

BRAILLE COACH FOR BLIND PASSENGERS SECURITY AGREEMENTS SIGNED WITH Purushottam Express, a super-fast train running between India signs three security agreements — Mutual Legal Delhi and Puri will become the first train in India to be Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters; Agreement on attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach to facilitate Protection of Classified Material; and Agreement on visually challenged passengers. Cooperation in Homeland and Public Security — with Israel.

NGT BANS BURNING OF TYRES ™ 57.62 crore Aadhaar cards issued till January 31, 2014. The National Green Tribunal People not having document based identity and address has banned the burning of proof can avail of introducer-based enrolment. tyres at public places, such as ™ India currently has the largest population of illiterate roads and areas surrounded adults in the world with 287 million. This is 37 per cent by residential buildings and of the global total. also during protests by ™ A Credit Suisse report says that In terms of consumer political and religious groups confidence among emerging market economies, India as it is likely to cause health has been ranked fifth in a list that is topped by China. hazard. Under Section 26 of ™ India and Saudi Arabia sign a Memorandum of the National Green tribunal Act, 2010, a failure to follow the Understanding for cooperation in the field of defence order can result in a penalty of up to Rs 10 crore, which manufacturing. may be extended to Rs. 25 crore and/or imprisonment of three years. ™ World Islamic Tamil Conference held at Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu from 14 to 16 February. INDIA 9TH IN MILITARY SPENDING ™ 101st Indian Science Congress held at the University of India has emerged as the ninth largest global military power Jammu, J&K, 3-7 February. in terms of military expenditure, spending about $36.3 ™ A commemorative stamp released in honour of noted billion last year. The US tops the list with its 2013 defence ghazal singer Jagjit Singh budget estimated at $600.4 billion, followed by China at ™ DAVID JOHNSTON: Governor General of $112.2 billion and at $68.2 billion. visits India. ™ Ali Mohamed Shein, President of Zanzibar visited MATHUR TO HEAD 7TH PAY COMMISSION India. th Govt has set up a four member 7 Central Pay ™ Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Baharin visited Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice India.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 2 February 11 after the last of random samples picked up JANUARY 2014 would be tested. PRESIDENT APPROVES LOKPAL ACT The much talked-about Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, PRESIDENT OF MALDIVES VISITS INDIA has been passed by the President. The Bill provides for Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives creation of an anti-graft ombudsman to investigate visited India to strengthen the cooperation amongst the two corruption charges against public functionaries including the countries. India sanctioned a $25-million credit facility to Prime Minister, Ministers and Members of Parliament. Maldives for financing imports from India. Among other provisions, the Bill makes it incumbent upon States to make within a year their own law for setting up EXIM BANK TO PROVIDE CREDIT TO Lokayuktas on the lines of the Lokpal. The Act has come in Export-Import Bank has agreed to provide a Line of Credit to force from 16th January, 2014. of $ 19.50 million to Vietnam for financing eligible goods,

machinery, equipment, works and services including JAPANESE PM VISITS INDIA consultancy services from India for the purpose of financing Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister two projects in Vietnam. Line of credit allows borrowers to was the Chief Guest at the draw on the credit aas and when required. Republic Day Parade. Thhe two countries decided to intensify defence SUPER JUMBO A-380 LANDS IN INDIA and maritime cooperation but made Govt. has allowed super jumbo A-380 aircraft to fly into little headway in wrapping up the India. The move may benefit Indian tourism, but may harm much-anticipated civil nuclear deal. As Indian carriers as the fares offered by foreign airlines having part of growing trade and economic A-380 aircraft will be much lower. links, announced a loan of $2 A-380 has capacity to accommodate over 850 passengers in billion for the expansion of the Delhi economy class configuration and 555 passengers in three- Metro project. The two countries also announced the class configuration. expansion of the bilateral currency swap arrangement from $15 billion to $50 billion. GLOBAL CEOs VIEW INDIA POORLY

TH A survey of 1,344 CEOs, across 68 countries conducted by HOSTS 12 PBD CONVENTION global audit giant Pricewaterhouse Coopers asking them to The 12th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) select the three countries that would contribute largely to Convention was held from 7-9 January, 2014 at Vigyan their overall growth, India fared slightly poorer than last Bhawan New Delhi. This year’s theme was “Engaging year as only 7 per cent of CEOs reposed their trust in India, Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations”. Malaysian compared with 10 per cent last year. Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, G Palanivel, who is president of the Malaysian Indian Congress ‘JEEVAN RAKSHA PADAKS’ ANNOUNCED (MIC), was the chief guest at this year’s PBD. Govt has announced Jeevan Raksha Padak for 37 Thhe PBD is the world's largest annual gathering of people of people for their meritorious act of bravery in saving human Indian origin aimed at enhancing networking and reinforcing lives. They are of 3 types - Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, commercial linkages. January 9 was chosen as the day to Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Rakhsa Padak. celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL AT LUDHIANA from South , led India’s freedom struggle and changed The 18th National Youth Festival held in Ludhiana from the lives of Indians forever. January 12 to 16. The festival is held on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12, which is observed as the National Youth Day. The theme of KOREAN PRESIDENT VISITS INDIA the Festival this year is 'Youth for Drugs Free World'. Park Geun-hye, President of , the countr y’s first woman JAINS – THE SIXTH MINORITY COMMUNITY president, visited India on a four- The Jain community of around 50 lakh people has been day state tour. Nine pacts in wide- accorded minority status by the central government under ranging fields including cyber space section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, cooperation were inked between 1992. This will enable them to avail of special benefits in two countries to promote bilateral government schemes and programmes. The Jains is the relations. sixth community to have minority status after Muslims, Christians, , Buddhists and Parsis. INDIA BECOMES POLIO FREE India has completed three years without reporting any case WORLD’S LONGEST PLATFORM AT GORAKHPUR of polio. It is only the second time in the history that a A newly built railway platform at Gorakhpur has been disease is being eliminated in India through immunisation declared as the longest railway platform in the world, after small pox in May 1980. However, officially the World spanning 1,355.40metre. Till now, the record was held by Health Organisation (WHO) will certify India as polio-free on the 1,072.5 metre long platform at Kharagpur in W. Bengal.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 3 INDIA LOW ON NUCLEAR SAFETY VOTE-ON-ACCOUNT ON FEB 17 In the Nuclear Materials Security Index 2014 released by As the nation prepares to seek fresh mandate, regular the US-based think-tank Nuclear Threat Initiative, India has budget for the year 2014-15 will not be presented as been ranked 23rd , below its two nuclear-armed neighbours scheduled in February end. Instead, Finance Minister will – and China – in the list of 25 countries with a present the vote-on-account for 2014-15 on February 17 in weak nuclear material security in the world. India received the Lok Sabha. Similarly, an interim railway budget will be 41 out of 100 points, against 64 by China and 46 by presented on February 12. Pakistan. VOOTE-ON-ACCOUNT vs. BUDGET INDIA LOW ON ECONOMIC FREEDOM The Index of Economic Freedom-2014 ranks India 120th This year, a vote-on-account would be presented instead of globally and 25th among 43 countries in the -Pacific a full budget because general elections will be conducted in region, mentioning that India continues to suffer from low, May. Since the present government would not have enough but improving levels of economic freedom. The Index rates time in hand to vote for a full budget before the 186 countries in 10 categories of economic performance commencement of the new financial year, a vote-on- such as rule of law, regulatory efficiency, limited account would ensure that sufficient funds are at the government and open markets. and Singapore disposal of the government to allow it to run the finished first and second in the rankings for the 20th administration of the country until a new government takes straight year. over. WHAT IS VOTE-ON-ACCOUNT ‘NIRBHEEK’- PISTOL FOR WOMEN Vote-on-account deals only with the expenditure side of the Over a year after the brutal Delhi gang rape incident, the government's budget. The government gives an estimate of Indian Ordnance Factory has come out with “Nirbheek”, a funds it requires to meet the expenditure that it incurs .32 bore light-weight (500gram) revolver designed during the first three to four months of an election financial especially for women to defend themselves from assault. year until a new government is in place. The present government will have to obtain the sanction of INDIA LAST IN PROTECTION OF IPRs the Parliament for an amount sufficient to incur expenditure A report by the Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) of on various items for a part of the year. This approval by the the US Chamber of Commerce has placed India at the Parliaament to withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund bottom of 25 countries in terms of protection and of India is known as Vote-on-Account. enforcement of intellectual property practices. The list is DIFFERENCE IN VOTE ON ACCOUNT AND BUDGET topped by the USA. A vote-on-account is different from an interim Budget as it is a statement of only expenditures while the budget is a INDIA 155TH IN ENVIRONMENT PERFROMANCE complete set of accounts, including both expenditure and India has been ranked at a low 155th position in a list of receipts. Unlike a full Budget, the vote-on-account does not 178 countries compiled by the 2014 Environmental tweak the prevailing tax rates. Also, it cannot announce any Performance Index that places countries on how well they new schemes. perform on high-priority environmental issues. The list is WHY VOTE-ON-ACCOUNT AND NOT A FULL BUDGET topped by . In an election year (like the present one), the ruling government generally opts for a vote-on-account instead of JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL a full budget. While technically, it is not mandatory for the The seventh edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, a mega government to present a vote-on-account, but it would be annual gathering of litterateurs started on 17th January in inappropriate to impose policies that may or may not be Jaipur with a keynote speech by Nobel Laureate Amartya acceptable to the incoming government taking over in the same year. Sen. The festival saw about 240 authors in 175 sessions. WHO APPROVES IT

In an election year, the Budgets may be presented twice— first to secure a vote-on-account for a few months and later in full. As a convention, a vote-on-account is treated as a formal matter and passed by Lok Sabha without discussion. It is passed by Lok Sabha after the general discussion on the Budget (General and Railway) is over and before the discussion on demands for grants is taken up. FOR HOW LONG IS VOTE-ON-ACCOUNT VALID The vote-on-account is normally valid for two months and is in operation till the full Budget is passed. But during an election year, it may be extended for a period of more than two months if it is anticipated that the main demands and the Appropriation Bill will take longer than two months to be passed by the House. Source: Moneycontrol.com, Date: 24-01-2014

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 4 ™ The National Capital Region Planning Board has JAPANESE ROYALTY VISITS INDIA approved the inclusion of and districts of Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited India in the National Capital Region, NCR. for a landmark week-long trip, some 53 years after they ™ Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to celebrate 50 visited this country as Crown Prince and Princess. years of its existence (Feb.1964) ™ India’s first Mono Rail starts operation in MMR SLIPS DOWN TO 178 The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) — number of women ™ India signs labour cooperation agreement with Saudi who die of pregnancy-related causes per 1,00,000 live births Arabia to cover about a quarter of the 28 lakh Indian — has come down to 178 in 2010-12, from 212 in 2007-09. expatriates working there. Kerala has the lowest MMR at 66 while Assam tops the list ™ Asia’s biggest botanical gag rden will come up on 153 with MMR of 328. hectares of area near the Khandwa reservoir, in Naya , Chhattisgarh. LESSER SLUM DWELLERS IN 2012 ™ India and Israel have agreed to set up a $40 million The latest National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) joint fund to support technological ventures for report shows that the number of slum households in urban consolidating and strengthening economic ties. areas is coming down. The survey, conducted between July ™ Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his and December 2012, projected total slum dwellings at 88 wife Queen Jetsun Pema were in India on a five-day lakh, compared to 1.3 crore households in 2011. official visit. ™ Foundation stone laid for Global Centre for Nuclear FALL IN NUMBER OF HOMELESS PEOPLE Energy at Jassaur Kheri in district Jhajjar, Haryana. Number of homeless ™ UGC- University Grants Commission celebrates its people across the Diamond Jubilee on completion of its 60 years. country has come down by 8.8 per cent, from about 19.4 lakh in 2001 DECEMBER 2013 to 17.7 lakh in 2011, PARLIAMENT PASSES LOKPAL BILL says latest Census 2011 After two years of debate, a series of fasts unto death by data. Though homeless social activist Anna Hazare, the Lokpal Bill finally was in rural areas declined cleared by the Parliament, opening the way for by 28.4 per cent, it was establishment of the anti-corruption watchdog that will have countered by 20.5 per cent increase in urban areas. in its purview even the office of the Prime Minister. The Census defines homeless households as those which do not development signals an end to 45-year-old run of the live in buildings or census houses but live in the open or controversial Bill initiated in 1968 by former Prime Minister roadside, on pavements, in hume-pipes, under flyovers and Indira Gandhi. staircases, or in places of worship, mandaps, railway platforms, etc. INDIA WINS THE DEAL AT WTO MEET In a major victory for India, the 9th Ministerial Conference INDIA RANKS 69TH IN ENERGY USAGE of WTO held in Bali, agreed to allow countries to The Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report- provide subsidy on staple food crops without any threat of 2014 prepared by World Economic Forum has placed India punitive action, a concession that salvaged the current at 69th position in the ranking of economies on the basis of round of world trade talks from the brink of collapse. The their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable pact is estimated to add $ 1 trillion to global trade and add energy. Norway topped the Index rankings, followed by New 21million jobs across the world. The agreement has Zealand and . ensured that millions of poor farmers will feel secure that the MSP being given by the government will not be called INDIA 98TH FOR DOING BUSINESS into question internationally India has been ranked 98th in the Forbes list of world's best

countries for doing business. Ireland topped the list, Thhe World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global followed by and Hong Kong. rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to The best country for business was determined by grading 145 nations on ensure that trade flows as smoothly and freely as possible. 11 different factors -- property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, Director General: Roberto Azevedo; Members: 159 corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape, investor

protection and stock market performance. INDIAN RIGHTS UPHELD ON KISHENGANGA The International Court of Arbitration (ICA) has upheld TH India’s right to divert water from the Kishenganga river for INDIA RANKS 94 IN CORRUPTION power generation in Jammu and Kashmir with the condition India has been ranked among the world's highly corrupt that India must also release a minimum of 9 cumecs of nations at the 94th spot (same as in 2012) in a global list of water into the river below the Kishenganga Hydro Electric 177 countries compiled by Transparency International. The Project (KHEP) at all times to maintain the environment list ranks and New Zealand as the cleanest, while downstream. Somalia emerged as the most corrupt.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 5 UNEMPLOYMENT CROSSES 13% JANUARY 2014 The Labour Ministry report on 'Youth employment- unemployment scenario, 2012-13’ has revealed that KARNATAKA TOPS IN MIDDAY MEAL SCHEME unemployment rate in the country during 2012-13 was Karnataka has topped the first ever ranking of state estimated to be 13.3 per cent for the age group 15-29. governments on the basis of their performance and implementation of the midday meal scheme with a total ™ Film 'Liar's Dice, directed by Geetu Mohandas, selected score of 77.79 per cent, followed by Punjab- 76.81%. in the competition category at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in USA. ODISHA TOPS IN SJSRY PERFORMANCE ™ The Sankirtana — ritual singing, drumming and dancing Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has selected of Manipur has been added to UNESCO's list of Odisha as the Best State for providing self employment to "intangible heritage". urban poor under SJSRY (Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar ™ India and San Marino, a tiny country within , Yojana) during 2012-13. Under the Scheme, persons in BPL signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) categories are provided bank finance for business projects for exchange of banking and ownership information up to Rs. 2 lakh. ™ Govt has cleared a services and investment deal with 10-member Asean group as part of Comprehensive KERALA GETS TOP TOURISM AWARD Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). Kerala Tourism has become first organization in India to ™ Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement-DTAA signed win the ‘UNWTO Ulysses with Macedonia, a small country north of Greece. Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance’ for creating NEWS FROM STATES innovative initiatives for

sustainable development of FEBRUARY 2014 the world renowned backwater resort of Kumarakom. The award was given at the annual United Nations World ODIA IS NOW A ‘CLASSICAL LANGUAGE’ Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and The Union Cabinet has approved Odia as the sixth classical Innovation in Tourism held at Madrid in . language of India. The other five classical languages are - Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. FOREST PROMOTION PROJECT IN ODISHA Classification of Odia as a classical language would pave the Odisha has launched 'Ama Jangal Yojana' (AJY) to enhance way for inflow of more financial assistance for development forest cover in the state. The AJY (my forest project) and preservation of the language. scheme focuses on forest restoration, promotion of sustainable management of forest jointly by govt. and forest DELHI RECORDS HIGHEST IMR dependent communities. As per a recent global report, Delhi had the worst Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) among the four metropolitan cities ‘FREE’ TREATMENT FOR ACID/RAPE VICTIMS between 2010 and 2012 with 30 newborns dying for every All the government and private hospitals in the Delhi have 1,000 live births. Chennai recorded the lowest IMR of 15 been directed to provide "immediate and free" medical per 1,000 live births and in Mumbai and Kolkata it was 20 treatment to the victims of acid attack or rape. Further, no per 1,000 live births. acid attack or rape victim can be denied treatment if taken to a private hospital / nursing home citing it as police case. India’s IMR is 42 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012 down from 44 deaths in 2011. Highests : Madhya Pradesh – 56 UTTARAKHAND PASSES LOKAYUKTA BILL Lowest: Kerala -112 Uttarakhand became the first State to adopt the provisions of the recently passed Lokpal Act by passing the ™ Sikkim has become first state to achieve more than Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill-2014. The new Bill provides 100 percent sanitation in rural and urban households more powers to the ombudsman and covers all, including and other public sanitary centers. the Chief Minister. ™ The Union Ministry of Tourism declares Sikkim as the best State in implementation of rural tourism projects. JONBEEL MELA CELEBRATAED IN ASSAM ™ Taj Mahotsav 2014 held at Agra, U P with the theme The historical cultural event- Jonbeel Mela was held in - Paigham-e Mohabbat - the message of love. Assam. The mela is a very unique event where both tribal and non-tribal people of Assam and Meghalaya practice a ™ West Bengal and United Nations Children’s Fund barter system for exchanging agricultural produces in a (UNICEF) launched a campaign about safe drinking festive manner at the end of the Assamese Magh Bihu water and safe sanitation practices. period (Makara Sankranti). ™ Central Govt. to develop the 37 km stretch between ™ Bihar has announced a bonus of Rs 250 per quintal on Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in South Buckingham procurement of paddy, pushing the MSP to Rs 1560 a Canal, Tamil Nadu as the National Waterway-4 (NW-4). quintal, highest in the country.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 6 DECEMBER 2013 BEZBARUAH COMMITTEE FOR NORTHEAST Following the outrage KRISHNA KANTA HANDIQUI: State Open University over the death of a 19- (KKHSOU), the only State Open University in the Northeast, year-old student from has been conferred the international ‘Excellence in Arunachal Pradesh in Institutional Achievement’ award for 2011-2013 by Canada- New Delhi, a committee based Commonwealth of Learning (COL). led by former bureaucrat ARRUNACHAL PRADESH: is fast turning into a producer of M. P. Bezbaruah, has large cardamom, a sought-after spice. been formed to examine the cause for violence 5 NEW CHEIF MINISTERS and discrimination against people from the northeast and suggest measures to be taken by the government to Vaasundhara Raje: address these concerns. Arvind Kejriwal New Delhi

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Madhya Pradesh TAXI/AUTO DRIVERS COVERED UNDER RSBY The government has extended health insurance support to Dr. Raman Singh: Chattisgarh auto and taxi drivers by committing to pay half of the Pu Lalthanhawla: Mizoram premium amount under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, which provides smart-card based cashless health insurance cover of up to Rs 30,000 to the insured family. GOVERNMENT Balance 50% of the premium will be paid equally by the Central and state governments.

INITIATIVES 60 MORE CASTES IN OBC LIST Based on the recommendations of the National Commission FEBRUARY 2014 for Backward Classes, the Union Cabinet has agreed to add ‘ONE RANK, ONE PENSION’ APPROVED about 60 castes and communities to the list of Other Govt has accepted the long pending demand of ex- Backwards Castes in 13 states/UTs. servicemen for ‘one rank, one pension’. While presenting the Vote-on-Account in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister ANNUAL RATING SYSTEM FOR STATES allocated Rs.500 crore for this purpose, benefitting about 24 The Planning Commission has introduced an annual rating lakh retired armed forces personnel. One rank, one pension system for states to enable them improve on their business basically means that soldiers of the same rank and the same climate. Based on 'Business Regulatory Impact Analysis’ length of service get the same pension, irrespective of their concept, the rating would consider parameters like retirement date. availability of land, skilled labour and taxation issues.

BILL PASSED FOR STREET VENDORS VISA ON ARRIVAL TO 180 COUNTRIES A Bill that provides for the protection India will extend visa-on arrival to tourists of 180 nations of livelihoods rights, social security of barring eight, to boost tourism. India currently offers visa- street vendors and regulation of urban on-arrival to tourists from 11 countries like Finland, the street vending - Street Vendors , Singapore and Japan. The eight barred nations (Protection of Livelihood and are Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, , Sri Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, Lanka and Somalia. 2014, has been passed by the Rajya Sabha. The bill has already been MEGHRAJ LAUNCHED FOR CLOUD COMPUTING passed by Lok Sabha in Sep. 2013. In order to utilize and harness the benefits of Cloud Computing, Government of India has launched the ‘GI BILL PASSED TO PROTECT WHISTLEBLOWERS Cloud’ named as ‘MeghRaj’. The project will be A Bill to set up a regular mechanism to encourage and implemented by National Informatics Center. protect persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants, including GREEN MISSION LAUNCHED ministers-“The Whistleblowers’ Protection Bill” has been The Union government has launched an ambitious project passed by the Rajya Sabha. It has already been passed by titled ‘Green Mission’ to increase forest cover by 50 million the Lok Sabha in 2011. hectares in the next 10 years at a cost of Rs. 36,000 crore. India has over 6.92 lakh sq. kms. under forest cover, LPG CYLINDER QUOTA RAISED TO 12 comprising 21.05 per cent of total area of India.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has raised the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from nine to 12 in a year. PROJECT TO CONNECT RUSSIA WITH ROAD It also decided to put on hold the Direct Benefit Transfer for India to conduct a dry run study for a multi-nation and LPG consumer (DBTL) under which subsidy is credited to multi-modal transport corridor between India and Central the bank account of the consumers. Asia - Russia. The project aims at reducing cargo transportation time and cost between two regions.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 7 health delivery system for the urban poor, was launched in JANUARY 2014 Bangalore. It will cover 779 urban areas with over 50,000 RASHTRIYA KISHOR SWASTHYA KARYAKRAM population by March 2015 across the country. The central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched government will share 80 per cent of the cost to implement Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (National Adolescent the programme. Health Programme) to comprehensively address the health needs of the nearly 243 million children forming over 21 per MBBS SEATS UP BY 10,000 cent of India’s population. It envisages that every village The government has decided to increase the number of with 1,000 persons will select peer educators and train them MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) seats to discuss issues of adolescent health — from nutrition and in the country by 10,000 by upgrading existing state and gender-based violence to substance abuse and mental central government medical colleges. health — with their friends from the community.

NEW SYSTEM FOR DECIDING TRPs Thhe programme defines an adolescent as a person within The Union Cabinet has 10-19 years of age, in urban and rural areas, includes both approved a new girls and boys, married and unmarried, poor and affluent, comprehensive regulatory whether they are in school or out of school. framework for TV rating agencies for release of TRPs WAAQF DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (Television Rating Points). Following the recommendations of the Sachchar Committee, The guidelines propose to Govt has set up the National Waqf Development Corporation make it mandatory for rating agencies to have a sample size Limited for the development of Waqf properties for the of not less than 50,000 households for audience community welfare, jointly with the State Waqf Boards. measurement as against 9,500 at present. The visual media

seeks advertisements and their rates on the basis of TRPs. “Waqf” means the permanent dedication of any movable or immovable property for any purpose recognised by the CABINET APPROVES RAIL TARIFF AUTHORITY Muslim law — auspicious, religious or charitable, by a Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to constitute a Rail pererson professing Islam. The donar is called “Wakif”. Such Tariff Authority, RTA to advise the Railway Ministry on fares. property cannot be alienated, mortgaged or transferred The RTA will recommend fare revision taking into account without the prior permission of the Waqf Board. input cost and volatile market condition. However, the recommendations will not be mandatory for railways as only INDIA INCLUSIVE INNOVATION FUND the Railway Board can fix the tariff. Govt. has launched the India Inclusive Innovation Fund (IIIF), with the initial corpus of Rs 500 crore. The ministry INDEX LAUNCHED FOR HOUSING ACTIVITY of small and medium enterprises would provide Rs 100 Govt. has launched the Housing Start Up Index (HSUI) to crore and the rest would come from banks and FIIs. The measure level of house construction activity. The HSUI is a fund will invest in innovative, sustainable and profitable joint initiative of the National Building Organisation and the ventures that also address social needs in areas of Reserve Bank. It tracks the number of houses being healthcare, food, nutrition, agriculture and education. constructed every year across the country.

PAN CARDS TO HAVE ‘ADDRESS’ ALSO 150 DAYS IN NREGA FOR TRIBALS The procedure for PAN card allotment will undergo a change The Ministry of Rural Development has agreed to provide an with effect from 03.02.2014 as now in addition to additional 50 days of employment beyond the stipulated 100 submitting self-attested copies of Proof of Identity and Date days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment of Birth; applicants will have to submit Proof of Address Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for some 14 lakh Scheduled also. They will also be required show original of these Tribes (ST) households living in forest areas who have documents for verification of copies. received land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

NEW AGENCY FOR WIND POWER NREGA TO INCLUDE SANITATION PROJECTS Ministry for New and Renewable Energy is making efforts With a view to address the widespread problem of open for setting up a National Offshore Wind Energy Agency to defection, Govt. has decided to widen the scope of its explore the potential of generating power through wind flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment energy. The agency will explore wind generation potential Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to include works relating to in the offshore areas of the country. rural sanitation in collaboration with the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan (NBA). This interlinking is aimed at accelerating MINIMUM PENSION TO BE Rs 1000 sanitation coverage in rural areas and providing privacy and The government has approved a proposal to pay formal dignity particularly to women. sector workers a minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000, benefiting over 27 lakh pensioners. Those who get less NUHM LAUNCHED IN BANGALORE than Rs 1,000 a month include 22 lakh member pensioners The ambitious National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), and 5 lakh widows as on March 31, 2013. Thehere are total aimed at providing adequate and efficient urban public about 44 lakh pensioners.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 8 NEW POLICY FOR YOUTH an aim to strike at the root of Maoist formations and cadres. Government has adopted a new policy to empower youth to This is for the first time that both central and state forces improve their participation in priority areas of education, have launched a coordinated operation to flush out Naxals skill development and entrepreneurship, besides from their interior hotbeds. participation in politics and governance. The new National Youth Policy (NYP-2014) would replace NYP- 2003 that is DISABILITIES BILL PASSED BY THE CABINET currently in force. Youth in India, aged between 15-29 The Union Cabinet has approved the Rights of Persons with years, constitutes 27.5 per cent of the population or about Disabilities Bill, raising the reservation for Persons with 33 crore persons, making the country one of the youngest Disabilities (PWD) from three at present to five per cent. in the world. The disabled will get the benefit at all government educational institutions and jobs. HIGH TECH SUPPORT FOR WOMEN FARMERS NREGA SUPPORT FOR TOILETS / HOUSES The ministry of rural Every NREGA job cardholder who plans to build a toilet in development has gone high his house will get a contribution of Rs 10,000 from NREGA tech to empower women under funds. Further, they will also get wages for constructing its flagship programme, the their own house if it is being built under Indira Awaas Yojna National Rural Livelihood or any other such govt housing project. Mission. It has tied up with Digital Green, a global NGO in CABINET PASSES TELANGANA BILL rural development, to The Union Cabinet has cleared a parliamentary Bill for document best agricultural practices and disseminate these creation of Telangana state. The country’s 29th state would to all rural agricultural households headed by women. be carved out of 10 distrcits of Andhra Pradesh. The reamaining 13 districts will continue in the bifurcated MULTI-SECTORAL NUTRITION PROGRAMME Andhra Pradesh. The Bill has now been sent to Andhra The Centre has approved the rollout of the Multi-sectoral Pradesh Assembly to obtain their view. Nutrition Programme to address the problems of maternal ™ Govt has launched e-inclusion project to make people and child under-nutrition in the country. The programme, e-literate, aiming to make at least one individual in recommended by the Prime Minister’s National Council on every household e-literate. India’s Nutrition Challenges in 2010, will be implemented in 200 high-burden districts in two phases at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,213.19 crore. ECONOMIC INDICATORS ™ To encourage school children to explore scientific discoveries, 100 innovation hubs will be set up by the FEBRUARY 2014 National Innovation Council in the country by 2017. 3RD QR GDP GROWTH RATE AT 4.7% ™ captured a new territory when a rail Latest data from Central Statistical Office has put India’s engine rolled into the capital of Arunachal Pradesh- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth at 4.7 per cent Itanagar from Harmutty in Assam’s North Lakhimpur. during October-December 2013, the seventh successive quarter when the rate was below 5 per cent. Economists DECEMBER 2013 attributed this decline to weak investment scenario on CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS FOR JAC account of policy uncertainty ahead of the general elections.

Govt has agreed to grant constitutional status to the 2012-13 GROWTH RATE DOWN TO 4.5% proposed Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for Keeping in view the subdued performance in agriculture, appointment and transfer of judges to ensure that its mining and manufacturing in 2012-13, the Central Statistical composition cannot be altered through an ordinary Office has revised growth rate for the year to 4.5 per cent, legislation. According to the proposal, Article 124 A of the from the earlier estimate of 5 per cent. Growth in the Constitution will define the composition of JAC while Article current (2013-14) fiscal has been projected at 4.9 percent. 124 B will define its functions. The pickup has come mainly from the agriculture, forestry NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE IN HARYANA and fishery sectors that the CSO estimates will grow at 4.6 The Centre has cleared a proposal for setting up of National per cent against 1.4 per cent last fiscal. Cancer Institute at Badhsa village in Jhajjar of Haryana at a cost of Rs 2035 crore. PER CAPITA INCOME UP BY 10.4% As per estimates released by the Cancer is emerging as a major public health concern in Central Statistics Office, the Per India, where 11 lakh new cases are diagnosed every year Capita Income in India at ‘current and the mortality rate is 5.5 lakh per year. prices’ for the year 2013-14 will be Rs.74920 as compared to CENTRE LAUNCHES ANTI NAXAL OPERATION 67839 during 2012-13, A four day anti-Naxal operation involving close to 40,000 registering a rise of 10.4 percent. security personnel was launched on 26th December in Per capita income is calculated by evenly dividing the Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and other states with national income by the country's population. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 9 11TH FYP GROWTH RATE DOWN TO 8% W B PROJECTS 4.8% GROWTH THIS YEAR India has recorded an average annual economic growth rate A key World Bank report - Global Economic Prospects, has of 8 per cent during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12) reported that India’s economy may expand 6.2% in 2014- compared to targeted 9 per cent , primarily due to global 15, after hitting a 11-year low of 4.8% in the current year, slowdown, fluctuations in international prices, strong local down from last year's 5%. "Growth in India will be led by inflationary pressures and negative growth in agriculture recovery in global demand and an increase in domestic due to drought like situation. investment," the report said, but warned that these forecasts faced downside risks from the general election in a RECORD FOOD PRODUCTION THIS YEAR few months that could potentially undermine the sustained The country is likely to revival of business confidence and investment. achieve record 263.2 million tonnes foodgrain IMF PERKS UP GROWTH RATE TO 4.4% production this year. This The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised India's would be about 4 mt growth forecast for the current fiscal to 4.4 per cent, up higher than the record of from earlier estimate of 3.8 percent, thanks to a normal 259 million tonnes monsoon and improved exports. achieved two years ago.

Agriculture makes up for 14 per cent of the total GDP and ™ UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 53 per cent of the work force. (WESP) report projected India’s growth rate at less than 5.3 per cent for this year. CORE SECTOR GROWTH SLOWS TO 1.6% Poor output of coal, petroleum refinery products and natural gas dragged down core sector growth to 1.6% in January DECEMBER 2013 2014 from 8.3% in the same month a year ago. The eight GDP GROWS BY 4.8% IN 2ND QR core industries-fertilizers, cement, steel, electricity, crude The economy grew at a faster pace of 4.8 per cent in the oil, coal, petroleum refinery products and natural gas – have second quarter (ending September 30th), primarily due to a combined weight of about 38 per cent in the Index of improved performance of agriculture driven by a bumper Industrial Production (IIP). monsoon and exports. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) had expanded by 4.4 per cent in the previous April- INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION SHRINKS BY 0.6% June quarter of this fiscal and 5.2 per cent in the July- Showing no signs of recovery, industrial production growth September quarter last fiscal. rate remained negative for the third month in a row, contracting 0.6 per cent in December, 2013, mainly due to PLG COMM LIKEY TO LOWER GROWTH RATE sluggishness in the manufacturing sector. Considering the lower-than-expected growth of Indian economy, Planning Commission is of the view that the 12th TRADE DEFICIT DIPS BELOW $10 BILLION Plan's growth target could be lowered to around 7.5 per Exports grew by a meager 3.79 per cent in January to $26.7 cent from 8 per cent fixed currently. During the first year of billion but imports, particularly gold and silver, declined by the 12th Plan, India's economy grew by only 5 per cent, the 18.07 per cent to $36.6 billion, narrowing trade deficit slowest in a decade. In the first half (April-September) of sharply to $9.92 billion in the month. 2013-14, the economy grew by just 4.6 per cent.

™ India's foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 1.46 Asian Development Bank has projected that India is billion to USD 293.79 billion in the week ended Feb. 14 likely to record 4.7% growth in FY 14 which will improve to on account of increase in the currency assets. 5.7% next year.

JANUARY 2014 RBI PROJECTS GROWTH AT BELOW 5% 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, but likely to recover to 5.5 per cent in the next financial year. In the first half of 2013-14, the GDP growth was at 4.6 per cent.

GDP MAY GROW PAST 5% - MOODY’S Moody's Analytics, a division of Moody's Corporation 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. The upturn will be led initially by exports, which started to lift from mid-2013, and then later in 2014, by an upturn in the investment cycle.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 10

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 Non Plan expenditure FEBRUARY 2014 Income Tax 14 03 State/UTs INTERIM BUDGET FOR 2014-15 – HIGHLIGHTS Custom Duty 09 Non-Plan Expenditure 11 Excise Duty 10 States Share of Taxes 18 ¾ Income tax rates kept unchanged; ¾ 10 pc surcharge on 'super-rich' having annual income Service Tax 10 Interest Payments 20 above Rs. 1 Crore to continue; Non-Tax Revenue 10 Defence 10 Non Debt Capital ¾ 5 pc surcharge on corporates with turnover of Rs 10 cr. 01 Subsidies 12 ¾ Defence allocation increased by 10 per cent to Rs 2.24 Receipts lakh crore; Total 100 Total 100 ¾ Moratorium on interest on student loans taken before March 31, 2009; to benefit 9 lakh borrowers ADB LOAN FOR THREE PROJECTS ¾ Rs 11,200 cr. to be infused as capital in PSU banks in Asian Development Bank has inked three pacts amounting 2014-15. to $ 605.2 million with India for road development in the ¾ Target for banks for credit to farm sector during 2014- north-eastern region, power distribution in Madhya Pradesh 15 fixed at Rs. 8 Lakh Crore and improvement of railways services in the country. ¾ Disinvestment target for FY2014-15 fixed at Rs. 36,925 Cr; plus Rs. 3000 Crore by residual stake sale. $ 1 MN W B LOAN FOR NORTH EAST ¾ Allocates Rs 1,000 Cr more to Nirbhaya Fund; World Bank has launched a competitive grant-based funding ¾ Rs. 2,46,397 Crore for food, fertiliser and fuel subsidy. with access to over $ 1 million for profit and non-profit organizations working in the area of delivering services to KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2014-15 the poor in north-eastern states.

BUDGET HEAD Rs in Cr INDIA FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE WITH SACU 1 Revenue Receipts (2+3) 1167131 India and have agreed for early conclusion of a 2 Tax Revenue (net to centre) 986417 preferential trade agreement between New Delhi and 3 Non-Tax Revenue 180714 Southern African Customs Union (SACU) aimed at reducing 4 Capital Receipts (5+6+7) 596083 tariffs on certain items traded between the two sides. The 5 Recoveries of Loans 10527 SACU consists of , Lesotho, Namibia, , and Swaziland. 6 Other Receipts 56925 7 Borrowings and other liabilities 528631 ELECTRONIC TOLL ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS 8 Total Receipts (1+4) $ 1763214 The government will roll out electronic toll collection on all 9 Non-Plan Expenditure (10+12) 1207892 national highways by December to streamline the toll 10 On Revenue Account - of which, 1107781 collection and reduce commuter hassle. It will start along 11 Interest Payments 427011 the Golden Quadrilateral route by August and along the North-South-East-West (NS-EW) corridors by October. 12 On Capital Account 100111 13 Plan Expenditure (14+15) 555322 ™ The government has set a deadline for public transport 14 On Revenue Account 442273 vehicles running in major cities with a population of over 10 lakh to install GPS devices by Feb. 20, 2014. 15 On Capital Account 113049 ™ Government mopped up around Rs 61,141 crore from 16 Total Expenditure (9+13)(Budget Size) 1763214 the auction of 2G spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1,800 17 Revenue Expenditure (10+14) 1550054 MHz bands of radio waves. 18 Of Which, Grants for creation of 146581 ™ Asian Development Bank to give a $300 million loan to Capital Assets improve road connectivity along key corridors in 19 Capital Expenditure (12+15) 213160 Chhattisgarh state. 20 Revenue Deficit (17-1) 3.3% of GDP 382923 21 Effective Revenue Deficit (20-18) 1.8% of 236342 GDP 22 Fiscal Deficit {16-(1+5+6)} 4.8% of 528631 GDP* 23 Primary Deficit (22-11) 1.5% of GDP* 101620

*–GDP for 2014-2015 has been projected at `12839952 crore (RRs. 128.39 trillion)

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 11 JANUARY 2014 POSCO GETS GREEN NOD South Korean giant Posco has won environmental clearance AMRITSAR-KOLKATA INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR to build Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha, ending eight Spinning off a massive infrastructure and manufacturing years of wait for a project that would involve the largest- zone, the Union Cabinet has approved setting up of the ever foreign direct investment in India. The steel giant had Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) and formation of inked a pact with Odisha government in June 2005 to set up the AKIC Development Corporation (AKICDC). The Corridor the plant on 4,004 acres of land. is proposed to be developed in a band of 150-200 km on either side of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor in a INCENTIVES FOR INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS phased manner. It would comprise a belt of at least 5.5 lakh With a view to boost manufacturing sector, govt has sq km in the seven states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, extended the benefits of the National Manufacturing Policy , Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. throughout the country wherever industry can organise

INDIA’s INTERNATIONAL TRADE CORRIDOR itself into clusters and adopt a self regulatory model. India, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar have decided to develop a joint trade corridor that will include developing AIRCRAFT MRO PART OF INFRASTRUCTURE multi-modal transport, such as road, rail, waterways and RBI has decided that for the purpose of external commercial airways, joint power projects and telecommunication borrowings (ECB), 'Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul’ networks. The corridor will run from Kunming (a metro in (MRO) of aircrafts will be treated as a part of airport south west China) to Kolkata, linking Mandalay in Myanmar infrastructure. This will give a boost to the MRO industry as well as Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh. which currently has an annual turnover of over $800 million.

NEW SET OF REGULATIONS FROM SEBI WORLD BANK AID FOR SANITATION SEBI has come out with a stricter set of settlement The World Bank has approved a $500 million credit for the procedures and a framework for providing refunds to small Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Project for Low investors hit by irregularities in the markets. For collective Income States (Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar investment (money-pooling) schemes, SEBI has advised Pradesh) to improve piped water supply and sanitation. that all transactions should be conducted through cheque, draft or other banking channels but not in cash. Further, $700MN ADB LOAN FOR INFRA DEVELOPMENT SEBI has been empowered to order search and seizure The ADB has agreed to provide $700 million loan under the operations during investigations of financial irregularities. Accelerating Infrastructure Investment Facility in India FIRST FDI IN MULTIBRAND RETAIL (AIIFI) to support the government's efforts to accelerate The Foreign Investment Promotion Board has approved UK- infrastructure growth. based Tesco Plc's proposal to enter the Indian multi-brand retail segment in joint venture with Tata Group company - $100MN ADB LOAN TO MEGHALAYA Trent Hypermarket Ltd, with an initial investment of US$ In its first loan to India for boosting education and skills, 110 million (about Rs 680 crore). Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide $100 million loan for the project -- Supporting Human Capital Tesco is the first global retailer to apply for multi- brand Development in Meghalaya for providing vocational and retailing after the government allowed 51 per cent FDI in educational training to youth. the segment in September last year. ™ As per a UN report, India received $ 28 billion as FDI, ranking 16th among the top 20 global economies 24X7 TRADE FROM WAGAH BORDER receiving the most FDI in 2013.

