Friday, June 15, 2012

Economy & Banking Awareness Questions for IBPS Exams


1. Which Hyderabad-based drug discovery research and development organisationon 28 November 2011 entered into an alliance with the Moulder Centre for Drug Discovery Research at Temple University, Philadelphia?
a. Ranbaxy
b. Cipla
c. GVK Biosciences (GVK BIO)
d. Sanofi-Aventis
Answer: (c)

2. Which of the following companies mentioned below launched its cruiser bike Intruder M800 priced at Rs 8.88 lakh on 28 November 2011?
a. Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd
b. Hero Moto group
c. Yamaha
d. Bajaj Auto
Answer: (c)

3. Afghanistan on 28 November 2011 awarded mining rights for three of the four Hajigak blocks located at the central Bamyan province to an Indian consortium led by which of the following PSUs?
a. BHEL
b. SAIL
c. National Mineral Development Corporation
d. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam
Answer: (b)

4. Who did British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC re-elected as Chairman on 29 November 2011 in the company’s annual general meeting in London?
a. James Murdoch
b. Rupert Murdoch
c. Martin Gilbert
d. Matthieu Pigasse
Answer: (a)

5. Which drug maker on 30 November 2011 launched the generic version of blockbuster cholesterol-busting drug Lipitor, dubbing it the largest generic product launch in US history?
a. Pfizer
b. Watson Pharma
c. Dr.Reddy’s
d. Cipla
Answer: (b)

6. Which real eastate major company acquired the additional 26 per cent stake in its joint venture company with Hilton Hotel from Aro Participation Ltd and Splendid Property Company Ltd, affiliates of Hilton International?
a. Larsen & Toubro Limited
b. DLF
c. Punj Lloyd Limited
d. Tata Construction & Projects Ltd
Answer: (b)

7. Which Power distribution company on 5 December 2011 announced change of its name to Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited?
a. North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL)
b. Adani Power
c. Lanco Infratech
d. CLP Power
Answer: (a)

8. Name the mobile phone operator in India which decided to renew its contract with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to manage and maintain its networks in eight circles for three years.
a. BSNL
b. Idea Cellular
c. Bharti Airtel
d. Uninor
Answer: (c)

9. Retail entrepreneur Kishore Biyani exited his financial services through two separate transactions worth over Rs 1000 crore. Which company purchased Pantaloon's 26% stake in its insurance Future group’s joint venture Future Generali Life for Rs 250-300 crore?
a. Deccan Chronicle
b. Investment Trust ( IITL)
c. RIL
d. Tata group
Answer: (b)

10. Which bank signed a memorandum of understanding with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to use the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) facility to facilitate electronic funds transfer of policy payments to policyholders?
a. IDBI
b. Corp Bank
c. Indian Overseas Bank
d. Dhanlaxmi Bank
Answer: (d)

11. Which digital technology major received an award for its Air conditioners at the National Energy Conservation Awards, 2011?
a. Samsung Electronics
b. Phillips
c. Hitachi
d. Videocon
Answer: (a)

12. Swedish multinational SKF launched the company's Global Technical Centre in which of the following cities in India on 14 December 2011?
a. Chennai
b. Hyderabad
c. Bangalore
d. New Delhi
Answer: (c)

13. Which PSU lender decided to aggressively market its gold loan scheme for farmers to prevent defaults after the agriculture sector witnessed a sharp spike in bad debt in the past one year?
a. Union Bank
b. United Bank of India
c. Industrial Development Bank of India
d. State Bank of India
Answer: (d)

14. Who did the Central Government appoint as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Andhra Bank?
a. B. A. Prabhakar
b. O. P. Bhatt
c. Pratip Chaudhuri
d. S. Vishvanathan
Answer: (a)

15. The directorate general of hydrocarbons (DGH), the technical arm of the oil ministry approved which company’s proposal to commence production from Bhagyam, the second-largest oil field in the Rajasthan block?
a. Essar Oil
b. ONGC
c. Cairn India
d. Indian Oil
Answer: (c)

