GS

1. The celebrated Temple of Lord Jagannath now existent at Puri was constructed by the King of Orissa known as
Ans: Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev
2. Atish-e-Chinar is the autobiography account of
Ans: Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah
3. Which is the least corrupt nation of the world?
Ans: Finland
4. The trade related investment measures are related with…
Ans: GATT
5. This personality became the first Prime Minister of Indian Origin in Trinidad and Tobago’s. Can you name the person?
Ans: Basdeo Pandey
6. Seven sisters in business history relates to…
Ans: Major oil companies of USA
7. Rockefeller family created their fortune in…
Ans: Oil industry
8. Nobel Prize in physiology for 2003 was awarded for
Ans: MRI related work
9. Fresco ceiling of Sistine Chapel was painted by…
Ans: Michelangelo
10. What was world’s first synthetic drug made by a German scientist?
Ans: Acetylsalicylic acid
11. The largest single grass root refinery is owned by…
Ans: Reliance Industries
12. Winner of PGA Championship receives…
Ans: Wanamaker Trophy
13. Who declares the companies as sick?
Ans: BIFR
14. Hutchison Whampao is headquartered at
Ans: Hong Kong
15. Which company failed in hostile takeover attempt of Indal?
Ans: Sterlite Industries
16. The name of the company that owns EVA trademark is…
Ans: Stern Stewart & Co
17. Pohang Iron & Steel Company hails from…
Ans: South Korea
18. The concept of Kanban was pioneered in…
Ans: Toyota
19. Which award is given for Agricultural research?
Ans: Borlaug Award
20. Who presided over Ranbaxy Laboratories from the period 1970-1980?
Ans: Dr. Parvinder Singh
21. Economic model that provided way for the Five year plans in India was given by
Ans: P.C. Mahalonobis
22. Latest Booker Prize winning book by Allan Hollinghurst was…
Ans: The Line of Beauty

1. Brickfielder, Khamsin and Harmattan are the examples of…
a. hot winds
b. cold winds
c. trade winds
d. planetary winds
2. The world-famous Khajuraho temples were built by the rulers of…
a. Gupta dynasty
b. Chandela dynasty
c. Pallava dynasty
d. Chola dynasty
3. The world’s first Earth Summit took place in the year…
a. 1988
b. 1990
c. 1992
d. 1994
4. Dilli Chalo is the famous call that you would associate with …
a. Lal Bahadur Shastri
b. Acharya Binoba Bhave
c. Subhash Chandra Bose
d. Bhagat Singh
5. World Consumer Day is celebrated throughout the world on …
a. February 22
b. March 15
c. April 8
d. May 11
6. The freezing point of water is …
a. Zero K
b. 273.15 K
c. 313.16 K
d. 474.15 K
7. Which country’s constitution is the source of the Fundamental Rights of the Constitution of India?
a. The UK
b. Ireland
c. The US
d. Former Soviet Union
8. According to the latest census 2001, this state is the least populous state of India. Can you identify the name of the state from the given options?
a. Goa
b. Arunachal Pradesh
c. Sikkim
d. Manipur
9. Which of the following is the smallest country of the world?
a. Tuvalu
b. Vatican
c. Nauru
d. Kuwait
10. The layer nearest to the earth’s atmosphere is …
a. Mesosphere
b. Ionosphere
c. Troposphere
d. Stratosphere
11. Zulu is the name of the tribe that belongs to …
a. Australia
b. New Zealand
c. South Africa
d. Indonesia
12. A normal human being has … chromosomes in all.
a. 42
b. 44
c. 46
d. 48
13. Utigard, Ribbon and Roraima are the names of the famous…
a. Volcanos
b. Waterfalls
c. Mountains
d. Lakes
14. Ain-e-Akbari, that gives the account of Akbar’s reign, was written by…
a. Amir Khusro
b. Firdausi
c. Abul Fazal
d. Badauni
15. This Indian state is the largest producer of rubber. Identify it from the given options.
a. Karnataka
b. Kerala
c. Tamil Nadu
d. Andhra Pradesh
16. ‘Bogey’ and ‘Fore’ are the terms that you would associate with
a. Chess
b. Snooker
c. Golf
d. Billiards
17. Khadar and Bhangar are the two types of…
a. Black Soil
b. Alluvial Soil
c. Red Soil
d. Laterite Soil
18. The first person to walk in Space was …
a. Neil Armstrong
b. Yuri Gagarin
c. AA Leonov
d. Edwin Eldrin
19. Where would you find Buland Jarwaza - the highest gateway in India?
a. Bihar
b. Punjab
c. Uttar Pradesh
d. Madhya Pradesh
20. ‘Gambit’ is a term that you would associate with…
a. Hockey
b. Cricket
c. Chess
d. Football
21. Indica is the name of a famous work of …
a. AO Hume
b. Megasthenese
c. Thomas Roe
d. None of these
22. She is the first lady President of the world. Can you identify her from the given options?
a. Srimavo Bandaranaike
b. Barbara C. Harris
c. Maria Estella Peron
d. Junko Taibei
23. The main source of Indian phiosophy is contained within the …
a. Vedas
b. Brahmanas
c. Puranas
d. Upanishads
24. Discovery of India is a famous book written by …
a. Mahatma Gandhi
b. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
c. Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad
d. Dr. Rajendra Prasad
25. The largest Hindu complex outside India, Angkor Vat in Cambodia, is dedicated to …
a. Lord Shiva
b. Lord Brahma
c. Lord Vishnu
d. Lord Rama

ANSWER KEY :
1. a. Hot winds
2. b. Chandela dynasty
3. c. 1992
4. c. Subhash Chandra Bose
5. b. March 15
6. b. 273.15K
7. c. The US
8. c. Sikkim
9. b. Vatican
10. c. Troposphere
11. c. South Africa
12. c. 46
13. b. waterfalls
14. c. Abul Fazal
15. b. Kerala
16. c. Golf
17. b. Alluvial Soil
18. c. AA leonov
19. c. Uttar Pradesh
20. c. Chess
21. b. Megasthenese
22. c. Maria estate Peron
23. d. Upanishads
24. b. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
25. c. Lord Vishnu












1. The moon is about… the size of the earth.
a. 1/2th
b. 1/4th
c. 1/6th
d. 1/8th
2. Illiad is a famous creation of…
a. Russel Brines
b. Homer
c. HG Wells
d. Walter Scott
3. This US president is associated with the abolition of slavery. Identify him from the given options.
a. George Washington
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Franklin D Roosevelt
d. Richard Nixon
4. Which of the following is a viral disease?
a. Diphtheria
b. Plague
c. Yellow fever
d. Kala Azar
5. Poorna Swaraj as the goal of the Indian National movement was declared at …
a. Lucknow session of INC
b. Lahore session of INC
c. Surat session of INC
d. None of these
6. Which of the following rights issued by the court means a ‘command’?
a. Habeas Corpus
b. Certiorari
c. Quo Warranto
d. Mandamus
7. This famous Indian freedom fighter established the newspaper titled Young India. Identify him from the given options.
a. MK Gandhi
b. Lala Lajpat Rai
c. GK Gokhale
d. BG Tilak
8. Which of the following represents the year in which the Planning Commission of India was set up?
a. 1949
b. 1950
c. 1952
d. 1955
9. Which of the following schedules of the Constitution of India deals with the Union list, State list and Concurrent list?
