Basic General Knowledge Book PART 1

Basic General Knowledge Book

Abbreviations

A ABM: Anti Ballistic Missiles ABVP: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad AC: Alternating Current; Ashoka Chakra ACU: Asian Currency Union AD: anno Domini; in the year of Lord Christ ADB: Asian Development Bank ADC: Aide-de-Camp; Access Deficit Charge ADF: Asian Development Fund ADS: Air Defence Ship AJT: Advanced Jet Trainer AG: Accountant General; Adjutant General AI: Air India AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AIIMS: All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIR: All India Radio; Annual Information Report AITUC: All India Trade Union Congress AJT: Advanced Jet Trainer ALH: Advanced Light Helicopter AM: ante meridiem; before noon AMC: Army Medical Corps; Asset Management Companies AME: Associate Member of the Institute of Engineers APC: Agricultural Prices Commission APEC: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APPLE: Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment APPU: Asian Pacific Postal Union ARC: Asset Reconstruction Company ARDR: Agricultural and Rural Debt Relief ASAT: Anti-Satellite weapon ASC: Army Service Corps ASCI: Advanced Strategic Computing Initiative ASCII: American Standard Code for Information ASEAN: Association of South-East Asian Nations ASEM: Asia-Europe Meeting ASIMO: Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility ASLV: Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle ASMA: Antarctica Specially Managed Area ASSOCHAM: Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry ATA: Air Time Authority; Allen Telescope Array ATC: Air Traffic Controller ATM: Automatic Teller Machine ATR: Action Taken Report ATV: Automatic Transfer Vehicle AUM: Assets Under Management AVC: Army Veterinary Corps AVM: Additional Volatility Margin

J, K, L JCO: Junior Commissioned Officer JNNURM: Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission JPC: Joint Parliamentary Committee JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group JWG: Joint Working Group KG: Kindergarten Kg: Kilogramme KPO: Knowledge Process Outsourcing LAC: Line of Actual Control LCA: Light Combat Aircraft LDC: Least Developed Countries LHC: Large Hadron Collider LIC: Life Insurance Corporation (of India) LLP: Limited Liability Partnership LOAC: Line of Actual Control LTA: Light Transport Aircraft LTTE: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam M MAT: Minimum Alternative Tax MER: Mars Exploration Rover MBBS: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery MCF: Master Control Facility MEP: Minimum Export Price MES: Military Engineering Service METSAT: Meteorological Satellite MFA: Multi-Fibre Agreement MFN: Most Favoured Nation MIP: Moon Impact Probe MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service MMTC: Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of India MNC: Multi-national Corporation MNIC: Multi-purpose National Identity Card MODEM: Modulator-Demodulator MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRTPC: Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission MRTS: Mass Rapid Transit System MSA: Maritime Safety Agency MSCF: Maritime Security Cooperation Framework Mss: Manuscript MTCR: Missile Technology Control Regime MTO: Multilateral Trade Organisation MVC: Maha Vir Chakra MUNO: Maha Vir Chakra

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 9

AWACS: Airborne Warning and Control System B BARC: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation BC: Before Christ; Board of Control; British Columbia; Battery Commander BCG: Bacillus Calmette Guerin—Anti-Tuberculosis Vaccine BICP: Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices BIFR: Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction BIOS: Basic Input Output System BKU: Bharatiya Kisan Union BMD: Ballistic Missile Defence System BOLT: BSE On-Line Trading (System) BOSS: Bharat Operating System Solutions BPO: Business Process Outsourcing BPR: Bottom Pressure Records BRO: Border Road Organisation BSE: Bombay Stock Exchange BSF: Border Security Force BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd C CA: Chartered Accountant CABE: Central Advisory Board of Education C & AG: Comptroller & Auditor General CAIR: Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics CAPART: Council for People‘s Action and Advancement of Rural Technology CAPES: Computer-Aided Paperless Examination System CAS: Chief of Army Staff; Chief of Air Staff; Conditional Access System CB: Citizen Band (Radio) CBI: Central Bureau of Investigation CBFC: Central Board of Film Certification CCPA: Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs CD: Conference on Disarmament C-DAC: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access CECA: Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement CERN: European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Pronounced CERN in French) CFC: Chlorofluro Carbon CFS: Container Freight Station

N NAA: National Airport Authority NABARD: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. (It helps rural development by providing re-finance facility). NACIL: National Aviation Company of India Ltd NADA: National Anti-Doping Agency NAEP: National Adult Education Programme NAFTA: North America Free Trade Agreement NAG: National Air Guard NAM: Non-aligned Movement NAMA: Non-Agriculture Market Access NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (of the U.S.A.) NASDAQ: National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation NATA: Natural Aptitude Test for Architecture NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NAV: Net Asset Value NB: Nota bene; note well, or take notice NCA: Nuclear Command Authority NCC: National Cadet Corps NCEP: National Committee on Environmental Planning NCERT: National Council of Education Research and Training NCR: National Capital Region NDA: National Defence Academy; National Democratic Alliance NDNC: National Do Not Call (Registry) NDPS: Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances NDRF: National Disaster Response Force NDTL: National Dope Testing Laboratory NeGP: National e-governance Plan NEDB: North-Eastern Development Bank NEP: National Education Policy NEPA: National Environment Protection Authority NFO: New Fund Offers NHDP: National Highways Development Project NHRC: National Human Rights Commission NIC: National Integration Council NIFT: National Institute of Fashion Technology NIO: National Institute of Oceanography NIS: National Institute of Sports NIT: National Institute of Technology NLMA: National Literacy Mission Authority NMD: Nuclear Missile Defence NMDC: National Mineral Development Corporation NPL: National Physical Laboratory

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 10

CHOGM: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CIA: Central Intelligence Agency (of U.S.A.) CIBIL: Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd CIC: Chief Information Commissioner CID: Criminal Investigation Department C-in-C: Commander-in-Chief cif: cost, insurance and freight CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States CISF: Central Industrial Security Force CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITU: Centre of Indian Trade Unions CLASS: Computer Literacy and Studies in Schools CLAWS: Centre for Land Warfare Studies CM: Command Module; Chief Minister CMP: Common Minimum Programme CNG: Compressed Natural Gas CNN: Cable News Network CNS: Chief of the Naval Staff CO: Commanding Officer COD: Central Ordnance Depot; Cash on Delivery CPCB: Central Pollution Control Board CPI: Communist Party of India CPI(M): Communist Party of India (Marxists) CPU: Central Processing Unit CR: Central Railway CRAC: Cyber Regulation Advisory Council CRDi: Common Rail Direct injection CRISIL: Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited CRM: Customer Relationship Management CRR: Cash Reserve Ratio CRPF: Central Reserve Police Force CSIR: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research CTBT: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty CTT: Commodities Transaction Tax CVRDE: Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment D DA: Dearness Allowance; Daily Allowance DAVP: Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity DC: Deputy Commissioner; Direct Current in Electricity DDT: Dichloro-Diphenyl Trichloro-ethane (disinfectant) DIN: Director Information Number

NPR: National Population Register NPT: (Nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty NRBI: National Rural Bank of India NREGA: National Rural Employment Guarantee Act NREP: National Rural Employment Programme NRF: National Renewal Fund NRI: Non-Resident Indian NRR: National Reproduction Rate NRSA: National Remote Sensing Agency NSA: National Security Act NSC: National Service Corps; National Security Council NSDL: National Securities Depository Limited NSE: National Stock Exchange NSR: National Skills Registry NTPC: National Thermal Power Corporation NWDA: National Water Development Agency NWRC: National Water Resources Council O OAS: Organisation of American States OAU: Organisation of African Unity OBC: Other Backward Communities OBU: Offshore Banking Unit ODA: Official Development Assistance ODF: Open Document Format ODS: Ozone Depletion Substances OECD: Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development OGL: Open General Licence OIC: Organisation of Islamic Countries OIGS: On India Government Service OIL: Oil India Limited OM: Order of Merit ONGC: Oil and Natural Gas Commission OPEC: Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries OSCE: Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe OSD: Officer on Special Duty OXML: Open Extended Marking Language P PAC: Political Affairs Committee; Public Accounts Committee PACER: Programme for Acceleration of Commercial Energy Research PAN: Permanent Account Number (of Income-Tax) PATA: Pacific-Asia Travel Association PCS: Public Civil Service; Punjab Civil Service

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 11

DM: District Magistrate; Deputy Minister DMIC: Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor DMK: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (a regional political party of Tamil Nadu) DNA: de-oxyribonucleic acid DO: Demi-official (letter) DOD: Department of Ocean Development DPEP: District Primary Education Programme DPI: Director of Public Instruction DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory DRDO: Defence Research and Development Organisation DST: Daylight Saving Time DRES: Department of Renewable Energy Sources DTH: Direct to Home (broadcasting) E ECG: Electro Cardio-gram ECS: Electronic Clearing Service ECT: Electro-convulsant Therapy (electric shock treatment) EDUSAT: Education Satellite EEG: Electro-encephalography EET: Exempt Exempt Taxation EFA: Education for All EFF: Extended Fund Facility e.g.: exempli gratia; for example EHTP: Electronic Hardware Technology Parks ELISA: Enzyme Linked Immuno Solvent Assay (used for testing AIDS) EMI: Equated Monthly Instalment EMS: European Monetary System EMU: Electric-Multiple Unit; Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit; (European) Economic and Monetary Union E & OE: Errors and Omissions Excepted EPROM: Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory ER: Eastern Railway ERM: Exchange Rate Mechanism ERNET: Educational and Research Network ESA: European Space Agency ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESMA: Essential Services Maintenance Act ESOP: Employee Stock Option Programme etc.: et cetera (and other things) EU: European Union EVM: Electronic Voting Machine

PIB: Press Information Bureau Pin Code: Postal Index Number Code PIO: Persons of Indian Origin PLF: Plant Load Factor PM: Post Meridiem; after-noon; also Postmaster; Prime Minister; post-mortem (after death) PMG: Postmaster General PN: Participatory Note PO: Post Office; Postal Order POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants; Point of Purchase POTA: Prevention of Terrorism Act POW: Prisoner of War PP: Public Prosecutor; Particular Person PRO: Public Relations Officer PS: Post Scriptum; Post Script; written after PSC: Public Service Commission PSE: Public Sector Enterprises PSLV: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PTA: Preferential Trade Area PTI: Press Trust of India PTO: Please Turn Over; Privilege Ticket Order PUFA: Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids PVC: Param Vir Chakra PVSM: Param Vishisht Sewa Medal PWD: Public Works Department Q, R QMG: Quarter Master General QR: Quantitative Restriction RAF: Rapid Action Force RAM: Random Access Memory RBI: Reserve Bank of India RCC: Reinforced Concrete Cement RDF: Rapid Development Force RDS: Radio Data Servicing RDSS: Radio Determination Satellite Service REACH: Rehabilitate, Educate and Support Street Children RLO: Returned Letter Office RLV: Reusable Launch Vehicle RPM: Revolution Per Minute RPO: Recruitment Process Outsourcing; Regional Passport Officer RRB: Regional Rural Bank RRPI: Rural Retail Price Index RSS: Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh RSVP: Repondez s‘il vous plait (Fr.) reply, if you please RTGS: Real Time Gross Settlement System

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 12

F FAO: Food and Agriculture Organisation FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation (of the U.S.A.) FCNR: Foreign Currency (non-resident) Accounts Scheme FDR: Flight Data Recorder; Fixed Deposit Receipt FEMA: Foreign Exchange Management Act FERA: Foreign Exchange Regulations Act FICCI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry FII: Foreign Institutional Investors FIPB: Foreign Investment Promotion Board (of India) FLAG: Fibre Optic Link Around the Globe FM: Field Marshal; Frequency Modulated FPSB: Financial Planning Standards Boards (India) FRBM: Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management FSSA: Food Safety and Standards Authority (of India) FTA: Free Trade Area FTP: File Transfer Protocol G GAGAN: GPS-aided Geo-augmented Navigation GAIL: Gas Authority of India Limited GAIN: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition GATS: General Agreement on Trade in Services GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GCA: General Currency Area GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council GCM: Greatest Common Measure GEF: Global Environment Fund GHQ: General Headquarters GIC: General Insurance Corporation GIST: Graphics and Intelligence-based Script Technology GMPS: Global Mobile Personal Communications System GMRT: Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope GMT: Greenwich Mean Time GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System GNP: Gross National Product GOC: General Officer Commanding GPO: General Post Office GPRS: General Packet Radio System GPS: Global Positioning System GSLV: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSP: Generalised Special Preferences

S SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation SAFTA: South Asian Free Trade Area SAIL: Steel Authority of India Limited SAPTA: SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement SARS: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SATNAV: Satellite Navigation (Initiative) SAVE: SAARC Audio Visual Exchange SC: Security Council; Supreme Court; Scheduled Caste SCI: Shipping Corporation of India SCO: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCOPE: Standing Conference on Public Enterprises SDO: Sub-Divisional Officer SDR: Special Drawing Rights (created by the World Bank) SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India SFC: Strategic Forces Command SGPC: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee SIDBI: Small Industries Development Bank of India SIT: Special Investigation Team SITE: Satellite Instructional Television Experiment SLR: Statutory Liquidity Ratio SMS: Short Messaging Service; Subscriber Management System SOS: Save Our Souls—distress signal SPG: Special Protection Group SPIN: Software Process Improvement Networks SPV: Solar Photo Voltaic SQUID: Super-conducting Quantum Interference Device SRE: Space Capsule Recovery Experiment SRV: Submarine Rescue Vessel SSN: Social Security Number STARS: Satellite Tracking and Ranging Station START: Strategic Arms Reduction Talks STEP: Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park STT: Securities Transaction Tax SWAN: State-wide Area Network SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Financial Telecommunications T TA: Travelling Allowance; Territorial Army TAAI: Travel Agents Association of India TACDE: Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 13

GST: Goods and Service Tax GSTP: Global System of Trade Preferences H HAWS: High Altitude Warfare School HCF: Highest Common Factor HDI: Human Development Index HDTV: High Definition Television HE: His (or Her) Excellency; His (or Her) Eminence; High Explosive; Horizontal Equivalent HITS: Headend In The Sky HMMWV: High Mobility Multipurpose-Wheeled Vehicle HMS: Hybrid Mail Service HP: Himachal Pradesh; Horizontal Plane; Horse Power HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language HTTP: Hypetext Transfer Protocol HUDCO: Housing and Urban Development Corporation HVDC: High Voltage Direct Current I IAAI: International Airport Authority of India IAAS: Indian Audit and Accounts Service IADF: International Agricultural Development Fund IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency IAF: Indian Air Force IAMC: Indian Army Medical Corps IAS: Indian Administrative Service IATA: International Air Transport Association IATT: Inland Air Travel Tax IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organisation ICAR: Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICCR: Indian Council of Cultural Relations ICCW: Indian Council for Child Welfare ICDS: Integrated Child Development Service ICJ: International Court of Justice (with Headquarters at the Hague) ICL: Indian Cricket League ICMR: Indian Council of Medical Research ICPA: Indian Cricket Players‘ Association ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross IDA: International Development Association

TADA: Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act TAPS: Tarapur Atomic Power Station TB: Tuberculosis TDC: Transport Development Council TDS: Tax Deduction at Source TDSAT: Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal TERLS: Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station TIFR: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research TIN: Tax Information Network TINXSYS: Tax Information Exchange System TISCO: Tata Iron and Steel Company TMC: Terrain Mapping Camera TMO: Telegraphic Money Order TNT: Tri-nitro-toluene (high explosive) TPP: 20-Point Programme TRAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRIMs: Trade Related Investment Measures TRIPS: Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights TRP: Television Rating Points; Tax Return Preparer TRYSEM: Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment TTE: Travelling Ticket Examiner TTF: Tourism Task Force U UAE: United Arab Emirates UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UF: United Front UFO: Unidentified Flying Object UGC: University Grants Commission ULFA: United Liberation Front of Assam UN: United Nations UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP: United Nations Development Programme UNEF: United Nations Emergency Force UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNFPO: United Nations Fund for Population Activities UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHRC: United Nations Human Rights Commission UNI: United News of India UNICEF: United Nations International Children‘s

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 14

IDBI: Industrial Development Bank of India IDSA: Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis i.e.: id est; that is IEA: International Energy Agency IES: Indian Economic Service IEX: Indian Energy Exchange IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standard IFS: Indian Foreign Service; Indian Forest Service IFTU: International Federation of Trade Unions IFWJ: Indian Federation of Working Journalists IGNOU: Indira Gandhi National Open University IIPA: Indian Institute of Public Administration IISS: International Institute of Strategic Studies IIT: Indian Institutes of Technology ILO: International Labour Organisation IMA: Indian Military Academy IMET: International Military Education Training Programme IMF: International Monetary Fund IMO: International Maritime Organisation IN: Indian Navy; Intelligent Network INA: Indian National Army INK: International Newspaper Kiosks INMARSAT: International Maritime Satellite Organisation INMAS: Institute of Nuclear Medicines and Allied Sciences INS: Indian Naval Ship; Indian Newspaper Society INSAS: Indian Small Arms System INSAT: Indian National Satellite INTERPOL: International Police Organisation INTUC: Indian National Trade Union Congress IOC: International Olympic Committee IP: Indian Police IPC: Indian Penal Code IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPEC: International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour IPR: Intellectual Property Right IPS: Indian Police Service; Indian Postal Service IPTV: Internet Protocol Television IPU: Inter-Parliamentary Union IQ: Intelligence Quotient IR: Infra-red IRA: Insurance Regulatory Authority IRBM: Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile IREP: Integrated Rural Energy Planning IRS: Indian Remote Sensing Satellite; Indian Revenue Service ISAF: International Stabilization and Assistance

(Emergency) Fund UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organisation UNRRA: United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration UNTAC: United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia UPA: United Progressive Alliance UPSC: Union Public Service Commission UPTN: Universal Personal Telephone Number USA: United States of America USIS: United States Information Service V VAT: Value-added Tax VC: Vice-Chancellor; Vice Counsel; Victoria Cross; Vir Chakra VDIS: Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme VHRR: Very High Resolution Radiometer VIP: Very Important Person VLSI: Very Large Scale Integration VOIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol VPN: Virtual Private Network VPP: Value Payable Post VRS: Voluntary Retirement Scheme VSAT: Very Small Aperture Terminals W WADA: World Anti-Doping Agency WAP: Wireless Application Protocol WAVE: Wireless Access for Virtual Enterprise WDF: Wasteland Development Force WEF: World Economic Forum WFP: World Food Programme WFTU: World Federation of Trade Unions WGIG: Working Group on Internet Governance WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organisation WLL: Wireless in Local Loop WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction WR: Western Railway WTO: World Trade Organisation (previously called GATT); also World Tourism Organisation X, Y, Z XML: eXtensible Markup Language YMCA: Young Men‘s Christian Association YWCA: Young Women‘s Christian Association

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 15

Force (in Afghanistan) ISC: Inter-State Council ISCS: Integrated Smart Card System ISD: International Subscriber Dialled (telephone) ISH: Information Super Highway ISKCON: International Society for Krishna Consciousness ISO: International Standardisation Organisation ISP: Internet Service Provider ISRO: Indian Space Research Organisation ISS: International Space Station IST: Indian Standard Time ISTRAC: ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network ITDC: Indian Tourism Development Corporation ITO: International Trade Organisation; Income-tax Officer ITU: International Tele-communication Union IUC: Interconnect User Charge

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 16

Amazing True Facts

1. In the weightlessness of space a frozen pea will explode if it comes in contact with Pepsi.

2. The increased electricity used by modern appliances is causing a shift in the Earth‘s magnetic field. By the year 2327, the North Pole will be located in mid-Kansas, while the South Pole will be just off the coast of East Africa.

3. The idea for ―tribbles‖ in ―Star Trek‖ came from gerbils, since some gerbils are actually born pregnant.

4. Male rhesus monkeys often hang from tree branches by their amazing prehensile penises.

5. Johnny Plessey batted .331 for the Cleveland Spiders in 1891, even though he spent the entire season batting with a rolled-up, lacquered copy of the Toledo Post-Dispatch.

6. Smearing a small amount of dog feces on an insect bite will relieve the itching and swelling.

7. The Boeing 747 is capable of flying upside-down if it weren‘t for the fact that the wings would shear off when trying to roll it over.

8. The trucking company Elvis Presley worked at as a young man was owned by Frank Sinatra.

9. The only golf course on the island of Tonga has 15 holes, and there‘s no penalty if a monkey steals your golf ball.

10. Legislation passed during WWI making it illegal to say ―gesundheit‖ to a sneezer was never repealed.

11. Manatees possess vocal chords which give them the ability to speak like humans, but don‘t do so because they have no ears with which to hear the sound.

12. SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or below.

13. Catfish are the only animals that naturally have an ODD number of whiskers.

14. Replying more than 100 times to the same piece of spam e-mail will overwhelm the sender‘s system and interfere with their ability to send any more spam.

15. Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting.

16. The first McDonald‘s restaurant opened for business in 1952 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and featured the McHaggis sandwich.

17. The Air Force‘s F-117 fighter uses aerodynamics discovered during research into how bumblebees fly.

18. You can get blood from a stone, but only if contains at least 17 percent bauxite.

19. Silly Putty was ―discovered‖ as the residue left behind after the first latex condoms were produced. It‘s not widely publicized for obvious reasons.

20. Approximately one-sixth of your life is spent on Wednesdays.

21. The skin needed for elbow transplants must be taken from the scrotum of a cadaver.

22. The sport of jai alai originated from a game played by Incan priests who held cats by their tails and swung at leather balls. The cats would instinctively grab at the ball with their claws, thus enabling players to catch them.

23. A cat‘s purr has the same romance-enhancing frequency as the voice of singer Barry White.

24. The typewriter was invented by Hungarian immigrant Qwert Yuiop, who left his ―signature‖ on the keyboard.

25. The volume of water that the Giant Sequoia tree consumes in a 24-hour period contains enough suspended minerals to pave 17.3 feet of a 4-lane concrete freeway.

26. King Henry VIII slept with a gigantic axe.

Because printed materials are being replaced by CD-ROM, microfiche and the Internet, libraries that previously sank into their foundations under the weight of their books are now in danger of collapsing in extremely high winds.

In 1843, a Parisian street mime got stuck in his imaginary box and consequently died of starvation.

Touch-tone telephone keypads were originally planned to have buttons for Police and Fire Departments, but they were replaced with * and # when the project was cancelled in favor of developing the 911 system.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 17

Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular water.

Calvin, of the ―Calvin and Hobbes‖ comic strip, was patterned after President Calvin Coolidge, who had a pet tiger as a boy.

Watching an hour-long soap opera burns more calories than watching a three-hour baseball game.

Until 1978, Camel cigarettes contained minute particles of real camels.

You can actually sharpen the blades on a pencil sharpener by wrapping your pencils in aluminum foil before inserting them.

To human taste buds, Zima is virtually indistinguishable from zebra urine.

Seven out of every ten hockey-playing Canadians will lose a tooth during a game. For Canadians who don‘t play hockey, that figure drops to five out of ten.

A dog‘s naked behind leaves absolutely no bacteria when pressed against carpet.

A team of University of Virginia researchers released a study promoting the practice of picking one‘s nose, claiming that the health benefits of keeping nasal passages free from infectious blockages far outweigh the negative social connotations.

Among items left behind at Osama bin Laden‘s headquarters in Afghanistan were 27 issues of Mad Magazine. Al Qaeda members have admitted that bin Laden is reportedly an avid reader.

Urine from male cape water buffaloes is so flammable that some tribes use it for lantern fuel.

At the first World Cup championship in Uruguay, 1930, the soccer balls were actually monkey skulls wrapped in paper and leather.

Every Labrador retriever dreams about bananas.

If you put a bee in a film canister for two hours, it will go blind and leave behind its weight in honey.

Due to the angle at which the optic nerve enters the brain, staring at a blue surface during sex greatly increases the intensity of orgasms.

Never hold your nose and cover your mouth when sneezing, as it can blow out your eyeballs.

Centuries ago, purchasing real estate often required having one or more limbs amputated in order to prevent the purchaser from running away to avoid repayment of the loan. Hence an expensive purchase was said to cost ―an arm and a leg.‖

When Mahatma Gandhi died, an autopsy revealed five gold Krugerrands in his small intestine.

Aardvarks are allergic to radishes, but only during summer months.

Coca-Cola was the favored drink of Pharaoh Ramses. An inscription found in his tomb, when translated, was found to be almost identical to the recipe used today.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 18

If you part your hair on the right side, you were born to be carnivorous. If you part it on the left, your physical and psychological make-up is that of a vegetarian.

When immersed in liquid, a dead sparrow will make a sound like a crying baby.

In WWII the US military planned to airdrop over France propaganda in the form of Playboy magazine, with coded messages hidden in the models‘ turn-ons and turn-offs. The plan was scrapped because of a staple shortage due to rationing of metal.

Although difficult, it‘s possible to start a fire by rapidly rubbing together two Cool Ranch Doritos.

Napoleon‘s favorite type of wood was knotty chestnut.

The world‘s smartest pig, owned by a mathematics teacher in Madison, WI, memorized the multiplication tables up to 12.

Due to the natural ―momentum‖ of the ocean, saltwater fish cannot swim backwards.

In ancient Greece, children of wealthy families were dipped in olive oil at birth to keep them hairless throughout their lives.

It is nearly three miles farther to fly from Amarillo, Texas to Louisville, Kentucky than it is to return from Louisville to Amarillo.

The ―nine lives‖ attributed to cats is probably due to their having nine primary whiskers.

The original inspiration for Barbie dolls comes from dolls developed by German propagandists in the late 1930s to impress young girls with the ideal notions of Aryan features. The proportions for Barbie were actually based on those of Eva Braun.

The Venezuelan brown bat can detect and dodge individual raindrops in mid-flight, arriving safely back at his cave completely dry.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 19

Amazing Facts

People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of having a blood clot in the brain.

Black bears are not always black they can be brown, cinnamon, yellow and sometimes white.

People with blue eyes see better in dark.

Each year 30,000 people are seriously injured by exercise equipment.

The placement of a donkey?s eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet.

The sun is 330330 times larger than the earth.

The cow gives nearly 200000 glass of milk in her lifetime.

There are more female than male millionaires in the U.S.A.

A male baboon can kill a leopard.

When a person dies, hearing is usually the first sense to go.

Bill gates house was designed using Macintosh computer.

Nearly 22,000 cheques will be deducted from the wrong account over the next hour.

Almost all varieties of breakfast cereals are made from grass.

Some lions mates over 50 times a day.

American did not commonly use forks until after the civil war.

The most productive day of the week is Tuesday.

In the 1930?s America track star Jesse Owens used to race against horses and dogs to earn a living.

There is a great mushroom in Oregon that is 2,400 years old. It Covers 3.4 square miles of land and is still growing.

Jimmy Carter is the first USA president to have born in hospital.

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.

Cleopatra married two of her brothers.

Human birth control pill works on gorillas.

The right lung takes in more air than the left.

It is illegal to own a red car in shanghai china.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 20

A hard-boiled egg will spin. An uncooked or soft-boiled egg will not.

Astronauts cannot burp in space.

The snowiest city in the USA is Blue Canyon, California.

Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua is the only fresh water lake in the world that has sharks.

Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.

The great warrior Genghis khan died in bed while having sex.

No matter how cold it gets gasoline will not freeze.

SNAILS have 14175 teeth laid along 135 rows on their tongue.

A BUTTERFLY has 12,000 eyes.

Dolphins sleep with 1 eye open.

A BLUE WHALE can eat as much as 3 tones of food everyday, but at the same time can live without food for 6 months.

The EARTH has over 12,00,000 species of animals, 3,00,000 species of plants & 1,00,000 other species.

The fierce DINOSAUR was TYRANNOSAURS which has sixty long & sharp teeth, used to attack & eat other dinosaurs.

DEMETRIO was a mammal like REPTILE with a snail on its back. This acted as a radiator to cool the body of the animal.

CASSOWARY is one of the dangerous BIRDS that can kill a man or animal by tearing off with its dagger like claw.

The SWAN has over 25,000 feathers in its body.

OSTRICH eats pebbles to help digestion by grinding up the ingested food.

POLAR BEAR can look clumsy & slow but during chase on ice, can reach 25 miles / hr of speed.

KIWIS are the only birds, which hunt by sense of smell.

ELEPHANT teeth can weigh as much as 9 pounds.

OWL is the only bird, which can rotate its head to 270 degrees.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 21

The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

Like fingerprints, everyone‘s tongue print is different.

Tapeworms range in size from about 0.04 inch to more than 50 feet in length.

German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.

Crane sleeps standing on one leg.

Shark cannot see, they are very sensitive to sound.

Sneezing stops heart beat for a second and then continues.

Shape of the backbone is important to have sufficient breathing.

Tortoise has very sharp teeth it can rip open the stomach of whale with its teeth.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 22

Mind Blowing Facts For General Knowledge

Turtles have no teeth.

Prehistoric turtles may have weighed as much as 5,000 pounds.

Only one out of a thousand baby sea turtles survives after hatching.

Sea turtles absorb a lot of salt from the sea water in which they live. They excrete excess salt from their eyes, so it often looks as though they‘re crying.

Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless inert gas at room temperature and makes up about 0.0005% of the air we breathe.

Helium Balloon Gas makes balloons float. Helium is lighter than air and just as the heaviest things will tend to fall to the bottom, the lightest things will rise to the top.

Helium Balloon Gas makes balloons float. Helium is lighter than air and just as the heaviest things will tend to fall to the bottom, the lightest things will rise to the top.

Camels can spit.

An ostrich can run 43 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour).

Pigs are the fourth most intelligent animal in the world.

Dinosaurs didn‘t eat grass? There was no grass in the days of the dinosaurs.

Dolphins can swim 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour).

A crocodile‘s tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth? It cannot move. It cannot chew but its Digestive juices are so strong that it can digest a steel nail, Glass pieces, etc.

Sharks are immune to disease i.e. they do not suffer from any Disease.

Animals are either right- or left-handed? Polar bears are always left-handed, and so is Kermit the Frog.

Paris, France has more dogs than people.

New Zealand is home to 70 million sheep and only 40 million people.

Male polar bears weigh 1400 pounds and females only weight 550 pounds, on average.

Bison are excellent swimmers? Their head, hump and tail never go below the surface of the water.

There are 6 to 14 frog?s species in the world that have no tongues. One of these is the African dwarf frog.

A frog named Santjie, who was in a frog derby in South Africa jumped 33 feet 5.5 inches.

The longest life span of a frog was 40 years

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 23

The eyes of a frog flatten down when it swallows its prey

The name `India‘ is derived from the River Indus

The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan‘ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

Chess was invented in India.

The‘ place value system‘ and the ‗decimal system‘ were developed in 100 BC in India.

The game of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called ‗Mokshapat.‘ The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices.

India has the most post offices in the world

‗Navigation‘ is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH

The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word ‗Nou‘.

Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world

The‘ place value system‘ and the ‗decimal system‘ were developed in 100 BC in India.

A snail can sleep for 3 years.

The names of the continents all end with the same letter with which they start

Twenty-Four-Karat Gold is not pure gold since there is a small amount of copper in it. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.

Electricity doesn‘t move through a wire but through a field around the wire.

The first bicycle that was made in 1817 by Baron von Drais didn‘t have any pedals? People walked it along

The first steam powered train was invented by Robert Stephenson. It was called the Rocket.

A cheetah does not roar like a lion – it purrs like a cat (meow).

The original name for the butterfly was ‗flutterby‘

An ostrich‘s eye is bigger than its brain.

Ants don‘t sleep.

Dolphins usually live up to about twenty years, but have been known to live for about forty.

Dolphins sleep in a semi-alert state by resting one side of their brain at a time

A dolphin can hold its breath for 5 to 8 minutes at a time

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 24

Bats can detect warmth of an animal from about 16 cm away using its ―nose-leaf‖.

Bats can also find food up to 18 ft. away and get information about the type of insect using their sense of echolocation.

The eyes of the chameleon can move independently & can see in two different directions at the same time.

Cockroach: Can detect movement as small as 2,000 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom.

Dragonfly: Eye contains 30,000 lenses.

Pig‘s Tongue contains 15,000 taste buds. For comparison, the human tongue has 9,000 taste buds.

The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

Earth weighs 5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons

Like fingerprints, everyone‘s tongue print is different.

A duck‘s quack doesn‘t echo anywhere

Man is the only animal who‘ll eat with an enemy

The average woman uses about her height in lipstick every five years.

The first Christmas was celebrated on December 25, AD 336 in Rome.

A Cockroach will live nine days without its head, before it starves to death.

A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself in a mirror, but monkeys can‘t

A rat can last longer without water than a camel can

About 10% of the world‘s population is left-handed

Dolphins sleep with one eye open

Snakes have no external ears. Therefore, they do not hear the music of a ―snake charmer‖. Instead, they are probably responding to the movements of the snake charmer and the flute. However, sound waves may travel through bones in their heads to the middle ear.

Many spiders have eight eyes.

The tongue of snakes has no taste buds. Instead, the tongue is used to bring smells and tastes into the mouth. Smells and tastes are then detected in two pits, called ―Jacobson‘s organs‖, on the roof of their mouths. Receptors in the pits then transmit smell and taste information to the brain.

Birds don‘t sweat

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 25

The highest kangaroo leap recorded is 10 ft and the longest is 42 ft

Flamingo tongues were eaten common at Roman feasts

The smallest bird in the world is the Hummingbird. It weighs 1oz

The bird that can fly the fastest is called a White it can fly up to 95 miles per hour.

The oldest living thing on earth is 12,000 years old. It is the flowering shrubs called creosote bushes in the Mojave Desert

Tea is said to have been discovered in 2737 BC by a Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water.

A person can live without food for about a month, but only about a week without water. If the amount of water in your body is reduced by just 1%, one will feel thirsty. If it‘s reduced by 10%, one will die.

Along with its length neck, the giraffe has a very long tongue — more than a foot and a half long. A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue

Ostriches can kick with tremendous force, but only forward. Don‘t Mess with them

An elephant can smell water three miles away

If you were to remove your skin, it would weigh as much as 5 pounds

A hippopotamus can run faster than a man

India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history

The world‘s known tallest man is Robert Pershing Wadlow. The giraffe is 5.49m (18 ft.), the man is 2.55m (8ft. 11.1 in.).

The world‘s tallest woman is Sandy Allen. She is 2.35m (7 ft. 7 in.).

The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.

The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. The heart of a blue whale is as big as a car, and its tongue is as long as an elephant.

The largest bird egg in the world today is that of the ostrich. Ostrich eggs are from 6 to 8 inches long. Because of their size and the thickness of their shells, they take 40 minutes to hard-boil. The average adult male ostrich, the world‘s largest living bird, weighs up to 345 pounds.

Every dolphin has its own signature whistle to distinguish it from other dolphins, much like a human fingerprint

The world‘s largest mammal, the blue whale, weighs 50 tons i.e. 50000 Kg at birth. Fully grown, it weighs as much as 150 tons i.e. 150000 Kg.

90 % of all the ice in the world in on Antarctica

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 26

Antarctica is DRIEST continent. Antarctica is a desert

Antarctica is COLDEST continent, averaging minus 76 degrees in the winter

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and it doesn‘t have a moon. Its atmosphere is so thin that during the day the temperature reaches 750 degrees, but at night it gets down to -300 degrees.

Jupiter is the largest planet. If Jupiter were hollow, you could fit 1000 earths inside! It is made up of gas and is not solid. The most famous feature on Jupiter is its Red Spot, which is actually an enormous hurricane that has been raging on Jupiter for hundreds of years! Sixteen moons orbit Jupiter.

Saturn is a very windy place! Winds can reach up to 1,100 miles per hour. Saturn is also made of gas. If you could find an ocean large enough, it would float. This planet is famous for its beautiful rings, and has at least 18 moons.

Uranus is the third largest planet, and is also made of gas. It‘s tilted on its side and spins north-south rather than east-west. Uranus has 15 moons.

Neptune takes 165 Earth years to get around the sun. It appears blue because it is made of methane gas. Neptune also has a big Spot like Jupiter. Winds on Neptune get up to 1,200 mile per hour! Neptune has 8 moons.

Pluto is the farthest planet from the sun… usually. It has such an unusual orbit that it is occasionally closer to the sun than Neptune. Pluto is made of rock and ice.

Just about everyone listens to the radio! 99% of homes in the United States have a least one radio. Most families have several radios.

Sound is sent from the radio station through the air to your radio by means of electromagnetic waves. News, music, Bible teaching, baseball games, plays, advertisements- these sounds are all converted into electromagnetic waves (radio waves) before they reach your radio and your ears.

At the radio station, the announcer speaks into a microphone. The microphone changes the sound of his voice into an electrical signal. This signal is weak and can‘t travel very far, so it‘s sent to a transmitter. The transmitter mixes the signal with some strong radio signals called carrier waves. These waves are then sent out through a special antenna at the speed of light! They reach the antenna of your radio. Your antenna ―catches‖ the signal, and the radio‘s amplifier strengthens the signal and sends it to the speakers. The speakers vibrate, and your ears pick up the vibrations and your brain translates them into the voice of the radio announcer back at the station. When you consider all the places the announcer‘s voice travels.

Every radio station has its own frequency. When you turn the tuning knob on your radio, you are choosing which frequency you want your antenna to ―catch.‖

Mountain lions are known by more than 100 names, including panther, catamount, cougar, painter and puma. Its scientific name is Felis concolor, which means ―cat of one color.‖ At one time, mountain lions were very common!

The large cats of the world are divided into two groups- those that roar, like tigers and African lions, and those that purr. Mountain lions purr, hiss, scream, and snarl, but they cannot roar. They can jump a distance of 30 feet, and jump as high as 15 feet. It would take quite a fence to keep a mountain lion out! Their favorite food is deer, but they‘ll eat other critters as well. They hunt alone, not in packs like wolves. They sneak up on their

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 27

prey just like a house cat sneaks up on a bird or toy- one slow step at a time. A lion can eat ten pounds of meat at one time!

Queen ants can live to be 30 years old

Dragonflies can flap their wings 28 times per second and they can fly up to 60 miles per hour

As fast as dragonflies can flap their wings, bees are even faster… they can flap their wings 435 times per second

Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.

You can‘t kill yourself by holding your breath

Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day

Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people

The elephant is the only mammal that can‘t jump!

Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!

Women blink nearly twice as much as men

Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible

Coca-Cola would be green if colouring weren‘t added to it.

More people are allergic to cow‘s milk than any other food.

Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand

Earth is the only planet not named after a god.

It?s against the law to burp, or sneeze in a church in Nebraska, USA.

Some worms will eat themselves if they can‘t find any food!

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open

Queen Elizabeth I regarded herself as a paragon of cleanliness. She declared that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not

Slugs have 4 noses.

Owls are the only birds that can see the blue colour.

Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 28

More than 1,000 different languages are spoken on the continent of Africa.

There was once an undersea post office in the Bahamas.

Abraham Lincoln‘s mother died when she drank the milk of a cow that grazed on poisonous snakeroot

After the death of Albert Einstein his brain was removed by a pathologist and put in a jar for future study.

Penguins are not found in the North Pole

A dentist invented the Electric Chair.

A whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound

Alexander Graham Bell‘s wife and mother were both deaf

Cockroaches break wind every 15 minutes.

Fish scales are an ingredient in most lipsticks

Canada‖ is an Indian word meaning ―Big Village‖.

259200 people die every day.

11% of the world is left-handed

1.7 liters of saliva is produced each day

The world?s oldest piece of chewing gum is 9000 years old!

The largest beetle in the Americas is the Hercules beetle, which can be 4 to 6 inches in length. That‘s bigger than your hand!

A full-grown male mountain lion may be 9 feet long, including his tail!

There are two kinds of radio stations: AM and FM. That‘s why there are two dials on your radio. AM is used mostly for stations that specialize in talking, such as Christian stations at have Bible stories and sermons; sports stations that broadcast live baseball and football games; and stations that specialize in news programs and ―talk shows,‖ where listeners call the station and discuss various topics. FM is used mostly for stations that specialize in music.

The average lead pencil can draw a line that is almost 35 miles long or you can write almost 50,000 words in English with just one pencil

The Wright Brothers invented one of the first airplanes. It was called the Kitty Hawk.

The worst industrial disaster in India occurred in 1984 in Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh. A deadly chemical, methyl isocyanate leaked out of the Union Carbide factory killing more than 2500 and leaving thousands sick. In fact the effects of this gas tragedy are being felt even today.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 29

Mars is nicknamed the ―Red Planet,‖ because it looks reddish in the night sky. Mars has 2 moons.

Venus is nicknamed the ―Jewel of the Sky.‖ Because of the greenhouse effect, it is hotter than Mercury, even though it‘s not as close to the sun. Venus does not have a moon but it does have clouds of sulfuric acid! If you‘re going to visit Venus, pack your gas mask!

Tens of thousands of participants come from all over the world, fight in a harmless battle where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 30

Earth & World

1. Louisiana loses about 30 square miles (78 square kilometers) of land each year to coastal erosion, hurricanes, other natural and human causes and a thing called subsidence, which means sinking.

2. Each Wonder (in 7 wonders) has its own intrigue. Historian agree that the Pyramids stood the test of time, the Lighthouse is the only Wonder that has a practical secular use, and the Temple of Artemis was the most beautiful of all Wonders.

3. About 400 billion gallons water is used worldwide each day.

4. The industrial complex of Cubatao in Brazil is known as the Valley of Death because its pollution has destroyed the trees and rivers nearby.

5. From a distance, Earth would be the brightest of the 9 planets. This is because sunlight is reflected by the planet‘s water.

6. The deepest depth in the ocean is 36,198 feet (6.9 miles or 11 kilometers) at the Mariana Trench, in the Pacific Ocean well south of Japan near the Mariana Islands.

7. In 1934, a gust of wind reached 371 km/h on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, USA.

8. Nearly 70 percent of the Earth‘s fresh-water supply is locked up in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland. The remaining fresh-water supply exists in the atmosphere, streams, lakes, or groundwater and accounts for a mere 1 percent of the Earth‘s total.

9. Earth travels through space at 66,700 miles per hour.

10. The total surface area of the Earth is 197 million square miles.

11. The gravity on Mars is 38% of that found on Earth. So a 100 pounds person on Earth would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.

12. The world‘s deadliest recorded earthquake occurred in 1557 in central China, more than 830,000 people were killed.

13. Angel Falls in Venezuela is the worlds highest waterfall, The water of Falls drops 3,212 feet (979 meters).

14. The Earth is the densest major body in the solar system.

15. Asia Continent is covered 30% of the total earth land area, but represent 60% of the world‘s population.

16. The greatest tide change on earth occurs in the Bay of Fundy. The difference between low tide and high tide can be as great as 54 ft. 6 in. (16.6 meters).

17. Earth‘s atmosphere is actually about 80 percent nitrogen. Most of the rest is oxygen, with tiny amounts of other stuff thrown in.

18. The Persian Gulf is the warmest sea. In the summer its temperature reaches 35.6 degrees centigrade.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 31

19. Earth is tipped at 23 and 1/2 degrees in orbit. That axis is what causes our seasons.

20. Only 3% water of the earth is fresh, rest 97% salted. Of that 3%, over 2% is frozen in ice sheets and glaciers. Means less than 1% fresh water is found in lakes, rivers and underground.

21. The largest recorded snowflake was 15in wide and 8in thick. It fell in Montana in 1887.

22. The top three countries have the greatest number of historically active volcanoes are Indonesia, Japan, and the United States in descending order of activity. The Pacific Ocean has an average depth of 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers).

23. The people who live on Tristan da Cunha are over 2,000km (about 1,300 miles) from their nearest neighbours on the island of St. Helena. That‘s nearly as far as Moscow is from London.

24. A 1960 Chilean earthquake was the strongest earthquake in recent times, which occurred off the coast, had a magnitude of 9.6 and broke a fault more than 1000 miles (1600 kilometers) long.

25. The moon is one million times drier than the Gobi Desert.

26. Each winter there are about 1 septillion (1, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 or a trillion trillion) snow crystals that drop from the sky.

27. Tibet is the highest country in the world. Its average height above sea level is 4500 meters.

28. In January and February, the average temperature in the high Arctic is -29 F.

29. The hottest planet in the solar system is Venus, with an estimated surface temperature of 864 F (462 C).

30. There is no land at all at the North Pole, only ice on top of sea. The Arctic Ocean has about 12 million sq km of floating ice and has the coldest winter temperature of -34 degrees centigrade.

31. The deepest hole ever made by humans is in Kola Peninsula in Russia, was completed in 1989, creating a hole 12,262 meters (7.6 miles) deep.

32. The Arctic stays black and fiercely cold for months on end. In the High Arctic, the sun sets in October and does not rise again until late February.

33. Sunlight can penetrate clean ocean water to a depth of 240 feet.

34. A huge underground river runs underneath the Nile, with six times more water than the river above.

35. Chile (Africa) is the driest place on Earth, gets just 0.03 inches (0.76 millimeters) of rain per year.

36. At least 1,000 million grams, or roughly 1,000 tons of material (dust) enters the atmosphere every year and makes its way to Earths surface.

37. Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana formed in a hollow made by a meteorite.

38. Antarctica is the highest, driest, and coldest continent on Earth.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 32

39. The origin of the word ―volcano‖ is derives from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.

40. The temperature of Earth near the center, its thought to be at least 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit (3,870 Celsius).

41. The largest eggs in the world are laid by a shark.

42. About 540 volcanoes on land are known. No one knows how many undersea volcanoes have erupted through history.

43. The Antarctic ice sheet is 3-4 km thick, covers 13 million sq km and has temperatures as low as -70 degrees centigrade.

44. Only 11 percent of the earth‘s surface is used to grow food.

45. The flower with the world‘s largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds.

46. Australia, (7,617.930 sq km) is widely considered part of a continental landmass, not officially an island. But without doubt it is the largest island on the planet, and when combined with Oceania, the smallest continent on Earth.

47. The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest known animal ever to have lived on sea or land. Individuals can reach more than 110 feet and weigh nearly 200 tons, more than the weight of 50 adult elephants.

48. The coldest temperature ever measured on Earth was -129 Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.

49. The age of the earth is Loudly proclaimed by the scientific establishment of evolution believers and the mass media as being around 4.6 billion years old.

50. Monaco is the Highest Density Country of the world, 16,205 people per square k.m. live in Monaco.

51. The lowest dry point on earth is the Dead Sea in the Middle East is about 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level.

52. Rain has never been recorded in some parts of the Atacama Desert in Chile.

53. Total fertility rate of the world is 2.59 children born/woman. Niger is 7.46 (highest), India is 2.73, US is 2.09 & Hong Kong is 0.95 only (Lowest).

54. The water that falls on a single acre of land during one inch of rainfall, it would weigh 113 tons that is 226,000 pounds.

55. Life began in the seas 3.1 billion to 3.4 billion years ago. Land dwellers appeared 400 million years ago, a relatively recent point in the geologic time line.

56. The Peregrine Falcon around 200mph (320 km/h) is the fastest bird on the planet, the top speed recorded is 242.3mph (390 km/h).

57. About one-third surface of the Earth‘s land is desert.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 33

58. The world‘s windiest place is Commonwealth Bay, Antartica with winds regularly exceeding 150 miles per hour.

59. The Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world‘s highest waterfall (979 meters / 3212 ft.), three times the size of the Eiffel Tower.

60. Earth‘s oceans are an average of 2 Miles deep

61. The temperature of Earth increases about 36 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) for every kilometer (about 0.62 miles) you go down.

62. The distance from the surface of Earth to the center is about 3,963 miles (6,378 kilometers).

63. The sunrays reached at the earth in 8 minutes & 3 seconds.

64. The warmest sea in the world is the Red Sea, where temperatures range from 68 degrees to 87.8 degrees F depending upon which part you measure.

65. Average 100 lightning strikes occur worldwide every second.

66. One-tenth of the Earth‘s surface is always under the cover of ice. And almost 90 per cent of that ice is to be found in the continent of Antarctica.

67. Baikal Lake in Russian Fed. is the deepest lake (5315 ft) in the world.

68. The Skylab astronauts grew 1.5 – 2.25 inches (3.8 – 5.7 centimeters) due to spinal lengthening and straightening as a result of zero gravity.

69. The total water supply of the world is 326 million cubic miles (1 cubic mile of water equals more than 1 trillion gallons).

70. About 70% of the world‘s fresh water is stored as glacial ice.

71. Lake Baikal is about 20 million years old and contains 20 percent of Earth‘s fresh liquid water.

72. The Sahara Desert in northern Africa is more than 23 times the size of southern California‘s Mojave Desert.

73. Laika (dog) became the world‘s first space traveler. Russian scientists sent the small animal aloft in an artificial earth satellite in 1957.

74. The Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia is the largest cave in the world is 2300 feet (701 meters) long, 1300 feet (400 meters) wide, and more than 230 feet (70 meters) high.

75. The most dangerous animal in the world is the common housefly. Because of their habits of visiting animal waste, they transmit more diseases than any other animal.

76. Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only system today that can show your exact position on the Earth anytime, in any weather, no matter where you are!

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 34

77. Blue whales are found throughout the world‘s oceans, the lifespan is estimated to be 80 years & population is between 1300 & 2000 only, its dangerously low.

78. El Azizia in Libya recorded a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit (57.8 Celsius) on Sept. 13, 1922 – the hottest ever measured.

79. The eruption of Tambora volcano is the world‘s deadliest Volcano in Indonesia in 1815 is estimated to have killed 90,000 people.

80. The highest temperature produced in a laboratory was 920,000,000 F (511,000,000 C) at the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor in Princeton, NJ, USA.

81. United Arab Emirates is only the country where death rate 2.11/1000 (deaths/1,000 population) is lowest (2009 est.) in the world.

82. Mars has two satellites, Phobos and Deimos. The Earth has only one natural satellite, but it‘s the Moon.

83. Most earthquakes are triggered less than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the surface of the Earth.

84. The Largest Ocean of the World is the Pacific Ocean (155,557,000 sq km), It covers nearly one-third of the Earth‘s surface.

85. Shanghai, China is the largest city by population (13.3 million) in the world.

86. There are between 100,000,000,000 and 1,000,000,000,000 stars in a normal galaxy.

87. Tremendous erosion at the base of Niagara Falls (USA) undermines the shale cliffs and as a result the falls have receded approximately 7 miles over the last 10,000 years.

88. In 1783 an Icelandic eruption threw up enough dust to temporarily block out the sun over Europe.

89. Scientists estimate that more than three-quarters of Earth‘s surface is of volcanic origin, that is, rocks either erupted by volcanoes or molten rock.

90. The Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf are connected by the Hormuz Strait.

91. Earth is referred to as the BLUE PLANET. Because from space, the oceans combined with our atmosphere make our planet look blue.

92. The World‘s largest hot desert is the Sahara in North Africa, at over 9,000,000 km, it is almost as large as the United States.

93. English is the second most spoken language (Native speakers 512 million) & the first is Chinese Mandarin (more then 1 billion speakers).

94. The coldest seas are found near the poles such as the Greenland, Barents, Beaufort, Kara, Laptev & East Siberian Seas found near the north pole & Weddell & Ross Seas found in the south poles. The Baltic Sea is also considered one of the coldest seas.

95. Total fertility rate of the world is 2.59 children born/woman.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 35

96. Continents are typically defined as landmasses made of low-density rock that essentially floats on the molten material below. Greenland fits this description.

97. Birth Rate of Hong Kong is the lowest (7.29/1000) & Niger is highest (50.73/1000).

98. The world‘s largest island is Greenland, it covers 840,000 square miles (2,176,000 square kilometers).

99. The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds nearly 90 percent of the world‘s ice and 70 percent of its fresh water. If the entire ice sheet were to melt, sea level would rise by nearly 220 feet.

100. The red planet ―Mars‖ takes 687 Earth-days to go around the Sun, compared to 365 days for Earth.

101. The oceans contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet.

102. American Roy Sullivan has been struck by lighting a record seven times.

103. Some of the oldest mountains in the world are the Highlands in Scotland . They are estimated to be about 400 million years old.

104. About 20 to 30 volcanoes erupt each year, mostly under the sea.

105. The Nile River in Africa is the longest river (6,825 kilometers) of the earth.

106. Mount Everest 8850 meter (29035 ft) Nepal/China is the tallest mountain.

107. The dormant volcano Mauna Kea (on the Big Island of Hawaii) could be considered the tallest mountain in the world. If you measure it from its base in the Hawaiian Trough (3,300 fathoms deep) to its summit of 13,796 feet, it reaches a height of 33,476 feet.

108. Water-meal or Wolffia globosa is the smallest flower in the world, its contains some 38 species of the smallest and simplest flowering plants.

109. Northern Mariana Islands is only the country where death rate (2.29/1000) is lowest in the world.

110. The saltiest sea in the world is the Red Sea with 41 parts of salt per 1,000 parts of water.

111. Of the more than 600 million school-age children in the developing world, 120 million primary school-age children are not in school, 53 percent are girls.

112. Luxembourg is the richest country of the world, the gross national product (GNP) of Luxembourg is $45,360.

113. The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii is the largest volcanoon on Earth. It rises more than 50,000 feet (9.5 miles or 15.2 kilometers) above its base, which sits under the surface of the sea.

114. Earth is the only planet on which water can exist in liquid form on the surface.

115. The EARTH has over 1,200,000 species of animals, 300,000 species of plants & 100,000 other species.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 36

116. Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. Formed by water impounded by Hoover Dam, it extends 110 mi (180 km) behind the dam, holding approximately 28.5 million acre feet (35 km³) of water.

117. Lloro, Colombia is the wettest place on Earth, averages 523.6 inches of rainfall a year, or more than 40 feet (13 meters). That‘s about 10 times more than fairly wet major cities in Europe or the United States.

118. Mars days are 24 hours and 37 minutes long, compared to 23 hours, 56 minutes on Earth.

119. Caspian Sea, Asia-Europe is the major lake (371,000 sq km) in the world.

120. Coniferous forest belt supplies most of the world‘s requirement of newsprint.

121. The fastest ‗regular‘ wind that‘s widely agreed upon was 231 mph (372 kph), recorded at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, on April 12, 1934.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 37

Cups And Trophies

(Associated with Sports and Games)

Sport: Hockey: Aga khan Cup ,Begam Rasul Torphy (woman‘s), Maharaja Ranjit Singh Gold Cup, Lady Ratan Tata Trophy (woman‘s), Gurunanak Championship (woman‘s) Dhyanchand Trophy, Nehru Trophy, Sindhia Gold cup, Murugappa Gold Cup, Wellington Cup etc,

Sport: Football: Beghum Hazarat Mahal Cup, BILT Cup, Bordoloi Trophy Colombo Cup, Confederation cup, DCM Trophy, Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, B.C. Raj Trophy (National Championship), FIFA world Cup, Jules Rimet Trophy, Kalinga Cup, Santosh Trophy (National Championship), IFA Shield, Scissor Cup, Subroto Mukherjee Cup, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee Trophy, Todd Memorial Trophy, Vittal Trophy, Euro Cup, etc,

Sport: Cricket: Anthony D, Mellow Trophy, Ashes, Asia Cup, Benson and Hedges Cup, Bose Trophy, Champions Trophy, Charminar Challender Cup, C.K Naidu Trophy, Cooch – Behar Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Duldeep Trophy, Gavaskar –Border Trophy, G.D. Birla Trophy, Gillette Cup, Ghulam Ahmad Trophy, Hamkumat Rai Trophy, ICC World Cup, Irani Trophy Interface Cup, Jawharlal Nehru Cup, Lomboard World Challenge Cup, Mc Dowells Challenge Cup, Merchant Cup, Moin –ud –Dowla Cup, Net West Trophy, Prudential Cup(World Cup), Rani Jhansi Trophy, Ranji Trophy, Rohinton Barcia Trophy, Rothmans Cup, Sahara Cup, Sharjah Cup, Sheesh Mahal Trophy, Sheffield Shield, Singer Cup, Sir Frank Worrel Trophy, Texaco Cup, Titan Cup, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Vijay Merchant Trophy, Vizzy Trophy, Wisden Trophy, Wills Trophy, World Series Cup.

Sport: Table Tennis: Berna Bellack cup( Men), Cobillion Cup (women), Jai Laxmi cup(women),Rajkumari Challenge Cup (women junior), Ramanuja Trophy (men Junior), Travancore Cup (women), Swathling Cup (men) etc.

Sport: Badminton: Aggrawal Cup, Amrit Diwan Cup, Asia Cup, Australasia Cup, Chaddha Cup, European Cup, Harilela Cup, Ibrahim Rahimatillah Challenger Cup, Konica Cup, Sophia Cup, Kitiakara Cup, Thomas Cup Tunku Abdulrahman Cup, Uber Cup, Yonex Cup etc.

Sport: Basketball: Basalat Jha Trophy, B.C. Gupta Trophy, Federation Cup, S.M. Arjuna Raja Trophy, Todd memorial Trophy, William jones Cup, Bangalore Bules Challenge Cup, Nehru Cup, Federation Cup etc.

Sport: Bridge: Basalat Jha Trophy, Holkar Trophy, Ruia Gold Cup, Singhania Trophy. etc

Sport: Polo: Ezra Cup, Gold Cup, King‘s Cup, Prithi Pal Singh Cup, Radha Mohan Cup, Winchester Cup etc.

Sport: Athletics: Charminar Trophy, Federation Cup etc.

Sport: Air Racing: Jawaharlal Challenge Trophy, King‘s Cup, Schneider Cup etc.

Sport: Billiards: Arthur Walker Trophy, Thomas Cup etc.

Sport: Boxing: Aspy Adjahia Trophy, Federations Cup,Val Baker Trophy etc.

Sport: Golf: Canada Cup, Eisenhower Trophy, Muthiah Gold Cup, Nomura Trophy, President ‗s Trophy,

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 38

Prince of wales Cup, Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Topolino Trophy, Walker Cup, World Cup etc.

Sport: Chess: Naidu Trophy, Khaitan Torphy , Lin Are City Trophy, World Cup etc.

Sport: Horse Racing: Beresford Cup, Blue Riband Cup, Derby, Grand National Cup etc.

Sport: Netball: Anantrao Pawar Trophy etc.

Sport: Rugby Football: Bledisloe Cup, Calcutta Cup, Webb Ellis Trophy, etc.

Sport: Shooting: North Wales Cup, Welsh Grand Prix etc.

Sport: Volleyball: Centennial Cup, Federation Cup, and Indira Pradhan Trophy, Shivanthi Gold Cup, etc.

Sport: Yatch Racing: America Cup etc.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 39

U.S.A. Presidents

President

Vice President

George Washington (1789-1797)

John Adams (1789-1797)

John Adams (1797-1801)

Thomas Jefferson (1797-1801)

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

Aaron Burr (1801-1805)

George Clinton (1805-1809)

James Madison (1809-1817)

George Clinton (1809-1812)

none (1812-1813)

Elbridge Gerry (1813-1814)

none (1814-1817)

James Monroe (1817-1825)

Daniel D. Tompkins (1817-1825)

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

John C. Calhoun (1825-1829)

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

John C. Calhoun (1829-1832)

none (1832-1833)

Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

Richard M. Johnson (1837-1841)

William Henry Harrison (1841)

John Tyler (1841)

John Tyler (1841-1845)

none (1841-1845)

James K. Polk (1845-1849)

George M. Dallas (1845-1849)

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

Millard Fillmore (1849-1850)

Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

none (1850-1853)

Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

William King (1853)

none (1853-1857)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 40

James Buchanan (1857-1861)

John C. Breckinridge (1857-1861)

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865)

Andrew Johnson (1865)

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

none (1865-1869)

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873)

Henry Wilson (1873-1875)

none (1875-1877)

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

William Wheeler (1877-1881)

James A. Garfield (1881)

Chester Arthur (1881)

Chester Arthur (1881-1885)

none (1881-1885)

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)

Thomas Hendricks (1885)

none (1885-1889)

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

Levi P. Morton (1889-1893)

Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)

Adlai E. Stevenson (1893-1897)

William McKinley (1897-1901)

Garret Hobart (1897-1899)

none (1899-1901)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

none (1901-1905)

Charles Fairbanks (1905-1909)

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

James S. Sherman (1909-1912)

none (1912-1913)

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

Thomas R. Marshall (1913-1921)

Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)

Calvin Coolidge (1921-1923)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 41

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

none (1923-1925)

Charles Dawes (1925-1929)

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

Charles Curtis (1929-1933)

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

John Nance Garner (1933-1941)

Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945)

Harry S Truman (1945)

Harry S Truman (1945-1953)

none (1945-1949)

Alben Barkley (1949-1953)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

Richard Nixon (1953-1961)

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

Lyndon B. Johnson (1961-1963)

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

none (1963-1965)

Hubert Humphrey (1965-1969)

Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

Spiro Agnew (1969-1973)

none (1973)

Gerald Ford (1973-1974)

Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

none (1974)

Nelson Rockefeller (1974-1977)

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

Walter Mondale (1977-1981)

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

George Bush (1981-1989)

George Bush (1989-1993)

Dan Quayle (1989-1993)

Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

Al Gore (1993-2001)

George W. Bush (2001-2009)

Dick Cheney (2001-2009)

Barack Obama (2009-present)

Joe Biden (2009-present)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 42

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 43

Female World Leaders In Power # Country Leader In office since: Notes 1 Ireland President Mary McAleese Nov. 11, 1997 - elected 2 Finland (1st) President Tarja Halonen Mar. 1, 2000 - elected 3 Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel Nov. 22, 2005 - elected 4 Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Jan. 16, 2006 - elected 5 India President Pratibha Patil Jul. 25, 2007 - elected 6 Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Dec. 10, 2007 - elected 7 Bangledesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Jan. 6, 2009 - elected 8 Iceland Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardóttir Feb. 1, 2009 - appointed 2009, elected 2009 9 Croatia Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor Jul. 6, 2009 - appointed 10 Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite Jul. 12, 2009 - elected 11 Kyrgyzstan President Rosa Otunbayeva Apr. 7, 2010 - coup 12 Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla May 8, 2010 - elected 13 Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar May 26, 2010 - elected 14 Finland (2nd) Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi Jun. 22, 2010 - appointed 15 Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard Jun. 24, 2010 - appointed 2010, elected 2010 16 Slovakia Prime Minister Iveta Radicova Jul. 8, 2010 - elected 17 Brazil President Dilma Rousseff Jan. 1, 2011 - elected 18 Switzerland President Micheline Calmy-Rey Jan. 1, 2011 - appointed

―Elected‖ refers to women leaders who were elected in democratic elections. ―Succeeded‖ refers to leaders who automatically assumed their position following the resignation or impeachment of a predecessor, and were thus not specifically elected to their post. ―Appointed‖ refers to leaders who were appointed to office by a ruling party or executive, and were thus not specifically elected to their post. ―Coup‖ refers to a leader who staged a coup or revolution to take office through force.

Sometimes leaders who were originally appointed to office managed to win election. In such cases both dates are noted.

Queens or Vice-Regal Females in power

A few countries have reining female queens, or, if they are a member of the British Commonwealth, a female governor general representing Queen Elizabeth as Head of State. As they are merely symbolic rulers, they do not officially ―count‖ as female world leaders in the same way politicians do. # Country Leader In office since:

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 44

1 United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II Feb. 6, 1952 - 2 Denmark Queen Margethe II Jan. 14, 1972 - 3 Netherlands Queen Beatrix Apr. 30, 1980 - 4 Saint Lucia Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy Sep. 17, 1997 - 5 Antigua and Barbuda Governor-General Dame Louise Lake-Tack Jul. 17, 2007 - 6 Australia Governor-General Quentin Bryce Sep. 5, 2008 -

All countries with female presidents, past and present Country Leader Term Notes Argentina (1st time) President Isabel Peron Jul. 1, 1974 – Mar. 24, 1976 succeeded, wife Iceland President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Aug. 1, 1980 – Jul. 31, 1996 elected Malta President Agatha Barbara Feb. 15, 1982 – Feb. 15, 1987 elected Philippines (1st time) President Corazon Aquino Feb. 25, 1986 – Jun. 30, 1992 elected, wife* Nicaragua President Violeta de Chamorro Apr. 25, 1990 – Jan. 10, 1997 elected Ireland (1st time) President Mary Robinson Dec, 3, 1990 – Sep. 12, 1997 elected Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga Nov. 12, 1994 – Nov. 19, 2005 elected, daughter Ireland (2nd time) President Mary McAleese Nov. 11, 1997 - elected Guyana President Janet Jagan Dec. 19, 1997 – Aug. 11, 1999 elected, wife Switzerland (1st time) President Ruth Dreifuss Jan. 1, 1999 – Dec. 31, 1999 appointed Latvia President Vaira Vike-Freiberga Jul. 8, 1999 – Jul. 8, 2007 elected Panama President Mireya Moscoso Sep. 1, 1999 – Sep. 1, 2004 elected, wife Finland President Tarja Halonen Mar. 1, 2000 - elected Philippines (2nd time) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Jan. 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010 succeeded 2001, elected 2004, daughter Indonesia President Megawati Sukarnoputri Jul. 23, 2001 – Oct. 20, 2004 succeeded, daughter Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Jan. 16, 2006 - elected Chile President Michelle Bachelet Mar. 11, 2006 – elected

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 45

Mar. 11, 2010 Switzerland (2nd time) President Micheline Calmy-Rey Jan. 1, 2007 – Dec. 31, 2007 appointed India President Pratibha Patil Jul. 25, 2007 - elected Argentina (2nd time) President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Dec. 10, 2007 - elected, wife Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite Jul. 12, 2009 - elected Switzerland (3rd time) President Doris Leuthard Jan. 1, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2011 appointed Kyrgyzstan President Rosa Otunbayeva Apr. 7, 2010 - coup Costa Rica President Laura Chinchilla May 8, 2010 - elected Brazil

President Dilma Rousseff

Jan. 1, 2011 -

elected Switzerland (4th time) President Micheline Calmy-Rey Jan. 1, 2011 - appointed

―Wife‖ indicates leaders whose husband was also president at one time. ―Daughter‖ indicates leaders whose father was also president at one time.

* though not a wife of a president, Ms. Aquino‘s political career was largely the result of her marriage to a very prominent senator, who was later assasinated. Her son, interestingly, would also later serve as president.

Less than a year in power (acting, interim leaders, etc)

The following female leaders all assumed office on some sort of interim basis and cannot be properly regarded as a ―full‖ president. They often held the presidency while simultaniously holding some other office of government, usually speaker of the house. Country Leader Term Mongolia President Sukhbaataryn Yanjmaa Sep. 23, 1953 – Jul. 7, 1954 Bolivia President Lydia Gueiler Tejada Nov. 17, 1980 – Jul. 18, 1980 Guinea-Bissau President Carmen Pereira May 14, 1984 – May 16, 1984 Haiti President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot Mar. 13, 1990 – Jan. 7, 1991 East Germany President Sabine Bergmann-Pohl Apr. 5, 1990 – Oct. 2, 1990 Liberia President Ruth Perry Sep. 3, 1996 – Aug. 2, 1997 Ecuador President Rosalía Arteaga Serrano Feb. 9, 1997 – Feb. 11, 1997 Georgia (1st time) President Nino Burjanadz Nov. 23, 2003 – Jan. 25, 2004 Georgia (2nd time) President Nino Burjanadz Nov. 25, 2007 – Jan. 20, 2008 Israel President Dalia Itzik Jan. 25, 2007 – Jul. 15, 2007 Gabon President Rose Francine Rogombé Jun. 10, 2009 – Oct. 16, 2009

All countries with female prime ministers, past and present

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 46

Country Leader Term Notes Sri Lanka (1st time) Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike Jul. 21, 1960 – Mar. 27, 1965 elected, wife India (1st time) Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Jan. 19, 1966 – Mar. 24, 1977 elected, daughter Israel Prime Minister Golda Meir Mar. 17, 1969 – Jun. 3, 1974 appointed 1969, elected 1971 Sri Lanka (2nd time) Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike May 29, 1970 – Jul. 23, 1977 ― Central African Republic Prime Minister Elisabeth Domitien Jan. 2, 1975 – Apr. 7, 1976 appointed* United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher May 4, 1979 – Nov. 28, 1990 elected India (2nd time) Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Jan. 14, 1980 – Oct. 31, 1984 ― Dominica Prime Minister Dame Eugenia Charles Jul. 21, 1980 – Jun. 14, 1995 elected Norway (1st time) Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland Feb. 4, 1981 – Oct. 14, 1981 elected Yugoslavia Prime Minister Milka Planinc May 16, 1982 – May 15, 1986 appointed* Norway (2nd time) Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland May 9, 1986 – Oct. 16, 1989 ― Pakistan (1st time) Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Dec. 2, 1988 – Aug. 6, 1990 elected, daughter Norway (3rd time) Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland Nov. 3, 1990 – Oct. 25, 1996 ― Bangledesh (1st time) Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Mar. 20, 1991 – Mar. 30, 1996 elected, daughter Poland Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka Jul. 8, 1992 – Oct. 26, 1993 appointed Turkey Prime Minister Tansu Çiller Jun. 25, 1992 – Mar. 6, 1996 appointed Pakistan (2nd time) Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Oct. 19, 1993 – Nov. 5, 1996 ― Sri Lanka (3rd time) Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike Nov. 14, 1994 – Aug. 10, 2000 ― New Zealand (1st time) Prime Minister Jenny Shippley Dec. 8, 1997 – Dec. 10, 1999 appointed New Zealand (2nd time) Prime Minister Helen Clark Dec. 10, 1999 – Nov. 19, 2008 elected Senegal Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye Mar. 2, 2001 – Nov. 4, 2002 appointed

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 47

Bangledesh (2nd time) Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Oct. 10, 2001 – Oct. 29. 2006 ― São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister Maria das Neves Oct. 7, 2002 – Sep. 18, 2004 appointed Mozambique Prime Minister Luisa Diogo Feb. 17, 2004 – Jan. 16, 2010 appointed 2004, elected 2009 Ukraine (1st time) Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko Jan. 24, 2005 – Sep. 8, 2005 elected Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel Nov. 22, 2005 - elected Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller Mar. 30, 2006 – Sep. 11, 2007 appointed South Korea Prime Minister Han Myung Sook Ap. 19, 2006 – Mar. 7, 2007 appointed Ukraine (2nd time) Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko Dec. 18, 2007 – Mar. 11, 2010 ― Haiti (2nd time) Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis Sep. 5, 2008 – Nov. 11, 2009 appointed Bangledesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed Jan. 6, 2009 - elected Iceland Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardóttir Feb. 1, 2009 - appointed 2009, elected 2009 Croatia Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor Jul. 6, 2009 - appointed Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar May 26, 2010 - elected Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard Jun. 24, 2010 - appointed Finland Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi Jun. 22, 2010 - appointed Slovakia Prime Minister Iveta Radicová Jul. 8, 2010 - elected

* Ms. Milka Planinc served as head of government in Yugoslavia‘s Communist regime. Élisabeth Domitién served under the dictatorship of the insane ―Emperor‖ Bokassa. They are the only two female prime ministers who ruled in non-democratic countries.

Less than a year in power (acting, interim leaders, etc) Country Leader Term Portugal Prime Minister Maria de Lurdes Pintassilgo Aug. 1, 1979 – Jan. 3, 1980 Lithuania (1st time) Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskien Mar. 17, 1990 – Jan. 10, 1991 France Prime Minister Edith Cresson May 15, 1991 – Apr. 2, 1992 Burundi Prime Minister Sylvie Kinigi Jul. 10, 1993 – Feb. 7, 1994

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 48

Canada Prime Minister Kim Campbell Jun. 25, 1993 – Nov. 4, 1993 Rwanda Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana Jul. 18, 1993 – Apr. 7, 1994 Bulgaria Prime Minister Reneta Indzhova Oct. 17, 1994 – Jan. 25, 1995 Sri Lanka Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga Aug. 19, 1994 – Nov. 12, 1994 Haiti Prime Minister Claudette Werleigh Nov. 7, 1995 – Mar. 6, 1996 Guyana Prime Minister Janet Jagan Mar. 17, 1997 – Dec. 22, 1997 Lithuania (2nd time) Prime Minister Irena Degutiene May 4, 1999 – May 18, 1999 Lithuania (3rd time) Prime Minister Irena Degutiene Oct. 27, 1999 – Nov. 3, 1999 Mongolia Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Tuyaa Jul. 22, 1999 – Jul. 30, 1999 South Korea Prime Minister Chang Sang Jul. 11, 2002 – Jul. 31, 2002 Finland Prime Minister Anneli Jaatteenmaki Apr. 17, 2003 – Jun. 24, 2003 Peru Prime Minister Beatriz Merino June 28, 2003 – Dec. 15, 2003 Macedonia (1st time) Prime Minister Radmila Sekerinska May 12, 2004 – Jun. 2, 2004 Macedonia (2nd time) Prime Minister Radmila Sekerinska Nov. 18, 2004 – Dec. 17, 2004 São Tomé and Príncipe Prime Minister Maria do Carmo Silveira Jun. 8, 2005 – Apr. 21, 2006

All countries with female governor-generals Canada (1st time) Governor-General Jeanne Sauvé May 14, 1984 – Jan. 29, 1990 Barbados Governor-General Dame Nita Barrow Jun. 6, 1990 – Dec. 19, 1995 New Zealand (1st time) Governor-General Dame Catherine Tizard Nov. 20, 1990 – Mar. 21, 1996 Saint Lucia Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy Sep. 17, 1997 - Canada (2nd time) Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson Oct. 7, 1999 – Sep. 27, 2005 New Zealand (2nd time) Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright Apr. 4, 2001 – Aug. 23, 2006 Bahamas Governor-General Dame Ivy Dumont Nov. 13, 2001 – Nov. 25, 2005 Canada (3rd time) Governor-General Michaelle Jean Sep. 27, 2005 – Oct. 1, 2010 Antigua and Barbuda Governor-General Dame Louise Lake-Tack Jul. 17, 2007 - Australia Governor-General Quentin Bryce Sep. 5, 2008 -

Countries that have had more than one female leader (includes acting, interim leaders etc) Switzerland (4) Four presidents* Sri Lanka (3) One president, two prime ministers Haiti (3) One president, two prime ministers

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 49

Finland (3) One president, two prime ministers Argentina (2) Two presidents Bangledesh (2) Two prime ministers Guyana (2) One president, one prime minister* Iceland (2) One president, one prime minister India (2) One president, one prime minister Ireland (2) Two presidents Israel (2) One president, one prime minister Lithuania (2) One president, two prime ministers Liberia (2) Two presidents Philippines (2) Two presidents New Zealand (2) Two prime ministers São Tomé and Príncipe (2) Two prime ministers South Korea (2) Two prime ministers

Switzerland has seen four female presidential terms, though two of those were held by the same woman. Guyana‘s double-status is debatable, since their female prime minister and female president were the same person.

Historic figures Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa of Mongolia (1953-1954) World‘s first female (acting) president Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka (1960-1965) World‘s first female prime minister Isabel Peron of Argentina (1974-1976) World‘s first female (non-acting) president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland (1980-1996) World‘s first female elected president, and first female world leader who did not have a father or husband who was also leader at one time. Mary McAleese of Ireland (1997- ) First time that a female president directly succeed another female president. Sri Lanka (1994-2000) First time that a nation possessed a female prime minister and a female president simultaneously. Sri Lanka in 1994 also marked the first time a female prime minister directly succeeded another female prime minister. Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir of Iceland (2009- ) World‘s first lesbian world leader, first female world leader to wed a same-sex partner while in office.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 50

Inventions & Discoveries

Pioneers in Science Inventions and discoveries in Physics and Chemistry

Anderson—Discovered positive electrons. Archimedes—Discovery of the Principles of lever and of specific gravity; invention of the famous Archimedean screw. Avogadro—An Italian scientist known for Avogadro‘s Hypothesis. Bacquerel—Radio-activity of uranium. Baird—Television. Baron Napier—Logarithms. Benjamin Franklin—Invented lightning conductor. Bessemer—Steel smelting process. Bhabha, Dr H.J.—Research in Cosmic rays and Quantum theory. Binet—Intelligence Test. Birbal Sahni—Researches in Botany. Bose, J.C.—Invented Crescograph and published many works on plant physiology. He discovered that plants have sense and perception. Bose, S.N.—Discovery of a group of nuclear particles named after him ―Boson‖. Boyle—Boyle‘s law; Pressure x volume = constant at a constant given temperature. Boyle was the greatest scientist of England in his time. Bohr—Electron Theory—Atomic structure. Braun, Dr Wernher von—space flying. Bunsen—Invention of the spectroscope. Carothers—Nylon plastics. Cavendish—Discovery of chemical composition of water; discovery of hydrogen (Inflammable Air); ‗rare gases‘. Chadwick—Discovery of the neutron. Chandrasekhar—Mathematical Astrophysics. Charles Darwin—Theory of Evolution; Origin of Species. Clarke, Arthur C.—Concept of Geostationary Orbit. Curie, Madame—Discovery of radium. Dalton—Atomic theory; laws of chemical combination; law of partial pressures; the law of multiple proportions. Democritus—Greek philosopher—(Atomic theory). Dewar—Invented cordite, liquid oxygen and introduced thermos flask. Einstein—Theory of relativity. Euclid—Science of geometry. Fahrenheit—Fahrenheit mercury thermometric scale in which freezing point is –32° and boiling point is 212°. Faraday—Electromagnetic induction and laws of electrolysis. Fermi—Discovered artificial splitting of atoms. Freud—Doctrine of Psycho-analysis. Gay Lussac—Law of gases. Gauss—System of absolute electric measurements. Good Year—Discovered the art of vulcanising rubber. Herschel, William—Discovered the Planet—Uranus. Hertz—Electrical waves. Hippalus—Founder of scientific astronomy. Hoffmann—Discovered the first aniline dye. Kelvin, Lord—Dynamical theory of heat. Khorana, Dr Hargobind—Deciphering the genetic code. Kodak—Film and photographic goods.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 51

Lablanc—Manufacture of washing soda. Lawrence—Invention of cyclotron. Lockyer—Helium gas. Louis Braille—Perfected his system of reading and writing for the blind. Marconi—Wireless telegraphy; radio. Maria-Montessori—‗Montessori‘ method of teaching children. Maxwell—Electro-magnetic Theory of Light. Meghnad Saha—Effect of pressure on Radiation through bodies. Mendel—Laws of heredity. Mandeleev—Periodic Table. Morse—Morse system of electric telegraphy. Newton—Laws of gravitation; Law of Motion. Nobel—Dynamite. Oliver Lodge—Physicist. Researches in wireless communications. Oppenheimer—Researches in atomic theory. Otto Hahn—Discovery of uranium fission. Parkes—Celluloid. Parsons—Steam turbine. Pavlov—Theory of Conditioned Reflex. Perkin—‗Mauve dye‘. Pitman—Founded the Pitman system of phonographic shorthand. Planck—Quantum theory. Plimsoll—Introduced a line of demarcation on the ships beyond which the ships cannot be loaded. Priestley—Discovery of Oxygen. Raman, C.V.—―Raman Effect‖ on polarisation of light and theories on crystals and diamond formation. Ramanathan—Molecular scattering of light in fluids. Ramanujam—A great Indian mathematician. Ramsay—Discovery of Inert gases such as Argon, Neon, Helium etc. Ray, P.C.—Researches in chemistry. Regnault—Experiments in regard to the physical properties of bodies and their relation to heat. Roger Bacon—Gun powder. Rontgen—Discovery of X-rays. Rohmkorff—Induction coil. Rutherford—Atomic Research; succeeded in splitting the atom for the first time in 1918. Shalimar—Paints. Stephenson—British engineer and pioneer in Railways. He was the first to put a locomotive on the line that was able to draw a train of 31 carriages. Thomson, J.J.—Discovered electron. Travers—Discovery of Neon gas (Working with Ramsay). Urey—Discovery of Heavy Hydrogen. Volta—Current electricity and electric battery.

Pioneers in Mechanical Inventions and Discoveries

Austin—Motor Car. Bell, Graham—Telephone. Berliner—Microphone. Brequet—Helicopter. Bushwell—Submarine. Caxton—Printing Press. Colt—Revolver.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 52

Daimler—Gas engine. Davy—Miner‘s Safety Lamp. Diesel—Internal Combustion engine (Diesel engine). Dunlop—Pneumatic tyre. Edison—First electric bulb and gramophone. Faraday—Dynamo. Fick—Law of Diffusion—Fick‘s Law. Frank Whittle—Jet propulsion. Fulton—Stream boat. Galileo—Telescope. Gillette—Safety razor. Guttenburg—Art of Printing. Hoe—Rotary Printing Press. Howe—Sewing Machine. Huygens—Pendulum clock. James Watt—Steam engine (patented in 1769). Landstrom, J.E.—Safety Matches. Macmillan—Bicycle (1842). Mauser—Magazine of rifle. Mercator—Celestial and a terrestrial globe. Montgolfier—Balloon (1883) Pascal—Calculating Machine. Puckle, James—Machine gun Shockley—Transistor. Sholes—Typewriter. Stephenson—Railway engine. Swinton—Military tank. Torricelli—Barometer. Watt, Robert Watson—Radar. W. & O. Wright (Wright Brothers)—Aeroplane (1903). Waterman—Fountain pen. Zeiss—Lenses; Camera.

Pioneers in Medical Inventions and Discoveries

Banting—Insulin (as a palliative for diabetes). Barnard, Christian—Replacing the human heart. Brahmchari, U.M.—Cure of Kala-a-zar fever. Davy—Isolation of metals by electricity; studied properties of chlorine. Domagk—Sulpha drugs as bactericides. Eijkman—Cause of Beri-Beri. Finsen—Discovered curative effect of ultra violet rays; photography. Fleming, Alexander—Penicillin (in 1929). Harvey—Circulation of blood. Hahnemann—Homoeopathy (founder). Hopkins, Frederick Gowland—Vitamin D. Jenner—Smallpox Vaccination. Koch—Tubercle Bacillus. Lainnec—Stethoscope. Lister, Lord—Antiseptic treatment.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 53

Pasteur, Louis—Treatment of rabies; cure of hydrophobia. Ronald Ross—Malaria Parasite. Salk, Jonas E.—Anti-polio Vaccine. Simpson and Harrison—Chloroform. Waksman—Streptomycin.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 54

Discovery / Invention In Medical Science

SNo

Discovery / Invention

Year

Discoverer / Inventor

Country

1

Adrenaline

1894

Schafer and Oliver

Britain

2

Anesthesia, Local

1885

Koller

Austria

3

Anesthesia, Spinal

1898

Bier

Germany

4

Anti-toxins (Science of Immunity)

1890

Behring and Kitasato

Germany, Japan

5

Aspirin

1889

Dreser

Germany

6

Ayurveda

2000-1000 BC

India

7

Bacteria

1683

Leeuwenhock

Netherlands

8

Bacteriology

1872

Ferdinand Cohn

Germany

9

Biochemistry

1648

Jan Baptista Van Helmont

Belgium

10

Blood Plasma storage (Blood bank)

1940

Drew

U.S.A

11

Blood Transfusion

1625

Jean-Baptiste Denys

France

12

Cardiac Pacemaker

1932

A.S Hyman

U.S.A

13

CAT Scanner

1968

Godfrey Hounsfield

Britain

14

Chemotherapy

1493-1541

Paracelsus

Switzerland

15

Chloroform as anaesthetic

1847

James Simpson

Britain

16

Chloromycetin

1947

Burkholder

U.S.A

17

Cholera T.B germs

1877

Robert Koch

Germany

18

Circulation of blood

1628

William Harvey

Britain

19

Cryo-Surgery

1953

Henry Swan

U.S.A

20

Diphtheria germs

1883-84

Klebs and Loffler

Germany

21

Electro-Cardiograph

1903

Willem Einthoven

Netherlands

22

Electro-encephalogram

1929

Hand Berger

Germany

23

Embryology

1792-1896

Kari Ernest Van Baer

Estonia

24

Endocrinology

1902

Bayliss and Starling

Britain

25

First Test Tube Baby

1978

Steptoe and Edwards

Britain

26

Gene Therapy on humans

1980

Martin Clive

U.S.A

27

Genes associated with cancer

1982

Robert Weinberg and others

U.S.A

28

Heart Transplant Surgery

1967

Christian Barnard

S. Africa

29

Histology

1771-1802

Marie Bichat

France

30

Hypodermic syringe

1853

Alexander wood

Britain

31

Kidney Machine

1944

Kolf

Netherlands

32

Leprosy Bacillus

1873

Hansen

Norway

33

LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

1943

Hoffman

Switzerland

34

Malaria Germs

1880

Laveran

France

35

Morphine

1805

Friderich Sertumer

Germany

36

Neurology

1758-1828

Franz Joseph Gall

Germany

37

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

1971

Raymond Damadian

U.S.A

38

Open Heart Surgery

1953

Walton Lillehel

U.S.A

39

Oral Contraceptive Pills

1955

Gregory Pincus, Rock

U.S.A

40

Penicillin

1928

Alexander Fleming

Britain

41

Physiology

1757-66

Albrecht Von Haller

Switzerland

42

Positron emission Tomography

1978

Louis Sokoloff

U.S.A

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 55

43

Rabies Vaccine

1860

Louis Pasteur

France

44

Recombinant-DNA technology

1972-73

Paul Berg, H.W. Boyer,S Cohen

U.S.A

45

Reserpine

1949

Jal Vakil

India

46

Rh-factor

1940

Karl Landsteiner

U.S.A

47

Serology

1884-1915

Paul Ehrlich

Germany

48

Sex hormones

1910

Eugen Steinach

Australia

49

Small Pox eradicated

1980

W.H.O Declaration

UN

50

Stethoscope

1819

Rene Laennec

France

51

Streptomycin

1944

Selman Waksmann

U.S.A

52

Synthetic Antigens

1917

Landsteiner

U.S.A

53

Terramycin

1950

Finlay and Others

U.S.A

54

Thyroxin

1919

Edward Calvin-Kendall

U.S.A

55

Typhus Vaccine

1909

J. Nicolle

France

56

Vaccination

1796

Edward Jenner

Britain

57

Vaccine, Measles

1963

Enders

U.S.A

58

Vaccine, Meningitis

1987

Gardon, et al. Connaught Lab

U.S.A

59

Vaccine, Polio

1954

Jonas Salk

U.S.A

60

Vaccine, Polio-orai

1960

Albert Sabin

U.S.A

61

Vaccine, Rabies

1885

Louis Pasteur

France

62

Vaccine, Smallpox

1776

Jenner

Britain

63

Virology

1892

Ivanovski and Bajernick

USSR, Netherlands

64

Vitamin A

1913

Mc Collum and M. Davis

U.S.A

65

Vitamin B1

1936

Minot and Murphy

U.S.A

66

Vitamin C

1919

Froelich Holst

Norway

67

Vitamin D

1925

Mc Collum

U.S.A

68

Vitamin K

1938

Doisy Dam

U.S.A

69

Western Scientific Therapy

460-370 BC

Hippocrates

Greece

70

Yoga

200-100 BC

Patanjali

India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 56

Prominent Scientists

Abdul Kalam, Dr A.P.J.: is credited with advancement of missile technology in India. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna award on November 26, 1997. He is known as ―father of India‘s Missile Technology‖. Elected 11th President of India. Alvares, Luis W.: is an American physicist teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968 for an important breakthrough he made in elementary physics in 1960 when he discovered a new resonance particle—a discovery that shattered the then prevailing notions as to how matter was built. Anfinsen, Dr Christian B.: of the U.S.A.‘s National Institute of Health, Bethseda, Maryland was one of the three co-winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1972. Archimedes: Greek mathematician (born in Sicily) who lived about 250 B.C. is known for the discovery of the Archimedes‘ principle viz., The volume of any insoluble solid can be found by noting its loss of weight when immersed in water. He is also credited with the invention of Archimedean Screw, a cylindrical device for raising water. Arrow, Kenneth, J.: of Harvard University, U.S.A. is co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics, 1972 with Sir John Richard Hicks of Oxford University. The two men are known for their pioneering contributions to general economic equilibrium and welfare theories. Aryabhatta: (A.D. 476-520) after whom India‘s first scientific satellite has been named, was a great Indian astronomer and mathematician. Among his important contributions are the recognition of the importance of the mov ement of the earth round the sun, determination of the physical parameters of various celestial bodies, such as diameter of the earth and the moon. He laid the foundations of algebra and was responsible for pointing out importance of ―zero‖. Avogadro, Amedeo: (1776-1856) Italian physicist; founder of Avogadro‘s hypothesis: ―Equal volumes of all gases under similar conditions of temperature and pressure, contain equal number of molecules.‖ He also defined a molecule. Bardeen, Prof John: of the University of Illinois (U.S.A.) is co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, 1972 (with Prof Leon N. Cooper and Prof John Robert Schrieffer) for researches into the ―theory of super-conductivity‖ usually called the BCS theory. Barnard, Christian: South African surgeon who shot into world news in December 1967 when he completed the first heart transplant operation on Louis Washkansky. Beadle, Dr G.: American scientist awarded Nobel Prize for medicine in 1958 for his work concerning the actual basis of heredity—the way in which characteristics are transmitted from one generation to another. Becquerel, Henri: (1852-1908) French physicist known for his discovery in 1896 of Becquerel rays, the first indications of radio-activity; these rays were later named gamma rays. He shared Nobel Prize for Physics with the Curies in 1903. Berzelius, J.J: (1779-1848) Swedish Chemist, known for introduction of chemical shorthand symbols and atomic weights.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 57

Bessemer, Sir Henry: (1813-1898) English engineer. He invented the process for the manufacture of steel known after his name. Bhabha, Dr H.J.: (1909-66) Indian scientist. He published important papers on Cosmic Rays and Quantum Theory. He was professor at the Indian Science Institute, Bangalore; Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission; Director, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research; President, Indian Science Congress in 1951 and presided at the Atoms for Peace Conference held at Geneva in 1956. He had many significant researches in structure of atom and contributed largely to the setting up of atomic reactors at Trombay (Mumbai). Bhagvantam, Dr S.: is an eminent Indian scientist who has made a rich contribution to research in radio astronomy and cosmic rays. He has published more than 150 research papers and several books. He retired in October 1969 as the Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, and Director General of the Defence Research Development Organisation. He is an old-time associate of Sir C.V. Raman. Bhaskaracharya: Born in A.D. 1114, he was almost the last great Hindu mathematician and astronomer until modern times. He wrote Sidhanta-Siromani in 1150 which consisted of two mathematical and two astronomical parts. Bhaskara anticipated the modern theory on the convention of signs (minus by minus makes plus, minus by plus makes minus). He also anticipated Kepler‘s method for determining the surface and volume of sphere. Bhatnagar, Dr Shanti Swarup: (1895-1955) great Indian scientist. He was Director of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (C.S.I.R.). A chain of National Laboratories has been established in the country due to his able organisation and unbounded energy. Bohr, Neils: (born 1885) Danish Physicist. He was awarded Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922. He greatly extended the theory of atomic structure of devising an atomic model in 1913 and evolving theory of nuclear structure; assisted America in atom bomb research. Borlaug, Norman Ernest: American agricultural scientist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1970. He was one of those who laid the groundwork of the Green Revolution. Bose, Sir J.C.: (1858-1937) Eminent Indian physicist and Botanist; founder of Bose Research Institute, Calcutta. Inventor of crescograph which is used to magnify movements made by plants. Bose, S.N.: Eminent Indian scientist who won fame by expounding the Bose-Einstein theory, which is concerned in detection of a group of nuclear particles—named after him ‗Boson‘ in recognition of his contribution to the subject; contributed to Plank‘s law. Professor of physics, Calcutta University; nominated member to the Council of States. Awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1954. He died on February 4, 1974. Boyle, Robert: (1627-1691) Irish natural philosopher; one of the founders of modern chemistry and Boyle‘s law: ―Temperature remaining constant, volume of a given mass of gas varies inversely as its pressure.‖ Bragg, Sir William: (1862-1942) British physicist known for researches on the behaviour of crystals with regard to X-rays incident upon them. Author of the book: ―Atomic Structure of Minerals‖. Cavendish, Henry: (1731-1810) English physicist and chemist; he discovered properties of hydrogen in 1766 and identified it as an element. Chadwick, Sir James: (1891-1974) British physicist. He discovered the particle in an atomic nucleus which became known as the neutron, because it has no electric charge. Chandrasekhar, Dr Subramanian: He was a scientist of Indian origin settled in the U.S.A., who shared the

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 58

1983 Nobel Prize for physics with an American, William Fowler. He was one of the most outstanding astrophysicist of the world. His theory of stellar evolution—the birth and death of stars—is more than 30 years old. When he first propounded his finding that old stars just collapse and disappear in the light of denser stars of low light, the world‘s top-flight astronomers laughed at him and rejected his theory. A disappointed Dr Chandrasekhar left Trinity, Cambridge, to pursue his research in the University of Chicago. Over the next two decades the ―Chandrasekhar Limit‖ became an intrinsic part of text-books on advanced astrophysics. Global recognition and awards poured in, and the 1983 Nobel Prize tops a remarkable career spanning almost half a century. Charak: (c.A.D. 80-180) was a court physician to Kushan king Kanishka. His writings are invaluable in the study of Hindu medicine. Charles, Jacques Alexander Cesar: (1746-1823) a French scientist of great repute. He was the first to make a balloon ascension with hydrogen. He is known for his work on the effect of temperature on the volume of gases. Clarke, Arthur C.: He is known for his suggestion of the concept of Geostationary Orbit. Clark Maxwell, James: (1831-79) British physicist. His theoretical work prepared the way for wireless telegraphy and telephony. His principal works include: Perception of Colour, Colour Blindness, Theory of Heat, Electricity and Magnetism, Matter and Motion. Claude, Albert: is a biologist of Luxembourg who shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Medicine. His field of research relates to causes and treatment of cancer. Columbus, Christopher: (1446-1506) A well-known Italian navigator set out on his first voyage in 1492; he discovered West Indies Islands, Cuba and Bahamas; he also discovered South America in 1498. Cooper, Leon N.: Of the Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (U.S.A.) was one of the three co-winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics, 1972 for researches into the theory of super-conductivity. Copernicus: (1413-1543) A prominent astronomer of Poland who discovered the ―Solar System‖. Cornforth, John Warcup: co-winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is a deaf professor. He is an Australian living in England. His chief distinction is mapping out the formation of cholesterols which he calls ―a great discovery‖ and contains the key to, for instance, sex hormones. Curie, Madame Marie: (1867-1934) Polish physicist and chemist; famous for her discovery of radium was awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1911 and shared Nobel Prize in physics in 1903 with her husband and Becquerel. Dalton, John: (1766-1844) British scientist. He was founder of the Atomic Theory and law of Multiple Proportions. Darwin, Charles: (1809-82) was the British scientist who discovered the principle of natural selection. His famous work is ―The Origin of Species‖. Davy, Sir Humphrey: (1771-1829) British chemist. First to apply electric current for the isolation of metals. Studied anaesthetic action of nitrous oxide, properties of chlorine and alkali metals. Debreu, Gerard: Gerard Debreu of the University of California at Berkeley, who has been awarded the 1983

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 59

Nobel memorial prize in economics is known for his research on market equilibrium in which he ―incorporated new analytical methods into economic theory‖. Mr Debreu has expanded on a mathematical model designed by the two men in the early 1950s that confirmed the logic of Adam Smith‘s ―theory of general equilibrium‖ in which prices supply and demand tend to reach a balance within a free market economy. Delbrueck, Dr Max: is a German-born American doctor working at the California Institute of Technology. He was one of the three American co-winners of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1969 for discoveries in molecular genetics. De Vries: is known for Mutation theory. Dhanvantri: a great physician during the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya (375-413 A.D.). Dhawan, Prof Satish: He is former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Under his dynamic leadership India entered Space Age by launching ―Aryabhata‖, a scientific satellite, into space on April 19, 1975. Edelman, Dr Gerald Maurice: of U.S.A. is co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1972. He is known for researches into the chemical structure of blood-proteins or antibodies which shield the human body against infection. He shared the prize with Dr Rodney Robert Porter of Oxford. The two Nobel-laureates were able to break the giant molecules formed by antibodies into their component sections. Edison, Thomas Alva: (1847-1931) American inventor of Dutch-Scottish parentage. He started life as a newsboy and then a telegraph operator. His inventions include: phonograph, the incandescent lamp, a new type of storage battery, an early form of cinematography etc. Einstein, Prof Albert: (1879-1955) was German-Swiss world-famous scientist known for his theory of relativity. He was awarded Nobel Prize for his work on photoelectric effect. Faraday, Michael: (1791-1867) An eminent English scientist; showed great prominence in the field of electromagnetism; discovered the laws of electrolysis and wrote a number of useful books on the subject. Fleming, Alexander: (1881-1955) British bacteriologist. His notable discovery was lysozyme (1922), followed by penicillin (1929)—an antibiotic drug. Fleming, Sir John Ambrose: (1849-1945) British physicist and engineer who was pioneer in the development of the telephone, electric light and radio. Fraunhofer: German physicist. He gained prominence on the researches of ‗Light‘ while performing spectrum-analysis of Sunlight; he discovered the spectrum to be crossed with some indifferent black lines. And the lines are so named as Fraunhofer Lines. Freud, Sigmund: (1856-1939) originator of psycho-analysis, born of Jewish parents. Works: The Interpretation of Dreams; The Psychopathology of Every-day Life; The Ego and the Id; Civilization and Its Discontents. Gabor, Dr Dennis: Who won the 1971 Nobel Prize award for Physics is a 71-year old British electrical engineer working as a scientist in the U.S.A. He was cited for his ―invention in development of the holographic method‖—three dimensional photography. Dr Gabor was the 16th Briton to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He was born and educated in Hungary. He later worked as research engineer in Germany and came to

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 60

join the staff of the Imperial College in London in 1949. He invented holography in the late forties. But the science became fully developed with the coming of the laser in 1960. A holographic image is so lifelike that a viewer can see around things in a holograph by moving his head just as he looks around the real object. Galileo: (1564-1642) Italian scientist. He was professor of mathematics. His view that all falling bodies, great or small, descend with equal velocity, made him unpopular with the orthodox scientists. He improved telescope and with it was the first man to see the satellites of Jupiter. Gell-Mann, Prof Murray: was the recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize for Physics. He is a teacher in the California Institute of Technology. Born in New York in 1929, Prof Gell-Mann has been the leading theorist in elementary particle research for the last 15 years. He was the 28th American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in which the U.S.A. now leads. The Nobel Prize was given to him for ―his classification of elementary particles and their interactions‖. Goddard, Robert H.: was an American who mentioned the possibility of shooting a rocket to the moon in a paper entitled ―A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes‖ published by him in 1919. By 1926 he had put some of his ideas into practice. He is looked upon as one of the pioneers of space research. Graham, Thomas: (1805-1914) Scottish chemist called the ―father of colloidal chemistry‖. He did remarkable work on diffusion of substances in solution. Heisenberg: is known for his theory of Uncertainty Principle. Hahn, Otto: was a German pioneer of nuclear research. He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944. It was Hahn who had proved in 1938 that atomic fission can be achieved by bombarding uranium with neutrons. The discovery revolutionised atomic science. Hall, Charles Martin: (1863-1914) American chemist who discovered the modern method of extraction of aluminium by electrolysis of bauxite in 1886. Harvey, William: (1578-1675) English physician who discovered the circulation of blood. Herzberg, Dr Gehard: has been awarded the 1971 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for his researches in atomic and molecular structures, particularly free radicals. He is the first Canadian to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Holley, Robert: Co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1968, belongs to Cornell. His researches into the genetic code and its function in building protein led to the discovery of the complete structure of a transfer RNA molecule and the way it works. Hopkins, Sir Frederick Gowland: He was an eminent English biochemist famous for his important work on proteins and vitamins. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1929 for the discovery of Vitamin D. Hoyle, Fred: is a British scientist and science-fiction writer who won the £ 1,000 Kalinga Prize in 1968. Jenner, Edward: (1749-1823) Eminent English physician who discovered the vaccination system of alleviating small pox. Josephson, Dr Brian: is a British scientist who co-shared the 1973 Nobel Prize for physics for ―his theoretical predictions of the properties of a super-current through a tunnel barrier, in particular those phenomena which are generally known as Josephson effects‖.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 61

Joshi, Prof S.S.: He has done commendable work on physical and chemical reactions under electric discharge on active nitrogen; colloids; hydrogen peroxide; permanganates and a phenomenon called ―Joshi Effect‖. Joule, James Prescott: (1874-1937) a great English physicist who first demonstrated that mechanical energy can be converted into heat. Kepler, Johannes: (1571-1630) German astronomer. He discovered 3 laws of planetary motion that bear his name viz., (1) The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the sun at one of the foci; (2) the Radius vector of each planet describes equal areas in equal times; (3) The squares of the periods of the planets are proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the sun. Kepler had evolved a set of laws governing man in space with rare prescience. In a kind of allegory, he referred to the dangers of solar radiation, the need to overcome gravitational resistance, gravitational capture of spacecraft by the moon etc. What he wrote nearly 360 years ago was, however, little understood and his family was persecuted for it. His mother had to die in jail having been condemned as a witch. Khorana Hargobind: who shared with two others the 1968 Nobel Prize for Medicine is an Indian by birth and an American by domicile. He deciphered the genetic code and later created an artificial gene. Krishnan, Dr K.S.: (born 1898) collaborated with Sir C.V. Raman in the discovery of ―Raman Effect‖. President, Indian Science Congress, 1949; delegate to several international scientific conferences; Director, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi. Lavoisier, A.L.: (1743-1794) French chemist; established law of Indestructibility of Matter, Composition of Water and Air. Lister, Joseph: (1827-1912) British surgeon. He was the first to use antiseptic treatment for wounds; introduced antiseptic surgery. Lodge, Sir Oliver Joseph: (1851-1940) British physicist. He is chiefly known for his researches on radiation, and the relation between matter and ether. Lovell, Sir Bernard: He is professor of Radio-Astronomy in the University of Manchester and is also Director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory. He remains very much in the news for tracking space-ships. Lysenko: Author of Agro-biology, Lysenko gained fame as a Soviet geneticist. In 1948, he declared the Mendelian theory obsolete and erroneous. Marconi: (1873-1937) Italian scientist; pioneer in wireless telegraphy and radio. Max Planck: He was a German theoretical physicist who formulated the quantum theory which revolutionized physics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1918. Mendel, Johann Gregory: (1822-84) Austrian monk and naturalist whose discovery of certain principles of inheritance (heredity) is of deep significance in the study of biology. Mendeleef, D.I.: (1834-1901) a Russian chemist, founder of periodic law and famous for the development of petroleum and other industries in Russia. Meyer, Victor: (1848-1897) discovered a method to determine the molecular weights of volatile substances.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 62

Morley, Edward William: (1818-1923) American chemist and physicist best known for his work in determining the composition of water by weight. Moseley, Henry G.: (1887-1915) British physicist who did valuable work on atomic structure, and in 1913, devised the series of atomic numbers. Nagarjuna: the renowned chemist of Buddhist era whose works are mostly preserved in China and Tibet. A great Philosopher and Chemist. He makes a mention of crucibles, distillation stills, sublimation, colouring process, alloying of metals, extraction of copper and use of many metallic oxides in medicines. About chemistry he said, ―As long as the science of chemistry prevails, let hunger, pain and poverty not torment men.‖ Nag-Chowdhury, B.D.: an eminent Indian nuclear physicist, known all over the world. Narlikar, J.V.: Indian scientist; co-author of Hoyle-Narlikar Theory of continuous creation. The theory of which he is co-author has been hailed as supplying some important missing links in Einstein‘s theory of Relativity. The new theory of gravitation propounded by both the scientists, Narlikar and Hoyle, shows that gravitation is always attractive and there is no gravitational repulsions. Newton, Sir Isaac: (1642-1727) was the British natural philosopher. He discovered binomial theorem; the differential and integral calculus. He expounded the universal law of gravitation. He is author of Principia Mathematica. Nirenberg, Dr Marshall: is a U.S. molecular biologist who shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Medicine with Dr Robert Holley and Dr Hargobind Khorana. Nirenberg is the author of a very simple but ingenious experiment which helped a great deal in clarifying the general character of the genetic code. Oberth, Hermann: is a Rumanian-German Professor who is credited with establishing the experimental basis of modern rocketry. In 1923, the publication of his book, ―The Rocket into Interplanetary Space‖ aroused great interest in space travel. Ohm, George Simon: (1787-1854) physicist and mathematician; discovered the law known as Ohm‘s Law. Onsager, Lars: is a U.S. Professor who became a Nobel laureate in 1968 by winning the prize for Chemistry ―for the discovery of the reciprocal relations bearing his name which are fundamental for the thermo-dynamics of irreversible processes‖. Paraceisus: (1493-1541) a Swiss mystic and chemist. He was the first to employ laudanum and antimony in Pharmacy. Parson, Sir Charles: (1854-1931) British engineer; inventor of Parson steam turbine. Pasteur, Louis: (1822-95) He was a French chemist who discovered the causes of fermentation in alcohol and milk and founded the Pasteur Institute in 1888. He made researches in silkworm disease, anthrax, and hydrophobia. Pauling, Linus: American bio-chemist. He applied the quantum theory to chemistry and was awarded Nobel Prize (1954) for his contribution to the electrochemical theory of valency. Porter, Dr Rodney Robert: is Professor of Biochemistry in Oxford University. Dr Porter is known for his

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 63

discoveries relating to the chemical structure of antibodies. Priestley, Joseph: (1733-1804) British Chemist; discovered oxygen and methods of collecting gases. Pythagoras: is known as the father of Geometry. Rainwater, James: of the U.S.A. who co-shared the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics is known for the development of the theory that atomic nucleus is not always spherical but can also be egg-shaped which has no immediate practical meaning but is extremely essential to scientists. Ramanna, Dr Raja: former Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay. He was one of the Indian scientists associated with staging India‘s first nuclear blast at Pokhran on May 18, 1974. Raman, Sir C.V.: (1888-1970) Eminent Indian Scientist (F.R.S.) National Professor of Physics and founder Director of Raman Research Institute, Bangalore. He was awarded Nobel Prize for his discovery of ‗Raman Effect‘ (Feb 28, 1928). His work on study of crystal structure is of unique importance. Feb 28 is celebrated every year as National Science Day. Ramanujan, Srinivas: (1887-1920) Indian mathematician who contributed to the theory of numbers, theory of partitions, and the theory of continued fractions. Ramsay, Sir William: (1852-1916) English chemist who discovered helium and later on neon, argon in collaboration with Rayleigh and others. He was awarded Nobel Prize in 1904. Rao, Prof U. Ramachandra: is the Director of Indian Scientific Satellite Project (ISSP) at Peenya near Bangalore. Ray, Sir P.C.: (1861-1944) founder of Indian Chemical Society and Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd., and author of ‗Hindu Chemistry‘. His work about nitrous acid and its salts deserves special mention. Richards, T.W.: He was Prof of Chemistry at Harvard University in U.S.A. He did notable work in the accurate determination of atomic weights and was awarded Nobel Prize in 1916. Roger Bacon: (1214-1294) He was inventor of Gun Powder and founder of experimental science; man of remarkable gifts and inventive power. Rontgen, W. Konrad: (1845-1923) German physicist. He discovered X-rays, also called Rontgen rays. He was awarded the first Nobel Prize in 1901 for discovery of X-Rays. Ross, Ronald: (1857-1932) leading British physician who discovered the cause of Malaria; awarded Nobel Prize for medicine in 1902. Rutherford, Daniel: (1749-1819) a Scottish scientist who is given the credit for the discovery of nitrogen. Rutherford, Lord: (1871-1937) won a Nobel Prize for his work on structure of atom and radio-activity. Ryle, Sir Martin: of the U.K. who shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics is known for the development of ―aperture synthesis‖ technique designed to identify stellar objects through radio signals. Saha, Dr Meghnad: (1893-1956) late Palit Prof of Physics, University College of Science and Technology,

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 64

Calcutta University—well known for his researches in nuclear physics, cosmic rays, spectrum analysis and other branches of theoretical physics. Sanger, Dr Frederik: British scientist awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1958 for his work in determining the composition of the insulin molecule. By his discovery he has put science a step forward towards knowing how disease attacks the human body. In 1980, he became only the fourth person ever to be awarded a second Nobel Prize. Sarabhai, Dr Vikram A.: former Chairman of India‘s Atomic Energy Commission and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) died on December 30, 1971. Dr Sarabhai was an eminent physicist mainly interested in the astrophysical implications of Cosmic Ray Time Variations. Sen, P.K. (Dr): is the Indian surgeon who performed Asia‘s first heart transplant operation in Mumbai. Simpson, Sir James Young: (1811-70) British physicist who was largely instrumental in the introduction of chloroform as an anaesthetic in 1847. Soddy, Frederick: (1877-1956) British physical chemist. He was a pioneer of research into atomic disintegration. He coined the term ―isotopes‖; did classic work on radioactivity. Solvay, Earnest: (1838-1922) Belgian chemist known for devising a process known after his name for manufacture of sodium carbonate. Susruta: was a fourth century Hindu surgeon and physician. He wrote an important book on medicine and also a thesis on the medical properties of garlic. Sutherland, Dr Earl W.: was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1971. He is credited with the discovery that the hormones in the human body produce another substance known as cyclic A.M.P., which activates them and controls the body‘s cells. He has demonstrated that changes in the level of cyclic A.M.P. in the body can influence its disease-resisting capacity. This discovery opens up new vistas for the development of drugs that can treat diseases which have so far been regarded as incurable. Teller, Edward (Dr): is a U.S. nuclear scientist who has played a major role in developing the hydrogen bomb. He is in fact known as the ―father of the H-bomb‖. Thomson, Sir J.J.: (1856-1940) British physicist. He discovered the electron which inaugurated the electrical theory of the atom. He is regarded as the founder of modern physics. Tsiolkovsky: was a Russian teacher who in 1903 published a treatise presenting remarkably accurate calculations on rocket dynamics and space-travel. He is looked upon as the earliest among the pioneers who laid the foundations of space exploration. The Russians call him the ―Father of Rocketry‖. Varahmihira: (505-587) was a distinguished Indian astronomer, mathematician and philosopher. He was one of the nine gems of the court of king Vikramaditya. Verne, Jules: (1828-1905) French science-fiction writer was author of ―From the Earth to the Moon‖ published in 1865. The book carried a more or less accurate prediction of the launching and flight of Apollo-8. Volta, A.: (1745-1827) Italian physicist and pioneer of electrical science; invented voltaic pile, the electrophorus and electroscope. The volt is named after him.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 65

Voronoff, S.: Russian scientist best known for his method of preventing or delaying senility by grafting healthy animal glands, into the human body. Watson and Crick: known for DNA double helix. Watson-Watt, Sir Robert: British physicist. He developed radar. Watt, James: (1736-1819) was Scottish engineer. He invented steam engine. Yukawa, Dr H.: (born 1907) predicted a new particle meson which holds the protons and neutrons of the atomic nucleus. He is the first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize in Physics (1949).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 66

Books and Authors

Books

Authors

A Bend in the river

V.S. Naipaul

A Brush with Life

Satish Gujral

A Conceptual Encyclopaedia of Guru Granth Sahib

S.S. Kohli

A Foreign Policy for India

I.K. Gujral

A Fortune Teller Told Me

Tiziano Terzani

A Gender Lens on Social Psychology

Judith A Howard and Jocelyn A.Hollander

A General and His Army

Georgy Vladimov

A Himalayan Love Story

Namita Gokhale

A Last Leap South

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

A Nation Flawed-Lesson from Indian History

P.N. Chopra

A Peep into the Past

Vasant Navrekar

A Possible India

Partha Chatterjee

A Psychoanalysis of the Prophets

Abdulla Kamal

A Reveolutionary Life

Laxmi Sehgal

A Secular Agenda

Arun Shourie

A Simple Path

Lucinda Vardey

A Suitable Boy

Vikram Seth

A Tale of Two Gardens

Octavio Paz

A Tribute to People‘s Princess: Diana

Peter Donelli

A Tryst With Destiny

Stanley Wolfer

Abbot

Walter Scott

Absalom, Absalom

William Faulkner

Absalom and Achitophel

John Dryden

Acoession to Extinction

D.R. Mankekar

Across Borders, Fifty-years of India‘s Foreign Policy

J.N. Dixit

Adam Bede

George Eliot

Adhe Adhure

Mohan Rakesh

Adonis

P.B. Shelley

Adrain Mole-The Wilderness Years

Sue Townsend

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Adventures of Sally

P.G. Wodehouse

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

Adversary in the House

lrving Stone

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 67

Advice and Consent

Allen Drury

Aeneid

Virgil

Affairs

C.P.Snow

Affluent Society

J.K.Galbraith

Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx and Mujahid

R.H. Magnus & Eden Naby

Africa‘s Challenge to America

Chester Bowles

After All These Years

Susan Issacs

After the Dark Night

S.M. Ali

Against the Grain

Boris Yeltsin

Age of Reason

Jean Paul Sartre

Agni Pariksha

Acharya Tulsi

Agni Veena

Kazi Nazrul Islam

Agony and the Ecstasy

Irving Stone

Ain-i-Akbari

Abul Fazal

Airport

Arthur Hailey

Ajatshatru

Jai Shankar Prasad

Akbarnama

Abul Fazal

Alaska Unbound

James Michener

Alchemist

Ben Johnson

Alexander Quartet

Lawrence Durrel

Alexander the Great

John Gunther

Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll

Alien Nation

Peter Brimelow

All for Love

John Dryden

All is Well that Ends Well

William Shakespeare

All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque

All the King‘s Men

Robert Penn Warren

All the President‘s Men

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

All things Bright and Beautiful

James Herroit

All Under Heaven

Pearl S.Buck

Along the Road

Aldous Huxley

Altered States

Anita Brookner

Amar Kosh

Amar Singh

Ambassador‘s Journal

J.K. Galbraith

Ambassador‘s Report

Chester Bowles

Amelia

Henry Fielding

American Capitalism

J.K. Galbraith

An American Dilemma

Gunnar Myrdal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 68

An American Tragedy

Theodore Dreiser

An Apology for Idlers

Robert Louis Stevenson

An Autobiography

Jawaharlal Nehru

An Eye to China

David Selbourne

An idealist View of Life

Dr.S. Radhakrishnan

Anandmath

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Anatomy of a Flawed inheritance

J.N. Dixit

Ancient Evenings

Norman Mailer

Ancient Mariner

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

And Quiet Flows the Don

Mikhali Sholokhov

And Through the Looking Glass

Lewis Carroll

Androcles and the Lion

George Bernard Shaw

Angry Letters

Willem Doevenduin

Anguish of Deprived

Lakshmidhar Mishra

Animal Farm

George Orwell

Anna Karenina

Count Leo Tolstoy

Another Life

Derek Walcott

Answer to History

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Antic Hay

Aldous Huxley

Antony and Cleopatra

William Shakespeare

Ape and Essence

Aldous Huxley

Apple Cart

George Bernad Shaw

Arabian Nights

Sir Richard Burton

Area of Darkness

V.S. Naipaul

Arion and the Dolphin

Vikram Seth

Arms and the Man

George Bernard Shaw

Around the World in Eighty Days

Jules verne

Arrangement

Elia Kazan

Arrival and Departure

Arthur Koestler

Arrow in the Blue

Arthur Koestler

Arrow of Good

Joseph Conrad

Arrowsmith

Sinclair Lewis

Arthashastra

Kautilya

As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner

As You Like It

William Shakespeare

Ascent of the Everest

Sir John Hunt

Ashtadhyayi

Panini

Asia and Western Dominance

K.M. Panikkar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 69

Asian Drama

Gunnar Myrdal

Aspects of the Novel

E.M. Forster

Assassination of a Prime Minister

S.Anandram

Assignment Colombo

J.N. Dixit

Assignment India

Christopher Thomas

Athenian Constitution

Aristotle

Atoms of Hope

Mohan Sundara Rajan

August 1914

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

August Coup

Mikhali S. Gorbachev

Author‘s Farce

Henry Fielding

Autobiography of an Unknown Indian

Nirad C. Chaudhuri

Autumn Leaves

O.Pulla Reddi

Avanti Sundari

Dandin

Babbit

Sinclair Lewis

Baburnama

Babur

Baby and Child

Penelope Leach

Back to Methuselah

G.B. Shaw

Backward Place

Ruth Prawer Jhabwala

Bandicoot Run

Manohar Malgonkar

Bang-i-Dara

Mohammad lqbal

Bangla Desh-The Unifinished Revolution

Lawrence Lifschultz

Banyan Tree

Hugh Tinker

Beach Boy

Ardesher Vakil

Beast and Man

Murry Midgley

Beating the Street

Peter Lynch

Beginning of the Beginning

Acharya Rajneesh

Beloved

Toni Morrison

Ben Hur

Lewis Wallace

Bend in the Ganges

Manohar Malgonkar

Bermuda Triangle

Charles Berlitz

Berry Patches

Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Best and the Brightest

David Halberstan

Betrayal of Pearl Harbour

James Rusbridger and Eric Nave

Between Hope and History

Bill Clinton

Between Hope and History

Bill Clinton

Between the Lines

Kuldip Nayar

Bewildered India-Identity, Pluralism, Discord

Rasheedud-din Khan

Beyond Boundaries: A Memoire

Swaraj Paul

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 70

Beyond the Horizon

Eugene O‘Neill

Beyond Modernisation, Beyond Self

Sisir Kumar Ghose

Beyond Peace

Richard Nixon

Bhagwat Gita

Veda Vyas

Bharal Aur Europe

Nirmal Verma

Bharat Bharati

Maithili Sharan Gupta

Bharaitya Parampara Ke Mool Swar

Govind Chandra Pande

Big Fisherman

Lloyd C. Douglas

Big Money

P.G. Wodehouse

Bill the Conqueror

P.G. Wodehouse

Billy

Albert French

Biographia Literaria

Samuel Taylor coleridge

Birds and Beasts

Mark Twain

Birth and Death of The Sun

George Gamow

Birth and Evolution of the soul

Annie Besant

Birth of Europe

Robert, S. Lopez

Bisarjan

R.N. Tagore

Bitter Sweet

Noel Coward

Black Arrow

Robert Louis Stevenson

Black Diaspora

Ronald Segal

Black Holes and Baby Universes

Stephen Hawking

Black Sheep

Honore de Balzac

Black Tulip

Alexander Dumas

Bleak House

Charles Dickens

Blind Ambitions

John Dean

Blind Beauty

Boris Pasternak

Blind Men of Hindoostan-indo-Pak Nuclear War

Gen. Krishnaswamy Sundarji

Bliss was it in that Dawn

Minoo Masani

Bloodline

Sidney Sheldon

Blood Sport

James Stewart

Blue Bird

Maurice Macterlink

Bofors: The Ambassador‘s Evidence

B.M. Oza

Bone People

Keri Hulme

Book of the Sword

Sir Richard Burton

Borders & Boundaries: Women in India‘s Partition

Ritu Menon & Kamla Bhasin

Born Free

Joy Adamson

Bostaan

Sheikh Saadi

Bread, Beauty and Revolution

Khwaja Ahmed Abbas

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 71

Breaking the Silence

Anees Jung

Breakthrough

Gen.Moshe Dayan

Bride for the Sahib and Other Stories

Khushwant Singh

Bridge‘s Book of Beauty

Mulk Raj Anand

Bridges of Madison Country

R.J. Waller

Brif History of Time

Stephen Hawking

Brishbikkha

Bankim Chandra Chatterji

Britain‘s True History

Prem Bhatia

Broken Wings

Sarojini Naidu

Brothers Karamazhov

Fyodor Dostoevski

Bubble

Mulk Raj Anand

Buddha Charitam

Ashvaghosha

Bunch of Old Letters

Jawaharlal Nehru

Bureaucrazy

M.K. Kaw

Butterfield 8

John O‘Hara

By God‘s Decree

Kapil Dev

By Love Possessed

James Gould Cozzens

Byzantium

W.B. Yeats

Caesar and Cleopatra

G.B. Shaw

Call the Briefing

Martin Fitzwater

Cancer Ward

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Canterbury Tales

G.Chaucer

Canvass of Life

Sheila Gujral

Caravans

James A. Michener

Cardinal

Henry M. Robinson

Castle

Franz Kafka

Catch-22

Joseph Heller

Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

Centennial

James Michener

Chance

Joseph Conrad

Chandalika

Rabindranath Tagore

Chemmeen

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

Cherry Orchard

Anton Chekhov

Chidambara

Sumitranandan Pant

Chikaveera Rajendra

Masti Venkatesh lyengar

Child Who Never Grew

Pearl S. Buck

Childe Harold‘s Pilgrimage

George Byron

Childhood

Maxim Gorky

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 72

Children of Gabelawi

Naquib Mahfouz

Children of the Sun

Maxim Gorky

China Passage

J.K. Galbraith

China-Past and Present

Pearl S. Buck

China‘s Watergate

Leo Goodstadt

Chinese Betrayal

B.N. Mullick

Chitra

Rabindranath Tagore

Choma‘s Drum

K. Shivaram Karanath

Christabel

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Christmas Tales

Charles Dickens

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Chithirappaavai

P.V. Akilandam

City of Joy

Dominique Lapierre

City of Saints

Sir Richard Burton

Class

Erich Segal

Climate of Treason

Andrew Boyle

Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess

Clown

Heinrich Boll

Cocktail Party

T.S. Eliot

Colonel Sun

Kingsley Amis

Comedy of Errors

William Shakespeare

Common Sense

Thomas Paine

Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx

Confessions

J.J.Rousseau

Confessions of a Lover

Mulk Raj Anand

Comus

John Milton

Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit

S.T. Coleridge

Confessions of an English Opium Eater,

Thomas De Quincy

Confidential Clerk

T.S. Eliot

Confrontation with Pakistan

Gen. B.M. Kaul

Conquest of Happiness

Bertrand Russell

Conquest of Self

Mahatma Gandhi

Conservationist

Nadine Gordimer

Continent of Circle

Nirad C.Chaudhuri

Coolie

Mulk Raj Anand

Count of Monte Cristo

Alexander Dumas

Coup

John Updike

Court Dancer

Rabindranath Tagore

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 73

Coverly Papers

Joseph Addison

Cranford

Mrs. Gaskell

Creation

Gore Vidal

Crescent Moon

Rabindranath Tagore

Crescent Over Kashmir

Anil Maheshwari

Cricket on the Hearth

Charles Dickens

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crisis in India

Ronald Segal

Crisis into Chaos

E.M.S. Namboodiripad

Critical Mass

William E. Burrows

Critique of Pure Reason

Immanuel Kant

Crossing in River

Caryl Phillips

Crossing the Sacred Line-Women‘s Search for Political Power

Abhilasha & Sabina Kidwai

Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Pope John Paul II

Crown and the Loincloth

Chaman Nahal

Crown of Wild Olive

John Ruskin

Cry, My Beloved Country

Alan Patan

Cuckold

Kiran Nagar Kar

Culture and Anarchy

Matthew Arnold

Culture in the Vanity Bag

Nirad C. Chaudhuri

Curtain Raisers

K. Natwar Singh

Damsel in Distress

P.G. Wodehouse

Dancing with the Devil

Rod Barker

Dangerous Plaqce

Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Dangerous Summer

Emest Hemingway

Dangling Man

Saul Bellow

Daniel Deronda

Geroge Eliot

Dark Room

R.K. Narayan

Dark Debts

Karen Hall

Dark Home Coming

Eric Lustbader

Dark Side of Camelot

Seymour Hersh

Darkness at Noon

Arthur Koestler

Das Kapital

Karl Marx

Dashkumar Charitam

Dandi

Daughter of the East

Benazir Bhutto

David Copperfield

Charles Dickens

Day in Shadow

Nayantara Sehgal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 74

Day of the Jackal

Frederick Forsyth

Days of Grace

Arthur Ashe & Arnold Rampersad

Days of his Grace

Eyvind Johnson

Days of My Yers

H.P. Nanda

De Profundis

Oscar Wilde

Dean‘s December

Saul Bellow

Death and After

Annie Besant

Death Be Not Proud

John Gunther

Death in the Castle

Pearl S. Buck

Death in Venice

Thomas Mann

Death of a City

Amrita Pritam

Death of a Patriot

R.E. Harrington

Death on the Nile

Agatha Christie

Death of a President

William Manchester

Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller

Death-The Supreme Friend

Kakasaheb Kalelkar

Death Under sail

C.P. Snow

Debacle

Emile Zola

Decameron

Giovannie Boccaccio

Decline and Fall of Indira Gandhi

D.R. Mankekar and Kamala Mankekar

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon

Decline of the West

O‘ Spengler

Democracy Means Bread and Freedom

Piloo Mody

Democracy Redeemed

V.K. Narsimhan

Descent of Man

Charles Darwin

Deserted Village

Oliver Goldsmith

Desperate Remedies

Thomas Hardy

Detective

Arthur Hailey

Devadas

Sarat Chandra Chatterjee

Dharmashastra

Manu

Dialogue with Death

Arthur Koestler

Diana-Her Time Story in Her Own Words

Andrew Martin

Diana-Princess of Wales : A Tribute

Tim Graham

Diana-The Story So Far

Julia Donelli

Diana-The True Story

Andrew Morton

Diana Versus Charles

James Whitaker

Die Blendung

Elias Canetti

Dilemma of Our Time

Harold Joseph Laski

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 75

Diplomacy

Henry Kissinger

Diplomacy and Disillustion

George Urbans

Diplomacy in Peace and War

J.N. Kaul

Disappearing Acts

Terry McMillan

Discovery of India

Jawaharlal Nehru

Distant Drums

Manohar Malgonkar

Distant Neighbours

Kuldip Nayar

Divine Comedy

A.Dante

Divine Life

Swami Sivananda

Doctor Faustus

Christopher Marlowe

Doctor‘s Dilemma

G.B.Shaw

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevensan

Dr. Zhivago

Boris Pasternak

Doll‘s House

lbsen

Dolly-The Birth of a Clone

Jina Kolata

Don Juan

George Byron

Don Quixote

Cervantes

Don‘t Laugh-We are Police

Bishan Lal Vohra

Double Betrayal

Paula R. Newburg

Double Helix

J.D. Watson

Double Tongue

William Golding

Double Teeth

U.B. Sinclair

Drogon‘s Seed

Pearl S. Buck

Dream in Hawaii

Bhabani Bhattacharya

Dram of Fair to Middling Women

Samuel Beckett

Dreams, Roses and Fire

Eyvind Johnson

Drunkard

Emile Zola

Durgesh Nandini

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Dynamics of Social Change

Chandra Shekhar

Earth

Emile Zola

Earth in the Balance: Forging a New Common Purpose

Al Gore

Earth Mother

Pupul Jayakar

East of Eden

B.N. Mullick

East West

Salman Rushdie

East Wind

Pearl S. Buck

Economic Planning of India

Ashok Mehta

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 76

Economics of Peace and Laughter

John K. Galbraith

Economics of the Third World

S.K. Ray

Education of Public Man

Hubert Humphrey

Edwina and Nehru

Catherine Clement

Egmont

J.W. Von Goethe

Eight Lives

Rajmohan Gandhi

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Thomas Gray

Emile

J.J. Rousseau

Eminent Churchillians

Andrew Roberts

Emma

Jane Austen

Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India

Paul William Roberts

Ends and Means

Aldous Huxley

End of a Beautiful Era

Joseph Brodsky

End of an Era

C.S. Pandit

End of History and the Last Man

Francis Fukuyama

End of the Chapter

John Forsyte

Enemies

Maxim Gorky

English August

Upamanyu Chatterjee

Envoy to Nehru

Escott Reid

Erewhon

Samuel Butler

Escape

John Forsyte

Eassay on Life

Samuel Butler

Essays for Poor to the Rich

John Kenneth Galbraith

Essays in Criticism

Matthew Arnold

Essays On Gita

Aurobindo Ghosh

Essays of Elia

Charles Lamb

Estate

Issac Bashevis Singer

Eternal Himalayas

Major H.P.S.Ahluwalia

Eternal India

Indira Gandhi

Eternity

Anwar Shaikh

Ethics

Aristotle

Europa

Time Parks

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 77

Eugenie Grandet

Honore de Balzac

Everlasting Man

G.K. Chesterton

Executioner‘s Song

Norman Mailer

Exile and the Kingdom

Albert Camus

Expanding Universe

Arthur Stanley Eddington

Eye of the Storm

Patrick White

Eyeless in Gaza

Aldous Huxley

Faces to Everest

Maj. H.P.S. Ahluwalia

Facts are Facts

Khan Abdul Wali Khan

Fairie Queene

Edmund Spencer

Faith & Fire: A Way Within

Madhu Tandon

Fall of a Sparrow

Salim Ali

Family Moskat

Issac Bashevis Singer

Family Reunion

T.S.Eliot

Famished Road

Ben Okri

Far From the Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy

Far Pavilions

M.M.Kaye

Faraway Music

Svetlana Allilueva

Farewell to the Trumpets

James Morris

Farewell to a Ghost

Manoj Das

Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway

Farm House

George Orwell

Fasana-i-Azad

Ratan Nath Sarkar

Fathers and Sons

lvan Turgenev

Faust

J.W. Von Goethe

Faustus

Chirstopher Marlow

Fidelio

L.Beethoven

Fiesta

Ernest Hemingway

Fifth Column

Ernest Hemingway

Fifth Horseman

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Final Days

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

Final Passage

Caryl Phillips

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 78

Finding a Voice-Asian Women in Britain

Amrit Wilson

Fine Balance

Rohinton Mistry

Fire Next Time

James Baldwin

Fire Under the Snow: Testimony of a Tibetan Prisoner

Palden Gyatso

First Circle

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Flags in the Dust

William Faulkner

Flames from the Ashes

P.D. Tandon

Flounder

Gunder Grass

Follywood Flashback

Bunny Reuben

Food, Nutrition and Poverty in India

V.K.R.V. Rao

For the President‘s Eyes Only

Christopher Andrew

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Emest Hemingway

Forbidden Sea

Tara Ali Baig

Forsyte Saga

John Galsworthy

Fortynine Days

Amrita Pritam

Franklin‘s Tale

Geoffrey Chaucer

Fraternity

John Forsyte

Free Man‘s Worship

Bertrand Russell

Freedom at Midnight

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

French Revolution

Thomas Carlyle

Freedom Behind Bars

Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah

Freedom from Fear

Aung San Suu Kyi

French Leave

P.G. Wodehouse

Friend

Samuel Tayelor Coleridge

Friends and Foes

Sheikh Mujibur Rehman

Friends, Not Masters

Ayub Khan

From Hero to Eternity

James Jones

From india to America

S.Chandrashekhar

From Raj to Rajiv

Mark Tully and Zaheer Masani

From Rajpath to Lokpath

Vijaya Raja Scindia

Frozen Assets

P.G. Wodehouse

Full Moon

P.G.Wodehouse

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 79

Future of NPT

Savita Pande

Gambler

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Ganadevata

Tara Shankar Bandopadhyaya

Gandhi and Stalin

Louis Fisher

Gardener

Rabindra Nath Tagore

Garrick Year

Margaret Drabble

Gathering Storm

Winston Churchill

Geeta Govind

Jaya Dev

Ghasiram Kotwal

Vijay Tendulkar

Ghosts in the Machine

Arthur Koestler

Girl in Blue

P.G. Wodehouse

Girl On the Boat

P.G. Wodehouse

Gita Rahasya

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Gitanjali

Rabindra Nath Tagore

Gladiators

Arthur Koestler

Glimpses of Indian Ocean

Z.A. Quasim

Glimpses of World History

Jawaharlal Nehru

Go Down Moses

William Faulkner

Goa

Asif Currimbhoy

God and the Bible

Mattew Arnold

Godan

Munshi Prem Chand

Godfather

Mario Puzo

Godrej: A Hundred Years

B.K. Karanjia

Gold Bat

P.G. Wodehouse

Golden Borough

James Frazer

Golden Gate

Vikram Seth

Golden Threshold

Sarojini Naidu

Gone Away

Dom Moraes

Gone with the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

Good Earth

Pearl S.Buck

Goodbye, Mr Chips

James Hilton

Gora

Rabindra Nath Tagore

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 80

Grace Notes

Bernard Mac Lavarto

Grammar of Politics

Harold Joseph Laski

Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck

Grapes and the Wind

Pablo Neruda

Great Challenge

Louis Fischer

Great Depression of 1990

Ravi Batra

Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Great lllusion

Norman Angell

Great Tragedy

Z.A. Bhutto

Grey Eminence

Aldous Huxley

Grub Street

Henry Fielding

Guide

R.K. Narayan

Guide for the Perplexed

E.F. Schumacher

Gul-e-Naghma

Raghupati Sahai ‗Firaq‘ Gorakhpuri

Gulag Archipelago

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Gulistan Boston

Sheikh Saadi

Gulliver‘s Travels

Jonathan Swift

Gulzari Lal Nanda: A Peep in the Service of the People

Promilla Kalhan

Gurusagaram

O.V. Vijayan

Gypsy(poem)

Pushkin

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

Hard Times

Charles Dickens

Harsha Charita

Bana Bhatt

Hamsters

C.P. Snow

Handful of Dust

Evelyn Waugh

Happy Death

Albert Camus

Harlot High and Low

Honore de Balzac

Harvest

Majula Padmanabhan

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

Heavem Has No Favourites

Eric Maria Remarque

Heat and Dust

Ruth Prawer Jhabwala

Heavy Weather

P.G. Wodehouse

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 81

Henderson the Rain King

Saul Bellow

Heritage

Anthony West

Hero of Our Times

Richard Hough

Heroes and Hero worship

Thomas Carlyle

Henry Esmond

Thackeray

Heir Apparent

Dr. Karan Singh

Higher than Hope

Fatima Meer

Himalayan Blunder

Brig J.P. Dalvi

Hindu View of Life

Dr. S.Radhakrishnan

History of Hindu Chemistry

Sir.P.C. Ray

Hitopadesh

R.K.Narayan

Hindi Sahitya Aur Samvedna Ka Vikas

R.S. Chaturvedi

Hind Swaraj

M.K.Gandhi

Hindu Civilisation

J.M. Barrie

Hinduism

Nirad C.Choudhury

His Excellency

Emile Zola

History of the English Speaking Peoples

Sir Winston Churchil

Home Comings

C.P. Snow

Honest Thief and Other Stories

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Hornet‘s Nest

Patricia Cornwell

Hot Water

P.G. Wodehouse

Hound of the Baskervillese

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

House for Mr. Biswas

V.S. Naipaul

House of the Dead

Fyodor Dostoevsky

House of Spirits

Isabel Allende

House Divided

Pearl S. Buck

How Late It Was, How Late

James Kelman

Human Factor

Graham Greene

Human Knowledge

Bertrand Russell

Humboldt‘s Gift

Saul Bellow

Humour

Ben Johnson

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 82

Hungry Stones

Rabindra Nath Tagore

I am not an Island

K.A Abbas

I Dare

Parmesh Dangwal

I follow the Mahatma

K.M. Munshi

Idylls of the King

Tennyson

I Muse; Therefore I am

V.N.Narayanan

Idiot

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Idols

Sunil Gavaskar

If I am Assassinated

Z.A. Bhutto

Imperial Woman

Pearl S. Buck

Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde

In Afghanistan‘s Shadow

Salig S. Harrison

In Confidence

Anatolyu Dobrynin

In Evil Hour

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In Light of India

Octavio Paz

In Retrospect-The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam

Robert S. McNamara

In Search of Gandhi

Richard Attenborough

In Search of Identity

Anwar el-Sadat

In the Afternoon of Time

Dr.Rupert Snell

In the Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison

In the Light of the Black Sun

Rohit Manchanda

In the Shadow of Pines

Mandeep Rai

India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam & Dr. Y.S. Rajan

India-A Wounded Civilisation

V.S. Naipaul

India discovered

John Keay

India-Facing the Twenty-First Century

Barbara Crossette

India-From Curzon to Nehru and After

Durga Dass

India-From Midnight to the Millennium

Shashi Tharoor

India-Independence Festival (1947-1997)

