Quiz XIII

1. Brickfielder, Khamsin and Harmattan are the examples of…

a. hot winds
b. cold winds
c. trade winds
d. planetary winds

2. The world-famous Khajuraho temples were built by the rulers of…
a. Gupta dynasty
b. Chandela dynasty
c. Pallava dynasty
d. Chola dynasty

3. The world’s first Earth Summit took place in the year…
a. 1988
b. 1990
c. 1992
d. 1994

4. Dilli Chalo is the famous call that you would associate with …
a. Lal Bahadur Shastri
b. Acharya Binoba Bhave
c. Subhash Chandra Bose
d. Bhagat Singh

5. World Consumer Day is celebrated throughout the world on …
a. February 22
b. March 15
c. April 8
d. May 11

6. The freezing point of water is …
a. Zero K
b. 273.15 K
c. 313.16 K
d. 474.15 K

7. Which country’s constitution is the source of the Fundamental Rights of the Constitution of India?
a. The UK
b. Ireland
c. The US
d. Former Soviet Union

8. According to the latest census 2001, this state is the least populous state of India. Can you identify the name of the state from the given options?
a. Goa
b. Arunachal Pradesh
c. Sikkim
d. Manipur

9. Which of the following is the smallest country of the world?
a. Tuvalu
b. Vatican
c. Nauru
d. Kuwait

10. The layer nearest to the earth’s atmosphere is …
a. Mesosphere
b. Ionosphere
c. Troposphere
d. Stratosphere

11. Zulu is the name of the tribe that belongs to …
a. Australia
b. New Zealand
c. South Africa
d. Indonesia

12. A normal human being has … chromosomes in all.
a. 42
b. 44
c. 46
d. 48

13. Utigard, Ribbon and Roraima are the names of the famous…
a. Volcanos
b. Waterfalls
c. Mountains
d. Lakes

14. Ain-e-Akbari, that gives the account of Akbar’s reign, was written by…
a. Amir Khusro
b. Firdausi
c. Abul Fazal
d. Badauni

15. This Indian state is the largest producer of rubber. Identify it from the given options.
a. Karnataka
b. Kerala
c. Tamil Nadu
d. Andhra Pradesh

16. ‘Bogey’ and ‘Fore’ are the terms that you would associate with
a. Chess
b. Snooker
c. Golf
d. Billiards

17. Khadar and Bhangar are the two types of…
a. Black Soil
b. Alluvial Soil
c. Red Soil
d. Laterite Soil

18. The first person to walk in Space was …
a. Neil Armstrong
b. Yuri Gagarin
c. AA Leonov
d. Edwin Eldrin

19. Where would you find Buland Jarwaza - the highest gateway in India?
a. Bihar
b. Punjab
c. Uttar Pradesh
d. Madhya Pradesh

20. ‘Gambit’ is a term that you would associate with…
a. Hockey
b. Cricket
c. Chess
d. Football

21. Indica is the name of a famous work of …
a. AO Hume
b. Megasthenese
c. Thomas Roe
d. None of these

22. She is the first lady President of the world. Can you identify her from the given options?
a. Srimavo Bandaranaike
b. Barbara C. Harris
c. Maria Estella Peron
d. Junko Taibei

23. The main source of Indian philosophy is contained within the …
a. Vedas
b. Brahmanas
c. Puranas
d. Upanishads

24. Discovery of India is a famous book written by …
a. Mahatma Gandhi
b. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
c. Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad
d. Dr. Rajendra Prasad

25. The largest Hindu complex outside India, Angkor Vat in Cambodia, is dedicated to …
a. Lord Shiva
b. Lord Brahma
c. Lord Vishnu
d. Lord Rama

ANSWER KEY :

1. a. Hot winds
2. b. Chandela dynasty
3. c. 1992
4. c. Subhash Chandra Bose
5. b. March 15
6. b. 273.15K
7. c. The US
8. c. Sikkim
9. b. Vatican
10. c. Troposphere
11. c. South Africa
12. c. 46
13. b. waterfalls
14. c. Abul Fazal
15. b. Kerala
16. c. Golf
17. b. Alluvial Soil
18. c. AA leonov
19. c. Uttar Pradesh
20. c. Chess
21. b. Megasthenese
22. c. Maria estate Peron
23. d. Upanishads
24. b. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
25. c. Lord Vishnu

Quiz XII

1. The moon is about… the size of the earth.

a. 1/2th
b. 1/4th
c. 1/6th
d. 1/8th

2. Illiad is a famous creation of…
a. Russel Brines
b. Homer
c. HG Wells
d. Walter Scott

3. This US president is associated with the abolition of slavery. Identify him from the given options.
a. George Washingtom
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Franklin D Roosevelt
d. Richard Nixon

4. Which of the following is a viral disease?
a. Diphtheria
b. Plague
c. Yellow fever
d. Kala Azar

5. Poorna Swaraj as the goal of the Indian National movement was declared at …
a. Lucknow session of INC
b. Lahore session of INC
c. Surat session of INC
d. None of these

6. Which of the following rights issued by the court means a ‘command’?
a. Habeas Corpus
b. Certiorari
c. Quo Warranto
d. Mandamus

7. This famous Indian freedom fighter established the newspaper titled Young India. Identify him from the given options.
a. MK Gandhi
b. Lala Lajpat Rai
c. GK Gokhale
d. BG Tilak

8. Which of the following represents the year in which the Planning Commission of India was set up?
a. 1949
b. 1950
c. 1952
d. 1955

9. Which of the following schedules of the Constitution of India deals with the Union list, State list and Concurrent list?
a. Fourth Schedule
b. Fifth Schedule
c. Sixth Schedule
d. Seventh Schedule

10. The Khalsa sect was founded by…
a. Guru Nanak Dev
b. Guru Arjan Dev
c. Guru Teg Bahadur
d. Guru Gobind Singh

11. Where did Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment?
a. Sarnath
b. Gaya
c. Sanchi
d. None of these

12. How many members are appointed by the President of India to the Parliament?
a. 2
b. 10
c. 12
d. 14

13. Affluent Society is work of…
a. JM Keyens
b. David Ricardo
c. Adam Smith
d. JK Galbraith

14. This was the first chief election commissioner of India. Can you identify him from the given options?
a. KVK Sundaram
b. Sukumar Sen
c. SP Sen Verma
d. SL Shakdhar

15. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries is headquartered at …
a. Caracas
b. Vienna
c. Abu Dhabi
d. Baghdad

16. The National anthem of India was sing for the first time at the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in the year …
a. 1906
b. 1909
c. 1911
d. 1913

17. Which of the following is the major component of bio-gas?
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Methane
c. Hydrogen
d. Carbon Monoxide

18. Where would you find Kaiga Power Project in India?
a. Orissa
b. Maharashtra
c. Karnataka
d. Gujarat

19. According to the Census of India 2001, which of the following is incorrect?
a. Literacy rate of India is 65.38 per cent
b. The state highest sex ratio is Kerala.
c. The most densely populated state is West Bengal.
d. The sex ratio is 927 females per thousand males in India.

