Basic General Knowledge Questions

1. The early belief that living things arose
from non-living matter was first disproved
by
(a) A. I. Oparin
(b) Joseph Hooker
(c) Robert Hooke
(d) Louis Pasteur
ANSWER.d
3. In the world production of natural rubber, India ranks
(a) second
(b) third
(c) fourth
(d) fifth
ANSWER.c
4. The principal action of the enterokinase present in the human intestinal juice is to
(a) hydrclyse casein into paracasein
(b) act at the terminal peptide bond of peptide chain to release the last amino acid
(c) convert pro-carboxypeptidase to
carboxypeptidase
(d) activate the typsinogen of the pancreatic juice
ANSWER.d
6. Match List I (Gas) with List II (Main
chemical composition) and select the corret answer using the codes given below the
Lists :
List I List II
A. Water gas 1. CH4
B. Producer gas 2. CO+H2
C. Coal gas 3, H2+CH4+CO
D. Gobar gas 4. CO+N2
Codes .•
(a)ABCD
4 2 l 3
(b)ABCD
2 4 3 l
(c) A B C D
4 2 3 1
(d) A B C D
2 4 I 3
ANSWER.d
7. Which one of the following plant hor»
mones can retard the ageing of plant organs
by controlling protein synthesis ?
(a) Abscisic acid
(b) Auxin
(c) Cytokinin
(d) Gibberellin
ANSWER.d
8. Consider the following statements :
The arrival`of Babur into the Indian sub-
continent led to the
l. introduction of gunpowder in the sub»
continent
2. introductionof the arch and dome in the
region’s architecture
3. establishment of a Timurid dynasty in
the region
Which of these statements is/are correct 7
(a) l only
(b) l and 2
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only
ANSWER.d
9. Which one of the following characteristics is NOT found in the convectional rainfall?
(a) Drizzling
(h) Lightning and thunder
(C) Torrential rain
(d) Afternoon rain
ANSWER.a
10. Consider the following statements re-
garding Indian polity :
1. In India, a Stateicannot have more than
500 members in its Legislative Assem~
bly
2. The Legislative Council of a State in
India cannot be larger in size than half
of the Legislative Assembly of that par-
ticular State
3. To be a member of State Legislative
Assembly, a citizen must not be less
than 25 yeas of age
4. The Governor of a State nominates the
Chairman for Legislative Council of
that particular State.
Which of these statements are correct
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(h) 2, 3 and 4
(c) l,2and4
(d) 1and3
ANSWER.d
11. In medieval India, during the reign of
Shivaji, the role of the official called
‘Chitnis’ was to
(a) be the in-charge of king’s personal
security guard
(b) be the in-charge of intelligence / espionage activity
(c) be the master of ceremonies in the royal court
(d) be assisting the king with his correspondence
ANSWER.a
12. Consider die following statements regarding different types of animals :
1. Cnidarians are acoelomate
2. All spunges (Porifera) are marine
3. Flatowarms (Platyhclminthes) can rc-
produce asexually
4. In arthropods, fertilization is always
internal
Which of these: statements is/are correct
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 2 and 4
ANSWER.d
14. Bodies in the sky which are much
smaller than the planets but are having orbits between the Mars and Jupiter are known as
(a) Asteroids
(b) Comets
(c) Meteors
(d) Meteorites
ANSWER.a
15. Which one of the following is the largest country area wise
(a) Argentina
(b) India
(c) Kazakhstan
(d)‘ Sudan
ANSWER.b
16. Consider the following countries
1. Indonesia 2. Malaysia
3. Philippines 4. Thailand
In which of these countries the President
was impeached recently?
