PROVINCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE, ETC. (PMS) / COMBINED COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION (BS-17) 2016

Summer Olympics for the year 2020 were held in:

  • (A) Tokyo
  • (B) Beijing
  • (C) Athens
  • (D) Hanoi
Check Answer
  • (A) Tokyo
Explanation
The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan. Although it was advertised as “Tokyo 2020”, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was held from July 23 to August 8, 2021. This was the first time in history that an Olympic Games was postponed rather than being cancelled.

A country’s total financial obligations to the rest of the world are known as:

  • (A) Total burden
  • (B) Total debt
  • (C) National liabilities
  • (D) External debt
Check Answer
  • (D) External debt
Explanation
External debt, or foreign debt, is defined as the total financial liability of a country to the rest of the world. It encompasses all true current liabilities that require the payment of interest or principal in the future by residents to non-residents, including loans, bonds, and credits. External debt can be further divided into public debt, which is the liability of the government, and private debt, which is owed to foreign lenders.

Brexit referendum was held on:

  • (A) October 23, 2016
  • (B) August 23, 2016
  • (C) June 23, 2016
  • (D) April 23, 2016
Check Answer
  • (C) June 23, 2016
Explanation
The Brexit referendum occurred on June 23, 2016, and the United Kingdom voted on its membership within the European Union. The outcome was a 51.9% vote in favor of leaving the EU.

Which political party does US President Joe Biden belong to?

  • (A) Labour
  • (B) Liberals
  • (C) Democratic
  • (D) Republicans
Check Answer
  • (C) Democratic
Explanation
Joe Biden is a Democrat. He is the 46th President of the United States, having served from 2021 to 2025. Prior to this, he served as the 47th Vice President of the United States under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. Earlier in his political career, he was a U.S. Senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009.

The term Track-II Diplomacy is used for:

  • (A) Managing relations between two countries using official channels
  • (B) Managing relations between two countries using unofficial channels
  • (C) Diplomacy by diplomats during war
  • (D) None of above
Check Answer
  • (B) Managing relations between two countries using unofficial channels
Explanation
Track II diplomacy refers to unofficial, non-governmental talks between private individuals or groups, also known as non-state actors, whose purpose is to reduce tensions or improve relations. The term was coined by Joseph Montville in 1981 to distinguish it from official diplomacy.

The first of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals relates to:

  • (A) Climate Action
  • (B) Quality Education
  • (C) Poverty Alleviation
  • (D) Marine Life
Check Answer
  • (C) Poverty Alleviation
Explanation
The first of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is “No Poverty.” The primary objective of this goal is to “end all forms of poverty, everywhere, by 2030” and is often referred to as poverty alleviation or eradication. This goal revolves around ensuring social protection for the poor, improving their access to essential services, and assisting those who are vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks.

The largest producer of solar energy in the world is:

  • (A) Germany
  • (B) USA
  • (C) Russia
  • (D) China
Check Answer
  • (D) China
Explanation
China is the global leader in the production of solar power. Towards the end of 2024 and into 2025, it was at the forefront of all countries in terms of cumulative solar installations and annual solar additions. Capacity and scale: In 2024, the cumulative installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in China exceeded 1,000 gigawatts (GW), which was close to 60% of the total global installations for that year. The solar production of China exceeds the sum of the next few countries combined.


One barrel of Petroleum is equal to:

  • (A) 34.97 UK gallons
  • (B) 42 US gallons
  • (C) 0.159 cubic meter
  • (D) All of these
Check Answer
  • (D) All of these
Explanation
  • One barrel of oil (1 bbl) is a common volume that equals several equivalent measures:
  • 42 U.S. gallons
  • 34.97 Imperial (UK) gallons
  • 0.159 cubic meters (approximately 158.99 liters)
  • Because each choice refers to the same quantity, the correct answer is: (D) All of these

First woman to win Nobel Prize was:

  • (A) Aung San Suu Kyi
  • (B) Mother Teresa
  • (C) Marie Curie (1903) in Physics
  • (D) Florence Nightingale
Check Answer
  • (C) Marie Curie (1903) in Physics
Explanation
  • Marie Curie broke ground as the first female Nobel laureate. In 1903, she won the Physics Prize together with her husband Pierre Curie and physicist Henri Becquerel for their research on radiation phenomena. She is the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in two different scientific categories when she won the Chemistry Prize in 1911.
  • Aung San Suu Kyi: received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, almost 90 years after Marie Curie.
  • Mother Teresa: received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
  • Florence Nightingale: a pioneer in modern nursing who received many awards (including the Order of Merit) but never received a Nobel Prize.

  • Hydrometer is used to measure:

    • (A) Acidity of water
    • (B) Specific gravity of a liquid
    • (C) Pollution in water
    • (D) Gravity of milk
    Check Answer
    • (B) Specific gravity of a liquid
    Explanation
    Hydrometer is a device used to measure the specific gravity or relative density of a liquid. It is based on Archimedes’ principle, which states that a solid object placed in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the solid.

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