CONTENTS

Section 1 : Quiz Page No. Page No. Quiz 1 3 Quiz 7 9 Quiz 2 4 Quiz 8 10 Quiz 3 5 Quiz 9 11 Quiz 4 6 Quiz 10 12 Quiz 5 7 Quiz 11 13 Quiz 6 8

Section 2 : Topics of General Interest 1. Fascinating Facts about Animals (A) General 14 (B) Strange Sensory Organs 16 (C) Unique Breathing Systems 17 (D) Sensational Sense Organs 17 2. Indian Scientists 19 3. The Sun and its Family 24 4. Glimpses of Ancient India 31 5. Our Continent – Asia 33 6. General Topics 38 7. Word Power and Correct Usages 41 8. Science Quiz 48 9. Fun with Figures 51 10. Intelligence Test 58

Section 3 : Test Papers Test Paper 1 63 Test Paper 2 66 Answers 69

2 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 SECTION 1 : QUIZ

Notes : (1) Test your General Knowledge by attempting the following eleven quizzes. (2) Select the correct answer and write its serial number in the box.

QUIZ 1 (1) Who discovered a preventive treatment for hydrophobia or rabies ? 3 (1) Edward Jenner (2) Robert Koch (3) Louis Pasteur (4) Sir Frederick Grant Banting (2) In which unit is the distance between celestial bodies measured ? (1) metre (2) kilometre (3) mile (4) light year (3) Who wrote ‘Meghdoot’ ? (1) Bharavi (2) Dandin (3) Jayadeva (4) Kalidasa (4) Which of the alternatives is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in the following sentence ? There is abundant supply of water for the crops. (1) considerable (2) plentiful (3) adequate (4) sufficient (5) Which region is known as ‘the roof of the world’ ? (1) Kashmir (2) North Pole (3) Tibet (4) Siberia (6) After which Indian scientist is a crater on the moon named ? (1) Vikram Sarabhai (2) (3) Jagadish Chandra Bose (4) Birbal Sahani (7) At which place did Gautama Buddha give his first discourse after enlightenment ? (1) Sravasti (2) Vaisali (3) Sarnath (4) Kapilavastu (8) Which sportsperson is known as ‘Master Blaster’ ? (1) Sir Donald Bradman (2) Sir (3) Sir Vivian Richards (4)

25 (9) √1 = 1, √25 = 5 and √144 = 12, then what is the value of √1+ 144 ? 5 1 5 (1) 1 (2) 1 (3) 12 12 12 (4) None of the given answers is correct. (10) Replace the question mark with the correct alternative. 123

456 25 ? 21 (1) 42 (2) 94 (3) 49 (4) 9

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 3 QUIZ 2

(1) From which language does the word ‘algebra’ come ? (1) Arabic (2) Persian (3) Latin (4) Greek (2) Which of the alternatives is closest to the opposite in meaning of the underlined word given in the following sentence ? His repulsive behaviour could not be ignored by the members of the jury. (1) lovely (2) mild (3) admirable (4) attractive (3) With which game is the Beighton Cup associated ? (1) hockey (2) football (3) (4) tennis (4) Which is the largest island in the Indian Ocean ? (1) Sri Lanka (2) Madagascar (3) Java (4) Sumatra (5) Which of the alternatives given below should be filled in the blank space?

An employment advertisement should ------the number of vacancies. (1) provide (2) specify (3) contain (4) declare (6) Who was the commanding general of the U.S. armed forces in the Pacific in the year 1944 during the World War II ? (1) Dwight David Eisenhower (2) Bernard Law Montgomery (3) Harold Alexander (4) Douglas MacArthur

(7) Which number should replace 712 the question mark ? 573 (1) 12 (2) 11 (3) 9 (4) 16 7?4

(8) Where can you find the mural shown in the given picture ? (1) Ajanta caves (2) Ellora caves (3) Elephanta caves (4) Karla caves

