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Date 24^th April 2007

Exclusive Test on – G.S.-Current Events

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1. Which of the following States in India has the lowest sex ratio (females per thousand males) ?

(1) Haryana (2) Rajasthan (3) Punjab (4) Bihar (5) Madhya Pradesh

2. Who among the following is the Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF)?

(1) Sharad Pawar (2) Dr.Manmohan Singh

(3) Dr.M.S.Swaminathan (4) P.Chidambaram

(5) None of these

3. Which of the following institutions/Ministries intervenes in the Foreign Exchange Market (FEM), to check the rise of the rupee against the dollar ?

(1) The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

(2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

(3) The Finance Ministry

(4) The Commerce and Trade Ministry

(5) None of these

4. Which of the following countries is the world's largest producer and exporter of sugar ?

(1) Brazil (2) Cuba (3) Colombia

(4) Paraguay (5) Argentina

5. The Eurozone Stability Pact ceiling for Budget deficits of its member nations is __________ of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

(1) 2 per cent (2) 3 per cent (3) 4 per cent (4) 5 per cent (5) 6 per cent

6. What is India's rank in the world on the basis of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) ?

(1) Third (2) Sixth (3) Fifth (4) Fourth (5) Seventh

7. The Government's vision is to add 1,00,000 MW of power to help realise the dream of 'Power for All' by which of the following years ?

(1) 2007 (2) 2008 (3) 2009

(4) 2010 (5) 2012

8. As per the decision taken by the Union Ministry of Finance (MoF) the Government stake in the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) will not be less than __________ per cent.

(1) 40 (2) 45 (3) 50

(4) 51 (5) 55

9. Who among the following heads the Delimitation Commission set up to redraw the constituencies according to the population ?

(1) Justice Kuldeep Singh (2) Justice P.N.Bhagwati (3) Justice R.C.Lahoti

(4) Justice M.N.Venkatachaliah (5) Justice M.Jagannadha Rao

10. Which of the following States has recently directed all the Government schools in the State to introduce English from Class III instead of Class VI and to introduce it as medium of instruction at the primary level in all the residential schools for the children of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Backward Classes (BCs) ?

(1) Tamil Nadu (2) Andhra Pradesh

(3) Maharashtra (4) Uttar Pradesh

(5) Kerala

11. India is poised to double its share of foreign trade to __________ per cent of the world trade by 2009.

(1) 1.5 (2) 1.4 (3) 1.3

(4) 1.2 (5) 1.1

12. Who among the following heads the National Knowledge Commission set up by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government ?

(1) Ratan Tata (2) Sam Pitroda

(3) N.R.Narayana Murthy (4) M.S.Swaminathan

(5) Kumar Mangalam Birla

13. The poverty line definition in India is __________ calories in rural areas and __________ calories in urban areas.

(1) 2100/2400 (2) 2200/2400 (3) 2400/2000

(4) 2400/2200 (5) 2400/2100

14. India had edged out China to emerge as the second largest in terms of the road network (at 3.3 million kms) after which of the following countries ?

(1) Canada (2) Russia (3) The US (4) Australia (5) Brazil

15. The Government has appointed the second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) after nearly four decades. Who among the following heads the Commission, which will prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system ?

(1) Dr.Manmohan Singh (2) Veerappa Moily (3) Atal Behari Vajpayee (4) Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam (5) H.D.Deve Gowda

16. The name of which of the following Indian sportsperson was included in the list of 500 Asian Heroes and her photograph was also published on the cover page of the Time magazine ?

(1) Anju Bobby George (2) Koneru Humpy

(3) Anjali Vedpathak (4) Anita Sood

(5) Sania Mirza

17. Which of the following Articles of the Constitution provides for a Uniform Civil Code ?

(1) Article 40 (2) Article 42 (3) Article 44 (4) Article 46 (5) Article 48

18. Name India's first low-cost airline.

(1) Air Deccan (2) Spicejet (3) Go Airlines

(4) Kingfisher Airlines (5) Alliance Air

19. Which of the following cities was officially approved as the host of the 2010 Asian Games by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) ?

(1) New Delhi, India (2) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

(3) Doha, Qatar (4) Guangzhou, China

(5) Jakarta, Indonesia

20. Article _________ (Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution provides that the educational and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) be safeguarded.

(1) 42 (2) 44 (3) 46

(4) 48 (5) 50

21. Who among the following has written the latest book, 'Development and Nationhood: An Indian Perspective' ?

(1) Shashi Tharoor (2) Vir Sanghvi

(3) Vikram Chandra (4) Jagdish Bhagwati

(5) C.K.Prahalad

22. Which of the following has become the permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) ?

(1) New Delhi (2) Hyderabad (3) Goa

(4) Mumbai (5) Bangalore

23. In which of the following countries is Cadarache located, which will be the site of the $10 billion, International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's first large-scale sustainable nuclear fusion reactor ?

(1) France (2) Germany (3) The UK (4) Belgium

(5) The Netherlands

24. What is India's rank in the world in terms of foreign exchange (forex) reserves ?

(1) third (2) fourth (3) fifth

(4) sixth (5) seventh

25. India’s defence spending has hovered at around __________ per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the past decade.

(1) 1.5 to 2 (2) 2 to 2.5 (3) 2.5 to 3

(4) 3 to 3.5 (5) 3.5 to 4

26. Which of the following countries has been in the news for its nuclear standoff with key Western countries for its adamant stand to develop a peaceful nuclear programme, which includes Uranium enrichment ?

(1) Iran (2) Russia (3) Pakistan (4) North Korea (5) Iraq

27. Jacques Diouf was re-elected to a third six-year term as the Director General of which of the following organisations ?

(1) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

(2) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

(3) International Labour Organisation (ILO)

(4) Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)

(5) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

28. Which of the following countries population is greying at an unprecedented rate ?

(1) Japan (2) The United Kingdom (UK)

(3) The United States (US) (4) Germany

(5) France

29. The Ministry for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will provide Rs. __________ crore from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to set up the Village Public Telephones (VPTs) in 66,822 villages under the Bharat Nirman programme.

(1) 200 (2) 255 (3) 302

(4) 376 (5) 451

30. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is planning to set the ambitious target of bringing down the number of poor in the country (Below Poverty Line (BPL)) to less than __________ per cent of the total population by the end of the Eleventh Plan (2007-2012).

