Padma Awares 2015

  Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of Padma Awards to 104 persons as per the list below. The list comprises of 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees.  17 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 17 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 4 Posthumous awardees.

 

Padma Vibhushan

S. No.	Name of the Awardee	Discipline	State/Domicile
1.	Shri L. K. Advani	Public Affairs	Gujarat
2.	Shri Amitabh Bachchan	Art	Maharashtra
3.	Shri Prakash Singh Badal	Public Affairs	Punjab
4.	Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade	Social Work	Karnataka
5.	Shri Mohammad Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar	Art	Maharashtra
6.	Shri Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya	Others	Uttar Pradesh
7.	Prof. Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan	Science and Engineering	Tamil Nadu
8.	Shri Kottayan K. Venugopal	Public Affairs	Delhi
9.	Shri Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Foreigner)	Trade and Industry	France/UK

Padma Bhushan

1.	Shri Jahnu Barua	Art	Assam
2.	Dr. Vijay Bhatkar	Science and Engineering	Maharashtra
3.	Shri Swapan Dasgupta	Literature and Education	Delhi
4.	Swami Satyamitranand Giri	Others	Uttar Pradesh
5.	Shri N. Gopalaswami	Civil Service	Tamil Nadu
6.	Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap	Public Affairs	Delhi
7.	Dr. (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj	Art	Madhya Pradesh
8.	Dr. Ambrish  Mithal	Medicine	Delhi
9.	Smt. Sudha Ragunathan	Art	Tamil Nadu
10.	Shri Harish Salve	Public Affairs	Delhi
11.	Dr. Ashok Seth	Medicine	Delhi
12.	Shri Rajat Sharma	Literature and Education	Delhi
13.	Shri Satpal	Sports	Delhi
14.	Shri Shivakumara Swami	Others	Karnataka
15.	Dr. Kharag Singh Valdiya	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
16.	Prof. Manjul Bhargava (NRI/PIO)	Science and Engineering	USA
17.	Shri David Frawley (Vamadeva) (Foreigner)	Others	USA
18.	Shri Bill Gates (Foreigner)	Social Work	USA
19.	Ms. Melinda Gates  (Foreigner)	Social Work	USA
20.	Shri Saichiro Misumi (Foreigner)	Others	Japan

Padma Shri

1.	Dr. Manjula Anagani	Medicine	Telangana
2.	Shri S. Arunan	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
3.	Ms. Kanyakumari Avasarala	Art	Tamil Nadu
4.	Dr. Bettina Sharada Baumer	Literature and Education	Jammu and Kashmir
5.	Shri Naresh Bedi	Art	Delhi
6.	Shri Ashok Bhagat	Social Work	Jharkhand
7.	Shri Sanjay Leela Bhansali	Art	Maharashtra
8.	Dr. Lakshmi Nandan Bora	Literature and Education	Assam
9.	Dr. Gyan  Chaturvedi	Literature and Education	Madhya Pradesh
10.	Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Kumar Chawla	Medicine	Chandigarh
11.	Smt. Jayakumari Chikkala	Medicine	Delhi
12.	Shri Bibek Debroy	Literature and Education	Delhi
13.	Dr. Sarungbam Bimola  Kumari Devi	Medicine	Manipur
14.	Dr. Ashok Gulati	Public Affairs	Delhi
15.	Dr.  Randeep  Guleria	Medicine	Delhi
16.	Dr. K. P. Haridas	Medicine	Kerala
17.	Shri Rahul Jain	Art	Delhi
18.	Shri Ravindra Jain	Art	Maharashtra
19.	Dr. Sunil Jogi	Literature and Education	Delhi
20.	Shri Prasoon Joshi	Art	Maharashtra
21.	Dr. Prafulla Kar	Art	Odisha
22.	Ms. Saba Anjum	Sports	Chhattisgarh
23.	Smt. Ushakiran Khan	Literature and Education	Bihar
24.	Dr. Rajesh Kotecha	Medicine	Rajasthan
25.	Prof. Alka Kriplani	Medicine	Delhi
26.	Dr. Harsh Kumar	Medicine	Delhi
27.	Shri Narayana Purushothama Mallaya	Literature and Education	Kerala
28.	Shri Lambert Mascarenhas	Literature and Education	Goa
29.	Dr. (Mrs.) Janak Palta McGilligan	Social Work	Madhya Pradesh
30.	Shri Veerendra Raj Mehta	Social Work	Delhi
31.	Shri Tarak Mehta	Art	Gujarat
32.	Shri Neil Herbert Nongkynrih	Art	Meghalaya
33.	Shri Chewang Norphel	Others	Jammu and Kashmir
34.	Shri T. V. Mohandas Pai	Trade and Industry	Karnataka
35.	Dr.Tejas Patel	Medicine	Gujarat
36.	Shri Jadav Molai Peyang	Others	Assam
37.	Smt. Bimla Poddar	Other	Uttar Pradesh
38.	Dr. N. Prabhakar	Science and Engineering	Delhi
39.	Dr. Prahalada	Science and Engineering	Maharashtra
40.	Dr. Narendra Prasad	Medicine	Bihar
41.	Shri Ram Bahadur Rai	Literature and Education	Delhi
42.	Ms. Mithali Raj	Sports	Telangana
43.	Shri P. V.  Rajaraman	Civil Service	Tamil Nadu
44.	Prof.  J. S. Rajput	Literature and Education	Uttar Pradesh
45.	Shri Kota Srinivasa Rao	Art	Andhra Pradesh
46.	Prof. Bimal Roy	Literature and Education	West Bengal
47.	Shri Shekhar Sen	Art	Maharashtra
48.	Shri Gunvant Shah	Literature and Education	Gujarat
49.	Shri Brahmdev Sharma (Bhaiji)	Literature and Education	Delhi
50.	Shri Manu Sharma	Literature and Education	Uttar Pradesh
51.	Prof. Yog Raj Sharma	Medicine	Delhi
52.	Shri Vasant Shastri	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
53.	Shri S. K. Shivkumar	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
54.	Ms. P. V. Sindhu	Sports	Telangana
55.	Shri Sardara Singh	Sports	Haryana
56.	Ms. Arunima Sinha	Sports	Uttar Pradesh
57.	Shri Mahesh Raj Soni	Art	Rajasthan
58.	Dr.Nikhil Tandon	Medicine	Delhi
59.	Shri H. Thegtse Rinpoche	Social Work	Arunachal Pradesh
60.	Dr.Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi	Medicine	Gujarat
61.	Shri Huang Baosheng (Foreigner)	Others	China
62.	Prof. Jacques Blamont (Foreigner)	Science and Engineering	France
63.	Late Shri Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin (Posthumous)	Others	Maharashtra
64.	Shri Jean-Claude Carriere (Foreigner)	Literature and Education	France
65.	Dr. Nandrajan “Raj” Chetty (NRI/PIO)	Trade and Industry	USA
66.	Shri George L. Hart (Foreigner)	Others	USA
67.	Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja (NRI/PIO)	Others	Portugal
68.	Late Shri Meetha Lal Mehta (Posthumous)	Social Work	Rajasthan
69.	Ms. Tripti Mukherjee (NRI/PIO)	Art	USA
70.	Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori (NRI/PIO)	Medicine	USA
71.	Dr. Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (NRI/PIO)	Medicine	USA
72.	Dr. Saumitra Rawat (NRI/PIO)	Medicine	UK
73.	Prof. Annette Schmiedchen (Foreigner)	Literature and Education	Germany
74.	Late Shri Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran (Posthumous)	Art	Delhi
75.	Late Shri R. Vasudevan (Posthumous)	Civil Service	Tamil Nadu

Panchayat Paper II 2014 Solved Papers

Panchayat Secretary 2014 Paper - I Solved Paper

Current Affairs 2014 at a glance

❖ Narendra Damodardas Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014.
The swearing in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan was attended by the heads/ representatives of eight SAARC nations. Along with Modi 44 Ministers also took oath.

❖ The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the first party in 30 years to win a majority on its
own in the Lok Sabha. In the 16th Lok Sabha elections it won 282 seats. Indian National Congress won 44 seats.

❖ Anandiben Patel became the first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat in May 2014. Sikkim Democratic Front leader Pawan Chamling was sworn in as the CM of Sikkim for a record fifth consecutive term. Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik was sworn in as the CM of Odisha for the fourth consecutive term. Congress leader Nabam Tuki became the CM of Arunachal Pradesh for the second consecutive time.

❖ Jitan Ram Manjhi succeeded Nitish Kumar as the new CM of Bihar. TR Zeliang succeeded Neiphiu Rio as the CM of Nagaland.

❖ 13 - year-old Malavath Purna became the youngest female climber to scale the Mount Everest on May 25, 2014.

❖ Dalia Grybauskaite was re-elected as the President of Lithuania in May 2014. She is the first female President of Lithuania.

❖ Salvador Sanchez Ceren took office as the President of El Salvador on June 1, 2014. Luis Guillermo Solis became the President of Costa Rica on May 8, 2014. Juan Carlos Varela assumed office as the President of Panama on July 1, 2014.

❖ Peter Mutharika assumed office as the President of Malawi on May 31, 2014.

❖ Major General Kristin Lund of Norway is the first-ever woman to serve as the head of a UN peacekeeping operation.

❖ Nripendra Mishra was appointed as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is
the former Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

❖ Former United States Secretary of the State Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her book 'Hard Choices'.

❖ 'RuPay', India's own card payment network, was launched by the President Pranab Mukherjee. It was developed by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The RuPay card is accepted at all ATMs.

❖ Justice B. S. Chauhan was appointed the Chairman of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

❖ Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has been included in the second schedule to the RBI Act, 1934.
Now BMB becomes eligible for loans from RBI on bank rate.

❖ RBI made it mandatory for banks to install talking ATMs with Braille keypads from July 2014
onwards. It is for the benefit of persons with disabilities.

❖ P.J. Nayak Committee appointed by the RBI recommended the reduction of government stake in public sector banks to less than 50 percent.

❖ Japan won the Thomas Cup men's badminton title for the first time. Japan defeated Malaysia in the final in New Delhi in May 2014. China won the Uber Cup women's badminton title for the
13th time by defeating Japan in the final in New Delhi. India won a bronze medal for the first time in Uber Cup.

❖ Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the Indian Premier League- 7 title by defeating Kings XI Punjab at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 1, 2014. It is KKR's second IPL trophy.

❖ Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K. Chandrasekar Rao was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Telangana, the 29th State of India, on June 2, 2014. Telugu Desham Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu took over as the first Chief Minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh on June 8, 2014.

❖ The Supreme Court appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee to probe the 2013 IPL spot fixing allegations.

❖ Manuel Santos won the Presidential elections of Colombia for the second time in June 2014.

❖ Reuven Rivlin succeeded Shimon Peres as the new President of Israel in June 2014.

❖ Former army chief Abdel Fattah el Sisi was sworn in as the President of Egypt in June 2014.

❖ Mukul Rohatgi was appointed the Attorney General of India in June 2014. Ranjit Kumar is the new Solicitor General.

❖ N. Srinivasan is the first Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

❖ Petro Poroshenko was sworn in as the President of Ukraine.

❖ Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won a third term in office in June 2014.

❖ Sumitra Mahajan became the Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha in June 2014. She represents Indore Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh.

❖ Former Intelligence Bureau chief Ajit Doval was appointed the National Security Adviser (NSA). He is the first police officer to be decorated with Kirti Chakra, a gallantry award given during peacetime.

❖ Kedarnath Singh was chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award for 2013. He is the 10th Hindi writer to receive the honor and is the 49th recipient of Jnanpith award.

❖ The 2013 Moortidevi award was given to Malayalam writer C. Radhakrishnan. He is a scientist
turned writer.

❖ France announced to honor Shah Rukh Khan with Officer of the Legion of Honour for his contribution to cinema.

❖ Former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland is the first recipient of the Tang Prize
for sustainable development. She is the former Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

❖ India-born plant scientist Sanjay Rajaram was chosen for the World Food Prize for 2014. He is a renowned wheat scientist.

❖ Irish author Eimear McBride won the 2014 Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction for her debut
novel 'A Girl is a Half-formed Thing'. This prize was earlier known as Orange Prize.

❖ The autobiography of Hindi actor Dilip Kumar 'The Substance and The Shadow' was launched.

❖ The supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was test-fired. It is an Indo-Russian missile with a range of 290 km.

❖ Okavango Delta in Botswana became the 1000th site to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List.

❖ Rani-ki-Vav, an 11th century stepwell in the Patan area of Gujarat and the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh were accorded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

❖ The government has accepted the report of Arvind Mayaram Committee on rationalizing definitions of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).

❖ Salman Rushdie, the India born UK author was named the winner of 2014 Pen Pinter Prize.

❖ Saina Nehwal won the Australian Open Super Series badminton title defeating Spain's Carolina Marin.

❖ Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the World Rapid Chess Championship and also the World Blitz
Chess Championship, both in Dubai in June 2014.

❖ Australia retained the men's Hockey World Cup title by outplaying Netherlands in the final in
The Hague, Netherlands in June 2014. Netherlands defeated Australia to win the women's title.

❖ Rafael Nadal of Spain clinched the 2014 French Open tennis men's singles title beating Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final. It is Nadal's 9th French open title. Maria Sharapova of Russia won
her second French Open women's singles title by defeating Simona Halep of Romania.

❖ Two Indian Americans Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe became the co-champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest held in USA.

Madhya Pradesh Sub-Inspector Police Exam., 2012 Solved Paper

General Knowledge (Exam Held on 16-9-2012)

1. Rana Kumbha constructed the 'Kirtistambha' at Chittor to commemorate his victory against–
(A) Ahmadshah of Gujarat (B) Mahmud Khilji of Malwa
(C) Khan of Nagpur (D) Rao Jodha of Marwar
Ans : (B)

2. The First War of Panipat was fought in A.D. 1526 between– 
(A) Ibrahim Lodi and Rana sanga
(B) Mahmud Lodi and Babur
(C) Babur and Rana sanga
(D) Babur and Ibrahim Lodi
Ans : (D)

3. Which Moghul emperor first granted the English the licence to trade and to establish factories in India ?
(A) Akbar (B) Jahangir
(C) shahjahan (D) Aurangzeb
Ans : (B)

4. The 'swadeshi Movement' and 'Boycott of Foreign Things' were started by the Congress in 1905 to protest–
(A) Curtailment of the rights of representation granted under the Indian Councils Act, 1892
(B) Partition of Bengal
(C) Restrictions imposed on the entry of Indians into Canada
(D) Lord Curzon's efforts to establish control over the universities
Ans : (B)

5. The Lucknow Congress of 1916 was important, because at this session the party–
(A) Repudiated political militancy of the 'garam dal'
(B) Signed a pact with the Muslim League
(C) Opposed participation of India in the First World War
(D) Rejected separate electorates for Muslims and Dalits
Ans : (B)

6. In 1932, a compromise, known as the 'Poona Pact', was worked out on the question of separate electorates. Who were the two main leaders involved ?
(A) Gandhiji and Lord Irwin (B) Gandhiji and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
(C) Gandhiji and Muhammad Ali Jinnah (D) Gandhiji and Aga Khan
Ans : (B)

7. What is the time taken by the Earth to complete one rotation on its imaginary axis ?
(A) 24 hr 37 min 23 sec (B) 24 hr
(C) 23 hr 56 min 4 sec (D) 23 hr 52 min
Ans : (C)

8. In which atmospheric layer is the ozone layer situated ?
(A) Troposphere (B) Stratosphere
(C) Mesosphere (D) Ionosphere
Ans : (C)

9. The Finance Commission makes its recommendations to–
(A) The Finance Minister (B) The Planning Commission
(C) The Parliament (D) The President
Ans : (D)

10. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra is–
(A) Ashok Chauhan (B) Sushil Kumar Shinde
(C) Sanjay Nirupam (D) Prithviraj Chauhan
Ans : (D)

11. The author of the book, Gulliver's Travels is–
(A) Jonathan Swift (B) Charles Dickens
(C) Charles Lamb (D) T. S. Eliot
Ans : (A)

12. Red soil is commonly found in the States of–
(A) Punjab and Rajasthan
(B) Himachal Pradesh and Haryana
(C) Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh
(D) Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
Ans : (D)

