1. Name the private space plane company which suffered a business and personal disaster when a test flight went terribly wrong and the “White Knight” rocket propelled space ship exploded moments after its rocket engines fired up after the space plane was released from its “mother” plane in mid-air?
Virgin Galatic.
Virgin Galactic is a U.S. commercial spaceflight company within the Virgin Group that is developing commercial spacecraft and aims to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists, suborbital launches for space science missions, and orbital launches of small satellites. Millionaire Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Galactic.
On October 31, 2014, Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise, suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup and crashed in the Mojave Desert, California, United States while performing a test flight. The co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, was killed and the pilot, Peter Siebold, was seriously injured.
2. Man of the match winners of 5 ODI cricket matches played between India and Sri Lanka held in India in November 2014:
First ODI between India and Sri Lanka held in Cuttack on November 2, 2014?
Man of the match: Ajinkya Rahane (India). He scored 111 runs.
Result: India won by 169 runs.
Second ODI between India and Sri Lanka held in Ahmedabad on November 6, 2014?
Man of the match: Ambati Rayudu (India). He scored unbeaten 121 runs.
Result: India won by 6 wickets.
Third ODI between India and Sri Lanka held in Hyderabad on November 9, 2014?
Man of the match: Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka). He scored 118 runs.
Result: India won by 6 wickets.
Fourth ODI between India and Sri Lanka held in Kolkata on November 13, 2014?
Man of the match: Rohit Sharma (India). He scored 264 runs which include 33 fours and 9 sixes.
Result: India won by 153 runs
Fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka held in Ranchi on November 16, 2014?
Man of the match: Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka). He scored unbeaten 139 runs.
Result: India won by 3 wickets.
Series Result: India won the 5-match series 5-0.
3. Who won the Player of the series award in the 5 ODI cricket matches played between India and Sri Lanka held in India in November 2014?
Virat Kohli.
4. Man of the match winners of two Test cricket matches played between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh held in Bangladesh in November 2014:
Second test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh held in Bangladesh from November 3 to 7:
Man of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh). He scored 137 runs ion first innings. He took 5 wickets each in both innings.
Result: Bangladesh won by 162 runs.
Third test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh held in Bangladesh from November 12 to 16:
Man of the Match: Mominul Haque (Bangladesh). He scored 48 runs in first innings and unbeaten 131 runs in second innings.
Result: Bangladesh won by 186 runs.
5. Who won the Player of the series Award in the three test cricket matches played between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh held in Bangladesh in 2014?
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh).
Series - Bangladesh won the 3-match series 3-0.
6. Jamaat-e-Islami leader who has been sentenced to death due to crimes such as, murder, kidnapping and violence during the war of independence of Bangladesh with Pakistan?
Mir Qasim Ali.
Mir Qasim Ali is found guilty of war crimes in the battle of the War Crimes Tribunal in 1971. The death penalty has come after the punishment of death to Party Leader and Former Miinister Mati-ur-Rahman Nizami.
7. Who are the winners of 2014–15 Duleep Trophy?
Central Zone.
Central Zone won the tournament after beating South Zone by 9 runs in the final at Delhi.
Duleep Trophy is a first-class cricket tournament contested by 5 zonal teams of India: Central Zone, East Zone, North Zone, South Zone and West Zone.
8. Name the British woman with Iranian citizenship who has been sentenced to serve a year in prison for attending a men's volleyball game?
Ghoncheh Ghavami.
9. Who won the Formula One US Grant Prix-2014?
Lewis Hamilton.
10. Who won the Paris Masters tennis title -2014?
Novak Djokovic.
He claimed his landmark 600th career win and retained his Paris Masters title with a one-sided success against Milos Raonic.
11. Veteran Bollywood actor who is known for his stellar performances in villainous roles in movies like Sadak, Ishq and Ardh Satya, passed away on November 3, 2014?
Sadashiv Amrapurkar.
He is best known for his performances in Marathi and Hindi films in the period 1983 to 1999.
He received the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role in 1991 for Sadak — the first time the award was instituted.
12. The Ministry of Information and Culture of which country asked all TV channels to avoid running commercial advertisements featuring female models on November 3, 2014?
Afghanistan.
