Multiple Choice Current Affairs Quiz: 30 March 2015

1) Who was selected for Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2014 recently?
(A) Shashi Kapoor
(B) Gulzar
(C) Bharathi Raja
(D) Soumitra Chatterjee

2) As per recent news reports, Andhra Pradesh government is all set to declare which heritage city as the capital of Andhra Pradesh?
(A) Visakhapatnam
(B) Kadapa
(C) Amaravati
(D) Vijayawada

3) Ministry of Railways on 23 March 2015 decided to restrict the number of tickets that an individual can book via the e-ticketing platform named?
(A) PRS
(B) IRCTC
(C) Book My Travel
(D) Travel Yaari

4) Name the renowned ecologist who has been chosen for the prestigious 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement on 23 March 2015?
(A) MS Swaminathan
(B) Kasthuri Rangan
(C) Jayaram Ramesh
(D) Madhav Gadgil

5) World Meteorological Day was observed on?
(A) March 20
(B) March 25
(C) March 23
(D) March 21

6) Pakistan held its first Republic Day parade in seven years on 23 March 2015. Pakistan Day commemorates March 23, 1940, when?
(A) Pakistan was formed separating from India
(B) Muslim League demanded the establishment of separate nations to protect Muslims in the then British colony of India.
(B) Name "Pakistan" was adopted
(D) Pakistan got independence from British Rule

7) IRCTC has recently launched a new service called 'RuPay prepaid cards' which will enable passengers to book their tickets, do shopping and pay service bills - all online. This service was launched in collaboration with which bank?
(A) Union Bank of India
(B) State Bank of India
(C) ICICI Bank
(D) Bharatiya Mahila Bank

8) World's heaviest book on the Buddha's life authored by whom was recently unveiled in Agra?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Ashoka Maurya
(C) Dr B R Ambedkar
(D) Jawaharlal Nehru

9) Who recently became the youngest Archer to enter India Book of Records?
(A) Dolly Shivani Cherukuri
(B) Raghav Joneja
(C) Bhakti Sharma
(D) Saloni Dalal

10) Indian Navy on 24 March 2015 has commissioned three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) supplied by which country, having pennant numbers T-38, T-39 and T-40?
(A) Russia
(B) Kuwait
(C) France
(D) UAE

Answers

1) Ans. (A) Shashi Kapoor
2) Ans. (C) Amaravati
3) Ans. (B) IRCTC
4) Ans. (D) Madhav Gadgil
5) Ans. (C) March 23
6) Ans. (B) Muslim League demanded the establishment of separate nations to protect Muslims in the then British colony of India.
7) Ans. (A) Union Bank of India
8) Ans. (C) Dr B R Ambedkar [Note: The book in English on the Buddha's life by Dr B R Ambedkar was translated into Hindi and etched into a stainless steel tome weighing a whopping 2,000 kg]
9) Ans. (A) Dolly Shivani Cherukuri
10) Ans. (D) UAE

29th March 2015 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) Aditi Arya crowned Miss India World 2015:
--> Aditi Arya was declared fbb Femina Miss India World 2015 at a star-studded event at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai on 28th March 2015.
--> Afreen Racheal Vaz was adjudged first runner-up while Vartika Singh second runner up at the grand finale of 52nd year of fbb Femina Miss India.
--> Aditi will represent the country at Miss World pageant 2015.
--> The event was judged by eminent personalities from the industry like John Abraham, Manisha Koirala, Sonu Nigam, Anil Kapoor, Firoz Nadiadwala, Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, Shilpa Shetty, Sonali Bendre, Shiamak Davar and Chitrangada Singh.

2) Adoor Gopalakrishnan honoured with Bhupen Hazarika award:
--> Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan was on 29 March 2015 presented with the Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati.
--> Gopalakrishnan became the second recipient of this biennial award, the first one being Lubna Marium of Bangladesh in 2013.
--> The award carries a citation, a shawl, a memento and Rs 5 lakh.
--> The award was instituted by the Asam Sahitya Sabha and sponsored by the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).

3) Saina Nehwal and K Srikant won Indian Open Super Series:
--> Saina Nehwal has lifted the women's singles crown of the India Open Super Series Badminton tournament while Kidambi Srikanth won the men's singles title at the India Open Super Series on 29 March 2015.
--> Saina defeated Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in straight games 21-16, 21-14.
--> K Srikant beat Denmark's Viktor Axelsen 18-21, 21-13, 21-12 to win his maiden India Open Super Series.
--> The event was held at Siri Fort Indoor Complex in New Delhi. 

