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 – Swaraj 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. Hong Kong — 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 WilberForce — 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 — Intelligence 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. Hummingbird — 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 New Zealand.

  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.


Following are some CRICKET STADIUMS in India : 


Sl. No. 

  Name of Stadium 

  Located in (Venue)

01.

  Eden Garden 

  Kolkata 

02.

  Wankhede Stadium 

  Mumbai 

03.

  M. A. Chidambaram Stadium 

  Chennai 

04.

  Chinnaswamy Stadium 

  Bengaluru 

05.

  Green Park Stadium 

  Kanpur 

06.

  Gandhi Ground 

  Amritsar 

07.

  Gujarat Stadium 

  Ahmedabad 

08.

  Roop Singh Stadium 

  Gwalior 

09.

  P. C. A. Stadium 

  Mohali 

10.

  Sawai Mansingh Stadium 

  Jaipur 


WOMEN PERSONALITIES : 

  1. Valentina Tereshkova (USSR) : First woman cosmonaut in space.

  2. Eilean Collins : First woman shuttle pilot in the world.

  3. Ann Bancroft (USA) : First woman to reach the North Pole.

  4. Gertrude Ederle (USA) : First woman to swim the English Channel.

  5. Alexandra Kollontai : First woman ambassador of the world.

  6. Elizabeth Blackwell : First woman doctor in the world.

  7. Maria Estela Peron (Argentina) : First woman President of a country.

  8. Alison Hargreves : First woman to reach Mount Everest without oxygen.

  9. Sandra Day O’Connor (USA) : First woman judge of a court.


INDIA'S SUPERLATIVES : 

  1. Ganga River : The Longest River in India (2,510 km.)

  2. Thar Desert : The biggest desert in India (2,59,000 sq. km.)

  3. K² Mountain : The highest mountain in India (8,611 meters).

  4. Marina Beach : Longest beach in India (13 km.)

  5. Jog Falls : The highest waterfall in India (1,960 feet).

  6. Barren Island : Largest active volcano in India.

  7. Kolleru Lake : The largest fresh water lake in India (900 sq. km.)

  8. Mawsynram Fall : Wettest place (11.872 meters rainfall) in India and also in the world.

  9. Middle Andaman : Largest ocean island (1,536 sq. km. area) in India.

Please Note : Majuli Island (886 sq. km. area) in the Brahmaputra river in Assam is the largest river island in the world.


GEOGRAPHIC EXTREMES :

  1. Highest Mountain : Mount Everest (Nepal)

  2. Largest Desert : Sahara (North Africa)

  3. Most Active Volcano : Kilauea (Hawaii USA)

  4. Deepest Lava Cave : Kazumura Cave (Hawaii USA)

  5. Driest Place : Atacama desert (Chile)

  6. Deepest Valley : Yarlung Zangbo Valley (Tibet)

  7. Largest Lake : Caspian Sea (Asia-Europe)

  8. Deepest Lake : Lake Baikal (Siberia and Russia)

  9. Longest River : The Nile (Africa)

  10. Largest / Deepest Ocean : Pacific Ocean 

  11. Smallest Ocean : Arctic Ocean 



LARGEST IN THE WORLD : 

  1. Airport : King Khaled International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

  2. Bank : Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt, Germany.

  3. Epic : Mahabharata 

  4. Exhibition Centre : International Exposition Centre, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

  5. Hotel : The Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

  6. Library : United State Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

  7. Mosque : Jama Masjid, Delhi, India.

  8. Museum : American Museum of National History, New York, USA.

  9. Palace : Imperial Palace (Gugong) in Beijing, China.

  10. Port : Port of New York, USA.

  11. Railway Station : Grand Central Terminal, New York, Cily, USA.

  12. Railway Platform : Kharagpur, West Bengal, India (833 meters).

  13. Radio Telescope : Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at khodad near Pune. 

  14. Stadium : Strahov Stadium, Prague, the Czech Republic.

  15. Temple : Angkor Wat, Cambodia.


INDIAN NOBEL LAUREATES : 

  1. Rabindranath Tagore : Indian Poet, novelist, patriot and philosopher, founded Shantiniketan in Bengal. First Asian to receive Nobel Prize for Gitanjali (Literature).

