Socrates

An accurate picture of the historical Socrates and his philosophical viewpoints is problematic: an issue known as the Socratic problem.

As Socrates did not write philosophical texts, the knowledge of the man, his life, and his philosophy is entirely based on writings by his students and contemporaries. Foremost among them is Plato; however, works by Xenophon, Aristotle, and Aristophanes also provide important insights.The difficulty of finding the “real” Socrates arises because these works are often philosophical or dramatic texts rather than straightforward histories. Aside from Thucydides (who makes no mention of Socrates or philosophers in general) and Xenophon, there are in fact no straightforward histories contemporary with Socrates that dealt with his own time and place. A corollary of this is that sources that do mention Socrates do not necessarily claim to be historically accurate, and are often partisan (those who prosecuted and convicted Socrates have left no testament). Historians therefore face the challenge of reconciling the various texts that come from these men to create an accurate and consistent account of Socrates' life and work. The result of such an effort is not necessarily realistic, merely consistent.

Plato is frequently viewed as the most informative source about Socrates' life and philosophy.At the same time, however, many scholars believe that in some works Plato, being a literary artist, pushed his avowedly brightened-up version of "Socrates" far beyond anything the historical Socrates was likely to have done or said; and that Xenophon, being an historian, is a more reliable witness to the historical Socrates. It is a matter of much debate which Socrates Plato is describing at any given point—the historical figure, or Plato's fictionalization. As Martin Cohen has put it, Plato, the idealist, offers "an idol, a master figure, for philosophy. A Saint, a prophet of the 'Sun-God', a teacher condemned for his teachings as a heretic."

It is also clear from other writings and historical artifacts, however, that Socrates was not simply a character, or an invention, of Plato. The testimony of Xenophon and Aristotle, alongside some of Aristophanes' work (especially The Clouds), is useful in fleshing out a perception of Socrates beyond Plato's work.

Life

Carnelian gem imprint representing Socrates, Rome, 1st century BC-1st century AD.

Details about Socrates can be derived from three contemporary sources: the dialogues of Plato and Xenophon (both devotees of Socrates), and the plays of Aristophanes. He has been depicted by some scholars, including Eric Havelock and Walter Ong, as a champion of oral modes of communication, standing up at the dawn of writing against its haphazard diffusion.

Aristophanes' play The Clouds portrays Socrates as a clown who teaches his students how to bamboozle their way out of debt. Most of Aristophanes' works, however, function as parodies. Thus, it is presumed this characterization was also not literal.

According to Plato, Socrates' father was Sophroniscus and his mother Phaenarete, a midwife. Though she was characterized as undesirable in temperament, Socrates married Xanthippe, who was much younger than he. She bore for him three sons, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus. His friend Crito of Alopece criticized him for abandoning his sons when he refused to try to escape before his execution.

Socrates initially earned his living as a master stonecutter. According to Timon of Phlius and later sources, Socrates took over the profession of stonemasonry from his father who cut stone for the Parthenon. There was a tradition in antiquity, not credited by modern scholarship, that Socrates crafted the statues of the Three Graces, which stood near the Acropolis until the 2nd century AD. Ancient texts seem to indicate that Socrates did not work at stonecutting after retiring. In Xenophon's Symposium, Socrates is reported as saying he devotes himself only to what he regards as the most important art or occupation: discussing philosophy. In The Clouds Aristophanes portrays Socrates as accepting payment for teaching and running a sophist school with Chaerephon, while in Plato's Apology and Symposium and in Xenophon's accounts, Socrates explicitly denies accepting payment for teaching. More specifically, in the Apology Socrates cites his poverty as proof he is not a teacher.

Several of Plato's dialogues refer to Socrates' military service. Socrates says he served in the Athenian army during three campaigns: at Potidaea, Amphipolis, and Delium. In the Symposium Alcibiades describes Socrates' valour in the battles of Potidaea and Delium, recounting how Socrates saved his life in the former battle (219e-221b). Socrates' exceptional service at Delium is also mentioned in the Laches by the General after whom the dialogue is named (181b). In the Apology, Socrates compares his military service to his courtroom troubles, and says anyone on the jury who thinks he ought to retreat from philosophy must also think soldiers should retreat when it seems likely that they will be killed in battle.

In 406 he was a member of the Boule, and his tribe the Antiochis held the Prytany on the day the Generals of the Battle of Arginusae, who abandoned the slain and the survivors of foundered ships to pursue the defeated Spartan navy, were discussed. Socrates was the Epistates and resisted the unconstitutional demand for a collective trial to establish the guilt of all eight Generals, proposed by Callixeinus. Eventually, Socrates refused to be cowed by threats of impeachment and imprisonment and blocked the vote until his Prytany ended the next day, whereupon the six Generals who had returned to Athens were condemned to death.

