Professional Documents
Culture Documents
:
z Ancient India
z Medieval India
z Modern India
Chapter 1
History of India
Temple of Learning
ANCIENT INDIA
History is a record of time. Ages have come and brought with them their foundations and ruins. The
study of Ancient India begins with the study of the Stone Age.
1. Stone Age
The Stone Age or the stages of early man can be classified into
Paleolithic Age – This period was essentially the stage of hunters and food gatherers. They
used crude tools made of flakes. They had no knowledge of cultivation and house building.
Goat, sheep & other cattle were used. They lived on roots & fruits. By the end of the Paleolithic
Age, the flint industry came up. The important development of this age was the emergence of
Homo-Sapiens.
Mesolithic Age – This age was the transition between the Paleolithic & the Neolithic Ages.
Mesolithic people lived on hunting, fishing & food gathering. At a later stage, they domesticated
animals. They used microlith - a small raw-stone tool.
Neolithic Age - These people used tools & implements of polished stone. They particularly used stone
axes. Parashurama became an important axe-wielding hero. Dwelling pits, ceramics, a variety of stone
& bone tools & a complete absence of microliths marked this age. Cattle, sheep & goat were
domesticated.
The Indus Valley Civilization existed between 2350 BC and 1750 BC. The main cities associated
with the civilization were Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Lothal. The main feature of this
civilization was Town Planning. They had great buildings, well-planned roads, cities and drainage
systems. Trade and agriculture were the main sources of livelihood for the people. People of the
Indus Valley were the first to produce cotton. Mother Goddess was the most important deity of
worship.
3. Vedic Period
This period is marked by the entry of the Aryans, who were originally inhabitants of Central Asia
around the Caspian Sea and probably came through the Hindukush Mountains. The period in
which they existed was between 1500-600 BC.
ii) The Upanishads: They are the foundation stones of Indian Philosophy and are 108 in number.
4. Rise of Religions
The two major religions that came into prominence after the vedic period:
i) Buddhism - Initiated by a Kshatriya prince of the Shakya clan, Siddhartha, (who later came to
be known as Buddha) around 6th century BC. Siddhartha was born in 567 BC at Lumbini in
Kapilavastu (present day Nepal). He was the son of king Shuddhodhana. He went in search of
truth and attained enlightenment under a pipal tree at Bodh Gaya, and delivered his first sermons
at Sarnath in U.P. He died at Kushinagar in U.P.
The main Buddhist teachings of the eight–fold path of right faith, thought, action, livelihood, efforts,
speech, remembrance and concentration, belief in nirvana (freedom from the cycle of birth and death),
ahimsa and law of karma were recorded in Triptikas, the religious book of Buddhists.
ii) Jainism - Initiated by Rishabha (a Kshatriya prince), Jainism attained peak under Vardhamana
Mahavira (the 24th Tirthankara). Mahavira was born at Kundagrama in 540 BC at Bihar, and
attained perfect knowledge ‘Kaivalya’ after he became an ascetic at the age of 30. He became a
‘Jina’ (one who has conquered happiness and misery) and died at Pavapuri (present day Bihar).
The major teachings of Jainism were based on the Tri-ratna concept and the Tri-ratna concept
was based on
a) Right knowledge,
b) Right faith and
c) Right conduct.
i) Haryanka Dynasty - Bimbisara and Ajata Shatru laid the foundation of this dynasty in 684 BC.
ii) Shishunaga Dynasty - This dynasty was founded by Shishunag in 413 BC after defeating the
last king of the Haryanka dynasty.
iii) Nanda Dynasty – This dynasty was founded in 382 BC by Mahapadma Nanda.
8. Kushan Empire
The Kushan empire was started by the Kushan tribe of the Yuezi Confederation around 1st century
BC.
• The Kushan Empire introduced the largest number of gold coins in India.
• Kanishka was most the important king of the empire. He started the Saka Era in 78 AD.
• His capital was at Pursushpura ( now Peshawar).
• He was responsible for organizing the 4th Buddhist council in Kashmir.
• Both Gandhar and Mathura art forms developed during Kanishka’s reign.
9. Gupta Empire
It was founded by Chandragupta I (320-325 AD). He started the Gupta Era in 320 AD. Other
important kings of the Gupta empire were
i) Samudra Gupta (335-380 AD) He was known as the Napoleon of India. He was a great
exponent of Veena.
iii) Kumaragupta I of this dynasty had constructed the Nalanda University (in present
day Bihar).
• Sangam Literature relates primarily to Pandyan kingdom but also contains information about
Cholas and Cheras.
• Tolkkapiyam is the oldest book of Tamil grammar.
Famous Important
Kingdom Capital Emblem
Port King
Cholas Uraiyar Tiger Puhar Karikala
MEDIEVAL INDIA
It is marked by the beginning of the Sultanate of Delhi, which was established after the conquest of
Muhammad Ghori. The period of the Sultanate of Delhi ranges from AD 1206-1526. It is also considered
as the beginning of Muslim rule in India.
Important Dynasties
1. The Slave Dynasty period ranges from AD 1206-1290. It was founded by Qutab–ud-din Aibak
whose capital was at Lahore. He started the Persian festival of ‘NAVROZ’ in India. The Qutub
Minar at Delhi was also built by Qutab–ud-din Aibak. Later Iltutmish got three more stories
added to the Minar. Razia Sultana, the only woman ruler of India, and Balban were the important
rulers of the Slave Dynasty.
2. The Khilji Dynasty was founded by Jalal-ud-din Khilji and its period ranges
from AD 1290-1320. Ala-ud-din Khilji was one of the most prominent rulers of this dynasty.
He started branding of horses and constructed Siri Fort at Delhi and Alai Darwaja near
Qutub Minar.
3. The Tughlak dynasty was founded by Ghiasuddin Tughlak and the period ranges
from AD 1320-1414. Ibn Batuta was an important African traveller who visited India in 1333.
Feroz Shah Tughlak was another important king and he constructed many tombs.
Mohammed-Bin-Tughlak introduced coins of brass and copper.
4. The Lodhi dynasty was founded by Bahlol Lodhi and the period of this dynasty ranges
from AD 1451–1526. Sikander and Ibrahim Lodhi were the other two prominent rulers
belonging to this dynasty. Sikander established Agra City and transferred his capital from
Agra to Delhi.
5.1 Babar - He is credited with the foundation of the Mughal empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodhi
in the First Battle of Panipat on April 20, 1526. His tomb is built at Kabul, and his autobiography
Baburnama is written in Turkish.
5.2 Humayun - He was the next emperor of the Mughal empire after Babur. His tomb is in Delhi,
his biography Humayunama was written by Guladan Begum.
5.3 Akbar - He was the most successful Mughal emperor. An excellent leader, who separated
religion and politics, started a new religion called Din-e-Ilahi. He established Fatehpur Sikri and
Buland Darwaja near Agra. He abolished the Jazia Tax. Bairam Khan, Akbar’s General, fought the
Second Battle of Panipat in 1556 & defeated Hemu. Two important books Akbarnama and
Ain-e-Akbari were written during Akbar’s tenure by Abul Fazal. His tomb is built at Sikandara
near Agra.
5.4 Jehangir - The son of Akbar, who ascended the throne after Akbar’s death, known for his
administration and strict sense of justice. He was the husband of Noor Jahan Begum and had
built Shalimar and Nishant Bagh. His autobiography is Tuzk-e-Jahangiri and his tomb is
built at Lahore.
5.5 Shahjahan - Famous ruler and son of Jehangir, who built the Taj Mahal at Agra, in the
memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Jama Masjid and Red Fort are the other two famous
monuments that were built by him. He had transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi.
5.6 Aurangzeb - A very cruel ruler and son of Shahjahan, who demolished several religious
structures of Hindus, and ruled for about 50 years. He constructed the ‘Moti Masjid’ in the Red
Fort at Delhi and ‘Bibi ka Makbara’ at Aurangabad.
5.7 Sher Shah Suri (1540-1555) - He was a brilliant administrator who issued the Rupiah and
Paisa coins and built the famous Grand Trunk Road from Peshawar to Calcutta. He constructed
the Old Fort of Delhi.
The Mughal empire started declining with the attack of Nadir Shah who took with him the famous
Kohinoor Diamond to Afghanistan. Then came the Marathas who became powerful under the
leadership of Shivaji.
MODERN INDIA
Viceroys of India
First War of Independence 1857 Mangal Pandey was a prominent figure. He killed
two British sepoys at Barrackpore.
Government of India Act 1858 Direct governance of British Crown over India.
Formation of Indian National 1885 A. O. Hume was the founder. W.C. Banerjee was
Congress the first president of Indian National Congress.
Formation of Muslim League 1906 Founded by Aga Khan and Salimuddin at Dhaka.
Home Rule Movement 1915-16 Annie Besant started the movement in September
1916.
Lucknow Pact 1916 Congress and Muslim League held their sessions
at Lucknow, which strengthened the Hindu–
Muslim unity.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 1919 Because of firing, under the orders of General
O ’ D y e r, m a n y p e o p l e w e r e k i l l e d , w h i l e
attending a public meeting at Jallianwala Bagh
in Amritsar.
Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) 1930 Gandhiji marched from his Sabarmati Ashram,
which was basically a form of protest against
t h e t a x o n s a l t i mp o s e d b y t h e B r i t i s h
Government.
Government of India Act 1935 Passed on the basis of the Simon Commission
report, it envisaged the structure of the
government under the direct governance of the
‘British Crown’.
Quit India Movement 1942 Mahatma Gandhi led this movement and asked the
Britishers to leave India.
Formation of the Constituent 1946 Without the Muslim league’s participation under
Assembly the Assembly predisency of Dr. Rajendra Prasad,
the Constituent Assembly was formed.
Constitution Enforcement 1950 The Constitution came into force on 26th Jan, 1950.
End of Chapter
Chapter 2
Major Participants
1. Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey formed a group known as the Central powers.
2 . England, France, Belgium and Serbia later joined by Russia and Italy, were known as the
Allied powers.
Causes of War
The First World War was a consequence of
1. Archduke of Austria, Francis Ferdinand was assassinated,
2. Austria initiated a war against Serbia, and
3. Russia mobilized its forces against Austria-Hungary.
Outcome
The Allied forces won the war, Treaty of Versailles was signed, which curbed the power of the
German Empire and led to the creation of many new countries in Eastern Europe.
Major Participants
1. Allied Powers - Britain, Russia, USA, and France.
2. Axis Powers (central powers) - Germany, Italy and Japan.
Causes of War
The Second World War was a consequence of
1. Rise of the Nazi party in Germany.
2. Treaty of Versailles which was against Germany.
3. The expansion policy of Japan.
Outcome
The Allied forces won the war and Germany was divided into two parts. Russia and the US
became the biggest powers in the World. The end of war led to the Cold War amongst the
industrialised countries.
MAJOR REVOLUTIONS
The worldwide economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted till the late 1930’s. It was the most
severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized economies of the West, which brought about
drastic changes in economic institutions, macroeconomic policies, and economic theory. The depression
started in the United States, but caused drastic decline in output, severe unemployment, and acute
deflation in almost every country of the world. The social and cultural effects of the downturn were no
less staggering, especially in the United States, where the harshest effects of the depression were felt
after the Civil War.
The worst hit were the United States and Europe while milder impacts of the depression were felt in
Asia, especially Japan and the South Americas.
The worst depression faced by the World economy was a consequence of decline in consumer demand,
financial panic, and misguided government policies that caused economic output to fall in the United
States. The gold standard, which was used to fix currency exchange rates between the countries,
played a key role in transmitting the economic downturn to countries other than the United States. The
recovery from the Great Depression was spurred largely by the abandonment of the gold standard and
the ensuing monetary expansion. The economic impact of the Great Depression was enormous, including
both extreme human suffering and profound changes in economic policy .
End of Chapter
Chapter 3
THE EARTH
Earth is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest in
size. It is also the largest amongst its planetary system’s terrestrial planets, making it the largest solid
body in the solar system, and it is the only planet in the universe known to support life. The Earth was
formed around 4.57 billion years ago and its largest natural satellite, the Moon, was orbiting it shortly
thereafter, around 4.533 billion years ago.
Since it’s formation, the Earth has changed through geological and biological processes that have
hidden traces of the original conditions. The outer space is divided into several tectonic plates that
gradually migrate across the surface over geologic time spans. The interior of the planet remains
active, with a thick layer of convecting yet solid Earth mantle and an iron core that generates a magnetic
field. The atmospheric conditions have been significantly altered by the presence of life forms, which
create an ecological balance that modifies the surface conditions. About 71% of the surface is covered
in water in the form of oceans, seas, and other water bodies and the remainder majorly consists of land
masses in the form of continents and islands.
There is significant interaction between the Earth and its space environment. The relatively
large moon leads to ocean tides and has gradually modified the length of the planet’s rotation
period. A cometary bombardment during the early history of the planet is believed to have
played a role in the formation of the oceans. Later, asteriod impacts are understood to have
caused significant changes to the surface environment. The changes in the orbit of the planet
are also attributed to the ice age, in which significant portions of the surface were covered in
glacial sheets.
viscous than the mantle, and a solid inner core. The geologic component layers of the Earth are at the
following depths below the surface :
35–2890 Mantle
1. Earth’s Hydrosphere
The abundance of water on Earth is a unique feature that distinguishes ‘The Blue Planet’ from the
other planets in the Solar System. Approximately, 71% of the Earth is covered by water and only
29% is solid land.
The Earth’s hydrosphere mainly consists of oceans, but technically includes all water surfaces in
the world, including inland seas, lakes, rivers, and underground waters. The average depth of the
oceans is 3,794 m (12,447 ft), more than five times the average height of the continents.
2. Earth’s Atmosphere
The Earth’s atmosphere has no definite boundary, and is slowly becoming thinner and fading into
outer space. Three-quarters of the atmosphere’s mass is contained within the first 11 kms of the
planet’s surface. This lowest layer is called the Troposphere. Further up, the atmosphere is usually
divided into the Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere. An important part of the atmosphere
for life on Earth is the Ozone layer.
The atmospheric pressure on the surface of the Earth averages at 101.325 KPa (Kilo Pascal), with
a scale height of about 6 kms. Its composition is 78.09 % nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon
and 0.03% minor gases and vapors. The atmosphere protects the Earth’s life forms by absorbing
ultraviolet solar radiation, moderating temperature, transporting water vapor, and providing useful
gases. The atmosphere is one of the principal components determining weather and climate.
1. Troposphere - The Troposphere is the lowermost portion of the Earth’s atmosphere extending
up to a height of 15 kms (at tropics) and 8 kms (at poles). It is the densest layer of the
atmosphere and contains approximately 75% of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all the
water vapor and particulate matter. The Troposphere is the most turbulent part of the atmosphere
and is that part of the atmosphere in which most weather phenomena are seen. The Troposphere
extends from the Earth’s surface up to the tropopause where the Stratosphere begins.
2. Stratosphere - The Stratosphere is situated between about 10 kms and 50 kms above
surface at tropics, while at the poles it starts at a height of about 8 kms. The Stratosphere sits
directly above the Troposphere and directly below the Mesosphere.The Stratosphere is layered
in temperature because it is heated from above by absorption of ultraviolet radiation from the
Sun. Within this layer, the temperature increases as the altitude increases; the top of the
Stratosphere has a temperature of about 270 Kelvin; about the same as the ground level
temperature. This top is called the Stratopause, above which temperature again decreases
with height.
3. Mesosphere - The Mesosphere is directly above the Stratosphere and directly below the
Ionosphere. The Mesosphere is located about 50-80 kms above the Earth’s surface. Within this
layer, the temperature decreases with increasing altitude. Since it lies between the maximum altitude
for most aircrafts and the minimum altitude for most spacecrafts, this region of the atmosphere is
only directly accessible through the use of sounding rockets. As a result, this region is one of the
most poorly understood in the atmosphere.
4. Ionosphere – This layer lies between the Mesosphere and the outermost layer of the atmosphere,
the Exosphere. It extends from 80-500 kms above the earths surface. The middle layer of the
region is called Thermosphere where the temperature is above 100 degress celcius. Within this
layer, the ultraviolet radiation causes ionization.
5. Exosphere - The Exosphere is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere. On Earth, its
lower boundary (exobase), at the edge of the thermosphere is estimated to be 500-1000
kms above the Earth’s surface, and its upper boundary at about 10,000 kms. It is only from
the Exosphere that the atmospheric gases, atoms, and molecules can, to any appreciable
extent, escape into outer space. The main gases within the Exosphere are the lightest gases,
mainly hydrogen and helium, with some oxygen near the exobase. The atmosphere in this
layer is sufficiently rarefied for satellites to orbit the Earth, although they still receive some
atmospheric drag.
KINDS OF ROCKS
Rocks are naturally occuring aggregate of minerals. The Earth’s crust and mantle are formed of
rocks. The study of rocks is called Petrology. Rocks are classified by their mineral and chemical
composition, texture of the constituent particles and the process by which they are formed.
The transformation of one rock type to another through geographical process is called the
Rock Cycle.
Types of Rocks
i. Igneous Rocks – Igneous rocks are formed when the molten magma or lava slowly cools and
crystallises within the Earth’s crust. Examples of the Igneous rock are granite,basalt, etc.
ii. Sedimentary Rocks – Sedimentary rocks are formed by the deposition of organic and non-
organic matter over a period of time. The process of deposition is called sedimentation. Commonly
known sedimentary rocks are coal, limestone, sandstone etc.
iii.Metamorphic Rocks – Pressure and change in temprature under the Earth’s surface cause
Igneous and Sedimentary rocks to undergo change. This change leads to the formation of
Metamorphic Rocks.
i. Latitude and Longitude - In order to locate a point on the face of the earth, we look at the
latitude and the longitude of the point. The latitude of a place is its angular distance, north or south
of the Equator as measured from the centre of the Earth. Latitudes are, therefore, lines drawn
parallel to the Equator which represents 0 degree latitude. They are marked up to 90 degrees to the
North and to the South of the Equator.
The longitudes show the angular distance of a point East or West of the Prime Meridian, which is
at 0 degrees passing through Greenwich near London. The meridians or longitudes are drawn,
joining the two poles through 360 divisions of the Equator. They are 180 degrees to the East and
180 degrees to the West of Greenwich.
Longitude is represented by imaginary lines extending from pole to pole and crossing all parallels
at right angles. These lines are called Meridians. They are farthest apart at the Equator, becoming
increasingly close together northward and southward and finally converging completely at the
poles. Among the latitudes, only the Equator is a great circle.