a. Fourth Schedule
b. Fifth Schedule
c. Sixth Schedule
d. Seventh Schedule
10. The Khalsa sect was founded by…
a. Guru Nanak Dev
b. Guru Arjan Dev
c. Guru Teg Bahadur
d. Guru Gobind Singh
11. Where did Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment?
a. Sarnath
b. Gaya
c. Sanchi
d. None of these
12. How many members are appointed by the President of India to the Parliament?
a. 2
b. 10
c. 12
d. 14
13. Affluent Society is work of…
a. JM Keyens
b. David Ricardo
c. Adam Smith
d. JK Galbraith
14. This personality was the first chief election commissioner of India. Can you identify him from the given options?
a. KVK Sundaram
b. Sukumar Sen
c. SP Sen Verma
d. SL Shakdhar
15. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries is headquartered at …
a. Caracas
b. Vienna
c. Abu Dhabi
d. Baghdad
16. The National anthem of India was sing for the first time at the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress in the year …
a. 1906
b. 1909
c. 1911
d. 1913
17. Which of the following is the major component of bio-gas?
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Methane
c. Hydrogen
d. Carbon Monoxide
18. Where would you find Kaiga Power Project in India?
a. Orissa
b. Maharashtra
c. Karnataka
d. Gujarat
19. According to the Census of India 2001, which of the following is incorrect?
a. Literacy rate of India is 65.38 per cent
b. The state highest sex ratio is Kerala.
c. The most densely populated state is West Bengal.
d. The sex ratio is 927 females per thousand males in India.
20. Identify the kharif crop from the given options.
a. Peas
b. Rapeseed
c. Mustard
d. Bajra
21. The first silent feature film of India was…
a. Alam Ara
b. Raja Harishchandra
c. Bhagya Chakra
d.Sant Tukaram
22. This element is used in the process of vulcanisation of rubber, in which rubber is heated with this element to make it hard. Can you identify the name of the element from the given options?
a. Lead
b. Sulphur
c. Potassium
d. Copper
23. If a person weighs 100kg on earth then his weight on moon will be …
a. 12.5 kg
b. 16.6 kg
c. 20.5 kg
d. 25.5 kg
24. Organisation for Economic Cooperation 8′ Development (DE CD) is headquartered at …
a. Geneva
b. Paris
c. The Hague
d. Vienna
25. Magyars are the inhabitants of
a. Poland
b. New Zealand
c. Hungary
d. Tanzania
ANSWERS:
1. b. 1/4th
2. b. Homer
3. b. Abraham Lincoln
4. c. Yellow fever
5. b. Lahore session of INC
6. d. Mandamus
7. b. Lala Lajpat Rai
8. b. 1950
9. d. Seventh Schedule
10. d. Guru Gobind Singh
11. b. Gaya
12. d. 14
13. d. JK Galbraith
14. b Sukumar Sen
15. b. Vienna
16. c. 1911
17. b. Methane
18. c. Karnataka
19. d. The sex is 927 females per thousand males in India (it’s 933)’
20. d. Bajra
21. b. Raja Harishchandra
22. b. sulphur
23. b. 16.6 kg
24. b. Paris
25. c. Hungary

.1 The twinkling of stars is due to the phenomenon of….
a. Reflection
b. Refraction
c. Diffraction
d. Scattering
2. Which of the following articles envisages the provision of Finance Commission of India?
a. Article 260
b. Article 280
c. Article 285
d. Article 290
3. Who wrote Sidhanta Shiromani?
a. Bhaskara - 1
b. Aryabhatta
c. Bhaskaracharya
d. Adi Shankaracharya
4. How many Indian states have bicameral legislatures?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 5
d. 6
5. Ibn Batuta visited India during the reign of . . .
a. Qutub-ud-din Aibak
b. Mohammad Ghouri
c. Mohammad - bin - Tughlaq
d. Mahmoud Ghaznavi
6. Which of the following personalities was elected as the President of India unopposed?
a. Rajendra Prasad
b. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
c. Gyani Jail Singh
d. Zakir Hussain
7. Which of the following represents the number of languages that are now entertained by the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India?
a. 18
b. 20
c. 22
d. 24
8. Flemish is a term used to describe the inhabitants of …
a. Australia
b. The UK
c. Belgium
d. Italy
9. ‘Satyamev Jayate’, integral part of our national emblem, has been taken from…
a. Bhagavat Gita
b. Kathopanishada
c. Munadaka Upanishada
d. Matsya Purana
10. Which chemical is cloud seeding?
a. Potassium Chloride
b. Silver Iodide
c. Calcium Sulphate
d. Zinc Sulphide
11. Which of the following is NOT a bacterial disease?
a. Pneumonia
b. Tetanus
c. Cholera
d. Yellow fever
12. Which animal is NOT a part of the National emblem of India?
a. Lion
b. Horse
c. Bull
d. Camel
13. Limonite and Siderite are the ores of…
a. Magnesium
b. Iron
c. Aluminum
d. Lead
14. Name the first woman deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India.
a. Chokila Aiyar
b. KJ Udeshi
c. Kanchan Choudhary
d. Neera Yadav
15. Which of the following is NOT the Constitutional commission?
a. Finance Commission
b. Election Commission
c. Planning Commission
d. Public Service Commission
16. Herring pond is the sobriquet used for…
a. Pacific Ocean
b. Arctic Ocean
c. Atlantic Ocean
d. Indian Ocean
17. The capital of Norway is …
a. Warsaw
b. Madrid
c. Oslo
d. Vienna
18. Diego Garcia is the …
a. Arctic Ocean
b. Pacific Ocean
c. Atlantic Ocean
d. Indian Ocean
19. Uttar Ramacharita is a famous work of …
a. Patanjali
b. Ved Vyas
c. Tulsidas
d. Bhavbhuti
20. Which of the following is a source of citric acid?
a. Milk
b. Tea
c. Lemon
d. Coffee
21. This Indian king is also known as the ‘Napoleon of India’. Can you identify the name of the king from the given options?
a. Chandragupta- II
b. Ashok
c. Harshavardhana
d. Samudragupta
22. Which of the following is the chemical name of baking soda?
a. Sodium Carbonate
b. Sodium Bicarbonate
c. Sodium Hydroxide
d. Sodium Peroxide
23. This great personality is also known as the ‘Man of Destiny’. Identify him from the given options.
a. Adolf Hitler
b. Napoleon Bonaparte
c. George Washington
d. Joseph Stalin
24. This Veda deals with medicine and it contains descriptions of gold smithy, black smithy and organized agriculture. We are talking about…
a. Rig Veda
b. Sam Veda
c. Yajur Veda
d. Atharva Veda
25. International Court of Justice is headquartered at…
a. Paris
b. The Hague
c. Viennad
d. New York
ANSWERS:
1. b. Refraction
2. b. Article 280
3. c. Bhaskaracharya
4. c. 5
5. c. Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq
6. b. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
7. c. 22
8. c. Belgium
9. c. Mundaka Upanishada
10. b. Silver Iodide
11. d. Yellow fever
12. d. Camel
13. b. Iron
14. b. KJ Udeshi
15. c. Planning Commission
16. c. Atlantic ocean
17. c. Oslo
18. d. Indian Ocean
19. d. Bhavbhuti
20. c. lemon
21. d. Samudragupta
22. b. Sodium Bicarbonate
23. b. Napoleon Bonaparte
24. d. Atharva Veda
25. b. The Hague


1. Which was the first animal tamed by human being?
Ans: Dog
2. The Planning Commission was constituted in…
Ans: 1950
3. What is the age of earth?
Ans: 4.55 billion years
4. How much time did it took to draft Constitution of India?
Ans: Two years, Eleven months and Eighteen days
5. Imposing President’s rule in case of emergency is given in which article of the Constitution?
Ans: Article 356
6. On what basis is the poverty line ascertained?
Ans: The calorie in take by the people of the country
7. ‘Synecology’ is the study of…
Ans: Ecological interrelationships among communities of organisms.