20. Identify the kharif crop from the given options.
a. Peas
b. Rapeseed
c. Mustard
d. Bajra

21. The first silent feature film of India was…
a. Alam Ara
b. Raja Harishchandra
c. Bhagya Chakra
d.Sant Tukaram

22. This element is used in the process of vulcanization of rubber, in which rubber is heated with this element to make it hard. Can you identify the name of the element from the given options?
a. Lead
b. Sulphur
c. Potassium
d. Copper

23. If a person weighs 100kg on earth then his weight on moon will be …
a. 12.5 kg
b. 16.6 kg
c. 20.5 kg
d. 25.5 kg

24. Organization for Economic Cooperation 8′ Development (DE CD) is headquartered at …
a. Geneva
b. Paris
c. The Hague
d. Vienna

25. Magyars are the inhabitants of
a. Poland
b. New Zealand
c. Hungary
d. Tanzania

ANSWERS:

1. b. 1/4th
2. b. Homer
3. b. Abraham Lincoln
4. c. Yellow fever
5. b. Lahore session of INC
6. d. Mandamus
7. b. Lala Lajpat Rai
8. b. 1950
9. d. Seventh Schedule
10. d. Guru Gobind Singh
11. b. Gaya
12. d. 14
13. d. JK Galbraith
14. b Sukumar Sen
15. b. Vienna
16. c. 1911
17. b. Methane
18. c. Karnataka
19. d. The sex is 927 females per thousand males in India (it’s 933)’
20. d. Bajra
21. b. Raja Harishchandra
22. b. sulphur
23. b. 16.6 kg
24. b. Paris
25. c. Hungary

Quiz XI

1. The twinkling of stars is due to the phenomenon of….

a. Reflection
b. Refraction
c. Diffraction
d. Scattering

2. Which of the following articles envisages the provision of Finance Commission of India?
a. Article 260
b. Article 280
c. Article 285
d. Article 290

3. Who wrote Sidhanta Shiromani?
a. Bhaskara - 1
b. Aryabhatta
c. Bhaskaracharya
d. Adi Shankaracharya

4. How many Indian states have bicameral legislatures?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 5
d. 6

5. Ibn Batuta visited India during the reign of . . .
a. Qutub-ud-din Aibak
b. Mohammad Ghouri
c. Mohammad - bin - Tughlaq
d. Mahmoud Ghaznavi

6. Which of the following personalities was elected as the President of India unopposed?
a. Rajendra Prasad
b. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
c. Gyani Jail Singh
d. Zakir Hussain

7. Which of the following represents the number of languages that are now entertained by the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India?
a. 18
b. 20
c. 22
d. 24

8. Flemish is a term used to describe the inhabitants of …
a. Australia
b. The UK
c. Belgium
d. Italy

9. ‘Satyamev Jayate’, integral part of our national emblem, has been taken from…
a. Bhagavat Gita
b. Kathopanishada
c. Munadaka Upanishada
d. Matsya Purana

10. Which chemical is cloud seeding?
a. Potassium Chloride
b. Silver Iodide
c. Calcium Sulphate
d. Zinc Sulphide

11. Which of the following is NOT a bacterial disease?
a. Pneumonia
b. Tetanus
c. Cholera
d. Yellow fever

12. Which animal is NOT a part of the National emblem of India?
a. Lion
b. Horse
c. Bull
d. Camel

13. Limonite and Siderite are the ores of…
a. Magnesium
b. Iron
c. Aluminum
d. Lead

14. Name the first woman deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India.
a. Chokila Aiyar
b. KJ Udeshi
c. Kanchan Choudhary
d. Neera Yadav

15. Which of the following is NOT the Constitutional commission?
a. Finance Commission
b. Election Commission
c. Planning Commission
d. Public Service Commission

16. Herring pond is the sobriquet used for…
a. Pacific Ocean
b. Arctic Ocean
c. Atlantic Ocean
d. Indian Ocean

17. The capital of Norway is …
a. Warsaw
b. Madrid
c. Oslo
d. Vienna

18. Diego Garcia is the …
a. Arctic Ocean
b. Pacific Ocean
c. Atlantic Ocean
d. Indian Ocean

19. Uttar Ramacharita is a famous work of …
a. Patanjali
b. Ved Vyas
c. Tulsidas
d. Bhavbhuti

20. Which of the following is a source of citric acid?
a. Milk
b. Tea
c. Lemon
d. Coffee

21. This Indian king is also known as the ‘Napoleon of India’. Can you identify the name of the king from the given options?
a. Chandragupta- II
b. Ashok
c. Harshavardhana
d. Samudragupta

22. Which of the following is the chemical name of Baking soda?
a. Sodium Carbonate
b. Sodium Bicarbonate
c. Sodium Hydroxide
d. Sodium Peroxide

23. This great personality is also known as the ‘Man of Destiny’. Identify him from the given options.

a. Adolf Hitler
b. Napoleon Bonaparte
c. George Washington
d. Joseph Stalin

24. This Veda deals with medicine and it contains descriptions of gold smithy, black smithy and organized agriculture. We are talking about…
a. Rig Veda
b. Sam Veda
c. Yajur Veda
d. Atharva Veda

25. International Court of Justice is headquartered at…
a. Paris
b. The Hague
c. Viennad
d. New York

ANSWERS:

1. b. Refraction
2. b. Article 280
3. c. Bhaskaracharya
4. c. 5
5. c. Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq
6. b. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
7. c. 22
8. c. Belgium
9. c. Mundaka Upanishada
10. b. Silver Iodide
11. d. Yellow fever
12. d. Camel
13. b. Iron
14. b. KJ Udeshi
15. c. Planning Commission
16. c. Atlantic ocean
17. c. Oslo
18. d. Indian Ocean
19. d. Bhavbhuti
20. c. lemon
21. d. Samudragupta
22. b. Sodium Bicarbonate
23. b. Napoleon Bonaparte
24. d. Atharva Veda
25. b. The Hague

Quiz X

1. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was elected as
(a) 13th President of India
(b) 12th President of India
(c) 11th President of India
(d) 10th President of India.

2. Who among the following administers the oath of the office to Chief Justice of Supreme Court
(a) Constitutional Bench of Supreme Court
(b) Preceding Chief Justice of Supreme Court
(c) President of India
(d) President with two sitting judges of Supreme Court.

3. The first-ever conviction of death sentence under section 3, sub-section (2) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) and under section 302 of IPC were awarded for offence of
(a) attack on Parliament of India
(b) terrorists attack in State of Gujarat
(c) terrorists attack in State of Assam
(d) terrorists attack on Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.

4. “East Timor” gains independence in 2002 from
(a) Indonesia
(b) Brazil
(c) Nyzeria
(d) Malaysia.

5. World Earth Summit was held in September 2002 at
(a) Johannesburg
(b) London
(c) New York
(d) Hague.

6. The second most popular song of the world as voted in a poll by BBC world service is:
(a) Vande Mataram
(b) Irish Republican anthem
(c) John Lenvovis Imagine
(d) Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

7. Dhirubhai Ambani was the founder of:
(a) Reliance Industries
(b) Tata Industries
(c) Birla Group of Industries
(d) Mafatlal Group of Industries.

8. Mr. Narendra Modi led BJP secured 126 seats in
(a) 182 member Assembly in Gujarat
(b) 172 member Assembly in Gujarat
(c) 192 member Assembly in Gujarat
(d) 162 member Assembly in Gujarat.

9. NDC in relation to 10th Five Year plan 2002-2007 abbreviates for
(a) National Defence Council
(b) National Development Council
(c) National Drugs Commission
(d) National Dis-investment Commission.

10. Lt. Gen. N.C. Vij took over as
(a) Chief of Navy
(b) Chief of Air Force
(c) Chief of Army
(d) Chief of both Army and Navy.

11. European Union Emerges as the Largest Market of the World on 13th December 2002 because:
(a) ten new countries joined
(b) twenty new countries joined
(c) fifteen new countries joined
(d) twelve new countries joined.

12. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which proved the Stock Market Scam was headed by Mr. Prakash Mani Tripathi. The report was
(a) constituted in April 2001 presented in December 2002
(b) constituted in April 2002 presented in December 2002
(c) constituted in August 2002 presented in December 2002
(d) constituted in October 2002 presented in December 2002.

13. First human clone was born on
(a) 26th December 2002
(b) 27th November 2002
(c) 22nd November 2002
(d) 21st December 2002.

14. The present Solicitor General of India
(a) Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee
(b) Mr. Kirit N. Raval
(c) Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi
(d) Mr. G.B. Pattnaik.

15. Justice V.N. Khare who became the 33rd Chief Justice of Supreme Court succeeded
(a) Justice G.B. Pattnaik
(b) Justice B.N. Kirpal
(c) Justice S.P. Barucha
(d) Justice J.S. Verma.

