SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT SOLAR SYSTEM

Biggest Planet Jupiter Smallest Planet Mercury Nearest Planet to Sun Mercury Farthest Planet from Sun Neptune Nearest Planet to Earth Venus Brightest Planet Venus Hottest Planet Venus Coldest Planet Neptune Red Planet Mars Biggest Satellite Ganymede Smallest Satellite Deimos Blue Planet Earth Morning Star Venus Evening Star Venus Planet with a Red Spot Jupiter Brightest Planet outside Solar System Sirius (Dog Star) Closest Star of Solar System Proxima Centauri Fastest Rotation in Solar System Jupiter Slowest Rotations in Solar System Venus Fastest revolution in Solar System Mercury Slowest revolution in Solar System Neptune

Major Rivers of the World

River	Origin	Falls in	Length (Km.)
Nile	Victoria lake	Mediterranean Sea	6,650
Amazon	Andes (Peru)	Atlantic  Ocean	6,428
Mississippi Missouri	Itasca lake (USA)	Gulf of Mexico (USA)	6,020
Yangtze	Tibetan Kin Plateau	China Sea	5,494
Ob	Altai Mts., Russia	Gulf of Ob	5,410
Huang Ho	Kunlun Mts.	Gulf of Chibli	4,344
Yenisei	Tannu-Ola Mts.	Arctic Ocean	3,804
Conga	Lualaba & Luapula rivers	Atlantic Ocean	3,700
Niger	Guinea	Gulf of Guinea	4,180
Mekong	Tibetan highlands	South China sea	4,180
Volga	Voldai Plateau, Russia	Caspian Sea	3,690
St. Lawrence	Lake Ontario	Gulf of St. Lawrence	3,058
Brahmaputra	Lake Mansarovar	Bay of Bengal	2,900
Indus	Near lake Mansarovar	Arabian sea	2,880

International Organisations and Groups

The Common Wealth	It was originally known as ‘The British Commonwealth of Nations’. It is an association of sovereign and independent states which formally made up the British Empire. Headquarters: London. Members: 53 The British Monarch (Queen Elizabeth II) is the symbolic head of the commonwealth. Commonwealth heads of government meet (CHOGM) is held in every 2 years.
Arab League	Established: March 22, 1945. Objective: To promote economic, social, political and military cooperation. Members: 22 Headquarters: Cairo
Asia Public Economic Corporation (APEC)	Established: Nov, 1989 Objective: To promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin. Members: 21
Asian Development Bank (ADB)	Established: Dec. 19, 1966 Objective: To promote regional economic cooperation. Members: 59 Headquarters: Manila
Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)	Established: Aug. 8, 1967 Objective: Regional, economic, social and cultural cooperation among the non-communist countries of South-East Asia. Members: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia. Headquarters: Djakarta.
Common Wealth of Independent States (CIS)	Established: Dec. 8, 1991 Objective: To coordinate inter-common wealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution on the USSR. Members: 12 Headquarters: Kirava (Belarus)
Group of 8 or G-8	Established: Sept. 22, 1985 Objective: To promote co-operation among major non-communist economic powers. Members: France, Germany, Japan, UK, US, Canada, Italy, Plus Russia (added later).
Group of 15 or G-15	Established: 1889 Objective: To promote economic co-operation among developing nations. Members: 18

Group of 77 or G-77	Established: Oct. 1967 Objective: To promote economic co-operation among developing nations. Members: 130
International Criminal Police Organization For (INTERPOL)	Established: 1914 Objective: To promote the international cooperation among criminal police authorities. Members: 186 Headquarters: France.
International Olympic Committee (IOC)	Established: June 23, 1894 Objective: To promote the Olympic ideals and administer Olympic Games. Members: 203 Headquarters: Switzerland.
International Organization For Standardization ( ISO)	Established: Feb., 1947 Objective: To promote development of international standards. Members: 158 Headquarters: Switzerland.
International Red Cross And Crescent Movement	Established: 1928 Objective: To promote worldwide humanitarian aid. Headquarters: Geneva.
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)	Established: Sep., 1961 Objective: Political co-operation and separate itself from both USA and USSR (in the cold-war era). Members: 118 The credit of evolving the concept goes to Pt. Jawahar lal Nehru. The other contributors were Marshal Tito (President of Yugoslavia), Dr. Sukamo (President of Indonesia) and General Nasser (President of Egypt). Bandung conference in Indonesia became the forum for the birth of NAM.
European Union	Established: Apr.8, 1965. Effective on July 1, 1967 Objective: To create a united Europe in which member countries would have such strong economic and political bonds that war would cease to be a recurring fact. Members: 27 (The ten new countries which joined in 2004 are Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slavakia and Slovania). Bulgaria & Romania joined in 2007. Headquarters: Brussels (Belgium). The common European, currency, Euro, was launched on Jan. 1, 1999
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)	Established: April 4, 1949 Objective: Mutual defense and cooperation Members: 26 + Russia Headquarters: Brussels
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)	Established: Sept,1959 Objective: Attempts to set world prices by controlling oil production and also persues member interest in trade and development. Members: 12 (Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, UAE, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Angola and Venezuela). Headquarters: Vienna (Austria).
South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation (SAARC)	Established: Dec. 8, 1985 Objective: To promote economic, social and cultural cooperation. Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Srilanka, Afghanistan. Headquarters: Katmandu.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)	Established: Oct. 11, 1947, Effective from April 4, 1951. Objective: Specialized UN Agency concerned with meteorological cooperation. Members: 162 Headquarters: Geneva
Amnesty International (AI)	Established: 1961 Objective: To keep a watch over human rights violation worldwide. Headquarters: London Got Nobel Prize in 1977 for Peace.
Organization Of The Islamic Conference (OIC)	Established: 1969 Objective: To promote Islamic solidarity among member states and to consolidate cooperation among members. Members: 57 Headquarters: Saudi Arabia.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)	Established: June 7, 2002. Objective: To develop mutual cooperation. Members: Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrghiztan and Tajikistan.
Scouts and Guides	Established: 1907 by Lt. Gen. Baden Powell. Objective: To encourage good character, loyalty to god and country, service to other people and physical and mental fitness. Members: About 13 million members of around 115 nations. World Scouts Bureau: Geneva (Switzerland).
World Wildlife Fund For Nature (WWF)	Established: Sept. 11, 1961 Objective: To save the wildlife from extinction Members: All the countries of the world Headquarters: Gland (Switzerland)