8. Who is the author of Selling the Dream?
Ans: Guy Kawasaki
9. Why did Mumbai’s dabbawalas become world famous?
Ans: The Mumbai’s dabbawalas came into limelight because of their efficient management systems. Forbes recognized their efforts and conducted a quality assurance study and finally gave them Six Sigma rating.
10. Which is the world’s largest flower?
Ans: Rafflesia
11. ‘Isoprene’ is also known as…
Ans: Natural rubber
12. Which is the lightest metal?
Ans: The lightest metal known is Lithium.
13. What is cinnabar?
Ans: Its an ore of mercury.
14. Myopia (short sightedness) is a condition associated with…
Ans: Eyes
15. FERA has been replaced by…
Ans: FEMA
1. Who is the present Governor of RBI?
Ans: Y.V. Reddy
2. Which of the following companies has recently acquired Flag telecom, USA?
Ans: Reliance Infocomm
3. Who is Chairman of the Planning Commission of India?
Ans: Dr. Manmohan Singh
4. Who is the Chairman of Wipro Industries?
Ans: Azim H. Premji
5. What was the venue of the last ASEAN meeting?
Ans: Vientiane in Laos in November 2004
6. Where is the headquarters of the European Union?
Ans: Brussels
7. Sunil Bharti Mittal is the CMD of…
Ans: Bharti Enterprises
8. VSNL has recently acquired TYCO which belongs to
Ans: USA
9. The automobile giant Hyundai hails from
Ans: South Korea
10. Ratan Tata Commission is meant for
Ans: Investment
11. What was the focus of the Ninth Five-year plan?
Ans: Agriculture and rural development along with employment generation and poverty eradication.
12. What was the duration for India’s Tenth Five-year plan?
Ans: From 2002-07
13. Microsoft has recently established its largest development centre in which of the following city?
Ans: Hyderabad
14. Rupee is not a currency of…
Ans: Bangladesh
15. The term sweated labour means
Ans: Underpaid, cheap labour
16. The term ‘disguised employment’ is found mainly in
Ans: Agricultural sector
17. The defunct Dabhol Power Plant is located in…
Ans: Maharashtra

1. Mat expands to…
a: Medium Advisory Tax
b. Minimum Accounted Tax
c. Minimum Automated Tax
d. Minimum Alternate Tax
2. This company was i.n the news in march 2005 as ‘U’ was planned to be its new logo. Can you identify the name of the company from the given options?
a. P&G
b. HLL
c. Nestle
d. Dabur
3. What is the expected GDP growth rate in 2005-2006, according to the Union Budget 2005-2006?
a. 6 per cent
b. 6.1 per cent
c. 6.3 per cent
d. 6.9 per cent
4. Identify the indirect tax from the given options.
a. Wealth Tax
b. Gift Tax
c. Sales Tax
d. Corporation Tax
5. Which of the following represents the expansion of ‘R’ in RFID?
a. Regional
b. Radio
c. Recorded
d. Reliance
6. This bank, in collaboration with NGOs, launched the ’social card’ for those people who want to contribute to the welfare of the society but either do not have time to do so or do not know which cause they would like to support. Can you identify the name of the bank in question from the given options?
a. Canara Bank
b. SBI
c. Punjab National Bank
d. Bank of India
7. Kishore Biyani, who is considered India’s largest retailer owns….
a. Shoppers Stop
b. Pantaloon
c. West Side
d. RPG Enterprises
8. The year in which the World Bank was incorporated in the UN system was….
a. 1994
b. 1946
c. 1947
d. 1949
9. The United Nations named the year 2005 as…
a. Year of savings
b. Year of investments
c. Year of micro finance
d. Year of macro finance
10. The name of the Air India’s budget airline, that was launched in April 2005, is …
a. Air l.ndia Aviator
b. Air India Express
c. Air India Smarty
d. Air India Genie
11. Which of the following represents the expansion of ‘T’ in ‘TIN’?
a. Trade
b. Tax
c. Transmission
d. Total
12. Which of the following personalities is the author ofJeh: A Life of JRD Tata?
a. RM Lala
b. BK Dadabhoy
c. Dwijendra Tripathi
d. BK Karanjia
13. Which of the following represents the worth of the deal in which Adhikari brothers sold the SAB TV brand to the Sony TV in March 2005?
a. $7 million
b. $10 million
c. $13 million
d. $15 million
14. Which city hosted the G-20 meet in the third week of March 2005?
a. Lahore
b. Sau Paulo
c. New Delhi
d. Phuket
15. Identify the incorrect match. Automobile company Car Model
a. Fiat Automobiles Panda
b. Skoda Automobiles Fabia
c. Honda Automobiles Civic
d. All of them are matched properly
16. This personality was the FORBES Asian Businessman of the year 2004. Can you identify him from the given options?
a. Ratan Tata
b. Anil Ambani
c. KV Kamath
d. Nusli Wadia
17. According to a survey conducted by Hewitt Associates, which of the following companies was adjudged as the best employer of 2004?
a. P & G India
b. NTPC
c. Bharti Televentures
d.TCS
18. Awaz is the Hindi business news channel that belongs to the stable of …
a. NDTV
b. CNBC TV 18
c. Zee News
d. Sony TV
19. ‘Make your own road’ is the catchphrase that you would associate with….