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, allowing movement of container cargo, opening of bank branches, issuing more business visas and having a non-discriminatory market access (NDMA) programme in both countries.

EPFO PERKS UP INTEREST TO 8.75% The retirement fund body EPFO(Employees Provident Fund Organisation) has decided to increase the rate of interest on provident fund deposits from 8.5% at present to 8.75% for 2013-14, a move that will benefit about 5 crore subscribers.

10 % STAKE SALE IN IOC A panel of ministers has approved the sale of a 10 per cent stake in state refiner Indian Oil Corp to two state exploration firms, Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd and Oil India Ltd. The sale may raise around Rs. 5,000 crore to narrow govt’s budget deficit. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 12 DECEMBER 2013 NABARD TO PUSH JOINT LIABILITY GROUPS RD NABARD has developed the concept called Joint Liability INDIA TO BECOME 3 LARGEST ECONOMY Group (JLG) to provide institutional credit to small farmers India is likely to overtake Japan like share croppers and agricultural labourers on the pattern in 2028 to become the third of Self Help Groups (SHG). The scheme will be highly largest economy in the world beneficial for states like Punjab and Haryana where average after China and , land holdings are shrinking and number of such farmers is according to -based large in these states. economic consultancy CEBR (Centre for Economics and RBI COMMITTEE IN SKILL BUILDING Business Research). In the 2013 RBI has constituted a committee under chairmanship of its league table, India is at the 11th Executive Director G Gopalakrishna, to look into capacity place with a GDP of USD 1.7 billion and it will claim 3rd spot building and skill requirements at various levels of banking with GDP of USD 6,560 billion by 2028. and financial services operations for effective delivery of

services. INDIANS ARE CONFIDENT OF THEIR ECONOMY

According to a study by global research firm Ipsos, has MFIs ALLOWED HIGHER INTEREST ranked India as the seventh most economically confident The Reserve Bank has withdrawn from April 1, 2014, the country in the world. Indians feel confident about their ceiling of 26% on the maximum interest rate that the micro economy due to prospects of healthy farm output and finance institutions (MFIs) could charge on loans given by narrowing current account deficit. The survey of 24 them. Now MFIs will be able to charge more if their cost of countries is topped by Saudi Arabia, followed by Germany, borrowing from banks is higher and vice versa. and Canada.

™ The Asian Development Bank has agreed to lend $176 BANKS ALLOWED TAKE-OUT FINANCING million to extend the first metro train line in Jaipur. The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to refinance existing

infrastructure project loans through take-out financing

agreements with any financial institution. This means that BANKING & FINANCE banks will be allowed to sell off their long term loans to

some financial institution.

FEBRUARY 2014 BANK NPAs UP BY 35% 4 LICENSES ISSUED FOR WHITE LABLE ATMs The gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of listed banks rose RBI has allowed Tata Communications Payment Solutions 35.2% to Rs 2.43 trillion during the first three quarters of Ltd., Prizm Payment Services Pvt. Ltd., Muthoot Finance Ltd. the current financial year, up to Dec. 31. In absolute terms, and Vakrangee Ltd. for setting up and operating White- the 40 listed banks added Rs 63,386 crore to their gross Label ATMs under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, NPAs during the nine months. 2007 to enhance the spread of ATMs in semi-urban and rural areas. Thhe ATMs are generally licensed to banks but IBA WARNS AGAINST WINDOWS XP the ATMs licensed to and operated by non-banking The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has issued an advisory companies are called white-label ATMs. to banks to ensure business continuity after Microsoft ends support for its popular Windows XP operating system on FIRST POST OFFICE ATM April 8, 2014, adversely affecting over 34,000 branches of The country's first Post Office public sector banks. Savings Bank ATM was inaugurated at Thiyagaraya TOLL FREE BANKING FROM HDFC Nagar Head Post Office (HPO), HDFC Bank has launched its six basic banking transactions Chennai as a part of the through toll-free numbers. Customers will receive an government's Rs 4,909 crore IT instant SMS with the information requested including mini modernisation scheme for 1.55 statement and balance enquiry, cheque book request and lakh post offices of the downloading of mobile banking app. Department of Posts. NEW NORMS FOR HIGH VALUE LOANS BMB TO OFFER HEALTH INSURANCE POLICIES RBI has directed banks to provide credit data in a revised Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has tied with New India format for all loan accounts of Rs. 5 crore or more to the Assurance Company to launch health insurance products - Central Repository of Information on Large Credits-CRILC. BMB Sakhee, BMB-Nirbhaya and BMB-Parivar Suraksha for The central bank has also warned of taking penal action women account holders of the bank. While Sakhee Policy against any errant bank that fails to generate accurate data aimed at rural women, offers covers up to Rs 50,000, the in this regard. CRLIC is a platform created by the Reserve Nirbhaya schemes is aimed at urban women and offers Bank of India to check the rising pile of bad loans in the accidental cover limit up to Rs 5 lakh and Parivar Suraksha industry. offers family floater facilities GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 13 ™ Finance Minister has proposed to infuse Rs.11,200 crore EXCLUSIVE BANK FOR SMALL CUSTOMERS in public sector banks in the next financial year – 2014- The Mor committee set up by the RBI has called for 15 to enhance their capital. establishing differentiated lenders, including one for small ™ In a bonanza for farmers, the government has set an businesses and low-income households. The bank for small agriculture credit target of Rs 8 lakh crore for the banks businesses, called the 'payments banks', will focus on for 2014-15. providing primary services to the people. ™ Govt. has advised that every old bank branch should have ATM facility by March 31, 2014. PATEL PANEL FOR ‘CPI’ AS POLICY ANCHOR The Urjit Patel (Dy. Governor, RBI) committee on monetary policy framework has proposed setting up of a monetary JANUARY 2014 policy committee (MPC) that will be headed by the RBI REPO RATE HIKED TO 8 PER CENT governor and should be accountable for achieving inflation The Reserve Bank hiked key policy interest rates by 0.25% target set by it. The target should be to bring the retail to tame inflation. The repo rate, what banks pay to borrow inflation rate down at 4 per cent with a band of +/- 2 per money from the RBI to meet their short-term requirements, cent. Committee also recommended that retail inflation was increased to 8% from 7.75% per annum w.e.f. 28th should be measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Jan. Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted at not by the wholesale prices. 7.0 per cent, and the Marginal Standing Facility rate and the Bank Rate at 9.0 per cent. The move would tighten the NEW NORMS FOR BANK GOLD LOANS money supply thereby making home, automobile and other RBI has advised banks loans costlier and may further dampen industrial growth. that amount of loans sanctioned by them PRE 2005 NOTES TO BE WITHDRAWN against pledge of gold Reserve Bank has advised that all banknotes issued prior to jewellery should not 2005 will be withdrawn after March 31, 2014 as they have exceed 75 per cent of lesser security features as compared to notes issued the value of the gold. thereafter. Banks have been asked to start exchanging The gold will have to these notes. Public can easily identify such notes as they the be valued at the year of printing is not mentioned on them. In notes issued average of the closing price of 22 carat gold for the after 2005, year of printing in a small font is visible at the preceding 30 days as quoted by the India Bullion and middle of the bottom row. From July 01, 2014, however, to Jewellers Association Ltd. exchange more than 10 pieces of `500 and `1000 notes, non-customers will have to furnish proof of identity and RBI SEEKS MORE POWER FOR KEY RATES residence to the bank. The Reserve Bank has asked the government to amend laws At present, currency notes in denominations of Rs 5, 10, 20, to empower the central bank with powers to regulate 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 are issued. As per the RBI data, benchmark rates. The move comes in the wake of the Libor 7,351 crore pieces of currency notes were in circulation as scandal in where regulators have penalized leading on 31st March 2013. Of this, 14.6 per cent were Rs 500 banks for 'fixing' the benchmark London Interbank Offered notes and 5.9 per cent Rs 1,000 notes. Rate by providing misleading quotes.

RBI ALLOWS MORE RUPEE PAYMENTS MOR COMMITTEE SUBMITS ITS REPORT Reserve Bank has allowed payments from abroad in Indian The Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for rupees to utility service providers, tax payments, and EMI Small Businesses and Low Income Households headed by payments in India with a view to expand the scope of cross- Dr. Nachiket Mor submitted its final report on December 31, border inward remittances. Cross-border inward remittance 2013. The Reserve Bank had appointed the Committee to is a Rupee Drawing Arrangement (RDA) where remittances propose measures for achieving financial inclusion and are received in India through exchange houses situated in increased access to financial services. The Committee gulf countries, Hong Kong, Singapore and . proposed the following to be achieved by January 1, 2016:

(i) Provide each Indian resident above the age of 18 with an individual Universal Electronic Bank Account (UEBA). INFLATION BONDS FROM RBI The account would provide citizens with access to credit Reserve bank has announced and investment options. issuance of Inflation Indexed (ii) Set up widely distributed Electronic Payment Access National Savings Certificates (IINSC) Points offering deposit and withdrawal facilities at to offer an inflation savvy investment reasonable cost, option to primarily individuals and (iii) Provide each low-income household various credit, HUFs. These are 10 year Bonds with investment and deposit products at a reasonable price, floating interest rate that will be and equal to the inflation rate as per CPI plus 1.50% p.a. The (iv) Provide every customer the legally protected right to interest will not be paid but will be compounded every 6 receive suitable financial service. months. A limit of Rs 5 lakh per applicant per annum has been kept to exclude high value applicants. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 14 GOLD LOAN TERMS RELAXED ™ Govt. has revised its target upwards for opening new The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to permit bullet bank branches to 10,000 a year, from 7000 a year at payment of gold loans of up to Rs.1 lakh provided the present. period of the loan does not exceeds 12 months. ™ Axis Bank has become the first domestic private sector Bullet repayment means a lump-sum payment for the entire bank to have a branch in China. loan amount paid at the time of maturity. ™ Prizm Payment Services has launched ‘Money Spot’, a chain of 10, 000 white label ATMs, under licence from DEPOSITOR EDUCATION & AWARENESS FUND the RBI. The Reserve Bank has decided to establish a fund to be called ‘Depositor Education and Awareness Fund’ by taking DECEMBER 2013 over amount lying in unclaimed deposit accounts. The Fund ™ and India have agreed to allow circulation of would be used for promotion of depositors’ interests. Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 denomination Indian notes within An ‘unclaimed deposit account is one where there are no Nepalese territory, ending over 10 years of ban. operations for ten years or more. ™ Doha Bank became the first Qatari bank to get the license from RBI to start operations in India, with first SBI JOINS ’YOUTUBE’, TWITTER branch in Mumbai. State Bank of India has strengthened its social media ™ Govt approved the enhancement of the bilateral presence with the launch of its channel on popular video currency swap arrangement between the RBI and Bank sharing website Youtube and said it will also be launching its of Japan to $ 50 billion, up from $ 15 billion at present. handle on the micro-blogging site Twitter soon. Youtube channel will help it connect with the young and technologically savvy customers. SBI has already launched DEFENCE, SCIENCE a dedicated Facebook page in November.

NEW PROVISIONING NORMS FOR BANKS & TECHNOLOGY

RBI has directed that from April 1, Banks will have to follow new rules for setting incremental provisioning and capital FEBRUARY 2014 requirements for their exposures to entities with unhedged ARMY TEST FIRES ‘AKASH’ foreign currency exposures. Thhe provisioning requirements The Army successfully flight-tested Akash, the surface-to-air will be calculated as per the ratio of likely loss due to missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, foreign exchange movement to a company's earnings before Odisha. The Akash weapon system is an all-weather, air interest and depreciation (EBID). defence system for defending targets from aerial attacks.

PROTECTION AGAINST ONLINE FRAUD FATAL ACCIDENT ON INS SINDHURATNA As per the revised code approved by Two naval officers died and seven Indian others were the Banking Codes and Standards injured after smoke filled a compartment in the Russia made Board of India (BCSBI) in December, INS Sindhuratna submarine that was underwater on a 2013, bank customers who have routine exercise, off the coast of Mumbai. Addmiral D K been victims of electronic / online Joshi, Chief of Indian Navy, resigned from his post taking fraud will have to be compensated moral responsibility for the series of recent mishaps suffered for such loss unless the bank can prove that the fraud by the Indian naval ships and submarines. occurred due to negligence on part of the customer. TROPEX (Theatre level readiness and operational POST OFFICES TO GET ATMs exercise): Indian Navy’s major annual exercise held in India Post will install as many as 3,000 ATMs and 1.35 lakh Indian Ocean where aircraft carrier INS Viraat, nuclear- micro-ATMs at the post offices across the country by powered submarine INS Chakra and the US-origin September 2015. The postal department has 1.55 lakh post surveillance plane, the Boeing P8-I participated. offices, of which 90% are in villages, offering savings account to people across the country. NAVY STARTS SBTF IN CCS CAN COLLECT THIRD PARTY CHEQUES Indian Navy has started high tech Shore Based Test Facility RBI has allowed Banks to consider collecting account payee (SBTF) at INS Hansa in Panaji, Goa. This is the third such cheques drawn for an amount not exceeding Rs 50,000 in facility in the world, after the United States and . the accounts of co-operative credit societies provided the The SBTF is primarily used for flight testing of naval payees of such cheques are the constituents of these aircrafts that operate from aircraft carriers societies. As per RBI norms, banks are not allowed to credit account payee cheques to the account of any person other OLDEST KNOWN STAR DISCOVERED than the payee named therein. The astronomers led by Dr Stefan Keller of the Australian ™ RBI has constituted an expert committee under the National University (ANU) have discovered the oldest known chairmanship of P. J. Nayak (former Chairman of Axis star, SMSS J031300.36-670839.3, in the Universe, formed Bank) to review governancec of boards of banks. shortly after the Big Bang, 13.6 billion years ago.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 15 JANUARY 2014 DRDO LAUNCHES ‘DHRUVA-3’ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) MEGA NAVAL MEET ‘MILAN’ AT ANDAMAN has launched India's high performance computing system A total of 16 navies from the Indian Ocean region are 'Dhruva-3’. It has been developed by the Advanced participating in 'MILAN 2014', the biennial international Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG), naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy in Andaman & , for promoting critical applications for defence Nicobar Islands between February 5 and 9 for promoting research and development, particularly in advanced aircraft friendship, understanding between participating navies. designing.

ICGS ‘ABHINAV’ JOINS COAST GUARD JOINT INDO FRENCH SATELLITE Indian Coast Guard Ship Abhinav, the third in a series of 20 India and France are working on building the third Indo- Fast Patrol Vessels being built by the Cochin Shipyard, has French satellite designed for climate change studies. The been inducted in to service at Kochi base of Indian Coast two countries have already launched two satellites - Megha- Guard on Kerala coast. Tropiques in 2011 and the SARAL-AltiKa in 2013.

INS ARIHANT READY FOR SEA TRIALS India’s first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine, SUPERCOMPUTER PARAM YUVA-II developed by INS Arihant is now ready for sea trials. During the trials, all the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C- systems, including its ballistic missiles, will be tested before DAC) rated 1st in India and 44th in the world among the the submarine is finally commissioned into the Navy. most power efficient computers, by the Green 500 List.

™ Sahayog - Kaijin 2014’:4 Joint exercise held by the Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart, off DOWNLOAD 44 MOVIES INSTANTLY the Kochi coast, Kerala. Scientists in the British Telecom jointly with French networking equipment company have achieved the fastest ™ Agni-IV: India successfully test-fired its nuclear- ever broadband speeds of 1.4 terabits per second, enough capable strategic missile, with a strike range of about to transmit 44 high-definition movies at once on the existing 4,000 km, from a test range off the Odisha coast. fibre network in London. ™ Prithvi-II: India successfully test-fired it’s indigenously developed nuclear-capable missile having ™ Indian Council for Medical Research has developed two a strike range of 350 km, from a test range in Odisha. low cost glucose (sugar) monitoring devices and testing ™ The Mountain Strike Corps, aimed at countering strips, Suchek and Quickcheq for diabetic patients. China, raised at Ranchi - its headquarters in Jharkhand.

INDIA JOINS ‘CRYO CLUB’ WITH GSLV-D5 DECEMBER 2013 ‘TEJAS’ JOINS INDIAN AIR FORCE

After more than three decades of work, India’s indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has finally been inducted th On 5 January, the Indian Space Research Organisation into the Indian Air Force on December 20. (ISRO) successfully launched the Geosynchronous Satellite The single-seat, single-engine, lightweight, high-agility Launch Vehicle-D5 (GSLV-D5), carrying 1,982 kg supersonic fighter aircraft has speed of Mach 1.6 (1350 communication satellite GSAT-14, from Sriharikota, Andhra km/hr). It will replace the recently retired MiG-21 aircraft. Pradesh and placing it in orbit at an apogee of 36,000 kms India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile th above earth. D5 stands for 5 developmental flight. with a strike range of over 3,000 km from Odisha coast

™ Indian Air Force has bid farewell to MiG-21 FL – its first The GSLV is a three-stage engine rocket. The first stage is supersonic combat jet aircraft that served it for over fired with solid fuel, the second with liquid fuel and the third five decades. is the cryogenic engine. With this, India joined the “cryo club”, a select group of spacefaring nations having the ™ India has signed a mega contract of $1.01 billion with crucial cryogenic engine technology, which is necessary to USA for six more C-130J "Super Hercules" jumbo carry heavy satellites. The other 5 nations having such a military cargo aircrafts. capability are the US, Russia, France, Japan and China. ™ India offers to train Sri Lankan Navy officers.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 16 CENTRE FOR EARTH SCIENCE STUDIES CHINA WORLD’S LARGEST BUYER OF GOLD The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal for the Union China has emerged as the largest buyer of gold in the world Ministry of Earth Sciences to take over the Centre for Earth in 2013 having bought 1,066 tonnes (up32 per cent), Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The surpassing India as the largest gold consumer. India centre will carry out multidisciplinary research in the frontier consumed 974.8 tonnes, up 13 per cent. areas of solid earth science and provide services on a nationwide scale. G-20 FINANCE MINISTERS MEET AT Finance Ministers and business leaders from G20 nations CHINA LANDS VEHICLE ON MOON met at Sydney, , to discuss ways to boost China, for the first time, successfully landed a lunar probe investment in infrastructure to boost world GDP by more Chang'e-3 on the Moon — the first country to do so since than $2 trillion over the coming five years.

1976. A lunar probe carrying the “Jade Rabbit” or Yu Tu ™ North and South Korea have agreed to hold a reunion rover landed in the Bay of Rainbows, or Sinus Iridum, on for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, the the Moon’s surface, 12 days after the Chang’e-3 probe. first such event since 2010. China is the third country to do so after America and Russia. ™ BiblioTech: First Paperless public Library of the world TRACES OF WATER ON MARS opened in Bexar County, Texas, USA. It has only e- books to read. A US space agency rover rambling on the dry surface of Mars has for the first time discovered evidence of what used ™ 35th meeting of SAARC Council of Minister meeting to be a freshwater lake. Though no water is present now, held in Bandos Island Resort in Maldives. yet the conditions were right for the lake for microbial life, ™ Theme of this year’s World Cancer Day, observed on perhaps 3.6 billion years ago. Feb. 4, is 'Debunk the myths'.

NET USERS UP BY 20% JANUARY 2014 Driven by growth in Internet usage through mobile phones, USA REELS UNDER EXTREME COLD WAVE total Net subscriber base in the country increased by 20.38 The coldest, most per cent to reach 198.39 million in quarter ending dangerous blast of polar September 30. Total telecom subscriber base at the end of air in decades-‘polar the quarter was 903.09 million, out of which 873.36 million vortex’ gripped the US were mobile subscribers. Midwest and adjoining East and South eastern Canada. Temperatures crashed down to -30 to -40 degree C, causing very heavy INTERNATIONAL widespread snow and deadly freezing conditions since the start of the year, claiming several lives. Icy roads and strong FEBRUARY 2014 blizzards created travel chaos, cancelling many a flights.

FACEBOOK ACCQUIRES ‘WHATSAPP’ US GOES IN FOR STIMULUS TAPERING Social media giant In view of improving job prospects and surge in housing Facebook has acquired activity, the U.S. Federal Reserve has announced the mobile messaging company commencement of the tapering of its massive asset WhatsApp for 19 billion purchase programme, widely known as quantitative easing dollars in a cash and stock (QE). The programme involved massive purchases of long deal, the largest acquisition term maturity bonds, $85 billion every month to expand by the Mark Zuckerberg-led money supply to stimulate and support the economy. The firm so far that will give it a latest move reduces such purchases by $10 billion to $75 stronghold in the market for messaging. Under the billion, starting from January, 2014. agreement, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook Board of Directors. WEF MEET HELD AT DAVOS 44th annual meeting of World Economic Forum – WEF held GROWTH PICKS UP IN US ECONOMY at Davos, Switzerland was attended by over 2,500 Latest official data shows that the U.S. economy grew at a participants from almost 100 countries, including 1,500 3.2 per cent annual rate in the October-December quarter business leaders. This year's theme was ‘The Reshaping of on the strength of the strongest consumer spending in three the World: Consequences for Society, Politics & Business'. years. For 2013 as a whole, the economy grew a tepid 1.9 per cent, weaker than the 2.8 per cent increase in 2012. CHINA’s GDP GROWS AT 7.7% China's economy, the world’s second-largest, has shown APPROVES INDIAN RUPEE signs of stabilizing as 2013's growth rate matched that for The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe approved domestic trading 2012. The GDP growth rate for the quarter ending in the Chinese Yuan (CYN), Indian Rupee (INR), Japanese December 31, 2013 was pegged at 7.7%. Though it was Yen (JPY) and Australian Dollar (AUD) and soon these lower than 7.8% in the previous quarter, yet it was still currencies will become legal tender. higher than the government's target rate of 7.5%. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 17 FACEBOOK TO START ‘TRENDING’ Popular social networking site Facebook will roll out a new PERSONS IN NEWS feature called ‘Trending’ — akin to a tool on Twitter — for its users to know the most popular topics being discussed FEBRUARY 2014 on the site. The list will appear near the top of the right- hand column of the news feed. K.T. THOMAS: Thhe former Supreme Court judge has been appointed head of the eight-member search committee to LABOUR AND FAMILY REFORMS IN CHINA select the persons for various posts of Lokpal, the anti- corruption ombudsman. China has formally abolished its controversial labour camps

“re-education” system and loosened family planning ASHOK KHOSLA: Indian environment expert has been restrictions from ‘one’ child norm to ‘two’ child norm. Under awarded the UAE's prestigious Zayed's international prize in the re-education through labour system, accused can be environment with prize money of $300,000 for his scientific held for up to four years without a trial. This year, around achievement. 1.6 lakh people were held in some 260 labour camps.

LAKSHMI SWAMINATHAN: Lady from Chennai has ™ The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to make become the first Indian to be elected as the President of the military service compulsory for all adult males aged Administrative Tribunal of the Asian Development Bank. between 18 and 30, but kept it optional for women. th ™ has become 18 country to adopt Euro as its SANJEEV KULKARNI: A noted Professor of electrical currency. Its earlier currency was ‘Latvian Lats’. engineering in USA has been appointed as the next dean of ™ Greece takes over the Presidency of the European the Princeton University Graduate School in the Princeton Union Council. (not the presidentship) University, USA.

VIKTOR YANUKOVYCH: President of Ukraine was in news DECEMBER 2013 as he fled from his country to an unknown destination JORDAN ENTERS UN SECURITY COUNCIL following the public revolt against him. The Parliament Jordan has been elected as a non-permanent member of impeached the absconding President and he has been put the UN Security Council for filling a seat that fell vacant on the international list of wanted persons. after Saudi Arabia declined to join the Council to protest its failure to end the Syrian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. MARK ZUCKERBERG: Facebook founder and chief executive and his wife Priscilla Chan were the largest YUAN REPLACES EURO IN POPULARITY philanthropic donors in the United States in 2013, donating China’s Yuan currency, also called Renminbi – RMB, has nearly 1 billion dollars to charity, according to the annual list published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. overtaken the Euro to become the second-most used currency in trade and finance in world. Market share of Yuan usage grew to 8.66 per cent in October, still much JANUARY 2014 behind the leading currency US dollar which has a share of ANAND SINHA: Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India 81.08 per cent. was in news as he retired from the service. He was looking after the new bank license process. COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH AT –93.2C A remote region in East Antarctica has set a new record for ANEES SALIM: Kerala-based writer won The Hindu Prize the coldest place on earth, with temperatures dipping to a for Best Fiction 2013 for his novel Vanity Bagh for consistent bone-chilling minus 93.2 degrees Celsius. The coldest writing and humour and imagination. The Prize recognises permanently inhabited place on Earth is northeastern the contribution of Indian writers to literary culture. Siberia, where temperatures in the towns of Verkhoyansk and Oimekon dropped to a bone-chilling -67.8 C in 1933. 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 .

GEN. BIKRAM SINGH: 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.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 18 ASSHA KHEMKA: A Bihar born eminent educationist has MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV been awarded one of Britain's highest civilian award-Dame Designer of iconic AK-47 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), automatic rifle, died on Dec. making her the first from the community to earn the honour 23 in Russia. The name AK- in past 83 years. The Damehood is in recognition of her 47 stands for "Kalashnikov's services to the deprived areas of the West Midlands as Automatic" and the year it Principal of West Nottinghamshire College for last 8 years. was designed, 1947. Also called the "Kalashnikov", the rifle and its variants are the MEERA CHANDRASEKHAR: An Indian-American weapons of choice for dozens of armies and university professor of physics and astronomy has been guerrilla/terrorists groups around the world. 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. APPOINTMENTS

A. JOSEPH PAULRAJ: Indian origin Professor of FEBRUARY 2014

technology at Stanford University, USA, has been awarded R K TIWARI: Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes the 2014 Marconi Prize, a Nobel equivalent for technology RAJESH KR. AGRAWAL: Judge, Supreme Court pioneers, for his work that is at the heart of the current high N V RAMANA: Judge, Supreme Court speed Wi-Fi and 4G mobile systems. HARISH RAWAT: New Chief Minister of Uttrakhand RAKESH KHURANA: Indian-American professor of KTS TULSI: Nominated by the President as Member of Sociology has been appointed Dean of the prestigious Rajya Sabha in the category of eminent persons. Justice Harvard College, at Harvard University, USA. Tulsi is a leading legal luminary.

AITIZAZ HASAN: A 15-year-old school boy who died while JATINDER BIR SINGH: Chairman and Managing Director trying to defend his school in Pakistan’s troubled Khyber of Punjab & Sindh Bank th Pakhtunkhwa district from a suicide bomber has been hailed ASHOK KUMAR MATHUR: Chairman, 7 Central Pay as a hero for saving the lives of many of his classmates. He Commission has been decorated with the Sitara-e-Shujaat — a high SATYA NADELLA: CEO of Microsoft Inc., USA civilian award for bravery. SUSHIL KOIRALA: Prime Minister of Nepal ABDUL BASIT: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India ALLI LARAYEDH: ’s Islamist Prime Minister was in MATTEO RENZI: Prime Minister of Italy news as he resigned as part of a plan to end months of MEHDI JOMAA: Prime Minister of Tunisia political deadlock. His resignation sees the departure of Tunisia’s first democratically elected government, which IBRAHIM MAHLAB: Prime Minister, came to power after veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben OLEKSANDR TURCHYNOV: Acting President of Ukraine Ali was overthrown in the first of the Arab Spring uprisings ARSENIY YATSENYUK: Prime Minister of Ukraine almost three years ago. JANUARY 2014 MYKOLA AZAROV: Ukrainian Prime Minister was in news SUBODH AGGARWAL: President of the South Asian as he resigned to counter widespread political protests in Federation of Accountants. the country against harsh anti protest laws. R. CHANDRASHEKHAR: President of NASSCOM MARGARET THATCHER: The ‘Iron Lady’ of Britain was ARUP RAHA: Air Chief Marshal, Indian Air Force voted the most successful post-war British Prime Minister. VINOD KUMAR DUGGAL: Governor of Manipur She passed away on April 8, 2013. JANET YELLEN– First lady Governor of the US Federal

Reserve (US equivalent of RBI) DECEMBER 2013 SHEIKH HASINA: Awami League leader of Bangladesh DEVYANI KHOBRAGADE: Deputy Consul General in who was sworn-in as Prime Minister for the third time. Indian consulate in New York was in news as she was LAIMDOTA STRAUJUMA: 1st woman PM of Latvia arrested on visa fraud charges and humiliated unreasonably HERY RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA: President of by hand cuffing and conducting body search, violating provisions of convention providing diplomatic immunity to diplomats. DECEMBER 2013

J N CHOUDHURY: Director General, National Security JAYANT DASGUPTA: India’s Ambassador and Permanent Guard (NSG) Representative to the WTO in Geneva. ARVIND RANJAN: Director General, Central Industrial POPE FRANCIS: Supreme Head of Roman Catholics has Security Force (CISF). been named "Person of the Year" by the Time magazine for SUSHMA SINGH: Chief Information Commissioner at the speed with which he succeeded in establishing the Central Information Commission church as servant and comforter of hurt people in an often SUMIT BOSE: Union Finance Secretary harsh world. S. JAISHANKAR: India’s new Ambassador to USA GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 19 5 NEW CHIEF MINISTERS JANUARY 2014 ARVIND KEJRIWAL: New Delhi PADMA AWARDS - 2014 VASUNDHARA RAJE: Rajasthan Instituted in 1954, Padma Awards are announced every SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN: Madhya Pradesh year on eve of Republic Day in all fields of human DR. RAMAN SINGH: Chhattisgarh excellence. The total number of awards to be given in a PU LALTHANHAWLA: Mizoram year (excluding posthumous awards and award to VK DUGGAL: Governor of Manipur foreigners) should not be more than 120. The decoration C. V. R. RAJENDRAN: Chairman and Managing Director, comprises a medal and a certificate and no cash reward. Andhra Bank PADMA VIBHUSHAN – 2 Only MOHAN V TANKSALE: Chief Executive, Indian Banks' Name Field State Association (IBA) Dr. Raghunath A Science & Maharashtra Mashelkar Engineering AWARDS & HONOURS B. K. S Iyengar Yoga Maharashtra

PADMA BHUSHAN – TOTAL 24 FEBRUARY 2014 Kamala Haasan, Art-Cinema, Tamil Nadu VYAS SAMMAN 2013: Vishwanath Tripathi, noted Justice Dalveer Public Affairs, Judge in Delhi writer for his memoir ‘Vyomkesh Darvesh’ - a biography of Bhandari ICJ veteran Hindi scholar Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi. Literature and Delhi RAMANUJAN MATHEMATICS AWARD: Anand Kumar, Education, Novelist founder of Super 30 classes in Patna. Literature and Uttarakhand Education, Novelist E&Y ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2013: Uday Kotak, -Badminton Andhra executive vice-chairman, Kotak Mahindra Bank Pradesh

E&Y LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Dr Yusuf K Sports-Tennis Maharashtra Hamied, Chairman, Cipla. Late Justice J S Public Affairs Uttar Pradesh Verma AMAZING INDIAN AWARD: for scaling Prof Literature and Bangladesh despite being physically challenged. She lost Education, writer her right leg in 2011 after being thrown off a moving train. Prof Lloyd I Literature and USA Rudolph Education 67TH BAFTA AWARDS ANNOUNCED Prof Susanne H Literature and USA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Rudolph Education annual awards ceremony was held at London, UK. PADMA SHRI - TOTAL 101 The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture: 12 Years A Slave by Steve McQueen Sports, Cricketer Haryana Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave Bansi Kaul Art-Theatre J & K Best Actress: Kate Blanchet, Blue Jasmine Sudarsan Pattnaik Art-Sand artist Odisha Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for ‘Gravity’ Paresh Rawal Art-Cinema Maharashtra Santosh Sivan Art- Cinema Tamil Nadu CRYSTAL BEAR AWARD: won by Marathi film 'Killa', Vidya Balan Art-Cinema Maharashtra directed by Avinash Arun for the Best Film awarded by the Ashok Chakradhar Lit. and Education Delhi Children's Jury in Generation K plus section at the 64th Sports- Cricket Delhi International Film Festival. Sports- Kabbadi Haryana

INTERNATIONAL GANDHI AWARD-2013: Dr. Vijay Sports- Haryana Kumar Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang for making Mountaineering outstanding contributions in the field of leprosy treatment. th 59 FILMFARE AWARDS 2014

'ORDER OF FRIENDSHIP'- a prestigious civil award of Best Actor: Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Russia, conferred on A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief of BrahMos Best Actress: Deepika Padukone (Goliyon Ki Raslila Ram Aerospace, an Indo-Russia joint venture to produce Leela) supersonic BrahMos missiles. Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Bhaag Milkha

Bhaag) If you want to make your dreams come Best Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

true, the first thing you have to do is THE HINDU PRIZE for Best Fiction 2013: Anees Salim for his novel Vanity Bagh

DSC PRIZE for South Asian literature-2014: Cyrus Mistry WAKE UP..!! for his book Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 20 71ST GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS Insurgent by Veronica Roth These awards are given annually by Hollywood Foreign Wheat Belly by William Davis

Press Association (HFPA) in California, USA for recognizing the excellence in the field of cinema and TV. DECEMBER 2013 Best film-Drama: 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen Prophet of Love by Farrukh Dhondy Best Comedy Film: American Hustle by David O. Russell From a Minister’s Journal by F S Aijazuddin Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club India’s Military Conflicts and Diplomacy by VP Malik Best Actress: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron () for his spectacular India at Risk: Mistakes, Misconception and 3D space drama – Gravity. Misadventures of Security Policy by Jaswant Singh Barons of Banking: Glimpses of Indian Banking 56TH GRAMMY AWARDS-2014 History by Bakhtiyar K Dadabhoy (At Los Angeles, California, USA)

Record of the Year: Get Lucky by French musical group- Daft Punk featuring singer Pharrell Williams OBITUARY Album of the Year: Random Access Memories by Daft Punk Song of the Year: Royals by Joel Little and Lorde FEBRUARY 2014 AMAR KANT: Noted Hindi writer, Jnanpith Award winner Best Pop Solo Performance: Royals by Lorde BALU MAHENDRA: Noted Tamil film director and Best World Music Album: shared by - Live: Singing for cinematographer Peace Around the World by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN: A popular Oscar winner U Savor Flamenco by Gypsy Kings. S cinema actor MARCONI PRIZE-2014: A. Joseph Paulraj, USA, for his work in developing high speed WiFi and 4G mobile systems. JANUARY 2014

FIFA Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo of (best SUCHITRA SEN: Legendary Bengali actor, Padmashri footballer of the year in world) awardee, known for her outstanding performances in several Bengali and a few Hindi films like ‘Aandhi’, ‘Devdas’. DECEMBER 2013 Known as ‘Greta Garbo’ of Indian Cinema. BANKER OF THE YEAR-2013: Aditya Puri, Managing Dr. SYEDNA MOHAMMED BURHANUDDIN: 52nd Dai al- Director, HDFC Bank. The award is given by the financial Mutlaq (spiritual head) of the world wide Dawoodi Bohra daily Business Standard community, a sub group within the Mustaali, Ismaili Shia Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman: Rashmi Singh, branch of Islam. Executive Director of the National Mission for Empowerment AKKINENI NAGESWARA RAO: Veteran actor of Telugu of Women cinema, popular as ‘ANR’, Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, Stree Shakti Science Samman: Jata S Tyagi, professor the 91-year-old acted in more than 250 Telugu films, at AIIMS including a few in Tamil. 2013: Bea Rose , of SUNANDA PUSHKAR: High profile socialite and wife of Philippines, in Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development 2013: of in Shashi Tharoor , Philippines KARL SLYM: Managing Director of Tata Motors Ltd, died

after falling from a high floor of a hotel in Bangkok, . BOOKS & AUTHORS ARIEL SHARON: Former Israeli Prime Minister, one of the most influential figures in Israel’s history, a military FEBRUARY 2014 commander and political leader. Water, Peace and War – Confronting the Global PAUL TORDAY: British novelist, famous for his debut novel Water Crisis by Brahma Chellaney "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"

Public Issues Before Parliament- by Vijay Darda From Ghalib’s Dilli to Lutyens’ New Delhi by Mushirul Hasan and Dinyaar Patel The Islamist Challenge in West Asia by Talmiz Ahmed Vyyomkesh Darvesh by Vishwanath Tripathi

JANUARY 2014 India at Turning Point: The Road to Good Governance by T.S.R. Subramanian Vaanity Bagh by Anees Salim Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 21 DECEMBER 2013 DECEMBER 2013 NELSON MANDELA: South Africa’s first elected African : Gales and rain caused heavy damage in UK and president (1994-99) and a global anti-apartheid icon who disruption to transport and the power network. More than got South Africa freed from the clutches of its European 6,000 UK homes remain without electricity - with some of (white) rulers in 1994 through a public election. He served those who have been cut off since Christmas Eve expressing over 27 years (1962-1990) in prison. Was honoured with anger at the situation. ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1990 for espousing Gandhian values and with Noble Peace Prize in 1994. Mr Mandela is popularly called ‘Madiba’ as a sign of both respect and affection. Madiba was the name of the first SPORTS WORLD Chief of the Thembu clan to which Mr Mandela belongs. FEBRUARY 2014 FAROOQ SHEIKH: Veteran actor of Hindi Cinema SOCHI OLYMPICS – 2014 SIS RAM OLA: Union Labour and Employment Minister The 22nd Winter 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 PLACES IN NEWS countries who took part in 98 events, Russia secured highest number of medals winning 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 FEBRUARY 2014 bronze medals. CHANDOLI: village in Alwar district of Rajasthan was 2014 Paralympic winter games to be held at Sochi, declared as India’s first Minority Cyber Gram (village). The th th programme aims at introducing digital literacy skills in Russia from 7 to 16 March, 2014. identified minority clusters in India. Sourav Kothari won the National Billiard Championship title at , beating Alok Kumar. KIEV: Capital town of Ukraine was in news as it witnessed The International Olympic Committee (IOC) lifted the repeated widespread bloody clashes between the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after government lead by pro Russia President Victor Yanukovych approving the new elections of office bearers of the IOA. and armed anti government protestors. The protests started N. RAMACHANDRAN: President, Indian Olympic when Yanukovych announced abandoning an agreement Association that would strengthen ties with the EU. N. SRINIVASAN elected as Chairman, International Cricket Council JANUARY 2014 Irani cup: Karantaka defeats Rest of India to lift prestigious cricket trophy at Bangalore GORAKHPUR: village in Fatehabad district of Haryana was in news as foundation stone was laid there for a 2,800 will lead the Indian women’s cricket team in megawatt nuclear power plant- Gorakhpur Haryana Anu the ICC Women's World Twenty20 to be held from March 16 Vidyut Pariyojna. in Bangladesh. 35th National Masters Athletic Championship held at KARBI ANGLONG: A hilly district in Central Assam was in Coimbatore, Kerala. news as it witnessed widespread violent clashes between Ranji Trophy: Karnataka won their seventh title after the ethnic insurgent Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT) beating Maharashtra in finals held at Hyderabad. and the Rengma Naga Hills Protection Force (RNHPF). As a won gold at the 2014 Dave Schultz result thousands of Karbi and Rengma tribals were forced to International Wrestling Tournament in Colorado Springs, leave their homes and take shelter in local refugee camps. USA. Kathy Cross: First woman to be inducted in the : The country has been hit by unrest since International Cricket Council‘s (ICC’s) umpires’ panel. She is Dec. 15, when fighting among loyal and rebel presidential from New Zealand. guards in the capital city later spiraled across the country. Anti govt forces are being led by the former Vice- JANUARY 2014 President Riek Machar and his men from Nuer tribe. 75th Senior National championships: Currently, battle is on for control of Bor - a major town in Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das bagged the men’s and women’s eastern Sudan. titles respectively at Patna.

