Current GK Questions and Answers Nov. 2011

1. Which Public Sector Giants of India have recently launched the “Harit-Moksha”, a unique CSR initiative for bringing in energy efficiency in the cremation sector?
- ONGC

2. Lt. Gen Palvinder Singh Bhalla was recently appointed the head of which organization?
-NCC

3. If a bank launched a “CASA campaign” , which would be the most probable objective of such campaign?
-To bring in more new customers

4. Who heads the National Integration Council in India?
- Prime Minister

5. 14th September, 1949 Constitution-makers of the country decided to accord the status of Official Language of Union .
- Hindi

6. “Prime Minister’s 15 Point Programme” in India is related to which segments of society?
- Minorities

7. The Integrated Action Plan (IAP) is aimed at bridging the development deficit in the extremely backward areas that are affected by ______.
- Left Wing Extremism

8. ” Maulana Azad National Fellowship scheme” is available in India for the students of?
- 5 Notified Minorities

9. Where are the headquarters of Biodiversity International?
- Rome

10. The IVFRT project is related to which among the following?
- Immigration (Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking)

11. “Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan” covers the students from which age groups?
- 14-18 Years

12. In which year, the restructured Twenty Point Programme (TPP) became effective?
- 2007

13. The “Perform-Achieve-Trade” (PAT) Scheme has been launched for which sectors in India?
- Energy

14. Recently, India has proposed a special $ 10 Billion Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) fund for which among the following organizations?
- BRICS

15. Which is the fifth generation fighter in being developed by India and Russia?
- Sukhoi/HAL

Read More

Current General Knowledge: September 2011

ABBREVIATIONS
PAK-FA: Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation.

AWARDS
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards
Eleven scientists have been selected for the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, 2011. First given in 1958, the country's highest award in science is named after the founder director of CSIR, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. It is given to a scientist up to 45 years of age and carries a prize of Rs 5 lakh.

The winners include Amit Prakash Sharma of International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi and Rajan Sankaranarayanan of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad for the biological sciences category. In the chemical sciences category, Balasubramanian Sundaram of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Banglore and Garikapati N have won the award.

The award for earth, atmosphere, ocean and planetary sciences category went to Shankar Doraiswamy of National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. In the engineering sciences category, Sirshendu De of IIT, Kharagpur and Upadrasta Ramamurty of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Banglore, were given the award. Mahan Maharaj of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Howrah and Palash Sarkar of Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata were picked for the award in mathematical sciences category.

In the medical sciences category, Kithiganahalli N Balaji of IISc, Banglore, was nominated while the award for physical sciences category went to Shiraz Minwalla of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.

Jnanpith Award, 2009 & 2010
Eminent Hindi authors Srilal Shukla and Amar Kant have been chosen for Jnanpith award 2009. Renowned Kannada litterateur Chandrasekhar Kambar has won it for the year 2010.

For most readers in Hindi, Srilal Shukla's name is synonymous with Raag Darbari, the novel that made reading Hindi books fashionable. The novel was translated into English by Gillian Wright, to introduce English readers to the hard-hitting satire of the Hindi hinterland.

A former IPS officer later inducted into IAS, Srilal Shukla (born 1925) authored about 25 books, important among which are Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj, Pehla Padaav, Ahyatvas and Bisrampur Ka Sant. He also wrote a detective novel titled Aadmi Ka Zahar, which was serialised in the weekly magazine Hindustan. He has already been conferred with the Sahitya Akademi Award, Vyas Samman and Padma Shree (2008).

Amar Kant, who shares his year of birth with Shukla, is the author of Inhin Hashiyon Se, that earned him Sahitya Akademi Award (2007). At one time, fighting penury, Kant was willing to sell his Akademi Award. His short stories like Hatyare, Dopahar Ka Bhojan and Diptee Collector were part of syllabi in several Indian universities. Kant also authored Sukha Patta, Kale Ujale, Beech Ki Deewar and Desh Ke Log.

Kambar, who has won the Jnanpith for the year 2010, is a novelist and playwright. His noted works include Takararinavaru, Saavirada Neralu, Chakori (poetry collection) and Harakeya Kuri (plays). He is also a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi awards.

DEFENCE
Stealth fighter PAK-FA
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expects an indigenous fight-generation stealth fighter aircraft to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in about six years. The aircraft, called PAK-FA, is being developed with Russia.

Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi has unveiled PAK-FA, also dubbed as the T-50, which will be the base variant for developing a version that specifically caters to Indian requirements.

PAK-FA is a Russian acronym for Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation and its designers have claimed that it is comparable to the F-22 Raptor, US Air Force's latest fighter.

A joint venture company on the lines of cruise missile manufacturer BrahMos will be set up for the purpose. HAL's contribution will include fuselage composites, flight software, including the mission computer, navigation systems, avionics and cockpit displays and counter-measure dispensing systems.

Unlike the Russian version, the Indian aircraft will be a two-seater aircraft, which will involve limited re-designing of the fuselage, wings and control surfaces that will be undertaken by HAL. The project had kicked off in 2007.

Amphibious vessels to strengthen Indian navy
The Union government has cleared the Rs 2,176-crore acquisition of eight specialised vessels or LCUs (landing craft utility), capable of "hard beaching" on enemy shores, to boost the countryís amphibious warfare and island protection capabilities. The LCUs will help in swiftly transporting thousands of troops, heavy weapon systems and infantry combat vehicles over long distances to take the battle right to the enemy mainland.

The vessels will be built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.

The LCUs are likely to be based at India's first and only regional "theatre command", the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC). With additional airstrips, OTR (operational turn around) bases and jetties, ANC is slowly being transformed into a major amphibious warfare hub. A strong military presence in the 572-island archipelago is considered imperative to counter China's strategic moves in the Indian Ocean, as well as ensure security of the sea lanes converging towards Malacca Strait.

