Expected Question For UPSC (PT) 2008

UPSC (PT) 2008 EXPECTED QUESTIONS

1 Who among the following advocated scientific socialism ?
(a) Robert Owen (b) Proudhon Pierre
(c) Karl Marx (d) saint simon Henri Claude
2 During the mughal period, which one of the following traders were the first to come to India
(a) Portuguese (b) Dutch
(c) Danish (d) England
3 Who among the following was appointed by Ashoka to administer justice in this empire
(a) Shramana (b) Uparika
(c) Rajuka (d) Kumaramayta
4 Who was popularly known as Lokhitawadi ?
(a) G.C. Agarkar (b) M.G. Ranade
(c) R.G. Bhandarkar (d) G.H. Deshmukh
5 Who among the following was the first economist to hold the office of secretary , Department of Economic affairs in the union finance ministry
(a) Dr. I.G. Patel (b) Dr. Manmohan Singh
(c) Rakesh Mohan (d) Dr. M.S. Ahluwalia
6 What does the abbreviation ATR stand for /
(a) Action Taken Result (b) Actually True Report
(c) Action Taken Report (d) Action Taken Rejoinder
7 Who among the following was the founder of the Nyay Darshan one of the six major schools of ancient Indian philosophy
(a) Patanjali (b) Panini
(c) Kapil (d) Gautam
8 The decision to fom the Indian national army (Azad Hind Fauj ) was taken at
(a) Rangoon (b) Bangkok
(c) Kuala Lumpur (d) Tokyo
9 Give the correct chronological sequence of the following
(a) Russion Revolution (b) American War of Independence
(c) Spanish Revolution (d) The French Revolution
10 Which of the following states has the highest female literacy rate , according to 2001 Census ?
(a) Mizoram (b) Kerala
(c) Tamil Nadu (d) Meghalaya
11 Who among the following has been chosen the FDI Personality of the year 2007 in Asia
(a) P. Chidarmbaram (b) Kamal Nath
(c) Ratish Nayaar (d) Kaushik Rai
12 Which of the following Fortune 500 indian companies has suffered loss for the first time in the first quarter of 2005-06 ?
(a) Indian Oil corporation (b) ONGC
(c) Reliance Industries (d) Bharat petroleum
13 Who is the author of “Soul and structure of Governance in India ?
(a) V.K. Duggal (b) Jairam Ramesh
(c) Dr. I.G. Patel (d) Jagmohan
14 Which one of the following processes is not related with chemical weathering
(a) Exfoliation (b) Carbonation
(c) Hydration (d) Oxidation
15 Who invented polio vaccine (oral) ?
(a) Albert Sabin (b) Burkholder
(c) Louis Pasteur (d) Jonas salk
16 Mist is caused by
(a) Dry ice (b) ice eat low temperature
(c) Water vapours at low temperature (d) Carbon-monoxide in solid form
17 The first computer language development was
(a) COBOL (b) BASIC
(c) FORTRAN (d) PASCAL
18 “Smasher” is associated with which of the following sports ?
(a) Boxing (b) Wrestling
(c) Football (d) Volleyball
19 Who among the following is the chirman of the national commission on farmers ?
(a) Vijay Shankar (b) J.P. Batra
(c) Shanta Sinha (d) M.S. Swaminathan
20 India ‘s first mobile court was inauguration in
(a) Maharashtra (b) Haryana
(c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Rajasthan
21 The African union whose cooperation was sought by G-4 to expand UN security
Council has a strength
(a) 43 Members (b). 53 Members
(c) 63 Members (d) 34 Members
22 The capital of the Pallava kings was
(a) Chennapattinam (b) Mahabalipuram
(c) Kanchipuram (d) Madurai
23 “Tipu Sultan “ had his capital at
(a) Srirangapatnam (b) Mysore
(c) Banglore (d) Bhagyanagar
24 “Dronacharya “ awards are given to
(a) Athletes (b) Sports
(c) Carnatic musicians (d) Sports persons
25 “CTBT” is a term related to
(a) Nuclear Weapons (b) Taxes
(c) Space Research (d) Railway Goods
26. Who among the following would take over as the next president of FICCI?
(a) N. Srinivasan
(b) Vijay Kirloskar
(c) Rajeev Chandrasekhar
(d) Rahul Bajaj
27. How many cities will be covered under the government flagship project Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)?
(a) 25
(b) 53
(c) 100
(d) 63
28. Match the following. Column-I represents companies and column-ii their business areas.
Column-I Column-ii
A. Marriott i. Advertising
B. Heineken ii. Technology
C. AMD iii. Hospitality
D. McCann iv Spirit
Choose the answer from the choices given below:
(a) A-i, B-ii, C-iii, D-iv (b) A-i, B-ii, C-iv, D-iii (c) A-iv, B-iii, C-ii, D-i (d) A-iii, B-iv, C-ii, D-i
29. Researchers have transformed ordinary human skin cells into batches of cells that look and act like embryonic stem cells, but without using cloning technology and without making embryos. These skin cells called
(a) iPS Cells (b) jPS Cells (c) ePS Cells (d) zPS Cells
30. This South India-based business tycoon has been in the news for his stake sale in coffee chain, Barista and telecom operator, Aircel. Identify him from the choices given below:
(a) Vijay Mallya (b) C Sivasankaran (c) A.C. Muthaiah (d) TPG Nambiar
31. Which one of the following is not a private equity company?
(a) Cerberus (b) Carlyle (c) Blackstone (d) ECCO
32. In which year Railway finances were separated from the general finances of the Central Government?
(a) 1920 (b) 1972 (c) 1923 (d) 1924
33. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a telecom public sector company was set up under the view Telecom Policy, 1999 in –
(a) Oct. 2000 (b) Dec. 2001 (c) Jan. 2002 (d) Oct. 2003
34. What is India’s percapita emission of green house gases (GHG)?
(a) 0.8 tonnes of CO2 (b) 1.0 tonnes of CO2 (c) 1.2 tonnes of CO2 (d) 1.5 tonnes of CO2
35. Consider the following:
I. Cannabis smokers are exposed to more toxic chemicals in each puff than those who smoke only tobacco.
II. Directly-inhaled cannabis smoke contained 20 times more ammonia than cigarette smoke, five
times more hydrogen cyanide and five times the concentration of nitrogen oxides, which affect circulation and immune system.
III. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are linked to reproductive disorders and cancer; while at high levels, ammonia can cause asthma.
Select the code
(a) Only I an II are correct (b) Only I and II are correct
(c) Only II and III are correct (d) All are correctly.
36. Consider the following:
I. The National Food Security Mission aims at increasing production of rice by 10 million tones, wheat by 8 million tones in the next four years.
II. The Mission launched in 305 districts in 16 states. These districts had potential for high rise in Productivity.
III. The strategy was to bridge yield gaps by introducing modern technologies and improved agronomic practices.
Select the code:
(a) Only I and II are correct (b) Only I and III are correct
(c) Only II and III are correct (d) All are correct.
37. Which of the following are the causes of low productivity in Indian Agriculture?
(I) Uneconomic Holdings (II) Out model agricultural Techniques.
(III) Inadequate Irrigation facilities (IV) Lack of credit and marketing facilities
Select the code
(a) I & II (b) II & III (c) I, II, & III (d) None of the above
38. Nissan Motors have entered intio $500 million tie up with Ashok Leyland for 3 JVs. Nissan Motors already has a joint venture agreement with which of the following automobile companies?
(a) Mahindra & Mahindra (b) Tata Motors
(c) Bajaj Autos (d) TVS group
39. A new study provided the first evidence that fatter people may be more affected by expore to
(a) Sun Light (b) X-rays (c) γ - rays (d) Ozone
40. Which among the following owns/own equity stake in the country's largest commodity exchange, Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX)?
(A) Merrill Lynch (B) Citigroup
(C) Financial Technologies (D) Fidelity
Choose the answer from the choices given below:
(a) (A) and (B) (b) (B) and (C) (c) (A), (B) and (C) (d) All of the above
41. Rainbow Revolution is related to which sector of the Economy?
(a) Small Scale Industries (b) Information Technology services
(C) Overall Development of Agriculture sector (d) Mining sector
42. Consider the following:
i. A study suggested that the sea cucumber could provide a potential new weapon to block transmission of the malaria parasite.
ii. the slug-like creature produces a protein, lectin, which impairs development of the parasite.
iii. The protein disrupted development of the parasites inside the insects stomach.
Select the code:
(a) Only I and II are correct (b) Only I and III are correct
(c) Only II and III are correct (d) All are correct.
43. Consider the following:
I. Former Finance Secretary Vijay L. Kelkar has been appointed Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission recently.
II. The Commission was constituted to make recommendations on the norms for distribution of the net tax proceeds between the Union and the States.
III. The recommendations will cover the period from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2015. The commission is expected to make available its report by October 31, 2009.
IV. The Finance Commission is set up under Article 280 (1) of the Constitution every five years.
Select the code:
(a) Only I, II, and III are correct (b) only I, III, and IV are correct
(c) Only II, III, and IV are correct. (d) All are correct.
44. Which one of the following Indian companies owns stake in the Sakhaliu-I Oil and Gas project, off Russia's far East Coast?
(a) GAIL (b) ONGC (c) IPCL (d) IOC
45. Which of the following companies belonging to the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) is/are not listed on the stock exchange?
A. Reliance Communications
B. Reliance Power
C. Adlabs
Choose the answer from the choice given below:
(a) B and C (b) Only B (c) Only C (d) A and C
46. Which of the following missions was signed recently by London-based Inmarsat with industrialist to deliver high-bandwidth services to Europe, the Middle- East, Asia and Africa?
(a) Alphasat I – XL Mission (b) Alphasat IV – XL mission
(c) Alphasat VII – XL Mission (d) Alphasat IX – XL Mission.
47. Well-known hatchback car model, Fabia is slated to hit the Indian road in January 2008. The model is owned by
(a) Daimler (b) General Motors (c) Skoda Auto (d) Ford
48. Who was the chairman of Second National Commission on labour (NCL) set up in October 1999 by the Government of India?
(a) Dr. C. Rangrajan (b) Aid Hussain (c) Ravindra verma (d) Vijay Kelkar
49. Recent researches suggested that lack of sunlight my increase the risk of
(a) Lung Cancer (b) Uterus Cancer (c) Breast Cancer (d) Liver Cancer
50. Consider the following:
I. The Hebrew University at Jerusalem in Israel has introduced Malayalam as a subject.
II. Students are already learning Telugu and Tamil in the Hebrew University.
Select the code:
(a) Only I is correct (b) Only II is correct.
(c) Neither I nor II are correct (d) both are correct
51. The Green Revolution substantially increase the foodgrain production of India, who among the following mainly contributed to its occurrence?
I. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan
II. Prof. Norman Barlough
III. K. Subramaniam
Select the Code:
(a) I & II (b) II & III (c) I, II & III (d) None of the above
52. Recently, this company has sold its captive BPO operations in India to Genpact. The company in the question is
(a) Citigroup (b) Barclays (c) BNP Paribas (d) General Electric
53. This apparel company was recently in the news for taking punitive measures against its
Indian suppliers who were accused of employing child labours. The company in the question is
(a) Benetton (b) Calvin Klein (c) ECCO (d) GAP
54. Consider the following:
I. Astronomers have reported that there are at least five planets circling a star known as 55 Caneri.
II. One of the first exoplanets discovered, in 1996, was at 55 Caneri.
III. The outermost and haviest Planet in the system, which is four times as massive as Jupiter,circles at a distance of 500 million miles, slightly farther than Jupiter in Solar System and takes 14 years to complete an orbit
Select the Code:
(a) Only I and II are correct (b) Only I and III are correct
(c) Only II and III are correct (d) All are correct
55. This Indian businessman has acquired 50 per cent stake in the US-based small aircraft manufacturer Epic Avia tion for $120 million. The person in the question is
(a) G.R. Gopinath (b) Naresh Goyal (c) Vijay Mallya (d) Subrato Roy
56. For the purpose of providing short term credits to farmers, the government of India introduced Kisan
Credit Card (KCC) Scheme in the year.
(a) 1996 – 97 (b) 1997 – 98 (c) 1998 – 99 (d) 1999 – 2000
57. Which of the following statements is correct?
(a) Kabini, the core of the much-delayed Kaveri engine, is undergoing high altitude testing at the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) in Moscow.
(b) Kabini primarily makes up Kaveri’s high pressure compressor, high pressure turbine and high pressure combuster
(c) This is the second time that Kabini is taken to Moscow.
(d) All are correct.
58. The RBI is the apex body of Indian Financial System, which of the following functions are performed by the RBI?
I. Monitoring money supply in the Economy.
II. Issues currency other than coins and one Rupees note.
III. Functions as Bankers Bank.
IV. Works as banker to the Government.
Select the Code:
(a) I & lI are correct (b) I, II & III are correct
(c) II, III & IV are correct (d) All of above are correct
59. Consider the following:
I. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Morigaon district of Assam.
II. Pobitora has the highest concentration of rhino population in the world
60. After becoming a part of Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines is now known as:
(a) Jet Sahara (b) Jet Economy (c) Sahara Jet (d) Jet Lite
61. The islands of Bali in Indonesia was visited by 189 countries to debate the commitment of nations on
reducing green house gas emissions, particularly CO2 after
(a) 2010 (b) 2011 (c) 2012 (d) 2013
ANSWER SHEET
1.(c) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (a) 6. (c) 7.(d) 8. (d) 9. (b) 10. (b) 11. (b) 12. (a) 13. (d) 14. (a) 15. (a)
16.(c) 17. (c) 18. (d) 19. (d) 20. (b) 21. (b) 22. (c) 23. (a) 24. (b) 25. (a) 26. (c) 27. (d) 28. (d) 29. (a) 30. (b) 31. (d) 32. (d) 33. (a) 34. (c) 35. (d) 36 (d) 37. (d) 38. (a) 39. (d) 40. (d) 41. (c)
42. (d) 43. (d) 44. (b) 45. (a) 46. (a) 47. (c) 48. (c) 49. (a) 50. (d) 51. (c) 52. (a) 53. (b) 54. (d) 55. (c) 56. (c) 57. (d) 58. (d) 59. (c) 60. (c) 61. (d) 62 .(c)

