NEWS & KNOWLEDGE

INDIA MOVES
UPWARDS Boosted by substantive
jumps in the areas
of protecting minority
investors through
tightening of securities
regulations, improvement
in rules related to
businesses, paying taxes
and access to getting credit
and resolving insolvency,
India surged up 30 places
to the 100th rank among
190 countries in the latest
edition of the World
Bank's global rankings on
Ease of Doing Business,
2018 which was released
on October 31, 2017.
India is closing the
gap with China which
continues to be ranked at
78 for the second year. In
the World Bank's 2017
Report, India had risen
one place to 130 among
the 190 economies
assessed. It was ranked
142 in 2014.
While terming the
improvement in the
rankings as historic,
PM Mr. Narendra Modi,
in a series of tweets, said
that the jump is the
outcome of the all-round
and multi-sectoral reform
push of Team India.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 7

 ASIA BREEDS MORE
NEW BILLIONAIRES

The number of billionaires in Asia surpassed the US for the first time, though the
US still retains the greatest amount of billionaire wealth. One billionaire is created
every three weeks in China, which leads the region when it comes to the number of
billionaires. At the current pace, in four years Asia is tipped to overtake the US in
terms of the world's largest concentration of wealth, according to an analysis of data
from roughly 1,550 billionaires by UBS and PriceWaterhouseCoopers published on
October 26, 2017.
The report highlights subtle trends emerging, including the increasingly important
role of peer networks to orchestrate new deals and access significant funding outside
of capital markets. It also analyses the wider societal impact of billionaires in terms
of improving living standards, job creation and providing access to cultural capital.
It finds that the 1,542 billionaires analysed, own or partly own companies that employ
at least 27.7 million people worldwide—roughly the same as the UK's working
population. The new entrants on the list in 2016 employ at least 2.8 million people.
Billionaires are creating alternative legacies through their cultural pursuits. They are
becoming more engaged in the arts and, increasingly investing in sports
clubs. Private museums are growing in number and public museums are receiving
more funding, increasing the accessibility of art to the public. Billionaires are also
helping sports clubs to become more sustainable; helping them to deliver associated
benefits to the communities they are part of.

8 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

 AIR POLLUTION
KILLS

A mind-boggling 5,24,680 Indians are estimated to have died prematurely in 2015

due to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 air pollution, according to a research which was
published by the prestigious medical journal The Lancet on October 31, 2017. The
report said that the world has seen a 46% increase in weather-related disasters since
2000, contributing to $129 billion in economic losses in 2016.
The study estimated 1.9 million deaths across 21 Asian countries in 2015 that
could be attributed to PM2.5 air pollution from sources like coal power plants,
transport, household pollution, agriculture and other pollution sources.
Of the total of 1.9 million deaths, 5,24,680 deaths—one in every four—were
in India. Of these 5,24,680 deaths, at least 1,24,207 were from PM2.5 air
pollution at homes, 80,368 from coal power plants and 50,905 from transport besides
55,468 from agriculture.
PM2.5 (particulate matters less than 2.5 micron) is one of the deadliest components
of air pollution. It is a fine particle that can settle deep in the lungs and be absorbed
in the bloodstream, which can lead to respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases
and lung cancer.
However, it is not Asia alone that faces high air pollution—the report revealed that
"87% of random sample of global cities are in breach of WHO air pollution guidelines,
meaning billions of people worldwide are exposed to unsafe levels of fine particulate
matter (PM2.5)".
Source: The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change 2017

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 9

 Current Events
NATIONAL
OCTOBER 2017
12. Seasoned diplomat Mr. Gautam
Bambawale, India’s High Commissioner
to Pakistan, is appointed as the country’s
next envoy to China. He is a 1984 Indian
Foreign Service (IFS) officer.
13. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
Act 2016 comes into force. It provides
for the establishment of a national
standards body for the harmonious
development of the activities of
standardisation, conformity assessment
and quality assurance of goods
14. PM Mr. Narendra Modi lays the
foundation stone for four sewerage
projects under Namami Gange programme
and four National Highway projects
worth Rs. 3,700 crore at Mokama in Bihar.
16. Footwear Design and Development
Institute (FDDI) is declared as an
Festival of lights—Diwali being celebrated on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya
which are lit up with 1.71 lakh earthen lamps to represent the population of the city.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
‘Institute of National Importance’ under
the Union Ministry of Commerce &
Industry. It can now award degrees to its
students.
17. PM Mr. Narendra Modi
inaugurates the All India Institute of
Ayurveda (AIIA) at Sarita Vihar in New
Delhi. The first-ever AIIA has been set
up along the lines of All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
18. A one-of-a-kind Diwali is celebrated
in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, with a magical
atmosphere created by lighting one lakh
and seventy-one thousand earthen lamps,
representing the population of Ayodhya
on the banks of River Saryu.
20. PM Mr. Narendra Modi lays the
foundation stone for five infrastructure
and development projects during his visit
to Kedarnath. These include the
11
 Sustainable and Accelerated
Adoption of efficient
Textile technologies to
Help small Industries
(SAATHI). Under the
initiative, Energy Efficiency
Services Limited would
procure energy efficient
powerlooms, motors and
rapier kits in bulk and
provide them to the small
and medium powerloom
units at no upfront cost.
H Asian Development
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi performs ‘Pooja’ at Ghogha Bank and Government of
Sea Ferry Point to mark the inauguration of Ghogha-Dahej India sign a $300 million
Ro-Ro Ferry Service in Gujarat on October 22, 2017. loan, to continue a series
of fiscal reforms in West
development of retaining wall and ghat Bengal to improve the quality of public
on the Mandakini River; development of service delivery.
retaining wall and ghat on Saraswati River; 25. The Centre appoints former
construction of main approach to Director of the Intelligence Bureau
Kedarnath Temple; development of Mr. Dineshwar Sharma as its
Shankaracharya Kutir and Shankaracharya interlocutor for J&K. Mr. Sharma will
Museum besides development of houses helm talks with all stakeholders in a bid
for Kedarnath Purohits. to resolve the Kashmir imbroglio.
21. Mr. Sibi George is appointed as
the next Ambassador of India to 26. Department of Telecom simplifies
Switzerland. He has served as Joint the process of linking Aadhaar number
Secretary in the Ministry of External with the mobile number by introducing
Affairs. Mr. George is a 1993 batch three new methods. These are: OTP
Indian Forest Service officer. (One Time Password) based, App based
22. PM Mr. Narendra Modi and IVRS facility.
inaugurates Phase I of India’s first Roll- 27. Supreme Court Collegium decides
on, Roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service at that instead of High Court Judges, a
Ghogha, Gujarat, the biggest ferry committee of two Supreme Court
service in South Asia. It will cut short Judges would evaluate the judgments of
the eight-hour, 340-km journey between Additional Judges of High Courts to
district Bhavnagar’s Ghogha and decide about their promotion as
Bharuch’s Dahej to just an hour. permanent judges.
23. India Post Payments Bank 28. OPV Vikram, the first ever
appoints Mr. Suresh Sethi as its defence vessel to be entirely built in a
Managing Director and CEO, replacing private shipyard, is handed over to the
Mr. A.P. Singh who had held the post Indian Coast Guard by Larsen &
in the interim since January 2017. Toubro (L&T).
24. Ministry of Power and Ministry H Union Minister of Shipping, Road
of Textiles launch a new initiative named Transport & Highways Mr. Nitin
12 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

M/s. Ashok Leyland Ltd. launches the
automobile consignment from Chennai Port
to Bangladesh by sea on October 28, 2017.
Gadkari digitally flags off a Ro-Ro-cum-
general cargo vessel M.V. IDM
DOODLE carrying a consignment of
185 trucks from Chennai Port to Mongla
Port in Bangladesh.
29. External Affairs Minister
Ms. Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Minister
of Afghanistan Mr. Salahuddin Rabbani,
through a joint video conference, flag
off the first shipment of wheat from
India to Afghanistan.
H PM Mr. Narendra Modi dedicates
the Indian Railways’ 110 km Bidar-
Kalaburagi railway track in the
Hyderabad-Karnataka region, aimed at
reducing the distance between Bengaluru
and New Delhi by 380 km and travel
time by six to eight hours.
30. Defence Acquisition Council
chaired by Defence Minister Ms. Nirmala
Sitharaman accords acceptance of
necessity for the procurement of 111
naval utility helicopters worth Rs. 21,738
crore for Indian Navy.
H Mr. Yogesh Chandra Modi, a
1984-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS
officer takes over as the new Director
General of the National Investigation
Agency (NIA). He succeeds Mr. Sharad
Kumar.
31. India climbs 30 positions in the
Ease of Doing Business Ranking by the
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
World Bank, in its Ease of Doing
Business 2018 Report. India ranks 100
among 190 countries. In 2016, India was
ranked 130.
H Ms. Neelamani N. Raju is
appointed as Karnataka’s first woman
DG-IGP. She is, a 1983 batch IPS
officer and she succeeds former state
police chief Mr. Rupak Kumar Dutta.
NOVEMBER 2017
1. More than 20 people are killed and
over 100 injured following a blast in a
boiler pipe at NTPC Unchahar power
plant in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.
2. Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
constructs the world’s highest motorable
road in Ladakh region of J&K, passing
through Umlingla Top at a height of over
19,300 feet. The feat is achieved under
‘Project Himank’ of the organisation.
3. The Central Government launches
Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana, a
scholarship program for students of class
VI to IX having good academic record
and also pursuing Philately as a hobby.
7. India and the World Bank sign a
financing agreement for loan of $119
million for the Odisha Higher Education
Programme for Excellence & Equity
(OHEPEE), to improve higher
education system in Odisha.
H Ministry of Women and Child
Development extends SHe-Box (sexual
harassment e-box) online complaint
management system for women working
in both public and private organisations
to lodge complaints of sexual
harassment at workplace.
8. The historical step of
Demonetisation taken by the Modi
government completes one year. On
November 8, 2016 PM Mr. Narendra
Modi had addressed the nation and
announced that currency notes in
denomination of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000
will no longer be legal tenders.
13
 INTERNATIONAL
OCTOBER 2017 18. US Ambassador to the UN
12. US State Department informs that Ms. Nikki Haley says at a discussion
the US will withdraw from UNESCO
at the end of 2018, to stop accumulating
unpaid dues and make a stand on
what it said is anti-Israel bias at the
UNESCO.
13. Former Minister of Culture of
France Ms. Audrey Azoulay is elected
as the new Director-General of
UNESCO, becoming the first Jewish
Director of the UN’s education, science
and culture agency.
16. Some 582,000 Rohingya refugees
have now fled Myanmar for Bangladesh
since August 2017, the United Nations organised by the India-US Friendship
says and warns that thousands more are Council that USA is open to UN
still stranded at the border. reforms to expand the permanent
17. American-backed forces say that membership of Security Council but
they had seized the northern Syrian city India should not touch the issue of veto
of Raqqa from the Islamic State, a major power.
blow to ISIS, which had long used the 19. Students at St. Hugh’s College at
city as the de facto capital of its self- University of Oxford resolve to
declared caliphate. eliminate the name of Myanmar State

Mr. Xi Jinping, President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of
China (CPC) Central Committee, secures a second five-year term as the head of the ruling
Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing on October 24, 2017.

14 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017


Councillor Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi from
the Aung San Suu Kyi junior common
room with immediate effect because of
her response to the Rohingya
humanitarian crisis.
21. Beijing says that it would consider
it a “major offence” if any country or
foreign leader hosts or meets the Tibetan
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. It says
that the leaders represent their
governments.
22. Japanese PM Mr. Shinzo Abe’s
ruling Liberal Democratic Party-led
coalition wins an overwhelming victory
in the general election, securing over
Japanese PM Mr. Shinzo Abe secures a
massive victory in the general election held
on October 22, 2017.
two-thirds majority in the lower house
of Parliament.
23. External Affairs Minister
Ms. Sushma Swaraj is on a two-day visit
to Bangladesh. Ms. Swaraj launches 15
development projects being funded by
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
India in Bangladesh, in the areas of
education, healthcare, information
technology, water supply and social welfare
worth about $8.7 million.
H In a new directive, the Trump
administration makes it more difficult
for the renewal of non-immigrant visas
such as H1B and L1, saying that the
burden of proof lies on the applicant
even when an extension is sought.
24. Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping
secures a second five-year term as the head
of the ruling Communist Party of China
(CPC) as it unveils its new leadership with
the Chinese President attaining iconic
status with the Communist Party of
China enshrining his political thought in
the Party Constitution at the 19th
Communist Party of China National
Congress at the Great Hall of the People
in Beijing, capital of China.
H The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Mohammed bin Salman announces
plans to build a new metropolis on the
Red Sea coast. The city project called
NEOM will be backed by more than
$500 billion from the Saudi government,
its sovereign wealth fund and local and
international investors.
26. Ms. Jacinda Ardern (37) becomes
the youngest New Zealand Prime
Minister after Mr. Andrew Little, the
leader of New Zealand’s Labour party
quits less than two months before the
country’s general election.
27. Spain puts in place measures to
take direct control of Catalonia in
response to the Declaration of
Independence of Catalonia resolution.
Parliament of Catalonia passed the
resolution declaring the independence of
Catalonia from Spain and the founding
of an independent Catalan Republic. After
this, PM of Spain Mr. Mariano Rajoy
dismisses Catalan President Mr. Carles
Puigdemont and his cabinet, dissolves
the Regional Parliament and calls for
fresh Catalan elections.
15
 28. Seventy new Indian words from
Telugu, Urdu, Tamil, Hindi and Gujarati
languages are added to the Oxford
English dictionary.
29. The Indo-Russian military
Exercise ‘Indra-2017’ concludes at
Vladivostok, after eleven days of joint
training in counter-terrorism operations.
The two countries conducted training
focussed on combating terrorism.
30. India and Italy sign six MoUs to
boost cooperation in various important
sectors including energy, trade and
railways, during Italian PM Mr. Paolo
Gentiloni’s visit to India.
31. The incumbent President of Kenya,
Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, wins 98% of the
The Chairman of the Independence
Electoral and Boundaries Commission,
Mr. Wafula Chebukati (L), hands over
the winner’s certificate to Mr. Uhuru
Kenyatta (R) on October 31, 2017.
vote in a repeated election in which an
opposition boycott helped lower turnout
to 39%. Mr. Kenyatta receives nearly
7.5 million votes in the repeat election.
H US Congressional Budget Office
puts a $1.2 trillion price tag on a long-
term plan to modernise the US nuclear
arsenal that President Mr. Donald Trump
inherited from the Obama administration.
The costs will accumulate over the next
30 years as existing weapons now
considered outdated are replaced.
16
NOVEMBER 2017
2. China again blocks a US proposal
for a ban on Pakistan-based terror group
Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood
Azhar by the UNSC Sanctions
Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar
Committee. China had earlier, too, put
a technical hold on the proposal, which
also had the backing of the UK and
France, but since the hold could not be
extended any further, it officially blocks
the proposal and ends the global move
to proscribe Masood.
3. World Economic Forum releases
Global Gender Gap Index 2017. India
slips 21 places in the Index to 108,
behind China and Bangladesh, primarily
due to less participation of women in
the economy and low wages.
5. International Consortium of
Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) releases
‘The Paradise Papers’, a global
investigation that reveals the offshore
activities of some of the world’s most
powerful people and companies. Among
180 countries represented in the data, India
ranks 19th in terms of number of names.
In all, names of 714 Indians have figured
in this largest ever black money data leak.
6. Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi says during a
conference on ‘Future of Pakistan 2017’
at the London School of Economics
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
that war is not an option with India and
that only talks can resolve all outstanding
issues including Kashmir.
7. Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister
Mr. Nawaz Sharif appears before an
anti-graft court to face trial in corruption
cases against him in the Panama
Papers scandal that forced him to
resign. He and some of his family
members are facing charges relating
SPORTS
OCTOBER 2017
12. India tops the medals tally with
seven gold, nine silver and five bronze
medals in the Track Asia Cup Cycling
Championship at IGI Sports Complex
in New Delhi. China finishes second
with four gold and two silver while
Indonesia is third with four Gold, one
silver and two bronze.
13. The third and final T20 International
cricket match between India and Australia
is called off without a ball being bowled
at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in
Hyderabad. As a result, the three-match
series ends tied 1-1.
H ICC Board approves a trial of
four-day Test matches to run through
until the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019,
The victorious Indian women’s hockey team exult after defeating China 5-4 in the
final of Asia Cup 2017 at Kakamigahara in Japan on November 5, 2017.
18
to their ownership of properties
in London.
8. US President Mr. Donald
Trump lands in China, the third stop on
his five-nation tour of Asia. China and
US sign 19 deals worth $9 billion in the
presence of Chinese Vice Premier
Mr. Wang Yang, who is in charge of
economic issues, and US Commerce
Secretary Mr. Wilbur Ross.
in their meeting which concludes in
Auckland, New Zealand.
14. Ali Farag of Egypt outclasses
compatriot Mohammed El Shorbagy
12-10, 11-9, 11-8 to win the men’s singles
title of US Open Squash Championship
at Philadelphia, US. Women’s singles is
won by Nour El Tayeb of Egypt defeating
compatriot Raneem El Welily 8-11,
11-4, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5.
21. Indian women’s Archery
compound team bags a silver medal
after losing to Colombian rivals
228-234 in the World Archery
Championships in Mexico. South Korea
takes bronze beating Germany 235-227.
22. Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi
Srikanth claims top honours in the
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 Denmark Open
Super Series
Premier in Odense.
Kidambi dishes
out a flawless
performance in his
21-10, 21-5 win
against South
Korean veteran Lee
Kidambi Srikanth Hyun Il in what
turns out to be a
one-sided final. Ratchanok Intanon of
Thailand defeats Akane Yamaguchi of
Japan 14-21, 21-15, 21-19 to win
women’s singles title, ending her
18-month title drought with the hard-
fought victory.
H Gaganjeet Bhullar of India wins his
eighth Asian Tour title at the Macau
Open Golf Tournament. He wins on
an aggregate score of 13-under 271.
Ajeetesh Sandhu and Angelo Que share
second place.
H Virat Kohli of India smashes
another batting record in his milestone
200th ODI. Kohli surpasses former
Australia captain Ricky Ponting (30 tons)
in the list of batsmen with the most
number of ODI hundreds and is now
at the second spot behind master blaster
Sachin Tendulkar (49).
24. Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu combine
to give India their gold medal at the
ISSF World Cup Finals, clinching the
top honours in the 10m air pistol mixed
team event in New Delhi.
27. Pakistan defeats Sri Lanka by 2
wickets in the 2nd T20 International in
Abu Dhabi to clinch the three-game
T20I series 2-0.
28. England defeats familiar foes Spain
in a ruthless, magnificent manner at the
Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October
28, 2017 to win the FIFA U-17 World
Cup. England blow away Spain 5-2 in a
sensational match, emerging the new
under-17 World Cup champions.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
H The Pro Kabaddi League Season 5
comes to a close in Chennai with Patna
Pirates scoring a clinical win over
Gujarat in the final and win the title for
the third time.
29. Lucas Pouille wins the Vienna
Open Tennis tournament, with a 6-1,
6-4 thumping of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in
an all-French final. In men’s doubles
Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas
(Uruguay) defeat Marcelo Demoliner
(Brazil) and Sam Querrey (US) 7-6(7),
6-7(4), 11-9.
H Kidambi Srikanth of India wins his
fourth Super Series title of 2017 and
becomes the first Indian French Open
champion. He defeats Japanese qualifier
Kento Nishimoto in the Super Series final
21-14, 21-13 at the Stade Pierre De
Coubertin in Paris. In the process, Srikanth
surpasses Saina Nehwal as the only Indian
to win four Super Series titles in a year.
Saina won three in 2010. Taiwan’s world
number one Tai Tzu Ying wins the
women’s singles event outclassing Akane
Yamaguchi of Japan 21-4, 21-16.
H Roger Federer of Switzerland wins
eighth Swiss Indoor title outlasting
Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 6-7(5),
6-4, 6-3 in Basel. Men’s doubles is won
by Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcel
Granollers (Spain) defeating the French
pair of Fabrice Martin and Edouard
Roger- Vasselin 7-5, 7-6 (8-6).
H Australia junior men’s hockey team
defeats Great Britain to win the seventh
Sultan of Johor Cup 2-0 at the Taman
Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru,
Malaysia. India wins bronze defeating
hosts Malaysia 4-0.
H Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton
clinches his fourth F1 World Drivers’
Championship after fighting back from
last place following an opening-lap
collision with arch-rival Sebastian Vettel
at the Mexican Grand Prix.
19
 NOVEMBER 2017
5. Indian women’s hockey team beats
China 5-4 to win the Hockey Asia Cup
2017 title. The crucial final was held in
Kakamigahara, Japan. This is the second
time that India has claimed the top
spot in the history of the tournament.
The first time was 13 years ago in the
year 2004.
H Shiv Kapur wins the Panasonic
Open Golf Tournament by three strokes
to win his first Asian Tour title at home
and second of the year. Playing at the
Delhi Golf Club, Kapur cards a final-
round four-under-par 68 for a winning
total of 17-under 271.
H American Jack Sock beats Serbian
Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to win the
Paris Masters Tennis Tournament,
snatching a place at the World Tour
Finals.
H India’s Anish Bhanwala wins a
silver in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol
event, while Neeraj Kumar bags a
bronze at the Commonwealth Shooting
Championships at Gold Coast, Australia.
6. Indian shooters win 20 medals
including six gold, seven silver and seven
bronze at the Commonwealth Shooting
Championships which concludes in
Goldcoast, Australia.
7. India wins three-match T20
International series 2-1 after defeating
New Zealand in the third and
HONOURS & AWARDS
OCTOBER 2017
11. Ms. Shraddha Shashidhar is crowned
Miss Diva-Miss Universe India at an event
in Mumbai. Ms. Peden Ongmu Namgyal
is adjudged Miss Diva Supranational
2017, while Ms. Apeksha Porwal is
crowned Miss Diva 2017 2nd runner up.
15. Noted Indian-American attorney
Mr. Ajay Raju has been honoured with
the third American Bazaar Philanthropy
20
M.C. Mary Kom (48kg) wins a record
fifth gold medal at the ASBC Asian
Confederation Women’s Boxing
Championships at Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam on November 8, 2017.
final T20 match by six runs in
Thiruvananthapuram.
8. Indian sporting legend M.C. Mary
Kom (48kg) clinches an unprecedented
fifth gold medal triumphing over North
Korea’s Kim Hyang Mi 5-0 at the ASBC
Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing
Championships at Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam.
H H.S. Prannoy and Saina Nehwal
score stunning wins over World No.2s
K. Srikanth and P.V. Sindhu respectively
and claim titles in the 82nd National
Badminton Championship at Nagpur.
award in recognition of his philanthropic
activities in the US. He is honoured for
his commitment to revive Philadelphia
through the Germination Project.
16. As many as 50 Indian
peacekeepers stationed in South Sudan
are awarded the UN Medal for their
professionalism and service in protecting
civilians and building durable peace in
the conflict-ridden country.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 17. American author Mr. George
Saunders wins the 2017 Man Booker
Prize, a high-profile literary award for his
first full-length novel ‘Lincoln in the
Bardo’.
19. Professor Hans Joachim
Schellnhuber from Germany wins the
2017 Blue Planet Prize, the world’s
most prestigious award for pioneers
in environmental science for establishing
new field of science ‘Earth System
Analysis’.
22. Indian-American Ms. Gitanjali
Rao, aged 11, wins the 2017 Discovery
Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge,
for inventing a quick, low-cost test to
detect lead-contaminated water.
23. Portuguese forward Mr. Cristiano
Ronaldo wins FIFA Best Player Award
for 2017. With this, he joins Mr. Lionel
Messi as a five-time winner of the award.
The award is presented to him at the
London Palladium theatre. Mr. Lionel
Messi is runner-up while Mr. Neymar is
placed third.
27. Veteran writer-lyricist Mr. Javed
Akhtar is honoured with the 2017
Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award in
Mumbai on the occasion of the 80th
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OCTOBER 2017
12. SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket
that had already flown to space and
lands successfully on an ocean platform,
as a part of its ongoing effort to recycle
costly rocket components.
14. Scientists find a way to develop a
synthetic “camouflaging skin” inspired
by studying and modelling the real thing
in octopus and cuttlefish.
15. British scientists find that sugar
‘awakens’ cancer cells and makes
tumours more aggressive, according to
a nine-year long research that is being
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
birth anniversary of veteran music
composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
31. Carnatic vocalist Mr. T.M. Krishna
receives the 30th Indira Gandhi Award
for National Integration for the year
2015-16. Former PM Dr. Manmohan
Singh and Congress Vice-President
Mr. Rahul Gandhi confer the award on
Mr. Krishna.
NOVEMBER 2017
3. Renowned Hindi littérateur
Ms. Krishna Sobti has been chosen for
the 2017 Jnanpith
Award. Born in
1925 in Gujrat in
Pakistan’s Punjab
Province, Sobti (92)
is known for
experimenting with
new writing styles
and creating “bold”
and “daring”
characters in her
stories who are
Krishna Sobti
ready to accept all
challenges. Some of her celebrated works
include Daar Se Bichhudi, Mitro Marjani,
Zindaginama, Dil-o-Danish, Badalom ke Ghere
and Ai Ladki.
hailed as a crucial breakthrough in
cancer research.
16. For the first time, scientists
working on different global projects find
conclusive evidence that short gamma
ray bursts, often seen by orbiting
satellites, are created by colliding
neutron stars, something that had only
been speculated for decades. Joint
observations have also given them an
independent way of measuring the
expansion rate of the universe.
Describing this as the “beginning of
gravitational-wave multimessenger
21
astronomy,” scientists associated with
the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-
Wave Observatory (LIGO) say that all
this began on August 17, 2017, when
gravitational waves from a pair of
colliding neutron stars were detected for
the first time by US-Based LIGO and
Europe-based Virgo. Till date, there
have been four gravitational waves
detected and the first such detection in
2015 led to the Nobel Prize in Physics
being awarded in 2017.
17. Google Maps introduces a new
feature that allows to ‘zoom out’ from
Earth and explore
other planets and
moons in the
solar system,
including the
moons of Saturn, like Enceladus, Titan,
and Mimas.
20. NASA approves a second
extension of the Dawn mission at Ceres,
allowing the spacecraft to get a closer
look at the largest object in the asteroid
belt between Mars and Jupiter.
22. A note that Albert Einstein gave
to a courier in Tokyo, describing his
theory on happy living, surfaces after
95 years and is up for auction in
Jerusalem. The year was 1922, and
Einstein was on a lecture tour in Japan.
23. Scientists at Indira Gandhi Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur develop
yarn of linen cloth from flax plant—a first
in India, expecting to boost the handloom
and textile sector in the country.
24. Scientific research published in the
journal PLOS One indicates that
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of war
veterans might be damaged by their
experience. The study, which focussed
on mtDNA, included 21 veterans with
Gulf War Illness (GWI).
27. NASA’s Dawn mission to Ceres
finds that its crust is a mixture of ice,
salts and hydrated materials that were
22
subjected to past and possibly recent
geologic activity.
30. Scientists at Pune-based National
Institute of Virology (NIV), spot a new
dengue virus of an Asian genotype (genetic
structure) DENV-1 that was associated
with severe and extensive epidemics in
Singapore in 2005 and Sri Lanka in 2009.
31. NASA Kepler mission discovers
20 new planets that could support life,
suggesting there are more habitable
worlds out there than we had thought.
NOVEMBER 2017
1. British researchers find that
iridium—the world’s second densest
metal—can be used to kill cancer cells
by filling them with deadly version of
oxygen, without harming healthy tissue.
2. French scientists reveal that a
passenger plane-sized “void” has been
discovered in the middle of the Great
Pyramid of Egypt, where it has lain
secret and untouched for 4,500 years.
3. The hole in Earth’s ozone layer that
forms over Antarctica each September
was the smallest observed since 1988,
NASA satellite measurements from year
2017 reveals.
6. Scientists detect dust belts around
Proxima Centauri, a finding that
indicates the presence of an elaborate
planetary system hosted by the closest
star to the solar system.
8. US Astronomers report a massive,
distant star that exploded in 2014—and
also, apparently back in 1954. This is
one supernova that refuses to bite the
cosmic dust, confounding scientists who
thought they knew how dying stars ticked.
The supernova—officially known as
iPTF14hls—is believed to have once been
a star up to 100 times more massive than
our Sun. It is 500 million light-years away—
one light-year is equal to 5.9 trillion miles
(9.5 trillion kilometres)—in the direction
of the Big Bear constellation. 
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Directions (Qs. 1 to 15) : Read
the following passage very carefully
to answer these questions
appropriately. There are cer tain
words and phrases in the passage
printed in bold letters to lead you
to find them out easily in order to
help you in answering some of the
questions.
The village school was located in a
prominent place where apart from the
school, there were a few shops, a small
temple and a government dispensary.
The Headmaster of the school was a
learned and scholarly man loved by
all. The dispensary was looked after by
a doctor and a male nurse. The doctor
attended the dispensary very punctually
and used to retire to his residence after
the duty hours and never allowed
anyone to visit his residence after the
duty hours.
The school was housed in a
dilapidated building and very often the
headmaster used to take the children
out to the nearby garden where they
could play and take part in various
sports and games under the able
supervision of the headmaster.
One day a stray dog entered the
garden when the children were playing.
One of them pelted stone at the dog
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
and it started barking and all of a
sudden became boisterous and bit a
child in the leg. The boy was very badly
hurt and his leg started bleeding. The
children who by this time became
panicky rushed to the headmaster for
help. The headmaster together with a
few students took the child to the
nearby dispensary. Unfortunately the
duty hours were over and the doctor
had left the dispensary and gone to
his residence.
The headmaster took the injured
child to the residence of the doctor
and knocked at the door of the doctor
for help. But the doctor refused to
open the door and made it clear that
he would not attend to anyone
howsoever serious he may be during
his leisure hours. However, the
headmaster continued to knock at the
door and finally the doctor opened the
door when he saw the headmaster
trembling with fear and the student
crying in agony and pain.
The doctor mellowed down now and
took the child to the dispensary for
bandaging the wound and giving
necessary injections and medicines. The
doctor was impressed by the dedication
and sincerity of the headmaster. He
realised his folly and decided to attend
23
to the needy and sick even during his
leisure hours.
1. Where was the village school located ?
(1) It was located in a dense forest
(2) It was located near the market place
(3) It was located in a building that
needed repairs
(4) It was located near a garden
(5) None of these
2. How did the doctor spend the time
after the duty hours ?
(1) He played cards with the
neighbours
(2) He rested at home and disallowed
visitors
(3) He slept and dreamt
(4) He read spiritual and religious
books
(5) None of these
3. What did the headmaster do ?
(1) He took the children out to the
nearby garden where they could
play
(2) He went to the nearby garden and
sat there for hours together
(3) He discussed politics with the
teachers
(4) He went around the school
housed in a dilapidated building
(5) None of these
4. What made the dog to bark at the
children ?
(1) They did not give the dog
anything to eat
(2) The dog saw another dog in the
garden
(3) The dog was feeling hungry and
wanted something to eat
(4) One of the boys did some
mischief to the dog
(5) None of these
5. What happened to the boy bitten
by the dog ?
(1) The boy started laughing
(2) The boy became unconscious
(3) The boy was very badly hurt and
his leg started bleeding
24
(4) The boy started pelting stones at
the dog
(5) None of these
6. How did the other children react ?
(1) The children ran away from the
scene
(2) The children shouted for help
(3) The children started crying
(4) The children became panicky and
rushed to the headmaster
(5) None of these
7. What happened when the head-
master took the child to the dispensary ?
(1) The doctor had left the
dispensary and gone home
(2) The doctor started talking
pleasantly with the headmaster
(3) The doctor ordered a cup of tea
for the headmaster and sweets for
the children
(4) The doctor welcomed the
headmaster to his room
(5) None of these
8. What did the doctor do when the
headmaster knocked at his door ?
(1) He opened the door and asked
the headmaster to bring the
injured child inside his house
(2) He asked his servant to drive the
headmaster and the children away
(3) He asked the headmaster not to
shout and disturb his sleep
(4) He refused to open the door and
attend anyone during his leisure
hours
(5) None of these
9. What prompted the doctor to open
his door ?
(1) The doctor’s desire for a stroll in
his garden
(2) The doctor thought his friend was
knocking at the door
(3) The doctor’s longing for fresh air
(4) The continued knock at the door
by the headmaster
(5) None of these
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 10. What made the doctor to mellow there is any grammatical/idiomatic
down and take the child to the error in it. The error if any, will be
dispensary ? in one part of the sentence. The
(1) The innocence of the child number of that part is the answer.
(2) The child was almost the age of If there is no error, the answer is
his own son (5) i.e., No error. Ignore the error of
(3) He thought that the child may die punctuation, if any.
of dog’s bite 16. If I (1)/were you (2)/I would
(4) The headmaster’s fear and the (3)/not have do that. (4)/ No error. (5)
student’s agony and pain 17. We should be (1)/ always content
(5) None of these with (2)/ what (3)/ we have. (4)/No
Directions (Qs. 11 to 15) : Choose error. (5)
the word which is most nearly the 18. The Headmaster of the school
SAME in the meaning as the (1)/ along with other teachers are
word given in bold as used in the coming (2)/ to attend the meeting (3)/
passage. scheduled to be held this afternoon. (4)/
11. PROMINENT No error. (5)
(1) Pre-eminent 19. Whatever he was today (1)/ is
(2) Predominant only because (2)/ of his father who (3)/
(3) Eminent was a renowned scholar. (4)/
(4) Distinguished No error. (5)
(5) None of these 20. The people have the right (1)/
12. SCHOLARLY to demand protection (2)/ for their
(1) Learned business (3)/ against the terrorist group.
(2) Scholastic (4)/ No error. (5)
(3) Pious
(4) Spiritual 21. The doctor had watched (1)/ the
(5) None of these patient’s progress (2)/ with fascination
13. RETIRE (3)/ and horror. (4)/ No error. (5)
(1) Retard 22. I saw Laxman (1)/ stands near
(2) Retain his car (2)/ which had met (3)/ with an
(3) Give up accident. (4)/ No error. (5)
(4) Retreat 23. The way he talks (1)/ makes one
(5) None of these feel (2)/ that he is (3)/ a great humanist.
14. PANICKY (4)/ No error. (5)
(1) Unreasonable 24. He was weak (1)/ that he could
(2) Excessive (2)/ not chase (3)/ the thief. (4)/ No
(3) Fearful error. (5)
(4) Fearsome 25. Even if you cannot reduce (1)/
(5) None of these unhappiness of others (2)/ you can
15. REFUSED very well try at least (3)/ not to enhance
(1) Refuted it further. (4)/ No error. (5)
(2) Rejected Directions (Qs. 26 to 35) : In
(3) Denied the following passage, there are
(4) Refurbished blanks, each of which has been
(5) None of these numbered. These numbers are again
Directions (Qs. 16 to 25) : Read printed below the passage and
each sentence to find out whether against each, five words ar e

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 25

suggested, one of which fits the be wrongly spelt. Choose that word
blanks appropriately in the context as your answer. If all the four words
of the whole passage. Find out the are correctly spelt, mark (5) i.e., All
appropriate word. correct as your answer.
...(26)... while you work and ...(27)... 36. (1) Providential
while you play. This is because ...(28)... (2) Sattelete
two things at a time will make your life (3) Precedence
...(29).... It is just like ...(30)... your legs (4) Sweetmeat
on two boats simultaneously. ...(31)... (5) All correct
doing two things at a time as you are 37. (1) Barricade
...(32)... to miss both. You must therefore (2) Checkmate
...(33)... on only one thing. If you ...(34)... (3) Equilibrium
several things to do, finish one and (4) Accesible
...(35)... proceed to do the other. (5) All correct
26. (1) Think (2) Do 38. (1) Intervention
(3) Work (4) Pray (2) Deceptive
(5) Sing (3) Derogatory
27. (1) Meditate (2) Concentrate (4) Pessimism
(3) Play (4) Work (5) All correct
(5) Forget 39. (1) Planatarium
28. (1) Listening (2) Helping (2) Ridiculous
(3) Doing (4) Looking (3) Severance
(5) Assisting (4) Traverse
29. (1) Successful (2) Terrible (5) All correct
(3) Miserable (4) Acceptable 40. (1) Cacophony
(5) Forgetful (2) Attainment
30. (1) Resting (2) Putting (3) Preoccupied
(3) Lying (4) Acting (4) Apprehension
(5) Pulling (5) All correct
31. (1) Evade (2) Deny Directions (Qs. 41 to 45) :
(3) Avoid (4) Devoid Rear range the following six
(5) Aside sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and
32. (1) Similarly (2) Effectively (F) in proper sequence to form a
(3) Unlikely (4) Likely meaningful paragraph and thereafter
(5) Physically answer these questions given below
33. (1) Accept (2) Follow them.
(3) Get Up (4) Concentrate (A) The first day function of
(5) Insist the Film Exhibition was a grand
34. (1) Perform (2) Have affair.
(3) Want (4) Do (B) I was very anxious to attend and
(5) Double-up witness the same.
35. (1) After (2) To (C) We had arranged for a Maruti
(3) Before (4) Only Van to reach the venue on time.
(5) Then (D) The function was slated to be
Directions (Qs. 36 to 40) : In each held on 15th August, 2004.
of these questions, four words which (E) I enjoyed the first day function
are numbered (1), (2), (3) and (4) with my friends and well-
have been printed of which one may wishers.
26 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
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 (F) The function was particularly 46. He ________ students to make
memorable as it was the first use of their leisure time fully in the
time that such an event was reconstruction of rural India.
arranged in the city. (1) Ridiculed
41. Which of the following statements (2) Acclaimed
should come FIRST in the paragraph? (3) Projected
(1) F (4) Exhorted
(2) E (5) Dedicated
(3) D 47. He was a rich man and therefore
(4) C I was surprised to see him in ________
(5) B clothes.
42. Which of the following statements (1) Tattered (2) Splendid
should come SECOND in the (3) Foreign (4) Damp
paragraph? (5) Local
(1) F 48. I have always admired
(2) E his ________ knowledge and
(3) D scholarship.
(4) C (1) Highest (2) Flexible
(5) B (3) Provocative (4) Elemental
43. Which of the following statements (5) Profound
should come THIRD in the paragraph? 49. It is desirable to take ________
in any business.
(1) F
(1) Advice (2) Risk
(2) E (3) Profit (4) Success
(3) D (5) Recourse
(4) C 50. As citizens of India, we _______
(5) B both our democracy and secularism.
44. Which of the following (1) Promote
statements should come FIFTH in the (2) Cherish
paragraph? (3) Establish
(1) F (4) Champion
(2) E (5) Declare
(3) D
(4) C ANSWERS
(5) B 1. (3) 2. (2) 3. (1) 4. (4)
45. Which of the following statements 5. (3) 6. (4) 7. (1) 8. (4)
should come SIXTH in the paragraph? 9. (4) 10. (4) 11. (4) 12. (1)
(1) F 13. (4) 14. (3) 15. (3) 16. (4)
(2) E 17. (2) 18. (2) 19. (1) 20. (3)
(3) D 21. (3) 22. (2) 23. (5) 24. (1)
(4) C 25. (1) 26. (3) 27. (3) 28. (3)
(5) B 29. (3) 30. (2) 31. (3) 32. (4)
Directions (Qs. 46 to 50) : Pick 33. (4) 34. (2) 35. (5) 36. (2)
out the most effective word in each 37. (4) 38. (5) 39. (1) 40. (5)
of these questions from the given 41. (3) 42. (5) 43. (4) 44. (2)
words to make the sentence 45. (1) 46. (4) 47. (1) 48. (5)
meaningfully complete. 49. (2) 50. (2)
28 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 NUMERICAL ABILITY
Directions (Qs. 1 to 20) : What 9. 18% of 95 + 16% of 83 – 9% of
should come in the place of question 115 = 14% of 102
mark (?) in the following equation ? (1) 14 (2) 16
(3) 18 (4) 12
1. 3 46656 ? (5) None of these
(1) 36 (2) 26
5u4  2u 3
(3) 32 (4) 28 10. (6)2  (10 u 2  3) ?
(5) None of these
2. 17.5 u 6.5 + 9.25 = ? (1) 1.2 (2) 4
(1) 122.75 (2) 275.625 (3) 1.4 (4) 6
(3) 136 (4) 114.625 (5) None of these
(5) None of these 11. 2.5 y 4 + 11.175 + ? = 15
3. (10)2 + (5)2 = (?)3 (1) 4.5 (2) 1.6
(1) 125 (2) 25 (3) 2.2 (4) 3.2
(3) 5 (4) 15 (5) None of these
(5) None of these 12. (58)2 + (67)2 = ?
3 2 1 (1) 7568 (2) 8134
4. 1 1  2 ?
4 3 4 (3) 7853 (4) 8917
1 2 (5) None of these
(1) 5 (2) 5 1 1
5 3 13. th of 724 + rd of 627 = 6 u ?
2 1 4 3
(3) 3 (4) 2 (1) 390 (2) 120
5 3
(5) None of these (3) 65 (4) 80
5. 26% of 95 + 17% of 93 = ? (5) None of these
(1) 51.18 (2) 44.43 14. 62 + (5)2 + (2)6 = ?
(3) 56.81 (4) 40.51 (1) 193 (2) 195
(5) None of these (3) 225 (4) 220
6. 106.96 y 19.1 + 3.9 u 12 = ? (5) None of these
(1) 52.4 (2) 114 15. 9 u 0.04 + 12 u 0.5 + 8 u 0.4 = ?
(3) 55.8 (4) 102
(1) 10 (2) 7.2
(5) None of these
(3) 8.52 (4) 13
1 1 3 1
7. 3 u 1  21 u 7 ? (5) None of these
4 7 4 3
3
3 3 16. th of 6500 – 15 = ?% of 9000
(1) 172 (2) 163 4
7 14 (1) 37 (2) 48
1 3 (3) 54 (4) 62
(3) 151 (4) 57
7 14 (5) None of these
(5) None of these
8. 6412.1 y (81.4 u 5123.5) = 8 ? 17. (15)2  (12)2  8 ?
(1) 10 (2) 14.2 (1) 17 (2) 14
(3) 7.2 (4) 12.3 (3) 13 (4) 11
(5) None of these (5) None of these
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 29
 3 ? 1 13 (1) 120 (2) 180
18.   1 (3) 115 (4) 90
4 5 2 20
(1)
4 (2) 2 (5) None of these
(3)
3 (4) 6 28. The average age of A, B and C is
(5)
None of these 70 years. What is the age of B if the ratio
19.
16.87 + ? – 45.39 = 56.66 of their ages is 3 : 7 : 5, respectively.
(1)
28.14 (2) 39.79 (1) 98 (2) 84
(3)
118.92 (4) 85.18 (3) 70 (4) 42
(5)
None of these (5) None of these
4.5 u 9582 y 6 = ?
20. 29. Simple interest on a certain sum at
(1)
7186.5 (2) 6126.15 the rate of 20% per annum for a period
(3)
8524.5 (4) 6357.5 of 8 years amounts to Rs. 10,960 What
(5)
None of these is the original sum of money ?
Directions (Qs. 21 to 25) : What will (1) Rs. 6,500 (2) Rs. 7,800
come in place of the question mark (3) Rs. 8,000 (4) Data inadequate
(?) in the following number series ? (5) None of these
21. 3 12 21 ? 39 30. A train crosses a platform in 4
(1) 26 (2) 28 seconds. What is the length of the
(3) 29 (4) 25 platform if the speed of the train is 30
(5) None of these metres per second ?
22. 6 7 16 51 208 ? (1) 120 metres
(1) 932 (2) 985 (2) 70 metres
(3) 1124 (4) 1045 (3) 115 metres
(5) None of these (4) Data inadequate
23. 4 10 35 136 ? 2162 (5) None of these
(1) 541 (2) 482 31. 20 women do a work in 18 days.
(3) 658 (4) 1524 How many days would 15 women take
(5) None of these to complete the work ?
24. 185 235 335 ? 685 935 (1) 24 (2) 22
(1) 605 (2) 485 (3) 12 (4) Data inadequate
(3) 395 (4) 525 (5) None of these
(5) None of these 32. The circumference of a circle is
25. 8 4 4 6 12 ? equal to the perimeter of a square whose
(1) 44 (2) 40 area is 2704 square metres. What is the
(3) 30 (4) 24 circumference of the circle ?
(5) None of these (1) 104 metres
5 1 (2) 272 metres
26. th of a number is equal to th (3) 315 metres
6 5
of another number. If 80% of the second (4) Cannot be determined
number is 380, what is the first (5) None of these
number ? 33. A boat covers a distance of 14 km
(1) 284 (2) 114 in 4 hours along the flow. What is the
(3) 475 (4) 95 speed of the boat if the speed of the
(5) None of these flow of water is 2 km/hr ?
27. How many pieces of 9.5 metres (1) 2 km/hr (2) 3 km/hr
long piece of cloth can be cut out of a (3) 2.5 km/hr (4) 1.5 km/hr
1092.5 metres long cloth ? (5) None of these
30 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
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 34. Sweets were to be distributed 40. A basket contains 7 red balls and
equally among 980 children on the 8 blue balls. If 3 balls are picked at
Independence Day. But 35 children were random, what is the probability that all
absent on that day, so each child got 3 are red ?
sweets extra. Total how many sweets 3 1
were distributed ? (1) (2)
8 5
(1) 79380 (2) 2940 3 1
(3) 5430 (4) Data inadequate (3) (4)
7 13
(5) None of these (5) None of these
35. The cost of 6 tables and 8 chairs 41. Which of the following numbers
is Rs. 2,890. What is the cost of 18 tables should be subtracted from 37,679 to
and 4 chairs ? make it divisible by 7 ?
(1) Rs. 8,550 (2) Rs. 4,725 (1) 1 (2) 3
(3) Rs. 10,215 (4) Rs. 6,810 (3) 4 (4) 6
(5) None of these (5) None of these
36. Sushma bought a microwave oven 42. When all the students of a class
at a discount of 40% on the listed price. are made to stand in rows of 45, 30
What is her percentage profit if she sells such rows are formed. If 50 students
the oven at 5% more than the listed price ? are made to stand in each row, how many
(1) 25 (2) 75 (3) 45 rows will be formed ?
(4) Cannot be determined (1) 20 (2) 29
(5) None of these (3) 27 (4) 25
37. The ratio of the length and (5) None of these
breadth of a rectangle is 7 : 6. What is 43. A profit of Rs. 19,488 is
the length of the rectangle if its distributed amongst three partners X, Y
Perimeter is 52 metres. and Z in the ratio of 5 : 2 : 7 respectively.
(1) 26 metres (2) 14 metres What is the total of Y’s and Z’s share ?
(3) 28 metres (4) 7 metres (1) Rs. 9,744 (2) Rs. 12,528
(5) None of these (3) Rs. 16,704 (4) Rs. 14,513
38. If 20 percent of 40 percent of a (5) None of these
number is 6, then what is the number ? 44. Two-thirds of Rohan’s income is
(1) 95 (2) 80 half of Mohit’s income. If both of them
(3) 85 (4) 75 together earn Rs. 38,500, what is the
(5) None of these difference between their incomes ?
39. Shri Sushil invested an amount on (1) Rs. 3,400
2 different plans named ‘A’ and ‘B’ at the (2) Rs. 6,000
rate of 16 p.c.p.a. and 19 p.c.p.a., (3) Rs. 1,500
respectively. If the amount invested on (4) Rs. 5,500
plan ‘B’ was 210% of the amount invested (5) None of these
on ‘A’ and the increased total interest in 45. At present Pooja is 21 years
one year was Rs. 5,031 then what was the younger to her mother. 6 years from now,
amount invested on plan ‘B’ ? Pooja will be half her mother’s age then.
(1) Rs. 18,900 How old is Pooja’s mother at present in
(2) Rs. 9,000 years ?
(3) Rs. 15,600 (1) 36 (2) 42
(4) Cannot be determined (3) 45 (4) Cannot be determined
(5) None of these (5) None of these
32 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 46. In an Organisation, 60% of ANSWERS
employees are matriculates. Out of the
remaining 50% are graduates. The 1. (1) 2. (5) 3. (3)
remaining 169 are post-graduates. How 7 5 9 2
many employees are graduates ? 4. (2) : ?   5
4 3 4 3
(1) 215 (2) 200
26 17
(3) 195 (4) 150 5. (4) : ? u 95  u 93
(5) None of these 100 100
47. Amol’s yearly bonus increases by = 24.7 + 15.81 = 40.51
10% each year. If this year the 10 6 .96
6. (1) : ?=  3.9 u 12
amount received by him as bonus is 1 9 .1
Rs. 12,400, how much bonus would he = 5.6 + 46.8 = 52.4
get 3 years from now ? 7. (2) 8. (4) 9.(1) 10. (5)
(1) Rs. 15,004.4 (2) Rs. 16,504.4 11. (4) : ? = 15 – 2.5 y 4 + 11.175
(3) Rs. 14,794 (4) Rs. 16,594 2 .5
(5) None of these = 15 – – 11.175
4
48. If the numerator of a fraction is = 15 – 0.625 – 11.175 = 3.2
increased by 20% and the denominator 12. (3) : (58)2 + (67)2
is decreased by 25%, the new fraction = 3364 + 4489 = 7853
obtained is 3/2. What is the original 1 1
fraction ? 13. (3) : 6 u ? = 72 4 u  6 2 7 u
4 3
11 13 = 181 + 209 = 390
(1) (2)
19 17 390
15 7 Ÿ ? 65
6
(3) (4)
16 8 14. (2) : ? = 6 2 + 53 + 26
(5) None of these
49. Ankur, Bipin and Chetan = 6 + 125 + 64 = 195
invested certain amount in a business in 15. (5) : ? = 0.36 + 6.0 + 3.2
the respective ratio of 8 : 11 : 7 = 9.56
and the profit made by them was 3
16. (3) : ?% of 9000 = 6500 u –15
Rs. 30,680, which is 20% of the total 4
investment. What was Chetan’s = 4875 – 15 = 4860
investment ? 48 60 u 1 00
(1) Rs. 64,900 (2) Rs. 47,200 Ÿ? = 54
90 00
(3) Rs. 56,800 (4) Rs. 41,300
(5) None of these 17. (5) : ? = 225  144  8
50. The total production of Steel in 361 19
India in the year 2000 was 7200 tons. In
the same year, if 805 tons of Steel was ? 33 3 1
18. (2) :  
produced in Orissa, what approximate 5 20 4 2
percentage did it make of the total 33 - 15 - 10 8 2
production in India ? = = =
20 20 5
(1) 11 (2) 14 Ÿ ? = 2
(3) 16 (4) 8 19. (4) : ? = 56.66 + 45.39 – 16.87
(5) 40 = 85.18
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 33
 9582 20 u 18
20. (1) : ? 4 .5 u 4 .5 u 1 5 9 7 31. (1) : 24 d ay s
6 15
= 7186.5 32. (5) 33. (4) 34. (1)
21. (5) : The sequence in the given series 35. (5) : Rs. (2890 u 3) = Rs. 8670
is +9. Therefore, the number 36. (2) 37. (2)
30 must replace the ‘?’. 38. (4) : Let the number be x.
22. (4) : The sequence in the given   ? 20% of (40%) of x) = 6
series is u 1 + 1, u 2 + 2, 20 u 40 u x
Ÿ 6
u 3 + 3, u 4 + 4, u 5 + 5. 100 u 100
23. (1) : The sequence in the given   Ÿ x = 75
series is u 4 – 6, u 4 – 5, 39. (1) 40. (4)
u 4 – 4, u 4 – 3, u 4 – 2. 41. (5) : 5. Five should be subtraced
24. (2) : The sequence in the given from 37679 so as to make the
series is +50, +100, +150, resulting number divisible by 7.
+200, +250. 45 u 30
42. (3) : 27
25. (3) : The sequence in the given 50
1 1
43. (2) : Let the profits distributed
series is u , u1, u 1 , u2, among X, Y, and Z be 5k, 2k
2 2 and 7k.
1   ? 5k + 2k + 7k = 19488
u2 .
2   Ÿ k = 1392
26. (2) : Let the first number be x and   ? Y’s and Z’s share
second number be y. = 2k + 7k = 9k
? 80% of y = 380 = 9 u 1392 = Rs. 12528
Ÿ y = 475 2 1
5 1
44. (4) : of Rohan’s income = of
3 2
of x = of 475 (Given) Mohit’s income
6 5
Suppose Rohan’s income = R
95 u 6
Ÿ x = 114 and Mohit’s income = M
5   ? R + M = 38500 and
1 0 92 .5 2 1 4
27. (3) : 11 5 R = M Þ M = R
9.5 3 2 3
28. (1) : A + B + C = 210
4
A B C Ÿ R + R = 38500
k , say 3
3 7 5   Ÿ R = 16500 and M = 22000.
  Ÿ A = 3k, B = 7k, C = 5k Difference between their
  Ÿ 15k = 210 Ÿ k = 14 incomes = 22000 – 16500
  ? B’s age = 7k = 98 years = Rs. 5500
A’s age = 42 years and 45. (1) : Suppose Mother’s age
C’s age = 70 years. = x years
29. (5) : Let the sum be Rs. x   ? Pooja’s age
x u 8 u 20 = (x – 21) years
? 10960
100 1
  Ÿ x = 6850 (x – 21) + 6 = (x + 6)
2
30. (4) : Length of the train is not (Given)
given.   Ÿ x = 36
34 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 46. (5) B invested Rs. 11k
§ 10 ·
3 C invested Rs. 7k
47. (2): 12400 ¨ 1  ¸ Total investment = Rs x say
© 100 ¹ ? 20% of x = 30680
11 11 11 Ÿ x = Rs. 153400
= 1 24 00 u u u
10 10 10 ? 8k + 11k + 7k = 153400
= Rs. 16504.40 Ÿ k = 5900
48. (3) ? Chetan’s investment = 7k
A B C = Rs. 41300
49. (4) : k, say
8 11 7 805
  ? A invested Rs. 8k
50. (1) : 72 00 u 10 0 1 1 .1 8% | 11%