N-ENERGY
BARC develops spent fuel automation system
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has designed and developed the first of its kind advanced automation system for transferring spent fuel bundles of pressurised heavy water reactors for nuclear reprocessing plants. Introduction of this automation system for reprocessing plant is aimed at transferring the fuel bundles directly from fuel handling area (FHA) of storage pool to the dissolver cell in an automated way, without the necessity of using charging cask. This contributes in eliminating dependency on skilled manpower and thus reduction of man-rem (radiation dose) consumption by workers.

The system design is such that it can easily be adopted to handle fuel from 220 MW PHWR as well as from 550 MW/700 MW with minimum changes. Provision has also been kept for manual changing of spent fuel in case of non-availability of automation system.

The spent fuel bundles from nuclear power reactors are stored under water at reactor site. After allowing it to cool down for a given period, the bundles from the reactor site are transferred to underwater storage facility at the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant site.

PERSONS
Pataudi, Mansur Ali Khan
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, India's youngest-ever Test captain, also known in the cricketing fraternity as "Tiger" Pataudi, died on September 22, 2011.

Born on January 5, 1941 in Bhopal, the right-handed batsman made his debut for India at the age of 21 in a drawn match against England here in 1961. In a career spanning almost two decades, he played a total of 46 Test matches.

In 1964, Pataudi was bestowed the Arjuna Award before being honoured with a Padma Shri in 1967. A star not just on field but off it too, Pataudi married the then reigning queen of Indian cinema Sharmila Tagore in 1969 and the glamorous couple had three children - Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan and Saba Ali Khan.

PROJECTS
NTPC to set up first overseas power plant in Sri Lanka
State-run power producer NTPC will set up a 500-Mw coal-based power plant in Sri Lanka by 2016, which will mark its foray into the overseas market. The unit will come up at Sampur in Trincomalee at an estimated cost of Rs 3,150 crore.

A joint venture agreement to this effect was signed between NTPC and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The Sri Lankan government will give land for the project on a long-term lease. Coal for the project will be imported and supplied by Lanka Coal Company (LCC) and the power generated will be supplied to the CEB.

RESEARCH
Scientists find way to "disarm" AIDS virus
Scientists have found a way to prevent HIV from damaging the immune system and say their discovery may offer a new approach to developing a vaccine against AIDS.

Researchers from the United States and Europe, working in laboratories on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), found it is unable to damage the immune system if cholesterol is removed from the membrane of the virus.

HIV takes its membrane from the cell that it infects, the researchers explained in their study. This membrane contains cholesterol, which helps keep it fluid and enables it to interact with particular types of cell.

Normally, a subset of immune cells, called plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), recognise HIV quickly and react by producing signalling molecules called interferons. These signals activate various processes which are initially helpful, but which damage the immune system if switched on for too long.

Scientists have now found that if cholesterol is removed from HIV's envelope, it can no longer activate pDCs. As a result, T cells, which orchestrate the adaptive response, can fight the virus more effectively.

The team now plans to investigate how to use this way of inactivating the virus and possibly develop it into a vaccine.

Usually when a person becomes infected with HIV, the body's innate immune response puts up an immediate defence. But some researchers believe HIV causes the innate immune system to overreact. This weakens the immune system's next line of defence, known as the adaptive immune response.

AIDS kills around 1.8 million people a year worldwide. An estimated 2.6 million people caught HIV in 2009, and 33.3 million people are living with the virus.

Neutrinos make light of Einstein's theory of relativity
Albert Einstein's 1905 theory of relativity is one of the most fundamental pillars of physics -- but now scientists say his conclusion that nothing can travel faster than light could be proved wrong.

Scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, or CERN, the world's largest physics laboratory say they have recorded sub-atomic particles, known as neutrinos, travelling faster than the speed of light.

CERN says as part of its "OPERA" experiment, a neutrino beam fired from a particle accelerator near Geneva to a lab 730 km away in Italy travelled 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. It revealed that neutrinos travel at a velocity of 20 parts per million above the speed of light.

Scientists calculated the margin of error at just 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant.

If the findings are correct, it would force a major rethink of the fundamental laws of nature, including how the universe works.

Einstein's theory states that energy is equal to mass multiplied by the speed of light squared, so firing an object faster than that would require an infinite amount of energy.

World's Smallest Electric Motor
Chemists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have developed the world's first single molecule electric motor, a development that may create a new class of devices applicable to sectors like medicine to engineering.

In a report published in Nature Nanotechnology, the Tufts team reported an electric motor only one nanometer across -- groundbreaking work, considering the current world record is a 200-nanometer motor. A single strand of human hair is about 60,000 nanometers wide.

E Charles H Sykes, associate professor of chemistry at Tufts and senior author of the paper, says, "There has been significant progress in the construction of molecular motors powered by light, and by chemical reactions. But this is the first time electrically-driven molecular motors have been demonstrated, despite a few theoretical proposals -- we have been able to show one can provide electricity to a single molecule and get it to do something that is not just random."

Sykes and his colleagues were able to control a molecular motor with electricity by using a state-of-the-art, low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (LT-STM), one of about only 100 in the United States. The LT-STM uses electrons instead of light to 'see' molecules. The team used the metal tip on the microscope to provide an electrical charge to a butyl methyl sulfide molecule placed on a conductive copper surface. This sulfur-containing molecule had carbon and hydrogen atoms radiating to form what looked like two arms, with four carbons on one side and one on the other. These carbon chains were free to rotate around the sulfur-copper bond.

While there are foreseeable practical applications of this electric motor, breakthroughs would need to be made in the temperatures at which electric molecular motors operate. The motor spins much faster at higher temperatures, making it difficult to measure and control the rotation of the motor.

SPACE RESEARCH
Looking inside the moon
More than 100 spacecraft have been to the moon, including six with U.S. astronauts, but one key piece of information about Earth's natural satellite is still missing --nwhat's inside.