Answers
1 (b)
2 (c)
3 (a)
4 (a)
5 (a)
6 (a)
7 (a)
8 (a)
9 (b)
10 (c)
11 (a)
12 (a)
13 (a)
14 (b)
15( a)

Quiz IX

1. PIN code started in India in the year….

a. 1962
b. 1964
c. 1968
d. 1972

2. You would associate the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with.
a. Subramaniam Bharti
b. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya
c. Jawaharlal Nehru
d. Gobind Vallabh Pant

3. Who presides the Lok Sabha?
a. Prime Minister
b. President
c. Vice President
d. Speaker

4. Who discovered Aspirin?
a. Alexander Fleming
b. Felix Hoffmann
c. Robert Koch
d. Joseph Lister

5. Which of the following is NOT one of the sacred texts of Buddhism called Tripitakas?
a. Suttapitaka
b. Vinayapitaka
c. Dharmapitaka
d. Gyanapitaka

6. Which of the following Indian states has the lowest sex ratio {number of females per thousand males}?
a. West Bengal
b. Haryana
c. Punjab
d. Uttar Pradesh

7. Which of the following is the oldest printed book of the world?
a. The Gutenberg Bible
b. Hiraka Sutra
c. Les Hommes de bonne Volante
d. Old King Cole

8. This personality was the first Indian to receive the Magsaysay Award in the year 1958. Can you name him from the given options?
a. CD Deshmukh
b. Mother Teresa
c. Acharya Binoba Bhave
d. Jaya Prakash Narayan

9. Who is known as the father of Geometry?
a. Pythagoras
b. Euclid
c. Euler
d. None of these

10. Rovers cup is associated with …
a. Hockey
b. Football
c. Cricket
d. Golf

11. This Indian state is the least densely populated state. Name it from the given options.
a. Sikkim
b. Arunachal Pradesh
c. Assam
d. Manipur

12. What is the approximate age of the earth?
a. 3.8 billion years
b. 4.2 billion years
c. 4.6 billion years
d. 4.8 billion years

13. Which Indian state was the first one to implement the Panchayati Raj in the whole state?
a. Uttar Pradesh
b. Bihar
c. Rajasthan
d. Gujarat

14. This personality is NOT the winner of Nobel Prize.
a. Kofi Annanb
b. Mother Teresac
c. VS Naipaul
d. Richard Nixon

15. The largest state of India (in terms of area) is…
a. Uttar Pradesh
b. Rajasthan
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Maharashtra

16. The line of equator does no pass through…
a. Kenya
b. Somalia
c. Uganda
d. Egypt

17. National Institute of Oceanography is based in …
a. Mumbai
b. Chennai
c. Panaji
d. Kochi

18. Poverty and Un-British Rule in India is a famous work of …
a. Dada Bhai Naoroji
b. Mahatma Gandhi
c. AO Hume
d. BG Tilak

19. The first ancient Olympic games took place in the year
a. 476 BC
b. 576 BC
c. 676 BC
d. 776 BC

20. When one crosses the International Date Line from west to east, then the date is said to be set back by…
a. one hour
b. twelve hours
c. one day
d. None of these

21. Equinoxes occur when
a. the days are longer than the nights
b. the nights are longer than the days
c. the nights and days are equal in length
d. the difference between the length of nights and days is the highest

22. Which of the following is NOT a permanent member of United Nation’s Security Council?
a. Russia
b. China
c. France
d. Germany

23. You would associate the theory of ‘Laissez Faire’ with …
a. JK Galbraith
b. JM Keynes
c. Adam Smith
d. David Ricardo

24. Wealth of Nations is authored by….
a. Adam Smith
b. JK Galbraith
c. JM Keynes
d. None of these

25. This personality is considered, as the political guru of Mahatma Gandhi. Can you identify him from the given options?
a. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
b. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
c. Dadabhai Naoroji
d. Mahadev Gobind Ranande

ANSWERS:

1. d. 1972
2. b. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya
3. d. Speaker
4. b. Felix Hoffman
5. d. Gyanapitaka
6. b. Haryana
7. b. Hiraka Sutra
8. c. Acharya Binoba Bhave
9. b. Euclid
10. b. Football
11. b. Arunachal Pradesh
12. c. 4.6 billion years
13. c. Rajasthan
14. d. Richard Nixon
15. b. Rajasthan
16. d. Egypt
17. c. Panaji
18. a. Dada Bhai Naoroji
19. d. 776 BC
20. c. one day
21. c. the nights and days are equal in length
22. d. Germany
23. c. Adam Smith
24. a. Adam Smith
25. b. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Some of SNAP GK Questions

1. Which was the first animal tamed by human being?
Ans: Dog

2. The Planning Commission was constituted in…
Ans: 1950

3. What is the age of earth?
Ans: 4.55 billion years

4. How much time did it took to draft Constitution of India?
Ans: Two years, Eleven months and Eighteen days

5. Imposing President’s rule in case of emergency is given in which article of the Constitution?
Ans: Article 356

6. On what basis is the poverty line ascertained?
Ans: The calorie in take by the people of the country

7. ‘Synecology’ is the study of…
Ans: Ecological interrelationships among communities of organisms.

8. Who is the author of Selling the Dream?
Ans: Guy

9. Why did Mumbai’s dabbawalas become world famous?
Ans: The Mumbai’s dabbawalas came into limelight because of their efficient management systems. Forbes recognized their efforts and conducted a quality assurance study and finally gave them Six Sigma rating.

10. Which is the world’s largest flower?
Ans: Rafflesia

11. ‘Isoprene’ is also known as…
Ans: Natural rubber

12. Which is the lightest metal?
Ans: The lightest metal known is Lithium.

13. What is cinnabar?
Ans: Its an ore of mercury.

14. Myopia (short sightedness) is a condition associated with…
Ans: Eyes

15. FERA has been replaced by…
Ans: FEMA

FMS GK Questions

1. Who is the present Governor of RBI?
Ans: Y.V. Reddy

2. Which of the following companies has recently acquired Flag telecom, USA?
Ans: Reliance Infocomm

3. Who is Chairman of the Planning Commission of India?
Ans: Dr. Manmohan Singh

4. Who is the Chairman of Wipro Industries?
Ans: Azim H. Premji

5. What was the venue of the last ASEAN meeting?
Ans: Vientiane in Laos in November 2004

6. Where is the headquarters of the European Union?
Ans: Brussels

7. Sunil Bharti Mittal is the CMD of…
Ans: Bharti Enterprises

8. VSNL has recently acquired TYCO which belongs to
Ans: USA

9. The automobile giant Hyundai hails from
Ans: South Korea

10. Ratan Tata Commission is meant for
Ans: Investment

11. What was the focus of the Ninth Five-year plan?
Ans: Agriculture and rural development along with employment generation and poverty eradication.

12. What was the duration for India’s Tenth Five-year plan?
Ans: From 2002-07

13. Microsoft has recently established its largest development centre in which of the following city?
Ans: Hyderabad

14. Rupee is not a currency of…
Ans: Bangladesh

15. The term sweated labour means
Ans: Underpaid, cheap labour

16. The term ‘disguised employment’ is found mainly in
Ans: Agricultural sector

17. The defunct Dabhol Power Plant is located in…
Ans: Maharashtra

IRMA GK Questions

1. What is project Swashakti?
Ans: Swashakti is a project for rural women’s development and empowerment.

2. What is the meaning of the Blue Box term related with WTO?
Ans: In WTO terminology, subsidies in general are identified by boxes.
Any support that would normally be in the amber box, is placed in the blue box

3. Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan was associated with
Ans: Total Revolution

4. What is project Gyandoot?
Ans: The goal of this project is to establish community-owned, technologically innovative and sustainable information kiosks in a poverty-stricken, tribal dominated rural area.

5. What do you understand Bhoomi?
Ans: This was the name of the project meant for the computerization of land records of Karnataka.

6. What is the aim of the Public Distribution System (PDS)?
Ans: Ensuring availability of food grains to the public at affordable prices as well as for enhancing the food security for the poor.

7. Co-operative movement in which sector of the Indian Economy has been highly successful?
Ans: Milk production

8. Inflationary Pressure on the Economy means…
Ans: It means inflation is high in the economy.

9. What will be the effect of introduction of Kullahars, Khadi and Sampark Kranti Express etc. on the rural economy?
Ans: It will promote the rural domestic industries thereby increasing the employment generation in the rural sector and hence leading to the growth of the Indian economy in general.

10. What is the contribution of the agriculture sector in the GDP of the Indian Economy?
Ans: 10: 21%

11. What is rain fed farming?
Ans: ‘Rainfed farming’, is defined as growing crops under conditions of natural rainfall.

12. Inflation is measured in terms of…
Ans: Wholesale Price Index (WPI)

13. What are the uses of the interlinking of the rivers?
Ans: 13: It addressed the twin problems of monsoon floods and water scarcity.

