General Awareness The questions given below were set in SSC Exam (Matric Level) held on May 17, 2001. 1. Which food crop in India is sown in October- November and reaped in April? (a) Coconut (b) Coffee (c) Rice (d) Wheat 2. Match the following: Countries Sports 1. Australia a. Bull fighting 2. U.S.A. b. Ice hockey 3. Spain c. Cricket 4. Japan d. Base ball e. Ju Jitsu (a) 1-c, 2-d, 3-b, 4-a (b) 1-d, 2-b, 3-c, 4-e (c) 1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-e (d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a, 4-e 3. The famous woman Tennis player, who was stabbed during a match, is: (a) Steffi Graf (b) Monica Seles (c) Mary Pierce (d) Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 4. The highest wicket taker in one-day international cricket is: (a) Shane Warne (b) Wasim Akram (c) Kapil Dev (d) Dennis Lillee 5. The author of the book Animal Farm is: (a) Leo Tolstoy (b) George Orwell (c) John Dryden (d) S.M. Ali 6. The book My Presidential Years was written by: (a) Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (b) Dr S. Radhakrishnan (c) R. Venkataraman (d) Dr Rajendra Prasad 7. The origin of the phrase United Nations is associated with one of the following personalities: (a) Jawaharlal Nehru (b) Franklin D. Roosevelt (c) Charles de Gaulle (d) Woodrow Wilson 8. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) is located at: (a) Kuala Lumpur (b) Bangkok (c) Manila (d) Singapore 9. Tony Blair, Prime Minister of Britain, belongs to: (a) Conservative Party (b) Liberal Democratic Party (c) Labour Party (d) Radical Party 10. The Nobel Laureate who is fighting to liberate the people of Myanmar is: (a) Corazon Aquino (b) Benazir Bhutto (c) Aung San Suu Kyi (d) Winnie Mandela 11. Which of the following is known as the Morning Star? (a) Saturn (b) Jupiter (c) Mars (d) Venus 12. March 8 is observed as: (a) World Environment Day (b) Heritage Day (c) International Womens Day (d) Youth Day 13. Which of the following is called the Mother of Parliaments? (a) The German Parliament (b) The American Parliament (c) The French Parliament (d) The British Parliament 14. The total number of ear bones are: (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6 (d) 8 15. The Nagarjuna Sagar project is constructed on the river: (a) Kaveri (b) Krishna (c) Godavari (d) Indus 16. India House is located in: (a) New Delhi (b) Kolkata (c) London (d) New York 17. Which one among the following is least like the others: (a) Kathakali (b) Bhangra (c) Kuchipudi (d) Bharat Natyam 18. The first Speaker of the Lok Sabha was: (a) Rabi Ray (b) M. Ananthasayanam Ayangar (c) Hukam Singh (d) G.V. Mavalankar OBJECTIVE-TYPE QUESTIONS 370 I NOVEMBER 2001 I THE COMPETITION MASTER 19. The first Indian to win Nobel Prize was: (a) C.V. Raman (b) Rabindra Nath Tagore (c) Hargobind Khurana (d) Amartya Sen 20. Who is called the Nightingale of India? (a) Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (b) Sarojini Naidu (c) Aruna Asaf Ali (d) Sucheta Kripalani 21. John Wright, the former New Zealand cricket captain, is assisting Indian Test Cricketers in his role as: (a) Commentator (b) National Coach (c) Member of Cricket Control Board of India (d) Physiotherapist 22. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2000 was given to: (a) Sachin Tendulkar (b) Jaspal Rana (c) Karnam Malleswari (d) Dhanraj Pillay 23. India and Russia have recently signed a multi-billion dollar technology transfer deal for: (a) Oil exploration in the Bay of Bengal (b) Manufacture of high speed diesel locomotives in India (c) Setting up of a nuclear power plant in India (d) Manufacture of 150 SU-30 MKI multi-role jets in India 24. The abbreviation TRP denotes: (a) Technical Research Project (b) Trade Related Procedures (c) Tax Related Protocols (d) Television Rating Point 25. The first Chief Minister of the newly created Jharkhand State is: (a) N.E. Horo (b) Babu Lal Marandi (c) Simon Marandi (d) Shibu Soren 26. In the Presidential elections held in the U.S.A. in November 2000, Mr Ralph Nader was also a candidate. He belongs to: (a) Democratic Party (b) Republican Party (c) Social Democratic Party (d) Green Party 27. The well known environmentalist, Anil Agarwal, was the recipient of which prestigious award in January 