13. Senior IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre who has taken over as secretary of Central Vigilance Commission?
Shri Alok Kumar.
14. Thirteen years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, New York's World Trade Centre has reopened for business on?
November 3, 2014.
The publishing company, which owns The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and other magazines, is the first tenant to set up offices in America's tallest skyscraper, where it will occupy floors 20 to 44. The original World Trade Center featured landmark twin towers, which opened on April 4, 1973, and were destroyed in the September 11 attacks of 2001, along with 7 World Trade Center. The other buildings in the complex were severely damaged by the collapse of the twin towers, and their ruins were eventually demolished. The site is being rebuilt with six new skyscrapers, a memorial to those killed in the attacks, and a transportation hub.
15. Which railway station has become the first station in the country to have WiFi facility for providing high speed internet to passengers?
Bangalore Railway Station.
16. Name the music band launched by Malayalam Super Star “Mohanlal”?
“Lalism”.
17. Name the rare piece of artwork painted by Vincent van Gogh weeks before his death which is sold for $61.8 million in the New York City's fall art auctions of impressionist and modern art?
'Still Life, Vase With Daisies and Poppies.'
'Still Life, Vase With Daisies and Poppies,' is Van Gogh's 1890 painting. Van Gogh painted the bouquet of wildflowers at the French home of his physician, Dr. Paul Gachet, in 1890. It's one of the few works the Dutch artist sold during his lifetime.
18. Who lifted the overall Trophy in the 54th National Open Athletics Championships held in New Delhi?
Railways.
54th National Open Athletics Championships were held from 2nd to 7th November, 2014 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
19. Who is the 116th and current Governor of South Carolina?
Nikki Haley.
20. Name the autobiography of former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar which was launched on 5 November 2014 in Mumbai?
“Playing it my way”
The book summarises Tendulkar's early days, his 24 years of international career and aspects of his life that have not been shared publicly. Sachin Tendulkar has mentioned an incident where he recounted a conversation with Greg Chappell, then coach of Indian Cricket Team, just before the 2007 World Cup in which Chappell suggested that Sachin should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid, then Captain of Indian Cricket Team. Tendulkar writes that Chappell made the suggestion in presence of his wife Anjali Tendulkar, a charge denied by Chappell.
21. Who has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Goa on 8 November 2014, replacing Manohar Parrikar?
Laxmikant Parsekar.
He is the member of the Goa Legislative Assembly from Mandrem constituency, and he belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
22. Name the nuclear weapon-capable ballistic missile which was successfully test fired by India from Wheeler Island off the Odisha Coast on November 9, 2014?
Agni-II.
The Agni-II is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. Agni II with a range of 2000 km, was successfully test-fired by the Army as part of user trial from the Wheelers Island of Odisha.
23. Which team won the 2014 Durand Cup defeating Pune (1-0) in the final?
Salgaocar.
Salgaocar Football Club is a professional football club based in Vasco, Goa. They are owned by the V. M. Salgaocar Group of Companies. The 2014 Durand Cup was the 127th season of the Durand Cup, the third oldest football tournament in the world, which is a knock-out competition, held in India.
24. Renowned Malayalam writer and winner of the Kerala Sahitya Academy award who passed away on November 8, 2014?
Hridayakumari.
She was born as the eldest daughter of poet and freedom fighter Bodheswaran and professor V K Karthyayani in September 1930. She bagged the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1991 for her book 'Kalpanikatha' (romanticism), which was based on the works of English poets William Wordsworth, John Keats, P B Shelly, Lord Byron and S T Coleridge and Malayalam poets Kumaranasan, Changampuzha Krishna Pillai and Edappally Raghavan Pillai. 'Nannipoorvam' is her autobiography.
25. Which country defeated Australia (3-1) in the four-match Men’s Hockey Test series held in Australia in November 2014?
India.
26. Veteran communist leader and former minister of Kerala who founded the regional rebel outfit Communist Marxist Party (CMP), passed away on November 9, 2014?
M .V .Raghavan.
He is the General Secretary of Communist Marxist Party (CMP), an alliance partner in the United Democratic Front of Kerala. Prior to the formation of CMP he was a prominent leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He has been minister in UDF government’s number of times.
