- Aryna Sabalenka recently won her third consecutive WTA Wuhan 1000 singles title. She is from which country?
(A) Russia
(B) Belarus
(C) Ukraine
(D) Poland
(E) Serbia
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated World No.7 Zheng Qinwen of China to win the WTA Wuhan 1000 singles title in 2024.
Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player.
Aryna Sabalenka won her third consecutive WTA Wuhan 1000 singles title.
The WTA Wuhan 1000 Tennis tournament was held in Wuhan, China, from 7-13 October 2024.
The final match was played on 13 October 2024, where Aryna Sabalenka defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
Aryna Sabalenka previously won the Wuhan 1000 titles in 2018 and 2019.
This is Aryna Sabalenka’s 17th WTA Tour title.
This is Aryna Sabalenka’s fifth WTA title on Chinese soil.
The Wuhan Open is played on a Hard Court.
- Who won the ATP Shanghai Masters 1000 singles title in 2024?
(A) Carlos Alcaraz
(B) Daniil Medvedev
(C) Jannik Sinner
(D) Novak Djokovic
(E) Alexander Zverev
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
World Number One Jannik Sinner of Italy won the ATP Shanghai Masters 1000 singles title in 2024.
Jannik Sinner defeated 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final.
The ATP Shanghai Masters 1000 was held in Shanghai, China, from 2 to 13 October 2024.
The final match was played on 13 October 2024, with Jannik Sinner winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Jannik Sinner denied Novak Djokovic his 100th career singles title.
Novak Djokovic remains behind Jimmy Connors (109 titles) and Roger Federer (103 titles) in ATP singles titles.
The Shanghai Masters is played on Hard Court.
- Which Indian women’s pair created history by winning a medal at the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024?
(A) Manika Batra and Mouma Das
(B) Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee
(C) Gool Nasikwala and Yoshiko Tanaka
(D) Archana Kamath and Manika Batra
(E) Sreeja Akula and Mouma Das
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee became the first all-Indian women’s pair to win a medal at the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024.
The event was held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 7-13 October 2024.
India had previously won a bronze medal in women’s doubles at the first Asian Table Tennis Championships in 1952.
The Astana event marked the first time an all-Indian women’s pair won a medal.
Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee lost their semi-final match against the Japanese pair of Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara.
At the Asian Table Tennis Championships, semi-final losers receive bronze medals.
The Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) has organized the Asian Table Tennis Championships since 1972, replacing the Table Tennis Federation of Asia (TTFA).
- Who among the following has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for 2024?
(A) Paul Krugman
(B) Esther Duflo
(C) Gary Becker
(D) Simon Johnson
(E) Milton Friedman
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The announcement of the Nobel Prize in Economics has concluded the Nobel Award ceremonies for this year.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to James A. Robinson, Simon Johnson, and Daron Acemoglu.
The Nobel Committee stated that the three economists demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity.
The official name of the Nobel Prize in Economics is the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
The prize was created in 1968 by the central bank as a tribute to Alfred Nobel.
Some purists believe that the Economics Prize is not a true Nobel Award since it was not mentioned in Nobel’s will.
The Economics Prize is presented alongside the other Nobel prizes on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
- In October 2024, what status has the government approved for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)?
(A) Navratna CPSE
(B) Miniratna Category-I
(C) Maharatna CPSE
(D) Miniratna Category-II
(E) Central Public Sector Enterprises
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
The government has approved the upgradation of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to the 14th Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the approval via a social media post.
The proposal for upgradation was recommended by the Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the Finance Secretary.
The proposal was also reviewed by the Apex Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited operates under the Department of Defence Production.
HAL has an annual turnover of ₹28,162 crore for the year 2023-24.
The net profit of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the year 2023-24 is over ₹7,500 crore.
- Which country has been awarded the hosting rights for the ISSF Junior World Cup 2025?
(A) India
(B) China
(C) Japan
(D) Russia
(E) USA
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
India has been awarded the hosting rights for the ISSF Junior World Cup next year.
The International Shooting Federation announced the hosting rights.
ISSF President Luciano Rossi will support India in hosting more significant tournaments.
Rossi is in New Delhi for the season-ending World Cup Final of the International Shooting Sport Federation.
The World Cup Final features the top shooting performers of the year.
Hosting big events shows the efforts of everyone involved in the sport.
A squad of 23 Indian shooters will compete in the upcoming tournament.
- Who will the Maharashtra State Skills University be renamed after, as announced by the Chief Minister in October 2024?
(A) Ratan Tata
(B) Savitribai Phule
(C) Lata Mangeshkar
(D) Anna Hazare
(E) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The Maharashtra State Skills University will be renamed ‘Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University’ by the Eknath Shinde-led government in October 2024.
This decision is a tribute to Ratan Tata, a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, who passed away on October 9, 2024, at the age of 86.
The state Cabinet has urged the central government to honor Ratan Tata with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
Maharashtra State Skills University, established in 2022, offers various degree and diploma programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The state government has announced a full toll exemption for all light motor vehicles at five toll booths entering Mumbai.
- Who won the women’s singles final at the 2024 Bendigo International Badminton Tournament?
(A) Tasnim Mir
(B) Anupama Sinha
(C) Malvika Bansod
(D) Tanya Hemanth
(E) Isharani Baruah
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Tanya Hemanth of India won the women’s singles title at the Bendigo International Challenge badminton tournament.
She defeated Tung Ciou-Tong of Chinese Taipei in the final.
The final match ended with a score of 21-17, 21-17.
This victory marks Tanya’s third international title and her first of the year.
She was the runner-up at the Polish Open and Azerbaijan International in 2024.
Tanya previously won titles at the India International in 2022 and the Iran Fajr International in 2023.
In the men’s doubles final, the top-seeded Indian pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi lost to the Chinese Taipei duo of Chen Cheng Kuan and Po Li-Wei.
The men’s doubles final match score was 17-21, 14-21.
- Who has been awarded the National Kishore Kumar Award in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh?
(A) A.R. Rahman
(B) Rajkumar Hirani
(C) Sanjay Leela Bhansali
(D) Karan Johar
(E) Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Rajkumar Hirani was awarded the National Kishore Kumar Award in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.
The award was given on the occasion of the 37th death anniversary of Kishore Kumar.
Khandwa is the birthplace of Kishore Kumar.
The award was presented by MP Government’s Cabinet Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah.
The National Kishore Kumar Award has been given annually since 1997 by the Directorate of Culture, Madhya Pradesh Government.
- Who is the mountaineer who recently reached the summit of Mt Shishapangma in Tibet in October 2024?
(A) Arjun Vajpai
(B) Nirmal Purja
(C) Nawang Gombu
(D) Tenzing Norgay
(E) Harish Kapadia
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Mountaineer Arjun Vajpai reached the summit of Mt Shishapangma in Tibet in October 2024.
This achievement marks Arjun’s 8th successful conquest of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.
Arjun’s expedition to Mt Shishapangma is his first major success since climbing Annapurna in April 2023.
At 16, Arjun became the youngest person to summit Mt Everest in 2010.
Arjun Vajpai aims to climb the remaining six peaks above 8,000 meters to become the first Indian to achieve this feat.
The eight highest summits Arjun has successfully climbed include Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, Annapurna, and Shishapangma.