Mixed General Knowledge: Indian Affairs & Aviation

Commercial airliners typically cruise at 30,000-40,000 feet for fuel efficiency and to avoid weather disturbances.

Germany founded DELAG in 1909, operating zeppelin airships. While KLM (Netherlands) is the oldest continuously operating airline (1919), Germany established the first airline.

As of recent counts, there are over 300 airlines worldwide. "More than 150" is the only option that reflects this reality - the actual number is much higher than the other options suggest.

The Gateway of India stands in Mumbai, overlooking the Arabian Sea. This iconic arch monument was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary.

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. This iconic white marble mausoleum was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Chandigarh is indeed the shared capital of both Punjab and Haryana, while also being a Union Territory. This unique arrangement was established after Punjab was divided in 1966.

Pushkar, Rajasthan is home to one of the very few Brahma temples in the world. The Brahma Mandir in Pushkar dates to the 14th century and is a major pilgrimage site.

Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize in 1997 for The God of Small Things, her debut novel. Chetan Bhagat is a popular contemporary Indian author, Tagore was a Nobel laureate who wrote Gitanjali, and Kalam was a scientist-president who wrote Wings of Fire.

Bhubaneswar is the capital city of Odisha (formerly Orissa). Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu, Kolkata is of West Bengal, and Orissa is the state itself, not its capital.

Nilesh Kulkarni achieved this unique feat on his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 1997-98 at Bangalore. He became the first Indian bowler to take a wicket with his very first delivery in Test cricket, dismissing Lankan opener Marvan Atapattu.

IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) is the original name of what is commonly called the World Bank. It was established in 1944 to provide loans for post-war reconstruction and development projects.

Ibn Battuta visited India during the reign of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq (1325-1351 CE). The Moroccan explorer spent several years in India (1333-1341) and even served as a qazi (judge) in the Tughlaq administration.

In the Mahabharata, Srikhandi (who was born as Shikhandi) was the reincarnation of Amba. Amba was the princess of Kashi who sought revenge against Bhishma and was eventually reborn as Shikhandi to fulfill her vow of vengeance.

Cremesin appears to be a variant or misspelling of crimson/carmesí, referring to a deep red color. The Spanish word 'carmesí' means crimson - a rich red color with blue undertones, historically derived from the Kermes insect used to produce red dye.

The word 'Gavial' (also spelled gharial) refers to a specific type of crocodilian reptile with a long, thin snout native to the Indian subcontinent. However, this is NOT a French word - it originates from Hindi 'gharial' meaning 'pot-shaped' referring to its snout.

The Arabic word 'Lilac' (properly 'laylak') refers to the color blue or bluish-purple. It describes the color of the lilac flower, which can range from pale to deep blue-purple shades.

The Dutch word 'Meerkat' comes from Middle Dutch meaning 'lake cat' but refers to a small mammal - the suricate or mongoose, commonly called 'monkey' in some contexts due to its appearance and behavior. However, the direct translation is actually more specific to mongoose-type animals.