General Knowledge: Honurs and Awards

Honours and Awards

1. Who among the following was the first to win the Booker Prize?
a) William Golding
b) PH Newby
c) JM Coetzee
d) Peter Carey
2. Which one of the following awards instituted by KK Birla Foundation is given to an individual for outstanding work on Indian philosophy, culture and art?
a) Saraswathy Samman
b) Vyas Samman
c) Shankar Puraskar
d) Kalidas Samman
3. When was the Nobel Prize for literature instituted?
a) 1956
b) 1969
c) 1972
d) 1975
4. Contribution to which field is honoured by Dhanvantari award?
a) Physics
b) space research
c) literature
d) medicine
5. Which of the following is India’s highest honour in the field of literature?
a) Vyas Samman
b) Kalidas Samman
c) Jnanpith Award
d) Saraswathi Samman
6. Which one of the following is India’s highest civilian honour?
a) Bharat Ratna
b) Padma Bhushan
c) Padama Vibhushan
d) Padma Sri
7. Who was the first to win the Nobel Prize for literature?
a) Albert Camus
b) Ernest Hemingway
c) Knut Hamson
d) Rene Sully Prudhome
8. Men from which nation has won the highest number of Nobel Prizes?
a) England
b) France
c) America
d) Italy
9. Which of the following awards is given to the Best Parliamentarian?
a) Gujar Mal Modi Award
b) JB Pant Award
c) Nehru Award
d) none of those
10. When did Amnesty International win the Nobel Prize?
a) 1917
b) 1949
c) 1977
d) 1982
11. Who was the first woman to win the Jnanpith award?
a) Ashapurna Devi
b) Mahasweta Devi
c) Amrita Pritam
d) Sarojini Naidu
12. In terms of Prize money which of the following is the highest literary prize in India?
a) Vyas Samman
b) Saraswathy Samman
c) Jnanpith Award
d) Kalidas Samman
13. Which of the following awards was instituted by the Indian National Congress in its Centenary Year?
a) Gandhi Peace Prize
b) Nehru Award
c) Indira Gandhi award for National Integration
d) Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award
14. Which one of the following awards was instituted by the KK Birla Foundation?
a) Saraswati Samman
b) Kabir Award
c) Kalidas Samman
d) Jnanpith Award
15. When did Red Cross win the Nobel Peace Prize for the first time?
a) 1917
b) 1977
c) 1949
d) 1956
16. The Annual Academy awards are better known as
a) Nobel Prize
b) Magsasay Award
c) Oscar Award
d) None of these
17. Contribution to which field is honoured by the Kalinga award?
a) Science and Technology
b) Literature
c) Peace
d) environmental protection
18. Who among the following has won the Polar Music Award instituted by the Royal Music Academy, Sweden?
a) Sakir Hussein
b) Pundit Ravi Shankar
c) Bismillah Khan
d) Allah Rakha Khan
19. Who was the first foreigner to win the Bharat Ratna?
a) Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
b) Winston Churchill
c) Nelson Madela
d) Benazir Bhutto
20. Which one of the following awards is given for contribution to poetry?
a) Kabir award
b) Kalidas Samman
c) Saraswathy Samman
d) Vyas Samman

Answers

1. PH Newby
   2. Shankar Puraskar
   3. 1969
   4. medicine
   5. Jnanpith Award
   6. Bharat Ratna
   7. Rene Sully Prudhome
   8. America
   9. JB Pant Award
   10. 1977
   11. Ashapurna Devi
   12. Saraswathi Samman
   13. Indira Gandhi award for National Integration
   14. Saraswathi Samman
   15. 1917

16. Oscar Award
17. Science and Technology
18. Pundit Ravi Shankar
19. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
20. Kabir award

General Knowledge: Static GK: Suppliment 4

1.Who is the new chairman of Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation ?

Parthi Bhatol

2.Magsaysay award winner for the year 2006 was…

Arvind Kejariwal  (The Father of RTI Act)

3. Winner of the FIFA World Cup 2006?

Italy

4.Which Day is celebrated as the Farmers day ?

December 23 , birthday of Ch. Charan Singh

5.Which Day is celebrated as the World Earth day ?