27. After completing 6 months as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi expanded his Cabinet in November 2014 keeping the imperatives of both governance and politics in mind. He brought in 21 new faces and effected changes in the leadership of key ministries and here is the complete list of ministers of the union cabinet after the reshuffle.
CABINET MINISTERS
1. Shri Rajnath Singh: Home Affairs
2. Smt. Sushma Swaraj: External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs
3. Shri Arun Jaitley: Finance, Corporate Affairs, Information & Broadcasting
4. Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu: Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Parliamentary Affairs
5. Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari: Road Transport and Highways, Shipping
6. Shri Manohar Parrikar: Defence
7. Shri Suresh Prabhu: Railways
8. Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda: Law & Justice
9. Sushri Uma Bharati: Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
10. Dr. Najma A. Heptulla: Minority Affairs
11. Shri Ramvilas Paswan: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
12. Shri Kalraj Mishra: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
13. Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi: Women and Child Development
14. Shri Ananthkumar: Chemicals and Fertilizers
15. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad: Communications and Information Technology
16. Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda: Health & Family Welfare
17. Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati: Civil Aviation
18. Shri Anant Geete: Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
19. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal: Food Processing Industries
20. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar: Mines, Steel
21. Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh: Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation
22. Shri Jual Oram: Tribal Affairs
23. Shri Radha Mohan Singh: Agriculture
24. Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot: Social Justice and Empowerment
25. Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani: Human Resource Development
26. Dr. Harsh Vardhan: Science and Technology, Earth Sciences
MINISTERS OF STATE
27. General V.K. Singh: Statistics and Programme Implementation (Independent Charge), External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs
28. Shri Inderjit Singh Rao: Planning (Independent Charge), Defence
29. Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar: Textiles (Independent Charge)
30. Shri Bandaru Dattatreya: Labour and Employment (Independent Charge)
31. Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy: Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), Parliamentary Affairs
32. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik: AAYUSH (Independent Charge), Health & Family Welfare
33. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan: Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge)
34. Shri Sarbananda Sonowal: Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge)
35. Shri Prakash Javadekar: Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge)
36. Shri Piyush Goyal: Power (Independent Charge), Coal (Independent Charge), New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge)
37. Dr. Jitendra Singh: Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space
38. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman: Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge)
39. Dr. Mahesh Sharma: Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge), Civil Aviation
40. Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minority Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs
41. Shri Ram Kripal Yadav: Drinking Water & Sanitation
42. Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary: Home Affairs
43. Shri Sanwar Lal Jat: Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
44. Shri Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya: Agriculture
45. Shri Giriraj Singh: Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
46. Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir: Chemicals & Fertilizers
47. Shri G.M. Siddeshwara: Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
48. Shri Manoj Sinha: Railways
49. Shri Nihalchand: Panchayati Raj
50. Shri Upendra Kushwaha: Human Resource Development
51. Shri Radhakrishnan P.: Road Transport & Highways, Shipping
52. Shri Kiren Rijiju: Home Affairs
53. Shri Krishan Pal: Social Justice & Empowerment
54. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan: Agriculture
55. Shri Manuskhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava: Tribal Affairs
56. Shri Raosaheb Dadarao Danve: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
57. Shri Vishnu Deo Sai: Mines, Steel
58. Shri Sudarshan Bhagat: Rural Development
59. Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria: Human Resource Development
60. Shri Y.S. Chowdary: Science and Technology, Earth Science
61. Shri Jayant Sinha: Finance
62. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore: Information & Broadcasting
63. Shri Babul Supria (Babul Supriyo) Baral: Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
64. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti: Food Processing Industries
65. Shri Vijay Sampla: Social Justice & Empowerment
28. Which countries on November 10, 2014 successfully test fired a long range surface to air missile (LRSAM) jointly developed by them, marking a milestone in bilateral cooperation in developing advanced weapon systems?
India and Israel.
The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), developed jointly by India and Israel, was successfully flight-tested against a flying target in a range in Israel. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have collaborated in developing the state-of-the-art weapon system. The multi-role missile has a range of 70 km and has sea-skimming capability and could take on anti-ship function too. The missile would be ready for deployment of Indian Navy as well as Israeli Navy in a year.