a. Chevrolet Tavera
b. Tata Safari
c. Tata Sumo
d. Ford Endeavor
20. The maximum revenue to the government comes from….
a. Service tax
b. Custom duty
c. Excise duty
d. Income tax
Answer key:
1. d. Minimum Alternate Tax
2.b.HLL
3. d. 6.9 per cent
4. c. Sales Tax
5. b. Radio (RFID: RadioFrequency. Identification)
6. b. SBI
7. b. Pantaloon
8. c.1947
9. c. Year of micro finance
10. b. Air India Express
11. b. Tax(TaxlnformationNetwork)
12. b. BK Dadabhoy
13. c. $13 million
14. c. New Delhi
15. d. All of them are matched properly
16. a. Ratan Tata
17. d. TCS
18. b. CNBC TV 18
19. b. Tata Safari
20. c.. Excise Duty











1. PIN code started in India in the year….
a. 1962
b. 1964
c. 1968
d. 1972
2. You would associate the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with.
a. Subramaniam Bharti
b. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya
c. Jawaharlal Nehru
d. Gobind Vallabh Pant
3. Who presides the Lok Sabha?
a. Prime Minister
b. President
c. Vice President
d. Speaker
4. Who discovered Aspirin?
a. Alexander Fleming
b. Felix Hoffmann
c. Robert Koch
d. Joseph Lister
5. Which of the following is NOT one of the sacred texts of Buddhism called Tripitakas?
a. Suttapitaka
b. Vinayapitaka
c. Dharmapitaka
d. Gyanapitaka
6. Which of the following Indian states has the lowest sex ratio {number of females per thousand males}?
a. West Bengal
b. Haryana
c. Punjab
d. Uttar Pradesh
7. Which of the following is the oldest printed book of the world?
a. The Gutenberg Bible
b. Hiraka Sutra
c. Les Hommes de bonne Volante
d. Old King Cole
8. This personality was the first Indian to receive the Magsaysay Award in the year 1958. Can you name him from the given options?
a. CD Deshmukh
b. Mother Teresa
c. Acharya Binoba Bhave
d. Jaya Prakash Narayan
9. Who is known as the father of Geometry?
a. Pythagoras
b. Euclid
c. Euler
d. None of these
10. Rovers cup is associated with …
a. Hockey
b. Football
c. Cricket
d. Golf
11. This Indian state is the least densely populated state. Name it from the given options.
a. Sikkim
b. Arunachal Pradesh
c. Assam
d. Manipur
12. What is the approximate age of the earth?
a. 3.8 billion years
b. 4.2 billion years
c. 4.6 billion years
d. 4.8 billion years
13. Which Indian state was the first one to implement the Panchayati Raj in the whole state?
a. Uttar Pradesh
b. Bihar
c. Rajasthan
d. Gujarat
14. This personality is NOT the winner of Nobel Prize.
a. Kofi Annanb
b. Mother Teresac
c. VS Naipaul
d. Richard Nixon
15. The largest state of India (in terms of area) is…
a. Uttar Pradesh
b. Rajasthan
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Maharashtra
16. The line of equator does no pass through…
a. Kenya
b. Somalia
c. Uganda
d. Egypt
17. National Institute of Oceanography is based in …
a. Mumbai
b. Chennai
c. Panaji
d. Kochi
18. Poverty and Un-British Rule in India is a famous work of …
a. Dada Bhai Naoroji
b. Mahatma Gandhi
c. AO Hume
d. BG Tilak
19. The first ancient Olympic games took place in the year
a. 476 BC
b. 576 BC
c. 676 BC
d. 776 BC
20. When one crosses the International Date Line from west to east, then the date is said to be set back by…
a. one hour
b. twelve hours
c. one day
d. None of these
21. Equinoxes occur when
a. the days are longer than the nights
b. the nights are longer than the days
c. the nights and days are equal in length
d. the difference between the length of nights and days is the highest
22. Which of the following is NOT a permanent member of United Nation’s Security Council?
a. Russia
b. China
c. France
d. Germany
23. You would associate the theory of ‘Laissez Faire’ with …
a. JK Galbraith
b. JM Keynes
c. Adam Smith
d. David Ricardo
24. Wealth of Nations is authored by….
a. Adam Smith
b. JK Galbraith
c. JM Keynes
d. None of these
25. This personality is considered, as the political guru of Mahatma Gandhi. Can you identify him from the given options?
a. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
b. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
c. Dadabhai Naoroji
d. Mahadev Gobind Ranande
ANSWERS:
1. d. 1972
2. b. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya
3. d. Speaker
4. b. Felix Hoffman
5. d. Gyanapitaka
6. b. Haryana
7. b. Hiraka Sutra
8. c. Acharya Binoba Bhave
9. b. Euclid
10. b. Football
11. b. Arunachal Pradesh
12. c. 4.6 billion years
13. c. Rajasthan
14. d. Richard Nixon
15. b. Rajasthan
16. d. Egypt
17. c. Panaji
18. a. Dada Bhai Naoroji
19. d. 776 BC
20. c. one day
21. c. the nights and days are equal in length
22. d. Germany
23. c. Adam Smith
24. a. Adam Smith
25. b. Gopal Krishna Gokhale



1. What is project Swashakti?
Ans: Swashakti is a project for rural women’s development and empowerment.
2. What is the meaning of the Blue Box term related with WTO?
Ans: In WTO terminology, subsidies in general are identified by boxes.
Any support that would normally be in the amber box, is placed in the blue box
3. Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan was associated with
Ans: Total Revolution
4. What is project Gyandoot?
Ans: The goal of this project is to establish community-owned, technologically innovative and sustainable information kiosks in a poverty-stricken, tribal dominated rural area.
5. What do you understand Bhoomi?
Ans: This was the name of the project meant for the computerization of land records of Karnataka.
6. What is the aim of the Public Distribution System (PDS)?
Ans: Ensuring availability of food grains to the public at affordable prices as well as for enhancing the food security for the poor.
7. Co-operative movement in which sector of the Indian Economy has been highly successful?
Ans: Milk production
8. Inflationary Pressure on the Economy means…
Ans: It means inflation is high in the economy.
9. What will be the effect of introduction of Kullahars, Khadi and Sampark Kranti Express etc. on the rural economy?
Ans: It will promote the rural domestic industries thereby increasing the employment generation in the rural sector and hence leading to the growth of the Indian economy in general.
10. What is the contribution of the agriculture sector in the GDP of the Indian Economy?
Ans: 10: 21%
11. What is rain fed farming?
Ans: ‘Rainfed farming’, is defined as growing crops under conditions of natural rainfall.
12. Inflation is measured in terms of…
Ans: Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
13. What are the uses of the interlinking of the rivers?
Ans: 13: It addressed the twin problems of monsoon floods and water scarcity.
14. What is National Bamboo Mission?
Ans: The National Mission has been structured to address critical areas of bamboo development covering - research, development, post-harvest management, product development and marketing by adopting a mission mode approach.
15. What is the chemical used for the cloud seeding?
Ans: Silver Iodide
16. What is the name of the first Genetically Modified crop that was given permission to be grown in India?
Ans: Bt Cotton
17. The National Commission of Women was constituted in…
Ans: 1992
18. What is micro finance?
Ans: Small loans that help poor people to start or expand their small businesses.
19. What is NPA?
Ans: NPA is defined as Non Performing Assets
20. What is the purpose of launching the Indira Awas Yojana?
Ans: The project was started to help construction of dwelling units for members of Scheduled Castes and also Non-Scheduled Castes rural poor living below the poverty line.
1. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was elected as
(a) 13th President of India
(b) 12th President of India
(c) 11th President of India
(d) 10th President of India.
2. Who among the following administers the oath of the office to Chief Justice of Supreme Court
(a) Constitutional Bench of Supreme Court
(b) Preceding Chief Justice of Supreme Court
(c) President of India
(d) President with two sitting judges of Supreme Court.
3. The first-ever conviction of death sentence under section 3, sub-section (2) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) and under section 302 of IPC were awarded for offence of
(a) attack on Parliament of India
(b) terrorists attack in State of Gujarat
(c) terrorists attack in State of Assam
(d) terrorists attack on Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.