Important Natural Local Winds

Chinook	Hot, dry wind in Rockies, also called ‘snow eater’.
Foehn	Hot, dry wind in the Alps.
Khamsin	Hot, dry wind in Egypt.
Sirocco	Hot, moist wind from Sahara to Mediterranean Sea.
Salano	Hot, moist wind from Sahara towards Iberian Peninsula.
Harmattan	Hot, dry wind blowing outwards from the interior of W. Africa, also called Guinea Doctor.
Bora	Cold, dry wind blowing outwards from Hungary to the north of Italy (near Adriatic Sea).
Mistral	Very cold wind, which blows down from the Alps over France.
Punas	Cold, dry wind blowing down towards the western side of Andes.
Blizzard	Very cold wind in Tundra region.
Brickfielder	Hot wind in Australia.
Purga	Cold wind in Russian tundra.
Levanter	Cold wind in Spain.
Norwester	Hot wind in New Zealand.
Santa Ana	Hot wind in S. California in USA.

Major Mountain Peaks of the World

Mountain Peaks	Location	Heights (m)
Everest	Nepal	8,852
K2(Godwin Austin)	India	8,611
Kanchanjanga	India	8,598
Makalu	Nepal –China	8,481
Dhaulagiri	Nepal	8,172
Cho Oyu	Nepal	8,153
Nanga Parbat	India	8,126
Hidden Peak	India	8,068
Annapurna	Nepal	8,078
Nandadevi	India	7,813

Leading Countries for Mineral Production of World

Iron Ore	China, Japan ,Russia
Copper Ore	Chili,USA,Indonesia
Tin	China, Indonesia, Peru
Lead	China, Australia, USA
Zinc	China, Australia, Peru
Manganese	South Africa, Brazil, Australia
Aluminium	China, Russia, Canada
Cement	China,  India, USA
Petroleum	Saudi Arabia, Russia,USA
Nature Gas	Russia, USA, Canada
Silver	Peru, Mexico, China
coal	China, USA, India

Newspaper/Journal

News Papers/ Journals	Founder/Editors
Bengal Gazette (India's first news paper, 1780)	J. K. Hikki
Amrit Bazar Patrika	Shishir Kr. Ghosh & Motilal Ghosh
Keshri	Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Maharatta	Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Sudharak	G. K. Gokhle
Vande Mataram	Aurobindo Ghosh
Native Opinion	V. N. Mandalik
Kavivachan Sudha	Bhartendu Harishchandra
Rast Goftar (First News Paper in Gujrati)	Dadabhai Naoroji
New India	Bipin Chandra Pal
Statesman	Robert Knight
Hindu	Vir Raghavacharya & G. S. Aiyar
Sandhya	B. B. Upadhyaya
Vichar Lahiri	Krishna Shastri Chiplunkar
Hindu Patriot	Girish Chandra Ghosh
Som Prakash	Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Yugantar	Bhupendra Nath Datta & Barindra Kumar Ghosh
Bombay Chronicle	Firoze Shah Mehta
Hindustan	Madan Mohan Malviya
Mooknayak	B. R. Ambedkar
Comrade	Mohammed Ali
Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq	Sir Syyed Ahmed Khan
Al-Hilal	Abul Kalam Azad
Al-Balagh	Abul Kalam Azad
Independent	Motilal Nehru
Punjabi	Lala Lajpat Rai
New India	Annie Besant
Commonweal	Annie Besant
Pratap	Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Essays in Indian Economics	Mahadev Govind Ranade
Samvad Kaumudi (Bengali)	Ram Mohan Roy
Mirat-ul-Akhbar (First Persian News Paper)	Ram Mohan Roy
Indian Mirror	Devendra Nath Tagore
Nav Jeevan	M. K. Gandhi
Young India	M. K. Gandhi
Harijan	M. K. Gandhi
Prabudha Bharat	Swami Vivekananda
Udbodhana	Swami Vivekananda
Indian Socialist	Shyamji Krishna Verma
Talwar (in Berlin)	Birendra Nath Chattopadhyaye
Free Hinduatan	Tarak Nath Das
Hindustan Times	K. M. Pannikar
Kranti	Mirajkar, Joglekar, Ghate