GENERAL AWARENESS
1. Who was the first woman (3) Jupiter, Satur n, Uranus and
President of Indian National Congress ? Neptune
(1) Sarojini Naidu (4) Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and
(2) Sucheta Kripalani Neptune
(3) Rajkumari Amrit Kaur 7. Which of the following produces
(4) Annie Besant maximum crude petroleum in India at
2. Arabs were defeated in 738 A.D. by present ?
(1) Pratiharas (2) Rashtrakutas (1) Assam
(3) Palas (4) Chalukyas (2) Gujarat
3. Which of the following reform (3) Off-shore Bombay High
movements was the first to be started in (4) Coastal Tamil Nadu
the 19th century ? 8. India is one of the largest
(1) Prarthana Samaj producers of manganese ore in the world
(2) Brahmo Samaj along with
(3) Arya Samaj (1) China and Russia
(4) Rama Krishna Mission (2) Brazil and Russia
4. The r ulers of Vijayanag ar (3) Australia and USA
(4) South Africa and USA
promoted 9. The ‘Chipko Movement’ is related
(1) Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit to
(2) Malayalam, Tamil and Sanskrit (1) Wildlife preservation
(3) Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit (2) Forest conservation
(4) Telugu, Urdu and Sanskrit (3) Scientific agriculture
5. In India, the irrigation of agricultural (4) Deforestation
land is carried out maximum by 10. Which of the following rivers
(1) Canals (2) Wells makes an estuary ?
(3) Tubewells (4) Tanks (1) Cauvery (2) Krishna
6. The four largest planets of the (3) Narmada (4) Ganga
Solar System in decreasing sizes are 11. Baltora glacier is located in
(1) Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and (1) Karakoram ranges
Uranus (2) Pamir plateau
(2) Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and (3) Shivalik
Neptune (4) Alps
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 35
 12. The world’s largest producer of (1) D.S. Paintal (2) C. N. Barnard
mica is (3) D. Shetty (4) P. K. Sen
(1) USA (2) UK 23. Yellow Fever is transmitted by
(3) Canada (4) India (1) Aedes (2) Anopheles
13. The International Date Line is the (3) House-fly (4) Culex
(1) 180° Longitude 24. Which one of the following is a
(2) 88½º East Longitude major green house gas ?
(3) Equator (1) Carbon dioxide
(4) 0° Longitude (2) Chloro fluorocarbon
14. Which of the following countries (3) Carbon monoxide
has highest percentage of land under (4) Freon
cultivation ? 25. In atmosphere the lowermost
(1) China (2) USA layer is
(3) Canada (4) India (1) troposphere (2) exosphere
15. Aryabhatta was launched from (3) ionosphere (4) stratosphere
(1) Sriharikota (2) Mahe 26. Washing of peeled vegetables
(3) Chandipur (4) Daman removes the vitamin
16. How far does the Exclusive (1) A (2) C
Economic Zone of a country extend (3) D (4) E
from her coast ? 27. Pasteurisation is the process in
(1) 120 km (2) 220 km which milk is heated to
(3) 320 km (4) 420 km
17. In which of the following groups, (1) 60° C for 10 minutes
animals bear no teeth ? (2) 63° C for 20 minutes
(1) Peacock, Ostrich, Tortoise (3) 63° C for 30 minutes
(2) Owl, Loris, Crow (4) 72° C for 10 minutes
(3) Alligator, Turtle, Tortoise 28. Match List I with List II and give
(4) Turtle, Kiwi, Cow the correct answer from the code given
18. Jaundice is a symptom of disease of below :
(1) Kidney (2) Liver List I List II
(3) Pancreas (4) Thyroid (Discoverer) (Discoveries)
19. The vaccination against small pox p. Jenner 1. blood grouping
involves the introduction of q. Watson 2. penicillin
(1) killed germs r. Landsteiner 3. vaccination
(2) weakened germs s. Flemming 4. double helix
(3) live antibodies (1) p-3, q-1, r-2, s-4
(4) activated germs (2) p-3, q-4, r-2, s-1
20. Deficiency of Vitamin B6 in man (3) p-3, q-4, r-1, s-2
causes (4) p-3, q-2, r-4, s-1
(1) rickets (2) scurvy 29. Which of the following is most
(3) beri-beri (4) anaemia elastic ?
21. Which is the national flower of (1) Rubber (2) Wet clay
India ? (3) Steel (4) Plastic
(1) Rose (2) Lotus 30. The first-ever robot spacecraft to
(3) Lily (4) Sunflower probe planet Venus was named
22. First successful hear t (1) Galileo (2) Magellan
transplantation was done by (3) Newton (4) Challenger
36 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 31. A man with colour blindness will 39. The most abundant inert gas in
see red as the atmosphere is
(1) Yellow (2) Blue (3) Green (4) Violet (1) Helium (2) Neon
32. Comets revolve around the (3) Argon (4) Krypton
(1) Earth (2) Venus 40. Which metal is extracted from sea
(3) Sun (4) Jupiter water ?
33. When a person walking in bright (1) Potassium (2) Magnesium
sunlight enters a dark room, he is not able (3) Aluminium (4) Beryllium
to see clearly for a little while because 41. Percentage of lead in lead pencils is
(1) the eye muscles cannot (1) 0 (2) 31 - 66
(3) 40 (4) 80
immediately adjust the focal 42. Which of the following deals with
length of the eye lens. economic offences ?
(2) the retina retains the bright images (1) TADA (2) MISA
for sometime and becomes (3) NSA (4) COFEPOSA
momentarily insensitive. 43. The Earth rotates on its axis from
(3) the iris is unable to contract the (1) east to west
pupil immediately. (2) west to east
(4) the iris is unable to dilate the pupil (3) north to south
immediately. (4) south to north
34. The swing of a spinning cricket 44. A cricket match is being telecast live
ball in air can be explained on the basis of from Delhi. If the match commences at
(1) Sudden change in wind direction. 10 a.m., at what time would viewers in
(2) Buoyancy of air. London have to tune in their sets ?
(3) Turbulence caused by wind. (1) 10 a.m. (2) 4.30 a.m.
(4) Bernoulli’s theorem. (3) 4.30 p.m. (4) 10 p.m.
35. The freezer in a refrigerator is 45. ‘The United Kingdom’ consists
fitted near the top of England and
(1) to keep it away from hot compre- (1) Northern Ireland, Scotland and
ssor which is nearer to the bottom Wales
(2) because of convenience (2) Northern Ireland, Palma and
Iceland
(3) it facilitates convection currents (3) Scotland, Wales and Faeroe Island
(4) to minimise power consumption (4) Scotland, Sardinia and Wales
36. The chemical name of ‘Common 46. Which of the following is the
salt’ is publisher of ‘Employment News’ ?
(1) Sodium chloride (1) Indian Express Group
(2) Sodium nitrate (2) Times of India Group
(3) Ammonium chloride (3) Ministry of Human Resource
(4) Calcium chloride Development
37. Denatured spirit is ethanol mixed (4) Ministry of Information and
with Broadcasting
(1) Petrol (2) Kerosene 47. Which of the following states are
(3) Water (4) Pyridine joined by Palghat ?
38. The metal, which is a constituent (1) Maharashtra and Gujarat
of Vitamin B12 , is (2) Sikkim and West Bengal
(1) Iron (2) Magnesium (3) Kerala and Tamil Nadu
(3) Zinc (4) Cobalt (4) Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim
38 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 48. The states of India having ANSWERS
common border with Myanmar are
(1) Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, 1. (4) 2. (1) 3. (2) 4. (3)
Arunachal Pradesh 5. (1) 6. (3) 7. (3) 8. (4)
(2) Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, 9. (2) 10. (3) 11. (1) 12. (1)
Meghalaya 13. (1) 14. (4)
(3) Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam
(4) Assam, Manipur, Tripura, 15. (None) : India’s first satellite was
Arunachal Pradesh launched by the USSR on
49. In which of the following states April 1975 from Kapustin
‘Koyana Hydro Electric Power Project’ Yar using a Cosmos-3M
is located ? launch vehicle.
(1) Madhya Pradesh 16. (4) 17. (3) 18. (2) 19. (2)
(2) Maharashtra 20. (4) 21. (2) 22. (2) 23. (1)
(3) Kerala 24. (1) 25. (1) 26. (2) 27. (3)
(4) Odisha 28. (3) 29. (1) 30. (2) 31. (3)
50. The scientist associated with
the success of Green Revolution is 32. (3) 33. (2) 34. (3) 35. (3)
(1) V.R. Rao 36. (1) 37. (4) 38. (4) 39. (3)
(2) J.C. Bose 40. (2) 41. (1) 42. (4) 43. (2)
(3) S.S. Bhatnagar 44. (2) 45. (1) 46. (4) 47. (3)
(4) Norman Borlaug 48. (1) 49. (2) 50. (4)

COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE
1. The instructions of a program (2) Single user operating system
that is currently being executed is sorted (3) Distributed operating system
in (4) None of these
(1) Secondary memory 5. The number of select input lines
(2) Main memory in an 8-to-1 Multiplexer is
(3) Read only memory (1) 1 (2) 8
(4) None of these (3) 256 (4) None of these
2. The number of bits used to 6. The number of bits used to
represent a character is represent a number (integer) is
(1) 4 (1) 4
(2) 8 (2) 8
(3) 16 (3) 16
(4) None of these (4) None of these
3. The programming language 7. A tog gle flip-flop can be
FORTRAN is mainly used for constructed using a JK flip-flop by
(1) Data processing applications connecting the
(2) Scientific applications (1) Toggle input to J and the inverted
(3) Real time applications form of toggle input to K
(4) None of these (2) The toggle input to J
4. The MS DOS operating system (3) Inverted form of toggle input
is a to K
(1) Time sharing operating system (4) None of these
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 39
 8. In a stack computer, there is
support for
(1) PUSH and POP instructions
only
(2) Zero address instructions only
(3) Zero address instructions, PUSH
and POP
(4) None of these
9. The minimum hardware required
to construct a 3-to-8 decoder is
(1) Two 2–to–4 decoders
(2) Two 2–to–4 decoders and
1–to–2 decoders
(3) Three 2–to–4 decoders
(4) Depends on the technology (TTL,
CMOS, etc)
10. The microprocessor 40486 is a
processor with reduced
(1) Instruction set
(2) Power Requirement
(3) MIPS performance
(4) Register to register addition
11. In the IEEE 754 floating point
representation standard, the word length
of double precision is
(1) 23 bits
(2) 127 bits
(3) 16 bits
(4) 64 bits
12. The sum of two hexadecimal
numbers 23D and 9AA gives the
hexadecimal number
(1) AF7
(2) BF6
(3) BE7
(4) BE5
13. The simplified for m of the
expression ‘AB + ABC’ is
(1) AB
(2) A (B + C)
(3) A (B + C’)
(4) None of these
14. Which of the following is not a
universal building block ?
40
(1) Three-input NAND gate
(2) Two-input NOR gate
(3) Two-input multiplexer
(4) Two-input EXOR gate
15. Which of the following is not an
advantage of asynchronous circuit ?
(1) High speed
(2) Lesser power consumption
(3) Smaller design effort
(4) No need to provide clock gene-
ration circuitry
16. The minimum number of bits
required to represent numbers in the
range –23 to +31 is
(1) 8 (2) 7
(3) 6 (4) 5
17. A CPU has a 16 bit program counter.
This means that the CPU can address
(1) 16 K memory locations
(2) 32 K memory locations
(3) 64 K memory locations
(4) 256 K memory locations
18. A large sized network is termed as
(1) WAN
(2) LAN
(3) MAN
(4) VAN
19. Computers in a computer network
are connected via
(1) Telephone line only
(2) Satellite channel only
(3) Either telephone line or sate-llite
channel or both
(4) Coaxial cable only
20. E-mail stands for
(1) Electronic mail
(2) Excess mail
(3) Educational mail
(4) None of these
21. Modem refers to
(1) Modulation
(2) Modulator
(3) Modulator and Demodulator
(4) Modern modes of communi-
cation
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 22. Messages are transferred in a (1) Secured application
computer network through (2) Service access points
(1) Circuit switching (3) Simple access protocol
(2) Message switching (4) Service access protocol
(3) Packet switching 31. Which one of the following is not
(4) Multiplexing a Bit-oriented protocol ?
23. Signals that involve human (1) BISYNC
communications are generally (2) DDCMP
(1) Digital (3) HDLC
(2) Analog (4) SDLC
(3) Either digital or analog 32. The local-loop of a telephone
(4) None of these channel consists of which of the
24. Frequency range of the human following transmission mediums?
voice is usually (1) Twin-wire
(1) 100 – 4000 Hz (2) 200 – 600 Hz (2) Microwave
(3) 199 – 200 Hz (4) 400 – 800 Hz (3) Satellite
25. Data Networks usually use (4) Coaxial cable
(1) Simplex transmission 33. Which of the following
(2) Half duplex transmission modulations requires the lowest
(3) Full duplex transmission bandwidth ?
(4) Duplex transmission (1) ASK
26. Twisted wire pair can (2) PSK
accommodate a maximum data rate of (3) FSK
(1) 2400 bps (2) 4800 bps (4) QPSK
(3) 9600 bps (4) 19200 bps 34. Which of the following is not a
part of a FAX transmitter ?
27. Co-axial cables are widely used in
(1) PCM encoder
(1) Telephone Networks
(2) Scanning
(2) Cable TV Networks (3) Data compaction
(3) Both in telephone and cable TV (4) Digital modulation
networks 35. Satellite to ground communication
(4) Computer Networks takes place through
28. Angle modulation is referred to as (1) Medium wave (2) Short wave
(1) Phase modulation only (3) Microwave (4) Optical signal
(2) Frequency modulation only 36. An IBM compatible PC 386 SX
(3) Amplitude and frequency system uses
modulation (1) A 16-bit CPU
(4) Frequency and phase modulation (2) A 32-bit CPU
29. Radio broadcasting is a common (3) A 64-bit CPU
example of (4) A 386-bit CPU
(1) FDM 37. The language BASIC is normally
(2) TDM used along with
(3) Both of these (1) An assembler
(4) None of these (2) A compiler
30. In network terminology, ‘SAP’ (3) An interpreter
refers to the (4) None of these
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 41
 38. A linker is a program which 45. A medium sized network is
generates termed as
(1) The executable program from (1) WAN (2) LAN
object program (3) MAN (4) VAN
(2) An object program from an 46. Which of the following standards
assembly language program is followed in India ?
(3) The use of global variables (1) IFIP (2) CCITT
(4) None of these (3) ISO (4) ANSI
39. A debugging tool is a program which 47. Which of the following is not a
(1) Removes bugs from a user program goal of a computer network ?
(2) Removes vir uses from the (1) Resource sharing
computer (2) Low reliability
(3) Helps the user find bugs in his (3) Load sharing
program (4) To avoid physical movement
(4) Displays the errors in a user 48. In digital telephone transmission,
program the digitisation of speech signals is done
40. Which of the following is not an by
output of an assembler? (1) 4 bit PCM (2) 6 bit PCM
(1) Executable program (3) 8 bit PCM (4) 16 bit PCM
(2) A symbol table 49. In a telephone network, an echo
(3) Object program may be introduced at the
(4) None of these (1) Switch
41. SQL is relationally (2) Multiplexer
(1) A complete language (3) Transmission cable
(2) An incomplete language (4) Hybrid
(3) Cannot handle certain relations 50. A 30-channel PCM signal in digital
(4) A sound language telephony will have a data rate of
42. ‘Raster scan display’ means that (1) 64 kb/sec. (2) 240 kb/sec.
the screen is scanned from (3) 1 Mb/sec. (4) 2.048 Mb/sec.
(1) Top to bottom and right to left
(2) Left to right and top to bottom ANSWERS
(3) Bottom to top and left to right 1. (2) 2. (2) 3. (2) 4. (2)
(4) Bottom to top and right to left 5. (4) : 3 6. (3)
43. Which of the following attributes is 7. (4) : Toggle input to K and
important for presenting the text in a inverted form of toggle input
multimedia document ? to J.
(1) Font (2) Character format 8. (3) 9. (2) 10. (4) 11. (4)
(3) Colour (4) All of these 12. (3) 13. (4) : AB(1 + C’)
44. In Ink Jet printers, colour printing 14. (2) 15. (3) 16. (3) 17. (3)
is possible through generation of colours 18. (1) 19. (3) 20. (1) 21. (3)
by 22. (3) 23. (2) 24. (1) 25. (3)
(1) Four colour cartridges 26. (3) 27. (3) 28. (4) 29. (1)
(2) Seven colour cartridges 30. (2) 31. (1) 32. (1) 33. (2)
(3) Spraying electrons of different 34. (1) 35. (3) 36. (2) 37. (3)
colours and shades on the paper 38. (2) 39. (3) 40. (1) 41. (1)
(4) A device which mixes different 42. (2) 43. (2) 44. (1) 45. (3)
colours inside the printer to 46. (2) 47. (2) 48. (3) 49. (4)
produce the desired shade 50. (4)
42 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
1. Kerosene oil rises in a wick of
lantern because of
(a) buoyancy of air
(b) diffusion of the oil through the
wick
(c) capillary action in the wick
(d) gravitational pull of the wick
2. If the reaction of 1˜0 mol NH3 (g)
and 1˜0 mol O2(g)
4NH3(g) + 5O2(g) o 4NO(g) + 6H2O(l )
is carried to completion, then
(a) all the O2(g) is consumed
(b) 4˜0 mol NO(g) is produced
(c) 1˜5 mol H2O(l ) is produced
(d) all the NH3(g) is consumed
3. Which of the following sequences
is correct for rainfall ?
(a) Slow ascent of air o slow
condensation o heavy downpour
(b) Rapid ascent of air o large
raindrops o heavy downpour
(c) Pressure decreased o air
compressed o heavy downpour
(d) Descent of air o air warmed o
heavy downpour
4. The working of a microwave oven
involves
(a) absorption of microwaves by
matter
(b) reception of microwaves by
optical fibre
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
(c) microwave amplification by
stimulated emission of radiation
(d) transmission of microwaves
through a metal
5. What would be the total
population at the end of the year if
population at the beginning of the year
is 5,000 and population changed during
the year is—birth 250, death 60,
immigration 30 and emigration 15 ?
(a) 5,205 (b) 5,235
(c) 5,310 (d) 5,180
6. Two cars A and B have masses
mA and mB respectively, with mA > mB.
Both the cars are moving in the same
direction with equal kinetic energy. IF
equal braking force is applied on both,
then before coming to rest
(a) A will cover a greater distance
(b) B will cover a greater distance
(c) both will cover the same distance
(d) distance covered by them will
depend on their respective
velocities
7. If the length of the Equator is about
40,000 km and the velocity of rotation is
about 1,700 km per hour, what would be
the velocity of rotation at the Pole ?
(a) Zero
(b) 850 km/hr
(c) 1,700 km/hr
(d) 3,400 km/hr
43
 8. A bullet is fired vertically up from Which of the statements given above
a 400 m-tall tower with a speed 80 m/s. is/are correct ?
If g is taken as 10 m/s2, the time taken (a) 1 only
by the bullet to reach the ground will be (b) 2 only
(a) 8s (b) 16s (c) Both 1 and 2
(c) 20s (d) 24s (d) Neither 1 nor 2
9. A cyclotron accelerates particles of 15. Consider the following statements
mass m and charge q. The energy of about Drishti system :
particles emerging is proportional to 1. It is a sophisticated instrument to
(a) q2/m (b) q/m2 assess the runway visual range.
2
(c) q /m 2
(d) q 2. This system is developed by
10. The electric field inside a perfectly Airports Authority of India.
conducting hollow object is Which of the statements given above
is/are correct ?
(a) 4S (a) 1 only
(b) infinite (b) 2 only
(c) zero (c) Both 1 and 2
(d) dependent upon the shape of the (d) Neither 1 nor 2
object 16. In September 2017 India held the
11. The densities of three liquids are 13th Yudh Abhyas military exercise with
D, 2D and 3D. What will be the density which of the following countries?
of the resulting mixture if equal volumes (a) Israel (b) USA
of the three liquids are mixed ? (c) Singapore (d) Australia
(a) 6D (b) 1˜4D 17. According to the Global Hunger
(c) 2D (d) 3D Index 2017 of the International Food
12. A particle is moving with uniform Policy Research Institute, in the list of
acceleration along a straight line ABC, 119 countries India is ranked
where AB = BC. The average velocity (a) 88 (b) 100
of the particle from A to B is 10 m/s (c) 106 (d) 84
18. Consider the following statements:
and from B to C is 15 m/s. The average 1. India’s longest Road Bridge
velocity for the whole journey from A connecting Assam to Arunanchal
to C in m/s is Pradesh was inaugurated in May
(a) 12 (b) 12˜5 2017.
(c) 13 (d) 13˜5 2. The bridge is 9.15 km long.
13. The dimension of ‘impulse’ is the 3. It is over river Teesta.
same as that of Select the correct answer using the code
(a) pressure given below.
(b) angular momentum (a) 1, 2 only 3 (b) 1 and 2 only
(c) work (c) 2 only (d) 1 and 3 only
19. In November 2016, the Prime
(d) linear momentum Minister launched the “Housing For All
14. Consider the following statements: Scheme in Rural Areas”. Which of the
1. Nozomi Okuhara of Japan won following statement(s) is/are correct
the 2017 World Badminton regarding this scheme?
Championship women’s singles title. 1. In the first phase, a target of
2. She defeated P.V. Sindhu of India completing one crore houses by
in the final. March 2019 has been set.
44 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 2. It provides for skilling 5 lakh rural
masons by 2019.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
20. Consider the following statements
about Prithvi-II Missile :
1. It is a nuclear-capable ballistic
missile.
2. It has a maximum range of
100 km.
3. It is India’s first native-made
ballistic missile.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct ?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Directions (Qs. 21 to 27): The
following seven (7) items consist of
two statements, Statement I and
Statement II. You are to examine these
two statements carefully and select the
answers to these items using the code
given below :
Code :
(a) Both the statements are
individually tr ue and
Statement II is the cor rect
explanation of Statement I
(b) Both the statements are
individually tr ue but
Statement II is not the correct
explanation of Statement I
(c) Statement I is tr ue but
Statement II is false
(d) Statement I is false but
Statement II is true
21. Statement I :
Grand Banks are one of the major
fishing grounds of the world due
to the presence of a vast
continental shelf.
46
Statement II :
Planktons grow in the shallow
waters.
22. Statement I :
Amoeba is a unicellular organism
and the single cell performs all
functions of a living organism.
Statement II :
Cell is the fundamental unit of
living organism.
23. Statement I :
The first coins to bear the names
and images of rulers were issued
by the Kushanas.
Statement II :
The first gold coins were issued
by the Kushanas.
24. Statement I :
Jahandar Shah’s reign came to an
early end in January 1713.
Statement II :
He was defeated at Agra by
Farrukhsiyar, his nephew.
25. Statement I :
The defects of the Regulating Act
and the exigencies of British
politics necessitated the passing of
the Pitt’s India Act.
Statement II :
The Pitt’s India Act gave the
British Government supreme
control over the Company’s affairs
and its administration in India.
26. Statement I :
It is not necessary that every bar
magnet has one North Pole and
one South Pole.
Statement II :
Magnetic poles occur in pair.
27. Statement I :
A body moving in a circular path
is acted upon by the centripetal
force.
Statement II :
Centripetal force acting on the
body is doing work to keep it
rotating in the circular path.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 28. Which of the following statements 34. If the motion of an object is
is/are correct : represented by a straight line parallel to
1. The tropical cyclones of China Sea the time axis in a distance-time graph,
are called typhoons. then the object undergoes
2. The tropical cyclones of the West (a) an accelerated motion
Indies are called tornadoes. (b) a decelerated motion
3. The tropical cyclones of Australia (c) a uniform non-zero velocity
are called willy-willies. motion
4. Formation of an anticyclone (d) a zero motion
results in stor my weather 35. How many grams of MgCO 3
condition. contain 24.00 g of oxygen ? (The molar
Select the correct answer using the code mass of MgCO3 is 84.30 g mol–1)
given below : (a) 42.15 g (b) 84.30 g
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (c) 126.00 g (d) 154.00 g
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only 36. Light waves are
(c) 1 and 3 only (a) electro-mechanical waves
(d) 3 only (b) electro-magnetic waves
(c) electro-optical waves
29. Which one of the following is not (d) magneto-optical waves
an ASEAN member ? 37. A sample of carbon dioxide that
(a) Cambodia (b) Laos undergoes a transformation from solid
(c) Myanmar (d) Taiwan to liquid and then to gas would undergo
30. Heat given to a body which raises (a) a change in mass
its temperature by 1°C is known as (b) a change in density
(a) water equivalent (c) a change in composition
(b) thermal capacity (d) no change in physical properties
(c) specific heat 38. Which one of the following pairs
(d) temperature gradient of power projects is not correctly
31. Consider the following reaction : matched ?
xAs2S3 + yO2 ozAs2O3 + wSO2 (a) Papanasam—Hydropower
What is y (the coefficient for O2) when (b) Neyveli—Hydropower
this equation is balanced using whole (c) Ukai—Hydropower
number coefficients ? (d) Rana Pratap Sagar—Hydropower
(a) 5 (b) 7 39. A particle is moving in a circular
(c) 9 (d) 11 path of radius r at a constant speed v.
32. Growth and repair of damaged Which one of the following graphs
tissue involve correctly represents its acceleration a ?
(a) mitotic cell division only (a)
(b) both mitotic and meiotic cell
divisions
(c) meiotic cell division only
(d) amitotic cell division only
33. Rotterdam of Netherlands is
largely famous for (b)
(a) textiles
(b) dairying
(c) shipbuilding
(d) paper industry

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 47

 (c) 46. Which one among the following
contains the most neutrons ?
59 61
(a) 26 Fe (b) 29 Cu
61
(c) 30 Zn (d) 60
30 Zn
2

