IAS Current Affairs is more tended towards the Current Affairs Analysis and their Backgrounders. The current event is only the tip of the iceberg and the UPSC Civil Services Exam asks about the background of that event. The Political, Economical and the Sociological dimensions of the current affairs are also important for the IAS Exam. These Current Affairs questions are framed keeping in view the pattern of IAS Exam.
1. What was the name of the mascot for the South Asian Games 2016?
a. Shera
b. Duria
c. Tikhor
d. Karak
Answer: c
Explanation:
Organising committee of 12th South Asian Games (OC-SAG) on 13 December 2014 had unveiled mascot of the games and logo at ITA Cultural Centre Machkhowa in Guwahati, Assam.
The mascot Tikhor is a one horned rhino and is the brand ambassador of the games carries the message of peace, stability, amity and progress in the South Asian region. On the other hand, the logo has eight petals representing the countries participating in the mega event.
2. Construction work on the TAPI Gas Pipeline project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015. The project will not connect which of the following countries?
a. Turkmenistan
b. China
c. Afghanistan
d. India
Answer: b
Explanation:
Construction work on the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) Gas Pipeline project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015. The work started after the button to begin the welding process of the project was pressed.
The button was pressed by Vice President of India Hamid Ansari along with Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimohamedov. The TAPI project is intended to deliver Caspian Sea natural from the energy-rich former Soviet republic Turkmenistan to three South Asian countries.
The pipeline will carry the gas from the Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan to the Indian town of Fazilka, in the Punjab near the Pakistan-India border. The pipeline will cross the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar as well as Pakistan cities of Quetta and Multan.
3. Who among the following has won the prestigious South East Asia Write Award for 2015?
a. Gopal Baratham
b. Muhammad Arif Ahmad
c. P Krishnan
d. Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali
Answer: d
Explanation:
Indian-origin Tamil writer Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali on 11 December 2015 was declared as the winner of the prestigious South East Asian Write Award for Singapore.
Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali will receive the award for literary excellence on 14 December 2015 at a ceremony in Bangkok. Born in Madras in 1939; J M Sali was invited to Singapore at the age of 25 to be an assistant editor at the Tamil Murasu newspaper by its founder, the late G Sarangapani.
Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali worked for local broadcasting station, Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, as a broadcast journalist. He produced books on famous people including martial art icon Bruce Lee and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. He retired in 2000 from journalism to do full-time writing and translation work.
See here Current Affairs for IAS Prelims 2016
4. As per the Paris Agreement on Climate Change that was adopted on 12 December 2015, how much the developed countries will raise annually to finance climate change mitigation projects by 2020?
a. 100 billion US dollars
b. 50 billion US dollars
c. 200 billion US dollars
d. 150 billion US dollars
Answer: a
Explanation:
Conference of the Parties 21 (COP 21) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 12 December 2015 adopted the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which was attended by 192 parties. India was represented by then the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar.
The agreement facilitates enforcement of global green house emission reduction measures in the post-2020 (post Kyoto Protocol) scenario. It was prepared based on consensus among the parties incorporating Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of the respective parties including that of India.
And, the agreement took into account the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances.
5. What was the title of the report released by United Nations Human Development Report 2015?
a. Work for Human Development
b. A Progressive Human Development
c. Human Development Necessities
d. Sustainable Human Development
Answer: a
Explanation:
Highlights of the United Nations Human Development Report 2015- Work for Human Development:
• With better health and education outcomes and reductions in extreme poverty, 2 billion people have moved out of low human development levels in the last 25 years.
• 830 million people are classified as working poor who live on under 2 US dollars a day.
• Over 200 million people, including 74 million youth, are unemployed, while 21 million people are currently in forced labour.
• Women carry out 52 percent of all global work, however glaring inequalities in the distribution of work remain there.
• Women are less likely to be paid for their work than men, with three out of every four hours of unpaid work carried out by women. While, men account for two of every three hours of paid work.
• When women are paid, they earn globally 24 percent less than men on average.
6. Which of the following international organisation has released the report entitled Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty?
a. World Trade Organisation
b. Asian Development Bank
c. International Monetary Fund
d. World Bank
Answer: d
Explanation:
World Bank in December 2015 released a report entitled Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty. The report examines the two-way relation (interplay) between climate change and poverty and concludes that climate change is one of the primary contributing factors for growing poverty scenario across the world.