16. Who did Colgate-Palmolive India (CPIL) on 20 December 2011 appoint as Managing Director for five years from 1 February 2012?
a. Prabha Parameswaran
b. Mukul Deora
c. R. A. Shah
d. P. K. Ghosh
Answer: (a)

17. AstraZeneca, a biopharmaceutical company in December 2011 chose which of the following companies as a strategic infrastructure outsourcing partner?
a. Infosys
b. HCL Technologies
c. Wipro BPO
d. Cape Gemini
Answer: (b)

18. Which of India's leading commodity bourses on 20 December 2011 became the world's fifth-largest commodity futures exchange?
a. National Multi Commodity Exchange of India
b. Bharat Diamond Bourse
c. Multi Commodity Exchange
d. Bombay Stock Exchange
Answer: (d)

19. Ravi Ruia decided on 21 December 2011 to step down as chairman of which of the following London-listed after a trial court admitted a criminal chargesheet filed by the investigating agency, CBI?
a. Essar Energy
b. Essar Shipping
c. Essar Oil
d. Eaasr Technologies
Answer: (a)

20. Which company won the award for Alternative Thinking and Driving Positive Change in the Fleet Owner category at the Mahindra Navistar Transport Excellence Awards 2011 at Hotel Ashok here on 20 December 2011?
a. Tata Motors
b. Hero Group
c. Edu Comp
d. Agarwal Packers & Movers
Answer: (d)

21. Oman Investment Fund (OIF), the Sultanate of Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, filed application with the government to buy a stake in which of the software solutions company, IT People promoted exchange?
a. Universal Commodity Exchange
b. Agri bourse NCDEX
c. Intercontinental Exchange
d. National Spot Exchange Limited
Answer: (a)

22. Which company on 27 Deember 2011 mentioned that it would acquire the remaining 51 per cent stake from BP Alternative Energy Holdings in the joint venture that it formed with BP?
a. Reliance Power
b. Tata Power
c. Adani Power Limited
d. ABB Ltd
Answer: (b)

23. Which paharmaceutical company announced in December 2011 the launch of Supamovecream used for treating pain and inflammation in India?
a. Cipla
b. Ranbaxy
c. Dr. Reddy’s
d. Sun Pharmaceuticals
Answer: (c)

24. Name the state-run Mumbai-headquartered bank which on 29 December 2011 surprised the market by cutting its base rate, the minimum lending rate, by 10 basis points, thereby becoming the first banker this year to do so when others are waiting for a signal from the central bank.
a. State Bank of India
b. Union Bank
c. United Bank of India
d. Allahabad Bank
Answer: (b)

25. The $35-billion Aditya Birla group plans to set up a viscose staple fibre (VSF) plant in the Adana Organised Industrial Zone in which of the following countries?
a. Tunisia
b. Tanzania
c. Turkey
d. Tibet
Answer: (c)

26. Which PSU announced on 2 January 2012 that its board approved in a meeting held on 30 December 2011 the switching over to internationally-accepted Gross Caloric Value-based pricing mechanism?
a. BHEL
b. ISPAT
c. CIL
d. IOC
Answer: (c)

27. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) entered the media and entertainment sector by making a major investment in one of India’s largest broadcast companies. Name the broadcast company.
a. Network18 Group
b. Adlabs Films
c. Balaji Telefilms
d. Bag Films
Answer: (a)

28. Credit Suisse upgraded which company to neutral from underperform, citing valuation comfort at current?
a. Essar Energy
b. Reliance Power
c. Bajaj Auto
d. Tata Steel
Answer: (d)

29. Which PSU lender called off its plans to set up a joint venture with Visa Inc and Elavon Inc to enter the merchant acquiring business over differences on sharing technology?
a. Union Bank
b. State Bank of India
c. Syndicate Bank
d. Corp Bank
Answer: (b)

30. This company acquired Star more than 500 films like blockbusters like Salman Khan's Dabangg, Ready, Golmaal 3, Tees Maar Khan, Thank You, No One Killed Jessica, Guzaarish, Kites and Raavan from a general entertainment channel owned by the Viacom 18 Group?
a. Sony
b. UTV movies
c. Colors
d. Sab TV
Answer: (c)