April 22

6.Agriculture contributes what percentage to the GDP of India?

At present 17.8% as per the latest economic survey of India.

8.Tehri dam is in which state? 

Uttarakhand

9.Which day is celebrated as Environment day? 

June 5

10.The father of White Revolution in India is

Verghese Kurien

11.What percent of India is dependent on Agriculture? 

13.52% employment provided by agriculture as per latest economic survey of India

12.Which country is the largest producer of Barley? 

Russia as per available 2007 data

13.Which country has the highest stocks of foreign exchanges?  

China

14.The name of the scheme that deals with the woman empowerment? 

Swa Shakti

15.The topmost milk producing country of the world? 

India

16.The full form of SEZ was asked

Special Economic Zone

17.The duration of the present National Population Policy? 

2000-2010

18.What is the basic concept of PURA? 

Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas (PURA)”. PURA(Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) is intended to bring economic strength  to a group  of villages by providing physical, Knowledge and electronic connectivity.

19.Which disease is targeted by the GOI through the immunization programmes on Sundays? 

Polio

20.The outcomes of ‘Pratham Study’? 

The major outcome of this study was that majority of ( 50% of) India’s school children cannot read

21.Which Indian state is running ‘Nari Adalats’?

Vadodara,Gujarat

22.What is BRIC?

BRIC : It is a grouping of Brazil , Russia, India and China

23.Focus Africa is the part of which policy of India? 

It was a part of Export Import Policy /Foreign Trade Policy of India.

24.Mohammed Yunus is associated with which bank?

Grameen Bank

25.What is the profession of Wangari Mathai ? 

Environmentalist.

In 2004 she became the first African woman, and the first environmentalist, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”

26.Maximum nurses migrate from which Indian state to Middle East and gulf countries?

Kerala.

India Trivia: Amazing Facts about India

India Trivia: Amazing Facts

• The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.
  
• The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
  
• The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
  
• The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
  
• Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).
  
• Chess was invented in India.
  
• Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.
  
• The’ place value system’ and the ‘decimal system’ were developed in 100 BC in India.
  
• The first six Mogul Emperor’s of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.
  
• The World’s First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ‘ 80-tonne ‘ piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD)  during the reign of Rajaraja Chola
  
• India is…….the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old).
  
• 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. The game was played with cowries shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
  
• The world’s highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
  
• India has the most post offices in the world !
  
• The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !.  
  
• The World’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
  
• Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
  
• Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest countries till the time of British in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India’s wealth and was looking for route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
  
• The art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh 6000 over years ago. The very word ‘Navigation’ is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Nou’.
  
• Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. His calculations was – Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: ( 5th century ) 365.258756484 days.
  
• The value of “pi” was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, which was long before the European mathematicians.
  
• Algebra, trigonometry and calculus also orignated from India.  Quadratic equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 ( i.e 10 to the power of 53 ) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.  during the Vedic period.  Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12( 10 to the power of 12 ).
  
• Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. ( Source . Gemological Institute of America )
  
• The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
  
• Sushruta is regarded as the father of surgery. Over  2600 years ago Sushrata & his team  conducted complicated surgeries like  cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones and also plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
  
• Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,  physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.  