2001? (a) Magsaysay Award (b) Padma Bhushan (c) Dr Norman Borlaug Award (d) Pulitzer Prize 28. Which public sector oil corporation will be setting up a new oil refinery at Bina in Madhya Pradesh? (a) Indian Oil Corporation (b) Bharat Petroleum Corporation (c) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (d) Indo-Burma Petroleum Corporation 29. The Supreme Court, by a majority judgement, had allowed the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada upto a height of: (a) 88 metres (b) 90 metres (c) 163 metres (d) 120 metres 30. The Harappans were the earliest people to produce: (a) Seals (b) Bronze implements (c) Cotton (d) Barley 31 The Megalithic culture (500 B.C. - A.D. 100) brings us to the historical period in South India. The Megaliths used: (a) weapons made of stone (b) tools and implements made of stone (c) graves encircled by big pieces of stones (d) articles of daily use made of stone 32. Chinese pilgrim who visited India during Harsha Vardhans period was: (a) Fa-hien (b) Itsing (c) Nishka (d) Hiuen Tsang 33. Chalukya king Pulakesin-II was defeated by: (a) Mahendra Varman-I (b) Narasimha Varman-I (c) Parameswara Varman-I (d) Jatila Parantaka 34. Who among the following Sultans of Delhi has been described by the historians as the mixture of opposites? (a) Balban (b) Alauddin Khilji (c) Muhammad Bin Tughluq (d) Ibrahim Lodi 35. Who was the last ruler of Lodi Dynasty? (a) Bahlul Lodi (b) Ibrahim Lodi (c) Daulat Khan Lodi (d) Sikandar Lodi 36. Which of the following Mughal monarchs has vividly described Indian flora and fauna, seasons, fruits etc., in his diary? (a) Akbar (b) Jahangir (c) Babur (d) Aurangzeb 37. The greatness of Shershah lies in his: (a) victories against Humayun (b) superior generalship (c) administrative reforms (d) religious tolerance 38. The first Governor General of the East India Company in India was: (a) Robert Clive (b) Sir John Shore (c) Warren Hastings (d) Marquis of Hastings OBJECTIVE-TYPE QUESTIONS 371 I NOVEMBER 2001 I THE COMPETITION MASTER 39. Who was the first Prime Minister of England? (a) Oliver Cromwell (b) Benjamin Disraeli (c) Robert Walpole (d) Gladstone 40. Who among the following attended all the three Round Table Conferences? (a) Jawaharlal Nehru (b) Dr B.R. Ambedkar (c) Vallabhbhai Patel (d) Dr Rajendra Prasad 41. Find the correct match: I II A. Abdul Gaffar Khan 1. Mahatma B. Dadabhai Naoroji 2. Frontier Gandhi C. Mohandas Karamchand 3. Grand Old Man of Gandhi India D. Rabindra Nath Tagore 4. Gurudev (a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 (b) A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4 (c) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3 (d) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4 42. The call Dilli Challo was given by: (a) Lala Lajpat Rai (b) Dr Rajendra Prasad (c) Subhash Chandra Bose (d) Mahatma Gandhi 43. Greek-Roman Art has found a place in: (a) Ellora (b) Gandhara (c) Kalinga (d) Buddhist Art 44. The Ajanta paintings belong to the: (a) Harappan period (b) Mauryan period (c) Buddhist period (d) Gupta period 45. The ruins of the glory of Vijayanagar and a place of historical importance for its architectural style is now found at: (a) Belur (b) Hampi (c) Srirangapatnam (d) Tanjore 46. The temple built in A.D. 1100 and dominating all other temples in Bhubaneshwar is: (a) Raja Rani temple (b) Kandariya Mahadev (c) Tribhuvaneswara Lingaraja (d) Mukhteswara 47. The innermost layer of the earth is known as: (a) Lithosphere (b) Mesosphere (c) Asthenosphere (d) Barysphere 48. Which one of the following is NOT a cold ocean current? (a) California (b) Oyashio (c) Kuroshio (d) Canaries 49. Which of the following absorbs part of the insolation and preserves earths radiated heat? (a) Oxygen (b) Nitrogen (c) Water-vapour (d) Carbon di-oxide 50. Arakan Yoma is the extension of the Himalayas located in: (a) Baluchistan (b) Myanmar (c) Nepal (d) Kashmir 51. The largest estuary in India is at the mouth of river: (a) Hooghly (b) Bhagirathi (c) Godavari (d) Krishna 52. The period by which the entire country in India comes under southwest monsoon is: (a) 1st-10th June (b) 10th-20th June (c) 20th-30th June (d) 1st-15th July 53. The most extensive soil cover of India comprises: (a) laterite soils (b) black soils (c) alluvial soils (d) marshy soils 54. Evergreen rain forest is mainly found in regions having well distributed annual rainfall: (a) Below 50 cm (b) 50-100 cm (c) 100-200 cm (d) More than 200 cm 55. Which one of the following organisations is responsible for publishing topographical sheets? (a) Geological Survey of India (G.S.I.) (b) National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation (N.A.T.M.O.) (c) Indian Meteorological Department (I.M.D.) (d) Survey of India (S.O.I.) 56. Nepanagar in Madhya Pradesh has a: (a) sugar mill (b) newsprint factory (c) steel plant (d) heavy engineering plant 57. Sun belt of U.S.A. is important for which one of the following industries? (a) Cotton textile (b) Petro-chemical (c) Hi-tech electronics (d) Food processing 58. Coffee is a: (a) Sub-tropical shrub (b) Warm temperate shrub (c) Tropical shrub (d) Cool temperate shrub 59. The best variety of worlds cotton is known as: (a) Sea Island (b) Upland American (c) Egyptian (d) Short staple Indian 60. Who is called the Father of Economics? (a) J.M. Keynes (b) Malthus (c) Ricardo (d) Adam Smith 61. The term market in Economics means: (a) A central place OBJECTIVE-TYPE QUESTIONS 372 I NOVEMBER 2001 I THE COMPETITION MASTER (b) Presence of competition (c) Place where goods are stored (d) Shops and super bazars 62. Commercial banking system in India is: (a) mixed banking (b) unit banking (c) branch banking (d) none of the above 63. The gilt-edged market in the capital market of India refers to: (a) long-term private securities (b) market dealing in existing securities (c) market for corporate securities (d) market for Government securities 64. Which of the following yields the largest revenue to the Government of India? (a) Sales tax (b) Excise duty (c) Income tax (d) Entertainment tax 65. The credit control operation in India is performed by: (a) Rural banks (b) Commercial banks (c) Reserve Bank of India (d) State Bank of India 66. Division of labour is limited by: (a) the number of workers (b) hours of work (c) extent of the market (d) working space 67. The four factors of production are: (a) land, labour, capital, organisation (b) land, electricity, water, labour (c) labour, capital, land, rainfall (d) labour, climate, land, tools 68. NABARD is the name of a: (a) Commercial Bank (b) Financial Institution (c) Specialized Bank to help agriculture (d) Non-Banking Financial Institution 69. Which one of the following States produces about 50 per cent of the total silk textiles in India? (a) Karnataka (b) West Bengal (c) Jammu and Kashmir (d) Assam 70. Dr Amartya Sen who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Economics is strongly in favour of adopting the following approach for economic development: (a) Monetary Economics (b) Macro Economics (c) Welfare Economics (d) Free Market 71. Which one of the following is the most sensitive indicator of the health of a community? (a) Birth rate (b) Infant mortality rate (c) Death rate (d) Maternal mortality rate 72. Banks in India were nationalised for the first time in the year: (a) 1950 (b) 1960 (c) 1969 (d) 1979 73. The objectives of Indian Planning are: (a) increasing national income (b) reducing inequalities in income and wealth (c) elimination of poverty (d) all the above 74. The Gandhian economy was based on the principle of: (a) State control (b) Competition (c) Trusteeship (d) Rural co-operation 75. Fiscal policy is concerned with: (a) Public revenue (b) Public expenditure and debt (c) Bank rate policy (d) Both (a) and (b) 76. Who among the following was instrumental in the abolition of Sati in 1829? (a) Lord Hastings (b) Lord Rippon (c) Lord Bentinck (d) Lord Irwin 77. Which of the following is the headquarters of the World Bank? (a) The Hague (b) Washington (c) Paris (d) London 78. The term Fourth Estate is used for: (a) The Press and Newspaper (b) Parliament (c) Judiciary (d) The Executive 79. Implementing laws is the function of: (a) Executive (b) Legislature (c) Judiciary (d) Cabinet 80. Which one of the following is a Fundamental Right guaranteed by the Constitution of India? (a) Right to govern (b) Right to property (c) Right to information (d) Right to equality 81. Education is included in which of the following lists? (a) Central