(9) In which Indian city will you find this monument ? (1) Jaipur (2) Hyderabad (3) New (4)

4 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 QUIZ 3

(1) Who was the first Indian cricketer to score a in each innings of a test match ? (1) (2) (3) (4) (2) In a certain code language, the word MOUSE is represented by 13579. How will the word SUM be coded in this language ? (1) 751 (2) 571 (3) 175 (4) 157 (3) Who was the first astronomer to assume the planet’s orbit to be an ellipse ? (1) Ptolemy (2) Kepler (3) Copernicus (4) Galileo (4) After being defeated by Alexander, which Indian king, when asked how he should be treated, answered : ‘Like a King’ ? (1) Ambhi (2) Dhana Nanda (3) Porus (4) Bimbisara (5) In which continent does the world’s largest desert lie ? (1) Asia (2) Africa (3) Europe (4) Australia (6) Who is known as the ‘Grand Old Man’ of India ? (1) Gandhiji (2) Pandit Motilal Nehru (3) Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya (4) Dadabhai Naoroji (7) Which of the following alternatives conveys nearly the same meaning as the word ‘usual’ ? (1) irregular (2) customary (3) opposite (4) voluminous (8) Find the odd one out. Write its serial number.

(1) (2) (3) (4)

(9) If √ x = 7, find the value of x. 12 (1) 7056 (2) 1008 (3) 8400 (4) 84 (10) Which country borders Malaysia ? (1) Thailand (2) Indonesia (3) Singapore (4) Myanmar (11) Where is the Aravalli range of mountains located ? (1) Madhya Pradesh (2) (3) Rajasthan (4) 5 QUIZ 4

(1) Which country in Europe is not a member of the UN ? (1) Sweden (2) Poland (3) Netherlands (4) Switzerland (2) What does the use of a white cane by a person indicate ? (1) The person is scared of stray dogs (2) The person is deaf (3) The person is blind or partially so (4) The person is illiterate (3) Which of the following stars is nearest to the earth ? (1) Polaris (2) Alpha Centauri (3) Sun (4) Sirius (4) Substitute the underlined part of the sentence with the most suitable alternative. Other countries have eradicated this disease ten years ago. (1) eradicated (2) had eradicated (3) did eradicate (4) have been eradicating (5) From where was this relic excavated ? (1) Mohenjodaro (2) Harappa (3) Egypt (4) Athens

2 (6) 42 × 7 × 9 × = ? 10 (1) 5292 (2) 529.20 (3) 529.0 (4) 52.92 (7) Name the monument shown in the picture. (1) Dilwara Temple – Abu (2) Brihadeeshwar Temple – Thanjavur (3) Lingraj Temple – Bhubaneshwar (4) Meenakshi Temple – Madurai (8) Which alternative conveys the same meaning as the underlined word in the following sentence? The postman wears a khaki uniform. (1) puts on (2) puts out (3) puts in (4) puts off 8 15 5 (9) + ÷ = √ ( 15 8 ) 6 ------(1) 0.017 (2) 1.7 (3) 2.89 (4) 28.9 (10) What was the name of the bow of Arjuna ? (1) Gandiva (2) Devdatta (3) Nandi Ghosh (4) Akshya Tunir

6 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 QUIZ 5

(1) Which bird lays the largest egg ? (1) golden eagle (2) osprey (3) falcon (4) ostrich (2) Who is the comedian shown in this photograph ? (1) Charlie Chaplin (2) Oliver Hardy (3) Kamal Haasan (4) Stan Laurel

(3) With which game is this sportsperson associated ? (1) chess (2) carrom (3) badminton (4) table tennis

Vishwanathan Anand (4) Which bird is the greatest traveller ? (1) the bar-headed goose (2) the peregrine falcon (3) the arctic tern (4) the ostrich (5) With which game is the word ‘cannon’ associated ? (1) chess (2) hockey (3) billiards (4) cricket (6) Select the best alternative to fill in the blank so as to make the sentence meaningful.

