General Knowledge: India, Science & Space

Dendrochronology is the scientific method of dating tree rings to determine the exact year a tree was formed. Each ring represents one year of growth, and the width and characteristics of rings provide information about climate conditions during that year. Option B describes ice cores, option C describes glaciology, and option D describes geomorphology.

Water on the Moon exists primarily as thin films of water molecules trapped in lunar dust and minerals, not as liquid bodies like rivers or wells. This water was confirmed by missions like Chandrayaan-1 in 2009. Options A and C suggest flowing water bodies which don't exist on the Moon, while 'gel' is not how lunar water is found.

Modi Telstra (a joint venture between the Modi Group and Telstra of Australia) launched India's first mobile phone service in 1995 in Kolkata. Bharti Airtel (then Airtel) launched later that year. Essar and Max Touch were other early players but not the first. The Modi Telstra service was later rebranded and eventually became part of Vodafone India.

Chandrayaan-1, India's first lunar mission launched in 2008, carried the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument from NASA which definitively confirmed the presence of water molecules on the Moon's surface. 'Arean' and 'Asean' appear to be nonsense options, while Apollo missions were focused on human lunar exploration, not water detection.

NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 mission was the instrument that detected water molecules on the Moon's surface in 2009. The other options 'Tapper' and 'Hacker' are nonsensical, and 'LASER Instrument' is too vague - M3 was specifically designed to map mineral composition and detect water.

Water on the Moon was definitively confirmed in 2009 by data from Chandrayaan-1's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, with additional confirmation from NASA's LCROSS mission later that year. The LCROSS mission impacted a lunar crater and analyzed the ejecta, confirming the presence of water ice. 2006 and 2002 are too early, while 1998 was when preliminary hints were detected but not confirmed.

Ekistics is the science of human settlements, studying their growth, structure, and function. It was coined by architect Constantinos Doxiadis to encompass the study of settlements from the smallest village to the largest metropolis. The other options are all incorrect - ekistics has nothing to do with water sports, body mass, or card tricks.

The term 'Red Herring' in IPO context specifically refers to the preliminary prospectus, so named because of the red disclaimer statement on its cover indicating it has not been filed with the regulator yet. The other options are incorrect - a red herring is not about form submission, funds generated, or minimum offer price.

The Moon's average orbital speed around Earth is approximately 1.022 km/s (about 3,683 km/h or 2,288 mph). This is a fundamental orbital mechanics measurement. The other options (2.022, 3.022, 4.022 km/s) are significantly higher than the actual orbital velocity.

Eight O'Clock Coffee is a US-based coffee brand that was acquired by Tata Global Beverages (now Tata Consumer Products) in 2006. It is indeed a group company of Tata. ITC, Britannia, and Unilever are other major FMCG companies but are not associated with Eight O'Clock Coffee.

Margaret Court holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history with 24 titles. Steffi Graf has 22, Martina Navratilova has 18, and Billie Jean King has 12. Court's record, achieved in the 1960s and 1970s, still stands today.

Mahatma Gandhi's statue is a prominent landmark on the Pondicherry beachfront (Promenade Beach/Gandhi Beach Road), where visitors gather for evening walks. The statue is one of the most recognizable monuments in Pondicherry, honoring the Father of the Nation.

Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ in March 1999, pioneering international listings for Indian IT companies. TCS, Wipro, and Cognizant (which is US-headquartered) listed later.