General Awareness 1. The headquarters of the UNESCO is located at: (a) Paris (b) New York (c) Geneva (d) The Hague 2. The author of the Wealth of Nations is: (a) Ricardo (b) Keynes (c) Karl Marx (d) Adam Smith 3. The Theory of Surplus Value is a principle of: (a) Platos Ideal State (b) Benthams Utilitarianism (c) Marxian Socialism (d) Rousseaus General Will 4. The mountain chain running along the West Coast of North America is: (a) Andes (b) Alps (c) Elbruz (d) Rockies 5. Jai Jawan Jai Kisan is to Lal Bahadur Shastri what Jain Hind is to: (a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (b) Bipin Chandra Pal (c) Subhas Chandra Bose (d) Jawahar Lal Nehru 6. The planet farthest from the Sun in the Solar System is: (a) Pluto (b) Mercury (c) Venus (d) Mars 7. The red colour of ripe tomatoes is due to the presence of: (a) Hormones (b) Chlorophyll (c) Enzymes (d) Carotenoids 8. Where is the ship-building industry of India located? (a) Madras (b) Paradeep (c) Bombay (d) Cochin 9. The main ingredient in Cement is: (a) Gypsum (b) Clay (c) Limestone (d) Ash 10. Sri Krishnadevaraya belonged to the dynasty of: (a) Saluva (b) Tuluva (c) Sangama (d) Aravidu 11. Before he came to India, Babur was the ruler of a small principality in Central Asia, called: (a) Farghana (b) Samarkand (c) Ghazni (d) Afghanistan 12. Who founded the Brahmo Samaj? (a) Keshab Chandra Sen (b) Raja Ram Mohan Roy (c) M.G. Ranade (d) Debendra Nath Tagore 13. Diwani rights of Bengal were granted to the East India Company by: (a) Bahadur Shah (b) Shah Alam (c) Mir Jafar (d) Mir Kasim 14. When did the British Crown take over the responsibility of the Indian Government? (a) A.D. 1858 (b) A.D. 1861 (c) A.D. 1877 (d) A.D. 1860 15. The normal human blood pressure is (in mm Hg): (a) 120/80 (b) 100/80 (c) 80/130 (d) 120/150 16. Balance of Trade means: (a) total trade (b) difference between imports and exports (c) the profit earned by a trader (d) cost price plus profit 17. The chief nitrogenous waste product in the human urine is: (a) urea (b) uric acid (c) creatine (d) creatinine 18. Enzyme present in the saliva is: (a) Pepsin (b) Lipase (c) Ptyalin (d) Renin 19. The programme meant for the training of rural youth for self-employment is abbreviated as: (a) RLEGP (b) NREP (c) IRDP (d) TRYSEM 20. Who amidst the following is the instrumentalist who was awarded Bharat Ratna? (a) Pt Ravi Shankar (b) M.S. Subbalakshmi (c) Ustad Vilayat Khan (d) Pt Bhimsen Joshi 21. The nuclear power reactor in Tamil Nadu is located at: (a) Neyveli (b) Ennore (c) Koodankulam (d) Kalpakkam 22. Ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is formed due to the reactions of: (a) carbon dioxide and layers of atmosphere (b) carbon dioxide and oxygen (c) oxygen and ultraviolet rays (d) infra-red rays and ultraviolet rays 23. Who has taken the highest number of wickets in an innings in a cricket Test match? (a) Kapil Dev (b) Shane Warne (c) Anil Kumble (d) Richard Hadlee 24. The intensity or loudness of sound is measured in the units of: OBJECTIVE-TYPE QUESTIONS 432 I DECEMBER 2001 I THE COMPETITION MASTER (a) decibel (b) watt (c) volt (d) ampere 25. Who proposed the Preamble before the Drafting Committee of the Constitution? (a) Jawahar Lal Nehru (b) K.T. Shah (c) B.N. Rau (d) B.R. Ambedkar 26. It is necessary to place the Presidents proclamation of emergency before the Parliament within: (a) 6 months (b) 1 year (c) 2 months (d) 4 months 27. Who is the top Defence Services officer whose services were terminated by the President recently? (a) Air Chief Marshal S.K. Sareen (b) General Shankar Roy Chowdhury (c) Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat (d) Vice Admiral Harinder Singh 28. The members of the Constituent Assembly were: (a) elected by the people (b) elected by the British Parliament (c) elected by the Provincial Assemblies (d) nominated by the British Government 29. What are the auto-emission norms the Supreme Court has ordered for enforcement in National Capital Region from year 2000 for pollution control? (a) India 2000 (b) Euro-I (c) Euro-II (d) Euro-III 30. The highest waterfall in the world is at: (a) Salto Angel, Venezuela (b) Niagara Falls, U.S.A. (c) Victoria Falls, Africa (d) Jog Falls, India 31 The Rajya Sabha accepts all money bills within what stipulated period, after they are accepted by the Lok Sabha? (a) 10 days (b) 15 days (c) 14 days (d) 13 days 32. Which one of the following is a hill district of Tamil Nadu? (a) Ramanathapuram (b) Thanjavur (c) Nilgiri (d) Kanyakumari 33. Which country has huge sheep farms? (a) Australia (b) New Zealand (c) Argentina (d) Canada 34. Saka era was started by: (a) Satakarni I (b) Harshavardhana (c) Asoka (d) Kanishka 35. The substance used as anaesthetic is: (a) Nitrous oxide (b) Iodoform (c) Aspirin (d) Amatol 36. The Sikhs were changed into a military organisation by: (a) Guru Govind Singh (b) Guru Teg Bahadur (c) Guru Arjun Dev (d) Guru Nanak 37. The Unit Trust of India was set up in the year: (a) 1960 (b) 1964 (c) 1966 (d) 1968 38. A seller can maximise his