To remedy the situation, the report also provides guidance on how to create a win-win situation so that climate change policies contribute to poverty reduction and poverty-reduction policies contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience building.
7. As per the National Air Quality Index released by Green Peace which of the following cities recorded highest air pollution levels among the major Indian cities?
a. Mumbai
b. New Delhi
c. Hyderabad
d. Kolkata
Answer: b
Explanation:
Green Peace India on 15 December 2015 released a report on National Air Quality Index (NAQI) of 17 cities. The report is the first analysis of air pollution levels in Indian cities carried out by Green Peace using the NAQI system.
As per the report, Delhi was listed as the most polluted city in the world, while 13 Indian cities were figured in the list of 20 most polluted cities on the planet. The 13 cities were among the 17 countries surveyed by the Green Peace.
The report is in addition to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report that estimated that outdoor air pollution caused 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2012. Pollution levels in many Indian cities, including Delhi, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Patna, Agra and Kanpur, exceed the famously toxic levels in Beijing and other Chinese cities, over the period covered by the NAQI data (April-November 2015).
Also See December Current Affairs - I
8. Name the country whose membership terms to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as 163rd member was approved at the WTO's Tenth Ministerial Conference (MC10) on 17 December 2015.
a. Kazakhstan
b. Afghanistan
c. Tajikistan
d. Tanzania
Answer: b
Explanation:
World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 17 December 2015 unanimously approved Afghanistan’s WTO membership at the WTO’s Tenth Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. With this, Afghanistan will become the 163rd WTO member and the ninth least-developed country to become a WTO member since the organization was established in 1995.
The Protocol of Accession (PoA) was officially signed by Director General Roberto Azevedo and Afghanistan’s First Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Khan Rahmani. Now to be the full-fledged WTO member, Afghanistan will have to ratify the deal by 30 June 2016.
9. Which of the following railway stations will be the first one to get Wi-Fi services as a part of a partnership between Google and RailTel that aims at providing the services in 400 railway stations across the country?
a. New Delhi
b. Mumbai Central
c. Chennai Central
d. Secunderabad
Answer: b
Explanation:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai had first announced about the company’s free WiFi at railway stations in India when PM Modi had visited the company campus in Mountain View, California in September, 2015. Under the project, Google plans to provide free and high-speed Wi-Fi access to railway commuters at over 400 stations in India. Google has partnered with Railtel Corporation to make this project a reality.
According to Google’s announcement, the first station to get free Wi-Fi under this scheme will be Mumbai Central, where testing has already been carried out. Google’s free Wi-Fi at Mumbai Central goes live by January, 2016. Google plans to make free Wi-Fi live at over 100 stations in India by the end of 2016. The free Wi-Fi scheme will target stations across each railway zone in India.
10. The Rannotsav festival belongs to which of the following states?
a. Punjab
b. Gujarat
c. Maharashtra
d. Rajasthan
Answer: b
Explanation:
The Government of Gujarat hosts an annual 3 month long festival called the Rann Utsav (festival of the Rann), where tourists can see the various sights of the Rann as well as get a taste of the local culture, cuisine and hospitality. Specially built local houses are also used to house tourists to give them a taste of them. Many adventure clubs and travel clubs organize expeditions.
11. Which of following special semi-luxury train connecting Delhi and Thar Desert was started in the month of December 2015?
a. Thar Circuit
b. Desert Circuit
c. Marusthali Darshan
d. Desert Queen
Answer: b
Explanation:
Indian Railways has boosted its infrastructure by developing semi-luxury coaches for two premier train services. Both the trains will aim to promote the eclectic beauty of Indian deserts and the heritage of the country.
The Desert Circuit service will cover attractions such as the Jaisalmer Fort, sand dunes, the Gadisagar Lake and Palwaon Ki Haveli, the Jaipur City Palace, the Jantar Mantar observatory, Chokhi Dhani, the Amer Fort and Hawa Mahal.
12. Which of the following state government has launched Anwesha scheme to provide free education to SC/ST students?
a. Bihar
b. Karnataka
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Odisha
Answer: d
Explanation:
The Odisha Government has launched Anwesha scheme to provide free education to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. Under the scheme, 5000 SC and ST children will annually be enrolled into Standard I in leading private schools in urban areas of the state.