4. “East Timor” gains independence in 2002 from
(a) Indonesia
(b) Brazil
(c) Nyzeria
(d) Malaysia.
5. World Earth Summit was held in September 2002 at
(a) Johannesburg
(b) London
(c) New York
(d) Hague.
6. The second most popular song of the world as voted in a poll by BBC world service is:
(a) Vande Mataram
(b) Irish Republican anthem
(c) John Lenvovis Imagine
(d) Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
7. Dhirubhai Ambani was the founder of:
(a) Reliance Industries
(b) Tata Industries
(c) Birla Group of Industries
(d) Mafatlal Group of Industries.
8. Mr. Narendra Modi led BJP secured 126 seats in
(a) 182 member Assembly in Gujarat
(b) 172 member Assembly in Gujarat
(c) 192 member Assembly in Gujarat
(d) 162 member Assembly in Gujarat.
9. NDC in relation to 10th Five Year plan 2002-2007 abbreviates for
(a) National Defence Council
(b) National Development Council
(c) National Drugs Commission
(d) National Dis-investment Commission.
10. Lt. Gen. N.C. Vij took over as
(a) Chief of Navy
(b) Chief of Air Force
(c) Chief of Army
(d) Chief of both Army and Navy.
11. European Union Emerges as the Largest Market of the World on 13th December 2002 because:
(a) ten new countries joined
(b) twenty new countries joined
(c) fifteen new countries joined
(d) twelve new countries joined.
12. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which proved the Stock Market Scam was headed by Mr. Prakash Mani Tripathi. The report was
(a) constituted in April 2001 presented in December 2002
(b) constituted in April 2002 presented in December 2002
(c) constituted in August 2002 presented in December 2002
(d) constituted in October 2002 presented in December 2002.
13. First human clone was born on
(a) 26th December 2002
(b) 27th November 2002
(c) 22nd November 2002
(d) 21st December 2002.
14. The present Solicitor General of India
(a) Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee
(b) Mr. Kirit N. Raval
(c) Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi
(d) Mr. G.B. Pattnaik.
15. Justice V.N. Khare who became the 33rd Chief Justice of Supreme Court succeeded
(a) Justice G.B. Pattnaik
(b) Justice B.N. Kirpal
(c) Justice S.P. Barucha
(d) Justice J.S. Verma.

Answers
1 (b)
2 (c)
3 (a)
4 (a)
5 (a)
6 (a)
7 (a)
8 (a)
9 (b)
10 (c)
11 (a)
12 (a)
13 (a)
14 (b)
15( a)

1. In the first test of the semester, kiran scored 60. In the last test of the semester, kiran scored 75%. By what percent did kiran’s score improve?
Ans: 25%
Sol. In first test kiran got 60
In last test he got 75.
% increase in test ( 60(x+100))/100=75
0.6X+60=75
0.6X=15
X=15/0.6=25%
—————————————–
2. Randy’s chain of used car dealership sold 16,400 cars in 1998. If the chain sold 15,744 cars in 1999, by what percent did the number of cars sold decrease?
Ans: 4%
Sol. Let percentage of decrease is x , then 16400(100-x)/100=15744
16400-15744=164x
x=656/164=4%
—————————————–
3. A radio when sold at a certain price gives a gain of 20%. What will be the gain percent, if sold for thrice the price?
A) 260%
B) 150%
C) 100%
D) 50%
E) None of these
Ans: 260%
Sol. Let x be original cost of the radio.
The solding price = (100+20)x=120x
If , it is sold for thrice the price ,then 3*120x=360x
So, gain percent is (360-100)=260%.
—————————————–
4. The boys and girls in a college are in the ratio 3:2. If 20% of the boys and 25% of the girls are adults, the percentage of students who are not adults is:??
Ans.78%
Sol: Suppose boys = 3x and girls = 2x
Not adults = (80*3x/100) + (75*2x/100) = 39x/10
Required percentage = (39x/10)*(1/5x)*100 = 78%
—————————————–
5. 5/9 part of the population in a village are males. If 30% of the males are married, the percentage of unmarried females in the total population is:
Ans: (250/9)%
Sol: Let the population =x Males=(5/9)x
Married males = 30% of (5/9)x = x/6
Married females = x/6
Total females = (x-(5/9)x)=4x/9
Unmarried females = (4x/9 – x/6) = 5x/18
Required percentage = (5x/18 * 1/x * 100) = (250/9)%
—————————————–
6. A man sells an article at a profit of 25%. If he had bought it at 20 % less and sold it for Rs.10.50 less, he would have gained 30%. Find the cost price of the article?
Ans. Rs. 50.
Sol: Let the C.P be Rs.x.
1st S.P =125% of Rs.x.= 125*x/100= 5x/4.
2nd C.P=80% of x. = 80x/100 =4x/5.
2nd S.P =130% of 4x/5. = (130/100* 4x/5) = 26x/25.
Therefore, 5x/4-26x/25 = 10.50 or x = 10.50*100/21=50.
Hence, C.P = Rs. 50.
—————————————–
7. A candidate who gets 20% marks fails by 10 marks but another candidate who gets 42% marks gets 12% more than the passing marks. Find the maximum marks.
Solution:
Let the maximum marks be x.
From the given statement pass percentage is 42% - 12% = 30%
By hypothesis, 30% of x – 20% of x = 10 (marks)
i.e., 10% of x = 10
Therefore, x = 100 marks.
—————————————–
8. In an election contested by two parties, Party D secured 12% of the total votes more than Party R. If party R got 132,000 votes, by how many votes did it lose the election?
Solution:
Let the percentage of the total votes secured by Party D be x%
Then the percentage of total votes secured by Party R = (x – 12)%
As there are only two parties contesting in the election, the sum total of the votes secured by the two parties should total up to 100% i.e., x + x – 12 = 100
2x – 12 = 100 or 2x = 112 or x = 56%.
If Party D got 56% of the votes, then Party got (56 – 12) = 44% of the total votes.
44% of the total votes = 132,000
i.e.T = 300,000 votes.
The margin by which Party R lost the election = 12% of the total votes = 12% of 300,000 = 36,000.
—————————————–
9. If the price of petrol increases by 25%, by how much must a user cut down his consumption so that his expenditure on petrol remains constant?
Solution:
Let the price of petrol be Rs.100 per litre. Let the user use 1 litre of petrol. Therefore, his expense on petrol = 100 * 1 = Rs.100
Now, the price of petrol increases by 25%. Therefore, the new price of petrol = Rs.125.
As he has to maintain his expenditure on petrol constant, he will be spending only Rs.100 on petrol.
Let ‘x’ be the number of litres of petrol he will use at the new price.
Therefore, 125*x = 100 => x = 0.8 litres.
He has cut down his petrol consumption by 0.2 litres = = 20% reduction.
**There is a short cut for solving this problem.
If the price of petrol has increased by 25%, it has gone up of its earlier price.
Therefore, the % of reduction in petrol that will maintain the amount of money spent on petrol constant = 20%


1. What is project Swashakti?
Ans: Swashakti is a project for rural women’s development and empowerment.
