General Awareness
(Held on 17-1-2010)
1. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is compiled and released by which of the following organizations/ agencies?
(A) Registrar of Companies
(B) Confederation of Indian Industries
(C) Bombay Stock Exchange
(D) Reserve Bank of India
(E) Central Statistical Organisation
Ans : (E)
2. Which of the following states launched a special scheme under which 10 kg of whole wheat flour is sold at a fixed price of Rs. 139 through its select outlets ?
(A) Delhi
(B) Kerala
(C) West Bengal
(D) Uttar Pradesh
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
3. Which of the following is the abbreviated name of the asset reconstruction company created specifically for small and medium sectors ?
(A) CGTMSE
(B) CARE
(C) APITCO
(D) ISARC
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
4. Retail investors made Rs. 1•9 lakh crore in market rally, was the news in some major financial newspapers recently. The term ‘Retail investors’, as used in this headline, means which of the following types of stock market investors ?
(A) Promoters of Companies
(B) Individuals
(C) Foreign Institutional Investors
(D) Mutual Funds
(E) Corporate Bodies
Ans : (B)
5. Many times we read in newspapers that some bank(s) has/have to write off certain amount given/advanced by them. In banking terminology, what does ‘write off’ mean ?
(A) Loans sanctioned on paper but bank has yet to make provision for the same so that borrower can withdraw the money
(B) Big corporate loans for which bank has/have to take approval from RBI
(C) Loans for which documentation work is yet to be completed
(D) Bad and uncollectable loans
(E) Those loans which can never become bad or uncollectaebl loans as they are given under some social assistance scheme by the Govt. of India
Ans : (D)
6. Who amongst the following was the chairperson of the ‘Working Group on Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR)’constituted by the Reserve Bank of India
(A) Dr. K. C. Chakrovorty
(B) Mr. Deepak Mohanty
(C) Mr. Bhaskaran
(D) Mr. O. P. Bhatt
(E) Mr. M. V. Nair
Ans : (B)
7. A bank normally does not have to deal with an issue related to—
(A) Payments and settlement systems
(B) Contractual rights of creditors
(C) Intellectual property rights
(D) Cases of insolvency
(E) Coordination between regulators active in banking/financial sectors.
Ans : (C)
8. As per the news published in various newspapers, Reliance Industries has submitted a bid to acquire petrochemical giant Lyondell Basell. This is a company based in—
(A) UAE
(B) Germany
(C) France
(D) Britain
(E) USA
Ans : (E)
9. The new Foreign Trade Policy announced recently by the Govt. of India will be valid upto—
(A) 2014
(B) 2015
(C) 2016
(D) 2020
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
10. The Committee on Financial Sector Assessment (CFSA) set up by the Reserve Bank of India has also recommended several reforms in which of the following existing laws in India?
(A) Taxation Laws
(B) Commercial Laws
(C) Banking Regulation Laws
(D) Property Laws
(E) All of these
Ans : (C)
11. As per the reports published in various financial newspapers/magazines, exports to Euro zones from various countries and India unexpectedly tumbled again in last two/three months. What does it indicate ?
1. It has raised fresh doubts about the reality of the economic recovery of ‘16 country strong’ Euro zone.
2. Euro has yet to establish its credibility as an acceptable currency. Countries still prefer US$ to any t hoer
currency for major trans-border trades.
3. Euro zone countries do not wish to import much from India.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
12. Which of the following governments has recently informed to its creditors that there may be delays in repayment of loans, it has taken from various agencies/organizations all over the world ?
(A) Dubai
(B) Japan
(C) Sri Lanka
(D) Nepal
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
13. As per existing norms and policies of the RBI, Banks are required to advance how much of their total advances to priority sectors ?
(A) 30%
(B) 35%
(C) 40%
(D) 25%
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
14. Which of the following was the first Mutual Fund listed on the newly launched Mutual Fund platform on National Stock Exchange ?
(A) UTI Mutual Fund
(B) SBI Mutual Fund
(C) LIC Mutual Fund
(D) Bank of Baroda Mutual Fund
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
15. As per the newspaper reports, the L&T has tied up with NPCIL to make forgings for nuclear power plants. This joint venture is being developed in—
(A) Chennai
(B) Bangalore
(C) Hazira
(D) Narora
(E) Tarapore
Ans : (C)
16. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the economic conditions in India are not yet suitable for full convertibility of Rupee. At present rupee is convertible at which of the following accounts ?
