1.

Name the Commission that was constituted by the Union Government on 26 December 2012 to inquire into the different aspects of the brutal rape and assault incident of the girl on 16 December 2012 on the streets of Delhi and was asked to submit the report of its findings within three months? (A) Kalelkar Commission (B) Usha Mehra Commission (C) Narendran Commission (D) Mandal Commission Answer: (B) Usha Mehra Commission 2. Life Time Achievement Award 2012 was conferred to an Indian by Ernst & Young. Name the person who was conferred with the award? (A) Azim Premji (B) Aditya Vikram Birla (C) Gautam Thapar (D) Ratan Tata Answer: (D) Ratan Tata 3. The core of Milky Way is actually cloaked in dust which makes all stars unclear from telescopes of the astronomers, except the brightest stars. But these hypervelocity stars were useful in providing a peep into _________. Fill in the blank with an appropriate option. (A) Deaths of stars in Milky Way (B) Birth of the stars in the universe (C) Deaths of the stars around the Sun (D) Formation of stars in Milky Way Answer: (D) Formation of stars in Milky Way 4. In a major victory, the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague has upheld India's right to divert water from the project which is currently running in Kashmir. The court on Monday, 18 Feb 2013, rejected Pakistan's contention that India was violating the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in the project in Gurez valley near Bandipura in north Kashmir. In its partial award over the 330 MW project, the Court ruled that India would have to maintain a minimum flow in the river, known as Neelum in Pakistan. The rate will be determined by the Court in its final award, which is likely to be delivered by year-end. The partial award has no appeal and is binding on both countries. Can you name the project? (A) Rabi hydro-electric project (B) Beas hydro-electric project (C) Kishenganga hydro-electric project (D) Chenab hydro-electric project Ans: (C) Kishenganga hydro-electric project 5. Thirty Indian software product companies joined hands to form their own new association, marking a break-up with the IT industry body NASSCOM. What is the name of this newly formed association? (A) Indian Software Product Industry Round Table (B) iSpirt (C) Both these are the same (D) None of these Answer: (C) Both these are the same

6. ICICI Bank, the largest private sector bank of India partnered with Aircel to announce the launch of their mobile banking service. What is the name of this mobile banking service? (A) Mobile Money (B) Mobile Market (C) Mobile Finance (D) Mobile Corporate Answer: (A) Mobile Money 7. Who was appointed as the group spokesperson and brand custodian of TATA Group on 6 February 2013? (A) Cyrus Mistry (B) Ratan Tata (C) Manjushree Khaitan (D) Mukund Govind Rajan Answer: (D) Mukund Govind Rajan 8. I&B Ministry Constituted Expert Committee to Review Functioning of Prasar Bharti under the chairmanship of? (A) Sam Pitroda (B) Shekhar Kapur (C) Shri Jawhar Sircar (D) Dr. B.K. Gairola Answer: (A) Sam Pitroda 9. The Union Cabinet of India on 6 February 2013 gave its nod to the proposal of decreasing the headcounts to what number in habitations under the government's flagship programme, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, PMGSY (A) 125 (B) 140 (C) 100 (D) 200 Answer: (C) 100 10. My India Initiative-A Digital Volunteer Programme was launched by which ministry of the Government of India? (A) Information and Broadcasting Ministry (B) Agricultural Ministry (C) Science and Technology Ministry (D) New and Renewable Energy Answer: (A) Information and Broadcasting Ministry 11. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 8 February 2013 arranged the first of its kind Live Twitter Conference. What was the theme of the conference? (A) Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference (B) Community Radio: Road Travelled & Way Forward (C) Climate Change and Sustainable Development Conference (D) Live Twitter Conference

