Punjab and Sind Bank Probationary Officers Exam., 2010

General Awareness

(Held on 16-5-2010) 

1. The Rate on which Banks borrow from the RBI is called—
(A) SLR
(B) CRR
(C) Interest Rate
(D) Bank Rate
(E) Repo Rate
Ans : (D)

2. M. K. Narayan has taken over as the Governor of—
(A) Gujarat
(B) Assam
(C) Meghalaya
(D) West Bengal
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

3. Which of the following will be the venue of the India-ASEAN Summit to be held in 2012 ?
(A) Tokyo
(B) Jakarta
(C) Beijing
(D) New Delhi
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

4. As we know the RBI is the apex Bank of India, similarly the apex Bank of USA is called—
(A) Federal Reserve
(B) The Central Bank of USA
(C) Bank of America
(D) Central National Bank of USA
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

5. As per the newspaper reports the Standards and Poors (S&P) has changed India’s sovereign rating from ‘Negative’ to ‘Stable’. This means—
1. India’s economic condition has improved a lot.
2. There is no pressure of inflation of the economy as it is well under control.
3. India’s economic condition has further gone down as it has failed to control the fiscal deficit.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)


6. As per the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) unveiled by the UPA Govt. in August 2009, India will try to capture new markets for its exports in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Oceania etc. Earlier amongst the following were India’s biggest export markets ?
1. USA
2. Europe
3. SAARC Nations
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

7. As per the recent reports published in various newspapers, the core infrastructure industries registered a 4.5% growth in the month of February 2010. This figure does not include the performance of which one of the following industries; as it is not a core industry ?
(A) Coal
(B) Power
(C) Paper
(D) Cement
(E) All are core industries
Ans : (C)

8. Who amongst the following has taken over as the new Chief of the Armed Forces ?
(A) Pradeep V. Naik
(B) V. K. Singh
(C) Suresh Mehta
(D) Deepak Kapoor
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

9. As per the provisions made in the Union Budget 2010-11, Govt. will infuse Rs. 16,500 crores in banks to make their capital base strong. This money will be infused in which of the following types of banks ?
(A) Gramin Banks
(B) Cooperative Banks
(C) National Housing Banks
(D) Public Sector Banks
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

10. Who amongst the following is the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2009 ?
(A) Herta Mulber
(B) Barack Obama
(C) Martli Ahtisaari
(D) Paul Krugman
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

11. As reported in various financial newspapers the Govt. of India is planning to link the prices of diesel and petrol to market prices and may also introduce a graded system of sharing subsidy. If it is done this will be in order to implement the recommendation of which of the following committees ?
(A) Murli Deora Committee
(B) C. Rangarajan Committee
(C) Kirit Parikh Committee
(D) S. Sundareshan Committee
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

12. Which of the following schemes of the Govt. of India is planned to help farmers by providing a competitive price to their produce ?
1. Minimum support price of agro products
2. Creating buffer stock of food grains
3. Making loans available to them on special and subsidized rates of interest
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

13. Which of the following norms/practices adopted by the banks is/are launched to ensure that the money from illegal activities/sources does/do not come to banks and therefore, the economic health of the nation does not get affected ?
1. Know your Customer
2. Financial Inclusion
3. Branchless Banking
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (A)

14. As a practice, all banks now deduct some amount from their pre tax income and set aside in a separate account to create a cushion for the loans which may go bad. This is called—
(A) CRR
(B) SLR
(C) Provisioning
(D) PLR
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

15. As we know many Indian Banks are opening their branches in foreign countries these days. What in your opinion is/are the reasons owing to which these banks are willing to open branches in foreign countries ?
1. India has the largest network of bank branches in the world. Hence other nations also wish to take advantage of their services.
2. Indian Banks get an opportunity to raise foreign currency funds and also the experience funding joint ventures of multinationals. This prompts them to open their branches in foreign nations.
3. As many foreign banks are functioning in India, India in turn is also required to open equal number of branches in foreign countries. Hence Indian Banks are opening branches in these countries.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

16. Who amongst the following was recently nominated as the ‘Member of the Rajya Sabha’ ?
(A) Amitabh Bachchan
(B) Manoj Kumar
(C) Aamir Khan
(D) Javed Akhtar
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