29. Who won the Brazelian Grant prix -2014?
Nico Rosberg. (Germany).
30. Who won the Man of the series award in the three Test cricket matches played between Pakistan and New Zealand held in Abudabi in November 2014?
Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan).
Series - 3-match series drawn 1-1.
31. The Supreme Court on November 11, 2014 asked a senior advocate to continue to assist it as amicus curiae in the row over the administration and management of Kerala’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Name that advocate?
Gopal Subramanium.
32. Senior IRS officer who has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex authority of the Income Tax department?
Anita Kapur.
33. Who has scored the fastest 50 in Test cricket and equalled the world record for quickest century in the match against Australia?
Misbah-ul-Haq. (Pakistan).
Misbah reached 50 in 21 balls on the fourth day of the second Test against Australia, eclipsing Jacques Kallis of South Africa who took 24 balls in 2005. The Pakistan captain went on to match the 56-ball century mark set by West Indies legend Viv Richards in 1986.
34. The captain of the South Korean ferry who has been sentenced to 36 years in prison for negligence and abandoning passengers when his ship sank earlier this year, killing more than 300 people, mostly high school students.?
Lee Joon-seok.
On April 16, 2014: Captain Lee Joon-seok abandoned the South Korean ferry MV Sewol. The captain and much of the crew were saved, while hundreds of high school students embarked for a school trip remained in their cabins, according to instructions provided by the crew. Many passengers apparently remained on the sinking vessel and died. Following this incident Lee Joon-seok was arrested and put on trial beginning in early June 2014, when video footage filmed by some survivors and news broadcasters showed him being rescued by a coast guard vessel. Orders to abandon ship never came, and the vessel sank with all life rafts still in their stowage position. He was subsequently sentenced to 36 years in prison for his role in the deaths of the passengers.
35. Malaysia's world number one who has been provisionally suspended by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for an "apparent" anti-doping violation?
Lee Chong Wei.
36. Legendary Tabla maestro international repute and belonged to the Delhi Gharana who passed away on November 12, 2014?
Ustad Faiyaz Khan.
Ustad Faiyaz Khan started his career at the All India Radio and since than has toured the world, performing and teaching master classes.
37. Name the first human-made spacecraft which has landed on the surface of a comet in November 2014?
Philae.
Philae is a robotic European Space Agency lander that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft until it landed on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, more than ten years after departing Earth. On 12 November 2014, the probe achieved the first-ever soft landing on a comet nucleus.
38. Which cricketer has become the first man to hit 250 in a one-day international?
Rohit Sarma.
India’s Rohit Sharma hammered 264 from 173 balls, including nine sixes and 33 fours in the ODI match against Sri Lanka held in Calcutta. Sharma also became the first and only batsman to register two double centuries in ODIs. He also passed the record for the most number of fours struck by an individual batsman in an ODI.
39. Indian movie producer and director who is known for directing the epic Indian television series Mahabharat, passed away on November 12, 2014?
Ravi Chopra.
He made his independent directorial debut with Zameer (1975). Ravi Chopra is best remembered for his films like Baabul, Baghban and “The Burning Train” as well as the popular TV series Mahabharat. Ravi Chopra was served with a legal notice in 2009 by 20th Century Fox, which charged that his upcoming movie “Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai” blatantly plagiarized the 1992 comedy “My Cousin Vinny”. Chopra and the production company, Mumbai-based BR Films, denied the charges in court in May 2009; the movie's release was to be delayed until June 2009 by order of the Bombay High Court. Fox sought damages of $1.4 million; this was the first time a Bollywood filmmaker was taken to court by a Hollywood company over the remaking of a film. Fox had given Chopra permission "to make a film loosely based on the Oscar winning movie" but concluded the final product was a "substantial reproduction" of the original.
Ravi directed the highly successful television serial Mahabharat, which aired during 1988-1990, and the television mini-series, Ramayan, which was aired in 2002. He also directed mythological shows like Vishnu Puran and Ma Shakti.
40. Name the doctor who has been arrested in connection with the deaths of 15 women at two state-run sterilisation camps in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh?
Dr RK Gupta.
Gupta conducted 83 sterilisation surgeries at the government-organised family planning camp in Pendhari area of Bilaspur.
