Sunday 6 November 2011

STOCK EXCHANGE, COMMODITY EXCHANGE RELATED TERMS

   Arbitration :-
        Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism provided by a stock exchange for resolving disputes between the trading members and their clients in respect of trades done on the exchange.
            Barcode Labelling :-
         A Barcode is a printed code that consists of a series of vertical bars, which vary in thickness. Barcodes are capable of being ‘read’ and decoded by barcode scanners. They are used in various industries as application tools. They are used to identify retail sales items, identification cards, library books and other products. They are also utilised to manage work in progress, to track documents and for many other automated identification applications.
            Basis Point (bps) :-
        One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.
            Book Building :-
         A process used to ascertain and record the indicative subscription bids of interested investors to a planned issue of securities. The advantages of this technique of obtaining advance feedback, are that it results in optimal pricing and removes uncertainty regarding mobilisation of funds.
            Book Value :-
        Book value is the net worth that comprises of equity capital plus reserves and surplus minus accumulated losses divided by the number of shares outstanding as rendered in the latest annual report of a company. The book value of an equity share tends to increase as the ratio of reserves and surplus to the paid-up equity capital increases.
     Calendar Spread :-
       This is done between futures contracts. The investor buys the near month contract (ex. October gold) when prices rise or sell the positions in the near months and purchase the forward months contracts. This trading is popular in gold, soya, silver, crude, chana, urad, jeera and chilli.
            CDs :-
         A Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a negotiable promissory note issued by the banks and the Financial Institutions (FIs) with a maturity date of upto a year. It is secure in nature and issued at a discount to the face value (the redemption to investors takes place at the face value).  
            Collateralised Borrowings Lending Obligation (CBLO) :-
        Collateralised Borrowings Lending Obligation (CBLO) is a money market instrument for borrowing against the securities, held in custody by the Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) for the amount lent.
            Commodity Exchange :-
        Like stock exchanges in capital markets, a commodity exchange is an association or a company or any other body corporate that is organising futures trading in commodities. The new generation National-level exchanges have been set up in a corporatised/demutualised environment. There are three nationally recognised commodity exchanges in India and 22 regional exchanges. The National exchanges are Multi Commodities Exchange of India (MCX) in Mumbai, National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange of India (NCDEX) and National Multi Commodities Exchange (NMCE).       
           Commodity:
        A commodity is a product having commercial value that can be produced, bought, sold and consumed. It is normally in a basic raw unprocessed state. But products derived from primary sector and structured products are also traded at these exchanges. In India, the list includes previous metals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, spices, pulses, plantation crops, sugar and other soft commodities.
 
            Trading done in the Commodity Exchanges:
        Like the stock market online trading system, commodity exchanges are also typically on the online trading system. It is an order-driven, transparent trading platform, which is reachable to the various participants through the Internet, VSAT and leased line modes operated by members or sub-brokers spread around country.
            Demutualisation :-
      It essentially means segregating the trading rights to member brokers from the ownership and management of the exchanges. It aims at curbing the clout of member-brokers in running the exchanges.
            Due Diligence :-
      An internal audit of a target firm by an acquiring firm. Offers are often made contingent upon resolution of the due dilengence process.
            Exchange Rate :-
        Just as the price of any asset, the exchange rates is the price at which you can buy that currency. If at any given rate, the demand for a currency is greater (lesser) than its supply, its price will r
ise (fall).
            What makes currency rates move ?
       The exchange rate reflects the strength of an economy in terms of its growth performance, balance of payments etc. as well as economic expectations that drive the ‘market sentiment’ and how much the market has reacted or ‘discounted’ the anticipated information.
            Are exchange rates entirely market-determined ?
        Under the current managed float regime, most currencies, including India, let their rates fluctuate according to market forces. But if a currency appears to be ‘overvalued’ or ‘undervalued’ by the market or if rate movements are significantly adversely affecting an economy’s macroeconomic performance, then Central banks intervene to depreciate (or appreciate) their currency. Exchange rates also move on expectations of change in regulations relating to exchange markets and official intervention. In India, the Reserve Bank’s basic philosophy is a flexible one, without any particular ‘target’ for the rupee’s rate. With a broad objective to avoid excessive volatility, facilitate growth of Indian exports and generate confidence among overseas investors.
                    Futures contract :-
      Futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell a specified quantity and defined quality of a commodity at a certain time in future at a price agreed upon at the time of entering into the contract. This is typically traded at regulated commodity exchanges. 
            Futures and options :-
       A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell an underlying asset at a certain time in the future at a certain price. It has a standardised date and month of delivery, quantity and price.
   An option gives the buyer the right but not the obligation to buy the underlying asset. A futures contract on the other hand is obligatory on both the buyer and the seller is a transaction between the buyer and seller to buy or sell an asset at an agreed price at a future date. This is a common feature of options trading in shares, stocks and commodities.
            Geographic Information Systems (GIS) :-
       The GIS are computer systems used to store and process geographic data. The GIS scores over other data management systems in its ability to present spatial relationships in a digital map form that is easy to visualise and understand. Data is the central resource of a GIS system. The GIS systems process two kinds of data-spatial and attribute. Spatial data gives the geographic location of a point of interest (e.g. railway station, school, bank branch, the ATM etc). Attribute data contains other characteristics of that point of interest.
 
            Hot Money :-
    Money that moves across country borders in response to interest rate differences and that moves away when the interest rate differential disappears.
            Independent Director :-
          An independent Director is a non-executive Director on the board of a company who has integrity, expertise and independence to balance the interests of the various stakeholders. The idea of having them is to bring objectivity to the board decisions and to protect general interests of the company, including that of the minority and the small shareholders. The independent Directors are expected to improve the corporate governance in a company.
            Who cannot be an independent Director in a listed company ?
        According to the SEBI, having a ‘pecuniary’ relationship with the company or its arms, other than receiving the Director’s remuneration, is a disqualification. The independent Director must not be related to the promoters or anyone in the senior management position from one level below the board. He should not have been an executive of the company or of its audit, consulting or legal firms in the past three financial years.
            Which listed entities are outside the scope of the revised Clause 49 ?
         The Clause will apply to the listed entities which are not companies but body corporates such as the private and the PSU banks, the Financial Institutions (FIs) and the insurance companies, only to the extent that it does not violate the laws governing them. Revised Clause 49 does not apply to mutual funds.
           
            Inter-exchange arbitrage :-
        This is popular among liquid commodities like gold and silver, where the arbitrage can take place between the Indian exchanges and the foreign exchanges, where contract specifications are similar.
            Interest Rate Swaps (IRS) :-
        Interest Rate Swaps (IRS) are Over-The-Counter (OTC) products that involve an exchange of cash flows between the two counter parties at pre-determined specifications wherein the fixed rate interest payments are exchanged for floating rate payments.
            Islamic Banking :-
        It is banking practiced as per the Islamic principles as prescribed in the ‘shariah’ known as ‘Fiqh al-Muamalat’ (Islamic rules on transaction). The Islamic law prohibits interest on both the loans and the deposits. Interest is also called ‘riba’ in Islamic discourse. The argument against interest is that money is not good and profit should be earned on goods and services only and not on control of money itself.
            What are the different products offered ?
        Investment finance is offered by these banks through ‘Musharka’, where a bank participates as a Joint Venture (JV) partner in a project and shares the profits and losses. Investment finance is also offered through ‘Mudabha’, where the banks contribute the finance and the client provides the expertise, management and labour and the profits are shared in a pre-arranged proportion, while the loss is borne by the bank.
            Where is it practised ?
        Islamic banks have come into being since the early 70s. There are nearly 30 Islamic banks all over the world, from Africa, Europe to Asia and Australia and are regulated even within the conventional banking system.
            Kaizen :-
        Kaizen comes from two words : Kai, which means ‘to change’ and zen, which means ‘good or for the better’. Together, the words mean continuous change for the better. It is not just a philosophy of the workplace, it also means continuously improving in every facet of life, including business, industry, commerce Government and diplomacy, among others. In full implementation, it becomes the foundation of all activities. Kaizen requires everyone in the organisation to be involved in the improvement process executives, management, supervisors and workers.
            Letter of Offer :-
         A Letter of Offer is a document addressed to the shareholders of the target company containing disclosures of the acquirer/Persons Acting in Concert (PACs), target company, their financials, justification of the offer price, the offer price, number of shares to be acquired from the public, purpose of acquisition, future plans of acquirer, if any, regarding the target company, change in control over the target company, if any, the procedure to be followed by acquirer in accepting the shares tendered by the shareholders and the period within which all the formalities pertaining to the offer will be completed. 
           