LIC (ADO) 2007 SOLVED PAPER

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

(Exam Held on 10-06-2007)

1. The punch line of the advertisement of which of the following organization is "Jindagi ke sath bhi Jindagi ke bad bhi" ?
(A) New India Assurance
(B) General Insurance Corporation
(C) ICICI Prudential
(D) Life Insurance Corporation Of India
(E) None of these
ANS- D
2. The central office of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is located at -
(A) Kolkata
(B) New Delhi
(C) Chennai
(D) Pune
(E) Mumbai
ANS- E
3. Th Life Insurance Corporation Of India has how many Zonal offices in India ?
(A) Five
(B) Seven
(C) Ten
(D) Fifteen
(E) None of these
ANS- B
4. Which of the following schemes was launched by the LIC in December 2001 with the object to lessen the burden of parents in meeting the educational expenses of their children ?
(A) Krishi Shramik Samajik Suraksha Yojana
(B) Jan Shree Bima Yojana
(C) Shiksha Sahyog Yojana
(D) Bhagyashree Child Welfare Bima Yojana
(E) None of these
ANS- C
5. If an organization wishes to venture into Insurance Business it has to obtain a licence first from which of the following ?
(A) Indian Bnaks Association (IBA)
(B) Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
(C) Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC)
(D) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA)
(E) None of these
ANS- D
6. Which of the following schemes launched in the year 2000 by the LIC replaced social Securitty group Insurance Schemes (SSIGS) and Rural Group Life Insurance Schemes (RGLIS) ?
(A) Janshree Bima Yojana
(B) Bhagyashree Child Welfare Bima Yojana
(C) Jan Arogya Bima Yojana
(D) Raj Rajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Yojana
(E) None of these
ANS- A
7. How many maximum children from a family are covered for the benefits under the Shiksha Sahyog Yojana launched by the LIC ?
(A) One only
(B) Two only
(C) Three only
(D) One Girl Child only
(E) None of these
ANS- B
8. Which of the following Scheme was launched by the LIC to provide life insurance protection, perodical lumpsum survival benefit and pension to the agricultural workers in India ?
(A) Krishi Shramik Samajik Suraksha Yojana
(B) Jan Shree Bima Yojana
(C) Mahila Kalyan Yojana
(D) Sampurna Arogya Bima Policy
(E) None of these
ANS- A
9. On December 6yh 2006, the president of India launched on exclusive health Insurance Scheme for senior citizens. Which of the following insurance company has launched the schemes ?
(A) National Insurance Company
(B) Life Insurance Corporation Of India
(C) ICICI Prudential
(D) HDFC Life
(E) None of these
ANS- A
10. Which of the following cities does not have one of the zonal offices of the Life Insurance Corporation Of India ?
(A) Mumbai
(B) Kolkata
(C) Chennai
(D) Hyderabad
(E) Jhansi
ANS- E
11. Which of the following is the Basic Life Insurance Plan of the Life Insurance Corporation Of India ?
(A) Jeevan Tarang
(B) Jeevan Nidhi
(C) Jeevan Adhar
(D) Jeevan Umang
(E) None of these
ANS- E
12. Anmol Jeevan is a ........ of the LIC
(A) Basic Life Insurance Plan
(B) Term Insurance Plan
(C) Children's Plan
(D) Pension Plan
(E) None of these
ANS- B
13. As per policy of the LIC, loans are granted on unencumbered policies upto what per cent of the surrender value ?
(A) 60 %
(B) 70 %
(C) 80 %
(D) 90 %
(E) None of these
ANS- D
14. Which of the following group Schemes of the LIC Provides pensiobn to employees on their retirement from service ?
(A) Group Term Insurance Scheme
(B) Group Insurance in Liew of EDLI
(C) Group Gratuity Scheme
(D) Group Supeannuation Scheme
(E) None of these
ANS- D
15. Which of the following is the pension plam of the LIC
(A) Jeevan Adhar
(B) Jeevan ANAND
(C) Jeevan Akshay
(D) Amulya Jeevan
(E) None of these
ANS- C
16. Which of the following is not a scheme of the LIC ?
(A)Jeevan Sangam
(B) Jeevan Saral
(C) Jeevan Adhar
(D) Jeevan Pramukh
(E) None of these
ANS- A
17. Which of the following is a term Assurance plan of the LIC ?
(A) Jeevan Akshay
(B) Jeevan Adhar
(C) Jeevan Nivesh
(D) Jeevan Nidhi
(E) None of these
ANS- E
18. Premium to LIC policies can be paid by which of the following modes ?
(a) Cash
(b) Cheque
(c) Electronic Charging Machine
(A) Only a
(B) Only b
(C) Only c
(D) Both a and b
(E) All a, b and c
ANS- E
19. Customers of Lic can now get information about their policies by dialing which of the following telephone numbers in most of the centres ?
(A) 101
(B) 135
(C) 136
(D) 1251
(E) None of these
ANS- D
20. Lic policy holders do not get any income tax benefit under which of the following sections of the income tax act ?
(A) Section 80C
(B) Section 68 A, B and C
(C) sECTION 80 CCC
(D) Section 80 CD
(E) None of these
ANS- B 
21. Who amongst the following is not a Bharat Ratna Awardee ?
(A) Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam
(B) Dr. V.VGiri
(C) Dr. Rajendra Parsad
(D) Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma
(E) None of these
ANS- D
22. Duran Lineb devides which of the following pair of the countries ?
(A) China - Afghanistan
(B) Afghanistan - Pakistan
(C) India - Pakistan
(D) India - Nepal
(E) Bangladesh - India
ANS- B
23. Who has become the second person of Indian origin to go into space after Kalpana Chawala ?
(A) Koneru Humpi
(B) Indra Nooyi
(C) Sunita Williams
(D) Sudha Murti
(E) None of these
ANS- C
24. Shinzo Abe is the new elected -
(A) Prime minister of Singapore
(B) Prime minister of South Korea
(C) President of Soth Korea
(D) President of North Korea
(E) Prime minister of Japan
ANS- E
25. Which of the following cups is associated with the game of Hockey ?
(A) Whiteman Cup
(B) Evert Cup
(C) Agha Khan Cup
(D) Hafed Open Cup
(E) None of these
ANS- C
26. Which of the following Indian films was nominated for the Oscar Award 2007 ?
(A) Water
(B) Eklabya- The Royal Guard
(C) Nih Shabd
(D) Lago Raho Munna Bhai
(E) None Of these
ANS- E