Learning about the interior of the moon is the primary goal of a new NASA mission called Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, which was launched on September 8, 2011.

Overall, the moon has about one-sixth the gravity of Earth, but it is not evenly distributed. On the moon, a mountain actually might be a molehill, gravitationally speaking.

Likewise, gravity maps of lunar flat lands show unexplained pockets of extra heft, an indication of subterranean deposits or structures. Learning the interior structure of the moon is considered critical to piecing together the story about what happened to the moon since its formation some 4.5 billion years ago.

Scientists believe the moon's building blocks were large chunks of debris jettisoned from Earth after a collision with an object as big as Mars. In addition to un-ravelling the moon's history, GRAIL scientists expect to extrapolate their findings to other rocky bodies, both in our solar system and eventually to those beyond.

The two spacecraft will take a long, slow journey to the moon, arriving on December 31 and January 1. After a few months to manoeuvre into the proper orbit, the pair will spend 82 days flying over the lunar poles, linked by radio waves.

When one spacecraft flies over a region of higher gravity, it will speed up, momentarily changing the distance between itself and its sibling probe. Less dense regions likewise will affect the satellites' positions. Using the radio waves as a ruler, changes as tiny as a micron -- the width of a red blood cell -- can be detected.

With gravity maps in hand, scientists can then use computer models and data from other lunar missions to determine whether the moon's core is solid, liquid or a combination of the two, and what elements it contains.

MISCELLANEOUS
Asterix creator retires after 52 years
Albert Uderzo, co-creator of one of France's greatest comic book heroes, Asterix the Gaul, has decided to  hang up his pen at the age of 84. The Italian-born artist, who dreamt up the indomitable warrior with his scriptwriter friend Rene Goscinny in 1959, said he was "a bit tired" after 52 years of drawing and that it was time to hand over his creation to younger talent.

The announcement came on the day publishing house Hachette celebrated the sale of 350 million Asterix books around the world, making the diminutive hero one of France's biggest-selling exports.

Asterix and his jovial sidekick Obelix first appeared in print in October 1959, and their adventures fighting the Roman invaders have since been translated into over 100 languages.

Read More

current gk

India ki Tat-Rekha ki lambai- 6100 KM.
Ghaghar nadi ka Paat 'Naali' kahlata hai.
Raj. mein Chandan k forest kin Districts mein h?
"Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Rajsamand"
Sagwan k Forest kahan?
"Baran, Banswara"
Nepanagar(MP) kis Udyog k liye famous hai?
"Akhbari Kagaz"
Kanpur kis Udyog k liye Famous hai?
"Chamda Udyog"
Loksabha Adhyaksh apna tyagpatra kise sambhodhit karta h?
"Loksabha Upadhyaksh ko"
India ki sima mein ekmatra sakriya Jwalamukhi?
"Bairan Dweep"
Jodhpur Aurved University ka naam badal kar kiske naam par rakha gaya h?
"Srwapalli Radhakrishnan"
Kakori Rail Daketi kaand kab hua?
"9/8/1925"
20th Asian Athletics Champ. 2013 kahan hona prastavit h?
"New Delhi"
Samudra k upar sabse lambe pul(48KM) ka nirman kis desh ne kiya h?
"China"
First Indian girl to win the British Junior Squash title - Joshna Chinappa.
'Durand Cup' & 'Santosh Trophy' kis khel se related hai?
"Football"
Raj. Akshya Urja Nigam ki sthapana kab hui?
"2002"
Kewaladeo Pakshi Abhyaranya kis NH par sthit hai?
"NH-11"
Bengu Kisaan Andolan ka Netratwa kisne kiya?
"Ramnarayan Choudhary"
World ka smallest Ocean?
"Arctic Ocean"
India ka biggest Handloom Kendra-Kishangarh(Ajmer).
Beneshwar Mahadeo(Dungarpur) india ka only temple h jahan khandit Shivling ki puja hoti hai.
World ka 1st artificial Satellite-Sputnik-I, Launched by Russia.
India ka 1st satallite-Aryabhatta.
U.S. ka 1st successful satellite:Explore-I.
NASDAQ mein listed hone wali India ki first IT company?
"INFOSYS"
Nirupama Patel k naam par rakha gaya famous Indian brand?
"Nirma"
. Raj. mein Max. Area wala Zila- Jaisalmer.
Min. Area wala Zila: Dholpur.
Max. Area wala Sambhag: Jodhpur.
Min. Area wala Sambhag: Bharatpur.
.
DNA was first discovered in 1869 by Swiss Friedrich Mieschler.
The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was Established in Kharagpur.
Sanchi Stupa kisne banwaya-Ashoka.
Mughal Samrajya ka antim Sashak-Bahadur Shah Jafar.
Bharat Ratna pane wali 1st Mahila-Indira Gandhi.
.
Largest Zoo:Kruger National Park(South Africa).
Biggest Flower:Rafflesia.
Largest Bird:Ostrich.
Highest Airport:Leh.
Highest Mountain Range:Himalayas.
Highest Lake:Titicaca.
Longest Railway Platform:Kharagpur.
Largest Church:Basilica of St. Peters(Vatican City)
India ki 1st computer literate Panchayat-Vellanad(Kerala).
Auhor of 'My Truth'- Indira Gandhi.
Father of Indian Civil Service-Cornwallis.
World mein sabse jyada Coffee utpadak desh
-Brazil
Country of Copper
-Zambia
Japan's old name
-Nippon
India mein Volestonite utpadan mein Raj. first hai.
Bhilwara k Bigod aur Mandalgarh k madhya Banas, Bedach & Menal rivers ka sangam hota hai.