            Merchant Banker :-
        An intermediary who provides various financial services, other than lending money, such as managing public issues, underwriting new issues, arranging loan syndications and giving advice on portfolio management, financial restructuring, mergers and acquisitions.
            Mid-cap stock :-
         The name 'mid-cap' originates from the term medium capitalised. It is based on the market capitalisation of the stock. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) defines the mid-cap as stocks whose average six months' market capitalisation is between Rs.75 crore and Rs.750 crore. In the US, the midcap shares are those stocks that have a market capitalisation ranging from Rs.9,000 crore to Rs.45,000 crore. In India, these shares are classified as large-cap shares.
            MIFOR :-
       MIFOR is an interest rate derivative, which is calculated by adding dollar London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rates with the rupee-dollar forward premia. The MIFOR rate is hence, the borrowing cost from overseas. It is utilised to hedge against the movement of global interest rates. LIBOR is the term money benchmark for the Euro-dollar market.
            Net worth :-
       Net worth is the difference between the total assets and total liabilities.
            Participatory Notes (PNs) :-
       Participatory Notes (PNs) are a derivative instrument issued by the FIIs to their overseas clients, who are not registered with the Indian regulators.
            Plea Bargaining :-
         Plea Bargaining is the import of principles of contract into criminal law.
 
            Penny Stocks :-
        Penny stocks is a term used to define cheaply available stocks of typically loss-making companies. Penny stock is used in the context of general equities. The stocks that typically sell for less than $1 share, although it may rise to as much as $10/share after the Initial Public Offering (IPO), usually because of heavy promotion.
            Podcasting :-
          A term based on the name of Apple’s portable media player, allows customers to download audio and now video segments for free, to their computers and portable devices.
            Profit Booking :-
        Selling shares when their prices have risen above their purchase price.
            Profit taking :-
        Selling commodities, securities etc. at a profit, either after a market rise or because they show a profit at current levels but will not do so if an expected fall in prices occurs.
           
            Settlement :-
         Settlement refers to the import of principles of contract into civil or administrative law.
            The Cash and Carry Arbitrage :-
        This is the easiest form of arbitrage, where the investor has to buy the commodity in the spot market and sell it in the futures market. This is largely successful in gold and silver and is also popular among various agricultural commodities.
            The Price Earning ratio (P/E ratio) :-
         The P/E ratio is the ratio between the Market Price of the Share (MPS) and the Earning Per Share (EPS). This ratio tells us how many times the market price of the shares is vis-à-vis its earning per share.

IBPS CLERKS EXAM GENERAL STUDIES PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. We read in the newspapers about the deregulation of the pricing of petroleum products by the Government of India. Consider the following outcomes of the above step:
A This will make petroleum products prices cheaper and the pricing system will become more transparent.
B. This will improve the financial health of the country's Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and contribute to fiscal consolidation
C. This will end the subsidy on petroleum products.
Which of the above statements holds correct?
a. Only A         
b. Only B         
c. Only B and C                       
d. Only A and C                      
e. None of these 
 
2. Which of the following committees has given its recommendations on "Financial inclusion"?
a. Vaghul Committee  
b. Raghuram Rajan Committee                      
 c. Rakesh Mohan Committee               
d. Kelkar Committee       
e. None of these
 
3. The agricultural census is done at which of the following intervals?          
a. There is no fixed term                      
b. Every year               
c. Once in 3 years        
d. Once in 10 years      
e. Once in 5 years
 
4. Development of watershed and dry land farming is the part of which of the following points of the Twenty point Programe of the Government of India?
a. Kisan Mitra              
b. Khadya Suraksha                 
c. Garibi Hatao                        
d. Jan Shakti                
e. None of these
 
5. The high rate growth of economy certainly reduces
a. Gender inequalities                          
b. Poverty                    
c. Population of a county                     
d. Flow of foreign investment                   
e. None of these

6.  In economic, it is generally believed that the main objective of a public sector financial company, like bank is to
a. Employ more and more people
b. Maximise total profits
c. Maximise total production
d. Provide financial services to the people across the country
e.  Sell goods at subsidized 
 
7. Whenever the RBI does some Open Market Operation transaction, it actually wishes to regulate which of the following?
a. Inflation only                                         
b. Liquidity in economy    
c. Borrowing powers of the banks       
d. Flow of foreign direct investment
e. None of these
 
8. What is Repo Rate?
a. It is the rate at which RBI sells government securities to banks.
b. It is the rate at which banks borrow rupees from RBI.
c. It is the rate at which RBI allows small loans in the market
d. It is the rate which is offered by banks to their most valued customers or prime customers
e. None of these
 
9. In a company, the use of price-sensitive corporate information by the company people to make gains or cover losses is known as
a. Insider trading          
b. Future trading          
c. Foreign trading         
d.  Stock trading                        
e. None of these
 
10. As per the instructions of the RBI, banks are required to give what percentage of their priority sector lending to weaker sections of the society?
a.15%              
b.25% .                        
c. 30%             
d. 35%                         
e. 40%

11. The process of the total valuation of the financial assets of a company is technically known as ' :
a. Market capitalization                        
b. Gross Domestic Product                  
c. Net wealth of the country    
d. Gross Domestic Resources    
e. None of these
 
12. Many a time, we read about rural indebtedness in various newspapers and magazines. What are the main causes of the rural indebtedness?
A  Poverty                  
B. Inability to repay loans                                                                                 
C. Zamindari System, which prevented farmers from owning the land
a. Only A        
b. Only B         
c. Both A and B                       
d. Only C         
e. All of these
 
13. Very often we read about Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in newspapers. What is the purpose of promoting SEZs in India?
A. They are established to promote exports.               
B. They are established to attract investments from foreign countries.
C They are established to help the poorest of the poor in India as the activities of these zones are reserved only for the poor and those living below the poverty line.
a. Only A         
b. Only B         
c. Only C         
d. Only A and B                      
e. None of these
 
14. Which of the following is the percentage up to which FDI in defence sector is allowed?
a. 26%                         
b.41%              
c. 31%             
d.49%                         
e. None of these
 
15. The maximum amount of the total revenue earned by the Government of India comes from
a. Income Tax              
b. Customs Duty          
c. Excise Duty                         
d. Value Added Tax                
e. Corporate Tax
 
16. Which public sector bank celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in late 2010?
a. Dena Bank               
b. Bank of Maharashtra                       
c. Bank of Baroda       
d. Canara Bank                        
e.  None of these
 
17. Which of the following is not among the six infrastructure industries that comprise the "Core Sector"?
a. Crude oil                  
b. Petroleum refinery products                        
c. Chemicals and fertilizers      
d. Coal 
e.  All the above
 