Raghu Rai

India in Transition

PRof.Jagdish Bhagwati

India is for Sale

Chitra Subramaniam

India of Our Dreams

M.V. Kamath

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 83

India Remembered

Percival & Margaret Spear

India Today

Rajni Palme Dutt

India We Left

Hymphry Trevelyan

Indian Home Rule

M.K. Gandhi

Indian Philosophy

Dr.S.Radhakrishnan

India‘s China War

Neville Maxwell

India‘s Culture the State the Arts & Beyond

B.P. Singh

India‘s Economic Crisis

Dr. Bimal Jalan

India‘s Economic Reforms and Development Essay‘s for Manmohan Singh

I.J.Ahluwalia & I.M.D. Little

India‘s Rise to Power in the Twentieth Century & Beyond

Sandy Gordon

Indian Arms Bazaar

Maj-Gen, Pratap Narain

Indian Mansions

Sarah Tiloston

India Changes

Taya Zinkin

India Divided

Rajendra Prasad

India Wins Freedom

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Indian Muslims

Prof. Mohd.Mujeeb

India, the Critial Years

Kuldip Nayar

Indo-Pakistan Conflict

Russen Brines

Indica

Megasthenes

Indira Gandhi‘s Emergence and Style

Nayantara Sehgal

Indira‘s India

S.Nihal Singh

Inferno

Alighieri Dante

Inner Circle

Jonathan First

Innocence of Father Brown

G.K.Chesterton

Inside the CBI

Joginder Singh

Inside the Third Reich

Albert Spencer

Insider

P.V. Narasimha Rao

In Memoriam

Tennyson

Inside Asia

John Gunther

Inside Europe

John Gunther

Inside Africa

John Gun ther

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 84

Insulted and the injured

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Intelligence Services

Dr. Bhashyam Kasturi

Interpreters

Wole Soyinka

Intimacy

Jean Paul Sartre

Intruder in the Dust

William Faulkner

Invisible Man

H.G. Wells

Iron in the Soul

Jean Paul Sartre

Ironhand

J.W. Von Goethe

Is Paris Burning

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Isabella

John Keats

Islamic Bomb

Stev Weissman & Herbert Krousney

Island inthe Streams

Ernest Hemingway

It is Always Possible

Kiran Bedi

Ivanov

Anton Chekhov

Ivanhoe

Sir Walter Scott

Jack and Jackle-Portrait of an American Marriage

Chirstopher Anderson

Jai Somnath

K.M. Munshi

Jaguar Smile

Salman Rushdie

Jajar, Churashir Maa

Mahashweta Devi

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte

Jankijeevanam

Prof. Rajendra Mishra

Jawaharlal Nehru-A Communicator & Democratic Leader

A.K. Damodran

Jawaharlal Nehru, Rebel and Statesman

B.R. Nanda

Jazz

Toni Morrison

Jean Christopher

Romain Rolland

Jesus Rediscovered

Malcolm Muggeridge

Jewel

Danielle Steel

Jhoota Sach

Yashpal

Jobs for Millions

V.V. Giri

Joke

Milan Kundra

Judge‘s Miscellany

M. Hidayatullah

Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 85

Jurassic Park

Michael Crichton

Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling

Junglee Girl

Ginu Kamani

Kadambari

Bana Bhatt

Kamadhenu

Kubernath Ray

Kamasutra

Vatsyayan

Kagaz Te Kanwas

Amrita Pritam

Kamayani

Jai Shankar Pandit

Kaleidoscope of India

Tomoji Muto

Kali Aandhi

Kamleshwar

Kanthapura

Raja Rao

Kanyadaan

Vijay Tendulkar

Kapal Kundala

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Kashmir-A Tale of Shame

Hari Jaisingh

Kashmir-Behind the Vale

M.J.Akbar

Kashmir Diary: Psychology of Militancy

Gen.Arjun Ray

Kashmir-The Wounded Valley

Ajit Bhattacharjee

Kashmir in the Crossfire

Victoria Shaffield

Kashmir A Tragedy of Errors

Tavleen Singh

Katghare Main

Ram Sharan Joshi

Kayakalp

Munshi Prem Chand

Kayar

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

Keepers of the Keys

Milan Kundera

Kenilworth

Sir Walter Scott

Killer Angels

Michael Shaara

Kissinger Years

T.N. Kaul

Kidnapped

R.L. Stevenson

King of Dark Chamber

Rabindra Nath Tagore

Kiratarjuniya

Bharavi

Kim

Rudyard Kipling

King Lear

Shakespeare

Kipps

H.G.Wells

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 86

Kitni Navon Main Kitni Bar

S.H.Vatsyayan

Koraner Nari

Taslima Nasreen

Kore Kagaz

Amrita Pritam

Kubla Khan

S.T. Coleridge

Kulliyat

Ghalib

Kumar Sambhava

Kalidas

La Divine Comedia

A. Dante

La Peste

Albert Camus

Lady of the Lake

Sir Walter Scott

Lady with the Lapdog

Anton Chekhov

Lady Chatterly‘s Lover

D.H.Lawrence

Lajja

Taslima Nasreen

Lal Bahadur Shastri

C.P. Srivastava

Last Analysis

Saul Bellow

Last Burden

Upamanyu, Chatterjee

Last Maharaja

Jean Louis Nou & Jacques Pouchepadass

Last Orders

Graham Swift

Last Days of Pompeii

Edward George Lytton

Last Phase

Pyare Lal

Last Things

C.P. Snow

Law, Lawyers & Judges

H.R. Bhardwaj

Laws Versus Justice

V.R. Krishna lyer

Leaders

Richard Nixon

Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman

Lead Kindly Light

Cardinal Newman

Le Contract Social (The Social Contract)

J.J. Rousseau

Les Miserables

Victor Hugo

Legacy of a Divided Nation

Prof. Mushirul Hasan

Latter from Peking

Peral S. Buck

Letters From the Field

Margaret Mead

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes

Liberty or Death

Patrick French

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 87

Life and Death of Mr. Badman

John Bunyan

Light That Failed

Rudyard Kipling

Like Water for Chocolate

Laura Esquivel

Life Divine

Aurobindo Ghosh

Life is Elsewhere

Milan Kundera

Life of Samuel Johnson

James Boswell

Lines of Fate

Mark Kharitonov

Lipika

Rabindranath Tagore

Living Room

Graham Greene

Long Shadow inside Stalin‘s Family

Svetlana Allilyuyeva

Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela

Look Back in Anger

John Osborne

Lord Jim

Joseph Conrad

Lord of the Files

William Golding

Lost Child

Mulk Raj Anand

Lost Honour

John Dean

Lost lllusion

Honore de Balzac

Lotus Eaters

A.Tennyson

Love and Longing in Bombay

Vikram Chandra

Love in A Blue Time

Hanif Khureshi

Lolita

V.Nabokov

Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Allan Sillitoe

Long Day‘s Journey into Night

Eugene O‘Neill

Love, Truth and A Little Malice

Khushwant Singh

Lycidas

John Milton

Macbeth

William Shakespeare

Magic Mountain

Thomas Mann

Mahabharata

Vyasa

Malati Madhav

Bhavabhuti

Magic Fishbone

Charles Dickens

Magnificent Maharaja

K.Natwar Singh

Mahatma Gandhi

Girija Kumar Mathur

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 88

Major Barbara

George Bernard Shaw

Making of a Midsummer Night‘s Dream

David Selbourne

Malavikagnimitra

Kalidas

Main Street

Sinclair Lewis

Man, The Unknown

Lewis Carroll

Man and Superman

G.B. Shaw

Man for Moscow

G.Lynne

Man of Property

John Galsworthy

Man, Beast and Virtue

Luigi Pirandello

Man eaters of Kumaon

Jim Corbett

Marriage and Morals

Bertrand Russell

Managing of the Future

Peter, F. Drucker

Mama

Terry McMillan

Man for All Seasons

Robert Bolt

Man of Destiny

George Bernard Shaw

Mandarin

Simon de Beauvoir

Mankind and Mother Earth

Arnold Toynbee

Mansfield Park

Jane Austen

Manviya Sanskriti Ke Rachnatmak Aayam

Prof. Raghuvansh

Many Worlds

K.P.S. Menon

Masters

C.P. Snow

Mati Matal

Gopinath Mohanty

Maurice

E.M. Forster

Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy

Meghdoot

Kalidas

Mein Kampf

Adolf Hitler

Memoris of the Second World War

Churchill

Memoris of a Bystander: Life in Diplomacy

lqbal Akhund

Momories of Hope

Charles de Gaulle

Men Who Kepl the Secrets

Thomas Powers

Men Who Killed Gandhi

Manohar Malgonkar

Meri Rehen Meri Manzil

Krishna Puri

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 89

Middle March

George Eliot

Middle Ground

Margaret Drabble

Midnight‘s Children

Salman Rushdie

Midsummer Night‘s Dream

William Shakespeare

Mill on the Floss

George Eliot

Million Mutinies Now

V.S. Naipaul

Mirror of the Sea

Joseph Conrad

Miser

Moliere

Missed Oppertunites: Indo-Pak War 1965

Maj-Gen, Lakshman Singh

Mistaken identity

Nayantara Sehgal

Moby Dick

Herman Melville

Modern Painters

John Ruskin

Mother India

Katherine Mayo

Mod Classics

Joseph Conrad

Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy

Sugata Bose & Ayesha Jalal

Modernity Morality And The Mahatma

Madhuri Santhanam Sondhi

Mondays on Dark Night of Moon

Kirin Narayan

Mookhajjiva Kanasugalu

K. Shivram Karanth

Moon and Six Pence

W. Somerset Maugham

Moonlight Sonata

L.Beethoven

Moonwalk

Michael Jackson

Moor‘s Last Sigh

Salman Rushdie

Mother

Maxim Gorky

Mountbatten and Independent India

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Mountbatten and the Partition of India

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

Mrinalini

Bankim Chandra Charrerjee

Mritunjaya

Shivaji Sawant

Mrs. De Winter

Susah Hill

Mrs. Gandhi‘s Second Reign

Arun Shourie

Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare

Mudra rakshasa

Vishakhadatta

Murder in the Cathedral

T.S. Eliot

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 90

Mughal Maharajas And The Mahatma

K.R.N. Swami

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie

Murky Business

Honore de Balzac

Murder of Aziz Khan

Zulfikar Ghose

Muslim Law and the Constitution

A.M. Bhattacharjea

My Days

R.K. Narayan

My Early Life

M.K. Gandhi

My Experiment With Truth

M.K. Gandhi

My Life and Times

V.V.Giri

My Own Boswell

M.Hidayatullah

My Father, Deng Xiaoping

Xiao Rong

My India

S. Nihal Singh

My Music, My Love

Ravi Shankar

My Presidential Years

Ramaswamy Venkataraman

My Truth

Indira Gandhi

Mysterious Universe

James Jeans

My Several Worlds

Pearl S. Buck

My Son‘s Father

Dom Moraes

My South Block Years

J.N. Dixit

My Struggles

E.K. Nayanar

Myths of sisyphus

Albert Camus

My Prison Diary

J.P Narayan

Naari

Humayun Azad

Nana

Emile Zola

Naganandan

Harsha Vardhana

Naku Thanthi

D.R. Bendre

Nai Duniya Ko Salam & Pathor Ki Dewar

Ali Sardar Jafri

Naivedyam (The Offering)

N. Balamani Amma

Naked Came the Stranger

Penelope Ashe

Nacked Face

Sydney Sheldon

Naked Triangle

Balwant Gargi

Napoleon of Notting Hill

G.K. Chesterton

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 91

Nature and the Language Politics of India

Robert D.King

Nehru Family and Sikhs

Harbans Singh

Nelson Mandela: A Biography

Martin Meredith

Netaji-Dead or Alive

Samar Guha

Never At Home

Dom Moraes

New Dimensions of Peace

Chester Bowles

New Dimensions of India‘s Foreign Policy

Atal Behari Vajpayee

Nice Guys Finish Second

B.K. Nehru

Nicholas Nickelby

Charles Dickens

Night Manager

John le Carre

Nile Basin

Sir Richard Burton

Nine Days Wonder

John Mansfield

Nisheeth

Uma Shankar Joshi

Niti-Sataka

Bhartrihari

Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell

1999-Victory Without War

Richard Nixon

Nirbashita Narir Kabita

Taslima Nasreen

Non-Violence in Peace and War

M.K. Gandhi

North

Seamus Heanev

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen

Nothing Like The Sun

Anthony Burgess

No Full stops in India

Mark Tully

Nuclear India

G.G. Mirchandani and P.K.S. Namboodari

Nurturing Development

Ismail Serageldin

Nursery Alice

Lewis Carroll

O‘Jerusalem

Larry Collins and Dominique Lepierre

Occasion for Loving

Nadine Gordimer

Odessa File

Frederick Forsyth

Odakkuzal

G.Shankara Kurup

Odyssey

Homer

Of Human Bondage

W.Somerset Maugham

Oh, Le Beaux Jours

Samuel Beckett

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 92

Old Curiosity Shop

Charles Dickens

Old Goriot

Honore de Balzac

Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

Old Path: white Clouds

Thich Nht Hanh

Oliver‘s Story

Erich Segal

Oliver Twist

Erich Segal

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

Omeros

Derek Walcott

On History

Eric Hobswan

One Day in the Life of lvan Denisovich

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

One-eyed Uncle

Laxmikant Mahapatra

One World to Share

Sridath Ramphal

One the Threshold of Hope

Pope john Paul

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One Upmanship

Stephen Potter

One World and India

Arnold Toynbee

One World

Wendell Wilkie

Only One Year

Svetlana

Operation Bluestar-the True Story

Lt-Gen.K.S. Brar

Operation Shylock

Philip Roth

Origin of Species

Charles Darwin

Oru Desathinte Katha

S.K. Pottekatt

Other Side of Midnight

Sydney Sheldon

Othello

Shakespeare

Our Films, Their Films

Satyajit Ray

Our India

Minoo Masani

Out of Dust

F.D. Karaka

Paddy Clarke Ha, Ha, Ha

Reddy Doyle

Padmavati

Malik Mohammed Jayasi

Painted Veil

W. Somerset Maugham

Painter of Signs

R.K. Narayan

Pair of Blue Eyes

Thomas Hardy

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 93

Pakistan in the 20th Century Political History

Lawrence Ziring

Pakistan Crisis

David Loshak

Pakistan Papers

Mani Shankar Aiyer

Pakistan-The Gathering Storm

Benazir Bhutto

Panchagram

Tarashankar Bandopadhyaya

Panchtantra

Vishnu Sharma

Paradise Lost

John Milton

Pakistan Cut to Size

D.R. Mankekar

Paradiso

Alighieri Dante

Paradise Regained

John Milton

Passage to England

Nirad C. Chaudhuri

Passage to India

E.M. Forster

Past and Present

Thomas Carlyle

Past Forward

G.R. Narayanan

Pather Panchali

Bibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyaya

Path to Power

Margaret Thatcher

Patriot

Pearl S. Buck

Pavilion of Women

Pearl S. Buck

Peculiar Music

Emily Bronte

Peter Pan

J.M. Barrie

Personal of Democracy

P.C. Alexander

Personal Adventure

Theodore H. White

Persuasion

Jane Austen

Pickwick Papers

Charles Dickens

Pilgrim‘s Progress

John Bunyan

Pillow Problems and the Tangled Tale

Lewis Carroll

Pinjar

Amrita Pritam

Plague

Albert Camus

Plans for Departure

Nayantara Sehgal

Pleading Guilty

Scott Turow

Poison Belt

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 94

Politics

Aristotle

Portrait of India

Ved Mehta

Possessed

Albert Camus

Post Office

Rabindranath Tagore

Power and Glory

Graham Greene

Power of Movement in Plants

Charles Darwin

Power That Be

David Halberstan

Prathama Pratishruti

Ashapurna Devi

Prem Pachisi

Prem Chand

Prelude

William Wordsworth

Premonitions

P.N. Haksar

Preparing for the Twentieth Century

Paul Kennedy

Price of Partition

Rafiq Zakaria

Price of Power-Kissinger in the Nixon White House

Seymour M. Hersh

Princess in Love

Ann Pasternak

Prison and Chocolate Cake

Nayantara Sehgal

Prison Diary

Jayaprakash Narayan

Prisoner of Zenda

Anthony Hope

Prisoner‘s Scrapbook

L.K. Advani

Primary Colors

Anonymous

Prince

Machiavelli

Prithviraj Raso

Chand Bardai

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Principia

Isaac Newton

Professor

Charlotte Bronte

Profiles & Letters

K. Natwar Singh

Promises to Keep

Chester Bowles

Punjab, The Knights of Falsehood

K.P.S. Gill

Purgatory

Alighieri Dante

Pyramids of Sacrifice

Peter L.Berger

Pygmation

G.B. Shaw

Quarantene

Jim Crass

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 95

Quest for Conscience

Madhu Dandavate

R Documents

Irving Wallace

Rabbit, Run

John Updike

Radharani

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Rage of Angels

Sydney Sheldon

Ragtime

E.L. Doctorow

Raghuvamsa

Kalidas

Rajtarangini

Kalhana

Ram Charit Manas

Tulsidas

Ramayana

Maharishi Valmiki (in Sanskrit)

Ramayana Dharshanam

K.V. Puttappa

Rangbhoomi

Prem Chand

Rains Came

Louis Bromefield

Rain King

Saul Bellow

Rainbow

Pearl S. Buck

Raj : The Making & Unmaking of British India

Lawrence James

Rang-e-Shairi

Raghupati Sahai ‗Firaq‘ Gorakhpuri

Rape of the Lock

Alexander Pope

Rape of Nanking: An undeniable History of Photographs

Shi Young

Rape of Bangladesh

Anthony Mascarenhas

Rare Glimpses of the Raj

Pran Nevile

Ratnavali

Harsha Vardhan

Ravi Paar (Across the Ravi)

Gulzar

Razor‘s Edge

Somerset Maugham

Rebel

Albert Camus

Rebirth

Leonid Brezhnev

Red and Black

Stendhal

Red Star Over China

Edgar Snow

Red Wheel

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Rediscovering Gandhi

Yogesh Chadha

Reflections on the Frence Revolution

Edmund Burke

Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 96

Remembering Babylon

David Malouf

Reminiscences

Thomas Carlyle

Reminiscences

Thomas Carlyle

Reminiscences of the Nehru Age

M.O. Mathai

Rendezvous with Rama

Arthur C. Clark

Reprieve

Jean Paul Sartre

Republic

Plato

Rescue

Joseph Conrad

Resurrection

Leo Tolstoy

Return of the Aryans

Bhagwan S. Gidwani

Return of the Native

Thomas Hardy

Returning to the Source

Acharya Rajneesh

Revenue Stamp

Amrita Pritam

Rich Like Us

Nayantara Sehgal

Riding the Storm

Harold MacMillan

Rights the Man

Thomas Paina

Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

Paul Kennedy

Ritu Ka Pehla Phool

Vijendra

Ritu Samhara

Kalidas

Rivals

R.B. Sheridan

River Sutra

Gita Mehta

Road to Folly

Leslie Ford

Road to Freedom

K.K. Khullar

Robe

Lloyd C. Douglas

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

Room at the Top

John Braine Roots

Rubaiyat-i-Omar Khayyam

Edward Fitzgerald

Rukh Te Rishi

Harbhajan Singh

Sader-i-Riyasat

Karan Singh

Sardar Patel and Indian Muslims

Rafiq Zakaria

Sakharam Binder

Vijay Tendulkar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 97

Saket

Maithili Sharan Gupta

Satyartha Prakash

Swami Dayanand

Smaler‘s Planet

Saul Bellow

Sanctuary

William Faulkner

Sands of Time

Sidney Sheldon

Santa Evita

Tomas Eloymartinez

Satanic Verses

Salman Rushdie

Savitri

Aurobindo Ghosh

Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Scarlet Pimpernel

Baroness Orczy

Scenes from a Writer‘s Life

Ruskin Bond

Sceptred Flute

Sarojini Naidu

Schindlr‘s List

Thomas Keneally

Scholar Extraordinary

Nirad C. Chaudhuri

School for Scandal

R.B. Sheridan

Scope of Happiness

Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Search for Home

Sasthi Brata

Second World War

Winston Churchill

Secret Agent

Joseph Conrad

Sense of Time

S.H. Vatsyayan

Sesame and Lilies

John Ruskin

Seven Lamps of Architecture

John Ruskin

Seven Summers

Mulk Raj Anand

Tale of a Tub

Jonathan Swift

Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens

Tales from Shakespeare

Charles Lamb

Tales of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Talisman

Sir Walter Scott

Tamas

Bhisham Sahni

Tar Baby

Toni Morrison

Tarkash

Javed Akhtar

Tarzan of the Apes

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 98

Tehriq-e-Mujahideen

Dr. Sadiq Hussain

Temple Tiger

Jim Corbett

Tess of D‘Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Thank You, Jeeves

P.G. Wodehouse

The Age of Extremes

Eric Holsbawm

The Assassination

K. Mohandas

The Agenda-Indide the Clinton White House

Bob Woodward

The Agony and Ecstasy

Irving Stone

The Best and the Brightest

David Malberstam

The Beach Tree

Pearl S. Buck

The Betrayal of East Pakistan

Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi

The Calcutta Chromosome

Amitav Ghosh

The Career & Legend of Vasco de Gama

Sanjay Subramanyam

The Commitments

Roddy Doyle

The Cardinal

Henry Morton Robinson

The Changing World of Executive

Peter Drucker

The Chinese Betrayal

B.N. Mullick

The Congress Splits

R.P. Rao

The Dark Side of Camelot

Seymore Hersh

The Defeat or Distant Drumbeats

Bhaskar Roy

The Diplomatic Bag

John Ure

Ugly Duckling

H.C. Anderson

Ulysses

James Joyce

Uncle Tom‘s Cabin

Mrs.Hariet Stowe

Unconsoled

Kazuo Ishiguro

Under Western Eye

Joseph Conrad

Unhappy India

Lala Lajpat Rai

Universe Around Us

James Jeans

Until Darkness

Parvin Ghaffari

Utouchable

Mulk Raj Anand

Upturned Soil

Mikhail Sholokov

Urvashi

Ramdhari Singh ‗Dinkar‘

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 99

Uttar Ramcharita

Bhava Bhuti

Utopia

Thomas More

Unto This Last

John Ruskin

Untold Story

Gen.B.M.Kaul

Valley of Dolls

Jacqueline Susanne

Vanity Fair

Thackeray

Vendor of Sweets

R.K.Narayan

Venisamhara

Narayana Bhatt

Very Old Bones

William Kennedy

Victim

Saul Bellow

Victory

Joseph Conrad

Video Nights in Kathmandu

Pico Lyer

View from Delhi

Chester Bowles

View from the UN

U Thant

Vikram and the Vampire

Sir Richard Burton

Village by the Sea

Anita Desai

Village

Mulk Raj Anand

Vinay Patrika

Tulsidas

Virangana

Maithili Sharan Gupta

Virginians

William Thackeray

Vish Vriksha

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Voice of Conscience

V.V. Giri

Voice of Freedom

Nayantara Sehgal

Voice of the Voiceless

Rutsh Harring

Waiting for Godot

Samuel Becket

Waiting for the Mahatma

R.K. Narayan

Waiting to Exhale

Terry McMillan

Wake up India

Annie Besant

Walls of Glass

K.A. Abbas

War and Peace

Tolstoy

War and No Peace Over Kashmir

Maroof Raza

War Minus the Shooting

Mike Marquesee

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 100

War of Indian Independence

Vir Savarkar

War of the Worlds

H.G.Wells

Waste Land

T.S. Eliot

Way of the World

William Congreve

We, Indians

Khushwant Singh

We, the People

N.A. Palkhivala

Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

Week with Gandhi

Louis Fischer

West Wind

Pearl S. Buck

Westward Ho

Charles Kingsley

Where the Grass is Greener

David M. Smith

While England Sleeps

David Leavitt

Whispers of the Desert

Fatima Bhutto

White House Years

Henry Kissinger

Widening Divide

Rafiq Zakaria

Wild Ass‘s Skin

Honore de Balzac

Wings of fire, an Autobiography

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam & A. Tiwari

Winston Churchill

Clive Ponting

Witness to History

Prem Bhatia

Without Fear or Favour

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

Witness to an Era

Frank Moraes

Woman‘s Life

Guy de Maupassant

Women and Men in My Life

Khushwant Singh

Wonder That Was India

A.L. Basham

World According to Garp

John Irving

World Within Words

Stephen Spender

Worthy it is

Odysseus Elytis

Worshipping False Gods

Arun Shourie

Wreck

Rabindra Nath Tagore

Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte

Yajnaseni

Dr. Pratibha Roy

Yama

Mahadevi Verma

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 101

Yashodhara

Maithili Sharan Gupta

Yayati

V.S. Khandekar

Year of the Upheaval

Henry Kissinger

Year of the Vulture

Amita Malik

Years of Pilgrimage

Dr.Raja Ramanna

Yesterday and Today

K.P.S. Menon

Zool: The Final Odyssey

Arthur C. Clarke

Zhivago,Dr.

Boris Pasternak

Zlata‘s Diary-A Child‘s

Zlata Filipovic Life in Sarajero

Zulfi, My Friend

Piloo Mody

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto & Pakistan

Rafi Raza

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 102

Famous Sites In India

Adina Mosque: Pandua (West Bengal) Ajanta Caves: Aurangabad (Maharashtra) Akbar’s Tomb: Sikandra, Agra Aksherdham: Gandhinagar, Gujarat Amarnath Cave: Kashmir Amber Palace: Jaipur (Rajasthan) Anand Bhawan: Allahabad Bibi Ka Maqbra: Aurangabad Birla Planetarium: Kolkata Black Pagoda: Konarak (Orissa) Bodhistava: Ajanta Caves Brihadeeswara: Tanjore Temple Brindaban Gardens: Mysore Buland Darwaza: Fatehpur Sikri Char Minar: Hyderabad Cheena Kesava Temple: Bellur Chilka Lake: East Coast of India near Bhubaneswar Dal Lake: Srinagar Dilwara Temples: Mt Abu Elephanta Caves: Mumbai Ellora Caves: Aurangabad Gateway of India: Mumbai Golden Temple: Amritsar Gol Gumbaz: Bijapur Hanging Gardens: Mumbai Hawa Mahal: Jaipur Howrah Bridge: Kolkata Island Palace: Udaipur Itmad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb: Agra Jagannath Temple: Puri Jahaz Mahal: Mandu Jai Stambha (Tower of Victory): Chittorgarh Jama Masjid: Delhi Jantar Mantar: New Delhi Jog (Gersoppa) Falls: Mysore Kailasa Temple: Ellora Kalan Masjid: Delhi Kanyakumari Temple: Cape Comorin (Tamil Nadu) Khajuraho: Bhopal Konarak: Puri Lakshmi Vilas Palace: Baroda Lal Bagh Garden: Bengaluru

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 103

Lalgarh Palace: Bikaner Lingaraj Temple: Bhubaneswar Mahakaleshwar Temple: Ujjain Maheshmurti (Trimurti): Elephanta Caves Mahmud Gawan’s Mosque: Bidar Malabar Hill: Mumbai Marble Rocks: Jabalpur Marina: Chennai Minakshi Temple: Madurai Mt Girnar (Jain Temples): Junagadh Nagin Lake: Srinagar Nataraja: Chennai Nishat Bagh: Srinagar Padmanabha Temple: Thiruvanthapuram Palitana: Junagadh Panch Mahal: Fatehpur Sikri Pichola Lake: Udaipur Qutab Minar: Delhi Raj Ghat: Delhi Rashtrapati Bhawan: Delhi Red Fort: Delhi Sanchi Tope (The Great Stupa): Sanchi, Bhopal Santa Cruz: Mumbai Shakti Sthal: Delhi Shalimar Bagh: Srinagar Shahi Chashma: Srinagar Shanti Van: Delhi Shore Temple: Mahabalipuram Sidi Sayyid Mosque: Ahmedabad Somnathpur Temple: Mysore Statue of Gomateswara: Mysore Statue of Ugra: Hampi Sunderbans: West Bengal Sun Temple: Konarak Taj Mahal: Agra Tehzeeb Mahal: Srinagar Tirupati Temple: Andhra Pradesh Tower of Silence: Mumbai (of the Parsis) Victoria Memorial: Kolkata Victoria Garden: Mumbai Vijay Ghat: Delhi

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 104

Scientific Instruments And Laws

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

Altimeter: an apparatus used in aircraft for measuring altitudes. Ammeter: is used for to measure intensity of sound. Anemometer: is an instrument for measuring the force and velocity of wind. Audiometer: an instrument to measure intensity of sound. Audiophone: is an instrument required for improving imperfect sense of hearing. Barograph: for continuous recording of atmospheric pressure. Barometer: is an apparatus used for measuring the atmospheric pressure. Binoculars: is an instrument used for seeing distant objects, the rays of light are twice reflected by means of right-angled prisms. Callipers: a compass with legs for measuring the inside or outside diameter of bodies. Calorimeter: an instrument used for measuring quantities of heat. Carburettor: is an apparatus for charging air with petrol vapours in an internal combustion engine. Cardiogram: a medical instrument used for tracing the movements of the heart. Cardiograph: is a medical instrument for tracing heart movements. Chronometer: is an instrument kept on board the ships for measuring accurate time. Cinematograph: It consists of a series of lenses arranged to throw on a screen an enlarged image of photographs. The lens system which forms the image on the screen is termed the focusing lens. Commutator: split ring which forms the main part of a D.C. Dynamo. Compass needle: for knowing approximately the North-South direction at a place. Crescograph: is an instrument for use in recording growth of plants; invented by J.C. Bose. Dip Circle: It is an instrument used to determine the angle between the direction of the resultant intensity of earth‘s field and the horizontal component at a place. This particular angle is know as the dip of that place. Drinker’s apparatus: to help breathing in infantile paralysis. Dynamo: The origin of electricity in a Dynamo is the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy. It depends on the principle of electro-magnetic induction whereby a current is produced on traversing a magnetic field. Electroencephalograph (EEG): It is the technique of recording and interpreting the electrical activity of the brain. Records of the electrical activity of the brain, commonly known as ―brain waves‖, are called electroencephalograms or electroencephalographs. EEG is the common abbreviation for both the technique and the records. Epidiascope: for projecting films as well as images of opaque articles on a screen. Eudiometer: It is a glass tube for measuring volume changes in chemical reactions between gases. Fathometer: is an instrument used for measuring depth of the ocean. Galvanometer: an instrument for measuring currents of small magnitude. G.M. Counter (Geiger Muller Counter): This special device is used for detecting the presence of radiation and counting certain atomic particles. Gramophone: an instrument with which we can reproduce the sound recorded by a suitable recording apparatus. It is fitted with a special type of apparatus known as sound box invented by Berliner. Gravimeter: is an instrument for recording measurement under water and to determine the presence of oil deposits under water. Gyroscope: is an instrument used to illustrate dynamics of rotating bodies. It is a type of spinning wheel fixed to the axle. Hydrometer: is an instrument used for measuring the specific gravity of liquids. Hydrophone: is an instrument used for recording sound under water. Hygrometer: is an instrument used for measuring humidity in air. Kymograph: is an instrument used to record graphically various physiological movements i.e., blood pressure, heart beating, study of lungs etc in living beings.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 105

Lactometer: is an apparatus used for measuring the purity of milk. Manometer: for determining the pressure of a gas. Mariner’s Compass: is an apparatus which is used to guide the sailors. The needle always points north-south. Micrometer: is an instrument used for converting sound i.e., fraction of the lowest division of a given scale. Microphone: is an instrument used for converting sound waves into electrical vibrations. Microscope: is an instrument which is used for magnifying minute objects by a lens system. Microtome: is used for cutting an object into thin parts for microscopic inspection. Odometer: is an instrument by virtue of which the distance covered by wheeled vehicles is recorded. Periscope: It is usually used by the crew of a submarine to survey the ships etc, on the surface of the sea while the submarine is under water. It also enables the sailors to observe objects on the other side of an obstacle without exposing themselves. Phonograph: is an instrument used for reproducing sound. Photometer: is an apparatus used to compare the illuminating power of two sources of light. Pipette: It is a glass tube with the aid of which a definite volume of liquid may be transferred. Potentiometer: is used for comparing the e.m.f.s, of cells, measurements of the thermal e.m.f.s, large potential differences and currents. It is also used for measuring low resistances. Psychrometer: is an instrument for measurement of the humidity of the atmosphere. Pyrometer: is an instrument for recording high temperatures from a great distance (i.e., for recording temperature of the sun etc.) by making use of the laws of radiation. Radar: Radio, Angle, Detection And Range is used to detect the direction and range of an approaching aeroplane by means of radio microwaves. Rain Gauge: is an apparatus for recording of rainfall at a particular place. Radiometer: is an instrument for measuring the emission of radiant energy. Refractometer: is an instrument to measure refractive indices. Saccharimeter: is an instrument for determining the amount of sugar in a solution. It is used in breweries. Seismometer or Seismograph: is an instrument used for recording earthquake shocks. Sextant: is an instrument invented by John Hadley used for measuring the altitude of the sun and of other inaccessible heavenly bodies. Spectrometer: (1) It is a type of spectroscope suitable for the precise measurements of refractive indices. (2) An instrument for measuring the energy distribution of a particular type of radiation. Speedometer: is an instrument which indicates speed at which a vehicle is moving. Spherometer: is an instrument for measuring curvature of surfaces. Sphygmomanometer: an instrument used for measuring arterial blood-pressure. Sphygmophone: an instrument, with the help of which a pulse beat makes a sound. Sphygmoscope: an instrument, by virtue of which, arterial pulsations become visible. Stereoscope: It is a special type of binocular, through which a double photograph snapped from two different angles by a two-lensed camera is viewed in solid relief. Stethoscope: is an instrument to hear and analyse movements of heart and lungs. Stop watch: for recording small intervals of time in the laboratory, in races and other events. Stroboscope: is an instrument for viewing objects moving rapidly with a periodic motion and to see them as if they were at rest. Tachometer: is an instrument for determining speeds of aeroplanes and motor boats. Telephone: a device by virtue of which two persons at two different places can communicate. It consists of two main parts (i) a microphone and (ii) a receiver. Teleprinter: an instrument which prints automatically messages sent from one place to another, on telegraph lines. Telescope: is an apparatus used for observing distant objects. Theodolite: is an instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles. Thermocouple: an instrument based on thermo-electricity used for measuring temperatures. Thermometer: is an apparatus used for measuring temperature.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 106

Thermostat: It is an instrument used to regulate the temperature to a particular degree. Viscometer: is an instrument to measure viscosity.

SCIENTIFIC LAWS ETC.

Archimedes’ Principle: It states that a body, when immersed in a liquid, experiences an upward thrust equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by it. Avogadro’s Hypothesis: It is a modification of Berzelius‘ hypothesis. It states that equal volumes of all gases under similar conditions of temperature and pressure contain equal number of molecules. Avogadro‘s law is applicable only to gases. Boyle’s Law: states that the volume of certain gas is inversely proportional to the pressure at a constant temperature. In other words the product of pressure and volume remains constant provided the temperature is kept constant i.e., P x V = a constant if T remains the same. Charles’s Law: It states that at constant pressure all gases expand by 1/273 of their volume at 0°C for a rise in temperature of 1°C i.e., the volume of a given mass of gas at constant pressure is directly proportional to the absolute temperature. Dulong and Petit’s Law: states that the product of atomic weight and specific heat of solid elements is nearly equal to 6.4 i.e., At wt. x sp. heat = 6.4 approx. Gay-Lussac’s Law of combining volumes: Gases react together in volumes which bear simple whole number ratios to one another and also to the volumes of the products, if gaseous—all the volumes being measured under similar conditions of temperature and pressure. Graham’s Law of Diffusion: states that the rates of diffusion of gases are inversely proportional to the square roots of their densities under similar conditions of temperature and pressure. Kepler’s Law: According to this law, a line drawn from the sun to a planet, moving around it, sweeps over a fixed area in a given interval of time. Law of definite proportions: A chemical compound is always found to be made up of the same elements combined together in the same ratio by weight. Law of Floatation: for a body to float, the following conditions must be fulfilled: (1) The weight of the body should be equal to the weight of the water displaced. (2) The centre of gravity of the body and that of the liquid displaced should be in the same straight line. Lenz’s Law: When there is change in the magnetic flux linked with a circuit, the electric current induced in the circuit will have a magnetic field opposing the change producing it. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation: states that ―Every portion of matter attracts or tends to approach every other portion of matter in the universe with a force proportional to the masses and inversely as the square

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 107

of the distance.‖ Newton’s First Law of Motion: ―A body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled by an external force to change that state.‖ Newton’s Second Law of Motion: ―The rate of change of momentum is proportional to the impressed force and takes place in the direction of the force.‖ Newton’s Third Law of Motion: ―To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.‖ Newton‘s Law of Cooling: states that the rate of loss of heat of a hot body is directly proportional to the difference of temperature between the body and the surroundings and is independent of the nature of the body. Ohm’s Law: states that the ratio of the potential difference between the ends of a conductor and the current flowing in the conductor is constant, e.g., for a potential difference of E volts and a current I amperes, the resistance R, in ohms is equal to E/I. Principle of conservation of energy: It states that, in any system, energy cannot be created or destroyed; the sum of mass and energy remains constant. Snell’s Law: It states that the ratio of the sine of angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction remains constant for any two given media. Specific heat of substance: The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram. of a substance through 1°C.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 108

Scientific Appliances And Their Working Principles

Aeroplane: An aeroplane usually consists of the following three parts: (i) Wings, (ii) The engine and the propeller; and (iii) The tail. Working: In order to operate an aeroplane, the propeller is made to revolve at a very high speed with the help of a powerful petrol engine. The direction of the blades is so adjusted as to push the air in a backward direction, thereby producing a relative velocity between the ‘plane and air—thus pushing the aeroplane in a forward direction. The push should be large enough to overcome the drag and should supply power for climbing. Air conditioning: is the process of controlling the humidity, temperature, purity and circulation of air in a certain factory, a public building, hotels or a private house. The major aim of air-conditioning is to regulate the temperature, thereby producing a ―cooling effect‖ on the whole. Exhaust machines are devised at a particular place for driving out waste and dirty gases, thereby completely purifying the air. Binoculars: is an instrument used for seeing distant objects; the rays of light are twice reflected by means of right-angled prisms. Carburettor: It is an apparatus for getting liquid fuel mixed with air as it is taken into an automobile or other like engines. CD-Rom: It is a computer peripheral device that employs compact disk technology to store large amounts of digitized data for later retrieval. Cellular Phone: This phone allows you to make a telephone while on the move. It can be installed in vehicles or can be carried along. Cinematography: The principle of persistence of vision is utilised in cinematography. A cinematograph is an apparatus for projecting the pictures of moving objects on the screen. The instantaneous photographs of the successive positions of the moving body are photographed on a continuous film with the help of a special camera called the movie camera, with an automatic shutter at the rate of nearly 16 per second. The film duly developed is projected intermittently with a similar shutter as above so that it opens when the film is stationary and closes when it jerks off. Computer: A complicated electronic machine which can perform incredibly complex calculations at incomprehensible speeds. It was invented by Charles Babbage. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform. A computer consists of a Central Processing Unit (C.P.U.) and a number of peripheral units. A computer does not do anything which a human being cannot do. Only that it does is much faster and accurately. Dewar Flask: is a double-walled glass flask, the inner surface of the outer vessel and the outer surface of the inner vessel of which have been silvered. The vacuum is created in the space between the two walls. This principle successfully prevents any interchange of temperature of the contents, because: (1) glass is a bad conductor (2) convection is not possible because there is vacuum between the walls and (3) a little radiation that takes place from the inner vessel is reflected by the inner surface of the outer wall.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 109

Daniel Cell: In this a rod of zinc is placed in dilute sulphuric acid contained in a cylindrical porous pot. The porous pot and its contents are placed in a large cylindrical copper vessel which also functions as positive pole of the cell. The space between the porous pot and the copper vessel is occupied by a solution of copper sulphate. The hydrogen produced by the action of the zinc on sulphuric acid travels towards the copper electrode. On delivering its electricity to the copper, it reacts with the copper sulphate turning copper out of the solution and forming sulphuric acid. The particles of copper liberated from the solution adhere to the outer copper vessel and thus the hydrogen is rendered harmless so far as polarisation is concerned. Diesel Engine: It is a particular type of internal combustion engine, known as compression ignition engine. The air inside the cylinder is usually compressed to over 500 lbs. per sq. in. and the temperature is attained up to 800°F. At this stage the oil is injected into the hot compressed air, which gets ignited immediately, thereby producing a continuous gas stream, which pushes the piston upward. And thereafter the engine gets into operation. Dynamo: The origin of the electricity in a dynamo is the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy. It depends on the principle of electro-magnetic induction whereby a current is produced on traversing a magnetic field. Electric Bell: In an electric bell, there is one horse-shoe electromagnet, which plays an important role. A soft iron armature which is connected to a hammer H, is placed in front of the pole pieces of the electromagnet. One end of the coil of the electromagnet is connected to the terminal T2 while the other end is connected indirectly to the terminal T1 (i.e., through the soft iron armature which rests on the spring contact as shown in the diagram). On connecting the terminals T1 and T2 through battery, the electromagnet attracts the soft iron piece, and the hammer H in turn strikes the gong G, which produces a sound. Simultaneously, the contact between the spring and the screw breaks which demagnetises the electromagnet and the soft iron piece falls back to make up the circuit once again. The process is repeated again and again, which produces a continuous sound. Electric Lamp: The electric lamp is based on the principle that when an electric current is passed through a very fine metallic filament inside an evacuated glass bulb, it is heated so as to render the wire white hot or incandescent. The wire being very thin offers great resistance to the passage of the current so that considerable heat is developed and the temperature rises to make it luminous and thus emit light. The resistance generally increases as the temperature rises and soon an equilibrium is reached and there is no further rise of temperature, the amount of heat radiated by the filament being equal to that generated in it by the electric current. In order that the metallic filament shall not oxidise or rust, oxygen is removed from the bulb by pumping out air or generally some inert gas such as nitrogen or some other gas is made to fill the bulb. Electric Motor: An electric motor is a device which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. A D.C. motor generally consists of several segments of a coil of a wire of a large number of turns wound over a soft iron cylinder called the armature. It is mounted on an axle about which it revolves and is placed between the poles of an electromagnet called the field magnets. There are the commutator, brushes and the leads. It is based on the principle that a conductor carrying current experiences a force when placed in a magnetic field. Electro Cardio-gram (E.C.G.): It is actually a graphic picture of the heart-beat which the physician can make

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 110

use of in the diagnosis. When the heart beats, its muscles contract and this causes a change in the electrical potential of the system. This change in potential is recorded on a paper by an electrical instrument known as electrocardiograph. The electrodes are connected to the two wrists and the left leg of the patient, and the machine acts like a galvanometer, the needle of which rests on a rotating drum covered with a paper, and thus the movements of the needle are recorded. Electromagnet: whenever an electric current passed through a coil of wire, a large number of turns, wound round a soft iron core, the iron core gets magnetised and it becomes a powerful magnet, and is known as an electromagnet. This magnetism is temporary and lasts so long as the current passes through the coil. Looking at the end of the soft iron bar if the current in the coil is clockwise in direction that end of the bar is South Pole; if the current is counter-clockwise, that end is a North Pole. Electron Microscope: It is just analogous to optical microscope in a way that beams of electrons are focused by magnetic lenses in a similar way to the focusing of light beams in the ordinary optical microscope. Germans were the pioneer to invent the electron microscope, during the year 1930. Direct magnification up to 10,000 times is possible. Still higher magnification is possible with the Proton Microscope. FAX: Short for facsimile, it is a device that transmits pictures, drawings, text to a similar device at the receiving end, using telephone lines. Fibre Optics: It is a branch of physics based on the transmission of light through transparent fibres of glass or plastic. These optical fibres can carry light over distances ranging from a few inches or centimetres to more more than 100 miles (160 kilometres). Such fibres work individually or in bundles. Some individual fibres measure less than 0.004 millimetre in diameter. Optical fibres have a highly transparent core of glass or plastic surrounded by a covering called a cladding. Light impulses from a laser, a light bulb, or some other source enter one end of the optical fibre. As light travels through the core, it is typically kept inside it by the cladding. The cladding is designed to bend or reflect-inward-light rays that strike its inside surface. At the other end of the fibre, a detector, such as a photosensitive device or the human eye, receives the light. Uses of Optical Fibres: Optical fibres have a number of uses. Various industries use optical fibres to measure temperature, pressure, acceleration, and voltage. In fibre-optic communication systems, lasers transmit coded messages by flashing on and off at high speeds. The messages travel through optical fibres to interpreting devices that decode the messages, converting them back into the form of the original signal. Fibre-optic communication systems have a number of features that make them superior to systems that use traditional copper cables. For example, they have a much larger information-carrying capacity and are not subject to electrical interference. In addition, signals sent over long-distance fibre-optic cables need less amplification than do signals sent over copper cables of equal length. Optical fibres are well-suited for medical use. They can be made in extremely thin, flexible strands for insertion into the blood vessels, lungs, and other hollow parts of the body. Optical fibres are used in a number of techniques that enable physicians to look and work inside the body through tiny incisions. Fire Extinguisher: works by spraying continuous streams of carbon dioxide gas, which does not support combustion, and so acts as a fire extinguishing agent. Fire extinguisher is a medium size metallic cylinder fitted with a head-knob and a handle. At the time of emergency, the knob is struck against the floor, and carbon

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 111

dioxide gas begins to evolve. Inside this cylinder a bottle of dilute solution of sulphuric acid is embedded in sodium carbonate powder. When the bottle is broken, sulphuric acid reacts with sodium carbonate to produce large quantities of the gas. Fusion Torch: is an instrument to be evolved by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. It will use the power of the Hydrogen bomb to vaporise solid waste like junk-cars and bearcans, into their basic elements. The idea is based on the assumption that within a few years scientists will be able to harness the energy of the Hydrogen bomb—Controlled thermo-nuclear fusion—for use in electrical power plants. Geiger Counter: A G.M. counter or Geiger-Muller counter is a device used for detecting and/or counting nuclear radiation and particles. Heart Lung Machine: A machine which operates the function of the heart and lung at the time when the heart or lung is under operation. It directs the circulation of blood into body. Incandescent lamp: If a body of sufficiently high melting point say platinum wire is raised to a high temperature, some of the radiations coming out fall within the range termed ―light‖. The range comprises of radiation of short wave lengths and high frequencies. When such a body is heated it emits different colours at different temperatures, and ultimately, it gives dazzling white light at 1500°C and above. So the incandescent lamp consists of a metal of a high melting point (generally tungsten) enclosed in an evacuated glass globe and heated by an electric current. The filament is either in the form of an open spiral of straight wire or in the form of a ring of coiled wire. This lamp consumes about 1.4 watt per candle. Internal Combustion Engine: is an engine in which energy supplied by a burning fuel is directly transformed into mechanical energy by the controlled combustion of the fuel in an enclosed cylinder behind a piston. It is usually applied to the petrol- burning or Diesel oil-burning engine. Jet Engine: The essential components of the jet engine is the Gas turbine. It drives the rotary air compressor, which supplies compressed air to the combustion chamber, where a fuel like kerosene oil or gasoline enters and burns. The hot exploded gases are then expelled to the rear in a high velocity jet exhaust. It is the reaction of the plane on this jet of ejected gases that drives it forward. Jet Propulsion: It is now being commonly employed for propulsion of aircraft and the underlying principle is Newton‘s third law of motion, that is, ―to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction‖. Here a gas turbine drives the rotary air compressor which supplies compressed air to the combustion chamber, where the fuel-like gasoline enters and burns. The hot exploded gases are expelled to the rear in a high velocity jet exhaust. It is the reaction of the ‗plane on this jet of fastly ejected gases that drives it forward. It has made possible supersonic speeds. Difference between Rocket and Jet Engine: The essential difference between the propulsion of a jet engine and a rocket is that the gas turbines used in a jet engine require air to supply oxygen for the burning of the fuel. Rockets contain both fuel and an oxidizer to make them burn. Liquid oxygen is often used. So a jet engine would work only in the lower strata of the atmosphere where sufficient oxygen can be supplied by the air-compressors. The high velocity jet from a rocket is available for thrust in the upper atmosphere and even

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 112

beyond the limits of our atmosphere. For rocket flights of course, the wings and rudders would be absolutely useless since there would be no air to exert force on them. LASER: or Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, LASER is a device that harnesses light to produce an intense beam of radiation of a very pure, single colour. The power of the beam can be low (as in a food store laser scanner which reads prices on packages) or high (as in lasers used to cut metals). The first laser was built in 1960. Lightning Conductor: It consists of a metal rod, the upper part of which is made up of copper with a number of conical points, the lower portion being an iron strip which extends deep into the earth‘s moist layers. A lightning conductor protects the building from the effect of lightning in two ways: (i) The pointed conductors are charged by induction oppositely thus setting up an opposite wind which brings about a slow and silent discharge of the cloud. (ii) If however the lightning does strike, the discharge may be carried to the earth through the metal strip without doing any damage to the building. In ships also, lightning conductors are fixed to the masts and carried down through the ship‘s keel-sheathing. Loud Speaker: It is a device for converting electrical energy into sound energy. There are various types of loud speakers but the commonest and most efficient type used now-a-days is the moving coil type. It is based on the principle that when a varying current is passed through a conductor in a magnetic field, the conductor is acted on by a variable force and if the current is oscillatory, the conductor is set into vibrations. Mariner’s Compass: is an apparatus which is used to guide the sailors. The needle always points north-south. It consists of a magnetised bar with a card bearing the directions viz., north, south, east etc. The card is correctly mounted above and firmly attached to the magnetised bar. When the magnet moves in relation to the ship‘s course, the card automatically moves with it. Motor-Car: A motor-car usually consists of the following working parts: (i) Internal combustion engine (ii) Gear Box (iii) Battery (iv) Carburettor (v) Dynamo (vi) Radiator. Working: In order to operate a motor-car, the petrol from a container is ignited with the help of the battery. The vapours produced thereof are allowed to mix with air in the carburettor section, and thereafter the mixture is allowed to enter the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. The gases on expansion push the piston upwards thereby moving the crank-shaft, which in turn moves the main axle of the car. The motion of axle is controlled by the gear box. Periscope: It is a device for viewing objects which are above the eye-level of the observer, or are placed so that direct vision is obstructed. It is usually used by the crew of a submarine to survey the ships etc., on the surface of the sea while the submarine is under water. It also enables sailors to observe objects on the other side of an obstacle without exposing themselves. It consists of a long tube, at each end of which is a right-angled prism, so situated that, by total internal reflection at the longest faces, light is turned through an angle of 90° by each prism. The light from a viewed object thus enters the observer‘s eye in a direction parallel to, but below, the original direction of the object. Phytotron: is a big machine costing two million dollars and capable of producing any type of climate to order. It has been installed in Duke University, Durham, North Carolina to facilitate studies of environmental

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 113

biology—particularly growing of plants under varying climatic conditions. The machine can duplicate any set of climatic conditions from the tropical to the Arctic in the brick and glass building in which it is housed. It has six specially equipped green houses and 40 controlled plant chambers. It is a useful device for the study of environmental biology. Radar: precisely means: Radio, Angle, Detection And Range. It is one of the interesting developments of wireless waves the principle of which has been utilised in the radio location technique or popularly known as RADAR. It is an electrical device used for the detection and location of the aircraft with the help of radio frequency waves. Working: Wireless waves having very short wavelengths are set free in the shape of concentrated beam to flood or cover the required area of the sky. An aircraft entering that particular area is supposed to intercept the spreading waves, and an echo is reflected back to the transmitting station. In addition to detection of the aircraft, its distance from a particular place can also be calculated by recording the time taken by the wireless waves in travelling back. A discrimination between the aircraft of an enemy and a friendly nation can be made by understanding the nature of Echo. Refrigerator: It is an apparatus or chamber for producing and maintaining a low temperature. The principle employed in the working of a refrigerator is that heat is absorbed by a liquid as it evaporates, thus producing a cooling effect. The substance commonly employed is liquid ammonia sulphur dioxide. Rocket: The underlying principle of the flight of a rocket is Newton‘s Third Law of Motion viz., To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is a self-propelled vehicle which depends upon the force provided by a fuel carried along with it. As the fuel burns, products of combustion are forced out at terrific speed at the rear of the vehicle and ejection imparts motion to it in the forward direction. It has its own oxygen supply for burning the fuel and therefore, there is no dependence on air for combustion or propulsion. Rocket Bomb: If a rocket engine is used as a missile to carry an explosive charge it is termed as a Rocket Bomb. The principle of a rocket engine is the same as that of a jet engine but unlike the jet engine it carries its supply of oxygen with it to burn the fuel and is thus independent of the oxygen of the air. The hot gases formed in the combustion of the fuel are led through a nozzle. If a quantity of gas of mass m leaves the nozzle in time t with a velocity v, the force exerted on the mass of gas and hence the force also on the rocket = mv/t. Such a rocket bomb can be hurled from a place outside our atmosphere. Safety Lamp, Davy’s: It is based on the principle of rapid conduction of heat by a metal. In the miner‘s safety lamp, the flame of the lamp is surrounded by glass and above this is a space surrounded by five copper gauzes. Inflammable gases which may be present in the mine can pass through and burn inside the lamp. The copper gauze conducts away the heat so rapidly and effectively that the ignition point of the gas outside the gauze is never reached and thus the possibility of an explosion is avoided. Seismograph: It is an instrument used for the registration of earth tremors, and consists of principle of a heavy pendulum system, the supporting framework following the ground movements and the bob remaining at rest on account of its large inertia thereby setting up a relative movement between the two parts of the seismograph. This movement is recorded with the help of electromagnetic transducers, galvanometers and electronic amplifiers. In order to record the displacements completely, usually three seismographs are made to set at one

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 114

particular station. Sound Barrier: Before the advent of aircraft with supersonic speeds, it was apprehended that when the speeds of the aircraft and sound were equal, the compressional waves produced by the flight of the aircraft will be unable to get away and will give rise to a sound barrier which will offer a considerable resistance to the motion of the aircraft and huge structural stresses and strains will be called into play attended by great noise likely to react unfavourably on the crew. But no such effects have been observed now that the speed of the jet-propelled aircraft and rockets far exceeds that of sound. Spring Balance: A Spring Balance is used for measuring weights. The principle involved is that the stretching in the case of a Spring is proportional to the load suspended and if a load of 1 kilogram produces a stretching of 1 cm, a load of two kilograms will stretch it by 2 cm and so on. The spring is held at the upper end and load is suspended by a hook attached to the lower end with a pointer attached to the upper end of the spring which moves over a scale. Steam Engine: is a machine utilizing steam power through a device by virtue of which heat is converted into mechanical energy. The steam engine has two main parts: (i) boiler, and (ii) proper engine. It consists essentially of a cylinder in which a piston is moved backwards and forwards by the expansion of steam under pressure. Stereoscope: It is an optical device that makes photographs seem to have three dimensions. An ordinary camera sees things only in a flat plane and never in the round. But if two cameras set several inches apart photograph the same object simultaneously, and if these two photographs are then mounted side by side and viewed through a combination of lenses and prisms in such a manner that the two units enter the two eyes without strain, the resulting mental picture (image) appear to have three dimensions. Everything is seen in the round, the way our two eyes normally view things. These are employed in aerial survey and in astronomical telescopes. Submarine: may be regarded as a ship having a variable and controllable specific gravity. It is equipped with large ballast tanks (in the low, the middle and the stern of the ship) into which water can be admitted through valves so that the vessel can be made to sink when desired. On the water being expelled again by pumps worked by compressed air, the ship rises to the surface. Inside the water it is the electric motors which drive it forward and there are horizontal rudders (or hydroplanes) which are fitted on both sides of the vessel so that by tilting them the vessel is gradually submerged, the same rudders help to maintain it at a desired depth of submergence. Tape Recorder: It is an instrument which converts sound waves into electrical impulses which are recorded as a wavy groove on the tape. When it is required to produce the voice, the electrical impulses are again converted into sound waves. Telephone: It is a device to produce sound to enable two persons to talk to each other from distance. The circuit, which is closed when the line is connected, consists of a transmitter and a receiver connected by an electrical conductor. The transmitter which is usually a carbon microphone causes variable electrical impulses to flow through the circuit. In the telephone-receiver, these impulses flow through a pair of coils of wire wound upon soft iron pole-pieces which are attached to the poles of a magnet. An iron diaphragm near these coils experiences variable pulls and vibrates so as to produce sounds corresponding to those made into the

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 115

microphone. Telephotography: is a process by which the transmission of moving objects is made by radio from one place to another. A succession of still pictures is transmitted at the rate of twenty-five per second which gives an illusion of continuous movement. The television camera changes the light pattern of the transmitted scene into a series of electrical signals which modulate a very high frequency radio carrier wave. The received signals are changed into light variations and reassembled on the screen of a cathode-ray tube at the receiver. Teleprinter: It is an instrument which prints automatically messages sent from one place to another. It consists of a telegraph transmitter with a type-writter key-board by which characters of a message are transmitted electrically in combination of 5 units, being recorded similarly by the receiving instrument. The receiving instrument then translates the matter mechanically into printed characters. Telescope: A simple refracting astronomical telescope is an optical arrangement for seeing very distant objects. Two convex lenses are mounted at the ends of two tubes so that by sliding one tube within the other, the distance between the lenses can be changed and the images thereby can be focused correctly. The lens at the larger end of the telescope is of considerable focal length and is called the object glass and a smaller lens of short focal length is called the eye-piece. Parallel rays proceeding from a distant object form its real image at the principal focus of the object glass. The position of the eye-piece is adjusted so that a magnified virtual image of it is seen. Since the real image is inverted, this virtual image is also upside down—a fact of little importance in astronomical work. For viewing terrestrial objects, the real image formed by the object glass is re-inverted by another convex lens before it is magnified by the eye-piece. Television: It is the transmission of images of moving objects by radio waves. The scene to be transmitted or its image on a photo-mosaic inside an iconoscope camera is scanned with the help of a fine beam of light traversing horizontally and vertically. The reflected pulses in the former case are picked up by photoelectric cells which convert light energy into varying electric currents, or in the latter case, the photo-mosaic with the help of suitable electrical circuits generates varying currents. These currents are amplified with the help of valve amplifiers and are then made to modulate the carrier waves from a transmitter. At the receiving station, the electrical vibrations are reconverted into light waves which are collected on the fluorescent screen of a cathode ray oscilloscope at the same rate with which they are generated at the sending station. With the help of the property of persistence of vision possessed by the eye, we can see on the screen an exact photograph of the transmitted scene. Thermometer, Clinical: A clinical thermometer is used to note the temperature of a human body and has graduations from 65°F to 100°F. It consists of a thin glass bulb connected with a thick walled capillary tube known as the stem. There is a constriction in the bore near the bulb. When the thermometer is placed below the tongue (or in the arm-pit) of a person, mercury in the bulb gets heated and expands. The force of expansion pushes the mercury past the constriction, which thus rises into the stem. When thermometer is removed, the temperature falls and mercury contracts. But the level remains intact as the thread is now broken at the constriction. The temperature can thus be conveniently read. The mercury can be again brought into the bulb by giving it a slight jerk. Thermos Flask (Vacuum Flask): It is used to keep hot liquids hot and cold liquids cold. The principles

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 116

involved in its construction are: (i) It is made of glass which is a bad conductor of heat; (ii) As there is vacuum between the walls, convection is not possible; (iii) The outer face of the inner vessel is silvered, so there is very little radiation as polished surfaces are bad radiators. The inner surface of the outer vessel is polished which serves as a good reflector of any small radiation from the inner surface. Tokamak T-3: is a machine designed by Russians to harness fusion reaction for peaceful purposes. A fusion reaction takes place under extreme pressure and temperatures such as exist in the core of the sun. In this machine such conditions are created by generating a hot gas or plasma. The Russians are already at work on an improved version of the machine which should achieve self-supporting generation of fusion-energy. Transformer: It is an apparatus by which the voltage of an alternating current is made higher (step-up Transformer) or lower (step-down Transformer) or its frequency. Transformer is made up of two coils, one of a small number of turns of thick wire and the other of a great number of turns of thin wire. A current going through the first of these causes an induction current of higher voltage in the second. If the main current goes through the second one, induction current of a lower voltage is generated in the first coil. Transistor: It is an active component of an electric circuit which may be used as an amplifier or detector. It consists of a small block of a semi-conducting material to which at least three electrical contacts are made, two of them being closely spaced rectifying contacts generally and one ohmic or loose (non-rectifying) contact. Transistors are now being used in radio receivers, in electronic computers, in electronic control equipments, in place of vacuum tubes where the required voltages are not too high. They are much smaller than their vacuum tube counterparts, consume less power and have no filaments to burn out. Ultrasonoscope: It is a compact, diagnostic instrument designed to measure and use ultrasonic sound (with a frequency higher than 20,000 cycles per second, beyond human hearing). It emits brief bursts of ultrasound which are reflected back by bone, fluid or tissue in the body and give an ―echo-gram‖. The instrument can be helpful in detecting deep-seated brain tumours, defective heart valves and abnormal growths. Videophone: The world‘s first commercial videophone service was started for limited experimental use in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is as much of an advance on the ordinary telephone as the addition of sound and colour was to the movies. The visual dimension also increases the functional utility of this communication apparatus, but the trouble so far has been in designing and making videophones which will be cheap enough to be installed and used by thousands of people.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 117

Crops & Minerals

Chief Crops and Producing States (The first mentioned is the chief producing State) Bajra (millets): Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Barley: U.P., Bihar, Haryana. Its cultivation requires cool climate. Cardamom: Karnataka. India is the largest producer of cardamom in the world. Cashewnut: Kerala. Cinchona: Tamil Nadu (Nilgiri Hills); West Bengal (Darjeeling). Coconut: Kerala is the leading producer of coconut in India. A coconut tree normally yield 60-70 nuts in a year. Coffee: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu (Nilgiri Hills) and Kerala. It is a tropical shrub. Cotton: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Maharashtra. Cotton Seeds: Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Gram and Pulses: U.P., Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Groundnut: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Hemp: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and U.P. Jute: Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Linseed: Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, U.P., Maharashtra and West Bengal. Maize: U.P., Bihar and the Punjab. Mustard and Rape-seed (Sarson): U.P., West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar and Orissa. Poppy (opium plant): U.P., Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir. Rice: Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. Rice is sown on the largest acreage in India. Rubber: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka. Saffron: Jammu and Kashmir. It is obtained from the stigma of the saffron plant. Silk: Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal and Assam. Spices: Pepper in Kerala and West Bengal; Chillies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra; Cardamom in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu; Betelnuts in West Bengal and South India. Sugarcane: U.P., Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra. Tea: Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiri Hills), Uttarkhand (Dehradun) and Himachal Pradesh (Kangra Hills). Tobacco: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, U.P., West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Wheat: U.P., Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. To some extent in Bihar, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. It is sown in October-November and reaped in April. Kharif and Rabi Crops Kharif Crops: are crops raised in autumn as a result of sowing done in June-July. These are cotton, rice, maize and millets. Rabi Crops: are winter crops sown in October and November and reaped in April. These are wheat, gram, linseed and mustard. Favourable climate and soil conditions for the growth of certain crops Wheat: Its plant requires a cool climate in the beginning, warm and dry weather at the time of harvesting and rainfall at intervals—between 20‘‘ to 30‘‘. A clayey soil is very favourable. Barley: cool climate and a soil poorer than that required for wheat. Rice: hot and moist climate with rainfall from 40‘‘ to 80‘‘ or over and rich soil. The plant is required to remain under water for several days in the beginning. A marshy soil is very suitable. Sugarcane: an evenly high temperature with sufficient rainfall—about 40‘‘. It needs a fertile soil, having

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 118

lime and salt in it. Tobacco: hot and moist climate; rich soil. Spices: (pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmegs) hot, moist and even climate. Opium: It requires hot and moist climate with a rich soil. Maize: warm and moist (but not very moist) climate. Cotton: It requires warm, moist and even climate where summer is long and where the soil contains salt. Sea-breeze is beneficial for quality of the fibre. The ideal situation for plantation is lowlands near the sea coast or on islands in semi-tropical latitudes. Jute: It requires a high temperature with a minimum of about 80°F during the period of growth. It also needs rich sandy soil, sufficient rainfall well distributed over the period of growth, ample supply of water for soaking of plants and for washing the stripped fibre. It also needs suitable and sufficient labour to handle the crop at the proper time. Rubber: The plantation of rubber trees is better adapted to areas where the climate is warm and humid. Tea: (Tea is dried leaves of an evergreen shrub). It requires warm and moist climate. It is grown on mountain slopes. At least 60‘‘ annual rainfall in showers is needed for the new leaves to sprout. If water is allowed to stay, the roots are destroyed. So mountain slopes on which water does not accumulate are necessary. Soil containing iron is an additional advantage. Coffee: requires warm and moist climate and a height between 457 metres and 762 metres—rainfall above 60‘‘. The plant cannot stand extreme cold. When young, the plant is required to be protected from strong sunshine. Millets: (Jawar and Bajra) require a hot and sufficiently dry climate and poor soil. Groundnuts: require a hot climate and moderate rainfall 29‘‘ to 40‘‘. Soil should be light and sandy. Oilseeds: require hot and moist climate and a rich soil. Diseases of Crops Black heart: Potatoes Kernel bunt: Wheat Powdery Mildew: Peas Red Rot: Sugarcane Fertilizers Fertilizers normally contain three main ingredients namely nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen: imports a healthy green colour to the leaves. Phosphorus: hastens leaf development and promotes root growth. Potassium: plays an essential part in the formation of starch. Mineral Resources of India India possesses huge mineral wealth but it is not much exploited. Coal, gold, mica, building materials, salt, petroleum, manganese ore, iron ore, copper ore and ilmenite are produced in quantities to be of real importance to industry and other sectors of economy. Out of these, mica, manganese ore and ilmenite are largely exported. India has, however, adequate resources of industrial clay, steatite, bauxite, chromite, titanium ore etc. Minerals—Where Found (The first-mentioned is the State in which the mineral is chiefly found) Aluminium: Kerala. It is extracted from Bauxite. Antimony: Antimony deposits are found in the Punjab and Karnataka. Asbestos: Karnataka and Rajasthan. Barytes: (Barium Sulphate) Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Manbhum and Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 119

Bantonite: Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. Bauxite: Ranchi and Palamau districts of Jharkhand, Belgaum, Kharia and Thana districts of Maharashtra; Balaghat, Jabalpur, Mandia and Bilaspur districts of Madhya Pradesh. It is an ore of aluminium. Beryllium Sands: Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir and Bihar. Cement: Katni in M.P., Lakheri in Rajasthan, Jabalpur (M.P.), Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Jhinkapani (Singhbhum district of Jharkhand), Surajpur (Haryana). China Clay: Rajmahal Hills, Singhbhum district of Bihar, Kerala. Chromite: Singhbhum and Bhagalpur (Jharkhand); Ratnagiri, Salem (Tamil Nadu); Karnataka; Keonjhar (Orissa); Ladakh (Kashmir). Coal: Raniganj (West Bengal); Jharia, Giridih, Karanpur (Bihar); Bokaro, (Jharkhand) Panch Valley and Chanda (M.P.); Singareni (Andhra Pradesh) and Mukum (Assam). Cobalt: Rajasthan and Kerala. Copper: Jharkhand (Singhbhum and Barajamda); Rajasthan (Khetri). Corborundum: Khasi Hills (Assam); Rewa (M.P.); Salem (Tamil Nadu); Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir. Diamond: Diamond mines are found in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh. Feldspar: Burdwan (West Bengal); Rewa (M.P.); Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu); Alwar and Ajmer (Rajasthan). Fuller’s Earth: (soft clay used in soap-making) is found in Rajasthan, M.P. and Karnataka. Gold: Kolar gold-fields (Karnataka). Graphite: Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa and Kerala. Gypsum: Bikaner and Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Heavy Water: Talchar in Orissa; Kota in Rajasthan; Baroda in Gujarat; Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu; Nangal in Punjab. Ilmenite: Kerala. Occurs in the ―Bank Sands‖ of the beaches near Quilon. Iron Ore: Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj (Orissa). Kaynite: largest deposits occur at Kharswan near Jamshedpur, Singhbhum (Bihar). Lac: W. Bengal. Lead: Zawar in Udaipur and at the Banjavi mines in Jaipur (Rajasthan). Lignite: Neyveli in South Arcot district (Tamil Nadu). Limestone: Singareni and Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Panchmahal (Gujarat), Balaghat, Bhandara, Chhindwara, Nagpur, Indore, Vishakhapatnam, Sandur (Tamil Nadu). Manganese: Madhya Pradesh. Marble: Jaipur (Rajasthan). Mica: Koderma in Hazaribagh district, Monghyr (Bihar), Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Monazite Sands: are found in abundance in Travancore coast (Kerala State). Thorium is processed from Monazite sands. Nitre: Bihar, U.P., Tamil Nadu and Punjab. Petroleum: Digboi, Badarpur, Musimpur and Patharia fields of Assam, Cambay basin near Baroda where oilfields have been discovered and production has started. Large-scale drilling for oil is in progress in India in Bombay and Gujarat. Pitchblende: Gaya (Bihar). Red Stone: Jodhpur (Rajasthan). Salt: Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan), and is also obtained from ocean water of Ranns of Kutch, on the north-western and south-eastern littoral (sea-shore) of India. Saltpetre: Punjab, U.P. and Bihar. Silmanite: Khasi Hills (Assam); Rewa (M.P.). Silmanite is used in the manufacture of furnace-lining in iron and steel industry. It is also used in glass and ceramic industry. Silver: Karnataka; Singhbhum and Manbhum (Jharkhand); Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 120

Steatite: Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, U.P., Karnataka and Rajasthan. Tin: (Bihar) Hazaribagh district. Thorium: (Processed from monazite sand) Travancore (Kerala). Tungsten: Bihar, Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Marwar. Uranium: Bihar. Zinc: from Zawar mines in Udaipur (Rajasthan). Zircon: occurs in the beach sands of Kerala and Cape Comorin. Bihar produces 40% of the mineral wealth of India. World’s Largest Producers of Crops, Minerals, Industrial goods etc. (The first-mentioned country in each case shown in italics is the largest producer) Aluminium: U.S.A., Canada Norway, Switzerland, France and India. Asbestos: Canada leads in the world in production of Asbestos. Carpets: Iran, India. Cheese: U.S.A., England, Netherlands and Australia. Coal: U.S.A., England, Germany, Russia, Australia and India. Cocoa: Ghana, S. America and West Indies. Coffee: Brazil, Indonesia, India. Copper: Chile. Cotton: U.S.A., Russia, Egypt, India, Brazil, Argentina and Pakistan. Electric Bulbs: England, U.S.A., India. Gold: South Africa, Australia, Canada, S. America, India. Ilmenite: India. Iron ore: U.S.A., CIS, U.K., France, Germany, India and Spain. Jute: Bangladesh, India. Manganese: India is largest producer of Manganese in the world. Gabon Republic situated on the western coast of South Africa is known as having one of the richest deposits at Moanda. Mercury: Italy, Spain and U.S.A. Monazite: India, supplies 88% of the world‘s need. Petroleum: U.S.A., Venezuela, Russia, Middle East countries, Iran and Myanmar. Plastic Goods: U.S.A., England. Rock Phosphate: Morocco is world‘s leading supplier. Rubber: Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. About 40% of the world’s natural rubber is produced by Malaysia. Silk: China, U.S.A., France. Silver: Mexico, U.S.A., Peru and India. Steel: U.S.A., Germany, CIS and England. Sugar: Cuba. Tea: India, China, Sri Lanka, Japan and Indonesia. Tin: Malaysia, Indonesia. Wool: Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 121

India At A Glance

India completed 65 years as a nation on August 15, 2012. During these 65 years, sizeable progress had been made, but there were also many failures. India has made numerous achievements, notably in agriculture, defence and industrial development. Other problems, such as population growth, law and order and corruption continue to be ignored. India is a huge country, now with more than 1 billion people, and also a nuclear power. Yet, it does not account for much in the world. The 2009 Human Development Report ranked it at 134th out of 182 countries, wedged in between Lao and Solomon Islands. India is a globalization success but it cannot look after its children. Over 2.5 million children die in India every year, accounting for one in five child deaths in the world. Girls under five are 50 per cent more likely to die than boys, with the female death risk remaining higher till the age of 30. Poor mother and child health is one of the major factors that have kept India‘s Human Development Index (HDI) rank low. The disparity between States remains phenomenal, with four States—Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh—accounting for over half of the child deaths in the country. According to Economic Survey, 2009, economic growth decelerated in 2008-09 to 6.7 per cent. This represented a decline of 2.1 per cent from the average growth rate of 8.8 per cent in the previous five years (2003-04 to 2007-08). The five years of high growth had raised the expectations of the people. Few, however, remember that during the preceding five-year period from 1998-99 to 2002-03 average growth was only 5.4 per cent, while the highest growth rate achieved during the period was 6.7 per cent (in 1998-99). Per capita GDP growth, a proxy for per capita income, which broadly reflects the improvement in the income of the average person, grew by an estimated 4.6 per cent in 2008-09. Though this represents a substantial slowdown from the average growth of 7.3 per cent per annum during the previous five years, it is still significantly higher than the average 3.3 per cent per annum income growth during 1998-99 to 2002-03. The per capita income in 2008-09, measured in terms of gross domestic product at constant 1999-2000 market prices, was Rs. 31,278. In 2007-08 this stood at Rs. 29,901. Per capita consumption in 2008-09 was Rs. 17,344 as against a level of Rs. 17,097 in 2007-08. While there has been an increase in levels of per capita income and consumption, there has been a perceptible slowdown in their growth rate. The growth in per capita GDP decelerated from 8.1 per cent in 2006- 07 to 4.6 per cent in 2008-09, while the per capita consumption growth declined from 6.9 per cent in 2007-08 to 1.4 per cent in 2008-09. The overall growth of GDP at factor cost at constant prices in 2008-09, as per revised estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) (May 29, 2009) was 6.7 per cent. This is lower than the 7 per cent projection in the Mid-Year Review 2008-09 (Economic Division, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), December 2008) and the advance estimate of 7.1 per cent, released subsequently by CSO in February 2009. With the CSO drastically reducing their estimate of GDP from agriculture (based on third advance estimates), and given that the DEA‘s 7 per cent estimate assumed normal agricultural growth, it would have had to be adjusted for any shortfall. The growth of GDP at factor cost (at constant 1999-2000 prices) at 6.7 per cent in 2008-09 nevertheless represents a deceleration from high growth of 9.0 per cent and 9.7 per cent in 2007-08 and 2006-07 respectively. The deceleration of growth in 2008-09 was spread across all sectors except mining & quarrying and community, social and personal services. The growth in agriculture and allied activities decelerated from 4.9 per cent in 2007-08 to 1.6 per cent in 2008-09, mainly on account of the high base effect of 2007-08 and due to a fall in the production of non-food crops including oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane and jute. The production of wheat was also marginally lower than in 2007-08.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 122

The manufacturing, electricity and construction sectors decelerated to 2.4, 3.4 and 7.2 per cent, respectively, during 2008-09, from 8.2, 5.3 and 10.1 per cent, respectively, in 2007-08. The slowdown in manufacturing could be attributed to the combined impact of a fall in exports followed by a decline in domestic demand, especially in the second half of the year. The rise in the cost of inputs during the beginning of the year and the cost of credit (through most of the year) reduced manufacturing margins and profitability. The growth in production sectors, especially manufacturing, was adversely affected by the impact of the global recession and associated factors. The electricity sector continued to be hampered by capacity constraints and the availability of coal, particularly during the first half of the year. As long as the coal sector remains a public sector monopoly (the only remaining nationalized sector), it could remain a bottleneck for accelerated development of the power sector. The construction industry consists of different segments like housing, infrastructure, industrial construction, commercial real estate, etc. While the industry went through a boom phase with growth as high as 16.2 per cent in 2005-06, and continued to grow thereafter (albeit with moderation), the increase in the costs of construction due to a rise in the prices of inputs like steel and cement and interest costs had started impacting the industry. In certain segments of the industry, there was an excessive price build up in the form of a speculative bubble, related to limited supply of urban land for those segments. The rise in interest rates and the slowdown in housing loans also moderated demand. The double squeeze on the costs, as well as the demand side, and the fall in the liquidity in mid-September 2008 precipitated a sharp downturn in this sector. A notable feature of the growth of the Indian economy from 2002-03 has been the rising trend in the gross domestic capital formation (GDCF). Gross capital formation (GCF), which was 25.2 per cent of the GDP in 2002-03, increased to 39.1 per cent in 2007-08. Much of this increase is attributable to a rise in the rate of investment by the corporate sector. The rise in the rate of investment has been on account of various factors, the most important being the transformation in the investment climate, coupled with an optimistic outlook for the growth prospects for the Indian economy. The growth in capital formation in recent years has been amply supported by a rise in the savings rate. The gross domestic savings as a percentage of GDP at current market prices stood at 37.7 per cent in 2007-08 as compared to 29.8 per cent in 2003-04. Private sector savings dominated the total savings in 2007-08 and were at 33.2 per cent of GDP. Of this, the household sector savings was 24.3 per cent of GDP while the private corporate sector accounted for 8.8 per cent. Savings by the public sector was 4.5 per cent of GDP. For three consecutive years (2005-06 to 2007-08), foodgrain production recorded an average annual increase of over 10 million tonnes. The total foodgrain production in 2007-08 was estimated at 230.78 million tonnes as against 217.3 million tonnes in 2006-07. Some of the major social sector initiatives for achieving inclusive growth and faster social sector development and to remove economic and social disparities in the Eleventh Five Year Plan include: the Bharat Nirman programme, Mid-day Meal Scheme, National Rural Health Mission, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Central support for the social programmes has continued to supplement efforts made by the States. Under NREGS, over four crore households were provided employment in 2008-09. This is a significant jump over the 3.39 crore households covered under the scheme during 2007-08. Out of the 215.63 crore person-days of employment created under the scheme during this period, 29 per cent and

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 123

25 per cent were in favour of SC and ST population respectively. 48 per cent of the total person-days of employment created went in favour of women. The agriculture debt waiver and relief scheme implemented during the year was able to restore institutional credit to farmers and helped to support demand and revive investment in the rural and the agriculture sector. General: India is a country of huge dimensions, measuring 3,214 km from north to south, and 2,933 km from east to west. The total area is 32,87,263 sq km, with a land frontier of 15,200 km and a coastline of 6,083 km. Occupying a strategic position in the Asian continent, the country shares its borders with Pakistan on the west, Bangladesh and Myanmar on the east; along the northern boundary are Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and the Sinkiang province of China. Just across the seas are Arabia and Africa on the west, Malaysia and the large Indonesian Archipelago on the east. Indian rivers carry about 1,683,000 million cubic metres of water every year. The main rivers of the Himalayan system, both snow-fed and rain-fed, are the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, all of them flowing throughout the year. The Indus has five tributaries—Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej; it runs through the Himalayas, then flows into Sind (Pakistan) and finally into the Arabian Sea. The major rivers of the Deccan system are Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Mahanadi, Damodar, Sharavati, Periyar, Narmada and Tapti. Being all rain-fed, many of them are reduced into rivulets during the summer. These rivers contribute about 30 per cent of the outflow. Area and Population: India has only 2.4 per cent of the total world area but contains about 16 per cent of the population. It is the second most populous country in the world, next to China which accounts for over one-fifth of the world‘s total. India‘s 2001 Census put the total population at 1,027,015,247, comprising 531,277,078 men and 495,738,690 women. The decadal growth, however, declined from 23.86 per cent in 1981-91 to 21.34 per cent in 1991-2000. In real numbers, India has registered a fall in its decadal growth rate by 2.52 per cent, the sharpest of its kind in Independent India. Bihar beat everyone in the decadal growth percentage with a high of 28.43 per cent, against Kerala with the lowest at 9.42 per cent. The number of literate people in the country too has gone up significantly, comprising three-fourths of the male population and more than half of the female population, while, for the first time since independence, the absolute members of illiterates have shown a significant decline. The literacy rates among the population seven years and above stood at 65.38 per cent and the corresponding figures for males and females were 75.85 and 54.16, respectively. Kerala continued its lead in literacy rate with 90.02 per cent, followed by Mizoram (88.49) and Lakshadweep (87.52), while Bihar recorded the lowest literacy rate of 47.53 per cent. West Bengal has shifted from 6th to 11th position when it comes to literacy. Uttar Pradesh continued to be the most populous State with 16.7 per cent of India‘s population, followed by Maharashtra (9.42 per cent) and Bihar (8.07 per cent). Due to creation of Jharkhand, Bihar has become the third populous State after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Till the 1991 census composite Bihar was the second most populous State. Kerala recorded the lowest population growth rate of 9.42 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu (11.19) and Andhra Pradesh (13.86).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 124

The sex ratio in the country is 933 females per 1000 males, which is an improvement of six points over 927 recorded in 1991 census. The highest sex ratio of 1058 women per 1000 men has been reported from Kerala, while Haryana recorded the lowest ratio of 861. The sharpest decline in sex ratio of child population has been observed in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttaranchal, Maharashtra and Chandigarh. West Bengal is the most densely populated State with 904 persons living per sq km, followed by Bihar with 880. National Population Policy: The Union Cabinet adopted the National Population Policy, 2000 detailing several promotional and motivational measures, including extension of the freeze on Lok Sabha seats till 2026. Seeking higher investments in social infrastructure, and a comprehensive package of reproductive and child health services, the policy stated that sustainable development with more equitable distribution was not possible without stabilising population. The annual increase of 15.5 million people was neutralising the efforts to conserve the environment or to boost development. A national commission on population, chaired by Prime Minister, has also been announced, which would monitor and guide the implementation of the policy. Free Schooling: The Union government decided to make free and compulsory elementary education, for children in the age group of 6-14 years, a fundamental right. The Muhiram Saikia Committee estimated that an expenditure of Rs 40,000 crore over a period of 5 years was required to set up the necessary facilities. The Lok Sabha, on November 28, 2001, unanimously passed a Constitution amendment making education for children in the age group of 6-14 years a fundamental right. Education is the eighth in a set of fundamental rights recognised by the Constitution as basic privileges due to every Indian citizen. Among them are right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation and right to freedom of religion. The new fundamental duty in the Constitution requires parents or guardians to provide opportunities for education, while not penalizing them for failing to do so. The legislation also incorporates a new Directive Principles of State Policy—a list of principles the government is expected to work towards—that says: ―the State shall endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children till the age of six.‖ Critics, however, say that the move has two major flaws—it does not talk about compulsory education for children up to six years, and it shifts the main responsibility of providing education from the State to parents. Most parents, they argue, don‘t have the means to provide education, or lack the inclination. It would be difficult to translate the right into action. Most poor parents don‘t have enough means to accord priority to education. The State should have taken the responsibility. Religious Communities: India has several religious communities and sects, the important among them being: (1) the Hindus (who constitute 82.72 per cent) of the total population and the majority (60 per cent and above) in most of the States and Union Territories; (2) Muslims (11.21 per cent); (3)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 125

Christians, the third biggest community (2.60 per cent). Over 60 per cent of the Christians live in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh; (4) Sikhs (about 1.89 per cent) are concentrated largely in Punjab where they form 60.22 per cent of the population; (5) Buddhists form only 0.73 per cent of the population. Over 85 per cent of them live in Maharashtra, and most of the others in Arunachal Pradesh; (6) Jains form only 0.47 per cent of the population. They live mostly in the Western region—Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. A small number reside in other States; (7) Zoroastrians (only around 90,000 in number) are concentrated in Mumbai. Census of religions: The Census Commissioner of India released in September 2004, for the first time, data on population, number of literates, category and types of workers for each major religious group, to give valuable insights into the developmental patterns of each major community. As per the Census figures, Hindus continue to comprise an overwhelming majority of the country—80.5%—although their growth rate has declined by 4.8% in the period 1981-91 to 1991-2001, from 25.1% to 20.3%. Muslims account for 13.4% of the population, but their growth rate has nudged up by 1.5%, from 34.5% to 36%. In other words, for every Muslim there are six Hindus in the country. The highest, and perhaps puzzling, growth rate has been among Jains—from 4.6% to 26%. In the same period, Sikhs‘ growth rate declined by a significant 6.1%, from 24.3% to 18.2%, while Buddhists‘ growth rate dipped even more sharply—by 10.6%, from 35.1% to 24.5%. The Christian growth rate has, however, gone up by 1.1%, from 21.5% to 22.6%. Literacy-wise, Jains top the list with 94.1%, followed by Christians at 80.3%, Buddhists 72.7%, Sikhs 69.4%, Hindus 65.1% and Muslims 59.1%. The national average for literacy is 64.8%. For female literacy, the national average is expectedly lower at 53.7%. Jains take the lead with a female literacy figure of 90.6%, followed by Christians at 76.2%, Sikhs 63.1%, Buddhists 61.7%, Hindus 53.2% and Muslims 50.1%. At the national level, among the major religious groups, Christians had the highest sex ratio of 1009, growing from 994 in 1991. They are followed by Buddhists (953) and Jains (940). Sikhs have the lowest sex ratio (893) among all major religious communities. The sex ratio among Hindus is 931, a shade lower than the national average of 933, while that among Muslims is 936. ‗Other religions and persuasions‘, the term that clubs together various smaller groups like the Parsis, the Jews and animists, do rather well (992) on this count. Excluding the Muslims of J&K from the 2001 figures, the growth of the Muslim population from 1991 to 2001 was 29.3%, significantly lower than the near 33% growth figure of 1981-91. The adjusted Hindu growth rate comes to 19.9%. Languages: India is a country of hundreds of languages and dialects. The 1961 census had listed 16,752 languages as mother tongues spoken in the country. Of these mother tongues, only 33 are spoken by one lakh or more people, the others being minor ones. India‘s official language, as prescribed in Article 343 of the Constitution, is Hindi in Devanagari script. Eighteen regional languages are officially recognised by the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. These are: (in alphabetical order) Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telegu and Urdu.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 126

Article 343 also provided that for a period of 15 years from the commencement of the Constitution, the English language would continue to be used for all official purposes of the Union. In view of the demand from the Southern States, which were reluctant to accept Hindi as the country‘s sole national language, English was continued as an additional official language. No date was fixed for elimination of English and adoption of Hindi as the language for official use throughout the country. Constitution and Political set-up: India is a Union of 28 States and 6 Union Territories, including National Capital Region Delhi, the largest in area being Rajasthan and the smallest being Sikkim. India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The country‘s Constitution came into force from January 26, 1950. The overall structure is federal with several features of the unitary system. Article 79 of the Constitution says that the Parliament shall consist of the President and two Houses known as the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and House of the People (Lok Sabha). Though the President is not a member of either House, he is an integral part of the Parliament and performs certain functions relating to its proceedings. The Parliament has the following functions: a) to make legislations for development and for benefit of society, b) exercise control over the Executive, c) it supplies members of the Council of Ministers, d) it has financial control over the Executive and e) provides an opportunity to deliberate various policies and measures before implementation. Rajya Sabha: The Rajya Sabha consists of two categories of members, elected and nominated. They have a term of six years, and one-third of the members retire every two years. Article 80 says that the Rajya Sabha will consist of a) 12 members to be nominated by the President and b) not more than 238 representatives of the States and Union Territories. At present the strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245, of which 233 are elected and 12 nominated. The persons to be nominated by the President shall consist of persons having special knowledge or experience, such as literature, science, art and social service. The Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Deputy Chairman is elected by the Rajya Sabha from among its members. Lok Sabha: Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by the people of India, except for two members of the Anglo-Indian community nominated by the President. In the Constitution, the strength of the Lok Sabha was provisioned to be not more than 552, with 530 members from States, 20 from Union Territories and 2 nominated from among the Anglo-Indian community. The Parliament has fixed the strength of the Lok Sabha to be 545 (530 + 13 + 2). The 42nd Amendment had frozen the representation of States and UTs at 543 till the year 2001. The 91st Amendment further extended the freeze till 2026, as an incentive aimed at population stabilisation. However, readjustment and rationalisation of territorial constituencies within the States has been allowed. This means that while the number of constituencies allotted to each State will remain constant, the territorial boundaries of the constituencies will be redrawn to balance out the electorate represented by each of them. The normal tenure of the Lok Sabha is 5 years. But the House can be dissolved by the President before the end of the normal tenure. It can also be extended by the Parliament beyond the normal 5-year term during a national emergency proclaimed under Article 352. This extension is not more than one year at a time. Under Article 83 the normal tenure was 5 years, which was extended to 6 years by the 42nd Amendment but the 44th Amendment again fixed the normal tenure of 5 years.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 127

To become a member of Lok Sabha, a person must: a) be a citizen of India, b) be not less than 25 years of age, c) be a registered voter in any Parliamentary constituency, and d) should not hold any office of profit. The Speaker is the Chief Presiding officer of the Lok Sabha. He is elected from among the members of the Lok Sabha but continues to hold office even after dissolution of the House. He is responsible for the dignity and privileges of the House since the Speaker represents the Lok Sabha as an institution. The quorum to constitute a meeting of either House of Parliament is one tenth of the total number of members of the House. The Constitution states that there should not be a gap of more than 6 months between two consecutive sittings. There are 3 types of sessions: a) Budget session, between February and May b) monsoon session, July-August c) winter session, November-December The Lok Sabha can be dissolved by the President but the Rajya Sabha is a permanent body not subject to dissolution. 50 years of Lok Sabha: 2002 marked the 50th year of the constituting of the Lok Sabha. The official notification of the constituting of Lok Sabha was made on April 17, 1952. During the first two years it was known as ‗House of People‘. It began to be known as Lok Sabha on May 14, 1954. Presidential Elections: The President of India is the Constitutional head of the executive. He is elected for five years by an electoral college comprising all elected M.P.s and M.L.A.s. The real power rests with the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, as provided in Article 74(1). The Ministry is collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok Sabha). Similarly, in the States the Governor is the executive head, but all effective power rests with the Ministry, which is collectively responsible to the State Legislative Assembly. The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament. The legislative powers are distributed between the Parliament and the State legislatures, the residual powers being vested in the Parliament. The Parliament comprises two Houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha (with a total strength of 244 of whom 12 are nominated for distinction in arts, science and social service). State Executive: The Governor is the executive head of the State and acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers of the State. Generally one Governor is appointed for each State but after the 7th Amendment (1956), a Governor could be appointed for two States. The Governor is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers at the Union. A Governor must: a) be a citizen of India, b) must have completed 35 years of age, c) must not hold any office of profit and d) if an MP is appointed as Governor, his seat becomes vacant. Fundamental Rights and Directives: Several basic freedoms are guaranteed by the Chapter on

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 128

Fundamental Rights (Part III of the Constitution, Articles 12 to 35) which are justiciable (can be enforced by courts). The Constitution also lays down certain Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV of the Constitution, Articles 36 to 51) which are not justiciable but are important guidelines and are fundamental to the governance of the country. It is the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws. These Directives require the State to strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting, as effectively as it may, a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of national life. In a judgement delivered on July 1, 1993, the Supreme Court ruled that the Right to Life (Art. 21) included the right to livelihood. Arbitrary dismissal of an employee after paying him one month‘s salary in lieu of statutory notice was held to be violative of the Constitutional rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21. The Fundamental Duties of citizens are enumerated by the 42nd Amendment (Article 51A), enjoining upon every citizen to follow the noble ideals of the founding fathers and promote harmony and brotherhood among all the people. The Constitution is supreme, not the Parliament. The Supreme Court, the final tribunal of appeal, has the authority to adjudicate on the constitutionality of any law passed by the Parliament.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 129

Capitals Of Countries

Afghanistan: Kabul Albania: Tirana Algeria: Algiers Angola: Luanda Antigua & Barbuda: St John‘s Argentina: Buenos Aires Armenia: Yerevan Australia: Canberra Austria : Vienna Azerbijan: Baku Bahamas: Nassau Bahrain: Manama Bangladesh: Dhaka Barbados: Bridgetown Belgium: Brussels Belarus: Minsk Belize: Belmopan Benin: Porto Novo Bhutan: Thimpu Bosnia-Herzegovina : Sarajevo Botswana: Gaberones Bolivia: La Paz Brazil: Brasillia Brunei: Bandar Seri Begawan Bulgaria: Sofia Burkina Faso: Ouagadougau Burundi : Bujumbura Cambodia: Phnom Penh Cameroon: Yaounde Canada: Ottawa Cape Verde: Praia Central African Republic: Bangui Chad: Fort Lamy Chile: Santiago China: Beijing Colombia: Bogota Congo: Brazzaville Costa Rica: San Jose Croatia: Zagreb Cuba: Havana Cyprus: Nicosia Czech Republic: Prague Denmark: Copenhagen Djibouti : Djibouti Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo East Timor: Dilli Ecuador: Quito Egypt: Cairo

Lesotho: Maseru Liberia: Verduz Libya: Tripoli Liechtenstein: Vaduz Lithuania: Vilnius Luxembourg: Luxembourg Macedonia: Skopje Madagascar: Antananarivo Malawi: Zomba Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur Maldives: Male Mali: Bamako Malta: Valletta Mauritius: Port Louis Mauritania: Nouakchott Mexico: Mexico City Moldova: Chisinan Monaco: Monaco Mongolia: Ulan Bator Morocco: Rabat Mozambique: Lourenco Marques Myanmar (Burma): Rangoon Namibia: Windhoek Nauru: Yaren Nepal : Kathmandu Netherlands: Amsterdam New Zealand : Wellington Niger: Niamey Nigeria: Abuja Northern Ireland: Belfast Norway : Oslo Oman: Muscat Pakistan: Islamabad Palau: Koror Palestine: Jericho (Headquarters) Panama: Panama City Papua New Guinea: Port Moresly Paraguay: Asuncion Peru: Lima Philippines: Manila Poland: Warsaw Portugal: Lisbon Qatar: Doha Romania: Bucharest Russia: Moscow Rwanda: Kigali Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Senegal: Dakar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 130

Equatorial Guinea: Santa Isabel Eritrea: Asmara Estonia: Tallion Ethiopia: Addis Ababa Fiji: Suva Finland: Helsinki France: Paris Gabon: Libreville Gambia: Banjul Georgia: Tiblisi Germany: Berlin Ghana: Accra Greece: Athens Grenada: St George‘s Guatemala: Guatemala City Guinea: Conakry Guinea-Bissau: Bissau Guyana: Georgetown Honduras: Tegucigalpa Hungar: Budapest India: New Delhi Indonesia: Jakarta Iran: Tehran Iraq: Baghdad Ireland (or Eire): Dublin Israel: Jerusalem Italy: Rome Ivory Coast: Abidjan Jamaica: Kingston Japan: Tokyo Jordan: Amman Kenya: Nairobi Kazakhstan: Alma-Ata Kirghiztan: Bishkek Kiribati: Tarawa Korea (North): Pyongyang Korea (South): Seoul Latvia: Riga Latvia: Riga Laos: Vientiane Lebanon: Beirut

Serbia: Belgrade Seychelles: Victoria Sierra Leone: Freetown Singapore: Singapore City Slovakia: Bratislava Slovenia: Ljubejana South Africa: Pretoria and Cape Town Somalia: Magadishu Spain: Madrid Sri Lanka: Colombo Sudan: Khartoum Suriname: Paramaribo Swaziland: Mbabne Sweden: Stockholm Switzerland: Berne Syria: Damascus Tajikistan: Dushanbe Taiwan: Taipei Tanzania: Dodoma Thailand: Bangkok Togoland: Lome Tonga: Nuku‘alofa Trinidad and Tobago: Port-of-Spain Tunisia: Tunis Turkey: Ankara Turkmenistan: Ashkhabad Uganda: Kampala Ukraine: Kiev United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi United Kingdom: London Upper Volta: Quagadougon Uruguay: Montivideo U.S.A.: Washington Uzbekistan: Tashkent Vanuatu: Port Vile Vietnam: Hanoi Western Samoa: Apia Yemen: San‘a Zaire Republi: Kinshasa Zambia: Lusaka Zimbabwe: Harare

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 131

World Geography- Important Boundary Lines

Durand Line :

Between Pakistan and Afghanistan, demarcated by Sir Mortimer Durand in 1896.

Hindenberg Line :

The line to which the Germans retreated in 1917 during the First World War, defines the boundary between Germany and Poland.

Line of Control :

It divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Maginot Line :

Boundary between France and Germany.

Mannerheim Line :

Drawn by General Mannerheim; fortification on the Russia an Finland border.

McMahon Line :

The boundary between India and China as demarcated by Sir Henry McMahon in 1914. China does not recognise this line.

Oder Niesse Line :

Boundary between Germany and Poland.

Radcliffe Line :

Drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe in 1947 as demarcation between India and Pakistan.

Seigfrid Line :

Line of fortification drawn by Germany on its border with France.

17th Parallel :

The line which defined the boundary between North Vietnam and South Vietnam before the two were united.

24th Parallel :

The line which Pakistan claims should be the demarcation between India and Pakistan.

38th Parallel :

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 132

Boundary between North Korea and South Korea.

49th Parallel :

Boundary between USA and Canada.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 133

Wild Life Facts

MAMMALS • REPTILES • AMPHIBIANS • FISH • INSECTS • BIRDS

MAMMALS

Largest and Heaviest

Blue Whale Average length 30.5 m Largest ever recorded 33.58 m Pregnant female may weigh 203 tones

Smallest Land Mammal

Kitti‘s hog-nosed Bat (Found in Thailand)2 Wing span 16 cm weight 1.75 to 2 g

Smallest Marine Mammal

Probably Heaviside‘s dolphin(Found in South Atlantic) Length 1.22 m Weight 41 kg

Rarest Mammal Rarest Mammal

Aspecies of tenrec from Madagascar is only known from a single specimen.

Fastest Mammal

Cheetah (found in Africa, Middle East, W. Asia) can run at 100 kph over short distances. Pronhorn antelope (Found in USA) Can run at 60 kph over long distances.

Slowest Mammal

Three-toedsloth (found in South America) covers about 5 m a minute in trees, and only 2 m aminute on the ground.

Highest Mammal

Yak (found in Tibet and China) climbs to 6000 m to feed.

REPTILES

Largest and Heaviest

Estuarine Crocodile (found in Asia, Australia) Average length (male) up to 4.3 m Longest ever recorded 8.23 m

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 134

Largest Lizard

Komodo dragon (found in Indonesian Island) length up to 3 m

largest Turtle

Pacific leatherback turtle Average length (male) up to 2.13 m weight up to 363 kg.

Fastest Amphibian (On Land)

Six-linedracerunner (found in USA) can run at 29 kph

Fastest Amphibian (In Water)

(In Water) Pacific Leatherback turtle can swim at 35 kph

Longest Snake

Reticulated Python (found in India and South-east Asia) Average length more than 6 m Longest ever recorded 10 m

Most Poisonous Snake

Sea Snake (found in North West Australia)

Most Poisonous Land Snake

Fierce Snake(found in Australia) has most toxic venom.

AMPHIBIANS

Largest Amphibian

Chinese gaintsalamander Average length 1m Longest ever recorded 1.52 m Weight 11 to 13 kg.

Largest Frog

Goliath Frog (found in Africa) Length of body 33.5 cm

Largest Toad

Probably marinetoad (found in South America) Length 22.9 cm.

Largest Newt

Ribbed newt (found in Africa) Length upto 40 cm Weight 450 g

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 135

Highest Toad

Common toad One found in Himalayas at 8000 m

Most Poisonous

Kokoiarrow-poison frog (found in South America) A tiny amount of toxin is enough to kill a man.

Smallest Newt

Striped newt (found in USA) length 5.1 cm

BIRDS

Largest Bird (Flightless)

North African Ostrich Height (male) 2.74 m Weight 156.5 kg eggs up to 20 cm long

Largest Wing Span

Wandering albatross (found in Southern Oceans) Average length (male) 3.15 m Largest ever recorded 3.6 m

Smallest Bird

Helena‘s humming bird (found in Cuba) Average length (male) 5.8 cm (head and body 1.5 cm) Weight 2 g Egg 1.14 cm long

Rarest Bird

Mauritius Kestrel (found in Mauritius) About 5 are thought to remain.

Fastest Bird

Spine-tailed swift (found in Russia and Himalayas) flies at 171 kph

Longest Flight

Arctic tern May cover 40,000 km a year migrating from Arctic to Antarctic and back.

Fastest Under Water

Gentoo Penguin swims at 36 kph

Largest Nest

Bald eagles

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 136

one was 2.9 m wide and 6 m deep.

FISHES

Largest Fish (Plankton-eating)

Whale Shark Largest ever recorded 18.5 m long.

Largest Fish (Meat Eating)

Great white shark (the man-eater) Average length up to 4.57 m.

Heaviest Bony Fish

Ocean sunfish is the heaviest largest ever recorded 2.28 tonnes.

Longest Bony Fish

Russian sturgeon or Beluga Length up to 8 m

Fastest Fish

Probably Sailfish fastest ever recorded 109 kph

Most Poisonous Fish

Stonefish (foundin Indian and Pacific Oceans) Poison carried in spines can cause a person‘s death within a few hours.

Most Electric

Electric eel (found in South America) can produce 400 to 500 volts.

INSECTS

Largest Insect

Goliath beetle (found in Africa) Weight (male) 100g

Longest Insect

Tropical stick insect Length up to 33 cm

Largest locust Swarn

A Swarn of desert locusts that crossed the Red Sea in 1889. Swarn estimated to contain 250,000,000 insects weighing about 500,000 tonnes and covering 5,000 sq. km

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 137

Largest Butterfly

Queen Alexandra bird wing (found in Guinea) Wing span 28 cm, weight 5 g

Most Dangerous Ant

Black bulldog ant (found in Australia and Tasmaina) One bite can kill a man.

Fastest Wing Beat

A tiny midge can beat its wings 1000 times a second.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 138

Physical Geography

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 139

The Earth—Its Motions and their Effects The earth has two motions, viz., (1) Rotation around its axis or the daily motion. The axis of the earth is an imaginary line inclined at 66.5° to the plane of the orbit of the earth. The earth rotates round its axis from west to east once in 24 hours. Effects: Days and nights are caused. The sun, moon and other heavenly bodies appear to revolve round the earth from east to west. Direction of winds and currents is changed. (2) Revolution round the sun on its orbit, or the annual motion: The earth revolves round the sun once in about 365.25 days. Effects: It causes seasons; days and nights are of unequal length at the same place. Important elements in the earth’s crust The five most abundant elements in the earth‘s crust are: Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminium, Iron and Calcium. (The other three are Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium.) Oceans—Their Importance Oceans are the source of all water on earth as the evaporated water from over their surface is brought to earth by the winds passing over them. They are the highways of the world and most of the world trade is carried through the sea. Innumerable fish and other animals living in the oceans are a great source of food to mankind. Minerals like salt, iodine etc. are derived from the ocean waters and sea-weeds. Ocean Currents: are rivers of warm or cold water flowing in an ocean. Their banks and beds also consist of water. Natural Regions A natural region is a large area in which the topography, climate and vegetation are largely similar, and therefore there is a certain uniformity in human activities. Natural Regions of the World (1) Equatorial Region (2) Hot-Grassland Region (3) Monsoon Region (4) Hot Deserts Region (5) Mediterranean Region (6) Steppe Region (7) Tundra Region (8) Warm Temperate Region (9) Cool Temperate Region. Natural Regions of India (1) The Himalayas and the adjacent mountains; (2) The Sutlej-Ganga plains; (3) The coastal plains of Western and Eastern ghats; (4) The Deccan plateau. Factors Determining Climate of a Place (1) Distance from the Equator (2) Height above sea-level (3) Distance from the sea (4) Winds (5) Direction of Mountains (6) Ocean currents (7) Slope of land (8) Nature of the soil (9) Forests. Factors Determining Temperature (i) sun rays, (ii) height above sea-level (iii) movements of atmospheric winds, (iv) ocean currents. Rainfall Two important conditions must be satisfied in order to have rain: (1) There should be moisture-laden air, (2) There should be some means whereby air is cooled and condensation takes place. The air obtains water vapours by evaporation from the surface of large bodies of water, usually from the sea. Monsoons in India Monsoons are periodic winds which blow from sea to land for six months in summer and from land to sea for six months in winter. Monsoon winds prevail over India at different seasons.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 140

South-West Monsoons: These are rain-bearing winds which prevail from about the end of May to the end of September. During summer, the sun‘s rays fall vertically on the Tropic of Cancer making the Indian plains intensely hot. But the rays of the sun fall obliquely over the Indian Ocean during this period. The land is hotter than the sea, there is, therefore, low pressure over the land and high pressure over the sea. The winds blow from high to low pressure i.e., from the sea to the land, and are therefore wet winds. Because of the rotation of the earth, the monsoon winds blowing over India deflect to the right after crossing the Equator and become south-west winds. These are, therefore, called south-west monsoons. India depends largely on these rain-bearing south-west winds. These winds give to India about 90% of the total rainfall. During their prevalence, the chief crops cultivated are rice, cotton, tobacco, tea, jawar and bajra. North-East Monsoons (or Winter Monsoons): During the months of November to January i.e., in winter, the sun‘s rays fall vertically on the Tropic of Capricorn. The air over the Indian Ocean during this period thus becomes hot and light and there is low pressure. The sun‘s rays fall obliquely on the plains of India during these months with the result that the air over these plains is cold and heavy and there is high pressure. The winds, therefore, blow from plains to the Indian Ocean. While crossing the Equator, they deflect to the left and are known as north-east monsoons. The North-East Monsoons bring only about 10% of the total rain to India as they are chilly and dry land winds. But the moisture that they pick from the Bay of Bengal, little as it is, is very useful. Wheat, barley, oats, oilseeds and sugarcane are cultivated during this season. Thus these monsoon winds have much importance for India. Weather and Climate Weather means the atmospheric conditions e.g., temperature, rainfall, humidity, winds, sunshine and cloudiness of a particular place on a particular day. Climate, on the other hand, is the average condition of weather obtaining in a country or a place for a considerable period. India has a great diversity of climatic conditions. Lying largely within the tropics and in the great Asiatic Continent and the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean to the South, the climate of India is essentially the tropical monsoon type. The average annual rainfall in India is 42 inches. Types of Soil in India The main categories of soils in India are: (i) Alluvial soils (ii) Black soils (iii) Red soils (iv) Laterite soils (v) Mountain and hill soils (vi) Terai soils (vii) Desert (or Arid) soil and (viii) Peat soils. Alluvial soil and Black soil Alluvial soil is that soil which is formed by deposition of silts brought down by the rivers. It is rich in hydrated oxides of iron and is very fertile. Black soil or the black cotton soil has a good water-holding capacity and is best suited for deep-rooted crops like cotton. The black soil in wet condition is compact and sticky. The most extensive soil cover of India comprises alluvial soils. Soil Erosion: The soils are usually six to twelve inches in depth. In course of time, the fertility level of the soil is depleted with the result that the soil no longer remains suitable for agriculture. Soil conservation is, therefore, necessary for continued agricultural prosperity.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 141

The agencies of erosion are winds, water and waves of which the water erosion is most common. Rain water removes soil from the surface of sloping lands. Winds remove top soil of lands. Laterite soils are formed by the weathering of laterite rocks. These can be distinguished from other soils by their acidity. Laterite soils are generally poor on the higher levels and cannot retain moisture. In the plains, however, they consist of heavy loams and clay and can retain moisture. Laterite soils occur in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and along the Eastern and Western Ghats. Tea plantation requires acidity which is there in the laterite soil. It is, therefore, common in these areas. Star and Planet Star is the name given to a fixed celestial body which has its own light whereas Planet is the name given to a celestial body which revolves round the sun in elliptical (regular oval shape) orbit. A planet has no light of its own but reflects the light of the sun. Rocks Three main groups of rocks: Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Classification of rocks Igneous rocks: granite. Sedimentary rocks: sandstone; limestone; shale; coal. Metamorphic rocks: marble. Phyllite: This rock is formed by deposits of animal shells and skeletons. Land Breeze and Sea Breeze Land Breeze: At night, land masses cool quicker than the sea. Therefore, in calm, cloudless weather, an air-stream passes from the land to the sea. This breeze carries no moisture, and is a little warm. Sea Breeze: In day-time, the land is hotter than the sea. The air over it rises, and is replaced by a cool breeze from the sea carrying some moisture. Tides Alternate rise and fall of waters of the ocean twice in the course of nearly twenty four hours is termed as ―tides‖. The tides are caused by the gravitational force exerted by the moon and to a lesser degree by the sun, on the earth. The tides do not always rise to the same height. At the time of the new and full moon, when the sun and moon are in a straight line with the earth, the tides rise higher and are known as Spring Tides. Midway between new and full moon when the sun and the moon are at right angles as to their direction from the earth, tides are at the lowest height and are called Neap Tides. Spring Tides and Neap Tides When a high tide is caused twice a month at new moon and again when the moon is full, spring tide is caused as a result of combined attraction of the sun and the moon. When the high tide is not so high, nor the low tide so low, neap tides are caused as a result of the difference of attraction of the sun and the moon. Seasons The change of seasons is due to (i) revolution of the earth round the sun (ii) inclination of earth‘s axis at 66.5° to the plane of its orbit and always pointing to the same direction. On the 21st June, the North Pole is inclined towards the sun and the South Pole is inclined away from it. The rays of the sun fall

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 142

perpendicularly at the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° North) and fall comparatively slanting in the southern hemisphere. Hence the days are longer than nights in the northern hemisphere and it is summer there. Just opposite is the case in the southern hemisphere where the nights are longer at that time and it is winter there. Latitudes and Longitudes India lies entirely to the north of the Equator, between latitudes 8°-4´ and 37°-6´ north and longitude 68°-7´ and 97°-25´ east. The latitude of the South Pole is 90°. South Pole has no longitude. Longitude of a place is its distance east or west of a fixed meridian. The distance of any place north or south of the Equator is called the Latitude of that place. Parallels of latitude: are lines drawn on a map (or globe) showing the latitude of a place. Meridians (or lines) of longitude: These are lines drawn on a map (or globe) showing the longitude of a place. These lines join the north and south pole cutting the Equator at right angles. (Latitudes and Longitudes should be clearly distinguished from Parallels of Latitude and Meridians of Longitude respectively.) By knowing these lines, we can find out exact location of a place. By knowing the latitude of a place we can find out its average temperature, as also its distance from the Equator. By knowing the longitude of a place, we can calculate its local time. Longitude is the angular distance of a place east or west of the prime meridian. The earth rotates upon its axis once in 24 hours and covers 360° in 24 hours. Thus it takes 60 x 24/360 or 4 minutes to cover a degree of longitude or we may say that in four minutes, the earth moves through 1°. There is thus a difference of 4 minutes for each degree of longitude. This fact is used for determining the longitude of a place. All longitudes are measured from the meridian of Greenwich. We can determine the latitude of a place in the northern hemisphere by measuring the altitude of the Pole Star. The altitude of the Pole Star is the latitude of that place. For example, if the altitude of Pole Star at Delhi is 28.5° North, its latitude will also be 28.5°N. The altitude of Pole Star is measured by an instrument called Sextant. Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse Solar Eclipse: is the partial or complete obscuration of the sun because of the passage of the moon in front of it i.e., when the moon comes in between the sun and the earth. The moon then appears as a dark object obscuring the sun. Over a small portion of the earth‘s surface, the moon is seen to blot out the sun completely and a total eclipse is seen by the people in that particular area. But over most of the earth‘s surface, the eclipse seen is partial because only a portion of the sun‘s face remains covered by the moon. Lunar Eclipse: is the partial or complete obscuration of the moon‘s surface when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon. The moon, when it moves through the shadow of the earth, loses its bright direct illumination by the sun, although its disc still remains faintly visible.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 143

An eclipse of the moon is visible and presents the same features at all places on the earth where the moon is above the horizon. The lunar eclipse can be seen with the naked eye, field glass or a small telescope. The lunar eclipse occurs at full moon only when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon which phenomenon does not occur at every full moon. Indian Standard Time The Indian Standard Time is a uniform time adopted by all palces in India without regard to their local time. It is usual for each country to have its standard time for use over the whole country as it would be very difficult if every town or village had its own local time and whenever we moved from one place to another, we should have to alter our watches. Indian Standard Time is the local time of a place near Allahabad situated at 82.5° East longitude. Winds Air moving from one direction to another horizontally is called wind. It is the air in motion. Cause of Wind: The chief cause of winds is difference in pressure. Air always moves from region of high pressure to a region of low pressure to equalize the pressure. For example, the low pressure belt round the Equator is a region of calm known as the doldrums. Although there are no regular winds there, violent squalls and thunderstorms are frequent which come from high pressure areas north and south of the Equator. Direction of Winds: As the earth is rotating daily on its axis from west to east, all winds are deflected. According to Ferrel‘s Law, winds are deflected to the right in Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. Characteristics of the important Wind Systems of the World: 1. Trade Winds: The rays of the sun fall almost vertically at the Equator and the air there becomes hot and the pressure is low. The air rises towards the Poles and descends near 30°N and 30°S. The pressure is high near 30°N and 30°S. Because winds blow from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, winds from over these altitudes blow towards the Equator and Trade Winds are caused. 2. Westerlies (or Anti-Trade Winds): are winds which blow from about 40 degrees N to the Arctic Circle and from about 35 degrees S to the Antarctic Circle throughout the year. They derive their name from the direction in which they blow. In the northern hemisphere they blow in the south-westerly direction and bring winter rain to the Mediterranean regions etc. In the southern hemisphere, they blow in a north-westerly direction. 3. Polar Winds: The winds which blow from the high pressure area around the poles towards the temperate regions are known as polar winds. They are extremely cold. They rise from the North West in the Northern Hemisphere and from the South East in the Southern Hemisphere. 4. Periodical Winds: These are (i) Land and Sea Breezes and (ii) Monsoons which blow in one direction at a particular time or during a particular season. In the hot season in India, the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer, i.e., roughly over the great plains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra so that the air over the plains becomes very hot by about the month of May. At this time, South West Monsoon commences to blow. They bring heavy rains. Monsoon winds prevail over India at different seasons. India depends on the rain-bearing south-west winds which prevail from about the end of May to the end of September. These winds bring to India about 90% of all the rain that falls there.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 144

5. Variable Winds: are the irregular winds as Cyclones and Anti-Cyclones. Rainfall There is heavy rainfall on the West coast because the Western Ghat ranges receive the full force of the monsoons from the Arabian sea and there is heavy rainfall (about 100 inches). On the other hand, the Deccan Plateau gets very scanty rainfall because it falls within the rain-shadow area. Chennai gets winter rainfall as the north-east monsoons which blow in winter pick up moisture from the Bay of Bengal and bring rain to that city. The Bay of Bengal monsoons first bring rain to the eastern parts and then turn westwards. As Kolkata is in the east, it receives more rainfall. As the monsoons blow westwards they become drier and cause less rainfall. So Delhi does not get as much rainfall as Kolkata. In the northern region, the Bay of Bengal monsoons first bring rain to eastern parts and then turn westwards. As the monsoons blow westwards, they go on losing moisture and cause decreasing rainfall. In the southern region, the Arabian Sea monsoons first strike the western ghats and the moisture is drained on the western side whereas rainfall goes on decreasing towards eastern region. Two important conditions must be satisfied in order to have rain: (1) There should be moisture-laden air, (2) There should be some means whereby air is cooled and condensation takes place. The air obtains water vapours by evaporation from the surface of large bodies of water, usually from the sea. The moisture-laden air is cooled in two ways: (i) by rising upward into colder upper regions of the atmosphere, (ii) by blowing as wind to colder regions. Thus we see: (a) Moist air is lighter than dry air and so it readily rises, expands in a short time, cools and falls. (b) When warm winds blow towards cooler regions, it is condensed by cooling effect and rain falls. (c) The land masses or mountains also tend to condense water vapours. When moisture-laden wind is obstructed by mountains, it is forced to rise. As it rises, it becomes cool and rainfall results. Rivers The work of a river is three-fold: (i) The Mountain Stage: The mountain or upper course of a river is swift as the slope at this stage of a river is steep. The main work of a river at this stage is denudation (wearing away). In this swift upper course, the rivers carry big stones, pebbles etc. which go on eroding the sides and beds of the valleys. As time goes on, the river cuts away the spurs on both sides and the valleys become wider and deeper. The mountain stage of the Ganges in India extends from its source up to Hardwar. (ii) The Plain Stage: In this stage the river moves slowly as the slope is gradual and its main work is transportation (navigation) and irrigation. The plain stage of the Ganges extends from Hardwar to Bhagalpur. (iii) The Delta Stage: This is the last stage and the rivers are very slow at this stage. In this slow lower or deltaic course, the main work of the river is deposition. The level of the bed at this stage rises due to mud and silt brought by it and deposited into several channels before falling into the sea. The Ganges forms her delta from Bhagalpur up to the sea.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 145

The deltas are not formed at the mouths of rivers where tides carry away all the mud and silt deposited (at the mouth) e.g., the Narbada and the Tapti do not form any delta. Also rivers which deposit all their mud into the lakes through which they pass do not form delta e.g., the St Lawrence in Canada. Estuary is formed at the mouth of a river where tidal effects are evident and where fresh water and sea water mix. In most cases it is due to subsidence of coastal low-land. Delta is the triangular piece of land formed by the deposition of mud and silt near the mouth of a river. In the case of delta formation, more solid material is deposited which cannot be removed by tidal or other currents. The rivers of Northern India are more important than those of Southern India because they have a flow of water throughout the year. Even in summer these rivers receive water from the melting of Himalayan snow. Flowing through broad basins, they form large tracts or rich alluvial soil on either side. It is no wonder, therefore, that their fertile basin are the natural grannaries of the country. Further, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra are navigable and provide excellent waterways for commerce. The Peninsular rivers, on the other hand, have water during the monsoons but shrivel into muddy pools in the dry season. These rivers are of little use for navigation on account of their torrential nature in the upper course, and the rapids that occur where they descend into deep gorges from the table land to the coastal plains. Climate and Vegetation The Equatorial type climate, in which the temperature remains high all the year round but does not vary much, produces hot, wet forests. The Tropical type climate produces grasslands which are found on either side of the equatorial belt where the rainfall usually occurs soon after the sun has been shining vertically while the dry season occurs in the colder part of the year. The lowlands along the Tropic of Cancer lie mainly in the high-pressure belt just outside the Tropics. The Trade Winds blow away from these lowlands towards the Equator and the Westerly winds blow away from them towards the Poles. There are, therefore, no winds to bring rain to this region. Some of these lowlands are dry because these are very very far from the sea, like centre of Asia. There are few clouds and very little rain with the result that the sun‘s rays strike straight on the ground and make the days very hot. The temperature of the ocean varies much less than that of land because (i) water has a higher specific heat than land with the result that it both absorbs and loses heat slowly as compared to land; and (ii) due to large surface of water at sea more evaporation occurs than on land. Evaporation causes cooling and this results in the sea having a lower temperature than that on land. We may divide India into two parts for the purpose of climatological studies: (1) peninsular India and (2) Northern India. Peninsular India has the characteristic of tropical climate where ―the temperature is uniformly high and seasonal variation relatively low‖. The climatic conditions in Northern India have no general similarity. This region lies beyond the Tropic of Cancer. The Western part of it includes East Punjab and Rajasthan where air is devoid of moisture and it is hot in summer and very cold in winter. The eastern part of this region includes U.P., Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. Here winter is mild and summer is very hot with plenty of moisture in the air. These climatic conditions are however, disturbed by two Monsoon Currents—the South West Monsoon and the North-East Monsoon. The South-West Monsoon causes heavy rainfall in Assam, West Bengal and U.P.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 146

It begins to retreat from Northern India in early October and this retreat is completed by mid-December. During this retreat period the weather in Northern India becomes dry. The North-East monsoons begin in January and last till March. These winds cause light rain in Northern India, particularly in the Punjab plains. This scanty rainfall is very important for Rabi crops. Vegetation: Agriculture is the most important occupation of the people of India. In Northern India, typical monsoon land crops are grown such as rice in Bengal with its warm and humid climate; wheat and maize in Northern plains, Punjab and U.P.; jute in Bengal and Assam and tea in Assam. In Peninsular India where regur or black cotton soil is found and sufficient moisture available, cotton is grown. It is the chief crop of the Deccan Peninsula—Mumbai and Berar being the chief producers. Coffee is grown on the Nilgiris in the South. Climatic Effect: India has on the whole monsoon-tropical climate: ‗Monsoon—lands are dominated by the winds from sea to land in summer—the wet season and by winds from land to sea in winter—the dry season.‘ This type of climate is not very conducive to health and vigour. Man‘s well-being in such a climate depends largely on rainfall. The agricultural products do not grow if the monsoon fails and famine conditions break out. This dependence on rain, however, is not absolute owing to development of irrigation by means of projects, canals, wells etc. The desert type climate is hot and dry. The rainfall is scanty, not more than 10 inches a year. The day and night temperatures vary to much extent. The evenings and afternoons are marked by hot dust storms. The regions lie mainly in the high-pressure belts just outside the Tropics. The Trade Winds blow away from them towards the Equator and the Westerly Winds blow away from them towards the Poles. There are no winds which bring rain to this region and the climate remains hot and dry. Mediterranean Climate It is the type of climate experienced by the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, and also by other regions, in both hemispheres, situated in a similar geographical position. The characteristic features are warmth of the summer, mildness of the winter, and ample sunshine. The entire west coast of the United States has Mediterranean type of climate because this region gets winter rainfall from ―Westerlies‖ winds. Irrigation Methods of Irrigation: The various systems of irrigation used in India are: (1) Canals; (2) Wells; (3) Tube-wells; and (4) Tanks. Canals: Canals are the most important of the systems of irrigation in India because: (i) the rivers are snow-fed and never run dry; (ii) the plain has a soft and alluvial soil, so canals can be easily dug; (iii) the rainfall is insufficient for irrigation and wells alone cannot satisfy the needs of agriculturists. Of the total irrigated land in India, 40 per cent is irrigated by canals. Wells: Wells are found all over India but these are largely used in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. They are also used in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The reason for irrigation by wells is that the soil is porous and after a rainfall, water is stored up below the soil, and wells can be easily sunk.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 147

Tube-wells: Irrigation by tube-wells has become very popular these days. Tube-wells are worked by electric power. These are much deeper than the ordinary wells. Due to shortage of power, the agriculturists do face the difficulty in running the tube-wells as and when they require but the prosperous ones are making use of the diesel engines for the purpose. Tanks: Tanks are used in the Deccan plateau—especially in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh. They are made by filling natural hollows with water or by building dams across the river valleys. As the soil is rocky in these areas, it is not easy to sink wells. The soil is not porous and the rain water flows off; Canals cannot be constructed as the rivers are not snow-fed. So the tanks are the chief means of irrigation in the Deccan plateau. Volcanoes and Earthquakes Volcanoes: By the pressure of the earth‘s crust the hot matter or lava in the interior of the earth is pressed down. It gushes out through a crack or a hole when it finds a weak spot in the crust and begins to accumulate round it. By and by it cools down and solidifies and in the course of several years these accumulated layers of lava build up a conical mountain. Such lava mountains are called volcanoes. Volcanoes are also formed when rain or sea water percolates in the soil and sinks deep down into the earth where it is converted into steam by the internal heat and forces its way out of the crust bringing with it large quantity of lava etc. Earthquakes: (i) When an active volcano bursts with great force or when a dormant volcano erupts into activity, the surrounding areas feel tremors and earthquake is caused. (ii) When the interior part of the earth cools down and contracts, the outer crust cracks or a part of it actually drops down causing earthquake. (iii) Sometimes water percolates deep down into the earth and is converted into steam on account of internal heat. This steam forces its way out by expanding and thus causes earthquake shocks. Fold and Block Mountains Fold Mountains: These are formed as a result of series of earthquakes by which in course of a long time, rocks are folded up above the general level and the agents of denudation start to wear them away. The Himalayas, the Andes, the Alps are example of Fold Mountains. Block Mountains: the formation of mountains when a mass of land is pushed up between several cracks, is known as Block Mountains as shown in the figure below. The narrow piece of the crust led down between two parallel cracks forms what is called ―Rift Valley‖. Mountain Ranges Himalayas: The Himalayan ranges stretch for about 2400 km from the eastern extremity of Assam to the western limit of Kashmir. Their width varies from 150 km to 450 km. These are fold mountains and consist of long lines of folded ranges. Arvalies: It stretches from Gujarat in the west to Delhi in the north. Indian Plateau: It is the table-land region of the Deccan lying south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is bounded on the north by the ranges of Vindhyas and the Satpuras running east to west. Vindhyas and Satpura: The Vindhyas lie north of the Narbada Valley, whereas the Satpuras Range lies south. Satpura ranges are an example of Volcanic mountains. Western Ghats: In the west, the plateau is margined by the Western Ghats which rise abruptly from the Malabar and the Konkan coasts and run parallel to the sea coast with an average height of 1200 metres.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 148

Eastern Ghats: Towards the east are broken Eastern Ghats which descend to the low-lands of the Coromandal coast and are broken by a number of rivers, the most important of which are the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Penner and Cauvery. These rivers flow south-east across the plateau to the Bay of Bengal.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 149

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 150

Animals & Plants

Animals, Mammals and Birds (and places where they are found)

Albatross: Sea birds; North Pacific, off the American coast. Alpaca: Animal found in Chile (South America). Anatolian goat: Angora wool is sheered from this goat. Beaver: found in Europe (Russia and Poland) and North America. It is a genus of mammals of the Rodentia order with short scaly ears and webbed hind feet and broad flat muscular tail. It attains a length of 2.5 to 3 ft. Its skin is of considerable commercial value. It is noted for ingenuity and industry in building houses and damming shallow streams. It is also valued for its reddish brown fur and a secretion castoreum (caster oil) used in medicines and perfumes. Camel: Found in deserts of Arabia and India. It has long legs with padded feet, a long neck with a hump on its back. Its hump is made up of fat and is a store-house for food. It can also store water in the stomach and can go for days without a drink. Caribou: is an animal, also called reindeer. Chameleon: It is a family of lizards of which these are numerous species. The common chameleon is a native of Africa. It is about 12 inches long including tail. Chameleon is remarkable for its power of changing colour to resemble its surroundings when surprised—a power that is due to the presence of pigment bearing cells beneath the skin. It is slow in movement. Chamois: a species of antelope and a native of Western Europe and Asia; from its flesh, chamois leather is made. It is not much larger than a goat and lives in mountainous regions. It possesses wonderful leaping power and is difficult to capture. Cheeta: Found in India and Africa. Cod: are well-known food-fish. These are found in abundance on the British coast and on the banks laying off Newfoundland. The extraction of oil which these cod fish yield forms an important industry. Corals: Small marine animals closely related to sea-anemone, found mainly in the Mediterranean; also found in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean. Dinosaur: a group of extinct reptiles of the Mesozoic period, some of which were of immense size. Diplodocus is one of the best known of the extinct mammoth dinosaurs. Fossil remains have been discovered in the Jurassic rocks of the United States. Some reach a length of over 80 ft. Dinosaurs roamed the earth about 180 million years ago. Elephant: Found in Africa and India. It is the largest existing quadruped 8 to 14 ft. in height weighing up to five tons. Usually dark grey in colour, small eyes, large ears and nose extending to form trunk which almost reaches the ground and is flexible. Both males and females have large ivory tusks of considerable commercial value. The Indian elephant is domesticated and used as a beast of burden. An elephant can carry up to 2,000 lbs. on long journeys maintaining a pace of about 6 km per hour. Emu: running bird of Australia. It is the largest of living birds after the Ostrich. Giraffe: Found in Africa and South Sahara except in the Congo forests. It is the tallest of existing animals reaching a height of 18 to 20 ft. when fully grown. It is of high fawn colour marked with dark spots and has a prehensile tongue. Its sloping back and elongated neck seem to be the natural evolution of an animal that has to feed on the branches of trees. Gnu: Animal found in East Africa. Guano: Bird; west coast of South America; Africa. Hamdaryad: Large snake 12-14 ft. long extremely poisonous; found in India, Philippines and South China. Herring: a common sea-fish abounding in northern seas and found in large numbers round the British coasts. Ibex: wild goats of several species, the male having exceedingly curved ridged horns; found in the mountain regions of Europe, Asia and Africa. Ilama: a dwarf camel-like animal found in South America. It has no hump, but has a long neck and is

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 151

used as a beast of burden. Kangaroo: is a pouched (marsupial) mammal of Australia and adjacent islands. It can leap in a succession of springly bounds 10-20 ft. long, the fore-feet not touching the ground. It can reach a height of over 6 ft. Kiwi: flightless bird; found in New Zealand; now very rare. It is little larger than a domestic hen and lays astonishingly large eggs for their size. It is nocturnal in habit. Its feathers are hair-like and it has rudimentary wings concealed by the plumage. Koala: Animal found in Australia. Ladybird: It is an insect usually of a red or yellow colour with small coloured or black spots. Lion: Found in Gujarat Kathiawar jungles in India; Africa. Musk-deer: Animal found in North Canada. Mustang: Animal found in American prairies. Nightingale: A singing bird found in India. Octopus: a genus of marine molluscs with eight tentacles that bear suckers. Ostrich: is the largest living bird now found only on the sandy plains of Africa and parts of South West Asia. The male has beautiful white plumes on wings and tails. The wings are useless for flight, but the birds have a fleetness of foot exceeding that of the swiftest horse. Its egg weighs 3 lbs. Penguin: is a genus of large birds with small wings and webbed feet. They exist in enormous numbers in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Sea. Penguins breed on the rocky coast, and in the season are to be seen in vast numbers standing erect over their eggs. They are facile swimmers, and live on fish. Plover: Bird; common in all continents except Africa and South America. Puma: a carnivorous quardruped of North America. It is called ―American Lion‖. It is smaller than lion. It seldom attains a length of more than 40 in., exclusive of tail and a height of 2 ft. Reindeer: A genus of deer horned in both sexes; Siberia. It is also called Rhinoceros: In the swamps of Assam and Sunderbans; South-East Asia; Africa. Seal: Fish found in Northern Russia. Sea Lions: One of the families of Seal found in the Pacific. Shark: a large and powerful ocean fish, mostly found in tropical seas. Oil is obtained from its liver. Trout: A fresh water fish of the Salmonidoe family; found in Kashmir. Walrus: A very large marine mammal related to the Seals; Arctic Sea. Yak: A curious long-haired ox, found in Tibet. Yeti: or the abominable snow-man of the high Himalayas is variously described as being from 6 to 12 ft. tall half-Gorrilla-like, with shaggy body and hairless face. His foot-prints have been seen and photographed many times. Zebra: African quadruped of whitish-grey colour with regular black stripes.

Wild Animals in India

Black Bear: is found in Kashmir, some other parts of the Himalayas and to some extent in the Terai forests. Deer (spotted): is widely distributed in India. It is also found in Sri Lanka. Elephants: are found in the forests of Western Ghats, Karnataka and in parts of the districts of Coimbatore, Nilgiri, Palni, and Madura hills in South India; to some extent in the eastern parts of Vishakhapatnam and in Orissa State, east of Mahanadi river. Lion and Panther: Occur all over India. Lions are mostly found in Gir Forest (Gujarat State). Rhinoceros (Indian): found in Chitwan forests of Nepal Terai of Gandak river, Bengal and Assam.

PLANTS, TREES ETC.

Common Trees (where grown and their usefulness)

Ash: grown in North Africa. Its wood is elastic and tough and valuable in cabinet work and barrel staves.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 152

‗Mauna‘, a medical material is extracted from the flowering ash. Ashes from tree also make a good fertilizer. Bamboo: grown in tropical and sub-tropical lands. The tabular stems are used as pipe, boat-masts, fishing poles, lathies etc. It is used in building material. Its seeds and tender shoots are edible. Flutes are also made of it. Camphor: grown in China, Japan and Formosa (Taiwan). It is used for the manufacture of celluloid, perfumes, disinfectants, medicine and explosives. It is used to stimulate the skin as in camphorated oil. Cinchona: the tree is native to the Andes which is famous for its bark—source of the drug quinine. It was introduced into Sri Lanka, India, and Jawa, the latter becoming the main supplier of quinine. Coconut Palm: grows in all tropical countries, but thrives best near the sea. Its fruit is eaten. Its oil is used for the hair, for cooking and for making face cream. Its fibre is used for stuffing mattresses and ropes. Its wood is also valuable. Walnut: grown in England, North America and India. It yields valuable furniture wood; juice from the husk of walnuts is used to stain the skin. The fruit resembles a plum, but the ‗stone‘ is edible portion furnishing the well-known wrinkled fleshy kernel.

Trees, Plants, Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables and Stones

(Description, where grown or found etc.)

