GK and Current Affairs--PSC, Bank PO, Quiz, trivia questions

Presidents of India -- In Serial Order -- Quiz

2010-02-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

India had 11 Presidents since independence.Here is a list of all Presidents in the serail order.

1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad -- 26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962
2.Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan --13 May 1962 to 13 May 1967
3.Dr. Zakir Husain -- 13 May 1967 to 3 May 1969
4.Shri Varahagiri Venkata Giri -- 3 May 1969 to 20 July 1969 and 24 August 1969 to 24 August 1974
5.Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed -- 24 August 1974 to 11 February 1977
6.SHRI Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy-- 25 July 1977 TO 25 July 1982
7.Giani Zail Singh -- 25 July 1982 to 25 July 1987
8.Shri R Venkataraman -- 25 July 1987 to 25 July 1992
9.Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma -- 25 July 1992 to 25 July 1997
10.Shri K. R. Narayanan -- 25 July 1997 to 25 July 2002
11.DR. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam -- 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007

National Film Awards 2008 Winners -- Quiz

2010-02-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Best Feature Film -- Antaheen, a Bengali film

The best actor award -- Upendra Limaye for the Marathi movie Jogva.
Here is a list of the winners of the National Film Awards 2008, This will be particularly useful for those who are preparing for bannk exams and other competitive exams.

Best Director --- Bala, Tamil Film, NAN Kadavul

Best Actress Award -- Priyanka Chopra ,Fashion

Best Male Playback Singer-- Hariharan

Best Female Playback Singer -- Shreya Ghoshal

The best supporting actress award -- Kangana Ranaut for the movie Fashion.

Best Supporting Actor -- Arjun Rampauul.

Kannada film Gubbachigalu received the Best Children’s Film Award.

Winners of National film awards 2009 -- Quiz

2009-09-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

Best Actor: Prakash Raj (Kanchivaram)
Best Actress: Uma Shree (Kannada film Gulabi Talkies)
Best Film Award: Kanchivaram
Best director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan( Nalu pennungal)
Best Child Actor:Sharad Goyekar (Marathi film Tingya)
Best Screenplay:Gandhi My Father
Best Supporting Actor:Darshan Zariwala (Gandhi My Father)
Best Supporting Actress – Shefali Shah (The Last Lear)
Best Film for National Integration Award:Dharm
Best Playback Singer(Male) – Shankar Mahadevan ( Taare Zameen Par )
Best Playback Singer (Female) – Shreya Ghoshal
Best Lyrics:Prasoon Joshi (Taare Zameen Par)
Best Music – Ousepacham for Ore Kadal

Vijaya Bank PO Exam-gENERAL AWARENESS QUESTION PAPER.

2009-05-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

1. The Foreign Exchange Reserve of India are kept in the custody of……
(A) World Bank
(B) International Monetary Fund
(C) Prime Minister Rahat Kosh
(D) Reserve Bank of India
(E) None of these

2. The Reserve Bank of India issues coins and notes of various denominations. At present RBI does not issue coins of which of the following denominations ?
(A) 10 paise
(B) 20 paise
(C) 25 paise
(D) 50 paise
(E) 1•00 Rupee

3. The European Union has adopted which of the following as a common currency ?
(A) Dollar
(B) Dinar
(C) Yen
(D) Peso
(E) Euro

4. Various Banks in the country have installed machines which disburse money to general public. These machines are called……
(A) Coin dispensing machines
(B) ATMs
(C) Debit Card Machines
(D) Ledger Machines
(E) None of these

5. Which of the following names is not associated with the insurance business in India ?
(A) Bajaj Allianz
(B) LIC
(C) GIC
(D) Tata AIG
(E) GE Money

6. Commodity Exchanges at various places in India are trading in many metals like gold, silver, etc. Many times we read in newspapers that gold no more has emained the highest trading option and has been replaced by a non-traditional metal known as……
(A) copper
(B) steel
(C) zinc
(D) white gold
(E) None of these

7. Which of the following is known as Plastic money ?
1. Demand Draft
2. Credit Card
3. Debit Card
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Both 2 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3

8. Many a time we see a term in newspapers ‘IPO’. What is the full form of the same ?
(A) Indian Public Offer
(B) Institutional Purchase
(C) Industrial Purchase Order
(D) Indian Purchase Offer
(E) Initial Public Offer

9. Many a times we read in financial newspapers a term/name NMCEX. What is the full form of the same ?
(A) New Multi Capital Exchange
(B) National Medium Commodity Exchange
(C) National Multi Commodity Exchange
(D) Net Marketable Commodity Exchange
(E) None of these

10. Many Banks these days are entering into business of offering loans against property. This business of the banks can be categorized under which of the following heads of banking ?
(A) Corporate Banking
(B) Personal Banking
(C) Merchant Banking
(D) Portfolio Management Service
(E) None of these

11. Which of the following organizations/banks has done a commendable work in the field of micro finance and was awarded Nobel Prize also in the past ?
(A) Gramin Bank of Bangladesh
(B) CRY
(C) ASHA
(D) NABARD
(E) None of these

12. Nobel Prizes are not given for the performance in the area of…
(A) Literature
(B) Physics
(C) Chemistry
(D) Music
(E) Medical Science

13. In which of the following Hindi films has actor Shahrukh Khan played the role of a Hockey Coach ?
(A) Guru
(B) Chak De India
(C) Om Shanti Om
(D) Jab We Met
(E) None of these

14. Which of the following countries has not made any significant investment in India ?
(A) Japan
(B) USA
(C) Nepal
(D) Britain
(E) France

15. Which of the following is considered an informal method of getting credit/finance ?
(A) Internet Banking
(B) Branch visits
(C) Going to money lenders
(D) Tele Banking
(E) All of these

16. Which amongst the following nations is not a member of the SAARC ?
(A) Bangladesh
(B) Bhutan
(C) Nepal
(D) Maldives
(E) South Africa

17. Which of the following indexes is developed to measure life expectancy, level of literacy, education and standard of living of people in a country ?
(A) Inflation
(B) Sensex
(C) Human Development Index
(D) SLR
(E) None of these

18. Which of the following is not a Public Sector Unit/Undertaking/Agency ?
(A) ECGC
(B) SEBI
(C) SIDBI
(D) Axis Bank
(E) BHEL

19. Which of the countries represent letter ‘C’ in the category known as BRIC countries ?
(A) Canada
(B) Chile
(C) Cuba
(D) Croatia
(E) China

20. Who amongst the following addresses the nation on the Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Delhi ?
(A) President of India
(B) UPA Chairperson
(C) Speaker of the Lok Sabha
(D) Prime Minister of India
(E) None of these

21. Which of the following awards is given for excellence in the field of sports ?
(A) Kalidas Samman
(B) Dhyanchand Award
(C) Shram Vir Award
(D) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award
(E) None of these

22. Which of the following does not represent the name of a bank working in India ?
(A) YES
(B) HDFC
(C) TATA
(D) Kotak Mahindra
(E) ICICI

23. Twenty-20 matches are played in which of the following
(A) Hockey
(B) Football
(C) Badminton
(D) Tennis
(E) Cricket

24. Which of the following deals between India and one major country was put on a hold for some time as India is finding difficult to implement it ?
(A) 123 Pact with USA
(B) Fifth generation fighter plane deal with Russia
(C) Heavy Water deal with Iran
(D) Border talks with China
(E) None of these

25. Which of the following is a type of tax levied by the Govt. on goods and services ?
(A) SAT
(B) NET
(C) PAN
(D) VAT
(E) None of these

26. As per the news appeared in some major newspapers India is number two in getting ‘PE’. What is the full form of ‘PE’ as used in the financial world ?
(A) Professional and Ecofriendly
(B) Profitable Equity
(C) Profitable and Economical
(D) Private and Economical
(E) Private Equity

27. Many a times we read in newspapers about ‘Financial Inclusion’. What does it really mean ? [Pick up correct statement(s)]
1. Allow the merger and acquisition of banks so that only few big banks exist and continue to cater to the need of corporate sector.
2. Expending the network of banks in such a way that people from lower strata of society also get the benefit of services provided by banks.
3. Providing Insurance cover to each and every citizen so that he/she can live a healthy and long life.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Both 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3

28. Which of the following organizations recently issued some guidelines related to ‘Participatory Notes’ as used in financial world ?
(A) RBI
(B) IRDA
(C) SEBI
(D) AMFI
(E) None of these

29. Heavy Water is normally used by which of the following industries ?
(A) Nuclear Power generation plants
(B) Pharma Industry
(C) Paper Industry
(D) Sugar plants
(E) Tea plantations

30. As per news items published in various newspapers, Italy has offered its help in developing ‘SMEs’ in India. What is the full form of ‘SME’ ?
(A) Small and Monopolistic Economy
(B) Speedy and Mechanical
(C) Small and medium enterprises
(D) Small and Medium Level Economy
(E) None of these

Answers
1. (D) 2. (B) 3. (E) 4. (B) 5. (E) 6. (D) 7. (D) 8. (E) 9. (C) 10. (B)
11. (A) 12. (D) 13. (B) 14. (C) 15. (C) 16. (E) 17. (C) 18. (B) 19. (E) 20. (D)
21. (B) 22. (C) 23. (E) 24. (A) 25. (D) 26. (E) 27. (B) 28. (C) 29. (A) 30. (C)

Different Branches of Science--Study of--Quiz

2009-04-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Various terminologies are used for the study different branches of science.Here is a list.

Study of flowers---Anthology
Study of spiders---Araneology
Study of frogs-----Batracology
Study of skulls----Craniology
Study of skin------Dermatology
Study of insects--Entomology
Study of heredity--Genetics
Study of blood-----Haematology
Study of human beauty--Kalology
Study of dictionaries--Lexicography
Study of muscles---Myology
Study of birds----Ornithology
Study of coins and medals---Numismatics
Study of earthquakes--Seismology
Study of poisons---Toxicology

Online Quiz at 7 pm Indian time on Saturday 4/4/09

2009-04-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

I will be conducting an online live quiz in this site at 7 pm Indian time on Saturday 4/4/09.Come join and enjoy.

Top 30 Languages by Population--No of speakers--Quiz

2009-03-01T04:10:00.000-08:00

1 CHINESE, MANDARIN China 885,000,000

2 SPANISH Spain,Several countries in South and Central America 332,000,000

3 ENGLISH United Kingdom,United states 322,000,000

4 BENGALI Bangladesh,West Bengal(India) 189,000,000

5 HINDI India 182,000,000

6 PORTUGUESE Portugal,Brazil 170,000,000

7 RUSSIAN Russia 170,000,000

8 JAPANESE Japan 125,000,000

9 GERMAN Germany 98,000,000

10 CHINESE, WU China 77,175,000

11 JAVANESE Indonesia, Java, Bali 75,500,800

12 KOREAN Korea, South & North 75,000,000

13 FRENCH France,North Africa 72,000,000

14 VIETNAMESE Viet Nam 67,662,000

15 TELUGU South India 66,350,000

16 CHINESE, YUE China 66,000,000

17 MARATHI India 64,783,000

18 TAMIL India,Srilanka,Malaysia 63,075,000

19 TURKISH Turkey 59,000,000

20 URDU Pakistan,India 58,000,000

21 CHINESE, MIN NAN China 49,000,000

22 CHINESE, JINYU China 45,000,000

23 GUJARATI India 44,000,000

24 POLISH Poland 44,000,000

25 ARABIC, EGYPTIAN SPOKEN Egypt 42,500,000

26 UKRAINIAN Ukraine 41,000,000

27 ITALIAN Italy 37,000,000'

28 CHINESE, XIANG China 36,015,000

29 MALAYALAM India 34,022,000

30 CHINESE, HAKKA China 34,000,000

Oscar awards 2009--winners--quiz

2009-02-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here is the list of all entries into the oscars 2009 and who the winner is.Remember this will be useful for Bank Po tests and other competitive exams.

