Q1. Who were the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, recognized for their work on the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots?
(a) Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless
(b) Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna
(c) Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Aleksey Yekimov
(d) Frances H. Arnold and George P. Smith
(e) Akira Yoshino, M. Stanley Whittingham, and John B. Goodenough
Q2. According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2023, which among the following is not in the Top 5 richest people in the list?
(a) Mukesh Ambani
(b) Gautam Adani
(c) Cyrus S Poonawalla
(d) Shiv Nadar
(e) Dilip Shanghvi
Q3. The final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. How many times has India hosted the entire ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup?
(a) Once
(b) Twice
(c) Three times
(d) Four times
(e) Five times
Q4. What is the name of the repatriation operation recently launched by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, in October 2023, to bring back Indian citizens from Israel amid the ongoing 2023 Israel–Hamas War?
(a) Operation Bharat
(b) Operation Ganga
(c) Operation Ajay
(d) Operation Kaveri
(e) Operation Raahat
Q5. Which country took over as the Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for the period 2023 to 2025 during the 23rd Council of Ministers (COM) meeting?
(a) Sri Lanka
(b) Maldives
(c) India
(d) Indonesia
(e) Australia
Q6. Which company recently acquired India’s first Airbus A350-900 aircraft through a finance lease transaction with HSBC via the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)?
(a) IndiGo
(b) SpiceJet
(c) Go First
(d) Vistara
(e) Air India
Q7. The insurance coverage under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has recently been doubled by which state government, increasing it from Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs. 10 lakhs?
(a) Bihar
(b) Tamil Nadu
(c) Karnataka
(d) Haryana
(e) Gujarat
Q8. Ahmedabad became the 2nd city in India to implement the “Emission Trading Scheme” (ETS) for particulate pollution. Which city was the first city from India to implement ETS?
(a) Mumbai
(b) Surat
(c) New Delhi
(d) Kolkata
(e) Chennai
Q9. The Geological Survey of India Training Institute (GSITI) signed a 5-year MoU with ISRO for capacity building in various advanced techniques. Where is this institute located?
(a) Hyderabad
(b) Kolkata
(c) Bengaluru
(d) New Delhi
(e) Dehradun
Q10. Earlier, the RBI had full ownership of NHB and NABARD. But in April 2019, the Government brought the entire shareholding in these institutions from the RBI. Which of the following is NOT a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?
(a) Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (DICGC)
(b) Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL)
(c) Reserve Bank Information Technology Private Limited (ReBIT)
(d) National Payments Corporations of India (NPCI)
(e) Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH)
Solutions
S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Aleksey Yekimov for their groundbreaking work in the field of quantum dots, which are semiconductor particles that have unique electronic properties.
Their research has had significant implications in various areas, including the development of new display technologies and medical diagnostics.
S2. Ans. (e)
Sol. Dilip Shanghvi ranks 6th in the list, thereby not being in the top 5 richest people according to the list.
The IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2023 lists the top 5 richest people in India as Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Cyrus S Poonawalla, Shiv Nadar, and Gopichand Hinduja & family.
S3. Ans. (a)
Sol. India has hosted the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup entirely on its own only once, which is the 2023 edition.
Previously, India co-hosted the World Cup in 1987 with Pakistan, in 1996 with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and in 2011 with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. However, the 2023 World Cup is the first time India is hosting the entire event by itself.
S4. Ans. (c)
Sol. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India (GoI) launched ‘Operation Ajay’, a repatriation operation, to bring back Indian citizens from Israel amid the ongoing 2023 Israel–Hamas War.
The conflict started on 7th October 2023 when the Gaza-based Hamas militants invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip.
S5. Ans. (a)
Sol. Sri Lanka took over as Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for the period 2023 to 2025 during the 23rd Council of Ministers (COM) meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 11 October 2023.
S6. Ans. (e)
Sol. Tata Group-owned Air India successfully acquired India’s first Airbus A350-900 aircraft by way of a finance lease transaction with HSBC through AI Fleet Services Limited (AIFS), a 100% subsidiary of Air India, and a Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)-registered finance company.
S7. Ans. (e)
Sol. The state government of Gujarat has doubled the insurance cover under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) starting from 11th July.
The State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel informed that the decision will benefit nearly 1.78 crore Ayushman Bharat cardholders in the state.
The beneficiaries will get free of cost medical treatment from over two thousand government hospitals and 795 private hospitals in the state under PMJAY.
S8. Ans. (b)
Sol. Surat was the first city in India to implement the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) for particulate pollution.
This innovative approach to tackling air pollution involves setting a cap on emissions and allowing industries to buy and sell permits to stay within the cap, promoting environmentally friendly practices.
The successful implementation in Surat led to its adoption in Ahmedabad, marking a significant step in India’s efforts to control air pollution.
S9. Ans. (a)
Sol. The Geological Survey of India Training Institute (GSITI) is located in Hyderabad.
The institute, renowned for its contributions to geological studies, collaborates with ISRO to enhance skills in areas such as Digital Image Processing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Advanced Remote Sensing Techniques in Mineral Exploration.
This partnership aims to create a skilled workforce that can leverage technology for more effective mineral exploration and related fields, aligning with India’s growing focus on resource management and technological advancement in geosciences.
S10. Ans. (d)
Sol. The fully owned subsidiaries of the RBI are:
Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (DICGC),
- Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL),
- Reserve Bank Information Technology Private Limited (ReBIT),
- Indian Financial Technology and Allied Services (IFTAS), and
- Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH).