31. Menander I, the famous Indo-Greek ruler set up his capital at which place?
[A] Sialkot
[B] Pathankot
[C] Rajkot
[D] Sialdah
Answer: A
The famous Indo-Greek, Menander I (165/155–130 BCE) set up his capital at Sakala or Sialkot.
32. Who was the first Saka king in India?
[A] Moga
[B] Rudradaman
[C] Azes
[D] Ghatotkacha
Answer: A
An Indo-Scythian king, Moga (or Maues) was the first Saka king in India who established Saka power in Gandhara and extended supremacy over north-western India.
33. Who among the following laid down for punishment for a person becoming mendicant without making adequate provision for dependent wife and children?
[A] Manu
[B] Yajnavalkya
[C] Kautilya
[D] Narada
Answer: C
Chanakya is also known by Vishnugupta, Kautilya, was born around 350 BC and is known for his being the chief architect of Mauryan Empire and writing the pioneering work in the Economics and Political Science that is Arthasastra. He is known as Indian Machiavelli in the western world.
34. In the Maurya Empire, what was the name of department of the Chief of the Mines?
[A] Dauvarika
[B] Antapal
[C] Karmantika
[D] Paura
Answer: C
Karmantika was the department name of the Chief of the Mines.
35. Who wrote the book Pancha Siddhantika?
[A] Varahamihira
[B] Aryabhatta
[C] Bramhagupta
[D] Kalidas
Answer: A
Varahamihira was one of the only renowned Indian Astronomer, Mathematician and Astrologer. Varahamihira was born in 499 A.D. into a family of Brahmins settled at Kapittha, a village near Ujjain. He wrote the book Pancha Siddhantika.
36. Who was the last independent Nawab of Bengal?
[A] Siraj ud Daula
[B] Mir Kasim
[C] Mir Jafar
[D] Shujauddaula
Answer: A [Siraj ud Daula]
Siraj ud Daula succeeded Alivardi Khan (Maternal grandfather) as the Nawab of Bengal in 1756 when he was 23. He lost the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757 due to the betrayal of Mir Jafar (Commander of Nawab’s army). He is considered to be the last independent Nawab of Bengal.
37. Who among the following introduced the subsidiary alliance system in India?
[A] Lord Clive
[B] Lord Wellesley
[C] Lord Cunningham
[D] Lord Canning
Answer: B [Lord Wellesley]
The doctrine of subsidiary alliance was introduced by Lord Wellesley, British Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805.
The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first to enter into such an alliance in 1798.Tipu Sultan of Mysore refused to do so, but after the British victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Mysore was forced to become a subsidiary state in 1799.
The Nawab of Awadh was the next to accept the Subsidiary Alliance, in 1801.
38. The Special Calcutta Session, 1920, in which Mahatma Gandhi moved the Non- cooperation resolution was presided by __?
[A] C. R. Das
[B] B. C. Pal
[C] Lala Lajpat Rai
[D] Motilal Nehru
Answer: C [Lala Lajpat Rai]
39. In which year, Raja Ram Mohan Roy established the “Atmiya Sabha” a precursor in the socio-religious reforms in Bengal?
[A] 1812
[B] 1815
[C] 1823
[D] 1826
Answer: B [1815]
Notes:
Atmiya Sabha was started by Ram Mohan Roy in 1815 in Kolkata. The organization used to debate on philosophical topics. The establishment of the organization is considered as beginning of the modern age in Kolkata.
40. Amaravati, Arkavathy, Bhavani, Chinnar, Hemavati, Honnuhole, Kabini etc. are tributaries of which among the following rivers?
[A] Kaveri
[B] Krishna
[C] Godavari
[D] Narmada
Answer: A [Kaveri]
Some of the important tributaries of the river Cauvery / Kaveri include Hemavati, Shimsha, Honnuhole, Arkavathy, Kabini, Lakshmana Tirtha, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Amaravati, and Noyyal Rivers.