In 404, the Thirty Tyrants sought to ensure the loyalty of those opposed to them by making them complicit in their activities. Socrates and four others were ordered to bring a certain Leon of Salamis from his home for unjust execution. Socrates quietly refused, his death averted only by the overthrow of the Tyrants soon afterwards.

Trial and death

Socrates lived during the time of the transition from the height of the Athenian hegemony to its decline with the defeat by Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian War. At a time when Athens sought to stabilize and recover from its humiliating defeat, the Athenian public may have been entertaining doubts about democracy as an efficient form of government. Socrates appears to have been a critic of democracy, and some scholars[who?] interpret his trial as an expression of political infighting.

Claiming loyalty to his city, Socrates clashed with the current course of Athenian politics and society. He praises Sparta, archrival to Athens, directly and indirectly in various dialogues. One of Socrates' purported offenses to the city was his position as a social and moral critic. Rather than upholding a status quo and accepting the development of what he perceived as immorality within his region, Socrates questioned the collective notion of "might makes right" that he felt was common in Greece during this period. Plato refers to Socrates as the "gadfly" of the state (as the gadfly stings the horse into action, so Socrates stung various Athenians), insofar as he irritated some people with considerations of justice and the pursuit of goodness. His attempts to improve the Athenians' sense of justice may have been the cause of his execution.

According to Plato's Apology, Socrates' life as the "gadfly" of Athens began when his friend Chaerephon asked the oracle at Delphi if anyone were wiser than Socrates; the Oracle responded that no-one was wiser. Socrates believed the Oracle's response was a paradox, because he believed he possessed no wisdom whatsoever. He proceeded to test the riddle by approaching men considered wise by the people of Athens—statesmen, poets, and artisans—in order to refute the Oracle's pronouncement. Questioning them, however, Socrates concluded: while each man thought he knew a great deal and was wise, in fact they knew very little and were not wise at all. Socrates realized the Oracle was correct; while so-called wise men thought themselves wise and yet were not, he himself knew he was not wise at all, which, paradoxically, made him the wiser one since he was the only person aware of his own ignorance. Socrates' paradoxical wisdom made the prominent Athenians he publicly questioned look foolish, turning them against him and leading to accusations of wrongdoing. Socrates defended his role as a gadfly until the end: at his trial, when Socrates was asked to propose his own punishment, he suggested a wage paid by the government and free dinners for the rest of his life instead, to finance the time he spent as Athens' benefactor. He was, nevertheless, found guilty of both corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety ("not believing in the gods of the state"), and subsequently sentenced to death by drinking a mixture containing poison hemlock.
 
According to Xenophon's story, Socrates purposefully gave a defiant defense to the jury because "he believed he would be better off dead". Xenophon goes on to describe a defense by Socrates that explains the rigors of old age, and how Socrates would be glad to circumvent them by being sentenced to death. It is also understood that Socrates also wished to die because he "actually believed the right time had come for him to die."

Xenophon and Plato agree that Socrates had an opportunity to escape, as his followers were able to bribe the prison guards. He chose to stay for several reasons:


He believed such a flight would indicate a fear of death, which he believed no true philosopher has.


If he fled Athens his teaching would fare no better in another country, as he would continue questioning all he met and undoubtedly incur their displeasure.


Having knowingly agreed to live under the city's laws, he implicitly subjected himself to the possibility of being accused of crimes by its citizens and judged guilty by its jury. To do otherwise would have caused him to break his "social contract" with the state, and so harm the state, an unprincipled act.

The full reasoning behind his refusal to flee is the main subject of the Crito.

Socrates' death is described at the end of Plato's Phaedo. Socrates turned down Crito's pleas to attempt an escape from prison. After drinking the poison, he was instructed to walk around until his legs felt numb. After he lay down, the man who administered the poison pinched his foot; Socrates could no longer feel his legs. The numbness slowly crept up his body until it reached his heart. Shortly before his death, Socrates speaks his last words to Crito: "Crito, we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Please, don't forget to pay the debt."

Asclepius was the Greek god for curing illness, and it is likely Socrates' last words meant that death is the cure—and freedom, of the soul from the body. Additionally, in Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths, Robin Waterfield adds another interpretation of Socrates' last words. He suggests that Socrates was a voluntary scapegoat; his death was the purifying remedy for Athens’ misfortunes. In this view, the token of appreciation for Asclepius would represent a cure for Athens' ailments.