14. What is National Bamboo Mission?
Ans: The National Mission has been structured to address critical areas of bamboo development covering - research, development, post-harvest management, product development and marketing by adopting a mission mode approach.

15. What is the chemical used for the cloud seeding?
Ans: Silver Iodide

16. What is the name of the first Genetically Modified crop that was given permission to be grown in India?
Ans: Bt Cotton

17. The National Commission of Women was constituted in…
Ans: 1992

18. What is micro finance?
Ans: Small Loans that help poor people to start or expand their small businesses.

19. What is NPA?
Ans: NPA is defined as Non Performing Assets

20. What is the purpose of launching the Indira Awas Yojana?
Ans: The project was started to help construction of dwelling units for members of Scheduled Castes and also Non-Scheduled Castes rural poor living below the poverty line.

Business Affairs Quiz - 2

1. Mat expands to…

a: Medium Advisory Tax
b. Minimum Accounted Tax
c. Minimum Automated Tax
d. Minimum Alternate Tax

2. This company was i.n the news in march 2005 as ‘U’ was planned to be its new logo. Can you identify the name of the company from the given options?
a. P&G
b. HLL
c. Nestle
d. Dabur

3. What is the expected GDP growth rate in 2005-2006, according to the Union Budget 2005-2006?
a. 6 per cent
b. 6.1 per cent
c. 6.3 per cent
d. 6.9 per cent

4. Identify the Indirect Tax from the given options.
a. Wealth Tax
b. Gift Tax
c. Sales Tax
d. Corporation Tax

5. Which of the following represents the expansion of ‘R’ in RFID?
a. Regional
b. Radio
c. Recorded
d. Reliance

6. This bank, in collaboration with NGOs, launched the ’social card’ for those people who want to contribute to the welfare of the society but either do not have time to do so or do not know which cause they would like to support. Can you identify the name of the bank in question from the given options?
a. Canara Bank
b. SBI
c. Punjab National Bank
d. Bank of India

7. Kishore Biyani, who is considered India’s largest retailer owns….
a. Shoppers Stop
b. Pantaloon
c. West Side
d. RPG Enterprises

8. The year in which the World Bank was incorporated in the UN system was….
a. 1994
b. 1946
c. 1947
d. 1949

9. The United Nations named the year 2005 as…
a. Year of savings
b. Year of Investments
c. Year of micro finance
d. Year of macro finance

10. The name of the Air India’s budget airline, that was launched in April 2005, is …
a. Air lndia Aviator
b. Air India Express
c. Air India Smarty
d. Air India Genie

11. Which of the following represents the expansion of ‘T’ in ‘TIN’?
a. Trade
b. Tax
c. Transmission
d. Total

12. Which of the following personalities is the author of Jeh: A Life of JRD Tata?
a. RM Lala
b. BK Dadabhoy
c. Dwijendra Tripathi
d. BK Karanjia

13. Which of the following represents the worth of the deal in which Adhikari brothers sold the SAB TV brand to the Sony TV in March 2005?
a. $7 million
b. $10 million
c. $13 million
d. $15 million

14. Which city hosted the G-20 meet in the third week of March 2005?
a. Lahore
b. Sau Paulo
c. New Delhi
d. Phuket

15. Identify the incorrect match. Automobile company Car Model
a. Fiat Automobiles Panda
b. Skoda Automobiles Fabia
c. Honda Automobiles Civic
d. All of them are matched properly

16. This personality was the FORBES Asian Businessman of the year 2004. Can you identify him from the given options?
a. Ratan Tata
b. Anil Ambani
c. KV Kamath
d. Nusli Wadia

17. According to a survey conducted by Hewitt Associates, which of the following companies was adjudged as the best employer of 2004?
a. P & G India
b. NTPC
c. Bharti Televentures
d.TCS

18. Awaz is the Hindi business news channel that belongs to the stable of …
a. NDTV
b. CNBC TV 18
c. Zee News
d. Sony TV

19. ‘Make your own road’ is the catchphrase that you would associate with….
a. Chevrolet Tavera
b. Tata Safari
c. Tata Sumo
d. Ford Endeavor

20. The maximum revenue to the government comes from….
a. Service tax
b. Custom duty
c. Excise duty
d. Income tax

Answer key:

1. d. Minimum Alternate Tax
2.b.HLL
3. d. 6.9 per cent
4. c. Sales Tax
5. b. Radio (RFID: RadioFrequency. Identification)
6. b. SBI
7. b. Pantaloon
8. c.1947
9. c. Year of micro finance
10. b. Air India Express
11. b. Tax(TaxlnformationNetwork)
12. b. BK Dadabhoy
13. c. $13 million
14. c. New Delhi
15. d. All of them are matched properly
16. a. Ratan Tata
17. d. TCS
18. b. CNBC TV 18
19. b. Tata Safari
20. c.. Excise Duty

Business Affairs Quiz - 1

1. Etihad Airways is the name of the national airlines of…

a. Afghanistan
b. Iraq
c. Kuwait
d. United Arab Emirates

2. Who was the chairman of the twelfth finance commission of India?
a. MS Ahluwalia
b. C Rangarajan
c. Rakesh Mohan
d. Bimal Jalan

3. General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) is chaired by…
a. N Rangachari
b. RK Joshi
c. MK Garg
d. Ashok Lahiri

4. This site/search engine was in the news in January 2005 as it had plans to offer the famous libraries of the world online. Can you identify the name of the engine in question from the given options?
a. Yahoo. com
b. Google.com
c. Altavista. com
d. AOL

5. Aramco is one of the world’s biggest….
a. Cement firm
b. Steel firm
c. IT firm
d. Oil firm

6. Mukand Steel is the key company owned by…
a. Birlas
b. Bajajs
c. Tatas
d. Ruias

7. ‘Cottons’ is the name of garment collection by….
a. Madura Garments
b. Century Textiles
c. Indigo Nation
d. Raymond

8. Servo is an oil brand from….
a. HPCL
b.IOC
c. BPCL
d. None of these

9. Progeon is the name of the BPO arm of this Indian software giant. Identify it from the given operations.
a. Wipro Technologies
b. Infosys Technologies
c. HCL Technologies
d. Polaris Software’s

10. According to the Union Budget 2005-2006, which of the following represents the outlay for the defense sector?
a. Rs. 66,000 cr
b. Rs. 77,000 cr
c. Rs. 83,000 cr
d. Rs. 90,000 cr

11. ‘Mahila card’ is an international Debit Card meant exclusively for women. This card belongs to the stable of …
a. ICICI Bank’
b. UTI Bank
c. Induslnd Bank
d. Canara Bank

12. Which of the following represents the limit of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the construction sector?
a. 49 per cent
b. 66 per cent
c. 74 per cent
d. 100 per cent

13. Who is the chairman of IDBI?
a. M. Damodaran
b. VP Shetty
c. PP Vora
d. KV Kamath

14. You would associate Corp Kisan Card with …
a. Canara Bank
b. Corporation Bank
c. ICICI Bank
d. HDFC Bank

15. Itz Cash, a pre-paid card, belongs to the stable of…
a. Tatas
b. Essel group
c. Essar group
d. None of these

16. Who among the following is the CMD of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)?
a. VP Sinha
b. b. C P Jain
c. AK Purwar
d. PS Shenoy

17. ‘Aapka Fayda’ is the punch line that you would associate with….
a. Sahara Samay
b. NDTV India
c. CNBC TV 18
d. Zee Business

18. ‘Data One’ is the name of the broadband service of ….
a. Reliance Infocomm
b. BSNL
c. MTNL
d. Tata Indicom

19. Food-World, Giant, Health 8′ Glow and Music World are all retail outlets of …
a. Pantaloon
b. RPG
c. Shopper’s Stop
d. HLL

20. Sarthak Behuria is the chairman-cum-managing director of…
a. ONGC
b. lac
c. BPCL
d.HPCL

Answer Key:

1. d. United Arab Emirates
2. b. C. Rangarajan
3. b. RK Joshi
4. b Google.com
5. d. Oil firm
6. b. Bajajs
7. b. Century Textiles
8. b. 10C
9. b. Infosys Technologies
10. c. Rs. 83.000 cr
11. c. Induslnd Bank
12. d. 100 per cent
13. b. VP Shelly
14. b. Corporation Bank
15. b. Essel Group
16. b. CP Jain
17. d. Zee business
18. b. BSNL
19. b. RPG
20. b. 10C

General Awareness Questions

Some General Awareness questions are given below.

