Quiz – 5 November 2026 (Part 2: Q 54–105)

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Quiz – 5 November 2026 (Part 2: Q 54–105) – 52 questions, subject: Current Affairs. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  
The San Thome Basilica in Mylapore, Chennai, was first built in the 16th century by the:

Correct Answer: A [Portuguese]

Explanation:

The Portuguese – over the tomb of St Thomas. The British rebuilt it in Neo-Gothic style in 1893.

2.  
Funchal, Cristiano Ronaldo's birthplace, is on which island?

Correct Answer: C [Madeira]

Explanation:

Madeira (Atlantic Ocean, an autonomous region of Portugal); born 5 Feb 1985. The Canary Islands belong to Spain.

3.  
What is the capital of the Bahamas, the ISA's 116th member?

Correct Answer: B [Nassau]

Explanation:

Nassau – on New Providence island. Kingston is Jamaica's capital; Havana, Cuba's; Bridgetown, Barbados'.

4.  
Who is the Depositary of the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance?

Correct Answer: D [Government of India]

Explanation:

The Government of India (Article XIV) – which is why the Bahamas lodged its instrument with an MEA Joint Secretary.

5.  
Which important line of latitude passes through the Bahamas?

Correct Answer: D [Tropic of Cancer]

Explanation:

The Tropic of Cancer (about 23.4° N) – through the Exuma islands. In India it crosses 8 States.

6.  
At which city was the ISA Framework Agreement opened for signature during COP22 in Nov 2016?

Correct Answer: C [Marrakesh]

Explanation:

Marrakesh (Morocco), 15 Nov 2016. The ISA was launched by India and France at COP21, Paris, in 2015; the treaty took effect on 6 Dec 2017.

7.  
The Bahamas, independent from Britain since 1973, is a member of which regional grouping?

Correct Answer: A [CARICOM]

Explanation:

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – a member since 4 July 1983; its secretariat is in Georgetown, Guyana. MERCOSUR is the South American common market.

8.  
The astronomer who first spotted the mini-moon '2026 QQ8' in Aug 2026 is from which country?

Correct Answer: B [Hungary]

Explanation:

Hungary – Krisztián Sárneczky, Piszkéstető Observatory (20 Aug 2026). US telescopes later confirmed it is a natural asteroid.

9.  
The Minor Planet Center works under the authority of which body?

Correct Answer: B [Intl. Astronomical Union]

Explanation:

The International Astronomical Union (IAU); the centre sits at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, USA. The IAU also reclassified Pluto as a 'dwarf planet' in 2006.

10.  
The region around a planet where its gravity dominates the Sun's, letting it briefly capture an asteroid, is called the

Correct Answer: C [Hill sphere]

Explanation:

Hill sphere – 2026 QQ8 entered it in April 2026. A satellite inside the Roche limit is torn apart by tidal forces.

11.  
'2024 PT5', Earth's mini-moon in 2024, belongs to which group of asteroids?

Correct Answer: D [Arjuna asteroid belt]

Explanation:

The Arjuna belt – asteroids that circle the Sun on Earth-like orbits. 2024 PT5 was bound to Earth from 29 Sep to 25 Nov 2024.

12.  
Which Government Astronomer discovered several asteroids from the Madras Observatory in the 19th century?

Correct Answer: D [Norman Pogson]

Explanation:

Norman Pogson (between 1861 and 1885); the 'Pogson ratio' of the stellar magnitude scale is named after him. Asteroid '4130 Ramanujan' was reported from Kavalur in 1989.

13.  
Which agencies jointly reported in Nov 2026 that the Antarctic ozone hole was the 7th largest in 48 years?

Correct Answer: A [NASA and NOAA]

Explanation:

The US agencies NASA and NOAA (4 Nov 2026). The cause was an unusually strong polar vortex; the ozone layer should fully recover by the 2070s.

14.  
In which unit is the total amount of ozone in a column of the atmosphere measured?

Correct Answer: A [Dobson unit]

Explanation:

Dobson unit (DU); an area below 220 DU is the 'ozone hole'. Decibel – sound; becquerel – radioactivity; sievert – radiation dose.

15.  
The protective ozone layer lies mainly in which layer of the atmosphere?

Correct Answer: C [Stratosphere]

Explanation:

The stratosphere. Over Antarctica, 'polar stratospheric clouds' formed here speed up chlorine reactions that destroy ozone.

16.  
The 1987 Montreal Protocol was the first treaty in UN history to achieve what?

Correct Answer: D [Universal ratification]

Explanation:

It was the first treaty ratified by every UN member (universal ratification). Its parent framework, the Vienna Convention, was adopted in 1985.

17.  
India's earliest ozone observations (1928–29) were made at an observatory in which Tamil Nadu hill station?

Correct Answer: C [Kodaikanal]

Explanation:

Kodaikanal (Dindigul district) – first measurements in 1928–29 as part of Dobson's worldwide ozone survey; an IMD Dobson spectrophotometer ozone station since 1957.