47. Movements of tides are mostly

(d) determined by
(a) albedo effect
(b) wind velocity
(c) rotation of the Earth
(d) revolution of the Earth
40. Which of the following element 48. Fahrenheit and Celsius are the two
combinations will form ionic compounds ? scales used for measuring temperature.
1. Ca (Z = 20) and Ti (Z = 22) If the numerical value of a temperature
2. Si (Z = 14) and Br (Z = 35) recorded in both the scales is found to
3. Mg (Z = 12) and Cl (Z = 17) be same, what is the temperature ?
Select the correct answer using the code (a) – 40° (b) + 40°
given below : (c) + 72° (d) – 72°
(a) 2 only (b) 3 only 49. Turpentine oil in paints is used as a
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 (a) pigment
41. In the term GIS, ‘G’ stands for (b) film-forming material
(a) Global (b) Geographic (c) thinner
(c) Goodness (d) Geological (d) drier
42. A thermodynamic process where no 50. Match List-I with List-II and select
heat is exchanged with the surroundings is the correct answer using the code given
(a) isothermal (b) adiabatic below the Lists :
(c) isobaric (d) isotropic List-I List-II
43. A compound X 2 O 3 contains (Textile industry) (Place)
31˜58% oxygen by weight. The atomic A. Woollen textile 1. Sualkuchi
mass of X is
(a) 34˜66 g mol–1 (b) 45˜01 g mol–1 B. Cotton textile 2. Rishra
(c) 52˜00 g mol–1 (d) 104˜00 g mol–1 C. Silk textile 3. Ludhiana
44. Which one of the following is the D. Jute textile 4. Davangere
correct sequence of oil refineries in India Code :
in respect of their time of establishment A B C D
(starting from the earliest) ? (a) 3 4 1 2
(a) Barauni—Haldia—Guwahati (b) 2 1 4 3
—Mathura (c) 2 4 1 3
(b) Barauni—Mathura—Guwahati (d) 3 1 4 2
—Haldia 51. Which one of the following is not
(c) Guwahati—Haldia—Mathura a function of liver ?
—Barauni (a) Conversion of glucose into
(d) Guwahati—Barauni—Haldia glycogen
—Mathura (b) Production of urea
45. Which one of the following circuit (c) Destruction of dead and worn-
elements is an active components ? out red blood cells
(a) Resistor (b) Transistor (d) Absorption of food and excess
(c) Inductor (d) Capacitor water from the undigested food
48 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 52. Which one of the following is the (c) CH3(CH2)12COONa
correct sequence of economic sectors (d) CH3(CH2)12CHCl2
in terms of their contribution to the 59. Which one of the following
GDP of India in decreasing order ? animals is cold-blooded ?
(a) Service—Industry—Agriculture (a) Dolphin (b) Shark
(b) Agriculture—Industry—Service (c) Whale (d) Porpoise
(c) Industry—Service—Agriculture 60. Match List-I with List-II and select
the correct answer using the code given
below the Lists :
53. A force F , acting on an electric List-I List-II
charge q, in presence of an electro- (Geographical (Type of geographic
feature) process)
v . Then A. Cirque 1. Erosional feature
of wind
F E and B are electric B. Yardang 2. Depositional
feature of glacier
(a) q E v × B) C. Barkhan 3. Depositional
feature of wind
(c) q( v × E) (d) q B D. Drumlin 4. Erosional feature
54. What is the oxidizing agent in the of glacier
following equation ? Code :
HAsO2(aq) + Sn2+(aq) + H+(aq) A B C D
o As(s) + Sn4+(aq) + H2O(l) (a) 4 1 3 2
(a) HAsO2(aq) (b) Sn2+(aq) (b) 4 3 1 2
+
(c) H (aq) (d) Sn4+(aq) (c) 2 3 1 4
55. Which one of the following is not (d) 2 1 3 4
a part of female reproductive system ? 61. A ray of light travels from a
(a) Fallopian tube (b) Cervix medium of refractive index n1 to a
(c) Urethra (d) Vagina medium of refractive index n2. If angle
56. If a news is broadcast from of incidence is i and angle of refraction
London at 1 : 45 p.m. on Monday, at sin i
what time and on what day it will be is r, then is equal to
sin r
heard at Dhaka (90° E) ? (a) n1 (b) n2
(a) 7 : 45 p.m. on Monday n n
(b) 7 : 45 a.m. on Monday (c) 2 (d) 1
n1 n2
(c) 7 : 45 p.m. on Tuesday 62. A sample of gas is to be identified
(d) 7 : 45 a.m. on Sunday by means of its behaviour in the
57. Which of the following are the presence of a glowing splint. Which of
correct parameters for the common the following gases will neither itself
domestic power supply in India ? burn nor cause the splint to burn ?
(a) 220 V, 110 Hz (b) 220 V, 50 Hz (a) Oxygen
(c) 110 V, 210 Hz (d) 110 V, 50 Hz (b) Nitrogen
58. Which one of the following (c) Hydrogen
substances is most likely to be used as (d) Methane
soap ? 63. Leprosy is caused by
(a) CH3(CH2)12COOCH3 (a) virus (b) bacteria
(b) CH3(CH2)5O(CH2)5CH3 (c) protozoa (d) retrovirus
50 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 64. A topographical map with scale
1 : 50,000 indicates 1 cm to
(a) 50 km (b) 500 m
(c) 50 m (d) 5 km
65. Light waves projected on oil
surface show seven colours due to the
phenomenon of
(a) polarisation (b) refraction
(c) reflection (d) interference
66. A monatomic species that has 18
electrons and a net charge of 2– has
(a) the same number of electrons as
a neutral argon atom
(b) more protons than electrons
(c) 2 unpaired electrons
(d) 20 protons
67. Consider the following statements
about Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System (IRNSS) :
1. IRNSS is a constellation of five
satellites, which were launched by
PSLV.
2. It is an independent regional
navigation satellite system
designed to provide position
information in the Indian region.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
68. The National Defence Academy
has foreign cadets from which of the
following countries ?
1. Bhutan 2. Bangladesh
3. Nepal 4. Afghanistan
Select the correct answer using the code
given below.
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1 and 2 only
69. With which one of the following
countries has India (Feb 2017) cleared a
Rs. 17,000 crore deal to jointly develop
a medium-range surface-to-air missile
(MR-SAM) for the Army ?
(a) USA (b) Israel
(c) France (d) UK
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
70. Who among the following was
associated with the formulation of the
basic ideas of the Mahayana Buddhism ?
(a) Nagarjuna
(b) Kashyapa Matanga
(c) Menander
(d) Kanishka
71. Consider the following statements
about Harappan Culture :
1. The Harappan Culture matured in
Sind and Punjab.
2. It spread from there to
Southwards and Eastwards.
3. The area, where it spread, was
bigger than Egypt and
Mesopotamia.
Which of the statements given above
is/are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
72. Megasthenes was a
(a) Greek ambassador to the court of
Chandragupta Maurya
(b) Greek trader during Ashoka’s time
(c) Greek trader in the Gupta period
(d) Chinese pilgrim during Harsha’s
time
73. By the late 19th century, India was
one of the largest producers and
exporters of
(a) cotton yarn and wheat
(b) sugar and rice
(c) sugar and alcohol
(d) iron and steel
74. Which one of the following is the
correct sequence of appearance of the
poet-saints of the Bhakti-Sufi tradition ?
(a) Basavanna—Appar—Mira Bai
—Lal Ded
(b) Appar—Mira Bai—Lal Ded
—Basavanna
(c) Appar—Basavanna—Lal Ded
—Mira Bai
(d) Basavanna—Mira Bai—Lal Ded
—Appar
51
 75. Who among the following did not
bring trading ships to the port of Surat
in pre-British times ?
(a) Portuguese and English
(b) Russian and German
(c) English and Arab
(d) French and Arab
76. The Factory Act of 1891 in India
was enacted to
(a) improve the condition of labour
in India
(b) ensure greater governmental
control over industry in India
(c) provide a level playing field for
English manufacturers
(d) enable greater political control
over Indian industry
77. Which of the following statements
is correct ?
(a) The Presiding Officer of the Rajya
Sabha is elected every year
(b) The Presiding Officer of the Rajya
Sabha is elected for a term of 5
years
(c) The Presiding Officer of the Rajya
Sabha is elected for a term of 6
years
(d) The Vice-President of India is the
ex-officio Presiding Officer of the
Rajya Sabha
78. Who among the following was not
a member of the Drafting Committee
of the Constitution of India ?
(a) B. R. Ambedkar
(b) K. M. Munshi
(c) Krishnaswamy Iyer
(d) M. K. Gandhi
79. Who among the following was not
a member of the ‘Big Four’ in the
Congress of Vienna (1815) ?
(a) Great Britain (b) Russia
(c) Austria (d) France
80. The Stamps Act Congress
consisting of delegates from nine of the
thirteen colonies met in 1765 at
(a) Philadelphia (b) New York City
(c) Boston (d) Providence
52
81. Which of the following American
colonies did not attend the first
Continental Congress held in
Philadelphia ?
(a) Rhode Island (b) Connecticut
(c) Georgia (d) Maryland
82. The Bolshevik Revolution started
in Russia during the reign of
(a) Czar Alexander I
(b) Czar Alexander II
(c) Czar Alexander III
(d) Czar Nicholas II
83. Which of the following is/are not
related to fundamental duties ?
1. To cherish and follow the noble ideals
which inspired our national struggle
for freedom
2. To value and preserve the rich heritage
of our compositive culture
3. To promote the educational and
economic interest of the weaker
sections of the people, especially the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes
4. To protect all monuments of historic
interest and national importance
Select the correct answer using the code
given below.
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4 (d) 4 only
84. Joint sittings of the two Houses
of Indian Parliament are held to
(a) elect the President of India
(b) elect the Vice-President of India
(c) adopt a Constitution Amendment
Bill
(d) consider and pass a Bill on which
type two Houses disagree
85. The President of India can issue
proclamation of Emergency
(a) on the advice of the Prime Minister
(b) on the advice of the Council of
Ministers
(c) in his own discretion
(d) when the decision of the Union
Cabinet for the issue of such
proclamation has been
communicated to him in writing
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
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 92. The permanent wind that blows 99. Consider the following statements :
from the horse latitude to the equatorial 1. Carbohydrates are the only source
region is known as of energy to humans.
(a) westerly (b) trade wind 2. Fats give maximum energy on
(c) doldrum (d) easterly oxidation as compared to other foods.
93. Two bodies A and B having Which of the statements given above
masses m and 4m respectively are is/are correct ?
moving with equal linear momentum. (a) 1 only
The ratio of kinetic energies between A (b) 2 only
and B is (c) Both 1 and 2
(a) 1 : 4 (b) 4 : 1 (d) Neither 1 nor
(c) 1 : 1 (d) 1 : 2 100. The place located at the
94. Optical glass used in the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi
construction of spectacles is made by rivers is
(a) flint glass (b) Crookes glass (a) Badrinath
(c) quartz glass (d) hard glass (b) Rishikesh
95. Which one of the following cell (c) Rudraprayag
organelles is absent in animal cell ? (d) Devprayag
(a) Cell membrane
(b) Endoplasmic reticulum ANSWERS
(c) Cell wall 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (a)
(d) Mitochondria
96. Which one of the following is a 5. (a) 6. (b) 7. (a) 8. (c)
warm ocean current ? 9. (a) 10. (c) 11. (c) 12. (a)
(a) Labrador current 13. (d) 14. (c) 15. (a) 16. (b)
(b) Kuroshio current 17. (b) 18. (b) 19. (c) 20. (c)
(c) Peru current 21. (b) 22. (a) 23. (c) 24. (a)
(d) Banguela current 25. (b) 26. (d) 27. (c) 28. (c)
97. A force applied on a body is 29. (d) 30. (b) 31. (c) 32. (a)
33. (c) 34. (d) 35. (a) 36. (b)
37. (b) 38. (b) 39. (a) 40. (b)
and accelerates it at 1 m/s2. The mass 41. (b) 42. (b) 43. (c) 44. (d)
of the body is 45. (a) 46. (a) 47. (c) 48. (a)
(a) 10 kg (b) 10 2 kg 49. (c) 50. (a) 51. (d) 52. (a)
53. (a) 54. (a) 55. (c) 56. (a)
(c) 2 10 kg (d) 8 kg 57. (b) 58. (c) 59. (b) 60. (a)
98. The burning sensation of a bee 61. (c) 62. (b) 63. (b) 64. (b)
sting can be stopped by rubbing the
affected area with soap. This is because 65. (d) 66. (a) 67. (b) 68. (b)
(a) a bee sting is acidic and soap, an 69. (b) 70. (a) 71. (d) 72. (a)
alkali neutralises it 73. (a) 74. (c) 75. (b) 76. (a)
(b) a bee sting is alkaline and soap, an 77. (d) 78. (d) 79. (d) 80. (b)
acid neutralises it 81. (c) 82. (d) 83. (c) 84. (d)
(c) soap cleans the affected area and 85. (d) 86. (d) 87. (b) 88. (c)
removes the sting 89. (a) 90. (d) 91. (c) 92. (b)
(d) soap acts as an anesthetic and dulls 93. (b) 94. (a) 95. (c) 96. (b)
the sensation 97. (b) 98. (a) 99. (b) 100. (d)
54 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
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 SPECIAL BOOKLET
THE UNIVERSE
The term “Universe” is derived from
the Latin word “universum”, which was
used by Roman statesman Cicero and
later Roman authors to refer to the world
and the cosmos as they knew it. This
consisted of the Earth and all living
creatures that dwelt therein, as well as
the Moon, the Sun, the then-known
planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn) and the stars. The term
“cosmos” is often used interchangeably
with the Universe. It is derived from the
Greek word kosmos, which literally means
“the world”. Today, this term is often
used to refer to all things that exist within
the known Universe—the Solar System,
the Milky Way, and all known galaxies
and superstructures. In the context of
modern science, astronomy and
astrophysics, it also refers to all
spacetime, all forms of energy (i.e.
electromagnetic radiation and matter)
and the physical laws that bind them.
The Cosmos or the Universe, as
perceived today, comprises millions of
galaxies. A galaxy is a huge congregation
of stars which are held together by the
forces of gravity. Most of the galaxies
appear to be scattered in the space in a
random manner, but there are many
others which remain clustered in groups.
Our own galaxy, called the Milky Way
or Akash Ganga, which appears as a river
of bright light flowing through the sky,
belongs to a cluster of some 24 galaxies
called the ‘local group’. The Milky Way
is made up of over a hundred billion
sparkling stars, which, though quite
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
distant from one another, seem from
the Earth as having been placed close
together. The two other nearest galaxies
are the Large Magellanic Cloud and the
Small Magellanic Cloud, named after the
famous Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand
Magellan (1480-1521), who discovered
them.
The Universe is infinite, both in time
and space. It is currently estimated at
roughly 13.8 billion years old, give or
take 130 million years. In comparison,
the solar system is only about 4.6 billion
years old. This estimate came from
measuring the composition of matter
and energy density in the universe. This
allowed researchers to compute how fast
the universe expanded in the past. With
that knowledge, they could turn the
clock back and extrapolate when the Big
Bang happened. The time between then
and now is the age of the universe. In
June 2001, NASA launched the MAP
(Microwave Anisotropy Probe) to study
the cosmic, microwave background
radiation in greater detail according to
which the exact age of the universe is
13.7 billion years after the theoretical
Big Bang. The human perception of the
Universe has, however, been different at
different times over the long span of
history of civilisation. The innate human
inquisitiveness and tireless pursuit of
knowledge have brought about
revolutionary changes about our ideas
of the Universe. The Moon and the stars
are no longer looked upon as heavenly
bodies or the abodes of gods. Solar and
63
lunar eclipses are no more dreaded as
foretellers of natural calamities. Man’s
conquest of the Moon has now blown
off many a myth of the religious
testaments.
It was around 6th century BC that
men started enquiring into the mysteries
of the Universe in an endeavour to
rationally analyse the earthly and the
heavenly phenomena. They posed
several questions to themselves : What
is the Universe ? Why do things change ?
Why do things move ? What is life ? and
so on. These questions were of far-
reaching significance to the development
of modern science.
The view that the Earth was a perfect
motionless sphere, surrounded by seven
other crystalline spheres—the Sun, the
Moon, and the five known planets, viz.,
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and
Jupiter, which revolved round the Earth
on seven inner spheres, was given by
Ancient Greek mathematicians and
astronomers. The stars were permanently
fixed to the outer sphere that marked
the edge of the Universe.
The various data gathered by the early
Greek astronomers was synthesised by
Ptolemy, a second century Greco-
Egyptian astronomer in his book, Almagest,
and he presented his system of astronomy
based on a Geocentric (Earth-centred)
Universe. He maintained that the Earth
was the centre of the Universe, and the
Sun and other heavenly bodies revolved
round the Earth. This view of the Universe
remained firmly entrenched in the minds
of the people right up to the middle of
the 16th century. Most men in the Middle
Ages strongly adhered to the Ptolemaic
system as they felt that they did, indeed,
live in a physically limited, rigidly
structured Universe centred round a
motionless Earth. The Greeks had also
estimated the visible Universe to be about
125 million miles in diameter.
64 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
The publication of De Revolutionibus
Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolution of
Celestial Bodies) by Copernicus (1473-
1543) gave a severe blow to the generally
accepted view of Geocentric Universe.
The main points of the Copernican system
are: (i) the Sun and the stars are motionless;
(ii) the Sun lies at the centre of the Universe
and the stars at its circumference; (iii) the
Earth rotates on its axis taking 24 hours
to complete one rotation; and (iv) the
Earth and the planets revolve round the
Sun; whereas the Moon revolves round
the Earth. This system of Universe, as
propounded by Copernicus, was more
consistent than that of Ptolemy. But its
major flaw was that while it changed the
centre of the Universe from the Earth
to the Sun, it did not enlarge the limits
of the Universe, as the Universe still
remained equated with the Solar System.
It was later on that Galileo Galilei (1564-
1642), an Italian astronomer, too, with his
newly-invented telescope demonstrated
the validity of the Copernican system
through his studies of the phases of the
Venus and the moons of Jupiter that the
Earth did revolve round the Sun. He
discovered many new stars and proved
that sensory appearances could be
deceptive and that it is our own limitations
of perception and reason that place
boundaries around the Universe. To be
punished for telling the truth was not
uncommon in the 16th century, and those
who dared to do so, had to face the wrath
of the Church. Indeed, Galileo had to pay
the penalty for telling the truth.
Isaac Newton (1642-1727), an English
Scientist, established that forces of
gravitation linked all material bodies in
the huge Universe and revealed that
these bodies moved in accordance with
strict mathematical laws. God was still
the Creator, but he exercised a thorough
mastery over mathematics and
engineering.
 The image of the Universe got
further expanded in the 19th century
when Sir William Herschel (1738-1822),
the British astronomer, established that
the Universe was not limited to the
Solar System alone, but is much vaster
than that. According to him, the Solar
System was only a small part of a much
bigger star system, called the Galaxy
which consisted of millions of stars
scattered in the sky in a unique
pattern of a band of light called the
Milky Way.
The beginning of the 20th century
gave a further extension when, in 1925,
Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953), an
American astronomer, contended that
besides the Milky Way and the two other
known galaxies, viz., the Large Magellanic
Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud,
there were other galaxies in the Universe
SPACE AND OUTER SPACE
Space refers to the entire Universe, i.e.,
the Earth and its atmosphere, the Moon,
the Sun and the rest of the Solar System
with its other planets and their satellites,
and all the stars and galaxies spread over
the infinite skies. The term outer space
refers to the entire space except the
Earth and its atmosphere. The outer
space begins where the Earth’s
atmosphere ends, and it extends in all
directions from above the atmosphere
of the Earth.
As both the Universe and the outer
space are infinite, the conventional units
of measurement do not suit to measure
the astronomical distances, such as
distances between the Earth and the
Sun, the Moon or other planets
or distances between other heavenly
bodies. Therefore, different units of
measurement, such as the light year and
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
whose number ran into millions, with
each galaxy containing billions of stars.
And each star is like our Sun, the centre
of the Solar System.
Thus, the finite two-sphere geocentric
system of Universe in which the Earth
occupied the key position has been
relegated to the background. The
Earth is just one planet of the Solar
System and there are millions or billions
of such systems existing in the skies,
some of which have been discovered,
while many others remain unobserved.
When the great German scientist, Albert
Einstein (1879-1955) developed his
general theory of relativity, he visualised
that the Universe would either expand
or collapse, but in 1920s, Edwin Hubble
discovered that the Universe was actually
expanding, everything was moving away
from everything else.
the astronomical unit, have been evolved
to measure distances in the space.
As defined by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU), a light-year
is the distance that light travels in
vacuum in one Julian year (365.25 days).
Light travels in vacuum at a speed of
186,250 miles (299,792.5 km) per
second. Because it includes the word
“year”, the term light-year is sometimes
misinterpreted as a unit of time. It is
about 9.5 quadrillion metres or 5.9
trillion miles.
An astronomical unit is the mean
distance between the Sun and the
Earth, which is 92,857,000 miles or
149,597,900 km. In other words,
one light year has about 60,000
astronomical units. The astronomical
unit is now used to measure the
distances in the Solar System.
65
 MEMBERS OF THE SPACE FAMILY
The Sun is the star at the center of
the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect
sphere of hot plasma, with internal
convective motion that generates a
magnetic field via a dynamo process. It
is by far the most important source of
energy for life on Earth. Its diameter is
about 109 times that of Earth, and its
mass is about 330,000 times that of
Earth, accounting for about 99.86% of
the total mass of the Solar System.
About three quarters of the Sun’s mass
consists of hydrogen (~73%); the rest
is mostly helium (~25%), with much
smaller quantities of heavier elements,
including oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron.
It is one of some 10,000,000 stars which
constitute our galaxy. Its average distance
from the Earth is 149,597,900 km,
equatorial diameter 1,392,520 km, mass
2×1027 tons and its average density
1.4 grams per cc.
A planet is an astronomical body
orbiting a star or stellar remnant that
is massive enough to be rounded by
its own gravity,
is not massive enough to cause
thermonuclear fusion, and
has cleared its neighbouring region of
planetesimals
Planets revolve round the Sun. They
together constitute the Solar System.
Planets are not self-luminous but shine
by radiating the light received from the
Sun. Their orbits are elliptical. Their
sizes, speeds and distances from the Sun
are dissimilar. Till recently, it was
traditionally held that the total number
of planets in our Solar System was nine.
However, at the historic assembly of the
International Astronomical Union (IAU),
world’s top astronomical body, held in
Prague (Czech Republic) in August 2006,
over 2,500 scientists from all over the
66
globe unanimously passed a resolution
through which Pluto was stripped of its
long-standing status as the ninth and
outermost planet of the Solar System.
In the wake of that decision, there are
now eight known planets. They are:
(i) Mercury, (ii) Venus, (iii) Earth,
(iv) Mars, (v) Jupiter, (vi) Saturn,
(vii) Uranus and (viii) Neptune. Neptune
is now farthest from the Sun while
Mercury lies nearest to it.
Satellites A satellite is an object that
moves around a larger object. Earth is a
satellite because it moves around the
Sun. The moon is a satellite because it
moves around Earth. Earth and the
moon are called “natural” satellites.
But usually when someone says
“satellite,” they are talking about a “man-
made” satellite. Man-made satellites are
machines made by people. These
machines are launched into space and
orbit Earth or another body in space.
There are thousands of man-made
satellites. Some take pictures of our
planet. Some take pictures of other
planets, the Sun and other objects. These
pictures help scientists learn about Earth,
the solar system and the universe. Other
satellites send TV signals and phone calls
around the world.
Asteroids are minor planets whose
orbits lie between Jupiter and Mars.
These are said to be the fragments of a
larger planet disrupted long ago. Their
number is estimated to be 30,000 pieces
of rocky debris out of which more than
half are known. Ceres, the first to be
discovered, is the largest asteroid having
a diameter of 670 km. Most of them
are less than 80 km in diameter.
Meteors are small bodies coming
from inter-planetary space. They become
luminous by friction on entering the
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Earth’s atmosphere and are popularly
called shooting stars.
Meteorites are the larger meteors that
reach the Earth and become meteorites.
All meteorites were meteors when in
flight.
Stars are luminous balls of gases,
mostly hydrogen and helium, held
together by their own gravity. Nuclear
fusion reactions in their core support
the stars against gravity and produce
photons and heat, as well as small
amounts of heavier elements. The Sun
is the closest star to Earth. The stars are
situated at enormous distances from the
Solar System. Some of the stars are so
distant that it takes millions of years for
their light to reach us. The distances of
stars are expressed in light years. There
are millions of stars in the Universe.
According to current star formation
theory, stars are born as clumps within
gigantic gas clouds that collapse in on
themselves. The cloud’s material heats
up as it falls inward under the force of
its own gravity. When the gas reaches
about 10 million K (18 million °F),
hydrogen nuclei begin to fuse into
helium nuclei, and the star is born.
Energy from nuclear fusion radiates
outward from the center of the
burgeoning star, and gradually halts the
gas cloud’s collapse.
There are four kinds of stars: (1) Fixed
Stars; (2) Binary (double) Stars;
(3) Temporary Stars (new stars); and
(4) Variable Stars.
Fixed Stars are stars which do not
appear to alter their relative positions in
the sky. These are also called dog stars.
Binary Stars are groups of two stars
revolving round each other under mutual
gravitational attraction.
Temporary Stars are those which
suddenly flare up to greatly increased
brightness and fade away after a short
time. They are also called novae.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Variable Stars are stars the brightness
of which varies from time to time.
Dwarfs are small stars; the brightest
among these are blue dwarfs and the
dimmest are red dwarfs.
Novae are stars which seem to appear
out of nowhere and later disappear.
Ancient Chinese astronomers called
them guest stars. They are also known
as new (nova) stars. Today, we know a
truly new star does not appear and only
a dim star suddenly brightens up.
Red Giants are stars which have
consumed about 10 percent of their
hydrogen on account of which they
appear reddish. Red giants consume their
hydrogen at an increasing rate and
eventually contract to become white
dwarfs.
Comet is a luminous celestial body
which moves about the Solar System in
elliptical or hyperbolic orbits. Comets are
usually accompanied by a long shining
tail. Hyperbolic comets are seen only
once and they do not reappear. Elliptical
comets are periodic and their recurrence
can be calculated, as in the case of
Halley’s Comet.
Pulsars are highly compact stellar
objects, distinct from the stars one sees
in the night sky, rotating rapidly and
emitting electromagnetic radiation in
pulses much in the manner of a
lighthouse flashing light. Pulsars are
thought to be rapidly spinning neutron
stars, in which matter is in the form of
‘degenerate’ neutron liquid with densities
reaching values of 100 million gm per
cc. Astronomers expect the newly-born
neutron stars to be pulsars.
QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
Q. What are Supernovae ?
A. Supernovae, which are rare
occurrences in the observable parts of
our galaxy, are violent explosions of
massive stars where all but the inner core
67
of the star is blown off into interstellar
space. A supernova produces, in a few
days, as much energy as the Sun would
radiate in 1,000 million years. It leaves
behind as cinder, dense compact objects
such as black holes or neutron stars
depending upon the mass of the core.
The most recently discovered
Supernova was sighted on February 23,
1987. It lies in the Large Magellanic
Cloud and is about 1,70,000 light years
distant.
Q. What are Nebulae ?
A. The clouds of rarified gas, which
exist between stars, glow due to the
radiation of the light of the stars. The
radiated clouds of rarified gas are called
nebulae. Their visibility is hazy and faint.
Q. What is the difference between
a planet and a star ?
A. Stars are self-luminous celestial
bodies and they have a system of their
own. Planets, on the other hand, are
bodies which revolve around a star and
shine by the reflected light of the stars.
For example, Sun is a star having a
system and luminosity of its own. Earth
is a planet and it is lighted by the
reflected rays of the Sun.
Q. Why do the stars twinkle ?
A. The light from the stars travels
through different layers of space. These
layers have varying densities. Due to
varying density, the light rays deviate
from their original path. Further, these
layers are not stationary but keep on
moving. This leads to the twinkling effect
of the stars.
Q. The tail of a comet gets shorter
as it recedes from the Sun. Why ?
A. The tail of a comet is composed
of gas and fine dust particles. It develops
as the comet approaches the Sun and is
likely to become conspicuous if the
perihelion is close to the Sun. The tail
generally points directly away from the
Sun, because it is repelled by a force
which is greater than that of the Sun’s
68 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
attraction. The repulsive force is
generally accounted for due to the force
of the Sun’s radiation. As the comet
recedes from the Sun, its tail gets shorter
due to the decrease in the repulsive
force of the Sun’s radiations because of
the falling temperature with increasing
distance from the Sun.
Q. Why does the sky appear to be
blue?
A. The sunlight, while travelling
through the atmosphere, is broken up
and scattered by the tiny particles of
air, water vapour and dust and makes
the sky look blue. As we know, the
sunlight is made up of seven colours
and it travels in waves. Light of different
colours moves in waves of different
lengths. The waves of blue are much
shorter than the waves of red or orange
light. As the sunlight travels through the
atmosphere, the waves of blue light are
just of the right size (shorter waves) to
be broken and scattered by the air, water
vapour and dust particles, and then they
are spread in all directions, while the
waves of red and orange lights pass right
through the atmosphere and reach our
eyes. This scattering of blue light makes
the sky appear blue. However, in the
morning and in the evening, i.e., the time
of sunrise or sunset, the light from the
Sun passes through greater layers of
atmosphere that scatter the orange and
the red light waves as well. Thus, the
sky looks red or orange colour at those
times.
Q. What would be the colour of
the sky if there were no atmosphere?
A. Colours of the sky, blue in the
daytime and orange or red at sunrise
and sunset, are all made to appear so by
the scattering of the sunlight by air,
water and dust particles as it travels
through the atmosphere. If there were
no atmosphere, there would be no such
breaking up and scattering of sunlight
and thus the sky would always appear
to be deep black in colour. However,
there would be still some colours dotting
the black skies as the stars that are red,
blue, yellow, purple, etc., in colours
would still keep the same colour as these
colours are not largely affected by the
atmosphere of the Earth.
Q. Why do comets have tails?
A. Comets are probably best known
for their long, luminous tails. These tails
are actually plumes of dust and gas that
are ejected from the comet as it nears
the Sun. Comets are composed of
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The Solar system is the gravitationally-
bound system comprising the Sun and
eight planets and their moons. It also
consists of several thousand minor
planets called asteroids or planetoids and
a large number of comets. In order of
their distance from the Sun, the planets
of the Solar System are : Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune. Mercury and Venus are closer
to the Sun than the Earth. It is possible
to see their motions around the Sun
from the Earth. Both these planets
require less time to pass between the
Earth and the Sun than around the far
side of the Sun. The temperature found
on each planet depends upon its distance
from the Sun. The closer the planet to
the Sun, the higher is its temperature.
All planets rotate upon their axes—
Venus and Uranus—from east to west
and all other planets, from west to east.
The direction of planets in their
revolutions around the Sun is also from
west to east.
The Solar System was formed 4.6
billion years ago from the gravitational
collapse of a giant interstellar molecular
cloud. The vast majority of the system’s
mass is in the Sun, with the majority of
the remaining mass contained in Jupiter.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
frozen ice and dust. If a comet’s orbit
takes it close to the Sun, the solar
radiation will cause the volatile materials
in the comet to vaporize, carrying some
of the dust along with them. As the
Sun shines on this vaporized material,
known as the coma, it begins to glow.
The solar wind pushes the material out
away from the comet. Because of this,
a comet’s tail always points away from
the Sun. Comets will usually have two
tails, one formed from ionized gas, and
the other formed from dust reflecting
the sunlight.
The four smaller inner planets, Mercury,
Venus, Earth and Mars, are terrestrial
planets, being primarily composed of
rock and metal. The four outer planets
are giant planets, being substantially
more massive than the terrestrials. The
two largest, Jupiter and Saturn, are gas
giants, being composed mainly of
hydrogen and helium; the two outermost
planets, Uranus and Neptune, are ice
giants, being composed mostly of
substances with relatively high melting
points compared with hydrogen and
helium, called volatiles, such as water,
ammonia and methane. All eight planets
have almost circular orbits that lie within
a nearly flat disc called the ecliptic.
It was believed that the Universe came
into existence about 10-15 billion years
ago. In 1999, a new age for the cosmos
was determined by the Hubble project
team of NASA to be 12 billion years
old (plus or minus 10%). In June 2001,
NASA launched the Wilkinson MAP to
study the cosmic microwave background
radiation in greater detail according to
which the exact age of the Earth has
been determined as 13.7 billion years
after the historical Big Bang. At that time,
it comprised hydrogen and a small
amount of helium only. There were
69
 Planet Superlatives
Terrestrial planets ...................................................... Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Jovian planets ...................................................... Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
Largest, most massive planet ........................................................................... Jupiter
Fastest orbiting planet .................................................................................... Mercury
Fastest sidereal rotation .................................................................................... Jupiter
Longest (synodic) day..................................................................................... Mercury
Rotational pole closest to ecliptic ................................................................. Uranus
Most moons ......................................................................................................... Jupiter
Planet with largest moon ................................................................................. Jupiter
Greatest average density ..................................................................................... Earth
Tallest mountain .................................................................................................... Mars
Strongest magnetic fields .................................................................................. Jupiter
Most circular orbit .............................................................................................. Venus
Smallest, least massive planet ....................................................................... Mercury
Slowest orbiting planet ................................................................................... Neptune
Slowest sidereal rotation .................................................................................... Venus
Coldest surface temperature ......................................................................... Neptune
Shortest (synodic) day ....................................................................................... Jupiter
Hottest planet ....................................................................................................... Venus
No moons ............................................................................................ Mercury, Venus
Planet with moon with most eccentric orbit ........................................... Neptune
Lowest average density ...................................................................................... Saturn
Deepest oceans ................................................................................................... Jupiter
Greatest amount of liquid, surface water ...................................................... Earth
neither planets nor stars. The Sun comes from the Sun. The average
appears to have been formed 4.9 billion distance of the Sun from the Earth is
years ago. Many stars appeared before 149,597,900 km and its equatorial
the Sun was formed and many more diameter is 1,392,520 km, whereas its
followed the Sun’s formation. This surface is approximately 12,000 times of
process of formation of stars continues. the Earth. The Sun rotates on its axis in
Being combustible, stars have a limited 25 days 9 hours and 7 minutes. It is
life. 400,000 times as bright as the full moon
The Sun : The Sun is the largest and its rays travel at a tremendous speed
member of the Solar System. Every of about 300,000 kilometres per second
member of the Solar System revolves and take a little more than eight minutes
round the Sun. The Sun is made up of to reach the Earth.
extremely hot gases. (By mass : hydrogen Mercury : It is the smallest and
(69.5%), helium (28%), carbon (2.5%), innermost planet in the Solar System.
nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, silicon, iron and Its orbital period around the Sun of 88
magnesium, altogether and traces of days is the shortest of all the planets in
other elements). It gives out huge flames. the Solar System. It is named after the
It is the only source of heat and light Roman deity Mercury, the messenger to
for the entire Solar System. Virtually, the the gods. It orbits the Sun at an average
entire energy sustaining the living beings distance of 57,909,100 km. Its diameter
70 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission
The US space agency NASA on October 19, 2008 launched Interstellar
Boundary Explorer Mission (IBEX) to image and map dynamic interactions
between the solar system and interstellar space. The mission is part of NASA’s
Small Explorer programme and was launched with a Pegasus-XL rocket. The
mission is just as an impressionist artist makes an image from countless tiny
strokes of paint. IBEX is tasked with building an image of the outer boundary
of the solar system from impacts on the spacecraft by high-speed particles called
energetic neutral atoms.
The design and operation of the mission is being led by the Southwest Research
Institute, with the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Lockheed Martin
Advanced Technology Center serving as co-investigator institutions responsible
for the IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo sensors respectively.
Results from the IBEX have repeatedly shocked the scientific community and
overturned old theories. The first shock was when it revealed a narrow ribbon
of energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions. Then it showed shifts in the band
over time. Another surprise came when no bow shock was found. The repercussions
for overturing the bow shock theory are huge, because decades of research are
based on this concept.
IBEX is in a Sun-oriented spin-stabilised orbit around the Earth. In June
2011, IBEX was shifted to a new more efficient orbit. It does not come as close
to the Moon in the new orbit, and expends less fuel to maintain its position
The normal mission base line duration was two years to observe the entire
solar system. This was completed by 2011 and thereafter it was given an extension
to continue further observations.

is 4,878 km and it moves round the Sun
at a high speed, at an average of 30
miles per second. The planet rotates on
its axis over a period of 58 days,
15 hours, 30 minutes and 34 seconds.
Although closest to the Sun, it has the
largest range of temperature change
from day to night, baking and freezing
as it comes near the Sun and is far away
from it. It is believed to be airless and
waterless planet. Mercury has no moons,
but it does have a trace of atmosphere
and a weak magnetic field. The US
Mariner space probes of 1974 and 1975
revealed that the planet has a moon like
heavily cratered surfaces and a slight
magnetic field. Radar’s photographs
showed the possibility of the planet’s
polar regions having ice.
Venus : It is the second planet from
the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
days. It has the longest rotation period
(243 days) of any planet in the Solar
System and rotates in the opposite
direction to most other planets. It has
no natural satellites. It is named after
the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
It is the second-brightest natural object
in the night sky after the Moon, reaching
an apparent magnitude of –4.6, bright
enough to cast shadows at night and,
though rare, occasionally be visible in
broad daylight. Because Venus orbits
within Earth’s orbit it is an inferior planet
and never appears to venture far from
the Sun; its maximum angular distance
from the Sun (elongation) is 47.8°.
Venus, is the brightest of all the
planets and is slightly smaller than the
Earth. It is closest to the Earth passing
at a distance of 39,000,000 km away. It
is often visible in the mornings and
71
evenings, when it is frequently referred
to as the Morning Star or the Evening
Star. Its diameter is 12,102 km. It is at
a distance of 108,208,900 km from the
Sun. It rotates very slowly in a clockwise
direction, i.e., contrary to the spin of
other planets. About 95 percent of the
planet is marked by meteorites, craters
and extensive volcanic activity. Venus can
be easily seen from the Earth with naked
eye; it is the third brightest object in the
sky next to the Sun and the Moon.
The Earth : Earth is the third planet
from the Sun and is the largest of the
terrestrial planets. The Earth is the only
planet in our solar system not to be
named after a Greek or Roman deity.
The Earth was formed approximately
4.54 billion years ago and is the only
known planet to support life. The Earth
lies between Venus and Mars and is the
fifth largest planet. It has an equatorial
diameter of 12,756 km and a polar
diameter of 12,714 km. The Earth is at
a distance of 149,597,900 km from the
Sun and orbits round the Sun at a speed
of 107,220 km per hour, making one
revolution in 365 days, 5 hours,
48 minutes and 45.51 seconds. It
completes one rotation on its axis every
23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds.
The Earth is a unique planet. It is a
bit pear-shaped rather than a true sphere
with an 18-metre rise at the North Pole
and a 26-metre depression at the South
Pole. The Earth is considered a solid,
rigid mass with a dense core of magnetic,
probably metallic material. It is the only
planet containing ample water and air
around it. The temperature on the Earth
is also suitable for human life. The Earth
has only one natural satellite, i.e., the
Moon. It is at least 4.6 billion years old
(though the latest research puts it at 3.5
billion years). Its total surface area is
509,700,000 sq km of which 29 percent
(148,400,000 sq km) is land area and
the rest 71 percent (361,300,000 sq km)
72
Some interesting facts about
the solar system
1. Uranus is tilted on its side.
2. Jupiter’s moon Io has towering
volcanic eruptions.
3. Mars has the biggest volcano.
This includes Olympus Mons,
the big gest volcano ever
discovered in the solar system.
4. Mars also has the longest
valley—Valles Marineris.
5. Venus has super-powerful winds
that flow 50 times faster than
the planet’s rotation.
6. Water ice, once considered a rare
substance in space, exists all over
the solar system.
7. Mercury is still shrinking.
8. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is
shrinking
9. Neptune radiates more heat than
it gets from the Sun
10. Mars has varying amounts of
methane in its atmosphere.
is water. Highest land : Mount Everest
(8,848 metres). Lowest land : Shore of
the Dead Sea (about 399 metres below
sea level). Highest temperature : 58°C
at Al Aziziyah (Libya). Lowest
temperature : –89.6°C at Vostok Station
at Antarctica. Average surface
temperature : 14°C.
Roughly 71 percent of Earth’s surface
is covered by water, most of it in the
oceans. About a fifth of Earth’s
atmosphere is made up of oxygen,
produced by plants.
Earth is a bit closer to the Sun in
early January and farther away in July,
although this variation has a much
smaller effect than the heating and
cooling caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis.
Earth happens to lie within the so-called
“Goldilocks zone” around its star, where
temperatures are just right to maintain
liquid water on its surface.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 ELEMENTS OF THE PLANETARY ORBITS
Planet Mean distance Perihelion Aphelion Sidereal
from Sun (km) distance (km) distance (km) period (days)
Mercury 57,909,100 46,001,000 69,817,000 87.97
Venus 108,208,900 107,475,000 108,943,000 224.70
Earth 149,597,900 147,097,000 152,099,000 365.26
Mars 227,940,500 206,656,000 249,226,000 686.98
Jupiter 778,333,000 740,750,000 815,920,000 4,332.62
Saturn 1,426,978,000 1,347,020,000 1,506,940,000 10,759.06
Uranus 2,870,991,000 2,738,560,000 3,003,400,000 30,707.79
Neptune 4,497,070,000 4,451,880,000 4,542,270,000 60,199.63
PARAMETERS OF THE SUN AND THE PLANETS
Sun or Diameter Rotation Period
Planet
Equatorial (km) Polar (km) d h m s

Sun 1,392,520 25 09 07
Mercury 4,878 58 15 30 34
Venus 12,102 *243 00 14
Earth 12,756 12,714 23 56 04
Mars 6,794 6,752 24 37 23
Jupiter 142,880 133,540 9 50 30
Saturn 120,500 106,900 10 14
Uranus 51,400 50,300 16 10
Neptune 49,528 47,500 18 26
*Retrograde direction, i.e., contrary to that of the general motion of similar bodies.
Mars : Mars is the fourth planet from atmosphere this water would have to be
the Sun and the second-smallest planet salty to prevent it from freezing or
in the Solar System, after Mercury. vaporising.
Named after the Roman god of war, it Mars is the first planet beyond the
is often referred to as the “Red Planet” Earth. Its equatorial diameter is 6,792 km
because the iron oxide prevalent on its and polar diameter 6,752 km. It is
surface gives it a reddish appearance. 227,940,500 km away from the Sun.
Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin Moving at a speed of about 25 km per
atmosphere, having surface features second, Mars completes one revolution
reminiscent both of the impact craters around the Sun in about 687 days. It
of the Moon and the valleys, deserts, rotates on its axis in 24 hours, 37 minutes
and polar ice caps of Earth. and 22.663 seconds, i.e., almost the same
For years Mars has been known to period of time as taken by the Earth.
have water in the form of ice. The first Mars was closest to the Earth (54 million
signs of trickling water are dark stripes km) at 7:30 a.m. on August 27, 2003. The
or stains on crater wall and cliffs seen unique happening occurred for the first
in satellite images. Due to Mars’ time in the last 60,000 years. The next
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 73
time, the two planets get so close will be
in 2287, i.e., 276 years hence. Mars is
named after the Roman god of war,
because, when seen from the Earth, its
distinct red colour reminded the ancient
people of blood. Mars has two satellites—
Phobos and Deimos. In addition to
observation from Earth, some of the
latest Mars information comes from seven
active probes on or in-orbit around Mars,
including five orbiters and two rovers.
This includes 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars
Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter,
MAVEN, Mars Orbiter Mission,
Opportunity, and Curiosity. NASA, which
announced the evidence of water on Mars
indicating the prospects of life on this
planet in July 2000, has already joined the
hunt for life on Mars. Marking a new
milestone in mankind’s space odyssey,
NASA’s Curiosity rover ended its eight-
month, 566-million-km journey to
successfully land at Mars on August 6,
2012. The $2.5-billion Mars Science
Laboratory touched down inside the Gale
Crater on the surface on the red planet.
After the touch-down, it took Curiosity
seven minutes to beam back its first image,
a scene of rocky ground, back to Earth.
The rover will look out for indications
of whether the planet once harboured
life. It is NASA’s first astrobiology mission
after the Viking probes of the 1970s.
Curiosity was initially funded for a two-
year period. However, experts now expect
that it will continue with its mission for
a longer time span. Earlier, NASA’s Mars
Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity
landed on the Red Planet on January 4
and January 25, 2004, respectively, to
search for water and life. Prior to this,
Europe’s Mars Express Orbiter and its
Lander Beagle-2 had found direct evidence
of water in the form of ice on Mars’
surface. But Beagle-2 disappeared on
December 25, 2003 after a powerful radio
74
telescope failed to detect its feeble signals.
NASA declared on March 18, 2013 a
significant breakthrough by Curiosity,
saying that the rover had detected water-
bearing minerals in Martian rocks using
infrared-imaging capabilities of a camera
mounted on it.
On September 24, 2014, Mars Orbiter
Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan,
launched by the Indian Space Research
Organisation, reached Mars orbit. ISRO
launched MOM on November 5, 2013,
with the aim of analysing the Martian
atmosphere and topography. The Mars
Orbiter Mission used a Hohmann
transfer orbit to escape Earth’s
gravitational influence and catapult into
a nine-month-long voyage to Mars. The
mission is the first successful Asian
interplanetary mission. ISRO has
become the fourth space agency to reach
Mars, after the Soviet space programme,
NASA, and the European Space Agency.
Jupiter : With an equatorial diameter
of 142,880 km and a polar diameter of
133,540 km, Jupiter is the largest planet of
our Solar System—a gaseous world as
large as 1300 earths. Jupiter’s rate of rotation
is rapid and it completes one rotation in
9 hours, 50 minutes and 30 seconds.
Jupiter is called a gas giant planet. Its
atmosphere is made up of mostly
hydrogen gas and helium gas, like the Sun.
The planet is covered in thick red, brown,
yellow and white clouds. The clouds make
the planet look like it has stripes.
One of Jupiter’s most famous features
is the Great Red Spot. It is a giant
spinning storm, resembling a hurricane.
At its widest point, the storm is about
3½ times the diameter of Earth. Jupiter
is very windy. Winds range from
192 mph to more than 400 mph.
Jupiter has three thin rings that are
difficult to see. NASA’s Voyager 1
spacecraft discovered the rings in 1979.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Jupiter’s rings are made up mostly of
tiny dust particles.
The distance between Jupiter and the
Sun is 778,333,000 km. Jupiter completes
one revolution around the Sun in
4,332.62 days (about 12 years). It has a
ring system much fainter than that of
Saturn which is not visible from the
Earth. Jupiter has at least 64 natural
satellites. Of these, 51 are less than
10 km in diameter and have only been
discovered after 1975. The four largest
moons, known as the Galilean moons,
are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Named after the king of the Roman
gods, Jupiter rotates so fast that it is
greatly flattened at the poles.
Scientists at the University of Maryland
and the Max Planck Institute for Solar
System Research in Germany, have
claimed to have solved the long-standing
mystery about the cause of anomalies in
Jupiter’s rings, attributing them to the
interplay of shadow and sunlight on dust
particles that make up the rings. The dust
forming Jupiter’s fault rings is produced
when bits of space debris smash into the
small inner moons—Adrastea, Metis,
Amalthea and Thebe. This dust is then
organised into a main ring, an inner halo
and two fainter and more distant gossamer
rings.
Saturn : Second in size to Jupiter,
Saturn is about 1,426,978,000 km away
from the Sun. Its equatorial diameter is
120,536 km and polar diameter 106,900
km. It takes 10 hours and 14 minutes to
complete one rotation. It revolves round
the Sun in 10,759.06 days (about 30
years). Saturn is less dense but colder
than Jupiter. Its specific gravity is less
than that of water. At least 62 natural
satellites are known to circle Saturn.
Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and the
only satellite in the solar system to have
clouds and a dense atmosphere
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
composed mostly of nitrogen and
methane. As to the peculiar traits of
some other Saturnian moons, Enceladus
ejects water, Hyperion has a highly
irregular shape and eccentric orbit, and
Iapetus has a two-tone surface. The
planet’s outstanding satellite, Titan, was
first discovered by the Dutch astronomer
Christian Huygens in 1656. Last of the
planets visible to the naked eye, Saturn
looks like a bright star. The rings can be
seen with a small telescope.
Saturn is adorned with thousands of
beautiful ringlets and is unique among
the planets. It is not the only planet to
have rings—made of chunks of ice and
rock—but none are as spectacular or as
complicated as Saturn’s. Like fellow gas
giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball of
mostly hydrogen and helium.
Surrounded by 53 confirmed and nine
provisional moons, Saturn is home to
some of the most fascinating landscapes
in our solar system. From the jets of
Enceladus to the methane lakes on
smoggy Titan, the Saturn system is a
rich source of scientific discovery and
still holds many mysteries.
Saturn is a gas giant with an average
radius about nine times that of Earth.
Although it has only one-eighth the
average density of Earth, with its larger
volume Saturn is just over 95 times more
massive. Saturn is named after the
Roman god of agriculture.
NASA astronomers announced on
December 26, 2010 that an oxygen
atmosphere had been found on Saturn’s
second largest moon, Rhea. At about
5,27,000 kilometres from Saturn, Rhea
orbits inside the planet’s magnetic field.
According to researchers, Rhea’s oxygen
atmosphere is maintained by the ongoing
chemical breakdown of water ice on the
moon’s surface, driven by radiation from
Saturn’s magnetosphere.
75
 NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which has
been orbiting the Saturnian system since
2004, detected the oxygen atmosphere
around Rhea during a close fly-by of
the icy moon. Cassini’s data show that
molecular oxygen forms inside the
moon’s surface ice when water molecules
are split by energetic ions, a process
known as radiolysis. The oxygen then
gets ejected from the surface ice and
captured by Rhea’s gravity to form the
atmosphere.
Scientists believe that the Titan rocks
may harbour life in their pores.
According to them, Titan’s atmospheric
clouds and methane lakes bear close
resemblance to the Earth’s atmosphere
some 4.6 billion years ago.
Obser vations made by the
international Cassini spacecraft reveal that
Saturn’s trademark shimmering rings,
which have dazzled astronomers, have
dramatically changed over the past three
decades.
Among the most surprising findings
is that parts of Saturn’s innermost ring—
the D ring—have grown dimmer since
the Voyager spacecraft flew by the planet
in 1981. A piece of the D ring has also
shifted, moving 200 km inward towards
the planet.
Scientists also unexpectedly found that
ice particles that make up Saturn’s main
rings--—the A, B and C rings—were
spinning slower than expected. They
expected the denser A and B rings,
where crowds of particles crash into one
another like bumper cars, to rotate faster
than the sparser C ring.
While scientists are puzzled over what
caused Saturn’s D ring to change in such
a short period, the observations could
tell something about the age and lifetime
of ringed planets.
Uranus : The seventh planet from
the Sun with the third largest diameter
76
in our solar system, Uranus is very cold
and windy. The ice giant is surrounded
by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons—
two largest being Titania (1580 km) and
Oberon (1516 km). Its axis is tilted at
97 degrees, so it goes round the Sun
nearly lying on its side. Due to Uranus’
unusual inclination, the polar regions
receive more sunlight during a Uranus
year of 84 Earth years. This unique tilt
makes Uranus appear to spin on its side,
orbiting the Sun like a rolling ball.
The first planet found with the aid of
a telescope, Uranus was discovered in
1781 by astronomer William Herschel,
although he originally thought it was
either a comet or a star. It was two years
later that the object was universally
accepted as a new planet, in part because
of observations by astronomer Johann
Elert Bode. William Herschel tried
unsuccessfully to name his discovery
Georgium Sidus after King George III.
Instead the planet was named for
Uranus, the Greek god of the sky, as
suggested by Johann Bode.
Saturn’s equatorial diameter is 51,118
km and polar diameter 49,946 km, i.e.,
nearly four times that of the Earth. It is
at a distance of 2,870,991,000 km from
the Sun. It rotates on its axis in 16 hours
and 10 minutes and revolves round the
Sun in 30,707.79 days (about 84 years).
Ninety-eight percent of the upper
atmosphere is composed of hydrogen
and helium. The remaining two percent
is methane. In 1977, it was found that
the planet has nine rings similar to those
of Saturn but are much fainter. Two
more were found in 1986, followed by
two more at a later stage, bringing up
the number to 13.
With minimum atmospheric
temperature of –224°C Uranus is
nearly coldest planet in the solar
system. While Neptune doesn’t get as
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
cold as Uranus it is on average colder.
The upper atmosphere of Uranus is
covered by a methane haze which
hides the storms that take place in the
cloud decks.
Neptune : Neptune is the eighth and
farthest known planet from the Sun in
the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest
planet by diameter, the third-most-
massive planet, and the densest giant
planet in the Solar System. Neptune is
17 times the mass of Earth and is
slightly more massive than its near-twin
Uranus, which is 15 times the mass of
Earth and slightly larger than Neptune.
Neptune orbits the Sun once every
164.8 years at an average distance of
4.50×109 km. It is named after the
Roman god of the sea.
It has an equatorial diameter of 49,528
km and a polar diameter of 47,500 km.
It is at a distance of 4,497,070,000 km
away from the Sun and takes 60,199.63
days (nearly 165 years) to make one
revolution of the Sun. The period of its
rotation is 18 hours and 26 minutes.
Neptune has at least 13 natural satellites,
the largest being Triton. It was first
discovered by J.G. Galle in 1846. In
January 2000, the astronomers revealed,
on the basis of the Earth-based infrared
images of Neptune, that storms at the
speed of 966 km per hour were blowing
on the planet.
Neptune has an incredibly thick
atmosphere that comprises 74%
hydrogen, 25% helium and
approximately 1% methane. Its
atmosphere also contains icy clouds and
the fastest winds recorded in the solar
system. Particles of icy methane and
minor gases in the extremities of the
atmosphere give Neptune its deep blue
colour. The striking blue and white
features of Neptune also help to
distinguish it from Uranus.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
PLUTO IS NO LONGER
A PLANET
Pluto, hitherto regarded as the
farthest and coldest planet of the
Solar System, has lost its planetary
status now, in the wake of a
conclusive announcement made by
the world’s premier astronomical
body, International Astronomical
Union (IAU) at its historic assembly
held in Prague (Czech Republic) on
August 24, 2006. According to IAU’s
new definition of a planet, it should
be a celestial body that:
• Orbits round the Sun
• Has sufficient mass for its self-
gravity to pull it into a nearly
spherical shape
• Has cleared the neighbourhood
around its orbit.
Pluto has been disqualified because
of its oblong orbit which sends it
soaring above and beyond the main
plane of the solar system where the
Earth and other seven planets circle
the Sun. As per the IAU criteria for
determining the status of celestial
bodies, Pluto has been placed under
the category of a dwarf planet along
with Xena and Ceres.
With the omission of Pluto from
the Solar System, the number of
planets has come down to eight from
the previous nine. These are (in the
ascending order of their distance
from the Sun) : Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
and Neptune.
Named after the Roman god of the
underworld, Pluto was discovered in
1930 by Clyde Tonubaugh following
observation of perturbations in
Neptune’s orbit. It was classified as a
planet because of its apparent size,
77
which was found to be the same as the
Earth’s. In 1978, it was discovered that
Pluto has a satellite—Charon—large
enough to make the two bodies a double
planet system like the Earth and its
Moon. Later, the Hubble Telescope
discovered two more satellites of Pluto,
which were christened Nix and Hydra
in June 2006. Pluto has a diameter of
3,000 km and rotates on its axis in 6
days, 9 hours and 18 minutes. Its mean
distance from the Sun is 5,913,510,000
km and its period of revolution is 248.54
years.
Pluto is very, very cold. It is much
colder than Antarctica. It is so cold that
Earth’s air will freeze into a kind of snow
there. In addition to this, Pluto has less
gravity than Earth. This means a person
would weigh much less on Pluto than
on Earth.
The IAU announced on June 11, 2008,
that Pluto, demoted from planet status
in 2006, along with other dwarf planets
like Eris would be called Plutoids.
Plutoids would be defined as celestial
bodies in orbit around the Sun farther
away than Neptune, as per definition
forwarded by IAU. They must have near
spherical shape, and must not have swept
up other smaller objects in their orbits.
The two known and named Plutoids are
Pluto and Eris. Ceres, another dwarf
planet, would not be called plutoid
because it is in the asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter.
US space agency NASA launched a
spacecraft named New Horizons from the
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida (USA) on January 19, 2006. The
spacecraft, launched aboard a Lockheed-
Martin Atlas V rocket, swung past Jupiter
for a gravity boost and scientific studies
in February 2007, and is conducting a six-
month-long reconnaissance flyby study
78 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
of Pluto and its moons that started in
early 2015. The closest approach of the
New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto
occurred on July 14, 2015 at a range of
7,800 miles (12,500 km) from the surface
and 8,550 miles (13,680 km) from the
center of Pluto. New Horizons has
signalled the event by a “phone home”
with telemetry reporting that the
spacecraft was healthy, its flight path was
within the margins, and science data of
the Pluto-Charon system had been
recorded. The first ever close-up of Pluto’s
surface shows a young and icy mountain
range that ascends 11,000 ft with evidence
of water ice. Pluto and at least one of
its moons lack the many craters one would
expect to find on an object that has been
around for some 4.5 billion years. New
Horizons also settled the long-running
question about Pluto’s exact size. Previous
estimates put its diameter somewhere
above 2,300 kilometres, but mission
scientists said it is a slightly larger 2,370 km.
The first high- resolution image of
Charon, the dwarf planet’s largest moon
and orbital partner, also revealed an active
and puzzling world, with cliffs that run
for hundreds of miles across and canyons
four to six miles deep. Charon has no
significant atmosphere and New Horizons
confirmed that it is 1,208 kilometres in
diameter. New Horizons also snuck a
peek at two of Pluto’s smaller moons, Nix
and Hydra, which are estimated to be
about 35 and 45 kilometres across,
respectively. New Horizons, now more
than a million miles past Pluto and
voyaging out into the Kuiper Belt at the
edge of our solar system, will continue
to transmit data about Pluto, Charon and
more for 16 more months after July 2015.
Radio signals take four and a half hours
to travel between the spacecraft and the
Earth.
 QUESTIONS OFTEN
ASKED
Q. Which is the most luminous
object in the sky ?
A. The most luminous object in the
sky is the quasar HS1946+7658, which
is at least 1.5 × 10 15 times more
luminous than the Sun.
Q. What are the Sun’s spots ?
A. The Sun’s spots are regions in the
Sun’s photosphere and are visible on the
Earth as irregular dark patches scattered
on either side of the Sun’s equator.
These regions appear to emit strong
magnetic field which disturbs wireless
communication. Such disturbances cause
magnetic storms on the Earth.
Q. Explain the production of halos
round the Moon or the Sun.
A. The luminous ring which is seen
round the Moon or the Sun occasionally
is called the halo. It is caused by the
refraction of light by ice crystals present
in the atmosphere.
Q. How many planets are there in
the Solar System ? Give their names.
A. With the omission of Pluto from
the Solar System by International
Astronomical Union (IAU) in August
2006, there are now eight planets
known to exist in the Solar System. In
the order of their nearness to the Sun,
they are: (1) Mercury, (2) Venus, (3) Earth,
(4) Mars, (5) Jupiter, (6) Saturn, (7) Uranus
and (8) Neptune.
Q. Name the largest, smallest and
brightest planets in the Solar System.
A. Largest Planet: Jupiter with an
equatorial diameter of 142,880 km is
the largest planet.
Smallest Planet: The smallest known
planet is Mercury with a diameter of
4,878 km.
Brightest Planet: Venus is the
brightest planet.
Q. Which planet is closest to the
Earth ?
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
A. Venus is the planet closest to the
Earth.
Q. Which are the hottest and the
coldest planets ?
A. Venus, which has a surface
temperature of 462°C (864°F), is the
hottest planet.
Neptune, with an estimated surface
temperature of –212°C (–350°F) is the
coldest planet in the Solar System.
Uranus also has approximately the same
surface temperature.
Q. Which is the fastest planet ?
A. Mercury, which orbits the Sun at
an average distance of 57,909,200 km
and has a period of revolution of 87.97
days, is the fastest planet with an average
speed of 172,248 km per hour in the
orbit.
Q. Which planet is farthest from
the Sun?
A. Neptune is the farthest planet from
the Sun. When it comes closest to the
Sun, it is 4.45 billion km away. The
aphelion distance of Neptune from the
Sun is 4.54 billion km.
Q. Which is the biggest Asteroid ?
A. The first asteroid discovered, 1
Ceres, is the biggest asteroid with an
average diameter of 585 miles.
Q. Which is the biggest Comet ?
A. Centaur 10199 Chariklo, which was
discovered in May 1997, is the biggest
comet with a diameter of 260 km.
Q. Which is the biggest
Constellation ?
A. The biggest constellation is Hydra
(Sea Serpent). It covers an area of
1,302.844 sq. deg., or 3.16% of the
whole sky, and contains at least 68 stars
visible to the naked eye.
Q. What is the biggest Star ?
A. The M-class supergiant Betelgeuse
(alpha Orionis), which is 430 light years
away from the Earth, has a diameter of
609 million miles—700 times greater
than that of the Sun.
79
 Q. What causes a lunar eclipse ?
Why does the lunar eclipse occur
only at full moon but not at every
full moon ?
A. The lunar eclipse is caused when
the Earth comes between the Sun and
the Moon and casts its shadow on the
Moon. The lunar eclipse occurs during
the time when the Moon is in apposition
to the Sun in relation to the Earth and
this comes about only on a full moon
day. The lunar eclipse does not occur
on every full moon day since the Moon
does not come in apposition to the Sun
at every full moon.
Q. Is there any other world like
ours ?
A. There are seven other worlds
(planets) in the Solar System which are
somewhat like our Earth, though the
Earth is probably the only one on
which living creatures exist. For
many years, astronomers have been
speculating about life on Mars, but
since Mars has so little of atmosphere
and water, no living creatures could
probably exist on that planet, though
it is believed that some kind of plants
might grow on Mars. However,
samples gathered by various probes,
including the 2012 probe Curiosity,
indicate that the planet had probably
once water and life on it. It is also
believed that there may be other
families of planets like the one found
in our Solar System.
Q. How hot is the Sun ?
A. The temperature at the surface of
the Sun is about 11,000ºF, while its interior
is estimated to be 40,000,000ºF. At this
temperature, even atoms break down.
Some of the energy caused by continuous
atomic explosions escapes in the form of
heat and light and is transmitted through
radiation down the atmosphere to the
Earth. Though the sunrays travel millions
of kilometres before reaching the Earth,
they can cause pretty severe sunburns to
our plant and animal life.
Q. How does Sun’s heat reach us ?
A. Heat from the Sun reaches us by
means of radiation through millions of
kilometres of empty space. Radiant energy
(heat) is transmitted in short waves which
are not absorbed by the atmosphere.
Hence, it passes on to the Earth, without
heating the atmosphere. But when these
waves strike against the Earth, they are
absorbed by the Earth which thus becomes
warm. The Earth, in turn, radiates longer
waves which are absorbed by the lower
layers of the atmosphere. The lower
atmosphere, thus, becomes warm during
bright sunshine while at the higher
altitudes it remains cool as the radiant
waves from the Earth lose much of their
heat before passing on to the upper layers
of atmosphere.