41. The probe commission which was looking into the betting and fixing scandal in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL), has submitted its final report in a closed envelope to a special Supreme Court bench on November 3, 2014. The commission is headed by?
Justice Mukul Mudgal.
The Mudgal panel was constituted by the Supreme Court in the month of October last year to investigate the IPL spot-fixing and betting case. The Mudgal committee is headed by retired Justice Mukkul Mudgal and includes former Solicitor-General of India, L.Nageshwara Rao, former Umpire Nilay Dutta, Deputy DG of Narcotics Control Bureau B.B.Mishra and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.
42. Who has been appointed as one-man committee by the Ministry of Railways to suggest a "proper system and procedure to ensure proper accountability and transparency" at General Manager level and other functionaries level for taking all commercial decisions?
E. Sreedharan.
E. Sreedharan is a retired Indian Engineering Service (IES) officer popularly known as the "Metro Man". He is credited for changing the face of public transport in India by his leadership for building the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro when he served as the managing director of Delhi Metro between 1995–2012. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001, the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, the Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in 2005 and named one of Asia's Heroes by TIME magazine in 2003.
43. Who won the Player of the series award in the 5 ODI cricket series between South Africa and Australia held in Australia in November 2014?
Steven Smith. (Australia).
Australia won the 5 match series 4-1.
44. Which cricketer has been declared ICC Cricketer of the Year -2014 as well as the ICC Test cricketer of the Year-2014?
Mitchell Johnson (Australia).
The full list of winners is:
ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year – Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Sarah Taylor (England)
ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year – AB de Villiers (South Africa)
ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Gary Ballance (England)
ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year – Preston Mommsen (Scotland)
ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year – Aaron Finch (Australia)
ICC T20I Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Meg Lanning (Australia)
ICC Spirit of Cricket Award – Katherine Brunt (England)
ICC Umpire of the Year (winning the David Shepherd Trophy) – Richard Kettleborough
LG People’s Choice – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
45. Name the nuclear capable missile which is successfully test fired by India on November 14, 2014 from a warship off the Odisha coast hours after conducting a training launch of Prithvi-II missile?
Dhanush
Dhanush was test fired hours after armed forces successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile from the Integrated Test Range as a part of routine training exercise. Developed and built exclusively for the Indian Navy, Dhanush has a 250 to 250 km striking range and can carry a single warhead of up to 750 kg. The missile, which is a part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, is about 8.53 metres long and 0.9 metre wide and has a launch weight of about 4.4 tonnes. It uses liquid propellant. The indigenously-developed Prithvi-II ballistic missile has the capability to hit a target 350 km away.
46. Who has become the world's youngest qualified computer specialist after passing a Microsoft Windows exam at the age of just five?
Ayan Qureshi.
Qureshi has set a new world record for the youngest person ever to pass a Microsoft exam - at the age of five years and 11 months, beating the previous record held by six-year-old Mehroz Yawar from Pakistan.
47. Indian shuttler who clinched the women’s singles events of China Open Super Series Premier-2014 after beating young Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the final?
Saina Nehwal.
48. Indian shuttler who clinched the men’s singles events of China Open Super Series Premier-2014 after beating Lin Dan of China in the final?
K Srikanth.
49. The US aid worker who was beheaded by Islamic State Terrorists in November 2014 after being kidnapped and held by ISIS militants last year?
Abdul-Rahman Kassig.
Mr Kassig, known as Peter Kassig before he converted to Islam, founded a humanitarian organisation to help refugees who had fled from Syria. He was kidnapped last year while delivering aid to refugees in eastern Syria, showing up later in the hands of militants from the Islamic State. He joined the US military and served as an Army Ranger in Iraq in 2007. He was given an honourable discharge from the Army for medical reasons. He travelled to Lebanon in May 2012, volunteering in hospitals and treating Syrian refugees. He founded aid organisation Special Emergency Response and Assistance (Sera) in 2012 to provide aid to Syrian refugees.
50. Who won the Chiangmai Golf Classic -2014?
Rashid Khan.(India).
51. Who won the ATP world tour finals -2014?
Novak Djokovic .
