CURRENT AFFAIRS NATIONAL

1. Sri Lanka announced in Feb­ruary 2013 that despite some teething troubles, National Thermal Power Corporation's (NTPC) first overseas coal-fired power project at Sampur is pro­gressing. Which of the follow­ing statements is/are correct r egard ing this impor tan t project?

a. It is coming up in Trincomalee district of Sri Lanka.

b. NTPC and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) signed an agree­ment in 2011 to set up a coal fuel-based 500 MW plant at a cost of over Rs 4,000 crore at Sampur. Select the correct answer su­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

2. Oil and Natural Gas Corpora­tion's (ONGC) charter-hired Transocean's ultra-deep-water drill-ship was announced in February 2013 to have set a world record for the deepest well drilled by an offshore rig. With reference to it, which of the following statements is /are correct? ( l ) The Reliance block where

the drilling was done is in the Cauvery-Palar offshore basin

(2) Blocks in the Cauvery-Palar region are called "wild cat" blocks in the exploration industry

(3) Drilling a deepwater well costs Rs 300-400 crore

(4) All of the above

3. Indian Air Force conducted its first day-night exercise in Feb­ruary 2013 to demonstrate combat and fire prowess at Rajasthan's Pokharan firing range, marking the debut of indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas. The mammoth fire power exercise was named

(1) Soaring Heights (2) Iron Fist (3) New Frontiers (4) Horizon

4. The exper t commi t t ee on Streamlining Short-Term Co­operative Credit Structure in India made news recently for having suggested that the Cen­tral cooperative banks (CCBs) should strive to have at least 70 per cent of their loan port­folio for agriculture. Who is the head of this committee? (1) Abhijit Sen (2) Rajeev Shukla (3) Prakash Bakshi (4) Aruna Roy

5. Adding a new dimension to their strategic ties, India and the UK, on 19 February 2013 decided to start negotiations on a civil nuclear pact to fa­cilitate entry of British com­panies into emerging atomic power sector. With which of the following countries has India not signed civil nuclear pacts? (1) United States of America

and France (2) Kazakhstan and South Ko­

rea (3) Mongolia and Canada (4) China and North Korea

6. From which country did India suspend jewellery imports in

February 2013 on apprehen­sions thai exporters of other countries were routing their exports through there to take advantage of the bilateral trade agreement between the two'? (1) Nepal (2) Bhutan (3) Thailand (4) Myanmar

7. A foreign defence company Ftp meccanica was recently at the centre of a probe into alleged bribery allegations in the Rs 3,546 crore contracts to sup­ply 12• W I P helicopters to In­dia. Finmeccanica is a defence company of

(1) Sweden (2) Italy (3) Britain (4) Canada

8. The Rai lways, in February 2013, announced its plans to complete the world's highest rail bridge by 2016. On which among the following rivers, is this arch-shaped bridge com­ing up? (1) Ravi (2) Chenab (3) Brahmaputra (4) Sullej

9. The Advanced Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementa­tion Initiative (AKRUTI) was launched by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in February 2013. With reference to it, which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. The programme aims to create structured and scalable net­work of technology nodes in rural areas providing easy ac­cess to modern technologies to all villagers in their own vil­lages.

b. 'AKRUTI' is an acronym for 'Ad­vance Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementation' programme. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: ( l )Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

10- India's first wildlife skywalk was announced to come up in Maenam wildlife sanctuary in February 2013. In which state is this sanc tuary located which has the distinction of having around per cent of its geographical area under pro­tected area network? (1) Assam (2) Sikkim (3) Meghalaya (4) Nagaland

11. According to the 'Open Bud-gel Sucvey 2012' released by the International Budget Partner­ship in February 2013, India's open budget index (OBI) score improved from 67 in 2010 to 68 in 2012. What was the over­all rank of India among 100 countries featuring in this list? ( l )7 th (2) 11th (3) 14th (4) 22nd

12. In a bid to ensure a secure fu­ture for two of the most criti­cally endangered birds—Great Indian bustard and Jerdon's Courser - the Forest Depart­ment recently announced to 'Special Recovery Plans' from April 2013. To which state of India is Jerdon's Courser en­demic? (1) Rajasthan (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Goa (4) Maharashtra

13. India and Austria inked social security contribution pact in Vienna on 4 February 2013. Which of the followings state­ments is/are correct regarding this pact?

a. Under the agreement, India workers on short-term con­tracts of up to five years will

not be required to make any social security contribution in Austria provided they contin­ue to make social security pay­ments India,

b. As per the pact, Indian work­ers will be entitled to "export" of their social security bene­fits if they relocate to India after completion of their ser­vice in Austria. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b

(3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

14. Public sector defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), on 8 February 2013 handed over the indigenously built Weapon System Integrat­ed (WSI) he l i copter -Rudra (ALH WSI Mk-IV) to the Indi­an Army . In this context , which of the following state­ments is/are correct?

(1) Rudra is the Mk-IV variant of Advanced Light Helicop­ter (ALH) designed and man­ufactured by HAL

(2) The helicopter is fitted with weapons, targeting systems, warning and counter mea­sure systems and surviv­ability features

(3) The helicopter is fitted with three sighting systems i.e., Electro Optic Pod, Helmet Mounted Sight and Fixed Sight

(4) All of the above 15. The environment ministry, in

February 2013, constituted a committee to review how ele­phant reserves and corridors across the country can gel a higher level of legal protection under existing green laws. This committee is headed by

(1) Vinod Rishi (2) J.D. Sharma (3) M.D. Madhusudan (4) Ajay Desai

16. Indian Coast Guard ship Ra-jratan, the fifth in a series of eight inshore patrol vessels (IP" s), was commissioned by

Director General Indian Coast Guard Vice Admiral M.P. Mu-ralidharan on 1 1 February 2013. Rajratan has been indig­enously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, (1) Panaji (2) Puri (3) Kolkata (4) Chennai

17. Which oi the following union ministries launched the My India Initialive-A Digital Vol­unteer Programme' on 7 Feb ruary 2013 that aims at dis­seminating the development messages across the Social Media platforms by registering citizens as volunteers in an effort to contribute positively towards nation building? (1) Ministry of Science and

Technology (2) Ministry of Communica­

tions (3) Ministry of Information &

Broadcasting (4) Ministry of Telecommunica­

tion 18. India's fastest supercomputer,

the second generation Param Yuva II was inaugurated at the Centre for Development of Ad­vanced Computing (C-DAC) facility in Pune in February 2013. With reference to it. which of the following state menls is/are correct':'

a. The supercomputer is capable of crunching data tip to 524 terallops, about 10 times fast­er than the Param Yuya-I.

b. The supercomputer will make weather predictions quicker. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

19. Which of the following bodies, in February 2013. penalized the Board of Control for Crick­et in India (BCCI) for what it said was the abuse oi its dom­inant position'.-' (1) Competition Commission

of India

r

(2) SEBI (3) IRDA (4) Supreme Court of India

20. The 4th meeting of BASIC En­vironment Ministers was host­ed by India from 15 February to 16 February 2013. Where was this meeting held? (1) Bangalore (2) Chennai (3) Mumbai (4) Nasik

21. Which of the following bodies came out with an 'Electoral Trust Scheme' in February 2013, which lays down the pro­cedure for grant of approval to an electoral trust? (1) Elect ion Commiss ion of

India (2) Central Board of Direct Tax­

es (CBDT) (3) Ministry of Corporate Af­

fairs (4) Central Vigilance Commis­

sion 22. The government, in February

2013, appointed a one-man Inquiry Committee, headed by former Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court, to in­quire into reports on the US lobbying activities of Wal-Mart for access to India market. Who is the head of this Inqui­ry Committee?

(1) V.N. Khare (2) Y.K. Sabharwal (3) Mukul Mudgal (4) R.C. Lahoti

23. The first of the 75 Pilatus trainer aircraft procured by the IAF under a Rs 2,800 crore deal to train its rookie pilots ar­rived in India in February 2013. Which country is provid­ing these aircrafts to the Indi­an Air Force?

(1) Israel (2) United States (3) Switzerland (4) France

24. India and which country signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) in February 2013 that among other things calls for transparent sharing of

information and lays down that that the requesting state has to provide some minimum details about the information requested in order to justify the foreseeably relevance criteria? (1) Gibraltar (2) Liberia

' (3) Argentina (4) Guernsey 25. The Ministry of Information

and Broadcasting (I&B) recent­ly set up a panel to examine issues regarding certification under the Cinematograph Act. Which of the following state­ments is/are correct in this regard?

a. The panel will be chaired by retired Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal.

b. The committee will suggest measures to equip the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to deal with the in­creasing number of contempo­rary requirements of certifica­tion and increase in its trans­parency and efficiency. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: ( l )On ly a

(2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

26. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) re­cently approved ONGC Videsh Ltd's acquisition of stake in the Azer i -Ch i rag-Gunash l i (ACG) oil f ie lds. In which country are these oilfields lo­cated? (1) Azerbaijan (2) Kazakhstan (3) Georgia (4) Armenia

27. New Delhi (India) hosted the first India-Japan Maritime Af­fairs Dialogue in February 2013. During this meeting, both sides deliberated on is­sues of mutual interest, inter alia, (1) Maritime security including

non-traditional threats (2) Cooperation in shipping,

marine sciences and tech­nology

(3) Marine biodiversity and co­operation

(4) All of the above 28. India and which country, in

February 2013, decided to s trengthen cooperat ion in tourism sector especially in the sphere of human resource de­velopment, exchange of lour operators, investment in the tourism sector and exchange of information related to tour­ism sector? (1) China (2) Afghanistan (3) Japan (4) Singapore •

29. According to BP World Energy Outlook 2030, which was re­leased in February 2013, India is expected to overtake US as second largest coal consumer in (1)2016 (2)2020 (3) 2024 (4) 2030

30. India, in February 2013, prom­ised a donation of $2.5 million as humanitarian assistance for over 2 million Syrians dis­placed by the ongoing conflict in the country. The assistance could be in the form of

(1) Life saving drugs (2) Food (3) Other essential items (4) All of the above

31. Which of the following new manufacturing/maintenance facilities were announced to be set up by the Railway Budget 2013-2014?

a. A coach manufacturing unit in Sonepat district, Haryana.

b. A midlife rehabilitation (MLR) Workshop at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

c. Conversion of Bikaner and Pratapgarh workshops to un­dertake POH of BG wagons. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Both a and b (2) Only c (3) Only b (4) All of the above

STATES 32. Which of the following states

became the first in the coun­try to ban manual scavenging and barred the deployment of 'safai karamcharis' (cleaning staff) for manual sewer clean­ing on 26 February 2013?