1. In the case of a test tube baby 
(1) Fertilization takes place inside the test tube
(2) Development of the baby takes place inside the test tube
(3) Fertilization takes place outside the mother's body
(4) Unfertilized egg develops inside the test tube
  
2. Who elects the President of India?
(1) Lok Sabha
(2) Rajya Sabha
(3) People of India
(4) Parliament and State Assemblies
  
3. The Fundamental Duties were incorporated in the Constitution of India by the
(1) First Amendment
(2) Tenth Amendment
(3) Thirty-second Amendment
(4) Forty-second Amendment
  
4. The speed of light will be minimum while passing through
(1) glass
(2) vacuum
(3) air
(4) water
  
5. The time taken by the Sun to revolve around the center of our galaxy is
(1) 50 mn years
(2) 100 mn years
(3) 250 mn years
(4) 365 mn years
  
6. The oldest monarchy in the world is that of
(1) Nepal
(2) U K
(3) Spain
(4) Japan
  
7. The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of
(1) only elected members of both Housed of Parliament
(2) only Rajya Sabha members
(3) all members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies
(4) all members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
  
8. In which one of the following states of India is it legal for a Hindu male and illegal for a Muslim male to have more than one living wife?
(1) Nagaland
(2) Goa
(3) Himachal Pradesh
(4) Arunachal Pradesh
  
9. Where did Buddha die?
(1) Lumbini
(2) Kusinagara
(3) Pavapuri
(4) Magadha
  
10. What was the main difference between the Indus Valley Civilization and Vedic Civilization?
(1) Indus Valley Civilization was urban, while the Vedic Civilization was rural. 
(2) "Pipal" tree was worshiped in Indus Valley Civilization, while "Burgad" tree was worshiped in Vedic Civilization. 
(3) The main emphasis in Indus Valley Civilization was on trade while in the Vedic Age was on religion.
(4) Indus Valley Civilization believed in non-violence while Vedic Civilization had no hard and fast rules about violence.

Answer Key 
(1) 3   (6) 4
(2) 4   (7) 4
(3) 4   (8) 2
(4) 1   (9) 2
(5) 3   (10) 1


1. All of the following are constituents of RNA molecule except
(1) Adenine
(2) Guanine
(3) Thymine
(4) Uracil
  
2. The father of modern biology is
(1) Aristotle
(2) Darwin
(3) Mendel
(4) Vesalius
  
3. Which of the following seeds will normalize blood sugar level?
(1) Coriander
(2) Mustard
(3) Cumin
(4) Fenugreek
  
4. The point at which solid, liquid and gaseous forms of a substance co-exist is called
(1) sublimation point
(2) distillation point
(3) triple point
(4) melting point
  
5. Which among the following substances is used as a lubricant?
(1) Quartz
(2) Silica
(3) Graphite
(4) Nickel
  
6. The weight of an object will be minimum when it is placed at
(1) The North Pole
(2) The South Pole
(3) The Equator
(4) The center of the Earth
  
7. Earth quake waves travel fastest in
(1) Soil
(2) Molten rock
(3) Water
(4) Flexible rock
  
8. The angle between the geographical meridian and magnetic meridian is called
(1) Angle of dip
(2) Angle of declination
(3) Angle of inclination
(4) None of the above
  
9. What is the currency of Mexico?
(1) Lira
(2) Peso
(3) Mexican dollars
(4) Krones
  
10. The Essar group of companies has been promoted by
(1) Ruias
(2) Ambanis
(3) Goenkas
(4) Kanorias

Answer Key 
(1) 3   (6) 4
(2) 1   (7) 3
(3) 4   (8) 2
(4) 3   (9) 2
(5) 3   (10) 1


. One of the following liquor brands is not owned by United Breweries
(1) Kalyani Black Label
(2) Blue Riband
(3) McDowells
(4) Bagpiper
  
2. Amtrex air conditioners has a technical collaboration with
(1) Sanyo
(2) Mitsubishi
(3) Hitachi
(4) Carrier
  
3. Marlboro Cigarette is owned by
(1) ITC
(2) Godfrey-Philips
(3) Philip Morris
(4) British American Tobacco
  
4. Who is the CEO of Microsoft?
(1) Bill Gates
(2) Paul Allen
(3) Larry Ellison
(4) Steve Ballnes
  
5. One of the following is not an Insurance Company
(1) ICICI Prudential
(2) HDFC Natwest
(3) OM Kotak Mahindra
(4) Birla Sun Life
  
6. What is the currency of Portugal?
(1) Escudo
(2) Guilder
(3) Mark
(4) Schilling
  
7. One of the following personalities is not associated with the Indian auto sector
(1) Suresh Krishna
(2) Venu Srinivasan
(3) Anand Mahindra
(4) Venugopal Dhoot
  
8. One of the following companies is not in the area of air-conditioning & refrigeration
(1) BPL
(2) Thermax
(3) Lloyd
(4) Carrier Aircon
  
9. How many countries are a part of the European union?
(1) 18
(2) 15
(3) 21
(4) 12
  
10. Who is the attorney general of United States of America?
(1) Ashcroft
(2) Powell
(3) Rumsfeld
(4) Cheney

Answer Key 
(1) 4   (6) 1
(2) 3   (7) 4
(3) 3   (8) 3
(4) 4   (9) 2
(5) 2   (10) 1


1. When was the generic domain name (Top Level Domain - TLD) .com introduced?
(1) 1989
(2) 1985
(3) 1994
(4) 1991
  
2. Who is the prime minister of Israel?
(1) Benajamin Netanyahu
(2) Ariel Sharon
(3) Shaul Mofaz
(4) Goldamyer
  
3. What was the significant about the purchase of a kilo of lychees on the French island of Reunion, located in the Indian Ocean?
(1) They were the first lot of lychees exported from India.
(2) It was the first official purchase using the new currency Euro.
(3) It was done by to commemorate the release of the new France with Princess Diana's image on it.
(4) None of these
  
4. Which brand had the highest number of Web searches in 2001?
(1) Google
(2) Marlboro
(3) Intel
(4) Play Station 2
  
5. What is common to all of the following names - Eduardo Camano, Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, Ramon Puerta and Fernando de la Rua?
(1) They were all former Presidents of Argentina.
(2) They are the dreaded drug lords of South America
(3) They own together 70% of the world's Silver mines.
(4) None of these
  
6. The video games X box is a product of 
(1) Sega
(2) Sony
(3) Intel
(4) Microsoft
  
7. It was acknowledged as the second-most dangerous computer virus in history, after the Love Bug virus. Name this virus, which struck in 2001.
(1) Melissa
(2) Code Red
(3) C-Brain
(4) Major Domo
  
8. What does the letters XP stand for in the product Microsoft XP?
(1) Extended product
(2) Extra Pampering
(3) Experience
(4) Entry level product
  
9. Which business and media tycoon won the elections to become Head of State in Italy amidst widespread clouds of scandal?
(1) Guillani Giovanni
(2) Joe Pacci
(3) Antonio Machiaveli
(4) Silvio Berusconi
  
10. Under what name is MTNL marketing its GSM based mobile telephony?
(1) Swarna
(2) Dolphin
(3) Speed
(4) Vayu

Answer Key 
(1) 2   (6) 4
(2) 2   (7) 2
(3) 2   (8) 3
(4) 4   (9) 4
(5) 1   (10) 2

XAT GK Collection

1. 1. World's richest Indian = Laxmi Niwas Mittal
   
   2. World's Largest Steel Organisation = Laxmi Niwas Mittal Group, coz this year it has acuired America's International Group.
   
