Daily Current Affairs Updates: 23 June 2014

1) Modi Govt’s first general Budget on July 10: The Modi-led Government will present its first general Budget on July 10. This full-fledged Budget — to be presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley — will come at a time when expectations are high that the new dispensation will give a booster dose to the sagging Indian economy. While the Rail Budget will be presented on July 8, the Economic Survey will be tabled in the Lower House on July 9. The Budget session of Parliament will begin on July 7 and end on August 14. In all, the Budget session will have a total of 28 sittings over a month-long period.

2) Himachal park is now a World Heritage Site: The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh was accorded the Unesco World Heritage Site status on Monday. The Unesco World Heritage Site Committee at Doha in Qatar granted the status to the park under the criteria of “exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity.”The GHNP has now come in the league of Indian World Heritage Sites (WHS) such as the Taj Mahal, Ellora, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas National Park, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and the Sunderbans.

3) RBI fixed timelines for regulatory approvals: Moving to a time-defined process, the Reserve Bank of India, on Monday, fixed schedules for various regulatory approvals, including grant of private bank licence, and also released a citizens’ charter for its various services such as clearing of transactions. The release of ‘Timelines for Regulatory Approvals’ and ’Citizens’ Charter’ for delivery of services on the RBI’s website is a part of implementation of non-legislative recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC), the central bank said in a notification. With regards to timeline for regulatory approvals, the RBI said, an applicant for private bank licence should be given in-principle approval within 90 days after receipt of report from the independent external advisory committee.

4) India's Mobile Seva Initiative Wins UN Public Service Award: An initiative conceptualised by the Indian government's Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Deity) to enable delivery of public services electronically through the mobile platform has been awarded a United Nations public service award. 'Mobile Seva', a nationwide initiative conceptualized, funded and implemented by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, is among the second place winners of the 2014 UN Public Service Awards, along with Bahrain, Brazil, Cameroon, Republic of Korea and Spain. The vision of Mobile Seva is to mainstream mobile governance in India as a new paradigm for e-delivery of public services through mobile devices.

5) President released first Encyclopedia on Hinduism: The basic tenet of Hinduism is happiness, health and enlightenment for everyone, and suffering, pain and agony for none, President Pranab Mukherjee said as he received the first copy of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism on 23 June 2014. Speaking at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President complimented Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji of the Parmarth Niketan Rishikesh, the founder-chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF) for undertaking the effort to bring out the encyclopedia.

6) Aamir Khan meets Narendra Modi, discusses social issues: Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who has been championining the cause of social issues, on 23 June 2014 met Prime Minister Narendra Modi herein New Delhi to discuss the problems which he highlights in his TV programme ‘Satyamev Jayate’. The 49-year-old actor and director later said the Prime Minister assured him that he would look into the issues raised by him.

7) Sachin Tendulkar honoured with exclusive gold coin issued by East India Company: Britain’s premium luxury goods brand East India Company has issued an exclusive legal tender gold coin worth 12,000 pound sterling in honour of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. The rare coin has been issued in honour of Tendulkar’s remarkable career spanning 24 years. “Only 210 gold coins, each weighing precisely 200g, are being issued to pay tribute to Tendulkar at a global level. Only very few will ever see this coin in the flesh, making them exceptionally rare and precious amongst thousands of fans who yearn to own a piece of the superstar’s legacy,” the London-based firm said in a statement.

General Awarness : NEW APPOINTMENTS

Dinesh Sarraf - ONGC chief

Arseny Yatseniuk - Ukraine’s new prime minister

Rashid Latif - Pakistan cricket chief selector

Bappi Lahiri - goodwil ambassador in Nepal

Metro Man E Sreedharan - Uttar Pradesh government’s chief adviser for Lucknow metro rail project.

Cheteshwar Pujara - ‘brand ambassador’ of the Gujarat state Election Commission.

Salil Nair - Shoppers Stop CEO

Ashok Varadhan - co-head of Goldman Sachs’ securities

Justice Mukul Mudgal - appointed as Chief of BCCC

Siddharth Das - Flipkart Chief Operating Officer of its online payment solution PayZippy

Rakesh Maria - Mumbai’s new police commissioner

Vallabhaneni Venkateshwara Rao - the member of Censor Board.