An imaginary line drawn through the centre of the Earth from the North Pole to South Pole is
called the Earth’s axis. The axis of the Earth is always tilted at an angle of 66½ to the plane of the
ecliptic. The actual plane of the Earth’s movement around the Sun in space is called the plane of
ecliptic. The seasons occur because the earth is tilted with respect to the plane of the ecliptic. An
imaginary plane that passes through the Earth half-way between the poles and is perpendicular to
the axis of rotation is the plane of the Equator.
Some lines of latitude have significance. For example, the latitude of 0 degree is called the Equator,
while those of 23 1/2 degrees North and South of the Equator, are known as the Tropics of
Cancer and Capricorn, respectively . Similarly are the Arctic and the Antarctic circles, with latitudes
of 66 1/2 degrees North and South of the Equator respectively.
Earth’s axis is an imaginary line, which passes through the centre of the Earth. It spins round its
axis, which is always inclined at an angle of 66½ degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit.
ii. International Date Line – It is the line that passes through 180 degrees East or West
meridian of longitude which falls on the opposite side of the Greenwich meridian. One day is
added when this line is crossed East to West and a day is deducted when the line passes West
to East.
iii.Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) – GMT refers to the 0 degree longitude that passes through
Greenwich near London.
iv. Indian Standard Time (IST) - IST refers to the 82 1/2 degree longitude that passes through
Allahabad and is 5 1/2 hours ahead of the GMT.
v. Solstice - It is the date on which the Sun shines vertically over a tropic when the days &
nights are the longest & the shortest. On the 22nd of June the sun shines vertically over the
Tropic of Cancer & this date is termed as Summer Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere & Winter
Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere. Similarly, on December 22nd, the Sun shines vertically
over the Tropic of Capricorn. Hence it is Summer Solstice for Southern Hemisphere & Winter
Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere.
vi. Equinox - It means two days during the year when the day & night are almost equal throughout
the World because the Sun shines vertically over the Equator. March 21st is called the Vernal
Equinox & September 23rd is called the Autumnal Equinox.
vii. Equator - The Equator represents the imaginary line passing around the Earth midway between
the North & South poles. It divides the Earth into two equal parts.
viii. Meridians - They represent the imaginary lines drawn out on the global map from pole to
pole & perpendicular to the Equator. Prime Meridian is the 0 degree meridian, which passes
through Greenwich, a place near London.
ix. Aphelion - Aphelion refers to that position of the Earth in its orbit, when it is at the greatest
distance from the Sun (about 152 million kms). The Earth reaches this position during the northern
summer. This term also refers to the position of any other planet or a comet, when it is at its
greatest distance from the Sun.
x. Perihelion - Perihelion refers to the nearest point of a heavenly body in its orbit around the
Sun. The Earth at perihelion is at a distance of about 147 million kms from the Sun.
xi. Apogee - Apogee refers to the position of the orbit of the moon when it is at its greatest
distance from Earth. This is approximately 406,000 kms for the Earth.
xii. Perigee - Perigee refers to the point of the moon when it is at its minimum distance from the
Earth. This distance is approximately 364,000 kms.
xiii. Cyclone - Any area of low pressure around which the air turns in the same direction as the
Earth is a cyclone. In the Indian Ocean, a tropical storm with masses of air turning rapidly round
a low pressure area is called a tropical cyclone.
xiv. Typhoon - It is the name given to a tropical cyclone in the Far East.
xv. Hurricane - It is a tropical storm in the Caribbean or West Pacific Ocean, with extremely
strong winds. The wind force reaches 12 on the Beaufort scale.
xvi. Tornado - It is a type of whirlwind which is formed by rising air currents associated with
large cumulonimbus clouds. It rotates in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere
and in a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
xvii. Estuary - It is the tidal mouth of a river where the salt water of the tide meets the fresh
water of the river current.
xviii. Isobars - Lines on the map denoting places experiencing equal pressure.
xx. Isobronts - Lines joining places experiencing a thunderstorm at the same time.
xxi. Isochrones - Lines joining places located at equal travel time from a common centre.
xxii. Isogonics - Lines joining places with the same magnetic declination.
End of Chapter
Chapter 4
Geography of India
Temple of Learning
INDIA AT A GLANCE
India, the seventh largest country of the world, accounts for about 2.4% of the total world area. It is bounded
by the great Himalayas and other snowy mountains in the north. The country stretches southwards and at the
Tropic of Cancer, narrows down and ends into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the East and
the Arabian Sea on the West.
Location
India lies on the Northern Hemisphere between parallels of latitude 37o6’ and 8o4’ North and between the
Meridians of longitude 68o7’ E and 97o25’ East.
Dimensions
The land area covered by Indian mainland is 32, 87,780 Sq Kms. It measures about 3214 Kms from North to
South and 2933 Kms from East to West. The length of the Indian coastline is 7615 Kms. It is bounded by
Arabian Sea in the West, the Indian Ocean in the South and the Bay of Bengal in the East. The coastline of
India is not indented and the sea on the coast is not very deep. The Western coast is rocky while the Eastern
coast is shallow. Therefore, India does not have many good harbours. Only Mumbai and Goa are natural
harbours while all the other are artificial.
Population
India is the second largest country in the World in terms of population. According to the 2001 census, the
population of India was about 10270 crore (16.87% of the World population). The number of males in 2001
was 53.13 crore while the number of females was 49.57 crore. The density of population in India is about 324
persons per square km. The life expectancy is 64 years and the present literacy rate in 2005 was 65.38 percent.
Neighbours
To the North of the country lie China, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan, in the East the country is surrounded
by Myanmar and Bangladesh. Towards the West of India lies Pakistan and in the South, the Indian mainland
is surrounded by Sri Lanka.
INDIAN AGRICULTURE
India primarily has an agrarian economy. About 2/3rd of the population is engaged in agricuture and it provides
livelihood to about 54 percent of the population. About 47 percent of the total land area in India is under
agricultural cultivation. It is also the largest contributor to the national income, and contributes 26 percent to
the national income.
i. Alluvial Soil – Alluvial soil is formed due the deposition of particles such as silt, gravel and sand by
the rivers in the plains. It is the most fertile soil form found in India and is generally found in regions of
UP, Punjab, Bihar, Haryana and parts of West Bengal. This soil type facilitates the cultivation of cereals,
pulses, sugarcane and wheat.
ii. Black Soil - Also known as the cotton soil, this soil type is rich in iron, lime and alluminium. It
covers 30 percent of the total area of the country. Black soil is generally found in Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and facilitates the cultivation of cotton, wheat,
oil seeds and tobacco.
iii. Red Soil – This soil is red in colour because of the presence of Iron oxides. It is mainly found in
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa and Chattisgarh and facilitates the cultivation of wheat, millets,
potato and chillies.
iv. Laterite Soil – Laterite soil is highly leached and the least fertile soil type found in India. It is mainly
found in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and facilitates the cultivation of tea, coffee, and cashewnut.
RIVERS OF INDIA
There are four major river routes found in India. These are
1) Himalayan Rivers – The Himalayan Rivers are snow fed and have water throughout the year.
During monsoon heavy rainfall in the Himalayan region causes frequent floods in these rivers. The
major Himalayan rivers are
• The Indus and its tributaries- Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
• The Ganges and its tributaries- Yamuna, Chambal, Betwa, Sone, Ghagra, Gandak, Gomti etc.
• Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
2) Peninsular Rivers - The Peninsular rivers are only rain fed and fluctuate in volume and a large
number of streams dry up after monsoon. The major peninsular rivers are
• Mahanadi
• Krishna
• Kaveri
• Godavri
• Narmada
• Tapi (also known as Tapti)
3) Coastal Rivers - The coastal rivers, especially on the West Coast, are short and have limited catchment
areas. Most of these are non-perennial as well. River Periyar, Mithi River and River Mandovi are major
coastal rivers of India.
4) Rivers of the inland drainage basin - The rivers on the inland drainage basin consists of those in
Western Rajasthan which are very few and short lived, like the Sambhar, which is lost in the desert
sands, and the Loni that drains into the Rann of Kutch.
India is the largest producer of mica blocks and mica splittings, ranks third in the production
of coal, fourth in iron ore, sixth in bauxite & manganese ore, tenth in aluminium and eleventh in
crude steel.
1. Iron
Ranked fourth in the world in iron ore production, India has almost one-fourth of the world’s iron ore
reserves. Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa are major iron
bearing areas. Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Keonjhar, Bonai and Mayurbhanj (all Orissa) are areas with
richest iron deposits in the world. The major iron ore mines are at Chanda, Bastar and Durg districts
in Chhattisgarh.
2. Manganese
Ranked sixth in the world for production of manganese, India is a major exporter of manganese and
possesses one-third of the world’s reserves. It is an important mineral used for the production of steel.
A major portion of the deposits is found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and
Jammu & Kashmir.
3. Mica
India’s is the world’s largest producer of Mica. The majority of this product (almost 60%) comes
from Jharkhand. Apart from Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are the major producers of
Mica in the country. Since the domestic consumption is not very large most of the Mica produce
is exported.
4. Coal
Ranked third in the production of coal, 80 per cent of the coal is extracted from the mines in West
Bengal and Jharkhand. Huge coal reserves exist in Rani Ganj (West Bengal) and Jharia (Jharkhand).
Other coal bearing areas are in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
5. Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore which is mainly found in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra
Pradesh and Gujarat. These are also the largest aluminium producing areas of the country.
Khajuraho Bhopal
Sabarmati Ahmedabad
Shantiniketan Kolkata
Sarnath Varanasi
Jammu (Winter)
Shimla (1947-1966)
End of Chapter
Chapter 5
Size Largest
Population Number of Tallest
Continents (Mn. Sq Major River Country (Area
(millions) Countries Mountain
km) Mn. Sq km)
Nile,
Africa 30 877.5 53 Mt. Kilimanjaro Sudan, 2.37
6825 km
Antarctica 13.2 — — Vinson Massif — —
Chang Jiang
Asia 44.5 3879 44 Mt. Everest (Yangtze), China, 9.32
6380 km
Australia / Murray,
7.7 32 14 Puncak Jaya Australia, 7.6
Oceania 3370 km
Volga,
Europe 9.9 727 46 Mt. El’brus Russia, 17.07
3690 km
North Mississippi,
24.2 501.5 23 Mt. McKinley Canada, 9.33
America 5971 km
South Amazon,
17.8 379.5 12 Mt. Aconcagua Brazil, 8.45
America 6437 km
The 10 largest seas of the World and the area covered by them
The world’s largest salt water lake, which can be called an Inland sea, is Russia’s Caspian Sea. It
has an area of 372,000 Sq. Km.
The largest fresh water lake is Lake Superior, Canada, with an area of 82,100 Sq Km.
Pakistan 162.4
Bangladesh 144.3
Russia 143.4
Nigeria 128.7
Japan 127.4
Smallest Countries
Country Population (Numbers)
Vatican City 920
Tuvalu 11640
Nauru 13050
Palau 20300
San Marino 28880
Monaco 32410
Liechtenstein 33720
St. Kitts 38960
Marshall Islands 59070
Antigua & Barbuda 68720
Country Emblem
Australia Kangaroo
Canada Maple Tree
Denmark Beach
France Lily
Germany Corn Flower
India Lion Capital
Iran Rose
Ireland Shamrock
Italy White Lily
Japan Chrysanthemum
Pakistan Crescent
Spain Eagle
United Kingdom Rose
USA Golden Rod
SOBRIQUETS
17th parallel : Defined the boundary between North Vietnam & South Vietnam
before the two were united.
38th parallel : Boundary line between North Korea & South Korea.
International Days
End of Chapter
Chapter 6
Civics
Temple of Learning
Salient Features
1. The Constituent Assembly was formed by the order of The Cabinet Mission in 1946.
2. Sachida Prasad Sinha was the temporary President of the Constituent Assembly.
3. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly.
4. Dr. B.R. Ambedker was the chairman of the Drafting Committee.
5. B.N. Rao was the legal advisor of the Constituent Assembly.
6. The Constituent Assembly took 2 years 11 months and 18 days to prepare the largest written
constitution in the World.
7. Rs. 64 lakhs were spent on the making of the Constitution.
8. The original Constitution consisted of 22 parts, 395 articles but at present it has 22 parts, 444
articles and 12 schedules.
9. It was adopted by the Government of India on the 26 th of November, 1949.
10. It was enforced by the Government of India on the 26th of January, 1950.
Fundamental Rights
1. Part III (Articles 12 - 35) of the Constitution deals with Fundamental Rights.
2. Originally, seven Fundamental Rights were listed, but after the 44th Amendment, only six
Fundamental Rights are existent. These are
a) Right to Equality (14 - 18)
b) Right to freedom of speech (19)
c) Right against Exploitation (23-24)
d) Right to freedom of Religion (25-28)
e) Culture and Educational Right (29-30)
f) Right to Constitutional Remedies (32-33)
3. Right to Property used to be a Fundamental Right but after the 44th Amendment it became a
legal right.
Fundamental Duties
Article (51-A) included in the Constitution in the 42nd Amendment, lays down 10 Fundamental Duties
that citizens have towards the state. These are:
a) To abide by the Constitution, show respect to the National Flag and the National Anthem.
b) To follow the noble ideas of the freedom struggle.
c) To protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
d) To defend one’s country.
e) To promote common brotherhood and establish dignity of women.
f) To preserve our heritage and culture.
Kinds of Bills
i. Ordinary Bill - An ordinary bill can be introduced in either of the Houses and can be passed by
a simple majority in both the Houses. In case of a deadlock a joint sitting of both the houses is
possible.
ii. Money Bill (Article 110) – A money bill is concerned with taxation and government spending.
It can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha after prior recommendation of the President. Speaker
of the Lok Sabha is the deciding authority whether the introduced bill is a Money bill or not.
iii. Financial Bill - A bill which is related with revenue and expenditure of the government but is
not a money bill is a financial bill.
iv. Constitutional Amendment Bill (Article 368) - This bill can be introduced in either of the
Houses of the Parliament. It can be passed only by a special majority.
(Constitutional Amendments and Articles in the Annexure)
INDIAN LEGISLATURE
India is the second largest democracy in the world. The Indian legislature is bicameral i.e. the Indian
Parliament is made up of the Lower House – Lok Sabha, and the Upper House – Rajya Sabha.
INDIAN JUDICIARY
Salient Features
1. The Constitution contains provisions related to the Union Judiciary in Articles 124–127.
2. Supreme Court is the apex court of India. Supreme Court has 26 judges including the Chief
Justice. The salary of the Chief Justice is Rs.33000 per month and each judge gets Rs. 30000 per
month. The retirement age of the judges of the Supreme Court is 65 years.
3. High Courts are at the top of hiearchy in the State Judicial System. Presently there are 21 High
Courts in the country. The retirement age of the judges of a High Court is 62 years.
INDIAN DEFENCE
The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. It is on his behalf that the
Defence Minister looks after all the matters concerning the Defence Services. The Defence Minister is
responsible before the Parliament for all matters concerning the Defence. However, the responsibility
of national defence rests with the Cabinet of Ministers. The three services of Defence i.e. Army, Navy
and Air Force, function under their respective Chiefs of Staff.
Army
Indian Army is responsible for the defence and security of India’s territorial area. The Army is organised
into five operational commmands – Northern, Eastern, Western, Central and Southern and one Training
Command – each headed by a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of Lieutenant General. The Army, with
its headquarters at New Delhi, consists of a number of services such as armoured corps, regiment of
artillery, engineer corps, infantry, army services corps, army medical corps, intelligence corps, etc.
The Chief of the Army is of the designation Major General and is answerable to the Defence Minister.
Navy
The Indian Navy is responsible for the defence and security of the Indian waters. The Navy is organised
into three operational commands – Western, Eastern, and Southern – headquartered at Mumbai,
Vishakhapatnam, and Cochin respectively. The Western and the Eastern commands have under them
operational fleets like warships, submarines, aircrafts and other support ships. The Southern Naval
Command is responsible for all the training activities of the Navy. The Chief of the Navy is of the
designation Admiral and is answerable to the Defence Minister.
Air Force
The Indian Air Force is responsible for the defence and security of the Indian airspace. The fourth largest
Air Force in the World, it is organised into five operational commands – Western Command, South-
Western Command, Central Air Command, Eastern Air Command, and Southern Air Command and two
functional commands - a Maintainance and a Training command. It is headquartered at New Delhi. The
Chief of the Air Force is of the designation Air Chief Marshall and is answerable to the Defence Minister.
End of Chapter
Chapter 7
Indian Polity
Temple of Learning
The Judiciary
Mr. K.G. Balakrishnan Chief Justice of India.
Mr. Milon Kumar Banerjee Attorney General of India.
Mr. Justice Ashok Agarwal Chairman, Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
Mr. Goolam E. Vahanvati Solicitor-General of India.
Mr. B. Dutta Additional Solicitor- General of India.
Mr. Gopal Subramaniam Additional Solicitor-General.
Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Gen. Retd. S.K. Sinha Mr. Gulam Nabi Azad
Jharkhand Mr. Syed Sibtey Razi Mr. Madhu Koda
Karnataka Mr. T.N. Chaturvedi Mr. H.D. Kumaraswamy
Kerala Mr. R.L. Bhatia Mr. V.S. Achuthanandan
Madhya Pradesh Mr. Balram Jhaker Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Maharashtra Mr. S.M. Krishna Mr. Vilasrao Deshmuk
Manipur Mr. Shivinder Singh Sidhu Mr. Okram Ibobi Singh
Meghalaya Mr. M.M. Jacob Mr. J.D. Rymbai
Mizoram Lt. Gen. Retd. M.M. Lakhera Mr. Zoramthanga
Nagaland Mr. Shyamal Dutta Mr. Neiphiu Rio
Orissa Mr. Rameshwar Thakur Mr. Naveen Patnaik
Punjab Gen. Retd. S.F. Rodrigues Mr. Prakash Singh Badal
Rajasthan Ms. Pratibha Patil Ms. Vasundhara Raje
Sikkim Mr. V. Rama Rao Mr. Pawan Chamling
Tamil Nadu Mr. S.S.Barnala Mr. M. Karunanidhi
Tripura Mr. Dinesh Nandan Sahaya Mr. Manik Sarkar
Uttaranchal Mr. Sudharshan Aggarwal Mr. B.C. Khanduri
Uttar Pradesh Mr. T.V. Rajeshwar Rao Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav
West Bengal Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
Union Territories
The Constitution of India has vested in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction
and control of the entire process for the conduct of elections for the Parliament and the Legislature of
every State and for the offices of the President and the Vice-President of India.The law which governs
all the elections in India as mentioned above is the Representation of People Act, 1950.