62nd Senior National Championship: VOLGOGRAD: the Russian city was in news as it Tamil Nadu and Railways bagged the men's and women's witnessed two ghastly terror attacks by suicide bombers, titles respectively, at Moradabad, UP. killing over thirty persons and seriously wounding several Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold others. The surge in terror attacks comes a little over a badminton championship held at Lucknow, UP. Results: month ahead of to be held in Sochi Men’s singles: Xue Song of China; Women’s singles: Saina in Russia. Nehwal, India

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 22 6th All India Inter-university Fencing Championship: weapons which is a loose combination of wrestling and won by the Punjabi University, Patiala, at Patiala, Punjab. judo, developed by the Russian Army

The 61st Senior National Kabaddi Championship held Fuleco-the Armadillo, name of the official mascot of the at Patna, Bihar. 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in in June, 2014. Evans Ruto of won the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. Dinknesh Mekash of Ethiopia won the DECEMBER 2013 women’s race. The Indian Kabaddi -2014 was held at Goa from Jan. 18 to players beat Pakistan to win 29. It is a multinational multi sports event where the fourth edition of the sportspersons from Portuguese speaking countries World Cup Kabaddi participate. tournament at the Guru Additya Joshi: Young shuttler (17) from Madhya Pradesh Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana. has become the first male junior badminton player from In Women’s category too, India to be ranked top in the world by the World Badminton Indian team lifted the cup beating New Zealand Federation (WBF). His victory in the national junior championship held at Chandigarh last month made way for Mahesh Mangaonkar became the first Indian squash his top ranking. player to win the IMET Open, the PSA World Tour Shiva Keshavan won the silver in the 16th Luge Asia Cup, Challenger 5 event, in Bratislava, capital of . held in Nagano, Japan. A Lugeg is a small one- or two- pererson sled on which one sledsd supine (face up) and feet- and Atanu Das, Indian archers won the first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the silver and bronze medal respectively, in the men's recurve calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to section at the Indoor Archery World Cup in Singapore. the seat. Mithali Raj retained as captain of Indian women cricket P V Sindhu, Indian ace shuttler won the Open team Grand Prix Gold title beating Canada's Michelle Li in Macau. M S Dhoni became the first Indian wicketkeeper and the fourth in world to effect 300 dismissals in One Day Gaganjeet Bhullar lifted the $750,000 Indonesia Open Internationals when he caught a Ross Taylor nick in the Golf Cup held in Jakarta, Indonesia. opening ODI against New Zealand in Napier, New Zealand. Hosting rights for FIFA World Cup-2017 (Under-17) TAX EXEMPTION TO SPORTSPERSONS have been awarded to India. Central Board of Direct Taxes-CBDT has announced that Indian sportspersons who win medals at Olympics, TOUR de INDIA LISTED BY UCI Commonwealth and will be exempted from The Tour de India 2013, the world's biggest cycling event, paying Income Tax on cash or other rewards given by the has been listed in the international calendar of the UCI government. (Union Cycliste Internationale). The races took place on Dec 15, 17 and 22 in Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi, respectively. AUUSTRALIAN OPEN Tennis Cup, Melbourne, Australia The event was won by Mohd. Nor Umardi of Malayasia Men: Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland defeated Rafa Nadal of Spain KERALA: emerges as champion in 29th Junior National Women: Li Na of China defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Athletics Championships held in Bangalore. Slovakia; the oldest woman (31) ever to win the title. 57th National Shooting Championship held at New ATTP Chennai Open Tennis: Stanislas Wawrinka of Delhi. Olympic silver medalist Vijay Kumar of Army won Switzerland won the title beating Edouard Roger-Vasselin of gold in men's 25m rapid fire pistol event. Man Singh of France. Punjab won the gold in the men's skeet event while Andhra Malaysian Open 2014(badminton): Lee Chong Wei of Pradesh shooter Rashmi Rathore topped in women's skeet Malaysia won the men’s title in, beating Tommy Sugiarto of event. Samresh Jung won the ‘Champion of Champions’ Indonesia. Women’s title was lifted by China's Li Xuerui title in pistol event. beating teammate Wang Shixian. Deepika Kumar and Tarundeep Rai were the top Hero Hockey World League: Netherlands beats New recurve archers in women and men category at the 34th Zealand to win the championship held at New Delhi. Senior National Archery championship held at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Corey Anderson: New Zealand all-rounder scored the quickest ever in international cricket, taking just 36 PV Sindhu and K Srikanth clinched the women's and balls against West Indies at Queenstown, New Zealand to men's titles respectively at the 78th Senior National break the record of Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (in 1996). Badminton Championships held at New Delhi. SAMBO, the Russian martial art has earned recognition of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for inclusion in the Asian selected for the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Games. Sambo is a self-defence technique without Achievement award for the year 2013 by BCCI. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 23

Ravichandran Ashwin: Indian spinner to receive the DAYS & DATES

Polly Umrigar Award from the BCCI for being India’s best international cricketer of the year 2012-13. APRIL Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the ICC LG People's Choice April Fool’s Day 1st April Award – 2013 for the best cricketer. th National Maritime Day 05 April th Jacques Kallis: South African all-rounder has announced World Health Day 07 April th his retirement from test and first-class cricket after the World Heritage Day 18 April st second Test against India in Durban, South Africa. Civil Service Day 21 April nd World Earth Day 22 April World Books Day 23rd April World Maleria Day 25th April World Intellectual Property Day 26th April ABBREVIATIONS MARCH LGBT: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender th DGMO: Director General of Military Opeations International Women’s Day 08 March th NSSO: National Sample Survey Organization No Smoking Day 13 March World Disabled Day 15th March A K 47: Automatic (rifle by) Kalashnikov, 1947 St. Patricks Day 17th March BMD: Ballistic Missile Defence World Water Day 22nd March CCEA: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs World Meteorological Day 23rd March CCI: Competition Commission of India World Stage Artists Day 27th March st CCS: Cabinet Committee on Security Financial Year Ending 31 March

CERN: European Council for Nuclear Research (French- FEBRUARY Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) th CPSU: Central Public Sector Undertaking World Cancer Day 4 February World Radio Day 13th February CTT: Commodity Transaction Tax Valentine’s Day 14th February LED: Light Emitting Diode World Day of Social Justice 20th February LCD: Liquid Crystal Display Central Excise Day 24th February MMTC: Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation National Science Day 28th February MNC: Multi National Cooperation

MPCE: Monthly Per Capita Expenditure FORM IV NCTC: National Counter Terrorism Center NFSM: National Food Security Mission 1. Place of publication: CHANDIGARH 2. Periodicity of its publication: MONTHLY NIA: National Investigation Agency 3. Printer’s Name: ALL TECH PRINT PACK NMDC: National Mineral Development Corporation Nationality: INDIAN NOFHC: Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (for Address: 182/4, INDUSTRIAL AREA, PHASE – I, CHANDIGARH opening new bank) 4. Publisher’s Name GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD. M3 Broad Money Nationality: INDIAN OECD: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Address: SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH – Development 160022 5. Editor’s Name: VARINDER MOHAN SINGH GROVER OFS: Offer For Sale (a company selling its shares) Nationality: INDIAN PISA: Programme for International Student Assessment Address: HOUSE NO. 4314, SECTOR 68, MOHALI – 160062 RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership 6. Names and addresses of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding More than one per cent of the total SARDP: Special Accelerated Road Development Programme capital: Varinder Mohan Singh Grover and Mrs. Charanjeet Kaur SFIO: Serious Fraud Investigation Office Grover, H. No. 4314, Sector 68, Mohali. I, Varinder Mohan Singh Grover hereby declare that the particulars TFT: Thin Film Transistor given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. USSD: Unstructured Supplementary Service Data Sd/- WIFS: Weekly Iron and Folic acid Supplement Date: 01.03.2014 (Varinder Mohan Singh Grover) WIFS: Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplement Publisher

WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED

FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 24

(September– November 2013) For details please visit our website: www.gyanm.in

¾ India declared free from H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu) NATIONAL NEWS as no cases have been reported in the last 3 months. India and have agreed to strengthen, promote ¾ and develop renewable energy cooperation NOVEMBER 2013 ¾ India to provide Rs 100 crores as a grant to Bhutan for ¾ Eminent scientist Prof C.N.R. Rao and cricket icon their Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP). Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar have been awarded the ¾ World Agriculture Forum Congress 2013 and Agri-Tech highest civilian award of India - The Bharat Ratna. Trade Fair held at Hyderabad, Nov. 4-7. ¾ Govt. has decided to discontinue issuance of India- Bangladesh Passport with effect from November 15, 2013. OCTOBER 2013 ¾ David Cameron, Prime Minister of UK visited India on ¾ Prime Minister visited Russia to hold bilateral talks with his way to Colombo to attend Commonwealth Heads of the Russian President Vladimer Putin Government Meeting. ¾ India and China signed the Border Defence Cooperation ¾ India’s second international standard multi-use Agreement on visit of Chinese Prime Minister Li Integrated Check Post (ICP) and the first along the Keqiang. Bangladesh border has been opened at Akhaurah in ¾ President visited ; conferred honorary 'Doctorate’ Tripura. in Political Science by the University ¾ The first joint retreat ceremony of the BSF and Border ¾ Prime Minister visited Brunei to attend ASEAN Summit Guard Bangladesh (BGB) held on Nov 6 at Petropole- and East Asia Summit Benapole check post on Indo Bangla border ¾ Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Latin American ¾ Japan will provide an assistance of Rs 1,958 crore to countries and Cuba to strengthen India's relations India for campus development at IIT Hyderabad with them. (1129cr) and investment promotion in Tamil Nadu ¾ India ranks 163rd in Global Hunger Index (829cr). ¾ Panjab University, Chandigarh, ranked India’s no. 1 Supreme Court has allowed persons lodged in jail to ¾ higher educational institution in the Times Higher contest elections, going back on their July 10 judgment. Education's Top 400 World University Rankings India has extended a 100 million dollar line of credit to ¾ ¾ India has been placed at a low 78th slot on a global Vietnam for defence purchases Human Capital Index India and Vietnam have signed an agreement to ¾ ¾ India has signed agreements with seven countries, who facilitate transfer of sentenced prisoners languishing in pledged their commitment to the ambitious Nalanda their jails. University project. UNICEF has launched a nationwide social media ¾ ¾ The Supreme Court has directed govt to ensure campaign named ‘Take the Poo to Loo’ against reservation of 3% jobs for the disabled defecation in open. ¾ The proposed highway - from Moreh in Manipur to Mae In the 'Prosperity Index' ranking of 142 countries ¾ Sot in Thailand, via Myanmar to start soon compiled by London-based Legatum Institute, th India has been ranked 101 out of 136 countries on a India slipped by five places to 106 spot. ¾ Global Gender Gap Index compiled by Geneva-based As per the World Bank’s report 'Ease of Doing Business ¾ World Economic Forum. 2014’ India ranked 134th in the list of 189 economies ¾ Latest Census data shows that over 65 million people 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2013 ¾ lived in slums in 2011. held in Goa from November 20th to 30th. Japan was the President visits Belgium and had a meeting with their country in focus for this festival. ¾ Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo at . ¾ India has contributed over USD 11 million to various UN bodies for development activities for the year 2014.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 25 ¾ World Bank to provide $360 million loan for modernisation of irrigation and drainage systems in NEWS FROM STATES Uttar Pradesh. ¾ Union Finance Minister and RBI governor visit USA to NOVEMBER 2013 attend the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank at Washington. ¾ The National Museum of Denmark has offered to renovate 116 heritage buildings located on the banks of ¾ 15th Mumbai film festival held from October 17 to 24 the river Hooghly in West Bengal. at Mumbai. ¾ Number of man-days under NREGA Scheme increased to 150 from existing norm of 100 days in cyclone hit SEPTEMBER 2013 districts of Odisha. th ¾ World Bank and ADB to provide $ 313 mn to Odisha for ¾ Prime Minister visited U.S.A. to address the 66 session restoration and rehabilitation in cyclone Phailin hit of UN General Assembly. areas. ¾ Supreme Court has ruled that the voter has the right to Govt. has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) negative voting by rejecting all the candidates in fray ¾ Act in Assam and in the border areas of Arunachal by exercising the option of None of the Above (NOTA). Pradesh and Meghalaya for six more months w.e.f. Nov ¾ As per the annual Global Competitiveness Report 2013- 4 14, India has slipped to 60th position in terms of its Sikkim declared as the best region to visit in 2014 in competitiveness globally. ¾ the Best in Travel list 2014 by the global travel guide ¾ A new global corruption risk index ranked India as the Lonely Planet. 69th most graft-prone nation out of 197 countries ¾ The Hornbill Festival held in Kohima, Nagaland to ¾ The National Green Tribunal has banned digging of celebrate and promote rich tribal culture of Nagaland. earth without prior environment clearance across the country for making bricks and roads ¾ Government has notified the landmark National Food SEPTEMBER 2013 Security Act 2013, giving a legal right on ¾ Bihar govt has asked Gram Sabhas to observe ‘Bitiya highly subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the Janmotsav’ (celebration of birth of girl children) to country's population. spread awareness about gender issues. ¾ The third edition of the Sustainable Mountain ¾ Tripura has emerged as most literate state in India with Development Summit held at Kohima, Nagaland. 94.65 per cent literacy against Kerala’s 93.91 per cent. ¾ A stamp released in the memory of freedom fighter and veteran journalist, founder of news paper ‘Punjab Kesari’ - Lala Jagat Narain. ¾ The Rajya Sabha passed a Bill to create a Judicial GOVT INITIATIVES Appointments Commission to replace the collegium system of appointing judges to higher courts. NOVEMBER 2013 ¾ World's largest solar power plant to generate 4,000 mw S Mahendra Dev committee appointed to prepare a from sunlight set up near Sambhar lake, Rajasthan. ¾ fresh index that would lead to more generous wage ¾ Raghuram Rajan panel has developed a 'Multi revisions under the NREGA. Dimensional Index (MDI)' for identifying backwardness ¾ Centre has directed the state governments to of states and devolving funds for their development. implement ¾ The MDI ranks Odisha as India’s most backward state, the new National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP) for followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. compulsory coverage of all the loanee farmers. ¾ Govt has approved 3 highway projects in Assam ¾ Govt. has decided to establish National Institute of under Special Accelerated Road Development program Disaster Response (NIDR) in Maharashtra ¾ The first North East Festival was held at the Indira ¾ Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, a Centrally Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi Sponsored Scheme launched for reforming the state ¾ 'THE GOOD ROAD': Gyan Correa's National award- run higher education system winning Gujarati film nominated for Oscar Awards. ¾ Prasaar Bharati to launch a separate TV channel ¾ India's population estimated at 123 crore as of March 1, “Prabha” specially for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. 2012, which includes 27 crore BPL people

¾ India signed the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with the Baltic country Latvia OCTOBER 2013 ¾ Asian Development Bank to provide $400 million to ¾ National Financial Reporting Authority set up to lay improve water and sanitation system in Kolkata. down accounting and auditing policies and standards for adoption by companies ¾ Skilled labour in sericulture included in works eligible under the employment guarantee scheme - MNREGA. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 26 ¾ The minimum support price (MSP) for wheat raised by ¾ India has allowed Bangladesh to import motorcycles Rs 50 per quintal to Rs 1,400 for 2013-14 crop year through the land route as against sea route at present, ¾ All post offices to come under the core banking solution to reduce the transportation costs. system to cover more people of rural areas ¾ Wind and solar farms to be set up in Rajasthan and OCTOBER 2013 Tamil Nadu in the first phase of the Rs 43,000- ¾ 4 Indian businesswomen led by ICICI crore Green Energy Corridors Project Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar have made to Fortune ¾ Govt has allowed portability of LPG connections from magazine's global list of top-50 women business one dealer/company to another and also launched the 5 leaders. kg LPG cylinder at cash and carry basis. ¾ Tatas’ join hand with Singapore Airlines to form 'Tata SIA Airlines Limited'. SEPTEMBER 2013 ¾ Govt approves Jet Airways' proposed sale of 24 per cent equity to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways ¾ Parliament passed the Pension Fund Regulatory and ¾ India agrees to start a transmission line for exporting Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, 2011, to create a 500 MW of electricity from West Bengal to Bangladesh. regulator for the sector and allow 26 per cent FDI. ¾ India finalised $512-million joint venture deal with Sri Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority ¾ Lanka for construction of two coal fired power projects (IRDA) became the first regulator in the world to start an insurance repository system. ¾ Reliance Industries Ltd. has become the first company in the country to achieve sales of more than Rs Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan ¾ 1,00,000 crore in a quarter. States (HMNEH) and National Bamboo Mission (NBM) have been merged with National Horticultural Mission. ¾ Australian Trade Commission and YES Bank have signed a MoU to raise the productivity and exports of ¾ Govt has notified that the controversial General Anti India’s food and agricultural sector. Avoidance Rules will come into effect from 01-04-16 ¾ The new Companies Law requires companies to spend Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation set up to engage ¾ at least 2 per cent of its net profits on Corporate Social corporates for help to counter Naxal influence. Responsibility (CSR) activities. ¾ The Lok Sabha passed the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011. SEPTEMBER 2013 ¾ Sikkim has recorded steepest fall of 22% in poverty level in the country, between 2004-05 and 2011-12, ECONOMIC INDICATORS reaching to 8.19% ¾ Odisha emerged as best investment destination for new NOVEMBER 2013 projects attracting 27% share of all-India investments. ¾ ADB to grant Rs. 2,100 crore to Karnataka to develop ¾ Standard & Poor's has warned of a likely downgrade in and upgrade eight city clusters around Bangalore 2014 if the government fails to reverse India's low ¾ India to invest USD 4.3 billion in World Bank bonds to growth. help the country secure additional funding from the multilateral agency for infrastructure projects. SEPTEMBER 2013 ¾ The Finance Ministry has taken over commodity futures markets regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) ¾ According to the Central Statistical Office (CSO), from the Consumers Affairs Ministry. India's economy grew at 4.4% in the first quarter of the current fiscal, its slowest pace in over four years ¾ Share of agriculture and allied sectors in India's GDP has declined to 13.7 per cent in 2012-13 BANKING

NOVEMBER 2013 ECONOMY ¾ First all-woman bank - ‘Bhartiya Mahila Bank’ starts from Mumbai, headed by Usha Ananthasubramaniam. The bank will also cater to limited number of male NOVEMBER 2013 customers. RBI asks public sector banks to provide credit to ¾ Four overseas territories - Liechtenstein, Isle of Man, ¾ women self help groups @ 7% pa under the and Cayman Islands agreed to Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (Aajeevika) share tax information with India. scheme.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 27 ¾ RBI allows banks to classify loans given to medium ¾ Urjit Patel Committee formed to strengthen the manufacturing enterprises after Nov. 13 under priority framework of monetary policy to avoid friction between sector lending. the RBI and the Finance Ministry.

¾ RBI allows banks to pay interest on savings deposits and term deposits at monthly or fortnightly intervals. ¾ RBI has permitted foreign banks to acquire domestic DEFENCE, SCIENCE & private sector banks and to set up branches anywhere in India. TECHNOLOGY ¾ Vodafone India and ICICI Bank have launched mobile money transfer and payment service 'M-Pesa' in Assam and other North Eastern states. NOVEMBER 2013 ¾ The RBI has asked banks to charge customers for ¾ Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, a re-fitted version of transaction SMS alerts on the basis of usage, instead of Russian ship Admiral Gorshkov, inducted into the Indian present practice of imposing a fixed fee. Navy to be based at INS Kadamba at Karwar, ¾ RBI has directed RRBs to follow the minimum 9% Karnataka. capital adequacy norm from the current year. ¾ The Indian and US navies conducted their annual Malabar joint exercises in the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Tamil Nadu, from Nov. 5 to 11 Nov. OCTOBER 2013 ¾ The Indian Army tested an advanced version of ¾ Govt to pump in Rs 2,000 crore in SBI and Rs 1,800 BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system (block III crore each in IDBI Bank and Central Bank part of the Rs variant) successfully at the Pokhran test range in 14,000 crore capital infusion plan for the current fiscal. Rajasthan. ¾ NABARD Warehousing Scheme launched to advance ¾ President presented the prestigious Presidential loans to public and private sector for construction of Standards to two squadrons of Indian Air Force - 220 Cold Stores, Warehouses, Silos etc. Squadron and 32 Squadron at Halwara, Punjab. ¾ National Payments Corporation of India has launched ¾ Pragati Missile, the new tactical surface-to-surface Aadhaar-based remittances for bank account holders. missile based on the Prahaar missile, with a range of ¾ To make the more attractive for senior citizens, the 60-170 kms. government has decided to exempt annuity instalments ¾ India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable surface earned by mortgager. to surface ballistic missile Dhanush from a naval ship. It has a range of 250 kilometers. ¾ India successfully test-fired its nuclear weapons- SEPTEMBER 2013 capable, surface-to-surface Agni-1 missile for its full ¾ Dr. Raghuram Govind Rajan took over as the 23rd range of 700 km from Wheeler Island, off the Odisha Governor of the RBI on September 04. coast. ¾ RBI directs banks to stop zero per cent loan schemes as ¾ Pakistan successfully test-fired its surface to surface they tend to befool the consumers into believing that missile - Hatf IX (Nasr) with a range of 60 km. bank funding comes for free. ¾ India’s first interplanetary spacecraft under ISRO’s Rs ¾ RBI had notified eKYC as an 'officially valid document' 430 crore Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) was under anti-money laundering laws. launched successfully on board PSLV- C25 from ¾ RBI has allowed banks to open branches, including in Sriharikota, AP. Tier 1 centres (cities with population of one lakh and ¾ Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba, Kerala, above), without its prior permission. celebrated its golden jubilee on Nov. 21 by launching ¾ RBI has asked banks to close accounts of those the Rohini Sounding Rocket. customers who use their credit or debit card for online ¾ Himachal Pradesh has set up western Himalaya’s first forex trading transactions as such these are prohibited. Bird Ringing Station at Salropa in the prestigious Great ¾ Reserve Bank has allowed to carry Indian currency up Himalayan National Park in Kullu. to Rs. 10,000 per person, outside India or to bring into ¾ Tianhe-2, a supercomputer developed by China is India (other than to Nepal and Bhutan) world’s fastest system with a performance of 33.86 ¾ The Reserve Bank has allowed cash withdrawals of up petaflop/sec to Rs 1,000 a day from point of sale terminals, through ¾ ‘YAOGAN XIX’ – A remote-sensing satellite launched by prepaid cards, including gift cards issued by banks. China on board its carrier rocket Long March 4C ¾ The Reserve Bank has decided to subsidise the hedging ¾ NASA has launched its latest orbiter to Mars –‘MAVEN’ costs of foreign currency swaps for banks offering (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) to hunt for deposits to overseas non-resident Indians (NRIs) clues about why the Red Planet lost much of its ¾ Bimal Jalan Committee set up by RBI to screen the 26 atmosphere. applications received for new bank licenses. ¾ The world's first publicly accessible ATM machine which can exchange digital currency - Bitcoins - for any official currency, has been launched in Canada GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 28 OCTOBER 2013 ¾ The Climate Change Conference 2013 concluded on Nov. 23 at Warsaw, under the ¾ The first home-made Hawk MK 132 aircraft by Hindustan aegis of UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Aeronautics Limited has been inducted in Indian Navy. Convention on Climate Change). ¾ INS Sunayna: Indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol ¾ Russian President Vladimir Putin tops Forbes’ ranking of Vessel (NOPV) –commissioned in Indian Navy. “The World’s Most Powerful People” as he continues to ¾ ‘INDRA 2013’: The first ever India-Russia joint military solidify control over Russia and the international exercise began on October 19 at the Mahajan field firing stage. range near the Indo-Pak border in the Thar Desert. ¾ IT giant Apple has topped the 'World's Most Valuable ¾ ‘Hand in Hand 2013’: Joint military exercises of India Brand List' compiled by 'Forbes' magazine, followed by and China in Chengdu region in South west China. Microsoft, Coca-Cola, IBM and Google, among the top ¾ Prithvi-II: Nuclear weapons capable surface-to-surface five. missile was successfully test-fired for a range of 300 km ¾ The world's deepest underwater railway tunnel was from Chandipur in Odisha. opened under the Bosphorus strait, Turkey, connecting ¾ JUNO: NASA's spacecraft is making a quick pass by Earth two continents – Asia and Europe, by rail for the first to get gravity boost to slingshot itself towards Jupiter. time. ¾ BRICS International Competition Conference held in

New Delhi to discuss various issues and challenges in SEPTEMBER 2013 competition enforcement in BRICS countries. ¾ India and Nepal began Joint military exercises "Exercise ¾ The 13th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Surya Kiran-V" in general combat and mountain warfare Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation in Pithoragarh, Uttrakhand. (IOR-ARC) held on November 1 in Perth, Australia. ¾ India tested Agni-V nuclear- capable surface to surface ¾ The Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was organized in long-range ballistic missile with a strike range of more Sydney, Australia by the High Commission of India and than 5000 kms. the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. ¾ India’s advanced multi-band communication satellite ¾ Global Islamic Economic Summit held at Dubai. GSAT-7, launched from Kourou, French Guiana to be used exclusively for defence forces. ¾ India has been granted 'Authorising Nation' status OCTOBER 2013 under the international Common Criteria Recognition ¾ The economic ‘shut down’ faced by the US government Arrangement ended on 16th October as the Congress agreed to ¾ Samudra Ratnakar-the Rs.600-crore research vessel increase the current debt ceiling of $ 16.7 trillion. acquired by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) ¾ Following a UN resolution, experts have started the ¾ Google Inc has launched its latest algorithm process of destroying Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. "Hummingbird” to match the queries in long sentences ¾ Switzerland 58th country to sign the Multilateral with that of documents on the Internet. Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax ¾ NASA has launched an unmanned spacecraft The Lunar Matters, saying good bye to its banking secrecy laws. Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer or Ladee to ¾ The China has launched “Green Fence” campaign aimed study the mysteries of Moon's atmosphere. at enforcing standards for waste imports to avoid ¾ Voyager 1 spacecraft of US space agency NASA, unusable or unsafe/dangerous consignments. launched some 36years ago, has become the first man- ¾ World Toilet Summit held in Sukarta, Indonesia made object to venture into interstellar space. ¾ 5th South Asian Conference on Sanitation held at ¾ Global IT giant Microsoft of USA has taken over the , Nepal mobile phone business of Nokia Corporation of Finland ¾ Two day international Rhino conference held at Bandar in a deal of about $ 7.17 billion. Lampung, Indonesia.

SEPTEMBER 2013

INTERNATIONAL ¾ The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group has decided to create a $100-billion NOVEMBER 2013 Currency Reserve Fund (CRF). ¾ After prolonged negotiations, Iran has agreed to curb ¾ Afghanistan has decided to reserve a special seat for some of its nuclear activities as per a deal signed at Sikh / Hindu Afghan nationals in the Lower House of Geneva with the P5+1 group. Parliament - Wolesi Jirga, in the next 2015 elections. ¾ 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting ¾ Japan switched off its last operating nuclear reactor for (CHOGM) 2013 held at Colombo, with the an inspection, with no date scheduled for a restart amid participation of 67 leaders from the Commonwealth strong public hostility towards atomic power. nations.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 29 ¾ A joint meeting of ministers of finance and ministers of JHUMPA LAHIRI: Indian-American author from New York labour from G20 member states was held in St. was in news as she made it to this year's Man Booker Prize Petersburg, Russia. shortlist for her new novel 'The Lowland'.

ZUBIN MEHTA: World renowned music maestro conducted the Bavarian State Orchestra during the Ehasas-e-Kashmir PERSONS IN NEWS concert at Shalimar Garden, Srinagar (J&K).

NOVEMBER 2013 : Cricket icon has been named the APPOINTMENTS regional brand ambassador by the UNICEF to promote its Total Sanitation NOVEMBER 2013 SIDHARTH BIRLA: President, Federation of Indian : Congress President has been ranked as Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci) the third most influential woman in the world as per the list compiled by the Forbes magazine. AJIT PRAKASH SHAH: Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India.

RATAN TATA: Noted Indian Industrialist has been elected ABDULLA YAMEEN: President of the Maldives, from as a Board member of East West Centre, a prominent Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). American think tank IMOMALI RAKHMON: President of Tajikistan

CHANDA KOCHHAR: ICICI Bank MD & CEO has been LT. GEN. RAHEEL SHARIF: Chief of Pakistan army named as the most powerful businesswoman in India by Fortune magazine. OCTOBER 2013 MUKESH AMBANI: Reliance Industries chief continued to USHA ANANTHASUBRAMANIAN: First CEO of the first be India's wealthiest as per the Forbes magazine's India all women bank – Bhartiya Mahila Bank. Rich List 2013. B ASHOK: CMD of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) AZIM PREMJI: IT tycoon has been ranked as the most MULATU TESHOME: President of Ethiopia generous Indian with a donation of Rs 8,000 crore in the year ending March 31, 2013 ILHAM ALIYEV: President of Azerbaijan

RANJAN MATHAI: India's High Commissioner to the MALIA AND MALALA: US President Barack Obama's elder daughter Malia and Pakistani girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai have been named among the 16 most influential JANET YELLEN: Chairperson of the Federal Reserve teens of 2013 by the Time magazine. System of USA. It is equivalent of RBI in India. She is the first women to head Federal Reserve. OCTOBER 2013 SHYAM BENEGAL: Veteran director has been nominated SEPTEMBER 2013 to head the accomplished jury for the Seventh Asia Pacific MS. DEEPAK SANDHU: Chief Information Commissioner Screen Awards (APSA) to be held in Brisbane, Australia. (First women to head Central Information Commission)

ROBERTO AZEVEDO: Director General of World Trade JUSTICE SHIVA KIRTI SINGH: Judge, Supreme Court of Organisation – WTO visited India. India

C. V. WIGNESWARAN: Sri Lanka’s first ‘elected’ Tamil JUSTICE C. NAGAPPAN: Judge, Supreme Court of India Chief Minister of the Northern Province in the first ever provincial elections held after clearance of LTTE. DINESH K. SARRAF: Chairman and Managing Director, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

SEPTEMBER 2013 RAJEEV RISHI: Chairman and Managing Director of BO XILAI: A former powerful member of China’s Politburo Central Bank of India. was in news as he was awarded life imprisonment by the court on charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power. ANGELA MERKEL: Chancellor (Prime Minister) of Germany (third time), from Christian Democratic Union Party

NINA DAVULURI: Indian-origin beauty, winner of Miss ERNA SOLBERG: Prime Minister of Norway New York title, became the first non American origin contestant to win the prestigious Miss America pageant. TONY ABBOTT: Prime Minister of Australia (from Conservative party) GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 30 of India, in recognition of his ground-breaking research work which influenced financial and macro-economic AWARDS & HONOURS policies.

NOVEMBER 2013 CLINTON GLOBAL CITIZENS AWARDS: Bunker Roy Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and and Malala Yousafzai. Roy is the founder of the Barefoot Development for 2013: Angela Merkel, German College, which has been providing solutions to problems in Chancellor for the work done by her for promotion of global rural communities for more than 40 years. economic stability : 2013, of Philippines, at Bali, Indonesia. GOLDEN ELEPHANT AWARD: for best film at 18th

International Children's Film Festival at Hyderabad to Dutch PUNJABI FILM 'QISSA' directed by Anup Singh has won Film named Kauwboy, directed by Boudewijn Koole Best Asian Film Award at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star: Dr. Sreedharan, former Managing Director of Delhi Metro ABHINAV TIWARI'S "OASS", a movie on human Rail Corporation for his successful implementation of Delhi trafficking, was named the best film at the Ladakh Metro Project. The award is conferred by the govt of Japan. International Film Festival.

‘Golden Gateway of India’: Best film award at the 15th BOOKER PRIZE GOES GLOBAL Mumbai Film Festival, won by the Mexican film 'La Jaula De The Man Booker Prize, described as the “the most important Oro' (The Golden Cage) directed by Diego Quemada-Diaz and influential award for literary fiction in the English Guru Debaprasad Award: Geeta Chandran, renowned speaking world” will now be open from 2014 to writers in Bharatnatyam exponent for her outstanding contribution in English from any part of the world provided their books the field of dance have been published in the United Kingdom. Thus far the

SOUL OF INDIA AWARD: Ashok Amritraj, producer of Booker Prize was for literary fiction by authors only from the 109 Hollywood films, for his outstanding achievements in Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland and Zimbabwe. the film industry.

HRIDAYNATH MANGESHKAR AWARD: Amitabh Bachchan for his contribution to the film industry. OBITUARY

MISS UNIVERSE 2013: from Venezuela in NOVEMBER 2013 , Russia. RAJENDRA YADAV: Eminent Hindi short story writer and MISS ASIA PACIFIC 2013: Srishti Rana, India, at Busan, novelist; editor of literary magazine ‘Hans’ South Korea. K P SAXENA: Noted Hindi satirist and Padma Shri awardee

OCTOBER 2013 TARLA DALAL: Noted food writer and celebrity chef from Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration: M.S. Mumbai, Padma Shri awardee, Swaminathan, Eminent agriculture scientist. The prize carries a cash award of Rs. 5 lac. RESHMA: Legendary Pakistani folk singer who mesmerised music lovers with soulful rendition of songs like Lambi MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2013: Eleanor Catton for her Judai and Dama Dam Mast Kalandar. novel, The Luminaries. The 28-year old author from New Zealand is the youngest ever winner of this prize. FREDERICK SANGER: British biochemist, the “father of genomics” and the only person to win the Nobel Prize for SAKHAROV Human Rights Prize: Malala Yousafzai, the Chemistry twice teenage activist for girl’s education. The prize is given by the European Parliament. OCTOBER 2013

MANNA DEY: The "king of melody", Golden Voice of SEPTEMBER 2013 Bengal, legendary playback singer of Indian cinema. Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development-2012: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of RAVURI BHARADHWAJA: Eminent Telugu novelist, short Liberia, first democratically elected women Head of any story writer, poet critic and 2012 Jnanpith award winner African country. DR. MOHAN DHARIA: Freedom fighter, ex Minister and MOORTIDEVI AWARD-2012: Haraprasad Das, eminent Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. Oriya writer, for 'Vamsha, a poetic recreation of the Mahabharata in contemporary idiom. TOM CLANCY: Very popular and widely read and military

DEUTSCHE BANK PRIZE FOR FINANCIAL novelist of his time in USA, known for his best seller thrillers ECONOMICS: Raghuram G Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank - The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 31 ALVARO MUTIS: A noted Colombian poet, essayist and ST. PETERSBURG: city in Russia was the venue for novelist from Mexico meeting of Heads of nations of G-20 group of countries.

DAOCHENG YADING AIRPORT: World's highest-altitude SEPTEMBER 2013 civilian airport, located 4,411 meters above sea level in ROMESH BHANDARI: Former UP Governor and ex- Daocheng County in Sichuan province neighbouring Tibet, Foreign Secretary of India has started its operations.

SUSHMITA BANERJEE: Noted Bengali author who was SUPER TYPHOON USAGI: the most powerful storm of killed in Afghanistan by militants. Known for her books the year brought torrential rain and strong winds to the narrating her experiences in Kabul (read ‘with Taliban’) Philippines and on Sep. 21, causing widespread devastation before moving towards Hong Kong. RAY DOLBY: An inventor and audio pioneer from USA who founded Dolby Laboratories, known for Dolby Stereo Sound systems and 50 other patents in his name.

DAVID FROST: Veteran British journalist and broadcaster, SPORTS WORLD famous for his TV interviews with the former U.S. President, Richard Nixon and several other statesmen of the world. NOVEMBER 2013 Legendary cricket star Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar KEN NORTON: Former world heavyweight boxing finally bade goodbye to international cricket on Nov 16 after champion, considered one of the greatest fighters of his era, playing his 200th and final Test at Wankhede stadium was best known for beating Muhammad Ali in 1973. against West Indies, scoring 74 runs, ending his 24 years reign on cricket.

PLACES IN NEWS : India's batting star became the fastest batsman in world to score 5000 runs in one-day internationals (ODI) NOVEMBER 2013 MOUNT SINABUNG: name of the volcano that erupted ROHIT SHARMA: The Indian Batsman created history by violently in Karo in western Indonesia, spewing volcanic scoring highest ever sixes – 16 in an ODI while playing ash up to 8 km into the air, forcing thousands to flee. against Australia at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

HAIYAN: A category-5 super typhoon that Philippines on RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN: has been placed at the top 8th Nov. killing over 5,000 and rendering over 125,000 position in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all- people homeless. rounders.

OCTOBER 2013 PRITHVI SHAW: The 15 year old, a IX standard student PHAILIN: Name of the cyclone that hit the coastal areas of Rizvi Springfield High School, Mumbai created history by of Andhra and Odisha. However, due to excellent scoring record 546 runs playing in Harris Shield Cricket preparations done by the National Disaster Response Force tournament in Azad Maidan, Mumbai. (NDRF), Indian Metrological Department (IMD) and local administration, damages were reduced to bare minimum. HEENA SIDHU: Olympian shooter created history by

becoming first Indian women to win air pistol gold in the RATANGARH, DATIA: The place in Madhya Pradesh was ISSF World Cup Final in Munich, Germany. in news as a gruesome stampede took place there claiming over 120 lives and injuring another 100 persons. Junior National Archery Championship held at Kokrajhar, BHAKRA DAM- one of the highest gravity dams in world, Assam. located on river Satluj at Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, completes its 50 years. India has been awarded the hosting of 2018 men's Hockey World Cup. AL-MAKTOUM INTERNATIONAL: World’s largest airport, located in Dubai, commenced operations. MAGNUS CARLSEN: the 23 year old chess prodigy from Norway was crowned as World Champion at the World SEPTEMBER 2013 Chess Championship match at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as he KAESONG: North and South Korea have agreed to reopen defeated the five-time title-holder . their joint industrial park at Kaesong, five months after it was shut during soaring military tensions. SEBASTIAN VETTEL: Red Bull's German Driver has matched Michael Schumacher's record of 13 victories in a AWARAN: A district in Balochistan province of Pakistan was year and equalled the nine consecutive wins of Alberto the epicentre of a severe earthquake of 7.7 magnitude that Ascari. Vettel achieved the remarkable feat by winning the caused widespread devastation, claiming hundreds of lives. Formula One's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 32 Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Jamaican Mohit Mayur and Prerna Bhambri win the men’s and sprint duo have been named as the IAAF’s male and female women’s title, respectively, in Fenesta National tennis World Athletes of the Year for 2013. The 27-year-old Bolt championship held at New Delhi. also won the award in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. Rohan Bopanna along with French partner Edouard Jason Day of Australia lifted the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Roger-Vasselin, won the men’s doubles title at the Japan Golf held in Melbourne, Australia. Open Tennis held at Tokyo, Japan.

Nepal and UAE have qualified for the first time to take part Indian Open Snooker Tournament: Ding Junhui of in the ICC T20 championship 2014 to be held in Bangladesh. China won the title beating Aditya Mehta in the finals held at

New Delhi. claimed top position in medal tally at the Ashihara Sabaki World Karate Championship held at Duleep trophy (cricket): South zone and North zone , Romania. were declared joint winners of the in the final played at

Kochi, Kerala. 's Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters Tennis tournament beating David Ferrer of Spain Terry Walsh: Ace hockey player from Australia appointed

Novak Djokovic won the ATP World Tour Finals in London as the chief coach of Indian men's hockey team beating Rafael Nadal. CHINA OPEN TENNIS CUP Serena Williams won the WTA Tour Championship title Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Rafael Nadal of Spain to beating Li Na of China at Istanbul, Turkey. WTA – Womens win the China Open Tennis Cup held at , China. Tennis Association Women’s singles title was won by Serena Williams, defeating Jelena Jankovic. alongwith Cara Serena Williams declared ‘Player of the Year’ for 2013 by Black won the women’s doubles title. the WTA Afghanistan has qualified for the 11th ICC Cricket World Veteran athlete Ajmer Singh won gold medal in hammer Cup for the first time. Total 14 teams will compete for the throw (+75 years category) in the 20th World Master cup to be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand. Athletics Championship held at Porto Alegre, Brazil, from October 15-28. Sebastian Vettel: The Red Bull driver from Germany won the fourth successive Formula one championship of this Peter Gilchrist from Singapore defeated Dave Causier to season at the Buddh International Circuit, Noida, UP. win the World Billiards Championship at Leeds, England.

Asian Archery Championship held in , China won Vladimir Klitschko of Ukraine won the world by South Korea. heavyweight boxing title beating Russian Alexander Povetkin at the final bout held at Moscow, Russia. Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship held at Penang, Malaysia. Sohag Gazi: Allrounder from Bangladesh became the first

The Hockey World Cup- 2014 will be held from May 31 cricketer in 136 year old history of cricket to score a century to June 15, 2014 at The Hague, Netherlands and claim a hat-trick in the same Test. He achieved the feat while playing against New Zealand at Chitagong, Bangladesh. He scored unbeaten 101 and claimed six OCTOBER 2013 for 77 runs. Sachin Tendulkar reached the coveted landmark of 50,000 runs across all formats of cricket. He achieved the The World Boxing Championships held in , feat at Feroze Shah Kotla stadium, New Delhi playing for Mumbai Indians against Trinidad & Tobago in Champions League Twenty20. SEPTEMBER 2013 Mumbai Indians created history by becoming the first India wins Under-21 Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey team to win the Champions League (cricket) twice, beating tournament held at Johar Bahru, Malaysia, beating Malaysia Rajasthan Royals in the finals played at Feroz Shah Kotla National Junior Athletics Championship at Kochi, Kerala. stadium in Delhi. India lost Asia Cup Hockey final at Ipoh, Malaysia, just Bhavina Hashmukhbhai Patel became the first Indian to by one goal to South Korea, scoring 3 goals against 4 by win a silver medal at the 2013 ITTF Asian Table Tennis South Korea. However, India has qualified for the 2014 championship held in Beijing, China. Hockey World Cup to be held at The Hague, Netherlands.

Virat Kohli scored the fastest ever century by an Indian Amit Kumar, ace wrestler from India, won silver medal batsman in ODI, off 52 balls, playing against Australia at and Bajrang won the bronze at the World Wrestling Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur. Championships at , .