SBI BANK CLERK GENERAL KNOWLEDGE SAMPLE PAPER

SBI BANK CLERK GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
1. The Kishenganga Power Project is in-
A. Orissa
B. Maharashtra
C. Gujarat
D. Jammu & Kashmir
Ans (D)
2. The late Nirmala Desh Pande was a famous
A. diplomat
B. astrologer
C. Social activist
D. film-star
Ans (C)
3. Who has been awarded the Prem Bhatia Award for the year 2008 ?
A. Nilanjana Bose
B. Rupashree Nanda
C. Nirupama Subramanian
D. None of these
Ans (C)
4. Microwave ovens cook dishes by means of
A. Ultraviolet rays
B. Infra-red rays
C. Convection
D. Conduction
Ans (D)
5. Most of the phenomena related to weather take place in
A. stratosphere
B. ionosphere
C. mesosphere
D. troposphere
Ans (D)
6. The current President of the World Bank is
A. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
B. James D. Wolfansen
C. Barbara Cartland
D. Robert Zoellick
Ans (D)
7. Amartya Sen, the NRI Nobel laureate got the honour for his work on
A. Game theory
B. Securities analysis
C. Poverty and famines
D.Impact of Industrialization
Ans (C)
8. The Quit India resolution was passed at the
A. Bombay session of I.N.C. in 1940
B. Bombay session of I.N.C. in 1941
C. Bombay session of I.N.C. in 1942
D. Bombay session of I.N.C. in 1945.
Ans (C)
9. Who among the following is not a ghazal singer?
A. Talat Aziz
B. Chandan Dass
C. Peenaz Masani
D. Jagdev Singh
Ans (D)
10. Nobel Prize for literature in 2007 was received by-
A. Doris Lessing
B. Albert Al Gore
C. Mohammad Yunus
D. None of these
Ans (A)
11. Meteorites are the heavenly bodies
A. between the Mars and the Jupiter
B. between the Saturn and the Neptune
C. between the Mars and the Venus
D. that burn brightly on entering the Earth’s atmosphere
Ans (D)
12. P-5 is a group of
A. highly developed countries
B. Highly populous countries
C. Permanent members of the Security Council
D. Established nuclear powers
Ans (C)
13. Arrange the following in chronological order:
a. Dandi March
b. McDonald Award
c. Hanging of Bhagat Singh
d. Meerut conspiracy case
A. a, b, c, d
B. b, a, c, d
C. d, c, a, b,
D. d, a, c, b
Ans (A)
14. Which of the following is a land-locked state?
A. Gujarat
B. Andhra Pradesh
C. Madhya Pradesh
D. Tamil Nadu
Ans (C)
15. Which of the following is not an official language as per the 8th schedule?
A. Konkani
B. Sindhi
C. Manipuri
D. English
Ans (D)
16. Which of the following used in making computer chips ?
A. Carbon
B. Uranium
C. Silicon
D. Rubidium
Ans (C)
17. In order to see an undersea object while in a ship, you would make use of a
A. telescope
B. periscope
C. marinoscope
D None of these
Ans (B)
18. Baan Ki-moon , the UNO Secretary-General belong to
A. Saudi Arab
B. Egypt
C. South Korea
D. Brazil
Ans (C)
19. The deepest ocean in the world is
A. The Indian ocean
B. The Atlantic ocean
C. The Pacific ocean
D. None of these
Ans (C)
20. The oldest mutual fund in India is the
A. SBI Mutual Fund
B. BOB Mutual Fund
C. PNB Mutual Fund
D. Unit Trust of India
Ans (D)
21. A candidate for elections to the Lok Sabha stands to lose his Deposit Money if he fails to get
A. 1/5 of the total valid votes
B. 1/8 of the valid votes
C. 1/6 of the valid votes polled
D. none of these
Ans (A)
22. The Varanasi–Kanyakumari National Highway is called
A. N.H. – 8
B. N. H. – 7
C. N.H. – 12
D. N.H. – 9
Ans (B)
23. Which of the following areas of output is witnessing a new revolution?
A. oilseeds
B. fisheries
C. fruits
D. cereals
Ans (A)
24. The W.T.O. came into being on
A. 1st April, 1995
B. 1st April, 1994
C. 1st Jan., 1995
D. 1st Jan., 1996
Ans (C)
25. Bangal was partitioned during the viceroyalty of
A. Lord Rippon
B. Lord Curzon
C. Lord Hardinge
D. Lord Minto
Ans (B)
26. Tata purchased Jaguar and Rover from-
A. Hyundai
B. Maruti-Suzuki
C. Ford Motor
D. General Motor
Ans (C)

UPSC GENERAL STUDIES SAMPLE QUESTIONS PAPERS

1. Which of the following has been selected for best parliamentarian of the year award 2007 ?
a) Priya Ranjan Das Munshi
b) Mani Shankar Aiyyar
c) P.Chidambaram
d) Sushama Swaraj
ANS : a
2. Fernando Lugo's name was in news recently as he has taken over as the president of
a) Paraguay
b) Sudan
c) Afghanistan
d) Pakistan
ANS : a
3. ISRO has launched successfully ten satellites through PSLV-C9 on -
A. 15th March,2008
B. 30th March,2008
C. 28th April,2008
D. 4th May,2008
ANS : c
4. The newly constituted National Knowledge Commission is headed by
a) C. Rangarajan
b)Prof. R. S. Sharma
c) Sam Pitroda
d) Ms. Girija Vyas
ANS : c
5. India enacted an important event of Indian National Movement celebrating the seventy- fifth anniversary. Which was it?
a) Quit India Movement
b) Delhi Chalo Movement
c) Civil Disobedience Movement
d) Non – Cooperation Movement
ANS :c
6. Pope Benedict XVI belongs to which country?
a) Italy
b) Germany
c) France
d) Poland
ANS : b
7. The media campaign “ The World Is Waiting” is related to which of the following companies?
a) Lufthansa
b) Qatar Airways
c) Indian Airlines
d) British Airways
ANS : d
8. Who among the following has been elected as President of the International Council of Science Union?
a) E. Sreedharan
b) N. Ram
c) M. G. K. Menon
d) Goverdhan Mehta
ANS : d
9. Which of the following countries launched the smallest combat aircraft in the world?
a) Germany
b) India
c) Russia
d) USA
ANS : b
10. Who among the following British Governor- Generals shifted India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911?
a) Lord Louis Mountbatten
b) Lord Canning
c) Lord Hardinge
d) Warren Hastings
ANS : c
11. “Golden Handshake” is the term associated with
a) Share market
b) Retirement benefits
c) Voluntary retirement benefits
d) Smuggling
ANS : c
12. Which of the following is the first surface- to- surface missile in India?
a) Prithvi
b) Trishul
c) Agni
d) Naag
ANS : a
13. Which country will be host 15th SAARC Summit in 2008 ?
a) Maldives
b) Sri Lanka
c) India
d) Pakistan
ANS : b
14. Mist is caused by
a) Dry ice
b) Ice at low temperature
c) Water vapours at low temperature
d) Carbon- monoxide in solid form
ANS : c
15. Who among the following has been chosen the Miss India Universe for the year 2008 ?
a) Parvathy Omanakuttan
b) Simaran Kaur Mundi
c) Amrita Thapar
d) Tanvi Vyas
ANS : b
16. Who among the following was the author of “Rajtarangini”, commonly regarded as the first genuine history of India written by an Indian?
a) Banbhatta
b) Ravikirti
c) Pushpadanta
d) Kalhana
ANS : d
17. Who among the following advocated Scientific Socialism?
a) Robert Owen
b) Proudhon Pierre Joseph
c) Karl Marx
d) Saint Simon Henri Claude
ANS : c
18. Which of the following Articles of the Indian Constitution deal with the Directive Principles of State Policy?
a) 26 to 41
b) 31 to 56
c) 36 to 51
d) 41 to 66
ANS: c
19) Which one of the following travelers is not associated with the description of the glories of Vijayanagar kingdom?
a) Abdur Razzaq
b) Paes
c) Ibn Batutah
d) Nuniz
ANS : c : Abdur Razzaq- Deva Raya II
Paes- Krishna Deva Raya
Ibn Batutah- Harihara I
Nuziz- Achyut Deva Raya
20. The Chinese pilgrim Fa – Hien visited India during the reign of
a) Kanishka
b) Chandragupta I
c) Chandragupta II
d) Harshavardhana
ANS : c
21. Which of the following is the economic growth percentage projected in the 11th Five Year Plan draft that was approved by the Planning Commission in November 2007?
a) 8%
b) 9%
c) 9.5%
d) 10%
ANS : b
22. The Indian Navy’s only sailing ship, which returned to Kochi after a 10- month voyage around the globe is,
a) INS Vibhuti
b) INS Tarangini
c) INS Prabhat
d) INS Viraat
ANS : b
23) Who among the following is the Director General of International Monetary Fund (IMF) ?
a) Thaksin Shinawatra
b) Liang Guanglie
c) Dominique Strauss Kahn
d) Paul Wolfowitz
ANS : c
24) Who is the author of the book “Super Star India : From Incredible to Unstopable”?
a) Bill Clinton
b) Hillory Clinton
c) Dalai Lama
d) Imran Khan
ANS : a
25) What does CECA stand for?
a) Community Enabled Cooperative Arrangement
b) Comprehensive Ecological Cooperation Agreement
c) Comprehensive Ecological Cooperation Arrangement
d) Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
ANS : d
26) John wheeler was associated with -
a) Physics
b) Chemistry
c) Botany
d) History
Ans : a

UPSC GENERAL STUDIES SAMPLE PAPERS

1.Which of the following has been appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes of India on 1st May, 2008 ?
(A) Prasanna Kumar Misra
(B) P.C.Jha
(C) Rabender Singh Mathoda
(D) Sam Pitroda

2. The government most rigidly controls which industry?
(A) Cotton
(B) Paper
(C) Cement
(D) Timber

3. In which city would one find the National Ship Design and Research Centre (NSDRC)?
(A) Calcutta
(B) Hyderabad
(C) Kochi
(D) Vishakhapatnam

4. In which year was Mahindra & Mahindra incorporated?
(A) 1935
(B) 1955
(C) 1960
(D) 1945

5. Vertis and Vectra are branded air conditioners from which company?
(A) LG
(B) Carrier Aircon
(C) Voltas
(D) Kelvinator

6. What was Sir Don Bradman's occupation after he moved to Adelaide from Sydney in 1935?
(A) Stockbroker
(B) Television Newsreader
(C) Cricket Commentator
(D) Professor

7. Which car in Spanish means "Charming"?
(A) Zen
(B) Matiz
(C) Santro
(D) Icon

8. From which region does India import maximum number of commodities?
(A) Europe
(B) Africa
(C) Asia
(D) America

9. The brand 'BRAVIA' is owned by:
(A) Philips
(B) Sony
(C) Sanyo
(D) Mitsubishi

10. The brand 'Vimal', to be revived soon, is owned by which company?
(A) Reliance
(B) Tata
(C) Bajaj
(D) HLL

11. Who is the biggest advertiser in the world, with an annual budget of more than $4 Billion?
(A) GE
(B) Coca-Cola
(C) The US Government
(D) P&G

12. Who made the statement; “Supply creates its own demands”?
(A) Adam Smith
(B) Marshall
(C) J.B. Say
(D) Kennedy

13. Which company is India's largest synthetic textile producer?
(A) Garden (B) Arvind Mills (C) Reliance India Ltd (D) Vardhman

14. Match the following:
Column I Column II
A. Samsonite i. Because you've earned your wings
B. Zee Network ii. Jiyo Zee Bhar Ke
C. National Geographic iii. Think again
D. Toyota Innova iv. All you desire

(A) A- iii, B- i, C-ii, D-iv
(B) A- i, B- ii, C-iii, D-iv
(C) A- iv, B- iii, C-ii, D-i
(D) A- iii, B-ii, C- i, D-iv

15. The chiefly used crop for producing bio-diesel is
(A) Kikar
(B) Jatropha
(C) Coconut
(D) Mustard

16. In budgetary terminology primary deficit is
(A) Fiscal Deficit minus Interest Payments
(B) Net Deficit minus Revenue Deficit
(C) Fiscal Deficit minus Revenue Payments
(D) Budget Deficit minus Interest Payments

17. The Nobel Peace Prize for year 2006 was given jointly to International Atomic Energy Agency and its chief
(A) Wong Jong Ki
(B) Wangari Mathai
(C) Mohamed EIBaradei
(D) Paul Schalk

18. India's first PSU was
(A) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(B) Air India
(C) India Telephone Industries
(D) Indian Oil Corporation

19. Which among the following is not true in relation to monetary policy?
(A) It regulates the supply of money and the cost and availability of credit in the economy.
(B) It deals with both the lending and borrowing rates of interest for commercial banks.
(C) It aims to maintain price stability, full employment and economic growth.
(D) The Finance Ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing Monetary Policy.


