General Studies Questions [Mix & Previous Years MCQs]

Notes:
In the year 1962 the validity of the provisions in section 124A was upheld by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar case.

Notes:
Chandragupta Maurya or Sandrocottus as mentioned by greek scholars was born in 340 BCE. He was the first ruler of India who tried to consolidate smaller kingdoms and founded the first empire of the Indian subcontinent. He was assisted by his prime minister Kautilya.

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In 1665 CE, Aurangzeb sent Raja Jai Singh and Diler Khan to weaken the Marathas, successfully besieging Purandar Fort. Shivaji negotiated the Treaty of Purandar, ceding 23 forts and territory worth 4 lakh hons to the Mughals, agreeing to serve as a vassal and assist in Deccan campaigns. Shivaji’s son, Sambhaji, was taken to the Mughal court as goodwill.

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Amongst all the Gallantry Awards, Param Vir Chakra is the highest order of recognition in the military. It is conferred for the display of extraordinary bravery in times of war.

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Bauxite is an aluminum ore and is the main source of aluminum. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2. Bauxite was named after the village Les Baux in southern France, where it was first recognized as containing aluminum and named by the French geologist Pierre Berthier in 1821.

Notes:
The Dominican Republic is a country located in the West Indies region in the Hispaniola Islands of the Greater Antilles Archipelago. The Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea form the coastline of the Dominican Republic to the north and south respectively. The Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola Island with Haiti to the east. The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the north and north-west. Puerto Rico which is separated by the Mona Passage lies to the east of the Dominican Republic. Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic. Spanish is the official language of the Dominican Republic.

Notes:
The Nomadic Herders have a strong loyalty to their tribes. However, when the herders become sedentary the social fabric tends to get torn apart. People on the margins of the traditional herding areas are more exposed to the outside contact and influence. Here occurs a process called cultural osmosis whereby some nomads shed their traditional occupation and settle down at the edge of the agricultural areas.

Notes:
According to the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, Galapagos Sea Lion is an endangered species of a sea lion. It is the most abundant marine mammal in the archipelago. It is a sea lion species that primarily breeds in the Galapagos Islands, although some breeding colonies also occur on Isla de la Plata just off mainland Ecuador. They are the smallest sea lion species and fairly social which make them welcoming party of the islands.

Notes:
Cairo Citadel, also known as the Citadel of Saladin, is a medieval Islamic-era fort citadel built by Saladin located in Cairo, the capital city of Egypt. This medieval centre of the Islamic world was also once the seat of Saladin’s sultanate. It is one of the world’s greatest monuments to medieval warfare. Resembling a typical early medieval fortress, with large imposing gateways, towers and high defending walls, the Citadel is one of Cairo’s main attractions and probably the most popular non-pharaonic monument in the Egyptian capital. The prominent fortress houses three mosques – of which the impressive Mohamed Ali Mosque – a carriage museum, a military museum, and a garden museum, just to name a few, and they are all worth a visit. You are even allowed the run of the fortifications and it is worth a try: the views are spectacular from this height. The citadel is also home to the impressive Gawhara Palace (the Jewel Palace), named after Gawhara Hanem, Mohamed Ali’s last wife. Built-in 1814, it housed the ruler’s administration and was used as a personal residence by the Egyptian leader. Beautiful gold inscriptions adorn the walls of this majestic Ottoman-influenced palace. One of its most eccentric components is the Watch Hall, where the shape of a watch has been used to decorate the walls.

Notes:
Hager Fikir Theatre is a theatre located in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. This theatre with the greatest tradition in Ethiopia but also the oldest indigenous theatre in Africa. This theatre, founded in 1935, is the place where modern Ethiopian music, dance, and drama were born and nurtured.