Thursday Acknowledge with General Knowledge
Question 1-5
(X) has released NIRF India Rankings 2020. National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) was launched in 2015 and first rankings were announced in 2016.
NIRF ranks Indian institutes in various categories on some pre-determined broad parameters. With each passing year, the number of institutes participating in NIRF rankings has increased and so has the categories in which institutes are ranked. In 2016, the institutes were ranked in only four categories which increased to nine in 2019. The year 2019 also witnessed the launch of first ARIIA rankings.
(Y) is the best higher education institution in the country, according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework released by (X).
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has bagged the second position and IIT Delhi is in the third position.
Miranda House has been chosen as the best college, followed by Lady Shri Ram and Hindu College.
IISc, Bangalore has topped universities category in the rankings, followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and Benares Hindu University.
1. Which of the following Ministries has launched 2020 NIRF?
a. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry
b. MSME Ministry
c. Union Finance Ministry
d. HRD Ministry
S-d
EXPLANATION-
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) released the 2020 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings for educational institutions in India.
• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras is the best higher education institution in the country.
• IIT Madras and IISc Bangalore bagged the first two ranks, followed by IIT Delhi on the third position among educational institutions in the country.
2. Who among the following is the Union Minister of (X)?
a. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
b. Nitin Gadkari
c. Piyush Goyal
d. Nirmala Sitharaman
S-a
3. What does (Y) stand for in the passage which is the best higher education institution in the country?
a. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
b. Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
c. Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi
d. Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• ‘Y’ is Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. It had a score of 85.31.
• NIRF 2020 has ranked institutions across 10 categories: Overall, university, engineering, management, pharmacy, college, medical, law, architecture and dental.
4. In which of the following categories was the NIRF 2020 released for the first time?
a. Medical
b. Law
c. Dental
d. Architecture
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• For the first time NIRF 2020 ranked the dental colleges.
• In dental category, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Udupi and Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth bagged the first three positions.
5. Which of the following institutes topped the QS World University rankings 2021?
a. IIT-Mumbai
b. MIT
c. Stanford University
d. Harvard University
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (WUR) 2021, 21 Indian universities and institutes have found a place this year among the world’s top 1,000.
• In 2020, there were 25 institutes.
• IIT-Bombay retains its status as country’s top university, followed by IISc-Bangalore, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Guwahati, Delhi University and IIT-Hyderabad.
• Globally, MIT is the number one university, followed by Stanford University and Harvard University.
Question (6-10)
According to Mercer's '2020 Cost of Living Survey', (X) is the 60th most expensive city for expatriates globally, while it ranks 19th in Asia.
(X) is the most expensive among Indian cities surveyed, followed by New Delhi (101st globally) and Chennai (143rd globally).
The global list was topped by (Y), followed by Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) in second position. Japan's Tokyo and Switzerland's Zurich remain in the third and fourth positions, respectively, whereas Singapore is in fifth position.
Tunis in Tunisia, Windhoek (Namibia), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Karachi (Pakistan) were ranked at the bottom as the least expensive cities in the world.
The survey is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation strategies for their expatriate employees. This year's ranking includes cities across five continents, and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment
6. What does (X) stand for in the given passage, which is the most expensive city in India?
a. Bengaluru
b. Delhi
c. Gurugram
d. Mumbai
S-d
EXPLANATION-
• (X) stands for Mumbai.
• Mumbai is the 60th most expensive city for expatriates globally, while it ranks 19th in Asia.
7. (Y) represents the city that has topped the Mercer’s 2020 Cost of Living. What does ‘Y’ stand for?
a. Hong Kong
b. Paris
c. New York
d. Vienna
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Hong Kong has topped the Mercer’s 2020 Cost of Living. It is followed by Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) in second position. Japan's Tokyo and Switzerland's Zurich remain in the third and fourth positions, respectively, whereas Singapore is in fifth position.
• The survey is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation strategies for their expatriate employees. This year's ranking includes 209 cities across five continents, and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment
8. Which of the following is the base city for the Mercer’s Index?
a. New York
b. Otawa
c. Vienna
d. Adelaide
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• New York City is used as the base city for all comparisons and currency movements are measured against the US dollar.
• The survey includes over 400 cities throughout the world; this year’s ranking includes 209 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.
• New York ranked sixth in the Mercer’s Index 2020.
