Jal Hans is the first seaplane of India. It will be operated by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd and cater to island-hopping tourists in India. First service will be operationalised in Andamans.

Martina Navrotilova lead a team of 27 climbers to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (at 5,895 meters), the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, to raise money and awareness for the Laureus Sport Good Foundation. She hit tennis balls off the top of Africa’s highest peak.

IndiaPay is India’s first indigenous payment gateway and is scheduled to be launched in mid-2011. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is the owner of IndiaPay and will make its first move by cutting charges levied to merchant establishments by half, compared with what MasterCard and Visa charge. IndiaPay’s shareholders consist of 10 banks, six of which are PSU banks, and is promoted by the Reserve Bank of India.

The world’s second-largest retailer, Carrefour, has opened its first ‘cash-and-carry’ outlet in India in New Delhi.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on December 3.

World Aids Day is observed on December 1.

Who was the first Ramon Magsaysay Award winner from India

Ans : Acharya Vinoba Bhave

The first recipient of Gandhi Peace Prize was

Ans : Dr. Julius N. Nyerera

Nehru Award is instituted for

Ans : International understanding and peace

Kalinga Prize, an International prize is awarded annually for the recognition of outstanding achievement in the interpretation and popularization of

Ans : Science

Magnifying glass was invented by

Ans : Roger Bacon

Polio vaccine was invented by

Ans : Jonas Edward Salk

Who discovered the Blood groups

Ans : Karl Landsteiner

Television was invented by

Ans : John L. Baird

Theory of relativity was explained by

Ans : Albert Einstein

Wireless Telegraph was invented by

Ans : Marconi

Incandescent lamp was invented by

Ans : Edison

X-Ray was discovered by

Ans : Wilhelm Roentgen

Chloroform was invented by

Ans : J.Y. Simpson

Who invented the practical Locomotive

Ans : Richard Trevithick

zone day is observed on

Ans : 16th September

World health day is on

Ans : 7th April

Navy day is celebrated on

Ans : 4th December

World Solar Energy Day

Ans : 3rd May

Commonwealth Day

Ans : Second Monday in March

World Employment Day

Ans : June 5

World Architectural Day

Ans : July 1

National Maritime Day

Ans : 5th April

Anti Terrorist Day

Ans : 21st May

World Anti-smoke Day

Ans : 31st May

Zone day is observed on

Ans : 16th September

World health day is on

Ans : 7th April

Navy day is celebrated on

Ans : 4th December

Jugnu, a nano-satellite built by IIT, Kanpur, is India’s first indigenously designed nano-satellite to be successfully placed into its orbit. It was launched on October 12, 2011 by PSLV-C18).