Read More

Current Affairs 2011

Babar of British India' k naam se kise jana jata tha?
"Robert Clive" 
World ka Longest highway kaunsa hai?
"Trans-Canada"
Kota k sansthapak:Madho Singh.
Jaipur ka old name:Jainagar.
Manaw Kankal mein haddiyon ki sankhya kitni hai? (RAS-98)
"206"
Raj. k kis Rajwade ne Blue Pottery ko sarankshan diya? (RAS98)
"Jaipur"
Raj. mein Sadakon ki Min. density wala zila?
"Jaisalmer"
Jawai Bandh(Pali) ki niwn kab rakhi gayi?
"1946"
Shardul Khel Vidyalaya kahan hai?(Police07)
"Bikaner"
Gogaji ki Janamsthali?
"Dadrewa"
Rampuriya Haweliyan kahan hai?
"Bikaner"
Father of Sanskrit Grammar
"Panini"
Kaunsi building India ka first ISO-certified 'Niwas Sthan' hai?
"Rashtrapati Bhawan"
12 Aug 2011 ko Pokran k nikat 'Ajasar' gaon Mein BRAHMOS missile ka parikshan kiya gaya.
Raj. Ki 1st Hi-tech panchayat: Budania(Jhn).
'In the line of fire' k writer- Parwej Musarraf.
India ka Rastriya Virasar Pashu: Hathi.
Paryavaran Niti jari karne wala Raj., India ka 1st state h.
Raj. Mein Single Window Act 1 Jan 2011 se lagu.
Mote Anaj utpadan mein Raj. 1st.
Raj. University ki sthapana-8 Jan 1947.
Kis saal 'House of the people' ka naam badal kar 'Lok Sabha' kiya gaya?
"1954"
Banswara k sansthapak-Jagmal Singh.
Aadiwasiyon ka sahar-Banswara.
Banswara k Bajaj Sagar Dam ka nirman-Mahi nadi pe.
Banswara me Rail Marg Nahi.
Raj. ka ekmatra District jis se koi National Highway nahi gujarta?
"Jhunjhunu"
Raj. mein Vanaspati Ghee ka First karkhana kahan?
"Bhilwara"
Bharat Ispat Pradhikaran ki sthapana kab hui?
"1974"
Punjab ka kaunsa sthan Hosery udyog k liye famous hai?
"Ludhiyana"
The Permanent Members of United Nations are 5
1. China
2. France
3. Russia
4. Britan
5. America
The United Nations has Six Official Languages.
1. French
2. Russian
3. English
4. Spanish
5. Chinese
6. Arabic
Who was the first recipient of Dada Saheb Phalke Award?
"Devika Rani"
Which is the Brightest Planet?
"Venus" It is known as 'Morning Star'
'Hamsa Damayanti' painting kiski kriti hai?
"Raja Ravi Varma"
Bhopal Gas Tragedy mein kis gas ka risaw hua tha?
"Methyl Isocyanate"
Aditya Cement Ltd. kahan hai(RPSC08)?
"Chittorgarh"
Mandan kis durg ka shilpi tha(EO08)?
"Kumbhalgarh"
Veer SavarkarAirport kahan h-Port Blair
Talabshahi Jheel kis District mein hai?
"Dholpur"
Bhitti Chitra ki dristhi se kahan ki Haweliyan famous hai?
"Shekhawati"
Bermuda Triangle' kis Ocean mein hai?
"North Atlantic Ocean"
India ki Tat-Rekha ki lambai- 6100 KM.
Ghaghar nadi ka Paat 'Naali' kahlata hai.
Raj. mein Chandan k forest kin Districts mein h?
"Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Rajsamand"
Sagwan k Forest kahan?
"Baran, Banswara"
Nepanagar(MP) kis Udyog k liye famous hai?
"Akhbari Kagaz"

Read More

World August, 2011

• Nepal Prime Minister Khanal inducted new ministers in his cabinet.
• US President Obama signed debt deal into law.
• Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak went on trial in Cairo.
• Former Japan International defender Naoki Matsuda died.
• NASA launched Jupiter probe ‘Juno’.
• Yingluck Shinawatra sworn as first female Thai Prime Minister.
• US lost AAA credit rating for the first time since 1941.
• Nepal banned smoking in public places.
• Lobsang Sangay sworn in as new PM of Tibetan government in exile.
• 22 killed as Syria launched new raids.
• China began sea trial of first aircraft carrier.
• China decided to reduce speed of bullet trains.
• China put into orbit Pakistan’s first communications satellite.
• Nepal Prime Minister resigned under pressure.
• Nepal President Yadav set August 21 as deadline for consensus on PM.
• High level Chinese delegation arrived in Nepal.
• Yemen President Saleh vowed to return home from South Arabia.
• 68 killed in Iraq blast.
• World leaders called on Syrian President Assad to step down.
• 53 killed in Pakistan Blast.
• Egypt Israel ties plunged to a new low.
• Brazil won FIFA U-20 World Cup.
• Rebels captured Tripoli heralding end of Gaddafi rule.
• Libyan rebels seized Gaddafi’s compound Tripoli.
• Russian cargo spacecraft for ISS crashed into earth.
• NATO joined search for fallen Libyan leader Gaddafi.
• Japanese Premier Naoto Kan resigned.
• Singapore voted for new President.
• Baburam Bhattarai elected Nepal’s 35th PM.
• Tony Tan elected Singapore President.
• Lady Gaga bagged 1st 2011 MTV Video Music Awards honour for ‘Born This Way’.
• China has approved plans to setup first Tibetian bank.
• Dilshan has been named as Sri Lanka’s captain for upcoming Australian series.
• Sudan has launched its new currency.
• Austrian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner becomes the first woman to conquer 14. 8000 metre summit (K2) without artificial oxygen.
• Tim Cook has been named as CEO of Apple post Steve Jobs resignation.
• Anna University recently signed pact with university of Sydney.
• Hitachi and Mitsubishi two industries of Japan are set to merge.
• NASA found the first evidence of flowing water recently on Mars planet.
• Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix 2011.
• England won the 2000th Test cricket held at Lords Cricket Ground.

