Art,Religion,Culture Quiz

1. In Indian musical terminology, what is the feminine of Raga?

Ans : Ragini

2. What term is used for initiation into Sikhism?

Ans : Pahul

3. In Hindu mythology, what is the name of the auspicious jewel Lord Vishnu wears on a pendant around his neck?

Ans : Kaustubham

4. What name was given to the city of Yathrib by Prophet Mohammed?

Ans : Medina

5. According to legend, which deity was Ved Vyasa's scribe as he dictated the story of the Mahabharata?

Ans : Ganesha

6. Consider the following statements about Sikh Gurus:
1. Banda Bahadur was appointed as the military leader of the Sikhs by Guru Tegh Bahadur.
2. Guru Arjan Dev become the Sikh Guru after Guru Ram Das.
3. Guru Arjan Dev gave to Sikhs their own script- Gurumukhi.

Which of the statements gives is/are correct?
(a) 1 only                 (b) 2 and 3                 (c) 1 and 3                 (d) 1 and 2

Ans : D

7. Who among the following is well known as an exponent of flute?
(a) Debu Choudhuri                     (b) Madhup Mudgal
(c) Ronu Mazumdar                     (d) Shafaat Ahmad

Ans : C

8. Which one of the following four Vedas contains an account of magical charms and spells?
(a) Rig-veda                             (b) Yajur-veda
(c) Atharva-veda                      (d) Sama-veda

Ans : C

9. What is the interval between two 'Maha Kumbh' melas at the same place?
(a) 6 years                 (b) 10 years                 (c) 12 years                 (d) 15 years

Ans : C

10. Who amongst the following is regarded as the historical founder of Jainism?
(a) Mahavira                 (b) Sisunaga
(c) Rishabha                 (d) Gautama

Ans : A

11. Which Ragamala depicts the martial arts by introducing horsemen in battle?

Ans : Nataraga/ Natanarayana

12. What is the name of the elephant which serves as the mount of Lord Indra?

Ans : Airavata

13. Name the sea demoness known for trapping birds by illusion, who tried to obstruct Hanuman on his way to Lanka?

Ans : Simhika

14. Which traditional Asian performing art derives its name from the Japanese words for 'singing', 'dancing' and 'acting'?

Ans : Kabuki

15. Who founded 'Yoga Shastra' the school of Hindu philosophy

Ans : Patanjali

16. Who established Khalsa the Sikh order

Ans : Guru Gobind Singh

17. The Meenakshi temple at Madurai is the monument of
(a) Cholas                    (b) Cheras
(c) Pallavas                  (d) Pandyas

Ans : D

18. Tirupati temple of Lord Venkateswara is situated in which state

Ans : Andhra Pradesh

19. Which indian state banned the forceful religious conversions

Ans : Tamil Nadu

20. Bhagavata Mela is a folk dance of

Ans : Andhra Pradesh

21. The famous Sun Temple is located in which Indian state

Ans : Orissa

22. Pungi is a dance form related to the state

Ans : Himachal Pradesh

23. Garba a popular folk dance is associated with Indian state

Ans : Gujarat

24. Bhangra is the folk dance of which Indian state

Ans : Punjab

25. Who is the director of the Sanskrit film Adi Sankara

Ans : G.V. Iyer

26. Which is the first Sanskrit film produced in India

Ans : Adi Sankara

27. Which is the first talkie film

Ans : The Jazz Singer in 1927

28. Who is known as Barefoot Painter

Ans : M.F.Hussain

29. The Mohiniyattam dance form was developed in which state

Ans : Kerala

30. Which of the following is the most prevalent folk dance of Uttar Pradesh
(a) Naati                          (b) Bhangra
(c) Tamasha                     (d) Nautanki

Ans : D

31. Which of the following is a classical dance form of Andhra Pradesh
(a) Odissi                         (b) Kuchipudi
(c) Kathakali                    (d) Mohiniyattam

Ans : B

32. The role of religion has been
(a) to bring people closer
(b) to provide faith to people in distress
(c) Harmonizing
(d) All the above

Ans : D

33. In which tribe the divorced women is most respected
(a) Korawa of Mizapur                 (b) Santhals
(c) Lushai of Assam                      (d) Khasi tribe

Ans : A

34. The shuddi movement to bring back to the Hindufold people converted to other religions from Hinduism was launched by

Ans : Arya Samajam

35. Which of the following is not a varna (group) of the Aryan society
(a) Vaishyas                     (b) Brahmanas
(c) Shudras                      (d) Sabhas

Ans : D

36. Which of the societies practiced polyandry
(a) Nyinba of Nepal                          (b) Medieval of Europeans
(c) Wodabe of Africa                        (d) Todas of India

Ans : D

37. What is the most essential element of nationality
(a) A common race                                             (b) A common language
(c) A common religion                                         (d) Corporate sentiment

Ans : C

38. Marriage in which the bridegroom gets the bride in exchange of some money
(a) Asura                         (b) Brahma
(c) Rashasa                      (d) Prajapatia

Ans : B

39. A childless widow who could cohabit with her brother-in-law until the birth of a son. This practice was known as
(a) Niyoga                     (b) Levirate
(c) Sororate                   (d) Nantru

Ans : A

40. God created society just as he did the animate and inanimate objects of the world. This view comes from the
(a) Divine Origin Theory
(b) Evolution Theory
(c) Religious Theory

Ans : A

41. Who is considered as the father of Jainism

Ans : Mahavira

42. The oldest Veda is
(a) Atharva Veda                     (b) Rig Veda
(c) Yajur Veda                         (d) Sama Veda

