General Awareness

Article 65 of the Indian Constitution specifies that when both the President and Vice-President offices are vacant, the Chief Justice of India acts as President. The Prime Minister, Speaker of Lok Sabha, and Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha do not have this constitutional authority.

Karl Marx is the principal figure associated with Scientific Socialism, a term used to describe his scientific analysis of capitalism and historical materialism. Robert Owen advocated utopian socialism, Proudhon is known for mutualism, and Saint Simon was an early utopian socialist.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in India during the Mughal period, with Vasco da Gama reaching Calicut in 1498. The Dutch arrived in early 17th century (1605), the Danish in 1616, and the English (East India Company) in 1600.

Ashoka appointed Rajukas as judicial officers to administer justice throughout his empire. They were responsible for ensuring fair administration of justice and implementing Ashoka's dharma. Shramanas were ascetics, Uparikas were provincial governors, and Kumaramatyas were junior officials.

Kalhana wrote Rajtarangini in the 12th century (1148-50 AD), which is considered the first genuine historical work written by an Indian. It chronicles the history of Kashmir kings. Banabhatta wrote Harshacharita, Ravikirti was a court poet, and Pushpananda is not associated with this work.

Statement 2 alone is correct. Article 105(2) grants MPs exemption from attendance as witnesses in courts. Statement 1 is incorrect because MPs can be arrested in criminal cases even during session - Article 105 only protects them from arrest in civil cases 40 days before/after/during session.

London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Paris had bid for 2012 but lost to London. New York and Madrid were also competing cities but were not selected.

Dr. I.G. Patel was the first economist to serve as Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (established in 1970s). Dr. Manmohan Singh later became a famous economist and Finance Minister, Rakesh Mohan served later, and Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia held various positions but was not the first secretary.

ATR stands for Action Taken Report, a document submitted in response to recommendations or queries, commonly used in parliamentary committees and administrative responses. It details what action has been taken on a previous report or recommendation.

ITC Limited launched the e-Chaupal initiative, a rural marketing network that connects farmers directly with markets via internet kiosks. It provides farmers with information on weather, best practices, and fair prices, bypassing multiple intermediaries. Other companies like HUL have different rural initiatives.

Gautam (also known as Akshapada Gautam) is the founder of Nyaya Darshan, one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. Nyaya philosophy focuses on logic, epistemology, and the means of valid knowledge. Patanjali is associated with Yoga philosophy, Panini was the grammarian, and Kapil founded Sankhya philosophy.

The decision to form the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) was taken at the Tokyo Conference in 1942. This conference, held in Japan's capital, was crucial in mobilizing Indian nationalists in East Asia. Rash Behari Bose initially led the effort, later handing over to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943.

The American War of Independence (1775-1783) was first, followed by the French Revolution (1789-1799), then the Spanish Revolution refers to the Spanish American wars of independence (early 1800s), and finally the Russian Revolution (1917). Option B correctly sequences these as 2-4-3-1.

Kerala has consistently maintained the highest female literacy rate among Indian states according to the 2001 Census and subsequent censuses. Kerala's social development indicators, including education and health, have historically been superior to other states. Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, and Meghalaya have improved but still trail Kerala.

Kamal Nath was chosen as the FDI Personality of the Year 2007 in Asia for his role in attracting foreign direct investment to India, particularly during his tenure as Commerce Minister. P. Chidambaram was Finance Minister but did not receive this specific honor in 2007.

India's first Network Access Point (NAP) or Internet exchange, the Net Route Server, was established in Chennai. Chennai emerged as a key internet hub in southern India with early infrastructure investments. Mumbai, Noida, and Hyderabad developed data centers but were not the first.

Thailand is the only country among these options that has coastline and access to the sea, making it not land-locked. Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bhutan are all land-locked countries with no direct access to oceans. Thailand borders the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) reported its first quarterly loss in the first quarter of 2005-06 due to under-recoveries from selling petroleum products below market prices. This was unprecedented as IOC had consistently been profitable since its inception. ONGC, Reliance, and BPCL remained profitable.

Mist forms when warm, moist air is cooled near the ground surface, causing water vapor to condense into tiny suspended water droplets. This occurs when temperature drops below the dew point. Dry ice, ice, and solid carbon monoxide are unrelated to mist formation.

Chemical weathering involves decomposition through chemical processes like carbonation, hydration, and oxidation. Exfoliation is a physical (mechanical) weathering process where outer rock layers peel off due to pressure release and thermal expansion, not chemical breakdown.

Ricky Ponting of Australia was one of the earliest cricketers to score over 10,000 runs in One Day International cricket. He achieved this milestone during his illustrious career, finishing with more than 13,000 ODI runs. While several players have since crossed this mark, Ponting was among the pioneers to reach this feat.