General Awareness Quiz for Bank Mains Exams 2024-16th January

Q1. Who is the renowned sculpture artist from Karnataka responsible for carving the 51-inch-tall idol of Lord Ram Lalla for the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ consecration at the Ayodhya temple?

(a) Ramesh Kumar
(b) Anant Shivaji Desai
(c) Arun Yogiraj
(d) Vishal Singh
(e) Sanjay Patel

Q2. What is the stake held by Canara Bank in the National Asset Reconstruction Company of India Limited (NARCL), where P Santhosh, the Chief General Manager (CGM) of Canara Bank, has been appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on deputation?

(a) 5%
(b) 10%
(c) 15%
(d) 20%
(e) 25%

Q3. How many member countries are currently part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where Vikas Sheel, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, was appointed as Executive Director (ED)?

(a) 46
(b) 58
(c) 68
(d) 75
(e) 49

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Aditya-L1 mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):

1. ISRO successfully performed the crucial manoeuvre of injecting Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based observatory-class solar probe, into the halo orbit around Lagrangian point 1 (L1).
2. Aditya-L1 travelled approximately 3.7 million kilometers in 127 days to reach L1, marking the transition from cruise phase to orbit phase.
3. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) launched Aditya-L1 on 2nd September 2023 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) Only 1 and 2
(b) Only 2 and 3
(c) Only 1 and 3
(d) All 1, 2 and 3
(e) None of the above

Q5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Initially set to end in December 2023, the scheme will now conclude in which year?

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

Q6. The Electoral Commission of Seychelles (ECS) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). What is the primary objective of this MoU?
(a) To collaborate on digital voting technologies
(b) To enhance electoral management and administration through shared experiences and knowledge exchange
(c) To establish a joint electoral monitoring body
(d) To develop a new electronic voting system
(e) To create a unified voter registration database for both countries

Q7. Bollywood Actress Katrina Kaif has been appointed as the first Indian Brand Ambassador of Uniqlo. Uniqlo is a multinational fashion retailer brand based in which country?

(a) India
(b) Japan
(c) South Korea
(d) China
(e) France

Q8. Which Indian state has become the first to have hallmarking centers in all of its districts, a milestone achieved with the inauguration of a hallmarking center?

(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Karnataka
(c) Kerala
(d) Maharashtra
(e) West Bengal

Q9. Which bank has signed a USD 165 million Line of Credit (LoC) agreement with the World Bank (WB) to finance grid-connected rooftop Solar Photovoltaic projects in residential and institutional sectors?

(a) HDFC Bank
(b) ICICI Bank
(c) State Bank of India
(d) Axis Bank
(e) Punjab National Bank

Q10. Which Indian company became the first to chemically recycle plastic waste-based pyrolysis oil into International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)-Plus certified Circular Polymers, with its refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, also being the first to receive the ISCC-Plus certification for this capability?

(a) Tata Chemicals
(b) Reliance Industries Limited
(c) Hindustan Unilever Limited
(d) Indian Oil Corporation Limited
(e) Aditya Birla Chemicals

Solutions

S1. Ans. (c)
Sol. Arun Yogiraj, a renowned sculpture artist from Karnataka, was chosen to carve the 51-inch-tall idol of Lord Ram Lalla for the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ consecration at the Ayodhya temple.
The mandir (temple) is built in the traditional Nagara style of architecture.

S2. Ans. (b)
Sol. Canara Bank holds a 10% stake in the National Asset Reconstruction Company of India Limited (NARCL), and P Santhosh, the Chief General Manager (CGM) of Canara Bank, has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NARCL on deputation.
NARCL is a state-backed ‘bad bank’ formed on 7th July 2021.
It is registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC).

S3. Ans. (c)
Sol. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) currently has 68 member countries, including 49 from the Asia-Pacific region and 19 from outside the region.
Vikas Sheel, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, has been appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of the ADB in Manila, Philippines, for 3 years.

S4. Ans. (d)
Sol. All the tatements are correct.
ISRO successfully injected Aditya-L1 into a halo orbit around L1.
The spacecraft took 127 days to travel 3.7 million kilometers, transitioning from the cruise phase to the orbit phase. PSLV-C57 launched Aditya-L1 on 2nd September 2023 from Sriharikota, AP. 

S5. Ans. (d)
Sol. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has been extended for another five years, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Originally scheduled to end by December 2023, the scheme will be operational until 2028.
The PMGKAY is managed by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

S6. Ans. (b)
Sol. The MoU signed between the Electoral Commission of Seychelles (ECS) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) focuses on enhancing electoral management and administration.
This collaboration aims to build on shared experiences, facilitate the exchange of knowledge, and strengthen the exchange of best practices in election management, including the training of officials.

S7. Ans. (b)
Sol. Uniqlo is a Japanese multinational fashion retailer brand.
Katrina Kaif, a renowned Bollywood actress, has been named as the brand’s first Indian Brand Ambassador. Her one-year agreement involves featuring in advertising films for the company’s ‘LifeWear’ range of everyday apparel.

S8. Ans. (c)
Sol. Kerala has become the first state in India to have hallmarking centers in all of its 14 districts. This achievement was marked by the inauguration of a hallmarking center in Adimali, Idukki district.
The hallmarking system in India is administered by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), established under the ‘Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act 2016’, and the Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number is a six-digit alphanumeric code introduced in 2021.

S9. Ans. (c)
Sol. The State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a USD 165 million Line of Credit (LoC) with the World Bank to finance grid-connected rooftop Solar Photovoltaic projects in the residential and institutional sectors.
This agreement aims to support the growth of environmentally sustainable energy solutions in India.

S10. Ans. (b)
Sol. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) became the first Indian company to chemically recycle plastic waste-based pyrolysis oil into ISCC-Plus-certified Circular Polymers. Additionally, RIL’s Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat is the first refinery to receive the ISCC-Plus certification, validating its capability to produce Circular Polymers through chemical recycling.