2016-03-13

1.    Which country officially became the 123rd member of the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
Palestine.

2.    Which dam has broken the world record for annual hydroelectric power production, more than a decade after it became the world's largest power plant?
Three Gorges dam (China).

3.    Which cricketer became the fastest player to reach 12,000 Test runs?
Kumar Sangakkara.

4.    USA has imposed new sanctions on which country in response to a cyber-attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment?
North Korea.

5.    What is the name given to the policy think-tank of Government of India that replaces Planning Commission and aims to involve the states in economic policy-making in India?
NITI Aayog. (National Institution for Transforming India Aayog).

6.    Columbia University professor and eminent economist who has been appointed as the first Vice Chairman of the newly formed NITI Aayog?
Arvind Panagariya.

7.    Who has become the first Test captain in cricket history to score three centuries in first three innings?
Virat Kohli.

8.    Who has sworn in as the new president of Sri Lanka on January 9, 2015?
Maithripala Sirisena.
Ranil Wickremesinghe has sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on January 9, 2015.

9.    Who was appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh to become the first Hindu to hold the highest judicial post in the Muslim-majority country?
Justice S. K. Sinha.

10.    Distinguished scientist who has been appointed as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Space Commission in January 2015?



A.S. Kiran Kumar.

11.    Former Planning Commission Secretary who has been appointed as the first CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog?
Sindhushree Khullar.

12.    Real Madrid forward who has won the Ballon d'Or world footballer of the year-2015?
Cristiano Ronaldo.

13.    Who is the first saint to have been canonised in Sri Lanka?
Joseph Vaz.

14.    Who has been appointed as the 19th Chief Election Commissioner of India?
Hari Shankar Brahma.

15.    What is the name of the unauthorized biography of Congress President Sonia Gandhi which is being released by Roli Books in India?
Red Saree.

16.    Which batsman has broken the World record for the fastest 50 and 100 in ODI history, after slamming a half-century in 16 balls and getting to his century in just 31 balls in the 2nd ODI against West Indies?
AB de Villiers. (South Africa).

17.    Activist who has staged a 14-year hunger strike in protest at human rights abuses in Manipur, released from the jail on January 22 as per the order of Manipur court?
Irom Sharmila.

18.    Name the two Army jawans who have been selected posthumously for the highest peacetime gallantry award Ashoka Chakra-2015?
Major Mukund Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj Kumar.

19.    Who has been appointed as the first woman bishop by Church of England?
Libby Lane.

20.    Indian diplomat who has been appointed as the foreign secretary of India for a tenure of two years on 28 January, 2015?
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

21.    The Zimbabwean president who has been sworn in as chairman of the African Union?
Robert Mugabe.

22.    Who is sworn in as the 12th President of Italy?
Sergio Mattarella.

23.    Which country won its first ever Asian Cup Football title defeating South Korea in the final?
Australia.

24.    The Indian American writer has been announced as the winner of the widely acclaimed DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015 for her book “The Lowland”?
Jhumpa Lahiri.

25.    Who won the Australian Open Men’s title -2015?
Novak Djokovic.
He defeated Andy Murray in the final.This is his eighth Grand slam title.Leander Paes and Martina Hingis won the Australian Open mixed doubles title-2014.

26.    Which state hosted the 2015 National Games of India (35th National Games of India)?
Kerala.
Ammu is the Great Indian Hornbill, the State bird of Kerala.

27.    Who is sworn in as the 186th Prime Minister of Greece?
Alexis Tsipras.

28.    Eminent Marathi litterateur who has been selected for 2014 Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour in India?



Bhalchandra Nemade.

29.    Name the spacecraft launched by NASA which recently released the first images from Pluto?
New Horizon.

30.    Iconic Bollywood movie which has been finally released in the theatres in Pakistan after 40 years when the film was first released in India?
Sholay.

31.    Name the hotel in Japan which is the first in the world, almost completely staffed by human-looking robots?
"Henn-na Hotel".

32.    Who won the Malaysian Open golf tournament-2015?
Anirban Lahiri.

33.    Which country won the Africa cup of Nations-2015 defeating Ghana in the penalty shootout (9-8)?
Ivory Coast.

34.    Who has been appointed as the new Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)?
M.O. Garg.

35.    Which cricketer set up a new record by scoring first century for India against Pakistan in a World Cup Match?
Virat Kohli.

36.    Which countries on signed bilateral agreements on civil nuclear cooperation, cultural cooperation and cooperation in the field of Agriculture on 16 February 2015?
India and Sri Lanka.

37.    Former Indian captain who has been awarded the honorary life membership of the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Sourav Ganguly.

38.    Who became the first England bowler to take a World Cup hat-trick?
Steven Finn.

39.    OSCAR AWADS-2015:
Best Picture: Birdman -Alejandro G. Inarritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole.
Best Director: Alejandro González Inarritu -Birdman
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne -The Theory of Everything
Best Actress: Julianne Moore - Still Alice.