(1) 19.3 (2) 15.2 (3) 13.4

(4) 10 (5) 9.5

31. Who among the following holds the world record for the highest-ever individual score in an innings (400) by a batsman ?

(1) Sunil Gavaskar (2) Adam Gilchrist (3) Brian Lara

(4) Sir.Don Bradman (5) Virendra Sehwag

32. Which of the following States does the Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh represent in the Rajya Sabha ?

(1) Punjab (2) Mizoram (3) Tripura

(4) Meghalaya (5) Assam

33. The country's first Auto Cluster Development and Research Institute has been set up in which of the following places ?

(1) Navi Mumbai (2) Pune (3) Noida

(4) Gurgaon (5) Vijaywada

34. The 1989 Basel Convention deals with which of the following issues ?

(1) bans the trans-boundary movement of toxic waste

(2) global warming

(3) disaster mitigation

(4) nuclear fuel research

(5) air pollution

35. On which of the following days is the Army Day celebrated ?

(1) 7th October (2) 19th November

(3) 5th December (4) 15th January

(5) 26th January

36. The Union Cabinet has given its assent to accord classical language status to which of the following languages ?

(1) Telugu (2) Kannada (3) Sanskrit (4) Urdu (5) None of these

37. Under the National Programme of Nutritional support to Primary Education, foodgrains are provided at __________ grams per child per school day from the nearest Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown.

(1) 50 (2) 100 (3) 150

(4) 200 (5) 250

38. 'Touchplay', authored by Dev Sukumar, is the biography of which of the following sports personalities ?

(1) Kapil Dev (2) Rahul Dravid (3) M.L.Jaisimha

(4) Steve Waugh (5) None of these

39. The world's largest ship-breaking yard is situated at Alang in ________ .

(1) Kerala (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Gujarat (4) West Bengal (5) Tamil Nadu

40. The Centre has given permission to open six border trade points along the International Border (IB) in which of the following States as part of its 'Look East' policy ?

(1) Meghalaya (2) Arunachal Pradesh (3) Mizoram

(4) Manipur (5) Assam

41. The per capita availability of agricultural land in the country has declined from 0.33 hectare in 1951 to 0.14 hectare in 2001-02 and is likely to decline to about __________ hectare in 2035, according to the Union Agriculture Ministry.

(1) 0.11 (2) 0.09 (3) 0.08

(4) 0.06 (5) 0.05

42. The International Cricket Council's (ICC's) new headquarters will be located at which of the following cities ?

(1) Paris (2) Berlin (3) Geneva

(4) London (5) None of these

43. At which of the following places is the Serum Biopharma Park, the country's first biotech Special Economic Zone (SEZ), coming up ?

(1) Mumbai (2) Bangalore (3) Pune

(4) Hyderabad (5) Chennai

44. Which of the following will soon become the first State in the country to make child labour a non-bailable offence ?

(1) Maharashtra (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Tamil Nadu

(4) Uttar Pradesh (5) West Bengal

45. Which of the following Articles of the Constitution assures the provision of free and compulsory education for all children till the age of 14 years ?

(1) 25 (2) 30 (3) 35

(4) 40 (5) 45

46. Who has launched the new, 'Chalo Gaon Ki Ore' programme, which seeks to empower women in rural India ?

(1) National Commission for Women (NCW)

(2) Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD)

(3) Ministry of Panchayati Raj

(4) Ministry of Rural Development

(5) Ministry of Women and Child Development

47. Which of the following countries has decided to open its markets to Indian mangoes after a gap of 17 years ?

(1) China (2) Japan (3) France

(4) The UK (5) The US

48. Which of the following is an anti-Taliban operation launched by Afghanistan in its Southern region ?

(1) Operation Red Code (2) Operation Medusa

(3) Operation Mountain Thrust (4) Operation Desert Shield (5) None of these

49. How many languages are inscribed on an Indian currency note ?

(1) 15 (2) 16 (3) 17

(4) 18 (5) 19

50. As of December 2005, the Government has defined a person with an income of less than Rs.__________ in rural areas and Rs.__________ in urban areas as living Below the Poverty Line (BPL).

(1) 360/550 (2) 365/554 (3) 368/559

(4) 372/565 (5) 380/570

51. Against which of the following teams did Anil Kumble make his Test debut and also claimed his 500th wicket to become the first Indian and only the fifth bowler to reach this landmark ?

(1) England (2) South Africa (3) Australia (4) Pakistan (5) The West Indies

52. Which of the following Universities are celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2007 ?

(A) University of Mumbai (B) University of Punjab

(1) Both (A) and (C) (2) Both (A) and (D)

(3) (A), (B) and (C) (4) (A), (C) and (D)

(5) (B), (C) and (D)

53. 52 per cent of resident Indians are less than 23 years of age. How many million Indians constitute India's youth ?

(1) 515 (2) 525 (3) 552

(4) 572 (5) 597

54. The Indian History Congress (IHC) has proposed to hold a special session to mark the 400th death anniversary of which of the following 16th century Mughal Emperors ?

(1) Akbar (2) Babur (3) Humayun

(4) Shah Jehan (5) Jehangir

55. The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act requires the Government to reduce the fiscal deficit by 0.3 percentage points annually and the revenue deficit by 0.5 percentage points to bring down the fiscal deficit to 3 per cent and to eliminate the revenue deficit by which of the following years ?

(1) 2007-08 (2) 2008-09 (3) 2009-10

(4) 2010-11 (5) 2011-12

56. Which of the following State Governments has launched a novel scheme, 'Gaon Ki Beti Yojana', a major initiative to encourage rural women for higher education?

(1) Rajasthan (2) Gujarat (3) Bihar (4) Orissa

(5) Madhya Pradesh

57. What is Salwa Judum ?

(1) It is a festival celebrated in North India

(2) A type of agriculture farming

(3) An arts exhibition

(4) A film festival for children

(5) None of these

58. According to the revised definition by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) is a unit whose investment in plant and machinery is Rs.__________ crore.

(1) 1 (2) 5 (3) 10

(4) 15 (5) 20

59. In the first such agreement with an individual Latin American country, India has signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with which of the following countries ?

(1) Chile (2) Venezuela (3) Brazil

(4) Bolivia (5) Peru

60. For the first time in the country's history, __________ will be mandated to declare their assets at the time of taking oath as well as each successive year until retirement.