18. Who among the following will the chairperson of the committee set up by the RBI on "Customer Services in Banks"?
a. YV Reddy                
b. Deepak Prakash                   
c. M Damodaran          
d. Subbarao                 
e. None of these
 
19. Which of the following is the full form of 'BRA" as used in banking industry?
a. Brazilian and Russian Association   
b. Banking Restructuring Act   
c. Borrowing Risk Assessment 
d. Banking Regulation Act                         
e. None of these
 
20. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has decided to allow _____ to visit SEBI Bhavan to help them learn about the capital market regulator. .
a. Students                   
b. Foreign investors                 
c. Tourists d. Press                   
d. Press            
e. None of these

21. Which state government has announced to undertake a detailed census of cancer patients in the state?
a. Delhi            
b. Haryana                   
c. Punjab          
d. Orissa          
e. None of these
 
22. The Central Government has revised wages of agricultural labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment. The basic wage is revised once in
a. 2 Years        
b. 3 Years        
c. 4 Years        
d. 5 Years        
e. None of these
 
23. Which of the following cannot be called a Debt Instrument as referred in financial transactions?
a. Certificate of Deposits         
b. Bonds                      
c. Stocks                      
d. Commercial Papers  
e. Loans
 
24. Which of the following correctly describes sub-prime lending?
A. Lending to people with less than ideal credit status
B. Lending to people who are valued customers of the banks
C. Lending to those who are not regular customers of a bank
a. Only A         
b. Only B         
c. Only C         
d. Only A and B                      
e. None of these
 
25. Which of the following services provided by a bank in India is not liable for taxation for Service Tax as per existing laws?
a. Safe Deposit Lockers                                               
b. Merchant Banking Services             
c. Credit cards  
d. Discount earned on certain discounted bills        
e. None of these
 
26. For the revival of which of the following fertilizer units of the Fertilizer Corporation of India has the Steel Authority of India Limited been the given the go-ahead by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) recently?
a. Burnpur                   
b. Sindri           
c. Rourkela                  
d. Bhilai           
e. None of these
 
27. According to the latest figures released by the Commerce Ministry. What Is the percentage growth of India's exports durina 2010 -11?
a.46.%                         
b.45.7 %          
c. 52 %                                    
d. 56.9 %         
e. None of these 
 
28. Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body of the Department of Telecom has permitted Imposition of a uniform licence fee of _______ on all telecom operators.
a. 6%               
b. 6.6%            
c. 8.5%                        
d.10%              
e. None of these
 
29. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed to create regulations for alternative investment funds under the title 'SEBI (Alternative Investment Fund) Regulations'. With regard to this proposal, which of the following is/are not true?
a. SEBI made it optional for all types of private pools of capital or investment funds to seek registration with SEBI.
b. For PE funds, investments would be mainly in unlisted companies or companies proposed to be listed.
c. For infrastructure equity funds, minimum half of the investment would, have to be in equity of infrastructure projects/companies.
d. Only 1 and 2
e. None of these
 
30. Name the sports channel that has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights for Euro 2012 in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives) for `100 crore.
a. ESPN           
b. DD Sports                
c. Neo Sports               
d. Ten Sports         
e. None of these
 
31. NASA scientists have recently announced that they have found the first evidence of flowing water on which of the following planets.
a. Mars             
b. Jupiter                      
c. Mercury                   
d. Venus          
e. None of these
 
32. Italy approved a draft law banning women from wearing veils in public. Besides Italy which of the following nations have banned women from wearing veil in public?
a. India and Pakistan                
b. China and Afghanistan        
c. Belgium and France                                      
d. Bangladesh and Bhutan           
e. None of these
 
33. The Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council headed by C Rangarajan has submitted its report on economy-"The Economic Outlook and the Review". Who among the following is not a member of it?
a. Suman K Bery         
b. Dr Sumitra Chaudhary         
c. M Govinda Rao       
d. BB Bhattacharya      
e. Dr KP Krishnan 
 
34. Which of the following departments of the Government of India has initiated the Public Bicycle Scheme for 10 cities under the Mission for Sustainable Habitat?
a. Rural Development Ministry                        
b. Urban Development Ministry                      
c. Environment Ministry 
d. Surface Transport Ministry                  
e. None of these
 
35. After allegations of bio-piracy complaints against US based multinational Monsanto with regard to Bt brinjal, for the hybrid research of which of the folio wing vegetable products is the National Biodiversity Authority of India (NBA) processing Monsanto's application?
a. Cauliflower              
b. Bittergourd               
c. Cabbage                   
d. Potato          
e. Onion
 
36. Consider the following negative impacts on the Indian economy in the context of the ongoing US debt crisis:
A. Adverse impact on Indian exports             
B. RBI will be forced to cut down interest rates
C. FDI flow will slow down.
a. Only A                     
b. Only A and B                                  
c. Only A and C           
d. All A, B and C         
e. None of the above
 
37. Name the Indian executive in the global credit rating agency Standard and Poor's under whose leadership the decision of the historic credit downgrade of the United States was taken and later he was forced to step down.
a. Sanjay Saini             
b. Karan Bhagat           
c. Rajat Gupta              
d. Devesh Sharma                    
e. None of these
 
38. Who has written the book The Financial inclusion: Imperative and Sustainable Approaches?'
a. Deepali Pant Joshi                
b. C Rangarajan           
c. M Damodaran          
d. Amartya Sen.                       
e. None of these
 
39. Who is the author of the book Last Man In Tower?
a. Jhumpa Lahiri          
b. Samit Basu               
c. Aravind Adiga         
d. Amit Chaudhary                  
e. None of these
 
40. Goldman Sachs; citing improvement in macroeconomic situation, has recently upgraded India's rating from 'underweight' to
a. Overweight                          
b. Market weight          
c. In-line                      
d. Underperformer       
e. Market outperformer

41. In which of the following states did the Sadar Hills District hood Demand Committee (SHDDC) recently impose an economic blockade in pursuance of their demand for a separate district?
a. Manipur       
b. Meghalaya               
c. Tripura         
d. Assam          
e. Arunachal Pradesh
 
42. In which of the following public sector companies has     the government recently offloaded its stake to mop up revenue to the tune of Rs.1,144 crores?
a. Indian Oil Corporation         
b. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited         
c. Power Finance Corporation  
d. Hindustan Copper             
e. None of these
 
43. What is the revenue target from disinvestment in Central  public sector enterprises set in the Union Budget 2011-12?
a. Rs. 40,000 crore           
b. Rs. 50,000 crore           
c. Rs. 70,000 crore                       
d. Rs. 90,000 crore                      
e. None of these
 
44. In which of the following Western countries did large scale rioting take place in predominantly African and Caribbean neighbourhoods recently?
a. France          
b. Germany                  
c. Italy             
d. England       
e. None of these
 
45. PC Alexander, who died recently, was a veteran
a. Bureaucrat               
b. Nuclear scientist                  
c. Educationist                         
d. Environmentalist      
e. None of these
 
46. Who is the chairman of the National Commission for       Scheduled Castes?
a. Justice KG Balakrishnan      
b. Wajahat Habibullah             
c. Justice MN Rao        
d. PL Punia      
e. None of these
 
47. Justice Soumitra Sen, against whom impeachment proceedings have been initiated in the Parliament, is the judge of
a. Sikkim High Court               
b. Kamataka High Court                      
c. Calcutta High Court                                      
d. Guwahati High Court               
e. None of these
 
48. Name the chief of the three-member interlocution team on Kashmir which is to submit its report to the government shortly.
a. NM Ansari               
b. Rdha Kumar                        
c. Dileep Padgaonkar               
d. Karan Singh             
e. None of these
 