4) Australia won ICC Cricket World Cup 2015:
--> Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time on 29 March 2015 by defeating New Zealand by 7 wickets.
--> The final was played at iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia.
--> New Zealand had won the toss and had chosen to bat first and had set the target of 183 runs to Australia after losing all wickets in the 45th over.
--> Australia rarely looked troubled, sealing a seven-wicket win in 33.1 overs, with captain Michael Clarke scoring 74 and Steve Smith 56 not out.
* Man of the Match: James Faulkner (Australia)
* Man of the Tournament: Mitchell Starc (Australia) - 22 wickets in the tournament.

5) BJP becomes largest political party in the world:
--> Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has emerged as the largest party in the world with a membership of 8.8 crore on 29 March 2015.
--> The BJP has surpassed the Communist Party of China that has a strength of 8.6 crore members.
--> Online Membership drive which was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year has marked 8.80 crore membership of BJP and expects to cross 10 crore by the end of March 2015.

6) Michael Clarke retired from ODI cricket:
--> Michael Clarke, the Australian cricketer, on 29 March 2015 retired from One Day Internationals (ODI) after final match of 2015 CricketWorld Cup.
--> He will continue to represent Australian cricket team in the Test matches.
--> He has 7981 runs to his credit in ODIs from 245 matches, of which 130 was his highest score.

7) Sebastian Vettel won Malaysian Grand Prix:
--> Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel won the Malaysian Grand Prix on 29 March 2015 to end Mercedes’ long Formula One winning streak.
--> Lewis Hamilton finished second while Nico Rosberg finished third.
--> It was Ferrari’s first victory since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.

8) World leaders bid farewell to Lee Kuan Yew:
--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 29 March 2015 lauded Singapore’s founder and first premier Lee Kuan Yew as a “global thinker”, and said India deeply valued his friendship and his support for its economic progress.
--> Modi, who arrived in the morning to attend the State Funeral Services of Lee, described the former Singapore PM as “among the tallest leaders of our times”.

--> 91-year-old Lee died of severe pneumonia on March 23.

Daily Current Affairs: 28 March 2015

1) Saina Nehwal becomes first Indian woman shuttler to be world no. 1:
--> Saina Nehwal created history on 28 March 2015 as she became the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the world number one ranking after her closest challenger for the spot, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semifinal in Delhi.
--> Though the official rankings will be out only on 2 April 2015, the 25-year-old Indian has been assured of her ascent to the top owing to Marin's loss in the last-four stage.
--> Prakash Padukone had the distinction of being the No. 1 men's badminton player but Saina became the first Indian woman to achieve this feat.

2) Earth Hour 2015 observed across the World:
--> Ninth edition of Earth Hour was observed on 28 March 2015 across the World organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
--> The event is held worldwide annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday in March, as a symbol for their commitment to the planet.
--> It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
--> Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide.

3) Isro launched India's 4th navigation satellite IRNSS 1D:
--> The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on 28 March 2015 successfully launched India’s fourth navigation satellite.
--> The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its twenty-ninth flight (PSLV-C27), carried IRNSS-1D.
--> This is the first launch after A S Kiran Kumar took over as chairman of Isro.
--> The launch was earlier scheduled for March 9, 2015, but was postponed to March 28, due to technical reasons.
--> The first satellite IRNSS-1A was launched in July 2013, the second IRNSS-1B in April 2014 and the third on October 16, 2014.

4) Poonam Mahajan becomes first woman president of BFI:
--> For the first time since it came into existence in 1950, the Basketball Federation of India got a woman as its president when Poonam Mahajan was unanimously elected as the head of this 65 year old federation — the governing and controlling body of basketball in India on 28 March 2015.
--> At the Annual General Meeting of the BFI, president of Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA), who is also the BJP national secretary and MP from the Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha constituency, Poonam was unanimously elected as the new president of BFI for a four-year (2015-2019) term.
--> The 34-year-old Poonam is the youngest president of any national federation in India.
--> In yet another first, another woman, Roopam Harish Sharma — secretary of Delhi Basketball Association — was unanimously elected as the Secretary General of the BFI.

5) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sacked founder members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan:
--> Aam Aadmi Party removed the party’s founder members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from its national executive on 28 March 2015.
--> AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal accused the two leaders of working against the party and said, "Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan tried to defeat AAP in Delhi polls."

6) Mizoram Governor Aziz Qureshi sacked:
--> Union Government on 28 March 2015 sacked Aziz Qureshi as the Governor of Mizoram, within three months of transferring him to the north-eastern state from Uttarakhand.
--> He had a term till 2017.
--> Governor of Mizoram and Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal, would discharge the functions of the Governor of Mizoram, in addition to his own duties,  a communiqué from President Pranab Mukherjee’s office said.

7) Scientist Murty Kambhampati chosen for US presidential award:
--> An Indian-American biology professor is among 15 scientists, who have been selected for a prestigious U.S. presidential award for excellence in the field of science, mathematics and engineering mentoring.
--> Murty S Kambhampati, a professor of biology at Southern University at New Orleans will receive the award at a White House ceremony later this year.

