Kaun Banega Crorepati: General Knowledge refresher (http://pigmediacraft.weebly.com)

The 2012 Olympic mascot Wenlock (L) and Paralympic mascot Mandeville pose for photographers in the playground at St. Paul's primary school in London
Mascoto means "piece of witchcraft, amulet", and is thought to come from the Medieval Latin word masca, meaning witch or spectre. "Mascotte", however, means charm or amulet.

steve jobs
iPad Already Changing the Way Web Sites Are Built
hi5 web sites for civil services aspirants:-
1. civilserviceindia.com
2. upsc.gov.in
3. onestopias.com
4. civilservice.in
5. indiacareer.com/competitiveexams/civil-service-ias.html

****

What is inflation?


"Inflation is the most regressive form of taxation because it hits the poor the most." --Narendra Jadhav, Vice Chancellor, University of Pune.
Inflation is a rise in the prices of a specific set of goods or services. In either case, it is measured as the percentage rate of change of a price index.

Food prices are soaring. . . all essential items like vegetables, oil, milk, sugar are getting costlier. Rentals and real estate rates have almost doubled in just a few months in most cities. The real estate prices are at record highs making life miserable, especially for people who have migrated to cities for jobs.

Inflation based on wholesale prices during the period January 1998-January 1999 was 4.6 percent, one of the lowest in the world. Today, India's inflation is rising at a fast pace and is set to cross 7%.
****



1st April, 1936Formation of the Indian state of Orissa, formerly known as UTKAL.


April 1, 1973 - Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Corbett National Park, India.

April 1, 2001 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, which is the first country to allow it.
April 1, 2002 - The Netherlands legalizes euthanasia, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.

April 1, 1960 The first weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched from Cape Canaveral.


***
Friesland, Limburg and Zeeland are provinces in which European country?

Netherlands

A booming economy has given which European country the nickname the Celtic Tiger?
Ireland

Which of the Earth's four oceans is the smallest?
Arctic Ocean

Which island country of the Greater Antilles uses English as its official language?
Jamaica

Which city, home to the Johns Hopkins University, is located near the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay
Baltimore


Which state has a large area of temperate rain forest - Nevada or Washington

Washington

Because the interior of an island country in the North Atlantic is covered by glaciers and volcanic features, most people live along the coast. Name this country.
Iceland

Straw floor mats called tatami are part of the cultural tradition in which Asian country that occupies archipelago?
Japan

Antwerp,Belgium,hasbeen acenterforwhichgenstoneindsutry for centuries?
diamonds


Which country has ahigher lifeexpectancy- ChileorAfghanistan?
Chile


Theworld'slongestsuspension brdigespanstheInland Sea,linking Shikoku towhich other major Japanese island?
Honshu

***
quiz
1. Why was the “Druk Phuensum Tshogpa” party in the news on March 24?

2. Which legendary sportsperson wrote the following: My Cricketing Life (1938), Farewell to Cricket (1950) and The Art of Cricket (1958)?

3. Which Biblical patriarch was also known as Israel?

4. As of 2006-2007, which club holds the record for the most wins in an EPL season?

5. What was the nationality of the famous painter Jan Vermeer?

6. What is the biggest operational difference between a tortoise and a turtle?

7. Which telecom giant gets its name from a river in Finland?

8. How many stars on a table tennis ball indicate that it is of the highest quality?

9. Which famous cartoon ‘pair’ have had the Latin names Birdus Tastius and Poultrius Devourius?

10. In the Mauryan empire, who succeeded Ashoka the Great?

11. Which Indian actress’ paternal grandfather played cricket for two countries?

12. What is dvimudrakaara in Carnatic music?

13. How is red kidney beans referred to in Indian cooking?

14. Which dance form is performed in front of the Kalivilakku?

15. What was the subject of the world’s first jigsaw puzzles?

Answers

1. It won the first democratic

elections held in Bhutan

2. Sir Donald Bradman;
3. Jacob

4. Chelsea (38 wins);
5. Dutch

6. The former cannot swim or

float on water;
7. Nokia

8. Three;
9. Road Runner and

Wile E. Coyote;
10. Dasaratha

Maurya (after half-brother Kunala became blind); 11. Soha Ali Khan; 12. A composer who has used two kinds of ‘mudras’ in his

compositions;
13. ‘Rajma’