   3. Govt. hiked the FDI CAP in Domestic Airlines 4rm current 40% to 49%
   
   4. Telecom and IT Minsiter = Dayanidhi Maran
   
   5. Ernst & Young Enterpreneur of the year = Sunil Mittal ( Bharti Enterprises)
   
   6. VSNL Chairman = Ratan Tata , VSNL Acquired Tyco Global Network
   
   7. Star TV CEO = Peter Mukerjea
   
   8. Deutsche Bank CEO & MD = Gunit Chadha
   
   9. CII President = Sunil Kant Munjal
   
   10. HDFC Chairman = Deepak Parekh
   
   11. ICICI Bank CEO = K. V. Kamath
   
   12. SBI Chairman & MD = A.K. Purwar
   
   13. Kotak Mahindra MD = Uday Kotak
   
   14. Sebi Chairman = G . N. Bajpai
   
   15. IRDA Chairman = C. S. Rao
   
   16. TV Today Network CEO = G Krishnan

1. Whose ad line reads "Where India Shops". (hint : apparels)
   
   Pantaloons
   
   
   (2) It was in 1962, at Gouster, Virginia when the PNB with the aid of National Banking Machines started this for the first time. What are we talking about ?
   ATM'S
   
   
   
   (3) Power Compact with 'smart eyes' is _____________
   Ariel
   
   
   
   (4) A Double Life is a book by which advertising guru ?
   
   Alyque Padamsee
   
   
   (5) In the name RJR-Nabisco, what does Nabisco stand for ?
   
   National Biscuit Company

1.who is our chief vigilance officer?
ans. p. shankar
2.india has signed an agreement to purchase admiral gorshkov frm russia. this is an..
ans. aircraft carrier
3. which pakistan scientist was involved with leaking of nuclear know how to other countries?
ans.abdul qadeer khan
4.dogri language is spoken by which states?
ans.j and k
5.the total strength of rajya sabha is not to exceed..
ans250 members
6.who is known as the ex-officio member of the rajya sabha?
ans.vice-president.
7. who said"the directive principle of state policy do not matter'?
ans.sir ivor jennings
8.we hav borrowed the directive principles of state policy from the constitution of..
ans.ireland
9.who won 2004 booker prize?
ans.alan hollinghurst
who is the new p.l.o leader?
ans. mr mehmood abbas

1)GE's technology centre in b'lore is named after whom? - Jack
Welch
2)Ranbaxy calls it 'Caverta', what is it popularly known as? -
Viagra
3)Which Indian test cricketer is the representative of Musco
lighting in India? - Kapil Dev
4)Which country's PM receives the highest salary in terms of
dollars? -Japan
5)Zzapi Nercor is the mascot of which Indian pizza company? -
Pizza Corner
6)Top Gear is the retail outlet of which indian company? - IOC
7)Which search engine was first named Architext and created by
a group of Stanford University grads? - Excite
8)Who is the lowest paid CEO in the world? - Steve Jobs, Apple
computers, $1 annually
9)What is the name of Tainwala Chemicals' mosquito repellant
brand? - Casper
10)Which company is the official ice-cream supplier to
Wimbledon? - Wall's
11)Which was the first insurance company in India to start a 24
hour call centre? - Tata AIG
12)Rasik Dhariwal is the owner of which Gutkha company? -
Manikchand
13)Which Indian retail chain was started by former Carona
employee B.S Nagesh? - Shopper's Stop
14)Which company was first founded and registered in
Delaware, US as Quantum Computer Services? - AOL
15)Which is the oldest public sector bank in India? - Allahabad
Bank

and here goes my report on committees reports (CR) in the last two years searched thru business standard archive section.
1. MH kania CR
A. stock exchange reforms on demutualisation.

2. Malegam CR
A. UTI reforms and scams

3. Joint Parliament CR (headed my M. tripathi)
A. Investigate the 2001 bse crash

4. Geetha Krishnam CR
A. on I&B expenditure, reforms etc

5. Mashelkar CR
A. Auto Fuel Policy

6. Amit Mitra CR
A. FM radio (26%fdi)

7. Naresh Chandra CR
A. Corporate Governance

8. Bhagwati
A. Changes to SEBI takeover policy...dont know exactly

9. Tarapore
A. Captical convertibilily

10. Abhijit Sen
A. Long Term Gain Policy

11. Santosh Mohan Deo
A. Electricity Bill 2001

12. What is the Indiamix scheme.
A. google it :).

World's oldest stock exchange=amsterdam stock exchange(1602!)

Largest global brand=Coca-cola

World's largest employer=Indian Railways(1,600,000 regular employees)

Which company reported the largest annual loss ever=AOL Time Warner
($98.7 billion on January 30, 2003)

Which single issue had the most investors=Unit Trust of India
(5.9 million in April and May 1992)

Largest oil company= ExxonMobil

Which film company was the first ever in Bollywood to raise money through an initial public offering= Mukta Arts

World's highest paid CEO=Reuben Mark, CEO of Colgate-Palmolive( $148 million)

Which nation has the largest national debt=Brazil

Microsoft=Steve Ballmer

TCS=S. Ramadorai

NASSCOM=Kiran Karnik

Satyam Computer Services =Ramalinga Raju

Kishor Biyani=Pantaloon

GE=Jeffrey R Immelt

Nokia=Jorma Jaakko Ollila

Time Warner Inc=Richard D Parsons

Oracle=Larry Ellison

Dr. Manmohan Singh was sworn-in as Prime Minister of India on May 22, 2004.

Cabinet Ministers

Arjun Singh - Human Resource Development
Pranab Mukherjee - Defence
P. Chidambaram - Finance
Shivraj Patil - Home
Natwar Singh - External Affairs
Sharad Pawar - Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution
Laloo Prasad - Railways
Ram Vilas Paswan - Chemicals & Fertilisers and Steel
Ghulam Nabi Azad - Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development
S Jaipal Reddy - Information & Broadcasting and Culture
Sisram Ola - Labour and Employment
Mahavir Prasad - Small Scale Agro and Rural Industries
P. R. Kyndiah - Tribal Affairs and Development of the Northeast
T R Baalu - Road Transport, Highways and Shipping
Shankarsinh Vaghela - Textiles
Kamal Nath - Commerce and Industry
H R Bhardwaj - Law and justice
P M Sayeed - Power
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh - Rural Development
Priyaranjan Dasmunsi - Water Resources
Mani Shankar Aiyar - Petroleum & Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj
Sunil Dutt -Youth Affairs and Sports
A Raja - Environment and Forest
Dayanidhi Maran - Communication and IT
Meira Kumar - Social Justice and Empowerment
K Chandrasekhar Rao -
Anbumani Ramdoss - Health and Family Welfare

Ministers of State (Independent Charge)

Santosh Mohan Dev - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Jagdish Tytler - Non-Resident Affairs
Oscar Fernandes - Statistics and Program Implementation
Renuka Choudhury - Tourism
Subodh Kant Sahai - Food Processing
Kapil Sibal - Science & Technology and Ocean Development
Vilas Muttemwar - Non-conventional Energy Sources
Kumari Selja - Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation
Praful Patel - Civil Aviation
Premchand Gupta - Company Affairs

Ministers of State

E Ahamed - External affairs
Suresh Pachauri - Personnel and Parliamentary Affairs
B K Handique - Defence and Parliamentary Affairs
P Lakshmi - Health and Family Welfare
Dasari Narayan Rao - Coal and Mines
Shaqeel Ahmed - Communications & IT
Rao Indrajit Singh - External Affairs
Naranbhai Rathwa - Railways
Rehman Khan - Chemicals and Fertilisers
K H Muniappa - Road Transport and Highways
M V Rajasekharan - Planning
Kantilal Bhuria - Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution
Manik Rao Gavit - Home Affairs
Sriprakash Jaiswal - Home Affairs
Prithviraj Chavan - Prime Minister's Office
Mohammed Taslimuddin - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Suryakanta Patil - Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs
Mohammed A A Fatmi - Human Resource Development
A Narendra - Rural Development
R Velu - Railways
S S Palanimanickam - Finance
S Regupathy - Internal Security and Personnel
K Venkatapathy - Law and Justice
Subbulakshmi Jegadeesan - Social Justice and Empowerment
E V K S Elangovan - Commerce & Industry
Kanti Singh - Human Resource Development
Namo Narayan Meena - Environment and Forests
Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav - Water Resources
Akhilesh Singh - Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution

Abbreviations

MRF=Madras Rubber Factory
BPL=British Physical Labs
TIPS=Time Promotion Services
T-Series=Trishul
SUN Microsystems=Stanford University Network
DSP Merrill Lynch= D S Purbhoodas & Co

plz note that the CHAIRMAN of NASSCOM : Jerry Rao

and PRESIDENT of NASSCOM : Kiran Karnik.