40.    Who became the first batsman to score a double century in a World Cup match?
Chris Gayle. Chris Gayle hit 215 off just 147 balls against Zimbabwe.

41.    KEY POINTS/ HIGHLIGHTS OF UNION BUDGET-2015:
1. Abolition of Wealth Tax: wealth tax is replaced with additional 2% surcharge on super rich with annual income of over 1 crore rupees.
2. Direct transfer of subsidy to LPG consumers.
3. Corporate tax reduced from 30% to 25% over next four years.
4. Quoting PAN made mandatory for any sale exceeding Rs 1 lakh.
5. Benami Property Transaction Bill to tackle Black money transaction in Real Estate.
6. PM Suraksha Bima Yojana for accidental/ death insurance. Premium Rs 12 per      year, Rs 2 lakh cover. MUDRA bank with corpus of 20000 cr.  PM MUDRA Yojana’ – to prioritize SC, ST and OBC. Atal Pension Yojana will provide a defined pension to the people, which will start at the age of 60. ‘Nayi Manzil’ scheme for the youth minorities.

42.    Who is unanimously elected as the President of Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) on 2 March 2015?
Jagmohan Dalmiya.

43.    India and Nepal are recently launched second direct bus service between Nepal and India after the Kathmandu-Delhi bus service launched last year. The bus service will connect the cities?
Varanasi and Kathmandu.

44.    Which country holds the record for the highest score by any team in a World Cup?
Australia.
Australia’s 417 against Afghanistan is the highest score by any team in a World Cup. Australia past India's World Cup record score of 413/5 against Bermuda during that match.

45.    Name the controversial documentary film directed by Leslee Udwin which is based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman who was a physiotherapy student?
“India's Daughter”.

46.    Name the UNESCO World Heritage Site and 2,000-year-old city in northern Iraq which was destroyed by IS militants?
Hatra.

47.    Which cricketer becomes the first man in ODI history to score centuries in four consecutive matches?
Kumar Sangakkara. (Sri Lanka).

48.    Which team won the Ranji Trophy-2015 defeating Tamilnadu in the final by an innings and 217 runs?
Karnataka.

49.    What is the name of the book written by the British author Lance Price which depicts the personal and political life of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India?
"The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India".

50.    Which team won the 69th Santosh Trophy Football title by defeating Punjab 5-4 tie-breaker in a nail-biting match at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhina, Punjab?
Services.

51.    Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader who has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his Kannada poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’?
M. Veerappa Moily.

52.    England’s slain king who has been reburied with honour in March 2015, 530 years after his brutal death on the battlefield?
Richard III.

53.    Who became the first New Zealand player to hit a double century in ODI?
Martin Guptil.

54.    Veteran Bollywood actor who was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award-2014?
Shashi Kapoor.

55.    WINNERS OF NATIONAL FILM AWARDS -2014/62ND NATIONAL FILM AWARDS:
Best Actor: Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen.
Best Direction: Srijit Mukherji for Chotushkone (Bengali)
Best Feature Film: Court (Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati & English)
Best Music Direction- Vishal Bhardwaj (Haider).

56.    The Supreme Court on March 24, 2015 struck down a section of the IT Act which allowed arrests for posting offensive content on social media sites. Which is that section?
Section 66A.

57.    Name the multi-purpose and multi-modal platform launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which is aimed at addressing common man’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments?
PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation).
58.    Which organisation has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014 for its contribution to the country’s development through space technology and satellite-based services?
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

59.    Which country won the ICC cricket World Cup 2015?
Australia.
This is Australia’s fifth World Cup title. In the final of ICC World Cup 2015, Australia crushed New Zealand by 7 wickets. James Faulkner (Australia) won the Man of the Match award in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015?

60.    Who won the Man of the Series award of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015?
Mitchell Starc. (Australia).

61.    On April 1, 2015, which country became the 123rd member of the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
Palestine.

62.    Which name is given to the planned capital city area of Andhra Pradesh?
Amaravathi.

63.    Name the first indigenously-built Scorpene submarine which is launched by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Mazagaon Dockyard Ltd in Mumbai on April 6, 2015?



INS Kalvari.

64.    Which country won the 2015 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey title defeating Australia in the final (1-3)?
New Zealand.

65.    Name the Bank inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8, 2015 under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana?
Mudra (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Bank.

66.    The Indian Navy's most powerful and lethal destroyer ship which was launched into water for the first time at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai on 20 April 2015?
INS Visakhapatnam.

67.    For the first time in 45 years and in a rare legislative action, a private member's Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on 24th April 2015. Which is that bill?
The "Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014".

68.    Which country is the happiest country in the world, closely followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada, according to a global ranking of happiness unveiled in New York?
Switzerland.