9. According to the index, which of the following city is the least expensive city of the world?
a. Cairo
b. Ndjamena
c. Tunis
d. Ottawa
S-c
EXPLANATION-
• According to the Mercer’s index, Tunis ranks as the least expensive city in the region and globally.
• Windhoek (Namibia), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) were ranked at the bottom as the least expensive cities in the world.
10. How many cities were ranked in 2020 Mercer’s Index?
a. 209
b. 201
c. 199
d. 231
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• HongKong has topped the 2020 Mercer’s Index.
• The survey is designed to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation strategies for their expatriate employees.
• This year's ranking includes 209 cities across five continents, and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
Question (11-15)
The World Meteorological Organisation, has lauded the India Meteorological Department for its “accurate prediction" of Cyclone (X). In a letter dated June 2, addressed to IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra, WMO Secretary General E Manaenkova said the cyclone advisories were provided to the WMO and in particular Bangladesh which was also affected by the storm.
(X) intensified into a super cyclonic storm. It hit the Sunderbans and West Bengal coast as an extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 20.
In a letter dated June 2 addressed to IMD Director General, WMO Secretary-General E Manaenkova said the cyclone advisories were provided to the WMO and, in particular, Bangladesh which was also affected by the storm.The services provided by the IMD have been showcased as an “excellent lesson” and best practices in tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services and response actions leading to sufficient preparedness for mitigation of losses and damages. The advisories were also distributed to the WMO secretariat in Geneva and shared with the WMO regional offices in Singapore, Bahrain, and the WMO coordination hub.
"WMO secretary-general used the information from the bulletins to communicate with the UN secretary-general about Amphan. Those bulletins were also well-utilized by the WMO officer in New York to daily brief the relevant entities of the United Nations at its headquarters on the status and potential impact of Cyclone Amphan,” the letter added.
Amphan was a powerful and deadly tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in Eastern India and Bangladesh in May 2020 with winds up to 185 km per hour.
11. In the given passage, which of the following cyclone is being referred to as ‘X’?
a. Amphan
b. Vayu
c. Nisarga
d. Fani
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• ‘X’ refers to the Cyclone Amphan.
• Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan was a powerful and deadly tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in Eastern India, specifically West Bengal, and also Bangladesh in May 2020.
• It was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the Ganges Delta since Sidr of the 2007 season and the first super cyclonic storm to occur in the Bay of Bengal since the 1999 Odisha cyclone.
12. Where are the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organisation situated?
a. Geneva
b. Paris
c. Rome
d. Milan
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• WMO is an international organisation and has a member of 193 countries.
• Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Gerhard Adrian is the President of WMO.
• It is a United Nations Specialised Agency.
• The Convention of the World Meteorological Organization was signed 11 October 1947 and established upon ratification on 23 March 1950.
13. Which of the following Indian states were badly affected by the Cyclone ‘X’?
a. West Bengal and Odisha
b. Odisha and Maharashtra
c. Maharashtra and West Bengal
d. West Bengal and Gujarat
S-a
14. Which of the following countries named the cyclone Amphan?
a. Sri Lanka
b. Thailand
c. Bangladesh
d. India
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• The super cyclonic storm got this name from Thailand even before it had formed. It was proposed back in September 2004 for storms over north Indian ocean.
• The word 'Amphan' (pronunciation: Um-pun), means sky.
• It is the first tropical cyclone of the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Amphan's origins can be tracked back to a low-pressure area situated over the Bay of Bengal on April 29.
15. Who among the following is the Director General of Indian Meteorological Department?
a. Dr. Sanjay Mohapatra
b. Dr. Nirvana Mohapatra
c. Dr. Mahesh Mohapatra
d. Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra
S-d
EXPLANATION-
• Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra is the Director General of Indian Meteorological Department.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India
• Its headquarters are in New Delhi.
Question (16-20)
The Supreme Court directed the Centre and state governments to identify and send back within 15 days the stranded migrant workers willing to return to their native places and advocated for their counselling and help to find avenues of employment lost during COVID-19-induced country-wide lockdown.
The apex court, which was dealing with the plea on "problems and miseries" of migrant workers, also asked authorities to consider "withdrawal" of criminal cases lodged against them for violating social distancing norms.
It also directed the authorities to set up help desk for those workers who wanted to come back to their old places of work.
The apex court said the Central Government may give details of all schemes which can be availed by migrant workers who have returned to their native places.