Many of the beliefs traditionally attributed to the historical Socrates have been characterized as "paradoxical" because they seem to conflict with common sense. The following are among the so-called Socratic Paradoxes:
1 No one desires evil.
2 No one errs or does wrong willingly or knowingly.
3 Virtue—all virtue—is knowledge.
4 Virtue is sufficient for happiness.

One of the best known sayings of Socrates is "I only know that I know nothing". The conventional interpretation of this remark is that Socrates' wisdom was limited to an awareness of his own ignorance. Socrates believed wrongdoing was a consequence of ignorance and those who did wrong knew no better. The one thing Socrates consistently claimed to have knowledge of was "the art of love", which he connected with the concept of "the love of wisdom", i.e., philosophy. He never actually claimed to be wise, only to understand the path a lover of wisdom must take in pursuing it. It is debatable whether Socrates believed humans (as opposed to gods like Apollo) could actually become wise. On the one hand, he drew a clear line between human ignorance and ideal knowledge; on the other, Plato's Symposium (Diotima's Speech) and Republic (Allegory of the Cave) describe a method for ascending to wisdom.

Aristotle("the best purpose")

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, Greece. When he turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he began tutoring Alexander the Great. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching and writing. Aristotle died in 322 B.C., after he left Athens and fled to Chalcis.

Early Life

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose name means "the best purpose,"was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece that was once a seaport. Aristotle’s father, Nicomachus, was court physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II. Although Nicomachus died when Aristotle was just a young boy, Aristotle remained closely affiliated with and influenced by the Macedonian court for the rest of his life. Little is known about his mother, Phaestis; she is also believed to have died when Aristotle was young.

After Aristotle’s father died, Proxenus of Atarneus, who was married to Aristotle’s older sister, Arimneste, became Aristotle’s guardian until he came of age. When Aristotle turned 17, Proxenus sent him to Athens to pursue a higher education. At the time, Athens was considered the academic center of the universe. In Athens, Aristotle enrolled in Plato’s Academy, Greek’s premier learning institution, and proved an exemplary scholar. Aristotle maintained a relationship with Greek philosopher Plato, himself a student of Socrates, and his academy for two decades. Plato died in 347 B.C. Because Aristotle had disagreed with some of Plato’s philosophical treatises, Aristotle did not inherit the position of director of the academy, as many imagined he would.

After Plato died, Aristotle’s friend Hermias, king of Atarneus and Assos in Mysia, invited Aristotle to court. During his three-year stay in Mysia, Aristotle met and married his first wife, Pythias, Hermias’ niece. Together, the couple had a daughter, Pythias, named after her mother.

Aristotle not only studied almost every subject possible at the time, but made significant contributions to most of them. In physical science, Aristotle studied anatomy, astronomy, embryology, geography, geology, meteorology, physics and zoology. In philosophy, he wrote on aesthetics, ethics, government, metaphysics, politics, economics, psychology, rhetoric and theology. He also studied education, foreign customs, literature and poetry. His combined works constitute a virtual encyclopedia of Greek knowledge. It has been suggested that Aristotle was probably the last person to know everything there was to be known in his own time.

Near the end of Alexander's life, Alexander began to suspect plots against himself, and threatened Aristotle in letters. Aristotle had made no secret of his contempt for Alexander's pretense of divinity, and the king had executed Aristotle's grandnephew Callisthenes as a traitor. A widespread tradition in antiquity suspected Aristotle of playing a role in Alexander's death, but there is little evidence for this.

Teaching

In 338 B.C., Aristotle went home to Macedonia to start tutoring King Phillip II’s son, the then 13-year-old Alexander the Great. Phillip and Alexander both held Aristotle in high esteem and ensured that the Macedonia court generously compensated him for his work.

In 335 B.C., after Alexander had succeeded his father as king and conquered Athens, Aristotle went back to the city. In Athens, Plato’s Academy, now run by Xenocrates, was still the leading influence on Greek thought. With Alexander’s permission, Aristotle started his own school in Athens, called the Lyceum. On and off, Aristotle spent most of the remainder of his life working as a teacher, researcher and writer at the Lyceum in Athens.

Because Aristotle was known to walk around the school grounds while teaching, his students, forced to follow him, were nicknamed the “Peripatetics,” meaning “people who travel about.” Lyceum members researched subjects ranging from science and math to philosophy and politics, and nearly everything in between.