31. State-run Northern Coalfields (NCL) agreed to surrender land required to mine two blocks attached to the Sasan ultra mega power plant to which of the following companies giving the comapany the benefit of over Rs 6000 crore over the life of the venture?
a. Reliance Power
b. Adani Power
c. Birla Power Solutions
d. DLF Power
Answer: (a)

32. Which car took home the crown of Indian Car Of The Year 2012 in January 2012?
a. Toyota Etios Liva
b. Maruti Suzuki Swift
c. Hyundai Verna
d. Hyundai Eon
Answer: (b)

33. B. D. Park was appointed the President and CEO of this electronic major’s South West Asia Operations and Managing Director of its India operations. Which electronic major is in question here?
a. Phillips
b. Videocon
c. Samsung
d. LG
Answer: (c)

34. Maldives authorities allowed Male International Airport operator to collect airport development and insurance charges from passengers, nearly a month after a local court barred the Bangalore-based company from doing so. Name the operator.
a. GMR Infrastructure
b. International Air Transport Association (IATA)
c. Fraport AG
d. DIAL
Answer: (a)

35. Which French construction major entered the Indian market by buying out 100 per cent stake in NAPC, a Chennai-based construction company?
a. Sinopec Engineering
b. Uhde
c. Vinci
d. Snamprogetti
Answer: (c)

36. Which of the following companies infused Rs 520 crore equity into BSES Delhi distribution companies as part of Rs 5,100 crore financial package being worked by IDBI
a. NTPC
b. RIL
c. Adani Power Ltd
d. Birla Group
Answer: (b)

37. Suzlon Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with this State Government as a part of the CII's Partnership Summit that concluded on 13 January 2012. As per the MoU, Suzlon Energy will develop wind power projects totalling 3,000 MW in Andhra Pradesh over the next four years, involving potential investment of up to Rs.18,000 crore. Name the state government with which the MoU was signed.
a. Andhra Pradesh government
b. Gujarat governemnt
c. Orissa government
d. Arunachal Pradesh government
Answer: (a)

38. Name the auto making company which launched three new variants of the Eon-D — Lite plus, Era plus and Magna plus in the Indian market in January 2012.
a. Tata Motors
b. Hyundai Motor India
c. Volkswagen
d. Maruti Suzuki
Answer: (b)

39. The Government of which of the following countries acquired 1.09 per cent stake, currently worth about Rs.2500 crore, in Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), the company's latest shareholding data show?
a. Malaysia
b. Japan
c. Phillipines
d. Singapore
Answer: (d)

40. Which Photography Pioneer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 19 January 2012 making it likely for the 132-year-old trailblazer to become the most storied casualty of a digital age?
a. Eastman Kodak Company
b. Fuji
c. Nikon
d. Canon
Answer: (a)

41. Which company retained its top position in Interbrand's list of the top 100 global brands in 2011?
a. Apple
b. Coca cola
c. Microsoft
d. Google
Answer: (b)

42. The Bangalore-based pharmaceutical major, Strides Arcolab, sold its 94 per cent stake in Ascent Pharmahealth, a subsidiary with operations in Australia and Southeast Asia, to which of the following U.S.-based pharma companies?
a. Watson Pharmaceuticals
b. Abbott Laboratories
c. Pfizer
d. Derma Sciences
Answer: (a)

43. The Board of Approval (BoA) under the Commerce Ministry on 24 January 2012 approved the proposal of this company to set up a special economic zone (SEZ) at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Identify the company.
a. Reliance Industries
b. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
c. Hero Motors
d. Infosys
Answer: (b)

44. Which private life insurance company from India on 25 January 2012 launched its first international operations with the opening of its representative office in Dubai?
a. Kotak Insurance
b. New India Insurance
c. HDFC Life
d. Religare Insurnce
Answer: (c)