Kalyan Singh -BJP vice-president

Sheila Dikshit – Governor of Kerala Published

Ibrahim Mahlab – Prime Minister of Egypt

Matteo Renzi - PM of Italy

Edward Snowden - Rector of University of Glasgow

Abdul Basit - high commissioner of Pakistan

Vinod Sawhny - CEO of Reliance Communications

Jatinder Bir Singh - CMD of Punjab and Sind Bank

R.K.Tiwari – new Chairman of CBDT

N Ramachandran- President of IOA

Marco Lambertini - Director-General of WWF International

Sanjeev Kulkarni - dean of Princeton University Graduate School (DGH)

Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft

M Teresa Kho – Country Director of ADB

Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur – head 7th Central Pay Commission

Poonam Khetrapal Singh – Regional Director of SEARO

Vivek Lall -Special Advisor Published

Manoj Vaish – MD & CEO of MCX

Harish Rawat -8th Chief Minister of Uttrakhand

Michel Rogers – Director of NSA

Arun Gupta – CMD of Shipping Corporation of India

Ajoy Misra – the CEO and MD of Tata Global Beverages Limited

Manoj Kohli – MD&CEO of non telecom businesses of Bharti Enterprises

Gopal vittal – MD&CEO of Bharti Airtel

Egypt’s Army Chief Fattah al-Sisi -Field Marshal

Professor Rakesh Khurana – Dean of Harvard College

Kailash Meghwal – Speaker of Rajasthan Assembly

Aruna Bahuguna -first woman to be appointed chief of National Police Academy

Catherline Samba-Panza- CAR’s Interim President (first woman to be elected as the interim president)

Jamila Bayaz -first women to be appointed police chief of Kabul province

Sirajuddin Qureshi – President of IICC Published

Morten Sorby – new Uninor CEO

Munish Sharda – MD and CEO of Future Generali Life

Janet Yellen – Chairperson of Federal Reserve

Chandrashekhar – President of NASSCOM

Srinivas and Pravin Rao – Infosys Presidents

Raj Jain – CEO of Bharti Retail

Pradhyuman Singh – pro-tem speaker of 14th Rajasthan Assembly

S.K.Sharma – Chairman and Managing Director of BEL

Ashraf Jehan-first female judge in Pak’s National Sharia Court

Devendra Kumar Pathak – DG, BSF

Pradeep Kumar – MD Corporate Banking of State Bank of India

J.N.Chaudhary – Head of NSG

CISF – chief Arvind Ranjan

Ashok Lavasa, – the New Civil Aviation Secretary

Siddarth Birla – President of FICCI

Vinod Kumar Duggal – the Governor of Manipur

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar – ambassador of US

Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed – Prime Minister by Somalian Parliament

Usha Sangwan – first woman Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation.

P.H. Parekh – President of Supreme Court Bar Association

S B Nayar -Chairman and Managing Director of India Infrastructure Finance Corp Limited

Puneet Kumar – secretary general of AEPC

Harsh Kumar Bhanwala -Chairman of NABARD

CVR Rajendran – CMD of Andhra Bank

Krishna Iyer – CEO of Wal-Mart India

Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag – new Army chief

Branches of Biology: General Awarness

1.Biology: study of living organisms.

2.Botany: study of plants.

3.Zoology: study of animals.

4.Morphology: study of internal and external structures of organisms (plants and animals) organs.

5.Histology: study of tissues.

6.Cytology: study of cells and cell organelles.

7.Anatomy: study of internal organs of plants and animals.

8.Embryology: study about male and female gametes, fertilization and development of embryo.

9.Microbiology: study of micro-organisms.

10.Physiology: study of various body functions and processes (e.g. respiration, photosynthesis, growth etc.).

11.Ecology: study of relationship of living beings (plants and animals) with environment. Also called Environmental biology.

12.Palynology: study of microspores or pollen grains.

13.Palaeontology: study of fossils.

14.Molecular Biology: Study of nature of biomolecules and their interactions in an organism

15.Astrobiology: study of extra-terrestrial life.

16.Biochemistry: study of bio-chemical process (e.g. diffusion, osmosis etc.)

17.Biophysics: study of application of physics principles in life processes.

18.Taxonomy: study of identification, nomenclature and classification of animals and plants.

19.Genetics: study of genes and inheritance

20.Bacteriology: study about bacteria.

21.Virology: study about viruses.

22.Eugenics: study of application of knowledge of genetics to the human welfare.

23.Bioinformatics: information processing of data in molecular biology by using computers.

24.Phytogeography: study about distribution of plants in different parts of the globe.