13. When did the Reserve Bank of India become a State-owned institution ?
(A) 1956 (B) 1952
(C) 1950 (D) 1949
Ans : (D)

14. Who was the President of the Constituent Assembly which was constituted to frame the Constitution of India ?
(A) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru (B) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(C) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (D) Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar
Ans : (C)

15. Which part of our Constitution primarily reflects Mahatma Gandhi's principles ?
(A) The Preamble
(B) Part III-Fundamental Rights
(C) Part IV-Directive Principles of State Policy
(D) Part IV A-Fundamental Duties
Ans : (C)

16. Which of the following is a Fundamental Right as provided under Part III of the Constitution ?
(A) Promotion of educational and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections
(B) Right to reside and settle in any part of India
(C) Right of workers to participate in the management of industries
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)

17. 1n case of conflict between the Central and State law on a subject in the Concurrent List–
(A) The law which was passed first prevails
(B) The law of State prevails
(C) The law of Centre prevails
(D) Both laws stand nullified
Ans : (C)

18. Part IV A of the Constitution lays down the Fundamental Duties of the citizens. Which of the following is not a duty included among Fundamental Duties ?
(A) To profess and propagate one's own religion
(B) To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reform
(C) To safeguard public property and to abjure violence
(D) To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture
Ans : (A)

19. Taxes on income, other than on agricultural income, are–
(A) Levied and collected by the Central Government and appropriated by it
(B) Levied and collected by the Central Government but assigned to States within which they are leviable
(C) Levied and collected by the Central Government but distributed between the States and the Centre
(D) Levied by the Central Government but collected and appropriated by the State 
Governments
Ans : (C)

20. A, 5-point formula was proposed by India to define relations between sovereign States, which was known as 'Panchsheel' formula. India signed the first 'Panchsheel Agreement' in 1954. Which was the country with which this agreement was signed ?
(A) China (B) Pakistan
(C) Bhutan (D) Sri Lanka
Ans : (A)

21. Which one of the following Amendments has been described as Mini Constitution ?
(A) 42nd (B) 43rd
(C) 52nd (D) 59th
Ans : (A)

22. Which of the following organs of the United Nations Organization elects / elect judges of the International Court of Justice ?
(A) The Economic and Social Council
(B) The Security Council and the General Assembly
(C) The Trusteeship Council and the Economic and Social Council
(D) The Security Council
Ans : (B)

23. In blogging, the blogger, with the help of his computer and the Internet–
(A) Puts out his ideas, information, photos, etc., on the Internet, which can be accessed by any other person
(B) Visits the Web site of another person and makes changes in the information posted thereon
(C) Accesses another person's computer and steals secret information stored therein
(D) Accesses another computer and continuously exchanges information with it
Ans : (A)

24. Power from powerhouses is often transmitted as alternating current at 33000 volts or more. Why is power transmitted as such high voltage ?
(A) Transmission is faster at high voltages
(B) Transmission loss is lower at high voltages
(C) It is difficult to generate electricity at lower voltage
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)

25. When a patient's blood pressure is taken, the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the blood vessels is measured. At what stage is this pressure measured ?
(A) When the heart sends out oxygenated blood to the body parts
(B) When deoxygenated blood goes into the heart
(C) At both the stages
(D) At the in-between stage
Ans : (C) 

26. The winner of Indian Premier League, 2012 is–
(A) Chennai Super Kings
(B) Delhi Daredevils
(C) Kolkata Knight Riders
(D) Mumbai Indians
Ans : (C)

27. Which of the following is a tribal group of Africa ?
(A) Eskimos
(B) Ainu
(C) Fula
(D) None of these
Ans : (D)

28. The Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission is–
(A) Prof. P. K. Dubey
(B) Prof. P. K. Joshi
(C) A. K. Pandey
(D) P. K. Pandey
Ans : (C)

29. The words 'satyameva Jayate' in the National Emblem are taken from–
(A) Mahabharata
(B) Mundaka Upanishad
(C) Kautilya's Arthashastra
(D) Samaveda
Ans : (B)

30. The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through–
(A) India (B) Egypt
(C) Mexico (D) Iran
Ans : (B)

31. Which country in Europe is called the 'Land of Midnight Sun' ?
(A) Norway (B) Finland
(C) Iceland (D) Sweden
Ans : (A)

32. Swami Vivekananda gained fame and recognition in the Western World after his address to the World Congress of Major Religions in 1893. In which city was this congress held ?
(A) London (B) Paris
(C) Berlin (D) Chicago
Ans : (D)

33. Where was Mother Teresa born ?
(A) India (B) Albania
(C) Hungary (D) Poland
Ans : (B)

34. Who was the first navigator to circumnavigate the Earth by the sea route ?
(A) Ferdinand Magellan
(B) Marco Polo
(C) Vasco da Gama
(D) Christopher Columbus
Ans : (A)

35. Which of the following countries was discovered by the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama?
(A) India
(B) China
(C) Australia
(D) New Zealand
Ans : (A)

36. What is an ecosystem ?
(A) The unit of man and all living beings which interact with each other
(B) The unit comprised of man, other living beings and the plant kingdom
(C) The unit comprised of all living beings and their environment
(D) That part of the Earth and the atmosphere where living beings are found
Ans : (B)

37. Malaria affects lakhs of Indians every year. Which part of the body is damaged by this disease ?
(A) Heart (B) Lungs
(C) Spleen (D) Liver
Ans : (C)

38. How does the Sun get its energy ?
(A) From gravitational pressure
(B) From nuclear fission
(C) From nuclear fusion
(D) None of the above
Ans : (C)