The commission presently consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
Originally, however, the commission had just one Chief Commissioner. Two Commissioners were
appointed for the first time on 16 October 1989 but their tenure lasted only till 1 January 1990.
On 1 October 1993, two additional Election Commissioners were appointed. The commission has
followed the multi-member structure since then, with decisions taken a by majority vote.
The Election Commission has a Secretariat at New Delhi consisting of about 300 officials.
End of Chapter
Chapter 8
Economics
Temple of Learning
The Cabinet Ministers with certain important portfolios act as part-time members of the Commission,
while the full-time members are experts from various fields like Economics, Industry, Science and
General Administration.
The majority of experts in the commission are economists, making the commission the biggest employer
of the Indian Economic Services.
• Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) – The second plan aimed at a pattern of development leading
to a ‘socialist society’ framework for the economy.
• Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) – The third plan aimed at achieving the goals enlisted in the
first two plans and also aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in foodgrains, increase employment
oppurtunities and expand basic and heavy industries.
• Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) – The objectives of the fourth plan were to achieve self-
reliance, and give priority to agriculture, promote industrial production and exports.
• Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-79) – The fifth five year plan aimed at removal of poverty, attaining
economic self reliance and increasing employment oppurtunities in the country.
• Sixth Year Plan (1980-85) – The sixth plan aimed at achieving a annual growth rate of 5.2 per
cent and raising the per capita income by 3.3 per cent.
• Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-90) – The plan focussed on policies and programmes to
increase domestic industrial productivity, employment oppurtunities, and agriculture
productivity by increasing the basic framework and by adopting modern technologies.
• Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-97) – The plan aimed at achieving a higher outlay of public
sector enterprises to meet the demands of various central and state sectors.
• Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-02) – The plan aimed to achieve an anual growth rate of 6.5 per
cent. The total public sector outlay was Rs. 859000 crore.
• Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07) – This plan has adopted an aggressive approach. This plan
aims at achieving 8 per cent GDP growth, reduce the poverty ratio to 20 per cent, increase the
literacy rate to 72 per cent, reduce the infant mortality rate to 45 per 1000 births and
clean all major polluted rivers till the end of the plan in 2007.
The Monetary Policy thus helps the government to exercise control over the money supply in
the economy.
fiscal deficit implies a higher borrowing for the government from the RBI. The economic impact of
such borrowing is that the money supply in the economy decreases.
The pressure on the money supply leads to an increase of prices i.e. an inflationary situation. So the
government, through a proper fiscal policy tries to maximize revenue sources (taxes) and reduce
expenditure, thereby reducing fiscal deficits.
The business domain of SIDBI consists of small scale industrial units, which contribute significantly to
the national economy in terms of production, employment and exports. Small scale industries are the
industrial units in which the investment in plant and machinery does not exceed Rs.10 million. About
3.1 million such units, employing 17.2 million persons account for a share of 36 per cent of India’s
exports and 40 per cent of industrial manufacture. In addition, SIDBI’s assistance flows to the transport,
health care and tourism sectors and also to the professional and self-employed persons setting up
small-sized professional ventures. Mr. N Balasubramanium is the present chairman and managing director
of the SIDBI.
the Government of India. The current Government holding in IDBI is about 53%. IDBI is currently the
tenth largest development bank in the world. It financed some well-known institutes in India like, the
National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), the National Securities Depository Services Ltd. (NSDL),
and the Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL).
To meet the emerging challenges and to keep up with reforms in the financial sector, IDBI converted
into a banking company in 2004, to undertake an entire gamut of banking activities. Mr. V.P. Shetty is
the present Chairman and Managing Director of the IDBI bank.
ii. Takes measures towards institution building for improving absorptive capacity of the credit
delivery system, including monitoring, formulation of rehabilitation schemes, restructuring of
credit institutions, training of personnel, etc.
iii. Co-ordinates the rural financing activities of all institutions engaged in developmental work
at the field level and maintains liaison with the Government of India, State Governments, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other national level institutions concerned with policy
formulation.
The policy aimed at allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in many sectors of the economy. Even
though the foreign direct investment ceiling was removed by the government in 1991, it was only in
1996 that foreign investors started showing confidence in the Indian economy and large sectors saw
the inflow of foreign capital.
Since then, the overall direction of liberalisation has remained the same, irrespective of the ruling party,
although no party has yet tried to take on powerful lobbies such as the trade unions and farmers, or
contentious issues such as reforming labour laws and reducing agricultural subsidies.
End of Chapter
Chapter 9
At present, there are 192 members in the UNO. Taiwan & Vatican City are not the members. Vatican
City is the permanent observer for the UN.
UN Secretary Generals
1. Trygve Lie (Norway) 1946-53
2. Dag Hammarskjold (Sweden) 1953-61
3. U Thant (Burma) 1961-71
4. Kurt Waldheim (Austria) 1972-81
5. Javier Perez De Gueller (Peru) 1982-91
6. Boutros Boutros Ghali (Egypt) 1992-96
7. Kofi Annan (Ghana) 1997-2007
8. Ban Ki Moon (South Korea) 2007- till date
1. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - UNDP is the UN‘s global development
network advocating change and connecting countries to share knowledge and resources which
help build a better life in countries across the globe. Presently it has offices in 166 member
countries. UNDP is headquartered at New York, US.
2. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – UNICEF was initially set up in 1946 as an
emergency fund to provide post-war relief to children in different countries. Today, as a children’s
fund, UNICEF concentrates its activities on providing assistance to children and mothers in
developing countries, aiming at improving their quality of life. UNICEF is headquartered at New
York, US.
3. The United Nations Educational & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) – UNESCO was
founded on 16 November 1945 to assist developing countries in their educational projects, to help
the countries in scientific development and to build cultural understanding between the nations.
UNESCO is headquartered at Paris, France.
4. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) – IMF is an international organisation having 184
member countries. It was established in 1945 to promote international monetary co-operation and
exchange stability between nations which in turn would promote economic growth and increase
employment opportunities. IMF also provides temporary financial assistance to its member contries
to ease their balance of payment. IMF is headquartered at Washington DC., US.
5. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, commonly known
as the World Bank) – The ‘World Bank’ was formed after the Bretton Woods conference in
1944, but begun operations in 1946. It aims at providing financial and technical assistance to
developing countries around the World. Presently World Bank has 184 member countries and is
headquartered at Washinton DC, US.
6. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) – WTO was formed as an international trade body to
replace General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) in 1995. WTO is the only international
body dealing with rules of trade between the countries to help producers of goods and services,
exporters and importers conduct their business. It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.
7. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – IAEA was set up in 1957. It is presently
headquartered at Vienna, Austria.
8. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) – FAO was set up in 1945. It is presently
headquartered at Rome, Italy.
9. The World Health Organisation (WHO) – W.H.O was set up in 1946. It is presently headquartered
at Geneva, Switzerland.
10. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) – IFC is an affiliate of the World Bank, and was
set up in 1956. It is headquartered at Washinton DC, US.
11. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – ITU was set up in 1932. It is headquartered
at Geneva, Switzerland.
12. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) – ICAO was set up in 1944. It is
headquartered at Montreal, Canada.
13. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) – UPU was set up in 1875. It is headquartered at Berne,
Switzerland.
14. The International Labor Organisation (ILO) – ILO was set uo in 1919. It is headquartered at
Geneva, Switzerland.
15. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – IMO was set up in 1948. It is headquartered
at London, UK.
End of Chapter
Chapter 10
The Superlatives
Temple of Learning
THE SUPERLATIVES
End of Chapter
Chapter 11
Autobiographies
B
Babur–Nama Babur
M
Made in Japan Akio Morita
Mein Kamph Adolf Hitler
Moon Walk Michael Jackson
S
Sunny Days Sunil Gavaskar
W
Wings of Fire APJ Abdul Kalam
Biographies
A
Ain-I-Akbari Abul Fazal
Akbarnama Abul Fazal
I
Idols Sunil Gavaskar
S
Shahnama Firdausi
Classic
A
All’s Well that Ends well William Shakespeare
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy
Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare
As You like it William Shakespeare
Abhijnanshakuntalam Kalidas
B
Economics
N
New Dimensions of
India’s Foreign Policy A B Vajpayee
W
Fantasy
A
Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
C
Class, The Eric Segal
D
Dr. JekyII and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson
O
One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabrial Garcla Marquez
Other Side of Midnight, The Sidney Sheldon
S
Swami and Friends R.K. Narayan
T
The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy
Fiction
A
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Adventure of Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe
Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carrol
A Bend In the River V S Naipaul
A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth
An Equal Music Vikram Seth
Arabian Nights Richard Burton
B
Being Digital Nicholas Negroponte
C
Catcher in the Rye J D Sallinger
Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer
Chitra Rabindranath Tagore
History Books
A
Arthashastra Kautilya
August 1914 (H) Alexander Solzhenitsyn
B
Ben Hur Lewis Wallace
C
Communist Manifesto Karl Marx
D
Discovery of India Jawahar Lal Nehru
H
Management Books
T
The Changing World of the Executive Peter Drucker
Poetry
B
Bharat Bharati Maithili Sharan Gupt
G
Geet Govinda Jaya Dev
Gitanjali Rabindranath Tagore
R
Rubaiyat Omar Khayyam
Philosophy
A
Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand
B
Bharat Bharati Maithili Sharan Gupt
G
Psychology
C
Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky
G
Games People Play Eric Berne
M
Man of Destiny George Bernard Shaw
S
Satyartha Prakash Swami Dayanand
Sociology
D
Das Kapital Karl Marx
Diplomacy Henry Kissinger
G
Gita Rahasya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Grammer of Politics Harold Laski
P
Politics Aristotle
R
Republic Plato
S
Sub Regionalism in Asia Abul Kalam Azad
Surviving Men Khushwant Singh
T
The Degeneration of India T N Seshan
U
Untouchable Mulk Raj Anand
Utopia Thomas Moore
Spiritual Account
B
Beyond Belief V S Naipaul
Miscellaneous
A
Area of Darkness V. S. Naipaul
B
Between the lines Kuldip Nayar
Brave New world Aldous Huxley
Broken wing Sarojini Naidu
Beyond Peace Richard Nixon
Blood, Brain & Beer David Ogilvy
C
Confessions of a Lover Mulk Raj Anand
D
District Diary Jaswant Singh
Dragon Fire Humphry Hawensky
Dilemma of our time Harold Joseph Laski
Doctor’s Dilemma George Bernard Shaw
Don Juan Lord Byron
E
Ends and Means Aldous Huxley
F
Fifth Column Ernest Hemingway
Farewell to Arms, A Ernest Hemingway
First Among Equals Jeffrey Archer
For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway
G
Gathering Storm Winston Churchill
Glimpses of World History Jawaharlal Nehru
Golden Threshold Sarojini Naidu
Golden Gate, The Virkram Seth
Godan Rabindranath Tagore
H
Heat and Dust Ruth P. Jhabwala
I
India Unbound Gurcharan Das
Is Paris Burning Larry Collins & Dominique Lapiere
If I am Assassinated Z. A. Bhutto
K
Kumar Sambhava Kalidas
M
Mother India Katherine Mayo
My Music, My life Ravi Shankar
My Truth Indira Gandhi
P
A Passage to England Nirad C. Choudhary
T
To live or Not to Live Nirad C. Choudhary
Triumph John Kenneth Galbraith
V
Valley of Dolls Jacqueline Susan
W
Worshipping False Gods Arun Shourie
End of Chapter
Chapter 12
Sports
Temple of Learning
Basketball Basket, blocking, dribbling, free throw, held ball, holding, jump ball, pivot
Billiards Bauik line, bolting, cannon, cue hazard, long jenny, scratch, screwback, short
jenny, spot stroke
Boxing Babit punch, break, cut, defence, hook, jab lying on, knock, slam, upper cut,
weight in, knockout
Bridge Chicane, dealer, dummy, finesse, grand slam, little slam, no trump, revoke,
rubber, suit, tricks, vulnerable
Chess Bishop, castle, checkmate, gambit, king, knight, pawn, queen, rook, stalemate
Cricket Ashes, boundary, bowling, caught, chinaman, cover drive, crease, duck, follow
on, googly, gully, hat trick, hit wicket, LBW, leg break, leg bye, maiden over,
no ball, off break, on drive, over pitch, popping crease, rubber, run out, sixer,
silly point, square leg, straight drive, stumped, wicket
Football Corner kick, dribble, free kick, goal kick, hat-trick, off side, penalty kick,
throw in, tripping
Golf Best ball, bogey, bunker, caddie, dormy, fairway, fourball, greed holes, links,
niblic, par, put, rough, stymied, tee
Hockey Bully, corner, dribble, hat-trick, offside, roll-in, scoop, short corner, stick,
striking circle, tie break
ii. Cricket – Ashes, Champions Trophy, C.K.Nayudu Trophy, County Championships, Duleep
Trophy, Gavaskar-Border Trophy, ICC World Cup, Irani Trophy, Ranji Trophy, and Sheffield
Shield Cup.
iii. Football – African Nations Cup, Asia Cup, Confederations Cup, Durand Cup, English Premier
League, Federation Cup, FIFA World Cup, German Bundeslga, Italian Serie A, Merdeka Cup, NFL
Cup, Santosh Trophy, Spanish LA Liga, and UEFA Cup.
iv. Golf – British Open, Ryder Cup, US Open, and Walker Cup.
v. Hockey – Agha Khan Cup, Champions Trophy, Dhyan Chand Trophy, Sultan Azlan Shah
Trophy, and World Cup.
vi. Tennis – ATP Masters, Australian Open Championships, Champions Cup, Davis Cup, Federation
Cup, French Open Championships, US Open Championships, and Wimbeldon Championships.
Olympic Symbol (five rings) – The Olympic Symbol comprises of five rings linked together to
represent sporting friendship amongst countries. The rings represent the five continents – Europe,
Africa, America, Asia and Australia.
Olympic Games are held every four years. The table below gives the details of Olympic Games
held till date. No games were held in 1916, 1940 and 1944.
Year Place
1896 Athens
1900 Paris
1904 St. Louis
1908 London
1912 Stockholm
1920 Antwerp
1924 Paris
1928 Amsterdam
1932 Los Angeles
1936 Berlin
1948 London
1952 Helsinki
1956 Melbourne
1960 Rome
1964 Tokyo
1968 Mexico City
1972 Munich
1976 Montreal
1980 Moscow
1984 Los Angeles
1988 Seoul
1992 Barcelona
1996 Atlanta
2000 Sydney
2004 Athens
2008 Beijing (scheduled)
2012 London (scheduled)
2. Commonwealth Games – The Commonwealth Games are the second largest sporting event
in the World after Olympics. These games are held every four years between the years of the
Olympic Games. The games involve atheletes from Commonwealth Nations (majority erstwhile
colonies of the British). Started in 1930, the games were originally called the British Empire
Games. It was in 1978 that the present name of the Commonwelth Games was adopted. The
table below gives the details of the Commonwealth Games till date. The games were not held
from 1939 till 1949.
Year Venue
1930 Hamilton
1934 London
1938 Sydney
1950 Auckland
1954 Vancouver
1958 Cardiff
1962 Perth
1966 Jamaica
1970 Edinburgh
1974 Christchurch
1978 Edmonton
1982 Brisbane
1986 Edinburgh
1990 Auckland
1994 Victoria
2002 Manchester
2006 Melbourne
3. Asian Games – The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a sporting event on the lines of the
Olympic Games held every four years among atheletes from all over Asia. India played a leading
role in starting an event for the Asian nations. The motto of the Asian Games is ‘Ever Onward’.
The table below gives the details of Asian Games till date.
Year Venue
1951 New Delhi
1954 Manila
1958 Tokyo
1962 Jakarta
1966 Bangkok
1986 Seoul
1990 Beijing
1994 Hiroshima
1998 Bangkok
2002 Busan
2006 Doha
4. Cricket World Cup – The Cricket World Cup is a premier international championship for one
day cricket in the world. The event is organised once every four years by the sport’s governing
body, The International Cricket Council (ICC) and is contested by all Test playing nations (presently
10) plus the qualifying teams. The table below gives the details of the World Cups held till date.
Australia &
1992 Pakistan England
New Zealand
South Africa,
2003 Australia India
Zimbabwe & Kenya
Australia &
2015
New Zealand
5. Hockey World Cup – The Hockey World Cup is a premier international field hockey competition
organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) once every four years. The tournament
was started in 1971. The table below gives the details of each World Cup held till date.
Amstelveen,
1973 Netherlands India
The Netherlands
Monchengladbach,
2006 Germany Australia
Germany
6. Football World Cup - The Football/Soccer World Cup is an international football competition
contested by the national teams of the member nations of Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA). The tournament started in 1930 and is held every four years, but could not
be held in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. The table below gives details of the last ten
World Cups.
West
1974 West Germany Netherlands
Germany
West
1990 Italy Argentina
Germany
Australian Open
Rainer
2003 Andre Agassi Serena Venus Williams
Schuettler
(USA) Williams (USA) (USA)
(Germany)
Thomas
Marat Safin Jennifer Martina Hingis
2002 Johansson
(Russia) Capriati (USA) (Switzerland)
(Sweden)
French Open
Wimbledon
David
Lleyton Hewitt Serena Venus Williams
2002 Nalbandian
(Australia) Williams (USA) (USA)
(Argentina)
U.S.Open
Justine
Roger Federer Andy Roddick Maria
2006 Henin-Hardene
(Switzerland) (USA) Sharapova (Russia)
(Belgium)
Justine
Andy Roddick Juan Carlos Kim Clijsters
2003 Henin-Hardene
(USA) Ferrero (Spain) (Belgium)
(Belgium)
End of Chapter
Chapter 13
Popular Awards
Temple of Learning
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
1. Nobel Prizes
The Nobel Prizes are prizes awarded annually to people (and, in the case of the Peace Prize,
sometimes to organisations) who have completed outstanding research, invented ground-breaking
techniques or equipment, or made an outstanding contribution to society in physics, chemistry,
literature, peace, medicine or physiology and economics. They are widely regarded as the su-
preme commendation in their respective subject areas. Those honoured with a Prize are known as
Nobel Laureates.
The Prizes were instituted by the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel through his will. They were first
awarded in 1901, five years after Nobel’s death. The prize in economics, instituted by the Bank of
Sweden, has been awarded since 1969.
