Articles from General Knowledge Today

Current Affairs: November 20, 21, 2013

2013-11-26 10:11:53 GKToday

1. The United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) has recently issued a warning about the nitrous oxide, which is now biggest threat to the ozone layer. Which among the following is the biggest human activity, that causes maximum nitrous oxide emission? [A]Agriculture [B]Industries [C]Mining [D]Automobiles Agriculture Nitrous oxide is one of several greenhouse agents which are dubbed Cinderella gases, because their contribution passes unnoticed. Nitrous oxide exists naturally in the atmosphere but agriculture is by far the biggest human source, producing two-thirds of emissions. It is also used in dentistry and surgery as anaesthetic and a painkiller. Now, researchers say that is has emerged as the single biggest threat to the ozone layer since chlorofluorocarbons and other damaging gases were restricted by the Montreal Protocol signed in 1987. Show Answer 2. Frederick Sanger, who passed away, recently was a ___? [A]Economist [B]Biochemist [C]Author [D]Philanthropist Biochemist Frederick Sanger was a British biochemist, who twice won the Nobel Prize in chemistry and was a pioneer of genome sequencing. He was died at the age of 95. Sanger first won the Nobel Prize in 1958 at the age of 40 for his work on the structure of proteins. Again in 1980 he was jointly awarded Nobel Prize with Stanford Universitys Paul Berg and Walter Gilbert, for their work determining base sequences in nucleic acids. Show Answer 3. On November 21, 2013 India entered the golden jubilee of the launch of its rocket. Indias first rocket was launched from which among the following places? [A]Thumba [B]Balsore [C]Sriharikota [D]Wheeler Island Thumba India entered the golden jubilee of the launch of its first rocket from the coastal hamlet of Thumba. The American-built rocket was fired on November 1, 1963. The launch site in due course came to be known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station and later became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, a major centre of ISRO named after pioneer of Indian space Vikram Sarabhai. Show Answer 4. The Aranumala International Airport is an airport project planned to be built in which state? [A]Kerala [B]Madhya Pradesh [C]Gujarat [D]Odisha

Kerala Aranumala International Airport is planned to be built at Aranumala, Kerala, at a cost of Rs 2,000 crores. The airport is proposed to be built on about 700 acres of land. The project faces strong protest from environmentalists and local people as well as the opposition parties in Kerala. Show Answer 5. Which of the following countries is hosting the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference? [A]Poland [B]Peru [C]Norway [D]Sweden Poland The 2013 UN Climate Change Conference being held in Warsaw, Poland from 11 to 22 November 2013, is the 19th yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 19) to the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP 9) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Show Answer 6. As per the RBI guidelines Public Sector Banks has to give loans to women SHGs at the interest rate of __? [A]5 percent [B]6 percent [C]7 percent [D]8 percent 7 percent The RBI directed public sector banks to provides loans to women self help groups at a rate of 7 per cent per annum so to get benefit of interest rate subvention scheme under the SGSY-Aajeevika scheme. Show Answer 7. Which of the following countries has recently tested its first stealth drone, joining the elite group of four nations in the world to develop the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle? [A]China [B]Japan [C]Pakistan [D]India China China has successfully tested its stealth drone, joining the elite group of four nations in the world to develop the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle. With this test flight China become the fourth power in the world, after the US, the EU and the UK, capable of putting a stealth drone into the sky. Show Answer 8. The Tirumayam Fort popular for its architectural beauty of rock-cut temples is located in which state? [A]Kerala [B]Tamil Nadu [C]Maharashtra [D]Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu The Tirumayam Fort is a 40-acre wide fortress in the town of Thirumayam, Tamil Nadu. It was constructed by Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi, the Raja of Ramnad in 1687. Recently, this fort is in news for discovery of rock paintings at three places atop the fort. Show Answer 9. Who among the following is the new Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India? [A]Justice D K Jain [B]Justice A P Shah [C]Justice Vikram Sen [D]Justice Gopal Gowda Justice A P Shah The former Chief Justice of Delhi High court, Justice

Ajit Prakash Shah, has taken over as Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India. The post fell vacant following the resignation of Justice D K Jain. Show Answer 10. Magnus Carlsen who has been recently become the youngest worlds chess championship belongs to which country? [A]Russia [B]Sweden [C]France [D]Norway Norway Norways Magnus Carlsen ended 5 times title-holder Viswanathan Anands reign as the world champion. Magnus Carlsen took the crown after a hard-fought draw in the 10th game of the World Chess Championship match. This was the first time in 8 world championship matches starting from 1995 that Anand has was unable to win even a single game. Show Answer