Articles from General Knowledge Today

GK & Current Affairs 2013: January 30, 31

2013-01-31 11:01:23 GKToday

1. Which among the following communities is looking into various issues related to
five minority universities proposed to be set up by the Centre?
[A]Sukhadeo Thorat Committee
[B]Jayati Ghosh Committee
[C]Deepak Pental Committee
[D]Zoya Hasan Committee
Sukhadeo Thorat

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2. Samuel Yin, one of Taiwans richest men has launched the Asian equivalent of
the Nobel Prize. What is the name of this new prize?
[A]Yuan Prize
[B]Han Prize
[C]Ming Prize
[D]Tang Prize
Tang Prize
Samuel Yin, one of Taiwans richest men launched the Asian equivalent of the Nobel
Prize the Tang Prize by donating Tw$3 billion (about $101 million) for it. The
prize is named after Chinas Tang Dynasty (618-907) which inspired generation
after generation with admiration for its vibrant characteristics of self-confidence and
cosmopolitan inclusiveness the qualities that the Tang Prize seeks to promote.
Beginning in 2014, prizes will be awarded every two years in four categories:
Sustainable development
Biopharmaceutical science
Sinology
rule of law
to individuals, regardless of nationality. The winner in each category will receive
Tw$50 million ($1.7 million), compared to the eight million Swedish kronor ($1.2
million) that comes with a Nobel Prize.

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3. Which among the following countries has announced that it has successfully sent
a monkey into space?
[A]North Korea

[B]Japan
[C]South Korea
[D]Iran
Iran
Recently, Iran said it has successfully sent a monkey into space, describing the
launch as another step toward Tehran's goal of a manned space flight.

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4. Which among the following is the new compression format that could
dramatically cut the amount of Internet bandwidth currently used by video files?
[A]C.265 codec
[B]H.265 codec
[C]C.270 codec
[D]H.270 codec
H.265 codec
The UN telecommunications agency says its members have agreed upon a new
compression format that could dramatically cut the amount of Internet bandwidth
currently used by video files. The International Telecommunication Union says the
format, or codec, known as H.265 would require just half the amount of data needed
by its predecessor, H.264.

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5. Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (Super-TIGER) experiment is of
which among the following organizations?
[A]National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
[B]Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
[C] Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
[D]China National Space Administration (CNSA)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Flying high over Antarctica, NASAs long duration balloon has broken the record for
longest flight by a balloon of its size. The record-breaking balloon, carrying the Super
Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (Super-TIGER) experiment, has been afloat
for 46 days and is on its third orbit around the South Pole, NASA said. The SuperTIGER flight shattered the previous record of 41 days and 22 hours, previously set in
2005. The Super-TIGER team plans to fly for another 8-10 days to have it fly closer
to McMurdo Station before terminating the flight and recovering the experiment.

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6. Recently, Scientists have discovered a new gene that could lead to new varieties
of staple crops with 50 per cent higher yields. What is the new gene name?

[A]Costa
[B]MEG1
[C]Scarecrow
[D]Lectin
Scarecrow
Called Scarecrow, the gene is the first discovered to control a special leaf structure,
known as Kranz anatomy, which leads to more efficient photosynthesis.

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7. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) group consist of
__________ members?
[A]10 countries
[B]12 countries
[C]16 countries
[D]18 countries
16 countries
The RCEP is an ASEAN-led trade agreement linking the economies of 16 AsiaPacific countries.

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8. Recently, Milos Zeman became the first directly elected president of
___________?
[A]Cuba
[B]Ukraine
[C]Czech
[D]Argentina
Czech
Czech Republic's leftist former prime minister Milos Zeman won his bid to become
the country's first directly elected president. Zeman will succeed President Vaclav
Klaus, who has been a critic of the European single currency, the euro.

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9. Recently, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced an agreement with __________ for
the early stage research and development of a six-in-one combination paediatric
vaccine to help protect children in India and other developing countries from polio
and other infectious diseases.
[A]Serum Institute of India
[B]Bharat Biotech Limited
[C]Biological E Limited
[D]Shanta Biotech Limited

Biological E Limited
Multinational drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline and the Hyderabad-based Biological E
Limited have come together for early stage research and development of a six-inone combination paediatric vaccine against polio and other infectious diseases.

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10. Market regulator Sebi has set up a committee headed by former cabinet
secretary K M Chandrashekhar to look into various matters related to __:
[A]Investor Protection
[B]Foreign Investments Policy
[C]Stock Exchange Regulation
[D]Stock Exchange Reforms
Foreign Investments
Market regulator Sebi has set up a committee headed by former cabinet secretary K
M Chandrashekhar to look into multiple routes for foreign investment such as foreign
institutional investors, foreign venture capital investors, qualified foreign investors
and non-resident Indian and suggest a simpler policy regime.

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