Art was also a popular area of interest. Members of the Lyceum wrote up their findings in manuscripts. In so doing, they built the school’s massive collection of written materials, which by ancient accounts was credited as one of the first great libraries.

In the same year that Aristotle opened the Lyceum, his wife Pythias died. Soon after, Aristotle embarked on a romance with a woman named Herpyllis, who hailed from his hometown of Stagira. According to some historians, Herpyllis may have been Aristotle’s slave, granted to him by the Macedonia court. They presume that he eventually freed and married her. Regardless, it is known that Herpyllis bore Aristotle children, including one son named Nicomachus, after Aristotle’s father. Aristotle is believed to have named his famed philosophical work Nicomachean Ethics in tribute to his son.

When Aristotle’s former student Alexander the Great died suddenly in 323 B.C., the pro-Macedonian government was overthrown, and in light of anti-Macedonia sentiment, Aristotle was charge with impiety. To avoid being prosecuted, he left Athens and fled to Chalcis on the island of Euboea, where he would remain until his death.

Science

Although Aristotle was not technically a scientist by today’s definitions, science was among the subjects that he researched at length during his time at the Lyceum. Aristotle believed that knowledge could be obtained through interacting with physical objects. He concluded that objects were made up of a potential that circumstances then manipulated to determine the object’s outcome. He also recognized that human interpretation and personal associations played a role in our understanding of those objects.

Aristotle’s research in the sciences included a study of geology. He attempted, with some error, to classify animals into genera based on their similar characteristics. He further classified animals into species based on those that had red blood and those that did not. The animals with red blood were mostly vertebrates, while the “bloodless” animals were labeled cephalopods. Despite the relative inaccuracy of his hypothesis, Aristotle’s classification was regarded as the standard system for hundreds of years.

Marine biology was also an area of fascination for Aristotle. Through dissection, he closely examined the anatomy of marine creatures. In contrast to his geological classifications, his observations of marine life, as expressed in his books, are considerably more accurate.

As evidenced in his treatise Meteorology, Aristotle also dabbled in the earth sciences. By meteorology, Aristotle didn’t simply mean the study of weather. His more expansive definition of meteorology included “all the affectations we may call common to air and water, and the kinds and parts of the earth and the affectations of its parts.” In Meteorology, Aristotle identified the water cycle and discussed topics ranging from natural disasters to astrological events. Although many of his views on the Earth were controversial at the time, they were readopted and popularized during the late Middle Ages.

Philosophy

One of the main focuses of Aristotle’s philosophy was his systematic concept of logic. Aristotle’s objective was to come up with a universal process of reasoning that would allow man to learn every conceivable thing about reality. The initial process involved describing objects based on their characteristics, states of being and actions. In his philosophical treatises, Aristotle also discussed how man might next obtain information about objects through deduction and inference. To Aristotle, a deduction was a reasonable argument in which “when certain things are laid down, something else follows out of necessity in virtue of their being so.” His theory of deduction is the basis of what philosophers now call a syllogism, a logical argument where the conclusion is inferred from two or more other premises of a certain form.

In his book Prior Analytics, Aristotle explains the syllogism as “a discourse in which, certain things having been supposed, something different from the things supposed results of necessity because these things are so.” Aristotle defined the main components of reasoning in terms of inclusive and exclusive relationships. These sorts of relationships were visually grafted in the future through the use of Venn diagrams.

Aristotle’s philosophy not only provided man with a system of reasoning, but also touched upon ethics. In Nichomachean Ethics, he prescribed a moral code of conduct for what he called “good living.” He asserted that good living to some degree defied the more restrictive laws of logic, since the real world poses circumstances that can present a conflict of personal values. That said, it was up to the individual to reason cautiously while developing his or her own judgment.

Major Writings

Aristotle wrote an estimated 200 works, most in the form of notes and manuscript drafts. They consist of dialogues, records of scientific observations and systematic works. His student Theophrastus reportedly looked after Aristotle’s writings and later passed them to his own student Neleus, who stored them in a vault to protect them from moisture until they were taken to Rome and used by scholars there. Of Aristotle’s estimated 200 works, only 31 are still in circulation. Most date to Aristotle’s time at the Lyceum.

Aristotle’s major writings on logic include Categories, On Interpretation, Prior Analytics and Posterior Analytics. In them, he discusses his system for reasoning and for developing sound arguments.

Aristotle’s written work also discussed the topics of matter and form. In his book Metaphysics, he clarified the distinction between the two. To Aristotle, matter was the physical substance of things, while form was the unique nature of a thing that gave it its identity.

Nicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics are Aristotle’s major treatises on the behavior and judgment that constitute “good living.”

In Politics, Aristotle examined human behavior in the context of society and government.Aristotle also composed a number of works on the arts, including Rhetoric, and science, including On the Heavens, which was followed by On the Soul, in which Aristotle moves from discussing astronomy to examining human psychology. Aristotle’s writings about how people perceive the world continue to underlie many principles of modern psychology.

His most important treatises include Physics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, De Anima (On the Soul) and Poetics.


Analytics and the Organon
Main article: Organon

What we today call Aristotelian logic, Aristotle himself would have labeled "analytics". The term "logic" he reserved to mean dialectics. Most of Aristotle's work is probably not in its original form, since it was most likely edited by students and later lecturers. The logical works of Aristotle were compiled into six books in about the early 1st century AD:
1. Categories
2. On Interpretation
3. Prior Analytics
4. Posterior Analytics
5. Topics
6. On Sophistical Refutations

The order of the books (or the teachings from which they are composed) is not certain, but this list was derived from analysis of Aristotle's writings. It goes from the basics, the analysis of simple terms in the Categories, the analysis of propositions and their elementary relations in On Interpretation, to the study of more complex forms, namely, syllogisms (in the Analytics) and dialectics (in the Topics and Sophistical Refutations). The first three treatises form the core of the logical theory stricto sensu: the grammar of the language of logic and the correct rules of reasoning. There is one volume of Aristotle's concerning logic not found in the Organon, namely the fourth book of Metaphysics.

Death and Legacy

In 322 B.C., just a year after he fled to Chalcis to escape prosecution under charges of impiety, Aristotle contracted a disease of the digestive organs and died. In the century following his passing, his works fell out of use, but were revived during the first century. Over time, they came to lay the foundation of more than seven centuries of philosophy. Solely regarding his influence on philosophy, Aristotle’s work influenced ideas from late antiquity all the way through the Renaissance. Aristotle’s influence on Western thought in the humanities and social sciences is largely considered unparalleled, with the exception of his teacher Plato’s contributions, and Plato’s teacher Socrates before him. The two-millennia-strong academic practice of interpreting and debating Aristotle’s philosophical works continues to endure.

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Current Affairs-May, 2013

31st May:
Treasurer Ajay Shirke and secretary Sanjay Jagdale resign from their respective posts in BCCI.
Avinash Chander appointed as the New chief of DRDO (Defence Research Development Organiastion).
Anti-Tobacco Day Observed across the World.

30th May:
CBSE declares class 10 results.
National Award-winning filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh dies at 49.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh elected to Rajya Sabha for the 5th consecutive term from Assam.
India and Thailand signed extradition treaty after 20 years of negotiations.
Arvind Mahankali of Indian origin from New York wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the year 2013.

29th May:
Executive Board (EB) of IOC recommended baseball, squash and wrestling for possible inclusion in the Olympic programme for the 2020 Summer Games.

28th May:
‘Blue is the Warmest Colour’ win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 66th Cannes Film Festival.
Ram Jethmalani expelled by BJP Party from Primary Membership for Six years.
BCCI constituted 3-Man Probe Panel to probe to probe the allegations against Gurunath Meiyappan and the three Rajasthan Royals players.The three-member panel also includes T Jayaram Chouta, former judge and R. Balasubramanian, former judge and BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale.
Punjab Government approved Online Lottery System to Increase Revenue.

27th May:
Defense Ministry inaugurated the first fighter aircraft base of India at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.
CBSE Class 12 Results 2013 were declared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) with pass percentage of 82.10%.
England has been confirmed as the host country for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket format after Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings in IPL6 final.
Amway’s India Chairman and CEO William S. Pinckney and two directors of the network marketing company on charges of financial irregularities and cheating.

26th May:
Bayern Munich wins European Champions League for the fifth time beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final in Wembley.
Mumbai Indian wins IPL 6 defeating Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs in Kolkata.
Michael Hussey and Dwayne Bravo of Chennai Super Kings claimed the orange cap and purple cap respectively in IPL6.
France Open 2013 starts at Paris.

25th May:
Mumbai Police arrest Gurunath Meiyappan, CEO of Chennai Super Kings in connection with a spot-fixing scandal at IPL 6.
25 killed including senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma, Nanda Kumar Patel and 20 others are injured in an attack by Maoists in Jagdalpur district of Chhattisgarh.
Radha Krishna Mathu appointed as the new Defence Secretary of India.