(1) Tamil Nadu (2) Gujarat (3) Delhi (4) Sikkim

33. The Maharashtra government announced in February 2013 that Arv ind Krushi Mukta Vidyapeeth, the first-ever open agricultural university, dedi­cated to practical education in the field of agriculture will come up at

( l ) P u n e ' (2)Nasik (3) Nagpur (4) Satara

34. As per «the announcements made in the Railway Budget 2013-2014, a workshop for re­pair and rehabilitation of mo-torised bogies will be estab­lished at Misrod. In which state will this facility come up? (1) Gujarat (2) Himachal Pradesh (3) Madhya Pradesh (4) Karnataka

35. The National Capital of India, Delhi, was recently ranked last in the Planning Commission's Environmental Performance Index (EPI). In this context, which of the following state­ments is/are correct?

a. The rankings of EPI reflect the performance of the states de­pending upon 16 green indica­tors.

b. The indicators of EPI are di­vided under water quality, air quality, waste management, measures undertaken for cli­mate change adaptation as well as state of the forests. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

36. Which among the following States of India claimed in Feb­

ruary 2013 a world record 22.4 tonnes of rice harvest from one hectare of land without using herbicides or genetically mod­ified (GM) seeds? (1) Bihar (2) Uttar Pradesh (3) Punjab (4) Madhya Pradesh

37. In which of the following states is the North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Plant, which was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Investment in February 2013, located? (1) Jharkhand (2) Chhattisgarh (3) Odisha (4) West Bengal

38. The Census Data on 'Female Headed Households' was re­leased by Home ministry re­cently. According to it,

a. About 11% of total households in the country, constituting 27 million households, are head­ed by women.

b. The highest number of female-headed households is in Lak-shadweep at 43.7% and in Ker­ala at 23%. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: ( l )On ly a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

39. Which among the following States, in February 2013, set a new record for the country's highest-ever voter turnout with 93 per cent polling in the Assembly elections? (1) Arunachal Pradesh (2) Manipur (3) Tripura (4) Sikkim

40. Having signed an memoran­dum of understanding with National Thermal Power Cor­poration (NTPC), which state government, in February 2013, decided to establish the first Geothermal Power Plant of the country in the newly formed Ba l rampur distr ic t of the state?

(1) Gujarat (2) Rajasthan (3) Chhattisgarh (4) Jharkhand

41. Which among the following states of India, in February 2013, became the first in In­dia to introduce e-court fee in all its district courts which provides easy accessibility, fast­er processing, single court fee receipt of exact denomination irrespective of the amount and a unique e-court fee receipt number with bar code to en­sure security of transactions? (1) Delhi (2) Gujarat (3) Bihar (4) Kerala

42. By passing the Right to Hear­ing act 2012, which among the following states recently be­came the first state to make legislation to ensure hearing to common man on grievance within a fortnight? (1) Uttar Pradesh (2) Rajasthan ) (3) Himachal Pradesh (4) Punjab

43. The land acquisition for the Rs 52 ,000 -c ro r e Posco steel project was resumed amidst tight security at Gobindpur vi l lage in Odisha recently. Which district of the state is related to this project? ( l )AnguI

(2) Koraput (3) Jagatsinghpur (4) Bhadrak -

44. Narmada Bachao Andolan ac­tivists, on 12 February 2013, sought cancel lat ion of the Maheshwar project power pur­chase agreement between the S. Kumars group and a state government alleging high price of electricity per unit. Which state is in reference here? (1) Rajasthan (2) Uttar Pradesh (3) Madhya Pradesh (4) Gujarat

45. Which State, on 7 February 2013, unveiled the State gov­ernment's Aerospace Policy,

tbe first such pol icy s ta t ement in the coun t r y?

(1) Kera la

(2) Tami l Nadu

(3) K a r n a t a k a

(4) A n d h r a Pradesh

46. Acco rd ing to the Un ion B u d ­get 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4 , p r esen t ed by F inance Min is te r P. C h i d a m ­ba ram in Indian Par l iament on 28 February 2 0 1 3 , in w h i c h o f the fo l lowing s ta tes wil l 3 0 0 0 kms o f road pro jects be award ­ed in the first six m o n t h s of 2013-14?

(1) G u j a r a t a n d M a d h y a Pradesh

(2) Maha rash t r a

(3) R a j a s t h a n a n d U t t a r Pradesh

(4) Al l o f the above

47. W h i c h state g o v e r n m e n t o f In­dia recent ly l aunched a state­w ide Compute r i sa t i on o f Reg­is t ra t ion Pro j ec t t i t led " P a n -j eeyan"?

(1) Wes t Benga l

(2) U t ta rakhand

(3) A s s a m

(4) Jha rkhand

48. Wh i ch s ta te in Ind ia , in Feb ­ruary 2 0 1 3 , a n n o u n c e d to of­fer h ighes t spor ts s cho la rsh ip in the count ry by c onduc t i ng Spor ts and Phys ica l Ap t i tude Tes t (SPAT )?

(1) Punjab (2) Ha r yana

(3) B ihar (4) Ra j a s than

49. P res ident P r a n a b M u k h e r j e e i n a u g u r a t e d the 2 7 t h S u r a -j k u n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r a f t s Mela in Far idabad on 2 Feb ­ruary 2 0 1 3 . W h i c h o f the fol­lowing w a s the theme state o f the 2 0 1 3 Me l a?

(1) A s sam (2) K a r n a t a k a (3) Od i sha (4) Kera la

5 0 . J E E V i K A R u r a l L i v e l i h o o d s Project wh i ch a ims to e m p o w ­er the rural poo r by c rea t ing self m a n a g e d c o m m u n i t y in­st i tut ions and e n h a n c i n g in­c o m e s t h r o u g h s u s t a i n a b l e l ivel ihoods w a s in news recent­ly. It is a pro ject of

(1) Ra j as than (2) B ihar

(3) Gu ja ra t (4) Od i sha

51. T h e E l e c t r i c i t y D i s t r i b u t i o n C o m p a n y L i m i t e d o f w h i c h s ta te recent ly b e c a m e the first state run powe r agency to suc­cessful ly c omp l e t e the instal ­lat ion ' of ' Go A l i ve ' s y s t em in its day to day funct ion?

(1) Kera la

(2) Tami l Nadu

(3) Wes t Benga l

(4) B iha r

52. W h i c h a m o n g the f o l l o w i n g s t a t e g o v e r n m e n t s r e c e n t l y p laced an order for 2.6 mi l l ion tab le t c o m p u t e r s , b i gges t so far?

(1) Tami l Nadu

(2) Uttar P radesh

(3) Gu ja ra t

(4) A n d h r a Pradesh

53. In a key dec is ion in February 2 0 1 3 , the Cour t o f Arb i t ra t ion the Cour t cha ired by S t ephen M. Schwebe l permi t t ed India to go ahead wi th the cons t ruc ­t i o n o f t h e R s . 3 6 0 0 c r o r e K i s h e n g a n g a H y d r o - e l e c t r i c pro ject (KHEP ) in Nor th Kash ­mir. W h e r e w a s this j u d g m e n t del ivered?

(1) Geneva (2) T h e H a g u e

(3) London (4) V i enna

54. As p e r the a n n o u n c e m e n t s m a d e by the 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4 Rail­way Budge t , w h i c h i s that In­d i a n s t a t e w h i c h h a s b e e n b rough t in to the rail n e two rk for the first t ime and w h e r e the Ha rmut i -Naha r l a gun l ine wil l be c o m m i s s i o n e d in 2 0 1 3 ?

(1) Megha laya

(2) S i kk im

(3) A runacha l P radesh

(4) Man ipur

55. As p e r t h e a n n o u n c e m e n t s m a d e b y the U n i o n B u d g e t 2013 -2014 , a t w h i c h p lace wil l the Ind ian Inst i tute o f Agr icu l ­tural B io - t echno logy be es tab ­l ished?

( l ) R a n c h i (2) Panaj i

(3) Ra jko t (4) D ind i gu l '

INTERNATIONAL 56. Fordow, the site of an under ­

g r o u n d u r a n i u m enr i chmen t facil ity o f I ran, w a s in inter­nat iona l head l ines in Febru­ary 2 0 1 3 . W h i c h o f the fol low­ing s t a t emen ts i s/are correct regard ing it? (1) It is located near the city of

Q o m (2) Its unde rg round construc­

tion m a k e s it h ighly resis­tant to aerial at tack

(3) T h e Wes t e rn p o w e r s have o f fered to r e lax c u r b s on Iran's trade in oil and gold i f T e h r a n agrees to conces ­s ions over Fo rdow

(4) Al l o f the above 57. International Mother Language

Day w a s recent ly held wor ld­w ide to p romote awareness o f l inguist ic and cul tura l d iver­sity and mul t i l ingua l i sm. Wi th r e f e r ence to it. wh i ch of the f o l l o w i n g s t a t e m e n t s i s /a r e not cor rec t? ( l ) I t i s a n o b s e r v a n c e he ld

annua l l y on 21 February (2) I t w a s first a n n o u n c e d by

U N E S C O in 1999 ' (3) Its observance w a s also for­

m a l l y r e c o g n i z e d b y t h e Uni ted Nat i ons in its reso­lution es tab l i sh ing 2 0 0 8 as the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Year o f Languages

(4) T h e day i s r o o t ed in the B a s q u e s e p a r a t i s t m o v e ­m e n t

58. In wh i ch of the fo l lowing coun­tr ies w a s a n e w type o f r ice ca l led 'S l im Rice , m a d e f rom a wa t e r so lub l e v ege tab l e f ibre ca l l ed M o y u (kon jac ) , ' in t ro ­duced in February 2 0 1 3 ? (1) Tha i l and (2) Br i ta in (3) India (4) Japan

59. In w h i c h country we r e G e n e r -aJ'elect ions held in on 17 Feb­ruary 2 0 1 3 to e lect the Presi­dent , the Nat ional Ass emb l y . P r o v i n c i a l A s s e m b l i e s a n d m e m b e r s o f the A n d e a n Par ­l i ament as a resu l t of w h i c h Rafae l C o r r e a w a s re -e lec ted pres ident?