History of India: Objective Type Questions and Answers: Part 2

1)      What was the type of marriage in the Vedic period in which, in place of the dowry, there was a token bride price of a cow and a bull –
1.                   Asura
2.                   Arsa
3.                   Gantharva
4.                   Rakshsa
Ans:1
2)      In which field of art extraordinary progress was made in the Gupta period?
1                     Architecture
2                     Sculpture
3                     Painting
4                     Coinage
Ans:3
3)      Which one of the following is correctly matched?
1                     Brahmo Samaj – Annie Basant
2                     Arya Samaj – Lala Lajpat Rai
3                     Ram Krishna Mission – Keshab Chandra Sen
4                     Theosophical Society – vivekananda
Ans:2
4)      Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the victories of Babur?
1                     Panipat, Chanderi, Ghaghara and Khanwah
2                     Panipat, Ghaghara, Khanwah and Chanderi
3                     Panipat, Khanwah, Chanderi and Ghaghara
4                     Ghaghara, Panipat, Khanwah and Chanderi
Ans:3
5)      The battle at Waihind in 1008-09 A.D was fought between
1                     Mahmud of Ghazni and Jayapala
2                     Mahmud of Ghazni and Anandapala
3                     Muhammad Ghori and Prithviraj
4                     Muhammad Ghori and Jaichandra
Ans:2
6)      As a prince where was Ashoka sent to suppress the revolt?
1                     Taxila
2                     Kalinga
3                     Ujjain
4                     Deccan
Ans:1
7)      Among the following foreign travellers who was the first to visit India?
1                     Bernier
2                     Ibn Batuta
3                     Abdur Rajjak
4                     Vasco-da-Gama
Ans:2
8)      Against whom Skandagupta had to wage long wars on the North West border?
1                     Shakas
2                     Yavanas
3                     Huns
4                     Greeks
Ans:3
9)      The oldest Veda is
1                     Atharva Veda
2                     Rig Veda
3                     Yajur Veda
4                     Sama Veda
Ans:2
10)   Over Which territory there were frequent clashes between Bahamani Kingdom and Vijaynagar Kingdom?
1                     The Raichur Doab
2                     Warangal
3                     Madurai
4                     Malabar
Ans:1
11)   The Hathigumpha inscription (near Bhubaneshwar, Orissa) relates to the king
1                     Susharma
2                     Hala
3                     Kharavela
4                     Pulamayi
Ans:3
12)   The entry port for trade between the Indus trading centres and Mesopotamia was
1                     Elam
2                     Oman
3                     Behrain
4                     Afganistan
Ans:3
13)   Among the four dynasties listed below, which one minted coins made of lead?
1                     Mauryas
2                     Satvahanas
3                     Western Kshatrapas
4                     Guptas
Ans:2
14)   During whose period Al-Beruni came to India?
1                     Mahmud Ghaznavi
2                     Balban
3                     Firoz Tughluq
4                     Ibrahim Lodhi
Ans:1
15)   Against whom Skandagupta had to wage long wars on the North West border?
1                     Shakas
2                     Yavanas
3                     Huns
4                     Greeks
Ans:3
16)   Where did Aurangzeb die?
1                     Agra
2                     Asirgarh
3                     Daultabad
4                     Ahmadnagar
Ans:4
17)   Ashoka called the Third Buddhist Council at
1                     Pataliputra
2                     Magadha
3                     Kalinga
4                     Sarnath
Ans:2
18)   The main historical source regarding the information about village government under the Cholas is the
1                     Halmidi inscription
2                     Jatwai inscription
3                     Uttaramerur inscription
4                     Chandravallo inscription
Ans:3
19)   What was Sher Shah’s precious legacy to the Mughals?
1                     Organization of Army
2                     Land Revenue System
3                     Mansabdari System
4                     Provincial Administration
Ans:2
20)   Who among the following taught the doctrine of ‘Shunyata’?
1                     Nagarjuna
2                     Shankaracharya
3                     Harisena
4                     Vallabhacharya
Ans:1
21)   Which factor influenced most to eliminate caste-system in India?
1                     Rationalism
2                     Job Opportunities
3                     Legislations
4                     Liberal Education
Ans:1