Geographical Epithets

Britain of the South : : : New Zealand
China’s Sorrow : : : River Hwang Ho
City of Dreaming Spires : : : Oxford (England)
City of Eternal Springs : : : Quito (S.America)
City of Flowers : : : Cape Town (S.Africa)
City of Golden Gate : : : San Francisco (USA)
City of Magnificient Buildings : : : Washington (USA)
City of Quiet thoroughfares : : : Venice
City of Seven Hills : : : Rome (Italy)
City of Skyscrapers : : : New York (USA)
Cockpit of Europe : : : Belgium
Dark Continent : : : Africa
Emerald Isle : : : Ireland
Empire City : : : New York
Eternal City of Hopes : : : Rome, Italy
Forbidden City : : : Lhasa (Tibet)
Garden City : : : Chicago
Garden in the desert : : : Ethiopia
Garden of England : : : Kent (England)
Gate of tears : : : Strait of bab-el-Mandeb
Golden City : : : Johannesburg
Gibraltar of Indian : : : Ocean Aden
Gift of Nile : : : Egypt
Granite City : : : Aberdeen
Hanging Valleys : : : Valley of Switzerland
Hermit Kingdom : : : Korea
Herring Pond : : : Atlantic Ocean
Holy Land : : : Palestine
Human Equator of the Earth : : : Himalayas
Island Continent : : : Australia
Island of Cloves : : : Zanzibar
Island of Pearls : : : Bahrain (Persian Gulf)
Islands of Sunshine : : : West Indies
Kashmir of Europe : : : Switzerland
Key to Mediterranean : : : Gibraltar
Land of Five Seas : : : South West Asia
Land of Lakes : : : Scotland
Land of Golden Pagoda : : : Myanmar
Land of Kangaroo : : : Australia
Land of Golden Fleece : : : Australia
Land of Lilies : : : Canada
Land of Maple : : : Canada
Land of Midnight Sun : : : Norway
Land of Morning Calm : : : Korea
Land of Rising Sun : : : Japan
Land of Setting Sun : : : United Kingdom
Land of Thousand Elephants : : : Laos
Land of Thousand Lakes : : : Finland
Land of Thunderbolt : : : Bhutan
Land of White Elephant : : : Thailand
Loneliest Island : : : Tristan De Gumha
Manchester of Japan : : : Osaka (Japan)
Pillars of Hercules : : : Straits of Gibraltar
Play Ground of Europe : : : Switzerland
Quaker City : : : Philadelphia
Queen of the Adriatic : : : Venice
Roof of the World : : : The pamirs (Tibet)
River in the Sea : : : Gulf Stream
Sickman of Europe : : : Turkey
Sugar Bowl of the world : : : Cuba
Venice of the East : : : Bangkok
Venice of the North : : : Stockholm
White City : : : Belgrade
Windy City : : : Chicago
Workshop of Europe : : : Belgium
World’s Loneliest Island : : : Tristan Da Cunha
Yellow River : : : River Hwang Ho, China