(1) Ecuador (2) Venezuela (3) Peru (4) Chile

60. One Billion Rising (OBR), a global campaign was held across the world on 14 Febru­ary 2013 to demand an end to violence against women. Which of the following playwrights and activists initiated this cam­paign first in 1971? (1) Karl Nielsen (2) Eve Ensler (3) Mena Suvari (4) Jane Lawrence

61. According to the 'Open Bud­get Survey 2012' released by the International Budget Partner­ship in February 2013, which among the following countries was ranked first for provided the most information on bud­get? . (1) New Zealand (2) Germany (3) South Africa (4) Australia

62. Which among the following countries and Europol busted a global cyber-crime operation in February 2013 that infect­ed millions of computers with a "ransomeware" virus, a virus that falsely accused victims of vk'^'mg, child pornography and. demanded a fine payment?

(1) Germany (2) Britain (3) Spain (4) France

63. Which among the following days was recently celebrated as the World Radio Day, marking the day when the United Na­tions Radio was launched in 1946 and to raise awareness about the importance of radio? (1)6 February (2) 9 February (3) 13 February (4) 17 February

64. Which country, in February 2013, filed a challenge with the World T rade Organiza t ion (WTO) about India's national solar programme, the Jawaha-rlal Nehru National Solar Mis­sion, on the grounds that it discriminates against foreign solar products in violation of a core global trade rule?

(1) Pakistan (2) USA (3) China (4) Britain

65. Pakistan, in February 2013, successfully tested the nucle­ar-capable Hatf-IX tactical missile with a range of 60 km, designed to defeat all known anti-tactical missile defence systems. Which of the follow­ing statements is/are correct regarding this missile?

a. It has "in-flight manoeuvre capability" which can carry "nuclear warheads of appropri ate yield with high accuracy".

b. The first test of the Hatf-IX was conducted in April 2011. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: ( l )On ly a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

66. Which country, in February 2013, declared a nat ional emergency over the spread of coffee rust, a fungus that is affecting 70 per cent of the country's crop? (1) Brazil (2) Portugal

' (3) Guatemala (4) Poland 67. The Intelligence Unite of The

Economist recently published a report, "The Worldwide Cost of Living 2013." According to the report, the most expensive city in the world is (1) New York (2) Tokyo (3)'Mumbai (4) Shanghai

68. Egyptian capital Cairo hosted the 12th Organisation of Is­lamic Cooperation (OIC) sum­mit in February 2013. How many member states comprise the organization? (1)21 (2)39 (3)57 (4)76

69. The Solomon Islands which are a co l lect ion of near ly one thousand islands in Oceania that form a sovereign country exper i enced power fu l 8.0 earthquake followed by a tsu­nami in February 2013. In which ocean are they located? (1) North Atlantic Ocean (2) South Atlantic Ocean

(3) North Pacific Ocean (4) South Pacific Ocean

70. The World Wetlands Day was recently observed on 2 Febru­ary 2013. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands, called Ramsar Convention, on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the (1) Dead Sea (2) Black Sea (3) Caspian Sea (4) Aral Sea

71. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadine jad , in February 2013, unveiled a futuristic-looking fighter jet code-named the Qaher F-313 which he claimed ranks among the most sophisticated aircraft. What does Qaher mean? (1) Victor (2) Destroyer (3) Conqueror (4) Invincible

72. The warm-water, deep-sea port of Gwadar was in news in Feb­ruary 2013 when China got operat ional control of this highly strategic port from In­dia's point of view. To which country does this port belong? ( l ) I ran (2) Sri Lanka (3) Pakistan (4) Bangladesh

73. On which of the following riv­ers did China recently an­nounce the construction of three new hydropower dams named Dagu, Jiexu and Ji-acha? (1) Yangtze River (2) Hawang Ho River (3) Yarlung Zangbo river (4) Yellow River

74. In the presence of UN Secre­tary General Ban Ki-moon in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, regional African lead­ers inked a UN-brokered accord in February 2013 which aims to bring peace to the troubled eastern region of (1) Kenya (2) Democrat i c Republic of

Congo (3) Somalia (4) Algeria

75. Reacting to the nuclear test of North Korea, which country suggested in February 2013 that all the world's nuclear weapons should be destroyed and that all nations should be able to use nuclear technolo­gy for peaceful purposes?

(1) India (2) Iran (3) Pakistan (4) Syria

76. North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on 12 Feb­ruary 2013 in defiance of U.N. resolutions, drawing condem­nation from around the world, including from its only major ally, China. In this context, which of the following state­ments is/are correct?

a. Pyongyang said the test was an act of sel f-defense against "U.S. hostility".

b. The test had "greater explosive force" than those it conducted in 2006 and 2009. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

77. Which country, in February 2013, announced to file civil fraud charges against credit rat ing agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) accusing it of in­flating the ratings of mortgage investments which crashed when the financial turbulence occurred? (I") Spain (2) USA (3) India (4) Greece

78. Which European country, in February 2013, gave new pow­ers to regulators which can now break up banks if they fail to protect their retail opera­tions from their riskier invest­ment arms? (1) Germany (2) Russia (3) Britain (4) Portugal

79. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadine jad , in February 2013, became the first Iranian leader to visit which country after Tehran's 1979 Islamic rev­olution?

(1) Afghanistan (2) Jordan (3) Egypt (4) Algeria

80. To which country did India re­cently hand over a Dornier 228 surveillance aircraft which will be used to guard the extensive coastline of the island nation in the Indian Ocean? (1) Mauritius (2) Maldives (3) Seychelles (4) Madagascar

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 81. The Tata Group was in news

in February 2013 for making yet another bid to enter the aviation space when AirAsia sought the approval of the In­dian Government to join hands with the Tata Group to enter the aviation sector. AirAsia is a no-frills carrier of

(1)Japan (2) Malaysia (3) South Korea (4) Singapore

82. According to the Economic Survey 2012-2013, which was the year when the overall in­vestment rate in the economy first exceeded 30 per cent? (1) 1996-1997 (2) 1999-2000 (3) 2002-2003 (4) 2004-2005

83. Finance Minister P. Chidam­baram, in his 2013-14 Budget Speech, said: "Food security is as much a basic human right as the right to education or the right to health care." In this respect, the budget 2013-14 set apart what amount towards the incremental cost that is likely under the National Food Security Act? (1) Rs. 2.500 crore (2) Rs. 5,000 crore (3) Rs. 10,000 crore (4) Rs. 12,000 crore

84. Which of the following bodies/ organizations/departments/ ministries, in February 2013. l aunched the concep t of "Farmers Club" with the mot­

to of "One farmers club in One Village"? (1) Ministry of Finance (2) Reserve Bank of India (3) National Bank for Agricul­

ture and Rural Develop­ment

(4) Ministry of Finance 85. Incube Ventures Pvt. Ltd.'s

newly launched 'Incube Con­nect Fund', in February 2013, received the distinction of be­ing the first social venture fund in the country to be accorded registration by SEBI under SEBI (A1F), Regulations. '2012. Where is this company based? (1) Mumbai (2) Ahmedabad (3) Kolkata (4) Bangalore

86. According to the CBRE's lat­est Prime Office Occupancy Costs survey, the results of which were published m Feb­ruary 2013. which among the following remains the world's most expensive prime office market'.-'

(1) Hong Kong Central (2) Tokyo's Marunouchi Ote-

machi (3) London's West End (4) Beijing CBD

87. Amid renewed government ef­forts to accelerate economic-growth, the Damodaran panel that is looking into ways to improve the country's overall business climate was recently announced to submit its report by end of March 2013. Who are the other members oi this pan­el? (1) Anand Mahindra (2) Kumar Mangalam Birla (3) Y C Deveshwar (4) All of the above

88. In his 2013-2014 Railway Bud­get speech, at which place did Railway Minister Pawan Ku­mar Bansal propos to set up a multi-disciplinary training in­stitute for imparting training in rail related electronics tech­nologies?