Best picture
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Director
WINNER: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

Actor
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
WINNER: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
WINNER: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Supporting actor
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
WINNER: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

Supporting actress
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
WINNER: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

Animated feature
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
WINNER: "WALL-E"

Adapted screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," screenplay by Eric Roth, screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
"Doubt," written by John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon," screenplay by Peter Morgan
"The Reader," screenplay by David Hare
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire," screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay
"Frozen River," written by Courtney Hunt
"Happy-Go-Lucky," written by Mike Leigh
"In Bruges," written by Martin McDonagh
WINNER: "Milk," written by Dustin Lance Black
"WALL-E," screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Art direction
"Changeling," James J. Murakami; set decoration: Gary Fettis
WINNER: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Donald Graham Burt; set decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
"The Dark Knight," Nathan Crowley; set decoration: Peter Lando
"The Duchess," Michael Carlin; set decoration: Rebecca Alleway
"Revolutionary Road," Kristi Zea; set decoration: Debra Schutt

Cinematography
"Changeling," Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight," Wally Pfister
"The Reader," Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire," Anthony Dod Mantle

Costume design
"Australia," Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Jacqueline West
WINNER: "The Duchess," Michael O'Connor
"Milk," Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road," Albert Wolsky

Documentary feature
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"The Garden"
WINNER: "Man on Wire"
"Trouble the Water"

Documentary short
"The Conscience of Nhem En"
"The Final Inch"
WINNER: "Smile Pinki"
"The Witness -- From the Balcony of Room 306"

Film editing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight," Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon," Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"Milk," Elliot Graham
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire," Chris Dickens

Foreign language film
"The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany
"The Class," France
WINNER: "Departures," Japan
"Revanche," Austria
"Waltz with Bashir," Israel

Makeup
WINNER: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Greg Cannom
"The Dark Knight," John Caglione Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army," Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Original score
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance," James Newton Howard
"Milk," Danny Elfman
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman
"WALL-E," Thomas Newman

Original song
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E," music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, lyrics by Peter Gabriel
WINNER: "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Gulzar
"O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," music and lyrics by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Animated short
WINNER: "La Maison en Petits Cubes"
"Lavatory -- Lovestory"
"Oktapodi"
"Presto"
"This Way Up"

Live-action short
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)"
"Manon on the Asphalt"
"New Boy"
"The Pig"
WINNER: "Spielzeugland"

Sound editing
WINNER: "The Dark Knight," Richard King
"Iron Man," Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire," Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers
"WALL-E," Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
"Wanted," Wylie Stateman

Sound mixing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
"The Dark Knight," Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
WINNER: "Slumdog Millionaire," Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"WALL-E," Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
"Wanted," Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Visual effects
WINNER: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
"The Dark Knight," Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
"Iron Man," John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan.

Current Affairs updated --January 2009

2009-02-09T04:14:00.000-08:00

Current affairs plays a major role in Bank and other exams. Here is the latest current affairs.

1. Over 60 people killed in fires in Bangkok during the New Year eve.
2. Sheikh Hassina takes over as the Prime minister of Bangladesh after her party Awami League wins a Massive majority.
3.Sri Lankan Army captures LTTE stronghold Kilinochchi. Kilinochchi is considered the de-facto political capital of LTTE.
4.India decides to buy P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft from the US. It is a step towards securing the country’s rather long coastline. The deal is worth $2.1-billion.
5.Russian energy giant Gazprom decided to cut exports through Ukrainian pipelines by a fifth in a row over unpaid bills.

This causes a shortage in Gas supply across Europe.

6.Israel launches ground attack in Gaza. A total of 1200 people killed in the attack.

7. Cholera kills 2000 people in Zimbabwe.

8. Indian Government announces a second stimulus package worth Rs. 20000 Crore.

9. Satyam CEO ramalinga Raju admits fraud amounting to Rs.7,000 Crore. Govt dismantles Satyam board and appoints three board of directors. They are Deepak Parekh,Kiran Karnik, C. Achutan.

10.Jharkhand Chief minister Shibu soren resigns after losing a by-election. Presidents rule imposed in State.

11.The film Ghajini has reportedly raked in more than Rs. 200 crores in two weeks. This appears to be largest ever collection by any Indian film so far.

12.Slumdog Millionaire received in all four Golden Globes in Los Angeles. It got the globes for Best film, Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy) & Best original score (AR Rahman).

13.China overtake Germany as the World's third largest economy.

14.Citigroup splits into two.It removes its investments banking operations from its major banking operations.

15.Bank of America gets a $20 billion aid from U S Govt.

16. Barack Hussein Obama sworn in as the New president of United States. His Cabinet include-Hillary Clinton,Secretary of State,Robert Gates--Secretary of Defence and Timothey Geithner, Treasury Secretary.

17.United states Economy contracts in the last quarter of 2008 by 3.8 %

18.The Ashoka Chakra is awarded to former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, the seniormost officer to be killed during 26/11, and assistant sub-inspector Tukaram Omble, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Havaldar Gajender Singh Bisht of National Security Guard, who died in Taj Mahal Hotel and Nariman House encounter, Senior Mumbai Police officers Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, Colonel Jojan Thomas and Havaldar Bahadur Singh Bohra of the Army, who died in fighting terrorists in J&K, Delhi Police inspector M C Sharma, who died in the Jamia Nagar encounter, R P Diengdoh of Meghalaya Police and Pramod Kumar Satapathy of Orissa Police.

19.Prime minister successfully undergoes heart surgery.

20.Former President R. Venkitaraman passes away.

21.Australian Open Mens Title won by Rafael Nadal andwomen's Title won by Serena Williams.

India Lok Sabha elections--Quiz

2009-01-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

1. Which is the largest Lok sabha constituency in India by area?

Ladakh

2. Which is the largest Lok sabha constituency by number of voters?

Outer Delhi

3.Which is the smallest Lok sabha constituency in India by area?

Chandni Chowk

4. Which is the smallest Lok sabha constituency by number of voters?

Lakshdweep

5. Who holds the record of Highest majority of a candidate in Lok sabha elections?

Anil Basu of CPM won from Arambagh, West Bengal with a margin of 592502 votes in 2004.

6.Which state has the highest number of MPs in Lok Sabha?

Uttar Pradesh-- 80 MPs

7.What is the maximum no. of seats won by a party in an election/

Congress in 1984 won 415 seats

8. Which was Jawaharlal Nehru's constituency?

Phulpur in U P

9.Which was Indira Gandhi's constituency?

Rae Barelli

10. Who has won the maximum no of Lok sabha elections from a same constituency?

P M Saeed from Lakshdweep

List of major inventions and inventors--Quiz

2009-01-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

FIND out Who invented what? Useful for Quiz competitions and competitive exams etc.

Aeroplane : Orville and Wilbur Wright
Atom Bomb ; Auto Han
Diesel Engine : Rudolf Diesel
Dynamite : Alfred B. Nobel
Electric Generator : Michael Faraday
Electric Lamp : Thomas Alva Edison
Electrolytic cell : Alessandro Volta
Elevator : Elisha G. Otis
Gramophone : Thomas Alva Edison
Integrated Chip : Jack Kilby
Lightning Conductor : Benjamin Franklin
Mercury Thermometer : Fahrenheit
Microphone : Sir Alexander Graham Bell
Movie Projector : Thomas Alva Edison
Pneumatic Tyres : John Boyd Dunlop
Radio : Marconi
Safety Razor : King C. Gillette
Steam Engine (condenser) : James Watt
Telegraph Code : Samuel Morse
Telephone : Sir Alexander Graham Bell
Television (mechanical) : John Logie Baird
Telescope : Galileo
Transformer : Michael Faraday
Vulcanised Rubber : Charles Goodyear
X-Ray : Rontgen

Awards won in 2008--Quiz

2009-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

1. Who won Bharat Ratna in 2008?
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
2.Who won Magsasay award in 2008?
Grace Padaca
3.Who won Jnanpith award in 2008?
Rahman Rahi --Kashmiri
4.Who won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2008?
M S Dhoni
5.Who won the DadaSaheb Phalke award in 2008?
Tapan Sinha
6.Who won the Indira Gandhi peace prize in 2008?
Mohammed El Baradei
7.Who won the Booker prize in 2008?
Aravind Adiga

Geographical discoveries-Great explorers-Quiz

2008-12-23T04:16:00.000-08:00

1. Who discovered Brazil?

Ans: Pedro Alvarus Cabral

2.Who discoverd New Zealand?

Ans:Abel Tasman

3. Who discoverd Philippines?

Magellan

4.Who discovered the Cape of Good hope?

Bartha lomio Diaz

5.Who discovered Australia?

Captain Cook

6.Who discoverd America?

Christopher Columbus

7. Who discovered a sea route to India from Europe?

Vasco de Gama

8. Who discovered Victoria falls?

David Livingstone

9.Who discovered Tasmania?

Abel Tasman

10.Who discoverd South Pole?

Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen

11.Who discovered North Pole?

Robert Peary

Heads of Various World organizations--Latest who's who--Quiz

2008-12-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here is an update of the heads of Various World organizations.This is an important part of the current affairs. Hope it is useful for Quiz, Trivia and competitive exams.

Secretary General, UN---Ban ki moon
Director General,WHO---Margarret Chan
Head, UNICEF----Ann Veneman
Head, FAO---Jacqueous Diouff
Head,IAEA---Mohammed El Baradei
President, World Bank--Robert Zoellik
Managing Director, IMF--Dominique Strauss Kahn
Secretary General, NATO--Jaap De Hoop Scheffer
Secretary General,ASEAN--Surin Pitsuwan
Secretary General ,OPEC--Abdellah Salim El Badri
Chairman,SAARC-----Mahindra Rajapakse
Secretary General ,Commonwealth--Kamlesh Sharma

Current affairs updated--December first week

2008-12-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

Current affairs finds prominence in all competitive exams like Bank PO and PSC. Please update yourself with the latest current affairs.
International current affairs
1.Space shuttle endeavor comes back to earth.The shuttle was on a 16 day mission. The shuttle landed at california instead of Kennedy space centre,Florida due to bad weather.
2.Siege of Airport in Thailand comes to an end after the Thai Supreme court removes the Prime minister from his Office.
3.Hillary Clinton to be the New Secretary of State.
4.Stephen Harper is the new Prime minister of Canada.
5. Christiano Ronaldo is the European footballer of the year 2008.
6. cholera spreads across Zimbabwe ; hundreds dead.

