currentaffairs

INDIA & WORLD

EC signs MoU with South Korean counterpart

The Election Commission of India on 01 August 2012 signed an MoU with its South Korean counterpart to help each other in strengthening the  electoral processes and political culture. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Chief
Election Commissioner of India V S Sampath on behalf of the poll panel and by Justice Nung Hwan Kim of the Republic of Korea at a brief ceremony. This is the 13th MoU signed by ECI with other countries and international election panels.

India-Israel Sign MoU on research programme

India and Israel on 02 August 2012 entered into a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for launching a programme that would promote collaborative research across a wide range of disciplines from medical and information technology to social sciences, humanities and arts. The programme, which will run for five years will provide support up to $1,00,000 a research project for three years .The MoU was signed by Chairman of the Israel science Foundation professor Benjamin Geiger and Chairman of University Grants Commission ved Prakash.

India, Monaco ink tax information exchange  agreement
Tata Communications’ payment solutions providing arm has bagged an exclusive order to install and manage nearly 14,000 ATMs for all public sector banks in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal,Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands by 2013—14.”Government of India and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a Tax
Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on 02.August 2012″.

India, Iran & Afghanistan to expand trade,transit through Chabahar port
India, Iran and Afghanistan have moved one step closer to expand their trade and economic ties. At a trilateral meeting in Teheran, they agreed to work for expanding trade, investment and transit cooperation through Chabahar port in Iran. A joint working group consisting of the representatives of the three countries will meet within the next three months in Chabahar to expedite the process.

India to help Sri Lanka set up SEZs
India will help Sri Lanka establish a special economic zone to manufacture auto components in Trincomaee, commerce minister Anand Sharma said in colombo on 03 August 2012. The SEZ would promote exports to the production chains in India.

Indian Scientist , Amitabh Ghosh in NASA team helped choose Curiosity’s landing site

An Indian scientist, Amitabh Ghosh part of the NASA team which had identified the landing site of the ‘Curiosity’ rover on Mars on 6August 2012 described the Spot as “very exciting and holding “great promise”.

Pakistan asked India to register Oil Marketing

Companies (OMCs) with Pakistan State Oil In the wake of New Delhi’s decision to allow pakistani investments, Islamabad has asked India to register its oil marketing companies(OMCs) with Pakistani State Oil to take part in spot tenders for
supply of petroleum products such as petrol,diesel, furnace oil and petcoke.

India Ranked Second in Search Queries for Education on Google

Indian Ranked second in education queries on Google.After the US, Indian people from IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmadabad were the most searched in their respective categories. India was Ranked 8th in 2008, at present it is behind only to the US.

TB screening for Indians seeking UK visa

From August 16, Indians planning to travel to UK for more than six months will be screened for tuberculosis before they are given a visa under a pre-entry TB screening programme extended to India. However, the screening will not be required for those travelling for six months or less.The Home Office announced that all such applicants would be required to submit a certificate from a local clinic approved by the British Government to show that they are “TB-free’’. There will be a fee of Rs 1500 for screening, to be borne by the applicant.

India gets first Embraer jet with Indian airborne radar tech

India, with taking the delivery of the first Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) in Brazil on 17 August 2012, moved one more step ahead in aerial security.India and Brazil signed a deal reportedly worth $ 210 million for the supply of three aircraft by 2014. This includes a comprehensive logistic package that entails training, technical support, supply of spare parts and ground support equipment.

Government extends ban on import of milk, milk products from China

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended the extension of the ban till June 2013 or until further orders.The banned milk products include chocolate, chocolate products, candies, confectionery, food preparations with milk or milk solids as ingredient.

Sonia is Sixth in Forbes list of 100 most powerful Women

The Forbes magazine on 22nd August 2012 ranked united progressive Alliance(UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi the sixth most powerful woman in the world in the list of 100women.Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel got the first place. United States Secretary Hillary Clinton got the second place and Michelle Obama got the 7th Place.