17. The 97th annual session of the Indian Science Congress was held in which of the following cities in January 2010 ?
(A) Mumbai
(B) Kolkata
(C) New Delhi
(D) Thiruvananthapuram
(E) Hyderabad
Ans : (D)

18. Which of the following crops need plenty of water to grow ?
(A) Jowar
(B) Cotton
(C) Paddy
(D) Bajra
(E) All these need plenty of water
Ans : (C)

19. Which of the following is/are true about the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ?
1. The Act is now known as Indira Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
2. The Act is now applicable to all the districts of the country.
3. Minimum wage fixed under this Act is now Rs. 250 per day.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

20. Who amongst the following was recently awarded the prestigious “Order of Merit of the Italian Republic” ?
(A) Sunil Mittal
(B) Ratan Tata
(C) Harshpati Singhania
(D) Rahul Bajaj
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

21. Govt. of India recently approved the national policy on Bio fuels. Which of the following crops is one which is used to make biofuels ?
(A) Onion
(B) Sugarcane
(C) Wheat
(D) Coconut
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

22. Which of the following countries is the largest producer of milk in the world ?
(A) China
(B) India
(C) Denmark
(D) USA
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

23. Which of the following terms is not associated with the game of Hockey ?
(A) Bouncer
(B) Bully
(C) Short Corner
(D) Goal
(E) Penalty Corner
Ans : (A)

24. Saina Nehwal is a famous—
(A) Lawn Tennis Player
(B) Golf Player
(C) Table Tennis Player
(D) Badminton Player
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

25. Who amongst the following is associated with music and is a maestro of international repute ?
(A) Vikram Seth
(B) Steve Waugh
(C) Salman Rushdie
(D) Ritu Beri
(E) A. R. Rahman
Ans : (E)

26. India is providing help to which of the following nations in setting up a Medical College there on the lines of the AIIMS ?
(A) Nepal
(B) Bhutan
(C) Bangladesh
(D) Myanmar
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

27. Which of the following is the abbreviated name of the company which produces chemical fertilizers in India ?
(A) IASRI
(B) BHEL
(C) IFFCO
(D) FICCI
(E) FERA
Ans : (C)

28. Which of the following is not a food grain ?
(A) Paddy
(B) Jatropha
(C) Bajra
(D) Jowar
(E) Wheat
Ans : (B)

29. As we know Govt. is paying much attention towards the development of watersheds and water bodies in all the areas of the country. What is/are the reasons owing to which Govt. has to take these special efforts to develop/recharge watersheds and water bodies ?
1. The one single biggest problem of the agricuture in the country is inappropriate irrigation facilities and farmers’ overdependence on the monsoon. Govt. wants farmers to come out of it.
2. The water table in some of the areas in the country is going down. This is a matter of great concern for all of us as this may result in severe water problem in days to come. Govt. is serious about it.
3. Around 30 to 35 per cent watersheds/water bodies in the country are not being utilized as the quality of the water in these has deteriorated over the years.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

30. Which of the following is/are true about the Indira Awas Yojana ?
1. The scheme provides financial assistance to people living below poverty line for construction of housing units.
2. Every family gets an assistance of Rs. 3 lakhs for construction of new housing unit and upto Rs. 2 lakhs for upgradation of old/existing units.
3. Scheme is available only to those who are staying in any village or urban areas having a population of 50000 or more.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

31. The head office of the World Trade Organisation is located in—
(A) Nepal
(B) India
(C) Japan
(D) Australia
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

32. Who amongst the following is/was not a famous writer of English Language ?
(A) V. S. Naipaul
(B) Anita Desai
(C) Harivansh Rai Bachchan
(D) Kiran Desai
(E) Chetan Bhagat
Ans : (C)

33. Which of the following awards is given for excellence in the field of Sports ?
(A) Kalidas Samman
(B) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award
(C) Jananpith Award
(D) Arjun Award
(E) Bharat Ratna
Ans : (D)

34. Which of the following trophies/cups is associated with the game of Cricket ?
(A) Davis Cup
(B) Agha Khan Cup
(C) Nehru Trophy
(D) Durand Cup
(E) Duleep Trophy
Ans : (E)

35. Who amongst the following is NOT a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan Award given away recently ?
(A) Y. V. Reddy
(B) Zora Segal
(C) V. Ramakrishnan
(D) Pratap C. Reddy
(E) Shreya Ghosal
Ans : (E)