list (b) State list (c) Concurrent list (d) Local list 82. The Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by: (a) The President (b) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (c) Governor of the State (d) Chief Minister of the State 83. Can a person who is not a member of Parliament be appointed as a minister? (a) No (b) Yes (c) Yes, provided the Parliament approves of such an appointment OBJECTIVE-TYPE QUESTIONS 373 I NOVEMBER 2001 I THE COMPETITION MASTER (d) Yes, but he has to become a member of Parliament within six months of his appointment 84. Through which Constitutional Amendment was the Nagarpalika Bill passed? (a) 70th (b) 72nd (c) 73rd (d) 74th 85. Under which of the following situations can the Rajya Sabha be dissolved? (a) When financial emergency is declared in the country (b) When emergency is declared due to failure of Constitutional machinery (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) None of these 86. Who can legislate on those residual matters which are not mentioned in Central/State/Concurrent lists? (a) State legislatures exclusively (b) Parliament alone (c) Parliament after State legislatures concur (d) Parliament or State legislatures as adjudicated by the Supreme Court 87. The salary of the members of Parliament is decided by: (a) The Parliament (b) The Central Cabinet (c) The President (d) The Speaker 88. The temperature of water at the bottom of a large waterfall is higher than that of the water at the top, because: (a) the falling water absorbs heat from the sun (b) the water at the bottom has greater potential energy (c) the kinetic energy of the falling water is converted into heat (d) rocks on the bed of the river give out heat 89. Bakeries use yeast in bread-making because it: (a) makes the bread hard (b) makes the bread soft and spongy (c) enhances the food values (d) keeps the bread fresh 90. The chemical name of laughing gas is: (a) Nitric oxide (b) Nitrogen dioxide (c) Nitrogen pentoxide (d) Nitrous oxide 91. Brass is an alloy of: (a) Lead and tin (b) Zinc and copper (c) Antimony, tin and lead (d) Zinc, tin and copper 92. Pace maker is associated with: (a) Kidney (b) Brain (c) Heart (d) Lung 93. The velocity of sound is more in: (a) water (b) air (c) steel (d) wood 94. Which planet orbits closest to the earth? (a) Mars (b) Jupiter (c) Venus (d) Mercury 95. It causes clotting of blood: (a) Thrombin (b) Haemoglobin (c) Pectin (d) All the above 96. The new name given to Calcutta city is: (a) Kalighat (b) Kalicutta (c) Kolkatta (d) Kolkata 97. ISI mark is not given to which of the following products? (a) Electrical goods (b) Hosiery goods (c) Biscuits (d) Cloth 98. The package technology which brought about green revolution comprised mainly of: (a) man-power, mechanical cultivators and electricity (b) changes in crop pattern, industrialisation and chemical fertilizers (c) irrigation, bio-chemical fertilizers and high yield varieties of seeds (d) Electricity, irrigation and introduction of dry farming 99. The largest flightless bird which can run at a great speed is: (a) Penguin (b) Kiwi (c) Ostrich (d) Emu 100. India is the largest producer of: (a) cotton (b) rice (c) mica (d) tea ANSWERS 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (b) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (b) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10. (c) 11. (d) 12. (c) 13. (d) 14. (b) 15. (b) 16. (c) 17. (b) 18. (d) 19. (b) 20. (b) 21. (b) 22. (d) (This award for 2001 has been given to All-England badminton champion Pullela Gopichand) 23. (d) 24. (b) 25. (b) 26. (d) 27. (c) 28. (b) 29. (c) 30. (c) 31. (c) 32. (d) 33. (b) 34. (c) 35. (b) 36. (b) 37. (c) 38. (c) 39. (c) 40. (b) 41. (b) 42. (c) 43. (b) 44. (d) 45. (b) 46. (c) 47. (d) 48. (c) 49. (d) 50. (b) 51. (a) 52. (d) 53. (c) 54. (c) 55. (c) 56. (b) 57. (d) 58. (c) 59. (b) 60. (d) 61. (a) Where exchange of goods or services takes place 62. (a) 63. (d) 64. (b) 65. (c) 66. (a) 67. (a) 68. (c) 69. (a) 70. (c) 71. (b) 72. (c) 73. (d) 74. (c) 75. (d) 76. (c) 77. (b) 78. (a) 79. (c) 80. (d) 81. (c) Schedule VII, List II 82. (a) 83. (d) 84. (d) 85. (d) 86. (b) 87. (a) 88. (b) 89. (b) 90. (d) 91. (b) 92. (c) 93. (c) 94. (c) 95. (a) 96. (d) 97. (b) 98. (c) 99. (b) 100. (d)