8) Defence ministry cleared airborne warning control system:
--> Defence ministry on 28 March 2015 cleared a proposal for Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) to be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
--> Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) at a meeting cleared the proposal for two AWACS, which includes buying two Airbus A330s, worth Rs.5,113 crore.
--> Decision in this regard was taken by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

9) Rajasthan enacted law to ban camel slaughter:
--> Rajasthan Assembly has passed a law that bans the slaughter, trading and unauthorised transportation of camels.
--> Camel had been declared as the State animal last year though there was some opposition from the communities whose livelihoods depend on camel.

10) Social activist Medha Patkar quits Aam Aadmi Party:
--> Social activist Medha Patkar announced on 28 March 2015 that she has decided to resign as primary member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following the turbulent events in Delhi in which the party ousted a group of senior leaders.

11) Australia captain Michael Clarke announced retirement from ODIs:
--> Australia captain Michael Clarke made a shock announcement on 28 March 2015 by saying Sunday's World Cup final against New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground would be his last one-day international.

--> Clarke, who turns 34 next month, said it was the right time to retire from one-dayers in order to prolong his Test career and give his successor as ODI captain the opportunity to prepare fully for the next World Cup in England in 2019.

Current Affairs Quiz: 29 March 2015

1) World Water Day was globally observed on March 22. What was the theme for the day in 2015?
(A) Water and Sustainable Development
(B) Water and Energy
(C) Water Cooperation
(D) Water and Food Security

2) Who recently became the first Sri Lankan to receive the highest military rank of field marshal?
(A) Krishantha de Silva
(B) Daya Ratnayake
(C) Jagath Jayasuriya
(D) Sarath Fonseka

3) Sania Mirza and _____ began their partnership on winning note as they won BNP Paribas Open tennis women's doubles title on 22 March 2015?
(A) Cara Black
(B) Martina Hingis
(C) Martina Navratilova
(D) Kim Clijsters

4) International Day of Forests is observed on?
(A) March 24
(B) March 22
(C) March 21
(D) March 23

5) Lee Kuan Yew who passed away on 22 March 2015 was the founding father and first Prime Minister of which country?
(A) South Korea
(B) Singapore
(C) Malaysia
(D) Bhutan

6) Novak Djokovic defeated which player to win the BNP Paribas Open Tennis title 2015 recently?
(A) Roger Federer
(B) Andy Murray
(C) Rafael Nadal
(D) Stanislas Wawrinka

7) President Pranab Mukherjee on 22 March 2015 confered Chakra awards to ____ defence personnel?
(A) 11
(B) 10
(C) 9
(D) 12

8) Who among the following was recently inducted as life president of the Asian Athletics Association?
(A) Narayana Ramachandran
(B) Rajinder Singh
(C) Suresh Kalmadi
(D) Lalith Soori 

9) Government has recently set up a task force to define poverty and prepare a road map to alleviate it. This task force is headed by?
(A) Arun Jaitley
(B) K M Mani
(C) Y V Reddy
(D) Arvind Panagariya

10) Railways has recently hiked the cost of platform tickets from Rs.5 to Rs.____?
(A) Rs.10
(B) Rs.8
(C) Rs.9
(D) Rs.15

Answers

1) Ans. (A) Water and Sustainable Development
2) Ans. (D) Sarath Fonseka
3) Ans. (B) Martina Hingis
4) Ans. (C) March 21
5) Ans. (B) Singapore
6) Ans. (A) Roger Federer
7) Ans. (D) 12
8) Ans. (C) Suresh Kalmadi
9) Ans. (D) Arvind Panagariya
10) Ans. (A) Rs.10

India's fourth Navigational Satellite IRNSS-1D successfully launched

--> India successfully launched the IRNSS-1D, the fourth in the series of seven navigational satellites, onboard PSLV-C27 on 28 March 2015.

--> Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C27) lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 5.19pm and placed IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System)-1D weighing 1,425kg in a sub-geostationary orbit after a 20minutes flight.

--> PSLV-C27 that lifted off from the second launch pad was an `XL' version of the PSLV rocket as was the case with the previous three launches.

--> With the launch of IRNSS 1 D, four active satellites will be transmitting navigation signals. This meets the minimum number of satellites required for the system to be fully functional enabling a navigation receiver to compute position.

--> The first three satellites in the series were launched from Sriharikota in July 2013, April 2014 and October 2014.