22)   The earliest tribal assembly was
1                     Gana
2                     Vidhata
3                     Samiti
4                     Sabha
Ans:2
23)   The foreign traveler who visited India during the rule of the Guptas was
1                     Hiuen Tsang
2                     Beriner
3                     Fa-Hein
4                     Manucci
Ans:3
24)   The entry port for trade between the Indus trading centres and Mesopotamia was
1                     Elam
2                     Oman
3                     Behrain
4                     Afganistan
Ans:3
25)   At the earlier stage backward classes movement means?
1                     Santal movement
2                     Non-Brahmin movement
3                     Harijan movement
4                     Antirulers movement
Ans:2
26)   Which of the following dynasties patronised the famous Kailash temple at Ellora?
1                     Vakataka
2                     Gupta
3                     Early Chalukya
4                     Rastrakuta
Ans:4
27)   Which organization had proposed first to constitute the Constitution Assembly to form the Indian Constitution?
1                     Swaraj Party in 1928
2                     Indian National Congress in 1936
3                     Muslim League in 1942
4                     By all parties convention in 1946
Ans:2
28)   During the Indian freedom Struggle, who of the following founded the Parthana Samaj?
1                     Atmaram Pandurang
2                     Gopal Hari Deshmukh
3                     Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
4                     Keshab Chandra Sen
Ans:1
29)   The main historical source regarding the information about village government under the Cholas is the
1                     Halmidi inscription
2                     Jatwai inscription
3                     Uttaramerur inscription
4                     Chandravallo inscription
Ans:3
30)   Among the following who was in chronological order, the last famous ruler of Vijayanagar?
1                     Harihar-II
2                     Devarai-I
3                     Vir Narsingh
4                     Krishna Deva Rai
Ans:4
31)   ‘Ratti’ used by jewellers is obtained from seed of a –
1                     Gymnospermous plant
2                     Angiospermous plant
3                     Algae
4                     Fungi
Ans:2
32)   During the Civil Disobedience Movement, who led the ‘Red Shirts’ of North-Western India?
1                     Abdul Kalam Azad
2                     Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
3                     Mohammad Ali Jinnah
4                     Shaukat Ali
Ans:2
33)   During whose tenure as the Viceroy of India were the great martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru hanged?
1                     Lord Curzon
2                     Lord Irwin
3                     Lord Minto
4                     Lord Chemsford
Ans:2
34)   How did Hiuen Tsang undertake journey from and to India?
1                     He came by land route and also returned by land route
2                     He came by land route but returned by sea route
3                     He came by sea route and returned by land route
4                     He came by sea route and also returned by sea route
Ans:1
35)   Where did Aurangzeb die?
1                     Agra
2                     Asirgarh
3                     Daultabad
4                     Ahmadnagar
Ans:4
36)   Sir Thomas Rose visited the court of
1                     Akbar
2                     Jehangir
3                     Shajahan
4                     Aurangazeeb
Ans:2
37)   Which of the following is wrongly matched
1                     The Pitt’s India Act (1784) : Board of Control to guide and control company’s affairs
2                     Charter Act of 1813 : Company’s monopoly of trade with India ended
3                     Charter Act of 1833 : Company’s debt taken over by the government of India
4                     Charter Act of 1853 : To regulate company’s affairs
Ans:4
38)   Which one of the following battles was fought between babar and the Rajputs in 1527?
1                     The First Battle of Panipat
2                     The Battle of Khanwa
3                     The Battle of Ghagra
4                     The Battle of Chanderi
Ans:2
39)   Which was the only Indus city without a citadel?
1                     Kalibangan
2                     Harappa
3                     Mohenjodaro
4                     Chanhudraro
Ans:2
40)   Even though India became independent in 1947 but Daman and Diu remained a European colony till 1961. Which country ruled over it ?
1                     France
2                     Britain
3                     Netherlands
4                     Portugal
Ans:4