25.Mycology: study about fungi.

26.Phycology: study about algae.

27.Bryology: study of bryophyte plants.

28.Pteridology: study of Pteridophytes plants.

29.Entomology: study of insects

30.Neurology: branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, functions, and organic disorders of nerves and the nervous system

31:Neuroradiology: Branch of radiology focuses on the diagnosis and abnormalities of nervous system.

32.Biotechnology: use of organisms or their parts to produce useful products like medicines.

33.Ethology: study of how animals behave, particularly in their natural environments.

34.Paleoanthropology:study of human origins and evolution.

35.Sociobiology: study of social behavior based on evolutionary theory.

36.Osteology: study of bones.

37.Ichthyology: study of fishes.

38.Toxicology: study about poisons.

39.Mammology:study of mammals

TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH SPORTS

1. Badminton - Drop, Smash, Ione, deuce, Clash Service


2. Baseball - Bunting, home, pitcher , strike, put out


3. Basketball - Block, dribble , pivot , held ball, basket


4. Billiards - Cue, Cannon, frame, spider, baulk


5. Boxing - Rounds, knock-out , jab, punch, uppercut


6. Chess - Gambit, resign, checkmate, rook, knight, pawn


7. Cricket - Maiden, caught, slips, gully, point, cover, yorker


8. Football - Penalty , foul, dribble, half, pass, goal


9. Golf - Course, links, tee, hole, nibble, club, putt, iron, eagle


10. Hockey - Centre, defender, push-in, free-hit, stick, carry, bully


11. Horse- racing - Bets, bookies, jockey, punter, steeplechase


12. Polo - Mallet, bunker, chucker, handicap, goal


13. Shooting - Bag, Bulls eye, plug, skeet, marksmanship


14. Tennis - Smash , slice, lob, set, ace, volley


15. Volleyball - Blocking, heave, point, serve, doubling, smash

FIRST IN INDIA- Must Know GK

● British Governor-General : Warren Hastings
● British Governor-General of Independent India : Lord Mountbatten
● Justice of India : Hiralal J. Kania
● Comander-in-Chief of Free India : General K. M. Cariappa
● Chief of Air Staff : Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst
● Indian Air Chief : Air Marshal S. Mukherjee
● Chief of Army Staff : General M. Rajendra Singh
● Chief of Naval Staff : Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari
● Consmonaut : Sqn. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma
● Emperor of Mughal Dynasty in India : Babar
● Field Marshal : SPFJ Manekshaw
● Governor-General of Indian Union : C. Rajgopalachari
● Indian to get an Oscar : Bhanu Athaiya
● Indian to Reach the South Pole : Col. I. K. Bajaj
● Indian ICS Officer : Satyendra Nath Tagore
● Indian Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council : Sir S. P. Sinha
● Indian Man to Swim Across the English Channel : Mihir Sen
● Indian Woman to Swim Across the English Channel : Miss Aarti Saha
● Indian Woman to Swim Across the Strait of Gibraltar : Aarti Pradhan
● Man to Climb Mount Everest without Oxygen : Phu Dorjee
● Man to Climb Mount Everest twice : Nawang Gombu
● Muslim Woman to sit on the throne of Delhi : Razia Sultana
● Nobel Prize Winner : Rabindra Nath Tagore
● President of the Indian National Congress : W. C. Banerjee
● Woman President of the Indian National Congress : Annie Besant
● President to Die in Office : Dr. Zakir Hussain
● Prime Minister to Lose an Election : Indira Gandhi
● Prime Minister to Resign from Office : Morarji Desai
● Deputy Prime Minister : Vallabhbhai Patel
● Talkie Film : Alam Ara (1931)
● Test-tube Baby : Indira (Baby Harsha)
● Viceroy : Lord Canning
● Woman Central Minister : Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
● Woman Chief Minister of a State : Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani
● Woman Governor : Mrs. Sarojini Naidu
● Woman Minister : Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit
● Woman to Climb the Mt. Everest: Bachendri Pal
● Woman Prime Minister : Mrs. Indira Gandhi
● Woman Speaker of a State Assembly : Mrs. Shanno Devi
● Woman Airline Pilot : Durba Banerjee
● Woman to Win an Asiad Gold : Kamaljit Sandhu
● Woman Judge of the Supreme Court : Fathima Beevi