20. The XI th five-year plan will cover the period
(A) 2006- 2010
(B) 2007 -2012
(C) 2008 -2012
(D) 2007 -2011

21. What is the name of Light Combat Aircraft being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited?
(A) Saras
(B) Vajra
(C) Tarang
(D) Tejas

22. The revised estimates from the Central Statistical Organisation on May 31, 2006 for India's annual per capita income are
(A) Rs. 23,000
(B) Rs. 28,000
(C) Rs. 25,000
(D) Rs. 18,000

23. The latest Forbes list of world's top 500 companies includes six Indian companies. Which among the following is not among them?
(A) State Bank of India
(B) Indian Oil Corporation
(C) ONGC
(D) ICICI Bank

24. Which Indian company acquired Element K, a leading provider of learning solutions in North America, for a consideration of $40 million?
(A) NIIT
(B) Aptech
(C) Wipro
(D) HCL Info
25. Roland Junck is the new CEO of
(A) ArcelorMittal
(B) Fiat

(C) DaimlerChrysler
(D) BMW

26. On 12th October 2006, Reliance Industries Limited topples this company for the largest market
capitalization at the Bombay Stock Exchange:
(A) Tata Steel (B) ICICI Bank (C) NTPC (D) ONGC

27. Bank of International Settlements (or BIS) is an international organization of central banks which exists to “foster cooperation among central banks and other agencies in pursuit of monetary and financial stability”. It was an outcome of the Hague convention of -
(A) 1945
(B) 1930
(C) 1928
(D) 1948

28. Which bank launched a mutual fund called Magnum Contra?
(A) Central Bank of India
(B) State Bank of India
(C) Punjab National Bank
(D) Canara Bank

29. Which Indian company has signed a Rs. 500 crore to Russia's Stroytransgaz for laying of a gas pipeline in India?
(A) ONGC
(B) GAIL
(C) Reliance Petroleum
(D) Bharat Gas

30. Which among the following became the first Indian bank to have a full-fledged operation in China?
(A) Indian Overseas Bank (B) State Bank of India
(C) Punjab National Bank (D) ICICI Bank

ANSWERS
1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (D) 4. (D) 5. (C) 6. (A) 7. (B) 8. (A)
9. (B) 10. (A) 11. (D) 12. (C) 13. (C) 14. (B) 15. (B) 16. (A)
17. (C) 18. (C) 19. (D) 20. (B) 21. (D) 22. (A) 23. (D) 24. (A)
25. (A) 26. (D) 27. (B) 28. (A) 29. (C) 30. (B)

UPSC(PT) GENERAL STUDIES SAMPLE QUESTIONS 2008

1. Maximum Wheat – producing State in India is –
(a) Punjab
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Haryana
2. Which among the following bodies recommends MSP (Minimum Support Price) for the crops in India?
(a) FCI (Food Corporation of India)
(b) RBI (Reserve Bank of India)
(c) Ministry of Agriculture
(d) CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices)
3. Which of the following sectors of Indian Economy contributes highest in the Gross Saving in India?
(a) Public Sector (b) Private Sector (c) Household Sector (d) Services Sector
4. This sports marketing and celebrity management agency is founded by Mahesh Bhupati. Name the company.
(a) ICONIX (b) Percept D’Mark (c) 9 yards (d) Globosports
5. Carlos Ghosn, who recently visited India, is chairman of
(a) Suzuki Motors (b) Nissan renault (c) Fiat Auto (d) Diamler
6. Before Independence various plans were prepared for the purpose of long-term economic development of India. Match the following in relation to it.
List-I
(Plans)
A. National Planning Committee
B Bombay Plan
C. Gandhian Plan
D. Peoples Plan
List – II
(Propounders)
1. Indian National Congress
2. Loading Industrialist
3. Shriman Narayan
4. M.N.Roy
Select the code:
A B C D
(a) 4 3 2 1
(b) 1 3 2 4
(c) 2 1 4 3
(d) 1 4 3 2
7. After 25 years in the making, European Space Agency’s 2 billion laboratory is set for launch to the international Space Station. Once operational Europe’s first permanent base in space is expected to double the research capacity of the ISS. The name of science laboratory is
(a) British Laboratory (b) European Laboratory
(c) European union Laboratory (d) Columbus Laboratory
8. According to the world conservation union (IUCN) how many tree species have been put on its ‘Red List of Threatened Plants Species 2007” as being critically endangered across india?
(a) 14 (b) 24 (c) 45 (d) 55
9. Famous Hollywood studio Sony Pictures Entertain ment has tied up with which company to co-invest in Indian movies?
(a) Yash Raj Studio (b) RK Studio (c) Eros International (d) Adlab
10. KP Singh is the chairman of
(a) DLF (b) Sanmar (c) GMR (d) Gujarat Ambuja
11. Researches stressed that moderate exposure to sunlight did not significantly raise the risk of the most serious form of skin cancer, called
(a) Caricinoma (b) Melanoma (c) Ceratonoma (d) Carcoma
12. Organic Compounds containing carbon and hydrogen form the building blocks of all life on Earth. Now, scientist have found the same on
(a) Mars (b) Mercury (c) Venus (d) Jupiter
13. Match the following organisations with their headquarters.
List-I
(Organisations)
(a). WTO (b) World Bank (c) ADB (d) TLO
List-II
(Headquarters)
(1) Washington (2) Geneva (3) Manila (4) Rome
Select the code
A B C D
(a) 2 1 3 4
(b) 1 2 3 4
(c) 3 2 1 4
(d) 4 1 2 3
14. National Rural Employment Act, 2005, was launched with merging which of the existing scheme?
(a) JRY and Indra Avas Yojna
(b) Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna and National Food for Work Programme
(c) Swarnjayant Swarozgar Yojna and JRY
(d) JRY and Sidra
15. Consider the following:
I. Parkinson's disease affects around 120,000 people in Britain, with 10,000 new Case diagnosed each year.
II. The disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in one part of the brain.
III. The cells release a chemical called dopamine, which allows messages to be sent to parts of the brain that coordinate movement.
Select the Code:
(a) Only I and II are correct (b) Only I and III are correct
(c) Only II and III are correct (d) All are correct
16. Zoological Survey of India recently claimed the discovery of a new species of legless amphibian named Gegeneophis mhadeiensis, from marshy habitat in
(a) Northern Karnataka (b) Northern Andhra Pradesh
(c) Northern Kerala (d) Northern Tamil Nadu
17. Which among the following countries is the largest trading partner of India in the world?
(a) USA (b) Germany (c) China (d) Canada
18. Retailing chains, Trent and Westside are promoted by
(a) DLF (b) Future ghroup (c) Aditya Birla group (d) Tata group
19 Which country has adopted the family planing programmes 1952 for the first time in the world?
(a) China (b) U.S.A (c) India (d) Australia
20 Who among the following awarded the first K. Subrahmanyam Award for Excellence in Strategic Studies?
(a) Sudha Mahalingam (b) Vijay Singh (c) N.S. Sisodia (d) Deepak Patel
21. Which of the following statement is not correct?
(a) For the first time, no Indian university figures in Britain’s most authoritative league table of the world’s top 200 universities.
(b) While China is in with six universities revealing a wide gap in higher educational standards between the two competing Asian giants.
(c) Other Asian countries with world-class universities are Japan, Singapore, Hong – Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea
(d) The survey covers 50 countries of the world.
22. The Government had set up an Expert Group on Agricultural Indebtedness in wake of farmers suicide in cotton growing areas in the country under the chairmanship of -
(a) Dr. Bimal Jalan (b) Dr. R. Radhakrishnan
(c) Dr. C. Ranyrajan (d) Rakesh mohan
23. Who among the following Indian Entrepreneurs has been named as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year 2007?
(a) Azim Premji (b) Mukesh Ambani (c) B. Ramalinga Raju (d) Ratan Tata
24. Vedanta the Alminium major company of India was earlier known as -
(a) Nalco (b) Hindalco (c) Sail (d) Balco
25. Match the following:
Column-I Column-ii
A. Logitech i. India
B. Wockhard ii. Switzerland
C. Blackstone iii. US
D. HSBC iv UK
Choose the answer from the choices given below:
(a) A-i, B-ii, C-iv, D-iii (b) A-I, B-ii, C-iii, D-iv (c) A-ii, B-I, C-iii, D-iv (d) A-iv, B-I, C-ii, D-iii
26. US–based Gap Inc, the world’s largest speciality retail chain, owns some of the most recognized apparel brand in the world. The brands owned by it are
(a) GAP (b) Banana Republic (c) Burberry (d) Old Navy (e) Piperlime (f) Gas
Choose the answer from the choices given below:
(a) (a), (b) and (c) (b) (a), (b) and (f) (c) (a), (b), (e) (d) (a), (b), (d), (e)
27. This Indian businessman has recently made it to the Forbes list of richest Americans. He happens to be the founder director of Google. Who is he?
(a) Shantanu Narayen (b) Kavitark Ram Shriram
(c) Bharat Desai (d) Vinod Khosla
28. Laffer curve is related to –
(a) Tax collection (b) Employment (c) Consumption (d) National Income
29. Which of the following statement is correct about Red Ribbon Express?
(a) It is the world’s largest Mobilization drive and marks a significant step forward in the fight against the HIV epidemic in India.
(b) It is the world’s largest mass mobilization drive and marks a significant step forward in the fight against the Polio epidemic in India.
(c) It marks a significant step forward in the fight against the HIV epidemic in the world.
(d) It marks a significant step forward in the fight against the Polio epidemic in the world.
30. Which one of the following Estimates the National Income of India?
(a) RBI (b) Finance Commission (c) CSO (d) Planning Commission
31. He was the commercial operations head of Hong Kong- headquartered PepsiCo Asia-pacific. He was recently quit the company. Till a year ago, he was the chairman of PepsiCo’s ndia opertions. The man in the qetin is
(a) Rajeev Bakshi (b) PM Sinha (c) S. Gopalkrishnan (d) Raj Singh
32. Promethean India, a private equity firms, is manged by the Burmans family of
(a) Dabur (b) Essar (c) Merico (d) Nirma
33. Consider the followings:
I. India is down to 128 on the HDI in 2007 after sliding two notches.
II. India ranked 62 among 108 developing countries on poverty index.
III. India’s present HDI of 0.619 is above South Asia average (0.611) and below developing counties average (0.691)
Select the Code:
(a) Only I and II are correct (b) Only I and III are correct
(c) Only II and III are correct (d) All are correct
34. Who among the following won the Miss World 2007 title, held recently in Hainan Province of China?
(a) Miss China Zhang Zhi Li (b) Miss Angola Michaela Reis
(c) Miss Mexico Carolina Moran Gordillo (d) Miss Peru Maria Julia Mantilla
35. Which of the following countries has hosted one of the biggest events of energy-rich African nations’ two day summit?
(a) Egypt (b) India (c) Cuba (d) Nigeria
36. Who among the following has been sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan?
(a) Shaukat Aziz (b) Yousuf Raza Gillani
(c) Nawaz Sharif (d) Pervez musharraf
37.. Match the following:
List-I
(Awards)
(A) Dayawati Modi Award
(B) Tech Award for Innovation.
(c) International Council of Jurists Awards, 2007
(D) IMSA Honorary Fellowship.
List-II
(Winner)
I. Akbar Padmsee
II. D.R. Mehta
III. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers
IV. Justice K. Narayan Kurup
Select the Code:
A B C D
(a) I II III IV
(b) II IV I III
(c) IV III II I
(d) III I IV II
38. Britain's astronomers of the Wide Angle Search for Planets have announced the discovery of three new
planets. These are
(a) WASP-1, WASP-2 and WASP-3 (b) WASP-2, WASP-3 and WASP-4
(c) WASP-3, WASP-4 and WASP-5 (d) WASP-4, WASP-5 and WASP-6