Cacao: an evergreen tree, from 16 to 40 feet high. It grows abundantly in tropical America, West Africa, the West Indies and Sri Lanka Carnation: garden plant, Great Britain. Chrysanthemum: National flower of Japan. Coca: shrub, South America. Dates: fruits of the date palm tree; Iraq, Arabia and Iran. Ebony: hard wood; Mauritius, East Indies and Sri Lanka. Eucalyptus: a family of plants originated from Australia; oil is extracted from its leaves for use in soap-making, medicines and disinfectants. Gooseberry: Shrub; northern hemisphere. Jasmine: originally a Persian plant now planted in almost all parts of the world. A graceful climber belonging to olive with odoriferous blossom. Two of its species (the common and the Spanish jasmine) yield oil which is used in perfumery. Juniper: a genus of hardy evergreen trees grown in the northern hemisphere. Ladies Finger: vegetable; India. Love Apple: vegetable; south west of America. Mistletoe: a parasitic plant found growing on many trees, particularly the apple tree; Europe. Mulberry: tree; Central Asia. Natural Rubber: is a plant product which is chemically known as latex. Oak: tree; North America. Olive trees: These grow in the Mediterranean type regions. Pine: a coniferous tree that flourishes in most northern latitudes, in the mountains of India, Tibet and China. Sandal Wood: tree; Karnataka. Spinach: a flowering plant grown in South and Central Europe. Teak: a tree grown in the East Indies and Myanmar.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 153

Tribes & Races

Tribes and Races

Afridis: A war-like race of hill men on the north-west frontier of Pakistan (tribal area of Waziristan). Bedouins: Nomadic tribe of Arabia, spread over the whole of Northern Africa and Western Asia. Bhils: a primitive Dravidian race inhabiting Central India. Boer: a name applied to South Africans of Dutch or Huguenot descent, especially to early settlers of Transvaal and the Orange Free State and their descendants. Bushmen: They live in the Kalahari desert. They are probably the descendants of the earliest inhabitants of Africa. They rank among the most uncivilized and backward peoples in the world. Their food consists almost entirely of meat, often raw or decomposed, and in times of scarcity they will eat insects, snakes etc. Cossacks: Peasants of the south-eastern border land of Poland, or Ukraina are known as Cossacks. Many of them belong to Turkic people while many others are of a mix descent. Eskimos: Race living in the Arctic regions: Greenland, Alaska, Labradors and the extreme north-east corner of Siberia. Karbis: are natives of Assam. Khasis: are a tribe inhabiting the Khasi and Jaintia hills in the north-eastern hilly tracts in Meghalaya State of India. The Khasis have their own distinctive language and culture. Kikuyu: are a race of Bantu negroes who live in the north of Mount Kenya. They combine agriculture with pastoralism. Kirghiz: of Central Asia are an example of people adopted to a grassland environment. They are pastoral nomads who move from pasture to pasture with the flocks and herds of horses, camels, oxen, sheep and goats. Meat forms only a small portion of their food. The Kirghiz are fearless horsemen, and even their children are expert riders. Kiwis: inhabit New Zealand. Lambadies: are concentrated in Karnataka State of India. Lepchas: are aborigins of Sikkim and Darjeeling. They are one of the Scheduled Tribes of the Hills, recognised by the Government of India. Magyars: the Hungarian race who came to Eastern Europe from south-west Asia and settled in Hungary in the 10th century. Mahsud: Hill-tribe living in north-west of Pakistan. Maoris: are the original inhabitants of New Zealand. The Maoris are tall, muscular, handsome people, with brown skin and black hair. They are greatly skilled in stone and wood-carving. Masai: of the east African Plateau are the example of pastoral people. They are tall, strong, warlike race, partly negroid in type. They treat their cattle with great respect and affection and do not kill them for food or for sale as meat. Moplas: A Muslim tribe of Malabar (Kerala, India). Mayas: A large group of American Indians living in the highlands of Gauatemala. Munda: They are mostly located in the State of Madhya Pradesh in India. Nagas: Hill tribe of Nagaland (India). Negritos: are the ancient tribes of Andamans. Negro: A race of men distinguished by dark skin, fuzzy hair, broad and protruding lips, living in south-west and Central Africa. Red Indians: Race living in U.S.A. between the rocky Mountains and the Missouri River. They are original inhabitants of America. Santhals: Aboriginal natives of Orissa and Chhotanagpur. Semangs: are tribal people living in Malaysia. Todas: They are aboriginal tribe of the Nilgiris (India). Zulus: are a race of negroid people in Natal (South Africa), having close ethnic, linguistic and cultural ties with the Swazis and the Bantus.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 154

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 155

Geographical Epithets

Bengal’s Sorrow: Damodar River Blue Mountains: Nilgiri Hills China’s Sorrow: Hawang-Ho City Beautiful: Chandigarh City of Dreaming Spires: Oxford City of Golden Gate: San Francisco City of Magnificent Buildings: Washington City of Palaces: Calcutta City of Seven Hills: Rome City of Sky-scrapers: New York Cockpit of Europe: Belgium Dark Continent: Africa Emerald Isle: Ireland Eternal City: Rome Forbidden City: Lhasa (Tibet) Garden City: Chicago Gate of Tears: Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb Gateway of India: Bombay Gift of the Nile: Egypt Granite City: Aberdeen Hermit Kingdom: Korea Herring Pond: Atlantic Ocean Holy Land: Palestine Island Continent: Australia Island of Cloves: Zanzibar Isle of Pearls: Bahrain (Persian Gulf) Key to the Mediterranean: Gibraltar Land of Cakes: Scotland Land of Golden Fleece: Australia Land of Maple: Canada Land of Morning Calm: Korea Land of Thousand Lakes: Finland Land of the Midnight Sun: Norway Land of the Rising Sun: Japan Land of the Thunderbolt: Bhutan Land of White Elephant: Thailand Loneliest Island: Tristan De Gunha (Mid-Atlantic) Never Never land: Vast Prairies of N. Australia Pearl of the Antilles: Cuba Pearl of the Pacific: Guayaquil port of Ecuador Pillars of Hercules: Straits of Gibraltar Playground of Europe: Switzerland Quaker City: Philadelphia Queen of the Adriatic: Venice Roof of the World: The Pamirs, Central Asia Rose-pink City: Jaipur Sorrow of China: Yellow River Spice Garden of India: Kerala

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 156

Sugar bowl of the World: Cuba Venice of the East: Alappuzha Venice of the North: Stockholm White man’s grave: Guinea Coast of Africa Windy City: Chicago

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 157

Highest, Longest, Deepest, Etc.

Highest, Biggest, Longest, Largest, Deepest etc.

Airliner, Largest: Boeing 747 Animal, Tallest: Giraffe Animal, Fastest: The Peregerine Falcon Archipelago, Largest: Indonesia Bird, Fastest: Swift Bird, Largest: Ostrich Bird, Smallest: Humming Bird Bridge, Longest Railway: Huey P. Long Bridge (U.S.A.) Building, Tallest in Asia: The Connaught Centre in Hong Kong (195 metres tall; has 46 floors) Building, Highest in the world: Sears Tower in Chicago (440-metre high. It is a 110-storey tower which is nearly 60 metres taller than the Empire State building in New York) Canal, Longest, small ship: Beloye (White Sea) Baltic Canal (CIS) 226 km long Canal, Longest, big ship: Suez Canal (U.A.R.) (161 km) Canalised System, Longest: Volga-Baltic Canal (2960 km) Capital, Highest: Lhasa (Before domination of Tibet by China) 3684 metres above sea-level City, Highest: Wenchuan (China) 5,100 metres above sea-level La Paz (capital of Bolivia) stands at an altitude of 3632 metres above sea-level City, Largest in population: Shanghai followed by: Tokyo, New York, Beijing, London and Moscow Conference Hall, World’s Highest: At Nathu-La Pass on Indo-China border in Sikkim Continent, Largest: Asia Continent, Smallest: Australia Coral Formation, Largest: The Great Barrier Reef (North-east coast of Australia) Country, Largest in Population: China followed by India Country, Largest (in area): Russia Country (with largest electorate): India. Creature, Largest: Blue Whale is the largest creature in the world today. It can grow up to a weight of 150 tonnes. Dam, Highest: The Grande (Switzerland) Day, Longest: June 21 (in Northern Hemisphere) Day, Shortest: Dec 22 (in Northern Hemisphere) Delta, Largest: The world‘s largest delta is that created by the Ganges and Brahmaputra in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Desert, Largest (in the world): Sahara (Africa) Desert, Largest (in Asia): Gobi (Mongolia) Diamond, Largest: The Cullinan (over 1½ lb.) Dome, Largest: ―Astrodome‖ in Housten, Texas (U.S.A.); outside dia: 216 metres and inside 196 metres. (The largest dome in India is Gol Gumbaz (Bijapur) 44 metres in Dia.) Employer, Largest of India: Indian Railways Epic, Longest: Mahabharata Forest, Largest: Coniferous forest of Northern Russia Gulf, Largest: Gulf of Mexico Highest Motorable Road: Khardungla-Leh-Manali sector 5682 Mt Highest Non-military Airport: Leh 3256 Mt Island, Largest: Greenland Islands, Largest (Group of): Malaya Archipelago Lake, Largest Artificial: Lake Mead (Boulder Dam) Lake, Deepest: Baikal (Siberia); average depth 701 metres

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 158

Lake, Highest: Titicaca (Bolivia) 3854 metres above sea level Lake, Largest Fresh Water: Superior (50,200 sq km) Lake, Largest Salt Water: Caspian Sea (26 metres below sea-level) Largest Crater of India: The Lonar in Vidharba region of Maharashtra Largest Inland Waterway of India: Kerala Largest Barrage of India: Farakka 224 mt Largest Stadium of India: Salt Lake Stadium Kolkata, 1,20,00 capacity Largest Tribe of India: Gond Largest Library of India: National Library Kolkata Largest Exhibition Ground of India: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi 150 Acres Largest Ocean Island of India: Middle Andaman Largest River Basin of India: Ganga Basin Largest Estuary: at the mouth of the river Hooghly Library, Largest: United States Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (more than 59,000,000 items). Longest Ropeway in India: connecting Joshimath in Uttranchal 4.15 km long Longest Train in India: Prayag Express running between Delhi and Allahabad (24 bogies) Longest Road Tunnel in India: Chiplin—Koya Nagar, Maharashtra 1 km long Longest National Highway of India: NH-7, 2369 km Longest Cave of India: Krem um Kwan Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya Mountain Peak, Highest in the world: Everest (Nepal) Mountain Peak, Highest in India: Godwin Austen (8,611 m) Mountain Peak, Highest in Africa: Kilimanjaro (5,888 m) Mountain Peak, Highest in Europe: Elbruz (5,633 m ) Mountain Range, Highest: Himalayas Mountain Range, Longest: Andes (S. America), 8,800 km in length Museum, Largest: American Museum of Natural History, New York city. It comprises 19 inter-connected buildings with 23 acres of floor space. Nuclear Reactor, Biggest: France Ocean, Deepest and Biggest: The Pacific Palace, Biggest: Vatican Park, Largest: Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta Canada. Area : 28260 sq km. Peninsula, Largest: Arabia Pilot, Youngest of India: Capt Nivedita Bhasin, at age 26 in 1990 became youngest pilot to command a jet aircraft Place, Coldest: Verkhoyansk (Russia); Temperature 85° below zero Place, Dryest: Death Valley (California); rainfall 1.5 inch Place, Hottest: Azizia (Libya, Africa 58°C (136°F) Place, Rainiest: Cheerapunji (Meghalaya, India) Planet, Biggest: Jupiter Planet, Brightest: Venus Planet, Farthest (from the sun): Pluto Planet, Nearest (to the sun): Mercury Planet, Smallest: Mercury Planetarium, biggest: Tsukuba, Japan Plateau, Highest: Pamir (Tibet) Platform, Longest: Kharagpur platform in West Bengal (India) Railway, Longest: Trans-Siberian Railway (9,600 km long) Railway Station, Largest: Grand Central Terminal, New York City, covers 48 acres. On an average more than 550 trains and 180,000 people per day use it. River, Longest: Nile (6,679 km)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 159

Sea-bird, Largest: Albatross Sea, Largest: South China Sea Star, Brightest: Sirius (also called Dog Star) Statue, Tallest : ―Motherland‖ an enormous female figure on Mamayev Hill, outside Volgagrad (Russia). Swimming Course, Longest recognised: English Channel Tallest TV Tower of India: Rameshwaram, T.N. 1000 feet Telescope, Largest Radio: The world‘s largest and most sensitive radio telescope, Y-shaped with each arm 21 km long with 27 mobile antennae on rails, built in New Mexico (USA). Telescope, Largest Solar: Kit Peak National Observatory, Arizona USA Telescope, Largest Reflector: Mount Semirodriki, in the Caucasus (CIS) Telescope, Largest Refractor: Yerkes Observatory, Wisconsin (USA) Tunnel, Longest Railway: Secken Tunnel (Japan) Tunnel, Longest Road: St Gothard tunnel in Switzerland (16.32 km) Village, Highest: Andean (Chile) 5334 metres above sea-level Volcano, Highest: Cotopaxi (Andes, Ecuador) Volcano, Largest: Mauna Lea (Hawaii); crater Wall, Longest: Great Wall of China (2400 km) Water Falls, Greatest in the world: Victoria Falls on river Zambesi (Zambia) 1700 metres wide Waterfall, Highest: Angel (Venezuela) Water, Lowest body of: Dead Sea Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (1) The Pyramids of Egypt; (2) the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; (3) the temple of Artemis at Ephesus; (4) the statue of Zeus at Olympia; (5) the mausoleum at Halicarnassus; (6) the Colossus of Rhodes; (7) The Pharos (Lighthouse) at Alexandria. Seven Wonders of the Mediaeval World The Colosseum of Rome; (2) the Great Wall of China; (3) the Procelain Tower of Nanking; (4) the Mosque at St Sophia (Constantinople); (5) the Stonehenge of England; (6) the Catacombs of Alexandria; (7) the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 160

Famous Birthdays In Indian History

1483-02-15 – Babur, founder of Mughal dynasty in India (1526-30) 1506-04-07 – Francis Xavier, saint/Jesuit missionary to India, Malaya, & Japan 1542-10-14 – Abul-Fath Djalal-ud-Din, 3rd Mogol emperor of India (1556-1605) 1542-10-15 – Djalalud-Din Mohammed Akbar, emperor of India (1556-1605) 1569-08-31 – Djehangir/Jahangir, great mogol of India 1592-01-05 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor of India (1628-58), built Taj Mahal 1592-01-14 – Sjihab al-Din Sultan Choerram Sjah Djahan, leader of India 1618-11-03 – Aurangzeb, [Alamgir], Emperor of India (1658-1707) 1643-10-14 – Bahadur Shah I, Mughal Emperor of India (d. 1712) 1682-07-10 – Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, German Lutheran missionary to India (d. 1719) 1685-01-07 – Gerard George Clifford, Dutch director of East India Company 1725-09-29 – Robert Clive, English explorer/founder (British empire in India) 1725-09-29 – Robert Clive, founder (British empire in India) 1732-12-06 – Warren Hastings, England, 1st governor-General of India (1773-84) 1750-11-20 – Tipu Sultan, Indian ruler (d. 1799) 1767-05-04 – Tyagaraja, Composer of Indian classical Carnatic music (d. 1847) 1787-06-28 – Henry G W Smith, leader of British-Indian forces 1796-12-27 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (d. 1869) 1809-01-23 – Veer Surendra Sai, Indian Freedom Fighter 1809-12-24 – Christopher ―Kit‖ Carson, KY, Union brig-general/indian fighter 1817-05-15 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian religious reformer (d. 1905) 1817-10-17 – Sajjid Ahmad Chan, Indian moslem leader/co-founder (Pakistan) 1823-06-30 – Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, Indian industrialist (d. 1901) 1824-02-12 – Arya Samaj Maha Rishi Dayanand Sarsvati, Indian hindu leader 1825-05-08 – George Bruce Malleson, Indian officer (d. 1898) 1825-09-04 – Dadabhai Naoroji, 1st Indian in British parliament 1827-07-19 – Mangal Pandey, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1857) 1831-11-08 – Edward R L Bulwer-Lytton, English under king of India 1832-06-10 – Edwin Arnold, English writer (Light of India) 1833-11-02 – Mahendralal Sarkar, Indian doctor (d. 1904) 1835-11-19 – Rani Lakshmi Bai, Indian Queen (d. 1858) 1836-02-18 – Swami Ramakrishna [Gadadhar Chatterji], Indian mystic/hindu leader 1839-03-03 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1904) 1845-11-04 – Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, The First Indian Revolutionary (d. 1883) 1848-04-16 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Social Reformer of Andhra Pradesh, India (d. 1919) 1849-09-21 – Maurice Barrymore, Indian-born patriarch of the Barrymore family (d. 1905) 1850-09-09 – Harishchandra, India, poet/dramatist/father of modern Hindi 1853-12-06 – Haraprasad Shastri, Indian academic, Sanskrit scholar, archivist and historian of Bengali literature (d. 1931) 1856-04-01 – Acacio Gabriel Viegas, Indian physician (d. 1933) 1856-04-11 – Constantly Lievens, Flemish missionary in India 1856-07-23 – Bal Gangadhar Tilak, British-Indian Hindi leader 1858-10-21 – Ramabai Dongre‘ Medhavi, India, social reformer 1858-11-07 – Bipin Chandra Pal, Indian freedom fighter, (d. 1932) 1858-11-30 – Jagdish Chandra Bose, Indian physicist (d. 1937) 1860-08-10 – Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Indian musician (d. 1936) 1860-09-15 – Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, Indian engineer (d. 1962) 1861-05-06 – Motilal Nehru, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 161

1861-05-07 – Rabindranath Tagore, First Indian to win Nobel Prize for Liturature. (d. 1941) 1861-12-25 – Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian founder of Banaras Hindu University (d. 1946) 1865-01-28 – Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1928) 1865-01-31 – Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1951) 1866-05-09 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Leader of Indian Independence Movement (d. 1915) 1867-12-16 – Amy Carmichael, missionary in Dohnavur, India (d. 1951) 1868-08-12 – Frederick JNT lord Chelmsford, viceroy of British-India (1916-21) 1869-10-02 – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Porbandar Kathiawad India, pacifist and spiritual leader 1872-04-14 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born Islamic scholar and translator (d. 1953) 1873-11-22 – Leopold CMS Amery, British minister of Colonies (India) 1875-10-31 – Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian freedom fighter and statesman (d. 1950) 1876-09-15 – Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian novelist (d. 1938) 1877-11-24 – Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara, Indian CID Commissioner of Police (d. 1941) 1878-02-21 – The Mother, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1973) 1878-11-27 – Jatindramohan Bagchi, Indian (Bengali) poet (d.1948). 1878-12-10 – Rajaji, India‘s freedom fighter and the first Governor General of independent India (d.1972) 1879-02-13 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1949) 1879-09-17 – Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Indian Social Reformer (d. 1973) 1880-07-31 – Munshi Premchand, Indian Author (d. 1936) 1880-10-08 – Ernest F E Douwes Dekker, Dutch founder (National-India Party) 1882-07-05 – Inayat Khan, Indian sufi (d. 1927). 1882-12-11 – Subramanya Bharathy, Indian poet (d. 1921) 1883-05-28 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian activist (d. 1966) 1884-12-03 – Rajendra Prasad, first President of India (d. 1963) 1885-02-14 – Syed Zafarul Hasan, Prominent Muslim Indian/Pakistani philosopher (d. 1949) 1886-05-25 – Rash Behari Bose, leader against the British Raj in India (d. 1945) 1886-11-02 – Philip Merivale, Rehutia India, actor (Nothing But Trouble) 1887-02-26 – Benegal Narsing Rau, India, pres of UN Security Council (1950) 1887-06-07 – William Walraven, Dutch journalist/writer (Indian Daily) 1887-12-22 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (d. 1920) 1888-09-05 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishan, president (India)/philosopher 1888-11-07 – Chandrasekhara Raman, India, physicist (Nobel 1930) 1888-11-11 – Maulana Azad, 1st minister of education in independent India 1889-11-14 – Jawaharlal Nehru, 1st Indian PM (1947-64) 1891-04-14 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian jurist (d.1956) 1893-01-05 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru (d. 1952) 1894-01-01 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian mathematician (d. 1974) 1894-02-25 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1969) 1894-04-10 – Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla, Indian industrialist (d. 1983) 1894-05-20 – Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Indian Hindu sage, Jivanmukta (d. 1994) 1894-06-23 – Edward VIII, King of Great Brit/N-Ireland/emperor of India (1936) 1894-08-10 – Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Fourth President of India (d. 1980) 1895-05-12 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, India, philosopher (Songs of Life) [NS=May 22] 1895-05-22 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, India, philosopher (Songs of Life) [OS=May 12] 1895-06-03 – Kavalam Madhava Panikkar, India, diplomat (Asia & Western Dominance) 1895-09-01 – Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Indian musician (d. 1974) 1896-02-29 – Ranchhodji Morarji Desai, premier of India (1977-79) 1896-09-01 – A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Indian theologian (d. 1977) 1896-11-12 – Salim Ali, Indian ornithologist (d. 1987) 1897-01-23 – Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian politician

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 162

1897-04-19 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1970) 1897-05-03 – V K Krishna Menon, India, minister of defense 1897-11-23 – Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Indian writer (d. 1999) 1898-12-02 – Indra Lal Roy, Indian pilot (d. 1918)

1898-12-05 – Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan (d. 1982) 1902-06-04 – Richard Allen, India, field hockey goal tender (Olympic-gold-1928) 1902-10-11 – Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian freedom fighter and political leader (d. 1979) 1903-07-15 – Kumaraswami Kamaraj, Indian politician (d. 1975) 1904-02-29 – Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian dancer and founder of Kalakshetra (d. 1986) 1904-03-04 – Chief Tahachee, American-born Old Settler Cherokee Indian stage and film actor (d. 1978) 1904-07-29 – J. R. D. Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1993) 1904-10-01 – A.K. Gopalan, Indian communist leader (d. 1977) 1904-10-02 – Shi Lal Bahadur Shastri, India premier (1964-66) 1905-09-09 – Hussain Sha – Indian Saint, Philosopher ,Pithapuram 1906-05-05 – Ursula Jeans, Simla India. actress (I Lived With You, Over the Moon) 1906-05-29 – Terence Hanbury White, Bombay India, novelist (England Have My Bones) 1906-07-23 – Chandrasekhar Azad, Indian revolutionary (d. 1931) 1906-10-10 – R.K. Narayan, Indian novelist (d. 2001) 1907-05-15 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931) 1907-09-27 – Bhagat Singh, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931) 1907-09-28 – Bhagat Singh, Indian activist (d. 1931) 1908-04-05 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (d. 1986) 1908-06-24 – Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer (d 1987) 1908-07-25 – Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Indian musician (d. 2003) 1908-10-22 – John Sutton, Rawalpindi India, actor (Tower of London, Return of Fly) 1909-10-30 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist (d. 1966) 1909-12-20 – Vakkom Majeed, Indian politician (d. 2000) 1910-01-30 – C Subramaniam, Indian politician (d. 2000) 1910-07-03 – Eric Franklin, Indian civil servant 1910-10-19 – Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, India, astrophysicist (Nobel 1983) 1910-12-04 – Ramaswamy Venkataraman, president of India (1987-92) 1911-02-19 – Merle Oberon, Calcutta India, actress (Assignment Foreign Legion) 1911-09-20 – Shriram Sharma Acharya, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1991) 1911-10-13 – Ashok Kumar, Indian actor (d. 2001) 1912-01-27 – Lawrence Durrell, Darjeeling, Indian/British writer (Private Country, Alexandria Quartet) 1912-02-27 – Kusumagraj, Indian writer (d. 1999) 1913-05-13 – Sanjiva Reddy, president (India) 1913-05-19 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, president of India 1914-01-01 – Noor Inayat Khan, Indian princess and SOE agent (d. 1944) 1914-07-08 – Jyoti Basu, Indian politician 1916-01-22 – Harilal Upadhyay, Gujarati Author, Poet, Astrologist (Gujarat is a State of India) (d. 1994) 1916-05-05 – Zail Singh, President of India (d. 1994) 1916-05-08 – Swami Chinmayananda, Indian spiritualist (d. 1993) 1916-08-03 – Shakeel Badayuni, Indian poet and lyricist (d. 1970) 1916-09-15 – Margaret Lockwood, Karachi India, actress (Lady Vanishes) 1916-09-16 – M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (d. 2004) 1917-01-12 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian spiritualist (d. 2008) 1917-01-17 – Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran, (MGR), Indian film star, politician 1917-02-11 – T. Nagi Reddy, Indian revolutionary (d. 1976)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 163

1917-03-12 – Googie Withers, Karachi India, actress (1 of Our Aircraft is Missing) 1917-11-05 – Banarsi Das Gupta, Indian former Chief Minister of Haryana (d. 2007) 1917-11-19 – Indira Gandhi, Allahabad India, Indian PM (1966-77, 1980-84) 1918-04-16 – Spike Milligan, India, actor/comedian (Digby, 3 Musketeers) 1918-12-14 – B.K.S. Iyengar, Indian yoga advocate 1918-12-23 – Kumar Pallana, Indian-born American actor 1919-01-19 – Dharam Singh, India, field hockey player (Olympic-gold-1964) 1919-08-12 – Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist (d. 1971) 1919-08-31 – Amrita Preetam, Indian poet and author (d. 2005) 1919-11-08 – P. L. Deshpande, Indian author (d. 2000) 1919-12-25 – Naushad Ali, Indian music director (d. 2006) 1920-02-12 – Pran, Indian actor 1920-03-15 – Ranganandhan Francis, India, field hockey (Olympic-gold-1948, 52, 56) 1920-04-05 – Rafique Zakaria, Indian author (d. 2005) 1920-04-07 – Ravi Shankar, Benares India, sitar player (Sounds of India) 1920-10-19 – Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Indian philosopher (d. 2003) 1920-10-27 – K. R. Narayanan, 10th President of India 1920-10-29 – Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, Indian Catholic 1920-12-04 – Michael Bates, Jhansi India, actor (Clockwork Orange, Patton) 1921-01-20 – Telmo Zarraonaindía, Spanish footballer (d. 2006) 1921-02-15 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and writer (d. 1985) 1921-05-02 – Satyajit Ray, Calcutta India, director (Goddess, Adversary) 1921-06-28 – P V Narasimha Rao, premier of India (1991- ) 1921-08-08 – Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist (d. 2001) 1921-12-07 – Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader 1922-01-09 – Har G Khorana, India/Canada bio-chemist (Nobel 1968) 1922-02-04 – Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Indian Classical Singer 1922-12-11 – Dilip Kumar, Indian actor 1923-04-17 – Lindsay Anderson, Bangalore India, director (Thursday‘s Children) 1923-05-15 – Johnny Walker, Indian actor (d. 2003) 1923-05-28 – Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, India, film star (Patala Bhairavi) 1923-07-10 – G. A. Kulkarni, Indian (Marathi) writer (d. 1987) 1923-07-22 – Mukesh, Indian singer (d. 1976) 1923-09-26 – Dev Anand, Indian actor and film producer 1924-01-04 – Sebastian Kappen, Indian theologian (d. 1993) 1924-01-27 – Sabu, [Dastagir], India, actor (Elephant Boy, Drum) 1924-12-14 – Raj Kapoor, Indian actor (d. 1988) 1925-08-07 – M. S. Swaminathan, Indian scientist 1925-09-24 – Autar Singh Paintal, Indian medical scientist (d. 2004) 1925-12-24 – Mohd. Rafi, Indian actor and playback singer (d. 1980) 1926-01-08 – Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian Odissi dancer (d. 2004) 1926-05-19 – Swami Kriyananda, Indian teacher and author 1926-11-23 – Sathya Sai Baba, Indian guru and philosopher 1927-01-18 – Sundaram Balachander, Indian veena player (d. 1990) 1927-01-27 – Michael Craig, Poona India, actor (Escape 2000, Vault of Horror) 1927-03-25 – Leslie Claudius, India, field hockey (Olympic-gold-1948, 52, 56) 1927-05-10 – Nayantara Sahgal, Indian author 1927-07-27 – Sat Mahajan, Indian politician 1927-08-26 – B. V. Doshi, Indian architect 1928-08-04 – Udham Singh, India, field hockey player (Olympic-gold-1952, 56, 64)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 164

1929-01-08 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian actor 1929-03-29 – Utpal Dutt, Indian actor (d. 1993) 1929-05-20 – Andre Carolus Cirino, Suriname/Indian poet 1929-06-06 – Sunil Dutt, Indian actor and politician (d. 2005) 1929-07-20 – Rajendra Kumar, Indian actor (d. 1999)

1929-07-25 – Somnath Chatterjee, Indian communist leader 1929-08-04 – Kishore Kumar, Indian singer and actor (d. 1987) 1929-09-28 – Lata Mangeshkar, Indian playback singer 1929-10-19 – Balbir Singh, India, field hockey player (Olympic-gold-1948-56) 1930-07-21 – Anand Bakshi, Indian lyricist (d. 2002) 1930-09-17 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist 1931-02-18 – Swraj Paul, Indian/British industrial/multi-millionaire (Caparo) 1931-05-16 – Natwar Singh, Indian politician 1931-06-30 – June Thorburn, Kashmir India, actress (Touch & Go, Children Galore) 1931-08-27 – Sri Chinmoy, Indian guru (d. 2007) 1931-10-14 – Nikhil Banerjee, Indian classical musician (d. 1986) 1931-10-15 – Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, Eleventh President of India 1932-06-22 – Amrish Puri, Indian actor (d. 2005) 1932-08-01 – Meena Kumari, Indian film actress (d. 1972) 1932-09-27 – Yash Chopra, Indian director 1932-09-29 – Mehmood, Indian actor (d. 2004) 1932-10-26 – Chinadorai Deshmutu, India, field hockey player (1952) 1932-10-30 – Barun De, Indian historian 1932-12-28 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (d. 2002) 1933-02-14 – Madhubala, Indian actress (d. 1969) 1933-09-08 – Asha Bhonsle, Indian singer 1933-11-03 – Amartya Sen, Indian economist, Nobel Prize laureate 1933-12-02 – K. Veeramani, Indian anti-caste activist 1934-03-15 – Kanshi Ram, Indian dalit leader 1934-05-19 – Ruskin Bond, Indian author 1934-10-15 – N. Ramani, Indian flutist 1935-12-08 – Dharmendra, Indian actor 1935-12-11 – Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician 1936-02-09 – Clive Swift, Liverpool, actor (Frenzy, Passage to India) 1936-04-29 – Zubin Mehta, Bombay India, conductor (NY Philharmonic) 1936-05-03 – Engelbert Humperdinck, [Arnolde Dorsey], India, singer (EH Show) 1936-09-25 – Juliet Prowse, Bombay India, actress/dancer (Who Killed Teddy Bear) 1936-12-25 – Ismail Merchant, Bombay India, producer (Householder) 1937-01-14 – Shoban Babu, Indian actor 1937-12-03 – Binod Bihari Verma, Indian linguist 1937-12-28 – Ratan Tata, Indian industrialist 1938-02-07 – S. Ramachandran Pillai, Indian communist leader 1938-03-18 – Shashi Kapoor, Calcutta India, actor (Shalimar, Heat & Dust) 1938-07-19 – Jayant Narlikar, Indian astrophysicist 1939-01-20 – Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe, Indian astronomer 1939-06-27 – Rahul Dev Burman, Indian composer and actor (d. 1994) 1939-09-25 – Feroz Khan, Indian actor 1939-11-21 – Mulayam Singh Yadav, Indian politician 1939-11-22 – Mulayam Singh Yadav, Indian politician

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 165

1940-01-02 – S. R. S. Varadhan, Indian-American mathematician 1940-01-20 – Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician 1940-10-14 – Cliff Richards, [Harry Webb], Lucknow India, rock voclist (Suddenly) 1940-11-01 – Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, Chief Justice of India 1940-12-12 – Sharad Pawar, Indian politician 1941-02-27 – Paddy Ashton, New Delhi India, British MP (Soc/Lib Democrat) 1941-04-14 – Julie Christie, Assam India, actress (Dr Zhivago) 1941-07-31 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician 1941-09-04 – Sushilkumar Shinde, Indian politician 1941-11-25 – Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi, Indian Muslim Sufi, author, spiritual leader (d. 2001) 1942-04-02 – Roshan Seth, Indian actor 1942-04-07 – Jeetendra, Indian actor 1942-05-23 – K. Raghavendra Rao, Indian film director 1942-12-29 – Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor 1943-01-01 – Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Indian scientist 1943-01-24 – Subhash Ghai, Indian film director 1943-06-02 – Ilaiyaraaja, Indian composer 1943-12-25 – Ravish Malhotra, India cosmonaut (Soyuz T-11 backup) 1944-01-11 – Shibu Soren, Indian politician 1944-02-13 – Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indian actor (d. 2006) 1944-05-01 – Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician 1944-08-20 – Rajiv Gandhi, PM of India (1984-89) 1945-01-17 – Javed Akhtar, Indian lyricist, poet and scriptwriter 1945-02-20 – Annu Kapoor, Indian actor 1945-05-04 – Narasimhan Ram, Indian journalist 1945-05-23 – Padmarajan, Indian film director (d. 1991) 1945-07-24 – Azim Premji, Indian businessman 1945-12-06 – Shekhar Kapur, Indian filmmaker 1946-05-01 – Joanna Lumley, Kashmir India, actress (Abs Fab, OHM‘s Secret Service) 1946-05-28 – Satchidanandan, Indian poet 1946-08-20 – N.R. Narayana Murthy, Indian businessman 1946-10-06 – Vinod Khanna, Indian actor 1946-10-15 – Victor Banerjee, Calcutta India, actor (A Passage to India) 1946-12-08 – Sharmila Tagore, Indian Actress 1946-12-09 – Sonia Gandhi, Italian-born Indian politician 1946-12-09 – Shatrughan Sinha, Indian actor 1947-01-07 – Shobha De, Indian writer 1947-02-12 – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Indian leader of Damdami Taksal (d. 1984) 1947-06-11 – Laloo Prasad Yadav, Indian politician 1947-08-15 – Raakhee Gulzar, Indian actress 1948-02-24 – J. Jayalalithaa, Indian politician 1948-02-25 – Danny Denzongpa, Indian actor 1948-04-09 – Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress 1948-10-16 – Hema Malini, Indian Actress 1949-01-13 – Rakesh Sharma, India, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-11) 1949-03-07 – Ghulam Nabi Azad, Indian politician 1949-04-28 – Indian Larry, American stuntsman (d. 2004) 1949-09-01 – P.A. Sangma, Indian politician 1949-12-18 – Joni Flynn, Assam India, actress (Octopussy) 1950-01-07 – Johnny Lever, Indian actor

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 166

1950-04-20 – Chandra Babu Naidu, Indian politician 1950-05-30 – Paresh Rawal, Indian actor 1950-06-15 – Lakshmi Mittal, Indian industrialist 1950-07-20 – Naseeruddin Shah, Indian actor 1950-09-17 – Narendra Modi, Indian politician 1950-09-18 – Shabana Azmi, Indian actress

1950-10-02 – Persis Khambatta, Bombay India, actress (Star Trek, Megaforce) 1950-10-18 – Om Puri, Indian actor 1950-12-12 – Rajnikanth, Indian actor 1951-01-01 – Nana Patekar, Indian film and stage actor 1951-11-19 – Zeenat Aman, Indian actress 1952-03-20 – Anand Armitraj, India, tennis player (Brother of ViJay) 1952-04-13 – Erick Avari, British-Indian actor 1952-06-20 – Vikram Seth, Indian poet 1952-09-04 – Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor 1952-11-05 – Vandana Shiva, Indian physicist 1952-12-28 – Arun Jaitley, Indian Politician 1953-09-27 – Mata Amritanandamayi, Indian religious leader 1953-12-14 – Vijay Amritraj, India, tennis player/actor (Octopussy) 1954-03-19 – Indu Shahani, Indian educationist and Sheriff of Mumbai 1954-07-27 – G. S. Bali, Indian politician 1954-11-07 – Kamal Haasan, Indian actor 1955-05-17 – Bill Paxton, actor (Brain Dead, Next of Kin, Indian Summer, True Lies) 1955-11-05 – Karan Thapar, Foremost Indian Journalist, Political Analyst & Commentator 1955-12-31 – Dawood Ibrahim, Indian crime boss 1956-01-15 – Mayawati, Indian politician 1956-02-01 – Brahmanandam, Indian film actor 1956-03-09 – Shashi Tharoor, Indian author & United Nations Under-Secretary General 1956-04-18 – Poonam Dhillon, Indian actress 1956-06-02 – Mani Ratnam, Indian dire 1956-08-14 – Johnny Lever, Indian actor 1956-10-19 – Sunny Deol, Indian actor 1957-01-07 – Reena Roy, Indian actress 1957-04-19 – Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman 1957-08-03 – Mani Shankar, Indian film maker 1957-09-23 – Kumar Sanu, Indian playback singer 1957-10-15 – Mira Nair, Indian director 1957-12-10 – Prem Rawat, known also as Guru Maharaj Ji and Maharaji, American Indian spiritual leader and speaker 1958-02-01 – Jackie Shroff, Indian actor 1958-04-03 – Jaya Prada, Indian Actress 1959-05-03 – Uma Bharati, Indian politician 1959-07-29 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor 1959-08-26 – Jim Rutledge, Victoria, Canadian Tour golfer (1995 Indian Open) 1959-08-29 – Akkineni Nagarjuna, Indian Telugu actor 1959-12-24 – Anil Kapoor, Indian actor 1960-01-03 – Sandeep Marwah Founder of Film City, Noida, India 1960-05-21 – Mohanlal, Indian actor 1960-06-10 – Balakrishna Nandamuri, Indian actor

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 167

1960-12-13 – Daggubati Venkatesh, Indian actor 1961-01-07 – Supriya Pathak, Indian actress 1961-04-18 – Pamella Bordes, New Dehli India, Brit parliament prostitute 1961-05-04 – Ishita Bhaduri, Indian (Bengali) Poet 1961-05-26 – Tarsem Singh, Indian film director 1961-06-05 – Ramesh Krishnan, Indian tennis star 1961-06-27 – Meera Syal, British-Indian comedienne and actress 1961-07-01 – Kalpana Chawla, Karnal India, astronaut (STS 87) 1961-08-13 – Sunil Shetty, Indian Actor, Producer 1961-11-24 – Arundhati Roy, Indian writer 1962-02-14 – Sakina Jaffrey, Indian actress 1962-09-30 – Shaan, Indian singer 1963-08-10 – Phoolan Devi, Indian bandit and revolutionary (d. 2001) 1963-08-13 – Sridevi, Indian actress 1963-08-17 – S. Shankar, Indian film director. 1964-01-31 – Remi Bouchard, Lasalle Que, Canadian Tour golfer (1989 India Open) 1964-02-19 – Sonu Walia, Indian actress 1964-12-25 – Anil Kaul, Amritsar India, Canadian badminton player (Olympics-96) 1965-03-14 – Aamir Khan, Indian actor 1965-06-01 – India Allen, Portsmouth Va, playmate of the year (Dec, 1987) 1965-09-02 – Partho Sen-Gupta, Indian filmmaker 1965-11-02 – Shahrukh Khan, Indian actor 1965-12-27 – Salman Khan, Indian actor 1966-01-06 – A. R. Rahman, Indian composer 1966-03-05 – Aasif Mandvi, Indian-born American actor and comedian 1966-03-20 – Alka Yagnik, Indian singer 1966-04-17 – Vikram, Indian actor 1966-05-03 – Firdous Bamji, Indian-American actor 1966-08-28 – Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician 1966-09-28 – Puri Jagannadh, Indian film director 1967-01-26 – Pradip Somasundaran, Indian playback singer 1967-01-27 – Bobby Deol, Indian actor 1967-02-01 – Patle Shishupal Natthu, Indian politician 1967-02-12 – Chitravina N. Ravikiran, Indian composer and musician 1967-05-15 – Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress 1967-08-18 – Daler Mehndi, Indian bhangra/pop singer 1967-09-09 – Akshay Kumar, Indian Actor 1967-11-13 – Juhi Chawla, Indian actress 1968-02-09 – Rahul Roy, Indian actor 1968-03-16 – Ananya Khare, Indian actress and teacher 1968-04-19 – Arshad Warsi, Indian actor 1968-09-29 – Samir Soni, Indian film actor 1968-12-15 – Javid Hussain, Indian film producer 1969-12-11 – Vishwanathan Anand, Indian chess grandmaster 1970-05-30 – Ness Wadia, Indian industrialist 1970-06-01 – R. Madhavan, Indian actor 1970-06-19 – Rahul Gandhi, Indian politician 1970-08-06 – M. Night Shyamalan, Indian/American film director 1970-08-16 – Manisha Koirala, Indian actress 1970-08-16 – Saif Ali Khan, Indian actor

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 168

1970-09-01 – Padma Lakshmi, Indian actress 1970-10-26 – Raveena Tandon, Indian actress 1971-04-16 – Natasha Zvereva, Minsk Belarus, tennis ace (finals 1995 Indian Wells) 1971-05-01 – Ajith Kumar, Indian film actor 1971-09-02 – Pawan Kalyan, Indian actor 1971-11-01 – Vikram Chatwal, Indian hotelier 1971-12-18 – Barkha Dutt, Indian journalist 1972-04-16 – Conchita Martinez, Monzon Spain, tennis star (1996 final Indian Wells)

1972-08-27 – Dalip Singh, Indian professional wrestler 1972-11-04 – Tabassum Hashmi, Indian actress 1972-11-09 – Laxmi Poruri, Guntur India, tennis star (1994 Futures-College Park) 1972-11-26 – Arjun Rampal, Indian actor 1972-12-17 – John Abraham, Indian actor 1973-06-17 – Leander Paes, Indian tennis player 1973-07-23 – Himesh Reshammiya, Indian Bollywood composer, singer and actor. 1973-07-30 – Sonu Nigam, Indian singer/actor 1973-08-10 – Lisa Raymond, Norristown Penn, tennis star (1995 Indian Wells doubles) 1973-08-23 – Malaika Arora Khan, Indian actress and model 1973-09-01 – Ram Kapoor, Indian actor 1973-11-01 – Aishwarya Rai, Indian actress 1974-01-09 – Farhan Akhtar, Indian Bollywood Director, Actor, Producer, Singer. 1974-01-10 – Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor 1974-05-15 – Shiney Ahuja, Indian actor 1974-06-07 – Mahesh Bhupathi, India, tennis pro 1974-06-22 – Joseph Vijay, Indian actor 1974-06-25 – Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress 1974-09-09 – Vikram Batra, Officer of the Indian Army 1974-12-25 – Nagma, Indian actress 1975-01-01 – Sonali Bendre, Indian model and actress 1975-01-08 – Harris Jayaraj, Indian music composer 1975-01-31 – Preity Zinta, Indian actress 1975-03-08 – Fardeen Khan, Indian actor 1975-06-08 – Shilpa Shetty, Indian actress 1975-06-22 – Laila Rouass, Moroccan-Indian actress 1975-08-05 – Kajol Mukherjee, Indian actress 1975-10-03 – India.Arie, American singer 1976-02-05 – Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor 1976-02-20 – Rohan Gavaskar, Left-handed batsman, India ODI 2004 (son of Sunil Gavaskar) 1976-06-29 – Sandhya Chib, Miss Universe-India (1996) 1976-09-03 – Vivek Oberoi, Indian actor 1976-12-15 – Baichung Bhutia, Indian footballer 1977-06-09 – Roopa Mishra, Indian civil servant 1977-06-09 – Amisha Patel, Indian actress 1977-07-17 – Lehmber Hussainpuri, Famous Indian Singer 1977-09-01 – Aamir Ali, Indian television actor 1978-01-01 – Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist 1978-03-21 – Rani Mukherjee, Indian actress 1978-03-28 – Nafisa Joseph, Miss India Universe (1997) 1978-04-16 – Lara Dutta, Indian actress

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 169

1978-06-11 – Ujjwala Raut, Indian supermodel 1978-11-01 – Manju Warrier, Indian actress 1978-12-17 – Riteish Deshmukh, Indian actor 1979-01-07 – Bipasha Basu, Indian model 1979-02-02 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress 1979-03-23 – Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor 1979-03-24 – Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor 1979-03-31 – Amey Date, Indian playback singer 1979-04-17 – Siddharth Narayan, Indian actor 1979-04-23 – Yana Gupta, Indian actress & model 1980-02-21 – Parthiva Sureshwaren, Indian racing driver 1980-08-18 – Preeti Jhangiani, Indian actress 1980-09-21 – Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress 1980-12-11 – Arya, Indian actor 1981-02-25 – Shahid Kapoor, Indian actor 1981-03-29 – Jlloyd Samuel, WestIndian-born footballer 1981-06-07 – Amrita Rao, Indian model and actress 1981-06-25 – Pooja Umashankar, Indian actress 1981-09-21 – Rimi Sen, Indian actress 1981-10-12 – Sneha, Indian actress 1981-10-24 – Mallika Sherawat, Indian actress 1981-10-29 – Reema Sen, Indian actress 1981-12-09 – Diya Mirza, Indian actress 1982-02-23 – Karan Singh Grover, Indian Television Actor 1982-03-28 – Sonia Agarwal, Indian actress 1982-04-07 – Sonjay Dutt, Indian American professional wrestler 1982-07-03 – Kanika, Indian actress 1982-07-18 – Priyanka Chopra, Indian actress and beauty queen 1982-09-11 – Shriya Saran, South Indian actress 1982-09-28 – Abhinav Bindra, Indian shooter 1982-09-28 – Ranbir Kapoor, Indian Actor 1982-12-10 – Shilpa Anand, Indian film and television actress 1983-02-03 – Silambarasan Rajendar,famous south Indian actor 1983-02-23 – Aziz Ansari, Indian American Comedian 1983-04-08 – Allu Arjun, Indian film actor 1983-05-04 – Trisha Krishnan, Indian actress 1983-05-20 – Jr. NTR, Indian film actor 1983-05-25 – Kunal Khemu, Indian actor 1984-01-19 – Karun Chandhok, Indian racing driver 1984-02-15 – Meera Jasmine, Indian actress 1984-02-29 – Adam Sinclair, Indian field hockey player 1984-03-12 – Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer 1984-03-19 – Tanushree Dutta, Indian actress 1984-07-16 – Katrina Kaif, Indian Actress 1984-08-03 – Sunil Chetri, Indian Footballer 1985-01-18 – Minnisha Lamba, Indian Actress and Model 1985-01-30 – Aaadietya Pandey, Indian astrologer 1985-06-09 – Sonam Kapoor, Indian actress 1985-10-26 – Asin Thottumkal, Indian actress 1986-01-01 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 170

1986-01-05 – Deepika Padukone, Indian model and actress 1986-01-28 – Shruti Haasan, Indian actress 1986-03-27 – Ramani, Indian Girl 1986-04-10 – Ayesha Takia, Indian actress 1986-10-20 – Priyanka Sharma, Indian actress 1986-11-15 – Sania Mirza, Indian tennis player 1987-03-31 – Humpy Koneru, Indian chess grandmaster 1987-08-05 – Genelia D‘Souza, Indian actress 1987-08-19 – Ileana D‘Cruz, Indian actress

1988-01-04 – Nabila Jamshed, Indian writer 1988-11-22 – Suresh Guptara and Jyoti Guptara, British-Indian novelists 1988-12-02 – Soniya Mehra, Indian Actress 1989-09-02 – Ishmeet Singh Sodhi, Indian Playback Singer (d. 2008) 1991-08-09 – Hansika Motwani, Indian actress 1996-03-09 – Darsheel Safary, Youngest Indian actor to win filmfare award for best performance.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 171

Famous Deaths In Indian History

1351-03-20 – Mohammed ibn-Tughluq, sultan of Delhi India, dies 1510-03-01 – Francisco d‘Almeida, viceroy of India, dies in battle at about 59 1539-03-05 – Nuno da Cunha, Portuguese governor in India (b. 1487) 1605-10-15 – Abul-Fath Djalal-ud-Din, Mogol keizer of India (1556-1605), dies at 63 1627-10-28 – Djehangir/Jahangir, great mogol of India, dies 1629-04-19 – Sigismondo d‘India, Italian composer 1631-06-07 – Mumtax Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan of India, her tomb (Taj Mahal) 1666-02-01 – Sjihab al-Din Sultan C Shah Djahan, mogol of India (Taj-Mahal), dies 1680-04-03 – Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire, India (b. 1630) 1680-04-17 – Kateri Tekakwitha, first American Indian to receive beatification (b. 1656) 1699-06-22 – Josiah Child, English Governor of the East India Company (b. 1630) 1707-02-20 – Aurangzeb, Mogul emperor of India (1658-1707), dies 1707-03-03 – Aurangzeb, Emperor of India (1658-1707), dies at 88 1713-02-11 – Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor of India (b. 1664) 1754-10-04 – Tanacharison, Catawba Indian chief 1755-07-09 – E Braddock, British Gen, mortally wounded during French & Indian War 1760-04-10 – Gerard George Clifford, head of East-Indian Company, dies at 75 1773-11-22 – Robert Clive, English occupier (India), dies at about 48 1781-05-18 – Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian Indian revolutionary, a descendant of the last Inca ruler, Túpac Amaru (b. 1742) 1799-05-04 – Tipu Sultan, Indian military leader (b. 1750) 1815-09-24 – John Sevier, indian fighter (Gov/Rep-Tn), dies at 70 1818-08-22 – Warren Hastings, 1st governor-general of India (1773-84), dies at 85 1843-12-18 – Thomas Graham, Lord Lynedoch, British Viceroy of India (b. 1748) 1856-09-24 – Henry, 1st viscount Hardinge of Lahore, gov-gen of India, dies 1857-04-08 – Mangal Pandey, Indian soldier (b. 1827) 1858-06-17 – Rani Lakshmibai, queen of Jhansi in North India, one of the leading figures of the Indian rebellion of 1857 (b. 1828) 1860-10-12 – Henry G W Smith, leader of British-Indian forces, dies at 73 1868-05-23 – Kit Carson, American trapper, scout, and Indian agent (b. 1809) 1869-02-15 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (b. 1796) 1871-03-18 – Augustus De Morgan, Indian-born British mathematician and logician (b. 1806) 1871-06-08 – Satank, Kiowa indian chief, shot to death 1881-07-17 – Jim Bridger, American mountain man, Indian fighter, and explorer (b. 1804) 1883-02-17 – Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, Indian revolutionary (b. 1845) 1890-12-10 – Ludolf AJW Sloet van de Beele, gov-gen (Net India 1861-66), dies at 84 1893-11-07 – Constantly Lievens, Flemish missionaries in India, dies at 37 1898-03-01 – George Bruce Malleson, English officer in India, author (b. 1825) 1898-03-27 – Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian Muslim intellectual (b. 1817) 1902-07-04 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1863) 1905-01-19 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher (b. 1817) 1908-08-11 – Khudiram Bose, Indian freedom fighter (b. 1889) 1915-02-19 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, India‘s social reformer/politician, dies 1918-07-22 – Indra Lal Roy, Indian pilot (b. 1898) 1918-10-15 – Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian saint (b. circa 1838) 1919-05-27 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian social activist (b. 1848) 1920-04-26 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (b. 1887) 1920-08-01 – Bal Gangadhar Tilak, British-Indian hindu leader, dies

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 172

1925-06-16 – Chittaranjan Das, Indian patriot and freedom fighter (b. 1870) 1927-02-05 – Inayat Khan, Indian sufi 1927-06-13 – Henry CK ―Clan‖ Petty-Fitzmaurice, gov of India (1888-94), dies at 82 1928-11-17 – Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author, politician, & freedom fighter (b. 1865) 1931-03-23 – Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev Indian freedom fighters 1936-09-19 – Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Indian musician (b. 1860) 1937-11-23 – Jagdish Chandra Bose, Indian physicist (b. 1858) 1938-04-21 – Allama Iqbal, Indian philosopher and poet (b. 1877) 1940-01-01 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian writer and essayist (b. 1865) 1941-03-28 – Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara, Indian Police Commissioner (b. 1877) 1941-08-07 – Radindranath Tagore, Indian philosopher/poet/writer, dies at 80 1948-01-30 – Mahatma Gandhi, India‘s political and spiritual leader, assassinated in New Delhi 1948-01-30 – Mahatma Ghandi, murdered by Hindu extremists in India 1950-04-14 – Sri Ramana Maharshi, Indian philosopher (b. 1879) 1950-08-08 – Ernest F E Douwes Dekker, founder National-India Party, dies 1950-12-05 – Shri Aurobindo, Indian guru (b. 1872) 1950-12-15 – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian political leader, Iron Man of India (b. 1875) 1951-12-05 – Abanindranath Tagore, Indian writer (b. 1871) 1952-01-05 – Victor Alexander John Hope, viceroy of India (1936-43), dies at 64 1952-03-07 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru (b. 1893) 1953-12-10 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born scholar and translator (b. 1872) 1955-09-16 – Leopold C M S Amery, Brit minister of Colonies (India), dies at 81 1956-12-06 – Dr. Bhimji Ramji Ambedkar, Indian Minister of Law and architect of The Constitution of India (b. 1891) 1958-06-27 – Robert Greig, actor (Devil Doll, Indian Love Call), dies at 78 1959-12-23 – Edward FLW Halifax, English viscount/viceroy of India, dies at 78 1962-04-12 – Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Indian politician and engineer (b. 1861) 1963-02-28 – Rajendra Prasad, First President of India (b. 1884) 1964-05-27 – Jawaharial Nehru, Independent India‘s 1st PM, dies at 74 1966-01-11 – Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian premier (1964-66), dies at 61 1966-01-24 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist (b. 1909) 1966-02-26 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian freedom fighter and writer (b. 1883) 1967-10-12 – Ram Manohar Lohia, Indian Socialist politician leader 1969-01-31 – Meher Baba, Indian guru (b. 1894) 1969-05-03 – Zakir Hussain, 3rd President of India, (b. 1897) 1969-06-24 – Ted Hecht, actor (Time to Kill, Song of India, Gangster), dies 1970-06-07 – Edward M Forster, Brit writer (Maurice, passage to India), dies at 91 1970-07-24 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman (b. 1897) 1970-11-21 – Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, Indian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1888) 1971-12-31 – Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist (b. 1919) 1972-03-31 – Meena Kumari, Indian actress (b. 1932) 1972-05-28 – Edward VIII, King of Gr Brit/N Ireld/emperor (India 1936), dies at 77 1972-07-28 – Charu Majumdar, Indian revolutionary leader (b. 1918) 1972-09-27 – S. R. Ranganathan, Indian mathematician (b. 1892) 1973-09-11 – Neem Karoli Baba, Indian guru 1974-02-04 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist (b. 1894) 1975-04-17 – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher (b. 1888) 1975-10-02 – Kumaraswami Kamaraj, Indian political leader, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (b. 1903) 1975-10-31 – SD Burman, Indian musician (b. 1906) 1976-08-27 – Mukesh, Indian playback singer (b. 1923)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 173

1977-03-22 – A.K. Gopalan, Indian communist leader (b. 1904) 1979-12-03 – Dhyan Chand, Indian field hockey player (b. 1905) 1980-06-23 – Sanjay Gandhi, Indian politician, dies 1980-06-23 – Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Fourth President of India (b. 1894) 1980-07-24 – Uttam Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1926)

1980-07-31 – Mohd. Rafi, Indian playback singer (b. 1924) 1981-02-05 – Kuda Bux, Indian mystic (I‘d Like to See), dies at 75 1981-12-26 – Savithri, Indian actress (b. 1937) 1982-02-22 – Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan (b. 1898) 1983-01-11 – Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla, Indian industrialist and educator (b. 1894) 1984-02-03 – Ravindara Mhatrem, Indian diplomat, killed in England 1984-02-09 – Balasaraswathi, Indian classical dancer, dies in Madras 1984-10-31 – Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, assassinated by two of her bodyguards at 66 1984-11-27 – Percy Norris, deputy high commissioner of India, shot dead 1985-03-15 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and writer (b. 1921) 1986-02-17 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (Kingdom Happiness), dies at 90 1986-06-06 – Bhavana Balachandran, Indian actress 1986-07-06 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (b. 1908) 1987-10-09 – Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer (b. 1908) 1987-10-13 – Kishore Kumar, Indian Singer (b.1929) 1987-12-11 – G. A. Kulkarni, Indian (Marathi) writer (b. 1923) 1990-01-19 – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, indian guru, dies at 58 1990-05-21 – Moelvi Mohammed Farouk, Indian spiritual leader, murdered 1990-11-07 – Lawrence Durrell, Indian/English author (Alexandria Quartet, Mount Olive), dies at 78 1991-03-23 – Parkash Singh, Indian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1913) 1991-05-21 – Rajiv Gandhi, Indian Prime Minster (1984-91), assassinated at 46 1991-06-14 – Peggy Ashcroft, British actress (A passage to India), dies at 83 1992-04-23 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director (Distant Thunder/Agantuk), dies at 70 1993-04-06 – Divya Bharati, ―Baby Doll‖ Indian Bollywood actress (Diwana), dies at 19 by mysteriously falling from her husband‘s apartment 1993-11-29 – JRD Tata, Indies industrialist (Air-India), dies at 89 1993-11-30 – Sebastian Kappen, Indian theologian (b. 1924) 1994-01-04 – RD Burman, Indian musician (b. 1939) 1994-12-25 – Zail Singh, president of India (1982-87), dies at 78 1995-04-10 – Morarji Desai, PM of India (1977-79), dies 1995-08-31 – Beant Singh, PM of Punjab province of India, assassinated at 73 1996-01-18 – N T Rama Rao, PM of Andhra Pradesh India (1983-84, 84-89, 94-95), dies 1996-01-18 – Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, Indian actor (b. 1923) 1996-04-22 – Hiteshwar Saikia, PM of Indian state of Assam (1991-96), dies 1996-05-20 – Janaki Ramachandran, PM of Indian state of Tamil Nadu (1988), dies 1996-05-31 – Neela Sanjiva Reddy, president of India (1977-82), dies 1996-06-01 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, president of India, dies at 83 1998-01-15 – Gulzarilal Nanda, temporary PM of India (1964, 66), dies 1998-08-18 – Persis Khambatta, Indian actress (b. 1950) 1999-07-07 – Captain Vikram Batra, Indian Army officer, awarded Param Vir Chakra (September 9,1974) 1999-08-01 – Nirad C. Chaudhuri, Indian-born writer (b. 1897) 1999-08-10 – Padma Bhushan Acharya Baldev Upadhyaya, Eminent Sanskrit Scholar in India (b. 1899) 1999-12-26 – Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India (b. 1918) 2000-07-10 – Vakkom Majeed, Indian Freedom fighter, Travancore-Cochin Legislative member (b. 1909)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 174

2000-11-07 – Chidambaram Subramaniam, Indian politician (b. 1910) 2000-12-23 – Noor Jehan, Indian singer and actress (b. 1926) 2001-05-13 – R.K. Narayan, Indian novelist (b. 1906) 2001-07-21 – Sivaji Ganesan, South Indian Tamil actor (b. 1927) 2001-12-01 – Ellis R Dungan, American born Indian film director (b. 1909) 2001-12-10 – Ashok Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1911) 2002-07-06 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (b. 1932) 2002-07-07 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian business tycoon (b. 1933) 2002-10-11 – Dina Pathak, Indian Actress (b. 1922) 2003-10-31 – Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Indian singer (b. 1908) 2003-11-09 – Binod Bihari Verma, Indian Maithili literateur (b.1937) 2004-02-23 – Vijay Anand, Indian film director (b. 1934) 2004-02-26 – Shankarrao Chavan, Indian politician (b. 1920) 2004-04-17 – Soundarya, Indian actress (b. 1971) 2004-06-26 – Yash Johar, Indian film producer (b. 1929) 2004-07-23 – Mehmood, Indian actor (b. 1932) 2004-08-15 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician (b. 1941) 2004-08-30 – Indian Larry, American motorcycle builder and stuntman (b. 1949) 2004-10-18 – Veerappan, Indian bandit and smuggler (b. 1945) 2004-12-11 – M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (b. 1916) 2004-12-21 – Autar Singh Paintal, Indian medical scientist (b. 1925) 2004-12-23 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921) 2005-01-03 – JN Dixit, Indian government official (b. 1936) 2005-01-12 – Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932) 2005-01-21 – Parveen Babi, Indian actress (b. 1955) 2005-03-30 – O. V. Vijayan, Indian author and cartoonist (b. 1930) 2005-04-25 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk (b. 1908) 2005-05-25 – Sunil Dutt, Indian actor and politician (b. 1929) 2005-07-27 – Swami Shantanand, Mahasamadhi Day, Indian Saint, Philosopher (b. 1934) 2005-10-30 – Shamsher Singh Sheri, Indian communist leader (b. 1942) 2005-11-09 – K. R. Narayanan, President of India (b. 1921) 2006-02-09 – Nadira, Indian actress (b. 1932) 2006-02-23 – Telmo Zarraonaindía, Spanish footballer (b. 1921) 2006-03-26 – Anil Biswas, Indian politician (b. 1944) 2006-04-12 – Dr. Rajkumar, Kannada language film actor/singer (India)(b. 1929) 2006-04-21 – T.K. Ramakrishnan, Indian politician (b. 1922) 2006-05-03 – Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (b. 1949) 2006-05-05 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer (b. 1919) 2006-05-27 – Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indian actor (b. 1944) 2006-08-21 – Ustad Bismillah Khan, Indian musician (b. 1916) 2006-08-27 – Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Indian film director (b. 1922) 2007-02-02 – Vijay Arora, Indian film and television actor (b. 1944) 2007-03-04 – Sunil Kumar Mahato, Indian parliamentarian (b. 1966) 2007-03-22 – Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (b. 1918) 2007-04-16 – G. V. Loganathan, Indian American professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (b. 1954) 2007-06-30 – Sahib Singh Verma, Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Delhi (b. 1943) 2007-10-03 – M.N. Vijayan, Indian writer, orator, and academic 2008-01-01 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, union minister of India (b. 1919) 2008-02-05 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru, founder of Transcendental Meditation (b. ca. 1917) 2008-02-25 – Hans Raj Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India (b. 1912)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 175

2008-03-20 – Shoban Babu, Indian actor (b. 1937) 2008-05-19 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright, (b. 1928) 2008-06-27 – Sam Manekshaw, Indian Field Marshal (b. 1914) 2008-07-29 – Ishmeet Singh Sodhi, Indian Playback Singer (b. 1989) 2008-08-01 – Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Indian politician (b. 1916) 2008-09-27 – Mahendra Kapoor, Indian singer (b. 1934) 2009-01-27 – R. Venkataraman, 8th President of India (b. 1910)

2009-01-31 – Nagesh, Indian comedian actor in Kollywood (b. 1933) 2009-04-27 – Feroz Khan, Indian actor (b. 1939) 2009-05-03 – Ram Shewalkar, Indian Marathi writer, cardiac arrest.(b.1931) 2009-06-28 – A. K. Lohithadas, Indian screenwriter, director, and producer (b. 1955) 2009-07-29 – Gayatri Devi, Ex-Maharani of Indian state Jaipur. (b. 1919) 2009-09-02 – Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, India (b. 1949) 2009-11-11 – Dhanpat Rai Nahar, Indian labour leader (b. 1919) 2010-01-17 – Jyoti Basu, Indian politician (b. 1914)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 176

Historical Events In Indian History

1311-04-24 – Gen Malik Kafur returns to Delhi after campaign in South India 1329-08-09 – Quilon the first Indian Diocese was erected by Pope John XXII and Jordanus was appointed the first Bishop 1459-05-12 – Sun City India founded by Rao Jodhpur 1497-07-08 – Vasco da Gama departs for trip to India 1498-05-20 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calcutta India 1500-03-09 – Pedro Cabral departs with 13 ships to India 1502-02-12 – Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal on his second voyage to India. 1509-02-02 – The Battle of Diu takes place near Diu, India, between Portugal and Turkey. 1509-02-03 – The Battle of Diu, between Portugal and the Ottoman Empire takes place in Diu, India. 1542-05-06 – Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of Portuguese India at the time. 1556-03-28 – Origin of Fasli Era (India) 1565-01-25 – Battle at Talikota India: Moslems destroy Vijayanagar‘s army 1575-03-03 – Indian Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Bengali army at the Battle of Tukaroi. 1597-08-20 – 1st Dutch East India Company ships returned from Far East 1600-12-31 – British East India Company chartered 1601-02-13 – John Lancaster leads 1st East India Company voyage from London 1602-03-20 – United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) forms 1608-08-24 – 1st English convoy lands at Surat India 1609-03-25 – Henry Hudson embarks on an exploration for Dutch East India Co 1612-08-29 – Battle at Surat India: English fleet beats Portuguese 1614-04-05 – American Indian princess Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan marries English colonist John Rolfe 1621-06-03 – Dutch West India Company receives charter for ―New Netherlands‖ (NY) 1622-03-22 – 1st American Indian (Powhattan) massacre of whites Jamestown Virginia, 347 slain 1633-10-22 – Ming dynasty fight with Dutch East India Company that Battle of southern Fujian sea (1633), Ming dynasty won great victory. 1639-08-22 – Madras (now Chennai), India, is founded by the British East India Company on a sliver of land bought from local Nayak rulers. 1641-01-14 – United East Indian Company conquerors city of Malakka, 7,000 killed 1641-08-26 – West India Company conquerors Sao Paulo de Loanda, Angola 1643-12-25 – Christmas Island founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary. 1658-12-09 – Dutch troops occupy harbor city Quilon (Coilan) India 1668-03-26 – England takes control of Bombay India 1668-03-27 – English king Charles II gives Bombay to East India Company 1690-02-08 – French & Indian troops set Schenectady settlement NY on fire 1690-08-24 – Job Charnock founds Calcutta India 1692-02-29 – Sarah Good & Tituba, an Indian servant, accused of witchcraft, Salem 1699-04-14 – Khalsa: Birth of Khalsa, the brotherhood of the Sikh religion, in Northern India in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar. 1733-05-29 – The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City. 1737-10-07 – 40 foot waves sink 20,000 small craft & kill 300,000 (Bengal, India) 1737-10-11 – Earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys half of Calcutta India 1739-02-24 – Battle of Karnal: The army of Iranian ruler Nadir Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, Muhammad Shah. 1739-03-20 – Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne. 1751-08-31 – English troops under sir Robert Clive occupy Arcot India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 177

1752-06-09 – French army surrenders to the English in Trichinopoly India 1755-04-02 – Commodore William James captures the pirate fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India. 1755-07-09 – Brit Gen E Braddock mortally wounded during French & Indian War 1756-05-17 – Britain declares war on France (7 Years‘ or French & Indian War) 1756-06-20 – 146 Brit soldiers imprisoned in India-Black Hole of Calcutta-most die 1756-06-20 – India rebels defeat Calcutta on British army 1756-09-08 – French and Indian War: Kittanning Expedition. 1756-12-06 – British troops under Robert Clive occupy Fulta India 1757-01-02 – British troops occupy Calcutta India 1757-11-05 – Battle at Rossbach (7 year war/French & Indian War) 1758-05-21 – Mary Campbell is abducted from her home in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. 1759-04-08 – British troops chase French out of Masulipatam India 1760-01-22 – Battle at Wandewash India: British troops beat French 1761-01-07 – Battle at Panipat India: Afghan army beats Mahratten 1761-01-16 – The British capture Pondicherry, India from the French. 1764-11-09 – Mary Campbell, a captive of the Lenape during the French and Indian War, is turned over to forces commanded by Colonel Henry Bouquet. 1767-09-28 – Gentlemen 17 forbid private slave transport India to Cape of Good Hope 1772-02-12 – Yves de Kerguelen of France discovers Kerguelen Archipelago, India 1773-10-14 – American Revolutionary War: The United Kingdom‘s East India Company tea ships‘ cargo are burned at Annapolis, Maryland. 1783-04-09 – Tippu Sahib drives out English from Bednore India 1786-02-24 – Charles Cornwallis appointed governor-general of India 1795-03-11 – Battle at Kurdla India: Mahratten beat Mogols 1796-04-13 – 1st elephant arrives in US from India 1798-09-01 – England signs treaty with nizam of Hyderabad, India 1800-07-10 – The British Indian Government establishes the Fort William College to promote Urdu, Hindi and other vernaculars of sub continent. 1803-02-27 – Great fire in Bombay, India 1803-09-23 – Battle of Assaye-British-Indian forces beat Maratha Army 1806-07-10 – The Vellore Mutiny is the first instance of a mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company. 1818-06-03 – Maratha Wars between British & Maratha Confederacy in India ends 1829-12-04 – Britain abolished ―suttee‖ in India (widow burning herself to death on her husband‘s funeral pyre 1835-02-24 – Siwinowe Kesibwi (Shawnee Sun) is 1st Indian lang monthly mag 1838-11-03 – The Times of India, the world‘s largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. 1839-01-10 – Tea from India 1st arrives in UK 1839-01-19 – Aden conquered by British East India Company 1839-11-25 – A cyclone slams India with high winds and a 40 foot storm surge, destroying the port city of Coringa (never to be entirely rebuilt again). The storm wave sweeps inland, taking with it 20,000 ships and thousands of people. An estimated 300,000 deaths result from the disaster. 1842-01-06 – 4,500 British & Indian troops leave Kabul, massacred before India 1846-01-28 – Battle of Allwal, Brits beat Sikhs in Punjab (India) 1846-02-10 – British defeat Sikhs in battle of Sobraon, India 1846-02-16 – Battle of Sobraon ends 1st Sikh War in India 1849-03-29 – Britain formally annexs Punjab after defeat of Sikhs in India 1851-12-22 – The first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India. 1853-04-16 – The first passenger rail opens in India, from Bori Bunder, Bombay to Thane.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 178

1857-05-10 – Indian Mutiny begins with revolt of Sepoys of Meerut 1858-07-28 – William Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India 1858-08-02 – Govt of India transferred from East India Company to Crown 1859-02-10 – Gen Horsford defeats Begum of Oude & Nana Sahib in Indian mutiny 1865-11-11 – Treaty of Sinchula is signed in which Bhutan ceded the areas east of the Teesta River to the British East India Company. 1866-06-11 – The Allahabad High Court (then Agra High Court) is established in India. 1868-04-13 – Abyssinian War ends as British and Indian troops capture Magdala. 1870-09-08 – Neth & Engl sign ―Koelietraktaat‖ Br-Indian contract work in Suriname 1876-10-31 – A monster cyclone ravages India, resulting in over 200,000 human deaths. 1877-01-01 – England‘s Queen Victoria proclaimed empress of India 1879-05-14 – The first group of 463 Indian indentured labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas. 1882-06-06 – Cyclone in Arabian Sea (Bombay India) drowns 100,000 1884-09-26 – Suriname army shoots on British-Indian contract workers, 7 killed 1888-04-20 – 246 reported killed by hail in Moradabad, India 1888-12-18 – Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discover the ancient Indian ruins of Mesa Verde. 1889-03-23 – The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian India. 1891-09-18 – Harriet Maxwell Converse is 1st white woman to become an Indian chief

1892-07-06 – Dadabhai Naoroji elected as first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain. 1897-06-12 – Possibly most severe quake in history strikes Assam India, shock waves felt over an area size of Europe (negligible death toll) 1905-04-04 – Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 20,000 1905-10-16 – The Partition of Bengal (India) occurred. 1906-12-30 – The All India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India Empire, which later laid down the foundations of Pakistan. 1907-05-01 – Indian Mine Laws passes (concessions from Neth-Indies) 1911-02-18 – The first official flight with air mail takes place in Allahabad, British India, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 km away. 1911-03-25 – L D Swamikannu publishes ―Manual of Indian Chronology‖ in Bombay 1911-12-12 – Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India. 1913-11-06 – Mohandas K Gandhi arrested for leading Indian miners march in S Afr 1914-06-30 – Mahatma Gandhi‘s 1st arrest, campaigning for Indian rights in S Africa 1916-05-13 – 1st observance of Indian (Native American) Day 1916-05-24 – Last British-Indian contract workers arrive in Suriname 1917-03-11 – World War I: Baghdad falls to the Anglo-Indian forces commanded by General Stanley Maude. 1918-05-18 – Neth Indian Volksraad installed in Batavia 1919-04-13 – Amritsar Massacre-British Army fires on nationalist rioters in India 1919-04-13 – British forces kill 100s of Indian Nationalists (Amritsar Massacre) 1919-08-13 – British troops fire on Amritsar India demonstrators; killing 350 1919-09-10 – Indian‘s Ray Caldwell no-hits Yankees 3-0 1920-03-23 – Perserikatan Communist of India (PKI) political party forms 1920-10-10 – Indian Bill Wambsganns makes 1st unassisted World Series triple play 1920-10-10 – Indian‘s Elmer Smith hits 1st World Series grand slam 1922-03-18 – Brit magistrates in India sentence Gandhi to 6 years for disobedience 1925-12-26 – The Communist Party of India is founded. 1926-08-28 – Indian Emil Levsen pitches complete doubleheader victory (Red Sox) 1926-12-28 – Imperial Airways begins England-India mail & passenger service 1928-08-30 – Jawaharlal Nehru requests independence of India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 179

1929-01-06 – Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta to begin a her work amongst India‘s poorest and diseased people. 1929-01-26 – Indian National Congress proclaims goal for India‘s independence 1929-04-08 – Indian Independence Movement: At the Delhi Central Assembly, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throw handouts and bombs to court arrest. 1929-04-24 – 1st non-stop England to India flight takes-off 1929-04-26 – 1st non-stop England to India flight lands 1930-03-08 – Mahatma Gandhi starts civil disobedience in India 1931-02-10 – New Delhi becomes capital of India 1931-03-23 – Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev embrace the gallows during the Indian struggle for independence. Their request to be shot by a firing squad is refused. 1932-10-08 – The Indian Air Force is established. 1932-10-15 – Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight. 1933-01-28 – The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhary Rehmat Ali Khan and is accepted by the Indian Muslims who then thereby adopted it further for the Pakistan Movement seeking independence. 1933-05-08 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast in protest against British oppression in India. 1934-01-15 – 8.4 earthquake in India/Nepal, 10,700 die 1934-04-07 – In India, Mahatma Gandhi suspended his campaign of civil disobedience 1934-08-02 – William Franks twirls an indian club overhead 17,280 times in 1 hour 1936-02-08 – Pandit Jawaharlal follows Gandhi as chairman of India Congress Party 1936-04-01 – Orissa constituted a province of British India 1938-10-02 – Indian Bob Feller strikes out record 18 Tigers (Chester Laabs 5 times) 1938-11-16 – K B Regiment refuses round-table conference in East-India 1939-03-03 – In Mumbai, Mohandas Gandhi begins to fast in protest of the autocratic rule in India. 1939-03-10 – 17 villages damaged by hailstones in Hyderabad India 1939-04-13 – In India, the Hindustani Lal Sena (Indian Red Army) is formed and vows to engage in armed struggle against the British. 1939-05-03 – The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. 1940-03-23 – All-India-Moslem League calls for a Moslem homeland 1940-03-23 – The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan or the then Qarardad-e-Lahore) is put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All India Muslim League. 1940-07-02 – Indian independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose is arrested and detained in Calcutta. 1941-05-25 – 5,000 drown in a storm at Ganges Delta region in India 1941-11-24 – Indian infantry attacks German tanks at Sidi Omar 1942-08-09 – Mahatma Gandhi & 50 others arrested in Bombay after passing of a ―quit India‖ campaign by the All-India Congress 1942-10-16 – Cyclone in Bay of Bengal kills some 40,000 south of Calcutta India 1943-12-30 – Subhash Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair. 1944-04-01 – Japanese troops conquer Jessami, East-India 1944-04-14 – Freighter ―Fort Stikene‖ explodes in Bombay India, killing 1,376 1944-08-19 – Last Japanese troops driven out of India 1945-11-13 – Australian Services draw 1st Victory Test against India 1946-03-15 – British premier Attlee agrees with India‘s right to independence 1946-08-08 – India agrees to give Bhutan 32 sq miles 1946-09-02 – Nehru forms govt in India 1946-12-01 – Australia compile 645 v India at the Gabba (Bradman 187) 1947-02-20 – Lord Mountbatten appointed as last viceroy of India 1947-06-03 – British viceroy of India lord Mountbatten visits Pakistan 1947-07-18 – King George VI signs Indian Independence Bill 1947-08-14 – India granted independence within British Commonwealth

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 180

1947-08-15 – India declares independence from UK, Islamic part becomes Pakistan 1947-08-17 – The Radcliffe Line, the border between Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan is revealed. 1947-10-26 – Maharajah of Jammu & Kashmir accedes to India 1948-01-01 – Bradman scores 132 in the 1st innings of the 3rd Test v India 1948-01-01 – Orissa province accedes to India 1948-01-01 – After partition, India declines to pay the agreed share of Rs.550 million in cash balances to Pakistan. 1948-01-03 – Bradman completes dual Test tons (132 & 127*) v India MCG 1948-01-23 – Bradman scores 201 in 272 mins v India, 21 fours 1 six 1948-01-23 – Test debut of Neil Harvey, v India at Adelaide 1948-01-24 – Australia all out 674 v India (Bradman 201, Hassett 198*) 1948-04-15 – Indian territory of Himachal Pradesh created 1948-06-21 – Lord Mountbatten resigns as gov-gen of India 1948-09-12 – Invasion of the State of Hyderabad by the Indian Army on the day after the Pakistani leader Jinnah‘s death. 1949-01-14 – Black/Indian race rebellion in Durban, South Africa; 142 die 1949-02-19 – Mass arrests of communists in India 1949-03-05 – The Jharkhand Party is founded in India. 1949-05-12 – 1st foreign woman ambassador received in US (S V L Pandit India) 1949-09-23 – Indian owner Bill Veeck holds funeral services to bury 1948 pennant 1949-10-15 – Administration of territory of Manipur taken over by Indian govt 1949-10-15 – Tripura accedes to Indian union 1949-11-26 – India adopts a constitution as a British Commonwealth Republic 1949-12-30 – India recognizes People‘s Republic of China 1950-01-01 – The state of Ajaigarh is ceded to the Government of India. 1950-01-26 – India becomes a republic ceaseing to be a British dominion 1950-07-02 – Indian Bob Feller, wins his 200th game, 5-3 over Detroit 1950-08-15 – 8.6 earthquake in India kills 20,000 to 30,000 1950-08-15 – Srikakulam district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India. 1950-10-26 – Mother Teresa found her Mission of Charity in Calcutta, India 1950-11-06 – King Tribhuvana of Nepal flees to India 1950-12-05 – Sikkim becomes a protectorate of India

1952-01-21 – Nehru‘s Congress party wins general election in India 1952-05-13 – Pandit Nehru becomes premier of India 1952-05-13 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting. 1952-07-19 – Freddie Trueman takes 8-31, India all out 58 at Old Trafford 1952-07-19 – India all out 82 in 2nd innings after making 52 earlier in the day 1952-10-16 – Pakistan‘s 1st Test starts, v India at Delhi 1952-10-18 – Vinoo Mankad takes 13 Pakistan wkts to win 1st India-Pak clash 1952-10-25 – Nazar Mohammad scores Pakistan‘s 1st Test century 124* v India 1953-04-01 – Walcott Worrell & Weekes all make centuries in innings v India 1953-10-01 – Indian state of Andhra Pradesh partitioned from Madras 1954-11-01 – India takes over administration of 4 French Indian settlements 1955-04-11 – The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang. 1955-04-30 – Imperial Bank of India nationalized 1955-05-02 – India poses discrimination ―onaanraakbaren‖ punishable 1955-06-07 – India premier Nehru visit USSR 1956-09-01 – Indian state of Tripura becomes a territory

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 181

1956-09-02 – Collapse of a RR bridge under a train kills 120 (India) 1956-11-01 – Delhi becomes a territory of Indian union 1956-11-01 – Indian state of Madhya Pradesh forms 1956-11-01 – Indian states of Punjab, Patiala & PEPSU merge as Punjab protection 1956-11-01 – Formation of Kerala state in India. 1957-01-26 – India annexes Kashmir 1957-03-22 – Republic of India adopts Saka calendar along with Gregorian 1959-01-01 – Rohan Kanhai completes 256 v India at Calcutta 1959-03-17 – Dalai Lama flees Tibet for India 1959-03-31 – Dalai Lama fled China & was granted political asylum in India 1959-07-27 – Abbas Ali Baig scores 112 for India v England on debut 1959-08-24 – England complete 5-0 series drubbing of India 1959-09-21 – 600 Indian Dutch emigrate to US 1959-10-23 – Chinese troops move into India, 17 die 1959-12-20 – Jasu Patel takes 9-69, India v Australia at Kanpur 1960-02-12 – Chinese army kills 12 Indian soldiers 1960-05-01 – India‘s Bombay state split into Gujarat & Maharashtra states 1961-11-05 – India‘s premier Nehru arrives in NY 1961-12-17 – India seizes Goa & 2 other Portuguese colonies 1961-12-18 – India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu 1962-02-25 – India Congress Party wins elections 1962-05-30 – 69 killed in bus crash (Ahmedabad India) 1962-09-08 – Chinese troops exceed Mac-Mahon-line (Tibet-India boundary) 1962-10-10 – Indies assault up Chinese positions in North-India attack 1962-10-20 – Chinese army lands in India 1962-11-21 – The Chinese People‘s Liberation Army declares a unilateral cease-fire in the Sino-Indian War. 1963-05-28 – Estimated 22,000 die in another cyclone in Bay of Bengal (India) 1963-12-01 – Nagaland becomes a state of Indian union 1964-01-13 – Hindu-Muslim rioting breaks out in the Indian city of Calcutta – now Kolkata – resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people. 1964-02-09 – Hanumant Singh scores 105 India v England on debut at Delhi 1964-06-02 – Lal Bahadur Sjastri elected premier of India 1964-10-29 – Star of India & other jewels are stolen in NY 1964-12-23 – India & Ceylon hit by cyclone, about 4,850 killed 1965-01-08 – Star of India returned to American Museum of Natural History 1965-04-09 – India & Pakistan engage in border fight 1965-05-11 – 1st of 2 cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 (India) 1965-05-25 – India & Pakistan border fights 1965-05-28 – Fire & explosion at Dhori mine in Dhanbad India kills 400 1965-06-02 – 2nd of 2 cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 (Ganges R India) 1965-08-06 – Indian troops invade Pakistan 1965-09-01 – India & Pakistan border fights 1965-09-06 – India invades West Pakistan 1965-09-07 – China announces that it will reinforce its troops in the Indian border. 1965-09-22 – India & Pakistan ceases-fire goes into effect 1966-01-10 – India & Pakistan sign peace accord 1966-01-19 – Indira Gandhi elected India‘s 3rd prime minister 1966-04-06 – Mihir Sen swims Palk Strait between Sri Lanka & India 1966-06-24 – Bombay-NY Air India flight crashes into Mont Blanc (Switz), 117 die 1966-11-01 – Indian Haryana state created from Punjab; Chandigarh terr created

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 182

1966-12-13 – Test debut of Clive Lloyd, v India Bombay, 82 & 78 1967-05-06 – Zakir Hussain elected 1st Moslem president of India 1967-06-09 – Boycott scores 246* v India, Leeds, 573 minutes, 29 fours 1 six 1967-09-04 – 6.5 earthquake of Kolya Dam India, kills 200 1967-09-11 – Indian/Chinese border fights 1967-12-11 – 6.5 earthquake in West India, 170 killed 1968-01-31 – Bobby Simpson takes 5-59 v India in his last Test for ten years 1968-02-16 – Beatles George Harrison & John Lennon & wives fly to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi 1968-12-25 – 42 Dalits are burned alive in Kilavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, India, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit labourers. 1969-12-25 – India all out for 163 at Madras v Aust, Ashley Mallett 5-91 1970-04-02 – Meghalaya becomes autonomous state within India‘s Assam state 1971-01-25 – Himachal Pradesh becomes 18th Indian state 1971-03-09 – J M Noreiga takes 9-95 WI v India at Port-of-Spain 1971-08-24 – India beat England by 4 wickets, their win against the Poms 1971-11-21 – Indian troops partly aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas) defeat the Pakistan army in the Battle of Garibpur. 1971-12-03 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: India invades West Pakistan and a full scale war begins claiming hundreds of lives. 1971-12-04 – The UN Security Council calls an emergency session to consider the deteriorating situation between India and Pakistan. 1971-12-04 – The Indian Navy attacks the Pakistan Navy and Karachi. 1971-12-16 – India‘s army occupies Dacca, West Pakistani troops surrenders 1971-12-17 – Cease fire between India & Pakistan in Kashmir 1972-01-21 – Manipur, Meghalaya & Tripura become separate states of Indian union 1972-01-21 – Mizoram, formerly part of Assam, creates an Indian union territory 1972-01-21 – Tripura becomes a full-fledged state in India. 1972-03-19 – India & Bangladesh sign friendship treaty 1972-07-02 – India & Pakistan sign peace accord 1972-07-10 – Herd of stampeding elephants kills 24, Chandka Forest India 1972-12-17 – New line of control agreed to in Kashmir between India & Pakistan 1972-12-23 – Chandrasekhar takes 8-79 India v England at Delhi 1973-02-09 – Biju Patnaik of the Pragati Legislature Party elected leader of opposition in the state assembly in Orissa, India. 1973-02-27 – American Indian Movement occupy Wounded Knee in South Dakota 1973-02-27 – Members of American Indian Movement begin occupation of Wounded Knee 1973-07-07 – 78 drown as flash flood sweeps a bus into a river (India) 1973-08-28 – India & Pakistan sign POW accord 1973-11-01 – The Indian state of Mysore was renamed as Karnataka to represent all the regions within Karunadu . 1974-05-18 – India becomes 6th nation to explode an atomic bomb

1974-07-13 – India‘s 1st one-day international (v England, Headingley) 1974-11-07 – 63rd Davis Cup: South Africa beats India in (w/o) 1975-01-29 – W I win Fifth Test against India to take exciting series 3-2 1975-04-19 – India launches 1st satellite with help of USSR 1975-05-16 – India annexes Principality of Sikkim 1975-05-19 – Farm truck packed with wedding party struck by a train, killing 66 in truck, 40 miles south of Poona, India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 183

1975-06-26 – Indian PM Indira Gandhi declares a state of emergency 1975-06-26 – Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial. 1975-07-20 – India expels three reporters from The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and Newsweek because they refused to sign a pledge to abide by government censorship. 1975-12-27 – Explosion at Chasnala Colliery collapses drowning 350 (Dhanbad India) 1976-02-17 – Richard Hadlee takes 7-23 v India, his 1st match-winning spell 1976-04-12 – India set 403 to win by WI They get them, 6 wkts 7 overs spare 1976-04-25 – India all out for 97 v West Indies 1977-01-19 – World‘s largest crowd-12.7 million-for Indian religious festival 1977-03-20 – Premier Indira Gandhi loses election in India 1977-03-22 – Indira Gandhi resigns as PM of India 1977-03-28 – Morarji Desai forms govt in India 1977-12-17 – Bobby Simpson scores 176 Australia v India at the WACA, aged 41 1978-01-01 – Air India B747 explodes near Bombay killing 213 1978-01-03 – Chandrasekar takes 6-52 & 6-52 at MCG in Indian innings win 1978-02-03 – Australia beat India 3-2 on 6th day of final test 1978-02-03 – India needing 493 to beat Australia at Adelaide, all out 445 1978-10-16 – Test debut of Kapil Dev, India v Pakistan at Faisalabad 1978-12-19 – Indira Gandhi ambushed in India 1978-12-26 – India‘s former PM, Indira Gandhi, released from jail 1979-01-02 – Gavaskar gets twin tons for India for the third time (v WI) 1979-02-07 – Faoud Bacchus scores 250 for WI v India at Kanpur 1979-06-01 – Vizianagaram district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India. 1979-06-07 – Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched 1979-07-15 – Morarji Desai resigns as premier of India 1979-07-17 – David Gower 200* in England score of 5-633 v India at Edgbaston 1979-08-20 – India premier Charan Singh resigns 1979-09-04 – India need 438 to win v England, game ends at 8-429 1979-09-20 – The Punjab wing of the Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India (Marxist-Leninist) formally splits and constitutes a parallel UCCRI(ML). 1979-10-17 – Mother Teresa of India, awarded Nobel Peace Prize 1980-01-06 – Indira Gandhi‘s Congress Party wins elections in India 1980-07-18 – Rohini 1, 1st Indian satellite, launches into orbit 1981-01-03 – Greg Chappell scores 204 v India at the SCG 1981-01-08 – India all out 63 in one-day international v Australia 1981-01-24 – Kim Hughes scores 213 v India at Adelaide 1981-02-11 – Australia all out 83 v India at MCG chasing 143 to win 1981-06-06 – A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the actual figure is closer to 1,000 killed. 1981-06-19 – India‘s APPLE satellite, 1st to be stabilized on 3 axes, launched 1981-07-16 – India performs nuclear Test 1981-10-14 – Citing official misconduct in the investigation and trial, Amnesty International charges the U.S. government with holding Richard Marshall of the American Indian Movement as a political prisoner. 1982-07-09 – Botham scores 208 in 225 balls, England v India at The Oval 1982-07-27 – Indian PM Indira Gandhi 1st visit to US in almost 11 years 1982-12-27 – Imran Khan 8-60 to bring innings victory v India at Karachi 1983-01-15 – Javed Miandad & Mudassar Nazar make 451 stand v India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 184

1983-02-22 – Hindus kill 3000 Moslems in Assam, India 1983-04-17 – India entered space age launching SLV-3 rocket 1983-11-16 – Kapil Dev takes 9-83 v WI at Ahmedabad, but India still lose 1983-11-27 – Desmond Haynes out handled the ball v India 1984-02-01 – Ravindara Mhatrem, Indian diplomat, kidnapped in England (killed 0203) 1984-04-03 – Soyuz T-11 carries 3 cosmonauts (1 Indian-Rakesh Sharma) to Salyut 7 1984-04-15 – Extremist Sikhs plunder 40 stations in Punjab India 1984-06-06 – 1,200 die in Sikh ―Golden Temple‖ uprising India 1984-08-03 – Bomb attack on Madras India airport, 32 killed 1984-09-28 – 1st floodlit ODI outside of Australia (India v Aust, New Delhi) 1984-11-03 – 3,000 die in 3 day anti-Sikh riot in India 1984-11-03 – Body of assassinated Indian PM Indira Gandhi cremated 1984-12-03 – 2,000 die from Union Carbide poison gas emission in Bhopal, India 1984-12-28 – Rajiv Gandhi‘s Congress party wins election in India 1984-12-29 – Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi claims victory in parlimetary elections 1984-12-31 – Rajiv Gandhi takes office as India‘s 6th PM succeeds his mom, Indira 1985-01-15 – Mike Gatting & Graeme Fowler both scores 200′s v India 1985-04-08 – India files suit against Union Carbide over Bhopal disaster 1985-05-11 – Booby trap bomb kills 86 people in India 1985-06-23 – Bomb destroys Air India Boeing 747 in air near Ireland, 329 die 1985-08-17 – Rajiv Gandhi announces Punjab state elections in India 1985-09-25 – Akali Dal wins Punjab State election in India 1985-12-13 – David Boon‘s 1st Test century, 123 v India at Adelaide 1985-12-13 – Test debut of Merv Hughes, Geoff Marsh & Bruce Reid (v India) 1986-01-04 – David Boon‘s second Test century, 131 v India at Adelaide 1986-02-02 – Dalai Lama meets Pope John Paul II in India 1986-02-11 – Australia beat India 2-0 to win the World Series Cup 1986-03-28 – Extremist Sikhs kill 13 hindus in Ludhiana India 1986-07-25 – Sikhs extremist kill 16 hindus in Muhktsar India 1986-09-19 – Dean Jones scores 210 v India at Madras 1986-10-02 – Failed assassination attempt on India premier Rajiv Gandhi 1986-10-02 – Sikhs attempt to assassinate Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi 1986-10-19 – Allan Border scores the 1,000,000th run in Tests (v India, Bombay) 1987-07-06 – 1st of 3 massacres by Sikh extremists takes place in India 1987-11-25 – India all out for 75 v West Indies at Delhi, Patterson 5-24 1987-12-11 – Test debut of Carl Hooper, WI v India at Bombay 1987-12-20 – 76th Davis Cup: Sweden beats India in Gothenburg (5-0) 1988-01-11 – Test debut of Phil Simmons, WI v India, Madras 1988-07-21 – ESA‘s Ariane-3 launches 2 communications satellites (1 Indian) 1988-08-20 – 6.5 earthquake strikes India/Nepal, 1,000s killed 1988-11-30 – Cyclone lashes Bangladesh, Eastern India; 317 killed 1989-10-20 – Pakistan win Sharjah Trophy over India & WI on round-robin 1989-11-29 – India president Rajiv Gandhi, resigns 1989-12-02 – Vishwanath Pratap Singh sworn in as president of India 1990-02-23 – Ian Smith 173* NZ v India, 136 balls, world record for no 9 bat 1990-03-24 – Indian troops leave Sri Lanka 1990-03-27 – Bus accidentally touches high voltage wire in Karagpur India; 21 die 1990-04-17 – Gas explodes on passenger train in Kumrahar India, 80 die 1990-07-27 – Graham Gooch scores 333 v India at Lord‘s

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 185

1990-07-30 – Graham Gooch scores 123 v India to follow up 1st innings 333 1990-12-10 – Hindu-Muslim rebellion in Hyderabad-Aligargh India, 140 die

1991-10-16 – Jharkhand Chhatra Yuva Morcha is founded at a conference in Ranchi, India. 1991-10-20 – 6.1-7.1 earthquake in Uttar Kashi, India, about 670 die 1991-10-25 – Aaqib Javed takes 7-37 in 10 overs v India in cric 1-dayer at Sharjah 1991-12-26 – Militant Sikhs kill 55 & wound 70 in India 1992-01-02 – Test debut of Shane Warne, v India at Sydney 1992-01-20 – Australia beat India 2-0 to win the World Series Cup 1992-01-28 – Boon completes twelfth Test century, 135 v India at Adelaide 1992-05-20 – India launches its 1st satellite independently 1992-05-22 – India launches its Agni rocket 1992-06-23 – ―Tin Bigha Day‖ protest in India of corridor opening to Bangladesh 1992-06-26 – India leases Tin Bigha corridor to Bangladesh 1992-10-18 – Start of Zimbabwe‘s 1st Test match, v India at Harare 1992-10-20 – David Houghton gets Zimbabwe‘s 1st Test ton (121 v India, debut) 1992-12-06 – 300,000 hindus destroy mosque of Babri India, 4 die 1993-01-23 – Indian Airlines B737 crashes art Aurangabad, 61 die 1993-01-29 – Test debut of Vinod Kambli, prolific Indian batsman 1993-02-23 – India complete a 3-0 series drubbing of England 1993-09-30 – 6.4 earthquake at Latur, India, 28,000 killed 1994-01-25 – Mine fire at Asansol India, kills 55 1994-03-15 – Experts from AL certify Indian‘s Jacobs Field is properly lit 1994-04-13 – United Arab Emirates‘ 1st official ODI, losing to India 1994-05-20 – Miss India (Sushmita Sen) selected Miss Universe 1994-05-21 – Sushmita Sen, 18, of India, crowned 43rd Miss Universe 1994-07-24 – Bodo kills 37 Moslems in Bashbari NE India 1994-07-29 – India army kills 27 Moslem militants 1994-10-29 – National Museum of American Indian opens (NYC) 1994-11-19 – Aishwarya Rai, 21, of India, crowned 44th Miss World 1995-02-25 – Bomb attack on train in Assam India (27 soldiers killed) 1995-03-12 – Congress party loses India national election 1996-03-09 – Javed Miandad‘s last international in Pak‘s WC QF loss to India 1996-03-13 – Sri Lanka beat India in World Cup semi as riots stop play 1996-08-20 – India defeat Pakistan in Under-15 World Challenge Final at Lord‘s 1996-09-16 – 1st one-day international in Canada, India v Pakistan at Toronto 1997-03-13 – India‘s Missionaries of Charity chooses Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as its leader. 1997-07-25 – K.R. Narayanan is sworn-in as India‘s 10th president and the first Dalit— formerly called ―untouchable‖— to hold this office. 1998-03-24 – A tornado sweeps through Dantan in India killing 250 people and injuring 3000 others. 1998-04-06 – Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting India. 1998-05-11 – India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, including a thermonuclear device. 1998-05-13 – India carries out two nuclear tests at Pokhran, in addition to the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India. 1998-05-28 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of Indian nuclear tests with five of its own, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. 1999-01-22 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India. 1999-03-11 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. 1999-04-08 – Haryana Gana Parishad, a political party in the Indian state of Haryana, merges with the Indian

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 186

National Congress. 1999-08-11 – Total solar eclipse in India-North -France (2m23s) 2000-02-15 – Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails. 2000-11-15 – A chartered Antonov AN-24 crashes after takeoff from Luanda, Angola killing more than 40 people. New Jharkhand state came into existence in India. 2001-01-26 – An earthquake hits Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths. 2001-06-18 – Protests occur in Manipur over the extension of the ceasefire between Naga insurgents and the government of India. 2001-09-21 – University of Roorkee, becomes India‘s 7th Indian Institute of Technology, rechristened as IIT Roorkee 2001-12-13 – the Indian Parliament Sansad is attacked by terrorists. 15 people are killed, including all the terrorists. 2002-05-03 – A military MiG-21 aircraft crashes into the Bank of Rajasthan in India, killing eight. 2003-06-05 – A severe heat wave across Pakistan and India reaches its peak, as temperatures exceed 50°C (122°F) in the region. 2003-10-17 – Eunuchs in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh float the political party Jiti Jitayi Politics. 2003-11-18 – The congress of the Communist Party of Indian Union (Marxist-Leninist) decides to merge the party into Kanu Sanyal‘s CPI(ML). 2004-03-23 – Andhra Pradesh Federation of Trade Unions holds its first conference in Hyderabad, India. 2004-06-06 – Tamil is established as a Classical language by the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in a joint sitting of the two houses of the Indian Parliament. 2004-09-17 – Tamil is declared the first classical language in India. 2004-09-21 – The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People‘s War and the Maoist Communist Centre of India merge to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist). 2005-01-25 – A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills at least 258. 2005-07-26 – Mumbai, India receives 99.5cm of rain (39.17 inches) within 24 hours, bringing the city to a halt for over 2 days. 2006-07-06 – The Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years. 2006-07-11 – 209 people are killed in a series of bomb attacks in Mumbai, India. 2007-07-25 – Pratibha Patil is sworn in as India‘s first woman president 2008-10-22 – India launches its first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1. 2008-11-26 – Terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India: Ten coordinated attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists kill 164 and injure more than 250 people in Mumbai, India. 2010-02-13 – A bombing at the German Bakery in Pune, India, kills 10 and injures 60 more.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 187

Important Places In India – Historical Places To Visit In India : Part 1

Abu, Mount (Rajasthan): Hill station in Rajasthan; contains famous Dilwara Jain Temple and Training College for the Central Reserve Police.

Adam’s Bridge: Very nearly joined to India between two point‘s viz. Mannar Peninsula and Dhanushkodi by a line of sand banks and rocks called Adam‘s Bridge.

Adyar (Tamil Nadu): A Suburb of Chennai, headquarters of the Theosophical Society.

Afghan Church (Mumbai): It is built in 1847 known as St. John‘s Church. It is dedicated to the British soldiers who died in the Sind and Afghan campaign of 1838 and 1843.

Aga Khan Palace: In Pune where Mahatma Gandhi was kept interned with his wife Kasturba Gandhi. Kasturbha died in this palace.

Agra (Uttar Pradesh): Famous for Taj Mahal, Fort and Pearl mosque. Sikandra, the tomb of Akbar, is situated here. It is also a centre of leather industry.

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra): It was founded by Ahmed Nizam Shahi. It is the district headquarters of Ahmednagar district. It is an industrial town well known for its handloom and small scale industries.

Ahmadabad (Gujarat): Once capital of Gujarat. A great cotton textile centre of India. Anti-reservation riots rocked the city in April 1985.

Ajmer (Rajasthan): It has Mayo College and the tomb of Khwaja Moinud-din Chishti, which is a pilgrim centre for Muslims; Pushkar Lake, a place of Hindu pilgrimage, is about two miles from here.

Aliabet: Is the site of India‘s first off-shore oil well-nearly 45 km from Bhavnagar in Gujarat State. On March 19, 1970, the Prime Minister of India set a 500-tonne rig in motion to inaugurate ―Operation Leap Frog‖ at Aliabet.

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh): Seat of Muslim University, manufacture locks, scissors, knives and dairy products.

Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh): A famous and important place of pilgrimage for Hindus, confluence of three revers-Ganges, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswati. It is the seat of a University and trading centre.

Alandi (Maharashtra): Popularly called ‗Devachi Alandi‘ is hallowed by the association of saint Dhyaneshwar the author of ‗Dhyaneshwari‘ who lived and attained Samadhi here at the age of twntyone. Two fairs are held annually one on Ashadha Ekadasi and the other Karthikai Ekadasi.

Amber Palace: Deserted capital near Jaipur (Rajasthan) containing the finest specimens of Rajput architecture.

Almora (Uttaranchal): This city is one the Kashaya hill. The clean and majestic view of the Himalayan Peak is breath catching. The woolen shawl of Almora is very famous in the region. It is a good hill resort.

Amarnath (Kashmir): 28 miles from Pahalgam, and is a famous pilgrim centre of Hindus.

Amboli (Maharashtra): Nestling in the ranges of Sahyadri, Amboli is a beautiful mountain resort in Ratnagiri district. The climate is cool and refreshing; and ideal place for holiday.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 188

Amritsar (Punjab): A border town in the Punjab, sacred place for Sikhs (Golden Temple), scene of Jallianwala Bagh tragedy in April 1919. The 400th anniversary of Amritsar was celebrated with great gusto in October 1977. The city was founded by Guru Ram Dass.

Arikkamedu (Puducherry): It is one of the archaeological places. It describes the relationship between Tamils and Romes (Yavanas) for trade purpose.

Arvi (Maharashtra): Near Pune, India‘s first satellite communication centre has been located here.

Ashoka Pillar (Madhya Pradesh): It was erected by Emperor Ashoka. It is now the official symbol of Modern India and the symbol is four back-to-back lions. In the lower portion of the column are representation of a lion, elephant, horse and bull. The pillar stands about 20 m high.

Aurangabad (Maharashtra): It is one of the important towns in Maharashtra. Tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb and his attract many tourists. Ellora and Ajanta caves are reached from here.

Auroville (Punducherry): It is an international township constructed near Pondicherry with the help of UNESCO.

Avadi: Situated at Chennai in Tamil Nadu, it is known for the government-owned Heavy Vehicles Factory. Vijayanta and Ajit tanks are manufactured here.

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh): Birth place of Rama is situated on the banks of the river Gogwa. The famous ‗Babri Masjid‘ built on the birth place of Rama by the Mughal rulers in 15th century has been taken over by the Hindus after 400 years.

Badrinath (Uttarakhand): It is a place of pilgrimage noted for the temple of Lord Vishnu for the Hindus, near Gangotri Glacier in Himalayas.

Bahubali (Maharashtra): A pilgrim center for jains, of both Svetambar and Digambar Jains; there is a giant idol of Shree Bahubali the son of Bhagwan Adinath, the first Tirthankar.

Bangalore (Karnataka): It is the capital city of Karnataka State and an important industrial centre. The places worth-seeing are Vidhan Saudha, Lal Bagh gardens, etc. The BHEL, HAL, IIM are situated here.

Barauni (North Bihar): Famous for a big oil refinery.

Bardoli (Gujarat): Bardoli in Gujarat State has occupied a permanent place in Indian History for no-tax payment campaign launched by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel against the British rule.

Baroda (Gujarat): Baroda, (Vadodara) the capital of former Baroda State is one of the main towns in Gujarat State. Laxmi Vilas Palace is a tourist attraction.

Belur (West Bengal): Near Calcutta, famous for a monastery founded by Swami Vivekananda; a beautiful temple dedicated to Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. It is also known for paper industry. There is another place of the same name in Karnataka, it is a famous pilgrim centre known for Channa Keshava Temple.

Belgaum (Karnataka): It is a border town in Karnataka State. It has remained a place of dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka States.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 189

Bhakhra (Punjab): It is a village in Punjab State where the Bhakra Dam has been constructed across the river Sutlej in a natural gorge just before the river enters the plains 80 km upstream Ropar.

Bhilai (Chhattisgarh): It is known for the gigantic steel plants set up with the help of Russian Engineers.

Bhimashankar (Maharashtra): One of the five Jyothirlingas in Maharashtra is at Bhimashankar. The beautiful Shiva temple here was constructed by Nana Parnavis the ancient statesman of the Peshwas.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Capital of Madhya Pradesh. MIC gas leaked out from the Union Carbide factory in December 1984, and more than 3000 persons died. It was the worst industrial disaster in the world.

Bhubaneswar (Orissa): It is the capital city of Orissa. Lingaraja Temple is worth-seeing.

Bijapur (Karnataka): It was the capital of old Adil Shahi Sultan of Bijapur. Gol Gumbaz, the biggest tomb in India constructed here, is called the whispering gallery. The town is rich with the remains of palaces, mosques and tombs.

Bodh Gaya (Bihar): It is situated six miles south of Gaya in Bihar State. Gautama Budha attained enlightenment in a full moon light in the month of Baisakha under the peepal tree.

Bokaro (Jharkhand): The fourth and the biggest steel plant are here.

Buland Darwaza (Uttar Pradesh): It is the Gateway of Fatehpur-Sikri built by Akbar. This is the highest and the greatest gateway in India. It was erected to commemorate the victorious campaign of Akbar in the Deccan in 1602 A.D.

Bull Temple (Karnataka): It is situated near Bugle Hill, with a height of 6.2 m (20ft) high stone monolith Nandi Bull. The Bull is carved out of a single stone.

Chandernagore (West Bengal): Situated on the river Hooghly. It was previously a French settlement. Now it has been merged with the Indian Union.

Chennai (capital of Tamilnadu): It is the third largest city in India. Known for Fort St. George, Light-house, St Thomas Mount, and Integral Coach Factory.

Chandigarh (Punjab & Haryana): Chadigarh the joint capital of the States of Punjab and Haryana is a planned and beautiful city. It is situated at the foot of the Himalayas. It was designed by Mont Corbusier.

Cherrapunji (Meghalaya): It is the place of heaviest rainfall. It receives 426‖ of rain yearly.

Chidambaram (Meghalaya): It is a town in South Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. It is famous for its great Hindu Siva Temple dedicated to Lord ‗Nataraja‘, the cosmic dancer. It is the seat of ‗Annamalai University‘ founded in 1929. The name of the town comes from Tamil ‗Chit‘ plus ‗Ambalam‘- the atmosphere of wisdom.

Chilka Lake (Orissa): It is the Queen of Natural Scenery in Orissa, though separated from the Bay of Bangal by a long strip of sandy ridge, exchanges water with the sea. It is an excellent place for fishing and duck shooting.

Chittaranjan (West Bengal): It is famous for locomotive works. Railway engines are manufactured here.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 190

Chittorgarh (Rajasthan): It was once the capital of Udaipur. It is known for the Tower of Victory built by Rana Kumbha and Mira Bai Temple.

Chowpathy Beach (Mumbai): A popular beach with Lokmanya Tilak and Vallabhbhai Patel statues where the political meetings for freedom struggle took place, now the coconut day celebration and Ganesh immersion take place.

Chusul (Ladakh): It is situated in Ladakh at a height of about 14,000 feet. Chusul is perhaps the highest aerodrome in India.

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu): It is famous for Textile Industry. Government of India Forest College is situated here.

Courtallam (Tamil Nadu): Adjoining Tenkasi and 3 miles south is a common man‘s health resort. Famous for its waterfall and a good summer resort.

Cuttack (Orissa): It is the oldest town and once upon a time the capital of Orissa during the medieval period to the end of the British rules. The city is noted for fine ornamental work of gold & silver.

Dakshineswar (Kolkata): It is at a distance of about five miles from Calcutta where Swami Vivekananda was initiated into religious life by Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

Dalal Street: Stock exchange Market in Mumbai.

Dalmianagar (Jharkhand): Cement manufacturing.

Dandi (Gujarat): It is famous for Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March) staged by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.

Darjeeling (West Bengal): Famous for tea, orange and cinchona, fine hill station, famous for its scenic beauty.

Daulatabad (Maharashtra): The fort previously called Devagiri is believed to have constructed by the Yadava Kings in 1338. The fort is very impregnable.

Dayalbagh (Uttar Pradesh): Near Agra; known for Dayalbagh Industrial Institute, shoe manufacture. Religious and cultural seat of a section of the Hindus.

Dehu (Maharashtra): Dehu, a town on the banks of the river Indrayani is the birth place of the famous saint-poet Tukaram whose ‗Abhangas‘ have a pride of place in Marathi literature.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand): It is the gateway to the Garhwal Himachal such as Badrinath and Joshimath. The Forest Research Institute is situated here.

Delhi: India‘s capital. The Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, The Qutub Minar, the Rajghat (Mahatma Gandhi‘s Samadhi), the Humayun‘s tomb, Shanti Van (where Prime Minister Nehru was cremated), are located here. It established by Tomaras in 736 A.D.

Dhanbad (Jharkhand): Famous for coal mines and the Indian School of Mines, National Fuel Research Institute.

Dhariwal (Punjab): It is famous for woolen goods.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 191

Dibrugarh (Assam): It is a town in Assam and the Terminus of rail and river communications along the Brahmaputra from Calcutta.

Digboi (Assam): It is known for its oil-fields and oil refinery. It is one of the oldest oil refineries which is still operative in the world.

Dilwara Temples (Rajasthan): It is near Mt. Abu. There are five Hindu Temples constructed here between 11th and 13 Century A.D.

Dindigul (Tamli Nadu): It is famous for cigar, tobacco and locks.

Dum Dum (Kolkata): It is a famous Air Port and Government Arsenal.

Durgapur: In West Bengal in known for a gigantic steel plant set up here with the help of British Engineers.

Dwaraka (Gujarat): It is one of the seven most important places of Hindu pilgrimage. Krishna the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu made Dwaraka as his centre to recapture Mathura.

Eagle’s Nest: It is the name given to the historic fort at Rajgarh in the Kolaba district of Maharashtra where, 3000 years ago, Chhatarpati Shivaji, the great warrior-statesman, was crowned.

Elephanta Caves (Maharashtra): Situated in an island 15 miles from Mumbai famous for the statues of Shiva and Parvati. The most striking statue of Trimurti, Shiva in three moods as the Creator, the Destroyer and the Preserver.

Ellora and Ajanta (Maharashtra): It is in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra State. The Buddhist cave temples richly ornamented with sculpture and carved with paintings of exceptional skill attract many tourists.

Ernakulam (Kerala): The back-waters in Ernakulam are a tourist attraction. The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology is situated here.

Faridabad (Haryana): It is an industrial township situated at about 18 miles from Delhi.

Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh): It was once the capital of the Mughal Empire. This city was built by Emperor Akbar in 1569. It is now in a deserted condition.

Ferozabad (Uttar Pradesh): Noted for glass bangle industry.

Gateway of India (Mumbai): It is in Mumbai harbor erected in 1911 on King George V‘s visit to India.

Gangotri (Uttarakhand): This is the source of the holy Ganges. The tiny village has the temple of the Goddess Ganga on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, which eventually becomes the holy Ganges.

Gaumuka (Uttarakhand): Guamukh the actual source of the river is at the base of the Bhagirathi peaks. The glaciers of Gangotri which is 24 km long, ends at Gaumukh where the Bhagirathi river finally appers.

Gazipur (U.P.): Known for the government opium factory.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 192

Gaya (Bihar): It is the place where Lord Buddha got enlightenment. It is a pilgrimage centre not only for the Buddhists but also for the Hindus. Hindus from all over the country come here to make offerings and pray for the salvation of their ancestors.

Gilgit (Kashmir): It is now under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. Ii is of great strategic importance.

Golconda (Hyderabad): It is an ancient city of India situated about 7 miles west of Hyderabad. Formerly there was a diamond mine.

Golconda Fort (Andhra Pradesh): The historical fort is well praised in the literature, prose and poetry. Golconda was the capital of Qutub Shahi Sultans who ruled Deccan from 1518 to 1687 A.D.

Golden Temple (Punjab): It is a sacred place of the Sikhs in Amritsar.

Gol Gumbaz (Karnataka): It is the biggest dome in India.

Gomateswara (Karnataka): This is a 2,000 year old and very high statue of a Jain sage, carved out of a single stone.

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh): The famous temple of Gorakhpur is here which specializes in publishing Hindu religious literature.

Guntur (Andhra Pradesh): It is a centre of cotton and tobacco production in Andhra Pradesh.

Gulbarga (Karnataka): It was the capital of Bahmani Kingdom. Its fort is a remarkable building with 15 towers, within the fort is a large mosque built on the model of the famous mosques of Cordoba in Spain.

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): Situated in M.P. is famous for Rani Lakshmi Bai‘s Chaatri and Tansen‘s tomb.

Haldighat (Uttar Pradesh): A famous mountain passes where rana Pratap fought Mughal forces led by Man Singh and Asaf Khan.

Hampi (Karnataka): In Karnataka State is the location of ruins of Vijaynagar. The capital of famous Vijaynagar Empire.

Hardwar (UttaraKhand): It is at the base of the Siwalik Hills, where the Ganges River coming down from the Himalayas passes and enters the plains. The Daksha Mahadev Temple, 4 km downstreams in Hardwar is the most important temple.

Hirakud (Orissa): Twenty six kilometers from one end to the other on the river Mahanadi is Hirakud the longest mainstream dam in the world.

Howrah Bridge (Kolkata): A cantilever spans bridge over river Hoogly connecting Howrah and Kolkata.

Hyderabad-Secunderabad: Twin city capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is on the banks of the river ‗Musi‘ and famous for Salarjung museum- one of the best in Asia. It is also a famous communication centre in India as it is centrally situated. Charminar built in 1591 is located here.

Imphal (Manipur): Situated in the north-east frontier, is the capital of Manipur state on the border of India ans Myanmar (Burmah). Famous for handloom industry and the Manipuri dance.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 193

Ita Nagar (Arunachal Pradesh): The capital of Arunachal Pradesh is a tropical forest region in the foothills surrounded with wild mountain stream and placid lakes with abundant opportunities for river rafting, boating and trekking.

India Gate (New Delhi): A memorial in New Delhi facing the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): Standing on the river Narmada, Jabalpur is a city in Madhya Pradesh famous for Marble Rocks and Dhunva Dhar waterfalls.

Jadugoda: In Bihar is famous for Uranium Ore Mill.

Jagdish Temple: It is a fine Indo-Aryan temple built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1651. A blackstone image of Lord Vishnu as Lord Jagdish is found here.

Jaipur (Rajasthan): A historically important place and is famous for its handicrafts. Maharaja Jai Singh Observatory and Hawa Mahal are situated here. It is the capital of Rajasthan or called rose-pink city, a huge historic fort (Amber) is situated here. The city was founded by astrologer Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II.

Jaisalmer (Rajasthan): The remote fortress city on the edge of Rajasthan‘s Thar Desert. It is 287 km from Jodhpur.

Jakrem (Tripura): It is 64 km from shilling and is known for its hot spring which is said to possess curative qualities.

Jalandhar (Punjab): Situated in Punjab is the centre for surgical and sports goods industry.

Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar, Punjab): It was the scene of Indiscriminal shooting by General Dyer on 13th April 1919, when a meeting was being held. A Martyr‘s memorial has been erected to commemorate those killed in the firing.

Jama Masjid (Hyderabad, AP): The Masjid lies near the North-east point of the building of Charminar, built by Sultan Mohammed Qutub Shah the fifth King of the Qutub Shahi dynasty in 1594.

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand): Centre of iron and steel industry. Tata Iron and Steel Factory is located here.

Jantar Mantar (Delhi): Site of the famous observatory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh built in 1899 is found in Rajasthan.

Jealgora: In Bihar is known for Central Fuel Research Institute.

Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh): A key railway junction in Uttar Pradesh. It is noted for the played by Queen Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi in the War of Independence in 1857.

Jharia: In Bihar is famous for coal-mining.

Jog Falls (or) Gersoppa Falls (Karnataka): Formed by river Sharavati, falls through a height of 830 ft.

Juma Masjid, Mandu: Is in Madhya Pradesh. It depicts a synthesis of Hindu and Muslim styles in architecture.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 194

Junagadh (Gujarat): Located below Girnar Hill in Gujarat State is an ancient city in India. Gir Forest, a wildlife sanctuary famous for its lions is located here.

Kailasha Temple (Maharashtra): A rock-cut temple in Ellora caves.

Kalpakkam: Near Chennai in Tamil Nadu is known for Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS).

Kanchi or Conjeevaram (Tamil Nadu): This was the famous capital of Pallavas and is situated near Channai. Famous ancient temples here are well-known for its architecture.

Kandala (Maharashtra): It is a popular mountain resort in Maharashtra. Nestling in the Western Ghats it is an ideal resort for a peaceful holiday.

Kandla (Guajarat): The Kandla port is the main gateway for the trade of north-west India.

Kanheri (Mumbai): Situated near Mumbai, the famous spot of the ancient Buddhist caves of 1st Century A.D.

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): An industrial city of U.P. famous for its sugar, cotton, woolen, soap, iron, leather, tent and hosiery industries situated on the banks of the Ganga.

Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu): The southernmost tip of India where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. The sun-rising and sun-setting are picturesque scenes. Vevekananda rock memorial has also been constructed now. On the rock called Sripadaparai, a mammoth 133 ft. statue of the unmatched Poet-Saint thiruvalluvar was unveiled on 1 January 2000.

Kapilavastu (Bihar): Ancient kingdom in north India connected with Lord Buddha.

Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh): A hill station in Himachal Pradesh where the famous Pasteur Institute is located.

Kaveripumpattinam (Tamil Nadu): The place where the river Cauvery mingles with the ocean. Two great epics of Tamil literature Manimegalai and Silappadhikaram vividly portray life scenes of this place during Chola and Pandya period.

Kaziranga (Assam): In Assam is the sanctuary of the Indian one-horned rhinos.

Kedarnath (Uttarakhand): The temple of Lord Kedar (Shiva), surrounded by snow-capped peaks in one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres.

Khadakvasla (Pune): Near Pune. National Defence Academy is situated here.

Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh): Famous for its temples and erotic sculpture.

Khindsey Talao (Mumbai): This beautiful lake is set like a gem in the green expanse at the foot of the Ramtek hill.

Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu): A hill station in Tamil Nadu situated near Madurai.

Koderma (Bihar): In Bihar famous for mica mines.

Kolar (Karnataka): It is known for its gold fields.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 195

Kolhapur (Maharashtra): Kolhapur posses‘ historical as well as mythological importance. It is known as Dakshin Kashi on account of its deity Mahalakshmi or Ambabai built by Chalukya King Karnadev in 634 AD. Kolhapur was the capital of Chatrapati Shivaji in 1708.

Kolkata (West Bengal): It is known as the commercial capital of India. It has a port of heavy traffic. Dum Dum airport, National Library,Diamond harbor, Victoria Memorial are well-known.

Konark (Orissa): Town, north of Puri is famous for black pagodas and Sun Temple.

Koyna (Maharashtra): Hydroelectri project in Maharashtra, supplies power to Mumbai and Pune. The place was hit by earthquake in December 1967.

Kundanpur (Bihar): The birth place of the 24th Jain Tirthankar Mahaveer is well-known as a pilgrim centre.

Kurukshetra (Haryana): The town near Ambala. Here the great battle Mahabharatha took place between Kauravas and Pandavas.

Leh (Ladakh): Capital of Ladakh; once a caravan centre of central Asia.

Lothal (Gujrat): Oil wells in Cambay Basin.

Madurai (Tamil Nadu): Famous Meenakshi Temple dedicated to Lord Siva is located here.

Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra): Hill station in Maharashtra is situated at a height of 4500 ft. in the Western Ghats.

Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nahu): Famous for the monumental architecture of Pallavas. An atomic power station is located near at Kalpakkam.

Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar): It is a Buddha temple with the Jataka stories engraved on the walls. The famous Magadha University exists beside the temple.

Mahrangarh Fort (Rajasthan): Five km away from the centre town of Jodhpur. Commissioned by Roa Jodh in 1959, this fortran eyrie is a master piece of medieval defence.

Mandore (Rajasthan): The ancient capital of the Rathore Marwars, the Rajputs of Rajasthan.

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh): This was the first place where the 1857 Mutiny first broke out. The Suraj Khund is the most interesting temple and there is a Moghul Mausoleum, near the old Shapir Gate.

Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh): Place of Ram Ganga, famous for cutlery, brassware and mangoes.

Mukteshwar (Uttar Pradesh): Veterinary Research Institute is located here.

Murad (Maharashtra): Seaside holiday resort of Maharashtra.

Mathura (Uttar Pradesh): It is a holy city and birth place of Lord Krishna.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 196

Meenakshi temple (Tamil Nadu): Famous Hindu temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is remarkable for its most picturesque 850 ft. high temple with its magnificent Gopurams. One of its principal structures is the hall of thousand pillars in which a group of figures are cerved out of a single stone.

Mussoorie (Uttarakhand): A hilly resort has good rock climbing and mountaineering assets and has good fishing spots.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Called the gateway of India is the second biggest city and port in India. It is the capital of Maharashtra state. The Prince of Wales Museum, Aarey Milk Colony, film capital of the country, Centre of oil industry and Petrochemicals, etc. are noteworthy.

Nagpur (Maharashtra): Former capital of Madhya Pradesh now in Maharashtra. Famous for textiles and oranges.

Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu): There is a temple of snakes or Nagaraja-snake god. The temple is filled with images of snakes and the Dvarapalakas are the snakes guarding the temple.

Nagarjuna Konda-Sagar (Andhra Pradesh): The reservoir is named after Buddhist Phillosopher Acharya Nagarjuna who propounded the Madhyamik school of Mahayana Buddhism.

Naharkhatia (Assam): Place near Digboi in Assam where oil has been struck.

Nainital (Uttarakhand): This lake dotted area of the Kumaon Hills, was the summer capital of Uttar Pradesh. The legend believed is that Goddess Shakti lost her eyes when Lord Shiva was curling her and the spot, where the eyes fell became a lake called ‗naina‘ (eyes) Tal (lake) was thus given its name.

Nalanda (Bihar): Here was the famous University and Educational centre of ancient‘s times. The Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang visited India in 7th century had mentioned about this University.

Narsobachiwadi (Maharashtra): It is a prominent pilgrimage of Lord Shree Dattatreya, situated near the confluence Krishna and the Panchaganga Rivers.

Nasik (Maharashtra): Site of Security Printing Press in Maharashtra.

Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu): The Blue Mountains of Tamil Nadu. Famous for tea plantation.

Nilokheri (Haryana): Place in Haryana, famous community development project of Dr. S. K. Dey.

Pataliputra (Bihar): Ancient name or Patna, capital of Bihar State. Famous for Ashoka edicts inscribed on rocks and pillars.

Palitana (Gujarat): Famous for its holy hills.

Pali (Sudhagad, Maharashtra): One of the most sacred places known for the temple of Vithoba, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, it is also called Dhakshina Kashi, a pilgrim centre.

Panipati (Haryana): Historical place in Haryana, famous for the three battles in 1526, 1556 and 1761.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 197

Pawapur (Bihar): It is one of the holiest of Jain Pilgrim places. The Jal Mandir (water temple) in Kamal Sarover (Lotus pool) is most sacred. The big lake filled with lotus is a charming place and the white marble temple stands in the middle.

Planetarium, Birla (Kolkata): It is a dome-shaped building where the exact panorama of the sky is depicted, and the position of various constellations is clearly shown. The second planetarium in India has been set up in Mumbai. The third planetarium was opened in New Delhi in 1984.

Plassey (West Bengal): A village in West Bengal, famous for the Battle of Plassey where Clive beat Siraj-ud-Daulah.

Puducherry : A Union Territory – formerly under French possession. Famous for Aurobindo Ashram and ‗Auroville‘ International Township, built in the name of Aurobindo.

Ponpadirkootam (Tamil Nadu): A village in Chingleput where a unique four hand Rama in gold is a feast for our eyes.

Port Blair (Andaman): Capital of Andaman & Nicobar islands.

Porbandar (Gujarat): The Birth Place of Mahatma Gandhi. It is identified with Sudamapur of the epic times and we can still see the old temple of Sudama, a friend of Lord Krishna.

Pune (Maharashtra): Pune, capital of Maratha Empire during Shivaji‘s rule, had turned to be an educational and cultural centre.

Puri (Orissa): Summer capital of Orissa famous for Jagannath Temple.

Pusa (West Bengal): Famous for agricultural station.

Qutub Minar (New Delhi): The tallest minaret in the world (990 ft. high) completed by Sultan Iltutmish in 1232 A. D.

Rajghat (New Delhi): famous for the Samadhi of Mahtama Gandhi on the banks of the river Yamuna.

Rajgir (Bihar): Rajgir was called Rajgriha or King‘s home in olden days. Ajatashatru named it Giribraja. It was Jarasandha‘s capital. Vardhaman Mahavir, who preached the Jain Religion and spent 14 years of his active life here, Mahaveer called his first Dharma Sabha or religious assembly on Bipul Parbat here.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (New Delhi): The official residence of the President of India in Delhi, built by the British architect Edwin Lutyens.

Ratnagiri (Maharashtra): British place of Lokmanya Tilak. It has a minor port Bhagvati and a fort belonging to the 15th century.

Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu): A pilgirimage spot in South India as equal to that of Benaras. There is the temple of Lord shiva.

Red Fort (Delhi): It is a fort built of red stone by Shah Jahan in Delhi on the Banks of the river Yamuna. It consists of Diwan-i-Am, diwan-i-Khas and other wonderful crations. In 2007, UNESCO announced the Red Fort as one of the Heritage site in India.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 198

Rishikesh (Uttarakhand): It is a Hindu pilgrim centre. Rishikhesh is the starting point for treks to Himalayan pilgirimage centre like Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri.

Rourkela (Orissa): Rourkela is the first steel plant of India envisaged in the public sector and has been in operation since February 1959 which has set in a new era in the Steel Industry of India.

Salar Jung Museum (Andhra Pradesh): It is the personnel collection of Mir Yusuf Ali Khan, better known as Salar Jung who had devoted his wealth and leisure to gather out treasures from every walk of life.

Sambhar (Rajasthan): It is a salt lake in Rajasthan. Only lake of its kind in India.

Sanganer (Rajasthan): It is the centre of hand block printing and handmade paper industry.

Sabarmati (Guajarat): It is a place in Gujarat where Gandhiji established a Harijan Ashram. It is also the name of a river in Gujarat.

Sathanur Dam (Tamil Nadu): 22 miles from Tiruvannamalai a vast forest has been turned into a huge reservoir and a dam is a tourist spot.

Satara (Maharashtra): It is a glorious historical city, was capital of Shivaji‘s empire in 1699.

Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh): Famous Buddhist stupa;, the diameter of which is 108 ft. was built in ancient times. It is the largest stupa in India.

Sarnath (Madhya Pradesh): It is a Buddhist pilgrim centre. In the Deer Park, Buddha-delivered his first sermon. Famous Ashoka Pillar is located here.

Srirangapattanam (Karnataka): It was the capital of Tipu Sultan during his time. The third mysore war was fought here and Tipu died in the battle in 1799 A.D.

Sevagram (Maharashtra): It is near Wardha in Maharashtra State. It is well-known for Gandhiji‘s Ashram where Gandhi lived and worked for many years.

Shantiniketan (West Bengal): About 90 miles from Calcutta, seat of the famous Viswa Bharati University founded by poet Rabindernath Tagore. It is now a Central University.

Shanti Van or Shanti Ghat (Delhi): The place where Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was crematd on 28th May, 1964 on the banks of Yamuna about 300 hards from Rajghat, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri has been cremated by the side of Shanti Van. Mrs. Indira Gandhi was cremated close to Shanti Van on November 3, 1984. This site is called ‗Shakti Sthal‘.

Shivneri (Maharashtra): It is the birth place of Chatrapati Shivaji. The hill has about 50 Buddhist caves bearing inscription of various donors.

Sholapur (Maharashtra): ‗Sholapur Chaddan‘s are the very famous bed-sheets. Handloom and power loom industry is flourishing in this town. Near the city a fort built by Hasan Gangu who was the founder of the Bahaman dynasty stands erect.

Shree Kshetra Audumbar (Maharashtra): An important pilgrim place in Sangli district, Audumbar is famous for the temple of Shree Dattatreya. There is well-known ―Brahmanand Swami Math‖.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 199

Sasaram (Bihar): It is known for Shere Shah‘s Tomb. Sher Shah was the famous Afghan king who drove away Humayun.

Shivapur (Madhya Pradesh): It is well-known for its national park in Madhya Pradesh.

Sibsagar (Assam): 56 km from Jorhat is most interesting historical city. It was the capital of Ahom Kings who ruled Assam for 600 years. The Shiva temple called the ―Shivadol‖ is said to be the tallest Shiva Temple in India.

Sikandra (Uttar Pradesh): Situated near Agra, Akbar‘s tomb stands here. It was commenced by Akbar and completed by his son Jahangir, after 14 year at a cost of Rs. 15 Lakhs.

Singareni (Andhra Pradesh): It is well-known for coal mines in Andhra Pradesh.

Sindri (JharKhand): The largest fertilizer factory in India and the whole of Asia is in Sindri, 77 km from Maithan. It is built on Ultra-modern lines and manufacturing ammonium sulphate fertilizer since 1956. The factory can be visited with prior permission.

Somnath (Gujarat): It is historically famous for the temple which was destroyed by Mohammed of Ghazni in 1025 A. D.

Somnath Patan (Gujarat): Wedged in between the two hills of Chadragiri and Indragiri, which rise abruptly from flat plains, Sravanabelagola 100 kms from Mysore is famous for Jain colossus (17 m height) Gomateswara which is said to be the tallest and most graceful monolithic statues in the world, erected in 10th century A.D.

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): India‘s Satellite launching station is located here. It is on the Andhra coast, in Nellore District.

Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu): Birth Place of Sri Ramanuja, the propounder of Vishistadvaita. It was here Rajiv Gandhi; former Prime Minister of India was assassinated.

Srirangam (near Trichy, Tamil Nadu): The largest temple in South India dedicated to Lord Ranganath (Vishnu).

Sundarbans (West Bangal): It is the largest delta in India, housing rich forests.

Surat (Guajarat): It is popularly known as ―Gate of Mecca‖. The English got trading rights from the Mughal in 1612. Most of the population is engaged in diamond cutting and polishing gold and silver. Surat is equally known for its distinctive cuisine.

Taj Mahal (Agra, Uttar Pradesh): Erected by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz. It has been estimated that the cost of it was about Rs. 3 crores at that time. It is tear drop on the cheek of eternity. It was designed by Shiraz (Iranian Architect). Over 20,000 men were employed for its construction for over twenty years. The environmentalists fear that the beauty of the Taj would be marred, with the Mathura Oil Refinery going into full operation.

Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh): It has a monastery of the Mahayana sect of Buddhists built in 17th century. Still it is the centre of religious life and rituals in the region. It is a treasure home of old scriptures, priceless images and painted tapestries.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 200

Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu): Popularly known as granary of South India. It was once the capital of the Cholas. Famous for Brihadeeswara temple, a Hindu temple. It was built by Rajaraja, the great.

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): The Capital City of Kerala State. Padmanabha Temple is here.

Thumba (Kerala): India‘s first rocket launching station.

Thiru Alangadu (Tamil Nadu): Thirty seven miles from Chennai to the west and very near to Arakonam is the holy place of Thiru Alangadu connected with Karaikkal Ammayar and the cosmic dancer Lord Nataraja.

Thiruvalam (Tamil Nadu): Capital of ‗Banars‘ during the early Pallava period is famous for Saivite temple with the Nandi not facing the deity but in the opposite direction.

Thekkady (Tamil Nadu): The central spot of the Periar wildlife sanctuary is in between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The Mysore Palace (Karnataka): Built in 1897, it was the residence of the Ex-ruler of Mysore state is an imposing structure. It is a good example for the Hoysala art and architectures.

Tiruchi (Tamil Nadu): It is an Educational Centre in Tamil Nadu. Bharat Heavy Electricals limited is established here.

Tiruparankundram (Tamil Nadu): A cave temple near Madurai is one of the famous shrines of Lord Muruga.

Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu): A famous early Chola Vaishnavaite shrine housing a huge stucco image of Varaha holding Bhudevi near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu.

Tipu’s Fort (Karnataka): The fort is built of mud by kempegowda in 1537; it was rebuilt in stone in 1761 by Hyder Ali. Inside the fort walls is Tipu Sultan‘s wooden palace with enough elaborate paint work surviving on the walls, niches, and railing columns to give an idea of its former glory.

Triveni (Uttar Pradesh): Here meet the rivers Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswathi. Kumba Mela is celebrated here once in 12 years when the Sun is in Aquarius facing Jupiter in the zodiac sign Leo.

Trithamukh (Tripura): It is a popular pilgrim centre for the Tribal people of Tripura. Thousands of people assemble here in January-February during the festival called Uttarayana Sankranti and have a holy bath in the river Gomati.

Tripolia Gate (Rajasthan): A gate with eight carved marble crunches under which the ruler was weighed on his birth day against money of equal weight distributed to the poor. The city was found in 1567 by Maharana, Udai Singh.

Udaipur (Rajasthan): Popularly known as city of lakes. Pichola lake is a famous one.

Udipi (Karnataka): This is the seat of Dvaita system of Hindu Philosophy propounded by Sri Madhva Changa. The beautiful Sri Krishna temple is very famous Hindu pilgrimage centre.

Udayagiri-Khandagiri Caves (Orissa): These two hills are little far away from Bhubaneswar. This was a seat of a Jain saint who lived 2000 years ago. ‗Rani Gumpha‘ and ‗Hathi Gumpha‘ are the most famous; consist of the rock cut inscription in India which records chronologically the deeds of king Kharavela.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 201

Uttiramerur (Tamil Nadu): A city near Chingleput boasts of Sundara-varadaperumal temple of the period of Dandivarma Pallava is of complex design.

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Mahakaleeswar Temple is sacred for the Hindus.

Vaishali (Bihar): Vaishali has withnessed the major parts of Gautama Buddha‘s life. He gave his last message to his disciples at Kolhua village in the suburbs of Vaishali. On the eve of Buddha‘s death centenary, the 2nd Buddhist council was held here. The 24th Jain Tirthankar Vardhaman Mahavir was born at Kundagram in the suburbs of Vaishali in 599 BC.

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): ‗The Eternal City‘ is an important pilgrimage of the Hindus. Lord Viswanatha‘s temple is here. It was a learning place for over 2000 years. Kashi and Benaras are the other two names of Varanasi which means the city between two rivers – Varanama and Asi. It is the seat of Banaras Hindu University. Aurangzeb‘s Mosque is here.

Vedanthangal (Tamil Nadu): A bird sanctuary in the swamps of Madurantakam lake.

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): It is a natural and protected harbor on the eastern coast in Andhra Pradesh. A shipbuilding yard in located here.

Vivekananda Rock (Tamil Nadu): Mandapam of Vivekananda is in Cape Comerin.

Victoria Memorial (Kolkata): Magnificent building having an art gallery depicting the history of the British rule in India. It was erected by voluntary collections in the memory of Queen Victoria. A well laid out garden adds to the beauty.

Wardha (Maharashtra): It is a cotton producing centre in Maharashtra. It is on Chennai-Delhi rail route. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here.

Warrangal (Andhra Pradesh): It has historical evidence about on the seat of the Kakatiya rulers. Its chief tourist attraction is the thousand pillared temple at Hanam-Konda built by King Rudra Deva in 12th century.

Yamunotri (Uttarakhand): It is the source of the Yamuna River. It emerges from the frozen lake of ice and glaciers on the Kalinga Parvat. There is a temple of the goddess Yamunotri on the left banks of the river. Below the temple there are many hot springs where the water emerges at boiling point.

Yarcaud (Tamil Nadu): It is a hill station 8 km away from Salem at an altitude of 5000 ft. It is a part of Servarayan hills.