Sanjeev : won the gold in men’s 50-metre free rifle Sandeep Tulsi Yadav: The Indian Grappler created prone event in the Asian Air Gun shooting championship in history by winning India’s first-ever wrestling medal in the Tehran, Iran. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 33 Greco-Roman category of the senior World Wrestling historic 110-mile (177 kms) swim between Havana, Cuba Championships held at Budapest, Hungary. and Key West, Florida, in 52 hr. 54 min. 18.6 sec.

Swaran Singh (Punjab) wins gold medal in Asian Rowing The BWF Japan Open Super Series Badminton Championship held at Luan, China tournament held in Tokyo.

Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi won the bronze medal in the Sebastiaan Bowier: 23-year-old Dutch cyclist has World Junior Chess Championship held in Kocaeli, Turkey. pedalled his way to a world record, hitting a speed of more than 133.78 kph in a desert track in USA. Durand Cup Football Tournament: Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting created history by winning the prestigious cup after a gap of 73 years, defeating ONGC 2-1 BOOKS AND AUTHORS in the final played at Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi. NOVEMBER 2013

S. Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan have been banned for life from playing official cricket by the Disciplinary BOOK AUTHOR Committee of the BCCI for their involvement in spot-fixing Goat Days Benyamin during certain matches of the Indian Premier League Book of Destruction Anand (P. Sachidanandan) WRESTLING BACK IN OLYMPICS: After a seven-month The Good Lord Bird James Mc Bride, Winner of exile, wrestling has been welcomed back into the Olympic the National Book Award – programme defeating baseball/softball and squash for a 2013 USA spot in the 2020 Summer Games to be held in Tokyo. The Wildings Nilanjana Roy The Shadow of the Crescent Fatima Bhutto THOMAS BACH: Elected President of International Moon Olympic Committee (IOC), from Germany. He is an ex Gandhi-A Spiritual Biography Arvind Sharma Olympic champion of fencing. The Luminaries Eleanor Catton 2020 Olympic Games to be held at Tokyo, Japan. 1964 My Brief History A Memoir by Stephen Olympics were also held at Tokyo. 2016 Olympics are to be Hawking held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Map and the Territory Alan Greenspan

My Journey: Transforming A.P.J. Kalam Japan beats Korea to win the Eighth Women’s Hockey Dreams into Action Asia Cup held at , Malaysia. India won bronze in this championship. The Bone Season Samantha Shannon Never Go Back Lee Child Wilson Kipsang of Kenya set a new world record of 2 The Husband’s Secret Liane Moriarty hours 3 minutes 23 seconds at the Berlin Marathon, slashing The Racketeer John Grisham earlier world record by 15 seconds Harvest Jim Crace

Backlash Lynda La Plante Rafael Nadal (Spain) defeated world number one Novak Djokovic (Serbia) to win the US Open men's singles title at The Communist Cookbook Sharmishta Roy Chowdhury Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York, USA. Punjab: A History from Rajmohan Gandhi Aurangzeb to Mountbatten Serena Williams (USA) beats Victoria Azarenka, of Indian Tax Administration: A Parthasarthi Shome , to win the women's singles final of the 2013 U.S. Dialogue Open tennis tournament, in New York, USA. Fantastic Beasts and Where J. K. Rowling. Famous film to Find Them company Warner Brothers Leander Paes. alongwith his Czech partner Radek are making a film on this Stepanek, won the US Open 2013 men’s doubles crown. book. Making Peace with the Earth Vandana Shiva Afghanistan beats India to win SAFF (South Asian Cuckoo’s Calling JK Rowling (under the Football Federation) Football Championship held at pseudonym Robert Kathmandu, Nepal. Galbraith) The Kashmir Dispute: AG Noorani Gareth Bale, the ace footballer from UK created a new 1947-2012 record by becoming the expensive most players in the You’re Hired Sandeep Goyal history of football. He has been contracted by the Spanish Bad Monkey Carl Hiaasen club Real Madrid for an exorbitant sum of 100 million Euros The New Digital Age Eric Schmidt and Jared Diana Nyad, the 64 year old US lady swimmer created a Cohen world record of longest distance swimming by completing a

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 34 QQUUESTIOONN BAANNK FOR BANKS / SSC EXAMS

REASONING ABILITY a) CDLJMBD b) OZXRUXN c) OZXRWVN d) EFNJMBD

e) None of these 1) In a certain code language, ‘Tom Kun Sud’ 9) In a certain code ‘PAGE’ is written as ‘3%7@’. means ‘Dogs are barking’, ‘Kun Jo Mop’ means ‘SORE’ is written as ‘8©9@’. How is ‘PEAS’ ‘Dogs and horse’ and ‘Mut Tom Ko’ means written in that code? ‘Donkeys are mad’. Which word in that language a) 3@©8 b) 3@%9 means ‘barking’? c) 3@%8 d) 3%@8 a) Sud b) Kun e) None of these d) Tom c) Jo 10) In a certain code ‘KITE’ is written as ‘2925’ and e) Ko ‘MANY’ is written as ‘4157’. How is ‘SEAR’ stands for 2) If ‘nitco sco tingo’ ‘softer than written in that code? ingo rho mst’ stands for ‘sweet flower flower’, ‘t a) 1519 b) 9151 fragrance’ and ‘mst sco tmp’ stands for ‘sweet c) 8519 d) 9518 than smile’, what would ‘fragrance’ stand for ? e) None of these a) rho b) mst 11) If ‘station’ means ‘ticket’, ‘ticket’ means c) tmp d) sco ‘passenger’, ‘passenger’ means ‘money’, ‘money’ e) None of these means ‘power’, where do people go to get a 3) In a certain code ‘DREAMING’ is written as train? ‘BFSEFMHL’. How is ‘SELECTED’ written in that a) Ticket b) Station code? c) Passenger a) FMFTCDSB b) FMFTEFUD d) Cannot be determined e) None of these c) EKDRCDSB d) EKDREFUD 12) Pointing to Hari, Seema says, “He is the e) None of these grandfather of my eldest son Mahesh. How is In a certain code ‘MOUSE’ is written as ‘PRUQC’. 4) Hari related to Seema? How is ‘SHIFT’ written in that code? a) Father b) Uncle a) VKIRD b) VKIDDR c) Brother-in-law d) Data inadequate c) VJIDR d) VIKRD e) None of these these e) None of 13) Pointing to a girl, Mohan said, “She is the In a certain code ‘MAIN’ is written as ‘9364’ and 5) daughter of my grandfather’s only daughter-in- ‘DEAR’ is written as ‘8532’. How is ‘MEND’ law”. How is Mohan related to that girl? written in that code? a) Brother b) Uncle

a) 9548 b) 9458 c) Cousin

c) 9538 d) 9528 d) Can’t be determined e) None of these e) None of these 14) A said to B that B’s mother was the mother-in- 6) In a certain code ‘SCENT’ is coded as ‘UOFDT’ law of A’s mother. How is A’s mother related to and ‘LASER’ is coded as ‘SFTBM’. In the same B’s mother? code ‘RETAIL’ will be coded as ‘__’? a) Daughter-in-law b) Mother-in-law a) SFUBJM b) MJFUBS c) Sister d) Aunt c) SFUJMB d) KHBSDQ e) Sister-in-law e) MJBUFS 15) Pointing to a woman in a photograph, a man If ‘road’ ar’, ‘car’ is called ‘train’, 7) is called ‘c says, “She is the only daughter of the mother- ‘train’ is called ‘school’, ‘school’ is called ‘house’ in-law of my only son.” How is the woman and ‘house’ is called ‘office’ then where do related to the man? children go for study? a) Daughter b) Wife a) Car b) School c) Daughter-in-law d) Mother c) Train d) House e) Mother-in law these e) None of 16) Pointing to a woman in a photograph a man In a certain code ‘JOURNEY’ is written as 8) says, “She is the only daughter of my father’s ‘BVMIFLQ’. How is ‘MEDICAL’ written in that only daughter-in-law.” How is the woman code? related to the man?

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 35 a) Wife b) Daughter a) Mother b) Mother-in-law c) Daughter-in-law d) Sister c) Sister d) Sister-in-law e) Sister-in-law e) Daughter 17) Pointing to a man in a photograph a woman 26) Pointing to a woman a man says, “She is the says, “He is the father of my only daughter-in- sister-in-law of the only daughter of my mother- law’s father in law “. How is the man related to in-law’s husband”. How is the woman related to the woman? the man? a) Father b) Brother a) Daughter b) Mother c) Husband d) Brother-in-law c) Sister-in-law d) Daughter-in-law e) Father-in-law e) Sister 18) Pointing to a woman in a photograph a man 27) In a row of children A is 13th from the left and D says, “She is the only daughter of my wife’s is 17th from the right. If in this row A is 11th mother-in-law.” How is the woman related to from the right then what is the position of D the man? from the left? a) Daughter b) Wife a) 12th b) 7th c) Sister d) Sister-in-law c) 10th d) 6th e) Mother-in-law e) None of these 19) Pointing to a woman in a photograph a man 28) In a row of boys Mohan is twentieth from the says, ”She is the only daughter of my father’s left end and twelfth from the right end. Pratap mother-in-law”. How is the woman related to is fifteenth from the right end in that row. How the man? many boys are there between Mohan and a) Daughter b) Mother Pratap? c) Daughter-in-law d) Mother-in-law a) 4 b) 2 e) None of these c) 3 d) 5 20) Pointing to a photograph a woman says, “He is e) None of these the brother of the daughter of my mother-in- 29) In a row of students, Ramesh in 12th from the law’s only son”. How is the man related to the left and Kashi is 17th from the right. When woman? Ramesh and Kashi interchange their positions a) Son b) Brother Kashi becomes 27th from the right. How many c) Brother-in-law d) Nephew students are there between Kashi and Ramesh? e) Can’t be exactly determined a) 9 b) 12 21) Pointing to a photograph a woman says, ”He is c) 7 d) 10 the son of the wife of my husband’s father”. e) None of these How is the man related to the woman? 30) In a row of forty students R is fifth from the a) Son b) Son-in-law right end and there are ten students between R c) Brother-in-law d) Brother and D. What is D’s position from the left end of e) None of these the row? 22) Pointing to a man in a photograph a woman a) 26th b) 23rd says, “He is the father-in-law of the wife of the c) 24th d) 25th only grandson of my own father-in-law”. How is e) Data inadequate an man related to the woman? 31) Among A, B, C, D and E each one has scored a) Son b) Husband different marks in an examination, B scored c) Cousin d) Nephew more than C and E and less than A and D. C’s e) Son-in-law marks are not the lowest. Who scored the 23) Pointing to a woman in a photograph, a man lowest marks? says, “She is the mother-in-law of the wife of a) D b) C the father of my only son”. How is the woman c) B d) Data inadequate related to that person? e) None of these a) Daughter b) Wife 32) In a queue of thirty boys, M is eighth from the c) Daughter-in-law d) Sister-in-law end and J is twelfth from the front. If there are e) None of these six boys between J and Q, how many boys are 24) Pointing to a woman in a photograph a man there between M and Q? says, “She is the grandmother of the son of my a) 10 b) 12 daughter-in-law’s mother-in-law.” How is the c) 8 d) Data inadequate woman related to that person? e) None of these a) Mother b) Mother-in-law 33) In a queue of 20 boys, D is fourteenth from the c) Sister d) Wife front and F is ninth form the bottom. How many e) Sister-in-law boy are there between D and F? 25) Pointing to a woman in the photograph a man a) 2 b) 3 says, “This woman is the wife of the father of c) 4 d) Data inadequate my wife’s brother. ”How is the woman related e) None of these to that person?

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 36 34) Mohan is fourteenth from the right end in a row top. If there are 9 girls ahead of Kamla, how of 40 boys. What is his position from the left many boys are after her in the rank? end? a) 13 b) 7 a) 25th b) 27th c) 14 d) 23 c) 24th d) 26th e) None of these e) None of these 44) Ravi is 7 ranks ahead of Sumit in a class of 39 35) In a group of six children, Q is taller than P but students. If Sumit’s rank is seventeenth from not as tall as L. M is taller than N and O, but not the last, what is Ravi’s rank from the start? as tall as P. Who is the shortest among them? a) 14th b) 15th a) N b) O c) 16th d) 17th c) M d) Data inadequate e) None of these e) None of these 45) Bharati is 8 ranks ahead of Divya who ranks 36) In a group of six children T, K, V, O, M and W, T twenty-sixth in a class of 42. What is Bharati’s is fatter than M but not as fat as W. K is not the rank from the last? fattest nor is W whereas V is the thinnest. Who a) 9th b) 24th is the fattest among them all? c) 25th d) 34th a) O b) T e) None of these c) M d) Data inadequate 46) In a row of boys, A is thirteenth from the left e) None of these and D is seventeenth from the right. If in this 37) Among five students M is heavier than K and T. row A is eleventh from the right then what is B is lighter than T and P. K is not the lightest. the position of D from the left? Who among them is the lightest? a) 6th b) 7th a) K b) B c) 10th d) 12th c) T d) Data inadequate e) None of these e) None of these 47) Rajan is sixth from the left end and Vinay is 38) Sam ranked ninth from the top and thirty-eight tenth from the right end in a row of boys. If from the bottom in a class. How many students there are eight boys between Rajan and Vinay, are there in the class? how many boys are there in the row? a) 45 b) 46 a) 23 b) 24 c) 47 d) 48 c) 25 d) 26 e) None of these e) None of these 39) A class of boys stands in a single line. One boy is 48) In a row of boys, A is fifteenth from the left and nineteenth in order from both the ends. How B is fourth from the right. There are three boys many boys are there in the class? between A and B. C is just left of A. What is C’s a) 27 b) 37 position from the right? c) 38 d) 39 a) 9th b) 10th e) None of these c) 12th d) 13th 40) Ajay ranked sixteenth from the top and twenty- e) None of these ninth from the bottom among those who passed an examination. Six boys did not participate in Directions (Q. 49–51): Study the following the competition and five failed in it. How many information carefully to answer the given questions. boys were there in the class? There are six friends P, Q, R, S, T and V. Each of them a) 40 b) 44 has a different weights. S weights more than only P and R. c) 50 d) 55 Q weighs less than only T. P does not weigh the least. The e) 58 one who stands at the second place when arranged in 41) If Atul finds that he is twelfth from the right and descending order of their weight weighs 85 kg. R weighs 55 fourth from the left, how many boys should be kg. added to the queue so that there are 28 boys in the line? 49) If V’s weight is 8 kg less than Q then which of a) 12 b) 13 the following could be S’s weight? c) 14 d) 20 a) 83 kg b) 75 kg e) None of these c) 80 kg d) 50 kg 42) In a row of boys, Jeevan is seventh from the e) 84 kg start and eleventh from the end. In another row 50) Which of the following is false with respect to of boys, Vikas is tenth from the start and the given information? twelfth from the end. How many boys are there a) T weighs the most. in both the rows together? b) V’s possible weight could be 77 kg. a) 36 b) 37 c) There are three persons between R and Q when c) 39 arranged in ascending order of their weights. d) Can’t be determined e) None of these d) At the most three people weight less than V only 43) In a class of 60, where girls are twice to that of e) All are true boys, Kamla, a girl ranked sixteenth from the

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 37 51) Which of the following could be P’s possible statements, disregarding commonly known facts. weight? Give answer a) 65 kg b) 50 kg a) if only conclusion I follows. c) 88 kg d) 85 kg b) if only conclusion II follows. e) 93 kg c) if either conclusion I or II follows. d) if neither conclusion I nor II follows. Directions (Q. 52 - 53): Study the following e) if both conclusions I and II follow. information carefully and answer the given 57) Statements: questions. Some black are blue. ‘A + B’ means ‘A is son of B’. No blue are white. ‘A X B’ means ‘A is daughter of B’ Some white which are black are grey ‘A ÷ B’ means ‘ A is wife of B’ Conclusions: ‘A – B’ means ‘A is father of B’ I. Some grey are blue. II. Some white are not black. 52) If ‘A ÷ B + C – D X E’, which of the following is 58) Statements: true? All villages are cities. a) B is sister of D b) B is son of E All cities are countries. c) C is brother of A d) D is mother of A All countries are towns e) None of these Conclusions: 53) What will come in place of question mark to I. All towns are villages. establish the relation that ‘B’ is grandson of E’? II. Some cities are not towns. A + B ? C X D ÷ E 59) Statements: a) – b) + Some books are poetry c) X d) ÷ All poetry are philosophy. e) None of these Some philosophy is psychology. Conclusions Directions (Q. 54-56): Study the following I. Some books are philosophy. information to answer the given questions II. Some psychology is not philosophy. A group of six friends-M, N, O, P, Q and R –scored 60) Statements: different marks in an IBPS PO/MT written exam. All children are students. The one who scored the highest marks in the group is Some students are adults. neither O nor N. Q scored third lowest marks. R scored All adults are workers. more marks than only N. O scored more than Q but did not Conclusions: score the third highest marks. M scored more than Q but I. Some students are workers. less than O. The one who scored fourth least marks scored II. All children are adults. 170 marks. 61) Statements: Some actors are dancers. 54) If the marks obtained by R is 140, what is the All dancers are musicians possible marks obtained by Q in the written No musicians are painters. exam of PO/MT? Conclusions: a) 170 b) 140 I. Some painters are actors. c) 156 d) 139 II. No painters are dancers. e) 172 62) Statements: 55) Who scored the highest marks in the group of All gems are precious. friends? Some gems are stones a) M b) O All stones are diamonds. c) Q d) R Conclusions: e) None of these I. At least some stones are precious. 56) What are the possible marks obtained by O in II. All diamonds are precious. the PO/MT written exam? 63) Statements: a) 172 b) 160 All dreams are fantasies c) 192 d) 165 Some fantasies are pleasant e) Can’t be determined All pleasant are everlasting Some everlasting are memories. Directions (Q. 57-71): In each question below are Conclusions: given two/three statements followed by two I. Some dreams are memories. conclusions numbered I and II. You have to take the II. Some fantasies are everlasting. given two statements to be true even if they seem to 64) Statements: be at variance with commonly known facts. Read all All black are blue. the conclusions and then decide which of the given All blue are green conclusions logically follows from the given All green are emerald

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 38 Conclusions: a) Rest b) Hardship I. Some emeralds are green. c) Poverty d) Difficult II. All black and blue are green. 76) Income is related to Profit in the same way as (65-66) Statements: Expenditure is related to ...? No design is fashion. a) Balance b) Loss All fashions are temporary c) Sale d) Surplus Some temporary are permanent. 77) Pride is related to Humility in the same way as 65) Conclusions: Desire is related to ...? I. Some designs are permanent a) Indifference b) Suppress II. No fashion is permanent c) Wish d) Hate 66) Conclusions: 78) Ancestor is related to Descendant in the same I. At least some temporary are fashions way as beautiful is related to ...? II. At least some temporary are not designs. a) Girl b) Handsome 67) Statements: c) Gloomy d) Ugly Some choices are mistakes. 79) Young is related to Old in the same way as Wide All mistakes are errors is related to...? No error is justified. a) Long b) Insufficient Conclusions: c) Big d) Narrow I. Some choice are justified 80) Life is related to Death in the same way as Hope II. All mistakes are not justified is related to ...? 68) Statements: a) Sad b) Despair All Cycles are buses. c) Cry d) Pain Some buses are cars 81) Sympathy is related to Virtue in the same way All cars are carts as Cruelty is related to...? Conclusions: a) Animosity b) Kindness I. Some carts are cars c) Emotion d) Vice II. Some cycles are cars 82) Hygienic is related to Polluted in the same way 69) Statements: as Knowing is related to....? All big are short a) Uncommon b) Ingenuous Some short are long c) Secret d) Sagacious Some long are thin 83) Firm is related to Flabby in the same way as Conclusions: Piquant is related to...? I. Some short are thin a) Salty b) Pleasant II. Some thin are not long c) Small d) Bland 70) Statements: 84) Wax is to Wane as Zenith is to ...? All rewards are achievements a) Fall b) Nadir All achievements are successes c) Bottom d) Depth All successes are everlasting 85) Pardon is to Penalty as definitely is to...? Conclusions: a) Actually b) Probably I. All successes are achievements c) Positively d) Urgently II. Some everlasting are not successes. 86) Dream is related to reality in the same as 71) Statements: Falsehood is related to...? Some rivals are enemies a) Correctness b) Fairness No enemy is a friend c) Truth d) Untruth Some friends are strangers 87) Amorphousness is to Definition as Lassitude is Conclusions: to ...? I. Some rivals are not friends. a) Awareness b) Companionship II. All strangers are friends. c) Uniformity d) Energy 72) Town is related to village in the same way as 88) Pull is related to Push in the same way as Low is Urban is related to....? related to ...? a) Semi-Urban b) Metropolis a) Long b) More c) City d) Rural c) Medium d) High 73) Thick is related to Thin in the same way as Idle is related to...? Direction (89-90): Choose the odd numeral pair / a) Virtuous b) Activity group in each of the following questions. c) Business d) Industrious 74) Good is related to Bad in the same way as Roof 89) a) 12 – 42 b) 14 – 82 is related to...? c) 23 – 64 d) 36 – 72 a) Wall b) Pillar 90) a) 7 – 84 b) 6 – 108 c) Terrace d) Floor c) 5 – 75 d) 3 – 99 75) Happiness is related to Sorrow in the same way 91) a) 14, 9 b) 17, 8 as Comfort is related to ...? c) 21, 6 d) 42, 3

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 39 92) a) (18, 45) b) (23, 14) a) Monday b) Tuesday c) (29, 82) d) (36, 27) c) Thursday d) Friday 93) a) (52, 142) b) (54, 126) 112) If 30th January, 2003 was Thursday, what was c) (25, 168) d) (58, 184) the day on 2nd March, 2003? 94) a) 2, 3, 6 b) 6, 1, 6 a) Tuesday b) Thursday c) 3, 3, 9 d) 6, 2, 5 c) Saturday d) Sunday 95) a) 22, 4, 5 b) 34, 4, 8 113) Deepa went to the movies nine days ago. She c) 37, 4, 9 d) 54, 4, 13 goes to the movies only on Thursday. What day 96) a) 1 (5) 2 b) 7 (113) 8 of the week is today? c) 5 (61) 6 d) 3 (17) 4 a) Tuesday b) Sunday 97) a) 2 (-21) 5 b) 7 (40) 3 c) Thursday d) Saturday c) 4 (-65)9 d) 5 (89) 8 114) If 3rd December, 2009 was Sunday, what day e) 12 (40) 2 was 3rd January, 2010? 98) a) 1, 4, 3, 8 b) 2, 4, 3, 9 a) Friday b) Tuesday c) 3, 2, 3, 8 d) 5, 3, 2, 9 c) Monday d) Wednesday 99) 12(158)14 12(182)16 14(?) 16 115) A cube, painted yellow on all faces is cut into 27 a) 214 b) 194 small cubes of equal size. How many small c) 184 d) 164 cubes are painted on one face only? 100) If 20 + 3 = 15 and 15 + 4 = 30, then 12 + 6 = ? a) 1 b) 6 a) 27 b) 60 c) 8 d) 12 c) 9 d) 36 116) All surfaces of a cube are coloured. If a number 101) If 7 + 5 = 144 and 3 + 2 = 25, then 9 + 7 = ? of smaller cubes are taken out from it, each side a) 49 b) 256 ¼ the size of the original cube’s side, indicate c) 81 d) 121 the number of cubes with only one side painted. 102) If 5 x 7 = 5; 12 x 3 = 6; 8 x 9 = 2, what is the a) 60 b) 32 value of 6 x 8 = ? c) 24 d) 16 a) 5 b) 6 117) A cube of white material is painted black on all c) 8 d) 2 its surfaces. If it is cut into 125 smaller cubes of 103) If 841 = 3, 633 = 5, 425 = 7 then 217 = ? the same size, then how many cubes will have 1) 6 2) 7 two sides painted black? c) 8 d) 9 a) 8 b) 16 104) A = 51 (714) 14; c) 22 d) 44 B = 61 (915) 15; e) None of these C = 71 (1136) 16; D = 81 (?) 17 Directions (118-122): Read the information / a) 1377 b) 1378 Statement given in each question carefully and c) 1356 d) 1346 answer the questions. 105) A = 14(290)15 B = 16 (330)17 C= 18(?)19 a) 300 b) 270 118) Which of the following expressions will be true c) 170 d) 370 if the expression ‘H ≤ G = K > F’ is definitely 106) 2(18)209, _____, 4(36)409, 5(45)509 true? a) 3(27)309 b) 2(42)309 a) K ≥ H b) G = F c) 3(56)409 d) 3(64)409 c) H ≤ F d) F ≥ G 107) If the first day of the year (other than the leap e) None of these year) was Friday, then which was the last day of 119) Which of the following expression will not be that year? true if the expression ‘P ≤ Q < R = S’ is definitely a) Monday b) Friday true? c) Saturday d) Sunday a) S > P b) P < R 108) If today is Saturday, then what day of the week c) S > Q d) P > S will be the 999th day from today? e) None of these a) Wednesday b) Saturday 120) In which of the following expressions does the c) Thursday d) Tuesday expression ‘W < Z’ hold true? st st 109) If 1 October is Sunday, then 1 November will a) W > Y < X ≤ Z b) Z > X ≤ Y ≤ W be c) Z ≥ Y > X ≥ W d) Z > Y = X < W a) Monday b) Tuesday e) Z ≥ X > Y ≤ W c) Wednesday d) Thursday 121)In which of the following expressions will the 110) If the 25th of August in a year is Thursday, the expression ‘L < R’ be definitely true? number of Mondays in that month is a) L ≥ M > N = R b) L = M < N > R a) 3 b) 4 c) L < M ≤ N ≤ R d) R ≥ M = N < L c) 5 d) 6 e) None of these 111) If Tuesday falls on the fourth of the month, then 122) In which of the following expressions does the which day will fall three days after the 24th? expression ‘D >A’ does not hold true?

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 40 a) A < B ≤ C = D b) D ≥ B > C ≥ A a) Rs. 9000 b) Rs.15000 c) A ≤ B = C < D d) D ≥ C ≥ B > A c) Rs. 18000 d) Rs.21000 e) A > B ≤ C = D 8) Average of 11 numbers 42. On including twelfth number the average becomes 45. The twelfth Directions (123-125): In these questions, number is relationships between different elements is shown a) 48 b) 72 in the statements. These statements are followed c) 75 d) 78 by two conclusions. 9) Find average of all prime numbers between 30 & 50. Give answer a) if only conclusions I follows. a) 39.8 b) 40.8 Give answer b) if only conclusions II follows. c) 42.8 d) 37.8 Give answer c) if either conclusion I or conclusions II 10) The average weight of 16 boys in a class is follows. 50.25 kg and that of the remaining 8 boys is Give answer d) if neither conclusion I nor conclusion II 45.15 kg. Find the average weights of all the follows. boys in the class. Give answer e) if both conclusions I and II follows. a) 47.55 kg b) 48 kg c) 48.55 kg d) 49.25 kg 123) Statements : A > L = T < R ≤ H > K 11) Nine students of a class contribute a certain Conclusions : I. H > L II. K > T sum. Seven of them give Rs. 5 each and the 124) Statements : P ≥ N > D ≥ G < B ≤ J other two give Rs. 5 & 9 more than the average Conclusions : I. G < P II. G < J contribution of all the 9 students. The average 125) Statements : Q ≤ E < I > N = R ≥ S contribution of the class of 9 students is. Conclusions : I. E ≥ S II. S ≤ N a) Rs.10 b) Rs.14 c) Rs. 7 d) Rs.12 12) A car owner buys petrol at Rs.7.50, Rs. 8 and QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE Rs. 8.50 per litre for three successive years. What approximately is the average cost per litre 1) In the first 10 overs of a cricket game, the run of petrol if he spends Rs. 4000 each year? rate was only 3.2. What should be the run rate a) Rs. 7.98 b) Rs. 8 in the remaining 40 overs to reach the target of c) Rs. 8.50 d) Rs. 9 282 runs? 13) Distance between two stations A & B is 778km. a) 6.25 b) 6.5 Hari Mohan covers the journey from A to B at c) 6.75 d) 7 84km per hour and returns back to A with a 2) The average weight of 24 students is 50 kgs. If uniform speed of 56km per hour. Find his the weight of teacher is also included, the average speed during the whole journey. average is 1 kg more. What is weight of a) 68.5km/h b) 67.2km/h teacher? c) 66.3km/h d) 69.6km/h a) 51 kgs b) 66 kgs 14) The average of eight numbers is 14. The c) 75 kgs d) 80 kgs average of six of these numbers is 16. The 3) One third of a certain journey is covered at the th average of the remaining two numbers is: rate of 25 km/h, 1/4 at the rate of 30km/h a) 6 b) 12 and rest at 50km/h. Find the average speed of c) 8 d) 10 the whole journey? 1 15) The average of four consecutive even numbers a) 33km/h b) 33 /3 km/h is 27. Find the largest of these numbers. c) 40km/h d) None a) 27 b) 28 4) A man arrives to his office at 60km/h and c) 26 d) 30 returns home along the same route at 30km/h. 16) A library has an average of 510 visitors on Find the average speed? Sundays and 240 on other days. The average a) 50km/h b) 45km/h number of visitors per day in a month of 30 days c) 30km/h d) 40km/h 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 beginning with a Sunday is: 5) Mean of 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , is a) 250 b) 276 a) 40 b) 20 c) 280 d) 285 c) 30 d) 40 17) If the average marks of three batches of 55, 60 6) The average monthly income of P and Q is Rs. and 45 students respectively is 50, 55, 60, then 5050. The average monthly income of Q and R is the average marks of all the students is: Rs. 6250 and the average monthly income of P a) 53.33 b) 54.68 and R is Rs. 5200. The monthly income of P is: c) 55 d) 52.25 a) 3500 b) 4000 18) In an examination, a pupil’s average marks c) 4050 d) 5000 were 63 per paper. If he had obtained 20 more 7) The average price of three items of furniture is marks for his Geography paper and 2 more Rs. 15000. If their prices are in the ratio 3:5:7, marks for his History paper, his average per the price of the cheapest item is:

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 41 paper would have been 65. How many papers a) 34°C b) 35.5° C were there in the examination? c) 36°C d) 36.5° a) 8 b) 9 29) Out of three given numbers, the first one is c) 10 d) 11 twice the second and three times the third. If 19) The average age of the students of class is 15.8 the average of these numbers is 88, then the years. The average age of boys in the class is difference between first and third as: 16.4 years and that of the girls is 15.4. The ratio a) 48 b) 72 of the no. of boys to the no. of girls in the class: c) 96 d) 32 a) 1:2 b) 2:3 30) Father is aged three times more than his son c) 3:4 d) 3:5 Ronit. After 8 years, he would be two and a half 20) An aeroplane flies along the four sides of a times of Ronit's age. After further 8 years, how square field at speeds of 200, 400, 600 and 800 many times would he be of Ronit's age? km/hr. The average speed of the plane in the 1 flight around the field in km/hr is: a) 2 times b) 2 times 2 a) 384 b) 400 3 c) 500 d) 284 c) 2 times d) 3 times 21) With an average speed of 40 km/hr, a train 4 reaches its destination in time. If it goes with an 31) The sum of ages of 5 children born at the average speed of 35 km/hr, it is late by 15 intervals of 3 years each is 50 years. What is the minutes. The total journey is: age of the youngest child? a) 80 km b) 70 km a) 4 years b) 8 years c) 60 km d) 40 km c) 10 years d) 9 years 22) The mean of 19 observations is 4. If one more 32) A father said to his son, "I was as old as you are observation of 24 is added to the data, the new at the present at the time of your birth". If the mean will be: father's age is 38 years now, the son's age five a) 4 b) 5 years back was: c) 6 d) 7 a) 14 years b) 19 years 23) The A.M. of the price per kg of rice at 10 c) 33 years d) 38 years different places was Rs. 4.85. After a week, the 33) Present ages of Sameer and Anand are in the price per kg was increased by 20 paise at 3 ratio of 5 : 4 respectively. Three years hence, places and decreased by 10 paise at one place. the ratio of their ages will become 11 : 9 The new average of price per kg is: respectively. What is Anand's present age in a) Rs. 4.88 b) Rs. 4.86 years? c) Rs. 4.90 d) Rs. 5.35 a) 24 b) 27 24) If the mean of 4 observations is 20 and when a c) 40 constant C is added to each observation, the d) Cannot be determined mean becomes 22, the value of C is: 34) A man is 24 years older than his son. In two a) -2 b) 2 years, his age will be twice the age of his son. c) 4 d) 6 The present age of his son is: 25) The average age of 11 players of a cricket team a) 14 years b) 18 years is decreased by 2 months when two of them c) 20 years d) 22 years aged 17 years and 20 years are replaced by two 35) Six years ago, the ratio of the ages of Kunal and reserves. The average age of the reserves is: Sagar was 6 : 5. Four years hence, the ratio of a) 18 years 3 months b) 17 years 1 months their ages will be 11 : 10. What is Sagar's age at c) 17 years 7 months present? d) 17 years 11 months a) 16 years b) 18 years 26) The average age of a family of 6 members is 22 c) 20 years years. If the age of the youngest member be 7 d) Cannot be determined years, the average age of the family at the birth 36) A batsman scored 110 runs which included 3 of the youngest member, was: boundaries and 8 sixes. What percent of his a) 15 years b) 17 years total score did he make by running between c) 17.5 years d) 18 years the wickets? 27) The average of 6 numbers is 30. If the average 5 of first four is 25 and that of the last three is 35, a) 45% b) 45 % the fourth number is: 11 a) 35 b) 30 c) 546% d) 55% c) 25 d) 40 37) A shopkeeper marks the price at 15% higher 28) The mean temperature of Monday to than the original price. Due to increase in Wednesday was 37° C and that of Tuesday to demand he further increases the price by 10%. Thursday was 34° C. If the temperature on How much % profit will he get? Thursday was (4/5)th that of Monday, what was a) 27.5 b) 26.5 the temperature on Thursday? c) 28.5 d) 30 GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 42 38) If A = x% of y and B = y% of x, then which of subjects then what is the total number of the following is true? students who took the examination? a) A is smaller than B. a) 800 b) 700 b) A is greater than B c) 900 d) 750 c) If x is smaller than y, then A is greater than B. 48) Mrs. Ruhani travels with 80% of her usual speed d) None of these and thus gets late by 40 minutes. What will be the usual time taken by her in covering the same 39) If two numbers are respectively 20% and 40% distances? of a 3rd number then what % is the 1st number of the 2nd one? a) 160 minutes c) 120 minutes a) 10 b) 20 b) 180 minutes d) 200 minutes c) 40 d) 50 49) The price of rice is increased by 25% and as a result, a person can have 4kg less rice for 40) In a certain school, 20% of students are below 8 Rs.400. What is the new price of rice per kg? years of age. The number of students above 8 years of age is 2/3 of the number of students of a) Rs. 22.5 kg b) Rs. 20 kg 8 years of age which is 48. What is the total c) Rs. 25 kg d) Rs. 30 kg number of students in the school? 50) If 20% of P is equal to 21% of Q, then which of a) 72 b) 120 P and Q is greater? c) 150 d) 100 a) They are equal b) Q 41) 1/3 and 1/5 of girls participated in drawing and c) Can’t be determined d) P dance competition respectively. One sixth i.e. 51) The population of a town was 10,000, and at the 150 of the total student population participated end of the year 2010. What will be the exclusively in the picnic. What was the number population of the town at the end of the year of girls student participating in drawing and 2012 if the rate of population growth is 20% dance competition together? p.a.? a) 180 b) 280 a) 14,400 b) 14,800 c) 380 d) 480 c) 16,200 d) 15,400 42) If the radius of circle is increased by 110% its 52) Vivek’s deposit in his SBI account is 60% of his area is increased by deposit in his BOI account. If his total deposit in a) 110 b) 301 these accounts together is Rs. 120, what is his c) 341 d) 501 deposit in the BOI account? 43) The population of a town was reduced by 12% in a) 27 b) 54 1988. In 1989 it was increased by 15%. What is c) 75 d) 45 the % effect on the population in the beginning 53) When 75% of a number is added to 50, the of 1990? result is the same number again. Find the a) 1.6% b) 1.4% number. c) 1.2 d) 1.7% a) 200 b) 175 44) In terms of percentage 27 is how much more c) 75 d) 150 than 20? 54) Two tailors X and Y are paid a total of Rs. 550 a) 30% b) 32% per week by their employer. If X is paid 120 c) 35% d) 38% percent of the sum paid to Y, how much is Y paid per week? 45) Two numbers A and B are such that the sum of 5% of A and 4% of B is two-third of the sum of a) Rs. 200 b) Rs. 250 6% of A and 8% of B. Find the ratio of A : B. c) Rs. 300 d) Rs. 275 a) 2 : 3 b) 1 : 1 55) In an examination, Summit got 30% marks and c) 3 : 4 d) 4 : 3 failed by 15 marks. In the same examination, Rohit got 40% marks, which is 35 marks more 46) In an election between two candidates, one got than the pass marks. Then what is the total 55% of the total valid votes, 20% of the votes marks in the examination? were invalid. If the total number of votes were 7500, the number of valid votes that the other a) 500 b) 250 candidate got, was c) 600 d) 450 a) 2700 b) 2900 56) Two numbers A and B are 20% and 28% less c) 3000 d) 3100 than a third number C. Find by what % is the number B less than the number A? 47) In an examination 80% of students passed in Mathematics and 75% of students passed in a) 10% b) 8% English. 15% of students failed in both the c) 12% d) 9% subjects. If 490 students passed in both the GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 43 57) A man sells two horses for Rs.1710. The CP of a) Rs. 1040/- b) Rs. 1020/- the first is equal to the SP of the second. If the c) Rs. 1060/- d) Rs. 1200/- first is sold at 10% loss and the second at 25% 67) The compound interest accrued on an amount of gain, what is his total gain or loss? the end of two years @ 12 p.c.p.a. is Rs. 2862/- a) Rs.90 gain b) Rs.171 gain What is the amount? a) Rs. 11,250/- b) Rs. 12,200/- c) Rs.90 loss d) None of these c) Rs. 13,500/- d) Rs. 10,000 58) A person saves 10% of his income. If his income 68) The simple interest accrued on a sum of certain increased by 20% & he decide to save 15% of principal is Rs. 7,200/- in six years at the rate of his income by what percent has his savings 12 p.c.p.a what would be the compound interest increased. accrued on that principal at the rate of 5 p.c.p.a. a) 80% b) 20% in 2 years. c) 30% d) None a) Rs. 1020/- b) Rs.1055/- 59) An article marked for sale at Rs.275. The c) Rs.1050/- d) Rs.1025/- shopkeeper allows a discount at 5% on the 69) The simple interest accrued on a sum of certain market price. His net profit is 4.5%. What did capital principal is Rs. 6400/- in four years at shopkeeper pay for the article? the rate of 8 p.c.p.a. what would be the compound interest accrued on that principal at a) Rs.250 b) Rs. 270 the rate of 2 p.c.p.a. in 2 years? c) Rs.290 d) Rs.350 a) Rs.800 b) Rs. 808/- 60) A person sells an article at a profit of 10%. If he c) Rs. 704/- d) Rs. 700/- had bought it at 10% less & sold it for Rs.3 more 70) The simple interest accrued on an amount of Rs. the would have gained 25%. Find the cost price. 22,500/- at the end of four years is a) 180 b) 160 Rs. 10,800/-. What would be the compound interest accrued on the same amount at the c) 140 d) 120 same rate at the end of two years? 61) If goods be purchased for Rs.450/- & 1/3 be sold a) Rs. 16908/- b) Rs. 5724/- at a loss of 10% at what percent should the c) Rs. 28224/- d) Rs. 8586/- remainder be sold so as to gain 20% on the 71) The simple interest accrued on an amount of Rs. whole transaction. 45000/- after 2 years at a certain rate of a) 35% b) 40% interest is 13500/-. What will be the compound c) 50% d) None interest accrued on the same amount in the 62) A machine is sold at a profit of 10%. Had it been same number years at the same rate of sold for Rs. 40 less. There would have been a interest? loss of 10% what was cost price? a) Rs. 14,512.50 b) Rs. 14,521.80 c) Rs. 14,515.30 d) Rs. 14,518.90 a) 175 b) 200 72) The simple interest accrued on a sum of certain c) 225 d) 270 principal is Rs. 2000/- in five years at the rate 63) A dealer professes to sell goods at cost price but of 4 p.c.p.a. what would be the compound loses 900 gms weight for a kilogram. What is his interest accrued on same principal at same rate gain percent? in two years? a) 0.9 b) 9 a) 716 b) 724 1 c) 824 d) 816 c) 11 d) 11 / 9 73) The difference between the amount of 64) Uttam purchase a shirt & sold to Ramu at profit compound interest and simple interest accrued at 25% & Ramu again sell to Ajay at 10% loss & on an amount of Rs. 26,000 at the end of 3 Ajay pay Rs. 972 for this shirt. Find cost of years is Rs. 2994.134. What is the rate of Uttam. interest p.c.p.a.? a) 864 b) 874 a) 22 b) 17 c) 934 d) 1056 c) 19 65) A man purchases a certain number of toffees at d) Cannot be determined 30 for Re. 1 & same no. at 20 for Re1. He mixes 74) Ravi borrowed some money at the rate of 4 them & sells it at 40 for Rs.2. What is his loss or p.c.p.a. for the first three years, at the rate of 8 profit percent? p.c.p.a. for the next two years and at the rate of 9 p.c.p.a. for the period beyond 5 years. If he a) 20% b) 8% pays a total simple interest of Rs. 19550 at the c) 10% d) 18% end of 7 years, how much money did he 66) The simple interest accrued on a sum of certain borrow? principal is Rs. 6500/- in eight years at the rate a) Rs. 39,500 b) Rs. 42,500 of 13 p.c.p.a. What would be the compound c) Rs. 41,900 d) Rs. 43,000 interest accrued on that principal at the rate of 75) Meera purchased an item for Rs. 6200/- and 8 p.c.p.a. in 2 years? sold it at loss of 25 percent. With that amount