18.  
'Sentinel', by Aldrei Ong, which won the 2026 James Dyson Award global Sustainability prize, is a –

Correct Answer: A [Building-damage sensor]

Explanation:

A building-damage sensor – a crack in its self-sensing concrete spacer block changes its electrical resistance; prize £30,000.

19.  
Sir James Dyson, the British inventor after whom the award is named, is best known for inventing the

Correct Answer: B [Bagless vacuum cleaner]

Explanation:

The bagless cyclonic vacuum cleaner ('Dual Cyclone'). Jet engine – Frank Whittle; hovercraft – Christopher Cockerell.

20.  
Steel bars are used in reinforced cement concrete (RCC) mainly because concrete is weak in

Correct Answer: C [Tension]

Explanation:

Tension – concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, which the steel bars carry. The spacer block that Sentinel reinvents holds those bars in place.

21.  
Tropical storms called 'typhoons' in the Philippines are known in the North Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) as

Correct Answer: C [Cyclones]

Explanation:

Cyclones. Atlantic and north-east Pacific – hurricanes; north-west Pacific – typhoons; Australia – willy-willies.

22.  
Where is CSIR's Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) located?

Correct Answer: D [Chennai]

Explanation:

Taramani, Chennai (1965). CSIR's Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) is at Roorkee.

23.  
After the 1897 Shillong earthquake, where was India's first seismological observatory set up in 1898?

Correct Answer: D [Alipore, Kolkata]

Explanation:

Alipore, Kolkata (1 Dec 1898). Today the Ministry of Earth Sciences' National Center for Seismology (NCS, 2014) monitors India's earthquakes.

24.  
Kishtwar district, home to India's 183rd seismological observatory, has the Kiru and Kwar hydro projects on which river?

Correct Answer: A [Chenab]

Explanation:

The Chenab – Kiru (624 MW) and Kwar (540 MW); Pakal Dul (1,000 MW) is on its tributary, the Marusudar. The Kishtwar observatory is the 4th in J&K.

25.  
What does the Richter scale, devised in 1935, measure about an earthquake?

Correct Answer: C [Magnitude (energy released)]

Explanation:

Magnitude – a logarithmic scale devised by Charles Richter. The intensity of damage is measured on the Mercalli scale.

26.  
The point on the Earth's surface directly above the underground focus of an earthquake is called the

Correct Answer: A [Epicentre]

Explanation:

Epicentre – shaking is usually strongest here. The underground starting point is the focus (hypocentre).

27.  
Under the BIS seismic zone map now in force (IS 1893:2016), Chennai lies in which zone?

Correct Answer: C [Zone III]

Explanation:

Zone III. Tamil Nadu lies in Zones II and III; IS 1893:2025, which added Zone VI, was withdrawn in March 2026.

28.  
The station planned at Tanglang La, set to be the world's highest, will be on which rail line?

Correct Answer: B [Bilaspur–Manali–Leh]

Explanation:

Bilaspur–Manali–Leh (489 km, broad gauge) – DPR ready; about 270 km of it in tunnels.

29.  
Tanggula, at present the world's highest railway station, is on which railway?

Correct Answer: B [Qinghai–Tibet Railway]

Explanation:

Qinghai–Tibet Railway (Xining–Lhasa, China); Tanggula station is at about 5,068 m.

30.  
In Himalayan place names such as Khardung La and Zoji La, what does 'La' mean?

Correct Answer: A [Mountain pass]

Explanation:

In Tibetan, 'La' means a pass. Zoji La lies on the route linking Srinagar with Kargil/Leh.

31.  
The Himachal Pradesh towns of Mandi and Kullu lie on the banks of which river?

Correct Answer: A [Beas]

Explanation:

Beas – rises near Rohtang Pass and joins the Sutlej near Harike in Punjab. Bilaspur is on the Sutlej (Gobind Sagar).

32.  
The southernmost railway station of Indian Railways is in which Tamil Nadu town?

Correct Answer: D [Kanniyakumari]

Explanation:

Kanniyakumari is the southernmost station. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway joined UNESCO's 'Mountain Railways of India' in 2005.

33.  
Tanvi Patri, who reached the girls' singles badminton final at Dakar 2026 YOG, is from which State?

Correct Answer: B [Odisha]

Explanation:

Odisha – she beat Japan's Yuzuno Watanabe in the semi-final; China's Zhang Yi Xin awaits in the final.

34.  
Who won India's first YOG badminton medal – boys' singles silver at Singapore 2010?

Correct Answer: A [H.S. Prannoy]

Explanation:

H.S. Prannoy (Kerala). At Buenos Aires 2018, Lakshya Sen won singles silver and mixed-team gold.

35.  
The name 'badminton' comes from 'Badminton House', a country estate. In which country is it?

Correct Answer: B [England]

Explanation:

England (Gloucestershire, the Duke of Beaufort's estate). British officers in India played it as 'Poona'.

36.  
Which trophy is the world team championship for women in badminton?

Correct Answer: D [Uber Cup]

Explanation:

Uber Cup. Thomas Cup is for men (India won it in 2022); Sudirman Cup is mixed; Davis Cup is tennis.