Indian current affairs
1.Bird flu outbreak in Assam; Over 40,000 birds culled.
2.Home minister Shivraj Patil resigns;P chidambaram is the new Home minister.
3.Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilas Rao Desmukh and Deputy CM RR Patil resigns.Ashok Chawan and Chagan Bhujbal replaces them respectively.
4.Indian International Film Festival at Goa concludes TULPAN, a Kazakh film, won the Golden Peacock Award.
5.Pressure on Pakistan mounts as the attackers are traced back to Pakistan.Pakistan conducts raids in Lashkar camps in Punjab and PoK.
6.Shah Rukh Khan gets knighted by Malaysia
7.Crude prices comes below $40 a barrel. lowest price in 3 years

Largest US cities by population -Quiz

2008-12-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

The measure whether a city is largest or not is done using its population. Calculating the population of a city can be done by different methods--viz population within city limits, population of the urban agglomeration that is within city limits and outskirts. See the below table listing the largest cities in the United States ranked by urban agglomeration which is the most effective method. TRhis will be helpful in your competitive exams and Quiz and trivia.

1. NewYork--21,200,000
2.Los Angeles--16,373,000
3.Chicago---9,157,600
4.Washington DC---7,608,000
5.SanFransico---7,039,380
6.Philadelphia---6,188,490
7.Boston----5,819,000
8.Detroit---5,456,490
9.Dallas---5,220,080
10.Houston---4,669,000

Name of Straits --Quiz

2008-12-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

A strait is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. Questions asking to name a strait can be asked for Quiz, Trivia and Competitive exams like Bank PO,PSC etc.

Straits of Dover----separates England and France

Strait of Hormuz--Separates Persian Gulf and Oman sea

Strait of Malacca--Separates Malaysia and Sumatra, Indonesia

Cook strait---separates the North And South Islands of New Zealand

Strait of Gibraktar---Separates Atlantic Ocean and Meditteranian sea

Bass strait--Separates Australia and Tasmania

Strait of Bosphorous--Separates Meditteranian sea and Black sea

Bering Strait--- Separates Alaska and Siberia

Indian Overseas bank PO -- General awareness questions

2008-12-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

1.Which of the following is not a major highlight of the Union Budget 2008-09 ?

1. A target of Rs. 2•80 lakhs crore is fixed for providing credit to agriculture sector.

2. Limit of the Banking Cash Transaction Tax is raised from present 1% to 1•5%.

3. PAN requirement is not mandatory for financial transactions. Other Ids are also acceptable.

(A) Only 1(B) Only 2(C) Only 3(D) Both 2 and 3(E) All 1, 2 and 3

2. As per the news in major financial newspapers a ‘Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana’ is launched in Delhi and Haryana States for members of unorganized sectors. Under the scheme each family is likely to get the benefit of Rs.………

(A) 15,000(B) 20,000(C) 25,000(D) 30,000(E) 50,000

3. As proposed in the Union Budget 2008-09 a ‘Risk Capital Fund’ is set up by the Govt. of India. Who amongst the following will maintain and operate that fund ?

(A) NABARD(B) SIDBI(C) ECGC(D) RBI(E) None of these

4. As per the Economic Survey 2007-08 presented in the Lok Sabha in February 2008, what has been the percentage growth in Bank credit ? About—(A) 10%(B) 15%(C) 18%(D) 21%(E) 26%8. As per the budget of the Indian Railways for 2008-09 the operating ratio of the railways has—

(A) Improved only by 0•5%(B) Decreased by 0•5%(C) Remained at the same level on which it was in 2007-08(D) Reached at the level of 81%(E) Reduced to the level of 63% which was the level of 2000-01

5. The government of India has launched a new scheme for the ‘Girl Child’. What is the name of the scheme ?

(A) Raj Lakshmi(B) Rani Bitia(C) Dhan Lakshmi(D) Aanandita(E) None of these

6. The President of India recently signed the much-awaited notification for the implementation of the suggestions made by the ‘Delimitation Commission’.What will be the effect of this notification ?

(A) Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies will be redefined(B) Candidates from SC/ST categories will get all benefits for another 15 years’ time(C) The boundaries of the National Capital, New Delhi will be extended further(D) Operations of the Cooperative Banks and Societies will not be limited to the state of their origin. They will also be like Public Sector Banks(E) None of these

7. As per the new policy the number of Judges in the Supreme Court would be now—

(A) 21(B) 25(C) 26(D) 30(E) 31

8. As per the reports published in the newspapers the banks, particularly public sector banks are tying up with various rating agencies for providing a qualitative assessment of the credit needs of the borrowers. Which amongst the following is/are such credit rating agencies in India ?1. CARE2. CRISIL3. ULIP(A) Only 1(B) Only 2(C) 1 and 2 only(D) Only 3(E) All 1, 2 and 3

9. As per the newspaper reports the RBI is planning to introduce ‘Plastic Currency Notes’. What is/are the benefits of ‘Plastic Notes’ ?

1. Their Shelf life will be longer.2. It will replace plastic money or credit, debit cards which are giving birth to many fraudulent practices.3. Printing will be cheaper.

(A) Only 3(B) Only 2(C) Only 1(D) All 1, 2 and 3(E) None of these

10. Who amongst the following was the Captain of the Indian cricket team which registered its victory in tri-series ODI matches against Australia played in March 2008 ?

(A) M.S. Dhoni(B) Anil Kumble(C) Rahul Dravid(D) Saurav Ganguly(E) Sachin Tendulkar

11. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy who was the chief guest during the Republic Day Function 2008 is the—

(A) President of Brazil(B) Prime Minister of Brazil(C) President of France(D) Prime Minister of France(E) Foreign Secretary of USA

12. Who amongst the following has taken over as the President of Serbia after the General elections held there in February 2008 ?

A) Boris Tadic(B) Tomislav Nicolic(C) Samak Sundaravej(D) Novak Djokovic(E) None of these

13.Indra K. Nooyi who was elected as the Chairperson of the US-India Business Council is the CEO of which of the following Companies ?

(A) Pepsi Co.(B) Infosys(C) Tata Consultancy Services(D) NIIT(E) None of these

14. Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open 2008 Women’s singles by defeating—

(A) Shahar Peer(B) Kateryna Bondarenko(C) Sania Mirza(D) Victoria Azarenka(E) Ana Ivanovic

15. Saina Nehwal won the Seniors’ Championship match of which of the following games held in Goa in January 2008 ?

(A) Golf(B) Tennis(C) Table tennis(D) Archery(E) Badminton

16. As per the news published in some newspapers magazines two PSUs National Thermal Power Corporation and Coal India Ltd. are going to float a joint venture ‘SPV’. What is the full form of ‘SPV’ ?

(A) Small Power Venture(B) Special Purpose Vehicle(C) Special Power Venture(D) Small Purpose Vehicle(E) None of these

17. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently agreed to allow foreign direct investment in the field of mobile television services. Upto what extent FDI is allowed in this field ?

(A) 50%(B) 60%(C) 64%(D) 70%(E) 74%

18. As per the performance assessment data released by the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) in January 2008. Which of the following sectors registered a growth of 3•6 per cent ?

(A) Agriculture Sector(B) Banking Sector(C) Tourism Sector(D) Aviation Services Sector(E) None of these29. Which of the following is the name of very violent and serious types of winds which bring lot of disaster ?(A) Trade winds(B) Hurricane(C) Cirrus(D) Stratus(E) None of these

19. The Global Employment Trends Report 2008 published by the International Labour Organization has indicated that there may be increase in global unemployment. What according to them is/are the major reasons of this possibility ?

1. Turmoil in Credit Markets all over the world.2. Rise in oil prices in international market.3. Civil unrest in some under and undeveloped nations.

(A) Only 1(B) Only 2(C) Only 3(D) Only 1 and 2(E) None of these

20. The Technology Mission on Cotton was launched during Xth plan. The scheme was designed to get increase in production of cotton by which of the following levels by the end of the plan ?

(A) 100 lakh bales(B) 150 lakh bales(C) 175 lakh bales(D) 200 lakh bales(E) None of these

21. A National Development Fund was created by the Government of India a few years ago. What was the purpose of the fund ?

1. Boost investment in social sector projects to promote education, healthcare andemployment.2. Capital investments in selected profitable PSEs to yield adequate returns.3. To fund revision in pay structure of Central Government employees.

(A) Only 1(B) Only 2(C) Only 3(D) Both 1 and 2(E) None of these38. Olympic 2008 are scheduled to be held in—(A) Paris(B) Tokyo(C) London(D) Moscow(E) None of these

22. The general elections took place in which of the following countries in March 2008 ?

(A) Iran(B) Iraq(C) Afghanistan(D) Myanmar(E) Sri Lanka

23. Who amongst the following is the author of the book ‘Economic Nightmare of India’ ?

(A) Morarji Desai(B) K. Rajeshwar Rao(C) Charan Singh(D) Jyoti Basu(E) None of these

24. As per the targets for 11th plan educated unemployment is to be reduced to which of the following levels ?

(A) 5%(B) 6%(C) 7%(D) 8%(E) 9%

25. ‘Long Walk’ to Freedom’ is a book written by—

(A) Sonia Gandhi(B) L. K. Advani(C) Nelson Mandela(D) Benazir Bhutto(E) Nawaz Sheriff

25. India recently signed a pact with which of the following countries on solving the problems of Indian labour in that country ?

(A) Iran(B) UAE(C) Malaysia(D) Kuwait(E) None of these

26. Which of the following countries is trying to launch a Satellite to study the sun ?

(A) USA(B) India(C) Russia(D) China(E) None of these

27. Jang Hyun Jong who was adjudged as the ‘Asian Hockey Player of the year’ is from—

(A) China(B) Singapore(C) South Korea(D) India(E) None of these

28. Who amongst the following is the winner of Padma Vibhushan Awards given away recently ?

(A) Rahul Gandhi(B) Priya Dutt(C) Vinod Dua(D) Ratan Tata(E) None of these

29. Which of the following films was adjudged ‘Best Film’ in 14th Star Screen Awards given away in January 2008 ?

(A) Om Shanti Om(B) Guru(C) Taare Zameen Par(D) Jab We Met(E) Chak De India

30. A meeting of the European Leaders was held in January 2008 at which of the following places to discuss ‘Global Economic Turmoil’ ?