41. Which among the following peaks is known as “Five Treasures of Great Snow”?
[A] Lhotse
[B] Godwin Austen
[C] Kanchenjunga
[D] Dhaulagiri
Answer: C [Kanchenjunga]
Kanchenjunga is known “Five Treasures of Great Snow”.
42. Sirhind Canal is located on which river?
[A] Sutlej
[B] Ravi
[C] Beas
[D] None of the above
Answer: A [Sutlej]
The Sirhind Canal is an irrigation canal that carries water from the Sutlej River in Punjab; and is one of the oldest and biggest irrigation works in the Indus river system, inaugurated in 1882.
43. Which among the following soil is predominantly found in Rarh Region of West Bengal?
[A] Alluvial Soil
[B] Red Soil
[C] Black soil
[D] Acid sulfate soil
Answer: B
Notes:
Rarh region is loosely located between Chota Nagpur Plateau and Ganges Delta on the East. One of the meanings of this name is the “land of red soil” or “land of laterite”. Most of Rarh region is in West Bengal while some parts of it are also in Bihar and Jharkhand.
44. Which of the following river is called Lifeline of Chattisgarh?
[A] Shivnath
[B] Mahanadi
[C] Rihand
[D] Son
Answer: B [Mahanadi]
Mahanadi River is called the lifeline of Chhattisgarh. The Mahanadi and its tributaries hold 58.48% of the state’s water. The Mahanadi flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha before ending in the Bay of Bengal. The Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam, which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India’s independence in 1947.
45. An electrojet is an electric current which travels around the E region of the Earth’s:
[A] Troposphere
[B] Stratosphere
[C] Ionosphere
[D] Lithosphere
Answer: C
Notes:
An electrojet is a streaming movement of charged particles in the lower ionosphere. Ionosphere is a region of Earth’s upper atmosphere, extending from about 60 km to 1,000 km altitude. Electrojets are mainly found at altitudes between 100km to 150 km
46. Sandstone is which of the following type of rock?
[A] Sedimentary Rock
[B] Metamorphic Rock
[C] Igneous Rock
[D] Calcareous Rock
Answer: A [Sedimentary Rock]
47. Which of the following is not favourable for the formation of deltas?
[A] Calm winds
[B] Currents and tides
[C] Sheltered coast
[D] No large lakes in the river course
Answer: B
Conditions favourable for the formation of the Deltas:
• Active vertical and lateral erosion in the upper course of the river to provide extensive sediments to be eventually deposited as deltas.
• The sea adjoining the delta should be shallow or else the load will disappear in the deep waters.
Conditions not favourable for Delta formation:
• Tides
• Strong and regular currents
48. Which of the following pairs of City and River is correct?
[A] Baghdad — Tigris
[B] Bonn — Danube
[C] Rome — Seine
[D] Paris — Tiber
Answer: A
Notes:
Baghdad — Tigris
Berlin — Danube
Paris — Seine
Tuscany (Italy) — Tiber
49. Which of the following is the brightest heavenly body in the evening/night sky?
[A] Jupiter
[B] Saturn
[C] Mars
[D] Venus
Answer: D [Venus]
Notes:
Venus can often be seen within a few hours after sunset or before sunrise as the brightest object in the sky (other than the moon). It looks like a very bright star. Venus is the brightest planet in the Solar System.
50. The Mandal Commission was constituted during the tenure of which among the following prime ministers?
[A] Indira Gandhi
[B] Morarji Desai
[C] Rajiv Gandhi
[D] V P Singh
Answer: B [Morarji Desai]
Notes:
On 20 December 1978 India’s prime minister, Morarji Desai of the Janata Party, announced the formation of a second Backward Classes Commission whose chairman was B. P. Mandal, a former member of Parliament
On 31 December 1980 the Mandal Commission submitted its report to President N. S. Reddy, recommending ways to advance India’s “socially and educationally backward classes.”
On 7 August 1990 Prime Minister V. P. Singh announced in the Parliament that his government would implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendations. This was followed by the violent objections in northern part of India.