39. The Shahnama, written by Firdausi, tells the tale of kings of one country .Which is this country ?
(A) Egypt (B) India
(C) Turkey (D) Persia
Ans : (D)

40. Which of the following statements is correct ?
(A) The entropy of the world keeps on increasing
(B) The entropy of the world keeps on decreasing
(C) The entropy of the world is constant
(D) The entropy of the world increases and decreases in a cyclic manner
Ans : (A)

41. The frequency range of FM radio broadcast in India is–
(A) 102 MHz -132 MHz
(B) 80 MHz -102 MHz
(C) 88 MHz -108MHz
(D) 78 MHz -102 MHz
Ans : (C)

42. Who among the following has not been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature ?
(A) Derek Walcott
(B) Dario Fo
(C) Toni Morrison
(D) Robert Richardson
Ans : (D)

43. Two large temple complexes have been found in Angkorwat, Cambodia. Which religion are they associated with?
(A) Hinduism
(B) Buddhism
(C) Shintoism
(D) None of these
Ans : (A)

44. Fidel Castro ousted a dictator from Cuba in 1959. Who was this dictator ?
(A) Duvalier
(B) Batista
(C) Pinochet
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)

45. Wheels of passenger vehicles are fitted with tyres and tubes which are filled with air. What is the main reason for not filling up the tubes with water ?
(A) Filling them with water will increase the weight
(B) If they are filled with water, the force of shocks on passengers, generated by uneven surface of the road, will increase very considerably
(C) Air is cheaper than water
(D) It would not be convenient to fill up the tubes with water
Ans : (B)

46. As mother is B's sister and C's daughter. B's daughter is P who is Q's sister. If C is not Q's grandmother, how is C related to Q?
(A) Father
(B) Mother
(C) Grandfather
(D) Aunt
Ans : (C)

47. Four boys are wearing clothes of different colours. Ravi is not wearing white and Ajay is not wearing blue. If Sohan is wearing red, what is the colour of Sachin's clothes ? 
(A) Blue
(B) White
(C) Yellow
(D) Cannot be determined
Ans : (D)

48. A factory makes shoes of two types, A-type and B-type. Both require the same amount of leather which is available in such quantity that 80 pairs of shoes can be made per day. It takes twice as long to make A-type shoes as B-type. The capacity of the factory is such that if only B-type shoes were to be made, 100 pairs could be produced in one day. A-type shoes require some special material which is available in quantities sufficient for 40 pairs per day. The special material required for B-type shoes is available in quantities sufficient for 70 pairs per day. If the factory makes a profit of Rs. 200 per pair on A-type shoes and Rs. 150 per pair on 8-type shoes how many pairs of shoes of each type should it produce every day for maximum profit ?
(A) A-type 40 and B-type 20
(B) A-type 10 and B-type 70
(C) A-type 20 and B-type 60
(D) None of the above
Ans : (D)

49. A leap year is chosen at random. What is the probability that this year would have 53 Mondays ?
(A) 1/7
(B) 2/7
(C) 3/7
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)

50. Three horses, A, B and C, are participating in a race. If the probability of A winning the race is twice the probability of B winning it and the probability of B winning the race is twice the probability of C winning it, what is the probability that either B or C will win the race ?
(A) 1/7
(B) 2/7
(C) 3/7
(D) None of these
Ans : (C)

51. Some men are travelling with their horses. At one point of time, half the men are riding their horses while the rest are walking along leading their horses. If the number of legs on the ground at that time is 40, what is the number of horses in the party ?
(A) 8 (B) 10
(C) 12 (D) None of these
Ans : (A)

52. A family is comprised of father, mother, son and daughter. The father's age is 3 times the age of the daughter. The son is half as old as his mother and is 7 years older than his sister. If the father is 9 years older than his wife, what is the mother's age ?
(A) 45 years (B) 50 years
(C) 60 years (D) None of these
Ans : (C)

53. Six friends went for a vacation and stayed in a resort where nine cottages in a row were available for them. They all stayed in separate cottages. Mohan, Rani and Chitra did not stay in the cottages at the two ends. Nobody stayed next to Mohan and Salman. There was only one empty cottage between Mohan and Chitra. Jayant's cottage was adjacent to both Chitra and Anil. Rani stayed next to the cottage at the beginning. Which cottages remain empty after they are accommodated ?
(A) Nos. 1, 6, 8 (B) Nos. 4, 6, 8
(C) Nos. 3, 5, 9 (D) Nos. 2, 5, 7
Ans : (A)

54. A plane mirror is kept in front of a clock. If the actual time is 3 : 25, what time would the reflection show (if we notice only the positions of the two hands of the clock and do not pay attention to the numerals on the dial) ?
(A) 9 : 55 (B) 8 : 35
(C) 3 : 25 (D) None of these
Ans : (B)

55. A person has five coins. If he knows for certain that–
1. Coin no.1 is genuine;
2. One of the remaining four coins is counterfeit and its weight is different from the others.
then what is the minimum number of weighings which will enable him to find out which coin is counterfeit and whether it is heavier or lighter than the others ?
(A) 1 (B) 2
(C) 3 (D) 4
Ans : (B)

56. Six students are taking coffee in the coffeehouse. A and Bare from Delhi while the others C, D, P and Q are from Bhopal. D and Q are tall while the others are short. A, C and D are girls while the others are boys. Who is the tall girl from Bhopal ?
(A) C (B) D
(C) P (D) Q
Ans : (C)