History of India: Objective Type Questions and Answers: Part 1

1.      1.  As a prince where was Ashoka sent to suppress the revolt?
1                     Taxila
2                     Kalinga
3                     Ujjain
4                     Deccan
Ans:1
2.  Which one of the following travelers is not associated with the description of the glories of Vijayanagar kingdom?
1                     Paes
2                     Abdul Razzaq
3                     Ibn Batutach
4                     Nuniz
Ans:3
3. What was Sher Shah’s precious legacy to the Mughals?
1                     Organization of Army
2                     Land Revenue System
3                     Mansabdari System
4                     Provincial Administration
Ans:2
3.       The main emphasis of Upnishads is on which aspect of philosophy?
1                     Bhakti
2                     Gyan
3                     Karma
4                     Tapa
Ans:2
4.       Panini, the first Grammarian of Sanskrit language in India, lived during the:
1                     2nd Century B. C.
2                     6th -5th Century B. C.
3                     2nd Century A. D.
4                     5th-6th Century A. D.
Ans:2
5.       With reference to the Indian Freedom Struggle, which one of the following events occurred earliest?
1                     Surat Split
2                     Lucknow Pact
3                     Rowlatt Satyagraha
4                     Communal Award
Ans:1
6.       What was the most important gainto Ahmad Shah Abdali as a result of the Third Battle of Panipat?
1                     Control over Delhi
2                     Enormous wealth
3                     Control over Punjab
4                     Opportunity to expand his empire in India
Ans:2
7.       The scholar who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in India was
1                     Ibn Batuta
2                     Al-Beruni
3                     Al-Firdausi
4                     Al-Razi
Ans:2
8.       The father of Asoka was:
1                     Bimbisara
2                     Bindusara
3                     Mahendra
4                     Namda
Ans:2
9.       Azad Hind Fauj was founded in 1943 in
1                     Mandalay
2                     Singapore
3                     Midnapore
4                     Kuala Lumpur
Ans:2
10.   The main emphasis of Upnishads is on which aspect of philosophy?
1                     Bhakti
2                     Gyan
3                     Karma
4                     Tapa
Ans:2
11.   Who was the founder of Vijaynagar kingdom?
1                     Harihar and Bukka
2                     Krishna Dev Roy
3                     Narsingha
4                     Devroy
Ans:1
12.   Among the four dynasties listed below, which one minted coins made of lead?
1                     Mauryas
2                     Satvahanas
3                     Western Kshatrapas
4                     Guptas
Ans:2
13.   Which of the following is associated with Lord Wellesley, the Governor General of India from 1798 to 1805?
1                     Doctrine of Lapse
2                     Subsidiary Alliance
3                     First Mysore War
4                     Conquest of Rajputana
Ans:2
14.   With reference to the Indian Freedom Struggle, which one of the following events occurred earliest?
1                     Surat Split
2                     Lucknow Pact
3                     Rowlatt Satyagraha
4                     Communal Award
Ans:1
15.   Which factor influenced Ghandhi’s ideas on Indian Culture most?
1                     Brief in the fundamentals of ancient culture.
2                     Influenced by western ideas
3                     ‘Sermon on the Mount’
4                     Tolstoy’s idea
Ans:1
16.   The most important divinity in the Rig Veda is
1                     Agni
2                     Marut
3                     Varuna
4                     Indra
Ans:3
17.   Alexander’s general who attacked India and was defeated by Chadragupta Maurya was
1                     Ptolemy
2                     Seleucus
3                     Nearchus
4                     Arrian
Ans:2
18.   The foreign traveler who visited India during the rule of the Guptas was
1                     Hiuen Tsang
2                     Beriner
3                     Fa-Hein