  2. Hargobind Khurana : India born scientist, won Nobel Prize in medicine.

  3. C. V. Raman : Indian Physicist, discovered “Raman Effect” which won him Nobel Prize in Physics, Awarded Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award given by the Indian Government.

  4. Amartya Sen : Indian Economist, first Asian to own the Nobel Prize for Economics, awarded Bharat Ratna.

  5. Mother Teresa : Roman Catholic nun, who dedicated her life to the poor in Kolkata through her Missionaries of Charity, won the Nobel Prize for Peace, awarded Bharat Ratna.

  6. S. Chandra Shekhar : Indian Scientist won Nobel Prize in Physics for his study of structure and evolution of stars.


BIOGRAPHIES : 

  1. Captain Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) : Norwegian explorers, the first to reach the South Pole (14 Dec. 1911)

  2. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) : The most famous of all the Greek Philosophers.

  3. Clement Richard Attlee (1883-1967) : Prime Minister of England, 1945–1951. It was during his ministry that India got independence.

  4. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar (26th Sep,1820-29th July,1891) : Great Indian educationist and social reformer. “Sitar Banabas”, “Sakuntala”, “Kathamala” and “Bodhodaya” are some of his famous books.

  5. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) : Born in Edinburgh, emigrated to Canada in 1870. In 1876 exhibited an invention which was developed into the telephone.

  6. Mrs. Annie Besant (1847-1933) : British lady who became a noted theosophist and supporter of the Indian Nationalist Movement.

  7. Sir Jagadishchandra Bose (30th Nov,1858-23rd Nov,1937) : Eminent Indian scientist. To whom goes the credit of discovering that plants have life.

  8. Subhash Chandra Bose (23rd Jan,1897-1945) : Indian nationalist and organizer of the I.N.A. He was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1937 and 1938.

  9. William Carey (1761-1834) : The first Baptist missionary to proceed to India and from 1800 to 1830 Professor of Oriental Languages at Fort William College, Calcutta.

  10. Job Charnock : Founder of the present city of Calcutta.

  11. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-1894) : Bengali novelist. He was the first person to obtain the B.A. degree from Calcutta University. He was a Deputy Magistrate. His “Durgeshnandini”, “Bishabriksha”, “Kapalkundala” and “Anandamath” are some of his outstanding works.

  12. John Dalton (1766-1844) : Famous chemist and mathematician and the propounder of the “Atomic Theory ”.

  13. Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) : The distinguished British scientist whose “Origin of Species” first clearly formulated and elaborated the theory of evolution.

  14. Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) : English Scientist, the inventor of the safety-lamp and discoverer of the laughing gas.

  15. Michael Madhusudan Dutta (25th Jan,1824-29th June,1873) : Epic poet of Bengal, who introduced the blank verse in Bengali literature. He was the first man to write sonnets in Bengali. His “Meghnad Badh” kabya is a masterpiece in Bengali literature.

  16. Euclid (3rd Century B.C.) : Greek mathematician and author of “Elements of Geometry”.

  17. Herodotus (484–424 B.C.) : Greek Historian, the ‘Father of History’.

  18. Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) : English astronomer. He was the discoverer of the planet Uranus in 1781.

  19. Sarojini Naidu (13th Feb,1879-1949) : Indian poet and nationalist, born in Hyderabad. She was the first lady Governor (of Uttar Pradesh) after India's independence.

  20. George Washington (1732-1799) : Commander-in-chief of the American army and the first President of the American Republic.


THREE C’s (Country – Capital – Currency) : 

Following are some countries with their capitals and currencies : 


Sl. No. 

  Country 

  Capital 

  Currency 

01.

  Australia 

  Canberra 

  Australian Dollar 

02.