Ranking by World Bank

As per the World Bank Report, India has been ranked at 132 amongst the sample 183 Countries.Recognising the need for Reforming the Regulatory Environment for doing business in India, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri. M.Damodaran has been constituted on 23 August 2012 by this ministry to extensively examine different areas
of root functioning such as financial reforms, governance reforms, liberalized policy framework,process reforms etc, and to suggest a roadmap for improving business climate in India.

Pak hails India’s move to allow FDI

Pakistan 01 August 2012 welcomed India’s decision to allow Pakistani Foreign Direct Investment, saying the move will create goodwill and give a boost to efforts to normalise bilateral relations. Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan welcomed the Indian government’s decision to allow Pakistani investments in all areas except defence, space and atomic energy.  Pakistan can explore sectors like cement, textiles and sports for investments in India. Besides, the FDI proposals from Pakistan need to be cleared from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

answer of gk 2

Test Paper – 2

1a	2a	3c	4a	5c	6d	7b	8d	9b	10b
11a	12d	13b	14d	15c	16b	17c	18c	19a	20b
21c	22d	23a	24b	25d	26c	27b	28a	29b	30d
31d	32b	33c	34d	35b	36d	37a	38c	39d	40a
41a	42c	43c	44d	45b	46a	47d	48c	49b	50d

General Knowledge

Model Test Paper – 2

Q1.       Gol Ghar, a beehive shaped structure built in 1786 to store grains for the British Army, is located in which city ?
            (A) Meerut                   (B) Chennai                  (C) Kolkata                   (D) Patna
Q2.       In humans, which dark brown pigment is responsible for the skin colour ?
            (A) Melanin                  (B) Bilirubin                  (C) Carotene                 (D) Hemoglobin
Q3.       Who wrote the famous novel ‘Devdas’ ?
            (A) Rabindranath Tagore                                   (B) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
            (C) Sharat Chandra Chatterjee               (D) Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay
Q4.       Which freedom fighter was popularly known as ‘Lokpriya’ ?
            (A) Gopinath Bordoloi                                        (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
            (C) Chittaranjan Das                                         (D) Jayaprakash Narain
Q5.       Which battle lead to the disintegration of Vijayanagar empire of south India ?
            (A) Battle of Plassey (1757)                              (B) Battle of Buxar (1764)
            (C) Battle of Talikota (1565)                              (D) Battle of Seringapatam (1799)
Q6.       In which city is the Indian Institute of Pulses Research located ?
            (A) Lucknow                (B) Nagpur                   (C) Indore                     (D) Kanpur
Q7.       Pinaka, the multi barrel rocket launcher produced in India, is named after which Hindu God’s bow ?
            (A) Indra                      (B) Shiva                      (C) Vishnu                    (D) Brahma
Q8.       Which scale is used to measure the Acid or Alkali (Base) content of a substance ?
            (A) Mohs scale             (B) Beaufort scale         (C) Richter scale           (D) pH scale
Q9.       Which disease, named after a Japanese city where it was first observed, is caused by severe Mercury       poisoning ?
            (A) Argyria                   (B) Minamata               (C) Itai-itai                    (D) Devon colic
Q10.     Who was the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Royal Society (FRS) ?
            (A) Srinivasa Ramanujan                                   (B) Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia
            (C) Jagadish Chandra Bose                                (D) Meghnad Saha
Q11.     Which among the following is not a Kharif crop ?
            (A) Mustard                  (B) Sugarcane               (C) Groundnut               (D) Maize
Q12.     Which monument was built by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plague           in his capital ?
            (A) Taj Mahal, Agra      (B) Hawa Mahal, Jaipur(C) Gol Gumbad, Bijapur (D) Charminar, Hyderabad
Q13.     For the popularization of science, which agency of United Nations (UN) awards the Kalinga Prize ?
            (A) UNIDO                  (B) UNESCO               (C) UNICEF                 (D) UNHRC
Q14.     ’Lawsons Bay Beach’ and ‘Ramakrishna Beach’ are located in which port city on the Bay of Bengal ?
            (A) Paradip (Orissa)                                          (B) Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

