GENERAL STUDIES MCQ ON CURRENT EVENTS*

GENERAL STUDIES

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS(MCQs) ON

CURRENT EVENTS

1. Foreign tourist arrivals in the country, for the first time, crossed the four million figure in the following calendar year

a) 2004

b) 2005

c) 2006

d) 2007

2. The total coal extracted from the coalfields of India since 1950 upto 2004-05 is 8 billion tonnes. Geological Survey of India (GSI) estimates say that the following is the total coal reserves in the country

a) 150 billion tonnes

b) 200 billion tonnes

c) 255.17 billion tonnes

d) 400 billion tonnes

3. Known as the "Iron Silk Road”, the Trans Asian Rail would span as many as 28 countries and run for about 81,000 km. Eighteen members of the UN Economic and social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the TAR in November 2006. Answer which one of the South asian countries is not a member of the Trans Asian Railway network of which India is a member.

a. Bhutan

b. Nepal

c. Sri Lanka

d. Bangladesh

a) a

b) a and c

c) a and b

d) a,b,c and d

4. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Indian Mountaineering Foundation and Chinese Academy of Science was signed in December, 2006 for Indo-China Scientific Expedition to the sources of two rivers. Answer the wrong one

a. Beas

b. Brahmputra

c. Sutlej

d. Chenab

a) a and d

b) a and c

c) a,b,c and d

d) a and b

5. Clause (1) of Article 164 of the Constitution provides that there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare for specified States. Constitution (Ninety-fourth Amendment) Act 2006 amended the clause to the following effect. Answer the wrong one

a) it excludes Bihar from its purview

b) it extends the provisions of Clause (1) of Article 164 to Chhattisgarh

c) it extends the provisions of Clause (1) of Article 164 to Jharkhandd.

d) None of the above

6.Match the following: On the left are the States and on the right are the population numbers of the Scheduled Tribes in the States

a. Bihar 0.9

b Jharkhand 26.3

c. Chattisgarh 31.8

d Madhya Pradesh 20.3

a) ab bc cd da

b) ac bd ca db

c) aa bb cc dd

d) ad bb cc da

7. Constitution (One hundred and third amendments) Bill, 2004 relates to the following

a) confer constitutional status on the National Commission for Minorities

b) confer constitutional status on National Human Rights Commission

c) National Commission for Women

d) All the above

8. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) is a scheme for residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities. The Scheme was approved in 2004. The scheme provides for opening of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya schools in educationally backward blocks where the female literacy is below the national average and the gender gap in literacy is more than the national average. In view of the targeted nature of the scheme, minimum 75% of the enrolment is reserved for girls from SC, ST, OBC or minority communities and for the remaining 25%, priority is accorded to girls from families below the poverty line. The pattern of financing is the following regarding the share contributed by the central and State Government respectively

a. 50:50

b. 25:50

c. 100% centrally sponsored scheme

d. 100% state sponsored scheme

Answer the wrong one about the Market Stabilization Bonds. They were

a. introduced in 2004

b. they are government securities

c. they are issued by the Union Ministry of Finance

d. they carry an interest rate of 6%

a) a and c

b) b and c

c) c and d

d) a and d

9. Bt. Cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) crop approved for commercial cultivation in India by Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) . GEAC is in the following Union Ministry/Department

a) Ministry of Environment and Forests

b) Ministry of Food and Agriculture

c) Ministry of Science and Technology

d) Department of Biotechnology

10. The difference between a National Park and a Sanctuary under the Indian laws is that no human activity is permitted inside a National Park, while limited activities are permitted inside a Sanctuary. Moreover, National Parks receive more financial support from the Central Government. The following sanctuary in Maharashtra is being converted into a National Park. Answer the right one

a) Bhamragarh

b) Karnala

c) Chandoli

d) Bor

11. A casual vacancy to a seat in Parliament is created by many occurrences. One of the following occasions creates a casual vacancy

a. a member of Parliament resigns

b. A member of Parliament expires

c. a member of Parliament is expelled

d. a member of Parliament is disqualified for defection

a) a and d

b) c and d

c) a,b and c

d) a,b,c and d

12. The following programme was started to provide foodgrains at highly subsidized rates to one crore poorest of the poor families. The AAY has been expanded since then to cover 2.5 crore BPL households