State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the scheme at Saragi Phul- a three day children's festival for ST, SC children held at Adivasi Ground, Bhubaneswar.
13. For integrated development and management of which of the following sector an umbrella scheme has given approval for its implementation by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)?
a. Fisheries
b. Forestry
c. Animal Husbandry
d. None of the above
Answer: a
Explanation:
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries. The scheme will be implemented at an outlay of 3000 crore rupees, for a period of five years.
It will cover development and management of inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) towards realizing Blue Revolution.
14. To mark the birth anniversary of which of the following personality the Good Governance Day celebrated?
a. Morarji Desai
b. Rajiv Gandhi
c. Lal Bahadur sastri
d. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Answer: d
Explanation:
Good Governance Day was observed on 25 December 2015 across the country. The day was observed to mark the birth anniversary of former-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honor former-Prime Minister Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in governance.
As per the World Bank, the concept of Good Governance encompasses two fundamental elements-transparency and accountability- which are essential to make the processes of governance more citizen friendly.
15. Which of the following is India’s first indigenously designed and built warship missile?
a. INS Ganga
b. INS Gomati
c. INS Godavari
d. None of them
Answer: c
Explanation:
India’s first indigenously designed and built warship Indian Navy Service (INS) Godavari was on 23 December 2015 decommissioned in Naval Dockyard Mumbai. It was commissioned into the Navy on 10 December 1983.
With her decommissioning, INS Godavari (F-20) will complete its full life cycle, meeting all responsibilities and duties assigned, proving the success of Indian ship design and construction. It was the lead ship of her class of three guided-missile frigates of the Indian Navy. The other two warships are INS Ganga and INS Gomati.
16. Who among the following has conferred with Atal Samman Award 2015?
a. L Subramaniam
b. J M Sali
c. Achyutanand Mishra
d. Frank Islam
Answer: c
Explanation:
Achyutanand Mishra has been conferred with 2015 Atal Samman Award for his outstanding contribution to the society. The samman (award) has been given by the cultural organisation ‘Abhiyan’ on the occasion of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 91st birthday at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
17. Which of the following country has been declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization (WHO)?
a. Sierra Leone
b. Guinea
c. Liberia
d. Nigeria
Answer: b
Explanation:
The World Health Organization (WHO) on 29 December 2015 declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in the Republic of Guinea. The organization took the decision after observing that 42 days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease and tested negative now.
Guinea now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before they can spread to other people.
The decision came after more than 2500 people died from the virus in the West African nation. With this, Liberia becomes the only country still counting down for an end to this ruinous epidemic.
18. Which of the following country was severely affected due to the Storm Frank?
a. United Kingdom
b. Italy
c. Germany
d. France
Answer: a
Explanation:
Storm Frank has battered parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland leaving more severe floods in its wake. Scotland bore the brunt of the bad weather with hundreds of homes evacuated in the Borders towns of Dumfries, Hawick and Peebles.
Hundreds of homes are without power in Yorkshire. Two severe flood warnings are in place in Scotland and dozens of flood warnings remain in place UK-wide.
19. Which of the following statements is incorrect about Paris Climate Change Conference?
a. It was twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP)
b. The decision has been taken to reaffirm the goal of limiting global temperature increase well below 2 degrees Celsius, while urging efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees;
c. Establish binding commitments by all parties to make “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs), and to pursue domestic measures aimed at achieving them.
d. Paris Climate Change Conference was held in Paris, France from 30 November to 12 December 2014.
Answer. d
Explanation:
Paris Climate Change Conference was held in Paris, France from 30 November to 12 December 2015. Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reached a landmark agreement on December 12 in Paris, charting a fundamentally new course in the two-decade-old global climate effort.
Current Affairs is much essential to study for UPSC IAS Prelims as well as for IAS Mains Exam. Particularly, the weightage of Current Affairs you can see in the UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Paper in which the large number of questions will be associated with the current events. In UPSC IAS Mains Exam, the General Studies Papers will also be much related with the current happenings of the world and the country. So, it is very important to study the Current Affairs well in order to write attractive answers in UPSC IAS Mains Exam also.