SPACE EXPLORATION
Space exploration is the ongoing
discovery and exploration of celestial
structures in outer space by means of
continuously evolving and growing
space technology. While the study of
space is carried out mainly by
astronomers with telescopes, the
physical exploration of space is
conducted both by unmanned robotic
space probes and human spaceflight.
80
Within the last hundred years or so, the
advent of manned flight and rocket
ships has made the space realistic. In
this time, we have sent people to the
moon, rovers to Mars, and space probes
deep into the reaches of our solar
system. And advanced telescopes that
orbit Earth are bringing even the most
remote edges of the universe closer to
home. The second half of the twentieth
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
century, starting from 1949, had only
the world’s most powerful research
telescope, Hale on Palomar Mountain
in California. Its mirror, 17 ft in
diameter, focussed straighter than
anything else on the planet. This was
later improved by Subaru with 27-ft
mirror and further with another
telescope Keck of 33-ft. diameter but
it is the Hubble’s forte which is taking
brilliant sharp pictures and is causing
much excitement all over the world. On
October 4, 1957, The Soviet Union
ushered in a new era—the space age—
with the launch of Sputnik 1. A
technological feat, the beach ball-size
satellite weighed 184 pounds
(84 kilograms) and took 98 minutes to
orbit Earth. The launch grabbed the
world’s attention—and caught the US
off-guard. The first successful American
satellite did not get off the ground until
January 31, 1958. The Americans
overtook the Russians in space race with
the two-man Gemini launched in 1965,
which marked a tremendous
improvement upon their earlier modest
endeavours in smaller Mercury spacecraft.
The Gemini crew practised spacewalks,
docking procedures and rendezvous
manoeuvres, thus, preparing for the
eventual landing of man on the Moon.
It has been estimated that about 70
new satellites and space probe launches
are made each year and every planet in
the Solar System except Pluto, which
has been declared as “no longer a
planet”, has been explored. It may be
fanciful to predict that by the close of
the first half of the 21st century viz.,
2050, there would be space hotels, bases
on the Moon and expeditions to Mars.
The Indian Space Programme was
launched in 1962, followed by
establishment of Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) in 1969 which
plans and executes the space research
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
programme. The first Indian Satellite
Ar yabhatta was launched from the
erstwhile USSR and many rapid strides
have been made since then. The Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was
successfully launched in October 2001.
The Satellite METSAT (later named as
Kalpana-I ) was launched in September
2002, making a breakthrough by using
a PSLV to launch a satellite into
Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
Thereafter, India launched INSAT-3D
in April 2003, INSAT-3E in September
2003, Resourcesat-I in October 2003, 1950
kg EDUSAT in September 2004 and
3,080 kg INSAT-4A on December 22,
2005. INSAT-4C, one of the satellites
launched by ISRO from the deftly built
indigenous launch pad at Satish Dhawan
Space Centre in Sriharikota range
(Andhra Pradesh), met with a failure
following its test launch on July 10,
2006. Later, India became only the sixth
member of the exclusive club on
October 28, 2006 when Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)
developed a Cryogenic stage in rocketry.
In 2007, India successfully launched
PSLV-C7 and INSAT-4B on March 12,
2007 and INSAT-4C on September 2,
2007. In April 2007, ISRO had the
credit of launching the first commercial
launch of a foreign satellite through
PSLV-C8.
The success streak of PSLV has
continued into recent times. On
February 25, 2013, the PSLV-C20 put
Indo-French satellite SARAL and six
other satellites into their precise orbits.
This was ISRO’s 22nd consecutive
successful PSLV mission. By July 22,
2015 ISRO had launched 46 Foreign
Satellites for 19 countries. The income
generated through this amounts to
around $17 million and 78.5 million
Euros ($85 million). ISRO’s commercial
space missions is poised to grow with
81
another 28 foreign satellites planned to
be put into orbit between 2015 and
2017.
SOME MAJOR
DEVELOPMENTS IN
SPACE EXPLORATION
NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope
Finds Hundreds of New Exoplanets,
Boosts Total to 4,034:
NASA Kepler Space Telescope
discovered on June 19, 2017, 219 new
candidates since NASA’s last data
including 10 near-Earth-size planet
candidates in the so-called habitable
zone around their stars where the
conditions were just conducive for liquid
water to exist on a planet’s surface—a
key feature in the search for habitable
worlds.
The new discoveries boost Kepler’s
total to 4,034 candidate planets during
its mission, 2,335 of which were later
confirmed by follow-up observations,
NASA officials said in a statement.
According to the NASA officials, the
10 newfound potentially Earth-size
worlds bring Kepler’s total up to 50 of
that type of exoplanet, with more than
30 of those being confirmed.
Water on Enceladus
In March 2015, Enceladus—Saturn’s
sixth-largest moon—was found to have
a warm ocean beneath its icy surface.
For years, Jupiter’s icy moon Europa
has intrigued many as to whether life
can exist beneath its surface, but now
with this discovery of hydrothermal
activity on Enceladus, NASA said the
implications of this find offer
‘unprecedented scientific possibilities’.
Hydrothermal activity is a common
occurrence in our own oceans, where
seawater infiltrates and reacts with the
planet’s rocky crust and emerges as a
heated, mineral-laden solution.
82 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Earth 2.0 discovered by NASA :
In July 2015, NASA’s powerful Kepler
telescope found the first near-Earth-size
planet in the “habitable zone” around a
sun-like star. This discovery and the
introduction of 11 other new small
habitable zone candidate planets mark
another milestone in the journey to
finding another “Earth.” The newly
discovered Kepler-452b or Earth 2.0 is
the smallest planet discovered orbiting
in the habitable zone—the area around
a star where liquid water could pool on
the surface of an orbiting planet—of a
G2-type star, like our sun. The discovery
of Kepler-452b brings the total number
of confirmed planets to 1,030.
Kepler-452b is 60 percent larger in
diameter than Earth and is considered
a super-Earth-size planet. It is located
about 1,400 light years away in the
constellation Cygnus.
While Kepler-452b is larger than
Earth, its 385-day orbit is only 5 percent
longer. The planet is 5 percent farther
from its parent star Kepler-452 than
Earth is from the Sun. Kepler-452 is 6
billion years old, 1.5 billion years older
than our Sun, has the same temperature,
and is 20 percent brighter and has a
diameter 10 percent larger. While
similarly sized planets have been found
before, Kepler-452b is circling a star that
is very similar but older than the sun at
a distance about the same as Earth’s
orbit.
NASA’s New Horizons made
closest approach to Pluto: NASA’s
New Horizons space probe on July 14,
2015 made closest approach to Pluto
when it flew 12600 km from the surface
of the dwarf planet at an average speed
of 49750 kph, after travelling 4.88
billion km from the earth. New
Horizons also settled the long-running
question about Pluto’s exact size.
Previous estimates put its diameter
somewhere above 2,300 kilometres, but
mission scientists said that it is a slightly
larger 2,370. New Horizons also snuck
a peek at two of Pluto’s smaller moons,
Nix and Hydra, which are estimated to
be about 35 and 45 kilometres across,
respectively. New Horizons, now more
than a million miles past Pluto and
voyaging out into the Kuiper Belt at
the edge of our solar system, will
continue to transmit data about Pluto,
Charon and more for 16 more months
after July 2015. The New Horizons
probe was launched on January 19, 2006
as part of NASA’s New Frontiers
program. Its purpose is to study Pluto,
its moons and the Kuiper Belt.
Soyuz rocket with 3 astronauts
launched towards ISS : Soyuz TMA
17M rocket with three astronauts aboard
was successfully launched towards the
International Space Station (ISS) on
July 22, 2015, after a two-month delay
caused by a Russian rocket failure. The
spacecraft blasted off on schedule from
Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in the
barren Kazakh steppe at 2102 GMT,
carrying cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko,
US astronaut Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya
Yui of Japan.
As the Soyuz TMA 17M rocket
surged skywards from the launch pad,
the fire from the boosters set the inky
night sky aglow. The spacecraft was
launched after two-month delay caused
by failure of a Russian rocket in April
2015. The three astronauts were
originally scheduled to travel to the
orbiting lab in May 2015 but Russia put
all space travel on hold after the failure
of the unmanned Progress freighter
taking cargo to the ISS. At the ISS, the
trio with others, will conduct a number
of scientific experiments including
controlling robots remotely. The space
lab is one of the few areas of
cooperation between Russia and the
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
United States that has not been hit by
the crisis in Ukraine.
NASA launched 4 spacecrafts to
resolve magnetic mystery : NASA
launched four identical spacecraft on
March 12, 2015 on a billion-dollar
mission to study the explosive give-and-
take of the Earth and sun’s magnetic
fields. The unmanned Atlas rocket
soared into a clear late-night sky, right
on time. The quartet of observatories
will be placed into an oblong orbit
stretching tens of thousands of miles
into the magnetosphere—nearly halfway
to the moon at one point. They will fly
in pyramid formation, between 6 miles
and 250 miles apart, to provide 3-D
views of magnetic reconnection on
the smallest of scales. Magnetic
reconnection is what happens when
magnetic fields like those around Earth
and the sun come together, break apart,
then come together again, releasing vast
energy. This repeated process drives the
aurora, as well as solar storms that can
disrupt communications and power on
Earth. Data from this two-year mission
should help scientists better understand
so-called space weather.
NASA’s Hubble Obser vations
Reveal Underground Ocean on
Jupiter’s Largest Moon Ganymede :
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has
spotted massive saltwater ocean on
Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede. The
ocean on Ganymede—which is buried
under a 150-kilometre crust of mostly
ice—could actually harbor more water
than all of Earth’s surface water
combined. Scientists believe that the
ocean is about 60 miles (100 kilometres)
thick, 10 times the depth of Earth’s
oceans. Scientists believe that this
finding could potentially support life.
Hubble Space Telescope’s finding was
published in the Journal of Geophysical
Research: Space Physics. The finding
83
was based on the results obtained after
analysing Ganymede’s magnetic field
and aurora created and controlled by it
and its interaction with Jupiter’s
magnetic field. In 1970s, for the first
time scientists had suggested that ocean
is present inside Ganymede based on
its models. NASA’s Galileo mission also
had provided first evidence of ocean in
Ganymede after measuring its magnetic
field in 2002.
Juno Spacecraft Enters Jupiter’s
orbit after 5-year journey : NASA’s
solar-powered Juno spacecraft
successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit on
July 5, 2016 after a five-year journey
from Earth, in a giant step to
understand the origin and evolution of
the king of planets and the solar system.
Juno became the first spacecraft to enter
Jupiter’s orbit since NASA’s Galileo
mission did so in 1995. NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory erupted in cheers
when the $1.1 billion Juno spacecraft
sent home the news of successfully
executing a 35-minute engine burn that
put it into the planned orbit around
Jupiter. With its suite of nine science
instruments, Juno will study the
existence of a solid planetary core, map
Jupiter’s intense magnetic field, measure
the amount of water and ammonia in
the deep atmosphere and observe
auroras on our solar system’s largest
planet. The mission also will let us take
a big step forward in our understanding
of how giant planets form, NASA said.
New light cast on ‘dark matter’ :
An international experiment aboard the
International Space Station (ISS)
according to a report released on
April 3, 2013 mentioned an excess of
positrons in the cosmic ray flux, the
source of which could be the elusive
dark matter. This forms the most
important part of the first results from
the experiment, called the Alpha
84 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), which
were reported by the experiment’s
spokesperson, Nobel Laureate Samuel
Ting of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) at the meeting of the
American Association for Advancement
of Science (AAAS) at Boston,
Massachusetts. The search for dark
matter is one of the objective of this
space-born AMS even as it is being
actively searched for in ground-based
experiments such as the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) and other experiments
deep underground. The instrument is
basically a giant magnet and an anti-
matter detector attached to the outside
of the ISS. It is the most powerful and
sensitive particle spectrometer ever
deployed in space. It is designed to study
the cosmic ray particles, which are
charged high-energy particles that
permeate space, before they have chance
to interact with the Earth’s atmosphere.
Voyager 1 explores unknown
region : The unstoppable Voyager 1
spacecraft sailed into a new realm of
the solar system that scientists did not
know existed. Voyager 1 and its twin,
Voyager 2, have been speeding away
from the Sun toward interstellar space,
or the space between stars, as per a
statement released by Chief Scientist Ed
Stone of the Nasa Jet propulsion
laboratory on December 3, 2012. Stone
estimated Voyager 1 still has two to three
years to travel before reaching the
boundary that separates the solar system
from the rest of space. The Voyagers
were launched 35 years ago on a mission
to tour the outer planets. Though
Voyager 2—currently 9 billion miles
from the Sun launched first, Voyager 1
is closer to leaving solar system behind.
Voyager 1 is on track to become the
first manmade object to exit the solar
system. Scientists were surprised to
discover the unexpected region at the
 BREAKTHROUGHS IN
SPACE EXPLORATION
1957 : Sputnik-I and Sputnik-II of
Russia, first two Earth-orbiting
satellites; Vanguard TV3 of USA fails.
1959 : Russia launches Luna-I, first
lunar fly-by and Luna-II, first lunar
impact.
1961 : Russia’s first manned Earth
orbiter Vostok-I carrying Russian
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
1962 : Mariner-II, first Venus fly-by
of USA.
1964 : Mariner-IV, first Mars fly-by
of USA.
1965 : Russia’s Venera-III, first
spacecraft to impact another planet.
1966 : Russia’s Luna-IX, first
spacecraft to land on the Moon and
Luna-X, first man-made satellite of the
Moon.
1967 : Russia’s Venera-IV, first
spacecraft to transmit data from
Venus’s atmosphere.
1968 : USA’s Apollo-VIII, first
manned lunar orbiter.
1969 : USA’s Apollo-X, manned lunar
orbiter and Apollo-XI, first manned
lunar landing; Neil Armstrong and
Edwin Aldrin become the first
cosmonauts to land on the Moon.
1970 : USA’s Apollo-XIII, spacecraft
returns after malfunctioning; Russia’s
Venera-VII, first Venus lander and
Luna-XVII (Lunokhod-I), first lunar
rover.
1971 : Russia’s Mars-II, first Mars
orbiter and first mission to impact Mars;
Mars-III, first Mars lander.
1972 : USA’s Pioneer-X, first Jupiter
fly-by.
1973 : USA’s Pioneer-XI, first
Saturn fly-by; Mariner-X uses the
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
gravitational pull of Venus to reach
Mercury.
1975 : Russia’s Venera-IX, first Venus
orbiter and USA’s Viking-I, Mars orbiter
and lander.
1976 : USA’s Helios-II reaches closest
to the Sun.
1977 : Voyager-II of USA flies by
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
1981 : USA’s space shuttle STS-I, first
space shuttle flight.
1985 : Japan’s Sakigake, Comet Halley
fly-by.
1989 : USA’s Galileo, first Jupiter
orbiter and first atmospheric probe of
the planet.
1990 : USA’s Hubble Space Telescope
Observatory in space 600 km above the
Earth’s surface.
1995 : ESA’s SOHO (Solar
Heliospheric Observatory), Solar
Observatory.
1996 : USA’s NEAR, first near-Earth
asteroid rendezvous mission; Mars
Pathfinder, first Mars rover.
2001 : USA’s Genesis, first mission
to collect solar wind sample.
2005 : USA’s MESSENGER,
Mercury orbiter, expected to return in
2011.
2006 : USA’s New Horizons and
Pluto-Kuiper Belt probe; STEREO
Solar orbiter.
2007 : USA’s Phoenix, Mars polar
lander; Japan’s Selene, lunar orbiter and
USA’s Dawn, Asteroids orbiter.
2008 : ISRO sends India’s first-ever
Moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, to the
Moon. The organisation announces that
the mission found traces of water on
the Moon.
85
 2009 : NASA’s Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite
(LCROSS) crashlands a special device
on Moon’s surface; it finds “abundant”
amount of water ice on the Moon.
NASA also launches the Kepler
spacecraft on a mission to discover
Earth-like planets orbiting other
stars.
2010 : The Solar Dynamics
Observatory (SDO) is launched by
NASA to observe the Sun. SDO’s goal
is to understand the Sun’s influence on
Earth and near-Earth space by studying
the solar atmosphere.
2011 : The space shuttle programme
of NASA, involving space shuttles
Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis
among others, comes to an end with
the final launch and landing of Atlantis.
The 30-year-old programme is wrapped
up to make way for inter-planetary
travel.
2012 : The Curiosity rover of NASA
ends its eight-month, 566-million-km
journey to successfully land at Mars
(August 6, 2012). The $2.5-billion Mars
Science Laboratory beams back its first
image, a scene of rocky ground, back
to Earth seven minutes after its landing.
The rover will look out for indications
of whether the planet once harboured
life.
2013 : Mars rover Curiosity spots
some key ingredients for life in the
material it drills out of a Martian rock.
These include sulphur, hydrogen,
nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and
carbon. With this evidence in hand,
NASA announces that the planet could
have supported microbial life billions
of years ago.
2014 : ESA’s Rosetta Probe becomes
the first man-made probe to make a
86 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
planned and soft landing on a comet
(67P/Chur yumov–Gerasimenko).
Along with Philae, its lander module,
Rosetta is performing a detailed
study of comet 67P/Churyumov–
Gerasimenko (67P).
2015 : New Horizons space probe
of NASA made closest approach to
Pluto on July 14, 2015, when it flew
12600 km from the surface of the
dwarf planet at an average speed of
49,750 kmph, after travelling 4.88
billion km from the earth.
2016 : Juno, the solar-powered
spacecraft of NASA, enters Jupiter’s
orbit after a five-year journey from the
Earth on July 5, 2016. It will let the
world understand the origin and
evolution of Jupiter as well as the solar
system.
2017: While photographing Mars,
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope
captured a cameo appearance of the
tiny moon Phobos on its trek around
the Red Planet on July 20, 2017.
Discovered in 1877, the diminutive,
potato-shaped moon is so small that it
appears star-like in the Hubble pictures.
Phobos orbits Mars in just 7 hours and
39 minutes, which is faster than Mars
rotates.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope
detected exoplanet with glowing water
atmosphere on August 2, 2017.
Scientists have discovered the strongest
evidence for a stratosphere on an
enormous planet outside our solar
system (exoplanet), with an atmosphere
hot enough to boil iron. An
international team of researchers, led
by the University of Exeter, made the
new discovery by observing glowing
water molecules in the atmosphere of
the exoplanet WASP-121b.
fringes of the solar system. The amount
of high-energy cosmic rays streaming
in from outside the solar system spiked.
Meanwhile, the level of lower-energy
particles originating from inside the
solar system briefly dropped. Because
there was no change in the direction of
the magnetic field lines, scientists were
confident that Voyager 1 had not yet
broken through. They have dubbed this
new zone a kind of “magnetic highway.”
NASA discovers 7 ear th like
planets that could harbour life : As
per a Daily Mail report of December
11, 2012, researchers from an ambitious
project to catalogue all habitable worlds
have announced that seven planets in
the Milky Way outside our solar system
could potentially harbour life. The
Habitable Exoplanets Catalog (HEC)
celebrated its first anniversary with the
announcement that it had exceeded
expectations in its search for possible
new Earths. Seven potentially habitable
exoplanets are now listed by HEC,
including the disputed Gliese 581g, plus
some 27 more from NASA Kepler
Telescope waiting for confirmation.
NASA’s Kepler wraps prime
mission, begins extended mission :
Kepler Space Telescope which was
launched on March 6, 2009, to find
potentially habitable, Earth-sized
planets, has successfully completed its
3½-year prime mission and begins an
extended mission that could last as long
as four years. Kepler began the search
for small worlds like our own on May
12, 2009, after two months of
commissioning. Within months, five
exoplanets, known as hot Jupiters
because of their enormous size and
orbits close to their stars, were
confirmed. Scientists have used Kepler
data to identify more than 2,300 planet
candidates and confirm more than 100
planets.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
So far, hundreds of Earth-size planet
candidates have been found, as well as
candidates that orbit in the habitable
zone, the region in a planetary system
where liquid water might exist on the
surface of a planet. None of the
candidates is exactly like Earth. With
the completion of its prime mission,
Kepler has collected enough data to
begin finding true Sun-Earth analogs—
Earth-size planets with a one-year orbit
around stars similar to the Sun. NASA’s
Kepler Space Telescope searches for
planet candidates orbiting distant suns,
or exoplanets, by continuously
measuring the brightness of more than
150,000 stars. When a planet candidate
passes, or transits, in front of the star
from the spacecraft’s vantage point, light
from the star is blocked. Different-sized
planets block different amounts of
starlight. The amount of starlight
blocked by a planet reveals its size
relative to its star.
Colossal telescope unveiled in
Australia : The world’s most powerful
radio astronomy telescope was unveiled
in Australia on October 5, 2012. The
gigantic telescope will allow astronomers
to detect distant galaxies and explore
the depths of the universe with
unprecedented precision. The Australian
SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope, at
the remote Murchison Radio-astronomy
Observatory in the Western Australian
desert, is made up of 36 antennae, each
12m in diameter. The A$140 million
(US$143.4 million) facility can survey
the sky much faster than existing
telescopes, with the antennae sensitive
to faint radiation from the Milky Way,
giving it the ability to detect distant
galaxies.
Landing on the moon: One Giant
Leap for Mankind
A proud legacy for the NASA space
agency was created on July 21, 1969,
87
when astronauts Neil Armstrong and
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin thrilled America
and the world with their two-hour walk
on the moon’s surface from Apollo-11
with their four-legged Lunar Module
while astronaut Michael Collins piloted
the command module orbiting above
the lunar explorers.
Since then, a total of 12 American
astronauts have worked on the Moon
in the Apollo missions, bringing back
380 kg of rocks and soil for detailed
scientific investigations. Six Apollo flights
followed, ending with Apollo 17 in
December 1972. Sooner or later, some
sort of small scientific laboratories may
be established on the Moon for the
scientists and astronomers to have a
close look at the universe as also for
mining the Moon’s crust to obtain useful
minerals.
In an important development in the
sphere of space research, National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), USA successfully blasted off
two probes into space on June 18, 2009
in a landmark lunar exploration mission,
with the aim of scouting for water
sources and landing sites in anticipation
of sending humans back to the Moon
in 2020.
The lift-off of the dual Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and
Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing
Satellite (LCROSS) missions atop an
Atlas V rocket, from Florida’s Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, took place
one month before the 40th anniversary
of NASA’s historic first landing on the
Moon in 1969. Till date, Americans have
been the only astronauts to walk on the
Moon—with the last such outing in
1972—and this mission was the first
step in the long journey to launch
manned missions further into the Solar
System, to the planet Mars and beyond,
from lunar colonies.
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During the launch, the LRO separated
from the Centaur upper stage rocket
and the other probe, the LCROSS. The
LCROSS, one of NASA’s most
spectacular bids at discovery till date,
remained attached to the Centaur till
October 2009, when the NASA sent the
Centaur crashing into a crater on the
side of the Moon that never gets
sunshine. LCROSS analysed the lunar
material blasted out by the impact for
any sign of water ice—a critical
component for any planning for
manned lunar colonies.
The LRO succeeded in learning more
about the Moon through a one-year stay
at an orbit of about 50 km—the closest
continual lunar orbit of any spacecraft.
LRO’s $500-million mission was
designed to provide NASA with maps
of unprecedented accuracy, which
would be crucial for scooping out
possible landing sites.
China achieved a rare feat on
November 3, 2011 when it successfully
conducted its first-ever docking exercise
in outer space. The docking, performed
by an unmanned spacecraft with a space
laboratory module, was a crucial
landmark along China’s road to
launching its own space station in the
next decade. The unmanned spacecraft
Shenzhou-8 docked with the Tiangong-
1 laboratory module which was
launched on September 29, 2011. China
is only the third country to accomplish
a docking exercise in space, after the
US and Russia. Both of those countries
had carried out similar exercises more
than three decades ago.
Chang’e-1, China’s first lunar probe,
impacted the Moon on March 1, 2009.
The satellite ended its 16-month mission
on that date when it hit the lunar surface
at 1.50 degrees south latitude and 52.36
degrees east longitude. Chang’e is
named after a legendary Chinese Moon
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
goddess. This was the first phase of
China’s three-stage Moon mission.
Chang’e-1 was launched into space
on October 24, 2007 and it sent the first
full map of the Moon’s surface back to
China in November 2007. A dozen
performance tests were carried out while
Chang’e-1 was in orbit to find out its
orbit adjustment capability.
China’s first spacewalk, by taikonaut
Mr. Zhai Zhigang on September 27,
2008, created history, as it made China
only the third country capable of
conducting spacewalk after the erstwhile
Soviet Union and the US. The
spacecraft Shenzhou-7 successfully
returned to China’s northern grassland
on September 28, 2008 after the historic
spacewalk. Mr. Zhai Zhigang, with his
two teammates, Mr. Liu Boming and
Mr. Jing Haipeng, came back from a 68-
hour flight including a 25-minute
spacewalk.
China also became the third country
to master the extravehicular activity
(EVA) technology following the US and
Russia. Perfor ming a successful
spacewalk is a key step towards
mastering docking techniques, the
technology that is needed for the
establishment of a space station. The
mission is of great significance to the
country’s future plans to build a
space lab and a space station on the
Moon.
Other tasks of the mission included
carrying out trials of satellite data relay
and releasing a 40-kg companion
satellite, Tianlian-I, which was left in
space with the orbital module. Earlier,
China successfully launched the
Shenzhou-7 spacecraft on September
25, 2008. It was China’s third
consecutive launch of a manned
spacecraft since it sent its first man into
space in 2003 and followed it up with
two taikonauts in 2005.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Chandrayaan-1 : November 8, 2008
will go down as a red letter day in the
annals of India’s space odyssey. On that
memorable day, India crossed a
challenging milestone when its Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11)
successfully put Chandrayaan-1 in the
Moon’s orbit, some 3.84 lakh km
away from the Earth; much to the
elation of thousands of its scientists
who assiduously worked day and
night to achieve this cherished goal.
Chandrayaan-1 was launched from
Sriharikota on October 22, 2008 and
orbited the Moon at an altitude of 100
km. (later raised to 200 km.) And with
the marvellous success in the very
maiden attempt, India joined the
exclusive club of space-faring nations
such as USA, Russia, European Space
Agency, China and Japan.
The sophisticated camera, CIXS,
onboard Chandrayaan-1, detected the
first X-ray signal from the Moon on
December 12, 2008. The detection of
X-ray was Chandrayaan’s first step to
reveal the origin and evolution of the
Moon by mapping its surface
composition. The camera collected three
minutes of data from the Moon just as
the flare started and completed its
observation. With this, the scientists got
some clues to understand the mineral
composition of the Moon’s surface
and the origin and evolution of the
Moon.
The Camera-CIXS was designed and
built at the Rutherford’s Space Science
and Technology Department by ISRO
and Britain’s Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory (RAL). It was one of
the 11 payload onboard the spacecraft,
Chandrayaan-1. It used X-ray to map
the surface composition of the Moon.
It received X-ray “signatures” of
aluminium, magnesium and silicon—
three of the six elements it had been
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designed to detect. The other elements
are titanium, iron and calcium.
Chandrayaan-1 developed some snags
on May 18, 2009, with its star sensors
rendered unworkable due to over-
heating by intense solar heat and doubts
were cast about the spacecraft’s
serviceability up to its full life of 2 years.
As a result, the orbit of the craft was
raised from 100 to 200 km on May 19,
2009. After suffering from several
technical issues including poor thermal
shielding, Chandrayaan-1 stopped
sending signals on August 29, 2009,
shortly after which ISRO officially
declared the mission over. It operated
for 312 days as opposed to the intended
two-year period, but the mission
achieved 95 percent of its planned
objectives.
Chandrayaan-1 sent back some
important images, one of them being
its first full-Earth image captured by the
Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) on
board. Those images taken from
4,00,000 km away, with India at the
Centre, show Asia and West Asia, parts
of Africa and Australia forming a
terrestrial ring around Indian Ocean.
The TMC also captured images which
map the topography of the Moon and
different lunar craters.
The Union Cabinet on September 18,
2008, approved Chandrayaan-2—India’s
second lunar exploration, which
entails landing a rover on the Moon.
The mission is expected to cost
Rs. 425 crore. Developed by the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO),
the mission is planned to be launched
on the Moon by a Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II).
It includes a lunar orbiter, lander and
rover, all developed by India. The ISRO
is planning to launch Chandrayaan-2 in
the first quarter of 2018.
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According to ISRO, this mission will
use and test various new technologies
and conduct new experiments. The
wheeled rover will move on the lunar
surface and will perfor m on-site
chemical analysis. It will look for Helium
3 gas which experts believe may offer a
solution to energy shortages. The data
will be relayed to Earth through the
Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.
MANGALYAAN
INDIA’S PREMIER
MISSION TO MARS
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
spacecraft, also known as Mangalyaan,
India’s first interplanetary spacecraft,
was injected into a parking orbit around
the earth by an Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO)’s PSLV C25 rocket
in a textbook launch from the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on
November 5, 2013. The PSLV C25
launch vehicle placed the Mars Orbiter
Mission precisely in elliptical orbit about
44 minutes after lift-off.
After going around Earth for 20-25
days in an elliptical orbit (perigee of
250 km and apogee of 23,500 km), the
Rs. 450 crore orbiter started on the
nearly ten-month long voyage to Mars
on December 1, 2013.
The orbiter reached its intended orbit
on September 24, 2014, making India
first country to have successfully
launched its mission in the first attempt.
The feat was lauded globally not just
for success of the mission in its first go
but also because it came at a fraction
of the cost of similar space missions
launched by such bodies as NASA and
the European Space Agency. The
celebrated mission completed 1000
earth days in orbit on June 19, 2017.
The objective of the mission is
exploration of Mars surface features,
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
morphology, mineralogy and Martian
atmosphere using indigenous scientific
instruments.
The Mars Exospheric Neutral
Composition Analyser (MENCA), Mars
Colour Camera (MCC) and Thermal
Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS)
aboard Mangalyaan beam important
information for the Indian scientific
community. While LAP and MSM help
in atmospheric studies, MENCA
focusses on particle environment
studies. MCC and TIS contribute to
studying the surface imaging of red
planet. ISRO has made arrangements
with NASA to use its Jet Propulsion
Laboratory facilities at Goldstone
(USA), Madrid (Spain) and Canberra
(Australia) for communication with the
spacecraft.
The USA had also scheduled the
launch of a similar NASA-designed
multi-corporation mission ‘MAVEN’
(Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution) from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Florida on November 18,
2013 to study changes to the Martian
atmosphere.
The orbiter can reportedly continue
orbiting Mars for several years with its
remaining propellant. A 17-day
communications blackout occurred
from June 6 to 22, 2015. The Mars
Orbiter Mission team won the US-based
National Space Society’s 2015 Space
Pioneer Award in the science
and engineering category for successful
execution of a Mars mission in its first
attempt.
LIST OF SOVIET MANNED
SPACE MISSIONS
Russia, formerly the Soviet Union, has
long been at the forefront of the space
frontier, beginning 50 years ago with
the historic Oct. 4, 1957 launch of
Sputnik - the world’s first artificial
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
satellite. Here is a rundown of some
Russian space missions from the
drawing board to realisation.
Vostok : Vostok (meaning East) was
the first Soviet one-seater space-craft
used to carry a cosmonaut into orbit.
Six Vostoks were launched between
April 1961 and June 1963; they
remained in orbit for periods ranging
from 108 minutes to nearly 5 days.
Weighing 4.7 metric tonnes and simple
in design, the vehicle consisted of two
modules: an almost spherical capsule
which carried the cosmonaut, and an
equipment package containing fuel, life-
support gear, batteries, altitude-control
thrusters, and a retrorocket to slow the
vehicle for reentry into the Earth’s
atmosphere.
Voskhod : In October 1964 and
March 1965, the Soviet Union launched
the 6-tonne Voskhod (“Sunrise”), a
modified Vostok capable of carrying
two or three cosmonauts on daylong
flights. Voskhod had approximately the
same pressurised volume as did Vostok,
but more volume was made available
for habitable crew space because the
ejection seat and rails were removed and
because the crew wore overalls instead
of bulky pressurised space suits.
Voskhod-1 orbited three persons, and
Voskhod-2 orbited two persons
performing the world’s first manned
extra-vehicle activity.
Soyuz : Soyuz is the Russian
word for “union”. It is a late-model
manned spacecraft with provisions for
three cosmonauts and a “working
compartment” accessible through a
hatch. Since 1973, all Soyuz spacecraft
have carried two cosmonauts. Soyuz 19
launched on July 15, 1975, docked with
the American Apollo spacecraft.
Salyut: It is an Earth-orbiting space
station intended for prolonged
occupancy and re-visitation by
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cosmonauts. Salyut is usually launched
by Soviet Proton rockets. Salyut 1 was
launched on April 19, 1971. Salyut 2,
launched on April 3, 1973,
malfunctioned in the orbit and was
never occupied. Salyut 3 was launched
on June 25, 1974, Salyut 4 on
December 26, 1974, Salyut 5 on June 22,
1976, Salyut 6 on September 29, 1977,
and Salyut 7 on April 19, 1982. The
Russian counterpart of Skylab, Salyut 7,
placed in the near-Earth orbit, was
manned by a number of crews from
time to time, which included an Indian
and a French cosmonaut. The first
Indian in space, Squadron Leader (later
Wing Commander) Rakesh Sharma was
launched on April 3, 1984 aboard Soyuz-
11T spacecraft from the Baikonour
cosmodrome, which docked with the
space station Salyut 7 where Rakesh
Sharma stayed for seven days and
returned to the Earth on April 11, 1984.
A record breaking Russian endurance
flight was set (February 8, 1984-
October 2, 1985) when Soviet
astronauts spent 237 days in orbit
aboard Salyut 7. Salyut 7 re-entered the
atmosphere and crashed into the
Atlantic Ocean on February 6, 1991.
Space Shuttle Programmes of
NASA
The space shuttle programmes of
NASA’s—featuring a host of shuttles
including Endeavour, Discovery,
Atlantis, etc.—came to an end on
July 21, 2011, with the final landing
of Atlantis. The other shuttles had
already been retired. The total cost of
the shuttle programme had been
$145 billion as of early 2005, and as of
2011, it had risen to $196 billion.
According to NASA, the average cost
of launching a space shuttle as of 2011
is about $450 million per mission. The
ter mination of the space shuttle
programme happened as NASA
92 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
gradually concluded the 30-year-old
project in favour of inter-planetary
travel. Currently, the focus on space
exploration is switching towards
developing technology to enable crewed
missions beyond low-Earth orbit,
envisioning extending the operation of
the International Space Station (ISS)
beyond 2020, and transferring the
development of launch vehicles for
human crews from NASA to the private
sector.
Mir : The former Soviet Union’s
space station, Mir was launched into
orbit on February 20, 1986. Since then,
three space endurance records have
been set in the Mir. On December 29,
1987, Col. Yuri Romanenko set a single-
mission record of 326.5 days in space.
On December 21, 1989, Col. Vladimir
Titov and Musa Manarov returned to
the Earth after spending 366 days
aboard the orbiting space station.
Russian cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov, a
51 years old physician, returned to the
Earth on March 22, 1995 after setting a
new record for the longest human flight
in space—427 days. Mir endured
15 years in orbit, three times its
planned lifetime. It outlasted the Soviet
Union, that launched it into space. It
hosted scores of crewmembers and
international visitors. It raised the first
crop of wheat to be grown from seed
to seed in outer space. It was the scene
of joyous reunions, feats of courage,
moments of panic, and months of grim
determination. It suffered dangerous
fires, a nearly catastrophic collision, and
darkened periods of out-of-control
tumbling.
The American space shuttle Discovery
docked with Mir on June 29, 1995 and
they both became a huge single
spacecraft high over the Earth in an
extraordinary sharing of technical skills
between the two former rivals. It was
only the second time that ships from
two countries joined up in space, the
first was in July 1975 between the
American Apollo capsule and the Soviet
Soyuz. Meanwhile, the US space shuttle
Atlantis docked with the Russia’s Mir
station (September 18, 1996), to pickup
Mr. Lucid after a record-breaking six
months in orbit.
Subsequently, with a view to taking
advantage of a $20-million offer by a
US millionaire, Mr. Walt Andersen to
convert Mir into a “space hotel”, vital
supplies such as fuel, water, oxygen and
pressure-raising equipment were rushed
to Mir. It was also planned to shoot a
few sequences of A Final Journey,
mankind’s first feature film in space
condition during docking. But ultimately
Mir splashed down in Pacific Ocean in
2001 meeting its watery grave.
SPACE SHUTTLE
The Space Shuttle was a partially
reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft
system operated by the U.S. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), as part of the Space Shuttle
program. Its official program name was
Space Transportation System (STS), taken
from a 1969 plan for a system of
reusable spacecraft of which it was the
only item funded for development. It
was developed to reduce the cost of
using space for commercial, scientific
and defence needs. In effect, the shuttle
is a manned rocket which, after
depositing its payload in space, can be
flown back to the Earth like
conventional aeroplane and be available
for re-use. Because of its versatility and
large cargo-carrying capacity, the space
shuttle can combine missions.
The first space shuttle orbiter, the
Enterprise, was rolled out by NASA from
Palmdale, California, in September 1976.
The spacecraft successfully completed
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
a series of approach and landing flight
tests in 1977. The second space shuttle
orbiter, Columbia, was launched from the
Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, on April
12, 1981 and after 36 orbits of the Earth
landed successfully at Edwards Air
Force Base in California on April 14,
1981. The event brought closer the day
when space travel can become
commonplace like air travel.
SPACE VOYAGES OF NASA
NASA ran a 30-year-long space
shuttle programme, a grand success
story on multiple fronts, which came to
an end in 2011.
The space programme involved a
number of shuttles, including Columbia,
Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour and
Atlantis. Of them, Columbia met with
a fatal accident in 2003, blowing up at
the time of re-entry, and killing the crew
of seven on board including astronaut
of Indian origin Kalpana Chawla.
Others stayed their scheduled courses
and were decommissioned through a
gradual process. Endeavour, Discovery
and Atlantis were in operation and
making ISS-Earth trips well into 2011.
Endeavour flew its final mission to the
ISS in May 2011, following which it was
formally decommissioned. Discovery,
the leader of NASA’s orbiter fleet, made
its final landing on March 9, 2011. The
last of them all, Atlantis, was launched
for the last time on July 8, 2011. It
signed off with a travel log of over
125 million miles in space.
VOYAGER’S TREK TO STARS
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, were launched
by the USA in 1977 and these were
designed essentially to study at close
range the two giants of the Solar
System, Jupiter and Saturn. Scientists
took advantage of an alignment of the
outer planets that happens once every
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150 years or so. For the study of Jupiter
and Saturn, the two spacecraft were
commissioned, but after Voyager 1 flew
close to Saturn and its moon Titan in
November 1980, it was flung away from
the planet at a deep angle into a never-
ending odyssey towards interstellar
space.
The American Voyager 2 spacecraft
capped a historic 12-year-tour of the
four outer planets on August 25, 1989
as it skimmed 4,905 km above
Neptune’s blue cloudtops, its closest
approach to any object in the Solar
System.
As it zoomed towards the fourth
largest planet of the Solar System,
Voyager 2 discovered two more tiny
moons: a 96-km wide moon designated
1989 N5, and the even smaller 1989
N6, which is 48 km wide. The two new
moons brought Neptune’s total to eight,
including the two moons observed from
the Earth—Triton and Nereid—and four
found previously by Voyager.
Voyager also found a complete ring
of debris encircling Neptune, although
it was at first thought to be a partial
ring or ring arc. The new Voyager photos
also showed that a ring arc orbiting
farther from Neptune extended 90
percent around the planet and almost
certainly was a complete ring.
Voyager’s close-up photos of
Neptune’s moon Triton reveal what
appear to be active ice volcanoes that
spew nitrogen ice particles and gas more
than a kilometre high.
In August 1989, Voyager 2 swept past
Neptune and its icy volcanic moon
Triton—the last planetary exploration
in an incredible 12-year journey that also
took the spacecraft past Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus and more than 50 moons. Now,
Voyager is speeding into the loneliest part
of its trek: the Voyager interstellar
mission. With Voyager 1, it will study the
94 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Sun’s magnetic field, solar wind and
ultraviolet light from distant stars and
galaxies.
Like Pioneers 10 and 11, Voyager 1,
which explored Jupiter and Saturn,
Voyager 2 will also search for the edge
of the Solar System.
The Voyagers are expected to return
information to the Earth until about the
year 2015 or 2020. Contact eventually
will be cut off by some malfunction, by
exhaustion of the probe’s plutonium
power generators, or when their thruster
fuel runs out leaving them unable to
point antennae at the Earth.
Then the robot explorers will pass
among the stars, each carrying a 30-cm
copper record of sounds and sights
from the Earth in case they are found
by a space-faring civilisation.
PHOBOS MISSION
The Phobos programme was an
unmanned space mission consisting of
two probes launched by the Soviet
Union to study Mars and its moons
Phobos and Deimos. Phobos 1 was
launched on July 7, 1988, and Phobos 2
on July 12, 1988, each aboard a Proton-
K rocket. Of the two probe missions
to Mars that the Soviets launched in
July 1988, only Phobos-II succeeded in
approaching the red planet after
travelling a distance of 180 million
kilometres for over six months. Phobos 1
suffered a terminal failure en route to
Mars. Phobos 2 attained Mars orbit, but
contact was lost before the final phase,
prior to deployment of a planned
Phobos lander. Phobos 1 and 2 each had
a mass of 2600 kg. The programme
featured cooperation from 14 other
nations, including Sweden, Switzerland,
Austria, France, West Germany, and the
United States.
The Phobos-II craft was to orbit the
planet for nearly two months after
which it was to approach Martian moon
Phobos. The heavily-cratered satellite of
Mars is only 21 by 27 km in size and
revolves round the planet in 7.6 hours
at a distance of 9,700 km.
Thought by astronomers to be a
captured asteroid, Phobos probably has
a chemical composition characteristic of
the early Solar System. The Phobos-II was
programmed to relay any atmospheric
data that the craft’s remote sensors
might have detected to ground
controller. The craft was also powered
to approach the satellite at a distance
of 30 to 80 km under automatic radar
control, from where a small lander was
to hop around Phobos’ low gravity
surface in kangaroo-like hops.
The Americans in 1976 had
succeeded in softlanding the Viking
spacecraft on the Martian surface. It had
relayed countless colour pictures of the
red planet, but had not found any signs
of life.
US UNMANNED PLANETARY
AND LUNAR MISSIONS
Explorer : The Explorer programme
has over more than five decades
launched 90+ missions into Space. It
has matured into one of NASA’s lower-
cost mission programmes, relative to its
other programmes. It began as a U.S.
Army proposal to place a scientific
satellite into orbit during the
International Geophysical Year (1957–
58); however, that proposal was rejected
in favour of the U.S. Navy’s Project
Vanguard. The Explorer programme
was later reestablished to catch up with
the Soviet Union after that its launch
of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957.
Explorer 1 was launched on January 31,
1958; besides being the first U.S. satellite,
it is known for discovering the Van
Allen radiation belt.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
The Explorer program was
transferred to NASA, which continued
to use the name for an ongoing series
of relatively small space missions,
typically an artificial satellite with a
science focus. Over the years, NASA
has launched a series of Explorer
spacecraft carrying a wide variety of
scientific investigations.
Lunar Orbiter program : The Lunar
Orbiter program was a series of five
unmanned lunar orbiter missions
launched by the United States from
1966 through 1967. They were intended
to help select Apollo landing sites by
mapping the Moon’s surface and
provided the first photographs from
lunar orbit. All five missions were
successful, and 99% of the Moon was
mapped from photographs taken with
a resolution of 60 metres (200 ft) or
better. The first three missions were
dedicated to imaging 20 potential
manned lunar landing sites, selected
based on Earth-based observations.
These were flown at low inclination
orbits. The fourth and fifth missions
were devoted to broader scientific
objectives and were flown in high-
altitude polar orbits. All Lunar Orbiter
craft were launched by an Atlas-Agena
D launch vehicle.
During the Lunar Orbiter missions,
the first pictures of Earth as a whole
were taken, beginning with Earth-rise
over the lunar surface by Lunar Orbiter
1 in August, 1966. The first full picture
of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar
Orbiter 5 on August 8, 1967. A second
photo of the whole Earth was taken by
Lunar Orbiter 5 on November 10, 1967.
Mariner : The spacecraft of Mariner
series were designed to fly past or orbit
the planets, particularly Mercury, Venus
and Mars and provided the early
information on Venus and Mars. While
Mariner-9, orbiting Mars in 1971,
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returned the most startling photographs
of that planet and paved the way for a
Viking landing in 1976, the Mariner 10
explored Venus and Mercury in 1973
and was the first probe to use a planet’s
gravity to whip it towards another.
Pioneer : The Pioneer program is a
series of NASA unmanned space
missions, designed for planetary
exploration. There were a number of
such missions in the program, but the
most notable were Pioneer 10 and
Pioneer 11, which reached Jupiter in
1973 and 1974, respectively and
continued to explore Saturn and the
other outer planets. Pioneer 11 examined
the Saturn system in September 1979.
Significant discoveries included the
findings of a small new moon and a
narrow new ring. In 1986, Pioneer 10
was the first man-made object to escape
the Solar System. Both carry a golden
plaque, depicting a man and a woman
and information about the origin and
the creators of the probes, should any
extraterrestrials find them someday.
Additionally, the Pioneer mission to
Venus consisted of two components,
launched separately. Pioneer Venus 1 or
Pioneer Venus Orbiter was launched in
1978 and studied the planet for more
than a decade after orbital insertion in
1978. Pioneer Venus 2 or Pioneer Venus
Multiprobe sent four small probes into
the Venusian atmosphere.
Ranger : The Ranger was the moon
exploration programme of NASA which
provided more than 17,000 close-up
pictures, giving us more information
about the Moon in a few years than in
all the time that had gone before.
Spacecraft was designed for a crash
landing on the Moon, taking pictures
and returning scientific data up to the
moment of impact.
Surveyor : The Surveyor Program
was a NASA program that, from 1966
through 1968, sent seven robotic
96 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
spacecrafts to the surface of the Moon.
Its main aim was to demonstrate the
feasibility of soft landings on the Moon.
The mission called for the craft to travel
directly to the Moon on an impact
trajectory (no orbit first), on a journey
that lasted 63 to 65 hours, and ended
with a deceleration of just over three
minutes to a soft-landing. The program
was implemented by NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to prepare
for the Apollo program. The total cost
of the Surveyor program was officially
$469 million. Surveyor dispelled the fear
that Apollo spacecraft might sink several
feet or more into the lunar dust.
Helios Probe: The Helios I and
Helios II space probes, also known as
Helios-A and Helios-B, were a pair of
probes launched into heliocentric orbit
for the purpose of studying solar
processes. The joint venture of the
Federal Republic of Germany (West
Germany) and NASA, the probes were
launched from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Florida, in December
1974, and January 1976, respectively.
The Helios space probes completed
their primary missions by the early
1980s, but they continued to send data
up to 1985.
Viking : It is the name for two
spacecraft designed to conduct detailed
scientific examination of the planet
Mars, including a search for life.
Viking 1 landed on July 20, 1976 and
Viking 2 on September 3, 1976. More
was learnt about the Red Planet in a
few months than in all the time that
had gone before. But the question of
life on Mars remains unsolved despite
the NASA releasing photographs
(August 17, 1996) of carbonate mineral
globules (c) found in the meteorite
Allan-Hills-84001, which is believed to
have once been a part of Mars three to
four billion years ago.
 Voyager : The Voyager, a space probe
launched by NASA on September 5,
1977, was designed to explore Jupiter
and other outer planets. Voyager 1 and
Voyager 2 passed Jupiter in 1979 and
sent back startling coloured TV images
of that planet and its moons. They took
a total of about 33,000 pictures.
Voyager 1 passed Saturn in November
1980, while Voyager 2 did the same in
August 1981 before passing Uranus in
January 1986.
It encountered Neptune on August 29,
1989 and made many startling
discoveries. It found four rings around
the planet, six new moons, a Giant Spot
and evidence of volcano-like activity on
its largest moon, Triton. The spacecraft
sent back over 9,000 pictures of the
planet and its system.
On February 13, 1990, at a distance
of 3.7 billion miles, Voyager 1 took its
final pictures the Sun and six of its
planets as seen from deep space. NASA
released the extraordinary images to the
public on June 6, 1990. Only Mercury,
Mars and Pluto (now listed as a dwarf
planet), were not seen.
After completing its primary mission
with the flyby of Saturn on
November 20, 1980, Voyager 1 began an
extended mission to explore the regions
and boundaries of the outer heliosphere.
On August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 crossed
the heliopause to become the first
spacecraft to enter interstellar space and
study the interstellar medium. Voyager 1’s
extended mission is expected to
continue until around 2025, when its
radioisotope thermoelectric generators
will no longer supply enough electric
power to operate its scientific
instruments.
Infrared Astronomical Satellite:
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite
(IRAS) was the first-ever space-based
observatory to perform a survey of the
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
entire sky at infrared wavelengths. It
discovered about 350,000 sources, many
of which are still awaiting identification.
New discoveries included a dust disk
around Vega and the first images of
the Milky Way Galaxy’s core. The
telescope was a joint project of the
United States (NASA), the Netherlands
(NIVR), and the United Kingdom
(SERC). Over 2,50,000 infrared sources
were observed at 12, 25, 60, and 100
micrometre wavelengths.
Magellan Probe: The Magellan
spacecraft was a space probe sent to
the planet Venus, the first unmanned
interplanetary spacecraft to be launched
by NASA since its successful Pioneer
Orbiter, also to Venus, in 1978. It was
also the first of three deep-space probes
to be launched on the Space Shuttle,
and the first spacecraft to employ
aerobraking techniques to lower its orbit.
Galileo Probe: The Galileo Probe
was an atmospheric-entry probe carried
by the main Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter,
where it directly entered a hot spot and
returned data from the planet. It was
launched on October 18, 1989 by the
Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34
mission. It arrived at Jupiter on
December 7, 1995, a little more than
six years later, via gravitational assist
flybys of Venus and Earth. The 339-
kilogram (747 lb) probe was built by
Hughes Aircraft Company at its El
Segundo, California plant, measured
about 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) across. Inside
the probe’s heat shield, the scientific
instruments were protected from
extreme heat and pressure during its
high-speed journey into the Jovian
atmosphere, entering at 47.8 kilometers
(29.7 mi) per second. Despite antenna
problems, Galileo conducted the first
asteroid flyby, discovered the first
asteroid moon, was the first spacecraft
to orbit Jupiter, and launched the first
97
probe into Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Galileo’s prime mission was a two-year
study of the Jovian system. The
spacecraft travelled around Jupiter in
elongated ellipses, each orbit lasting
about two months. The differing
distances from Jupiter afforded by these
orbits allowed Galileo to sample
different parts of the planet’s extensive
magnetosphere
Hubble Space Telescope: The
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a
space telescope that was carried into
orbit by a Space Shuttle in April 1990.
It is named after American astronomer
Edwin Hubble. Although not the first
space telescope, Hubble is one of the
largest and most versatile, and is well
known as both a vital research tool and
a public relations boon for astronomy.
The HST is a collaboration between
NASA and the European Space Agency,
and is one of the Great Observatories
of NASA, along with the Compton
Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra
X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer
Space Telescope. The HST’s success has
paved the way for greater collaboration
between the agencies.
Mars Exploration Rover Mission:
Mars Exploration Rover Mission (MER)
of NASA is a robotic space mission
involving two rovers exploring the
planet Mars. The mission is managed
for NASA by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, which designed, built and
is operating the rovers. The mission
began in 2003 with the sending of the
two rovers—MER-A Spirit and
MER-B Opportunity—to explore the
Martian surface and geology. The
scientific objective of the mission is to
search for and characterise a wide range
of rocks and soils that hold clues to
past water activity on Mars. The mission
is a part of the Mars Exploration
Program of NASA which includes three
98 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
previous successful landers: the two
Viking program landers in 1976 and
Mars Pathfinder probe in 1997.
MESSENGER: MESSENGER (an
acronym of MErcury Surface, Space
ENvironment, GEochemistry, and
Ranging) is a robotic spacecraft orbiting
the planet Mercury, the first spacecraft
ever to do so. The 485-kilogram
(1,069 lb) spacecraft was launched
aboard a Delta II rocket in August 2004
to study Mercury’s chemical
composition, geology, and magnetic
field. MESSENGER entered the orbit
around Mercury on March 18, 2011; it
then reactivated its science instruments
on March 24, returning the first photo
from Mercury orbit on March 29.
Apart from Russia and the USA,
other countries including India, China,
Japan etc., have made giant strides in
space research. China has already sent
its astronauts in space. India, since the
launch of its first satellite Aryabhatta in
1975, has already joined the elite club
of nations which have attained self-
sufficiency in designing, developing and
launching satellites. Further, with the
launch of Italian AGILE, India’s space
research programme entered the era of
commercialisation.
SUNITA WILLIAMS SETS
WOMEN’S SPACEWALKING
RECORD
Indian-American astronaut Sunita L.
Williams added another feather to her
cap by spending more time spacewalking
than any other woman. She holds the
records for total spacewalks of a woman
(seven) and most spacewalk time for a
woman (50 hours and 40 minutes). She
also holds the record for longest single
space flight by a woman (192 days). In
all, Williams is No. 5 on the list of most
experienced spacewalkers.
 RUSSIAN COSMONAUT
RETURNS FROM RECORD-
BREAKING SPACE MISSION
Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov
returned to the Earth on March 22,
1995 after a record- breaking 438 days
in space. Polyakov and two other
crew members from the Russian
space station, Mir, landed aboard a
Soyuz TM-20, about 32 km northeast of
Arkalyk in Kazakhstan.
Polyakov, 52, broke the endurance
record of one year in space when he
spent his 366th day in orbit on January
9, 1995. Mayak, monitored by the British
Broadcasting Corporation, said that a
joint Russian-US crew of three was left
on Mir.
Polyakov is one of only five people
to spend over 300 days in space. In his
orbits to Mir, he travelled some
400 million km.
FIRST WOMAN COMMANDER
FOR NASA MISSION
NASA achieved the unique distinction
of launching the first-ever woman-
manned space flight aboard the space
shuttle Columbia which blasted off from
Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 23, 1999
with Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins
(42) as the first woman commander. The
goal of the five-day mission was to place
the ‘Chandra’ X-ray Obser vator y
(named after India-born Nobel Laureate
astrophysicist Dr. S. Chandrasekhar) in
orbit, to examine the most powerful
sources of X-rays in the Universe—
black holes, colliding galaxies and also
the remains of supernova. The first
woman sent into space was a Russian,
Valentine Tereschkova (1963). The first
American woman was Sally Ride in June
1983. In 1995, Lt. Colonel Collins
became the first woman to pilot the
shuttle.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
PATHFINDER’S LANDING
ON MARS
Another glorious chapter was added
to the history of space research on
July 4, 1997, when the US spacecraft
Pathfinder made a perfect landing on
Mars after a seven-month journey.
Scientists at Pasadena, California,
experienced one of the thrilling and
rewarding moments of their life when
they saw their dreams come true after
almost 21 years of sustained endeavour
to see this day of great accomplishment.
The first photographs received from
the spacecraft showed both the
spacecraft as well as a broad field of
rocks and sand stretching to hills on
the far horizon. The two hills, each
several feet high and standing about a
mile to the South West, have been
named by scientists as “Twin Peaks”,
while a large and dark rock resembling
a sleeping bear as “Yogi” and the white
stripe running down the slope of one
hill as “Ski Run”. The first chemical
analysis of a stone by Pathfinder robot
has yielded a surprising result indicating
that it might be a kind of volcanic rock
common on the Earth.
Analysis of a rock called “Scooby
Doo” showed that Mars is more similar
to the Earth than even the Moon. It
has also been proved that the meteorite
believed to have come from Mars and
thought to contain fossil evidence of
ancient life, indeed did come from the
red planet. Further although there is no
liquid water on Martian Surface now,
scientists figure that the planet is water-
rich. According to them, vast amounts
of frozen water exist in the north polar
cap and beneath the surface as
permafrost. Meanwhile, the Sojourner
has sent images suggesting signs of
ancient water actively on Mars. Scientists
are analysing the light-coloured vertical
99
mark on the hill side which could be an
avalanche gully. Horizontal features on
another hill could be terraces cut by
moving water.
Explorations to Mars in the last two
decades or more undertaken by the USA
and the erstwhile USSR have been a
mixed bag of successes and failures.
While the Russian spacecraft have
suffered malfunctioning off and on,
registering partial successes only, US
missions had six spinoffs, beginning
with the Mariner 4 fly-by of the planet
in 1965, and three failures. In 1962, Mars
Observer was lost as it approached the
Red Planet for a planned orbiting
mission.
After more than five fruitless months,
NASA scientists declared the $266
million Pathfinder spacecraft officially
dead on March 11, 1998. The spacecraft
which sent home scientific findings,
including 500 pictures and 16000 images
by the Sojourner rover, succumbed to
the cold and dust of the Martian winter.
Pathbreaking researches on Saturn
and its moon, Titan : According to
an international team of researchers,
Saturn, the giant gas planet encircled
with yellow and gold bands, is spinning
slower than expected.
Instead of a day on Saturn lasting
roughly 11 hours, the researchers have
calculated that the rotation period is 10
hours and 47 minutes—eight minutes
slower than estimates from the NASA
voyager results during the early 1980s.
It has been further stated by
researchers that it could affect the size
of the planet’s rock and ice core and
provide more insights into how it
formed.
As scientists believe, the measurement
of Saturn’s period of rotation may prove
to be pathbreaking for future research
on planetary characteristics. It was after
an effort of almost two years that
100 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
scientists had succeeded in getting
fascinating insights into Saturn.
In another important research on the
topography of the Saturnian moon
Titan, an international team of space
scientists led by Prof. Ralph Lorenz of
the University of Arizona (USA) found
that Titan has huge regions covered with
dunes. The findings of this research
reveal that these dunes might be made
up of ice crystals, sand or some other
unknown material. According to the
researchers, Titan’s atmosphere is thicker
than the Earth’s, its gravity is lower and
its sand has a completely different
composition. Thus, it is only due to the
physical process, which could have taken
place there, to which the formation of
dunes can be attributed. The existence
of dunes, piled over other geographical
features probably suggests that wind
recently blew fine grains of some
material (sand, ice or something else)
around, which might have resulted in
their formation.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION
The International Space Station
(ISS) is a space station, or a habitable
artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. Its
first component was launched into orbit
in 1998, and the ISS is now the largest
human-made body in low Earth orbit
and can often be seen with the naked
eye from Earth. The ISS consists of
pressurised modules, external trusses,
solar arrays, and other components. ISS
components have been launched by
Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and
American Space Shuttles. The ISS serves
as a microgravity and space environment
research laboratory in which crew
members conduct experiments in
biology, human biolog y, physics,
astronomy, meteorology, and other
fields. The station is suited for the
testing of spacecraft systems and
equipment required for missions to the
Moon and Mars. The ISS maintains an
orbit with an altitude of between 330
and 435 km (205 and 270 mi) by means
of reboost manoeuvres using the
engines of the Zvezda module or visiting
spacecraft. It completes 15.54 orbits per
day.
The ISS is the ninth space station to
be inhabited by crews, following the
Soviet and later Russian Salyut, Almaz,
and Mir stations as well as Skylab from
the US. The station has been
continuously occupied for 16 years and
286 days since the arrival of
Expedition 1 on November 2, 2000.
This is the longest continuous human
presence in low Earth orbit, having
surpassed the previous record of 9 years
and 357 days held by Mir. The station
is serviced by a variety of visiting
spacecraft: the Russian Soyuz and
Progress, the American Dragon and
Cygnus, the Japanese H-II Transfer
Vehicle, and formerly the Space Shuttle
and the European Automated Transfer
Vehicle. It has been visited by
astronauts, cosmonauts and space
tourists from 17 different nations.
QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
Q. Who was the first man to go
into space ?
A. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
led the first successful manned space
flight on April 12, 1961. He completed
a single orbit of the Earth in 89.34
minutes in the 4.65-tonne space vehicle
Vostok I which took off from Tyura
Tam in Kazakhstan and landed near the
village of Smelovka, near Engels, in the
Saratov region of the erstwhile USSR
(now CIS).
Q. What is the radius of the moon?
A. The radius of the moon is 1,080
miles.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Q. What is the Sea of Tranquility
on the Moon?
A. The Sea of Tranquility on the
Moon is a dry area of the Moon that
appear dark when looking at it.
Q. Where was Dr. Eugene
Shoemaker buried?
A. Dr. Eugene Shoemaker was buried
in a crater on the moon on July 31,
1999.
Q. Who was the first woman to go
into space ?
A. The first woman to orbit the Earth
was Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova,
who was launched in Vostok 6 from
Tyura Tam in the former USSR (now
CIS), on June 16, 1963 and landed on
June 19, 1963 after a flight of
2 days, 22 hours, 42 minutes.
Q. Who was the first person to
walk in space ?
A. Lt. Col. Alexei Leonov of the
erstwhile USSR (now CIS) was the first
person to venture outside a space
capsule Vaskhod 2 on March 18, 1965.
Q. What historic day did Neil
Armstrong walk on the moon?
A. Neil Armstrong walked on the
moon on July 20, 1969.
Q. Who is the first Space Tourist in
the world ?
A. Mr. Dennis Tito of the USA is
the first Space Tourist in the world. He
blasted off in a Russian Soyuz Space
Capsule on April 28, 2001 from
Baikonour (Kazakhstan) and stayed for
a week in the International Space
Station.
Q. Who was the first woman
spacewalker ?
A. Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana
Savitskaya was the first woman to walk
in space on July 25, 1984, when she left
Salyut 7 space station to do a welding
job on the outside of the orbital
complex. She is also the only woman to
have made two space flights.
101
 THE EARTH
The Earth, the largest of the inner
planets of the Solar System and the third
closest planet to the Sun, is the sole
home of human life in the entire Solar
System and is the fifth largest planet. It
has an equatorial diameter of 12,756 km
and a polar diameter of 12,714 km. The
Earth is at a distance of 149,597,900
km from the Sun and orbits round the
Sun at a speed of 107,220 km per hour,
making one revolution in 365 days,
5 hours, 48 minutes and 45.51 seconds.
It completes one rotation on its axis
every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.091
seconds.
The Earth is a unique planet. It is a
bit pear-shaped rather than a true
sphere. The Earth is considered a solid,
rigid mass with a dense core of
magnetic, probably metallic material. It
is the only planet containing ample water
and air around it. The temperature on
the Earth is also suitable for human life.
DIMENSIONS OF EARTH
Mass of Earth : 5.9736 × 1024 kg
Density of Earth : 5.517 times that
EARTH’S MOTIONS
The Earth is constantly in motion,
revolving around the Sun and rotating
on its axis. These motions account for
many of the phenomenon we see as
normal occurrences: night and day,
changing of the seasons, and different
climates in different regions. With a
globe ball properly mounted and
rotating on its axis, the movements of
the Earth around the Sun may be
illustrated accurately.
Earth’s Axis is an imaginary line
which runs right across and passes
through the centre of the Earth. The
Earth spins round its axis which always
remains inclined at an angle of 66½°
to the plane of the Earth’s orbit.
June 21
rotation summer solstice
northern hemisphere
N
area of
66½°N continuous
daylight
sunlight
0°

