Allahabad Bank Agriculture Officers Exam., 2009(Held on 1-3-2009)
General Awareness : Solved Paper
1. According to the World Economic Forum which of the following groups of countries have the most developed financial system in the world ?
(A) USA–France
(B) France–Britain
(C) India–USA
(D) Britain–Australia
(E) USA–Britain
Ans : (E)
2. Which of the following sectors of US economy were passing through a phase of slow down recently and wanted US Govt. to provide bail out packages to them ?
1. Agricultural sector
2. Auto sector
3. Banking and Financial Services Sector
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) 2 and 3 only
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (C)
3. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true about the buy back of the Foreign Convertible Bonds (FCBs), which were in news recently ?
1. Govt. has put a ban on the buy back of the Foreign convertible Bonds.
2. Govt. has now allowed the buy back of the Foreign convertible Bonds.
3. Companies can now pre pay the foreign convertible bonds from their Indian rupee resources and/or through their foreign currency accruals.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) 2 and 3 only
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
4. Which of the following countries has decided to issue a currency note equivalent to that of US$ 200 million as it is struggling with the world's highest inflation rate of 231 million per cent ?
(A) Somalia
(B) Ethiopea
(C) Sudan
(D) Uganda
(E) Zimbabwe
Ans : (E)
5. The Reserve Bank of India in its mid term review of the monetary policy in October 2008 had said that the inflation would be around 7% by the year-end.
Which of the following is/are indications on the basis of which RBI gave this statement ?
1. Headline inflation as measured by the wholesale price index has started declining
2. Commodity prices are coming down
3. Domestic Demand is also slowing down
4. Fuel prices are lowered down recently
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 1 and 4 only
(C) All 1, 2, 3 and 4
(D) Only 4
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
6. As we all noticed in the recent past almost all major banks were offering loans at cheaper rates. Which was/were the major event(s) that took place in the financial sector, which prompted banks to do so ?
1. RBI frequently announced a cut in various rates and ratios
2. Govt. provided Rs. 7000 crore refinance to SIDBI to help SSIs
3. Housing loans upto Rs. 20 lakhs will now be treated as loan to priority sector
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 & 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
7. Which of the following statements is/are TRUE about the Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
which was in news sometimes back ?
1. The US Govt. provided a US $ 7000 million bail out package to the company
2. The company filed for bankruptcy in a court in New York
3. The company is now out of financial crisis and is busy in its restructuring so that it can start afresh.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
8. Which of the following States became the first State in India to reserve a Govt. job for HIV + candidates ?
(A) Maharashtra
(B) Kerala
(C) Karnataka
(D) Delhi
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
9. The Govt. of India recently decided to allow Currency Futures in India. In addition to Ministry of Finance which is/are the other organization(s) whose permission/approval is needed for such operations in India ?
1. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
2. Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
3. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) Only 2 and 3
Ans : (E)
10. The Reserve Bank of India has decided to help banks, as a temporary measure, by providing additional liquidity support under LAF. What is the full form of LAF ?
(A) Loan Adjustment Fund
(B) Liquidity Adjustment Facility
(C) Long Awaited Funds
(D) Loan Against Funds
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
11. As per the report being published in media now the economy of Asia is fast approaching at the saturation point while the growth prospects for Europe and US appear to be bleak. Hence Chinese, Americans and others are now looking towards—
(A) Africa
(B) South East Asia
(C) Latin America
(D) Gulf countries
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
12. The formal or institutional credit delivery system in rural India comprises of which of the following ?
1. Cooperative Credit Institutions
2. Commercial Banks
3. Regional Rural Banks
4. Self Help Groups
(A) Only 1 and 2
(B) Only 3 and 4
(C) Only 1, 2 and 3
(D) All 1, 2, 3 and 4
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
13. As per the reports published recently in the newspapers/magazines the Current Account Deficit of India's Balance of Payment during 2007-08 was at a very high level. When compared to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the percentage of the Current Account Deficit of 2007-08 was about what per cent of the GDP at that time ?
(A) 0•5%
(B) 0•75%
(C) 1%
(D) 1•25%
(E) 1•5%
Ans : (E)
14. The FDIC a USA based financial sector organization's name was in news recently. What is the full form of FDIC ?
(A) Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation
(B) Financial Insurance and Deposits Company
(C) Federal Income and Deposits Corporation
(D) Financial Instruments and Development Company
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
15. The Reserve Bank of India has recently issued guidelines to banks on Pillar 2 of Basel II framework. Pillar 2 deals with which of the following ?