(1) The Prime Minister

(2) The members of the Lok Sabha

(3) The members of the Rajya Sabha

(4) The members of the State Legislative Assembly

(5) None of these

61. Which of the following States is implementing the Jyotir Gram Yojana to provide electricity to domestic and cottage industries in all villages with a population of more than 3,000 ?

(1) Maharashtra (2) Gujarat (3) Rajasthan

(4) Uttar Pradesh (5) Punjab

62. 2007 marks the 100th birth anniversary of the creator of James Bond, the author __________ .

(1) Jeffrey Archer (2) Stephen King

(3) Tom Keating (4) Ian McEwan

(5) Ian Fleming

63. Which of the following countries has become the fifth full member of the trade group, Mercosur ?

(1) Argentina (2) Brazil (3) Venezuela (4) Paraguay

(5) Uruguay

64. Percy Sonn, who replaced Ehsaan Mani as the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), hails from which of the following countries ?

(1) England (2) Australia

(3) The West Indies (4) South Africa

(5) New Zealand

65. The President, Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam dedicated to the nation a War Memorial, built by private donations under The Indian Express Citizens' Initiative, at ___________ .

(1) Bangalore (2) Pune (3) Hyderabad (4) New Delhi

(5) Chandigarh

66. 'Sacred Games' is the latest book penned by __________ .

(1) Vikram Chandra (2) Vikram Seth

(3) Salman Rushdie (4) Khushwant Singh

(5) Amit Chaudhuri

67. Which of the following companies has the punch line, 'Beyond a Billion'?

(1) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)

(2) Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL)

(3) Satyam Computer Services Limited

(4) Bharti Teleservices

(5) Reliance Infocomm

68. What is quasi-fiscal activity ?

(1) The use of off-Budget activities for public-policy purposes that can be duplicated by specific fiscal measures, such as taxes, subsidies or other direct expenditures.

(2) An annual financial statement of income and expenditure of a Government.

(3) The excess of Government expenditure over Government income, which must be financed either by borrowing or by printing money.

(4) An activity by the Government of India for acquiring funds to finance economic development.

(5) An activity to specify the desired outcomes of the Budget in quantitative terms with a time-frame.

69. Which of the following States has implemented a Rs.750 crore scheme, Tejaswini, that will provide microcredit to rural women to start their own business

(1) Tamil Nadu (2) Karnataka

(3) Andhra Pradesh (4) Gujarat

(5) Maharashtra

70. 'Ghaddar Kon' ('Who is the Traitor?') is the biography of ___________ .

(1) The former Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto

(2) The former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif

(3) The Pakistan President General, Pervez Musharraf

(4) The Pakistan Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz

(5) The husband of Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari

71. Which of the following countries has become the world's largest mobile market ?

(1) China (2) Japan (3) The US

(4) India (5) Finland

72. 'Operation Sukoon' was India's largest __________.

(1) Peacekeeping mission in Congo

(2) Peacekeeping mission in Sudan

(3) Civilian evacuation operations overseas in Israel

(4) Civilian evacuation operations overseas in Lebanon

(5) None of these

73. Who among the following has smashed his way into the third place in one-day batting rankings (International Cricket Council (ICC) table), becoming the first Indian batsman to occupy a top three slot since Sachin Tendulkar in 2004 ?

(1) Rahul Dravid (2) Yuvraj Singh

(3) Mahendra Singh Dhoni (4) Irfan Pathan

(5) Mohammad Kaif

74. Which of the following World Heritage sites is observing its 126th anniversary ?

(1) Hampi

(2) Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

(3) Ajanta and Ellora Caves

(4) Kaziranga National Park

(5) Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

75. Under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) guidelines for unlisted companies, the size of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) should be a minimum of __________ per cent of the post-issue capital.

(1) 5 (2) 10 (3) 15

(4) 20 (5) 25

76. Which of the following States has implemented the Bal Sanjivani Abhiyan, a scheme aimed at reducing malnutrition amongst children ?

(1) Uttar Pradesh (2) Gujarat

(3) Madhya Pradesh (4) Maharashtra

(5) Tamil Nadu

77. Which country will host the Women's World Cup cricket in 2013 ?

(1) Australia (2) India (3) England (4) New Zealand

(5) South Africa

78. The Rs.60,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) seeks to connect habitations with a population of more than __________ .

(1) 500 (2) 1,000 (3) 1,500

(4) 2,000 (5) 2,500

79 . The sportsman, V.Chandrashekhar, who released his book, 'My Fightback from Death's Door', is associated with which of the following sports ?

(1) Cricket (2) Football (3) Hockey

(4) Table Tennis (5) Tennis

80. The Khushab nuclear reactor built with Chinese assistance is located in __________ .

(1) Pakistan (2) Afghanistan (3) Iran (4) Myanmar (5) Bangladesh

81. Who is the new Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) ?

(1) Dinesh Shankar Mathur (2) S.K.Arora

(3) Nripendra Mishra (4) Ravi Ruia

(5) None of these

82. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was launched on 2nd February 2006 in ___________ districts in India.

(1) 100 (2) 120 (3) 140

(4) 200 (5) 250

83. India will host the Afro-Asia Cup in June 2007 at __________ .

(1) Mohali (2) Hyderabad (3) Chennai

(4) Bangalore (5) Mumbai

84. The Tata-Fiat Joint Venture (JV) to produce the Fiat Grande Punto model in India will be based at ___________ .

(1) Bangalore (2) Pune (3) Chennai (4) Hyderabad

(5) Gurgaon

85. Which of the following is the country's largest Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) cellular operator ?

(1) Reliance Infocomm

(2) Idea Cellular

(3) Bharti Airtel

(4) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)

(5) None of these

86. The Project INDUS to be implemented in the five districts of Uttar Pradesh, supported by the US is a ___________ .

(1) Child labour project

(2) Education enhancement project

(3) Project for women in rural areas

(4) Project to fight malnutrition in children

(5) Power generation project

87. The Prime Minister, Jose Zapatero's visit to India, coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the country's diplomatic ties with __________.

(1) Portugal (2) Spain (3) Italy (4) Poland (5) Belgium

88. 'Indian Summers' is the book penned by __________ .