of water.
Volume of Earth : 1,083,208,840,000
cubic km.
Equatorial Circumference :
40,075.03 km.
Polar or Meridianal
Circumference: 40,007.89 km.
Equatorial Diameter : 12,756 km.
Polar Diameter : 12,714 km.
Land and Sea Surface : The
estimated total surface area of the Earth
is 510,066,100 sq km, of which the sea
or hydrosphere covers five-sevenths or,
more accurately, 70.92% and the land
or litho-sphere two-sevenths or 29.08%.
The mean depth of the hydrosphere is
3,554 metres.
102
area of
continuous
night 66½°S
S
night day
Rotation is the spinning of the Earth
on its axis. The Earth rotates from west
to east and takes 23 hours, 56 minutes
and 4.091 seconds to complete one
rotation.
The velocity of the Earth’s rotation
varies between nearly 1690 km per hour
at equator, 845 km per hour at 60° N
and S and zero at the poles.
At the Equator, there is a 12-hour day
and a 12-hour night. North of 66½°N,
there is continuous daylight; south of
66½°S there is continuous night. Days
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
be-come longer with increasing latitude
north, shorter with increasing latitude
south.
Revolution is the movement of the
Earth around the Sun simultaneously
with its rotation. It takes 365 days,
5 hours, 48 minutes and 45.51 seconds
for it to complete one revolution.
March :
northern spring N December :
northern winter
N N
S
Sun
S
N shines vertically on the Tropic of
S
June : September :
northern summer S northern autumn
Orbit is the elliptical path of the
Earth’s revolution round the Sun.
Perihelion is the Earth’s closest
position to the Sun. The Earth reaches
its perihelion on January 3 approximately
when it is 147.3 million kilometres from
the Sun.
Aphelion is the point in the Earth’s
or other planet’s orbit which is farthest
from the Sun. The Earth reaches its
aphelion on July 4 when it is nearly 152
million kilometres away from the Sun.
Leap Year is the year in which the
month of February has 29 days. Leap
year occurs once in four years. The
Earth actually takes 365 days, 5 hours,
48 minutes and 45.51 seconds to
complete one revolution round the Sun.
For the sake of convenience, the year
is rounded off as 365 days. The
remaining one-fourth of the day has to
be accounted for, since a year represents
the time taken by the Earth to complete
one revolution round the Sun.
Therefore, once in four years one day
is added to the year in the month of
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
February, thus, making it a leap year
except centesimal years not divisible by
400. For instance, between 2000 and
2400, 2000 and 2400 are leap years but
2100, 2200 and 2300 are not leap years
being indivisible by 400.
Solstice is the date on which the Sun
shines vertically over a tropic when the
days and nights are the longest and the
shortest. On June 22, the Sun shines
vertically on the Tropic of Cancer and
this date is termed as summer solstice
for northern hemisphere and winter
solstice for the southern hemisphere.
Similarly, on December 22, the Sun
Capricorn. Hence, this date is summer
solstice for the southern hemisphere and
winter solstice for the northern
hemisphere. Likewise, the longest and
the shortest days in the northern
hemisphere are June 22 and December
22 and vice versa, i.e. December 22 and
June 22, the longest and the shortest
days in the southern hemisphere.
Equinox means two days during the
year, March 21 and September 23, when
day and night are almost equal
throughout the world because the
Sun shines vertically on the Equator.
March 21 is called vernal equinox and
September 23 is called autumnal
equinox.
MOON
EARTH’S PERMANENT
NATURAL SATELLITE
The Moon is an astronomical body
that orbits planet Earth, being Earth’s
only permanent natural satellite. It is
the fifth-largest natural satellite in the
Solar System, and the largest among
planetary satellites relative to the size
of the planet that it orbits (its primary).
Following Jupiter’s satellite Io, the Moon
is second-densest satellite among those
whose densities are known. It is over
103
one quarter size of the Earth with
diameter of 3,476 km. It is also the
nearest neighbour of the Earth at a
mean distance of 384,400 km centre to
centre, 376,284 km surface to surface.
Its average orbital speed is 3,680 km
per hour. The Earth is being orbited by
the Moon. The period of rotation of
the Moon is equal to its period of
revolution around the Earth. This
period is 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes
and 11.47 seconds. Over 59 percent of
the Moon’s surface is directly visible
from the Earth. Six American spacecraft
from 1969 to 1972 brought 12
astronauts to walk on the surface of
the Moon.
QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
Q. Where are days and nights
equal throughout the year and why?
A. Days and nights are equal
throughout the year at the Equator. The
Equator runs through the centre of
the Earth and the centre of the Earth
remains exactly in the same position in
relation to the Sun throughout the year.
Q. What causes changes in
seasons ?
A. The inclination of the Earth’s axis
by 66½° and the Earth’s revolution
round the Sun bring about changes in
seasons. The two hemispheres
experience summer when they are closer
to the Sun and winter when farther away
from it.
Q. What do you know about the
shape of the Earth ?
A. The Earth is an oblate spheroid.
It is a little flattened at the poles and
bulges out slightly at the equator.
Q. Describe the zones of the
Earth.
A. (i) Torrid Zone: It lies between
23½° North and 23½° South, that is,
between the Tropic of Cancer and
Tropic of Capricorn. This is the hottest
zone, since the rays of the Sun are more
nearly perpendicular here than in any
other zone.
(ii) North Temperate Zone: It lies
between 23½° North and 66½° North.
This zone has a marked annual range
of temperature.
(iii) South Temperate Zone: It lies
between 23½° South and 66½° South.
This, too, has a marked annual range
of temperature.
(iv) North Frigid Zone: It lies
between 66½° North and 90° North. It
is extremely cold throughout the year.
(v) South Frigid Zone: It lies between
66½° South and 90° South. It, too, is
extremely cold throughout the year.

MAP READING
Equator is an imaginary line on the
surface, equidistant from the North and
South Poles, dividing the Earth into
two equal halves—Northern and
Southern Hemispheres. It is about
40,075 kilometres (24,901 miles) long,
of which 78.7% lies across water and
21.3% over land.
Meridians represent the imaginary
lines drawn out on the global map, from
pole to pole and perpendicular to the
Equator.
104
Prime Meridian is the 0° meridian
which passes through Greenwich, a
place near London. It is also known as
the Greenwich Meridian.
Longitudes are the equidistant lines
drawn east and west of the Greenwich
Meridian. They denote angular distances
of a place due east or west of the
Greenwich Meridian. They converge at
the two poles.
Latitudes are parallel lines drawn
north and south of the Equator. They
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
indicate angular distance of a place in
relation to the Equator.
Tropics are literally turning points.
They are a region of the Earth
surrounding the Equator. They refer to
those parallels where the Sun is
imagined to halt its movement and turn
about northward or southward as the
case may be. The 23½° north parallel
is, thus, termed as the Tropic of Cancer
and the 23½° south parallel as the
Tropic of Capricorn. The tropics are
also referred to as the tropical zone and
the torrid zone. The tropics include all
the areas on the Earth where the Sun
contacts the zenith, a point directly
overhead, at least once during the solar
year (which is a subsolar point). The
Tropics comprise 40% of the Earth’s
surface area and contain 36% of the
Earth’s landmass.
Great Circles are imaginary circles
whose plane passing through the centre
of the Earth bisects it into two equal
halves. For example, equator is a great
circle. Parts of opposite meridian also
constitute great circles. The number of
great circles which can be drawn on a
sphere is limitless. They are used to
determine shortest distance between any
two points on the surface of the Earth,
cutting down the travelling costs by
aircraft and ships.
Small Circles are similar to the great
circles. However, they differ from great
circles in the sense that their plane does
not pass through the Earth’s centre. All
LITHOSPHERE
The lithosphere is the solid, outer part
of the Earth. It includes the brittle
upper portion of the mantle and
the crust, the outermost layers of
Earth’s structure. It is bounded by
the atmosphere above and the
asthenosphere below. The lithosphere is
the coolest of Earth’s layers. There are
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
the parallels of latitude north and south
of the Equator make small circles.
Contour Lines join places of equal
height above sea level on a map.
Map Projection is the method by
which the curved surface of the Earth
is depicted on a flat surface of plane.
In other words, it represents the
projection of curved lines of latitude
and longitude on a global map.
Zenithical Projection is adopted to
construct equal area or equidistant maps.
Equal area projection is frequently
shown as a polar projection. Here,
concentric parallels are drawn with the
pole at the centre and with meridians
as straight lines converging on the pole.
Conical Projection represents a part
of the globe, projected upon a tangent
cone, which in effect is opened up and
laid flat.
Cylindrical Projection represents
the globe as projected upon a
surrounding cylinder, which, in effect,
is opened up and laid out. Here, the
lines of latitude and longitude are drawn
as straight lines intersecting at right
angles.
Mercator Projection represents the
map of global area in a cylindrical type
of projection, where the lines of latitude
and longitude are drawn as straight lines
intersecting at right angles instead of
the curved lines they ought to be. This
projection can give correct shapes only
for very small areas and their
comparative size will be wrong.
two types of lithosphere: oceanic
lithosphere and continental lithosphere.
Oceanic lithosphere is associated with
oceanic crust, and is slightly denser than
continental lithosphere. Continental
lithosphere, associated with continental
crust, can be much thicker than its
oceanic cousin, stretching more than
105
200 kilometres (124 miles) below Earth’s
surface.
The lithosphere has a thickness
between 35 to 50 km in the continental
regions, but becomes thin between 6 to
12 km under the ocean beds. In the
high mountain regions, its thickness is
estimated at about 60 km.
Though, strictly speaking, lithosphere
includes both the land mass and the
ocean floors, generally it is used to
denote only the land surface, which
occupies a little less than 30 percent of
total area of the Earth.
Our knowledge about the interior of
the Earth is based on the seismic waves,
as they travel through the Earth.
Scientists have concluded that the centre
of the Earth or Earth’s core is a solid
sphere with a diameter of about
2,740 km. The rocks in this solid core
are about three times as dense as those
in the crust.
Surrounding the inner core of the
Earth is an outer core, which is about
2,100 km thick. In this outer core,
temperature ranges between 2,000°C to
5,000°C.
Between the outer core and the crust
of the Earth is the dense ‘mantle’ which
is about 2,900 km thick. The ‘mantle’ is
mostly solid, but at its top, some rocks
are molten or semi-molten.
The topmost portion of the Earth,
the crust, is the land mass comprising
soil, sand and rocks. In fact, all the sand
and much of the soil that we have, has
come to us from ancient rocks that have
crumbled down under the impact of
heat of the Sun and the cool of the
rains, a process that has gone on for
thousands of years.
QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
Q. What is a snow line ?
A. It is a line beyond which snow
never melts. It varies with the
altitude.
106
Q. What is a glacier ?
A. A vast accumulation of ice and
snow, which moves slowly till it melts
and forms a river, is called glacier.
Q. Explain the principle of
artesian well.
A. An artesian well is a well in which
water rises under hydrostatic pressure.
The pressure is due to the outlet of the
well being some depth below the level
of the source of the water. Artesian
wells were first constructed in Artois,
the French province, but are now, also
very common in Australia, the United
States of America and some parts of
India.
Q. Write short notes on
(i) Canyon
(ii) Delta
(iii) Geyser
(iv) Rift Valley
(v) Bluff
A. (i) Canyon : A deep and narrow
river valley with steep bank is called a
canyon. The most famous canyon in the
world is that of the Colorado (USA).
For about 480 km, the river flows
through a gorge or a canyon the banks
of which are, at some places, more than
one-and-a-half kilometre high.
(ii) Delta : Delta is a triangular shape
piece of land formed by sediment on
the mouth of river, often projecting into
a sea or lake. Nile Delta is well known
all over the world and Sunderbans Delta
in West Bengal is famous in India.
(iii) Geyser : Geyser is a jet of hot
water or steam periodically thrown up
by a hot spring found in the region,
inhabited by volcanoes both old and
current.
(iv) Rift Valley : A valley formed by
sinking of land between two roughly
parallel faults. The two well-known rift
valleys are Great Rift Valley of East
Africa and Rhine Rift Valley between
Basel and Bingen.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 (v) Bluff : Also called a rift with a
fold and almost perpendicular front;
normally applied to the steep slopes
bordering a river. These rifts are often
formed by the action of the river cutting
into the valley sides, e.g. on the concave
side of a meander.
Q. What are earthquakes ? Why
do they occur ?
A. Earthquakes occur to relieve a
stress that has built up within the crust
or mantle of the Earth. An earthquake
is a shaking of the Earth caused by
sudden Earth movements along a fault.
Most severe earthquakes are associated
with fault lines where there are no
volcanoes as safety valves. The degree
of magnitude is measured on Richter
Scale and intensity related to the effects
of waves at the surface on the modified
Mercalli Scale.
Earthquake waves are classified into
three categories—(a) Primary or push
waves; (b) Secondary or shake waves; and
(c) Surface or Longitude waves.
It has been estimated that more than
eight lakh earthquakes are registered by
seismographs annually but majority of
them go unnoticed. One of the
deadliest earthquakes in recent times,
which measured 9.1 on the Richter scale,
occurred off the west coast of
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia on
December 26, 2004. The earthquake
caused a devastating tsunami, killing
about 2,30,000 people in 14 countries.

