50. In which year was the first World Malaria Day observed?
[MP Forest Guard and Jail Prahari, 5 June 2023, Shift 3]
- (A) 2004
- (B) 2008
- (C) 2002
- (D) 2013
Answer: (B) 2008
Explanation: World Malaria Day was first observed on 25 April 2008 after its designation by the World Health Assembly. The international observance focuses attention on preventing malaria, expanding access to diagnosis and treatment, and supporting sustained disease-control programmes.
49. India deployed the world’s first all-woman formed police unit to a UN peacekeeping mission in which country?
[UPSC CDS General Knowledge, 16 April 2023]
- (A) Liberia
- (B) Sudan
- (C) Burundi
- (D) Croatia
Answer: (A) Liberia
Explanation: India deployed an all-female formed police unit to the United Nations Mission in Liberia in 2007. The deployment was a first in UN peacekeeping, demonstrating women’s active participation in international security operations and inspiring recruitment efforts elsewhere.
48. Who was the first woman of Indian origin to travel into space?
[SSC CHSL Tier-I 2022 cycle, 15 March 2023, Shift 2]
- (A) Nagin Cox
- (B) Yogita Shah
- (C) Kalpana Chawla
- (D) Sirisha Bandla
Answer: (C) Kalpana Chawla
Explanation: Kalpana Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin to enter space in 1997 on NASA’s STS-87 mission aboard Columbia. The astronaut and engineer later flew on STS-107 and died when Columbia broke apart during re-entry in 2003.
47. During which month and year did Neil Armstrong first land on the Moon?
[Rajasthan 3rd Grade Teacher, 25 February 2023, Shift 2]
- (A) July 1970
- (B) September 1970
- (C) July 1969
- (D) September 1969
Answer: (C) July 1969
Explanation: Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in July 1969, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin reaching the lunar surface. Armstrong took humanity’s first steps there; the mission became a defining achievement of the twentieth-century space race.
46. In March 2022, who became the first woman cricketer to appear in six Cricket World Cups?
[RRB Group D, 12 September 2022, Shift 2]
- (A) Jhulan Goswami
- (B) Harmanpreet Kaur
- (C) Smriti Mandhana
- (D) Mithali Raj
Answer: (D) Mithali Raj
Explanation: Mithali Raj played in six editions of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, beginning in 2000 and continuing through 2022. This extraordinary longevity reflected her sustained role in India’s batting order and international women’s cricket.
45. In February 2022 India became the first national team to play how many men’s ODIs?
[RRB Group D, 23 August 2022, Shift 1]
- (A) 900
- (B) 1,000
- (C) 800
- (D) 1,100
Answer: (B) 1,000
Explanation: India became the first men’s cricket team to play 1,000 One Day Internationals when it faced the West Indies in Ahmedabad on 6 February 2022. The milestone reflects the volume and development of international limited-overs cricket.
44. Which country was the first to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender?
[RRB NTPC CBT-II Level 3, 17 June 2022, Shift 3]
- (A) El Salvador
- (B) Albania
- (C) Jamaica
- (D) Uzbekistan
Answer: (A) El Salvador
Explanation: El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, becoming the first country to do so. The experiment aimed to encourage digital payments and financial inclusion, although implementation faced technological, economic and regulatory challenges.
43. Which government became the first to announce that its operations were completely paperless?
[RRB NTPC CBT-II Level 3, 14 June 2022, Shift 1]
- (A) Moscow
- (B) Berlin
- (C) New York
- (D) Dubai
Answer: (D) Dubai
Explanation: Dubai announced in 2021 that its government had achieved the objectives of its Paperless Strategy. The initiative digitised government documents and transactions across departments, aiming to reduce paper consumption, administrative costs and processing time.
42. Which country first approved the sale of cultivated chicken meat in December 2020?
[SSC CGL 2021 Tier-I, held 12 April 2022, Shift 2]
- (A) Singapore
- (B) Taiwan
- (C) Vietnam
- (D) Japan
Answer: (A) Singapore
Explanation: Singapore became the first government to authorise commercial sale of cultivated meat when regulators approved a chicken product developed by Eat Just in December 2020. Cultivated meat grows animal cells in controlled conditions rather than raising animals for slaughter.
41. Who became the first Indian woman to reach 10,000 runs across international cricket formats in March 2021?
[SSC CHSL 2021, held 7 June 2022, Shift 1]
- (A) Harleen Deol
- (B) Smriti Mandhana
- (C) Mithali Raj
- (D) Poonam Yadav
Answer: (C) Mithali Raj
Explanation: Mithali Raj passed 10,000 international runs across formats in March 2021, the first Indian woman to do so. Globally, Charlotte Edwards had reached the milestone earlier. Raj’s achievement reflected a long international career in multiple cricket formats.