(1) John Wright (2) Greg Chappell (3) Kapil Dev

(4) Sunil Gavaskar (5) Ravi Shastri

89. The World Bank (WB) has ranked India __________ on the list of 15 wealthiest countries.

(1) 10th (2) 11th (3) 12th

(4) 13th (5) 14th

90. In which of the following cities will India's first Maritime University be set up ?

(1) Hyderabad (2) Goa (3) Kolkata (4) Chennai

(5) Mumbai

91. How many countries have won the Football World Cup since it began in 1930 ?

(1) Five (2) Six (3) Seven

(4) Eight (5) Nine

92. The President, Kalam has called for increasing the power generation capacity to 4,00,000 MW by __________ .

(1) 2020 (2) 2025 (3) 2030

(4) 2035 (5) 2040

93. Which of the following countries recently tested the new missile, Shahab-3 ?

(1) Pakistan (2) Iran (3) Bangladesh (4) Iraq (5) Afghanistan

94. Which country has the highest concentration of broadband users in the world according to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ?

(1) Iceland (2) South Korea (3) U.S.A. (4) Holland (5) Denmark

95. The Lev Yashin Award for the Best Goalkeeper at the Federation Internationalle De Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2006 was presented to Gianluigi Buffon of __________ .

(1) France (2) Portugal (3) Germany (4) Brazil (5) Italy

96. Which steel company plans to increase its capacity to 40 million tonnes (mt) a year by 2020 ?

(1) Tata Steel

(2) Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)

(3) Essar Steel

(4) Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO)

(5) Jindal Steel and Power Company

97. General Pervez Musharraf's autobiography is titled __________ .

(1) In the line of fire (2) Wings of Fire

(3) First Fire (4) Beyond Lines of Control

(5) Beyond a Boundary

98. Which of the following States has launched a Rs.600 crore Biju (Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi) Yojana for the region along with a Rs.600 crore Goapabandhu Gramin Yojana for 11 coastal districts ?

(1) Maharashtra (2) West Bengal (3) Orissa

(4) Andhra Pradesh (5) Tamil Nadu

99. Which State is the worst in the country in the matter of Dalit atrocities, according to the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry ?

(1) Bihar (2) Jharkhand (3) Rajasthan (4) Orissa (5) Maharashtra

100. Which Indian city will host the World Military Games in October 2007 ?

(1) Hyderabad (2) Pune (3) Bangalore (4) New Delhi

(5) Kolkata

101. 'My Illustrated Career' is the autobiography of which of the following cricketers ?

(1) Steve Waugh (2) Shane Warne

(3) Glenn McGrath (4) Ricky Ponting

(5) Allan Border

102. All powers regarding the disqualification of a Member of Parliament (MP) are to be exercised under Article 103 of the Constitution by the President on the advice of the __________ .

(A) Prime Minister

(B) Speaker of the House

(1) Only (A) (2) Only (B) (3) Only (C) (4) Both (A) and (B) (5) Both (B) and (C)

103. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) requires banks to lend a minimum of __________ per cent of the total credit to agriculture.

(1) 16 (2) 18 (3) 20

(4) 22 (5) 24

104. The book 'The Hungry Tide', which is to be made into a film, is penned by __________ .

(1) Vikram Seth (2) Kushwant Singh

(3) Amitav Ghosh (4) V.S.Naipaul

(5) Vikram Chandra

105. Which of the following institutions is observing its centenary this year ?

(1) Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

(2) Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

(3) Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM)

(4) Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC)

(5) None of these

106. In an ambitious plan, SELCO Solar Light Private Limited will provide solar lighting and cooking systems to two lakh houses in the economically backward areas by 2010 in which of the following States ?

(1) Maharashtra (2) Orissa (3) Karnataka (4) Andhra Pradesh (5) Tamil Nadu

107. The Indian novelist, Kiran Desai, the daughter of Anita Desai, was the winner of he prestigious Man Booker Prize. Which of the following is the book penned by the author ?

(1) The Night Watch (2) The Inheritance of Loss (3) The Secret River (4) In the Country of Men (5) Carry Me Down

108. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given the go-ahead for six States to notify eight new tiger reserves. Thus the number of tiger reserves in the country will go up to __________ .

(1) 28 (2) 30 (3) 32

(4) 34 (5) 36

109. Who recently became the second cricketer after Sir Garfield Sobers to capture 200 wickets and score over 8,000 runs in Test cricket ?

(1) Sanath Jayasuriya (2) Andrew Flintoff (3) Abdul Razzak

(4) Jacques Kallis (5) None of these

110. The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification programme seeks to provide every village with electricity by which of the following years ?

(1) 2008 (2) 2010 (3) 2012

(4) 2014 (5) 2016

111. The world's oldest book fair is held at which of the following places ?

(1) London, UK (2) Paris, France

(3) Frankfurt, Germany (4) Stockholm, Sweden

(5) Dublin, Ireland

112. With which of the following State Governments has Dell signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a Rs.273-crore state-of-the-art manufacturing facility?

(1) Tamil Nadu (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) Karnataka (4) Punjab (5) Haryana

113. Anousheh Ansari, who has become the world's first female space tourist, hails from which of the following countries ?

(1) Israel (2) Palestine (3) Iran

(4) Kuwait (5) Saudi Arabia

114. Vikash Dhorasoo, a footballer, became the first player of Indian origin to play in the soccer World Cup for __________ .

(1) England (2) France (3) Italy (4) Spain (5) Portugal

115. Which of the following recent films has been acquired by the Oscar library ?

(1) Lage Raho Munnabhai (2) Rang De Basanti

(3) Kabhi Alvida Na Kehnaa (4) Black

(5) Omkara

116. 1st November 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of the formation of the State of __________ .

(1) Karnataka (2) Kerala (3) Tamil Nadu (4) Andhra Pradesh

(5) West Bengal

117. Which of the following is the venue of the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 ?

(1) New Delhi (2) Pune (3) Bangalore (4) Hyderabad

(5) Mumbai

118. The M.S.Swaminathan Award was presented to Dr.Gurdev Khush, an agricultural scientist working in the field of __________ research, by the Prime Minister at the International Rice Conference (IRC) in New Delhi.

(1) Rice (2) Wheat (3) Cotton

(4) Sugar (5) Pulses

119. On which country has the 192-member UN unanimously voted to impose sanctions for its nuclear programme ?

(1) Iran (2) Libya (3) Iraq

(4) Israel (5) None of these

120. The World Religious Freedom Day was observed on ___________ October.

(1) 10th (2) 12th (3) 14th

(4) 16th (5) 18th

121. India will be one of the main beneficiaries of a new funding programme called UNITAID, under which 19 countries will levy taxes on airline tickets to fight disease in the developing world. At which place was the UNITAID launched recently ?