(A) London(B) New Delhi(C) New York(D) Tokyo(E) Milan

31. Castro Sibling is the new President of—

(A) Romania(B) Cuba(C) Israel(D) Venezuela(E) None of these

32. Kosovo declared itself independent from which of the following countries ?

(A) Ukraine(B) Croatia(C) Serbia(D) Russia(E) None of these

Indian States and Capitals--Quiz

2008-11-30T04:10:00.000-08:00

Capital of Andhra pradesh---Hyderabad
Capital of Arunachal Pradesh--Itanagar
Capital of Assam--Dispur
Capital of Bihar--Patna
Capital of Chhatisgarh--Raipur
Capital of Goa--Panaji
Capital of Gujrat---Gandhinagar
Capital of Haryana--Chandigarh
Capital of Himachal Pradesh---Shimla
Capital of Karnataka---Bengalooru
Capital of Kerala---Thiruvananthapuram
Capital of Jammu and Kashmir--Srinagar(summer),Jammu(winter)
Capital of Jharkhand---Ranchi
Capital of Madhaya Pradesh--Bhopal
Capital of Maharashtra---Mumbai
Capital of Manipur---Imphal
Capital of Meghalaya--Shillong
Capital of Mizoram---Aizwal
Capital of Nagaland--Kohima
Capital of Orissa--Bhuvaneshwar
Capital of Punjab---Chandigarh
Capital of Rajasthan--Jaipur
Capital of Sikkim--Gangtok
Capital of Tamil Nadu--Chennai
Capital of Tripura--Agartala
Capital of Uttar khand--Dehradun
Capital of Uttar Pradesh--Lucknow
Capital of West Bengal--Kolkata

Largest cities in the world by population- Quiz

2008-11-30T03:58:00.000-08:00

There are many estimates about the largest cities in the world. But this list is prepared based on the urban agglomeration rather than the exact population of a city. Hope it will be useful for your Competitive exams and Quiz and trivia competitions.
1.Tokyo, Japan - 34,100,0002.
2.Mexico City, Mexico - 22,650,000
3.Seoul, South Korea - 22,250,000
4.New York, United States - 21,850,000
5. Sao Paulo, Brazil - 20,200,000
6. Mumbai, India - 19,700,0007.
7.Dehli, India - 19,500,000
8. Los Angeles, United States - 17,950,000
9. Shanghai, China - 17,900,000
10. Jakarta, Indonesia - 17,150,000
11. Osaka, Japan - 16,800,000
12. Kolkata, India - 15,550,000
13. Cairo, Egypt - 15,450,000
14. Manila, Philippines - 14,850,000
15. Karachi, Pakistan - 14,100,000
16. Moscow, Russia - 13,750,000
17. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 13,400,000
18. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 13,100,000
19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 12,100,000
20. Beijing, China - 11,950,000

Chandrayaan 1-India's mission to moon Quiz

2008-10-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

1.What is Chandrayaan 1 ?

Chandrayaan I is an unmanned lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO)

2. Who is the project chief of Chandrayaan 1?

Mylswamy Annadurai

3.What is the estimated project cost for Chandrayaan 1 ?

Rs 380 crores.(US$ 83 million)

4.Launch date of Chandrayaan 1

22nd October 2008 from Sriharikota, India

5.Who is the Chairman of ISRO?

G Madhavan Nair

6. Explain about Chandrayaan space craft ?

The space craft of Chandrayaan 1 is cuboid in shape. It’s side is 1.50 metres. It accommodates 11 scientific instruments. It weighs 1304 kilograms at it’s launch and 590 kilograms when it enters the lunar orbit. It is a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft using two star sensors, gyros and four reaction wheels.

7.What are the mission objectives for Chandrayaan 1?

1.To launch and orbit a spacecraft in lunar polar orbit and conduct scientific studies.

2.To carry out high resolution mapping of topographic features in 3D, distribution of various minerals and elemental chemical species including radio active nuclides covering the entire lunar surface using a set of remote sensing payloads. The new set of data would help in unraveling mysteries about the origin and evolution of solar system in general and that of the moon in particular or on its composition and mineralogy.

3.Realize the mission goal of harnessing the science payloads, lunar craft and the launch vehicle with suitable ground support system including DSN station, integration and testing, launching and achieving lunar orbit of ~100 km, in-orbit operation of experiments, communication/telecommand, telemetry data reception, quick look data and archival for scientific utilization by identified group of scientists.

List of Booker prize winners from India Quiz

2008-10-18T02:41:00.000-07:00

The Booker prize which was constituted in 1969 is given to all authors from the commonwealth countries. Since it's inception, Six Indians have been awarded the prize, Although the first two winners are of Indian origin-V S Naipaul and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. This list will be useful for all Quizzes and competitive exams like PSC and Bank tests

1971-V S Naipaul--In a Free State

1975-Ruth Prawer Jhabvala--Heat and Dust

1981-Salman Rushdie--Midnight`s Children

1997-Arundhati Roy--The God of Small Things

2005-Kiran Desai--The Inheritance of Loss

2008-Aravind Adiga--The White Tiger

Major crops(agricultural commodities)-- Top producing countries

2008-10-16T07:52:00.001-07:00

Below given is a list of top producing countries of major agricultural commodities. This will be useful for Quizzes and other Competitive exams. The top three producing countries of each crop is given in that order

Almonds--United States, Spain, Syria
Apples----China,United States,Turkey
Apricots--Turkey,Iran,Italy
Banana---India,Brazil,China
Barley---Russia,Canada,Germany
Dry beans--Brazil,India,China
Buffalo milk--India, Pakistan,China
Cabbages--China, India,Russia
Camel milk-Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Mali
Carrots---China, Russia, United States
Cashew nuts--Vietnam,India,Brazil
Cassava--Nigeria,Brazil,Indonesia
Cauli flower-China,India,Italy
Cherries--Turkey,United states,Iran
Chillies--China,Mexico,Turkey
Cinnamon--Indonesia,China,Sri Lanka
Cocoa beans--Ivory coast,Ghana,Indonesia
Coconuts--Indonesia,Philippines,India
Coffee--Brazil,Vietnam,Indonesia
Cow milk--United states,India,Russia
Eggs---China,Thailand,Indonesia
Garlic--China,India,North Korea
Ginger--China,India,Indonesia
Goat milk--India,Bangladesh,Sudan
Grapes--Italy,Frances,United States
Honey--China,United States,Argentina
Jute--India,Bangladesh,China
Lettuce--China,United States,Spain
Maize--United States,China,Brazil
Mangoes--India,China,Thailand
Mushrooms--China,United States,Netherlands
Rubber--Thailand,Indonesia,Malaysia
Oats--Russia,Canada,United States
Olives--Italy,Spain,Greece
Onions--China,India,United States
Oranges--Brazil,United States,Mexico
Pineapples--Thailand,Philippines,China
Plums--China,Serbia,Germany
Potatoes--China,Russia,India
Pumpkins--China,India,Ukraine
Rice--China,India,Indonesia
Soyabeans--United States,Brazil,Argentina
Sugar cane--Brazil,India,China
Sun flower--Russia,Ukraine,Argentina
Tea--China,India,Sri Lanka
Tobacco--China,Brazil,India
Tomato--China,United States,Turkey
Wheat--China,India,United States

Current affairs October first week

2008-10-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Another eventful week has gone and the update is here. Hope this will be useful for your Bank, PSC tests and Quiz competitions.

1.India signs nuclear deal with France

2.US Senate passes bailout package to rescue collapsing banks.

Key facts: With the credit crunch worsening, Bush administration had introduced a bailout package to buy subprime assets from banks. US house of representatives had rejecte d the package earlier leading to a fall in stock markets.

3. Europe also suffering worst economic crisis in decades.

Key facts: Banks bailed out in Europe

Fortis, Bradley and Bingley, hyporeal estate

4. Iceland become the first country to become totally bankrupt.

Key facts: With all major banks in the country going bankrupt. The country became virtually bankrupt.

5.Private news broadcasters’ association—News Broadcasters Association (NBA)—formally launched the News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Authority on Thursday- a self regulating body.

6.Tatas decide to pull out of Singur and finds a new location for making Nano car at Sanand at Gujarat.

7.Communal clashes between Bodos and Muslims claim at least 55 lives in Assam.

8. All global markets see their worst trading weeks in decades.

9. Nobel prize winners announced.

Nobel Prize winners 2008 Quiz

2008-10-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine 2008

1.Harald zur Hausen--Germany--for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer--- will receive 1/2 of the total prize money.
2.Françoise Barré-Sinoussi--France--for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus--will receive 1/4 of the total prize money.
3.Luc Montagnier--France--for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus--will receive 1/4 of the total prize money.

The Nobel Prize winners in Physics 2008

1.Yoichiro Nambu--USA--for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics--will receive 1/2 of the total prize money.

2.Makoto Kobayashi--Japan--for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature--will receive 1/4 of the total prize money.

3.Toshihide Maskawa--Japan--for the discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature--will receive 1/4 of the total prize money.

The Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry 2008

1.Osamu Shimomura--Japan--for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP--will receive 1/3 of the total prize money.

2.Martin Chalfie--USA--for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP--will receive 1/3 of the total prize money.

3.Roger Y. Tsien--USA--for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP--will receive 1/3 of the total prize money.

The Nobel Prize winner in Literature 2008

1.Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio--France--author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner 2008

1.Martti Ahtisaari--Finland--for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts.

The Nobel Prize winner in Economics 2008

1.Paul Kruggmann--USA

List of countries and parliaments-Legislative assemblies-Quiz

2008-10-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

Countries have unique names for their legislative bodies. Some countries have unicameral while some others have bicameral parliaments. Questions on this topic can be expected in Bank, PSC exams and for Quiz, Trivia competitions

Afghanistan - Shora
Andorra - General Council
Albania - Kuvendi
Azerbaijan - Melli Majlis
Algeria - National Popular Assembly
Angola - National Popular Assembly
Argentina - National Congress
Australia - Federal Parliamen
tAustria - National Assembly
Bahamas - General Assembly
Bahrain - Consultative Council
Bangladesh - Jatiya Sangshad
Belize - National Assembly
Bhutan - Tsogdu
Bolivia - National Congress
Brazil - National Congress
Brunei - National Assembly
Botswana - National Assembly
Britain - Parliament (House of Commons & House of Lords)
Bulgaria - National Assembly
Cambodia - National Assembly
Congo Democratic - Rep. of National Legislative Council
Colombia - Congress
Canada - House of Commons and Assembly Senate
China - National People's Congress
Comoros - Legislative Council and Senate
Chile - Chamber of Deputies and Senate
Costa Rica - Legislative Council and Senate
Crotia - Sabor
Cuba - National Assembly of People's Power
Czech Republic - Chamber of - Deputies and Senate
Denmark - Folketing
Dominica - House of Assembly
Ecuador - National Congress
El Salvador - Legislative Assembly
East Timor - Constituent Assembly
Ethiopia - Federal Council and House of Representative
Estonia-Rigikogu
Egypt - People's Assembly
Fiji Islands - Senate & House of Representative
France - National Assembly
Finland - Eduskusta
Germany - Lower House and Upper House
Guyana - National Assembly
Greece - Chamber of Deputies
Hungry - National Assembly
Iceland - Althing
India - Lok sabha&Rajya sabha
Indonesia - People's Consultative
Iran - Majlis
Iraq - National Assembly
Israel - Knesset
Italy - Chamber of Deputies and Senate
Japan - Diet
Jordan - National Assembly
Korea (North) - Supreme People's Assembly
Korea (South) - National Assembly
Kurdistan Region--Kurdistan National Assembly
Kuwait - National Assembly
Latvia-Saiema
Laos - People's Supreme Assembly
Lebanon - National Assembly
Lesotho - National Assembly and Senate
Lithuania - Seimas
Luxembourg - Chamber of Deputies
Libya - General People's Congress
Malaysia - Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara
Maldives - Majlis
Madagascar - National People's Assembly
Mongolia - The Great Khural
Mozambique - National Assembly
Myanmar - People's Assembly
Nepal - Rashtriya Panchayat
Netherlands - The Staten General
New Zealand - Parliament(House of Representatives)
Oman - Manarc
Pakistan - National Assembly & Senate
Paraguay - Senate & Chamber of Deputies
Philippines - The Congress
Papua New Guinea - National Parliament
Poland - Sejm
Romania - Great National Assembly
Russia - Duma & Federal Council
Samoa-Fono
Senegal - National Assembly
Seychelles - People's AssemblyS
outh Africa - House of Assembly
Spain - Cortes Generales
Sweden - Riksdag
Saudi Arabia - Majlis Al-Shura
Sudan - Majlis Watahi
Switzerland - Federal Assembly
Syria - People's Council
Turkey - Grand National Assembly
USA - Congress
Ukraine--Verhovna Rada
Vietnam - National Assembly
Venezuela - National Congress
Yugoslavia - Federal Assembly
Zambia - National Assembly