14. Kathakali;
15. Maps.

***
Simran Kaur Mundi of Mumbai was crowned Miss India Universe 2008

machu Picchu is to Peri as Tikal is to what?
Guatemala
Which continent is the world's largest producer of Gold?
Africa
What northern California city was reduced to ruins following a strong earthquake and disastrous fire in 1906
San Francisco
Malawi, Mozambique, and what other country border Lake Malawi?
Tanzania

The snake river and Sawtooth Mountains are located in which state - Ohio or Idaho
Idaho

The economy of Brueni, a small country on the island of Borneo, is based on offshore oil and natural gas fields that lie beneath the waters of which ocean?
Pacific

Which country, one of Africa's most densely populated, is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Rwanda

Which state is closer to the Pacific Ocean - Georgia or Kklahoma?
Oklahoma

What is the term for the process by which ice sheets expand and reshape the physical landscape?
Glaciation

In February 2005, heavy rains caused dam breaks and floods that wiped out villages in Baluchistan, a province bordering the Arabian Sea. Baluchistan province is on the southwest coast of which country?
Pakistan


The Yenisey-Angara river system is the second longest river system on which continent?
Asia

One of the world's most densely populated countries includes one of asia's busiest ports. Name this small island country at the edge of south china sea
singapore

What term is used for the often triangular-shaped deposit of sediment sometimes found at the mouth of a river?
delta

What is the term for process by which ice sheets expand and reshape the physical landscape?
Glaciation.

Quiz:


1. An Indian soldier of the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry, synonymous with the 1857 War of Independence, was executed on this date in 1857. Name him.

2. What culinary term associated with pig also means an amateur radio operator?

3. Where is the ‘fibrous tunic’ on the human face?

4. In literary fiction, Phileas Fogg’s manservant is…?

5. Which famous war began on June 5, 1967, and ended in less than a week?

6. How many locks does the Suez Canal have?

7. How would Rafael Nadal refer to a sauce in his native tongue?

8. Quantity-wise, how many teaspoons make up two tablespoons in the U.K. and the U.S.?

9. As part of his 12 labours, whose girdle was Hercules asked to get?

10. What do formicivore animals feed on?

11. Harald V is the present king of…?

12. If Salt Lake City was your capital, of which U.S. State would you be a resident?

13. Who is playing Dr. Bruce Banner in the upcoming flick “The Incredible Hulk”?

14. Which was the first planet found by mathematical prediction rather than regular observation?

15. What is a ‘Baumé scale’ used to measure?

1. Mangal Pandey
2. Ham
3. Also known as the tunica fibrosa oculi, it’s the outer layer of the eyeball consisting of the cornea and sclera
4. Passepartout
5. The Six-Day War
6. No locks
7. Salsa
8. Six
9. Hippolyte or Hippolyta, the Amazonian queen
10. Ants and termites
11. Norway
12. Utah
13. Edward Norton
14. Neptune
15. Density of liquids.


****

Chapultepec Park, which was once the site of a residence for Aztec rulers, in what capital city?
Mexico City

Oil production in the United Arab Emirates is centered on the country's capital city. Name this city
Abu Dhabi

Which country, once a region of nomadic tribes unified under Genghis Khan, has an economy dependent on animal producs such as cashmere and wool
Mongolia

Which country is bordered by Denmark and the Netherlands?
Germany

Which state is known as the Ocean State because of its 400 miles o coastline -
Rhode Island

The Jaffna, a region inhabited primarily by Tamils, forms the northern tip of what island country?
Sri Lanka

Oasis farming and livestock raising are common in the Xinjiang Autonomous region in the arid western part of which Asian country
China

Which agent of erosion creates V-shaped valleys?
water

Transylvania is a region that was made famous by a fictional character, Count Dracula. This region is located in which European country
Romania
What city, the most populous in Namibia, lies on a plateau between the Namib and Kalahari Deserts>
Windhoek





What term is used for the imaginary line on Earth that marks the boundary where one day ends and the next begins?
International Date Line

China and which Southeast Asian country border the Gulf of Tonkin?
Vietnam

The inland sea borders three of the four major islands that make up which country in Asia
Japan

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, one of the world's largest churches, was built during the 1980's in the French-speaking country on Ghana's western border. Name this country
Cote d'lvoire

****

Charles Darwin works include:
Voyage of the Beagle, Zoology, Descent of Man




Quiz (Dated April 15, 2008)



1. In the world of animated TV series, how is Herschel Krustofski better known?

2. Name the most famous Italian Renaissance polymath - scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor - born on this date in 1452.