2. What is the meaning of the Blue Box term related with WTO?
Ans: In WTO terminology, subsidies in general are identified by boxes.
Any support that would normally be in the amber box, is placed in the blue box
3. Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan was associated with
Ans: Total Revolution
4. What is project Gyandoot?
Ans: The goal of this project is to establish community-owned, technologically innovative and sustainable information kiosks in a poverty-stricken, tribal dominated rural area.
5. What do you understand Bhoomi?
Ans: This was the name of the project meant for the computerization of land records of Karnataka.
6. What is the aim of the Public Distribution System (PDS)?
Ans: Ensuring availability of food grains to the public at affordable prices as well as for enhancing the food security for the poor.
7. Co-operative movement in which sector of the Indian Economy has been highly successful?
Ans: Milk production
8. Inflationary Pressure on the Economy means…
Ans: It means inflation is high in the economy.
9. What will be the effect of introduction of Kullahars, Khadi and Sampark Kranti Express etc. on the rural economy?
Ans: It will promote the rural domestic industries thereby increasing the employment generation in the rural sector and hence leading to the growth of the Indian economy in general.
10. What is the contribution of the agriculture sector in the GDP of the Indian Economy?
Ans: 10: 21%
11. What is rain fed farming?
Ans: ‘Rainfed farming’, is defined as growing crops under conditions of natural rainfall.
12. Inflation is measured in terms of…
Ans: Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
13. What are the uses of the interlinking of the rivers?
Ans: 13: It addressed the twin problems of monsoon floods and water scarcity.
14. What is National Bamboo Mission?
Ans: The National Mission has been structured to address critical areas of bamboo development covering - research, development, post-harvest management, product development and marketing by adopting a mission mode approach.
15. What is the chemical used for the cloud seeding?
Ans: Silver Iodide
16. What is the name of the first Genetically Modified crop that was given permission to be grown in India?
Ans: Bt Cotton
17. The National Commission of Women was constituted in…
Ans: 1992
18. What is micro finance?
Ans: Small loans that help poor people to start or expand their small businesses.
19. What is NPA?
Ans: NPA is defined as Non Performing Assets
20. What is the purpose of launching the Indira Awas Yojana?
Ans: The project was started to help construction of dwelling units for members of Scheduled Castes and also Non-Scheduled Castes rural poor living below the poverty line.




















1. Magsaysay Award for public service for the year 2007 is-
(a) Jovito R. Salonga
(b) Mahabir Pun
(c) Kim Sun Tai
(d) Tan xhiyang
Ans (c)
2. M.S. Swaminathan received
(a) Magsaysay award (b) Padma Vibhushan
(c) Padmabhushan award (d) all the above
Ans (d)
3. Arjuna Award was introduced in
(a) 1961 (b) 1969 (c) 1972 (d) 1995
Ans (a) Arjuna award is given to prominent sports persons in India.
4. Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2006 was awarded to -
(a) C. Subramaniam (b) Shabana Azmi
(c) Satish Dhawan (d) Word Health Organisation
Ans (b)
5. Name the film which won Best Picture Oscars Award at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008-
(a) Mystic River (b) Cold Mountain
(c) No Country for Old Men
(d) Departed
Ans (c)
6. U-Tant award is given for:
(a) Contribution to east-west understanding
(b) Community leadership
(c) Social Service
(d) Journalism
Ans (c)
7. Who among the following has been awarded the Sydney peace Prize 2004 for her work in social campaigns and advocacy to non-violence?
(a) Medha Padkar (b) Vandana Shiva
(c) Arundharti Rai (d) Aparna Sen (e) None of these
Ans (c)
8. Which film has won best Feature Film Award in the 53rd National Film Award in the year 2007?
(a) Kaalpurush
(b) Rang De Basanti
(c) Fanna
(d) Don
Ans (a)
9. Doris Lessing , who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, is from -
(a) Iraq
(b) Nigeria
(c) United Kingdom
(d) Libya
Ans (c)
10. Which of the following authors won the Booker Prize for the year 2007 ?
(a) Margaret Atwood
(b) Anne Enright
(c) Graham Swift
(d) Ian Mc EwanAns (b)
11. The Nobel Prize winners for Medicine in 2007 is / are -
(a) Mario Capecchi
(b) Martin Evans
(c) Oliver Smithies
(d) All of the above
Ans (b)
12. The Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Shanta Sinha known as
(a) a campaigner for urban sanitation
(b) an anti-child labour activist
(c) an organiser of rain-water harvesting schemes
(d) an activist for the welfare of poor rural women
Ans (b)
13. The first recipient of Kalinga Prize was
Ans : French physicist Louis de Broglie
14. Kalinga Prize, an International prize is awarded annually for the recognition of outstanding achievement in the interpretation and popularization of
Ans : Science
15. Nehru Award is instituted for
Ans : International understanding and peace
16. The scientist who was conferred with all the three national awards: Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna
Ans : Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
17. The first recipient of Gandhi Peace Prize was
Ans : Dr. Julius N. Nyerera
18. In the following who was not a Miss World
(a) Yuktha Mookhey
(b) Aishwarya Rai
(c) Priyanka Chopra
(d) Sushmita Sen
Ans (d)
19. Oscar Award is associated with
Ans : Cinema
20. The winner of the Jnanapeetam award for the first time
Ans : G. Sankara Kurup
21. Booker prize is given to the field of
Ans : Fiction writing
22. The Nobel Prizes were established by-
Ans : Alfred Bernhard Nobel
23. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in the year
Ans : 1901
24. The first winner of Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology is
Ans : Emil Adolph von Behring (Germany)
25.The first winner of Nobel Prize in Peace is
Ans : Jean Henri Dunant (Switzerland) & Frederic Passy (France)
26. The first winner of Nobel Prize in Literature is
Ans : Sully Prudhomme (France)
27. Nobel Prize award in Economics has been awarded from the year
Ans : 1969
28. The first winner of Nobel Prize in Economic Science is
Ans : Ragnar Frisch (Norway) & Jan Tinbergen (Netherlands)
29. The first winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry is
Ans : Jacobus H. van't Hoff (Netherlands)
30. The first winner of Nobel Prize in Physics is
Ans : Wilhelm C. Roentgen (Germany)
31. The founder of Nobel Prizes, Alfred Nobel belongs the country
Ans : Sweden
32. Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar is given in which field
Ans : Environment
33. Who was the second winner of ‘Jnanapeetam Award’
Ans : Tharasankar Banerjee
34. Rabindranath Tagore was the Nobel prize winner for literature in 1913. Who received the award in 1914
(a) Rudyard Kipling
(c) Bernard Shaw
(c) Romain Rolland
(d) Nobody
Ans (D)
35. The winner of Nobel Prize for literature for 2007 is
Ans : Doris Lessing
36. The winner of Indira Gandhi Peace ,Integration and Disarmament Prize for 2007 is -
Ans : The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
37. Kalinga Prize is awarded by
(a) Indian Government
(b) Orissa Government
(c) SAARC
(d) UNESCO
Ans (d)
38. What is the highest peace time gallantry award in India
(a) Bharat ratna
(b) Param Vir Chakra
(c) Ashok Chakra
(d) Vir Chakra
Ans (c)
39. The highest science award in India
Ans ; S.S. Bhatnagar award
40.Phalke award is given to persons of which field
Ans : Film
41. Arjuna award is given for the excellence in
Ans : Sports
42. Who was the first Indian lady actress to receive the Padma Shri Award
Ans : Nargis Dutt
43. Dada Saheb Phalke award is for the contribution to
Ans : Cinema
44. Who was the first Ramon Magsaysay Award winner from India
Ans : Acharya Vinoba Bhave
45. The first woman to recipient of Bharat Ratna was
Ans : Indira Gandhi
























Major rivers of India
Himalayan rivers
The main Himalayan river systems are the Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra river systems.