24th May:
The US Senate approved Indian-American Srikanth Srinivasan as the first South Asian judge to America's second highest court.
The International Olympic Committee has set India a September 1 deadline for a new election to facilitate the country's return to the Olympic fold.
Sebi(Securities and Exchange Board of India) turns 25.
Mumbai Indian reaches the final of IPL 6.

23rd May:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola, Gurgaon.
Yuichiro Miura of Japan became the oldest man to climb the Everest at the age of 80 year.
American Writer Lydia Davis won 2013 Man Booker International Prize.
Elite panel umpire Asad Rauf is withdrawn from next month's Champions Trophy by ICC following media reports of his alleged linking with bokkie in IPL 6.

22nd May:
UPA II complete four years in its second term.
India successfully test fired 290-km range BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile from INS Tarkash in the coast of Goa.
President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday conferred the 47th Jnanpith Award, the country's highest literary award, for the year 2011 on noted writer Pratibha Ray.

21th May:
Arunima Sinha becomes first Indian amputee to reach Mt Everest.
The President of Indian appointed Shashi Kant Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India who will succeed Vinod Rai.
Chennai Super Kings reach final of IPL6.
Supreme Court rejects a petition seeking to halt the remaining matches of IPL 6.
Pune Warriors have pulled out of IPL by the owner Sahara India over financial differences with the BCCI.
Indian actor Vindu Dara Singh has been arrested by Mumbai police for alleged links to bookies in IPL6.

20th May:
India and China ink eight agreements on trade, water resources.
Yahoo announced a $1.1 billion deal for blogging site Tumblr.
A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf who has been under house.
Oklahoma State, US devastated by a powerful tornado which more than 90 people died.

19th May:
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visits India on a three day tour.
India's first National Defence University will be set up in Gurgaon. The foundation stone of INDU will be laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 23.
Serena Williams beats Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-3 to win Rome title.

18th May:
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expands cabinet ministry with 28 ministers.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index report, Bill Gates retakes World’s richest title from Carlos Slim.
Atletico Madrid win Copa del Rey Cup after defeating Real Madrid 2-1 in the final.

17th May:
Nirbhay Sharma appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
The department of pharmaceuticals notified the Drug Price Control Order 2013 which will lower drug prices up to 80% of 348 essential medicines including life saving drugs.

16th May:
S. Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals' players arrested for spot-fixing in IPL 6 tournament by the Delhi Police.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt surrendered before TADA court in Mumbai to serve his three-and-a-half year sentence in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast case.
Amitabh Bachchan gives Cannes opening ceremony address in Hindi.
David Beckham announces his retirement from football at the end of this season. The former England captain made 115 appearances for his country.

15th May:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today filed his nomination papers in the Assam Assembly to be re-elected as a Rajya Sabha member from the state.
Mittu Chandilya appointed as the first CEO of AirAsia India.
Yusf Pathan become first IPL batsman to get out 'obstructing the field' in a match against Pune warrior.
Chelsea win Europa League.
The 66th Cannes Film Festival start.
England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand announced his retirement from international soccer.

14th May:
Government of India formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) under finance minister P Chidambaram to draft a law to insulate the CBI from external influence. The other members include Salman Khurshid, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari and V Narayanasamy as members.
Manchester City sacked manager Roberto Mancini.

13th May:
Congress leader Siddaramaiah sworn in as the 22nd chief minister of Karnataka.
NSE launched country’s first dedicated debt trading platform.
The stability certificates of all the nine stands of M.A. Chidambaram Cricket Stadium, Chepauk cancelled by the Tamil Nadu Government.

12th May:
Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) emerged as the largest party in parliament election and Nawaz Sharif set for 3rd term as Pak PM.
Mother's day celebrated in India.
Fernando Alonso win Spanish Grand Prix for the second time.
Russell Domingo will replace Gary Kirsten as Soth African Cricket Team coach after his retirement.
Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova in Madrid Open final and winning her 50th single title.
Barcelona wins La Liga Championship for 22nd time.

11th May:
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal gets additional charge of Law Ministry.
CP Joshi is appointed as Railway Minister.
National Technology Day observed in India.
National Assembly election held for 272 seats in Pakistan for the first transition between civilian governments in the nation's 66-year history.

10th May:
Law MinisterAshwani Kumar and Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal resign from their post.
Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj appointed Siddaramaiah as Karnataka Chief Minister. Siddaramaiah will be the 28th CM of Karnataka.

9th May:
Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay passed away while being treated for injuring sustained in a scuffle.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s son Ali Haider Gilani was kidnapped in Pakistan’s Punjab province by unidentified gunmen during election rally.
Tamil Nadu imposed a ban on sale, storage and production of gutka and pan masala.