57. What is the missing number ?
0 1 2 3
1 3 4 16
2 5 6 ?
(A) 22 (B) 106
(C) 39 (D) None of these
Ans : (C)

58. The remnants of one of the most ancient civilizations of the world, 'Indus Valley Civilization', were first discovered in Harappa. Where is this Harappa situated ?
(A) Sind, Pakistan
(B) Punjab, India
(C) Punjab, Pakistan
(D) Haryana, India
Ans : (A)

59. In 1950s, the Archaeological Survey of India found several sites in one part of India which yielded evidence that the Mohenjodaro-Harappa Civilization was centred, not in Indus Valley, but in this part of India. In which present State are these sites situated ?
(A) Maharashtra (B) Gujarat
(C) Rajasthan (D) Punjab
Ans : (B)

60. River Narmada flows down from Amarkantak Hills to the sea. What is the name of the area where it meets the sea ?
(A) Gulf of Kutch (B) Gulf of Khambat
(C) Gulf of Mannar (D) Bay of Bengal
Ans : (B)

61. Commonwealth Games, 2010 were held at–
(A) Colombo (B) London
(C) NewDelhi (D) Seoul
Ans : (C)

62. Karera Sanctuary is situated at–
(A) shivpuri (B) Mandsaur
(C) Damoh (D) Tikamgarh
Ans : (A)

63. Barman Fair is held at–
(A) Sodalpur (B) Porsa
(C) Pipaliya Khurd (D) Gadarwara
Ans : (D)

64. Who is the 'Man of the Tournament' of World Cup Cricket, 2011 ?
(A) Yuvraj Singh (B) Kumar Sangakara
(C) Ricky Ponting (D) Jacques Kallis
Ans : (A)

65. Which of the following National Highways does not pass through Madhya Pradesh ?
(A) NH27 (B) NH28
(C) NH 78 (D) NH 79
Ans : (B)

66. How many tiers of administration are there in Panchayati Raj in Madhya Pradesh ?
(A) A single tier-at village level
(B) Two tiers-at village and district levels
(C) Three tiers-at village, block and district levels
(D) Four tiers-at village, block district and State levels
Ans : (C)

67. In the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984, which was the gas that had leaked out ?
(A) Carbon monoxide (B) Hydrogen sulphide
(C) Ethyl cyanide (D) Methyl isocyanate
Ans : (D)

68. Who founded the Ramakrishna Mission ?
(A) Ramakrishna Paramhans
(B) Swami Dayananda Saraswati
(C) Swami Vivekananda
(D) Shankaracharya
Ans : (C)

69. Which architect has prepared the plan for Chandigarh city ?
(A) Edwin Lutyens (B) Le Corbusier
(C) Charles Correa (D) None of these
Ans : (B)

70. Who got the Khajuraho temples constructed ?
(A) Chhatrasal (B) Kings of Parmar dynasty
(C) Kings of Chandel dynasty (D) King Bhoja
Ans : (C)

71. Who was the founder of the Chola dynasty in South India ?
(A) Karikala (B) Parantaka
(C) Rajaraja (D) None of these
Ans : (D)

72. Which was the most famous festival of the Vijayanagar empire ?
(A) Ramnavami (B) Brahmotsava
(C) Mahanavami (D) Vasantotsava
Ans : (C)

73. The famous caves at Ajanta-Ellora contain statues and murals associated with–
(A) Hinduism (B) Buddhism
(C) Jainism (D) All of these
Ans : (D)

74. Which 'pir' lies in the famous 'mazar' at Ajmer ?
(A) Muin-ud-din Chishti (B) Nizam-ud-din Auliya
(C) Baba Farid (D) Sheikh salim Chishti
Ans : (A)

75. Where was the Jain Seer Lord Mahavira born ?
(A) Lumbini (Nepal) (B) Kunda (Bihar)
(C) Shravanbelgola (Karnataka) (D) None of these

76. Who was the first 'Guru' of the Sikhs?
(A) Guru Amardas (B) Guru Nanakdev
(C) Guru Arjundev (D) Guru Tegh Bahadur
Ans : (B)

77. Gaya district of Bihar is associated with the name of Mahatma Buddha. In this district–
(A) Mahatma Buddha was born 
(B) Mahatma Buddha gained enlightenment
(C) Mahatma Buddha delivered his first sermon
(D) Mahatma Buddha expired
Ans : (B)

78. The ambitious road development project of India, known as the 'Golden Quadrangle Project', will join four important places. Which are these places?
(A) srinagar, Kannyakumari, Porbandar and silchar
(B) Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Guwahati
(C) Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai
(D) Jalandhar, Pune, Hyderabad and Dibrugarh
Ans : (C)

79. The first Indian satellite was launched into space in 1975. What was it called ?
(A) Aryabhatta (B) Rohini
(C) Insat-1A (D) IRS-1A
Ans : (A)

80. Ashok Chakra is awarded for–
(A) Bravery in the face of enemy, during a war
(B) Bravery during anti-terrorist operations
(C) Life-saving
(D) All of the above
Ans : (A)

81.The Defence Research and Development Organization of India has developed a missile which can be launched from a submarine. What is it named ?
(A) BrahMos (B) Astra
(C) Prithvi-4 (D) K-15
Ans : (D)

82. The 'Param' series of super-computers was developed in India by which of the following institutions ?
(A) Indian Institute of Sciences
(B) Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
(C) Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
(D) Electronic Corporation of India
Ans : (B)