(a) l only
(b) 2 and 4
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2, 3 and 4
ANSWER.a
17 . In a type of inflorescence, a cup shaped
involucres encloses a single female flower in
the centre and at number of male flowers
around this on short stalks. This type is
called ,
(a) Capitulum
(b) Cyathium
(c) Hypanthodium
(d) Verticillaster
ANSWER.b
18. ‘Annapurna’ Scheme launched by the
Government of India from April 2000 was
meant to provide food security to the
(a) rural poor living below the poverty line
(b) urban slum dwellers living below the
poverty line
(c) senior citizens not covered under
National Old Age Pension Scheme
(d) victims of natural calamities who are
forced to migrate to other areas
ANSWER.c
19. Mughal dynasty was to Bahadur Shah
Zafar as Lodi dynasty was to
(a) Bahlol Lodi
(b) Daulat Khan`Lodi
(c) Ibrahim Lodi
(d) Sikandar Lodi
ANSWER.c
20. Consider the following statements re-
garding human nutrition :
1. Spinach is a good source of vitamin A
2. Excess vitamin D in diet promotes high
calcium absorption
3. One of tl1e causes of pain in the joints
is vitamin C deficiency
4. Diarrhoea is one of the symptoms of
Pellagra
Which of these statement are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1, 3 and 4
(c) 2,3and4
(d) 1,2,3and4
ANSWER.a
21. When a Bill is referred to a joint sit-
ting of both the Houses of Indian Parliament,
it has to be passed by
(a) a simple majority of members present
and voting
(b) three-fourths majority of members
present and voting
(c) two—thirds majority of the Houses
(d) absolute majority of the total member•
ship of the Houses
ANSWER.a
22. Two bodies A and B are of same mass,
and same amount of heat is given to both of
them. If the temperature of A increases more
than that of B because of heat addition, then
(a) the specific heat capacity of A is more
than that of B
(b) the specific heat capacity of A is less
than that of B
(c) both A and B have the same specific
heat capacity but A has greater thermal conductivity
(d) both A and B have the same specific
heat capacity but B has greater thermal conductivity
ANSWER.b
23. Benzene reacts with chlorine in the
presence of an iron catalyst to produce
(a) benzene hexachloride
(b) benzyl chloride
(c) chloribenzene `
(d) benzoyl chloride
ANSWER.c
24. Yoweri Museveni is the President of
(a) Uganda
(b) Namibia
(c) Kenya
(d) Botswana
ANSWER.a
25. With reference to the colonial period
of India, the trade monopoly of the East India
Company was ended ly
(a) the Regulatory Act of 1773
(b). Pitt’s India Act of 1784 _
(c) the Charter Act of 1813 I
(d) the Charter Act of 1833
ANSWER.c
26. With reference to human body, which
one of the following statements is correct 7
(a) Lipases are insoluble in water
(b) Trypsin acts best in an acidic pH
(c) Pepsin action is enhanced in the duode•
num by the alkalinity
(d) Bile salts are steroids
ANSWER.d
27. A solid sphere, a disc and a ring of the
same mass and radius are allowed to roll
down a frictionless inclined plane simulta-
neously from the same height. In this con-
text, which one of the following statements
is correct ?
(a) The disc ruches down first
(b) The sphere reaches down first
(c) The ring reaches down first
(d) All of them reach down simultaneously
ANSWER.b
28. Consider the following substances :
l. Ascorbicacid
2. Folic acid
3. Nicotinic acid
4. Pantothenic acid
Which of these are vitamins ?
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1,2and4
(d) 1and3
ANSWER.c
29. Anita’s mathematics test had 75 problems, i.e., l0 arithmetic, 30 algebra and 35 geometry problems. Although she answered
70% of the arithmetic, 40% of the algebra and 60% of the geometry problems correctly she did riot pass the test because she got
less than 60% of the problems right. The number of more questions she would have needed to answer correctly to earn a 60% passing grade is
(a) 1
(b) 5
(c) 7
(d) 9
ANSWER.b
30. Which one of the following organisms is a fungus
(a) Staphylococcus
(b) Salmonella
(c) Clostridium
(d) Aspergillus
ANSWER.d
31 . Which one of the following human hor-
mones contains iodine ?
(a) Adrenalin
(b) Progesterone
(c) Oxytocin
(d) Thyroxin
ANSWER.d
32. Which one of the following is the semi-
dwarf high-yielding variety of Basmati rice
developed by India
(a) Sindhu
(b) Rathna
(c) Malika
(d) Kasturi
ANSWER.d
33. Consider the following statements with
reference to India :
1. India is the largest consumer of sugar
in the world
2. The issue price of sugar under PDS ms
raised to Rs .13 per kg in the Union
Budget 2000-2001
3. Uttar Pradesh contributes half of the
country`s sugar output
Which of these statements is/are correct
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 only
(d) 2 and 3
ANSWER.c
34. When two ice cubes are pressed together, they join to form one cube. Which one of the following helps to hold them together
(a) Hydrogen bond formation
(b) Van der Waal forces
(c) Covalent attraction
(d) Dipole interaction
ANSWER.a
36. Consider the following incidents with
reference to the Civil Dsobedience Move-
ment during Indian freedom struggle :
1. Chittagong armoury raid
2. Refusal of a platoon of Garhwal regi-
ment to open fire on a batch of Khudai
Khidmatgars
3. Strike of textile workers in Sholapur
involving attacks on government buildings
4. Increase in the number of Muslim participants in it in all provinces
Which of these incidents caused alarm
among the British rulers ?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1and4
(d) 1,2,3and4
ANSWER.b
37. A DC voltmeter is capable of measuring a maximum of 300 volts. If it is used to measure the voltage across a device operating at 220-volt AC supply, the reading of the voltmeter will be
(a) 300 volts
(b) 220 volts
(c) 110 volts
(d) 0 volt
ANSWER.d
38. When it is 12:00 noon in India, the
time in San Franciso (USA) would be close
to
(a) 11:30 p.m.