8th May:
Congress win Karnataka State Assembly election with 121 seats while ruling party BJP gets only 40 seats.
The Premier League champions confirmed that Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will retire at the end of the season after more than 26 years in charge.
The Supreme Court slammed Attorney govt, CBI, A-G for sharing CBI's coal probe report with the political executive.

7th May:
Churchill Brothers of Goa win the I-League football title for 2013.
Najib Razak sworn in as Malaysia’s Prime Minister for a second term.

6th May:
According to TRAI Survey, Uttar Pradesh accounted for the largest number of mobile subscribers in India.
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, the former India leg spinner, has elected as a players' representative on the ICC cricket committee.

5th May:
India and China both sides agree to withdrawing their troops to previously agreed positions from Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Chinese troops set up camp in Ladakh's Depsang Valley on April 15.
Karnataka records 65 per cent vote in state assembly election today for 223 seats.

4th May:
Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh were dropped from ODI squad of 15-member for next month's Champions Trophy.
P.V. Sindhu of India win the Malaysian Open Grand Prix in badminton Gold 2013 in Kuala Lumpur.
Railway Minister P K Bansal's nephew arrested for accepting Rs 90 lakh bribe by CBI.

3rd May:
Indian Cinema complete 100 years. The first film “Raja Harishchandra” was made in India 100 years ago on 3 May 1913 by Dada Saheb Phalke.
Gulf state Qatar has bought a 5 percent stake in Bharti Airtel Ltd for $1.26 billion.

2nd May:
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) launched an Islamic equity index especially for Islamic investors.
Sarabjit Singh died in Lahore hospital six days after being brutally attacked by a group of inmates in jail.
Champions League final match will be played between Bayern Munich and Dortmund at Wembley after defeting Barcelona and Real Madrid in Semifinals respectively.

1st May:
May Day celebrated.
Petrol price cut by Rs 3 a liter and Price of non-subsidized cooking gas cut by Rs 54 per cylinder.
Indian population reaches 121 cores as per the census of March, 2011.

GK 2013 upto May

1. Who is the winner of Australian Open 2013 Women's title ?
Answer: Victoria Azarenka


2. Who is the winner of Australian Open 2013 men's title ?
Answer: Novak Djokovic

Did you know who are the winners of Australian Open 2012 ?

3. Who is the chief guest of 2013 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ?
Answer: Rajkeswur Purryag, President of Mauritius (Held in Kochi)


4. Who is the chief guest of republic day 2013 ?
Answer: Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, King of Bhutan


5. Who is first female President of South Korea ?
Answer: Park Guen-hye


6. Who is the first female Chief Justice of Sri Lanka ?
Answer: Shirani Bandaranayake (recently impeached)


7. Who is the winner of DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2013 ?
Answer: Jeet Thayil (book - Narcopolis)


8. Which is the Longest Railway Tunnel in India?
Answer: Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel (Banihal railway tunnel)


9. Where did the World Economic Forum annual meeting held ?
Answer: Davos, Switzerland


10. Who has been conferred won Keerthi Chakra (the second highest among peace time gallantry awards of the country) ?
Answer: Major Anoop Joseph


11. Which Indian scientist conferred with China's top science award ?
Answer: CNR Rao


12. Who is the winner of Ranji Trophy 2012-2013 ?
Answer: Mumbai


13. Which country recently test fired Hatf-9 (Nasr) missile ?
Answer: Pakistan


14. Who is the new Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi ?
Answer: Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty


15. Who is the new President of Sahitya Akademi ?
Answer: Dr. Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari


16. Who is appointed as the next Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations ?
Answer: Asoke Kumar Mukerji


17. Who is the worlds oldest Marathon runner ?
Answer: Fauja Singh



OSCAR Winners 2013 (85th Academy Awards Winners)

17. Which film won this year's Best Picture Oscar ?
Answer: Argo


18. Which actor won this year's Best Actor (in a Leading Role) Oscar ?
Answer: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)


19. Which actress won this year's Best Actress (in a Leading Role) Oscar ?

Answer: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)


20. Who won this year's Best Director Oscar ?
Answer: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)


21. Who is the first person to win Best Actor Oscar thrice ?
Answer: Daniel Day-Lewis

_____________________________________________________


22. What is the theme of 2013 International Women’s Day (march 8) ?
Answer: A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women