(1) Manipal group of hospitals (2) CARE group of hospitals (3) Apollo group of hospitals (4) Fortis group of hospitals

93. Following the push from the PMO, the infrastructure min­istries and industry, the envi­ronment ministry set up a committee in February 2013 to review the kind of projects re­quiring environmental clear­ance from the Centre. The Planning Commission member under whom this committee has been formed is

(1) Montek Singh Ahluwalia (2) K Kasturirangan (3) A. Maira (4) Abhijil Sen

94. The Reserve Bank of India, in February 2013, decided to set up a technical working group to iron out existing issues and boost bank finance for exports. Which of the following related statements is/are correct?

a. The group will be led by G. Pad-manabhan, Executive Direc­tor, RBI.

b. The groups will involve key agencies such as the Export Import Bank of India, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, Federation of Indian Export Organisations, Fixed Income, etc. Select the. correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

95. Which among the following Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) was recently granted with Maharatna status along with the Bharat Heavy Elec-tricals Limited (BHEL)? (1) Power Finance Corporation

Limited (PFCL) (2) H industan Ae ronau t i c s

Limited (HAL) (3) Gas Authority of India Lim­

ited (GAIL) (4) Hindustan Petroleum Cor­

poration Limited (HPCL)

96. While presenting the Railway Budget 2013-2014 in Parha menl on February 26. 2013. Railway Minister Pawan Ku­mar Bansal announced the setting up of six more Rail Neer bottling plants. Where will these bottling plants not come up? (1) Patna and Allahabad (2) Vijayawada and Nagpur (3) Lalitpur and Bilaspur (4) Jaipur and Ahrnedabad

97. Which of the features oi Indi­an economy was highlighted in the budget speech of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram?

a. Global economic growth slowed from 3.9 percent in' 201 1 to 3.2 percent in 2012.

b. India's exports and imports amount to 43 percent of GDP. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

98. In a bid to caution people about the risks associated with a certain mutual fund product, which body/organization an­nounced its plans in February 2013 to introduce colour- cod ed mutual fund products lo depict the level of risk involved with the instrument? (1) SEBI (2) IRDA (3) RBI (4) Ministry of Finance

99. Which of the following, on 5 February 2013, approved in principle the averaging of priees of domestic and imported coal to get a uniform feedstock price, but asked coal and pow­er ministries to come back with specifics of the proposal? (1) Committee on Estimates (2) Cab ine t Committee on

Economic Affairs (3) Committee on Public Ac­

count (4) Nat iona l Development

council

( l )Ra jkot (2)Nagpur (3) Jhansi (4) Mathura

89. India's newest stock exchange MCX-SX began trading in eq­uities from 11 February 2013. In this context, which of the following statements is/are not correct? (1) SX40 is the name of Flag­

ship index of MCX-SX (2) MCX-SX is the third full-

fledged equity bourse after BSE and NSE

(3)SX40 will be a free-float based index of large-cap and liquid stocks, repre­senting diverse sectors

(4) The bourse was formally launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi

90. In its chapter on State Of The Economy And Prospects, the Economic Survey 2012-2013 has made special mention of The Gold Rush.' With refer­ence to it, which of the follow­ing statements is/are correct? (1) Demand for gold has been

rising worldwide (2) Gold imports are positively

correlated with inflation (3) The demand for gold as an

investment tool has been increasing over time

(4) All of the above 91. The power ministry, in Febru­

ary 2013. set up a mega advi­sory panel comprising indus­try heavyweights, heads of banks, financial institutions and power Public Sector Un­dertakings (PSUs) and other experts to thrash out issues hurting reforms in the sector. Who heads this committee? (1) Jyotiraditya Scindia (2) Ratan Tata (3) Cyrus Mistry (4) Sudhir Mehta

92. Which among the following joined hands with the Nation­al Skill Development Corpora­tion (NSDC) in February 2013 to launch a skill development programme for doctors, nurs­es and paramedics?

100. A wo rk ing g r oup set up by the Rese rve B a n k o f Ind ia (RBI ) , on 6 February 2013 , suggested b a n k s to i nc r ease the i r go ld jewel lery loans portfol io to curb large impor t s o f go ld , w h i c h is w iden ing the cur ren t a c coun t deficit . In th is context , in the b u d g e t speech o f w h i c h y ea r w a s the idea o f Go ld B a n k first moo t ed?

(1) 1989 (2) 1992

(3) 1996 (4) 1999

101. A c co rd ing to a F inance M in i s ­try s t a t ement in N e w Delh i in February 2 0 1 3 , net d i rec t tax co l lec t ions dur ing Ap r i l - Janu­ary this fiscal saw a s lower pace o f g r ow th at 12.49 per cen t as aga ins t the budge t ed annua l target o f

( 1 ) 1 5 per cen t

(2) 18 per cent

(3) 22 per cent

(4) 25 per cen t

102. T h e Cen t ra l S ta t i s t i c s Of f ice ( C S O ) , on 7 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 3 , projected a sl ide in the coun­t r y ' s G D P ( g r o s s d o m e s t i c p roduc t ) g r o w t h to a d e c a d e low in 2 0 1 2 - 1 3 . W h a t w a s the decade low in te rms of percent­age?

( 1 ) 4 per cen t (2) 5 per c en t

(3) 6 per cent (4) 7 per cen t 103. T h e b l o ckbus t e r N T P C s take

sale, in February 2013 , fetched t h e g o v e r n m e n t R s . 1 1 , 5 0 0 crore , the s e cond P S U sha r e sale in a w e e k that w a s ove r ­subscr ibed . W h a t i s the d is in­v es tmen t target?

(1) 10,000 crore

(2) 20 ,000 crore

(3) 30 ,000 crore

(4) 40 ,000 crore

104 .A s p e r a n a n n o u n c e m e n t m a d e by the Insurance Regu ­latory and D e v e l o p m e n t A u ­thority ( IRDA) on 8 February 2 0 1 3 , I n s u r a n c e c o m p a n i e s can now hold up to w h a t per cent s take in any c o m p a n y ? ( 1 ) 5 per cent (2) 10 per cen t

(3) 15 per cent

(4) 20 per cen t

105. G A I L ( India) recent ly s igned a m e m o r a n d u m o f unde rs tand ­ing (MoU) w i th E D F T rad ing to j o i n t l y a c q u i r e a n d d e v e l o p u p s t r e a m oil and gas asse ts in Nor th Amer i ca . W h e r e i s E D F Trad ing based?

(1) Frankfur t (2) London (3) V i e n n a (4) Brusse ls

106. U n i o n M i n i s t e r P . C h i d a m ­b a r a m , on 9 February 2 0 1 3 , l a u n c h e d t h e Ra j i v G a n d h i E q u i t y S a v i n g s S c h e m e (RGESS ) in M u m b a i . T h e Fi­n a n c e Min is te r a lso

a . L a u n c h e d the I L & F S In f ra ­s t ruc ture Deb t Fund , p romot ­ed by I L & F S a n d the LIC o f India, to f inance l ong - t e rm in­f rastructure pro jects .

b. Inaugura t ed 101 b ranches of S ta te B a n k o f India. Se lec t the correct answe r us ­ing the codes be low:

(1) On ly a

(2) On ly b . .

(3) Bo th a and b

(4) Ne i ther a nor b

107. T h e Reserve Bank of India Gov­ernor D. Subbarao , on 11 Feb ruary 2 0 1 3 , wa rned the coun­try aga ins t w iden ing Cur ren t A c c o u n t Deficit . A c co rd ing to h is s t a t e m e n t w h a t the pe r ­c en t ag e o f C A D o f g r o s s do ­mest i c p roduct (GDP) in 2012?

(1) 3.3 per cen t

(2) 4 .2 per cent

(3) 4 .75 pe r cen t

(4) 5.5 per cen t

108. I t w a s a n n o u n c e d in February 2 0 1 3 that the ra t i f i ca t ion o f the Double Taxat ion Avo idance A g r e e m e n t (DTAA) be tween In­d i a a n d a S o u t h A m e r i c a n count ry wil l take a "l ittle m o r e t ime " due to procedura l de lays by that nat ion. W h i c h is that na t i on? ,

(1) Ch i l e (2) Venezue la

(3) C o l o m b i a (4) Uruguay

109. A c co rd ing to the data re leased by the Cent ra l Stat is t i cs Of­fice (CSO) in New De lh i on 12 February 2013 , factory ou tput cont rac ted by wha t per cent in December 2012?

( 1 ) 0 . 3 per cent

(2) 0.6 p e r c e n t

(3) 0.9 per cen t

(4) 1.3 per cent

110. In a s ta t ement issued in New Delh i , C o m m e r c e and Indus­try Min is te r , A n a n d S h a r m a sa id on 13 February 2013 that India 's expor ts bare ly inched in to the pos i t ive zone , after a g a p o f e ight mon ths , record ing a m e a g r e 0.82 per cent g rowth at $ 2 5 . 5 8 bi l l ion in J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3 . T h e posi t iv i ty in expor ts c a m e m a i n l y o n a c c o u n t o f bet ter pe r f o rmance by

(1) Eng inee r ing goods

(2) Tex t i l e s

(3) G e m s and j ewe l l e ry

(4) A l l o f the above

SPORTS 111 . In the ICC W o m e n ' s World C u p

2 0 1 3 at the B r a b o u r n e Stadi ­um in M u m b a i on 15 Febru­ary 2013 , Charlot te Edwards of Eng land became the first play­er to score 5 ,000 runs in wom­e n ' s O n e - D a y I n t e r n a t i o n a l c r i cke t . A g a i n s t w h i c h t e a m did she at ta in this rare feat?

(1) Aus t ra l i a

(2) India

(3) N e w Zea l and

(4) S o u t h Afr ica

112. Ind ia ' s S a n i a M i r z a and he r A m e r i c a n p a r t n e r B e t h a n i e -Mat t ek S a n d s w o n the Duba i T e n n i s C h a m p i o n s h i p on 23 February 2013 . de feat ing the comb ina t i on of Nadia Petrova and Ka ta r ina Srebo tn ik . T h e los ing pair c o m e from

(1) Se rb ia -Russ ia

(2) Russ i a -S l o ven ia

(3) C roa t i a -Ukra ine

(4) S l o ven ia -Po l and

113. T h e 2 0 1 3 Irani C u p w a s the 51st s eason o f the Irani Cup , a f i rst-c lass cr icket compet i ­tion in India. It w a s a one-of f ma tch wh ich was played from 6 February 2 0 1 3 to 10 Febru­ary 2013 be tween the 2 0 1 2 - 1 3 Ranji c h a m p i o n s M u m b a i and

(1) Saurashtra (2) Rest of India team (3) Services (4) North Zone

114. At the age of 31, Serena Will­iams became the oldest wom­an to claim the world number one ranking when she reached the Qatar Open semifinals in February 2013. Whom did she replace as the world's best player, returning to the top spot for the first time in over two years?