As of October 2006, a total of 781 Nobel Prizes have been awarded, 763 to individuals (33 of
these to women) and 18 to organizations.
Prize Categories
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Booker Prize, is one of the world’s
most prestigious literary prizes, awarded each year for the best original full-length novel
written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in the English lan-
guage. The Booker prize was started by Booker McConnel, a multinational conglomerate
company in 1969. This award is administered by Book Trust in the United Kingdom. For the
year 2006, the prize has been awarded to Indian novelist Kiran Desai for ‘The Inheritance
of Loss’.
Ramon Magsaysay Award or the Magsaysay Award is the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The
Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Broth-
ers Fund (RBF) based in New York City. With the concurrence of the Philippine government, the
prize was created to commemorate Ramon Magsaysay, the late President of the Philippines, and
to perpetuate his example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and prag-
matic idealism within a democratic society.
Every year the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation gives away prizes to Asian individuals
and organizations for achieving excellence in their respective fields. The awards are given in
six categories:
• Government Service
• Public Service
• Community Leadership
• Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication arts
• Peace and International Understanding
• Emergent Leadership
INDIAN AWARDS
1. Civilian Awards
i. Bharat Ratna – The title ‘Bharat Ratna’ translates literally to ‘the Gem of India’. It is the
highest civilian award in India given for exceptional contribution to the field of Art, Literature,
Science and Public Service. The award was instituted by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first president
of India in 1954. The award initially carried a gold medal 35mm in diameter having ‘Sun’ on one
side and state ‘National Emblem’ on the other. The design of the medal was altered a year later in
1955. The first Bharat Ratna was awarded to Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in 1954. The last
awardees were Lata Mangeshkar and late Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2001.
ii. Padma Vibhushan – Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in India, awarded
for exceptional and distiunguished service to the nation in any field including government
service.
i. Param Vir Chakra – The Param Vir Chakra is the highest gallantry award for officers from
all branches of the armed forces for the highest degree of valour in the presence of an enemy.
The award was instituted in 1950 by the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, with retrospective
effect from 1947. The first Chakra was awarded posthomously to Major Somnath Sharma.
The Param Vir Chakra was last awarded posthmously to Capt. Vikram Batra, Lt. Manoj
Kumar Pandey, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar who fought
the 1999 Kargil War.
ii. Jnanpith Award - The Jnanpith Award instituted in 1961 is the highest literary honour
conferred in India. It is presented by the Jnanpith Trust, which is largely owned by the The
Times group. The award includes a cheque for Rs. 500,000, a citation plaque and a bronze
replica of Vagdevi (Devi Saraswati, the godess of learning). Any Indian citizen who writes in
any of the official languages of India is eligible for the honour.
Before 1982, the awards were given for a single work by a writer. From 1982, the award has
been given for a lifetime contribution to Indian literature. The first recipient of the award was
Malayalam writer G Sankara Kurup in 1965. In 2006, the award was presented to Marathi writer
Vrinda Karandikar for the year 2003.
iii. Dada Saheb Phalke Award – The Dada Saheb Phalke Award is the highest honour pre-
sented by the Indian government to an artist who has, over the years made a significant
contribution to the field of cinema. The award was instituted in 1969, the birth centenary
year of Dada Saheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema. The first winner of the award was
actress Devika Rani. Malayalam film director, Adoor Gopalakrishnan was the recipient
of the award for 2005.
End of Chapter
Chapter 14
Abbreviations
Temple of Learning
ABBREVIATIONS
AAA : Asian Atheletics Association
AAFI : Amateur Atheletics Federation of India
ABC : Atomic Biological and Chemical (warfare)
ABLE : Association of Biotechnology led Enterprises
AC : Ante Christum
AD : Anno Domini
ADB : Asian Development Bank
ADBS : Advanced Data Broadcast System
AFI : Atheletics Federation of India
AFMS : Armed Forces Medical College
AFP : Agence France Presse
AG : Accountant General
AI : Artificial Intelligence
AIDS : Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
AIG : American International Group
AINEC : All India Newspaper Editors’ Conference
ALGOL : Algebraic Oriented Language
AMIE : Associate Member of the Institute of Engineers
ANC : African National Congress
ANERT : Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology
ANN : Artificial Neural Network
AOC : Air Officer Commanding
APCTT : Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology
AQA : Assessment and Qualification Alliance
APEC : Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
APM : Administered Price Mechanism
ARPANET : Advanced Research Project Agency Network
ART : Assisted Reproductive Technologies
ASCII : American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASEAN : Association of South East Asian Nations
ASEM : Asia-Europe Meeting
ASLV : Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle
ASPO : Asoociation for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
ASP : Application Service Provider
ATC : Air Traffic Control
ATM : Automated Teller Machine
ESCAP : Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESMA : Essential Services Maintenance Act
ESR : Electron Spin Resonance
ETT : Embryo Transfer Technology
EVA : Economic Value Added
EVE : Economic Valuation of the Environment
FAO : Food and Agriculture Organisation
FBI : Federal Bureau of investigation
FBT : Fringe Benefit Tax
FBTR : Fast Breeder Test Reactor
FCI : Food Corporation of India
FCRA : Foreign Contribution Regulation Act
FEMA : Foreign Exchange Management Act
FIFA : Federation Internationale de Football Association
FIR : First Information Report
FIRE : Fully integrated robotised engine
FLAG : Fibre optic Link Around the Globe
FOSDIC : Film Optical Sensing Device for Input to Computers
FPD : Flat panel display
FTII : Films and Television Institute of India
GAAP : Generally Accepted Accounting Practices
GAIN : Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
GATS : General Agreement on Trade and Services
GDP : Gross Domestic Product
GDR : Global Depository Receipt
GLS : Geographical Information System
GMO : Genetically Modified Organisms
GPS : Global Positioning System
GSI : Geological Survey of India
GSLV : Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
GSM : Global System for Mobile Communications
HAL : Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
HFD : High Frequency
HIV : Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HTML : Hyper Text Markup Language
HTR : High Temperature Reactor
Http : Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HUDCO : Housing and Urban Development Corp.
IA : Indian Airlines
End of Chapter
Chapter 15
Science
Temple of Learning
2. The Muscular
The framework of the human body is covered with skin. Under the skin there are pieces of flesh
fixed either on the bones or on the walls of the organs. These are called muscles. There are over
six hundred muscles in the human body. Muscles can be classified into two main types.
a) Voluntary muscles which are controlled by our will
b) Involuntary muscles which are not controlled by our will and are found on the walls of the inner
organs.
The muscles of the heart are called Cardiac muscles and are involuntary.
needed to repair this wear and tear. The food supplies the body not only with energy but also heat as
well. Before it can supply the building material, food must be eaten and digested. The organs which help
in digestion are;
a) Mouth
b) Gullet
c) Stomach
d) Duodenum
e) Small intestines
f) Large intestines
g) Pancreas
h) Liver
All the above mentioned organs together constitute the Digestive System of the human body.
a) The Kidneys - These are two bean shaped organs, one on either side of the spinal column. While the
blood is flowing through the kidneys, they strain out the poisonous waste matters which together with
the water (that the kidneys take of the blood) form the urine. Urine passes from the kidneys through a
tube that leads from each kidney to the urinary bladder.
b) The Lungs - The Lungs are an essential part of the body whose principal function is to excrete
carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere.
c) The Skin - Another organ that plays a significant part in the removal of the waste from the body is
the skin. It is composed of outer and inner layers. There are a large number of sweat glands in the inner
layer of the skin. Each one of these has a little tube that leads out to the surface of the skin. The sweat
contains salt and waste matters similar to those in the urine. Its functions are
i) To throw out the waste matter
ii) To protect the inner organs
iii) To give sensation of touch
iv) To give shape to the body
8. The Reproductive System - Through the reproductive system, adult human beings procreate.
Reproduction begins when sperm cell from a man fertilises an egg cell from a woman.
Components of a Body
1. Blood
Blood is a highly specialized circulating tissue consisting of several types of cells suspended in a fluid
medium known as plasma. The cellular constituents of blood are
• Red Blood Cells (RBC) - which carry respiratory gases and give it red colour
• White Blood Cells (leukocytes) - which fight disease and
• Platelets - cell fragments which play an important part in the clotting of the blood.
Anatomically, blood is considered a connective tissue from both its origin in the bones and its function.
Functions of blood :
i. It helps in supply of oxygen to tissues.
ii. It supplies nutrients such as glucose, amino acids and fatty acids to all parts of the body.
iii. It helps in removal of waste such as carbon dioxide, urea and lactic acid.
iv. It helps body in its self-repair mechanism.
v. It helps in regulation of body temperature.
2. Bones
Bone is a hard connective tissue that constitutes the sketal system of the body. It supports the body,
helps the body move and protects the body. It also produces RBC and WBC and stores minerals. A
baby is born with about 300 bones which join together as they grow. An adult has 206 bones.
‘Femur’ or the thigh bone is the largest bone in the body while ‘The stapes’ or the stirrup bone is the
smallest bone in the body.
4. Nerves
Human body is made up of 72.418 km of nerves that constitute the nervous system. Nerves help in
transportation of messages to the brain in the form of impulses. The impulses travel at a speed of
360km/hr.
5. The Heart
The Heart is the pumping station of the body, hollow, muscular and mango shaped. Impure blood from
all parts of the body comes to the heart and it pumps it into the lungs for purification. The purified blood
is then circulated to all parts of the body by the heart. In a day 27949.3 litres of blood is pumped through
99776.6 km of blood vessels in a day.
1. Proteins - These are complex compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur, phosphorous
and a large quantity of nitrogen. They are present in the white of an egg as albumen; in meat as myosin;
in flour as glutens and in dals as legumin. Their uses are to
i) Build up the tissues of the body
ii) Produce energy
iii) Repair the worn out tissues.
2. Fats - These are the compounds of glycerine and fatty acids which contain carbon, oxygen and
hydrogen. Butter, ghee and various vegetable oils provide necessary fats to the body.
3. Carbohydrates - These are compounds of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Of the three elements,
the last two are present in the same ratio in water. They include sugar and various starches found in
wheat, rice, maize and potatoes.
The uses of the carbohydrates are to supply heat and energy.
4. Mineral Salts - These are the salts of calcium, iron and sodium. The salts of calcium strengthen the
bones, salts of iron enrich the blood and the common salts are the source of hydrochloric acid in the
gastric juice. We get salts of calcium from milk and eggs and salts of iron from green vegetables, meat
and eggs.
5. Water - It is the compound of oxygen and hydrogen.Its uses for the human body are
i. It acts as a solvent of food
ii. It flushes out the kidneys and helps in digestion
iii. It helps in bowel movements in the body.
6. Vitamins - These are natural substances present in various food items. Their uses are
i. They help in the growth and repair of the tissues of the human body
ii. They purify the blood
iii. They help in digestion
iv. They eliminate harmful products from the body.
Vitamins are water as well as fat soluble. They can be classified as:
i. Vitamin A - It is found in milk, butter, ghee, eggs, carrots, tomatoes green vegetables and cod-liver
oil. It promotes digestion, growth, the functioning of eyes & ears and checks anaemia. A deficiency of
Vitamin A causes rickets and night blindness.
ii. Vitamin B - It is soluble in water and is found in seeds of plants, egg yolk, many fruits, vegetables
and grains. It is removed when rice is polished or wheat is made into maida. It helps in growth, and
enhances functioning of the nervous system. A deficiency of Vitamin B leads to beri beri, intestinal
stasis, and enlargement of liver.
iii. Vitamin C - It is soluble in water and is found in green vegetables, juicy fruits (lemons, oranges)
tomatoes, cabbage, turnip and onions. It helps in development of bones, reducing diseases of liver and
disorders of stomach. Its deficiency causes scurvy and defective teeth and bones.
iv. Vitamin D - It is found in milk, butter, ghee, eggs, cod liver oil and sun rays. It helps in bone
formation. Its deficiency causes rickets, osteoporosis and osteomalacia.
v. Vitamin E - It is found in wheat oil, green vegetables, peas, oats and corns. It helps in keeping away
sterility. Its deficiency leads to sterility.
HUMAN DISEASES
A disease is a condition that impairs the proper functioning of a part of the body or the body as a whole
(multiple organ failure). Hundreds of different diseases exist. Diseases can be classified as
1. Deficiency Diseases - These are diseases caused by a deficiency of nutrients in a human’s diet.
Some important deficiency diseases are given below
Night Blindness
Vitamin A
Dermatosis
Beri-Beri Vitamin B1
Riboflavinosis Vitamin B2
2. Infectious Diseases – Infectious diseases are those that can be passed from one person to another
by means of environment. It is caused by small agents such as bacteria, virus, fungi and protozoa.
Some of the commonly known infectious diseases known to humans are
i. Bacterial Diseases – Common bacterial disease are thyphoid, tetanus, cholera, pneumonia, leprosy,
plague, whooping cough, meningitis, diptheria etc.
ii. Viral Disease – Common viral diseases are chickenpox, measles, rabies, mumps, influenza, hepatitis,
encephalitis, AIDS etc.
iii. Fungal Diseases – Common fungal diseases are ringworm, athelete’s foot, dhobi’s itch etc.
iv. Protozoan Diseases – Common protozoan diseases are malaria, sleeping sickness, kalaazar, diarrhoea
etc.
3. Diseases of Eye - A disease in the eye generally causes the defect in vision. This defect in vision is
called astigmatism. Some of the common diseases that affect the eye are cataract, glaucoma, hyper-
metropia, and trachoma.
BRANCHES OF SCIENCES
SCIENTIFIC INVENTIONS
Adding Machine
Blaise Pascal France 1642
(Pascaline)
A.L. and
Cinema France 1895
J.L. Lumiere
Alexander Graham
Microphone US 1876
Bell
J. Harrison and A.
Refrigerator Britain 1850
Catlin
Steam Engine
Thomas Newcombe Britain 1712
(piston)
Alexander Graham
Telephone US 1876
Bell
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
Instrument Name Uses
Ammeter Instrument used for measuring electric current
Barometer Instrument used for measuring atmospheric pressure
End of Chapter
BRM Test - 1
2. The polar diameter of the Earth is shorter than its equatorial diameter by…………….
a) 25 km b) 80 km c) 43 km d) 30 km
6. Equinox means
a) The days are longer than the nights
b) The nights are longer than the days
c) The days and the nights are equal
d) The shortest day and the shortest night of the year
10. Which of the following planets, orbits around the Sun in a backward direction from East to
West?
a) Earth b) Mercury c) Jupiter d) Saturn
11. The imaginary line on the Earth’s surface which closely follows 180° meridian, is called
a) The International Date Line b) The Tropic of Cancer
c) The Equator d) The Prime Meridian
15. The Indian Standard Time (IST) is ahead of Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT) by
a) 2 hours b) 5.5 hours c) 7.5 hours d) 6 hours
22. Which of the following countries is known as ‘The Land of the Thunder Bolt’?
a) Taiwan b) Tibet c) Bhutan d) Japan
24. Which of the following countries has the largest area in the World?
a) Canada b) China c) USA d) Russia
35. Which of the following planets has the maximum number of satellites?
a) Jupiter b) Saturn
c) Earth d) Mars
40. Which of the following soils is best suited for wheat cultivation?
a) Black soil b) Red soil c) Laterite soil d) Deep rich soil
41. Who was the first to classify the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
a) Aristotle b) Plato c) Antipater d) Socrates
44. The New York version of the Statue of Liberty was engineered by
a) A.G. Eiffel b) Henry Smith
c) Sir Edwin Lutyens d) None of these
50. Who is the first woman and Asian to head the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)?
a) Tanya Mitra b) Chitra Natrajan
c) Chitra Bharucha d) Payal Ranganathan
BRM Test - 2
7. Which was Napoleon’s last battle in which he was captured and exiled to St. Helena?
a) The Battle of Trafalgar b) The Battle of Austerlitz
c) The Battle of Waterloo d) The Battle of Leipzig
17. How many official working languages are recognized by the UNO?
a) 8 b) 7 c) 6 d) 5
19. Kofi Annan was appointed as the Secretary General of the UNO in which year?
a) 2000 b) 1999 c) 1998 d) 1997
20. The World Health Organisation (WHO) was established in the year
a) 1945 b) 1948 c) 1957 d) 1950
21. Which of the following UN organizations is concerned with the welfare of children through-
out the world?
a) UNESCO b) UNICEF c) WHO d) FAO
24. Who was the first Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC)?
a) Gen. Zia ur Rehman
b) Lt Gen. H.M. Ershad
c) King Birendra
d) Mrs Indira Gandhi
A B C D
a) 2 3 4 1
b) 3 4 2 1
c) 4 2 3 1
d) 4 2 1 3
A B C D
a) 1 4 2 3
b) 4 1 3 2
c) 3 2 4 1
d) 2 3 4 1
38. Which is the controversial book, some pages of which were kept sealed in the Calcutta
Museum to be released after 40 years of independence in 1988?