3. The birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, is.?

4. Which recurring character does Thomas Andrew Felton play in the Harry Potter movies?

5. What is `biosonar'?

6. In a famous poem of his, what did William Wordsworth refer to as: "Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way."

7. What would one do with a `cummerbund'?

8. In the Mahabharata, who was the sister of Shalya?

9. Which is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust?

10. If one was flying the `Fighting Falcon' the aircraft would be an F-14, F-16 or F-18?

11. Which luxury car maker, founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company, is now part of Tata Motors?

12. Which Royal and minister is the Congress MP from Guna?

13. The longest and largest nerve in the human body is the...?

14. In its normal natural surroundings, why would a polar bear never attack a penguin from behind?

15. What is the biggest contribution of Kirkpatrick Macmillan to the world of locomotion?


Answers:

1. Krusty the Clown (of The Simpsons fame)
2. Leonardo da Vinci
3. Nankana Sahib
4. Draco Malfoy
5. The biological sound navigating system used by animals like bats to locate objects
6. A host of golden daffodils
7. Wear it. It's a broad waist sash often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets
8. Madri, the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva
9. Quartz
10. F-16
11. Jaguar Cars Limited
12. Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
13. Sciatic
14. Polar bears live north of equator while all but one species of penguin live south of equator
15. The bicycle.

1. Name the only male tennis player in the Open era to have won all the four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold celebrating his birthday on this date.

2. Which comedian and actor gave the voice for Barry Bee Benson in the ‘Bee Movie’?

3. According to the nursery rhyme, what five things did Old King Cole call for?

4. How many players to a polo team on the field?

5. In geometry, angles between 181 and 360 are called…?

6. James Earl Ray is considered the assassin of which Nobel Peace Prize winner?

7. In chess, what is ‘fool’s mate’?

8. In which country is Balaklava, made famous in a Tennyson poem?

9. Whose schoolmates were Harry Wharton, Bob Cherry and Frank Nugent?

10. In America, how is a lawyer commonly referred to?

11. In Greek myth, where do the Gods live?

12. Which of Batman’s enemies has Jim Carrey portrayed on screen?

13. Who is ‘Moochu Singh’?

14. According to the Bible, how long was Noah’s Ark?

15. A vegetarian should not have ‘lachanophobia’. What is it a fear of?


1. Name the only male tennis player in the Open era to have won all the four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold celebrating his birthday on this date.

2. Which comedian and actor gave the voice for Barry Bee Benson in the ‘Bee Movie’?

3. According to the nursery rhyme, what five things did Old King Cole call for?

4. How many players to a polo team on the field?

5. In geometry, angles between 181 and 360 are called…?

6. James Earl Ray is considered the assassin of which Nobel Peace Prize winner?

7. In chess, what is ‘fool’s mate’?

8. In which country is Balaklava, made famous in a Tennyson poem?

9. Whose schoolmates were Harry Wharton, Bob Cherry and Frank Nugent?

10. In America, how is a lawyer commonly referred to?

11. In Greek myth, where do the Gods live?

12. Which of Batman’s enemies has Jim Carrey portrayed on screen?

13. Who is ‘Moochu Singh’?

14. According to the Bible, how long was Noah’s Ark?

15. A vegetarian should not have ‘lachanophobia’. What is it a fear of?


Answers
1. Andre Agassi
2. Jerry Seinfeld
3. Pipe, Bowl and Fiddlers 3
4. Four
5. Reflex angles
6. Martin Luther King Jr.
7. It’s the quickest possible checkmate in the game
8. Ukraine
9. Billy Bunter
10. Attorney
11. Mt. Olympus
12. ‘The Riddler’
13. The mascot of the Rajasthan Royals IPL team
14. 300 cubits
15. Vegetables

-----------------
What you MUST know about inflation
http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/26infla1.htm

"Inflation is bringing us true democracy. For the first time in history, luxuries and necessities are selling at the same price." -- Robert Orben.

The first panacea for a misguided nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists." -- Ernest Hemingway.

"Inflation is taxation without legislation." Milton Friedman.

# There are different types of inflation: Deflation: It refers to a general falling level of prices.
# Disinflation: This is a decrease in the rate of inflation.
# Hyperinflation: When prices zoom and inflation goes out-of-control, it is called hyperinflation.
# Stagflation: It is a combination of inflation, rising unemployment and stagnation in the economy.
# Reflation: This refers to move to hike prices to fight deflationary pressures.

Tweet