ANSWER
1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4 . (a) 5. (d) 6. (b) 7. (d) 8. (c)
9. (c) 10. (a) 11. (b) 12. (a) 13. (a) 14. (b) 15. (d) 16. (a)
17. (a) 18. (d) 19. (c) 20. (a) 21. (d) 22. (b) 23. (c) 24. (d)
25. (a) 26. (d) 27. (b) 28. (a) 29. (a) 30. (c) 31. (a) 32. (a)
33. (d) 34. (a) 35. (b) 36. (b) 37 (a) 38 (c)

CURRENT EVENTS WORLD MARCH 2008

Colombian Forces Kill Rebel Leader in Ecuador (March 1): Colombian troops cross into Ecuadorean territory and kill FARC's Raúl Reyes and 23 other rebels. In response, Venezuela and Ecuador break off diplomatic relations with Colombia and send troops to the Colombian border.
Fighting Between Israel and Hamas Continues (March 2): More than 100 Palestinians are killed in five days as members of Hamas and the Israeli military trade rocket fire. The violence intensifies after Hamas begins to launch longer-range rockets at Israel and as the fighting enters the West Bank. In response to the mounting civilian deaths, Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas suspends peace talks with Israel.
Putin's Choice for President Is Easily Elected (March 2): As expected, Dmitri A. Medvedev, a former aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin who has never held elected office, wins the presidential election in a landslide. Putin will remain in a position of power, serving as Medvedev's prime minister.
Security Council Imposes Third Round of Sanctions on Iran (March 3): Resolution, the third since December 2006, punishing Iran for refusing to stop uranium enrichment allows inspections of cargo leaving and entering Iran that officials suspect is carrying banned materials, expands monitoring of financial institutions, and bans the travel and freezes the assets of people and businesses involved in Iran's nuclear program.
Eight Students Killed at Jerusalem Seminary (March 6): A Palestinian gunman from East Jerusalem fires hundreds of rounds of automatic weapons fire at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, killing eight students. The attack is the most deadly on Israeli citizens in two years.
Pakistani Leaders Agree to Limit Musharraf's Power (March 9): The two political parties that dominated February's parliamentary elections, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, agree that once the new Parliament is seated, they will reinstate the Supreme Court justices Musharraf ousted in late 2007 and pass legislation voiding the law that Musharraf passed legalizing the firings. The Supreme Court, once reinstated, could reverse the ruling that legitimized Musharraf's controversial reelection as president when he was still the military chief.
China Cracks Down on Protests by Monks in Tibet (March 10): Some 400 Buddhist monks participate in a protest march in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to commemorate the failed uprising of 1959, that resulted in the Dalai Lama fleeing to India. (March 14): The protests, the largest in two decades, turn violent, with ethnic Tibetans reportedly attacking Chinese citizens and vandalizing public and private property. Chinese police use force to suppress the demonstrations. Tibetan leaders say that more than 100 Tibetans are killed, but Chinese officials say there are only 16 fatalities and deny that police had used lethal force. The demonstrations and violence spill into Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan Provinces in western China. Chinese officials accuse the Dalai Lama of masterminding the protests, a charge the spiritual leader denies.
Body of Iraqi Archbishop Is Found (March 13): Paulos Faraj Rahho, who led Mosul's Chaldean Catholic Church, had been kidnapped in February. His remains were recovered in Mosul.
Bush Acknowledges Toll of War on Anniversary of War (March 19): On the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, President Bush insists that the outcome will be worth the sacrifice, yet he admits the cost of war had exceeded expectations in money and loss of life. "Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it," he said. "The answers are clear to me. Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight that America can and must win."
Taiwan Elects New President (March 22): Ma Ying-jeou, of the Nationalist Party, prevails over Frank Hsieh, of the Democratic Progressive Party, 58.4% to 41.6%. Ma favors closer ties to mainland China.
Pakistan Leader Nominates a Prime Minister (March 22): Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, selects Yousaf Raza Gilani, who served as speaker of Parliament in the 1990s under Benazir Bhutto, as prime minister. (March 24): On the same day that Parliament approves Gilani as prime minister, Gilani releases the Supreme Court justices that President Pervez Musharraf ousted and detained in late 2007. (March 31): Musharraf swears in the new cabinet, which is comprised of his political opponents.
U.S. Suffers 4,000th Death in Iraq (March 23): A roadside bomb in Baghdad kills four U.S. soldiers, bringing the death toll of American troops to 4,000. President Bush said of the losses, "I have vowed in the past, and I will vow so long as I'm president, to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain, that, in fact, there is an outcome that will merit the sacrifice."
Iraqi Troops Attack Militants in Basra (March 25): About 30,000 Iraqi troops and police, with air support from the U.S. and British military, attempt to oust Shiite militias, primarily the Mahdi Army led by radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr, that control Basra and its lucrative ports in southern Iraq. Sadr declared a cease-fire in August 2007, but has allowed his forces to fight in self defense. (March 29): The Mahdi Army maintains control over much of Basra, despite the assault by Iraqi troops. The operation, ordered by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, is criticized for being poorly planned and executed. Fighting spills into the Sadr city section of Baghdad. (March 31): After negotiations with Iraqi officials, Moktada al-Sadr orders his militia to end military action in exchange for amnesty for his supporters, the release from prison of his followers who have not been convicted of crimes, and the government's help in returning to their homes Sadrists who fled fighting. The compromise is seen as a defeat to Maliki, who is criticized for poorly organizing the invasion. In addition, more than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers either refused to participate in the operation or deserted their posts.
Zimbabwe Votes in Presidential Election (March 29): President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, faces his toughest challenge yet from Morgan Tsvangirai, of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Zimbabwe has been in economic collapse since 1980, with an inflation rate of more than 100,000%.

CURRENT EVENTS WORLD FEBRUARY 2008

Dozens Die in Suicide Bombing (Feb. 1): Nearly 100 people die when two women suicide bombers attack crowded pet markets in eastern Baghdad.
Serbian President Is Reelected (Feb. 3): Incumbent Boris Tadic, a pro-Western leader who favors joining the European Union and closer ties with the U.S., defeats Tomislav Nikolic, of the hardline nationalist Radical Party, in the second round of presidential elections. Tadic takes 50.5% of the vote to Nikolic's 47.7%.
Israel Hit By First Suicide Bomb in Over a Year (Feb. 4): The militant group Hamas claims responsibility for the attack that kills one person in Dimona. A second attacker is shot and killed by police.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Warns of Al Qaeda Threat (Feb. 5): Mike McConnell tells the Senate Intelligence Committee that al-Qaeda has improved its recruiting and training techniques and has produced a new group of Western operatives that could carry out an attack in the U.S.
Inquiry Concludes Bhutto Died of a Head Injury (Feb. 7): Scotland Yard investigators report that former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto died of an injury to her skull. They say she hit her head when the force of a suicide bomb tossed her. Bhutto's supporters, however, insist she died of a bullet wound.
Bomb Kills Top Hezbollah Leader (Feb. 12): A top Hezbollah military commander, Imad Mugniyah, who is thought to be behind a series of bombings and kidnappings in the 1980s and 1990s, is killed in a car bombing in Damascus, Syria. Mugniyah was one of America's most wanted men with a price tag of $25 million on his head. Hezbollah accuses Israel for arranging his death.
Iraqi Parliament Passes Breakthrough Legislation (Feb. 13): Three measures are approved in one package by Parliament. The package includes a law that outlines provincial powers and an election timetable, a 2008 budget, and an amnesty law that will affect thousands of mostly Sunni Arab prisoners. Passage of the measures is considered a major step toward national reconciliation. (Feb. 26): A divided Iraqi Presidency Council vetoes the package.
Panamanian Investigators Release Report on Mass Poisoning (Feb. 14): The Panamanian government reports a precise death toll for the 2006 poisoning for the first time. Investigators conclude that at least 174 people were poisoned resulting in 115 deaths. The death toll may be higher, however, since many cases in remote areas of the country were probably not reported.
Kosovo Declares Independence (Feb. 17): Three months after negotiations between the European Union, Russia, and Washington on the future of Kosovo end in stalemate, Kosovo's prime minister Hashim Thaci declares independence from Serbia. Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica says he would never recognize the "false state." International reaction is mixed, with the United States, France, Germany, and Britain indicating that they planned to recognize Kosovo as the world's 195th country. Serbia and Russia, however, call the move a violation of international law. (Feb. 18): The United States and several other nations, including Britain, Germany, and France, recognize Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state.
Dozens Die in Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan (Feb. 17): About 80 people are killed and nearly 100 injured when a suicide bomber attacks at a crowded dogfight near Kandahar. A local police chief Abdul Hakim Jan is among the dead. It is the worst suicide attack since 2001.
Castro Resigns as President of Cuba (Feb. 19): Fidel Castro, who temporarily handed power to his brother Raúl in July 2006 when he fell ill, permanently steps down after 49 years in power. (Feb. 24): Raúl Castro succeeds his brother, Fidel, as president of Cuba. He says that there will be few changes made in governing and that he will consistently consult Fidel when making decisions.
Musharraf Suffers Resounding Defeat in Elections (Feb. 18): President Pervez Musharraf's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which has been in power for five years, loses most of its seats in Parliamentary elections. The opposition Pakistan People's Party, which was led by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto until her assassination in December 2007 and is now headed by her widow, Asif Ali Zardari, wins 80 of the 242 contested seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-N, led by another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, takes 66 seats. Musharraf party's wins 40. His defeat is considered a protest of his attempts to rein in militants, his coziness with President Bush, and his dismissal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. (Feb. 21): The Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N say they will form a coalition government and exclude Musharraf and members of his government.
Dozens of Shiite Pilgrims in Iraq Are Killed in Suicide Attack (Feb. 24): At least 52 people, who were headed to the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala to celebrate Arbaeen, are killed in the attack at a rest stop. (Feb. 25): In the second day of attacks against Shiite pilgrims, at least four people are killed by suicide bombers.
Fighting in Gaza Intensifies (Feb. 27): An Israeli airstrike into Gaza kills five members of Hamas, which then launched rockets into southern Israel, killing a civilian. Back-and-forth strikes continue throughout the day.
Kenyan Government and Opposition Reach Power-Sharing Deal (Feb. 28): Agreement, hashed out over protracted negotiations between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, creates a prime minister position, which will be filled by Odinga. In addition, cabinet positions will be divided between the two rivals.

