Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 18th & 19th April 2021

Correct Answer: C. Ben Stokes

Explanation: To perpetuate the 50th anniversary of the first One-Day International, five ODI cricketers of the decade have been listed in Wisden Almanack’s 2021 edition. One cricketer has been selected from each decade between 1971 and 2021, with the Indian captain been granted the award for the 2010s.

List of winners:

• India captain Virat Kohli Wisden Almanack’s ODI player of the 2010s.
• Sachin Tendulkar is the ODI Cricketer of the 1990s.
• Kapil Dev was named as the ODI Cricketer for the 1980s.
• England all-rounder Ben Stokes is ‘Leading Cricketer of the Year’.
• Australia’s Beth Mooney is ‘Leading Women’s Cricketer in the World’.
• West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard was adjudged the ‘Leading T20 Cricketer in the World’.
• Meanwhile, Jason Holder, Mohammed Rizwan, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, and Darren Stevens have been awarded the Wisden Cricketers of the Year 2021.

Correct Answer – E. Microsoft

Explanation: Microsoft has made its second-biggest acquisition after LinkedIn. The tech giant has bought AI speech tech firm Nuance for $19.7 billion. The move will help Microsoft’s prowess in voice recognition and will give it a boost in the health care market. Nuance is known for its Dragon software which helps to transcribe speech using deep learning. In 2016, Microsoft had purchased LinkedIn for $26 billion.

About the acquisition:

• The acquisition will combine solutions and expertise to deliver new cloud and AI capabilities across healthcare and other industries, and represent the latest step in Microsoft’s industry-specific cloud strategy.
• Nuance provides the AI layer at the healthcare point of delivery and is a pioneer in the real-world application of enterprise AI.
• Nuance’s products include multiple clinical speech recognition software as a service (SaaS) offerings built on Microsoft Azure. The firm’s solutions work with core healthcare systems, and are currently used in 77% of U.S. hospitals.

Important Points:

• Microsoft CEO: Satya Nadella;
• Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States;
• Nuance CEO: Mark D. Benjamin;
• Nuance Headquarters:  Massachusetts, United States;
• Nuance Founded: 1992, United States.

Correct Answer – B. Roberto Benigni

Explanation: Director Roberto Benigni will be receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, which runs from September 1 to 11. The organisers confirmed the news about the two-time Oscar-winning actor-director. The filmmaker had starred in and directed the holocaust comedy-drama film Life Is Beautiful (1997), for which he received the Academy Awards for Best Actor (the first for a non-English speaking male performance) and Best International Feature Film. He was last seen in Matteo Garrone’s live-action Pinocchio, for which he won a David di Donatello Award.

Correct Answer – D. 17 April

Explanation: World Hemophilia Day observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The date was chosen in honour of the World Federation of Hemophilia founder Frank Schnabel birthday. This year is the 30th edition of World Haemophilia Day.The theme for 2021 World Hemophilia Day is “Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world”. The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia.

What is Hemophilia?

It is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins /factors. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally.

Important Points:

• World Federation of Hemophilia Founder: Frank Schnabel.
• World Federation of Hemophilia Founded: 1963.
• World Federation of Hemophilia Headquarters location: Montreal, Canada.

Correct Answer – B. Afghanistan

Explanation: US President Joe Biden has announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, thus bringing to an end the country’s longest war, spanning across two decades.

Correct Answer – A. Singapore

Explanation: India was the host of the 30th BASIC ministerial meeting, chaired by environment minister Prakash Javadekar.At a time when the European Union is toying with the idea of ‘carbon border tax’ as part of its green push, the BASIC nations — Brazil, South Africa, India and China — have jointly opposed the move, saying such trade barrier would not only be discriminatory but also against the principles of equity under the Paris Agreement on climate change.The BASIC nations expressed concerns over the issue while discussing climate actions during the two-day ministerial meeting.

Correct Answer – B. ICICI Bank

Explanation: NITI Aayog launched the first-of-its-kind Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) handbook in India.Supreme Court Justice DY Chandrachud released the first of its kind Online Dispute Resolution(ODR) Handbook developed by Agami and Omidyar Network India.The handbook was developed in association with (National Institution for Transforming India) NITI Aayog with the support of ICICI Bank, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Trilegal, Dalberg, Dvara and NIPFP.ODR Handbook features the insights and learnings to equip a person to successfully adopt ODR.This will encourage the business leaders to adopt ODR in India.The ODR Handbook highlights actionable processes for the businesses that want to adopt ODR.

Correct Answer – C. Punjab National Bank

Explanation:  SwitchON Foundation has partnered with Punjab National Bank(PNB) to offer finance to the marginal farmers for buying solar pumps.PNB will be financing solar pumps through the SwitchON Foundation’s – First Loss Default Guarantee Fund.The basic aim of this fund is to help unbanked small marginal farmers without any collateral and to promote clean energy.