(1) Paris (2) Geneva (3) London

(4) Berlin (5) Brussels

122. Which of the following books by Salman Rushdie had won the Booker of Bookers Prize in 1993 ?

(1) The Moor's Last Sigh (2) Midnight's Children (3) Shalimar the Clown (4) Fury (5) The Ground Beneath Her Feet

123. Who among the following was the world's first space tourist ?

(1) Charles Simonyi (2) Gregory Olsen (3) Dennis Tito (4) Mark Shuttleworth (5) None of these

124. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, Vijay Shankar has been elected to the Executive Committee of Interpol at its 75th General Assembly held in __________ .

(1) Lyons (2) London (3) Berlin (4) Rio de Janeiro

(5) Caracas

125. Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi, who heads the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted to suggest a comprehensive definition for 'office of profit', is a Member of Parliament (MP) from __________ .

(1) Andhra Pradesh (2) Tamil Nadu

(3) Kerala (4) Goa (5) Karnataka

126. On 17th October 2006, the US became the world's third most populous nation behind China and India, as its population crossed the ____________ million mark.

(1) 250 (2) 275 (3) 300

(4) 325 (5) 350

127. Which of the following agencies have called for sweeping reforms in the country's police administration ?

(1) The President (2) The Prime Minister

(3) The Home Ministry (4) The Defence Ministry

(5) None of these

128. Which of the following States has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 10 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for investments worth Rs.45,000 crore in the power sector ?

(1) Chhattisgarh (2) Jharkhand (3) Orissa (4) Bihar (5) Uttar Pradesh

129. Which of the following missiles development programme has been given a one-year extension by the Government ?

(1) Prithvi (2) Agni (3) Nag

(4) Trishul (5) Akash

130. The US and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have pledged Rs.19 crore to India for a campaign against __________.

(1) Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

(2) Diabetes

(3) Polio

(4) Tuberculosis

(5) Malaria

131. Which of the following dates in October is observed as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty ?

(1) 15th (2) 16th (3) 17th

(4) 18th (5) 19th

132. Helen Hayman, who was in the news recently, is a/ an ___________.

(1) Author (2) Sportswoman (3) Actress (4) Singer (5) None of These

133. Which of the following States has the lowest Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) ?

(1) Kerala (2) Andhra Pradesh (3) West Bengal (4) Tamil Nadu (5) Himachal Pradesh

134. Which of the following countries form the Golden Triangle region, where 29 per cent of the world's opium is cultivated ?

(A) Myanmar (B) Vietnam (C) Laos (D) Thailand

(1) (A), (B) and (C) (2) (A), (B) and (D)

(3) (A), (C) and (D) (4) (B), (C) and (D)

(5) All of these

135. The public health expenditure of India has decreased from 1.3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1990 to __________ per cent now and is among the lowest in the world.

(1) 0.8 (2) 0.9 (3) 1.0

(4) 1.1 (5) 1.2

136. India is the ___________ largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions.

(1) second (2) third (3) fourth (4) fifth (5) sixth

137. Which of the following countries recently launched a spy satellite to observe and inspect North Korea's moves ?

(1) The US (2) South Korea (3) China (4) Japan (5) Germany

138. Which of the following National carriers is celebrating its platinum jubilee ?

(1) Air-India (2) Indian (3) Air Sahara (4) Jet Airways

(5) Deccan Airlines

139. 'Farmers Club', an extended version of the Vikas Volunteer Vahini programme for rural development through agriculture, has been initiated by which of the following institutions?

(1) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

(2) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

(3) State Bank of India (SBI)

(4) Agriculture Ministry

(5) Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)

140. Which of the following is the first Asian company to avail the remote opening of National Association of Security Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) trading ?

(1) TCS (2) Wipro (3) Satyam

(4) Infosys (5) None of these

141. Bhagyalakshmi, a scheme designed to correct the adverse sex ratio, has been started by which of the following States ?

(1) Andhra Pradesh (2) Punjab (3) Karnataka (4) Uttar Pradesh (5) Haryana

142. LitCam is a literacy campaign of the __________ .

(1) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

(2) National Literacy Mission

(3) United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

(4) Frankfurt Book Fair

(5) Microsoft Corporation

143. 'Red Campaign' is associated with which of the following activities ?

(1) Fund-raising for combating Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome

(2) Literacy awareness

(3) Fund-raising for eradicating cancer

(4) Rehabilitation of earthquake victims

(5) Rehabilitation of victims of terror acts worldwide

144. Which of the following countries is facing a public dispute over the use of head scarves or niqab by the minorities ?

(1) France (2) Canada (3) The UK

(4) Germany (5) Italy

145. What is the average population of a Lok Sabha constituency in India as per the 2001 Census?

(1) 19 lakh (2) 21 lakh (3) 23 lakh (4) 25 lakh (5) 27 lakh

146. The Bangladeshi immigrants who came to India before __________ will be given permanent citizenship.

(1) 15th August 1947 (2) 26th January 1950

(3) 27th April 1962 (4) 25th March 1971

(5) 24th September 1982

147. At which of the following places is the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) located?

(1) Bangalore (2) Hyderabad (3) Chennai

(4) Mumbai (5) New Delhi

148. Which State has topped in terms of overall performance in the Government's 20-point programme (TPP) ?

(1) Delhi (2) Andhra Pradesh

(3) Himachal Pradesh (4) Gujarat

(5) Uttaranchal

149. The President of __________ was the Chief Guest at the R-Day celebrations in India on 26th January 2007.

(1) China (2) Russia (3) France

(4) The US (5) Brazil

150. 'Agni Warrior' was the week-long artillery exercise conducted between India and __________ at Deolali.

(1) Singapore (2) China (3) The US

(4) Israel (5) Britain

Exclusive Test on – G.S.-Current Events

.....................................................

Answers :-

1.(3) As per the 2001 Census, Punjab has the worst sex ratio (798 girls for every 1,000 boys).

2.(3) The Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) is Dr.M.S.Swaminathan.

3.(2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervenes in the Foreign Exchange Market (FEM), to check the rise of the rupee against the dollar.

4.(1) Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of sugar.

5.(2) The Eurozone Stability Pact ceiling for Budget deficits of its member nations is 3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

6.(4) India ranks fourth in the world on the basis of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) behind U.S.A., China and Japan.

7.(5) The Government's vision is to add 1,00,000 MW of power to help realise the dream of 'Power for All' by the year 2012.