            (C) Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu)                                (D) Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
Q15.     Which ancient Indian physician is known as the ‘Father of Modern Plastic Surgery’ ?
            (A) Charak                   (B) Madhav                  (C) Sushruta                 (D) Patanjali
Q16.     Who directed Oscar award winning short documentary film ‘Smile Pinki’ (2008) ?
            (A) Danny Boyle           (B) Megan Mylan          (C) Andrew Stanton      (D) Gus Van Sant
Q17.     Who presided over the first session of the All India Trade Union Cogress in 1920 ?
            (A) M.N.Roy                (B) V.V.Giri                 (C) Lala Lajpat Rai       (D) Shripad Amrut Dange
Q18.     On which planet, due to its clockwise (east to west) rotation on the axis, the Sun rises in the west and sets in          the east ?
            (A) Mars                      (B) Earth                      (C) Venus                     (D) Mercury
Q19.     By what name is British lady Madeleine Slade, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, better known ?
            (A) Meera Ben             (B) Sister Nivedita         (C) The Mother             (D) Sarla Ben
Q20.     For his major role in the development of computer chip ‘Pentium’, which indian IT expert is called the ‘Father        of Pentium’ ?
            (A) Sabeer Bhatia         (B) Vinod Dham           (C) Vinod Khosla          (D) Vijay Bhatkar
Q21.     In which sport, each team consists of four male and four female players ?
            (A) Baseball                 (B) Volleyball                (C) Korfball                  (D) Hockey
Q22.     What is the term of a member of Rajya Sabha ?
            (A) 3 years                   (B) 4 years                   (C) 5 years                   (D) 6 years
Q23.     In which state is the Kanchenjunga, the second highest mountain peak in India, located ?
            (A) Sikkim                    (B) Jammu & Kashmir  (C) Himachal Pradesh   (D) Uttarakhand
Q24.     What does the Pisciculture refers to ?
            (A) Beekeeping             (B) Fish Farming           (C) Silk Farming            (D) Dairy Farming
Q25.     In 1906, at the founding session of all India Muslim League in Dhaka, who became the first president of the             party?
            (A) Mohammed Ali Jinnah                                 (B) Syed Ahmed Khan
            (C) Mohammed Iqbal                                        (D) Nawab Salimullah Khan
Q26.     Which is the longest National Highways in India ?
            (A) Kolkata – Hazira (NH6)                              (B) Chennai – Baharagora (NH5)
            (C) Varanasi – Kanyakumari (NH7)                  (D) Pathankot – Samakhiali (NH15)
Q27.     How do we better know nineteenth century spiritual guru Gadadhar Chatterjee ?
            (A) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu                                (B) Ramakrishna Paramhans
            (C) Swami Dayanand Saraswati                         (D) Swami Vivekanand
Q28.     Stapes, the smallest and the lightest bone in human body, is the part of which organ ?
            (A) Ear                         (B) Hand                      (C) Foot                        (D) Lungs

Q29.     Which mineral is mined at Jayamkondam in Tamil Nadu ?
            (A) Zinc                       (B) Lignite                    (C) Copper                   (D) Gold
Q30.     Who authored the book ‘A Brief History of Time’ ?
            (A) Jack Welch             (B) Bill Gates                (C) Deepak Chopra       (D) Stephan Hawking
Q31.     When do we celebrate the Engineers Day of India, the birthday of Bharat Ratna recipient M.Visvesarayya ?
            (A) 15 January              (B) 28 February                        (C) 29 August               (D) 15 September
Q32.     ’Muga’, ‘Eri’, ‘Tussar’ and ‘Mulberry’ are the varieties of which natural fibre ?
            (A) Wool                      (B) Silk                         (C) Jute                                    (D) Cotton
Q33.     In which pilgrimage city of India would you come across the world’s longest corridor ?
            (A) Dwarka                  (B) Varanasi                 (C) Rameshwaram        (D) Tirupati
Q34.     In 1929, who founded non-violent movement ‘Khudai Khidmatgar’, also known as ‘Red Shirts’ ?
            (A) Mahatma Gandhi                                         (B) Gopal Krishan Gokhle         