Answer: (B) Community Radio: Road Travelled & Way Forward 12. A group of various banks agreed to loan 937 crore Rupees for 1000-MW NTPL power project. NTPL power project is the joint venture of Tamil Nadu Power Generation and Distribution Corporation as well as Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC). Where will the project come up? (A) Vishakhapatnam (B) Tuticorin (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Kalpakkam Answer: (B) Tuticorin 13. Which company launched WiFi-only Galaxy Camera in February 2013? The new WiFi-only Galaxy Camera is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system. (A) Nikon (B) Sony (C) Samsung (D) Cannon Answer: (C) Samsung 14. Dabur India on 18 February 2013 launched Dabur Babool + Salt Powder Toothpaste. Who was chosen for endorsing this brand? (A) Bipasha Basu (B) Sonakshi Sinha (C) Salman Khan (D) Irrfan Khan Answer: (D) Irrfan Khan 15. Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) started the pre-consultation process for the countrywide __________. Fill in the blank with appropriate option. (A) mobile number portability (B) free roaming (C) free international SMS (D) lower STD rates Answer: (A) mobile number portability 16. The Union Cabinet of India approved merger of Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) Vishakhapatnam with which company? (A) Akaltara Power Ltd. (B) BEML Ltd. (C) Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) (D) Bharat Electronics Ltd. Answer: (C) Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) 17. Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE) analysis of government data and the Global Burden of Disease report's data on India has shown that it is the fifth leading cause of death in India after high blood pressure, indoor air pollution, tobacco smoking and poor nutrition, with about 620,000 premature deaths occurring from the diseases related to it. What is it?

[Category: Environment Current Affairs] (A) Alcohol (B) Sexually Transmitted Diseases (C) Air pollution (D) Sanitation Hygiene Ans: C 18. The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013, nominated popular stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava as the party's candidate for the 2014 general elections. Now, he is all set to face Congress's sitting MP and Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in the constituency. Raju Srivastava has been named candidate for which parliamentary constituency by SP? [Category: Politics Current Affairs](A) Itawah (B) Kanpur (C) Amethi (D) Lakhimpur Khiri Ans: B 19. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Wednesday froze the bank accounts of two Sahara group companies and attached their properties for lapses in the refund of Rs __________ crore they had raised from investors. The market regulator also ordered a freeze on the bank accounts and properties of group chief Subrata Roy Sahara and three other top officials. The orders against Sahara India Real Estate Corporation (SIREC) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation (SHIC) came after the Supreme Court pulled up the two companies last week, seeking an explanation for their alleged noncompliance with its order to refund by November 30 last year the sum they had raised through optional fully convertible debentures. [Category: Business News Current Affairs] (A) 12000 (B) 16000 (C) 20000 (D) 24000 Ans: D 20. India's exports rose for the first time in nine months in January. Exports in January grew ______% to $25.5 billion compared with the year ago month, while imports rose 6.1% to $45.6 billion, data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013, showed. The trade deficit has now widened to nearly $20 billion from $16.7 billion a year ago, just short of the all-time high of $21 billion in October. Although demand for Indian merchandise in the West is still low, the latest trade data has brought optimism among some officials that the situation will improve. [Category: Economy News and Current Affairs](A) 0.53 (B) 0.64 (C) 0.77 (D) 0.82 Ans: D 21. An Indian air carrier on Tuesday, 19 Feb 2013, offered 20 lakh tickets at heavily discounted prices for travel anywhere till December this year, becoming the second airline in the past 50 days to lure travellers by drastically slashing fares. The airline is offering to sell tickets for any destination in India

starting at 2,250, a good 40-60% cheaper than fares on normal days. The offer, which is valid till February 24, was announced by the airline on Tuesday morning and sent flyers scrambling to book tickets. Can you name the airline? (A) IndiGo (B) Jet Airways (C) SpiceJet (D) GoAir Ans: B 22. An Indian billionaire is following in the footsteps of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to become the first Indian to dedicate a majority of his wealth to philanthropy by signing up for the Giving Pledge. The Giving Pledge was formed in 2010 to encourage the wealthiest in the US to give a part of their wealth towards philanthropic activities. However, Buffett now wants to widen the groups function outside the US to India and China. Can you name the person who has pledged more of his wealth to charitable causes? (A) Azim Premji (B) N R Narayanmurthy (C) Mukesh Ambani (D) Ratan Tata Ans: A 23. Armed robbers have pulled off a spectacular heist at ___________ airport, making off with millions of euros worth of diamonds on 19th February 2013. The raid saw the gang of thieves hit a Brinks security truck as its contents were being loaded onto a Swiss aircraft bound for Zurich. VRT public television initially spoke of the haul being worth 350 million euros ($465 million), but later changed their figures to 50 million euros. If confirmed, the robbery would be one of the biggest diamond heists of all time. (A) Heathrow (B) Amsterdam (C) John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York (D) Brussels Ans: D 24. Voting for the Tripura assembly elections began on Thursday, 14th Feb 2013, amidst tight security. In all, 23,55,446 people, about half of them women, are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 249 candidates, including 15 women and many independents. Apprehending trouble by separatist outfits and possible violence, a record 40,000 paramilitary and other security personnel have been deployed, while two air surveillance teams led by senior police officials are conducting air surveillance. What is the number of members in the Assembly in Tripura for which elections are underway? (A) 60 (B) 62 (C) 67 (D) 72 Ans: A