a) Annapurna

b) Food for work programme

c) Antydaya Anna Yojana

d) Lok Nayak Daridra Narayan Programme

13. In India, mining of gold is subject to provisions of the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957, Mineral Concession Rules, 1960, and Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 1988. In the following place, gold is recovered as by-product from copper slime( secondary gold)

a) Singhbhum (East) District Jharkhand

b) Ghatsila Smelter, Bihar

c) Hutti(Karnataka)

d) All the above

14. A National Wildlife Action Plan was adopted in 2002 by the Indian Board for Wild Life under the chairmanship of Prime Minister . The plan outlines the strategy for conservation and protection of wildlife in the country. It should be completed by the following year

a) 2010

b) 2012

c) 2015

d) 2016

15. The Law Commission in its 120th Report recommended that the present strength of 10.5 judges per one million population be increased to the following

a) 100 judges per million population

b) 50 judges per million population

c) 20 judges per million population

d) There is no need to increase the ratio but to fill up all the vacancies propmptly and introduce electronic management of court work

16. The base year for the Index of Industrial Production is the following

a) 1993-94

b) 1999-2000

c) 2000-2001

d) 2006-2007

17. Statistics related to the demand and availability of fertilizers- urea, DAP ( Diammonium Phosphate) and MOP( muriate of potash ) in the country during 2006-07 were the following. Answer the right one

a) 32 million tonnes- both demand and availability

b) 22 million tonnes demand and 10 million tonnes availability

c) 11 million tones demand and availability

d) 121 million tonnes demand and 75 million tonnes availability

18. In the Indian Constitution, water is a subject that is in the following List

a) Union List

b) State List

c) Concurrent List

d) Residuary subject

19. In order to determine backwardness of a district for the introduction of various schemes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee programme , one of the following is not considered as a valid criterion

a) SC/ST population

b) inverse of agricultural productivity

c) agricultural wages

d) literacy and longevity

20. Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) working to investigate into corporate frauds in India is in the following Union Ministry

a) Ministry of Company Affairs

b) Ministry of Commerce and Industry

c) Ministry of Finance

d) Prime Minister’s Office(PMO)

21. Following new railway line projects are included in the Budget for North-East region during the last one year are:

a) Dimapur-Kohima New Line (88 km)

b) Azra-Byrnihat New Line (30 km)

c) Aluabari Road-Siliguri Gauge conversion (76 kms)

d) Guawahati – Dimapur( 280 km)

22. ‘Ananya’ Festival’ was organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in New Delhi for the following

a) to celebrate emergence of the Indian Women as an empowered one

b) to promote sports among women at the global level

c) to celebrate classical Indian dances

d) to promote art forms for the girl child

23. One of the following taxes is not imposed on the exporters in India

a) Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT)

b) Value Added Tax(VAT)

c) Both

d) Neither

24. The Government is funding the project of construction of Transmission Line of 202 kms from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul . This project will supply power to Kabul from the following neighbouring country

a) Uzbekistan

b) Turkministan

c) Khazakhstan

d) None of the above

25. Ninth Schedule to the Indian Constitution contains 284 items and the objective is to render them immunity from judicial review in order to expedite their implementation as most of them are related to land reforms. The following Article of the Indian Constitution is associated with the Ninth Schedule

a) Art.31A

b) Art.31B

c) Art.31C

d) Art.31D

26. Service tax is made explicit by the 88^th Constitution Amendment Act 2003. It was a residuary item till then. Only the Union Parliament can impose service tax, according to the amendment. The following is the entry in the Union List that was introduced by the 88^th Amendment Act.

a) 92a

b) 92b

c) 92c

d) 93a

27. Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha. When there is a vacancy in the post of the Vice President of India, the following acts as the Vice President of India

a) President of India

b) Speaker of Lok Sabha

c) Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha

d) none of the above

28. According to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty(NPT), a nuclear weapon state is one that has manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear. explosive device prior to

