631. Who was the town-planner of Chandigarh ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Le Corbusier )
Description:- Of all the new town schemes in independent India, the Chandigarh project quickly assumed prime significance, because of the city’s strategic location as well as the personal interest of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India. Commissioned by Nehru to reflect the new nation’s modern, progressive outlook, Chandigarh was designed by the French (born Swiss) architect and urban planner, Le Corbusier, in the 1950s. Le Corbusier was in fact the second architect of the city, after the initial master plan was prepared by the American architect-planner Albert Mayer (planner) who was working with the Polishborn architect Matthew Nowicki.
632. The film Mangal Pandey released in August 2005 deals with
Correct Answer:-B ( Netaji Subash Bose’s fight against British occupation of India )
Description:- Mangal Pandey: The Rising (released in India on 12 August 2005) is an Indian movie based on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier who is known for his role in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. It is directed by Ketan Mehta. Aamir Khan plays the lead role of Mangal Pandey who was a Sepoy whose actions helped spark the Indian rebellion of 1857. The rebellion is also known as ‘The First War of Indian Independence’, ‘The Sepoy Mutiny’ or ‘The Sepoy Rebellion’.
633. When is the Independence Day of Pakistan celebrated ?
Correct Answer:-D ( 14 aug 1947′)
Description:- The modern state of Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947 in the eastern and northwestern regions of British India, where there was a Muslim majority. It comprised the provinces of Balochistan, East Bengal, the North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab and Sindh. From 1947 to 1956, Pakistan was a dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations under two monarchs. In 1947, King George VI relinquished the title of Emperor of India and became King of Pakistan. He retained that title until his death on 6 February 1952, after which Queen Elizabeth II became Queen of Pakistan. She retained that title until Pakistan became an Islamic and Parliamentary republic in 1956.
634. The first Defence Minister of India was
Correct Answer:-C ( Baldev Singh )
Description:- Baldev Singh was an Indian Sikh political leader who was an Indian independence movement leader and the first Defence Minister of India. Moreover, he represented the Punjabi Sikh community in the processes of negotiations that resulted in the independence of India, as well as the Partition of India in 1947. After independence, Baldev Singh was chosen to become as the first Minister of Defence, and served in this post during the first Kashmir war between India and Pakistan.
635. The first woman to become a Chief Minister of any State in India was
Correct Answer:-C ( Sucheta Kripalani )
Description:- Sucheta Kriplani, born Sucheta Mazumdar, was an Indian freedom fighter and politician in Uttar Pradesh, India. She became the first woman to be elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1963. The highlight of her tenure was the firm handling of a state employees strike. The first-ever strike by the state employees which continued for 62 days took place during her regime. She relented only when the employees’ leaders agreed for compromise.
636. First Indian Commander-in- Chief was
Correct Answer:-B ( Gen. K.M. Kariappa )
Description:- Field Marshal Kodandera ‘Kipper’ Madappa Cariappa was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947. He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal (the other being Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw).
637. Who gave the concept of ‘Total Revolution ?
Correct Answer:-A ( Jayaprakash Narayan )
Description:- Jayaprakash Narayan was an Indian independence activist and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful ‘Total Revolution’. He called for Sampoorna Kranti on the 5th of June, 1975 – total revolution at a historic rally of students at Patna‘s Gandhi Maidan.
638. How many spokes are there in the Dharma Chakra of the National Flag ?
Correct Answer:-B ( 24)
Description:- The National flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolor flag, of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashok Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. According to the Flag code of India, the Indian flag has a ratio of two by three (where the length of the flag is 1.5 times that of the width). All three stripes of the flag (India saffron), white and India green) should be equal in width and length. The size of the Ashoka Chakra was not specified in the Flag code, but the Ashoka Chakra must have twenty-four spokes that are evenly spaced.
639. The methods of democratic socialism are
Correct Answer:-D ( Persuasion and propaganda )
Description:- Democratic socialism is a political philosophy and social movement that rejects centralized, elitist or authoritarian means of transitioning from capitalism to socialism. Democratic socialism advocates for the immediate creation of decentralised economic democracy from the grassroots level, undertaken by and for the working class itself. The methods of democratic socialism as followed by Nehru are discussion, argument and persuasion.