49. Who is the author of the book Through the Corridors of Power: Insider Story?
a. HNHaksar                
b. Brijesh Mishra         
c..CP Bhambhri                       
d. Kuldip Nayar                                  
e. PC Alexander
 
50 Which of the following states provides the Vishwakarma Contributory Pension Scheme to the labourers of 20 trades of the unorganized sector?
a. Uttar Pradesh           
b. Punjab         
c. Madhya Pradesh      
d. Bihar                       
e..Rajasthan
 
ANSWERS:
 
1. b        2. b      3. e      4. a   5. b     6.  d   7.  b    8.  b    9.  a   10. a                          
11. a   12. e    13. d   14. a   15. c    16. b    17. c    18. c    19. d   20. a                          
21. c    22. d   23. c    24. a   25. c    26. b    27. d   28. c    29. c    30. c                           
31. a   32. c    33. d   34. b    35. e    36. c    37. d   38. a   39. c    40. b                           
41. a   42. c    43. a   44. d   45. a   46. d   47. c    48. c    49. e    50. e         

Saturday 5 November 2011

Human Development Report 2011

The 2011 Report—Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All—released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on November 2, 2011, notes that Norway, Australia and the Netherlands lead the world in the 2011 Human Development Index (HDI), while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Burundi are at the bottom of the Human Development Report’s annual rankings of national achievement in health, education and income.

The United States, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Germany and Sweden round out the top 10 countries in the 2011 HDI, but when the Index is adjusted for internal inequalities in health, education and income, some of the wealthiest nations drop out of the HDI’s top 20: the United States falls from #4 to #23, the Republic of Korea from #15 to #32, and Israel from #17 to #25.

Gender Inequality Index ranks India at 129 and Inequality Adjusted HDI rank is 93.

The 2011 HDI covers a record 187 countries and territories, up from 169 in 2010, reflecting in part improved data availability for many small island states of the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The 2011 Report also notes that income distribution has worsened in most of the world, with Latin America remaining the most unequal region in income terms, even though several countries, including Brazil and Chile, are narrowing internal income gaps. Yet in overall IHDI terms, including life expectancy and schooling, Latin America is more equitable than sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

To assess income distribution, as well as varying levels of life expectancy and schooling within national populations, the IHDI uses methodology developed by the renowned British economist Sir Anthony Barnes Atkinson.

Average HDI levels have risen greatly since 1970—41 percent globally and 61 percent in today’s low-HDI countries—reflecting major overall gains in health, education and income. The 2011 HDI charts progress over five years to show recent national trends: 72 nations moved up in rank from 2006 to 2011, led by Cuba (+10 to #51), Venezuela and Tanzania (+7 each to #73 and #152, respectively), while another 72 fell in rank, including Kuwait (-8 to #63) and Finland (-7 to #22).

The 10 countries that place last in the 2011 HDI are all in sub-Saharan Africa: Guinea, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Chad, Mozambique, Burundi, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Gender Inequality Index (GII) shows that Sweden leads the world in gender equality, as measured by this composite index of reproductive health, years of schooling, parliamentary representation, and participation in the labour market. Sweden is followed in the gender inequality rankings by the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Germany, Singapore, Iceland and France.

Yemen ranks as the least equitable of the 146 countries in the GII, followed by Chad, Niger, Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Central African Republic and Sierra Leone.

The Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) examines factors at the family level—such as access to clean water and cooking fuel and health services, as well as basic household goods and home construction standards—that together provide a fuller portrait of poverty than income measurements alone.

Some 1.7 billion people in 109 countries lived in ‘multi-dimensional’ poverty in the decade ending in 2010, by the MPI calculus, or almost a third of the countries’ entire combined population of 5.5 billion. That compares to the 1.3 billion people estimated to live on US$1.25 a day or less, the measure used in the UN Millennium Development Goals, which seeks to eradicate “extreme” poverty by 2015.

Niger has the highest share of multi-dimensionally poor, at 92 percent of the population, followed by Ethiopia and Mali, with 89 percent and 87 percent, respectively. The 10 poorest nations as measured by the MPI are all in sub-Saharan Africa. But the largest group of multi-dimensionally poor is South Asian: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have some of the highest absolute numbers of MPI poor.

India has by far the largest number of multi-dimensionally poor, according to the Report–612 million, more than half the country’s population, and larger than the total number of people measured according to the same criteria in all sub-Saharan countries.

The MPI also provides insight into environmental problems in the poorest households, including indoor air pollution and disease from contaminated water supplies. The Report notes that in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, more than 90 percent of the multi-dimensionally poor cannot afford clean cooking fuel, relying principally on firewood, while some 85 percent lack basic sanitation services.

The 2011 Human Development Report offers important new contributions to the global dialogue on this challenge, showing how sustainability is inextricably linked to basic questions of equity—that is, of fairness and social justice and of greater access to a better quality of life. Sustainability is not exclusively or even primarily an environmental issue, as the Report so persuasively argues. It is fundamentally about how we choose to live our lives, with an awareness that everything we do has consequences for the 7 billion of us here today, as well as for the billions more who will follow, for centuries to come.

Understanding the links between environmental sustainability and equity is critical if we are to expand human freedoms for current and future generations. The remarkable progress in human development over recent decades, which the global Human Development Reports have documented, cannot continue without bold global steps to reduce both environmental risks and inequality. The Report identifies pathways for people, local communities, countries and the international community to promote environmental sustainability and equity in mutually reinforcing ways.

In the 176 countries and territories where the United Nations Development Programme is working every day, many disadvantaged people carry a double burden of deprivation. They are more vulnerable to the wider effects of environmental degradation, because of more severe stresses and fewer coping tools. They must also deal with threats to their immediate environment from indoor air pollution, dirty water and unimproved sanitation. Forecasts suggest that continuing failure to reduce the grave environmental risks and deepening social inequalities threatens to slow decades of sustained progress by the world’s poor majority—and even to reverse the global convergence in human development.

Major disparities in power shape these patterns. New analysis shows how power imbalances and gender inequalities at the national level are linked to reduced access to clean water and improved sanitation, land degradation and deaths due to indoor and outdoor air pollution, amplifying the effects associated with income disparities. Gender inequalities also interact with environmental outcomes and make them worse. At the global level governance arrangements often weaken the voices of developing countries and exclude marginalized groups.

Yet, there are alternatives to inequality and un-sustainability. Growth driven by fossil fuel consumption is not a prerequisite for a better life in broader human development terms. Investments that improve equity—in access, for example, to renewable energy, water and sanitation, and reproductive healthcare—could advance both sustainability and human development. Stronger accountability and democratic processes, in part through support for an active civil society and media, can also improve outcomes. Successful approaches rely on community management, inclusive institutions that pay particular attention to disadvantaged groups, and cross-cutting approaches that coordinate budgets and mechanisms across government agencies and development partners.

The financing needed for development—including for environmental and social protection— will have to be many times greater than current official development assistance. Today’s spending on low-carbon energy sources, for example, is only 1.6 percent of even the lowest estimate of need, while spending on climate change adaptation and mitigation is around 11 percent of estimated need. Hope rests on new climate finance. While market mechanisms and private funding will be vital, they must be supported and leveraged by proactive public investment. Beyond raising new sources of funds to address pressing environmental threats equitably, the Report advocates reforms that promote equity and voice. Financing flows need to be channelled towards the critical challenges of un-sustainability and inequity— and not exacerbate existing disparities.

Human development, which is about expanding people’s choices, builds on shared natural resources. Promoting human development requires addressing sustainability—locally, nationally and globally—and this can and should be done in ways that are equitable and empowering, says the Report.