a) Freedom at Midnight b) India Wins Freedom
c) India Divided d) None of these
40. Who among the following is the inventor of a system of writing and printing for the blind?
a) Robert Wilhelm Bunsen b) Louis Braille
c) Sir Humphrey Davy d) Christian Huygents
45. In which year did the first Modern Olympic Games take place?
a) 1908 b) 1904 c) 1896 d) 1895
46. In which year was the International Olympic Committee (IOC) formed?
a) 1893 b) 1894 c) 1895 d) 1896
49. Which country has joined the European Union in January 2007?
a) Romania b) Switzerland
c) Turkey d) Latvia
BRM Test - 3
5. Individually the only person to have outrightly won the Nobel Prize twice is
a) William Lawrence b) Dr Linus Carl Pauling
c) Marie Curie d) Antoni Henri Becquerel
6. Who was the first Indian to have won the Nobel Prize?
a) Dr. C.V. Raman b) Rabindra Nath Tagore
c) Mother Teresa d) H.G. Khorana
7. Which of the following works brought the first Nobel Prize to India?
a) Theory of Relativity b) Manu’s Arthashastra
c) Gitanjali d) Social Work
8. Who was the first scientist to have received the Nobel Prize in India and in which year ?
a) HG Khorana in 1968 b) CV Raman in 1930
c) CV Raman in 1934 d) HG Khorana in 1940
12. What was the name of India’s first base in Antarctica, set up in 1982?
a) Gangotri b) Maitri
c) Dakshin Gangotri d) Dakshin Maitri
27. Which of the following is known as the ‘City of the Golden Gate’?
a) Amritsar in India b) London in England
c) San Francisco in USA d) Sydney in Australia
40. Who among the following evolved the concept of relationship between mass and energy?
a) Einstein b) Planck
c) Dalton d) Rutherford
A B C D
a) 1 3 4 5
b) 5 4 3 2
c) 1 2 4 5
d) 3 5 2 4
42. Who among the following is associated with the invention of Computers?
a) Edison b) Babbage
c) MacMillan d) Rangabhashyam
43. Which country has won the 11th Hockey World Cup 2006?
a) New Zealand b) Australia c) Argentina d) Germany
46. Which city is set to become the first Wi-Max city of India and only the second in the World?
a) Chennai b) Bangalore c) Kolkata d) Mumbai
48. Which PSU has won the SCOPE award for the year 2004-05?
a) SAIL b) ONGC c) IOC d) GAIL
49. Who is the autor of the book “A Call to Honor-In Service of Emergent India’?
a) Bimal Jalan b) Arvind Kejriwal
c) Jaswant Singh d) Yashwant Sinha
50. Who has won the Tour de France for the year 2006?
a) Lance Armstrong b) Floyd Landis
c) Tim Henman d) Carl Johnson
BRM Test - 4
11. Rabindranath Nath Tagore composed the national anthem of which country?
a) Bangladesh b) India
c) India, Bangladesh and Nepal d) India and Bangladesh
12. The first Joint Stock company to trade with India was started by
a) Dutch b) British c) French d) Portuguese
13. Who was the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics?
a) Karnam Malleswari b) Bachendri Pal
c) Kunjarani Devi d) P.T. Usha
15. What was the name of the first satellite launched by India?
a) Aryabhatta b) Bhaskara I c) Bhaskara II d) Rohini
18. Where are the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund located?
a) Washington D C b) Geneva c) Berlin d) London
19. Which gas makes up the single largest component of the Earth’s atmosphere?
a) Carbon Monoxide b) Carbon Dioxide
c) Oxygen d) Nitrogen
22. Which of the following element has the lowest melting point?
a) Mercury b) Carbon c) Astatine d) Rhodium
25. The first Telegraph line, introduced by Lord Dalhousie in 1853, ran between
a) Mumbai and Calcutta b) Calcutta and Agra
c) Mumbai and Thane d) Mumbai and Chennai
27. Who, amongst the following, was the first Englishman to become President of the Indian
National Congress?
a) A.O. Hume b) George Yule
c) William Wedderburn d) Ramsay McDonald
32. Which among the following is the largest Union Territory by area?
a) Pondicherry b) Daman & Diu
c) Dadra & Nagar Haveli d) The Andaman & Nicobar Islands
34. Which two countries lie on either side of the Durand Line?
a) India and Afghanistan b) India and Nepal
c) Pakistan and Afghanistan d) Pakistan and Iran
38. The Panumunjom border post divides which of the following two countries?
a) Japan and China b) North and South Korea
c) South Korea and Japan d) North Korea and China
39. Established in the year 1931, the Commonwealth of Nations today has a membership
________ states.
a) 87 Nation b) 54 Nation c) 69 Nation d) 92 Nation
44. Where was the 14th NAM Summit held in September 2006?
a) Durban b) Moscow c) Havana d) Kuala Lumpur
45. Where was the 32nd G-8 summit held in July 2006?
a) Gleneagles b) St. Petersburg c) Moscow d) London
46. Which country from the given options is not a member of G-8?
a) Canada b) France c) Germany d) Australia
49. Who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for the year 2006?
a) Arvind Kejriwal b) Laxmi Narayan Ramdas
c) Shantha Sinha d) V Shanta
BRM Test - 5
19. The amendment of which of the following Articles of the Indian constitution would enable
the government to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) regime in India?
a) Article 369 b) Article 271
c) Article 269 d) Article 279
20. Who is the current Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
a) Rodrigo Rato b) Hoest Koehller
c) Montek Singh Ahluwalia d) James Wolfenson
30. Who was the first India woman to swim across the seven seas?
a) Shikha Tandon b) Bula Choudhary c) Amanda Beard d) Aarti Saha
33. In which Asian city was the Mughal Emperor Babur buried?
a) Lahore b) Kabul c) Quetta d) Samarkand
35. The first ever stamp issued in India in 1854 had the picture of which person?
a) Lord Clive b) Queen Victoria c) Queen Elizabeth I d) King George V
47. The Gandhara and Mathura art forms developed during the period of………
a) Harshvardana b) Samudragupta c) Kanishka d) Huvishka
BRM Test - 6
1. In which city is the secretariat of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) located?
a) New Delhi b) Kathmandu c) Islamabad d) Colombo
5. What is the name of the Canadian author who wrote ‘Life of Pi’, which won The Booker
prize in 2003?
a) Jack Welsch b) Yann Martel c) Arundhati Roy d) Daniel’O Brien
12. Who was the first ever woman Prime Minister of any country in the World?
a) Mrs. Indira Gandhi of India b) Mrs. Sirimavo Bhandaranaike of Sri Lanka
c) Mrs. Golda Meir of Israil d) None of these
23. Which three countries were the chief founders of the Non-Aligned movement?
a) India, Burma, Nepal b) India, China Russia
c) India, Yugoslavia, Egypt d) Egypt, Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka
24. Which British General in India was involved in the Battle of Plassey?
a) Lord Duplex b) Lord Hasting
c) Lord Cornwallis d) Lord Clive
34. K-2, the world’s second highest peak is located in which mountain range?
a) The Pir Panjal b) The Himalayas
c) The Karakoram d) None of these
36. Who of the following was the first to receive the prestigious Jnanpith Award?
a) Amrita Pritam b) Girish Karnad
c) G. Sankara Kurup d) Nirmal Verma
44. Trygve Lie, the first Secretary General of the UN was from which country?
a) Norway b) Sweden c) Denmark d) Finland
47. Which country won the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2006?
a) Germany b) Brazil
c) Italy d) France
48. Who won the ‘Golden Shoe’ award at the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2006?
a) Miroslav Klose b) Zinedine Zidane
c) Ronaldo d) Ronaldinho
49. Which player won the ‘Golden Ball’ award at the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2006?
a) Lukas Podolski b) Gianluigi Buffon
c) Zinedine Zidane d) Hernan Crespo
50. Which player won the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament’ award at FIFA Soccer World
Cup 2006?
a) Hernan Crespo b) Lukas Podoloski
c) Carlos Tavez d) Lionel Messi
BRM Test - 7
2. Which among the following is currently the newest nation of the World?
a) Kourou Island b) Palau Island c) East Timor d) Sierra Leone
3. Which country is not yet the member of the World Trade Organization ?
a) Pakistan b) Russia c) China d) Taiwan
4. Which among the following states houses the Bellary Thermal Power Project?
a) Andhra Pradesh b) Kerala c) Tamil Nadu d) Karnataka
8. Which of the following is the world’s most expensive city as per the latest Worldwide Cost
of Living Survey?
a) Zurich b) London c) Moscow d) Tokyo
9. Who among the following has been appointed as the Director of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI)?
a) Vijay Shankar b) B.B. Mishra c) J.K. Dutt d) Umashankar Mishra
11. ‘Dwikhandita’ (Split in Two) is the autobiography of which of the following authors?
a) Taslima Nasreen b) Leila Seth c) Jhumpa Lahiri d) Meera Syal
12. Which of the following countries has set its currency to the dollar($) at a fixed rate since
1995?
a) China b) Japan c) Singapore d) The UK
13. Who among the following was the first Indian to win the World Amateur Billiards Champion-
ship?
a) Geet Sethi b) Michael Ferreira c) Ashok Shandilya d) None of the above
15. Which of the following species of mosquitoes spreads the Dengue virus?
(A) Ades Aegypti (B) Cluex (C) Anopheles
a) Only A b) Only B c) Only C d) Both A & C
16. Who among the following has been appointed as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO)?
a) G. Madhavan Nair b) K. Kasturirangan
c) B.N. Suresh d) R.V. Perumal
17. Under which of the following Articles of the Constitution of India has Jammu and Kashmir
been accorded a separate special status?
a) 310 b) 330 c) 350 d) 370
18. Who among the following has authored the book, ‘Soul Curry for You and Me’?
a) Javed Akhtar b) Gulzar c) Dilip Kumar d) Amitabh Bachchan
20. Who is the author of the book ‘Truth, Love and A little Malice’?
a) Arundhati Roy b) Khushwant Singh
c) Subramaniam Swami d) R.K. Narayan
22. Who among the following is the present National Security Adviser of India?
a) K. Subramanyam b) Brajesh Mishra
c) Brahma Chellani d) Jyotindra Nath Dixit
27. Which among the following states has launched a scheme titled ‘Rajiv Gyanodaya Scheme’
to open libraries in every village of the state?
a) Madhya Pradesh b) Chattisgarh c) Rajasthan d) Assam
28. Which of the following sports is the J.R.D Tata Cup associated with?
a) Hockey b) Basketball c) Football d) Snooker
29. Which of the following airports was the first to be privatized in India?
a) Bangalore b) Mumbai c) Delhi d) Cochin
30. Who among the following has authored the novel ‘Pinjar’?
a) Amrita Pritam b) Javed Adhtar
c) Kaifi Azmi d) Harivanshrai Bachchan
31. Which of the following cities is the permanent venue for the International Children’s Film
Festival?
a) Mumbai b) Hyderabad c) Bangalore d) New Delhi
32. Who among the following has authored the novel ‘Ko’ (Speak up)?
a) Javed Akhtar b) Jhumpa Lahiri c) Taslima Nasreen b) Khushwant Singh
33. Presently how many nations are members of the European Union (EU)?
a) 25 b) 26 c) 27 d) 28
34. The Indus Valley civilization had its main centers at Mohenjodaro and
a) Lothal b) Chanhudaro c) Harappa d) Amri
41. The Dutch first established their hold in India in the year 1605 at
a) Masulipatnam b) Surat c) Bombay d) Goa
43. The Delhi Sultan who died as a consequence of having fallen from his horse while playing
Chaugan or Polo was
a) Iltutmish b) Ghias ud-din Balban
c) Mohammad of Ghazni d) Qutub-ud-din Aibak
45. In which country is Waterloo located, where the famous battle between the British and the
French was fought?
a) Belgium b) France c) U.K. d) Germany
48. Who was the first India woman to win Miss World title?
a) Aishwarya Rai b) Diana Hayden
c) Rita Faria d) Priyanka Chopra
49. Tatra Kucharova, the 2006 Miss World title holder is from which country?
a) Austria b) Sweden
c) Denmark d) Czech Republic
50. Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza, the 2006 Miss Universe title holder is from which country?
a) Mexico b) Puerto Rico
c) Argentina d) Chile
BRM Test - 8
9. Match the names of the International boundaries in the left column with the countries they
separate, given in the column at right
A) Durand Line 1. India and Pakistan
B) Radcliffe line 2. India and China
C) McMahon Line 3. France and Germany
D) Maginot line 4. Pakistan & Afghanistan
10. The boundary between the United States of America and Canada is represented by.....
a) The 49o N Latitude b) The 38o N Latitude
c) The Rio Grande river d) The Oder-Niesse line
12. The Constitution of India provides that the three constituents of the Indian Parliament are
the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha and the
a) Prime Minister b) Vice-President c) President d) Council of Ministers
24. The sun continuously produces an enormous amount of energy. This is due to
a) Nuclear fission b) Nuclear fusion
c) Chemical combustion d) Boiling
31. Which of the following organelles is known as the ‘Power House of the cell’?
a) Golgi bodies b) Ribosome
c) Mitochondria d) Centrosome
32. Plant cells can usually be distinguished from animal cells, because, only plant cells possess.
a) Cell and mitochondria b) Cell wall and central vacuoles
c) Golgi bodies and central vacuoles d) Chromosomes and mitochondria
44. If a member of the Lok Sabha absents himself for a period of....... from the meeting of the
house, without the permission of the house, he will be disqualified.
a) 30 days b) 45 days c) 60 days d) 90 days
47. Who is the author of the book ‘The Shade of Swords’, ‘Jihad’ and ‘The Conflict between
Islam and Christianity’?
a) Rafiq Zakaria b) Salman Rushdie c) Fareed Zakaria d) M.J. Akbar
BRM Test - 9
3. Which of the following countries has become the member of the WTO recently?
a) Vietnam b) Cuba c) India d) China
4. The quorum to constitute a sitting of Lok Sabha is ............ of the total membership of the
House.
a) one-fourth b) one-half c) one- tenth d) one-fifth
6. Authors from which of the following countries are not eligible to be considered for the
Booker Prize?
a) Britain b) United Kingdom
c) Republic of Ireland d) United States of America
9. Who was the first Ramon Magsaysay Award winner from India?
a) C.D. Deshmukh b) Jayaprakash Narayan
c) Dr Verghese Kurien d) Acharya Vinoba Bhave
16. Who among the following acts as the Chairman of the National Integration Council?
a) Prime Minister b) Vice President
c) Union Home Minister d) None of these
17. The number of members nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha is constitutionally
limited to……….
a) 12 b) 15
c) 10 d) 20
20. The protector of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed under the Constitution is the
a) Parliament b) Prime Minister c) President d) Supreme Court
26. Which, of the following, does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Indian Parliament?
a) Foreign pilgrimage b) Consideration of Money bills
c) Consideration of Ordinary bills d) Fundamental Rights and Duties
27. On which among the following dates, International Women’s Day is celebrated?
a) 7th March b) 9th March
c) 2nd March d) 8th March
28. On which among the following dates the Tenth Plan had taken off?
a) April 1, 2002 b) July 1, 2002
c) October 1, 2002 d) April 1, 2003
31. Which of the following countries is the largest producer of silver in the world?
a) Mexico b) Peru c) Cyprus d) Spain
38. While ‘Sugar Bowl’ is Cuba, which country is leading in the production of sugarcane?
a) India b) Pakistan
c) Indonesia d) Mauritius
41. Article............. of the constitution deals with the procedure for amendment of the Indian
Constitution
a) 360 b) 363 c) 368 d) 369
43. The part of the Constitution that deals with the Directive Principles of state policy is...........
a) II b) III c) IV d) V
44. The Directive Principles in the Indian Constitution have been framed, drawing inspiration
from the Constitution of which country?
a) American b) Irish c) French d) Canadian
46. The maximum number of Anglo- Indians who can be nominated to the Lok Sabha is....
a) 2 b) 4 c) 5 d) 13
48. What was the code name of the project that led to the development of first Atomic Bomb?
a) Project Hiroshima b) Project Washington
c) Project Nagasaki d) Project Manhattan
49. For which book has Kiran Desai won the Man Booker Prize for the year 2006?
a) The Sea b) The Inheritance of Loss
c) The Long Loss d) The Snow
50. Khajuraho temples’ builders, The Chandelas, were from which religious sect?
a) Vaishnavite b) Saivite
c) Jains Sect d) None of these
BRM Test - 10
1. Name the country where the National Parliament is known as ‘Jatiya Sangsad’
a) Turkey b) Afghanistan
c) Malaysia d) Bangladesh
4. Which among the following countries has the oldest written Constitution?
a) Japan b) India c) The USA d) The UK
7. In which of the following states are the Zaskar and Pir Panjal ranges situated?
a) Assam b) Jammu & Kashmir
c) Andhra Pradesh d) Himachal Pradesh
10. Which, among the following, is not an official language of the United Nations?
a) English b) French c) German d) Russian
11. The line dividing North Korea and South Korea is the
a) 17th parallel b) 23rd parallel c) 38th parallel d) Oder-Neisse Line
13. Which one of the following is known as the first line of defense for the human body?
a) Antibodies b) Skin
c) Nails d) White Blood Corpuscles
17. The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is headquar-
tered at……..
a) New York b) Washington c) Paris d) Amsterdam
20. Which Greek ambassador visited India during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya?
a) Megasthenes b) Seleucos c) Menander d) Demetrias
21. The famous Iron Pillar at Mehrauli in Delhi had been built by the
a) Mauryas b) Guptas c) Nandas d) Khiljis
22. Who had become the first Governor-General of India after independence?
a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad b) C R Rajgopalachari
c) Lord Pethick Lawrence d) Lord Mountbatten
27. The first scholar, among the following names, to visit India was
a) Marco Polo b) Fahien c) Ibn-Batutah d) Hiuen Tsang
28. The ruler of medieval India credited with the construction of the Grand Trunk Road is
a) Krishnadeva Raya b) Babur c) Sher Shah Suri d) Jehangir
29. Which among the following years is generally considered to be the final year of Great De-
pression that started in 1929?
a) 1939 b) 1937 c) 1941 d) 1943
33. What is the average per capita income in India (in terms of Purchasing Power Parity)?
a) Rs. 17,600 per year b) Rs. 12,530 per year
c) Rs. 10,560 per year d) Rs. 9,996 per year
35. The non-permanent members in the UN Security Council are elected for a term of how
many years?
a) 2 years b) 3 years c) 5 years d) 4 years
36. Which of the following Acts enabled the Government of India to put a ban on ‘The Satanic
Verses’ by Salman Rushdie?
a) National Security Act b) Customs Act
c) Immoral Trafficking Act d) None of these
38. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is named after the former president of which Asian country?
a) Thailand b) Singapore c) Laos d) Philippines
42. Mughal-e-Azam, which became the first Indian film to be converted in colour form, was
originally directed by which among the following persons?
a) Bimal Roy b) K Asif
c) Mustaq Hussain d) Kamal Amrohi
44. Who has won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for the year 2006?
a) Pankaj Advani b) Rahuk Dravid
c) Samresh Jung d) Anju Bobby George
46. Who was the Chief Guest at the 2007 Republic Day parade ?
a) Hugo Chavez b) Mahmud Amadinejad
c) Vladamir Putin d) Fidel Castro
48. Who has been chosen as the MTV Youth Icon of the Year for 2006?
a) Shahrukh Khan b) Anil Ambani c) M S Dhoni d) Sachin Tendukar
49. How many languages have been identified in the eighth schedule of Indian Constitution?
a) 21 b) 22 c) 23 d) 24
50. Which country holds the record for scoring the maximum number of runs in a single innings
of a ODI match?
a) South Africa b) Australia c) India d) Sri Lanka
BRM Test - 11
1. In terms of value, which Indian spice export holds the top position?
a) Pepper b) Chillies c) Turmeric d) Cardamom
2. Which Asian nation was the first to get a World Bank Loan?
a) Vietnam b) Pakistan c) China d) India
5. Which of the following countries has opened the first floating runway (Mega Float)?
a) Japan b) France c) Britain d) America
8. Who was appointed the new President of Iraq after the intense political impasse following
Jan 30, 2005?