Correct Answer – A. Human Rights Activist

Explanation: Pakistani Human rights crusader and former journalist Ibn Abdur Rehman, who won the Ramon Magsaysay award for his work on fostering India-Pakistan relations, passed away in Lahore.Rehman spent his life defending human rights, opposing military dictators, fighting for the rule of law and democracy.He was also a strong voice for the country’s minorities, including Christians and Hindus.Rehman worked as an editor for various newspapers before joining the commission. He regularly contributed articles for several Pakistani newspapers.

Correct Answer – C. Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world

Explanation: World Hemophilia Day observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The date was chosen in honour of the World Federation of Hemophilia founder Frank Schnabel birthday. This year is the 30th edition of World Haemophilia Day.The theme for 2021 World Hemophilia Day is “Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world”. The day is being held since 1989, which marks the birthday of Frank Schnabel, founder of the World Federation of Hemophilia.

What is Hemophilia?

It is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn’t clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins /factors. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally.

Important Points:

• World Federation of Hemophilia Founder: Frank Schnabel.
• World Federation of Hemophilia Founded: 1963.
• World Federation of Hemophilia Headquarters location: Montreal, Canada.

Correct Answer – A. NewYork, USA

Explanation: The United Nations Secretary General has called for the 1st ever United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 to be held in September 2021 in New York, USA.The Summit is a part of the Decade of Action (2020-30) to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.The summit will launch new actions for delivering progress on all 17 SDGs.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to participate in the event along with other global leaders.The summit is to strategize actions for positive change in Agri-food systems.

Correct Answer – D. SpaceX

Explanation: The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Artemis programme, to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon.The total value of this contract is $2.89 billion.SpaceX will develop a spacecraft ‘SpaceX Starship’ to land next to two US astronauts, including a women astronaut at the lunar south pole region, by 2024.NASA also aims to bring the first person of colour to the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis programme.

Correct Answer – C. Football

Explanation:  Former India International Football defender, Ahmed Hussain Lala has passed away due to COVID-19.He represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth.Besides, he was also part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games.Ahmed also took part in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, in which India finished fourth.

Correct Answer: E. All of the above

Explanation: PM Narendra Modi has paid tribute to India’s first law minister and the architect of the Indian Constitution Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary and released four books based on his life. PM Modi has addressed the 95th Annual Meet and National Seminar of Vice-Chancellors of the Association of Indian Universities via video conferencing and launched four books related to Dr BR Ambedkar, written by Kishor Makwana.

The four books to be released by the prime minister are:

• Dr Ambedkar Jivan Darshan,
• Dr Ambedkar Vyakti Darshan,
• Dr Ambedkar Rashtra Darshan, and
• Dr Ambedkar Aayam Darshan

Correct Answer: B. Mirabai Chanu

Explanation: Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu on 17 April 2021 set a new world record in Clean and Jerk by lifting 119 kg at Asian Weightlifting Championships.Previously, the world record for clean and jerk was 118 kg.Mirabai also created a new national record as she lifted a total of 205 kg and won the bronze medal at Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Correct Answer: B. 15th May

Explanation: The Gallantry Awards portal has organized an Innovative Tributes to Bravehearts competition.The objective of this competition is to find a series of befitting tribute messages for the Gallantry Awardees.The competition is being held from 15th April to 15th May 2021.The winners will be given an opportunity to witness the Republic Day Parade 2022 in New Delhi.

Correct Answer: C. 162

Explanation: The central government has sanctioned installation of 162 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants at the public health facilities in all the states.This decision will further step up the medical oxygen capacity by 154.19 MT.Out of 162 PSA Oxygen plants, 33 plants have already been installed.The entire cost of 162 PSA oxygen plants is amounting to Rs 201.58 crore.

Correct Answer: A. Haridwar

Explanation: People returning to Gujarat after attending the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar will have to undergo an RT-PCR test before they are allowed to enter their respective cities and villages.Those found infected will be isolated for 14 days.At the Kumbh Mela, a total of 1,701 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela from April 10 to 14, 2021.

Gujarat:

• Chief Minister – Vijay Rupani.
• Governor – Acharya Devvrat.
• Number of Districts – 33.

Correct Answer: B. Uttar Pradesh

Explanation: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to establish 10 oxygen plants for an unabated supply of oxygen to the hospitals.A team of DRDO officials will help the state administration in this task.On the other hand, Hindustan aeronautics limited will help state administration in preparing a new covid hospital in Lucknow.A 24/7 control room has been made active for this purpose.

Uttar Pradesh:

• Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath.
• Governor – Anandiben Patel.
• Number of Districts – 75.
• Lok Sabha seats – 80.
• Rajya Sabha seats – 31.