CURRENT EVENTS WORLD JANUARY 2008

Hundreds Die in Tribal Violence in Kenya (Jan. 1-4): After incumbent president Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner in the presidential election over opposition candidate Raila Odinga, who had a wide lead in preliminary results, about 50 Kikuyu who sought refuge in a church in Kiambaa die when a mob of mostly Luo burn down the church. Odinga is Luo, and Kibaki is Kikuyu. Nearly 500 people die in fighting across the country. (Jan. 8): Odinga refuses Kibaki's invitation to discuss the political crisis after Kibaki appoints his cabinet, which does not include any members of Odinga's Orange Democratic Party.
Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens in Baghdad (Jan. 1): In the worst attack in Iraq in months, a suicide bomber kills 30 people at a home where mourners were paying their respects to the family of a man killed in a car bomb.
Pakistani Government Postpones Elections (Jan 1): In the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, parliamentary elections, which were scheduled for Jan. 8, are postponed until February 18.
U.S. Attorney General Opens Investigation into Destroyed Tapes (Jan. 2): Michael Mukasey orders a formal criminal investigation into the destruction in 2005 of CIA videotapes of the interrogation of two al-Qaeda suspects. The tapes, from 2002, reportedly included agency operative using harsh interrogation techniques. Federal prosecutor John Durham is chosen to head the inquiry.
President of Georgia Is Reelected (Jan. 4): Mikhail Saakashvili wins 52.% of the vote over his nearest challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, who tallies 27%. Saakashvili called for early elections in November 2007, after massive protests during which demonstrators accused him of abusing power and stifling dissent.
War Crimes Trial of Former President of Liberia Reopens (Jan. 7): The trial of Charles Taylor, who's charged with crimes against humanity for supporting rebel troops in Sierra Leone's brutal civil war that claimed the lives of about 300,000 people in the 1990s, resumes at the Hague.
Insurgents Kill Several U.S. Soldiers in Iraq (Jan. 9): Six soldiers die in Diyala Province when they enter a home that had been booby-trapped.
U.S. Drops Dozens of Bombs Near Baghdad (Jan. 10): Air attacks, in which about 40,000 pounds of bombs are dropped, target insurgents linked to al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia on the outskirts of southern Baghdad.
Suicide Bomber Targets Police in Pakistan (Jan. 10): Attacker blows himself up outside a courthouse in Lahore, where a rally of opposition lawyers was set to occur. About 25 people, mostly police officers, are killed.
Iraqi Parliament Passes Law to Allow Some Baathists to Resume Jobs (Jan. 12): Measure creates a new committee to determine if lower-level Baathists, former members of Saddam Hussein's party, are eligible to be reinstated to their government jobs. It also will pay pensions to many former Baathists who will not be permitted to return to their positions. Most Baathists lost their posts after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. If passed by the presidential council, it would be the first major benchmark of political progress reached by the Iraqi government. The law, called the Justice and Accountability Law, was criticized for being vague and confusing, and its many loopholes may exclude more Baathists from government jobs than it allows.
Israeli Strike Kills Several Palestinians in Gaza (Jan. 15): As many as 20 Palestinians, many member of Hamas, die in the attack. The Israeli operation was in retaliation to the firing of Qassasm rockets and mortar bombs into Israeli towns by Palestinian militants. (Jan. 18): Israel closes all border crossings into the Gaza Strip in response to the Palestinian attacks. Aid and fuel shipments are affected by the border closing. (Jan. 22): Facing criticism for shutting off fuel deliveries to Gaza, Israel resumes oil shipments.
Palestinian Militants Break Through Border Fence (Jan. 23): After members of Hamas destroy parts of a wall that separates the Gaza Strip from Egypt, tens of thousands of Palestinians pass into Egypt to buy food and supplies that are either unavailable in Gaza or are exorbitantly priced.
Italy's Government Collapses (Jan. 24): Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigns after losing a no-confidence vote in the senate. He survived one a day earlier in the lower house.
Popular Kenyan Opposition Politician Is Murdered (Jan. 29): Melitus Mugabe Were, a member of Parliament representing the Orange Democratic Movement who has worked to mend the ethnic strife in Kenya and help the poor, is dragged from his car and shot. Members of the opposition said the killing was a political assassination. The ethnic violence that has dragged on for a month since President Mwai Kibaki was narrowly re-elected in a race deemed tainted by international observers, has spun out of control throughout the country. (Jan. 31): A second member of the Orange Democratic Movement, David Kimutai Too, is shot and killed by a police officer. His supporters say his death was a political assassination. The police, however, call it a "crime of passion," saying the police officer who shot Too was upset that Too was traveling with his girlfriend.
U.S. Strike Kills al-Qaeda Leader (Jan. 31): The United States announces that Abu Laith al-Libi, a senion commander of al-Qaeda who recruited and trained operatives, was killed in a missile strike in northwest Pakistan.
Report on Israeli Offensive in Lebanon Finds Failures (Jan. 31): Final report by an Israeli-government-appointed panel, the Winograd Commission, on Israel's 2006 war against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, calls the operation a "large and serious" failure and criticizes the country's leadership for failing to have an exit strategy in place before the invasion. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is spared somewhat, as the commission says that in ordering the invasion, he was acting in "the interest of the state of Israel."

Current Events World April 2008

Opposition Leader Declares Himself the Winner in Zimbabwe Election (April 2): Morgan Tsvangirai, of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, says he won 50.3% of the vote in March's presidential election, defeating Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980 and presided over the economic collapse of the country. The Movement for Democratic Change wins a majority of the seats in Parliament. Mugabe refuses to concede, and election officials have not yet released results from the March 29 vote. (April 7): Zimbabwe's HIgh Court delays a ruling on a petition filed by the Movement for Democratic Change to force the government to release the results of the presidential election. (April 14): The High Court of Zimbabwe dismisses the opposition's request for the release of election results. (April 19): Election officials begin a partial recount of the vote. (April 24): As the government continues to violently crack down on the opposition, the United States declares Morgan Tsvangirai the outright winner of March's presidential election. (April 25): Police raid the offices of the opposition and election monitors and detain dozens of people for questioning.
Irish Prime Minister Announces His Resignation (April 2): Bertie Ahern, who is under investigation for allegedly accepting a bribe in the early 1990s when he was finance minister, says he will step down in May.
NATO Invites Two Countries to Join Alliance (April 3): Leaders of NATO invite Croatia and Albania to become part of the alliance. Once admitted, NATO will include 28 countries. Greece vetoes the invitation to Macedonia, and despite lobbying by the U.S., Ukraine and Georgia are also denied membership.
Iran Announces Plans to Expand Uranium Enrichment (April 8): President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that the country has begun installing 6,000 additional centrifuges to its uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, which already has 3,000 centrifuges.
Nepal Holds Historic Election (April 10): Millions of voters turn out to elect a 601-seat Constituent Assembly that will write a new constitution. Maoist rebels, who recently signed a peace agreement with the government that ended the guerrilla’s 10-year insurgency, are vying for seats in the assembly. (April 21): The Maoists win 120 out of 240 directly elected seats.
Kenyan President Names New Cabinet (April 13): President Mwai Kibaki, who was narrowly elected over opposition leader Raila Odinga in flawed elections in December 2007, announces a new national unity cabinet that includes 94 ministers. Odinga is named prime minister. Kibaki's supporters head powerful minsitries, such as finance and foreign relations.
Iraqi Government Fires Soldiers Who Failed to Fight in Basra (April 13): About 1,300 soldiers who either refused to fight or deserted the military's March operation in Basra to oust Shiite militias are dismissed.
Berlusconi to Serve Third Term as Prime Minister (April 14): The center-right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi, who was ousted by Romano Prodi in 2006, wins parliamentary elections. Prodi's government collapsed in January.
Dozens Are Killed in Suicide Attacks in Iraq (April 15): As many as 50 people die in a car bombing in Baquba, a northern city formerly under the control of Sunni insurgents that U.S. troops say they had won control of. An additional 13 are killed in a suicide attack in Ramadi in Anbar Province, another city that was once a Sunni stronghold.
Putin Is Elected Leader of Russia's Leading Political Party (April 15): Russian president Vladimir Putin is chosen as chairman of the United Russia party and agrees to become prime minister when Dmitri Medvedev assumes the presidency in May.
Iraqi Forces Take Control of Basra (April 19): The Mahdi Army, led by radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, retreats from the last districts under its control. In March, Iraqi troops attempted and failed to oust the miltiants in Basra. Iran endorses the assault on the Mahdi Army, a group which it once supported.
Sunnis Say the Will Rejoin Government (April 24): After a boycott of almost a year, the largest Sunni block in Iraq's government, Tawafiq, announces it will return to the cabinet of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Tawafiq's leader, Adnan al-Dulaimi, says by passing an amnesty law and launching an assault on Shiite militias, the government has met enough of its demands to end the boycott.
Bush Administration Releases Photos That Link North Korea with Syria's Nuclear Reactor (April 24): Seven months after Israel destroyed a building it suspected housed nuclear reactor, the U.S. publicizes photos it says confirm that North Korea helped Syria with the technology to build the facility.
Afghan President Survives Assassination Attempt (April 27): Three people are killed and about a dozen are wounded when suspected Taliban militants attack President Hamid Karzai, who was taking part in a parade to celebrate Afghan national day

UPSC (PT) CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. What was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Park?
1. Nagarhole

2. She was the first woman president of the INC and the first woman Governor of India. Who?
2. Sarojini Naidu

3. He was the first Indian to be the member of the British Parliament and President of INC thrice. Who?
3. Dadabhai Naoroji

4. Her real name was Agnes Gonha Bojaxhiu. She won a Nobel Prize in 1979 and died in 1997 and before her death said ‘Love others as I have loved you’.Who?
4. Mother Teresa

5. The foremost Maratha patriot, his real name was Ramachandra Pandurang. He got his nickname from the fact that he was in charge of the firing of cannons. Who?
5. Tantya Tope

6. This place gets its name because it was here that Lakshmana cut of the nose of Shurpanakha. Which place?
6. Nasik

7. When Ravana set fire to Hanuman’s tail, he set fire to entire Lanka. How was the fire put out?
7. Ravana played the Amruthavarshini raga on his Veena and brought forth rain

8. What was the principle of peace and friendship enunciated by Nehru called?
8. Panchsheel

9. Two famous Indian cricketers starred in a movie called ‘Kabhi Ajnabi The’. Who?
9. Syed Kirmani and Sandeep Patil

10. According to Hindu myth who was the first mortal to die?
10. Yama

11. In the Mahabharatha other than the Kauravas who else had a 100 brothers?
11. Shakuni

12. Whose residence is called ‘Matushri’?
12. Bal Thackeray

13. What does the M.F. in M.F.Hussain’s name stand for?
13. Maqbool Fida

14. What well known verse is actually part of an over all poem titled ‘Bharat Vidhatha’?
14. Jana Gana Mana

15. Who sang the theme song of France’98?
15. Ricky MArtin

16. Whose last words were ‘Don’t worry, relax’?
16. Rajiv Gandhi

17. Who is the only Indian to win a Grand Slam title?
17. Mahesh Bhupati

18. Which place would be the Indian equivalent of the Pakistani Chagai Hills?
18. Pokhran

19. What is common to Clinic All Clear, Pepsi, Nippo, Reebok?
19. Rahul Dravid endorses all of them

20. Who made the popular T.V. serial Malgudi Days?
20. Shankar Nag

21. Who owns a little known software company in Bangalore called D’n’A Systems?
21. Anil Kumble

22. He calls his dog Chewbacca Khan. He won the Sword of Honour in the 12th std. At St. Columbus, Delhi. He made his debut on television as a soldier. Who?
22. Shahrukh Khan

23. In restaurants today, the computerised bill is heavily in use. The items are often abbreviated. If you found MS Dos written on your bill what would you have eaten?
23. Masala Dosa

24. Created by Tnoshiro Honda and Eiji Tsukusuya it was named after a workman at Toho studios in Tokyo. Radioactive and 164 foot high, it breathes fire and made its way to the cover of TIME and Newsweek in the 60s. What?
24. Godzilla

25. If you went to Ooty and asked for a “Filmi Chakkar” what would you get?
25. A tour of the locations where movies are shot in Ooty

26. This man’s first direct contribution to the test field was a leg-break over where he gave nine runs. The place was Port of Spain in 1971. Who?
26. Sunil Gavaskar

27. Which vehicle has the registration no. NCC 1701?
27. Star Trek Enterprise

28. It is called the Hoysala in Bangalore. What is it in Mysore?
28. Garuda

29. What is the duck that appears on Channel 9’s cricket scorecards called?
29. Waddles

30. What would you find at 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue?
30. The White House

31. Who is the daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone?
31. Pebbbles

32. It made its first appearance in the New York Times supplement in 1913. What?
32. The Crossword

33. He is the son of accomplished choreographer Sundaram Master. He made his first on screen appearanceas an extra in a song in the movie ‘Agni Nakshatram’. Who?
33. Prabhudeva

34. What does the 31 in Baskin Robbins 31 signify?
34. That it is available in 31 favours

35. His residence is called “Neverland Ranch’. His autobiography is titled Moonwalk. Who?
35. Michael JAckson

36. What is common to Rajnikanth, Johnny Walker, John Major?
36. All were bus conductors at some point of time

37. In the Bofors case who was nicknamed ‘Lotus’?
37. Rajiv Gandhi

38. His heir apparent Baby was killed a year ago. His brother Arjunan and his two associates Ayyandorai and Karanangalur Ramaswamy committed suicide. Who?
38. Veerappan

39. Which brand’s new adline is ‘I Can’?
39. Nike

40. Which cricketer is nicknamed ‘Jammy’ because his father used to work in Kissan?
40. Rahul Dravid

41. His middle name is Fauntleroy. His father’s name is Quackmore. Who?
41. Donald Duck

42. He made his debut as a stunt double for Bruce Lee because Lee refused to jump from 30 feet for a sequence. Who?
42. Jackie Chan

43. Who is the only real life character to appear in Tintin comics?
43. Al Capone

44. Who was the target of the Jackal in the ‘Day of the Jackal’?
44. Charles De GAulle

45. One of the two main components of the dowry given by Catherine Braganza to Charles I was the Moroccan city of Tangiers. What was the other?
45. Bombay

46. Abandoned in front of a cathedral, he was brought up by a priest. His name in Latin means ‘half formed’. He became the church bell ringer by the age of 14 and lost his hearing as a result. He was dubbed the’Pope of Fools’. Who?
46. Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame

47. Which animal gets its name, from Tamil, because it supposedly has the strength to kill an elephant?
47. Anaconda

48. What does the NE in the Premier 118 NE stand for?
48. Nissan Engine

49. Under what category does the Guinness Book of Records enter itself?
49. As the most stolen book from Libraries

50. This linguist knows 13 languages. He recently released a semi-autobiography titled ‘The Insider’. Who?
50. P.V. Narasimha Rao