1. Fully at Capital Account
2. Fully of Current Account
3. Partially at Trade Account
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
17. As per the notification issued by the banks, the ‘third party ATM usage’ will now be restricted to certain withdrawals and limits only. What does it really mean ?
1. The ATM card holders will not be able to withdraw from other banks’ ATMs under any circumstances.
2. Customers of one bank may be able to withdraw only a limited amount from other banks’ ATMs.
3. ATM card holders will have to pay a fee if they withdraw money from other banks’ ATMs frequently.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 2 and 3
(E) Only 1 and 3
Ans : (D)
18. Transport of goods by which of the following is free from levy of the Service Tax ?
(A) Indian Railways
(B) Shipping Companies owned by NRIs
(C) All Private Road Transport Companies
(D) By the Transport Corporation of India in its own special containers
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
19. As per the news published in major newspapers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) by 100 basis points to 25%. What was/were the reason(s) owing to which RBI raised the SLR ?
1. It will help in reducing liquidity in the market.
2. Inflation will come down substantially.
3. It will facilitate companies to launch their IPOs as the financial climate will become conducive for the same.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 2
(D) Only 2 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (C)
20. The Securitisation asnd Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interests Act (SARFAESI Act) at present, is not applicable to—
(A) Public Sector Banks
(B) Financial Institutes of the Govt.
(C) Private Banks
(D) Non Banking Financial Companies
(E) Small and Cooperative Banks
Ans : (D)
21. As we all know, the US $ was at a 15 months low against the basket of currencies till recent past. Recently it reached a 14 years low against one of the major currencies. Which of the following is that currency ?
(A) Yuan
(B) Euro
(C) Rupee
(D) Yen
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
22. The rate of interest, banks charge to its main/major and prime customers is popularly called as—
(A) Risk Premium
(B) Prime Lending Rate
(C) Repo Rate
(D) Reverse Repo Rate
(E) Cost of fund
Ans : (B)
23. Which of the following countries has launched OCEAN SAT-2, a satellite to provide data on its oceans ?
(A) China
(B) USA
(C) France
(D) India
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
24. Parambikulam-Aliyar Multipurpose project is located in the hills of—
(A) Nilgiri hills range
(B) Periyar hills range
(C) Anamalai hills range
(D) Sahyadri hills range
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
25. Which of the following organisations/agencies has recently released “World Investment Report : 2009 Transnational Corporations, Agricultural Production and Development” ?
(A) World Bank
(B) Asian Development Bank
(C) UNCTAD
(D) UNESCO
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
26. Which of the following states is in the process of passing two amendments to its municipality and panchayat raj acts to enable women to have 50% seats in all local self government bodies ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Uttar Pradesh
(C) Kerala
(D) Madhya Pradesh
(E) Delhi
Ans : (C)
27. Which of the following states recently organized an open public court ‘Jan Sunwai’ for the first time to present a public audit of its Special Economic Zones ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Tamil Nadu
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Kerala
(E) West Bengal
Ans : (C)
28. The National Stock Exchange recently launched Interest Rate Futures (IRF). IRF in fact is a—
(A) New mode of trading specifically for SME sector
(B) Financial mode of trading
(C) Electronic mode of transferring money from one account to another
(D) Safest and fastest mode of trading at all the stock exchanges of India simultaneously
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
29. What is the full form of UNEP, a term frequently seen in newspapers ?
(A) Universal Notification on Energy Protection
(B) Universal New Education Project
(C) Universal Natural Energy Project
(D) United Nations Education Programme
(E) United Nations Environment Programme
Ans : (E)
30. The Reserve Bank of India has directed all the banks to ensure that the names of their customers, individuals or corporates, do not appear in any list published by the Security Council Committee. This act/directive of the RBI is to ensure which of the following ?
(A) To ensure that the bank loans/advances taken by the individuals/organizations are used only in those activities for which they are taken
(B) To ensure that money deposited in the bank has not come from unknown and unauthorized sources
(C) To ensure that no one visits a foreign nation for any illegal activity by purchasing foreign currency from a bank
(D) To ensure that Indians do not go to a nation where Indians are being targeted for racial discrimination
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
31. As per the resolution passed in the Pittsburgh Summit of G-20, now more weightage will be given to under-represented nations in the organizations like IMF etc. How much quota will be shifted to such nations in this way ?