69.    The historic tower and a landmark in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, collapsed during a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015?
Dharahara.

70.    Which bank has won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015 for Technology Implementation in the category of Best Outsourcing Project (New Bank)?
Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd. (BMB)

71.    Which cricketer becomes the first man to hit 500 sixes in T20?
Chris Gayle.

72.    The Fight of the Century or the Battle for Greatness is a professional boxing match between two world champions in Boxing held on May 2, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Who are they and who won the match?
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao.

73.    On 4 May2015, a novel celebrated its 62 years of winning the Pulitzer Prize. Which is that novel and who is the author?
The Old Man and the Sea.
The book is written by Ernest Hemingway. The novel won Pulitzer Prize on 4 May 1953.

74.    Which club won the English Premier League Title 2014-2015?
Chelsea.
Manchester City was the champions of the English 2013–14 season.

75.    Who has been appointed as the new Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia?
Mohammed bin Nayef.

76.    Name the new web browser developed by Microsoft which replaced Internet Explorer as the default browser on Windows 10?
Microsoft Edge.

77.    Senior IPS officer who took over as the new chief of central paramilitary force CISF on May1, 2015?
Surender Singh.

78.    On May 6, 2015 the Lok Sabha has passed the much awaited Constitutional (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014. The bill is related with:
Goods and Services Tax (GST).

79.    Name the bill passed on 7 May 2015 by the Lok Sabha which paves the way for children in the 16-18 age group to be tried as adults if they commit heinous crimes?
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015.
It aims to replace existing the Indian delinquency law, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, so that juveniles in conflict with Law in the age group of 16–18, involved in Heinous Offences, can be tried as adults.

80.    Which amendment of the Indian Constitution allows the operationalisation of the 1974 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary agreement?
119th Amendment.
This is the 100th Constitutional amendment passed by Parliament. As per the agreement, India will get 510 acres while Bangladesh will get 10,000 acres.

81.    International Yoga Day, or Yoga Day is celebrated on?
June 21.

82.    Who has been appointed as the first president of USD 100 billion BRICS bank?
K V Kamath.

83.    Who has been appointed as the Election Commissioner of India on May 7, 2015?
Achal Kumar Jyoti.

84.    Name the Indian nurse who was at the centre of attention in a court case on euthanasia after spending 42 years in a vegetative state as a result of sexual assault, passed away on May 18, 2015?
Aruna Shanbaug.

85.    Who has been appointed as acting Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)?
Justice Cyriac Joseph.

86.    New Governors of Jharkhand, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur:
Jharkhand-Droupadi Murmu.
He was the former minister of Odisha.
Tripura- Tathagata Roy.
He was the former president of the BJP’s West Bengal unit from 2002 to 2006 and member of the party’s national executive
Arunachal Pradesh- J.P. Rajkhowa.
Meghalaya: V. Shanmuganathan.
Mizoram: Lieutenant General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma.
Manipur: Syed Ahmed.

87.    Who is the winner of the 2015 Man Booker International Prize?

Laszlo Krasznahorkai.

88.    Who has been appointed the new defence secretary of India with fixed two-year tenure?
G. Mohan Kumar.

89.    Which franchise won the Indian Premiere League-2015(IPL 2015) defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final held in Eden Gardens?
Mumbai Indians. (MI).

90.    Which club won the 2015 UEFA Europa League?
Sevilla.

91.    Who has been appointed as the 31st Cabinet Secretary of the Republic of India?
Pradeep Kumar Sinha.

92.    Who became the first England bowler to reach 400 Test wickets?
James Anderson.
He achieved this feat on day one of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingly.

93.    Who has been nominated as the first female vice-chancellor of Oxford University?
Professor Louise Richardson.

94.    Former Foreign Minister of Singapore who has been appointed as the new Chancellor of the Nalanda University?
George Yeo.

95.    Which club won the 2015 FA Cup defeating Aston Villa in the final?
Arsenal.

96.    A documentary based on music maestro’s life was screened at the White House on May 29, 2015. Who is that music director?
A.R.Rahman.
The documentary named “Jaiho”, directed by Umesh Aggarwal, traces the journey of the     Oscar and Grammy-winning music composer's professional and personal life.

97.    Who became India's first transgender college principal?
Manabi Bandopadhyay.

98.    Eminent scientist who has been appointed as Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for a two-year term?
Dr.S. Christopher.

99.    On 5 June 2015, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ordered a recall of all nine approved variants of an international brand of seasonings, instant soups and noodles from India, suggesting them unsafe and hazardous for human consumption. Which is that brand?
Maggi.

100.    WINNERS OF FRENCH OPEN TENNIS -2015:
French Open Men’s Singles Title-2015: Winner- Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland).
He defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final.
French Open Women’s Singles Title-2015: Winner- Serena Williams (USA).
She defeated Lucie Safarova of Czechoslovakia in the final. This was her third French Open title (earlier she had won in 2002, 2013) and overall 20th Grand Slam title.

