Current Affairs Quiz: 20 January 2022

Current Affairs Questions for UPSC: The Current Affairs Quiz section of Jagran Josh aims to help every competitive exam aspirant to revise Current Affairs of the day at ease. The Current Affairs questions and answers cover topics such as world's fastest sinking cities, ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year 2021, Indonesia's new capital city and Sania Mirza retirement among others. 

1. Russia has amassed thousands of troops along its border with which among the following countries?

a) Kazakhstan

b) Ukraine

c) Finland 

d) Latvia

2. Which nation is relocating its capital to Nusantara?

a) Malaysia

b) Indonesia

c) Brunei

d) Vietnam

3. Which among the following is the world's fastest sinking cities?

a) Male

b) Lindau

c) New York

d) Jakarta

4. Who among the following has announced her retirement after the 2022 season?

a) Sania Mirza

b) Saina Nehwal

c) Mitali Raj

d) Mary Kom

5. Who has been named as the captain of the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year 2021?

a) Virat Kohli 

b) Babar Azam

c) Joe Root

d) Steve Smith 

6. Which two Indian cricketers have been named in the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year 2021?

a) Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana

b) Mitali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur

c) Jhulan Goswami, Mitali Raj

d) Shefali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur

7. Rare instance of snowfall was witnessed in which desert recently?

a) Sahara

b) Thar 

c) Nami 

d) Atacama 

Answers

1. (b) Ukraine

Russia has reportedly amassed 100,000 Russian troops on the eastern side along its border with Ukraine, raising fears that it could be preparing for a new military offensive against Ukraine. The US and its allies fear another invasion of Ukraine by Russia, on the lines of Crimea in 2014. 

2. (b) Indonesia
 
The Indonesian Parliament approved a bill on January 18, 2022 to relocate the country’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. The new capital city of Nusantara will be built on Borneo Island, in the forested province of East Kalimantan. 

3. (d) Jakarta

The city of Jakarta sits on the swampy ground near the sea, which not only makes it one of the fastest sinking cities on the Earth but is also prone to flooding. Jakarta has been sinking into the Java Sea at an alarming rate due to the over-extraction of groundwater. As per several studies, the city could entirely sink by 2050. 

4. (a) Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza, former world no. 1, has announced that she would be retiring from Tennis after the 2022 season.The Indian tennis player has won six Grand Slams and also reached the summit of the WTA doubles ranking. She is also the first Indian to break into the top 30 in the WTA singles ranking.

5. (b) Babar Azam

The ICC Men's ODI Team of the year 2021 has been revealed and Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has been named as the captain of the team. The ICC Team of the Year recognises 11 outstanding cricketers from around the world who have performed impressively with either bat or ball or their all-rounder capabilities in the previous calendar year. 

6. (c) Jhulan Goswami, Mitali Raj

The ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year 2021 includes two Indians, veteran batter Mithali Raj and pacer Jhulan Goswami. England's Heather Knight has been named the captain of the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year 2021, while Australia's Alyssa Healy has been named as the wicketkeeper.

7. (a) Sahara

In a rare phenomenon, snowfall was captured on the dunes of the Sahara Desert after the temperatures dropped below zero. This is the 5th time in 42 years that it has snowed in the Sahara desert. The earlier times were in 1979, 2016,2018 and 2021. The maximum temperature in the desert reaches to about 58 degrees in the summer.