Books and Authors Quiz

2008-10-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Books and authors is a topic for every cometitive exam. Be it PSC or Bank exams. Useful for Quizes and Trivias also

Mac Beth--------------------Shakespeare
Odyssey---------------------Homer
Illiod------------------------Homer
Rubayyat-------------------Omar Khayyam
Shakuntalam----------------Kalidasa
Jungle Book-----------------Rudyard Kipling
Count of Monte Cristo-------Alexander Dumas
War and Peace--------------Leo Tolstoy
Communist Manifesto-------Karl Marx
Call of the wild-----------------Jack London
A Tale of Two Cities-----------Charles Dickens
Robinson Crusoe-----------Daniel Defoe
Adventures of Tom Sawyer---Mark Twain
Gulliver's Travels----------Jonathan Swift
Freedom at Midnight-------Larry Collins&Dominic Lappierre
Train to Pakistan----------Khushavant Singh
God of Small things---------Arundhati Roy
Old man and the sea-------Ernest Hemingway
Main kamph---------------Adolf Hitler
Discovery of India---------Jawaharlal Nehru

Cities and Rivers--Major world cities on the river banks Quiz

2008-09-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Rivers are the cradle of human civilization. All major cities around the world were founded on the banks of the rivers. Questions will be asked for Bank, PSC and other competitive exams based on this.

Alexandria-----Nile
Antwerp------Scheldt
Belgrade------Danube
Shanghai -----Hwangpu
Damascus-----Barda
Bangkok------Chao Phraya
HongKong----Pearl
Philadelphia--- Delaware
Madrid -------- Manzanares
Dresden ------- Elbe
Baghdad-------Tigris
Jakarta--------Liwung
Paris----------Seane
Rome---------Tiber
Tokyo--------Sumida
Washington---Potomac
New york-----Hudson
Seoul---------Hann
Saintpetersburg----Neva
Lisbon--------Tagus

Secretariat assistant main exam Kerala PSC old question paper

2008-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

The Secretariat assistant main exam is scheduled on 11 th October 2008. Over 11,000 candidates will be competing for nearly 1000 posts in Kerala Government viz.Secretariat, PSC, Vigilance, Local fund audit etc. Here I am providing the Questions on General Knowledge that were asked in 2005 main exams. It is expected that the Questions will be mainly from Indian history, Geography, General science and Current affairs

Indian history--40%
Geography ----20%
General Science -10%
Current affairs---30%.

1. Which is the generally accepted theory that describes the end if Indus civilization. ?
2. What are the three great phases of development of Budhism in India?
3. What were the main features of Gupta Administration?
4. What is the significance of the Second Battle of Tarain in Indian History?
5. What is Permanent Settlement act introduced in 1793?
6. What do you know about the rise and fall of Nalanda University?
7. What is Gandhi-Irwin truce?
8. What was Khilafat Movement?
9. Do you find any differences in the approaches of Gokhale and Tilak to British rule?
10. What was the impact of the Partition of Bengal on National Movement?
11. What is Bio-diesel?
12. What is meant by the Decibel (dB)?
13. What is El Nino?
14. What is meant by chromosomes?
15. What is Vitamin K?
16. What do you know about Haritholsavam?
17. What is Kerala Kalamandalam?
18. What is KERAFED?
19. What is MGP?
20. What was the Mopil rebellion?
21. What was Golden Quadrilateral?
22. What is the project Sagarmatha?
23. What is 93rd Constitutional Amendment Bill?
24. What is Valmiki-Ambedkar Awas Yojana?
25. What is Antyodaya Anna Yojana?

Quiz on Gandhiji --- Questions on Gandhiji's life

2008-09-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

1.Where was was Gandhiji born?

Ans: Porbandar

2.What was Gandhi's childhood nickname?

Ans:Manu or Moniya

3.What was the name of Gandhi's father?

Ans:Karamchand

4.In his teens Gandhi had a friend who often told him if he ate meat, he would grow stronger. Gandhi also picked up smoking from him for a while. Later Gandhi wrote a letter to his father and apologized. Who was this friend?

Ans: Shiekh Mehtab

5.At what age was Gandhi married?

Ans: Thirteen

6.Gandhiji confessed his guilt of stealing for the purpose of smoking in a letter, promising never to steal in future and asking for adequate punishment. To whom was this letter addressed?

Ans: Father

7.To represent which company's case did Gandhi go to Durban, South Africa in 1893?

Ans:Dada, Abdulla & Co

8.While holding a first-class ticket Gandhiji was ordered by a railway official to shift to the van compartment. On his refusal to comply with the unjust order, a constable was called to push him out bag and baggage. Identify the railway station where this incident took place

Ans: Maritzburg

9.How many sons did Gandhiji have?

Ans: four

10.On Gandhi's suggestion, which organization was formed in 1894 by the Indian community in South Africa?

Ans: Natal Indian Congress

11. In 1910, Hermann Kallenbach, a white farmer donated his farm near Johannesburg to Gandhi where he established an 'ashram'. What was the name of this 'ashram'?

Ans:Tolstoy Farm

12.Which country Gandhiji visited in October 1901?

Ans: Mauritius

13. Which year Gandhi take the vow of 'brahmacharya' or celibacy for life?

Ans:1906

14.In 1913, Gandhi protested a South African law that had

Ans: Made all non-Christian marriages illegal

15.Which mythological character impressed Gandhiji for life when he saw a play on his life?

Ans: Harischandra

16.In what year did Gandhi leave South Africa for the last time?

Ans: 1914

17.In 1915, Gandhi was awarded a medal which he returned to the Government in 1920 as a gesture of non cooperation towards the British Government. Name the medal.

Ans: Kaiser-i -Hind

18.Who advised Gandhiji to remain as an observer and student in the country for a year before taking part in Indian Politics?

Ans: Gopal Krishna Gokhle

19. Which was the place from where Gandhiji started his recruiting campaign for the War on behalf of the British Government.

Ans: Kheda

20.The book "Unto This Last" greatly captivated and transformed Gandhi. He later translated it into Gujarati. Who was its author?

Ans: John Ruskin

21.Gandhi's autobiography "The Story of My Experiments with Truth" was originally written in Gujarati. Who translated it into English?

Ans:Mahadev Desai

22.Gandhiji's first major struggle in the country was stagged on the soil of Champaran district in Bihar in 1917 in connection with indigo plantation. Who was largely instrumental in persuading Gandhiji to visit Champaran and lead the struggle over there?

Ans: Raj Kumar Shukla

23.In connection with the inauguration of the so-called Rowlatt satyagraha, Gandhiji started a Satyagraha Sabha in

Ans: Bombay

24.At which place was Gandhiji arrested for the first time by the British Government for sedition?

Ans: Ahmedabad

25. A wave of violent communal riots swept over country in 1924 on account of which Gandhiji felt very much upset and was in great distress, knowing not what to do. The terrible riots that broke out at a particular place led Gandhi to do penance by observing a fast for 21 days. Which was that place?

Ans: Kohat

26.Who commented "Mr Gandhi's religious and moral views are, I believe, admirable, but I confess that I find it difficult to understand the practice of them in politics."

Ans: Lord Reeding

27.Gandhi first organized mass "non-cooperation" with the British in what year?

Ans:1920

28. Gandhiji withdrew his non-cooperation due to the killing of Police men at which place?

Ans: Chauri Choura

29.In how many days was the 241 mile-journey from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi covered on foot by Gandhi and his volunteers?

Ans:24

30.Who was nominated by Gandhiji to lead the satyagrahais on the Dandi March in the event of his arrest?

Ans:Abbas Tyabji

31. Subhash Chandra Bose was elected President of the Congress in 1938 with Gandhiji's goodwill. He wanted a second term, but Gandhiji did not approve of it. Despite the disapproval, Bose fought the election and won it, defeating the official candidate by over 200 votes. Gandhiji took it as a personal defeat. Identify the candidate.

Ans:Pattabhi Sitaramayya

32. What is the name of the building which served as Gandhi's residence in Mumbai from 1917-1934?

Ans: Mani Bhavan

33.What personal tragedy did Gandhi suffer in 1943?

Ans: His youngest son died

34.After Independence in 1947, Gandhi felt the Congress had outlived its usefulness. To keep it away from unhealthy competition with political parties and communal bodies, Gandhi sketched a draft constitution for the Congress to transform it into a social organization. What was it called?

Ans:Lok Sevak Sangh

Current affairs updated- September first week

2008-09-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here comes another week, and updation of current affairs for the first week of September. This wiil be useful for coming Bank and PSC exams. A lot of Quiz, Trivia questions can also be expected from this.

1.Two month long agitation in Jammu comes to an end after the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS) and the Jammu and Kashmir governor’s panel arrived at an accord conceding the main demands of the agitationists

Key facts:As per the agreement, 800 kanals of land in Baltal and Domail will be transferred to the SASB for the duration of the Amarnath yatra. On the other hand, protests continued in Kashmir valey over the issue.

2.Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Hanna struck US coast.

Key facts:Thousands of people in New Orleans and across the US Gulf Coast fled their homes fearing another Katrina like disaster. But Gustav turned out to be a less powerful one. Mean while , more than 500 people perished in Haiti in Hurricane Hanna before hitting U S eastt coast.

3.Duvvuri Subbarao is the new RBI governor.

Key facts:A 1972 batch IAS officer,presently Subbarao is the finance secretary of the country.He is appointed for a term of three years. He becomes the 22nd governor of RBI replacing Y V Reddy.

4.Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda resigned.

5. Bihar got a respite from the worst floods in 50 years after the water levels of the river Kosi declined.

6.Nagpur will soon have a 10-mw solar thermal power plant, the largest in the country.

7. A commission led by Justice Mahapatra of the Orissa high court to probe into the communal unrest in Orissa.

8.Pankaj Advani from India is the New World Billiards Champion.

Key facts: He defeated the reigning World Champion Geeth Sethi to win the title. He was awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna two years back.

9.Infaltion comes down narrowly for the second straight week at 12.34 percent. International crude oil prices declined to a 3-month low of 104 dollars.

10.India's external debt touches a record level of $ 221.2 billion for theyear 2007-08.