French Open Men’s Doubles Title-2015: Winners- van Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil).
They defeated Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (USA).

French Open Women’s Doubles Title-2015: Winners- Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) and Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)
They defeated Casey Dellacqua (Australia) and Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan).
French Open Mixed Doubles Title-2015: Winners- Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mike Bryan.     (USA)
They defeated Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) and Marcin Matkowski (Poland) pair in the final.

101.    Former prime minister of India who was conferred Award of Bangladesh Liberation War Honour for his "active role" in the country's freedom struggle?
Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

102.    The 41st G7 summit was held in?
Germany.

103.    Former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes who has been appointed as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner of India?
K.V. Chowdary.

104.    Which becomes first state of India for putting records of all 13,040 village Panchayats online?
Punjab.

105.    The dollar of which country is due to be demonetised (no longer legal tender) by the end of 2015?
Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe dollar was introduced in 1980 to directly replace the Rhodesian dollar at par (1:1) and at a similar value to the US dollar. Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe reduced it to one of the lowest valued currency units in the world. It was redenominated three times (in 2006, 2008 and 2009), with denominations up to a $100 trillion banknote.

106.    Who has been appointed as the new chief of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG)?
R.C .Tayal.

107.    Which country has lowered the voting age in the country from 20 to 18 years in June 2015?
Japan.
Japan last lowered the voting age from 25 to 20 years in 1945.

108.    Which country won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup-2015 defeating Brazil in the final?
Serbia.

109.    Who has been appointed as Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi?
Archana Ramasundaram.

110.    Who became the first basketball player from India to be drafted by an NBA team?
Satnam Singh.

111.    According to a research published by the World Economic Forum, which is the largest employer in the world?
The US department of defense.
The US department of defense is the world's biggest employer which claims over 3.2 million employees on its roster. Second is People's Liberation Army (the Chinese military) with 2.3 million, and in third is the US supermarket giant Walmart with 2.1 million workers. Indian Railways is ranked at the eighth place in the list of world's biggest employers.

112.    Veteran Writer who was selected for the 28th Moorti Devi Award for the year 2014 for his book “Vyomkesh Darvesh”?
Vishwanath Tripathi.

113.    The father of short message service (SMS) who passed away on June 26, 2015?
Matti Makkonen.
He was a Finnish engineer in the field of mobile communications. In 2008, Makkonen was awarded The Economist Innovation Award in the computing and telecommunications category for his work on text messaging (SMS).

114.    Which country won the Copa America-2015 defeating Argentina (41) in the Penalty Shootout?
Chile
Chile won the Copa America for the first time in the country's history.

115.    Which country won the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup?
U.S.A.

116.    Which country will host the first day-night Test match under lights in November-2015?
Australia.
Australia will host the first day-night test match under lights in November when they meet neighbours New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval. The "historic" Test, starting on November 27, will be the final game of a three-Test series against New Zealand and will employ the pink Kookaburra ball.

117.    ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which is successfully launched three identical DMC3 commercial Earth Observation Satellites, along with two smaller satellites from United Kingdom on July 10, 2015?
PSLV-C28.

118.    The 7th BRICS summit was held in?
Russia.

119.    The Supreme Court on 09-07-2015 decided to transfer the investigations into the multi-crore Vyapam scam to manipulate the results of entrance examinations for government jobs and medical colleges and deaths of various persons linked with it to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Explain the Vyapam Scam?
The Vyapam scam is an admission and recruitment scam involving politicians, senior officials and businessmen in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Madhya     Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), popularly known by its Hindi     acronym "Vyapam" (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal), is a self-financed and autonomous body incorporated by the State government responsible for conducting several entrance tests in the state. These entrance exams are held for recruitment in government jobs and admissions in educational institutes of the state. The scam involved a collusion of undeserving candidates, who bribed politicians and MPPEB officials through middlemen, to get high ranks in these entrance tests.

120.    COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF THE 2015 WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Wimbledon Men’s Singles -2015:
Winner: Novak Djokovic (Serbia). He defeated Roger Federer (Switzerland) in the final.
Wimbledon Women’s Singles -2015:
Winner: Serena Williams (USA). She defeated Garbine Muguruza (Spain) in the final.
Wimbledon Men’s Doubles -2015:
Winners: Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) & Horia Tecau (Romania).
They defeated Jamie Murray (UK) & John Peers (Australia) in the final.
Wimbledon Women’s Doubles -2015:
Winners: Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India).
They defeated Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina (Russia) in the final.
Wimbledon Mixed Doubles -2015:
Winners: Leander Paes (India) & Martina Hingis (Switzerland).
They defeated Alexander Peya (Austria) & Tímea Babos (Hungary) in the final.