4                     Manucci
Ans:3
19.   Which of the following factors was most important for the rapid development of trade in pre-Gupta period?
1                     Needs of the Roman Empire
2                     Success of the banking system
3                     Better system of coinage
4                     Encouragement from the Kings
Ans:1
20.   In the year 1946, who among the following joined the Viceroy’s Executive Council with the finance portfolio?
1                     Mohammad Ali Jinnah
2                     Liaqat Ali Khan
3                     Nawab Salimullah
4                     Shaukat Ali
Ans:2
21.   The battle that was fought between Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas in 1761 was
1                     2nd battle of Panipat
2                     1st battle of Panipat
3                     3rd battle of Panipat
4                     the battle of Tarain
Ans:3
22.   Which one of the following is correctly matched?
1                     Second Battle of Panipat – Akbar and Ibrahim Lodi
2                     Battle of Khanwa – Akbar and Rana Sanga
3                     Battle of Chausa – Humayun and Sher Shah
4                     First battle of Tarian – Mahmud Ghaznavi and Prithviraj Chauhan
Ans:3
23.   Why was the Swaraj Party established?
1                     To co-operate with Government
2                     To place obstacles in the functioning of the legislative council
3                     To form an organization parallel to the Congress
4                     Because of schism in the Congress
Ans:2
24.   Identify the famous ruler of the Gupta period
1                     Kumaradevi
2                     Rajyashri
3                     Kuber-Naga
4                     Prabhavati-Gupta
Ans:4
25.   ‘Tipu Sultan’ had his capital at
1                     Srirangapatnam
2                     Mysore
3                     Bangalore
4                     Bhagyanagar
Ans:1
26.   Among the following foreign travellers who was the first to visit India?
1                     Bernier
2                     Ibn Batuta
3                     Abdur Rajjak
4                     Vasco-da-Gama
Ans:2
27.   In ancient peninsular India, who among the following assumed the title ‘Vatapikonda’?
1                     Mayurasharman
2                     Narasimhavarman
3                     Pulakesi II
4                     Vikramaditya II
Ans:2
28.   Chandragupta Maurya built the first great empire in India with the help of
1                     Mahapadmananda
2                     Bindusara
3                     Seleucus
4                     Kautilya
Ans:4
29.   Which ruler went to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism
1                     Ashoka
2                     Samudragupta
3                     Sanghamitra
4                     Chitragupta
Ans:3
30.   The Temples at Khajuraho were build by –
1                     Chandelas
2                     Pallavas
3                     Chalukyas
4                     Qutubuddin
Ans:1
31.   Which among the following was defeated by Ahmad Shah Abdali in the 3rd battle of Panipat
1                     Sawai Jai Singh
2                     Badam Singh
3                     Suraj Mal
4                     Guru Govind Singh
Ans:3
32.   During the Civil Disobedience Movement, who led the ‘Red Shirts’ of North-Western India?
1                     Abdul Kalam Azad
2                     Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
3                     Mohammad Ali Jinnah
4                     Shaukat Ali
Ans:2
33.   Which among the following dynasties had the strongest navy?
1                     Chalukya
2                     Chola
3                     Gupta
4                     Pallava
Ans:2
34. Which one of the following travelers is not associated with the description of the glories of Vijayanagar kingdom?
1                     Paes
2                     Abdul Razzaq
3                     Ibn Batutach
4                     Nuniz
Ans:3
35.   Put in correct chronological sequence, the successors of Shivaji 1.Sahu 2.Shivaji 3.Rajaram 4.Sambhaji 5.Ram Raja
1                     4, 3, 2, 1, 5
2                     2, 1, 5, 3, 4
3                     5, 4, 2, 1, 3
4                     1, 2, 3, 5, 4
Ans:1

