Current Affairs QUIZ: March 02, 2014

Current Affairs QUIZ: March 02, 2014

1. Union Government of India on 28 February 2014 raised the number of workdays under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) from 100 days to how many days?

[A] 120

[B] 130

[C] 150

[D] 200

2. Bangaru Lakshman, an Indian Politician, died on 1 March 2014. He served as a minister of state for railways in Government of India from 1999 to which year?

[A] 2000

[B] 2001

[C] 2002

[D] 2003

3. On which day, India observed National Science Day to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman)?

[A] 27th Feb

[B] 28th Feb

[C] 1st March

[D] 2nd March

4. Janamaddhi Hanamachhaastri, the renowned writer died on 28 February 2014. He wrote in which language?

[A] Telugu

[B] Tamil

[C] Hindi

[D] Kannada

5. Which automobile company, on 27 February 2014, launched electric car e2o in Thimphu, Bhutan?

[A] Tata Motors

[B] Hyundai

[C] Maruti Udyog Ltd

[D] Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd

6. Asia’s first Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) was commissioned into the Indian Navy recently with which India joined the select league of just two countries – the United States and Ukraine. Where this SBTF has been established?

7.  Who was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on 1 February 2014?

8. Which Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) was on 31 January 2014 elevated to the status of ISRO’s Propulsion Complex giving more autonomy to this centre?

9. In the first-ever move that would adversely affect flight operations to the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 31 January 2014 downgraded India’s aviation safety ranking, bringing it below Pakistan and at par with countries like Ghana, Barbados and Bangladesh. Air passengers to and from the US may have to face the brunt as Indian airplanes would have to go through more engineering and other safety checks on the American soil. What would be the main effect of this downgrade on Indian airline companies?

10. Which British nuclear power site came to news on 31 January 2014 after an alert was declared after discovering higher than usual levels of radioactivity, but later called it off, saying naturally occurring radon gas had triggered the alarm?

11. The Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie between India and Chinese Taipei started on 1 February 2014. This is the first time that a tie of the tennis’ prestigious Davis Cup was organized at a city of Madhya Pradesh (MP). Which centre is this?

1. [C] 150

2. [A] 2000

3. [B] 28th Feb

4. [A] Telugu

5. [D] Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd

6. at INS Hansa in Panaji (Goa) – The SBTF is primarily used for flight testing of Naval aircraft that operate from aircraft carriers. The SBTF has two parts including the Take-off Area with a ski-jump facility and the Landing Area with arresting wire facility, both of which are a replica of INS Vikramaditya)

7. Harish Rawat(Rawat was the Union Water Resources Minister in Union Government and he succeeded Vijay Bahuguna who was asked by the Congress high command to step down in a bid to boost the party’s prospects ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha polls. Bahuguna relinquished his post on 31 January 2014. Rawat became the 8^th Chief Minister of the state)

8.  Mahendragiri centre, at Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli (The Mahendragiri centre, which was functioning under LPSC in Valiyamala near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, would henceforth directly report to the ISRO chairman. The Mahendragiri centre has been instrumental in assembling and testing as many as 125 engines made by ISRO so far. The elevation would be a challenge to the scientists working in the centre)

9. This downgrade would effectively bar Air India and Jet Airways from increasing flights to the US from the current level

• They would also not be able to enter into any new code-share relationships with any US airline

(The downgrade does not mean that these airlines are unsafe but shows that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA’s) safety oversight is not enough to properly monitor safety performance of Indian carriers. As per the FAA, the downgrade means that the DGCA does not meet the safety standards set by UN agency International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO))

10. Sellafield (Sellafield is the largest nuclear site in Europe and is situated in northwest England. It is the site of Britain’s worst nuclear accident in 1957 and once the producer of plutonium for nuclear bombs. The plant’s operating company said there was nothing wrong with its operations, but for several hours the cause of the higher reading at an air monitor near a perimeter fence was unclear, raising fears of a radioactive leak)

Indore (The tie was held at Madhya Pradesh Tennis Association’s (MPTA’s) tennis facility at Indore. India won the tie on the first day itself by taking unassailable 3-0 lead. MPTA is one of the very few state associations which has its own tennis complex consisting of six synthetic flood courts, gym, swimming pool and medical facilities).