45. Name the world’s largest biotechnology company, agreed to buy Micromet in a $1.16 billion deal to gain an experimental leukemia drug.
a. Celgene Drug
b. B B Biotech
c. Dechert
d. Amgen
Answer: (d)

46. Which channel developed a 52-week special India: Wild Encounters to focuss on India's enchanting wildlife s well as take viewers on an exploration spree ?
a. Discovery India
b. Animal Planet
c. Sony
d. National Gepgraphy
Answer: (b)

47. Which electronic gadget maker predicting a fourth consecutive year of losses, named Kazuo Hirai as chief executive officer, replacing Howard Stringer?
a. Sony
b. Samsung Electronics
c. Videocon
d. Hitachi
Answer: (a)

48. Binani Industries, the holding company of Braj Binani group, cquired a Belgian fibreglass company for 275 million euros. The Belgian company is a leading manufacturer of fibreglass in Europe. Name the Belgian company.
1. 1B
2. 2B
3. 3B
4. F2B
Answer: (c)

49. Which state run company signed an agreement with its trade unions for increase in the wages under which minimum guaranteed benefit would be 25% of gross?
a. BHEL
b. CIL
c. IOC
d. ONGC
Answer: (b)

50. Which of the following banks filed a criminal complaint against Sterling Biotech, and its six directors, for allegedly defaulting on repayments on credit facilities provided by the public sector lender?
a. State Bank of Travancore
b. State Bank of Mysore
c. State Bank of Patiala
d. State Bank of Indore
Answer: (b)

51. Shailesh Rao, managing director (media & platforms) at Google’s Asia-Pacific operations, left the world’s biggest Internet search company to set up the international business of which of the following companies?
a. Yahoo
b. Rediffmail
c. Skype
d. Twitter
Answer: (d)

52. Consider the following statements and using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
1. He was the founder of Max Telecom
2. He is the founder and Chairman of Max India
3. He has been appointed the Non-Executive Chairman of Vodafone India
4. He is a veteran of Telecom Industry
(a). Deepak Parekh
(b). Sunil Bharati Mittal
(c). KP Singh
(d). Analjeet Singh
Answer: (d)

53. Which of the following Indian Telecom company on 16 February 2012 got the RBI nod for FCCB redemption?
(a). Reliance Telecom
(b). Uninor
(c). Airtel
(d). Vodafone
Answer: (a)

54. Cognizant which on 13 February 2012 inked a 5-year deal with Future Group is a
(a). Logistic Company
(b). Aviation Company
(c). Online Retail Company
(d). Technology Solution Company
Answer: (d)

55. Kintetsu World Express of Japan and Gati on 13 February 2012 entered into a Joint Venture of which of the following sector?
(a). Electronic Equipments
(b). Supply Chain
(c). Single Brand Retail
(d). Technology Solution
Answer: (b)

56. Legrand, the French electronic and digital equipments company on 9 February 2012 acquired the UPS business of which of the following Indian brand?
(a). Luminous
(b). Onida
(c). Numeric Power
(d). Invertabular
Answer: (c)

57. Consider the following statements and using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
2. He is the Chairman of HDFC
3. He has been given the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award 2011
4. He is one of the pioneer in the Housing Finance in the country
5. He is on the board of Castrol India Limited
(a) Deepak Parekh
(b) Rahul Bhatia
(c) Ratan Tata
(d) Analjeet Singh
Answer: (a)

58. Rahul Bhatia, who was chosen for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award is the Managing Director of
(a) Qualcomm Communications
(b) Jet Airways
(c) Vodafone
(d) InterGlobe Enterprises
Answer: (d)

59. Etisalat Which has initiated the legal proceeding against the promoters of Swan Telecom, its joint venture partner in India, is a
(a) Baharain Based Company
(b) UAE Based Company
(c) Australia Based Company
(d) Russia Based Company
Answer: (b)

60. The Competition Commission of India, under the Competition Act, 2002of Parliament, has been empowered to look into
(a) high voltage merger and acquisition deals
(b) market activities
(c) security market tradings
(d) client base of different companies
Answer: (a)