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 44 she purchased another item and sold it at a gain 84) A horse and a cow is sold for per Rs.12000 each. of 30 percent. What was her overall gain/loss? The horse was sold at a loss of 20% and the a) Loss of Rs. 165/- b) Profit of Rs. 165/- cow at a gain of 20%. The entire transaction c) Loss Rs. 155/- d) Profit of Rs. 155/- resulted in: 76) Seema purchased an item for Rs. 9,600/- and a) no loss or gain b) loss of Rs.1000 sold it for loss of 5 percent. From that money c) gain of Rs.1000 d) gain of Rs.2000 she purchased another item and sold it for gain 85) Anil bought a TV with 20% discount on the of 5 percent. What is her overall gain/loss? labelled price. Had he bought it with 25% a) Loss of Rs. 36/- b) Profit of Rs. 24/- discount, he would have saved Rs.500. At what c) Loss of Rs. 24/- d) Profit of Rs. 36/- price did he buy the TV? 77) Mr. Baljit purchased 100 pieces of an article at a) Rs.16000 b) Rs.12000 the rate of Rs. 480/- per piece. He then listed c) Rs.10000 d) Rs.8000 the price so as to gain a profit of 25%. While 86) Each of the two horses is sold for Rs. 720. The selling the articles he offered a discount of 5%. first one is sold at 25% profit and the second What is the percentage of profit earned in the one at 25% loss. What is the % age loss or gain deal? in the deal? a) 20.00 b) 15.00 a) 7.2% b) 6.25% c) 15.79 d) 18.75 c) No profit, no loss d) 8.16% 78) Profit earned by an organization is distributed 87) Each of the two cars is sold at the same price. A among officers and clerks in the ratio of 5 : 3 profit of 10% is made on the first and a loss of respectively. If the number of officers is 45 and 7% is made on the second. What is the the number of clerks is 80 and the amount combined loss or gain? received by each officer is Rs. 25,000/- what a) 2.3% loss b) 2% loss was the total amount of profit earned? c) 2% gain d) 2.3% gain a) Rs. 22 lakhs b) Rs. 18.25 lakhs 88) A man sells two horses for Rs.1710. The CP of c) Rs. 18 lakhs d) Rs. 23.25 lakh the first is equal to the SP of the second. If the 79) A shopkeeper labelled the price of his articles so first is sold at 10% loss and the second at 25% as to earn a profit of 30% on the cost price. He gain, what is his total gain or loss? then sold the articles by offering a discount of a) Rs.90 gain b) Rs.171 gain 10% on the labelled price. What is the actual c) Rs.90 loss d) Rs.171 loss percent profit earned in the deal? 89) I lose 9 percent by selling pencils at rate of 15 a a) 18% b) 15% rupee. How many for a rupee must I sell them c) 20% to gain 5 percent? d) Can’t be determined a) 16 b) 13 80) Rehaan purchased a bike for Rs. 54000/- he c) 10 d) 14 sold it at a loss of 8 percent. With that money 90) Vipin purchased a horse at 9/10 of its selling he again purchased another bike and sold it at a price & sold it at 8% more than its selling price. profit of 10 percent. What is his overall Find his gain percent. loss/profit? a) 29% profit b) 25% profit a) Loss of Rs. 657/- b) Profit of Rs. 567/- c) 28% profit d) 20 % profit c) Loss of Rs. 648/- d) Profit of Rs. 648/- 91) A sum was put at simple interest at a certain 81) If the price of petrol is raised by 12.5% then rate for 5 years had it been put at 5% higher find by what percent should a consumer rate, it would have fetched Rs. 500 more. What decrease the consumption of petrol so that is the sum? there is no change in his monthly expenditure a) Rs. 2000 b) Rs. 2400 on petrol. c) Rs. 2500 d) Rs. 3200 2 a) 16% b) 11 /7% 92) What is the difference between the compound 1 c) 11 /9% d) 20% interest and the simple interest for the sum Rs. 82) Kewal sells two tape recorders at the same 16000 at 5% p.a. for 2 years? price. Out of one he gains 10% and at another a) Rs. 80 b) Rs. 60 he loses 10%. His total % gain or loss in the c) Rs. 54 d) Rs. 40 whole transaction is: 93) A sum of money triples itself in 3 years at a a) 1% gain b) 1% loss simple interest. In how many years will it c) 11% loss d) No loss No gain become five times? 83) Ajay bought 15 kg of dal at the rate of Rs.14.50 a) 5 years b) 6 years per kg and 10 kg at the rate of Rs.13 per kg. He c) 4 years d) 8 years mixed the two and sold the mixture at the rate 94) If the simple interest on a certain sum of money of Rs.15 per kg. What was his total gain in this for 2 years at 15% is Rs. 800, what will be the transaction? compound interest at the same rate and for the a) Rs.1.10 b) Rs.16.50 same time? c) Rs.11 d) Rs.27.50 a) Rs. 920 b) Rs. 900 c) Rs. 880 d) Rs. 860

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 45 95) An amount of money grows upto Rs. 4000 in 2 was Rs.26,000. What will be the difference years and up to Rs. 8000 in 3 years on between the share of profits of A & B? compound interest. What is the sum? a) Rs.1000 b) Rs.2000 a) Rs. 1600 b) Rs. 1000 c) Rs.2500 d) Rs.3000 c) Rs. 1200 d) Rs. 2400 96) Two number are in the ratio 3 : 5. If 9 is 105) A, B & C invested capitals in the ratio 2:3:4. At subtracted from each, the new numbers are in the end of business term they received the the ratio 12 : 23. The smaller number is: profits in the ratio 3:6:10. Find the ratio of the times for which they contributed their capitals. a) 27 b) 33 a) 4:6:5 b) 3:4:5 c) 49 d) 55 c) 5:4:5 d) 4:5 97) In a bag, there are coins of 25 p, 10 p and 5 p in the ratio of 1 : 2 : 3. If there is Rs. 30 in all, how 106) Anup & Bimal started a business investing Rs. many 5 p coins are there? 15000 & Rs. 22500 respectively. In what proportion will the profit be distributed. a) 50 b) 100 a) 1:2 b) 1:3 c) 150 d) 200 c) 2:3 d) Can’t be determined 98) 20 boys and 32 girls from a group for social work. During their membership drive an equal 107) A, B & C invest Rs.35000, Rs.42000 & Rs.49000 number of boys and girls also join the group. respectively in a business. Out of total profit of How many members does the group have now, Rs. 45,000, B’s share is: if the ratio of boys to girls is 3 : 4 ? a) 14000 b) 15000 a) 75 b) 86 c) 17500 d) 16500 c) 68 d) 84 108) Anup started a business investing 90000. After 3 99) If 40% of a number is equal to two-third of months Tariq joined him with a capital of Rs. another number, what is the ratio of first 120000. Of at the end of 2 years the total profit number to the second number? made by them was Rs. 96000, what will be the difference between their shares? a) 2 : 5 b) 3 : 7 a) Rs. 20000 b) Rs. 24000 c) 5 : 3 d) 7 : 3 c) Rs. 8000 d) None 100) Ramola’s monthly income is three times Ravina’s monthly income. Ravina’s monthly 109) Ugesh started a business investing Rs.45000. income is fifteen percent more than Ruchira’s After 3 months Pralad joined him with a capital monthly income. Ruchira’s monthly income is Rs. of Rs. 90000. At the end of the year, they made a 32000/-. What is Ramola’s Annual income? profit Rs.20000. What would be Ugesh’s share in it? a) Rs. 110400/- b) Rs. 1324800/- a) Rs.4000 b) Rs.4500 c) Rs. 36800/- d) Rs. 52200/- c) Rs.6000 d) Rs.8000 e) None of these 110) Ramu has a certain number of 10-paise coins, 3 101) The sum of three numbers is 98. If the ratio of times as many 25-paise coins as 10-paise coins, the first to second is 2 :3 and that of the second and 5 more 50-paise coins than 25-paise coins. to the third is 5 : 8, then the second number is: If the total value is Rs 120, how many 10-paise a) 20 b) 30 coins are there? c) 48 d) 58 a) 30 b) 40 102) Raju, Ramu & Raku invested Rs. 5000, c) 50 d) 60 Rs.10,000 & Rs.15,000 respectively to start a 111) A and B have Rs. 720 and Rs. 576, respectively. Pest control Unit. Raju left the unit after 1 year. If A spends Rs. 312 and B spends Rs. 264, which If at the end of 2 years they earned a profit of of them is more extravagant? Rs.12,000, what is Ramu’s share in the profit? a) A b) B a) Rs.2,400 b) Rs.2,000 c) Both A & B d) Can’t say c) Rs.4,000 d) None 112) Rohit starts a business with Rs. 6500 and after 8 103) Two friends A & B entered into partnership with months Shyam joins Rohit as his partner. After 4 capitals in the ratio of 4:5. After 3 months, A years the profit is divided in the ratio of 13 : 12. withdrew 1/ 4 of his capital & B withdrew 1/5 of What is Shyam’s contribution in the capital? his capital. The profit after 10 months was Rs. 760. How much did A get? a) Rs. 7400 b) Rs. 7200 a) Rs.430 b) Rs.330 c) Rs. 7250 d) Rs. 7630 c) Rs.280 d) Rs.480 113) A sum of money is divided among A, B, C and D in the ratio 3:5:7:11. If the share of C is Rs. 1668 104) A started a business investing Rs.35,000. After more than the share of A, then what is the total six months B joined him, with a capital of Rs. amount of money of B and D together? 60,000. At the end of the year the total profit GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 46 a) Rs. 6762 b) Rs. 6672 123) Three persons A, B and C invested capitals in the c) Rs. 7506 d) Rs. 625 ratio 2:3:4. At the end of the business terms, they received the profits in the ratio 10:7:5. 114) Seats for Mathematics, Physics and Biology in a What is the ratio of time for which they school are in the ratio 5 : 7 : 8. There is a contributed their capital? proposal to increase these seats by 40%, 50% and 75% respectively. What will be the ratio of a) 12:14:15 b) 12:10:9 increased seats? c) 4:3:1 d) 60 : 28 : 15 a) 2 : 3 : 4 b) 6 : 7 : 8 124) In a musical concert, the ratio of the number of c) 6 : 8 : 9 d) 7 : 8 : 9 girls to that of boys was 5:7. When 102 more girls entered the concert, the new ratio of the 115) Ashok being the sleeping partner receives 1/10 number of girls to that of boys became 6:5. How of the profit and the remaining is divided many people were there in the musical concert between Pramod and Prakash in the ratio of at first? 1.25 : 1. If the difference between the shares of Prakash and Ashok is Rs. 8340, what is Pramod’s a) 360 b) 240 share (in Rs.)? c) 480 d) 330 a) 8800 b) 13900 125) In a certain locality 55% are females. Of these c) 12600 d) Data inadequate 32% are illiterate. If male literacy is 64%. Find the ratio of illiterate males to literate females? 116) The mean proportional between two numbers is 28 and their third proportional to them is 224. a) 9 : 8 b) 81 : 88 The two numbers are c) 81 : 187 d) 88 : 81 a) 7 and 12 b) 14 and 56 c) 28 and 28 d) 21 and 36 ENGLISH LANGUAGE 117) If sum of three numbers is 65. If the ratio of the first to second number if 5 : 3, and that of the Directions (1-20): A sentence has been given in second and third number is 7 : 3, then what is Active Voice/Passive voice. Out of the four the second number? alternatives suggested, select the one which best a) 9 b) 15 expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active c) 21 d) 35 Voice.

118) How much pure alcohol can be added to 700 ml 1) Open the door. of an 18% solution to make it strength 30%? a) The door must be opened a) 60 ml c) 100 ml b) The door will be opened b) 140 ml d) 120 ml c) The door is opened 119) The speeds of three cars are in the ratio 4 : 3 : 2. d) Let the door be opened What is the ratio between the times taken by the 2) I did not trust anybody. cars to cover the same distance? a) Nobody was trusted by me a) 2 : 3 : 4 b) 3 : 4 : 6 b) Anybody had been trusted by me c) Nobody would be trusted by me c) 1 : 2 : 3 d) 4 : 3 : 2 d) Nobody has been trusted by me 120) If Rs. 8400 is divided among A, B and C in the 3) Did he remember the date and time? 1 1 1 a) Are the date and time remembered by him? ratio : : , what is the share of A? b) Was he remembering the date and time? 5 6 10 c) Were the date and time remembered by him? a) Rs. 1800 b) Rs. 3000 d) Did the date and time be remembered by him? c) Rs. 3600 d) Rs. 4000 4) The boys were digging a hole in the ground. 121) A person P started a business with a capital of a) A hole had been dug in the ground by the boys Rs. 2525 and another person Q joined P after b) In the ground, the boys dug a hole some months with a capital of Rs. 1200. Out of c) A hole in the ground has been dug by the boys the total annual profit of Rs. 1644, P’s share was d) A hole was being dug by the boys in the ground. Rs. 1212. When did Q join as partners? 5) We must now deal with these problems. a) These problems must now be dealt with by us a) after 2 months b) after 3 months b) These problems must now be dealing with by us c) after 4 months d) after 5months c) These problems must now deal with by us 122) The sum of the three numbers is 152. If the ratio d) These problems are to be dealt with by us between the first and second be 3:5 and that 6) The audience loudly cheered the leader’s between the second and third be 5:11, what is speech. the third number? a) The leader’s speech was loudly cheered by the a) 66 b) 55 audience c) 88 d) 111 b) The leader’s speech is loudly cheered by the audience GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 47 c) The audience loudly cheered the leader for his d) The work will have been completed by the time we speech have got there d) The speech of the leader was loudly cheered by the 17) You will have to pull down this sky-scraper as audience you have not complied with the town planning 7) Someone is following us. regulations. a) We are followed by someone a) This sky-scraper will have to be pulled down as the b) We are being followed by someone town planning regulations have not been complied c) We were being followed by someone with d) We had been followed by someone b) This sky-scraper will have to be pulled down by you 8) He hasn’t slept in his bed. as the town planning regulations have not been a) His bed hasn’t been slept in complied by you b) He had not been slept in his bed c) This sky-scraper will be pulled down as the town c) His bed had been slept in planning regulations have not been complied with d) His bed had not been slept in d) This sky-scraper will have to be pulled down as the 9) I was recommended another lawyer. town planning regulations have not been complied a) Somebody recommended another lawyer. 18) He has written a poem which fascinates every b) Somebody recommended me to another lawyer. one. c) Somebody recommended me another lawyer a) A poem has been written by him which fascinates d) Somebody recommends me another lawyer every one 10) Many a person has been saved from the man- b) Everyone is fascinated by the poem which has been eaters by these hunters written by him a) These hunters will save many a person from the c) Poem written by him fascinates every one man-eaters d) Every one fascinates the poem which is written by b) These hunters save many a person from the man- him eaters 19) Will those happy days be ever forgotten by me? c) These hunters saved many a person from the man- a) Will I ever forget those happy days? eaters b) Shall I ever forgot these happy days? d) These hunters have saved many a person from the c) Would I forget these happy days? man-eaters d) Ever shall I forget those happy days? 11) Must we cut this tree? 20) You are requested to permit him. a) Must this tree will cut? a) Please permit him b) Must this tree be cut? b) I request you to permit me c) Must this tree was cut? c) He requests to permit him d) Must this tree is cut? d) I plead you to permit him 12) You will be well looked after. a) They will look after you well Directions (21-45): A sentence has been given in b) They can look after you well Direct/Indirect form. Out of the four alternative c) They may look after you well suggested, select the one which best expresses the d) They shall look after you well same sentence in Indirect/Direct form. 13) Didn’t they tell you to be here by six O’ clock? 21) Socrates said,” Virtue is its own reward.” a) Weren’t you told to be here by six O’clock? a) Socrates said that virtue had its own rewards b) Haven’t they told you to be here by six O’ clock? b) Socrates says that virtue is its own reward c) You were expected to be here by six O’ clock? c) Socrates said that virtue is its own reward d) They expected you to be here by six O’ clock? d) Socrates said that virtue was its own reward 14) Don’t touch this switch. 22) He said to the interviewer, “Could you please a) This switch does not be touched repeat the question?” b) This switch must not be touched a) He requested the interviewer if he could please c) This switch don’t be touched repeat the question d) This switch need not be touched b) He requested the interviewer to please repeat the 15) One cannot gather grapes from thistles. question a) Thistles cannot be gathered from grapes c) He requested the interviewer to repeat the question b) Grapes cannot be gathered from thistles d) He requested the interviewer if he could repeat the c) Grapes and thistles cannot be gathered by one question d) Grapes cannot be gathered by them 23) He said, “it used to be a lovely, quiet street.” 16) They will have completed the work by the time a) He said that it used to be a lovely, quiet street we get there. b) He pointed out that it had used to be a lovely, quiet a) The work will be completed by the time we get street there c) He said that there used to be a lovely, quiet street b) The work will have been completed by the time we d) He inquired whether there was a lovely, quiet street get there c) The work will have completed by the time we get 24) The Prime Minister said that no one would be there allowed to disturb the peace. GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 48 a) The Prime Minister said, “We shall not allow anyone b) I asked my co-passenger how long the journey to disturb the peace.” would take b) The Prime Minister said, “We would not allow no c) My co-passenger wanted to know how long the one to disturb the peace.” journey would take c) The Prime Minister said, “No one will disturb the d) My co-passenger asked me how long the journey peace.” did take d) The Prime Minister said, “No one can disturb the 31) How clever of you to have solved the puzzle so peace” quickly,” said the mother. 25) The spectators said, “Bravo! Well done, a) The mother exclaimed admiringly that it was very players.” clever of him to have solved the puzzle so quickly a) The Spectators shouted that the players were doing b) The mother expressed that he was so clever to very well have solved the puzzle quickly b) The spectators exclaimed with joy that the players c) The mother told that he was very clever in solving were doing very well the puzzle so quickly c) The spectators applauded the players saying that d) The mother exclaimed with joy that he was clever they had done well enough to solve the puzzle so quickly d) The spectators applauded the players joyfully to do 32) He said he goes for a walk every morning. well a) He said, “I went for a walk every morning”. 26) I said to my friend, “Good Morning. Let us go for b) He said, “I go for a walk every morning”. a picnic today.” c) He said, “I will go for a walk-every morning”. a) I told good morning to my friend, and asked to go d) He said, “ He goes for a walk every morning”. for a picnic that day 33) I reiterated, “I don’t care about the job.” b) I wished my friend good morning and proposed that a) I reiterated I didn’t care about the job we should go for a picnic that day b) I said again and again I didn’t care about the job c) I wished my friend good morning and proposed that c) I reiterated that I did not care about the job they should go for a picnic that day d) I repeatedly said that I cared about the job d) I told good morning to my friend and suggested to 34) I said to my brother, “Let us go to some hill go for a picnic today station for a change.” 27) The new student asked the old one, “Do you a) I suggested to my brother that they should go to know my name?” some hill station for a change a) The new student asked the old one if he knew his b) I suggested to my brother that we should go to name some hill station for a change b) The new student asked the old one that whether he c) I suggested to my brother that let us go to some hill knew his name station for a change c) The new student asked the old one did he know his d) I suggested to my brother that let them go to some name hill station for a change d) The new student asked the old one if he knows his 35) I wondered how many discoveries went name unheeded. 28) I warned her that I could no longer tolerate her a) I said, “How many discoveries have gone coming late. unheeded?” a) I said to her, “You can no longer tolerate my b) I said, “How many discoveries went unheeded?” coming late.” c) I said, “Do discoveries go unheeded?” b) I said to her, “I can no longer tolerate your coming d) I said, “How many discoveries go unheeded?” late.” 36) Gopan said to me, “Can you do these sums for c) I said to her, “He can no longer 1 tolerate her me?” coming late.” a) Gopan asked me if I could do those sums for him d) I said to her, “I can no longer tolerate she coming b) Gopan asked me if I can do those sums for him late.” c) Gopan asked me if I can do these sums for him 29) I said to my mother, “I will certainly take you to d) Gopan asked if I could do these sums for him Bangalore this week.” 37) The boss said, “It’s time we began planning our a) I told my mother he would certainly take her to work”. Bangalore that week a) The boss said that if was time they had begun b) I told my mother that I would certainly take her to planning their work Bangalore that week b) The boss said that if was time we had begun c) I told my mother that she would certainly take her planning our work to Bangalore that week c) The boss said that it was time they began planning d) I told to my mother that I would take you to their work Bangalore that week d) The boss said that it was time we began planning 30) “How long does the journey take?”, my co- his work passenger asked me. 38) He said to the judge, “I did not commit this a) My co-passenger asked me how long does the crime;” journey take

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 49 a) He told the judge that he had not committed that 45) She said to Rita, “Please help me with my crime homework.” b) He told the judge that he did not commit the crime a) She requested Rita to help me with her homework c) He told the judge that he had not committed the b) Rita requested her to help her with her homework crime c) She requested Rita to help her with her homework d) He told the judge that he had not committed this d) She requested Rita to help her homework crime 39) Rahul said, “I will do it now or never”. Directions (46-75): A part of the sentence is a) Rahul said that he will do it now or never underlined. Below are given four alternatives to the b) Rahul said that he will now or never do it underlined part. Choose the correct alternative. In c) Rahul said that he would do it then or never case no improvement is needed your answer is (d). d) Rahul said that he would now or never do it 46) During the recent floods, we waded through waist- 40) My father once said to me, “If I can’t trust my deep water for almost half a kilometer. people, then I don’t want to be doing this.” a) shuffled through b) walked over a) His father once told him that if he couldn’t trust his c) skipped through d) No improvement people then he didn’t want to be doing that 47) In Gujarat, communal violence and rioting ignited up b) My father once told me that if he couldn’t trust his twice in the late seventies and early eighties. people then he didn’t want to be doing that a) flared b) burned c) My father once told me that if he couldn’t trust my c) took d) No improvement people then he didn’t want to be doing that 48) My friend lamented that though a complete report was d) My father once told me that if he couldn’t trust his sent to the department a month ago no action is being people then he didn’t want to be doing this taken so far. 41) Doshi said to his wife, “Please select one of the a) no action has been taken necklaces.” b) no action was taken a) Doshi requested his wife to select one of those c) no action had taken necklaces d) No improvement b) Doshi said to his wife to please select one of these 49) Hari left the house before Shyam got there. necklaces a) will leave b) had left c) Doshi told his wife to please select one of those c) leaves d) No improvement necklaces 50) The underlining assumption is that the amount of d) Doshi pleased his wife to selects one of those money available is limited. necklaces a) undermining b) underlying 42) He wrote in his report, “The rainfall has been c) underwhelming d) No improvement scanty till now.” 51) She was criticized by her colleagues for leaking the a) He reported that the rainfall has been scanty till story to the press. now a) reproached b) dissented b) He reported that the rainfall had been scanty till c) warned d) No improvement now 52) Two children were knocked down by a speeding truck. c) He reported that the rainfall has been scanty till a) turned down b) pulled down then c) brought down d) No improvement d) He reported that the rainfall had been scanty till 53) The company is not doing well – isn’t it time you sell then off your shares in it? 43) “Govind,” said the manager sternly, “I command a) sold b) selling you to tell me what the old man said.” c) give d) No improvement a) The manager sternly told Govind that he 54) Before a skunk squeals an unpleasant spray from the commanded him to tell him what the old man had said glands under its tail, it will stamp its feet and hiss a b) The manager commanded sternly to Govind to tell warning. him what the old man had said a) squints b) stinks c) The manager commanded Govind to tell him what c) squirts d) No improvement the old man said 55) Although Pandas eat bamboo almost exclusively, they d) The manager sternly commanded Govind to tell him are also carnivorous. what the old man had said a) Until b) As soon as 44) I said to him, “Where have you lost the pen I c) Not only d) No improvement brought for you yesterday?” a) I asked him where he had lost the pen I had 56) I and my parents live together. brought for him the day before a) Me and my parents b) I asked him where he had lost the pen I had b) My parents and I brought for him the previous day c) My parents and me c) I asked him where he had lost the pen I had d) No improvement brought for him the next day. 57) I was really criticised by the angry words of my father. d) I asked him where he had lost the pen I brought for a) jolted b) fluttered him the previous day c) thwarted d) No improvement GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 50 58) Man has a strong desire to collect wealth. a) who he was and why was he a) spend b) accumulate b) who he was and why he was c) waste d) No improvement c) who he had been and why was he 59) She insisted to go there, though her husband d) No improvement cautioned her on it. 74) My watch stopped, as key was not given. a) on going b) upon going a) the key was not given c) going d) No improvement b) it had not been wound up 60) It is sheer foolishness to think that the education c) its key was not given d) No improvement system can be improved by doing away examinations. 75) All that is human must revert if it does not advance a) by doing with b) by doing it to a) retrograde b) withdraw c) by doing away with d) No improvement c) retire d) No improvement 61) Do how I say. a) as b) what Directions (76-85): The 1st and the last sentences of c) like d) No improvement the passage are numbered 1 and 6. The rest of the 62) I am thinking to do an M.A. in English. passage is split into four parts and named P, Q, R a) I am wondering to do an M.A. in English and S. These four parts are not given in their proper b) I am thinking of doing an M.A. in English order. Read the sentence and find out which of the c) I am thinking doing an M.A. in English four combinations is correct. d) No improvement 76) 1. A man who climbs a mountain faces several 63) You may sign on this paper. dangers. a) sign at this paper b) sign this paper P. A cylinder of oxygen can be very expensive. c) sign upon this paper d) No improvement Q. The atmosphere at such a great height contains 64) Majority of people wrongly believe that there must be less oxygen than in the plains and therefore he may a son in every family. find it difficult to breathe. a) the people believe wrongly R. Yet another danger is the avalanches – huge mass b) peoples wrongly believes of snow sliding down the mountain and the c) the people wrongly believe mountaineer may get swept off. d) No improvement S. This means that the mountaineer has to carry his 65) If I followed instructions I could have averted the own supply of oxygen in a clinder. mishap. 6. It is a proof of man’s indomitable courage that in a) I had followed spite of all these dangers, he continues to climb the b) I would have followed highest mountains in the world. c) I were to follow d) No improvement a) QSPR b) SRPQ 66) Bonded labour has been now almost a thing of the c) QSRP d) PSRQ past. 77) 1. After the Chipko Movement a) had been b) is P. that peasants and tribals c) was d) No improvement Q. in the responsible management 67) I prefer remaining silent to speaking R. it was demonistrated a) than b) more than S. had a greater stake c) rather than d) No improvement 6. of Nature than did supposedly sophisticated city 68) He presented me a calculator on my birthday. dwellers. a) He presented me a calculator for my birthday a) QRPS b) RPSQ b) He presented me with a calculator on my birthday c) RPQS d) QPSR c) He presented a calculator for my birthday 78) 1. Sometimes you can figure out d) No improvement P. of the rest of the sentence 69) The teacher saw my conversing with her. Q. or from the meaning a) my conversation b) me to converse R. its place in the story or in the sentence c) me conversing d) No improvement S. an unfamiliar word from its context 70) The police booked a case against the car-driver for 6. even though you may never have seen the word wrong parking. before. a) restricted b) expelled a) RSPQ b) SRQP c) filed d) No improvement c) QPRS d) PRQS 71) Who does not grasp the recently formed 79) 1. Even today in many countries Commonwealth of Independent States? P. neglected and there are far a) know b) identify Q. women continue to be c) understand d) No improvement R. who have had the benefit of 72) We have received many anomalous letters about this S. fewer women than men issue. 6. education and vocational training. a) analogous b) synonymous a) PRQS b) QPSR c) anonymous d) No improvement c) SQRP d) RQPS 73) The watchman asked the intruder who was he and 80) 1. Carl Sagan why was he occupying his chair. P. the severity of the problem

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 51 Q. says that we do not fully understand R. that the next generations may be badly affected PASSAGE – I S. in his essay Fingerprints are the marks made by the ridges on the ends 6. and that the only solution is international co- of the fingers and thumbs. These ridges form a pattern that operation. stays the same throughout a person’s life. No two persons a) SRPQ b) SQRP have ever had the same fingerprints. So fingerprints are a c) SPRQ d) SQPR foolproof way of identifying a person. 81) 1. Each A fingerprint record is made in an interesting manner. P. if it was working A small piece of metal is coated with a thin film of ink. Next, Q. had to be tested to be sure a person’s finger and thumb tips are pressed against the R. parts of the rocket inked surface. Then the fingertips are pressed on a white S. of the many card. The prints are recorded in exact detail. 6. perfectly. Fingerprinting is often used to solve crimes. a) RSPQ b) RQSP Fingerprints are picked up at the scene of a crime. These c) PRQS d) SRQP are compared with those of a suspect. Millions of 82) 1. The life of the honeybee colony centres around the fingerprints are kept on files by police departments. activities of its single queen. Fingerprinting is also used in finding missing persons P. Fertilization of these eggs takes place before they and identifying unknown dead. It is used to screen people are deposited in the cells. who apply for certain jobs. Q. When the eggs hatch into larvae, they are looked It is thought that the Chinese used thumbprints to sign after and fed by the worker bees. documents a long time before Christ. The system used R. During the summer months spends most of her today was invented by Sir Francis Galton in the 1880’s. In time laying eggs in the wax cells of her honey comb. 1901 Sir E.R. Henry found a simple way of grouping S. The honeybee does this by releasing sperm from fingerprints. His system is used by many law-enforcement her storage sacs which were filled at the time of her organizations. mating of flights. 6. A new worker bee emerges three weeks after the 86) Fingerprints are the most ……………way of egg was laid. identifying a person. a) RSQP b) RPSQ a) best b) genuine c) SPRQ d) SRPQ c) sincere d) accurate 83) 1. George Eliot sees 87) The main reason why fingerprinting is used for P. family life identification is that Q. and mutually caring relationships a) every individual has a unique set of fingerprints. R. human relationships b) every set of fingerprints falls into a pattern S. as the centre of c) records of fingerprints can be maintained. 6. as the centre of life itself. d) fingerprints can be picked up even after a crime. a) PQSR b) RQSP 88) Who first evolved a system of using finger c) RPQS d) PSRQ impressions to authenticate document? 84) 1. As the girl grew up, she became prettier and a) Sir Francis Galton b) Sir E.R. Henry prettier. c) The Chinese d) The Britishers P. She began to be treated worse than any servant 89) The present system of recording fingerprints is Q. After household work she would sleep among the around …………… years old. clinders. a) 2200 b) 100 R. And the prettier she became, the more the sisters c) 500 d) 220 hated her. 90) The fingerprints are stored for record S. She was compelled to eat scraps of leftovers. a) on a white card b) on an inked surface 6. This habit earned her the nickname Cinderella. c) on paper files a) PQRS b) RPSQ d) on a small piece of metal c) QPRS d) PQSR 85) 1. Actually for him PASSAGE – II P. was more important than An old man with steel-rimmed spectacles and very dusty Q. the development clothes sat by the side of the road. There was a pontoon R. into a free man bridge across the river and carts, trucks, and men, women S. of the Indian and children were crossing it. The mule-drawn carts 6. the freeing of India. staggered up the steel bank from the bridge with soldiers a) QSRP b) SRQP helping to push against the spokes of the wheels. The c) PRQS d) RSQP trucks ground up and away heading out of it all. The peasants plodded along in the ankle-deep dust. But the old Directions (86-110): You have 5 brief passages with man sat there without moving. five questions following each passage. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to 91) What was the old man wearing? each question out of the four alternatives. a) Steel-rimmed spectacles GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 52 b) An old shirt and pant manufactured Valentines which were usually in the shape of c) Very dusty clothes hearts – darted through with arrows. d) Steel-rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes 92) Mention those which crossed bridge besides 96) The writer means that St. Valentine actually human beings. lived. Which of the following statements best a) Mules and horses reveals the meaning? b) Men, women and children a) Most authorities agree that St. Valentine was known c) Carts and trucks d) Soldiers and carts as “the lovers’ saint.” 93) Who were helping to push the mule-drawn b) Valentine was put in prison and he died a martyr to carts? love. a) Mules b) The villagers c) There appears to be proof that he was a Christian c) The Horses d) Soldiers Bishop in the 3rd century. 94) Where was the old man sitting? d) Some writers are inclined to believe that no such a) In the cart b) Over the bridge person existed. c) By the side of the road 97) Married men did not make good soldiers d) On the banks of the river because 95) Why was he sitting there? a) they did not want to leave their families. a) To admire the natural scenery b) they did not like to go to war. b) To watch the people passing by c) their families did not want them to go to war. c) Because he was so tired that he couldn’t go any d) the emperor abolished their marriage. further 98) Valentine was made a Saint by d) Waiting for somebody a) Emperor Claudius b) Married Men PASSAGE – III c) Young Lovers Most authorities agree that St. Valentine is “the lover’s d) Roman Church saint”. 99) Valentine was called a martyr to love because However, some writers are inclined to believe that no such a) he was sad for the young lovers person existed, though there appears to be proof that he b) he got the young lovers married. was a Christian Bishop and that he suffered martyrdom c) he died for the sake of young lovers. under the Roman Emperor Claudius on February 14,271 d) the King put him in prison. (A.D) 100) The first manufactured Valentines were usually The story is that Emperor Claudius issued a decree heart-shaped. The word ‘Valentine’ here refers forbidding marriage. Married men disliked leaving their to families to go to war, and they did not make good soldiers, a) St. Valentine b) invitation cards according to the Emperor’s notion. Since good soldiers were c) Egyptian word needed, he decided that marriage had to be abolished. d) Fourteenth February The good priest Valentine heard this and was sad. He invited young lovers to come to him and secretly got them PASSAGE – IV married. The emperor learnt of this and had Valentine put in When flowers bloom in the lush bamboo plantations in the prison. There the “friend of lovers” languished and died hills of the northeast, the tribesmen are thrown into a state martyr to love. The Church made him a Saint and allotted of panic. The rare phenomenon of the flowering of a dwarf- the day of his death, February 14, to him. So it is not sized bamboo species triggers a boom in the rat population. surprising that youngsters in Rome made this day a special They devour the crops in nearby farmlands. The result is one in honour of the Saint. St. Valentine’s Day came to be famine. known as “the day for all true lovers”. The mauve-coloured flowers sprouting in the hill- Three Egyptian words will tell us more about the slopes in the sprawling Seppa valley in east Kameng district, customs of Valentine’s Day than all the falsehoods Arunachal Pradesh, are a palpable threat to the State concerning the Saint. In Egyptian language, Va or Fa means Government. The worries are justified, if the catastrophe “to bear”, Len is “the name “ or “to name”. Ten means “to caused by the flowering of a bamboo species named Mau in determine”. Thus the day of Valentine is that which Mizoram in 1959 is anything to go by. Rodents had determines whose name shall be borne by each person in multiplied in millions during the flowering of bamboos and this mode of marriage by drawing lots. The custom points to ravaged the crops in the foothills. the time when chance, rather than choice, was the law. The flowering of the bamboo species in Arunachal Marriage is still said to be a lottery. The custom of sending Pradesh was first noticed in September this year. The caricatures on Valentine’s Day is probably based on depredations by the rats in the paddy, maize and millet asserting the freedom of choice, and making a mock of fields from Bhalukpong on the Assam border to Seppa valley chance. in the north were reported soon. As the agriculture If one decides to entertain people at a supper or department rushed its field-staff to the affected areas to dinner on Valentine’s Day, the decoration and even the food fight the rampaging rodents with rat-traps and zinc should follow the spirit of the day. Invitations are usually phosphate, fresh alarms were sounded with flowering heart-shape- a custom that originated with the first reported from the Tezu circle.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 53 According to the local MLA, much of the crops in The judge thought for a few minutes. Then he said, Kameng had been destroyed by October. The State “The case is false. Nasiruddin has not stolen his neighbour’s Veterinary Minister also confirmed the reports of a near- money. The merchant is mad. He should be sent to a famine condition in that inaccessible district. The rats, mental hospital.” feeding on the flower seedlings, continue to multiply. Till today, 33,000 rats, of the 26 varieties in the State, have 106) Nasiruddin was praying in a loud voice because been trapped with the help of indigenous devices. The Chief a) he wanted to show that he was the cleverest man Minister has sent an SOS to the Centre for both supplies and in Khorasan expertise in combating the rat menace. b) he wanted to shaow that he was a holy man. c) he wanted his neighbor to hear his prayer. 101) In the opening passage (2nd sentence) the d) he was in debts and hoped that God would answer phrase ‘triggers a boom’ means his prayers. a) brings about a change b) causes an increase 107) The merchant threw the bag of money into c) causes an upheaval d) starts an exodus Nasiruddin’s house because 102) The destruction in Bhalukpong was reported, a) he was a miser according to the passage b) he found Nasiruddin’s prayer interesting a) in September b) in August c) he wanted to surprise Nasiruddin by helping him. c) in October d) in November d) he wanted to catch Nasiruddin red-handed stealing 103) A near-famine condition was reported the money. a) in the Seppa valley b) in Kameng 108) When Nasiruddin found the bag of money he c) in the Tezu circle d) at Bhalukpong thought 104) The flowering of the bamboo made the people a) God had answered his prayer. a) cautious b) hungry b) someone had been foolish enough to leave the c) anxious d) panicky money by mistake. 105) What is the writer’s attitude to the tribal c) his neighbor had thrown it into his house to help people’s problem? him. a) Sympathetic b) Critical d) his neighbor had thrown it into his house to see c) Harsh d) Neutral what he would do. 109) The merchant called Nasiruddin a liar because PASSAGE – V a) Nasiruddin had claimed that the money belonged to Nasiruddin was the cleverest man in Khorasan. One of his him. neighbours was a merchant. He was a great miser. One day b) Nasiruddin had said that God sent him the money. the merchant saw Nasiruddin praying inside his house. He c) Nasiruddin had said that he would return the money was praying in a loud voice asking God to be kind to him if it was not exactly 9999 dinars. and send him 9999 dinars, not a dinar more, or a dinar less. d) Nasiruddin said that the merchant was a fool to If God sent him even one dinar more, he would return all throw 10,000 dinars into his house to test his honesty. the money. The merchant could not understand Nasiruddin’s 110) When the judge heard the case, he thought that prayer. He decided to find out the truth. He put 10,000 the merchant dinars in a bag and threw it into Nasiruddin’s house. a) was telling lie b) was mad Nasiruddin found the bag and counted the money carefully. c) was telling the truth, which he could not prove He profusely thanked God for giving him 10,000 dinars, d) could be telling the truth when he had asked for only 9999 dinars. The merchants heard Nasiruddin. He realizes that Nasiruddin was going to Directions (111-125): In the following passages keep the money. He went to Nasiruddin’s house. He called some of the words have been left out. First read the him a liar and demanded that his 10,000 dinars be returned passage over and try to understand what it is about. to him. Nasiruddin refused. He claimed that he was not a Then fill in the blanks with the help of the fool to believe that any one would throw away 10,000 alternatives given. dinars just to test someone’s honesty. It was his money given by God in answer to his prayer. The merchant decided PASSAGE – I to take the matter to the judge. Nasiruddin said that he had The wings of some birds are so small that they are ……(111) no clean clothes to wear. The merchant gave him some of ……for flying. Earlier such birds……(112) ……fly. But after his own clothes to wear. Then they went to see the judge. living for thousands of ……(113) ……in places where they The merchant told the judge what had happened. had no……(114) ……, there was no need for them to fly, and Nasiruddin argued that the merchant was mad. Ever since they ……(115) ……on the ground. After a while, he lost a lot of money a few months back, he had been their……(116) ……ones could no longer rise into the air. The talking like a mad man. The judge asked Nasiruddin ostrich, rhea, emu and cassowary……(117) ……fly, but they whether he could prove his charge. He said, “Just now he can run fast on their long, strong legs. Ostriches……(118) told you that I stole his money. Next he is going to tell you ……in Africa and are found on the grassy places……(119) that these clothes which I am wearing are also his.” The ……they live along with big groups of zebras. The rhea looks merchant shouted angrily, “Of course, these clothes are like the ostrich, ……(120) ……it is smaller and has three toes mine!” on each foot, while the ostrich has only two.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 54 111) c) Vaishali d) Madra a) useless b) useful 3) ‘Saka Era’ was founded by c) beneficial d) suited a) b) Harsha 112) c) Kanishka d) Vikramaditya a) should b) might 4) The crux of early was c) could d) can a) renunciation of desire b) rigorous penance 113) c) belief in fatalism d) idol worship a) weeks b) years 5) Which one of the following contains the Gaytri c) months d) ages Mantra? 114) a) Rig Veda b) Yajur Veda a) wind b) sky c) Upanishad d) Sama Veda c) friends d) enemies 6) Ashoka was much influenced by a Buddhist 115) monk called a) stepped b) stayed a) Upagupta b) Vasubandhu c) crept d) crawled c) Asvaghosha d) Ambhi 116) 7) Jainism was divided into two sects known as a) trained b) old a) Kapalika and Kalamukha c) young d) pregnant b) Mahayana and Himayana 117) c) Ajivika and Nyaya Vaisesika a) cannot b) could d) Svetambara and Digambara c) would d) should 8) The Ashokan inscription which gives an account of the Kalinga war and its effects is 118) a) Girnar Rock Edict a) lived b) live b) Major Rock Edict III c) had lived d) used to live c) Minor Rock Edict IV 119) d) Minor Rock Edict XIII a) when b) where 9) Who were the first to issue gold coins in India? c) so that d) because a) Indo-Greeks b) Shakas 120) c) Parthians d) Kushanas a) even though b) but 10) Gupta dynasty belongs to which age of ancient c) and d) in spite of india? a) Old stone age b) Golden age PASSAGE – II c) Bronze age d) Silver age One of the major causes of the failure of ……(121) 11) Who is popularly known as ‘Napoleon of India’? ……countries on the economic front is their ……(122) ……to a) Kumargupta b) Samudragupta evolve a judicious mixture of ……(123) ……substitution and c) Chandragupta d) Skandagupta export promotion. Today, Bambia……(124) ……on imports 12) Vasco Da Gama discovered the sea-route to after its independence 20 years (125) …… India in which of the years? 121) a) 1498 b) 1492 a) advanced b) advancing c) 1494 d) 1453 c) developed d) developing 13) The Arya Samaj was founded by – 122) a) Swami Dayananda Saraswati a) handicap b) disadvantage b) Swami Vivekanand c) inability d) incapacity c) Keshav Chandra Sen 123) d) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar a) import b) export 14) Another name of Mohenjodaro is: c) scientific d) invention a) Mound of the living 124) b) Mound of the Great a) banked b) traded c) Mound of the Dead c) carried d) expected d) It extended up to the Narmada Valley 125) 15) During the Indian Freedom Struggle, the Deccan a) since b) ago Education Society was founded by c) earlier d) back a) B.G. Tilak b) Dadabhai Naoroji GENERAL AWARENESS c) G.K. Gokhale d) M.G. Ranade 16) Mangal Pandey fired the first shot of the Revolt of 1857 at 1) The first great Buddhist Council in 483 BC was a) Barrackpore b) Merrut held at c) Kanpur d) Jhansi a) Ujjain b) Pataliputra 17) Who was the first person to establish an c) Rajgriha d) Kashmir independent Indian army outside India? 2) Bimbisara had friendly relations with all of a) M.N. Roy b) Lala Hardayal these provinces, except c) Rashbehari Bose a) Anga b) Kosala GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 55 d) Subhas Chandra Bose d) Constitution of USA 18) The Panchatantra was written during the 32) The Vice President is elected by an Electoral a) Later Vedic Period b) Sultanate Period College consisting of members of c) Maurya Period d) Gupta Period a) Both Houses of Parliament and state legislative 19) In 1916______along with Bal Gangadhar b) Both Houses of Parliament Tilak started the Home Rule Movement. c) Lok Sabha d) Rajya Sabha a) Annie Besant 33) The election Commission does not conduct the b) Gopal Krishna Gokhale elections to the c) Rabindranath Tagore d) Sri Aurobindo a) Lok Sabha b) President's election 20) The book “The Life Divine” was written by c) Rajya Sabha d) Local Bodies which of the following: 34) The maximum age prescribed for election as a) Mahatma Gandhi president is b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak a) No such Limit b) 62 years c) Sri Aurobindo d) Gokhale c) 58 years d) 60 years 21) The Governor-General associated with abolition 35) The power to decide an election petition is of slavery was vested in the 1) Cornwallis b) Bentinck a) High Court 3) Dalhousie d) Rippon b) Election Commission 22) Who called Gandhiji half naked beggar? c) Parliament d) Supreme Court a) Mountbatten b) Hastings 36) To elect the President of India, which one of the c) Winston Churchill d) Jinnah following election procedures is used? 23) In which year the was a) System of proportional representation by means of formed the single transferable vote a) 1885 b) 1888 b) Secondary voting system c) 1889 d) 1896 c) Proportional representation through list system 24) Who wrote ‘Why I am an Atheist’ d) Collective Voting system a) Subhash Chandra Bose b) KhudiramBose 37) In which year were the first general election c) Bhagat Singh d) MadamLal Dhingra held in India? 25) The Simon Commisssion which came to India in a) 1950-51 b) 1948-49 February 1928 was boycotted because c) 1951-52 d) 1947-48 a) all its members were Englishmen 38) Who is the ex- officio Chairman of the Council of b) at that time a large number of nationalist leader States? were in prison a) Vice- President c) its Chairman, Sir John Simon was very unpopular b) Leader of the opposition d) the Montague-Chemsford Reforms had failed c) President d) Speaker 26) Who called Indian Federalism as the Co- 39) Under which Article of the Constitution is the operative Federalism? President's rule promulgated on any state in a) G. Austin b) Subhash Kashyap India? c) Sir Ivor Jennings d) D.D. Basu a) 326 b) 370 27) The Constitution of India is – c) 380 d) 356 a) Rigid b) Flexible 40) At a time, President's rule can be imposed on a c) Very rigid state for a maximum period of d) Partly rigid, partly flexible a) 3 year b) 5 years 28) The concept of Judicial Review in our c) 2 years d) 4 years Constitution has been taken from the 41) For the enforcement of Fundamental Rights, the Constitution of: Supreme Court may issue a/an a) England b) USA a) Notification b) Writ c) Canada d) Australia c) Decree d) Ordinance 29) The Constitution of India borrowed the scheme 42) Judges of the High Court are appointed by the of Indian federation from the constitution of: a) Chief Justice of the High Court a) USA b) Canada b) President c) Governor c) United Kingdom d) Ireland d) Chief Justice of India 30) The Federal System with strong centre’ has 43) Who among the following was the advisor to been borrowed by the Indian Constitution from: the Drafting Committee of Constituent a) USA b) Canada Assembly? c) UK d) France a) B. Shiva Rao b) B.R. Ambedkar 31) The idea of including the Emergency provisions c) Sachchidananda Sinha d) B.N. Rao in the Constitution of India has been borrowed 44) The Constituent Assembly of India held its first from the – meeting on: a) Constitution of Canada a) 9th December, 1946 b) 1st January, 1947 b) Weimar Constitution of Germany c) 26th January, 1947 d) 15th August, 1947 c) Constitution of Ireland

