General Knowledge

Scientific instruments are used to carry out scientific work – we use some of them in our daily life.

1. Microscope – used for magnifying very small objects.

2. Radar – used for finding the position and movement of ships and planes.

3. Telescope – used for observing distant objects.

4. Lactometer – used for measuring the purity of milk.

5. Thermometer – used for measuring temperature.

6. Barometer – used for measuring atmospheric pressure.

7. Stethoscope – used by doctors for hearing the sounds of heart and lungs.

8. Mariners Compass – used for knowing directions.

9. Speedometer – used for measuring speed. 

Name of some inventors of the following important inventions.

1. Computer – Charles Babbage 

2. Camera – Walker Eastman

3. Cement – Joseph Aspdin

4. Electric Bulb – Thomas Alva Edison 

5. Printing Press – Johann Gutenberg 

6. X-ray – Wilhelm Roentgen 

Please Note : Michael Faraday made the first dynamo to generate electricity. Thus, he opened the way to the modern age of electricity.

Amazing Plants : 

1. Saguaro – World's biggest Cactus. It can be 20 meters tall and 1 meter thick.

2. Raffia Palm – World's largest leaf. It grows upto 20 meters in length.

3. Balsa Wood – World's lightest and softest wood.

4. Hemlock – World's most poisonous plant.

5. Rafflesia – World's biggest flower. It is one meter in diameter and weighs up to 11 kgs.

6. Giant Kelp – World's fastest growing plant in the sea. It can grow 1 meter in a day.

Please Note : Hemlock is a highly poisonous plant. It was said to be the plant used to kill the great ancient Greek Philosopher, Socrates.

Number of Players :

There are fixed number of players in every game or sport mentioned below :–

Sl. No.	Name of Sport	Player		Sl. No.	Name of Sport	Player
1.	Basketball    🏀	5 nos.		8.	Polo	4 nos.
2.	Baseball       ⚾	9 nos.	9.	Rugby Football Union   🏉	15 nos.
3.	Badminton    🏸  (doubles)	2 nos.	10.	Table Tennis (doubles) 🎾	2 nos.
4.	Boxing          🥊	1 nos.	11.	Volleyball                      🏐	6 nos.
5.	Cricket          🏏	11 nos.	12.	Hockey                         🏑	11 nos.
6.	Chess          ♟️	1 nos.	13.	Water Polo	7 nos.
7.	Football        ⚽	11 nos.

Please Note : The national game of India is Hockey 🏑 Baseball ⚾ is the national game of U.S.A. and Bullfighting is the national sport of Spain.

Famous Personalities :

1. Sachin Tendulkar – The first sportsperson and the first personality without an aviation background to be awarded the honorary rank of Group Captain by the Indian Air Force.

2. Dhirubhai Ambani – Founder of Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector industry.

3. Neil Armstrong – American astronaut, the first man to set foot on the moon on 21st July, 1969.

4. Sir Richard Attenborough – British actor-director, whose film “Gandhi” (1983) won 8 Oscars.

5. Medha Patkar – Indian social activist, environmentalist, leader of “Save Narmada Movement”.

6. Kiran Bedi – First woman Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer, UN medal for outstanding service.

7. Dr. Abdul Kalam – Former President of India known for his dedication to Science and as a missile man.

8. Dr. Verghese Kurien – Father of India's white revolution, a synonym for co-operative milk sector.

9. Nelson Mandela – First black President of South Africa, imprisoned 27 years for fighting apartheid.

10. Lata Mangeshkar – Melody Queen of India. Recipient of Phalke award, Bharat Ratna (2000).

11. Dr. Manmohan Singh – 14th Prime Minister of India, first Sikh to hold the office, 12th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian National Congress.

Famous Slogans :

Some great leaders inspire people with their words and deeds:–

1. Mahatma Gandhi – Truth alone triumphs.

2. Bal Gangadhar Tilak – Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it.

3. Lal Bahadur Shastri – Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan!

4. Subhash Chandra Bose – Jai Hind!

5. Shaheed Bhagat Singh – Inqilab Zindabad!

6. Jawaharlal Nehru – Aaram Haraam Hai!

Fly Abroad :

Countries have airlines which can fly to other countries. These airlines are called international airlines:–

1. India  — Air India 

2. U.S.A. — PANAM

3. Hongkong — Cathay Pacific 

4. Germany — Lufthansa 

5. France — Air France 

6. Japan — JAL 

Places Where Laws Are Made :

Parliament is the place where representatives of people hold their meetings and make laws for the country.