640. What is the name of the era on which the National Calendar of India is based?
Correct Answer:-C ( Saka era )
Description:- The Indian national calendar (sometimes called Saka calendar) is the official civil calendar in use in India. It is used, alongside the Gregorian calendar, by The Gazette of India, news broadcasts by All India Radio, and calendars and communications issued by the Government of India. The reformed calendar promulgated by the Indian government from 1957 is reckoned by this era. It is variously alleged to have been founded by King Kanishka.
641. Who is the creator of the piece titled ‘Portrait of Francoise’ ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Pablo Picasso )
Description:- Portrait of Françoise is a famous painting by Pablo Picasso. In 1944, after the liberation of Paris, Picasso, then 63 years old, began a romantic relationship with a young art student named Françoise Gilot. She was 40 years younger than he was.
642. The potato crop was introduced in India by the
Correct Answer:-C ( Portuguese )
Description:- Some of the crops introduced by Portuguese in India were: potato, tobacco, etc. Potato was introduced in India in the early part of the 17th century by the Portuguese. It was first cultivated in Surat on the West coast. From there it spread to other areas, like Goa, which were under Portuguese influence.
643. Which country offered its good office to resolve Indo-Pak conflict peacefully, in the year 1966?
Correct Answer:-C ( U.S.S.R )
Description:- A meeting was held in Tashkent in the Uzbek SSR, USSR (now in Uzbekistan) beginning on 4 January 1966 to try to create a more permanent settlement. The Soviets, represented by Premier Alexei Kosygin moderated between Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan. The Tashkent conference, under UN, American and Russian pressure, compelled Pakistan and India to restore their national boundary and the 1949 ceasefire line in Kashmir.
644. After Independence, Hyderabad, the State of Nizam, was taken over by the Indian Government through
Correct Answer:-B ( militay action )
Description:- Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union. The conflict began after Nizam Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII decided not to join the princely State of Hyderabad to either India or Pakistan after the partition of India.
645. In Afghanistan two towering Buddha statues were destroyed at
Correct Answer:-C ( Bamiyan )
Description:- Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan which were dynamited and destroyed in March 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were idols. International opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas, which was viewed as an example of the intolerance of the Taliban. Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues
646. Which amidst the following has not yet been recognised as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO
Correct Answer:-D ( Nalanda )
Description:- The list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and their inclusion years (in brackets) from India is: Ajanta Caves (1983), Ellora Caves (1983) and Fatehpur Sikri (1986).
647. Identify the UNESCO approved World Heritage site from the following.
Correct Answer:-C ( Khajuraho group of temples )
Description:- The citadel of Chandella Rajputs, Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculptures. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the ‘seven wonders’ of India.
648. Identify the UNESCO approved World Heritage Site from the following
Correct Answer:-D ( Kaziranga National Park )
Description:- Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. A World Heritage Site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 for its unique natural environment. It was first established as a reserved forest in 1908 to protect the dwindling species of Rhinoceros.
649. Which of the following Gods are worshipped in the sanctum of Badrinath and Kedarnath temples respectively ?
Correct Answer:-A ( Vishnu and Shiva )
Description:- The Garbhagriha (Sanctum) of Badrinath temple houses Lord Badari Narayan (Vishnu), Kuber (God of wealth), Narad rishi, Udhava, Nar & Narayan. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architectured Kedarnath temple is considered to be more than 1000 years old. The temple has a Garbha Griha for worship and a Mandap, apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form.
650. Who propounded the Panchsheel Principles ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru )
Description:- The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel, are a set of principles to govern relations between states. Their first formal codification in treaty form was in an agreement between by China and India in 1954. The principles were emphasized by the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, in a broadcast speech made at the time of the Asian Prime Ministers Conference at Colombo just a few days after the signing of the Sino- Indian treaty in Beijing.