a) 1 January 1964

b) 1 January 1966

c) 1 January, 1967

d) 1 January 1970

29. Vietnam is the following member of the World Trade Organization

a) 148^th

b) 150^th

c) 155^th

d) 160^th

30. Wikipedia is widely followed. WIKI stands for

a) World Is Knowing Internationally

b) what I know is

c) With International Knowledge Incorporated

d) With Infinite Knowledge Institution

31. One of the following is not a consequence of reduction of peak customs duty

a) imported goods will be cheaper

b) trade balance will be more as duties are reduced

c) economy becomes competitive

d) all the above

32. President of France is elected for a term of

a) 7 years

b) 6 years

c) 5 years

d) 9 years

33. Art. 9 of the Japan Constitution permits only self defence forces Therefore, japan does not have security agreement with many countries. Japan and the following country signed a security pact, the first defence treaty for Japan with a nation other than the United States since the end of World War II

a) Australia

b) South Korea

c) China

d) India

34. Salaries of Members of Parliament are covered by the following Article of the Indian Constitution

a) Art.101

b) Art.102

c) Art.103

d) Art.105

35. European Monetary Union(EMU) has 13 members . The country that joined in 2007 was

a) Slovenia

b) Slovakia

c) Sweden

d) Denmark

36.The power of the Parliament to expel its members is contained in the following Article

a) Art.102

b) Art.103

c) both

d) neither

37. The first bilateral agreement on social security that India has signed was in November 2006 with the following country

a) Denmark

b) Belgium

c) Norway

d) United Kingdom

38. Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh laid the foundation for Global Automotive Research Centre in

a) Pune

b) Mumbai

c) Chennai

d) Ahmedabad

39. SAMARTHYA 2006”, organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with State Government of Punjab & Haryana, is an exhibition of assistive devices, teaching kit, learning material services and barrier free features that not only provides a unique opportunity for obtaining information on technologies available in the field of disability, but also provides a forum for exchange of ideas among the users and providers of rehabilitation services. It also aims at creating awareness about prevention, early intervention and barrier free environment among general public. It was held in

a) Ropar

b) Bhatinda

c) Chandigarh

d) Pamchkula

40. Gini index measures income inequality in a country. The following two figures apply to India and United States of America respectively

a) 32.5 and 40.8

b) 20 and 35.3

c) 43.9 and 36.5

d) 26 and 12

41. Answer the wrong one. Under the NREGA, if a person who is eligible for work is not provided work, he needs to be paid compensation by the State Government. The value of the allowance is the following

a) ¼ of the minimum wage for the first 30 days

b) ½ the minimum wage for the first 30 days

c) Minimum wage fully till the person is given employment

d) There is no such provision

42. One of the following recommendations is not given by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Veerappa Moily in the fourth report submitted by it with the title” Ethics in Governance”

a) National Judicial Council should be set up to lay down code of conduct for the judges

b) it should have the power to recommend removal of judges to the President of India

c) Art.124 must be amended to discard the impeachment process for the judges of the Supreme Court

d) None of the above

43. Cross border supply of services is found in the following mode in general Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade organization

a) Mode 1

b) Mode 2

c) Mode 3

d) Mode 4

44. If the rate of growth of prices is the least, it is called

a) creeping inflation

b) trotting

c) tolerable

d) benign inflation

45. If the name of a State is to be changed, the following Article of the Indian Constitution has the procedure

a) Art.2

b) Art.3

c) Art.4

d) Art.9

46. Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) consists of the shortfalls of the following

a) priority sector lending

b) differential interest lending

c) local area development funds of MPs and MLAs

d) all the above

47. The Central Government has set up five Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunals so far. One of the following is wrong

a) Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal

b) Brahmaputra Water Disputes Tribunal

c) Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal

d) Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal

48. According to section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, no person shall vote in an election if he is confined in a prison. Answer the wrong one. Prisoner can, however, vote if

a) He is serving a sentence of simple imprisonment

b) He is under transportation

c) He is not in judicial custody but only in the lawful custody of the police

d) All the above

49. The salaries of the following are not charged on the Consolidated Fund of India (Art.112)

a) Speaker of Lok Sabha

b) Union Public Service Commission( UPSC)Members

c) Comptroller and Auditor General of India

d) Chief Election Commissioner

50. Wassenaar arrangement is an arms control convention with 40 participating states aiming at Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies. It was established in 1996, in the Dutch town of the same name, near The Hague. A Secretariat for administrating the Wassenaar agreement is located in

a) Geneva

b) Canberra

c) Vienna

d) London

* Answers tomorrow!!