36. The conference of the Speakers and presiding officers of the commonwealth countries was organized recently in—
(A) New Delhi
(B) London
(C) Pretoria
(D) Kuala Lumpur
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

37. Which of the following films was adjudged as the ‘Best Feature Film’ in 56th National Film Awards, announced recently ?
(A) Antaheen
(B) Fashion
(C) Jogva
(D) Bioscope
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

38. Who amongst the following Indian Players won the Mixed Doubles of the Australian Open Tennis 2010 ?
(A) Mahesh Bhupati
(B) Leanders Paes
(C) Sania Mirza
(D) Rohan Bopanna
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

39. As per the “Education for All Global Monitoring Report”, released by the UNO, over half of the total illiterate population of the world lives in just four countries. Which of the following is not one of these four ?
(A) China
(B) India
(C) South Africa
(D) Pakistan
(E) Bangladesh
Ans : (C)

40. Which of the following is/are correct about the Rajiv Gandhi LPG Vitrak Yojana ?
1. Women/men in the age group of 21-45 years will be stakeholders.
2. All stackeholders will earn Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 per month as their income.
3. LPG will be supplied through a pipeline from the nearest depot to the filling station which will be common for a constellation of 4 to 5 villages.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 2
(D) Only 1 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (A)

41. An individual going to Bangladesh will be required to make all his/her payments in which of the following currencies ?
(A) Rial
(B) Dinar
(C) Taka
(D) Rupee
(E) Dollar
Ans : (C)

42. Mr. Najib Tun Razak, who was on a visit to India a few months back, is the—
(A) President of Iran
(B) Prime Minister of Iran
(C) President of Malaysia
(D) Prime Minister of Malaysia
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

43. The construction of a dam on which of the following rivers in Arunachal Pradesh has become a matter of concern as some people feel that it will damage the socio cultural environment of the State ?
(A) Brahmaputra
(B) Teesta
(C) Gandak
(D) Padma
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

44. India recently provided a US $ 1 billion credit to which of the following countries in its neighbourhood so that bilateral trade with it can be improved ?
(A) China
(B) Pakistan
(C) Bangladesh
(D) Myanmar
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

45. Which of the following regulatory fiscal bodies is celebrating its Platinum Jubilee this year ?
(A) NABARD
(B) SEBI
(C) IRDA
(D) AMFI
(E) RBI
Ans : (E)

46. As we all know the Govt. of India had launched ‘Look East Policy’ a few years ago so that it can have better relations and trade with South East Asian counties. Which of the following nations is considered or called the “Door of South East Nations” ?
(A) Bangladesh
(B) Myanmar
(C) China
(D) Afghanistan
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

47. Which of the following countries is going to host SAARC summit next year ?
(A) Bangladesh
(B) India
(C) Pakistan
(D) Nepal
(E) Maldives
Ans : (E)

48. As per the reports published in various newspapers, the Union Minister of Corporate Affairs is planning to introduce a system where two firms may audit accounts of every company. Which of the following may be the impact of this dual audit system, when implemented ?
1. This will bring transparent, independent and objective assessments of the functioning of the companies.
2. This will create a warning or alarming system so that Satyam like episodes can be averted.
3. This will give an opportunity to auditors to learn more about the ‘inside activities’ of the companies and also a better understanding of the business tactics, the companies adopt to beat their competitors.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

49. Some financial experts and business leaders feel that the present policies of the RBI may result in hardening of the interest rates further. Besides this hardening of the ‘rupee in international markets is also possible. If it happens, what will be its impact on the market ?
1. More and more Indian firms would like to borrow from global markets instead of domestic ones.
2. Companies may have to suspend their plans of raising capital needed for extension of business for sometime.
3. More and more Indian companies would like to open their offices/branches in foreign nations so that they can approach foreign investors easily.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 2
(D) Only 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

50. Which of the following is/are true about the “Gram Nyayalayas” ?
1. These courts will be mobile courts and will function at Panchayat level.
2. The Magistrate of these courts will go to the villages in their area of coverage and will dispose off cases of the villages there itself.
3. Only civil suits related to the property of Rs. 5,00,000 and above will be disposed off in this way.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (D)