51. The video of which recent chartbuster is based on Indiana Jones?
51. Aqua’s Dr. Jones

52. Who represents the constituency of Gurdaspur in the current Lok Sabha?
52. Vinod Khanna

53. His father was the dreaded dacoit Bhairav Singh. He is the founder chief of the Citizens Security Force. Who?
53. Bahadur

54. Who would you find with Raveena Tandon on the cover of the latest issue(Aug 9 of Filmfare?
54. Ricky MArtin

55. Which popular comic character made his first appearance in Pep Comics No. 22 in Dec 1941?
55. Archie

56. What did the Romanian Govt. ban in 1935 saying that it frightened children?
56. Mickey Mouse

57. Who wrote romantic novels under the pen name Mary Clarissa Westmacott?
57. Agatha Christie

58. What was the football world cup trophy called before it was renamed the FIFA trophy?
58. Jules Rimet Cup

59. If you were ‘oscitating’ what would you be doing?
59. Walking backwards

60. Who, at a Nobel awards banquet, wished that the dinner could have been packed and carried to the more needy back home?
60. Mother TEresa

61. India is developing an ICBM called Surya and also an underwater missile. What is it called?
61. Sagarika

62. Who is the host of a new Star Plus chat show called “Not a nice man to know” which is also the title ofhis autobiography?
62. Kushwant Singh

63. In Hindu myth it is referred to as the Pralaya, in Christianity as Armageddon. What is it referred to as in Islam?
63. Qayamat
64. A famous lexicographer upon being approached by a lady thanking him for omitting 4-letter words from his dictionary, is said to have replied with consternation “ So you have been looking for them madam”. Who?
64. Noah Webster

65. What is the German word for ‘store’ or ‘storehouse’?
65. Lager, therefore Lager beer

66. If your IQ is below 20, you are an ‘idiot’, if it is between 20 and 49 you are an ‘imbecile’. What are you if it is between 50 and 69?
66. Moron

67. What is a ‘Mexican breakfast’?
67. A glass of water with a cigarette

68. In the world of Indian fiction, who won the ‘All India Rifle Competition’ in 1975?
68. Feluda

69. “We contemplate the ultimate reality which is in the earth, the sky, the heaven,Let us bring our minds to meditate in the glory of the divine earth. May truth inspire our reflection“. This is the last prayer of a cult. Which one?
69. Heaven’s Gate

70. Which sportsman’s name is a corruption of the title ‘Ayo Dele’ which means ‘Joy in the house’ and was bestowed upon him by his Nigerian father while it got corrupted due to a mispronunciation by his Scottish mother?
70. Daley Thompson
71. In Greek myth when Theseus offered to kill the Minotaur, Ariadne, Daughter of the King of Crete gave him a thread to help him find his way back from the Minotaur’s dwelling. What word came into English language from this?
71. Clue

72. What commodity was originally called a ‘delirious drug’ in France and ‘a product that causes the shrivelled look of the orient’ in Germany?
72. Tea

73. Where in the world would you find the only digital Rolex clock?
73. Wimbledon Centre Court

74. She works 10-12 hours a day. She smokes 5 packets of cigarettes a day while working. She is the daughter of the renowned poet, Manish Ghatak and niece of director Ritwik Ghatak. She runs a tribal welfare organisation called ‘Paschim Bangla Keriya Sabar Kalyan Samiti’. Who?
74. Mahashweta Devi

75. ‘RUPTUREWORT’ is the largest word that can be made from the letters on the first row of a typewriter. What is the second largest?
75. Typewriter

76. What is the female equivalent of a ‘runway’?
76. Catwalk

77. The fusion of the Chinese ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ is the symbol of which organisation in India?
77. Doordarshan

78. Who is the first Indian to be appointed the Master of the Trinity College at Oxford?
78. Amartya Sen, now Nobel laureate

79. What did Winston Churchill describe as ‘an ineffectual attempt to direct an uncontrollable object into an inaccessible hole with instruments ill-adapted for the purpose’?
79. Golf

80. In Table Tennis a ball is so spun on the table that the opponent does not reach it. This inspired a person named Bosanquet to invent something. What?
80. The Googly in cricket

81. He was recently in India to inaugurate the India Internet World exhibition in Delhi. Originally from Bangalore, he was the co-founder of the popular Hotmail free e-mail service which he sold to Microsoft for $400 million last year. Who?
81. Sabeer Bahtia

82. It’s official name is ‘The Albert Victor Conservatory’ and is spread over an area of 2180 sq.m. What are we talking about?
82. The Glass House at lalbagh, Bangalore

83. This person originally had the surname ‘Little’. Influenced by Elijah Mohd., he joined the Nation of Islam. After a pilgrimage to Mecca, he returned under the name G Haj Malik el Shahbazz, a Sunni Muslim. Who?
83. Malcolm X

84. In a fit of madness this person killed his wife Megara and their children. In order to atone for his sins he did something. Who and what?
84. Hercules and he performed the 12 tasks

85. He was named so because he was born in the same year as that his father first tasted success, in the movie ‘Choti Behan’. He cleaned carpets, worked on an oil rig and on a horse farm. He is now settled as a farmer in New Zealand. Who?
85. Lucky Ali

86. Its predecessor was codenamed ‘Chicago’. Its codename was ‘Memphis’. It was released about two months ago after a delay of nearly a year. What are we talking about?
86. Windows 98

87. A 2 word answer: The first word is the common name for a South American shrub whose dried leaves are chewed as a stimulant. The second word is a West African tree whose seed is used as a condiment and tonic.
87. Coca Cola

88. ‘The god of wind brought about the winds of change in India’. What was once advertised thus?
88. Maruti

89. Which literary personality’s last work was ‘The Phoenix and the Turtle’?
89. William Shakespeare

90. In Phantom comics what are the names of the Phantom’s two pet dolphins?
90. Solomon and Nefertiti

91. Who recently won the “Businessperson of the Year” Award for 1998 instituted by The Economic Times newspaper?
91. N. Chandrababu NAidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

92. About which music group did the legendary Phil Spector remark “ The only difference between a pornographic movie and them is that the pornographic movie has better music”
92. The Spice Girls

93. In the film Mr. And Mrs. 55 Guru Dutt was a cartoonist. Who actually drew the cartoons?
93. Bal Thackeray

94. His wife said of him “he is frightened of the titles and degrees on peoples visiting cards” and his card reads ‘ senior shoe salesman’. Who?
94. Thomas J. Bata
95. It is called ‘deuce’ in English, ‘egalite’ in French. What is it in German?
95. Einstein

96. So sure were the distributors of the success of this film , that they split up the film into 20 minute segments for a kids morning show. Which film?
96. Star Wars

97. If you were engaged in an altercation with a friend and he gave you a ‘circum orbital Hemotopo’ what would you have?
97. A black eye.

98. What is referred to as ‘blue sky research’?
98. Spending enormous amounts of money on futile projects like finding out why the sky is blue etc.

99. What do psychologists define as ‘a disorder in which strongly felt ethical and altruistic impulses are perpetually warring with extreme sexual longing often of a perverse nature’?
99. Love

100. Locals affectionately refer to it as ‘bobby’. It is 90 ft long, has a sinuous body, tail, snake like head and a long neck. What?
100. The Loch Ness Monster.

101. According to legend Allah has 1001 names. To be good men, men need know only 1000 names. Who is the only one to know all 1001 names?
101. The Camel

102. What contribution did a vague movie by name ‘Rooplekha’ make to Indian cinema?
102. First movie with a flashback sequence.

103. The word ‘stadium’ comes from ‘stade’ a unit of distance. What was the unit?
103. The distance that Hercules could walk holding his breath.

104. In Asterix comic Unhygienix buys a plot of land from Obelix. How do we supposedly know this land today?
104. As Stonehenge.

105. Which day to day medical term is derived from the Latin for Cow?
105. Vaccination.

106. Based on Hamlet, it was the first English movie to be dubbed into Zulu and was also the first English movie not to feature a single human. Which movie?
106. The Lion King

107. It was believed that the devil was present at all important occasions during the medieval period. What practice arose from this?
107. The practice of clinking glasses to toast. They believed that the sound made was similar to church bells which scared the Devil away.

108. When King George first met him he asked him ‘Tell me , how did you pee’? Who are we talking about?
108. Sir Charles Lindbergh

109. She is a graduate of the National School of Drama . She replaced Mita Vashist in her most celebrated role to date. She is also starring in Kamal Hassan’s under-production film ‘Ladies Only’. Who
109. Seema Biswas.

110. What is common to hearty, Patiala, silent, cocktail, open heart, dancing and round?
110. All are types of laughter.

111. If you were playing with the Devil’s Book what would you be doing?
111. Playing cards.

112. In medieval times, in Europe, 1/3 of taxes went to the King, 1/3 to the nobility and 1/3 to the common man. How is this immortalised?
112. Through the nursery rhyme ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’

113. Born with the body of a mastiff, looks of a lamb, teeth of a bunny rabbit and is one of those mutations that happen when God plays dice. Who or What are we talking about?
113. Ronaldo

114. Following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, there were many debates in Parliament regarding what to be done with the disputed land. One of the most popular suggestions came from a first time M.P. from Uttar Pradesh who suggested that a sweet shop be built there. What was his logic?
114. Rama + Babri = Rabri which was a sweetmeat.

115. This bird has the unique distinction of being called by the names of two different countries in different parts of the world. Give both names.
115. Turkey and Peru in Latin America.

116. “There was neither non-exist nor exist. There was neither the realm of space nor the sky beyond”. Opening lines of what?
116. The Rig Veda.

117. In February 1935, the superpolyamide formed from hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid was made by Du Pont. How do we know this compound better?
117. As Nylon

118. This person wrote about himself thus :”Principal virtues : keeps his nails clean. Principal faults : that he has no family, is bad tempered and has a poor digestion. One and only wish : Not to be buried alive. Greatest sin : that he does not worship Mammon. Important events in his life : None”. Who?
118. Alfred Nobel

119. There’s a story that, around 1600, two children were playing with lenses in a shop in Middleburg. What resulted, according to the story, from the game?
119. The telescope. They were playing in Hans Lippershey’s shop. Lippershey is considered to be the probable inventor of the telescope. By holding together the two lenses, the children found, they could magnify the objects kept in the shop. This led Lippershey to construct the telescope.

120. What was patented by Hippolyte Mege Mouries in 1869, after he was commissioned by the Victualing Department of the French Navy to find an alternative for butter at a time of acute butter shortage?
120. Margarine

121. They began to appear in quantities in the 1860s. “I hate those redbreasts”, cried “Punch” in 1869. In 1877 “The Times” magazine declared them a great social evil, and it was following difficulties with them in 1879 that the London Post Office in 1880 cried out “Post Early”. What are we talking about?
121. Christmas Cards
122. His first voyage, in 1607, was intended to find a quick way to China by way of the North Pole, but resulted instead in the establishment of the Spitzbergen whale fisheries. In 1608, in the service of the Dutch East India Company, he sailed 150 miles past the site of New York, but returned back. In 1610, he explored the site that is now known by his name and was frozen in it. Who?
122. Henry Hudson, of Hudson Bay

123. A man by name Friedrich Froebel, walking with two of his disciples over the Steiger Pass on the way to the village of Blankenburg, scratched his head for the right name to give the institution, and then suddenly shouted out “Eureka ! I have it ! It shall be called _______________!”. Fill in the blank.
123. Kindergarten. Froebel, the German educational reformer was the inventor of the Kindergarden system of education.

124. Back in 1890, Johnson & Johnson put together the first of its kind in response to a plea from railroad workers who needed treatment on the scene as they toiled to lay tracks across America. What?
124. First Aid kits

125. To the Hopi Indians, who feared it and filled it with frightening myths, it was the trail made by the God Ta-Vwoats when he took a mourning chief to find his wife in the other world; the river associated with it, according to them was an addition to hold back the unworthy. What?
125. The Grand Canyon and the River Colorado.

126. An author, as a sign of gratitude to the nurse who had cared for his firstborn child, gave a script and asked her to sell it when she was in need of money. Years later, when the nurse was really in want of money, she sold it and lived in comfort for the rest of her life. The manuscript was the first part of a famous work of this author Name the book and author?
126. Rudyard Kipling and the Jungle Book

127. Though Magellan is regarded as the first person to circumnavigate the world, technically he was not, and it was a person by name Juan Sebastian del Cano, who is technically the first circumnavigator. Why?
127. Magellan, while on the expedition, was killed in a squabble with the natives in the Philippines, and it was Cano who assumed command of the expedition and sailed the expedition through the rest of its journey

128. In the United States, currently a small stock of this exists at only one location - at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Some additional stocks are available in Great Britain, Russia and China. Stocks of what?
128. The Small pox virus

129. Masaru Ibuka, after graduating in engineering, failed the entry examination for lifetime employment at Toshiba, and decided to start his own small business. He was fortunate to find a partner who had a flair for finance and salesmanship. Who was this partner?
129. Akio Morita. They together started the company that later became Sony.