The environmental disaster scenario leads to a turning point before 2050 in developing countries—their convergence with rich countries in HDI achievements begins to reverse. These projections suggest that in many cases the most disadvantaged people bear and will continue to bear the repercussions of environmental deterioration, even if they contribute little to the problem. For example, low HDI countries have contributed the least to global climate change, but they have experienced the greatest loss in rainfall and the greatest increase in its variability, with implications for agricultural production and livelihoods.

Around the world rising HDI has been associated with environmental degradation. Countries with faster improvements in the HDI have also experienced faster increases in carbon dioxide emissions per capita. These changes over time—rather than the snapshot relationship—highlight what to expect tomorrow as a result of development today.

On the other hand, while incomes and economic growth have an important explanatory role for emissions, the relationship is not deterministic. And complex interactions of broader forces change the risk patterns. For example, international trade allows countries to outsource the production of goods that degrade the environment; large-scale commercial use of natural resources has different impacts than subsistence exploitation; and urban and rural environmental profiles differ.

Several countries have achieved significant progress both in the HDI and in equity and environmental sustainability. Sweden is notable for its high reforestation rate compared with regional and global averages.

More generally, however, environmental trends over recent decades show deterioration on several fronts, with adverse repercussions for human development, especially for the millions of people who depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods. Globally, nearly 40 percent of land is degraded due to soil erosion, reduced fertility and overgrazing. Land productivity is declining, with estimated yield loss as high as 50 percent in the most adverse scenarios. Agriculture accounts for 70–85 percent of water use, and an estimated 20 percent of global grain production uses water un-sustainably, imperilling future agricultural growth.

Deforestation is a major challenge. Between 1990 and 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa experienced the greatest forest losses, followed by the Arab States. The other regions have seen minor gains in forest cover. Desertification threatens the dry-lands that are home to about a third of the world’s people. Some areas are particularly vulnerable—notably Sub-Saharan Africa, where the dry-lands are highly sensitive and adaptive capacity is low.

Adverse environmental factors are expected to boost world food prices 30–50 percent in real terms in the coming decades and to increase price volatility, with harsh repercussions for poor households. The largest risks are faced by the 1.3 billion people involved in agriculture, fishing, forestry, hunting and gathering.

To the extent that women in poor countries are disproportionately involved in subsistence farming and water collection, they face greater adverse consequences of environmental degradation. Many indigenous peoples also rely heavily on natural resources and live in ecosystems especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as small, island developing States, arctic regions and high altitudes.

Evidence suggests that traditional practices can protect natural resources, yet such knowledge is often overlooked or downplayed. The effects of climate change on farmers’ livelihoods depend on the crop, region and season, underlining the importance of in-depth, local analysis. Impacts will also differ depending on household production and consumption patterns, access to resources, poverty levels and ability to cope. Taken together, however, the net biophysical impacts of climate change on irrigated and rain-fed crops by 2050 will likely be negative—and worst in low HDI countries.

The MPI measures serious deficits in health, education and living standards, looking at both the number of deprived people and the intensity of their deprivations. This year the report explores the pervasiveness of environmental deprivations among the multi-dimensionally poor and their overlaps at the household level, an innovation in the MPI.

The poverty-focused lens allows us to examine environmental deprivations in access to modern cooking fuel, clean water and basic sanitation, the report says. These absolute deprivations, important in themselves, are major violations of human rights. Ending these deprivations could increase higher order capabilities, expanding people’s choices and advancing human development.

In developing countries at least 6 people in 10 experience one of these environmental deprivations, and 4 in 10 experience two or more. These deprivations are especially acute among multi-dimensionally poor people, more than 9 in 10 of whom experience at least one. Most suffer overlapping deprivations: 8 in 10 multi-dimensionally poor people have two or more, and nearly 1 in 3 (29 percent) is deprived in all three. These environmental deprivations disproportionately contribute to multi-dimensional poverty, accounting for 20 percent of the MPI—above their 17 percent weight in the index. Across most developing countries deprivations are highest in access to cooking fuel, though lack of water is paramount in several Arab States.

Countries with the lowest share of poor people facing at least one deprivation are mainly in the Arab States and Latin American and the Caribbean (7 of the top 10). Of the countries with the fewest multi-dimensionally poor people with all three environmental deprivations, better performers are concentrated in South Asia—5 of the top 10. Several South Asian countries have reduced some environmental deprivations, notably access to potable water, even as other deprivations have remained severe. And five countries are in both top 10 lists—not only is their environmental poverty relatively low, it is also less intense.

The disease burden arising from indoor and outdoor air pollution, dirty water and unimproved sanitation is greatest for people in poor countries, especially for deprived groups. Indoor air pollution kills 11 times more people living in low HDI countries than people elsewhere. Disadvantaged groups in low, medium and high HDI countries face greater risk from outdoor air pollution because of both higher exposure and greater vulnerability. In low HDI countries more than 6 people in 10 lack ready access to improved water, while nearly 4 in 10 lack sanitary toilets, contributing to both disease and malnourishment. Climate change threatens to worsen these disparities through the spread of tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue fever and through declining crop yields.

Despite near universal primary school enrolment in many parts of the world, gaps remain. Nearly 3 in 10 children of primary school age in low HDI countries are not even enrolled in primary school, and multiple constraints, some environmental, persist even for enrolled children. Lack of electricity, for example, has both direct and indirect effects. Electricity access can enable better lighting, allowing increased study time, as well as the use of modern stoves, reducing time spent collecting fuel wood and water, activities shown to slow education progress and lower school enrolment.

Girls are more often adversely affected because they are more likely to combine resource collection and schooling. Access to clean water and improved sanitation is also especially important for girls’ education, affording them health gains, time savings and privacy.

Household environmental deprivations can coincide with wider environmental stresses, constricting people’s choices in a wide range of contexts and making it harder to earn a living from natural resources: people have to work more to achieve the same returns or may even have to migrate to escape environmental degradation.

Environmental stress has also been linked to an increased likelihood of conflict. The link is not direct, however, and is influenced by the broader political economy and contextual factors that make individuals, communities and society vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation.

The Gender Inequality Index (GII), updated this year for 145 countries, shows how reproductive health constraints contribute to gender inequality. This is important because in countries where effective control of reproduction is universal, women have fewer children, with attendant gains for maternal and child health and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, in Cuba, Mauritius, Thailand and Tunisia, where reproductive healthcare and contraceptives are readily available, fertility rates are below two births per woman. But substantial unmet need persists worldwide, and evidence suggests that if all women could exercise reproductive choice, population growth would slow enough to bring greenhouse gas emissions below current levels.

Meeting unmet need for family planning by 2050 would lower the world’s carbon emissions an estimated 17 percent below what they are today.

The GII also focuses on women’s participation in political decision-making, highlighting that women lag behind men across the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Arab States. This has important implications for sustainability and equity. Because women often shoulder the heaviest burden of resource collection and are the most exposed to indoor air pollution, they are often more affected than men by decisions related to natural resources. Recent studies reveal that not only is women’s participation important but also how they participate—and how much.

And because women often show more concern for the environment, support pro-environmental policies and vote for pro-environmental leaders, their greater involvement in politics and in non-governmental organizations could result in environmental gains, with multiplier effects across all the Millennium Development Goals.

These arguments are not new, but they reaffirm the value of expanding women’s effective freedoms. Thus, women’s participation in decision-making has both intrinsic value and instrumental importance in addressing equity and environmental degradation.

Evidence is accumulating that power inequalities, mediated through political institutions, affect environmental outcomes in a range of countries and contexts. This means that poor people and other disadvantaged groups disproportionately suffer the effects of environmental degradation. New analysis for the Report covering some 100 countries confirms that greater equity in power distribution, broadly defined, is positively associated with better environmental outcomes, including better access to water, less land degradation and fewer deaths due to indoor and outdoor air pollution and dirty water—suggesting an important scope for positive synergies.