1. He lost both his parents by 1856; he was then 10 years old. He grew up in an orphanage known as Bruderhaus, and got trained in the adjoining engineering factory, where Gottlieb Daimler, the technical manager, spotted his talent. They worked together til l 1907 when he, called ‘The King of Design Engineers,' left Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to set up his own business. Who is being referred to here?
Ans-Wilhelm Maybach


2. Which company's subsidiary is UltraTech Cement, and what was it called earlier?
Ans--Grasim; L&T cement

3. This company, which is now facing a bid from a company half its size, was founded by Cecil Rhodes. Its major shareholder is Vladimir Potanin's Norilsk Nickel group, which holds 20 per cent of the company. Its CEO is Ian Cockerill. Which is the company?
ANS--Gold Fields, which is facing a bid from Harmony Gold

4.This formulation was developed in 1965 by researchers at the University of Florida to help the State's football team members beat dehydration. How is the formulation known now?
ANS--Gatorade; the football team is called Gators

5. In 2002, US-based Tibco Software bought Praja, a company founded by Dr Ramesh Jain and which other famous personality?
ANS--Dr C. K. Prahalad

6. Which company is focussing on long-term goals collectively called the 'Garuda Vision'? (Clue: This has got nothing to do with Indonesia's airliner Garuda!)
ANS-- Ranbaxy

7. "Know. Now." This is the base line of a brand, 150 years old, which is in the business of providing information to its customers. Which company?

ANS-- Reuters

8. An easy one to end this week's quiz! What was created by Umesh Rao, an artist with JWT, and Bobby Kooka in 1946?
ANS--The Air-India Maharajah; Kooka was Air-India's Commercial Director then

1. Also called blood diamonds, these are diamonds that usually originate in war zones and are sold in order to finance the war efforts of an invading army against a legitimate and internationally recognised Government. What are they called?
   ANS--Conflict diamonds
   
   2. 'Idiots Price Our Devices'! This was one famous comment among the many that were seen on the Internet when this company launched a product nearly three years ago. Demand, however, seems to have soared now. Which product are we referring to? Also, which is the company?
   ANS-- iPod (Apple) (The term 'iPod' can be worked out from the comment itself.)
   
   
   3. M. P. Sharma, Dr Madan Vaidya Mishra and P. L. Agarwal. Why are the three names in the news?
   ANS-- They were the witnesses for Priyamvada's will
   
   4. This bank was established in Lahore in 1943 by Rai Bahadur Lala Sohan Lal, who also became its first Chairman. After Partition, the bank's registered office shifted to Amritsar. Its current head office is in New Delhi. Can you name this bank?
   ANS-- Oriental Bank of Commerce
   
   5. Easy! Can you name the company set up by Prince Charles in the early 1990s to make organic food products?
   ANS-- Duchy Originals
   
   6. Japan's second and fourth biggest banks in terms of assets have agreed to merge. The merged entity will become the world's biggest banking group. Can you name the two banks?
   ANS-- Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group (MTFG) and UFJ Holdings
   
   7. In 1907, Eugene Schueller, a French chemist, developed a hair-colour formula. Two years later, he registered his company as 'Societe Francaise de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux.' How do we know it today?
   
   ANS-- L'Oreal

Schedules and Amendments in the Indian Constitution

Schedules:

Schedules can be added to the constitution by amendment. The twelve schedules in force cover the designations of the States and Union Territories; emoluments for high-level officials; forms of oaths; allocation of the number of seats in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States - the upper house of Parliament) per State or Union Territory; provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes (areas and tribes needing special protection due to disadvantageous conditions); provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Assam; the Union (central government), State, and Concurrent (dual) lists of responsibilities; the official languages; land and tenure reforms; the association of Sikkim with India; anti-defection provisions for Members of Parliament and Members of the State Legislatures; rural development; and urban planning.

Amendments

Methods of Amendment

By simple majority of the Parliament: Amendments in this category can be made by a simple majority of members present and voting, before sending them for the President's assent.

By special majority of the Parliament: Amendments can be made in this category by a two - third majority of the total number of members present and voting, which should not be less than half of the total membership of the house.

By special majority of the Parliament and ratification of at least half of the state legislatures by special majority. After this, it is sent to the President for his assent.

An amendment to the Constitution is an extremely difficult affair, and normally needs at least two-thirds of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to pass it. The Constitution of India is one of the most frequently amended constitutions in the world. The first amendment came only a year after the adoption of the Constitution and instituted numerous minor changes. Many more amendments followed, at a rate of almost two amendments per year since 1950. Many matters that would be dealt with by ordinary statutes in most democracies must be dealt with by constitutional amendment in India due to the document's extraordinary detail. Most of the Constitution can be amended after a quorum of more than half of the members of each house in Parliament passes an amendment with a two-thirds majority vote. Articles pertaining to the distribution of legislative authority between Union and State governments must also be approved by fifty percent of State legislatures.

In 1974, the Supreme Court of India in the landmark case of Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala enunciated the Basic Structure Doctrine, which expanded the scope of judicial review to include the power to review Constitutional Amendments passed by the Legislature. Using this doctrine, the Supreme Court has struck down the 39th Amendment and parts of the 42nd Amendment as being violative of the Basic Structure of the Constitution. Some noted authors of Constitutional law, such as HM Seervai have argued that this is an usurpation of amending power by the judiciary which was never intended by the framers of the Constitution

There have been a total of 93 amendments to the constitution of India, as of 2006.

Articles

Part I - consists of Articles 1 - 4 on the Union and its Territory

Part II - consists of Articles 5 - 11 on Citizenship.

Part III - consists of Articles 12 - 35 on Fundamental Rights.

Articles 14 - 18 on Right to Equality,

Articles 19 - 22 on Right to Freedom,

Articles 23 - 24 on Right against Exploitation,

Articles 25 - 28 on Right to Freedom of Religion,

Articles 29 - 31 on Cultural and Educational Rights,

Articles 32 - 35 on Right to Constitutional Remedies.

Part IV - consists of Articles 36 - 51 on Directive Principles of State Policy.

Part IV (A) consists of Article 51A - Fundamental Duties of each citizen of India.

Part V - consists of Articles on the Union.

Chapter I - Articles 52 to 78 on The Executive.

Articles 52 - 73 on the President and Vice-President,

Articles 74 - 75 on Council of Ministers,

Articles 76 - Attorney General of India,

Articles 77 - 78 on the Conduct of Government Business

Chapter II - Articles 79 - 122 on Parliament.

Articles 79 - 88 on Constitution of Parliament,

Articles 89 - 98 on Officers of Parliament,

Articles 99 - 100 on Conduct of Business,

Articles 101 - 104 on Disqualification of members,

Articles 105 - 106 on Powers, privileges and Immunities of Parliament and its Members,

Articles 107 - 111 on Legislative Procedure,

Articles 112 - 117 on Procedure in Financial Matters,

Articles 118 - 122 on Procedure Generally.

Chapter III - Article 123 on the Legislative Powers of the President.

Article 123 on Power of president to promulgate Ordinances during recess of Parliament

Chapter IV - Articles 124 - 147 on The Union Judiciary.

Articles 124 - 147 Establishment and Constitution of the Supreme Court

Chapter V - Articles 148 - 151 on the Controller and Auditor-General of India.

Articles 148 - 151 on Duties and powers of Comptroller and Auditor-General.

Part VI - Articles on the States.

Chapter I - Article 152 on the General definition of a State of the Union of India

Article 152 - Exclusion of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from the general definition of a state of the Union of India.

Chapter II - Articles 153 - 167 on The Executive

Articles 153 - 162 on The Governor,

Articles 163 - 164 on The Council of Ministers,

Article 165 on the Advocate-General for the State.

Articles 166 - 167 on the Conduct of Government Business.

Chapter III - Articles 168 - 212 on The State Legislature.

Articles 168 - 177 General

Articles 178 - 187 on the Officers of the State Legislature,

Articles 188 - 189 on Conduct of Business,

Articles 190 - 193 on Disqualification of members,

Articles 194 - 195 on Powers, Privileges and Immunities Parliament and its Members,

Articles 196 - 201 on Legislative Procedure,

Articles 202 - 207 on Procedure in Financial Matters,

Articles 208 - 212 on Procedure Generally.