83. Quite often, deltas are formed at river mouths. What is the reason for formation of delta ?
(A) The flow of the river slows down considerably by the time it meets the sea. Hence, the sand and pieces of rocks carried by the river fall off at its mouth and collect in the form of a delta
(B) The tide in the sea stops the river from flowing into the sea the sand and pieces of rocks carried along by the river current fall off and form a delta
(C) Salts are present in seawater. When the river meets the sea, the sand and rock particles suspended in the river water get precipitated and they settle down at the bottom to form a delta
(D) None of the above
Ans : (A)

84. Food is cooked more quickly in pressure cooker, because– 
(A) The boiling point of water is lowered in it
(B) The boiling point of water is raised in it
(C) It absorbs heat quickly
(D) It retains heat for a longer time
Ans : (B)

85. Optical fibers are hair-thin tubes of special glass and light can pass through them from end to end. Their special property is that light continues to travel through them even when they are bent. Which property of light underlies this phenomenon ?
(A) Total internal reflection (B) Refraction
(C) Diffraction (D) Polarization
Ans : (A)

86. Why are Polaroids used in sunglasses ?
(A) For the sake of fashion
(B) To reduce the glare
(C) To improve resolving power of the eyes
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)

87. When an aeroplane is flying at a great height, the sky appears black to its passengers. Why ?
(A) The dust particles and droplets of water present in the atmosphere absorb the light and do not allow it to reach the eyes of the passengers
(B) The atmosphere is very rare at great heights and so the scattering of light is negligible
(C) The light is so polarized that no part of it is able to reach the eye of the passengers
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)

88. The image formed by an object on the retina of the human eye is–
(A) Real and inverted (B) Real and upright
(C) Virtual and inverted (D) Virtual and upright
Ans : (A)

89. A heater running on 220 volt takes 5 minute to boil a quantity of water. If the heater is run on 110 volt instead of 220 volt, how much time will it take to boil the same quantity of water ?
(A) 10 minute (B) 15 minute
(C) 20 minute (D) 25 minute
Ans : (C)

90. A GM counter is used for detecting–
(A) Underground oil (B) Coal
(C) Radioactivity (D) Methane gas
Ans : (C)

91. In which organ of the body is the red blood corpuscle made ?
(A) Liver (B) Bone marrow
(C) Kidneys (D) Heart
Ans : (B)

92. The edible potato is the modified form of which part of the plant ?
(A) Roots (B) Stem
(C) Flower (D) None of these
Ans : (B)

93. What is the main constituent of 'Gobar Gas' (biogas) ?
(A) Hydrogen (B) Carbon monoxide
(C) Acetylene (D) Methane
Ans : (D)

94. What is the 'non-stick' substance used in cookwares ?
(A) Polymonochlorotrifluoroethylene
(B) Polymethyl methacrylate
(C) Polyacrylonitrile
(D) Polytetrafluoroethylene
Ans : (D)

95. The gas used for cooking (LPG) is chiefly a mixture of–
(A) Methane and carbon monoxide
(B) Hydrogen and nitrogen
(C) Butane and propane
(D) Propane and nitrogen
Ans : (C)

96. One card is pulled out at random from a well-shuffled deck of playing cards (52 cards). This is seen to be a card of hearts. It is put back and the deck is shuffled again. Another card is now pulled out of the deck. What is the probability of the second card being a black king ?
(A) 1/104 (B) l/52
(C) 1/26 (D) None of these
Ans : (C)

97. Why does a foul smell emanate from some ponds, tanks, etc. ?
(A) Pesticides and other organic chemicals reach the water body and kill off fishes, etc., living therein, causing the foul smell 
(B) Fertilizers used in farming reach the water body and give rise to excessive growth of aqueous plants. When these plants die, excessive quantities of organic matter are collected, depleting dissolved oxygen and causing foul smell
(C) Household wastes contain small quantities of mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc, etc., which pollute the water bodies, causing the death of fishes and other aquatic organisms and leading to foul smell
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)

98. Government of India calendars show dates both in Christian era (AD) and Saka era. In which year did the Saka era start ?
(A) 150 BC (B) 130 BC
(C) 56 BC (D) AD 78
Ans : (D)

99. Who was the first woman ruler of India ?
(A) Nurjahan (B) Razia Sultan
(C) Chandbibi (D) Durgavati
Ans : (B)

100. Who founded the Chalukya dynasty in South India ?
(A) Harihara (B) Pulakesin
(C) Parantaka (D) Bukka
Ans : (B)

CURRENT AFFAIRS AT A GLANCE 2014

❖ Latvia adopted the Euro currency on January 1, 2014 and became the 18th member of the Eurozone.

❖ Corey Anderson of New Zealand scored the fastest century in One Day International cricket history on January 1, 2014. He scored a hundred in just 36 deliveries against the West Indies. He beat the previous record of 100 off 37 balls set by Shahid Afridi of Pakistan in 1996.

❖ Sheikh Hasina was sworn in on January 12, 2014 for the third time as Bangladesh's Prime Minister. Her party is Awami League.

❖ India's first monorail service was started in Mumbai on February 2, 2014.

❖ Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist CNR Rao were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India on February 4, 2014. The award was announced on November 16, 2013.

❖ Harish Rawat was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on February 1, 2014.

❖ 'Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer' is a book written by Cyrus Mistry, which won the DSC Prize for
South Asian Literature at the Jaipur Literary Festival 2014. This award in 2013 was won by Jeet Thayil for his novel 'Narcopolis'.

❖ Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Spain's Rafael Nadal to win the 2014 Australian Open men's singles tennis title. Li Na of China won the women's singles title by defeating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.

❖ The prestigious Padma Awards for 2014 were announced which includes Padma Vibhushan for two individuals, Padma Bhushan for 24 and Padma Shri for 101 people. Out of 127 awardees 27 are women. Padma Vibhushan awardees are Raghunath Mashelkar (Science & Engineering) and yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar.