(A) 5%
(B) 7%
(C) 10%
(D) 15%
(E) 17%
Ans : (A)
32. As per the decision taken by the Govt. of India, all new players using spectrum band for providing 3-G spectrum mobile service to its customers will have to pay a part of their annual revenue as spectrum charges to the Govt. of India. What is that charge in terms of percentage ?
(A) 1%
(B) 1•5%
(C) 3%
(D) 2•5%
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
33. Which of the following bodies/agencies recently passed a resolution asking all the nations to sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) without any further delay ?
(A) UN General Assembly
(B) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
(C) North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
(D) South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
(E) UN Security Council
Ans : (B)
34. Which of the following is not considered as a parameter for defining the Below Poverty Line (BPL) status of a person ?
(A) Food security
(B) Marital Status
(C) Debt
(D) Literacy
(E) Land holdings
Ans : (B)
35. Which of the following countries was successful in retaining ‘ICC Champions Trophy’, the final of which was played in October 2009 ?
(A) New Zealand
(B) Australia
(C) India
(D) South Africa
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
36. Which of the following countries has been adjudged as the largest exporter of cotton ?
(A) Bangladesh
(B) Brazil
(C) Britain
(D) India
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
37. Angela Merkel has become the Chancellor of which of the following nations again for a second four-year term ?
(A) Poland
(B) Russia
(C) Ukraine
(D) Germany
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
38. ‘Maximum City’ is a book written by—
(A) V. S. Naipaul
(B) Vikram Seth
(C) Chetan Bhagat
(D) Kiran Desai
(E) Suketu Mehta
Ans : (E)
39. Which of the following countries has taken over as the Vice Chairman of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ?
(A) China
(B) South Korea
(C) North Korea
(D) India
(E) Iran
Ans : (B)
40. The Olympic Games 2016 will be organized in the city of—
(A) New Delhi
(B) Paris
(C) Tokyo
(D) New York
(E) Rio de Janeiro
Ans : (E)
41. Which of the following countries has raised objection to India’s efforts to make a 608 km long road link through Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh ?
(A) China
(B) Nepal
(C) Myanmar
(D) Bhutan
(E) Afghanistan
Ans : (A)
42. India has recently signed a Nuclear Pact with which of the following countries which insists on peaceful use of radioactive minerals (Such minerals are in plenty in that country) ?
(A) Mongolia
(B) Thailand
(C) Bangladesh
(D) Sri Lanka
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
43. India won Compaq Cup Cricket Final (Tri series) 2009 by defeating—
(A) New Zealand
(B) South Africa
(C) Bangladesh
(D) England
(E) Sri Lanka
Ans : (E)
44. Who amongst the following won the 76th National Billiards Championship held in Sept. 2009 ?
(A) Geet Sethi
(B) Dhruv Sitwala
(C) Devendra Joshi
(D) Pankaj Advani
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
45. Who amongst the following won the Men’s Singles US Open Tennis 2009 ? (played in Sept. 2009)
(A) Juan Martin del Potro
(B) Leander Paes
(C) Lukas Dlouhy
(D) Roger Federer
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
46. ‘A Good Woman’ is a book written by—
(A) Dario Fo
(B) V. S. Naipaul
(C) Orhan Pamuk
(D) Herta Muller
(E) Danielle Steel
Ans : (E)
47. ASEAN recently signed an agreement called ‘FTA’ with India. What is the full form of ‘FTA’ ?
(A) Foreign Trade Agreement
(B) Full Trade Agreement
(C) Favourite Trade Acknowledgement
(D) Final and Total Approach
(E) Free Trade Agreement
Ans : (E)
48. ‘’CRY’’ is the name of the organization which works for the welfare of—
(A) Cancer Patients
(B) Children
(C) War victims
(D) Senior Citizens
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
49. Which of the following is/are not called the types of Inflation?
1. Cost push
2. Real wages
3. Demand pull
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 3
(E) Only 2 and 3
Ans : (D)
50. ‘’Mumbai Gold Cup’’ is associated with the game of—
(A) Cricket
(B) Football
(C) Hockey
(D) Badminton
(E) Lawn Tennis
Ans : (C)