Zojila (Jammu & Kashmir): It is a pass on the way from Srinagar to Leh.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 202

Ancient India : Important Facts Of Indian History

The Harappan Fort in the shape of a parallel square is 460 yards in length (north-south) 215 yards in breadth (east-west) and 15-17 yards in height. ● The script of Indus civilization was pictorial in which there were more than 600 picture-letters and 60 original letters. ● The excavations of Chanhudaro were carried out in 1925 under the leadership of Earnest M‘ckay. This town had no fort. ● Naal, Daburkot, Rakhi Garhi, Banawali, Rangpur, Lothal, Des Morasi, Kulli, Rana Ghundai, Anjira, Gumla, Amri, Ghundai, Mundigak, Diplabaga, Sahar-i-Sokhta, Bampur and Queta etc. are famous historical sites where the remains of Indus civilization and pre Indus civilization have been excavated. ● Daburkot, Periano, Ghundai, Kulli, Mehi, Chanhudaro, Amri, Lohumjodaro, Alimurad, Ropar, Rangpur, Sutkegender are the prominent (spots) places of Indus Valley civilization. ● The excavations of Kalibangan, a historical place in Rajasthan began in 1961 under the direction of B. K. Thapar and B. B. Lal. From the lower layer of the excavation, the remains of pre Indus civilization and from the upper layer of the Indus civilization are discernible. The fortress and the city both were surrounded with walls. ● The excavations at Rangpur—an Indus site in Gujarat were carried out in 1953-54 under the leadership of Rangnath Rao. Forts of raw bricks, drainage, terrecota utensils, weights and slabs of stone have been found but the idol of mother Goddess (Matridevi) and coins have not been found. ● Lothal was situated at that time near the ocean. In excavations the remains of a dockyard have been found which testify to the trade relations of Indus people with western Asia. ● In the district of Kutchh in Gujarat state, 12 kms north-east of Adesar is situated Surkotda which was explored and excavated in 1964 under the guidance of Jagatpati Joshi. ● In the excavation of Indus civilization, a very big building has been explored. It is 242 ft long and 112 ft broad. The walls are 5 ft thick. ● Some figurines on tables have been found in Indus civilization in the centre of which is a round shaped Sun and around it are the pictures of 6 gods arranged in a way that they appear as if they are the Sun beams. This testifies to the worship of Sun in the period. ● The proof of the existence of a Man-like being are 1 crore to 20 lacs years old. ● In the Indian population, there are four basic racial sub-difference. These are Negrito, Astro Australians, Kakeshisi and Mongoloids. ● In India, skeletons (human body in bones-kankal) have been found in Sarai Nahar Rai near Allahabad, Bataikhor and Lekhania. High in length, flat nose and broad mouth are their characteristics. These belong to Mesolithic age. ● The pre stone civiliation came to be knwon in the region of river Sohan a subsidiary of Sindhu. Hence it is called Sohan civilization. The Vatikapoom in the form of (Gandasa) axe and Khandak were its main implements. ● In Harappan culture, the worship of Earth as goddess was in vogue. This is indicated by the idol of a woman with a plant growing out of her womb. ● Along with the Elephants, Rhinoceros, Buffalos, Lions and Deers, the picture of Yogi engraved on a seal (Muhar) suggests the worship of Shiva in Harappan civilization. This god had three heads and he sat with crossed legs. ● The Talismans obtained in large numbers indicate that the people of Harappan culture believed in witchcraft or the dead souls. These talismans were made of bronze and copper in the form of plate. ● In Harappan culture the weight (for measuring) were 16 or of its multiplied numbers. ● The dogs and cats were the domesticated animals and their foot prints confirm this fact. ● The remains of the horses have been found at Surkotda. The existence of the horse is not known from the upper layer of Mohanjodaro excavation. The terrecota small figurines provide knowledge about it. ● The people of Lothal used rice in 1800 B.C. ● As Sindh was one of the oldest region for cultivating cotton, the Greeks named it as Sedon.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 203

● In Harappan culture, silver was obtained from Afghanistan, Iran, South India, Arabia and Baluchistan. Gold was imported from Afghanistan and Persia. ● The stone Lajward was brought from Badakshan, Feroza was brought from Iran. Jayumani was brought from Maharashtra, Moonga and redstone were brought from Saurashtra and Western India and the precious greenstone (Panna) was brought from Central Asia. ● The Ahar culture (Rajasthan) belonged to the Copper age. The houses were built of stone and a mixture of lime and soil. Paddy was cultivated and Metal Work in Bronze were in vogue. All these were the characteristics of this culture which existed about 2000 B.C. ● The remains of Malwa stone and Bronze culture have been found in Navdatoli where the houses were built of mud, bamboo and dry grass in a square and round shape. The terrecota utensils and agricultural products of wheat, oil seeds, pulses (Masur) and green and black gram are the characteristics of this culture. ● The Rishis (Sages) like Gritsamad, Vishwamitra, Bhardwaj, Atri and Vashishta composed the Suktas or the Vedic Mantras. ● The prominent female sages were Lopamudra, Ghosa, Shachi and Poulomi. ● Sam Ved is divided into three branches—(1) Kouthum, (2) Ranayaniya, (3) Jaminiya. ● Prominent among the Ayurvedacharyas were Acharya Ashwini Kumar, Dhanvantari, Banabhatt, Sushrut, Madhav, Jeevan and Lolimbaraja etc. ● Ayur Ved is an ‗Upaved‘ of Rig Ved, Dhanur Ved is ‗Upaved‘ of Yajur Ved, Gandharva Ved is the ‗Upaved‘ of Sam Ved and Shilpa Ved is the ‗Upaved‘ of Atharva Ved. ● Rig Ved has two Brahmans—(1) Aitereya, (2) Kaushitaki. ● Krishna Yajur Ved has the Brahman—Taitteriya and Shukla Yajur Ved has the Shatpath Brahman. ● The Brahmans of Sam Ved are Tandav, Panchvish, Sadvish and Chhandogya. ● The Aranyakas deal with life, death and other serious themes. These are written and studied in loneliness of the forests. ● Aitereya and Kaushitaki are the Aranyakas of Rig Ved. The author of Aitereya was Mahidas Aitereya. ● Taitteriya Aranyaka belongs to Krishna Yajur Veda. ● Sam Ved and Atharav Ved have no Aranyakas. ● Prominent among the Upanishads are Ish, Ken, Kath, Prashn, Mundak, Mandukya, Taitteriya, Aitereya, Chhandogya, Vrihadaranyak, Shwetashwara, Kaushitaki and Mahanarayana. ● During the Rigvedic period Nishk was an ornament for the neck; Karnashobhan was an ornament for the ear and Kumbh was the ornament for the head. ● In the Rigvedic age, the Aryans domesticated the cow, the buffalo, goat (ajaa), horse, elephant and camel etc. ● Bheeshaj was the person who treated the sick people. ● The Rigvedic Aryans worshipped the Sun as Savita, Mitra, Pooshan and Vishnu. Sun was called the ‗Eye of Gods‘; and Agni the ‗Mouth of Gods‘. Agni was considered to be the Purohit of the Aryans. They thought that the offering of the Yajna reaches to the gods through Agni. Varun was worshipped as a spatial god. ● In Rig Veda, Usha, Sita, Prithvi, Aranyani, Ratri, Vak are worshipped as goddesses. ● Besides Rig Ved, the reference of Sita as the goddess of agriculture is made in Gomil Grihya Sutra and Paraskar Grihya Sutra. ● The ancient idols of Ganesh show his main weapons as Paash and Ankush. ● In the Rigvedic age the traders were called ‗Pani‘. They stole away the cattle of the Aryans. ● Das‘ or Dasyas were more hated than the ‗Pani‘. They have been referred as black complexioned inauspicious and opposed to Yajnas. They were the worshippers of Phallus (Shishnadev). ● In the Rigvedic age, the cow was the backbone of economy. It was called ‗Aghanya‘—not to be killed, war has been referred as Gavisthi, the guest as Mohan and the daughter as Duhiti. One Rik refers to the domestication of sheep. ● Vashishtha who replaced Vishwamitra as Purohit of King Sudas, has been mentioned as adopted son of Urvashi, and born of the ‗Virya‘ of Mitra and Varun on an earthen pot. ● Ballabh and Tarukshadas were chieftains who lavishly donated to the Purohits and through their grace obtained respect and high place in the Aryan society.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 204

● Savitri is referred in the famous Gayatri Mantra. In Rig Ved the maximum reference is made of Indra. After him Varun is referred to. In the earlier Richas Varun and Marut have been mentioned as ‗Gan‘. Twasta also was a Vedic God. ● Prajapati has been referred as the Adi Purush—the first human (male). The gods were his children. ● In Rig Ved, the king has been mentioned as the Protector of the clan or the Gopta Janasya. The reference to Sabha, Samiti, Gan, Vidath is made as the Tribal Councils. ● No bureaucracy developed in Rigvedic age. Yet the officer of Gochar land were called Vrajpati, the officer of the village was called Gramani. He was the commander. The chief of the family is referred as ‗Kulap‘. ● The words like Vrat, Gan, Gram and Shardh have also been used for indicating the group of Soldiers. ● In Rig Ved Jan is used 275 times, Vish is used 170 times. Sangram is the word which indicates war between the villages. ● The God of Vegetation. It was also an intoxicating drink and the method of its preparation is referred in the Rig Ved. ● The later Vedic literature was written during 1100 to 600 B.C. The painted grey ware—bowls and plates were used and the tools which they used were made of iron. ● The main crop of the later Vedic age was wheat and paddy instead of barley. ● In the later Vedic age, the Vidath were extinct but the Sabha and the Samiti existed. ● In this period, the King performed the rites of Rajsuya Yajna with a desire to obtain divine power, Ashwamedha Yajna to expand the empire and the Vajpeya Yajna for chariot racing with friends and relatives of his Gotra. ● The Gotra system began in the later Vedic age. The custom of marrying outside the Gotra also started. ● In the literature of later Vedic age, the first three Ashrams are mentioned—(1) Brahmcharya, (2) Grihastha, (3) Banprastha. The Sanyas Ashram is not mentioned. ● In later Vedic period the plant Som could not be obtained easily. As such other drinks were also used. ● Gold and Silver were mainly used for making ornaments and utensils. Other metals were used for making many other implements in the later Vedic era. ● In later Vedic period, the commercial classes (Traders) organized themselves in ‗Sangh‘. The Aryans conducted sea trade. Nisk, Satman and Krishal were usded as coins for trade purposes. ● In comparison to the religion of Rigvedic period, the later Vedic religion had become very complex. Purohits, Yajna and sacrifice were considered important. Many types of Yajnas were performed. ● The Shatpath Brahman refers to the various steps in progress of cultivation—Jutai (ploughing), Buwai (planting), Lawani (weaning), Mandai (cutting) are the various processes mentioned in it. ● Sangam literature is compiled in 8 books. They are—(1) Narune, (2) Kuruntoge, (3) Aigunuru, (4) Padirupyuttu, (5) Paripadal, (6) Karlittorga, (7) Nedultoge, (8) Purnanuru. ● In the Sangam age, the Tamil Grammar was written in a detailed book, ‗Tolakappiyam‘. ● With the songs of the musicians, the dancers known as Panar and Widelier used to dance. ● Pedinekilkanku is a famous composition of Sangam literature. ● Sangam is a Sanskrit word meaning a Congregation and a Council. ● The main theme of the Sangam literature is ‗Romance‘ (Shringar) and heroism (Veergatha). Shringar is called as ‗Aham‘ and Veergatha has been called as ‗Puram‘. ● The first Sangam was organized at Madurai under the chairmanship of Rishi Agastya. ● The second Sangam was organized at Kapatpuram again under the chairmanship of Rishi Agastya. ● The third Sangam was organized at Madurai and it was chaired by ‗Nakkirar‘. ● Avey was the family of Sangam age which meant Sabha (assembly). ● Panchvaram was the assembly of the advisors of the King of Sangam age. ● Ur was the institution which looked after the city administration. ● The excavation of Arikmedu, provide enough evidence to prove that once opon a time, the cantonements of the Roman traders resided there. ● The teachers in the Sangam age were called as Kanakkaters. ● The students in the Sangam age were called Bhanwan or Pillai.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 205

● Parshvanath arranged for fourfold vows (Chaturvrata) for the Bhikshus (monks)—(1) I shall not kill the living beings, (2) I shall always speak the truth, (3) I shall not steal, (4) I shall not keep any property. ● Mahavir Swami has been called Nigashtha, Naatputra and Nirgranth Saatputra. ● Mahavir Swami left his mortal frame and attained Nirvana at Pawapuri near Patna in Bihar. ● The Triratna in Jainism are described as Samyak Shraddha (veneration), Samyak Gyan (knowledge) and Samyak Acharana (conduct). ● According to Jainism, Nirvana (redemption) to free the soul from the physical bondage. ● Mahavir Swami has described five vows for the common people which are called as Panchmaha-vrat. These are—Truth, Non-violence, No stealing, No collection of wealth or anything and celibacy (Satya, Ahimsa, Astey, Aparigrah and Brahamacharya). To these was later added, ‗Not to eat at Night‘. ● Kaivalya is total knowledge which the Nirgranthget. ● Buddha was born in the Lumbini forest, 14 km beyond Kapilvastu in Nepal Tarai. ● Kaundinya, a Brahmin astrologer, was contemporary of Buddha. ● Gautam obtained knowledge at Gaya. Hence the place is called Bodh Gaya. ● The first sermon of Buddha is known as ‗Dharma Chakra Pravartan‘. ● Mahatma Buddha delivered his first sermon at Rishipattan (Sarnath). ● The followers of Buddha were divided into four sections—(1) Bhikshu or the monks, (2) Bhik-shuni or lady monks, (3) Upasaks or devotees, (4) Upasikas or lady devotees. ● After delivering his teachings for constant 45 years, Mahatma Buddha attained Mahaparinirvan at the age of 80 at Kushinara (Kushinagar). ● Tripitaks are—(1) Vinay Pitak, (2) Suttpitak, (3) Abhidhamma Pitak. ● Vinay Pitak is divided into 3 sections—(1) Sutta Vibhag, (2) Khandhak, (3) Pariwar. ● Suttpitak contains—Diggh Nikay, Majjhim Nikay, Anguttar Nikay and Khuddak Nikay. ● In Abhidhamma Pitak, philosophical and spiritual thoughts are contained. ● There are seven treatises of Abhidhamma Pitak —(1) Dhamma Sangeeti, (2) Vibhang, (3) Dhatu Katha, (4) Puggal Panjati, (5) Katha Vastu, (6) Yamak, (7) Patthan. ● The eightfold paths are—(1) Right belief, (2) Right thought, (3) Right speech, (4) Right action, (5) Right means of livelihood, (6) Right execution, (7) Right remembrance, (8) Right meditation. ● In Buddhism, the Astangikmarg (eight fold path) is classified as—(1) Praja Skandh, (2) Sheel Skandh, (3) Samadhi Skandh. ● Under Praja Skandh come—Samyak Drishti, Samyak Sankalp and Samyak Vani (speech). ● Under Sheel Skandh come—Samyak Karmant, Samyak Aajeev. ● Under Samadhi Skandh come—Samyak Vyayam, Samyak Smriti and Samyak Samadhi. ● Mahatma Buddha was silent on the existence of God or otherwise but he did not believe in the existence of soul. ● The first Buddhist Council was convened after a few years of Buddha‘s death under the chairmanship of Mahakassap in Saptparna caves near Rajgrih. ● The second Buddhist Council was organized at Vaisali. ● The third Buddhist Council was convened at Patliputra during the regime of Asoka. ● The fourth Buddhist Council was convened at Kashmir during the regime of Kanishka. ● Purans are said to be 18 in number of which Bhagwat Puran is very renowned. ● Bhagwatism is mentioned for the first time in the Bhishm Parva of Mahabarat. ● The Dravida Vaishnav devotees are known as the Alwars. ● A Brahman named Kautilya or Chanakya played a significant role in the establishment of the Mauryan empire. ● In the Greek writings, Chandra Gupta Maurya is called Sandrocottus. ● Arien and Plutarch have called him Androcottus. ● In the Mudra Rakshas written by Vishakhdutt, Chandra Gupta Maurya is called Chandragiri Chandrashree. ● In Buddhist literature, Mahavansh Tika is the book which throws ample light on the life of Chandra Gupta Maurya.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 206

● ‗Indika‘ was written by Megasthenese. ● In the book Mahavansh, Chandra Gupta Maurya is said to be Kshatriya by caste. ● After being defeated in war with Chandra Gupta, Selukose offered him Gadrosia (Baluchistan), Acrosia (Kandahar), Aria (Herat) and a part of Hindukush. ● Sudarshan Lake at Junagarh was built by Chandra Gupta Maurya. ● The Mahasthan inscription points out Chandra Gupta‘s ascendancy over Bengal. ● The Rudradaman inscription of Girnar testifies to the suzerainty of Chandra Gupta over Saurashtra. ● According to Jain Texts, Chandra Gupta in the last years of his life, accepted Jainism and went to Mysore with the Jain monk Bhadrabahu. ● The empire of Chandra Gupta spread from Himalaya in the north to Mysore in the south; and from Bengal in the east to Baluchistan in the west. It covered Punjab, Sindh, Kashmir, Doab of Ganga and Yamuna, Magadh, Bengal, Malwa, Saurashtra and the region of Mysore. ● The administrative system of Chandra Gupta Maurya was Monarchy. In order to administer well, Chandra Gupta Maurya appointed a Council of Ministers. ● In the Mauryan age, the officer who collected the trade taxes was called Shulkadhyaksha. ● The Chairman of the Government services was known as Sutradhyaksha in the Mauryan age. ● The officer-in-charge of Weight and Measures was known as Peetadhyaksha in the Mauryan age. ● In Mauryan age, the officer who controlled the manufacture of wine, its sale and purchase and its consumption was Suradhyaksha. ● The chairman of the agricultural department was called Seetadhyaksha in Mauryan age. ● There were many officers such as Ganikadhyaksha,` Mudradhyaksha, Navadhyaksha, Ashwadhyaksha and Devtadhyaksha etc. in the Mauryan Age. ● The officer who kept the details of total income and expenditure of the State and decided the economic policy was called Sannidhata. Under him, worked officers like Treasurer and Shulkadhyaksha. ● In Mauryan age, the minister of factories and mines was called Karmantirak. His main task was to excavate different metals from the mines and look after the factories. ● In Mauryan age the Amatya of Fauzdari (Criminal) Court was called Pradeshta. ● The Amatya of the Civil Court was known as Vyavaharik. ● The Greek scholars have described the Amatyas as the seventh caste. ● The successor of Chandra Gupta Maurya is called name Bindusara in majority of the Puranas. Ceylonese works, Buddhist textsand in Deepvansh and Mahavansh. In Vayu Puran, his name is given as Bhadrasaar. In some of the Purans he is called as Varisaar. In the Chinese text—Fa-Uen-Chu-Lin, he is called as Bindupal. In another book Rajabalikatha, the successor and son of Chandra Gupta is called as Sinhasen. ● Ptolemy, the ruler of Egypt sent Dioniyas as his ambassador to the Court of Bindusaar. ● In Chandra Gupta Maurya‘s time, the chief of the city was called Nagaradhyaksha who worked like the modern District Magistrate. ● The smallest unit of the administration was the village. Its chief officer was called Gramik or Gramani. ● Gramani was elected by the people of the village. ● In every village, there was an officer who was called Gram Bhojak. ● In the administration of Chandra Gupta Maurya the department of espionage was well organized. According to Kautilya, there were two sections of the secret service—(1) Sansthan, (2) Sancharan. ● In the inscriptions, Asoka is called Devanampriya and Priyadarshi. ● The Ceylonese sources and Deepvansh, call him, Priyadarshan and Priyadarshi. Scholars think that these were his titles. ● Asoka appointed an officer called Mahamatras in every city and district. ● In the 13th year of his reign, he appointed Dharma Mahamatra and Dharmayukta for the first time for the happiness and peace of his people. ● Upagupta was a Bauddhist monk of Mathura under his influence, Asoka changed his religion and accepted Buddhism. ● Asoka sent his daughter Sanghmitra and son Mahendra to spread Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 207

● In the mini edicts Asoka calls himself a Buddha Shakya. ● Asoka sent Majjhantik to propogate Buddhism in Kashmir. ● In 1750, it was Teffenthaler who first explored the Asokan pillars. ● Asoka‘s last edict was found by Beadon in 1915 at Maski. ● The small edicts of Asoka are of two types. According to Smith, they were written in 259-232 B.C. ● The first kind of Asokan small pillar edicts are available at Roopnath in Jabalpur district, Sahasaram in Shahabad district of Bihar, Maski, in Raichoor district, and Vairat in Rajasthan. ● The second type of Asokan edicts have been found at Siddhpur (Chitralahug, Mysore) Jatig, Rameshwar and Brahmagiri. ● The Bhabru edict was found at Bairath near Jaipur in Rajasthan. In this edict seven precepts of Buddhism have been given which Asoka liked most and he desired that the people should read them and make their conduct accordingly. This edict is preserved in Kolkata Museum. ● Two edicts about Kalinga have been found at Dhauli and Jaugarh. In these, the principles of behaviour with he people of Kalinga and with the frontier people have been outlined. ● Asokan small edicts have been found at about 15 places. ● The Erangudi edict was found in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh at a place known as Erangudi. ● The Maski small edict was found from Maski village of Raichoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It contains the name of Asoka. ● The Rajul Mandgiri edict was found on a mound 20 miles beyond Erangudi in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. ● The Gurjara edict has been found from a village named Gurjara in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh. It also mentions the name of Asoka. ● Ahraura edict was found from a hill of the village Ahraura in Mirzapur district of U.P. ● Palgoraria edict was found in 1975. ● The Sannati inscription (edict) has been found in the village Sannati in the district of Gulbarga of Karnatic State. ● The cave inscription are three in number which have been found in the Barabar hills of Gaya city in Bihar. These refer to the charity performed by the King to the Ajivaks. ● The language of the Kandahar edict is Greek and Aramaic. ● The Topara pillar edict has been found from a village named Topara in Haryana. In the course of time Firoz Tughlaq brought it to Delhi where it is kept at Feroz Shah Kotla ground. ● Rumindei small pillar edict was found from the Tarai of Nepal. ● Most of Asokan edicts are written in Prakrit language. ● In Gupta age ships and boats were manufactured in large numbers. Gujarat, Bengal and Tamil Nadu were the main centres of cotton industry. ● Trade between India and China was carried on before Gupta age, in 2nd century. ● India had trade relations with eastern, countries. They were called Swarnabhumi (land of gold). ● Peshawar, Bharaunch, Ujjaini, Varanasi, Prayag, Patliputra, Mathura, Vaishali and Tamralipti were trade centres. ● In west Bharaunch and in east, Tamralipti were prominent ports. ● Gold, silver, bronze, tin, campher, dates and horses were imported. ● The collective unit of the people who worked in various industries, were known as ‗Kuliks‘. ● ‗Kulik Nigam‘ and ‗Shreshthi Nigam were the unions of wealthy traders. The Kulik Nigam had its own seal which was used in commercial correspondence and the trade-goods. ● In the Gupta age, India maintained trade relations with Arabia. Horses were imported from Arabia and Iran. ● The Seals of Kulik have been excavated from the town Meeta near Allahabad. ● From Vaishali 274 Seals of Sarthwah Kulik Nigam have been excavated prove that it was a great institution of the Gupta age. ● Trade with China, Japan and Sumatra was carried from the port of Tamralipti. ● In Gupta age the land tax was known as ‗Udrang‘.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 208

● Kadur and Charpal were the ports situated in Andhra Pradesh. ● Kaveripattanam and Tondai were the ports of Chola State. ● Kokai and Saliyur were the ports of Pandya State. ● Kottayam and Mujris were the ports of Malwa State. ● Sindhu, Orhoth, Kalyan and Mibor were other main ports for trade. ● Hiranya was the tax realized in cash. Bhutavat Pratyaya was the tax levied upon the imports from other countries. ● Haldand was the tax charged on the ploughed land. ● A definite portion of the produce from agricultural land was charged as the land tax by the State. It was called Bhag tax. Generally it was charged in kind. ● In the Gupta age, the land was donated only to the Brahmans. ● The land donated to Brahmans was called Brahmdeya. ● The tax free villages of the Brahmans were called Agrahara. ● In the Gupta age, the Gram Parishads (village councils) were autonomous and free from the State control. ● The uncultivated land was the property of the king. ● The women who remained unmarried throughout their life and passed their time in studies were called Brahmavadinis. ● Taxila, Varanasi and Ujjaini were prominent centres of education. ● In the Gupta society, intercaste marriages were performed. ● The slave system was practised in the Gupta age. ● The joint family system was in vogue in Gupta society. ● In the women though not as much respected as in Vedic period, yet enjoyed important position in the society of Gupta age. ● Sheelbhattarika was an educated and worthy woman of the Gupta age. ● Widow remarriages were performed in the Gupta age, But some works of the age speak against it. Chandra Gupta II married the widow of Ramgupta, his brother. Her name was Dhruva Swamini. ● Prostitutes, expert in music and dance, and perfect in sexology were called ‗Ganikas‘. ● The traders and commercial professionals had their ‗Shrenis‘ in Gupta age. The Patkar, Tailik (oil traders), Pashan Kottak (stone cutters) were important Shrenis. ● The author of ‗Swapnavasavaduttam‘ was an eminent prose writer. ● The author of Bhattikavya or Ravan Vadh, was Bhatti, an eminent poet of Gupta age. ● Bhartahari worte ‗Niti Shatak‘, Shringar Shatak and Vairagya Shatak which became very famous. Some scholars believe that Bhartahari is another name for Bhatti. ● ‗Kuntleshwar Daityam‘ is a drama that testifies to the fact that Kalidas belonged to the Gupta age. ● ‗Abhigyanshakuntalam‘ ‗Meghdoot‘ ‗Ritusanhar‘ are some of the major works of Kalidas. ● Kamsutra is a famous book on Sexology written by Vatsyayan. ● Vaibhashik and Sanghbhadra were the two Acharyas (teachers) of the Gupta age who wrote the literature of the Vaibhashik sect.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 209

Medieval India : Important Facts Of Indian History

Made in the times of Bhoj, an idol of ‗Vakdevi‘ is at present preserved in the British Museum. ● The Jain temples of Dilwara were constructed during the period of Parmars. ● In Udaipur Prashasti, Munj is entitled ‗Kavi Vrish‘ due to his literary attainments. ● Qutubuddin was purchased as a slave in his childhood by Qazi Fakruddin Abdul Aziz Koofi. ● Qutubuddin did not issue coins or got ‗Khutba‘ read in his name after accession to Delhi throne. ● Qutubuddin Aibak was buried at Lahore after his death. ● Iltutmish established the Shamsi dynasty. ● Iltutmish organized the group of his 40 slaves which is famous in history as Turkan-i-Chahalgami. ● Yalduz and Nasiruddin Qubacha were prominent rivals of Iltutmish. ● Iltutmish organized the ‗Iqta army‘. ● Iltutmish issued the coins—‗Taka‘ of silver and ‗Jeetal‘ of copper. ● Iltutmish was the first Sultan who issued pure Arabic coins. ● On 18th February, 1229, the representatives of the Caliph of Baghdad came to Delhi and they gave the Investiture of the Caliph to Iltutmish. The Caliph thus accepted him as the Sultan of Delhi. Now Delhi became a free state legitimately. ● According to Barni, Balban organized his Court on the Iranian pattern. ● Balban started the system of ‗Sijda‘ and ‗Paibos‘ during his reign. ● Balban‘s theory of kingship was based upon—Power, Prestige and Justice. His main objective was to maintain his control upon the administrative officials. ● The Mongol leader Changez Khan was known as the ‗Curse of God‘. ● The coronation of Jalaluddin Feroz Shah was done in 1290 at the Kilokhari Apurna Palace built by Kaikubad. ● At the time of his accession on the Delhi Sultanate, Alauddin Khalji assumed the title of Abul Mujaffar Sultan Alauddinia and Deen Mohammad Shah Khalji. ● Jalaluddin Feroz Shah Khalji granted to Alauddin Khalji, the post of Amir-i-Tujuk. ● During Alauddin‘s time approximately 75 to 80 per cent of the peasant‘s produce was charged as tax. ● The main tasks of Diwan-i-Ariz were to recruit the soldiers, to disburse the salary, to well equip the army, to make arrangements for inspection and to proceed with the Commander-in-Chief in times of war. ● The main tasks of the Diwan-i-Insha was to draft royal orders and letters and to maintain the govt. records. He also conducted correspondence with the local officers. ● Alauddin Khalji introduced market reforms and fixed the prices of various items and goods. ● Munhiyan or detectives were appointed to keep a watch over the market and report the Sultan of the same. ● Barid-i-Mandi was an employee who informed the Sultan of the quality of the material sold in the market. ● ‗Khams‘ was the war booty. The 4/5 of the loot was submitted to the royal treasury. Only 1/5 was distributed among the soldiers. ● Alauddin Khalji established a new department Diwan-i-Mustakharaj in order to check the corruption of Revenue department and to maintain control on the concerned officers. ● Qutubuddin Mubarak Shah rejected the rigid rules of Alauddin Khalji and pursued the policy of forgive and forget. ● Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq Ghazi was a Qaruna turk. ● Mohammad Tughlaq has been called, an unfortunate idealist ● Due to shortage of money in the treasury and to meet the expenses of Imperialist policy, Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq issued token currency. ● Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq planned invasion of Khurasan and Iraq but did not carry it out. ● Diwan-i-Kohi was the name of agriculture department organized by Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq. ● Elphinston was the first historian who believed that there was some signs of madness in Mohammad Tughlaq. ● Feroz Shah abolished 24 taxes disliked by people. ● Feroz Shah Tughlaq following dictum of Quran. levied only 4 taxes named Kharaj, Khums, Zazia and Zakat. ● Feroz Shah brought the two Asokan pillars from Khijrabad and Meerut to Delhi.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 210

● During the period of Feroz Shah Tughlaq, the two books Fatwa-i-Jahandari and Tarikh-i-Feroz Shahi were written by Barni. ● Feroz Shah Tughlaq wrote his autobiography entitled Futuhat-i-Firoz Shahi. ● Feroz Shah Tughlaq established a new department of charity at Delhi known as Diwan-i-Khairat. ● Feroz Shah‘s book ‗Dalayat-i-Feroz Shahi‘ was a work translated into Persian. ● Taimur invaded India in 1398. ● Sikandar Lodhi was the greatest of the Lodhi kings. ● In the Sultanate period, the Wazir was the Prime Minister of the Sultan. ● The department of the Wazir was known as the Diwan-i-Wizarat. ● In the Sultanate period, the Mushrif-i-Mumaliq maintained the account of the income and expenditure of the provinces. ● In the Sultanate period, the Chief Auditor of Accounts was called Mustafa-i-Mamaliq. His main work was to inspect the accounts prepared by Mushraf-i-Mamaliq. ● The Chief of military department was called, Ariz-i-Mamaliq who was not the Commander-in-Chief of the army. ● Dabir-i-Khas was the chairman of the correspondence department. ● Department of Diwan-i-Insha worked under Dabir-i-Khas who issued the royal Firmans (orders). ● The Treasurer was called Khajij and the Chief Justice was called Qazi-i-Mamaliq. ● The Chief of the Construction department was called Mir-i-Imarat. ● The Public Hall of the Sultan was called Durbar-i-Azam. ● The Sultan divided the empire into Iqtas orprovinces. ● Iqta was divided into samll shiks or districts. ● Jakat was the tax which covered the taxes of ‗Sadpa‘ and ‗Tith‘. ● Qutubuddin Aibak had built the mosque known as Quwwattul-Islam near the Delhi Fort of Rai Pithora. ● The famous mosque at Ajmer known as Dhai Din Ka Jhopra was constructed by Qutubuddin Aibak. ● Dhai Din Ka Jhopra was earlier a Sanskrit school which was built by Vigrahraj Bisaldeo. ● Alai Darwaza which is considered to be the most precious jewel of Islamic architecture was built by Alauddin Khalji. ● The new city of Siri and the Hazaar Situn palace in this city were built by Alauddin Khalji. ● In the period of Sikander Lodhi, his Wazir built the Moth mosque. ● The mosque of Attala is one of the best buildings of Sharqi style. ● The Jhajhanri mosque at Jaunpur was built by Ibrahim Sharqi in about 1430. ● The most important mosque at Jaunpur known as Jami mosque was built by Hussain Shah Sharqi. ● The mosque of Lal Darwaza at Jaunpur, was built in the middle of the 15th century. ● The Vijay Nagar kingdom was divided into 6 provinces. The chief of the province was known as Prantpati or Nayak. ● The province was divided into Nadu or districts. ● The provincial rulers were allowed to issue their coins. ● In the Vijay Nagar empire Brahmans were the most respected. The criminal Brahman was exempled from capital punishment. ● Women enjoyed honourable status. Many of them learnt the art of warfare. They were appointed as bodyguards. ● Krishnadeo Ray is designated as the Andhra Pitamah. ● Gold coins were used and they were called ‗Barah‘. ● Mixed metal coins were called Partab. ● Kabir who adopted the Gyanashrayi branch of the Nirgun sect, was the disciple of Ramanand. ● Namdeo was born in a small village of Satara district in 1220. ● Sabad refer to the composition related to Yog Sadhana. ● Guru Nanak was born in a small village Talwandi near Lahor. ● To reform a society ridden with ritualism and superstitious, he preached the Nirguna sect.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 211

● The fifth Sikh Guru Arjundeo systematized the composition of Guru Nanak in ‗Guru Granth Sahib‘. ● Malik Mohammad Jayasi earned great name and fame for his work Padmavat. ● The first invasion of Babar on India was conducted in 1519. During this invasion, he conquered Bajaur and Bhera. He went back from here. When he left these two places were lost to the Moghuls. ● Babar again invaded India in 1526, for the fifth time and he did not go back this time. He founded the Moghul empire in India. ● He defeated Ibrahim Lodhi by adopting his trusted war tactics of Tulughma. ● Babar used Artillery for the first time in the battle of Panipat. ● Babar defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar in the battle of Khanva in 1527. He scored a victory over Afghans in battle of ‗Ghaghara‘ in 1529. ● Babar declared the Chanderi war as Jehad and he constructed a minarate of the heads of the dead Rajputs. ● Babar wrote his autobiography Tujuk-i-Babri in Turkish language. ● Mirza Haider Speaks about numerous qualities of Babar in his book—Tarikh-i-Rashidi. ● Babar‘s daughter Gulbadan Begum enumerated the qualities of Babar in her book, Humayun Nama. ● Babar in his reign abolished the tax Tamagha. ● Babar wrote Risala-i-Validiya in Turkish poetry which was orginally the work of Khwaja Obei-dullah. ● Babar learnt the use of artillery from Ustad Ali and Mustafa—his two Turkish officers. ● The name of Humayun‘s mother was Maham Sultana. ● In 1544 Humayun took shelter with Shah Tahmasp, the ruler of Iran. ● In July 1555, Humayun again occupied the throne of Delhi. ● Humayun died on 27 January, 1556 as a result of a sudden fall from the stairs of the Din-Panah Library. ● Shershah was a great conqueror. He fought and won a grim battle against Maldeo of Marwar. ● Shershah introduced currency reform, extanded transport system by building, roads, most famous being present day G. T. Road and reformed revenue system by classifying agricultural land and introducing measurement of land. ● During the administration of Shershah, the Diwan-i-Vizarat looked after the tax system and economy and maintained the accounts of the income and expenditure of the State. ● The duty of Diwan-i-Ariz was to recruit the army, supply the food and look after education. ● The duty of Diwan-i-Rasalat was to conduct correspondence with other States and to maintain contact with them. ● The duty of the Diwan-i-Insha was to write emperor‘s orders and records of accounts. ● The credit to solve the early difficulties of Akbar and to safeguard the Mughal empire goes to Bairam Khan. ● From 1556 to 1560 the reins of Mughal administration remained in the hands to Bairam Khan. ● At Tilwara, a war was fought between Bairam Khan and the army of Akbar. Bairam Khan was defeated. ● In early days of his rule Akbar was under the influence of Harem particularly his foster another Maham Anga. This is why some historian call the early years of Akbar as ‗Purda-rule‘ or Petticoat government. ● When Maham Anga died, the so-called short Petticoat government of Akbar‘s time ended. ● In 1562 Akbar abolished the slavery system. ● Akbar was the first muslim ruler who got maximum success in Rajasthan. ● Akbar‘s second attack on Gujarat is considered to be not only the fastest invasion of Akbar‘s time but the fastest in the history of the world of that age. ● In 1595 during Akbar‘s time. Muzaffar Hussain was the Persian Governor of Qandahar. ● Akbar‘s mother Hamida Bano Begum was a religious lady of a Sufi Shia family. ● Raja Birbal died fighting on the royal side in the Afghan-Baluchi rebellion during Akbar‘s time. ● In 1571 was built an Ibadatkhana at Fatehpur Sikri where every Thrusday, religious deliberation were held. ● Akbar was also impressed by Jainism. He invited the eminent Jain scholar Heer Vijay Suri from Tam Gachh in Gujarat to know about this religion. ● Impressed by Zorastrianism, the holy fire was kept burning in Akbar‘s palace. ● Following the tradition of Hindu kings, Akbar started appearing for Darshan of his people from the Jharokha of his palace.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 212

● In Akbar‘s time, the Prime Minister was known Wazir or Vakil-i-Mutlaq. ● In Akbar‘s time, the Finance Minister was called Wazir or Deewan. ● Mujaffar Khan was the first to be appointed as Wazir during Akbar‘s time. ● The assistants of Deewan, known as Sahib-i-Taujeeh looked after the accounts of the Army. ● Another assistant of Deewan, Deewan-i-Bayutoot, looked after the Industries of different kinds. ● The officer who managed the royal treasury was known as Mushrif-i-Khazana. ● Meer Saman in Akbar‘s time, managed the affairs of the royal palace, Haram and kitchen. ● In Akbar‘s time, Amal Guzar was the officer who collected the revenue from the districts. ● Bitikchi prepared the data about the quality of land and its produce. On the same basis, the Amal Guzar fixed the revenue. Bitikchi was the second important officer in the Revenue department. ● Amil collected the revenue from the Pargana. ● In Akbar‘s time, the clerk was called Karkun. His main task was to record the cultivable land in the Pargana and keep an account of the realized and unrealized revenue. ● Akabar introduced Mansabdari system with its ranks of Jat and Sawar based on decimal system. ● According to Blochman, Zat was the definite number of soldiers, the Mansabdars had to keep with them. ● According to Blochman the Sawar meant the definite number of cavalry. ● In Akbar‘s time, there were four kinds of land—Polaj, Chacher, Parauti and Banjar. ● In Akbar‘s time, Ibrahim Sarhindi translated the Sanskrit text of Atharva Ved in Persian. ● Mulla Shah Mohammad translated in Persian Raj Tarangini of Kalhan. ● Maulana Sherry translated Hari Vansh Puran in Persian. ● Abul Fazal translated Panch Tantra in Persian. ● Faizi translated the story of Nal Damayanti in Persian. ● The history of Islam was compiled in Tarikh-i-Alfi. It is a famous book. ● Akbar established a separate department of Painting, the chairman of this department was the famous painter Khwaja Abdus Samad. ● Abdussamad was an inhabitant of Persia who came to India from Shiraz. He was adorned with the title of Shirin Qalam for his attainments. ● Mohammad Hussain, the famous author of Akbar‘s Court was adorned with the title of Zari Qalam. ● Akbar built the Fort of Allahabad. ● The first building of Akbar‘s time was Humayun‘s tomb at Delhi built under the guidance of his step mother Haji Begum. ● The main mason who built Humayun‘s tomb belonged to Iran and his name was Mirza Meerak Ghyas. ● Akbar was born on Sunday. Hence Jahangir declared Sunday as a pious day. ● Nur Jahan was an educated lady. She was specially interested in music, painting and poetry. She composed poetry in Persian. ● The first Englishman to come to the Mughal Court was captain Hawkins. ● Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khana was the guardian and tutor of Jahangir. ● The English ambassador Sir Thomas Roe came to India during Jahangir‘s time. ● The Jahangir‘s autobiography is Tujuk-i-Jahangiri. ● Shahjahan was born on 5 January, 1592 at Lahore. The name of his mother was Jagat Gosain. ● Two big rebellions broke out during Shahjahan‘s time. One was the revolt of the ruler of Bundelkhand named Jujhar Singh and the other was the revolt in south under the leadership of Khan-i-Jahan Lodhi. ● The title of Malika-i-Zamani was conferred upon Arjumand Bano Begum. ● The first coronation of Aurangzeb was performed on 31 July, 1658 and the second coronation took place on 15 June, 1659. ● Aurangzeb passed an order and prohibited the repairs of the temples by the Hindus. ● Aurangzeb appointed Subedars and Muhatsibs to check the spread of education and Hinduism. ● Aurangzeb again levied Zazia upon Hindus. ● Under Aurangzeb, the Hindu traders paid 5% tax on goods while the Muslim traders were free from this tax. ● Aurangzeb issued orders to prohibit the celebration of Holi, Diwali and Basant etc. in the Mughal Court.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 213

● Gokul and Raja Ram were the leaders of Jat revolt against Aurangzeb. After the death of Rajaram, his brother‘s son named Churaman continued the revolt. The Jat rebellion went on till the death of Aurangzeb and the Jats succeeded in establishing a free Jat state of Bharatpur near Mathura. ● In 1681, Akbar, the son of Aurangzeb revolted against him. ● The 9th Guru of the Sikh order, Guru Tegh Bahadur openly protested against the religious policy of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb called him to Delhi and asked him to accept Islam. When he refused, he was beheaded. ● Shivaji was the founder of Maratha State. He fought against the state of Deccan, as well as the mughal empire. He was a great administrator. ● Shivaji was succeeded by Sambhaji who was captured and put to death by Aurangzeb. ● Rajaram ruled only as the representative of Shahu—the son of Shambhaji who was imprisoned by Aurangzeb. Rajaram never occupied the Maratha throne. ● After the death of Raja Ram Maratha war of independence was carried on by his wife Tarabai. ● VascodeGama came to India as the representative of the ruler of Portugal. He met Zamorin of Calicut and obtained trade facilities. ● In 1492 Pope Alexander VI granted the Portuguese the monopoly to trade with the east. ● From 1505 to 1509, Almeda remained in India as the first Portuguese Governor. ● Albukirk was the successor of Almeda in India. His objective was to establish a Portuguese colony in India by intermarrying with Indians. ● After coming to India, the Dutch established their trade centres at Surat, Bharaunch, Cambay, Ahmedabad, Chinsura, Kasim Bazar, Patna, Balasore, Nagapattanam, Kochin, Masulipattanam and Agra. ● The main aim of the Dutch was to trade with the Islands of south-east Asia. India was just a passage for them. This is why the Dutch faced no rivalry with other European companies. ● In 1608, under the leadership of Captain Hawkins, the English fleet reached India. ● In 1717 the Mughal King Farrukh Siyar granted a Firman to the British giving them the trade rights. ● In 1692, the Nawab of Bengal issued an order to the French Company and they established a commercial Factory at Chandranagar.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 214

Modern India : Important Facts Of Indian History

Muazzam occupied the Mughal throne as Bahadur Shah after his success in the war of succession. ● Muazzam, the son of Aurangzeb was called as the ‗Shah Bekhabar‘. ● The Mughal King Farrukh Siyar gratned concession to the English men to trade in Bengal, Gujarat and Hyderabad. ● In 1759 Ali Mohar, the son of Alamgir sat upon the Mughal throne as Shah Alam II. ● After the death of Maratha ruler Shahu, the real power of the State came in the hands of Peshwas. ● Nawab Murshid Quli Khan of Bengal transferred his capital to Murshidabad from Dacca. ● Nawab Mir Qasim of Bengal transferred his capital to Moongher from Murshidabad. ● In the middle of the 18th century, the nominal ruler of Mysore was Chika Krishnaraj. The real power of the State lied with the two brothers—Nand Raj and Dev Raj. ● In 1761 Hyder Ali captured Nandraj and became the master of Mysore. ● In the first Anglo-Mysore war, Hyder Ali badly defeated the English army. ● In 1781 Hyder Ali conqurered Arcot but in 1781 at Porn Novo Sir Eyerkoot defeated him. ● Ali Muhammad Khan established the State of Rohilkhand. ● The early capital of Rohilkhand was ‗Awala‘ which later shifted to Rampur. ● Guru Har Gobind Singh constructed the Akaal Takht at Amritsar. ● Guru Gobind Singh converted the Sikhs into a warring and military group. ● In 1721, the two sects of Sikhism ‗Bandai‘ and ‗Tatkhalsa‘ merged in one sect ‗Khalsa‘. This sect became a headache for the Mughals. ● The Sikhs were organized in 12 unions or misls which grew in political significance. Later Ranjeet Singh conquered these misls and organized them into Punjab State. ● The ruler of the Afghanistan conferred the title of Raja upon Ranjeet Singh and appointed him the Subedar of Lahore. ● The treaty of Amritsar was signed between the English and Ranjeet Singh in 1809. As a result the English checked the expansion of Ranjeet Singh towards the region of Sutluj. ● According to the treaty of Amritsar, the English accepted Ranjeet Singh as an independent ruler. ● During first Anglo-Sikh war, the Governor-General of India was Lord Hardinge. ● Punjab was ruled by Maharaja Dalip Singh when the Lahore Treaty was signed in 1846 between the Sikhs and the English after the defeat of Sikhs in the first Anglo Sikh war. ● During Sirajudaulla‘s time, the English settlement at Calcutta became a resort for the enemies of Nawab and the traitors. ● On 4th June, 1756 Sirajudaulla invaded and captured the Qasim Bazar factory of English near Murshidabad. ● The Black hole tragedy as it is known in history, came to light through the letter of Holvell. Some of the historians consider it imaginery. ● In the contemporary historical works like Sher-a-Mutkherin and Royas-us-Salatin, there is no reference to the Black hole tragedy. ● On 9th February, 1757, the Ali Nagar Treaty was signed between the English and the Nawab. ● After the war of Plassey, when Sirajudaulla was running away from Murshidabad towards Patna he was captured and killed. ● On 28 June, 1757, the English declared Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Bengal. ● After victory in Plassey war, the English Company obtained concessions to trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. ● On 25 November, 1759, the Bedara war was fought between the English and the Dutch and the Dutch were defeated. The victory helped the English in consolidating their hold on Bengal. ● Mir Qasim planned friendship with Vansittart to become the Nawab of Bengal. ● Mir Qasim gave to East India Company, the districts of Vardhman, Midnapur and Chittgaon for the expenditure of the English army. ● In 1764 the joint army of Mir Qasim, Shujauddaulla and Shah Alam fought with the English—the war of Buxar, the English were victorious in this war.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 215

● After the Buxar War, the Allahabad treaty was signed between English and the Mughal King Shah Alam in 1765 AD. ● According to Allahabad Treaty, the districts of Kara and Allahabad were taken away from the Nawab of Oudh and given to Mughal King. The East India Company agreed to pay to the king a pension of Rs. 26 lacs. In lieu the English got Diwani rights in Bengal. ● After the death of Mir Jafar, his son Nizamuddaula was enthroned as Nawab of Bengal. ● K. M. Panikkar holds that from 1765 to 1772, the rule of East India Company in Bengal was the ‗rule of dacoits‘. ● During Warren Hastings period, the Treasury was transferred by the East India Company to Calcutta from Murshidabad and Calcutta was made the capital. ● During the Governorship of Warren Hastings, in every district of subjugated India one Civil and one Criminal Court was opened. ● The cases upto to Rs. 500 were referred to the Civil Court and alone it, the appeal could be made to the Sadar Diwani Adalat. ● The District Criminal Court was put in charge of an Indian Officer. ● The Regulating Act of 1773 established a Supreme Court at Calcutta. ● The Permanent settlement introduced by Cornwallis brought changes in the land system. Most of the land came in the hands of commercial and rich classes of Calcutta. ● The Permanent settlement ensured the income of the Government. Besides the cooperation of the new Zamindars was obtained. ● In the Mahalwari system, land revenues was fixed either through the local Zamindars or their hereditary tax collectors or the Zamindars of the Mahal. Mahal was the collection of villages. The Mahalwari system was known in Punjab as the village system. ● The Raiyyatwari system was introduced during early 19th century in some regions of Madras and Bombay. The Govt. directly obtained a fixed amount from the peasants. ● In the Raiyyatwari system, the revenue rate was fixed 45% to 50% of the total produce separately. ● The Raiyyatwari system had many defects which the Govt. official accepted at the time of a parliamentary inspection for the renewal of the Company‘s Charter. ● In the Fifth and Sixth decades of 19 century, the English invested in large amount to control Indian economy. ● The English invested their capital on roads and communications, Railway, Post and Telegraph, Banks and tea gardens. ● In 1830 the Ahoms again rebelled against the English. This time, the English Company adopted a peaceful policy and granted north Assam and some other region to King Purandar Singh. ● Raja Teerath Singh of Nanakkalo rebelled against the English with the help of Garo, Khampati and Sinhopo tribes. Soon it took the shape of a mass-movement. In 1833, the English could crust it with superior military force. ● In 1825, the Assam Rifles rebelled against the English. ● In 1838, the Indian troops stationed at Sholapur rebelled due to non-payment of the full allowances. ● In 1850 the Gobind Garh regiment rebelled. ● On 1 January, 1857, the use of British made Enfield Rifles was started in India. In the cartridges of this Rifle, the fat of cows and pigs were used. ● In March 1857, the soldiers of Bairakpur Cantt refused to use the fat cartridges. ● On 2 May, 1857, the Oudh Regiment of Lucknow too refused to use these cartridges. As a result, the Oudh regiment was disbanded. ● To the soldiers of Meerut who had refused to use the fat cartridges, an English military officer—Carr Michael Smith issued the jail punishment of 5 years. ● On 10 May, 1857, a section of the infantry and cavalry of Merrut rebelled at about 5 P.M. ● The rebels marched to Delhi, captured the city and declared Bahadurshah the emperor of India. Bahadurshah assumed the leadership of revolt in Delhi. ● During this rebellion, Nana Saheb established his suzeranity over Kanpur and declared himself the Peshwa.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 216

● In Bundelkhand Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi assumed the leadership of the revolt. ● In Bihar, the zamindar of Jagdishpur, named Kunwar Singh led the revolt. ● On 28 May, 1857, the soldiers of Nasirabad Cantt in Rajasthan, rebelled. ● Kota and Adva were the main centres of revolt in Rajasthan. ● The Central India, Tantya Tope led the revolt. ● In U.P. the importnat centres of revolution were Jhansi, Kanpur, Bareilly, Meerut, Lucknow, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra. ● The Bareilly rebellion was led by Batakhs Khan. ● The Commissioner of Oudh, Henry Laurrence died of a blast on 4th July, 1857. ● While suppressing the revolt, the English officer Neil buried the dead Brahmans and burnt the dead Muslims. ● In March 1858, under the leadership of Kunwar Singh, the rebels captured Azamgarh. ● While marching towards Benaras from Azamgarh, there was an encounter between Kunwar Singh and the English officer Lord Mark in which Lord Mark had to run away to save his life. ● Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur was the only leader to have died under the banner of freedom. ● On 14 December, 1857, the English army blasted Kashmiri Gate of Delhi. ● In November 1857 the rebels defeated the English General Windaham near Kanpur. ● Vinayak Damodar Saverker was the first to name the rebellion of 1857 as the first war of Indian independence. ● According to Sir Seeley, the rebellion of 1857 was fully a national revolt conducted by selfish soldiers. ● Sir John Lawrence, P. E. Roberts and V. A. Smith have called it a Sepoy Mutiny. ● According to V. A. Smith, the rebellion of 1857 was purely a sepoy mutiny which fully reflected the indiscipline of Indian soldiers and the foolishness of English military officers. ● According to Sir James Outtram, the revolt of 1857 was the result of a conspiracy of the Muslims who desired to fulfill their self-interest on the strength of the Hindus. ● Ashok Mehta in his book, ‗The Great Revolt‘, has attempted to prove that it was a national revolt. ● Pattabhi Sita Ramaiyya takes it to be the first war of Indian independence. ● After crushing the revolt of 1857, they constituted an India Council and abolished the Board of Directors. There were 15 members in the India Council and a Secretary of State for India. ● After the revolt, Lord Canning announced the Declaration of the Queen at a Durbar held at Allahabad. He called it, ‗the Magna Carta of Indian people‘. ● In the Declaration of the Queen, the policy of expansion of the political limits came to an end. ● The rebels responsible for the murder of Englishmen were punished. All others were pardoned. ● The objective of Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramkirshna Mission and the Theosophical society etc. was to herald a renaissance in India. ● Brahmo Samaj was founded in Calcutta by Raja Ram Mohan Roy on 20 August, 1828. ● Raja Ram Mohan Roy always advocated the appointment of Indians on high govt. posts. He played a major role in the abolition of Sati system. ● After the death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy on 20 August, 1833, Devendara Nath Tagore assumed the leadership of the Brahmo Samaj. ● Aadi Brahmo Samaj was established by Devendra Nath Thakur. ● Bhartiya Brahmo Samaj was founded by Keshav Chandra Sen. ● The principles of Brahmo Samaj helped immensely in the birth and Spread Indian nationalism. ● Raja Ram Mohan Roy established Vedant College, English School and Hindu College at Calcutta. ● Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the advocate of English Education and he thought English to be the vehicle of progress. ● It was due to the effort of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, that the restriction upon the newspapers were lifted. ● In 1819, at Maharashtra, Prarthna Sabha was founded. It came to an end due to its limited scope. ● In 1867 Atma Ram Pandurang established Prarthna Samaj. M. G. Ranade, R. G. Bhandarkar and Narayan Chandrawarkar were the prominent members of this Samaj. ● Dayanand Saraswati left his house at the age of 21. As a Brahmachari Sadhu, he travelled to different places

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 217

in India. ● Dayanand Saraswati started the propagation of his religion from Agra. ● In 1874, he wrote his famous book Satyarth Prakash. ● On 10 April, 1875 he founded Arya Samaj at Bombay. ● Totapuri, a Vedantic sadhu taught Vedant Sadhna to Dayananda. ● Ramkrishna Paramhans was born in 1836 in a poor Brahman family of Hoogly district of Bengal. ● Swami Vivekanand was the most devoted disciple of Swami Ramkrishna Paramhans. ● Ramkrishna Pramhans did not establish any Ashram or sect. ● In 1893 in the All Religion Conference at Chicago Vivekanand impressed everyone, and started a Vedant Samaj there. ● In 1896 Vivekanand established Ramkrishna Mission. ● In the last years of the third decade of the 19th century, the young Bengal movement was led by an Englishman named Henry William Derozio. ● On 7 September, 1875 in New York, U.S.A. Madame H.P. Blatavesky (Russian) and Col. H. S. Alcott (American) founded the Theosophical Society. ● Mrs. Annie Besant, an Irish lady was a very active member of Theosophical Society in India. ● Due to the efforts of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, in 1856, the Widow Remarriage Act was legislated. ● The slogan of ‗Inkalab Zindabad‘ was given by Mohammad Iqbal. ● Sir Saiyyad Ahmad Khan founded the Anglo Oriental College at Aligarh in 1877 which later became known as Aligarh Muslim University. ● Haji Shariatullah was the initiator of Faryaz movement. ● In Maharashtra the Bharat Sewak Samaj was started by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. ● In 1922 Amrit Lal Viththal Das established the Bheel Sewa Mandal. ● Jyoti Ba Phule was the champion of widowremarriage in Maharashtra. ● In 1911 Narayan Maltar Joshi organised the Social Service League, a society to solve the social problems. He was assisted by some educated Indians. ● Avanindra Nath Thakur founded the society known as—The Indian Society of Oriental Art. ● In the 19th century, the famous Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed the song— Vande Matram. ● In 1875, Sisir Kumar Ghose founded the India League. ● The Indian Association founded by Surendra Nath Banerjee was replaced by the Indian League in 1876. ● The credit for founding the Indian National Congress in 1885 goes to an English officer, Allen Octavian Hume. ● The first Conference of the Indian National Congress was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay under the chairmanship of W. C. Banerjee. ● Bal Gangadhar Tilak started Ganesh Mahotsav in 1893 and Shivaji Samaroh in 1895. ● Pandit Jugal Kishore published the first newspaper of India—Udant Martand. It was a paper which gave top priority to Indian interests. ● During Lord Curzon‘s time in 1905, Bengal was divided. ● In 1911, in Lord Hardinge‘s time, the partition of Bengal was cancelled. ● Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajeet Singh were exiled to Burma in 1907. ● In 1911 the capital of India was shifted to Delhi from Calcutta. ● On Nov. 1913, the Ghadar Party was founded at Sanfransisco city of America by the great revolutionary of Punjab named Lala Hardayal. ● Kashi Ram and Hardayal were the active members of the Ghadar Party. ● In 1906, Agha Khan founded the All India Muslim League. ● In 1916, a pact was signed between Muslim League and Congress which is known in history as the Lucknow Pact. ● In 1916 Bal Gangadhar Tilak established the Home Rule League of India. ● After Lucknow Pact, Congress and League presented the plan of political reforms based on separate electoral

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 218

regions. This pact led to an increase in communalism. ● In 1914 Annie Besant brought out a newspaper in English named ‗New India‘. ● Gandhiji established the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. ● On 30 March, 1919, Satyagraha Day was observed in whole of India. The Satyagraha was peaceful at all places except Punjab and Delhi. ● Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Saifuddin, the leaders of the Punjab Satyagraha were imprisoned. In protest, a meeting was organized at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar . The people who assembled here were gunned down. This is known as ‗Jalhianwalla bagh Massacre‘ of April 1919. ● After the world war I, the Indian Muslims were excited due to the treatment meted out to Caliph by the British in Turkey. In 1919 they started the Khilafat movement under the leadership of Maulana Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali. ● The Congress joined the Muslims in Khilafat movement. On 31 August, 1919, the Khilafat Day was observed. ● Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-cooperation Mass Movement in 1920-21. But violence broke out at Chauri Chaura then in Gorakhpur district which saddened Gandhiji. In February 1922 he announced the closure of the movement. ● In March 1922 Motilal Nehru and Deshbandhu Chitranjan Das established the Swaraj Party. ● In the elections of 1923 the Swaraj Party scored 40 seats out of 148. ● In 1927 the Bardoli Satyagraha was conducted by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. ● In 1928 under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon a Commission came to India to inspect the administrative work. The Indians boycotted it as no Indian was a member of the Commission. In March 1928 the Commission went back. ● In the 1929 Lahore Congress session held under the chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru, the meaning of Swaraj was declared as total independence. ● In 1930 Gandhiji broke the Salt laws by his Dandi March and he started the Civil Disobedience movement. ● In 1930, the Congress boycotted the first Round Table Conference. ● In 1931, after Gandhi-Irwin pact Gandhiji went to attend the second Round Table Conference along with the members of Muslim League. ● In the third Round table conference in 1932, Congress did not send any representative. Only 46 members went to participate under different categories. ● The meeting of the Executive of Congress held on 1 January, 1932 decided to again start the Civil Disobedience Movement due to the completely negative attitude of the Government. ● The British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald declared the communal award on 16 August, 1932. ● On 25 September, 1932, the Poona Pact was signed. Common agreement was made on two conditions for preparing the electoral regions. The representative of the Depressed classes was B.R. Ambedkar. ● In 1932 Gandhiji founded the Harijan Sewak Sangh for the uplift of the Harijans. ● On 8 May, 1933 Gandhiji declared the programme of 21 days fast for his self-purification. ● Gandhiji began ‗Individual Satyagraha and Civil Disobedience on 1 August, 1933. ● The Government of India Act of 1935 had 312 articles and 19 enclosures. ● In 1935, the British provinces were 11 e.g., Madras, Bombay, Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Orissa, Central Provinces, Assam, North West Frontier Provinces, United Provinces and Sindh. ● The Government of India Act of 1935, the subjects were divided into three departments—Federal, Provincial and Concurrent. ● This Act divided the British provinces of India in two categories. 11 were the provinces under the Governor and 5 provinces were under Lieutenant Commissioners. ● The Govt. of India Act, 1935, proposed Federal system and Provincial autonomy. The plan of Federal system could not be implemented. The elections for the Provincial legislative Councils were held in the January-February of 1937. ● The Congress won majority in 5 provinces—Madras, United Provinces, Central Provinces, Bihar and Orissa in the general election of 1937.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 219

● In Punjab, the Unionist Party and Muslim League jointly formed the Government. This Government worked without any obstruction till 1947. ● In Bengal the Krishak Praja Party and the Muslim League jointly formed the Government. Its Cabinet worked till 14 August, 1947. Sikandar Hayaat Khan was the head of this Government. ● The Congress Cabinets worked from 1937 to 1939. ● In 1934, the members of Congress Executive, Acharya Narendra Dev, Jai Prakash and Achyut Patvardhan organized the Congress Socialist Party. ● In the Haripura session of the Congress (1938), S. C. Bose was unanimously elected the President. ● Subhash Chandra Bose organized a National Planning Committee. ● In 1939 Bose was relected Congress President defeating Gandhi‘s candidate P. Sitaramayya. ● In April 1939, Subhash Chandra Bose resigned from the post of the President and started a militant party known as Forward Block. ● In 1939, Jawaharlal Nehru became the President of the Tribal Conference of Indian States. ● In 1933, a Muslim student named Choudhary Rahmat Ali studying in England proposed the formation of a separate Muslim State and called it Pakistan. ● On 24th March, 1940, in the Lahore Conference of the Muslim League, the Pakistan proposal was passed. ● Lord Linlithgo presented the August proposal before the Congress on 8 August, 1940 for getting cooperation during the war. ● The Individual Satyagraha was started from 17 October, 1940. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first Satyagrahi. Gandhiji postponed it on 17 December, 1940. ● It was restarted on 5 January, 1941. During this period more than 20 thousand people were arrested. ● Cripps Mission visited India in 1942. It was onemember Commission and only Sir Strafford Cripps was the member. ● The Congress and the League, both rejected the Cripps Proposals. ● The Quit India movement resolution was passed on 14 July, 1942 in the Executive of the Congress Session held at Wardha. It was reaffirmed on 8 August, 1942. ● The interim government of free India was organized on 21 October, 1943 by Subhash Chandra Bose in Singapore. ● 21 Indian political leaders were invited to attend a Conference at Simla in June 1945. It ended in failure. ● In December 1945, the General Elections were held in India. The Congress received the majority in 6 provinces. ● On 18 February, 1946, the non Commissioned officers and Naval soldiers of the Royal Indian Navy who were called Rattings, began a militant revolt at Bombay. ● In order to remove the Constitutional crisis the British Government sent the Cabinet Mission to India. ● It came on 29 March, 1946 to New Delhi and it declared its proposals. ● Muslim League observed the Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946. ● The Interim Government of India was organized under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru. The Cabinet took oath on 2nd September, 1946. ● The Constituent Assembly first met under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 6th December, 1946. ● Atlee declared on 20 February, 1947 that the English would leave India after transferring the power to responsible people before June 1948. ● The Mountbatten Plan of 3 June, 1947 was mainly the Plan of partition. It was agreed upon by the Executive of the Indian National Congress on 14-15 June in a meeting at Delhi. ● In July 1947, the Indian Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament. ● India became independent on 15 August, 1947. ● On 26 January, 1950, the state of Hyderabad merged in the Indian Federation. ● On 20 April 1954, the Panchsheel Pact was signed between India and China. ● On 20 October, 1962 China invaded upon India. Soon it occupied Assam Valley and Laddakh. On 21 November, 1962, China declared one sided ceasefire.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 220

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 221

Indian History : Important Dates

BC

3000-1500 Indus Valley Civilisation 576 Birth of Gautam Buddha 527 Birth of Mahavir 327-326 Alexander‘s invasion of India. It opened a land route between India and Europe 313 Accession of Chandragupta Maurya according to Jain traditions 305 Defeat of Seleucus at the hands of Chandragupta Maurya 273-232 Ashoka‘s reign 261 Conquest of Kalinga 145-101 Region of Elara, the Chola King of Sri Lanka 58 Beginning of Vikrami era

AD

78 Beginning of Saka era 120 Accession of Kanishka 320 Commencement of Gupta era. the golden age of Hindu India 380 Accession of Vikramaditya 405-411 Visit of Chinese traveller Fa-hien 415 Accession of Kumara Gupta I 455 Accession of Skando Gupta 606-647 Harshavardhan‘s reign 712 First invasion in Sind by Arabs 836 Accession of King Bhoja of Kannauj 985 Accession of Rajaraja,the Chola ruler 998 Accession of Sultan Mahmud 1001 First invasion of India by Mahmud Chazni who defeated jaipal, ruler of Punjab 1025 Destruction of Somnath Temple by Mahmud Ghzni 1191 First Battle of Tarain 1192 Second Battle of Tarain 1206 Accession of Qutab-ud-din Aibak to the throne of Delhi 1210 Death of Qutub-ud-din Aibak 1221 Changes Khan invaded India (Mongol invasion) 1236 Accession of Razia Sultan to the throne of Delhi 1240 Razia Sultan dies 1296 Accession of Ala–ud-din Khilji 1316 Ala-ud-din Khilji dies 1325 Accession of Muhammad-bin Tughlaq 1327 Shifting of Capital from Delhi to Daulatabad to Deccan by the Tughlaqs 1336 Foundation of Vijayanagar empire in the South 1351 Accession of Feroze Shah 1398 Invasion of India by Timur Lang 1469 Birth of Gurunanak 1494 Accession of Babar in Farghana 1497-98 First voyage of Vasco da Gama to India( discovery of sea route to India via the Cape of Good Hope 1526 First Battle of Panipat, Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi; Foundation of Mughal rule by Babar 1527 Battle of Khanya‘Babar defeated Rana Sanga

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 222

1530 Death of Babar and accession of Humayun 1539 Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayan and became India‘s emperor 1540 Battle of Kannauj 1555 Humayan recaptured the throne of Delhi 1556 Second Battle of Panipat 1565 Battle of Talikota 1576 Battle of Haldighati; Rana Pratap defeated by Akbar 1582 Din-e-Illahi founded by Akbar 1597 Death of Rana Pratap 1600 East India Company established 1605 Death of Akbar and accession of Jehangir 1606 Execution of Guru Arjun Dev 1611 Jehangir marries Nur jahan. 1616 Sir Thomas Roe visits Jehangir 1627 Birth of Shivaji and death of Jehangir 1628 Shahjahan becomes emperor of India 1631 Death of Mumtaj Mahal 1634 The British permitted to trade in india in Bengal 1659 Accession of Aurangzeb, Shahjahan imprisoned 1665 Shivaji imprisoned by Aurangzeb 1666 Death of Shahjahan 1675 Execution of Teg Bahadur,the ninth Guru of Sikhs 1680 Death of Shivaji 1707 Death of Aurangzeb 1708 Death of Guru Gobind Singh 1739 Nadir Shah invades India 1757 Battle of Plassey, establishment of Britishn political rule in India at the hands of Lord Clive. 1761 Third Battle of Panipat;Shah Alam II becomes India‘s emperor 1764 Battle of Buxar 1765 Clive appointed Company‘s Governor in India 1767-69 First Mysore war 1770 The great Bangal Famine 1780 Birth of Maharaja Ranjit Singh 1780-84 Second Mysore War 1784 Pitt‘s Omdoa Act 1790-92 Third Mysore War 1793 The Permanent Settlement of Bengal 1799 Fourth Mysore War- Death of Tipu Sultan 1802 Treaty of Bassein 1809 Treaty of Amritsar 1829 Practice of Sati Prohibited 1830 Raja-Ram Mohun Roy, founder of Brahmo Samaj,visits England. 1833 Death of Raja Ram Mohun Roy. 1839 Death of Maharaj Ranjit Singh 1839-42 First Afghan War 1845-46 First Anglo-Sikh War 1852 Second Anglo-Burmese War 1853 First Railway line opened between Bombay and Thane and a Telegraph line in Calcutta 1857 The sepoy Mutiny or First War of Independence 1861 Birth of Rabindranath Tagore

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 223

1869 Birth of Mahatma Gandhi 1885 Foundation of Indian National Congress 1889 Birth of Jawaharlal Nehru 1897 Birth of Subhash Chandra Bose 1904 Tibet Expedition 1905 First partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon 1906 Foundation of Muslim League 1911 Delhi Darbar;King and Queen visit India;Delhi becomes the capital of India 1916 World War 1 begins 1916 Lucknow Pact signed by Muslim League and Congress 1918 World War 1 ends 1919 Montague-Chelmsfor Reforms introduced,Jallianwala Bagh massacreat Amritsar 1920 Khilafar Movement launched 1927 Boycott of Simon Commission,broadcasting started in India 1928 Death of lal Lajpat Rai ( Sher-e-Punjab) 1929 Lord Orwaom‘s Pact, resolution of complete independence passed at Lahore Congress 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement launched;Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi(April 6, 1970 ) 1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact 1935 Government of India Act enacted 1937 Provincial Autonomy,Congress forms ministers 1939 World War II begins (September i ) 1941 Death of Rabindranath Tagore, escape of Subhash Chandra Bose from India 1942 Arrival of Cripps Mission in India, ‗Quit India‘ movement launched (Aug.8) 1943-44 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose forms provincial Azad Hindu Hukumat and Indian National Army, Bengal famine 1945 Trial of Indian National Army at Red Fort;Shimla Conference World War II ends 1946 British Cabinet Mission visits India; Interim Government formed at the Centre, 1947 Division of India; India and Pakistan form separate independent dominions 1948 Mahatma Gandhi assassinated (Jan.30); integration of princely states. 1949 Cease-fire in Kashmir,indian Constitution signed and adopted(Nov.26) 1950 India becomes a Sovereign Democratic Republic (Jan.26)and Constitution of India comes into force 1951 First Five-year Plan.First Asian Games held in Delhi 1952 First General Elections of the Lok Sabha 1953 Conquest of Mt.Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary 1956 Second Five-Year Plan launched 1957 Second General Elkections;decimal coinage introduced, Liberation of Goa. 1962 Third General Elections in India; Chinese attack on India (Dec 20 ) 1963 Nagaland becomes the 16th indian State 1964 Death of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru 1965 Pakistan attacks India 1966 Tashkent Pact;Death of Lal Bahadur Shastri; Mrs. Indira Gandhi elected Prime Minister of India. 1967 Fourth General Elections;Dr Zakir Hussain elected the third president of India 1969 V.V.Giri elected President of India, Nationalisation of the leading banks by Presidential ordinance. 1970 Meghalaya designated as autonomous state. 1971 Himachal Pradesh becomes a State;Indo-Pak War, Bangladesh is born 1972 Shimla agreement;Death of C.Rajagopalachari 1973 Mysore State renamed Karnataka 1974 India explodes a nuclear device; Fakhuruddin Ali Ahmed elected as fifth President Sikkim becomes on associate State of India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 224

1975 India launches ‗Aryabhata‘; Sikkim becomes 22nd State of the Indian Union; State of Emergency is declared 1976 India and China establish diplomatic relations 1977 Sixth General Elections; Janata Party gets majority in Lok Sabha; Neelam Sanjiva Reddy elected sixth President of India 1979 Morarji Desai resigns as Prime Minister,Charan Singh becomes Prime Minister;Charan Singh resigns ( Aug 20 ) Sixth Lok Sabha dissolved 1980 Seventh General Elections;Congress I comes to power;Mrs Indira Gandhi sworn in as Prime Minister; Sanjay Gandhi dies in an air crash, India Launches SLV-3 into space carrying Rohini Satellite 1982 Longest bridge in Asia opened ( March 2 ); Acharya J.B. Kripalani dies ( March 19) INSAT.1A launched; Giani Zail Singh elected President of India (July 15) Over 500 persons killed in Gujarat Cyclone ( Nov.5); Acharua Vinobha dies (Nov 15) IX Asian Games inaugurated (Nov 19) 1983 CHOGM held in New Delhi 1984 Operation Blue Star in Punjab; Rakesh Sharma goes into space; Mrs. Indira Gandhi assassinated; Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM 1985 Rajiv-Longowal accord signed; Sant H.S. Longowal killed elections in Punjab; Assam accord; VII Five-Year Plan launched 1986 Mizoram accord. 1987 R.Venkataraman elected President; Shankar Dayal Sharma elected Vice-President of India, Bofors gun and Fairfax controversies 1989 Ram Shilanyas Puja at Ayodhyat; India‘s first IRBM ‗ Agni‘ successfully launched from Orissa (May 22); Trishul Missile test fised (June 5); Second successful launch of Prithvi (Sept 27); Rajiv Government loses poll and resigns (Nov.29); Jawahar Rozgar Yojna launched (Nov.29);National front leader V.P. Singh sworn in as seventh PM, New cabinet sworn in (Dec.2), Ninth Lok Sabha constituted 1990 Last of IPKF return home (March 25); Indian Airlines A-320 Airbus Crash (Feb. 14); Janata Dal splits; BJP withdraws support to the Government;Advani takes out Rath Yatra and is arrested, Mandal Report implemented announced by V.P. Singh Violence in Ayodhya due to Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute 1991 Gulf War breaks out (Jan. 17); Rajiv Gandhi assassinated (May 21); X Lok Sabha constituted (June 20); P. V. Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister 1992 India establishes full diplomatic ties with Israel (Jan. 29); Bharat Ratna and Oscar winner Satyajit Ray dies (April 23); S.D.Sharma elected President (July 25); INS Shakti-first indigeneously built submarine was launched on Feb. 7 1993 Ordinance to acquire 67.33 acres in Ayodhya (Jan 7); Massive security falls in BJP rally; Wave of bombing leaves 300 dead in Bombay; Insat-2B becomes fully operational; Earthquake in Maharashtra 1994 Government monopoly over civil aviation ends; Storm over GATT treaty;Plague outbreak; Sushmita Sen-Miss Universe; Aishwarya Rai-Miss World 1995 Mayawati First Dalit Chief Minister of UP; BJP comes to power in Maharashtra and Gujarat, Janata Dal in Karnataka and Congress in Orissa; Indian National Congress (T) formed; President‘s Rule in UP after fall of Mayawati; INSAT 2C and IRSI-C launched 1996 Hawala takes toll of several Union Ministers ans opposition leaders; PSLV D3 launched on March 21 with IRSP-3 ushering new era in India space programme; Eleventh Lok Sabha Elections held on April 127-BJP emerges as the single largest party 1997 On August 15, India celebrated its 50th year of Independence 1998 Death of Mother Teressa; Atal Behari Vajpayee becomes Indian Prime Minister; India explodes its second nuclear device (Pokhran II) 1999 India Airlines plane IC-814 hijacked by terrorists and taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Dec 24, 1999. Three militants released by Indian govt.for the freedom of hostages kept as passengers. In June 1999, Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa, the captured Indian pilot, released by Pakistan after eight days of captivity. ‗Operation Vijay‘ launched by Indian Army to flush out Pakistani infiltrators inside LoC in the Kargil sector of J&K, India wins battle. 2000 US President Bill Clinton visits India during March 2000. Three new states Chhatisgarh, Uttaranchal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 225

and Jharkhand created.India‘s population crossed one billion mark. 2001 ‗Agra Summit‘ between India and Pakistan in July 2001; Worst natural calamity of India: Gujarat Earthquake in Jan 2001; ‗Tehelka.Com‘ screened video tapes which opened the murky world of arms deal and its kickbacks to Indian Army officials, ministers and politicians in March 2001; VI th census of India (since Independence) concluded in March 2001. Enron bids farewall to Indian energy sector in August 2001; GSLV launched successfully in April 2001 and PSLC-C3 launch conducted in October 2001. 2002  71-year old missile scientist, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, is elected President of India; One of the most harrific communal roits in recent history, the Godhra Incident, happens on Feb 27, 2002 in Gujarat;National Water Policy announced in April, which aims at integrating water resources develpment and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation. 2003  Formation of Strategic Forces Command (SFO) and the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) by India; Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana named first commander in chief of the SFC; Advanced multi purpose satellite, INSAT-3A is successfully launched into space from Kourou of French Guyana; CBI forms an Economic Intelligence Wing to tackle white-collar crime in June; India‘s adnaced communication satellite INSAT-3E is launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou of French Guyana in December 2004 NDA government ousted by the Congress and its allies in the General Election; Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi opts against becoming Prime Minister of India despite being in a strong position; Congress and its allies forms government at the centre under the Prime Ministership of Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 226

History Notes -- 1

Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan: He lived during the reign of Akbar. He translated Babur‘s Memoirs from Turkish to Persian. Abdussamad: He was honoured with the award of ―zariqalam‖ by Akbar. Ages, Chronological order of: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic Agrahara: Tax-free villages granted to the learned Brahmanas in ancient India were known as Agrahara. Akot: is a town, about 42 km from Akola, from where a stone idol of Lord Adinath, the first Jain Teerthankara, was found in 1993. Alien Powers in India, chronological sequence of: Indo-Greeks, Scythians, Kushanas, Huns. Amarasimha: was one of the nine gems in the court of the legendary Vikramaditya. His work Amarkosha occupies a dominant position in Sanskrit lexicography. Amoghavarsha-I: was the long ruling Rashtrakuta king (A.D. 814-78). He represented the height of development of his dynasty. Asanga: was a Buddhist philosopher. He was the originator of Buddhist Yogachara idealism. Ashvaghosha: was the spiritual adviser of Kanishka (the Kushan emperor) who took a leading part in the Fourth Buddhist Council at Srinagar which was presided by Vasumitra. He was a renowned Mahayana Sanskrit scholar and author of Sariputra-prakarana and Buddha Charitam. He was the greatest literary figure at Kanishka‘s court. Atisa Dipankara: was the most famous teacher of Vikramasila university founded in A.D. 810 by king Dharmapala of Pala dynasty. Battle of San Thomas: This battle during the Carnatic Wars (1746-61) definitely proved for the first time the superiority of European arms and discipline over the traditional Indian methods of warfare. Battle of Waihand: was fought between Mahmud Ghaznavi and Anandpala. Bhaskaravarman: was the king of Kamarupa (Upper Assam). He was a contemporary of king Sasanka of Gauda and was his arch-enemy. Bhaskaravarman was the eastern ally of king Harsha. Bilhana: was a Sanskrit historian and poet born in Kashmir. He left Kashmir about A.D. 1065 and became the court poet at Kalyana where he wrote an epic, Vikramadeva-charita to celebrate the reign of Vikramaditya-VI, the Chalukya king of Kalyana. Blue Water Policy: The ―Blue Water‖ policy is attributed to Don Francisco de Almeida, the first Viceroy of the Portuguese possessions in India. His ―Blue Water‖ policy was to be powerful at the sea instead of building fortresses on Indian land. Boghaz Koi inscriptions: are important in Indian history because inscriptions of the fourteenth century B.C. discovered here mention the names of Vedic gods and goddesses. Brahmagupta: (598-660) of Ujjain, was a great mathematician of his time. Brahui: is a language of Baluchistan. Linguistically, it is Dravidian. Busa Munda Revolt: occurred in Bihar. Catching the butterflies and setting them free: was the prominent feature of the foreign policy of Samudragupta. Chandernagore: was a French possession before its merger with India. Charvaka: is known as the greatest of the materialistic philosophers of ancient India. Chauth: was a tax levied by Marathas—a contribution exacted by a military leader, which was justified by the exigencies of the situation.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 227

Coinage in Ancient India: Coins in ancient India were made of metal—copper, silver, gold, or lead. Nishka and Satamana in the Vedic texts were taken to be names of coins, but they seem to be only prestige objects. Coins made of metal first appeared in the age of Gautama Buddha. The earliest were made largely of silver though a few copper coins also appear. Coins made of burnt clay belong to the Kushan period i.e., the first three Christian centuries. Dadu: was the saint from Gujarat who preached non-sectarianism in medieval times. He founded the ―Brahma-Sampardaaya‖ (the sect of Brahma). Dahar (or Dahir): was the Brahmana king of Sind who was defeated by the Arab invasion in A.D. 712 by Mohammadbin-Kasim, nephew and son-inlaw of al-Hajjaj, governor of Irak. The Indian ruler (Dahar) offered a brave resistance in the battle near Raor but was defeated and killed. Darius: was the Iranian ruler who penetrated into north-west India in 516 B.C. and annexed Punjab, west of Indus, and Sindh. Devapala: (A.D. 830-850) was successor to Dharmapala, the famous Pala ruler. He established the third important Pala university of Somapura. He shifted his capital to Monghyr from where he maintained diplomatic relations with the Sailendra kings of Sumatra. Dhammapada: was the first major work to say that salvation by means of devotion is open to humans regardless of birth, gender or station in life. Dharmachakra: In the Gandhara art, it is the preaching mudra associated with the Buddha‘s First Sermon at Sarnath. First Congress Split: took place in 1907 at Surat. First metal used by man: Copper. First Muslim invaders of India: Arabs were the first Muslim invaders of India. First Sultan of Delhi: was Qutb-ud-din who succeeded Muhammad Ghuri as sovereign of the new Indian conquests, and from 1206 may be reckoned as the first Sultan of Delhi. First to issue gold coins in India: Mauryas. First to set up department of agriculture: Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq was the first to set up a department of agriculture in India. First to start sea trade with India: Portugal. Gautamiputra Satakarni: was the great king of Satavahana dynasty. Gayatri mantra: is contained in Rig Veda. Gopuram: It has been the main feature of the South Indian temple architecture. Hasan Gangoo: entitled Zafar Khan was founder of the Bahmani kingdom in Deccan. Ibadat Khana: is a building at Fatehpur Sikri where Akbar held discussions on religious matters. Ibn-Batuta: was a great scholar and traveller from South Africa who came to India in A.D. 1333 during the reign of Mohammad Tughlak and wrote about him. Iqta: It was the land-grant system adopted by Ala-ud-din Khilji to grant his officers as reward for services rendered. Qutabuddin Aibak was assigned the first iqta in India by Mohd of Ghor. Jimutavahana: was a famous jurist of medieval India (fifteenth century). His work Dayabhaga is a commentary on the srutis, specially on Manu. Kalachuri era: counted from A.D. 248, it was mostly current in Central India. Their capital was Tripuri near Jabalpur. Kalachuris were the feudatories of the Pratiharas but soon acquired independence. Karshapana: was the most commonly used coin in the Chola kingdom. Khiraj: was the land tax imposed by Mohd-bin-Qasim after the Arabs‘ occupation of Sind. Magazines started by National leaders: Young India (M.K. Gandhi); Kesari (B.G. Tilak); New India (Annie

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 228

Besant); Bengali (S.N. Bannerji). Maski Rock edict: This minor Rock-edict is the only edict in which Ashoka refers to himself as the king of Magadha. Moplah Rebellion: broke out in Malabar (Kerala) in August 1921. Nastaliq: was a Persian script used in medieval India. Nauroj festival in India: Balban introduced the famous Persian festival of Nauroj in India. Nicolo Conti: was the Italian foreign traveller who visited Vijayanagar about A.D. 1420 during the reign of Deva Raya-II. Palas: who controlled most of Bengal and Bihar, was the third power involved in the three-sided conflict between Rashtrakutas and Pratiharas over the control of Kanauj. Pala dynasty was established by Gopala in the eighth century A.D. He attained renown from the fact that he was not hereditary king but was elected. Paragana: During the rule of the so-called Slave dynasty in India, the empire was divided into provincial units called Paraganas placed under the charge of a military officer. Prakrit: This language received royal patronage during the reign of Satavahanas. Rajsekhar: was the Sanskrit poet who lived in the court of Mahendrapala-I. Ratika: or rati is a weight between 1.5 to 3 Gunjas; between 5 to 8 grains of rice. It was the basic weight (measure) in ancient India. Ratnakara: denoted the Arabiasn Sea in ancient Indian historical geography. Rishabha: is supposed to be the mythical founder of Jainism. Sardeshmukhi: was an additional levy of 10%, which Shivaji demanded on the basis of his claim as the hereditary Sardeshmukh (chief headman) of Maharashtra. Shahrukh: It was silver coin of the Mughals. Sharada script: The Kashmiri language was originally written in Sharada script. Subuktigin: was the first Turkish invader of India. Tanka: was a silver coin of the Sultanate period of India. Tehqiq-i-Hind: Alberuni‘s work on India. It contains observations on Indian civilization which are remarkably incisive and acute. Turushkadanda: was a tax collected by the Gahadavalas during the early medieval India. Vagbhata: is regarded as unrivalled in his knowledge of the basic principles of Ayurveda. Vatapi (or Badami): now in the Bijapur district of Karnataka, where Pulakesin I, founder of the Chalukya dynasty in the middle of the sixth century, established himself as lord of Vatapi or Badami (capital of Chalukyas). It is well-known for Chalukyan sculpture found in the cave temples here. Vidushaka: the constant companion and confidant of the hero in Sanskrit dramas, was nearly always a Brahmin. Vikramasila University: was a great Tantrik University founded by the Pala king Dharmapala in A.D. 810. It was a hotbed of moral corruption, sorcery and idolatry. In A.D. 1198, the soldiers if Ikhtiar Khilji raised the structure to the ground and killed every monk in the University. Wood's Despatch of 1854: It related to educational reforms. Lord Dalhousie took measures to carry out the scheme embodied in the famous despatch of Sir Charles Wood (July 1854) which embraced vernacular schools throughout the districts, and above all the glorious measures of grants-in-aid to all schools, without reference to caste or creed. Yakshagana: was the south Indian dance tradition that appeared for the first time in the Vijayanagar period. Zabti System: was introduced by Akbar for land revenue administration. In Zabti system, land was measured and assessment of land revenue was based upon it.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 229

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 230

History -- Pre--historic and Vedic Civilisation

Ancient geographers referred to Himalayas, as also their less elevated offshoot—the Patkai, Lushai and Chittagong hills in the east and the Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges in the west— as Himavat. Jambu-dvipa was considered to be the innermost of seven concentric island-continents into which the earth, as per Hindu cosmographers, was supposed to have been divided. The Indian sub-continent is said to part of Jambu-dvipa. Sapta sindhavah is the name of the country of the Aryans in the Vedas. In the ancient literature, there are references of India being divided into five divisions. In the centre of the Indo-Gangetic plains was the Madhya-desh, stretching from river Saraswati, which flowed past Thanesar and Pehowa (present-day Haryana) to Allahabad and Varanasi. The western part of this area was known as Brahamrishi-desh, and the entire region was roughly equivalent to Aryavrata as described in the grammar of Patanjali. To the north of Madhya-desh lay Uttarapatha and to its west Aparanta (Western India), to its south Dakshinapath or Deccan and to its east Purvadesh. The term Dakshinapath was in some ancient works restricted to the upper Deccan, north of river Krishna and far south was termed as Tamilakam or the Tamil country. The Negritos were the first human inhabitants of India. Originally, they came from Africa through Arabia, Iran and Baluchistan. They have practically disappeared from the soil of India, except in Andaman Islands. The Munda languages belong to the Austro-Asiatic family and are to be found at present in the eastern half of Central India, southern border of the Himalayas and Kashmir and the territory east of Nepal. Prakit was the single language of Indian sub-continent in third century B.C. Sanskrit came into being a few centuries later. The term Paleolithic is derived from two Greek words meaning Old Stone. This name is applied to the earliest people as the only evidence of their existence is furnished by a number of rude stone implements. Paleolithic men in India are also known as Quartzite men from the fact that majority of chipped stones found in different parts of India are made of hard rock called quartzite. Paleolithic paintings have been found in caverns at Singanpur near Raigarh in Madhya Pradesh, as also in Kaimur ranges and some places in Mirzapur district. With the advent of age of metals, in Northern India, copper replaced stone as ordinary material for tools and weapons. And, it took several centuries for iron to replace copper. In Southern India, however, the Iron Age immediately succeeded the Stone Age. The Indus civilization existed in the same period as those of Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia. Mohenjodaro was discovered by R.D. Banerjee in 1922 and Harappa by R.B. Dayaram Sahni. Later on, the

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 231

work was taken over by Sir John Marshall, Director-General of Archeology. The fertile surrounding region of Mohenjodaro is called Nakhlistan or the Garden of Sind. It is presumed that Iron was not known to the Indus Valley civilisation as not a single scrap of iron has been found in the excavations at various sites. Developed city-life, use of potter‘s wheel, kiln-burnt bricks, and vessels made of copper and bronze are some common and distinctive features of all the civilizations of the pre-historic period. The use of mud mortar was common during Indus Valley civilisation. Gypsum and mud were used for plaster. In case of drains, gypsum and lime mortar was used. The most important feature of houses of Mohenjodaro is the presence in them of one or more bathrooms, the floors of which were fully laid and connected by means of drainage channels with the main street. More than 500 seals have been discovered at various places inhabited by people of Indus Valley civilizations. These were made of terra-cota. The seals and painted pottery of the Indus Valley show the figures of Pipal and Acacia trees. They were regarded as celestial plants and were supposed to be inhabited by divine spirits. The people of Indus Valley also practiced the worship of Lings and Yoni symbols. The likelihood that both Shiva and Ling worship have been inherited by Hindus from the Indus Valley is reinforced by the prevalence of the bull (the vehicle of Shiva) or bull-like animals amongst the seal-symbols. The pottery of Indus Valley was generally wheel-made and was painted red and black. The Dravadians are thought to have come to India from eastern Mediterranean. At one time the Dravadian culture was spread throughout India. Puja ceremonies along with flowers, leaves, fruits and water were performed by Dravadians. Aryans were accustomed to Homa rites or sacrificial fire. Infact, the word puja has been derived from a Drava-dian root called Puru, which means ―to smear‖. The Dravadian language is still spoken by the Brahui people of Baluchistan. As per the theory propagated by late Bal Gangadhar Tilak the original home of Aryans was the Arctic region. However, the most widely accepted view is that the Aryans originated from Central Asia. The view which is accepted in West is that original home of Aryans was in South-East Europe. In the early vedic period river Ravi was known as Parushni, river Jhelum as Vitasta, Chenab as Asikni, Beas as Vipas and Sutlej as Sutudri. The word Veda comes from the root vid, to know. It means knowledge in general. It is specially applied to branch of literature which has been handed down by verbal transmission and is declared to be sacred knowledge

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 232

or Sruti. Hindus consider the Vedas to be revealed books and give them the titles of Apaurusheya (not made by man) and nitya (Eternal). According to Kautilya, ―The three Vedas, Sama, Rig and Yajus constitute the triple Vedas. These together with Atharvaveda and the Itihasa Veda are known as the Vedas.‖ The ordinary definition of the Veda does not include Itihasa. The Veda consists of four different classes of literary compositions: (a) the Mantra constitutes the oldest division of Vedic literature and is distributed in four Samhitas or collections known as the Rik, Sama, Yajus and the Atharva; (b) Brahmanas are the second class of Vedic works. They are mainly prose texts containing observations on sacrifice; (c) Aranyakas or forest texts are books of instruction to be given in the forest or writings meant for wood-dwelling hermits; (d) Lastly there are the Upnishads which are either imbedded in the Aranyakas or form their supplements. The above named literary works are classed as Sruti, or revelation, and constitute the Vedic literature proper. The Brahamanas are the first specimens of praise in the world. They mark the transition from the Vedic to later Brahmanical social order. The Vedangas are class of compositions that are regarded less authoritative than Sruti and are styled Smriti. The Vedangas are six in number: Siksha (phonetics), Kalpa (ritual), Vyakaran (grammar), Nirukt (etymology), Chhand (metrics) and Jyotish (astronomy). In Vyakarana, Nirukt and Chhand we have the great work of Panini, Yask and Pingal. The Nyaya Darsana was written by Gautam. According to it, Tarka or logic is the basis of all studies. Knowledge can be acquired by four methods: Pratyaksha or intuition, Anumana or inference, Upma or compari-son and sadba or verbal testimony. The basis of the political and social organisation of the Rig Vedic people was patriarchal family. The successive higher units were styled gram, vis and jan. The Purus and the Tritsus were two of the most famous Rig-Vedic clans. The names of their prominent rulers are recorded in Rik-Samhita. In the Rig-Vedic period the foot soldiers were called Patti and warriors who fought from chariots were called Rathins. The foundation of the political and social structure in the Rig-Vedic age was the family. Visvavara, Ghosha and Apala were some leading women seers of Rig-Vedic times. Agriculture was the principal occupation of the villagers in Rig-Vedic times. The standard unit of value in Vedic period was a cow, but necklets of gold (nishka) also served as a means of

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 233

exchange. Rik Samgita is a collection of lyrics from early vedic age which consists of hymns in praise of different gods. These are grouped into books termed as ashtakas or mandalas. Rig Vedic people did not possess the art of writing and early literature of Aryans was known to be transmitted orally. The early Vedic religion has been designated by the name of henotheism or kathenotheism (a belief in single gods, each standing out as the highest). Father Dyaus, the shinning god of heaven, and mother Prithvi, the earth goddess, are among the oldest of the vedic deities. The worship of Varuna, the encompassing sky, in the early Vedic age is one of the first roots of the later doctrine of Bhakti. An important characteristic of Vedic mythology is the pre-dominance of the male element. Thus, Vedic civilisation presents a contrast to the prehistoric culture of Indus Valley, where the mother goddess is coequal with her male partner. Sacrifices occupied a prominent place in Vedic rituals. These included offerings of milk, grain, ghee and juice of the Soma plant. Before the close of the later Vedic period, the Aryans had thoroughly subdued the fertile plains of Yamuna, upper Ganga and the Gandak. The centre of the Aryan world was the areas stretching from Saraswati to the Gangetic plains and occupied by Kurus, the Panchals and some adjoining tribes. It was from this region that Brahmanical civilisation spread to the outer provinces, to the land of the Kosalas and the Kasis drained by the Sarayu and the Varnavati, to the swamps of east of Gandak colonised by the Videhas, and to the valley of Wardha occupied by the Vidarbhas. The Aryan culture was taken to South India by Agastya. Most important tribe of Rigvedic period was the Bharatas, after whom India has been named in the Con-stitution. The two most important rulers of Bharatas were Divodas and Sudas. Sudas is famous for his victory in the Battle of Ten Kings. The most distinguished among the tribes of later Vedic period were the Kurus and Panchals, with their capitals at Asandivat and Kampila, respectively. Balhika-Pratipiya, Parikshit and Janamejaya were powerful Kuru kings who figure prominently in early epic legends. The reign of Panchals was home to several theologians and philosophers like king Pravahana-Jaivali and sages like Aruni and Svetaketu.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 234

The fame of the land of the Panchals as centre of Brahmanical learning was eclipsed by the Videhas, whose king Janak won the title of Samrat. The Videhan monarchy fell shortly before the rise of Buddhism. Its overthrow was followed by the rise of the Vajjian Confederacy. The kings of several regions gave themselves various titles. While the kings of middle country were called raja, the eastern kings were titled Samrat, the southern Bhoj, those in the west Svarat, and the rulers of the northern realms were called Virat. The taxes collected from people in the later Vedic age were referred to as bali and sulka. During late Vedic period, Vratyas and the Nishads were two important bodies of men outside the regular castes. The Vratyas were Aryans outside the pale of Brahminism. They appear to have had some special connection with the people of Magadha and the cult of Shiv. The Nishads were non-Aryan people who lived in their own villages and had their own rulers. They were probably identical with modern Bhils. Shortly before the rise of Buddhism there were sixteen great nations that occupied the territory from Kabul valley to the banks of Godavari. These were: Anga (East Bihar), Magadha (South Bihar), Kasi (Benaras), Kosala (Oudh), Vriji (North Bihar), Malla (Gorakhpur district), Chedi (between Yamuna and Narmada), Vatsa (Allahabad region), Kuru (Thanesar, Delhi and Meerut districts), Panchal (Bareilly, Buduan and Farrukhabad districts), Matsya (Jaipur), Surasena (Mathura), Asmak (on the Godavari), Avanti (in Malwa), Gandhara (Peshawar and Rawalpindi districts) and Kamboj (South-west Kashmir and parts of Kafiristan). The Vriji people were regarded by the Brahaman law-givers as Vratyas or degraded Kshatriyas. The Vrijis had no monarch, but a popular assembly of elders who carried on the business of the State. This type of polity was known as Gana or republic. The Mallas also had a similar constitution. The four kingdoms of later Vedic age who grew most powerful were: Avanti, Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha. The kingdom of Avanti had its capital at Ujjain in modern Malwa. One prominent ruler of Vatsa territory was Udayana, a scion of the Bharat race. Kosala had its capital at Ayodhya and was ruled by a dynasty that claimed descent from illustrious Ishvaku, famed in Vedic and epic traditions. The Kosalas extended their boundaries in several directions, including Nepalese Tarai, but their ambitious designs were frustrated by Magadha power. Gargi and Maitreyi were two prominent intellectual women of late Vedic period. Magadha and Anga were two kingdoms which the Aryans could not Brahmanise thoroughly and came to possess a mixed population. Kikatas were prominent non-Aryans who lived in Magadha. They were known for their wealth. There was a dislike for Magadha in the Rigveda and the same dislike was continued even during the period of later Vedic civilisation. In the sixth and fifth century B.C. the throne of Magadha was occupied by a line of kings styled Saisunagas in

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 235

the Purans, an appellation derived from Sisunaga, the first king of the line in the Puranic list. The Buddhist writers, however, put Sisunaga much lower in the list of Magadha kings and split the line into two distinct groups. To the earlier of the two groups they give the name Haryanka, whose most remarkable king was Srenika or Bimbisara. The Ashtadhyayi of Panini is a book on Sanskrit grammar. Khari, Patra, Vista, Satamana, Adhaka, Achita, Purusha and Dishta were different kinds of weights and measures used in later Vedic age. Taxila or Takshashila was a great centre of learning in late Vedic period. It was famous for the teaching of medicine, law and military science. India and Persia have very ancient relations. There are many common gods in the Rig Veda and the Zinda Avesta. The Iranian gods Mithra, Yima and Veretraghna have their counterpart in the Indian Mitra, Yama and Indra Vritrahan. The Boghaz-Koi inscriptions of about 1400 B.C. refer to certain contracts made between the King of the Hittites (in Persia) and the King of Mitani. In those inscriptions same gods are mentioned as the protectors of these contracts. The continuance of strong influence of Persia upon India in the Vedic age is indicated by prevalence of the Kharoshti script, a variety of Aramaic, in the provinces near the Frontier, by the long continued use of the Persian title Satrap, by the form of the Ashoka inscriptions and by the architecture. Sanskrit is a branch of a linguistic tree known as Indo-European. The trunk of the tree was a common tongue probably spoken in the region north-west of the Black Sea about 2500 B.C. The Upanishads probe into the nature of universe and the human soul, and the relation of each to the other. They make no absolute statements of right and wrong, of creation, the gods or man; instead, they speculate, seeking always to find truth, as opposed to stating it, and offering a wide range of possibilities. A rudimentary administrative system was prevalent during the Vedic period. The tribal kingdom (rashtra) contained tribes (jana), tribal units (vish) and villages (grama). The nucleus was the family (kula), with the eldest male member as its head (kulapa).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 236

History -- Mughal Empire -- 1

The second Battle of Panipat marked the real beginning of the Mughal Empire in India. Bairam Khan remained the protector and guardian of Akbar during the initial reign of Akbar. Akbar‘s mother Hamida Banu Begum, and his foster mother Maham Anaga urged Akbar to get rid of the Regent, Bairam Khan. In 1560, Akbar openly expressed his desire to take the reigns of the empire in his own hands and dismissed him. Bairam Khan submitted his resignation and desired to proceed to Mecca. On his way to Mecca, Bairam was stabbed to death by Lohani Afghan, whose father had been killed by Mughal troops under the command of Bairam Khan. Akbar followed a policy of conquest for the expan-sion of his empire until the capture of Asirgarh in January 1601. He achieved the political unification of the whole of northern and central India by frequent annexations extend-ing over 40 years. Akbar realised the value of Rajput alliance in his task of building up an Empire in India and tried, as far as possi-ble, to conciliate the Rajputs and secure and ensure their active cooperation in almost all activities. The Empire of Akbar can be said to be an outcome of the coordination of Mughal prowess and diplomacy and Rajput valour and service. Mewar, however, gave stiff resistance to Mughal forces. Rana Sanga, the ruler of Mewar, kept the torch of independence burning. However, after his death, his weak son, Uday Singh, could not hold against the Mughals and Akbar finally besieged the fort of Chittor in October 1567. But, the victory did not come his way easily. Rana Sanga‘s brave followers, Jaimnall and Patta, gave stiff resistance. The entire garrison, to the last man, died fighting. The Rajput women performed the rite of Jauhar. Victory at Chittor resulted in other Rajput chiefs to submit to Akbar. But Mewar continued to defy. Uday Singh continued to retain his independence even after losing the capital. After his death, Mewar found a true leader in Rana Pratap. The imperial invasion of territory of Rana Pratap took place in April 1576, under troops commanded by Man Singh, the ruler of Amber, and Asaf Khan. A furious battle was fought at the pass of Haldighati. Rana Pratap was defeated by the Mughal forces. His life was, however, saved by the selfless devotion of the chief of Jhala, who drew upon himself the attack of Mughal forces by declaring himself to be the Rana. Rana mounted his favourite horse Chetak and fled to the hills, from where he continued his resistance to the Mughal forces and also managed to recover some of the lost territory. Rana Pratap‘s son tried to continue the resis-tance after his father‘s death but was finally defeated in 1599 by Mughal forces led by Man Singh. After annexing Ranthambhor and Kalinjar in 1569, the Mughals subjugated Gujarat. In 1572, Akbar marched in person against Gujarat and defeated all opposition. Gujarat turned out to be one of the most profitable sources of income for the Mughal empire, chiefly through the re-organisation of its finances and revenues by Todar Mal. In 1585, Kabul was formally annexed to the Delhi empire after the death of Mirza Muhammad Hakim, step-

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 237

brother of Akbar who governed Kabul as an independent ruler. Bhagwan Das and Kasim Khan were deputed by Akbar to conquer Kashmir. They defeated its Sultan Yusuf Shah in 1586 and annexed Kashmir to the Empire. By 1595, Akbar made himself undisputed ruler of an area extending from Hindukush to Brahamputra, and from Himalayas to the Narmada. With an ideal of an all-India Empire, Akbar sought to bring the Deccan Sultanates, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golkunda and Khandesh under his hegemony. He also wanted to utilise his control over Deccan as means of push-ing the Portuguese to the sea. Thus, his Deccan policy was purely imperialistic in origin and outlook and not influenced by religious considerations, as was the case with Shah Jehan and Aurangzeb. Akbar sent a large army under Bairam Khan‘s son Abdur Rehman and his second son Prince Murad to annex Ahmadnagar. The city was besieged in 1595, but not before splendid courage and extraordinary resolution shown by Chand Bibi, a queen of Bijapur. Under a treaty with Chand Bibi, Berar was ceded to Akbar‘s forces and the boy king of Ahmadnagar agreed to the overlordship of Akbar. The king-dom could be annexed to the empire only during the reign of Shah Jehan. In July 1599, Akbar himself marched to the south and captured Burhanpur, the capital of Khandesh and laid siege to the mighty fortress of Asirgarh. Akbar seduced the Khandesh officers by money to get the doors of the fort opened. This was the last conquest of Akbar. In 1601, Akbar returned to Agra to deal with his rebellious son Salim. On October 17, 1605 Akbar died following severe dysentery. His mausoleum is located at Sikandra. Akbar observed the external forms of the Sunni faith until 1575, when his association with Shaikh Mubarak and his two sons, Faizi and Abul Fazal, produced change in his views. Akbar got a building called Ibadat-Khana or the House of Worship constructed at Fatehpur Sikri, with a view to discussing philosophical and theological questions. Hari Vijaya Suri, Vijaya Sen Suri and Bhanuchandra Upadhaya were prominent Jain teachers who were called by Akbar to attend the philosophical and theological discussions. Akbar floated a new religion, called Din-i-Ilahi, based on his discussions with people of different religions. Akbar abolished the pilgrim tax in the eighth year of his reign, and the jaziya in the ninth year. A week after Akbar‘s death, Salim succeeded to the throne of Agra and assumed the title of Nur-ud-din Mohammed Jahangir Padshah (Emperor) Ghazi (Holy warrior). Five months after his accession to the throne, Jahangir faced rebellion by his son Khusrav. The Prince and his troops were defeated by the Mughal army near Jalandhar and Khusrav was captured alongwith his principal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 238

followers, Husain Beg and Abdul Aziz. The fifth Sikh Guru, Arjan Dev was sentenced to death by Jahangir for helping Prince Khusrav with a sum of money. The execution of Guru Arjan Dev estranged the Sikhs, till then a peace-loving community, and turned them into foes of the Mughal Empire. In May 1611, Jahangir married Noor Jahan, origi-nally known as Mihir-ul-nisa. The emperor, who styled himself Nor-ud-din, conferred on his new wife the title of Noor Mahal (Light of the palace), which was soon changed to Noor Jahan (Light of the world). She was the daughter of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, a Persian adventurer. Jahangir was known to have had several secret love affairs with the ladies of the court. One famous love of Jahangir was Anarkali, for whom he raised a beautiful marble tomb at Lahore. The most distinguished triumph of Mughal imperialism during the reign of Jahangir was its victory over the Rajputs of Mewar. In the Deccan, war dragged on throughout his reign against the kingdom of Ahmadnagar. The kingdom of Ahmadnagar was then served by its Abyssinian minister Malik Ambar, one of the greatest statesmen that Medieval India produced. A partial success was gained by Mughals in 1616, when Prince Khurram captured Ahmadnagar and some other strongholds. For this victory Khurram was rewarded by his father with the title of Shah Jehan (King of the world). The first serious disaster of the Mughal empire dur-ing the reign of Jahangir was loss of Kandhar. Deceiving the Mughal officers by gifts, Shah Abbas, one of the greatest rulers of Asia in his time, besieged Kandhar in 1621, and finally took it in June 1622. Shah Jehan revolted against Jahangir with help of Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, an officer in the Mughal court. He was, however, defeated by Mughal forces led by Mahabat Khan, at Balochpur, near Delhi, in 1623. Shah Jehan was then chased from province to province and final-ly, in 1625, he reconciled with his father and retired to Nasik with his wife Noor Jahan, a niece of Mumtaz Mahal, and youngest son Murad. His other sons, Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb, were sent to the imperial court, probably to serve as hostages to ensure his good behaviour. The success of Mahtab Khan excited the jealousy of Noor Jahan and this hostility drove him to rebellion. Mahtab Khan took Jahangir as prisoner on the banks of Jhelum, while the emperor was on his way to Kabul. However, Jahangir managed to escape from prison and went to Rohtas where troops loyal to him had collected in a large force. Mahtab Khan ultimately made peace with Jahangir, but this triumph remained short-lived as Jahangir died on October 27, 1627. His body was buried in a beautiful tomb at Shah-dara, near Lahore, on the banks of Ravi. Jahangir had a Chain of Justice, bearing sixty bells, fastened between the Shah Bhurj in the Agra fort and a post on the road, near the bank of Yamuna. The chain could be shaken by the humblest of his subjects to bring their grievances to his notice.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 239

The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Memoirs of Jahangir) is a brilliant proof of his literary attainments. Himself a painter, Jahangir was a patron of art and literature and a lover of nature. Jahangir made no departure from his father‘s poli-cy of admitting Hindus to the higher public service. Man Singh, Kalyan Singh, son of Todar Mal, and Vikramadit were three Hindu governors during his reign. Jahangir also tried to control the practice of sati among Hindus. He passed orders that Hindu widows should not be compelled to become sati without his government‘s permission. He also tried to put a stop to female infanticide. Jahangir was fond of the company of the Vaishnava leader Jadurup and held many discussions with him at Ujjain and Mathura, as a result of which he came to the con-clusion that Hindu Vedanta and Muslim sufism were almost identical. Jahangir was usually liberal and tolerant towards all religions, but at times sanctioned repressive measures against Muslim heretics. Shaikh Rahim of Lahore, who was a religious leader of a sect, was imprisoned in the fortress of Chunar. Qazi Nurullah was put to death on account of being a notable Shia writer. Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi was imprisoned in the fortress of Gwalior, but was released later and sent back to Sarhind with gifts.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 240

History -- Mughal Empire -- 2

In 1577 Akbar undertook the reform of the currency and appointed Khwaja Abdus Samad Shirazi, a noted painter and calligraphist, to be the superintendent of the imperial mint at Delhi. Besides Delhi, provinical mints were located at Lahore, Jaunpur, Ahmedabad, Patna and Tanda (in Bengal). The silver coin issued during Akbar‘s reign was round in shape, like its modern successor, and was known as rupee. It weighed 172 grains. Akbar also introduced a square rupee called Jalali, but it was not as popular as the round rupee. The chief copper coin was the dam or paisa or fulus. It weighed 323.5 grains or almost 21 grams. The ratio between the dam and the rupee was 40 to 1. The lowest copper coin was jital. 25 jitals made one paisa. The most common gold coin was the Ilahi, which was equal to 10 rupees in value. The biggest gold coin was the shahanshah. It weighed a little over 101 tolas and was used mostly in high value business transactions. The coins bore calligraphic inscriptions containing name and titles of the emperor and the place and year of mintage. Very few coins had figures inscribed on them. The judicial system of Mughals was based on Islamic law. As it was not possible in practice to enforce Islamic law on Hindus, a compromise was effected. While criminal cases continued to be decided according to the Islamic law in all cases, Hindu law was administered in deciding civil and religious disputes in which the parties were Hindus. Although Akbar had rejected the Islamic theory of kingship, he made no fundamental change in the judicial system. One important change introduced by Akbar in the judicial system was to restrict the scope of Islamic law and to extend that of general or customary law of the land so as to make it include as many causes as possible. Akbar did not apply Islamic law of capital punishment for apostasy from Islam or for propagating Hinduism or Christianity. Akbar appointed Hindu judges to decide the causes of Hindus. The king was the highest judge in the Mughal empire. The next judicial authority was the qazi, who was appointed by the emperor and worked during his pleasure. Originally, the chief qazi‘s main qualifications used to be his knowledge of Islamic theology and his narrow sec-retarian views. Akbar, however, appointed to this post men of liberal religious outlook and broad sympathies towards all sections of the society.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 241

Chief qazi was paid his salary in cash, as also was given an assignment of land entitled Madad-i-Mash or sub-sistence allowance. Qazis were assisted by muftis, whose main duty was to interpret the law and issue a fatwa. Akbar‘s police administration was divided into three categories of urban, district and village police. In all cities and towns kotwal headed the local police. His main duty was to see that the life of the city con-tinued undisturbed. Besides, he had to examine weights and measures, keep an eye on the currency and enforce Akbar‘s social legislation. Kotwal was personally held responsible for the value of property stolen in case he failed to discover the thief. The kotwal was authorised to inflict punishment on offenders. However, he was not empowered to inflict capital punishment. In the district the law and order was maintained by the faujdar. His main duties were the policing of the roads of the district and suppressing of disorders of all kinds. The village headman was responsible for policing at the village level. The imperial service during Akbar‘s reign was organized on bureaucratic principles, but was military in organization and outlook. The most flourishing towns during Akbar‘s regime were Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Delhi, Allahabad, Benaras, Lucknow, Lahore, Multan, Ujjain, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Patna, Rajmahal and Dhaka. The most important industry of the time was culti-vation of cotton and manufacture of cotton cloth. The prin-cipal centres of cotton manufacture were Jaunpur, Benaras, Patna, Burhanpur, Lucknow, Khairabad and Akbarpur. Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore were important centres of silk-weaving. The principal outlets for foreign sea-borne trade during Akbar‘s regime were Cambay, Surat and Broach in Gujarat, Lahori Bandar in Sindh, Bassein, Chaul and Dabul (modern Bhabol) in the Ratnagiri district, Goa and Bhatkal, Calicut and Cochin in Malabar, and Negapatnam and Masulipatnam on the east coast, and Satgaon, Sripur, Chatgaon and Sonarghat in Bengal. Two main land routes for exports were Lahore to Kabul and beyond, and from Multan to Kandhar and beyond. Gold and silver were not allowed to be exported during the Akbar‘s regime. Only imports were allowed. Among the popular indoor games during Akbar‘s reign were chaupar, phansa and pachisi. Akbar was particularly fond of chandalmandal and pachisi. The Tajak, a well-known work of Astronomy, and the Tazuk-i-Baburi, or the memoirs of Babur, were translat-

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 242

ed into Persian during Akbar‘s reign. The Mahabharat was rendered into Persian by Naqib Khan, Abdul Qadir Badayuni and Shaikh Sultan of Thanesar and was named Razm-nama, the book of wars. The Lilawati, a Sanskrit treatise on Mathematics, was rendered into Persian by Faizi. Among the notable works of literature during Akbar‘s regime were: Abul Fazal‘s Akbar-Nama and Ain-i-Akbari, Nizamud-Din Ahmad‘s Tabqat-i-Akbari, Gula-badan Begam‘s Humayun-Nama and Jauhar‘s Tazkirat-ul-Waqayat. Abbas Sarwani produced the Tohfa-i-Akbar Shahi alias Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi. Akbar ordered the compilation of the history of 1000 years of Islam, and Naqib Khan Mullah Mohammad of Thatta and Jaffer Beg were commissioned to write out the work. The book, with an introduction by Abul Fazi, became known as the Tarikh-i-Alfi. The reign of Akbar was golden age of Hindi poet-ry. The most notable luminaries of Hindi were Tulsi Das, Sur Das, Abdur Rahim Khan Khana, Ras Khan and Birbal. Among the famous works of Tulsi Das were Ram-charitmanas and Vinaya Patrika. Akbar created a separate department of painting and Khwaja Abdus Samad, one of the best painters of his court, was placed at its head. Abdus Samad was a Persian who had come from Shiraz. He was given the title of Shirin-qalam or ‗sweet pen‘. Daswanth, Basawan, Kesu, Lal, Mukand, Madhu, Jagan, Mahesh, Tara, Khem Karan, Sanwla, Haribansh and Ram were some well-known Hindu painters during Akbar‘s reign. They were experts in portrait painting. According to Abul Fazal eight modes of calligra-phy were in vogue at Akbar‘s court, of which the eighth kind, named Nastaliq, was specially favoured by Akbar. The most important calligraphist at Akbar‘s court was Mohammed Hussain Kashmiri, who was given the title of Zarin Qalam. Some of the other famous cal-ligraphists were Maulana Baqir, Mohammed Amin of Mashad, and Mir Hussein Ralanki. The Ain-i-Akbari gives names of 36 first-rate musi-cians in Akbar‘s court. They were arranged in seven divisions. Each division was required to entertain Akbar for one fixed day in the week. Akbar himself was a skilled musician and was an expert performer on Naqqara (kettle drum). Tansen was the most notable musician of the age. He had been trained in a school established at Gwalior by Raja Man Singh Tomar. Baba Ram Das was another famous musician of Akbar‘s court and was ranked next only to Tansen. Sur Das, besides being a great poet, was also a musician of Akbar‘s court. The gigantic forts at Agra, Lahore and Allahabad were built by Akbar.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 243

The Agra fort resembles that of Gwalior. It has two main gateways, namely, the Delhi gate and the Amar Singh gate. Inside, about 500 buildings of red sandstone were built. Most of these were later pulled-down by Shahjehan. The greatest architectural achievement of Akbar was his new capital at Fatehpur Sikri. Three sides of Fateh-pur Sikri are covered by a wall and the fourth side by an artifical lake. The walls have nine gates, of which Buland Darwaza, built of marble and sandstone, is ―one of the most perfect architectural achievements in the whole of India‖. Decorative carving was an important feature of Mughal architecture. Mughals brought the concept of geometrically designed gardens to India. The chief characteristic of Mughal gardens was artificial irrigation in the form of chan-nels, basins or tanks, and dwarf waterfalls. The most important garden associated with Akbar is at Sikandra. In the centre of this garden stands his mausoleum. Akbar was illiterate. But, he acquired knowledge of theology, literature, philosophy, history, etc. by having books read out to him every day. Akbar was the first ruler of Medevial India to discard the Islamic basis of sovereignty and to lay down the principle that the king was the father of all his subjects, irrespective of caste, race or religion. Akbar sought to strengthen the society by doing away with its evils. He tried to abolish Sati, child-marriage and old-age marriage. He did not allow circumcision before the age of 12, and allowed Muslim converts to go back to their original religion if they liked. Akbar attempted to give his empire cultural unity by making Persian the court language and by providing in that language (either by translation or original composition) the best Hindu and Muslim thought, religious as well as secular. Most of the fine arts, such as architecture, painting and music were nationalised and made the common property of the Hindus and Muslims alike. Akbar gave his empire the political and administrative unity of the highest kind possible in that age, by giving all the provinces the same system of administration, the same set of officials, the same administrative methods, the same revenue system and the same coinage.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 244

History -- Mughal Empire -- 3

Jahangir was born to Maryam-uz-Zamani and Akbar on August 30, 1569. He was named Sultan Muham-mad Salim after Shaikh Salim Chishti of Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar, however, called him Shaikhu Baba. Abdur Rahim Khan Khana, a profound scholar of Arabic, Turki, Persian, Sanskrit and Hindi, as also a soldier and diplomat of no mean order influenced Jahangir the most and moulded his thoughts. Most of Jahangir‘s education took place under Abdur Rahim. At the age of 15, Jahangir was married to his cousin Manbai, daughter of Raja Bhagwan Dass of Amber. The ceremony was performed both according to Hindu and Muslim rites. Jahangir gave Manbai the title of Shah Begum. She committed suicide in 1604 owing to her son Khusrav‘s unfilial conduct towards her husband. Jagat Gosain or Jodhabai, daughter of Mota Raja Udai Singh was also among the most important of several wives of Jahangir. Salim‘s loose morals and addiction to wine and other degrading pleasures enraged Akbar, who then tried to bring him round by threat of punishment. The estrangement led to open revolt by Salim. When Akbar set out of South to reconquer Khandesh, Salim made a dash for Agra in order to capture the huge treasure. He was, however, foiled in his attempt and subsequently went to Allahabad and set up his court there. He brought a part of Bihar under his control and set himself up as an independent king. Akbar sent Khwaja Muhammad Sharif, a playmate and friend of Prince, to Allahabad on a mission of peace. But Salim won him over and appointed him chief minister. The fact that Akbar‘s second son, Murad, was already dead and his third son, Daniyal, was visibly dying made Akbar weak and forced him to take forget and forgive Salim‘s follies. Salima Begum, Jahangir‘s step-mother, ulti-mately persuaded the prince to return to his path of duty. After Akbar‘s death in 1605, Prince Salim acceded to the throne and assumed the title of Nuruddin Mohammad Jahangir Padshah Ghazi. Immediately after coronation, Jahangir prohibited levy of many cesses, called tamgha, mir bahri, etc. Jahangir also abolished the punishment of cutting nose and ears. Jahangir also prohibited the slaughter of animals on certain days in the year and two days in every week, that is, Thursday, which was his accession day, and Sunday, the day of Akbar‘s birth. Jahangir caused a gold chain with bells to be hung between the Shah Burj in the Agra Fort and a post on the road near the bank of Yamuna, so as to enable suitors for jus-tice to ring the bell and approach the emperor without the mediation of any officer or servant.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 245

Within a few months of Jahangir‘s accession his eldest son Khusrav revolted. Due to the past conduct of Khusrav, Jahangir had confined him to one corner of Agra fort. On April 6, 1606, on the pretence of a visit to Akbar‘s mausoleum at Sikandra, Khusrav proceeded rapidly towards Delhi. On his way he was joined by Husain Beg Badakhshi. Passing by Delhi, he made his way towards Lahore and on the way was joined by Abdur Rahman, the diwan of that province. At Taran Taran, the prince obtained benediction of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru of Sikhs. On reaching Lahore, Khusrav found the fort put in a state of defence by the governor Dilawar Khan. Jahangir sent a contingent of troops under Shaikh Farid, as also pro-ceeded himself towards Lahore. The parties engaged in a fight on the plain of Baharowal. Khusrav was defeated and forced to flee towards Kabul. He was, however, captured by Jahangir‘s forces, along with Husain Beg and Abdur Rehman. Jahangir imposed a fine of Rs two lakh on Guru Arjan Dev for bestowing benediction to Khusrav. The Guru, however, refused to pay and was consequently put to death. The Guru‘s death estranged Sikhs from the Mughals and led to their rebellion in the time of Aurangzeb. The most fateful consequence of Khusrav‘s rebellion, followed by internal disturbances in the country, was the encouragement of the Shah of Persia to make a bid for the capture of fortress of Kandhar. Kandhar was a bone of contention between Persia and India during the medieval age. Kandhar was a gateway and a natural base of operations for a Persian or Central Asian invader. Its commercial importance was no less great. It connected the principal trade routes from India to Central Asia and Europe. Babur, who was aware of Kandhar‘s importance, captured it in 1522. After the death of Humayun, Kandhar passed out of Mughal control, but Akbar recovered it in 1594. In 1611, Jahangir married a widow named Mehr-un-nisa, who was given the title of Nur Mahal, subsequently changed into Nur Jahan. She began exercising unbounded influence on the emperor and the administration of Mughal empire. Nur Jahan was daughter of Ghiyas Beg, a Persian adventurer in Akbar‘s court, who was honoured with the title of Itimad-ud-daulah. Within a few years of her marriage, Nur Jahan organized a party of her own and took the reins of the gov-ernment in her hands. The party was known as Nur Jahan Junta and consisted of herself, her parents, her brothers and prince Khurram, who was the husband of her niece. Nur Jahan exercised healthy influence on Jahangir. It was owing to her influence that Jahangir restrained him-self from excessive drinking. Her influence over Jahangir was good and benefited the poor and the needy, as also the votaries of letters and art. On political and administrative affairs the influence of Nur Jahan was negative. Her dealings with Prince Khur-ram and Prince Shahryar almost convulsed the empire in a civil war.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 246

Akbar could not conquer the whole of Mewar due to stiff resistance from Rana Pratap. Infact, Rana Pratap was able to recover a considerable portion of his territory before his death in 1597. In 1605, Jahangir deputed his second son Parwez to reduce Rana Pratap‘s son Rana Amar Singh to submission. A tough battle was fought at the pass of Dewar but it proved indecisive. Sagar, an uncle of Rana Amar Singh, who had deserted his nephew and lived as a pensioner at the Mughal court, accompanied Prince Parwez in the expedition to defeat Rana Amar Singh. In 1608, Jahangir sent another force, this time under Mahabat Khan, to subdue Rana Amar Singh. He also failed in the mission. In 1609, Abdulla Khan was appointed incharge. He defeated Prince Karan but was, in turn, beaten by Rajputs at Ranpura, the northernmost key-point of Mewar. Jahangir appointed Raja Basu to defeat Rana Amar Singh but he too failed. Raja Basu was then replaced by Mirza Aziz Koka and in 1613 Jahangir personally moved to Ajmer to be near the scene of action and exert pressure. The supreme command of the Mughal army was now entrusted to Prince Khurram. In the constant struggle both sides lost heavily but the Rajputs suffered more due to famine. The resources of tiny Mewar exhausted and Amar Singh offered negotiations. A treaty of peace was concluded between Rana Amar Singh and Jahangir in 1615. Rana recognized Jahangir as his suzerain. Jahangir restored all the territory to Rana, including Chittor, that had been seized during Akbar‘s reign. The Rana was not obliged to attend the impe-rial durbar and, unlike other Rajput chiefs, the Rana was not required to enter into a matrimonial alliance with the Mughal ruling family. The treaty of 1615, for the first time, brought the end to the long-drawn struggle between Mewar and Delhi. The Rana of Mewar hereafter remained loyal to the Mughal throne, till Aurangzeb, by his thoughtless policy, drove Raj Singh in an open rebellion. Jahangir adopted Akbar‘s policy of conquering the whole of India and bringing it under the rule of his dynasty. In 1608, Jahangir directed the Khan Khana to conquer the remaining parts of South. But, he could make a little headway due to stiff resistance of Malik Ambar, the prime minister of Ahmadnagar. He used the guerilla war-fare very effectively to defeat the Mughal army. In 1616, Jahangir made Prince Khurram incharge of the southern command and himself moved to Mandu with all his court to be near the scene of warfare. Overawed by superior force, Malik Ambar at once opened for negotiations. A treaty was signed in 1617 under which Malik Ambar ceded all the territory of Bal-ghat, which he had recently seized from Mughals, as also surrendered the fort of Ahmadnagar. Jahangir was over-joyed with Khurram‘s success and conferred on him the high sounding title of Shahjehan. The treaty of 1617 was brushed aside by Malik Ambar in 1620 when he formed a league with Bijapur and Golkunda and launched an attack on Mughal commander Khan Khana. Jahangir again deputed Shahjehan to take charge of the operation, who successfully forced Ambar to submission. The kingdoms of Ahmednagar, Bijapur and Golkunda were also made to pay a tribute to the emperor.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 247

Jahangir lost Kandhar in 1622 to Perisan rulers due to infighting among the Nur Jahan Junta, as also the estranged relations between Shah Jehan and Nur Jahan, and subsequent rebellion of Shah Jehan. The three-year-old rebellion of Shah Jehan con-vulsed the empire with a civil war and caused a consider-able loss of money and men. It came to an end in April 1626 after Shah Jahan, faced with nothing but destruction, decid-ed to surrender and seek emperor‘s pardon. The entire operation of dealing with Shah Jahan‘s rebellion was undertaken under Mahabat Khan, the great-est soldier and diplomat of the Mughal empire. Difference between Nur Jahan and Mahabat Khan compelled Mahabat Khan to bring Jahangir under his control by a coup d‘ etat and thus deprive Nur Jahan of power in the State. He was helped in this by mostly Rajput soldiers. Mahabat Khan remained the de facto ruler for 100 days, before Jahangir managed to overthrow him and take charge. Mahabat Khan was not a very capable administrator and this led to his fall. After regaining his freedom from Mahabat Khan, Jahangir, whose health had completely broken down, set out for Kashmir in March 1627. But he could not regain health in Kashmir and decided to return to Lahore. During his return journey he was taken ill and died on November 7, 1627 near Bhimbar. He was burried at Shahdara near Lahore.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 248

History -- Mughal Empire -- 4

Mughals belonged to a branch of the Turks named after Chaghtai, the second son of Chingez Khan, the famous Mongol leader. The foundation of the Mughal empire in India was laid by Babur, who was a Chaghtai Turk. He descended from his father‘s side from Timur and was connected on his mother‘s side with Chingez Khan. In 1494, at the age of 11 years, Babur inherited the small principality of Farghana, now a province of Chinese Turkistan. Babur was later deprived of his own patrimony of Farghana and had to spend his days as homeless wanderer for about a year. During this time, while staying with a village headman, he heard the story of Timur‘s exploits in India from a old lady and this inspired him to begin preparations to conquer India. Babur occupied Kabul in 1504 and after this it took him 12 years to advance into the heart of India. Daulat Khan, the most powerful noble of Punjab, who was discontended with Ibrahim Lodhi, invited Babur to invade India. Babur occupied Lahore in 1524 but had to retreat to Kabul after Daulat Khan turned against him once he realised that Babur had no desire to give up his Indian conquests. Babur attacked and occupied Punjab again in November 1525. On April 21, 1526, Babur proceeded against Ibrahim Lodhi and met him at Panipat (First Battle of Panipat). Although Ibrahim Lodhi‘s troops were vastly superior, Babur managed a victory by superior strategy and use of artillery, and quickly occupied Delhi and Agra. The first battle of Panipat marked the foundation of Mughal dominion in India. Babur faced the toughest resistance to his expansion plans from the Rajput king Rana Sangha. Rana Sangha, along with rulers of Marwar, Amber, Gwalior, Ajmer and Chanderi, as also Sultan Mahmood Lodi, whom Rana Sangha had acknowledged as ruler of Delhi, met Babur in a decisive contest at Kanhwa, a village near Agra, on March 16, 1527. The aim was to prevent the imposition of another foreign yoke on India. Babur triumphed over them by using similar tactics as in Panipat. Another major reason for defeat of Indian forces was non-joining of several Afghan chiefs. While the battle of Panipat marked the defeat of titular Sultan of Delhi, the battle of Kanhwa resulted in defeat of the powerful Rajput confederacy. Babur met the allied Afghans of Bihar and Bengal on the banks of Gogra, near Patna, and inflicted a crushing

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 249

defeat on them on May 6, 1529. This battle led to a considerable portion of northern India submitting to him. Babur died at Agra, at the age of 47, on December 26, 1530. His body was first laid at Arambagh in Agra, but was later taken to Kabul, where it was buried in one of his favourite gardens. During his four-year stay in India, Punjab, territory covered by United Provinces, and North Bihar were conquered by Babur. Rajput State of Mewar also submitted to him. Babur‘s Memoirs were translated into Persian by Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khananni at the time of Akbar in 1590. Babur‘s son Humayun ascended the throne of India three days after Babur‘s death. Humayun was devoid of wisdom and discretion, as well as strong determination and perseverance of his father. Thus, as a king he was a failure. Six months after his accession, Humayun besieged the fortress of Kalinjar in Bundelkhand, gained a decisive victory over Afghans at Douhrua and drove out Sultan Mahmood Lodhi from Jaunpur, and even defeated Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. His victories, however, were short-lived due to weakness of his character. Humayun‘s forces were defeated by Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri at Chaunsa near Buxar in June 1539. On May 17, 1540, the Mughals and the Afghans met again opposite Kannauj. Humayun‘s hopelessly demoralised army was defeated at the battle, commonly known as battle of Kannauj—also known as battle of the Ganges or Bilgram. Thus, the sovereignty of India once more passed to the Afghans. Humayun had to leave the life of a wanderer for 15 years. The intense rivalry of Humayun‘s brothers—Kamran, Askari and Hindal— also made it difficult for Humayun to pool all his resources and fight back. During his wanderings in deserts of Sindh in 1952, Humayun married Hamida Banu Begum, daughter of Sheikh Ali Amber Jaini, who had been a preceptor of Humayun‘s brother Hindal. On November 23, 1542, Humayun was blessed with a son, Akbar, at Amarkot. Amarkot‘s Hindu chief Rana Prasad promised Humayun help to conquer Thatta and Bhakker. Humayun, however, could not conquer Bhakker, nor could he secure asylum. He, thus, left India and threw himself on the generosity of Shah Tahmashp of Persia. Shah of Persia helped Humayun with a force of 14,000 men on his promising to confirm to Shia creed, to have the Shah‘s name proclaimed in his Khutba and to cede Kandhar to him on his success. With Persian help Humayun captured Kandhar and Kabul in 1545 but refused to cede Kandhar to Persia. Civil war among the Suris, after the death of Sher Shah Suri, gave Humayun an excellent opportunity to reclaim the throne of Delhi. In February 1555, he captured Lahore, and after a few months captured Delhi and Agra

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 250

also. On January 24, 1556, Humayun died following an accidental fall from the staircase of his library in Delhi. On February 14, 1556, at the age of 13, Akbar was proclaimed as the successor of Humayun. At the time when Akbar ascended to the thrown, the country had ceased to enjoy the benefits of reforms of Sher Shah Suri, through the follies and quarrels of his successors, and was also effected by a terrible famine. At the time when Humayun died, Potuguese were in possession of Goa and Diu. The Suris were still in occupation of the Sher Shah‘s dominion. From Agra to Malwa, and the confines of Jaunpur, owned the sovereignty of Adil Shah. Delhi to the smaller Rohtas on the road to Kabul was in hands of Shah Sikander. The borders of the hills to the boundaries of Gujarat belonged to Ibrahim Khan. Sind and Multan had become independent from the imperial control. Orissa, Malwa, Gujarat and the local chieftains of Gondwana had also became independent. South of the Vindhyas lay the extensive Vijayanagar empire and the Muslim Sultanates of Khandesh, Berar, Bidar, Ahmadnagar and Golkunda expressed no interest in northern politics. Hemu, general and minister of Adil Shah Suri opposed the Mughals soon after accession of Akbar. Hemu occupied Agra and Delhi by defeating Tardi Beg, the Mughal governor of Delhi. Hemu assumed the title of Raja Vikramjit or Vikramaditya after his victory in Delhi. Akbar, alongwith his trusted guardian Bairam Khan, challenged Hemu at Panipat, resulting in the second battle of Panipat. A chance arrow hit in the eye resulted in Hemu falling unconscious, which led to his soldiers dispersing in confusion. The battle marked the real beginning of the Mughal rule in India and set it on the path of expansion. Sikander Suri surrendered to Akbar in 1557 and was granted a fief in the eastern province. He was later expelled by Akbar and died as a fugitive. Ibrahim Suri, after wandering from place to place, found asylum in Orissa, where he was killed about 10 years later. With his death there remained no one from the Suri clan to challenge Akbar‘s claim to sovereignty. Sher Shah Suri effected the revival of Afghan power and established a glorious, though short, regime in India by ousting the newly established Mughal authority. Originally, Sher Shah‘s name was Farid. His grandfather, Ibrahim, was an Afghan of Suri tribe and lived near Peshawar. His father‘s name was Hassan. Farid was conferred the title of Sher Khan by Bahar Khan Lohani, independent ruler of Bihar, for having shown gallantry by killing a tiger single-handed. Sher Shah joined the Babur‘s camp in April 1527 and remained in it till June 1528. In return for his services, Babur restored the jagir of Sasaram to him.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 251

The war against allied troops of Bengal Sultan and the Lohanis of Surajgarh, on the banks of Kiul river was a turning-point in the career of Sher Shah. It made him the undisputed ruler of Bihar. The victory in battle with the Mughal forces led by Humayun, at Chaunsa near Buxar, led to Sher Shah becoming de facto ruler of the territories ruled by the Mughals. On May 17, 1540, in the Battle of Kannauj, Sher Shah‘s forces gave a crushing defeat to Humayun‘s forces and the sovereignity of India once again passed to the Afghans. Sher Shah died on May 22, 1545 from an accidental explosion of gun-powder. Sher Shah divided his empire into 47 units (sarkars), each of which was sub-divided into several paraganas. The paragana had one Amin, one Shiqdar, one treasurer, one Hindi text writer and one Perisan writer to keep accounts. Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaran and Munsif-i-Munsifan supervised the works of the paragana officers. Sher Shah‘s land revenue reforms have unique importance in the adminis-trative history of India. They served as the model for future agrarian systems. Sher Shah settled the land revenue directly with the cultivators, the State demand being fixed at one-fourth or one-third of the average produce, payable in either kind or cash. For actual collection of revenue the services of officers like Amins, Muqadams, Shiqdars, Qanungos and the Patwaris were taken. The rights of tenants were recognised and the liabilities of each were clearly defined in the kabuliyat (deed of agreement) and the patta (title-deed). Sher Shah connected the impor-tant places by a chain of excellent roads. The longest of these was the Grand Trunk Road, which still survives and extended from Sonargaon in East Bengal to the Indus. One road ran from Agra to Burhanpur, another from Agra to Jodhpur and a fourth from Lahore to Multan. Sarais or rest-houses were set-up at different places along the roads. These also served the purpose of post-houses. Sher Shah re-organised the army, borrowing largely the main principles of Ala-ud-din Khilji‘s military system. After Sher Shah‘s death, his son Jalal Khan was proclaimed king under the title of Sultan Islam Shah, commonly known as Salim Shah. Salim Shah was a strong and efficient ruler but he died young in November 1554 and disorder soon followed.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 252