1. Better human resource management
2. Adequate capital to support risks
3. Better profitability with minimum number of employees
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
16. Which of the following countries recently signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and became the 179th country to do the same ?
(A) India
(B) Pakistan
(C) Sudan
(D) Iraq
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)
17. A State Mission on Urban Poverty is formed by which of the following States in India ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Rajasthan
(D) Kerala
(E) Tamil Nadu
Ans : (D)
18. The Govt. of India these days is trying to implement new projects/schemes for the development of North Eastern Region (NER) of our country. Which of the following statement (s) is/are True about the North Eastern Region of our country ?
1. The NE Region comprising eight States has a high literacy level and is rich in ethnic cultural heritage with linguistic diversity.
2. The region has very good educational institutions and facilities as each and every district has a very good school/college and one or two institutes for higher learning.
3. The Govt. of India is trying to open few model central schools in the Region so that children of the Region can compete with the children of other zones/regions as entire education in the NE Region is given in local languages at present.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)
19. India has recently signed an agreement with which of the following to form a Free Trade Area from January, 2009 ?
(A) ASEAN
(B) SAARC
(C) EU
(D) Latin America
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
20. Which of the following States has decided to modernize Godavari Delta by investing a huge sum of Rs. 3,361 crores ?
(A) Tamil Nadu
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Kerala
(D) Andhra Pradesh
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
21. Which of the following State Govts. has decided to request the Govt. of India to provide 33.3% reservation for the backward classes in State Assemblies and in the Lok Sabha ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Uttar Pradesh
(C) Bihar
(D) Tamil Nadu
(E) Andhra Pradesh
Ans : (D)
22. Which of the following is not a department of the Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India ?
(A) Department of Economic Affairs
(B) Department of Expenditure
(C) Department of Revenue
(D) Department of Foreign Investments
(E) Department of Disinvestments
Ans : (D)
23. Which of the following countries recently signed a security cooperation agreement with India when our Prime Minister visited that country recently ?
(A) North Korea
(B) South Korea
(C) China
(D) Japan
(E) Nepal
Ans : (D)
24. Which of the following two countries decided to approach International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support them in their efforts to avoid financial turmoil which engulfed some big nations ?
(A) Hungary and Ukrain
(B) Croatia and Russia
(C) Russia and China
(D) USA and Russia
(E) Australia and China
Ans : (A)
25. As we all know a B. K. Chaturvedi Committee was set up by the Govt. of India to give recommendations on oil and natural gas sector. Which of the following is/are not amongst its recommendations ?
1. Special taxes to be imposed on all oil products in the country
2. Excise duties on petrol to be reduced to Rs. 10 per litre till March 2009
3. Subsidy on LPG should be increased from present 25% to 40%
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) Only 1 and 2
Ans : (D)
26. Which of the following is not a social sector programme being run by the Govt. of India ?
(A) Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(B) National Rural Health Mission
(C) National Agricultural Insurance Scheme
(D) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(E) Mid Day Meal Scheme
Ans : (C)
27. Under the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, the Govt. of India recently gave the first instalment of credit to the banks. What was the amount of the1st instalment ?
(A) Rs. 10,000 crore
(B) Rs. 15,000 crore
(C) Rs. 20,000 crore
(D) Rs. 25,000 crore
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
28. As per the newspaper reports how many bank branches India has at present ? (all the banks put together) About—
(A) 25,000
(B) 30,000
(C) 50,000
(D) 60,000
(E) 70,000
Ans : (C)
29. As per the reports published in various newspapers/magazines in several nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America more people have mobile phones than bank accounts. What is the position in India in regard to these two facilities ? [Pick up the correct statement(s)]
1. In India about 260 million people have mobile phones.
2. At present about 34% of Indian population is enjoying the formal banking facilities.
3. RBI has recently approved mobile Banking (m–Banking) and favours SMS based small ticket payments upto Rs. 15,000.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
30. The World Investment Report 2008 was released in September 2008. This report is published every year by—
(A) Govt. of India
(B) World Trade Organization (WTO)
(C) Asian Development Bank (ADB)
(D) World Bank
(E) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Ans : (E)
31. The National Illness Assistance Fund (NIAF) which was set up in 1997 is now known with a new name as—
(A) Rastriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN)
(B) National Health Mission (NHM)
(C) Pulse Polio Abhiyan (PPA)
(D) Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP)
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
32. Bhimsen Joshi who was chosen for India's highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ is a famous—
(A) Sitarist
(B) Tabla Player
(C) Classical Singer
(D) Classical Dancer
(E) Cine Actor
Ans : (C)
33. As we all know the UN Security Council and IAEA want Iran to stop enrichment of Uranium as they fear that Iran may produce nuclear armaments. What is Irans’ view on the issue ?