● Woman IPS Officer : Kiran Bedi
● Indian in the British Parliament: Dadabhai Naoroji
● Indian to win Miss Universe Title : Ms Sushmita Sen
● Indian Woman Congress President : Sarojini Naidu (1925)
● Woman President of UN General Assembly : Vijayalakshmi Pandit (1953)
● Woman to Win the Nobel Prize : Mother Teresa (1979)
● Woman to become ‘Miss World : Reeta Faria
● Speaker, Lok Sabha : G. V. Manavalankar (1952-57)
● Chairman Rajya Sabha : S. V. Krishnamoorthy (1952)
● Indian to Pass ICS : Surendra Nath Banerji (1869)
● Indian Pilot : JRD Tata (1929)
● To Reach Antarctica : Lt. Ram Charan (1960)
● Vernacular Daily : Kolkata (1727)
● Telegraph Line Installed : Calcutta to Diamond Harber (1853)
● Silent Movie : Raja Harish Chandra by Dada Saheb Phalke (1913)
● Coloured Cinemascope Film : Pyar ki Pyas (1961)
● Satellite launched : Aryabhatta (1975)
● Indigenously built satellite : Aryabhatta (1975)
● Atomic device exploded at : Pokharan in Rajasthan (1974)
● Large-scale Nuclear Reactor : Apsara (1956)
● Indigenously designed and built missile : Prithvi (1988)
● Member of the Dalit Community to become the President of India : K. R. Narayanan
● DNA typing forensic Laboratory set-up at : Kolkata
● Electric Train started between : Ludhiana and New Delhi
● Science City was inaugurated in : Kolkata
● Actress of Indian Cinema : Kamalabai Gokhale
● Woman Pilot of IAF : Harita Deol
● Solar Thermal Parabolic Trough Power Station was established at : Mathania (Rajasthan)
● Indian writer to win the Booker Prize : Arundhati Roy
● Musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna : M. S. Subbulakshmi
● Indian Woman to go into Space : Kalpana Chawla
● Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board : Nikhil Chakravarthy
● Indian Institution to be awarded Gandhi Peace Prize : Ramakrishna Mission
● Solar city is developed at : Anandpur Sahib
● Woman to win an Olympic medal : Karnam Malleswari
● Woman Foreign Secretary of India : Chokila Iyer
● Indian to win World Billiards Trophy : Wilson Jones
● Indian Grand Master (in Chess) : Vishwanathan Anand
● Chinese pilgrim to visit India : Fahien
● European invader on India soil : Alexender, the great
● Indian to win World Chess Championship : Vishwanathan Anand
● Women Air Vice Marshal : P. Bandopadhyaya
● Lady Cadet of Indian Army : Priya Jhingan
● First Indian to win a medal in the world Athletic Championship : Anju B. George (2003)
● Triple Century Maker in Test Cricket : Virendra Sahwag (2004)
● Hitter of 5 Double Centuries : Rahul Dravid (2004)
● Woman DGP : Kanchan Chaudhury
● Medal winner in Olympic Games : Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore (2004)(facebook/cnaonweb)
● Asian Tennis Champion, WTA champion, Third round winner in Grand Slam Tournament, Grand slam tournament winner Match winner in U.S. open, Youngest awardee of Padamshree : Sania Mirza
● Formula-1 Car Racer : Narayan Kartikeyan
● Indian to be awarded ‘Srilanka Ratn’ : N. Ram
● Woman Commanded the annual passing out parade : Wahida Prizm (2006)(facebook/cnaonweb)
● Five hundred wicket taker in Test cricket: Anil Kumble (2006)
● To the ski to the North Pole : Ajeet Bajaj (2006)
● First Air Chief to to Sky dive : Air Chief S. P. Tyagi (2006)
● First Indian Woman to win a Badminton Grand Prix : Saina Nehwal (2006)
● First President to make sortie in a combat aircraft : Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2006)(facebook/cnaonweb)
● First Women President : Pratibha Patil (2007)
● First Indian to win Gold Medal in Olympics in individual Event : Abhinav Bindra (2008)
● First Woman Pilot of Fighter Plane : Suman Sharma
● World Cup (Jr.) Badminton, Indonesian Open Winner (Woman) : Saina Nehwal (2009)(facebook/cnaonweb)
● Woman Speaker Lok Sabha : Ms. Meira Kumar (2009)
● Two Oscar Award Winner : A. R. Rehman (2009)
● Khel Ratna, Arjun and Dronacharya Award : P. Gopi Chand (2009)(facebook/cnaonweb)
● Indian Woman to reach the South Pole : Reena Kaushal (2009)

Current Affairs Quiz 24 June 2014

1. The 11th century stepwell Rani-ki-Vav (Queen’s stepwell) on 22 June 2014 was included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Rani-ki-Vav is situated in which state of India? 

