General Awareness Quiz for Bank Mains Exams 2023-22th November

Q1. Indian Army contingent, comprising 137 personnel, participated in the multinational tri-services joint military exercise called “Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23”. The exercise was led by which among the following?

(a) Albanian Land Force, Egyptian Army
(b) Estonian Land Force, Albanian Land Force
(c) US CENTCOM, British Army
(d) Egyptian Army, US CENTCOM
(e) British Army, Special Forces of Ukraine

Q2. Name the e-commerce giant which has recently signed an agreement with India Post to simplify cross-border logistics for MSME exporters.

(a) eBay
(b) Alibaba
(c) Amazon
(d) JD.com
(e) Flipkart

Q3. From which year, India will participate in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the Long-Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG)?

(a) 2026
(b) 2027
(c) 2028
(d) 2025
(e) 2029

Q4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained his top position as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 76 percent, according to a survey by US-based consultancy firm ‘Morning Consult’. Who got the second-best approval rating?

(a) Rishi Sunak
(b) Justin Trudeau
(c) Joe Biden
(d) Emmanuel Macron
(e) Alain Berset

Q5. Sarhul Festival is celebrated in which state of India?

(a) Goa
(b) Delhi
(c) Haryana
(d) Jharkhand
(e) Punjab

Q6. Which Indian multinational company has signed (In July 2023) the Master Shipyard Repair Agreement with the US Navy to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the defence sector?

(a) Larsen & Toubro
(b) Bharat Electronics Ltd
(c) Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders
(d) Bharat Earth Movers Ltd
(e) Solar Industries Ltd

Q7. 3 Multilateral development banks pledged (In July 2023) up to $27 bn for green hydrogen development in India and to encourage collaboration with the private sector as global demand for hydrogen is expected to reach 200 million tons by 2030. Which among the following is not among these three banks?

(a) Asian Development Bank
(b) New Development Bank
(c) Asian Infrastructure Bank
(d) Both b & c
(e) Both a & b

Q8. __________ refers to banking services between merchant banks and other financial institutions. In this, the banks deal with larger clients, such as large corporations and other banks.

Which among the following will fit into the blank?

(a) Retail Banking
(b) Wholesale Banking
(c) Universal Banking
(d) Merchant Banking
(e) Narrow Banking

Q9. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently approved the re-appointment of Sandeep Bakhshi as MD & CEO which bank?

(a) HDFC Bank
(b) Yes Bank
(c) ICICI Bank
(d) Axis Bank
(e) IndusInd Bank

Q10. Amazon introduced a generative AI-based personal digital assistant, that leverages Amazon’s experience of working with millions of sellers in India and globally to provide personalized assistance to new and existing sellers on its marketplace. Name the digital assistant.

(a) Holt
(b) Plano
(c) Sah-AI
(d) DevOps
(e) VersionOne

Solutions:

S1. Ans. (d)
Sol. The Exercise was led by US CENTCOM and the Egyptian Army.
Details:

• “Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23” is a multinational tri-services joint military exercise.
• It was initially conceptualized as a bilateral biennial training exercise between the US and Egypt during the Camp David Accord of 1977.
• The first edition of the Exercise was conducted in the year 1980 in Egypt. From 1995 onwards the Exercise was expanded for participation by other nations.
• The previous Exercise BRIGHT STAR was conducted in the year 2021 wherein forces of 21 countries had participated.

S2. Ans. (c)
Sol. E-commerce giant Amazon has signed an agreement with India Post to simplify cross-border logistics for MSME exporters.
Details:

• Minister of State for Science and technology Jitendra Singh unveiled a postal stamp to commemorate a decade of partnership between India Post and Amazon at the latter’s Smbhav Summit 2023.

S3. Ans. (b)
Sol. India has announced that it will participate in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the Long-Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG) from 2027.
Details:

• ICAO has been tasked with reducing carbon emissions from international civil aviation.
• To achieve this goal, the global body has adopted several key aspirational goals, including a two percent annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2050, carbon-neutral growth, and net zero by 2050.
• These goals are clubbed under CORSIA and LTAG.
• CORSIA is to be implemented in three phases, and financial implications due to offsetting have to be borne by individual airlines, depending upon their international operations. It is applicable only to flights originating from one country to another.
  International Civil Aviation Organisation Static Facts:

• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
• Founded: 1944

S4. Ans. (e)
Sol. The second-best approval rating is enjoyed by Switzerland President Alain Berset (64 percent).
Details:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained his top position as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 76 percent, according to a survey by US-based consultancy firm ‘Morning Consult’.
• Notably, this is a huge number by a far margin as the second-best approval rating is enjoyed by Switzerland President Alain Berset (64 percent) and Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (61 percent).
• US President Joe Biden has a 40 percent approval, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has 37 percent, UK PM Rishi Sunak’s ratings stood at 27 percent, and France President Emmanuel Macron stood at just 24 percent.

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Sarhul Festival is celebrated in Jharkhand.

S6. Ans. (a)
Sol. Larsen & Toubro has signed the Master Shipyard Repair Agreement with the US Navy to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the defence sector.
Details:

• L&T’s Kattupalli Shipyard, near Chennai, a major node in the Southern Defence Corridor, has been undertaking voyage repairs of the Military Sealift Command vessels, the firm said in a statement.
• This MSRA is yet another milestone in our ever-expanding US-India partnership.

S7. Ans. (d)
Sol. European Investment Bank (EIB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank pledged (In July 2023) up to $27 bn for green hydrogen development in India.
Details:

• The European Investment Bank (EIB) has pledged one billion euros to develop a large-scale hydrogen industry hub, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) intends to provide $20-$25 billion over five years to support India’s green growth.
• The World Bank has also approved $1.5 billion to aid India’s low-carbon transition journey.
  World Bank Static Facts:

• Founded: 1944
• Headquarters: Washington DC, USA
• President: Ajay Banga
  Asian Development Bank Static Facts:

• Founded:             1966
• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Manila, Philippines
• Member Countries: 68

S8. Ans. (b)
Sol. Wholesale banking refers to banking services between merchant banks and other financial institutions. In this, the banks deal with larger clients, such as large corporations and other banks.
Details:

• It refers to doing banking business with industrial and business entities mostly corporates and trading houses, including multinationals, domestic business houses, and the prime-public sector.
• It is also called corporate banking.
• It is the borrowing and lending of funds to other banks, large multinationals, and even government agencies.
• It focuses on corporate, i.e. Companies, firms, proprietorship concerns, Public Sector, Institutions, societies, Trusts, and clubs.

S9. Ans. (c)
Sol. ICICI Bank has received the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) nod to reappoint Sandeep Bakhshi as Managing Director and CEO.
Details:

• Sandeep Bakhshi has been reappointed for three years, from October 4, 2023, to October 3, 2026.

S10. Ans. (c)
Sol. Amazon introduced Sah-AI, a generative AI-based personal digital assistant, that leverages Amazon’s experience of working with millions of sellers in India and globally to provide personalised assistance to new and existing sellers on its marketplace.
Sah-AI simplifies time-consuming and complex steps such as registration, listing, and advertising support, among others.