1. Iran says it is doing enrichment for civilian purposes only
2. Iran is of the view that in the present scenario of the building tension in gulf region it needs a nuclear bomb to protect its interests.
3. Iran has signed Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and it is doing whatever is allowed to do under NPT's terms and conditions
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
34. As we all know some new initiatives were introduced in the area of Fiscal Management by the Govt. of India. Which of the following acts was passed a few years back to keep a check on the fiscal indiscipline on macro economic parameters ?
(A) FERA
(B) FRBMA
(C) FEMA
(D) Public Debt Act
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
35. As we all know the Govt. of India has launched a massive infrastructure development programme known as Bharat Nirman. What is/are the goal(s) of this programme ?
1. To bring at least one crore hectares additional land under assured irrigation
2. To provide internet connections to all 1,25,000 villages by 2012.
3. To provide road connectivity to all villages with a population of 1000 in plains and 500 in hilly areas.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) 1 and 3 only
(D) 2 and 3 only
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (C)
36. Some members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have raised objections on India's decision to give export subsidies on which of the following commodities ?
(A) Wheat
(B) Sugar
(C) Rice
(D) Steel
(E) Cement
Ans : (C)
37. Who among the following is the author of the book entitled, “To a Hunger-free World” ?
(A) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(B) M. S. Swaminathan
(C) Jaswant Singh
(D) Nelson Mandela
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
38. National Games and Sports 2011 will be organised in which of the following states ?
(A) Goa
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Delhi
(D) Rajasthan
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
39. ‘Jakumi’ is the mascot of which of the following events ?
(A) Commonwealth Games 2009
(B) SAARC Games 2010
(C) National Games 2009
(D) European Union Games 2012
(E) FIFA World Cup 2010
Ans : (E)
40. Nobel Laureate (2008) Jean-Marie Gustave le Clezio writes in which of the following languages ?
(A) French
(B) Spanish
(C) Japanese
(D) German
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
41. Shiva Narayan Chandrapol, who was honoured with “Cricketer of the Year, 2008” by ICC, belongs to—
(A) India
(B) South Africa
(C) West Indies
(D) Sri Lanka
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
42. ……… was the only Indian to win a gold medal in Olympic 2008.
(A) Saina Nehwal
(B) Sudesh Kumar
(C) Pankaj Advani
(D) Mahesh Bhupati
(E) Abhinav Bindra
Ans : (E)
43. The name of Jigme Khesar N. Wangchuk was in news, since he was enthroned as the…… of the following country.
(A) President of Bhutan
(B) King of Bhutan
(C) Prime Minister of Thailand
(D) King of Cambodia
(E) Prime Minister of Cambodia
Ans : (B)
44. Irani Cup is associated with which of the following games ?
(A) Hockey
(B) Cricket
(C) Badminton
(D) Golf
(E) Lawn Tennis
Ans : (B)
45. Recently Govt. of India has decided to increase the direct foreign investment, from present 26 per cent to—
(A) 40%
(B) 45%
(C) 49%
(D) 74%
(E) 100%
Ans : (C)
46. Third summit of IBSA was organised in October 2008 in—
(A) New Delhi
(B) Salvador
(C) Durban
(D) Mumbai
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
47. Recently, who of the following was awarded National Amity Prize 2008 ?
(A) Shekhar Gupta
(B) Kiran Desai
(C) Vikram Seth
(D) Anita Desai
(E) Khushwant Singh
Ans : (E)
48. As per news in the newspapers, the President of country is Mr. Mugabo who has signed an agreement with the opposition leader Morgan Swanariroy to share to rule the country. What is the name of the country ?
(A) Zimbabwe
(B) Croatia
(C) Sudan
(D) Ethiopia
(E) Egypt
Ans : (A)
49. Dronacharya Prize is awarded in the field of…… for excellence in coaching.
(A) Literature
(B) Games and Sports
(C) Cinema
(D) Classical Dance
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
50. Which of the following rate/ratio is not fixed by Reserve Bank of India ?
(A) Rapo rate
(B) SLR
(C) CRR
(D) Inflation
(E) RBI fixes all the above
Ans : (D)
