Current Affairs CSEET MCQ

1. China’s Great Wall Motors (GWM) is set to acquire the manufacturing plant of which automobile company located in Maharashtra?

General Motors

Morris Garage

Volkswagen

Nissan

Answer: A

Brief:

China’s leading automobile manufacturer, Great Wall Motors (GWM) has signed an agreement with the American manufacturer General Motors (GM) to acquire GM’s manufacturing plant located in Talegaon, near Pune in Maharashtra.

General Motors announced that Chevrolet Sales India, which is the sales arm of GM in India will continue as an independent entity. It will continue to provide after-sales service and spare part support to existing Indian customers. GWM has planned to enter into the Indian market by 2021 and this acquisition would speed-up its launch.

2. Who was recently appointed as the new Prime Minister of Russia?

Vladimir Putin

Mikhail Mishustin

Desto Medvedev

Mikhail Medevedev

Answer: B

Brief:

The entire government of Russia including the then Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev resigned following the constitutional reforms proposed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin proposed the former bureaucrat and tax official, Mikhail Mishustin as the next Prime Minister of Russia.

The lawmakers have approved the nomination of Vladimir Putin, for the new Prime Minister. Russia’s lower house of Parliament, the State Duma voted in favour of the nominated Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, which fetched him 383 votes out of 424.

3. Which country recently discontinued the ozone-depleting chemical, Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b?

India

China

USA

UK

Answer: A

Brief:

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently released a notification that the country has discontinued the production of the ozone-depleting chemical, Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b.

HCFC-141 b is one of the most powerful ozone depleting chemicals after the Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It is a chemical used in the process of manufacturing production of rigid polyurethane (PU) foams, as a blowing agent. The chemical was not produced in the country and after the notification, the issuance of import license for HCFC-141b is also prohibited from 1st January, 2020.

4. The European Union has how many countries in its bloc, after the exit of the United Kingdom?

29

27

25

22

Answer: B <27>

Brief:

After nearly four years of the referendum voted by the British people for Brexit, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union, at 11.00 p.m on January 31, 2020.

After Britain left the bloc, the European Union has 27 more countries. The process by which the member state leaves the Union has expired and UK has entered the transition period, which will remain till December 31, 2020. The UK will continue to obey the EU laws and courts during the transition period. A new 50-pence coin was launched recently to mark the occasion.

5. According to the recent estimates published by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which economy is most affected by the coronavirus outbreak?

United States

China

European Union

South Africa

Answer: C

Brief:

As per the recent estimates published by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the most affected economy due to the coronavirus outbreak is the European Union ($15.6 billion) followed by the United States ($5.8 billion) and Japan ($5.2 billion),

The trade impact of the outbreak for India is estimated to be about USD 348 million and it is among the top 15 economies most affected. It also revealed that the manufacturing-slowdown in China due to the outbreak is disrupting world trade and could cause a 50 billion dollar decrease in global exports.

6. Which multi-national bank has announced a USD 6.5 billion package for its member countries to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic?

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

World Bank

Asian Development Bank

HSBC

Answer: C

Brief:

Manila-based Asian Development Bank recently announced an initial package of $6.5 billion (equivalent to ₹48,230 crore) to cater the immediate needs of its developing member countries in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

As per the announcement of the Development bank, out of the total package, $3.6 billion will be made available to governments for addressing health and economic consequences of the pandemic and $1.6 billion for micro, small and medium enterprises, domestic and regional trade.

7. Which SAARC member country has committed 5 Million US dollars to COVID-19 SAARC emergency fund?

Nepal

Afghanistan

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Answer: C <sri lanka >sri lanka >

Brief:

Recently, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pledged 5 Million US dollars to the COVID-19 SAARC Emergency fund, which was proposed by Prime minister Narendra Modi.

This Emergency Fund will as a security blanket for the SAARC countries, which can be used by the countries for dealing with issues related to COVID-19. After India made an initial contribution of 10 million US Dollars, other SAARC member countries also started pledging to the fund.

8. Which country is the last among G7 nations to join the association’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) group?

Ireland

Netherlands

United Kingdom

United States

Answer: D

Brief:

The United States has recently joined the G7 Artificial Intelligence group, an international panel for setting ethical guidelines for usage of artificial intelligence.

As per the announcement from the White House, this move was to counter China in threatening civil liberties using technologies. The heads of France and Canada proposed this global group to guide the adoption of AI, which was rejected by the US President Donald Trump. Now US is the last nation to join the Global Partnership on AI.

9. Which country has announced its eleventh outbreak of Ebola virus disease?

Democratic Republic of the Congo

South Africa

Rwanda

Ethiopia

Answer: A

Brief:

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently announced that it has witnessed a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease.

The country located in Central Africa has seen its 11th outbreak since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976. At present, the disease is occurring in the Equateur province. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also announced about the disease.

