Siddhartha Basu

Preface

Know for Sure—a series of eight general knowledge books for students of classes 1 to 8—has been a carefully and has earned the trust of many for providing detailed and accurate information on a wide range of subjects. between knowing more and being sure of what we learn is by getting to the primary source of facts or by cross- checking these with sound references. Know for Sure has been doing this since its beginning while continuously updating itself to keep pace with this age of information boom. This year, the series has been thoroughly revised

Know for Sure is not just a bunch of questions and answers or just another bundle of facts which have to be answers. It is about going beyond a few select subjects that are taught in schools. It is also about becoming more aware of the world around us. Therefore, this series has been designed as an extension of the recommendations of National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 and is aimed at bringing alive general knowledge in the classroom with quizzes, games, facts, surveys, word craft, activities, life skills, brain-teasers, lifestyles, stories, handicrafts, group discussions about value systems, and a whole lot more that can excite, engage, and educate a young mind.

The perspective of the series— and the World—is aimed at kindling an all-round interest in subjects both familiar and unknown. While systematically dealing with subjects and areas recommended for learning, these books not only make quizzing fun and fascinating but also encourage learners to discover more.

The completely revised and updated Know for Sure, based on valuable feedback received from students, teachers, and principals of schools, is ready to provide an exciting knowledge tour with Knowy, the curious caterpillar.

Key features of the Know for Sure, 2019 edition: • Diverse and authentic content • Gradation of topics to provide various levels of challenge • Simple language and colourful illustrations to enhance the joy of learning • • • Introduction to the wonders of nature to create environmental awareness • • Challenging quizzes and brain- teasers to sharpen logical abilities of learners • Unusual and interesting bits of information to add new dimensions to the topics • Model test papers to help learners reinforce their knowledge • Complete answer key at the end of each book to encourage self-evaluation

With the hope that the Know for Sure series will enthuse you, we look forward to any suggestions that you may have to improve it. You may email the publisher at [email protected].

— Siddhartha Basu The Natural World

Things Around Me

Numbers and Logical Skills

Science and Technology

Language and Literature, Legends, and Myths Arts and Music

Sports

The World Around Us

Mixed Bag Acknowledgements

Front cover: (Siddhartha Basu): © Nitin Upadhye; Front and back cover, title page: (Mount Everest from Kala Patthar): © Daniel Prudek/Shutterstock.com. Photos: pp. 4 & 15 (Pegasus): © Christos Georghiou/Dreamstime.com; pp. 4 & 43 (emperor penguin): © Vladimir Seliverstov/Dreamstime.com; pp. 4 & 49 (Mars): © Iulius Costache/Dreamstime.com; pp. 5 & 7 (pyramids at Giza): © Javarman/Dreamstime.com; p. 7 (Tokyo): © Sean Pavone/Dreamstime.com, (Egypt): © Javarman/Dreamstime.com, (Moscow): © Igor Kharlamov/Dreamstime.com, (Buenos Aires): © Achim Baqué/Dreamstime.com, (New York City): © Sean Pavone/Dreamstime.com, (Sao Paulo): © Alexandre Fagundes De Fagundes/Dreamstime.com, (Shanghai): © Amy Harris/Dreamstime.com, (Mumbai): © Maharaj Khazanchi/Dreamstime.com, (Jakarta): © Hywit Dimyadi/Dreamstime.com, (Seoul): © Jackmalipan/Dreamstime.com, (Dhaka): © Skilleddesigner/Dreamstime.com, (Istanbul): © Peter Zaharov/Dreamstime.com; p. 8 (Arctic fox): © Photos.com/Thinkstock, (hippopotamus): © Pichugin Dmitry/Shutterstock.com, (poison dart frog): © John Arnold/Dreamstime.com, (frill lizard): © Kira Kaplinski/Dreamstime.com, (Burmese python): © Heiko Kiera/Fotolia; p. 9 (Ayurveda): © Nila Newsom/Dreamstime.com, (Wayang Puppet Theatre): © Rene Drouyer/Dreamstime.com, (Louvre Museum): © Ixuskmitl/Dreamstime.com; p. 10 (Vijaya Lakshmi ): Spaarnestad Photo/Dutch National Archives/Ron Kroon (CC BY-SA 3.0 NL), (Benjamin Franklin): Library of Congress, Reproduction Number-LC-USZ62-25564, (William Wordsworth): © Photos. com/Thinkstock, (Rabindranath Tagore): Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., (Albert Einstein): Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; p. 11 (Abraham Lincoln): Library of Congress, (Digital File Number: cph.3a53289), (Martin Luther King, Jr): Library of Congress, New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection, Reproduction no. LC-USZ62-126558, (Helen Keller): Library of Congress, George Grantham Bain Collection; pp. 11 & 93 (George