(1) Nicola Adams (2) Venus Williams (3) Victoria Azarenka (4) Maria Sharapova

115. Australia won the ICC Wom­en's World Cup Trophy for the sixth time in the history of women's cricket World Cup on 17 February 2013 at Bra-bourne Stadium in Mumbai. Which team did it defeat for this historic sixth title? (1) England (2) India (3) West Indies (4) New Zealand

116. Milos Raonic, on 17 February 2013, won SAP Open 2013 at San Jose defeating Tommy Haas in the championship match. In which year did SAP Open commence? (1) 1981 (2) 1989 (3) 1996 (4) 2003

117. Which among the following teams won the first edition of the Hero Hockey India League at the Birsa Munda AstroTurf Hockey Stadium on 10 Febru­ary 2013? (1) Delhi Wave Riders (2) Mumbai Magicians (3) Ranchi Rhinos (4) Punjab Warriors

118. Marina Erakovic won her first Women's Tennis Association title, US National Indoor Ten­nis Championship 2013, after beating Germany's Sabine Li-sicki in Memphis on 23 Feb­ruary 2013, becoming first woman from which country to

win WTA Title since Belinda Cordwell in Singapore in 1989? (1) Romania (2) New Zealand (3) Chile (4) South Africa

119. Table tennis legend Zhuang Zedong, who played a major role in ping-pong diplomacy that paved the way for normal­izing relations with the U.S. died on 10 February 2013. He was a national of ( l )Myanmar (2) China (3) Japan (4) Malaysia

120. Pankaj Advani, in February 2013, added another feather to his illustrious cap as the eight-time world champion became only the second Indian cueist to qualify for the main draw of Welsh Open Pro Snooker Se­ries. Who was the first Indian to have achieved this honour?

(1) Geet Sethi (2) Yasin Merchant (3) Aditya Mehta (4) Subhash Agarwal

121. Teenager Lydia Ko became the youngest winner of a women's European Tour golf event when she took victory at the New Zealand Women's Open in Christchurch on 10 February 2013. Which country is she from? (1) China (2) South Korea (3) New Zealand (4) Japan

122.The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board, in February 2013, rec­ommended to exclude which sport from the 2020 Games? ( l )Go l f (2) Tennis (3) Wrestling (4) Kick boxing

123.World chess champ ion Viswanathan Anand, in Feb­ruary 2013, scored an emphatic victory over Arkadij Naiditsch to clinch the Grenke Chess Classic trophy. The defeated player is from (1) Spain (2) Germany (3) Serbia (4) Russia

124. Which among the famous ten­nis players vanquished Argen­tina's David Nalbandian to win the 2013 Brazil Open title in February 2013? (1) David Federer (2) Andy'Murray . (3) Rafael Nadal (4) Roger Federer

125. A collective body of Indian ten­nis players named the Indian Tennis Players Association (ITPA) was, in February 2013, announced to be set up. With reference to it, which of the following statements is/are correct?

a. ITPA will be a not-for-profit association, modelled on the functioning of the ATP.

b. It will address contemporary issues faced by the players in the country. Select the correct answer L IS ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

126. At the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Gaines which was held in Pyeongchang in January-February 2013. India clinched record 46 medals. What was the combination of medals won by India?

(1) 11 Gold, 19 Silver and 16 Bronze

(2) 13 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze

(3) 7 Gold. 13 Silver and 26 Bronze

(4) 16 Gold. 9 Silver and 21 Bronze

127 .Sachin Tendulkar recently equalled whose record of most 81 first-class hundreds by smashing an unbeaten centu­ry against Rest of India in the Irani Cup? (1) Sunil Gavaskar (2) Ravi Shastri (3) Dilip Vengsarkar (4) Sandip Patil

128. South Africa was declared as the world number one team in the ICC Test Cricket Ranking published in February 2013. With reference to this latest ranking, which of the follow­ing statements is/are not cor­rect? (1) South Afr ican batsman

Hashim Amla has emerged as the best batsman

(2) India was ranked 3 r d in over­all test ranking

(3) In the bowling rankings, Dale Steyn, the South Af­rican bowler held the top spot

(4) Pragyan Ojha was the only one from Indian side to fig­ure in the top ten bowlers in the test rankings

129.Jelena Jankovic, the former world no. 1 won the WTA Copa Claro Colsanitas Cup 2013 in Bogota, Colombia on 24 Feb­ruary 2013. Whom did she beat for this title? (1) Anke Huber (2) Paula Ormaechea (3) Nina Dubbers (4) Isabel Cuto

130. Britain-based Rebecca Adling-ton announced retirement from a'' forms of competitive swim­ming on 4 February 2013. Which of the following medals were not won by her? (1 )2008 - O lympic Games

400m gold (2) 2010 - European Champi­

onship 400m gold (3 )2012 : O lympic Games

800m Gold (4)2011 - World Champion­

ship 800m gold

P E R S O N S , P L A C E S &

A W A R D S

131. Alfred Brush Ford, a great-g randson of Ford Motors ' founder Henry Ford announced in February 2013 to invest $35 million (nearly Rs 189 crore) to spread Vedic Knowledge. In this context , where is the world's largest Vedic temple coming up?

(1) West Bengal (2) Gujarat (3) Madhya Pradesh (4) Uttarakhand

132. Within a year of launching a subsidiary price comparison site in India, the world's larg­est on l ine retai ler , Amazon.com, sought a "re­laxed" regulatory regime in February 2013. What was the name of its subsidiary? (1) Ebay.com (2) Junglee.com (3) Quickr.com (4) Ebiz.com

133. Who among the following Ne-palese woman mountaineer was recognised by the Guin­ness World Records in Febru­ary 2013 for climbing Mount Everest twice in the same climbing season? (1) Sansu Wongal (2) Chhurim (3)Lhakpa (4) Dima Dorje

134. Hari Shankar Singhania, one of India's most distinguished industrialists, passed away in New Delhi on 22 February 2013. Which of the following statements is/are correct re­garding him?

a. Singhania was president of JK Organizat ion, a diversif ied group of industries.

b. Singhania was awarded Padma Bhushan, India's third high­est civilian honour, in 2003.

c. He was a former President of FICCI. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below:

(1) Both a and b (2) Both b and c (3) Both a and c (4) All of the above

135. Technology magnates, on 20 February 2013, launched a $15-mil l ion annual Break­through Prize for Life Sciences in San Francisco to reward outstanding scientific achieve­ments in life sciences. Who among the following are the first recipients of this Award?

(1) Eric Lander (2) Hans Clevers (3) David Botstein (4) All of the above

136. Former LIC chief TS Vijayan took over as the chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority in Feb­ruary 2013. The tenure of the Chairperson of IRDA is of (1)1 year (2) 3 years

(3) 5 years (4) 6 years 137. Which English daily was, in

February 2013, given the Inter­national Press Institute (IPI)-India award for excellence in journalism for its "outstand­ing journalistic work done in 2011? ( l ) The Hindu (2) The Tribune (3) The Hindustan Times (4) The Times of India

138. Eminent Hindi l i t terateur Narendra Kohli was, in Febru­ary 2013, selected for the pres­tigious Vyas Samman for 2012 for his historical novel 'Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati.' On which of the following person­alities is this novel based?

(1) Subhash Chandra Bose (2) Ballabh Bhai Patel (3) Vivekananda (4) Mahatma Gandhi

139. Who among the following was ad judged the best break­through sportsperson of the year at the Federation of In­dian Chambers of Commerce and Industry' Sports Awards night in New Delhi on 14 Feb ruary 2013V

(1) Yogeshwar Dutt (2) Sushil Kumar (3) Vijay Kumar (4) Gagan Narang

140. In the results of the Council for Aid to Education's annual college fundraising survey re­leased in February 2013, which of the following universities set a new record for college fund-raising, becoming the first school to collect more than $ 1 billion in a single year?

(1) Stanford University (2) Harvard University (3) University of Southern Cal-'

ifornia (4) Columbia University

141. The Central Institute of Fish­eries Technology (CIFT) made news In February 20.13 for launching a "Green Fishing Systems for Tropical Seas" project which is funded by Na­tional Fund for Basic, Strate­gic and Frontier Application Research in Agriculture. Where is CIFT located?

( l )Panaj i (2) Kolkata (3) Cochin (4) Puri

142. Who among the following was, in February 2013, conferred with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2011 by the Pres ident of India Pranab Mukherjee? (1) Hamid Karzai (2) Ela Ramesh Bhatt (3) Sheikh Hasina (4) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

143. The Special Secretary at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi was appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Rep­resentative of India to the United Nations in New York in February 2013. Who is he? (1) Ramesh Sharma (2) Ashok Kumar Mukherji (3) Anil Singh (4) Rakesh Kapoor

144. The El Paraiso archaeological *ite, where a temple believed to be about 5,000 years old

comparable to the ancient city of Cara, was recently discov­ered. In which country was this importance discovery made? (1) Mexico (2) Argentina (3) Peru (4) Brazil

145. Ben Affleck's Iran-hostage dra­ma 'Argo' continued its award season triumph by winning three trophies, including the best picture and director, at the Br i t ish Academy Film Awards in London in February 2013. India-set drama 'Life ol Pi' managed two trophies in technical categories. Who is the director of 'Life of P i? (1) James Cameroon (2) Christopher Nolan (3) Steven Spielberg (4) Ang Lee

146. Who among the following is the head of the panel appointed by the Union Environment min­istry to examine the Western Ghats ecology expert panel re­port "in a holistic and multi-disciplinary fashion"? (1)K. Kasturirangan (2) Sunita Narain (3) Anil Agrawal (4) Shanta Roy

147. Who among the following In­dian is a member of the Glo­bal Ocean Commission (GOC), which was recently formed to bring together eminent people from different parts of the world for a new initiative to restore health and productivi­ty to the ocean? (1) Rajendra Pachauri (2) Ratan Tata (3) Mukesh Ambani (4) Nandan Nilekani

148. Which among the following States of India, in February 2013, won the prestigious Na­t ional e -Governance Gold Award for 2012-13, for its 'Sparsh Abhiyan' aimed to­wards the disabled and the aged? (1) Bihar (2) Madhya Pradesh (3) Uttarakhand (4) Gujarat

.149. The Cabinet Committee onl vestment (CC1), setup lo fai track big ticket infrastruetui projects in India, made ne« recently lor holding Us firm1

meeting in New Delhi. Wrm heads this committee? M (1) P. Chidambaram 1 (2) Manmohan Singh (3) Sonia Gandhi (4) Anand Sharma

150. Who among the following was! appointed as the new Solid* tor General of India in FebnJI ary 2013 following the resignal tion of senior advocate Rohinl ton Nariman from the post? I (1) Suresh Desai (2) Mohan Parasaran (3) Abhijit Yadav (4) K. Sunil

151.The Archaeological Survey* India (AS1) recently discovered! pre-historic caves with rockl pa in t ings dat ing back to] 12,000 years on the Satpuraj mountain range on the Maha-j rashtra-Madhya Pradesh bof-l der. Where was this discovery! made?