Read More

India August 2011

• Month-long monsoon session of Parliament began.
• Centre agreed to a Rs.19000 Crore ballout package for West Bengal.
• The first-ever Kashmir Premier League (KPL) T-20 Chinar Cup-2011 ended.
• DV Sadananda Gowda sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka.
• SC partially lifted mining ban in Bellary.
• Indian archers won three silver medals in the Archery World Cup in Ogden.
• N-E body sought national drink status for tea.
• Indian wrestlers won 49 medals in the commonwealth wrestling championship in Melbourne.
• Aditya Mehta clinched the 78th National Snooker Championship title.
• Former TN Governor and political analyst PC Alexander died.
• Lok Sabha passed SBI Subsidiary Banks Bill.
• BrahMos Varian Block III supersonic cruise missile test-fired successfully.
• Indian cricket team lost the No. 1 Test rank to England.
• Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor died.
• PM Manmohan Singh addressed the nation on 65th Independence Day.
• New Indian Chief suspended over credit over for Paramount Air.
• N A K Browne has been takes charge as the 23rd chief of the Indian Air Force.
• Coal India Ltd. Dethroned Reliance Industries Ltd. as most valued firm.
• National Sports awards announced.
• All-party meeting in West Bengal decided to rename the state as Paschimbanga.
• Stealth frigate Statpura commissioned into navy.
• Historian and Indologist Ram Sharan Sharma died.
• Leader Paes and Mahesh Bhupati won the doubles title at Cincinnati tennis match.
• Government and Team Anna held talks to reach truce.
• Haryana lifted ceiling on non-farm land.
• Baichung Bhutia brought down the curtain on his international career.
• Fast attack warship INS Karuva inducted into Navy.
• K. Rosaiah appointed new Tamil Nadu Governor.
• Birla Corp suspended mining in Rajasthan.
• Indian Finished 8th in the WSF men’s world team squash championship held in Germany.
• Juvenile Justice (amendment) Bill introduced in Lok Sabha.
• Sucheta 33 year old women from Pune became first Indian woman to cross Gobi desert.
• Ronjan Sodhi has been ranked world No.1 in double trap shooting as per the ISSF world rankings.
• HDFC bank has launched a service of accepting income tax payment through ATMs.
• Gagan Narang Ace Indian shooter is set to get Khel Ratna.
• Prahaar missile was recently test-fired successfully at Chandipur, Orrisa.
• Rahul Dravid became 2nd highest run scorer in Test cricket surpassing Ricky Ponting’s record.
• Former Supreme Court Judge Shivraj V.Patil has been appointed as Lokayukta of Karnataka to succeed Santosh Hegde.
• Shammi Kapoor bollywood actor passed away recently.

Read More

General Knowledge- Indian History

The statue of Gomateshwara at Sravanabelagola was built by—
(A) Chandragupta Maurya
(B) Kharvela
(C) Amoghavarsha
(D) Chamundaraya
Ans : (D)

2. ‘Live well, as long as you live. Live well even by borrowings, for once cremated, there is no return’. The rejection of after life is an aphorism of the—
(A) Kapalika sect
(B) Sunyavada of Nagarjun
(C) Ajivikas
(D) Charvakas
Ans : (D)

3. Which one of the following usages was a post-Vedic development ?
(A) Dharma-Artha-Kama-Moksha
(B) Brahmana-Kshatriya-Vaishya-Shudra
(C) Brahmacharya-Grihasthashrama-Vanaprastha-Sanyasa
(D) Indra-Surya-Rudra-Marut
Ans : (C)


4. The capital of the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was—
(A) Amritsar 
(B) Patiala
(C) Lahore 
(D) Kapurthala
Ans : (C) 

5. In the Gandhara sculptures the preaching mudra associated with the Buddha's First Sermon at Sarnath is—
(A) Abhaya 
(B) Dhyana
(C) Dharmachakra 
(D) Bhumisparsa
Ans : (C)

6. The name of the poet Kalidas is mentioned in the—
(A) Allahabad pillar inscription
(B) Aihole inscription
(C) Alapadu grant
(D) Hanumakonda inscription
Ans : (B)

7. Zero was invented by—
(A) Aryabhatta 
(B) Varahamihira
(C) Bhaskara I 
(D) An unknown Indian
Ans : (D)

8. Which one of the following important trade centres of ancient India was on the trade route connecting Kalyana with Vengi ?
(A) Tagara 
(B) Sripura
(C) Tripuri 
(D) Tamralipti
Ans : (A)

9. The first Indian ruler who joined the subsidiary Alliance was—
(A) The Nawab of Oudh
(B) The Nizam of Hyderabad
(C) Peshwa Baji Rao II
(D) The king of Travancore
Ans : (B)

10. Vidhushaka, a common character in Sanskrit drama is invariably a—
(A) Brahmana 
(B) Kshatriya
(C) Vaishya 
(D) Shudra
Ans : (A)

11. Toramana belonged to the ethnic horde of the—
(A) Scythians 
(B) Hunas
(C) Yue-chis 
(D) Sakas
Ans : (B)

12. Who among the following is said to have witnessed the reigns of eight Delhi Sultans ?
(A) Ziauddin Barani
(B) Shams-i-siraj Afif
(C) Minhaj-us-siraj
(D) Amir Khusrau
Ans : (D)

13. The first Indian ruler to organize Haj pilgrimage at the expense of the state was—
(A) Alauddin Khilji 
(B) Feroz Tughlaq
(C) Akbar 
(D) Aurangzeb
Ans : (C)

14. Who among the following ladies wrote a historical account during the Mughal period ?
(A) Gulbadan Begum
(B) Noorjahan Begum
(C) Jahanara Begum
(D) Zebun-nissah Begum
Ans : (A)