Buckingham Palace): © Waiheng/Dreamstime.com, (The Nymphenburg Palace): © Tomas Marek/Dreamstime.com; p. 13 (Palace of Versailles): © Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images, (Castle Kronborg): © rusty426/ Shutterstock.com, (Great Kremlin Palace): © Svic/Shutterstock.com, (Neuschwanstein Castle): Library of Congress, (Windsor Castle): © Kmiragaya/Shutterstock.com; p. 14 (basilisk): © Kuco/Dreamstime.com, bronze.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en), (phoenix): © Christos Georghiou/Dreamstime.com, (centaur): © Gors4730/Dreamstime.com, (werewolf): © breakermaximus/Dreamstime. com; p. 16 (): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Katrina Kaif 2011.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Salman Khan): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Salman Khan BSE11. jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Rajnikanth): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Kochadaiiyaan Rajini.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Rekha): © www. bollywoodhungama.com (REKHA.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Ajay Devgan): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Ajay Devgn.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ deed.en), (Tabu): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Tabu 2012.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (John Abraham): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (John promotes ‘I, Me Aur Main’ with coffee date.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Jackie Shroff): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (JackieShroff.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Govinda): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Govinda.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en), (Tiger Shroff): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Tiger Shroff.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0/deed.en); pp. 16 & 51 (Akshay Kumar): © www.bollywoodhungama.com (Akshay-Kumar.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en); pp. 16 & 65 (): © www.bollywoodhun- gama.com (DilipKumar.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en); p. 17 (The Golden Hind): © Christine Matthews (The Golden Hind Museum Ship, Brixham Harbour, Devon, taken 1968 - geo- graph.org.uk - 738581.jpg: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en), (The Victory): Library of Congress, Reproduction Number-LC-DIG-ppmsc-08801, (The Savannah): © Boston Public Library/

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BMW): Trademark of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, (logo of HP): Trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. Most populous cities of the world

Let’s start off by learning about some of the most populous cities of the world. Look at the pictures, and identify the most populated cities in the following countries. Pick your answers from the help box given below.

1. Japan: ______2. Russia: ______3. Argentina: ______

4. Egypt: ______5. The United States of 6. Brazil: ______America: ______

7. China: ______8. India: ______9. Indonesia: ______

10. South Korea: ______11. Bangladesh: ______12. Turkey: ______

Cairo Dhaka Istanbul Moscow Sao Paulo Buenos Aires Jakarta Seoul Tokyo Shanghai New York City How animals adapt

Can you identify these animals? Fill in the blocks with the correct answers.

1. This member of the dog family can change its colour. Its fur is white or grey-blue during the winter and grey-brown or grey

called a sweep, helps it to maintain its balance and keeps its feet and nose warm when it curls up to sleep. r i o

2. Found in the rivers of eastern, central, and parts of southern Africa, this animal is regarded as one of the most ferocious animals in the continent. It secretes an oily substance from its skin, popularly known as blood sweat, which acts as a natural sunscreen and protects it from sunburn. This secretion, however, is neither blood nor sweat. It acts as a moisturizer and protects against germs.

i o a

3. These frogs range from less than one inch to around two and a half inches in body length. They all vary in their colours and patterns. The beautiful colourings on their bodies are warnings to predators that they are poisonous. In certain cases, their patterns also helps them

p s n d f r

which it can raise suddenly when threatened to surprise its enemy. This can make its head look several times its normal size. r l l r

Titbits

The Burmese python is among the largest snakes in the world. It belongs to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia and grows up to more than 20 feet in length. Their hinged jaws can separate, which allows them to swallow larger prey, almost four to Tradition tour

Read the clues on cultural traditions from different parts of the world. Fill in the blocks with the correct answers from the help box given below. 1. This country has many myths and legends pertaining to the actions of the gods. One of the most famous families of gods they worshipped were the children of Nut and Geb—Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. Which country are we talking about?