The language you speak ------my ears. (1) hurts (2) hurt (3) has hurt (4) had hurt (7) 400 square tiles are fitted in a room. If each side of the tile is halved, how many tiles will be required to be fitted in the room ? (1) 1600 (2) 100 (3) 200 (4) 800 (8) Which is the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere ? (1) 21st March (2) 22nd December (3) 23rd September (4) 21st June (9) In the given grid replace the question mark with the correct alternative. (1) 343 (2) 370 125 27 1 8 343 64 (3) 729 216 ? 512 (4) 800

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 7 QUIZ 6 (1) Who was the first recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award ? (1) Prithviraj Kapoor (2) Sohrab Modi (3) Devika Rani (4) Nargis (2) Which kind of snake gives birth to young ones unlike other snakes which lay eggs ? (1) viper (2) krait (3) cobra (4) anaconda (3) In whose court was the famous poet Bharavi ? (1) Mahendravarman I (2) Pulakesin II (3) Rajraja I (4) Harsha-vardhana (4) What is the name of the ground at Kolkata ? (1) Chepauk (2) Eden Gardens (3) Firozshah Kotla (4) (5) Select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom in the following sentence : The post of managing director became a bone of contention for the partners. (1) unifying factor (2) a firm view (3) something that causes a quarrel (4) a source of inspiration 3x (6) If = y + 2, then find the value of 3x – 2y. 2 (1) 1 (2) 2 (3) 3 (4) 4 (7) Where is the Gateway of India situated ? (1) Mumbai (2) Kolkata (3) Delhi (4) (8) Write the type of dance form shown in the picture. (1) Odissi (2) Bharat Natyam (3) Kathak (4) Kathakali (9) Who is the cartoonist for ‘You said it’ in ‘The Times of India’ ? (1) Unny (2) Mario (3) Sudhir Telang (4) R.K. Laxman (10) Find the value of : √2 × √ 2 × √ 2 × √ 4 (1) 2 (2) 4 (3) 8 (4) 16

8 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 QUIZ 7

(1) Who was the first American astronaut to walk in space ? (1) John Glenn (2) James Lovell (3) Neil Armstrong (4) Edward White (2) In which of the following fields did Vikram Sarabhai make a significant contribution ? (1) cosmic rays (2) origin of the universe (3) black holes (4) nuclear energy (3) What is the name of the person shown in the photograph ? (1) Rajiv Gandhi (2) Shashi Kapoor (3) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (4)

(4) Where is the tower shown in the picture situated ? (1) Delhi (2) Chittaurgarh (3) Nalanda (4) Agra

(5) Which of the following alternatives is derived from Hindi ? (1) krait (2) mutton (3) biscuit (4) bamboo (6) Which Irish personality was once the President of Indian National Congress ? (1) Sir A.O. Hume (2) C.F. Andrews (3) Sister Nivedita (4) Dr. Annie Besant (7) Which are the hottest months in Australia ? (1) May and June (2) August and September (3) December and January (4) March and April (8) With which sport was Bjorn Borg associated ? (1) lawn tennis (2) football (3) hockey (4) cricket (9) How many spokes are there in the Ashoka Chakra in the Indian flag ? (1) 10 (2) 20 (3) 30 (4) 24 (10) When 25 % of a number is subtracted from 3 th of the number, the 5 result is 42. What is the number ? (1) 80 (2) 150 (3) 120 (4) 240

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 9 QUIZ 8 (1) Find the correct alternative to replace the question mark ? 12233445

80 84 72 ?

