Current Affairs GK Today

1. Recently the construction of the first underwater metro tunnel in the country began; it is on the banks of River:
a) Yamuna
b) Betwa
c) Hooghly
d) Narmada
Answer & Exp:   -c; A gigantic Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) began cutting deep inside the bed of the Hooghly river, commencing the construction of the first underwater metro tunnel in the country.

2. Recently the government wants ministries, departments and also private agencies to adopt .....as the uniform age criterion to define senior citizens as to address anomalies in extending benefits to the elderly.
a) 58 years
b) 60 years
c) 62 years
d) 65 years
Answer & Exp:   -b; The government wants ministries, departments and also private agencies to adopt '60 years' as the uniform age criterion to define senior citizens as to address anomalies in extending benefits to the elderly.

3. Which first Indian-American appointed as the Surgeon-General, has been dismissed by the Trump administration?
a) Maya Schulz
b) Raghawan Shankar
c) Deepak Aggarwal
d) Vivek Murthy
Answer & Exp:   -d; Vivek Murthy, the first Indian-American appointed by the Barack Obama regime as the Surgeon-General, has been dismissed by the Trump administration to bring new leadership to the vital public health sector.

4. Defence deals including procurement of an air defence system for the Indian Navy are likely to be sealed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Israel. The present Prime Minister of Israel is:
a) Ehud Olmert
b) Ehud Barak
c) Benjamin Netanyahu
d) Ariel Sharon
Answer & Exp:   -c; Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel.

5. NITI Aayog is to have a new ........... policy action plan to replace the old system of five year plans.
a) One Year
b) Two Year
c) Three Year
d) Four Year
Answer & Exp:   -c; The Niti Aayog is gearing up to launch the three-year action plan from April 1 after the end of 12th Five Year Plan on March 31.

6. Recently the 1st 'India Indonesia Energy Forum', was held in:
a) New Delhi
b) Jakarta
c) Pune
d) Bandung
Answer & Exp:   -b; Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal and H.E. Mr. Ignasius Jonan, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Republic of Indonesia met on 20th April, 2017 for the 1st 'India Indonesia Energy Forum', held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

7. Recently researchers have shown that sunflower seeds are frequently contaminated with a toxin which has the potential to cause:
a) Heart Attack
b) Skin Cancer
b) Intestine Cancer
d) Liver Cancer
Answer & Exp:   -d; Researchers have shown that sunflower seeds are frequently contaminated with a toxin which has the potential to cause liver cancer.

8. Recently a study by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has found the molecular mechanism by which vitamin kills Mycobacterium smegmatis, a non-pathogenic bacterium that belongs to the same genus as the TB-causing mycobacteria?
a) Vitamin A
b) Vitamin B
c) Vitamin C
d) Vitamin D
Answer & Exp:    -c; A study by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has found the molecular mechanism by which vitamin C impedes and even kills Mycobacterium smegmatis, a non-pathogenic bacterium that belongs to the same genus as the TB-causing mycobacteria.

9. Recently who won the Monte Carlo Masters annual tennis tournament for an unprecedented 10th time?

a) Andy Murray
b) Rafael Nadal
c) Roger Federer
d) Stan Wawarinka
Answer & Exp:   -b; Defending champion Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters for an unprecedented 10th time, easily beating Albert RamosVinolas in the final.

10. Recently who has set up a fund to provide scholarship and financial assistance to working professionals who would need to upgrade their skills through online education?
a) Akshay Kumar
b) Manish Malhotra
d) Bonnie Kapoor
d) Ronnie Screwvala
Answer & Exp:   -d; Entrepreneur and philanthropist Ronnie Screwvala has set up a fund to provide scholarship and financial assistance to working professionals who would need to upgrade their skills through online education.

11. Under crop insurance schemes in 2017-18 season beginning in July, the government is aiming to bring .....of gross sown area.
a) 35%
b) 40%
c) 50%
d) 75%
Answer & Exp:   -b; The government is aiming to bring 40 percent of gross sown area of 194.4 million hectare under crop insurance schemes in 2017-18 season beginning July.

12. Under the Centre's Integrated Port Development Scheme a satellite port will come up in:
a) Sindhudurg, Maharashtra
b) Raigad, Maharashtra
c) Mysuru, Karnataka
d) Thissur, Kerala
Answer & Exp:   -a; A satellite port will come up at Vijayadurg in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. The facility will be built under the Centre's Integrated Port Development Scheme.

13. Recently which country has put forward a proposal to have a logistics support agreement with India on the lines of the one concluded with the U.S?
a) New Zealand
b) Russia
c) Australia
d) Japan
Answer & Exp:   -c; Australia has put forward a proposal to have a logistics support agreement with India on the lines of the one concluded with the U.S.

