Mahabharata and Indian General Knowledge Quiz

Ashok Leyland is headquartered in Chennai (formerly Madras), Tamil Nadu. It was founded in 1948 as Ashok Motors and later became Ashok Leyland after a collaboration with British Leyland. Chennai remains the company's corporate headquarters and major manufacturing hub. The other cities (Gurgaon, Kolkata, Pune) are not the company's headquarters.

Ramacharitamanas (written as Ramacharitha Manas in the question) was composed by the Hindu poet-saint Tulsidas (Thulasi Das as spelled here). He wrote this epic poem in Awadhi language in the 16th century, retelling the Ramayana story. Valmiki wrote the original Sanskrit Ramayana, while Veda Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata. Soor Das was a Krishna poet, not associated with Ramayana.

Among Indian currency denominations, the 200 rupee note did not exist until 2017 when it was introduced. Prior to this, India had 100, 500, and 1000 rupee notes (though 500 and 1000 were demonetized in 2016). If this is from older material, 200 was the correct answer.

To solve this question, the user needs to have knowledge about the geography of Europe and the surrounding water bodies.

Now, let's go through each option and explain why it is right or wrong:

A. Mediterranean Sea: This option is correct. The Mediterranean Sea is located to the south of Europe and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar.

B. Yellow Sea: This option is incorrect. The Yellow Sea is located in the East Asia region, and it is not connected to Europe.

C. Arabian Sea: This option is incorrect. The Arabian Sea is located in the Indian Ocean, to the south-west of the Indian subcontinent, and is not connected to Europe.

D. Black Sea: This option is incorrect. The Black Sea is located to the east of Europe and is not situated towards the south of Europe.

The Answer is: A. Mediterranean Sea

Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book (1894). Tarzan is from Edgar Rice Burroughs' stories (not Kipling). Jim Corbett wrote about hunting man-eaters, not The Jungle Book. Mowgli is a character in Kipling's book, not the author.

Rajpath (now renamed Kartavya Path) connects Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's house) to India Gate. This ceremonial boulevard runs straight between these two landmarks in New Delhi. Rajghat is Gandhi's memorial, MG Road is a common road name across India, and Red Fort is in Old Delhi.

C. Rajagopalachari received the first Bharat Ratna award in 1954. The other recipients that same year were Radhakrishnan and Nehru. Gandhi was deceased by the time the award was instituted in 1954, and posthumous awards were not initially given.

King Midas from Greek mythology was granted a wish where everything he touched turned to gold. This gift became a curse when he could not eat or embrace his daughter. The other options are not associated with this myth - Argus was a many-eyed giant, Aurelius is a Roman name meaning golden, and Aurum is Latin for gold.

Milkha Singh (the Flying Sikh) was India's most famous sprinter in the 1950s-60s. The nickname 'Flying Sikh' was given by Pakistan's General Ayub Khan after seeing him run. Navjot Singh Siddhu is a cricketer-turned-politician, KPS Gill was a police officer, and Boota Singh is a different person.

Tradition holds that Lord Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata as Vedavyasa (also called Vyasa) dictated it. Valmiki wrote the Ramayana, Rig Veda is a scripture itself, and Vedavyasa was the composer who dictated but did not physically write. The question specifically asks who 'wrote' (transcribed) it.

King Virata and King Drupada were the two Maharathis (great chariot warriors) in the Pandava army during the Kurukshetra war. Virata hosted the Pandavas during their exile, and Drupada was the father of Draupadi. Drishtadyumna and Shikhandi were also warriors but not classified as Maharathis in this context.

Bheeshma (Bhishma) was the first commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, leading their forces for the first 10 days of the Kurukshetra war. He was given the boon of iccha-mrityu (death at will) by his father Shantanu and was considered one of the most powerful warriors of his time. Drona succeeded him as commander after he fell.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna reveals his Vishwaroopa (universal form) to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra just before the war begins. This divine sight shows Arjuna the entire universe, all beings, and the cosmic form of the Lord, which inspires him to overcome his hesitation and take up arms against his relatives. This revelation occurs in Chapter 11 of the Gita.

In the Mahabharata war, each elephant typically carried 7 warriors - the mahout (elephant driver) and 6 soldiers. This was part of the military formation described in the epic. The elephants were used as powerful weapons of war, capable of charging through enemy lines and creating chaos.

Sanjaya was given divine vision (divya-drishti) by Sage Vyasa, which enabled him to narrate the entire Kurukshetra war to the blind King Dhritarashtra in real-time. This gift allowed the king to 'witness' the war events as they unfolded, including the Bhagavad Gita conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. Sanjaya narrated all 18 days of the war to Dhritarashtra.

Yudhishthira's weakness for gambling is well-documented in the Mahabharata. His addiction to dice led to the infamous game where he staked and lost everything - his kingdom, his brothers, his wife Draupadi, and even his own freedom. This moral weakness became the turning point that led to the Pandavas' exile and humiliation, eventually culminating in the Kurukshetra war. Despite being known for his truthfulness and dharma, this one flaw had devastating consequences.

Urvashi, a celestial nymph (apsara), was attracted to Arjuna when he was in Indraloka (heaven) during his exile. When Arjuna rejected her advances, citing that she was like a mother figure to him (as she had been married to his ancestor Pururava), she cursed him to become a eunuch for a year. This curse later became useful during the Pandavas' final year of incognito exile, as Arjuna lived as a eunuch dance teacher.

Bhishmaka (also spelled Beeshmaka) was the king of Vidarbha and the father of Rukmini. Rukmini was Krishna's principal wife, making Bhishmaka Krishna's father-in-law. Bhishmaka wanted Rukmini to marry Krishna, but her brother Rukmi opposed this alliance and wanted her to marry Shishupala. Krishna ultimately abducted Rukmini with her consent, and they married.

Jarasandha, the powerful emperor of Magadha, had imprisoned many kings to establish his supremacy. For Yudhishthira to perform the Rajasuya Yagna (imperial consecration sacrifice), he needed the allegiance of all kings. Krishna devised a plan where Bhima challenged Jarasandha to a wrestling duel and defeated him after a 27-day fierce battle, freeing all the captive kings. This victory was essential for the Rajasuya Yagna's successful completion.

Kellogg Company uses 'K' as its NYSE ticker symbol. Kodak's ticker was EK (before bankruptcy) and is now KODK. None of the other options trade under single-letter K on NYSE.