Chapter IV - Article 213 on the Legislative Powers of the Governor

Article 213 - Power of governer to promulgate Ordinances during recess of Assembly of state.

Chapter V - Articles 214 - 231 on The High Courts in the States.

Articles 214 - 231 on High Courts in the States,

Chapter VI - Articles 233 - 237 on the Subordinate Courts

Articles 232 - 237 on Subordinate Courts

Part VII - consists of Articles on States in the B part of the First schedule.

Article 238 Repealed, Replaced by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 29 and Sch.

Part VIII - consists of Articles on The Union Territories

Articles 239 - 242 Administration, creation of Council of Ministers and High Courts

Part IX - consists of Articles on the Panchayat system.

Articles 243 - 243O on the Gram Sabha and Panchayat system

Part IXA - consists of Articles on Municipalties.

Articles 243P - 243ZG on Municipalties

Part X - consists of Articles on the scheduled and Tribal Areas

Articles 244 - 244A on Administration, creation of Council of Ministers, and legislatures.

Part XI - consists of Articles on Relations between the Union and the States.

Chapter I - Articles 245 - 255 on the Distribution of Legislative Powers

Articles 245 - 255 on Distribution of Legislative Relations

Chapter II - Articles 256 - 263 on Administrative Relations

Articles 256 - 261 - General

Article 262 - on Disputes relating to waters.

Article 263 - on Co-ordination between States

Part XII - consists of Articles on Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits

Chapter I - Articles 264 - 291 on Finance

Articles 264 - 267 General

Articles 268 - 281 on Distribution Revenues between the Union and the States

Articles 282 - 291 on Miscellaneous Financial Provisions

Chapter II - Articles 292 - 293 on Borrowing

Articles 292 - 293 on Borrowing by States

Chapter III - Articles 294 - 300 on Property, Contracts, Right, Liabilities, Obligations and Suits

Articles 294 - 300 on Succession to property assets, liabilities, and obligations.

Chapter IV - Article 300A on the Right to Property

Article 300A - on Persons not to be deprived of property save by authority of law

Part XIII - consists of Articles on Trade and Commerce within the territory of India

Articles 301 - 305 on Freedom of Trade and Commerce, and the power of Parliament and States to impose restrictions on the same

Article 306 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, s. 29 and Sch.

Article 307 - Appointment of authority for carrying out the purposes of articles 301 to 304.

Part XIV - consists of Articles on Services Under the Union and the States

Chapter I - Articles 308 - 314 on Services

Articles 308 - 313 on Services

Article 314 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1972, s. 3 (w.e.f. 29-8-1972).

Chapter II - Articles 315 - 323 on the Public Service Commissions

Articles 315 - 323 on Public Service Commissions

Part XIVA - consists of Articles on Tribunals

Articles 323 A - 323 B

Part XV - consists of Articles on Elections

Articles 324 - 329 on Elections

Article 329A - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, s. 36 (w.e.f. 20-6-1979).

Part XVI - consists of Articles on Special Provisions Relating to certain Classes

Articles 330 - 342 on Reservations

Part XVII - consists of Articles on Official Language

Chapter I - Articles 343 - 344 on Language of the Union

Articles 343 - 344 Official Language of the Union

Chapter II - Articles 345 - 347 on Regional Languages

Articles 345 - 347 on Language of the State

Chapter III - Articles 348 - 349 on Language of the Supreme Court, High courts, Etc

Articles 348 - 349 on Language used in Supreme Court, High courts Etc

Chapter IV - Articles 350 - 351 on Special Directives

Article 350 - on Language to be used in representations for redress of grievances.

Article 350A - on Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage.

Article 350B - on provision for Special Officer for linguistic minorities.

Article 351 - on Directive for development of the Hindi language.

Part XVIII - consists of Articles on Emergency Provisions

Articles 352 - 359 on Emergency Provisions

Article 359A - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Sixty-third Amendment) Act, 1989, s. 3
(w.e.f. 6-1-1990).

Article 360 - on Provisions as to financial emergency.

Part XIX - Miscellaneous

Articles 361 - 361A - Miscellaneous

Article 362 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1971, s. 2.

Articles 363 - 367 - Miscellaneous

Part XX - consists of Articles on Amendment of the Constitution

Articles 368 on the Power of parliament to amend the constitution and procedure therefor

Part XXI - consists of Articles on Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions

Articles 369 - 378A on Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions

Article 379 - 391 - Repealed - Replaced by the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956,
s. 29 and Sch.

Article 392 - on the Power of the President to remove difficulties.

Part XXII consists of Articles on short title, date of commencement, Authoritative text in Hindi and Repeals.

Articles 393 - 395 Commencement, authoritative text in Hindi and repeals

Preamble of the constitution of India

Preamble

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

The preamble is not a part of the Constitution of India as it is not enforceable in a court of law. However, the Supreme Court has, in the case of 'Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala', recognized that the Preamble is a part of the Constitution and may be used to interpret ambiguous areas of the Constitution where differing interpretations present themselves. However, the Preamble is useful as an interpretive tool only if there is an ambiguity in the article itself and should not be treated as a rights bestowing part of the Constitution.

An interesting side note concerns the words "SOCIALIST" and SECULAR in the preamble. The original drafting used the words "SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC". The two additional words "SOCIALIST" and SECULAR were introduced by the controversial 42nd amendment. The amendment was pushed through by Indira Gandhi in 1976, when she had dictatorial powers. A committee under the chairmanship of Sardar Swaran Singh recommended that this amendment be enacted after being constituted to study the question of amending the constitution in the light of past experience.

The importance of the Preamble

The wording of the Preamble highlights some of the fundamental values and guiding principles on which the Constitution of India is based. The Preamble serves as a guiding light for the Constitution and judges interpret the Constitution in its light. In a majority of decisions, the Supreme Court of India has held that the objectives specified in the preamble constitute the basic structure of the Indian Constitution, which cannot be amended. Though the Preamble is a part of the constitution still it nor any of its content is legally enforcible.
The first words of the Preamble - "We, the people" - signifies that power is ultimately vested in the hands of the people of India. The Preamble lays down the most important national goals which every citizen and the government must try to achieve, such as socialism, secularism and national integration. Lastly, it lays down the date for the adoption of the Constitution - 26 November 1949.

Explanation of some of the important words in the Preamble

Sovereign
The word sovereign means supreme or independent. India is internally and externally sovereign - externally free from the control of any foreign power and internally, it has a free government which is directly elected by the people and makes laws that govern the people.

Socialist

The word socialist was added to the Preamble by the 42nd amendment act of 1976. It implies social and economic equality. Social equality in this context means the absence of discrimination on the grounds of caste, colour, creed, sex, religion, language, etc. Under social equality, everyone has equal status and opportunities. Economic equality in this context means that the government will endeavour to make the distribution of wealth more equal and provide a decent standard of living for all. This is in effect emphasizing a commitment towards the formation of a welfare state.

India has adopted a mixed economy and the government has framed many laws to achieve the aim of social equality, such as the Abolition of Untouchability and Zamindari, the Equal Wages Act, Bonded Labour Abolition Act and the Child Labour Prohibition Act.

Secular

The word secular was inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd amendment act of 1976. It implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance. India, therefore does not have an official state religion. Every person has the right to preach, practise and propagate any religion they choose. The government must not favour or discriminate against any religion. It must treat all religions with equal respect. All citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs are equal in the eyes of law. No religious instruction is imparted in government or government-aided schools. The Supreme Court in S.R Bommai v. Union of India held that secularism was an integral part of the basic structure of the constitution.

Democratic

India is a democracy. The people of India elect their governments at all levels (Union, State and local) by a system of universal adult franchise. Every citizen of India, who is 18 years of age and above and not otherwise debarred by law, is entitled to vote. Every citizen enjoys this right without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, colour, sex, religion or education.

Republic

As opposed to a monarchy, in which the head of state is appointed on hereditary basis for a lifetime or until he abdicates from the throne, a democratic republic is an entity in which the head of state is elected, directly or indirectly, for a fixed tenure. The President of India is elected by an electoral college for a term of five years.The Post of the President Of India is not hereditary.Every citizen of India is eligible to become the President of the country.