( l )Betu l (2)Nasik (3) Hoshangabad (4) Wardha

152. Who among the following per-] sonalities announced in Feb-J ruary 2013 to set aside at least] 20 per cent of his family's] wealth for education? ( l )Sh ivNadar (2) Lord Swaraj Paul (3) Azim Premji (4) Ratan Tata

153. Who among the following was, in February 2013, selected for the pres t i g ious Dr. Y, Nayudamma Memorial Award for 2012 for his outstanding contribution to life scjenda particularly in establishing DNA fingerprinting as a lool of both fundamental research] and crime detection? ( l )Ko ta Harinarayana (2) Ramesh Susarla (3) V. Shanta (4) Lalji Singh

154. Wh i ch o f the fo l lowing a w a r d s w e r e p resen ted a t the conc lu ­s ion o f De lh i Sus ta inab l e D e ­v e l opmen t S u m m i t (DSDS ) in February 2013?

a. T h e first eve r G e o r g e s c u - R o e -gen A w a r d s to Pro fessor Kozo Ma yumi , Pro fessor a t the Fac­ulty o f Integrated A r t s and Sci­ences , Univers i ty o f T o k u s h i -ma.

b . T h e 2 0 1 3 Sus ta inab l e Leader ­sh ip A w a r d w a s presented in absent ia to Pres ident o f Sey­che l les J a m e s A l ix Miche l . Se lect the correct answe r us­ing the codes g i ven be low:

(1) On l y a (2) On l y b (3) Bo th a and b (4) Ne i ther a nor b

155. W h o a m o n g the fo l lowing, in * Feb ruary 2 0 1 3 , w o n the Rs . 1

mi l l ion S k o d a Pr i ze 2 0 1 2 for h is con t r ibu t i ons to the con­t emporary art? .

(1) Sh i lpa G u p t a (2) L.N. Ta l lur

(3) Sr in i vasa Prasad (4) Nav ln T h o m a s

156. An Ind ian-or ig in w o m a n w a s se lected for Orde r o f Aus t ra l i a Medal in February 2013 for her c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e I n d i a n commun i t y . W h o i s she? (1) Kr i shna A ro ra (2) Mani la l R a d h a m

(3) Ma la M e h t a

(4) V i jaya B h a n u

157. T h e G o v e r n m e n t recent ly d e ­c ided to cons t i tu te a 16 -mem-ber Execu t i v e C o m m i t t e e o n C l imate C h a n g e to assist the P r i m e M in i s t e r ' s C o u n c i l o n C l imate C h a n g e . T h e c ommi t ­tee wil l be headed by (1) Un ion Minister for Env i ron­

men t and Fores ts (2) Secretary , Min is t ry o f env i ­

r o n m e n t a n d f o r e s t s ( M o E F )

(3) Cab ine t Secre tary , Gove rn ­m e n t o f Ind ia

(4) Pr inc ipa l Sec re ta ry to the Pr ime Min is te r

158. An US Ass i s t an t Secre tary o f S ta t e for S o u t h and Cen t ra l As ia in a Congress i ona l hea r ­

ing in February 2 0 1 3 held that "any d i scuss ion o f Sou th As ia has to start w i th India" , and t h a t t h e S t a t e D e p a r t m e n t v i ewed India "as k ind o f the e c onomi c l inchpin for future" as far as it's s igni f icant role in A f g h a n i s t a n w a s c o n c e r n e d . W h o is he?

(1) A l f red Rob inson

(2) Rober t B lake

(3) D ick Char l es

(4) Rober t Randal l

159. Ch i ld ' s Pose (Poz ib ia Cop i lu -lui) by R o m a n i a n director Ca-lin Peter Netzer w a s awarded the Go lden Bear at the 63rd Ber l in Internat iona l F i lm Fes­tival in February 2 0 1 3 . W h i c h Ind ia -based d o c u m e n t a r y by Br i t ish f i lmmaker K im Longi -no t to bagged the second p lace in P a n o r a m a Aud i ence awa rds at Ber l ina le?

( l ) J a y a ( 2 ) S a l m a

(3) J ibed (4) Raz i a

160. M o v i e s tar J a c k i e C h a n and the 2 0 1 2 w inner o f Nobe l pr ize for l i terature Mo Yan w e r e se­lected as m e m b e r s o f Parl ia­m e n t o f wh i ch count ry in Feb­ruary 2013?

(1) Ma lays ia

(2) H o n g Kong

(3) C h i n a

(4) Sou th Korea

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 161. T w o n e w m o o n s o f the P luto ,

P4 and P5 , w e r e r e n a m e d as V u l c a n and Ce rbe rus respec ­tively in February 2013 . Wh i ch o f the fo l lowing is/are not the o ther m o o n s o f P luto?

(1) Hydra (2) Europa

(3) C h a r o n (4) N i x

162. T h e Indian Space research Or ­gan i sa t i on ( ISRO) on 25 Feb ­r u a r y 2 0 1 3 s u c c e s s f u l l y l aunched the Indo-French sat­e l l i t e ' S A R A L . W h i c h o f the f o l l o w i n g s t a t e m e n t s i s / a r e correc t regard ing this impo r ­tant m iss i on?

a. T h e 'SARAL ' is a imed at ocean-ograph ic s tud ies .

b. Apar t f rom 'SARAL, 'six foreign mini and micro satel l i tes were a l s o l a u n c h e d on the PSLV from the Sr ihar ikota spaceport in A n d h r a P radesh . Se lect the correct answer us­ing the codes g iven below: (1) On ly a (2) Only b

(3) Bo th a and b

(4) Ne i ther a nor b

163. India, in February 2013 , be­c a m e the wor ld 's first country to l aunch a smar tphone into s p a c e w h e n S t rand-1 space ­craft w a s sent into orbit frpm Sr ihar iko ta to test the capa­b i l i t i e s o f m a n y s t a n d a r d s m a r t p h o n e c o m p o n e n t s for a space env i ronment . Starnd-1 has been built m

(1) France

(2) Sou th Afr ica

(3) Br i ta in (4) Aus t ra l i a

164. A deta i led art ic le in the j o u r ­na l N a t u r e G e o s c i e n c e sug ­gested in February 2013 that the r ema ins of a micro-cont i ­nent might be preserved under huge a m o u n t s o f anc ient lava b e n e a t h t h e I n d i a n O c e a n . W h a t i s the n a m e o f this mi-c ronut r i en t?

(1) Maur i t i a (2) Nu t ra -F l o

(3) Micra (4) BoNu

165. N A S A sc ient is ts a n n o u n c e d in February 2 0 1 3 to have spotted the y o u n g e s t b lack hole yet in the Mi lky Way ga l axy ca l led W 4 9 B , w h i c h i s j u s t 1000 -years-o ld and only 26000 light-y e a r s away f rom Ear th . W h i c h o f the fo l lowing s ta t ements i s/ are correct regard ing this d is­covery?

a . I t w a s d i s cove r ed by NASA ' s C h a n d r a X- ray Observa tory .

b . W 4 9 B appea rs to be the prod­uct of a rare explos ion in which m a t t e r i s e j e c t e d a t h i g h speeds a long the po les of a ro­tat ing star.

Se lect the correct answer us­ing the codes g iven be low:

(1) Only a

(2) On ly b

(3) Bo th a and b

(4) Ne i ther a nor b

166. United Kingdom scientists, in February 2013, announced to have discovered an amazing set of hydrothermal vents, the deepest anywhere in the world, in the ocean floor in the Car­ibbean. What is the name of the British research ship from which the expedition is being run?

