General Knowledge

Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt in Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She was the wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and refused to accept the pension offered by the British after the annexation of Awadh. Mangal Pandey led the revolt at Barrackpore, Begum Gulpanag is not a historical figure of this period, and Tatya Tope was a leader in other regions.

In a parliamentary system, the executive wing consists of the Prime Minister, President (as head of state), and Council of Ministers. Judges belong to the judiciary, which is a separate branch of government under the principle of separation of powers.

The Tashkent Agreement was signed in January 1966 between India and Pakistan after the 1965 war. Ayub Khan was the President of Pakistan at that time, representing Pakistan in the negotiations. Mujibur Rahman was from Bangladesh (then East Pakistan), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was Foreign Minister (not President), and Pervez Musharraf came much later in the 1990s-2000s.

Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510. Ismail Adil Shah was the ruler of Bijapur at that time, making this the correct answer. The Portuguese conquest of Goa was a key moment in establishing their colonial presence in India.

CTBT stands for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear explosions for both civilian and military purposes. The treaty was adopted by the UN in 1996. This is the correct expansion of the acronym.

The Indian Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949. It came into effect on 26 January 1950, which is celebrated as Republic Day. The question asks about adoption, not implementation.

Due to the Coriolis effect (often called Ferrel's Law in meteorology), winds in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the right of their direction of motion. This is caused by Earth's rotation and affects large-scale atmospheric circulation.

Mount Everest is the highest Himalayan peak at 8,849 meters (29,032 ft) above sea level. While K2 is the second-highest globally, it's in the Karakoram range, not the Himalayas. Everest is clearly the highest among Himalayan peaks.

The shortest day in the southern hemisphere occurs during the winter solstice, which is around June 21-22. This is when the South Pole is tilted furthest from the Sun, resulting in the least daylight hours for southern hemisphere locations.

An isobar is a line connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure on a weather map. Isobars are fundamental tools in meteorology for identifying pressure systems, wind patterns, and forecasting weather conditions. Contours connect equal elevation, isobaths connect equal depth, and isohelins connect equal rainfall.

A PNR (Passenger Name Record) number in Indian Railways reservation system contains 10 digits. This unique alphanumeric identifier is essential for ticket management, tracking, and cancellation. The 10-digit format is standard across the railway computerized reservation system.

Sansui, a Japanese electronics company, used the tagline 'Better than the best' in its marketing campaigns. This tagline emphasized the company's commitment to quality and superiority in audio-visual equipment. Tata's tagline is 'Leadership with Trust', while Bajaj uses distinct branding.

Airtel (Bharti Airtel) used 'Express yourself' as its tagline, emphasizing communication and self-expression. Vodafone uses 'The power to be your best', RIM (BlackBerry) used different taglines, and Idea used 'What an idea!'.

Kachchh district in Gujarat is the largest district in India by area (approximately 45,674 sq km). It is a sparsely populated desert region. Note that 'Kattch' in the options is a garbled spelling of 'Kutch/Kachchh'.

The Palk Strait is a narrow body of water between the Tamil Nadu coast of India and Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal to the northeast with the Gulf of Mannar to the south. Pakistan is to the west of India, Myanmar to the east, and Singapore is far southeast.

Water and alcohol form a homogeneous mixture that cannot be separated by filtration, decantation, or simple evaporation. Distillation works because water (boiling point 100°C) and ethanol (78°C) have different boiling points, allowing them to be separated through controlled heating and condensation.

Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman, witnessed the suffering after the Battle of Solferino in 1859 and founded the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863. He received the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. WWF (World Wildlife Fund) was founded later, WWE is wrestling entertainment, and WHO is the World Health Organization.

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir. It allowed J&K to have its own constitution and flag, and restricted Parliament's legislative power over the state. It was abrogated in August 2019. Nagaland, Bihar, and Orissa have/had different special provisions.

Xerophytes are plants adapted to survive in dry, arid conditions with minimal water. They have adaptations like reduced leaves, thick cuticles, and water storage tissues. Cacti and succulents are classic examples. Hydrophytes grow in water, and Thallophyte (misspelled as Thellophyte) refers to simpler plant-like organisms.

SEZ stands for Special Economic Zone - designated areas with different economic regulations to promote trade, investment, and employment. Note that 'Economic' (relating to economics) is grammatically correct, not 'Economical' (meaning cost-effective). However, the intended meaning is clearly SEZ.