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From the radio world

Longest-running programme 
Asia’s longest and the world’s second longest radio programme Cibaca Geetmala (earlier known as Binaca Geetamala), anchored by Ameen Sayani was broadcast continuously for 43 years from November 1951 till April 1994. Produced in India, it was broadcast from Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Radio Ceylon for almost 40 years and subsequently continued on Vivid Bharati, All India Radio.
Radio, roses and a celebration! 
To celebrate the Taj Mahal’s entry into the new list of the Seven Wonders of the World and thank the people of Bangalore for voting so loyally, a 10ft high and 18 ft wide model of the Taj Mahal using 60,000 red roses was made under the aegis of Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM and Kasturi Floritech, a rose cultivation company in Bangalore. Roses after all are a symbol of love, just like the Taj is!

The Mirchi Taj was showcased during the Independence Day Flower Show between August 8 16, 2007 at Lalbagh Botanical Garden. Actually, until August 14,59,999 roses were used and the last red rose was put on the Taj on the 15th, to mark the 60th anniversary of the country’s Independence.
First private FM radio station 
Radio City FM 91 (now 91.1), a 24-hour entertainment station set up by the Music Broadcast Private Limited was launched on July 3, 2001 at Bangalore as India’s first private radio
station.
First private FM channel 
Times FM, the private FM music channel was launched by the Times of India Group in 1993. Broadcast on the AIR FM slot, it was shut down in June 1998. On Oct 4,2001 it was relaunched as Radio Mirchi in Indore by Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Times Group.
Most letters about a radio programme 
Aravind Nilkanth Navare of Pune, Maharashtra has been writing a postcard to his son Ajit Aravind Navare in Mumbai every day about Chintan, a programme that broadcasts on All India Radio (Pune Centre) every day. The first letter was written on March 30,2001. Aravind had completed 2,144 letters as of July 31,2007.
First radio quiz for schools 
Cadbury India Limited’s Bournvita Quiz Contest started as a radio programme on the Vivid Bharati Channel of All India Radio on April 12, 1972. Hamid Sayani anchored the show. In the late 70s, Hamid’s brother Ameen Sayani took over as the quizmaster. The show was taken off the air in 1984, revived in 1990 and ran till 1992.
WR: Longest-running school quiz 
Bournvita Quiz Contest which started as a quiz on radio in 1972 changed its presentation format in 1993. Quizzes were conducted live in schools in six metropolitan cities. In 1994, it became a weekly televised show anchored by Derek O’Brien and continuously ran on Zee TV till 2001 after which it shifted to Sony. It is Asia’s largest Quiz with the most episodes reaching out to students through Derek O’Brien Associates to six other Asian countries besides India.
First musician to endorse radio channel 
AR Rahman, music director and composer signed on as the national brand ambassador of WoridSpace Satelitte Radio as of April, 2006. He composed and produced an exclusive WorldSpace song.
First chat-cum-live band show on radio 
FM Rainbow, Goa organised a 12-episode radio series, Idea Nite of the Fortnight, a chat-cum-live band show between Oct 15, 2004 and April 1, 2005. Bands could only play original compositions. The first episode featured the band Alcatrazz and the last episode had the band Forefront playing. The programme staged at AIR’s auditorium at Panjim, Goa, was conceived, devised, hosted and produced by RJs Savio de Noronha and Bambino. Idea Cellular limited was the official sponsor of the show.

India at a Glance: Government

GOVERNMENT

Information about Indian Government
Particulars	Description
Country Name	Republic of India; Bharat Ganrajya
Government Type	Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government.
Capital	New Delhi
Administrative Divisions	28 States and 7 Union Territories.
Independence	15th August 1947 (From the British Colonial Rule)
Constitution	The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950.
Legal System	The Constitution of India is the fountain source of the legal system in the Country.
Executive Branch	The President of India is the Head of the State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government, and runs office with the support of the Council of Ministers who form the Cabinet Ministry.
Legislative Branch	The Indian Legislature comprises of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) forming both the Houses of the Parliament.
Judicial Branch	The Supreme Court of India is the apex body of the Indian legal system, followed by other High Courts and subordinate Courts.
Flag Description	The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. At the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel, which is a representation of the Ashoka Chakra at Sarnath.
National Days	26th January (Republic Day) 15th August (Independence Day) 2nd October (Gandhi Jayanti; Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday)

India at a Glance: People

PEOPLE

Information about Indian Citizens
Particulars	Description
Population	India’s population, as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million females).
Population Growth Rate	The average annual exponential growth rate stands at 1.93 per cent during 1991-2001.
Birth Rate	The Crude Birth rate according to the 2001 census is 24.8
Death Rate	The Crude Death rate according to the 2001 census is 8.9
Life Expectancy Rate	63.9 years (Males); 66.9 years (Females) (As of Sep 2005)
Sex Ratio	933 according to the 2001 census
Nationality	Indian
Ethnic Groups	All the five major racial types – Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid, Caucasian, and Negroid find representation among the people of India.
Religions	According to the 2001 census, out of the total population of 1.028 million in the Country, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5%, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and others.
Languages	There are 22 National Languages have been recognized by the Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the Official Union Language. Besides these, there are 844 different dialects that are practiced in various parts of the Country.
Literacy	According to the provisional results of the 2001 census, the literacy rate in the Country stands at 64.84 per cent, 75.26% for males and 53.67% for females.

India at a Glance: Geography

India at a Glance

BACKGROUND

India is one of the oldest civilisations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage. It has achieved all-round socio-economic progress during the last 60 years of its Independence. India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production and is now the tenth industrialised country in the world and the sixth nation to have gone into outer space to conquer nature for the benefit of the people. It covers an area of 32,87,2631 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the 7^th largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.

Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends between latitudes 8° 4′ and 37° 6′ north, longitudes 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.