121.    A panel appointed by India's Supreme Court has suspended two top Indian Premier League teams for two years over a corruption scandal. Which are these teams?
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

122.    Name the interplanetary space probe launched by NASA which flew 12,500 km (7,800 mi) above the surface of Pluto on July 14, 2015?
New Horizons.

123.    Name the satellite-based navigation system launched by ISRO, India on July 13, 2015?
GAGAN (The GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation.).
India launched its satellite-based air navigation services, thereby joining a select league comprising the US, Europe Union (EU) and Japan which have similar systems.
Gagan works by augmenting and relaying data from GPS satellites with the help of two augmentation satellites and 15 earth-based reference stations. Gagan provides autonomous, high precision geo-spatial location information of the user in terms of latitude, longitude and height along with velocity and time. GAGAN is jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), at an investment of Rs 774 crore.

124.    Name the portal inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 20, 2015 with the view of modernising all government-run employment exchanges?
National Career Counselling Portal.

125.    Who broke the world record in the women’s 1500 meters, running (3:50.07) in Monaco?
Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia).

126.    Japanese sprinter who broke Usain Bolt's world youth championships record by winning the 200m final in 20.34 seconds?
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown.

127.    Name the two Indians selected for the Ramon Magsaysay Award-2015?
Sanjiv Chaturvedi and Anshu Gupta.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi is an Indian forest officer, who was removed from the post of Chief Vigilance officer at AIIMS in New Delhi. He had alleged that he was transferred because he had detected irregularities at the institute. Chaturvedi is currently the Deputy Secretary of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Anshu Gupta, who left his corporate job to start Goonj in 1999.
Three others who have been selected for the award include Kommaly Chanthavong from Laos, Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa from Philippines and Kyaw Thu from Myanmar. This year's Magsaysay Award winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion bearing the likeness of the late President, and a cash prize.

128.    Scientific tests prove that a Quran manuscript in a University in Britain is one of the oldest known and may have been written close to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Which is that university?
The University of Birmingham.

129.    Which city will host the 2022 Winter Olympics?
Beijing.
It will be the third consecutive Olympic Games held in Asia, after Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. Having hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing will be the first city ever to host both the summer and Winter Olympics.

130.    The Ashes 2015 is won by?
England.
England won the 5-match Test series (Ashes) against Australia 3-2.

131.    American swimmer who broke her own world record in the womens' 1500-meter freestyle at the world swimming championships in Kazan, Russia?
Katie Ledecky.

132.    Who was named CEO of Google on August 10, 2015?
Pichai Sundararajan.
India-born Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google by the company's founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin in course of a re-organization that created a mother company called Alphabet.
The new mother company “Alphabet” will include, besides Google, units such as Calico (which focuses on Longevity), X lab (which incubates new efforts like Wing, Google's drone delivery effort) and units dealing with life sciences (such as the one working on smart contact lens that detects blood sugar level). Google's investment arms, Ventures and Capital, will also be part of Alphabet.

133.    Former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer who has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner of India on August 13, 2015?
Om Prakash Rawat.

134.    Who became the first non-wicket-keeper to take eight catches in a single Test match?
Ajinkya Rahane.
Rahane had picked up three catches in the first innings and followed it up with five more in the second innings, including a one-handed stunner to get rid of the dangerous Kumar Sangakkara. Rahane breaks world record for most catches (8) by a     fielder in a Test match.

135.    Former India volleyball captain who has been selected for the prestigious Dhyan Chand Award-2015?
T.P .Padmanabhan Nair.

136.    What is the name given to the new version of Android operating system (Android 6.0)?
Android 6.0 "Marshmallow".

137.    Which state has recorded highest number of suicides (16,307) in India in 2014, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Survey?
Maharashtra.

138.    Who has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) on August 18, 2015?
Kishor Piraji Kharat.

139.    Who has been selected as the director general (DG) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a premier research and development organisation?
Girish Sahni.

140.    India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) which was launched from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota on August 27, 2015?
GSLV-D6.
GSLV-D6 launched 2117 kg GSAT-6, an advanced communication satellite, into a GTO. GSAT-6 will provide S-band communication services in the country.

141.    On 5 September 2015 the NDA Government, following 83 days of public protest, announced, unilaterally, the implementation of a scheme for the Armed Forces. Which is that scheme?
One Rank One Pension.
One Rank One Pension (OROP), or "same pension, for same rank, for same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement"  was decided as the basis for determining the pension and benefits of Indian Armed Forces in 1973, when it was terminated by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD), in an "ex-parte" decision, during the tenure of the Indian National Congress (INC) led by Indira Gandhi. The termination of OROP, and drastic decrease in Armed Forces soldiers' pension from 70 percent to 50 percent of last pay drawn, two years after 1971 Bangladesh war, caused disquiet in the Indian Armed Forces and, since 2008, has been cause of public appeals and protests, 2 and hunger strikes by armed forces veterans, the overwhelming majority of whom retire before they are forty years old.
The scheme will be effective from July 1, 2014 with arrears that will be paid in four half yearly installments. Widows and war widows will get arrears in a single installment.

