UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) was adopted during the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro (1992). When did it come into force?
- (A) March 1994
- (B) August 1995
- (C) October 1996
- (D) January 1994
Check AnswerExplanationThe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or “UNFCCC”, was adopted during the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. The Convention came into force on 21 March 1994 and has been ratified by 196 States, which are the “Parties” to the Convention – its stakeholders.
De Beers is one of the biggest names in diamond mining. Who was the founder of De Beers Consolidated Mines Company?
- (A) John Cecil Rhodes
- (B) Joseph B. Rockefeller
- (C) John Kruger
- (D) Rupert Murdoch
Check AnswerExplanationDe Beers Consolidated Mines was founded in 1888 by Cecil Rhodes, also known as John Cecil Rhodes. He founded the company by amalgamating a number of small mining operations and, at the time of his death in 1902, had created a monopoly over the production of diamonds in the world, accounting for 90% of the world’s diamond production. The name “De Beers” is derived from two brothers, Diederik and Johannes de Beer, who owned the farm where diamonds were discovered.
Who was the first UN High Commissioner for Human Rights?
- (A) Mary Robinson
- (B) Jose Ayala Lasso
- (C) Navin Pillay
- (D) Saududdin Agha Khan
Check AnswerExplanationJosé Ayala-Lasso of Ecuador was the first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, assuming the position on April 5, 1994. He served in the position from 1994 until 1997. The position was established by the General Assembly on December 20, 1993. Therefore, the correct answer is (B) Jose Ayala Lasso.
The Treaty of European Union (1992) is also known as:
- (A) Treaty of The Hague
- (B) Treaty of Brussels
- (C) Maastricht Treaty
- (D) Paris Accord (Treaty)
Check AnswerExplanationThe Treaty on European Union (TEU), signed on February 7, 1992, in Maastricht, Netherlands, is more commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty. The Maastricht Treaty represents a significant milestone in the process of European integration, as it established the European Union, the concept of EU citizenship, and laid the groundwork for the euro common currency.
King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud named the kingdom of Hejaz and Najd as Saudi Arabia in:
- (A) 1932
- (B) 1934
- (C) 1924
- (D) 1936
Check AnswerExplanationKing Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud renamed the combined territory, consisting of Hejaz and Najd, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 23, 1932. After the conquest of Hejaz in 1925, King Ibn Saud ruled Hejaz and Najd as two entities from 1926 to 1932. Later, a royal decree issued on September 19, 1932, merged the two territories, which is annually celebrated as Saudi National Day.
Headquarters of African Union (AU) is located at:
- (A) Johannesburg
- (B) Cairo
- (C) Dakar
- (D) Addis Ababa
Check AnswerExplanationThe African Union has its headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The secretariat of the African Union, known as the AU Commission, is housed in a modern complex that was formally opened in 2012 in the Old Airport Area of the city.
Which of the following Indian Nobel Prize winners is associated with economics?
- (A) V.S. Naipaul
- (B) Amartya Sen
- (C) C.V. Raman
- (D) Hargobind Khorana
Check AnswerExplanationAmartya Sen received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his pioneering contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory. His work on poverty, famine, and human development was quite exceptional, and he was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in this field.
The Earth takes about ________ to complete one rotation around its axis.
- (A) 48 hours
- (B) 30 days
- (C) 24 hours
- (D) 365 days
Check AnswerExplanationThe Earth takes a complete turn on its axis every 24 hours. This is what we call a solar day—the time it takes for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky. If you were to measure a complete 360-degree turn (sidereal day), it would be a little shorter: 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds. But for practical purposes, we just say a day is 24 hours.
When a gas turns into a liquid the process is called:
- (A) Condensation
- (B) Evaporation
- (C) Deposition
- (D) Transient
Check AnswerExplanation
- Condensation is the process by which a gas changes to a liquid. When a gas is cooled, its particles move slower and pack together, forming a liquid. This is seen in nature when water forms on a cold glass, or clouds form in the sky and dew spots appear on the ground in the morning.
- Evaporation: This is the reverse process, where a liquid turns into a gas.
- Deposition: This is the direct transition of a gas into a solid, skipping the liquid phase entirely (e.g., frost forming).
- Transient: This is not a state of matter transition. It generally refers to something that is temporary or lasting for only a short time in various scientific contexts.
Yeast used in making of bread is a:
- (A) Virus
- (B) Fungus
- (C) Bacteria
- (D) Algae
Check AnswerExplanationYeast is a single-celled eukaryotic microorganism that belongs to the kingdom of fungi. In baking, the most common species used is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker’s yeast. Its purpose is to ferment the sugars present in the dough, resulting in the production of carbon dioxide gas, which creates bubbles that make the dough rise and give bread its light texture.
