10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: April 22, 2020

Both statements are incorrect.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Periyar River is the longest river in the state of Kerala, India, with a length of 244 km. The Periyar is known as the lifeline of Kerala; it is one of the few perennial rivers in the region and provides drinking water for several major towns.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Its largest tributaries are the Muthirapuzha River, the Mullayar River, the Cheruthoni River, the Perinjankutti River and the Edamala River.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world. Observers States:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina (1994)
• Central African Republic (1996)
• Kingdom of Thailand (1998)
• The Russian Federation (2005)
• Turkish Cypriot State (1979)

Both statements are incorrect.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Bangalore Blue grapes need to be grown in red sandy loam soil at a day temperature of about 35-37 degrees Celsius and night temperature of 12-15 degree Celsius which is unique to Bangalore and its surrounding areas.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Bangalore Blue grape wine is not considered grape wine in the international market as they consist of a maximum of only 10-12 percent of alcohol. Often ethanol is added to increase the alcohol content.

Statement 1 is correct: The construction of the Strategic Crude Oil Storage facilities is being managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), a Special Purpose Vehicle, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

Statement 2 is incorrect: To ensure energy security, the Government of India decided to set up 5 million metric tons (MMT) of strategic crude oil storages at three locations namely, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur (near Udupi). These strategic storages would be in addition to the existing storages of crude oil and petroleum products with the oil companies and would serve as a cushion during any supply disruptions.

Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) have developed a new Artificial Neural Networks based global Ionospheric Model (ANNIM). It will help predict the ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage which is crucial for communication and navigation.

Statement 1 is correct. Investment grade is terminology used by credit rating agencies for bonds that present a relatively low risk of default. Bonds with “AAA” and “AA” (high credit quality) and “A” and “BBB” (medium credit quality) ratings are considered investment grade.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The government bonds, also known as Treasuries, are not subject to credit quality ratings. These bonds carry practically no risk of default and, hence, are also called risk-free gilt-edged instruments.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Brent crude is a trading classification & a major benchmark price for crude oil trade globally. The Brent crude is extracted from North Sea.

Statement 2 is incorrect. India’s crude basket is calculated majorly on the Oman & Dubai average prices and Brent crude price. It is used as an indicator of the price of crude imports in India.

Statement 1 is correct. In the backdrop of stock market scams, failure of non-banking companies resulting in huge financial loss to the public and on the recommendation of Naresh Chandra Committee on corporate governance, government instituted SFIO as a corporate fraud investigating agency in 2003.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Initially it was set up by a resolution of Government of India, but later accorded a statutory status under Companies Act, 2013. It is under Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Statement 1 is correct. Hedging instrument refers to all the financial instruments used by investors aiming to offset the potential changes in their investments. Options and futures are both financial products investors can use to make money or to hedge current investments. Both an option and a future allow an investor to buy an investment at a specific price by a specific date.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The statement gives the definition of an ‘options contract’. A futures contract gives the buyer the obligation to purchase a specific asset, and the seller to sell and deliver that asset at a specific future date.

SAGAR: “Security and Growth for All in the Region” is a vision of India’s maritime policy in the Indian Ocean region. It seeks a climate of trust and transparency, respect for international maritime rules and norms by all countries, sensitivity to each other`s interests, peaceful resolution of maritime issues and increase in maritime cooperation.

Statement 1 is incorrect. STT is applicable to the transactions of securities such as shares, bonds, debentures, equity-oriented mutual funds (MFs) and so on, even if the investor makes loss; STT has to be paid.

Statement 2 is correct. An off-market transaction is settled between two parties on mutually agreed terms and the stock exchanges are not involved. The tax is collected by government through stock exchanges for the transactions done over them, therefore the off-market transactions of securities does not attract STT.

Statement 1 is incorrect. IOC is an intergovernmental organization that links Indian Ocean island nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion (an overseas region of France), and Seychelles.

Statement 2 is incorrect. India is not a member country; it has recently got the observer status in the commission. China, Malta, the European Union and the Organisationinternationale de la Francophonie are other observers.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations addressing hunger and promoting food security. The WFP was formally established in 1963 by the FAO and the United Nations General Assembly.

Option 1 is correct. INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier and the flagship of the Indian Navy.

Option 2 is incorrect. INS Angre is the shore-based logistics and administrative support establishment of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai.

Option 3 is correct. INS Arihant is the lead submarine of India’s Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

Gram Stain is a method used to distinguish and classify bacterial species into two large groups: gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation.

Statement 1 is correct. Common gram-negative infections include those caused by Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli.

Statement 2 is correct. Gram-negative bacteria are resistant to multiple drugs and are increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics. These bacteria have built-in abilities to find new ways to be resistant and can pass along genetic materials that allow other bacteria to become drug-resistant as well