142.    Name the three-year-old Syrian boy of Kurdish ethnic background whose image made global headlines after he drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, as part of the Syrian refugee crisis?
Alan Kurdi.
Photographs of his body were taken by Turkish journalist Nilufer Demir and quickly spread around the world, prompting international responses.

143.    Indian-American Pulitzer Prize winner who has been selected for the prestigious 2014 National Humanities Medal?
Jhumpa Lahiri.
Her debut short story collection 'Interpreter of Maladies' won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and her book 'The Lowland' was a nominee for the Man Booker Prize.

144.    Who has been named DRDO's first woman Director General?
J. Manjula.
Ms. Manjula has been conferred the DRDO award for performance excellence, the Scientist of the Year award for 2011 and the India Today Woman Summit award for 2014.

145.    U.S.OPEN WINNERS-2015:
U.S Open Men’s Singles-2015:
Winner: Novak Djokovic of Serbia. He defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland in the
final.
U.S Open Women’s Singles-2015:
Winner: Flavia Pennetta (Italy). She defeated Roberta Vinci (Italy) in the final

U.S Open Men’s Doubles-2015:
Winners: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut (France). They defeated Jamie Murray (United  Kingdom) and John Peers (Australia) in the final.
U.S Open Women’s Doubles-2015:
Winners: Sania Mirza (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
In the final match, they defeated, Casey Dellacqua (Australia) and Yaroslava     Shvedova (Kazakhstan).
U.S Open Mixed Doubles-2015:
Winners: Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland).
In the final match, they defeated, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey (USA)

146.    Which Naga rebel group has been banned for five years by the central government on September 16, 2015?
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang).

147.    Scientists recently decently discovered a global ocean beneath the icy crust of a moon of Saturn. Name that moon of Saturn?
Enceladus.

148.    Which Chinese city has been confirmed as the host of the 2022 Asian Games after standing as the only candidate?
Hangzhou.
Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, after Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010.

149.    Volkswagen CEO who resigned on September 23, 2015, taking responsibility for the German carmaker’s rigging of U.S. emissions tests in the biggest scandal in its 78-year history?
Martin Winterkorn.
The world's biggest carmaker admitted last week that it deceived US regulators in exhaust emissions tests by installing a device to give more positive results.

150.    Who has been chosen for the prestigious 2015 SASTRA-Ramanujan Prize for his contribution in the field of Mathematics?
Jacob Tsimerman.

151.    Who has been formally elected as the president of BCCI in October 2015?
Shashank Manohar.

152.  THE NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS-2015
Here is the complete list of winners of Nobel Prize-2015:
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2015: Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald.
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2015 was awarded jointly to Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass".
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015: Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015 was awarded jointly to Tomas Lindahl, Paul     Modrich and Aziz Sancar "for mechanistic studies of DNA repair".
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015: William C. Campbell and Satoshi     Omura, Youyou Tu
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 was divided, one half jointly to     William C.Campbell and Satoshi Omura "for their discoveries concerning a novel     therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites" and the other half to     Youyou Tu "for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria".
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015: Svetlana Alexievich.
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015 was awarded to Svetlana Alexievich "for     her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time".
The Nobel Peace Prize 2015: National Dialogue Quartet.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2015 was awarded to National Dialogue Quartet "for     its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the     wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011".
The National Dialogue Quartet was formed in 2013 and comprises four organizations     in Tunisian civil society:
The Tunisian General Labour Union, The Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade     and Handicrafts , The Tunisian Human Rights League and The Tunisian Order of     Lawyers .
The Nobel Prize in Economic Science 2015: Angus Deaton.
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2015     was awarded to Angus Deaton "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare".

153.    Fifa president and Uefa boss who have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation?
Sepp Blatter (FIFA President) and Michel Platini (UEFA).

154.    Who has won the FIDE chess World Cup-2015, beating Peter Svidler in the final?
Sergey Karjakin. (Russia).

155.    Who became the first Pakistani batsman to reach 9,000 Test cricket runs?
Younis Khan.

156.    Who has won the Man Booker Prize-2015 for Fiction for his novel “A Brief History of Seven Killings”?

Marlon James.
Marlon James has become the first Jamaican writer to win the Man Booker prize, taking the award for an epic, uncompromising novel. A Brief History of Seven Killings, a fictional history of the attempted murder of Bob Marley in 1976.

157.    The 29th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2013 & 2014 has been awarded to?
Shri Rajagopal PV.
He is the "Founder of Ekta Parishad" and the award is given for his services in promoting and preserving National Integration in the country. This Award consists of a Citation and cash of Rs. 10.00 lakh.