25. FE Best Banks Awards launched in February 1997, annually fetes banks that have delivered exemplary performance on various parameters including growth, profitability, strength & soundness amongst others. The awards are based on the FE Best Bank Survey and have emerged as the highest award of banking excellence in the country. Which bank was named as winner in the Public Sector Banks for this year award held in Mumbai on 20th Feb 2013? (A) Allahabad Bank (B) State Bank of India (C) Bank of Baroda (D) Punjab National Bank Ans: C

26. Which mobile company launched an emergency alert service for the subscribers in Odisha, Bengal and Kolkata on 1 February 2013? The service is directed towards the women primarily. (A) Vodafone (B) Bharti Airtel (C) Aircel (D) Tata Indicom Answer: (B) Bharti Airtel

27. A woman has emerged as the Britain's worst serial killer after over 2.5 million criminal records between 1770 and 1934 were placed online by the National Archives and revealed that she murdered 400 babies. The woman was dubbed the 'Angel Maker', a prolific serial killer responsible for the horrific crimes that sent shockwaves through 19th century Britain, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday, 23rd Feb 2013. Can you name the woman killer? (A) Mary Ann Cotton (B) Amelia Dyer (C) Jane Toppan (D) Amelia Sach Ans: B 28. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said inactive pre-paid mobile phone connections cannot be deactivated if they have a minimum balance of Rs. _______ in their account and the time for considering inactive will be 90 days. Under the amended regulations, an operator will have to provide facility for reactivating numbers by paying a reasonable amount. (A) 20 (B) 50 (C) 100 (D) 500 Ans: A 29. Who on 5 February 2013 took over as the top executive of the BK Birla flagship, Kesoram Industries which is a 6000 crore Rupees company? (A) Kumar Mangalam Birla (B) Bharat Singh (C) Manjushree Khaitan

(D) Lalit Naik Answer: (C) Manjushree Khaitan

30. Iran on 28 January 2013 announced that it had successfully sent into space a primate. Which primate did it send into space? (A) Worms (B) Monkey (C) Turtle (D) Mouse Answer: (B) Monkey 31. NASA on 1 February 2013 marked 10th anniversary of which Space Shuttle? (A) Columbia (B) Challenger (C) Both of these (D) None of these Answer: (A) Columbia

32. The duo of Sania Mirza and a US player clinched the women's doubles title in the 2 million dollar Dubai Duty Free tennis championship on Saturday, 23rd Feb 2013. This is Sania's 16th doubles title in her career and fourth while partnering with US player with whom India's best ever woman tennis player shares a special bonding. Can you name the US player? (A) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (B) Nadia Petrova (C) Katarina Srebotnik (D) Cara Black Ans: A 33. NASA scientists discovered the youngest black hole in our galaxy, Milky Way in February 2013. How far is this black hole from Earth? (A) 26000 light years away (B) 12000 light years away (C) 10000 light years away (D) 25000 light years away Answer: (A) 26000 light years away 34. President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Mamohan Singh witnessed the Indian Air Force's largest "day-dusk-night" firepower demonstration in the Rajasthan desert on Friday, 22n Feb 2013. The exercise which was held at the Pokhran ranges saw the participation of 230 aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29 and the Hawk advanced jet trainer. What is the name of this Exercise organised by Indian Air Force in Jaisalmer? [Category: India Latest Current Affairs](A) Flight Fist 2013 (B) Aero Fist 2013 (C) Force Fist 2013 (D) Iron Fist 2013