  Afghanistan 

  Kabul 

  Afghani 

03.

  Canada 

  Ottawa 

  Canadian Dollar 

04.

  China 

  Beijing 

  Yuan 

05.

  Denmark 

  Copenhagen 

  Danish Krone 

06.

  Egypt 

  Catro 

  Egyptian Pound 

07.

  Greece 

  Athens 

  Euro 

08.

  Hungary 

  Budapest 

  Forint 

09.

  Iraq 

  Baghdad 

  Iraqi Dinar 

10.

  Iran 

  Tehran 

  Rial 

11.

  Israel 

  Jerusalem 

  Sheq

12.

  Italy 

  Rome 

  Euro 

13.

  Japan 

  Tokyo 

  Yen 

14.

  Kuwait 

  Kuwait City 

  Kuwaiti Dinar 

15.

  Kenya 

  Nairobi 

  Shilling 

16.

  North Korea 

  Pyongyang 

  Won 

17.

  New Zealand 

  Wellington 

  New Zealand Dollar 



Please Note : The oldest capital city in the world is Damascus, Syria. It has been continuously inhabited since 2500 B.C.

  • The most populous city in the world is Tokyo, Japan with an estimated population of 26.4 million.

 


IMPORTANT DAYS :

Some important Days observed throughout the country. Such days remind us of our social concerns. They are as follows :


  1. Army Day — 15th January 

  2. Children's Day — 14th November 

  3. Earth Day — 22nd April 

  4. Father's Day — June, 3rd Sunday 

  5. Consumer Protection Day — 15th March 

  6. Human Rights Day — 10th December 

  7. Hiroshima Day — 6th August 

  8. International Women's Day — 8th March 

  9. International Labour Day — 1st May 

  10. Mother's Day — May, 2nd Sunday 

  1. National Science Day — 28th February 

  2. Silpi Divas — 17th January 

  3. Rabha Divas — 20th June 

  4. Teacher's Day — 5th September 

  5. U.N. Day — 24th October 

  6. World Population Day — 11th July 

  7. World Environment Day — 5th June 

  8. World Blood Donation Day — 14th June 

  9. World AIDS Day — 1st December 

  10. World Disabled Day — 3rd December 




CHEMICAL NAMES OF COMMON SUBSTANCES : 


  1. Alcohol — Ethyl Alcohol (C2H5OH)

  2. Alum — Potassium Aluminium Sulphate 

  3. Aqua Fortis — Nitric Acid (HNO3)

  4. Bi-Carbonate of Soda — Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate (NaHCO3)

  5. Blue Vitriol (Blue Stone) — Copper Sulphate (CuSO4,5H2O)

  6. Boracic Acid — Boric Acid (H3BO3)

  7. Borax — Sodium Borate (Na2B4O7, 10H2O)

  8. Chalk — Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3)

  9. Common Salt — Sodium Chloride (NaCl)

  10. Corrosive Sublimate — Mercuric Chloride (HgCl2) (it's violently poisonous).

  11. Epsom Salts — Magnesium Sulphate 

  12. Fire Damp — Methane (CH4) + air


  1. Green Vitriol — Ferrous Sulphate (FeSO4, 10H2O)

  2. Hypo — Sodium Thiosulphate (Na2S2O3, 5H2O)

  3. Lime — Calcium Oxide (CaO)

  4. Sal Ammoniac — Ammonium Chloride (NH4Cl)

  5. Salt petre — Potassium Nitrate (KNO3)

  6. Salts of Lemon — Potassium Hydrogen Oxalate (KHC2O4)

  7. Spirit of Salt — Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)

  8. Sugar of Lead — Lead Acetate (Pb [C2H3O2]2, 3H2O)

  9. Vinegar — Dilute Acetic Acid (C2H4O2)

  10. Washing Soda — Crystalline Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3, 10H2O)

  11. White Lead — Basic Lead Carbonate (2PbCO3, pb[OH]2)



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