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 56 45) Who among the following was not a member of a) Charcoal b) Silicon the Constituent Assembly? c) Phosphorus d) Graphite a) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel 60) Which of the following is the second most b) Acharya J.B. Kripalani Abundant metal in the earth’s crust? c) Jai Prakash Narayan d) K.M. Munshi a) Copper b) Aluminium 46) Who was the Chairman of the Provincial c) Iron d) Zinc Constitution Committee of the Constituent 61) The unit for measuring magnetic field is: Assembly? a) web/m2 b) web a) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar c) web m d) web/new b) Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru 62) Which instrument has maximum resistance? c) Dr. Rajendra Prasad d) Sardar Patel a) Ammeter b) Voltmeter 47) The number of members included in the c) Galvanometer d) Voltaic cell Constitution Drafting Committee was: 63) The direction of an electric motor is decided by: a) Seven b) Nine a) Ampere’s rule b) Maxwell c) Eleven d) Thirteen c) Faraday’s rule 48) Who proposed the Preamble before the Drafting d) Flemming’s right hand rule Committee of the Constitution? 64) Prime source of energy is: a) Jawahar Lal Nehru b) B.R. Ambedkar a) fire b) petroleum c) B.N. Rau d) Mahatma Gandhi c) sun d) atom 49) The Presidential Government operates on the 65) Every activity in the universe requires: principle of – a) water b) energy a) Division of powers between centre and states c) air d) light b) Centralization of Powers 66) Solar energy does not produce: c) Balance of Powers a) pollution b) energy d) Separation of powers c) light d) heat 50) Comptroller and auditor General of India is 67) Stainless steel is an alloy of appointed by: a) Iron, carbon and nickel a) President b) Iron and manganese b) Speaker of the Lok Sabha c) Iron, chromium and zinc c) Chairman of the planning commission d) Iron, chromium and nickel d) Finance Minister 68) Solar energy consists of: 51) Sodium metal is kept under______to prevent a) infrared rays b) visible rays it from reacting atmospheric gases. c) ultraviolet rays d) all of these a) Water b) Alcohol 69) Solar energy reaching on earth is: c) Petrol d) Kerosene a) 47% b) 57% 52) Bromine is c) 65% d) None a) a colourless gas insoluble in water 70) Heat is carried by which rays? b) a highly inflammable gas a) Infra red b) Visible c) a black solid d) a red liquid c) UV-rays d) All of these e) None of these 71) How does sound produce? 53) Water has maximum density at a) with static object a) -1°C b) 0°C b) with vibrations of particles c) 4°C d) 100°C c) with air d) None of these 54) Non stick cooking utensils are coated with 72) What is amplitude ? a) Black paint b) PVC a) Maximum distance of bob from mean position c) Teflon d) Polystyrene b) Minimum distance of bob form mean position 55) The chemical name for urea is c) Total distance covered by bob a) Aneurin b) Chloroethene d) None of these c) Carbamide d) None of these 73) What is the unit of frequency? 56) Permanent hardness of water can be removed a) Millimeter b) Centimeter by adding c) Hertz d) Kilometer a) Potassium permanganate 74) What is the audible limit of human ear? b) Chlorine c) Bleaching powder a) 0-8 Hertz b) 0-10 Hertz d) Washing soda c) 20-2000 Hertz d) 20-20000 Hertz 57) The formula for Plaster of Paris is 75) What is the frequency of ultrasound? a) CaSO4 b) CaSO42H2O a) Less than 20 hertz b) 0-20 hertz c) 2CaSO44H2O d) CaSO4.½ H2O c) 20-2000 hertz 58) Which of the following pairs does not contain a d) More than 20000 hertz coinage metal? 76) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass a) Copper and Gold b) Silver and Gold through_____. c) Zinc and Gold d) Copper and Silver a) India b) Egypt 59) Which of the following is used in pencils? c) Mexico d) Iran

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 57 77) How does the Sun get its energy? a) Iron and magnesium. b) Iron and oxygen a) From gravitational pressure c) Oxygen and silicon d) Silicon and iron b) From nuclear fission 92) The most abundant metal in the earth’s crust c) From nuclear fusion is______. d) None of the above a) Calcium b) Aluminium 78) Eclipses occur due to which optical phenomena? c) Iron d) Magnesium a) Reflection b) Refraction 93) In the interior of the Earth c) Rectilinear propagation d) Diffraction a) the temperature falls with increasing depth 79) The earth rotates around an axis pointing b) the pressure falls with increasing depth towards______. c) the temperature rises with increasing depth a) The moon b) The pole star d) Both temperature and pressure fall with increasing c) The sun d) Venus depth 80) Which one among the following is called 94) Latitude of place is indicated of its______. terrestrial planet? a) Time b) Altitude a) Mercury b) Jupiter c) Amount of rain d) Temperature c) Saturn d) Uranus 95) Geostationary orbit is at a height of ______. 81) On which day of the year the earth is at its a) 6 km b) 1000 km maximum distance from the sun? c) 3600 km d) 36, 000 km a) January 30th b) December 22nd 96) The Prime Meridian passes through______. c) September 22nd d) July 4th a) Paris b) Greenwich 82) Which is the brightest planet in our solar c) New York d) Delhi system? 97) Tsunamis are originated due to ______. a) Jupiter b) Mars a) Sea waves b) Earth quake c) Venus d) Mercury c) Hurricane 83) What is the name of Saturn’s largest moon? d) Rotation of the earth a) Mimas b) Enceladus 98) The famous ‘Ring of fire’ which account for 68% c) Titan d) Tethys of the earthquakes occurring in the earth is in 84) Which one of the following planet has largest the__. number of natural satellites or moons? a) Atlantic ocean b) Indian ocean a) Jupiter b) Mars c) Pacific ocean d) Arctic ocean c) Saturn d) Venus 99) The study of lakes is called: 85) Meteorites are the heavenly bodies – a) Limnology b) Potomology a) Between the Mars and the Jupiter c) Topology d) Hydrology b) Between the Saturn and the Neptune 100) A series of lines connecting places having a c) Between the Mars and the Venus quake at the same time are called: d) That burn brightly on entering the Earth a) Coseismal lines b) Isoseismal lines atmosphere c) Homoseismal lines d) Seismolines 86) The ‘blue moon’ phenomenon occurs – 101) To raise productivity in agriculture it is a) When two full moons occur in the same month necessary that b) When four full moons appear in two consecutive a) productive tariffs are imposed months of the same calendar year b) less money is spent on industrial expansions c) When two full moons appear in the same month c) better inputs are made available to agriculturists thrice in a calendar year d) None of these d) bank rate is lowered 87) U.P. grows most – 102) The Planning Commission in India is headed by a) Sugarcane b) Maize a) the Prime Minister b) the President c) Fruits d) Pulses c) a nominee of the President 88) The upper part of the mantle upon which the d) any Central Minister crust of the earth floats is called ______. 103) The share of direct taxes as a percentage of a) Barysphere b) Mesosphere GDP in the post-Independence period has c) Mohorovic discontinuity d) Asthenosphere a) remained stagnant around 2.5 per cent 89) ‘Mohs scale’ is used to indicate the ______. b) grown from 2.5 per cent in the early 50s to about 6 a) degree of brittleness of a substance per cent now b) degree of hardness of minerals c) declined from about 8 per cent in the early 50s to c) degree of viscosity of a liquid about 2.5 per cent now d) degree of elasticity of a material d) shown no clear trend 90) Which of the following is present in the largest 104) Which period did the First Five Year Plan of amount in terms of percent by mass in the India cover? earth’s crust? a) April 1953 to March 1958 a) Silicon b) Oxygen b) April 1949 to March 1957 c) Carbon d) Calcium c) April 1951 to March 1956 91) Quartz is composed of which of the following d) April 1950 to March 1955 two elements? 105) The First Five Year Plan of India aimed to

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 58 a) rehabilitate the devastated economy from effects of 116)What is the projected level of Fiscal Deficit for World War II and partition the year 2014-15 as presented in the budget? b) solve the food crisis a) 4.6 b) 3.3 c) check the inflationary tendencies c) 4.8 d) 4.1 d) all the above 117) The two leading centres of cotton textiles are 106) The nature of Indian income tax is a) Delhi and Kanpur a) regressive b) progressive b) Mumbai and Ahmedabad c) both regressive and progressive c) Coimbatore and Bangalore d) none of the above d) Kolkata and Patna 107) Which article of Constitution deals with the 118) The main problem which the cotton textile question of grants-in-aid? industry in India faces is a) Article 275 b) Article 300 a) non-availability of raw material c) Article 325 d) Article 350 b) outdated plant and machinery 108) Which of the following items are included in the c) labour problem Indian Budget? d) all the above I. Actual estimates of the preceding year 119) The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade (MRTP) II. Revised estimates for the current year Act was adopted by the government in the year III. Budget estimates for the following year a) 1965 b) 1969 a) Only I and II b) Only II and III c) 1970 d) 1971 c) Only I and III d) All of above 120) The share of agriculture in India’s national 109) The MODVAT system was replaced by a single income in 1950-51 was Central Value Added Tax (CENVAT) rate of 16 a) 48 per cent b) 49 per cent per cent in the budget for the year c) 51.3 per cent d) 54 per cent a) 2000-01 b) 1999-2000 121) India’s major agricultural product which is c) 1998-99 d) None of these exported is 110) In a country like Indian, why should an increase a) raw cotton b) raw jute of direct taxes be preferred to rather than an c) tea d) sugar increase in indirect taxes? 122) Indian agriculture is described as semi- a) Direct taxes generally involve the well-off sections commercialised farming. It implies that of society but indirect taxes affect the masses. a) Indian agriculture is backward b) It is easier to realize direct taxes and is thus useful b) Indian agriculture is totally of subsistence type in a country troubled by tax evasion. c) Indian agriculture is neither fully commercialised nor c) Direct taxes serve the end of socialism by taking wholly of the subsistence type away the excessive wealth from the rich d) None of the above d) None of the above 123) A large part of unemployment in the agricultural 111) The value of output originating in banking and sector is the type described as insurance sectors is measured with the help of a) structural unemployment a) income method b) disguised unemployment b) expenditure method c) frictional unemployment d) cyclical unemployment c) output method 124) Productivity of land in Indian agriculture is low, d) income and output method among others, due to defective tenurial system 112) Which one of the following taxes/duties is not and small-sized holdings; these factors are levied by the Central Government? known as a) Income tax b) Stamp duties a) technological factors b) institutional factors c) Estate duty d) Union excise duties c) human factors d) off the farm services 113) Mahalanobis plan model adopted in India in the 125) Agriculture contributes to industrial mid-fifties aimed at development a) building a strong defence industry base a) by earning foreign exchange b) setting up heavy industries which were capital b) by raising cash incomes to stimulate demand for intensive industrial products c) curbing inflation in the economiy c) by supplying food and raw materials d) removing unemployment within a short period d) all the above 114) Out of the following taxes, which makes the greatest contribution to tax revenue? a) Land revenue b) Agricultural income tax c) Customs d) Union excise duties 115) The most important source of revenue to the State Governments in India is a) land revenue b) sales tax c) custom duties d) income tax

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 59 ANSWER KEY

REASONING ABILITY ENGLISH LANGUAGE Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 A 2 A 3 A 4 B 5 A 1 D 2 A 3 C 4 D 5 A 6 E 7 D 8 C 9 C 10 A 6 A 7 B 8 A 9 C 10 D 11 A 12 E 13 A 14 A 15 C 11 B 12 A 13 A 14 B 15 B 16 B 17 E 18 C 19 B 20 A 16 B 17 A 18 B 19 A 20 A 21 C 22 B 23 E 24 A 25 B 21 C 22 D 23 A 24 A 25 C 26 E 27 B 28 B 29 A 30 D 26 B 27 A 28 B 29 B 30 C 31 E 32 D 33 E 34 B 35 D 31 A 32 B 33 C 34 B 35 D 36 A 37 B 38 B 39 B 40 D 36 A 37 A 38 A 39 C 40 B 41 B 42 E 43 C 44 C 45 C 41 A 42 D 43 D 44 B 45 C 46 B 47 B 48 A 49 B 50 E 46 A 47 A 48 A 49 B 50 B 51 A 52 B 53 B 54 C 55 E 51 A 52 D 53 A 54 C 55 C 56 E 57 D 58 D 59 A 60 A 56 B 57 A 58 B 59 A 60 C 61 B 62 A 63 B 64 E 65 D 61 B 62 B 63 B 64 C 65 A 66 E 67 B 68 A 69 D 70 D 66 B 67 D 68 B 69 D 70 C 71 A 72 D 73 D 74 D 75 B 71 A 72 C 73 B 74 B 75 A 76 B 77 D 78 D 79 D 80 B 76 A 77 B 78 B 79 B 80 D 81 D 82 B 83 D 84 B 85 B 81 D 82 B 83 D 84 B 85 A 86 C 87 D 88 D 89 D 90 A 86 D 87 A 88 A 89 B 90 A 91 B 92 C 93 C 94 D 95 C 91 D 92 C 93 D 94 C 95 B 96 D 97 D 98 D 99 A 100 A 96 C 97 A 98 D 99 C 100 B 101 B 102 C 103 D 104 A 105 D 101 B 102 A 103 B 104 D 105 A 106 A 107 B 108 C 109 C 110 C 106 C 107 B 108 A 109 C 110 B 111 C 112 D 113 D 114 D 115 B 111 A 112 C 113 B 114 D 115 B 116 C 117 E 118 A 119 D 120 C 116 C 117 A 118 B 119 B 120 B 121 C 122 E 123 A 124 E 125 B 121 D 122 C 123 A 124 A 125 B

QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE GENERAL AWARENESS Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. 1 A 2 C 3 B 4 D 5 B 1 C 2 A 3 C 4 A 5 A 6 B 7 A 8 D 9 A 10 C 6 A 7 D 8 D 9 A 10 B 11 C 12 A 13 B 14 C 15 D 11 B 12 A 13 A 14 C 15 A 16 D 17 B 18 D 19 B 20 A 16 A 17 C 18 D 19 A 20 A 21 B 22 B 23 C 24 B 25 C 21 B 22 C 23 A 24 C 25 A 26 D 27 C 28 C 29 C 30 A 26 A 27 D 28 B 29 B 30 B 31 A 32 A 33 A 34 D 35 A 31 B 32 B 33 D 34 A 35 B 36 B 37 B 38 D 39 D 40 D 36 A 37 C 38 A 39 D 40 A 41 D 42 C 43 C 44 C 45 D 41 B 42 B 43 D 44 A 45 C 46 A 47 B 48 A 49 C 50 D 46 C 47 A 48 A 49 D 50 A 51 A 52 C 53 A 54 B 55 A 51 D 52 D 53 C 54 C 55 C 56 A 57 A 58 A 59 A 60 D 56 D 57 D 58 C 59 D 60 B 61 A 62 B 63 D 64 A 65 A 61 A 62 B 63 D 64 C 65 B 66 A 67 A 68 D 69 B 70 B 66 A 67 D 68 D 69 A 70 A 71 A 72 D 73 C 74 A 75 C 71 B 72 A 73 A 74 D 75 D 76 C 77 D 78 C 79 A 80 C 76 D 77 C 78 C 79 B 80 A 81 C 82 B 83 A 84 B 85 D 81 B 82 C 83 C 84 A 85 D 86 B 87 D 88 A 89 B 90 D 86 A 87 A 88 D 89 B 90 B 91 A 92 D 93 B 94 D 95 B 91 C 92 B 93 C 94 D 95 D 96 B 97 C 98 D 99 C 100 B 96 B 97 B 98 C 99 A 100 B 101 B 102 D 103 B 104 B 105 B 101 C 102 A 103 A 104 C 105 D 106 C 107 B 108 D 109 D 110 C 106 B 107 A 108 D 109 A 110 A 111 B 112 B 113 B 114 A 115 B 111 A 112 B 113 B 114 D 115 B 116 B 117 C 118 D 119 B 120 C 116 D 117 B 118 D 119 B 120 C 121 B 122 C 123 D 124 A 125 C 121 C 122 C 123 B 124 B 125 B

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 60

Latest G.K .Bytes

been appointed as the CEO of Microsoft Inc., USA: FEBRUARY – 2014 Satya Nadela 1) Central Statistical Office has revised growth rate for 18) Jatinder Bir Singh has been appointed Chairmen the year 2012-13 to ______per cent, from the Managing Director of which Bank: Punjab & Sindh earlier estimate of 5 per cent: 4.5 Bank 2) Indian Navy has started high tech Shore Based Test 19) Name the Chairman of the seventh central pay Facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa at which place: Panaji, commission: Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur Goa 20) Philip Seymour Hoffman who passed away recently 3) Name the country that accounts for 37% of total was a prominent ____ in USA: Film Actor illiterates in the world: India 21) The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has issued an 4) Mehdi Jomaa has been elected as ______of advisory to banks to ensure business continuity after Tunisia: Prime Minister Microsoft ends support for its popular ______operating system on April 8, 2014: 5) Name the new Chief Minister of Uttrakhand State: Windows XP Harish Rawat 22) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to refinance 6) The final match of prestigious Ranji Trophy (2014) existing _____loans through take-out financing: was played at which place: Hyderabad infrastructure project 7) Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy in Cricket by 23) India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance beating which State: Maharashtra Agreement (DTAA) recently with which country: Fiji 8) As per Environmental Performance Index 2014 24) India signed a preferential trade agreement with released by the Yale University, USA, India has been SACU. What is the full form of SACU: Southern th ranked at which place: 155 African Customs Union 9) Which country has been ranked No. 1 in terms of its 25) Joachim Gauck who recently visited India is _____ performance in various environment related of Germany: President parameters: Switzerland 26) Which country has offered support of one billion 10) The govt. has decided to raise the quota of Euros to India for setting up a green energy subsidized LPG cylinders from 9 to _____ in a year: corridor: Germany 12 27) In which field Ashok Khosla won Zayed’s 11) The govt. has decided to add about ______castes international prize instituted by United Arab and communities to the list of Other Backwards Emirates: Environment Castes in 13 states/UTs: 60 28) Lakshmi Swaminathan has become the first Indian 12) The govt. has decided to add about 60 casts and to be elected as the President of the Administrative communities to the list of other backward cast in 13 Tribunal of which International Organization: ADB states / UTs on the basis of recommendation of: (Asian Development Bank) National Commission for Backward Casts 29) Which two countries have made arrangements for 13) 101st Indian Science Congress was held at reunion of families separated by a war held between ______: University of Jammu, J&K them in 1950-53: North and South Korea 14) Sakshi Malik won gold at the 2014 Dave Schultz 30) India has decided to extend visa-on arrival to International ______Tournament in Colorado tourists of 180 nations barring_____ countries to Springs, USA: Wrestling boost tourism: Eight 15) Name the first woman to be inducted in the 31) The winter Olympic games held recently were International Cricket Council‘s (ICC’s) umpires’ ______edition of the games: 22nd panel: Kathy Cross 32) 2014 winter Olympic games were held at which 16) Kathy Cross is from which country: New Zealand place: Sochi, Russia 17) Name the high profile Indian technocrat who has 33) Amongst the popular animals like Lion, Leopard, GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 61 Polar Bear and the Hare, which one was not a of radio waves spectrum mascot of the winter Olympics 2014: Lion 55) Government has decided to give two additional 34) Name the newly elected prime minister of Nepal: attempts to all categories of candidates of the Sushil Koirala prestigious exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission. What is the revised upper age: 32 35) Name the winner of the 2014 Irani Cup: Karnataka years 36) The Irani Cup is associated with which sports: 56) Meeting of Finance ministers and business leaders Cricket from G20 nations was held at ______: Sydney, 37) Per capita income for India in the year 2013-14 is Australia likely to be in the range of ______thousand 57) RBI has formed G Gopalakrishna committee for rupees: 75 what purpose: To review skill upgradation in 38) The country is likely to achieve record ______banking million tonnes foodgrain production this year: 263 58) ______has become first state to achieve more than 39) Agriculture in India contributes about ______100 percent sanitation in rural and urban percent of total GDP: 14 households and other public sanitary centers: Sikkim 40) Around ______percent of total workforce of India is engaged in Agriculture: 53 59) RBI has directed banks to provide credit data in a revised format for all loan accounts of Rs. ____ 41) As per a recent study, India has emerged as the crore or more to the Central Repository of _____largest global military power in terms of Information on Large Credits-CRILC: Five military expenditure: Ninth 60) The government has set a deadline for public 42) The National Green Tribunal has banned the burning transport vehicles running in major cities with a of _____ at public places: Tyres population of over 10 lakh to install ____ devices by 43) Which country scored highest number of medals at February 20, 2014: GPS (Global Positioning Sochi Olympics-2014: Russia System) 44) 2014 Paralympic winter games will be held at 61) Matteo Renzi has been elected as the youngest ______from 7th to 16th March, 2014: Sochi, Prime Minister of which country: Italy Russia 62) Licence for ATMs is given by Reserve Bank of India 45) World Islamic Tamil Conference was held at ______, under which Act: Payment and Settlement Tamil Nadu: Kumbakonam Systems Act, 2007 46) _____ has been elected as Chairman, International 63) ______has been appointed as Pakistan’s High Cricket Council: N Srinivasan Commissioner to India: Abdul Basit 47) Name the newly elected President of Indian Olympic 64) ______has been declared as the best State in Association: N. Ramachandran the implementation of rural tourism projects: Sikkim 48) ______is a tool to measure level of industrial production at the national level: Index of 65) ______has emerged as the largest buyer of gold in Industrial Production the world in 2013: China 49) As per World Press Freedom Index, India has been 66) BAFTA award for best picture has been won by ranked ______in the list of 180 countries in terms ______: 12 Years a Slave of freedom of press: 140th 67) Alfonso Cuaron won the BAFTA award for best 50) In terms of freedom of press, ______is number Director for which movie: Gravity one country in the world: Finland 68) Write the full form of BAFTA: British Academy of 51) Department of India Post released a Film and Television Arts commemorative stamp in the honour of which noted 69) BAFTA awards for cinema are given in which ghazal singer: Jagjit Singh country: UK 52) Name the noted Tamil film director and 70) Who has been named as the E & Y entrepreneur of cinematographer who passed away recently: Balu the year 2013: Uday Kotak Mahendra 71) Name the female cricketer who will lead the Indian 53) Which wing of Indian defence forces conducted its women’s cricket team in the ICC Women's World annual war fitness exercise named TROPEX: Navy Twenty20 to be held from March 16 in Bangladesh: 54) Government mopped up around Rs 61,141 crore Mithali Raj from the auction of 2G spectrum. Name the item / 72) The Union Cabinet has approved _____as the sixth service sold by the government: Right to use part

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 62 classical language of India: Odia discloses information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by Public Servants 73) Which of the following is not a classical language of India – Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam: 91) _____has been appointed as head of the eight- Hindi member search committee to select the persons for various posts of Lokpal: Justice K. T. Thomas 74) Name the capital of Ukraine that witnessed public revolt against the govt.: Kiev 92) The Union government has launched an ambitious project titled ______to increase forest cover by 50 75) Name the President of Ukraine who fled from his million hectares in the next 10 years: ‘Green country following the public revolt against him: Mission’ Viktor Yanukovych 93) Forest cover in India covers roughly ____ per cent 76) The term Orange Revolution refers to which of total area: 21 moment: Revolt in Ukraine in 2004 94) The EC has added nearly ____ crore new voters to 77) The Army successfully flight-tested Akash missile the rolls between 2009 and 2014, one of the recently. It is what type of missile: Surface to Air largest-ever such increases between two elections: 78) What is the name of the missile testing site of India: Ten Integrated Test Range 95) Name the Governor General of Canada who visited 79) The Integrated Test Range is located at which India recently: David Johnston place: Wheeler Islands, Chandipur, Odisha 96) Indian labour force will help in construction of the 80) NABARD has developed the concept called Joint 450 kms long Haramain High Speed Railway project Liability Group (JLG) to provide institutional credit to in which country: Saudi Arabia which category of borrowers: Small Farmers 97) Which metropolitan city has recorded the worst 81) The economic growth rate during the 11th Five Years Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 30 newborns dying Plan (2007-12) has been recorded as ___ per cent: for every 1,000 live births: New Delhi 8 98) Ibrahim Mahlab has been elected as new Prime 82) In terms of digital governance i.e. usage of Minister of which country: Egypt information technology by govt., _____ has been 99) 35th National Masters Athletic Championship held ranked as No. 1 country: Singapore at____: Coimbatore, Kerala 83) Which national organization has introduced an 100) What is the theme of this year’s World Cancer Day, annual rating system for states to enable them observed on Feb. 4: 'Debunk the myths' improve on their business climate: Planning Commission 101) Ramanujan Mathematics Award-2013 has been given to ______founder of Super 30 classes in 84) Govt has directed that Companies and limited Patna: Anand Kumar liability partnership firms floated by private entities should not use certain words such as _____ in their 102) What is the name of project launched by Govt. of name: National, Bank, Exchange, etc. India for cloud computing: Meghraj 85) The government has decided to roll out electronic 103) Name the chairmen of the committee formed to toll collection on the Golden Quadrilateral route by examine the cause for violence and discrimination August, 2014. Name the metros linked by Golden against people from the northeast: M.P. Quadrilateral: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai Bezbaruah 86) In what way persons not having proof of identity 104) Vyas Samman is given for achievement in which and address are allowed to enroll for Aadhaar Card: field: Hindi Literature On introduction basis 105) Who has been honoured with Vyas Samman 2013: 87) The government has set an agriculture credit target Vishwanath Tripathi of Rs ______for the banks for 2014-15: 8 lakh 106) The book Vyomkesh Darvesh is a biography of crore which veteran Hindi Scholar: Acharya Hazari 88) Sakhee, Nirbhaya, Parivar Suraksha are the names Prasad Dwivedi of the what type of products offered by Bhartiya 107) Arunima Sinha has been honoured with Amazing Mahila Banks: Health Insurance Indian Award for which achievement: Scaling 89) Which national level bank has launched its six basic Mount Everest despite having an amputed leg banking transactions through toll-free numbers: 108) With which country India has agreed to celebrate HDFC Bank 2014 as year of friendly exchanges: China 90) The Rajya Sabha has passed The Whistleblowers’ 109) In which train a Braille-embedded AC coach to Protection Bill. Who is whistleblower: Person who facilitate visually challenged passengers has been

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 63 introduced for the first time: Purushottam 128) With which country India has signed a MoU for Express cooperation in the field of defence manufacturing: 110) Crystal Bear Award for best film is given at which Saudi Arabia international film festival: Berlin Film Festival 129) With which country India signed three agreements 111) Name the Indian Film that won the Crystal Bear for various security subjects: Israel Award at Berlin Film Festival: Killa 130) India is planning a multi-nation and multi modal 112) Dr. Vijay Kumar Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang transport corridor to connect with which Central have been awarded International Gandhi Award- Asian country: Russia 2013 for what purpose: Making outstanding contributions in the field of leprosy treatment JANUARY – 2014 113) India’s first Minority Cyber Gram (village) has been 131) Paul Torday who passed away recently was a established at which place: Chandoli, Distt Alwar, famous ______: British Novelist Rajasthan 132) Which prominent educational organization of India is 114) The book “Public Issues Before Parliament” has recently is celebrating 60 years of its completion: been authored by whom: Vijay Darda UGC (University Grants Commission) 115) What is the theme of the Taj Mahotsav 2014 held at 133) Recently there was news headline – “US goes in for Agra: Paigham-e-Mohabbat stimulus tapering”, what does it means: USA has 116) Name the noted Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award decided to reduce purchase of long term winner who passed away recently: Amar Kant maturity bonds nd 117) Who has been appointed as Chairman of the Central 134) Name the state which won the 62 Senior National Board of Direct Taxes: R K Tiwari Volleyball Championship (Men’s) held at Moradabad, UP: Tamil Nadu 118) Name the Indian submarine that suffered an accident on board, claiming life of two officers and 135) Who has been appointed as Chairman, Chiefs of injuring seven others: INS Sindhuratna Staff Committee (CoSC): General Bikram Singh 119) Name the Indian naval chief who created history by 136) A Russian city was in news as it witnessed two resigning on moral grounds, accepting his ghastly terror attacks by suicide bombers, killing responsibility for recent mishaps in naval ships and over thirty persons and seriously wounding several submarines: Admiral D.K. Joshi others. Name this city: Volgograd 120) Name the country whose application for 137) The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to sanction membership of WTO as its 160th member was loans of up to Rs. ______against pledge of gold approved at the Ministerial Conference held in Bali ornaments and jewellery: Rs.1 lakh recently: Yemen 138) Abdulla Gayoom has been elected as ____ of 121) Govt. has agreed to pay half insurance premium for Maldives Islands: President ______to cover them under Rashtriya Swasthya 139) Vinod Kumar Duggal has been appointed Governor Bima Yojana: Auto and Taxi Drivers of which state: Manipur 122) What is the amount of coverage available under 140) Asha Khemka, a Bihar born eminent educationist Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana: Rs. 30,000 has been awarded one of Britain's highest civilian 123) ADB has agreed to give a loan of $300 million to award-DAME COMMANDER of the Order of the which state for improvement of road network: British Empire (DBE) for what purpose: For Chhattisgarh spreading education in deprived areas 124) Prime Minister had gone to Myanmar to attained 141) The Mountain Strike Corps raised recently for BIMSTEC summit. What is the full form of countering China is based at which place: Ranchi BIMNSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- (Jharkhand) Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation 142) Corey Anderson, the New Zealand all-rounder was in 125) The BIMSTEC Summit was recently held at which news recently for what reasons: For scoring the place: Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar quickest century ever in international cricket, taking just 36 balls 126) The first ATM for Post Office Saving Bank accounts was opened at which place: Thiyagaraya Nagar 143) Name the MNC which has filed first proposal to HPO, Chennai enter the Indian Multi Brand retail segment: Tesco Plc, USA 127) A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief of BrahMos Aerospace has been honoured with ‘Order of Friendship’ award by 144) How much FDI is permitted in multi brand retail which country: Russia segment: 51%

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 64 145) BCSBI has ruled that bank customers who have resident above the age of ___ with an individual been victims of electronic / online fraud will have to Universal Electronic Bank Account (UEBA): 18 be compensated for such loss unless the bank can years prove that the fraud occurred due to negligence on 164) The Mor committee has recommended to form part of the customer. What is the full form of BCSBI: ‘payments banks’ for which category of customers: Banking Codes and Standards Board of India Small Businesses 146) The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention held 165) Name the organization proposed to be formed for from 7-9 January in Delhi was ______in series: exploring the potential of generating power through th 12 wind energy: National Offshore Wind Energy 147) Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on which date: Agency th 9 January 166) Name the first lady President of South Korea who 148) Who was the chief guest at the 12th Pravasi visited India recently: Park Geun-hye Bharatiya Divas Convention: G Palanivel 167) Name the capital of South Korea: Seoul 149) G Palanivel is from which country: Malaysia 168) 44th annual meeting of World Economic Forum – 150) Who is G Palanivel: Minister for Natural WEF was held at which place: Davos, Switzerland Resources and Environment, Malaysia 169) What is the formal name of the mega literature 151) 6th All India Inter-University Fencing festival held annually in Jaipur, Rajasthan: Jaipur Championship held at Patiala, Punjab was won by Literature Festival ___: Punjabi University Patiala 170) Name the dignitary who made the inaugural key 152) Margaret Thatcher was voted as the most successful note speech at the Jaipur Literature Festival: Dr. post-war British Prime Minister. She is also known Amartya Sen as ______: The ‘Iron Lady’ of Britain 171) Dr. Amartya Sen is from which field: Economics 153) What is the formal name of the Lokpal Bill recently 172) World Banks has approved a loan of $ 500 million to approved by the President: Lokpal and the Low Income States (Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand Lokayuktas Act, 2013 and Uttar Pradesh) for what purpose: To improve 154) What is the objective of recently launched Multi- piped water supply and sanitation services sectoral Nutrition Programme: To address the 173) A news headline read, “India joins ‘Cryo Club’ with problems of maternal and child under- GSLV-D5”. What is meant by Cryo Club: India has nutrition in the country joined is select group of countries having 155) Which country recently announced to adopt Euro as cryogenic engine technology its currency: Latvia 174) How many countries, other than India have the 156) Which country has been named to take over the capability of cryogenic engine capability: Five – Presidency of the European Union: Greece USA, Russia, France, Japan & China 157) The Index of Economic Freedom ranks India at 175) In the abbreviation GSLV-D5, the letter D5 stands th ______place: 120th for what: 5 Development Flight 158) Name the country which ranks no. 1 in the Index of 176) Name the satellite that was recently launched by Economic Freedom – 2014: Hong Kong GSLV-D5: GSAT-14 159) The term EBID is used to indicate profits of a 177) GSAT-14 satellite is used for what purpose: company. What is the full form of EBID: Earnings Communication Before Interest and Depreciation 178) Jigme Wangchuck who recently visited India is ____ 160) The government has approved a proposal to pay of Bhutan: King formal sector workers a minimum monthly pension 179) Name the hilly district of central Assam that was in of Rs ______benefiting over 27 lakh pensioners: news as it witnessed widespread violent clashes 1,000, between the ethnic insurgent Karbi People’s 161) The Committee on Comprehensive Financial Liberation Tigers (KPLT) and the Rengma Naga Hills Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Protection Force (RNHPF): Karbi Anglong Households recently submitted its report. Name the 180) What is the name of the official mascot of the 2014 chairman of this committee: Nachiket Mor FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil in June: Fuleco 162) What was the purpose of setting up Mor committee: the Armadillo To propose measures for achieving better 181) Laimdota Straujuma has been elected as the first financial inclusion woman Prime Minister of which country: Latvia 163) Mor committee recommended that each Indian 182) India successfully test-fired its indigenously