14. The Ministry of External Affairs has made a provision enabling people to apply online for passports in:
a) Kannada
b) Telugu
c) Hindi
d) Sanskrit
Answer & Exp:   -c; The Ministry of External Affairs has made a provision enabling people to apply online for passports in Hindi.

15. The Centre is planning to establish a single unified:
a) Health Ministry
b) Transport Ministry
c) Rural Development Ministry
d) Urban Development Ministry
Answer & Exp:   -b; The Centre is planning to establish a single unified transport ministry by merging the Ministries of Aviation, Railways, Surface Transport and Shipping so as to ensure greater ease of doing business and boost India's trade.

16. The Election Commission has issued letter of intent for purchase of 16.15 lakh Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, the machines will be procured in 2017-18 and 2018-19 at an estimated cost of Rs.3,173.47 crore from public sector undertakings:
a) BHEL and BEL
b) BEL and ECIL
c) NPCIL and ECIL
d) ECIL and HMT
Answer & Exp:   -b; The machines will be procured in 2017-18 and 2018-19 at an estimated cost of Rs. 3,173.47 crore from public sector undertakings BEL and ECIL.

17. Addressing the third meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog, Prime Minister told that there has been a ......increase in overall fund allocation to States between 2014-15 and 2016-17.
a) 40%
b) 32%
c) 28%
d) 25%
Answer & Exp:   -a; Addressing the third meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog, Mr Modi pointed out while there has been a 40% increase in overall fund allocation to States between 2014-15 and 2016-17.

18. Which of the following Indian has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for 2017?
a) Lavkush Sehgal
b) Andrew Wilson
c) Prafulla Samantara
d) Samantha Das
Answer & Exp:   -c; Activist Prafulla Samantara was named as one of the six winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize for 2017.

19. Recently the Labour Ministry has proposed draft rules to fix the working conditions for child artistes and for employing children in family enterprises. A child artiste will not be allowed to work for more than:
a) 5 hours a day
b) 6 hours a day
c) 8 hours a day
d) 7 hours a day
Answer & Exp:   -a; The Labour Ministry has proposed draft rules to fix the working conditions for child artistes and for employing children in family enterprises. While a child artiste will not be allowed to work for more than five hours a day.

20. Union Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is interested to set up an International Skill Centre in:
a) Arunachal Pradesh
b) Assam
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) Telangana
Answer & Exp:   -b; Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) Rajiv Pratap Rudy informed Assam chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal that his Ministry is interested to set up an International Skill Centre in the State.

21. India's first sea and longest ropeway is planned to be constructed in:
a) Kerala
b) Goa
c) Maharashtra
d) Karnataka
Answer & Exp:   -c; India's first sea and longest ropeway to connect Mumbai with the famous Elephanta Island in the Arabian Sea is planned to be constructed by the Mumbai Port Trust.

22. Who won Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2016?
a) Jeetendra
b) Mohanlal
c) Kasinathuni Viswanath
d) Kamal Hassan
Answer & Exp:  -c; Veteran film director Kasinathuni Viswanath has made the Telugu film industry proud by winning the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema, for 2016. 

23. Name the NASA astronaut who set a new U.S. record for most cumulative days spent in space?
a) Peggy Whitson
b) Johny Will
c) Magaret Billy
d) Andrew Samuel
Answer & Exp:   -a; NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson set a new U.S. record for most cumulative days spent in space, surpassing cosmonaut Jeff Williams' record of 534 days aboard the International Space Station.

24. According to figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), India became the World's ....... largest military spender.
a) Second
b) Third
c) Fourth
d) Fifth
Answer & Exp:   -d; India's military expenditure grew around 8.5 percent in 2016, making it the world's fifth largest spender at $55.9 billion, figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

25. Who became the first Pakistani player to complete 10,000 test runs?
a) Younis Khan
b) Misbah Ul Haq
c) Shoaib Malik
d) Ahmed Shahzad
Answer & Exp:   a

26. Recently which Indian state builds the largest church in the Asian continent?
a) Kerala
b) Tamil Nadu
c) Goa
d) Nagaland
Answer & Exp:   -d; The largest church in Asia was dedicated at Zunheboto town in Nagaland.

27. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country's longest bridge on May 24 built over which of the following river?
a) Ganga
b) Narmada
c) Chambal
d) Brahmaputra
Answer & Exp:   -d; Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate  the country's longest bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam on May 24. Mr. Modi will visit Assam to inaugurate the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge.

28. Recently which block has been declared, the first "Open defecation free" ODF block in Jammu and Kashmir?
a) Rauni
b) Reasi
c) Pulwama
d) Ladaui
Answer & Exp:   -b; Reasi declared the first ODF block in Jammu and Kashmir