8.(4) As per the decision taken by the Union Ministry of Finance (MoF) the Government stake in the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) will not be less than 51 per cent.

9.(1) Justice Kuldeep Singh heads the Delimitation Commission set up to redraw the constituencies according to the population.

10.(2) Andhra Pradesh has recently directed all the Government schools in the State to introduce English from Class III instead of Class VI and to introduce it as medium of instruction at the primary level in all residential schools for the children of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the Backward Classes (BCs).

11.(1) India is poised to double its share of foreign trade to 1.5 per cent of the world trade by 2009.

12.(2) Sam Pitroda heads the National Knowledge Commission set up by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

13.(5) The poverty line definition in India is 2400 calories in rural areas and 2100 calories in urban
areas.

14.(3) India had edged out China to emerge as the second largest in terms of the road network (at 3.3 million kms) after the US.

15.(2) The Government has appointed the second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) after nearly four decades. Veerappa Moily, the former Karnataka Chief Minister heads the Commission, which will prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system.

16.(5) Sania Mirza was included in the list of 500 Asian Heroes and her photograph was also published on the cover page of the Time Magazine.

17.(3) Article 44 of the Constitution provides for a Uniform Civil Code.

18.(1) Air Deccan is India's first low-cost airline launched by Captain Gopinath.

19.(4) Guangzhou, China was officially approved as the host of the 2010 Asian Games by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The Asian Games were held in Doha, Qatar in December 2006.

20.(3) Article 46 (Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution provides that the educational and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) be safeguarded.

21.(4) Jagdish Bhagwati has written the latest book, 'Development and Nationhood: An Indian Perspective'.

22.(3) Goa has become the permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

23.(1) Cadarache, which will be the site of the $10 billion International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's first large-scale sustainable nuclear fusion reactor, developed by the six-member consortium comprising the US, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and the European Union (EU) is located in France.

24.(4) India's rank in the world in terms of foreign exchange (forex) reserves is sixth.

25.(2) India’s defence spending has hovered at around 2 to 2.5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the past decade.

26.(1) Iran has been in the news for its nuclear standoff with key Western countries for its adamant stand to develop a peaceful nuclear programme, which includes Uranium enrichment.

27.(4) Jacques Diouf was re-elected to a third six-year term as the Director General of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) at Rome.

28.(1) Japan's population is greying at an unprecedented rate. Today, Japan's proportion of the elderly, at 19 per cent, is the highest in the world and is forecast to reach almost 30 per cent by 2025. Japan's 127 million odd population was 19,000 fewer than a year earlier, as per the results of its latest five-yearly Census.

29.(5) The Ministry for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will provide Rs.451 crore from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to set up Village Public Telephones (VPTs) in 66,822 villages under the Bharat Nirman programme.

30.(4) The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is planning to set the ambitious target of bringing down the number of poor in the country (Below Poverty Line (BPL)) to less than 10 per cent of the total population by the end of the Eleventh Plan (2007-2012).

31.(3) Brian Lara holds the world record for the highest-ever individual score in an innings (400) by a batsman.

32.(5) The Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha.

33.(2) The country's first Auto Cluster Development and Research Institute has been set up in Chinchwad, Pune.

34.(1) The 1989 Basel Convention bans the trans-boundary movement of toxic wastes.

35.(4) The Army Day is celebrated on 15th January. The armed forces of the country celebrate the Army Day to honour the command of the Indian Army by the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal, K.M.Cariappa.

36.(3) The Union Cabinet has given its assent to accord classical language status to Sanskrit. The Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh also decided to increase from 1,000 years to 1,500-2,000 years the antiquity of languages to be considered for the grant of classical language status.

37.(2) Under the National Programme of Nutritional support to Primary Education, foodgrains are provided at 100 grams per child per school day from the nearest Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown.

38.(5) None of these. 'Touchplay', authored by Dev Sukumar, is the biography of Prakash Padukone, the flag-bearer of Indian badminton and the man who won the All India title in 1980. The biography on Rahul Dravid, 'The Nice Guy Who Finished First' is authored by Devendra Prabhudesai. Steve Waugh's biography is 'Out of My Comfort Zone'. 'My Way' is the biography of M.L.Jaisimha by A.Joseph Anthony and Jayanthi Jaisimha.

39.(3) The world's largest ship-breaking yard is situated at Alang in Gujarat. Established in 1983, the Alang shipyard, located 56 kms South of Bhavnagar, was identified as a suitable site for beaching very heavy ships given its continental shelf, high tidal range (10 mt) and mud-free conditions.

40.(2) The Centre has given permission to open six border trade points along the International Border (IB) in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its 'Look East' policy. The announcement was made at a function to mark the 20th Statehood day on 20th February 2007.

41.(5) The per capita availability of agricultural land in the country has declined from 0.33 hectare in 1951 to 0.14 hectare in 2001-02 and is likely to decline to about 0.05 hectare in 2035, according to the Union Agriculture Ministry.

42.(5) None of these. The International Cricket Council's (ICC's) new headquarters will be located at Dubai.

43.(3) The Serum Biopharma Park, the country's first biotech Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is coming up at Pune. The Serum Institute of India (SII) Limited, the largest exporter of vaccines and immuno-biologicals has announced an investment of Rs.1,200 crore in India's first biotech SEZ, located at Hadapsar, adjoining the SII's existing manufacturing unit and is a sector-specific SEZ meant for biotechnology and pharmaceutical products.

44.(1) Maharashtra will soon become the first State in the country to make child labour a non-bailable offence.

45.(5) Article 45 of the Constitution assures provision of free and compulsory education for all children till the age of 14 years.

46.(1) The National Commission for Women (NCW) has launched the new, 'Chalo Gaon Ki Ore' programme, which seeks to empower women in rural India.

47.(5) After a gap of 17 years, the US has decided to open its markets to Indian mangoes. The US had prevented Indian mangoes in its markets due to the strict Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) conditions. India is the largest producer of mangoes (41 per cent of the world's total produce) and the US is the largest importer.

48.(3) 'Operation Mountain Thrust' is an anti-Taliban operation launched by Afghanistan in its Southern region.

49.(3) 17 languages are inscribed on an Indian currency note.

50.(3) As of December 2005, the Government has defined a person with an income of less than Rs.368 in rural areas and Rs.559 in urban areas as living Below the Poverty Line (BPL).