Know more about IRNSS-1D

* IRNSS-1D will be the fourth in the series of seven Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) after IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B and IRNSS-1C.
* IRNSS-1D was launched onboard PSLV-C27.
* It is designed to provide accurate position information services to users in the country as well as the area extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its principal service area.
* The satellite will help in enhancing the satellite based navigation system of India which is currently under development. The navigational system that will develop will be a regional one targeted towards South Asia. The satellite will provide navigation, tracking and mapping services.
* The satellite is also one among the seven of the IRNSS constellation of satellites meant to be launched to provide navigational services to the region; while it should also be noted that four satellites would be sufficient to start operations of the system, the remaining three would make it more accurate and efficient.
* IRNSS-1D satellite will have two payloads: a navigation payload and CDMA ranging payload in addition with a laser retro-reflector. The payload generates navigation signals at L5 and S-band. The design of the payload makes the IRNSS system inter-operable and compatible with Global Positioning System (GPS) and Galileo.
* The satellite is powered by two solar arrays, which generate power up to 1,660 watts, and has a life-time of ten year.
* The satellite will be placed in geosynchronous orbit.

* The total cost of the launching of satellite and the mission is estimated approximately 1,400 crore Rupees.

Important Daily Current Affairs: 27 March 2015

1) Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee conferred with Bharat Ratna:
--> Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was presented with the prestigious Bharat Ratna Award by President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 March 2015 in New Delhi.
--> In a departure from protocol, Mukherjee drove to Vajpayee's residence at Krishna Memon marg in Lutyens' Delhi and presented to the ailing BJP leader the prestigious award, the country's highest civilian honour.
--> The event, which was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh along with some close family members, was kept away from the media glare.
--> Vajpayee, who was Prime Minister from 1998 to 2004, and has faded from public life due to age-related illness, is lauded as a statesman and has been often described as the moderate face of BJP.
--> President Mukherjee will also confer the Bharat Ratna on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on March 30, 2015 at Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the Civil Investiture Ceremony for the Padma Awards.

2) India's first e-ration card service launched by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal:
--> Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launches the country's first e-ration service in the national capital, Delhi on 27 March 2015.
--> The e-ration service is a facility through which people can apply and obtain ration cards and check availability of food grains and their costs.
--> Anyone who holds an Aadhaar Card can apply online for the service.

3) Rajasthan becomes first state to pass bill on eligibility for contesting Panchayat polls:
--> Rajasthan became the first State in the country to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
--> The Assembly on 27 March 2015 passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (amendment) Bill, 2015, which makes Class VIII pass mandatory for the post of sarpanch — except in tribal reserved areas, where the minimumqualification is Class V — and Class X for Zila Parishad or Panchayat Samiti elections.
--> The amendments to Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 also make a functional toilet mandatory in the house of a contestant.

4) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) won Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014:
--> Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014.
-->  Award was announced on 27 March 2015 after the Jury met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
--> The Gandhi Peace Prize consists of one crore rupees cash and citation.
--> Chief Justice HL Dattu, Senior Member of Parliament LK Advani and GopalKrishna Gandhi, Leader of single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and many others were the members of the Jury.
--> Gandhi Peace Prize is named after Mahatma Gandhi, which is awarded annually by the Government of India and Instituted in 1995 as a part of the 125th birth anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi.

5) Lumding-Silchar broad gauge line becomes operational:
--> Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 27 March 2015 commissioned the 210 km long Lumding-Silchar broad gauge line, a crucial rail link for the Barak valley and the North-Eastern states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.
--> The line was opened for goods traffic and passenger service will be started later on.
--> Sanctioned in 1996-67, the Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project was declared national project in 2004.

6) In Dornier Crash, first woman officer died in Line of Duty:
--> Lieutenant Kiran Shekhawat became the first Indian woman officer to die in the line of duty.
--> Lieutenant Kiran Shekhawat died in the crash of the Dornier aircraft belonging to the Indian Navy.
--> This accident took place in the evening of 24 March south-west off the Goa coast in Arabian sea.
--> Lieutenant Shekhawat was also part of the Navy Woman Officer Contingent – the first ever all-woman officer contingent – that participated in this year’s Republic Day Parade.

7) World Theatre Day (WTD) celebrated:
--> World Theatre Day (WTD) is celebrated on March 27.
--> It was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute.

8) Centre declared national mourning on March 29:
--> The Centre has declared national mourning on 29 March 2015 as mark of respect to the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
--> The Indian National Flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country and there will be no official entertainment, Lee’s funeral day, an official statement said.
--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the funeral.

9) Delhi government to ban sale, purchase of chewable tobacco from March 30:
--> Delhi government will put a ban on sale, purchase and even storage of all forms of chewable tobacco including "guktha, khaini and zarda" in the national capital from 30 March 2015.

10) PM Narendra Modi, Kailash Satyarthi among world's greatest leaders: Fortune magazine
--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi have been named among the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine in its annual list of "extraordinary" men and women transforming business, government and philanthropy.
--> Modi is ranked 5th on the 2015 roster of 'World's Greatest Leaders' with Satyarthi coming in at the 28th spot.
--> The list has been topped by Apple CEO Tim Cook.

--> A notable exclusion from the list is US President Barack Obama, who has not been named in the list for a second year in a row.