43 54 65 76 (1) 40 (2) 44 (3) 48 (4) 76 (2) Which alternative is opposite in meaning to the word ‘invincible’ ? (1) invulnerable (2) visible (3) ancient (4) conquerable (3) After whom is the Library of the United Nations named ? (1) Dag Hammarskjold (2) Trygve Lie (3) U Thant (4) Kofi Annan (4) Where did ice-hockey originate ? (1) U.S. (2) Canada (3) U.K. (4) Russia (5) In which country does the river Volga flow ? (1) China (2) Mongolia (3) Russia (4) South Korea (6) Which alternative figure × ?

would replace the question × × ×

mark ? × × × (1) (2) (3) (4) (7) Who founded the Brahmo Samaj ? (1) Swami Ramkrishna Paramhansa (2) Swami Vivekanand (3) Maharshi Dayanand (4) Raja Ram Mohan Roy (8) There are 20 steps in the staircase of a temple. There is one beggar at each step. As a person climbs the staircase, he gives ` 1 to the beggar at the first step, ` 2 to the beggar at the second step, ` 3 to the one at the third step and so on. How many rupees does the person donate ? (1) ` 210 (2) ` 120 (3) ` 420 (4) ` 101 (9) Into which gas does hydrogen change in the sun ? (1) ammonia (2) helium (3) hydrogen oxide (4) carbon dioxide (10) Where is the stupa shown in the picture situated ? (1) Kashi (2) Agra (3) Jaipur (4) Sanchi

10 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 QUIZ 9 (1) Which cartoon character was created by Walt Disney ? (1) Batman (2) Spiderman (3) Mickey Mouse (4) He-man (2) Which country awards the Nobel Prize ? (1) France (2) United Kingdom (3) United States (4) Sweden (3) Which alternative should replace the phrase printed in bold in the following sentence, in order to make it grammatically correct ? It is always better to make people realise the importance of discipline than to impose them on it. (1) impose it with them (2) impose them with it (3) impose them by it (4) impose it on them (4) With which of the following events is the late Aruna Asaf Ali associated ? (1) Reorganisation of Indian states after independence (2) Hoisting of Indian Tricolour at the Gowalia Tank ground in Mumbai (3) Formation of the Congress Seva Dal (4) Leading the Dandi March (5) What is ‘Apsara’ ? (1) helicopter (2) missile (3) submarine (4) nuclear reactor (6) Which musical instrument is played by the musician shown in the picture ? (1) sitar (2) flute (3) sarod (4) tabla (7) Who was the first woman speaker of a State Assembly in India ? (1) Sarojini Naidu (2) Sucheta Kripalani (3) Shanno Devi (4) Vijayalaxmi Pandit (8) In which of the following sports or games are cues used ? (1) golf (2) billiards (3) hockey (4) table tennis (9) Considering the relationship between the first two words, select the correct alternative to replace the question mark. flower : bud : : fruit : ? (1) seed (2) taste (3) flower (4) twig (10) Which alternative should be written to replace the question mark in the given sum ? 3 (?) – 1 = 0 (1) 9 (2) 2 (3) 3 (4) 27 √ 729

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 11 QUIZ 10

(1) Which is the national bird of India ? (1) eagle (2) peacock (3) parrot (4) swan (2) Select the correct alternative to fill in the blank.

The postman could not ------the registered letter because he found no one at home. (1) give (2) deposit (3) deliver (4) hand over (3) What is the currency of Yemen ? (1) Dirham (2) Peso (3) Riyal (4) Kyat (4) Which ancient conquerer wept because he had no worlds to conquer ? (1) Napoleon (2) Kublai Khan (3) Genghis Khan (4) Alexander the Great (5) Identify this famous cricketer of yesteryear. (1) (2) Mushtaq Ali (3) Lala Amarnath (4) Vijay Merchant (6) Select the correct alternative and fill in the blank :