            (C) Mohammed Ali Jinnah                                 (D) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Q35.     Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education is located in which city ?
            (A) Jhansi                     (B) Gwalior                   (C) Patiala                    (D) Nagpur
Q36.     Athlete’s Foot, an infectious disease, is caused by which agent ?
            (A) Virus                      (B) Fungi                      (C) Bacteria                  (D) Protozoa
Q37.     Who authored the book ‘Hindu View of Life ?
            (A) S.Radhakrishnan                                         (B) Jawaharlal Nehru
            (C) C.Rajagopalachari                                       (D) Mahatma Gandhi
Q38.     Solid form of which gas is commonly known as ‘Dry Ice’ ?
            (A) Oxygen                  (B) Nitrogen                 (C) Carbon dioxide        (D) Hydrogen
Q39.     Who was the first woman president in the world ?
            (A) Golda Meir             (B) Indira Gandhi          (C) Sirimavo Bhandarnaike (D) Maria Isbel Paron
Q40.     Who created the first Portable Computer ?
            (A) Adam Osborne       (B) Charles Babbage     (C) Steve Jobs              (D) Tim Berners-Lee
Q41.     Designed by Bengali architect Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, which city is known as ‘Pink City’ ?
            (A) Jaipur                     (B) Jodhpur                   (C) Bengaluru               (D) Chandigarh
Q42.     Which metal is used to make electric bulb filaments ?
            (A) Copper                   (B) Silver                      (C) Tungsten                 (D) Aluminium
Q43.     Who was the first Viceroy of India ?
            (A) Lord Mayo             (B) Lord Dalhousie        (C) Lord Canning          (D) Lord Curzon
Q44.     In terms of both area and population, which is the smallest country in the world ?
            (A) Nauru                     (B) Monaco                  (C) Tuvalu                    (D) Vatican City
Q45.     Which portfolio did Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the first woman cabinet minister in India, hold in the independent             India’s first cabinet ?
            (A) Labour                   (B) Health                    (C) Education                (D) Railways

Q46.     Palghat Gap, about 20 miles wide mountain pass between the Nilgiri Hills and the Anaimalai Hills, connects             Kerala to which state ?
            (A) Tamil Nadu      (B) Karnataka          (C) Maharashtra           (D) Andhra Pradesh
Q47.     Named after the mount of Hindu god Vishnu, ‘Garuda’ is the national airline of which most Muslim populous             country ?
            (A) Nigeria                   (B) Pakistan                  (C) Bangladesh             (D) Indonesia
Q48.     At which town in Andhra Pradesh, famous for silk sarees, did Vinoba Bhave start the Bhoodan Movement in         1951 ?
            (A) Vijayawada                        (B) Rajahmundry           (C) Pochampally           (D) Warangal
Q49.     ’Daughter of the East’ book is the autobiography of which Asian woman leader ?
            (A) Indira Gandhi          (B) Benazir Bhutto        (C) Aung San Suu Kyi   (D) Maghawati Sukarnoputri
Q50.     Which country was formerly known as ‘Upper Volta’ ?
            (A) Namibia                  (B) Ethiopia                  (C) Botswana               (D) Burkina Faso

