Static GK and Current Events Questions and Answers: 18th March 2021

Answer the following questions as per your knowledge. The quiz here would help you prepare better for various competitive exams such as UPSC Civil Services, SSC, Bank PO etc. Take a look at the questions below and answer. 

1. Who was the inventor of Bitcoin?

1. Elon Musk
2. Satoshi Nakamoto
3. Vitalik Buterin
4. Nick Szabo

Ans. b

Explanation: There is no public information about the creator of Bitcoin but the name of Satoshi Nakamoto was pseudonymously used for the inventor of Bitcoin. 

Related| Explained: What are Bitcoin ATMs, significance and concerns associated with them?

2. Where was the first Bitcoin ATM set up in India

1. Delhi
2. Bengaluru 
3. Mumbai
4. Kolkata

Ans. b

Explanation: The first Bitcoin ATM was launched in India in Bengaluru.

3. Which organization releases the World Air Quality Report 2020?

1. IQ Air
2. Amnesty International
3. UNICEF
4. None of the above 

Ans. a

Explanation: IQAir, a Swiss organization releases the World Air Quality Report. 

Related Article| World Air Quality Report 2020: Key findings and details on Delhi being the most polluted capital city of the world

4. What is true about the World Air Quality Report 2020?

i) 1.6% of the cities of South Asia met the PM 2.5 target standardised by WHO

ii) 37 out of 40 most polluted cities belonged to South Asia

1. Only i
2. Only ii
3. Both i and ii
4. None of the above

Ans. c

Explanation: The World Air Quality Report includes data for 106 countries, up from 98 countries in 2019 and 69 countries in 2018. Only 1.6% of the cities of South Asia met the PM 2.5 target standardised by the World Health Organization. 37 out of 40 most polluted cities belonged to South Asia. 

5. Which is the most polluted city in the world as per the World Air Quality Report 2020?

1. Xinjiang
2. New Delhi
3. Tokyo
4. New York

Ans. a

Explanation: The top most polluted city is Xinjiang in China followed by nine Indian cities as per the World Air Quality Report 2020.  

6. Which statement regarding the genome mapping of the ocean is true?

i) The samples of microorganisms in the Ocean would be collected at an average depth of 100 km.

ii) The study would be helpful in recognising the stress factors that control the changes in RNA and DNA in ocean microbes

1. Only i
2. Only ii
3. Both i and ii
4. None of the above 

Ans. b

Explanation: The team of researchers will travel from India's east coast all the way to Australia then towards Port Louis in Mauritius and up to the border of Pakistan. For genome mapping, they will collect the samples of microorganisms in the Ocean at an average depth of 5 km. The study will help in recognising the stress factors that control the changes in RNA and DNA in ocean microbes.

Read| Genome Mapping and the first project in Indian Ocean

7. Which of the statements listed below is true for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill, 2021?

i) Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 would amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971

ii) It would increase the upper limit of legal abortions to 24 weeks for special categories of women

1. Only i
2. Only ii
3. Both i and ii
4. None of the above

Ans. c

Explanation:  The Parliament has passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020.  It seeks to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 and increase the upper limit of legal abortions to 24 weeks for special categories of women. 

8. As per the  Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, the upper gestation limit of for special categories would be increased to

1. 18-20 weeks
2. 20-24 weeks
3. 24-28 weeks
4. 16-20 weeks

Ans. b

Explanation: The amended bill proposes increasing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women such as vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and others such as differently-abled women and minors.

9. In which city would the first undersea tunnel of India be built?

1. Goa
2. Mumbai
3. Kolkata
4. Kochi

Ans. b

Explanation: Mumbai would have the first undersea tunnel of India by the year 2023 which will be part of the Coastal Road Project of the city.

Read| Explained: What is Major Port Authorities Bill 2020?

10. Which of the statements are true regarding Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 

i) The Bill would make the major ports in the country more autonomous and provide major thrust in the maritime sector

ii) The Bill would also impart faster and transparent decision making to benefit the stakeholders and better project execution capability.

1. Only i
2. Only ii
3. Both i and ii
4. None of the above 

Ans. c

Explanation: The Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 seeks to empower the major ports of the country so that they can perform with greater efficiency on account of full autonomy in decision making and by modernizing the institutional framework of major ports. The Bill will also impart faster and transparent decision making to benefit the stakeholders and better project execution capability. 

Read| Play daily GK quiz based on Static and Current Events