At times when she was in the right mood, she would ------a humour which no one could match. (1) replay (2) display (3) exhibit (4) provoke (7) Name the people of Non-Mongoloid race living in East India. (1) Nagas (2) Bodos (3) Abhors (4) Santhals (8) On the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who acted as Prime Minister of India ? (1) Morarji Desai (2) Lalbahadur Shastri (3) Indira Gandhi (4) Gulzarilal Nanda (9) By selling an article for ` 950, a person suffers a loss of 5 %. What is his loss in rupees ? (1) ` 50 (2) ` 47.50 (3) ` 48 (4) ` 78 (10) In the control of which ailment is Rauwolfia serpentina useful ? (1) tuberculosis (2) whooping cough (3) hydrophobia (4) blood pressure (11) Which of the following cities is known as the city of the golden gate ? (1) San Francisco (2) Brussels (3) Rome (4) Amritsar

12 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 QUIZ 11 (1) Which country withdrew its membership from the UN in 1965 but rejoined it in 1966 ? (1) Indonesia (2) Iraq (3) Iran (4) Thailand (2) Who is the person shown in the photograph ? (1) Amartya Sen (2) C. Chidambaram (3) Barwale (4) Jaswant Singh

(3) Which region is called ‘the Land of the Midnight Sun’ ? (1) Egypt (2) Norway (3) Rome (4) Moscow (4) Which alternative is closest to the opposite in meaning of the underlined word given in the following sentence ? The new magazine is known for its comprehensive coverage of news. (1) casual (2) inadequate (3) indifferent (4) superficial (5) By which ruler was the observatory at Jantar Mantar built ? (1) Jai Singh II (2) Man Singh (3) Shah Jahan (4) Babur (6) Which was the first Asian country to launch an artificial satellite ? (1) South Korea (2) China (3) Japan (4) India (7) Taking into account the sequence of the first two figures, write the serial number of the figure which replaces the question mark. ?

(1) (2) (3) (4)

(8) Which comet visits the earth at an interval of about 33 years ? (1) Donati’s Comet (2) Halley’s Comet (3) Tempel Tuttle (4) Morehouse (9) With which achievement is the person shown in the photograph associated ? (1) Green revolution (2) Discovery of toxic substance that causes cholera (3) Ionization formula (4) Thermonuclear explosion R. Chidambaram

13 SECTION 2 : TOPICS OF GENERAL INTEREST

1 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS

(A) General

(1) The largest animal : The blue whale is the largest animal. It is far bigger than the elephant, the largest land animal.

Blue Whale

(2) The largest land animal : The (3) The tallest animal : The African bush elephant is the largest giraffe is the tallest animal. land animal.

African elephant Giraffe (4) The fastest land animal : The (5) The largest bird : The male cheetah is the fastest animal on land. African ostrich is the largest bird. It Over short distances, it can at a may grow to nearly 2.5 m tall and speed of about 110 km / hr. weigh as much as 140 kg.

Cheetah Ostrich

14 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 (6) The smallest bird : The bee (7) The highest flyer : The hummingbird is the smallest bird. bar-headed goose is the highest flyer. A fully grown bee hummingbird is Some flocks of these birds fly over the about 5 cm long and weighs about 3 Himalayas. They can fly at an altitude grams. of more than 7500 metres.

Bee hummingbird Bar-headed goose

(8) The fastest diver : The (9) The greatest traveller : Arctic peregrine falcon is the fastest diver. It terns migrate further than any other swoops down on its prey at a speed of bird. They travel about 18,000 km more than 300 km / hr. each way, between their breeding grounds in the Arctic and winter home in the Antarctic.

Peregrine falcon Arctic tern (10) The deepest diver : The (11) The animal with the shortest emperor penguin is the deepest diver. lifespan : A mayfly in its adult stage It can dive up to a depth of 250 m survives only a few hours or days. underwater. It uses its wings to propel itself through the water.

Emperor penguin Mayfly

(12) The chameleon’s tongue : The chameleon’s tongue is as long as its body. This lizard shoots out its tongue to capture its prey. Certain chameleons can change colour or even develop spots that make them seem like a part of their background. Chameleon

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 15 (13) The animal with the longest (14) The flying dragon : The draco lifespan : Some giant tortoises have lizard is known as the flying dragon. lived more than 100 years. It can spread out folds of skin to form wings. It uses the wings to glide through the air from tree to tree.