158.    The Supreme Court on October 16, 2015 struck down a Constitutional amendment for first time in 35 years. Which is that amendment?
An amendment to validate the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act which was unanimously passed by both Houses of parliament, had contemplated a significant role for the executive in appointing judges in the higher judiciary. The 20-year-old collegium system prescribes appointment of judges by a panel comprising five senior most judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, with the power to confirm appointments despite resistance, if any, from the government.

159.    India’s first-ever double decker Shatabdi Express that would to run between?
Mumbai and Goa.
The train will cover distance between two states in around 12 hours and has total eight compartments with a seating capacity of 120 in each compartment.

160.    Who has been appointed as the first male member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), filling the fourth seat in the five-member body?
Alok Rawat.

161.    As per the ninth amendment of Criminal Law, which country made copying in examinations a crime punishable upto seven years?
China.

162.    Name the first-ever passenger jet built and designed by China which is unveiled in November 2015?
C919.

163.    The world's first robot 'actress': Talking android fitted with a human face is given star role in Japanese nuclear disaster film. What is the name of that film?
'Sayonara'.
Android called 'Geminoid F' is the co-star in the Japanese film 'Sayonara'. The android, called Geminoid F, was designed to look and act like a human with rubber 'skin' and a woman's face - but it is unable to walk and is wheeled around in the film.

164.    Who has been appointed as the 43rd Chief Justice of India?

Justice T.S. Thakur.

165.    The Reserve Bank has imposed Rs 1 crore penalty on old private sector bank in Kerala for violation of Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML) norms. Which is that Bank?
Dhanlaxmi Bank.

166.    What is the name of the Christian rock album by Pope Francis which is released on 27 November 2015 on Believe Digital?
Wake Up!.

167.    Who becomes India's first transgender Sub Inspector of Police?

K .Prithika Yashini.

168.    Who became the first player to reach the 10,000 run-mark in Ranji Trophy cricket?
Wasim Jaffer.

169.    Name the coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of India which was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 10 November, 2015 at Vasco in Goa?
‘Samarth’.

170.    Name the indigenously made communications satellite of India which was successfully launched on November 10, 2015 from French Guyana in South America?
GSAT-15.

171.    Who has been appointed as the first woman ambassador of Iran?
Marzieh Afkham.
Iran has appointed its first woman ambassador since the 1979 Islamic revolution, naming foreign ministry spokeswoman to head its embassy in Malaysia.

172.    Which terrorist organisation captured the infamous title of the world’s deadliest terrorist group according to The Global Terrorism Index prepared by Institute for Economics and Peace?
Boko Haram.
Boko Haram, the militant group that has tortured Nigeria and its neighbours for years, was responsible for 6,664 deaths last year, more than any other terrorist group in the world, including the Islamic State, which killed 6,073 people in 2014, according to that report.

173.    The first day and night Test cricket match was played between?
Australia and New Zealand.
The first day & night test cricket match was played at Adelaide Oval with a pink Kookaburra ball in the third match of the series between Australia and New Zealand, between November 27 and December 1. The coincidence is that the first Official D/N ODI happened on 27 Nov 1979 and the first D/N Test match started on 27 Nov 2015. Australia won the first day & night cricket test match.

174.    Indian-Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM) which was successfully test fired from an Israeli Navy ship on November 26, 2015?
Barak 8.

175.    The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in?
Paris.

176.    Which country won the Davis Cup, the tennis version of the Wold Cup after 79 years?
Britain.

177.    Name the India's first locally developed nuclear submarine which b has completed test firing of an unarmed medium-range missile B-05, developed by Defence Research Development and Organisation (DRDO)?
INS Arihant.
Arihant is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines being built for the Indian Navy. The lead vessel of the class, INS Arihant, was first launched in 2009 and began sea trials in December 2014.

178.    Dominica-born British lawyer, who was appointed as the Commonwealth's new Secretary General, becoming the first woman to occupy the post in the 53-member block's history?
Patricia Scotland.

179.    In which country, YouTube opens first video production studio?
India.
YouTube, in collaboration with Subhash Ghai-owned film school Whistling Woods International, has opened its 8th (one of a kind) YouTube Space in Mumbai's Film City. It is the first video production studio in the country.

180.    Name the world’s first washable mobile phone which is all set to be released in Japan by tech company Kyocera Telecom?
Digno Rafre.

181.    Name the two new franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), replacing the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for a period of two years?
Pune and Rajkot.
The Pune franchise was bought by Kolkata-based business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka's company New Rising, while the Rajkot bid was won by Intex Mobiles.

182.    Which country has placed 3rd position globally with an estimated $94.76 billion black money outflow in 2012 according to the latest report on black money outflow by Global Financial Integrity?
India.
Russia is on the top with USD 122.86 billion, followed by China at the second position (USD 249.57 billion) in terms of the quantum of black money moving out of a country for 2012.