The large disparities across people, groups and countries that add to the large and growing environmental threats pose massive policy challenges. But there is cause for optimism. In many respects the conditions today are more conducive to progress than ever—given innovative policies and initiatives in some parts of the world. Taking the debate further entails bold thinking, especially on the eve of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and the dawn of the post-2015 era. The Report advances a new vision for promoting human development through the joint lens of sustainability and equity.

A key theme of the Report is the need to fully integrate equity concerns into policies that affect the environment. Traditional methods of assessing environmental policies fall short. They might expose the impacts on the path of future emissions, for example, but they are often silent on distributive issues. Even when the effects on different groups are considered, attention is typically restricted to people’s incomes. The importance of equity and inclusion is already explicit in the objectives of green economy policies. The report proposes taking the agenda further.

Embedding environmental rights in national constitutions and legislation can be effective, not least by empowering citizens to protect such rights. At least 120 countries have constitutions that address environmental norms. And many countries without explicit environmental rights interpret general constitutional provisions for individual rights to include a fundamental right to a healthy environment.

Constitutionally recognizing equal rights to a healthy environment promotes equity by no longer limiting access to those who can afford it. And embodying this right in the legal framework can affect government priorities and resource allocations.

Alongside legal recognition of equal rights to a healthy, well functioning environment is the need for enabling institutions, including a fair and independent judiciary, and the right to information from governments and corporations. The international community, too, increasingly recognizes a right to environmental information.

Where governments are responsive to popular concerns, change is more likely. An environment in which civil society thrives also engenders accountability at the local, national and global levels, while freedom of press is vital in raising awareness and facilitating public participation.

The Report proposes an emphasis on four country-level sets of tools to take this agenda forward:
• Low-emission, climate-resilient strategies—to align human development, equity and climate change goals.
• Public-private partnerships—to catalyse capital from businesses and households.
• Climate deal-flow facilities—to bring about equitable access to international public finance.
• Coordinated implementation and monitoring, reporting and verification systems—to bring about long-term, efficient results and accountability to local populations as well as partners.

Finally, it calls for a high-profile, global Universal Energy Access Initiative with advocacy and awareness and dedicated support to developing clean energy at the country level. Such an initiative could kick-start efforts to shift from incremental to transformative change.

The Report casts light on the links between sustainability and equity and shows how human development can become more sustainable and more equitable. It reveals how environmental degradation hurts poor and vulnerable groups more than others.

GENERAL AWARENESS MCQs FOR BANK EXAMS


1. Equity schemes managed strong NAV gains, which boost their assets' was a news in some financial newspapers. What is the full form of the term NAV as used in above head lines ?
(A) Nil Accounting Variation
(B) Net Accounting Venture
(C) Net Asset Value
(D) New Asset Venture
(D) None of these
Ans : (C)

2. As per reports published in various news papers, mutual fund companies showed 94 per cent growth in their total profits during 2009-10. This means the profits earned by these companies were 94 percent—
(A) Of the total investments they made collectively during the year
(B) More than their profits during previous year
(C) Of the total capital of the company
(D) Less than the total expenditure of the companies
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)

3. As per the news published in various news papers Pakistan has imposed 15 per cent regulatory duty on exports of cotton yarn. Why countries are required to impose regulatory duties on exports of some of their commodities while in the eyes of the layman more exports means more foreign exchange and more revenue for the Govt. ?
1. It is done to control the exports of a commodity as it may be needed more in local markets than in foreign countries.
2. It is done to control the general inflation in the country as the inordinate exports of various commodities create imbalance and also cost push inflation.
3. It is a good short time measure to collect more revenue from the exports of the commodity which is in high demand in overseas markets.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

4. As per the reports published in some major news papers 'ADAG companies' made good profits during the year. ADAG companies are popularly known as—
(A) Companies owned by Tata Group
(B) Aditya Birla Companies
(C) Reliance companies
(D) Companies owned by Aptech
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

5. ONGC – Mittal Energy finds hydrocarbons in two blocks OPL-279 & OPL-285 in Nigerian sea was the news in some major news papers. what is the full form of the term OPL as used in the above head line ?
(A) Oil Prospecting License
(B) Ownership and Partnership Lease
(C) Overseas Private Line
(D) ONGC Petroleum Ltd.
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

6. "Mutual Funds reported exceptional performance in 2009-10" was the news in major financial news papers recently. What is a mutual fund ?
1. A type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many investors and invest it in stocks, bonds or other money market instruments.
2. It is a subsidiary of a bank or financial company created specially to ralse money to be invested in a particular industry i.e. housing or insurance etc. The money raised thus cannot be invested anywhere else.
3. When several banks and financial companies come together and create a common pool of money to fund
mega infrastructural project like bridges, roads, power plants etc. the common pool is known as Mutual Fund.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

7. As we all know the Bank Rate at present is fixed at 6%. What does it mean in context to the banking operations ?
(A) No bank will be able to give loan to any party on a rate lower than the Bank Rate
(B) Bank should give loan to their priority sector customers/borrowers at the rate of 6% only. They cannot charge less or more than this from their priority sector clients
(C) Banks are required to invest 6% of their total capital on financial inclusion and inclusive banking operations
(D) Banks will be required to give 6% of their total deposits to the Govt. of India for meeting its Balance of Trade requirements
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

8. As per the reports in various news papers many private companies are trying to obtain the licences to launch a banking company in India. Which of the following organizations/agencies issue the licence for the same ?
(A) Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
(B) Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (IIBF)
(C) Indian Bank Association
(D) Registrar of Companies
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

9. We very frequently read about Europe's Sovereign—debt crisis these day. Which of the following statement/s is/are true about the same ?
1. In early 2010 the Euro crisis developed in some countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal.
2. This created a credit default swap between the countries of the European Union.
3. SAARC countries have offered some assistance to some of severely affected countries like Portugal, Spain & Greece.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 2
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

10. As we all know the RBI has raised the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 25 bps. in April 2010. What action banks will have to take to implement the same ?
1. They will have to deposit some more money with the RBI as a reserved money.
2. Banks will be required to give some more loan to projects of the priority sector.
3. Banks will be required to give loan equivalent to the CRR to the Govt. of India for its day to day expenditure as and when required.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (A)

11. As per estimates given by the RBI the Economic Growth during the year 2010-11 will be at which of the following levels ?
(A) 6.5%
(B) 7%
(C) 7.5%
(D) 8%
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

12. Which of the following is/are correct about the RBI's credit policy announced in April 2010 ?
1. Repo rate raised by 25 bps.
2. A new reporting platform was introduced for secondary market transactions in Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and Commercial Papers (CPs).
3. Core Investment Companies (CICs) having an asset size of Rs. 100 crore are required to register also with the RBI.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

13. As per the announcement made by the RBI some Stock Exchanges in India are allowed to introduce Plain Vanilla Currency Options. The term Plain Vanilla Currency Options is associated with which of the following activities / operations ?
(A) Dollar – Rupee Exchange Rate
(B) Floating of Commercial Papers
(C) Launch of new mutual funds
(D) Deciding the opening price of a share on a particular business day
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

14. Which of the following is not a term related to banking/finance operations ?
(A) Provision Coverage Ratio
(B) Securitization
(C) Consolidation
(D) Commodification
(E) Derivatives
Ans : (C)

15. The process of "Artificial Application of Water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops", is technically known as—
(A) water harvesting
(B) irrigation
(C) water recharging
(D) percolation
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