Institutions for Environment Education and Research in India

• GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (External website that opens in a new window)
• Indian Council of Forestry Research Education (External website that opens in a new window)
• Indian Institute of Forest Management (External website that opens in a new window)
• World Wide Fund for Nature - India (WWF) (External website that opens in a new window)
• Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (External website that opens in a new window)
• Environmental Information System (ENVIS) (External website that opens in a new window)
• National Afforestation and Eco Development Board (External website that opens in a new window)
• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (External website that opens in a new window)
• Centre for Environment Education (External website that opens in a new window)
• C.P.R Environmental Education Centre (External website that opens in a new window)
• Centre for Ecological Sciences (External website that opens in a new window)
• Centre of Excellence (External website that opens in a new window)
• Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (External website that opens in a new window)
• Centre of Excellence in Environmental Economics

International Environmental Organisations

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (External website that opens in a new window)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (External website that opens in a new window)
• Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) (External website that opens in a new window)
• Global Environment Facility (GEF) (External website that opens in a new window)
• Economic and Social Council for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) (External website that opens in a new window)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (External website that opens in a new window)
• South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP)

INTERNATIONAL TROPHIES WITH ASSOCIATED GAMES

list of International Trophies and awards with associated games and sports:

Games/Sports	Trophies/Awards
Air Races	King’s Cup
Badminton	Thomas Cup
Badminton (Women)	Uber Cup
Basketball	William’s Cup
Cricket	Ashes
Cricket	Benson and Hedges
Cricket	World Cup
Cricket	Reliance Cup
Cricket	Rothman’s Trophy
Football	Colombo Cup
Football	Merdeka Cup
Football	European Champions Cup
Golf	Canada Cup
Golf	Rydet Cup
Golf	Walker Cup
Golf	Eisenhower Cup
Hockey	World Cup
Hockey	Essande Champions Cup
Hockey	Rene Frank Trophy
Horse Race	Derby
Horse Streple Chase Race	Grand National
Lawn Tennis	Davis Cup
Lawn Tennis	Wightman Cup
Lawn Tennis	Edgbaston Cup
Lawn Tennis	Grand Prix
Polo	Westchester Cup
Table Tennis	Grand Prix
Table Tennis (Men)	Swaythling Cup
Table Tennis (Women)	Corbitton Cup
Tennis	U. Thant Cup
Weight-lifting	World Cup
World Soccer Cup	Jules Rimet Trophy
Yacht Racing	American Cup

Famous Quotations

● Hey Ram. —Mahatma Gandhi

● Jan Gan Man Adhinayak Jai Hey. —Rabindra Nath Tagore

● And all the men and women merely players. —Shakespeare (As You Like It)

● Sweet are the uses of adversity, which like a toad, ugly and Venomous. Wears yet a precious jewel in his head. —Shakespeare (As You Like It)

● Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. —Milton

● Et Tu, Brute ! —Shakespeare (Julius Ceaser)

● Good Government is no substitute for self Government. —Morley

● Death is the end of life, ah why should life all labour be. —Alfred Tennyson

● Full many a gem of purest ray serene, the dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear. —Thomas Gray

● And fools, who came to scoff, Remained to pray. —Oliver Goldsmith

● “…Seditious fakir striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceroy’s palace there to negotiate and parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor.” —Winston Churchill

● “Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this (Mahatma Gandhi) ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.” —Einstein

● “Whom the Gods love die young.” —Byron (Don Juan)

● “Necessity is the mother of invention.” —Unknown Latin Proverb

● “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” —Pope

● “A single step for a man–a giant leap for mankind.” —Neil Armstrong

● “Thank God, I have done my duty.” —Admiral Nelson

● “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and Sweat.” —Winston Churchill

● “Man is by nature a political animal.” —Aristotle

● “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” —Issaac Newton

● Eureke ! Eureka ! —Archimedes

● “Let a hundred flowers bloom and let a thousand schools of thought contend.” —Mao Tsetung

● “Frailty, thy name is woman.” —Shakespeare (Hamlet)

● “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts.” —Shelley (To a Skylark)

● “To maintain a fault known is a double fault.” —John Jewel

● “Beauty is truth, truth beauty”—that is all. Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” —Keats

● “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” —Bacon

● “Knowledge is power.” —Francis Bacon

● “There is no future in any job, the future lies in the man who holds the job.” —G.W. Crane

● “Until the day of his death, no man can be sure of his courage.” —Jean Anovilh

● “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” —George Orwell

● “If it were not for hopes, the hearts would break.” —Thomas Fuller

● “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to wake mistake.” —Mahatma Gandhi

● “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” —Mahatma Gandhi

● “Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes.” —Jawaharlal Nehru

● “The only alternative to co-existence is codestruction.” —Jawaharlal Nehru

● “History is moving and it will tend toward hope, or tend toward tragedy.” —George W. Bush

● “All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words : freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy, hope.” —Sir Winston Churchill

● Dilli Chalo. —Subhash Chandra Bose● Truth and non-violence are my God. —Mahatma Gandhi● Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan —Atal Behari Vajpayee● Jai Jawan Jai Kishan. —Lal Bahadur Shastri● “……the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. For that light represented living truth.” —Jawahar Lal Nehru● “We have now to fight for peace with the same courage and deter-mination as we fought against aggression.” —Lal Bahadur Shastri● Aram Haram Hai. —Jawahar Lal Nehru● Swarajya is my birth right. —Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Geographical names