Djokovic won his fourth season finale crown overall when Roger Federer withdrew due to a back injury ahead of the final in London. Djokovic has become the first player to win three straight season finale titles since Ivan Lendl from 1985-87. The only other player to win three straight year-end titles was Ilie Nastase from 1971-73.
52. Name the indigenously developed surface-to-air missile of India which is successfully test-fired on November 17, 2014 from a test range in Odisha as part of user trial by the Air Force?
Akash.
Akash missile is a medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system with a strike range of 25 km and can carry a warhead of 60 kg. It has the capability to target aircraft up to 30 km away and is packed with a battery that can track and attack several targets simultaneously. 'Akash' has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
53. Who resigned as India’s Men’s Hockey Coach in November 2014?
Terry Walsh.
54. Which space agency successfully installed the world’s first zero-gravity 3D printer on the International Space Station (ISS) to help astronauts experiment with additive manufacturing in microgravity?
NASA.
55. Which cricketer has been chosen for the BCCI’s Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013-14?.
Dilip Vengsarkar.
He will receive a citation, trophy and cheque for Rs. 25 lakh. He earned fame for scoring three consecutive centuries at Lord’s (103 in 1979, 157 in 1982 and 126 not out in 1986). He scored 6,868 runs in 116 Tests (17 centuries) and 3,508 runs in 129 One-Day Internationals.
56. Which cricketer won the Polly Umrigar Award for best international cricketer for 2013-14 season?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
57. Who is sworn in as the interim President of Burkina Faso on 18 November 2014?
Michel Kafando.
He was the Permanent Representative (Ambassador) of Burkina Faso to the United Nations from 1998 to 2011; previously he served in the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1982 to 1983.Following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore amidst mass protests on 31 October 2014, Kafando was chosen to serve as President during a year-long transitional period leading to the next election. He was sworn in on 18 November 2014.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest. Its capital is Ouagadougou.
58. Which countries on November 18, 2014 signed five agreements, including on exchange of sentenced prisoners and on tourism?
India and Australia.
India and Australia signed two agreements and three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in Canberra during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to that country. The two agreements are on social security and transfer of sentenced persons, while the MoUs are on combating narcotics trafficking and developing police cooperation, cooperation in the fields of arts and culture and cooperation in the field of tourism.
59. Which state has become the first State to make voting compulsory in local bodies?
Gujarat.
Governor O.P. Kohli recently gave his sanction by signing the controversial Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009. The Bill empowers an official chosen by the State Election Commission to declare an absent voter a “defaulter” except in case of illness or being out of station. The defaulter is liable for punishment but the nature of penalty is not specified. The Bill also makes a provision for 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, raising the quota from 33 per cent.
60. Miss Honduras who has been found murdered just days before she was due to compete in the Miss World pageant-2014 in London?
Maria Jose Alvarado.
The reigning Miss Honduras, Maria Jose Alvarado, and her 23-year-old sister, Sofia Trinidad Alvarado, have been found dead, days after the two women disappeared in Santa Barbara, Honduras. The women were murdered by Sofia Trinidad Alvarado’s boyfriend in a jealous fit of rage.
61. The director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who has been removed by the Supreme Court from the 2G spectrum case, saying he had attempted to help the accused in the spectrum scam and derail the investigation?
Ranjit Sinha.
62. Who has become the second player to aggregate at least 1,000 runs in each of the last four years in One-Day Internationals (ODI)?
Virat Kohli
Sourav Ganguly and Kohli are the only players to reach this feat in four consecutive years whereas Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara have done it in three consecutive years Ganguly- 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Kohli- 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
Ijaz Ahmed and Aravinda de Silva were the first batsmen to score 1,000+ ODI runs in a calendar year in consecutive years. They both did it in 1996 and 1997.
Tendulkar has the record of scoring at least 1,000 ODI runs in seven different years. He did in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007. The next highest is six years with 1,000+ ODI runs by Ganguly and Ricky Ponting.
63. Which country won the SAFF Women’s Cup-2014 ( South Asian Football Federation Women's Cup) defeating Nepal in the final?
India.
Eight members compete in the tournament. The SAFF members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is held every two years.