Giant tortoise Draco lizard (15) The only known poisonous bird : The hooded pitochui has poison on its feathers and skin. This poison serves as a defence against hawks, snakes and other animals.

(B) Strange Sensory Organs

It is believed that the ears developed from the balance organs of the fish that lived in the earliest stages of life on the earth. These organs of the fish were not sensitive to sound. But they detected vibrations in the water which enabled the fish to sense its surroundings. Later on, when life emerged from water and migrated to the land, ears developed, through a slow process of adaptation. Most mammals then developed the funnel-shaped outer ear to collect sounds from the air. Even today some animals have strange mechanisms of detecting sound and vibrations around them.

(1) Frogs : A frog’s eardrum (2) Cockroaches : Cockroaches needs to be immersed in water detect sound with hairs on their frequently or it would dry up. bodies. These hairs are so sensitive that cockroaches respond to the slightest air movements caused by the sound waves.

Frog Cockroach

16 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 (3) Grasshoppers : The ears (4) Worms : Worms do not of a grasshopper are located on the have ears, but they can detect the midsection of the body. The ears of a vibrations in the soil around them. cricket are on its knees.

Grasshoppers Worms

(C) Unique Breathing Systems

(1) Water spider : A water spider (2) Water animals : Water breathes under water by means of animals like fish and tadpoles breathe large air bubbles held close to its body. through their gills. A fish gulps in Small bubbles of air trapped by the water and then expels it through the spider’s body hair help supply extra gill openings. The thin tissues of the air. gills absorb the oxygen dissolved in water.

Gills

Water spider Fish

(D) Sensational Sense Organs

(1) Touch : Some birds, such as (2) Smell : Snakes and some woodcocks, use the tips of their beaks lizards use their forked tongues to to locate worms underground. smell and to touch.

Woodcock Lizard

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 17 (3) Taste : Certain fish, such as (4) Hearing : Bats navigate by the catfish, have cells called taste buds the echoes that result from their high- in the skin covering their bodies. pitched sounds striking objects.

Catfish Bat TEST YOURSELF 1. Answer the following questions :

(1) Which bird is poisonous ? ------

(2) With which organ do cockroaches detect sound ? ------

(3) How do woodcocks locate underground worms ? ------

------

(4) Which organ do snakes use to smell ? ------2. Match suitably : [1] Column ‘A’ Answers Column ‘B’

(1) The tallest land animal ------( a ) The blue whale (2) The fastest land animal (b) The giant tortoise ------( c ) The giraffe (3) The largest land animal ------(d) The African bush

(4) The flying mammal ------elephant (5) Animal with the longest ( e ) The cheetah lifespan ------( f ) The bat

[2] Column ‘A’ Answers Column ‘B’ (1) Animal with the shortest ( a ) The platypus ------lifespan (b) The draw lizard (2) The fastest diver ------( c ) The mayfly (d) The bee humming- (3) The greatest traveller ------bird (4) The egg-laying mammal ------( e ) The Peregrine falcon (5) The smallest bird ------( f ) The arctic tern 3. Fill in the blanks :

(1) Tadpoles breathe through their------.

(2) The tongue of a ------is as large as its body.

(3) The ------is known as the flying dragon.

(4) The ------is the deepest diver.

(5) The ------is the largest bird. ∗ ∗ ∗ 18 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 2 INDIAN SCIENTISTS

During ancient times, Indian scientists made outstanding contributions in mathematics, astronomy and medical sciences. Their work was translated into Persian and Arabic and was passed on to Europe through the Arab world. Then came a period of foreign rule and subjugation. Scientific progress in India almost came to a standstill. This period witnessed a great leap forward in the field of scientific developments in Europe. India not only lagged behind in science and technology, but the British led us to believe that Indian achievements in science were insignificant. In the twentieth century, however, Indian scientists joined ranks with their western counterparts in the development of science and technology.