15. The first to start a joint stock company to trade with India were the—
(A) Portuguese 
(B) Dutch
(C) French 
(D) Danish
Ans : (B)

16. The caves and rock-cut temples at Ellora are—
(A) Buddhist
(B) Buddhist and Jain
(C) Hindu and Jain
(D) Hindu, Buddhist and Jain
Ans : (D)

17. The significance of the Bengal Regulation of 1793 lies in the fact that—
(A) It provided for the establishment of the Supreme court
(B) It restricted the application of English law to Englishmen only
(C) It accommodated the personal laws of Hindus and Muslims
(D) It provided for the appointment of the Indian Law Commission
Ans : (C)

18. The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was borrowed from the system followed in—
(A) Afghanistan 
(B) Turkey
(C) Mongolia 
(D) Persia
Ans : (C)

19. Which one of the following monuments has a dome which is said to be one of the largest in the world ?
(A) Tomb of Sher Shah, Sasaram
(B) Jama Masjid, Delhi
(C) Tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tuglaq, Delhi
(D) Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur
Ans : (D)

20. Ashtapradhan was a Council of Ministers—
(A) In the Gupta administration
(B) In the Chola administration
(C) In the Vijaynagar administration
(D) In the Maratha administration
Ans : (D)

21. The concept of Anuvrata was advocated by—
(A) Mahayana Buddhism
(B) Hinayana Buddhism
(C) Jainism
(D) The Lokayata School
Ans : (C)

22. Which one of the following territories was not affected by the revolt of 1857 ?
(A) Jhansi 
(B) Jagdishpur
(C) Lucknow 
(D) Chittor
Ans : (D)

23. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ?
(A) Battle of Buxar— Mir Jafar Vs Clive
(B) Battle of Wandiwash—French Vs East India Company
(C) Battle of Chelianwala—Dalhousie Vs Marathas
(D) Battle of Kharda—Nizam Vs East India Company
Ans : (B)

24. The word ‘Hindu’ as reference to the people of Hind (India) was first used by—
(A) The Greeks 
(B) The Romans
(C) The Chinese 
(D) The Arabs
Ans : (A)

25. Hughly was used as a base for piracy in the Bay of Bengal by—
(A) The Portuguese 
(B) The French
(C) The Danish 
(D) The British
Ans : (A)

Read More

General Knowledge- Quzi

1. Who authored the book ‘The Science of Bharat Natyam’?

(a) Saroja Vaidyanathan         (b) Yamini Krishnamurthi ( c) J. Sushila (d) None of these

Answer a;

2.International Day for Disaster Reduction is observed on:

(a) 9th August (b) 13th October (c) 24th November (d) 11th December

Answer-b;

3. Tianhe 1A, the world’s fastest supercomputer is made by

(a) United States (b) Japan  (c) China  (d) None of these

 Answer :c

4. Which is India’s first ever Pollution Control Warship?

(a) Samudra Prahari  (b) Nischaya  (c) Varuna  (d) None of these

Answer:a

5. Who became India’s youngest grandmaster?

(a) Parimarjan Negi  (b) Dronavali Harika  (c) Praveen Thipse  (d) S P Sethuraman

Answer:d

6. K C Kulich International Award is associated with:

(a) Medicine    (b) Economics  (c) Journalism  (d) Sports

Answer:c

7. ‘Open’ is the autobiography of which sports personality?

(a) Adam Gilchrest     b) Glenn Merges  (c) Andre Agassiz  (d) None of these

Ans-c

8. World Cup Football in 2022 is to be held at:

(a) Qatar  (b) UK  (c) Spain  (d) France

Answer:a

9. Who is the first head of UN WOMEN?

(a) Laura Chinchilla  (b) Julia Gillard  (c) Mitchell blachettt  (d) None of these

Answer:c

10.Which of the following committee is related to Corporatisation of Stock Exchanges?

(a) Bimal Jalan Committee  (b) V Achuthan Committee  (c) P M Nair Committee              (d) None of these

Ans-a

11. Which is India’s newest stock exchange for currency derivatives

 (a) BSE          (b) NSE  (c) United Stock Exchange (USE)  (d) None of these

Answer :c

12. Jeevan Reddy Committee is related to

(a)Illegal mining             (b) Armed Forces Special Power Act  (c) Environmental Impact Assessment  (d) None of these

Ans-b

13. Which of the following scheme is related with social security for unorganised sector?

(a) Swabhiman           (b) Sabla  (c) Swavalamban  (d) None of these

Ans-c

14. Polavaram Project is located in which state?

(a) Andhra Pradesh                            (b) Maharashtra  (c) Madhya Pradesh           (d) Karnataka

Answer:a

 15. David Perlman Award is given in which field?

(a) Sports        (b) Music  (c) Photography     (d) Journalism

Ans-d

16.Which of the following committee has redefined the definition of Slums?

(a) Pranab Sen Committee(b) Arjun Sen gupta committee  (c) C Ibrahim Committee (d) None of these

Ans-a

17. Arrow-III is an anti missile system of

(a) France (b) Pakistan (c) Israel       (d) UK

Ans-c

18. India’s first jail BPO is going to came up at:

(a) Bangalore  (b) Pune  (c) Chennai             (d) Hyderabad

Answer:a

19.World’s first aviation university coming up at:

(a) Bangalore  (b) Nice          (c) Glasgow     (d) Venice

Answer: a

20. Khoj lab has been launched by which group?

(a) Future Group (b) dell  (c) IBM     d) Times group

Answer:a

21. Which of the following became the first smoke free state in India?

(a) Sikkim  (b) Himachal Pradesh  (c) Uttarakhand (d) None of these

 Ans-a

22. Lightest element:- Hydrogen

Only Metal liquid at room temperature:- Hg Mercury

Tungsten symbol –W

Tin –Sn

Element with maximum number of compounds –Carbon ( due to catenation)

