Current Affairs Quiz , 20 May 2020

1) Arabian Sea is comparatively less prone to cyclonic storms than Bay of Bengal. Which among the following is not a reason for it?

a) Temperature
b) Salinity
c) Location
d) None of the above

Answer: d
• Temperature: BOB is hotter than Arabian sea. Hot water temperature is the basic criteria for the development & intensification of cyclones.
• Salinity: Arabian sea has higher salinity than BOB. It’s easier to heat & simultaneously evaporate water having lower salinity.
• Location: The typhoons originating in the Pacific Ocean too influences the cyclones in BOB, not the case in Arabian Sea.
• Movement of the cyclones: According to IMD cyclones originating in Arabian Sea are believed to move northwest. So they actually move away from Indian mainland.
• Inflow of River water: The Bay receives higher rainfall and constant inflow of fresh water from the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers. This means that the Bay’s surface water keeps getting refreshed, making it impossible for the warm water to mix with the cooler water below, making it ideal for a depression.

2) Around 6 cities were given 5-star rating under Garbage-free star rating for the cities in India. It is released by

a) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
b) Niti Aayog
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) Neither (a) and (b)

Answer: a
• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has announced the results of garbage-free star rating for the cities.

3) India and US under the Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) agreed to develop vaccine for

a) COVID 19
b) SARS
c) MERS
d) AIDS

Answer: a
• In the context of the current pandemic, India and US under the Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) are planning to collaborate on the development and testing of vaccine candidates and diagnostics for Covid-19

4) Human Resources Development Ministry recently launched an AI-powered mobile App called National Test Abhyas for upcoming exams such as JEE Main, NEET, etc. It is developed by

a) National Testing Agency (NTA)
b) National Informatics Centre (NIC)
c) Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD)
d) Both (a) and (b)

Answer: a
• The AI-powered mobile App has been developed by National Testing Agency (NTA) to enable candidates to take mock tests for upcoming exams such as JEE Main, NEET under the NTA’s purview.Launched by Human Resources Development Ministry recently.

5) Solar minimum is a regular part of sunspot cycle where sun will be devoid of any solar spots. The duration of one entire cycle is

a) 100 years
b) 10 years
c) 11 years
d) 16 years

Answer: c
• Every 11 years or so, sunspots fade away, bringing a period of relative calm. This is called the solar minimum. And it’s a regular part of the sunspot cycle.