5 ALL EXAM ENGLISH QUIZ 19.02.2025 Daily Quiz 1 / 10 Q1. Which country has approved the construction of the first South China Sea deepwater ‘space station’? China South Korea Japan Thailand Explanation: China approved the construction of the first South China Sea deepwater ‘space station’. This cold seep ecosystem research facility will be below the 2000m surface in the South China Sea. The facility will be one of the deepest and most technologically complex underwater installations. It will become fully operational by around 2030. It will have room for six scientists on missions that will last as long as a month. This planned facility will be used to study cold seep ecosystems. The South China Sea holds 70 billion tonnes of methane hydrates. It has many rare mineral deposits, including cobalt and nickel concentrations three times higher than land-based mines. This facility will have a long-term life support system that will be needed if scientists are to build and operate a permanent monitoring network to track methane fluxes. The scientists on board the facility will be able to conduct real-time experiments and adjust protocols in extreme conditions. 2 / 10 Q2. Who has received the “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” honour? Azim Premji Shiv Nadar Anand Mahindra N. Chandrasekaran Explanation: N. Chandrasekaran has received the “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” honour. Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran has been conferred with the United Kingdom’s “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil Division). It is the prestigious honorary civilian award to foreign nationals. He receives this award for his contributions to UK-India business relations. The list of foreign recipients of this British honours includes other notable figures such as Dagmar Dolby, Eric Schmidt, Jason Furman and Rajinder Dhatt. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as the arts, sciences, charitable endeavours, and public service. Natarajan Chandrasekaran has been the chairman of Tata Sons since 2017. He also chairs the boards of key Tata Group companies, including Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, and Air India. 3 / 10 Q3. On 11 February, who was elected as the new Prime Minister of Vanuatu? Charlot Salwai Bob Loughman Jotham Napat Ishmael Kalsakau Explanation: Jotham Napat elected as new Prime Minister of Vanuatu. On 11 February, Jotham Napat, President of the Vanuatu Leaders Party, was elected as the country's new Prime Minister. Napat was elected via secret ballot in the parliament in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. As the sole nominee in the election, Napat received 50 votes of support in the 52-seat parliament. The remaining two votes were void. A coalition government made up of five political parties—the Leaders Party, Vanua'aku Party, Graon Mo Jastis Party, Reunification Movement for Change, and the Iauko Group—will be led by Napat. Later, he appointed Johnny Koanapo Rasou as Deputy Prime Minister, who would also serve as Minister of Finance and Economic Management. 4 / 10 Q4. Which bank faced restrictions, including limits on fund withdrawals, imposed by the RBI amid supervisory concerns? Punjab & Maharashtra Co-operative Bank New India Co-operative Bank Saraswat Co-operative Bank Abhyudaya Co-operative Bank Explanation: On 13 February, several restrictions, including on the withdrawal of funds by depositors, were imposed on New India Co-operative Bank by the RBI a-mid supervisory concerns. The directions issued to New India Co-operative Bank, Mumbai, have come into effect from the close of business on February 13 and will remain in force for a period of six months and are subject to review. RBI said that in view of the current liquidity position of the bank, the bank is directed not to permit withdrawal of any amount from savings bank or current account or any other account of any depositor. However, the bank is permitted to set off loans against deposits, subject to conditions prescribed by the RBI. The bank will not grant or renew any loans or advances, make any investment, and incur any liability, including the acceptance of fresh deposits, without prior permission from the close of business on February 13. In addition, eligible depositors will be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amounts on their deposits up to Rs 5 lakh from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation. 5 / 10 Q5. SEBI launched ___________ platform to track unclaimed mutual fund folios. CHITRA MITRA’ DOST MUDRA Explanation: SEBI launched ‘MITRA’ platform to track unclaimed mutual fund folios. The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a new platform ‘MITRA’ (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant). It will help investors to trace their unclaimed or inactive mutual fund folios. Many investors have lost track of their investments mainly those made in physical form with minimal KYC requirements. SEBI has directed Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs) like CAMS and KFin Technologies to associate with Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to launch the ‘MITRA’ platform. As per the SEBI, a mutual fund folio will be classified as inactive if no transactions have been made in the last 10 years, but a unit balance still exists. The Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs) will jointly manage the ‘MITRA’ platform. 