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 65 developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile. What is Gates the strike range of this missile: 350 kms 200) Sanil Shetty and Ankita Das bagged the men’s and 183) At which place in Haryana the foundation stone was women’s titles respectively at the 75th Senior laid for a 2800 megawatt nuclear power plant: National ______championships held at Patna: Gorakhpur, Distt. Fatehabad (Haryana) Table Tennis 184) Govt. has decided to widen the scope of MGNREGS 201) The Hindu Prize for Best Fiction 2013 has been won to include works relating to______also in it in by ____ for his novel ______: Anees Salim, collaboration with the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan: Vanity Bagh Rural sanitation 202) The prestigious $50,000 DSC prize for South Asian 185) What is the objective of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan: literature is awarded at which event: Jaipur To make India free from open defecation Literature Festival 186) Ali Larayedh, Islamist Prime Minister of ______203) The prestigious $50,000 DSC prize for South Asian was in news as he resigned as part of a plan to end literature has been won by ______for his book months of political deadlock. Tunisia ______: Cyrus Mistry, Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer 187) Name the country from which started the wide spread uprising of common public, called Arab 204) Govt. has agreed to provide an additional 50 days of Spring: Tunisia employment beyond the stipulated 100 days under the NREGA scheme to which category of people: 188) Recently Posco was granted environmental Scheduled Tribes (ST) households living in clearance to build Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in forest areas who have received land rights Odisha. It is from which country: South Korea under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 189) India’s largest and most modern airport has recently 205) Name the Asia’s largest brackish water lake: been inaugurated in which city: Mumbai Chilika backwater lagoon, Odisha 190) What is the formal name of the new airport terminal 206) Chilika backwater lagoon is famous for______: started at Mumbai: Terminal – 2, Chhatrapati Massive gathering of migratory birds Shivaji International Airport 207) The word brackish refers to what quality of water: 191) World’s largest railway platform is located at which Excess of Salt place: Gorakhpur (UP) India 208) The Golden Globe Awards are given in which field: 192) Aitizaz Hasan, a 15 year old school boy in Pakistan Cinema and TV was decorated with the Sitara-e-Shujaat — a high civilian award for bravery, for what purpose: He 209) The Golden Globe Awards are given in which died confronting a suicide bomber to save his country: USA school 210) Name the film that won the Golden Globe for the 193) Ariel Sharon who passed away recently was a best film: 12 Years a Slave prominent ____: Statesman 211) Alfonso Cuaron of Mexico won the Golden Globe for 194) Ariel Sharon was a former Prime Minister of which Best Director for which film: Gravity country: Israel 212) Name the index recently launched by the 195) In the Nuclear Materials Security Index 2014 government to measure level of house construction released by the US-based think-tank Nuclear Threat activity: Housing Start Up Index (HSUI) Initiative, India has been placed at which rank: 23rd 213) The recently launched Housing Start Up Index is a 196) India has completed three years without reporting joint initiative of which two organizations: National any case of polio. The official confirmation in this Building Organisation and the Reserve Bank regard has to be issued by which international 214) Indian railways entered a new territory recently in organization: WHO – World Health Organization which part of the country: Itanagar, Arunachal 197) Name the Awami League leader of Bangladesh who Pradesh was sworn-in as Prime Minister for the third time: 215) Govt. has recently sold its 10% stake in which mega Sheikh Hasina oil company to raise around Rs. 5000 crore: Indian 198) In a list of 30 most admired persons on the planet Oil Corporation compiled by by YouGov for The Times by surveying 216) Name the legendary Bengali actress who died almost 14,000 people, India’s Sachin Tendulkar has recently, known for her outstanding performances in been placed at which rank: 5th several Bengali and Hindi films: Suchitra Sen 199) Who is the most admired person in the world as per 217) Late Suchitra Sen was also properly known as _____ a recent survey by YouGov for The Times: Bill of Indian cinema: Greta Garbo

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 66 218) Greta Garbo of Sweden was a renowned legendary 238) Name the mega infrastructure project being _____ of Hollywood: Actress developed by the central government for promoting industrial townships between Delhi and Mumbai: 219) Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin who passed Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) away recently was the spiritual head of which community: Dawoodi Bohra 239) What is the objective of setting up of various industrial corridors: To boost up infrastructure 220) Dawoodi Bohra committee is a sub group of which and manufacturing activity religion: Islam 240) Name the three countries that have decided to 221) Sunanda Pushkar who passed away recently was develop a joint trade corridor with India: holding which ministry in the central government: Bangladesh, China and Myanmar None 241) The multination joint trade corridor proposed to be 222) Akkineni Nageswara Rao, veteran actor of _____ developed will start from ____ in India and run up cinema passed away recently. He was popularly to ____ in SW China: Kolkata, Kunming known as _____ : Telugu, ANR 242) The ATP Chennai Open Tennis title was won by 223) The famous historical cultural event - Jonbeel Mela Stanislas Wawrinka. He is from which country: is held in which state: Assam Switzerland 224) Name the India’s nuclear-capable strategic missile, 243) Name the programme launched recently to with a strike range of about 4,000 km tested comprehensively address the health needs of the successfully: Agni-IV nearly 243 million children of the country: 225) Which community has recently been granted Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram minority status by the central government: Jains 244) The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram aims to 226) What is the present number of minority cover children in the age group of ___ to ___ yeas: communities in India: Six 10 to 19 years 227) Under which Act government grants minority status 245) What is the English name of the Rashtriya Kishor to a community: National Commission for Swasthya Karyakaram: National Adolescent Minorities Act, 1992 Health Programme 228) Name the multinational multi sports event in India 246) The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram has where sportspersons from Portuguese speaking been launched by which ministry in the central countries participate: Lusofonia Games government: Health and Family Welfare 229) Lusofonia Games 2014 were held at which place: 247) Name the ace badminton player who became the Goa first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world by the World Badminton 230) The 18th National Youth Festival was held at which Federation (WBF): Aditya Joshi place: Ludhiana 248) Name the country which suffered recently the 231) What was the theme for the 18th National Youth coldest, most dangerous blast of polar air in Festival: 'Youth For Drugs Free World' decades, causing wide spread extremely heavy 232) The National Youth Festival is organized every year snowfall leading to total disruption of daily life: USA on January 12th for what reasons: It is birth 249) Name the climatic phenomena that cause wide anniversary of Swami Vivekananda spread dangerous blast of polar air in USA and 233) Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to constitute adjoining Canada: Polar Vortex a Rail Tariff Authority for what purpose: To advise 250) Evans Ruto of _____ won the 11th Standard the Railway Ministry on fares Chartered Mumbai Marathon: Kenya 234) Which is the apex authority in India authorize to fix 251) The Hero Hockey World League championship held the railway fare: Railway Board at New Delhi was won by ______beating ______: 235) Name the two districts of Haryana that have Netherlands, New Zealand recently been included in the National Capital 252) Name the international football player who has been Region: Jind and Karnal declared as the best footballer of the year by FIFA: 236) The 61st Senior National Kabaddi Championship Cristiano Ronaldo were held at which place: Patna, Bihar 253) Cristiano Ronaldo is from which country: Portugal 237) Government has approved setting up of the AKIC 254) The interest rate on EPFO has been increase to Development Corporation for what purpose: For ______percent from 8.5 percent at present: 8.75 the development of Amritsar – Kolkata Industrial Corridor 255) Name the light weight pistol specially developed by

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 67 the Indian Ordnance Factory especially for women India who recently retired from the service: Anand to defend themselves from assault: Nirbheek Sinha 256) Who has been named as the captain of the Indian 273) Name the state that topped in the first ever ranking Women Cricket Team: Mithali Raj of state governments on the basis of their performance and implementation of the midday 257) Name the joint naval exercise undertaken by the meal scheme: Karnataka Indian coast guard and its Japanese counterpart: ‘Sahayog- Kaijin 2014’ 274) In which stream of studies government has decided to increase the number of seats in the country by 258) ‘Sahayog- Kaijin 2014’ - a joint naval exercise was 10,000 by upgrading existing state and central recently held at which place: off the Kochi coast, government colleges: MBBS (Bachelor of Kerala Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) 259) Malaysian Open 2014 tournament was held for 275) The Union Cabinet has approved a new which sports: Badminton comprehensive regulatory framework for TV rating 260) Name the winner of Men’s single title in the agencies for release of TRPs. What is the full form Malaysian Open 2014 tournament: Lee Chong of TRPs: Television Rating Points Wei, Malaysia 276) Which international monetary organization has 261) Name the winner of Women’s single title in the projected India’s growth rate for current year at Malaysian Open 2014 tournament: Li Xuerui, 4.4%: IMF China 277) RBI has decided that for the purpose of external 262) Name the cricketer who became the first Indian commercial borrowings (ECB), 'Maintenance, keeper to claim 300 dismissals in One Day Repairs and Overhaul’ (MRO) of ______will be Internationals: M.S. Dhoni treated as a part of infrastructure: Aircrafts 263) Playing against which country M S Dhoni achieved 278) Why RBI has decided that all banknotes issued prior the milestone of claiming 300 dismissals: New to 2005 will be withdrawn after March 31, 2014: Zealand These have less security features compared to notes issued thereafter 264) At which border post India and Pakistan have agreed to liberalize various trade activities: Attari 279) What is the maximum amount of pre 2005 currency Wagah Border notes that an individual can exchange at a bank at a time: No such limit 265) Name the state that has been ranked No. 1 in implementation of SJSRY programme during 2012- 280) Rakesh Khurana has recently been appointed dean 13: Odisha of which prestigious international educational institution: Harvard College, at Harvard 266) What is the full form of the poverty alleviation University, USA programme SJSRY: Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana 281) Name the India’s first indigenously built nuclear- powered submarine, that is now ready for sea trials: 267) Which category of persons are eligible to obtain INS Arihant bank loan under SJSRY: BPL families in urban area 282) Name the first Indian State to adopt the provisions of the recently passed Lokpal Act: Uttarakhand 268) Name the poverty alleviation scheme of the central government for providing bank loans to BPL families 283) Which committee appointed by RBI has in rural area: Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar recommended that retail inflation should be Yojana measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and not by the wholesale price index as being done 269) Name the poverty alleviation scheme of the central currently: Urjit Patel Committee government for providing bank loans to non BPL families in both rural and urban areas: Prime 284) Urjit Patel Committee has recommended to bring Minister Employment Generation Programme the retail inflation rate down at ____ per cent with a band of +/- 2 per cent: Four 270) RBI has advised banks that amount of loans sanctioned by them against pledge of gold jewellery 285) Who has been appointed as the new President of should not exceed ____ per cent of the value of the NASSCOM: R. Chandrashekhar gold: 75 286) What is the full form of NASSCOM: National 271) The Reserve Bank has constituted an expert Association of Software and Services committee under the chairmanship of _____(former Companies Chairman of Axis Bank) to review governance of 287) The Jeevan Raksha Padak are given in how many boards of banks: P. J. Nayak categories: Three 272) Name the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 68 288) Name the Supercomputer developed by the Centre best film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) 305) Name the director of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag who also that has been rated as India’s most power efficient won the Filmfare award for Best Director: Rakeysh computer system: PARAM Yuva-II Omprakash Mehra 289) Which bank has became first domestic private bank 306) Who has been declared the winner of 2014 Filmfare to have a branch in China: Axis Bank award for the Best actor: Farhan Akhtar for BMB 290) Which country India has signed a labour 307) Deepika Padukone has won the 2014 Filmfare award cooperation to cover about 28 lakh Indian for best actress for which film: Goliyon Ki Raslila expatriates working there: Saudi Arabia Ram - Leela 291) Name the Japanese PM who was the Chief Guest at 308) Asia’s biggest botanical garden will come up on 153 the 2014 Republic Day Parade: Shinzo Abe hectares of area near the Khandwa reservoir, in 292) For the expansion which major rapid transport Naya Raipur, in which State: Chhattisgarh project Japan has sanctioned a loan of $2 billion: 309) Men’s title in Australian Open Tennis Cup was won Delhi Metro by which player: Stanislas Wawrinka 293) Kerala tourism has won the top tourism award from (Switzerland) UNWTO for the promotion of which back water 310) Women’s title in Australian Open Tennis Cup was resort: Kumarakom won by which player: Li Na of China 294) What is the full form of abbreviation UNWTO: 311) Grammy Awards are given for achievements in United Nations World Tourism Organization which field: Music 295) The ambitious National Urban Health Mission 312) Name the musical album that won the 2014 (NUHM), aimed at providing adequate and efficient Grammy for best album of the year: Random urban public health delivery system for the urban Access Memories by Daft Punk poor, was launched recently at which place: Bangalore 313) What is the maximum number (excluding posthumous awards and award to foreigners) of 296) The National Urban Health Mission plans to cover Padma Awards that can be given in a year: 120 urban poor for healthcare. Which areas will be treated as urban for this purpose: Areas with 314) A Padma Vibhushan awardee gets a cash reward of population of over 50,000 what amount: Nil 297) With which country India is working on developing a 315) Padma Awards are announced every year on which th satellite designed for climate change studies: particular date: Eve of Republic Day (25 France January) 298) Which public sector bank has announced to increase 316) Dr Raghunath A Mashelkar has been awarded its presence in the social media by joining Youtube Padma Vibhushan in science and engineering and Twitter: State Bank of India category. He is from which field of science: Chemical Technology 299) The government has introduced a new procedure for issuance of PAN card as per which now the 317) Name the veteran Yoga maestro decorated with the applicants will have to submit a documentary proof Padma Vibhushan: BKS Iyengar of ______also: Address 318) The Yoga form propagated by Padma Vibhushan 300) RBI has decided to establish a fund to be called awardee Sh. B K S Iyengar is known as: Iyengar ‘Depositor Education and Awareness Fund’ from Yoga which source: By taking over amount lying in 319) Name the iconic Tamil film actor, producer who has unclaimed deposit accounts with banks been awarded recently: Kamala 301) As per Banking Regulation Act, 1949, an unclaimed Hasan deposit account is one in which there is no 320) Name the renowned badminton coach decorated transaction for past ___ or more years: 10 with Padma Bhushan in 2014: Pullela Gopichand 302) International Marconi Prize is given for 321) What is the current assignment of Justice Dalveer achievements in which field: Communication Bhandari who has been awarded Padma Bhushan Technology recently: Judge in International Court of 303) Government has decided not to present regular Justice budget for the year 2014 – 15 in view of upcoming 322) Name the women cricket star who has been general elections. It will instead present the ______awarded Padma Shri recently: Anjum Chopra for 2014-15 in Lok Sabha: Vote on Account 323) Sudarsan Pattnaik has been awarded Padma Shri 304) Name the film that won 2014 Filmfare award for the recently. He is from which field: Renowned Sand

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 69 artist place: Near Andaman & Nicobar Islands 324) Reserve bank has announced issuance of Inflation 340) To which country Exim Bank has agreed to provide Indexed National Savings Certificates (IINSC) to a Line of Credit of $ 19.50 million: Vietnam offer an inflation savvy investment option. These 341) ADB has agreed to give $100 million loan to which ______year Bonds will earn interest equal to the state for boosting education and skills there: CPI inflation rate plus ____ per cent per annum: Meghalaya 10, 1.50 342) To which category of customers RBI has allowed 325) Which country has decided to make military service collection of account payee cheques even for third compulsory for all adult males aged between 18 and party accounts: Cooperative Credit Societies 30, but kept it optional for women: United Arab Emirates 343) With which country India has agreed to set up a $40 million joint fund to support technological ventures 326) Name the Russian martial art that has earned for consolidating and strengthening economic ties: recognition of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for Israel inclusion in the Asian Games: Sambo 344) Which national organization has decided to set up 327) DRDO recently launched Dhruva-3 for promoting 100 innovation hubs at an outlay of Rs 99 crore, critical applications for defence research and throughout the country by 2017: National development, particularly in advanced aircraft Innovation Council designing defence research. What is Dhruva-3: High performance computing system 345) Who is the head of the National Innovation Council: Sam Pitroda 328) In a recently compiled environmental performance index of 178 countries, India has been placed at 346) Which state in India has announced the highest MSP ____ position: 155th of Rs. 1560 per quintal for paddy crop: Bihar 329) With what intention Reserve Bank hiked key policy 347) J N Chaudhury has been appointed Director General interest rates by 0.25%: To tame inflation of which paramilitary force: National Security Guard 330) What will be the impact of recent 0.25% hike in repo rate on Bank Loans: They are likely to 348) India’s first Mono Rail has started operation in which become costly due to rise in interest rate city: Mumbai 331) What will be the impact of recent 0.25% hike in repo rate on industrial growth: Likely to come DECEMBER – 2013 down due to higher cost of funds 349) As per the figures released by CSO, in GDP growth 332) Name the Super Jumbo Aircraft, capable of carrying in 2nd quarter was ______per cent: 4.8 over 850 passengers at a time, that has been allowed to land in India: A-380 of Airbus 350) Core sector is a part of index of industrial production. Its weightage in IIP is _____ per cent in 333) Central Vigilance Commission was in news recently IIP: 37.90 for what reasons: Celebrating 50 years of its existence 351) Gaganjeet Bhullar is top rank player of which sports: Golf 334) Prime Minister of which country resigned recently to counter widespread political protests in the 352) Name the Emperor and Empress of Japan who country against harsh anti protest laws: Ukraine recently visited India: Akihito and Michiko 335) Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold 353) Shinzo Abe is the Prime Minister of which country: badminton championship was held at which place: Japan Lucknow, UP 354) What is the name of the currency of Japan: Yen 336) Govt has launched the India Inclusive Innovation 355) Name the capital of Japan: Tokyo Fund (IIIF), with the initial corpus of Rs 500 crore for what purpose: To promote profitable 356) India’s cricket team captain MS Dhoni has recently venture that take care of social needs also been honoured with which international award: ICC LG People’s Choice Award - 2013 337) Which State has launched 'Ama Jangal Yojana' (AJY) to enhance forest cover in the state: Odisha 357) Tour de India championship is organized in which sports: Cycling 338) Name the jumbo naval exercise of 16 navies from the Indian ocean region being held in 2nd week of 358) Tour de India championship was won by Mohd. Nor February: Milan 2014 Umradi. He is from which country: Malaysia 339) The joint exercise of 16 navies from the Indian 359) India has agreed to train naval officers of which ocean region – Milan 2014 will be held at which country: Sri Lanka

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 70 360) Name the international event recently won by ace failure to end the Syrian and Israeli- shuttler of India – P V Sindhu: Macau Open Grand Palestinian conflicts Prix 379) Alyz Henrich has been crowned as Miss 361) 29th Junior National Athletics Championships was ______2013: Earth held in which place: Bangalore 380) – Alyz Henrich is from which 362) Name the state which won 29th Junior National country: Venezuela Athletics Championship: Kerala 381) Tarundeep Rai and Atanu Das recently won silver 363) Who has been named at Chief Executive of Indian and bronze medal respectively at which international Banks Association: Mohan V Tanksale sports event: Indoor Archery World Cup 364) Are foreign banks allowed to become member of 382) Indoor Archery World Cup was held at which place: Indian Bank Association: Yes Singapore 365) Who has been named as the new Chief Information 383) Which country has been named as host for the FIFA Commissioner: Sushma Singh World Cup-2017 (Under-17): India 366) As per Right to Information Act, any person seeking 384) Name the light combat air craft (LCA) that has been information has to be provided the required inducted in Indian Air Force: Tejas information within ____ days: 30 385) Name the aircraft that has recently been retired 367) In corruption ranking of countries by the from the Indian Air Force: Mig-21 international watchdog Transparency International, Mr. Sumit Bose has been appointed to which th 386) India has been ranked at which place: 94 important central government position: Finance 368) Nelson Mandela, the iconic statesman from South Secretary Africa passed away recently. He was called 387) Who has been named as the “Person of the Year” by ______out of love and affection: Madiba the international magazine Time: Pope Francis 369) Mandela was known for his anti-apartheid struggle. 388) Who is Pope Francis: Supreme Head of Roman What is the meaning of apartheid: Observing Catholics racial discrimination 389) Gen. Bikram Singh was recently honoured with 370) Why Mr. Mandela was honoured with India’s highest Legion of Merit by which country: USA civilian award – Bharat Ratna: Because he followed Gandhian philosophy and values in 390) Trade deficit of India came down to less than $10 his fight against apartheid billion in Nov. 2013. What was the single most important factor for this: Reduction in import of 371) India has been ranked at ______place in terms of gold doing business, by a survey done by Forbes magazine: 98th 391) Asian lending agency ADB has projected India’s growth at ______percent for the year 2013-14: th 372) 57 National Shooting championship was held at 4.7% which place: New Delhi 392) In which area scientists have recently discovered the 373) The Sankirtana, a ritual form of singing, drumming coldest place on earth: East Antarctica and dancing has been included in UNESCO’s list of “intangible heritage”. It belongs to which state of 393) The prestigious international Sundance Film Festival India: Manipur is held in which country: USA 374) US dollar is the largest used currency in the world, 394) Name the bank from Qatar which has become the having 81.08% share in international transactions. first bank from that country to open a branch in Which is the currency at the second place: Yuan- India: Doha Bank 8.66% (China) 395) In a recent international survey on ranking of 375) Yuan, the currency of China is also called ______: economies on the basis of their efficiency in Renminbi utilization of energy, India has been placed at _____ rank: 69th 376) Name the country that has recently been elected as a non permanent member of the UN security 396) What is the full of the abbreviation NSSO: National council: Jordan Sample Survey Office 377) Name the country that has recently refused to join 397) The Reserve Bank has estimated that India's Security Council, despite being elected as a non economy would grow about ______per cent in FY permanent member: Saudi Arabia 2013-14: Five 378) Why Saudi Arabia did not accept the membership of 398) As per latest census 2011 data, ______percent UN Security Council: To protest the world body’s Indian population has been categorized as

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 71 homeless: 8.8 417) Name the international beauty title won by Bea Rose 399) Govt. has decided to provide a monetary support of Santiago of Philippines: Miss International 2013 Rs. ______to every NREGA job cardholder who 418) Report from UNO has lowered India’s economic plans to build a toilet in his house: 10,000 growth forecast for 2013 to ______per cent from 400) In what manner govt. has decided to link up two 6.1 per cent projected earlier: 4.8 major welfare schemes – NREGA and Indira Awaas 419) Parliament has finally passed the Lokpal Bill. What is Yojana: Labour constructing their own house the objective of setting up of a Lokpal: under IAY will get NREGA wages Establishment of an anti-corruption watchdog 401) Under Indira Awaas Yojana, a sum of Rs. that will have in its purview even the office of ______is provided to BPL families in plain the Prime Minister areas for constructing their house: 70,000 420) Recently India displayed its strong displeasure 402) Under Indira Awaas Yojana, a sum of Rs. against the rough treatment met to one of its ______is provided to BPL families in hilly diplomat posted at US consulate. Name that areas for constructing their house: 75,000 diplomat: Devyani Khobragade 403) In which North-Eastern state cultivation of popular 421) Name the international convention which guarantees spice cardamom is picking up: Arunachal Pradesh diplomatic immunity to persons posted in various embassies / consulates: Vienna Convention 404) As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill approved by the cabinet, the reservation for 422) Name the veteran cricket player selected for the Col Persons with Disabilities (PWD) has been raised to CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award for the year ___ per cent from three at present: Five 2013 by BCCI: Kapil Dev 405) C. V. R. Rajendran has been appointed Chairman 423) Name the international financial institution that has and Managing Director of which bank: Andhra agreed to lend $176 million to extend the first metro Bank train line in Jaipur: Asian Development Bank 406) Name the country that succeeded in landing a lunar 424) V. K. Duggal has been appointed as the new probe on moon recently, becoming first country to governor of which state: Manipur do so since 1976: China 425) Who has been appointed as the India’s new 407) Sis Ram Ola, who passed away recently, was a Ambassador to USA: S. Jaishankar prominent ______: Politician, Union Labour 426) Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) is located at and Employment Minister which place in India: Thiruvananthapuram, 408) Who has been elected as the new Chief Minister of Kerala Rajasthan: Vasundhara Raje 427) India and Pakistan had a dispute on the sharing of 409) Pu Lalthanhawla has been elected as Chief Minister waters of which river that was settled in favour of for the fourth time in which state: Mizoram India by the International Court of Arbitration : Kishan Ganga 410) Name the person who has been elected as Banker of the Year 2013 by the financial daily Business 428) Kishenganga Hydro Electric Project is located in Standard: Aditya Puri which state: Jammu & Kashmir 411) Aditya Puri is the chief of which bank: HDFC Bank 429) India and San Marino, a tiny country within Italy, signed the TIEA between them at Rome. Write the th 412) 4 edition of Kabaddi World Cup was won by which full form of TIEA: country in Men’s category: India (beating Tax Information Exchange Agreement Pakistan) 430) With which country government has approved the th 413) 4 edition of Kabaddi World Cup was won by which enhancement of the bilateral currency swap country in Women’s category: India (beating New arrangement to $ 50 billion, up from $ 15 billion at Zealand) present: Japan th 414) The finals of 4 edition of Kabaddi World Cup were 431) Govt. has cleared a services and investment deal played at which place: Ludhiana (Punjab) with 10-member ASEAN group as part of CECA. 415) Mahesh Mangaonkar has become the first Indian What is the full form of CECA: Comprehensive player to win an International Title in which game: Economic Cooperation Agreement Squash 432) India has signed DTAA with Macedonia, a small 416) Name the shooter who won the ‘Champion of country north of Greece, to prevent income tax Champions’ title in pistol event in the final round in evasion by entities in both the countries. What is the the 57th National Shooting Championships at New full form of DTAA: Double Taxation Avoidance Delhi: Samresh Jung Agreement

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 72 433) What is the range of Agni-III missile recently test cricketer of the year 2012-13: Ravichandran fired by India: 3000 kms Ashwin 434) The missile testing site of India – Integrated Test 452) What is the official growth rate fixed by the planning th Range is located at which place: Wheeler Island, commission for the 12 five year plan: 8% Near Chandipur, Distt Balasore, Odisha 453) In the first half (April-September) of the current 435) Name the organization which is responsible for fiscal FY2013-14, the economy grew by ______per developing and testing various missiles for Indian cent: 4.6 Army: DRDO – Defence Research & 454) India has signed a mega contract of $1.01 billion Development Organization with which country for six additional C-130J "Super 436) Who is the Head of DRDO: Shri Avinash Chander Hercules" jumbo military cargo aircrafts: USA 437) and Tarundeep Rai are the current 455) Farooq Sheikh who passed away recently was a national champions in women and men category prominent ______: Film Actor respectively in which : Archery 438) 34th Senior National Archery championship were NOVEMBER – 2013 held at which place: Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 456) Rajendra Yadav who passed away recently was from 439) PV Sindhu and K Srikanth clinched the women's and which field: Literature men's National titles respectively in which sport: 457) Rajendra Yadav was a eminent short story writer Badminton and novelist of which language: Hindi 440) 78th Senior National Badminton Championships was 458) As per a recent study, India has been ranked held at which place: New Delhi ______in terms of ‘Ease of Doing Business’: 134th 441) In the 9th Ministerial Conference of WTO held in 459) In terms of Ease of Doing Business ______is no. 1 Bali, Indonesia, what was the major achievement for in the world: Singapore India: India will continue to support its farmers with MSP-Minimum Support Price 460) The WTA Tour Championship title for 2013 was lifted by which player: Serena Williams 442) Recently govt. has launched a four day anti-Naxal operation involving close to 40,000 security 461) The full form of WTA in WTA Tour Championship is: personnel in which states: Chhattisgarh, Women’s Tennis Association Jharkhand, Maharashtra 462) The WTA Tour Championship was held at which 443) Govt has agreed to grant constitutional status to the place: Istanbul, Turkey proposed JAC for appointment and transfer of 463) As per Forbes magazine’s latest India Rich List, judges. What is full form of JAC: ______has been named as India’s wealthiest Judicial Appointments Commission person for the sixth year in a row: Mukesh Ambani 444) India’s first National Cancer Institute is to be 464) Mukesh Ambani is the corporate head of which established in which state: Haryana industries: Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) 445) Name the South-African all rounder cricketer who 465) Recently we read in the newspaper that an ATM has has announced is retirement from Test and First been launched for ‘Bitcoins’. What is the Bitcoins: It Class cricket: Jacques Kallis is a digital currency, popular worldwide 446) As per recent data the maternal mortality ratio 466) Ashok Amritraj, producer of 109 Hollywood films, for (MMR) — number of women who die of pregnancy- his outstanding achievements in the film industry related causes per 1,00,000 live births — has come has been honourd with which award: Soul of India down to ______in 2010-12, from 212 in 2007-09: Award 178 467) Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award for 2013 has been 447) In India which state has the lowest MMR of 66 per given to film celebrity: Amitabh Bachchan lac: Kerala 468) Name the new tactical surface-to-surface missile 448) In India which state has the Highest MMR of 328 per based on the Prahaar missile, with a range between lac: Assam 60-170 kms: Pragati Missile 449) J N Chaudhury has been appointed Chief of which 469) In a recent global study of tourism, which Indian paramilitary force: National Security Guard State has been named as best region to visit in 450) Who has been appointed as new Director General of 2014: Sikkim Central Industrial Security Force: Arvind Ranjan 470) The World Billiards Championship was held at 451) Who has been honoured with Award ______, England: Leeds from the BCCI for being India’s best international 471) Name the winner of World Billiards Championship GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 73 2013: Peter Gilchrist 490) Name the Indian batsman who created history by 472) Peter Gilchrist the world Champion of Billiards is scoring world’s highest ever sixes – 16 in an ODI: from which country: Singapore Rohit Sharma 473) Sachin played his last match in domestic cricket at 491) With which country India has signed an agreement which place: Lahli, Haryana to facilitate transfer of sentenced prisoners languishing in jails in the two countries: Vietnam 474) In which tournament, Sachin played his last domestic test match: Ranji Trophy 492) The 13th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional 475) The govt has recently approved an education Cooperation (IOR-ARC) was held in: Perth, promotion programme by the name RUSA. What is Australia the full form RUSA: Rashtriya Uchchatar Siksha Abhiyan 493) Sebastian Vettel, the reigning Formula One world champion from Germany created history by winning 476) What is the objective of starting the educational ______formula races in one year: 9 project RUSA: Improving quality and number of universities / colleges in country 494) Name the film that won the Golden Gateway of India award for the best film at the 15th Mumbai 477) With which country India has agreed to export Film Festival: La Jaula De Oro (of Mexico) motorcycles through the land route: Bangladesh 495) Geeta Chandran who has been honourd with Guru 478) As per recent RBI guidelines banks have been Debaprasad Award is from which filed: allowed to pay interest on their deposit accounts at Bharatnatyam ______intervals: Monthly / Fortnightly 496) Name the UN agency which has taken up a 479) Most of the banks recover a fixed fee from their nationwide social media campaign against open customers for sending them SMS alerts for their defecation in India: UNICEF transactions. What are the recent RBI guidelines in this regard: Charge to be recovered actual 497) Name the social media campaign launched by usage basis UNICEF against open defecation in India: Take the Poo to Loo 480) As per Forbes ranking of The world’s most powerful people, ______has been ranked as No. 1: 498) As regard to service conditions of civil servants, Vladimir Putin what was the recent ruling of Supreme Court: They should not be transferred frequently 481) What position is held by Mr. Vladimir Putin: President, Russia 499) Which country won the Ashihara Sabaki World Karate Championship: Romania 482) Recently first time a rail link was opened linking the two continents – Asia and Europe in which country: 500) the Ashihara Sabaki World Karate Championship was Turkey held at which place: Bucharest, Romania 483) In a list of most powerful persons of the world 501) The Paris Masters Tennis tournament was won by compiled by Forbes Magazine, ______has been ______Djokovic: Novak named as most powerful women: Angela Markel 502) Tennis star Novak Djokovic is from which country: th (5 ) Serbia 484) K P Saxena who passed away recently was a 503) To which country India has provided Rs. 100 crores noted______: Hindi Satirist as a grant for their Economic Stimulus Plan: Bhutan 485) Name the international beauty title won by Ms. 504) World Agriculture Forum Congress 2013 and Agri- Srishti Rana: Miss Asia Pacific 2013 Tech Trade Fair was held at which place: 486) In the 'Prosperity Index' ranking of 142 countries Hyderabad (AP) compiled by London-based Legatum Institute, India 505) FIDE world chess championship, was held at which th stood at ______position: 106 place: Chennai 487) Name the legendry Pakistani female folk singer who 506) What is the full form of chess championship FIDE: passed away recently: Reshma World Chess Federation (Federation 488) The Hockey World Cup- 2014 will be held at which Internationale des Echecs) place: The Hague, Netherlands 507) What is the full form of Agricultural mission NFSM: 489) The first joint retreat ceremony of the Border National Food Security Mission Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard 508) What is the name of joint naval exercise recently Bangladesh (BGB) was held which place: held by navies of Indian and USA: Malabar Petropole border in district North 24 Parganas, West Bengal 509) The naval exercise Malabar by Indian and US Navy

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 74 was held at which place: Off the coast of Tamil corporate figure Ms. Chanda Kochhar: MD & CEO of Nadu in Bay of Bengal ICICI Bank 510) Pakistan successfully tested its ______, Hatf IX 529) Name the country that will host 2018 men’s Hockey (Nasr) having a range of 60 kms: Missile World Cup: India 511) The maneuvering and tracking of Mangalyaan is 530) Name the super strong typhoon that caused wide being done by ISTRAC. Write its full form: ISRO spread devastation in Philippines, claiming over Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network 12000 lives: Haiyan 512) The satellite tracking centre ISTRAC is located at 531) The World Economic Forum has joined hands with which place: Bangalore ______to jointly organise the India Economic Summit: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 513) India’s first interplanetary space craft – Mangalyaan was launched from which centre: Satish Dhawan 532) RBI has signed cooperation agreement with central Space Centre, Sriharikota (AP) banks of which two countries: Australia and New Zealand 514) Who is the Chief of the ISRO: Dr. K Radhakrishnan 533) Recently RBI issued what guidelines for foreign banks in the context of domestic private sector 515) Name the satellite launching vehicle that was used banks: Allowed them to take over private to launch Mangalyaan: PSLV-C25 banks 516) The book “Gandhi A Spiritual Biography” has been 534) As per recent RBI guidelines foreign banks will not written by: Arivnd Sharma be allowed to hold more than ______per cent 517) In which North Eastern states govt. has extended equity in the private banks they may acquire: 74 AFSPA for a further period of six months: Assam, 535) Name the Olympian shooter who created history by Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. becoming first Indian women to win air pistol gold in 518) What is the full form of AFSPA: Armed Forces the ISSF World Cup: Heena Sidhu (Special Powers) Act 536) The ISSF World Cup Shooting Championship was 519) Tarla Dalal who passed away recently, was a noted held at which place: Munich, Germany ______expert: Cookery 537) Name the TV channel that Prasar Bharti plans to 520) 44th International Film Festival of India was held at launch specially for Aruanchal Pradesh and Sikkim: which place: Goa Prabha 521) ______was the ‘country in focus for’ for the44th 538) The Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was organized International Film Festival of India: Japan at which place by the High Commission of India: Sydney, Australia 522) India’s second international standard multi-use Integrated Check Post (ICP) and the first along the 539) National Education Day is celebrated on which date: Bangladesh border was opened at which place: 11th November Akhaurah, Tripura 540) The birthday of first Education Minister of 523) India’s second international standard multi-use Independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is Integrated Check Post (ICP) has been opened at celebrated as what day: National Educational Akhaurah in Tripura. The first ICP is located at Day which place: Attari, Punjab 541) India has declared itself free from ______as there 524) India successfully test-fired its nuclear weapons- has been no occurrence of the disease in the last capable, surface-to-surface Agni-1 missile recently. three months: H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu) What is its range: 700 kms 542) ______won the ATP World Tour Finals in London 525) India’s first Bird Ringing Station has been setup at beating Rafael Nadal: Novak Djokovic Salropa in the prestigious Great Himalayan National 543) South Asian Junior Athletics Championships were Park in Kullu. What is its purpose: To identify and held at which place: Ranchi, Jharkhand establish species of various birds 544) Name the country that secured top position in the 526) Imomali Rakhmon has been elected as President of South Asian Junior Athletics Championships: India which country: Tajikistan 545) Hurun India Philanthropy List 2013 published by the 527) Name the lady who has been named as the most China’s leading magazine mougal ‘Huran Report Inc powerful businesswoman in India for the third has ranked IT tycoon ______as the most consecutive year in the list of 50 most powerful generous Indian with a donation of Rs 8,000 crore in businesswomen ranking for 2013 by Fortune the year ending March 31, 2013: Azim Hashim magazine: Chanda Kochhar Premji 528) What is the official position of the prominent

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 75 546) Malia and Malala have been named among the 16 Scheme (MGNREGS) to 150 from existing norm of most influential teens of 2013 by the Time 100 days in Odisha: To provide relief from magazine. Who is Malia: Elder daughter of devastation caused by Phailin cyclone Barack Obama 566) World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have 547) Prof. C.N.R. Rao has been decorated with Bharat assured a financial assistance of $ 313 mn to Odisha Ratna. He is from which field: Solid state and government for what purpose: For restoration materials chemistry and rehabilitation activities in cyclone Phailin hit areas 548) What is the amount of cash reward that is given to the recipient of a Bharat Ratna: Nil 567) Which country has promised to provide support of Rs. 1129 crore for campus development at IIT 549) Recommendation for Bharat Ratna are made by Hyderabad: Japan which authority: Prime Minister 568) Govt. has decided to establish National Institute of 550) Who approves awardees for Bharat Ratna: Disaster Response (NIDR) at which place: President of India Kamptee, near Nagpur, Maharashtra 551) Can Bharat Ratna be awarded to a non Indian also: 569) Telecom major Vodafone India and ICICI Bank have Yes launched mobile money transfer and payment 552) What is the name of the second air craft carrier of service ______in Assam and other North Eastern India: INS Vikramaditya states: 'M-Pesa' 553) The abbreviation INS stands for: Indian Naval 570) Name the new President of island country Maldives: Ship Abdulla Yameen 554) What is the name of the original ship that has been 571) Who has been named as World Athlete of the Year transformed into INS Vikramaditya: Admiral for 2013 in Men’s category: Usain Bolt Gorshkov 572) World athlete of the year Usain Bolt is from which 555) INS Vikramaditya has been procured by India from field of athletics: 100 and 200 m sprint which country: Russia 573) World athlete of the year Usain Bolt is from which 556) INS Vikramaditya is the second aircraft of the Indian country: Jamaica Navy. What is the name of the first (existing) aircraft 574) Who has been named as World Athlete of the Year carrier of India: INS Viraat for 2013 in women’s category: Shelly-Ann Fraser- 557) Name the aircraft carrier being built indigenously in Pryce India: INS Vikrant 575) World athlete of the year Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is 558) Name the first aircraft carrier acquired by Indian from which field of athletics: 100 and 200 m Navy which was decommissioned on 31st Jan, 1997: sprint INS Vikrant 576) World athlete of the year Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is 559) The INS Vikramaditya will be based at which naval from which country: Jamaica base: INS Kadamba at Karwar, Karnataka 577) What was the theme of the 22nd Commonwealth 560) UN’s International Day for Tolerance celebrated on Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 held which date: Nov 16 at Colombo, Sri Lanka: Growth with Equity; Inclusive Development 561) National think tank NCAER has lowered country's growth rate to 4.8-5.3 per cent range in the current 578) In the recently held CHOGM, India was represented fiscal. Write the full form of NCAER: National by which statesman: Salman Khurshid, Minister Council of Applied Economic Research of External Affairs 562) Name the Prime Minister of UK who visited India 579) At which place the Indian Army tested an advanced recently for a short trip: David Cameron version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system (block III variant) successfully: Pokhran, 563) Prime Minister of UK recently visited India only for a Rajasthan short time as he was on his way to _____: Colombo, Sri Lanka 580) BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile system. What is the meaning of supersonic: Objects flying with 564) Central govt. has increased man-days under speed higher than speed of sound Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to 150 from existing 581) Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and norm of 100 days in which state: Odisha Development for 2013 has been awarded to which person: Angela Merkel, German Chancellor 565) Why govt. has increased man-days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee 582) NASA has launched its latest orbiter to Mars – ‘MAVEN’ to hunt for clues about why the Red Planet