a) Jalal Talabani b) Ibrahim al-Jaafari
c) Mahmoud Abbas d) None of these
9. Which Indian state is nicknamed “Land of the Gods” (Dev Bhoomi) because of its many
holy places?
a) Kerala b) Bihar
c) Uttaranchal d) Haryana
11. Which among the following is the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organisation
(PLO)?
a) Ramallah b) Jericho c) Hebron d) Gaza City
12. Which of the following Indian States/UT’s has the lowest population as per Census 2001?
a) Daman and Diu b) Lakshadweep
c) Sikkim d) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
13. Who won the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2004, in 2006?
a) Yash Chopra b) Viru Devgan
c) Adoor Gopalakrishnan d) Mrinal Sen
15. The density of population per square kilometers in India has increased from 267 in 1991 to
............. in 2001.
a) 300 b) 316 c) 324 d) 333
20. ‘Four Dragons’ is a group of four small Asian countries that have experienced unusually
rapid economic development. Two of these countries are Singapore and Hong Kong. The
other two are
a) North Korea and Indonesia b) Indonesia and Japan
c) Malaysia and Taiwan d) South Korea and Taiwan
21. Where is the Mishra Dhatu Nigam, Limited, a specialist defence unit located?
a) Hyderabad b) Ghaziabad c) Nasik d) Lucknow
22. Which of the following diseases is transmitted through the bites of female aedes mosqui-
toes?
a) Leprosy b) Dengue Fever c) Influenza d) Diphtheria
23. At which of the following places, does ISRO not have a centre?
a) Thiruvananthapuram b) Bangalore
c) Mumbai d) Nasik
25. Which of the following sectors does not come under tertiary sector?
a) Trade b) Transport c) Electricity d) Business services
26. Which of the following places has a Special Economic Zone (SEZ)?
a) New Delhi b) Jabalpur c) Kandla d) Palampur
29. The much dreaded KGB is/was the secret police organisation of
a) U.K b) U.S.A
c) The erstwhile USSR d) Poland
31. Who gave the title music for the movie ‘Mughal-e-Azam’?
a) Khayyam b) O.P.Nayyar c) Naushad d) S.D.Burman
33. Who among the following is the Chairman of the 12th Finance Commission?
a) Jaswant Singh b) Bimal Jalan c) C.Rangarajan d) Y.V. Reddy
34. The Buddhist Sect Mahayana formally came into existence during the reign of
a) Kanishka b) Ajata Shatru c) Ashoka d) Dharma Pala
37. Which industry accounts for a fifth of India’s industrial production and a third of the export
earnings?
a) Steel b) Textiles c) InfoTech d) Pharmaceuticals
a) A IV B III C II DI
b) A III B II C IV DI
c) A II B IV CI D III
d) A II B III CI D IV
42. What is the correct chronological order in which the following rulers ruled in India?
I. Sher Shah Suri II. Akbar III. Allauddin Khilji IV. Iltutmish
a) IV, I, III, II b) IV, III, I, II
c) I, II, III, IV d) III, IV, I, II
50. The 2010 FIFA Soccer World cup will be held at…………
a) England b) USA c) South Africa d) Portugal
BRM Test - 12
3. What is the correct sequence in which the following three movements were led by Mahatma
Gandhi?
I. Champaran Movement II. Non-Cooperation Movement
III. Dandi March
a) III, II, I b) II, I, III c) I, III, II d) I, II, III
5. Which of the following group of States is written in the descending order with respect to the
density of population?
a) West Bengal-Uttar Pradesh-Kerala-Bihar
b) Bihar-Uttar Pradesh-West Bengal-Madhya Pradesh
c) Kerala-Bihar-Uttar Pradesh-Tamil Nadu
d) Madhya Pradesh-Bihar-Kerala-West Bengal
7. The Nathpa-Jhakri Hydro-electric Power Project is located in which of the following States
and how much power is it likely to generate?
a) Jammu and Kashmir- 1000 MW b) Punjab-2000 MW
c) Himachal Pradesh-1500 MW d) Tripura-2000 MW.
20. Which of the following cities has winter, when there is summer in India?
a) Damascus b) Shanghai c) Melbourne d) Osaka
25. In which of the following battles was Prithvi Raj defeated by Mohammad Ghauri?
a) Plassey b) Panipat c) Wandiwash d) Tarain
26. Towards the middle of the 18th century, Delhi was devastated by
a) Chengiz Khan b) Nadir Shah c) Timur Shah d) Shah Abbas
31. In which field of art did Jaimini Roy make her name?
a) Sculpture b) Painting
c) Music d) Drama
33. Aamir Khusro was the famous poet and aesthete in the time of............
a) Akbar the Great b) Mahmud Ghaznvi
c) Shah Jahan d) Allauddin Khilji
40. The Ashoka pillar whose lion capital was adopted by the Government of India as National
Emblem, is located at
a) Varanasi b) Puri c) Sarnath d) Gaya
41. The term “Niskha” which meant an ornament in Vedic period, later denoted
a) A weapon b) A script
c) An Agricultural Implement d) A Coin
43. Which one of the following bodies finalises the Five-year Plans proposals
a) Planning Commission b) Union Cabinet
c) National Development Council d) Ministry of Planning
46. Next to Hindi, the language spoken by the largest number of people in the Indian subconti-
nent is..............
a) Urdu b) Bangla c) Telugu d) Tamil
49. Which of the following countries was the first to develop a neutron bomb?
a) USA b) USSR
c) China d) Pakistan
BRM Test - 13
7. Next to UP, which are the two states having maximum representation in the Lok Sabha?
a) Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra b) Bihar and Maharashtra
c) Bihar and Madhya Pradesh d) Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
8. How long can one, under the Constitution, remain minister without being a member of either
of the two Houses of Parliament?
a) Three months b) Six months c) Nine months d) Twelve months
14. Who among the following was the great protagonist of the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’?
a) Lord Wellesley b) Lord Dalhousie c) Lord Minto d) Lord Hastings
18. The Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930 culminated in the signing of a pact in 1931 by
Gandhiji and the then Viceroy
a) Lord Linlithgow b) Lord Irwin c) Lord Wavell d) None of them
21. Towards the end of the 15th century Vasco da Gama, the famous seafarer, landed at
a) Mangalore b) Calicut c) Cochin d) Goa
22. Name the periodical which Gandhiji published during his stay in South Africa
a) Indian Opinion b) Young India c) Afrikaner d) Navijivan
28. Which was the first European nation to establish its territorial rule in India?
a) The French b) The Dutch c) The English d) The Portuguese
31. Which of the following chemicals in automobile exhaust can cause cancer?
a) Carbon monoxide b) Polycyclic hydrocarbons
c) Lead d) Oxides of nitrogen
32. Numaligarh (Rs. 2800 crore) refinery project to produce crude oil is in
a) Gujarat b) Orissa
c) Assam d) Arunachal Pradesh
33. Name the Indian leader who chaired the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution?
a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad b) Jawaharlal Nehru
c) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar d) Sardar Patel
39. Man passed from the food gathering state to the food producing stage in the
a) Neolithic Age b) Mesolithic Age c) Chalcolithic Age d) Palaeolithic Age
46. Meenakshi, Somnath and Dilwara temples are in which one of the following groups of
states?
a) Tamil Nadu, b) Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka
c) Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan d) Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
47. Who won the 2006 Australian Open women tennis title?
a) Amelie Mauresmo b) Justine Henin Hardene
c) Maria Sharapova d) Serena Williams
48. Who won the 2006 French Open men’s tennis title?
a) Raefal Nadal b) Mariano Puerta
c) Roger Federer d) Gaston Gaudio
49. Who won the 2006 French Open women tennis title?
a) Svetlana Kuznetsova b) Justine Henin Hardene
c) Maria Sharapova d) Kim Clijsters
BRM Test - 14
1. The Gupta Period is described as the golden age of Sanskrit literature because
a) The Gupta rulers adopted Sanskrit as their court language
b) The famous Kalidasa, the Indian Shakespeare, and several other great literary figures lived
during this period
c) The Ramayana and Mahabharata were revised in their present form and in the latter was
inserted the great philosopical poem, the Bhagavad Gita or Lord’s Song
d) All of these
3. The Chola kings (10th and 11th centuries) are best known for
a) Their maritime activities b) Their patronage of learning
c) Their good administration d) All of these
4. Which of the following countries is considered as the last remaining seat of Lamaist Mahayana
Buddhism?
a) China b) Bhutan c) Tibet d) Mongolia
6. The Battle of Hydaspes between Alexander the Great and Porus took place in
a) 323 BC b) 324 BC c) 425 BC d) 326 BC
7. Buddha died in
a) 483 BC b) 480 BC c) 478 BC d) 477 BC
13. Which one of the following is the most densely populated country in the world?
a) Bangladesh b) India c) China d) Britain
17. He visited Europe and America as a cultural ambassador of India. He condemned the caste
system and the current Hindu emphasis on rituals, ceremonies and superstitions. He remarked:
Our religion is ‘Don’t touch me. I am holy’. These lines allude to
a) Swami Vivekananda b) Swami Rama Tirtha
c) Raja Ram Mohan roy d) Swami Dayananda
18. Who among the following was not a representative of militant nationalism (also known as
extremism)?
a) Lala Lajpat Rai b) Bipin Chandra Pal
c) Bal Gangadhar Tilak d) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
20. Two Home Rule Leagues were started in 1915-16 under the leadership of
a) Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak
b) Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai
c) Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal
d) Tilak and Aurobindo Ghosh
21. In which year did the Congress adopt “Poorna Swaraj” or complete independence as its goal?
a) 1930 b) 1929 c) 1928 d) 1927
24. 29 March, 1930 is a memorable day in the history of India’s freedom movement because
a) Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to a six years’ imprisonment
b) Gandhi started the second major civil disobedience movement with his famous Dandi March
c) Bhagat Singh was hanged
d) Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed
25. Which of the following statement concerning the 42nd Constitutional amendment is wrong?
a) The scope of judical review was narrowed down
b) Directive Principles of State Policy were given preference over Fundamental Rights
c) A set of Fundamental Duties was incorporated in the Constitution
d) Parliamentary form of government was replaced by presidential form of government.
30. A hereditary disease of the blood in which there is a deficiency in the blood clotting mechanism
is called
a) Haemophilia b) Anaemia c) Haemophobia d) None of these
31. Which one of the following places is associated with the death of Buddha?
a) Gaya b) Vaishali
c) Kushinagar d) Sanchi
34. The territory called Lushai Hills district under British rule is today known as
a) Arunachal Pradesh b) Mizoram
c) Nagaland d) Meghalaya
35. The Article under Constitution dealing with recruitment, conditions of service in Union and
State Governments is
a) 301 b) 315 c) 311 d) 309
36. The number of days the moon takes to rotate round the earth is about
a) 27 days b) 28 days c) 29 days d) 30 days
37. Which one of the following ports in not located on the eastern coast of India?
a) Visakhapatnam b) Chennai c) Paradeep d) Mangalore
47. Who among the following, apart from India, are members of G-4?
a) Brazil, Germany, Japan b) Brazil, South Africa, Germany
c) South Africa, Germany, Japan d) Brazil, South Africa, Japan
49. Who is the author of the book It’s not about the bike?
a) Lance Armstrong b) Valentino Rossi
c) Narain Karthikeyan d) None of the above
50. Which among the following is not a benefit availed by the members of WTO?
a) The member governments are shielded from lobbying.
b) Freer trade cuts cost of living.
c) Trade Disputes are handled constructively.
d) Access to Foreign currency is made easier.
BRM Test - 15
5. The Mahabalipuram Temple in Tamil Nadu was built during the reign of which of the follow-
ing dynasties?
a) Chola Dynasty b) Chalukya Dynasty
c) Pallava Dynasty d) Pandya Dynasty
A B C D
a) 4 2 1 3
b) 2 4 1 3
c) 3 2 4 1
d) 1 2 3 4
9. Which Schedule of the Indian Constitution contains the recognized languages of India?
a) Ninth b) Eighth
c) Seventh d) Second
11. Ibn Batuta, the famous Arab traveler, was in the court of
a) Ala-ud-din Khilji b) Muhammad Tughlak
c) Firoz Shah Tughlak d) Babur
19. ‘The generation to come, it may be, will scarcely believe that such a one as this, ever in
flesh and blood, walked upon the earth’. This tribute was paid to Gandhiji by
a) Jawaharlal Nehru b) George Bernard Shaw
c) Albert Einstein d) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
26. Indicate the names of the following three Chola kings chronologically
I) Raja Raja II) Vijayalaya III) Rajendra
a) I, II, III b) III, II, I
c) I, III, II d) II, I, III
29. When was the first Swadeshi movement in India launched on large scale?
a) 1885 b) 1905 c) 1919 d) 1930
31. The celebrated astronomer Aryabhata of ancient India lived during the
a) Maurya period b) Kushan period
c) Gupta period d) Nanda period
32. Which of the following is the correct chronological order of the following Maurya rulers?
a) Bindusara, Ashoka, Chandragupta b) Chandragupta, Bindusara, Ashoka
c) Bindusara, Chandragupa, Ashoka d) Ashoka, Chandragupta, Bindusara
35. The Muslim League passed a resolution at its Lahore session demanding a separate homeland
for the Muslims of the sub-continent which later became the basis of Pakistan. In which
year was the resolution passed?
a) 1940 b) 1941 c) 1942 d) 1943
37. The President of India can nominate, to the Rajya Sabha a maximum of ...............
a) 6 members b) 9 members c) 12 members d) 15 members
39. Which of the following is the most stable element found in nature?
a) Oxygen b) Hydrogen
c) Lead d) Uranium
45. Where are the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank situated?
a) Manila b) Jakarta c) Singapore d) Dhaka
46. Black soil is best suited for the growth of which crop?
a) Wheat b) Tea c) Cotton d) Jute
48. Indian Railways has been organized into how many zones?
a) 14 b) 15 c) 16 d) 17
49. Who is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
a) Paul Wolfowitz b) Rodrigo Rato
c) Pascal Lamy d) Jacques Rogge
BRM Test - 16
12. Who among the following was not captured by the British in 1857?
a) Mangal Pandey b) Bahadur Shah II
c) Nana Sahib d) Tantia Tope
25. Which among the following materials has the highest electrical conductivity?
a) Diamond b) Silver c) Graphite d) Wood
27. The planetary winds variously known as Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Stormy Sixties
are
a) Trade Winds b) Cyclones c) Polar Winds d) Westerlies
36. Who was the first Indian woman to scale Mt. Everest?
a) Phu Dorjee b) Ang Dorjee c) Bachendri Pal d) Santosh Yadav
37. Leonardo da Vinci, who is famous for his masterpiece painting Mona Lisa was a/an
a) Frenchman b) Italian c) German d) Englishman
39. The first woman film star nominated or elected to the Rajya Sabha was
a) Vaijayanthimala b) Nargis Dutt c) Jayalalitha d) Hema Malini
40. The Scholar who had accompanied Mohammed of Ghazni to India was
a) Al-Raza b) Ibn Batuta c) Al-Beruni d) Al-Firdausi
48. The trade route (ancient silk route) that has opened between India and China after 44 years
is connected by
a) Jelepla Pass b) Nathu La Pass
c) Rohtang Pass d) Zozi La Pass
BRM Test - 17
5. One-third of the members of the Rajya Sabha retire after every ............... year/s.
a) One b) Two
c) Four d) Five
8. The total number of members that the president nominates to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya
Sabha is
a) 12 b) 14
c) 22 d) 24
10. The President’s rule can be imposed in a state under the controversial article ...................
of the Constitution
a) 256 b) 326 c) 356 d) 386
12. The idea of incorporation of a concurrent list, besides the union and the state lists, has been
borrowed from the Constitution of
a) Ireland b) Australia c) UK d) Canada
13. Which of the following writs is issued by the Court for the enforcement of a fundamental
right, as in the case of illegal detention of a person?
a) Habeas Corpus b) Mandamus c) Certiorari d) Quo Warranto
14. If an object is placed between two parallel plane mirrors, the number of images formed will
be
a) 1 b) Infinite c) 0 d) 4
17. Which one of the following constitutional amendments gives a constitutional status to the
Panchayati Raj Institutions?
a) 71st amendment b) 72nd amendment c) 73rd amendment d) 74th amendment
18 . ...................... is regarded to have been the father of local self government in India
a) Rippon b) Bentinck c) Curzon d) Mayo
21. With whom was the seven-year rule of ‘missions, omissions, and commissions’ associated?
a) Lord Dalhousie b) Lord Curzon
c) Lord Lytton d) Lord Mayo
28. Which, among the following crops, holds the highest acreage of cropping in India?
a) Rice b) Wheat c) Cotton d) Potato
29. Which among the following countries is the World’s largest consumer of coffee?
a) USA b) Russia c) China d) UK
30. Which part of the human body is made up of the Duodenum, Jejunum and the Ileum?
a) The Stomach b) The small intestine
c) The large intestine d) None of these
31. Which among the following states has largest number of districts?
a) Bihar b) Rajasthan c) Uttar Pradesh d) Maharashtra
34. The Great Bengal famine occurred in which among the following years?
a) 1911 b) 1931 c) 1943 d) 1945
38. K-2, the world’s second highest peak is located in which mountain range?
a) Pir Panjal b) Himalayas c) Karokoram d) None of these
40. Which amongst the following is the latest country to gain independence?
a) East Timor b) Botswana
c) Uganda d) Sudan
42. Who has played highest number of test matches as a member of the Indian team?
a) Sunil Gavaskar b) Rahul Dravid
c) Sachin Tendulkar d) Kapil Dev
48. India’s on-sea missile testing site Chandipur, where all AGNI missiles (Irbm) have been
tested, is in which state?
a) Kerala b) Andhra Pradesh c) Orissa d) Lakshwadeep
49. Which Footballer along with Ronaldo holds the record of having been chosen the World
Player of the Year by FIFA three times?
a) Maradona b) Totti c) Zidane d) Cafu
50. Swimmer Ian Thorpe, who recently announced his retirement, is from which country?
a) US b) UK c) New Zealand d) Australia
BRM Test - 18
1. How many books are there in Douglas Adams’s ‘Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy’ series?
a) 3 b) 4 c) 5 d) 7
7. What is Vijayanta?
a) Submarine b) Aircraft c) Warship d) Battle tank
12. When was the Constitution of India enacted, signed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly?
a) January 26,1950 b) December 11,1946
c) December 9,1949 d) November 26,1949
13. When the Constitution of India was passed by the Constituent Assembly, it had how many
schedules?
