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)

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.

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

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

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 Kawasaki

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

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 phiosophy 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

NOTE: The questions that follow are the few actual questions that have appeared in the last year’s papers. Some modifications have been done to make them meaningful.

1. The celebrated Temple of Lord Jagannath now existent at Puri was constructed by the King of Orissa known as
Ans: Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev

2. Atish-e-Chinar is the autobiography account of
Ans: Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah

3. Which is the least corrupt nation of the world?
Ans: Finland

4. The trade related investment measures are related with…
Ans: GATT

5. This personality became the first Prime Minister of Indian Origin in Trinidad and Tobago’s. Can you name the person?
Ans: Basdeo Pandey

6. Seven sisters in business history relates to…
Ans: Major oil companies of USA

7. Rockefeller family created their fortune in…
Ans: Oil industry

8. Nobel Prize in physiology for 2003 was awarded for
Ans: MRI related work

9. Fresco ceiling of Sistine Chapel was painted by…
Ans: Michelangelo

10. What was world’s first synthetic drug made by a German scientist?
Ans: Acetylsalicylic acid

11. The largest single grass root refinery is owned by…
Ans: Reliance Industries

12. Winner of PGA Championship receives…
Ans: Wanamaker Trophy

13. Who declares the companies as sick?
Ans: BIFR

14. Hutchison Whampao is headquartered at
Ans: Hong Kong

15. Which company failed in hostile takeover attempt of Indal?
Ans: Sterlite Industries

16. The name of the company that owns EVA trademark is…
Ans: Stern Stewart & Co

17. Pohang Iron & Steel Company hails from…
Ans: South Korea

18. The concept of Kanban was pioneered in…
Ans: Toyota

19. Which award is given for Agricultural research?
Ans: Borlaug Award

20. Who presided over Ranbaxy Laboratories from the period 1970-1980?
Ans: Dr. Parvinder Singh

21. Economic model that provided way for the Five year plans in India was given by
Ans: P.C. Mahalonobis

22. Latest Booker Prize winning book by Allan Hollinghurst was…
Ans: The Line of Beauty