General Knowledge Test - Indian History, Polity, Geography & Science

Article 352 of the Indian Constitution requires the President's proclamation of emergency to be placed before Parliament within one month, and it must be approved every six months. One year is too long without reapproval.

Kanishka, the Kushan ruler, started the Saka era in 78 AD. The Saka era is a calendar system used in ancient India. Satakarni was a Satavahana ruler, Harshavardhana belonged to the Pushyabhuti dynasty, and Asoka was a Mauryan ruler.

The British Crown took over from the East India Company after the 1857 revolt, with the Government of India Act 1858. This marked the end of Company rule. 1861 was when the Indian Councils Act was passed, and 1877 was when Queen Victoria became Empress.

Sri Krishnadevaraya, the famous ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire (1509-1529), belonged to the Tuluva dynasty, which was the third dynasty to rule the empire. The Sangama dynasty was the first, Saluva the second, and Aravidu the fourth.

The Rocky Mountains (Rockies) are the major mountain chain running along the western coast of North America. The Andes are in South America, the Alps are in Europe, and Mount Elbrus is in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia.

The Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu is India's first fully indigenously built nuclear power station. While Kudankulam also has a nuclear plant, Kalpakkam is the location traditionally associated with Tamil Nadu's nuclear facility. Neyveli is known for lignite, and Ennore is a thermal port.

A cyclotron is a particle accelerator that uses alternating electric fields and static magnetic fields to accelerate charged particles in a spiral path. It is not used for spectroscopy, detecting stellar variations, or measuring X-ray intensity.

Punjab is the leading producer of woollen textiles in India due to its large livestock population, harsh winters requiring wool products, and established wool industry. While other states listed have wool production, Punjab dominates in organized woollen textile manufacturing.

Article 108 of the Indian Constitution provides for a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament to resolve deadlocks on ordinary Bills. The President does not resolve the deadlock directly, nor does the Speaker or a special committee.

Demand-pull inflation occurs when aggregate demand in an economy rises faster than aggregate supply, creating excess demand at existing prices. This 'too much money chasing too few goods' scenario pushes general price levels upward steadily. The term reflects how the demand surge 'pulls' prices up across the economy. Cost-push inflation works differently - it arises from supply-side factors like rising production costs, not demand exceeding supply.

The Disinvestment Commission (1996) was specifically mandated to recommend disinvestment strategies, modes, and pricing for public sector undertakings. Worker protection and social safety nets were handled by other mechanisms like the National Renewal Fund or labor departments, not the Commission itself. The Commission focused on technical aspects of disinvestment - valuation, timing, and methodology - while social issues were outside its core mandate.

Amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch into simpler reducing sugars like maltose. Sucrase, catalase, and maltase target different substrates.

Concave mirrors are used as shaving mirrors because they produce magnified, virtual, erect images when the object is placed within the focal length. This magnification helps see small details clearly while shaving. Concave mirrors can produce both real and virtual images depending on object distance - they are not limited to one type. All mirrors distort images to some degree; the key benefit here is useful magnification.

Mediterranean climate is named for its occurrence around the Mediterranean Sea (statement 1 correct). These regions experience hot, dry summers due to persistent subtropical high-pressure systems - not land winds (statement 2 incorrect). The seasonal temperature range is indeed moderated by the surrounding water bodies, making it less extreme than continental areas at similar latitudes (statement 3 correct).

Balban destroyed the 'Group of Forty' (Chahalgani) - the powerful nobility faction that controlled succession and administration during the earlier Sultanate period. He systematically eliminated this group to consolidate central authority and prevent noble interference in royal succession. This was part of his broader strategy to strengthen the monarchy and reduce the power of the Turkish nobility.

Aurangzeb moved to the Deccan in 1681 to crush the rising Maratha power (1 correct), annex the independent Deccan sultanates of Golconda and Bijapur (2 correct), and subdue Mughal nobility revolts including those led by Akbar (4 correct). However, driving out the Portuguese from Goa (3) was never a primary objective - Goa remained Portuguese until 1961. The main focus was on Maratha containment and Deccan consolidation.

A green leaf appears green because chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light while reflecting green. When illuminated with only red light, the leaf absorbs that red light (since chlorophyll absorbs red wavelengths) and reflects very little - making it appear black. The leaf cannot appear green (no green light present), red (absorbs red), or yellow (requires green+red reflection).

Devaluation involves officially reducing the value of a currency against a reference (usually gold or another currency like the US dollar). This can only occur under a fixed exchange rate system where the government sets the currency value. Under floating rates, market forces determine value, so 'devaluation' in the formal sense cannot occur - there's only depreciation. Devaluation is a policy tool available only to countries with fixed regimes.

Electric current generates heat in metallic wires primarily due to collisions between conduction electrons (the charge carriers) and the metal atoms in the wire lattice. As electrons drift through the wire under electric potential, they collide with atoms, transferring kinetic energy to them. This increased atomic vibration manifests as heat - this is Joule heating. Electron-electron collisions don't significantly contribute to heating, and ionization doesn't occur in normal conduction.

According to the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 (SICA), a company is defined as 'sick' when its accumulated losses erode 50% or more of its peak net worth. This 50% threshold is the legal criterion used to identify industrial sickness in India. The concept focuses on the extent of capital erosion rather than just absolute loss amounts. Companies meeting this threshold can be referred to BIFR for potential revival schemes.

The Almatti Dam (also known as Lal Bahadur Shastri Dam) is built across the Krishna River in Karnataka. It's a key part of the Upper Krishna Project and serves multiple purposes including irrigation, hydroelectric generation, and water supply. The Krishna River flows through Maharashtra and Karnataka before reaching the Bay of Bengal, making it one of the major peninsular river systems.

The Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly has the constitutional authority to certify whether a bill is a money bill under Article 207 of the Indian Constitution. This is similar to the Lok Sabha Speaker's role at the central level. The Governor and Finance Minister have no role in this certification process.

 A. Global warming -Greenhouse effect
B. Acid rain- Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulphur
C. Noise pollution-Airport
D. Noise level - Decibel

Odisha's geographical area (155,707 sq km) is closest to Greece's area (131,957 sq km) among the given options, making it the most comparable in size. Tamil Nadu is smaller (~130,058 sq km), while Bihar and Assam are significantly smaller.

Ashoka's Dhamma was not a religious doctrine but a practical socio-ethical code designed to promote moral conduct, social harmony, and welfare. It emphasized universal values like non-violence, tolerance, and respect for elders, rather than promoting any specific religious ideology.