130. US banned her entry calling her ‘a communist good’. She was kept in On her journey to the USA from China she got into trouble when the London for time’s sake and became a major attraction there. Who?
130. Chi-Chi the Panda, who became the mascot of the WWF

131. The comic character Yogi Bear lives in a national park that takes its name from the world’s first national park. Name both.
131. Jellystone and Yellowstone

132. The byline of which company, rather ironically went ‘What we do will touch your lives in some way everyday’?
132. Union Carbide Limited (Bhopal Gas Tragedy)

133. Cubatao, in Brazil has certain epithet because it is the world’s most polluted place. What epithet?
133. The Valley of Death

134. Which popular brand takes its name from a particular species of deer native to South Africa?
134. Reebok

135. Which metal was responsible for the fatal brain disease that affected people eating fish caught from the Minamata Bay off the Japanese island of Kyushu?
135. Mercury

136. What is the claim to fame of a body called the Dasohli Gram Swarajya Mandali?
136. Pioneered the Chipko movement

137. A certain kind of bird called Storm Petrels are named after St. Peter. Why?
137. Because they can walk on water

138. The largest flower in the world is named after the person who forced Lord Minto to occupy Java and was at one time the keeper of the London Zoo. We know him best for a city that he founded. Name him and the flower?
138. Sir Stamford Thomas Raffles and the Rafflesia arnoldi

139. In which book would you find the lines ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal’.
139. George Orwell’s ‘Animal farm’

140. The Indian television series ‘Living on the edge’ was the first in Asia to win the prestigious Panda Award. By what popular name is this award known?
140. The Green Oscar

141. Which animal is mentioned as the teacher of Yudhishthira in the Mahabharatha?
141. The Mongoose

142. Which comic character cannot stand trees being cut down?
142. Dogmatix of Asterix

143. Which Banking and Finance corporate major recently tied up with the WWF to issue special WWF branded credit cards wherein the company would donate a certain amount of money on the customer’s behalf to WWF everytime he used the card?
143. Citibank

144. A few years ago a certain insect called the Mexican Beetle was imported into Bangalore in large numbers. Why?
144. To eradicate the weed Parthenium

145. India’s premier environmental magazine is edited by activist Bittu Sahgal. Name it.
145. Sanctuary

146. Who said ‘A nation’s wealth, its real wealth can be gauged by its tree cover ‘?
146. Richard St. Barbe Baker, ‘The Man of Trees’

147. Who is the patron saint of ecology?
147. St. Francis

148. Of which media powerhouse is the Discovery Channel a division?
148. Disney

149. Who authored a bestseller ‘Overload’ which is concerned with a fight between environmentalists and an engineer over the building of a thermal power station?
149. Arthur Hailey

150. This American industrialist donated about 1/5th of his property to WWF in return for which the WWF gives an annual Wildlife Conservation Prize to individuals and organisations for distinguished service to the cause of conservation, in his name. Who?
150. J. Paul Getty

UPSC (PT) MODEL QUESTION 2008

1. Who among the following has been appointed as the Central Board of Direct Taxes on May 01, 2008 ?
(a) Brajesh Mishra
(b) Rabender Singh Mathoda
(c) Soli J. Sorabjee
(d) T. K. A. Nair
Ans: ( b ) Rabender Singh Mathoda
2. Who among the following is the new Chief Minister of Meghalaya ?
(a) S. M. Krishna
(b) Uma Bharti
(c) Donkupar Roy
(d) Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Ans: ( c ) Donkupar Roy
3. Who among the following has won the Miss Universe 2007 crown ? (a) Riyo MORI
(b) Shandi Finnessey
(c) Alba Reyes
(d) None of these
Ans: ( a ) Riyo MORI
4. A solemn ceremony to mark the 60th Anniversary of D-Day landings of the Allies troops during the Second World War, was held in
(a) Pearl Harbour
(b) Normandy
(c) New York
(d) Lisbon
Ans: ( b ) Normandy
5. Which of the following cricketers holds the world record of maximum number of sixes in Twenty 20 world cup cricket ?
(a) Yuvraj Singh
(b) Viv Richards (West Indies)
(c) Sachin Tendulkar (India)
(d) Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Ans: ( a ) Yuvraj Singh
6. Who among the following has been appointed the new Chief Justice of India ? (a) Justice Rajendra Babu
(b) Justice V. N. Khare
(c) Justice K.G.Balkrishnan
(d) None of these
Ans: ( c ) Justice K.G.Balkrishnan
7. Who among the following sports persons got the honour of lighting the Olympic flame at the in New Delhi recently ?
(a) Leander Paes
(b) Abhinav Bindra
(c) Viswanathan Anand
(d) K. M. Beenamol
Ans: ( a ) Leander Paes
8. Who among the following has been appointed new chairman of the National Knowledge Commission ?
(a) Ajit Singh
(b) K. C. Pant
(c) Sam Pitroda
(d) Sharad Pawar
Ans: ( c ) Sam Pitroda
9. Which of the following planets crossed the face of the sun (in transit) after 122 years ?
(a) Mars
(b) Venus
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn
Ans: ( b ) Venus
10. Which of the following countries was admitted to the SAARC recently ?
(a) Nepal
(b) Myanmar
(c) Pakistan
(d) Afghanistan
Ans: ( d ) Afghanistan
11. The world governing body of which of the following sports celebrated its 100 years in existence ?
(a) Football
(b) Hockey
(c) Badminton
(d) Cricket
Ans: ( a ) Football
12. Who among the following won the men's singles title of the Australian Open Tennis Championship 2008 ?
(a) Guillermo Coria
(b) Roger Federer
(c) Andy Roddick
(d) Novak Dokovic
Ans: ( d ) Novak Dokovic 13. Who is India's first Woman Grand Master in Chess ?
(a) Aarthie Ramaswamy
(b) Koneru Humpy
(c) S. Meenakshi
(d) S. Vijayalakshmi
Ans: ( b ) Koneru Humpy 14. The age of a tree can be determined by -
(a) Measuring its height
(b) Measuring its diameter
(c) Analyzing its sap
(d) Counting the annual growth rings of its stem
Ans: ( d ) Counting the annual growth rings of its stem
15. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
Mountains Continents
(a) The Rocky : North America
(b) The Andes : South America
(c) The Alps : Europe
(d) The Ural : Africa
Ans: ( d ) The Ural : Africa
16. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched ?
(a) Purna Swaraj Resolution : 1929
(b) Martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat Singh : 1931
(c) Formation of the Congress Socialist Party: 1939
(d) Simla Confeence : 1940
Ans: ( b ) Martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat Singh : 1931
17. The Lingaraja Temple built during the medieval period is at
(a) Bhubaneswar
(b) Khajuraho
(c) Madurai
(d) Mount Abu
Ans: ( a ) Bhubaneswar
18. Which one of the following is essentially a solo dance ?
(a) Kuchipudi
(b) Kathak
(c) Manipuri
(d) Mohiniattam
Ans: ( d ) Mohiniattam
19. The deepest oceanic trench Mariana is located in -
(a) Atlantic Ocean
(b) Arctic Ocean
(c) Pacific Ocean
(d) Indian Ocean
Ans: ( c ) Pacific Ocean
20. Although fog consists of fine drops of water, we cannot see clearly through it because - (a) The light rays undergo total internal reflection in the drops
(b) Fine drops of water in fog polarize the light
(c) The fine drops are opaque to the light
(d) The drops scatter most of the light
Ans: ( d ) The drops scatter most of the light
21. During the Mughal period, which one of the following were the first to come to India as traders ?
(a) Portuguese
(b) Dutch
(c) Danish
(d) English
Ans: ( a ) Portuguese
22. Who among the following Delhi Sultans is known for introducing market control mechanism ?
(a) Iltutmish
(b) Balban
(c) Alauddin Khalji
(d) Firoze Tughlaq
Ans: ( c ) Alauddin Khalji
23. Which one of the following mountain peaks of the Himalayas is NOT in India ?
(a) Annapurna
(b) Nanda Devi
(c) Mt. Kamet
(d) Kanchenjunga
Ans: ( a ) Annapurna
24. A rift valley is formed mainly due to
(a) The forces of tension in the earth?s crust
(b) The subsidence of the floor of a river valley
(c) The valley formed after the formation of fold mountains
(d) The deepening of a valley by ice action
Ans: ( a ) The forces of tension in the earth's crust
25. Who is the author of the book Superstar India? ?
(a) Arun Shourie
(b) Dominique Lapierre
(c) Shobha De
(d) Salman Rushdie
Ans: ( c ) Shobha De

UPSC (PT) Current events of April 2008

April 1, 2008 (2008-04-01) (Tuesday)

A human rights group in Sri Lanka has blamed local security forces for the massacre of 17 aid workers in 2006 and accused the government of a cover-up.
The Swedish national postal service will merge with its Danish counterpart, the new group will be based in Stockholm.
Finland's Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva is forced to resign after a scandal involving 200 text messages sent to a stripper.
India warns the Dalai Lama not to anger the People's Republic of China.
Delays in releasing the official results of parliamentary and presidential elections in Zimbabwe are met with widespread speculation and concerns over possible vote rigging.
Current events of April 2, 2008 (2008-04-02) (Wednesday)

Leader of the House of Commons Harriet Harman becomes the first Labour woman ever to answer Prime Minister's Questions.
A cross human-cow embryo survives a third straight day after being fertilized at Newcastle University, England. A director for embryonic stem cell laboratories at the Australian Stem Cell Centre said that the "99 per cent human" embryo could improve research within the field of human diseases. The Catholic Church in England however said that the creation was "monstrous" and says that the later destruction of it is unethical.
The United States House of Representatives votes to provide $50 billion over five years to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and other third world areas.
Suspended Serb prison workers from Lipljan, Kosovo, claim that Serbia has not paid them money promised for leaving the Kosovo institutions.
Talks begin in Priština on demarcation of the border between Macedonia and Kosovo.
Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern announces he will resign on 6 May after 11 years of rule.
A strong cold front sweeps across south-eastern Australia, bringing destructive winds to South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. In Melbourne, a woman died when part of a wall collapsed in the suburb of Mentone.
The European Union announces an investigation into the bailout of the Northern Rock bank in the United Kingdom.
The President of the United States George W. Bush supports the bids by Georgia and Ukraine to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Cuban citizens now have access to what were formerly "tourist-only" hotels and cellphones.
Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change defeats Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF in the Zimbabean parliamentary elections.
Current events of April 3, 2008 (2008-04-03) (Thursday)
An Antonov An-28 operated by Blue Wing Airlines crashes upon landing in Benzdorp, Suriname. All nineteen on board are presumed dead.
Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008:
Police in riot gear surround a hotel in Harare housing foreign journalists. New York Times correspondent Barry Bearak, Daily Telegraph correspondent Stephen Bevan, and two others are arrested.
MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti reports that police have begun raiding opposition party offices in an apparent "crackdown".
Bagatur is named the acting Chairman of Inner Mongolia, succeeding Yang Jing, who is the new minister in charge of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.
Jules Verne, the first European Automated Transfer Vehicle, successfully performs a fully automated docking with the International Space Station.
In a procedural decision, the European Court of Justice overturns the addition of the Kurdish rebel organization PKK to the EU's terrorist blacklist.
Serbian Minister on Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić submits to UNMIK a plan suggesting Kosovo's division into cantons along ethnic lines.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots open a crossing at Ledra Street, a main shopping street in Cyprus' divided capital Nicosia that has come to symbolize the island's ethnic partition.
The Iraqi military says a suicide bomber has attacked a checkpoint near Mosul, killing 7 people and wounding 12.
At its summit in Bucharest, NATO invites Albania and Croatia to join the alliance.
CURRENT EVEENTS of April 4, 2008 (2008-04-04) (Friday)
Former commander of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1998–99 war Ramush Haradinaj is acquitted of war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
United States airline Skybus announces that it will be shutting down Saturday and cancels all flights.
The United States Department of State renews the contract of Blackwater Worldwide to provide security in Iraq despite a number of ongoing investigations.
A suicide bomb attack kills three policemen and a civilian in southern Afghanistan.
The luxury yacht Le Ponant is seized by pirates off the Somalian coast.
Current events of April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05) (Saturday)
A bus carrying high school band students tips over on Interstate 94 northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, killing one person and leaving three others in critical condition.
183 women and children are taken into protective custody from the YFZ Ranch compound linked to polygamist Warren Jeffs.
Comply or Die ridden by Timmy Murphy, wins the 2008 Grand National at Aintree by four lengths.
The 4th series of Sci Fi phenomenon Doctor Who started drawing 9.5 million viewers on BBC1 at 6:20 PM.
Current events of April 6, 2008 (2008-04-06) (Sunday)
Mark Penn resigns as chief strategist for the Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign. This comes in the wake of revelations that he performed lobbying work for the Colombian government, regarding a free trade pact that Senator Clinton opposes.
One man grabs the Olympic torch before police wrestle him to the ground as thousands of anti-China protesters disrupt the Olympic torch relay through London.
Gunmen kidnap 42 university students near the Iraqi city of Mosul. They are later released unharmed.
Twenty people are killed and 50 injured in overnight clashes in Sadr City in Baghdad.
A rocket attack on the Green Zone in Baghdad results in the death of two United States Army soldiers and 17 injuries.
President of the United States George W. Bush and President of Russia Vladimir Putin hold their final talks in their current positions.
At least ten people including Government minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle are killed in an explosion near Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Vandals desecrate 148 Muslim graves in France's biggest WWI cemetery at Notre Dame de Lorette outside Arras in northern France.
Current events of April 7, 2008 (2008-04-07) (Monday)
The European Commission approves the use of mobile phones on European flights.
The Kansas Jayhawks defeat the Memphis Tigers in overtime, 75-68, to win the 2008 U.S. Division I men's college basketball championship.
The Washington Post wins six Pulitzer Prizes including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for a series of articles of poor conditions for veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
2008 Summer Olympics
The Olympic torch is extinguished by officials as police are confronted by protesters during the Olympic torch relay through Paris.
U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton calls on President George W. Bush to boycott the opening ceremony at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The head of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge says he's "very concerned" about unrest in Tibet and other issues associated with the Summer Olympics.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the Summer Olympiad claims that the "Olympic torch has received a warm welcome worldwide." (Beijing 2008)
China and New Zealand sign a free trade agreement. This is China's first trade agreement with a developed nation.