a) 10 Schedules b) 8 Schedules c) 12 Schedules d) 19 Schedules
14. When was the Constitution of India first amended after its adoption?
a) 1954 b) 1951 c) 1962 d) 1971
19. The 1857 revolt broke out during the generalship of………
a) Dalhousie b) Canning c) Lawrence d) Curzon
20. What was the immediate cause that precipitated the sepoy mutiny of 1857?
a) The introduction of greased cartridges
b) Dalhousie’s Doctrine of lapse
c) A wide disparity between the salaries of native sepoys and the British soldiers
d) A bid to convert the Indians to Christianity
21. The mutiny had many results; the immediate result was that it led to
a) The founding of the Indian National Congress
b) Expansion of the military powers of the English East India company
c) Assumption of direct responsibility for administration of India by the crown
d) All of the above
25. Muhammad – bin – Tughluq introduced a token currency in lieu of the prevalent silver tanka.
Identify the metal used for making the token currency.
a) Bronze b) Copper c) Nickel d) Brass
30. The capital of which of the following countries does not begin with the letter ‘A’?
a) Greece b) Ghana c) Jordan d) Macedonia
34. The Rs.5,000 note was reintroduced in India in 1954. Which monument did it depict?
a) India Gate b) Taj Mahal
c) Gateway of India d) Qutab Minar
35. What term is used to describe the practice of registering well-known names as domains on the
Internet, hoping to sell them at high prices to the rightful owners?
a) Cyber Squatting b) Cyber Selling
c) Domaining d) Cyber Surfing
36. For what purpose was the compass originally developed/invented in China?
a) For Sailors b) For Feng Shui
c) For locating snakes d) For measuring temperature
37. If the MRF bat which Sachin Tendulkar uses is labeled ‘Genius’, what is the corresponding
label on Brian Lara’s bat?
a) Genius b) Wizard]
c) Masters d) Excellent
39. The term ‘econometrics’ was coined by which co-winner of the first Nobel Prize in econom-
ics?
a) Ragnar Frisch b) Amartya Sen
c) Pareto d) Adam Smith
42. He discovered the ‘red shift’, laying the foundation for the Big Bang theory
a) Darwin b) Hubble
c) Kennedy d) Aryabhatta
47. Which country in the world has the maximum amount of External Debt due to extraordinarily
high Imports?
a) USA b) China
c) Canada d) UK
49. In 2006, Italy won the Football World Cup for the
a) Fifth Time b) Fourth Time
c) Third Time d) Sixth Time
BRM Test - 19
2. The first ceremony of the International Olympic Committee was held in 1894. In which city
was it held?
a) New York b) Athens c) Paris d) London
4. After Mandarin (Chinese), what is the most widely spoken first language?
a) English b) Hindi c) Spanish d) French
7. Which US president was shot 5 days after the end of the American Civil War?
a) John F. Kennedy b) Abraham Lincoln c) Jimmy Carter d) Richard Nixon
16. Who has won the Davis Cup the maximum number of times?
a) USA b) Spain c) Russia d) Sweden
19. If you are standing on the moon and drop both a feather and a rock at the same time from the
same height, which will land first?
a) Rock b) Feather
c) Both will land together d) Both will keep floating
20. During World War II, the Germans were allied with the…..
a) British b) Americans c) Dutch d) None of these
21. Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Arts in 2006 by which
University?
a) Le Corbusier University b) De Montford University
c) Sheffield University d) Thomas Cook University
27. The Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela have both edited which magazine, at different points of
time?
a) Vogue b) Time c) Forbes d) Business World
29. Who was the last British Governor General of Hong Kong?
a) Chris Patten b) Cornwallis c) Dominic Lazier d) Wallace
33. The longest river in the world flows into which sea?
a) Red Sea b) Caspian Sea
c) Mediterranean sea d) Arabian Sea
34. A narrow strip of land with water on both sides connecting two larger landmasses is known as
a) Isthmus b) Island c) Isobar d) Isotherm
40. Which of the following committees was set up by the government to make recommendation on
the pricing and taxation of the petroleum products?
a) Kelkar Committee b) Rangarajan Committee
c) Ahluwalia Committee d) Narsimhan Committee
41. Among which of the following countries India has recently signed a double tax avoidance
treaty?
a) Indonesia b) South Africa c) Mauritius d) Austria
42. What is the significance behind the choice of colors for the Olympic rings?
a) The five colors represent the five continents
b) All other colors can be formed using the five colors
c) At least one of the five colors is found in the flag of every nation
d) The choice of color has no significance
43. Who will be the next Prime Minister and the first woman lead of Jamaica?
a) PS Patterson b) Portia Simpson Miller
c) Peter Phillips d) Danville Walker
45. Which of these was ranked as the world’s No.1 English Daily in terms of circulation?
a) Times of India b) Indian Express c) Hindustan Times d) The Hindu
47. President APJ Abdul Kalam created history by becoming the first Indian Head of the state to
sail in a submarine. The name of the submarine is
a) INS Brahmputra b) INS Tarang
c) INS Jyoti d) INS Sindhurakshak
48. Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to win a Gold medal in World Cup shooting championship.
In which event did he achieve the feat?
a) 10m Rifle b) Double Trap
c) Air Rifle d) Single Trap
BRM Test - 20
5. Who was India’s nominee for the post of Secretary-General of the UN?
a) Nirupama Sen b) Vijay Nambiar c) Shyam Saran d) Shashi Tharoor
9. Who has won the the 39th Jnanpith award for the year 2003?
a) D Jayakanthan b) Vinda Karandikar
c) R K Shah d) Indira Goswami
11. Which cricketer has scored the fastest hundred in test cricket?
a) Kapil Dev b) Adam Gilchrist
c) Vivian Richards d) Brian Lara
12. Shirin Ebadi is a well known human rights activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2003.
Which country does she belong to?
a) Iraq b) Egypt c) India d) Iran
13. How many countries participated in the FIFA World Cup 2006?
a) 30 b) 32 c) 34 d) 36
17. Who is the Prime Minister of Japan? ( He is also the youngest PM of Japan)
a) Junichiro Koizumi b) Shinzo Abe
c) Yoshiro Mori d) Obuchi Keizo
18. Who has the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2006?
a) Grameen Bank b) Muhammad Yunus
c) Both (a) & (b) d) None of the above
19. Who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature for 2006?
a) Orhan Pamuk b) Harold Pinter c) John Banville d) Kiran Desai
20. Who has won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for 2006?
a) Roger D Kornberg b) Robert Grubbs
c) Richard Schrock d) Yves Chauvin
21. Which cine personality has won the Gandhi International Peace Prize for 2006?
a) Deepa Mehta b) Meera Nair c) Shabana Azmi d) Kiron Kher
22. Who has won the Nobel Prize for Economics for 2006?
a) Robert J Aumann b) Thomas C Schelling
c) Robert A Mundell d) Edmund S Phelps
25. Which country won the 2006 men’s hockey World cup?
a) Netherlands b) Germany c) New Zealand d) Australia
26. Who amongst the following was the first space tourist?
a) Dennis Tito b) Mark Shuttleworth
c) Gregory Olsen d) Charles Simonyi
28. Davos, the permanent venue for the World Economic Forum is in which country?
a) Germany b) Norway c) Sweden d) Switzerland
33. Who has been chosen as the ICC Player of the Year for 2006?
a) Mathew Hayden b) Adam Gilchrist
c) Shane Warne d) Ricky Pointing
34. Who has been chosen as the ICC Emerging Player of the Year for 2006?
a) Kevin Pietersen b) Ian Bell
c) M.S. Dhoni d) Stuart Clarke
35. Which award did Jhumpa Lahiri win for her book The Interpreter of Maladies?
a) The Booker Prize b) The Nobel Prize for Literature
c) The Sahitya Akademi Award d) The Pulitzer Prize
38. When there is one buyer and many sellers in a market - what is this situation called?
a) Monopoly b) Monopsony c) Monotony d) Oligopoly
39. Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is named after the Roman god of……..
a) Peace b) War c) Love d) Marriages
40. Who is the famous author of the book ‘What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business
School’?
a) Stephen R Covey b) Mack McCormak
c) John Love d) None of the above
42. In the human body, the exocrine glands are considered as a part of which system?
a) Excretory System b) Respiratory System
c) Nervous System d) Digestive System
43. The Italian soccer club that is owned by the automobile company “FIAT AUTO”, is…….
a) A C Milan b) Inter Milan c) Juventus d) Lazio
44. Which country has the oldest National flag in the world?
a) Sweden b) Denmark c) USA d) UK
48. In reference to American military servicemen, what do the initials ‘G.I.’ stand for?
a) General’s Intense b) Government Issue
c) Government’s Intense d) General Issue
50. Who did the Germans defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914?
a) The French b) The Italian
c) The Russian d) The British
BRM Test - 1
1. (b) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (a) 6. (c) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10.(d)
11.(a) 12.(a) 13.(b) 14.(d) 15.(b) 16.(a) 17.(d) 18.(a) 19.(c) 20.(b)
21.(b) 22.(c) 23.(b) 24.(d) 25.(c) 26.(c) 27.(b) 28.(b) 29.(a) 30.(d)
31.(a) 32.(c) 33.(b) 34.(b) 35.(b) 36.(a) 37.(b) 38.(b) 39.(b) 40.(c)
41.(c) 42.(c) 43.(a) 44.(a) 45.(b) 46.(b) 47.(b) 48.(d) 49.(a) 50.(c)
BRM Test - 2
1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (b) 7. (c) 8. (d) 9. (b) 10.(c)
11.(d) 12.(b) 13.(a) 14.(a) 15.(b) 16.(d) 17.(c) 18.(a) 19.(d) 20.(b)
21.(b) 22.(d) 23.(b) 24.(a) 25.(a) 26.(d) 27.(c) 28.(d) 29.(a) 30.(b)
31.(d) 32.(b) 33.(c) 34.(b) 35.(b) 36.(c) 37.(b) 38.(b) 39.(d) 40.(b)
41.(c) 42.(c) 43.(d) 44.(b) 45.(c) 46.(b) 47.(b) 48.(c) 49.(a) 50.(b)
BRM Test - 3
1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (c) 6. (b) 7. (c) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10.(b)
11.(d) 12.(c) 13.(b) 14.(d) 15.(a) 16.(a) 17.(b) 18.(c) 19.(c) 20.(a)
21.(a) 22.(b) 23.(a) 24.(a) 25.(b) 26.(a) 27.(c) 28.(a) 29.(a) 30.(b)
31.(c) 32.(a) 33.(a) 34.(c) 35.(b) 36.(c) 37.(b) 38.(c) 39.(d) 40.(a)
41.(c) 42.(b) 43.(d) 44.(c) 45.(a) 46.(b) 47.(d) 48.(d) 49.(c) 50.(b)
BRM Test - 4
1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (d) 6. (d) 7. (a) 8. (c) 9. (b) 10.(a)
11.(d) 12.(a) 13.(a) 14.(c) 15.(a) 16.(c) 17.(b) 18.(a) 19.(d) 20.(b)
21.(b) 22.(a) 23.(d) 24.(d) 25.(b) 26.(a) 27.(b) 28.(c) 29.(a) 30.(a)
31.(a) 32.(d) 33.(a) 34.(c) 35.(b) 36.(b) 37.(c) 38.(b) 39.(b) 40.(a)
41.(b) 42.(a) 43.(d) 44.(c) 45.(b) 46.(d) 47.(a) 48.(c) 49.(a) 50.(d)
BRM Test - 5
1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (d) 7. (a) 8. (b) 9. (d) 10.(b)
11.(c) 12.(a) 13.(a) 14.(c) 15.(b) 16.(b) 17.(d) 18.(c) 19.(c) 20.(a)
21.(c) 22.(d) 23.(a) 24.(c) 25.(a) 26.(b) 27.(c) 28.(a) 29.(b) 30.(b)
31.(c) 32.(d) 33.(b) 34.(a) 35.(b) 36.(c) 37.(c) 38.(b) 39.(d) 40.(c)
41.(b) 42.(b) 43.(b) 44.(a) 45.(c) 46.(d) 47.(c) 48.(a) 49.(b) 50.(c)
BRM Test - 6
1. (b) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (b) 6. (b) 7. (b) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10.(a)
11.(d) 12.(b) 13.(b) 14.(d) 15.(a) 16.(c) 17.(b) 18.(d) 19.(c) 20.(c)
21.(c) 22.(d) 23.(c) 24.(d) 25.(a) 26.(c) 27.(c) 28.(c) 29.(c) 30.(b)
31.(d) 32.(b) 33.(d) 34.(c) 35.(c) 36.(c) 37.(a) 38.(a) 39.(b) 40.(b)
41.(a) 42.(b) 43.(c) 44.(a) 45.(d) 46.(a) 47.(c) 48.(a) 49.(c) 50.(b)
BRM Test - 7
1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (c) 6. (b) 7. (b) 8. (c) 9. (a) 10.(b)
11.(a) 12.(a) 13.(d) 14.(c) 15.(a) 16.(a) 17.(d) 18.(d) 19.(c) 20.(b)
21.(c) 22.(d) 23.(b) 24.(a) 25.(d) 26.(c) 27.(b) 28.(c) 29.(a) 30.(a)
31.(b) 32.(c) 33.(c) 34.(c) 35.(a) 36.(d) 37.(c) 38.(b) 39.(a) 40.(d)
41.(a) 42.(b) 43.(d) 44.(c) 45.(a) 46.(d) 47.(a) 48.(c) 49.(d) 50.(b)
BRM Test - 8
1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7. (d) 8. (b) 9. (d) 10.(a)
11.(c) 12.(c) 13.(c) 14.(c) 15.(d) 16.(c) 17.(a) 18.(d) 19.(a) 20.(a)
21.(a) 22.(b) 23.(b) 24.(b) 25.(c) 26.(a) 27.(a) 28.(a) 29.(a) 30.(d)
31.(c) 32.(b) 33.(d) 34.(a) 35.(c) 36.(c) 37.(b) 38.(d) 39.(d) 40.(a)
41.(d) 42.(a) 43.(d) 44.(d) 45.(b) 46.(c) 47.(d) 48.(c) 49.(c) 50.(a)
BRM Test - 9
1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (c) 6. (d) 7. (c) 8. (b) 9. (d) 10.(c)
11.(a) 12.(c) 13.(a) 14.(a) 15.(c) 16.(a) 17.(a) 18.(c) 19.(b) 20.(d)
21.(c) 22.(d) 23.(b) 24.(b) 25.(b) 26.(a) 27.(d) 28.(a) 29.(c) 30.(c)
31.(a) 32.(a) 33.(d) 34.(c) 35.(a) 36.(b) 37.(a) 38.(a) 39.(a) 40.(d)
41.(c) 42.(b) 43.(c) 44.(b) 45.(a) 46.(a) 47.(b) 48.(d) 49.(b) 50.(d)
BRM Test - 10
1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (b) 6. (d) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (b) 10.(c)
11.(c) 12.(a) 13.(b) 14.(a) 15.(c) 16.(a) 17.(c) 18.(c) 19.(d) 20.(a)
21.(b) 22.(d) 23.(d) 24.(c) 25.(c) 26.(d) 27.(b) 28.(c) 29.(b) 30.(a)
31.(a) 32.(d) 33.(b) 34.(c) 35.(a) 36.(a) 37.(b) 38.(d) 39.(d) 40.(k)
41.(b) 42.(b) 43.(c) 44.(a) 45.(d) 46.(c) 47.(a) 48.(c) 49.(b) 50.(d)
BRM Test - 11
1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (a) 6. (a) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10.(b)
11.(a) 12.(c) 13.(d) 14.(d) 15.(c) 16.(a) 17.(b) 18.(d) 19.(a) 20.(c)
21.(a) 22.(b) 23.(d) 24.(a) 25.(c) 26.(c) 27.(a) 28.(a) 29.(c) 30.(a)
31.(c) 32.(c) 33.(c) 34.(a) 35.(b) 36.(a) 37.(b) 38.(a) 39.(d) 40.(b)
41.(d) 42.(b) 43.(b) 44.(d) 45.(b) 46.(a) 47.(a) 48.(c) 49.(b) 50.(c)
BRM Test - 12
1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (c) 8. (d) 9. (c) 10.(b)
11.(c) 12.(b) 13.(c) 14.(b) 15.(c) 16.(a) 17.(a) 18.(c) 19.(a) 20.(c)
21.(b) 22.(c) 23.(b) 24.(c) 25.(d) 26.(b) 27.(b) 28.(b) 29.(c) 30.(c)
31.(b) 32.(d) 33.(d) 34.(b) 35.(b) 36.(c) 37.(a) 38.(b) 39.(a) 40.(c)
41.(d) 42.(a) 43.(c) 44.(b) 45.(b) 46.(b) 47.(c) 48.(d) 49.(a) 50.(d)
BRM Test - 13
1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (d) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10.(c)
11.(b) 12.(c) 13.(d) 14.(b) 15.(b) 16.(c) 17.(a) 18.(b) 19.(a) 20.(a)
21.(b) 22.(b) 23.(d) 24.(a) 25.(a) 26.(b) 27.(b) 28.(d) 29.(b) 30.(d)
31.(a) 32.(c) 33.(a) 34.(a) 35.(c) 36.(c) 37.(c) 38.(d) 39.(a) 40.(d)
41.(a) 42.(c) 43.(a) 44.(c) 45.(b) 46.(c) 47.(a) 48.(a) 49.(b) 50.(c)
BRM Test - 14
1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (c) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7. (a) 8. (d) 9. (c) 10.(c)
11.(c) 12.(c) 13.(a) 14.(a) 15.(a) 16.(d) 17.(a) 18.(d) 19.(b) 20.(a)
21.(b) 22.(d) 23.(a) 24.(b) 25.(d) 26.(b) 27.(a) 28.(a) 29.(d) 30.(a)
31.(c) 32.(d) 33.(d) 34.(b) 35.(d) 36.(c) 37.(d) 38.(c) 39.(c) 40.(d)
41.(c) 42.(c) 43.(a) 44.(a) 45.(b) 46.(c) 47.(a) 48.(c) 49.(a) 50.(d)
BRM Test - 15
1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (c) 6. (b) 7. (b) 8. (c) 9. (b) 10.(b)
11.(b) 12.(d) 13.(c) 14.(a) 15.(b) 16.(b) 17.(b) 18.(a) 19.(c) 20.(c)
21.(b) 22.(a) 23.(b) 24.(a) 25.(c) 26.(d) 27.(c) 28.(b) 29.(b) 30.(a)
31.(c) 32.(b) 33.(d) 34.(b) 35.(a) 36.(c) 37.(c) 38.(a) 39.(c) 40.(c)
41.(d) 42.(b) 43.(a) 44.(b) 45.(a) 46.(c) 47.(d) 48.(c) 49.(b) 50.(a)
BRM Test - 16
1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (a) 8. (c) 9. (d) 10.(a)
11.(d) 12.(c) 13.(b) 14.(d) 15.(a) 16.(b) 17.(a) 18.(d) 19.(d) 20.(b)
21.(d) 22.(c) 23.(a) 24.(c) 25.(b) 26.(d) 27.(d) 28.(c) 29.(b) 30.(a)
31.(b) 32.(c) 33.(a) 34.(d) 35.(b) 36.(c) 37.(b) 38.(d) 39.(b) 40.(c)
41.(c) 42.(a) 43.(a) 44.(c) 45.(d) 46.(c) 47.(a) 48.(b) 49.(c) 50.(a)
BRM Test - 17
1. (b) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (d) 8. (b) 9. (b) 10.(c)
11.(d) 12.(d) 13.(a) 14.(b) 15.(d) 16.(d) 17.(c) 18.(a) 19.(a) 20.(d)
21.(b) 22.(b) 23.(a) 24.(b) 25.(c) 26.(c) 27.(b) 28.(a) 29.(a) 30.(b)
31.(c) 32.(d) 33.(b) 34.(d) 35.(a) 36.(c) 37.(b) 38.(c) 39.(c) 40.(a)
41.(c) 42.(c) 43.(c) 44.(a) 45.(a) 46.(b) 47.(c) 48.(c) 49.(c) 50.(d)
BRM Test - 18
1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (b) 6. (a) 7. (d) 8. (c) 9. (a) 10.(b)
11.(a) 12.(a) 13.(b) 14.(b) 15.(b) 16.(c) 17.(b) 18.(a) 19.(b) 20.(a)
21.(c) 22.(b) 23.(a) 24.(b) 25.(a) 26.(c) 27.(a) 28.(b) 29.(b) 30.(d)
31.(a) 32.(c) 33.(c) 34.(c) 35.(a) 36.(b) 37.(b) 38.(c) 39.(a) 40.(c)
41.(a) 42.(b) 43.(b) 44.(d) 45.(c) 46.(a) 47.(a) 48.(b) 49.(b) 50.(a)
BRM Test - 19
1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (a) 5. (b) 6. (a) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10.(a)
11.(b) 12.(a) 13.(a) 14.(c) 15.(c) 16.(a) 17.(d) 18.(a) 19.(c) 20.(d)
21.(b) 22.(a) 23.(d) 24.(b) 25.(a) 26.(c) 27.(a) 28.(c) 29.(a) 30.(d)
31.(b) 32.(b) 33.(c) 34.(a) 35.(d) 36.(b) 37.(a) 38.(d) 39.(d) 40.(b)
41.(c) 42.(a) 43.(b) 44.(c) 45.(a) 46.(b) 47.(d) 48.(a) 49.(b) 50.(c)
BRM Test - 20
1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (a) 4. (c) 5. (d) 6. (a) 7. (c) 8. (c) 9. (b) 10.(a)
11.(c) 12.(d) 13.(b) 14.(a) 15.(a) 16.(d) 17.(b) 18.(c) 19.(a) 20.(a)
21.(c) 22.(d) 23.(b) 24.(c) 25.(b) 26.(a) 27.(a) 28.(d) 29.(d) 30.(b)
31.(c) 32.(c) 33.(d) 34.(b) 35.(d) 36.(b) 37.(d) 38.(b) 39.(b) 40.(b)
41.(a) 42.(d) 43.(c) 44.(b) 45.(b) 46.(c) 47.(d) 48.(d) 49.(c) 50.(c)
Annexure
First 1951 15, 19, 85, 87, 174, 1. Right to equality, Right to liberty and Right to property
341, 342, 372, 376; were restriced in public interest.