(1) Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose : Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian scientist is credited with the invention of the radio. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work in wireless telegraphy. But, documentary evidence shows that Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose had demonstrated the functioning of wireless telegraphy one year before Marconi patented his invention. This, according to recent revelations seemed to provide Marconi an opportunity to achieve a historic Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose march over Bose and win the Nobel Prize.

Sir Bose was also an eminent biologist. It was he who demonstrated for the first time that plants have feelings and they are influenced by music. He was given several awards for his research in the field of plant physiology and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London. He founded the Bose Institute in Kolkata. The institute is mainly devoted to the study of plants. He was a great patriot.

(2) Sir Chandrashekhar Venkat Raman was the first Indian scientist to be awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in physics. He was awarded the prize for his work on the scattering of light. His discovery is popularly known as the Raman Effect. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London for his contribution to optics. He founded the Raman Research Institute at Bangalore. Raman used to say, "The essence of science is independent thinking and hard work, not equipment." Sir C. V. Raman

Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 19 (3) Meghnad Saha was a great patriot and a scientist of foresight and vision. He was deprived of his scholarship and denied a lucrative government job because of his patriotic leanings. After completing his studies, he took to teaching physics in a college in Kolkata. He put forward the famous ‘Ionization Formula’ which enables the astronomers to know the temperature, pressure and other aspects of the interior of stars. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London for his discovery. Realising the importance of Meghnad Saha nuclear physics, he founded the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata. He laid the foundation for the study of nuclear physics in India. He also suggested a number of river valley projects for the control of floods.

(4) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was an eminent scientist and a philanthropist. Once he was rewarded a sum of ` 1,50,000 by a British Company for his timely advice to the company. But Bhatnagar declined to accept the money and advised the company to donate the entire sum to Punjab University so that it could start research on petroleum. He believed that science and technology were not for making money or for personal gains. Bhatnagar did research on making wax odourless, Shanti Swarup refining kerosene and utilising petroleum waste in the Bhatnagar oil industry. Apart from his valuable work in industrial chemistry, he made significant contribution in the field of magneto-chemistry. He is responsible for setting oil refineries, plants to produce newer metals like titanium and zirconium and planning surveys for atomic minerals and petroleum deposits. Bhatnagar established twelve national laboratories to provide young scientists with research facilities in their own country. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research honoured him by instituting the ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for science and technology’.

(5) Homi Jehangir Bhabha : On 11th May 1998, India successfully exploded a thermonuclear device. This announced her standing as a nation with nuclear power. This was the result of the genius and foresight of scientists like Homi Jehangir Bhabha. This illustrious son of India wanted the country to be self- reliant and self-sufficient in the fields of science and technology. He was instrumental in setting up the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Mumbai. The Homi Jehangir Bhabha

20 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 atomic reactors Apsara, Cirrus and Zerlina were built under his expert guidance. He was responsible for the setting up of the country’s first atomic power plant at Tarapur and installing the first plutonium plant. He also encouraged research in electronics, space science, radio astronomy and microbiology. It is a sad irony of the fate that the country lost this visionary scientist in a plane crash at the age of 57. He is regarded as the father of Indian nuclear sciences.

(6) Vikram A. Sarabhai : India has taken great leap in the field of space and telecommunication technology. This is possible only because of the work and vision of scientists like Vikram Sarabhai. He set up the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmadabad which was devoted to the study of cosmic rays and outer space. He also set up branch laboratories in Kashmir, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kodaikanal. He ushered in the space age in the country by expanding Vikram A. Sarabhai the Indian Space Research Organisation. India’s first satellite Aryabhata and the Satellite International Television Experiment are fruits of his hardwork. He received many honours and awards for his services to science and society. The International Astronomical Union honoured him by naming a crater on the moon after him.