Ans: C 35. BJP on Saturday warned the government against going ahead with the ______________ project, saying the sentiments of crores of Hindus are attached to the issue and it will not tolerate any tampering with the Ram Setu. Government is ignoring the recommendations of the RK Pachauri Committee report and going ahead with the project. The Pachauri Committee, which submitted its report to the Supreme Court, has said the shipping channel project is not viable on economic and ecological grounds. Government has rejected the report and maintained that it intends to pursue the project which will cut through the Adam's Bridge, popularly known as Ram Setu. (A) IndoSino Channel (B) Ramasamudram (C) Sethusamudram (D) RamaSethu Ans: C 36. Scientists from NASA in the last week of January 2013 discovered an old star called TW Hydrae which they believe could create new planets even now. How old is this star? (A) 100 million years old (B) 50 million years old (C) 20 million years old (D) 10 million years old Answer: (D) 10 million years old 37. The Japanese scientists from the Saitama University in the first week of February 2013 filmed for the first time, the thoughts of which animal while it was tracking its prey? (A) A fish (B) A zebra (C) An elephant (D) A snail Answer: (A) A fish

38. Reckitt Benckiser (RB) on 13 Feb 2013 signed a global partnership deal of 8-million US dollars with which NGO? (A) Smile Foundation (B) Save the Girl Child (C) Plan India Children (D) Save the Children Answer: (D) Save the Children 39. Twitter on 11 February 2013 launched its first pay-by-tweet service in whose partnership? (A) American Express (B) Microsoft Office (C) Facebook (D) Google Answer: (A) American Express

40. Which third national stock exchange made its debut in India on 11 February 2013? (A) SX40 (B) MCX-SX (C) BSE (D) NSE Answer: (B) MCX-SX 41. Which company in February 2013 became the first Indian FMCG brand that crossed 5000 crore Rupees mark in terms of retail sales in one year? (A) Britannia's Tiger (B) ITC's Sunfeast (C) Parle-G (D) None of these Answer: (C) Parle-G 42. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) acquired stake of Navistar International Corporation in how many joint ventures? (A) One joint venture (B) Two joint ventures (C) Three joint ventures (D) Four joint ventures Answer: (B) two joint ventures 43. Name the Iranian President, who visited Egypt for the first time after Tehran's 1979 Islamic revolution. (A) Mohammad Khatami (B) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (C) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (D) Ali Khamenei Answer: (C) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 44. Name the port whose operational controlled were transferred in the hands of Chinese Overseas Port Holdings Ltd. by Pakistan in the last week of January 2013. (A) Keti Bandar Port (B) Gwadar port (C) Karachi Port (D) Bin Qasim Port Answer: (B) Gwadar Port 45. Name the person who was nominated as the U.S. interior secretary for looking after the huge energy reserves as well as the national parks by the US President Barack Obama in February 2013. (A) Sally Jewell (B) Anne Marbury Hutchinson (C) Phillis Wheatley (D) Sarah Josepha Hale Answer: (A) Sally Jewell

46. A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites found on 12 February 2013 that large parts of the arid __________ region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade. Fill in the blank with an appropriate option. (A) Middle East (B) South Eastern (C) Saudi Arabia (D) North Western Answer: (A) Middle East 47. Astronomers in the third week of February 2013 discovered six speeding stars which were racing through the space at a speed of 3.2 million kilometres per hour. The mass of these stars is equivalent to what? (A) Moon (B) Earth (C) Milky Way (D) Sun Answer: (D) Sun 48. The Surrey Space Centre (SSC) of the University of Surrey on 26 February 2013 announced that a nano-satellite carrying a smartphone was launched successfully into space from India. What is the name of this nano-satellite? (A) STRaND-1 (B) Scream in Space (C) iTesa (D) Space Flight Answer: (A) STRaND-1 49. Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. What is the name of the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite? (A) Polar Satellite (B) UniBRITE (C) SARAL (D) SAPPHIRE Answer: (C) SARAL 50. Researchers from Norway, South Africa, Britain and Germany, in the last week of February 2013 discovered a sunken and small continent beneath the Indian Ocean. What is the name of this newly found lost continent? (A) Gondwana (B) Mauritia (C) Reunion (D) Laurasia Answer: (B) Mauritia 51. How many satellites were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota?

(A) Six (B) Eight (C) Seven (D) Five Answer: (C) Seven 52. Which Indian state was ranked at number 32 or the worst position in the crucial environmental parameters of Environmental Performance Index (EPI) that evolved by Planning Commission? (A) Maharashtra (B) Goa (C) Sikkim (D) Delhi Answer: (D) Delhi