1. Who wrote the Opera Madam Butterfly?

Puccini

2. What links – Goa – Kerula – Assam – Bihar?

India

3. Eric Arthur Blaire was the real name of which author?

George Orwell

4. Names – Baker Cook obvious what did Cordwainer do?

Shoemaker

5. Which country do Sinologists study?

China

6. Ruby Stevens became famous under which name?

Barbara Stanwyck

7. Which non alcoholic cordial is made from pomegranates?

Grenadine

8. What is Orchesis – either professional or amateur?

Art of Dancing

9. Taken literally what should you see in a Hippodrome?

Horses

10. Who wrote the Man in the Iron Mask?

Alexander Dumas

11. Which 1993 Disney film starred Bet Middler as a witch?

Hocus Pocus

12. Who piloted the first flight across the English channel?

Louis Bleriot

13. What was the first James Bond film?

Dr No

14. What 1991 film won best film, actor, actress, director Oscars?

Silence of the Lambs

15. What was the capital of Ethiopia?

Addis Ababa

16. Aescapalious emblem staff snake Greek Roman god of what?

Medicine

17. Giacomo Agostini – 122 Grand Prix 15 world titles what sport?

Motorcycle Racing

18. What is the largest state in the USA?

Alaska

19. Led Deighton trilogy Game Set Match What 3 Capitals?

Berlin MexicoLondon

20. Alan Stuart Konigsberg famous as who?

Woody Allen

1. Dr F Lanchester invented what motor safety aid in 1902?

Disc Brakes

2. Halophobia fear of what?

Speaking

3. Arthur Jefferson better known as who?

Stan Laurel

4. Why is the city La Paz in Bolivia safe from fire?

To high – Not enough air to burn

5. What is the national drink of Yugoslavia?

Slivovitz

6. Agnes the girls name means what?

Chaste

7. What were the wicks in the Vestal Virgins lamps made from?

Asbestos

8. Who is the Patron Saint of France?

St Denis

9. What are you supposed to give/get for 40 years of marriage?

Ruby

10. What is the Roman Numeral for 1000?

M

11. Who was the first man in space?

Yuri Gagarin
12. What would you do with a Yashmak?

Wear it – it’s an Arab veil
13. Who betrayed Jesus to the Romans?

Judas Escariot
14. Who’s band was The Quarrymen?

John Lenon
15. Which was the most successful Grand National horse?

Red Rum
16. Who starred as the Six Million Dollar Man?

Lee Majors
17. In the song Waltzing Matilda – What is a Jumbuck?

Sheep
18. Who was Dan Dare’s greatest enemy in the Eagle?

Mekon
19. What is Dick Grayson better known as?

Robin (Batman and Robin)
20. What was given on the fourth day of Christmas?

Calling birds
21. What was Skippy ( on TV )?

The bush kangaroo
22. What does a funambulist do?

Tightrope walker
23. What is the name of Dennis the Menace’s dog?

Gnasher
24. What are bactrians and dromedaries?

Camels (one hump or two)
25. Who played The Fugitive?

David Jason
26. Who was the King of Swing?

Benny Goodman
27. Who was the first man to fly across the channel?

Louis Bleriot
28. Who starred as Rocky Balboa?

Sylvester Stallone
29. In which war was the charge of the Light Brigade?

Crimean
30. Who invented the television?

John Logie Baird
31. Who would use a mashie niblick?

Golfer
32. In the song who killed Cock Robin?

Sparrow
33. What do deciduous trees do?

Lose their leaves in winter

34. In golf what name is given to the No 3 wood?

Spoon

35. If you has caries who would you consult?

Dentist – its tooth decay

36. What other name is Mellor’s famously known by?

Lady Chatterlys Lover
37. What did Jack Horner pull from his pie?

Plum

38. How many feet in a fathom?

Six
39. which film had song Springtime for Hitler?

The Producers
40. Name the legless fighter pilot of ww2?

Douglas Bader
41. What was the name of inn in Treasure Island?

Admiral Benbow
42. What was Erich Weiss better known as?

Harry Houdini
43. Who sailed in the Nina – Pinta and Santa Maria?

Christopher Columbus
44. Which leader died in St Helena?

Napoleon Bonaparte
45. Who wrote Gone with the Wind?

Margaret Mitchell
46. What does ring a ring a roses refer to?

The Black Death
47. Whose nose grew when he told a lie?

Pinocchio
48. Who has won the most Oscars?

Walt Disney
49. What would a Scotsman do with a spurtle?

Eat porridge (it’s a spoon)
50. Which award has the words for valour on it?

Victoria Cross

1. China launched its first lunar orbiter in 2007. What is its name?

a) Lunz’e 1
b) Wan Hu
c) Chang’e 1

2. The Suzuki Corporation has launched its first scooter for the Indian market. What is the name of this scooter?

a) Access 125
b) Marut 125
c) Excellent X
d) Pawan 125

3. Who won the Linares-Morelia Chess tournament in 2008?

a) V Anand
b) Veselin Topalov
c) Vladimir Kramnik

4. Which Indian bank recently opened its 10,000th branch becoming the second bank in the world to have as many branches?

a) Bank of India
b) State Bank of India
c) ICICI Bank

5. Gas has recently been discovered at which of the following river basins?

a) Krishna-Godavri bain
b) Cauvery basin
c) Ganga basin

6. Which Indian entity recently bagged a position in the list of world’s top ten largest derivative bourses?

a) NSE
b) Sensex
c) MCX

7. Which Indian company recently acquired Jaguar and Land Rover?

a) Bajaj Auto
b) Tata Motors
c) Mahindra & Mahindra

9. Who  won the Best writer award in the Europe region category of the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize 2008?