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 253

History -- Administration under Akbar

Like other Muslim monarchs, Akbar was, at least in theory, subordinate to the wishes of entire Muslim population (millat), which, in turn, was guided by the Muslim learned divines called the Ulema. Akbar sought to remove this check to his will and became the supreme authority over his Muslim subjects by promulgating the Infallibility Decree (Mahzar) in September 1579. Akbar believed that the king must be absolutely tolerant to every creed and must establish universal peace in his dominion. As per Abul Fazal‘s Akbarnama, Akbar appeared three times every day for State business. Early at sunrise he used to be ready at jhroka-i-darshan to show himself to his subjects. Here he was accessible to the common people and listened to their complaints. Next, he used to hold an open court which generally lasted for four and a half hours. Peo-ple from both sexes were allowed to submit their petitions and the emperor used to decide the cases on the spot. In the afternoon Akbar used to hold a full durbar in the Diwan-i-Aam. Here he attended to daily routine busi-ness, particularly relating to forces, workshops and to the appointment and promotion of mansabdars and granting of jagirs. In the evening and often during night Akbar used to meet his ministers and advisers in the private audience hall called Diwan-i-Khas, where special business relating to for-eign relations and internal administration was attended to. Late in the night, Akbar used to discuss confidential matters related to war, foreign policy and internal adminis-tration in a room called Daulat Khana, which became known in the times of Jehangir as Gusal Khana, owing to its proximity to the royal bathroom. The Central government under Akbar consisted of four departments, each presided over by a minister. These ministers were: Vakil (Prime Minister), Diwan or Wazir (Finance Minister), Mir Bakhshi (Pay-Master General), and Sadar-us-Sadur (Chief Sadar). The Mughal ministers did not constitute a Cabinet in the modern sense of term. They were basically secretaries. The initiation of the policies was in the hands of the emperor. The first finance minister of Akbar was Muzaffar Khan. Todar Mal, Muzaffar Khan and Shah Mansur were the three most notable finance ministers of Akbar and all the three were skilled financiers and first-rate administrators. The Diwan or finance minister was assisted by Diwan-i-Khalsa, who was incharge of Khalsa (crown or reserved) lands; Diwan-i-Jagirs, who was incharge of the lands that were given in lieu of service or as free grants (sayurghal); Sahib-i-Taujih, who was incharge of military accounts; and Diwan-i-Bayutut, whose duty

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 254

was to super-vise the accounts of various workshops attached to the court. The Mir Bakhshi or Pay-Master General ranked next to the imperial Diwan. His office corresponded to the Diwan-i-Ariz of the Sultanate period. The Mir Bakhshi was required to maintain a regis-ter in which names, ranks and salaries of mansabdars were recorded. All orders of appointment to mansabs of all ranks were passed through his office. One of his most important duties was to prepare a list of guards who had to keep watch around the royal palace. The Chief Sadar or Sadar-us-Sadur discharged three-fold duties, namely, to act as the religious adviser to the emperor, to disburse the royal charity, and to function as the chief justice of the empire. After Akbar reorganized his administration and rejected the Islamic theory of government, the Chief Sadar ceased to be the supreme religious adviser. Akbar divided his empire into well-defined provinces or subas, and established uniform administration in them. In 1602, the provinces numbered 15. The three provinces of South (Dakhin), namely, Khandesh, Berar and Ahmadnagar, were constituted into a single viceroyalty and were placed under Prince Daniyal. In each suba, there was a governor, styled as Sipah Salar, a diwan, a bakhshi, a sadar, a qazi, a kotwal, a mir bahar and a waqaya navis. The Sipah Salar (governor) was the head of the province. He was popularly called subahadar and some-times only ‗suba‘.He was appointed by the emperor and was responsible for the welfare of the people of his province, as also administer even-handed justice. He was also entrusted with the work of realizing tribute from the vassal States situated within the boundaries of his suba. The provincial Diwan was the second most important officer of the suba. He was appointed on the recommendation of the Imperial Diwan. There were two parallel and mutually independent authorities in every province. The Sipah Sadar was the head of the military, police and executive services, while the Diwan was the head of the civil and revenue branch—he reported directly to the Imperial Diwan and was not subordinate to the governor. Generally one officer was appointed to discharge the functions of both the Sadar and the Qazi. Waqaya Navis was incharge of posting news-writers and spies in all important places in the province. Generally a separate officer was given this job, but at times the provinical Bakhshi was given the dual charge. The Kotwal was incharge of internal defence, sani-tation and peace in the provincial capital. He was the supreme administrator of all thanasof the province. The Mir Bahar was incharge of customs and boats and ferry taxes, and port duties in coastal towns.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 255

Each province or suba was divided into a num-ber of districts or Sarkars. Every district had a faujdar, an amalguzar, a qazi, a kotwal, a bitikchi and a khazandar. The head of the district was faujdar. He had three principal duties to perform: First, to maintain peace and tranquility in his jurisdiction, to keep the roads free from robbers and thieves, and to enforce imperial regulations; Secondly, being a military officer, he was incharge of a small force or local militia. It was his duty to keep this army ready for service; Thirdly, he was required to assist the amalguzar (the collector) in the work of revenue collection. Amalguzar or the revenue collector was the second most important official of a district. He was also required to punish robbers and other miscreants in order to protect the peasantry. The Bitikchi was an important assistant of amal-guzar. His duty was to prepare necessary papers and records regarding the nature of land and its produce and it was on the basis of these records that the assessment was made by amalguzar. Each sarkar (district) was divided into a number of parganas or mahals. The pargana was the lowest fiscal and administrative unit of administration. There were four principal officers in every pargana. They were: the shiqdar, the amil, the fotadar and the karkun. Besides, as in the times of Sher Shah Suri, there were two other semi-official functionaries: the qanungo and the chaudhri. The Shiqdar was the executive officer of the par-gana and was responsible for its general administration. The amil (sometimes called the Munsif) had to discharge the same duties in the pargana as the amalguzar in the sarkar. The Fotadar was the treasurer of the pargana. The karkuns were the writers and kept land record. The Qanungo was the head of the patwaris of the pargana and kept records of the crops, the revenue demands, actual payments, arrears, etc. The Mughals had no navy, but as their eastern and western frontiers touched seas, they had large num-ber of sea-ports in their possession. All sea-ports were treated as independent administrative units. For exam-ple, Surat was classed as a sarkar and comprised several parganas. Every town of considerable importance had an independent kotwal appointed to take charge of municipal duties, besides police work. In small towns, these duties were looked after by amalguzar. The uniforms of the kotwal and the city police were of red colour. Akbar recognised the village panchayats as a legally established court of justice and upheld its decisions.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 256

Akbar introduced the mansabdari system to organ-ise his armed forces more effectively. All imperial officers, except the qazis and the sadars, were enrolled as members of the mansabdari sys-tem and were required to maintain some troops propor-tionate to their ranks. All the vassal chiefs, who were rulers of semi-independent States, were also enlisted as mansabdars. Some mansabdars commanded troops that were recruited directly by the State and not by the mansabdar concerned. Such troops were called dakhilli or supplemen-tary troops. Ahadis were the gentlemen troopers who were recruited individually and were under the command of a separate mansabdar or officer, and had a diwan and a bakhshi of their own. Ahadis were considered very efficient and loyal troops and were paid high salaries. An officer was incharge of each branch of the army and was known as Mir Atish. Many elephants were trained to catch enemy soldiers and dash them against the ground. Such elephants carried two soldiers and two guns called gajnals. Akbar‘s army consisted of officers and troops of several nationalities, over two-thirds of whom were foreign-ers. Thus, it was not a national army, and was not bound by common interests and common sentiment of love for the country. The fiscal sources of Mughal empire under Akbar were divided into two main divisions—central and local. The central revenue was derived from Commerce, Mint, Presents, Inheritance, Salt, Customs and Land. Of these the land revenue was the most lucrative and important. Akbar abolished the religious taxes charged from Hindus, such as the pilgrims‘ tax and the jaziya. Zakat, which was of two kinds, namely, first a religious tax from the Muslims only, and second, on cattle and some other articles, lapsed gradually. Akbar undertook a series of experiments to improve the revenue collection and management. The first of the experiments was undertaken in 1563, when Akbar appointed Aitmad Khan to look after the affairs of the Khalisa lands which comprised the provinces of Agra, Del-hi and a part of Lahore.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 257

History -- Magadhan Ascendancy and beyond

Magadha kingdom‘s most remarkable king was Srenika or Bimbisara, who was anointed king by his father at the young age of 15. The capital of Bimbisara‘s kingdom was Girivraja. It was girded with stone walls which are among the oldest extant stone structures in India. The most notable achievement of Bimbisara was the annexation of neighbouring kingdom of Anga or East Bihar. He also entered into matrimonial alliances with ruling families of Kosala and Vaishali. The Vaishali marriage paved the way for expansion of Magadha northword to the borders of Nepal. Gautama Buddha and Vardhaman Mahavira preached their doctrines during the reign of Bimbisara. The modern town of Rajgir in the Patna district was built by Bimbisara. He had named it Rajagriha or the king‘s house. Bimbisara was succeeded by his son Ajatshatru. Tradition affirms that Bimbisara was murdered by Ajatshatru. To repel the attacks of the Vrijis of Vaishali, Ajatshatru fortified the village of Pataligrama, which stood at the confluence of Ganga and Sona rivers. This fortress, within a generation, developed into the stately city of Pataliputra (modern day Patna). According to the Puranas, the immediate successor of Ajatshatru was Darsaka, after whom came his son Udayi. The name of Darsaka also occurs in a play named Svapna-Vasavadatta, attributed to Bhasa, which represents him as a brother-in-law and contemporary of Udayana, king of Kausambi. However, Jain and Buddhist writers assert that Udayi was son of Ajatshatru. Bimbisara‘s dynastic lineage ended with the Nanda dynasty taking over the reigns of Magadha. The first king of Nanda dynasty was Mahapadma or Mahapamapati Nanda. He was succeeded by his eight sons, of whom the last was named Dhana-Nanda. Dhana-Nanda was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of a new and more illustrious dynasty. Among the State functionaries, the Purohit was of special importance in Kasi-Kosala, as we learn from Ramayan and several Jatakas. In Kuru-Panchal and Matsya countries it was the Senapati who held the special place. The armies of the period usually consisted of infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants. While rulers of deltaic regions were known to maintain small naval fleets, a big naval department came into being only during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 258

The Indian infantry usually carried long bows and iron-tipped arrows made of cane. They used to wear cotton garments. The chariots of the cavalry were drawn by horses or wild asses and carried six soldiers apiece—two bowmen, two shield bearers and two charioteers. Greek writers bear testimony to the fact that in the art of war Indians were far superior to other peoples of Asia. Their failure against foreign invaders was often due to inferiority in cavalry. Indian commanders pinned their faith more in elephants than horses. The oldest source of revenues was the bali. Bhaga, the king‘s share of reaped corn, became the most important source of State revenue in course of time. Among the most important revenue officials was the Grama-bhojaka or village head-man. The early Buddhist texts refer to six big cities that flourished during the days of the Buddha. These were: Champa (near Bhagalpur), Rajagriha (in Patna district), Sravasti (Saheth-Maheth), Saketa (Oudh), Kausambi (near Allahabad) and Benaras (Varanasi). The usual recreations of women during the Magadhan era were singing, dancing and music. Little princesses used to play with dolls called panchalikas. The chief pastimes of knights were gambling, hunting, listening to tales of war and tournaments in amphitheatres. Buddhist texts refer to acrobatic feats, combats of animals and a kind of primitive chess play. The principal seaports of the period were: Bhrigukachcha (Broach), Surparaka (Sopara, north of Mumbai), and Tamralipti (Tamluk in West Bengal). The chief articles of trade during the Magadhan era were: silk, muslin, embroidery, ivory, jewellery and gold. The standard unit of value was the copper Karshapana, weighing a little more than 146 grains. Silver coins, called Purana or Dharana, were also in circulation. The weight of a silver coin was a little more than 58 grains, which is one-tenth of that of the Nishka known to the Vedic texts. The first undoubted historical reference to image-worship by an Aryan tribe occurs in passage of Curtis, who states that an image of Herakles was carried in front of Paurava army as it advanced against Alexander. The early Magadhan period saw development of variant languages from Sanskrit. In the towns and the villages a popular form of Sanskrit, Prakrit, was spoken. This had local variations; the chief western variety was called Shauraseni and the eastern variety Magadhi. Pali was another local language. The Buddha, wishing to reach wider audience, taught in Magadhi. Persian and Macedonian Invasions Cyrus, the founder of the Achaemenian empire of Persia, destroyed the famous city of Kapisa near the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir rivers northeast of Kabul. The successor of Cyrus, Darius sent a naval expedition to the Indus under the command of Sky-lax. This expedition paved the way for the annexation of the Indus valley as far as the deserts of Rajputana. The area

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 259

became the most populous satrapy of the Persian empire and paid a tribute proportionately larger than all the rest—360 Eubic talents of gold dust, equivalent to more than a million sterling. Once the Persian hold over Indian possessions became weak, the old territory of Gandhara was divided into two parts. To the west of Indus river lay the kingdom of Pushkalavati in the modern district of Peshawar; to the east was Takshasila in present district of Rawalpindi. Tradition affirms that Mahabharata was first recited in Takshasila. In 331 B.C., Alexander inflicted heavy blows on the king of Persia and occupied his realm. In 327 B.C. Alexander crossed the Hindukush and resolved to recover the Indian satrapies that had once been under his Persian predecessors. To secure his communications, Alexander garrisoned a number of strongholds near modern Kabul and passed the winter of 327-326 B.C. in warfare with fierce tribes of Kunar and Swat valleys. Alexander finally crossed Indus river in 326 B.C. using a bridge of boats. Ambhi, the king of Taxila gave him valuable help in this. Alexander‘s march faced a major hurdle when it reached the banks of Hydaspes (modern Jhelum) river, near the town of Jhelum. Here he faced stiff resistance from Paurava king (Porus). After crossing the Akesines (Chenab) and the Hydraotes (Ravi), Alexander stormed Sangala, the stronghold of the Kathaioi, and moved on to the Hyphasis (Beas). He wished to press forward to the Ganga valley, but his war-worn troops refused. Alexander erected 12 towering altars to mark the utmost limit of his march, and then retraced his steps to Jhelum. During the return journey, Alexander received a dangerous wound while storming a citadel of the powerful tribe of the Malawas. He returned to Babylon after a long and treacherous journey and died soon after in 323 B.C. The Persian conquest unveiled India for the first time to the Western world and established contact between the people of both regions. The introduction of new scripts—Aramaic, Kharoshti and the alphabet style Yavanani by Panini— can be traced to Greek source. The Macedonian garrisons were swept away by Chandragupta Maurya. However, these were not wiped out completely. Colonies like Yavana continued to serve the king of Magadha just as they served the Macedonians, and carved out an independent kingdom only after the sun set of Magadha. One positive outcome of Alexander‘s invasion was that Greeks of later ages got to learn lessons in philosophy and religion from Indian Buddhists and Bhagavatas and Indians learned use of coins, honoured Greek astronomers and learned to appreciate Hellenistic art. One of the most remarkable things in the foreign policy of Alexander was his encouragement of inter-racial marriages. He was the first ruler known to history who contemplated the brotherhood of man and the unity of mankind. The White Kafirs of Kafiristan, classed in Ashoka‘s edicts as definitely Greeks, are said to be

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 260

descended from Alexander‘s men. Of the ruling Frontier families, eight claim direct lineage from the son born to Alexander by Cleophis queen of the Assakenoi.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 261

History -- Maurya Empire

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the empire. His family is identified by some with the tribe of Moriya mentioned by Greeks. According to one tradition, the designation is derived from Mura, the mother or grandmother of Chandragupta, who was wife of a Nanda king. Buddhist writers represent Chandragupta as member of Kshatriya caste, belonging to the ruling clan of little republic of Pipphalivana, lying probably between Rummindei in the Nepalese Tarai and Kasai in the Gorakhpur district. Chandragupta is referred to as Sandrocottos in the Greek accounts. Chandragupta was the protege of the Brahman, Kautilya or Chanakya, who was his guide and mentor, both in acquirnig a throne and in keeping it. Chandragupta met Chanakya in the forests of Vindhya. Chandragupta had been forced to flee to the forest after having offended Alexander, who had ordered for him to be killed. The Seleucid provinces of the trans-Indus, which today would cover part of Afghanistan, were ceded to Chandragupta by Seleucus Nikator, a prefect of Alexander, in 303 B.C. According to Jain scriptures, Chandragupta was converted to Jainism towards the end of his life and he abdicted in favour of his son and became an ascetic and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara in 297 B.C. To Greeks Bindusara was known as Amitrochates. Tradition credits Bindusara with the suppression of a revolt in Taxila. The kingdom of Kalinga (modern day Orissa), is known to have been independent during the reign of Bindusara. A Greek named Deimachos was received as Ambassador of Greece in Bindusara‘s court. Bindusara extended Mauryan control in Deccan as far south as Mysore. After Bindusara‘s death in 272 B.C., Ashoka, one of his many sons, seized power after putting his eldest brother to death. During Bindusara‘s reign, Ashoka successively held the important viceroyalties of Taxila and Ujjain. Ashoka is referred to as Devanampiya (the beloved of gods) Piyadassi (of amiable appearance) in inscriptions. It was during Ashoka‘s reign that Kalinga was captured and made part of the Maurya empire. The conquest of

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 262

Kalinga resulted in the Maurya empire embracing the whole of non-Tamil India and a considerable portion of Afghanistan. The Mauryan empire under Ashoka stretched from the land of Yonas, Kambojas and Gandharas in the Kabul valley and some adjoining territory, to the country of the Andhras in the Godavari-Krishna basin and the district of Isila in the north of Mysore, and from Sopara and Girnar in the west to Dhauli and Jaugada in the east. As per some traditional records, the dominions of Ashoka included the secluded hill-regions of Kashmir and Nepal, as well as plains of Pundravardhana (North Bengal) and Samatata (East Bengal). The discovery of inscriptions at Mansehra in the Hazra district, at Kalsi in the Dehradun district, at Nigali Sagar and Rummindei in the Nepalese Tarai and at Rampurva in the Champaran district of North Bengal are proofs to this. According to the Kashmir chronicle of Kalhana, Ashoka‘s favourite deity was Shiva. The Kalinga war proved to be a turning point in Ashoka‘s career. The sight of misery and bloodshed awakened in him sincere feelings of repentance and sorrow, and made him evolve a policy of dharamvijaya (conquest by piety). He also got deeply influenced by Buddhist teaching and became a zealous devotee of Buddhism. Ashoka claimed of spiritual conquest of the realms of his Hellenistic, Tamil and Ceylonese neighbours. Hellenistic neighbours of Ashoka were: Antiochos II (Theos of Syria), Ptolemy II (Philadelphos of Egypt), Antigonos (Gonatas of Macedonia), Magas (of Cyrene) and Alexander (of Epirus) After making deep study of Buddhist scriptures Ashoka started undertaking dharam-yatras (tours of morality) in course of which he visited the people of his country and instructed them on Dharma (morality and piety). It was during the second royal tour that Ashoka visited the birthplace of Sakya-muni and that of a previous Buddha, and worshipped at these holy spots. During Ashoka‘s reign the Buddhist church underwent reorganization, with the meeting of the third Buddhist Council at Patliputra in 250 B.C. The third Council of Buddhists was the final attempt of the more secretarian Buddhists, the Theravada school, to exclude both dissidents and innovators from the Buddhist Order. Also, it was at this Council that it was decided to send missionaries to various parts of the sub-continent and to make Buddhism an actively proselytizing religion— which in later centuries led to the propagation of Buddhism in south and east Asia. Ashoka does not refer to the third Council of Buddhism in any of his inscriptions, indicating that he was careful to make a distinction between his personal belief in and support for Buddhism, and his duty as an emperor to remain unattached and unbiased in favour of any religion. Within two years of his first tours, Ashoka requisitioned the services of important officials like Rajukas (district judges), Pradesikas (revenue officials) and Yuktas (clerks) to publish rescripts on morality and set out on tours every five years to give instruction in morality, as well as on ordinary business. Later, Ashoka appointed exclusive officials, styled Dharma-Mahamatras or high officers in-charge of religion, to do the work. Ashoka himself undertook the tours after a gap of 10 years.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 263

The capitals of the Ashokan pillars bear a remarkable similarity to those of Persepolis and it is believed that these might have been sculpted by craftsmen from the north-western province. The idea of making rock-inscriptions seems to have come to Ashoka after hearing about those of Darius. The Ashokan inscriptions were in local script. Those found in northwest, in the region of Peshawar, are in the Kharoshthi script (derived from Aramaic script used in Iran), near modern Kandhar, the extreme west of empire, these are in Greek and Aramaic, and elsewhere in India these are in the Brahmi script. The inscriptions of Ashoka are of two kinds. The smaller group consists of declarations of the king as a lay Buddhist, to his chirch, the Buddhist Sanga. These describe his own acceptance and relationship with the Sangha. The larger group of inscriptions are known as the Major and minor Rock Edicts inscribed in rock sur-faces, and the Pillar Edicts inscribed on specially erected pillars, all of which were located in places where crowds were likely to gather. These were proclamations to the public at large, explaining the idea of Dharma. Dharma was aimed at building up an attitude of mind in which social responsibility, the behaviour of one person towards another, was considered of great relevance. It was a plea for the recognition of the dignity of man, and for humanistic spirit in the activities of society. Ashoka‘s son Prince Mahendra visited Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) as a Buddhist missionary and convinced the ruler of the island kingdom, Devanampiya Tissa to convert to Buddhism. Ashoka ruled for 37 years and died in 232 B.C. With his death a political decline set in, and soon after the empire broke up. The Ganga valley remained under Mauryas for another 50 years. The north-western areas were lost to Bactrian Greeks by about 180 B.C. As per the Puranic texts, the immediate successor of Ashoka was his son Kunala. The Chronicals of Kashmir, however, mention Jalauka as the son and successor. Kunala was succeeded by his sons, one of whom, Bandhupalita, is known only in Puranas, and another, Sampadi, is mentioned by all traditional authorities. Then there was Dasratha who ruled Magadha shortly after Ashoka and has left three epigraphs in the Nagarjuni Hills in Bihar, recording the gift of caves to the Ajivikas. The last king of the Maurya dynasty was Brihadratha, who was overthrown by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra, who laid the foundation of the Sunga dynasty. The secession of Kashmir and possibly Berar from the Maurya empire is hinted at by Kalhana, the historian of Kashmir, and Kalidas, the author of the Sanskrit play, the Malavikagnimitram, respectively. The Maurya period was the first time in Indian history that an empire extended from the Hindukush to the valleys of Godavari and Krishna. A remarkable feature of the period was association of a prince of the blood or an allied chieftain with the titular or real head of the government, as a co-ordinate ruler. Such a prince was called yuvaraj (crown prince). This type of rule is known as dvairajya or diarchy.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 264

The early Maurya rulers had no contact with China. Infact, China was unknown to Indian epigraphy before the Nagarjunikonda inscriptions. The king during the Maurya period was assisted by a council of advisers styled the Parishad or the Mantri Parishad. There were also bodies of trained officials (nikaya) who looked after the ordinary affairs of the realm. In the inscriptions of Ashoka there are references to Rajukas and Pradesikas, charged with the welfare of Janapadas or country parts and Pradesas or districts. Mahamatras were charged with the administration of cities (Nagala Viyohalaka) and sundry other matters, and a host of minor officials, including clerks (Yuta), scribes (Lipikar) and reporters (Pativedaka). The Arthshastra refers to the highest officers as the eighteen tirthas, the chief among them were the Mantrin (chief minister), Purohit (high priest), Yuvraja (heir-apparent) and Senapati (commander-in-chief). The head of the judiciary was the king himself, but there were special tribunals of justice, headed by Mahamatras and Rajukas. The protection of Chandragupta Maurya was entrusted to an amazonian bodyguard of women. The fighting forces during Chandragupta‘s time were under the supervision of a governning body of thirty divided into six boards of five members each. The chief sources of revenue were the bhaga and the bali. The bhaga was the king‘s share of the produce of the soil, which was normally fixed at one-sixth, though in special cases it was raised to one-fourth or reduced to one-eighth. Bali was an extra impost levied on special tracts for the subsistence of certain officials. Taxes on the land were collected by the Agronomoi who measured the land and superintended the irrigation works. In urban areas the main sources of revenue were birth and death taxes, fines and tithes on sales. Arthshastra refers to certain high revenue functionaries styled the samaharti and the sannidharti. The most famous of the irrigation works of the early Maurya period is the Sudarshan lake of Kathiawar, constructed by Pushyagupta the Vaisya, an officer of Chandragupta Maurya, and provided with supplemental channels by the Yavanaraja Tushaspha in the days of Ashoka. The Mauryas divided their dominions into provinces subdivided into districts called ahara, vishya and pardesh. The secret emissaries who enquired into and superintended all that went in the empire were called pativedakas. Varna (caste) and ashram (periods of stages of religious discipline), the two characteristic institutions of the Hindu social polity, reached a definite stage in the Maurya period. The philosophers, the husbandmen, the herdsmen and hunters, the traders and artisans, the soldiers, the overseers and the councillors constituted the seven castes into which the population of India was divided in the days of Megasthenes.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 265

Slavery was an established institution during the Maurya period. Broach was a major port during the Mauryan period. The copper coin of eighty ratis (146.4 grs) was known as Karshapana. The name was also applied to silver and gold coins, particularly in south. Three works, the Kautiliya Arthshastra, the Kalpasutra of Bhadrabahu and the Buddhist Katha vatthu, are attributed to personages who are said to have flourished in the Maurya period. With the fall of the Mauryas, Indian history lost its unity for sometime. Hordes of foreign barbarians poured through the northwestern gates of the country and established powerful kingdoms in Gandhara (north-west Frontier), Sakala (north-central Punjab) and other places. In the south, the Satavahanas came to power. The founder of the family was Simuka, but the man who raised it to eminence was his son Satakarni-I. Sometimes after the death of Satakarni-I, the Satavahana power submerged beneath a wave of Scythian invasion. But, the lost glory was restored by Gautamiputra Satkarni, who built an empire that extended from Malwa in the north to the Kanarese country in south. Two cities of Vaijayanti (in north Kanara) and Amaravati (in the Guntur district) attained eminence in the Satavahana period. Sri Yajana Satkarni was the last great prince of the line and after him the empire fell to pieces. The earlier Satavahana empire had a formidable rival in the kingdom of Kalinga, which became independent after the death of Ashoka and rose to greatness under Kharavela. In the far south of India, beyond the Venkata Hills, known as Dravida or Tamil country, three important States that came into being were Chola, Pandya and Kerala. The Cholas occupied the present Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts and showed great military activity. The Pandyas occupied the districts of Madura and Tinnevelly with portions of South Travancore. They excelled in trade and learning. A Pandya king is said to have sent an embassy to the Roman empire in the first century B.C. The Kerala country embraced Malabar, Cochin and North Travancore. The political disintegration of India after the fall of Maurya empire renewed warlike activities on the part of the Greeks of Syria and Bactria. The last known Greek king to rule any part of India was Hermaicos. The foreign conquerors who supplanted the Greeks in north-west India belong to three main groups, namely,

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 266

Saka, Pahlava or Parthian and Yue-chi or Kushan. The Sakas were displaced from their home in Central Asia by the Yue-chi and were forced to migrate south. The territory they occupied came to be known as Sakasthana, modern Sistan. Kanishka is attributed by many scholars to have founded the Saka era in A.D. 78. He is the only Scythian king known to have established an era. Strictly speaking, though, he was a Kushan and not a Saka. According to Hiuen Tsang, the great empire over which Kanishka exercised his sway had its capital at Purushapura or Peshawar. His territory extended from Gandhara to Oudh and Benaras. Kanishka is known for his patronage to the religion of Sakya-muni and his monuments. In Buddhist history, Kanishka‘s name is honoured as that of a prince who summoned a great council (fourth Buddhist Council in Srinagar) to examine the Buddhist scriptures and prepare commentaries on them. Among the celebrities who graced Kanishka‘s court was Asvaghosha, a philosopher, poet and dramatist, who wrote the Buddha Charita. Kanishka‘s rule lasted 23 years. His immediate successor was Vasishka, followed by Huvishka. Mathura became the great centre of Kushan power under Huvishka. Huvishka‘s empire was spread further west, till Wardak to the west of Kabul. The last great Kushan king was Vasudeva-I. The decline of Kushan power in the northwest was hastened by the rise of the Sassanian dynasty in Persia.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 267

History -- Jainism and Buddhism

The parents of Mahavira were Siddhartha, a Janatrika chief of Kundapura, and Trishala, a Kshatriya lady related to the ruling families of Vaishali and Magadha. Mahavira married a princess named Yashoda. Mahavira forsook the world at the age of thirty and roamed as a naked ascetic in several parts of eastern India and practiced severe penance for 12 years. Half of this time was spent with a mendicant (beggar) friar (brother) named Goshala who subsequently left him and became the leader of the Ajivika sect. In the 13th year of penance, Mahavira attained the highest spiritual knowledge called Kevala-jnana, on the northern bank of river Rijupalika, outside Jrimbhikagrama, a little known locality in eastern India. He was now known as a Kevalin (omniscient), a Jina (conqueror) and Mahavira (the great hero). Mahavira became the head of a sect called Nigranthas (free from Fretters), known in later times as Jains or followers of Jina (conqueror). Mahavira died at Pava in south Bihar, after wandering for 35 years as a religious teacher, at the age of 72. The Jains believe that Mahavira was not the founder of a new religious system, but the last of a long succession of 24 Tirthankars or ―ford-makers across the stream of existence‖. The 23rd teacher, Parsav, the immediate predecessor of Mahavira, was a prince of Benaras and enjoined on his disciples the great four vows of non-injury, truthfulness, abstention from stealing and non-attachment. Mahavira added the vow of Brahamcharya or continence to this. Jainism was atheistic in nature, the existence of God being irrelevant to its doctrine. It believes that universe functions according to an eternal law and is continually passing through a series of cosmic waves of progress and decline. Everything in the universe, material or otherwise, has a soul. The purification of the soul is the purpose of living, for the pure soul is released from the body and then resides in bliss. Jains believe that by following the three-fold path of right Belief, right Knowledge and right Conduct, souls will be released from transmigration and reach the pure and blissful abode or Siddha Sila. Jainism spread rapidly among the trading community. The emphasis on non-violence prevented agriculturists from being Jainas, since cultivation involved killing insects and pests. According to the tradition of the Svetambara Jains, the original doctrine taught by Mahavira was contained in fourteen old texts styled Purvas. Close to 4th century B.C., due to a famine in south Bihar, important sections of Jains, headed by Bhadrabahu,

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 268

fled to Mysore. To revive the knowledge of sacred texts, which was passing into oblivion following the famine in south Bihar and fleeing of majority of Jains, a council was convoked by those who were left behind in Pataliputra, which resulted in compilation of the 12 Angas which are regarded as the most important part of the Jain canon. Another council was held at Valabhi in Gujarat in 5th or 6th century A.D. which made a final collection of the scriptures and reduced them to writing. The followers of Bhadrabahu, on their return to the north, refused to acknowledge the Angas and came to be known as Svetambaras (clad in white) as they wore white garments notwithstanding the injunctions of Mahavira. The original followers came to be called Digambaras (sky-clad or naked). Gautama Buddha was born as Siddhartha to Suddhodana, a Raja or noble of Kapilvastu (in the Nepal Terai to the north of Basti district of Uttar Pradesh) and Maya, a princess of Devadaha, a small town in the Sakya territory. Maya died while giving birth to Siddhartha and he was brought up by his aunt and step-mother Prajapati Gautami. The site of nativity of Gautama Buddha is marked by the celebrated Rummindei Pillar of Ashoka. Siddhartha was married to Yashodara at the age of 16. Yashodara was also known as Bhadda Kachchana, Subhadraka, Bimba or Gopa. The Great Renunciation took place when Sidhartha reached the age of 29. For six years he lived as a homeless ascetic. At Uruvila he practiced the most rigid austerities only to find that they were of no help to him to achieve his goal. Sidhartha finally sat under a pipal or Banyan tree at modern Bodh Gaya, after taking a bath in the stream of river Nairanjana, modern Lilajan. Here he attained the supreme knowledge and insight and became known as Buddha or the Enlightened One, Tathagata (―he who attained the truth‖) and Sakya-muni or the sage of the Sakya clan. The first sermon by Buddha was given in the Deer Park near Sarnath, in the neighbourhood of Benaras. This sermon was called the Turning of the Wheel of Law, and was the nucleus of the Buddhist teachings. Among Buddha‘s early converts was his cousin Devadatta who, subsequently broke away and founded a rival sect that survived in parts of Oudh and western Bengal till the Gupta period. The Buddha is said to have died at the age of 80 at Kusinagar, modern Kasia in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Buddha taught his followers the four ―Noble Truths‖ (Arya Satya) concerning suffering, the cause of suffering, the destruction of suffering and the way that leads to the destruction of sorrow. As per Buddhist teachings, salvation is possible through the Eightfold Path, which consisted of eight principles of action, leading to a balanced, moderate life (right views, resolves, speech conduct, livelihood, effort, recollection and meditation, the combination of which was described as Middle Way).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 269

The doctrine of karma was essential to the Buddhist way of salvation. Unlike the brahmanical idea, karma was not used to explain away caste status, since Buddha rejected caste. Buddhism was atheistic, in as much as God was not essential to the Universe, there being a natural cosmic rise and decline. The acceptance of nuns in the Buddhist monasteries was a revolutionary step from the point of view of the status of women. The earliest surviving form of Buddhism, called Theravada, is still predominant in Sri Lanka and South-East Asian countries. Shortly after the death of Buddha a great Council (Sangiti) was held at Rajagriha to compile the religious doctrine (Dharma) and the monastic code (Vinaya). A second council was convoked a century later at Vaishali which condemned the rules in respect of the ten points and revised the scriptures. A fresh condemnation of heresy took place during the reign of Ashoka, under whose patronage a third council was summoned at Pataliputra by a learned monk, Tisaa Moggaliputta, 236 years after Buddha‘s death. The fourth council was held under Kanishka which prepared elaborate commentaries (Upadesh Shastras and Vibhasha Shastras) on the sacred texts. According to Sri Lankan tradition, the sacred texts and commentaries were written down in books in first century B.C. during the reign of King Vattagamani Abhaya. Later, the texts, as distinguished from the commentaries, came to be known as Pali.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 270

History -- Imperial Guptas

Ashoka‘s death left a vacuum in India for the next 600 years, during which, several foreign tribes overran India. With the ascent of the Gupta power, the northern States were merged into a single empire. This national revival yielded an excellent administration and trade, all-round development with prevailing order and peace. The tax-burden was low compared to the Mauryan rule and the State provided for safe roads for trade. The period saw the revival of religion, sanskrit literature, art and architecture too. After the Mauryas, the two main powers were the Satavahanas in the Deccan and the Kushanas in the north. They carried on brisk trade with the Roman empire. These powers were replaced in the middle of the 3rd century A.D. by the Guptas. The Guptas were Vaishyas by caste and followed Vaishnavism. The main centres of Gupta activity were Magadha (Pataliputra), Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain (M.P., considered as their second capital), Saket (Ayodhya, U.P.), and Sarnath (Benaras, Varanasi, U.P.). Sri Gupta and his son Ghatotkacha Gupta were the first definite rulers of this dynasty, who also used the term ‗Maharaja‘. However, no definite place is assigned to them over which they ruled. Chandragupta-I is considered ―real founder‖. He started the Gupta Era (320 A.D.). His marriage alliance with the Licchavi (North Bihar) princess Kumaradevi enhanced his status and he ruled over Oudh, Magadh and Prayag. Samudra Gupta‘s campaigns have been mentioned by his court poet Harisena in the Prayag Prasasti, which is a valuable source of information for the various States, tribes and their rulers. His victory over the Nagas, Hunas, Vakatakas, etc gave him the title of ―Indian Napoleon‖ (for his conquests), especially the Vakataka ruler Pravarasena (of Berar, Deccan) and Tamralipti (Bengal). The Guptas were secular rulers and offered religious freedom to the society. Chandra Gupta-II (―Vikramaditya‖) defeated his elder brother Ramagupta and the Saka chief Basana, because Ramagupta had agreed to offer his wife Dhruvadevi to save the kingdom from Basana. To strengthen his position further, he married his daughter Prabhadevi, by his wife Kuber Naga, to the Vakataka king Rudrasena II. The Vakatakas helped him to end the power of the Sakas of Western India. Vikramaditya is identified with king Chandra of the iron pillar inscription near Qutab Minar, Delhi. The reign of Vikramaditya also saw the visit of the Chinese monk Fahien, who wanted to secure some copies of Buddhist manuscripts from India. Skanda Gupta is famous for saving the empire from the Huna tribe, which had overran Asia and Europe. They suffered a terrible defeat in India. Skanda Gupta appointed Parnadatta as governor to the Sakas at Saurashtra. The famous Junagarh rock inscription in Girnar hills, Kathiawar, refer to the repair of the embankment of the Sudarshan Lake by

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 271

Parnadatta and his son Chakrapalita. The last important Gupta ruler was Vishnu Gupta. Archaeological sources of Gupta history are available as ―prasastis‖ (charters recording land grants, etc). They are called Tamra sasanas or Tamrapatras (copper plates). Gupta coins were first issued by Samudra Gupta, as the golden ―Dinara‖. He also issued Chandragupta and Kumaradevi type coins to commemorate his father‘s marriage to the Licchavi princess. The first silver coins were issued by Chandragupta-II, on imitation of the western Satraps. Copper coins were also issued. Brahmanical faith, which had been eclipsed for long by the new sects of Buddhism and Jainism, achieved immense splendour under the Vaishnavite Guptas, who also encouraged to revive use of Sanskrit. Devi worship in various forms achieved importance during Gupta period. Lakshmi was worshipped as consort to Vishnu and Parvati to Shiva. Emergence of Bhakti cult, stressing on worship, devotion and love towards a personal God, gained importance during the Gupta period. Literature and intellectual progress also manifested unparalleled progress. Sanskrit was honoured as the State language. Some important scholars/works of the period are: (a) Vishnusharma — wrote Panchatantra, a collection of moral stories. (b) Harisena—author of Prayag (Allahabad) prasasti (insciption)—gives account of Samudragupta‘s campaigns. (c) Vishakhadutta — wrote Mudra Rakshas (on Mauryas and Nandas) and Devichandragupta (on Chandragupta-II and Dhruva Devi). (d) Shudraka—wrote Mricchakatika (a drama on a Brahmin merchant Charudutt and a courtesan Vasantsena, portrays city life). (e) Bharavi—epic poem Kirtarjuneya (Arjuna and the disguised hunter Shiva). (f) Dandin—Dasakumaracharita (stories of 10 princes). (g) Subandhu—Vasavdatta (story of prince Kandarpketu and princess Vasavdatta). (h) Banabhatta—a later date writer—wrote Harshacharita and Kadambari—he was court poet of Harsha Vardhana. (i) Amarsimha—a lexicographer—he wrote Amarakosa, he listed various metals and alloys. (j) Kamandaka—Nitisara (on Chandragupta-I‘s polity and administration)— is parallel to Kautilya‘s Arthasastra. (k) Puranas—religious literature was made more appealing. Puranas were finally written down. (l) Kalidasa—greatest literary scholar—wrote the dramas Abhijnanasakuntalam (Shakuntala), Vikramorvasiya, Malvikagnimitra; The epics Raghuvamsa and Kumarasambhava; The poetries Meghaduta and Ritusamhara.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 272

Nalanda (Rajagriha, Bihar) was founded by Kumaragupta (A.D. 450) and was famous for its tests. There was free education. It had 10,000 students, 1,500 teachers and 300 classrooms, a big three-storeyed library. Huen Tsang who came later, during Harsha, studied here for five years. Itsing (A.D. 675) records a donation by Sri Gupta, for the University. Guptas started using bricks for temples (E.g. Bhitargaon temple, Kanpur). The Dasavatara temple, dedicated to Vishnu, at Deogarh, Jhansi shows a transitory State from flat roof temples to the shikhara style. In sculpture, purely indigenous patterns were adopted—instead of the Kushana period Buddha with shaven head, we have the Buddha with curly hair now, and transparent drapery was used along with various mudras (postures). The main centres were Sarnath (Benaras), Mathura, Pataliputra (Patna). Some famous sculptures of Gupta period are: —The seated or preaching Buddha, giving his first sermon, discovered in sandstone, at Varanasi. —The standing Buddha, at Mathura, in red sandstone. —The great boar—as Vishnu‘s incarnation—Udaigiri caves. The art of painting reached its zenith during the Gupta period and is manifested at Bagh caves (Gwalior, M.P.) and Ajanta caves (Maharashtra). Aryabhatta—mathematician and astronomer of Gupta period—wrote Aryabhattiya and Surya Siddhanta. He explained the eclipses, shape of earth, its rotation and revolution and gave important results in maths too. Brahmagupta—of Ujjain—had an observatory. Varahmihir wrote Jyotishsastra and Pancha siddhantika on astronomy. Vagabhatta—Physician—wrote Astangasangraha. The central administrative system of the Gupta era comprised the Mantri/Sachiv (modern Chief Minister), Bhatasvapati (commander of infantry and cavalry), Kataka (commander of elephants), Dandapasadhikaran (police chief), Kumaramatyas and Ayuktas (provincial heads). Each province was called bhukti and was under such officials as uparikas, bhojikas, goptas, rajasthaniyas, etc. The provinces were divided into vishyas, under charge of Vishyapatis. The lowest division (village) was under the gramika (village headman). Land was properly classified into kshetra (cultivable), khila (wasteland), donations for brahmins (agrahara grants), donations for religious purposes (Devagrahara land grants) and so on. The land revenue system was put in charge of Dhruvadhikaranika. The pustapala was an officer especially appointed to record various land transactions. The receivers of land grants had the right to enjoy land revenue from the farmers. They could even punish and

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 273

try thieves. Thus, there was serfdom (forced work) and oppression of the peasantry. A number of taxes had to be paid to the king. These were: Bhaga (1/6th of produce). Bhoga (taxes in kind fruits, wood, flowers, etc.). Kara (periodic tax on farmers). Uparikara (extra taxes). Udianga (probably water tax). Sulka (modern customs tax). Klipta and Upaklipta (purchase and sales taxes). There were two classes of merchants—settled (sresthi) and caravan traders (Sarthavaha). The group of merchants called as ―puga‖ constituted the advisory council in cities. Its president was the Nagarsresthi. Town mayor was called Purupala. The Guptas spread Indian culture to the S.E. Asian countries, especially Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism. The Srenis (traders unions or guilds) had immense powers. Not only did they perform economic functions but also judicial and executive ones. Some of them even issued seals and coins and had their own militia (called Srenibala, in the Kalachuri inscriptions). Narada and Brihaspati smritis lay down the rules for merchants. The normal rate of interest was 15% per annum. The most important metal of the Gupta age was iron. The blacksmith acquired the second most important place in the village economy. The iron pillar (of Chandra Gupta-II) is a fine example of iron workers of Gupta period. The term golden age can be applied mainly for the economically upper classes, and that too in Northern India only. Though art and architecture flourished, it was confined as a ―State art‖. There was flourishing trade with the southeast, but, on the whole, there was decline of trade centres and towns. Sanskrit literature, undoubtedly, made immense progress, but it was more of a state language, limited to the learned ones. The caste-system became rigid during this period. Manu, for instance, had put several restrictions on the woman and the shudras. In no way was the tax-burden on the common man low. The flourishing money—economy during their predecessors (Kushanas and Satvahanas)—also slowly broke down. Fahien mentions use of ―cowries‖ (shells) as the ―common medium of exchange‖, indicating shortage of coins.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 274

History -- Trade & Commerce in ancient India

Metallurgy is as old as pre-historic times. Mining of metals was known even in pre-Vedic period and during the Harappa period various metals like cop-per, lead, silver were in use. During Vedic period, metal (ayas) was chiefly of two kinds—krishna ayas (black metal or iron) used during later Vedic period and loh ayas (copper). The Jatakas refer to eighteen important handicrafts and industries. The Vaishyas developed institu-tions like Sreni, Nigama and Puga to regu-late trade and avoid intrusion by other varnas and develop monopoly. Proper rules of conduct of trade were laid by the head of trade guilds, known as Sarthavaha or Srenipramukha. The rules were called Samay and Srenidharma. Taxila, Pushkalavati, Kapisa and Vidisha prospered as trade centres, under the Indo-Greek rulers. Kautilya asked the king to develop measures to stop obstruction of the trade routes by his favourite men (vallabhas). Frontier guards (Antapalas) were also appointed. The close contacts between the commercial classes and the king‘s court is very clear from the rules of the settlement layout of the historic city of Patliputra. Here, people lived in various parts, according to their social status. Kautilya looked upon artisans and traders as big thieves and held them under suspect. He demanded strict con-trol over them, as also with the often indisciplined frontier guards (antapalas). Guilds of merchants were proper-ly registered and even served as banks. During Mauryas, most important trade route was from Taxila to Patliputra. Ships in ancient period were usually of the two-masted type. In the 2nd century A.D., a regular sea-route was in operation for the quest for gold (swarna). Monsoons (Arabic: Mausam) were discovered by Hippalus (Greek captain) and this discovery in 45 A.D. that mon-soons could sail ships from Alexandria to Western India in just a 40-days period, tremendously increased the Roman sea-trade, due to shortening of trade-route. Muziris (Cranganore, Kerala) and Puhar (in Cholamandalam) were major sea-ports and foreign settlements. Among land-routes, the silk-route was very often in use till Kushan period. Later period saw it becomming unsafe, due to robbers.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 275

The Periplus of Erythrean Sea is a travellers‘ handbook (Erythrean Sea—Red sea). It mentions more than 20 trade ports like: Barygaza (Broach), Suppara (Soparal), Kalliena (Kalyana), Muziris (Pondicherry), Soptama (Madras), Puhar (Orissa), Masalia (Masulipatnam). The important exports from India were: Fine textiles from Varanasi, Malabathrum (spicy leaves) from Tamralipti (Tamluk, R. Ganges, Bengal), muslins (Pondicherry), pepper (Muziris), ivory (Puhar, Orissa). Pepper was a very valuable export till 13th century A.D. Marco Polo (Italy) mentions that a ship was measured by the number of pepper baskets contained in it. Trade suffered a setback in 3rd century A.D. But in the 4th century A.D., silk trade increased and silk was brought within reach of the common man. The decline in the westward trade towards the 2nd-3rd century A.D. was later compen-sated for by the prospering trade now developed with the south-east Asian States like the Suvarnabhumi, Kambuja (Kampuchea), Champa (Annam). During Guptas, there was no material change in the previous trade-routes, trade practices, organisation, cur-rency system, etc. The one note-worthy change was a decline in the Roman trade and the three major ports of Muziris, Arikamedu and Kaveripattinam. In his plays, Kalidas potraits a good view of the town markets and trade transactions. The internal trade now expanded to several inland trade centres. Roman emperor Aurelian declared Indian silk to be its worth in gold. Indians acted as intermediaries to the Chinese silk trade and the Western States. Among spices, pepper always held the first place and was declared passion of the Yavanas (Romans). The demand for Roman goods was smaller than that of Indian goods abroad and it suffered an adverse trade balance of trade. To make up this balance, the Romans supplied gold and silver coins to India. This ever-increasing drain of wealth was once complained by the emperor Tiberious (22 A.D.). The author Pliny also laments such losses. The Kushanas remoulded the Roman coins so that they could be used as currency. Among imports, there were singing boys, virgins for the rulers‘ harem, slaves and valuable corals (Mediterranean Red Variety), dates, Italian vases and wines, sweet clovers, glass, tin (Spain), emeralds, etc. The Divyavadana refers to the science of testing gems. The merchants‘ sons were trained in 64 Angavidyas or finearts, according to Vatsyayana. Rome, the Chief importer of Indian muslin, once banned it, due to the rising loss of morals of its females. Narada, Katyayana and Brihaspati gave specific instructions towards the rights and duties of guild members, in their smritis. Gupta sites of Basarh (Vaisali) and Bhita (Allahabad) bear the names Nigama and Sreni

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 276

Sarthavaha Kulika Nigama at Vaisali. India obtained brass, lead and gold from foreigners, whereas Indian iron and steel (saikya ayas) was very advanced in quality and was exported. Milindpanho mentions 75 trades, 60 related to crafts, 8 to metals. Charaksamhita (on Indian tradi-tional medicine and surgery) recommends the use of saikya ayas for operations. Nasik cave inscription tells that srenis often acted as law providers also. (Sresthis, are now called as Seths, Settis in South India and also Chettiyars). Rate of interest fluctuated greatly, but was usually near 15% (higher for loans for sea-trade). The common coins were: Nishka and Pala of Gold, Shatmana of silver, Kakini of copper and brass. The most common coin Karshapana was made of various metals. The major source of revenue for Guptas was land revenue. Textiles formed a major industry in this period. Rock cutting also evolved as another important occupation due to the rapid rise in use of statues for prayers. India imported horses from Arabia, Iran and Bactria. Ujjain was the most flourishing trade centre in and around the Gupta period. Agrarian Structure in Post-Gupta period A lot of confusion about agrarian structure of post-Gupta period exists, due to the contradictory picture provided by several Smriti writers and other sources. There were several land grants, both secular and religious in nature. The secular grants were mostly towards the high officials while religious grants were towards the Brahmins and the temples. The practice of land grants finally developed feudalism. The peasant, who was initially free was now under severe burden. There were several intermediate classes of land owners. There was an increase in the forced labour, Vishti, due to the emergence of a ―landed aristocratic class‖. The peasants were mostly sudras. In fact, peasants were thought of as sudras. All land was supposed to be under the State ownership, but in practice individuals were owners of land. Various categories of ownerships existed, like Sakta (land owned by indi-viduals), Prakrsta (tilled by certain individuals), Kaustambakshetra (fields owned by cultivators themselves).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 277

In a few land grants, villages are described as also carrying with them the right towards all traders living in it. The grants were rent-free. Aprada, Sasana, Chaturvaiya-grama, Brahmadeya, etc are names of land grants. The rights were hereditary. The Kashmiri ruler Shankaravar-man used to usurp lands from grant holders. During Harsha, cash payments were usually for military services only. Agrahara land was granted only to brahmins. Social Changes Rig Vedic society was chiefly pas-toral and semi-nomadic. Their chief wealth was the gau (cow) and a wealthy person was called gomat, the king or head was called gopati or gopa. Vedic society in early period had no such serving class like the shudras. Early literature of the Buddhists provides a picture of a settled agricultural economy and an emerging commerce in urban centres. Mauryas saw a tremendous increase in trade. The Gupta period saw changes in agrarian structure due to system of land grants. Varna Samkara denotes mixed castes, considered ritually impure, includ-ed tribes or descendants of intercaste marriages. A child born out of brahmin and vaishya combination was called ambastha and that of brahmin and sudra as nisada, vaishya and sudra as ugra, brahmin and sudra as parsava. In the later vedic period, there were as many as 17 kinds of priests look-ing into various sacrifices. The Brahmin was one such priest, who gradually sur-passed them and became their representative. Besides the four varnas, there was a Panchamvarna (5th varna), comprising the untouchables. The principal tax-payers were the vaishyas. The social transformation of vaishya and sudras was under crisis in the 3rd century A.D., due to refusal to stick to their occupations and pay taxes. The prac-tice of land grants was started by a few rulers to relax the tax collections, now entrusted to grant holders. The term Rajanya, existing in liter-ary sources as well as in coins, signifies kshatriyas. In the Buddhist texts, the social order is denoted as: kshatriya, brahmin, vaishya and sudra (i.e. brahmins at 2nd place, not first). Vaishyas are called graha-patis or householders.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 278

The samskaras were important religious sacraments for the human body. They are generally 16 in number. There are eight forms of marriage, according to the Dharmasastras. The approved ones are: Brahma, Prajapatya, Daiva and Arsa. Divorce was severely con-demned. The unapproved ones were: asura, paisacha, rakshasa and gandharva (love marriage). Re-marriage was allowed by the Brahmanical law givers as well as by Kautilya. Polygamy was generally practiced by the socially upper classes. Intercaste marriages were gener-ally in Anuloma system (marriage of high caste male with low caste female). There were several mixed castes also, arising out of tribals and foreigners. The asura form of marriage (marriage by purchase) was quite preva-lent, even though not approved by the shastras. The position of women declined during the pre-Gupta and Gupta times and further more in later periods. The use of veils (purdah) by women can be noticed near Harsha‘s times (his sister Rajyasri used it) and increased during the advent of Muslims. Some smritis encourage the prac-tice of sati. The first definite historical inci-dent of sati is recorded in 510 A.D., in the case of wife of Goparaja (a general of Bhanu Gupta). It existed mostly in Deccan and Central India. Smritis recommend an austere life for widows. The skanda purana advocates the shaving of heads of widows. During post-Gupta period, Vaishnava Dharma was prevalent in India. Lalitaditya of Kashmir, Sens of Bengal, Chandels and Chauhans were mostly Vaishnavites. However, the epicentre of Vaisnavism was the Tamil region. Alwar saints brought the worship of Vishnu to new heights, mainly in the 9th and 10th centuries. Two famous female Alwar saints were Andal and Namallalwar. Among Hindus, Shaivites were most numerous. The Pala rulers of Bengal were Buddhists, but their inscriptions begin with Om Namah Shivaya. Ganesha became a popular deity of the Hindus in the 10th century A.D., especially in the western States, where Ganapati cult arose and held Ganesha as higher than other deities. Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations (mentioned in Agni Purana) are believed to originate somewhere around 9-10th century A.D. Huen Tsang, speaks of a flourish-ing Buddhist faith, even in the 7th century A.D., besides other faiths, especially in U.P., Bihar and Bengal. The Kayastha caste was also born somewhere during Gupta period. They were usually scribes under State

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 279

service. First mention of Kayasthas is made by Yajyavalkya. During Guptas, they existed only as a social class and later they got converted into a caste. Antayajas were a class of people living outside the town, as they were con-sidered untouchables. The synonym Chandala has also been used for them. They were considered even lower than the sudras.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 280

Indian Constitution

Idea for a Constituent Assembly for drafting a constitution for India was first provided by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1895. The elections for the first Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Initially it had 389 members, but later the reformed Assembly had 324 members. The State of Hydrabad did not participate in elections to the Constituent Assembly. The first meeting of Constituent Assembly was held on December 9, 1946— its president was Dr Sacchidanand Sinha. The second meeting was held on December 11, 1946. Its president was Dr Rajendra Prasad. The Objectives Resolution was passed under chairmanship of J.L. Nehru. The Draft of Indian Constitution was presented in October 1947. President of the Drafting Committee was Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The Flag Committee worked under J.B. Kripalani. The total time consumed to prepare the draft was 2 years, 11 months, 18 days. Total 11 meetings were held for this. The Indian Constitution was enacted on November 26, 1946 and put into force on January 26, 1950. The Constitution today has 444 Articles and 12 schedules. Originally there were 395 Articles and 8 schedules. SOCIALIST, SECULAR, INTEGRITY—these words were added to the Preamble later, through the 42nd Amendment, 1976. The Preamble contains aims and objectives of our Constitution. Fundament Rights are contained in Part III— called ―Magna Carta‖ of the Constitution. The idea was borrowed from USA. Initially there were 7 fundamental rights, now there are only 6. (The Right to Property was deleted by the 44th amendment in 1978. It is now a judicial right—it has been moved to Article 300(A).) The Supreme Court judgement in Keshwanand Bharti vs Kerala case provided that Fundamental Rights can be altered by the Parliament as long as the basic structure of the Constitution remains intact. The Minerva Mills case ruling of the Supreme Court, however, ruled that Fundamental rights are basic part of the Constitution. The power to alter them was snatched away.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 281

Fundamental Right of Equality provides for: —Equality in government jobs (Article 16). —No discriminations (Article 15). —No untouchability (Article 17). —Abolition of titles (Article 18). The important freedoms granted are: —Against exploitation (Article 23). —Against child labour (Article 24). The Right to Constitutional Remedies is provided under Article 32. The Constitution provides that High Courts and the Supreme Court can issue various writs (written orders) to safeguard freedom of an individual. There are five types of writs: Habeas Corpus—―may I have the body‖—it orders to present reasons as well as physical presence of a body in court, within 24 hours of arrest. Mandamus—issued to person, office or court—to enforce duties—also called ―Param Aadesh‖. Prohibition—issued to inferior courts, by superior courts—it prohibits (stops) action of acts outside their jurisdiction. Quo Warranto—it asks how one has gained unauthorised office. Certiorari —Higher Court takes over case from lower courts. Dr Ambedkar has called this article as ―soul‖ of the Constitution. Directive Principles of State Policy act as guidelines or morals for the government. They are contained in Part IV of the Constitution. They were borrowed from Ireland. Some important directive principles are: —Gram Panchayats (Article 40). —Uniform civil code (Article 44). —Free and compulsory education (Article 45). Fundamental duties are contained in part IV(A). There are ten fundamental duties listed in the Constitution. This idea was borrowed from Russia. The Vice President is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. However, he is not a member of any House. If a member is found sitting in another House of Parliament, of which he is not a member, he has to pay a fine of Rs 5000. Rajya Sabha has 250 members—238 elected and 12 nominated by the President. Uttar Pradesh elects maximum number of members for the Rajya Sabha (34), followed by Bihar (22) and Maharashtra (19). In one year time, the President must hold at least two meetings of the Rajya Sabha.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 282

If a state of Emergency is declared, the Lok Sabha is dissolved, but not the Rajya Sabha (It is a permanent House). Lok Sabha has 547 members—545 elected and 2 nominated from the Anglo-Indian Community. During a state of emergency, the tenure of Lok Sabha can be extended by a maximum of one year. Maximum number of members of Lok Sabha are elected from Uttar Pradesh (80 members), followed by Bihar (54) and Maharashtra (48). Minimum age for becoming member of Lok Sabha is 25 years and Rajya Sabha is 30 years. Minimum age to be eligible for the post of the President is 35 years. The President is elected by members of both Houses of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. The Vice President is elected by all members of the Parliament. To discuss an important topic, the normal procedure of the Parliament is stopped under the Adjournment motion. Decision about whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not is taken by the Lok Sabha Speaker. The first High Courts in India were established at Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras, in 1862. Allahabad and Delhi were established next in 1866. Maximum age to remain a High Court judge is 62 years and maximum age to remain a Supreme Court judge is 65 years. The process for removal of Comptroller and Auditor General of India is same as that of judges of the Supreme Court. Attorney General is the law expert to government. He can participate and speak in both Houses of Parliament, but is not allowed to vote. The idea of having a Lokpal to check corruption at the highest level has been borrowed from ―Ombudsman‖ of Sweden. In the States, we have the Lok Ayukta. There are three types of Emergencies that can be proclaimed by the President. Emergency under Article 352—due to war or internal rebellion. (Implemented three times (1962, 71, 75).) Emergency under Article 356—Constitutional problems. (Implemented many times, in various States like J&K, Punjab, etc.) Emergency under Article 360—Financial Emergency. (Not implemented so far). The Constitution initially recognised 14 National Languages. Later, four more were added. These were: Sindhi

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 283

(21st amendment), Nepali, Konkani and Manipuri (71st amendment). To gain the status of a National Party, a political party must be recognised in four or more States, attaining at least 4% votes on national scale and 9% in each State. The flag of the Congress party was accepted as the National Flag (with few changes) on July 22, 1947. The new Flag Code of India gives freedom to individuals to hoist the flag on all days, but with due respect to the flag. The Question hour in the Parliament is observed from 11 am to 12 noon. The Zero hour is observed from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. Balwant Rai Mehta Committee suggested a three-tier structure for Panchayati Raj—Gram Panchayat village level, Panchayat Samiti at block level and Zila Parishad in districts. First Constitutional Amendment—1951—put a ban on propagating ideas to harm friendly relations with foreign countries. Planning Commission is only an advisory and specialist body. Its chairman is the Prime Minister. National Development Council is the main body concerned with the actual planning process. Its chairman is also the Prime Minister. The first leader of the Opposition was Ram Subhag Singh, in 1969. The shortest Lok Sabha span was 13 days (12th Lok Sabha in 1998). Although the Parliament can pass impeachment motion against judges, their conduct cannot be discussed by it. There are at present 18 High Courts in India. Article 370 gives special status to Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Constitution was the first of the preceding two centuries which was not imposed by an imperial power, but was made by the people themselves, through representatives in a Constituent Assembly. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is not enforceable in a court of law. It states the objects which the Constitution seeks to establish. The Indian Constitution endows the Judiciary with power of declaring a law as unconstitutional if it is beyond the competence of the Legislature according to the distribution of powers provided by the Constitution, or if it is in contravention of the fundamental rights or of any other mandatory provision, e.g. Articles 286, 299, 301 and 304.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 284

As part of the integration of various Indian States into the Dominion of India a three-fold process of integration, known as the Patel Scheme, was implemented. (i) 216 States were merged into the respective Provinces, geographically contiguous to them. These merged States were included in the territories of the States in Part B in the First Schedule of the Constitution. The process of merger started with the merger of Orissa and Chattisgarh States with the then province of Orissa, on January 1, 1948. The last instance was merger of Cooch-Behar with West Bengal in January 1950. (ii) 61 States were converted into Centrally-administered areas and included in Part C of the First Schedule. (iii) The third form was consolidation of groups of States into new viable units, known as Union of States. The first Union formed was the Saurashtra Union on February 15, 1948. The last one was Union of Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949. As many as 275 States were integrated into five Unions—Madhya Bharat, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Travancore-Cochin. These were included in Part B of the First Schedule. Besides, Hyderabad, J&K and Mysore were also included in Part B. At the time of accession to the Dominion of India, the States had acceded only on three subjects (Defence, Foreign Affairs and Communications). Later, revised Instruments of Accession were signed by which all States acceded in respect of all matters included in Union and Concurrent Lists, except only those relating to taxation. The process of integration culminated in the Constitution (7th Amendment) Act, 1956, which abolished Part B States as a class and included all the States in Part A and B in one list.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 285

Geography Notes -- 1

Acid precipitation (Acid Rainfall): is now regarded as a serious problem in some European and Asian countries, the main cause and source of which is emissions of sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides from thermal power plants and burning of fossil fuels. These oxides dissolve in atmospheric water vapour and fall back on earth as acid rainfall. Acid rainfall can cause destruction of crops and trees; destruction of fish; and damage to buildings. Agronomy: Soil management and production of field crops is known as Agronomy. Aleurone layer: is that part of the grain in cereals where much of the protein lies. Alluvial soil: is the richest and most fertile soil of India spread over large areas in northern plains of India. Arakan Yoma: is the extension of the Himalayas located in Myanmar. Asthamudi Lake: is located in Kerala State. Bailadila: in Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh, is known for its wealth of Manganese. Barhara (Tribes): The Barhara tribes mentioned in the Mahabharata who had settled in the north-western regions of India, are associated with—(1) Ambashthas (a mixed Mongolian Aryan race); (2) Gandharas (Afghans); (3) Pavas. Bhabhar region: in south of the Shivaliks, is an example of Piedmont situation i.e., belonging to or related to the foot of a mountain. Bushmen (Tribes): They live in the Kalahari desert. They are probably the descendants of the earliest inhabitants of Africa. They rank among the most uncivilized and backward peoples in the world. Their food consists almost entirely of meat, often raw or decomposed, and in times of scarcity they will eat insects, snakes etc. Cardamom: Karnataka is the largest producer of cardamom. India is the largest exporter of cardamom in the world. Chinook: Warm, dry wind experienced along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the U.S.A. Climograph: is a graphical representation of the differentiation between various types of climate. It reveals the type of climate at a glance—a climograph showing wet bulb temperatures and relative humidities which are high, for instance, depicts a constantly hot damp climate. Coastline of India, Length of: The length of India‘s coastline is 7,516 km and its territory includes 1,256 islands. Tamil Nadu has the longest coastline in India. Cosmic year: One cosmic year is equal to the time taken by the sun to complete one orbit around the galactic centre. Cotopaxi: is the highest volcano in the world. It is situated in Ecuador. Date Line, International: International Date Line is an internationally agreed line drawn parallel to the 180° meridian. It divides the Pacific Ocean into two equal parts. A crossing of the International Date Line entails repeating one day when travelling westwards. Detroit of India: Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh, where a large number of automobile industries have been set up, is called the ―Detroit of India‖. Doldrums Belt: is a zone of the tropics where the calm lasting for some weeks prevails, broken at times by erratic squalls and baffling winds. It is an area of low pressure. The wind system in the Equatorial areas is known as doldrums. Dust Devil: is a dusty whirlwind normally a few feet in diameter and about 100 feet tall, sometimes also wider

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 286

and higher. Earth mass: The mass of the earth is about 81 times that of the moon. Earth’s core: is mainly composed of iron and nickel. Lithosphere is the innermost layer of the earth. El Nino: is the weather phenomenon brewing in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is the largest climate event of the 20th century setting off more global disasters than ever before. El Nino is warming of the waters off Equatorial South America which causes climate abnormalities around the world. The impact can be flooding drought in California, Brazil, Africa and Australia, severe storms in the Central Pacific and a decline in hurricanes hitting the south-eastern United States. Exfoliation: This type of weathering is common both in the cold as well as in the hot climate regions. Fertilizer plant, First: The first fertilizer plant in India was set up at Sindri (Bihar). Garo (Tribes): Garos are the tribe of Garo Hills in Meghalaya. Glacial lake—example in India: Dal Lake in Srinagar. Great Circle: A circle on the earth‘s surface whose plane passes through its centre, and bisects it into two hemispheres. Two opposing meridians together form a Great Circle. The shortest distance between any two points on the earth‘s surface is the arc of the Great Circle which passes through them. 0° latitude forms a Great Circle. (The latitude or longitude 75°W should be combined with 75°E to obtain the Great Circle). Horse Latitudes: Sub-tropical belts of high atmospheric pressure over the oceans situated in both hemispheres. These are called Belts of Calm between regions of the Trade Winds and Westerlies of higher latitudes. Hydroponics: means cultivation of the plants without use of soil. Hyetology: is the study of rainfall. Indira Point: in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is the southern-most tip of India. Irrigated area, Indian State having largest: The Indian State with the largest irrigated area is Uttar Pradesh. Jhum: It is a slash and burn method of shifting cultivation (called jhum) practised on rainfall-bed slopes of forest hills and dales in Arunachal Pradesh. Kandla: is a sea port situated at the head of the Gulf of Kuch in Gujarat State. It was the first port to be developed after independence. It has a free trade zone. Khonds (Tribes): were primitive tribes living in Orissa. Kikuyu (Tribes) : are a race of Bantu negroes who live to the north of Mount Kenya. These people combine agriculture with pastoralism. Kirghiz (Tribes): of Central Asia are an example of people adapted to a grassland environment. The Kirghiz are pastoral nomads who move from pasture to pasture with the flocks and herds of horses, camels, oxen, sheep and goats. Meat forms only a small portion of their food. The Kirghiz are fearless horsemen, and even their children are expert riders Lambadies (Tribes): are concentrated in Karnataka. Lapse Rate: is the rate of change in temperature with increase of altitude. Laterite soils: Laterite soils are formed by the weathering of laterite rocks. These can be distinguished from other soils by their acidity. Laterite soils are generally poor on the higher levels and cannot retain moisture. In the plains, however, they consist of heavy loams and clay and can retain moisture. Laterite soils occur in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and along the eastern and western Ghats. Tea plantation require acidity which is there in the laterite soil. It is, therefore, common in these areas. Loams (loamy soil): Amixture of sand, clay and silt is known as loamy soil. Loams are formed where the soils have equal proportion of sand, silt and clay. Local winds and their areas: Khamsin—Egypt; Zonda—Argentina; Santa Ana—California; Simoon—Iran. Lushais (Tribes): are tribes of Mizoram.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 287

Mansarover Lake: is in Tibet. Near it, the rivers having their source are the Brahamputra, the Sutlej and the Indus. Maoris (Tribes): are the original inhabitants of New Zealand. Masai (Tribes): of the East African plateau are the example of pastoral peoples. They are a tall, strong, warlike race, partly negroid in type. They treat their cattle with great respect and affection and do not kill them for food or for sale as meat. Monsoon in India: is related to differential heating and cooling of the huge landmass of Asia and the Indian Ocean and the origin of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. The term Monsoon was introduced by the Arabs. Munda (Tribes): are mostly located in Madhya Pradesh. Negritos (Tribes): are the ancient tribes of Andamans. Nutrification: is the process of conversion by action of bacteria, of nitrates in the soil. Onges: are tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Oraon (Tribes): are aboriginal people of the Chhota Nagpur region in the State of Bihar. They call themselves Kurukh and speak a Dravidian language. Pangong Tso: is one of the world‘s highest and brackish lakes in Jammu & Kashmir. Pressure zones on earth: are created due to differential heating of the earth‘s surface by the sun. Proxima Centauri: is a star nearest to the earth. Rare earths (Or Lignite and Monazite) : are found on the beaches of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Monazite is an ore of thorium. Roaring Forties: are westerly winds. Saddle peak: is the highest peak of Andaman and Nicobar islands, located in Great Nicobar. Savannas: are found between latitudes 5° and 20° North and South of Equator. These are tropical grasslands bordering the equatorial forests in each hemisphere. The Llanos and Pampas of South America are chief examples of Savannas but extensive Savannas are in Africa. Savanna grasslands are also found in Australia. The three-tier growth of vegetation is found in these regions. The natural vegetation of Savannas consists of tall grass. Selvas: The rain forest of Amazon basin is called Selvas. These are rainy tropical forests.. Semangs (Tribes): are tribal people living in Malaysia. Spring Tides: are caused when the sun and the moon are in a straight line. The tide on its maximum height is known as Spring Tide. Taiga Belt: lies between the Tibet-type climate and the Tundras. Telegu Ganga Project: in Tamil Nadu envisages optimal use of surplus water of the Krishna river. It is a joint venture of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Time Zone: A zone on the terrestrial globe that is 15° longitude wide and extends from pole to pole and within which a uniform clock time is used. Time zones are the functional basis of standard time. The world is divided into 24 time zones. Tsunamis: are huge sea waves caused by earthquakes. Willy Willy: is a tropical cyclone of the north-west Australia.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 288

Notes on IT Questions

The earlier computers, which were massive in size, were based on vacuum tubes. Early computing machines, like the ENIAC, were actually meant to assist the armed forces. The printers in pre-1950s were punch cards. An improvement on the ENIAC, which pioneered ‗stored program‘, was made possible with the help of the mathe-matician John von Neumann. Before the 1950s, computers were mostly owned by universities and research labs. The B-programming language was developed by Ken Thompson. Famous people, associated with the ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC computers are Eckert & Mauchly. The 1st commercially produced and sold computer (1951) was UNIVAC. IBM was provided software for PCs by Microsoft. Time-sharing, teletyping, were associated with mainframe computers. The transformation from heavy computers to PCs was made possible using microprocessors. The first microprocessor was developed in 1971 by Intel. The term ‗micro‘ (extremely small) denotes 10–6 m. The Harvard student, who chose to write computer programs and dropped studies was Bill Gates. A pentium 4 (P-4) employs roughly 40 million transistors. Mark-1, Apple-1, and collossus were initial desktop computers. Binary digits are briefed as bit. A collection of bits is called byte. C++, is a computer language. The process of eliminating programming faults is called debugging.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 289

Starting up on operating system is called booting. A program used to browse the web is called browser. An error in software designing which can even cause a computer to crash is called bug. Click and double-click are achieved using the mouse. Java, C, ForTran, Pascal and BASIC are computer programming languages. The device which sends computer data using a phone line is called MODEM. ‗Worm‘ and ‗virus‘ are actually programs. A ‗file‘ is a unit of information. A megabyte has 106 (million) bytes. A small, single-site network is called LAN. A processor that collects several data and sends them over a single line is called bridge. ‗Nano‘ stands for one billionth part. The number of bit patterns using an n-bit code is 2n. The part of a computer that works with the data/programs is called CPU. To convert a binary number to a decimal, we have to express it in power of 2. www stands for world wide web. Mathematics employed in computers is called Boolean algebra. A collection of 8 bits is called byte. The first home computer (1977), which was sold in millions of units, was Apple II. ‗PARAM‘ is a supercomputer. A website containing periodic posts is called blog. While cutting and pasting, the cut item is temporarily stored in the clipboard.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 290

http stands for hypertext transfer protocol. The unwanted or non-requested e-mails are called ―spam‖. A computer framed to give various network services is called server.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 291

Indian History & Culture

No. Question Answer

01 Alexander invaded India in 326 BC

02 The Mauryan Empire was established in 322 BC

03 The First Mughal Emperor of India was Babur

04 Taj Mahal was built by Shahjahan

05 Lala Lajpat Rai was also known as Lion of Punjab

06 Chandragupta II was also known as Vikramaditya

07 The city of Fatehpur Sikri was built by Akbar

08 The Red Fort in Delhi was built by Shahjahan

09 Battle of Panipat was faught in 1761 AD

10 The first President of India was Dr.Rajendra Prasad

11 "Swaraj is my birthright!" was said by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

12 The capital of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan was Srirangapatnam

13 Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757 AD

14 The first Governor-General of Bengal under the East India Company was Warren Hastings

15 Ashoka was born in 269 BC

16 Permanent settlement in Bengal was introduced by Lord Cornwallis

17 The last Governor-General of India was C.Raja Gopalachari

18 The first session of the Indian National Congress was held at Bombay (Mumbai)

19 Quit India Movement started in the year 1942 AD

20 Sir Thomas Roe,English Ambassador, visited India during the reign of Jahangir

21 In the battle of Plassey, Lord Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daula

22 The city of Calcutta was founded in 1690 AD

23 The capital of king Vikramaditya's kingdom was Ujjain

24 The first Viceroy of India was Lord Canning

25 The name of the famous horse of Rana Pratap was Chetak

26 The Grand Trunk road was built during the reign of Shersa Suri

27 Tipu Sultan was born in 1750 AD

28 Home Rule Movement was started by Annie Besant

29 Shivaji was crowned in 1664 AD

30 East India Company was established in the year 1600 AD

31 The capital city of ancient India was Indraprastha

32 The first woman ruler in India was Razia Begum

33 The capital of the Mauryan was Patliputra

34 The construction of Qutb Minar in Delhi was completed by Ala-ud-din

35 Din-i-Ilahi was founded by Akbar

36 Rabindranath tagore was born in 1861 AD

37 The most famous king of Vijayanagar Empire was Krishnadevaraya

38 Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was also known as Frontier Gandhi

39 Samudra Gupta is popularly known as Napolean of India

40 The first Tamil hero who fought against the British was Veerapandya Kattabomman

41 Akbar's tomb is situated at Sikandrabad

42 Gautama Buddha was the son of Shuddhodan

43 Shivaji's mother was Jeejabai

44 Gandhiji's mother was Puthali Bai

45 The political teacher of shivaji was Dadoji Konddev

46 Timur invaded India in the year 1398 AD

47 Mahmud Ghazni was the son of Sabaktageen

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 292

48 The city of Ahmedabad was established by Ahmed Shah I

49 Rani padmini was Queen of Rana Ratna simha,the king of Chittoor

50 The real name of Babar was Zahiruddin Muhammed

51 The meaning of the word "Babar" is Tiger

52 Vijayasthamba is located at Chittoor Fort

53 Timur was the ruler of Samarkhand,Central Asia

54 The Indian social reformer who fought for the abolition of Sati was Rajaram Mohan Roy

55 The first British Governor General of free India was Lord Mountbatten

56 Dadabhai Naoroji was associated with the theory of "Drain of Wealth"

57 The kingdom of South India well known for its Naval power was The Cholas

58 Aligarh Muslim University was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

59 The first Indian ruler who prohibited Sati was Akbar

60 The Mughal ruler who was to recruit Rajput nobles in his administration was Akbar

61 The reforms announced by the British Govt.in 1909 are known as The Morle-Minto Reforms

62 The architect who designed the capital City of New Delhi was E.L.Lutyens

63 At the time of independence, the number of princely states in India were 552

64 The Indian Prime Minister known as "Man of Peace" was Lal Bahadur Shastri

65 The Indian king who fought the last Anglo-Mysore War against the English was Tipu Sultan

66 Kohinoor Diamond was taken away by Nadir Shah

67 The full name of Shahjehan was Khurram Shihabuddin Mohammed Shahjehan

68 The Bardoli satyagraha was started by Mahatma Gandhi

69 The founder of Arya Samaj was Swamy Dayanand Saraswati

70 The Governor General who abolished Sati was Lord William Bentinck

71 Bihar was earlier known as Magadha

72 Agra was earlier known as Akbarabad

73 "Harsha Charit" was written by Banabatta

74 Chandragupta Maurya spent the last days of his life at Sravanabelagola

75 Jalianwala Bagh Massacre took place at Amritsar

76 Vijayanagar kingdom was situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra

77 In 1498,the sea route to india was discovered by Vasco-da-gama

78 King Bhoja was from the which dynasty Pratihara

79 The period 1206 Ad to 1526 AD is known as The Delhi Sultanate

80 Agra city was founded by Sikandar Lodhi

81 Vijaynagar Empire was founded by Harihara and Bukka

82 The Vijayanagar kings fought frequent wars with the Bahamani Sultans

83 The last king of the Vijayanagar empire was Rama Raya

84 Shankaracharya was associated with which movement Bhakti

85 Ramanuja preached the philosophy of Vishishtadvaita

86 The followers of Ramanuja are known as Vaishnavas

87 Kabir was the disciple of Ramanand

88 The founder of Sikh religion was Guru Nanak

89 Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the year 1526 AD

90 Babar died in the year 1530 AD

91 Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri

92 Humayun died at the age of 48 years

93 Akbar was crowned in the year 1556 AD

94 In the second battle of Panipat, Akbar defeated Himu

95 Akbar died in the year 1605 Ad

96 The original name of Nurjahan was Mehrunisa

97 Jehangir was known for his Justice

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 293

98 Jehangir died in the year 1627 AD

99 Aurangzeb was the son of Shahjehan

100 Aurangzeb died in the year 1707 AD

101 The first Guru of the sikhs was Guru Nanak Dev

102 The tenth Guru of the sikhs was Guru Gobind Singh

103 Amritsar was founded by Guru Ram Das

104 The Golden Temple was built by Guru Arjan Dev

105 The Akal Takht was built by Guru Hargobind

106 Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1666 AD

107 The `Khalsa' at Anandpur Sahib was founded by Guru Gobind Singh

108 Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born in 1780 AD

109 Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the year 1862 AD

110 Shivaji died at age of 50 years

111 In tne year 1798,who was appointed as the Governor-General Wellesley

112 Wellesley started the policy of Subsidiary Alliance

113 Dalhousie became the Governor-General in 1848 AD

114 The first war of Indian Independence fought in 1857 is also known as The Sepoy Mutiny

115 The Lady ruler who participated in the 1857 Revolt was Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi

116 The Indian Association was formed in 1876 at Calcutta

117 The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885 AD

118 The Rowlatt Act was passed in the year 1919 AD

119 The Jalianwala Bagh Massacre took place in the year 1919 AD

120 The movement launched in 1920 is known as The Non-Co-operation Movement

121 The Simon Commission came to India in the year 1928 AD

122 Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Bindusara

123 Ashoka invaded Kalinga in the year 261 BC

124 Ashoka died in the year 232 BC

125 Ashoka ruled for a period of 40 years

126 The last king of Maurya dynasty was Brihadratha

127 Chandragupta was succeeded by Samudragupta

128 The Iron Pillar near Qutb Minar was erected by Chandragupta II

129 Fahien, a Chinese traveller visited india during the reign of Chandragupta II

130 Harshavardhana ascended the throne at the age of 16 years

131 Harshavardhana was defeated by Pulakeshin II

132 The Chinese traveller who visited India during the reign of Harshavardhana was Hieun Tsang

133 Akbar was succeeded by Jehangir

134 Jehangir was succeeded by Shahjehan

135 In ancient times this river was called Shatadru. How do we know it now? Sutlej.

136 In the Rigveda there is a reference to the "Dasharajna Yuddha". What does this refer to? It was a battle of 10 kings fought between Sudasa, a king of the Tritsu family on one side, and a confederacy of 10 tribes on the other. It was fought on the banks of the Parushni (Ravi). Sudasa defeated his enemies in this battle.

137 Who was the ruler of the territory between the Jhelum and the Ravi when Alexander invaded India? Paurava or Porus as the Greeks called him.

138 When Porus surrendered to Alexander, Alexander asked him how he wished to be treated. What was Porus' reply? "As one King would treat another". This was his famous reply that has become a classic. Hearing this Alexander not only reinstated Porus on the throne, but he also added territories towards the east and domains of many republican states to the existing kingdom of Porus (according to Plutarch).

139 Who was Megasthenes? Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador to the Mauryan Court.

140 Who sent Megasthenes as his ambassador to the Mauryan Court? Seleucus Nikator.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 294

141 Where did Seleucus Nikator rule? Babylon. He gradually extended his empire from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus.

142 Whom did Chandragupta Maurya defeat to establish his kingdom? The Nanda dynasty of Magadha.

143 Who helped Chandragupta Maurya defeat the Nanda rulers? Kautilya also called Chanakya.

144 Of which territories was Ashoka the Viceroy before he became the king? Taksha-Shila and Ujjain.

145 "Beloved of the gods" and "of amiable appearance". Ashoka used these titles in his inscriptions. Can you give the original titles? "Devanampiya" and "Piyadassi" (Devanampriya and Priyadarshin).

146 What was unique about the personal bodyguards of the Maurya rulers? They were women.

147 Who was the last Maurya King? Brihadratha.

148 Who overthrew Brihadratha? Pushyamitra, who was his Commander-in-chief.

149 What was the name of the dynasty that succeeded Mauryan dynasty? The Shunga dynasty. (Pushyamitra founded this dynasty after he overthrew the Mauryan ruler)

150 From which source have historians got some details of the overthrow of the Mauryan dynasty? Bana's Harshacharita written almost eight centuries after the event.

151 The Allahabad Pillar inscription is the most authentic record about the reign of a famous Emperor. Identify that Emperor. Samudra Gupta

152 The Hindu kingdom of Champa flourished outside the present boundaries of India. Where would the kingdom be located in today's context? Vietnam. During this period, the country was considered a great centre of Vedic education.

153 What is Theravada in the context of Buddhism? It is a major form of Buddhism prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

154 Where is Angkor Vat located? It is located in the ancient kingdom of Kambuja (modem Cambodia). It means Temple (Vat) of the city (Angkor).

155 Who constructed Angkor Vat? Suryavarman II.

156 To whom is Angkor Vat dedicated? Vishnu.

157 Who wrote Uttara-Rama-Charitam? Bhavabhuti.

158 What is the Gandhara art also known as? Indo-Greek. The Gandhara sculptures drew their inspiration from the Hellenic (Greek) art of Asia Minor.

159 After whom have the rock-cut temples at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu been named? The five Pandavas and Draupadi.

160 To which dynasty did Gautamiputra Shatakarni belong? Shatavahanas.

161 Who founded the Shatavahana dynasty? The founder of the family was Simuka but it was Shatakarni I who raised it to eminence.

162 Who wrote the Buddha Charita? Ashvaghosha.

163 To which dynasty did Kanishka belong? The Kushana dynasty

164 On the banks of which river did Harappa lie? Ravi. Mohenjodaro was on the bank of the Sindhu

(Indus.)

165 Name the trading station of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Lothal.

166 The 'Sapta Sindhu' was the area of the initial Aryan settlement. To what region did it refer? The land of the Sindhu (Indus) and its principal tributaries.

167 Which is the crime that is most often mentioned in the

Rjgveda? Cattle-lifting.

168 What does the word 'Sangam' refer to in Tamil History? It is the literary assembly of Tamil scholars held at Madurai under the patronage of the Pandyan Kings.

169 Which great Chola Emperor started the tradition of installing epigraphs with historical introductions? Rajaraja Chola.

170 Nalanda and Vikramshila were very famous in ancient India. What was the reason for their fame? These were the centres where the famous Buddhist Universities flourished.

171 What were Nalanda, Vikramshila in reality? Buddhist monasteries. They later took on the shape of universities.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 295

172 What does the term Bhagavata relate to? CC.

173 Greek sources refer to him as Sandrocottus (Androcottus). How do we know him? Chandragupta Maurya.

174 What does the term 'dwija' mean? 'Dwija' describes those who wear the sacred thread after Upanayanam. Literally 'Dwija' means twice-born.

175 What was the reason for the importance of Kaveripattanam during the Sangam period? It was among the chief ports of the Tamil countries that carried on trade with the Romans.

176 What was the intoxicating drink that was consumed by the Rig Vedic Aryans during religious ceremonies? Soma.

177 How do we better know "Sakyamuni" (Shakyamuni)? Buddha.

178 Who was the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of the Jains? Vardhamana Mahavira

179 On the basis of the Dhamma that Ashoka propagated, what is "Shusrusha"? Shusrusha meant obedience to father, mother, teacher and men of high caste.

180 What is the literal meaning of Mohenjodaro? Mound of the dead.

181 What is a Stupa? It is a kind of tomb where the relics of Buddha or other Buddhist monks are kept.

182 What were the four sights which Gautam saw, while being driven around the city? An old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic.

183 Who was the chief deity of the Sangam Period? Murugan (Karttikeya)

184 Which Gupta ruler is also known as 'Kavi Raja'? Samudragupta.

185 Samudragupta is represented on coins as playing a particular musical instrument. Which musical instrument is that? Veena.

186 What is common to the following: Kumarasambhava, Ritusamhara, Raghuvamsham and Meghdootam? They are all works of Kalidasa.

187 What was the name of Harsha's sister? Rajyashri

188 What was the title assumed by Harsha when he ascended the throne? Shiladitya

189 Whom did Harsha succeed? His elder brother, Rajyavardhana.

190 Mahendra, the son of Ashoka, was sent as a Buddhist missionary to a particular kingdom. Identify the kingdom. Sri Lanka

191 In ancient times, who were the foreigners who were called Yavanas? The Greeks. The word was derived from the Old Persian form of the word 'Yauna', signifying originally the Ionian Greeks, but later, all people of Greek nationality. In the medieval times it came to be used for all foreigners irrespective of their place of origin.

192 What was Sumatra called as, in ancient times? Suvarnadvipa.

193 Who systematised the rules of Sanskrit grammar

(4 Century BC) in the work Ashtadhyayi? Panini.

194 One of the chief sources of revenue from villages mentioned in the Ashokan inscriptions is the "Bhaga". What is it? Bhaga: King's share of the produce of the soil, usually l/6th. The other source of revenue was the Bali. The Bali was the land tribute paid to the King.

195 In the Mauryan times if someone were referring to the Karshapana, what would he be talking about? The Karshapana was a copper coin that was in use during the Mauryan times. Dharana was a Silver coin and the Kakani were smaller copper coins.

196 Where is Gandhara art found? The ruins of Taksha-shila, in modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

197 What were the Jains originally called? Nirgrantha.

198 In Jainism a small group of people were called Ganadharas. Who were they? The close disciples of Mahavira were called Ganadharas.

199 For a while, Bhagavatism and Brahmanism were separate sects. How did the two merge into one? When Krishna, the main deity of Bhagavatism, began to be identified with Vishnu, the main deity of Brahmanism, the two sects merged into one.

200 What is the importance of the Khyber and Bolan passes in Indian history? The land route between India and West Asia lies through these passes.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 296

201 Which city in ancient India was famous for its textile industry? Mathura

202 What is Stridhana? It is the exclusive property of a married lady, something she often inherits from her mother.

203 According to the Arthashastra the Senapati was an important member of the Mantri Parishad. What was his role? Commander-in-Chief of the army.

204 Jyotisha is one of the Vedangas. What does it deal with? Astronomy and astrology

205 Two popular assemblies used to control the affairs of the Vedic kingdoms. Name them. Sabha: - Body of the elders. Constituted of Brahmins and rich patrons.

Samiti: - An assembly of common people. Meant for the discharge of administration.

206 Who or what are the 'Uttariya' and 'Antariya'? In ancient India, antariya (dhoti) a lower garment was worn by all common people. Uttariya was the garment that covered the upper part of the body. In addition to these the well-to-do people wore Prapata around the waist. Around the prapata, the rich wore Rasana, usually of gold. Ushneesha was used to cover the head and Stanapatta was worn to cover the breasts.

207 Who built the rock-cut temples at Ellora? The Rashtrakuta king, Krishna I.

208 In the context of Buddhism, what is Vinaya Pitaka? It is the work that deals with the governance of the life of Buddhists. It also describes the gradual development of the Sangha and the life and teachings of Buddha.

209 What is contained in the Sutta Pitaka? Sutta Pitaka incorporates the greatest literary works of Buddhism. Of the five collections, the first four consist of discourses of Buddha.

210 Patanjali's Mahabhashya refers to some of the stories about Krishna's early life. Who does Patanjali call Samkarshana? Balarama.

211 With which modern township would you identify the ancient port of Suppara (also known as Surparaka)? Nala Sopara an extended suburb of modern Mumbai.

212 What was the basis of barter for common articles during the Vedic period? Paddy.

213 In which script were a majority of the Ashoka inscriptions written? Brahmi. Brahmi script was used in the whole of the country, except the northwest.

214 What script did Ashoka use in the inscriptions of the Northwest of India? Kharoshti script.

215 The Jaina texts were finally compiled in the sixth century A.D. in Vallabhi in Gujarat. In which language were they written? Prakrit.

216 Who wrote the Arthashastra? Kautilya.

217 Which is a very important source of information for the social, political and economic life of the people living in the Tamil Naidu area in the early Christian era? Sangam literature.

218 Who is the author of the Greek work "Indika"? Megasthenes. This book, however, is not available to us in its entirety and survives only in quotations by subsequent classical writers.

219 When did the Vikram Samvat begin in India? It began in 57 B.C.

220 Over which part of present-day India did the Pala dynasty rule? Bengal.

221 When did the Shaka era begin in India? 78A.D.

222 Who started the Shaka era? Kanishka of the Kushana dynasty.

223 When did the Gupta era begin in India? In 320 A.D., after Chandragupta of the Gupta dynasty.

224 Over which kingdom did Kharavela rule? Kalinga.

225 According to Buddhist sources, a dreaded dacoit had a transformation of heart and took refuge in Buddha's Dhamma. Who was he? Angulimala.

226 An accomplished and rich dancer gave away her mango-grove to the Sangha of Buddha and became his disciple. Name her. Amrapali.

227 Why was the Indus Valley Civilisation originally called the Harappan Civilisation? It was so called because the first site of this civilization was discovered (in 1921) at the modern site of Harappa, in present day Pakistan.

228 What was the basis of the town planning of the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation? It was the Grid System. In the format that they used all roads cut across each other almost at right angles. This led to the city being divided into blocks.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 297

229 What was the most important public place in Mohenjodaro? It was the Great Bath. It was probably used for ritual bathing.

230 What religion did Kharavela patronise? Jainism.

231 The Greeks called cotton "Sindon". There is a reason behind this name. What is it? The people of the Indus Valley Civilisation were the first to produce cotton and therefore the Greeks called it Sindon. This word is derived from the name Sindh.

232 Karikala Chola founded a famous city. What was it? Puhar. Identified with Kaveripatnam the Chola capital.

233 To which Age does the Indus Valley Civilisation belong? The Bronze Age. Iron was not known to them.

234 What is the birthplace of Shankaracharya? Kaladi. Shankaracharya was a famous exponent of the Advaita philosophy. Advaita literally means not two. Advaita believes in an eternal being and holds that the plurality is nothing but illusion.

235 How many books or Mandalas does the Rig Veda contain? Ten.

236 Who introduced chariots drawn by horses into India? The Aryans

237 Who was born to Siddhartha and Trishala in the year 540 B.C.? Vardhamana Mahavira

238 According to the Arthashastra, the Purohita was an important member of the Mantri Parishad. What was his role? He was the High Priest.

239 In ancient India handicraftsmen were organised into economic corporations or guilds. What were these Guilds called? Shreni.

240 Who wrote Kadambari? Banabhatta.

241 At what age did Mahavira abandon the world and become an ascetic? At the age of 30 yrs.

242 Where and when did Mahavira pass away? In 468 B.C at Pavapuri, in modern Bihar.

243 Jainism was divided into two sects. Name them. Shvetambara: - Those clad in white.

Digambara: - Those who are sky-clad (or are naked)

244 Where was Buddha born? Buddha was born in the royal grove in Lumbini near Kapilavastu.

245 Where did Buddha deliver his first sermon? At Sarnath.

246 What was the path to be followed to be free from misery according to Buddha? He recommended following the eight-fold path, (ashtanga magga)

247 Under whose rule did Magadha first attain prominence? Bimbisara. According to Ashwaghosha, Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.

248 Who was the Royal Physician at Bimbisara's court? Jivaka.

249 Which was the capital of the kingdom of Magadha before Pataliputra? Girivraja. Also called Rajagriha or Rajgir.

250 Who succeeded Bimbisara to the throne of Magadha? Ajatashatru.

251 Which dynasty succeeded the dynasty of Bimbisara? The Shishunagas. They conquered the kingdom of Avanti, and made it a part of the Magadhan empire.

252 Where was Pataliputra situated? It was situated at the confluence of the Gandak, the Son, and the Ganga. It is present-day Patna.

253 What were the reasons behind the refusal of the Greek soldiers to accompany Alexander beyond the Beas? They were war weary and home sick. The hot climate of India did not suit them. Having experienced the fighting abilities of the Indian people they were apprehensive about the power of the Nandas. All these reasons contributed to their refusal.

254 What theme does Vishakhadatta's play, Mudrarakshasa, deal with? The strategies adopted by Chanakya against the enemies of Chandragupta Maurya.

255 Which were the four divisions of the army in ancient India? Infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots.

256 Why did Ashoka exempt the village of Lumbini from 'Bali' (tribute paid to the king)? Because this was the birthplace of Gautama Buddha.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 298

257 Menander, also known as Milinda, was the most famous of the Indo-Greek kings. Where was his capital city? Sakala, modern Sialkot.

258 Who was the Buddhist monk who converted Menander into Buddhism? Nagasena or Nagarjuna.

259 What is the Milinda Panha? It is a book, which records the conversation between Nagarjuna and Menander. Milinda Panha literally means Questions by Milinda.

260 Who issued the first long inscription in chaste

Sanskrit? Rudradaman, the famous Shaka ruler.

261 We know of two successive dynasties of the Kushanas. Who founded them? The first dynasty was founded by Kadphises I and the second by Kanishka.

262 The Shakas and the Kushanas completely identified themselves with Indian culture. What factors helped them in this? They did not have a script of their own nor did they have any organised religion.

263 What were the articles of clothing introduced in India by the Shakas and the Kushanas? Trousers, long coat, tunic and turban. The turban, however, is mentioned as a head dress in ancient India (Ushneesha)

264 How were the foreign elements like Shaka, Pahlava and the Kushanas assimilated into Indian society? Since they came as conquerors they were classified as Kshatriyas.

265 Buddhism was divided into two sects. What were they? Mahayana: - The Great wheel. Hinayana: - The Lesser wheel.

266 Name the two Buddhist centres located in present day Andhra Pradesh? Nagarjunakonda and Amaravati.

267 What was the contribution of the Greeks to Indian theatre techniques? The use of curtain was borrowed from the Greeks. The curtain was called "Yavanika".

268 Over which areas did the Shatavahana dynasty rule? The Deccan and Central India.

269 Over which area of India did Rashtrakutas rule? Northern Maharashtra.

270 Who were Gandhikas? Artisans who are mentioned as giving donations to the Buddhists. Originally Gandhika meant perfumes but was later used to describe shopkeepers. The name Gandhi is said to have been derived from it.

271 What was the Buddhist temple known as? Chaitya.

272 What was a Buddhist monastery known as? Vihara.

273 What were the main articles of trade of the Southern Kingdoms of the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pandyas? Spices especially pepper, ivory, pearls, muslin and silk.

274 Name two of the epics of the Sangam Age. Silappadikaram, Jivakachintamani and Manimekalai.

275 What was the Uttarapatha? It was the route that was used for trade. It ran from Taksha-shila to Broach on the Western coast.

276 Which empire rose on the remains of the Kushan Empire? The Gupta Empire.

277 Who were Lichchhavis? What are they known for? Lichchhavis ruled over a vast area from Magadha to Nepal. They were best known for the democracy they practised. It would not be correct to compare it with democracy as understood today. Some preferred to call it oligarchy.

278 Who wrote 'Hitopadesha'? Narayana Bhatta. Hitopadesha is a collection of stories, most of which were drawn from the Panchatantram of Vishnu Sharma.

279 Who is regarded as the first important King of the Gupta dynasty? Chandragupta I.

280 Which Gupta ruler adopted the title 'Vikramaditya'? Chandragupta II. He is regarded as the greatest of the Gupta rulers (376 to 414 AD).

281 Who was the Chinese pilgrim who visited India during the time of Chandragupta II? Fa-Hien.

282 Who was the first Gupta king to assume the title 'Rajadhiraja"? Chandragupta I. In addition to 'Rajadhiraja', Samudragupta assumed the titles 'Parambhattaraka' and 'Paramabhagavata'.

283 What was the image on the royal seal of the Guptas? Garuda.

284 Who was the author of the play 'Mrichchhakatikam'? Shudraka.

285 Which empire rose on the ruins of the empire of the Pallavas of Kanchi? The Chola Empire.

286 A ruling dynasty at Thanesar, (in modern Haryana), extended its authority over the feudatories of the Gupta Empire. Who was the ruler who achieved this? Harsha.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 299

287 Which city did Harsha make his capital? Kanauj.

288 Who was the Chinese pilgrim who visited India during the time of Harsha? Hiuen Tsang.

289 Who was the ruler of South India who prevented Harsha from extending his kingdom southwards? The Chalukya King Pulakesin II.

290 What religion did Harsha follow during his early years? He was a devotee of Shiva.

291 Which religious sect did Harsha patronise in his later years? The Buddhist.

292 What are the Vedangas? The limbs of the Vedas. It was necessary to learn the Vedanga to understand the Vedas. The Vedangas were :

a) Shiksha (phonetics)

b) Kalpa (rituals)

c) Vyakarana

d) Nirukta (etymology)

e) Chhanda (metrics)

f) Jyotisha (astronomy)

293 Who was reputed to be the author of the following books: Priyadarshika, Ratnavali and Nagananda? Harsha.

294 In which book would you find the famous Gayatri mantra? Rigveda.

295 In the Rigveda, a daughter is sometimes referred to as 'duhitr'. What is the literal translation of the word? One who milks the cow.

296 Who was the first person to hold that the earth was a sphere and rotated on its axis? Aryabhata. He also declared that the eclipses were not the work of Rahu but were caused by the shadow of the earth falling on the moon. Varahamihira and Brahmagupta later astronomers did not agree with his view. Aryabhata also gave an accurate approximation ofn.

297 What is the 'Dharmachakrapravartana'? The preaching of the first sermon by Buddha.

298 Who was responsible for establishing the order of nuns in Buddhism? Ananda, the personal attendant of Buddha, was largely responsible for the admission of Gautami (the widowed stepmother of Buddha) into the Sangha. This was the beginning of the order of nuns.

299 Who deciphered the Asokan inscriptions? James Prinsep.

300 The word 'Aryan' originates from the Sanskrit word 'Arya'. What was the meaning of the word? Of good family.

301 What was the complaint of Pliny the elder, against India? He complained that India drained Roman wealth by selling luxury articles at high prices to Romans

302 What was the name of the son of King of Takshashila who offered Alexander help in invading India? Ambhi. This was the first recorded instance of an Indian King turning traitor.

303 What was the name the Greeks used to refer to Ambhi? Omphis.

304 By which name do we know the ancient city of Prayag? Allahabad.

305 Of the five Siddhantas (Indian astronomical works) two are said to be of Western origin. Which? Romaka Siddhanta and Paulisa Siddhanta. This shows that Indian astronomy was considerably influenced by Western thoughts.

306 What is the modern name for the ancient city of Purushapura? Peshawar.

307 From which language is the word 'Sindoora'

(vermilion) derived? Chinese. (From the Chinese word Tsin-sung.)

308 According to Chinese sources Kaundinya an Indian Prince, formed a kingdom in south East Asia. Where was this kingdom located? Cambodia.

309 Who was Buddha's personal physician? Jivaka. Jivaka was the personal physician of Bimbisara. During his visit to Buddha, Bimbisara offered the services of Jivaka, who became Buddha's personal physician.

310 Who were the Ajivikas? They were one of the prominent religious sects during the time of Mahavira and Buddha.

311 In Vedic times, who was referred to as a 'Grihapati'? The master of the house.

312 Which common seasoning ingredient of today finds no reference in the Rig Veda? Salt.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 300

313 What was the name of the famous tract of land that lay between the Saraswati and the Drishadvati? Kurukshetra.

314 What was the Rajasuya sacrifice (yajna)? It was the yajna to mark the royal consecration. It included offerings to the gods in the houses of officials and a formal abhisheka by the priest. Other popular rites that followed were a cow-raid and a game of dice in which the king was made the Victor.

315 What was the Vishwajit sacrifice? In the Vishwajit sacrifice, the (yajamana) performer had to give away all that he possessed.

316 Who succeeded Chandra Gupta I? Samudragupta.

317 According to legend, who succeeded Samudragupta? His son Rama Gupta. He was a weak ruler who surrendered his wife to a Shaka tyrant. Her honour was saved by the younger brother of Rama Gupta, Chandra Gupta, who killed the Shaka ruler, replaced his brother on the throne and married Dhruvadevi.

318 Who succeeded Chandra Gupta II? His son Kumara Gupta, who ruled from AD 415 to 455.

319 Who or what were the Huns? They were a race of fierce, warlike people, whose original home was in the steppes of Central Asia. They spread terror and destruction both in the West (i.e. the Roman Empire) and India.

320 Which Gupta ruler successfully defended his empire against the invading Huns? Skanda Gupta.

321 Which Gupta ruler performed the Ashwamedha yajna? Samudra Gupta.

322 Into which group of people were the Huns assimilated by the Indian society? The Rajputs.

323 Which dynasty claimed its descent from Lakshmana, the brother of Shri Rama? The Pratiharas. By the ninth century the influence of Pratiharas extended from the Punjab to central India and from Kathiawar to north Bengal.

324 Who invented the decimal place value system? Aryabhata invented the decimal place value system. Scholars hold that it cannot be said with certainty that the system was invented by Aryabhata. It seems it was known to astronomers who came before him.

325 The Cholas extended their territory in South India and also conquered the northern part of Sri Lanka. Who was the ruler who made northern Sri Lanka a province of his empire? Rajaraja Chola.

326 Which part of India did the Arabs first conquer? Sindh. Mohammed Ibn-Kasim, the nephew and son-in-law of the governor of Iraq, defeated Dahir Sen in 712 A.D.

327 What are the four sources of Law according to the law giver, Manu? a. Sruti or the Vedas.

b. Smriti (expanded version of the Dharma shastras). Smriti is also regarded as the only authentic source of Hindu Law and social customs,

c. Customs of holy men

d. One's own inclination.

328 By what name was the area of western and northwestern Bengal known? Gauda. The name was applied both to the people and their country.

329 Where in Maharashtra are frescoes that depict the Jataka Stories? At Ajanta, near Ellora caves.

330 What was the language used by the people of the Indus Valley Civilization? Historians have as yet not been able to determine the language used by the people of the Indus Valley Civilization. The script used by the people of the Indus Valley Civilization has also not been deciphered.

331 Which was the animal that was most engraved on Indus Valley Civilization seals? The Humpless Bull.

332 What was unique about the ascension to the throne by Gopala, the founder of the Pala dynasty in Gauda (present day West Bengal)? He was not a hereditary ruler, but was elected by the people to rule over them.

333 Which was the seat of power of the Pallava dynasty? Kanchipuram. The Pallavas founded the first great empire in south India. Under the Pallavas, Kanchi became a great centre of Brahminical and Buddhist

learning.

334 Who was the Chola ruler who crossed the Ganga and defeated the rulers there? Rajendra Chola.

335 When did the first invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni take

place? 1000 A.D.

336 Who was the first Indian ruler defeated by Mahmud of Ghazni? Jayapala of the Hindushahi dynasty.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 301

337 Where is Ghazni? In modem Afghanistan.

338 Why were temples the main target of Mahmud of Ghazni? They had immense wealth stockpiled.

339 Who was the Arab traveller whose work on India is referred to as a mirror of 11"1 century India? Alberuni.

340 At whose request did Alberuni travel to India? Mahmudof Ghazni.

341 At which battle did Prithviraj Chauhan defeat Mohammed of Ghori? In the first Battle of Tarain in 1190-91.

342 Which medieval ruler is reputed to be an author of almost 20 books on subjects as diverse as medicine, architecture and astronomy? Raja Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty. The Paramara dynasty ruled over the Malwa region.

343 Identify the person who was in charge of Mohammad of Ghori's possessions in India. Qutbuddin Aibak.

344 To which deity was the temple of Somnath dedicated? Shiva.

345 Who wrote the Ramayana in Tamil? Kamban.

346 Who was the founder of the Slave dynasty? Qutbuddin Aibak.

347 Why is the term "Slave dynasty" an inaccurate term? Only three sultans (Qutbuddin Aibak, Iltutmish and Balban) were slaves, and later even they were released from slavery by their masters. They were slaves, but only in the early part of their lives.

348 Who was the only woman to ascend the throne of Delhi? Razia Sultana.

349 Which Persian historian accompanied Alauddin Khalji on his expedition to Chittor? Amir Khusrau.

350 The Choda Ganga dynasty of Orissa was responsible for the construction of some famous temples. Can you identify them? The Jagannath temple at Puri and the Sun Temple at Konark.

351 Name the king of Mewar who is said to have built thirty two forts during his reign? RanaKumbha

352 How did Rana Kumbha celebrate his victory over Mahmud Khalji of Malwa? He built the Tower of Victory in Chittor. It is called the Vijayastambha.

353 Who helped Humayun save himself after the Battle of Chausa? A water carrier helped Humayun cross the Ganga and to safety.

354 Over which kingdom did Chand Bibi rule? She ruled over Ahmadnagar as a Regent.

355 What articles of trade was the kingdom of Golconda known for? Diamonds and textiles.

356 Who founded the city of Hyderabad? Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah.

357 Who was the Qutub Minar dedicated to? The Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and not Qutbuddin Aibak as people mistakenly assume.

358 In which language did Shankaradeva, a Bhakti Saint, propagate his views? Assamese.

359 In which language did Surdas sing? Brij.

360 Where is the famous Kamakhya temple (Kamakshi)? At Guwahati.

361 Which Mughal Emperor adopted the Zoroastrian

practice of Navroz? Akbar.

362 Which were the provinces added by Aurangzeb to the Mughal Empire? Bijapur and Golconda.

363 Who took care of Shah Jahan when he was kept imprisoned by Aurangzeb? Jahanara, Shah Jahan's daughter.

364 Who installed a chain of bells outside his palace gate? Jahangir.

365 Why was the chain of bells installed? This was the "Chain of Justice" installed to ensure that all citizens of the country had access to justice.

366 During the reign of which Mughal Emperor was the peacock throne made? Shah Jahan.

367 Which place did Vasco da Gama reach when he found a new route to India? Calicut. Now known as Kozhikode

368 What were the European Factories that are referred to in Indian history? Factories were nothing but fortified trading stations established by the European powers in India.

369 Where did the English set up their first factory? Surat.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 302

370 Who was the Englishman who succeeded in getting a farman from the Mughals exempting the English from paying any inland toll? Sir Thomas Roe.

371 What prompted Jahangir to allow the English to set up a factory in Surat? The British defeated the Portuguese naval squadrons. Jahangir wanted to use the English as a counter against the growing Portuguese power.

372 What were the reasons why the British wanted to secure Bombay from the Portuguese? Those controlling Bombay controlled trade on the west coast. And there was no interference from either the Mughals or the Marathas on this sea.

373 Which city did Job Charnock establish? Colcutta.

374 Which Saint inspired the Marathas with ideals of social reform and national regeneration? Saint Samarth Ramdas.

375 Near which fort, acquired early in his career, did Shivaji build Raigarh? Torna.

376 Between 1649 and 1655 Shivaji suspended offensive operations against Bijapur. Why did he do so? His father had been arrested and was released only on the condition that Shivaji suspend his military activities.

377 Alauddin Khalji was the nephew and son-in-law of a Delhi Sultan whom he later murdered. Who was the sultan? Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji.

378 One of the more interesting causes for a battle fought in Indian history has been vividly described by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in his epic Padmavat. What, according to Malik Muhammad Jayasi was the cause of the battle? That Allaudin Khalji invaded Chittor because he was infatuated by Padmini, the queen of Rana Ratan Singh of Mewar.

379 Why did Muhammad-bin-Tughluq shift his capital from Delhi? He shifted his capital to Deogir (Deogiri) because it held a central position in the empire and therefore, would be safe from Mongol invasions.

380 Who was the first Afghan to be seated on the throne of Delhi? Buhlul Khan Lodi (in April 1451).

381 Which kingdom came into existence during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq? Bahmani kingdom.

382 Where is Babur buried? He is buried in Kabul.

383 Poems of which Kashmiri poet are the oldest of the ones still available with us? LallaDidi(LalDed)

384 The ruler of Bihar conferred upon the young Farid a title. What was the title and why was it conferred upon him? Sher Khan, for killing a tiger single-handed.

385 What was the name assumed by Farid when he ascended the throne? Sher Shah.

386 Who were the opponents in the battle fought at Chausa? Humayun and Sher Shah.

387 How did Sher Shah die? Sher Shah died due to an accidental explosion of gunpowder while attempting to capture the fort Kalinjar in 1545.

388 Which ruler helped Humayun recover Kandahar and Kabul? The Ruler of Persia.

389 Who proclaimed Akbar the Emperor? Bairam Khan in 1556.

390 What words did Saint Ramanuja use to describe the scheduled castes? Tirukulattar (Belonging to the family of God).

391 At what age did Akbar ascend the thorne? Thirteen years.

392 How did Humayun die? Humayun tumbled down the stairs of his library when he was responding to the call of muezzin for evening prayers.

393 What was the occupation of Himu (also spelt Hemu) before he rose to prominence in politics? He was a grocer.

394 Who fought the second battle of Panipat? Akbar and Himu.

395 Who wrote Lilavati, a treatise on Algebra? Bhaskaracharya.

396 What title did Himu adopt after he occupied Agra and Delhi by defeating its Mughal governor? Raja Vikramaditya

397 Who did Iltutmish nominate as his successor His daughter Razia.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 303

398 Himu, in the battle of Panipat, gained initial success against the Mughal forces. How did the tide turn in the favour of the Mughals? A chance arrow struck Himu in the eye rendering him unconscious. Deprived of his leadership his soldiers dispersed in confusion.

399 The Mughal forces defeated a Rajput ruler at the pass of Haldighat. Which ruler are we talking about? Rana Pratap.

400 Which work describes the romantic story of the marriage of Sanyogita the daughter of the Gahadavala king Jaichandra with Prithviraj Chauhan? Prithviraja Raso.

401 Marco Polo was a traveller (from Venice) who is very well known for his adventures. Which south Indian dynasty does he mention in his travelogues? The Kakatiya dynasty.

402 Timur or Tamerlane, a central Asian Turk (and an ancestor of Babur) invaded India and ransacked Delhi. Who was the ruler of Delhi at that time? Sultan Mahmud Shah.

403 Name the ruler of the Tughluq dynasty who was well versed in Astronomy, Mathematics and Medicine. Muhammad bin Tughluq.

404 A particular dance form gained prominence during the Vijayanagara period. What was the dance form? Yakshagana.

405 Who fought the battle of Talikota? The battle was fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the combined forces of the Deccan Sultans. The Sultan of Berar however did not take part in this battle.

406 Who won the battle of Talikota? The Vijayanagara forces were comprehensively defeated and this eventually led to their downfall.

407 Where was the Battle of Talikota fought? It was fought in the area between the villages of Rakassi and Tangadi (Tagdi). Due to the bloodshed and ruin that this battle brought on the Vijayanagara Empire it was also called 'Raktakshi Tangadi'.

408 Who were the opponents at the battle of Khanua? Rana Sanga and Babur.

409 What was the name of RanaPratap's horse? Chetak.

410 Who was the Jesuit missionary who held personal

discussions with Akbar? Anthony Monserrate.

411 How do we better know Mihr-un-nisa in Indian

history? NurJahan.

412 What was the title given to Mihr-un-nisa by Jahangir? Nur Mahal (the light of the Palace). The title was later changed to Nur Jahan (Light of the World).

413 Who was the Mughal queen whose name was written on all the imperial Mughal farmans of her time and inscribed on coins? Nur Jahan.

414 After Akbar secured victory in Gujarat he undertook an activity to commemorate this victory. What was that activity? He founded the city of Fatehpur Sikri.

415 By which name was Ramtanu Mishra known? Tansen. He was earlier in the employment of the Raja of Rewah.

416 Name the Mughal emperor who was an accomplished veena player. Aurangzeb

417 The Razmnama in Persian was a compilation by several scholars. Of which Hindu epic was this a translation? Mahabharata

418 Name Aurangzeb's daughter who wrote under the pen name Makhi and produced a collection of poems. Zebunnisa.

419 King Charles II of England married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. How did this event affect Indian history? The Portuguese transferred the islands that make up modern Mumbai to the British as the dowry of Catherine.

420 From whom did the Portuguese capture Goa? Sultan of Bijapur.

421 Who was the Portuguese Governor who captured Goa? Alfonso de Albuquerque.

422 What was Shivaji's council of ministers known as? The Ashla Pradhan Mandal.

423 Who were the opponents in the battle of Takkolam? Cholas and Pandyas. The Pandyas were completely defeated.

424 How do we better know the Kingdom of Pragjyotishpur? Assam.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 304

425 Which dynasties rose on the ruins of the Chola dynasty? The Pandyas and the Hoysalas.

426 Who wrote the Telugu version of the Mahabharata? Nanniah. Though he began the work it was eventually completed by Tikkanna.

427 Who were the "Nayanars" in Tamil Nadu? They were devotees of Shiva who flourished between the sixth and ninth centuries.

428 Who were the "Alvars" in Tamil Nadu? They were the devotees of Vishnu.

429 Who fought the second battle of Tarain in 1192 A,D? Prithviraj Chauhan and Muhammad Ghori.

430 Before the battle of Tarain, Prithviraj Chauhan appealed for help from the rajas of North India. One prominent ruler refused any. Who was this ruler? Jaichandra of Kanauj.

431 What was the capital of the Bahmani kingdom? Gulbarga.

432 Who was the Turkish officer who conquered the area of north Bengal? BakhtiyarKhalji.

433 How did Qutbuddin Aibak die?' He fell off his horse while playing chaugan (polo) and died due to the resultant injuries.

434 Who succeeded Qutbuddin Aibak to the throne of Delhi? Iltutmish (son-in-law of Qutbuddin Aibak).

435 What did Shivaji say when he got the news of the capture of Kondana? "Gadh aala pun Sinha gela" - We got the fort but lost the lion (referring to Tanaji Malsure).

436 What was the original name of the town Daulatabad? Deogiri (Devgiri).

437 For how long did Razia rule? About three and a half years.

438 How do we better know Ulugh Khan in Indian history? Balban.

439 What were the ceremonies introduced by Balban, merely to demonstrate his superiority to other nobles? Sijada-Prostration Paibos - Kissing the emperor's feet. He introduced these ceremonies to demonstrate his superiority over the nobles.

440 During whose rule did the Mongols make the first serious attempt to establish their rule over Delhi? Alauddin Khalji.

441 What is the region of Kamrup known in modern India? Assam.

442 Who were the sons of Shah Jahan? Dara Shikoh (also Shukoh), Shuja Murad and Aurangzeb.

443 During the reign of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, where was his son Muhammad Tughlaq posted? Deogir.

444 Who was the first sultan of Delhi to pay his soldiers in cash? Alauddin Khalji.

445 Which ruler introduced the concept of token currency in India? Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.

446 Harihara and Bukka rebelled against Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and founded a kingdom. What was it? The Vijayanagara Kingdom.

447 Whom did Shah Jahan choose, in his last will, as his heir apparent? Dara Shukoh.

448 During whose rule did jizyah become a separate tax? Firuz Tughlaq. It was a part of the land revenue in earlier times.

449 During the period of the Delhi Sultanate who was the most important official? TheWazir.

450 Who was commissioned by Akbar to write the history of his reign? AbulFazI.

451 What did India import from China (during the medieval period)? Porcelain, raw silk.

452 What is Jnaneshwari? The free rendering of the Gita in Marathi, along with elucidation.

453 From whom did some sections of the Hindus adopt the concept of the purdah? The Turks.

454 Who was the guru of Harihara and Bukka? Vidyaranya. He was the one who readmitted them into the Hindu fold.

455 Who were the first two kings of the Vijayanagara Empire? Harihara (1336-1356), Bukka I (1356-1377).

456 Who founded the Bahmani Kingdom? Alauddin Hasan also called Hasan Gangu

457 What title did Alauddin Hasan adopt at his coronation? Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah. He is supposed to have adopted the name Bahman Shah as a mark of respect for a Brahmin in whose service he had risen to greatness.

458 Which Bahmani ruler encouraged the study of astronomy and even built an observatory near Daulatabad? Firuz Shah Bahmani.

459 What was the title of the ruler of Calicut (Kozhikode)? Zamorin.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 305

460 Who were the parents of Sankaracharya? Sivaguru and Aryamba.

461 Who wrote Ain-i-Akbari? Abul Fazl. It is a work which deals with regulations issued by Akbar.

462 Who was the Sultan of Malwa who died when he went on board a Portuguese ship for negotiations? Bahadur Shah.

463 Which European power declared that trade in pepper, warhorses and arms and ammunitions was a royal monopoly? Portugal.

464 From which area have the potato and tobacco been introduced into India? Central America. By the Portuguese.

465 Who was born in Talwandi in 1469? GuruNanak.

466 What form of worship did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu popularise? Kirtans.

467 In which language did Narasimha Mehta (also known as Narsee Mehta) compose his songs and preach? Gujarati.

468 Which language did the Turks introduce into India? Persian.

469 Who was Nizammudin Auliya? A famous Sufi saint. His Dargah is in Delhi.

470 Which was the language, apart from Persian, used for administrative purpose in the Bahmani kingdom? Marathi

471 What was the chief reason for the difference between Hindustani and Camatic music? The introduction of Persian scales in Hindustani music led to the difference.

472 Babur succeeded to the throne of this kingdom in 1494 at the tender age of 11. Identify the kingdom. Farghana. Farghana is located in modern Uzbekistan.

473 When did Timur sack Delhi? 1398.

474 Who is supposed to have invited Babur to invade India? Daulat Khan Lodi, uncle of Ibrahim Lodi.

475 Who were the opponents in the first battle of Panipat? Babur and Ibrahim Lodi.

476 How long did the first battle of Panipat last? Three hours. It was all over by mid-day.

477 Who were the adversaries at the Battle of Khanua? It was fought between Babur and Rana Sanga.

478 Babur, after defeating Ibrahim Lodi and Rana Sanga had to deal with the Afghans who had regrouped. Who did the Afghans proclaim as their leader? Mahmud Lodi, brother of Ibrahim Lodi.

479 What was the new mode of warfare introduced by Babur in India? Extensive use of gunpowder. Though gunpowder was known in India, it was not used as skilfully and in combination with cavalry as Babur did.

480 What was the name of Babur's memoirs? Tizuk-I-Baburi.

481 Which kingdom did Shahaji Bhonsale, Shivaji's father serve initially? The Nizam Shahis of Ahmednagar. When Shah Jahan captured Ahmednagar, Shahaji sought service with the Sultan of Bijapur.

482 Who was the ruler of Malwa who was among the chief adversaries of Humayun? Bahadur Shah.

483 Who built a new city at Delhi called Dinpanah? Humayun.

484 At which battle was Humayun defeated by Sher Shah? The Battle of Chausa (March 1539) and Battle of Kanauj (May 1540).

485 At what age did Sher Shah ascend the throne of Delhi? At 67 years.

486 Where did Sher Shah build a Mausoleum for himself? Sasaram. (InBihar)

487 Who repaired the Grand Trunk road that ran from the river Indus to Sonargaon in Bengal? SherShah.

488 Where was Akbar born? Amarkotinl542.

489 Where was Akbar crowned? Kalanaur in Punjab in 1556.

490 What was the title that Bairam Khan adopted? He became the wakil of the kingdom with the title Khan-I-Khanan.

491 Who was the ruler of Malwa, who was defeated by the Mughal forces? Baz Bahadur. He was a master musician and an accomplished poet. There were also stories of his romance with the beautiful and talented Roopmati.

492 Who were the two famous warriors of Chittor who held the Mughal forces at bay for almost six months? Jaimal and Patta. Akbar, to honour these two warriors ordered their stone statues, seated on elephants, be erected outside the gate of the Agra fort.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 306

493 What did Akbar divide his empire into? Suba. Each Suba was under a governor called Subedar.

494 Who succeeded Rana Udai Singh to the throne of Mewar? Rana Pratap (in 1572).

495 Akbar sent a series of embassies to Rana Pratap. These were sent to persuade him to accept the suzerainty of the Mughals. Who led these embassies? Man Singh, Bhagwan Das, Raja Todar Mal.

496 To whom did Akbar assign the task to translate the Bible (Gospel) into Persian? AbulFazl.

497 Which famous Mughal courtier lost his life in a campaign against the tribesmen of the Khyber pass? RajaBirbal.

498 Akbar, in 1575, built the Ibadat Khana. What was it for? It was the Hall of Prayer at Fatehpur Sikri.

499 What was the original name of Raja Birbal? MaheshDas.

500 Who founded Din-I-Ilahi? Akbar. Birbal was the only Hindu to accept the new religion of Din-i-Ilahi or Tauhid-i-Ilahi.

501 Who ordered the construction of the Charminar? Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. He was a patron of art and architecture and a poet in Dakhani Urdu, Persian and Telugu. He had the Charminar constructed in 1591-92 at the centre of the new city of Hyderabad.

502 The Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur is one of the largest single domed structures constructed. Which dynasty built it? The Adil Shahi dynasty. A whisper at one end can be heard at the other end.

503 Jehangir had to face a rebellion immediately after he ascended the throne. Who was the rebel? Khusrau, Jehangir's eldest son.

504 Which Sikh guru completed the compilation of the Adi Granth? Guru Arjan Dev.

505 Which Mughal Prince had the Gita translated into Persian? Dara Shukoh (also spelt Shikoh).

506 Whom did the ruler of Bijapur send to capture Shivaji? Afzal Khan.

507 Who was the Mughal Governor of Deccan who was instructed by Aurangazeb to invade Shivaji's territories? Shaista Khan.

508 Which Mughal port city did Shivaji attack in 1664? Surat.

509 Who persuaded Shivaji to visit Aurangazeb at Agra? Raja Jai Singh of Amber.

510 Golconda, the world famous kingdom was built on the ruins of an old Hindu Kingdom. Which one? Warangal.

511 How was Mumtaz Mahal related to Nur Jahan? Mumtaz Mahal was the daughter of Asaf Khan, Nur Jahan's brother.

512 Who is regarded as the father of Carnatic music? Purandaradasa.

513 How could Shivaji with a relatively small army fight against the army of Bijapur? By adopting Guerrilla Warfare.

514 Whom did King Prataparudra consider as his guru? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

515 What was the capital of the Rajput Kingdom of Mewar? Chitor.

516 What was the act that led to the martyrdom of Guru Arjan? Khusrav, the son of Jehangir rebelled unsuccessfully against his father. When Khusrav was fleeing the Mughal forces, he was honourably received by Guru Arjan and provided with some money. This was perceived by Jehangir as an act of treason and ultimately led to the Guru's martyrdom.

517 Humayun attacked and besieged the fort of Chunar because it commanded the route between Agra and the east. Who was the person who held the fort? SherShah.

518 What gift did Humayun offer Babur after Babur arrived in Agra following the first Battle of Panipat? The Koh-i-nur.

519 Who saved the life of Uday Singh of Mewar, when he was still a prince? Panna. Panna, who was Uday Singh's nurse realised that his life was in danger; she placed her own son in Uday Singh's bed. The attackers assuming that Panna's son was the prince killed him thus saving Uday Singh.

520 From where did the Hoysala dynasty rule? Dorasamudra (or Dwarasamudra). The Hoysalas succeeded the Chalukyas of Kalyana as the leading power of the Mysore area.

521 Domingo Paes, the famous Portuguese traveller, described this city as the best provided city in the world. Name the city. Vijayanagar.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 307

522 Who was the poet who enriched Kashmiri literature with her exquisite lyrics on love and life? Habba Khatun (also spelt Habba Khotun).

523 Who is the author of the Telugu work "Amuktamalyada"? Sri Krishnadevaraya, the greatest of the Vijayanagara rulers.

524 Over which part of India did Queen Didda (980-1003)rule? Kashmir.

525 According to tradition who were Harihara I and Bukka I serving before founding the Vijayanagara Empire? Prataparudra of Warangal.

526 During the time of the Vijayanagara rule, (Krishnadevaraya) what was the title adopted by the rulers of Orissa? Gajapati (1434 to 1541).

527 Vishwambhara (Nimai) was responsible for the revival of Vaishnavism in Bengal. What was the name by which we know him? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

528 The Sangama dynasty (1336 -1485), the Saluva dynasty (1485 - 1505) the Tuluva dynasty (1505 -1570), and the Aravidu dynasty (1570 - 1649). These dynasties ruled over, in the sequence given, the same kingdom. Which kingdom are we talking about? Vijayanagara Empire.

529 How did Timur come to be called Tamerlane? Timur had a limp because of an injury to his leg. Due to this the Persians called him Timur-i-lang (Timur the lame) which was corrupted by Europeans into Tamerlane.

530 What was the capital of the kingdom of the Gonds? Chandrapur. Durgavati was the queen of the Gonds who fought bravely with the Mughal forces sent by Akbar.

531 Who was Gorakhshanath, popularly known as Gorakhnath? Gorakhnath popularized the practice of Hathayoga throi AD. throughout India. He lived in the 10lh - 11th century

532 Where was Kabir born? What was he known for? Kabir was born in Varanasi. Throughout his life he kept dwelling on the essential unity of all religions.

533 What are Abhangs? Who composed them? Abhang literally means unbroken. Unbroken rhymes were referred to as Abhangs. Tukaram is best known for his Abhangs. Many saints that came after him also composed Abhangs.

534 According to tradition who was the guru of Kabir? Ramananda.

535 In which year was emergency declared in post-independent India? In 1975.

536 What did the East India Company acquire as its zamindari in 1698? The zamindari of Sutanati, Kalikata and Govindpur.

537 Where is Fort William located? Present day Kolkata.

538 Which European power established itself at chandernagore and Pondicherry? The French.

539 During the rule of Tipu Sultan, what was the capital of Mysore? Srirangapatnam.

540 What were the Indian soldiers in the English army called? Sepoys.

541 During the rule of Muhammad Shah, who was the ruler of Persia who invaded India? Nadir Shah.

542 What was the result of the Battle of Karnal fought between Nadir Shah and Emperor Mohammad Shah? The Mughals lost and the Emperor Muhammad Shah was taken prisoner,

543 Among the other things, what were the precious articles Nadir Shah carried away from India? The Koh-i-noor diamond and the Peacock throne.

544 After Nadir Shah's death, which of his generals established his authority in Afghanistan? Ahmad Shah Abdali.

545 What was the Doctrine of Lapse? When the ruler of a protected state died without a natural heir, the adopted heir would not be able to succeed him. In such a case the state would be annexed by the British. The only exception would be if the British authorities approved of the adoption before hand.

546 Who was the Peshwa who signed the "Subsidiary Alliance"? Peshwa Baji Rao II on December 31, 1802. This was after the combined armies of the Peshwa and the Sindhia were defeated by the Holkar.

547 Who fought the third Battle of Panipat? Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas (on 14th Jan 1761).

548 Who fought the battle of Buxar? The English fought against a confederacy of Mir Kasim; Shah Alam, the Mughal Emperor and Nawab Shuja-ud-daulah.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 308

549 What was the result of the battle of Buxar? The English won and established their supremacy in Bengal.

550 Which Indian ruler was a member of the Jacobin Club? Tlpu Sultan.

551 Name the Indian ruler who tried to promote trade with Russia, Arabia and Turkey. He also tried to set up a trading company on the lines of the East India Company. Tipu Sultan.

552 Of which state was Martanda Varma the ruler? Travancore.

553 The capital of the state of Travancore became an important centre of Sanskrit scholarship towards the later half of the 18th century. How do we know it today? Thiruvanthapuram (Trivandrum).

554 Who founded the city of Jaipur? Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Amber.

555 Where did Raja Sawai Jai Singh build astronomical observatories? Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura.

556 Under which guru did the Sikhs become a united political power? Guru Gobind Singh.

557 He was born in a Bengali Brahmin family at Radhanagar in 1774. He served under the East India Company from 1803 to 1814. He also founded the Brahmo Samaj? Who was he? Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

558 Why was the Cripps Mission sent to India? The British Government wanted India's help in the Second World War. It sent the Cripps Commission to persuade Indian leaders to support its war effort.

559 Who was the guru of Swami Vivekananda? Ramakrishna Paramhansa. He was a saint who lived in Dakshineshwar in Bengal.

560 Over which kingdom did Ahalyabai rule? Indore.

561 Who was the first Viceroy of India? (appointed after the revolt of 1857) Lord Canning (1858-62).

562 When did the revolt of 1857 start? At Meerut, on May 10,1857.

563 Name India's first newspaper? Bengal Gazette.

564 When and where did the first Congress session take place? 1885, Bombay. Goculdas Tejpal Auditorium.

565 When did Gandhiji start his Dandi March? Marchl2,1930.

566 Who was known as the "Frontier Gandhi"? Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

567 Who wrote the novel, 'Anand Math'? Bankim Chandra Chatterji

568 Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood as a protest against an incident. Name the incident. The Jailianwalla Baug massacre.

569 He was an uncle of Bhagat Singh and was closely . associated with Lala Lajpat Rai. He founded the "Bharat Mata" society and worked for the Ghadar party. He died on 15th August 1947. Who was it? AjitSingh.

570 What was the Kuka movement? The Kuka movement began as a religious movement. Its aim was to purify die Sikh religion by removing superstitions mat had crept into it. After the conquest of the Punjab by the British, the revival of the Sikh sovereignty became its chief aim.

571 Who wrote the poem "Heer Ranjha" (also known simply as "Heer")? Wans Shah.

572 He was born in Cuttack in 1897. He ranked 4lh in the ICS (the forerunner of the IAS) exam but resigned. He was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and 1939, in spite of opposition from Mahatma Gandhi. He organised the Azad Hind Fauj founded by Ras Behari Bose. Who was he? Subhas Chandra Bose.

573 The Revolt of 1857 started in Meerut. To which regiment did the Sepoys belong? 3rd Cavalry.

574 What was the immediate cause of the revolt? The introduction of the New Enfield Rifle whose cartridges were believed to be greased with the fat of cows and pigs. Both Hindus and Muslims resented this.

575 Who led the revolt in Kanpur? NanaSaheb.

576 Which was die Maratha family that established itself in Baroda? The Gaekwads established themselves at Baroda, the Bhonsales at Nagpur, Holkars at Indore and the Sindhias at Gwalior.

577 What were the Dastaks? They were passes that the East India Company had the right to issue for the movement of goods. The East India Company did not pay any taxes on these goods.

578 The English secured the Diwani of Bengal from the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. This Diwani was however different from the existing practice by the Mughals. In what respect? The English got their Diwani

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 309

rights permanently as opposed to the practice of limited tenure. Also under the Mughal system the office was given to an individual.

579 What did the Charter Act of 1833 achieve? It divested the East India Company of its commercial functions.

580 He was born in 1856 in Ratnagiri. He was one of the founders of the Poona New English School. In 1908 he was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment in Mandalay. He died in August 1920. Who is he? Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

581 Who recaptured Jhansi for die British? Sir Hugh Rose.

582 The Sikhs were organised into a confederacy of 12 units. What was the term given to these units? Misl.

583 Who was the first Peshwa of the Maratha kingdom? Balaji Vishwanath.

584 What help did Balaji Vishwanath render the Sayyid brothers? He marched to Delhi and helped them overthrow the Mughal Emperor Farrukh Siyar. (1719).

585 Who succeeded Balaji Vishwanath as the Peshwa? BajiRaoI.

586 He was born in 1888 in Mecca. He was a scholar of Arabic, Persian, Urdu and fluent in Islamic theology. He was the education minister in Nehru's cabinet. Who was he? Abdul Kalam Azad.

587 What was the Rowlatt Act? The Rowlatt Act sought to impose wartime restrictions on civil liberties on a permanent basis. It provided for detention without trial.

588 Who is called the 'Mother of the Indian Revolution'? Madam Bhikhaji Rustam K.R. Cama.

589 When did Bhikhaji Cama unfurl the Indian flag? August 1907 at the International Socialist Congress held in Stuttgart. This was a tricolour in green, red and yellow.

590 What was the revolutionary Jatin Mukherji popularly known as? Bagha Jatin.

591 Why did all the Congress ministers resign in 1939? The working committee of the Congress asked the British Government to state whether their war aims included the elimination of imperialism and the treatment of India as a free nation. The British did not give a satisfactory reply. Hence they all resigned.

592 When was the Sharada Act for prevention of child marriage passed? In 1929. It was to come into force from 1930.

593 Who founded the "Mirat-ul-Akbhar", the first Journal in Persian and the "Banga-Dutta" a weekly in four Languages? Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

594 He was a watchmaker by profession and had come to India from Netherlands in 1800. He however spent his entire life promoting education in India. He founded the Hindu College in Calcutta to take forward his ideas. Who was he? David Hare.

595 He was the Principal of die Sanskrit College in Calcutta and opened its gates to non-Brahmin students. He was a great proponent of widow-remarriages and the first lawful Hindu widow remarriage among the upper castes was celebrated under his supervision. Who was he? Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

596 Who started the Swatantra Party? C. Rajagopalachari.

597 Who gave the slogan "Do or Die"? Mahtma Gandhi. While launching the Quit India movement.

598 Where is JalHanwala Baug? In Amritsar.

599 What infamous event occurred on April 13, 1919? The Jallianwala Baug massacre.

600 Why were people gathered at the JallianwaJa Baug? They had gathered there to protest against the arrest of their leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal.

601 Who was the first Governor General of Bengal? Warren Hastings.

602 What was the most important difference between the British and other conquerors of India? Previous invaders became an integral part of India, whereas the British always maintained their own identity.

603 Who was the Maratha general who repeatedly fought against die British during die 1857 revolt and later kept harassing the British with guerrilla warfare till he was betrayed by Mansingh and hanged by the British? TatiaTope.

604 When was the Champaran Agitation launched? The Champaran agitation was launched in the Champaran district of Bihar. It was against the English landlords who used to force the peasants, to cultivate

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 310

indigo. When synthetic indigo was discovered they began to force the peasants to pay them compensation for not growing indigo any longer.

605 Which area did the Japanese hand over to the Azad Hind Government? Andaman and Nicobar islands.

606 Where did Mahatma Gandhi establish his first ashram in India? At Sabarmati, Ahmedabad.

607 Who popularised the Young India Journal? Mahatma Gandhi.

608 Why did Mahatma Gandhi spin cloth daily? To emphasise the dignity of labour and the value of self-reliance. Gandhi once said that from among the activities he was engaged in, khadi and uplift of the scheduled castes was the most important to him.

609 Why was the Akali movement started? To remove corrupt mahants from the Gurudwaras.

610 What was the unique mode of protest of the population of Chirala (in present day Andhra Pradesh) against the British? The whole town refused to pay the municipal tax and moved out of the village.

611 What was the Chauri Chaura incident? A crowd angered by police firing set Fire to a police station killing many policemen.

612 What was the impact of the Chauri Chaura incident on the Freedom struggle? Gandhiji suspended the struggle because he felt people had yet to understand the concept of non-violence.