183.    Name the surface-to-surface ballistic missile successfully test fired by Pakistan on December 11, 2015 which can carry nuclear warheads within a range of 2,750?
Shaheen-III

184.    How many countries signed the historic first universal Climate agreement on December 12, 2015 held in Paris?
196.
The agreement binds together pledges by individual nations to cut or limit emissions from fossil-fuel burning, within a framework of rules that provide for monitoring and verification as well as financial and technical assistance for developing countries.

185.    Who becomes the first Saudi woman to win a seat of Makkah’s municipal council in historic polls?
Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi.

186.    Kazakhstan's former Prime Minister Who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on corruption charges?
Serik Akhmetov.

187.    Senior revenue service officer who was appointed Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body of Income Tax department?
A K Jain.

188.    Which country on December 16, 2015successfully put six Singapore satellites into orbit after a perfect launch its landmark 50th space mission?
India.

189.    The UN declared 2016 as the International Year of?
Pulses.
Pulses are edible grain legumes – think pinto, kidney, garbanzo, lentils, and peas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) want the public to recognize tasty and nutritious pulses “as a primary source of protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients.

190.    A Delhi court on December 19, 2015 granted unconditional bail to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case of cheating and misappropriation. What is the National Herald case?
The National Herald scam is an ongoing case in a Delhi court filed by Indian economist and politician Subramanian Swamy against politicians Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons.  As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, Indian National Congress granted an interest-free loan of 90.25 crore (US$13 million) to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper which was established by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938. It was alleged that the loan was either not repaid or repaid in cash, which is in violation of Section 269T of the Income Tax Act, 1961. A closely held company, Young Indian, was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of 5 lakh (US$7,500) and it acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth 5000 crore (US$750 million)). Swamy alleged criminal misappropriation by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The courts have determined that a prima facie case has been established in the matter. While rejecting the plea by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others against summons in the National Herald case, the Delhi High Court has made some scathing remarks saying that the conduct of Congress office-bearers “smacks of criminality”.

191.    For the first time in more than 40 years, Iraq has crowned a Miss Iraq beauty pageant winner. Who is that Miss Iraq?
Shaima Qassim.

192.    Filipina-German actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2015?
Pia Wurtzbach.

193.    Which team won the International Premier Tennis League-2015 (ITPL-2) defeating Indian aces in the final?
Singapore Slammers.

194.    Parliament has passed a bill which has provision that allows trying of juveniles between the ages of 16 and 18 years as adults for heinous offences. What is the name of that bill?
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015.
It aims to replace the existing Indian juvenile delinquency law, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, so that juveniles in conflict with Law in the age group of 16–18, involved in Heinous Offences, can be tried as adults. The Act came into force from 15 January 2016. It was passed on 7 May 2015 by the Lok Sabha amid intense protest by several Members of Parliament. It was passed on 22 December 2015 by the Rajya Sabha.

195.    Who is named Miss World 2015?
Mireia Lalaguna Royo.
Royo is a Spanish actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World Spain 2015 and in December the same year won Miss World 2015 in Sanya. She is the first Miss World from Spain. Miss World 2015, the 65th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 19 December 2015 at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China.

196.    Which club won the FIFA Club World Cup -2015 after a 3-0 win over River Plate?
Barcelona.

197.    Former Defence Secretary who has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)?
R.K. Mathur.

198.    Australian cricketer who has been named cricketer of the year (2015) by the International Cricket Council, winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy?
Steven Smith.
Awards list:
Test Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith
ODI Cricketer of the Year - AB de Villiers
Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year - Meg Lanning
Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year - Stafanie Taylor
T20I Performance of the Year - Faf du Plessis
Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Josh Hazlewood
Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year - Khurram Khan
Spirit of Cricket Award - Brendon McCullum
Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) - Richard Kettleborough.

199.    Former India wicketkeeper-batsman who has been chosen for the CK Nayudu lifetime achievement award for 2015?
Syed Kirmani.
Virat Kohli was declared the winner of the Polly Umrigar Award for Best Cricketer for 2014-15 by the BCCI?

200.    Eminent Gujarati novelist, poet and critic who has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2015?
Raghuveer Chaudhary.
A novelist, poet and critic, Chaudhary is a recipient of Sahitya Academi Award for his novel, "Trilogy Uparvaas" in 1977. His popular novels include "Amrita", "Venu Vatsala", "Purvarang", "Laagni Samjyaa Vinaa Chuuta Padvanu" and others. While his most-known novel "Amrita" (1965) explores the concept of existentialism, other works like "Rudramahalaya" (1978) and "Somtirth" (1996) are historical fiction.

201.    Name the Indo-Israeli jointly built Long Range Surface to Air Missile which was test fired Dec. 30 crossing a significant milestone in enhancing its anti-air warfare capability.
Barak-8.

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