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) Raja Ramanna (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 Garfield Sobers (3) Sir Vivian Richards (4) Sachin Tendulkar 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) cricket (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 Delhi (4) Mumbai 4 Vikas General Knowledge : Book 6 QUIZ 3 (1) Who was the first Indian cricketer to score a century in each innings of a test match ? (1) Vijay Hazare (2) Vijay Merchant (3) Sunil Gavaskar (4) Lala Amarnath (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) Gujarat (3) Rajasthan (4) Maharashtra 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 (9) 8 15 5 + ÷ = ----------- √ ( 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 Test cricket ground at Kolkata ? (1) Chepauk (2) Eden Gardens (3) Firozshah Kotla (4) Brabourne Stadium (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) Chennai (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) Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (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.