a) VS Naipaul
b) Indra Sinha
c) Tahmima Anam

10. India’s first centre to monitor climate change has been opened at

b) Mumbai
b) Chennai
c) Kolkata

Answers

1. Chang’e 1
2. Access 125
3. V Anand
4. State Bank of India
5. Krishna-Godavri bain
6. NSE
7. Tata Motors
9. Indra Sinha
10. Chennai

1. What name was given to the 3.2 million year old Australopithecus afarensis bones found in Ethiopia in 1974?

2. The scientific name for which well known extinct creature means ‘rapid thief’ when translated?

3. The scientific name for which animal means ‘one who walks swiftly, a camel marked like a leopard’?

4. The Millennium Star, The Centenary, The Red Cross and The Incomparable are all examples of what?

5. In which ‘body of water’ are the Islets of Langerhans found?

Answers:

1. Lucy

2. Velociraptor

3. Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis)

4. Diamonds. Some of the largest diamonds in the world.

5. In the human body. (pancreas)

Q1. Which Indian state is the largest producer in the world of the golden coloured ‘Muga’ silk ?
(A) Assam
(B) Orissa
(C) West Bengal
(D) Karnataka

Answer : (A) Assam

Q2. Which Indian freedom fighter was popularly called ‘Mahamana’ ?
(A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(B) Jai Prakash Narain
(C) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
(D) Madan Mohan Malaviya

Answer : (D) Madan Mohan Malaviya

Q3. Which Indian state would you be in if you were watching birds at Ranganathittu Birds Sanctuary, situated on an island in the Kaveri river ?
(A) Karnataka
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Andhra Pradesh

Answer : (A) Karnataka

Q4.’Anandmath’, ‘Durgeshnondini’ and ‘Kapalkundala’ novels were authored by which Bengali writer ?
(A) Rabindranath Tagore
(B) Sharat Chandra Chatterjee
(C) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
(D) Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay

Answer : (C) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

Q5. Baglihar Dam, also known as Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, in Jammu & Kashmir is built across which river ?
(A) Beas
(B) Chenab
(C) Jhelum
(D) Sutlej

Answer : (B) Chenab

Q6. Where was the first Indian Institute of Management (IIM) established in 1961 ?
(A) Kolkata
(B) Bengaluru
(C) Ahmedabad
(D) Lucknow

Answer : (A) Kolkata

Q7. What line connects the points on a map that receive equal amounts of rainfall ?
(A) Isobar
(B) Isohel
(C) Isotherm
(D) Isohyet

Answer : D) Isohyet

Q8. On 28 May 2008, the Indian Air Force attained the Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) capability by procuring the Phalcon radar (mounted on Russian plane IL-76) from which country ?
(A) France
(B) Israel
(C) Russia
(D) Germany

Answer : (B) Israel

Q9. Which India born physicist invented the ‘Optical Fibre’ ?
(A) C.V. Raman
(B) Satyendra Nath Bose
(C) Homi J. Bhabha
(D) Narinder Singh Kapany

Answer : (D) Narinder Singh Kapany

Q10. Which Australian state was formerly known as “Van Diemen’s Land” ?
(A) Victoria
(B) Queensland
(C) Tasmania
(D) New South Wales

Answer : (C) Tasmania

Q1. Which colour is in the centre of Rainbow ?
(A) Red
(B) Yellow
(C) Green
(D) Violet