MOUNTAINS, DESERTS AND CAVES

PRINCIPAL MOUNTAIN PEAKS OF THE WORLD
Mountain Height in metres Range Date of first ascent
1. Mount Everest 8,848 Himalayas May 29, 1953
2. K-2 (Godwin Austen) 8,611 Karakoram July 31, 1954
3. Kanchenjunga 8,598 Himalayas May 25, 1955
4. Lhotse 8,511 Himalayas May 18, 1956
5. Makalu I 8,481 Himalayas May 15, 1955
6. Dhaulagiri I 8,172 Himalayas May 13, 1960
7. Manaslu I 8,156 Himalayas May 9, 1956
8. Cho Uyo 8,153 Himalayas Oct. 19, 1954
9. Nanga Parbat 8,126 Himalayas July 3, 1953
10. Annapurna I 8,078 Himalayas June 3, 1950
11. Gasherbrum I 8,068 Karakoram July 5, 1958
12. Broad Peak I 8,047 Karakoram June 9, 1957
13. Gasherbrum II 8,034 Karakoram July 7, 1956
14. Shisha Pangma (Gosainthan) 8,013 Himalayas May 2, 1964
15. Gasherbrum III 7,952 Karakoram Aug. 11,1975
16. Annapurna II 7,937 Himalayas May 17, 1960
17. Gasherbrum IV 7,924 Karakoram Aug. 6, 1958
18. Gyachung Kang 7,921 Himalayas Apr. 10, 1964
19. Kangbachen 7,902 Himalayas May 26, 1974
20. Disteghil Sar I 7,884 Karakoram June 9, 1960
21. Himal Chuli 7,841 Himalayas May 24, 1960

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 107

 Mountain Height in metres Range Date of first ascent
22. Khinyang Chhish 7,852 Karakoram Aug. 26, 1971
23. Nuptse 7,821 Himalayas May 16, 1961
24. Manaslu II (Peak 29) 7,835 Himalayas Oct. 1970
25. Masherbrum East 7,821 Karakoram July 6, 1960
26. Nanda Devi 7,817 Himalayas Aug. 29, 1936
27. Chomo Lonzo 7,815 Himalayas Oct. 30, 1954
28. Ngojumba Ri I 7,805 Himalayas May 5, 1965
29. Rakaposhi 7,788 Karakoram June 25, 1958
30. Batura Muztagh I 7,785 Karakoram June 30, 1976
31. Zemu Gap Peak 7,780 Himalayas Unclimbed
32. Kanjut Sar 7,761 Karakoram July 19, 1959
33. Kamet 7,756 Himalayas June 21, 1931
34. Namcha Barwa 7,755 Himalayas Unclimbed
35. Dhaulagiri II 7,751 Himalayas May 18, 1971
36. Saltoro Kangri I 7,741 Karakoram July 24, 1962
37. Batura Muztagh II 7,730 Karakoram 1978
38. Gurla Mandhata 7,728 Himalayas Unclimbed
39. Ulugh Muztagh 7,725 Kunlun Shan Unclimbed
40. Qungur II (Kongur) 7,719 Pamir July 12, 1981
41. Dhaulagiri III 7,715 Himalayas Oct. 23, 1973
42. Jannu 7,709 Himalayas Apr. 27, 1962
43. Tirich Mir 7,706 Hindu Kush July 21, 1950
44. Saltoro Kangri II 7,691 Karakoram Unclimbed
45. Disteghil Sar E 7,700 Karakoram Unclimbed
46. Saser Kangri I 7,672 Karakoram June 5, 1973
47. Chogolisa South West 7,665 Karakoram Aug. 2, 1975
48. Phola Gangchhen 7,661 Himalayas Unclimbed
49. Dhaulagiri IV 7,661 Himalayas May 9, 1975
50. Shahkang Sham 7,660 Unclimbed
VOLCANOES Ocean plate. Of the world’s active
A volcano is a rupture in the crust volcanoes, about 60 percent are along
of a planetary-mass object, such as the perimeter of the Pacific, about 17
Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, percent in an arc along the south of the
and gases to escape from a magma Indonesian islands and about 9 percent
chamber below the surface. It is in the Mediterranean area, Africa and
estimated that there are about 850 active Asia Minor. Vulcanologists classify
volcanoes, of which 80 are sub-marine. volcanoes as extinct, dormant or active
Almost two-thirds of these are in the (which includes rumbling, steaming or
Northern Hemisphere. Most volcanoes erupting).
occur at the boundaries of the Earth’s Cerro Aconcagua (6,960 metres), the
crustal plates, such as the famous “Ring highest Andean peak, is an extinct
of Fire” that surrounds the Pacific volcano, while Kilimanjaro (5,895
108 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
metres) in Africa and Volcan Llullaillaco in Chile (6,723 metres) are classified as
dormant. Among the principal volcanoes active in recent times are:
Name Height Range or Country Date of Last
(ft) (metres) Location Notified Eruption
Ojos del Salado 22,588 6,885 Andes Argentina-Chile 1981–Steams
Guallatiri 19,882 6,060 Andes Chile 1960
Cotopaxi 19,347 5,897 Andes Ecuador 1975
Lascar 18,507 5,641 Andes Chile 1968
Tupungatito 18,504 5,640 Andes Chile 1964
Popocatepetl 17,887 5,451 Altiplano de Mexico Mexico 1920—Steams
Nevado del Ruiz 17,690 5,400 Andes Colombia 1985
Sangay 17,159 5,230 Andes Ecuador 1976
Klyuchevskaya 15,913 4,850 Sredinnyy Khrebet CIS* 1974
Soplea (Kamchatka Peninsula) (formerly USSR)
Purace 15,059 4,590 Andes Colombia 1977
Tajumulco 13,881 4,220 Guatemala Rumbles
Mauna Loa 13,680 4,170 Hawaii USA 1978
Tacana 13,379 4,078 Sierra Madre Guatemala Rumbles
Cameroon Mt. 13,350 4,070 (monarch) Cameroon 1959
Erebus 12,450 3,795 Ross I Antarctica 1975
Rindjani 12,224 3,726 Lombok Indonesia 1966
Pico de Teide 12,198 3,718 Tenerife, Canary Is Spain 1909
Semeru 12,060 3,676 Java Indonesia 1976
Nyiragongo 11,385 3,470 Virunga Zaire 1977
Koryakskaya 11,339 3,456 Kamchatka Peninsula CIS* 1957
Irazu 11,325 3,452 Cordillera Costa Central 1967
Slamat 11,247 3,428 Java Indonesia 1967
Mt. Spurr 11,070 3,474 Alaska Range USA 1953
Mt. Etna 10,853 3,308 Sicily Italy 2002
* Commonwealth of Independent States
WORLD’S DEEPEST CAVES
Cave Country Depth in metres
Reseau du Foillis, Haute Savoie France 1455
Reseau de la Pierre St. Martin, Haute Savoie France 1321
Snezhanaya, Caucasus CIS 1280
Sistema Huautla Mexico 1220
Gouffre Berger France 1198
Sima de Ukendi Spain 1185
Avenc B15, Pyrenees Spain 1150
Schneeloch, Salzburg Austria 1111
Sima G.E.S. Malaga Spain 1098
Lamprechtsofen Austria 1024
Reseau Felix Trombe France 1018
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, Powys Wales 308
Giant’s Hole-Oxlow Caverns, Derbyshire England 214
Reyfad Pot, Fermanagh North Ireland 179
Carrowmore Cavern Ireland, Republic 140

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 109

 WORLD’S PRINCIPAL DESERTS
Name Approximate area in sq km Territories
The Sahara 9,065,000 Africa. Spreads across Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco.
Embraces the Libyan Desert (1,550,000 sq km) and the
Nubian Desert (260,000 sq km)
Australian Desert 1,550,000 Australia. Embraces the Great Sandy (or Warburton)
(420,000 sq km), Great Victoria (325,000 sq km),
Simpson (Arunta) (310,000 sq km), Gibson (220,000 sq
km) and Sturt Deserts
Arabian Desert 1,300,000 Asia. Spreads across Southern Arabia, Saudi Arabia,
Yemen, includes the Ar Rab’al Khali or Empty Quarter
(647,500 sq km), Syrian (325,000 sq km) and An Nafud
(129,500 sq km)
The Gobi 1,295,000 Asia. Embraces Mongolia and China (Inner Mongolia)
Libyan 1,165,500 Africa. Embraces Libya, SW Egypt and Sudan
Rub-al-Khali 647,500 Southern Saudi Arabia (Asia)
(Empty Quarter)
Kalahari Desert 582,000 Botswana (Africa)
Chihuahuan 363,600 Texas, New Mexico (USA)
Takla Makan 362,600 Sinkiang, China
Great Sandy 338,500 North West Australia
Great Victoria 338,500 South West Australia
Gibson 310,800 Western Australia
Namib Desert 310,000 South West Africa (Namibia)
Kara Kum 310,000 Turkmenistan, CIS
Somali Desert 260,000 Somalia (Africa)
Nubian 259,000 North East Sudan (Africa)
Syrian 259,000 North Saudi Arabia, Eastern Jordan, Southern Syria,
Western Iraq (Asia)
Thar Desert 259,000 North Western India and Pakistan (Asia)
Kyzyl Kum 259,000 Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan, CIS (Asia)
Sonoran Desert 181,300 Arizona and California, USA and Mexico (North
America)
Atacama Desert 181,300 Northern Chile (South America)
An Nafud 103,600 North South Arabia (Asia)
Simpson 103,600 Central Australia
Dasht-e-Kavir 77,600 Central Iran (Asia)
Dasht-e-Lut 51,800 Eastern Iran (sometimes called Iranian Desert)
Mojave Desert 38,900 Southern California (USA)
Desierto de Sechura 26,000 North West Peru (South America)
Negev 12,200 Southern Israel (Asia)
Death Valley 7,800 Eastern California, South West Nevada (USA)
Black Rock 2,600 North West Nevada (USA)
Painted Desert 320 North Arizona (USA)
Note: Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum together are known as the Turkestan Desert.
110 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 PENINSULAS AND ISLANDS
LARGEST PENINSULAS OF THE WORLD
Name Area in sq km Name Area in sq km
Arabia 3,250,000 Labrador 1,300,000
Southern India 2,072,000 Scandinavia 800,300
Alaska 1,500,000 Iberian Peninsula 584,000
LARGEST ISLANDS OF THE WORLD
Island Location Area in sq km
Greenland North Atlantic (Denmark) 2,175,597
New Guinea Southwest Pacific (Irian Jaya, Indonesia, 820,033
west part; Papua New Guinea, east part)
Borneo West mid-Pacific (Indonesia, south part; 743,107
British protectorate, and Malaysia, north part)
Madagascar Indian Ocean (Malagasy Republic) 587,042
Baffin North Atlantic (Canada) 476,068
Sumatra Northeast Indian Ocean (Indonesia) 473,605
Honshu Sea of Japan—Pacific (Japan) 230,316
Great Britain Off coast North-west Europe 229,883
(England, Scotland and Wales)
Ellesmere Arctic Ocean (Canada) 212,688
Victoria Arctic Ocean (Canada) 212,199
Celebes West mid-Pacific (Indonesia) 189,034
South Island South Pacific (New Zealand) 150,461
Java Indian Ocean (Indonesia) 126,884
North Island South Pacific (New Zealand) 114,688
Cuba Caribbean Sea (Republic) 114,525
Newfoundland North Atlantic (Canada) 110,681
Luzon West mid-Pacific (Philippines) 104,688
Iceland North Atlantic (Republic) 102,999
Mindanao West mid-Pacific (Philippines) 94,631
Novaya Zemlya Arctic Ocean (Russia) 90,650
Ireland West of Great Britain (Republic, south part; 84,426
United Kingdom, north part)
Hokkaido Sea of Japan—Pacific (Japan) 78,663
Hispaniola Caribbean Sea (Dominican Republic, 76,029
east part; Haiti, west part)
Tasmania South of Australia (Australia) 67,897
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Indian Ocean (Republic) 65,610
Sakhalin (Karafuto) North of Japan (CIS) 63,610
Banks Arctic Ocean (Canada) 60,166
Devon Arctic Ocean (Canada) 54,030
Tierra del Fuego Southern tip of South America (Argentina, 48,187
east part; Chile, west part)
Kyushu Sea of Japan—Pacific (Japan) 42,018
Melville Arctic Ocean (Canada) 41,805
Axel Heiberg Arctic Ocean (Canada) 40,868
Southampton Hudson Bay (Canada) 40,663

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 111

 HYDROSPHERE
The hydrosphere is the combined mass
of water found on, under, and above the
surface of a planet, minor planet or natural
satellite. It includes all the water of the
Earth in solid, liquid and gaseous forms.
It has been estimated that there are 1386
million cubic kilometres of water on Earth.
This includes water in liquid and frozen
forms in groundwater, oceans, lakes and
streams. Saltwater accounts for 97.5% of
this amount. Fresh water accounts for only
2.5%. Of this fresh water, 68.9% is in the
form of ice and permanent snow cover in
the Arctic, the Antarctic, and mountain
glaciers. 30.8% is in the form of fresh
groundwater. Only 0.3% of the fresh water
on Earth is in easily accessible lakes,
reservoirs and river systems. The total
mass of the Earth’s hydrosphere is about
1.4 × 1018 tonnes, which is about 0.023%
of Earth’s total mass. About 20×1012 tonnes
of this is in Earth’s atmosphere.
Approximately 75% of Earth’s surface, an
area of some 361 million square kilometers
(139.5 million square miles), is covered by
ocean.
Pacific Ocean, which is the largest among
the oceans, sprawls over an area of about
165,760,000 sq km, an area which is more
than the total combined area of all the
continents.
The oceans have an average depth of
3.5 km but their depth varies from place
to place. The deepest known point is the
Challenger Deep, a part of the Mariana
Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which is
11.776 km deep.
The water in the oceans totals over 1,300
million cubic km, which is more than 97
percent of world’s total water. The balance
of water resources are contributed by
glaciers, ice and snow, fresh water lakes,
rivers and the underground water.
The ocean floor consists of three main
zones, viz., the continental shelf, the
continental slope and the abyss. The
continental shelves are, in fact, the
submerged parts of the continents that
gently slope into the oceans bordering
112 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
these continents. They extend onwards to
a depth of about 180 metres (600 feet)
and considerably vary in width. For
example, the continental shelf off north
western Europe extends to about 300
kilometres, but off the west coast of North
America, there is practically no continental
shelf.
The true edge of the continents is,
however, the continental slope which
begins from the point where the
continental shelf ends. The continental
slope descends steeply having a depth
extending to over 3.6 kilometres.
The abyss contains large sediment covered
plains below the oceans. These plains are
often interspersed by lofty volcanic
mountains some of which surface as islands
and long broad ridges which are in some
places 2 to 4 kilometres high and up to 4,000
kilometres wide. The abyss also contains
yawning chasms called deep sea trenches.
Continental Shelf (Littoral) is the sea
bed bordering the continents, which is
covered by shallow water up to about 100
fathoms (600 feet) beyond which is the
continental slope.
Continental Slope is the region of the
sea extending next to the continental shelf
and having a depth up to 2,000 fathoms.
Continental Drift is a theory that
continents have moved relative to each other
across the Earth’s surface. The idea was
originally put forth by Antonio Snider-
Pellegrini in 1858 and developed by the
German geologist Alfred Wegener from
1910. He stated that there was just one
supercontinent, Pangaea, which began to
break up about 200 million years ago. Since
then the continents have drifted to their
present positions.
Salinity of the Water is effected by the
extent of evaporation of surface water and
the volume of fresh water added by rainfall,
rivers and meeting of icebergs. Enclosed
seas in tropical areas which are subjected
to rapid evaporation and denied fresh water
are highly saline (e.g., Sambar Lake of
Rajasthan in India and Dead Sea).
 Isohaline is the line which joins, on a
map, points of the sea/oceans having equal
salinity.
Ocean Current is the movement of a
sizeable body of water as a current for
fairly long distances along a specific path.
It is known as ‘drift current’ when caused
by the winds and as ‘convection current’
when brought about by variations in
temperature. A ‘warm current’ is the one
which flows from a warm to a cold region.
The current flowing from a cold to a warm
region is called a ‘cold current’.
Stream refers to any body of
running water that flows on or under the
surface of the water.
Swamp is a portion of wet, waterlogged
or flooded land.
Gulf Stream refers to the warm ocean
current which starts from the Gulf of
Mexico and flows along the eastern coast
of North America. Influenced by the
westerly winds, it crosses the Atlantic,
moves along the north-west coast of
Europe and helps to keep the British and
Norwegian coastal waters warm and
navigable during the winter months.
Kuro Siwo (Black Current or
Japanese Current) is the warm ocean
current which flows up the Asian east coast
and is driven by westerly winds towards
North America.
Tide is the periodic rise and fall of sea
water. The rise and fall occur alternately
twice a day. The rising of water is called
the Flood Tide and the falling of water is
termed as the Ebb Tide.
Spring Tides are caused as a result of
the Moon and the Sun pulling the Earth
gravitationally in the same direction. They
occur twice a month around full moon
and new moon.
Neap Tides are caused when the Moon
and the Sun pull the Earth gravitationally
in opposite directions. They occur twice a
month during first and last quarters of
the Moon, when the Sun, the Earth and
the Moon are at right angles.
Lagoon is a shallow body of water
separated from a larger body of water by
barrier islands or reefs. Lagoons are
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
commonly divided into coastal lagoons and
atoll lagoons. They have also been
identified as occurring on mixed-sand and
gravel coastlines. Lagoons can also be man-
made and used for wastewater treatment,
as is the case for e.g. aerated lagoons and
anaerobic lagoons.
Reef is a bar of rock, sand, coral or similar
material, lying beneath the surface of water.
Reefs may go as deep as 261 feet (80 m)
below the surface. Many reefs result from
abiotic processes (i.e. deposition of sand,
wave erosion planing down rock outcrops,
and other natural processes), but the best
known reefs are the coral reefs of tropical
waters developed through biotic processes
dominated by corals and calcareous algae.
Coral Reefs are diverse underwater
ecosystems held together by calcium
carbonate structures secreted by corals. Coral
reefs are built by colonies of tiny animals
found in marine water that contain few
nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from
stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps
that cluster in groups. The polyps belong
to a group of animals known as Cnidaria,
which also includes sea anemones and
jellyfish. Unlike sea anemones, corals secrete
hard carbonate exoskeletons which support
and protect the coral polyps. Most reefs
grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and
agitated water.
Bay is a wide curving indentation in a
coastline lying between two head lands.
Atoll is a circular or horseshoe-shaped
coral enclosing within it a lagoon.
Fjord is a shallow stretch of river that
may be crossed on foot or in a vehicle,
commonly found in Norway or Sweden.
Strait is a narrow sea passage that links
two large areas of sea, for example the Strait
of Gibraltar.
Isthmus is a narrow strip of land
connecting two large areas of land (e.g.,
Isthmus of Panama joining the North and
South American continents).
Hinterland is the land which lies
behind a seaport or seaboard and supplies
the bulk of the exports and in which are
distributed the bulk of the imports of that
seaport or seaboard.
113
 OCEANS AND SEAS
OCEANS
Ocean with Area in million Percentage Greatest depth Greatest depth Average depth
adjacent seas sq km of world area in metres location in metres
Pacific 181.20 35.52 11,033 Mariana Trench 4,028
Atlantic 106.48 20.88 9,219 Puerto Rico Trench 3,926
Indian 74.06 14.52 7,455 Java Trench 3,963
Total 361.74 70.92
If the adjacent seas are detached and the Arctic regarded as an ocean, the oceanic areas may be
listed as:
Ocean Area in sq km Percentage of sea area
Pacific 165,760,000 46.0
Atlantic 82,400,000 23.9
Indian 65,526,700 20.3
Arctic 14,090,000 3.7
Other Seas 22,280,000 6.1
Total 361,740,000 100.0
SEAS
Principal Sea Area in sq km Average depth in metres
1. South China Sea 2,974,600 1,200
2. Caribbean Sea 2,753,000 2,400
3. Mediterranean Sea 2,503,000 1,485
4. Bering Sea 2,268,180 1,400
5. Gulf of Mexico 1,542,985 1,500
6. Sea of Okhotsk 1,527,570 840
7. East China Sea 1,249,150 180
8. Hudson Bay 1,232,300 120
9. Sea of Japan 1,007,500 1,370
10. Andaman Sea 797,700 865
11. North Sea 575,300 90
12. Black Sea 461,980 1,100
13. Red Sea 437,700 490
14. Baltic Sea 422,160 55
15. Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf) 238,790 24
16. Gulf of St. Lawrence 237,760 120
17. Gulf of California 162,000 810
18. English Channel 89,900 54
19. Irish Sea 88,500 60
20. Bass Strait 75,000 70
DEEP SEA TRENCHES
Name Length in km Deepest point Depth in metres
Mariana Trench (West Pacific) 2,250 Challenger Deep 11,776
Tonga-Kermadec Trench (South Pacific) 2,575 Vityaz 11 (Tonga) 10,850
Kuril-Kamchatka Trench (West Pacific) 2,250 10,542
Philippine Trench (West Pacific) 1,325 Galathea Deep 10,539
Idzu-Bonin Trench (sometimes included 9,810
in the Japan Trench)
New Hebrides Trench (South Pacific) 320+ North Trench 9,165

114 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

Name Length in km Deepest point Depth in metres
Solomon or New Britain Trench (South Pacific) 640 9,140
Puerto Rico Trench (West Atlantic) 800 Milwaukee Deep 8,648
Yap Trench (West Pacific) 560 8,527
Japan Trench (West Pacific) 1,600 8,412
South Sandwich Trench (South Atlantic) 965 Meteor Deep 8,263
Aleutian Trench (North Pacific) 3,200 8,100
Peru-Chile (Atacama) Trench (East Pacific) 3,540 Bartholomew Deep 8,064
Palau Trench (sometimes included
in the Yap Trench) 8,050

RIVERS, LAKES AND WATERFALLS

River is a natural flowing watercourse,
usually freshwater, flowing towards an
ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some
cases a river flows into the ground and
becomes dry at the end of its course
without reaching another body of water.
Small rivers can be referred to by different
names such as stream, creek, brook,
rivulet, and rill.
World’s Largest River is South
America’s Amazon which flows into the
South Atlantic Ocean. It is so regarded in
view of the size and the volume of water it
discharges into the sea.
World’s Longest River is Nile of Egypt
which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. It
extends to 6,690 km.
Levee (also called dike, dyke,
embankment, floodbank or stopbank) is an
elongated naturally occurring ridge formed
by the accumulation of silt during flood or
artificially constructed fill or wall or
embankment built by man, which regulates
water levels. It is usually earthen and often
parallel to the course of a river in its
floodplain or along low-lying coastlines.
Estuary is the tidal mouth of a river
where the salt water of the tide meets the
fresh water of the river current.
Delta is a triangular tract of land formed
the Brahmaputra in West Bengal in
India and Bangladesh. It covers an area of
75,000 sq km.
Meander is a curve in the course of a
river which continuously swings from side
to side in wide loops, as it progresses
across the flat country. The term ‘meander’
is on the name of river Meander of Asia
Minor.
river cliff or bluff
position of
spur
spur
meander scroll
Gorge and Canyon is a rocky-walled,
steep-sided, deep, narrow valley. A gorge,
relatively narrow but of considerable size
bounded by steep slopes, is called canyon.
The Grand Canyon of Colorado river in
the USA, which has depth of 1,615 metres,
is the longest canyon in the world.
Colorado Plateau
±1500 metres

by the accumulation of silt at the river’s soft sedimentary

rocks, harder
mouth near the sea. It is so called because strata stand out
of its resemblance to the letter ? (delta) of as ledges
the Greek alphabet.
World’s Largest Delta is the
Sunderbans Delta which is created in Colorado River hard crystalline
basement rocks
the Bay of Bengal by the Ganges and
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 115
 MAIN RIVERS OF THE WORLD
River Source Outflow Length (km)
Nile Tributaries of Lake Victoria, Africa Mediterranean Sea 6,690
Amazon Glacier-fed lakes, Peru Atlantic Ocean 6,296
Mississippi- Source of Red Rock, Montana Gulf of Mexico 6,240
Missouri-Red Rock
Yangtze Kiang Tibetan Plateau, China China Sea 5,797
Amur-Argun Khingan Mts., China Tatar Strait 5,780
Ob Altai Mts., CIS Gulf of Ob 5,567
Yellow Eastern part of Kunlan Gulf of Chihli 4,667
(Huang Ho) Mts., west China
Yenisei Tannu-Ola Mts., western Arctic Ocean 4,506
Tuva, CIS
Parana Confluence of Paranaiba Rio de la Plata 4,498
and Grande rivers
Irtish Altai Mts., CIS Ob River 4,438
Congo Confluence of Lualaba and Atlantic Ocean 4,371
Luapula rivers, Zaire
Amur Confluence of Shilka (CIS) and Tatar Strait 4,352
Argun (Manchuria) rivers
Lena Baikal Mts., CIS Arctic Ocean 4,268
Mackenzie Head of Finlay river, Beaufort Sea 4,241
British Columbia, Canada (Arctic Ocean)
Niger Guinea Gulf of Guinea 4,184
Mekong Tibetan highlands South China Sea 4,023
Mississippi Lake Itasca, Minnesota Gulf of Mexico 3,779
Missouri Confluence of Jefferson, Gallatin Mississippi River 3,726
and Madison rivers, Montana
Volga Valdai plateau, CIS Caspian Sea 3,687
Madeira Confluence of Beni and Maumore Amazon River 3,238
rivers, Bolivia-Brazil boundary
Purus Peruvian Andes Amazon River 3,207
San Francisco Southwest Minas Gerais, Brazil Atlantic Ocean 3,198
Yukon Junction of Lewes and Pelly rivers, Bering Sea 3,185
Yukon Territory, Canada
St. Lawrence Lake Ontario Gulf of St. Lawrence 3,058
Rio Grande San Juan Mts., Colorado Gulf of Mexico 3,034
Tunguska (Lower) North of Lake Baikal, Russia Yenesei River 2,995
Brahmaputra Himalayas Ganges River 2,897
Indus Himalayas Arabian Sea 2,897
Danube Black Forest, Germany Black Sea 2,842
Euphrates Confluence of Murat Nehri Shatt-al-Arab 2,799
and Kara Sun rivers, Turkey
Darling Central part of Eastern Highlands, Murray River 2,739
Australia
Zambezi 11° 21'S, 24° 22'E, Zambia Mozambique Channel 2,736
Tocantins Goias, Brazil Para River 2,699
Murray Australian Alps, New South Wales Indian Ocean 2,589
Nelson Head of Bow River, western Hudson Bay 2,575
Alberta, Canada
Paraguay Mato Grosso Plateau, Brazil Parana River 2,549
Ural Southern Ural Mts., CIS Caspian Sea 2,533
Ganges Himalayas Bay of Bengal 2,506
Amu Darya (Oxus) Nicolas Range, Pamir Mts., CIS Aral Sea 2,414
Japura Andes, Colombia Amazon River 2,414
Salween Tibet, south of Kunlun Mts. Gulf of Martaban 2,414

116 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

River Source Outflow Length (km)
Arkansas Central Colorado Mississippi River 2,348
Colorado Grand Country, Colorado Gulf of California 2,333
Dnieper Valdai Hills, CIS Black Sea 2,284
Syr Darya Tien Shan, China/Kyrgyzstan Aral Sea 2,206
Ohio-Allegheny Potter County, Pennsylvania Mississippi River 2,102
Irrawaddy Confluence of Nmai and Mali Bay of Bengal 2,092
rivers, northeast Myanmar
Orange Lesotho Atlantic Ocean 2,092
Orinoco Serra Parima Mts., Venezuela Atlantic Ocean 2,062
Pilcomayo Andes Mts., Bolivia Paraguay River 1,999
Xi Jiang (Si Kiang) Eastern Yunnan Province, China China Sea 1,989
Columbia Columbia Lake, British Columbia, Canada Pacific Ocean 1,983
Don Tula, RSFSR, CIS Sea of Azov 1,968
Sungari China-North Korea boundary Amur River 1,955
Saskatchewan Canadian Rockey Mts. Lake Winnipeg 1,939
Peace Stikine Mts., British Columbia, Canada Great Slave River 1,923
Tigris Taurus Mts., Turkey Shatt-al-Arab 1,899
Rhine Confluence of Hinterrhein and North Sea 1,320
Vorderrhein rivers, Switzerland
THE MAJOR LAKES OF THE WORLD
Name and location Area in Length in Maximum depth
sq km sq km in metres
Caspian Sea, CIS-Iran 394,299 1,199 946
Superior, USA-Canada 82,414 616 406
Victoria, Tanzania-Uganda 69,485 322 82
Aral, CIS 66,457 428 68
Huron, USA-Canada 59,596 397 229
Michigan, USA 58,016 517 281
Tanganyika, Tanzania-Zaire 32,893 676 1,435
Baikal, CIS 31,500 636 1,741
Great Bear, Canada 31,080 373 82
Nyasa, Malawi-Mozambique-Tanzania 30,044 579 706
Great Slave, Canada 28,930 480 614
Chad, Chad-Niger-Nigeria 25,760 — 7
Erie, USA-Canada 25,719 388 64
Winnipeg, Canada 23,553 425 62
Ontario, USA-Canada 19,477 311 237
Balkash, CIS 18,428 605 27
Ladoga, CIS 18,130 200 225
Onega, CIS 9,891 248 110
Titicaca, Bolivia-Peru 8,135 177 370
Nicaragua, Nicaragua 8,001 177 70
Athabaska, Canada 7,920 335 124
Rudolf, Kenya 6,405 248 —
Reindeer, Canada 6,330 245 —
Eyre, South Australia 6,216 209 varies
Issyk-Kul, CIS 6,200 182 700
Urmia, Iran 6,001 130 15
Torrens, South Australia 5,698 209 —
Vanern, Sweden 5,545 140 98
Winnipegosis, Canada 5,403 245 18

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 117

Name and location Area in Length in Maximum depth
sq km sq km in metres
Mobuto Sese Seko, Uganda 5,299 161 55
Nettilling, Baffin Island, Canada 5,051 113 —
Nipigon, Canada 4,843 116 —
Manitoba, Canada 4,706 225 7
Great Salt, USA 4,662 121 5/8
Kioga, Uganda 4,403 80 9
Koko-Nor, China 4,222 106 —
WORLD'S GREATEST MAN-MADE LAKES
Name of dam Location Million Year
cubic metres completed
Owen Falls Uganda 204,800 1954
Kariba Zimbabwe 181,592 1959
Bratsk CIS 169,270 1964
High Aswan (Sadd-el-Aali) Egypt 168,000 1970
Akosombo Ghana 148,000 1965
Daniel Johnson Canada 141,852 1968
Guri (Raul Leoni) Venezuela 136,000 1986
Krasnoyarsk CIS 73,300 1967
Bennet W.A.C. Canada 70,309 1967
Zeya CIS 68,400 1978
Cabora Bassa Mozambique 63,000 1974
La Grande 2 Canada 61,720 1982
La Grande 3 Canada 60,020 1982
Ust-IIimsk CIS 59,300 1980
Volga-V.I. Lenin CIS 58,000 1955
Caniapiscau Canada 53,790 1981
Pati (Chapeton) Argentina 53,700 —
Upper Wainganga India 50,700 —
Sao Felix Brazil 50,600 —
Bukhtarma CIS 49,740 1960
Ataturk (Karababa) Turkey 48,000 –
Cerros Colorados Argentina 48,000 1973
Irkutsk CIS 46,000 1956
Tucurui Brazil 36,375 1984
Vilyuy CIS 35,900 1967
Sanmenxia China 35,400 1960
Hoover USA 35,154 1936
Sobridinho Brazil 34,200 1981
Glen Canyon USA 33,304 1964
Jenpeg Canada 31,790 1975
HIGHEST WATERFALLS OF THE WORLD
Waterfall Location River Height in metres
Angel Venezuela Tributary of Caroni 1,000
Tugela Natal, South Africa Tugela 914
Cuquenan Venezuela Cuquenan 610
Sutherland South Island, N.Z. Arthur 580
Takkakaw British Columbia Tributary of Yoho 503
Ribbon (Yosemite) California, USA Creek flowing into Yosemite 491
Upper Yosemite California, USA Yosemite Creek,
tributary of Merced 436
Gavarnie Southwest France Gave de Pau 422
Vettisfoss Norway Morkedola 366

118 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

Waterfall Location River Height in metres
Widows’ Tears (Yosemite) California, USA Tributary of Merced 357
Staubbach Switzerland Staubbach (Lauter- 300
brunnen Valley)
Middle Cascade California,. USA Yosemite Creek, 227
(Yosemite) tributary of Merced
King Edward VIII Guyana Courantyne 259
Jog Falls (Gersoppa) Karnataka, India Sharavati 253
Kaieteur Guyana Potaro 251
Skykje Norway In Skykjedal (valley of 250
Inner Hardinger Fjord)
Kalambo Tanzania-Zambia — 219
Fariy (Mt. Rainier Park) Washington, USA Stevens Creek 213
Trummelbach Switzerland — 213
Aniene (Teverone) Italy Tiber 207
Cascata delle Marmore Italy Velino, tributary of Nera 198
Maradalsfos Norway Stream flowing into 196
Ejkisdalsvand (lake)
Feather California, USA Fall River 195
Maletsunyane Lesotho Maletsunyane 192
Bridalveil (Yosemite) California, USA Yosemite Creek 189
Multnomah Oregon, USA Multnomah Creek 189
tributary of Colombia
Voringsfos Norway Bjoreia 182
Nevada (Yosemite) California, USA Merced 181
Skjeggedal Norway Tysso 160
Marina Guyana Tributary of Kuribrong, 152
tributary of Potaro
Tequendama Colombia Funza, tributary of
Magdalena 130
Trummelbach Switzerland — 213
King George’s Cape of Good Hope, Orange 122
South Africa
Illilouette California, USA Illilouette Creek, 113
tributary of Merced
Victoria Zimbabwe-Zambia Zambezi 108
boundary
Handol Sweden Handol Creek 105
Lower Yosemite California, USA Yosemite 98
Comet (Mt. Rainier Park) Washington, USA Van Trump Creek 98
Vernal (Yosemite) California Merced 97
Virginia Northwest Territories, South Nahanni, 96
Canada tributary of Mackenzie
Lower Yellowstone Wyoming, USA Yellowstone 94

MAJOR RIVERSIDE CITIES

WORLD
City River Country City River Country
Alexandria Nile Egypt Bangkok Menam Thailand
Amsterdam Amsel The Netherlands Belgrade Danube Serbia
Antwerp Scheldt Belgium Berlin Spree Germany
Ankara Kizil Turkey Bonn Rhine Germany
Baghdad Tigris Iraq Bristol Avon England

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 119

 City River State City River State
Budapest Danube Hungary Montreal Ottawa Canada
Cairo Nile Egypt Moscow Moskva Russia
Canton Canton China Nanking Yang-tse-Kiang China
Chittagong Karnaphuli Bangladesh New Orleans Mississippi USA
Chungking Yang-tse-Kiang China New York Hudson USA
Cologne Rhine Germany Paris Seine France
Glasgow Clyde Scotland Philadelphia Delaware USA
Hull Humber England Quebec St. Lawrence Canada
Hamburg Elbe Germany Yangon Irawadi Myanmar
Karachi Indus Pakistan Rome Tiber Italy
Khartoum Blue & White Nile Sudan Shanghai Yang-tse-Kiang China
Lahore Ravi Pakistan Tokyo Sumida Japan
Lisbon Tagus Portugal Vienna Danube Austria
Liverpool Mersey England Warsaw Vistula Poland
London Thames England Washington Potomac USA

INDIA
City River State City River State
Agra Yamuna Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Ganga Uttar Pradesh
Ahmedabad Sabarmati Gujarat Kota Chambal Rajasthan
Allahabad Ganga and Lucknow Gomti Uttar Pradesh
Yamuna Uttar Pradesh Ludhiana Sutlej Punjab
Ayodhya Saryu Uttar Pradesh Mathura Yamuna Uttar Pradesh
Badrinath Alaknanda Uttarakhand Nashik Godavari Maharashtra
Kolkata Hooghly West Bengal Pandharpur Bhima Maharashtra
Cuttack Mahanadi Odisha Patna Ganga Bihar
Delhi Yamuna Delhi Ropar Sutlej Punjab
Dibrugarh Brahmaputra Assam Sambalpur Mahanadi Odisha
Ferozepur Sutlej Punjab Srinagar Jhelum Jammu and
Kashmir
Guwahati Brahmaputra Assam Surat Tapti Gujarat
Hardwar Ganga Uttarakhand Tiruchirappalli Kaveri Tamil Nadu
Hyderabad Musi Telangana Ujjain Shipra Madhya Pradesh
Jabalpur Narmada Madhya Pradesh Varanasi Ganga Uttar Pradesh
Jamshedpur Suvarnarekha Jharkhand Vijayawada Krishna Andhra Pradesh

RIVERS FLOWING INTO LAKES

River Lake Country
Volga Caspian Sea CIS
Ural Caspian Sea CIS
Jordan Dead Sea West Asia

ATMOSPHERE
Atmosphere is the mass of air that extends
outward from the surface of the Earth into
space. The entire atmosphere is mixture of
gases and weighs 5,700 trillion tonnes. A
column of air weighing about one tonne is
pressing downwards on our shoulders, but we
do not feel this pressure as it is counter-
120
balanced by the same pressure from within
our bodies.
The atmosphere of Earth is mostly
composed of nitrogen (about 78%), oxygen
(about 21%), argon (about 0.9%) with
carbon dioxide and other gases in trace
amounts. Oxygen is used by most
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
organisms for respiration, nitrogen is fixed
by bacteria and lightning to produce
ammonia used in the construction of
nucleotides and amino acids and carbon
dioxide is used by plants, algae and
cyanobacteria for photosynthesis. The
amount of carbon dioxide varies from place
to place, being greatest around the cities and
smallest in the countryside The atmosphere
helps protect living organisms from genetic
damage by solar ultraviolet radiation, solar
wind and cosmic rays. Atmosphere also
contains tiny particles of dust and some
other substances. There are also varying
amounts of water vapour, evaporated from
the surface of the Earth and the oceans.
About 5/6th of the total mass of
atmosphere and almost all the water vapour
is confined to the lowest layer of
atmosphere, called the troposphere. It
contains 90% of the air and the tallest
mountains. Most of the weather-related
phenomena that we experience, originate
from this zone. The temperature in the
troposphere decreases upward till the
tropopause, which is the upper limit of the
troposphere. Above this, there is lower
stratosphere where conditions are relatively
calm and, therefore, the jet aircraft often fly
there. However, in the upper stratosphere,
strong winds blow. Beyond stratosphere is
the ionosphere where temperature decreases
sharply; it is –70°C at a height of about 80
km above the sea level. Then, the
temperature starts rising sharply, reaching
almost 2,000°C at a height of 400 km above
the sea level. The ionosphere is so named
because the thinly distributed gas molecules
are ionised or electrically charged.
The atmosphere is essential for life on the
Earth. It protects us from the Sun. The
ozone layer in the stratosphere protects life
on the Earth by absorbing most of the Sun’s
harmful radiation. It contains the oxygen
we need to breathe and the carbon dioxide
necessary for photosynthesis. It provides
rain. It provides a thermal ‘blanket’ around
the Earth so that the Sun’s heat doesn’t
leak away into space every night and so the
average temperature is one which supports
life. The general circulation of atmosphere
redistributes heat on the globe, thus
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
performing the functions of a giant
thermostat.
Atmospheric Layers are layers of air
adjacent to or above the Earth’s surface.
The atmosphere has been divided into sub-
spheres according to the general
characteristics of temperature variations.
The different atmospheric layers are:
(a) Troposphere, (b) Tropopause,
(c) Stra-tosphere, (d) Mesosphere,
(e) Ionosphere, (f) Thermosphere and
(g) Exosphere.
(a) Troposphere is the lowest zone of the
atmosphere and extends from 7 to 8 kms
near the poles to some 16 km over the
Equator. The temperature decreases as
height increases. It is the densest of all layers
and contains water vapours, moisture and
dust. It also profoundly influences the
Earth’s climate, since 80 percent of the mass
of air comprising the entire atmosphere is
concentrated in this zone. Almost all kinds
of weather are in this region.
(b) Tropopause is the boundary line
between the Troposphere and the
Stratosphere. Its height varies from about
16 km above the Earth’s surface at the
equator to about 8 km at the poles.
(c) Stratosphere is a region of uniform
temperature extending from an altitude of
about 11 km above the Earth to a height of
nearly 50 km. It is free from water vapour,
clouds and dust. The upper part of
stratosphere has plenty of ozone which
affords protection to human beings on the
Earth against the fatal effects of solar
ultraviolet radiations.
(d) Mesosphere is a very cold region above
the ozone-rich layer of stratosphere. The
mesosphere extends to 85 kilometres
(53 miles) high. Meteors burn up in this
layer.
(e) Ionosphere is an abundant layer of
electrons and ionized atoms and molecules
that stretches from about 48 kilometres
(30 miles) above the surface to the edge of
space at about 965 km (600 mi), overlapping
into the mesosphere and thermosphere.
This dynamic region grows and shrinks
based on solar conditions and divides
further into the sub-regions: D, E and F;
based on what wavelength of solar radiation
121
is absorbed. The ionosphere is a critical link
in the chain of Sun-Earth interactions. This
region is what makes radio communications
possible. The ionised air also protects those
on the Earth from the falling meteorites,
most of which are made to burn out at this
region
(f) Thermosphere is the uppermost layer of
the atmosphere extending from the
mesopause at an altitude of about 85 kms to
the outer limits of atmosphere. Within it,
temperature increases from 100°C at
mesopause to over 150°C.
(g) Exosphere is the uppermost region of
the atmosphere. It extends from the top of
the thermosphere up to 10,000 km, where
the air density is so low that an air molecule,
moving rapidly straight upward, is more
than 50 percent likely to escape from
the atmosphere instead of hitting
other molecules.
GLOSSARY OF
GEOGRAPHICAL TERMS
Latitude and Temperature : Over the
equatorial region, the Sun’s rays fall
vertically and as one moves away from the
equator towards the poles, they become
more and more slanting. Therefore, the
equatorial and tropical regions are hot and
polar regions cold.
Altitude and Temperature : As one
moves above the Earth from the sea level,
the atmosphere becomes progressively
rarified, rendering the one at high altitudes
incapable of absorbing much heat.
Therefore, as the height increases, the
temperature decreases, at the rate of 1° for
every 300 feet above sea level.
Ablation Zone : Region in a glacier
where there is a surface net removal of
snow and/or ice by melting, sublimation,
and/or calving.
Cartography: Cartography in geographic
terminology means the art or techniques of
making maps.
Catchment Area: Catchment area is the
land where precipitation levels are high,
which, thus, becomes a land fit to make a
reservoir.
Cirque: A bowl-shaped hollow carved on
a mountain top is called a cirque.
122 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Isobars refer to lines drawn on a map,
joining places with the same atmospheric
pressure at a specific time. To obtain proper
comparison of the pressure at different places,
the readings should be reduced to mean sea
level.
Isohyets are lines on a meteorological
map joining places of equal monthly or
yearly rainfall.
Isotherms are lines on a meteorological
map joining places of equal temperature.
Doldrums are the equatorial belts of low
pressure where the NE (North East) and
SE (South East) Trade Winds converge and
meet each other approximately between
5° N and 5° S producing calms and light
surface winds and a stormy upward
movement of the air. The weather is stormy
and turbulent there accompanied with heavy
rains, thunderstorms and squalls.
Trade Winds are the winds which blow
from the sub-tropical belts of high pressure
towards the equatorial regions of low
pressure from the north-east in the northern
hemisphere and from the south-east in the
southern hemisphere. They blow with
utmost regularity, both in force and
direction in many areas, especially over the
oceans. In continental interiors, they blow
much less steadily than over the oceans
because of local variations in temperature
and pressure differences but are fairly
regular over the hot deserts. In early times,
they were made use of by the commerce
sailors who gave them the name of trade
winds.
Gale is the name given to strong wind
having a speed between 56 km and 72 km
per hour.
Storm is any violent disturbance of the
atmosphere, e.g. dust storm, thunder storm
and gale-force wind.
Hurricane denotes a strong wind and a
violent cyclonic storm with torrential rain
and thunder storm with wind velocity of
over hundred kilometres.
Tornado is the name given to the violent
storm occurring in North America. It is
generally accompanied by torrential rains
and produces water spouts in the sea,
usually in tropical and sub-tropical regions
which are extremely dangerous to ships.
 LOCAL WINDS
Temporates: Central America; monsoon
winds
Virazon: Peru and Chile; sea winds
Shamal: Iran, Iraq, Arab; dry
Southern Burster: North South
Wales—Australia; dry wind
Samoon: Iran
Bise: France; cold
Purga: Tundra region and Russia; cold
Ponente: Mediterranean (France); cold
Papagayo: Mexico; hot
Baguis: Philippines; warm tropical
Berg: South Africa; katabatic wind
Gregale: Southern Europe; cold
Jorran: Geneva Lake; cold dry
Leste: Madeira and Canary Islands; hot,
dry easterly wind
Levanter: Southern Spain; strong
easterly cold wind
Karaburan: Tarim Basin (Central Asia);
hot
Maestro: Adriatic sea; cold northerly
Norte: Central America; cold
North Western Wind: New Zealand
Loo: North India; dry
Haboob: Sudan
Yamo: A warm and dry wind in Japan
Zonda: A warm wind in Argentina
Tramontane : A warm wind in central
Europe
Bora : Southern Europe; cold
Mistral : Southern Europe; cold
Blizzard : North America; cold
Buran : Siberia (Russia); cold
Pampero : Argentina
Norther : Texas (USA)
Typhoon: Typhoon refers to a type of
tropical cyclone that occurs typically in the
Indian Ocean and the western Pacific
Ocean.
LOCAL WINDS
Local winds occur on a small spatial scale,
their horizontal dimensions typically several
tens to a few hundreds of kilometres. They
also tend to be short-lived lasting typically
several hours to a day. There are many such
winds around the world, some of them cold,
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
DIFFERENT NAMES OF
TROPICAL CYCLONES
Hurricanes N. America & Caribbean
Typhoons Western North Pacific
Willy-willy Australia
Bagulo Philippine Islands
Taifu Japan
Cyclones Indian Ocean
some warm, some wet, some dry. The main
types of local winds are:
Anabatic Winds: This wind is caused by
thermal (heat) processes. Anabatic (upslope)
winds occur over slopes which are heated by
the Sun. Air which is in contact with slopes
that are warmed expands upward and cool
and sinks over neighbouring valleys.
Anabatic winds are usually slow, at only
1-2m/s and are rarely importance expect
near coasts where they can increase the
strength of sea breezes.
Katabatic Winds : Katabatic
(downslope) winds occur over slopes which
are cooled. Katabatic winds occur where air
in contact with sloping ground is colder
than air at the same level away from the
hillside over the valley. These winds are
nocturnal phenomena in most parts of the
world (i.e. they tend to happen at night) as
there is surface cooling, especially when
there is little cloud and due to lack of
heating by the Sun.
Katabatic wind speeds do not typically
exceed 3 or 4 m/s. However, where the
ground is covered with snow or ice,
katabatic winds can occur at any time of
day or night with speeds often reaching
10 m/s, or even more if funnelling through
narrow valleys occurs. Katabatic winds may
lead to the formation of frost, mist and fog
in valleys.
Water Spout is a tornado occurring in
the sea usually in tropical and sub-tropical
regions, which connects a whirling cone of
dense cloud with a cone of spray raised
from sea and thus raises a huge column of
water. This is several hundred metres high
but it is a localised feature and may last up
to half an hour. It is, however, very
dangerous to ships.
Bora is the name given to the cold dry
wind experienced particularly in winter
123
 MAJOR TYPES OF CLOUDS
Name Main Height Temp. Appearance/Precipitation
Consti- (km) ( °C)
tuent
Cirrus Ice 5-13–20° to –60° Detached, delicate white filaments, often fibrous;
no large ice crystals in trails; wispy, no layers
Cirrocumulus Ice 5-13 –20° to –60° White patch layer with smaller granular or rippled;
no elements; wispy and puffed up
Cirrostratus Ice 5-13 –20° to –60° Translucent cloud veil; Halo; no phenomenon,
wispy and layered
Altocumulus Water 2-7 +10° to –30° White grey layer with shading or broken sharp
outlines and not detached; small, fleecy, globular
and relatively thin patches; usually with shaded
portions; abandoned layers of ice
Altostratus Water 2-7 +10° to –30° Grey bluish sheet; uniform appearance;
occasionally, may have layers of ice
Nimbostratus Water 1-3 +10° to –15° Dark grey layer, rendered diffuse; persistent and
iced by falling rain or snow
Stratocumulus Water 1/2-2 +15° to –5° Grey white patchy sheet; many occur in long rows
Stratus (lowest) Water 0-1/2 +20° to –5° Grey uniform layer; drizzle
Cumulus Water Detached clouds; dense with sharp outlines; many
grow small vertical showers
Cumulonimbus Water Huge towering clouds over dense, and ice dark
mountains; flattened; heavy downpour and
thunderbolt