The Himalayan rivers form large basins. Many rivers pass through the Himalayas. These deep valleys with steep rock sides were formed by the down - cutting of the river during the period of the Himalayan uplift. They perform intense erosional activity up the streams and carry huge load of sand and silt. In the plains, they form large meanders, and a variety of depositional features like flood plains, river cliffs and levees.
These rivers are perennial as they get water from the rainfall as well as the melting of ice. Nearly all of them create huge plains and are navigable over long distances of their course. These rivers are also harnessed in their upstream catchment area to generate hydroelectricity.
Peninsular rivers
The main peninsular river systems include the Narmada, the Tapi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri and the Mahanadi river systems.
The Peninsular rivers flow through shallow valleys. A large number of them are seasonal as their flow is dependent on rainfall. The intensity of erosional activities is also comparatively low because of the gentler slope. The hard rock bed and lack of silt and sand does not allow any significant meandering. Many rivers therefore have straight and linear courses.
These rivers provide huge opportunities for hydro-electric power.
The Indus River System
The Indus originates in the northern slopes of the Kailash range in Tibet near Lake Manasarovar. It follows a north-westerly course through Tibet. It enters Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir. It forms a picturesque gorge in this part. Several tributaries - the Zaskar, the Shyok, the Nubra and the Hunza join it in the Kashmir region. It flows through the regions of Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit and runs between the Ladakh Range and the Zaskar Range. It crosses the Himalayas through a 5181 m deep gorge near Attock, lying north of the Nanga Parbat and later takes a bend to the south west direction before entering Pakistan. It has a large number of tributaries in both India and Pakistan and has a total length of about 2897 km from the source to the point near Karachi where it falls into the Arabian Sea. The main tributaries of the Indus in India are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
Jhelum
The Jhelum originates in the south-eastern part of Kashmir, in a spring at Verinag. It flows into the Wular Lake, which lies to the north, and then into Baramula. Between Baramula and Muzaffarabad it enters a deep gorge cut by the river in the Pir Panjal range. It has a right bank tributary the Kishanganga which joins it at Muzaffarabad. It follows the Indo-Pakistan border flowing into the plains of Punjab, finally joining the Chenab at Trimmu.
Chenab
The Chenab originates from the confluence of two rivers, the Chandra and the Bhaga, which themselves originate from either side of the Bara Lacha Pass in Lahul. It is also known as the Chandrabhaga in Himachal Pradesh. It runs parallel to the Pir Panjal Range in the north-westerly direction, and cuts through the range near Kishtwar. It enters the plains of Punjab near Akhnur and is later joined by the Jhelum. It is further joined by the Ravi and the Sutlej in Pakistan.
Ravi
The Ravi originates near the Rotang pass in the Kangra Himalayas and follows a north-westerly course. It turns to the south-west, near Dalhousie, and then cuts a gorge in the Dhaola Dhar range entering the Punjab plain near Madhopur. It flows as a part of the Indo-Pakistan border for some distance before entering Pakistan and joining the Chenab river. The total length of the river is about 720 km.
Beas
The Beas originates in Beas Kund, lying near the Rohtang pass. It runs past Manali and Kulu, where its beautiful valley is known as the Kulu valley. It first follows a north-west path from the town of Mandi and later a westerly path, before entering the Punjab plains near Mirthal. It joins the Sutlej river near Harika, after being joined by a few tributaries. The total length of the river is 615 km.
Sutlej
The Sutlej originates from the Rakas Lake, which is connected to the Manasarovar lake by a stream, in Tibet. Its flows in a north-westerly direction and enters Himachal Pradesh at the Shipki Pass, where it is joined by the Spiti river. It cuts deep gorges in the ranges of the Himalayas, and finally enters the Punjab plain after cutting a gorge in a hill range, the Naina Devi Dhar, where the Bhakra Dam having a large reservoir of water, called the Gobind Sagar, has been constructed. It turns west below Rupar and is later joined by the Beas. It enters Pakistan near Sulemanki, and is later joined by the Chenab. It has a total length of almost 1500 km.
The Brahmaputra River System
The Brahmaputra originates in the Mansarovar lake, also the source of the Indus and the Satluj. It is slightly longer than the Indus, but most of its course lies outside India. It flows eastward, parallel to the Himalayas. Reaching Namcha Barwa (7757 m), it takes a U-turn around it and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh and known as dihang. The undercutting done by this river is of the order of 5500 metres. In India, it flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and is joined by several tributaries.
In Tibet, the river is known as the Tsangpo. There, it receives less volume of water and has less silt. But in India, it passes through a region of heavy rainfall and as such, the river carries a large amount of rainfall and considerable amount of silt. The Brahmaputra has a braided channel throughout most of its length in Assam, with a few large islands within the channel.
The shifting of the channels of the river is also very common. The fury of the river during rains is very high. It is known for creating havoc in Assam and Bangladesh. At the same time, quite a few big pockets suffer from drought.
The Narmada River System
The Narmada or Nerbudda is a river in central India. It forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India, and is a total of 1,289 km (801 mi) long. Of the major rivers of peninsular India, only the Narmada, the Tapti and the Mahi run from east to west. It rises on the summit of Amarkantak Hill in Madhya Pradesh state, and for the first 320 kilometres (200 miles) of its course winds among the Mandla Hills, which form the head of the Satpura Range; then at Jabalpur, passing through the 'Marble Rocks', it enters the Narmada Valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, and pursues a direct westerly course to the Gulf of Cambay. Its total length through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat amounts to 1312 kilometres (815 miles), and it empties into the Arabian Sea in the Bharuch district of Gujarat.
The Tapi River System
The Tapi is a river of central India. It is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with the length of around 724 km, and only the Tapi River along with the Narmada river, and the Mahi River run from east to west. It rises in the eastern Satpura Range of southern Madhya Pradesh state, and flows westward, draining Madhya Pradesh's historic Nimar region, Maharashtra's historic Khandesh and east Vidarbha regions in the northwest corner of the Deccan Plateau and South Gujarat before emptying into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea, in the State of Gujarat. The Western Ghats or Sahyadri range starts south of the Tapti River near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The Tapi River Basin lies mostly in northern and eastern districts Maharashtra state viz, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Malegaon, Nashik districts but also covers Betul, Burhanpur districts of Madhya Pradesh and Surat district in Gujarat as well.
The principal tributaries of Tapi River are Purna River, Girna River, Panzara River, Waghur River, Bori River and Aner River.