11. India's nuclear isolation for 34 years comes to an end after the NSG cleared the 123 in Vienna.

Grand Slam Title Winners 2008

2008-09-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

Australian Open, Men's singles winner-------Novak Djokovic----Serbia
Australian Open, Women's singles winner----Maria Sharapova---Russia
French Open,Men's singles winner----------Rafael Nadal---------Spain
French Open,Women's singles winner------Ana Ivanovic---------Serbia
Wimbledon, Men's singles winner----------Rafael Nadal---------Spain
Wimbledon, Women's singles winner-----Venus Williams-------United States
U S Open, Men's singles winner-----------Roger Federer---------Switzerland
U S Open, Women's singles winner-------Serena Williams --------United States
Olympics, Men's singles winner----------Rafael Nadal---------Spain
Olympics, Women's singles winner------Elena Dementieva----Russia

Commissions &Committees constituted by Government of India

2008-09-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

Various commissions and committees are constituted by the Government India past. Questions based on these is likely to be asked for various PSC, UPSC, andBank tests. They can be asked for various quiz competitions also. A Ready reference list is given here.

Nanavati Commission---------1984 Sikh riots
Nanavati-Shah commission---2002 Gujrat riots
Sri Krishna Commission-------1992 Bombay riots
Sri Krishna Commission:------sixth pay commission
Sarkaria Commission---------- Centre-State relations
Rajindar Sachar Committee ---- Report on the social, economic and educational status of the Muslims of India.
Kothari Commission------------- Educational reforms
Malhotra Committee------------- Insurance Reforms
Wanchoo Committee-------------- Tax enquiry
Chelliah Committee----------------Eradicating black money
Mandal Commission---------------- Reservation of seats for Backward castes
Malimath Commission-------------- Criminal Justice
Balwant Rai Mehta Committee------ decentralization system
Librehan Commission---------------- Babri Masjid demolition case
Mashelkar Committee---------------- National Auto Fuel Policy
Chakravarti Committee-------------- Banking sector reforms
Vohra Committee-------------------- Criminalization of politics
Thakkar Commission----------------- Indira Gandhi assassination case
Phukhan Commission----------------- Tehelka tapes scandal
Jain commission-----------------------Hawala scam
Yashpal Committee-------------------- Review of School Education system
Naresh Chandra Committee------------ Corporate governance

Beijing Olympics 2008 Quiz,Trivia Questions

2008-09-04T04:15:00.000-07:00

Questions on Beijing Olympics will be asked for all forthcoming competitive exams like PSC, Banks etc.

1.China won the most gold medals at the Beijing Games with 51. They become the first country to crack the 50-gold mark since the Soviet Union in 1988. The most golds ever won in a single Olympics is 83 (United States, 1984)

2.It's the first time since 1936 that a country other than the United States or the Soviet Union has led the medal count.

3.Michael Phelps of U S won the maximum eight medals in an Olympics.

4.Yelena IsinBayeva of Russia breaks the World record for 24 th time and wins the Gold in Ploe vault.

5.The overall medal count was won by the United States for the fourth consecutive Olympics. The U.S. earned 110 medals, compared to China's 100.

6.Usain Bolt of Jamaica becomes the fastest man in the world winning the 100m event with a new World Record. He won the Gold in 200m and 4*100 m events.

7.Panama and Mongolia won the first gold medals in their respective histories.

8.United states wins Basketball and Volley ball Gold medals. Argentna wins Gold in Soccer.

10.Shelly Ann Fraser of Jamaica becomes the fastest woman winning the 100 m race.

11. India's best Olympics in History. India's medal winners-Abhinav Bindra wins Gold in shooting. Sushil Kumar wins bronze in wrestling. Vijender Kumar wins bronze in Boxing

Current affairs updated - August fourth week

2008-09-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

1.Nawaz Shariff withdraws support for PPP Govt. in Pakistan. The decision comes in the wake of Mr. Asif Ali Sardari standing in the forthcoming Presidential election.

2.Film Star Chiranjeevi launches new party' Prajarajyam'

3. Russia gives sovereign status to new countries- South Ossetia and Abkhasia.

Key facts:The decision follows after the week long war against Georgia. The above two regions were demanding independence from Georgia.

4.Infosys acquired UK based Axon Group, a SAP consulting services company listed on London Stock Exchange, for about $753 million

5.In July, mobile operators, GSM and CDMA together, added 9.22 million subscribers, Highest ever additions in Mobile subscription in a single month.

6.VHP sponsored bandh turned violent in Orissa with several churches burned 20 people killed in vilence in mainly in Kandhamal, Koraput, Bolangir districts.

Key facts:The bandh was called to protest killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples.

7.Inflation touches another record of 1.12 million percent in Zimbabwe.

Key facts: Robert Mugabe is the President of the country, who came into power recently after a controversial election.

8.India wins the one day series against Sri lanka winning the three consecutive one dayers after losing the first match.

Key facts: This is for the first time India wins a one day series in Sri Lanka. M S D hini declared the man of the series.

9.Prime minister declare Bihar floods as a national calamity.

Key facts:Prime minister allotted 1000 crore rupees as an immediate relief to Bihar.The floods are due to the change of course of the river Kosi. Half of Bihar is under water.

10.Shibu Soren sworn in as the Choef minister of Jharkhand.

Key facts:He comes in place of Madhu Koda who resigned earlier. He is the 4 th chief minister of Jharkhand in 8 year. The state was formed in 2000.

11.Annual inflation declined marginally to 12.40% for the week ended August 16, 2008, from 12.63% a week ago

12.Barck Obama officialy declared as the Democratic Nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Key facts: Obama is senator from Illnois. Joe Biden is the Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee.

13. B Vaidyalingam is the new chief Minister of Pondicherry. He replaces S Rangaswamy.

14.German Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel is the most powerful lady in the World, according to Forbes Magazine.

Key facts: From India.

Sonia Gandhi at 21^st place.
Mayawati at 59^th place.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon at 99^th place.

14.India's GDP growth slows down to 7.9 percent for the first quarter of this year.

15. Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska , declared as Republican Vice Presidential Nominee for this year' U S presidential elections.

Current Affairs - August third week

2008-08-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here I am updating the Current events for third week of August. Read News papers and Watch Television daily to be a winner in Competitive exams and Quiz competitions. Olympics News is not provided in this for which a detailed post will be written later.

1.Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff resigns from his post of President

Key facts:After 9 years in in Office, Pakistan president Pervez Musharaff resigned.
He had come to power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

2.Israel to release 200 palestinian prisoners.

Israel celebrates it's 60 th year of foundation this year. Prme minister Ehud Olmert.Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine is a country divided into two parts. Only Westbank portion is controlled by Fatah party-with prime minister Mahmoud Abbas. Gaza strip is controlled by Hamas.

3.RBI reveals the credit card outstandings have shot up by a whopping 87% at Rs 26,596 crore, during the January-May 23 period this year.

4.Masanobu Fukuoka Founder of one straw revolution movement in agriculture dies in Japan.

Key facts: He is the author of The One-Straw Revolution, The Road Back to Nature and The Natural Way Of Farming, was one of the pioneers of no-till grain cultivation. His system is referred to as "natural farming", Fukuoka Farming, or the Fukuoka Method.

5.Puspa Kamal Dahal popularly known as Pracahnda chosen as the New prime minister of Nepal.

Key facts: Nepal formerly a Hindu country is now a secular Republic. Maoists had got the maximum no. of seats in the Recent General election.King Gyanendra had to leave his palalce. Prachanda made his first foreign visit to China last week which is a significant change from his predecessors who made their first foreign visit to India after taking oath.

6.TRAI(Telecom regulatory authority of India) removes all restrictions on internet telephony in the country, allowing internet service providers (ISPs) to terminate internet telephony calls on phones, including mobile phones.

7.R. C Deka will be the New director of AIMS.

8.Reliance launches it's DTH Big TV -fourth DTH operator in India.

9. A Spanish airliner skidded off it's runway in Madrid airport killing 153 people on board .Worst aircrash of 2008 till date.

10.Inflation continued it's upward journey. It touched another high of 12.63% .

11.ISRO says India's first unmanned moon mission known as Chandrayaan-1 will be between October and December 2009.

Key facts: As part of Chandrayaan -1, India joined seven other nations to team up with Nasa for the future exploration of moon. ISRO director G Madhavan Nair.

12.Indiragandhi International airport in Newdelhi has the longest runway in Asia.

13.Delhi High Court bars top lawyers for criminal contempt.Former Congress MP R K Anand and ace criminal lawyer I U Khan—from appearing before it and its subordinate courts for four months for committing “criminal contempt’’ in the BMW hit-and-run case.

14. Tata threatens to pull out of Singur if the agitation continues.

Union Bank of India Asst Manager -Marketing and PO possible questions-- General awareness questions

2008-08-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here's collection of General awareness questions for recently conducted bank PO exams. The previous questions will help you in getting high marks Asst Manager -Marketing and PO posts.
Asst Manager -Marketing which has the highest number of vacancies will have a question pattern same as of other PO tests.