along the eastern coast of the Atlantic
Ocean and in northern Italy.
Cyclone is a storm of high intensity with
winds blowing at speeds of 120-280 km per
hour round the centre. The winds, often
accompanied by torrential rain, rush inwards
from all directions. Due to the inclination of
the Earth’s axis and the rotation of the
Earth, in northern hemisphere the wind
circulates in an anticlockwise direction and
in the southern hemisphere in the clockwise
direction.
Anticyclone refers to the region in which
the atmospheric pressure is high, with the
highest point at the centre. In this situation,
the winds blow spirally outwards from the
centre, clockwise in northern hemisphere
and anticlockwise in southern hemisphere.
In summer, anticyclones are associated with
warm and sunny conditions; in winter, they
imply frost and fog as well as sunshine.
Typhoon refers to the tropical cyclone
which generally occurs in late summer or
early autumn in China Sea. It is
characterised by high velocity winds and
torrential rains. During the Swatow typhoon
124 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
of August 1922, which was the worst, fifty
thousand lives were estimated to be lost.
Climatic Zones are the broad climatic
divisions of the Earth based on general
variation of temperature from the equator to
the poles. There are three kinds of zones
which are:
(a) Torrid Zone: The regions extending
from the equator to the tropic on both the
hemispheres are called the torrid or tropical
zones.
(b) Temperate Zone: The regions extending
beyond the torrid zones and leading up to
the Arctic Circle in the north and Antarctic
Circle in the south are temperate zones.
(c) Frigid Zone: The regions adjoining the
poles within Arctic and Antarctic Circles are
called the frigid zones.
Selvas is the equatorial forest region of
the Amazon river basin in South America.
Savanna Type Region refers to the
regions of tropical grasslands found on the
belts adjoining both sides of the equator. It
is characterised by thick evergreen forests,
high temperatures and heavy summer rains.
Sudan, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Orinoco river
basin and Brazilian highlands come under
this category.
Savanna denotes tropical grassland in
general and is the result of heavy rains and
high temperature associated with the
equatorial belt. In South Africa, it is known
as “Bush Veld” and in North Africa
“Sudan”. The Savannas of Orinoco basin
are called “Llanos”.
Deciduous Forests are forests with trees
which shed their leaves seasonally.
Fauna denotes the animal kingdom
found in particular geographical region.
Flora denotes collectively the plant life of
a country or a particular region.
Fossil refers to the organic remains of
animals which have remained preserved in
rocks.
Tundras are the belts of treeless cold
desert, which remain under heavy snow
during most of the year in the Arctic Circle
in Asia, Europe and North America. No
such belt exists in the southern hemisphere.
Its inhabitants are known as “Eskimos”.
Igloos are the dwellings of the Eskimos,
dug half underground and covered with
blocks of ice. These are dome-shaped huts.
Midnight Sun is the phenomenon
observed in latitudes higher than 66½° N
and S where the Sun does not sink below
the horizon throughout the 24 hours and
therefore, may be seen at midnight. The
period in the northern hemisphere is in
summer, mid-May to the end of July and in
winter in the southern hemisphere between
mid-November and end of January.
Aurora Borealis is a luminous
phenomenon seen in the night sky in high
latitudes in the northern hemisphere. The
lights are red, green and white. The
phenomenon is also known as Northern
Lights.
Aurora Australis refers to a
phenomenon similar to aurora borealis
occurring in the southern hemisphere.
White out is caused when land is totally
covered by snow and the intensity of the
light refracted off may be the same as that
refracted off overhead clouds. This results
in the obliteration of the horizon and makes
land and sky indistinguishable. Such
phenomenon is called “white out”.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Halo is a ring or rings of lights seen around
the Sun or the Moon. It is caused by the
refraction of light by ice crystals or water
droplets in high thin clouds. It is usually white
but if it is sharply defined, the inner most ring
looks red, the outermost blue.
Corona is a phenomenon seen around
the Sun or the Moon. It occurs when the
Sun’s or the Moon’s light is refracted by
water droplets in some types of cloud. Then
a ring of light (sometimes two or more rings
of light) can be seen closely and
concentrically around the Sun or the Moon.
Glory is a ring of light seen round the
head of one’s own shadow cast at a time
when the person stands with his back to the
Sun and looks down from higher ground on
to a lower bank of fog or cloud. The
shadow is then called a “broken spectre”.
Tsunami is a Japanese word with the
English translation “harbour wave”. A
tsunami is a series of ocean waves generated by
tectonic disturbances. Tsunamis that create
killer waves are not produced by gravitational
pull of the Moon but due to abrupt shifting of
the sea floor and resultant vertical
displacement of the over-lying water. Waves
are formed as the displaced water mass
attempts to regain its equilibrium. And the size
of the resultant tsunami waves is deter-mined
by the quantum of deformation of the sea
floor. More the vertical displacement, greater
will be the size of the waves. To generate
tsunami, earthquakes must occur underneath
or near the ocean, be large enough to create
movements in the sea floor. The earthquake’s
magnitude, depth, fault characteristics and
coincident slumping of sediments or
secondary faulting also determine the size of
the tsunamis.
Due to strong undersea earthquake, the
tsunami smashed into the resorts and fishing
villages of Java island (Indonesia) on July 17,
2006, leading to the death of more than 500
people. Earlier, in one of the world’s worst
natural disasters caused by earthquake-
generated tsunami waves on December 26,
2004, approximately two lakh people were
killed in 12 Asian and African countries.
Countries worst affected by tsunami disaster
included Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand
and Maldives among others.
125
 MISCELLANEOUS FACTS
IMPORTANT
BOUNDARY LINES
Durand Line : The boundary
between India and Afghanistan
demarcated by Sir Mortimer Durand in
1896. At present, the line separates
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Hindenburg Line : The line to
which the Germans retreated in 1917
during the World War I, defines the
boundary between Germany and
France.
Line of Control : The Line of
Control divides Kashmir between
India and Pak-occupied Kashmir
(PoK).
Line of Actual Control : This line
divides north-eastern part of India and
China.
International Date Line: The line
roughly corresponds to 180° E or W
meridian of longitude which falls on the
opposite side of the Greenwich meridian
and the date changes by one day (i.e., 24
hours), as this line is crossed. On crossing
this line from east to west a day is added,
and a day is subtracted on crossing it from
west to east.
McMahon Line : The boundary
between China and India as demarcated
by Sir Henry McMahon. China does
not recognise this line.
Maginot Line : The boundary
between France and Germany.
Oder Neisse Line : The boundary
between Germany and Poland.
Radcliffe Line : Drawn by Sir Cyril
Radcliffe in 1947, it demarcates the
boundary of India and Pakistan.
Siegfried Line : It is the line of
fortification drawn up by Germany on
her borders with France.
17th Parallel : The line which
defined the boundary between North
126 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Vietnam and South Vietnam before the
two were united.
38th Parallel : The boundary line
between North Korea and South
Korea.
49th Parallel : The boundary line
between the USA and Canada.
IMPORTANT
LINES ON THE MAP
DEW Line : The DEW (distant early
warning) line is a 3,000-mile line of
radar stations north of the Arctic Circle.
It notifies the U.S. and Canada of the
approach of enemy planes or missiles.
Isopleth : A line drawn on the map
along which the value of a particular
phenomenon or product is uniform.
Isonomal : Any line representing
continuous value on maps.
Isobars : Lines of equal pressure.
Isobaths : Lines of equal depth in
the sea.
Isobronts : Lines joining places
experiencing a thunderstorm at the
same time.
Isochrones : Lines joining places
located at equal travel time from a
common centre.
Isogonals : Lines joining places with
the same magnetic declination.
Isohalines : Isopleths of salinity.
Isohyet : Isopleth of rainfall.
Isohypse : (Or contour lines)
Isopleths of elevation above sea
level.
Isonif : Isopleth of amount of
snow.
Isophene : Isopleth of seasonal
phenomena, e.g. the flowering dates of
plants.
Isorymes : Lines of equal frost.
Isoseismals : Lines of equal seismic
activity.
 JUNIOR ESSAY CONTESTS 811 & 812
MOBILE PHONE
Advantages And Disadvantages
Ms. Smaranika Otta
FIRST PRIZE WINNER
In today’s global environment,
technology is very important to all of us.
Living, working, we are all in need of
technology. We use technology to
communicate, improve our general
knowledge and much more. As many
things have been developed, from year
to year, century to century, the world has
become unique. But the most popular
gadget is the mobile phone, which makes
it easy to communicate with each other
both nationally and internationally.
Earlier, the prices of mobile phones
were so high that middle-class people could
not even think of owning them. But
nowadays they have become cheaper and
affordable. Mobile phones are being used
by everyone from a businessman to a
vegetable vendor. In some families, each
member has a mobile phone.
Today, mobile phones have become
popular to everybody due to their
convenience. The biggest advantage of
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
having a mobile phone is that you can
communicate with your family and your
friends with ease.
From a customer’s point of view,
mobile phones provide invaluable
assistance in business like making work
schedules, surfing the internet and keeping
in touch with other companies. Mobile
phone is an instrument for reassuring
parents who are concerned about the
safety and security of their children.
Nowadays, we can make a phone call
to our friends from almost anywhere,
such as in the subway, the countryside
or even another country. Likewise, we
can also text messages with beautiful
photos or even high-quality video clips
to share exciting and memorable
moments in our lives. Apart from that,
a mobile phone has also become an
important source of entertainment.
Mobile users can enjoy video games,
listen to the music or even watch a
movie on their handsets.
Mobile phones are very often used in
emergency services for doctors,
policemen and firemen. Most doctors
and nurses who are on call rely heavily
on mobile phones. Here, mobile phones
are a good thing and make saving
people’s lives easier. The same type of
communication is used in fire
departments and police departments.
On the other hand, a mobile phone
poses some negative effects for its user
in several aspects. The first impact is in
medical terms. It is inevitable that a
mobile phone would create a certain
level of radiation while being used.
135
Much scientific research has pointed out
that such amount of radiation would
potentially lead to serious diseases, such
as cancer and tumour. Thus a long-time
use of mobile phones might harm one’s
health. Another problem often observed
is how the inappropriate use of a mobile
phone interferes with people’s activities
and even can lead to death.
Usage of mobile phones gives rise to
a number of physical and psychological
problems. Studies have shown that
regular use of mobile phones may affect
hearing. Doctors are coming across a
number of youngsters with
Repetitive Stress Injury. Studies have
found that regular text messaging, over
a long period of time, causes repetition
strain which is responsible for both short
and long-term injuries.
Mobile phones should not be
condemned just because people make
wrong choices. Using a mobile phone is
not bad. It is just like a knife which can
be used for cutting fruits and vegetables
as also for stabbing a person. Much
depends on the users. Excess of
everything is bad. 

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN

THE SWORD
The famous proverb ‘Pen is mightier
than the sword’ has a great significance
since ages. It denotes that the pen is more
powerful than the sword; irrespective of
the fact that the sword has a sharp edge
and the power to kill and win wars. From
the ancient days, sword has played an
important role in the history of mankind.
We all know that the sword has the power
of winning wars because of the great
strength and valour it possesses. But a
pen on the other hand, despite being
delicate, is much mightier and endowed
with the capacity to transform history
and mankind.
Written by the famous author Edward
Bulwer-Lytton, the proverb ‘The pen is
mightier than the sword’ holds great
significance with simple yet profound
meaning. It suggests that the writers of
the world leave a greater influence on
people than the soldiers; for the world
recognises the name of several famous
writers such as William Wordsworth,
John Keats, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee,
Rabindranath Tagore, etc…, but very
136
few will be able to recognize the names
of great soldiers who won wars, battles,
etc. For ages, pen has been creating
wonders as written information gets
spread as knowledge which is preserved
with people for their lifetime. The
proverb clearly indicates that the writers
are more influential than the mighty
fighters and the sword cannot build such
impact which writers can.
Writing can unite people to stand
against social or national evil. Mahatma
Gandhi through his preaching and
knowledge united the citizens; he didn’t
fight but won the nation with his power
of wisdom and will. A war may result
into victory to one party and defeat to
the other at the cost of innocent lives;
but a book can enlighten the world
without harming even a single person,
without any bloodshed.
Pen is the weapon of writers, which
they can use to create history. Pen is
constructive while sword is destructive.
A pen has the capacity to write novels,
poems, humorous, emotional stories,
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

S. Aravind
FIRST PRIZE WINNER
facts and figures related to Science,
Mathematics, Geography, etc. One can
find joy and peace by reading and gain
knowledge for lifetime. Writings can
induce various emotions such as love,
kindness, hatred, enmity, sympathy etc.
Writing is regarded with respect and
writers are always considered as the
strong pillars of society as they have
the power to change the world through
the magic of their writing. Even on a
national level, debates and discussions
can solve various issues amongst
differing countries, but war can destroy
the economic and physical strength of
the countries. On a personal level too,
literature spreads knowledge but fighting
induces hatred.
In the world of political war and
unrest, we need more pens than swords.
The fact is that men are more influenced
and guided by ideas than by the fear of
sword or physical forces. It is true, that
the command of the sword is restrained
to a particular time period but the
influence of pen is immortal and
universal. The writers must use this
power with utmost care, for their writing
can either make or break the image of
huge personalities because pen is
mightier than sword.  csrindia2003@gmail.com
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
CSR JUNIOR ESSAY
CONTESTS — 819 & 820
Contest 819
An Apple A Day,
Keeps The Doctor Away
Contest 820
My Favourite Book
Length : 500-600 Words
1st Prize for each contest :
Gift Hamper worth Rs. 1000
42 Highly Commendable Prizes :
Gift Hamper & Magazines
(containing Prize Winning Essay)
Worth Rs. 500 each
Certificate of Merit to all Winners.
Colour photographs of all
42 Winners will be published.
Eligible age group : 15-21 Years
LAST DATE : DECEMBER 20, 2017
THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE. Entries should be
typed double-spaced on one side of the paper and
must be accompanied by two latest passport size
(bust) colour photographs. Photographs should
be taken in formal dress as if appearing for
an Interview/Personality Test. Name, Date of
birth, Qualification, Address, Mobile number,
Telephone number (along with STD Code) and
e-mail address of the contributor along with biodata
must be written on the first page of the entry and only
name on the back of the photograph. All entries,
along with photographs, received will be the
exclusive property of CSR Group and can be used
for its promotion. The contributor will be solely
responsible for any violation of the Copyright Act
where the material submitted for the Contest is not
original. Editor’s decision will be final and binding.
No correspondence will be entertained in this regard.
Entries via email with scanned photographs
are to be considered on a par with those in
usual format.
Entries should be marked “CSR Junior Essay
Contests—819 & 820” and addressed to :
Competition Review Pvt. Ltd.
604 Prabhat Kiran, Rajendra Place,
New Delhi-110125
Email: essay@competitionreview.in,
137
 1. The teeth lacking in Herbivorous 6. Varun Singh Bhati who won Bronze
animals is at 2016 Rio Paralympic Games is
(A) Canine (B) Premolar associated with which sport?
(C) Molar (D) Incissor (A) High Jump (B) Shot Put
2. Which table in an operating system (C) Javelin Throw (D) Badminton
contains information about all the open 7. Which memory is both static and
files? non-volatile?
(A) open table (A) CACHE (B) ROM
(C) BIOS (D) RAM
(B) open-location table 8. The number of players in a Futsal
(C) open-seek table team is
(D) open-file table (A) 5 (B) 8
3. Poverty in India is measured (C) 6 (D) 9
through one of the following criteria: 9. Loss of water in plants in the form
(A) number of family members of liquid is known as
(B) education level of the family (A) Transpiration (B) Imbibition
(C) intake of the calories (C) Osmosis (D) Guttation
(D) number of rooms of the 10. A biome is
residence (A) A collection of rare plants and
4. In earth atmosphere, which of the animals
following continuously decreases with (B) A delimited area
height? (C) A group of plants growing in a
(A) Wind velocity particular area
(B) Humidity (D) A complex of communities
(C) Pressure characterised by distinctive climate
(D) Temperature and vegetation
11. The aim of the Antyodaya
5. The maximum number of Programme is
Mongol invasions took place during the (A) Helping the poorest among the
reign of poor
(A) Firoz Tughluq (B) Eliminating urban poverty
(B) Balban (C) Improving the standards of
(C) Muhammad bin Tughluq Scheduled Castes
(D) Alauddin Khilji (D) Uplifting minorities
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 141
 12. Which of the following cannot act 20. The Crop Development
as a bleaching agent? Programme of the Government of India
(A) Sulphur dioxide covers which of the following groups
(B) Nitrous oxide of commercial crops?
(C) Chlorine (A) Tea, Cotton and Rubber
(D) Hydrogen peroxide (B) Cotton, Jute and Sugarcane
13. Participation is an important (C) Jute, Tea and Coffee
element of every (D) Tea, Coffee and Spices
(A) Aristocratic system
21. The Modi Government at the
(B) Democratic system
(C) Monarchical system Centre has formed NITI Aayog by
(D) Oligarchical system replacing which one of the following?
14. The title of ‘Gangai Kondan’ was (A) Planning Commission
adopted by the following Chola King: (B) Agricultural Price Commission
(A) Rajaraja I (C) Finance Commission
(B) Karikala (D) Fiscal Commission
(C) Rajendra I 22. Which one of the following gases
(D) Vijayalaya released from bio-gas plant is used as a
15. Milkiness observed on passing fuel gas?
carbon dioxide through lime water is due (A) Butane
to the formation of (B) Propane
(A) Calcium chloride (C) Methane
(B) Calcium bicarbonate (D) Ethane
(C) Calcium carbonate 23. Microsoft Excel is a
(D) Calcium hydroxide (A) MS Office Package
16. Which State in India has the (B) Electronic Spreadsheet
largest coastline? (C) Graphic Package
(A) Andhra Pradesh (D) Financial Planning Package
(B) Maharashtra 24. An example of a solution of liquid
(C) Tamil Nadu in solid is
(D) Gujarat (A) smoke
17. The toxic metal associated with the (B) foam
Minamata episode is
(C) jelly
(A) mercury (B) arsenic
(C) lead (D) cadmium (D) rubber
18. Which of the following does not 25. The lens of the eye is behind the
belong to physical environment? (A) Retina
(A) Atmosphere (B) Hemisphere (B) Optic nerve
(C) Hydrosphere (D) Lithosphere (C) Pupil
19. Who among the following built the (D) Vitreous human
Golden Temple at Amritsar? 26. Sun Yat Sen was the leader of
(A) Guru Gobind Singh (A) K M T Party
(B) Guru Nanak (B) Taiping Rebellion
(C) Guru Teg Bahadur (C) C P C Party
(D) Guru Arjan Dev (D) Boxer Revolt
142 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 27. Excretory organ of cockroch is 34. Which one of the following is not
(A) Nephridia correctly matched?
(B) Malpighian tubules (A) Copper - Khetri
(C) Malpighian Corpuscles (B) Coal - Singareni
(D) Kidney (C) Iron-ore - Kudremukh
28. Which of the following States has (D) Manganese - Koraput
recently launched the Annapurna Rasoi 35. For Commercial Banks leading the
Yojna for providing quality meals to ‘Priority Sector’ denotes:
weaker sections at subsidised rates? (A) Self employed
(A) Uttar Pradesh (B) Ag riculture and Small scale
(B) West Bengal industries
(C) Rajasthan (C) Small farmers
(D) Madhya Pradesh (D) Small industrialists
29. Under the Constitution of India 36. Which was the instrument that was
who are the ultimate sovereign? played by Ustad Bismillah Khan?
(A) President of India (A) Sitar (B) Santoor
(B) Indian people (C) Shehnai (D) Flute
(C) All elected leaders of India 37. Which one of the following States
(D) Prime Minister of India is known as ‘Garden of Spices’?
30. Of the following, which one is (A) Karnataka
non-contractual earning? (B) Tamil Nadu
(A) Profit (C) Gujarat
(B) Interest (D) Kerala
(C) Rent 38. Who decides about the size and
(D) Wage membership of Council of Ministers?
31. Which of the following is a (A) President
semiconductor? (B) Prime Minister
(A) Silver (B) Glass (C) Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
(C) Copper (D) Silicon (D) Lok Sabha
32. Elasticity of demand of luxury 39. After a shower of rain, a rainbow
goods is is seen
(A) Zero (A) even in the absence of the sun
(B) Infinite (B) opposite the sun
(C) Less than one (C) towards the sun
(D) More than one (D) anywhere, irrespective of the
33. The Kailasanatha Temple (Siva position of the sun
Temple) at Kanchipuram containing 40. A system program designed to aid
sculptures with paintings in the inner the programmer in finding and
wall, was built by correcting errors or bugs is known as:
(A) Narasimhavarman (A) Evaluator
(B) Devavarman (B) Debugger
(C) Mahendravarman (C) Quarantiner
(D) Ravivarman (D) Corrector
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 143
 41. Both the Tropic of Cancer and the (D) Income of a joker in a circus
Tropic of Capricorn pass through company
(A) Australia 48. Pillared halls where the Buddhist
(B) South America monks worshipped were known as
(C) Africa (A) Chaityas (B) Viharas
(D) Asia (C) Mathas (D) Stupas
42. In the Panchayat Raj System, “the 49. Volt × Second is the unit of
Panchayat Samiti” is constituted at the Coulomb
(A) State level (A) Resistance (B) Inductance
(B) Village level (C) Energy (D) Capacitance
(C) District level
50. Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
(D) Block level
reservoir is situated in
43. Who has been elected as the new
Secretary-General of the United (A) Chhattisgarh
Nations? (B) Jharkhand
(A) Lewis Hamilton (C) Uttarakhand
(B) Antonio Guterres (D) Uttar Pradesh
(C) Juan Manuel Santos
(D) Ban Ki-moon ANSWERS
44. The release of which of the
following into ponds and wells helps in 1. (C) 2. (D) 3. (C) 4. (D)
controlling the mosquitoes? 5. (D) 6. (A) 7. (B) 8. (A)
(A) Snail 9. (A) 10. (D) 11. (B) 12. (B)
(B) Crab 13. (B) 14. (C)
(C) Dogfish 15. (C) : Ca(OH)2 + CO2 o CaCo3
(D) Gambusia fish + H2O + CO
45. The Attorney General of India is 16. (D): (A) Andhra Pradesh 1037 km
appointed by the (B) Maharashtra 510.31 km
(A) Law Minister (C) Tamil Nadu 864.73 km
(B) Home Minister (D) Gujarat 1915.29 km
(C) Prime Minister 17. (A)
(D) President of India 18. (B)
46. Element that is not found in blood 19. (D): It was built in the year 1577.
is 20. (C) 21. (A) 22. (C) 23. (B)
(A) iron (B) chromium
24. (C)
(C) copper (D) magnesium
47. Which of the following income 25. (C) 26. (A) 27. (B) 28. (C)
will not be included in national income 29. (B) 30. (A) 31. (D) 32. (D)
calculation? 33. (D): Rajasimha Varma
(A) individual income from sale of 34. (D) 35. (B) 36. (C) 37. (D)
shares 38. (B) 39. (D) 40. (B) 41. (A)
(B) Income of a commercial artist 42. (D) 43. (B) 44. (D) 45. (D)
(C) Commission income of a share 46. (B) 47. (C) 48. (B) 49. (D)
broker 50. (D)
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 145
 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLIGENCE TEST
1. If the sixth day of a month is 7. Which number will come at the
Tuesday, then what is the day on the sign of interrogation ?
5th day prior to the 28th of that month ?
(A) Thursday (B) Friday
(C) Wednesday (D)Saturday
2. Kalyani is mother-in-law of Veena,
who is sister-in-law of Ashok. Dheeraj (A) 63 (B) 117
is father of Sudeep, the only brother of (C) 100 (D)78
Ashok. How is Kalyani related to 8. If D = 4, COVER = 63, then
Ashok ? BASIS = ?
(A) Mother-in-law (B) Aunt (A) 50 (B) 55 (C) 49 (D) 54
(C) Mother (D)Wife 9. Find the missing number in the
3. If ‘20 – 10’ means 200; ‘8 y 4’ following columns :
means 12; ‘6 u 2’ means 4, then 1 7 9
100 – 10 u 1000 y 1000  100 u 10 2 14 ?
=? 3 105 117
(A) 1090 (B) 20 (A) 12 (B) 26
(C) Zero (D)1900 (C) 16 (D)20
4. Find that pair of numbers which is 10. ‘Artist’ is related to ‘painting’ in the
not related to the other three pairs of same way as ‘symphony’ is related to
numbers due to lack of common (A) Poet (B) Novelist
property. (C) Composer (D)Essayist
(A) 47, 59 (B) 42, 29 11. Which number will complete the
(C) 57, 69 (D)73, 61 following series ?
5. Which one is different from the 6, 11, 21, 36, 56, ?
rest three ? (A) 51 (B) 91
(A) Cycle (B) Scooter (C) 42 (D)81
(C) Car (D)Tonga 12. Which number is wrong in the
6. Which one is different from the following series ?
rest three ? 1236, 2346, 3456, 4566, 5686
(A) Sweet–Sour (B) Pointed–Blunt (A) 5686 (B) 1236
(C) Long–High (D)Hard–Soft (C) 3456 (D)4566
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 147
 13. Find the missing number in the (A) 525 (B) 125
following series : (C) 648 (D) 625
6, 12, 21, ? , 48 15. Find the set of numbers from the
(A) 38 (B) 40 four alternative sets of numbers similar
(C) 45 (D)33 to the given set.
14. Which number will come at the Given set : 6, 13, 22
sign of interrogation ? (A) 11, 18, 27 (B) 10, 16, 28
8 : 81 : : 64 : ? (C) 13, 19, 32 (D)6, 13, 27
Directions (Qs. 16 to 20) : Read the following table carefully to answer
these questions :
AVERAGE MARKS OBTAINED BY 20 BOYS AND 20 GIRLS IN FIVE SUBJECTS
FROM FIVE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS
Schools
Maximum P Q R S T
Subjects Marks Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls
English 200 85 90 80 75 100 110 65 60 105 110
History 100 40 50 45 50 50 55 40 45 65 60
Geography 100 50 40 40 45 60 55 50 55 60 65
Maths 200 120 110 95 85 135 130 75 80 130 135
Science 200 105 125 110 120 125 115 85 90 140 135

16. What was the total marks obtained 20. What was the difference between
by boys in History from School Q ? the total marks obtained in Mathematics
(A) 900 (B) 1000 by the boys from school R and the girls
from school S ?
(C) 800 (D)1300 (A) Nil (B) 1100
17. In which of the following subjects (C) 100 (D)1200
did the girls have highest average percen- 21. Who is the writer of the poetry
tage of marks from all the schools ? ‘Deep Shikha’ ?
(A) Science (B) Geography (A) Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
(C) English (D)History (B) Shankar Dayal Sharma
(C) Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
18. The pooled average marks of both (D) None of these
the boys and the girls in all the subjects 22. The compilation of ‘Meri
was minimum from which of the Ekawan Kavitayen’ (My 51 Poems) is
following schools ? written by
(A) Q (B) P (A) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(C) T (D)S (B) Harivanshrai Bachchan
19. In which of the following schools (C) Dharam Vir Bharati
the total marks obtained by the girls in (D) Shivmangal Singh ‘Suman’
23. The asteroid belt lies between the
Mathematics was 100% more than the orbits of
total marks obtained by the boys in (A) Earth and Venus
History ? (B) Mars and Jupiter
(A) R (B) S (C) Mercury and Venus
(C) P (D)Q (D) Jupiter and Saturn
148 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 24. The capital of Mizoram is (C) Caloric consumption
(A) Imphal (B) Shillong (D) Level of education
(C) Kohima (D)Aizawl 33. Elasticity of demand is a tendency
25. Which among the following of demand to
countries was the first to give women the (A) Increase or decrease on the
right to vote? change of price
(A) New Zealand (B) USA (B) Increase on the rising of price
(C) Iceland (D)India (C) Decrease on the falling of price
26. ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of (D) Consistency of demand on rising
Fire’ is written by and falling prices
(A) Robert Ludlum 34. Capital is that wealth
(B) J. K. Rowling (A) Which is used for the production
(C) Sidney Sheldon of wealth
(B) Which is kept in boxes and lockers
(D) Spencer Johnson (C) Which is buried in the land
27. Which of the following is the 29th (D) Which is stored for consumption
State of India ? 35. Function of an entrepreneur is
(A) Telangana (B) Uttarakhand (A) Organisation of labour
(C) Chhattisgarh (D)Gorkhaland (B) Collection of capital
28. The Insider is authored by (C) Showing efficiency in collection
(A)Indira Gandhi of loans from the banks and the
(B) Jawaharlal Nehru market
(C) P.V. Narasimha Rao (D) Risk-taking
(D)Sunil Gavaskar 36. A lunar eclipse occurs when
29. The headquarters of the Inter- (A) Sun, Moon and Earth are not in
national Court of Justice are located at the same line
(A)Geneva (B) Earth comes between the Sun and
(B) New York the Moon
(C) The Hague (C) Moon comes between the Sun and
(D)Vienna the Earth
30. The highest military award for (D) Sun comes between the Earth and
valour in India is the Moon
(A)Bharat Ratna 37. The sky appears blue because
(B) Param Vir Chakra (A) It is actually blue
(C) Padma Vibhushan (B) The atmosphere scatters blue
(D)Jnanpith light more than the others
31. Population explosion in a country (C) All colours interfere to produce
means blue
(A) High birth rate and high death rate (D) In white light, blue colour
(B) High birth rate and low death rate dominates.
(C) Low birth rate and high death 38. Red light is used in traffic signals
rate because
(D) Low birth rate and low death rate (A) It has the longest wavelength
32. The measurement of poverty line (B) It is beautiful
is based on the criteria of (C) It is visible to people even with
(A) Their dwelling houses bad eyesight
(B) The nature of employment (D) None of these
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 149
 39. The oil in the wick of a lamp
rises up due to
(A) Pressure difference
(B) Low viscosity of oil
(C) Capillary action
(D) Gravitational force
40. A thick glass tumbler cracks more
easily than a thin one when hot water is
poured into it. Why ?
(A) Thick glass is more brittle than
thin glass.
(B) Thick glass is of inferior quality.
(C) The inner surface of the tumbler
expands more than its outer
surface.
(D) The outer surface of the tumbler
expands more than its inner
surface.
41. The Constituent Assembly was
presided over by
(A) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
(B) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
(C) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
(D) Dr. K. M. Munshi
42. Under which article of the Con-
stitution of India, a citizen can go to the
Supreme Court for the enforcement of
his Fundamental Rights ?
(A) Article 31 (B) Article 29
(C) Article 32 (D)Article 10
43. Which of the following two
words were added to the Preamble of
the Indian Constitution by the 42nd
Amendment ?
(A) Sovereign and Democratic
(B) Secular and Socialist
(C) Secular and Democratic
(D) Democratic and Republic
44. By which Constitutional
Amendment Bill, the voting age was
reduced from 21 years to 18 years ?
(A) 48th (B) 57th
(C) 61st (D)63rd
45. Which among the following is not
a Fundamental Right now ?
(A) Right to equality
(B) Right to property
150
(C) Right to Constitutional remedies
(D) None of these
46. Who wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ ?
(A)Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
(B) Aurobindo Ghosh
(C) Rabindranath Tagore
(D)None of the above
47. The poverty line has been
defined in the
(A) Seventh Five-Year Plan
(B) Sixth Five-Year Plan
(C) Eighth Five-Year Plan
(D) Fifth Five-Year Plan
48. Twelfth Five-Year Plan was
launched in
(A) 2005 (B) 2008
(C) 2012 (D)None of these
49. Planning Commission was
constituted in
(A) June 1949 (B) October 1951
(C) March 1950 (D)None of these
50. The one-rupee notes bear the
signatures of the
(A) Governor, Reserve Bank of India
(B) Secretary, Ministry of Finance
(C) Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank
of India
(D) Joint Secretary, Ministry of
Finance
51. When did Vikram era start ?
(A) 19 B.C. (B) 58 B.C.
(C) 78 A.D. (D)73 A.D.
52. Which of the following was a
consequence of the invasion of Amir
Timur ?
(A) Decline of the Mughal Empire
(B) Fall of Lodi Dynasty
(C) Decline of Tughlaq Dynasty
(D) End of Khilji Dynasty
53. What is the correct chronological
sequence of the following ?
I. Gandhi-Irwin Pact
II. Nehru Report
III. Non-cooperation Movement
IV. Quit India Movement
(A) III, IV, I, II (B) III, II, I, IV
(C) II, III, IV, I (D)II, III, I, IV
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 54. What is the correct chronological (A) Sohini (B) Bhairavi
order in which the following four (C) Kalabati (D)Sarang
appeared on the political scenario in 63. Shiv-Hari, the popular musical
India ? duo, plays on which of the following
I. Lord Minto II. Lord Reading instruments ?
III. Lord Curzon IV. Lord Irwin (A) Tabla and Guitar
(A) II, III, I, IV (B) Santoor and Flute
(B) IV, I, III, II (C) Piano and Drums
(C) I, III, II, IV (D) None of these
(D) III, I, II, IV 64. Guernica was painted by
55. Who was the first Governor- (A) Leonardo da Vinci
General of free India ? (B) Michelangelo
(A) Lord Mountbatten (C) Picasso
(B) C. Rajagopalachari (D) Raphael
(C) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru 65. The ‘Last Supper’ is a world
(D) Babu Rajendra Prasad famous painting by
56. Through which of the following (A) Paul Gaugin
countries does the river Tigris flow ? (B) Leonardo da Vinci
(A) Egypt (B) Iran (C) Raphael
(C) Italy (D)Iraq (D) Rembrandt
57. Imaginary lines drawn on a global 66. ‘Bhogali Bihu’ is a festival of
map from pole to pole and from the (A) Assam
perpendicular to the equator are called (B) Odisha
(A) Contours (B) Isobars (C) Gujarat
(C) Meridians (D)Steppes (D) Rajasthan
58. The 23½q South latitude is 67. I Do What I Do is authored by
known as (A)Indira Gandhi
(A) The Tropic of Cancer (B) P.V. Narasimha Rao
(B) The Tropic of Capricorn (C) Jawaharlal Nehru
(C) The Equator (D)Raghuram Rajan
(D) The Prime Meridian 68. Which of the following award
59. ‘Equinox’ means winning films had no dialogues ?
(A) Days are longer than nights (A)“Salaam Bombay”
(B) Days and nights are equal (B) “Dassi”
(C) Days are shorter than nights (C) “Pushpak”
(D) None of these (D)“Chetak”
60. Summer solstice occurs on 69. “Mitakshara” is associated with
(A) March 21 (B) April 21 (A)Grammar
(C) May 21 (D)June 21 (B) Poetics
61. Who is the writer of the book (C) Drama
“Interpreter of Maladies” ? (D)Yajnawalkya
(A) Jhumpa Lahiri (B) Arundhati Roy 70. All India Services can be created
(C) Vikram Seth (D)Geeta Mehta by the
62. Which of the following is a (A)President (B) Parliament
morning ‘Raag’ ? (C) Prime Minister (D)U.P.S.C.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 151
 71. The term ‘refraction of light’ (A) 20 kg (B) 100 kg
means (C) 200 kg (D)Zero
(A) Bending of light rays when they 76. When the Sun shines vertically
enter from one medium to on the whole Arctic circle, it is vertical
another medium on the
(B) Splitting of white light into seven (A) Tropic of Capricorn
colours when it passes through (B) Equator
the prism (C) Tropic of Cancer
(C) Bending of light round the (D) None of these
cor ners of obstacles and 77. The ter m ‘double fault’ is
apertures associated with
(D) Coming back of light from a (A) Tennis (B) Squash
bright smooth surface (C) Rugby (D)Long Jump
72. In the visible spectrum, the colour 78. Which of the following gases is
having the shortest wavelength is most predominant in the Sun ?
(A) Green (B) Red (A) Ozone (B) Nitrogen
(C) Violet (D)Blue
73. The universal donor blood (C) Hydrogen (D)Helium
group is 79. Classical dance having its roots in
(A) O (B) A Tamil Nadu is
(C) B (D)AB (A) Kathakali
74. Sphygmomanometer measures (B) Kathak
(A) Blood pressure (C) Kuchipudi
(B) Depth of ocean (D) Bharat Natyam
(C) Magnetic flux 80. Jamini Roy distinguished himself
(D) Electric current in
75. A man weighing 65 kg jumps from (A) Dancing
a 100 ft high building with a load of 35 (B) Colour Photography
kg. What will be the load experienced (C) Instrumental music
by him ? (D) Painting
ARITHMETIC
81. A sum of money lent out at simple 83. A’s money is to B’s money is 4 : 5
interest amounts to Rs. 720 after 2 years and B’s money is to C’s money is 2 : 3.
and to Rs. 1020 after a further period If A has Rs. 800, then C has
of 5 years. The sum is (A) Rs. 1000 (B) Rs. 1200
(A) Rs. 710 (B) Rs. 500 (C) Rs. 1500 (D)Rs. 2000
(C) Rs. 700 (D)Rs. 600 84. The mean proportion of 0.32 and
82. In a cricket team of 11 boys, one 0.02 is
player weighing 42 kg is injured (A) 0.34 (B) 0.3
and his place is taken by another
player. If the average weight of the team, (C) 0.16 (D)0.08
as a result of this, is increased by 100 85. The third proportional to 16 and
grams, then the new player weighs 4 is
(A) 44.0 kg (B) 42.1 kg (A) 16 (B) 1
(C) 43.1 kg (D)44.4 kg (C) 2 (D)8
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 153
 86. By selling 44 articles, a shopkeeper speed of 50 km per hour. The distance
gains the selling price of 11 articles. His (in km) of the point, where they meet,
gain is from the first town is
1 (A) 200 (B) 300
(A) 33 % (B) 20% (C) 400 (D)500
3
(C) 25% (D)30% 93. A train clears a platform 300
87. Two successive discounts of 10% metres long in 20 seconds and passes a
and 5% are equivalent to a single telegraph poll in 10 seconds. The length
discount of of the train is
(A) 15% (B) 7½% (A) 100 metres (B) 200 metres
(C) 12% (D)14½% (C) 300 metres (D)400 metres
88. By selling an article for Rs. 450, a 94. Find the cost of paving a
man loses 20%. In order to make a rectangular courtyard 30 metres long
profit of 20%, he must sell it for and 20 metres wide with tiles of
(A) Rs. 675 (B) Rs. 600 dimensions 12 cm long and 10 cm wide
@ Rs. 60 per thousand.
(C) Rs. 625 (D)Rs. 680
(A) Rs. 3000 (B) Rs. 4000
89. A’s salary is 20% below B’s salary.
By how much percent is B’s salary above (C) Rs. 3500 (D)Rs. 5000
A’s salary ? 95. If the radius of a circle is doubled,
then its area will be
2 (A) Four times (B) Doubled
(A) 16 (B) 20
3 (C) Trebled (D)Same
1 96. The volume of a wall, 5 times as
(C) 25 (D) 3 3 high as it is broad and 8 times as long
3
as it is high, is 18225 cu.m. Find the
3 breadth of the wall.
90. On a farm, th part is used for
8 (A) 32.5 metres (B) 5 metres
3 (C) 4.5 metres (D)3.5 metres
grazing the cattle and th for farming.. 97. The earth’s surface is covered
5
Remaining 20 hectares is forest. What either by land or by water. The
is the total area of the farm ? 3
(A) 600 hectares (B) 800 hectares proportion covered by land is of
5
(C) 850 hectares (D)400 hectares that covered by water. What fraction of
91. A train moving at a speed of the entire surface of the earth is land ?
36 metres per second takes 10 seconds 1 3
to pass a man running at the rate of 4 (A) (B)
metres per second in the opposite 2 8
direction. The length of the train in 1 2
(C) (D)
metres is 3 5
(A) 400 (B) 280 (C) 320 (D) 360 98. A and B can do a piece of
92. The distance between the two work in 72 days. B and C can do it in
towns is 800 km. A car starts from the 120 days. A and C can do it in 90 days.
first town with a speed of 30 km per In how many days can A alone do it ?
hour. At the same time, another car (A) 80 days (B) 100 days
starts from the second town with a (C) 150 days (D)120 days
154 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 99. An electric pump can fill a tank 107. If A : B = 7 : 9 and B : C = 3 : 5,
in 3 hours. Because of a leak in the then A : B : C is
1 (A) 7 : 9 : 5
tank, it took 3 hours to fill the tank. (B) 21 : 35 : 45
2
The leak can drain all the waters of the (C) 7 : 9 : 15
tank in (D) 7 : 3 :15
1
(A) 21 hours (B) 6 hours 108. If then the value of
2
1
(C) 10 hours (D)12 hours is
2
100. The difference between the
simple interest and the compound 1
(A) – 3 (B)
interest on a certain sum of money for 2
3 years at 10% per annum is Rs. 15 and
50 paise. The sum is (C) 2 (D)
(A) Rs. 5000 (B) Rs. 550
(C) Rs. 500 (D)Rs. 1500
101. Convert 0 .0 7 1 8 3 3 into a 109. If then the
fraction.
431 431 value of is
(A) (B) c
6 0 00 600 (A) 7 (B) 2
4.3 1 4.3 1 1 1
(C) (D) (C) (D)
60 6
102. The number of terms in the 2 7
110. If the side of a square is
sequence 4, 11, 18, ......., 186 is increased by 25%, then how much %
(A) 17 (B) 25 does its area increase ?
(C) 26 (D)27 (A) 125 (B) 50
103. Which number is 60% less than (C) 56.25 (D)156.25
80 ?
(A) 48 (B) 42
(C) 32 (D)16 111. is equal
104. If x is 90% of y, then what % to
of x is y ? (A) 0.1 (B) 1.1
(A) 101.1 (B) 190 (C) 0.3 (D)0.61
(C) 90 (D)111.1
105. A number exceeds 20% of itself 112. If , then the
by 40. The number is value of
(A) 50 (B) 60 is
(C) 80 (D)320
(A) 1.3875
106. If 5 : 8 = 150 : x, then the value
of x is (B) 13.875
(A) 180 (B) 190 (C) 138.75
(C) 200 (D)240 (D) 156.25
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 155
 1 20 47
113. th of a number subtracted (A) (B)
4 28 28
1 49 49
from rd of the same number gives (C) (D)
3 28 48
12. The number is 121. If 16% of 40% of a number is
(A) 72 (B) 120 8, then the number is
(C) 144 (D)63 (A) 200 (B) 225
(C) 125 (D)320
114. If then 122. If the ratio of the areas of two
squares is 9 : 1, then the ratio of their
x equals perimeters is
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 5 (D) 7 (A) 9 : 1 (B) 3 : 1
115. The value of (C) 3 : 4 (D)1 : 3
ª ­° § 8 · ½° º
3 y « 8  5 y ® 4  2 y ¨¨ 2  ¸¾»
¸°»
123. The HCF of two numbers is 12
«¬ °̄ © 13 ¹¿¼ and their difference is also 12. The
is numbers are
17 68 (A) 12, 84 (B) 84, 96
(A) (B) (C) 64, 76 (D)100, 112
13 13
124. In a group of cows and hens,
13 13
(C) (D) the number of legs are 14 more than
17 68 twice the number of heads. The number
116. The least multiple of 7, which of cows in the group is
leaves a remainder of 3 when divided (A) 5 (B) 7 (C) 10 (D) 12
by 4 or 12 or 16, is 125. A number when successively
(A) 147 (B) 148 divided by 4, 5 and 7 leaves 2, 3 and 4
(C) 294 (D)None of these as remainders respectively. If the
117. If then the value number is divided by 7, 5 and 4
of n is respectively, then the respective
(A) 2 (B) 4 remainders will be
(C) 6 (D)12 (A) 4, 3, 2 (B) 3, 4, 2
118. The H.C.F. of two numbers is 16 (C) 3, 3, 2 (D)2, 3, 4
and their L.C.M. is 160. If one of the 126. A number divided by 899 gives
numbers is 32, then the other number a remainder of 63. If the number is
is divided by 29, then the remainder will
be
(A) 48 (B) 80
(A) 2 (B) 5
(C) 96 (D)112
(C) 13 (D)28
119. The number 0.05 is what % 127. The price of an article is cut by
of 20 ?
10%. To restore it to its original value,
(A) 25 (B) 0.025 the new price must be increased by
(C) 0.25 (D)2.5
120. The next number in the sequence 1
(A) 9 % (B) 10%
1 4 9 16 25 36 11
, , , , , 1
22 23 24 25 26 27 (C) 11% (D) 1 1 %
is 9
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 157
 128. The sum of three numbers A, B
and C is 98. If A : B and
then B is equal to
(A) 15 (B) 20
(C) 30 (D)32
129. Two numbers are such that their
difference, their sum and their product
are in the ratio 1 : 7 : 24. The product
of the numbers is
ENGLISH
Directions (Qs. 131 to 140) : Which
part of the sentences given in these
questions has a grammatical or
idiomatic error ?
131. Cattles (A)/ were grazing (B)/ in
the meadows (C)/ near our farm. (D)
132. Make haste (A)/ lest (B)/ you
(C)/ should not miss the train. (D)
133. We must not complain (A)/ that
roses have thorns (B)/ but rather grateful
(C)/ that thorns bear flowers. (D)
134. Your flat (A)/ is superior
than (B)/ that of mine (C)/ in all
respects. (D)
135. The leaders of the striking
workers (A)/ called for (B)/ the
Directors (C)/ for negotiations. (D)
136. Mr. Sharma had reached (A)/ the
scene of the accident (B)/ much before
(C)/ the police arrived. Isn’t it ? (D)
137. Pages after pages (A)/ of (B)/
the Mahabharat (C)/ were read. (D)
138. Watch (A)/ how careful (B)/ the
sparrow knits (C)/ the straws into one
another to form a nest. (D)
139. More leisure (A)/ as well as
an abundance of (B)/ goods are
attainbale (C)/ through automation. (D)
140. In case of his dying (A)/ without
an issue (B)/ his nephew would inherit
(C)/ the whole property. (D)
158
(A) 6 (B) 12
(C) 24 (D)48
130. If 64 is divided into three parts
proportional to 2, 4 and x and the
2
smallest part is 1 0 , then x equals
3
1
(A) 5 (B) 6
3
2
(C) 10 (D)20
3
Directions (Qs. 141 to 150) : In
these questions four alternatives are
given for the idiom/phrase italicised
in the sentence. Choose the one
which best expresses the meaning
of that idiom/phrase:
141. He is accused of sitting on the
fence.
(A) Observing the scene
(B) Hesitating which side to join
(C) Resting on the fence
(D) Confused about the situation
142. He is out and out a liar.
(A) Surely
(B) Consistently
(C) Basically
(D) Thoroughly
143. I stepped forward fully
determined to take the bull by the
horns.
(A) To meet the danger boldly
(B) To act without any hesitation
(C) To act without any preparation
(D) To be fully alive to one’s interests
144. He was unable to account for the
deficit in the firm’s bank balance.
(A) Give the accounts for
(B) Give a satisfactory explanation for
(C) Speak the truth about
(D) Maintain proper accounts of
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 145. She is a clever girl, and she can (A) Philander (B) Charlatan
put two and two together. (C) Philistine (D)Epicure
(A) Draw a logical conclusion 154. Below the surface :
(B) Make a formal statement (A) Subterranean (B) Abortive
(C) Look very thoughtful (D) Surreptitious (D)Epicure
(D) Count very well 155. A person with full discretionary
146. His most trusted friend proved powers to act on behalf of a country :
to be a snake in the grass.
(A) Emissary
(A) Hidden enemy
(B) Plenipotentiary
(B) Low and mean
(C) An unreliable person (C) Ambassador
(D) Cowardly and brutal (D) Envoy
147. The captors of the kidnapped Directions (Qs. 156 to 165) : In
kept his family on tenterhooks. these questions, each word is
(A) On constant move followed by four probable answers
(B) In anxious suspense (A), (B), (C) and (D). Choose the
(C) In seething anger correct meaning of the word out of
(D) In excited wait these four choices:
148. I have come to know of your 156. CALUMNIATE
hole-and-corner methods of dealing with (A) Slander
people. (B) Denounce
(A) Suspicious (B) Strict (C) Ditch
(C) Survile (D)Secret (D) Accuse truthfully
149. They are sure to steal a march 157. TITILLATE
upon their competitors. (A) Waver
(A) Defy (B) Outshine (B) Tickle
(C) Challenge (D)Resist (C) Whisper
150. He was in a brown study and did (D) Shiver
not seem to catch my point. 158. MILITATE
(A) In his study room (A) Support
(B) Absent-minded (B) Pacify
(C) Absorbed in reading
(C) Take up arms
(D) In a state of shock
Directions (Qs. 151 to 155) : (D) Work against
Substitute single words for the group 159. CONSUMMATE
of words given in these questions : (A) Novice
151. A sad song : (B) Ambiguous
(A) Ditty (B) Dirge (C) Perfect
(C) Knell (D)Lay (D) Imperfect
152. A person who goes on horseback : 160. GLIB
(A) Epicurean (B) Sinecure (A) Fluent
(C) Equestrian (D)Connoisseur (B) Stammer
153. A person who is very fond of (C) Tragic
sensuous pleasures : (D) Dull
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 159
 161. PRESAGE 169. Who said, “Fools rush in where
(A) As wise as a sage angels fear to tread” ?
(B) Preceding a wise man (A) The Bible
(C) Unwise (B) John Milton
(D) Predict (C) Alexander Pope
162. ACQUIESCE (D) Dr. Samuel Johnson
(A) Strange 170. Who is the writer of the novel
(B) Agree tacitly “God of Small Things” ?
(C) Spontaneous (A) Arundhati Roy
(D) Advance (B) Jhumpa Lahiri
163. MASOCHISTIC (C) Kamal Subramaniyam
(A) Very soft (D) Mahasweta Devi
(B) Generous
(C) Enjoy cruel treatment inflicted ANSWERS
on oneself 1. (B) : 23rd day will be Friday.
(D) Enjoy sufferings of others 2. (C)
164. NOM DE PLUME 3. (A) : 20 – 10 = 20 u 10 = 200
(A) Writer’s assumed name 8 y 4 = 8 + 4 = 12
(B) An animal 6u2=6–2=4
(C) A bird   ? 100 – 10 u 1000
(D) Real name y 1000 + 100 u 10
165. QUISLING = 100 u 10 – 1000
(A) Brave + 1000 + 100 – 10
(B) Rebel
(C) Traitor = 1090
(D) Patriot 4. (C) : 57 & 69 are not prime to
166. Who among the following is the each other, because there
writer of ‘Anand Math’ ? H.C.F. is 3.
(A) Harindra Nath Chattopadhyay 5. (D)
(B) Rabindranath Tagore 6. (C) : All other pairs contain two
(C) Mulk Raj Anand words opposite of each other.
(D) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee 7. (D) : 10 u 9 – 8 u 4 = 90 – 32 = 58
167. In which Shakespearian drama is
Desdemona a character ? 15 u 10 – 9 u 8 = 150 –
(A) Hamlet 72 = 78
(B) Othello 8. (A) : D = 4, C = 3, O = 15,
(C) Merchant of Venice V = 22, E = 5, R = 18
(D) As You Like It   ? COVER
168. The famous work of Leo Tolstoy =C +O+V+E+R
is
= 3 + 15 + 22 + 5 + 18 = 63
(A) Merchant of Venice
(B) Illiad BASIS
(C) War and Peace =B +A+S+I+S
(D) Great Expectations = 2 + 1 + 19 + 9 + 19 = 50
160 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 If you WANT to shine like a SUN,
First BURN like a SUN !
– Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(Former President of India)