2. Ayurveda, the earliest school of medicine known to mankind, has been an integral part of this country’s tradition for ages. Mark Twain described the rich culture of this nation, when he called it, ‘The cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition.’ Which country are we referring to?

3. This 16-day festival held annually in Munich, Germany, during the months of September and October is also one of the world’s largest fairs. Name the festival.

4. The Wayang Puppet Theatre has been practised in the royal courts of Java and Bali for centuries. It is an ancient form of storytelling. In which country is it practised?

5. This city offers a variety of entertainment, ranging from opera and ballet to art shows, poetry readings, and concerts. It houses the famous Louvre and Orsay Museums and is known for its Impressionist art style.

Indonesia Oktoberfest India Paris Egypt Famous people

Read the clues about these prominent people and their famous words to identify them. Fill in the blanks using the help box given on the next page.

1. She was the daughter of the wealthy and aristocratic nationalist

______

Lyrical Ballads

Gitanjali

______

______6. The 16th president of the United States, he ranks among the greatest of all American statesmen. During the Civil War, he maintained the unity of the country, and he also played an important role in bringing freedom to the African American slaves. His famous words were: ‘You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.’ ______

7. One of the most famous Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, this 15-year-old diarist penned one of the world’s most powerful accounts of Jewish life during World War II. Her famous words were: ‘We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.’ ______

8. He led the civil rights movement in the United States and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His famous words were: ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.’ ______

deaf-blind person to graduate from college. Her famous words were: ‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart.’ ______

10. An Irish dramatist and literary critic, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. His famous words were: ‘Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.’______

William Wordsworth Abraham Lincoln Anne Frank Albert Einstein Rabindranath Tagore Helen Keller Benjamin Franklin George Bernard Shaw Martin Luther King, Jr Castles and palaces

The Forbidden City served as the palace for Schloss Schönbrunn both the Ming and Qing emperors and served as the summer palace of the was built in Beijing by the Ming emperor rulers of Austria—the Habsburgs. The Zhu Di between 1406 and 1420. The palace 1,440-room palace was originally built by Johann was given its peculiar name because it was off Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in 1711 to compete limits to common people and allowed limited with the Palace of Versailles, France. It was access even to the royal family; only the emperor was allowed to roam the palace at The palace houses, perhaps, the oldest zoo in his will. Most of the buildings Europe, the Schönbrunn Tiergarten, which in this palace complex face south was established in 1752. to honour the sun.

The Buckingham The Nymphenburg Palace takes its name from Palace is located on the outskirts the house of the same name built of Munich, Germany. It was the summer residence of the Wittelsbachs, His residence was bought by King George the former ruling family of Bavaria. The III for his wife Charlotte in 1762, and later it construction of the palace began in 1664. was converted into a palace. Queen Victoria The gardens of the palace were designed by Carbonet, a pupil of the French designer formally live in the Buckingham palace. André Le Nôtre, who had also designed the gardens in the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles, located about 16 km south-west of Paris, is one of the most extravagant buildings of

residence of the kings of France from 1682 to 1789. It was restored after Located on a site the French Revolution took a toll on the palace overlooking The Sound—a and later made into a museum. It is particularly stretch of water between Denmark and known for its architecture Sweden—is the Castle Kronborg. The castle and gardens. has an important and interesting history as both a royal castle and a military fortress. Though its history can be traced back to the Middle Ages, it was King Frederik II who rebuilt it in impressive Renaissance style in 1574. The castle was once again reconstructed in the Have you visited any fort or 17th century after it was castle? Did the castle have any features which could Kronborg Castle is known as have made it inaccessible to invaders? Elsinore from Shakespeare’s

Quick quiz

Identify where these famous castles and palaces are located using the help box given below.

ce tle la as le Pa C st in ein Ca ml st r re n so K wa nd at ch i re us W G Ne

1. This palace has more than 700 rooms 2. This spectacular castle was built for 3. This is the largest and nine churches from the 14th, 16th, Louis II. Located atop a rock ledge inhabited castle in the and 17th centuries. Parts of the palace on the Alps, overlooking a gorge, it world. It stands on a cliff looks like a fairytale castle. above the River Thames. ______

Bavaria, Germany Windsor, England Moscow, Russia Mythical creatures

These animals do not exist in reality, but they are often the most terrible enemy or powerful ally in the fantastical world of myths and fairy tales. Can you name these mythical characters? Choose your answers from the help box given below.