22. Which of the following became the Ist Asian Country to sign Free Trade Agreement with European Union?

(a) South Korea                      (b) China         (c) India                       (d) None of these

Ans-a

23. The Emissary’ is the book authored by:

(a) Tarun Tejpal                      b) Vinod Mehta  (c) Aniruddh Bahl  (d) None of these

Ans-c

24. Who is the new PM of Netherlands?

(a) Mark Ruttea   (b) Bill Carey       (c) Thakshin Sinawatra   (d) None of these

Ans-a

25. Who is the new PM of Kosovo?

(a) Hashim Taci               (b) N K Name Krumoh  (c) Jose Borosso d) None of these

Ans-a

26. Who is the chairman of National Democratic Front of Bodoland?

(a) Paresh Barna        (b) Aravind Rajakhowa  (c) Ranjan Daimary             (d) None of these

Ans-c

27. With which of the following countries India has not signed civil nuclear agreement?

(a) Namibia  (b) Sweden  c) Mongolia           (d) Argentina

 Ans-b

28. Who is the PM of Sweden?

(a) Fredrick Rainfeldt  (b) Silvio Berlusconi  (c) Garry Wanders       (d) None of these

Ans-a

29. APEC Summit in November 2010 was held at  :

(a) Yokohama (b) Sydney                  (c) Singapore                          (d) Busan

Answer a;

30. Which public sector bank was the banking partner in Commonwealth Games 2010?

(a) Central Bank of India        (b) State Bank of India    (c) Bank of Baroda             (d) None of these

Answer-a;

31. Who is the new vice chief of army staff?

(a) V.K. Singh (b) A.S. Lamba  (c) C. Shekhawat                 (d) None of these

Answer :b

32. Who has became the vice president of ICC?

(a) Ehsaan Mani                     (b) John Mulford  (c) Alan Isaac                                 (d) Molcom Speed

Answer: c

33. Who is the Director General of National Investigation Agency ?

(a) R.V. Raju   (b) Ved Marwah  (c) K.F. Rustomji                (d) Sharad Chandra Sinha

Answer:d

34. Who is the Director of National Security Guard?

(a) R.K. Medhekar      (b) J.K Dutt   (c) B.K. Banerjee                      (d) None of these

Answer:a

35. Who of the following Indian got the Australia Day achievement medal 2010?

(a) V.P. Unnikrishnan             (b) Sandeep Pandey   (c) Vandana Shiva                 (d) None of these

Answer: a

36. Which of the following country became the 187th member of IMF?

(a) Marshall Islands     (b) Tuvalu     (c) Fiji     (d) None of these

 Answer: b

37. India’s second National Institute of Design will come up at which of the following

(a) Amethi       (b) Jorahat        (c) Aizowl   (d) Itanagar

Ans- b

38. Benghazi is a port of :

(a) Libya          (b) Yemen            (c) Egypt                            (d) None of these

 Answer:a

39. Jakhol Sankri Hydro Electric Project has been commissioned at

(a) Uttarakhand           (b) Himachal Pradesh    (c) J&K        (d) Arunachal Pradesh

Answer: a

Answer: a

40. ‘Home Boy’ is a novel written by

(a) H M Naqvi (b) H S Narula  (c) Anand Sarkar       d) Stephen Lipsett

 Ans- a

41. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in 2011 was held at:

(a) Jaipur         (b) New Delhi    (c) Ujjain                               (d) Varanasi

 Answer :b

42. 98th Indian Science Congress in January 2011 was held at:

(a) Chennai     (b) Kharagpur     (c) Kanpur              (d) Delhi

Ans - a

43. Who of the following is the present Lokayukta of Karnataka:

(a) N Vittal                               (b) Santosh Hegde  (c) Yashwant Sonawane(d) None of these

Answer:b

44. Georgia’s capital is to be shifted from Tbilisi to:

(a) Akhan        (b) Yeren     (c) Kutaisi                                    (d) Chisinau

 Ans-c

45.  Which country topped the Terrorism Risk Index in 2010:

(a) Somalia     b) Samoa    (c) Jamaica                     (d) Iraq

Ans-a

46. Which district is going to be named after Indira Gandhi?

(a) Medak                               (b) Rai Bareli

(c) Chikmaglur                                    (d) Bellary

 Ans-a

47. Who received the Elis Island Medal of Honour in 2010?

(a) Dalai Lama                                    (b) Zinedine Zidene

(c) Rao Anumlu                                  (d) B K Varghese

Answer:c

48. Enam Securities is to be purchased by:

(a) Union Bank of India                                   (b) BNP Paribas

(c) ANZ Grindlays                               (d) Axis Bank

Answer: d

49. Which famous personality bagged the Man of Peace Award in 2010?

(a) Roberto Baggio                 (b) Diegs Maradona

(c) Pope John Paul II              (d) None of these

Answer:a

50. Who is the new National Security Advisor of United States?

(c) W Singham                        (b) Thomas Donilon

(a) Colin Powell                       (b) Larry Page

Ans-b

51. Who is the new president of UN General Assembly?

(a) Joseph Deiss                     (b) Hans Rasmus Sen

(c) Leon Panetta                     (d) None of these

Ans-a

52. Luka and Fire of Life is the latest book by:

(a) Arun Som                          (b) Salman Rushdie

(c) Vikram Seth                                  (d) None of these

Ans-b

53. What is the name of India’s latest and Seventh Super Computer?

(a) Annapurna                         (b) Param

(c) Pinak                                 (d) None of these

Ans-a

54. Tembli became the first village in India to get UID. In which state it is located?

(a) Andhra Pradesh                (b) Chattisgarh

(c) Maharashtra                                  (d) None of these

Ans-c

55.Who has been declared the ‘Business Leader of the year’ in Economic Times Corporate Excellence Awards 2010?

