Question: The book “The 11th Hour: A Quintet of Stories” has been written by whom?
(a) Amitav Ghosh
(b) Salman Rushdie
(c) Arundhati Roy
(d) Jhumpa Lahiri
Answer: (b)
Solution: “The 11th Hour: A Quintet of Stories” is a new collection of five short stories by Salman Rushdie, dealing with themes such as life, death, legacy and identity; his earlier recent books include “Knife” and “Victory City”, and he won the Booker Prize in 1981 for “Midnight’s Children”.

Question: Which bank has become the first payments bank to receive RBI approval to convert into a Small Finance Bank?
(a) Airtel Payments Bank
(b) India Post Payments Bank
(c) Fino Payments Bank
(d) Paytm Payments Bank
Answer: (c)
Solution: RBI has approved Fino Payments Bank to convert into a Small Finance Bank, making it the first payments bank to get such permission, enabling it to accept larger deposits and provide loans to individuals and small enterprises.

Question: The 11th India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025 was inaugurated in which city?
(a) New Delhi
(b) Goa
(c) Guwahati
(d) Panchkula
Answer: (d)
Solution: The 11th edition of the India International Science Festival 2025 was held from 6–9 December in Panchkula, Haryana, with the theme “Vigyan Se Samriddhi – Atmanirbhar Bharat”, aiming to place science at the centre of India’s progress through innovation‑driven growth.

Question: Which country is set to become the 19th member of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)?
(a) Nepal
(b) South Africa
(c) Brazil
(d) Russia
Answer: (d)
Solution: Russia has decided to join the India‑led International Big Cat Alliance by adopting its framework agreement, becoming the 19th member country of this global initiative for conserving seven big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.

Question: Perplexity AI has recently signed which global footballer as its brand ambassador?
(a) Lionel Messi
(b) Kylian Mbappé
(c) Cristiano Ronaldo
(d) Erling Haaland
Answer: (c)
Solution: Perplexity AI, a private American AI company founded in 2022 with CEO Aravind Srinivas, has signed Cristiano Ronaldo as its brand ambassador; he has also invested in the company.

Question: PETA India’s Person of the Year 2025 has been named as:
(a) Alia Bhatt
(b) Raveena Tandon
(c) Dia Mirza
(d) Sonakshi Sinha
Answer: (b)
Solution: PETA India selected actor Raveena Tandon as its Person of the Year 2025 in recognition of her commitment to a meat‑free lifestyle, wildlife protection work, community animal support and advocacy for compassion towards animals; earlier recipients included Adah Sharma (2024) and Dia Mirza (2023).

Question: “Project Mahadeva”, an initiative to identify and train young football talent, has been launched by which state?
(a) Gujarat
(b) Karnataka
(c) Maharashtra
(d) Kerala
Answer: (c)
Solution: Maharashtra has launched Project Mahadeva to identify football talent from rural and tribal areas, offering a 5‑year scholarship, professional coaching and international exposure to 60 selected players (30 boys and 30 girls), with actor Tiger Shroff as brand ambassador and a plan to link it to the 2034 FIFA World Cup.​

Question: Under the SIR (Special Intensive Revision), which state has become the first in India to fully digitise its electoral rolls?
(a) Gujarat
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Karnataka
(d) Telangana
Answer: (b)
Solution: Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to make its voter lists 100% digital under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, improving updating, removal of errors and duplicate or illegal entries.

Question: Who won the ISSF People’s Choice Men’s Athlete Award 2025?
(a) Saurabh Chaudhary
(b) Abhinav Bindra
(c) Jitu Rai
(d) Zoravar Singh Sandhu
Answer: (d)
Solution: Indian trap shooter Zoravar Singh Sandhu from Punjab received the ISSF People’s Choice Men’s Athlete Award 2025, decided by online voting; he had earlier won a bronze medal at the 2025 World Shooting Championship.

Question: Who has won the 2025 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship?
(a) Max Verstappen
(b) Charles Leclerc
(c) Lando Norris
(d) Lewis Hamilton
Answer: (c)
Solution: Lando Norris has been crowned the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion, becoming the 11th British driver to win the title; despite finishing third in the season‑ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix behind Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, his overall points tally across the season was highest, edging Verstappen by just two points.