(7) Raja Ramanna : On May 18, 1974, India tested her first nuclear device at Pokharan in Rajasthan. The entire show was managed by the eminent scientist Raja Ramanna and his colleagues. This feat was a landmark in the history of the scientific development in the country. This test showed that nuclear energy could be tamed without any ill effects. Ramanna’s main contribution lies in the field of nuclear fission. He put forward a new theory to explain how heavy nuclei split and generate Raja Ramanna energetic nuclear radiation.

(8) Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was a great scientist with interests in many fields of science. But his main field of interest was the study of stars. He was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for what is known as ‘Chandrasekhar’s Limit’ which determines the minimum mass of a dying star enabling it to survive. Chandrasekhar’s message to young boys and girls is that, "Great men are seldom born. They are self-made". Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar

21 (9) Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam is one of the most illustrious scientists of India. He played a key role in making the country self- reliant and self-sufficient in the field of defence. The Pokharan Test II which was conducted under his guidance on 11th May 1998, enabled India to gain entry into the so-called ‘Nuclear Club’ of the world. He worked on enhancing the range and accuracy of the Indian missiles. He was scientific adviser Dr. Abdul Kalam to the Defence Minister in 1998. He was awarded the highest civilian honour of India; the Bharat Ratna in 1997. He became the President of India on 25th July, 2002. He is regarded as the father of the Indian missile programme.

Some scientists of ancient India and their fields of activity : Scientist Fields of Activity (1) Susruta Surgery. Regarded as the father of plastic surgery. (2) Charaka A physician of repute. He had a sound knowledge of the anatomy of the human body. (3) Kanada Chemistry. He is believed to be the first scientist who put forward the atomic theory of matter. (4) Patanjali Yoga. He professed that several mental and physical ailments can be cured by practising yog. (5) Aryabhata Astronomy. He believed that the earth is round and rotates on its axis causing day and night. He explained the cause of solar and lunar eclipses. (6) Bhaskara Mathematics and astronomy. A great mathematician and astronomer. Introduced the cyclic methods to solve algebraic equations. His book contains important formulae and theorems in trigonometry and geometry. He is the founder of differential calculus.

TEST YOURSELF

1. Answer the following questions :

(1) Who demonstrated the functioning of wireless telegraphy one year before the Nobel prize Laureate Marconi ? ------

(2) Who was the first Indian scientist to be awarded ------the Nobel Prize ?

22 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 (3) Which Indian scientist was denied a job with the government by the British rulers for his patriotic leanings ? ------(4) Who laid the foundation for the study of nuclear physics in India ? ------(5) Who invented calculus much before Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibnitz ? ------(6) After which Indian scientist is a crater on the moon named ? ------(7) Under whose guidance were the atomic reactors Apsara, Cirrus and Zerlina built ? ------(8) Who demonstrated for the first time that plants have feelings ? ------

(9) Who put forward the ‘Ionization Formula’ ? ------2. Who said this ? (1) The essence of science is independent thinking and hard work, not equipment. ------(2) Great men are seldom born. They are self- made. ------(3) Science and technology were not for making money or for personal gains. ------3. Fill in the blanks : (1) Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was awarded the Nobel Prize for what is known

as ------. (2) The Indian scientist ------proposed the atomic theory of matter for the first time.

(3) ------was first to frame rules of operation for zero.

(4) ------is India’s first artificial satellite. 4. Match suitably : [1] Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’

(1) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar ( a ) Study of black hole (b) Genetic code (2) Homi Jehangir Bhabha ( c ) Institution builder (d) India’s Eienstein (3) Har Gobind Khurana ( e ) Father of Indian missile (4) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam programme ( f ) Father of Indian nuclear (5) Jayant V. Narlikar sciences

Ans. (1 – ------); (2 – ------); (3 – ------); (4 – ------); (5 – ------). ∗ ∗ ∗ Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 23