General Knowledge for MBA Entrance

Kalidasa was the renowned ancient Indian poet and playwright who composed Meghdoot, a Sanskrit lyrical poem about a yaksha sending a message to his wife through a cloud. Kambar wrote Ramavataram, Ved Vyas wrote Mahabharata, and Valmiki wrote Ramayana.

A.O. Hume, a British civil servant, founded the Indian National Congress in 1885 to provide a platform for political dialogue between educated Indians and the British government. Gandhi, Nehru, and Patel became prominent leaders much later.

Narmada is a major west-flowing river in India that empties into the Arabian Sea. It flows through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges. The other options (Cauvery, Krishna, Ganges) are all east-flowing rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal.

Clement Attlee was the Prime Minister of England when India gained independence in August 1947. He led the Labour Party government that approved the Indian Independence Act. Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy, not PM.

The Ashoka Chakra at the center of the Indian national flag has 24 spokes representing the eternal wheel of law and dharma. These spokes symbolize progress and the passage of time. The chakra is adapted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath.

State Bank of India (SBI) is the correct answer as it had the largest network of branches globally in 2011. SBI, with its vast rural and urban penetration across India, had over 15,000 branches at that time, far exceeding international banks like Barclays, ABN AMRO, or Standard Chartered in physical branch count.

People's Daily is the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, founded in 1948. It has been the primary mouthpiece for Chinese government policies and propaganda since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, making it distinctly Chinese, not from Bangladesh, Nepal, or Sri Lanka.

The Gateway of India was built in 1924 to commemorate the 1911 visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay (now Mumbai). It was not built for freedom fighters, the Queen's coronation (which happened in 1953 for Elizabeth II), or Indian Independence (1947), though it later became a symbolic landmark associated with the end of British rule.

Kaziranga National Park is located in the state of Assam, in northeastern India. It is famous for its one-horned rhinoceros population and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The park is not in Bihar, Gujarat, or Haryana.

Kumbh Mela (specifically Purna Kumbh) is celebrated every 12 years at four pilgrimage sites: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik. The 12-year cycle is based on astrological alignments. There are also Ardh Kumbh (every 6 years) and Maha Kumbh (every 144 years), but the main Purna Kumbh follows the 12-year cycle.

Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is now in Nepal and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, and died in Kushinara. Kurukshetra and Konark are associated with the Mahabharata and Sun Temple respectively, while Gaya is where Buddha attained enlightenment, not his birthplace.

Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, and elaborate costumes, originating from the coastal districts of Karnataka. While Kerala has Kathakali and Theyyam, and Andhra Pradesh has Kuchipudi, Yakshagana is distinctly Kannada and Karnataka's contribution to Indian classical arts.

The Dilwara Temples are located near Mount Abu in Rajasthan, renowned for their extraordinary marble architecture and intricate carvings. These Jain temples, built between 11th and 13th centuries, are considered architectural masterpieces. They are not in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, or Madhya Pradesh.

Reita Faria became the first Indian woman to win Miss World in 1966. While Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe in 1994, Aishwarya Rai won Miss World in 1994, and Priyanka Chopra won Miss World in 2000, Reita Faria was the pioneer who broke this barrier for India nearly three decades earlier.

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan was known as 'Frontier Gandhi' (also 'Badshah Khan') due to his close association with Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and his work in the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan). He founded the Khudai Khidmatgargar ('Servants of God') movement. T. Prakasam and Rajagopalachari were other Congress leaders, but not associated with this title.

Khajuraho is situated near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh (though the nearest city is actually Chhatarpur, Bhopal is the state capital and major reference point). The UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its Nagara-style architecture and erotic sculptures is not in Delhi, Puri (Odisha), or Belur (Karnataka).

NGO is a common abbreviation for Non Governmental Organisation, which refers to non-profit organizations that operate independently of government control. The other options incorrectly use 'Officer' or 'Gazetted' instead of 'Governmental'.

The Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall, is located in Jerusalem's Old City. It is a significant religious site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage. Rome, New York, and Pisa do not have this historical site.

The Brihadeeswara Temple at Tanjore was built by Raja Raja Chola I in the 11th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and represents the pinnacle of Chola architecture. Rajendra Chola was his son, and Kulothunga was a later Chola ruler.

The Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat is the last remaining home of the Asiatic lion. It was established specifically to protect these endangered big cats. The forest does not have significant populations of rhinos, elephants, or as a bird sanctuary.

Japan's national legislature is called the Diet, modeled after the German 'Bundestag'. The Knesset is Israel's parliament, Congress is the US legislature, and Cortes is the Spanish parliament. The term 'Diet' comes from the Latin for a legislative assembly.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first US President to visit India in 1959. Washington was the first president but died long before modern diplomacy. Nixon and Ford visited later - Nixon in 1969 and Ford in 1974.

The McMahon Line (note spelling) is the demarcation line between China and India, drawn during the 1914 Simla Convention. The Hot Line is a communication system, while the 24th and 17th parallels are latitude lines used in other contexts (Korea and Vietnam respectively).

A.D. stands for Anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning in the year of our Lord, used to label years after the estimated birth of Jesus.