1. 1. I am a mythological creature with a lion’s body and a human’s head. I ask men riddles and eat them if they don’t answer correctly. ______

2. I have a head made of snakes and the ability to turn people to stone if they look into my eyes. ______

2.

4. In Roman legend, I am a creature who can destroy anything with just one look. I came from an egg laid by a cock and hatched by a serpent. ______

5. I have a lion’s body and a bird’s head, and I protect people from danger. 3. My legend originated in the Mediterranean more than 4,000 years ago. ______

6. I am half bird and half woman, who in popular folklore, lures sailors to their deaths by her sweet song. ______4. 7. My name in Greek means ‘round eye’. I have only one eye that is in the

8. I am a giant monster that looks much like a water snake with multiple heads. If one of my heads is cut off, two of them grow back in its place. Hercules defeated me and buried me under a pile of rocks. ______

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. I am a magical horse. My most striking feature is the single 9. spirally grooved horn on my forehead which symbolizes good

beautiful and mysterious too. ______

10. A monster in Greek mythology, I have the head of a bull and the body of a man. ______

10. hair and incredible power. According to legends, I sing to people and gods to enchant and distract them and lure humans down to the underwater kingdoms. ______

12. I am a beautiful winged horse and the son of Poseidon. I appear in myths from all over the world and have been the subject of many paintings. A constellation has been named after me. ______

13. I am a fabulous bird. According to ancient Egyptian legends,

11. mythology. ______

14. I am part human and part horse. I am wild, untamed, and I represent the dark and unruly forces of nature. ______

15. Though human, every full moon night I turn into a howling wolf with superhuman strength and senses. ______

15. 14. 13. 12.

Cyclops mermaid Medusa Chimera basilisk Screen names

You must be aware of these famous celebrities. But did you know that the names by which you know them are not their real names but their screen names? Look at the pictures and write their real names. Choose your answers from the help box given below.

1. Katrina Kaif: ______2. Dilip Kumar: ______3. Akshay Kumar: ______

4. Rajnikanth: ______5. Rekha: ______6. Ajay Devgan: ______

7. Tabu: ______8. Tiger Shroff: ______9. Govinda: ______

Vishal Devgan Tabassum Hashmi Govind Ahuja Jai Hemant Shroff Kate Turquotte Muhammad Yusuf Khan Rajiv Bhatia Bhanurekha Ganesan Shivaji Rao Gaekwad Ships ahoy!

Fill in the blanks with the correct answers. 1. Sir Francis Drake carried out the second circumnavigation of the

______. It weighed about 100 tons.

Golden Hind

HMS Victory

Titanic

knots.

Golden Hind Titbits Bismarck

Phantoms that are observed on land or at sea are the results of optical Savannah illusions. Many seamen have described the sights of ships sailing through the sky above the horizon. The images can be explained as mirages caused by the refraction of light rays. In European legend, the Flying Dutchman is a ship which is doomed to sail eternally. It forebodes a disaster if spotted by seamen. Famous explorers

During the age of discovery in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, explorers set out to discover new lands. Let us read more about them!

Ferdinand Vasco da Magellan was a Gama was a Portuguese Portuguese navigator and navigator who travelled to India explorer. He and his crew were the from 1497 to 1524. His voyages opened up the sea route to the east around the world, proving through the Cape of Good Hope. His that it was round. In 1520, discoveries made Portugal one of the he discovered the Strait most important sea-trading nations. of Magellan and sailed

An ace navigator, Christopher Columbus was an admiral who undertook transatlantic voyages in 1492–1493, 1493–1496, 1498–1500, and 1502–1504. These excursions helped discover paths for Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice also known as the ‘discoverer’ of the New and adventurer who travelled from World. beyond Mongolia and spent 17 years in China, where he became a close friend of Kublai Khan. He narrated his tale through his book

. It became one of the greatest travelogues of that time. Amerigo Vespucci Sir Francis Drake was was an Italian merchant and explorer-navigator, who took part in voyages to the New World in 1499–1500 and In 1577 he was selected 1501–1502. It is his name from which the word to lead an expedition, America comes. As a result of his voyages, he and intended to pass around South America and through were indeed a ‘New World’ and not a part of Asia, the Strait of Magellan, to as Columbus and others had thought. explore the coast that lay beyond. He carried out the circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580.