16. As per the news published in major news papers/journals henceforth the Credit Card holders will be able to access their credit card information though automated interactive voice response system over the phone instead of speaking to the staff. This decision ofthe banks/credit card companies will provide—
1. an additional hurdle to the customers as people feel comfortable in talking to the staff instead of talking to a machine.
2. an additional security to the customers as this does not allow any staff to handle any transaction directly.
3. some comfort to the banks as they will be able to reduce their staff strength.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) Only 1 and 3
Ans : (B)

17. The 34th National Game which were postponed several times are scheduled to be held in which of the following states ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Kerala
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Uttar Pradesh
(E) Jharkhand
Ans : (E)

18. Waste Water generates which of the following gases which is more powerful and dangerous than CO2 ?
(A) Nitrogen
(B) Sulphur di-oxide
(C) Hydrogen
(D) Methane
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

19. Which of the following days was observed as World Water Day 2010 ?
(A) 20th June
(B) 22nd July
(C) 22nd March
(D) 20th May
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

20. Late Vinda Karandikar who died a few months back was a famous—
(A) Author
(B) Cine-Actor
(C) Sportsman
(D) Classical Singer
(E) Social Worker
Ans : (A)

21. As per the reports published recently the Govt. of India has decided to create a separate agency/body scrutinize all Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) officially. Up till now the security screening was
being done by the—
(A) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Govt. of India
(B) Reserve Bank of India
(C) Securities & Exchange Board of India
(D) Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India
(E) Ministry of Home Affairs Govt. of India
Ans : (E)

22. As per the news reports in various news papers the USA has outlined some major policy goals to prevent the danger of nuclear terrorism. Which of the following is/are included in those policy goals ?
1. Convene a nuclear security summit within a year's time under the leadership of the USA.
2. A new agreement/pact should be introduced in place of present Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
3. Call for a global effort to secure all nuclear weapons at all vulnerable sites all over the world.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 3
(D) Only 2 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (E)

23. 'Indira Gandhi Canal' which is around 450 km long provide irrigation facility mainly to which of the following states ?
(A) Punjab
(B) Haryana
(C) Madhya Pradesh
(D) Gujarat
(E) Rajasthan
Ans : (E)

24. Former caption of the Indian Cricket team, Ajit Wadekar is conferred which of the following awards for the year 2010 ?
(A) Bharat Ratna
(B) Khel Shri Award
(C) Dronacharya Award
(D) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

25. Who amongst the following is the director of the popular Hindi film "Oye Lucky ! Lucky Oye" ?
(A) Mani Ratnam
(B) David Dhavan
(C) Dibankar Banerjee
(D) R. Balakrishnan
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

26. India recently signed an agreement to import Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from a country which is the largest LNG producer and supplier of the world. Which is that country ?
(A) Kuwait
(B) Qatar
(C) Iran
(D) Saudi Arabia
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

27. As a measure to help countries hit by global financial meltdown the RBI has purchased notes worth US $ 10 billion in terms of Special Drawing Rights from a World Organisation/agency. Which is this agency/organization ?
(A) Federal Reserve of U.S.A.
(B) Asian Development Bank
(C) World Bank
(D) International Monetary Fund
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

28. Which of the following is not a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India ?
(A) Mazagaon Dock Ltd.
(B) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.
(C) Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
(D) Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
(E) Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.
Ans : (C)

29. Which of the following states won the senior National Women's Football Tournament 2010 ?
(A) Manipur
(B) Assam
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Kerala
(E) Delhi
Ans : (A)

30. Which of the following is not a missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) ?
(A) Shaurya
(B) Pinaka
(C) Brahmos
(D) Agni
(E) Nag
Ans : (A)

31. Which of the following declarations/treaties was adopted by the BRIC countries recently to promote Global Food Security ?
(A) Moscow Declaration
(B) Doha Treaty
(C) Delhi Declaration
(D) Kabul Treaty
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

32. Which of the following statements represent(s) the main objective(s) of the revised National Health Policy–2002 of the Govt. of India ?
1. Increase Public expenditure from 0•9 per cent to 2 per cent of the GDP.
2. Setting up of Medical Grants Commission for funding new Govt. Medical & Dental colleges.
3. Mandatory two years rural posting before awarding the degree to Medical Graduates.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (E)

33. Which of the following metals is used for genration of nuclear Energy by most of the Nuclear Power Plants ?
(A) Zinc
(B) Platinum
(C) Uranium
(D) Nickel
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)


34. Indus Water Treaty is a pact on sharing of river water between India and—
(A) Bangladesh
(B) Pakistan
(C) Nepal
(D) Afghanistan
(E) Myanmar
Ans : (B)

35. The Union Cabinet recently cleared Prohibition of unfair Practices in Technical Medical Educational Institutes and Universities Bill 2010. As per the bill which of the following will now be treated as a cognizable offence ?
(A) Accepting capitation fee from the students
(B) Running a private college
(C) Not allowing students to change their course in between
(D) Running a college without proper facilities
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

36. Which of the following is/are considered a Renewable Source of Energy ?
1. Wind Energy
2. Solar Energy
3. Nuclear Energy
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (D)

37. Which of the following countries is not amongst the top ten in industrial production in the world during 2010 ?
(A) India
(B) Iran
(C) China
(D) France
(E) U.S.A.
Ans : (B)

38. Commonwealth Games 2010 are being organized in which of the following countries ?
(A) Australia
(B) South Africa
(C) Canada
(D) New Zealand
(E) India
Ans : (E)

39. Which of the following is not a banking related term ?
(A) Radiation
(B) Outstanding amount
(C) Benchmark Prime Lending Rate
(D) Explicit Guarantee
(E) Creditor
Ans : (A)

40. Insurance service provided by various banks is commonly known as—
(A) Investment Banking
(B) Portfolio Management
(C) Merchant Banking
(D) Bancassurance
(E) Micro Finance
Ans : (D)

41. Who amongst the following has recently taken over as the Chairman of the 19th Law Commission ?
(A) Mr. A. R. Lakshmanan
(B) Mr. P. V. Reddy
(C) Mr. Yashwant Sinha
(D) Mr. Ranjan Bharti Mittal
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

42. Moortidevi Award is given for excellence in the field of—
(A) Classical dance
(B) Literature
(C) Classical music
(D) Cinematography
(E) Social service
Ans : (B)

43. Which of the following terms is used in the game of Cricket ?
(A) Love
(B) Tee
(C) Penalty stroke
(D) No Ball
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

44. Which of the following awards is given by an agency of the United Nations Organization ?
(A) Normon Borloug Award
(B) Kalinga Prize
(C) Ramon Magsaysay Award
(D) Pulitzer Prize
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

45. Which of the following countries won the Hockey World Cup 2010 ?
(A) Spain
(B) England
(C) India
(D) Australia
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

46. Who amongst the following is the author of the English novel 'solo', which was given Common Wealth Writers' Prize 2010 ?
(A) Aamer Hussain
(B) Jonathan Tel
(C) Rana Dasgupta
(D) John Torrence Tate
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

47. Mr. Surjit Patar who was awarded Saraswati Samman recently is a well known poet of—
(A) Hindi
(B) English
(C) Punjabi
(D) Urdu
(E) Bengali
Ans : (C)

48. Which of the following is the book written by Kiran Desai ?
(A) Higher than Everest
(B) A Passage to England
(C) Affluent Society
(D) All my Yester Years
(E) The Inheritance of Loss
Ans : (E)

49. Which of the following Trophies/cups is associated with the game of Hockey ?
(A) Durand Cup
(B) Santosh Trophy
(C) Rangaswami Cup
(D) Ranji Trophy
(E) K. D. Singh Babu Trophy
Ans : (C)

50. Sandra Bullock who was awarded Oscar recently is a famous—
(A) Actress
(B) Director
(C) Music Composer
(D) Screen play writer
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

Wednesday 2 November 2011

IBPS GENERAL AWARENESS SOLVED QUESTIONS


1. Which of the following statements about CHOGM 2011 is/are true?
1) The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011, commonly known as CHOGM 2011, was held in Perth, Australia in October 2011.
2) The 22nd Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations was chaired by Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister of Australia.
3) Hamid Ansari, the Vice President, represented India at the Summit.
4) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had threatened to boycott the 2013 CHOGM, to be held in Sri Lanka, if allegations of human rights abuses against the country's Tamil minority were not investigated.
5) All the statements are correct.

