1. What is the name of the largest stellar black hole discovered by European astronomers in the Milky Way in April 2024?
(A) BH-3
(B) Sagittarius A
(C) Aquila
(D) Messier 87
(E) S2
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
European astronomers have discovered the largest stellar black hole in our galaxy.
It is 2,000 light years away from Earth.
The mass of this black hole named ‘BH-3’ is 33 times more than the Sun.
‘BH-3’ was discovered by the Gaia Space Observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Gaia Space Telescope was launched in the year 2013.
Scientists came to know of ‘BH-3’ when they observed flexibility in the rotation of a star in the ‘Aquila’ constellation.
This star revolves around a giant black hole.
Black holes were first discovered by Karl Schwarzschild and John Wheeler.
2. How much foreign direct investment has been allowed by the government for manufacturing components required by the space sector?
(A) 49 percent
(B) 52 percent
(C) 74 percent
(D) 100 percent
(E) 33 percent
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The Union Ministry of Finance notified the new liberal foreign direct investment (FDI) rule in the space sector.
The Union Cabinet approved the liberalised FDI policy in February 2024 to encourage private and foreign players in the space sector.
The government notified the new FDI policy on the eve of American billionaire businessman Elon Musk’s visit to India.
The notified FDI in the space sector allows –
74 per cent FDI in satellite manufacturing and data products under the automatic routes,
49 per cent for the satellite launch vehicles and spaceports, and
100 per cent for manufacturing components required by the space sector.
India’s share of the global space economy is around 2 to 3 per cent.
The government plans to increase it to more than 10 per cent by 2030.
3. Which airport is considered as “World’s Best Airport” by Skytrax Awards?
(A) Singapore Changi Airport
(B) Hamad International Airport
(C) Tokyo Haneda Airport
(D) Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
(E) Munich International Airport
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Hamad International Airport (DOH), located in Doha, Qatar, has been awarded the “World’s Best Airport” title by the esteemed Skytrax World Airport Awards.
The ceremony was held at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.
4. Newly introduced Meta AI is based on which model?
(A) Gemini
(B) LangChain
(C) Llama
(D) Claude
(E) ChatGPT
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a major announcement regarding their AI technology, introducing Meta AI.
This advanced AI assistant is powered by the large language model called Llama.
Meta has recently launched a dedicated Meta AI website and integrated it with the major Meta apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
Meta AI has introduced a new feature called “Imagine” which lets users create images in real-time from text descriptions.
5. How many medals were won by India at the 20th Asian Wrestling Championship 2024?
(A) Six medals
(B) Eleven medals
(C) Seven medals
(D) Nine medals
(E) Fourteen medals
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The senior Indian wrestling team finished their campaign at the 20th Asian Wrestling Championship by winning nine medals – four silvers and five bronzes.
The 20th Asian Wrestling Championship 2024 was held in the Kyrgyzstan capital, Bishkek, from 11 -16 April 2024.
Amongst the Indian wrestlers, only Antim Panghal has secured a quota for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Udit (men) – Silver – 57Kg, freestyle
Radhika (female) – Silver – 68 Kg, freestyle
Anju (female) – Silver – 53kg, freestyle
Harshita (female) – Silver – 72 kg, freestyle
Abhimanyu (men) – Bronze – 72kg , freestyle
Vicky (men) – Bronze – 97 kg, freestyle
Shivanee Pawar (female) – Bronze – 50 kg, freestyle
Antim (female) – Bronze – 65 kg, freestyle
Manisha (female) – Bronze – 62 kg, freestyle
6. Recently, “Mount Ruang” volcano has been erupted in which country?
(A) Bolivia
(B) Indonesia
(C) Philippines
(D) Japan
(E) Mexico
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Remote Indonesia volcano Mount Ruang erupts again.
The first volcanic eruption occurred on the night of 16 April 2024 in “Mount Ruang” located in North Sulawesi province of Indonesia.
Whereas on April 17, four consecutive explosions occurred in this area.
Indonesia, which lies along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, a series of tectonic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
There are more than 120 active volcanoes in this area.
In 2018, the eruption of Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano caused a tsunami off the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain fell into the sea.
7. With whom has the AFMS partnered for better military health technology in difficult areas in April 2024?
(A) IIT Mumbai
(B) IIT Kharagpur
(C) IIT Kanpur
(D) IIT New Delhi
(E) IIT Madras
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur for collaborative research and training.
Under this MoU, AFMS and IIT Kanpur will work together for better health of soldiers in remote areas.
AFMS is an inter-service organization under the Ministry of Defence.
AFMS came into existence in the year 1948.
8. Who will head the committee set up recently by the government of India on the welfare of the LGBTQ+ community?
(A) Ajay Kumar Bhalla
(B) Pradeep Sinha
(C) Rajiv Mehrishi
(D) Rajiv Gauba
(E) Pramod Kumar Mishra
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The government of India has set up a committee on LGBTQ+ communities’ welfare headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
The committee has been set up by the government on the suggestion of the Supreme Court in the Supriyo Chakraborty vs Union Of India Case.
In the Supriyo Chakraborty vs. Union Of India Case 2023, the Special Marriage Act of 1954 was challenged because it did not permit same-sex marriage.
The plaintiffs argued that this was against Article 14 of the fundamental rights, which provides for equal protection of law.
Under the Special Marriage Act of 1954, people of different religions can marry.
The six-member committee will be headed by Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and include secretaries of important ministries.
It includes Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Saurabh Garg as convenor and Secretary from the Home Affairs, Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, and Law and Justice ministries.
9. The recently launched book “India – the Road to Renaissance: A Vision and an Agenda” has been authored by whom?
(A) Bhimeswara Challa
(B) Aravind Adiga
(C) Salman Rushdie
(D) Vikram Seth
(E) Shashi Tharoor
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Book, ‘India – the Road to Renaissance: A Vision and an Agenda’ launch
Jaya Prakash Narayana at the launch of Bhimeswara Challa’s book, emphasized that India’s governance system, not its Constitution, is failing its democracy.
Bhimeswara Challa’s book “India – the Road to Renaissance: A Vision and an Agenda” is presented as a multidisciplinary analysis and a fervent call for transformative changes to overcome existing governance issues.
10. Who has been appointed as the next Chief of the Naval Staff?
(A) Rajesh Pendharkar
(B) Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
(C) Sanjay Jasjit Singh
(D) Vennam Srinivas
(E) Krishna Swaminathan
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Government of India has appointed Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, as the next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of April 30, 2024.
He will succeed the present Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, who retires from service on the same day.
He was born on May 15, 1964, Vice Admiral Tripathi was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy on July 01, 1985.
In the rank of Vice Admiral, he has served as Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Director General of Naval Operations, Chief of Personnel, and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.