651. Who discovered sea route to India via the ‘Cape of Good Hope’?
Correct Answer:-A ( Vasco da Gama )
Description:- Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who discovered the sea route to India from Europe through the Cape of Good Hope. During his first voyage, his ships sailed on and rounded the Cape of Good Hope on March 20, 1499. Da Gama’s second voyage to India was in 1502 and was made up of 20 ships. During this voyage, he bombarded the city of Calicut. He was able to sign treaties with the rajahs in the cities of Cochin and Cannanore.
652. The Indian monument recently inscribed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List is :
Correct Answer:-D ( Jantar Mantar of Jaipur )
Description:- The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II at his then new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1734. It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List as ‘an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period’.
653. In which of the following countries were / Buddha’s idols disfigured and removed recently ?
Correct Answer:-C ( Afghanistan )
Description:- Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan which were dynamited and destroyed in March 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were idols.
654. The first woman Governor of a State in free India was
Correct Answer:-A ( Mrs. Sarojini Naidu )
Description:- Sarojini Naidu was the second Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the Governor of Uttar Pradesh state
655. Name the Pakistan Prime-Minister who signed the Simla Agreement in 1972.
Correct Answer:-C ( Z.A. Bhutto )
Description:- A summit conference between Indira Gandhi and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, was held in Simla in June 1972.
656. Who propounded the Panchsheel principles?
Correct Answer:-C ( Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru )
Description:- The first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru propounded the Panchsheel principles to regulate the conduct of various nations of the world while dealing with each other. These five principles are : (i) mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. (ii) non-aggression (iii) non-interference. (iv) equality and mutual benefit (v) peaceful co-existence.
657. Name the Commander of the Arab army who conquered the Sindh.
Correct Answer:-D ( Muhammad bin Qasim )
Description:- Mohammad bin Qasim of Arab invaded India in 712AD. He conquered Sind and Multan but the Arabs failed to extend their dominions. So they could not set up a permanent kingdom in India.
658. Who coined the name ‘Pakistan’?
Correct Answer:-D ( Choudhry Rehmat Ali )
Description:- Choudhary Rahmat Ali s credited with creating the name ‘Pakistan’ for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia and is generally known as the founder of the movement for its creation. He is best known as the author of a famous 1933 pamphlet titled ‘Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever’, also known as the Pakistan Declaration.
659. The first woman to preside over the UN General Assembly:
Correct Answer:-B ( Vijaylakshmi Pandit )
Description:- In 1953, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly. Between 1946 and 1968, she headed the Indian delegation to the United Nations. She was the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru.
660. Which one of the following pair is not correctly matched ?
Correct Answer:-D ( Vikramaditya – Chaitanya )
Description:- Chaitanya was a Hindu monk and social reformer from 16th century India who founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a Vaishnava religious movement. Vikramaditya was a legendary first-century BC emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity.
661. Which of the following is called the ‘Land of the Golden Pagoda’?
Correct Answer:-A ( Myanmar )
Description:- Myanmar is known as the Land of the Golden Pagoda for its glittering golden pagodas. It is also known as Suvarnabumi or ‘Golden Land.’ Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the country’s largest city, is home to gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, which contains Buddhist relics and dates to the 6th century. Pagodas are indeed unique landmarks of Myanmar.
662. The famous Vishnu Temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia was built by
Correct Answer:-B ( Suryavarman II )
Description:- The Vishnu Temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his State temple and eventual mausoleum. It was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century.
663. Who built Shantiniketan?
Correct Answer:-C ( Rabindra Nath Tagore )
Description:- Santiniketanis a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, that was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore. It was later expanded by his son Rabindranath Tagore whose vision became what is now a university town, Visva-Bharati University.
664. Gateway of India was built by
Correct Answer:-B ( George Wittet )
Description:- George Wittet (1878-1926) was a Scottish architect who designed of Bombay’s best known landmarks: the Prince of Wales Museum, the Gateway of India, the Institute of Science, etc. The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai, prior to the Delhi Durbar, in December 1911.
665. Where was Mahatma Gandhi born?
Correct Answer:-D ( Gujarat )
Description:- Mahatma Gandhiwas born in the town of Porbander (also known as Sudamapuri)in present Gujarat on 2 October 1869. The town was then part of the small princely state of Porbandar in the Kathiawar Agency. Gandhi’s birthday is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.