A Few of Our Burning Stars who pave their way towards a secure future....

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Amit Kr. Dinesh Kr. Kanika Saran Goldy Chajgotra Amit Kr. Dinesh Kr. Ishwar Chandra Dimple Sushil Kr. Indu Yadav Suman Anjali Kalia
SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre) SSC (GL-Pre)

Ajay Kumar G. Deepak Annie Bhati Mayank Kumar Rahul Rashmi Saini Sohan S. Aluria Divya Girdhar Sumit Sharma Chandan Kumar Abhinandan Sonam Chadha
SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main) SSC (Main)

And
Many
Many
Atul Kumar Deepak Kumar Deshraj Bokolia Ekta Sharma Govind Manral Hitesh Chauhan Alok Kumar Anil Rana Pradeep Kr. Shakshi Sharma Vikash Sidharth More...
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 9. (A) : 1st number u 2nd number 43. (B) 44. (C) 45. (B) 46. (A)
+ 1st number = 3rd number 47. (D) 48. (C) 49. (C) 50. (B)
1u2+1=3 51. (B) 52. (C) 53. (B) 54. (D)
7 u 14 + 7 = 105 55. (A) 56. (D) 57. (C) 58. (B)
9 u 12 + 9 = 117 59. (B) 60. (D) 61. (A) 62. (B)
10. (C) 63. (B) 64. (C) 65. (B) 66. (A)
67. (D) 68. (C) 69. (D) 70. (B)
11. (D) : The sequence in the given 71. (A) 72. (C) 73. (A) 74. (A)
series is +5, +10, +15, +20, 75. (D) 76. (C) 77. (A) 78. (C)
+25. 79. (D) 80. (D)
12. (A) : The number 5686 is wrong.
81. (D) : S.I. for 5 years = Rs. 300
It should be replaced by 5676.
? S.I. for 2 years = Rs. 120
13. (D) : The sequence in the given
series is +6, +9, +12, +15. ? Principal = Rs. 600
14. (D) : 23 : 34 : : 43 : 54 82. (C)
15. (A) 16. (A) : 45 u 20 = 900
17. (A) : Average Percentage of marks by Girls 83. (C) :
Schools
Subjects P Q R S T
Science : 62.5 60 57.5 45 67.5
Geography : 40 45 55 55 65
English : 45 37.5 55 30 55
History : 50 50 55 45 60
18. (A) : Pooled Average marks of Boys & Girls
Schools ? A = 8k, B = 10k, C = 15k
Subjects
English
P
87.5
Q
77.5 105
R S
62.5
T
107.5 ? 8k = 800 Ÿ k = 100
History
Geography
45
45
47.5
42.5
52.5
57.5
42.5
52.5
62.5
62.5
84. (D) : Let x be the mean
Maths 115 87.5 132.5 77.5 132.5 proportion of 0.32 and 0.02.
Science 115 115 120 87.5 137.5
Total 407.5 370.0 467.5 322.5 502.5

19. (B) : Total marks obtained by Girls Ÿ x = 0.08

in Mathematics
Schools P Q R S
2200 1700 2600 1600 2700
Total marks obtained by Boys in History
Schools P Q R S
800 900 1000 800 1300
20. (B) : 2700 – 1600 = 1100
21. (D) 22. (A) 23. (B) 24. (D)
25. (A) 26. (B) 27. (A) 28. (C)
29. (C) 30. (B) 31. (B) 32. (C)
33. (A) 34. (A) 35. (D) 36. (B)
37. (B)
38. (A) : Red colour can penetrate
through haze, mist and
frost. It is also visible at
great distances. It also has
the longest wavelength.
39. (C) 40. (C) 41. (A) 42. (C)
162
85. (D) : Let x be the third
T proportional to 16 and 4.
T Ÿx= 8
86. (A)
87. (D) : 100 – 10% = 100 – 10 = 90
90 – 5%
= 90 – 4.50 = 85.50
88. (A) : S.P. = 450, Loss = 20%
= 562.50
Profit = 20%
  ? S.P. = 562.50 + 20% = 675
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 94. (A) : No. of tiles paved
89. (C) : A = B – 20% of B

Cost of paving @ Rs. 60/

1000
= A + 25% of A

90. (B) : Forest

95. (A)
96. (C) : Let breadth of the wall
= h metres
  ? Height of the wall
1 = 5h metres
? th of the Area of the
40 Length of the wall
farm = 20 hectares = 40h metres
  ? Total area of the farm   ? 40h u 5h u h = 18225
= 800 hectares Ÿ h3 = 91.125
91. (A) : The relative speed of the train Ÿ h = 4.5
w.r.t. the speed of the man 97. (B) : Let the proportion covered
by water = x
  ? Time taken by the train in   ? Proportion covered by land
crossing a man = Time
taken in moving a distance
equal to the length of the
train w.r.t. the relative speed.
Let length of the train
= x metres

of the entire surface

92. (B) : They will meet after 10 of the earth is land.
hours, i.e. after covering a
distance of 300 km from the 98. (D) : (A + B)’s one day’s work
first town.
(B + C)’s one day’s work
93. (C) : Let the length of the train
be x metres.
  ? A distance of (x + 300) metres 1
is covered in 20 seconds. (C + A)’s one day’s work 90
Speed of train ? (A C)’s one
x
m etres / seco n d
10

x
Ÿ x = 300
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 163
   ? A’s one day’s work
104. (D) : x = 90% of y y

of x
1
99. (A) : In one hour, of the tank is
3 Ÿ y = 111.1% of x
filled. 105. (A) : Let the number be x.
? x – 20% of x = 40
2
In one hour, of the tank
7
is filled due to leak.
106. (D) :
  ? In one hour,
of the tank will be empty.
100. (C) : Let the sum be Rs. 100 107. (C) :
Time = 3 years. Rate % =10
S.I.
108. (A) :
1 1 3
2 2
3
1
2 1  1
2

109. (B) :
? C.I. – S.I. = Rs. 3.10 ? a = 3k, b = 4k, c = 7k
If difference is Rs. 3.10, then a  b  c 14
sum = Rs. 100 Ÿ 2
c 7
If difference is Rs. 15.50, 110. (C) : If side of the square is 10,
then sum = Rs. 500 then its area = 100
101. (A) : Let x = 0.07183333 If side of the square is 12.5,
10000x = 718.3333... then its area = 156.25
100000x = 7183.3333... 111. (B) : a3 + b3 = (a + b) (a2 + b2 – ab)
  ? 90000x = 6465 112. (C) : Given expression
= 125 + 12.5 + 1.25
= 138.75
113. (C) : Let the number be x.
102. (D) : nth term of an A.P. with
first term a and common
difference d = a + (n – 1)d Ÿ x = 144
Ÿ 4 + (n – 1) u 7 = 186
x 169
Ÿ n – 1 = 26 114. (A) : 1 
Ÿ n = 27 12 144
103. (C) : 80 – 60% of 80 = 80 – 48 x 13
Ÿ 1 Ÿ x 1
= 32 12 12
164 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 115. (C) : Given expression xy = 24k
Ÿ x = 4k, y = 3k
and xy = 24k = 12k2
Ÿ k = 2 Ÿ xy = 48
130. (B) : Let 64 be divided into three
parts. Let the three parts be
13 2k, 4k and xk.
If 2k is the smallest part,
17 then
116. (A)
117. (D) :
Ÿ 2n = 212 Ÿ n = 12 ? 64 = 2k + 4k + xk
118. (B) : Other number
16 u 160
80
32 = 64 – 32 = 32
119. (C) : Let x% of 20 = 0.05 Ÿx=6
x 5 131. (A) : Part ‘A’ should be ‘cattle’
Ÿ u 20
100 100 132. (D) : Part ‘D’ should be ‘should
Ÿ x = 0.25 miss the train’
120. (C) 133. (C) : Part ‘C’ should be ‘but rather
121. (C) : Let the number be x. be grateful’ or ‘but rather
? 16% of (40% of x) = 8 should be grateful’
134. (B) : Part ‘B’ should be ‘is
superior to’
135. (B) : Part ‘B’ should be ‘called on’
136. (D) : Part ‘D’ should be ‘the
122. (B) 123. (B) police arrived. Didn’t he ?’
124. (B) : 4C + 2H = 2(C + H) + 14 137. (A) : Part ‘A’ should be ‘Page after
ŸC =7 page’
125. (D) 126. (B) 127. (D) 138. (B) : Part ‘B’ should be ‘how
128. (C) : A + B + C = 98 carefully’
139. (C) : Part ‘C’ should be ‘goods is
attainable’
140. (A) : Part ‘A’ should be ‘In case
he dies’ or ‘if he dies’
141. (B) 142. (D) 143. (A) 144. (B)
? k = 2 and so B = 30. 145. (A) 146. (A) 147. (B) 148. (D)
129. (D) : Let the numbers be x and y. 149. (B) 150. (B) 151. (B) 152. (C)
? x – y : x + y : xy 153. (D) 154. (A) 155. (B) 156. (A)
= 1 : 7 : 24 157. (B) 158. (C) 159. (C) 160. (A)
161. (D) 162. (B) 163. (C) 164. (A)
165. (C) 166. (D) 167. (B) 168. (C)
Ÿ x – y = k, x + y = 7k 169. (C) 170. (A)
166 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 Expected Questions
1. What is India’s position in the 8. Which of the following deities was
latest World Bank’s Ease of Doing called “Purandar”, the breaker of forts?
Business Report? (a) Agni (b) Indra
(a) 98 (b) 105 (c) Vayu (d) Varun
(c) 102 (d) 100 9. Match List I with List II and select
2. “PRABAL DOSTYK – 2017”, the correct answer using the code given below:
joint defence exercise between the Taxes of the Gupta period
Indian Army and the army of which List I
country commenced on November 2, A. Sulka B. Bhaga
2017 at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh. C. Bali D. Kara
(a) Uzbekistan (b) Kazakhstan  List II
(c) Mongolia (d) Afghanistan 1. Royal share of produce 1/6th of
3. Who authored the book, The the total
Coalition Years: 1996 to 2012 ? 2. Customs & tolls
(a) P. Chidambaram 3. A tax in addition to grain share
(b) Pranab Mukherjee 4. A type of land revenue
(c) Arun Jaitley Codes:
(d) Arun Shourie A B C D
4. Name the Spanish province whose (a) 1 2 3 4
independence bid was quashed by the (b) 2 1 4 3
Spanish Government? (c) 1 3 4 2
(a) Badajoz (b) Cáceres (d) 2 3 1 4
(c) Toledo (d) Catalonia 10. Who among the following
5. Which book by George Saunders
won the Man Booker Prize for 2017? introduced scale of 1 3 , 1 4 and 1 5
(a) Lincoln in the Bardo in Mansabdari system?
(b) The Sellout (a) Akbar (b) Humayun
(c) The Luminaries (c) Shahjahan (d) Jehangir
(d) The Finkler Question 11. Which of the following is matched
6. Who was recently appointed as the correctly?
Indian Ambassador to Pakistan? A. Arya Samaj – Swami Dayanand
(a) Ajay Bisaria Saraswati
(b) Gautam Bambawale B. Brahma – Raja Rammohun
(c) Md. Akbaruddin Samaj Rai
(d) Manika Jain C. Ram Krishna – Swami
7. Name India’s first ever defence Mission Vivekananda
craft to be built in a private shipyard? D. Prarthana – Keshub Chandra
(a) OPV Samrat Samaj Sen
(b) OPV Prakram Choose the correct options :
(c) OPV Talwar (a) 1 and 2 (b) 1, 2 and 4
(d) OPV Vikram (c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 169
 12. Which of the following has been difficult to build detectors that
adopted from Westminster system of show exactly where the neutrino
government in Indian Constitution? came from.
1. Parliamentar y form of Select the correct statement(s) from
Government the options given below:
2. Fundamental Rights (a) Only 1 and 2
3. Federal Structure (b) Only 1 and 3
4. Judicial Independence (c) Only 2 and 3
Select the correct answer using the (d) All of the above
code given below: 17. Consider the following statements
(a) 1 only regarding asteroids:
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only I. Asteroids are rocky debris of
(c) 1 and 2 only varying sizes orbiting the Sun.
(d) 1 and 4 only II. Most of the asteroids are small,
13. Identify the Indian State which but some have diameter as large
Tropic of Cancer does not pass through : as 1000 km.
(a) Mizoram (b) Tripura III.The orbit of asteroids lies between
(c) Manipur (d) Chhattisgarh the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.
14. Mesolithic Age encountered Of these statements:
changes in climatic conditions. Which of (a) I, II and III are correct
the following occurrence preceded it? (b) II and III are correct
(a) Frequent Floods (c) I and II are correct
(b) Severe Droughts (d) I and III are correct
(c) Ice 18. Who was the author of the book,
(d) A and B “The Indian War of Independence, 1857”?
15. Lichens are very often found on
(a) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
trees. Trees provide them with nutrition
but eventually, trees die due to excessive (b) V.D. Savarkar
secretion of nutrition to the Lichens. (c) S.R. Sharma
Which kind of relationship is this? (d) R.C. Majumdar
(a) Mutualism 19. The confluence of the rivers
(b) Commensalism Ganges and Yamuna is at
(c) Parasitism (a) Agra (b) Allahabad
(d) None of the above (c) Patna (d) Varanasi
16. Consider the following statements 20. One of the world’s smallest
with reference to Neutrino : countries,___is a chain of some 1,200
1. Neutrinos are tiny particles that small coral islands in the Indian Ocean
carry no charge and interact very southwest of India.
weakly with electrons and protons. (a) Andaman (b) Maldives
2. Unlike light or charged particles, (c) Nicobar (d) Sri Lanka
neutrinos can emerge from deep ANSWERS
within their cosmic sources and
travel across the universe without 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (d)
being absorbed by intervening 5. (a) 6. (a) 7. (d) 8. (b)
matter. 9. (b) 10. (c) 11. (b) 12. (a)
3. Because neutrinos pass through 13. (c) 14. (c) 15. (c) 16. (d)
material very easily, it is extremely 17. (c) 18. (b) 19. (b) 20. (b)
170 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 NEWS IN CARTOGRAPHS

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 171

172 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
174
FORTHCOMING EXAMS
GOING TO TAKE PLACE
S. No. Name of the Total Last Date of Date of Eligibility Age
Department & Post Vacancies Application Exam Criteria Limit
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. UPSC Combined Defence 414 19 Nov. 2017 Varies Varies
Services Examination (II), 2017
2. SSC Recruitment 2017 – 1,102 20 - 27 Nov. Varies Max. 30 Yrs.
Scientific Assistant 2017
3. IBPS Common Recruitment 3,562 26 Nov. 2017 Candidates should possess 20-30 Yrs.
Process for Recruitment of (Main Exam.) Degree (Graduation) in any
Probationary Officers/ discipline from a recognised
Management Trainees in University
Participating Organisations
(CWE PO/MT-VII for Vacancies
of 2018-19)
4. BEL Recruitment 2017 – 192 26 November Candidates should possess Max. 26 Yrs.
Deputy Engineer 2017 First class in Engineering
Degree in Electronics/
Electronics &
Communication/ Electronics
& Telecommunication/
Communication/
Telecommunication/
Mechanical Engineering

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

5. RBI Recruitment 2017 – 623 27-28 Nov. 2017 Candidates should have Bachelor 20-28 Yrs.
623 Assistants (Prelim); 20 Dec. Degree and the knowledge of

GENER
 Communication/
Telecommunication/
Mechanical Engineering

BER 2017
5. RBI Recruitment 2017 – 623 27-28 Nov. 2017 Candidates should have Bachelor 20-28 Yrs.
623 Assistants (Prelim); 20 Dec. Degree and the knowledge of
2017 (Main) word processing on PC
6. IBPS Common Recruitment 7,883 2, 3, 9 and 10 Candidates should possess 20-28 Yrs.
Process for Recruitment of December 2017 Degree (Graduation) in any
Clerks in Participating (Preliminary discipline from a recognised
Organisations (CWE Clerk-VII Exam.); University
for Vacancies of 2018-19) 21 Jan. 2018
(Main Exam.)
7. Indian Oil Corporation 310 3 December Three years (or two years 18-24 Yrs.
Limited Recruitment 2017 – 2017 through lateral entry after ITI
Technician Apprentices of minimum one year duration)
full-time Diploma in relevant
Engineering Discipline

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

8. Andhra Pradesh Public Service 129 4&5 Varies 18-42 Yrs.
Commission Notification 2017 – December 2017
Civil Assistant Surgeon
9. UPSC Recruitment 2017 – 588 7 January 2018 Candidates should possess 21-30 Yrs.
Engineering Services Exam (Prelim); 1 July Degree in Engineering
2018 (Main)
10. IBPS Common Recruitment 1,315 Dec. 30 & 31, Varies 20-30Yrs.
Process for Recruitment of 2017
Specialist Officers in Participating (Preliminary)
Organisations (CRP SPL-VII) 28 Jan. 2018
(Main Exam.)
Note : Candidates are advised to visit the official website and notification for further details.

175
 LATEST WHO’S WHO*
INDIA
UNION GOVERNMENT
Mr. Ram Nath Kovind : President
Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu : Vice-President
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
CABINET MINISTERS Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar : Rural
Mr. Narendra Modi : Prime Minister.
Also in charge of Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions;
Department of Atomic Energ y;
Department of Space; All important policy
issues and all other portfolios not allocated
to any Minister
Mr. Rajnath Singh : Home Affairs
Ms. Sushma Swaraj : External Affairs
Mr. Arun Jaitley : Finance; Corporate
Affairs
Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman : Defence
Mr. Piyush Goyal : Railways; Coal
Mr. Nitin Gadkari : Road Transport and
Highways; Shipping; Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation
Mr. Suresh Prabhu : Commerce and Industry
Mr. D.V. Sadananda Gowda : Statistics and
Programme Implementation
Ms. Uma Bharati : Drinking Water and
Sanitation
Mr. Ramvilas Paswan : Consumer Affairs;
Food and Public Distribution
Ms. Maneka Gandhi : Women and Child
Development
Mr. Ananth Kumar : Chemicals and
Fertilizers; Parliamentary Affairs
Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad : Law and
Justice; Electronics and Information
Technology
Mr. Jagat Prakash Nadda : Health and
Family Welfare
Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati : Civil
Aviation
Mr. Anant Geete : Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprises
Ms. Harsimrat Kaur Badal : Food
Processing Industries
176 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
* As on November 9, 2017
Development; Panchayati Raj; Mines
Chaudhary Birender Singh : Steel
Mr. Jual Oram : Tribal Affairs
Mr. Radha Mohan Singh : Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare
Mr. Thaawar Chand Gehlot : Social Justice
and Empowerment
Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani : Textiles;
Information and Broadcasting
Dr. Harsh Vardhan : Science and Technology;
Earth Sciences; Environment, Forest and
Climate Change
Mr. Prakash Javadekar : Human Resource
Development
Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan : Petroleum and
Natural Gas; Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship
Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi : Minority Affairs
MINISTERS OF STATE
(Independent Charge)
Rao Inderjit Singh : Planning; Chemicals and
Fertilizers
Mr. Santosh Kumar Gangwar : Labour and
Employment
Mr. Shripad Yesso Naik : AYUSH
Dr. Jitendra Singh : Development of
Northeastern Region ; Prime Minister's
Office; Personnel, Public Grievances &
Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy;
Department of Space
Dr. Mahesh Sharma : Culture; Environment,
Forest and Climate Change
Mr. Giriraj Singh : Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises
Mr. Manoj Sinha : Communications; Railways
Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore : Youth
Affairs and Sports; Infor mation and
Broadcasting
Mr. Raj Kumar Singh : Power; New and
Renewable Energy
Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri : Housing and
Urban Affairs
Mr. Alphons Kannanthanam : Tourism;
Electronics and Information Technology
MINISTERS OF STATE
Mr. Vijay Goel : Parliamentary Affairs;
Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Mr. Radhakrishnan P. : Finance; Shipping
Mr. S.S. Ahluwalia : Drinking Water and
Sanitation
Mr. Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi :
Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Mr. Ramdas Athawale : Social Justice and
Empowerment
Mr. Vishnu Deo Sai : Steel
Mr. Ram Kripal Yadav : Rural Development
Mr. Hansraj Gangaram Ahir : Home Affairs
Mr. Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary :
Mines; Coal
Mr. Rajen Gohain : Railways
General (Retd.) V. K. Singh : External Affairs
Mr. Parshottam Rupala : Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare; Panchayati Raj
Mr. Krishan Pal : Social Justice and
Empowerment
Mr. Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor :
Tribal Affairs
Mr. Shiv Pratap Shukla : Finance
Mr. Ashwini Kumar Choubey : Health and
Family Welfare
Mr. Sudarshan Bhagat : Tribal Affairs.
Mr. Upendra Kushwaha : Human Resource
Development
Mr. Kiren Rijiju : Home Affairs
Dr. Virendra Kumar : Women and Child
Development; Minority Affairs
Mr. Anantkumar Hegde : Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship
Mr. M. J. Akbar : External Affairs
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti : Food Processing
Industries
Mr. Y. S. Chowdary : Science and Technology;
Earth Sciences
Mr. Jayant Sinha : Civil Aviation
Mr. Babul Supriyo : Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprises
Mr. Vijay Sampla : Social Justice and
Empowerment.
Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal : Parliamentary
Affairs; Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Mr. Ajay Tamta : Textiles
Ms. Krishna Raj : Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare
Mr. Mansukh L. Mandaviya : Road
Transport and Highways; Shipping;
Chemicals and Fertilizers
Smt. Anupriya Patel : Health and Family
Welfare
Mr. C.R. Chaudhary : Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution; Commerce
and Industry
Mr. P.P. Chaudhary : Law and Justice;
Corporate Affairs
Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre : Defence
Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat : Agriculture
and Farmers Welfare
Dr. Satya Pal Singh : Human Resource
Development; Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

LOK SABHA SPEAKER

Ms. Sumitra Mahajan
JUDICIARY
CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA : Mr. Dipak Misra
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIA : Mr. K.K. Venugopal
CHIEFS OF ARMED FORCES
SUPREME COMMANDER : Hon’ble President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind
CHIEF OF THE ARMY STAFF : General Bipin Rawat
CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF : Admiral Sunil Lanba
CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF: Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017 177
 CAPITALS, GOVERNORS AND CHIEF MINISTERS OF STATES
States Capitals Governors Chief Ministers
(1) Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad Mr. E.S.L. Narasimhan Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu
(2) Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.) Mr. Pema Khandu
(3) Assam Dispur Mr. Jagdish Mukhi Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal
(4) Bihar Patna Mr. Satya Pal Malik Mr. Nitish Kumar
(5) Chhattisgarh Raipur Mr. Balramji Das Tandon Mr. Raman Singh
(6) Goa Panaji Ms. Mridula Sinha Mr. Manohar Parrikar
(7) Gujarat Gandhinagar Mr. Om Prakash Kohli Mr. Vijay Rupani
(8) Haryana Chandigarh Mr. Kaptan Singh Solanki Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar
(9) Himachal Pradesh Shimla Mr. Acharya Dev Vrat Mr. Virbhadra Singh
(10) Jammu and Srinagar (Summer) Mr. Narinder Nath Vohra Ms. Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed
Kashmir Jammu (Winter)
(11) Jharkhand Ranchi Ms. Draupadi Murmu Mr. Raghubar Das
(12) Karnataka Bengaluru Mr. Vajubhai Vala Mr. K. Siddaramaiah
(13) Kerala Thiruvanantha- Mr. P. Sathasivam Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan
puram
(14) Madhya Pradesh Bhopal Mr. Om Prakash Kohli (Acting) Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan
(15) Maharashtra Mumbai Mr. C. Vidyasagar Rao Mr. Devendra Fadnavis
(16) Manipur Imphal Ms. Najma Heptullah Mr. N. Biren Singh
(17) Meghalaya Shillong Mr. Ganga Prasad Dr. Mukul M. Sangma
(18) Mizoram Aizawl Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma Mr. Lal Thanhawla
(19) Nagaland Kohima Mr. P. B. Acharya Mr. T.R. Zeliang
(20) Odisha Bhubaneswar Mr. S. C. Jamir Mr. Naveen Patnaik
(21) Punjab Chandigarh Mr. V.P. Singh Badnore Captain Amarinder Singh
(22) Rajasthan Jaipur Mr. Kalyan Singh Ms. Vasundhara Raje
(23) Sikkim Gangtok Mr. Shriniwas D. Patil Mr. Pawan Chamling
(24) Tamil Nadu Chennai Mr. Banwarilal Purohit Mr. Edappadi Palaniswami
(25) Telangana Hyderabad Mr. E. S. L. Narasimhan Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao
(26) Tripura Agartala Mr. Tathagata Roy Mr. Manik Sarkar
(27) Uttarakhand Dehradun Mr. Krishan Kant Paul Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat
(28) Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Mr. Ram Naik Yogi Adityanath
(29) West Bengal Kolkata Mr. Keshari Nath Tripathi Ms. Mamata Banerjee

CAPITAL, LT. GOVERNOR AND CHIEF MINISTER OF

NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY
National Capital Territory Capital Lt. Governor Chief Minister
(1) Delhi Delhi Mr. Anil Baijal Mr. Arvind Kejriwal
CAPITALS, LT. GOVERNORS/ADMINISTRATORS AND
CHIEF MINISTERS OF UNION TERRITORIES
UnionTerritories Capitals Lt.Governors/Administrators Chief Ministers
(1) Andaman and Nicobar Islands Port Blair Admiral (Retd.) D. K. Joshi —
(2) Chandigarh Chandigarh Mr. V.P. Singh Badnore —
(3) Dadra and Nagar Haveli Silvassa Mr. Praful Patel —
(4) Daman and Diu Daman Mr. Praful Patel —
(5) Lakshadweep Kavaratti Mr. Farooq Khan —
(6) Puducherry Puducherry Ms. Kiran Bedi Mr. V. Narayanasamy
178 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
 PERSONS RECENTLY APPOINTED
NOVEMBER 2017
Hasmukh Adhia is new Finance
Secretary : Revenue Secretary
Mr. Hasmukh Adhia was designated as
Finance Secretary on November 6, 2017,
according to a government notification.
He succeeds Mr. Ashok Lavasa, whose
term came to an end on October 31,
2017. As per convention, the senior most
Secretary in the Finance Ministry is
appointed as the Finance Secretary.
Mr. Adhia, an old hand in the Finance
Ministry, drove two of Prime Minister
Mr. Narendra Modi's biggest initiatives,
Demonetisation and the rollout of the
Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Mr. Adhia is a 1981 batch IAS officer of
Gujarat cadre.
Shinzo Abe re-elected as Japanese
PM : Japanese Prime Minister
Mr. Shinzo Abe was re-appointed the
nation’s leader on November 1, 2017
after his ruling bloc’s big election win
and retained all of his Ministers in his
new Cabinet. Mr. Abe was re-elected in
a special parliamentary session. He
received 312 votes in favour out of 465
in the House of Representatives, where
his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
enjoys an absolute majority.
Audrey Azoulay elected as
Director-General of UNESCO :
Former Minister of Culture of France
Ms. Audrey Azoulay (45) was elected as
the new Director-General of
UNESCO—the UN’s education, science
and culture agency. With this, she
became the first Jewish Director of
UNESCO. Ms. Azoulay defeated
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari
of Qatar in the final 30-28 vote after
she won a runoff with a third finalist
from Eg ypt. She took office on
November 10, 2017. She succeeds
Ms. Irina Bokova of Bulgaria.
OCTOBER 2017
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
appointed as WHO Deputy DG :
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director-
General of the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR), was
appointed as the Deputy Director-
General for Programmes (DDP) of
World Health Organisation (WHO) on
October 3, 2017. Dr. Swaminathan, a
pediatrician by speciality, has more than
30 years of experience in clinical care,
research and translating those findings
into programmes.
Nisha Desai Biswal appointed as
President of US-India Business
Council : Former Assistant Secretary
of State Ms. Nisha Desai Biswal was
named the new president of the US-
India Business Council (USIBC) on
October 10, 2017. Ms. Biswal previously
served as the Assistant Secretary for
South and Central Asian Affairs during
2013-17. Her tenure saw a marked
increase in the ties between New Delhi
and Washington and the launch of the
US-India Strategic and Commercial
Dialogue.
Gautam Bambawale appointed
as Indian Ambassador to China :
Seasoned diplomat Mr. Gautam
Bambawale, India’s High-Commissioner
179
to Pakistan, was appointed as the country’s
next envoy to China on October 12, 2017.
Mr. Bambawale is a 1984 India Foreign
Service (IFS) officer. A deft hand in Sino-
India relations, Mr. Bambawale opted to
learn Mandarin Chinese as his foreign
language and served in Hong Kong and
Beijing between 1985 and 1991. He
replaces Mr. Vijay Gokhale.
Dineshwar Shar ma appointed
Centre’s interlocutor for J&K : The
Centre appointed former Director of
the Intelligence Bureau Mr. Dineshwar
Sharma as its interlocutor for J&K on
October 25, 2017. Mr. Sharma, an old
Kashmir hand in the country’s internal
intelligence agency, will helm
talks with all stakeholders in a bid to
resolve the Kashmir imbroglio. He
would decide whom to engage with for
a resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Mr. Sharma will enjoy the rank and
status of a Cabinet Secretary.
Y.C. Modi takes charge as NIA
Director-General : Mr. Yogesh
Chandra Modi, a 1984-batch Assam-
Meghalaya cadre IPS officer, took over
as the new Director-General of the
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
on October 30, 2017. He succeeds
Mr. Sharad Kumar. Mr. Modi has
worked with the CBI for 10 years in
two stints (2002-10 and 2015-17), where
he handled special crime and economic
offences besides anti-corruption cases.
Rajnish Kumar appointed new
Chairman of SBI : The Central
Government appointed Mr. Rajnish
Kumar as the new Chairman of the State
Bank of India (SBI), for three years. He
took charge on October 7, 2017. He
succeeds Ms. Arundhati Bhattacharya.
Mr. Rajnish Kumar was serving as the
Managing Director of SBI. Mr. Kumar
has been with the SBI for over three
180 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
decades, having joined the bank as a
Probationary Officer in 1980.
Anupam Kher appointed as Chief
of FTII : Veteran actor Mr. Anupam
Kher took charge as the Chief of Film
and Television Institute of India (FTII),
Pune on October 11, 2017. Mr. Kher
NEWSMAKERS
NOVEMBER 2017
Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman : The heir to the throne in Saudi
Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman has consolidated his hold on
power with a major purge of the
kingdom’s political and business
leadership. A new anti-corruption body,
headed by the Crown Prince detained
11 princes, four sitting ministers and
dozens of ex-ministers on November 4,
2017. The moves consolidate Prince
Mohammed’s control of the kingdom’s
internal security and military institutions,
which had long been headed by separate,
powerful branches of the ruling family.
OCTOBER 2017
Ram Nath Kovind : Hon’ble
President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind visited
the African countries, Ethiopia and
Djibouti, from October 3 to 6, 2017 on
his maiden overseas travel. During his
visit, President Mr. Kovind met Djibouti
President Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh.
Both the nations signed many important
MoUs in different fields. This was the
first visit by an Indian Head of the State
to Djibouti. He held a meeting with the
President of Ethiopia Dr. Mulatu
Teshome on October 5, 2017 and
reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral
relations.
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017
succeeds Mr. Gajendra Chauhan, whose
term ended in March 2017. The 62-year-
old critically acclaimed actor has over
500 films and plays to his credit,
including international projects like Bend
It Like Beckham and Silver Linings
Playbook.
Sushma Swaraj : Minister of External
Affairs Ms. Sushma Swaraj paid an
official visit to Dhaka on October 22-
23, 2017. The visit was at the invitation
of Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali,
Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. During
the visit, Ms. Swaraj and Mr. Abul
co-chaired the 4th meeting of the
India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative
Commission. Ms. Swaraj met Bangladesh
PM Ms. Sheikh Hasina and also
interacted with the representatives of
leading Bangladeshi think tanks,
chambers of commerce and industry and
cultural organisations.
Xi Jinping : China’s ruling
Communist Party voted to enshrine
President Mr. Xi Jinping’s name
and ideology in its constitution on
October 24, 2017, elevating him to the
level of founder Mr. Mao Zedong. The
unanimous vote to incorporate
“Xi Jinping Thought” happened at the
end of the 19th Chinese Communist
Party congress, China’s most important
political meeting. Only Mao and his
successor Deng Xiaoping have had their
names attached to their ideologies—and
Mr. Deng’s name was added to the
constitution only after his death.
Shinzo Abe : Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Shinzo Abe won a commanding
majority for his party in parliamentary
181
elections on October 23, 2017. Mr. Abe’s runs. He had also smashed a century on
governing Liberal Democratic Party and October 22, 2017 in his 200th ODI,
its allies overcame challenges from surpassing former Australia captain
upstart rivals to capture two-thirds of Mr. Ricky Ponting (30 tons) in the list
the seats in the lower house of of batsmen with the most number of
Parliament. For Mr. Abe, the results were ODI hundreds and is now at the second
a vindication of his strategy to call a spot behind master blaster Mr. Sachin
snap election a year earlier than expected, Tendulkar (49).
and raised the possibility that he would Rex Tillerson : US Secretary of State
move swiftly to try to change the Mr. Rex Tillerson was on his maiden
Constitution to make explicit the legality visit to India on October 25, 2017.
of the Self-Defence Forces, as Japan’s He met PM Mr. Narendra Modi. They
military is known. held bilateral talks about strengthening
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani : President India-US partnership for regional and
of Afghanistan Mr. Mohammad Ashraf global stability and prosperity. Both the
Ghani visited India on October 24, 2017 sides also discussed about the new South
at the invitation of PM Mr. Narendra Asia Policy of the US. He also had
Modi. This was Mr. Ghani’s fourth visit discussions with External Affairs
to India in the last 3 years and 12th Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj and
personal interaction between the two National Security Adviser Mr. Ajit Doval.
leaders. Detailed discussions were held Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck :
between PM Mr. Modi and President The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar
Mr. Ghani. Namgyel Wangchuck and the Queen
Virat Kohli : The ‘run-machine’ Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck were
Mr. Virat Kohli has smashed another on a four-day visit to India from October
batting record in his career, by slamming 31 to November 3, 2017. During the visit,
his 32nd century and completing 9,000 the King met with the Hon’ble President
runs in ODIs during the third and final Mr. Ram Nath Kovind and PM
One Day International against New Mr. Narendra Modi. Vice-President
Zealand in Kanpur on October 29, 2017. Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, External Affairs
Mr. Kohli achieved the landmark in his Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj and other
194th innings and in his 202nd ODI. Ministers and senior officials called on the
In the process, the Indian skipper King of Bhutan. The visit of the King of
emulated former South African captain Bhutan was in keeping with the long
Mr. A.B. de Villiers, who held the record standing tradition of regular high-level
for being the fastest to score 9,000 ODI exchanges between the two countries.
Printed and Published by Surendra Kumar Sachdeva on behalf of Competition Review Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at
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G.T. Road, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and published from 604, Prabhat Kiran, Rajendra Place, New Delhi-110125.
Editor Surendra Kumar Sachdeva. General Knowledge Today is a monthly magazine published from Delhi. All
disputes are subject to Delhi jurisdiction only. Disputes, if any will be settled under the jurisdiction of Delhi by sole
arbitrator to be appointed by Competition Review Pvt. Ltd. Question Papers being published are based on Memory
Retention Contest. Despite every effort on the part of the publisher to ascertain the veracity of the information, if some
error or omission creeps in inadvertently, neither the publisher nor any employee of the magazine shall be held responsible.
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Licensed to post without pre-payment of Postage No. U(C) 49/2015-17.

182 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017

 Success Stars In Junior Essay Contests : 811 & 812
Contest 811 Contest 812
MOBILE PHONE : ADVANTAGES THE PEN IS MIGHTIER
AND DISADVANTAGES THAN THE SWORD
Ms. Smaranika Otta S. Aravind
Kuntala Medicure, Ward 20 14C, Old K. Palayam
Station Road, Baripada, Road, Madurai,
Dist. Mayurbhanj, Odisha Tamil Nadu
Highly Commendable Winners
3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 32

3. Ms. S. Pavithra, Namakkal; 4. Javed Akhtar, Kanpur; 5. Ms. Bhavyashree RM, Bengaluru; 6. Neel Jayesh Panchal, Vadodara;
7. Ms. Astha Gupta, Nagpur; 8. Laxman Boipai, W. Singhbhum; 9. Ms. Kalyani Sahoo, Balasore; 10. Piyush Shivaji Tayade, Buldana;
11. Ms. Vaishnavi Jayesh Panchal, Vadodara; 12. Snehashish Mahakud, Mayurbhanj; 13. Ms. G. Siva Ranjani, Tirunelveli;
14. Vishal Kumar Singh, Shahjahanpur; 15. Ms. Tamanna Deb Roy, Hojai; 16. Akhilesh Sharma, Kathua; 17. Ms. Bhoomika CP, Bengaluru;
18. Vijay Kaarthigeyan, Vellore; 19. Ms. Archana Bhagat, Ahmedabad; 20. Nihal Sharan, Buxar; 21. Ms. Jasleen Kaur,
Amritsar; 22. Hemanth Mathukumar, Pune; 23. Ms. Thummala Madhuri, Anantapuramu; 24. Anant Budhraja, Surat;
25. Ms. Pritilogna Santoshi Mahakud, Mayurbhanj; 26. Rav Agarwal, Tezpur; 27. Ms. Nikita Khanka, Pune; 28. Mayank Shrivastava,
Burdwan; 29. Ms. Anshuka, Delhi; 30. Udit Bhageria, Delhi; 31. Ms. Ashwini M., Bengaluru; 32. Abhinav Kumar, Delhi.
184 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE TODAY, DECEMBER 2017