(1) Columbus (2) James Cook (3) Vasco (4) Franklin

167. World football's governing body FIFA announced in February 2013 that goal-line technolo­gy will be used during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Which of the following statements is correct regarding the goal line technology? (1) It is a method to determine

whether the Football has completely crossed the goal line or not

(2) FIFA has already approved two systems - Hawk Eye and GoalRef

(3) This technology will assist the referee in taking the fi­nal decision regarding a goal

(4) All of the above 168. A new and legally binding in­

ternational treaty to reduce harmful emissions of mercury was adopted by more than 140 nations in Geneva on 2 Feb­ruary 2013. Mercury is (1) Known to be a poison for

centuries (2) Is a natural element that

cannot be created or de­stroyed

(3) Coal-fired power plants are major sources of mercury emissions

(4) All of the above 169. Zoological Society of London

along with IUCN species sur­vival commiss ion, in their largest-ever analysis released in February 2013, found out that (1) 19 percent of turtles, liz­

ards, snakes, crocodiles and other reptiles are facing se­vere threat of extinction

(2) 30% of the freshwater rep­tiles were almost close to extinction

(3) Out of the endangered spe­cies are the King cobra, In­dian crocodile (mugger) , South Andaman krait, etc

(4) All of the above 170. US astronomers looking for

life in the solar system an­nounced in February 2013 that one of the moons of Jupiter, which has an ocean, is much more promising than desert-covered Mars, which is cur­rently the focus of the US gov­ernment's attention. Which is that Moon? ( l ) I o (2)Europa (3) Ganymede (4) Callisto

171. A meteor streaked across the sky above the Ural Mountains in Russia on 15 February 2013, injuring more than 400 people, many hurt by broken glass, and causing explosions. Near which Russian city did this happen? (1) Moscow (2) Chelyabinsk (3) Chita (4) Gukovo

172. As per a recent study which was released in February 2013, life on Earth faces danger from a catastrophic "Super volcano" which seismologists say is due to erupt in (1) 50 million years (2) 100 million years (3) 200 million years (4) 300 million years

173. The Union Cabinet of India on 6 February 2013 gave approval to Defence Research and De­v e l opment Organ isa t i on (DRDO) for developing an in­digenous Airborne Early Warn­ing and Contro l Sys t em (AWACS) for IAF. Which of the following statements is/are correct in this regard?

a. AWACS allows IAF to keep a close watch on the enemy ter­ritory.

b. The government granted an in-principal approval to the pro­posal for developing an indig­enous AWACS.

. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: (1) Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

174.The world 's first complete 'bionic man.' comprising arti­ficial organs, synthetic blood, robotic limbs and a human face was unveiled at a special event at London's Science Museum in February 2013. What is its name? ( l )Adam (2) Rex (3) Hercules (4) Phantom

175. NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drilled into the Martian sur­face for the first time in Feb­ruary 2013 as part of an effort to investigate if the planet ever had conditions to support mi­crobia l l i fe. What is the lifespan of this mission? (1)9 months (2) 1 year (3) 2 years (4) 3 years

176. Researchers in Warrensburg discovered the largest prime number of the world in Febru­ary 2013, beating an earlier record of largest prime num­ber by more than 4 million dig­its. In which country was this discovery made? (1) Germany • (21 USA (3) Canada (4) Russia

177. India, in February 2013, an­nounced to have developed its own propulsion engine for fu­ture UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The 55-hp engine named "Wankel" has been de­veloped by (1) National Aerospace Labs (2) Aeronautical Development

Establishment (3) Vehicle Research and De­

velopment Establishment (4) All of the above

178. Scientists at Berkeley Lab. in February 2013, announced to have created the world's first genome-wide digital atlas of gene enhancers in the brain. It has. now made it possible to pinpoint which part of the or­gan is playing truant during neurological disorders like

(1) Autism (2) Epilepsy (3) Schizophrenia (4) All of the above

179. Scientists using the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Telescope, announced in Feb­ruary 2013, to have discovered that an old star — 176 light years away from Earth — thought to be past its prime may still be creating new plan­ets. This surprising star is called (1) Ann Arbor (2) TW Hydrae (3) X Bergin (4) MN Glenn

180. A global research team led by the International Crop Re­search Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) recently an­nounced to have succeeded in decoding the genome sequence of the CDC Frontier chickpea variety. Where is ICRISAT headquartered? (1) Manila ' (2) Hyderabad (3) Jakarta (4) Jodhpur

181. NASA, in February 2013, an­nounced to have discovered the smallest known planet outs ide our so lar sys t em which is slightly larger than the Moon and orbits its Sun like host star every 13 days. What is the name of constel­lation in which this plant is located? (1) Angela (2) Lyra (3) MI (4) Samara

182. In a remarkable discovery made in February 2013, it was found that the Don Juan Pond, the world's saltiest natural water body on the planet, lies in the driest place on Earth — and it may give clues to find­ing water on Mars. Where is this pond located? (1) Sahara Desert (2) Antarctica (3) Atacama Desert (4) Prairies

183. It was announced in February 2013 that nearly 90% of Mars' surface has been mapped by the h igh-reso lut ion stereo camera on ESA's Mars Ex­press. With reference to it, which of the following state­ments is/are correct?

(1) The mosaic comprises 2702 individual swaths of the Martian surface

(2) The map provides a record of all locations observed by the camera simultaneous­ly in red, green, blue and nadir channels

(3) In total, 87.8% of the sur­face has been mapped at any reso lu t ion , with 6 1 . 5 % mapped at a resolution of 20 m per pixel or better

(4) All of the above 184. Which of the following space

agencies, in February 2013, announced its plans to launch the world's largest solar sail in 2014 which will use photons

' from the Sun for propulsion, paving the way for various ex­ploration missions that could be accomplished only through the use of "propellant-less pro­pulsion" technology? ( l ) I SRO

(2) European Space Agency (3) NASA (4) Japanese Space Agency

185. An asteroid half the size of a football field flew by Earth on 15 February 13 and zipped within 27, 680 kilometers of the planet during the cosmic-close encounter. What was the name of this asteroid? (1JDA14 (2) AC 11 (3)EF17 (4JGI22

MISCELLANEOUS 186. Railway Minister Pawan Ku­

mar Bansal, on February 26, 2013 presented his maiden Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha. In this regard, who was the first Railway Minister to have presented such a budget? (1) John Mathai (2) N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar (3) Lai Bahadur Shastri (4)J.B. Kriplani

187. The monthly trade deficit of which country hit record in January 2013 after the aggres­sive monetary policy weakened its currency considerably?

(1) Japan (2) Greece (3) Spain (4) Britain

188.Angelo Mathews was, in Feb­ruary 2013, selected as Sri Lan­ka's Test and one-day interna­tional captain for the rest of 2013. Whom did he replace for this prestigious post? (1) Kumara Sangakkara (2) Mahela Jayawardene (3) Dilhara Fernando (4) Agatha Mendis

189. UPA chairperson Sonia Gan­dhi on 6 February 2013 launched a new health initia­tive called Rashtriya Bal Sw-asthya which is aimed at im­proving overall quality of life of children through early de­tection of (1) Birth defects (2) Diseases (3) Deficiencies (4) All of the above

190. In one of his first significant moves as Chairman of the 'fata Group, Cyrus Mistry, in Feb­ruary 2013, created a new po­sition of Brand Custodian, and appointed a young executive to the post. Who was appointed to the post? (1) Avinash Gupta (2) Mukund Govind Rajan (3) Suresh Solanki (4) Abhijat Patel

191.The 11th Special Olympics World Winter Games was a multi-sports event that was held in Pyeongchang from Jan­uary 29 through February 5, 2013. In which country was it held? (1) Malaysia (2) South Korea (3) Indonesia (4) Japan

192. Railway Minister Pawan Ku­mar Bansal ended his Railway Budget 2013-2014 speech with "But later on the Journey the engine's sing­ing still. If you listen very qui­etly You will hear this little song, "I thought I could, I c ou ld ! " And so it speeds along". Whose words were these?

(1) A u t i s m (2) Epi lepsy

(3) S ch i z ophren i a

(4) Al l o f the a b o v e 179. Sc ient is ts us ing the E u r o p e a n

Space Agency ' s Herschel Space Te l e scope , a n n o u n c e d in Feb ­ruary 2013 , to have d iscovered that an old star — 176 l ight y e a r s a w a y f r o m E a r t h — though t to be pas t its p r i m e m a y still be c rea t ing new p lan­e t s . T h i s s u r p r i s i n g s t a r i s cal led (1) A n n A rbo r (2) T W H y d r a e (3) X Berg in (4) ivlN G l enn

180. A g lobal r esearch t e a m led by t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l C r o p R e ­sea rch Inst i tute for S e m i Ar id T r op i c s ( ICRISAT ) recent ly an­n o u n c e d to have succeeded in decod ing the g e n o m e sequence o f the C D C Front ier ch i ckpea v a r i e t y . W h e r e i s I C R I S A T headquar te red? (1) M a n i l a (2) Hyderabad (3) Jaka r t a (4) J o d h p u r

181. N A S A , in February 2 0 1 3 , an ­n o u n c e d t o h a v e d i s c o v e r e d t h e s m a l l e s t k n o w n p l a n e t o u t s i d e o u r s o l a r s y s t e m w h i c h i s s l ight ly la rger than the M o o n and orbi ts its S u n l ike host star every 13 days . W h a t i s the n a m e o f conste l ­la t ion in w h i c h this p l an t is located?

(1) Ange la (2) Lyra (3) MI (4) S a m a r a

182. In a r e m a r k a b l e d i s c o v e r y m a d e in February 2 0 1 3 , i t w a s found that the Don J u a n Pond , t h e w o r l d ' s s a l t i e s t n a t u r a l wa te r body on the p lanet , l ies in the dr iest p lace on Ear th — and i t may g ive c lues to f ind­ing wa t e r on M a r s . W h e r e i s this pond l oca ted?

(1) Saha ra Deser t (2) An ta r c t i c a (3) A t a c a m a Deser t (4) Prair ies

183. It w a s a n n o u n c e d in February 2 0 1 3 that near l y 9 0 % o f Mars ' sur face has been m a p p e d by t h e h i g h - r e s o l u t i o n , s t e r e o c a m e r a o n E S A ' s M a r s E x ­p r e s s . W i t h r e f e r e n c e t o It, w h i c h o f the fo l l ow ing s ta te ­m e n t s is/are correc t?

