Current News and Affairs

Who among the following is the first Indian to win Pulitzer Prize?

[amp_mcq option1=”Arundhati Roy” option2=”Gobind Behari Lal” option3=”Vijay Seshadri” option4=”Jhumpa Lahiri” correct=”option2″]

Gobind Behari Lal was the first Indian to win the Pulitzer Prize. He received the award in 1937 for journalism, specifically for his reporting on science at the Harvard Tercentenary together with four other journalists.

The question asks for the earliest Indian recipient of the Pulitzer Prize.

While Arundhati Roy (1998, Fiction), Vijay Seshadri (2014, Poetry), and Jhumpa Lahiri (2000, Fiction) are celebrated Indian-origin Pulitzer laureates, Gobind Behari Lal’s win predates theirs significantly.

The United Nations has been observing International Day of Rural Women on

[amp_mcq option1=”15th July” option2=”15th August” option3=”15th September” option4=”15th October” correct=”option4″]

The United Nations observes the International Day of Rural Women every year on October 15th. This day recognizes “the critical contribution of rural women and girls to agricultural and rural development, food security and poverty eradication.”

This question tests knowledge of specific international days observed by the UN.

The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008, established by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007.

Who among the following is/are the recipient/recipients of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, 2018?

[amp_mcq option1=”Virat Kohli” option2=”S. Mirabai Chanu and Virat Kohli” option3=”Neeraj Chopra” option4=”Hima Das and Neeraj Chopra” correct=”option2″]

For the year 2018, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour, was jointly conferred upon cricketer Virat Kohli and weightlifter S. Mirabai Chanu.

This question requires knowledge of the recipients of major national sports awards in a specific year.

Virat Kohli was awarded for his exceptional performance in cricket, while Mirabai Chanu was recognised for her achievements in weightlifting, including a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das are also prominent Indian athletes, but they were not the recipients of the Khel Ratna in 2018 (Neeraj Chopra received it in 2021).

Paul Allen, who died in October 2018, was the co-founder of

[amp_mcq option1=”Oracle” option2=”IBM” option3=”Microsoft” option4=”SAP” correct=”option3″]

Paul Allen was a visionary American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, alongside Bill Gates in 1975.

The question tests knowledge about prominent figures in the technology industry. Paul Allen’s key association is with Microsoft.

After leaving Microsoft in 1983 due to health issues, Allen founded Vulcan Inc., a private company that managed his various business and philanthropic efforts. He was also the owner of several professional sports teams, including the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and the Portland Trail Blazers (NBA), and a part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS).

The first BRICS Summit, after the inclusion of South Africa, was held at

[amp_mcq option1=”Brasilia” option2=”Sanya” option3=”Yekaterinburg” option4=”Durban” correct=”option2″]

South Africa was formally invited to join the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India, China) in December 2010. The group was renamed BRICS to include South Africa. The first BRICS summit after South Africa’s inclusion was the third BRICS summit, held in Sanya, China, in April 2011.

The first BRICS summit *after* South Africa’s inclusion was the 2011 summit.

The first BRIC summit (before South Africa joined) was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. Brasilia hosted the second BRIC summit in 2010. Durban, South Africa, hosted the fifth BRICS summit in 2013, which was the first BRICS summit hosted by South Africa.

Who among the following is the winner of the National Badminton Championship (Men), 2017?

[amp_mcq option1=”Kidambi Srikanth” option2=”H. S. Prannoy” option3=”Ajay Jayaram” option4=”Sai Praneeth” correct=”option2″]

The correct answer is (B) H. S. Prannoy.

H. S. Prannoy won the Men’s Singles title at the National Badminton Championship, 2017, defeating Kidambi Srikanth in the final. The tournament was held in Nagpur.

Saina Nehwal won the Women’s Singles title in the same championship, defeating P. V. Sindhu in the final. The 2017 National Championship finals were notable for featuring top Indian shuttlers.

In November 2017, India’s MC Mary Kom won the gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championship, 2017 held at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. In which one of the following categories was she declared winner?

[amp_mcq option1=”48 kg” option2=”51 kg” option3=”54 kg” option4=”57 kg” correct=”option1″]

The correct answer is (A) 48 kg.

MC Mary Kom won the gold medal in the Light Flyweight category (48 kg) at the Asian Boxing Championship 2017 held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was her fifth gold medal at the Asian Championships.

Mary Kom is a multiple-time world champion and an Olympic medalist (bronze in 2012, 51 kg category). Her victory in the 48 kg category in 2017 marked a successful return to her preferred weight class.

In November 2017, an Indian short film, The School Bag won the Best Short Film Award at the South Asian Film Festival held at Montreal. Who among the following is the Director of the film?

[amp_mcq option1=”Anurag Kashyap” option2=”Dheeraj Jindal” option3=”Sujoy Ghosh” option4=”Samvida Nanda” correct=”option2″]

The correct answer is (B) Dheeraj Jindal.

In November 2017, the Indian short film ‘The School Bag’, directed by Dheeraj Jindal, won the Best Short Film Award at the South Asian Film Festival in Montreal. The film is set in Peshawar, Pakistan, and tells an emotional story about a young boy and his mother.

The film starred Tisca Chopra and Sumeet Vyas and garnered international acclaim for its poignant portrayal of the impact of terrorism on ordinary lives.

The Ministry of Power, Government of India has recently constituted a Committee to investigate the causes of the accident that occurred on 1st November, 2017 at Feroze Gandhi Thermal Power Plant Ltd., Unchahar, in Uttar Pradesh. Who among the following is the Chairman of the Committee?

[amp_mcq option1=”Dr. L. D. Papney” option2=”Shri Dhawal Prakash Antapurkar” option3=”Shri Subir Chakraborty” option4=”Shri P. D. Siwal” correct=”option4″]

The correct answer is (D) Shri P. D. Siwal.

Following the boiler explosion accident at the Feroze Gandhi Thermal Power Plant at Unchahar, Uttar Pradesh on November 1, 2017, the Ministry of Power constituted a committee headed by Shri P. D. Siwal, Member (Thermal) of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), to investigate the causes.

The accident resulted in significant casualties and injuries. The committee was tasked with identifying the root cause of the accident, recommending remedial measures, and suggesting preventive steps to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

[amp_mcq option1=”India joined MTCR in 2016.” option2=”India submitted a formal application for membership of the NSG in 2016.” option3=”India proposed the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in 1996.” option4=”The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in 2016 at Malta.” correct=”option4″]

Statement D is incorrect. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2015 was held in Malta. There was no CHOGM held in 2016. The subsequent CHOGM was held in the United Kingdom in 2018.
Statement A is correct. India became a full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016.
Statement B is correct. India formally submitted its application for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in May 2016.
Statement C is correct. India proposed the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the United Nations in 1996.

– India’s growing engagement with multilateral export control regimes (like MTCR, aspiring for NSG).
– India’s long-standing efforts to counter terrorism through international legal frameworks like the CCIT.
– CHOGM is a biennial summit meeting of the heads of government of the Commonwealth member states.

India’s entry into MTCR was a significant diplomatic achievement. Its NSG membership application is still pending, facing opposition from some members, notably China. The CCIT proposed by India remains under negotiation at the UN due to disagreements among member states on the definition of terrorism and the scope of the convention.