Ans : B

43. Ramakrishna Mission was established by

Ans : Swami Vivekananda

44. The Simhastha Kumbh Mela was held at
(a) Nasik                 (b) Ujjain                 (c) Prayag                     (d) Haridwar

Ans : A

45. Who was the first recipient of a scholarship offered by the Indian Society of Oriental Arts in 1907

Ans : Nandala Bose

46. Who is the director of Pather Pachali

Ans : Satyajit Ray

47. Who was the director of the movie Salaam Bombay

Ans : Mira Nair

48. With which musical instrument is Shiv Kumar Sharma associated
(a) Tabala                 (b) Santoor                 (c) Sitar                 (d) Shehnai

Ans : B

49. Keleucharan Mahapatra was an exponent in

Ans : Odissi

50. Dandiya Ras is a dance form of which state
(a) Kerala                     (b) Bengal                 (c) Gujarat                 (d) Maharashtra

Ans : C

GK bits

A.
Organisations HQ

1.UN New York
2.Int’ l Court of Justice The Hague
3.UNDP,UNICEF New York
4.UNEP Nairobi
5.UNHCR Geneva
6.IAEA,UNIDO Vienna
7.FAO Rome
8.UNESCO,ESRO Paris
9.IMF Paris & Geneva
10.World Bank (IBRD) Washington DC
11.WIPO,WTO Geneva
12.IMO London
13.UPU Berne
14.ICAO Montreal
15.ADB Manila
16.ASEAN Djakarta
17.CARICOM Georgetown (Guyana)
18.CIS Minsk(Belarus)

B. Rivers
Brahmaputra – 2900 km
Indus - 2900 km
Ganga - 2510 km
Godavari – 1450 km
Narmada – 1290 km
Krishna – 1290 km
Mahanadi – 890 km
Kaveri – 760 km

Ranking of rivers on the basis of length and direction (west to east ,north to south etc) is a frequently asked question in UPSC prelims. One should also have a good idea about the important international rivers. Ensemble’s Geography through Maps is a good book to follow even for non-geography optional students.

C. Information on important straits :
1.Gibraltar strait separates Spain and Morocco.
2.Magellan strait separates Chile and Tierra del Fugeo.
3.Bass strait separates Australia and Tasmania.
4.Torres strait separates Australia and Papua New Guinea.
5.Bab-al-Mandab strait separates Yemen and Djibouti.
6.Strait of Hormuz separates Iran and UAE.
7.Strait of Malacca separates Malaysia and Sumatra.
8.Selat-sunda strait separates Sumatra and Java.

One should look up all important straits in Atlas and in fact referring atlas should become an important part of reading newspaper.Whenever and wherever one encounters the name of any place or country that one cannot place geographically ,one must immediately look it up in Atlas and don’t stop there,go a step further by looking up nearby countries,mountain ranges,rivers and also whether any tropic or equator is passing through it.This will make the learning more complete and can very well make make the difference.

D.Random Information
1.Oxalic Acid – used to remove ink spots.
2.Sulphuric Acid – dehydrating agent.
3.Hydrogen Peroxide – bleaching agent.
4.Haber’s Process – Ammonia.
5.Ostwald’s Process – Nitric Acid.
6.Solvay Process – Sodium Carbonate.
7.Parke’s Process – Silver.

E.Research Institutes Locations
1.Potato - Shimla
2.Leather - Chennai
3.Poultry - B’lore
4.Tobacco - Rajamundry
5.Rice - Cuttack
6.Sugarcane - Lucknow
7.Jute - Barrackpore
8.Botanical Survey - Kolkata
9.Dairy Institute - Karnal
10.Dairy Corporation - Anand
11.Coffee - Chikmaglur
12.Tea - Jorhat
13.Bee - Pune
14.Cotton - Thane

F.Winds
1.Haboob - Sudan
2.Harmattan – West Africa
3.Khamsin – North Africa
4.Bora – Adriatic Coast
5.Zonda – Argentina

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• UN chief warns the world 'will not make it' to agreement on climate change (telegraph.co.uk)

Who's Who

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Know more about the personalities holding the highest offices and important positions in Executive, Judiciary and Legislature in the country. View full profile by accessing Official's name and visit their website by accessing the image link.

President of India

Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Vice President of India

Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari

Prime Minister of India

Dr. Manmohan Singh

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Chiefs of Defence Forces

Defence Chiefs

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Rajya Sabha | Search Rajya Sabha Members

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State Legislative Assemblies

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Book Watch

Image via Wikipedia

India: From Midnight to the Millennium is a 1997 nonfiction book written by Shashi Tharoor. In his usual rambling style he covers India from its independence in 1947 until the turn of the millennium.
Along the way he covers diverse topics like caste, Indian democracy, the legacy of Indira Gandhi, the partition of India and India’s transition from a socialist economy to a free market.
"India: From Midnight to the Millennium" is an eloquent argument for the importance of India to the future of the industrialized world. Shashi Tharoor shows compellingly that India stands at the intersection of the most significant questions facing the world at the end of the twentieth century. If democracy leads to inefficient political infighting, should it be sacrificed in the interest of economic well-being? Does religious fundamentaism provide a way for countries in the developing world to assert their identity in the face of western hegemony, or is there a case for pluralism and diversity amid cultural and religious traditions? Does the entry of Western consumer goods threaten a country's economic self-sufficiency, and is protectionism the only guarantee of independence? The answers to such questions will determine what kind of world the next century will bring. And since Indians will soon account for a sixth of the world's population, their choices will have repercussions throughout the globe.
A very catching book narrated in Shashi's smooth style,very attractive book