The Godavari River System
The river with second longest course within India, Godavari is often referred to as the Vriddh (Old) Ganga or the Dakshin (South) Ganga. The name may be apt in more ways than one, as the river follows the course of Ganga's tragedy. The river is about 1,450 km (900 miles) long. It rises at Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik and Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in Maharashtra around 380 km distance from the Arabian Sea, but flows southeast across south-central India through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, and empties into the Bay of Bengal. At Rajahmundry, 80 km from the coast, the river splits into two streams thus forming a very fertile delta. Like any other major rivers in India, the banks of this river also has many pilgrimage sites, Nasik, Triyambak and Bhadrachalam, being the major ones. It is a seasonal river, widened during the monsoons and dried during the summers. Godavari river water is brownish. Some of its tributaries include Indravati River, Pranahita (Combination of Penuganga and Warda), Manjira, Bindusara and Sabari. Some important urban centers on its banks include Nasik, Bhadrachalam, Rajahmundry and Narsapur. The Asia's largest rail-cum-road bridge on the river Godavari linking Kovvur and Rajahmundry is considered to be an engineering feat.
The Krishna River System
The Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India (about 1300 km in length). It originates at Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra, passes through Sangli and meets the sea in the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The traditional source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar.
Its most important tributary is the Tungabhadra River, which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats. Other tributaries include the Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga rivers.as
The Kaveri River System
The Kaveri (also spelled Cauvery or Kavery) is one of the great rivers of India and is considered sacred by the Hindus. This river is also called Dakshin Ganga. The headwaters are in the Western Ghats range of Karnataka state, and from Karnataka through Tamil Nadu. It empties into the Bay of Bengal. Its waters have supported irrigated agriculture for centuries, and the Kaveri has been the lifeblood of the ancient kingdoms and modern cities of South India.
The source of the river is Talakaveri located in the Western Ghats about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. Talakaveri is a famous pligrimage and tourist spot set amidst Bramahagiri Hills near Madikeri in Kodagu district of Karnataka. Thousands of piligrims flock to the temple at the source of the river especially on the specified day known as Tula sankramana when the river water has been witnessed to gush out like a fountain at a predetermined time. It flows generally south and east for around 765 km, emptying into the Bay of Bengal through two principal mouths. Its basin is estimated to be 27,700 square miles (71,700 km²), and it has many tributaries including Shimsha, Hemavati, Arkavathy, Kapila, Honnuhole, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyyal and Famous Amaravati.
The Mahanadi River System
The Mahanadi is a river of eastern India. The Mahanadi rises in the Satpura Range of central India, and flows east to the Bay of Bengal. The Mahanadi drains most of the state of Chhattisgarh and much of Orissa and also Jharkhand and Maharashtra. It has a length of about 860 km.
Near the city of Sambalpur, a large dam - the Hirakud Dam - is built on the river.
Rivers in Mythology
Ganga
The Ganga is personified in Hinduism as a goddess: Maa Ganga (Mother Ganga). Hindu legend makes her the foster-mother of Karttikeya, who was actually a son of Shiva and Parvati. Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar and Varanasi. It is believed that taking a dip in the river will wash away one's sins, and that having one's ashes disposed of in the Ganga after death may greatly improve one's next life or even allow Moksha to be attained sooner. Devout Hindus make pilgrimages to bathe in the Ganga and to meditate on its banks.
According to mythological legend, Brahma collected the sweat of Vishnu's feet and created Ganga. Being touched by two members of the Trimurti, Ganga became very holy.
Several years later, a king named Sagara magically acquired sixty thousand sons. One day, King Sagara performed a ritual of worship for the good of the kingdom. One of the integral parts of the ritual was a horse, which was stolen by the jealous Indra. Sagara sent all his sons all over the earth to search for the horse. They found it in the nether-world (or Underworld) next to a penitent sage Kapila. Believing that the sage had stolen the horse, they hurled insults at him and caused his penance to be disturbed. The sage opened his eyes for the first time in several years, and looked at the sons of Sagara. With this glance, all sixty thousand were burnt to death. The souls of the sons of Sagara wandered as ghosts since their final rites had not been performed. When Bhagiratha, one of the descendants of Sagara, son of Dilip, learnt of this fate, he vowed to bring Ganga down to Earth so that her waters could cleanse their souls and release them to heaven.
"Descent of the Ganga", Relief at MahabalipuramBhagiratha prayed to Brahma that Ganga come down to Earth. Brahma agreed, and he ordered Ganga to go down to the Earth and then on to the nether regions so that the souls of Bhagiratha's ancestors would be able to go to heaven. The vain Ganga felt that this was insulting and decided to sweep the whole earth away as she fell from the heavens. Alarmed, Bhagiratha prayed to Shiva that he break up Ganga's descent.
Ganga arrogantly fell on Shiva's head. But Shiva calmly trapped her in his hair and let her out in small streams. The touch of Shiva further sanctified Ganga. As Ganga travelled to the nether-worlds, she created a different stream to remain on Earth to help purify unfortunate souls there.
Because of Bhagiratha's efforts Ganga descended on to earth and hence the river is also known as Bhagirathi, and the term "Bhagirath prayatna" is used to describe valiant efforts or difficult achievements.
Another name that Ganga is known by is Jahnavi. Story has it that once Ganga came down to earth, on her way to Bhagiratha, her rushing waters created turbulence and destroyed the fields and the sadhana of a sage called Jahnu. He was angered by this and drank up all of Ganga's waters. Upon this, the Gods prayed to Jahnu to release Ganga so that she could proceed on her mission. Pleased with their prayers, Jahnu released Ganga (her waters) from his ears. Hence the name "Jahnavi" (daughter of Jahnu) for Ganga.
Yamuna
According to legend the goddess of the river is the sister of the Hindu god of death, Yama and the daughter of Surya, the Sun god. The river Yamuna is also connected to the mythology surrounding the Hindu god Krishna.
Narmada
In sanctity the Narmada ranks only second to the Ganges among the rivers of India in Hindu religion, and along its whole course are special places of pilgrimage, including Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh. The most meritorious act that a pilgrim can perform is to walk from the sea to the source of the river and back along the opposite bank. This pilgrimage takes from one to two years to accomplish.
The Narmada is closely associated with Lord Shiva. Naturally formed smooth stones called banas, made of cryptocrytalline quartz, are found in Narmada which are known as Shivalingas; the rare and unique markings on them are regarded by shaivaites as very auspicious. The Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, constructed by Rajaraja Chola, has one of the biggest Bana Shivalingas. Adi Shankara met his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada on the banks of river Narmada.
Kaveri
Cauvery seen near ErodeThe Kaveri is known to devout Hindus as Dakshina Ganga, or the Ganges of the south, and the whole of its course is holy ground. According to the legend there was once born upon earth a girl named Vishnumaya or Lopamudra, the daughter of Brahma; but her divine father permitted her to be regarded as the child of a mortal, called Kavera-muni. In order to obtain beatitude for her adoptive father, she resolved to become a river whose waters should purify all sin. Hence it is said that even the holy Ganges resorts underground once in the year to the source of the Cauvery, to purge herself from the pollution contracted from the crowd of sinners who have bathed in her waters