(b) 11:30 p.m. of previous day ’
(c) 8:30 p.m.
(d) 3:30 p.m. of previous day
ANSWER.b
39. The tax revenue as a percentage of
Gross ‘Iax Revenue is highest from
(a) Income Tax
(b) Corporation Tax
(c) Customs Duty
(d) Excise Duty
ANSWER.d
40. A person sitting in an open car moving
at constant velocity throws a ball vertically
upwards in air. If effect of air resistance is
neglected, the ball will fall
(a) exactly in the hands of the person
(b) outside the car
(c) in the car behind the person
(d) in the car ahead of the person
ANSWER.a
41. The escape velocity of an object from
the surface of the earth is 11.6 km/s. If the
mass’ of the earth is increased four times,
the resultant escape velocity would be
(a) (11.6 x 1/2) km/s
(b) 11.6 km/s
(c) (11,6 X 2) km/s
(d) (11.6 x 4) km/s
ANSWER.c
42. Match List I (Process of chemical
weathering of rock) with List II (Description) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists :
List I List II `
A. Carbonation 1. Decomposition of materials containing lime,
potassium, etc.
B. Hydration 2. Minerals in rocks rust
C. Hydrolysis 3. Cause of additional stress in the rock
D. Oxidation 4. Decomposition of feldspars present in
many igneous rocks
Codes :
(a)ABCD
1 3 4 2
(b)ABCD
4 2 1 3
(c)ABCD
1 2 4 3
(d)ABCD
4 3 1 2
ANSWER.b
43. Which one of the following chambers
of human heart receives the deoxygenated
blood from the body
(a) Left Atrium
(b) Right Atrium
(c) Left Ventricle
(d) Right Ventricle
ANSWER.b
44. Gamma rays have
(a) zero mass and no charge
(b) zero mass and positive charge
(c) unit mass and zero charge
(d) unit mass and negative charge
ANSWER.a
45. With reference to the taxes in India
during the year 2000-2001, which one of
the following statements is correct 7
(a) Domestic companies had to pay tax surcharge at the rate of 15 percent
(b) Tax rebate of Rs 10,000 had been introduced for the women tax-payers
below 65 years of age
(c) Tax rebate for senior citizens had been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000
(d) Non-agricultural income of farmhouses was made taxable
ANSWER.d
46. Which one of the following barrages
suplies water to the Indira Gandhi Canal ?
(a) Bhakra
(b) Harika
(c) Narora
(d) Pandoh
ANSWER.a
47. In India, the Comptroller-General of
Accounts presents a detailed analytical re•
view of Union Government Accounts to the
Finance Minister every
(a) year
(b) six months
(c) three months
(d) month
ANSWER.a
48. Which one of the following is NUT an
area of seismic activity ?
(a) Circum-Atlantic Ocean
(b) Circum-Pacific Ocean
(c) Circum-Indian
(d) Mid-Atlantic Ocean
ANSWER.c
49. Which one of the following statements
is correct ?
(a) Fishes eat only animal matter
(b) Heart is three-chambered in tadpoles
(c) All fishes have swim bladders
(d) Tadpoles have gills
ANSWER.d
50. Consider the following regarding the
defeat of Marathas in the third battle of
Panipat :
1. . Tacticalerrors by Sadashiv Rao Bhao
2. Superior generalship of Ahmad Shah Ahdali
3. Presence of a large number of non combatants in the Maratha army
4. Treachery of a commander, Ibrahim Kiran Gardi, of the Maratha army
Which of these were the causes of the defeat of Marathas
(a) l, 2 and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1and4
(d) l,2,3and4
ANSWER.a