GK for AFCAT EXAM _

1. Which statement on the Harappan Civilization is correct?

1)      Horse sacrifice was known to them

2)      Cow was sacred to them

3)      Pashupati was venerated by them

4)      The culture was not generally static

2. The first Tirthankara of the Jains was

1)      Arishtanemi

2)      Parshvanath

3)      Ajitnath

4)      Rishabha

3. The great silk-route to the Indians opened by

1)      Kanishka

2)      Ashoka

3)      Harsha

4)      Fa-Hien

4. The capital of the Yadava rulers was

1)      Dwarasudra

2)      Warangal

3)      Kalyani

4)      Devgiri

5. Which religious sect did the Chola Kings patronize?

1)      Janism

2)      Buddhism

3)      Saivism

4)      Vaishnavism

6. Tower of Victory (Vijaya Stambh) is located in

1)      Delhi

2)      Jhansi

3)      Chittorgarh

4)      Fatehpur Sikri

7. Who amongst the following leaders of 1857 was the first to lay down his/her life?

1)      Kunwar Singh

2)      Tantiya Tope

3)      Rani Laxmi Bai to Jhansi

4)      Mangal Pandey

8. The system of communal electorate in India was first introduced by the

1)      Indian Council Act of 1892

2)      Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909

3)      Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919

4)      Government of India Act of 1935

9. Which of the following is not a necessary condition for the development of India?

1)      Capital accumulation

2)      Resource discovery

3)      Population growth

4)      Technological development

10. Personal disposable income is

1)      Always equal to personal income

2)      Always more than personal income

3)      Equal to personal income minus direct taxes paid by household

4)      Equal to personal income minus indirect taxes

11. Which of the following is most closely approximates our definition of oligopoly?

1)      The cigarette industry

2)      The barber shops

3)      The gasoline stations

4)      Wheat farmers

12. Who said “ supply creates its own demand”?

1)      Adam Smith

2)      J.B.Say

3)      Marshall

4)      Ricardo

13. The Indian economy can be most appropriately described as a

1)      Capitalist economy

2)      Socialist economy

3)      Traditional economy

4)      Mixed economy

14. Agricultural Technology is hard to spread because

1)      It has to be adopted to local conditions

2)      Rural people are not receptive

3)      Farmers are afraid to experiment on land for fear of failure

4)      All of the above

15. Indirect tax means

1)      There is no direct relationship between the tax-payer and the Government

2)      Direct relationship between tax-payer and the Government

3)      Tax base is income

4)      The incidence and impact are on the same person on whom tax is imposed

16. One of the essential conditions of identical competition is

1)      Product differentiation

2)      Multiplicity of prices for identical products at any one time

3)      Many sellers and a few buyers

4)      Only one price for identical goods at any one time

17. Dehydration in human body is caused due to the loss of

1)      Vitamins

2)      Slat

3)      Hormones

4)      Water

18. Which of the following is the largest living bird?

1)      Eagle

2)      Peacock

3)      Ostrich

4)      Kiwi

19. In the case of test-tube babies

1)      Egg is fertilized in the uterus

2)      Embryo complete its development in a test tube

3)      Embryo is placed in uterus after two months

4)      Egg is fertilized outside mother’s body

20. The age of a tree is a determined by its

1)      Girth’

2)      Height

3)      Growth rings

4)      General appearance

21. Noise pollution is measured in

1)      Ohms

2)      Microns

3)      Decibels

4)      Amperes

22. Fruits of this plant are found underground

1)      Potato

2)      Carrot

3)       groundnut

4)      Onion

23. A rare and endangered animal in Silent Valley

1)      Musk deer

2)      Tiger

3)      Lion-tailed macaque

4)      Rhinoceros

24. A boat will submerge when it displaces water equal to its own

1)      Volume

2)      Weight

3)      Surface area

4)      Density

25. The asteroids revolve round the Sun in between

1)      Earth and Mars

2)      Mars and Jupiter

3)      Jupiter and Saturn

4)      Saturn and Uranus

26. The Suez Canal connects

1)      Mediterranean and Red Seas

2)      Baltic and Caspian Seas

3)      Mediterranean and North Seas

4)      Red Sea and Caspian Sea

27. Khasi and Garo Tribes mainly live in

1)      Meghalaya

2)      Nagaland

3)      Mizoram

4)      Manipur

28. Which one of the following areas is noted for mangrove vegetation?

1)      Lava forest of Kalimpong

2)      Sajnekhali forest of South 24 Parganas

3)      Dandakaranya forest of Orissa

4)      Corbett National Park of U.P.