profit if he charges: (a) a high price (b) a low price (c) a price at which Marginal Revenue-Marginal Cost (d) any price he likes 39. The Allahabad Pillar Inscription was composed by: (a) Harisena (b) Kautilya (c) Megasthenese (d) Kanishka 40. Silver fish is a: (a) fresh water fish (b) model fish (c) wingless insect (d) male golden fish 41. Sir Thomas Roe and William Hawkins visited the court of: (a) Humayun (b) Akbar (c) Jahangir (d) Shah Jahan 42. If two bodies are in resonance then they are equal in: (a) Mass (b) Size (c) Frequency (d) Amplitude 43. A sealed glass jar is full of water. When its temperature is decreased to 0C the glass jar: (a) remains as it is with ice (b) remains as it is with water (c) contains half the amount of ice mixed with water (d) breaks due to the formation of ice 44. A sudden qualitative change appearing in a plant or an animal is: (a) Pollination (b) Guttation (c) Mutation (d) Fertilization 45. Rain water takes the shape of spherical drops because of: (a) elasticity of water (b) surface tension of water (c) viscosity of water (d) atmospheric pressure acting on water 46. The percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere is approximately: (a) 78% (b) 58% (c) 20% (d) 10% 47. Which one is not the function of the Parliament? (a) To make laws if the need arises (b) To impeach judges (c) To pass bills (d) To recommend the appointment of Governors 48. Who received the Bharatiya Jnanpith Award for 1998? (a) Mahasweta Devi (b) Dr Puttappa (c) Girish Karnad (d) M.T. Vasudevan Nair 49. Which of the following States has special provisions laid down in Article 370 of the Constitution regarding its governance? (a) Assam OBJECTIVE-TYPE QUESTIONS 433 I DECEMBER 2001 I THE COMPETITION MASTER (b) Jammu & Kashmir (c) Sikkim (d) None of these 50. In Article 25 of the Constitution reference to Hindus shall include a reference to the following persons also: (a) Indian Christians (b) Parsees (c) Sikhs (d) Jews 51. Which type of soil retains moisture the most? (a) Clayey soil (b) Sandy soil (c) Loamy soil (d) Rocky soil 52. Matrilineal joint family is found among the: (a) Brahmins (b) Nairs (c) Jains (d) Buddhists 53. The foundation stone of Fatehpur Sikri was laid during the period of: (a) Akbar (b) Shah Jahan (c) Babur (d) Aurangzeb 54. The capital of the State of Tripura is: (a) Kohima (b) Imphal (c) Agartala (d) Shillong 55. Upanishads are: (a) a source of Hindu philosophy (b) books of ancient Hindu laws (c) books on social behaviour of man (d) prayers to God 56. The knocking of an automobile engine can be decreased by mixing petrol with: (a) n-heptane (b) iso-pentane (c) lead tetra acetate (d) tetra ethyl lead 57. Which one of the following will give green colour in fireworks? (a) Sodium salts (b) Barium salts (c) Calcium salts (d) Potassium salts 58. The Guptas issued coins mostly in: (a) Copper (b) Lead (c) Gold (d) Silver 59. The master endocrine gland of the body is: (a) Thyroid (b) Pituitary (c) Thymus (d) Adrenal 60. According to Jain tradition, what is Mahaviras number amongst the Tirthankaras? (a) 1st (b) 10th (c) 23rd (d) 24th 61. Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in the city of: (a) Agra (b) Meerut (c) Amritsar (d) Lahore 62. Jaundice results from the malfunctioning of: (a) Kidneys (b) Lungs (c) Liver (d) Stomach 63. Adding common salt to ice at 0C will: (a) increase the temperature (b) decrease the temperature (c) keep the temperature at 0C (d) melt the ice 64. Which of the following has the maximum iron content? (a) Egg (b) Green vegetables (c) Apple (d) Water melon 65. The plant involved in Sericulture is: (a) Cinchona (b) Eucalyptus (c) Mulberry (d) Gooseberry 66. Rainbows are formed due to: (a) reflection of light (b) refraction of light (c) refraction and reflection of light (d) interference of light 67. Which of the following is a pension scheme of the LIC for the unorganised sector (self-employed, professionals and salaried class)? (a) Jeevan Sanchay (b) Jeevan Suraksha (c) Jeevan Asha (d) Bima Kiran 68. Equality before law falls in the category of: (a) Political equality (b) Social equality (c) Civil equality (d) Economic equality 69. According to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Children, which of the following is not a right? (a) Safe drinking water (b) Employment (c) Protection from exploitation (d) Education 70. How many members of the Rajya Sabha are nominated by the President? (a) Two (b) Six (c) Ten (d) Twelve ANSWERS 1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (d) 8. (d) 9. (c) 10. (b) 11. (a) 12. (b) 13. (b) 14. (a) 15. (a) 16. (b) 17. (c) 18. (a) 19. (d) 20. (a) 21. (d) 22. (d) 23. (c) 24. (a) 25. (a) 26. (a) 27. (c) 28. (c) 29. (c) 30. (c) 31. (c) 32. (c) 33. (a) 34. (d) 35. (a) 36. (a) 37. (b) 38. (c) 39. (a) 40. (a) 41. (c) 42. (c) 43. (d) 44. (c) 45. (b) 46. (c) 47. (d) 48. (c) 49. (b) 50. (c) 51. (c) 52. (b) 53. (a) 54. (c) 55. (a) 56. (d) 57. (b) 58. (c) and (d) 59. (a) 60. (d) 61. (c) 62. (c) 63. (c) 64. (b) 65. (c) 66. (c) 67. (b) 68. (a) 69. (b) 70. (d)