10. India has signed ‘Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA)’ with which country?

Japan

Australia

Switzerland

Australia

Answer: B

Brief:

During his first ever virtual bilateral summit with the Australian head, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi signed a landmark agreement related to defence.

The agreement named ‘Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA)’ will allow the militaries of the two countries to use the bases of each other countries, for the purpose of repair and replenishment of supplies. India has already signed similar agreements with the US, France and Singapore. The countries also decided to re-engage on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

11. Which inter-governmental organisation has placed Pakistan in its ‘Grey List’ until its next meeting?

Financial Action Task Force

SAARC

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

ASIAN

Answer: A

Brief:

In the third and final plenary held virtually by the Financial Action Task Force, Pakistan has been placed in its ‘Grey List’.

The country will remain in the Grey list until FATF’s next meeting to be held in October. The recent plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu. The FATF has 39 members at present including India. It has black listed countries including North Korea and Iran. Those countries would not be able to get financial aid from institutions like World Bank, IMF etc.

12. Which financial institution has recently joined the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS)?

BRICS Bank

Asian Development Bank

World Bank

International Monetary Fund

Answer: B

Brief:

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS).

NGFS is a group of central banks and supervisors who will share best practices about climate risk management in financial sector. It was launched at the Paris One Planet Summit in the year 2017. It also mobilises finance for maintaining a sustainable economy.

13. Which country is reported to build six to eight nuclear reactors per year from 2020 to 2025?

United States

China

Iran

India

Answer: B

Brief:

As per the news reported by the official China Daily, China will build six to eight nuclear reactors per year between 2020 and 2025.

China is set to raise total capacity to 70 gigawatts (GW), which is around 43.5 per cent more than that of the capacity estimated at the end of May. The country also aims to increase its total nuclear capacity to about 200 GW by 2035.

14. Which space firm has recently launched 60 new internet satellites into orbit using Falcon 9 rocket?

Black Dots

Tesla

SpaceX

NASA

Answer: C

Brief:

American private space company SpaceX has recently launched 60 new internet satellites into orbit using Falcon 9 rocket.

Only before some days, billionaire Elon Musk owned SpaceX has sent two NASA astronauts to International Space Station, thereby becoming the first private firm to send astronauts to space on Falcon-9 rocket. This is the 8th batch of satellites and the total number of Starlink constellation of satellites is 482, as of now.

15. US President Donald Trump signed an act, that authorises sanctions against which country, over the mass incarceration of Uighurs?

Afganistan

China

Thailand

Pakistan

Answer: B

Brief:

US President Donald Trump signed an act to authorise sanctions against Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims and other minorities.

The legislation requires the US administration to determine which Chinese officials are responsible for the arbitrary detention, torture and harassment of the minorities. Then, the U.S would freeze any assets held by the officials in the country and would also ban their entry into the U.S. As per some activists, over one million Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims are being homogenised in China.

16. United States’ Space agency NASA is to rename its headquarters after which American engineer?

Mary W. Jackson

Mark Moore

Robert Winston

M Thomson

Answer: A

Brief:

United States’ Space agency NASA has recently announced that its headquarters located in Washington DC would be renamed after Mary W. Jackson.

She is the agency’s first African American female engineer. As per the website of NASA, Mary W. Jackson (1921-2005) might have been the only black female aeronautical engineer in the agency. She served NASA for more than two decades and authored or co-authored 12 technical papers before she retired in 1985.

17. A commercial communication satellite named ‘APStar-6D’ was launched from which country, using its flagship Long March rocket?

UK

China

France

India

Answer: B

Brief:

A commercial communication satellite named ‘APStar-6D’ has been recently launched by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).

It is developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and was launched using the variant of the country’s Long March rocket. This new satellite can provide a communication capacity of at least 50Gbps, as per sources.

18. Which global organisation has set up an independent panel to review its own Covid-19 response, headed by Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf?

United Nations

World Health Organization

NATO

SAARC

Answer: B

Brief:

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently set up an independent panel to review its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The panel is headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This action has been taken after the United States has been criticising the organisation over its handling of the crisis.

19. Which country banned Huawei from its high-speed wireless 5-G network?

USA

United Kingdom

Romania

Australia

Answer: B

Brief:

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson announced that the country is set to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei from the country’s 5G network.

This news has been announced amidst the rising tensions between the United States and China. The UK’s move is aligned towards supporting the US, in limiting the expansion of global telecom leader Huawei’s expansion in the west. The process will be completed by 2027.

20. Which country has banned free internet services for accessing social media?

Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Yemen

Answer: B

Brief:

The Regulatory body of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed telecom companies to stop free internet services to its subscribers for accessing social media.

This decision has been made as this facility is being used by some people for indulging in criminal activities on the social media. This ban is also expected to curb unhealthy competition between the companies.