64. Which countries signed their very first military cooperation agreement on November 20, 2014 which will pave the way for exchange of views and information on politico-military issues as well as issues related to strengthening of mutual trust and international security?
India and Russia.
65. Portugal's former centre-left Prime Minister who has been remanded in custody on suspicion of corruption, tax fraud and money laundering?
Jose Socrates.
66. Name the Catholic priest and a nun from Kerala (India|) who were conferred sainthood by Pope Francis at Vatican on November 23, 2014?
Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara (popularly known as Chavara Achen) and Sister Euphrasia, (popularly known as Evuprasiamma).
Syro Malabar Church now has three Saints, the first being Sister Alphonsa, who was declared a saint in 2008. Father Kuriakose Chavara was ordained as a priest in 1829. He was beatified in 1986 along with Sister Alphonsa. He received the beatification after claims of several miracles by his followers. He first introduced the system called "A school along with every church", which was successful in making free education available for everyone.
Sister Euphrasia was known as a 'praying mother' and a 'saint among nuns', who, according to followers, had several miracles to her credit.
67. A watercolour painting by a famous dictator has sold for 130,000 euros (£103,000) at auction in Germany, despite controversy over its sale. Name that dictator?
Adolf Hitler.
68. Which country won its first Davis Cup title in 2014?
Switzerland.
Switzerland, with 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and reigning Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka in the team, won its first Davis Cup title in 2014.
69. Who is FIDE World Chess Champion 2014?
Magnus Carlsen.
He retained the title after defeating Viswanathan Anand in the match played at the Winter Olympic City of Sochi.
70. Which footballer set a Spanish-league record for goals (253 goals)?
Lionel Messi.
Messi Argentina has 253 goals in La Liga. The previous record was set by Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra, who scored the last of his 251 goals in the league in 1955. He played in 278 matches. Messi achieved this feat in his 289th La Liga match.
71. Who won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix-2014 Formula One Championship?
Lewis Hamilton.
72. Who is the winner of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon-2014?
Guye Adola. (Ethiopia).
In the International Elite Women category, Florence Kiplagat of Kenya is the winner.
73. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister who passed away on November 24, 2014?
Murli Deora.
He was the union Minister of Corporate Affairs until 12 July 2011.
74. Who were named the male and female World Athletes of the Year for 2014?
Renaud Lavillenie(France) and Valerie Adams(New Zealand).
New Zealand shot put star Valerie Adams has been named the World Athlete of the Year -2014 and she is the first Kiwi to win the award. Renaud Lavillenie is pole vault world-record holder.
75. Scientists have discovered the oldest water yet found on Earth, dating back to at least 1.5 billion years, in a mine of a country in North America. Which is that country?
Canada.
76. Eminent Indian Kathak dancer who is still described as the “Kathak queen” passed away on November 25, 2014?
Sitara Devi.
She has been conferred a number of awards, including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1969) and the Padma Shree (1973), Kalidas Samman (1995) and Nritya Nipuna. Rabindranath Tagore described her as “Nritya Samragini”, meaning the empress of dance, after watching her performance when she was just 16 years old. She was honoured with the Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 for her contribution to the classical dance genre for over six decades.
77. United States Secretary of Defense who resigned on November 24, 2014following conflicts within the administration, particularly relating to issues concerning ISIS/ISIL?
Chuck Hagel.
He was the 24th United States Secretary of Defense for two years in the Obama administration.
78. Israel's Cabinet on November 23, 2014 approved a contentious bill that officially defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Which is that bill?
“Jewish state bill”.
The bill calls for recognizing Israel's Jewish character, institutionalizing Jewish law as an inspiration for legislation, and delisting Arabic as an official language.
79. Tennis star who was appointed as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the South Asian region by UN Women at an event held to mark the International Day to End Violence against Women?
Sania Mirza.
80. Which bank on November 20, 2014 announced the acquisition of mid-sized private sector ING Vysya Bank in an all-share deal worth Rs 15,000 crore?
Kotak Mahindra Bank.
81. Who was elected as the fifth President of Romania?
Klaus Iohannis.
On November 16, 2014, Klaus Iohannis was elected the fifth President of Romania, winning against the Social-Democratic candidate Victor Ponta. Iohannis won the elections with 54.43% of the votes. He took office on 21 December, when Traian Basescu's term ended.