 A. Punjab 

 B. Madhya Pradesh 

 C. Rajasthan 

 D. Gujarat 

Ans:
D. Gujarat
The Queen’s stepwell in Patan district of Gujarat, as a result, became the 31st World Heritage Site of India which includes 6 natural World Heritage Sites.

2. Ancient Pyu Cities, on 22 June 2014, was inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site List. This is the first UNESCO’s World Heritage Site from __________. 

 A. Pakistan 

 B. Thailand 

 C. Myanmar 

 D. Cambodia 

Answer: 

C. Myanmar

The Ancient Pyu Cities include three cities Halin, Beikthano and Sri Ksetra.

3. World Refugee Day was observed across the world on __________. 

 A. 19 June 2014 

 B. 20 June 2014 

 C. 21 June 2014 

 D. 22 June 2014 

Answer

B. 20 June 2014

The day is observed annually to draw attention to the plight of refugees, celebrate their courage and resilience and renew commitment to solve refugee problems. It also recognises contributions of the refugees made to the countries that host them.

4. Two experiments of Person of Indian (PIO) student _________ were approved for launch into space under NASA's Cubes in Space (CIS) programme. 

 A. Shruti Shah 

 B. Prerna Pai 

 C. Alka Puranik 

 D. Deepika Dubey 

Answer

 

B. Prerna Pai

5. World’s most powerful telescope ATLAST to be built by NASA to track alien’s life. ATLAST is acronym for __________. 

 A. AT LAST (BUILT THIS) 

 B. Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope 

 C. Advanced Technology Large Aerial Space Telescope 

 D. Advanced Telemetry Loaded At Scientific Telescope 

Answer

 

B. Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope

6. Recently, In June 2014, Railways has increased the passenger fare by ___________ in all classes and freight charges by ____________. 

 A. 14.2 percent, 6.5 percent 

 B. 6.5 percent, 14.2 percent 

 C. 21.2 percent, 16.5 percent 

 D. 16.5 percent, 11.2 percent 

Answer

 

A. 14.2 percent, 6.5 percent

7. ___________, a noted Hindi poet has been chosen for the Jnanpith award for 2013. 

 A. Kumar Vishwas 

 B. Murari Lal Sharma (Neeras) 

 C. Kedarnath Singh 

 D. Ambarish Srivastava 

Answer

 

C. Kedarnath Singh

8. INTERPOL Executive Committee selected ___________ as candidate for next Secretary General. 

 A. Juergen Stock 

 B. Ronald L Noble 

 C. Ranjit Sinha 

 D. Anders Fogh Rasmussen 

Answer

 

A. Juergen Stock

9. Gro Harlem Brundtland was awarded with the first Tang Prize in sustainable development. She is the former Prime Minister of __________. 

 A. Switzerland 

 B. Sweden 

 C. Norway 

 D. France 

Answer

 

C. Norway

10. United Nations Public Service Day celebrated on ___________. 

 A. 21 June 

 B. 22 June 

 C. 23 June 

 D. 24 June 

Answer

C. 23June

Universe and planet General Knowledge Question

1. In order of their distances from the Sun, which of the following planets lie between
Mars and Uranus?
(a) Earth and Jupiter
(b) Jupiter and Saturn
(c) Saturn and Earth
(d) Saturn and Neptune
Answer. (b)

2. Comets revolve around:
(a) Sun
(b) Earth
(c) Venus
(d) No single heavenly body
Answer. (a)

3. Which one of the following is correct? Great Bear is a
(a) Galaxy
(b) Planet
(c) Star
(d) Constellation
Answer. (d)

4. The hottest planet is:
(a) Mercury
(b) Venus
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn
Answer. (b)

5. Which of the planets is nearest to the earth?
(a) Jupiter
(b) Venus
(c) Mercury
(d) Mars
Answer. (b)

6. Which one of the following planets takes the same number of days
for rotation And revolution?
(a) Mars
(b) Venus
(c) Mercury
(d) Jupiter
Answer. (b)

7. Which of the following planets of the solar system has the longest day?
(a) Mercury
(b) Jupiter
(c) Venus
(d) Earth
Answer. (c)