613 Where was the decision to suspend the agitation taken? Bardoli in Gujarat.

614 Who founded the Swarajya party? Chitta Ranjan Das and Motilal Nehru.

615 To which country did Subhas Chandra Bose escape to carry on the Freedom Struggle? Germany. He escaped from Calcutta (Kolkata) and travelled through Peshawar, reaching Kabul via Jalalabad. From there he went to Russia (with an Italian passport) and then to Berlin from Moscow.

616 Who is the father of the Indian Chemical Industry? Prafulla Chandra Ray.

617 After Delhi fell to the British during the revolt of 1857 what brutal act did the British officer Hodson commit? He shot dead the sons of Bahadur Shah at point blank range.

618 Who passed a resolution declaring Sati illegal and punishable by the courts? William Bentinck.

619 Who led the rebellion of the Koyas (tribals of the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh) against the British? Alluri Sitarama Raju.

620 When was Bengal first partitioned by the British, leading to wide-spread agitation? In 1905.

621 Who did the soldiers, who rebelled in Meerut, declare as the Emperor of India? The soldiers set out for Delhi from Meerut where they were joined by the local infantry. Here they proclaimed Bahadur Shah as the Emperor of India.

622 Who led the revolt at Lucknow? Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh.

623 Who founded the Arya Samaj? Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1875.

624 What did Swami Dayananda Saraswati regard as infallible? The Vedas. He considered them to be the fountain of knowledge.

625 Madam H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S Olcott founded the headquarters of this society at Adyar, Madras. Which society was this? The Theosophical Society.

626 Who was the first Indian to be elected to the leadership of the Communist International? M.N.Roy.

627 Who threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly? Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt (on April 9, 1929).Their aim in throwing a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly was, as their leaflet pointed out, "to make the deaf hear". Not to hurt anyone.

628 Which British general defeated Haider Ali? EyreCooteinJuly 1781.

629 He was a member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army. He was sentenced to death for his role in the Kakori train conspiracy. He composed the revolutionary song, "Sarfaroshi ki tamana ab hamare dil mein hai....." Name him. Ram Prasad Bismil. (1897-1927).

630 Who became the Peshwa after the Battle of Panipat? Madhav Rao. After the death of Balaji Baji Rao.

631 Which Mughal Emperor became a pensioner of the Marathas in 1771? ShahAlam.

632 When was the Poona Pact signed by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar? In 1932.

633 When did Mahatma Gandhi arrive in India from South Africa? 1915 (January).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 311

634 Who was the Viceroy who was assassinated by a convict when he visited the Andamans? Lord Mayo.

635 When was the "Quit India" Resolution passed? August 8, 1942, in Goculdas Tejpal Auditorium in Bombay.

636 Who was the only Indian ruler who never alied himself with the British to fight against other Indian rulers? Tipu Sultan.

637 Who were the signatories to the treaty of Seringapatam (Srirangapatnam)? Tipu Sultan and the British.

638 What were the important clauses of the treaty of Seringapatam? Tipu Sultan had to cede about half his territories to the English and also pay Rs.330 lakhs as indemnity. His two sons were also kept as hostages.

639 What was the Wood's Despatch? What is its significance? Sir Charles Wood sent an educational despatch that formed the basis of the subsequent development of university education in India. Based on the principles outlined in Wood's Despatch three universities were established in India in Calcutta (Kolkata}, Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai).

640 Who were the Siddhis? They were people of Abyssinian descent who were put in charge of important forts like Raigarh, Dabhol and Ratnagiri by Aurangzeb. They were a maritime power and constant source of problems for the Marathas.

641 He was a revolutionary, who was arrested by the British in the Maniktala bomb conspiracy. In 1910, he went to Pondicherry and led a life of a spiritualist. Who was he? Aurobindo Ghosh.

642 Who founded the Benaras Hindu University? Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916.

643 He entered politics with the Kheda Satyagraha. In 1922 he played a leading role in the Bardoli Satyagraha. He was Independent India's first home minister. Name him. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

644 Who succeeded Peshwa Baji Rao? Peshwa Baji Rao was succeeded by Balaji Baji Rao.

645 Who was the Peshwa during the third battle of Panipat? Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao.

646 Who founded the Tattvabodhini Sabha? Later he became a great leader of the Brahmo Samaj movement. Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore.

647 What was the Komagata Maru episode? The Komagata Maru was a Japanese vessel that was hired to take a large number of Punjabis to Canada. The passengers were not allowed to disembark and they therefore made their way back to India. The Komagata Maru on return, docked at Budge-Budge near Calcutta. The British ordered the passengers to go to Punjab in a special train. Those who wanted to go to Calcutta refused to do so and were fired upon, leaving eighteen dead and twenty nine not being accounted for.

648 After the Revolt, Bahadur Shah II was arrested and deported to a city outside modern India. Name the city. Rangoon.

649 Who was the French Governor General who helped Muzzafar Jung become the Nizam of Hyderabad? Dupleix.

650 How do we better know Narendranath Datta? Swami Vivekananda.

651 Muazzam, Aurangazeb's son, succeeded him to the throne of Delhi. On ascension he assumed a royal title. What was the title? Bahadur Shah.

652 Ranjit Singh was appointed the governor of Kabul at the age of 19. Who appointed him? ZamanShah.

653 Who was the 18th century Hindu ruler who performed two Asvamedha sacrifices? Sawai Jai Singh of Amber.

654 The English obtained the royal Farman from the Nawabs of Bengal in 1717. There was one privilege in the Farman that was to prove an irritant. What was the privilege? The freedom to export and import goods in Bengal without paying customs duties.

655 Who was the judge who found Raghunath Rao Peshwa, guilty of murder and said, "No penalty other than death is prescribed for such a crime"? Ram Shastri Prabhune.

656 Who did General Hugh Rose refer to as "the only man among the rebels"? Rani Lakshmibai.

657 Who were the adversaries in the battle of

Wandiwash? The British and the French. The supremacy of the British was thoroughly established as the consequences of this battle.

658 What was the result of the battle of Wandiwash? The British under Eyre Coote comprehensively routed the French

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 312

659 Who coined the slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan"? Lal Bahadur Shastri. The slogan became immensely popular and was soon on the lips of almost every Indian.

660 Who said the following and in what context ".... in the sky of India, serene as it is, a small cloud might arise, at first no bigger than a man's hand but which growing larger and larger, may at last threaten to burst and overwhelm us with ruin." Lord Canning. He was referring to the situation in India just prior to he Revolt of 1857.

661 The first Round Table Conference was a result of a suggestion by an Englishman to the then British Prime Minister. Who was the Britisher? Sir John Simon (Chairman of the Simon

Commission)

662 Who was the sole representative of the Congress at the second Round Table Conference? Mahatma Gandhi.

663 Who was the first President of the Indian National Congress? Womesh Chandra Banerji.

664 Who was the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress? Sarojini Naidu.

665 When did Mahatma Gandhi become the President of the Indian National Congress? 1924.

666 Who was the President of the Congress in 1947 at the time of Independence? Rajendra Prasad.

667 Who died fighting the police at Alfred Park in Lucknow? Chandrashekhar Azad. He shot himself with the last bullet that he had been left with.

668 Who signed the Treaty of Salbai? The Marathas and the English in 1782. The treaty established beyond dispute, the dominance of the British as the controlling factor in Indian politics.

669 What was the result of the Treaty of Salbai? Though the English did not gain materially, it gave them peace with the Marathas for 20 years, thereby enabling them to fight other enemies such as the French and Tipu Sultan.

670 Who was the chief minister of Peshwa Baji Rao II? Nana Fadnavis. He was responsible for preserving the Maratha confederacy. He also resisted British interference in Maratha affairs.

671 What is the meaning of the word "Satyagraha"? Satyagraha consists of two words : Satya (truth) and agraha (insistence). The term was coined by Mahatma Gandhi.

672 Who started the Home Rule movement? Annie Besant. At the Congress session held in Kolkata in 1917, the demand for home rule was made eloquent by Ms. Annie Besant, the President of the

session.

673 Who formulated the two nation theory? M.A.Jinnah.

674 Over which area did the Asaf Jahis rule? The state of Hyderabad as it then was.

675 Where did Aurobindo Ghosh begin to live after renouncing an active political life? In Pondicherry from 1910 till the end 1950.

676 Which was the first state of India to be formed on the basis of language? Andhra Pradesh.

677 Who was Gopal Ganesh Agarkar? He was a social reformer of Maharashtra. He was the founder editor of Kesari, but later concentrated on a new newspaper he started called Sudharak.

678 Who was Kanaklata Barua? Kanaklata Barua played an important role in the freedom struggle. She was shot dead while holding the congress flag during the Quit India movement.

679 Who led the Santhals who were armed with only bows and arrows? BirsaMunda.

680 A prominent Naga fighter she spent eighteen years in prison for her role in the freedom struggle. Who was she? Gidalyu Rani who led the Nagas. She was released in 1949.

681 When did the Naval Mutiny break out? February 1946

682 He was born in 1889 at Allahabad. He was sent to England for studies and returned to India in 1912. He made his first appearance on the Congress platform as a delegate in 1912 at the Bankipore session. In 1923 he was elected General Secretary of the Congress. Who was he? Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

683 Who were the adversaries at the Battle of Plassey? The British fought Siraj-ud-Daulah the Nawab of Bengal.

684 In the Battle of Plassey, a major part of Siraj-ud-Daulah's army did not take part in the fighting. Why was this? Mir Jafar and Rai Durlabh who commanded a major portion of the army had turned traitors and did not join in the battle.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 313

685 Who were the only two leading men of Siraj-ud-Daulah's court who took active part in the Battle of Plassey? Mir Madan and Mohan Lal.

686 Who was raised to the throne of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey? Mir Jafar.

687 Who succeeded Mir Jaffar to the throne of Bengal? Mir Kasim, his son-in-law.

688 Who devised the system of "Subsidiary Alliances"? Lord Wellesley. By using Subsidiary Alliances Lord Wellesley saw to it that the Indian princes remained helpless and would soon be unable to govern their territory without the help of the British army.

689 How did Tipu Sultan die? He died fighting the English on May 4, 1799?

690 What role did the Chapekar brothers play in the Freedom struggle? Damodar Chapekar along with his two brothers, Vasudev and Balakrishna, fired at Rand and then disappeared in the dark. They were arrested later and were hanged.

691 He worked throughout his life for the uplift of the 'untouchables'. He was the law minister in the interim government. He was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly's Drafting Committee. Who

was he? Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

692 Which day was fixed as the first Independence Day? 31st December 1929.

693 When was the Indian Tri-colour (saffron, white and green) hoisted for the first time? December 31, 1929. At the Congress session.

694 If anyone wanted to meet Mahatma Gandhi on the 6lh of April 1930, where would they have needed to go? To Dandi. On this day Gandhiji breached the salt law.

695 Who organised the society of Khudai Khidmatgars (servants of god)? Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

696 Why did Subhas Bose resign from the Presidentship of the Congress in 1939? He did so because of opposition from Gandhiji.

697 Which party did Subhas Bose found? Forward Bloc.

698 Who was responsible (as President of the "Committee of Public Instruction") for the introduction of English education in India? Thomas Babington Macaulay.

699 Whom did Ahmed Shah Abdali serve as a general before proclaiming himself king? Nadir Shah. Ahmed Shah Abdali proclaimed himself king of Afghanistan after Nadir Shah's assassination.

700 What was the title adopted by Ahmed Shah Abdali when he crowned himself ruler of Afghanistan? Durr-i-Durran, 'The pearl of the age.' His clan came to be known as Durrani.

701 What were the Morley Minto reforms? In 1909, the reforms introduced by Morley and Minto provided for the association of qualified Indians with the Government of India to a greater extent in deciding public queries.

702 Who did the Marathas decisively defeat in the Palkhed campaign of 1727-28? The Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad. This campaign ensured that the Nizam's attempt at challenging Maralha supremacy failed.

703 Which French Governor has been given the credit of using Indian Sepoys in his army? Dupleix.

704 Who handed over the leadership of the Independence Movement in East Asia to Subhas Chandra Bose? Rash Behari Bose (on July 4, 1943).

705 What was the slogan adopted by the Muslim League at its Karachi Session in 1943? Divide and Quit.

706 Who is Subramania Bharati? A Tamil poet and nationalist of the early 20th Century.

707 Who was the Viceroy at the time of Indepenence? Lord Louis Mountbatten.

708 Who was hired by a group of Porbandar Muslims (who were working in Natal, South Africa) as their lawyer in!893? M.K. Gandhi.

709 Where did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose set up the provisional government of free India? In Singapore. It had been renamed Shonan. Subhas Chandra Bose regularly addressed Indians from Shonan Radio.

710 Who gave the first call for the freedom struggle in

1857? Mangal Pandey.

711 Who was the freedom fighter who led the Ramoshis of Maharashtra? Vasudev Balwant Phadke.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 314

712 He was popularly known as Sher-1-Punjab. He founded the weekly "The People". He died due to the injuries he received from a brutal lathi charge by the police when protesting against the Simon Commission. Who was he? LalaLajpatRai.

713 Who initiated the celebration of the Ganapati Festival and the Shivaji Jayanti as social activities to awaken the people? Lokamanya Tilak.

714 What was the slogan that electrified the nation when Bengal was partitioned? Bande Mataram.

715 What was the Poona Pact? The pact between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar. This pact was against the separate electorates announced by the British.

716 What was the Act which granted partial autonomy to the Provinces? Government of India Act of 1935.

717 Who was the Governor General of India who added the maximum extent of Indian territories to the East India Company? Lord Dalhousie

718 Who was the Governor General of India when the

Revolt of 1857 broke out? Lord Canning

719 Which Act passed by the British was termed the

Gagging Act? The Vernacular Press Act, 1878. This Act empowered a magistrate to stop a publisher from publishing anything that would create disaffection against the government.

720 Who was responsible for the partition of Bengal in 1905? Lord Curzon.

721 During whose Viceroyalty was the capital changed from Calcutta to Delhi? Lord Hardinge (in 1912).

722 What was the Khilafat movement? The Sultan of Turkey, who was the Caliph, was deposed after World War I. The Khilafat Movement was launched in India to defend the prestige of the Caliph.

723 Her real name was Madeleine Slade. She was a devoted follower of Gandhiji. What was the name given to her by Gandhiji? MeeraBehn.

724 The British created the Kingdom of Satara out of the Peshwa's lands. Who was it given to? A descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

725 To which party did Chandrashekar Azad belong? Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.

726 Who was the leader, whose death led Bhagat Singh, Azad and Rajguru to assassinate the British police officer Saunders? Lala Lajpat Rai.

727 In April 1930, the revolutionary Surya Sen led an activity. What was it? He organised an armed raid on the government armoury at Chittagong.

728 Who were executed on March 23, 1931? Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru in Lahore prison.

729 In 1927, the British Government appointed the Indian Statutory Commission. How was it popularly known as? Simon Commission.

730 What was interesting about Jawaharlal Nehru taking over the Presidentship of the Indian National Congress at the Lahore session of 1929? He succeeded his father Motilal Nehru.

731 At which session was a resolution passed which declared "Poorna Swaraj" (total freedom) as the Congress objective? At the session held at Lahore, 1929.

732 Who conceived of the idea of setting up the Indian National Congress? Allan Octavian Hume.

733 What did Mahatma Gandhi describe as a post-dated cheque? The Cripps offer of Independence.

734 Who was the admiral who recreated the Maratha navy almost single handed? Kanhoji Angrey (also spelt Angria).

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 315

Important Personalities

No. Name About him

1. Abraham Lincoln (1809-'65) Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the U.S.A. from 1861 to 1865 and was returned from the Republican Party. He opposed slavery and was a great champion of democracy. He was assassinated in 1865.

2. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Franklin was a famous American philosopher and statesman who actively helped in promoting the declaration of independence.

3. Acharya Vinoba Bhave Born 11 September, 1895 in Gujrat. He was educated at Baroda.Met Gandhiji and joined Sabarmati Ashram in 1916.He was originator of Bhoodan yagna Movement.He received Magsaysay Award in 1969. He received Bharat Ratna award in 1983.

4. C.N.Annadurai Was the founding father of Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (DMK), a political party of South India.DMK obtained absolute majority in the Tamil nadu Legislative Assembly at the elections of 1967 and 1971.

5. Horgovind Khurana Has become famous in carrying out research work in the U.S.A. He was awarded Nobel Prize in 1968 in Physiology and Medicine.

6. Indira Gandhi Was President of Congress in 1959. Became Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting in 1964-66. Was Prime Minister of India in 1966-77 and again in 1980-1984.

7. Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) Famous Indian leader and statesman who was the first Prime Minister of India. Author of `The Discovery of India', `Glimpses of World History', etc.

8. Jefferson, Thomas He was the 3rd President of the U.S.A. and founder of the Republican Party.He helped in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

9. Konstantin Chernenko Became President of USSR after the death of President Andropov in 1984. President Chernenko died in 1985.

10. Martin Luther (1483-1546) Martin Luther was a German preacher during the reign of Henry VIII of England. He translated the Bible in German. Founder of reformation movement and Protestantism in Europe.

11. Mihir Sen He is the first Indian to swim the English Channel. He also swam the Palk Strait, the Gibralter strait and Dardanelles strait.

12. Morarji Desai Resigned Bombay Provincial Civil Service and joined Non-Cooperation Movement under Gandhiji in 1930.Was Chief Minister of Bombay, 1952-1956, Union Minister in 1956-63. After formation of the Janata Party, was the Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979.

13. Mother Teresa Was born in Yugoslavia in 1910.The Roman Catholienun came to India as a teacher and began organizing schools for slum children in 1948. She has established 100 centres in the country comprising schools,charitable dispensaries, home for lepers, T.B. Patients, unwanted and crippled children. She was awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979, as the first Indian. Was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1980.

14. Niels Bohr (1885-1963) Niels Bohr was a nuclear physicist of denmark. His pioneering work led to the invention of nuclear fission and atomic bomb. Received Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.

15. Ravishankar Ravishankar is the world-famous artist in sitar.

16. Ramanujam (1887-1920) The great Indian Mathematician who was famous for his work on Theory of Numbers. He became an F.R.S.in 1918.

17. H.G.Wells (1866-1946) H.G.Wells was a famous author of English novels. His science-based tales are of great appeal all over the world. The famous books written by him are "The Invisible Man","Time Machine" and "The Shape of things to come."

18. Abul Fazal (1551-1602) Famous Mughal court poet, scholar and councillor of Akbar. His books Akbar-Nama and Ain-i-Akbari throw light on Mughal rule and particularly on the reign of Akbar.

19. Abdul Ghaffar Khan A great congress leader of the N.W.F.P. and leader of Red Shirts. He is popularly known as `Frontier Gandhi'. He received the Nehru Award for peace and international understanding. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1987.

20. Aesop (620-544 B.C.) Famous writer of greece. his fables are very instructive and interesting.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 316

21. Alexander the Great (356-323 b.C.) Became the king of Macedon in Greece in 336 B.C. One of the greatest generals and conquerors of the world.Founded Alexandria and invaded India in 326 B.C. Reached Beas. Died at Babylon.

22. Akbar (1556-1605) The greatest of the Mughal Emperors of India. Founder of a new religion Din-i-Ilahi. He abolished pilgrim tax and Jazia. Took the Empire to its peak in administration.

23. Amir Khusro Scholar in the court of Alauddin Khilji. Laid the foundation of Urdu poetry. He wrote in Hindi also, known as the "Parrot of India".

24. Annie Besant (1846-1933) Irish Lady who supported Indian Nationalist Movement. Founder President of Theosophical Society.Was elected President of the Indian National Congress.

25. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) Greek philosopher,artist,poet and thinker.Disciple of Plato and teacher of Alexander the great.Founder of a famous school of philosophy."The ethics and Poetics" are his famous works.

26. Archimedes (287-212 B.C.) Greek mathematician,inventor & Scientist.Discovered the principles of the lever and of specific gravity.Invented Archimedean screw.

27. Dr.B.R.Ambedkar (1893-1956) Law minister of India,1947-51. Member of the constituent Assembly. chairman of the constitution drafting Committee."Annihilation of Caste" is his famous work.

28. Aryabhatta (476-520 A.D.) Great Indian astronomer and mathematician.India's first scientific satellite was named after him.Explained the causes of solar and lunar eclipses. Determined the diameter of the earth and the moon. He laid the foundation of algebra and was responsible for pointing out the importance of "Zero".

29. Ashoka (273-236 B.C.) Indian Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. Embraced Budhism after the Kalinga War. One of the existing monuments of Ashoka is the Sanchi Stupas. His inscriptions on rocks and pillars are of great historical interest. Famous for sanity of thought, up rightness of character and love of humanity.

30. Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1959) Politician,Philosopher,poet & saint. First editor of "bande Mataram", Works : Life Divine,EssaysonGita,Basis of Yoga.

31. Babar (1483-1530) Founder of the Mughal Empire in India. Conquered the throne of Delhi after the first battle of Panipat (1526) against Ibrahim Lodhi. His "Memoirs" hold a high a place in the history of literature.

32. Banabhatta Court poet of King Harsha Vardhana. Works : Harshacharita and Kadambari.

33. Bhaskaracharya Great mathematician and astronomer of the twelth century. Work `Sidhanta Siromani'.

34. Bismarck (1815-1898) Known as the "Man of blood and iron". Founded the German Empire.A great administrator.

35. Gautama Buddha (623-543 B.C.) Kshtriya prince, son of Suddhodana, the king of Kapilavastu in Nepal. Founder of Buddhism. Developed the philosophy of pessimism.

36. Dr.H.J.Bhabha (1909-1966) Indian Physicist.President,Indian Science Congress, 1951.Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India. Thew first Atomic Reactor was completed under hisguidance in 1956 and the second reactor was commissioned in 1960.Was made a fellow of the Royal Society in London in 1941.

37. Subhash Chandra Bose (1897- ? Indian nationalist and organizer of the Indian National Army (I.N.A.) during the World War II. Was called `Netaji'.Was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1937 and 1938. founder of the political party `Forward Block'.

38. Julius Caesar (102-44 B.C.) Roman Genaral and statesman. Invaded Gaul and Britain. Paved the way for the Roman Empire. Was also an orator, poet and historian.

39. Winston Churchill (1877-1965) British statesman,soldier and author. Leader of Conservative party. Led Britain as Prime Minister during World War II. Won Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. Famous work :`The Gathering Storm, War Memoris, etc.

40. Chanakya (Kautilya) (4th Century B.C.) Famous minister of Chandra Gupta Maurya and was responsible for the fall of the Nanda Dynasty. "Arthashastra" is his famous book.It throws light on the then system of government, the revenue system, the art of administration and the duties of the king.

41. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer who first propounded the astronomical theory that the sun is the centre of the solar system and the earth and other planets revolve round the sun.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 317

42. Madame Marie Curie (1867-1934) Discovered Radium.Won the Nobel Prize twice (Physics-1903,Chemistry-1911)

43. Lord Clive (Robert Clive)(1725-1774) Founded the British Empire in india by defeating Seraj-ud-daula at Plassey in 1757. Twice appointed Governor of Bengal (1757-'60) and (1764-'67)

44. Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894) Bengali novelist. Introduced a rich style in the Bengali language. "Durgeshnandini", "Bishabrika", "Anandamath" are some of his outstanding works.

45. W.E.Disney (1901-1966) American film cartoonist Producer of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck etc. Creator of Disneyland, California.

46. Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883) Great hindu reformer.Founder of the `Arya Samaj (1875). Fought against untouchability, preached widow re-marriage, supported women's education.

47. Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) American inventor. Invented telephone transmitter, megaphone, phonograph, incandescent bulb, cinematograph, etc.

48. Euclid (330-269 B.C.) Greek mathematician and author of elements of Germany.

49. Fa-hien The first Buddhist pilgrim from China who came to India during the reign of Chandragupta II(`Vikramaditya') to collect Buddhist relics and sacred literature. he stayed in india from 401 to 410 A.D.

50. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) British scientist who founded the science of electromagnetism. discovered the laws of Electrolysis.

51. Firdousi (940-1020) Epic poet of Persia. He was a court poet of sultan Mahmud of Gazni. His `Shah-nama' contains 60,600verses describingthe history of Persia.

52. Galileo Italian mathematician and astronomer. Invented telescope (1609) and the first man to see the satellites of Jupiter.(1564-1642)

53. M.K.Gandhi (1869-1948) Led `Satyagraha' movement in south Africa. Associated with many movements during the struggle for independence of India viz., Non-co-operation movement in 1920, Salt Satyagraha, Quit India in 1942. His main principles were non-violence and truth. He was called the `Father of the Nation'. His autobiography `My Experiments with Truth' is world-famous.

54. Harsha Vardhana Hindu King of India (606-647 A.D.). The account of his reign is available from two sources : Hiuen Tsand, a Chinese traveller, and Bana Bhatt, the famous Sanskrit poet. Nalanda University flourished during his time.

55. Hiuen Tsang Famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrim who visited India during the reign of King Harsha, stayed in India from 629 to 644 A.D. and learnt Buddhist scriptures at Nalanda University. He has left interesting records of the conditions in India at that time.

56. Adolf Hitler German dictator and founder of National socialism. The Chancellor of Germany since 1933 and Leader of Reich since 1934. Started a Fascist movement. Involved Germany into the World War II and was defeated in 1945. Author of `Mein Kampf'.

57. Ho-Chi-Minh Organised the revolutionary rationalist party of Indo-China against French rule. Led the struggle for Vietnam's independence during World War II. As President of North Vietnam he defied the USA for the unification of Vietnam, Great communist leader.

58. Kalidasa Epic figure in classic sanskrit literature. Works :`Shakuntala', `Meghduta',`Kumar Sambhava' etc. Flourished in the time of Vikramaditya.

59. Kabir One of the greatest expoexponents of Bhakti Movement - a socio-religious movement spread in the Middle ages which aimed at liberalising the religious practices of Hindus. Disciple of Ramanand. Kabir believed in the unity of God and equality of all religions.

60. Lenin Leader of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Head of the Soviet Government from 1917 to 1924.

61. Leonardo da Vinci Italian painter, sculptor, architect, scientist and musician. Famous paintings are `The Last Supper' and `Mona Lisa'.

62. Mahavira Born in the 6th century B.C. Jainism which is a religious sect of Hinduism was strengthened by him. Apostle of non-violence. Prescribed code of penance for his followers. The religion did not spread outside India.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 318

63. Megasthenes Was Greek ambassador to Chandra Gupta Maurya's Court sent by seleucus. His book `Indika' is a source of information about the state of India at that time.

64. Mao-Tse-Tung (1893-1976) Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party 1936-59. First Chairman of the Central Government of the People's Republic of China., 1949-59. Organised the Red Guards to start the Cultural Revolution.

65. Karl Marx (1818-83) German philosopher and socialist. Author of `Communist Manifesto' and `Das Kapital'. Communism is based on his teachings.

66. Michael Angelo(1475-1564) Italian painter, sculptor, architect and poet who did much to beautify the churches of Rome and Florence by his genius.

67. Marco Polo (1256-1323) Famous Venetian traveller and explorer. The first European to visit china. Made journeys through China, India and other Eastern countries and published a record of his wanderings.

68. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) French Emperor and General. Conquered most of Europe. Was defeated in the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and died in exile at St.Helena's Island.

69. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) British nurse and hospital reformer. Organised a nursing service during the Crimean War (1854-56), which reformed the age-old system in hospitals. Her system was later adopted throughout the world. Known as `The Lady with the Lamp.'

70. Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish painter and sculptor.Founded cubist school of painting. `Guernica' is his civil war painting.

71. Maharana Pratap (1540-97) Raiput chief who refused to acknowledge Akbar's overlordship. Defeated at Haldighat in 1576. Reconquered the greater part of his possessions.

72. Ramkrishna Paramhanssa (1833-1886) Indian religious saint and preceptor of Swami Vivekanand.

73. Roosevelt (1882-1945) President of the USA from 1933 till his death, being the first American to be elected for more than two terms. He met the economic crisis of 1933 with a policy for a `New Deal'.

74. William Shakespeare(1564-1616) The Greatest poet and dramatist of england. Author of several plays such as `Julius Caesar', `Macbeth', `Romeo and Juliet', `Hamlet', `The Merchant of Venice', `Antony and Cleopatra, etc.

75. Socrates (463-399 B.C.) Greek Philosopher and intellectual leader. Plato was his pupil. He was sentenced to death on charges of impiety and corrupting the young.

76. Stalin (1879-1953) Soviet Statesman. played an important part in the Russian Revolution of 1917. Became the outstanding leader of Russia after the death of Lenin in 1924. Introduced in 1929 the famous Five Year Plan to build new Russia. General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, 1924-41.

77. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish dramatist, socialist, writer and journalist. His famous plays are `Pleasant and Unpleasant', `Man and Superman',`Mrs.Warren's Profession'.

78. Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902) A great Hindu Saint and religious leader. His original name was Narendranath Datta. Follower of Ramkrishna Paramhansa. Led the Vedanta movement. Founded Ramkrishna Mission at Belur (West Bengal). Among his books `Janam Yoga', `Bhakti Yoga' and `Karma Yoga' are best known.

79. Savarkar (1883-1966) Nationalist leader from Maharashtra. Leader of the Hindu Mahasabha. Author of `Indian War of Independence'.

80. Shankaracharya (Born 788 A.D.) A great scholar,philosopher and religious teacher. Countered the influence of Buddhism and Jainism. Wrote authoritative commentaries on the Upanishadas.

81. Shivaji (1627-80) Brave general and capable administrator. Fought successfully many battles against Aurangzeb's army and was instrumental in shattering the structure of Mughal Empire in India. Made the Marathas a strong nation. Was crowned king in 1674 at Raigarh.

82. Shah Jehan The Mughal Emperor (1628-58). Built Taj Mahal at Agra in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Lal Quila and Jama Masjid in Delhi were also built in his time.

83. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Great Indian poet,novelist,dramatist,composer,philosopher,educationist,artist and humanist. Won Noble Prize for literature in 1913. Works : `Gitanjali', `Gora', `Chitra',`Wreck', `Post Office', `Hungry Stones', etc. Founded the international university Visva-Bharti at Shantiniketan (W.B.)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 319

84. Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) One of the pioneers of the Indian freedom movement. Started two newspapers, the `Kesari' in Marathi and the `Maratha' in English. He declared `Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'. Wrote a commentary on the Gita, the `Gita Rahasya'.

85. Tansen Great exponent of Indian classical music. He was one of the `Nau Rattans' in the court of Akbar.

86. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian writer,philosopher,social reformer and religious teacher. His chief novels are `War and Peace', `Anna Karenina', `Resurrection', etc.

87. Marshal Tito (1892-1980) Yugoslav leader. Called the Neutral Nations Conference at Belgrade in 1961. A firm believer in non-alignment.

88. Vasco da Gama A portuguese Sailor, who in 1498, rounded the Cape of Good hope and succeeded in reaching the port of Calicut in south India.

89. George Washington (1732-99) Commander-in-Chief of the American army during the American War of Independence (1775-83). First President of the Republic of USA elected in 1789; re-elected in 1793.

90. Murlidhar Devidas Amte Popularly known as Baba Amte, an IndianLawyer who has made the lives of thousands of lepers and other social outcastes productive and respectable. Was awarded the 1985 Magsaysay award for public service. `Anandwan' is the first of the settlements established by him for lepers and other physically handicapped people.

91. Martin Luther King (1929-68) U.S. negro civil rights leader. It was due to his efforts that the U.S. Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 320

Parliaments

No. Country Name of Parliament

01 Bangladesh Jatiyo Sangsad

02 Britain Parliament (House of Commons is the Lower House and House of lords is the Upper house)

03 West Germany Lower House-Bundesrat,Upper House-Bundestag

04 India Parliament (Lok Sabha is the Lower house & Rajya Sabha is the Upper House)

05 Iran Majlis

06 Israel Kneeset

07 Japan Diet

08 Nepal Panchayat

09 Sweden Riksdag

10 U.S.A. Congress (Lower House-house of Representatives & Upper house-Senate)

11 U.S.S.R. Supreme Soviet

12 China National Peoples,Congress

13 Denmark Folketing

14 Holland States,General

15 Pakistan Parliament(National Assembly and Senate)

16 Australia Parliament

17 Malaysia Dewan Rakyat(Upper),Dewan Nagara (Lower)

18 Mongolia Khurat

19 New Zealand House of Representatives

20 Norway Storting

21 Poland Sejin

22 Romania Grand National Assembly

23 South Africa House of Assembly

24 Spain Crotes

25 Sweden Riksdag

26 Switzerland Federal Assembly

27 Canada Parliament (Lower House:House of Commons, Upper House:Senate)

28 Ireland Althing

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 321

World History

No. Question Answer

01 The first Olympiad was held in Greece in the year 776 BC

02 Rome was founded in the year 753 BC

03 The Great wall of China was built in the year 214 BC

04 The first voyage around the world was undertook by whom in 1522 Magellan

05 The first President of USA was George Washington

06 Which Battle marked the end of Napoleon era Waterloo

07 The American War of Independence was fought between America and Great Britain

08 Adolf Hitler was also known as Fuhrer

09 The first woman in world to become the Prime minister of a country was Sirimao Bandara Naike

10 The Emperor of Germany who dismissed his Chancellor Bismark in 1980 was William II

11 Two Presidents of USA were father and son.Their names were John Adams & Quincey

12 The UNO came into existance in 1945 AD

13 The king of England before Elizabeth II was George VI

14 Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England in the year 1558 AD

15 The Statue of Liberty of New York was a gift from France

16 Hitler's secret service was also known as Gestapo

17 The last Emperor of Rome was Romulus Augustus

18 Florence Nightingale was known as Lady of the Lamp

19 Mao Tse Tung died in the year 1976 AD

20 In 1806,the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved by Napolean

21 The country which celebrates Independence day on 15th August, apart from India, is South Korea

22 The first World War ended in 1918 AD

23 The US President who was forced to resign due to the Watergate scandal was Nixon

24 The Second World War ended in 1945 AD

25 The first communist manifesto was issued in 1848 AD

26 The first Prime Minister of Independent Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta

27 Malenkov became the Soviet Prime Minister after the death of Stalin

28 The first British Prime Minister was Sir Robert Walpole

29 The French revolution took place during the years 1789-1799 AD

30 The British Commander who surrendered before the Americans and French at York town in 1781 was Lord Cornwallis

31 The American War of Independence was faught during the years 1775-1783 AD

32 Stalin became the Premiere of USSR in 1924 AD

33 Lenin was succeeded by Stalin

34 In the Second World War,atomic bombs were dropped in Japan which destroyed Hiroshima

35 Leningrad was built by Peter I

36 White House,the residence of the President of the USA is located at Washington DC

37 In European History,the year 1848 is known as Year of Revolution

38 The first Prime Minister of Israel was David Bengurian

39 The English King who was prepared to exchange his kingdom for a horse was Richard III

40 Nixon was succeeded by Gerald Ford

41 Nixon resigned in the year 1974 AD

42 The First World War broke out in 1914 AD

43 In the year 1959,Chinese occupied Tibet

44 A big Naval expedition sent by Philip II against England was known as the Spanish Armada

45 Magna Karta is also known as the Bible of English Constitution

46 The king who was forced to sign the Magna Karta was King John II

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 322

47 Winston Churchil died in the year 1965 AD

48 Battle of Britain was fought in the year 1940 AD

49 Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in 1941 against the Soviet Union

50 Bolschevik Revolution took place in 1917 AD

51 Christopher Columbus died in the year 1506 AD

52 De Champlain was a French Explorer

53 China was also known as Chung hua

54 Alexandria was founded by Alexander

55 In the first Punic War fought in 264-261 BC,the Romans defeated Carthaginians

56 Modern Parliament was introduced by Edward I

57 The Disease which struck Europe in the 14th Century was Plague

58 In the thirteenth Century,Russia was overun by Mongols

59 In 1260,the Mongol army was defeated by the armies of Islam at Ain Jalut

60 Timur died in the year 1405 AD

61 The first colony established by the English in north America was Jamestown

62 Henry IV was assassinated in 1610 AD

63 The War of the Grand Alliance was fought during 1689-97 AD

64 The War of the Spanish succession was fought during 1701-14 AD

65 In 1707,the two countries who became united were England and Scotland

66 Napoleon crowned himself as Emperor in 1801 AD

67 Napoleon brought a detailed revision of the French Legal System called as Code Napoleon

68 In 1805,the French fleet was destroyed at The Battle of Trafalgar

69 The unification of Italy took place during 1858-1870 AD

70 The unification of Germany was carried-out during 1864-1870 AD

71 In 1870,Germany waged war with France

72 In 1822,the country which was declared an independent empire was Brazil

73 Abraham Lincoln,the American President was a republican from Illinois

74 The 1849 Gold-Rush was due to gold discovered at Northern California

75 Between 1836-1847,USA was at war with Mexico

76 In 1898,USA was at war with Spain

77 In 1867,USA purchased Alaska from Russia

78 In 1770,James Cook,the English Captain landed at Botany Bay of Australia

79 Suez Cananl was opened in 1869 AD

80 In 1818,the Zulu Kingdom was founded by Shaka

81 In 1911,Italy invaded Libya

82 King Leopold was from Belgium

83 The Union of South Africa was formed in 1909 AD

84 In earlier times,Turkey was referred to as The sick man of Europe

85 In 1877,Russia went to war with Turkey

86 In July 1914,Austria invaded Serbia

87 In August 1914,Germany attacked France

88 In the first World War,German forces were defeated Grumbinnen by Russia

89 In the first World War,Austria fought alongside Germany

90 In the first World War,Austria & Germany were known as Central powers

91 Finland Won Independence in 1917 from Russia

92 In 1935,Italy attacked Ethiopia

93 Benito Mussolini was the dictator of Italy

94 Mein Kampf was written by Adolf Hitler

95 Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Germany

96 In a mass genocide,Hitler targetted The Jews

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 323

97 In 1939,Hitler and Stalin concluded the Nazi-Soviet Pact

98 The Bolschevik revolution occurred in 1917 AD

99 Franco came to power in Spain in 1939 AD

100 Hitler's Nazy party came to power in 1933 AD

101 In 1940,Germany defeated Poland

102 In 1940,Germany invaded France

103 Winston Churchill was the premier of Britain

104 In December 1941,Japan attacked Pearl Harbour

105 In June 1941,Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa

106 Operation Barbarossa was launched against Soviet Union

107 In 1942,Russians broke the German front at Stalingrad

108 In 1942,British defeated the Africa Corps at El Alamein

109 The Marshall Plan was launched in June 1947

110 The European Ecomic Community was formed in 1952 AD

111 The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 AD

112 In 1937,Japan attacked China

113 In the first World War, Japan allied with Germany

114 Pearl Harbour is located in Hawai

115 During the first World War,America's President was Roosewelt

116 In February 1942,Singapore fell to Japan

117 Indonesia became independent in 1948 AD

118 Phillipines became independent in 1946 AD

119 Malaya became independent in 1957 AD

120 The Cultural Revolution was launched in China in 1966 by Mao Tse-tung

121 Prior to its Independence,Korea was a Colony of Japan

122 The Korean War was fought in 1950-53 AD

123 Tibet is presently occupied by China

124 During 1945-52,Japan was occupied by United States troops

125 In 1997,Hong Kong was reunified with China

126 Ghana became independent in 1957 AD

127 Before independence Ghana was a colony of Britain

128 The earlier name of Ghana was Gold Coast

129 Kenya became independent in 1963 AD

130 Zimbabwe became independent in 1976 AD

131 Before independence,Zimbabwe was a colony of Britain

132 Zaire became independent in 1960 AD

133 The earlier name of Zaire was Congo

134 Before independence,Zaire was under the control of Belgians

135 Before independence,Angola was under the control of Portuguese

136 The unpopular practise of South Africa was Apartheid

137 South Africa withdrew from the British Common Wealth in 1961 AD

138 In 1994,the African National Congress won the elections in South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela

139 The popular leader of Cuba is Fidel Castro

140 In 1990,Iraq attacked and occupied Kuwait

141 In 1979,Afghanistan witnessed invasion by Soviet Union

142 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was signed in 1991 AD

143 During the Gulf War,Iraq fought under the leadership of Saddam Hussein

144 The Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979 AD

145 Ayatollah Khomeini was the religious leader of Iran

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 324

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 325

Airlines of the World

No. Airline Country

01 B.O.A.C. ENGLAND

02 Air France FRANCE

03 Lufthansa German Airlines W.GERMANY

04 Pan American World Airways System U.S.A.

05 Trans-world Airways U.S.A.

06 Aero-flot U.S.S.R.

07 Alitalia ITALY

08 Quantas Empire Airways AUSTRALIA

09 Air-India INDIA

10 Sabena BELGIUM

11 Arana Afghan Airlines AFGHANISTAN

12 Cathay Pacific HONGKONG

13 Finnair FINLAND

14 Iberia SPAIN

15 Japan Airlines JAPAN

16 Garuda Airways INDONESIA

17 KLM Royal Dutch NETHERLANDS

18 Bruathens NORWAY

19 Scandinavian Airlines System NORWAY

20 Swissair SWITZERLAND

21 Pakistan International Airlines PAKISTAN

22 Royal Nepal Airlines NEPAL

23 Air-Ceylon SRI LANKA

24 Thai Airways International THAILAND

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 326

Buildings `

Adoble A house made from sun-dried bricks of clay and straw - usually built in warm, dry climates like the south western U.S.

Apartment A set of rooms in a building which usually contains other similar sets of rooms.

Barracks A building or set of buildings used to house soldiers.

Boardinghouse A house in which rooms are rented and meals are served in a common dining room.

Bungalow A small house with a low,wide roof and a porch. It is usually one story high.

Chalet A mountain house with a wide,overhanging roof and posts and beams. The style originated in Switzerland.

Chateau A home for nuns.

Cottage A small country home or summer house used for vacations.

Duplex Apartment An apartment with two floors of living space.

Duplex House A house divided into two living units.

Estate A large country house with seperate buildings on a large tract of land.

Farmhouse Thie dwelling for people who live and work on a farm raising animals or crops.

Flat An apartment on one floor of a building.

Geodesic Dome A large, flat-bottom boat used as a home.

Hogan A building made of logs and mud, used by the Navaho Indians.

Igloo A house built by Eskimos of blocks of ice. The name means "hot house".

Jacal A thatched hut made of intertwined branches and mud, built in Mexico.

Konah A large home in Turkey.

Lodge A house usually located in a remote place and used for hunting or skiing.

Loft An apartment in a warehouse or business building.

Log Cabin A small house made of unhewn timber.

Manse In Scotland, a house in which a minister lives.

Mobile Home A trailor used as a permanent home and made without a permanent foundation.

Nissen Hut A premade shelter with a semicircular arching roof of corrugated iron, and containing a cement floor.

Octagon House A house with eight sides.

Palace A large, grand building in which royally live.

Penthouse A large apartment located at the top of building.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 327

Quonest Hut A premade, portable circular hut made of metal and used by the U.S. Army.

Rectory The house in which a Roman Catholic priest or Episcopal cergyman lives.

Shanty A shack.

Sod House A house made of bricks of sod, which is earth with grass and its roots. In the 19th century, these were built on the American prairie where there were no trees. Just grassy land.

Studio Apartment A one-room apartment with a kitchen and bathroom.

Tent A portable house made of skins, Canvas, or nylon.

Tepee, Tipi A cone-shaped portable home made of buffalo skins and tree saplings, used by the American Indians of the Great Plains.

Tenement` A rundown, low-rent apartment building.

Underground House An earth shelter built below the ground. The earth keeps the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Villa A large country or resort home.

Wigwarm A hut with a frame made of poles and covered iwht bark,rush mats, or hides, used by American Indians.

Yurt A circular, portable, hut used as a home by asian shepherds. It is similar to the American wigwarm.

Zareba An African fort made of thorny bushes.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 328

Religion and Culture

No. Question Answer

01 The Holy Book of Sikhs is known as The Granth Sahib

02 Mahabharata is sometimes called as the Fifth Veda

03 The Holy Book of Islam is The Holy Koran

04 The duration of the Kurukshetra War was Eighteen Days

05 The Holy Book of Christianity is The Holy Bible

06 Jesus Christ was crucified in the year 29 AD

07 The original name given to Mahabharata was Jaya

08 The founder of Buddhism was Gautama Buddha

09 The founder of Christainity was Jesus Christ

10 The founder of Islam was Mohammed the Prophet

11 The founder of Sikhism was Guru Nanak Dev

12 The language in which Gautama Buddha preached was Magadhi

13 `Mimamasa Sutra' was written by Jamini

14 Swami Vivekananda, in his younger days,was known as Narendranath

15 Swami Vivekananda participated in a conference of World Religions held at Chicago

16 Ayurveda literally means Science of life

17 The Ramakrishna Mission was started by Swami Vivekanand

18 The Indo Greek king who adopted Buddhism was Menander

19 The most ancient Veda is Atharva Veda

20 The last Guru of Sikhs was Guru Govind Singh

21 The sacred scripture of Parsis is Zhend Avesta

22 Adi Shankaracharya was born in Keladi(Kerala)

23 Trivendrum is also known as the Holy city of Anatha

24 The king who was famous for always speaking the truth was Raja Harishchandra

25 How many Vedas are there Four

26 How many Puranas are there Eighteen

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 329

27 How many Upanishads are there Twelve

28 Bhishma was also known as Gangeya

29 The Govardhan Mutt at Puri in Orissa was established by Adi Shankaracharya

30 Dronacharya's son was Ashwathama

31 The language in which the sacred scriptures of Buddhism are written is Pali

32 The founder of Dharma Shastra was Bodayana

33 The famous saint who called his wife as his mother Goddess was Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

34 The Muslim saint who is considered as the Special Protector of children is Shah Madar

35 The earlier name of Bhisma was Devarat

36 The three famous epics of India are Ramayana,Bhagavata and Mahabharatha

37 "Satyartha Prakash" was written by Dayanand Saraswati

38 The Buddhist temples in Burma are known as Pagoda

39 Gayatri Japa was composed by Vishwamitra

40 The Bhagavata was narrated to king Parikshit by Suka Maharishi

41 The Ramayana written by Tulasidas is called Rama Charita Manasa

42 Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini

43 Chinese Buddhism is also known as Sushrutha Samhita

44 Gautama Buddha is also known as The Light of Asia

45 The place of worship of Hindus is The Temple

46 The place of worship of Christains is The Church

47 The place of worship of Muslims is The Mosque

48 The place of worship of Sikhs The Gurudwara

49 The place of worship of Parsis The Fire Temple

50 Jesus Christ was born in the year 4 BC

51 The Head of the Roman Catholic Church is known as The pope

52 Songs sung in the praise of God are known as Hymns

53 The God of agriculture in Roman Mythology is Saturn

54 Gautama Buddha's original name was Siddhartha

55 Shiva is considered as the god of Creation and destruction

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 330

56 Brahma is considered as the god of Creator

57 Ramayana was written by Valmiki

58 Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya

59 Chaitanya was devoted to Lord Krishna

60 Artha Shastra was written by Chanakya

61 Kautilya was the real name of Chanakya

62 Moin-ud-din Chisti is a Sufi Saint

63 Mahavira is also known as Vardhamana

64 Kumarasambhava was written by Kalidas

65 Raghuvamsa was written by Kalidas

66 Mahabharata was translated in Tamil by Rajaji

67 Mahabharata was translated into Persian by Mir Ghiasuddin Ali Qazbini

68 Lingaraj temple is located in Bhubaneshwar

69 Lord Jagannath temple is located in Puri

70 Tirupathi is famous for Sri Venkateshwara Temple

71 Gaya is a pilgrimage place for Hindus

72 Gaya is located in Bihar

73 Lord Mahavir breathed his last at Pawapuri

74 Bodh Gaya is located at Bihar

75 Bodh Gaya is sacred place for Buddhists

76 The Shrine of Saibaba is located at Temple of Lord Krishna

77 Ajmer is a pilgrim centre for Muslims

78 Varanasi is a famous pilgrimage centre for Hindus

79 River Ganga is sacred for Hindus

80 Ayodhya is located in Uttar Pradesh

81 Jama Masjid is located at New Delhi

82 Lotus Temple is located at Delhi

83 Mangesh temple is located at Goa

84 Somnath is located at Gujarat

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 331

85 The largest Church in Asia is Se Cathedral

86 Meenakshi temple is located at Madurai

87 India's biggest Mosque is Jama Masjid,Delhi

88 Golden Temple was built in 1577 AD

89 Badrinath is located in Uttar Pradesh

90 Sarnath is pilgrimage centre for Buddhists

91 Sun temple is located at Shri Govindajee temple

92 Lonavla is famous for Buddhist Caves

93 The Great Stupa is located at Sanchi

94 The birth place of Adi Shankaracharya is Kaladi

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 332

Space Research in India

The first Indian-developed rocket was Rohini-RH 75. It was launched from the Thumba equatoria rocket Launching Station (Kerala) in 1967.Its purpose was to conduct meteorological experiments. For carrying out experiments on the celestial x-ray sources a centaure rocket was successfully launched from the Thumba Station (in Kerala) in 1968

Sriharikota Range (SHAR) : It is the second rocket launching station set up at Sriharikota Island in Nellor District of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as a rocket launching base and is used for testing rockets developed at the Science and Technology Centre at Thumba.

The first satellite of India named Aryabhatt (weight 360 kg.) was launched from Russia in 1975 by means of a Russian rocket. India's second Satellite, Bhaskara-I was launched in 1979. Bhaskara-II was launched in 1981.

SLV-3 : The main objective of the SLV-3 project (Satellite Launch Vehicle Project) was to gain experience in the design, development and launching of vehicles capable of placing scientific and experimental satellites in near earth orbits.

Rohini-I (RS-I,weight 35 kg.) : the first Indian satellite put into a near-earth orbit successfully from SHAR in 1980 by the second experimental Launching of SLV-3.

Rohini-II (RS-II,weight 35 kg.) : was injected from SHAR by the SLV-3 rocket on its first developmental flight in 1981. It was originally designed to live for 300 days but met its premature end after nine days due to its unexpectedly low orbit.

APPLE (Ariane PassengerPayload Experiment) : It is India's first geostationary experimental communication satellite which was put into an elliptical orbit in 1981 from French Guyana by Ariane rocket of European space Agency (ESA).

INSAT-I(Indian National Satellite-I) : It is a series of geostationary satellites planned by India. The INSAT-I satellites are designed to meet the telecommunication, telecasting, radiobroadcasting and meteorological requirements of India. All of them are designed for a life span of seven years.

INSAT-IA : the first satellite of the series Launched in 1982 was switched off after 150 days due to malfunctioning.

INSAT-IB : was launched in 1983 from the US space shuttle "Challenger". Its functions are : whether surveillance and beaming of telephone calls and television across India. Weather monitoring including advance warning of floods and cyclones is rendered possible through its meteorological payloads.

ANURADHA : It is an Indian instrument which was taken into orbit (and retrieved succesfully) by the US space shuttle "Challenger" in 1985. The experiment was designed to study particles coming from outer space, mainly to understand where they come from. These particles are ions of helium and oxygen with low energies.

Experimental Satellite Communications Earth Station : India's first station was set up at Arvi near Pune.

The second such station was commissioned in 1977 at Dehra Dun (U.P.). It is mean to improve substantially the country's overseas telecommunication facilities.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 333

Indo-Soviet joint space flight : Squadron leader Rakesh Sharma became India's first man in space on April 3, 1984, when he was launched aboard Soyuz T-11 spaceship from the U.S.S.R. along with two Soviet cosmonants. India is the 14th nation to have sent its citizen into space.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 334

Countries & Towns Rename

No. Old Name New Name

01 Bechuanaland Botswana

02 Ceylon Sri Lanka

03 Malaya Malaysia

04 Mesopotamia Iraq

05 Persia Iran

06 S.Rhodesia Zimbabwe

07 Siam Thailand

08 Madagaskar Malagassy

09 Formosa Taiwan

10 Cambodia Kampuchea

11 Angora Ankara

12 Abyssinia Ethiopia

13 Baroda Vadodara

14 Batavia Jakarta

15 Bechuanaland Botswana

16 Bombay Mumbai

17 Burma Myanmar

18 Constantinople Istambul

19 Congo Zaire

20 Dacca Dhaka

21 Dahomey Benin

22 Gold Coast Ghana

23 N.Rhodesia Zambia

24 Panjim Panaji

25 Peking Beijing

26 Rangoon Yangon

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 335

27 South West Africa Namibia

28 Salisbury Harare

29 Zanzibar & Tanganyka Tanzania

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 336

Fine Arts

No. Question Answer

01 The Persian epic Shahnama was written by Firdausi

02 Mohenjadaro literally means Mound of Corpes

03 The Classic "Measure for Measure"was written by William Shakespeare

04 The composer of Geet Govind was Jayadev

05 By the middle of the 1st century,the city that was famous for fine arts was Pataliputra

06 The first Cartoonist to win the B.D.Goenka Award was R.K.Laxman

07 The magazine started by M.Karunanidhi was Murasoli

08 Shakespeare's last play was The Tempest

09 Bismillah Khan is a famous Musician

10 Bismillah Khan specialises in Shahnai Vadan

11 The famous museum located in Hyderabad is Salarjung

12 Vinoba Bhave,author,started a famous movement known as Bhoodan Movement

13 Geetha Pravachan in Marathi was written by Vinoba Bhave

14 The ancient Buddhist University Nalanda was located in the state of Bihar

15 The architectural style in which Taj Mahal is built is Indo persian

16 Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for his book Gitanjali

17 Tamil Ramayanam was authoblack by Kambar

18 The oldest collection of stories in India is Kathasaritsagara

19 The instrument played by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan is Sarod

20 The Biography of Dr.Samuel Johnson was written by James Bosewell

21 Subramanya Bharthi was a noted Poet

22 K.V.Subbabba,who won the Magsaysay Award was from Heggodu,Karnataka

23 The heroine of the film `Cleopatra' was Elizabeth Taylor

24 "Bhagvatgeet"the movie which won the Lotus Award was made in which Language Sanskrit

25 The only Indian actor to have received the Oscar award is Satyajit Ray

26 Bhimsen Joshi is associated with Hindustani Music

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 337

27 The B.C.Roy National Award for the year 1981 was received by Dr.Harindranath Chattopadhyaya

28 National Anthem of India was written by Rabindranath Tagore

29 The first film of Ashok Kumar was Jeevanayya

30 The dancer who,inspite of losing one leg,dances and acts in films is Sudha Chandran

31 The studio owned by Raj Kapoor and his family is R.K.Studios

32 The author cum adventurer Thomas Edward Lawrence was famous for Lawrence of Arabia

33 William Wordsworth was also known as Nature's Poet

34 Robert Benchley acted in the film Author

35 A comedian who insublack his nose for Ten lakh dollars was Jimmy Durant

36 The earlier name of film star Devanand was Dharam Devanand

37 The real name of Dilip kumar is Yusuf Khan

38 Bala Gandharva was a famous Stage actor

39 Bala Gandharva was so named by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

40 The lead role in Tamil film Nayakan was played by Kamala Hasan

41 Hollywood is located in California,USA

42 The book `Life Divine' was written by Aurobindo

43 The editor of the book `Indian Cartoons' is Abu Abraham

44 Canterbury Tales was written by Chaucer

45 Orthography means the art of Correct Spelling

46 The book "Mad,Mad,Mad,World of Indian Cinema" was written by K.A.Abbas

47 The National Gallery of Modern Art is located at New Delhi

48 "Les miserables" was written by Victor Hugo

49 The first opera ever performed was Persi Dafni

50 The word "Opera" means Works

51 Henrik Isben's first play was Catalina

52 The only comedy written by Jean Racine was Les Plaideurs

53 `Rip Van Wrinkle' was written by Washington Irwing

54 The 1995 Jnana Peeth Award was won by M.T.Vasudevan Nair

55 The 1997 Booker Prize was won by Arundathi Roy

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 338

56 "Love's Labour Lost"was a play by Shakespeare

57 The Roman Magsaysay Award 1997 was won by Mahasweta Devi

58 The collection of Short Stories entitled "Mortal Coils" was written by Aldous Hexley

59 The play "Enemy of the People" was written by Hensik Isben

60 The first cinema theater was established at Pittsberg,Pensylvania

61 The first cinema theater was established in the year 1905 AD

62 In the play `Macbeth',the king of Scotland is Duncan

63 Kesari,a Marathi daily was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

64 The one eyed giant who appeablack in Greek mythology was Cyclops

65 "Ajax" was written by Sophocles

66 "Antigone" was written by Sophocles

67 "Aparajito", a Bengali film, was directed by Satyajit Ray

68 The Piano was discoveblack by Guidod Arezzo

69 Sense and Sensibility,was written by Jane Austin

70 Rabindranath Tagore was popularly known as Gurudev

71 The author who used a new pen every time he sat down to write a poem was Alexander Dumas

72 The French author who could work only in a darkened room was Emil Zola

73 The writer who was known as the `Wizard of the North' was Walter Scott

74 The noble prize winning novel "The Good Earth" was written by Pearl S.Buck

75 Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck,the cartoon characters were created by Walt Disney

76 Pablo Picasso was from Spain

77 The Comic Character "Tarzan"was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

78 Bernard Shaw wrote the "Far Fetched Fables" at the age of 93 years

79 The first full-length feature film was The Great Train Robbery

80 The first full-length feature film was made in the year 1903 AD

81 The Tansen Awards are given to Musicians

82 The Character 1Gulliver' was created by Jonathan Swift

83 Gulliver's first name was Lumuel

84 Treasure Island was written by Robert Louis Stevenson

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 339

85 The person who is known as father of Carnatic Classical music is Purandaradasa

86 `King Solomon's Ring' was written by konard Lorenz

87 The town which is known as the home of violin making is Cremona,Italy

88 Wilkie Collins was a famous Author

89 Raghuvamsu was written by Kalidasa

90 `The Lady of the Lake' was written by Walter Scott

91 The final book Caesar's Gallic War was written by Aulus Whiskers

92 The `Riddle of the Sands' was written by Robert Erskine Childers

93 The Highest National Award given every year to the best book in india is Jnanapith Award

94 John Masefield was a famous Poet

95 The title of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography was My Experiments with Truth

96 `Malgudi Days' was written by R.K.Narayan

97 `Guide' was written by R.K.Narayan

98 The Novel `Moon and Six Pence' was written by W.S.Maugham

99 `Kanthapura' was written by Raja Rao

100 `Das Capital' was written by Karl Marx

101 Arabian Nights was translated into Sanskrit by Jagadbandu Pandit

102 The first recipient of Bharatiya Gnanpith Award was G.Shankara Kurup

103 The language in which Samuel Becket wrote most of his plays was French

104 Dr.Masti Venkatesha Iyenger won the Gnanpith Award for his book Chikaveerarajendra

105 The famous singer who collapsed and died on the stage during a performance was Leonard Warren

106 `A thing of beauty is joy forever' was said by Keats

107 The 1966 Gnanpith Award was won by Tara Shankar Nandopadhyaya

108 The 1967 Gnanpith Award was won by Uma Shankar Joshi & Dr.K.V.Puttappa

109 The 1968 Gnanpith Award was won by Sumitra Nandhanpant

110 In 1982,Arun Shourie won the Ramon Magsaysay

111 The Music instrument that Ravishankar plays is Sitar

112 Anandmath was written by Bankim chandra

113 The Classic `Around the World in 80 days' was written by Jules Verne

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 340

114 Babar's Autobiography "Babarnama" is written in the language Turkish

115 Who is consideblack as the most famous playwright in English after William Shakespeare George Bernard Shaw

116 The popular comedian Charlie Chaplin was from Britain

117 Panchatanra was written by Vishnu Sharma

118 The world's smallest theatre Picolo is in Hamburg,West Germany

119 The seating capacity of the World's smallest theatre Picolo is Thirty

120 The first Russian author to receive the Nobel Prize was Ivan Atseyevich

121 The Heroine of the famous classic `Gone with the Wind' was Sarlet O'Hara

122 The title of Dr.Salim Ali's autobiography is Fall of Sparrow

123 The first actress of Indian screen was Kamalabai Gokhale

124 Tansen,the famous musician was once defeated by another musician whose name was Baiju Bawra

125 Pablo Picasso derived his surname from His mother

126 The 1992 Bhartiya Gnanpith Award was won by Naresh Mehta

127 The 1997 Dada Saheb Phalke Award was won by Kavi Pradeep

128 The Three Musketeers was written by Alexander Dumas

129 Sarojini Naidu is more popularly known as Nightingale of India

130 The author of the book `Cricket My style' was Kapil Dev

131 The book "Unto this Last" was written by John Ruskin

132 K.L. Saigal was a famous Singer

133 Bharat natyam originated in Tamilnadu

134 Late Mahadevi Verma received the Jnanpith Award for her book Yama

135 The recipient of the Dada Saheb phalke Award for 1997 was Shivaji Ganesan

136 The first novel written by R.K.Narayan was Swami & his friends

137 The lady who is Story writer,film actress,film Producer,singer,film director and music Director and who hails from Andhra Pradesh is P.Bhanumathi

138 Father and son who won the Dada Saheb Phalke Award was Prithvi Raj Kapoor & Raj Kapoor

139 `Life of Mahatma Gandhi' was written by Louis Fisher

140 The instrument used by Amir Khusro was Sarod

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 341

141 The real name of the famous writer Mark Twain is Samuel Clemens

142 Harsha Charita was written by Bana Bhatta

143 the full name of R.K.Narayan was Rasipuram Krishna Swamy Ayyar Narayan

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 342

Scientific Instruments

1. Aerometer : Instrument for measuring weight and density of air and gases.

2. Altimeter : Instrument used in aircraft to measure altitude.

3. Ammeter : Instrument used to measure electrical current flowing in a circuit.

4. Anemometer : Instrument to measure the force and velocity of wind.

5. Audiometer : Instrument to measure intensity of sound.

6. Barometer : Instrument used to measure the atmospheric pressure.

7. Calorimeter : Instrument used for measuring quantities of heat.

8. Cardiogram : A medical instrument for tracing heart movements.

9. Crescograph : Instrument for use in recording growth of plants.

10. Dynamo : Instrument for transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy.

11. Fathometer : Instrument used for measuring depth of the ocean.

12. Geiger Counter : Instrument for recording the amount of radiation emitted by a source of radio-activity.

13. Hydrometer : Instrument used for measuring the specific gravity of liquids

14. Hydrophone : Instrument used for recording sound under water

15. Hygrometer : Instrument for measuring the amount of water vapours (humidity) in the atmosphere.

16. Kymograph : Instrument used to record graphically various physiological movements i.e.,blood pressure,heart beating, study of lungs etc. in living beings.

17. Lactometer : Aparatus used for measuring the purity of milk.

18. Manometer : Apparatus used for determining the pressure of a gas.

19. Odometer : Instrument by which the distance covered by wheeled vehicles is recorded.

20. Oscillograph : Instrument for recording electrical or mechanical vibrations.

21. Photometer : Apparatus used to compare the illuminating power of two sources of light.

22. Pyrometer : Instrument for recording high temperatures froma great distance.

23. Radiometer : Instrument for measuring the emission of radiant energy.

24. Rain gauge : Apparatus for recording of rainfall at a particular piece.

25. Refractometer : Instrument to measure refractive indices.

26. Saccharimeter : Instrument for determining the amount of sugar in a solution.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 343

27. Sextant : An optical instrument used for finding out the altitude of celestial bodies and their angular distances.

28. Sphygmomanometer : Instrument used for measuring arterial bolld- pressure.

29. Spherometer : Instrument for measuring curvature of surfaces.

30. Seismograph : Instrument used for recording earthquake shocks.

31. Tachometer : Instrument for determining speeds of aeroplanes and motor boats.

32. Thermostat : Instrument used to regulate the temperature to a particular degree.

33. Transformer : An electrical apparatus used to convert high voltage to low and vice versa

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 344

Science

No.

Question

Answer

01

The theory of relativity was propounded by

Albert Einstein

02

The principal metal used in manufacturing steel is

Iron

03

An alimeter is used for measuring

Altitude

04

Oology is the study of

Birds eggs

05

Radioactivity was discovered by

Henry Bacquerel

06

The metal used in storage batteries is

Lead

07

The instrument used to measure the relative humidity of air is

Hygrometer

08

Barometer was invented by

Torricelli

09

The unit of power is

Watt

10

Radium was discovered by

Marie and Pierrie Curie

11

The existence of isotopes was discovered by

Frederick Soddy

12

Dynamo was invented by

Michael Faraday

13

The nuclear reactor was invented by

Enrico Ferni

14

The law of gravitation was propounded by

Sir Isaac Newton

15

Crescograph was invented by

J.C.Bose

16

Crescograph is used to measure the

Rate of growth of a plant

17

Galileo's first scientific discovery was

Pendulum

18

Microscope was invented by

Aaton Van Leewen Hock

19

The scientist who is known as father of modern biology is

Aristotle

20

The first person to see a cell under microscope was

Robert Hooke

21

The smallest flowering plant is

Worffia

22

The four blood groups were discovered by

Karl Landsteiner

23

Sodium was discovered by

Sir Humphry Davy

24

The atomic number of oxygen is

Eight

25

The basic building blocks of proteins are

Amino acids

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 345

26

The botanical name of the cotton plant is

Gossipium Hirsutum

27

An Electroscope is used to

Detect charges on a body

28

The unit of loudness is

Phon

29

An ammeter is used to measure

Electric current

30

Plant that eat insects are called

Insectivorous plants

31

Fruits that are formed without fertilization are called

Parthenocarpic

32

Plants that flower only once in their lifetime are called

Mono carpic

33

The botanical name for rice is

Oryza Sativa

34

Penicillin is obtained from

Mould

35

The largest tree in the world is

Seguoia Gigantica

36

Herpetology is the study of

Reptiles

37

Entomology is the study of

Insects

38

Ornithology is the study of

Birds

39

Ichtyology is the study of

Fishes

40

Osteology is the study of

Bones

41

The botanical name for brinjal is

Solanum melongenal

42

The botanical name for onion is

Allium Cepa

43

The study of sound is called

Acoustics

44

The study of heavenly bodies is called

Astronomy

45

The study of tissues is called

Histology

46

Electric Lamp was invented by

Thomas alva Edison

47

The fear of crowd is called

Ochlophobia

48

The fear of books is called

Bibliophobia

49

The fear of going to bed is called

Clinophobia

50

The symbol of gold is

Au

51

The symbol of sodium is

Na

52

The symbol of Sr stands for

Strontium

53

The symbol Rb stands for

Rubidium

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 346

54

The symbol Md stands for

Mendelevium

55

Calcium sulphate is commonly called

Plaster of Paris

56

Sodium carbonate is commonly called

Washing Soda

57

Sodium chloride is commonly known as

Common Salt

58

The chemical name of Chloroform is

Trichloromethane

59

The chemical name of baking powder is

Sodium bicarbonate

60

The chemical name of bleaching powder is

Calcium hypochlorite

61

The formula HCL stands for

Hydrochloric Acid

62

The formula H2SO4 stands for

Sulphuric Acid

63

The formula CHCI3 stands for

Trichloromethane

64

The formula H2O2 stands for

Hydrogen peroxide

65

A fungus which can only survive on other living organisms is called

Obligate Parasite

66

A plant which lives in the dark is called

Scotophyte

67

A plant adapted to live in dry places is called a

Xerophyte

68

A plant adapted for growth in water is called a

Hydrophyte

69

Bifocal lens was invented by

Benjamin Franklin

70

Cement was invented by

Joseph Aspdin

71

Laser was invented by

Dr.Charles H.Townes

72

Electromagnet was invented by

William Sturgeon

73

Rayon was invented by

Sir Joseph Swann

74

Thermostat is an instrument used for regulating

Constant temperature

75

The science of organic forms and structures is known as

Morphology

76

Phycology is the study of

Algae

77

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was established in

1945

78

CSIR stands for

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

79

ISRO stands for

Indian Space Research Organisation

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 347

80

The first human being to land on moon was

Neil Armstrong

81

The first Indian in space was

Rakesh Sharma

82

ISAC stands for

ISRO Satellite Centre

83

VSSC stands for

Vikram Sarabhai space Centre

84

The headquarters of ISRO is located at

Bangalore

85

VSSC is located at

Thiruvananthapuram

86

ISAC is located at

Bangalore

87

National Science Centre is located at

New Delhi

88

Central Tobacco Research Institute is located at

Rajahmundry

89

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research is located at

Bangalore

90

The Atomic Energy Commission was set up in

August 1948

91

The first Indian Satellite was

Aryabhatta

92

The first Indian Satellite was launched in the year

1975

93

ASLV stands for

Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle

94

INSAT stands for

Indian National Satellite

95

The fear of women is known as

Gynophobia

96

The fear of men is known as

Androphobia

97

The scientist who developed the Quantum theory was

Max Plonck

98

The steam engine was invented by

James Watt

99

The botanical name of tea is

Camellia Sinensis

100

Logarithms were devised by

John Napier

101

The acid used in a car battery is

Sulphuric acid

102

The system for writing by blind people was invented by

Louis Braille

103

The parachute was used for the first time by

J.P.Blanchard

104

The German physicit who first demonstrated the existence of Radio waves was

Henrich Hertz

105

The instrument that records the intensity of earthquakes is

Seismograph

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 348

106

The laws of floating bodies was discovered by

Archimedes

107

The density of milk is measured by a

Lactometer

108

Fountain pen was invented by

L.E.Waterman

109

The instrument used to measure the pressure of gases is the

Monometer

110

Bhaskara I was a famous

Astronomer

111

The first atomic power station established in India was the

Tarapore Atomic Power Station

112

The role of heredity was demonstrated by

Mendel

113

The instrument used to measure the concentration of salt water is the

Salinometer

114

Spectroscopy is the study of

Anders John Angstrom

115

Dactylography is the study of

Finger Prints

116

A tangent galvanometer is used to study the

Strength of direct current

117

The fruit of Oak is called

Acron

118

ZETA stands for

Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly

119

The formula C6H5OH stands for

Phenol

120

Michael Faraday worked as an assistant under another scientist whose name was

Sir Humphry Davy

121

Vulcanised rubber was invented by

Charles Goodyear

122

The symbol Zn stands for

Zinc

123

The symbol He stands for

Helium

124

Celluloid was invented by

A.Parker

125

Glider was invented by

Sir George Caley

126

Safety matches was invented by

J.E.Lundstrom

127

Radio valve was invented by

Sir J.A.Fleming

128

Space Applications Centre is located at

Ahmedabad

129

Atomic Energy Commission is located at

Mumbai

130

Dynamics is the study of

Movements of bodies

131

Statics is the study of

Forces acting on bodies at rest

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 349

132

Mechanics is the study of

Forces acting on bodies

133

Zoology is the study of

Animal life

134

Botany is the study of

Plant life

135

Psychology is the study of

Human mind

136

The first American to orbit earth was

John H.Glen

137

The electro-cardiograph was invented by

William Einthoven

138

The molecular formula of cane sugar is

C12H22O11

139

A compound which contains only hydrogen and Carbon is called a

Hydrocarbon

140

The liquid used to preserve specimens of plans and animals is

Formalin

141

The law of segregaton was propounded by

Mendel

142

Auriscope is used to detect

Ear disorders

143

The three states of matter are

Solid,liquid and gas

144

The scientific name for blood platelets is

Thrombocytes

145

The response of a plant to heat is called

Thermotropism

146

The response of a plant to touch is called

Trigmotropism

147

The symbol Zr stands for

Zirconium

148

Nickel was discovered by

Cronstledt

149

Manganese was discovered by

Gahn

150

The common name for pottasium carbonate is

Potash

No. Question Answer

151 Bismuth was discovered by Valentine

152 The biggest plant seed is Cocodemer

153 Toxicology is the study of Poisons

154 Virology is the study of Viruses

155 Paleontology is the study of Fossils

156 Calorimeter is used to measure Quantity of heat

157 Chronometer was invented by John Harrison

158 Stethoscope was invented by William Stockes

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 350

159 Spinning frame was invented by Sir Richard Arkwright

160 Al stands for Aluminium

161 Gd stands for Gadolinium

162 Ir stands for Iridium

163 Bi stands for Bismuth

164 The Chemical formula of sodium bicarbonate is NaHCO3

165 The chemical formula of common salt is Nacl

166 The chemical formula of washing soda is Na2CO3,IOH2O

167 The chemical formula of lime soda is CaCO3

168 The chemical formula of chloroform is CHcl3

169 The study of grasses is known as Agrostology

170 The study of antiquities is known as Archaeology

171 The study of the duration of life is known as Chronobiology

172 The study of bacteria is known as Bacteriology

173 Nylon was invented by Dr.Wallace H.Carothers

174 Electric razor was invented by Jacob Schick

175 The symbol of silver is Ag

176 The symbol of silicon is Si

177 The symbol of titanium is Ti

178 Calcium oxide is commonly known as Quick lime

179 A deviation of light passing from one medium to another is known as Refraction

180 An apparatus for generation of atomic energy is called a Reactor

181 A machine used for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy is called a Generator

182 The first Indian woman in space was Kalpana Chawla

183 The revolver was invented by Samuel Colt

184 The refrigerator was invented by J.Perkins

185 Which is the only common metal that is liquid at room temperature? Mercury

186 When a fire is caused by an electric short circuit, why must you not throw water? If you throw water on a fire caused due to short circuit, you may be electrocuted because water is a good conductor of electricity.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 351

187 Why do we see lightning much before we hear thunder? This is because light travels much faster than sound. Light travels @ 2.99 x 108 mt / sec (2,99,000 km/sec) whereas sound travels @ 333 mt/sec.

188 Which planet is the closest to the Sun? Mercury

189 Which is the hottest planet? Venus

190 How much time does the earth take to complete a revolution around the sun? 365 % days.

191 Why are whales hunted? For the blubber or the oil in them.

192 Where do platypuses live? In burrows near water.

193 How many days does the moon take to go round the earth? 27 1/3 days.

194 Among the insects that are extant, (that are living still), which is the most ancient? Cockroach.

195 What is meant by fulcrum? Fulcrum is the point about which a bar or lever will rotate, when a force is applied at any distance from that point or axis.

196 What kind of leaves do silkworms thrive on? Mulberry leaves.

197 Why is it dangerous to look at die sun during an eclipse? During solar eclipse, the ultraviolet rays are in such high proportion in sunrays, that they can cause irrepairable damage to the eye.

198 How does a Pitcher Plant eat flies? A Pitcher Plant is hollow and tubular. The surfaces are slippery and they have hairs, which point downwards. When an insect lands on a pitcher plant, it is impossible for it to escape because of the slippery surface and the downward-pointed hairs. It is then easily digested.

199 What is the Indian name for the planet Mercury? Budha.

200 Where in India do the migratory cranes of Siberia settle down? The Rann of Kutch.

201 How many arms does a starfish have? Usually five.

202 What is a solar eclipse? The moon comes in between the sun and the earth, and thereby prevents sunlight from reaching the earth.

203 Who first saw mountains and craters on the moon using a telescope? Galileo Galilei

204 Which is the largest animal on land? African Elephant.

205 Why does a rhinoceros spend so much time in mud? To keep cool and protect itself from insect bites.

206 Which country first used fingerprints to identify people? Assyria and China.

207 In which country was silk first made? China.

208 What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a fat found in the human body and the body of other large animals. In its pure form it looks like white sugar. It is made up of tiny crystals, which can be seen under a microscope. It is said that too much cholesterol in the blood is responsible for the hardening of arteries and for various other heart ailments.

209 How did the watch get its name? From the fact that you have to watch it to know the time.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 352

210 What is vulcanisation of rubber? The process of hardening rubber by adding sulphur and heating the mixture is vulcanisation. Vulcanisation was discovered by Charles Goodyear. Raw rubber is sticky. It hardens when the temperature is low and softens when it is high. Charles Goodyear discovered that by combining raw rubber with sulphur and by heating it, the rubber becomes stronger and elastic and also resistant to solvents. Today almost all rubber, whether natural or synthetic is vulcanized.

211 When faced with danger what does a Pangolin do? It rolls into a ball.

212 Where is the entrance to a baya's nest? At the bottom of the nest.

213 What is glass made from? Limestone, Silica and Soda ash.

214 What is the microscopic study of plant and animal tissue called? Histology.

215 How does a mariner's compass help the mariner? The needle of the compass always points towards the magnetic north pole. This indicates the direction in which the ship is moving.

216 Which is the second largest planet in our Solar System? Saturn.

217 How many weeks after birth does the young one of a cat opens its eyes? Three weeks.

218 The arms of the Octopus have sucker cups. What is the use of these cups? To hold onto a surface.

219 What food does a bear love most? Honey.

220 How did the Romans rub off what was written on a wooden slate coated with wax? By heating the slate, the wax was melted. The slate became ready to reuse.

221 What are seashells? Outer casings of soft-bodied animals, called molluscs.

222 How is a pearl formed within the body of an oyster? A pearl is formed when a grain of sand or other foreign matter gets between the hard outer shell and the inner coat called the mantle, of a mollusc. The mollusc surrounds the irritation with nacre, a secretion from the mantle. Many thin layers of nacre give the pearl its lustre.

223 How much time does Pluto take to complete a revolution around the sun? 248 years.

224 What is a Catamaran? A boat with twin parallel hulls. [From the Tamil words katta and maram, meaning tied up (katta) tree (maram).

225 How many ears does a spider have? None.

226 How much time does light take to reach the earth from the sun? 8 minutes.

227 What is acceleration? The time rate at which the velocity of a point is changing is acceleration. Velocity is just the speed (miles per hour or kilometres per second). The term acceleration is used when the speed keeps increasing. The term deceleration is used when the speed becomes less and less.

228 How does a spider eat its food? The spider inserts his fangs into the victim's body and uses them as straws to suck out the liquid.

229 Who invented the telescope? Hans Lippershey.

230 Why do people living in the deserts prefer white colour for their robes? White coloured robes do not absorb light, whereas dark-coloured clothes absorb the light and conduct heat to the body.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 353

231 What is common to dolphins and humans? They are both mammals.

232 In which country was the day first divided into 12 parts? Babylon (modern Iraq).

233 How does a rocket move forward? It moves forward due to propulsion. You must have seen that a boatman pushes the water backwards with his oar. This creates a force in the forward direction. This is propulsion. Newton's third law of motion states action and reaction are equal and opposite. In a rocket when hot gases come out of the rear with great force as a result of combustion, a force is created in the opposite direction. This takes the rocket forward.

234 What are the things necessary to start a fire? Heat, fuel and oxygen.

235 How many legs does a butterfly have? Six.

236 Who invented the aeroplane heavier than an air machine that could fly? Orville and Wilbur Wright.

237 Who invented the modern lift? Elisha Otis.

238 Why can't cranes perch on trees branches? They cannot curl their toes. As a result they cannot have a firm grip on a branch.

239 Ancient Sumenans used to write on clay. How could this writing be preserved? By baking the tablets. This would remove the moisture from the tablets and harden them.

240 How big are the tusks of an Indian female elephant? Indian female elephants do not have tusks.

241 Bats cannot see. Then how do they move about? They emit sounds of low intensity, which are reflected from the objects around them. This helps the bats to move about.

242 How does a frog catch an insect? It throws out its tongue, which is sticky and catches the insects.

243 What is a Portuguese Man of War? A name commonly applied to jelly fish, found in tropical seas.

244 Why are oceans important to man? They enable man to travel to distant corners of the world. They also provide food, oil and minerals.

245 What is the transparent portion in front of the eyeball called? Cornea.

246 What is the meaning of the pecking order? Pecking order is an example of hierarchy among animals, particularly hens. In a coup containing hens and cocks, the seniormost cock can peck at all the other hens and cocks in the coup. A hen can peck at others weaker than it, but must permit pecking by senior members in the hierarchy.

247 Who made trains run by steam engine popular? George Stephenson

248 How are volcanoes caused? Deep under the crust of the earth is molten rock or lava, also called magma. It is under great pressure because of the intense heat around it and the weight of the earth's crust. When this hot boiling mass finds an outlet in the underside of the earth's crust, it comes through the surface as lava.

249 What is a male ant called? Drone.

250 How can a frog make such a loud sound? As the frog forces air from the lungs, vocal chords in the voice box (larynx) vibrate to make calls, distinctive of its species. The bulls of some species have air sacs, which help, increase the volume of the sound.

251 Who was the first man on the moon? Neil Armstrong.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 354

252 What is peristalsis? Peristalsis is a type of movement occurring in the hollow organs of animals, which causes their contents to be pushed ahead.

253 What are the main differences between an Indian elephant and an African elephant? The African elephant is much larger in size. Its ears as well as tusks are larger than those of an Indian elephant.

254 What is it that silkworms weave around themselves? Cocoon.

255 Why did Dr. Lister use carbolic acid to cover wounds? To prevent infection.

256 What is the juice of the rubber plant called? Latex

257 Why does the ostrich eat sand or gravel? To digest its food.

258 Which discovery made soap-making a big industry? It was discovered (in 1787) that caustic soda can be made from common salt. Since soap is made from caustic soda and fat, manufacturing soap became cheaper.

259 Who invented the Gramophone? Thomas Alva Edison

260 Which is the largest living bird? Ostrich.

261 Why didn't the British plant rubber in England? Rubber grows only in tropical countries.

262 Why do tigers turn into man-eaters? When tigers become old or are incapacitated because of injury, they prey on human beings. A tiger that has preyed on man and has tasted human flesh often continues to prey on man.

263 What was called Penny-farthing? The cycle whose front wheel was much larger than the rear wheel. It was invented by James Starley. It was derisively named penny-farthing after the largest and smallest English copper coins of the period.

264 Why does not the moon have an atmosphere? Even if it had some atmosphere, its mass is so low that gravity on the surface is not enough to retain the atmosphere.

265 Name the animal that has the largest eyes in the world? The Atlantic Giant Squid, about 30 cm wide.

266 Who invented the four-stroke Motorcar engine? Nikolaus Otto.

267 What are meteorites? They are rocks or pieces of rocks that enter the atmosphere and are usually burnt out before landing on earth. Some large meteorites can crash against the surface of the earth and cause damage.

268 What did ancient Romans think lightning was? Jupiter's weapon.

269 Are the soldier ants male or female? They are all female.

270 What is the nest of a penguin made of? Pebbles.

271 What are the characteristics of a parasitic plant? They cannot produce their own food and obtain food from other sources.

272 What keeps the sun so hot? A reaction similar to that of a hydrogen bomb takes place continuously in the sun. Two atoms of hydrogen fuse at high temperatures to form an atom of helium. Immense heat is released in this reaction.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 355

273 What is meant by Binary System? We carry out everyday calculations, using the decimal system, with the numbers 1 to 9 and zero. The binary system uses only two numbers 0 and 1. An electric current can be switched on and off using off for 0 and on for 1. Any number can be represented in the binary system.

274 Which was the first spaceship launched by man? Sputnik-I, launched by the Russians

275 What kind of nests do owls build? They don't build nests. They use hollows in trees for laying eggs.

276 Why is polished rice less healthy than unpolished

rice? The husk of food grains (rice, wheat, etc) has Vitamins, much of which are lost when the grains are polished.

277 Which Psychologist devised the IQ test? Alfred Binet.

278 Who discovered Radium? Pierre and Marie Curie.

279 What is the approximate temperature deep inside the sun? 14 million degrees C.

280 What are Epiphytic plants? Plants that grow on other plants for support. These plants however do not take nourishment from the host.

281 Sometimes the eagle spits out pellets from its mouth. What are they? Bones and fur of the prey that are left after the food is digested.

282 What does a ruminant mean? Ruminant is an animal that chews its cud and has a four-chambered stomach. When food is swallowed by a ruminant, it passes into the rumen or paunch, where it is stored, while the animal eats. Chewing and digestion are carried out at leisure. The food passes from the rumen to the reticulum, where it is formed into small masses and pushed up to the mouth to be chewed. When it is swallowed a second time it takes a different route. Gastric digestion takes place and the food passes into the intestine.

283 Who discovered the Planet Uranus? Sir William Herschel.

284 Who invented Television? John Logic Baird.

285 How do dolphins communicate with each other? By producing screeching sounds.

286 Who was the first woman to travel in space? Valentina Tereshkova.

287 What are clouds made of? Tiny droplets of ice or water.

288 What is the disease that causes dogs to turn mad? Rabies.

289 Who conducted the first controlled fission reaction (that led to the making of the atom bomb)? Enrico Fermi.

290 Which was the first satellite launched by India? Aryabhata, in 1975.

291 What is Dry Ice? Solid Carbon Dioxide.

292 Who invented the Radio? G. Marconi (Jagadis Chandra Bose has also been credited with this discovery but his claim has not been recognised).

293 What was the theory of the atom put forward by Rutherford? Rutherford put forward the theory that every atom consists of a tiny nucleus with a positive charge, surrounded by electrons. The electrons are far apart from the nucleus and from one another.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 356

294 Of which element is diamond made of? Carbon.

295 The Pit Viper has poor eyesight. Yet it can locate its prey accurately. How? It has heat sensory cells in the pits between the eye and the nostril, which detect warm-blooded animals.

296 Who first propounded the theory of Evolution of Man? Charles Darwin.

297 From which elements is steel made? Iron and Carbon.

298 Which instrument is used for measuring humidity? Hygrometer.

299 If you speak loudly on the moon, approximately how far can your voice travel? Sound waves need a medium in which they can travel. The atmosphere on the moon is negligible. Hence your voice cannot travel any distance.

300 What is the difference between Toads and Frogs? Toads have a dry warty skin while frogs have a smooth moist skin.

No. Question Answer

301. Who first discovered that water was produced by burning hydrogen? Henry Cavendish.

302. What are the parts of a comet? Nucleus, coma and tail.

303 Why are the blades of the fan slightly curved? If you wish to carry sand or any solid substance from one place to another, you can carry little if there are straight metal strips. A pail can carry much more. In the case of air, which is a fluid, a slightly curved blade is enough to help circulate air in the room.

304 What is absolute zero temperature? Absolute zero is the temperature at which thermal energy (energy related to heat) vanishes. It corresponds to -273.15 degrees, on the Celsius scale.

305 Who is considered the father of plastic surgery in ancient India? Sushruta. He is best known for the operations he performed called rhinoplasty (remodelling of the nose).

306 What are isotopes? Isotopes are different forms of an element with the same number of protons, but a varying number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. All elements consist of atoms. Atoms have a nucleus, which consists of proton or protons and neutrons. They usually have as many electrons as protons, continuously whirling around the nucleus. Hydrogen has two naturally existing isotopes - one with only a proton and no neutron in its nucleus and another with a neutron and a proton. The first one is commonly known as hydrogen. The second one is rare and is called deuterium or heavy hydrogen. A third isotope, called tritium, is artificially produced. Tritium has one proton and two neutrons.

307 Who discovered the cause of malaria? Ronald Ross.

308 Which planet has a moon named Titan? Saturn.

309 Name the largest bone in the human body. Femur (in the thigh).

310 What is the source of all energy on earth? The sun.

311 What was the name of the instrument used by Jagadis Chandra Bose to measure sensitivity of plants? Crescograph.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 357

312 How long do banyan trees live? Banyan trees seem to live for hundreds of years. Aerial roots develop from its branches and they take root in the soil. Over the years these roots turn into sturdy trunks, which too grow roots and the cycle continues. It is said that the entire army of Alexander had taken shelter under one such banyan tree.

313 Which part of the plant do you eat when you eat carrots? Roots.

314 Who was the first man to travel in space? Yuri Gagarin.

315 What is reinforced concrete? Reinforced concrete is ordinary concrete which has steel rods fixed in it.

316 What is meant by latent heat? Heat absorbed when a substance changes its state without changes in temperature, e.g. water boils at 100°C. When we heat it further the temperature is not raised but the heat is absorbed.

317 In ancient India shells of a sea-animal were used as money. What were they called? Cowries.

318 How does spraying kerosene on marshes reduce mosquitoes? A film of oil is produced which prevents the larvae of the mosquitoes from having access to the oxygen in the atmosphere.

319 How many bones are there in an adult human being? 206.

320 Who is considered to be the father of Geometry? Euclid.

321 What is the study of sound called? Acoustics.

322 Which was the first satellite India launched from Indian soil using an Indian launch vehicle, SLV3? Rohini Satellite (RSI).

323 What are bacteria? Where are they found? Bacteria formerly classified as plants are now classified separately as Prokaryotes. They are so small that we can see them only with a microscope. They are found almost everywhere. Bacteria cause and spread diseases, but there are many bacteria that are helpful to man. Bacteria are responsible for converting grape juice into wine and milk into curd.

324 What is the name of the instrument that records heart beat? Cardiograph.

325 Who discovered the connection between magnetism

and electricity? Hans Christian Oersted.

326 Who discovered the presence of neutrons in the nucleus of elements? Physicist James Chadwick.

327 At what temperature does water become ice? Zero degrees on the Celsius scale.

328 What do deciduous trees mean? Trees that shed leaves in autumn are called deciduous trees.

329 The electric discharge of which fish is the most powerful? South American Electric Eel.

330 What is the name for power generated from water? Hydroelectricity.

331 How is sound produced? Basically sound is produced when a vibrating body sets air molecules in motion. Musical instruments produce sounds by vibrating strings. The vibration and waves that are produced reach the ear, which passes the vibrations to the brain. To test this take a steel tumbler and tap on it with a metallic spoon. Sound is produced. Hold the edge of the tumbler between two fingers. The sound stops. This illustrates the importance of vibration in producing sound.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 358

332 How are motion pictures made? When the eyes see an image, they hold onto it in the form of a visual memory for a fraction of a second after it is gone. In a motion picture, the projector flashes still pictures quickly in succession. The usual numbers of pictures that are projected per second are 24. Because of persistence of vision, the picture seems to be one continuous moving picture.

333 From which part of the plant, is ginger that we eat obtained? From the stem.

334 Who was the first person to find out that microscopic organisms are responsible for milk, wine, etc turning sour? Louis Pasteur.

335 What is the meaning of the word Hippopotamus? River Horse.

336 Who invented the Hovercraft? Christopher Cockerell.

337 Who discovered Vitamins? Christopher Eijkman - though he did not use the word, vitamin.

338 Who coined the word Vitamin? CasimirFunk.

339 Why does the planet Mars appear red? Due to the highly oxidised surface of the planet.

340 Name the Vitamin that prevents night blindness. Vitamin A.

341 Where do sea plants obtain carbon dioxide to manufacture their food? From dissolved gases

342 Who is considered as the father of modern Medicine? Hippocrates.

343 How does an Octopus camouflage itself? By changing its colour and merging with the background.

344 Who first proved that lightning is an electric charge coming down to the earth? Benjamin Franklin.

345 What are cosmic rays? Cosmic rays are radiation from outer space, which bombard the earth. They constantly strike the molecules of the earth's upper atmosphere. As a result, additional radiations are produced. The atmosphere absorbs most of these rays.

346 What is a cocoon? It is a silk case, that covers a caterpillar before it becomes a moth (butterfly). After the caterpillar is completely wrapped in its cocoon, it sleeps through the winter.

347 What does the acronym LASER stand for? Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation.

348 How is cement obtained? Heating a mixture of limestone and clay.

349 Name the only mammal, other than man, that can walk upright? Gibbon.

350 Which disease is caused by insufficiency of iodine in the diet? Goitre.

351 What are molluscs? A class of animals with a soft body and no bones.

352 Which animal has the longest life span? Tortoise.

353 How is the glow of a firefly caused? When certain proteins get oxidised, in the presence of an enzyme called luciferase, light is produced. Fireflies have special light organs on the underside of the abdomen. Here in the presence of luciferase, light is produced.

354 Who first enunciated the laws of heredity? Gregor Johann Mendel

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 359

355 What does the acronym, SONAR, stand for? Sound Navigation and Ranging.

356 What are comets? Comets are heavenly bodies that travel around the sun. When they are near the sun, they look like stars with long glowing tails. Halley's comet appears once in about 76 - 78 years. Some comets appear near the sun only once in millions of years. A comet has a head, which looks like a star. The head is surrounded by a coma or a fuzzy hood. The tail may be millions of kilometres long.

357 Why does a metal rod feel cooler than a piece of wood? Metals are good conductors of heat. When we touch a metallic rod, it takes away the heat from the hand and feels cooler. A piece of wood is a bad conductor of heat and therefore it does not take away the heat from our hands.

358 Why does a jet of water come out of a whale's back? It is air, exhaled by the whale.

359 How many teeth do sheep have on their upper jaw? None.

360 How are helicopters useful in rescue operations? A helicopter can move up, take off or land easily from small clear areas. Hence they are useful in dropping food or rescuing stranded people. It has a rotor, which enables it to rise up or go down, vertically.

361 How can lizards walk on walls? The base of their paws has cuplike structures that stick to the walls. This enables them to move even on walls.

362 How does a perfume spread to the corners of any room even though there is no breeze? Molecules of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the air keep on spreading all around them.

363 Where does light fall inside the eye? Retina.

364 Chlorine is very injurious to health. So is sodium. The table salt we use is sodium chloride. Why is it not dangerous to health? It must be noted that a compound formed from two or more elements need not have a single property of its constituent elements. Sodium and Chlorine combine to form table salt, which is healthy (in small amounts). Water, which sustains life, is formed from hydrogen and oxygen. The properties of hydrogen as well as oxygen are not found in water.

365 How does a frog breathe under water? Through its skin.

366 What is the difference between a tortoise and a turtle? Tortoise is the name applied to the terrestrial species and turtle is the name applied to the aquatic species.

367 What is meant by sublimation in chemistry? Conversion of a substance from solid state to vapour state (without the intervening liquid state) is sublimation. For example, iodine sublimates from its solid state to vapour.

368 What are the sieve like plates in a whale's mouth called? Baleens.

369 Why do people cover ice slabs with sawdust? Sawdust is a bad conductor of heat and slows down the melting of ice.

370 Why are droplets formed on the outer surface of a glass when cold water is poured into it? The moisture in the air condenses on the cool outer surface of the glass.

371 Why is food preserved in a refrigerator? Most bacteria are destroyed as the temperature of the surroundings rises. Temperatures higher than 40° C do not favour growth of bacteria. Similarly low temperatures prevent bacteria from multiplying. Hence food is preserved in the refrigerator by keeping its contents at low temperature.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 360

372 Why do we feel sleepy after a heavy meal? The blood circulation to the digestive tract increases. As a result the blood circulation to the brain is reduced. This makes us sleepy.

373 Which organs in the human body filter waste products from the blood? Kidneys.

374 Which organs are most damaged when a person consumes much liquor? Liver and stomach.

375 What does Aurora mean? Bright patches of light are seen at high latitudes above 60° north or south. They are named Aurora Borealis (northern lights) or Aurora Australis (southern lights) depending on their position. The term "Aurora Polaris", polar lights, is a general name for both. The aurora consists of rapidly shifting patches and dancing columns of light of various hues.

376 Which vitamins are soluble in water? Vitamins of the B and C group.

377 What is the composition of perspiration? Mostly water with a little salt.

378 Which gland in the human body produces insulin? Pancreas.

379 What is the principal enzyme in the gastric juice? Pepsin.

380 What is the vaccination given to prevent polio? Salk Vaccine. It was discovered by Jonas Edward Salk in 1952. The theory behind the Salk Vaccine is that a virus that has been killed cannot infect or multiply, but it can still produce antibodies against that particular virus. The vaccine was tested first on monkeys and eventually on children, including Dr. Safk's three children, before it was released for nationwide distribution.

381 What are Pachyderms? Animals with thick skin like elephants and rhinoceros.

382 Why is it that some people have a dark skin? The dark colour of the skin is due to a pigment called melanin. On exposure to sunlight, man's skin undergoes gradual tanning to protect the skin from injurious solar rays.

383 Which Vitamin helps in preventing rickets? Vitamin-D.

384 Which is the second most common element on the

earth's surface? Silicon.

385 Which planet is known as the red planet? Mars.

386 What does a lizard do when its life is in danger? The lizard discards its tail to divert the attention of its enemy.

387 Why is the housefly considered a health hazard? On their legs they may carry millions of germs. When they rest on a food plate, these may be transferred to the object they rest on.

388 Which metal is also called quicksilver? Mercury.

389 What is the main food of a Koala bear? Eucalyptus leaves.

390 If hair is dead tissue, how does it grow? It is true that hair consists of Keratin, a dead tissue. But the hair is lodged in a follicle located a little below the scalp, which is very much alive. This is where the growth takes place. The living hair pushes up the dead tissue. That living tissue also dies and is pushed up. Pull out a hair and you will feel pain and understand the truth of this statement.

391 What is meant by Acid Rain? When there is a substantial amount of sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, etc in the rain, it is referrec to as acid rain.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 361

392 What is the common food of the Blue Whale? A shrimp like creature called krill.

393 What is Betelgeuse? It is one of the brightest stars visible in the night sky, It is in the constellation, Orion. It is also called Alpha Orionis, It takes about 300 years for the light from Betelgeuse to reach the earth.

394 How long do elephants live? 65 to 100 years.

395 What do a koala bear, opossum, wombat and bandicoot have in common? They are all Marsupials, i.e. they carry their young ones in pouches.

396 Name the person who first discovered the presence of Microbes. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek.

397 How do mother animals recognize their babies? By their smell.

398 Why do water pipes burst in hill stations? There is an unusual expansion of water, when its temperature goes below 4° C. Instead of contracting, the water begins to expand till ice is formed at zero degrees Celsius. Unable to bear the pressure, the pipe bursts.

399 Which animal shoots its quill and hurts the enemy? Porcupine.

400 Who made the first electric motor? Michael Faraday.

401 Who first used electrolysis for isolating elements? Sir Humphry Davy.

402 Who first put forward the Atomic Theory that all matter is made of atoms, held together by some force of attraction? John Dalton.

403 Is it true that the age of a tree can be known by studying its rings? Yes, each year during spring a light ring grows just inside the bark of the tree. During summer and autumn, the ring that grows is darker. Too little sunlight, too little moisture or injury results in a smaller and darker ring. After counting the rings, we can assess the age of the tree.

404 How does the rotation and revolution of the earth affect our lives? The earth rotates on its axis even while it revolves around the sun. The rotation results in night and day. As the earth revolves around the sun, it also tilts on its axis. This tilt causes changes in the earth's position, which results in the seasons.

405 Who found out that oxygen is present in both water and air? Antoine Lavoisier.

406 Which Vitamin is important for the health of bones? Vitamin D.

407 Why do animals like rats and squirrels keep gnawing at things? Gnawing helps wear down their teeth. If they did not gnaw at things their teeth would keep on growing.

408 Who was the first woman of Indian origin to travel in a space vehicle? Kalpana Chawla.

409 Why does a snake flick its tongue so often? To smell the surroundings.

410 What is the scientific name for man? Homo Sapien.

411 Who is considered to be the father of modern experimental science? Galileo Galilei.

412 What is the name of our galaxy? Milky Way.

413 How is petroleum formed? Remains of plants and tiny animals that lived millions of years ago remain buried and turn into petroleum.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 362

414 What is a mirage? How is it caused? A mirage is a reflection, caused by the bending of light rays. When we ride along highways particularly in arid regions, we see a reflection ahead, which looks like water. This is caused by a dense layer of warm air near the surface of the earth. Light rays from the sky are reflected toward one's line of vision - what one sees is a reflection of the sky and not water.

415 How is oxygen formed in the atmosphere? In the presence of chlorophyll, a chemical reaction takes place in the leaves using carbon dioxide in the air and water transported from the roots. As a result of the chemical reaction, starch is produced. Oxygen is the by-product of this reaction.

416 Which is the juice secreted in die liver which helps digestion? Bile.

417 What is meant by the word 'frequency' of a sound? Frequency is defined as the number of vibrations per second. It must be noted that sound is caused as a result of vibrations in air columns or strings or objects. Sound travels in waves.

418 Which is the longest poisonous snake in die world? King Cobra

419 What is the tendency of plants to grow towards sunlight called? Phototropism.

420 Why do snakes shed their skin? Unlike human beings, whose growth stops around 20 years, snakes keep on growing. This becomes possible because they keep casting off old skin and develop new skin, when the old one is shed.

421 Why does it take longer to cook food at high altitudes? The atmospheric pressure at high altitudes is much lower than at sea level. The greater the pressure, the faster the cooking.

422 What is the use of the ozone layer in the earth's atmosphere? It bounces off ultraviolet radiation.

423 How do we get heat and light from the sun? Through radiation.

424 How do insects breathe? Insects breathe through the tiny holes in their body.

425 Why doesn't ice sink in water? Ice is lighter than water. After the temperature of water cools down to 4° Celsius (instead of contracting) water keeps on expanding till it reaches 0° Celsius and becomes ice.

426 Apart from earth on which other planet in the solar system does life exist? Nowhere else. As we know it.

427 What is meant by the Water Table? Water filters down the surface of the ground and is absorbed and stored by soil and rocks in a zone of saturation. The top of this zone is called Water Table. During drought, the Water Table too goes down.

428 Who is known as the father of computers? Charles Babbage.

429 Why do we feel hungrier in winter? In winter we need energy to maintain the body temperature in addition to sustaining normal activities of the body. To meet this requirement of energy we eat more.

430 Can you give ah example of reflex action? Knee jerk. It is the involuntary kick caused by a blow on the tendon just below the knee.

431 What is an electrocardiograph? The electrocardiograph is an electrical instrument, which records the activity of the heart muscle. As the heart beats, several activities take place in a regular! order. The electrocardiograph records changes that occur in a regular order, during a complete heartbeat.

432 Which bird can rotate its head by 180 degrees on either side? The Owl.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 363

433 Man, dogs, cats, horses have lungs through which they breathe. How do smaller animals like fish, earthworm, etc obtain their requirement of oxygen? Earthworms also respire. They use their moist skin to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. The fishes use their gills to respire. Even frogs in the tadpole stage use their skin for respiring. Reptiles such as snakes and turtles and even birds breathe through lungs.

434 What are the uses of snake venom? It is helpful in curing many ailments affecting the nervous system.

435 What is the major element a star is made of? Hydrogen

436 Where does a female butterfly lay its eggs? Under side of leaves.

437 Who invented the miner's safety camp? Sir Humphry Davy.

438 Name the world's largest rodent and where is it found. Capybara found in the Amazon jungles of South America.

439 What is the chemical name of baking soda? Sodium Bicarbonate.

440 What is Telepathy? Telepathy is direct communication of thought from one person to another, without using any physical channels of communication. Though there are many who claim telepathy is possible, there has been no positive proof of the existence of telepathy.

441 What is ultrasound? Human beings cannot hear sound waves which have frequencies above 20,000 vibrations per second. This is termed ultrasound.

442 Who was the scientist who initiated the Atomic Energy Programme of India? Homi Bhabha.

443 Who invented the rigid airship? Ferdinand Von Zeppelin.

444 Who invented the calculator? Blaise Pascal.

445 From which element was the first Atom Bomb made? Uranium 235.

446 Who invented the diesel engine? Rudolf Diesel.

447 Who made the first locomotive that had successful runs? George Stephenson.

448 What is paper made of? Mainly wood pulp.

449 Name the Chinese method of curing ailments by using needles? Acupuncture.

450 What causes rusting? How can it be prevented? Metals like iron are often exposed to moisture. Rusting is the process of oxidation occurring when the iron and air slowly combine to form iron oxides. Oil is often used to slow down rusting. When a coat of paint or varnish is given to a metal, this also prevents (reduces) oxidation.

451 What is Googol? Googol is the number one followed by a hundred zeros.

452 Which are the only mammals that can see colours? Man and monkey (apes). It is commonly believed that bulls react violently when they see a red rag. Bulls just cannot see any colour. They react to the teasing movement of the rag.

453 Why does an apple that has been cut open turn brown and then black? Polypnenols in the apple get oxidised.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 364

454 Why does the liquid in the egg become solid when heated or boiled? Due to congealing - coagulation of the yolk.

455 What is the green colour of the leaf due to? Chlorophyll.

456 How many days does Mercury take to complete one rotation on its axis? 59 earth days.

457 What are aerial roots? Roots that grow down from the branch of a tree. The banyan tree is a good example.

458 What is Halley's comet? The Halley's comet is named after the English astronomer Edmund Halley. The theory of gravitation developed by Isaac Newton helped Halley to discover that the bright comet that appeared in 1682 had an orbit that brought it back to the inner solar system at regular intervals.

459 Why is helium used in gas balloons? Because helium is very light and does not burn.

460 What is plastic surgery? Plastic surgery is surgery performed on someone's face or body to remove a deformity or to make it more attractive.

461 How can the moon which is very small, cover the sun which is very big, during an eclipse? The sun is far far away compared to the moon, Therefore even though the sun is very large, the moon can cover it. Even a coin can cover the moon, if held close to the eye.

462 What is the Archimedes Principle? It is a law of physics that states that when an object is totally or partially immersed in a fluid, it experiences an upward thrust equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. The principle is most frequently applied to the behaviour of objects in water, and helps to explain floating and sinking and why objects seem lighter in water.

463 What is meant by a refracting telescope? A refracting telescope is made by using two lenses, both of which are convex.

464 What are corals? They are combined skeletons of tiny marine animals, which live together in a colony.

465 What is the distance between the earth and the sun? About 150 million kilometres.

466 Why does water in an earthen pot become very cool in summer? Earthem pots have tiny holes from which water seaps out to the surface. When this water evaporates, it takes away the latent heat of vaporisation and keeps the pot {and its contents) cool. 467 Why do dogs pant? To keep themselves cool. When they throw out the tongue while panting, the moisture in the tongue evaporates. This directly results in cooling. Humans keep themselves cool by sweating and then evaporation of the sweat, from a large surface of the skin.

468 Which important mineral is to be found in spinach? Iron.

469 What does milking of poisonous snakes mean? It means drawing out poison from the serpents for medical use.

470 Who first isolated Sodium? Sir Humphry Davy.

471 What is a robot? Robot is any machine, developed by man to do the work of a human being such as running a machinery by remote control or to operate devices like switch boards automatically. It is usually directed by sound waves, light waves or radio waves.

472 What is moulting? Moulting takes place because of a number of reasons. Birds discard old feathers for new ones. This is also referred to as moulting. Snakes keep on growing, unlike human beings whose growth stops after

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 365

attaining adulthood. The snakes discard their skins for a new one. Lobsters, crabs, etc have a hard covering outside the body to support. The animal then breaks out of the old cover and quickly grows before the new chitin already recreated by die tissues underneadi, can harden. Frequently during such periods, the animal hides, since it has no protection then.

473 In which organ of the human body are the lymphocyte cells manufactured? Spleen.

474 Which are the distinct layers of the skin? Dermis and Epidermis.

475 Who invented the printing machine? Johan Gutenburg.

476 Who pioneered the use of antiseptic? Joseph Lister.

477 What is the name of the gland that produces tears? Lachrymal Gland.

478 What is the name of the bacteria that converts milk into curd? Lactobacillus.

479 What does DPT stand for? Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus. DPT is a combined vaccine for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.

480 What does a Hydrometer measure? Density of liquids.

481 Why is the rainbow seen only during and after the rain? This is so because the rain drops serve like prisms and diffract the white light of the sun into violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red colours.

482 What is meant by a radio telescope? From their telescopes, astronomers could study objects in outer space that could not be seen with the naked eye. Radio telescopes are telescopes that can study long waves, which are not visible. They can do this using antenna, since radio waves are much longer than light waves. To be effective, radio telescope needs to be much larger than ordinary optical telescope,

483 What is smog? Smog is a mixture of solid and liquid fog and smoke particles. Fog is formed when the humidity is high. The word smog is derived from smoke + fog.

484 What is the name of the layer in the atmosphere of the earth that protects the earth from harmful radiation? The ozone layer.

485 What is the name of the radiation that comes from

outer space? Cosmic Rays.

486 For the protection against which disease is the B.C.G vaccination given? Tuberculosis (T.B)

487 What are Sunspots? Areas where the sun's surface is slightly cooler than normal - about 4000 degree C instead of 6000 degrees C.

488 What is the scientific name for Vitamin C ? Ascorbic Acid.

489 Name the galaxy that is nearest to our galaxy. Andromeda Galaxy.

490 Who invented the Barometer? Evangelista Torricelli.

491 Tn the human body what is the end product of protein

digestion? Amino acids.

492 Who gave the name rubber to the gum of the Hevea

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 366

tree? Joseph Priestley. Because the gum could rub oui pencil marks.

493 What are salivary glands? Salivary glands are located in the mouth. There are three pairs, one pair is located in front of the ears, one pair is located underneath the lower jaw and the third is under the tongue. Salivary glands secrete an enzyme called ptyalin, which helps in the digestion of starches. Saliva has an alkaline action. If you see many players chewing gum, it is because when a person is tense, the stomach produces more acids. The saliva, produced by chewing gum, neutralizes this acid.

494 Why do crocodiles shed tears? They secrete the excess salt in die body through this action. They get rid of this by means of a gland near the comer of the eyes.

495 What is Bronze? An alloy of copper and tin.

496 What is the meaning of the word "DINOSAUR"? Terrible lizard.

497 What is Brass? An alloy of Copper and Zinc.

498 Which element is important for the health of bones? Calcium.

499 Which Vitamin helps in preventing rickets? Vitamin D.

500 What is the name for the position of the moon, an earth satellite, when it is at the greatest distance from the earth? Apogee.

501 What is the study of weather and climate called? Meteorology.

502 Name the unit in which electric current is measured? Ampere.

503 What are the four stages in the development of a butterfly?

a) Egg

b) Larva

c) Pupa

d) Butterfly

504 Who invented the Radio? G. Marconi.

505 What is meant by Hibernation? Many animals sleep or go into a trance-like state during the long, winter months. This winter sleep is called hibernation. Polar bears go into hibernation in winter.

506 What is meant by Escape Velocity? It is the minimum initial velocity required for an object to escape the gravitational attraction of an astronomical body, and to continue travelling away from it without the use of further effort.

507 Which present day animals are said to be direct descendants of dinosaurs? Komodo dragon and Crocodile.

508 Who invented the military tank? Ernest Swinton of Britain.

509 What is the study of birds called? Ornithology.

510 Who was the founder of the system of medicine known as Homoeopathy? Samuel Hahnemann.

511 From which ore is Aluminium made? Bauxite.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 367

512 How does a plant transfer nutrients it absorbs through its roots to other parts? Through tiny tubes called Xylem.

513 Who discovered the planet Uranus? William Herschel.

514 Kidneys help the body to eliminate waste. Which other parts of the human body do the same? Lungs, skin and rectum.

515 Why is a soap bubble always spherical and not a square or a triangle?

When a soap bubble forms and goes up in the air, it is subject to immense pressure from all sides. Only a spherical shape can withstand maximum pressure. That is why soap bubbles are always spherical.

516 Who discovered the circulation of blood in the human body? William Harvey, in 1628. People did not believe in what Harvey said and they opposed his ideas. It took many years for the opposition to die down.

517 What is meant by centrifugal and centripetal force? If a ball is whirled at the end of a string in a circular motion, it would seem as if the ball were suddenly very heavy and pulling harder as it is whirled faster. The force of the string pulling the ball toward the centre is the centripetal force. There is an outward force on the string by the ball. This outward force is the centrifugal force.

518 How much blood does an average adult human being have? About 6.5 litres.

519 Who wrote the book on "The Origin of species by means of Natural Selection"? Charles Darwin.

520 Which is the most destructive insect in the world? Desert Locust.

521 Who invented the sewing machine? EliasHoweofUSAin 1845.

522 What are the substances that can cause cancer called? Carcinogens.

523 What is meant by Photosynthesis? Photosynthesis is the word used for making food from carbon dioxide in the air and water from the soil, in the presence of sunlight. It occurs in plants.

524 What is meant by colour blindness? Inability to distinguish one or more of the primary colours.

525 Who discovered the Laws of Motion? Sir Isaac Newton,

526 Who invented the Telegraph? Samuel Morse.

527 What is a Supernova? A star, which suddenly burns up a lot of its matter and gives a brilliant light.

528 How many chromosomes does a man have in his body cell? 46.

529 Why is selenium used in the making of photoelectric cells? Photoelectric cells convert light into electricity. Selenium is used in making diese cells because its electrical conductivity increases when light strikes it and because it can convert light into electricity.

530 For which invention or process is Henry Bessemer best known? Bessemer converter used for making steel.

531 Who was the first man to study sunspots? A German by name Hienrich Schwabe.

532 Mercury is closest to the sun, then how come Venus is the hottest planet? Venus has thick clouds around it that prevent heat from escaping from its surface.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 368

533 Which planet rotates the most slowly on its axis? Venus

534 How does a microwave oven work? Water molecules vibrate and rub against each other, producing heat because heat is produced by diese molecules an external source of heat is not required for cooking in a microwave.

535 Who produced the world's first petrol driven car? KarlBenz.

536 Why does the running sound of a train change when it passes over a bridge? Sound travels in the form of waves. The frequency of the waves and die amplitude (the width) of the waves determine the sound. The sound waves are of different kinds, when a train moves on solid ground, and when it moves on a bridge, whether made of steel or plain concrete.

537 What is a photometer? An instrument for measuring the intensity of light.

538 What is meant by Radio carbon dating? Scientists describe the radioactivity of an element in terms of half-life - the time the element takes to lose half of its radioactivity through decay. By measuring the radioactivity scientists can calculate the age of the element that is being tested.

539 What is the meaning of geothermal energy? The heat produced witiiin the crust and upper mantle of the earth, primarily by decay of radioactive elements.

540 What is the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion? The reaction where heat is produced because of the fission (division) of a nucleus is called nuclear fission. The reaction in which heat is produced because of the fusion of two nuclei is called nuclear fission. In hydrogen bomb die reaction was due to nuclear fusion. In the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was a fusion bomb.

541 What is Robert Boyle known for? Boyle is known for his experiments on the physical properties of air and his law on the relationship between the pressure and the volume of the gas.

542 What is genetics? Genetics is the study of all those qualities of organisms that are governed by certain biologically active elements derived from the parents.

543 How many toes does an ostrich have on each of its legs? An ostrich has two toes in each leg.

544 Who is considered to be the father of modern astronomy? Copernicus.

545 From which material is aluminum made? Bauxite.

546 What are asteroids? Asteroid means "like star". Asteroids are heavenly bodies like the earth, but very much smaller in size. Some may be only a kilometre or two in diameter. They also orbit around the sun.

547 What is meant by convection of heat? A process in which heat is transferred by movement of heated fluid such as air and water is called convection.

548 What is meant by cloud seeding? Spraying of certain chemicals into clouds to induce rain.

549 Who was the first man to point out that things get spoiled because of germs? Loius Pasteur.

550 Why does cutting onions give a burning sensation in the eyes? When onions are cut, volatile oils, containing sulphur, are released. In combination with the water in the eye, they produce irritation.

551 What is the enzyme in human saliva? Mainly Amylase, which converts starches anc glycogen into the sugar maltose. Apart from saliva amylases are found in pancreatic juices and intestinal juices too.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 369

552 What is meant by ignition point? Ignition occurs when the temperature of a substance is raised to die point at which its molecules will read spontaneously with oxygen, and the substance begin; to bum. This is called the ignition point.

553 Which is the largest and heaviest snake in the world? The anaconda. It weighs upto 200 kg.

554 To which family of plants do bamboos belong? The grass family.

555 Who propounded the theory of relativity? Albert Einstein.

556 How does the chameleon catch its prey? It flicks out its long sticky tongue and catches unwary insects flying by.

557 What is concrete? How is it made? Concrete is a rock like substance made from cement, natural sand, stone and water. Cement and water react chemically and serve like glue to bond the stones and form a hardened mass. When the material is still in a "plastic state" it can be very easily formed into various shapes. But once the concrete sets (hardens) no changes can be made.

558 In which part of their body do spiders spin the thread? Abdomen.

559 What is meant by fermentation? Breakdown of organic substances into simpler substances due to the action of bacteria is called fermentation. Grapes are fermented to produce wine. Thus fermentation of wheat and rice results in the breakdown of the starches to simpler sugars and alcohols.

560 In which part of the plant are ovules contained? Pistil.

561 How long do butterflies live? 2 to 3 weeks.

562 What is the study of prehistoric animal and plant life through the analysis of fossils called? Palaeontology.

563 What does mammal mean? A mammal is a warm-blooded animal, which suckles its young ones with milk and has hair on its skin.

564 Which are the main gases in the atmosphere of the earth? Nitrogen and oxygen.

565 Who invented the stethoscope? Laennec.

566 What is a huge mass of ice slowly moving ahead called? Glacier.

567 What is an ammeter used for? Measuring the strength of an electric current.

568 How do bats communicate with each other? Bats produce screeching sounds. As these sounds strike objects around them, they produce echoes, which are heard by the bats. This helps the bats in navigation. Human beings cannot hear the sounds produced by the bats as they have much higher frequency than the audible range of the human ear.

569 What are the three main constituents of a galvanic cell? a. An anode b. A Cathode

c. An electrolyte in which the anode and cathode are placed.

570 Who invented the telephone? Alexander Graham Bell. He was, however, interested in constructing an electrical device that would help deaf-mutes learn to speak.

571 What is the fluid part of the blood called? Plasma. It is about 90% water.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 370

572 What is malaria? Malaria is an acute disease caused by an animal parasite called plasmodium. The disease is spread by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.

573 What is the origin of the word 'Malaria' ? Romans were familiar with this disease. They thought it is caused by bad (mal) air (aria).

574 How many eggs does a starfish lay at a time? Millions.

575 What does the acronym RADAR mean? Radio Detection and Ranging.

576 What is meant by Diabetes? Diabetes is caused because of inadequate secretion of insulin by the pancreas or the inability of the body to utilise the insulin produced.

577 How does the sun generate its energy? Inside the sun a reaction similar to that of a hydrogen bomb goes on continuously. Two atoms of hydrogen fuse to produce an atom of helium. The sun is today at the midway of its life.

578 What is the meaning of the word 'Protozoa' ? Protozoa means the first animal. They are the simplest form of life. They are made of a single cell.

579 What is the difference between dyes and pigments? Dyes are complex organic substances that are chemically bound to the fibres. Pigments consist of larger particles that form a film on the surface.

580 Who proposed the Centigrade Scale? Anders Celsius first proposed the centigrade thermometer, which has a scale of 100 degrees separating the boiling and freezing points of water.

581 Why do flocks of swans fly in a V-formation? By flying in this way they meet minimum resistance from the air to their flying.

582 Which is the fastest moving land snake? The Black Mamba, which has a speed of about 11 km per hour.

583 What is meant by the term habitat? Habitat is the place where a certain animal or plant would live and grow naturally. Thus an ocean is the habitat of whales and a pond is the habitat of frogs.

584 How can astronauts walk in space without any support to walk on? Because there is hardly any gravity far away from the earth. (Or any heavenly body).

585 Who is usually considered to be the discoverer of oxygen? Joseph Priestley.

586 What is a Tapir? Where is it found? A Tapir is an animal that looks like a pig. It is found in Malaysia and Central and South America.

587 Why are tea plants cut when they grow to a height of two metres or more? To force more tender leaves to branch out and make handpicking of leaves easier.

588 What is forging? The shaping of metals by hammering them is called forging.

589 What was Chandrasekhar Subrahmanyan known for? Indian-born American theoretical astrophysicist and Nobel laureate, Chandrasekhar Subrahmanyan contributed greatly to our understanding of the evolution of stars. Chandrasekhar was best known for his theoretical prediction, made at the age of 20, that large stars would collapse at the end of their lives into some unknown state even more dense than that of a white dwarf.

590 What is the condition caused by lack of Vitamin C? Scurvy.s

591 Who was the first man to make a phonograph (gramophone)? Thomas Alva Edison.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 371

592 What is a black hole? A body whose mass is so intensely concentrated that even light cannot escape its gravitational attraction. Normal properties of space in its vicinity are altered drastically.

593 How did Charles Goodyear discover the vulcanisation of rubber? Accidentally he spilled a mixture of rubber and sulphur on a hot stove. He observed that the rubber had become stronger and elastic. From there he got; the idea of hardening rubber.

594 How did Roentgen discover X-rays? While experimenting with a glass tube from which the air had been pumped, Roentgen happened to pass an electric current through the tube. Nearby was a screen coated with Barium Platinocyanide. Suddenly he noticed that the screen was glowing with a greenish blue light. After experimenting with this radiation, coming from the evacuated glass tube Roentgen found that this radiation could pass through substances of varying densities placed between the tube and the screen. He named these rays X-rays.

595 What are chromosomes? Chromosomes are tiny thread-like parts of a cell. These can be seen under a microscope. They are made up of smaller parts called genes. These chromosomes and genes decide heredity.

596 Who was the first person to show that the Milky Way is composed of stars? Galileo Galilei.

597 What is the average life of a red blood corpuscle? 120 days.

598 What is the scientific study of insects called? Entomology.

599 What are the properties of aluminium, which make it very useful, particularly in the aerospace industry? Aluminium is very light and yet very strong. It does not get corroded. Aluminium's excellent electrical conductivity makes it very useful in making high voltage electrical conductors.

600 Who invented the Battery? Alessandro Volta.

601 Name the first aircraft to hard land on the moon. Luna 2. It was launched on September 12, 1959 by the USSR.

602 Name two countries, which use geothermal heat (heat from far below the earth's surface) to produce electricity? Italy, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, USA and Russia.

603 What is cerebrum? The cerebrum is the main part of the brain and controls the ability to think. The cerebrum receives impulses and directs the body into activity.

604 What are citrus fruits? Citrus fruits are those, which contain citric acid in sizeable amounts. Citric acid gives the citrus fruits their sour taste. Lemons, oranges and limes all contain citric acid.

605 What is the difference between an Arabian camel and a Bactrian camel? The Arabian camel (or dromedary) has only one hump, while the Bactrian camel has two humps.

606 What is carbolic acid? The scientific name for carbolic acid is Phenol. It is extremely poisonous. It is used in the preparation of some plastics. Picric Acid, obtained from phenol, is an ingredient in many explosives.

607 What is meant by a Marsupial? Animals carrying their young ones in a pouch.

608 What is the only food of the giant pandas in the wild? Bamboo shoots and leaves.

609 What is the name for the unit of electric power? Watt.

610 What causes tides in the ocean and sea? Gravitational pull of the moon and to some extent the sun.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 372

611 Why does a fire look yellowish, at times? When the combustion (burning) is not complete the colour of fire becomes yellowish. When the combustion is complete, the colour changes to pale blue.

612 Which material is used to make cellophane? Cellulose, the chemical substance that lines the walls of plant cells. Cellophane is used in packaging.

613 What is a cataract? Cataract is a disease affecting the lens of the eye. The lens consists of a semi-solid substance, enclosed in a capsule. Cataract is a condition in which the lens loses its transparency and tends to become opaque.

614 What is the difference between mass and weight? Weight and mass are two different things. The amount of matter that a body contains is mass whereas the weight of an object will be a little less near the equator (where it is further away from the centre of the earth) and a little more at the poles. An object in free space has no weight, but it will have a definite mass.

615 What is meant by a catalyst? A catalyst is a substance, which alters the rate of speed of a chemical reaction, without itself being permanently changed. Normally a catalyst hastens or encourages the rate of reaction. However, at times, catalysts are used to slow down a reaction.

616 Who discovered Penicillin? Alexander Fleming

617 What is measured in the Richter scale? Earthquakes.

618 When was the metric system introduced? During the French revolution, France introduced the metric system. The standard of length was related to the dimensions of the earth rather than the dimensions of a human limb.

619 Where would you find a dodo? Nowhere. It was last reported in Mauritius in 1681. Now it is extinct.

620 When did Marie Curie win the Nobel Prize? In 1903 for physics and in 1911 for chemistry.

621 Of all the bones in the skull and the face, which is the only movable bone in human beings? The lower jaw.

622 How big is the Milky Way? It is estimated that the Milky Way has over a hundred billion stars. The sun is one of the stars in the Milky Way.

623 Where does the impure blood enter the human heart? It enters the cavity of the right auricle through two veins - one called the superior vena cava enters from the head region and die other called the inferior vena cava enters from the lower or posterior region of the body.

624 What is the difference between Direct Current and Alternating Current? The current flowing in a circuit is described as direct current if it flows continuously in a single direction, and as alternating current if it flows alternately in each direction.

625 What is distillation? Distillation is the process of converting a liquid into vapour form (by heating) and then cooling this vapour to recover the evaporated constituents by the process of condensation.

626 How does a thermos flask retain die heat of its contents? It has a tightly fitting cap of cork or such material, which is a poor conductor of heat. The bottle has a double layer of glass. Glass too is a poor conductor. There is vacuum between the layers of glass to prevent loss of heat by convection and conduction. If the surfaces are made highly reflective, even radiation can be reduced.

627 Who made the first balloon that could fly? Joseph & Jacques Montgolfier.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 373

628 How are mosquito fish helpful to man? They eat mosquitoes.

629 What is meant by the Hippocratic oath? Hippocrates was a Greek physician whose oath is still taken by medical students, when they graduate. The oath reads, in part, "I swear so far as power and discernment shall be mine, I'll carry out regimen for the benefit of the sick and will keep them from harm and wrong. To none will I give a deadly drug even if solicited. Into whatsoever house I shall enter I'll go for the benefit of their sick" There is also a clause that secrecy will be maintained about the ailment of the patients.

630 Name the animal, which has the largest eyes in the world. The Atlantic Giant Squid. The diameter of its eye is about 30 cm.

631 What is horticulture? Horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers or ornamental plants.

632 What is a hygrometer? A hygrometer is one of the instruments used to measure the moisture in the air.

633 What is an Ibex? Where are they found? The Ibex is a mountain goat. It was close to extinction in the Alps. It is now under Government protection. In India Ibex is found at high altitudes in Kashmir.

634 What is inertia? Inertia is the property of matter, which keeps a body at rest unless a force is exerted on it. Inertia also keeps a moving body in motion at the same speed and in the same direction unless a force is applied to stop this forward motion.

635 Who discovered the laws of planetary motion? Johannes Kepler - Sir Isaac Newton later used these laws as the basis of his law of Universal Gravitation.

636 What is hybridisation? Hybridisation is the mating or crossing of two parents of different species or varieties. Thus a mule is a hybrid of a horse and an ass. In the case of flowers, hybridisation is done by taking pollen from one plant and dusting it on the pistils of another plant. A bag is placed over the pistils until the seeds are developed. Then the seeds are planted and a hybrid is formed.

637 Who discovered the germ, which causes tuberculosis? Robert Koch, a famous German physician.

638 What is an antidote? A remedy for poisoning is called antidote. The remedy may consist of

(a) Neutralising the poison

(c) Preventing the body from absorbing it or

(d) Assisting the body in eliminating.

639 What is a desert? A desert is a large area of land that is too dry to support life. Deserts are not always hot, dry or sandy. The tundras of Siberia (in Russia) are deserts. Water is frozen here and does not support life.

640 Who invented the dynamo?

Michael Faraday.

641 Why is the Egyptian plover bird popularly called the "crocodile bird"? The Egyptian plover bird has been nicknamed the crocodile bird following an account by Herodotus that he saw these birds enter the open jaws of crocodiles and pick pieces of food from their gums.

642 Which were the first passengers to fly in a balloon?

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 374

A sheep, a cock & a duck.

643 Which was the first living being to enter space? A dog named Laika.

644 What is a light year? In measuring distances on earth we use units like miles and kilometres. But even for giving the distance between the sun and the earth, we have to write 93,000,000 million miles or 150,000,000 kilometres. To write the distance between Alpha Centauri and earth we have to write long numbers. Hence measuring in units based on the speed of light has been adopted. In this scale the sun is 8 minutes from the earth. In kilometres one light year is approximately 924 x 1013 or 9,240,000,000,000,000 kilometres. Alpha Centauri is just 4.6 light years away.

645 Which element is important in the formation of blood? Iron.

646 Name the animal that can lift 50 times its weight. Ant.

647 Which fish carries its eggs in its mouth? Catfish or Cichlid fish.

648 How do fireflies produce light? There are proteins in the body of fireflies that produce light, when they get oxidized in the presence of the enzyme, Luciferase.

649 Where in the world are wooly Mammoths found? They are extinct and are not found anywhere. But about a million years ago, they roamed over land They were the ancestors of modern elephants.

650 In which organ of the human body are the lymphocyte cells (blood cells) manufactured? Spleen

651 What are the constituents of stainless steel? Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, nickel and chromium. Stainless steel making involves the removal of impurities and addition of desirable metals like chromium and nickel.

652 What is meant by the term Water cycle? Water Cycle is the story of a raindrop, which passes through other phases to become a raindrop again. In summer the water in lakes and rivers evaporates. This water vapour is warm and is pushed up by cold air. As the warm air moves upwards air currents develop. They are called winds. When the warm air passes over mountains or when it goes high up, it cools down and condenses to water again and falls down to earth. On the surface of the earth the raindrops may join other raindrops and if the earth cannot absorb this water quickly, they form streams and rivers. And the cycle continues.

653 What is Plaster of Paris? When gypsum is heated to 120° C it loses water and becomes a white powder. That is plaster of parts. When water is added to the powder, it hardens. It is used for plasters, moulds and models.

654 Who discovered Plutonium? Glenn Seaborg.

655 Who was the person to first identify the proton? Ernest Rutherford.

656 What is a planarium? A planarium is a simple form of life, which crawls about and feeds on small animals.

657 Why does milk spill out when boiled? When milk is heated, the water in it starts evaporating. The fat globules present in the milk get separated and float on the top as cream. On further heating, more water vapour is formed. But when it tries to escape, it gets trapped by the thick layer of cream on the top. The water vapour pushes up the layer of cream and forms a bulge, which finally bursts out, causing the spill.

658 What is the difference between a porpoise and a dolphin? Porpoises are smaller than dolphins and they do not have beak like snouts of dolphins. Porpoises live in the shallow water of ocean bays and the mouths of rivers, while dolphins live out in the deeper waters.

659 Where is the pituitary gland situated in the body? In the brain on its underside.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 375

660 What is ozone? Ozone is an isotope of oxygen with three atoms of oxygen in its molecule.

661 What is the difference between a planetarium and a telescope? Through a telescope we can see a real but small part of the sky. On the dome of the planetarium what we see is a picture of the sky, containing the sun, the moon, the stars and planets in an artificial sky.

662 What is meant by the term 'Orbit'? Orbit is the path of any body revolving around another body. This path can be circular or elliptical (as an ellipse).

663 Where do frogs lay their eggs? All frogs go back to water to lay their eggs.

664 Who was Pythagoras? He was a Greek Philosopher and mathematician who lived around 520 BC.

665 Who propounded the theory that the sun and not the earth is the centre of the Solar System? Nicolus Copernicus (Bhaskaracharya of lllh Century A.D and Aryabhata of the fifth century A.D seem to be aware of this).

666 Who invented the lightning rod to help prevent lightning from damaging buildings and physical property? Benjamin Franklin of USA.

667 What is an anableps? Any of the three species of Fish, commonly referred to as four eyed fish. An anableps has the ability to see above and below the water at the same time.

668 Why is it dangerous to walk on quicksand? Quicksand is a bed of very fine, powdery wet sand. It is a thick fluid. Once a foot is placed on quicksand, it is not easy to pull it away. The foot may slowly sink in the quicksand. Struggling to take out the foot may sink the foot further down. It is advisable to wait for help. If a man remains calm and does not move his foot, he may stop sinking.

669 What is an antiseptic? It is a chemical used to kill germs on the skin or in the wounds. It is also used on things people handle.

670 What is a satellite? A body that revolves around another is called a satellite. The earth and the other planets are satellites of the sun. The moon is a satellite of the earth.

671 What is Greenwich Meridian Time? Greenwich Meridian is an imaginary north-south line on the earth's surface drawn through Greenwich near London and both geographical North Pole and South Pole. This line has been arbitrarily chosen as the 0° longitude.

672 Who for the first time in recorded history used a prism to split white light into many colours? Sir Isaac Newton.

673 What is a fuse? The fuse is a strip of metal (or metallic wires) that melts at a relatively low temperature. When an electric circuit carries more electric current than it is supposed to carry, the fuse melts and prevents fires.

674 What is meant by the term 'freezing point'? The temperature at which a liquid changes to the solid state is called freezing point.

675 Who made the first printing press with moveable types? Johannes Gutenberg of Germany in the middle of the | 15* century.

676 What is meant by wireless telegraphy? Wireless Telegraphy originally consisted of a sending key, which opened and closed the circuit and a sounder connected by wires to the key. Whenever the circuit was complete a click sound would be heard. Thus all the letters would be represented by the sounds being produced in the right sequence.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 376

677 Which is the largest flesh-eating animal? Kodiak bear.

678 What is larva? A larva is a young animal that is not fully developed but is able to move about and feed itself. It changes into an adult animal that usually looks different. This change is called metamorphosis. Tadpoles, which grow into frogs, caterpillars, which grow into butterflies, and grubs, which grow to become beetles, are all examples of larva.

679 Is it true that the Himalayas grow taller year after year? Yes, about one mm a year. The solid layer of the earth consists of about a dozen semirigid plates. As the Indian plate moving north presses against the stationary Asian landmass, the height of the Himalayas increases. The increase is imperceptible.

680 Why doesn't a crocodile harm the plover birds that enter its mouth? Because the plover birds enter the mouth of the crocodile and eat tit-bits found there. This helps the crocodiles to improve their oral hygiene. Therefore crocodiles do not harm the plover birds.

681 From where does the moon get its light during the night? Earth

682 How many parts was a day divided into, in ancient India? Eight parts, called prahars. The Hindi word 'dupahar', for noon, is derived from 'du' (two) and pahar (prahar).

683 What was special about the telescope invented by Newton? The telescope devised by Galileo was a refracting telescope. The refracting telescope uses a large convex lens as the objective to focus light and form a real image. Another lens is used to magnify it. The reflecting telescope uses a large parabolic or concave mirror instead of the objective lens to focus light and form a real image. The images produced by these telescopes are inverted. An additional lens is used to right the image.

684 How are we protected from the ultraviolet rays of the sun? Ultraviolet rays come from the sun. If all the ultraviolet rays emanating from the sun travelling to the earth were to reach the earth, all life on earth would be destroyed. But this does not happen, because a layer of ozone (20 to 50 km) above the earth's atmosphere absorbs the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

685 What is the meaning of the word Tanning'? Converting raw animal skin into leather.

686 Who developed the modem concept of the element? Antoine Lavoisier.

687 How do bees communicate? Bees communicate the source of nectar to others by the pattern of the dance they perform.

688 Who invented the Thermos Flask? James Dewar.

689 What were the first words to be recorded on the gramophone made by Edison? "Mary had a little lamb."

690 Which is the hardest substance in the human body? The enamel that covers teeth.

691 What is a bone made up of? Two-thirds of the bone is calcium phosphate. The other one-third is gelatin.

692 What are sweat glands? Sweat glands are located under the skin of mammals. They are coils of soft, tiny tubes. The tube ends at openings in the skin called pores. Sweat glands carry moisture and waste material to the surface of the skin. When the water is brought to the surface of the skin it evaporates there and keeps the body cool.

693 Why can't a horse sit? They don't have knees on their hind legs.

694 What is the lead of a pencil made of? Graphite, whose main constituent is carbon

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 377

695 Who discovered radioactivity? A.M. Becquerel.

696 Who produced the first synthetic dye? William Perkin.

697 Where are the lobster's teeth located? In the stomach.

698 What is parachute? How does it work? Parachute is nothing but a big umbrella made of a special fabric. The parachute and the person using it are subject to two forces: - 1) gravity, which brings them down and 2) the buoyant force of air, which pushes up the umbrella. If the force of the gravity is greater than the buoyancy, the parachute moves down, but very slowly. Hence men can reach the ground safely.