Surname	Name
Bengal’s Sorrow	Damodar River
Blue Mountains	Nilgiri Hills
City of Sky-scrapers	New York
City of Seven Hills	Rome
City of Dreaming Spires	Oxford
City of palaces	Kolkata
City of Golden Gate	San Francisco
City of Magnificent Buildings	Washington D.C.
City of Eternal Springs	Quito(S.America)
China’s Sorrow	Hwang Ho
Cockpit of Europe	Belgium
Dark Continent	Africa
Emerald Isle	Ireland
Eternal City	Rome
Empire City	New York
Forbidden City	Lhasa (Tibet)
Garden City	Chicago
Gate of Tears	Strait of Bab-el Mandeb
Gateway of India	Mumbai
Gift of the Nile	Eqypt
Granite City	Aberdeen (Scotland)
Hermit Kingdom	Korea
Herring Pond	Atlantic Ocean
Holy Land	Jerusalem
Island Continent	Australia
Island of Cloves	Zanzibar
Isle of Pearls	Bahrein (Peesian Gulf)
Key of the Mediterranean	Gibralter
Land of Cakes	Scotland
Land of Golden Fleece	Australia
Land of Maple Leaf	Canada
Land of Midnight Sun	Norway
Land of the Thousand Lakes	Finland
Land of the Thunderbolt	Bhutan
Land of white Elephant	Thailand
Land of Five Rivers	Punjab
Land of Thousand Elephants	Laos
Land of Rising Sun	Japan
Loneliest Island	Tristan De Gunha (Mid-Atlantic)
Manchester of Japan	Osaka
Pillars of Hercules	Strait of Gibraltar
Pearl of the Antilles	Cuba
Playground of Europe	Switzerland
Quaker City	Philadelphia
Queen of the Adriatic	Venice
Roof of the World	The Pamirs, Central Asia
Rose Pink City	Jaipur
Sugar bowl of the World	Cuba
Venice of the North	Stockholm
Windy City	Chicago
Whirteman’s grave	Guinea Coast of Africa
Yellow River	Huang Ho (China)