(a) Aditya Puri                         (b) N Nrayanmurthy

(c) Azim Premji                                   (d) Mukesh Ambani

 Ans-a

56. What is the mascot of 2011 cricket world cup?

(a) Hoho                                  (b) Cobe

(c) Stumpy                              (d) None of these

 Ans-c

57. SAF (South Asian Federation) games in 2012 will be held at

(a) Kathmandu                                           (b) Delhi

(c) Bangalore                                 (d) None of these

Ans-b

58. Agni III was launched from which of the following places:

(a) Wheeler Island                   (b) Sriharikota

(c) Bikaner                              (d) None of these

Answer a;

59. Who of the following is the Chairperson of National Green Tribunal?

(a) Lokeshwar Singh Parata   (b) Anil Pandey

(c) K Vijay Kumar                   (d) None of these

Answer-a;

60. Which Indian Company is slated to buy the English football club Blackburn?

(a) U B groups                        (b) RPG

(c) Videocon               (d) Vicky

Answer : d

61. Who is the Union Minister of Corporate Affairs?

(a) Murali Deora                      (b) Jaipal Reddy

(c) C P Joshi                           (d) M S Gill

Answer: a

62. Who is the new President Elect of BCCI?

(a) Chirayu Amin                    (b) Jyotiraditya Schindia

(c) Shashank manohar                       (d) Jagmohan Dalmia

Answer:c

63. Karrar is the unmaned bomber aircraft of which country?

(a) Iran                                    (b) Syria

(c) Israel                      (d) None of these

Answer:a

64. Who is the CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited?

(a) S K Jain                 (b) Harsh Marital

(c) Oskar Singh                      (d) None of these

Answer: a

65. Who is the Director of Intelligence Bureau?

(a) Rajeev Mathur                   (b) Nehchal Sandhu

(c) Saikat Dutta                       (d) None of these

 Answer: b

66. Ramagundanar thermal power project is in which state?

a) Andhra Pradesh                  (b) Tamil Nadu

(c) Kerala                                (d) Karnataka

Ans- a

67. Project Big Green has been initiated by which company?

(a) Microsoft               (b) Apple

(c) Infosys                   (d) IBM

Answer:d

68. Vansadhara River dispute is between which states?

(a) Orissa and Andhra Pradesh          (b) Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

(c) Kerala and Tamil Nadu     (d) None of these

Answer: a

69. Who is the Chairperson of National Housing Board?

(a) B N Kapoor                        (b) Mata Prasad

(c) R B Verma                        (d) None of these

Ans- c

70. Who is India’s permanent representative to United Nations?

(a) Hardeep Singh Puri                       (b) M.K. Agnihotri

(c) Vijay Pasricha                   (d) None of these

Answer :a

71. Who is the principal scientific advisor to Government of India?

(a) R. Chidambaram               (b) V.K. Saraswat

(c) T.K. Thomas                                  (d) None of these

Ans - a

72. Who is the Chairman of Central Water Commission?

(a) Balraj Madhok                   (b) A.K. Bajaj

(c) Shivran Puri                       (d) None of these

Ans - b

73. Who is the Deputy National Security Advisor?

(a) Shiv Shankar Menon                    (b) M.K. Narayanan

(c) Shekhar Dutt                     (d) None of these

Answer:c

74. Aligarh Muslim University is going to set its new campus at:

(a) Saharanpur                                    (b) Meerut

(c) Murshidabad                      (d) Azamgarh

Ans-c

75. Who is the new Chairperson of National Commission for Backward classes?

(a) M.N. Rao                           (b) T.K. Maken

(c) Ram Singh Senbar                        (d) None of these

Ans-a

76. Who is the Chairperson of 19th Law Commission?

(a) P.V. Reddy                        (b) A.K. Lakshmanan

(c) K.R. Kurup             (d) None of these

Ans-a

77. Who is the Chairman of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights?

(a) Buta Singh                         (b) M.K. Kurup

(c) Shanta Sinha                     (d) Dheeraj Rohatgi

Answer:c

78. Mini Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in October 2010 was held at:

(a) Cape Town                                    (b) Durban

(c) Johannesburg                    (d) None of these

Answer: b

79. G-8 summit in June 2010 was held at:

(a) Ontario                   (b) Vancouver

(c) Huntsville               (d) Quebec

Answer:-c

80. Who is the CEO of Twitter?

(a) Dick Costello                     (b) Jorma Olila  (c) Allan Bolt (d) None of these

Ans-a

81. Which country topped the Global Peace Index Report in 2010?

(a) New Zealand                     (b) Iceland

(c) Denmark                           (d) Sweden

Ans-a

82. Who of the following is the recipient of Turner Prize 2010?

(a) Alex Rodriques                  (b) Sergie Bryan

(c) Susan Philipsz                   (d) None of these

Ans-c

83. Who is the Chairperson of Railway Board?

(a) Vivek Sahay                                  (b) J P Batra

(c) D P Aggarwal                    (d) None of these

Ans-a

84. Who of the following is the recipient of Cervantes Prize 2010?

(a) John Stocker                     (b) Ana Maria

(c) C Andrew Stephen                        (d) None of these  

Ans-b

85. Who founded the Telangana Praja Front in October 2010?

(a) G V Rao                (b) K Chandrashekhar Rao

(c) N Srinivas              (d) None of these

Ans-a

86. M. B. Shah Commission is related to:

(a) Illegal mining                      (b) Agricultural Statistics

(c) Microfinance Institutions   (d) None of these

Ans-a

87. Who is the secretary General of Rajya Sabha?

(a) T.K. Vishwanathan                        (b) Vivek Agnihotri

(c) V.K. Gupta                         (d) None of these

Ans-b

Read More