Geographical information about India
Particulars	Description
Location	The Indian peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The Country is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south.
Geographic Coordinates	Lying entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, the Country extends between 8° 4′ and 37° 6′ latitudes north of the Equator, and 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ longitudes east of it.
Indian Standard Time	GMT + 05:30
Area	3.3 Million sq. km
Telephone Country Code	+91
Border Countries	Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north; Myanmar to the east; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Coastline	7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Climate	The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters. There are four seasons:           i.            winter (December-February)          ii.            summer (March-June)         iii.            south-west monsoon season (June-September)        iv.            post monsoon season (October-November)
Terrain	The mainland comprises of four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, and the southern peninsula.
Natural Resources	Coal, iron ore, manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite, limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite, fluorite, etc.
Natural Hazards	Monsoon floods, flash floods, earthquakes, droughts, and landslides.
Environment – Current Issues	Air pollution control, energy conservation, solid waste management, oil and gas conservation, forest conservation, etc.
Environment – International Agreements	Rio Declaration on environment and development, Cartagena Protocol on biosafety, Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on climatic change, World Trade Agreement, Helsinki Protocol to LRTAP on the reduction of sulphur emissions of nitrogen oxides or their transboundary fluxes (Nox Protocol), and Geneva Protocol to LRTAP concerning the control of emissions of volatile organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes (VOCs Protocol).
Geography – Note	India occupies a major portion of the south Asian subcontinent.

India-Firsts in judiciary

First women judge of Supreme Court

Meera Sahib Fatima Beevi was appointed judge of the Supreme Court in Oct 1989, the second woman in the world after Sandra Day O’Connor of the US to be appointed to his high office.
First HC judge
Shambhunath Pandit domiciled in Kolkata, was appointed judge at Kolkata on Feb 2, 1863. His tenure lasted till 1867.
First woman CJ (HC) 
Justice Leila Seth, Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, was appointed Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh on August 5, 1991 and retired in 1993.
Youngest judge 
Prasanta Behari Mukherjee (b July 30, 1910) was appointed a judge of the Calcutta High Court on Dec 24, 1948 when he was only 38 years. He served the High Court for 24 years and seven months.
Shortest term as CJ 
Justice Rajendranath Aggarwal of the Delhi High Court held office as Chief Justice between August 16-21, 1987.
First mobile court 
In a move to make judicial system accessible to remote and backward areas a mobile court was inaugurated in the Mewat district of Haryana on August 4, 2007. Set up in a bus, the mobile court moves from one place to another according to a well-prepared plan and schedule. Court sits fours days in a week at four different locations — Punhana, Shikrawa, Indana, Lohinga Kalan — and on two days, functions as a regular court at Ferozepur Jhirka. The concept is said to be a brainchild of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
Delayed justice 
The country’s 21 High Courts had over 30 lakh cases and the subordinate courts across the country had over 2.63 crore cases pending with them by the end of 2006! About 2.5 lakh undertrials, whose guilt or innocence was yet to be ascertained, were languishing in various jails. Of these, 2,069 have spent more than five years in jail.

Allahabad High Court had 10,93,174 cases including 2,16,808 criminal and 8,76,366 civil cases pending as on Sept 30, 2006. The Madras High Court with 4,06,958 cases including 33,985 criminal and 3,72,973 civil cases, was the distant second, followed by the Bombay High Court with 3,62,949 pending cases.
Among the subordinate courts in various states, Uttar Pradesh was loaded with 46 lakh pending cases, followed by Maharashtra (41 lakh) and Gujarat (39 lakh).

The highest number of under trials in the country (15,784) was in Maharashtra, followed by Madhya Pradesh (15,777).

In the number of undertrials kept in jail for more than five years, Bihar topped with 628, followed by Delhi (344) and Punjab (334). Positively, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Tripura had no prisoners waiting for trail for five years.
High Courts (HC) of India 
There are 21 High Courts for 28 states, six union territories (UTs) and the National Capital Territory, with some serving more than one state or UT – the High Court of the Union Territory of Chandigarh also serves Punjab and Haryana, and the High Court in Guwahati serves Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. The High Courts are institutionally independent of state legislatures and executives.

• Currently, the total strength of HCs is 749, with Allahabad High Court leading with 95 judges.
• There were a total of 33,68,621 pending cases in the country’s HCs, of which Allahabad HC alone accounted for 6,97,995.