GK Test 2003

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established on April 1, 1935, in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. It was initially privately owned before nationalization in 1949. 1947 is Indian independence, 1949 is when India became a Republic, and 1952 is irrelevant to RBI's founding.

Salim Ali (1896-1987), known as the "Birdman of India," was an ornithologist (bird scientist) who made seminal contributions to Indian ornithology through his fieldwork, books like "The Book of Indian Birds," and bird surveys. Horology is the study of time, entomology is insects, and parasitology is the study of parasites.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam co-authored 'India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium' with Y.S. Rajan. The book outlines Kalam's vision for India's development. I.G. Patel was an economist, G. Ganeshan is not associated with this work, and Montek Singh Ahluwalia was a Planning Commission member.

The Ali Brothers - Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali - started the Khilafat Movement in 1919 to protest the dismantling of the Ottoman Caliphate after WWI. Jinnah was not associated with this movement, Dr. Zakir Hussain was a later President, and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was also a President.

Reuters is a London-based international news agency founded by Paul Reuter in 1851. It is headquartered in the United Kingdom, not USA, India, or France. The agency is now part of Thomson Reuters.

Operation Parakram (meaning 'Operation Valour') was the massive military mobilization by India along the Pakistan border following the December 2001 attack on Indian Parliament. It lasted nearly a year and brought both nations to the brink of war. It was not an Antarctica expedition (that was a different operation).

Article 368 of the Indian Constitution specifically empowers Parliament to amend the Constitution. This was added by the Constitution (24th Amendment) Act, 1971. Article 343 deals with official language, 358 with emergency provisions, and 370 (now abrogated) gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir.

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) has seven member countries: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan. It was formed in 1997 and focuses on economic and technical cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region.

Gap Inc. owns the brands GAP, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, and Intermix. Option D includes GAP, Banana Republic, and Old Navy, which are core Gap Inc. brands. Burberry is a British luxury brand, Piperlime was discontinued in 2015, and Gas is not owned by Gap Inc.

The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, popularly known as the Sharada Act after its sponsor Harbilas Sharada, fixed the minimum age of marriage for girls at 14 and boys at 18. It deals with child marriage, not widow remarriage (Widow Remarriage Act 1856), intercaste marriage, or polygamy.

The Satavahana dynasty (c. 1st century BCE - 3rd century CE) predominantly used lead and potin (lead-tin alloy) for their coins. While they also issued some copper and silver coins, lead was the most common metal. They did not primarily use gold for coinage.

Issuing of one rupee notes and coins is the function of the Government of India, not the RBI. The RBI handles currency notes above Rs. 1 (Rs. 2, 5, 10, etc.). The RBI does act as banker to the government, manages foreign exchange reserves, and regulates credit in the economy.

The Finance Commission (Article 280) is a constitutional body that recommends the distribution of financial resources between the Centre and States. The Sarkaria Commission dealt with Centre-State relations, National Development Council is for development planning, and Ministry of Home Affairs handles internal security.

Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856) is known for major infrastructure developments in British India including introduction of railways, telegraph, and postal services. He initiated the first railway line from Bombay to Thane in 1853.

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, allowing it to have its own constitution and significant autonomy over internal matters except defense, communications, and foreign affairs.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in March 1931 between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin (Viceroy). It ended the Civil Disobedience Movement and allowed Gandhi to attend the Second Round Table Conference in London.

The Minto-Morley Reforms (1909) introduced the concept of separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims in British India. This system allowed separate voting rights and reserved seats for different religious communities.

Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand state, which was carved out of Bihar in November 2000. Ranchi was chosen as the capital due to its central location and existing infrastructure.

Silent Valley in Kerala was in the news due to environmental protests against a hydroelectric project that would have destroyed this pristine tropical evergreen forest. The project was eventually cancelled in 1983 following intense environmental activism.

The Permanent Settlement of Bengal was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. It fixed the land revenue demand and created a class of zamindars who became landowners, permanently altering Bengal's agrarian structure.

The Troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from ground level to about 10-15 km altitude. It contains approximately 75% of the atmosphere's mass and is where all weather phenomena occur.

Aspirin's chemical name is acetylsalicylic acid. It is derived from salicylic acid and works by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, which are responsible for pain, inflammation, and fever.

HDFC Bank has been recognized among the world's best financial institutions by various international publications including Forbes and Euromoney. It's known for strong fundamentals, asset quality, and digital banking leadership.

Australia is not a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) as it's geographically located in the Pacific/Indian Ocean region, not the North Atlantic. Australia is instead a member of ANZUS (a Pacific security treaty with US and New Zealand).

The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu was built in collaboration with Russia (formerly USSR) under a 1988 agreement. Russia supplied the VVER-1000 type reactors and has been closely involved in its construction and operation.

Finland is famously known as the 'Land of a Thousand Lakes' due to having approximately 188,000 lakes. While Canada actually has more lakes numerically, Finland is specifically known by this epithet. Norway and Nepal do not have significant numbers of lakes.

Trachoma is a bacterial infection of the eye caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It is the world's leading infectious cause of blindness and affects the conjunctiva and cornea. It does not affect the throat, lungs, or liver.