The top court, which on May 28 had passed a slew of directions including asking the states not to charge fare from the workers and provide them food free of cost till they board trains of buses, took note of the fact that so far, 171 'X' trains have been demanded by various states from the Centre and further directed that any additional demand for trains will be fulfilled by Railways within "a period of 24 hours”.
16. The Central government started special trains for migrant workers that have been referred to as ‘X’ in the given passage. What does ‘X’ stand for?
a. Annapurna
b. Garib Rath
c. Aam Admi
d. Shramik
S-d
EXPLANATION-
• ‘X’ stands for Shramik Express. The Indian Railways started running the 'Sharamik-Special' trains ferry the migrant workers stranded at various places in the country from 1 May 2020 which is also the International Labour Day.
• These trains will be run from point-to-point on the request of the concerned state governments as per the standard protocols for sending and receiving stranded persons.
17. When is the International Labour Day observed?
a. 1 May
b. 2 May
c. 3 May
d. 4 May
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day.
• It is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on May Day (1 May).
18. Who among the following is the Union Labour and Employment?
a. Santosh Kumar Gangwar
b. Anita Tripathi
c. PK Gupta
d. Alok Kumar Mathur
S-a
19. Who among the following launched ‘Ghar Bhejo’ campaign?
a. Ranbir Kapoor
b. Sonu Sood
c. Ranveer Singh
d. Salman Khan
S-b
EXPLANATION-
• As part of his ‘Ghar Bhejo’ campaign, Sonu Sood has helped approximately 12,000 migrants reach home, and arrangements have been made for another 45,000.
• He responds to questions over a voice note, amid what he calls a ‘crazily busy schedule’ that keeps him awake nearly 22 hours a day. Each day, at least around 45,000 people are provided food and water as well.
20. When did the government launch ‘Shramik Express’?
a. 1 May 2020
b. 1 June 2020
c. 1 July 2020
d. 31 May 2020
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• The Indian Railways started running the 'Sharamik-Special' trains ferry the migrant workers stranded at various places in the country from 1 May 2020 which is also the International Labour Day.
• These trains will be run from point-to-point on the request of the concerned state governments as per the standard protocols for sending and receiving stranded persons.
Question (21-25)
A massive fire erupted at a leaking natural-gas oil well in Assam’s Tinsukia district on June 8, 2020. The oil well, part of Baghjan oil fields, is owned by (X). The oil well is situated near Assam’s (Y) National Park and the Maguri-Motapung wetland.
It has reportedly been leaking gas since the last 14 days after it suffered damage following a blowout on May 27. A blowout is a sudden uncontrolled release of crude oil or gas from a production well.
A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed in the area since the time of the gas leak. The Indian Air Force and the Army have also been called in to assist in the firefighting operations. The entire area has been cordoned off by paramilitary forces.
21. Who among the following is the Union Petroleum Minister?
a. Dharmendra Pradhan
b. Piyush Goyal
c. Mahendra Nath
d. Ganjendra Singh Shekhawat
S-a
22. What does ‘X’ stand for in the passage, which is the also the owner of Baghjan oil fields?
a. Oil India Limited (OIL)
b. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
c. Indian Oil Corporation
d. GAIL India Ltd.
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• ‘X’ stands for Oil India Limited (OIL).
• It is the second largest hydrocarbon exploration and production Indian public sector company with its operational headquarters in Duliajan, Assam, India.
• Chairman and MD-Sushil Chandra Mishra
23. Who among the following is the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)?
a. Prime Minister
b. Home Minister
c. Defence Minister
d. Union Environment Minister
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• The Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the Prime Minister.
• The "Apex Body for Disaster Management" in India is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
24. Which of the following is the ‘Nodal Ministry’ in the central government for management of natural disasters ?
a. Union Home Ministry
b. Union External Affairs Ministry
c. Union Finance Ministry
d. Union Defence Ministry
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• The ‘Nodal Ministry’ in the central government for management of natural disasters is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• The responsibility of managing disasters in India is that of the State Government.
25. Which of the following National park that is referred as ‘Y’ was affected by the blowout at the Baghjan Oil fields?
a. Dibru Saikhowa National Park
b. Kaziranga National Park
c. Manas National Park
d. Nameri National Park
S-a
EXPLANATION-
• Dibru Saikhowa National Park is a national park in Assam, India, located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
• It was designated as Biosphere reserve in 1997.
• It is a haven for many endangered species and rich in fish diversity.