6 / 10 Q6. Which family topped the Bloomberg's list of Asia's 20 richest families? Ambani family Hartono family Kwok family Jindal family Explanation: Mukesh Ambani’s family topped Bloomberg's list of Asia's 20 richest families. The Ambani family topped the list of Asia's 20 richest families with a combined net worth of $90.5 billion. Thailand's Chearavanont family with a wealth of $42.6 billion is second on the list. Indonesia’s Hartono family with $42.2 billion is third on the list. They began the business with tobacco business. Fourth on the list is India’s Mistry family, with a wealth amounting to $37.5 billion. The family’s Shapoorji Pallonji Group operates across multiple sectors, including engineering and construction. Kwok family in Hong Kong with wealth amounts to $35.6 billion is fifth on the list. They are one of Hong Kong’s largest real estate developers. India’s Jindal family takes seventh place, with a net worth of $28.1 billion. It owns famous OP Jindal Group.\ 7 / 10 Q7. Which edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam started on 15 February in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh? First Second Third Fourth Explanation: Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 started on 15 February in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. This is the third edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. It will continue for ten days till 24th February 2025. It was inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath. Ministry of Education in partnership with various ministries and the Government of Uttar Pradesh is organising the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0. Nearly 1000 delegates from Tamil Nadu will take part or become involved in five different categories in Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0. Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0’s main theme is focused on Sage Agasthya’s contributions to health, philosophy, science, classical Tamil literature, and cultural unity. 8 / 10 Q8. Which IIT's Ranjit Singh Rozi Education Centre has launched a solar dehydration technology to preserve agricultural produce using sustainable energy? IIT Kanpur IIT Delhi IIT Madras IIT Mumbai Explanation: A solar dehydration technique to preserve agricultural produce using sustainable energy has been introduced by Ranjit Singh Rozi Shiksha Kendra of IIT Kanpur. This helps farmers dry fruits and vegetables and offers a cost-effective solution to fluctuating market prices. With this, farmers can store produce longer. They can sell their produce at favorable prices during peak demand. This allows them to increase profitability. Prof. Sandeep Sangal and Prof. Kallol Mondal led the initiative. The initiative was demonstrated to 30 farmers from the Hariya Nature Farming Producer Company in Shivrajpur. Solar drying of tomatoes was demonstrated and potential to increase shelf life and improve marketability was highlighted. IIT Kanpur, with support from NABARD, is aiming to increase the reach of solar dehydration technology to more villages. IIT Kanpur has partnered with the Department of Food Processing at CSJMU University. The partnership is to develop quality protocols and standard operating procedures for solar dehydration. 9 / 10 Q9. Which state secured second position with 54 gold, 71 silver, and 76 bronze medals in the 38th National Games? Odisha Maharashtra Karnataka Haryana Explanation: The 38th National Games of India, held across various venues in Uttarakhand, concluded on 14 February. Services Sports Control Board topped the event with 68 gold, 26 silver, and 27 bronze medals. Maharashtra secured second position with 54 gold, 71 silver, and 76 bronze medals. Haryana won 48 gold, 47 silver, and 58 bronze medals and secured third position. Meghalaya has received the honour of hosting the 39th National Games in 2026. 10 / 10 Q10. Which has won Forward Faster Sustainability Award 2025? ONGC NTPC GAIL None of the above Explanation: NTPC Ltd. has won Forward Faster Sustainability Award 2025. The company has won award in the Water Resilience category. UN Global Compact Network India presented the award to Shri Harekrushna Dash and Shri K Karthikeyan. The award recognizes efforts of NTPC in water conservation and sustainable water management. Forward Faster Sustainability Awards recognise organizations developing and improving sustainability. Forward Faster Sustainability Awards recognise organizations aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). NTPC has become completely sweet water self-sufficient at its RGPPL plant. NTPC is India's largest integrated power utility. It contributes to one-fourth of power requirements of India. Your score is LinkedIn Facebook Twitter VKontakte Post navigation UPSC EXAM QUIZ 18.02.2025 UPSC EXAM QUIZ 19.02.2025