Current events of April 8, 2008 (2008-04-08) (Tuesday)
The first Korean astronaut, Yi So-yeon and two Russian Expedition 17 cosmonauts are launched towards the International Space Station on board Soyuz TMA-12. Movement for Democratic Change Secretary General Tendai Biti calls for international intervention to thwart violence in the wake of the Zimbabwean presidential election.
Current events of April 9, 2008 (2008-04-09) (Wednesday)
The Olympic torch relay through San Francisco descends into confusion as the first runner in the elaborately planned relay disappears into a warehouse on a waterfront pier. The body representing all National Olympic Committees says it had deleted a mention of Tibet in its Beijing Games declaration after a debate among its members. American Airlines cancels more than 1,000 flights in order to make sure some wiring on its fleet of 300 MD-80 jetliners was secured correctly inside wheel wells. Police in Nepal shoot dead six Maoists the day before the holding of Constituent Assembly elections. (ABC Radio Australia) Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council approves changes to the system of government on Sark, ending about 450 years of feudalism on the Channel Island.
Current events of April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10) (Thursday)
Mayor Anders Lago of Södertälje, Sweden, says that his small city of about 80,000 is currently home to nearly 6,000 Iraqis. "More refugees than the United States and Canada together". Frontier Airlines files for bankruptcy protection. 2008 Summer Olympics: The European Parliament passes a resolution in favor of a boycott of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympiad. IOC president Jacques Rogge calls for China to respect its commitment to improve human rights ahead of the Beijing Games. The Olympic torch arrives in Buenos Aires for the Olympic torch relay under heavy security. A suicide car bomber attacks a NATO convoy in Kandahar, resulting in the death of eight citizens. Nepal prepares for an election that will decide the new Constituent Assembly, tasked with rewriting the constitution. The fate of the monarchy is also at stake.
Current events of April 11, 2008 (2008-04-11) (Friday)
The President of Cuba Raúl Castro allows thousands of renters to gain title to their own houses. A fire destroys the campaign office of Senator Hillary Clinton in Terre Haute, Indiana. Somalian pirates release 30 hostages (mostly French) kidnapped aboard Le Ponant in the Gulf of Aden a week ago.
Current events of April 12, 2008 (2008-04-12) (Saturday)
The National Assembly of Haiti removes the Prime Minister of Haiti Jacques-Edouard Alexis following a week of food riots in which six deaths had occurred. The President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao meets with the Vice-President-elect of Republic of China (Taiwan) Vincent Siew in the highest level talks between the two sides since 1949. The Herald, a government-run newspaper, reports that Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, will not attend the regional crisis meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, to discuss the crisis over the 2008 presidential election. International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence: Russia threatens to block Ban Ki Moon from serving a second term as United Nations Secretary-General because of his stance on Kosovo's recent independence. The Kremlin is pressing Ban to ignore, or at least prolong, a proposed 120-day transition period to Kosovo independence from Serbia that expires on 16 June. Renewal of Serbia-Kosovo talks is possible. A Sudanese cargo plane crashes in Moldova, killing eight people. A call to boycott French hypermart Carrefour from 1 May began spreading through mobile text messaging and online chat rooms amongst the Chinese over the weekend from 12 April, accusing the company's major shareholder, the LVMH Group, of donating funds to the Dalai Lama. There were also calls to extend the boycott to include French luxury goods and cosmetic products.According to the Washington Times on April 15, however, the Chinese government was attempting to "calm the situation" through censorship: "All comments posted on popular Internet forum Sohu.com relating to a boycott of Carrefour have been deleted.
Current events of April 13, 2008 (2008-04-13) (Sunday)
Trevor Immelman of South Africa wins the 2008 Masters Tournament. Robert Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, calls for immediate action to tackle rising food prices which have caused rioting in several countries. Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Hajredin Kuçi announces that the newly independent country plans to open 20 embassies abroad. The Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd announces that current Governor of Queensland Quentin Bryce will become Australia's next Governor-General. Ms Bryce will be the first woman appointed to the role. Thousands of pro-China demonstrators gathered in front of the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa to show their support for the Chinese government and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Current events of April 14, 2008 (2008-04-14) (Monday)
The Nevado del Huila volcano erupts in Colombia, causing thousands to evacuate. Delta Air Lines reaches an agreement with Northwest Airlines to take over Northwest and create the world's biggest airline. The United States begins occupying its new US$736 million embassy in Iraq, one of the largest embassies in the world. Presently under construction, it is approximately as large as the Vatican City and will permanently employ thousands of Americans, including a Marine detachment. Silvio Berlusconi is re-elected for the third time as the Prime Minister of Italy. (AP via The International Herald Tribune) Nabucco Pipeline: Turkmenistan agrees to supply 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas to the European Union per annum, to reduce the bloc's dependence on gas from Russia. Passenger trains resume between Dhaka in Bangladesh and the Indian city of Calcutta, after 43 years. Taliban insurgents attack a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan killing 11 police officers. The World Bank announces a package of emergency measures to tackle the dramatic rise in basic food prices which has led to civil unrest throughout much of the developing world.
Current events of April 15, 2008 (2008-04-15) (Tuesday)
A five-year ban preventing prominent Malaysian Opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim from running for office in Malaysia effectively expires midnight . A plane from Hewa Bora Airways crashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 44. War in Iraq: Two separate bombings in Baquba and Ramadi kills at least 60. (CNN) Six students and a teacher from Manukau City's Elim Christian College die in a canyoning trip on the Mangatepopo Stream in the North Island's Tongariro National Park in New Zealand.
Current events of April 16, 2008 (2008-04-16) (Wednesday)
A Zimbabwean judge clears two British journalists of reporting on the 2008 presidential election without accreditation. Around 44 people, mostly children, die after a bus plunges into the Narmada River in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The United States Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of lethal injection as a form of capital punishment over Eighth Amendment "cruel and unusual punishment" challenges.
Current events of April 17, 2008 (2008-04-17) (Thursday)
South Korean special prosecutors investigating Samsung Group indict the Chairman Lee Kun-hee for tax evasion and breach of trust. In Malta held the casual election to elect 12 other parliament members, 6 for the Malta Labour Party (MLP) and 6 for the Partit Nazzjonalista (PN), before opening the new parliament of Malta on 11 May, 2008.
Current events of April 18, 2008 (2008-04-18) (Friday)
CNN news anchor Richard Quest is arrested for possession of methamphetamine in New York's Central Park. Texas judge rules that 418 children taken from the YFZ Ranch should remain in state custody for 60 days South Korea agrees to open its market to beef from the United States ahead of trade talks. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurs at 04:37 Central Standard Time with its epicenter six miles (10 km) from West Salem, Illinois. Effects are felt as far off as Evansville, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland. While shaking was reported in Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati, there are few reports of damage.
Current events of April 19, 2008 (2008-04-19) (Saturday)
Muqtada al-Sadr threatens a new rebellion if a United States-Iraqi crackdown against his followers continues. Soyuz TMA-11 lands safely outside Arkalyk, 475 kilometers (295 mi) short of the planned landing site in Kazakhstan, due to a computer glitch. 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay: Chinese nationalists boycott the French-owned retail chain Carrefour in cities including Kunming, Hefei and Wuhan, accusing the French people of racism. Protesters block customers with large flags and throw water bottles. In Hefei, a Carrefour store was vandalized and looted by protesters. A South African court blocks unloading of the An Yue Jiang, a Chinese cargo ship carrying 77 tonnes of small arms bound for Zimbabwe, purportedly from the Chinese Ministry of Defense. According to reports, the ship has since left for Mozambique.

Current events of April 20, 2008 (2008-04-20) (Sunday)
Former bishop Fernando Lugo is elected as the President of Paraguay. (AFP via Google News) Radio Television of Kosovo wants to participate as soon as possible in the Eurovision Song Contest and therefore aims to join the European Broadcasting Union. Some EBU members such as Serbia, Russia and Greece may object, as they don't recognise the new Republic of Kosovo. Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win a race in any top-flight American motor racing series with her victory in IndyCar's 2008 Indy Japan 300. The New York Times publishes an exposé on the Pentagon message machine. (The New York Times) Brazilian priest Adelir Antonio de Carli goes missing after cluster ballooning to raise money for truck drivers in Paranaguá, Paraná.
Current events of April 21, 2008 (2008-04-21) (Monday)
Rioting breaks out in Montreal after the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL win their first round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. Several police cars are torched, but there are no reports of any serious injuries. A missile hits the headquarters of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council political party in Baghdad. No one is reported injured. A boat carrying Haitian immigrants capsizes off the coast of the Bahamas. At least 20 deaths are reported by the United States Coast Guard.
Current events of April 22, 2008 (2008-04-22) (Tuesday)
Costa Rica rejects an application for political asylum by former Colombian Senator Mario Uribe following orders for Uribe's arrest on charges of ties with paramilitary groups. Uribe is then arrested. A U.S. federal grand jury in Las Vegas, Nevada, indicts a man on charges of possessing the toxin ricin and on weapons charges. Ben-ami Kaddish, a former U.S. Army mechanical engineer, is arrested on charges of disclosing national defense information to Israel. The United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says that former President of the United States Jimmy Carter was advised not to hold talks with Hamas. Zimbabwe churches claim that people are being tortured, abducted and some murdered in a campaign of political retribution against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Current events of April 23, 2008 (2008-04-23) (Wednesday)
Sri Lankan Civil War: In fighting in the North of Sri Lanka, the military claims victory with 43 soldiers killed and 33 missing while killing over 100 Tamil Tigers. The rebels also claim victory, saying that they killed 100 soldiers and wounded 500 while only losing 16 of their own. Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter reiterates that no person from the United States Department of State ever asked him not to meet with representatives from Hamas or Syria.
Current events of April 24, 2008 (2008-04-24) (Thursday)
Operation Orchard: The United States claims North Korea helped Syria build a nuclear reactor at a site destroyed by Israeli forces in September 2007. Final results in the Nepal Constituent Assembly election show that the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won double the number of seats of the next largest party.
Current events of April 25, 2008 (2008-04-25) (Friday)
Some forty people are injured when the floor of a Mennonite church collapses during a Christian rock concert in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Two people are killed and more than a dozen injured after a semitrailer crashes into a Chicago Transit Authority station during rush hour. Sri Lankan Civil War: At least 24 people are killed by a blast on a bus near Colombo. (BBC News) Actor Wesley Snipes is sentenced to three years in prison for tax violations. (The New York Times) A United States military-contracted vessel fires warning shots in front of two boats in the Persian Gulf, causing the boats to leave. Students and their families in various locations across the United States participate in the nationally-recognized 13th annual Day of Silence.
Current events of April 26, 2008 (2008-04-26) (Saturday)
The death toll from a fire in a mattress factory in the Hay Hassani district of Casablanca rises to 55. The 26 members of the Spanish FV Playa de Bakio are released by Somali pirates. The sole provider of public transport in Toronto, Canada, the Toronto Transit Commission, is shut down by a strike. 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq: The Turkish Armed Forces attack Kurdistan Workers Party positions in northern Iraq. Nauruan elections are held after the dissolution of Parliament on April 18.
Current events of April 27, 2008 (2008-04-27) (Sunday)
Dignitaries including the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai take cover as automatic gunfire breaks out at a ceremony in Kabul. A father-and-son duo who owned and managed the factory that burnt down with 55 deaths yesterday in Casablanca have been arrested over serious safety violations.