699 What is inoculation? ntroduction of germs into a body to precipitate a mild form of a disease. As a result antibodies are produced, which protect the body from the invading germs.

700 What is meant by Acrophobia? Fear of heights.

701 How many lobes does a human liver have? Four

702 What is fog? Fog is water vapour condensing near the surface of the earth. Fog differs from clouds in that fog is close to the earth and clouds are in the sky.

703 What is the unit used for measuring work or energy? Foot-pound. Thus if an object weighing one pound were lifted through a distance of a foot, one footpound of work would be done.

704 How many chambers are there in a human heart? Four. Right auricle, left auricle, right ventricle and left ventricle.

705 What is the blood condition involving an abnormal reduction in the number of red blood cells called? Anaemia

706 How are hereditary characters transmitted from one generation to the next? Genes are believed to be responsible for transmitting hereditary characters. Every human cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, which are made up of many paired particles or units called genes.

707 How are hydrocarbons produced? Hydrocarbons consist mainly of hydrogen and carbon. They are produced from the breakdown of plants and other living beings, either by bacteria or by heat and pressure under the surface of the earth. They are also called Natural Gas.

708 What is the human body made up of, according to Hippocrates? Blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile.

709 From which plants do we get potatoes? How? Potatoes grow on potato plants. The plant stems grow under the ground and are called tubers. These are the edible parts and are called potatoes. Spanish explorers brought the potato to Europe.

710 What are glacial ages? There have been several periods of time when much of the earth's surface became covered with ice. These different periods of time make up the glacial ages.

711 How many nephrons does a human kidney contain? About a million.

712 What is the common unit of measurement of electric power? Kilowatt Hour.

713 When we run very fast or work strenuously, we feel tired. What is this tiredness due to? Lactic Acid is formed when the glycogen or sugar in the muscles is used. This makes us feel tired.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 378

714 How are gills important to fish? They are used for breathing air by most Fishes and certain other lungless animals.

715 What are radioactive elements? These are elements in which protons and neutrons are not in balance. They slowly breakdown to form stable elements.

716 What are lichens? Lichens are plants that have no flowers, roots, leaves or stems. They grow on rocks and along beaches. They live on the bark of tree on the highest mountains.

717 Whose notebooks were Filled with ideas and sketches of inventions, including designs for an airplane? Leonardo da Vinci.

718 What is a ligament? Ligament is a term for individual tough fibrous bands of connective tissue that support the internal organs and hold bones together at the joints.

719 What is a larynx? The larynx is the voice box, located in the throat.

720 Who is considered as the father of modern rocketry? Robert Mulchings and Goddard Hutchings.

721 What is Brownian movement? That small particles of matter (molecules) are in constant motion was observed by Robert Brown through his microscope, by putting very fine powder in water. This movement of molecules is referred to as Brownian movement.

722 What is camouflage in nature? In nature many animals resort to a number of ways to protect themselves from enemies or predators. This is called camouflage. The Polar Bear, having a white colour is an example of camouflage. Similarly zebra's colour confuses its enemy and serves as a camouflage.

723 What is the chief source of uranium and radium? The mineral, Pitchblende.

724 Why do planes flying at great speeds leave white fumes behind? The planes leaving fume behind are jet planes. In a basic jet engine air is compressed and forced into a chamber, where fuel is added. Here combustion (burning) takes place. The hot gases that are produced escape from the base of the engine. This pushes the aircraft forward. The white fumes that you see are the hot gases as they escape out. Since the temperature around the jet is low, the fume condenses and becomes visible.

725 Why do some people have fat legs? The cause of filaria (elephant leg) are worms called Wuchereia bancrofti the female worm gives birth to young worms and not eggs. These young ones, called microfilaria, find the way into blood stream of their victims and from there into the lymphatic vessels. The immediate cause of filarial is a mosquito called culex.

726 What is a dehumidifier? Why is dehumidification important? Heating, cooling, ventilation and dehumidifying are aspects of air-conditioning. It is believed that a cold climate with a low level of humidity is good for health. Even food is preserved better when the temperature and humidity are low.

727 What is meant by Quarantine? Quarantine is the isolation of persons, animals or plants, which have been exposed to communicable diseases.

728 What is the Pythagoras theorem? The theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

729 What are pseudopodia? Pseudopodia are temporary extension of the body of a one-celled animal such as amoeba.

730 How is plywood made? Plywood is made by gluing wide thin slices of wood together in order to make a strong board.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 379

731 How many pairs of legs do crabs have? Five pairs.

732 What is a rain gauge? It is a device used for measuring rainfall.

733 How do planaria (flatworm) reproduce? Planaria (plural of planarium) constrict and fragment just behind the pharynx. Both pieces then develop into complete animals.

734 What is a fungus? A fungus is a plant without chlorophyll or true leaves, stem and root. Since they are unable to make their own food, they must live on other living or dead plants and animals. Fungi (plural of fungus) are found almost everywhere. Mushrooms are fungi.

735 What is resonance? When an object is set into vibration with a certain pitch (frequency) any other object nearby that can vibrate at the same pitch, will start vibrating. This is referred to as resonance.

736 Where are the vocal cords located in man? The vocal chords are located in the larynx. The larynx is a hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs.

737 What are alveoli? The tiny air sacs in the lungs are called alveoli. It is through the walls of the alveoli that the exchange of gases takes place.

738 What is meant by embalming a body? When a body is treated in such a way that it is preserved from decay, it is called embalming.

739 What is embryology? Many animals begin life as a fertilised egg. These grow over a period into the form of an adult animal. The study of the changes that take place as an egg develops into an animal is the science of embryology.

740 What is an element? An element is a substance that cannot be broken down or decomposed into smaller parts by ordinary chemical means.

741 What do elements consist of? Positively charged protons, negatively charged electrons and neutrons, which have no charge.

742 What is electrolysis? Electrolysis is the decomposition of a substance using electricity. For example when table salt is subjected to electrolysis, it turns into sodium and chlorine.

743 Who propounded the theory of relativity? Albert Einstein

744 What is ecology? Ecology is the study of plants and animals in relationship to their environment. Everything that affects plants and animals and how they are dependent upon their surroundings is the subject matter of the study of ecology.

745 Why is an earthworm also called 'a Fanners best friend'? The earthworm is called the farmer's friend because it helps him to keep the soil rich and loose so that plants can grow. As they burrow into soft soil, they swallow some of it, which passes through their bodies and finally is left behind as castings. This is enriched material.

746 What is a mammoth? Mammoth was an ancestor of the elephant (of the modern elephant), which is now extinct. Whole frozen mammoths have been found below the ice in Siberia.

747 What is a manometer? It is an instrument for measuring the pressure of gases.

748 How many satellites does Mars have? Two.

749 What is medulla oblongata? It is the part of brain that connects with the spinal cord.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 380

750 How many pairs of nerves are there in man that are connected to the brain? Twelve pairs. They are called the cranial nerves.

751 Why do earth and other planets revolve around the sun? Sun's gravitational force keeps the planets in a fixed orbit.

752 Name the unit in which electric current is measured? Ampere.

753 Which planet in the solar system moves faster around the sun than any other planet? Mercury.

754 What are antibiotics? How do antibiotics help in curing diseases caused by bacteria? In nature, there are moulds and bacteria that attack other organisms in order to obtain nourishment and to reproduce. Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by organisms (usually microorganisms) that are harmful to other bacteria and life forms. If you moisten a piece of stale bread and keep it in the open, there will be a greenish growth on it a little later. That is because of the spread of a mould called Penicillium Notatum. It produces penicillin. Penicillin is a highly effective antibiotic. Most bacteria double every half an hour. Just one bacterium (singular of bacteria) becomes thousands within a few hours. An antibiotic does not permit the multiplication of bacteria. In many cases, the antibiotic does not permit even the survival of bacteria.

755 Which is the star closest to our earth, after the sun? ProximaCentauri.

756 Who founded the school of mathematics at Alexandria in Egypt? The Greek mathematician Euclid around 300 B.C.

757 What are the remains of animals or plants, preserved deep under the earth or in rocks, etc called? Fossils.

758 The intensity of which insect's song gives us an indication of the temperature? The cricket.

759 What was the name of the first Atomic Reactor built by India? Where is it? Apsara, in Mumbai.

760 Which are the only planets to revolve clockwise around the sun? Venus and Uranus.

761 What is the study of water with reference to its occurrence in nature known as? Hydrology.

762 How can gargling with salt water help relieve a sore throat? An infection of the throat spreads rapidly. Quite a few varieties of bacteria double every half an hour. Gargling with warm water does not kill these bacteria, but it prevents their growth. Temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius are not conducive to the growth of bacteria. Any solution which has more than eight per cent salt inhibits the growth of bacteria. Thus, if you gargle with warm salt water, it will prevent the proliferation of bacteria.

763 Why does the sound of water keep changing when a vessel is being filled under a tap? Sound is produced by the movement of columns of air. Strike a stainless steel glass with a spoon. A sound is produced. Stop the vibration of the steel glass with your fingers. There will be no sound. When water is being filled in a vessel, sound is produced because of the movement of the column of air. This column becomes smaller and smaller as the water level rises in the vessel. Hence the sound changes.

764 What is the form in which iron is found in nature? Iron Oxide.

765 Who invented the Dynamo? Michael Faraday.

766 How does a cricket produce the chirping sound? By rubbing its legs against one of its front wings.

767 What is magma made of? Molten rocks.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 381

768 Who first introduced the concept of molecules? Amedeo Avogadro in the year 1811.

769 From the bark of which tree is quinine extracted? Cinchona.

770 Where do frogs usually live in the hot season? Buried at the bottom of ponds.

771 Who discovered Calcium? Sir Humphry Davy.

772 Which is the most abundant metal in the earth's

crust? Aluminium.

773 What is matter made of? Matter is made of electrically charged protons, found in the nucleus and electrons travelling about the nucleus. In addition, there are neutrons in the nucleus with a weight similar to protons but lacking any charge.

774 Who first introduced vaccination in medical practice? Edward Jenner.

775 Name the only two poisonous lizards in the world The Gila Monster and the Beaded Lizard.

776 What is the scientific study of the earth's crust known as? Geology.

777 Name the mammals that lay eggs. Platypus and Echidna.

778 Why did Galileo come into conflict with the church? Because he supported the Copernican theory that the planets (including the earth) revolve around the sun.

779 What does U.F.O stand for? Unidentified Flying Object.

780 Which is the brightest star in the sky at night? Sinus.

781 What method of healing is also known as shiatsu? Acupressure.

782 What is Hypothermia? It is a body condition in which the temperature falls suddenly as a result of exposure to extreme cold.

783 What is the thin flap of cartilage attached to the base of the tongue of terrestrial vertebrates called? Epiglottis.

784 What is the term used to describe the remains of forests where the trees have been submerged or buried and the tree tissues have been replaced gradually by minerals such as silica or calcite? Petrified Forest.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 382

Special Features of the Countries

No. Country Special Features

1. Bangladesh Produces 89 p.c. of the world's raw jute.

2. Belgium is the most densely populated country in Europe. Antwerp is the world's biggest diamond-trading centre.

3. Brazil is the largest State in south America both in area and population. It leads the world in the production of Coffee and Castor beans.

4. Chile In chile the only natural nitrate in the world is found. About 47 p.c. of the world's iodine is obtained as a by-product in nitrate processing.

5. Columbia produces 95 p.c. of the world's gem emarelds.

6. Cuba Is the second largest cane-sugar producer in the world. India being first in cane-sugar production.

7. Denmark The oldest Kingdom of Europe,is a constitutional monarchy.

8. Equador Equador is the world's chief source of supply of balsa, a light wood. It exports more bananas than other country.

9. Ghana Ghana is the world's leading cocoa producer. About 40 p.c. of world output is produced by Ghana.

10. Indonesia Is the main producer of petroleum in the far east.

11. Italy Is the world's largest producer of mercury.

12. Jamaica Is the world's largest producer of bauxite.

13. Japan Is the most highly industyrialized country in the Far East. It is the biggest Ship-building nation and the fourth largest auto market in the world.

14. Kenya Is the largest producer of tea in Africa.

15. North Korea Is a leading country in the output of tungsten, graphite and magnesite.

16. Kuwait Is the world's second largest exporter and fourth largest producer of crude oil.

17. Malaysia Is the world's largest producer of rubber and tin.

18. Mexico Is the world leader in the production of silver, sisal, hemp and circle for chewing gum.

19. Monaco Is the smallest state in the world with the largest density of population per square mile.

20. Nepal Is the only Hindu independent State in the world. Mount everest, the highest mountain peak in the world (29028 ft) issituated in Nepal. Nepal has produced the toughest fighting men in the world. It is the world's best rice-producer.

21. Nicaragua Is the largest of the Central American States.

22. Norway Is the land of the Midnight Sun where the sun does not set from the middle of May until the end of July. The sun does not rise above the horizon from November 18 to January 23. Varicoloured Northern Lights, or

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 383

Aurora Borealis, are visible in winter.Norway is a great sea-faring nation and its merchant marine is now the third largest in the world.

23. Peru Ranks fifth in the world in silver mining and produces 25 p.c. of the world's vanadium. It is the world's top fishing country.

24. Portugal Leads in the world in the production of Cork.

25. South Africa Leads the world in production of gold,diamonds,platinum and antimony and is one of the richest in uranium,vanadium, chrome, manganese and asbestos.

26. Sri Lanka Is the largest tea exporting country in the world.

27. Sudan Is the world's principal source of gum arabic.

28. Turkey Is the largest producer of chrome in the world.

29. Uganda Is the largest coffee producer in the British Commonwealth.

30. USSR Is the largest country in the world. It is the richest country in the world in mineral resources having deposits of almost every known mineral. It ranks among the top producers of oil, chromite, iron ore, petroleum, gold,copper,manganese,aluminium, platinum,asbestos, salt, etc.

31. Zaire Is the world's largest producer of industrial diamond and cobalt. Other minerals are gold, silver, tin, zinc, iron, copper, tungsten, manganese, uranium, radium, etc.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 384

Abbreviated Name

No. Abbreviated Name Original Name

01 Father of the Nation (India) Mahatma Gandhi

02 Frontier Gandhi Abdul Ghaffar Khan

03 Fuehrer Adolf Hitler

04 Grand Old Man of Britain Gladstone

05 Grand Old Man of India Dadabhai Naoroji

06 Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore

07 Lady with the Lamp Florence Nightingale

08 Lal,Bal,Pal Lala Lajpat Rai,Bal Gangadhar Tilak & Bipin Chandra Pal

09 Lion of Punjab (Sher-i-Punjab) Lala Lajpat Rai

10 Little Corporal Napoleon

11 Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

12 Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan

13 Mahamanya Pt.Madan Mohan Malaviya

14 Man of Blood and Iron Bismarck

15 Man of Destiny Napoleon

16 Man of Iron Sardar Patel

17 Man of the Masses Kamaraj

18 Man of Peace Lal Bahadur Shastri

19 Mahatma M.K. Gandhi

20 Maid of Orleans Joan of Arc

21 Mark Twain Samuel Clemens

22 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

23 Nightingale of India Sarojini Naidu

24 Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai

25 Strong Man of India Sardar Patel

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 385

Electronics and Computers

No. Question Answer

01 The unit of frequency is Hertz

02 The unit of resistance is Ohm

03 The device which makes or breaks a circuit is Switch

04 The path of an electric current is known as a Circuit

05 Device which opposes the flow of electric current is known as Resistor

06 Arc Lamp was invented by C.F.Brush

07 Television was invented by J.L.Baird

08 Transistor was invented by J.Bardeen,W.Shockley and W.Brattain

09 The unit of wavelength of light is Angstrom

10 A device which converts light into electricity is known as Photo cell

11 Hertz was the first to discover Radio waves

12 Marconi invented Radio

13 In 1901, Marconi beamed a signal from Cornwall in England to Newfoundland

14 Thomas Edison was an American inventor

15 A glass tube with two electrodes is called a Diode

16 Lee de Forest was an American scientist

17 Lee de Forest discovered the Triode

18 Radio and television transmit signals using Electromagnetic waves

19 To turn pictures into electrical signals,television Cameras rely on Photo-electric effect

20 Transistor was invented in the year 1948

21 The first electronic components invented were the Thermionic valves

22 Microchip was invented in the year 1958

23 Microchip was invented by Jack Kilby

24 The microchip invented first was also the first Integrated circuit

25 Silicon and germanium are ideal examples of Semi conductors

26 LED stands for Light Emitting Diode

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 386

27 The first computer was invented in the year 1834

28 The first computer was invented by Charles Babbage

29 The first computer invented was called Analytical Engine

30 In the present day electronic machines,computers function as Artificial brains

31 CAD means Computer Aided Design

32 CPU stands for Central Processing Unit

33 RAM stands for Random Access Memory

34 J.J. Thomson was a British physicist

35 In 1897,J.J.Thomson discovered Electrons

36 A device used for increasing the strength of electric signal is called Amplifier

37 The height of a wave is called Amplitude

38 An electron carries a charge Negative

39 In a transistor,a base is the Filling in the semiconductor sandwich

40 The tube behind the screen in TVs and most computers is called Cathode Ray Tube

41 The force which makes an electric current is called Electromotive Force

42 Device used for measuring small amounts of electric current is called Galvanometer

43 Sound too low to be heard by humans is called Infrasound

44 VDU stands for Visual Display Unit

45 One kilobyte is approximately 1000 bytes

46 DOS stands for Disk Operating System

47 WORD STAR is a popular Word processing programme

48 WORD STAR was developed by Micro pro Company

49 PC stands for Personal Computer

50 ALU stands for Arithmetic Logic Unit

51 The VDU and Keyboard together form a TERMINAL

52 The speed of the dot matrix printers is measured by CPS which stands for characters per second

53 The speed of the line printers is measured by LPM which stands for Lines per second

54 DBMS stands for Database Management System

55 IBM is a famous computer company.IBM stands for International Business Machines Corporation

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 387

56 ROM stands for Read Only Memory

57 The actual machine of the computer is commonly known as Hardware

58 The programs run on the computer are commonly known as Software

59 All the output which is printed on paper is called Hard Copy

60 The number of pixels on a computer screen determines a screes's Resolution

61 A processor's speed is measured in Megahertz

62 A software that assists the computer in performing instructions,is called as system software

63 CAM stands for Computer Aided Manufacturing

64 DPI stands for Dots per Inch

65 DTP stands for Desk Top Publishing

66 EPROM stands for erasable and Programmable Read only Memory

67 A magnetic storage disk made out of a thin piece of plastic is called Floppy Disk

68 A pictorial representation of the step by step sequence for solving a problem is known as a Flow Chart

69 A measure of storage capacity equal to one thousand megabytes is one Gigabyte

70 A variable whose value is accessible throughout the program is called Global Variable

71 A huge,worldwide network of computers that communicate with each other,allowing global communications between users is known popularly known as Internet

72 KB stands for Kilobyte

73 LAN stands for Local Area Network

74 A printer which uses light to transfer the image to paper is the Laser Printer

75 Memory which retains all its contents even after the power is turned off is known as Non-Volatile Memory

76 The result that is generated by the computer after processing the information provided to it is known as Output

77 Electronic mail is more popularly known as E-Mail

78 PILOT stands for Programmed Inquiry Learning Or Teaching

79 PILOT was developed by Doug Engelbardt

80 IQL stands for Interactive Query Language

81 LOGO was developed by Dr.seymour Papert

82 CAL stands for Computer Assisted Learning

83 APT stands for Automatically Programmed Tooling

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 388

84 `C'language was invented by Dennis M.Ritchie

85 Modula-2 was developed by Niklaus Wirth

86 Terminals that have their own memory are called Smart terminals

87 The memory that needs electric power to sustain its contents is known as Volatile Memory

88 MOS stands for Metallic Oxide Semiconductors

89 Dvorak key board was designed by August Dvorak

90 A simple device which functions as a simpler alternative to the keyboard is the Mouse

91 Automatic drawing input device is called Scanner

92 In the second generation computers,magnetic cores were used as Main Memory Devices

93 LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display

94 RADAR stands for Radio Detection and Ranging

95 RADAR works on the principle of Echo

96 software-in-Hardware modules are called Firmware

97 A device by which any microcomputer can use ordinary television set for producing output is called RF modulator

98 EDSAC stands for Electronic Delayed Storage Automatic Computer

99 EDVAC stands for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer

100 EDSAC was developed in the year 1949

101 EDVAC was developed in the year 1952

102 ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator

103 The most successful computing device in the ancient time was Abacus

104 Use of some mechanism for the operation of a machine is known as Automation

105 Radar contact with the moon was first made in 1945

106 Radar contact with Venus was first made in 1961

107 A system in which information is displayed on a television screen is known as Video Text System

108 A modern means of communication in which the information is stored in a computer at a TV station is known as Teletext

109 Global communication became possible by using Satellites

110 Morse code was invented by Samuel Morse

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 389

111 The code used in a teleprinter is the Baudot Code

112 Teleprinter exchange is popularly known as Telex

113 A device which converts sound waves into electrical waves is called Microphone

114 AVC stands for Automatic Volume Control

115 The device used to measure wavelengths of radio waves is Wavemeter

116 A hollow metallic tube used in place of wire in electric circuits carrying high frequency currents is called Waveguide

117 An instrument used to measure the intensity of radiations is the Radiometer

118 An instrument used to measure electrical voltage is the Voltmeter

119 VTVM stands for Vacuum Tube Volt Meter

120 A circuit which maintains a constant voltage is called Voltage Stabilizer

121 SCR stands for Silicon Controlled Rectifier

122 A device used to increase or decrease electric voltageis called a Transformer

123 A magnetic tape that records both audio and video signals is called a Video Tape

124 The first electronic calculator was manufactured in 1963 by Bell Punch Company,USA

125 MASER stands for Microwave Amplification by stimulated Emission of Radiation

126 A computer which can handle a large volume of numbers is called a Number cruncher

127 POST stands for Power on Self Test

128 POST is a test carried out just after the computer has been Switched on

129 An index of the files stored on a disk is called Directory

130 CP/M stands for Control program for Microcomputers

131 CP/M was developed by digital Research Inc.,USA

132 MVS stands for Multiple Virtual Storage Operating System

133 MVS is used in Mainframe computers

134 The process of starting a computer is called Booting

135 A group of four binary digits is called a NIBBLE

136 BPI stands for Bit per Inch

137 A smart card is a multifunctional microprocessor

138 LIPS stands for Logical Inferences Per Second

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 390

139 A computerized machine is normally called a Robot

140 A robot is a machine directed by a Computer

141 A robot which resembles a human being is called an Android

142 PL/1 stands for Programme Language-1

143 The language PL/1 has combined features of COBOL and FORTRAN

144 BASIC stands for Begineers All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code

145 COBOL stands for Common Busines Oriented Language

146 ALGOL stands for Algorithmic Language

147 ALGOL was developed in the early 1960s in Europe

148 COBOL was first introduced in the year 1961

149 FORTRAN stands for Formula Translation

150 FORTRAN was developed and introduced by IBM in the year 1957

151 PL/1 was introduced in the 1960s by IBM

152 COMAL stands for Common Algorithmic Language

153 BASIC was developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz

154 SNOBOL stands for String Oriented Symbolic Language

155 SNOBOL was developed in 1962

156 LISP stands for List Processing Language

157 LISP was developed by John McCarthy

158 Loud speaker was invented by Rice Kellogg

159 PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory

160 Two types of RAM chips are Dynamic,static

161 Data is fed into the computer by first converting it into Binary codes

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 391

Games & Sports

No. Question Answer

1. Which bowler has bowled the maximum balls in a Test Match ? S.Ramadin bowled 774 balls against England in the 1957 Test series

2. When did India play her first official One Day International Match ? Against England on July 13, 1974

3. What is Sunil Gavaskar's highest First Class Cricket Score? 340 run against Bengal in 1981-82

4. Which batsman has hit the maximum centuries in First Class Cricket ? Jeek Hobbs of England 197 centuries

5. Which bowler has the most expensive bowling analysis in a World Cup Match ? M.Snedden of N.Zealand,against England during 1983 world cup : 12-01-105-02

6. Which bowler has the most economical bowling analysis in a World Cup Match ? B.S. Bedi of India, 12-8-6-1 against E.Africa in 1975 World Cup

7. What was Sachin Tendulkar's age in his Test debut for India ? 16 years 201 days

8. Against which bowler did Gavaskar take his 10,000th run in Test cricket ? Ejaz Fakih of Pakistan in the Ahmedabad Test of the 1986-87 series

9. Name the first batsman to hit a triple century in Test cricket ? England's Walter Hammond

10. Name the inventor of snooker Nevil Bowles Chamberlain

11. When and where did Basketball originate ? 1891; Springfield,Massauchusetts

12. In which country did Rugby originate ? England

13. Which martial art was created by the Japanese, Dr.Jigoro Kano? Judo

14. Of which country is baseball a national game? The U.S.A.

15. In which country was the backstroke swimming invented? Egypt

16. Who are the participants of the 'Special Olympic Games'? Mentally retarded children & adults

17. When and where were the first 'Special Olympic Games' held? 1968 in the U.S.A.

18. Who is known as the father of Modern Olympic Games? Barren D'Kobertin

19. Mention the name of the award given to the famous cricketer Sunil Gavaskar by the Indian Government? Padma Bhushan

20. Which athlete is known as the Flying Sikh? Milkha Singh

21. When was Basketball Federation of India established ? 1950

22. In which year P.T. Usha was declared as the best Athlete in World Railway Games ? 1985

23. When was Basket Ball included in olympics? Cycling

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 392

24. Who won the Grand Slam in tennis for the first time? Donald Budge

25. With which game is Zafar Iqbal associated? Hockey

26. For which game is the Indira Gold Cup being awarded? Women's Hockey

27. Who is named the wizard of Hockey? Major Dhyan Chand of India

28. Who was the youngest player to make a century in cricket Tests? Mustaq Mohammed of Pakistan

29. What is the full name of Pele,the football player? Edmond Arantos Nessimente De Pele

30. When was Football first included in the Olympics? 1900 Paris Olympics

31. Which is the oldest Football tournment? Durand Cup Tournament

32. Which is the national game of America? Base Ball

33. Who is known as the Chess king? Boby Fisher

34. The Abdul Razak Trophy is awarded in which sports? Chess

35. Mention the name of the International shooter who was also Maharaja of Bikaner? Karni Singh

36. Who is nicknamed as 'Haryana Hurricane'? Kapil Dev

37. Who became the youngest Asian to swim the English Channel? Abhijit Rao of India

38. Who is the first woman in the woman to cross the strart of Gibraltar? Arti Pradhan

39. In which country did Golf originate? Scotland

40. Which award is given to the persons who have excelled in the field of coaching? Dronacharya

41. Which is the National Sport of Japan? Judo

42. Who won the first Himalayan Car Rally? Shekhar Mehta of Kenya

43. Which is the biggest Stadium in the World? Strahow Stadium at prague

44. Which is the oldest game in the world? Polo

45. Which is the country that first played chess? India

46. When did Geet Sethi receive his first professional title? 1991

47. Who was the first boxer to receive Arjuna Award? Buddy De'suza

48. Name the first Indian Chess player who defeated the world champion? Sultan Khan

49. Name the cities which have hosted the Olympic Games twice? Paris,London,Los Angeles

50. With what sport is Madison Square Garden associated? Boxing

51. Which Indian hockey player has scored maximum goals in olympics? Surinder Singh Sodhi 16 goals

52. Which sport is known as Toxophily? Archery

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 393

53. Who was the first Indian to score a double century against the West Indies? Dilip Sardesai

54. How many players make a Baseball Team? Nine

55. What are the two types of style adopted in international weightlifting? Snatch & the Clean & Jerk

56. Kapil Dev the Indian Cricketer has written his autobiography. Name the book? By Gods Grace

57. Which famous cricketer retired from cricket after the Reliance Cup? Sunil Gavaskar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 394

Well-known Quotations

No. Well-Known quotations Name

01 `A thing of beauty is a joy for ever' Keats

02 `Beauty is truth,truth beauty' Keats

03 `The child is the father of man' Wordsworth

04 `I came,I saw,I conquered' Julius Caesar

05 `Cowards die many times before their death' The valiant never taste of death but once' Shakespeare

06 `The government of the people,by the people,for the peopleshall not perish from the earth' Lincoln

07 `Oh East is East,and west is West, and never the twain shall meet. Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great judgement seat.' Rudyard Kipling

08 `Paths of glory lead but to the grave.' Gray

09 `But be not afraid of greatness; same are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.' Shakespeare

10 `Knowledge is power.' Hobbes

11 `I know nothing except the fact of my ignorence.' Socrates

12 `Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.' Wordsworth

13 `Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.' Dr.Samuel Johnson

14 `Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.' George Menedith

15 `Reading maketh a full man, his prayer is answered.' Francis Bacon

16 `The more Things a man is ashamed of,the more respectable he is.' Bernard Shaw

17 `Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.' Shelly

18 `Tis strang but true; for truth is always strang.' Byron

19 `Let a hundred flowers bloom and let a hundred schools of thought content.' Mao Tse-tung

20 `God is in His heaven,all's right with the world.' Browning

21 `For men many come and men may go, but I go on for ever.' Tennyson

22 `I have nothing to offer but blood,toil,tears and sweet.' Churchill

23 `Give us good mothers and I shall give you good nation.' Napoleon

24 `Long years ago we have made a tryst with destiny.' Jawaharlal Nerhu

25 `Brevity is the soul of with.' Shakespeare

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 395

26 `Variety is the very spice of life.' William Cowper

27 `Jealousy,the jaundice of the soul.' Shakespeare

28 `All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.' Orwell

29 `Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.' Richard Lovelace

30 `Swaraj is my birth-right and I shall have it.' Balgangadhar Tilak

31 `Man is by nature a political animal.' Aristotle

32 `Where wealth accumulates, men decay.' Goldsmith

33 `Good government is no substitute for self-government.' Morley

34 `Nevertheless it moves.' Galileo

35 `Generations to come,it may be,will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.' Einstein

36 `Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absdutely.' Lord Acton

37 `Just as I would not like to be a slave, so I would not like to be a master.' Lincoln

38 `Eureka, Eureka.' Archimedes

39 `Frailty, thy name is woman.' Shakespeare

40 `Whom gods love, die young.' Byron

41 `Do or die.' Gandhiji

42 `Dilli Chalo.' Subhash Chandra Bose

43 `Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.' Lal Bahadur Shastri

44 `Truth and Non-violence are my God.' Mahatma Gandhi

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 396

Medical Science

No.

Question

Answer

01

An infection of the gums involving margin of the teeth with the gum is known as

Pyorrhoea

02

Drugs which reduce tension,anxiety,depression,etc. are known as

Tranquillizers

03

A swelling of the thyroid gland is known as

Goitre

04

Typhoid fever is caused by

Salmonella typhi bacteria

05

Plague was also known as

Black death

06

AIDS stands for

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

07

Diseases which spread by contact are called

Contagious diseases

08

Scarlet fever is caused by

Strepto coccus

09

The sterilization technique carried out on men is

Vasectomy

10

The ability of a living creature to resist the attack of diseases is known as

Immunity

11

How many senses a human being has

Five

12

Medical practioners without valid licence are called

Quacks

13

In a human baby,teething process starts from the age

Seven months

14

A method of treating cancer or tumor growth using chemicals is known as

Chemotherapy

15

Meningitis is caused by

Neisseria meningitis

16

Tetanus is caused by

Clostridium tetane

17

Leukemia is commonly known as

Blood Cancer

18

An area of pus formation within the lung is called

Lung abscess

19

Meningitis is an infection of

Head and spinal cord

20

A sudden interruption of the blood supply to the brain can cause a

Stroke

21

A hereditary lack of pigment in the skin,hair & eyes is known as

Albinism

22

Psoraisis is an inherited disease of

Skin,nails and joints

23

A fungus is a

Microscopic plant

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 397

24

A condition in which both eyes do not point in the same direction is called as

Squint

25

Short sightdness is also known as

Myopia

26

Short sightdness is

Concave lens

27

Long sightdness is also known as

Hypermetropia

28

Long sightdness is corrected by using

Convex lens

29

A condition in which one is not able to see both near and distant objects is known as

Pressbyopia

30

Both convex and concave lens is used to correct the eyesight of a person suffering from

Pressbyopia

31

An inflammation of the thin membrance that covers the black part of the eye is called

Conjunctivitis

32

Acute conjuctivitis is commonly known as

black eye

33

How many bones an adult human body has

206

34

How many bones an human baby's body has

270

35

Blood vessels that carry blood from different organs to the heart are known as

Aneries

36

Blood vessels that carry blood from different organs to the heart are known as

Veins

37

The main artery of the body is the

Arota

38

Skin is the sense organ for

Touch

39

Eyes are the sense organ for

Sight

40

Nose is the sense organ for

Smell

41

Tongue is the sense organ for

Taste

42

Ears are the sense organs for

Hearing

43

Muscles of the heart are called

Cardiac muscles

44

In a human body,about how many muscles are there

650

45

A break in the continuity of a bone is called a

Fracture

46

A progressive weakening of muscles is called

Muscular dystrophy

47

Damage to a nerve is termd as

Meuropathy

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 398

48

Biceps are the muscles of the

Arm

49

Malaria is transmitted by

Anopheles mosquito

50

There are how many types of Malaria

Three

51

BCG stands for

Bacillus Calmette Guerin

52

BCG is a vaccine given for immunization against the disease

Tuberculosis

53

DPT is a

Triple vaccine

54

DPT is effective against

Diphtheria,whooping cough and tetanus

55

DPT vaccine is given how many times to children

Three

56

Vaccine against polio is called

Poliomyelitis vaccine

57

Vaccine is a liquid containing

Dilute or dead pathogens

58

The first antibiotic discovered by

Penicillin

59

Spherical shaped bacteria are called

coccus

60

Rod shaped bacteria are called

Bacillus

61

Spiral shaped bacteria are called

Spirillium

62

Comma shaped bacteria are called

Vibrio

63

The size of a virus is about

A millionth of a centimeter

64

Plague is caused by bacteria which is found in

Fleas on the bodies of rats

65

Dengue fever is also known as

Break-bone fever

66

Q fever was first noticed in

Queensland

67

Anthrax is caused by

Anthrax bacillus

68

Cholera is caused by

Vibrio choleral bacteria

69

Tetanus is also known as

Lockjaw disease

70

Diptheria is caused by

Klebs-loeffler

71

Whooping cough is caused by

Bordella pertussis

72

Sex is predicted before the birth of the child by a test called

Amnio centesis

73

The outer layer of the skin is called

Epidermis

74

The inner layer of the skin is called

Dermis

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 399

75

Over exposure to sun cause

Sun burn

76

LSD stands for

Lysergic acid Di-ethylamide

77

Drugs which produce total unconsciousness are known as

General anaesthetics

78

Drugs which produce loss of sensation in a small area where the drug is applied are called

Local anaesthetics

79

Drugs which neutralize secretions of the stomach which cause ulcers and acidity are called

Antacids

80

ELISA technique is used to detect

AIDS

81

NMR stands for

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

82

Teeth are covered by a hard substance called

Enamel

83

Insulin is also known as

Anti-diabetic hormone

84

Insulin deficiency causes

Diabetes

85

Inflammation of the pancreas is called

Pancreatitis

86

A normal pregnancy lasts for about

40 weeks

87

The device which improves one's hearing is called

Hearing aid

88

Persons who are having blood group O positive are called

Universal donors

89

Persons who are having blood group AB positive are called

Universal recipients

90

Red cells of blood contain

Haemoglobin

91

The formation of a blood clot within a blood vessel is called

Thrombosis

92

The sex hormone of the male is

Androgen

93

The sex hormones of the females are

Estrogen and progesterone

94

Delivery of more than one baby at a time is called as

Multiple pregnancy

95

A pregnancy that ends before the 28th week is termed as

Miscarriage

96

A condition where the lung tissue collapses is known as

Atelectasis

97

A condition in which the lung tissue loses its elasticity is known as

Emphysema

98

Pnemonia is an infection of the

Lungs

99

Pus formation in the lung is called

Lung abscess

100

Bronchiectasis is a disease of the which system

Respiratory

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 400

101

The colour of the skin is dependant upon a pigment called

Melanin

102

Eczema is a disease of the

Skin

103

A condition wherein the pressure within the eyeball is increased above normal is called

Glaucoma

104

The number of teeth in a normal human being are

32

105

Substances that cause allergy are called

Allergens

106

Hay fever is a type of

Allergy

107

Leukemia is a disease of the

Blood

108

Tissue taken from the patient while operation is going on is called

Frozen section

109

EEG stands for

Electro encephalography

110

EEG is used to record the activities of the

Brain

111

EMG stands for

Electromyography

112

EMG is used for recording for the activity of the

Muscles during contraction

113

The x-ray visualisation of a joint is known as

Arthrography

114

A device used to regularise irregular heart beats is called

Pace-maker

115

A doctor who is a specialist in matters related to the heart and circulatory system is called a

Cardiologist

116

In medical terminology,ENT stands for

Ear,nose and throat

117

A gynaeclogist specialises in matters related to

Reproductive system

118

Copper T is a type of device used for

Contraception

119

A Psychiatrist specialises in matters related to

Mental disorders

120

Typhoid vaccine was invented by

Almorth Writht

121

Polio vaccine was invented by

Jonas Salk

122

Contact lenses were invented by

A.E.Fick

123

Vaccination was invented by

Edward Jenner

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 401

Adventure

No.

Question

Answer

1.

What does the Japanese word 'Karate' mean literally?

Open hand

2.

With which water sport are jumping,slaloming and trick riding associated?

Water Skiing

3.

Which sport was a traditional English 'pub' game?

Darts

4.

Which modern martial art was developed from 'Jujitsu'?

Judo

5.

Which game is played at the Embassy World Professional Championship?

Snooker

6.

What sport is 'angling'?

Fishing

7.

With what sport would you associate 'alley' or 'lane'?

Bowling

8.

Which city is known as the 'Pearl of the Orient'?

Singapore

9.

Which capital city is said to be the oldest in the world and in which country it is located?

Damascus,the capital of Syria

10.

Which is the largest city in Africa?

Cairo,capital of Egypt

11.

What was Christopher Columbus's nationality?

Italian

12.

At the mouth of which river is Hong Kong situated?

Perl River

13.

Which Central American nation was formerly known as British Honduras?

Belize

14.

After whom was Bolivia named?

Simon Bolivar

15.

Which two countries enjoy the highest standard of living in S.America?

Venezuela & Argentina

16.

Where is the Carribean Sea?

Between West Indies & South America

17.

Name the only ape that can stand and walk upright?

Gibbon

18.

Which are the countries linked by the Karakoram Highway?

China & Pakistan

19.

What does leser mean?

Light amplification by stimulated emission of

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 402

radiation

20.

Which sea seperates Japan from the main-land of Asia?

The sea of Japan

21.

What is a group of dolphins called?

Scholl

22.

What is a male ant called?

A dron

23.

Name the mosquito which spreads malaria?

The female Anopheles mos quito

24.

Istanbul is a major city of Turkey. What was its former name?

Constantinople

25.

Where is the headquarters of World Meterological Organisation?

Geneva

26.

Name the countries having the veto power in the U.N. Security Council.

U.S.A.,USSR,UK,FRANCE & CHINA

27.

What is called the "Roof of the World"?

The pamirs in Central Asia

28.

Name the only planet that was discovered in the 20th century.

Pluto

29.

What is the boundary between Russia & Poland called?

The Curzon Line

30.

How much time does the light take to reach the Earth from the sun?

A little more than 8 minutes

31.

What is the source of all energy on earth?

The energy from the sun

32.

Which famous swimmer is known as the 'Albatross'?

Michael Gross

33.

Where was the martial art taekwon do developed?

Korea

34.

Who developed taekwon do?

Gen.Choi Hong Hi of Korea

35.

Which mountain ranges in Spain & California have the same name?

Sierra Nevada

36.

Which batsman has scored most runs in a day in Test Cricket?

Australia's Don Bradman 309 n.o. against England at leeds in 1930

37.

Which team won a one dayer twice with a six off of the last ball?

Pakistan

38.

How many Indians have taken nine or more wickets in an innings in a Test Match?

4 -Kapil Dev,Subhash Gupta,Jasu Patel & Anil Kumble

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 403

39.

Which is the largest plant in the world?

The Bis Trees of California

40.

What is 'smog'?

Smoke -laden fog

41.

Who is called the light of the world?

Jesus Christ

42.

Which is the major language of Egypt?

Arabic

43.

What does the phrase 'cakes and ale' mean?

A carefree or easy living

44.

What is the language of Chile?

spanish

45.

Which country is called the 'Land of Golden Fleece'?

Australia

46.

Which city of Russia had the old name St.Petersburg?

Leningrad

47.

Name the only bird which can fly backward as well as forward

The hemming bird

48.

Name the longest river of Canada

Mackenzie

49.

Name the highest military decoration of France.

Croix de Guerra

50.

Which gas is commonly used in electric bulbs?

Neon

51.

Which European city was founded in 1050,destroyed by fire in 1624, and rebuilt?

Oslo,capital of Norway

52.

What are plants that grow in water called?

Hydrophytes

53.

Which insect makes the loudest noise?

The mle cicada

54.

To which country does Greenland belong?

Denmark

55.

What is the other name for graphite?

Plumbago or black lead

56.

To which galaxy does the earth belong?

The Milky Way

57.

Where are the largest deposits of platinum found?

Ural Mountains,U.S.S.R.

58.

Name the only mammal that flies.

The Bat

59.

How would you recognize the leader of a wolf pack?

The leader holds his tail straight out,while others tails droop.

60.

What is a baby rabbit or squirrel called?

Bunny

61.

What is the study of evil spirits and demons called?

Demonology

62.

What is a group of Kangaroos called?

Mob

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 404

63.

Which language is most dominant in Latin America?

Spanish

64.

Who said that 'Well begun is half done'?

Horace

65.

Name the border line between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Durand Line

66.

Who said that 'Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind?

Albert Einstein

67.

Name the longest river of Australia.

Murray

68.

Name the highest mountain in Canada.

Logan

69.

Name the only Shakespeare's play that included a dog.

Two Gentlemen of Verona

70.

Which city is called the 'City of Dreaming Spires'?

Oxford

71.

After which emperor was July named?

Julius Caesar

72.

Name the king of England who built the Tower of London.

King William I

73.

After Amazon, which is the major river of South America?

Paraha

74.

Which king of France was called the Citizen King?

Louis Phillippe

75.

Who first discovered radioactivity?

Marie Curie

76.

Aesop has been attributed with famous fables. What did he work as?

He was a slave

75.

Who is known as the 'Maid of Orleans'?

Joan of Arc of France

78.

From which country did the Portugese bring tobacco to India in 1508?

Peru

79.

Which European country is known as the 'Land of Cakes'?

Scotland

80.

Name the ethical practice in Jainism, of not causing harm to any living thing.

Ahimsa

81.

Which is the longest strait in the world?

Tartar Straits

82.

In which part of the world is the river Snake?

U.S.A.

83.

Which is the tallest race in the world?

The Tutsi,they live in Central Africa and have an

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 405

average height of 185 cms. or 6 ft. 1 inch.

84.

Name the International Line forming the border between India and China on the eastern side.

The Mc Mohan Line

85.

Which is the largest port in the world?

New York Har

86.

Which is the longest river in Asia?

The river Ob(5538 kms) in the U.S.S.R.

87.

Of which crop is Bangladesh the greatest producer in the world?

Tasmania

88.

What is the science of coins & medals called?

Numismatic

89.

What is amnesia?

Loss or impairment of memory

90.

What is a young cow called?

Heifer

91.

Which language is known as Cape Dutch?

Afrikaans

92.

Which batsman scored a century in a First Class Match without a single boundary?

Bill Woodfull of Australia; 118 runs

93.

Which bowler has taken Gavaskar's wicket the maximum times?

D.Underwood of England 12 times

94.

What is the record for most runs scored in a Test match?

G.Gooch of England. 456 runs (333 & 123 against (India) at Lord's in 1990-91.

95.

What is the record for most sixes hit in an innings in First class cricket?

15 sixes.Hit by Johan Reid,Wellington v/s Northern Districts,1962-63

96.

Who is the youngest player to score a double century in Test Cricket?

Javed Miandad.He was 19 years,141 days when he scored 206 against N.Zealand at Karachi in 1976-77.

97.

Where are the world's largest diamond and gold mining areas?

Kimberley in South Africa

98.

Which is the largest silver producing country in the world?

Mexico

99.

What was the former name of Ghana?

Gold Coast or 'Land of Gold'.

100.

Which is the largest bay in the world?

In area,the Bay of Bengal is the largest.However,in shore line length, the Hudson Bay is the largest

101.

Which is the largest delta formed by two rivers?

That created by the Ganga & Brahmaputra in West Bengal and Bangladesh

102.

Which is the deepest lake in the world?

Ozero (lake) Baykal in Central Siberia

103.

Can the giraffe outspeed the Kangaroo?

Yest. At 35 miles (56 km) an hour

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 406

104.

How many claws does a crab have?

Five pairs

105.

Name the largest freshwater lake.

Lake Superior

106.

Name the most poisonous fish.

Stonefish

107.

Mafia is a secret society operating in different parts of the world. Which place is considered to be its origin?

Sicily Italy

108.

Name the fastest fish in the world.

Atlantic Sailfish

109.

Who founded the Maurya dynasty in ancient India?

Chandragupta Maurya

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 407

Animals & Birds

No.

Question

Answer

01

The largest bird alive is the

Ostrich

02

The smallest bird alive is the

Humming bird

03

An animal doctor is called a

Veterinarian

04

How many arms an octopus has

Eight

05

The arms of the octopus are called

Tentacles

06

The fastest moving land snake in the world is the

Black Mamba

07

A group of lions is called a

Pride

08

A group of invertebrate animals which have segments body and jointed limbs are called

Arthropods

09

A period of dormancy in winter by some animals known as

Hibernation

10

Animals having backbone (vertebra) are known as

Vertebrates

11

Albatross is a large

Sea bird

12

A small fish having a head like that of a horse is known as

Sea horse

13

African donkey with black and white stripes is called a

Zebra

14

A small worm which lives in ponds and rivers and sucks the blood of animals is

Leech

15

The world's largest zoological reserve is the

Etosha National Park,Namibia

16

Egg laying mammals are called

Prototherians

17

The bird which lays more than 100 eggs in one nest is the

Ostrich

18

The largest Kangaroo in the world is the

Red Kangaroo

19

The only mammal that can fly is the

Bat

20

The animal revered by the buddhists as their sacred animal is the

White elephant

21

It is widely believed that Ostrich buries its head in sand which is

Not true

22

Austrian scientist Konard Lorenz is famous for

Study on Geese

23

Bharatpur bird sanctuary is situated in

Rajasthan

24

The fish which is known as the king of fishes is the

Shark

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 408

25

The world's largest aquarium is the

Sydney Aquarium

26

The tallest living animal is the

Giraffe

27

India's first sanctuary was the

Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh

28

The largest living animal is the

Rorqual or blue whale

29

The continent which is known as the land of Kangaroo is

Australia

30

The first forest show was established in Mexico in the year

1898

31

The country in which Yak is found is

Tibet

32

The country in which kiwi is found is

New Zealand

33

Wadia Institute of Himalayan Zoology is located at

Delhi

34

Dudhwa National Park is located in

Uttar Pradesh

35

The wildlife sanctury where we find asiatic lion is the

Gir Forest

36

A two humped camel is called

A Bacteria camel

37

Butterflies come under the family

Lepidoptera

38

The temple in which rats are revered,fed and protected is the

Karnimata in Rajasthan

39

The fastest land animal is the

Cheetah

40

The largest land animal is the

African bush elephant

41

Rat snakes are found in

South-East Asia

42

A common domesticated animal which cannot taste sweet is the

Cat

43

The world's smallest animal is the

Skunk like zorilla of Africa

44

The mammal that lives at the greatest altitude is the

Hog nosed bat

45

The smallest member of the cat family is the

Yak

46

The only flying mammals are the

Rusty spotted cat of south India

47

The largest flying mammal is the

Bats

48

The world's largest deer is the

Mouse eared bat

49

The world's heaviest flying bird is the

Alaskan moose

50

The bird which has the largest wing span is the

Great Bustard

51

The largest of all lizards is the

Albatros

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 409

52

The largest known frog is the

Ora

53

The longest known frog is the

Goliath Grog

54

The longest insect in the world is the

Giant stick Insect

55

The fastest moving insect in the world is the

Tropical cockroach

56

The giant stick Insect is found in

Indonesia

57

There are how many kinds of cat species in India

Fifteen

58

The animal known as the river horse is the

Hippopotamus

59

The elephant's trunk is actually a modified

Incisor

60

The diet of a gorilla is purely

Vegetarian

61

The only ape found in India is the

Hoolock's Gibbon

62

The number of known species of mammals are

4230

63

The fish that can taste with its whole body is the

Catfish

64

The average weight of a blue whale is

1,20,000 kg.

65

The most widely eaten fish in India is the

Pomfret

66

The only fish that makes nest is the

Stickle back

67

A group of peacocks are called a

Muster

68

Gold fish originally belongs to

China

69

Red panda is also known as the

Cat bear

70

A female rabbit is called a

Doe

71

A female horse is called a

Mare

72

A female pig is called a

Sow

73

The whale believed to be a fish,is actually a

Mammal

74

The organ which is missing in the Camel is the

Gall bladder

75

The Archer fish catches its flies by

Spitting at them

76

The smallest known fish is the

Dwaft pygmy goby

77

The country which is the largest exporter of hippopotamuses in Europe is

Hungary

78

A bird which lays only one egg in two years is the

Albatross

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 410

79

The size of a newly born kangaroo is

2.5 cms

80

The only animal that sleeps on its back is

Man

81

The only animal which has four knees is the

Elephant

82

An animal which is dumb is the

Giraffe

83

A frog catches insects with its

Tongue

84

The number of teeth a fox has is

Forty two

85

The smallest dog on earth is the

Chihuahua

86

A common domesticated animal which is colour-blind is the

Dog

87

The largest seabird is the

Albatross

88

A group of eagles are called a

Convocation

89

A group of hares are called a

Husk

90

A group of quail are called a

Bevy

91

A group of fish are called a

Shoal

92

A group of sheep are called a

Flock

93

A group of wolves are called a

Pack

94

A group of cattle are called a

Herd

95

A group of gorillas are called a

Band

96

A group of elephants are called a

Herd

97

The female of a stag are called a

Hind

98

The male of a cow is called a

Bull

99

The young of an elephant is called a

Calf

100

The young one of a goat is called a

Kid

101

The cat belongs to the family called

Falidate

102

The cat which is commonly used in the hunting game is the

Cheetah

103

The largest member of the cat family is the

Tiger

104

A camel can remain without water for

30 days

105

Ranganthittu bird sanctuary is located near

Mysore

106

The oldest domestic Cat on record lives for how many years

Thirty six

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 411

107

How many teeth a horse has

Forty

108

Snow leopards are found in

Himalayas

109

The insect which has the largest population on earth is the

Wasp

110

Fishes evolved in which era

Silurian

111

Elephant fish are found in

Tropical Africa

112

How many arms a giant squid has

Ten

113

The whale's nostrils are situated on the

Top of its head

114

The largest Indian deer is the

Sambar

115

The average pregnancy period of a female dog is

63 days

116

Penguins are found in the

South pole

117

Project Tiger was launched in India in the year

1972

118

The largest division of the animal kingdom is the

Arthropoda

119

The first animal to go into space was

Dog

120

How many teeth a turtle has

Eight

121

The number of bones in the giraffe's neck is

Seven

122

A fox's tail is called a

Brush

123

A female Ass is called as

Jenny

124

The young once of a tiger are called

Ligon

125

A squirrel's home is called a

Drey

126

A group of snakes are called a

Den

127

A group of foxes are called a

Skulk

128

The word hamster means

Hoarder

129

A group of cats are called a

Clutter

130

The word langur means

Long tailed

131

The Science of fossils is called

Palaentology

132

A young kangaroo is called a

Joey

133

A young pigeon is called a

Swab

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 412

134

The word reptile means

To creep

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 413

Social Sciences

No.

Question

Answer

1.

Who lives in Buckingham Palace in London?

Queen Elizabeth II

2

Where was Homi Bhabha, the nuclear Scientist born?

Bombay

3

Which country started the ancient Olympic games?

Greeks

4.

Which is the largest Gulf?

Gulf of Mexico

5.

Which is the largest country in terms of area?

Soviet Union

6.

Who discovered the Polio Vaccine?

Dr.Jonak Salk

7.

Who was given the title of Desert fox?

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

8.

Who invented shorthand?

Issac Pitman

9.

1952 A.D. is an important year in British History why?

King George VI

10

By the side of which city does the river Ottawa flow?

Montreal

11.

Which is the land of five rivers in India?

Punjab

12.

Which is the lowest mountain range in the world?

Bhieuna Bhaile

13.

Which country is called the Land of Morning Calm?

Korea

14.

Which city is called the city of Sky scrapers?

New York

15.

What is defined as the locus of a point moving so that its distance from a fixed point and fixed line are equal?

Parabola

16.

What is the principal export of Jamaica?

Sugar

17.

Glimpses of World History is a collection of letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru. To whom were these letters written?

Indira Gandhi

18.

Where did Gautama Buddha attain Nirvana?

Kushi Nagar

19.

Which organs of flowering plants take in water?

Roots

20.

Where was Alaxander the Great born, where did his death occur & where was he burried?

Europe (Macedonia) Babylonia (Asia) & Alexanderia (Egypt)

21.

Is there any age restriction to donate one's Eyes?

No

22.

September 3rd is related to the second world war what is its significance?

Britain & Germany went to war

23.

Is it true that snakes have eyelids?

No

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 414

24.

To what animal family does the dog belong?

Wolf & Jackel

25.

By what name is the Parliament of Algeria called?

National Popular Assembly

26.

Where do investors sell second hand shares?

Stock Exchange

27.

Who established four 'Mutts' in four corners of India?

Adi Shankaracharya

28.

Which Mughal Emperor was regarded as 'Zinda Pir'?

Aurangazeb

29.

Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood because of which incident?

Jalianwalabagh tragedy

30.

Where is the sea of Tranquility located?

On the Moon

31.

Who is the first Indian to go into Space?

Rakesh Sharma

32.

When was Goa liberated?

December 19,1961

33.

Who pointed out the role of heredity?

Mendel

34.

Who was India's first chief of Naval Staff?

R.D.Katari

35.

Who played the Pivotal role in Sir Richard Attenborough's Gandhi?

Ben Kinseley

36.

Who was also known as Shahid-e-Azam?

Bhagat Singh

37.

Who wrote the book 'Satyartha Prakasha'?

Swami Dayanand Saraswati

38.

Who first discovered the Pacific Ocean?

Vaso Nunez de Balboa

39.

Who is known as the father of Indian Nuclear Science?

Homi Bhabha

40.

Who invented the Refrigerator?

J. Perkins

41.

Which is the longest road tunnel in the world?

Tunnel under that Gothard Mountain range in Switzerland (16 km)

42.

What are the measurements of a single's Badminton court?

44 ft * 17 ft

43.

Who is the founder of Modern Germany?

Bismarck

44.

In which country would you find the Yak?

Tibet

45.

When did the Traveller Hawkins visit India?

1608 AD

46.

Which city is called the city of Golden temple?

Amritsar

47.

Which is the other name of Porus, who nearly defeated Alexander?

Purushottam

48.

Who was the President of the Indian National Congress as its first session held in 1885?

Womesh Chandra Banerji

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 415

49.

A famous Indian Badminton player was shot dead. Who was he?

Syed Modi

50.

When is Independence day celebrated in South Korea?

15th August

51.

Where is Diamond Harbour located?

Calcutta

52.

With what game is Paul Charles Morphy associated?

Chess

53.

When did Ceylon became Srilanka?

May 1972

54.

Who designed the Rastrapathi Bhavan in Delhi?

Sir Edwin Lutyens

55.

What is the temperature of the warm blooded animals?

Remain Constant

56.

In which state is Malayalam Spoken?

Kerala

57.

In which state is the famous Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary situated?

Rajasthan

58.

Which country is famous for Samba Dance?

Brazil

59.

From where did Jesus ascend to heaven?

Mount of Olives

60.

On the bank of which river is Amaravathi located?

Krishna

61.

Which day is known as world environment day?

June 5th

62.

During whose regime were the Rock cut temples of Kailasa and Ellora carved?

Krishna I

63.

In which country did the first Industrial Revolution take place?

England

64.

Which is the National flower of China?

Narcissus

65.

Who discovered Niagara Falls?

Louis Hennepin

66.

Which acid is used in a car battery?

Sulphuric acid

67.

Who invented dynamite?

Alfred Nobel

68.

Who was the first Governor General of Pakistan?

Mohammad ali Jinah

69.

Which state in India is the largest producer of Saffron?

Jammu & Kashmir

70.

Who invented the Steam Engine?

James Watt

71.

What is the botanical name for the Onion?

Allium cepa

72.

With what is Sylviculture concerned?

Timber

73.

What is Herpetology?

Study of Reptiles

74.

What do you call a plant that eats insects?

Insectirorous Plants

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 416

75.

By using what waves does Radar detect objects?

Radiowaves

76.

What is the name of the element whose symbol is Cr?

Chromium

77.

What is the atomic number of Oxygen?

Eight

78.

Who proved that air has weight?

Galileo

79.

Where is Central Rice Research Institute located?

Cuttack

80.

Name the class of animals,that eats grass?

Herbivorous

81.

What is the other name for Sulphuric Acid?

Oil of Vitriol

82.

What was Galileo's first scientific discovery?

The pendulum

83.

Name the scientist, credited with the invention of the Crescograph?

J.C.Bose

84.

Who was the scientist in charge of the project which produced the atom bomb?

J. Robert Openheimer

85.

Which instrument is used to measure the diameter of a thin wire?

Screw Gauge

86.

Which is the substance that helps in the digestion of milk?

Rennin

87.

What is the unit of power?

Watts

88.

Which lens is used to correct long sight defect?

Concave

89.

In which form is Iron present in Blood?

Compound

90.

Name the instrument used in measuring relative humidity of air?

Hygrometer

91.

Name the Indian born scientist who got a Nobel Prize in the field of Medicine?

Hargobind Khorana

92.

Two elements that are commonly present in artificial fertilizers are Nitrogen & Phosphorus which is the third one?

Patassium

93.

Meningitis affects which part of the body?

Brain

94.

Why is an Altimeter used?

Approx. height above the ground

95.

Who propounded the Theory of Relativity?

Albert Einstein

96.

Do you know the real name of the famous writer Mark Twain?

Samuel Clemens

97.

Both father and son won Dadasaheb Phalke award.Who are they?

Prithviraj Kapoor & Raj Kapoor

98.

Raghuveer Yadav got the best actor award for the performance

Massey Saheb

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 417

in Hindi film. Name the film.

99.

How many silent movies were released in India before Talkie movies came into existence?

1300

100.

Which is the smallest book in the world?

Ari e-1 4mm x 1.40 mm Japanese pulications

101.

The popular comedian Charlie Chaplin came from which country?

United Kingdom

102.

The Adi Granth is a holy book of which religion?

The Sikh Religion

103.

What was the title of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography?

My Experiments with truth

104.

Who is the author of King Soloman's Ring?

Konard Lorenz

105.

Which is the first country to use Postage stamps.

Great Britain (1840)

106.

Who is the creator of the character 'Tarzan'?

Edgar Rice Burroughs

107.

Who planned Chandigarh city?

Le Corbusier

108.

Who is known as the Indian Prince of Poets?

Kalidas

109.

Who built the first Pyramid?

Cheops

110.

Complete the proverb 'A stitch in time....

Savesnine

111.

Who is known as the "Father of Geometry"?

Euclid

112.

Who wrote the play "Enemy of the people"?

Henrik Ibsen

113.

With which personality is Teacher's Day September 5th linked?

Dr.S. Radhakrishnan

114.

A comedian insured his nose for Ten lakh dollars.Who was he?

Jimmy Durant

115.

Who said that 'The fool has one great advantage over the man of Sense' - he is always satisfies with himself?

Napoleon

116.

With what is Bhimsen Joshi associated?

Hindustani Music

117.

What is the height of Qutub Minar?

288 feet

118.

In which place was the first Printing Press in India set up?

Goa

119.

What does the letter 'U' stand for in the U certificate given by Censors Board?

Unrestricted public exhibition

120.

Which musical instrument does Bismillah Khan play?

Shehnai

121.

Which is Shakespeare's Last Play?

The Tempest

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 418

122.

Who was the first Cartoonist to win the B.D. Goenka Award?

R.K.Laxman

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 419

Famous Rivers, Lakes, Wasterfalls

No.

River

Country

KM

01

Nile

Africa

6690

02

Amazon

South America

6570

03

Mississippi Missouri

U.S.A.

6212

04

Irtysh

USSR (now CIS)

5570

05

Yanglze-Kiang

China

5520

06

Hwang Ho

China

4672

07

Mekong

Asia

4184

08

Niger

Africa

4168

09

Murray Darling

Australia

3701

10

Volga

USSR (now CIS)

3690

11

Danube

Europe

2848

12

Indus

Asia

2736

13

Brahmaputra

Asia

2704

No.

Lakes

Country

SQ.KM

01

Caspian Sea

Russia-Iran

393898

02

Lake Superior

USA-Canada

82814

03

Victoria

Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania

69485

04

Aral (salt)

CIS (Previous USSR)

68682

05

Michigan

USA

58016

06

Great Bear

Canada

31792

07

Baikal

CIS

31492

08

Lake Ontario

USA-Canada

19529

09

Eyre (salt)

Australia

9324

10

Torrens (Salt)

Australia

5775

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 420

No.

Waterfalls

Country

Height(Feet)

01

Angel

Venezuela

2648

02

Kukenaam

Venezuela

2000

03

Ribbon

USA

1612

04

Tugela

South Africa

1350

05

Wollomombi

Australia

1100

06

Guaria

Brazil

470000

07

Niagara

Canada

212200

08

Victoria

Zimbabwe

38430

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 421

Environment

No.

Question

Answer

01

The biggest energy source on the surface of the earth is

Solar radiation

02

The acid found in soil is

Humic acid

03

Burning of fossil fuels releases

Carbon-di-oxide

04

The place referred to as the Valley of Death is

Cubatao in Brazil

05

The Valley of Flowers is located at

Garhwal in Himalayas

06

The element found abundant in the crust of the earth is

Oxygen

07

99 percent of the crust of earth is composed of

Elements

08

The crust of the earth is called

Lithosphere

09

The type of soil found in the dessert is

Aridisols

10

Acid rain was discovered by

R.A.Smith

11

The simplest and least polluting way of deriving energy is

Solar energy

12

Junk of appliances and vehicles is known as

Solid Waste

13

Oceans are ecologically divided into how many regions

Five

14

Uranium miners more frequently suffer from

Cancer

15

Textile workers more frequently suffer from

Byssinosis

16

Coal miners more frequently suffer from

Black lung diseases

17

The type of living beings more sensitive to nuclear radiations are

Mammals

18

The most acute pollution problem faced by nuclear power industry is

Disposal of nuclear waste

19

Excessive inhalling of manganese causes

Pnemonia

20

Hay fever is due to the presence of which thing in the air

Pollen

21

The metal which causes systemic poisoning in man is

Lead

22

Dust containing silica causes

Silicosis

23

Intensive use of nitrate fertilizers causes

Methemoglobinemia

24

The most economic and pollution free form of transport is

Bicycle

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 422

25

The main source of harmful radiations in our house can be due to

Televisions

26

The most recently discovered ecosystem is

Vent

27

The most biologically productive ecosystem is

Alluvial plains

28

Ecologists divide divide lakes into how many zones

Three

29

Death valley is located in which dessert

Nevada

30

Man first cultivated crops in which age

Neolithic

31

Sheep were initially dpmesticated for

Meat and milk

32

The industrial chemical which increases the chance of developing Leukemia is

Benzene

33

The Royal society for the Protection of Birds was formed in

1889 AD

34

`Man and the Biosphere'an ecological programme was launched by

UNESCO

35

Chemicals which get rid of pests are called as

Pesticides

36

The living beings which are known as teritary consumers are

Meat-eating animals

37

A motor car produces least amount of pollution while

Moving

38

The first living beings who established themselves on rocky slopes were

Lichens

39

Birds evolved on earth during the

Jurassic period

40

Water covers about how many percent of the earth's surface

Seventy

41

Oxygen was discovered by

Joseph Priestley

42

Oxygen was discovered in

August 1774

43

The word `Oxygen'was coined by

Antonie Levoiser

44

When something burns in air, it combines with oxygen and the process is called

Oxidation

45

When we breather,oxygen combines chemically with glucose in the body to create

Energy

46

The two major components of air are oxygen and

Nitrogen

47

The French chemist who showed that air was the same all around the world was

Henri Regnault

48

William Ramsay discovered that air also contained tiny traces

Inert gases

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 423

of

49

The gases which are slow to react with other chemicals are called

Inert gases

50

The air surrounding the earth is forever on the move because of

Sun's heat

51

A space with nothing in it is called

Vacuum

52

Air pressure is related to density of air. This was discovered by whom in 1662 AD

Robert Boyle

53

Earth's atmosphere has how many layers

Five

54

Moon gets very hot and very cold as it has no

Atmosphere

55

78 percent of the atmosphere is

Nitrogen

56

21 percent of the atmosphere is

Oxygen

57

The atmospheric layer immediately around the earth is called

Troposphere

58

The second atmospheric layer is called

Stratosphere

59

The third atmospheric layer is called

Mesosphere

60

The fourth atmospheric layer is called

Ionosphere

61

The fifth atmospheric layer is called

Exosphere

62

Human beings inhale what and give out what

Oxygen,carbon dioxide

63

Plants inhale what and give out what

Carbon dioxide,oxygen

64

Bubbles in soda water is due to presence of

Carbon dioxide

65

Ozone is actually a form of

Oxygen

66

We are protected from ultraviolet radiation from the sun due to the presence of

Ozone layer

67

The main culprit which is destroying the ozone layer is

CFC gases

68

The main green house gas is

Carbon dioxide

69

As one goes higher in the atmosphere,air pressure

Decreases

70

As per Daniel Bernoulli,whenever air moves,its pressure

Drops

71

The most common compound on earth is

Water

72

Life originally emerged from

Water

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 424

73

About how many percent of the world's water is solid

Two

74

Less than how many percent of the world's water is fresh water

Three

75

The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere is known as

Humidity

76

Any substance that dissolve in the water vapour it absorbs is said to be

Deliquescent

77

Henry Cavendish proved that water was a compound which included

Hydrogen

78

The french chemist who showed that water was a simple compound of hydrogen and oxygen was

Antoine Lavoiser

79

In case of heavy water,oxygen combines with

Deuterium

80

A special type of hydrogen with an extra neutron in its nucleus is

Deuterium

81

Heavy water can be extracted from ordinary water by the process of

Distillation

82

In every water molecutl,there are how many hydrogen atoms and how many oxygen atoms

Two,one

83

Water expands when it is

Frozen

84

Oxygen condenses at a temperature of

-183.c

85

The ultimate source of nearly all our energy is the

Sun

86

Solar cells turn light energy from the sun into

Electrical energy

87

Two types of basic energy is

Potential energy,kinetic energy

88

Energy that is not doing anything but is simply stored for action is called

Potential energy

89

Energy in the nucleus of an atom is called

Nuclear energy

90

As per the Law of Conservation of energy,energy can neither be nor be

Created,destroyed

91

In all energy conversions,heat is produced as

Waste

92

Coal,Oil,natural gas,etc.are known as

Fossil fuels

93

At the present rate of consumption of coal,it is estimated that it will last about

200

94

At the present rate of consumption of coal,it is estimated that

40

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 425

it will last about

95

Nuclear energy is released by a process called

fission

96

It is estimated that nuclear power stations are presently producing about how many percent of world's electricity

20

97

Joule proved that heat was a form of

Energy

98

The sun heats the earth by a process called

Radiation

99

Nuclear radiations can cause an eye disease called

Cataract

100

A Landfill produces a pollutant gas,

Methane

101

The gases that produce acid rain are

Sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide

102

Hydrogen bomb was tested on a

Pacific atoll

103

The European river Rhine was till recently called as

Europe's industrial sewer

104

Ultraviolet radiations from the sun can cause

Skin cancer

105

When lakes become acidic,the substance used to counteract the acidity is

Lime

106

Water Resources Institute is located at

Washington D.C.

107

The science of human settlements is called

Ekistics

108

Bhopal Gas tragedy occured in

1984 AD

109

The city which has the highest sulphur dioxide pollution is

Milan

110

CITES is an international law concerned with

Endangered species

111

CITES stands for

Convention on Int.Trade in Endangered Species

112

NCEPC stands for

National Committee on Environmental Planning and Co-ordination

113

Project JAWS deals with

Winds

114

JAWS stands for

Joint Airport Weather Studies

115

Project FAMOUS deals with

Ocean beds

116

FAMOUS stands for

French-American Mid Ocean Under Sea Study

117

Pollution Control Research Institute is located at

Hardwar

118

International Environmental Prize is awarded by

United Nations

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 426

119

The use of DDT for agricultural purposes was banned in India in the year

1985 AD

120

The major source of fuel in rural India is

Fuelwood and charcoal

121

Asia's largest slum is located at

Mumbai

122

The Department of Environment was set up in

1980 AD

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 427

Longest, Shortest, Deepest

No.

Question

Answer

01

Tallest Animal

Giraffe

02

Fastest Bird

Swift

03

Largest Bird

Ostrich

04

Smallest Bird

Humming Bird

05

Longest Railway Bridge

Lower Zambesi (Africa)

06

Longest Canal (Ship)

Baltic White Sea Canal (152 miles)

07

Highest City

Wen Chuan (China) 16000 ft.

08

Largest Continent

Asia

09

Smallest Continent

Australia

10

Highest Country

Tibet (The Pamirs)

11

Largest Country(in population)

China

12

Largest Country(in area)

USSR, now CIS (Common Wealth of Independent States)

13

Largest Day

June 21 (Northern Hemisphere)

14

Shortest Day

December 22(Northern Hemisphere)

15

Largest Desert

Sahara (Africa)

16

Deepest Lake

Baikal (Siberia) Average depth 2300 feet

17

Largest Lake (fresh water)

Lake Superior (USA) (31200 sq.miles)

18

Largest Lake (salt water)

Caspian Sea

19

Largest Masque

Jama Masjid,Delhi, area 10000 Sq.ft.

20

Highest Mountain Peak

Everest (Nepal) 29028 ft.

21

Highest Mountain Range

The Himalayas

22

Longest Mountain Range

The Andes (S.America),5500 miles

23

Biggest Museum

British Museum (London)

24

Largest Punissula

India

25

Hottest Place (World)

Azizia (Libya,Africa) 136 F

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 428

26

Biggest Planet

Jupiter

27

Smallest Planet

Mercury

28

Highest Plateau

Pamir (Tibet)

29

Longest Railway Platform

Sonepur Station(Bihar,India) 2480 feet long

30

Biggest Telescope

Mt.Palomar (USA)

31

Longest Railway Tunnel

Tanna (Japan) 13 1/2 miles

32

Largest Road Tunnel

Mount Blanc Tunnel (Between France and Italy),7 1/2 miles

33

Largest Volcano

Mauna Loa (Hawaii),crater 12400 in diameter

34

Longest Wall

Great Wall of China

35

Rainiest Spot (World)

Cherrapunji (Assam,India),annual Average 1041.78 inches Rainfall

36

Lightest Metal

Lithium

37

Biggest Temple

Angkor Vat,Kampuchia

38

Wingless Bird

Kiwi,New Zealand

39

Hardest Substance

Diamond

40

Largest Animal

Blue Whale,Recorded length 106 feet,Weight 195 tons

41

Largest land-Animal

African Elephant

42

Biggest Flower

Rafflesia (Java)Indonesia

43

Largest Stadium

Strahov Stadium in Praha,Czech Republic accommodation 240000 persons

44

Largest Diamond Mine

Kimbarley,south Africa

45

Longest Corridor

Rameshwaram TempleCorridor (5000 feet)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 429

Sports

No.

Question

Answer

01

The country that first played chess was

India

02

Prakash Padukone was a famous player of

Badminton

03

"Black Pearl" was the name given to

Pele

04

Nehru Mountaineering Institute is located at

Mahidanda,200 kms from Dalhousie

05

The oldest game in the world is

Polo

06

The biggest stadium in the world is

Strahov stadium at Prague

07

The YMCA Coach who originated volley ball was

A.T.Hallsted of America

08

Bobby Fischer was known as the

Chess king

09

The National game of America is

Baseball

10

The oldest football tournament is the

Durand Cup tournament

11

Major Dhyanchand was a famous name in

Hockey

12

The first olympic games were held in

Athens

13

The first men to climb Mount everest were

Tensing and Hillary

14

The first Asian to win the Hong Kong seiko Super Tennis Title was

Ramesh Krishnan

15

Football was first included in the Olympic games in

1900

16

The term `Knock Out' is associated with

Boxing

17

Wimbledon trophy is associated with

Lawn Tennis

18

The full name of the great footballer Pele is

Edmond Arantos Nessimente De Pele

19

The first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest was

Bachendri Pal

20

The first batsman to score 10,000 runs in test cricket was

Sunil Gavaskar

21

The youngest player to score a century in the test Cricket is

Mushtaq Muhammad of Pakistan

22

The length of a cricket pitch is

22 yards

23

Major Dhyan Chand is also known as

Wizard of Hockey

24

`Clean and Jerk' is associated with

Weight lifting

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 430

25

Agakhan Gold Cup is associated with

Hockey

26

Indira Gandhi Gold Cup is awarded for

Women's Hockey

27

The game in which the referee is called the President is

Fencing

28

Zafar Iqbal was associated with

Hockey

29

In Basket ball,each team consists of how many players

Five

30

The first Grand Slam in tennis was won by

Donald Budge

31

Basket ball was included in the Olympics in the year

1936

32

Indian Golf Union was established in the year

1955

33

Milkha Singh won the prestigious Helms trophy in the year

1953

34

IFA stands for

Indian Football Association

35

Donald Bradman was associated with

Cricket

36

Milkha singh was popularly known as the

Flying sikh

37

The first Indian to secure a Grandmaster norm in chess is

Vishwanathan Anand

38

Geet Sethi received his first professional title in the year

1991

39

The first boxer to receive Arjuna Award was

Buddy De'suza

40

The first Indian woman National Snooker champion was

Judi Walia

41

The first Indian Chess player who defeated the world champion was

Sultan Khan

42

The men's singles Wimbledon championship of 1997 was won by

Pete Sampras

43

The 12th Asian Games were hosted by

Japan

44

The 8th Asian Games were held in

Bankok

45

In cricket,LBW stands for

Leg Before Wicket

46

The overall length of a Badminton court is

44 feet

47

The Indian hockey player who has scored the maximum goals in olympics is

Surinder Singh Sodhi

48

Joe Louis is associated with

Boxing

49

Prudential world cup was awarded for

Cricket

50

`To hell with hockey' was written by

Aslam Sher Khan

51

The sport also known as Toxophily is

Archery

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 431

52

The height of the cricket stumps is

71.12 cms

53

The name of the cricket test venue at Leads is

Headingley

54

The first Indian woman powerlifter to set a world record was

Sumita Latha

55

The name of the cricket test venue at Birmingham is

Edgbaston

56

The first Indian to score a double hundred against the West Indies was

Dilip Sardesai

57

The diameter of the Tennis ball is

63.5 to 67 mm

58

Divyendu Barua is associated with

Chess

59

The youngest player to lead a country in test cricket was

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi

60

The first Test Cricket player of India was

K.S. Ranjit Singh

61

The youngest player to play cricket for England was

D.B.Close

62

The cricketer A.L.Thomson was nicknamed

Froggy

63

`Story of a Cricket Person' was written by

E.W.swanton

64

Two well known bowlers who were killed in the world war II were

Ken Farmers and Hedley Verity

65

The term `Crowning' is used in

Checkers

66

The number of players in a baseball team is

Nine

67

Table Tennis Federation of India was established in

1937

68

Diana Eduljee is associated with

Cricket

69

A shuttle cock has how many feathers

Sixteen

70

`By God's Grace' was written by

Kapil Dev

71

The term `Faugio' is associated with

Motor Racing

72

The old name of table tennis was

Ping Pong

73

The duration of an international football match is

90 minutes

74

Saly Joseph excelled in

Volleyball

75

S.Prakash is associated with

Kho Kho

76

The first kho kho player to receive Arjuna Award was

Sudhir Bhaskar Rao

77

Stefi Graff is a citizen of

West Germany

78

`The Gold Hattrick' was written by

Balbir Singh

79

Mohammed Ali Clay was associated with

Boxing

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 432

80

Richard Hadlee was a cricketer from

New zealand

81

the first woman to win six gold medals in swimming in one Olympic (1998) was

Kristin Otto

82

The length of a Badminton racket is

26 inches

83

Golf originated in

Scotland

84

The award given to persons who excel in the field of coaching is

Dronacharya Award

85

The national sport of Japan is

Judo

86

The first Himalayan car rally was won by

Shekar Mehla of Kenya

87

Foot ball legend Pele belonged to

Brazil

88

Karate originated in

Japan

89

The word `karate' means

Bare hands

90

The term `Jockey' is associated with

Horse racing

91

The term `Niblick' is associated with

Golf

92

Holkar Trophy is associated with

Bridge

93

Gary Kasparov is associated with

Chess

94

The commonwealth games were earlier known as

British Empire Games

95

The commonwealth games are held once in

Four years

96

The 15th Commonwealth games were held at

Victoria (Canada)

97

The 1996 Olympic games were held at

Atlanta

98

The Swaythling cup is associated with

Table Tennis

99

The West Chester cup is associated with

Polo

100

Asian Games are held once in

Four years

101

The first Asian Games weld in 1951 at

New Delhi

102

In 1954,the Asian Games were held at

Manila

103

The 1928 Olympic games were held at

Amsterdam

104

The 2000 olympic games were held at

Sydney

105

The 2004 Olympic games were held at

Athens

106

The 1992 Olympic games were held at

Barcelona

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 433

107

The terms `Mallet' is associated with

Polo

108

The terms `Breast stroke' is associated with

Swimming

109

The term `Tobogganing' is associated with

Skiing

110

`Davis Cup' is associated with

Tennis

111

World Cup 1996 for cricket was won by

Srilanka

112

The 1997 French Open women's title was won by

Iva Majoli

113

The 1997 French Open men's title was won by

Gustavo Kurten

114

The 1997 Wimbledon Open women's title was won by

Martina Hingis

115

The 1997 US Open men's title was won by

Petr Corda

116

The 1997 US Open women's title was won by

Martina Hingis

117

The 1998 Australian Open men's title was won by

Patrick Rafter

118

The 1998 Australian Open women's title was won by

Martina Hingis

119

The only cricketer to win four consecutive `Man of the Match' awards is

Saurav Ganguly

120

The fastest century in one day international cricket was scored by

Shahid Afridi

121

The cricketer who has scored the highest number of centuries in one day cricket is

Sachin Tendulkar

122

Leander Paes won the Bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics beating

Fernando Melizeni

123

In the Wills World Cup 1996 for cricket,the Man-of-the Series Award was won by

Sanath Jayasuriya

124

In the wills world Cup Cricket Tournament 1996,Srilanka won the final defeating

Australia

125

Evander Holyfield is associated with

Boxing

126

Michael Jordan is associated with

Basketball

127

In the 1997 Wimbledon championship men's final, Pete Sampras defeated

Cedric Pioline

128

In the 1997 Wimbledon championship women's final,Martina Hingis defeated

Jana Novotna

129

Martina Hingis,the famous tennis player,hails from

Switzerland

130

In the 1997 french open men's final,Gustavo Kuerten defeated

Serji Bruguera

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 434

131

Gustavo Kuerten hails from

Brazil

132

In the 1997 French Open women's final,Iva Majoli defeated

Martina Hingis

133

Iva Majoli hails from

Croatia

134

In the 1997 US open men's final,Patrick Rafter defeated

Greg Rusedki

135

Patrick Rafter hails from

Australia

136

In the 1997 US open women's final,Martina hingis defeated

Venus Williams

137

In the 1997 Australian open men's final,Pete Sampras defeated

Carlos Moya

138

In the 1997 Australian open women's final,Martina hingis defeated

Mary Pierce

139

The 1996 Olympics gold medal for Tennis(Men's) was won by

Andre Agassi

140

The 1996 Olympics gold medal for Tennis(Women's) was won by

Lindsay Davenport

141

Meherwan Daruwala is associated with

Squash

142

P.Ganesan is associated with

Kabaddi

143

P.Ganesan won the Arjuna award in the year

1995

144

Dhanraj pillay is associated with

Hockey

145

Dhanraj Pillay won the Arjuna Award in the year

1995

146

Batista is associated with

football

147

Batista hails from

Brazil

148

Andy Flower is associated with

Cricket

149

Andy Flower hails from

Zimbabwe

150

The first Winter Olympic Games were held at

Chamonix,France

151

The five rings of the Olympic symbol represent

Five continents

152

The Olympic flag was first raised in 1920 at the

Antwerp Games

153

The term `Deuce' is associated with

Lawn Tennis

154

The Ezar Cup is associated with

Polo

155

The Football World Cup 1930 was held at

Uruguay

156

The 1934 Football world Cup was held at

Italy

157

The Worldcup Football 1998 was held at

France

158

The Worldcup Football 1998 was won by

France

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 435

159

In the Worldcup Football 1998,the losing finalists were

Brazil

160

The Worldcup Football 2002 is scheduled to be held at

Japan & South Korea

161

The Worldcup Football 1986 was won by

Argentina

162

The Worldcup Football 1990 was won by

W.Germany

163

The Worldcup Football 1994 was won by

Brazil

164

In the Worldcup Football 1982,Italy won the final defeating

W.Germany

165

The Worldcup Football 1982 was held at

Spain

166

The Worldcup Football 1986 was held at

Mexico

167

The Worldcup Football 1990 was held at

Italy

168

The Worldcup Football 1994 was held at

USA

169

The terms `off-break' is used in

Cricket

170

The term `Rubber' is used in

Cricket

171

The term `Smash' is used in

Lawn Tennis

172

The term `Free kick' is used in

Football

173

The term `Castle' is used in

Chess

174

The term `Jab' is used in

Boxing

175

The term `Bunting' is used in

Baseball

176

The length of the Derby Course is

2.4 km

177

The weight of the Hockey ball is

5 3/4 ounces

178

The length of the Football field is

100 yds to 130 yds

179

The Cricket ground at Colombo is

Khettarama Stadium

180

The Arthur Walker trophy is associated with

Billiards

181

The 50th Common Wealth Games were held in Victoria (Canada) in the year

1994

182

In the 15th Common Wealth Wealth Games,the highest number of Gold medals were won by

Australia

183

The 2002 common Wealth Games are scheduled to be held at

Manchester

184

The 1990 common Wealth Games were held at

Auckland

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 436

185

The Worldcup Football 1998 was won by

France

186

The Worldcup Football 2002 was held at

South Korea & Japan

187

The Worldcup Football 2002 was won by

Brazil

188

The Worldcup Football 2006 was held at

Germany

189

The Worldcup Football 2006 was won by

Italy

190

The Worldcup Football 2010 was held at

South Africa

191

The Worldcup Football 2010 was won by

Spain

192

The 2008 olympic games were held at

Beijing

193

The First Cricket Worldcup was held in

England, 1975

194

The First Cricket Worldcup was won by

West Indies

195

The 2nd Cricket Worldcup was held in

England, 1979

196

The 2nd Cricket Worldcup was won by

West Indies

197

The 3rd Cricket Worldcup was held in

England, 1983

198

The 3rd Cricket Worldcup was won by

India

199

The 4th Cricket Worldcup was held in

India, 1987

200

The 4th Cricket Worldcup was won by

Australia

201

The 5th Cricket Worldcup was held in

Australia, 1992

202

The 5th Cricket Worldcup was won by

Pakistan

203

The 6th Cricket Worldcup was held in

Pakistan, 1996

204

The 6th Cricket Worldcup was won by

Sri Lanka

205

The 7th Cricket Worldcup was held in

England, 1999

206

The 7th Cricket Worldcup was won by

Australia

207

The 8th Cricket Worldcup was held in

South Africa,2003

208

The 8th Cricket Worldcup was won by

Australia

209

The 9th Cricket Worldcup was held in

West Indies,2007`

210

The 9th Cricket Worldcup was won by

Australia

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 437

Our Universe

No.

Question

Answer

1.

Alcoholic drinks contain

Ethyl alcohol

2.

Jamini Roy is a famous

Painter

3.

Calcium is required by human body for

Strong teeth and for strong bone

4.

What is Muntz Metal?

An alloy containing copper and zinc in the proportion of 3:2

5.

The first man to reach south pole was

Amundson

6.

What is Interpol?

International Police

7.

In how many fields the nobel prize is awarded?

6

8.

Who is the writer of "Swami and Friends"

R.K.Narayan

9.

Which is the brighest star in our solar system?

Sirius

10.

The earths annual circuit round the sun covers a distance of

966 million km

11.

The speed per minute at which the earth revolves round the sun is

more than 1600 km

12.

Which gas is most predominent in the sun?

Hydrogen

13.

The time taken by the Uranus to revolve round the sun is approximately?

84 years

14.

Which is the brighest planet as seen from the earth?

Venus

15.

The distance between the earth and the sun is greatest during

Aphelion

16.

The earth rotates on its axis from

West to East

17.

On which of the following planets of solar system does the sun rise in the west and set in the east?

Venus

18.

The planet Pluto's orbit around the sun takes about

248 years

19.

The biggest star in our galaxy is

Sun

20.

The nearest star to earth (excepting the sun), in our galaxy is

Proxima centuri

21.

Who was the first to observe sun-spots?

Galileo

22.

What is the sun-spots?

These are cooler areas which move about

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 438

on the sun's surface and show up as dark spots.

23.

The only planet in the solar system which rotate on its axis from East to West is

Uranus

24.

What is the distance between the earth and the sun?

150 x 10*10*10*10*10*10 km

25.

How many times is sun bigger in size than the earth?

109 times

26.

When was neutron,one of the particles of an atom,discovered?

1932

27.

The sun's heat and light energy reaches the earth by which mode of transmission?

Radiation

28.

How many days does the moon take to return to the same position among the constellations?

28 days

29.

Which planet takes the least time to complete one revolution around the sun?

Mercury

30.

Name two planets which appear as 'moving star' in the eastern sky and 'evening star' in the western sky.

Mercury and Venus

31.

Name two planets lying between the sun & the earth.

Mercury and Venus

32.

Who was the first to determine that the day on the mars was,like ours,roughly 24 hours long?

Giordano Bruno

33.

How long does a sun-ray take to travel from the sun to the earth?

500 seconds

34.

The comet named after Edmund Halley,reappears after the time interval of every

76 years

35.

Titan,the largest moon in the solr system, is also the largest moon of

Saturn

36.

Who was the first person to measure the size of another planet

Christian Huygens

37.

Who was the first to speculate that Venus is completely covered with clouds

Christian Huygens

38.

The atoms are composed of how many kinds of elementary particles?

Three

39.

What name is given to the path of the sun amongst the stars in our galaxy?

Ecliptic

40.

The visible part of the sun is called

Ionosphere

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 439

41.

Which of the planets reflects back to space the highest percentage of light it receives from the sun than any other planet of the solar system?

Venus

42.

Who wrote the book "Harmonies of the World"?

Johannes Kepler

43.

What will happen if the Earth were to stop its rotatory motion on its axis?

There will be no day and night as at present

44.

In which part of the solar system is the sun located?

Approx. at the centre of the system

45.

Which of the planets turns on its axis in 24 hours and 37 minutes?

Mars

46.

Who was the first to measure the distnce round the earth?

Eratosthenes

47.

What percentage of the irregular surface of the Earth is covered with water?

80 %

48.

Which planet was for the first time observed in 1930?

Pluto

49.

Which of planets has almost the same mass,size and density as the Earth?

Venus

50.

The temperature at the surface of the sun and its centre is respectively,about

6000 k

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 440

Wonders of the World

1. Pyramids of Egypt

2. Great Wall of China

3. Colosseum of Rome (Italy)

4. Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy)

5. Cata-combs of Alexandria

6. The Taj Mahal at Agra (India)

7. Angkor Vat temple in Kampuchia

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 441

Currencies of the World

No.

Country

Currency

01

Afghanistan

Afgani

02

Argentina

Peso

03

Australia

Australian Dollar

04

Austria

Schiling

05

Bangladesh

Taka

06

Belgium

Belgian Franc

07

Bhutan

Ngultrum

08

Brazil

Cruzeir

09

Bulgaria

Levi

10

Burma

Kyat

11

Canada

Canadian Dollar

12

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Rupee

13

Taiwan

Taiwan Dollar

14

China

Yuan

15

Chile

Peso

16

Czechoslovakia

Koruna

17

Denmark

Krone

18

Egypt

Egyptian Pound

19

Ethiopia

Birr

20

Finland

Markka

21

France

French Franc

22

Germany

Deutsche Mark (DM)

23

Ghana

Cedi

24

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Dollar

25

Hungary

Florint

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 442

26

India

Rupee

27

Indonesia

Rupiah

28

Iran

Iranian Rial

29

Iraq

Iraqi Dinar

30

Israel

Shekel

31

Italy

Lira

32

Japan

Yen

33

Kampuchia or Cambodia

Riel

34

Kazakhstan

Tenge

35

North Korea

Won

36

South Korea

Won

37

Kuwait

Kuwait Dinar

38

Kyrghyzstan

Som

39

Laos

Kip

40

Malaysia

Malaysian Dollar

41

Maldives

Rufiyaa

42

Mauritius

Mauritian Rupee

43

Mexico

Mexican Peso

44

Morocco

Dirham

45

Nepal

Nepalese Rupee

46

Netherlands

Dutch Guilder

47

New Zealand

New Zealand Dollar

48

Nigeria

Naira

49

Norway

Norwegian Krone

50

Oman

Omani Rial

51

Pakistan

Pakistani Rupee

52

Panama

Balbia

53

Philippines

Philppine Peso

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 443

54

Poland

Zloty

55

Portugal

Escudo

56

Romania

Leu

57

Russia

Rouble

58

Saudi Arabia

Saudi arabian Riyal

59

Singapore

Singapore Dollar

60

South Africa

Rand

61

Spain

Peseta

62

Sweden

Swedish Krone

63

Switzerland

Swiss Franc

64

Thailand

Baht

65

Turkey

Turkish Lira

66

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan Rouble

67

Ukraine

Ukraine Rouble

68

UAE

UAE Dirham

69

United Kingdom

Pound,Sterling

70

United States of america

US Dollar

71

Venezuela

Boliver

72

Vietnam

Dong

73

Zambia

Kwacha

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 444

Oceans, Seas, Rivers & Mountains

No. Ocean Area 01 Pacific 64186300 Sq. m. 02 Atlantic 33420000 Sq.m. 03 Indian 28350500 Sq.m. 04 Arctic 5105700 Sq.m. No. SeaArea 01 South China Sea 1148500 Sq.m. 02 Carribean Sea 971400 Sq.m. 03 Mediterranean Sea 969100 Sq.m. No. RiverLength 01 Nile (Africa) 4145 miles 02 Amazon (Brazil) 4000 miles 03 Yangtze-Kiang (China) 3400 miles 04 Congo (Africa) 2718 miles 05 Amur (U.S.S.R.) 2700 miles 06 Niger (Africa) 2600 miles

No.

Mountain

Country

h-Metres

h-Feet

01

Everest

Nepal/Tibet

8848

29028

02

Godwin Austen

India

8611

28250

03

Kanchenjunga

India/Nepal

8600

28215

04

Malaku

Nepal/Tibet

8481

27825

05

Dhawalgiri

Nepal

8172

26988

06

Nanga Parbat

India

8126

26816

07

Annapurna

Nepal

8078

26504

08

Nanda Devi

India

7817

25645

09

Rakaposhi

India

7780

25550

10

Mt.Kamet

India

7756

25447

11

Huascaran

Peru

6768

22205

12

Kailas

Tibet

6714

22028

13

Sajama

Bolivia

6542

21463

14

Mt.Mckinley

Alaska (USA)

6194

20320

15

Kilimanjaro

Tanzania

5888

19317

16

Mt.Blanc

France (Alps)

4810

15781

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 445

World Newspapers

No.

Name of Paper

Country

City

01

Pakistan Times

Pakistan

Karachi

02

Morning News

Pakistan

Karachi

03

Dawn

Pakistan

Karachi

04

The Sunday Times

U.K.

London

05

Guardian

U.K.

London

06

Sunday Telegraph

U.K.

London

07

The Economist

U.K.

London

08

New Statesman

U.K.

London

09

Le Monde

France

Paris

10

New York Times

USA

New York

11

Washington Post

USA

Washington

12

Izvestia

Russia

Moscow

13

Pravda

Russia

Moscow

14

Red Flag

China

Beijing

15

People's Daily

China

Beijing

16

Al Ahram

Egypt

Cairo

17

Nhan Dan

Vietnam

Hanoi

18

Asahi Shimbun

Japan

Tokyo

19

Straights Times

Singapore

Singapore

20

The Motherland

Nepal

Kathmandu

21

Statesman

Sri Lanka

Colombo

22

Bangladesh Times

Bangladesh

Dhaka

23

Al Massa

Lebanan

Beirut

24

Chasum Ilbo

South Korea

Seoul

25

China Times

Taiwan

Taipeh

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 446

26

Le Europa

Italy

Rome

27

La Republica

Italy

Rome

28

El Pais

Spain

Madrid

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 447

General knowledge India

No.

Question

Answer

01

The first multipurpose project in India is

Damodar Valley

02

The place in North East India which receives the highest annual rainfall is

Chirrapunji

03

The largest Indian river flowing into the Arabian Sea is

Narmada

04

Indian broadcasting was nationalised in

1930

05

The Indian forests are divided into how many regions

Eight

06

The place where Indian Standard time coinsides with local time is

Allahabad

07

The industry for which Vishakapatnam is famous for is

Ship Building

08

The state which is the largest producer of iron ore in India is

Karnataka

09

The longest railway platform in India measuring 836.63 mts. is located at

Kharagpur

10

The Indian state which is largest exporter of cashewnut is

Kerala

11

The main occupation of Indians is

Agriculture

12

Nagarjuna Sagar dam is built across the River

Krishna

13

Madras state was renamed as Tamilnadu in the year

1969

14

The main industry of Assam is

Tea Industry

15

The Indian state which has maximum number of districts is

Uttar pradesh

16

The length of Indian coastline is

7500 kms

17

The longest day in India is

21st June

18

The biggest museum in india is

Indian Museum,Calcutta

19

The source of river Indus is

Mount Kailash,Tibet

20

Kodaikanal, a famous holiday resort is located in

Tamilnadu

21

Bangalore city is also called the

Garden city

22

The only place in India where rock salt is found is in

Mandi,Himachal Pradesh

23

The Gandhi Sagar dam is constructed across the river

Chambal

24

The river that passes through the Thar desert is

Sindhu

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 448

25

Nagoor,a place in Tamilnadu,is famous for

Famous muslim shrine

26

The Hindustan Ship Yard is located at

Vishakapatnam

27

The Indian state that tops in the production of cocoa is

Kerala

28

The first major steel plant established in India was

Tata Iron & Steel Co,Jamshedpur

29

Crude oil is found in south Gujarat at

Ankleshwar

30

The first oil well drilled in India was at

Naharpong in Assam

31

Calcutta is situated on the banks of river

Hoogli

32

The largest opium growing state in India is

Uttar Pradesh

33

Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd,India's largest manufacturer of penicillin is located at

Pimpri

34

The former name of Arunachal Pradesh was

NEFA

35

Khajuraho temples are located at

Chattarput,M.P.

36

The Indian freedom fighter who turned into a famous spiritualist was

Aurobindo Ghosh

37

The king who installed a `Chain of Justice' outside his place was

Jehangir

38

The name of the mines in Rajasthas from where we get zinc is

Zawar

39

Singereni in Andhra Pradesh is famous for

Coal Mines

40

Amaravathi is located on the bank of river

Krishna

41

Agra was founded in the year

1506

42

Ajmer was founded by

Raja Ajay Dev Chauhan

43

The only Indian state where we find nickel ore is

Orissa

44

The Udaygiri caves were built by

Karavelu

45

The strength of Lok Sabha is

545 members

46

The National Museum of Natural History is located at

New Delhi

47

The Indian Prime Minister who nationalised the banks was

Mrs.Indira Gandhi

48

The birth date of Jawaharlal Nehru is

14th November 1889

49

The Environment protection Act came into effect in

1986

50

The capital city founded on the bank of river Gomathi is

Lucknow

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 449

51

The president of the Indian National congress at its first session held in 1885 was

Womesh Chandra Banerji

52

Bhaskara-II was a famous

Mathematician

53

The Bhopal Gas leak incident occured in

December 1984

54

The city that is called the city of golden Temple is

Amritsar

55

Traveller Hawkins visited India in the year

1608 AD

56

Mahadevi Varma won the Jnanpith for her book titled

Yama

57

The headquarters of Oil and Natural Gas Commission is located at

Dehradun

58

Satyartha Prakash'was written by

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

59

Emperor Akbar's Revenue Minister was

Todarmal

60

The elder brother of famous sitarist Ravishankar is

Uday Shankar,dancer

61

The first batsman to score a century in each of his first three tests is

Mohammed Azharuddin

62

The 10th Vice-President of India is

Krishan Kant

63

The first Chief of Indian Navy was

R.D.Katari

64

The longest road in India is the

Grand Trunk Road

65

The first modern college in India is the

Fort William college,Calcutta

66

The first purely Indian bank is the

Punjab National Bank

67

Lalit Kala Academy of India is situated at

New Delhi

68

The first Indian to win Oscar Award is

Bhanu Athaiya

69

Goa was liberated in the year

1961

70

Sharda Act was enacted to prevent

Child Marriage

71

National Science day is celebrated on

28th February

72

Jamnalal Bajaj Awards are given for

Constructive work

73

Rabindranath Tagore give up his knighthood because of the tragic incident of

Jallianwala Bagh massacre

74

The Chief minister of a state who was awarded the Bharat Ratna was

M.G.Ramachandran

75

Baba Amte's real name is

Muralidhar Devidas Amte

76

Mihirsen,India's famous long distance swimmer,was by profession

An Advocate

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 450

77

Dr.Pramod Karan Sethi is famous for the

Jaipur foot

78

Rabindranath Tagore was born at

Jorasanko,Calcutta

79

The name of the school started by Rabindranath Tagore was

Shanti Niketan

80

Neyveli Thermal Power Station is located in

Tamil Nadu

81

The earlier name of Assam was

Kamrup

82

Sir C.V.Raman was born at

Thirunavannikaval

83

The Indian Academy of Science was founded by

C.V.Raman

84

The Indian Academy of Science is located at

Bangalore

85

All India Institute of Medical Science is located at

New Delhi

86

Atomic Energy Commission is located at

Mumbai

87

Cement Research Institute of India is located at

Balabhgarh

88

Space Applications Centre is located at

Ahmedabad

89

Jog falls is located at

Jog,Karnataka

90

Jawaharlal Nehru died in the year

1964

91

Aurangzeb died in the year

1707

92

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan died in the year

Frontier Gandhi

93

Rabindranath Tagore died in the year

1941

94

Mahatma Gandhi died in the year

1948

95

Zakir Hussein died in the year

1969

96

Raja Ram Mohan Roy died in the year

1833

97

India's second Prime Minister was

Gulzarilal Nanda

98

The first Law Minister of Independent India was

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

99

Jawaharlal Nehru's biography "With No Regrets"was written by

Krishan Hathisingh

100

India's first test tube baby was born in

June 1986

101

The leader whose death was announced in the Lok Sabha before his actual death was

Jayaprakash Narayan

102

The Gold mines located in Andhra Pradesh are

Ramagiri Gold Fields,Ananthapur district

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 451

103

The Homeguards were organised in India in the year

1962

104

Ankleshwar oil field is located in

Gujarat

105

The Indian Prime Minister who wrote the book `Nature Cure'was

Morarji Desai

106

Burma seperated from India in the year

1937

107

`Sea Bird'project is located at

Karwar

108

The name of the artificial harbour along the west coast India is

Kandla

109

The first medical college was established in India at

Calcutta

110

Jawaharlal Nehru's mother's name was

Swaroop Rani

111

The pin code was introduced in India in the year

1972

112

In his last years,Ambedkar converted to

Buddhism

113

Gandhiji's mother's name was

Putli Bai

114

Gandhiji was born on

2nd October 1869

115

Khushwant Singh is a famous

Journalist

116

The film actor who became the chiefminister of Andhra Pradesh was

N.T.Rama Rao

117

Satyajit Ray was awarded the Bharat Ratna in the year

1992

118

Central Research Institute is located at

Kasauli

119

The movie Raja Harishchandra was released in the year

1913

120

The first Indian Prime Minister to resign from office was

Morarji Desai

121

The largest railway bridge in India is

Sone Bridge,Bihar

122

The largest dome in India is the

Gol Gumbaz,Bijapur

123

Air Force Day is celebrated on

October 8

124

Indian Military Academy is located at

Dehradun

125

The postal department was set up in India in the year

1854

126

Army day is celebrated on

21st Century

127

Navy day is celebrated on

4th December

128

The national flower of India is

Lotus

129

NABARD was established in the year

1982

130

Koradi Thermal power Station is located at

Maharashtra

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 452

131

PTI stands for

Press Trust of India

132

Rail Coach Factory is located at

Kapurthala

133

The construction of India was adopted on

26-11-1949

134

The construction of India became effective on

26-1-1950

135

`Mrinalini'was written by

Bankim chandra Chatterjee

136

Bhagat Singh was hanged in the year

1931

137

Sheik Abdulla was popularly known as

Sher-e-Kashmir

138

Goa attained statehood on

30 May 1987

139

Gujarat attained statehood on

1 May 1960

140

Haryana attained statehood on

1 November 1966

141

The capital of Haryana is

Chandigarh

142

Panipat is popularly known as

Weaver City

143

Dal lake is located in

Jammu and Kashmir

144

Madhya Pradesh attained statehood on

November 1956

145

The capital of Madhya Pradesh is

Bhopal

146

Manipur attained statehood on

21st January 1972

147

The capital of Manipur is

Imphal

148

Meghalaya attained statehood on

21st January 1972

149

The capital of Meghalaya is

Shillong

150

Meghalaya state was carved out of

Assam

151

Mizoram attained statehood on

20th February 1987

152

The capital of Mizoram is

Aizawl

153

Before attaining statehood,Mizoram was one of the districts of

Assam

154

Nagaland attained statehood on

1 December 1963

155

The capital of Nagaland is

Kohima

156

Orissa was earlier known as

Kalinga

157

The capital of Orissa is

Bhubaneshwar

158

The main airport of Orissa is located at

Bhubaneshwar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 453

159

Rajasthan attained statehood in the year

1958

160

The capital of Rajasthan is

Jaipur

161

The capital of Sikkim is

Gangtok

162

India's highest peak is the

Kanchenjunga

163

Mount Abu, a famous hill station is located at

Rajasthan

164

The main attraction of Mount Abu are the

Dilwara Jain Temples

165

Hussain Sagar Lake is located at

Hyderabad

166

The Samadhi of Gandhiji is known as

Rajghat

167

The Samadhi of Gandhiji is located on the bank of river

Yamuna

168

The largest state in India is

Madhya Pradesh

169

The highest TV tower in India is located at

New Delhi

170

The most literate state in India is

Kerala

171

Golconda Fort is located near

Hyderabad

172

Gateway of India is located at

Mumbai

173

Buland Darwaza is located at

Fatehpur Sikri

174

Badrinath is located at

Uttar Pradesh

175

Elephanta Caves are located on an island near

Mumbai

176

Ajanta caves are located near

Aurangabad

177

Humayu's tomb is located at

New Delhi

178

Jantar Mantar is located in

New Delhi

179

Jantar Mantar is an

Observatory

180

Jantar Mantar was constructed by

Maharaja Jai Singh II

181

Mughal Gardens is located at

New Delhi

182

Qutb-Minar is located at

New Delhi

183

Rashtrapati Bhawan was built by

Edwin Lutyens

184

The samadhi of Indira Gandhi is known as

Shakti Sthal

185

The Tower of Victory is located at

Chittoor

186

Victoria Memorial is located at

Calcutta

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 454

187

The highest airfield of India is the

Chushul airfield,Ladakh

188

The largest lake of India is the

Wular lake,Kashmir

189

The largest Zoo of India is the

Zoological Garden,Calcutta

190

The most populated state of India is

Uttar Pradesh

191

Central Bureau of Investigation was formed in

1963

192

BSF stands for

Border Security Force

193

ITBP stands for

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

194

The actual name of Mother Teresa was

Agnes Gonxha Bejaxhiu

195

A programme launched by Chandrababu Naidu,Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, to clean the city of Hyderabad was named

Janmabhoomi

196

Vajpayee Government was sworn in for the second time on

19 march, 1998

197

Miss World 1997 contest was held at

Seychelles

198

The Miss World 1997 title was won by

Diana Hayden

199

The Miss World 1996 Contest was held at

Bangalore

200

Mother Teresa died on

5 September 1997

201

Bill Gates visited India in

March 1997

202

The Carnatic volalist who won the Bharat Ratna Award was

M.S.Subbulakshmi

203

The first musician to get the Bharat Ratna

M.S.Subbulakshmi

204

Kerala attained statehood on

1st November 1956

205

Sahar airport is located at

Mumbai

206

Dum Dum airport is located at

Calcutta

207

The first ever railway train travelled from

Bombay-Thane

208

The only Indian metro railway system is at

Calcutta

209

Air India was formed in

1946

210

Indian Airlines was formed in

1953

211

Indira Gandhi airport is located at

Delhi

212

Meenambakkam airport is located at

Chennai

213

The Export-Import Bank of India is also known as

EXIM Bank

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 455

214

The Navy Academy is located at

Cochin

215

In 1983,Bharat Ratna was posthumously awarded to

Acharya Vinoba Bhave

216

Mrs.Indira Gandhi was assassinated on

31-10-1984

217

Mr.Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on

21-5-1991

218

The strength of Rajya Sabha is

250

219

The supreme commander of Army,Navy and Airforce is the

President

220

The Chairman of the Lok Sabha is the

Speaker

221

Pong dam is located in

Punjab

222

The fastest train in India is the

Shatabdi Express

223

The oldest refinery in India is the

Digboi refinery

224

The largest refinery of India is the

IOC Refinery at Koyah,Gujarat

225

The Bhakra dam is built across the River

Sutlej

226

The first General Elections were held in India in the year

1952

227

The first engineering college established in India is the

Thompson college,Roorkee

228

The first library established in India is the

William Carey library,Serampore

229

The oldest english daily newspaper of India is

The Times of India

230

The largest post office in India is the

GPO,Mumbai

231

The largest prison in India is the

Tihar Central Jail,Delhi

232

The first Indian state formed on linguistic basis after Independence was

Andhra Pradesh

233

The largest cave temple in India is

Ellora

234

The only diamond producing area in India is

Panna Diamond Belt,M.P.

235

The biggest public sector bank in India is the

State Bank of India

236

Reserve Bank of India was established in

1935

237

The oldest tree in India is the

Monus Serrata at Joshimutt

238

The first Education Minister of free India was

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

239

Who is known as the Father of Indian industry

Jamshedji Tata

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 456

240

Gandhiji was assassinated by

Nathuram Godse

241

VDIS was launched on

July 1, 1997

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 457

Volcanoes, Islands, Waterfalls & Desserts

No.

Volcanoe

Height

01

Gaullatiri (Chile)

19882 ft.

02

Laskar (Chile)

19652 ft.

03

Cotopaxi (Equador)

19347 ft.

04

Tupungatito (Chile)

18504 ft.

05

Popocatepeti (Mexico)

17887 ft.

06

Sangay (Equador)

17159 ft.

No.

Waterfall

Feet

01

Angel (Venezuela)

2648

02

Ribbon(California,USA)

1612

03

King George VI(Guyana)

1600

04

Upper Yosemite (California)

1430

05

Gavarnie (Pyrenees,France)

1385

06

Tugela(Natal,S.Africa)

1350

No.

Desert

sq.miles

01

Sahara (N.Africa)

3500000

02

Libya (N.Africa)

650000

03

Great Australian (W.Australia)

600000

04

Arabian (Arabia)

500000

05

Gobi (Mongolia)

400000

06

Kalahari (Botswana)

200000

No.

Island

Ocean

sq.miles

01

Greenland

Arctic

840000

02

New Guinea

Pacific

347450

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 458

03

Borneo

Pacific

307000

04

Baffin

Arctic

236000

05

Madagaskar

Indian

227737

06

Sumatra

Indian

161102

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 459

Sports And Personalities

No.

Personality

Associated With

1.

Anand Amritraj

Tennis (lawn)

2.

Ajit Wadekar

Cricket

3.

Ashok Mankad

Cricket

4.

Bhim Singh

Wrestling

5.

Bhuvaneshwari Kumari

Shooting

6.

Bill Lawry

Cricket

7.

Bishamber Singh

Wrestling

8.

Bishen Singh Bedi

Cricket

9.

Borde,Chandu

Cricket

10.

Cassius Clay

Boxing (Heavy-weight)

11.

Chandgi Ram

Wrestling/font>

12.

Chandrasekhar,B.S.

Cricket

13.

Chaudhary, S.

Shooting

14.

Chuni Goswami

Football

15.

Cowdrey

Cricket

16.

Dara Singh

Wrestling

17.

Dawn Frazer

Swimming

18.

Dhyan Chand

Hockey

19.

Dilip Sardesai

Cricket

20.

Dipu Ghosh

Badminton

21.

Don Bradman

Cricket

22.

Emarson,Roy

Lawn Tennis

23.

Fairfax,John

Rowing

24.

Foxbury Dick

High Jump

25.

Frank Warrell

Cricket

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 460

26.

Gabriel,John

Weighlifting

27.

Gavaskar, S.

Cricket

28.

Geeta Nadkarni

Table Tennis

29.

Griffith

Cricket

30.

Gurbux Singh

Hockey

31.

Gurdial Singh

Basketball

32.

Illingworth

Cricket

33.

Imran Khan

Cricket

34.

Jackie Stewart

Car Race

35.

Jaideep Mukherjee

Lawn Tennis

36.

Jamie Paulson

Badminton

37.

Joe Frazier

Boxing

38.

Joginder Singh

Shot put

39.

Kanhai

Cricket

40.

Karnehm,Jack

Billiards

41.

Karni Singh,Maharaja

Rifle-shooting

42.

Kohli,M.S.

Mountaineering

43.

Krishnan,Ramanathan

Lawn Tennis

44.

Kapil Dev

Cricket

45.

Syed Kirmani

Cricket

46.

Rod Laver

Lawn Tennis

47.

Maharaja of Jaipur

Polo

48.

Maharaja of Bikaner

Rifle Shooting

49.

Mahender Lal

Hockey

50.

Mihir Sen

Ocean Swimming

51.

Milkha Singh

Athletics

52.

Mustaq Ali

Cricket

53.

Nawab of Pataudi

Cricket

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 461

54.

C.K.Nayudu

Cricket

55.

Neela Kulkarni

Hockey

56.

Parveen Kumar

Athletics

57.

Prema Saini

Hockey

58.

Premjit Lall

Lawn Tennis

59.

Prithipal Singh

Hockey

60.

Prakash Padukone

Bad Minton

61.

Rima Dutta

Aquatics

62.

Ruma Mukherjee

Table Tennis

63.

Sachin Tendulkar

Cricket

64.

G.Sobers

Cricket

65.

Ted Denter

Cricket

66.

Tenzing Norgay

Mountaineering

67.

Uday Chand

Wrestling

68.

Sudesh Kumar

Wrestling

69.

P.R.Umrigar

Cricket

70.

Vijat Amritraj

Lawn Tennis

71.

Viswanath

Cricket

72.

Wilson Jones

Billiards

73.

Yusuf Khan

Football

74.

Edgar Herrman

Car Race

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 462

World Info (A)

No.

Question

Answer

01

The first Prime minister of Bangladesh was

Mujibur Rehman

02

The longest river in the world is the

Nile

03

The longest highway in the world is the

Trans-Canada

04

The longest highway in the world has a length of

about 8000 km

05

The highest mountain in the world is the

Everest

06

The country that accounts for nearly one third of the total teak production of the world is

Myanmar

07

The biggest desert in the world is the

Sahara desert

08

The largest coffee growing country in the world is

Brazil

09

The country also known as "country of Copper"is

Zambia

10

The name given to the border which seperates Pakistan and Afghanistan is

Durand line

11

The river Volga flows out into the

Capsian sea

12

The coldest place on the eartn is

Verkoyansk in Siberia

13

The country which ranks second in terms of land area is

Canada

14

The largest Island in the Mediterranean sea is

Sicily

15

The river Jordan flows out into the

Dead sea

16

The biggest delta in the world is the

Sunderbans

17

The capital city that stands on the river Danube is

Belgrade

18

The Japanese call their country as

Nippon

19

The length of the English channel is

564 kilometres

20

The world's oldest known city is

Damascus

21

The city which is also known as the City of Canals is

Venice

22

The country in which river Wangchu flows is

Myanmar

23

The biggest island of the world is

Greenland

24

The city which is the biggest centre for manufacture of automobiles in the world is

Detroit,USA

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 463

25

The country which is the largest producer of manganese in the world is

USA

26

The country which is the largest producer of rubber in the world is

Malaysia

27

The country which is the largest producer of tin in the world is

Malaysia

28

The river which carries maximum quantity of water into the sea is the

Mississippi

29

The city which was once called the `Forbidden City'was

Peking

30

The country called the Land of Rising Sun is

Japan

31

Mount Everest was named after

Sir George Everest

32

The volcano Vesuvias is located in

Italy

33

The country known as the Suger Bowl of the world is

Cuba

34

The length of the Suez Canal is

162.5 kilometres

35

The lowest point on earth is

The coastal area of Dead sea

36

The Gurkhas are the original inhabitants of

Nepal

37

The largest ocean of the world is the

Pacific ocean

38

The largest bell in the world is the

Tsar Kolkol at Kremlin,Moscow

39

The biggest stadium in the world is the

Strahov Stadium,Prague

40

The world's largest diamond producing country is

South Africa

41

Australia was discoverd by

James Cook

42

The first Governor General of Pakistan is

Mohammed Ali Jinnah

43

Dublin is situated at the mouth of river

Liffey

44

The earlier name of New York city was

New Amsterdam

45

The Eifel tower was built by

Alexander Eiffel

46

The Red Cross was founded by

Jean Henri Durant

47

The country which has the greatest population density is

Monaco

48

The national flower of Britain is

Rose

49

Niagara Falls was discovered by

Louis Hennepin

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 464

50

The national flower of Italy is

Lily

51

The national flower of China is

Narcissus

52

The permanent secretariat of the SAARC is located at

Kathmandu

53

The gateway to the Gulf of Iran is

Strait of Hormuz

54

The first Industrial Revolution took place in

England

55

World Environment Day is observed on

5th June

56

The first Republican President President of America was

Abraham Lincoln

57

The country famous for Samba dance is

Brazil

58

The name of Alexander's horse was

Beucephalus

59

Singapore was founded by

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles

60

The famous British one-eyed Admiral was

Nelson

61

The earlier name of Srilanka was

Ceylon

62

The UNO was formed in the year

1945

63

UNO stands for

United Nations Organisation

64

The independence day of South Korea is celebrated on

15th August

65

`Last Judgement'was the first painting of an Italian painter named

Michelangelo

66

`Paradise Regained'was written by

John Milton

67

The first President of Egypt was

Mohammed Nequib

68

The first man to reach North Pole was

Rear Peary

69

The most famous painting of Pablo Picasso was

Guermica

70

The primary producer of newsprint in the world is

Canada

71

The first explorer to reach the South Pole was

Cap.Ronald Amundson

72

The person who is called the father of modern Italy is

G.Garibaldi

73

World literacy day is celebrated on

8th September

74

The founder of modern Germany is

Bismarck

75

The country known as the land of the midnight sun is

Norway

76

The place known as the Roof of the world is

Tibet

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 465

77

The founder of the Chinese Republic was

San Yat Sen

78

The first Pakistani to receive the Nobel Prize was

Abdul Salam

79

The first woman Prime Minister of Britain was

Margaret Thatcher

80

The first Secretary General of the UNO was

Trygve Lie

81

The sculptor of the statue of Liberty was

Federick Auguste Bartholdi

82

The port of Banku is situated in

Azerbaijan

83

John F.Kennedy was assassinated by

Lee Harry Oswald

84

The largest river in France is

Lore

85

The Queen of England who married her brother-in-law was

Catherine of Aragon

86

The first negro to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was

Ralph Johnson Bunche

87

The first British University to admit women for degree courses was

London University

88

The principal export of Jamaica is

Sugar

89

New York is popularly known as the city of

Skyscrapers

90

Madagascar is popularly known as the Island of

Cloves

91

The country known as the Land of White Elephant is

Thailand

92

The country known as the Land of Morning Calm is

Korea

93

The country known as the Land of Thunderbolts is

Bhutan

94

The highest waterfalls in the world is the

Salto Angel Falls,Venezuela

95

The largest library in the world is the

United States Library of Congress,Washington DC

96

The largest museum in the world is the

American Museum of Natural History

97

The lowest mountain ragne in the world is the

Bhieuna Bhaile

98

The country known as the Land of Cakes is

Scotland

99

The place known as the Garden of England is

Kent

100

The tallest tower in the world is the

C.N.Tower,Toronto,Canada

101

The country famous for its fish catch is

Japan

102

The old name of Taiwan was

Farmosa

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 466

103

Montreal is situated on the bank of river

Ottawa

104

The city of Bonn is situated in

Germany

105

The literal meaning of Renaissance is

Revival

106

Julius Caesar was killed by

Brutus

107

The title of Desert Fox was given to

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

108

The largest airport in the world is the

King Khalid Int.Airport,Saudi Arabia

109

The city in Russia which faced an earthquake in the year 1998 was

Armenia

110

The largest bay in the world is

Hudson Bay,Canada

111

The largest church in the world is

Bascilica of St.Peter,Vatican City,Rome

112

The largest peninsula in the world is

Arabia

113

The largest gulf in the world is

Gulf of Mexico

114

The tallest statue in the world is the

Motherland,Volgagrad Russia

115

The largest railway tunnel in the world is the

Oshimzu Tunnel,Japan

116

The world's loneliest island is the

Tristan da cunda

117

The word `Quiz'was coined by

Jim Daly Irishman

118

The original meaning of `Quiz'was

Trick

119

The busiest shopping centre of London is

Oxford Street

120

The residence of the Queen in London is

Buckingham Palace

121

Adolf Hitler was born in

Austria

122

The country whose National Anthem has only music but no words is

Bahrain

123

The largest cinema in the world is the

Fox theatre,Detroit,USA

124

The country where there are no Cinema theatres is

Saudi arabia

125

The world's tallest office building is the

Sears Tower,Chicago

126

In the year 1811,Paraguay became independent from

Spain

127

The cross word puzzle was invented by

Arthur Wynney

128

The city which was the capital of the ancient Persian Empire was

Persepolis

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 467

129

WHO stands for

World Health Organisation

130

WHO is located at

Geneva

131

FAO stands for

Food and Agriculture Organisation

132

FAO is located at

Rome and London

133

UNIDO stands for

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation

134

UNIDO is located at

Vienna

135

WMO stands for

World Meteorological Organisation

136

WMO is located at

Geneva

137

International Civil Aviation Organisation is located at

Montreal

138

The Angel Falls is located in

Venezuela

139

The Victoria Falls is located in

Rhodesia

140

Ice Cream was discovered by

Gerald Tisyum

141

The number regarded as lucky number in Italy is

Thirteen

142

Napoleon suffered from alurophobia which means

Fear of cats

143

The aeroplanes was used in war for the first time by

Italians(14 Oct.1911)

144

Slavery in America was abolished by

Abraham Lincoln

145

The Headquarters of textile manufacturing in England is

Manchester

146

The famous Island located at the mouth of the Hudson river is

Manhattan

147

The founder of plastic industry was

Leo Hendrik Bakeland

148

The country where military service is compulsory for women is

Israel

149

The country which has more than 10,000 golf courses is

USA

150

The famous painting `Mona Lisa'is displayed at

Louvre museum,Paris

151

The earlier name for tomato was

Love apple

152

The first President of USA was

George Washington

153

The famous words `Veni Vidi Vici'were said by

Julius Caesar

154

The practice of sterilization of surgical instruments was

Joseph Lister

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 468

introduced by

155

The number of countries which participated in the first Olympic Games held at Athens was

Nine

156

Mercury is also known as

Quick Silver

157

Disneyland is located in

California,USA

158

The country which built the first powerful long range rockets is

Germany

159

Sewing Machine was invented by

Isaac M.Singer

160

Adding Machine was invented by

Aldrin

161

The national emblem of Spain is

Eagle

162

Archimedes was born in

Sicily

163

The total area of Vatican city is

0.272 Sq.kms

164

The largest temple in the world is

Angkorwat in Kampuchea

165

The largest dome in the world is

Louisiana Superdome,New Orleans,USA

166

The largest strait in the world is

Tartar Strait

167

The Mohenjodaro ruins are found in

Larkand District of Sind,Pakistan

168

The largest city of Africa is

Cairo

169

The founder of KODAK Company was

Eastman

170

The Cape of Good Hope is located in

South Africa

171

The Heathrow Airport is located in

London

172

The neon lamp was invented by

Georges Claude

173

The last letter of the Greek alphabet is

Omega

174

The place known as the land of Lincoln is

Illinois

175

The US state Utah is also known as

Beehive state

176

The Kalahari desert is located in

Africa

177

The Pentagonian desert is located in

Argentina

178

The person known as the father of aeronautics is

Sir George Cayley

179

The most densely populated Island in the world is

Honshu

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 469

180

The two nations Haiti and the Dominion Republic together form the Island of

Hisponiola

181

The largest auto producer in the USA is

General Motors

182

The largest auto producing nation is

Japan

183

The famous General Motors company was founded by

William Durant

184

The country that brings out the FIAT is

Italy

185

The first actor to win an Oscar was

Emil Jannings

186

The first animated colour cartoon of full feature length was

Snow White and Seven Dwarfs

187

The first demonstration of a motion picture was held at

Paris

188

The first country to issue stamps was

Britain

189

The actor who is considered as the biggest cowboy star of the silent movies is

Tom Mix

190

The Pentagon is located at

Washington DC

191

The world's largest car manufacturing company is

General Motors,USA

192

The world's biggest manufacturer of bicycles is

Hero cycles,Ludhiana

193

The world's oldest underground railway is at

London

194

The White House was painted white to

Hide fire damage

195

The largest oil producing nation in Africa is

Nigeria

196

The longest river in Russia is

Oblrtysh

197

The first Emperor of Germany was

Wilhelm

198

The last French Monarch was

Louis Napoleon III

199

"History is Bunk"was said by

Henry Ford

200

The term ``astrology' literally means

Star Speech

201

Togo is situated in

Africa

202

Coal is also known as

Black Diamond

203

The first Boxer to win 3 gold medals in Olympics was

Laszlo Papp

204

The first ruler who started war games for his soldiers was

Genghis Khan

205

The first cross word puzzle in the world was published in

1924 by London Sunday Express

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 470

206

The lightest known metal is

Lithium

207

The atacama desert is located in

North Chile

208

The oil used to preserve timber is

Creosote oil

209

The founder of USA was

George Washington

210

The first talkie feature film in USA was

The Jazz Singer

211

The chemical name of laughing gas is

Nitrous oxide

212

The US state Mississipi is also known as

Tar Heel state

213

The US state Indiana is also known as

Volunteer state

214

The US state Missouri is also known as

Hoosier state

215

The US state West Verginia is also known as

Blue Grass state

216

The US state known as`Pine Free State'is

Vermount

217

The US state known as `Mountain state'is

Pensylvania

218

The US state known as`Land of `Land of 1000 Lakes'is

Arkansas

219

The popular detective character created by Agatha Christie is

Hercule Poirot

220

The Pakistani President who died in an aircrash was

Zia-ul-Huq

221

Yoghurt means

Fermented milk

222

Yankee is the nickname of

American

223

The International court of Justice is located in

Hague,Holland

224

The headquarters of World Bank is located at

Washington DC

225

Victoria Falls was discovered by

David Livingstone

226

The technique to produce the first test tube baby was evolved by

Patrick Stepote and Robert Edwards

227

The oldest residential university of Britain is the

Oxford University

228

The name of the large clock on the tower of the House of Parliament in London is called

Big Ben

229

Prado museum is located in

Madrid

230

The number of keys in an ordinary piano is

Eighty eight

231

`Man is a Tool Making Animal'was said by

Benjamin Franklin

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 471

232

The term 'anesthesia'was coined by

Oliver Wendell Holmes

233

The first man to reach Antartica was

Fabian Gotileb

234

The Kilimanjaro volcano is situated in

Tanzania

235

The invention that is considered to have built America is

Dynamite

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 472

Surnames in Geography

No.

Surname in Geography

Country_City

01

Rose-pink City

Jaipur

02

Key of the Mediterranean

Gibraltar

03

Empire City

New York

04

Island of Cloves

Zanzibar

05

Holy Land

Palestine

06

Roof of the World

Pamir

07

World's Loneliest Island

Tristan da Cunha(Mid Atlantic)

08

Island of Pearls

Bahrein (Persian Gulf)

09

Never Never land

Vast Prairies of N.America

10

Queen of the Adriatic

Venice

11

City of the Seven Hills

Rome

12

Manchester of the Orient

Osaka (Japan)

13

Playground of Europe

Switzerland

14

Hermit Kingdom

Korea

15

Land of Morning Calm

Korea

16

Land of Midnight Sun

Norway

17

Land of the Rising Sun

Japan

18

Bengal's Sorrow

Damodar River

19

Land of Maple

Canada

20

Emerland Isle

Ireland

21

Dark Continent

Africa

22

City of Skyscrappers

New York

23

City of Palaces

Calcutta

24

Garden of India

Bangalore

25

Gateway of India

Bombay

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 473

26

Cockpit of Europe

Belgium

27

Gift of the Nile

Egypt

28

Eternal City

Rome

29

Granite City

Aberdeen

30

Land of Cakes

Scotland

31

Forbidden City

Lhasa

32

Venice of the North

Stockholm

33

Windy City

Chicago

34

Sugar Bowl of the World

Cuba

35

Whiteman's Grave

Guinea coast of Africa

36

City of Golden Gate

San Francisco

37

Blue Mountains

Nilgiri Hills

38

Britain of the South

New Zealand

39

Garden of England

Kent (England)

40

City of Dreaming Spires

Oxford

41

Great White Way

Broadway (New York City)

42

Herring Pond

Atlantic Ocean

43

The Down Under

Australia

44

Pearl of the Antilles

Cuba

45

Gate of Tears Strait of Babel

Mandeb

46

China's Sorrow

Hwang-Ho

47

City of Magnificent Distances

Washington D.C.

48

Land of Thousand Lakes

Finland

49

Land of Golden Fleece

Australia

50

Islands of Paradise

the Andamans

51

Land of Five Rivers

Punjab

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 474

Space and Planets

No.

Question

Answer

1.

Which is the latest theory of evolution of the Universe

Pulsating Universe Theory

2.

The total number of planets in our solar system is

9

3.

which is the nearest planet to the Sun

Mercury

4.

Which is the farthest planet from the Sun

Pluto

5.

which of the planets has rings round it

Saturn

6.

Which of the nine planets is the largest

Jupiter

7.

The outermost halo of the Sun is called

Corona

8.

How many minutes the Sunlight takes to reach to Earth

8.3 minutes

9.

Lunar Eclipse occurs when

The Earth is between the Sun and the Moon

10.

Solar eclipse is caused when

The Moon is between the sun and the Earth.

11.

70 degree of the Sun's mass consists of

Hydrogen

12.

Qantas Airlines belongs to

Australia

13.

The first country to launch any vehicle in space was

USSR (in 1957)

14.

The man who walked first on the Moon, was

Neil Armstrong

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 475

World Info (B)

No.

Question

Answer

1

The person who led the first marine expedition to travel around the world was

Magallan

2

The Spectrum is a popular stadium located at

Philadelphia

3

The Rich stadium is located at

Boston

4

`Silver dome' is a popular stadium located at

Pontiac

5

The Summit is a famous stadium located at

Houston

6

The National Emblem of Ireland is

Shamrock

7

WAGGA WAGGA is a

Town in Australia

8

The `Daily Telegraph' was first published in the year

1885

9

The National Emblem of Australia is

Kangaroo

10

The National Emblem of Canada is

Whitelily

11

The National Emblem of Belgium is

Lion

12

The crescent is the emblem of

Pakistan

13

The busiest airport in the world is

Chicago International Airport

14

The largest continent is

Asia

15

The smallest continent is

Australia

16

The largest country in the world is

Russia

17

The smallest country in the world is

Vatican

18

The Congo river flows in

Angola

19

The Negro river flows in

Argentina

20

UNICEF stands for

United Nations Children's Fund

21

ILO stands for

International Labour Organisation

22

UPU stands for

Universal Postal Union

23

WIPO stands for

World Intellectual Property Organisation

24

UNU stands for

United Nations University

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 476

25

WFC stands for

World Food Council

26

The Commonwealth is an association of

52 countries

27

NAM stands for

Non-Aligned Movement

28

The earlier name of Ghana was

Gold coast

29

The most populous country in the world is

China

30

The smallest republic in the world is

Nauru

31

The highest mountain range in the world is the

Himalayas

32

The oldest museum in the world is the

Ashmolean museum,Oxford

33

IRNA stands for

Iranian News Agency

34

The country known as Mother-in-Law of Europe is

Denmark

35

The country known as Our Lady of Snow is

Canada

36

The longest wall in the world is the

Great Wall of China

37

The deepest ocean in the world is

The Pacific

38

The country known as the playground of Europe is

Switzerland

39

The country known as the Celestial Empire is

Egypt

40

The great Victoria desert is located in

Australia

41

The ocean in which Honshu Island is situated is

Pacific

42

The river Mackenzie flows in

Canada

43

The Murray-Darling river flows in

Australia

44

The Gobi desert is located in

Mongolia,China

45

GMT stands for

Greenwich Mean Time

46

The Charter of UNO was signed on

26 June 1945

47

ICAO stands for

International Civil Aviation Organisation

48

The ICAO was established in the year

1947

49

The headquarters of ICAO is located at

Montreal

50

Le Monde is a newspaper published in

France

51

The official publication of the Netherlands is called

Orange book

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 477

52

The official publication of France is called

Yellow book

53

Shakespeare passed away in the year

1616

54

John Major,the ex-Prime minister of Britain was from the which party

Conservative

55

The National Emblem of Lebanon is

Cedar tree

56

The National Emblem of Papua New Guinea is

Bird of Paradise

57

FRCP stands for

Fellow of Royal College of Physicians

58

NAFTA stands for

North American Free Trade Agreement

59

Machine gun was invented by

Richard Gatling

60

Elevator was invented by

Elisha G.Otis

61

The measure to know the speed of a ship is

Knot

62

UNICEF was established in the year

1946

63

The headquarters of UNICEF is located at

New York

64

UNEP stands for

United Nations Environment Programme

65

UNEP was established in the year

1972

66

The headquarters of UNEP is located at

Nairobi

67

The Daily Mirror is published in

Britain

68

Jane Austin was a famous

British novelist

69

Christopher Columbus was an

Italian navigator

70

The smallest colony in the world is

Gibraltar

71

The highest town in the world is

Wenchuan

72

Chrysanthemum is the National Emblem of

Japan

73

The National Emblem of USA is

Golden rod

74

IRC stands for

International Red Cross

75

RAF stands for

Royal Air Force

76

`Gone With The Wind'was written by

Margret Mitchel

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 478

77

The earlier name of Ethiopia was

Abyssinia

78

Cambodia has been renamed as

Kampuchea

79

River Tigris flows in

Iraq

80

River Danube flows in

Hungary

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 479

Record-breakers in Geography

No.

Specility

Name

01

Longest River

Nile,4145 miles

02

Highest Plateau

Pamir (Tibet)

03

Highest Volcano

Cotopaxi (Andes,Equador)

04

Longest Mountain System

Andes,South America,8800 km,

05

Deepest place in the Ocean

Off the Island of Mariana Trench,Philippines,36198 ft.

06

Lowest point on Surface

Dead Sea,Israel-Jordan,1312 ft.below sea level

07

Biggest and deepest Ocean

Pacific Ocean,64186300 sq.miles

08

Smallest Ocean

Arctic ocean,5440197 Sq.miles

09

Largest north-south stretch of land

America

10

Largest Continent

Asia,16988000 sq.miles

11

Smallest Continent

Australia,2968000 sq.miles

12

Largest River (in volume)

Amazon (Brazil)

13

Largest River Basin

Basin of Amazon,2720000 sq.miles

14

Largest Salt Water Lake

Caspian Sea(U.S.S.R. and Iran),43550 sq.miles

15

Largest fresh water Lake

Superior (31200 Sq.miles)

16

Deepest Lake

Baikal (Siberia),5315 ft.average depth

17

Largest Artificial Lake

Lake Mead of Boulder Dam (U.S.A.)

18

Highest Navigable Lake

Titicaca (Peru-Bolivia),12506 ft.above sea level

19

Longest Straits

Malacca Straits between Malaysia and Sumatra (Indonesia) 485 miles long.

20

Broadest Strait

Mozambique Straits,between Mozambique and Malagasy, maximum breadth, 245 miles

21

Narrowest Strait

Between Greek mainland and the Island of Euboea,narrowest point,45 yds.

22

Largest Bay

Bay of Bengal,shoreline,2250 miles

23

Largest Gulf

Gulf of Mexico,Shoreline,3100 miles

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 480

24

Coldest Regions

Verkhoyansk in N.W.Siberia,temperature 94. F below Zero

25

Hottest Regions

Noerth-West Sahara Azizia (Libya) 58. C

26

Highest mountain peak in the world

Everest 29028 ft.high*(Nepal)

27

Densest population

Monaco,(37687 per Sq.mile)

28

Largest Island

Greenland,840000 Sq.miles(N.Atlantic)

29

Highest Town

Wenchuan (Tibet),16732 ft.above sea-level

30

Highest Village

Aucanquiles in Andes,Chile-17500 ft.

31

Highest Capital City

La Paz (Bolivia),11916 ft.above sea-level

32

Deepest Canyon

Hell's Canyon (U.S.A.),7900 ft.deep

33

Deepest Cave

Gouffre Bergea(France),3723 ft.deep

34

Biggest Desert

Sahara(N.Africa),3500000 sq.miles

35

Largest Peninsula

India

36

Largest Inland Sea

Mediterranean (969100 sq.miles)

37

Largest Sea

Malaya Sea,314000 Sq.miles

38

Largest Gorge

Grand Canyon,Colorado River,277 miles long

39

Deepest Gorge

Hells Canyon,Snake River,7900 ft.deep

40

Highest Rainfall

Mt.Waialeale,Hawai Islands,460 inches

41

Largest Archipelago

Indonesia,comprising 3000 islands

42

Tallest Active Geyser

`Giant' in the Yellowstone National Park (U.S.A.),200 ft high

43

Longest Coral Reef

Great Barrier Reef(Australia),1260 miles long

44

Largest Atoll

Kwajalein,Marshall Islands(Central Pacific)with a 176 miles long coral reef enclosing a lagoon of 1100 Sq.miles

45

Highest Waterfall

Angel Falls(Venezuela),3212 ft.