82. Former IAS officer who has been appointed as the new chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)?
Deepak Gupta.
Gupta took over as the chief of UPSC on November 21, 2014 after the tenure of Rajni Razdan came to an end. As per convention, the UPSC chief is appointed from among the members of the Commission. It is for the first time that somebody from outside has been appointed as the UPSC chairperson.
83. South Indian cinema’s superstar who was bestowed with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year(2014) at the opening ceremony of the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)?
Rajinikanth.
84. Which organisation has won the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014?
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
85. Who is appointed as the new chairman of the Press Council of India?
Justice. C.K. Prasad.
He replaces Justice Markandeya Katju who retired on October 11, 2014.
86. Australia Test batsman who passed away, two days after being struck on the top of the neck by a ball during a domestic match in Sydney?
Phillip Hughes.
Hughes, who also played for Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcestershire, was hit by a delivery from bowler Sean Abbott. Hughes, batting for South Australia, collapsed face first on the ground after being hit by a bouncer from 22-year-old Abbott during a Sheffield Shield game against New South Wales. Hughes had been wearing a helmet but the ball struck him at the top of the neck, causing the injury.
87. Which footballer has surpassed Raul Gonzalez's record as the top scorer in UEFA Champions League history?
Lionel Messi.
Messi surpassed Raul's record of 71 Champions League goals. While it took Raul 142 UEFA Champions League outings to run up his 71 goals, Messi achieved this feat in his 91th match.
88. Former President of Egypt who has been acquitted of charges connected with the deaths of protesters during a 2011 uprising by An Egyptian court?
Hosni Mubarak.
89. Renowned Crime novelist who was referred as queen of crime fiction and well-known for her series of detective novels starring the policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh, passed away on November 27, 2014?
P.D.James.
Her first novel ‘Cover Her face’ was published in 1962 which featured the investigator and poet Adam Dalgliesh named after a teacher at Cambridge High School. Adam Dalgliesh is a fictional character who has been the protagonist of fourteen mystery novels by P. D. James. She had gained international recognition in 1980 after the publication of her eighth book, Innocent Blood.
90. Pakistani actress who is sentenced to 26 years for roles in television programme based on marriage of Prophet Mohamed’s daughter?
Veena Malik.
Veena and her husband are sentenced to 26 years by a Pakistani court after a broadcast showed people dancing to a song about the wedding of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's daughter.
91. Which state won the overall title in the 30th National Junior Athletics championship concluded in Vijayawada?
Kerala.
Kerala finished with a tally of 528.5 points. Haryana finished second with 394 points.
92. Indian women’s Hockey Coach who resigned from the post in November 2014?
Neil Hawgood.
Neil Hawgood is a former Australian hockey player. He was leading the junior women team which won the World Cup bronze in hockey in 2013.
93. Who won the Australian Open Golf title -2014?
Jordan Spieth.
He is the first American to win the Australian Open since Brad Faxon in 1993.
94. 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in?
Goa.
IFFI 2014 was held from 20 November to 30 November 2014.
95. COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS OF 45th IFFI Awards.
Life Time Achievement Award: Hong-Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. He is known for his films In the Mood for Love, Ashes of Time and Chungking Express.
Best Actor Award: Alexel Serebriakov (Leviathan star) & Dulal Sarkar (Bengal actor) for the film Chotoder Chobi
Best Actress Award: Arina Rodriguez (Cuban actress) for Cuban-Spanish film Behaviour and Sarit Larry (Israeli actress) for film The Kindergarten Teacher.
Best Director Award: Nadaf Lapid for the film The Kindgarten Teacher
Centenary Award: Director Shrihari Sathe for the film “Ek Hazaarchi Note”
Special Jury Award: Director Shrihari Sathe for the film “Ek Hazaarchi Note”
Golden Peacock Award: Russian director Andrey Zvyaginstev for drama Leviathan
Centenary award for Film personality of the Year: Tamil actor Rajinikanth
96. Who won 2014 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Title?
P.V. Sindhu.
She defeated Kim Hyo Min of Korea in the women’s singles finals.
97. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, who has been appointed as the new Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha?
Anoop Mishra.