Hernando Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who

1519–1521 and won Mexico for the crown of Spain. He explored Central

mission and instead discovered, and named, California. Quick quiz

Tick the correct options. 1. Which Portuguese explorer has a professional football team in Brazil named after him? a) Ferdinand Magellan b) Vasco da Gama c) Bartolomeu Dias 2. On which ship did Francis Drake complete his circumnavigation of the globe? a) Golden Hind b) Golden Fleece c) Golden Brown 3. On which island was James Cook killed in 1779? a) Tasmania b) Fiji c) Hawaii 4. In which Italian city was Marco Polo imprisoned, when he dictated The Travels of Marco Polo to a fellow inmate? a) Venice b) Genoa c) Verona Geo wonders WORD GAME

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GIANTSCAUSEWAY

1. A glacier located in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, India, which is the source of the river Ganga, ______

2. The phenomenon of appearance of coloured lights in the night sky that occurs primarily in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, called the northern lights or the aurora, ______3. This archipelago of volcanic islands, around the equator in the

4. The most famous natural geyser located in Yellowstone water drips from the ceiling of the cave and leaves tiny deposits of dissolved minerals. ______

by a barrier reef and a lagoon. At its centre are located

______

______

driest deserts in the world. ______

10. These cave formations are mineral deposits that hang from the ceilings of caves. ______

highest commercially navigable lake. ______

Kingdom. ______Indian scientists and inventions

Read the clues and answer the following questions. 1. He came up with the mathematical theory of black holes for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983. He is famous for the discovery of the ‘Chandrasekhar Limit’. ______

2. He was an Indian physicist whose work contributed

______

3. He is an Indian-born molecular biologist and physicist. He received a Nobel Prize in 2009 for his work on the structure and function of ribosomes. ______

4. He was a plant physiologist and physicist who invented highly sensitive instruments for recording minute responses by living organisms to external factors. This invention helped him in drawing similarities between animal and plant tissues. ______

Can you identify these famous Indian scientists?

1. He is known as 2. He is known as 3. He is known as the the father of India’s the father of India’s Missile Man of India. space programme. nuclear programme. ______Why are forests called the lungs of Forest quest our planet?

Read the clues given about different kinds of forests and choose the correct answers from the help box. 1. These forests are dominated by pine and spruce trees. These forests have prolonged winters and get rainfall between 10 and 20 inches. ______2. This forest in California provides a diverse range of habitats, having 400 species of endemic

urbanization, logging, and mining interests. ______3. These forests occur in the hot, wet regions around the equator.

been estimated that more than half of the world’s plant and animal species live in these forests. ______4. This forest is a part of the world’s largest delta formed by the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra. The name is said to be derived from the word sundari, a reference to the large kind of sundari

project. ______5. This famous rainforest in Thailand is said to be over 160 million years old. ______6. The legendary home of Robin Hood, this forest in England is famous for its wildlife and nearly 1,000-year-old ancient oak tree. ______7. Found in cool rainy areas, these forests shed their leaves in autumn and grow new ones in spring. ______8. These forests are found in areas that have moderate to heavy annual rainfall and long winters. They are similar in shape and height and often form a nearly uniform stand with a layer of low

coniferous forests dominant trees found here. ______Sundarbans Sherwood Forest Titbits boreal forest Sierra Nevada Khao Sok tropical rainforests deciduous forests Tribes of India

Find the names of these tribes of India in this word grid. Circle them. 1. Gond X ABSSLUYBL LOM 2. Bodo KEJQTIRNCAYWZ

3. Santhal MAFNGWVLICADS UFKMSSANTHALZ 4. Bhil DBIUGUYUKLODP 5. Garo UHVNOBODOFJNW GINDNGOLCNZEA 6. Khasi ALOADPQRVVFFC 7. Munda RPEBPVGSWEDGH KHASIRETNYPAA 8. Chakma PQHFTHVBQPDRK 9. Meena SIMEENAGVLIOM

10. Mudugar UNDJKJAXYUSGA

Santhal dancers

Bhils Titbits The parliament of India enacted the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 to stop atrocities against the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes of India. Name these indigenous people of India. Pick your answers from the help box.