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. In which State was the first non- Congress Government set up in Independent India?
(a) Punjab (b) Bihar
(c) Maharashtra (d) Kerala.
2. Cheep money means
(a) low rates of interest. (b) low level of saving.
(c) low level of income. (d) low level of standard of living.
3. Under the rules of the IMR, each member is required to declare the par value of its legal tender money in terms of the US dollars and
(a) Silver. (b) Gold.
(c) Pound Sterling. (d) Diamond.
4. The Government takes ‘Ways and means advances’ from
(a) RBI. (b) IDBI.
(c) SBI. (d) ICICI.
5. Kisan Credit Card Scheme was introduced in
(a) 1991. (b) 1996.
(c) 1998. (d) 2000.
6. Compared to the rich the poor save
(a) a large part of their income. (b) an equal part of their income.
(c) a smaller part of their income.(d) all of their incomes.
7. One of the main factors that led to rapid expansion of Indian exports is
(a) imposition of import duties. (b) liberalization of the economy.
(c) recession in other countries. (d) diversification of exports.
8. When too much money is chasing too few goods, the situation is
(a) Deflation. (b) Inflation.
(c) Recession. (d) Stagflation.
9. With which crop has Green Revolution been associated?
(a) Rice (b) Wheat
(c) Pulses (d) Sugarcane.
10. Who was the first Indian Governor-General of India ?
(a) B.R. Ambedkar (b) C.Rajagopalachari
(c) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (d) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
11. A candidate, to become a member of the Rajya Sabha, should not be less than
(a) 21 years of age. (b) 25 years of age.
(c) 30 years of age. (d) 32 years of age.
12. Which Constitutional Amendment gave precedence to the Directive Principles of State Policy over Fundamental Rights?
(a) 42nd (b) 44th
(c) 52nd (d) 56th .
13. Nov. 26, 1949 is a significant day in the history of our constitution because
(a) India took a pledge of complete independence on this day.
(b) the Constitution was adopted on this day.
(c) India became a Republic on the day.
(d) the first amendment of the Constitution was passed on this day.
14. Which of the following expressions does not figure in the Preamble to the India Constitutions?
(a) Sovereign Democratic Republic
(b) Socialist (c) Secular
(d) Federal.
15. Which one of the following Presidents of India served for two terms?
(a) S.Radhakrishnan (b) Rajendra Prasad
(c) Zakir Hussain (d) V.V. Giri.
16. The maximum strength of the elected members of the House of the People (Lok Sabha) is
(a) 530. (b) 545.
(c) 540. (d) 550.
17. How many readings does a non-Money Bill have in each House of the Parliament?
(a) Two (b) Three
(c) Four (d) One.
18. Money Bill can be introduced in the State Legislative Assembly with the prior permission of the
(a) Governor of the State.
(b) Chief Minister of the State.
(c) Speaker of Legislative Assembly.
(d) Finance Minister of the State
19. The Prime Minister who was voted out of power by the Parliament was
(a) Indira Gandhi. (b) Morarji Desai.
(c) V.P. Singh. (d) Chandrashekhar.
20. The Union Parliament consists of
(a) the President of India.
(b) the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
(c) the House of the People (Lok Sabha)
(d) All of these.
21. The Indian National Congress had passed the famous resolution on "Non-Cooperation" in 1920 as its session held at
(a) Lucknow. (b) Delhi.
(c) Bombay. (d) Calcutta.
22. Who is known as the ‘Grand Old Man of India’?
(a) Dadabhai Naoroji (b) Gopal Krishan Gokhale
(c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (d) Surendranath Banerjee.
23. Which of the following can be considered as the most useful and outstanding reforms made by Lord Curzon, especially in respect of the people living in the undivided province of Punjab?
(a) Educational Reforms (b) Police Reforms
(c) Industrial Reforms (d) Agricultural Reforms
24. Who among the following was sent as an Ambassasdor to the royal court of Jahangir by James I, the then King of England?
(a) John Hawkins (b) William Todd
(c) Sir Thomas Roe (d) Sir Walter Raleigh.
25. ‘Dyarchy’ was introduced in the Government of India Act of
(a) 1909. (b) 1919.
(c) 1935. (d) None of these.
26. The transfer of Government from the ‘Company’ to the ‘Crown’ was pronounced by Lord Canning (Nov. 1, 1858) at
(a) Calcutta. (b) Delhi.
(c) Patan. (d) Allahabad.
27. The India National Congress and the Muslim League came closer to each other in 1916 at
(a) Lahore. (b) Amritsar.
(c) Lucknow. (d) Haripura.
28. The first General-Secretary of the Indian National Congress was
(a) Dadabhai Naoroji (b) A.O. Hume
(c) Ferozeshah Mehta (d) Badruddin Tyabji.
29. Raja Rammohun Roy organized a historic agitation against the
(a) caste system. (b) evil custom of sati.
(c) degrading position of women in society
(d) Practice of superfluous religious rituals.
30. "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge…"
This was stated on the night of Aug. 14, 1947 by
(a) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. (b) C.Rajagopalachari.
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru. (d) Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
31. The highest grade and best quality coal is
(a) Lignite. (b) Peat.
(c) Bituminous. (d) Anthracite.
32. The "Dark Continent" is
(a) Africa. (b) South America.
(c) Australia. (d) Asia.
33. Which one of the following is the wettest place in India?
(a) Mahabaleshwar (b) Cherrapunji
(c) Udhagamandalam (d) Mawsynram.
34. The approximate length of the coast-line of India is
(a) 5,500 km. (b) 6,000 km.
(c) 6,500 km. (d) 7,000 km.
35. The area with annual rainfall less than 50 cm in a year is
(a) Meghalaya. (b) Leh in Kashmir.
(c) Coromandel (d) Konkan coast.
36. Silent Valley of Kerala
(a) is the only evergreen forest in India.
(b) contains costly timber trees.
(c) is a good picnic spot.
(d) contains rare species of plants and animals.
37. The only sanctuary where Kashmir stag is found is
(a) Kanha. (b) Dachigam.
(c) Gir. (d) Mudumalai.
38. The Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Ltd. is located at
(a) Bangalore. (b) Bhadravati.
(c) Mangalore. (d) Mysore.
39. Which dam of India is the highest?
(a) Mettur (b) Rihand
(c) Thein (d) Bhakra.