❖ Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese Prime Minister to be the chief guest at India's 65th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2014.

❖ Janet Yellen is the first woman ever to head the United States central bank Federal Reserve.

❖ Sub-Inspector K. Prasad Babu was conferred the Ashok Chakra posthumously on the 65th Republic Day by the President Pranab Mukherjee. K. Prasad Babu was from Andhra Pradesh. He was given this award for an anti-Maoist operation near Andhra Pradesh- Chhattisgarh border. Ashok Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award.

❖ Matteo Renzi became the youngest Italian Prime Minister in February 2014. He is 39 years old.

❖ Sushil Koirala assumed office as the Prime Minister of Nepal on February 11, 2014. He is also the President of the Nepali Congress Party.

❖ N.Ramachandran was elected the new President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in February 2014. He is also the World Squash Federation President.

❖ Satya Nadella, an Indian American, was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft on
February 4, 2014. He succeeded Steve Ballmer.

❖ Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Mathur has been appointed the Chairman of the
7th Pay Commission.

❖ Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt was selected for the 2013 Gandhi Peace Prize. He is one of the pioneers of the Chipko movement. He was awarded the Ramon
Magsaysay Award in 1982.

❖ Famous Hindi writer Vishwanath Tripathi has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013 for his memoir 'Vyomkesh Darvesh'. Vyas Samman is a literary award given by
the K.K. Birla Foundation.

❖ Odia became the sixth language to get classical language status after Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada and Malayalam.

❖ The Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework, headed by RBI Deputy Governor Urjit Patel suggested the central bank to adopt the new consumer price index for anchoring the monetary policy.

❖ Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and John Koum. It is an instant messaging app for smartphones.

❖ The Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia in February 2014. Russia topped the medals table with13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze. It won a total of 33 medals. India did not win any medal. Next Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang in South Korea in 2018.

❖ Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as the President of Chile on March 11, 2014. She already served as the President once from 2006 to 2010.

❖ The third edition of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was held in The Hague, Netherlands in March 2014. The NSS aims to prevent nuclear terrorism by reducing the amount of dangerous
nuclear material in the world.

❖ Renowned Hindi author Govind Mishra was selected for the Saraswati Samman for the year 2013 for his book "Dhool Paudho Par". He is the second Hindi author to receive the honor after the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1991.

❖ ESPN cricinfo presented the Cricketer of the Generation award to Sachin Tendulkar.

❖ The International Women of Courage Award 2014 was presented by the US first lady Michelle Obama to Laxmi, a Delhi acid attack survivor.

❖ Mortal remains of about 282 Indian soldiers of 1857 mutiny were exhumed from a well at Ajnala
in Amritsar district of Punjab in March 2014.

❖ The Reserve Bank of India had extended the deadline for Indian banks to meet capital requirements under the Basel III norms by a year to March 31, 2019.

❖ Mizoram defeated Railways to win the 68th Santosh Trophy Football championship in Siliguri in
March 2014. It is the maiden Santosh Trophy title for Mizoram.

❖ Viswanathan Anand won the World Candidates chess tournament title at Khanty Mansisyk, Russia.

❖ Khushwant Singh, a renowned author, passed away on March 20, 2014. He authored books such as 'Train to Pakistan', 'With Malice towards One and All', 'The Sunset Club', 'Truth, Love and a Little Malice', etc.

❖ Eminent film lyricist Gulzar was chosen for the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2013. This award is the highest film award in India.

❖ The people of Crimea voted to become part of Russia in a referendum in March 2014. The leaders of Group of Eight (G8) countries suspended Russia from the group on the issue of annexation of Crimea by Russia. Crimea was separated from Ukraine.

❖ The third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in March 2014. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand are the seven members of this group. Sumith Nakandala of Sri Lanka is the Secretary General. The Secretariat of BIMSTEC is established in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

❖ Assam is the first State in India to observe Child Protection Day to secure the future of children
on March 4, 2014.

❖ The armies of Nepal and India held a joint military exercise named Surya Kiran VI in Nepal.

❖ Admiral Robin K. Dhowan assumed office as the Chief of Naval Staff on April 17, 2014. He succeeded Admiral D.K. Joshi.

❖ R. Gandhi has been appointed as a Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India. RBI has four deputy governors.

❖ The 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize was awarded to Ramesh Agrawal of Chhattisgarh.

❖ Koyal Rana won the Miss India 2014 crown.

❖ India - born poet Vijay Seshadri won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems "3 Sections".

❖ Ex-coal secretary P.C. Parakh released his book titled "Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths".

❖ Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian novelist, died on April 17, 2014. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His major books include One Hundred Years of Solitude, Autumn of the Patriarch, Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Love in the Time of Cholera.

❖ Renowned cinematographer V.- K. Murthy passed away. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2008. He shot India's first cinemascope movie 'Kagaz ke Phool'.

❖ RBI gave approvals to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited to start new banks. IDFC is an infrastructure finance company based in Mumbai and Bandhan is a micro lender based in Kolkata.

❖ Sun Pharmaceuticals will buy Ranbaxy Laboratories.

❖ Sri Lanka won the World Twenty 20 title for the first time defeating India by six wickets in Mirpur, Bangladesh in April 2014.

❖ Australian women cricket team won the Women's World Twenty 20 Cup 2014 by defeating England in the final in Mirpur, Bangladesh. This is the third successive Women's World Twenty20 title for Australia.

GK & CURRENT AFFAIRS