01. Baichung Bhutia whose name was in news is a
(A) Music Director of Indian films
(B) English author of Indian origin
(C) Journalist
(D) Cricketer
(E) Sports Personality
02 ‘Richter Scale’ is used to measure
(A) Intensity of Tsunami Waves
(B) Intensity of Earthquake
(C) Density of salt in Sea water
(D) Flow of electric current
(E) speed
3. Which of the following best explains ‘e-governance’?
(A) Improving the functioning of government
(B) Teaching government emp-loyees the basics of computing
(C) Delivery of public services through internet
(D) Framing of cyber-laws of chatting on internet
(E) Convergence of e-mail and video-conferencing
4. CAS is associated with which of the following ?
(A) Legal System Reforms
(B) Piped gas line
(C) Cable T.V.
(D) Mobile phone regulation
(E) None of these
5. Tata Steel which recently acquired the Corus, a steel giant situated in—
(A) South Africa
(B) Ukraine
(C) Australia
(D) Italy
(E) Britain
6. Which of the following is the abbreviated name of the Organi-zation/Agency working in the field of Space Research ?
(A) ISBN
(B) ISRO
(C) INTELSET
(D) INTACH
(E) None of these
7. ‘Handshaking’ in Networking parlance means—
(A) connecting computers to a hub
(B) distributed Networks
(C) having same operating system on different computers
(D) sending e-mail
(E) None of these
8. VAT stands for—
(A) Value And Tax
(B) Value Added Tax
(C) Virtual Action Tasks
(D) Virtual Assessment Tech-nique
(E) None of these
9. Alzheimer’sdiseaseistheailment of which of the following organs /parts of the human body ?
(A) Kidney (B) Heart
(C) Liver (D) Stomach
(E) Brain
10. Global warming is a matter of concern amongst the nations these days. Which of the follo-wing countries is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the World ?
(A) U.S.A. (B) China
(C) India (D) Britain
(E) None of these
11. What is the population of India ?
(A) 98 crores
(B) More than 2 billion
(C) More than 1 billion
(D) Less than 96 crores
(E) 96 crores
12. Thermostat is an instrument used to—
(A) measure flow of current
(B) measure intensity of voltage
(C) regulate temperature
(D) regulate velocity of sound
(E) None of these
13. Wimbledon Trophy is associated with—
(A) Football (B) Cricket
(C) Hockey (D) Basketball
(E) Lawn Tennis
14. GNP stands for—
(A) Gross National Product
(B) Group Net Product
(C) Grand Nuclear Process
(D) Group Networking Process
(E) None of these
15. ‘Acoustics’ is the science of the study of—
(A) Light (B) Sound
(C) Electricity (D) Magnetism
(E) None of these
16. Noise pollution is measured in the unit called—
(A) micron
(B) nautical miles
(C) ohms
(D) ampere
(E) decibel
17. ‘Heavy Water’ is used in which of the following types of indus-tries ?
(A) Sugar
(B) Nuclear Power
(C) Textile
(D) Coal
(E) None of these
18. Who amongst the following is the author of the book ‘Indomi-table Spirit’?
(A) Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(B) Dr. Manmohan Singh
(C) Justice K. G. Balakrishna
(D) Mr. Natwar Singh
(E) None of these
19. Which of the following is not the name of popular IT/Software Company ?
(A) Wipro (B) Mastek
(C) Toyota (D) IBM
(E) Infosys
20. ‘Yen’ is the currency of—
(A) South Korea
(B) China
(C) Indonesia
(D) Malaysia
(E) None of these
21. Which of the following books has been written by Bill Gates ?
(A) Microsoft Secrets
(B) The Road Ahead
(C) The Elephant Paradigm
(D) e-commerce
(E) None of these
22. Which of the following is the name of the social network service run by the Google on the internet ?
(A) Online Space
(B) Orkut
(C) Net-Space
(D) Wikipedia
(E) None of these
23. Which of the following states is a relatively new addition ?
(A) Goa
(B) Delhi
(C) Uttarakhand
(D) Himachal Pradesh
(E) Bihar
24. DOT stands for—
(A) Disc Operating Therapy
(B) Department of Telephones
(C) Directorate of Technology
(D) Damage on Time
(E) None of these
25. Which of the following States/ parts of India is completely land locked having no contact with sea ?
(A) Karnataka
(B) Orissa
(C) Maharashtra
(D) North-East
(E) None of these
26. TRAI regulates the functioning of which of the following servi-ces ?
(A) Telecom (B) Trade
(C) Port (D) Transport
(E) None of these
27. At present for the ATMs in India, the most commonly used net-work communication mode is—
(A) Very Small Aperture Termi-nal (VSAT)
(B) General Packet Radio Ser-vice (GPRS)
(C) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
(D) Dial-in Connection
(E) None of these
28. Which of the following is not a foreign bank operating in India ?
(A) DBS Bank Ltd.
(B) Sonali Bank
(C) J. P. Morgan Chase Bank
(D) Shinhan Bank
(E) All are Foreign Banks
29. Who is the author of the book ‘Future Shock’ ?
(A) Alvin Toffler
(B) Tom Peters
(C) Napoleon Hill
(D) Kenneth Blanchard
(E) None of these
30. Apex fares are—
(A) more than the normal fare
(B) less than the normal fare
(C) offered only to corporate clients
(D) applicable to late night flights only
(E) applicable to international flights only
31. Who amongst the following is the Director of the film ‘Water’ which was in news ?
(A) Vidhu Vinod Chopra
(B) Mrinal Sen
(C) Gulzar
(D) Mahesh Bhatt
(E) None of these
32. The 10th plan period is upto which year
(A) 2007 (B) 2008
(C) 2009 (D) 2010
(E) None of these
33. OPEC is a group of countries which are—
(A) exporting oil
(B) producting cotton
(C) rich and developed
(D) developing and poor
(E) nuclear powers
34. Intel Company mainly produces—
(A) Hard disks
(B) VCDs
(C) Monitors
(D) Software
(E) None of these
35. Who amongst the following is the M.D./Chairman of one of the major Steel Companies ?
(A) Shri L. N. Mittal
(B) Shri K. K. Birla
(C) Shri Kushalpal singh
(D) Shri Mukesh Ambani
(E) Shri Anil Agarwal
36. Which of the following Software Companies recently launched its education portal ‘Unlimited Potential’ in India ?
(A) Microsoft (B) Infosys
(C) Wipro (D) TCS
(E) None of these
37. Polly Umrigar who died was a well known—
(A) Cricketer
(B) Tennis Player
(C) Golfer
(D) Chess Player
(E) Hockey Player
38. In India Census is conducted after a gap of every—
(A) Five years
(B) Seven years
(C) Twenty years
(D) Ten years
(E) Fifteen years
39. Prof. Muhammad Yunus the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 2006 is the exponent of which of the following concepts in the field of banking ?
(A) Core Banking
(B) Micro Credit
(C) Retail Banking
(D) Real Time Gross Settlement
(E) Internet Banking
40. Who amongst the following was India’s official candidate for the post of UNO’s Secretary Gene- ral ?
(A) Mr. Shyam Saran
(B) Dr. C. Rangarajan
(C) Mr. Shashi Tharoor
(D) Mr. Vijay Nambiar
(E) None of these
41. Mr. Gordon Brown is the the Prime Minister of—
(A) Italy
(B) Canada
(C) Germany
(D) South Africa
(E) Britain

Important National days in India

2008-08-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

Some days assume some special importance.Don't skip this topic as it can be important in PSC,Bank, RRB and other exams. Important topic for Quiz competitions also.

Jan 12----------National Youth Day(Birthday of swami Vivekananda)
Jan 15----------Army Day
Jan 26 ---------Republic day
Jan 30---------Martyrs day(Martyrdom of MahatmaGandhi)
Feb 24---------Central Excise Day
Feb 28 -------National Science Day
May 1--------Workers Day
May 3 -------Press Freedom Day
May 11-------National Technology Day
May 24-------Commonwealth Day.
Aug 9 --------Quit India day
Aug 15-------Independence Day
Aug 29------National Sports Day(Hockey legend Dhyan chand's birth day)
Sep 5-------Teachers' Day(Birth day of former president S Radhakrishnan)
Sep 21-----Alzheimer's Day
Sep 26-----Day of the Deaf
Oct 2------Gandhi Jayanthi
Oct 8 -----Indian Air Force Day
Oct 10 ----National Post Day
Nov 14----Children's Day
Dec 4-----Navy Day
Dec 7 -----Armed Forces Flag Day
Dec 23 -----Kisan Divas

Longest rivers in the world

2008-08-21T07:52:00.001-07:00

Geographical wonders like rivers were always part of General knowledge in PSC,Bank,Quiz,Trivia questions.Here is a list of ten major rivers on earth. Most important thing to note is that Nile is the longest river than Amazon as per latest surveys. But the largest is Amazon only in terms of Drainage area,discharge etc. The list is given in the order of River name, length, outflow water body, drainage area (km²),. discharge ( m³/s)

1.Nile ----------------------6650 km---- Mediterranean Sea----3,349,000------5,100

Countries in the drainage basin Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda,
Burundi, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo

2.Amazon--- ---------------6400 km---- Atlantic Ocean-------- 6,915,000------219,000

Countries in the drainage basin: Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela,

Guy

ana

3.Yangtze------------------6300 km----- East China Sea-------18,00,000------31,900

Countries in the drainage basin: China

4.Mississippi/Missouri----- 6275 km-- --Gulf of Mexico---------28,80,000------16,200

Countries in the drainage basin: United States,

Canada

5.Yenisei -------------------5539 km ---Kara Sea--------------25,80,000------19,800

Countries in the drainage basin: Russia, Mongolia

6.Huang Ho------------------ 5464 km----Bohai Sea------------7,45,000-------2,110

Countries in the drainage basin: China

7.Ob/Irtysh------------------5410 km---- Gulf of Ob-----------29,90,000-----12,800

Countries in the drainage basin: Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia

8.Congo/Chambeshi ----------4700 km ----Atlantic Ocean------36,80,000-----41,800

Countries in the drainage basin: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic,
Angola, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda

9.Amur -----------------------4444 km-----Sea of Okhotsk-----18,55,000----11,500

Countries in the drainage basin: Russia, China, Mongolia

10.Lena -----------------------4400 km----- Laptev Sea---------24,90,000----17,100

Countries in the drainage basin:

Russia

Nobel Prize winners -2007

2008-08-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Nobel prizes are announced every year in October and prizes are distributed every year on Dec. 10. You should memorize the names of the Nobel prize winners to come out successful in PSC, Bank, RRBS and Quiz competitions.

Nobel Peace Prize----- former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Contribution---for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.

Nobel Prize in literature--- Doris Lessing from Britain

Nobel Prize for medicine-- R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies from U S along with Sir Martin J. Evans from Britain

Contribution--- for groundbreaking discoveries that led to a powerful technique for manipulating mouse genes.

Nobel Prize in physics---- Albert Fert from France and Peter Gruenberg from Germany

Contribution---for discovering a phenomenon that enables computers and digital music players to store reams of data on ever-shrinking hard disks.

Nobel Prize in chemistry --- Gerhard Ertl of Germany

Contribution--for his studies of chemical reactions on solid surfaces, which are key to understanding questions such as why the ozone layer is thinning.

Nobel Prize in Economics---- Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson of U S

Contribution---for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory.

Current Affairs---August Second week.

2008-08-17T03:29:00.000-07:00

You should keep track of all current events if you want to score high in PSC , Bank PO or any other competitive tests.Good for Quiz competitions also.Here is list of current events for ths week

1. Abhinav Bindra wins first individual gold for India in Olympic history

Key facts:Bindra comes from Chandigarh.India has only won gold medal in hockey till now. India has won a total of 6 individual medals in Olympic history.Norman prichard won two silver medals in 1900.K.D Jadhav won a bronze in wrestling in 1952.Leander paes won bronze in Tennis in 1996. Malleshwari won bronze in 2000 in weightlifting. Rajyawardhan singh Rathore in shooting in 2004.

2.Amarnath row turns violent in Kashmir, 23 killed

Key facts:The protests had turned an ugly turn after Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz was killed in police firing.Earlier the protestors were trying to march towards POK capital Muzaffarabad with their fruit trucks.Jammu returns to normalcy after protets for a month.

3.India celebrated it's 61st independence day

Key facts:Pramod Satpati from Orissa and R P Diengdo from Meghalaya wins Ashok Chakra.

4. Pakistan president Musharaff to be impeached

Key facts:Pakistan two main parties PPP and PML(N) have moved the resolution.Pakistan Prime minister Yousuf Razza Gilani supports it.Pakistan army remains neutral.

5.Russia agrees on a cease fire with Georgia after one week of fighting

Key facts:Russia started the fight last week after Georgia attacked the disputed territory of North Ossetia. Russia captured the Georgian city of Gori -Stalin's birth place.Georgian presidentMichel Sakhashvili.Russian President -Dimitri Medvedev,Prime minister -Vladimir Putin.Georgia won independence after the breakdown of Soviet Union in 1990. Other countries that gained independence from Soviet rule in 1990 are
Kazhakhistan
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Kyrghistan
Turkmenistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Latvia
Lithuania
Estonia
Belarus
Ukraine

6.Inflation touches a high of 12.44% during last week. International crude prices touched a 3- month low of $111 .

Key facts:Infaltion is the highest since March 1995 when it touched 16%.It was at 5% level in the beginning of 2008.Crude prices had touched an all time high of $147 in July.

7.Prime ministers Economic adviser C. Rangarajan predicted India's economic growth to slow down to 7.7% this year.

Key facts:India had been growing at a pace of 9% for the last four years . This will be the slowest in last 5 years.

8. Sixth pay commission repot approved by Cabinet.

Key facts:21% pay hike for 50 lakh Central government employees.Pay commission chairman Justice B N Srikrishna.Minimum basic pay fixe at Rs. 7000.