51.(1) Anil Kumble made his Test debut and also claimed his 500th wicket to become the first Indian and only the fifth bowler to reach this landmark against England. England's Steve Harmison was his 500th wicket. Anil Kumble, the leg-spinner from Bangalore, achieved the feat on the third day of the second Test against England when he trapped Steve Harmison leg-before. The others are Shane Warne (659), Muttiah Muralitharan (600), Glenn McGrath (542) and Courtney Walsh (519).

52.(4) (A), (C) and (D). The University of Mumbai, the University of Calcutta and the University of Madras are celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2007.

53.(4) 52 per cent of resident Indians are less than 23 years of age. 572 million Indians constitute India's youth. About 23 million young Indians will enter the employment market each year from 2007 and will continue to do so at least until 2025.

54.(1) The Indian History Congress (IHC) had proposed to hold a special session to mark the 400th death anniversary of Akbar, the 16th century Mughal Emperor. The period between 26th October 2005 and 25th October 2006 had been designated as the 'Fourth Centenary Year'.

55.(2) The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act requires the Government to reduce the fiscal deficit by 0.3 percentage points annually and the revenue deficit by 0.5 percentage points to bring down the fiscal deficit to 3 per cent and to eliminate the revenue deficit by 2008-09.

56.(5) The Madhya Pradesh State Government has launched a novel scheme, 'Gaon Ki Beti Yojana', a major initiative to encourage rural women for higher education.

57.(5) None of these. It is a State-sponsored movement to fight Maoists (an anti-Naxalite campaign) by arming the village youth. It was launched by a local Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Chhattisgarh and later endorsed by the State's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government. Salwa Judum, which translates as peace campaign has led to the militarisation of society at the grassroots.

58.(3) According to the revised definition by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) is a unit whose investment in plant and machinery is Rs.10 crore. At present a Small Scale Industry (SSI) is a unit with investment less than Rs.1 crore and a Medium Enterprise (ME) whose investment is less than Rs.10 crore.

59.(1) In the first such agreement with an individual Latin American country, India has signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Chile.

60.(5) None of these. For the first time in the country's history, the Judges will be mandated to declare their assets at the time of taking oath as well as each successive year until retirement.

61.(2) Gujarat is implementing the Jyotir Gram Yojana to provide electricity to domestic and cottage industries in all villages with a population of more than 3,000.

62.(5) 2007 marks the 100th birth anniversary of the creator of James Bond, the author, Ian Fleming.

63.(3) Venezuela has become the fifth full member of the trade group, Mercosur. Mercosur is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

64.(4) Percy Sonn, who replaced Ehsaan Mani as the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), hails from South Africa.

65.(5) The President, Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam dedicated to the nation a War Memorial, built by private donations under The Indian Express Citizens' Initiative, at Chandigarh.

66.(1) 'Sacred Games' is the latest book penned by Vikram Chandra.

67.(3) Satyam Computer Services Limited has the punch line, 'Beyond a Billion'.

68.(1) Quasi-fiscal activity is the use of off-Budget activities for public-policy purposes that can be duplicated by specific fiscal measures, such as taxes, subsidies or other direct expenditures.

69.(5) Maharashtra has implemented a Rs.750 crore scheme, Tejaswini, that will provide microcredit to rural women to start their own business.

70.(2) 'Ghaddar Koun' ('Who is the Traitor?') is the biography of the former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif.

71.(1) China has become the world's largest mobile market.

72.(4) 'Operation Sukoon' was India's largest civilian evacuation operations overseas in Lebanon.

73.(3) Mahendra Singh Dhoni has smashed his way into the third place in one-day batting rankings (International Cricket Council (ICC) table), becoming the first Indian batsman to occupy a top three slot since Sachin Tendulkar in 2004.

74.(2) The World Heritage Site (WHS), the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, is observing its 126th anniversary.

75.(2) Under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) guidelines for unlisted companies, the size of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) should be a minimum of 10 per cent of the post-issue capital.

76.(3) Madhya Pradesh has implemented the Bal Sanjivani Abhiyan, a scheme aimed at reducing malnutrition amongst children.

77.(2) India will host the Women's World Cup cricket in 2013.

78.(1) The Rs.60,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) seeks to connect habitations with a population of more than 500. The target deadline of the PMGSY is 2010-2011.

79.(4) The sportsman, V.Chandrashekhar, who released his book, 'My Fightback from Death's Door' is associated with Table Tennis.

80.(1) The Khushab nuclear reactor built with Chinese assistance is located in Pakistan

81.(3) Nripendra Mishra is the new Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

82.(4) The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was launched on 2nd February 2006 in 200 districts in India.

83.(1) India will host the Afro-Asia Cup (cricket) in June 2007 at Mohali in Punjab.

84.(2) The Tata-Fiat Joint Venture (JV) to produce the Fiat Grande Punto model in India will be based at Ranjangaon, Pune (Maharashtra).

85.(3) Bharti Airtel is the country's largest Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) cellular operator.

86.(1) The Project INDUS to be implemented in the five districts of Uttar Pradesh, supported by the US is a child labour project. .

87.(2) The Prime Minister, Jose Zapatero's visit to India, coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the country's diplomatic ties with Spain.

88.(1) 'Indian Summers' is the book penned by John Wright, the former Coach of the Indian cricket team.

89.(3) The World Bank (WB) has ranked India 12th on the list of 15 wealthiest countries.

90.(4) India's first Maritime University will be set up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

91.(3) Seven countries have won the Football World Cup since it began in 1930.

92.(3) The President, Kalam has called for increasing the power generation capacity to 4,00,000 MW by 2030.

93.(2) The new missile Shahab-3 was tested recently by Iran.

94.(1) Iceland has the highest concentration of broadband users in the world according to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

95.(5) The Lev Yashin Award for the Best Goalkeeper at the Federation Internationalle De Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2006 was presented to Gianluigi Buffon of Italy.

96.(2) The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) plans to increase its capacity to 40 million tonnes (mt) a year by 2020.

97.(1) General Pervez Musharraf's autobiography is 'In the Line of Fire'.

98.(3) Orissa has launched a Rs.600 crore Biju (Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi) Yojana for the region along with a Rs.600 crore Goapabandhu Gramin Yojana for 11 coastal districts.

99.(3) The worst State in the country in the matter of Dalit atrocities, according to the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, is Rajasthan.

100.(1)Hyderabad will host the World Military Games in October 2007.