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 76 lost much of its atmosphere. What is the full form of Mumbai: Prithvi Shaw MAVEN: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile 602) Frederick Sanger who passed away recently was the Evolution only person to win the noble prize for ______two 583) Centre has directed the state governments to times, in 1958 and in 1980: Chemistry implement the new National Crop Insurance 603) India’s only Equatorial Rocket Launching station is Programme (NCIP) for compulsory coverage of located at which place: Thumba, Kerala which category of beneficiaries: Borrower Farmers 604) What is the name of the India’s only Equatorial 584) BRICS International Competition Conference was Rocket Launching station: Vikram Sarabhai Space recently held at which place: New Delhi Centre 585) Name the remote-sensing satellite recently launched 605) Why Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thumba was in by China: ‘YAOGAN XIX’ news recently: It celebrated its golden jubilee 586) Election commission has ask the government to 606) Name the India's batting star who became the enact a law demanding what from the government fastest batsman in world to score 5000 runs in one- in the context of election related opinion polls: day internationals (ODI): Virat Kohli Banning the release of results of election related opinion polls, once the notification of 607) The National Book Award 2013 of USA has been elections has been made given to the book ______by James Mc Bride: The Good Lord Bird 587) The Reserve Bank has directed public sector banks to provide credit to women self help groups at a rate 608) Who is the author of the book, ‘Book of Destruction’: of ______percent per annum: seven Anand 588) What is the name of the first all women bank started 609) The famous book Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer has in India: Bhartiya Mahlia Bank been authored by ______: Cyrus Mistry 589) In which place Bhartiya Mahila Bank has opened its 610) What is the common factor in the mini territories of first branch: Mumbai Liechtenstein, Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands: All four are tax havens 590) Is the Bhartiya Mahila Bank allowed to recruit male staff members: Yes, on selected basis 611) Name the 23 year old chess prodigy from Norway who was crowned as World Champion at the World 591) Is the Bhartiya Mahila Bank allowed to cater to male Chess Championship at Chennai: Magnus Carlsen customers: Yes, on selected basis 612) Name the West Indies cricketer who marked an end 592) Bhartiya Mahila Bank has been ask to devote special to the glorious career of Master Blaster Sachin: attention to which category of women customers: Darren Sammy Self Help Groups 613) The last ball to be faced by Sachin marking end of 593) Why 19th November was selected as the day to his 24 years of cricketing career was bowled by inaugurate the Bhartiya Mahila Bank: It is birth ______of West Indies: Narsingh Deonarine anniversary of late Indira Gandhi 614) A survey of 1,600 senior executives across more 594) Name the first chairperson of the Bhartiya Mahila than 70 countries by global professional services firm Bank: Usha Ananthasubramaniam Ernst & Young (EY) placed ______as the first choice 595) To which country India has extended a 100 million of global investors: India dollar line of credit for defence purchases: Vietnam 615) Who has been appointed as Chairman of the 20th 596) The Golden Elephant Award is given for what Law Commission of India: Ajit Prakash Shah purpose: Best Children Film 616) The Warsaw Climate Change Conference 2013 was 597) The Golden Elephant Award is given on what held at which place: Warsaw, Poland occasion: at International Children's Film 617) The Climate Change Conferences are organized by Festival UNFCCC. The abbreviation UNFCCC stands for: 598) The 18th International Children's Film Festival was United Nations Framework Convention on held at which place: Hyderabad Climate Change 599) Name the film that won the Golden Elephant Award: 618) ______won the Asian Archery Championship Dutch Film Kauwboy held in Taipei, China: South Korea 600) What is the recent ruling of Supreme Court with 619) Which country recently agreed to curb its nuclear regard to contesting of elections by the persons in programme in lieu of lifting of economic sanctions jail: They are eligible to contest elections against it: Iran 601) Name the fifteen year old cricket star who created 620) Which country has offered to renovate and preserve history by scoring a record 546 runs playing in a total of 116 heritage buildings, constructed in the

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 77 18th and 19th centuries, located on the banks of the countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, river Hooghly in West Bengal: Denmark Bangladesh and Nepal 621) A high power group of six super powers negotiated a 639) The coveted title of 2013 has been deal with Iran for what purpose: To restrict the won by Gabriela Isler. She is from which country: nuclear programme of Iran Venezuela 622) Mount Sina Bung, a volcano that erupted very 640) The Reserve Bank has directed all regional rural violently causing dislocation of thousands of people, banks to follow the minimum ______capital is in which country: Indonesia adequacy rule from this year itself: 9% 623) Which country has decided to award International 641) With which country India has agreed to strengthen, Prize for Equality and Non-Discrimination 2013 to promote and develop renewable energy cooperation: Malala Yousafzai: Mexico Belgium 624) Global Islamic Economic Summit held at which 642) Jason Day lifted the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf place: Dubai, UAE held in Melbourne, Australia. He is from which country: Australia 625) Which country hosted the 20th World Master Athletics Championship: Brazil 643) The Hornbill Festival to promote tribal culture is held in which state: Nagaland 626) Which corporate brand has been ranked No. 1 in the 'World's Most Valuable Brand List' compiled by 644) The ICC T20 championship 2014 will be held which 'Forbes' magazine: Apple country: Bangladesh 627) 4th World Cup Kabaddi will be held in which state: 645) Which Indian IT giant agreed to pay a record $34 Punjab million fine to settle a visa row in the USA: Infosys 628) Name the country where Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship was held recently: OCTOBER – 2013 Malaysia 646) In which country thousands of government servants 629) Who has been elected as President, Federation of were asked to go on leave without pay temporarily Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci): as the government had no funds to pay their salary: Sidharth Birla USA 630) Name the new Chief of Pakistan Army: Lt. Gen. 647) One of the main factors behind the recent ‘Shut Raheel Sharif Down’ crisis in USA was the popular health care programmes of the government. What is the popular 631) Junior National Archery Championship was held at name for this programme: Obamacare ______Assam: Kokrajhar Name the diplomat who has been appointed High 632) Mahendra Dev Committee has been appointed for 648) Commissioner of India in United Kingdom: Ranjan what purpose: To review the scale of NREGA Mathai wages The International Day of “Older Person” is 633) RBI has allowed which category of manufacturing 649) celebrated on which day: October 1 units to be covered under priority sector lending: Medium 650) In the recently compiled “Global Human Capital Index”, what is India’s rank: 78th 634) On what basis business units are classified into Micro, Small and Medium categories: On the basis 651) India’s minister of external affairs visited ______to of investment made in plant & machinery / impress upon early implementation of 13th equipment amendment to constitution: Sri Lanka 635) Name the Act that lays down various rules and 652) In the neighbouring country Sri Lanka, what is the regulations for classification of business units into context of 13th amendment to their constitution: micro small and medium enterprises: MSMED Act Devolution of powers to the provinces 2006 653) The 2013 meet of CHOGM is to be held at which 636) What is the full form of MSMED: Micro Small & place: Colombo, Sri Lanka Medium Enterprises Development Act 654) What is the full form of CHOGM: Commonwealth 637) Sachin Tendulkar has been selected by UNICEF as Heads of Government Meeting the brand ambassador for Asian region for what purpose: To promote its Total Sanitation 655) The summit of CHOGM is held every _____ years: Campaign Two 638) As Brand Ambassador of UNICEF for Total Sanitation 656) How many countries are the member of The Campaign, Sachin Tendulkar will campaign in which Commonwealth: 53

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 78 657) Headquarter of The Commonwealth is located at: from North Sri Lanka: C. V. WIGNESWARAN London, UK 676) The China Open Tennis Cup Men’s Singles has been 658) ______is designated as head of the lifted by ______: Novak Djokovic Commonwealth: British Monarch 677) The tennis star Novak Djokovic hails from which 659) Name the middle Asian country visited by Indian country: Serbia President recently: Turkey 678) Women’s singles title in the China Open Tennis Cup 660) Name the capital of Turkey: Ankara was won by: Serena Williams 661) Which Turkish University honoured Indian President 679) Name the Indian tennis star who alongwith Cara with honorary ‘doctorate’ in Political Science: Black won the women’s doubles title of China Open: Istanbul University Sania Mirza 662) Currency of Turkey is ______: Turkish Lira 680) Vladimir Klitschko who won the world heavyweight boxing title at Moscow, Russia is from which 663) In a recent survey of top 400 universities in world, country: Ukraine ______has been ranked as No. 1 university in India: Panjab University 681) Name the allrounder from Bangladesh who became the first cricketer in 136 year old history of cricket to 664) Election commission has given the option to the score a century and claim a hat-trick in the same voters not to vote for any candidate, if they decide Test: Sohag Gazi so. This option has been named as: None of the above (NOTA) 682) Name the first MP whose Parliamentary seat was declared vacant following his conviction for more 665) Two day international Rhino conference was held at: than two years, as a result of recent ruling of Bandar Lampung, Indonesia Supreme Court to this effect: Rashid Masood 666) Lampedusa an island near ______was in news as 683) Name the space craft launched by NASA on a over 300 persons drowned there after a boat, with mission to Jupiter: Juno up to 500 African asylum seekers, caught fire and sank: Italy 684) RBI has increase the borrowing period under MSF from one day at present to ______days: 7 to 14 667) Rohan Bopanna along with French partner Edouard days Roger-Vasselin, won the men’s doubles title at______held at Tokyo, Japan: Japan 685) Indian Prime Minister visited Brunei recently for Open Tennis attending which International summit: ASEAN and East Asia Summit 668) Name the team that won the Champions League Cricket recently: Mumbai Indians 686) The recent meeting of ASEAN and East Asia Summit was held at ______, Brunei: Darussalam 669) The final match of the Champions League, Cricket was held at ______stadium in Delhi: Feroz 687) Out of ASEAN and East Asia Summit, India is Shah Kotla member of which organization: East Asia Summit 670) Name the veteran Indian film director who has been 688) The 9th WTO Ministerial Conference will be held at nominated to head the accomplished jury for the ______, Indonesia: Bali Seventh Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA): Shyam 689) What is the full form of ASEAN: Association of Benegal South East Asian Nations 671) The Seventh Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) to 690) Name the Director General of World Trade be held in______: Brisbane, Australia Organisation – WTO who visited India recently: 672) “The Busan International Film Festival” is held in Roberto Azevedo which country: South Korea 691) Asian Development Bank has provided $100 mn loan 673) Name the acclaimed Cambodian director who to which State to improve education and skills: received the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at Meghalaya the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea: 692) With which country India finalised $512-million joint Rithy Panh venture deal for the construction of two coal fired 674) Which international IT giant has joined hands with power projects of 250 megawatts each: Sri Lanka Archaeological Survey of India to provide 360- 693) The annual meeting of IMF and the World Bank was degree online panoramic imagery of 100 nationally- recently held at: Washington, USA important monuments: Google 694) Name the first women chairperson of the Federal 675) Name the Sri Lanka’s first elected Tamil Chief Reserve System of USA: Janet Yellen Minister of the Northern Province in the first ever provincial elections held after clearance of LTTE 695) Name the Central Bank in United Kingdom: Bank of

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 79 England 50,000 runs across all formats of cricket at which stadium: Feroze Shah Kotla stadium, New Delhi 696) Name the Bank that facilitates and promotes research for improvement in banking services all 716) India has signed agreements with ______countries, over the world. Bank for International who pledged their commitment to the ambitious Settlements Nalanda University project: Seven 697) The Headquarter of Bank for International 717) The prestigious International Nalanda University is Settlement is located at ______, Switzerland: located is which place: Rajgir, Distt Nalanda, Basel Bihar 698) What is the purpose of the proposed Rs. 43,000 718) Name the Nobel laureate who has been designated crore Green Energy Corridor Project: Setting up of to head the Nalanda University as its Chancellor: wind and solar power plants Prof. Amartya Sen 699) Prime Minister of which country was in news due to 719) In the Global Hunger Index India has been ranked his sudden abduction and subsequent release also: at ______place: 63rd Libya 720) Which district of Odisha was hardest hit by the 700) What is the officially name of the ISRO’s project for recent cyclone Phailin: Ganjam sending a satellite to planet Mars: Mars Orbiter 721) Authorities worldover have appreciated the excellent Mission (MOM) preparations done by the NDRF and IMD for 701) Tom Clancy, one of the most widely read and minimizing the possible damage from the cyclone influential military novelist of his time, passed away Phailin: What is the full form of NDRF and IMD: recently. He was from which country: USA National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Metrological Department (IMD) 702) World Toilet Summit was recently held in which country: Indonesia 722) Govt. has decided to bring all post offices across the country on CBS platform to cover larger number of 703) Name the new High Commissioner of Pakistan to people, particularly in rural areas for banking India: Ibne Abbas services. What is CBS: Core Banking Solution 704) Name the campaign launched by China aimed at 723) Name the place in distt. Datia of Madhya Pradesh enforcing standards for waste imports to avoid which witnessed a gruesome stampede killing over unusable or unsafe/dangerous consignments: 120 persons: Rattangarh Green Fence 724) The World Boxing Championships was held in which 705) Which country has qualified for the first time to play place: Almaty, Kazakhstan in the 11th ICC Cricket World Cup: Afghanistan 725) Name the freedom fighter, ex Minister and Deputy 706) The 11th ICC Cricket World Cup is to be hosted Chairman of the Planning Commission who passed jointly by which two countries: Australia & New away recently: Dr. Mohan Dharia Zealand 726) M.S. Swaminathan, Eminent agriculture scientist has 707) What is the full form of ICC: International Cricket been honoured with which prestigious prize for his Council work for national integration: Indira Gandhi 708) What is the range of Nuclear weapons capable Award for National Integration surface-to-surface missile Prithvi-II: 300 kms 727) Malala Yousafzai, the teenage activist for girl’s 709) The missile testing range of India is named as: education has been honoured with Sakharov Human Integrated Test Range Rights Prize. The prize is given by which organization: European Parliament 710) The missile testing range of India is located at which place: Wheeler Island, Near Chandipur, Odisha 728) Name the renowned scientist who has written the book My Brief History: A Memoir : Stephen 711) Recently Supreme Court ordered ___ per cent Hawking reservation in govt. jobs for disables person: Three 729) Under which loan scheme the receipt of annuity 712) Ilham Aliyev has been elected as President of which amount has been exempted from income tax: country: Azerbaijan Reverse Mortgage Scheme 713) What is the popular full form of the scientific 730) Who are the likely beneficiaries under the reverse research organization CERN: European Council for mortgage loan scheme: Property Owning Senior European Research Citizens 714) Mulatu Teshome has been elected president of 731) Government has increased MSP of wheat by Rs. 50 which country: Ethiopia to Rs. ______per quintal: 1400 715) Sachin Tendulkar reached the coveted landmark of 732) Name the CEO of ICICI bank who has been ranked

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 80 as top women business leader of India: Ms. 751) With which country India recently signed a border Chanda Kochhar defence pact: China 733) Name the remittance system for which RBI has 752) What is the officially name of the border defence issued new revised guidelines: RTGS pact signed between India and China: Border 734) Government has decided to include skilled labour in Defence Co-operation Agreement sericulture under the MNREGA Scheme. What is 753) What is the official designation of the Prime Minister sericulture: Rearing of silk worms of China: Premier 735) NPCI has launched Aadhaar-based remittances for 754) What is the name of the Premier of China: Li bank account holders. What is the full form of NPCI: Keqiang National Payments Corporation of India 755) Which mega steel company has been asked by a UN 736) What is the main objective of NPCI: To promote Human Rights panel to stop the work at its Odisha various forms of electronic banking in India plant as it may lead to displacement of thousands of 737) Which city has been voted as countries top business people and disruption in their livelihoods: Posco destination in terms of infrastructure, human capital, 756) The Union Cabinet has approved the biggest ever city culture and basic quality of living: Bangalore foreign investment in India's aviation sector - Jet 738) Indian Prime Minister recently visited Russia and Airways' proposed sale of its 24 per cent equity to met their President. What is the name of Russian ______airline: Etihad Airways President: Vladimer Putin 757) The Etihad Airways is the national airline of which 739) South zone and North zone were declared joint country: United Arab Emirates winners of the in the final of Duleep trophy played 758) To which country India has agreed to start a power at Kochi, Kerala. It is from which sports: Cricket transmission line to export 500 million megawatt of 740) Which big hydel project of India is celebrated its electricity: Bangladesh Golden Jubilee: Bhakra Dam, Punjab 759) Name the Indian power cooperate which has joined 741) 5th South Asian Conference on Sanitation held at hands with Bangladesh power development board to which place: Kathmandu, Nepal form Bangladesh – India Friendship Power Company to promote 1,320-MW Maitri thermal power project 742) Name the first Indian to win a silver medal at the in Bangladesh: National Thermal Power 2013 ITTF Asian Table Tennis championship held in Corporation (NTPC) Beijing, China: Bhavina Hashmukhbhai Patel 760) UNO recently passed a regulation to destroy huge 743) Name the player who scored the fastest ever amounts of chemical in which country: Syria century by an Indian batsman in ODI, off 52 balls, playing against Australia at Sawai Man Singh 761) Which railway station near Kolkata has been Stadium, Jaipur: Virat Kohli renamed as Komagata Maru station to salute the martyrs of September 29, 1914, who arrived there 744) Man Booker Prize 2013 has been awarded to by the ship of the same name: Budge Budge ______for her novel, The Luminaries. Eleanor Catton 762) ______has become the first company in the country to achieve sales of more than Rs 1,00,000 745) Name the eminent Telugu novelist, short story crore in a quarter: Reliance Industries Ltd. writer, poet critic and 2012 Jnanpith award winner who passed away recently: Ravuri Bharadhwaja 763) INS Sunayna, the indigenously built warship is which type of ship: Naval offshore Patrol Vessel 746) The Indian Open Snooker Tournament – 2013 title (NOVP) was won by ______of China: Ding Junhui 764) Terry Walsh has been appointed chief coach of 747) The Indian Open Snooker Tournament – 2013 was which national men’s sports team: Hockey held at which place: New Delhi 765) The new chief coach of men’s national hockey team 748) Name the first ever India-Russia joint military – Terry Walsh is from which country: Australia exercise that began on October 19 at the Mahajan field firing range in Rajasthan near the Indo-Pak 766) India and China will hold joint military exercises border: Indra 2013 from November 4 in ______region in South west China: Chengdu 749) What is the objective of recently conducted Indo- Russian joint military exercise: for improving anti- 767) What is the objective of the proposed Indo-China terrorist operations joint military exercise: To practice counter insurgency and counter terrorism manoeuvres 750) Name the latest National Tennis champions in men’s & women’s category: Mohit Mayur and Prerna 768) Which corporate has been allowed by government to Bhambri start a new domestic airline jointly with Singapore

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 81 Airlines: Tata Group Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) 769) What is the name of proposed new domestic airline 786) Currently, OPCW is in news for handling which started jointly by Tata and Singapore airlines: 'Tata international assignment: Destruction of dumps SIA Airlines Limited' of chemical weapons in Syria as per UN mandate 770) Government has decided to contribute a sum of Rs. ______crore towards capital infusion in public 787) The headquarters of Nobel Peace prize winning sector banks: 14,000 organization – OPCW is located at which place: The Hague, Netherland 771) For what purpose government is contributing Rs. 14,000 crore in capital of public sector banks: To 788) Why the Nobel prizes are delivered on a fix day – enable banks to meet Basel III capital December 10 every year: It is the death requirements anniversary of Alfred Nobel 772) Name the two Latin American Countries visited by 789) All Nobel Prizes except the peace prize are the Vice President Hamid Ansari: Peru & Cuba presented at _____, Sweden: 773) Sanjeev Rajput won the gold in which event in the 790) The Nobel Prize for Peace is presented at ______, Asian Air Gun shooting championship in Tehran, Norway: Iran: Men’s 50-metre free rifle event 791) The Nobel Prize for Peace is not decided in Sweden, 774) Bru community which has settled in large number of instead, it is decided by an expert committee of refugee camps in Tripura and Assam, belongs to ______: Parliament of Norway which state: Mizoram 792) India has been ranked ______out of 136 775) Air Costa is the new regional airline started in which countries on a Global Gender Gap Index compiled by st part of the country: Andhra Pradesh Geneva-based World Economic Forum: 101 793) According to a recent survey by Global Initiative for 776) Name the Indian scientist in whose name the ‘God Restructuring Environment and Management Particle’ has been named as Higgs Boson: (GIREM) and DTZ, ______is the best business Satyendra Nath Bose destination in the country: Bangalore 777) The Nobel prize – 2013 for physics has been given 794) Name the Formula One champion who has won four to François Englert, Belgium and Peter W. Higgs, UK successive titles in the current season: Sebastian for which achievement: for the outstanding Vettal research for discovery of ‘God Particle’ 795) Sebastian Vettal, the formula one world champion is from which country: Germany 778) The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2013 has been 796) India’s only Formula One Racing Track Buddha awarded to how many scientists: Three International Circuit is located at which place: 779) The three scientists – Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt Noida, UP and Arieh Warshel have been given Nobel prize in 797) World’s largest airport Al-Maktoum International is Chemistry for 2013 for research in which field: for located at which place: Dubai, UAE developing computer models that predict 798) Which financial institution proposes to launch a complex chemical reactions that can be used special loan scheme for creation of storage for tasks like creating new drugs infrastructure like construction of Warehouses, Silos, 780) Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine has been cold storages and cold chain awarded for which achievement: For infrastructure: NABARD breakthroughs in understanding how key substances are moved around within a cell 799) Govt. plans to start National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) for what purpose: As a 781) The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2013 has been watchdog for the accounting and auditing awarded to author Alice Munro for which field of policies and standards for adoption by literature: Contemporary short stories companies. 782) Nobel Laureate for 2013 literature Nobel Prize – 800) With which bank Australian Trade Commission has Alice Munro is from which country: Canada signed a MoU to raise the productivity and exports of India’s food and agricultural sector: Yes Bank 783) What is the formal official name for the Economics 801) To which state World Bank has provided $360 Nobel Prize: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in million loan for modernisation of irrigation and Economic Sciences drainage systems: Uttar Pradesh 784) The Nobel Prize for economics for 2013 has been 802) India is planning a cross country highway with which awarded for what purpose: For research in two other countries: Myanmar and Thailand empirical analysis of asset prices 803) The trilateral highway with Myanmar and Thailand will start from ______in Manipur, India : 785) The Nobel Peace Prize – 2013 has been awarded to Moreh which organization: Organization for the

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 82 804) The trilateral highway with Myanmar and Thailand honoured with which prestigious award for his book will end at ______in Thailand: Mae Sot ‘Vamsha’: Moortidevi Award - 2012 805) Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project will 823) Name the country who won SAFF football link Kolkata port with Sittwe port in which country: championship by beating India: Afghanistan Myanmar 806) In the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport 824) What is the full form of SAFF: South Asia Football Project, Kaladan is the name of a ______in Federation) Mizoram: River 825) The SAFF football championship was recently held at 807) The World Agricultural Congress and Trade Fair to which place: Kathmandu, Nepal be held at ______: Hyderabad 808) Supreme Court ruled that MPs/MLAs will lose their 826) As per new companies law, the corporates are seats immediately if they are convicted of offences required to spend ______% of their profits that carry a prison term of more than ______years: towards CSR activities: Two Two 827) Write the full form of CSR: Corporate Social 809) The 2013 Norton Report by Symantec says that Responsibility India is among the world’s top ______countries with the highest number of incidences of cyber 828) India recently launched multi band communication crime: Five satellite - GSAT-7 for what purpose: Data 810) Indian Navy has recently inducted Hawk MK 132 gathering for defence forces aircraft. It is what type of aircraft: Advanced Jet 829) The GSAT- 7 satellite was launched from which Trainer place: Kourou, French Guiana (An overseas territory of France, at joining Brazil) SEPTEMBER– 2013 830) The GSAT-7 satellite was launched in a _____ Orbit, 811) The book Communist Cookbook has written by: about 36000 kms above Earth’s surface: Sharmishta Roy Chowdhury Geosynchronous 812) Who is the author of the book ‘Punjab: A History 831) Name the book on tax administration written by from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten: Rajmohan noted economist Parthasarthi Shome, Advisor to the Gandhi Finance Minister: Indian Tax Administration: A Dialogue 813) The Asia Cup Hockey was held at which place: Ipoh, Malaysia 832) Dr. Raghuram Rajan, the new governor of RBI was holding which position before this: Chief Economic 814) 2014 Hockey World Cup will be held at which place: Advisor, Ministry of Finance The Hague, Netherlands 833) As per the PFRDA bill, 2011, government has 815) Name the country who won the Asia Cup Hockey by permitted FDI upto _____% in the pension sector: defeating India: South Korea 26 816) As per the Land Acquisition Bill passed by Lok 834) Write the full form PFRDA: Pension Fund Sabha, govt. has to pay compensation upto ______Regulatory and Development Authority times of market value for acquiring land in rural areas: four 835) Name the tennis star who won US Open men’s singles title: Rafael Nadal 817) As per the Land Acquisition Bill passed by Lok Sabha, govt. has to pay compensation upto ______836) Noted tennis star Rafael Nadal is from which times of market value for acquiring land in urban country: Spain areas: two 837) Famous sports person Novak Djokovic is from which 818) G-20 group of countries held a meeting of their game: Tennis Heads at which place: St. Petersburg, Russia 838) Tennis star Novak Djokovic hails from which 819) Name the ace footballer from UK who created a new country: Serbia record by becoming the expensive most player in 839) Name the tennis star who won US Open women’s the history of football: Gareth Bale singles title: Serena Williams 820) Noted footballer Gareth Bale has been contracted by 840) Noted tennis star Serena Williams from which which Club for a sum of 100 million Euros: Real country: USA Madrid, Spain 841) Name the prestigious sports event recently won by 821) Diana Nyad, the 64 year old lady swimmer from USA tennis star Leander Paes: US Open 2013 men’s created a world record for what: for longest doubles crown distance swimming – 110 mile (177 kms) 842) Name the world renowned music maestro who 822) Haraprasad Das, eminent Oriya writer, has been conducted the Bavarian State Orchestra in J & K:

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 83 Zubin Mehta the government for foreign banks in India: 40%; if the branches are less than 20, then 32% 843) The musical concert conducted by Jubin Mehta at Shalimar Garden, Srinagar (J&K) was named 860) If an Indian bank in private sector fails to achieve as______: Ehasas-e-Kashmir priority sector lending targets, what will be the penal action: It will have to deposit the short fall 844) Tony Abbott has been elected as new Prime Minister amount in Rural Infrastructure Development of which country: Australia Fund

845) With which country India has enlarged its currency 861) The government has approved a proposal to invest swap arrangement from $15 billion at present to $ USD 4.3 billion in which international financial 50 billion: Japan institution: World Bank 846) India has been ranked at _____ place in terms of its th 862) Eighth Women’s Hockey Asia Cup was recently held global competitiveness in 2013: 60 at which place: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

847) ______has emerged as most literate state in 863) Which big industrial country has decided to say India with 94.65 per cent literacy, compared with ‘good bye’ to nuclear power: Japan Kerala’s 93.91 per cent: Tripura 864) Name the spacecraft that has become the first man- 848) Share of agriculture in India’s GDP is about ____%: made object to venture into interstellar space: 13.7 Voyager-1

849) Control of Forward Markets Commission has recently 865) Name the wrestler who won silver medal at the been taken over by ______Ministry: Finance World Wrestling Championship: Amit Kumar

850) Govt. has approved setting up of the Bharat Rural 866) Name the wrestler who won bronze medal in free Livelihood Foundation, a partnership between style wrestling in the World Wrestling Championship: government, corporate India, academics and civil Bajrang society, with a contribution of Rs 500 crore for what purpose: To engage corporates for help to 867) World Wrestling Championship were held at which counter Naxal influence place: Budapest, Hungary

851) RBI has setup Bimal Jalan Committee for what 868) Name the hockey player who will captain the Indian purpose: To scrutinize the applications for new Women’s Hockey team in Asia Cup: Ritu Rani bank licences 869) Name the Indian origin girl who was crown as Miss 852) Name the head of the committee formed to America recently: Nina Davuluri strengthen the framework of monetary policy to avoid friction between the RBI and the Finance 870) Jhumpa Lahri, a Noted Novelist of Indian origin is Ministry: Urjit Patel Committee settled in which country: USA (New York)

853) Who has been elected as President of International 871) Which city has been named to host 2020 Olympic Olympics Committee: Thomas Bach Games: Tokyo

854) India’s trade deficit narrowed to $10.9 billion in 872) The 2016 Olympics are to be held at which place: August from $12.26 billion in July. What does it Rio de Janeiro, Brazil represents: The amount by which exports are short of imports 873) Name the recently tested nuclear capable surface to surface long-range ballistic missile which has a strike 855) Which is the single largest item contributing to the range of more than 5000 kms: Agni-V import bill of India: Petroleum 874) From which place India conducts its missile tests: 856) As per the RBI guidelines, cash withdrawals of up to Wheeler Island off Odisha coast Rs. ______a day from point of sale terminals are allowed: 1,000 875) NASA has launched an unmanned spacecraft Ladee for what purpose: To explore the surface of 857) Which type of banking transactions can be carried moon out using plastic money: Debit / Credit card transactions 876) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia has recently been honured with which prestigious Indian 858) What is the popular name for the total money supply Award: Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, – M3 in the country: Broad Money Disarmament and Development-2012

859) What is the priority sector lending target fixed by 877) Durand Cup is associated with which sports:

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 84 Football 895) Recent RBI guidelines have asked banks to close accounts of those customers who use their credit or 878) Durand Cup for 2013 was won by ______debit cards for ______transactions: Online after a gap of 73 years: Mohammedan Sporting, Forex Kolkata As per the food security Act notified recently, 879) Durand Cup Football tournament was held at which 896) ______% of country’s population will be covered place: New Delhi under food guarantee: 67 880) Dinesh K. Sarraf has been appointed head of which Which state in India emerged as the hottest Maharatna company: Oil and Natural Gas 897) investment destination for new projects: Odisha Corporation World largest solar power plant is being setup in 881) With a view to boost exports, government has raised 898) India at which place: Sambar Lake, Rajasthan interest subvention on export loans to ______percent: Three 899) Govt has finalised the timeline for implementation of 882) 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted jointly by the mega ADKIC project to promote industrial activity in north India. What is the full form of which two countries: Australia and New Zealand ADKIC: Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkata Industrial 883) Govt. has recently relaxed certain pre conditions in Corridor case of FDI in which field: Multi Brand Retail 900) For which part of India govt. has approved Rs. 2,130 884) With which country India has an arrangement to pay crore expenditure under Special Accelerated Road in Indian rupees for its import of crude oil: Iran Development Programme (SARDP): North East Region 885) Name the veteran British journalist and broadcaster, famous for his TV interviews of various Heads of 901) RBI has allowed banks to open branches, including States, who passed away recently: David Frost in Tier 1 centres without its prior permission. Which city come under tier 1: Centres cities with 886) How many industries are there in the core sector population of one lakh and above within Index of Industrial Production (IIP): Eight 902) The Reserve Bank has advised banks to allot a 887) Which country has agreed to contribute 41% share different product code in their core banking solution in the creation of a $100-billion Currency Reserve to which type of accounts: Accounts which are Fund (CRF) by BRICS: China dormant or inoperative for over two years

888) Name the noted Bengali author who was killed in 903) Which film will represent India in the Best Foreign Afghanistan by Taliban: Sushmita Banerjee Film category at 2014 Oscar Awards in USA: The Good Road 889) The mobile phone business of Nokia Corporation of Finland has been taken over by which multinational 904) Govt. has submitted in Supreme Court that it intends company: Microsoft to go ahead with Sethusamudram Project. It is located in which area of India: Rocky terrain 890) A robot astronaut called ______developed by between India and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Toyota Company of Japan, has made history by Mannar becoming the first robot ever to speak in space: Kirobo 905) What is the geographical name for the Sethusamudram: Adam’s Bridge 891) As per recent RBI guidelines, Indians travelling abroad can carry Indian currency of up to 906) At which place is the World's highest-altitude civilian Rs.______per person: 10,000 airport, located 4,411 meters above sea level: Daocheng, Near Tibet, China 892) Which state in India has recorded the lowest proportion of 3.66 % of poor living below poverty 907) Super Typhoon Usagi has caused widespread line in urban areas: Sikkim damage in which part of the world: Philippines and Taiwan 893) Which state in India has the lowest proportion – 5.09%, of the poor living below poverty line: Goa 908) Who has been elected as the 12th President of Pakistan: Mamnoon Hussain 894) India has recorded the largest increase in its UHNI club among the BRICS nations in the last one 909) Recently India post released a commemorative year, with a total of 7,850 super rich people in the stamp in the memory of freedom fighter and veteran country. What is the full form of UHNI: Ultra-High journalist Lala Jagat Narain. Name the news paper Networth Individual founded by him: Punjab Kesari

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 85 910) Kaesong industrial park was the matter of dispute Clinton Global Citizen Award: Bunker Roy between which two countries: North and South 925) RBI has directed banks to stop ______loans Korea schemes as they tend to befool the consumers into 911) Govt. has started a Rs. 1000 crore Nirbhaya Corpus believing that bank funding come for free: zero per Fund for what purpose: For empowerment and cent protection of women 926) With which country India conducted a joint military 912) Name the first programme started from Nirbhaya exercise in general combat and mountain warfare: Fund, aimed at helping the women who need special Nepal protection measures, such as women in prostitution 927) Indo-nepal joint military exercise was recently held or widowed women: Shubh at which place: Pithoragarh, Uttrakhand Ray Dolby, an inventor and audio pioneer from USA, 913) 928) Erna Solberg has been elected as Prime Minister of founder of Dolby Laboratories, passed away which country: Norway recently. He is known for which product: Dolby Stereo Sound System 929) Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey tournament was held at Johar Bahru in which country: Malaysia 914) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has become the first regulator in the world 930) National Junior Athletics Championship held to start an ______system: Insurance at______, Kerala: Kochi Repository 931) In which country a legislative decree has been 915) Name the international literary prize that has now passed for reserving one seat in their parliament for been made open to English authors from all over the persons of Sikh/Hindu religion: Afghanistan world: The Man Booker Prize 932) Wolesi Jirga is the equivalent of Indian Lok Sabha in 916) President of which country recently cancelled its which country: Afghanistan official visit to USA to protest against the spying excesses of National Security Agency of USA: 933) A severe earthquake of 7.7 magnitude that caused Dilma Rousseff of Brazil widespread devastation in ______district of Balochistan, Pakistan: Awaran 917) Which country has recently started Direct Banking, offering banking services not through branches but 934) Name the author of the book “Never Go Back”: Lee through various other means like internet, mobiles Child and ATMs: China 935) The sustainable mountain development summit was 918) Name the former world heavyweight boxing held at which place: Kohima, Nagaland champion, considered one of the greatest fighter of his era, who passed away recently: Ken Norton 936) The picture, The Good Road, that has been nominated from India to Oscars, has been made in 919) The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs is planning to which language: Gujarati rope in celebrities as brand ambassadors for the five minority communities. Name these five 937) Name the film that won the Best Asian Film Award th communities: Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, at the 38 Toronto International Film Festival in Buddhist and Parsis Canada: Qissa, A Punjabi Film

920) Name the organization that has acquired the Rs. 600 938) Govt has notified ______as the new date for crore research vessel named Samudra Ratnakar: implementing GAAR: April 1, 2016 Geological Survey of India 939) What is the full form of GAAR: General Anti 921) Who has been elected as Chancellor of Germany for Avoidance Rules the third time in a row: Angela Markel (Ms) 940) GAAR form an internal part of which law: Income 922) India has been granted ‘authorizing nation’ status Tax Act for certifying which type of products: Electronics 941) Grand Master Vidit Gujrathi who won the bronze and IT Products medal at an international event, is from which 923) Sandeep Tulsi Yadav created history by winning game: Chess India’s first ever wrestling medal in 942) The 18th International Children's Film Festival ______category at World Wrestling (ICFFI)will be held at which place: Hyderabad Championships: Greco-Roman 943) The Golden Elephant award for best film is given at 924) Name the Indian who has been honoured with which film festival: International Children's Film

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 86 Festival 944) Name the movie that won the best film award at the Ladakh International Film Festival: “OASS” AJAB GAJAB DUNIA 945) Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) and National Bamboo Mission WEDDING AT 130 METERS UNDERWATER (NBM) have been merged with which other major A wet wedding day would be a disaster for most couples, national mission: National Horticultural Mission but not for Hiroyuki Yoshida from Japan and his wife Sandra (NHM). Smith from US who set a new Guinness world record for 946) RBI Governor Dr. Raghuram G Rajan has recently deepest underwater wedding, tying the knot at 130 meters been honoured for his ground breaking research below the surface, in a ceremony spread over three hours in work by which German Bank: Deutsche Bank a cave at Song Hong Lake, Trang, Thailand. 947) A panel headed by Raghuram Rajan has recommended a new methodology based on a FIREPROOF PAPER FROM CHINA ______for devolving funds for development of Chinese scientists have invented a new kind of fire resistant states: 'Multi Dimensional Index (MDI)'. paper that will not catch fire even at 1000 degrees Celsius. 948) As per Raghuram Rajan report on allocation of funds It can be used for long time purpose to save the important for development of states, which are the three documents. development categories of the states: Least, Relatively and Less developed PUTTING PACEMAKER WITHOUT OPERATION 949) A panel headed by Raghuram Rajan has identified An Indian-origin doctor has implanted the first miniature- which state of India as least developed: Odisha, sized, leadless cardiac pacemaker in USA, directly inside a followed by Bihar patient’s heart without surgery. It is implanted directly 950) A panel headed by Raghuram Rajan has identified inside the heart during a catheter-guided procedure through which state of India as most developed: Goa, the groin via the femoral artery. followed by Kerala 951) Supreme Court has ruled that for a vibrant FINALLY, BRITISH FORCES MAY BE AT PEACE democracy the voter has the right to negative voting This year when British forces finally come out of by rejecting all the candidates in fray by exercising Afghanistan, it will be the first instance since at least 1914 the option of ______in EVMs and ballot papers: that British soldiers, sailors and air crews will not be None of the Above (NOTA) engaged in fighting somewhere in the world. Since 952) For which metro city ADB has offered a $ 400 million Britain’s declaration of war against Germany in August 1914, loan to improve water and sanitation system: not a year has passed without its forces being involved in Kolkata conflict. 953) NASA’s unmanned rover – Curiosity has recently discovered traces of water in the soil cover of which WATCH TO TELL TIME BY FRAGRANCE planet: Mars A new chemical-based watch lets you know what time of 954) Miss Philippines ______has been selected as Miss the day it is by emitting specially-designed fragrances. A World 2013: Megan Young fully functional prototype of the Scent Rhythm watch has 955) In a recent ruling of National Green Tribunal, been developed by Aisen Caro Chacin, a Physical Computing digging of ______has been banned across the Lecturer at The New School, New York. The watch emits country: Soil (Earth) the scents in minute doses and in tune with circadian cycle

of the human body.

OLDEST LIVING FAMILY @ 880 YEARS A family of 13 siblings— eight brothers and five sisters in

Shimoga, Karnataka that claims to have a combined age of over 880 years, has staked claim with the Guinness World Records to be the oldest-living family in the world. Current

record is held by the Brudenell siblings of London, adding up an amazing 855 years.

NOW, A DEVICE TO READ BOOKS FOR YOU Finger Reader, a device developed by the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Media Lab, reads text aloud as users run their fingers over each word. The device can be used by visually impaired people who require help with accessing printed text and also for language translation.

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.

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 87 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM TO SUBSCRIBE THIS MAGAZINE GYANM COLLEGE Simply SMS ‘GYANM’ TO ‘09646888377’ OR EMAIL YOUR REQUEST AT: [email protected] OF COMPETITIONS

SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD: ONLY 12 MONTHS

FROM (MONTH) …………………..TO…………….(MONTH) Opens New AMOUNT: ` 500/ - ` 450 / - (Mark ) For individuals ` 500/-, For Institutions `450/-.

I am preparing for: Bank PO Management Bank Branch in Clerk SSC Exams Railway Exams Others

Name: Mr. / Ms:……………………………………………….…. DOB:……..../……..../………..… BARNALA

Address:…………………………………………………………….… ………………………………………………………………………….… (WITH NEW FACULTY)

……………………………………………………………………………. City:……………………………………………………………………… BEST CLASSROOM …………………………….District:………………………………….. COACHING FOR

State: ………………..…………………..PIN:

Email: ………………………………………………………………….. BANK PO–CLERK

Ph./Mob…………………………………………………..………… SSC–FCI–PUNJAB

Subscription amount can be credited to our Bank GOVT. EXAMS A/c No. 317 372 10954 at State Bank of India, Phase 10, Mohali (Punjab), IFS Code – SBIN0004421 or NAVCHETAN BOOK DEPOT, by MULTICITY Cheque/Draft favouring “Gyanm 2ND FLOOR, Education & Training Institute Pvt. Ltd.” payable at Chandigarh. NEAR SD COLLEGE,

Date:……………… Signature K.C. ROAD, BARNALA (Magazine will be sent by Ordinary Post)

GYANM COLLEGE OF COMPETITIONS, HO: SCO 13-15, 2ND M: 09646988377 FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH, PH: 0172-4052124

GENERAL AWARENESS – APRIL 2014 88