61. World’s largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp on 22 February 2012 inked a pact with Erik Buell Racing [EBR]. EBR is an
(a) USA based company
(b) UAE based company
(c) Argentina based company
(d) UK based company
Answer: (a)

62. Consider the following statements and using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
1. He has recently joined the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as its Chairman
2. He is one of the few outsiders to head HAL
3. He started his career with ONGC in 1976
4. He has also served as the head of Pawan Hans Limited
(a) RK Sharma
(b) RK Tyagi
(c) AM Naik
(d) Pratip Chaudhury
Answer: (b)


63. Which of the following Indian company has formed a joint venture with South African firm Exxaro
(a) Reliance Industries
(b) Essar
(c) Tata Power
(d) Vodafone India
Answer: (c)

64. Who has been appointed the new Managing Director of Hyundai India?
(a) Bo Shin Seo
(b) Andrew Mark
(c) Anil Aggarwal
(d) Anand Mahindra
Answer: (a)

65. Admax, South Asia’s largest digital media network was acquired by which Indian company
(a) Komli Media
(b) Mindtree
(c) Tata Teleservices
(d) Google India
Answer: (a)

66. James Murdoch, who on 29 February 2012 stepped down as Executive Chairman of News International is son of
(a) Rupert Grint
(b) Steve Murdoch
(c) Mark Rupert
(d) Rupert Murdoch
Answer: (d)

67. Consider the following statements using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
2. He has recently been appointed as the Chairman of Mindtree Limited
3. He is also the co-founder of Mindtree limited
4. He has replaced Ashok Soota as the Chairman of Mindtree Limited
5. He has also served as the Vice Chaiman of Mindtree
(a) Subroto Bagchi
(b) Vivek Hooda
(c) Ashok Malik
(d) Pradeep Rungta
Answer: (a)

68. Which one of the following statements is wrong
(a) Varun Berry resigned from the Pepsi Co India on 29 February 2012
(b) He was the Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo India Food
(c) He joined the company in 2006
(d) As the CEO of PepsiCo India Foods, he promoted brands like Lay’s, Quaker, Kurkure and Lehar
Answer: (c)

69. Who has been appointed the new Managing Director of Hyundai India?
(a) Bo Shin Seo
(b) Andrew Mark
(c) Anil Aggarwal
(d) Anand Mahindra
Answer: (a)

70. Company Law Board on 1 March 2012, returned the petitions of
(a) Telenor and Unitech
(b) Reliance Telecom
(c) Etisalat DB
(d) STel
Answer: (a)

71. Which of the following public sector bank has appointed Madhukant Girdharlal Sanghvi as its new Chairman
(a) Bank of Baroda
(b) Allahabad Bank
(c) State Bank of Maharashtra
(d) Syndicate Bank
Answer: (d)

72. Consider the following statements and using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
1. He the CEO of Mahindra Satyam
2. He is to be appointed as the CEO of Mahindra Satyam-Tech Mahindra
3. He was instrumental in recreating the image of fraud-hit-firm and giving it a new lease of life Satyam
4. In 2007, he was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award bestowed by Ernst & Young.
(a) AM Naik
(b) CP Gurnani
(c) Shiv Nadar
(d) Anand Mahindra
Answer: (c)

73. Which of the following car company on 23 March 2012 hiked the price of its cars by 2.2 – 5.1 per cent
(a) Skoda India
(b) Volkswagen India
(c) Tata Motores
(d) Hyundai
Answer: (a)

74. Indigo Manza is the car manufactured by _ _ _ _ _ _
(a) Tata Motors
(b) Honda Motors
(c) Hyundai Motors
(d) Nissan Motors
Answer: (a)

75. Which of the following banks on 20 March 2012, launched its new card product named Sapphiro
(a) HDFC
(b) State Bank of India
(c) Kotak Mahindra
(d) ICICI
Answer: (a)

76. Which of the following companies on 12 March 2012 unveiled India’s first CDMA network technology driven tablet computers
(a) Airtel
(b) Dell
(c) Reliance Communications
(d) Idea Cellular
Answer: (c)