37.  
Which Chennai-trained shuttler won boys' singles silver at the 2022 BWF World Junior Championships?

Correct Answer: C [Sankar Muthusamy]

Explanation:

Sankar Muthusamy – lost the final at Santander, Spain, to Chinese Taipei's Kuo Kuan Lin and took silver.

38.  
'Craniopagus' conjoined twins are joined at which part of the body?

Correct Answer: D [Head (skull)]

Explanation:

Head – craniopagus. Chest – thoracopagus; abdomen – omphalopagus; pelvis – ischiopagus.

39.  
Neurosurgeon Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, who died in Nov 2026, was the founding Director of which AIIMS?

Correct Answer: D [AIIMS Bhubaneswar]

Explanation:

AIIMS Bhubaneswar – one of six AIIMS started in 2012 under PMSSY. He also served as Director of SGPGI Lucknow.

40.  
In which case did the Supreme Court hold that the Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not 'titles' barred by Article 18?

Correct Answer: C [Balaji Raghavan case]

Explanation:

Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India (1995) – it also said the awards must not be used as a prefix or suffix to names.

41.  
The three protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord are called –

Correct Answer: C [Meninges]

Explanation:

Meninges – dura mater, arachnoid, pia mater. Pleura covers the lungs; pericardium, the heart; peritoneum lines the abdomen.

42.  
Dr Jacob Chandy, a pioneer of neurosurgery in India, started a neurosurgery department in 1949 at which TN institution?

Correct Answer: A [CMC, Vellore]

Explanation:

CMC Vellore (Jan 1949). Formal M.S. Neurosurgery training began there in 1958.

43.  
Which body declared 6 November the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict?

Correct Answer: B [UN General Assembly]

Explanation:

UN General Assembly – resolution 56/4 of 5 Nov 2001. UNEP carries out post-conflict environmental assessments in this field.

44.  
'Agent Orange', sprayed widely by US forces in the Vietnam War, was mainly a –

Correct Answer: C [Herbicide (defoliant)]

Explanation:

A herbicide used to strip forest leaves; its dioxin contaminant caused long-term illness.

45.  
The ENMOD Convention, adopted by the UN in 1976, bans the hostile use of –

Correct Answer: B [Environmental modification techniques]

Explanation:

Environmental modification techniques (e.g. weather manipulation). Landmines – Ottawa Treaty (1997); cluster munitions – Oslo Convention (2008).

46.  
Which German warship shelled Madras in Sept 1914, destroying oil tanks of the Burmah Oil Company?

Correct Answer: A [Emden]

Explanation:

Emden (night of 22 Sept 1914). The word 'Emden' entered Tamil usage for a daring person.

47.  
In the 1991 Gulf War, retreating Iraqi forces set fire to hundreds of oil wells in which country?

Correct Answer: C [Kuwait]

Explanation:

Kuwait – fires burning for months caused severe air pollution, along with oil spills in the Persian Gulf.

48.  
India's National Cancer Awareness Day (7 November) marks the birth anniversary of whom?

Correct Answer: B [Marie Curie]

Explanation:

Marie Curie (born 7 Nov 1867, Warsaw) – the first person to win two Nobel Prizes (Physics 1903, Chemistry 1911).

49.  
The radioactive element 'polonium', discovered in 1898, is named after which country?

Correct Answer: A [Poland]

Explanation:

Poland – Marie Curie's homeland. The Curies also discovered radium the same year.

50.  
Which organisation leads 'World Cancer Day', observed on 4 February?

Correct Answer: D [UICC]

Explanation:

UICC (Union for International Cancer Control), Geneva. IARC is the WHO's cancer research agency.

51.  
Cancer of blood-forming tissues such as the bone marrow is called –

Correct Answer: B [Leukaemia]

Explanation:

Leukaemia – blood cancer with excess abnormal white cells. Melanoma – skin pigment cells; sarcoma – bone/connective tissue; glioma – brain.

52.  
The Arignar Anna Memorial Cancer Hospital, named TN's State nodal cancer centre in the 2025–26 Budget, is in which district?

Correct Answer: A [Kancheepuram]

Explanation:

Kancheepuram – ₹120 crore to make it an autonomous 800-bed institute. The same Budget gave ₹36 crore for HPV vaccination of 14-year-old girls.

📰 Read the news behind these questions
› 'Vetri Special Vegetable Pack' sale launched – 10 vegetables for ₹100 at 218 cooperative outlets › Madras HC orders immediate closure of 87 unauthorised resorts in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve › DRDO successfully tests 'Pralay' quasi-ballistic missile off the Odisha coast – user evaluation trial › Vice-President presents the 'PM Surya Ghar Excellence Award' to the Ministry of Railways › Star cluster 'UBC 63' is actually two separate clusters – Gauhati University study using Gaia data › Amit Shah inaugurates 1857 martyrs' memorial at Ambala Cantonment, Haryana › Tiger 'Ranoji' (STR-10) sighted by tourists on safari in Radhanagari Sanctuary, Kolhapur › PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY): cumulative enrolments in Jammu & Kashmir reach 13.07 lakh › Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines – Alert Level 3; thousands evacuated › Bay of Bengal countries launch a fisheries research network – 'BOB-NOR' (Kochi)
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