101.(2)'My Illustrated Career' is the autobiography of Shane Warne.

102.(3)Only (C). All powers regarding the disqualification of a Member of Parliament (MP) are to be exercised under Article 103 of the Constitution by the President on the advice of the Election Commissioner (EC).

103.(2)The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) requires banks to lend a minimum of 18 per cent of the total credit to agriculture.

104.(3)The book 'The Hungry Tide', which is to be made into a film, is penned by Amitav Ghosh.

105.(4)The Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC) is observing its centenary this year.

106.(3)In an ambitious plan, SELCO Solar Light Private Limited will provide solar lighting and cooking systems to 2 lakh houses in the economically backward areas by 2010 in Karnataka. Another project, the 'Green Light' project, sponsored by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), the deemed University of Manipal and the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), was launched to provide solar light system totally free to families who were unable to pay the electricity bills in Banglegudde in Karnataka.

107.(2)The Indian novelist, Kiran Desai, the daughter of Anita Desai, won the prestigious Man Booker Prize. 'The Inheritance of Loss' is the book penned by the author. She made her debut with the novel, 'Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard' in 1998.

108.(5)The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given the go-ahead for six States to notify eight new tiger reserves. Thus the number of tiger reserves in the country will go up to 36. With these newly-added areas of sanctuary, about 7 per cent of the country's forest areas will now be under the Project Tiger.

109.(4)Jacques Kallis became the second cricketer after Sir Garfield Sobers to capture 200 wickets and score over 8,000 runs in Test cricket.

110.(3)The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification programme seeks to provide every village with electricity by 2012.

111.(3)The world's oldest book fair is held at Frankfurt, Germany.

112.(1)Dell has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu Government for a Rs.273-crore state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

113.(3)Anousheh Ansari, who has become the world's first female space tourist, hails from Iran.

114.(2)Vikash Dhorasoo, a footballer, became the first player of Indian origin to play in the soccer World Cup, for France.

115.(3)The script of 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehnaa' has been acquired by the Oscar library.

116.(2)1st November 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of the formation of the State of Kerala.

117.(2)The venue of the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 is Pune (Maharashtra).

118.(1)The M.S.Swaminathan Award was presented to Dr.Gurdev Khush, an agricultural scientist working in the field of rice research, by the Prime Minister at the International Rice Conference (IRC) in New Delhi.

119.(5)None of these. The 192-member UN has unanimously voted to impose sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear programme.

120.(3)The World Religious Freedom Day was observed on 14th October.

121.(2)India will be one of the main beneficiaries of a new funding programme called UNITAID, under which 19 countries will levy taxes on airline tickets to fight disease in the developing world. The UNITAID was launched at Geneva, recently as part of the WHO.

122.(2)'Midnight's Children', by Salman Rushdie had won the Booker of Bookers Prize in 1993.

123.(3)Dennis Tito of the US was the world's first space tourist.

124.(4)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, Vijay Kumar has been elected to the Executive Committee of Interpol at its 75th General Assembly held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

125.(5)Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi, who heads the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted to suggest a comprehensive definition for 'office of profit', is a Congress Member of Parliament (MP) from Gulbarga, Karnataka. The Committee comprises 10 Lok Sabha and 5 Rajya Sabha MPs.

126.(3)On 17th October 2006, the US became the world's third most populous nation behind China and India, as its population crossed the 300 million mark.

127.(5)None of these. The Supreme Court (SC) has called for sweeping reforms in the country's police administration.

128.(3)Orissa has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 10 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for investments worth Rs.45,000 crore in the power sector.

129.(4)The Trishul missile development programme has been given a one-year extension by the Government. The five missiles are part of the Integrated Guided Missiles Development Programme (IGMDP).

130.(4)The US and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have pledged Rs.19 crore to India for a campaign against Tuberculosis.

131.(3)17th October is observed as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

132.(5)None of These. Helen Hayman who was in the news recently, is the first elected Speaker of the House of Lords in Britain.

133.(1)Kerala has the lowest Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).

134.(3)(A), (C) and (D).The Golden Triangle region, where 29 per cent of the world's opium is cultivated, comprises Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

135.(2)The public health expenditure of India has decreased from 1.3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1990 to 0.9 per cent now and is among the lowest in the world.

136.(2)India is the third largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions.

137.(4)Japan recently launched a spy satellite to observe and inspect North Korea's moves.

138.(1)The Air-India is celebrating its platinum jubilee this year.

139.(1)'Farmers Club', an extended version of the Vikas Volunteer Vahini programme for rural development through agriculture, is the initiative of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

140.(4)Infosys is the first Asian company to avail the remote opening of National Association of Security Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) trading. Mysore (Infosys campus) became the third city in the world to get the opportunity of remote belling, the other two being London (in December 2005) and Davos (in January 2006). Robert Greifeld is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NASDAQ.

141.(3)Bhagyalakshmi, a scheme designed to correct the adverse sex ratio, has been started in Karnataka.

142.(4)LitCam is a literacy campaign of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The Frankfurt Book Fair's Literacy campaign, LitCam has partnered with Google and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO's) Institute for Literacy Learning to create the Literacy Project-a Web-based resource for teachers, students and anyone interested in the promotion of reading and education. The site is hosted at www.google.com/literacy. The fair was held in October 2006. India was the Guest of Honour.

143.(1)'Red Campaign' is associated with fund-raising for combating Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The Irish rock star, Bono has launched the US version of his Red campaign that turns shopping into funding stream to fight AIDS in Africa. The programme is the brainchild of the US singer, Bono and Bobby Shriver, the nephew of the late President, J.F.Kennedy. It encourages shoppers to buy Red-branded goods, while manufacturers pledge to channel a portion of the profits to the AIDS programme financed by the UN-backed Global Fund.

144.(3).The UK is facing a public dispute over the use of head scarves or niqab by the minorities.

145.(1)19 lakh is the average population of a Lok Sabha constituency in India as per the 2001 Census.

146.(4)The Bangladeshi immigrants who came to India before 25th March 1971, will be given permanent citizenship.

147.(2)The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) is located in Hyderabad.

148.(4)Gujarat has topped in terms of overall performance in the Government's 20-point programme (TPP).

149.(2)The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin was the Chief Guest at the R-Day celebrations in India on 26th January 2007.

150.(1)'Agni Warrier' was the week-long artillery exercise conducted between India and Singapore at Deolali in Maharashtra.