9.Michael Phelps wins eight golds in Beijing Olympics

Key facts:He is a swimmer from U.S. he broke the record of Mark spitz who had won 7 golds in 1972.

10.Nehru Trophy boat race won by Karichal chundan.India wins AFC cup football beating Tajikistan.

Key facts:Nehru Trophy boat race is held every year in Aleppey, Kerala. This boat race holds a world record for having the highest no. members in a single team-110 members.

Sobriquets-Geographical nicknames

2008-08-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Geographical nicknames or sobriquets as they are popularly known as forms an integral part of any PSC or Bank PO exam. Many Quiz or trivia questions are made using these. Here is a collection of a few sobriquets.

Africa ------------------------------------------The dark continent
Atlantic ocean---------------------------------- The hering pond
Netherlands---------------------------------The Land of Canals
Bangalore-------------------------------------- The garden city of India
Aberdeen-------------------------------------The Granite city
Turkey ----------------------------------------The sick man of europe
Calcutta---------------------------------------- The city of palaces
Egypt------------------------------------------ The gift of Nile
Belgrade---------------------------------------The white city
Venice---------------------------------------The Queen of the Adriatic
Finland----------------------------------------- The land of thousand lakes
Japan ------------------------------------------The land of rising sun
Oxford ----------------------------------------The city of dreaming spires
Korea----------------------------------------The Hermit Kingdom
Punjab -----------------------------------------The land of rivers
Amritsar--------------------------------------- The city of golden temple
San Francisco-------------------------------The City of the Golden Gate
Huangho River-China--------------------------- The sorrow of china
Damodar River----------------------------------The Sorrow of Bengal
Rome ----------------------------------------- The city of seven hills
Thailand--------------------------------------- The land of white elephants
Bab el Mendab---------------------------------The gateway of tears
Moscow---------------------------------------The port of five seas
Cuba------------------------------------------The Sugar Bowl of the World
Chicago---------------------------------------The windy city
Gibraltar------------------------------------The key of Meditteranian
Guinea coast--------------------------------The White Man's Grave
Banrain-------------------------------------The island of pearls
Tristan da Cunha--------------------------- The World's Lonliest island

Modern Olympics -- Host countries and venues

2008-08-13T23:34:00.001-07:00

City London	Year Country 2012 United Kingdom
Beijing	2008 China
Athens	2004 Greece
Sydney	2000 Australia
Atlanta	1996 United States
Barcelona	1992 Spain
Seoul	1988 South Korea
Los Angeles	1984 United States
Moscow	1980 U S S R
Montreal	1976 Canada
Munich	1972 Germany
Mexico City	1968 Mexico
Tokyo	1964 Japan
Rome	1960 Italy
Melbourne	1956 Australia
Helsinki	1952 Finland
London	1948 United Kingdom
Berlin	1936 Germany(No Olympics was held for 12 years due to Second World War)
Los Angeles	1932 United States
Amsterdam	1928 Holland
Paris	1924 France
Antwerp	1920 Belgium
Stockholm	1912 Sweden(No Olympics was held for 8 years due to First World War)
London	1908 United Kingdom
St Louis	1904 United States
Paris	1900 France
Athens	1896 Greece

Latest who's who-Important persons in India

2008-08-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

It's very important for you to keep yourself updated with latest changes in higher posts of a country. Various PSC, PO and quiz competitions have a large no. of questions from latest who's who.

President of India-------------------------------Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Vice President of India,------------------------Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansa ri
Prime Minister of India ----------------------- Dr. Manmohan Singh
Chief of Army Staff-------------------------General Deepak Kapoor
Chief of the Naval Staff---------------------Admiral Sureesh Mehta
Chief of Air Staff ----------------------------Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major
Chief justice of India------------------------Justice K G Balakrishnan
Speaker of Lok sabha----------------------Somnath Chatterjee
Chairman of the Rajya Sabha----------------Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansa ri(Vice President)
Vice Chairman of the planning commission---Montek singh Ahluwalia(Chairman will be Prime Minister of India)
Reserve Bank Governor---------------------Y V Reddy

Important International days

2008-08-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Some days assume some special importance. In the various competitive exams the questions can be either asking for a day giving it's importance or can be the other way round.

Jan 10-----World Laughter Day

Jan 26-----International Customs Day

Jan 30-----World Leprosy Eradication Day

Feb 21 ----- International Mother Language Day

Mar 8------International Women's Day

Mar 15----World Consumer Rights Day

Mar 21----World Forestry Day

Mar 23----World Meteorological Day

Mar 24-----World TB Day

Apr 7-------World Health Day

Apr 22------Earth Day

May 1-------International Labour Day

May 8-------World Red Cross Day

May 12-------International Nurses Day

May 17-------World Telecommunication Day

May 24--------Commonwealth Day

May 31---------Anti-tobacco Day

June 5----------World Environment Day

June 20---------Father's Day

July 11----------World Population Day

Aug 6------------Hiroshima Day

Aug 9------------Nagasaki Day

Sep 8-------------World Literary Day

Sep 16------------World Ozone Day

Sep 26-------------Day of the Deaf

Sep 27-------------World Tourism Day

Oct 3---------------World Habitat Day

Oct 4--------------World Animal Welfare Day

Oct 16-------------World Food Day

Oct 24------------United Nations Day

Oct 30-------------World Thrift Day

Nov 14--------------Diabetes Day

Nov 21------------World Television day

Dec 1----------------World AIDS Day

Dec 10 ------------- Human Rights Day

Dec11 -------------- International Mountain Day

Dec 18 ------------- International Migrants Day

Countries &Their Capitals-sorted in alphabetical order

2008-08-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

Afghanistan Kabul
Albania Tirana
Algeria Algiers
American Samoa Pago Pago
Andorra Andorra la Vella
Angola Luanda
Anguilla The Valley
Antigua and Barbuda Saint John's (Antigua)
Argentina Buenos Aires
Armenia Yerevan
Aruba Oranjestad
Australia Canberra
Austria Vienna
Azerbaijan (Baki)
Bahamas, The Nassau
Bahrain Manama
Bangladesh Dhaka
Barbados Bridgetown
Belarus Minsk
Belgium Brussels
Belize Belmopan
Benin porto-Novo
Bermuda Hamilton
Bhutan Thimphu
Bolivia La Paz
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
Botswana Gaborone
Brazil Brasilia
British Virgin Islands Road Town
Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan
Bulgaria Sofia
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou
Burma Pyinmana
Burundi Bujumbura
Cambodia Phnom Penh
Cameroon Yaounde
Canada Ottawa
Cape Verde Praia
Cayman Islands George Town
Central African Republic Bangui
Chad 'Djamena
Chile Santiago
China Beijing
Colombia Bogota
Comoros Moroni
Congo, Democratic Republic Kinshasa
Congo, Republic of the razzaville
Cook Islands Avarua
Costa Rica San Jose
Cote d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro
Croatia Zagreb
Cuba Havana
Cyprus Nicosia
Czech Republic Prague
Denmark Copenhagen
Djibouti Djibouti
Dominica Roseau
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo
East Timor Dili
Ecuador Quito
Egypt Cairo
El Salvador San Salvador
Equatorial Guinea Malabo
Eritrea Asmara
Estonia Tallinn
Ethiopia Addis Ababa
Falkland Islands Stanley
Faroe Islands Torshavn
Fiji Suva
Finland Helsinki
France Paris
French Guiana Cayenne
French Polynesia Papeete
Gabon Libreville
Gambia, The Banjul
Georgia T'bilisi
Germany Berlin
Ghana Accra
Gibraltar Gibraltar
Greece Athens
Greenland Nuuk (Godthab)
Grenada Saint George's
Guadeloupe Basse-Terre
Guam Hagatna (Agana)
Guatemala Guatemala
Guinea Conakry
Guinea-Bissau Bissau
Guyana Georgetown
Haiti Port-au-Prince
Honduras Tegucigalpa
Hungary Budapest
Iceland Reykjavik
India New Delhi
Indonesia Jakarta
Iran Tehran
Iraq Baghdad
Ireland Dublin
Isle of Man Douglas
Israel Jerusalem
Italy Rome
Jamaica Kingston
Japan Tokyo
Jersey Saint Helier
Jordan Amman
Kazakhstan Astana
Kenya Nairobi
Kiribati Tarawa
Korea, North Pyongyang
Korea, South Seoul
Kuwait Kuwait city
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek
Laos Vientiane
Latvia Riga
Lebanon Beirut
Lesotho Maseru
Liberia Monrovia
Libya Tripoli
Liechtenstein Vaduz
Lithuania Vilnius
Luxembourg Luxembourg
Macedonia Skopje
Madagascar Antananarivo
Malawi Lilongwe
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Maldives Male
Mali Bamako
Malta Valletta
Marshall Islands Majuro
Martinique Fort-de-France
Mauritania Nouakchott
Mauritius Port Louis
Mayotte Mamoutzou
Mexico Mexico city
Micronesia Palikir
Moldova Chisinau
Monaco Monaco
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar
Montserrat Plymouth
Morocco Rabat
Mozambique Maputo
Namibia Windhoek
Nauru Yaren District
Nepal Kathmandu
Netherlands Amsterdam
Netherlands Antilles Willemstad
New Caledonia Noumea
New Zealand Wellington
Nicaragua Managua
Niger Niamey
Nigeria Abuja
Niue Alofi
Norfolk Island Kingston
Northern Mariana Islands Saipan
Norway Oslo
Oman Muscat
Pakistan Islamabad
Palau Koror
Panama Panama city
Papua New Guinea Port Moresby
Paraguay A suncion
Peru Lima
Philippines Manila
Pitcairn Islands Adamstown
Poland Warsaw
Portugal Lisbon
Puerto Rico San Juan
Qatar Doha
Reunion Saint-Denis
Romania Bucharest
Russia Moscow
Rwanda Kigali
Saint Helena Jamestown
Saint Kitts and Nevis Basseterre
Saint Lucia Castries
Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint-Pierre
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Kingstown
Samoa Apia
San Marino San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia Riyadh
Senegal Dakar
Serbia and Montenegro Belgrade
Seychelles Victoria
Sierra Leone Freetown
Singapore Singapore
Slovakia Bratislava
Slovenia Ljubljana
Solomon Islands Honiara
Somalia Mogadishu
South Africa Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center
Spain Madrid
Sri Lanka Colombo
Sudan Khartoum
Suriname Paramaribo
Svalbard Longyearbyen
Swaziland MbabanE
Sweden Stockholm
Switzerland Bern
Syria Damascus
Taiwan Taipei
Tajikistan Dushanbe
Tanzania Dar es Salaam
Thailand Bangkok
Togo Lome
Tonga Nuku'alofa
Trinidad and Tobago port-of-Spain
Tunisia Tunis
Turkey Ankara
Turkmenistan Ashgabat
Turks and Caicos Islands Grand Turk
Tuvalu Funafuti
Uganda Kampala
Ukraine Kiev (Kyyiv)
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi
United Kingdom London
United States Washington, DC
Uruguay Montevideo
Uzbekistan Tashkent (Toshkent)
Vanuatu Port-Vila (Efate)
Venezuela Caracas
Vietnam Hanoi
Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie
Yemen Sanaa
Zambia Lusaka
Zimbabwe Harare