46

Biggest Waterfall

Guaira(Brazil);average annual flow 470000 cu.ft.per sec.

47

Largest Delta

Sunderban Delta in West Bengal and Bangladesh,8000 sq.miles

48

Northernmost Town

Ny Alesund,Spitsbergen(Norway)

49

Southernmost Town

Puerto Williams,Chile

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 481

50

Largest Country

U.S.S.R., 8649550 Sq.miles

51

Smallest Country

Vatican City, 108.7 acres

52

Highest Mountain System

Himalayas

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 482

Olympic And Asian Games

Year

Place

State

1928

Amsterdam

Netherlands

1932

Los Angeles

U.S.A.

1936

Berlin

Germany

1948

London

U.K.

1952

Helsinki

Finland

1956

Melbourne

Australia

1960

Rome

Italy

1964

Tokyo

Japan

1968

Mexico City

Mexico

1972

Munich

Germany

1976

Montreal

Canada

1980

Moscow

Previous USSR

1984

Los Angeles

USA

1988

Seoul

Korean Republic

1992

Barcelona

Spain

1996

Atlanta

USA

2000

Sidney

Australia

2004

Athens

Greece

2008

Beijing

China

Asian Games

Year

Place

State

1951

Delhi

India

1954

Manila

Philippines

1958

Tokyo

Japan

1962

Jakarta

Indonesia

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 483

1966

Bangkok

Thailand

1970

Bangkok

Thailand

1974

Teheran

Iran

1978

Bangkok

Thailand

1982

Delhi

India

1986

Seoul

South Korea

1990

Beijing

China

1994

Hiroshima

Japan

1998

Bangkok

Thailand

2002

Busan

South Korea

2006

Doha

Qatar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 484

United Nations Organizations

United Nations Organizations :

United Nations Organization (U.N.O.) officially came into existence on the 24 October, 1945, by ratification of the Charter by China, France, the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. October 24 is called the U.N. Day.

Purposes of the United Nations :

The purposes of the UN are the following : 1) Maintaining international peace and security, 2) Developing friendly relations among nations, 3) Cooperating internationally in solving economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamentalfreedoms and 4) Harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these common ends.

Human Rights Day :

10th October is observed as the Human Rights Day. The General Assembly of the UNO, recalling that on 10 December, 1973, the world community would celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declarationof Human Rights, expressed the hope that this anniversary would be celebrated in a manner which would fit the occasion and serve the cause of human rights.

Finance of the U.N. :

The U.N. is financed by contributions from member States on the recommendation of the Committee on Contributions. The member States contribute to the expenses of the U.N. budget and to the working Capital Fund.

Headquarters and Offices :

The headquarters of the U.N. is at New York. The European office is at Geneva, Switzerland. U.N. Information Centres and services are operating at 50 capital centres all over the world.

United Nation's Flag :

The flag of the U.N. is light blue in colour and emblazoned in white at the centre with the U.N.'s symbol - a polar map of the world embraced by twin olive branches.

Organs of the United Nations Organization :

The principal organs of the United Nations are : 1) General Assembly, 2) Security Council, 3) Economic and Social Council, 4) Trusteeship Council, 5) International Court of Justice and 6) Secretariat.

U.N. International Agencies :

The following are U.N. International Agencies :

1.

Food and Agricultural Organizational (FAO) Its purpose is to help nations to raise living standards and improve efficiency of farming. Its headquarters is in Rome.

2.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

3.

Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization.(IMCO)- It is a specialized body to deal with international shipping. Its headquarters is in London.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 485

4.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)- Its aim is to enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity. Its headquarters is in Viena.

5.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) or World Bank. Its headquarters is in Washington.

6.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Its headquarters is in Mont read.

7.

International Development Association (IDA)

8.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Its headquarters is in Rome.

9.

International Finance Corporation (IFC)- Its purpose is to promote economic development by investing in new and existing enterprises by bringing together private capital and management. Its headquarters is in Washington.

10.

International Labour Organization (ILO)- The purpose of ILO are mainly to contribute to lasting peace by promoting social justice, to improve labour conditions and to promote economic and social stability. Its headquarters is in Geneva.

11.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)- It is the world's largest source of readily available international credit. Its headquarters is in Washington.

12.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)- Its headquarters is in Geneva.

13.

International Trade Organization (ITo)

14.

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)- Its headquarters is in New York.

15.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

16.

United Nations Disengagement Observe Force (UNDOF)

17.

United Nations Development programme (UNDP)

18.

United Nations Disaster Relief Coordination Office (UNDRO)

19.

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Its headquarters is in Paris.

20.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

21.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)- Its purpose is to promote industrial development of developing countries. Its headquarters is in Vienna.

22.

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

23.

United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

24.

Universal postal Union (UPU) Its headquarters is in Berne.

25.

World Health Organization (WHO). This Organization came into being on April 7 in 1948. Its objective is attainment by all people the highest possible level of health. Its headquarters are at Geneva, Switzerland. April 7 is called the World Health Day.

26.

World Food Programme (WFP)

27.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Its headquarters is in Geneva.

28.

Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development (SUNFED)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 486

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 487

General Record Breakers

No.

General Record Braker

Name

01

Most populous City in the world

Shanghai

02

Longest Railway Platform

Kharagpur(India),2733 ft.

03

Longest Railroad Tunnel

Seikan (Japan),33.5 miles

04

Longest Suspension Bridge

Verrazano-Narrows, 13700 ft.long,USA

05

Longest Dam

Hirakund(India),15.8 miles

06

Highest Dam

Rogusky (U.S.S.R.),1066 ft.

07

Largest Dam

Kariba (Rhodesia),149000000 acre ft.in volume

08

Longest Road Highway Tunnel

St.Goldhard(Switzerland),10.01 miles

09

Longest Seaway

St.Lawrence seaway(U.S.A.-Canada),189 miles

10

Largest Passenger Ship

Queen Elizabeth II (83000 tonnes)(U.K.)

11

Largest Merchant Ship

Pierre Guillaumat (france),555031 DWT Tonnage

12

Largest Diamond Mine

At Kimberly,South Africa

13

Largest Diamond

Cullinan(Over 1 1/2 lbs.)

14

Tallest Statue

Motherland, an enormous female figure (U.S.S.R.)

15

Largest Temple

Angkor-Vat (Cambodia), 1400 yds. by 1400 yds.

16

Largest Church

Basilica of St.Peter,Vatican City,611 ft.in length and 18110 sq.yds.in area.

17

Tallest Church

Ulm Cathedral (Ger.),529 ft.high

18

Largest Mosque

Jumma Masjid (Delhi),Over 10000 sq.ft. in area

19

Largest Indoor Theatre

Radio City Music Hall (New York),accommodates 6200 persons.

20

Deepest Boring

An oil well of 25340 ft.(Texas, U.S.A.)

21

Largest Palace

The Palace at Vatican City,area 13.5 acres

22

Largest University Building

Lomonosov University (Moscow), has 32 stories

23

Tallest Tower

Tokyo Tower (Japan) 1000 ft.high

24

Biggest Library

United states Library of congress,Washington D.C. Containing over 41874900 titles.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 488

25

Largest Reflector Telescope

Mt.Semirodriki (U.S.S.R.)

26

Largest Bell

Tsar Kolokol at Kremlin (Moscow),weight 193 tons

27

Largest Dome

Astrodome in U.S.A.;outside diameter is 216 metres.

28

Largest Pearl

Pearl of Allah,weighs 14 lbs.2 oz.

29

Biggest Railway Station

Grand Central Terminal(New york),with 47 platforms,48 acres in area.

30

Longest Port

New York Harbour (U.S.A.)

31

Longest Corridor

Rameshwaram Temple's Corridor (India),400 ft.

32

Biggest Auditorium

Municipal Auditorium at Atlantic City (U.S.A.),covers an area of 7 acres.

33

Biggest Stadium

Strahov Stadium (Prague),accommodates 240000 spectators.

34

Biggest Hotel

Conrad Hilton (Chicago,U.s.A.), has 25 floors.

35

Largest Aquarium

John J.Shedd Aquarium,Illinois,(U.S.A.)

36

Biggest Museum

American Museum of Natural History has an area of 23 acres.

37

Largest Thoroughfare

Broadway (New York)

38

Highest Airfield

Ladakh Airfields (Kashmir,India),14230 ft.above sea-level.

39

Biggest Zoo

Etosha Reserve(S.W.Africa),38500 sq.miles

40

Largest Park

Yellowstone National Park (USA)

41

Longest Railway Line

Trans-siberian Railway (USSR) connecting Moscow to Vladivostok

42

Largest Office building

Pentagon (Arlington,U.S.A.),over 34 acres of floor area.

43

Tallest Building

Sears Tower(Chicago), 442 m.

44

Highest Suspension Bridge

Over royal Gorge (Colorado,U.S.A.),1053 ft.high

45

Longest Cantilever Bridge

Quebec (Over St.Lawrence River,Canada),3239 ft.in length.

46

Longest Railway Bridge

Lower Zambesi (Mozambique,Africa),12054 ft.

47

Largest Hydro-electric Plant

Krasnoyarsk (USSR),6096 M.W. capacity

48

Highest Straight Gravity Dam

Bhakra Dam(India), 740 ft.

49

Largest Sculptures

Mount Rushmore National Memorial(Black Hills,S.Dakota,U.S.A.)

50

Highest Lighthouse

Bishop Rock (England), 146 ft.high

51

Longest Viaduct

Lake Panchhartrain Causeway (Louisiana,U.S.A.), with a total length

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 489

of 24 miles

52

Longest Wall

Great Wall of China(1400 miles)

53

Longest recognised swimming course

English Channel (23 miles,calais to Dover)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 490

Chronology of Space Travel

1957 :

Russia launched Sputnik I, first man-made satellite in orbit, and Sputnik II carrying the dog Laika.

1958 :

USA launched Explorer I and Pioneer III discovered Van Allen Radiation belts.

1959 :

Russia launched Lunik I, Lunik IIand Lunik III, and photographed the hidden side of the Moon.

1960 :

USA launched Explorer VII. USSR launched Lunik IV with dogs Belka and Strelka. Put them in Orbit and brought them back.

1961 :

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made man's first space flight (one orbit). Second Russian spaceman Gherman Titov made 24 hours (17 orbit) flight in Vostok II.

1962 :

First American John Glenn made three orbits. US Ranger 4 was the first to reach Moon.Russia sent first probe on Mars.Russian cosmonauts Papel Popovick and Audrian Nikolayev floated in space.

1963 :

Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to orbit the globe more then 48 times.

1964 :

Russia sent Voskhod I with three men on board (first time more than one person).

1965 :

From Voskhod II Russian Alexei Leonov walked in space for 10 minutes. From Gemini Edward White made first American space walk. Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford made space rendevous when they brought US spaceship Gemini 6 within one foot of Gemini 7.

1966 :

Russian Luna 9 made soft landing on Moon and sent TV pictures. US surveyor I made first first soft landing on Moon.

1967 :

Space disasters. 3 Americans and 1 Russian Spaceman were killed in their crafts due to mishap.

1969 :

Russian probes Venera 5 and 6 landed on Venus returning data.American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on Moon on July 20. Americans made second landing on Moon on November 14.

1970 :

Russia soft landed Luna 17 (unmanned) on Moon used first propelled Vehicle 8-wheel Lunokhod, on Moon for exploration.

1971 :

Alan shepard and Edgar Mitchell made third landing on Moon with Apollo 14. David Scott and James Irwin made fourth landing on Moon by using the first artificial satellite of Mars.Russia launched Salyut space station. Soyuz II docked with Salyut in space. Russian Capsule from Mars 2 crashed on Mars surface on 21 November.

1972 :

America launched Pioneer 10 on 1000 million km flight to Jupiter. Pioneer 10 passed through Jupiter belt and passed Jupiter transmitting pictures. It is the first man made object scheduled to escape solar system. 6th and last Apollo mission of USA landed on Moon in December, and astronauts Cernan and Schmitt made a record 75 hour stay on Moon and collected lunar samples.

1973 :

America launched Pioneer 11 towards jupiter, and also sent Skylab space station in orbit.Also, Skylab 2,3 and 4 were launched.

1974 :

Mariner 10 of USA passed Venus and Mercury for man's first close look at these. Russia sent another Salyut space station.

1975 :

First US-USSR mission in space. Soyuz 19 launched (USSR) on July 15 and Apollo 18 (USA) launched 7 1/2 hours later docked successfully on July 17.India's Arya Bhatta was launched.

1976-84 :

90 space flights in 9 years, 50 by USSR and 40 by USA. The first space shuttle Columbia was launched in 1981 and returned to earth after 54 hours in space. It can be to launch satellites. US launched challenger which put Indian's multi-purpose satellite INSAT-1B in Orbit. India's Rohini Satellite was launched into orbit in April 1983. On 9 April, 1984, India became the 14th nation to have sent a man (Sq.Ldr.Rakesh Sharma) into space. On July 25, 1984, Svetlana Savitskaya (USSR) became the first woman to walk in space. Also,Mrs. Sullivan was the first US woman to walk in space.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 491

1987 :

Soviet Flt. Cdr. Romananko made a record of over 237 days stay in space.

1989 :

US Spaceship Voyager came close to the planet Neptune in August.

1990 :

Japanese Toyohiro Akiyama was in space and broadcast daily from there. He was the first journalist to go in space.

1991 :

USA launched shuttle Atlantis with 5 member crew to launch satellite that would peer into exploding suns,cosmic enigmas and other features. US astronomers discovered the biggest galaxy 60 times bigger than our own Milky way. British Scientists detected an orbiting supposed to be a planet outside our solar system.

1992 :

Russian cosmonaut,Sergei Krialev returned after longest stay in space (312 days). USA launched shuttle Endeavour to rescue a failed satellite.

1993 :

Both USA and Russia continued with space programmes, NASA's Mars observe probe transmitted its first close up photos of the Maritiam surface.

1994 :

Space walk of first Japanese woman chiaki Mukai. The collision of comet Shoemaker Levy-9 with Jupiter was observed from earth.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 492

Abbreviations

Abbreviation

Full Form

ECOSOC (UN)

Economic and Social Commission

ECM

European Comman Market

ECLA (UN)

Economic Commission for Latin America

ECE (UN)

Economic Commission of Europe

ECAFE (UN)

Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East

CITU

Centre of Indian Trade Union

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency

CENTO

Central Treaty Organization

CBI

Central Bureau of Investigation

ASEAN

Association of South-East Asian Nations

AITUC

All India Trade Union Congress

AICC

All India Congress Committee

ADB

Asian Development Bank

EDC

European Defence Community

EEC

European Economic Community

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization

FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

GATT

General Agreement on Tariff and Trade

GNLF

Gorkha National Liberation Front

IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency

IATA

International Air Transport Association

IBRD

International Bank of Reconstruction & Development

ICAO

International Civil Aviation Organization

IDA

International Development Association

AGP

Assam Gana Parishad

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 493

AASU

All Assam Students'Union

GSP

Gana Sangram Parishad

IFC

International Finance Corporation

ILO

International Labour Organization

IMF

International Monetary Fund

INTUC

Indian National Trade Union Congress

INTERPOL

International Police

ITU

International Tele-Communications Union

IRO

International Refugee Organization

KGB

Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bizo Pasnosti

LTTE

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

MISA

Maintenance of Internal Security Act

OECD

Organization for Economic Co-operation

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

POW

Prisoner of War

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

SEADO

South-East Asia Defence Organization

SEATO

South-East Asia Treaty Organization

TAB (UN)

Technical Assistance Board

TNV

Tripura National Volunteers

UNCAFE

United Nations Commission for Asia and East

TULF

Tamil United Liberation Front

UNCTAD

United Nation Conference on Trade & Devt.

WMO

World Meteorological Organization

WHO

World Health Organization

WFTU

World Federation of Trade Unions

UPU

Universal Postal Union

UNO

United Nations Organization

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 494

UNIDO

United Nations Industrial Development Org.

UNICEF

United Nations Int. Children's Emergency Fund

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization

UNDP

United Nations Development Programme

SDI

Strategic Defence Initiative

CHOGM

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

USIS

United States Information Service

NAM

Non-aligned Movement

SAARC

South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation

COFEPOSA

Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Act

BOP

Balance of Payment

FERA

Foreign Exchange Regulation Act

FECTT

Foreign Exchange Conservation Travel Tax

ANC

African National Congress

COMECON

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

CID

Criminal Investigation Department

HUDCO

Housing & Urban Development Corporation

PLO

Palestine Liberation Organization

PTI

Press Trust of India

RAW

Research & Analysis Wing

SWAPO

South-West African People's Organization

ESA

European Space Agency

ESCAP

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESMA

Essential Services Maintenance Act

ICFTU

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

ICRC

International Committee of the Red Cross

IDBI

Industrial Development Bank of India

IFAD

International Fund for Agricultural Devt.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 495

IPA

Integrated Programme for Action

ITDC

India Tourism Development Corporation

ITO

International Trade Organisation

IYSH

International Year of Shelter for Homeless

LIC

Life Insurance Corporation

MRTPC

Monopolice and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission

NABARD

National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Devt.

NCERT

National Council of Educational Research and Training

NDA

National Defence Academy

NEFA

North East Frontier Agency

NCC

National Cadet Corps

NNPT

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

NREP

National Rural Employment Programme

OAPEC

Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

PCS

Public Civil Service

PSC

Public Service Commission

PWD

Public Works Department

UNI

United News of India

UNDRO

United Nations Disaster Relief Organization

UNFPA

United Nations Fund for Population Activities

WFP

World Food Programme

ONGC

Oil and Natural Gas Commission

NSNIS

Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports

ISI

Indian Standards Institute

UGC

University Grants Commission

DVC

Damodar Vally Corporation

MODVAT

Modified Value Added Tax

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 496

NTPC

National Thermal Power Corporation

NHPC

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation

IRDP

Integrated Rural Development Programme

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 497

Mechanical Inventions Life Science

No.

Year

Invention

Inventor

Country

01

1285

Spectacles (Curved glass)

Salvino Armado

Italy

02

1450

Printing Press

Caxton

Germany

03

1500

Watch (Main Spring)

Peter Henlein

Germany

04

1590

Microscope

Z.Jansen

Netherlands

05

1609

Telescope

Galiles

Italy

06

1643

Barometer

E.Torricelli

Italy

07

1650

Air Pump

Von Guerick

Germany

08

1656

Clock,Pendulum

G.Huygens

Netherlands

09

1700

Blast furnace

Abraham,Darby

United Kingdom

10

1714

Thermometer,Mercuric

G.D.Fahrenheit

Germany

11

1765

Steam Engine

James Watt

Scotland

12

1767

Spinning Jenny

J.Hargreaves

England

13

1780

Watch (Self winding)

Lewis Recordon

England

14

1783

Baloon

Montgolfier Bros.

France

15

1785

Parachute

F.Blanchard

France

16

1793

Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney

U.S.A.

17

1794

Ball-Bearing

Vanghan

Britain

18

1801

Locomotive,Steam

R.Trevithick

England

19

1803

Steamboat

Robert Fulton

U.S.A.

20

1816

Safety Lamp

Sir H.Davy

England

21

1819

Stethoscope

Laennec

France

22

1825

Railroad (Steam)

G.Stephenson

England

23

1825

Electro-Magnet

W.Sturgeon

England

24

1826

Camera (Photographic)

Joseph Nippce

France

25

1827

Match Friction

John Walker

England

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 498

26

1831

Electric Generator

Michael Faraday

England

27

1832

Telegraph

Samuel Morse

U.S.A.

28

1834

Refrigeration,Mechanical

Parkins

U.S.A.

29

1834

Reaper

C.McCormick

U.S.A.

30

1835

Revolver

Colt

U.S.A.

31

1837

Photography,Black & White

Louis Daguerre

France

32

1837

Kalidoscope

David Brewster

England

33

1839

Rubber,Vulcanized

G.Goodyear

U.S.A.

34

1842

Bicycle

Macmillan

Scotland

35

1845

Cinemascope

Aspdin

England

36

1849

Safety Pin

Walter Hunt

U.S.A.

37

1852

Gyroscope

L.Foucalt

France

38

1855

Stove (gas)

Robert Bunsen

Germany

39

1856

Converter

Sir H.Bessemer

England

40

1857

Elevator,Passenger

E.G.Otis

U.S.A.

41

1859

Spectroscope

Bunsen

Germany

42

1860

Dynamo

Picinotti

Italy

43

1861

Machine Gun

R.J.Gatting

U.S.A.

44

1866

Torpedo

Whitehead

England

45

1866

Dynamite

Alfred Nobel

Sweden

46

1866

Sewing Machine

Elias Howe

U.S.A.

47

1868

Typewriter

C.Sholes

U.S.A.

48

1868

Air-Brake for railroads

G.Westinghouse

U.S.A.

49

1869

Plastic (Celluloid)

John W.Hyatt

U.S.A.

50

1870

Celluloid

John W.Hyatt

U.S.A.

51

1876

Telephone

A.Graham Bell

U.S.A.

52

1876

Gas Engine

Nikolaus Otto

Germany

53

1876

Cash Register

James Ritty

U.S.A.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 499

54

1877

Phonograph

T.A. Edison

U.S.A.

55

1877

Microphone

Berliner

U.S.A.

56

1879

Incandescent Lamp

T.A. Edison

U.S.A.

57

1879

Electric Lamp

T.A. Edison

U.S.A.

58

1879

Curburretor

G.Daimler

Germany

59

1883

Rayon

Swan

england

60

1884

Fountain Pen

L.E.Waterman

U.S.A.

61

1885

Motor Cycle

G.Daimler

Germany

62

1885

Automobile

Karl Benz

Germany

63

1885

Linotype

O.Mergenthaler

U.S.A.

64

1885

Internal Combustion Engine

G.Daimler

Germany

65

1885

Adding Machine

Burroughs

U.S.A.

66

1886

Electric Fan

Schuyler S.Wheeler

U.S.A.

67

1887

Gramophone

Berliner

U.S.A.

68

1888

Pneumatic Tyre

Dunlop

North ireland

69

1888

Kodak

George Eastman

U.S.A.

70

1891

Zipper

W.L.Judson

U.S.A.

71

1891

Photography,Colour

Lippman

France

72

1892

Thermos Flask

J.Dewar

England

73

1892

Electric Motor A.C.

Nicola Tesla

U.S.A.

74

1893

Projector

T.A.Edison

U.S.A.

75

1893

Coke oven

Hoffman

Austria

76

1893

Addressograph

J.S.Duncan

U.S.A.

77

1895

Slot Machine

Charles Fey

U.S.A.

78

1895

Radio

G.Marconi

Italy

79

1895

X-ray Machine

W.K.Roentgen

Germany

80

1895

Diesel Engine

Rudolf Diesel

Germany

81

1900

Tractor Caterpillar

B.Holt

U.S.A.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 500

82

1903

Aeroplane

Wright Brothers

U.S.A.

83

1905

Gyro Compass

E.A.Sperry

U.S.A.

84

1907

Vacuum Tube

Lee de Forest

U.S.A.

85

1907

Bakelite

L.H.Backeland

U.S.A.

86

1911

Hydroplane

Glen Curtiss

U.S.A.

87

1911

Airconditioning

W.H.Carrier

U.S.A.

88

1913

Stainless Steel

Harry Brearley

England

89

1914

Tank,Military

E.Swinton

England

90

1918

Rifle,automatic

John M.Browning

U.S.A.

91

1919

Motor Scooter

Greville Bradshaw

England

92

1923

Iconoscope

Zworykin

U.S.A.

93

1924

Loudspeaker

Pin-Kellog

U.S.A.

94

1925

Quick Freezing of Food

Birdseye

U.S.A.

95

1926

Television

John L.Baird

Scotland

96

1929

Rocket,Liquid Fuel

R.H.Goddard

U.S.A.

97

1895

Safety Razor

Gillette

U.S.A.

98

1930

Jet Propulsion

Sir Frank Whittle

England

99

1930

Ball Point Pen

Hoze Ladislao Biro

Argentina

100

1930

Computer (Analog)

Vennevar Bush

U.S.A.

101

1931

Cyclotron

E.O.Lawrence

U.S.A.

102

1931

Cement,Portland

Henri Chretien

France

103

1944

Computer (Digital)

Howard Aiken

U.S.A.

104

1947

Transistor

Bardeen, Shockley, Brattain

U.S.A.

105

1960

Laser

T.H.Mainman

U.S.A.

106

-

Seismograph

Robert Mallet

-

107

-

Hovercraft

Cockrell

-

108

-

Submarine

Bushnell

-

109

-

Radar

R.W.Watt

Britain

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 501

110

-

Teleprinter

Bandot and Halseke

-

111

-

Helicopter

Brequet

-

112

-

Crescograph

J.C.Bose

India

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 502

Inventions & Discoveries in Science

No.

Question

Answer

1.

Name the parts which on removal or destruction may cause the death of plant

Roots

2.

The cover of air around the earth is called

Atmosphere

3.

Air occupies

Space & mass

4.

Plants and animals maintain the balance of what in air

Gases

5.

The supporter of combustion in air is

Oxygen

6.

What forms the earth's atmosphere

Air

7.

The major components of air are

Nitrogen & Oxygen

8.

Water is one of the basic constituents of all

Living

9.

The scientific name of Lotus is

Nelumbo

10.

No two human beings are completely

Alike

11.

The process of preparation of food by plants is called

Photosynthesis

12.

All living objects consist of

Cells

13.

The vegetables such as carrot,beet root and radish that you eat are

Roots

14.

Leaves are green because they have

Chlorophy II

15.

Plants manufacture food by the process of

Photosynthesis

16.

From the heart,the blood is transported to all the organs of the body by

Arteries

17.

Which teeth are replaced by the permanent teeth

Milk teeth

18.

The reproductive cell of male is called the

Sperm

19.

The plants use which part of air for their food

Carbon dioxide

20.

Water is one of the basic constituents of all

Plant

21.

Water freezes into ice at

0 degree C.

22.

Water boils at

80 degree C.

23.

The torch cell is a source of which energy

Electrical

24.

Which source of energy wind is?

Renewable

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 503

25.

Which energy is released by a transistor

Sound

26.

Energy is always required for doing

Work

27.

Electrical energy is converted mainly into light energy in

Filament

28.

The energy hidden in atoms is called

Atomic

29.

Balance in nature is the balance between the population of

Species

30.

A famous mathematician of ancient India is

Aryabhatta

31.

A substance which can exist as solid,liquid and gas

Water

32.

The power of an electric bulb is marked in

Watts

33.

Water stored in a high-level dam has

Potential energy

34.

The dry cell produces electric energy from

Chemical energy

35.

The unit used for measuring distances between heavenly objects,is

Light Year

36.

Musical instrument in which sound is produced by the vibration of air is

Flute

37.

Carbohydrates are present in

Cane Sugar

38.

The gas used for disinfecting water is

Chlorine

39.

Sand is a compound of

Silicon

40.

A mixture of salt and camphor can be separated by

Sublimation

41.

A magnet can be used to seperate a mixture of

Iron scrap and sulphur

42.

The chemical which is not used for purifying water is

Washing soda

43.

A bird which is active during night is

Owl

44.

Hydrilla is a plant that grows in

Water

45.

A plant which stores food in the root is

Ginger

46.

In most flowers the most colorful part is the

Petal

47.

The temperature of the surroundings is detected by

The Skin

48.

The number of kinds of living organisms on this earth is about

Two & half million

49.

A species of animals means

A group of similar animals

50.

There are some plants which do not have

Leaves

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 504

51.

An animal without a special organ for hearing is

Snake

52.

The sense organ in man which are sensitive to chemicals are

Skin & nose

53.

The tallest tree in the world is

The redwood tree

54.

Normally, a housefly lives for about

One year

55.

In the human body urine is formed in

The kidneys

56.

The pancreas in our body is a part of

The digestive system

57.

The blood vessels that we can see just below the skin on the back of our palm are

Arteries & veins

58.

The presence of starch in the leaf is shown by

Iodine

59.

All the cells are similar in structure and function in

A tissue

60.

The source of energy for all living things is

The sun

61.

An animal which cannot take solid food is

Butterfly

62.

Anaemia is usually caused by

Glucose

63.

The simplest form of carbohydrate is

Aminoacid

64.

The smallest unit of a protein is

80-90

65.

The percentage of weight of water in our body is about

C

66.

Scurvy is caused by lack of vitamin

Vitamins

67.

Vegetables are included in our diet because mostly they supply

Vitamins

68.

The most widely seen minerals in the bones are

Calcium and Phosphorus

69.

Disgested food is mostly absorbed through the

Small intestine

70.

The diet of a 2-year old baby should contain more

Protein

71.

Tobacco plant makes nicotine in

The leaves

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 505

Trade Names

No.

Trade

Products

1.

Allwyn

Refrigerator,steelfurniture,watches

2.

Agfa

Photo goods

3.

Ambassador

Car

4.

Amul

Butter,Ghee,Cheese,Chocolate

5.

Aerolon

Hair Spray

6.

Atlas

Bicycle

7.

Avon

Bicycle

8.

Bata

Shoes and rubber goods

9.

Bayer

Chemicals

10.

Bajaj

Scooters & Electrical Appliances

11.

Binny's

Cotton Textiles

12.

Black Bird

Fountain Pen

13.

Black and black

Whisky

14.

Brooke Bond

Tea

15.

B.S.A.

Motor Cycle,Bicycle

16.

Brasso

Brass Polish

17.

Brylcream

Hair Cream

18.

Borolyn

Antiseptic Skin Cream

19.

Britannia

Bread,Cake,Biscuit

20.

Bigston

Television

21.

Burshane

Cooking Gas

22.

Binaca

Tooth Paste,Tooth Brush,Powder

23.

Cadbury

Chocolate

24.

Caltex

Petroleum

25.

Ceat

Tyres

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 506

26.

Chelpark

Ink

27.

Colt

Revolver

28.

Crown

T.V.

29.

Crompton

Motors,Fans,Light

30.

Cuticura

Talcum powder,Soap

31.

Cinthol

Soap,Powder

32.

Cobra

Boot Polish

33.

Daurala

Sweets and Sugar

34.

Dodge

Motor Car

35.

Eveready

Batteries,Torches,Cell

36.

Eastern Star

Bicycle

37.

Exide

Batteries

38.

Esso

Petroleum

39.

Flit

Insecticide

40.

Flex

Shoes

41.

Favre Leuba

Watches

42.

Firestone

Tyres

43.

Ford

Motor Car,Truck,Tractor

44.

Gem

Refrigerators

45.

Gillette

Razor Blades

46.

Godrej

Safes,Soaps,Refrigerators,Steel Furniture

47.

Grundig

Electronic goods

48.

Haig

Whisky

49.

Hercules

Cycles

50.

Hennol

Hair Dye

51.

Indane

Cooking Gas

52.

Kassel

Fans

53.

Kiwi

Boot Polish

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 507

54.

Kodak

Photographic Goods

55.

Kolynos

Tooth Paste and Brush

56.

Landmaster

Motor Car

57.

Lal Imli

Wollens

58.

Liberty

Shirts

59.

Max Factor

Cosmetics

60.

Mauser

Pistol

61.

Matador

suitings

62.

Murphy

Radio

63.

Nivea

Skin Cream

64.

Onida

T.V.

65.

Optrex

Eye Drop

66.

Omega

Wrist Watches

67.

Peps

Throat Drugs

68.

Panama

Safety Razor Blades,Cigarettes

69.

Parker

Fountain Pen

70.

Polson

Butter

71.

Pye

T.V.,Radio

72.

Philips

Electrical Goods,Radio,Television

73.

Quink

Ink

74.

Raleigh

Bicycle

75.

Remington

Typewriter,Office equipment and machines

76.

Enfield

Motor Cycle

77.

Rolex

Watches

78.

Silvikrin

Hair Tonic

79.

Shalimar

Paints,Biscuits

80.

Singer

Sewing Machine

81.

True Tone

Hair Dye

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 508

82.

Usha

Fans,Sewing Machine

83.

Voltas

Air-conditioning,Refrigerators

84.

Westclock

Time-piece

85.

Zeal

Thermometer

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 509

General Studies

No.

Question

Answer

1.

The President of India may resign his office by writing under his hand a letter of resignation addressed to the

Vice-President

2.

The president of India holds office for a term of

5 years

3.

A person seeking election to the office of the President of India must have completed the age of

35 years

4.

Who appoints the Attorney General of India?

President

5.

Next to Uttar Pradesh, the largest number of constituencies for elections to the Lok Sabha are in the State of

Bihar

6.

The elections to the Lok Sabha are required normally to be held after every

5 years

7.

The boundary between India and Pakistan was demarcated by

Sir Cyril Radcliffe

8.

Name the scholar who visited India along with Mahmud of Ghazni

Al-Beruni

9.

Which forest belt supplies most of the world's requirement of newsprint?

Coniferous

10.

The country where death rate is lowest in the world is

Canada

11.

What is the duration of zero hour in the Lok Sabha?

One hour

12.

Sun's energy is produced by

Nucler fusion

13.

Who was the Congress President when India became free?

J.B. Kripalani

14.

In India the standard time is fixed on the basis of standard meridian which passes through

Allahabad

15.

The Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf are connected by the

Hormuz Strait

16.

"The Boston Tea Party" took place in

1773

17.

In the American War of Independence, the leader who was put in command of American forces was

George Washington

18.

Which Sikh guru was tortured and killed on the directions of Aurangzeb?

Teg Bahadur

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 510

19.

Since when India has been a member of the United Nations?

1945

20.

Proteins are made of

Amino acids

21.

A light-sensitive compound used in photography is

Silver bromide

22.

The India Red Cross Society was established in the year

1920

23.

The speed of an aircraft is measured by

Anemometer

24.

Fats and carbohydrates are an essential part of our food because they

Provide energy

25.

Which is the largest part of the human brain?

Cerebellum

26.

Milk in its natural form has a certain amount of sugar. This sugar is called

Lactose

27.

The United Nations University is located in

Tokyo

28.

Which country is largest in area?

Russia

29.

Buddha delivered his first sermon at

Sarnath

30.

Vitamin necessary for clotting of blood is

K

31.

The oldest existing newspaper in India is

Bombay Samachar

32.

Which port has a free trade zone?

Kandla

33.

The largest quantity of fish in the world is produced by

Japan & Russia

34.

World's largest desert is

Sahara

35.

India's first television center was set up at

Delhi

36.

In which script were the edicts of Ashoka inscribed?

Brahmi

37.

Harshvardhana was defeated by

Pulakesin II

38.

Which day is celebrated as United Nations day every year?

24th October

39.

The headquarters of the United Nations is at

New York

40.

The total number of judges of the International Court of justice is

12

41.

The term of office of a judge of the International Court of Justice is

9 years

42.

The normal term of office of the UN Secretary General is

5 years

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 511

43.

IRS-IB is

An Indian remote sensing satellite

44

Why is the year 1952 important in Indian History?

First general elections to the Lok Sabha were held

45.

What is an equator?

An imaginary line encircling the earth midway between the north and the south poles

46.

Why is it easier to swim in a sea than river?

Density of sea water is more than that of river

47.

Who is known as the 'Heroine of 1942 Quit India Movement'?

Aruna Asaf Ali

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 512

Trophies

International Trophies

Trophies

Associated with

Ashes

Cricket (Australia-England)

Canada Cup

Golf (World Championship)

Corbillon Cup

World Table Tennis(Women)

Davis Cup

Lawn Tennis

Derby

Horse Race (England)

Merdeka Cup

Football (Asian)played in Malaysia

Swaythling Cup

World Table Tennis(Men)

Thomas Cup

World badminton

Tunku Abdul Rahman Cup

Badminton (Asian)

Uber Cup

World Badminton (Women)

Wimbledon Trophy

Lawn Tennis (England)

Jules Rimet Trophy(thereafter called FIFA)

World Football

Indian National Trophies

Trophies

Associated with

Aga Khan Cup

Hockey (Western India)

Beighton Cup

Hockey (Calcutta)

D.C.M.Trophy

Football

Dhyan Chand Trophy

Hockey

Dr.B.C.Roy Trophy

National Football (Junior)

Duleep Trophy

Cricket

Durand Cup

Football

I.F.A.Shield

Football (Calcutta)

Irani Cup

Cricket

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 513

Jayalakshmi Cup

National Table Tennis Chamionship (Women)

Nehru Cup

Football

Ruia Challenge Gold Trophy

Bridge

Rangaswamy Cup

National Hockey Championship

Ranji Trophy

National Cricket Championship

Rohinton Baria Trophy

Cricket (Inter-University)

Rovers Cup

Football

Santosh Trophy

National Football Championship

Subroto Mukherji Cup

Football (Inter-School)

Vizzy Trophy

Cricket

Wellington Trophy

Rowing

Federation Cup

Football

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 514

Geographical Discoveries

No.

Discovery

Discoveror

Country

Year

01

South Pole (Explored)

Amundsen

Norway

1911

02

North Pole (Explored)

Robert Edwin Peary

USA

1909

03

Hawaiian Island

Captain James cook

England

1770

04

Australia

Captain James cook

England

-

05

Sea-route to India via the Cape of Good Hope

Vasco-D-Gama

Portugal

1498

06

Course of the Zambesi river,the Victoria Falls

David Livingstone

Scotland

-

07

America

Cristopher Columbus

Italy

1497

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 515

Body Facts

Bones :

The largest bones is the femur, or thigh bone which is 20 inches in a six-foot tall man. The smallest bone is the stirrup in the ear, which is one-tenth of an inch. Each had has 27 bones : eight in the wrist, five in the palm, and 14 in the fingers. A newborn baby has 300 bones, some of which fuse to form in the adult.

Blood :

In a child, there are 60,000 miles of blood vessels. An adult has 100,000 miles of blood vessels. The blood circulates through the body 1,000 times a day.

Brain :

A newborn baby has a brain that weights three ounces. The average brain of an adult weighs three pounds. The brains is the "mission control center" of the body, sending our messages at a rate of 240 miles per hour. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.

Cells :

The cells are the body's building blocks. There are about 26 billion cells in an adult.

Eyes :

Each eye weighs 1 1/4 ounces. The eyes are constantly in motion, even during sleep. Tears keep the eyes warm and are continually secreted through 12 ducts in the eye. Tears are normally secreted through two canals near the inner corner of the eyes.

Fluid :

The body is two-thirds water. Blood is 83% water, muscles are 75% water, the brain 74% water, and the bones contain 22% water. In a single day, three pints of saliva are produced in the mouth.

Hair :

Kids have about 75,000 hairs on their heads, which grow about 1/100 of an inch daily. Hairs of different colors grow at different rates. Dark hair grows faster than light-colored hair. No one known why. Each hair on the scalp grows about five inches a year. Eyelashes keep dust out of the eyes. Aneyelash lives about 150 days before it falls out and is replaced.

Muscles :

There are over 650 muscles in the body, form the tiny ones that move the legs. The strongest muscle is the masseter muscle of the jaw. It takes at least 14 muscles to smile. The smallest in the body is located in the middle ear. Fingers have no muscles.

Nails :

Nails are made up of hardened skin called kertain. Nails protect the ends of the fingers and toes. The half-moon at the root of the nail is called the lunule. Nails grow faster in summer than in winter. Fingernails grow fourtimes faster than toenails. Right - handed people's nails grow faster in their right hands. Left-handed people's nails grow faster on their left hand.

Nose :

More than 2,500 gallons of air flow through the average adult's nose in a day. The nose can recognize up to 1,000 different smells. The nose is the air conditioning unit of the body. It cools or warms incoming air. It also filters the dirt and dust in the air.

Skin :

The human body has six pounds of skin which is, on average, 1/20 of an inch thick. The two layers of skin are the epidermins and under it, the dermis. The skin is waterproof, it protects the body and helps to regulate body temperature. A substance called melanin colors the skin the more melanin, the darker the skin. A freckle is a dense concentration of melanin. A new layer of skin replaces the old layer approximately every 27 days, totalling about 1,000 new outer layers of skin a lifetime.

Teeth :

Humans have 20 primary Baby teeth and 32 permanent teeth. By age 13 most people have 28 teeth. By age 18 the four "wisdom" teeth have grown in for a total of 32 permanent teeth.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 516

Sports Terms

No.

Sport

Terms

1

Badminton

Deuce,Drop,Smash,Let,Love.

2

Billiards

Cue,Jigger,Pot,Scratch,Cannons.

3

Boxing

Jab,Hook,Kidney Punch,Rabbit Punch,Slam,Uppercut,Knockout.

4

Chess

Bishop,Gambit,Checkmate,Stalemate.

5

Cricket

L.B.W.,Stumped,Bye,Leg-Bye,Googhly,Hattrick,Follow on,Gully,Drive,Duck,No Ball,Cover Point,Silly point,Pitch,Leg Break,Silly point,Cover point,Hit-Wicket,Late-cut,Slip,Stone-walling,Chinaman,Leg spinner,The Ashes,Bodyline Bowling,Bumper Bowling,Chucker.

6

Football

Off-side,Dribble,Throwin,Touch-down,Stopper,Penalty,Foul,Drop-kick.

7

Golf

Bogey,Hole,Put,Tee,Stymic,Caddle.

8

Hockey

Bully,Penalty-corner,Stick,Scoop,Sudden-death,Tie-breaker,Carried,Roll in,Striking Cirle,Under cutting.

9

Rifle-Shooting

Bully's eye (Centre of target

10

Lawn Tennis

Volley,Smash,Deuce,Service,Let,Grnad Slam,Double Fault,Back hand drive.

11

Wrestling

Half Nelson,Heave.

12

Volleyball

Deuce,spikers,Booster

13

Athletics

Dead Heat,Steeple Chase,Photo Finish.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 517

First-Space, Visitors, Invaders & Expeditioners

No.

Space First

Name

01

The first man to enter space

Yuri Gagarin (USSR) in 1961

02

The first person to land on the moon

Neil A Armstrong (USA) on July 21, 1969

03

The first woman to enter space

Valentina Tereshkova (USSR) in 1963

04

The first unmanned moon-buggy to explore surface of the moon

Lunokhod-I (USSR)

05

The first spaceship which carried man on the moon

Apollo-11

06

The first person to float (to walk) in space

Alexi Leonov (USSR)

07

The first space vehicle to softland on moon

Luna-9 (USSR)

08

The first reusable space shuttle

Columbia (USA)

09

The first person to walk in space without a safety line

Bruce McCandless (USA)

10

The first satellite to be repaired in orbit

Solar Max

11

The first space rocket to hit the moon

Lunik II (USSR)

12

The first spacecraft to soft-land on Mars

Viking-I (USA)

13

The first artificial earth satellite

Sputnik-I of USSR (1957)

No.

First Visitor & Invader

Name

01

The first European invader on Indian Soil

Alexander the Great

02

The first European to visit China

Marco Polo

03

The first Chinese Pilgrim who came to India

Fahien

No.

First Expeditioner

Name

01

The first woman to conquer Mt.Everest

Mrs.Junko Tabei (Japan) in 1975

02

The first man to conquer Mt.Everest

Sherpa Tenzing (India) in 1953

03

The first man to have climbed Mt.Everest twice

Nawang Gombu

04

The first person to sail round the world

Magellan (Portugal) in 1519

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 518

A Doctor Directory

Allergest :

Treats allergies.

Anesthesiologist :

Puts patients to sleep before surgery.

Cardiologist :

Treats heart ailments.

Dermatologist :

Treats the skin and its diseases.

Endocrinologist :

Treats the glands, such as the thyroid and adrenal, which secrete body hormones.

Gastroenterologist :

Specializes in diseases and disorders of the digestive system.

Gerontologist :

Treats diseases of old age.

Gynecologist :

Treats the female reprodictive system.

Hematologist :

Treats blood diseases.

Immunologist :

Specializes in the body's defense system against infection and disease.

Nephrologist :

Treats kidney disorders.

Neurologist :

Treats the nervous systems.

Obstrician :

A doctor who cares for women throughout pregnancy.

Orthopedist :

Treats disorders of bones and muscles.

Orthodonist :

A dentist who specializes in straingthening teeth.

Otolaryngologist :

Treats ailments of the nose, throat and ears.

Pathologist :

Studies the cause,development and manifestations of disease.

Pediatrician :

Specializes in the care and treatment of infants and children.

Plastic Surgeon :

Repairs,restores or improves body parts.

Psychiatrist :

Treats illness and disorders of the mind.

Radiologist :

X-rays body parts and organs for medical diagnosis.

Rheumatologist :

Treats diseases of body joints.

Urologist :

Treats the urinary tract of the body.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 519

Indian Geography

India is the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent, deriving its name from the river Indus which flows in the northwest. Indian mainland extends in the tropical zone from latitute 8o4' north to 37o6' north and from longitude 68o7' east 97o25' east. The country lies wholly in the northern and eastern hemispheres. Even though it falls under Monsoon climatical category, the climate varies from one place to another. India stretches 3,214 km from north to south and 2,933 km from east to west. The total length of the mainland coastline is nearly 6,100 km and the land frontier is about 15,200 km. With an area of about 3,287,782 sq. km, India is the seventh largest country in the world and accounts 2.4% of total world area. The north of the country is bordered by the mighty Himalayas, the highest mountains on earth. This ranges separate India from China, Tibet and Bhutan in the east. Kanchanjunga (8598 Mtrs) is the highest mountain peak in India. On the western side, India is separated by Arabian Sea and on Eastern side by Bay of Bengal. The Indian ocean on the south separate India from rest of the world. In the north, the mighthy river Ganga, which has the source in Himalaya, with its tributaries, drains a large part of the north and created a fertile Gangetic Plain. South of the northern plains, the land rises up into the high plateau know as the Deccan and stretch itself till Indian peninsulas. With Vidhyas and Satapura on the north, it is bordered by Sahyadris (Western Ghat) on west and by Eastern Ghat on the East. This two Ghats run parallel to the coast and meet in the extreme south in Nilgiri hills.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 520

Indian Scientific Research Institutes

No.

Institute

Place

01

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

Trombay near Mumbai (Maharashtra)

02

Indian Cancer Research Centre

Mumbai

03

Physical Research Centre

Ahmedabad (Gujrat)

04

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics

Calcutta (W.Bengal)

05

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Mumbai (Maharashtra)

06

Central Jute Technological Research Institute

Calcutta (W.Bengal)

07

Central Marine Research Station

Madras (Tamilnadu)

08

Central State Farm

Suratgarh (Rajasthan)

09

Forest Research Institute

Dehra Dun (U.P.)

10

Indian Agricultural Research Institute

New Delhi

11

Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore (Karnataka)

12

Indian Space Research Organisation

Thumba (Kerala)

13

National Dairy Research Institute

Karnal (Haryana)

14

National Sugar Research Institute

Kanpur (U.P.)

15

All-India Institute of Medical Sciences

New Delhi

16

Indian Veterinary Research Institute

Mukteshwar and Izatnagar (U.P.)

17

Institute of Ayurvedic Studies & Research

Jamnagar (Gujrat)

18

Council of Scientific and industrial Research

New Delhi

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 521

Indian Mythology Study of Science

No.

Question

Answer

1.

What was the condition on which Ganesha agreed to write the Mahabharata?

Ganesha said, "I will be the scribe if you can recite it without break."

2.

What was the condition Vyasa laid down for Ganesha to write Mahabharata?

Vyasa said, "You will not inscribe if the meaning is not clear to you."

3.

What was the original name of Mahabharata?

Jaya. It was said of the Mahabharata, "What is here may be found elsewhere too but what is not here cannot be found anywhere."

4.

For how many days was the Battle of Kurukshetra fought?

Eighteen days.

5.

Where did the battle between Rama and Ravana take place?

Lanka.

6.

What is the meaning of the word 'Shiva'?

The auspicious one.

7.

What was the initial reaction of Kumbhakarna when he heard about the abduction of Sita by Ravana?

He disapproved of it and advised Ravana to restore Sita to Rama.

8.

What was the name of Sugriva's wife?

Ruma.

9.

Why did Hanuman leap towards the Sun soon after birth?

He thought it was an eatable.

10.

Who made Rama and Lakshmana expert archers?

Vishwamitra.

11.

What was the name of the kingdom ruled by Drupada?

Panchala.

12.

How did earth come to be called as Prithvi?

King Prithu was the first among men to till the soil and make it yield crops. The word Prithvi is derived from Prithu.

13.

What was the name of the Yajna performed by Dasharatha to obtain sons?

Putrakameshti Yajna.

14.

What does the word Bhishma mean?

The terrible. When he took the vow to remain celibate throughout his life, the gods showered flowers on him, while uttering the word "Bhishma".

15.

Sage Pulastya's grandson became a mighty king. Who was he?

Ravana.

16.

Why did Dasharatha kill Shravan Kumar?

He mistook the sound of water being filled in the pot by Shravan Kumar for an animal drinking

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 522

water.

17.

Who performed the Putrakameshti Yajna for King Dasharatha?

Rishyashringa.

18.

What was the original name of Indrajit?

Meghanada.

19.

Who was the father of Bhishma?

King Shantanu.

20.

What were the names of Kama's foster parents?

Radha and Adhiratha.

21.

What was the name by which Kama was called by his father when he was young?

Vasushena.

22.

Where did Drona go when he was insulted by Drupada?

Hastinapura.

23.

Who was Devayani?

Devayani was the daugher of Shukracharya.

24.

Who threw Devayani into a well?

Sharmishtha, the daughter of Vrishaparva, the king of the asuras.

25.

Who took Devayani out of the well?

King Yayati.

26.

Who was the mother of Bhishma?

Ganga.

27.

What was the name of Sati's father?

Daksha Prajapati.

28.

How many children did Gandhari have?

101. A hundred Kauravas and a daughter.

29.

Who was the only daughter of Gandhari and who was her husband?

Dushshala. Jayadratha was her husband.

30.

Who was the mother of Shakuntala?

Menaka.

31.

How was Hiranyaksha related to Hiranyakashipu?

He was his brother.

32.

What was the name of Dhruva's father?

Uttanapada.

33.

What was the name of Satyabhama's father?

Satrajit, a Yadava chieftain.

34.

From whom did Kama receive the divine armour?

He was born with the divine armour (kavacha) and earrings (kundala).

35.

Who took Krishna and Balarama to Mathura from Vrindavan?

Akrura.

36.

Why is Rama sometimes called Raghava?

Raghava means a descendant of Raghu. In this sense not only Rama but also Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna can be called Raghava. But traditionally the eldest male was given the appellation.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 523

37.

What is the name of Indra's elephant?

Airavata.

38.

Why did King Shibi cut off his flesh?

Shibi had given refuge to a dove. When the kite claimed that the dove was his lawful prey, Shibi offered to give any other flesh in lieu of the dove. To this, the kite asked for the flesh cut from Shibi's right thigh equal in weight to the dove.

39.

Where in modern India was the ancient kingdom of Virata?

Ajmer.

40.

What was the capital of Indra's kingdom?

Amaravati.

41.

Who was Vali's son?

Angada.

42.

What was the name of Shakuntala's husband?

Dushyanta.

43.

Where did Janaka find Sita?

Sita was found when a field was being ploughed for preparing the spot for a Yajna to be performed by Janaka (Sita literally means furrow).

44.

Who offered poisoned sweets to Bhima when he was young?

Duryodhana.

45.

In what disguise did Arjuna go to Mount Raivataka to abduct Subhadra?

In the disguise of a sanyasi (with the permission of Krishna).

46.

Who were Abhimanyu's parents?

Arjuna and Subhadra.

47.

A son of Hiranyaksha, he ruled over Pragjyotisha. He was such a menace to the devas that Indra implored Krishna to help him. At this request Krishna along with his wife Satyabhama, attacked the city of Pragjyotisha and killed this asura. Name the asura.

Narakasura.

48.

Who was the half-brother of Dhruva?

Uttama.

49.

What is the meaning of the word Pandava?

Pandava means an offspring of Pandu. Therefore Yudhishthira is a Pandava., So is Arjuna and their brothers.

50.

Who did Ekalavya consider as his Guru?

Dronacharya. Ekalavya made a statue resembling Dronacharya and practised archery in front of the statue.

51.

When the Kauravas led by Duryodhana went to Dvaitavana forest to enjoy the sight of the suffering Pandavas, who fought with them and took Duryodhana prisoner?

Chitrasena, the Gandharva.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 524

52.

Who defeats the Gandharva King Chitrasena and frees the Kauravas?

Arjuna.

53.

Which are the ten incarnations of Vishnu?

1.Matsya(Fish) 2. Kurma (Tortoise) 3. Varaha (Boar) 4. Narasimha (Man-Lion) 5. Vamana (Dwarf) 6. Parashurama (Rama of the Axe) 7. Rama 8. Krishna 9. Buddha 10. Kalki Jayadeva was one of the first to consider Buddha as an avatar. Till then Balarama was considered an avatar.

54.

Who crowned Kama as the king of Anga?

Duryodhana.

55.

What was the name of Draupadi's father?

Drupada.

56

With whom does Nala play the game of dice?

Pushkara, his cousin. (His brother according to some versions.)

57

What was the name of Draupadi's brother?

Dhrishtadyumna.

58

How did Hanuman get the name Anjaneya?

Because he was the offspring of Anjana.

59

Who succeeded Aja to the throne of Ayodhya?

Dasharatha.

60

Who presented the bow, Gandiva to Arjuna?

Varuna at the request of Agni.

61

What was the real name of Bhishma?

Devavrata.

62

What was the name of the Kaurava, who joined the Pandavas in the Battle of Kurukshetra?

Yuyutsu. He was a half-brother of the Kauravas.

63

What was the name of Krishna' show?

Saranga.

64

With what weapon did Krishna kill Shishupala?

Sudarshana Chakra.

65

To whom does Yudhishthira offer the first worship at the time of the Rajasuya Yajna?

To Krishna.

66

Who killed Jarasandha in a wrestling duel?

Bhima.

67

Why is Arjuna called Partha?

From Pritha, the real name of Kunti. (Though the name Partha is equally applicable to Yudhishthira and Bhima also, Arjuna was more often referred to as Partha).

68

Who built the palace at Indraprastha for the Pandavas?

Maya.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 525

69

Of which kingdom was Shalya, the king?

Madra.

70

Why did Gandhari cover her eyes?

Her husband* Dhritarashthra was blind. She wanted to share his fate. Hence she blindfolded herself.

71

On behalf of the Kauravas, who played the game of dice with the Pandavas?

Shakuni.

72

Who prompts Durvasa to go, with his disciples, to the hermitage of the Pandavas?

Duryodhana.

73

What was the name of Rama's bow?

Kodanda.

74

Who was the charioteer of Krishna?

Daruka.

75

What was the name of the kingdom ruled by Jarasandha?

Magadha.

76

Where is Upaplavya?

It was a minor city in the kingdom of Virata.

77

What was the name assumed by Draupadi when the Pandavas lived in disguise in King Virata's kingdom?

Sairandhri.

78

Why is Kama sometimes called Radheya?

From his foster mother, Radha. Radheya means an offspring of Radha.

79

Identify the child who was blessed in the following manner by the devas: - Vishnu - "May you live your life as the greatest devotee of god" Indra - "No weapon of any kind will wound or hit your body" Agni - "Fire will never affect you."

Hanuman.

80

What form did Maricha assume to deceive Rama? And why?

He assumed the form of a golden deer and lured Rama away from his hermitage. When Rama's arrow pierced him, he cried out, imitating Rama's voice, "Ha, Lakshmana". When Lakshmana went out to help Rama, Ravana seized the opportunity to abduct Sita.

81

Who was called as Vaasudeva?

Vaasudeva means an offspring of Vasudeva. Both Krishna and Balarama could be called Vaasudeva but traditionally only Krishna is called Vaasudeva.

82

What was the real name of Draupadi?

Krishnaa.

83

How did Sita get the name Janaki?

From Janaka, her father.

84

When Bhima was poisoned by the Kauravas and

It is believed that Nagaloka is situated deep below

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 526

thrown into the depths of River Ganga, how was he saved?

the river. Here Bhima was bitten several times by the serpents, which neutralised the effect of poison in his body.

85

What is the origin of the name, Panchavati, where Rama is said to have built a hermitage?

Five Banyan trees. Pancha (Five) Vata (Banyan tree).

86

Who was Kacha's father?

Brihaspati.

87

For how many years did Janamejaya's Sarpa-satra last?

Twelve years.

88

Who were the physicians to the devas?

Ashwini twins.

89

Heroes in ancient times often had more than one name. Given below are sets of names. Identify the name by which they are commonly known: - a.Kapidhvaja, Bibhatsu, Dhananjaya, Savyasachi, Kiriti, Krishna. b.Ajatashatru, Dharmaja, Dharmaputra, Mridangaketu. c.Vallava, Marutatmaja, Vayusuta, Pawanaputra.

a. Arjuna. b. Yudhishthira. c. Bhima.

90

Who seized Draupadi by the hair and dragged her into the court?

Dushshasana.

91

What did Sita give Hanuman to be shown to Rama?

Chudamani (Crest Jewel).

92

When Ganga descended from heaven, who bore the force of her descent?

Shiva.

93

Who was Purochana?

A minister of Duryodhana who built the shellac palace at Varanavata.

94

What was the virtue for which Kama was famous?

Generosity.

95

What was the name assumed by Arjuna in Virata's palace?

Brihannala.

96

Whose incarnation was Lakshmana supposed to be?

Lakshmana is said to be the incarnation of Maha Shesha (the great snake).

97

When Hanuman was asked to bring Sanjivani from Gandhamadana, why did he carry the whole mountain?

Because he could not recognize the Vishalyakarani (Sanjivani) from other herbs.

98

What was the name of Dronacharya's father?

Sage Bharadwaja.

99

Who was Lakshmana's wife?

Urmila.

100

What was the capital of Janaka's kingdom?

Mithila.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 527

101

Where did Arjuna hide his weapons before entering Virata's palace?

On a Shami tree.

102

What was the name of king Virata's son?

Uttara Kumar.

103

What was the name of King Virata's wife?

Sudeshna.

104

What was the name of the bow, which Rama broke in Janaka's capital?

Shiva-Dhanush.

105

What was the name of the vulture that fought with Ravana to save Sita?

Jatayu.

106

How many heads does Brahma have?

Four (To indicate that he could see in all the four directions).

107

What was the name of the Vali's wife?

Tara.

108

Whom did Sugriva send to meet Rama on his behalf?

Hanuman.

109

Who were the Ashta-Dikpalakas?

The guardians of the eight directions.

110

For whom does Nala work as a charioteer?

King Ritupama.

111

When Kunti meets Kama to dissuade him from fighting, what assurance does he give her?

Her sons, with the exception of Arjuna will not come to harm from him.

112

Soon after the Pandavas and the Kauravas gathered in Kurukshetra, why did Yudhishthira go to meet Bhishma?

To seek his blessings.

113

Who was Indra's wife?

Shachi.

114

How had the Kauravas arranged their army on the thirteenth day?

Chakravyuha, the wheel formation. In this formation the army was arranged in circles within circles.

115

On the bank of which river is Ayodhya?

Sarayu.

116

How did Ganga get the name Jahnavi?

River Ganga came down to earth and submerged the hermitage of Sage Jahnu. Angry at this, Jahnu drank up the river, but later, at the request of Bhagiratha, pushed Ganga out through his ear. From him Ganga got the name Jahnavi.

117

In which disguise did Indra approach to seek the armour (Kavacha) and earrings (Kundala) of Kama?

In the guise of a Brahmin.

118

What was the name assumed by Yudhishthira in Virata's palace?

Kanka.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 528

119

Who was Ravana's wife?

Mandodari.

120

What was the name of Mandodari's father?

She was the daughter of Maya.

121

Who was the family priest of the Pandavas?

Dhoumya.

122

What was the name of the Rakshasi, whose mouth Hanuman enters en route to Lanka?

Surasa.

123

To whom does Sugriva assign the task of mustering the monkey forces?

Nala.

124

Why did Kacha go to Shukracharya's place?

To know the secret of immortality.

125

In which Upanishad would you find the dialogue between Nachiketa and Yama?

Kathopanishad.

126

Whom did Dasharatha send to fetch Rama to Kaikeyi's palace?

Sumantra, the minister.

127

Who goes to the court of the Kauravas as the ambassador of the Pandavas?

Krishna.

128

Why did Duryodhana construct a palace in Varanavata for the stay of the Pandavas?

The palace was made of shellac and other combustible material. Duryodhana wanted to burn the Pandavas alive.

129

Who were Babhruvahana's parents?

Chitrangada and Arjuna.

130

On the bank of which river is Chitrakoot?

River Mandakini.

131

When Hanuman thought it was difficult to leap to Lanka, who built his self-confidence?

Jambavan.

132

Of which kingdom was Chitrangada the princess?

Manipur.

133

How did Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti die?

They died in a forest fire.

134

Who performed the funeral rites of Jatayu?

Rama.

135

What was the name of the kingdom from where Bharata returned after Dasharatha's death?

Kekaya, the kingdom of his maternal uncle.

136

Who sends a man to dig a tunnel in the Shellac palace at Varanavata to help the Pandavas?

Vidura.

137

On which mountain did Hanuman rest when he made the leap to Lanka?

Mainaka.

138

Who taught Duryodhana how to wield a mace?

Balarama.

139

Who was the mother of Dhritarashtra?

Ambika.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 529

140

Who killed Kumbhakarna?

Rama.

141

How many Puranas are there?

Though there are a number of puranas, according to tradition, only 18 puranas are recognised.

142

When Drona held a test in archery in a field outside Hastinapura, what was the target?

The head of a wooden bird hanging from a branch of a tree. (In common folklore it is referred to as the eye of the bird).

143

Who was Dhruva's mother?

Suniti.

144

Who first gives the news to Bharata about Rama's arrival from Lanka?

Hanuman.

145

What was the name of Ahalya's husband?

Sage Gautama.

146

Where does the marriage of Arjuna and Subhadra take place?

Dwaraka.

147

What was the name of the sage who prevented the Vindhya Mountains from rising higher?

Sage Agastya.

148

In which vehicle did Rama, Lakshmana and Sita return to Ayodhaya from Lanka?

Pushpaka vimana.

149

Which animals were yoked to the Pushpaka Vimana?

Golden Swans.

150

Kushasthali was another name of a famous city on the west coast. What was the name of this city?

Dwaraka.

151. Who advises Duryodhana (and Dhritarashtra) to give half the kingdom to the Pandavas after their marriage to Draupadi? Bhishma.

152. After whom is our country named Bharat? After Bharata, son of Shakuntala.

153. What was the name of King Raghu's wife? Indumati.

154. Who was the mother of Maricha? Tataka,

155. What was the vehicle of Kama? Parrot.

156. What was the name of King Raghu's father? Dilipa.

157. Who was the wife of King Dilipa? Sudakshina.

158. Who was Sushena, mentioned in the Ramayana? The Royal Physician.

159. On the bank of which river was the ashram of Valmiki? On the bank of River Tamasa.

160. Who gave the day-to-day account of the Battle of Kurukshetra to Dhritarashtra? On the bank of River Tamasa.

161. Who did Duryodhana appoint as Bhishma's bodyguard during the battle of Kurukshetra? Dushshasana.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 530

162. What were the names of the wives of Vichitravirya? Ambika and Ambalika.

163. For how many days did Abhimanyu fight in the Battle of Kurukshetra? Thirteen days.

164. When all his weapons were destroyed, with what did Abhimanyu fight? The wheel of his chariot.

165. When Krishna goes to Hastinapura, with whom does he stay? Vidura.

166. How was Kunti related to Krishna? Aunt (Krishna's father's sister).

167. Where did Krishna reveal his divine form to Arjuna? On the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

168. What was the colour of Arjuna's horses? White.

169. What was the name of Sage Agastya's wife? Lopamudra.

170. What was the name of Rukmini's brother? Rukmi.

171. How does Duryodhana win over Shalya, the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva, to his side? By establishing rest houses all along the way to Kurukshetra and providing hospitality to Shalya and his retinue. Having accepted Duryodhana' s hospitality Shalya could not refuse his request to fight against the Pandavas.

172. How many chapters are there in the Gita? Eighteen.

173. During the battle with Ravana, Lakshmana, Sugriva and other monkeys fell unconscious because of the Nagastra released by Indrajit. Who did Shri Rama call to revive the unconscious heroes? Garuda.

174. What was the Yajna performed by Yudhishthira, after the Battle of Kurukshetra? Ashwamedha.

175. Bharata's mother was Shakuntala. Who was his father? Dushyanta.

176. Who were Ghatotkacha's parents? Hidimbaa and Bhima.

177. How was Kripacharya related to Ashwatthama? His maternal uncle.

178. Who was Kubera's father? Sage Vishrava.

179. Who was killed by Kama using the weapon, Shakti or Amogha? Ghatotkacha.

180. What was the name of Arjuna's son from Uloopi? Iravan.

181. What was the colour of Bhishma's flag? White.

182. What was the objective of Vishwamitra in performing severe austerities? He wanted to become a Brahmarshi

(Brahma + Rishi).

183. On the bank of which lake was the ashram of Shabari? LakePampa.

184. After Rama lays siege to Lanka, whom does he send as his ambassador? Angada.

185. How many sons did Draupadi have? Five.

186. Krishna had vowed not to take up any weapon during the battle of Kurukshetra. Who made Krishna take up a weapon? Bhishma.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 531

187. Who was the father of Subhadra? Vasudeva.

188. What was the name of Arjuna's conch-shell? Devadatta.

189. Who was the founder of the dynasty of Ayodhya in which Rama was born? Ikshvaku.

190. To which dynasty did Kartaviryarjuna belong? Hehaya.

191. What was the capital of Kartaviryarjuna? Mahishmati.

192. Who was the guru of Dasharatha? Vasishtha.

193. What was the name of Prahlada's father? Hiranyakashipu.

194. How did Ganga get the name Bhagirathi? Because Bhagiratha brought her down from heaven.

195. Who tried to send Trishanku to heaven in his bodily form? Vishwamitra.

196. Who killed Kartaviryarjuna? Parashurama.

197. Who was the guru of Janaka? Shatananda.

198. How did Parvati come to be called Apama? To win over Shiva, Parvati practised great austerities and lived without eating even a leaf. (Parna means leaf and Aparna means without even a leaf.)

199. Who killed the sons of Draupadi after entering the Pandava camp at night on the eighteenth day? Ashwatthama.

200. For how many days was Kama the commander of the Kaurava army? Two Days.

201 Who sends a chariot to Rama during the war with Ravana? Indra.

202 Who accompanies Dasharatha when he visits the Devas to help them in the war against the Asuras? Kaikeyi.

203 Who was the father of Jamadagni? Richika.

204 Who was Parashurama's father? Jamadagni.

205 What did Vamana ask from King Bali? Land equivalent to his three paces. With one pace he measured the earth. With the second pace he measured the heaven and asked Bali where should he place his third pace. Ball asked Vamana to place his foot on his, Ball's, head.

206 What was the name assumed by Nala when he was transformed into an ugly Dwarf? Bahuka.

207 Who was the king of Mahishmati who had defeated Ravana? Kartaviryarjuna. (Also known as Sahasrarjuna)

208 Who was the mother of Yadu? Devayani.

209 What does Shiva do when Ravana tries to lift Kailasa? He presses it down with his toe.

210 On the battlefield when Bhishma fell, how did Arjuna provide him a bed? By shooting a few arrows into the ground.

211 What was the name of Krishna's conch-shell? Panchajanya.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 532

212 When Bhishma wanted to drink water while lying on a bed of arrows during the battle of Kurukshetra, who fulfilled his wish? Arjuna provided the water by shooting an arrow deep into the ground.

213 What job did Bhima do at Virata's palace? Cook.

214 From whom does Ravana seize control of Lanka? From his step-brother, Kubera (also known as Vaishravana).

215 Who inspired Valmiki to sing of Rama? Narada.

216 Who were Pradyumna's parents? Rukmini and Krishna.

217 Why doesn't Rama enter Lanka for the coronation ceremony of Vibhishana? Since Rama had been exiled to the forests, he did not' think it fit to bring a break in the period of exile by entering the capital city.

218 Why did Sage Kanva name the child of Menaka as Shakuntala? Because he saw Shakunta birds (peacocks) gathered around the child.

219 Who tries to prevent Hanuman from entering when he makes the leap to Lanka and reaches the city wall? Lanka Lakshmi also called Lanka Devi. She was the guardian deity of the city,

220 What was the name of the mountain on which Arjuna performed tapas to please Shiva? Indrakeela.

221 Name two generals in the monkey army. Nala, Neela, Jambavan.

222 Who told Bhima how to kill Jarasandha? Krishna.

223 What was the vehicle of Shiva? Nandi, the bull.

224 Who was the mother of Ganesha? Parvati.

225 How does Ganesha get the head of an elephant? Shiva cuts off Ganesha's head. When Parvati sees this, she feels very upset. She insists on bringing him back to life immediately. Shiva replaces Ganesha's lost head with that of an elephant.

226 What happened when Hiranyakashipu kicked the pillar in his palace? Out of the pillar emerged Narasimha - Vishnu in the form of man-lion.

227 Where did Krishna shift his people from Mathura? Dwaraka.

228 Where in modern India is Prabhasa, a place of pilgrimage in ancient days, where the Yadavas fought among themselves? In Saurashtra on the west coast.

229 When the Pandavas handed over the Kingdom to Parikshit, whom did they entrust with the task of guiding the king? Yuyutsu.

230 Why did Krishna want to kill Kaliya? Kaliya had poisoned the water of Yamuna, as a result of which even trees on its banks dried up and many human lives were lost.

231 Jamadagm had something which Sahasrarjuna wanted. What was it? The cow - Kamadhenu.

232 How many brothers did Ravana have? His two brothers were Vibhishana and Kumbhakarna. He had a half brother named Kubera. (Khara and Dushana are also referred to as brothers in some texts.)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 533

233 What was the relationship of Maricha and Ravana? Maricha was the maternal uncle of Ravana.

234 Where did Dushyanta and Shakuntala meet? In the hermitage of Sage Kanva.

235 Where did Luv and Kush narrate the story of Rama (Ramayana)? At the court of Rama.

236 What did an Akshauhini consist of? An Akshauhini consisted of 21,870 chariots, equal number of elephants, 65,160 horses and 1,09,350 soldiers.

237 Who was Aghasura? Aghasura was a huge serpent who was waiting for Krishna to enter his mouth, so that he could swallow him.

238 How did Krishna kill Aghasura? After entering the mouth of Aghasura, Krishna became bigger and bigger, suffocating the wicked Asura. This also helped the cowherds to safely come out of the dead Aghasura's mouth.

239 Who were the twins among the Pandavas? Nakula and Sahadeva.

240 When the Pandavas had gone on a hunting expedition, the barking of one of their hunting dogs was silenced by seven arrows, stuck in its mouth. When Arjuna saw this, he was dumbfounded at the skill of the archer. Identify the archer. Ekalavya. Genealogy of Rama:

The genealogy of Rama is traced to Vishnu, h Ragkuvamsham, Kalidasa gives a great account q, Dilipa - Raghu - Aja - Dasharatha.

241 Who burnt the 60,000 sons of Sagara? SageKapila.

242 When Rama and Lakshmana are injured who ordered Hanuman to bring the herbs needed to revieve them? Sushena.

243 Why did Dushyanta forget Shakuntala? When Sage Durvasa visited Kanva's ashram, Shakuntala was lost in the thoughts of Dushyanta. He cursed her, "May he forget you, in whose memory you are now lost." (It must be noted however that the original version in the Mahabharata does not mention this. This version is found in Abhijnana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa.)

244 How did Savitri trick Yama to bring her husband back to life? She asked for a hundred sons. After granting that boon, Yama had to give back the life of Satyavan.

245 Who was Dyumatsena? He was Satyavan's father.

246 How much portion of the kheer got from Putrakameshti Yajna did Dasharatha give Kausalya? Half the portion.

247 In whose ashram did Rama meet Shabari? Sage Matanga.

248 What was the name of Kamsa's father? Ugrasena.

249 Where did Arjuna meet Subhadra for the first time? InDwaraka.

250 How did Krishna come to be called Ranchod (the one who shunned the battle)? Because he avoided giving battle to Jarasandha and went to Dwaraka from Mathura alongwith his people.

251 After Lakshmana chops off Shurpanakha's nose, to whom does she go? To Khara and Dushana.

252 What was the capital of the Kaurava's kingdom? Hastinapura.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 534

253 What is the modern name for Indraprastha? Delhi.

254 What were the names of Subhadra's brothers? Krishna and Balarama.

255 What caused the outburst of the first shloka uttered by Valmiki? Once while returning from River Tamasa, Valmiki saw a hunter shooting down one of a pair of Krauncha birds. The other bird cried piteously. The intense emotion created by this incident made Valmiki speak in verses. Immediately Brahma appeared and advised Valmiki to write the story of Rama.

256 Where is Kurukshetra? In modern Haryana, about 40 kilometres to the north of Delhi.

257 What are the four yugas, according to Indian Mythology? a) Krita yuga.

b) Treta yuga.

c) Dwapara yuga.

d) Kali yuga.

258 Vasudeva and Devaki were in prison at the time of Krishna's birth. How could Vasudeva get out of prison and take baby Krishna to Gokul? Vasudeva found to his surprise that his fetters and chains had fallen off. The prison doors automatically opened and the guards were all asleep. This enabled him to walk out of the prison and go to Gokul.

259 Rukmini was in love with Krishna. However her brother Rukmi, wanted to give her hand in marriage to another king. Identify this king. Shishupala.

260 Why did Drona want to humiliate Drupada? Because when Drona had sought Drupada's help, he had been humiliated.

261 How did Arjuna kill Kama? When Kama was trying to lift the wheel of his chariot, which had sunk in the mud, Arjuna shot him.

262 Who killed Vritra? Indra.

263 Why did Kamsa want to kill Krishna? There had been a prediction that Devaki's eighth child would kill him. Therefore he wanted to kill the eighth child.

264 Who carried the message of Nala to Damayanti? A swan with golden wings.

265 Why were Luv and Kush required to fight Rama's army? Because they had tied the horse of the Ashwamedha sacrifice.

266 Where did Luv and Kush grow up? In Valmiki's Ashram.

267 Where did Krishna first meet Sudama? In Guru Sandipani's ashram.

268 Why had Sudama gone to Dwaraka? To seek Krishna's help.

269 Why did Rama get angry with Sagara? Because he didn't prepare a way for Rama to reach Lanka.

270 How many Akshauhinis of army did the Kauravas have before the battle of Kurukshetra? Eleven akshauhinis. The Pandavas had seven akshauhinis.

271 Who incited Ravana to fight with Rama? Shurpanakha.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 535

272 Who in the Mahabharata, is also known as Matsyagandha? Satyavati, wife of King Shantanu.

273 What is Bhagavad-Gita? It means the song sung by the Lord. It consists of the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

274 From whom did Dronacharya learn the use of weapons? From his father, Sage Bharadwaja aod later also from the hermit, Agnivesha.

275 Who gave divine weapons to Dronacharya? Parashurama.

276 Who told the monkey army that he had seen Ravana carrying Sita across the ocean? The vulture, Sampati.

277 Who was the charioteer of Kama, when he became the commander of the Kaurava army? Shalya.

278 How did Hanuman protect himself from the jaws of Surasa? Hanuman began to increase his size, Surasa opened her jaws wider and wider. Suddenly Hanuman reduced himself to the size of a thumb, entered her mouth and came out in a flash.

279 When Vishwamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana to the court of Janaka they came upon an Ashrama, which contained a stone. What happened when Rama's feet touched the stone? Ahalya came back to life.

280 What was the name of the elephant that blocked the entrance of the wrestling arena when Krishna came near it and tried to kill him? Kuvalayapida.

281 Who was Balarama's wife? Revati. She was the daughter of Revata, king of Kushasthali. It is said in the puranas that Revata went with his daughter to Brahma with a request that he suggest a suitable groom for her. Thousands of years had lapsed between the time Revata left for the abode of Brahma and returned to earth. Men were of far less height. Balarama used his plough to reduce the height of Revati and then married her.

282 Whom did Krishna send to convey the importance of love and devotion in life to the gopis of Vrindavan? Uddhava, a minister and friend of Krishna.

283 What was the name of the demon who came in the guise of an ass to kill Krishna? Dhenukasura.

284 Who had sent Bakasura to Vrindavan to kill Krishna? Kamsa.

285 When the cowherds started worshipping Govardhan instead of him what did Indra do? He sent heavy rains to Gokula intending to submerge it in water.

286 Who conducted the naming ceremony of Krishna? Sage Gargacharya.

287 How did Krishna save his cowherd friends from the raging fire, after he had subdued Kaliya? When Krishna came out of the river Yamuna after suppressing the serpent, Kaliya, it was late and the sun had set. Yadavas spent the night near the river. Suddenly a fire broke out and enveloped them. Krishna swallowed the fire and all was quiet again.

288 For how many days did Krishna uphold Mount Govardhan on his finger? Seven days.

289 How old was Krishna when he held aloft the Govardhan Mountain? Seven years.

290 Who was the mother of Indrajit? Mandodari.

291 Who freed Nanda from the coils of a python? Krishna.

292 Who told the Yadavas that Krishna and Balarama were in reality the children of Vasudeva? Gargacharya.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 536

293 What was the original name of Indraprastha, before the Pandavas began to rule over it? Khandavaprastha.

294 Who killed Mushtika? Balarama.

295 Krishna preferred a particular colour for his robes. Which was it? Yellow. (Pitambara)

296 What form did Keshi, the demon assume to kill Krishna? That of a horse.

297 How did Krishna kill Keshi? He thrust his left arm into the open mouth of the demon. His arm began to swell inside Keshi's mouth. The demon suffocated and died.

298 Which bird's feather was Krishna fond of placing on his head? Peacock.

299 What did Krishna do after killing Kamsa? He requested Ugrasena to take charge of the kingdom.

300 What was the name of the humpback who met Krishna on the main road of Mathura? Trivakra.

301.

To whom did the women of Vrindavan offer prayers?

Durga

302.

How did Krishna get the name Murari?

Murari literally means: - Enemy of Mura. Krishna killed Mura, a demon, in a battle.

303

What was the name of Nanda's wife?

Yashoda.

304

Who was the wife of Bharata (of the Raghu dynasty)?

Mandavi, Sita's cousin.

305

Who saved Takshaka from Janamejaya's sarpa-satra?

SageAstika.

306

Of which kingdom was Jayadratha, the king?

Sindhu.

307

In addition to Jarasandha's army, what was the army the Yadavas had to face?

Kalayavana's army.

308

Why did Shiva bum Kamadeva?

Because he disturbed the serenity of Shiva's mind.

309

What was the name of Jambavati's father?

Jambavan.

310

Who killed Satrajit?

Shatadhanwa.

311

According to tradition what time was Krishna bom?

After midnight, when the star Rohini was on the ascendent, in the month of Shravana, on the day of Ashtami.

312

Who sent Akrura to Hastinapura to enquire about the Pandavas?

Krishna.

313

How many times did Jarasandha attack Mathura?

Eighteen.

314

Where did Krishna say, "I will be born again and again when there is decline of Dharma"?

Kurukshetra.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 537

315

Who was the tutor of Abhimanyu?

After his initial training from Arjuna, Abhhnanyu was tutored by Pradyumna.

316

Who carried puva (Pohe i.e. beaten rice) to Krishna? And in return what did Krishna give to him?

Sudama. Krishna built a palace for him and filled that palace with wealth and gifts.

317

What was the name of the crane that picked Krishna and swallowed him?

Bakasura.

318

What did Krishna do to free himself from the crane?

He created unbearable heat and the crane spat him out.

319

What was the name of Savitri's father?

Ashwapati.

320

Who was the charioteer of Indra?

Matali.

321

What is the main philosophy of Gita?

Work for work's sake and not for any gain.

322

What strategy did Krishna suggest to Arjuna to defeat Drona?

They made DronaTielieve that his son, Ashwatthama had been killed. This led Drona to lay down his weapons thus enabling Dhrishtadyumna to kill him.

323

What was the musical instrument dear to Krishna?

Flute.

324

When did Kamsa free Vasudeva and Devaki?

After the birth of their eighth child.

325

Below which tree did Krishna usually play the flute?

Kadamba.

326

On which day of the battle of Kurukshetra did Krishna take up Sudarshan Chakra to slay Bhishma?

Ninth day.

327

Who was the father of Snakuni?

Subala.

328

When Kaliya coiled his body around Krishna, what did Krishna do?

Krishna made his body swell.

329

What are the four Vedas?

Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.

330

What constitutes Vedic literature?

The four Vedas mentioned above. Each of these four has four divisions: First come the Samhitas, then come Brahmana - a treatise relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony. Next come the Aranyakas, forest texts meant for the forest-dwelling hermit. They are appendices to the Brahmanas. Fourth is Upanishads - appendices to Aranyakas. Together they constitute Vedic literature.

331

How many sala trees does Rama pierce with one

Seven.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 538

arrow?

332

How did Kalayavana die?

Muchukunda opened his eyes. And when his gaze fell on Kalayavana he turned into ashes.

333

Durvasa goes with his disciples to the place where the Pandavas were living. How does Krishna help Draupadi serve food to so many?

Krishna visits the place and says that he is hungry. There is no food in the vessel, but Krishna sees a leaf and eats it. This makes Durvasa and his disciples feel they have eaten a full meal.

334

In which forest did the Pandavas spend most of their days during the exile?

In Kamyaka forest.

335

From where did Krishna get the Parijata tree?

Devaloka (Indra's palace).

336

Who were the parents of Aniruddha?

Pradyumna (son of Krishna) and Rukmavafi.

337

Who was instrumental in kidnapping Aniruddha?

Usha, daughter of Banasura.

338

From whom did Krishna get the earrings of Aditi?

Narakasura. Krishna killed him in battle and got back the earrings.

339

When Dushshasana was pulling and removing the sari of Draupadi who made her sari endless?

Krishna.

340

Both Duryodhana and Arjuna had gone to seek Krishna's help. Whom did Krishna give the first choice?

Arjuna, since Krishna had seen him before seeing Duryodhana.

341

Why was Jarasandha angry at Krishna?

Because Krishna had killed the husbands of his two daughters.

342

When Sugriva brought Sita's jewellery from the cave what did Lakshmana say?

"I do not recognize the bracelet and earring, but I know these anklets for I worshipped her feet alone."

343

How did Jambavan encourage Hanuman to jump across die ocean to Lanka?

By narrating Hanuman's acts of strength and bravery in his early life.

344

How was Krishna related to Abhimanyu?

Abhimanyu was his nephew (sister's son).

345

Why did Arjuna take the vow that he would kill Jayadratha before sunset the next day?

Because Jayadratha had prevented the Pandavas from entering the Chakravyuha (the wheel formation of the army). This enabled the Kauravas to kill Abhimanyu who had breached the Chakravyuha all alone.

346

When did Varuna give the Sudarshana Chakra to Krishna?

At Agni's request Varuna gave the Sudarshana Chakra to Krishna to help him in the burning of the Khandava forest. (According to another version Vishwakarma gave the weapon to Vishnu).

347

Name the fabulous city constructed by Vishwakarma on top of the mountain Trikuta?

Lanka.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 539

348

When Duryodhana crowns Karna as the king of Anga, what does he say?

Kama asks, "What can I do in return for the honour bestowed on me?" Duryodhana replied, "Your staunch friendship."

349

It was once suspected that Krishna was a thief. What was he accused of stealing?

Syamantaka gem.

350

Who had given the Syamantaka gem to Satrajit?

Surya.

351

When Dhritarashtra met the Pandavas, how did he try to kill Bhima?

By holding him close to his chest and crushing him. Krishna, however, had placed a statue of Bhima in front of him.

352

Who killed Prasena, the brother of Satrajit?

A lion.

353

To which deity did Rukmini pray?

Goddess Parvati.

354

Who kidnapped Pradyumna when he was just ten years old?

Shambara.

355

Which was the vehicle used by Krishna when he went with Satyabhama to give battle to Narakasura?

Garuda.

356

What is the name of the serpent on which Vishnu rests?

Maha Shesha.

357

Who leaves Sita near the ashram of Valmiki?

Lakshmana.

358

Who was the mother of Shatrughna?

Sumitra.

359

When Yudhishthira goes away to the forest to lead a peaceful life whom does he crown as the King?

Parikshit.

360

What food did Shabari offer Rama?

Berries.

361

Who was the son of Parikshit?

Janamejaya.

362

Why did Janamejaya conduct the Sarpasatra (Yajna to annihilate sarpas/nagas)?

A sarpa (serpent) had killed his father, Parikshit. To avenge his death Janamejaya performed the sarpa-satra (Yajna) to bring about total annihilation of the race of nagas (sarpas).

363

What was the name of the place ruled by Sugriva?

Kishkindha.

364

Who taught Arjuna singing and dancing?

Chitrasena taught dance and music to Arjuna when Arjuna went to Devaloka.

365

Who taught Uttara to dance?

Aijuna.

366

Who brought back to life the dead child of

Krishna.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 540

Uttara?

367

In the game of dice whom did Yudhishthira lose first: Draupadi or himself?

Himself.

368

Where did Bhima meet Hanuman?

Gandhamadana.

369

What are the names by which Kamadhenu is referred as?

Surabhi and also Nandini.

370

How did Parvati create Ganesha?

Parvati created Ganesha from the saffron paste on her body.

371

Who was the father of Veda Vyasa?

Sage Parashara.

372

What was the name of India's son?

Jayanta.

373

How was the beginning of any battle signalled in the days of the Mahabharata?

By blowing conches.

374

Where was the hermitage of Sage Bharadwaja?

At Prayag (modern Allahabad).

375

Why did Sati burn herself?

Her husband, Shiva, had been insulted and abused by her father.

376

Why is Arjuna referred to as Kapidhwaja?

Because on his flag was the image of Hanuman. Kapidhwaja literally means monkey (kapi) banner (dhwaja).

377

Why did Nanda and the cowherds decide to move away from Gokul and settle down in Vrindavan?

The mysterious happenings in Gokul in which Krishna, the beloved son of their leader had been involved, made them shift to a safer place.

378

What was the feat performed by Dronacharya, which impressed the Kuru princes?

He took a blade of grass and threw it with force at the Vishti in the well. Then he threw the second blade of grass which got attached to the first one. He kept on doing it till he could reach out to the top one and pulled it out. Vishti-Danda was an ancient form of the game which is called Gilli-Danda.

379

When Duryodhana, Shakuni and Kama wanted to arrest Krishna, what did he do?

He showed his Vishwarupa.

380

When Jarasandha heard from his daughters about the killing of Kamsa, what vow did he take?

"I will not rest till I wipe out the entire race of the Yadavas."

381

When the Devas, Danavas and Manavas went to Brahma to know the secret of happiness what did he say?

"Da": - The suras thought that by "Da" Brahma meant "Damyata" (meaning, exercise self-control), the asuras thought by "Da" Brahma meant "Dayadhwam" (be merciful) and the humans thought by "Da" Brahma meant "Dadhatu" (give).

382

Who was the mother of Veda Vyasa?

Satyavati.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 541

383

Kubera the lord of wealth ruled his kingdom from this fabulously wealthy city. What was the name of the city?

Alakapuri.

384

When Rama was in exile, Bharata ruled over Ayodhya in his brother's name. Name the village from where he ruled as Rama's deputy.

Nandigrama.

385

After abducting Sita, Ravana kept her confined in the Ashoka grove. Among the rakshasis who guarded her, only two were friendly to her. Name them.

Sarama and Trijata.

386

Who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Pandavas during the battle of Kurukshetra?

Dhrishtadyumna.

387

Who were the stepbrothers of Bhishma?

Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.

388

Who was the sage who cursed Vali that his head would blow up if he ever entered Rishyamooka again?

Rishi Matanga.

389

What is the origin of the word Varanasi?

The name Varanasi originated from two rivers "Varana" and "Asi".

390

Which was the capital of Videha?

Mithila. King Janaka ruled over the kingdom of Videha.

391

What was the colour of Indra's elephant, Airavata?

White.

392

Who tried to win over Kama to the Pandava's side?

Krishna and Kunti.

393

Who was the brother of Maricha who was killed by Rama?

Subahu.

394

What was the name of Sage Rishyashringa's wife?

Shanta.

395

Who was the twin brother of Lakshmana?

Shatrughna.

396

What was the name of the kingdom ruled by Nala?

Nishadha.

397

Why did Sage Agastya drink the water of the ocean?

Because the evil Kalakeyas had hidden at the bottom of the ocean. Agastya drank the water so that the devas (suras) could destroy them.

398

Why does Sugriva request Rama to pierce any of the Sala trees with his arrow?

He wanted to assure himself that Rama was more powerful than Vali.

399

Who killed the demon Kalanemi?

Hanuman.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 542

400

When did the Pandavas come to know that Kama was their brother?

After the battle of Kurukshetra when obsequies were to be offered to the dead ones, Kunti tells everyone that Kama was her son.

401

Shwetaketu was very proud of his knowledge. What did his father, Uddalaka, do to help his son get rid of the pride? And what was the reply given by Shwetaketu?

Uddalaka called his son to his side and asked, "By studying all about the things you can see, hear and understand, you think you are knowledgeable. But have you learnt about that which you cannot see and hear." To this Shwetaketu replied "No, father! I do not know anything about that."

402

To whom did the Pushpaka-vimana originally belong?

Kubera.

403

How many tusks did Airavata have?

Four.

404

How much land was Duryodhana prepared to give to the Pandavas?

Nothing. Not even a needlepoint of land.

405

Why did Ravana ask the rakshasis to escort Sita to the battlefield?

To see the unconscious Rama.

406

Who was the warrior who was said to have been born to kill Drona?

Dhristadyumna.

407

What was the name of the tree present in Indraloka that had the power of providing any object asked of it?

Kalpavriksha.

408

From where did King Sagara rule?

Ayodhya.

409

Who was the mother of the Devas?

Aditi.

410

Where did the Pandavas live soon after the completion of their period of staying incognito?

At Upaplavya in Virata's kingdom.

411

What were the four boons granted by Yama to Savitri?

a. The sight of her blind father-in-law to be restored, b. The kingdom of her father-in-law to be restored c. 100 sons to be born to her father so that the family line could be continued d. 100 sons to be born to her of Satyavan.

412

Who was the chief minister of Ravana who was killed by Vibhishana in the battle against Sri Rama?

Prahasta.

413

Who were the two wives of Pandu?

Kunti and Madri.

414

How did Krishna get the name Damodara?

Dama means rope. Udara means abdomen. When Krishna was yet a child, he was tied to a mortar with

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 543

a rope. He dragged the mortar and tried to pass through the space between two trees. The mortar got stuck and when Krishna tugged at the rope the trees got uprooted and Krishna became free.

415

On the bank of which river is Panchavati?

Godavari.

416

According to the Puranas where is the abode of Shiva?

Mount Kailasa.

417

What was Kama's bow called?

Vijaya.

418

What was the name of the mountain that was used to churn the Ocean of Milk?

Mandara.

419

With what words did Gandhari bless Duryodhana during the battle of Kurukshetra?

Victory is where Dharma is. (Yato dharmastato jaya).

420

Where did Duryodhana hide towards the end of the eighteenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra?

Inside a lake.

421

Who accompanies the Pandavas and Draupadi on their journey to Swarga?

Yama in the guise of a dog.

422

What is the name of Ganesha's brother?

Karttikeya.

423

Drona imparted the knowledge of the 'Brahma Shiras' to Arjuna. What was the incident that pleased Drona to such an extent that he did so?

Once while bathing in the Ganga, Drona encountered a crocodile that bit into his legs and held on to it. Of all the disciples who were with him only Arjuna moved forward and killed the crocodile. This pleased Drona.

424

What are the four stages of a man's life, according to tradition?

Brahmacharya, Grahasthya, Vanaprastha, and Sanyasa.

425

According to the Vana Parva five people could be considered as a person's guru. Who are they?

Father, Mother, Agni, Atman and Guru.

426

Who were Indra's parents?

Kashyapa and Aditi.

427

Who created the rift between Sunda and Upasunda?

Tilottama.

428

Who gave the akshayapatra to Yudhishthira?

Surya.

429

Anjalikavedha was an art by which the practitioner could subdue an elephant. Who among the Pandavas had mastered this art?

Bhima.

430

After Sri Rama had captured Lanka, who was the Asura who led Sita to him?

Avindhya.

431

What is the meaning of Pundarikaksha?

Lotus eyed.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 544

432

Ekalavya cut the thumb of his right hand as the guru dakshina for Drona. What did Arjuna, Drona's favourite pupil, offer as a guru dakshina?

Arjuna defeated Drupada, the king of Panchala and brought him bound to Drona.

433

Who killed Tataka?

Rama.

434

Who killed Akampana in the battle at Lanka?

Hanuman.

435

Veda Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata. His son was also erudite and was responsible for spreading the knowledge of the Mahabharata. What was his name?

Shuka.

436

What was in the possession of Indravarma, the king of Malava that helped in the slaying of Drona in the battle of Kurukshetra?

An elephant named Ashwatthama. Bhima killed this elephant and announced that Ashwatthama was dead. At this Drona lay down his arms and was slayed.

437

Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasishtha are the sons of Brahma. What are tiiey called collectively?

Saptarshis (Seven rishis).

438

What was the name of Sage Atri's wife?

Anasuya.

439

What was the vehicle of the Asnwini Kumars?

Donkey.

440

In whose ashram did Shakuntala grow up?

The ashram of Kanva.

441

King Bali was the grandson of an ardent devotee of Vishnu. Who was his grandfather?

Prahlada.

442

Chyavana was an old and blind sage. By whom was his youth and eyesight restored?

Ashwini Kumar(s).

443

Parikshit was living in a closely guarded tower. How could a serpent bite him?

Takshaka entered a fruit in the shape of a worm and this was taken to the king by a Naga in the guise of a Brahmin.

444

Why did Balarama choose to remain neutral in the battle of Kurukshetra?

Though Duryodhana sought Balarama's help he refused to side with the Kauravas saying that he could not forsake Krishna.

445

Who was known for his bad temper among the rishis?

Durvasa.

446

After he was crowned king, from whom did Yudhishthira seek instructions in state craft?

From Bhishma, who was lying on a bed of arrows.

447

On whose side did Bhagadatta fight in the battle of Kurukshetra?

On the side of the Kauravas.

448

During the Pandava's exile why did Bhima go to the Gandhamadana Mountain?

To get the Saugandhika flowers for Draupadi.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 545

449

Who was the Nishada King who rowed Rama, Ska and Lakshmana across the river Ganga when they were on their way into the forests?

Guha.

450

How did Kama's slaying of Ghatotkacha help the Pandavas?

Karna used the Shakti to kill Ghatotkacha. This was the weapon Karna could use only once. Therefore he had reserved it against Arjuna. Since Karna used it against Ghatotkacha, Arjuna was saved.

451

Amba, one of the daughters of the king of Kashi vowed to take revenge on Bhishma because she blamed him for her sorry plight. After receiving a boon from Shiva, she was reborn and in that birth was instrumental in killing Bhishma. Who was she reborn as?

Shikhandi.

452

What were the names of Harishchandra's wife and son?

Chandramati (sometimes referred to as Taramati) and Lohitashva (Rohitashva)

453

Over which kingdom did Harishchandra rule?

Ayodhya.

454

Who built the palace for Yama?

Vishwakarma.

455

How was Jarasandha related to Kamsa?

He was the father-in-law of Kamsa.

456

Who told Janamejaya that Parikshit had been bitten by Takshaka?

Sage Uttanka.

457

How was Shishupala related to Krishna?

They were cousins. Shishupala's mother, Shrutasrava was the sister of Krishna's father.

458

To whom did Shiva present the Pashupatastra?

Arjuna.

459

After Sugriva was driven away from Kishkindha by Vali where did he set up his kingdom?

Rishyamooka.

460

What was the name of Drona's wife?

Kripi.

461

Why is Krishna also called Keshava?

Because he killed the asura Keshi.

462

Before the battle of Kurukshetra Krishna promised his help to both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. How did he manage to keep his promise?

To the Kauravas he promised the help of his entire army. To the Pandavas, his personal help (without his taking up any weapons).

463

Who killed the asura Pralamba?

Balarama.

464

Where did Kunti stay when the Pandavas went into exile for 12 years?

WithVidura.

465

Who did Kama approach to learn the science of archery?

Parashurama.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 546

466

There were two occasions when Parashurama met Krishna. One was when Krishna and Balarama went to Mount Gomanta. When was the other?

The second instance was when Krishna was on his way to the court of the Kauravas as the messenger of the Pandavas.

467

She was a demoness who dreamt about the destruction of Lanka by a monkey. Who was she?

Trijata.

468

Who was the guru of both Krishna and Balarama?

Sandipani.

469

Whose sons were Kumbha and Nikumbha?

Kumbhakarna.

470

Sanjaya was the person who narrated the course of the battle of Kurukshetra to Dhritharashtra. He was able to do so because he received a boon by which he could see the battle. When did this divine sight end?

After the death of Duryodhana.

471

What did Vishwamitra seek from Dasharatha?

He wanted Rama and Lakshmana to accompany him and help him to perform Yajnas peacefully.

472

The battle of Kurukshetra entailed tremendous destruction. Who was entrusted with the duty of reconstruction by Yudhishthira?

Sanjaya.

473

Vajranabha is a weapon used by Vishnu. It is however better known by another name. What is that name?

Sudarshana-Chakra.

474

How did Krishna help Arjuna in killing Jayadratha?

On hearing that Jayadratha was responsible for Abhimanyu's death Arjuna had vowed to kill him before sunset the next day. During the course of the battle Krishna hid the sun. Thinking that the sun had set, Jayadratha came out and moved freely. When Krishna released the sun, the sun shone again and Jayadratha was killed by Arjuna.

475

Who is the consort of Madana, the god of love?

Rati.

476

What was the name of the kingdom ruled by Dasharatha?

Kosala. Its capital was Ayodhya.

477

What happened when Rama strung the bow of Shiva at Janaka's palace (at the time of Sita's swayamvara)?

The bow broke into two pieces with a thunderous sound.

478

When did Parashurama meet Sri Rama?

When Rama and Lakshamana were on their way to Ayodhya after their marriage.

479

What did Parashurama want from Rama?

He sought to battle with Rama.

480

What was the task Parashurama set before Rama?

He gave Rama the great bow of Vishnu and wanted Rama to draw the bow.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 547

481

Who poisoned the ears of Kaikeyi when the whole city was happy that Rama would soon be crowned king?

Manthara.

482

With what argument did Manthara convince Kaikeyi to seek the banishment of Rama?

The main point made by her was that Kausalya would become the Queen Modier. Kaikeyi would have to bow to her wishes.

483

When did Dasharatha give the boons to Kaikeyi?

In the course of a battle with Asuras, an arrow had hit him and he had fallen wounded. Sensing danger to his life Kaikeyi drove the chariot through the army of Asuras. Hence he granted her boons.

484

Who gave robes made of bark to Rama?

Kaikeyi.

485

Where did Rama, Lakshmana and Sita take their first rest after leaving Ayodhya?

On the bank of the river Tamasa.

486

What were the names assumed by Nakula and Sahadeva while living in disguise at the palace of Virata?

Granthika and Tantripala.

487

What was the real name of Kuchela, Krishna's boyhood friend?

Sudama.

488

Who suggested to Rama the place they could live in happiness? What was the name of the place?

Sage Bharadwaja suggested to Rama that they could live happily on Mount Chitrakoot.

489

Who first conveyed the news of Dasharatha's death to Rama?

Bharata.

490

Why did Bharata place Rama's sandals on the throne?

This was done as a symbol of Rama's authority who was away.

491

What was the name of the forest that Rama, Lakshmana and Sita went to from Chitrakoot?

Dandaka Forest.

492

What was the name of Parashurama's mother?

Renuka.

493

Why did Sage Kapila reduce the sons of Sagara to ashes?

They accused him of stealing the horse of the Ashwamedha Yajna.

494

Who was the Commander-in-chief of the armies of Jarasandha?

Shishupala.

495

What was the weapon of Indra?

Vajra, the thunderbolt.

496

What was the name of Vishwamitra's ashram?

Siddhashram.

497

What was the advice given by Maricha to Ravana when he spoke of his plan to carry away Sita?

Do not antagonise Rama.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 548

498

Where was Sandipani's ashram?

Avanti.

499

With what instrument did Drona take out the ring, which was in the well?

With an arrow.

500

Give the name of any one son of Draupadi.

Prativindhya, Shrutasoma, Shrutakirti, Shrutasena (or Shrutakarma) and Shatanika.

501

What was the capital of Drupada's kingdom?

Kampilya.

502

Among the names of Bhudevi (Bhumidevi) is Kashyapi. Why is she known by this name?

Parashurama once gifted the whole earth to Sage Kashyapa. From this comes the name Kashyapi.

503

Who were the three children of Samjna from Surya?

Manu, Yama and Yami.

504

When Nachiketa asked for the secret of immortality, what did Yama reply?

"When all the desires- cherished by the mind cease, it is here and now that the mortal becomes immortal."

505

What was the name of Ashtavakra's father?

Kahodara (also known as Khagodara). The child, Ashtavakra was crooked in eight parts.

506

Which sage narrated the story of Sage Ashtavakra to the Pandavas?

Sage Lomasha.

507

Where in modern India is Panchavati?

Near Nasik in Maharashtra.

508

When the Gandharva King Chitrasena defeated the Kauravas and captured Duryodhana, what does Bhima do?

He feels very happy and dances for joy.

509

How does Yudhishthira rebuke Bhima for expressing happiness, when Duryodhana was captured by Chitrasena?

Yudhishthira says, "When we have our differences we are five and the Kauravas are a hundred, but when we are facing an outsider we should be a hundred and five."

510

Who succeeded to the throne of Hastinapura after the death of King Shantanu?

Chitrangada.

511

On which day of the battle of Kurukshetra did Kama start fighting for the Kauravas?

Eleventh day. He did not want to take up arms so long as Bhishma was the commander of the Kaurava army. Bhishma had insulted Kama as "Sutaputra" (son of a charioteer).

512

Yudhishthira was also called Ajatashatru. What did the name mean?

One without any enemy.

513

For which skill was Nala well-known?

Nala was a great charioteer.

514

How did Nala win back his Kingdom?

Nala played a game of dice with Pushkara and won it back.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 549

515

Which was the kingdom of which Rukmini was the princess?

Vidarbha.

516

Who is die god of death according to Indian Mythology?

Yama.

517

Who was the mother of Lakshmana?

Sumitra.

518

What happened when Kamsa seized the baby from Devaki's hand and dashed her against a stone surface?

The Divine infant manifested herself as an eight-armed goddess and said," Kamsa, the one who is destined to kill you still lives."

519

How did Hanuman convince Sita that he was a messenger of Rama?

Hanuman gave the ring Rama had given him to show to Sita.

520

Who was the family priest of the Yadavas?

Gargacharya.

521

When Vasudeva, holding the baby Krishna in his arms, reached the banks of the river Yamuna, what happened?

The river waters parted.

522

Whom did Kamsa send to Gokul to kill all newborn babies?

Putana.

523

What is sage Agastya known for?

He stamped the Vindhya Mountain down. He is also said to be the writer of Tamil grammar.

524

What was the picture on the flag of Krishna?

Garuda.

525

When the Devas and the Asuras churned the ocean of milk what did they want from the ocean?

Amrit, the divine nectar.

526

What is Alakananda?

A river, which flows through Devaloka (the land of Devas). After descending to earth it is called Ganga.

527

What was the first product that arose when the Ocean of Milk was churned?

Halahala, deadly poison. The message that is conveyed here is important. When we start churning our mind in search of truth what comes out of the churning are doubts, despair, etc. It is when we continue the churning that we receive knowledge that gives peace.

528

Why did Amba curse Bhishma?

Because he seized her by hand and wanted to carry her away to be wife of the Kuru princes.

529

The Pandavas had decided to construct a palace at Indraprastha. During this discussion who joined in and gave them the description of the courts of Indra, Yama, Varuna, Kubera and Brahma?

Narada.

530

For how many years was Rama banished to the

Fourteen years.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 550

forest?

531

Who was the Guru of the Devas (gods)?

Brihaspati.

532

Where did Hanuman find Sita in Lanka?

In the Ashoka Vana (forest).

533

What was the musical instrument that was always carried by Narada?

Veena.

534

What were the names of the sons of Madri?

Nakula and Sahadeva.

535

Why did Hiranyakashipu want to kill his own son?

Because Prahlada, his son had become a devotee of his arch enemy, Vishnu.

536

How did Krishna get the name Giridhari?

Because he held Mount Govardhan on his little finger. [Giridhara literally means holder (dhara) of a mountain (giri)]

537

When Indra was unable to defeat the asura Vritrasura, he sought the advice of Brahma. Brahma's advice was to approach die son of sage Bhrigu and ask him for a bone from his body. This bone was to be converted into an astra that would kill the asura. Name the sage who donated his bone and thereby discarded his life so that the devas could triumph over the asuras.

Sage Dadhichi.

538

Where did Bharata meet Rama after he set out from Ayodhya?

At Chitrakoot.

539

Who were the Asuras?

They were not much different from Suras (Devas), their cousins. According to one interpretation the word "Asura" is derived from 'Asu', which means 'life' and 'ra', which means 'engrossed in'. Hence those who are engrossed in life were called Asuras.

540

When Sita was presented garments made of bark before leaving for the forest who forbade her from wearing them and why?

Vasishtha, because it was only Rama who had been banished.

541

Why is Draupadi also called Panchali?

Because she was the daughter of the King of Panchala (not because she had five husbands.)

542

What was the capital of Vidarbha?

Kundinapura.

543

What was the name of Jatayu's elder brother?

Sampati.

544

Who was the commander of the Kaurava army after the death of Bhishma?

Dronacharya.

545

Who is considered to be the architect of the Devas?

Maya. Sometimes he is considered only as a

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 551

carpenter of the Asuras.

546

Where did Rama meet Sugriva?

Kishkindha.

547

Where did Krishna teach the Gita to Arjuna?

On the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

548

Why is Sita sometimes called Vaidehi?

Because she was the daughter of the King of Videha.

549

Who was Dhumraksha, referred to in the Ramayana?

A minister of Ravana.

550

Who was anointed as the heir apparent to the kingdom of Kishkindha after the battle of Lanka?

Sugriva's son, Angada.

551

Who told Kamsa that Krishna and Balarama were, in reality, the sons of Vasudeva?

Narada.

552

How was Dundubhi related to Ravana?

He was Ravana's brother-in-law.

553

Who killed Dundubhi?

Vali.

554

Who was crowned King of Lanka after Havana's death?

Vibhishana.

555

What was the name of the place where Rama meets Guha, the Nishada King?

Shringaverapura.

556

How was Hanuman captured by Indrajit?

Indrajit, the son of Ravana, used the Brahmastra to bind Hanuman.

557

On his return from Lanka where did Rama meet Bharata?

Nandigrama.

558

What was the boon sought by Raktabija from Shiva?

If one drop of his blood fell on the battlefield, many Raktabijas would arise from the blood and fight the enemy. It conveys the idea that violence begets more violence.

559

In the Ashoka grove when Ravana produces the head of Rama who assures Sita that it is not a real one?

Sarama.

560

According to puranas who is holding the earth on their back?

The eight elephants known as Diggajas.

561

How many verses are there in the Ramayana?

About 24,000.

562

What was the name of the monkey general who supervised the construction of the bridge to Lanka?

Nala.

563

Who drove the chariot in which Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita left for the forest after Rama was

Sumantra.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 552

banished?

564

Name the people who went to Magadha to subdue Jarasandha?

Bhima, Arjuna and Krishna.

565

Where did Urmila live while her husband Lakshmana was keeping company of Rama in the forest?

In Ayodhya, in the palace.

566

What was the name of Urmila's father?

King Kushadhvaja.

567

When the Yaksha asked Yudhishthira what is the greatest wonder, what did he reply?

Day after day countless people die, yet the living wish to live forever.

568

Who were the companions of Shakuntala in Kanva's ashram?

Anasuya and Priyamvada.

569

Who killed Sunda and Upasunda?

They fought with each other and got killed.

570

How was Shakuni related to Duryodhana?

He was Duryodhana's mother's brother, his maternal uncle.

571

What kind of sacrifice was Vishwajit?

At a Vishwajit sacrifice one has to give away everything he possesses.

572

How did Nahusha incur the anger of rishis?

He made the rishis carry him in a Palanquin. He felt they were slow. -Hence shouting at them he said "Sarpa" (go fast). Hearing this Sage Agastya cursed him "Sarpo Bhava" (be a serpent).

573

Who killed Tarakasura?

Karttikeya.

574

What was the pseudonym assumed by Bhima at the palace of Virata?

Ballava (sometimes referred to as Vallala)

575

How many horses were yoked to Arjuna's chariot?

Four.

576

Who was the founder of the Yadava clan?

Yadu, son of Yayati.

577

Which mountain was the abode of Sage Parashurama?

Mount Mahendra.

578

Who were the three warriors in the Kaurava army who planned an attack on the sleeping Pandavas?

Ashwatthama, Kripacharya and Kritavarma.

579

Who was the consort of Shiva?

Parvati, also known as Shakti (strength). Through this concept it is communicated that the one who has strength alone can be Shiva (good).

580

What did Mt Mainaka tell Hanuman when he was en route to Lanka?

"Your father once helped me. Rest here for a while."

581

In which disguise did Hanuman meet Rama?

In the disguise of a Brahmin.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 553

582

What was the threat Ravana held out to Sita?

"If you do not yield within two months my cook will mince your limbs for my morning meals."

583

On whose shoulders did Rama ride during the battle with Kumbhakama?

Hanuman.

584

In what disguise did Shiva appear before Parvati while she was performing penance?

In the disguise of a hermit.

585

What was the name of the bow of Shiva?

Pinaka.

586

What was the name of Ravana's father?

Vishrava.

587

What role did Trinavarta play in the life of Krishna?

Trinavarta assumed the form of a whirlwind and swooped the baby Krishna off and attempted to kill him.

588

What was the vehicle of Agni?

Male Goat.

589

Who occupied Duryodhana's palace after the battle of Kurukshetra?

Bhima.

590

What is said to be the vehicle of Yama, God of Death?

Buffalo.

591

He was the brother in law of Virata, King of Matsyadesha. He was killed by Bhima because he had molested Draupadi. Who was he?

Kichaka.

592

When devas and asuras were churning the ocean of milk a deva arose from it with a Kamandalu in one hand and a danda in the other. Who was he?

Dhanwantari, who is said to have taught ayurveda to the world.

593

Who was Yayati's father?

Nahusha.

594

Who killed Shikhandi?

Ashwatthama.

595

Who was the guru of Banasura?

Shukracharya.

596

Who was responsible for the origin of the land mass that we now know as Kerala?

Parashurama.

597

In which avatar did Lord Vishnu kill Hiranyakashipu?

Narasimha Avatar.

598

Kripacharya and his sister Kripi were abandoned as children. Who took pity on them and brought them up?

King Shantanu.

599

Who set fire to the camp of the Pandavas?

Kritavarma.

600

Who broke Ganesha's. tusk?

Parashurama.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 554

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 555

Folk Dances of India

No.

Folk Dance

State

1.

Tamasha and Dahi Handi

Maharashtra

2.

Garba and Ras Lila

Gujarat

3.

Chhow and Maya Shavari

Orissa

4.

Jhumar and Kathputli

Rajasthan

5.

Lota Dance

Madhya Pradesh

6.

Dussehra Dance

Himachal Pradesh

7.

Gidda and Bhangra

Punjab

8.

Ras Lila,Nautanki,Ahir and Thali

Uttar Pradesh

9.

Spear Dance

Nagaland

10.

Keli Gopal and Bihu

Assam

11.

Kirthand and Kathi

Bengal

12.

Chhow,Maghe and Durga Dance

Bihar

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 556

India - Govt. Industrial Undertakings

No.

Center

Place

01

Bharat Electronics Ltd.

Jalahali,Bangalore (Karnataka)

02

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.

1. Ranipur,Hardwar(U.P.) 2. Ramchandrapuram,Hyderabad (A.P.) 3. Tiruverumbur,Tiruchirapalli (Tamilnadu) 4. Bhopal (M.P.) 5. Jhansi (Ms.P.)

03

Chittaranjan Locomotive works

Chittaranjan (W.Bengal)

04

Diesel Locomotive Works

Varanasi (U.P.)

05

Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd.

New Delhi

06

Garden Reach Workshops Ltd.

Calcutta (W.Bengal)

07

Heavy Engineering Corporation ltd.

Ranchi (Bihar)

08

Heavy Machine Building Plant

Ranchi (Bihar)

09

Heavy Vehicles Factory

Avadi,Madras (Tamilnadu)

10

Hindustan Aeranautics Ltd.

Bangalore (Karnataka)

11

Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd.

Pimpri,Pune (Maharashtra),Rishikesh (U.P.)

12

Hindustan Aircraft Factory

Bangalore (Karnataka)

13

Hindustan Cables Ltd.

Rupnarainpur (W.Bengal)

14

Hindustan Latex Ltd.

Peroorkada,Trivendrum (Kerala)

15

Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd.

Bangalore (Karnataka),Pinjore(Haryana),Kalamassery (Kerala),Hyderabad (A.P.)

16

Hindustan Salts Ltd.

Jaipur (Rajasthan)

17

Hindustan Shipyards Ltd.

Vishakhapatnam (A.P.),Cochin (Kerala)

18

Hindustan Teleprinters Ltd.

Madras (Tamilnadu)

19

Hindustan Zinc Ltd.

Udaipur (Rajasthan)

20

Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

New Delhi

21

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 557

22

Indian Rare Earths Ltd.

Alwaye (Kerala)

23

Indian Telephone Industries Ltd.

Bangalore (Karnataka)

24

Integral Coach Factory

Madras (Tamilnadu)

25

Mazagaon Dock Ltd.

Mumbai (Maharashtra)

26

Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd.

Neyveli (Tamilnadu)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 558

India - Largest & Highest

No.

Question

Answer

01

Largest Lake

Wulur (Kashmir)

02

Largest Delta

Sunderban Delta

03

Largest Cave Temple

Ellora (Maharashtra)

04

Longest Cantilever Span Bridge

Hawrah Bridge,Calcutta

05

Largest Population State

U.P.

06

Largest State (area)

Madhya Pradesh

07

Largest Corridor

Rameshwaram Temple's Corridor

08

Largest Dome

Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur

09

Largest Mosque

Jumma Masjid,Delhi

10

Highest Peak

Nanda Devi

11

Highest Rainfall

Cherrapunji,Assam

12

Highest Dam

Bhakra Nangal Dam,Punjab

13

Highest Gateway

Buland Darwaza,Fatehpur Sikri

14

Highest Tower

Qutab Minar

15

Highest Waterfalls

Jog Falls (Karnataka)

16

Longest Bridge

Sone,Bihar

17

Highest Award

Bharat Ratna

18

Highest Award for gallantry

Param Vir Chakra

19

Largest Desert

Thar (Rajasthan)

20

Longest Road

Grant Trunk Road

21

Largest Tunnel

Jawahar Tunnel (Bannihal,Kashmir)

22

Longest Dam

Hirakund Dam (Orissa)

23

Largest Railway Platform

Kharagpur Platform

24

Longest Barrage

Sone

25

Tallest Statue

Statue of Gomateswara in Karnataka

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 559

26

Biggest Museum

Indian Museum,Calcutta

27

Tallest T.V. Tower

Tower of Delhi (235 metres)

28

Longest Road Bridge

Nehru Setu on river Sone (3061 metres)

29

Longest River

The Ganges

30

Largest District

Ladakh (J&K)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 560

First And Last Amongst India

No.

First or Last

Name

1.

First Indian Chief Justice of India

Justice H.J.Kania

2.

First Indian Governor of a Province

Lord S.P.Sinha

3.

First President of Indian National Congress

W.C.Banerjee (1885)

4.

First Indian Commander-in-Chief

General K.M. Carippa

5.

First Indian Naval chief

Vice-Admiral R.D.Katari

6.

First Indian Air Chief

Air Marshal S.Mukherjee

7.

First Indian I.C.S.

Satyendra Nath Tagore

8.

First P.M. of India

Jawaharlal Nehru

9.

First Indian who became President of U.N. General Assembly

Vijaya Laxmi Pandit

10.

First Indian who became a Minister in the Union Cabinet

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

11.

First Woman President of the Congress

Dr.Annie Besant

12.

First Indian Judge of High Court

Rama Prasad Roy

13.

First Indian and the last Governor General of India

C.Rajagopalachari

14.

First President of India

Dr.Rajendra Prasad

15.

First Indian Nobel Prize Winner

Rabindranath Tagore

16.

First Indian Member of the Executive Council of Viceroy

Sir S.P.Sinha

17.

First Indian Everest Climber

Tenzing Norgay

18.

First Indian Test Cricket Player

K.S.Ranjitsingh Ji

19.

First Indian Woman Governor

Sarojini Naidu

20.

First Woman Chief Minister of a State

Sucheta Kriplani (U.P.)

21.

First Woman Ambassador of India

Vijayalakshmi Pandit (to soviet Union,1947-49)

22.

Last Viceroy of India

Lord L.Mountbatten

23.

First Indian in Space

Sqn.Ldr.Rakesh Sharma

24.

First Indian Woman to Scale Mount Everest

Bachendri Pal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 561

25.

First Indian Woman Supreme Court Judge

Mrs.Mira Saheb Fathima Beevi

26.

First Field Marshal of India

S.H.F.J. Manekshaw

27.

First Woman P.M. of India

Mrs.Indira Gandhi

28.

First Muslim President of India

Dr.Zakir Hussain

29.

First Sikh President of India

Giani Zail Singh

30.

First Talkie (film with dialogue)

Alam Ara (1931)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 562

India - Misc. Installations,Centres

No. Center Place

01 Archaeological Survey of India,India Museum Colcutta (W.Bengal)

02 Artificial Limb Centre Pune (Maharashtra)

03 National Archives of India New Delhi

04 National Coal Development Corporation Ranchi (Bihar)

05 National Gallery of Modern Art New Delhi

06 National Library Colcutta (W.Bengal)

07 National Museum New Delhi

08 Oil and Natural Gas Commission Dehra Dun (U.P.)

09 Currency Printing Press Nasik (Maharashtra),Calcutta (W.B.) & Hyderabad (A.P.)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 563

Indian Noble Prize Winners

No. Year Name

01 1913 Rabindranath Tagore (Literature)

02 1930 Sir C.V. Raman (Physics)

03 1968 Dr.Hargovind Khorana (Physiology & Medicine)

04 1979 Mother Teresa (Peace)

05 1983 Dr.S.Chandrasekhar (Physics)

06 1998 Dr.Amatya Sen (Economics)

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 564

Indian National Laboratories

No.

Institute

Place

01

Central Drug Research Institute

Lucknow (U.P)

02

Central Fuel Research Institute

Jealgora (Bihar)

03

Central Gas and Ceramic Research Institute

Jadhavpur (West Bengal)

04

Central Mining Research Station

Dhanbad (Bihar)

05

National Environment Engineering Institute

Nagpur (Maharashtra)

06

Indian Institute of Petroleum

Dehra Dun (U.P)

07

National Aeronautical Laboratory

Bangalore (Karnataka)

08

National Botanical Gardens

Lucknow (U.P.)

09

National Chemical Laboratory

Pune (Maharashtra)

10

National Institute of Occanography

Panaji (Goa)

11

National Metallurgical Laboratory

Jamshedpur (Bihar)

12

Structural Engineering Research Centre

Roorkee (U.P.)

13

National Physical Laboratory

New Delhi

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 565

India - Gallantry Awards

PARAM VIR CHAKRA :

It is the highest decoration of valour awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring or prominent act of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy on land,sea or air.

MAHA VIR CHAKRA :

It is the second highest decoration. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air.

VIR CHAKRA :

It is the third in the order of awards for acts of gallantry in the face of the enemy on land,sea or air.

ASHOK CHAKRA :

Awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring act of valour or self-sacrifice on land, at sea or in the air.

KIRTI CHAKRA :

Awarded for conspicuous gallantry.

SHAURYA CHAKRA :

Awarded for an act of gallantry.

PARAM VISHISHT SEWA MEDAL :

Awarded in recognition of distinguished service of the most exceptional order.

ATI VISHISHT SEWA MEDAL :

Awarded in recognition of distinguished service of an exceptional order.

VISHISHT SEWA MEDAL :

Awarded in recognition of distinguished service of a high order.

SENA MEDAL / NAU SENA : MEDAL/VAYU SENA MEDAL

For good work on the field, at sea or in the air.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 566

Important Books & Authors

No.

Books

Authors

01

My experiments with Truth

Mahatma M.K.Gandhi

02

Far from the Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy

03

Geetanjali

Rabindra Nath Tagore

04

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

05

The Merchant of venice

William shakespeare

06

The Moon and Six pense

Somerset Maughan

07

Pilgrim's Progress from this world to that which is to come

John Bunyan

08

A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens

09

Utopia

Sir Thomas Moor

10

Origin of species

charles Darwin

11

David Copperfield

Charles Dickens

12

A passage to India

E.M.Forster

13

Gulliver's Travels

Jonathan Swift

14

Discovery of India

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

15

The Vicar of Wakefield

Oliver Goldsmith

16

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Edward Gibbon

17

The Lady of the Last Minstrel

Sir Walter Scott

18

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

19

Time Machine

H.G. Wells

20

Arthashastra

Kautilya

21

Le Contract Social

Jean Jacques Rousseau

22

Avigyan Sakuntalam

Kalidas

23

Anand Math

Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay

24

Mein Kampf

Adolf Hitler

25

Ain-i-Akbari

Abul Fazal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 567

26

Akbar-Nama

Abul Fazal

27

Shakuntala

Kalidas

28

War and peace

Leo Tolstoy

29

A Dangerous place

D.P. Moynihan

30

Raghuvamsa

Kalidas

31

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

32

Adventures of Tom Saweyer

Mark Twain

33

Agni Veena

Kazi Nasrul Islam

34

Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carrol

35

Ancient Mariner

Coleridge

36

Animal Farm

George Orwell

37

Anna Karenina

Tolstoy

38

Antony and Cleopatra

Shakespeare

39

Arms and the Man

G.B.Shaw

40

Around the World in eighty days

Jules Verne

41

Baburnama

Babur

42

Ben Hur

Lewis Wallace

43

Bhagwat Gita

Ved Vyas

44

Bisarjan

R.N.Tagore

45

Canterbury Tales

Chaucer

46

Chitra

R.N.Tagore

47

Count of Monte Cristo

Alexander Dumas

48

Crime and Punishment

Dostoevsky

49

Das Kapital

Karl Marx

50

Divine Comedy

Dante

51

Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde

Stevenson

52

Don Quixote

Cervantes

53

Dr.Zhivago

Boris Pasternak

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 568

54

For whom the Bell Tolls

Ernest Hemingway

55

Forsyte Saga

John Galsworthy

56

Freedom at Midnight

Dominique Lapierre

57

Gathering Storm

Winston Churchill

58

Geet Govind

Jaya Dev

59

Gora

R.N. Tagore

60

Hamlet

Shakespeare

61

Harsha Charit

Bana Bhatt

62

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo

63

Hungry Stones

R.N.Tagore

64

Illiad

Homer

65

Invisible Man

H.G.Wells

66

Ivanhoe

Walter Scott

67

Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling

68

Kadambari

Bana Bhatt

69

Kidnapped

R.L.Stevenson

70

King Lear

Shakespeare

71

Kumar Sambhav

Kalidas

72

Last Days of Pompeii

Bulwar Lytton

73

Les Miserable

Victor Hugo

74

Life Divine

Shri Aurobindo

75

Mahabharata

Vyas

76

Man and Superman

G.B.Shaw

77

Meghdut

Kalidas

78

Mother

Maxim Gorky

79

Odyssey

Homer

80

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

81

Othello

Shakespeare

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 569

82

Panchatantra

Vishnu Sharma

83

Paradise lost

John Milton

84

Pickwick Papers

Charles Dickens

85

Plague

Albert Camus

86

The Post Office

R.N.Tagore

87

Principia

Issac Newton

88

Ramayana

Valmiki

89

Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

90

Shah Nama

Firdausi

91

Shape of things to come

H.G.Wells

92

Three Musketeers

Alexander Dumas

93

The Tempest

Shakespeare

94

Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain

95

Treasure Island

R.L.Stevenson

96

Ulysses

James Joyce

97

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Mrs.Harriet Stowe

98

Waste Land

T.S.Eliot

99

Nineteen Eighty-four

George Orwell

100

Sunny Days

Sunil Gavaskar

101

Faust

Goethe

102

Arabian Nights

Sir Richard Burton

103

The City of Joy

Dominique Lapierre

104

The One Day Wonders

Sunil Gavaskar

105

Silas Marner

George Eliot

106

Bachelor of Arts

R.K.Narayan

107

China Passage

John Kenneth Galbraith

108

A Suitable Boy

Vikram Seth

109

A Voice For Freedom

Nayantara Saigal

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 570

110

A Week with Gandhi

Louis Fisher

111

A Woman's Life

Guy de Maupassaut

112

Age of Reason

Jean Paul Sartre

113

Asian Drama

Gunnar Myrdal

114

The Bubble

Mulk Raj Anand

115

Ben Hur

Lewis Wallace

116

The Castle

Franz Kalka

117

Chandalika

Rabindra Nath Tagore

118

The Class

Erich Byron

119

The Clown

Heinrich Boll

120

Comedy of Errors

William Shakespeare

121

Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx

122

Confessions

Jean Jacques Rousseau

123

The Court Dancer

Rabindra Nath Tagore

124

Death of a City

Amrita Pritam

125

Decline and Fall of the Roman

Edward Gibbon Empire

126

Essays of Gita

Sir Aurobindo Ghosh

127

French Revolution

Thomas Carlyle

128

Ganadevata

Tara Shankar Bandopadhyaya

129

Glimpses of World History

Jawaharlal Nehru

130

The Godfather

Mario Puzo

131

Grammar of Politics

Harold T.Laski

132

Guide

R.K.Narayan

133

Hindu View of Life

Dr.S.Radha Krishnan

134

Hungry Stones

Rabindra Nath Tagore

135

India Divided

Dr.Rajendra Prasad

136

Jurassik Park

Michael Crichton

137

Kidnapped

Robert Louis Stevenson

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 571

138

Richard Nixon

Leaders

139

Mahatma Gandhi

Romain Rolland

140

The Masters

C.P.Shaw

141

My Truth

Indira Gandhi

142

Old Man and the Sea

Earnest Hemingway

143

The Other Side of Midnight

Sindye Sheldon

144

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

145

Shape of Things to Come

H.G.Wells

146

Sons and Lovers

D.H.Lawrence

147

Treasure Island

R.L.Stevenson

148

Valley of Dolls

Jacqueline Susann

149

Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 572

Golden Words

1.

Positive Pictures come out from negatives developed in the darkroom. So if you find yourself lonely in the dark, understand that - Life is working on a beautiful picture for you.

2.

Life is a Chemistry, just dilute your sorrows, evaporate your worries, filter your mistakes, boil your ego and you will get the Crystals of love. Its True......

3.

All the right things are not possible always & All the possible things are not right always. Be true to both your mind & heart, you'll never go wrong.

4.

Memories sometimes behave in a crazy way....They leave you alone when you are in a crowd.....and when you you are alone they stand along with you like a crowd....

5.

Impossible doesn't mean that it is not possible. It actually means that nobody has done it so far and you are born to break the limits....

6.

2 things can never get defined in whole life - 1 is LOVE coz you never know how deeply sum one loves you and. 2nd is FRIEND coz you never know how deeply they care for you.

7.

The heart suffers a lot not because of "VIOLENCE" of bad people but because of "SILENCE" of dear once.

8.

Working towards success will make you a Master But Working towards Satisfaction Makes you a Legend. Strive for excellence Be a Legend.

9.

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

10.

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.

11.

Good is not good when Better is available and Best is Possible.

12.

"Born with Personality is an accident but dying as a Personality is an achievement."

13.

There is always another chance in life for everything but there is no chance for another life. So enjoy every moment of your life.

14.

The key to HAPPINESS is not that you Never get ANGRY, UPSET, FRUSTRATED, IRRITATED or DEPRESSED. It is how FAST you get out of all that! Be happy always.

15.

We are like Teabags whose true strength comes out when we are put in hot water. So when problems upset you, just think, you must be God's favourite cup of tea.

16.

Changes are the law of life, and challenges are the aim of of the life. We have to challenge the changes not change the challenges. So face the challenges.

17.

Don't say u don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Einstein & Ambanis & TATA. Just they do differently.

18.

Life is just like river. We are moving without end...Nothing stays with us. What remains with us is the memories of some special people who touched us as wave.

19.

A bird sitting on a branch doesn't get frightened by the shaking branch coz the bird trusts not the branch but its own wings....Trust yourself always.

Basic General Knowledge Book Page 573

20.

Trusting in God won't make the mountain smaller, but will make climbing real easy. Don't pray to God for a lighter load but ask him for a stronger back....

21.

"If friendship is your weakest point then you are the strongest person in the world."

22.

Never explain yourself to anyone because, the person who likes you doesn't need it & the person who dislikes you wont believe it.

23.

Relation is when.someone hurts u, you don't hurt back.when someone shouts at u, you don't shout back..but when someone needs you, you always COME BACK.

24.

Everything is possible. Even the word 'Impossible' says "I M POSSIBLE".

25.

"Good Decision comes from Experience. But, Experience comes from Bad Decision."

26.

Anger comes alone But takes away all the good qualities out of us. Silence too comes alone but Brings all Good Qualities into us.

Basic General Knowledge Book PART 1

TAGGED IN:

general knowledge, gk questions, general knowledge questions, general knowledge quiz, gk questions with answers, lucent gk, general knowledge questions with answers, general knowledge 2021, gk questions in english, gk quiz, general awareness, gk questions and answers, general knowledge questions and answers, gk question in hindi, samanya gyan, general knowledge 2020, 100 easy general knowledge questions and answers, gk questions for class 6, general knowledge in hindi, gk questions for class 5, gk questions with answers in english, gk hindi, general knowledge 2019, gk questions with answers in hindi, gk questions 2019, general knowledge by lucent, general knowledge quiz questions, general knowledge quiz with answers, static gk, gk questions for class 4, common general knowledge questions and answers, general awareness questions, general knowledge questions in hindi, gk questions for class 3, gk questions for class 7, gk questions 2021, gk questions for class 1, gk quiz in hindi, gk questions for class 2, gk questions 2020, gk questions for class 1 to 4, top 100 gk questions in hindi, lucent gk in hindi, gk questions in hindi with answers 2020, gk questions for class 8, gk gs, general awareness in hindi, gk questions with answers in tamil, general knowledge questions in english, gk questions and answers in english, gk quiz questions, some gk questions, gk questions in telugu, gk for class 1, gk knowledge, gk questions for class 5 to 7 with answers, gk for class 3, gk ka question, gk general knowledge, gk test, gk for class 2, computer gk, gk online test, general quiz questions, general knowledge questions in tamil, general knowledge in tamil, examveda gk, lucent gk 2020, gk questions mcq, general knowledge questions with answers in hindi, general knowledge questions in kannada, gk quiz online, gk in english, lucent objective general knowledge, gk for class 5, 5 gk questions with answers, basic general knowledge questions, gk questions for class 1 to 8 with answers, gk questions in marathi, science gk questions, gk questions for class 9, easy gk questions, basic gk questions, general quiz, objective general knowledge, gk questions for class 3 with answers, some general knowledge questions, current gk questions, general knowledge questions in marathi, tarun goyal gk, gk mcq, latest gk questions, 100 easy general knowledge questions and answers in english, important gk questions, general knowledge in english, general knowledge questions with answers 2021, science general knowledge questions, gk for class 4, gk bits, basic general knowledge, best gk questions, computer gk questions, general knowledge questions for class 5, gk questions for class 5 with answers, gk questions for class 1 with answers, simple gk questions, gk for class 6, gk quiz for class 5, latest general knowledge, gk for class 1 to 5, general knowledge questions 2021, world gk, general science quiz, 50 gk question in english, latest gk, 50 gk questions and answers in hindi, gk questions class 6, general awareness questions and answers, gk in bengali, gk questions for class 10, general knowledge questions with answers in english, gk questions in kannada, gk questions for class 6 with answers, general awareness for ssc chsl, indiabix gk, gk gs in hindi, gk questions for class 2 with answers, general knowledge mcq, gk questions for class 5 in hindi, 10 gk question, gk gs question, computer general knowledge, gk questions for class 3 in hindi, gk questions for class 4 with answers, general knowledge for class 1, gk quiz in english, samanya gyan gk, general knowledge questions in telugu, most important general knowledge questions in hindi, basic gk, gk quiz for class 6, gk questions for class 8 with answers, gk online test in hindi, general knowledge questions and answers for competitive exams, lucent gk objective, current gk questions in hindi, world gk in hindi, general knowledge questions and answers in english, gk for class 7, top gk questions in hindi, online gk, general knowledge in marathi, gk questions for class 7 with answers, general knowledge current affairs, gk questions in english for class 5, ssc general awareness, world gk questions, general knowledge for class 3, hp gk questions, science general knowledge, ssc gk questions, gk questions in gujarati, hard gk questions, upsc gk questions, gk hindi mein, gk bits in telugu, world general knowledge, gk for class 8, interesting gk questions, maths gk questions, gk gujarati, tamil gk questions, gk exam, ssc cgl general awareness, today gk question, general knowledge for class 5, important gk questions in hindi, general knowledge in bengali, geography gk questions, new gk question, general knowledge questions 2020, gk questions for students, upsc gk, geography gk, general knowledge today, gk questions for class 5 in english, funny gk questions, gk solve, science gk question in hindi, gk general knowledge questions, easy general knowledge questions and answers, gk questions for 5th class, general gk questions, gk in marathi, general knowledge kannada, all gk questions, most important gk questions, general knowledge in gujarati, 5 gk questions, hindi gk questions and answers, general knowledge in telugu, 4th class gk questions, gk questions for 6th class, easy gk questions in english, general knowledge 2018, general knowledge questions and answers in hindi, gk questions for 7th class, gk questions for 2nd class, gk questions for 8th class, 100 general knowledge questions and answers, general knowledge questions kannada, hindi samanya gyan, gk questions for class 6 in english, gk questions on cricket, gk odia, today gk quiz, lucent gk 2022, objective lucent, general knowledge questions telugu, gk questions 2019 in hindi, gk questions 2018, gk on science

Ultimate Guides on Earn Money Online:
How to Get More Surveys on Google Opinion Rewards App? Ultimate Guide
How to Start a Blog to Make Money Online Ultimate Guide
1001 Ways to Make Money Online Home Free Fast No Scams
How to Earn Money Online Writing to Revenue Sharing Websites Ultimate Guide
How to Earn Money Online by PPC Pay Per Click Marketing Ultimate Guide
How to Earn Money Online Fiverr Services Support Ultimate Guide