Articles 31A, 31B and Ninth 2. The Land reform Acts were put into Ninth Schedule to
Schedule Added make them out of jurisdiction of the Courts.
3. The Sessions of Legislatures, appointment of Judges
and provision relating to reservation of seats were
also affected.
Second 1953 81 Representation of States in the Parliament.
Third 1954 7th Schedule The Subject of raw cotton, food production, animal
husbandry etc. were shifted to the Concurrent List.
Fourth 1955 31,31A, 305 and The Compensation given in lisu of acquisition of property
Ninth Schedule may be specified and the amount of compensation is to be
beyond the jurisdiction of the Courts.
Fifth 1955 Art.3 The President was given power to specify time within
which the States shall express their opinion with respect
to a proposed legislation affection the boundaries and
name of the States.
Sixth 1956 269, 286, 7th Schedule The Parliament was given the power to tax the goods
List I and List II involved in the inter-State trades.
Seventh 1956 49, 80, 81, 82, 131, 153, 158, 1. State reorganization in 14 States and 6
168, 170, 171, 216, 217, 220, Union Territories.
222, 224, 230, 231, 232, 239, 2. Reallocation of Seats in the House of the
240, 253, 298, 371. Articles People, the Council of States and the State
added are: 290A, 350A, 350B, Legislatures.
372A, 378A, Article deleted 3. Provision for the appointement of acting and
are: 238, 242, 243, 259, 278, additional Judges andjurisdiction of High
306, 279-80. The Second, Courts.
Fourth, Seventh Schedules 4. Provisions for Union Territories.
were also affected. 5. Special provisions for the States of Andhra
Pradesh, Punjab and Bombay.
Eighth 1960 330, 332, 333, 334 The Reservation of seats in Legislatures in favour of SC/
ST and the Anglo-Indian Community extended upto 1970.
Ninth 1960 First Schedule Provisions regarding transfer to Berubari Union areas to
Pakistan.
Tenth 1961 240, The First Schedule Dadra & Nagar Haveli admitted to the Union of India.
Eleventh 1961 66(1), 71(4) Provisions relating to the Electoral College for the election
of the President and the Vice-President.
Twelth 1962 Art.240, First Schedule Goa. Daman and Diu admitted to the Union of India.
Thirteenth 1962 Art. 371A was added Nagaland was given the Status of a State and special
Fourteenth 1962 239A; 240(1), First and Fourth provisions were made for the State of Nagaland.
Schedules Pondicherry was admitted in the Union of India as a Union
Territory and provisions were made for the constitution
of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of Ministers
in that UT.
Fifteenth 1963 124, 128, 217, 222, 224, 224A, 1. The retirement age of the Judges of the High Courts
226, 297, 311, 316, was raised to 62 years from 60 years.
Seventh Schedule 2. Provision for the re-employment of the retired Judge
of the High Courts.
3. Extension to the jurisdiction of the High Courts.
Sixteenth 1963 19, 84, 174, Second Schedule The States were given the power to restrict the Right to
Liberty.
Seventeenth 1964 31A, Ninte Schedule The State redefined, provisions regardings the Judicial
Review.
Eighteenth 1966 Art.3 The ‘State’ redefined.
Nineteenth 1966 Art.324 Election Tribunals abolished, the provisions relating to
electoral disputes.
Twentieth 1966 Art. 233A added. Provisions regarding appointement to District Judges.
Twenty-first 1967 Eighth Schedule Sindhi language was added in the Eighth Schedule.
Twenty-second 1969 Articles 244A and 371B. Establishment of the Union Territory of Meghalaya and
Added. special provision with respect to the State of Assam.
Twenty-third 1970 331, 332, 333, 334 The reservation in Legislatures in favour of SCs/STs and
Anglo-Indian Community was extended upto 1980.
Twenty-fourth 1971 Art. 13, 368 The Parliament was given power to amend any part of
the Constitution including the Fundamental Rights.
Twenty fifth 1971 Art. 31. Art 31C were The Fudamental Rights were subordinated to the Directive
added Principles as given in the Art.39.
Twenty-sixth 1971 Art. 312A added and Article The privy purse and other priveleges of the princess were
314 was deleted. abolished.
Twenty-seventh 1971 Articles 239B and 371C were Reorganisation of North-Eastern States.
added.
Twenty-eighth 1972 Art. 312A added and Art. 314 Privileges availed by the member of I.C.S. abolished.
deleted.
Twenty-ninth 1972 Ninth Schedule The Land Reform Acts passed by the Legislature of the
State of Kerala, put into the Ninth Schedule.
Thirtieth 1972 Art. 133 The limit of Rs.20,000 for making an appeal to the
Supreme Court in civil matters abolished.
Thirty-first 1973 Articles 81, 330, and 332 The membership of the House of the People increased to
545 members from 525 members.
Thirty-second 1973 Article 371 affecred and Special provisions with respect to the State of Andhra
Articles 371D and 371E added Pradesh.
Thirty-third 1974 Articles 101, 190 Provision was made to the effect that the acceptance of
resignation of Member of Parliament by the presiding
1974 officer is not mandatory.
Thirty-fourth Ninth Schedule The Ninth Schedule extended.
Thirty-fifth 1974 Art. 80 affected, Art. 371F Sikkim was admitted as on associate State of the Union of
added, The Tenth Schedule India.
added
Thirty-sixth 1974 Art. 80 affected, Art. 371F Sikkim was given the status of a full State.
added, The Tenth Schedule
deleted.
Thirty-seventh 1975 Art. 239 A and 240 Provision for the constitution of the Legistative Assembly
and the Council of Ministers in Arunachal Pradesh.
Thirty-eighth 1975 Art. 123, 123, 213, 239B, 352, The ordinance issued by thr President, the Governor and
356, 360 the Lt, Governor made to be out of jurisdiction of the
Courts.
Thirty-ninth 1975 Art. 71, 329affected and Art. The elelctions of the President, the Vice-President, the
391A added, Schedule X Prime Minister and the Speaker of Lok Sabha cannot be
repealed. challenged in the Courts.
Fortieth 1976 Art. 31B, 297 and IXth New laws included in Schedule IX.Parliament was given
Schedule affected power wirh respect to the territorial waters of India.
Forty-first 1976 Art. 316(2) The retirement age of the members of the State Public
Service Commission and the Joint Public Service
Commission raised to 62 years from 60 years.
Forty-second 1976 The Preamble, Art. 31, 31C, 1. The words ‘Secular’, ‘Socialist’ and ‘Integrity’ added
39, 55, in the Preamble.
(Called ‘mini 74, 77, 81, 82, 83; 100, 102, 2. The validity of the Constitutional Amendment can
Constitution’) 103, 105, 118, 145, 150, 166, not be questioned in any Court-368(4).
170, 172, 189, 191, 192, 194, 3. Extension of the Directive Principles of State
208, 217, 225, 226, 227, 228, Policy.
311, 312, 330, 352, 353, 356, 4. Primacy given to the Directive Principles of state
357, 358, 359, 366, 368, 371F, Policy over the Fundamental Rights.
and Schedule VII. Art. 31D, 5. The Fundamental Duties added.
32A, 39A, 43A, 48A, Part IVA 6. Restriction on the Fundamental Rights widened.
(Art. 51A) 131A, 139A, 7. The power of Judicial Review of the Courts was
144A, 226A, 228A, 257A, restricted.
Part XIVA, 323A and 423A 8. The duration of the House of the People and the
added. Legislative Assemblies of the State extended to 6
years during the National Emergency.
9. Provisions were made for the participation of the
workers in the Management of industries.
10. Provisions for the protection of environment, forests
and wildlife.
11. Provisions for the protection of the children and the
youth against exploitation.
12. The delimitation of the constituencies of the House
of the People and the Legislative Assemblies of the
States shall be on the basis of the population of 1971
till the year 2001.
13. No quorum shall be required for conducting the meeting
of the House of the People and the Legislative
Assemblies of the States.
14. The right of the Supreme Court to examine the validity
of the laws of the State under Article 32A abolished.
15. The Jury System was given importance in the
functioning of the Courts.
16. The President shall be bound by the advice of the
Council of Mininsters.
17. The Central Government was given the power to send
Central Forces in any State and the control of such
forces shall rest with the Central Govenment.
18. Emergency Provisions: (a) National Emergency may
be proclaimed in a part of the Territory of India; (b)
The one time duration of the President rule in a State
under the Art.
19. Some subjects - Protection of the forest and the wildlife,
education, weight and measures, population control
and judicial administration shifted to the Concurrent
List.
20. Provisions for the establishment of the Administrative
Tribunals for public servents.
Forty-third 1978 Art, 145, 226, 228, 366 1. Protection of the rights and powers of the judiciary.
affected and 31d, 32A, 131A, Judical Review revived.
144A, 226A, 228A repealed. 2. The provision relating to the power of the Parliament
to declare an organization as AntiNational was
replealed.
Forty-fourth 1978 Art. 19, 20, 30, 31A, 38, 74, 1. The Fundamental Right to Property was abolished
77, 83, 105, 123, 132, 133, 2. The term of the Lok Sabha and the Legislative
134, 139A. 150, 166, 172, 194, Assemblies of the States reduced to 5 years
213, 217, 226, 227, 239A, 3. The disputes relating to the qualifications of the
327, 352, 356, 358, 359, 360, members of the parliament and the State Legislature
371F, and Ninth Schedule shall be decided by the President and the Governors
affected. Art. 19(i) (f), 31, respectively.
257A, 329 repealed. Art. 4. The provisions regarding quorum in the Legislatures
134A, 330A, Chapter IV of was charged to as these were before 42nd Amendment.
PartXII and 361A added. 5. It was provided that dispites relating to the election
of the President and the Vice President shall be decided
by the Supreme Court and that of the election of the
members of the Parliment ant the State Legislature
shall be decided by the State Legislature shall be decided
by the High Courts.
6. The National Emergency shall not be proclaimed
except on the written recommendation of the Cabinet.
7. The Right to Life and personal liberty and the liberty
of the press were restored.
Forty-fifth 1980 Art. 330, 332, 333 and 334 The reservation of the seats in the Legislatures in favour
affected. for for SCs/STs and the Anglo-Indian Community was
extended further for 10 years.
Forty-sixth 1982 Art. 269, 286 and Schedule VII The Sales tax imposed by the States was restructured.
affected.
Forty-seventh 1984 Ninth Schedule affected Fourteen new laws relating to the land reforms were
included in the Ninth Schedule.
Forty-eighth 1984 Art.356 The President’s Rule imposed in Punjab was extended
upto two years.
Forty-ninth 1984 Art. 244, Schedules V and VI The Parliament and the Legislature of the State of Tripura
affected shall have power to make laws with respect to the Tribal
Areas of Tripura.
Fiftieth 1984 Art. 33 The Parliament was given the power to restrict by law
the Fundamental Rights with respect to the members of
the Armed Forces.
Fifty-first 1984 Art. 330 and 332 Provisions were made for the reservation of the Scheduled
Caste and the Schedule Tribes of the North-Eastern States
in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies of those
States except the seats in the autonomous areas of Assam.
Fifty-second 1985 Art. 101, 102, 190, 191 Provisions relating to the anti-defection law were added
affected & Schedule x added. in the Constitution.
Fifty-third 1986 Schedule I Mizoram was included as the 23rd State of the India Union.
Fifty-fourth 1986 Schedule II The salary and emoluments of the Judges of the Supreme
Court and the High Courts enhanced.
Fifty-fifth 1986 Schedule I Arunachal Pradesh was included as the 24th State of the
Union of India.
Fifty-sixth 1987 Schedule I Goa was included in the Union of India as the 25th State.
Fifty-Seventh 1987 Part XXII and Art. 332 affected The reservation for SCs/STs of Mizoram, Nagaland,
Maghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha and
the State Assemblies made more effective.
Fifty-eighth 1987 Art. 394A added. Provisions for the authoritative text of the Constitution
in the Hindi Language.
Fifty-ninth 1988 Art. 356, 352, 21, and 358 1. The duration of the President’s Rule in Punjab
affected and Art. 359A added extended upto three years.
2. Provisions that the National Emergency can be
declared in the State of Punjab on the grounds of
internal disturbance.
3. The right to life and personal liberty can be suspended
during the Emergency only in the State of Punjab.
Sixtieth 1988 Art. 276 The maximum amount of taxes on profession levied by a
local authority was extended from Rs.250 to Rs.2500.
Sixty-First 1988 Art. 326 The minimum age limit prescribed to get the voting right
was reduced to 18 years from 21 years.
Sixty-second 1989 Art. 334 The reservation for SCs/STs and the Anglo Indian
Community in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative
Assemblies of the States was extended for another ten
years.
Sixty-third 1989 Art. 356 affected and Art. The right to life and personal liberty shall not be suspended
359A repealed in Punjab during Emergency.
Sixty-fourth 1990 Art. 356 The duration of the President’s Rule in Punjab (imposed
on May 11, 1987) was extended to another six months.
Sixty-fifth 1990 Art. 338 The National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and
the Schedule Tribes was given a Constitutional Status.
Sixty-sixth 1990 Schedule IX Fifty-five laws related to land reforms, enacted by the
States were included in the Ninth Schedule.
Sixty-seventh 1990 Art 356(4) The duration of the President’s rule in Punjab was extended
upto four years from the date of enforcement, i.e., May
11, 1987.
Sixty-eight 1991 Art. 256(4) The duration of the President’s rule in Punjab was extended
upto five years.
Sixty-ninth 1991 Art. 239A A and 239AB added The Union Territory of Delhi was named as the National
Capital Territory of Delhi. It also provided for a 70-
Eighty-ninth 2003 Article 338 Provisions for creation of separate commission for
Schedule castes.
Ninty 2003 Article 332 Provisions under which the Scheduled Tribes and non-
Scheduled Tribes in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District,
so notified, and existing prior to the Constitution of the
Bodoland Terrtorial Areas District shall be maintained.
Ninty-first 2003 Article 75, 164, 361B, Tenth Provisions were made regarding the strength of Council
Schedule of Ministers in Union as well stage of 15% of the total
member of Lok Sabha or concerned Vidhan Sabha
respectively.
Ninty-second 2003 Eighth Schedule Bodo, Dogri, Maithilli and Santhali were added in the
Eight Schedule of Constitution
Ninty-Third 2005 The Private Professional Educational Institutions
(Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act