77. Consider the following statements and using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
2. He is the deputy chairman of Tata Group
3. He is to be appointed as the Chairman of Tata Group in December 2012
4. He was appointed on the Board of Directors of TCS on 1 April 2012
5. He is the first person out of Tata family, who has selected to head the Tata group after Ratan Tata
(a) OP Bhatt
(b) Cyrus Mistry
(c) Noel Tata
(d) Kumar Mangalam Birla
Answer: (b)

78. Which of the following nationalized bank on 1 April 2012 appointed D Sarkar as chairman and Managing Director
(a) Indian Bank
(b) Allahabad Bank
(c) Union Bank of India
(d) Canara Bank
Answer: (c)

79. Naresh Goyal is the chairman of _ _ _ _ _ _
(a) Jet Airways
(b) Indigo Airlines
(c) Air India
(d) Go Indigo
Answer: (a)

80. S Narsing Rao has been appointed as the CMD of Coal India Limited. Which of the following statements related to Coal India Limited is wrong?
(a) Coal India Limited is an Indian state-controlled coal mining company
(b) It acquired the Maharatna status in April 2011
(c) Coal India Limited was formed in 1973 as Coal Mines Authority Limited
(d) All the statements are wrong
Answer: (d)

81. Volkswagen launched the new IPL edition of Vento and Polo. Volkswagen is a carmaker headquartered in_ _ _ _ __ _ _.
(a) South Korea
(b) Italy
(c) Japan
(d) Germany
Answer: (d)

82. Consider the following statements and using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
1. He is the Chairman of Hindustan Zinc Limited
2. He also heads MALCO, Sterlite Iron and Steel Company Ltd and Sterlite Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd
3. He is the son of Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal
4. He has recently picked up 60 per cent stake in Chennai-based nascent Primex Healthcare
(a) Agnivesh Agarwal
(b) Ramesh Agarwal
(c) Brajesh Agarwal
(d) Ajay Agarwal
Answer: (b)

83. Which of the following Indian companies has announced to supply Cholera vaccines to the African nation Haiti?
(a) Ranbaxy
(b) Pfizer
(c) Glaxo
(d) Shantha Biotechnics.
Answer: (d)

84. Samsung, which announced to launch its new version of the 7-inch tablet in Indian market in early May this year, is headquartered in _ _ _ _ _ _.
(a) South Korea
(b) North Korea
(c) Taiwan
(d) Thailand
Answer: (a)

85. Which one of the following given statements is wrong?
(a) IDBI is a public sector bank
(b) It has recently launched a Swiss Franc (CHF) denominated bond for an amount of 620 crore Rupees
(c) RM Malla is presently the CMD of the bank
(d) The bank provides loan only to the government
Answer: (d)

86. Which one of the following personalities was appointed as the MD of Sun TV?
(a) K Vijay Kumar
(b) Dayanidhi Maran
(c) Vinod Goenka
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a)

87. Consider the following statements using the code given below identify the personality with whom these statements are associated
1. She is the chairman of Biotechnology company Biocon limited
2. She was awarded with the Economic Times Businesswoman of the Year award in 2004
3. Her company has announced a dividend of 5 rupees per share
4. She is also the founder of Biocon
(a) Naina lal Kidwai
(b) Sunita Narain
(c) Kiran Bedi
(d) Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Answer: (d)

88. Which one of the following statements is wrong
(a) NTPC has successfully completed the automation package for the Simhadri Stage-II
(b) It is NTPC's first coastal-based coal-fired thermal power project
(c) The super thermal power project located near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh
(d) NTPC is a private energy company, based in China
Answer: (d)

89. Telecom giant Vodafone on 23 April 2012 inked pact to acquire which of the following company?
(a) Motorola
(b) Stel
(c) CWW
(d) Docomo
Answer: (c)

90. Food major Nestle acquired Pfizer's infant nutrition business for 11.85 billion dollar, Nestle is a _ _ _ _ _ _ based company.
(a) USA
(b) Britain
(c) Switzerland
(d) Norway
Answer: (c)