40. Of the gross cropped area in India, the foodgrains occupy
(a) more than 70 per cent. (b) 60 to 70 per cent.
(c) 50 to 60 per cent. (d) less than 50 per cent.
41. Kaziranga National Park is famous for
(a) Rhinoceros. (b) Tiger.
(c) Lion. (d) Crocodile.
42. The colour of human skin is produced by
(a) Haemoglobin. (b) Insulin.
(c) Adrenaline. (d) Melanin.
43. Which one of the following is not transmitted via blood transfusion?
(a) Hepatitis (b) Typhoid
(c) HIV (d) Malaria
44. Which of the following is a fish?
(a) Silverfish (b) Starfish
(c) Dogfish (d) Cuttlefish
45. Which of the following instruments is used to measure humidity?
(a) Kata Thermometer (b) Anemometer
(c) Sling Psychrometer (d) Clinical Thermometer
46. The period of revolution of a geostationary satellite is
(a) 24 hours (b) 30 days.
(c) 365 days. (d) changing, continuously.
47. The type of mirrors used in the headlamp of cars is
(a) parabolic concave (b) plane
(c) spherical convex (d) cylindrical concave
48. Nuclear explosive devices were tested in India at
(a) Sriharikota (b) Bangalore
(c) Pokharan (d) Kanchipuram
49. The gradation and standardization of agricultural products are conducted through
(a) Food Corporation of India.
(b) Directorate of Marketing and Inspection.
(c) Indian Standards Institution.
(d) Central Statistical Organization.
50. The luster of the metals is because of
(a) high density, due to closed packing of atoms.
(b) high polish
(c) reflection of light due to the presence of free electrons.
(d) absorption of light due to the presence of cavities
51. Flat footed camels can walk easily in sandy deserts because
(a) pressure on the sand is decreased by increasing the area of the surface in contact.
(b) pressure on the stand is increased by increasing the area of the surface in contact.
(c) pressure on the sand is decreased by decreasing the area of the surface in contact.
(d) pressure on the sand is increased by decreasing the area of the surface in contact.
52. The reason for a swimming pool to appear less deep than the actual depth is
(a) refraction. (b) light scattering.
(c) reflection. (d) interference.
53. Alternating current is converted into direct current by a
(a) transformer. (b) dynamo
(c) oscillator. (d) rectifier.
54. German silver used for making utensils is an alloy of
(a) copper, silver, nickel. (b) copper, zinc, nickel.
(c) copper, zinc, aluminium (d) copper, nickel, aluminium.
55. Which one of the following is used to dissolve noble metals?
(a) Nitric acid (b) Hydrochloric acid
(c) Sulphuric acid (d) Aqua regia.
56. Gunpowder was invented by
(a) Roger Bacon. (b) Colt.
(c) C.V. Raman. (d) Dr. Gatting.
57. The purity of gold is expressed in carats. The purest form of gold is
(a) 24 carats. (b) 99.6 carats.
(c) 91.6 carats. (d) 22 carats.
58. Petroleum consists of a mixture of
(a) Carbohydrates. (b) Carbonates.
(c) Hydrocarbons. (d) Carbides.
59. For which invention is Otto Hahn famous?
(a) Atom bomb. (b) Television
(c) X-rays (d) Miner’s safety lamp.
60. Which one of the following is not a plant product?
(a) Caffeine (b) Piperine
(c) Nicotine (d) Saccharin.
61. Which of the statements is correct about India’s national income?
(a) Percentage share of agriculture is higher than services
(b) Percentage share of industry is higher than agriculture
(c) Percentage share of services is higher than industry
(d) Percentage share of services is higher than agriculture and industry put together.
62. Who among the following has been appointed as the eleventh President of the World Bank for a five- year term with effect from July 1, 2007?
(a) John Wolfensohn (b) Paul Wolfowiz
(c) Robert Zoellick (d) David Morgan.
63. Who among the following has been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2005?
(a) Aparna Sen (b) Govind Nihalani
(c) M.S. Sathyu (d) Shyam Benegal
64. Permanent Revenue Settlement of Bengal was introduced by
(a) Lord Clive (b) Lord Hastings
(c) Lord Wellesley (d) Lord Cornwallis
65. In which year was the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) founded?
(a) 1967 (b) 1969
(c) 1970 (d) 1974.
66. Which of the following is not correctly matched?
(a) Indonesia – Jakarta (b) Maldives –Male
(c) North Korea- Seoul (d) Zimbabwe- Harare.
67. Which of the following is the largest parliamentary constituency in terms of area?
(a) Barmer (Rajasthan) (b) Arunachal West (Arunachal Pradesh)
(c) Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir) (d) Uttarakhand East (Uttarakhand)
68. The first Commonwealth Games were held in the year 1930 at
(a) London (the UK). (b) Sydney (Australia)
(c) Hamilton (Canada). (d) Auckland (New Zealand).
69. The Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty came into force in
(a) 1967 (b) 1970
(c) 1971 (d) 1974.
70. Which State of India has the largest percentage of poor?
(a) Bihar (b) Chhatrisgarh
(c) Orissa (d) Jharkhand
71. The island of Corsica is associated with
(a) Mussolini (b) Hitler
(c) Napolean Bonaparte. (d) Winston Churchill.
72. The headquarters of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is located in
(a) Vienna. (b) Riyadh.
(c) Kuwait City. (d) Abu Dhabi.
73. When are the 19th Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in Delhi?
(a) December, 2008 (b) November, 2009
(c) October, 2010 (d) February, 2011.
74. Jamini Roy distinguished himself in the field of
(a) Badminton (b) Painting
(c) Theatre (d) Sculpture.
75. What percentage of India population is below the official poverty line?
(a) Below 30 per cent (b) 30 per cent to 35 per cent
(c) Above 35 per cent but below 40 per cent
(d) Between 40 per cent and 45 per cent.

ANSWERS

1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (c)
6. (c) 7. (a) 8. (a) 9. (b) 10. (b)
11. (c) 12. (a) 13. (b) 14. (d) 15. (b)
16. (d) 17. (b) 18. (c) 19. (a) 20. (d)
21. (d) 22. (a) 23. (d) 24. (c) 25. (b)
26. (a) 27. (c) 28. (a) 29. (b) 30. (c)
31. (d) 32. (a) 33. (d) 34. (d) 35. (b)
36. (d) 37. (b) 38. (b) 39. (d) 40. (b)
41. (a) 42. (d) 43. (b) 44. (b) 45. (c)
46. (a) 47. (c) 48. (c) 49. (c) 50. (c)
51. (a) 52. (a) 53. (b) 54. (b) 55. (d)
56. (a) 57. (a) 58. (c) 59. (a) 60. (d)
61. (d) 62. (c) 63. (d) 64. (d) 65. (b)
66. (c) 67. (c) 68. (c) 69. (b) 70. (c)
71. (c) 72. (a) 73. (c) 74. (b) 75. (a)