Current Affairs Quiz , 18 April 2020

1) Which the following currencies doesn’t come under Special Drawing Rights (SDR) of IMF?

a) U.S. Dollar,
b) Euro
c) Chinese Renminbi
d) None of the above

Answer: d
• The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.The value of the SDR is based on a basket of five currencies—the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the Japanese yen, and the British pound sterling.
• India is not supporting a general allocation of new Special Drawing Rights (SDR) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) because it feels it might not be effective in easing COVID-19-driven financial pressures.The new SDR allocation was supposed to provide all 189 members with new foreign exchange reserves with no conditions.

2) Which among the following statements about Targeted Long Term Repo Operation (TLTRO) is/are correct?

a) It uses the same interest rate as repo
b) It is used for short term loans for 1 or 2 days
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) Neither (a) nor (b)

Answer: a
• LTRO is a tool that lets banks borrow one to three-year funds from the central bank at the repo rate, by providing government securities with similar or higher tenure as collateral.

3) KisanRath Mobile App, recently seen in news, is used as an information dissemination system for

a) Weather forecasting
b) Facilitate transportation of foodgrains and perishables
c) Scientific advises from ICAR
d) None of the above

Answer: b
• Union Agriculture Ministry has launched KisanRath Mobile App to facilitate transportation of foodgrains and perishables during lockdown.

4) Which among the following can be considered as a pandemic that altered the course of human history?

a) Justinian Plague
b) Spanish Flu
c) Black Death
d) All of the above

Answer: d
• Justinian Plague: Broke out in the sixth century in Egypt and spread fast to Constantinople, which was the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. The plague was named after the then Byzantine Emperor Justinian. The outbreak had killed up to 25 to 100 million people.
• Black Death: The Black Death, or pestilence, hit Europe and Asia in the 14th century. It killed some 75 to 200 million people. Black Death led to improved wages for serfs and agricultural labourers. Land became more abundant relative to labour. It also led to the weakening of the Catholic Church.
• Spanish Flu: Broke out during the last phase of the First World War. Germans and Austrians were affected so badly that the outbreak derailed their offensives.

5) The theme of World Heritage Day 2020 is “Shared Culture’, ‘Shared heritage’ and ‘Shared responsibility”. It is celebrated on

a) 18th April
b) 17th April
c) 11th May
d) None of the above

Answer: a
• There are a total of 38 heritage sites in India.
• Every year, 18th April is celebrated Worldwide as World Heritage Day to create awareness about Heritage among communities.Thetheme of World Heritage Day 2020 is “Shared Culture’, ‘Shared heritage’ and ‘Shared responsibility”.