29. Extensive deserts occur in the western tropical regions of continents because

1)      Of easterly trade winds

2)      Cold ocean currents flow along the western coasts

3)      Of the effect of both the offshore easterly trade winds and cold ocean currents

4)      The rate of evaporation is greater along the western margin areas

30. The seabed sloping greadully and bordering the continent is known as

1.      Coast

2.      Continental Shelf

3.      Continental Platform

4.      Continental Slope

31. Match List I with List II and find out the correct answer from the codes gives below the lists:

                        List I                                                                List II

            (Cottage industries products)                            (Producing Centres)

        I.            Silk Saree                                             A.        Moradabad

     II.            Chiken                                                 B.         Gorakhpur

   III.            Terracotta                                            C.        Varanasi

  IV.            Brass                                                    D.        Luckhnow

Codes:

            I           II          III        IV

1)      A         B          C         D

2)      C         D         B          A        

3)      D         C         A         B         

4)      B          A         D         C        

32. The most important uranium mine of India is located at

1)      Manavalakurichi          

2)      Gauribidanur

3)      Vashi

4)      Jaduguda

34. Which Parliamentary Committee in India is normally chaired by  a prominent member of the opposition?

1)      Committee on Govt. Assurances

2)      Estimates Committee

3)      Privileges committee

4)      Public Accounts Committee

35. The chief advocate of Fascism was

1)      Mussolini

2)      Adolf Hitler

3)      St. Simon

4)      Robert Owen

36. The minimum age for the member of Rajya Sabha is

1)      25 years

2)      21 years

3)      30 years

4)      35 years

37. Mahatma Gandhi got his inspiration for Civil Disobedience from

1)      Thoreau

2)      Ruskin

3)      Confucius

4)      Tolstoy

38. India is considered a ‘Republic’ mainly because

1)      The Head of the State is elected

2)      It gained independence on Aug. 15, 1947

3)      It has its own written Constitution

4)      It is having a parliamentary form of Government

39. The first Indian selected for the Indian Civil Service was

1)      Surendra Nath Bannerji

2)      Sarojini Naidu

3)      Lal Lajpat Rai

4)      C.R.Das

40. One feature is common to the following bodies, find it out’

Supreme court, Election commission , UPSC, Office of CAG.

1)      They are advisory bodies

2)      They are extra-constitutional bodies

3)      They are controlled by legislature

4)      They are constitutional bodies

41. How many member of the State Legislative Council are elected by the Assembly?

1)      1/6^th of the members

2)      1/3^rd of the  members

3)      1/12^th of the members

4)      5/6^th of the  members

42. Girish Karnad is

1)      A well-known play wright and actor

2)      Recipient of Jnanpith Award

3)      President of the Film and Television

4)      All of the above

43.Nine-time Wimbledon Champion of women’s singles is

1)      Mary Joe Fernandez

2)      Jana Novotna

3)      Iva Majoli

4)      Martina Navratilova

44. The book The god of small Things is written by

1)      Pupul Jayakar

2)      Shobha De

3)      Shekher Kapur

4)      Arundhati Roy

45. Which of the following states is called the Tiger state of India?

1)      Himachal Pradesh

2)      Gujarat

3)      Madhya Pradesh

4)      Assam

46. The District Primary Education Programme –

A centrally –sponsored Programme in India is supported by

1)      International Monetary Fund

2)      World Bank

3)      UNESCO

4)      Japanese Government

47. Na Khatam Honewali Kahani (The Never- Ending Story)is an autobiography of

1)      T. N. Seshan

2)      Amitabh Bachchan

3)      Sonia Gandhi

4)      V.P. Singh

48. From where was India’s multipurpose telecommunication satellite INSAT-2E launched?

1)      Baikanour

2)      Thumba

3)      Sriharikota

4)      Kourou

49. Antyodaya Programme is associated with’

1)      Liberation of bonded labour

2)      Bringing up cultural revolution in India

3)      Demands of textile labourers

4)      Upliftment of the porrest of the poor

50. A few year ago, an Indian city celebrated its 400^th birthday. It is

1)      Bangalore

2)      Hyderabad

3)      Trivandrum

4)      Mumbai