Current GK-Today's Quiz (GK Quiz - 146)

1. The Union government in January 2012 decided to subscribe to preferential equity shares issued by which of the two public sector banks?
[A]SBI and PNB
[B]PNB and Union Bank
[C]SBI and UCO
[D]Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank



2. According to the data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on 30 January 2012, the growth rate of eight core industries slowed down to what per cent in December 2011 from 6.3 per cent in December 2010?
[A]2.5%
[B]3.1 %
[C]4%
[D]5.2%



3. The apex decision-making body of the communications ministry, the Telecom Commission decided to allow mobile phone companies to share spectrum. Identify the statement which is incorrect.
1. The Commission has however limited this facility to 3G airwaves alone
2. Only those operators that have airwaves in a particular region can share it. Spectrum can be shared only between two spectrum holders
3. Two companies can share airwaves only if their combined holdings do not exceed the limits prescribed in the M&A norms
4. Spectrum sharing deals will also have to be renewed every five years
[A]Only 4
[B]Only 2
[C]Only 1
[D]2 and 3



4. The Union government on 31 January 2012 revised the economic growth rate for 2010-2011 financial year to what percent in comparison to the previous estimate of 8.5 percent?
[A]8%
[B]8.4%
[C]7.5%
[D]7%



5. Which team coached by R R Jadeja won its second consecutive Ranji Trophy title by defeating Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram stadium on 23 January 2012?
[A]Karnataka
[B]West Bengal
[C]Andhra Pradesh
[D]Rajasthan



6. Which Australian batsman was honoured with Austrlia's highest civil honour - an officer (AO) in the general division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the sport of cricket as a leading player?
[A]Ricky Ponting
[B]Adam Gilchrist
[C]Michael Hussey
[D]Andrew Symonds



7. The 2012 men's final of the Australian Open went past the 2008 Wimbledon final time record, finishing after 5 hours and 53 minutes of play. Who emerged winner in the epic final?
[A]Andy Murray
[B]Roger Federer
[C]Novak Djokovic
[D]Rafael Nadal



8. Name the woman tennnis player who won her win first Grand Slam title by winning in the finals of of the Australian Open 2012.
[A]Victoria Azarenka
[B]Svetlana Kuznetsova
[C]Maria Sherapova
[D]Caroline Wozniacki



9. Which of the following table tennis players won his maiden national title by defeating a six time champion in the final of the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Lucknow on 29 January 2012?
[A]A Sharath Kamal
[B]A Amalraj
[C]N Ganeshan
[D]T.Raju



10. The White House on 10 February 2012 named India's renowned economist as the receipient of the 2011 US National Humanities Medal. Identify him.
[A]Montek Singh Ahluwalia
[B]C. Rangarajan
[C]Usha Thorat
[D]Amartya Sen



11. Singer and actress Whitney Houston died on 11 February 2012 in a Beverly Hills hotel room California. Which of the facts about her are not true?
1. Houston is a winner of six Grammy Awards including record of the year for I Will Always Love You and album of the year for The Bodyguard
2. Houston's 1985 debut album Whitney Houston became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone's best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
3. She had made her national televised debut alongside Davis on Gimme a Break.
4. She had won her first Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for Saving All My Love for You.
5. She is the first artist to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the Billboard magazine year-end charts.
[A]1 and 5
[B]Only 2
[C]Only 5
[D]2 and 4



12. The sixty-fifth annual British Academy Film awards, the BAFTA's was held at the Royal Opera House in London 12 February 2012. Which film swept the award ceremony winning a total of 6 awards?
[A]The Iron Lady
[B]The Artist
[C]We Need to Talk About Kevin
[D]Hugo



13. This British singer with six nominations, won all six awards at 54th Annual Grammy Awards held on 12 February 2012 for the album 21, thus tying Beyoncé's record for most wins by a female artist in one night. Identify the singer.
[A]Bon Iver
[B]Lady Gaga
[C]Adele
[D]Whitney Houston



14. Pakistani archaeologists discovered a rare Indus Valley civilization-era seal in steatite dating back to 2500-2000 BC from the Cholistan area of which of the following province in Pakistan?
[A]Punjab Province
[B]Bluchistan
[C]Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
[D]Sindh Province



15. There were as many as 1359 foreigners, who availed themselves of the Visa on Arrival scheme in January compared with 790 in January 2011. What was the per centage growth recorded in number of foreigners availing Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme in January 2012?
[A]70%
[B]72%
[C]75%
[D]82%