1. They are the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands. They have largely secluded themselves and do not encourage interaction with outsiders. ______2. These are the pastoral people of the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. Traditionally, they are buffalo herders and trade in dairy products. Their religion and rituals centre around the worship of the buffalo. ______3. They live in the Mizo Hills on the border of India and Myanmar. Traditionally, they lived in small settlements in the jungles, each ruled by its own chief. They live an isolated life in bamboo forests, which provide them with the raw materials for their handicrafts. ______4. These are one of the major tribes of Nagaland. It is the fourth largest Naga tribe. They celebrate the Sekrenyi every year in February. ______5. They are people of Sikkim and the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, who live in the remotest valleys of the Himalayas. They are thought to be the earliest inhabitants of Sikkim but have adopted many elements of the culture of the Bhutia people. ______

Lepcha Kuki Jarawa Angami Toda

Choose the correct options.

a) Tantia Tope b) Birsa Munda c) Nanasaheb

5. Who was the founder of the Adivasi Mahasabha, formed in 1938, which later became the

6. Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu were two tribal leaders who rose against the British. Which tribe

a) Bhil b) Gond c) Santhal How plants adapt

Read the descriptions and name the plants. You can pick your answers from the help box.

1. This plant gets its name from the fact that it literally comes back to life from the brink of drying up. It can survive long periods of heavy drought by curling up and appearing dead. As soon as it gets a little water, it uncurls and reopens. ______

2. This parasitic plant grows on the branches of shrubs and trees. It anchors itself upon the tree and absorb water and nutrients from its host. It produces white berries which carry a single seed. ______

3. This desert plant is known for the capacity of its tissues to retain water. The sponge-like tissue stores water, and as more and more water enters, the skin of the cactus continues to expand to accommodate it. ______

spongy leaf stalks. Its special adaptations allow it to grow even in toxic water. An aggressive invader, it can form thick mats over the water surface, thus cutting off oxygen supply for other water plants. ______

5. These trees grow in the tropical deltas and along ocean edges and river estuaries. They have wide-spreading stilt roots to stay erect in the tidal mud and trap nutritious organic matter. ______

mistletoe resurrection fern saguaro mangroves water hyacinth

Titbits Around the world

1. Which popular island resort in Singapore features a 37 m tall Merlion statue? ______

2. Which mountain in the United States has the faces of its four presidents—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington—carved on it? ______

3. Which mountain resort in Malaysia is a popular tourist attraction and has one of the largest hotels in the world? It has over 7,000 rooms. ______

4. Which city is known as the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’? ______

5. Which ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka, also called Lion Rock or Lion Mountain, is popular for its ancient paintings? ______

6. Name the world’s largest religious structure in Cambodia which was built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II. ______

7. This American museum has the world’s largest museum complex. It comprises 19 museums, various research centres, and a national zoo. ______

8. Which largest inhabited castle in the world is the residence of the British royal family? ______Titbits Amazing artists

Read the clues to identify these famous writers, dancers, musicians, and architects.

the role of women in Latin America. ______

2. He was an American jazz musician noted for his distinct piano

______

the Louvre museum in Paris. ______6. An American singer, songwriter, and dancer, he was one of the

popular music. During the 1960s he was known as ‘Soul Brother Number One’ and in the 1970s, he became ‘the Godfather of Soul.’ He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. ______

7. He was a Spanish painter, printmaker, sculptor, ceramicist,

artists of the 20th century. He, along with Georges Braque,

dimensional surface of the picture, rejecting the traditional techniques of perspective. ______

8. Considered by many to be the greatest playwright in English, this poet and dramatist, also known as the Bard of Avon, wrote a total of 37 plays. His imaginative use of language resulted in several new words and sayings that people have used ever since. ______

9. Popularly known as the ‘King of Rock and Roll’, he was a popular American singer and one of the dominant performers of rock music from the mid-1950s until his death. ______

10. One of the most renowned composers in the history of western music, he was an Austrian composer who blended popular and classical music to create new styles, especially in the opera. He could compose in many musical styles and could play the organ, the harpsichord, the piano, and the violin equally well. Don Giovanni is considered to be his most famous opera. ______

Elvis Presley Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Isabel Allende Count Basie Fanny Elssler IM Pei Birju Maharaj James Brown Pablo Picasso William Shakespeare QUIZ YOURSELF 1

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