1. India — Sansad 

2. Germany — Bundestag 

3. Norway — Stortinget 

4. Japan — Diet 

5. Denmark — Folketing 

6. Kuwait — Majles Al-Umma 

Our Neighbouring Countries and their Capitals and Currency :

Sl. No.	Country	Capital	Currency
1.	Bangladesh	Dhaka	Taka
2.	Pakistan	Islamabad	Pakistan Rupee
3.	Sri Lanka	Colombo	Srilankan Rupee
4.	Nepal	Kathmandu	Nepalese Rupee
5.	Bhutan	Thimphu	Ngultrum
6.	Maldives	Male	Rufiyaa

India’s famous musicians. They are known all over the world for classical music :

1. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia — Flute 

2. Ustad Bismillah Khan — Shehnai 

3. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan — Sarod 

4. Ustad Zakir Hussain — Tabla 

Please Note : Ustad Zakir Hussain learnt Tabla from his father and guru Ustad Allarakha. Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s daughter Anoushka is also a talented musician.

Great Explorers :

Some great explorers of the world. They made a number of difficult and dengerous voyages to search new lands:–

1. America – Christopher Columbus 

2. Australia – Abel J Tasman

3. Antarctica – Nathaniel Palmer 

4. Brazil – Pedro Alvarez Sarra 

5. Cape of Good Hope – Bartholomew Diaz 

6. Hawaii Islands – James Cook 

7. Hudson Bay – Henry Hudson 

8. Sea route to India – Vasco-da-Gama

9. Victoria Falls – David Livingstone 

Social Reformers : who contributed a lot to bring a new change in the society.

1. Henry Dunant — Red Cross 

2. William Wilber Force — Abolition of Slavery 

3. Louis Braille — Alphabet for Blind 

4. Maria Montessori — Nursery System 

5. Sir Isaac Pitman — Shorthand 

6. Emmeline Pankhurst —Women’s Right to Vote 

7. Lord Baden Powell — Boy's Scout 

8. Alfred Binet — Intelligent Test

9. Florence Nightingale — Nursing 

Space Exploration :

Space is explored in two ways – (i) By studying it from the earth using a powerful telescope. (ii) By launching satellites to get a closer view. Here are some astronauts and their special works:–

1. Yuri Gagarin — First human to travel into space.

2. Lt. Col. Aleksei Lenov — First person to walk in space.

3. Valentina Tereshkova — First woman to fly in space.

4. Neil Armstrong — First person to walk on the moon.

5. Dennis Tito — First space tourist.

6. Svetlana Savitskaya — First woman to walk in space.

Please Note : When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon for the first time, he said these famous words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Flightless Birds : Here are some birds that can not fly. They are called flightless bird. These are also called ratites. They always walk or run and use their small wings only for balancing themselves.

1. Ostrich     2. Dodo     3. Penguins     4. Cassowary     5. Emu     6. Kiwi      7. Moa     8. Rail 

Please Note : The ostrich’s strong legs can deliver such a massive kick that even a lion does not dare to come near it.

Some Birds and their Features :

1. Humming Bird — A bird which can fly backwards as well as forward.

2. Cuckoo — A bird which lays eggs in the nests of other birds.

3. Kiwi — A flightless bird found in Newzealand.

4. Hornbill — A bird which makes a nest in a hollow tree.

5. Tailor Bird — A bird which stitches a nest with leaves and twigs.

6. Magpie — A bird which steals bright objects.

7. Puffins — A bird which lives in burrows.

8. Owl — A bird with great eyes and ears and preys at night.

9. Woodpecker — A bird which can make holes in trees with its beak.

Here are some easy riddles and explanations given below :

1. What has fifty heads but can not think? — Matchbox 

2. Which word in the English language is the longest? — Smiles, it has a “mile” between the first and last letters.

3. Which animal can carry the most on its back? — Snail, it carries its home on its back.

4. Which days are the strongest? — Saturday and Sunday, because others are weekdays.

5. Which word can be pronounced faster by adding two letters? — Fast, because if you add letters “er” it becomes faster.