8. Which planet of the solar system spins on its axis at the fastest rate?
(a) Mercury
(b) Earth
(c) Jupiter
(d) Satum
Answer. (c)

7. Which planet looks reddish in the night sky?
(a) Mercury
(b) Mars
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn
Answer. (b)

8. Which of the following is the largest of the inner planets?
(a) Venus
(b) Mercury
(c) Mars
(d) Earth
Answer. (d)

9. Match the following:
A. Largest Planet 1. Mercury
B. Brightest Planet 2. Jupiter
C. Densest Planet 3. Earth
D. Smallest Planet 4. Venus
A B C D
(a) 2 3 4 1
(b) 2 4 3 1
(c) 3 4 1 2
(d) 3 4 2 1
Answer. (b)

10. Match the following:
Planet Gases in atmosphere
A. Venus 1. Hydrogen and helium
B. Mars 2. Hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane
C. Saturn 3. Carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane
D. Jupiter 4. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen

A B C D
(a) 4 3 1 2
(b) 2 3 4 1
(c) 4 2 3 1
(d) 2 1 4 3
Answer. (a)

11. A black hole is a:
(a) Contracted star with intense gravitational pull
(b) Star with very low surface temperature
(c) Star with no atmosphere
(d) Pulsating star
Answer. (a)

12. Asteroids have their orbits between the planets:
(a) Mercury and Venus
(b) Earth and Mars
(c) Mars and Jupiter
(d) Jupiter and Saturn
Answer. (c)



13. The orbits of planets around the Sun, or of satellites around the Earth, can be:
(a) Circular and elliptic
(b) Circular and hyperbolic
(c) Elliptic and parabolic
(d) Parabolic and hyperbolic
Answer. (a)

14. NASA’s Deep Impact space mission was employed to take detailed pictures of which comet nucleus?
(a) Halley’s Comet
(b) Hale-Bopp
(c) Hyakutake
(d) Temple
Answer. (d)

15. Foucault experiment is proof of which one of the following?
(a) Revolution of Earth
(b) Rotation of Earth
(c) Rotation of Moon
(d) Revolution of Moon
Answer. (b)

16. The earth rotates around its axis from:
(a) North to south
(b) East to west
(c) South to north
(d) West to east
Answer. (d)

17. Days and nights are caused by:
1. Rotation of the earth on its axis
2. Revolution of the earth around the sun
3. Inclination ofthe earth’s axis
(a) Only 1 is correct
(b) 1 and 2 are correct
(c) 2 and 3 are correct
(d) All are correct
Answer. (a)

18. “Mohs' Scale” is used to indicate the:
(a) Degree of brittleness of a substance
(b) Degree of hardness of minerals.
(c) Degree of viscosity of a liquid
(d) Degree of elasticity of a material
Answer. (b)

19. The mean radius of the earth is approximately:
(a) 3200 km
(b) 6400 km
(c) 9600 km
(d) 12800 km
Answer. (b)

20. Summer Solstice in the' Southern Hemisphere occurs on:
(a) December 22
(b) September 23
(c) June 21
(d) March 21
Answer. (a)

21. Spring tides occur when:
(a) The moon is nearest to the earth
(b) The moon is farthest from the earth
(c) The moon, the sun and the earth are at right angles with the earth at the apex
(d) The moon, the sun and the earth are in the same line
Answer. (d)

22. At neap tide:
1. The sun and moon exert their force at right angles
2. The tidal amplitude is high
3. The low tides are very low
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 2
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer. (c)
23. Match the following:
A. Lithosphere 1. The relatively light rocks that form the continental crust
B. Asthenosphere 2. The relatively dense rocks that form the oceanic crust
C. Sima 3. Part of earth’s upper mantle
D. Sial 4. The outer portion of the earth including the crust

A B C D
(a) 2 3 4 1
(b) 3 4 1 2
(c) 4 3 2 1
(d) 3 2 1 4
Answer. (c)

24. lf a solar 'eclipse occurs when the moon is quite far from the earth,
the eclipse would be likely to be:
(a) Total
(b) Partial
(c) Annular
(d) None of these
Answer. (a)

25. What can be the maximum duration of totality for a solar eclipse?
(a) 12.5 minutes
(b) 7 minutes 40 seconds
(c) 1 hour 40 seconds
(d) There is no maximum duration
Answer. (b)