Q2. In terms of area, which is the smallest state in India ?
(A) Goa
(B) Sikkim
(C) Nagaland
(D) Tripura

Q3. Who is the chairman of the Planning Commission ?
(A) President
(B) Prime Minister
(C) Vice President
(D) Finance Minister

Q4. Who authored sanskrit epic Ramayana ?
(A) Ved Vyas
(B) Valmiki
(C) Surdas
(D) Tulsidas

Q5. Who is the first indian woman to win Olympic medal ?
(A) P.T.Usha
(B) Shiny Abraham
(C) Karnam Malleshwari
(D) Kunjarani Devi

Q6. Which canal connects Mediterranean Sea with Red Sea ?
(A) Erie Canal
(B) Indira Gandhi Canal
(C) Panama Canal
(D) Suez Canal

Q7. According to Mahabharat, who was the last Commander-in-Chief of Kaurava army ?
(A) Ashwatthama
(B) Dronacharya
(C) Karna
(D) Shalya

Q8. Who is the first indian cricketer to take Hat Trick in Test Cricket ?
(A) Chetan Sharma
(B) Kapil Dev
(C) Harbhajan Singh
(D) Irfan Pathan

Q9. Which is the longest bone in human body ?
(A) Femur
(B) Fibula
(C) Radius
(D) Stapes

Q10. Which luxury train travels through Maharashtra and includes Goa in its journey ?
(A) Palace on Wheels
(B) Heritage on Wheels
(C) The Deccan Odyssey
(D) Golden Chariot

Answers :

Q1.   (C) Green
Q2.   (A) Goa
Q3.   (B) Prime Minister
Q4.   (B) Valmiki
Q5.   (C) Karnam Malleshwari
Q6.   (D) Suez Canal
Q7.   (A) Ashwatthama
Q8.   (C) Harbhajan Singh
Q9.   (A) Femur
Q10.  (C) The Deccan Odyssey

Q1. Peter Parker is the original name of which fictional superhero ?
(A) Phantom
(B) Batman
(C) Superman
(D) Spiderman

Q2. Which planet is referred Morning Star as well as Evening Star ?
(A) Mars
(B) Venus
(C) Jupiter
(D) Mercury

Q3. Lumbini, the birth place of Gautam Budhdha, is in which present country ?
(A) Bhutan
(B) Nepal
(C) India
(D) Bangladesh

Q4. Who was the first indian woman to scale the Mount Everest ?
(A) Bachendri Pal
(B) Santosh Yadav
(C) Kalpana Chawla
(D) Kiran Bedi

Q5. Which is not a part of our parliament ?
(A) President
(B) Lok Sabha
(C) Rajya Sabha
(D) Supreme Court

Q6. What is aquaphobia, also referred as hydrophobia, the fear of ?
(A) Water
(B) Height
(C) Darkness
(D) Thunder

Q7. Which freedom fighter authored the book Discovery of India ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Bal Gangadhr Tilak
(C) Rabindra Nath Tagore
(D) Jawaharlal Nehru

Q8. To commemorate his conquest of the Ranthambhor fort and Khandesh in Gujarat, which Mughal ruler built Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri ?
(A) Babur
(B) Akbar
(C) Jahangir
(D) Shahjahan

Q9. Which is the principal ore of Mercury ?
(A) Galena
(B) Bauxite
(C) Cinnabar
(D) Hematite

Q10.Where is the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) situated ?
(A) New Delhi
(B) Ahmedabad
(C) Bengaluru
(D) Bhubaneshwar

Answers :

Q1.   (D) Spiderman
Q2.   (B) Venus
Q3.   (B) Nepal
Q4.   (A) Bachendri Pal
Q5.   (D) Supreme Court
Q6.   (A) Water
Q7.   (D) Jawaharlal Nehru
Q8.   (B) Akbar
Q9.   (C) Cinnabar
Q10.  (C) Bengaluru