2. Muammar Qadhafi was killed in October 2011 in his hometown Sirte. He was the former leader of which of the following countries?
1) Tunisia
2) Egypt
3) Syria
4) Libya
5) Yemen

3. The Election Commission has disqualified Umlesh Yadav, an MLA from Uttar Pradesh, from contesting again for three years for suppressing expenditure (the amount spent for issuing the advertisements) in her election accounts. She is the first political victim of the paid news phenomenon. She was elected from which of the following political parties?
1) Rashtriya Janata Dal
2) Samajwadi Party
3) Rashtriya Parivartan Dal
4) Bharatiya Janata Party
5) Bahujan Samaj Party

4. Alain Juppe visited India in October 2011. He is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of which of the following countries?
1) Germany
2) Italy
3) United Kingdom
4) France
5) Spain

5. M.K.Mani has been honoured with the 40th Dhanvantari Award. In which of the following fields is this prestigious award given annually?
1) Print Journalism
2) Cinema
3) Architecture
4) Medical Science
 5) Literature

6. The South India's first metro rail service was started in which of the following cities in October 2011?
1) Chennai
2) Bangalore
3) Hyderabad
4) Cochin
5) None of these

7. Who is the Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC)?
1) Bimal Jalan
2) Suresh Tendulkar
3) C.Rangarajan
4) Y.V.Reddy
5) Montek Singh Ahluwalia

8. Shakti-2011 is a joint army exercise between India and which of the following countries? (It was conducted in Uttarakhand in October 2011)
1) Sri Lanka
2) France
3) USA
4) China
5) Philippines

9. Who won the National Chess title in Aurangabad in October 2011?
1) Abhijeet Gupta
2) Deepan Chakkravarthy
3) S.P.Sethuraman
4) M.R.Venkatesh
5) Vidit Gujarathi

10. Who has been honoured with the Presidential Citizens Medal by U.S. President Barack Obama for her courage in overcoming and speaking out against domestic abuse in the Indian-American community?
1) Kavya Lahiri
2) Vijaya Emani
3) Kalpana Sen
4) Anuradha Sen
5) None of these

11. Which English cricketer is the author of the book 'The Breaks are off-My Autobiography'?
1) Kevin Pietersen
2) Graeme Swann
3) Alastair Cook
4) Ian Bell
5) Andrew Strauss

12. Who made history by winning the inaugural Formula One Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida in October 2011?
1) Sebastian Vettel
2) Jenson Button
3) Fernando Alonso
4) Mark Webber
5) Michael Schumacher

13. Who was re-appointed the Commonwealth Secretary- General for four more years in October 2011?
1) Don McKinnon
2) Arnold Smith
3) Kamalesh Sharma
4) Shridath Ramphal
5) None

14. Who received "The Hindu Lite-rary Prize for Best Fiction 2011" for his/her debut novel "The Sly Company of People Who Care" in October 2011?
1) N.S.Madhavan
2) Rahul Bhattacharya
3) Amitav Ghosh
4) Anuradha Roy
5) None

15. Who is the author of the book 'The TCS Story…and Beyond'?
1) Ratan Tata
2) N.Chandrasekaran
3) S.Ramadorai
4) N.R.Narayana Murty
5) Nandan Nilekani

16. The National Development Council (NDC) meeting was held in New Delhi recently. Who is the Chairman of the NDC?
1) Manmohan Singh
2) P.Chidambaram
3) Pranab Mukherjee
4) Sonia Gandhi
5) Montek Singh Ahluwalia

17. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited India recently. He is the king of which of the following countries?
1) Nepal
2) Mauritius
3) Thailand
4) Bhutan
5) None of these

18. New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup in October 2011 after defeating which of the following countries in the final held in Auckland, New Zealand?
1) USA
2) UK
3) Canada
4) Australia
5) France

19. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is one of the three recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011. She is the President of which of the following countries?
1) Yemen
2) Liberia
3) Rwanda
4) Sudan
5) Kenya

20. Who is considered as the father of the white revolution in India?
1) M.S.Swaminathan
2) H.G. Khorana
3) U.R.Rao
4) Verghese Kurien
5) None

21. Which of the following terms is used in the game of hockey?
1) Deuce
2) Penalty Corner
3) LBW
4) No Ball
5) Back Hand

22. Which city hosted the 5th IBSA Summit in October 2011?
1) Cape Town
2) Durban
3) Pretoria
4) Johannesburg
5) Bloemfontein

23. Who among the following leaders did not attend the IBSA Summit in October 2011?
1) Dilma Rousseff
2) Jacob Zuma
3) Manmohan Singh
4) Dmitri Medvedev
5) None of these

24. Who among as following has been elected the President of Kyrgyzstan? (He is the present Prime Minister)
1) Adakhan Madumarov
2) Kamchibek Tashiyev
3) Almazbek Atambayev
4) Nursultan Nazarbayev
5) None of these

25. Who was presented the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration 2010 for his yeoman service in promoting and preserving the spirit of national integration on October 31, 2011, the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi?
1) Vijay Darda
2) Mohan Dharia
3) Jaipal Reddy
4) Pranab Mukherjee
5) A.K.Antony

26. Who headed the Committee on direct transfer of subsidies on Kerosene, LPG and Fertilizers to the beneficiaries?
1) Manmohan Singh
2) Pranab Mukherjee
3) C.Rangarajan
4) Nandan Nilekani
5) Montek Singh Ahluwalia

27. Which of the following programmes launched by the Government of India aims at enhancing the Livelihood security of the people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of employment in a financial year to a rural household?
1) JNNURM
2) ASHA
3) Kutir Jyoyhi
4) Bharat Nirman
5) MGNREGS

28. Which of the following is the period of the first Five Year Plan in India?
1) 1950-55
2) 1947-52
3) 1951-56
4) 1948-53
5) None of these

29. What is the name of the scheme that was launched by the Government of India for adolescent girls in November 2010?
1) ASHA
2) Swabhiman
3) Swawalamban
4) SABALA
5) Aadhar

30. PIIGS is an acronym for nations of which of the following continents?
1) Asia
2) Africa
3) Europe
4)South America
5) North America

31. Who among the following has never worked as RBI Governor?
1) C.Rangarajan
2) Bimal Jalan
3) Manmohan Singh
4) L.K.Jha
5) Yashwant Sinha

32. Which bank has taken over the Centurion Bank of Punjab?
1) ICICI Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) IDBI Bank
4) AXIS Bank
5) OBC

33. Which country is considered as the pioneer of Micro Finance?
1) India
 2) Pakistan
3) Bangladesh
4) Sri Lanka
5) China

Answers
1) 5 2) 4 3) 3 4) 4 5) 4 6) 2 7) 3 8) 2 9) 1 10) 2 11) 2 12) 1 13) 3 14) 2 15) 3 16) 1 17) 4 18) 5 19) 2 20) 4 21) 2 22) 3 23) 4 24) 3 25) 2 26) 4 27) 5 28) 3 29) 4 30) 3 31) 5 32) 2 33) 3