General Knowledge

Agni is a family of ballistic missiles developed by India (DRDO), not a space station, Arab chief, or satellite (though India has satellites like INSAT). The Agni series (Agni-I to Agni-V) are medium to intermediate range ballistic missiles, with Agni-V being an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Kishori Amonkar was a legendary Indian classical vocalist specializing in Hindustani classical music. She was one of the foremost singers of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and received prestigious awards like Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan for her contributions to music.

The word 'secular' was added to the Indian Constitution in 1976 through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment during the Emergency period. The preamble originally declared India as a 'Sovereign Democratic Republic' and was amended to include 'Socialist,' 'Secular,' and 'Integrity.'

The 'Education for All' campaign was launched by UNICEF globally to promote universal primary education. While India has its own Education for All program under the Ministry of HRD, the international campaign is primarily associated with UNICEF's initiatives worldwide.

Operation Sarp Vinash (2003) was a major military operation conducted by the Indian Army to flush out terrorists from the Surankote region of Jammu and Kashmir. It was one of the largest counter-insurgency operations in the region during that period.

NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) is the statutory body responsible for planning and coordinating the development of teacher education systems. It prescribes norms and standards for teacher education courses, unlike NCERT which focuses on curriculum and educational research.

Vijay Tendulkar was a renowned Indian playwright known for his groundbreaking works in Marathi and English theatre. His plays like 'Ghashiram Kotwal' and 'Sakharam Binder' addressed social issues and challenged conventional norms.

Mahatma Gandhi used the phrase 'a beautiful tree' to describe the indigenous education system that prevailed in India before British rule. He made this comparison in his book 'Hind Swaraj' (1909), arguing that traditional Indian education was natural and self-sustaining.

NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) is the body responsible for prescribing norms and standards for Teacher Education Courses in India. It was established in 1993 as a statutory body to regulate teacher education institutions and programs across the country.

National Science Day is celebrated on February 28th every year to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for this discovery, which demonstrated the scattering of light.

TRYSEM (Training Rural Youth for Self Employment) was a training program specifically designed for rural youth to enable self-employment. It was launched to address unemployment in rural areas by providing skill development and entrepreneurial training.

New Delhi hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games, marking the first time India hosted this multi-sport event. The games were held from October 3-14, 2010. This was a significant international sporting event for India, though it was also surrounded by controversies regarding preparation and corruption.

Vinod Dham, an Indian-American engineer, is known as the 'Father of the Pentium Chip' for his leadership role in developing Intel's Pentium microprocessor at Intel Corporation. He led the development of the original Pentium processor in the early 1990s, which was a landmark in computing history.

Sarojini Naidu became the first woman President of the Indian National Congress in 1925. She was a prominent freedom fighter, poet, and orator known as the 'Nightingale of India.' Annie Besant was also an important Congress president (1917) but Sarojini Naidu holds the distinction of being first.

The Yashpal Committee (1992) recommended 'Reducing the curriculum burden' and emphasized joyful learning, cutting academic burden, and holistic education. Its report 'Learning Without Burden' (1993) influenced the National Curriculum Framework 2005. The committee focused on de-stressing education.

Polio drops (oral polio vaccine) are administered to children below 5 years of age as part of the Universal Immunization Programme and Pulse Polio campaigns. The WHO recommends polio vaccination before age 5 to prevent paralysis from the poliovirus. India was declared polio-free in 2014.

The 'funny bone' is actually the ulnar nerve where it passes around the elbow. When you hit your elbow in a certain spot, you're compressing this nerve against the bone, causing the characteristic tingling sensation. It's not a bone, muscle, or blood vessel despite the name.