(1) T h e mosa ic compr ises 2702 i n d i v i d u a l s w a t h s o f the Mar t i an sur face

(2) T h e m a p prov ides a record of all l oca t ions observed by the c a m e r a s imu l t aneous ­ly in red, g reen , b lue and nad i r channe l s

(3) In total, 8 7 . 8 % of the sur ­face has been mapped at any r e s o l u t i o n , w i t h 6 1 . 5 % m a p p e d at a reso lut ion of 20 m per pixel or better

(4) A l l o f the above

184. W h i c h of the fo l lowing space a g e n c i e s , i n F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 3 , a n n o u n c e d its p lans to launch the wor ld 's largest so lar sail in 2 0 1 4 w h i c h will use pho tons f rom the S u n for propu ls ion , pav ing the way for var ious ex­p lorat ion miss ions that could be a ccomp l i shed only through the use of "prope l lant- less pro­pu l s i on " t echno logy? ( l ) I S R O

(2) Eu ropean S p a c e A g e n c y

(3) N A S A

( 4 ) J a p a n e s e Space Agency 185. An astero id hal f the size of a

footbal l field f lew by Ear th on 15 F e b r u a r y 13 a n d z i p p e d w i th in 27 , 6 8 0 k i l ome te r s o f the p lanet dur ing the cosmic c lose encounter . W h a t w a s the n a m e o f this as tero id? ( 1 ) D A 1 4 (2) AC 11 ( 3JEF17 (4JGI22

MISCELLANEOUS 186. Ra i lway M in i s t e r P a w a n K u ­

m a r Bansa l , on February 26 , 2 0 1 3 p r e s e n t e d h i s m a i d e n R a i l w a y B u d g e t i n the L o k Sabha . In this regard, w h o w a s the f irst Ra i lway M in i s t e r to have presented such a budge t? ( l ) J o h n Matha i

(2) N . G o p a l a s w a m y A y y a n g a r

(3) Lai Bahadur Shastr i

( 4 ) J . B . Kr ip lani

187. T h e m o n t h l y t r ade def ic i t o f w h i c h c o u n t r y hit r e c o r d in Janua ry 2013 after the aggres­sive mone tary pol icy weakened its cur rency cons ide rab ly?

(1) Japan (2) Greece (3) Spa in (4) Br i ta in

188 .Angelo M a t h e w s was , in Feb­ruary 2013 , selected as Sri Lan­ka 's Tes t and one-day interna­t ional capta in for the rest of 2 0 1 3 . W h o m did he replace for this prest ig ious post? (1) K u m a r a Sangakkara (2) Mahe la Jayawardene (3) D i lhara Fe rnando (4) A g a t h a Mend i s

189. UPA cha i rpe rson Son ia Gan­d h i o n 6 F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 3 l aunched a new health initia­tive cal led Rashtr iya Bal Sw-as thya w h i c h is a imed at im­prov ing overal l qual i ty of life o f ch i ldren through early de­tect ion of (1) Birth defects (2) D iseases (3) Def ic ienc ies (4) All of the above

190. In one of his first s igni f icant moves as Cha i rman o f the Ta ta G r o u p , Cy rus Mis t iy , in Feb­ruary 2 0 1 3 , created a new po­sition of Brand Custodian, and appo inted a y oung execut ive to the post . W h o w a s appo inted to the pos t? (1) A v inash Gup ta (2) M u k u n d Gov ind Rajan (3) Su resh So lank i (4) Abh i ja l Pate l

191.The 11th S p e c i a l O l y m p i c s W o r l d W i n t e r G a m e s w a s a m u l t i - s p o r t s e v e n t that w a s held in Pyeongchang from Jpn-uary 29 through February 5, 2 0 1 3 . In w h i c h count ry w a s i t he ld? (1) Malays ia (2) Sou th Korea (3) Indones ia (4) J a p a n

192. Ra i lway M in i s t e r P a w a n Ku­m a r Bansa l ended his Rai lway Budge t 2013-2014 speech with " B u t l a t e r o n t h e Jou rney the engine 's sing­ing stil l . I f y o u l isten very qui­e t ly You wi l l h ea r th is l itt le s o n g , " I t h o u g h t I c o u l d , I c o u l d ! " A n d s o i t s p e e d s a l o n g " . W h o s e w o r d s w e r e these?

(1) Mahalma Gandhi (2) James Mill (3) Christine Weatherly (4) Ruskin Bond

1 9 3 . Renowned pace bowlers Glenn McGrath and who else was in­ducted into the Austral ian Cricket Hall of Fame in Feb­ruary 2013? (1) Charlie Turner (2) Peter Field (3) Sam Botha (4) Craig McDermott

1 9 4 . The Union Cabinet of India on 6 February 2013 gave its nod to the proposal of decreasing the headcounts to 100 in hab­itations under the govern­ment's flagship programme, (1) Bharat Nirman (2) Pradhan Mantr i G ram Sadak Yojana (3) MNREGA (4) Indira Awas Yojana

195 . Which Indian cricketer was appointed as vice-president of India Cements in February 2013, a company which is headed by BCCI President N Srinivasan? ( l )Virat Kohli (2) M.S. Dhoni (3) Virender Sehwag (4) Zaheer Khan

1 9 6 . Rajya Sabha, on 25 February 2013, approved the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohi­bition and Redressal) Bill. The bill seeks protection for

a. Women in all type of organ­ised, unorganized as well as Private Sectors.

b. Sexual harassment of domes­tic help as well as agricultural workers. Select the correct answer us­ing the codes given below: ( l )Only a (2) Only b (3) Both a and b (4) Neither a nor b

1 9 7 . Which of the following bodies/ organizations signed the first MoU with the Ministry of Ship­ping on 14 February 2013 as a part of its efforts to highlight

issues relating to HIV/AIDS? (1) National AIDS Control Or­

ganisation (NACO) (2) Min is t ry of Hea l th and

Family Welfare (3) Ministry of Social Welfare (4) Only 1 and 2

1 9 8 . As per data released in Febru­ary 2013, Priority Sector Lend­ing (PSL) to Minorit ies in­creased considerably from 10.60 percent of total PSL in 2007-2008 to 15.01 percent in 2012-2013. In order to increase credit flow to the minorities, which steps were undertaken by the Government? (1) Reserve Bank of India is­

sued directions on Priority Sector Lending in order to improve credit facilities to the minorities

(2) Regular monitoring of Pub­lic Sector Banks was done for checking disposal of loan applications for the minorities

(3) From 2007-2008 to 2011-2012, 5954 branches of bank were opened in those areas where there was sub­stantial minority popula­tion

(4) All of the above 1 9 9 . Which of the following minis­

tries on 8 February 2013 ar­ranged the first of its kind Live Twitter Conference based on the theme- Community Radio: Road Travelled & Way For­ward? (1) Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting (2) Ministry of Home (3) Ministry of Human Re­

source Development (4) Ministry of Finance

2 0 0 . The Union Finance Ministry in February 2013 decided to pay an additional cash subsidy for the state owned fuel retailers. What is the size of additional cash subsidy? (1) Rs. 10,000 crore (2) Rs. 15,000 crore (3) Rs. 25,000 crore (4) Rs. 30,000 crore

ANSWERS

1. (3) 2. (4) 3. (2) 4. (3) 5. (4) 6. (3) 7. (2) 8.(2)

9. (3) 10. (2) 11. (3) 12. (2) 13. (3) 14. (4) 15. (1) 16. (3) 17. (3) 18. (3) 19. (1) 20. (2) 21 . (3) 22. (3) 23. (3) 24. (1) 25. (3) 26. (1) 27. (4) 28. (3) 29. (3) 30. (4) 31 . (4) 32. (3| 33. (3) 34. (3) 35. (3) 36.(1) 37. (1) 38. (3) 39. (3) 40. (3) 4 1 . (1) 42. (2) 43. (3) 44. (3) 45. (3) 46. (4) 47. (3) 48. (2) 49. (2) 50. (2J 51. (3) 52. (2) 53. (2) 54. (3) 55. (1) 56. (4) 57. (4) 58. (2) 59. (1) 60. (2)

6 1 . (1) 62. (3) 63 . (3) 64.(2) 65. (3) 66. (3) 67. (2) 68. (3) 69. (4) 70. (3) 7 1 . (3) 72. (3) 73. (3) 74. (2) 75. (2) 76. (3) 77. (2) 78. (3) 79. (3) 80. (3) 81 . (2) 82. (4) 83. (3) 84. (3) 85. (2) 86. (1) 87. (4) 88. (2) 89. (4) 90 . (4) 9 1 . (1) 92. (3) 93. (2) 94. (3) 95. (3) 96.(1) 97. (3) 98. (1) 99. (2) 100. (2)

101. (1) 102. (2) 103. (3) 104. (3) 105. (2) 106. (3) 107. (2) 108. (3) 109. (2) 110. (4) 111. (3) 112. (2) 113. (2) 114. (3) 115. (3) 116. (2) 117. (3) 118. (2) 119. (2) 120. (2) 121. (3) 122. (3) 123. (2) 124. (3) 125. (3) 126. (2) 127. (1) 128. (2) 129. (2) 130. (3) 131. (1) 132. (2) 133. (2) 134. (4) 135. (4) 136. (3) 137. (2) 138. (3) 139. (3) 140. (1) 141. (3) 142. (2) 143. (2) 144. (3) 145. (4) 146. (1) 147. (2) 148. (2) 149. (2) 150. (2) 151. (1) 152. (1) 153. (4) 154. (3) 155. (2) 156. (1) 157. (4) 158. (2) 159. (2) 160. (3) 161. (2) 162. (3) 163. (3) 164. (1) 165. (3) 166. (2) 167. (4) 168. (4) 169. (4) 170. (2) 171. (2) 172. (3) 173. (3) 174. (2) 175. (4) 176. 12) 177. .(4) 178. (4) 179. (2) 180. (2) 181. (2) 182. (2) 183. (4) 184. (3) 185. (1) 186. (1) 187. (1) 188. (2) 189. (4) 190. (2) 191. (2) 192. (3) 193. (1) 194. (2) 195. (2) 196. (3) 197. (4) 198. (4) 199. (1) 200. (3)