April 2015

INTERNATIONAL

1) Which country carried out its first air strikes in Syria, as part of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants?

Ans:- Canada

2) Name the political party of Pakistan that decided to join parliament after almost seven months of absence from the National Assembly and provincial assemblies of Punjab and Sindh?

Ans:- Tehreek-e-Insaf

3) Which country’s president condemned psychiatric therapies designed to repair gay, lesbian and transgender youth?

Ans:- United States

4) China is planning to build a 540-kilometre strategic high-speed rail link between Tibet and ____ passing through a tunnel under Mount Everest?

Ans:- Nepal

5) Saudi Arabia on 21 April 2015 ended its month-long military operation against the Houthi rebels under which air strikes were conducted. What was the name of this operation?

Ans:- Operation Decisive Storm

INDIA & WORLD

1) Name the massive air and sea operation recently launched by India to evacuate over 4000 Indians from Yemen?

Ans:- Operation Raahat

2) Which international organization on 1 April 2015 launched a group against terrorism named ‘Group of Friends against terrorism’ with 30 members including India? Ans:- United Nations

3) With which country has India signed Memorandum of Cooperation for transportation on 8 April 2015?

Ans:- United States of America

4) India was placed at 101st place in the Social Progress Index (SPI) ratings that were released globally on 9 April 2015. Which country topped this list?

Ans:- Norway

5) Indian formally ended its massive evacuation efforts in Yemen named “Operation Raahat” on 10 April 2015. This mission successfully evacuated how many people from war-torn Yemen?

Ans:- 5,600

NATIONAL

1) Name the scheme that has been suspended by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from April 2015?

Ans:- Minimum Monthly Pension Scheme

2) Union Government on 3 April 2015 extended the deadline for implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) deadline by ____ months?

Ans:- Six months

3) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently recommended which number as the single emergency number across the country?

Ans:- 112

4) The Government has constituted a task force comprising experts and senior officials to be chaired by B N Navalawala, Ex-Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources. What is the major responsibility of the task force?

Ans:- Interlinking of Rivers

5) Name the project launched by the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 21 April 2015 for monitoring the implementation of budget announcements?

Ans:- E-Samiksha

STATES

1) Which state has launched the subsidised Aahar scheme on the occasion of the State’s Foundation Day on 1 April 2015?

Ans:- Odisha

2) Andhra Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on 1 April 2015 approved which city as the new capital of the state?

Ans:- Amaravathi

3) PepsiCo India on 3 April 2015 commissioned first phase of its largest beverage plant in India in which state?

Ans:- Andhra Pradesh

4) President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Centenary Year Celebrations of which High Court on 18 April 2015?

Ans:- Patna High Court

5) Which state government has launched a major campaign Subodham, in a bid to wean people away from addiction to liquor?

Ans:- Kerala

CONFERENCES

1) Summit of the Americas, which was held on 10-11 April 2015 at Panama City (Panama), was which edition of the multilateral summit?

Ans:- 7th

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Who Arab poet recently won the 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry?

Ans:- Adonis

2) Which city has been awarded for its performance in renewable energy by WWF ?

Ans:- Rajkot

3) In which field Hevesy Medal is given?

Ans:- Nuclear and Radio Chemistry

4) ) Name the Indian-origin CEO who was honoured with the White House Champions of Change on 16th April 2015?

Ans:- Satya Nadella

5) Name the Bollywood actor was on 21 April 2015 honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015 for his performance in the movie Happy New Year?

Ans:-  Shah Rukh Khan

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Daniel Vettori who announced his retirement from international cricket plays for which country?

Ans:- New Zealand

2) Who was recently named as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2015 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack?

Ans:- Kumar Sangakkara

3) Which Australian cricketer recently announced his retirement from ODIs?

Ans:- Michael Clarke

4) Name the driver who won the Chinese Formula One (F1) Grand Prix for 2015 held on 12 April 2015 at Shanghai?

Ans:- Lewis Hamilton (Britain)

5) What is the name of the 21-year old English batsman who made cricketing history by scoring 350 in a one-day club match on 20 April 2015?

Ans:- Liam Livingstone

ECONOMY

1) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 1 April 2015 sanctioned the scheme of amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank Ltd. with which bank?

Ans:- Kotak Mahindra Bank

2) As per the World bank Report 2015, which country has stood at the bottom of eight economies in South Asia?

Ans:- Pakistan

3) Which entity becomes the first public sector undertaking (PSU) to hit the market in fiscal year 2015-16 with its disinvestment taking place on 8 April 2015?

Ans:- Rural Electrification Corporation (REC)

4) Which entity has become India’s newest public sector undertaking (PSU) during April 2015 after Union Govt. increased its stake to over 51% in this entity?

Ans:- IFCI Limited

5) Newly formed Mudra Bank will be part of?

Ans:- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) Which country has recently developed an anti-ballistic missile system called “David’s Sling”?

Ans:- Israel

2) Surface-to-Surface nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile was successfully test-fired on 9 April 2015 from a naval ship at?

Ans:- Odisha coast

3) US space agency NASA during April 2015 revealed the first-ever colour image of dwarf planet Pluto.This photo was taken by a Pluto probe that was sent by the agency in 2006. What is the name of this probe?

Ans:- New Horizons

4) India recently successfully test-fired its which nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off the Odisha coast?

Ans:- Dhanush

PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

1) Who has been appointed as the new President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2015-16?

Ans:- Sumit Mazumder

2) Who was sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court on 15 April 2015?

Ans:- Meenakshi Madan Rai

B) RESIGNS

1) Mustafa Kamal stepped down from the post of International Cricket Council (ICC) President on 1 April 2015. He belongs to which country?

Ans:- Bangladesh

C) DEATHS

1) Renowned poet Kailash Vajpeyi who died on 1 April 2015 is famous in which language?

Ans:- Hindi

2) Name the former Australian cricket captain and legendary commentator who died in Sydney on 10 April 2015?

Ans:- Richie Benaud

D) VISITORS

1) Which Sculpture has been presented to Narendra Modi by Canadian Prime Minister?

Ans:- Parrot Lady

E) MISCELLANEOUS

1) Name the 12-year-old Muslim girl who recently won the first position at the Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Champion League?

Ans:- Mariyam Asif Siddiqui

PLACES IN NEWS

1) What is the name of the Islamist militant group that stormed into a university campus in Kenya on 2 April 2015 and took Christian students hostage resulting in death of at least 15 persons?

Ans:- Al Shabaab

ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

1) What is the full form of ‘ IFCI ‘?

Ans:- Industrial Finance Corporation of India

BOOKS IN NEWS

1) Who is the author of the book titled “Historical Documents Testify the ‘ Sovereignty of Senkaku”?

Ans:- Tadayoshi Murata

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 8 April 2015 formed an expert committee under the chairmanship of whom to suggest simplified compliance for establishing new industries?

Ans:- Ajay Shankar

DAYS & DATES

1) World Malaria Day was observed on —?

Ans:- April 25