23. New Governor of Nagaland ?
Answer: Ashwani Kumar


24. New Governor of Kerala ?
Answer: Nikhil Kumar


25. New Governor of Odisha ?
Answer: S C Jamir


26. Who is the new President of Kenya ?
Answer: Uhuru Kenyatta


27. Who is the new Prime Minister ( Premier of the People's Republic of China) of China ?
Answer: Li Keqiang


28. Who is the new Pope?
Answer: Pope Francis


29. What is the name of India's first regional navigational satellite ?
Answer: IRNSS-1


30. Who scored fastest hundred on debut in test cricket ?
Answer: Shikhar Dhawan


31. Where is India's first all women post office inaugurated on women's day ?
Answer: Delhi


32. What is the theme of 2013 world water day (march 22) ?
Answer: Water Cooperation


33. Which year is declared by UN as International Year of Water Cooperation ?
Answer: 2013


34. Who is the winner of 2013 miss India ?
answer: Navneet Kaur Dhillon



35. who is the winner of 2013 Saraswati Samman ?
Answer: Sugathakumari (Manalezhuthu)


36. Who is recently reelected as IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Director general ?
Answer: Yukiya Amano


37. Who is the new Prime Minister of Nepal ?
Answer: Khil Raj Regmi


38. Who is the first female Prime minister of UK who recently passed away ?
Answer: Margaret Thatcher


39. Who is the new pm of North Korea ?
Answer: Pak Pong-ju


40. Who is the new venezuela president ?
Answer: Nicolas Maduro


41. Who is the new president of Bangladesh ?
Answer: Abdul Hamid


42. What is the theme of 2013 World Earth day (April 22) ?
Answer: The face of climate change


43. Who is the new Governor of Jammu and Kashmir ?
answer: Narinder Nath Vohra


44. Who is the new president of ADB (Asian Development Bank) ?
Answer: Takehiko Nakao


45. Who is the new prime minister of Italy ?
Answer: Enrico Letta


46. Who is the first woman speaker of Bangladesh ?
Answer: Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury


47. Who is the new Comptroller and Auditor General of India ?
Answer: Shashi Kant Sharma


48. Who is the first Indian amputee to scale Everest ?
Answer: Arunima Sinha


49. Who is the first Pakistani women to scale the Everest ?
Answer: Samina Baig


50. Who is the first US women in space ?
Answer: Sally Ride (Recently she won highest civilian honour of USA, Presidential medal of Freedom)


51. What is the theme of 2013 International Biological diversity Day (May 22) ?
Answer: Water and Biodiversity


52. Who is the winner of 2013 Man Booker International Prize ?
Answer: Lydia Davis


* 53. What is the theme of 2013 World No- Tobacco Day ( May 31 ) ?
Answer: Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship


* 54. Who is the new Director General of DRDO ?
Answer: Avinash Chander


* 55. Who is the new prime minister of Pakistan ?
Answer: Nawaz Sharif


* 56. Who were the first twins to scale mount Everest ?
Answer: Tashi and Nancy Malik


* 57. What is the theme of 2013 World Environment Day (June 5) ?
Answer: Think, Eat, Save


* 58. Who won the 2013 Templeton Prize ?
Answer: Desmond Tutu



* 59. Who is the longest serving defence minister in India ?
Answer: A.K Antony


* 60. Who is the winner of 2013 French open women's title ?
Answer: Serena Williams


* 61. Who is the winner of 2013 French open men's title ?
Answer: Rafael Nadal

Current Affairs - April, 2013

30th April:

Delhi court acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Pakistani court imposed a lifetime ban on former President Pervez Musharraf from contesting elections in Pakistan.
Joao Havelange has resigned as honorary president of the world governing body after being named in a report as having received bribes.
Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval resigned from the post over his controversy by telling the Supreme Court that CBI status report on Coalgate was not shared with the government.

29th April:
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sends nomination of Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar for Arjuna Award and Dhyanchand Award respectively to Sports Ministry.
Syrian PM Wael al-Halqi survives bomb attack in capital Damascus.
Goa launched a digital Krishi Card for farmers to avail benefits like subsidies and loans given by the state government.

28th April:

Saturn positioned itself directly opposite the Sun and visible with the naked eye.
Enrico Letta sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Italy.

27th April:

President Pranab Mukherjee reappointed Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra for second term in the state.
Sarabjit Singh continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support at a hospital in Lahore after being brutally attacked by a group of prisoners.

26th April:

Anil Goswami will replace RK Singh as new Home Secratary. He is the first bureaucrat from the J&K cadre to be appointed home secretary.
Yash Chopra, Rajesh Khanna and Asha Bhosale will be honored with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Academy Award.

25th April:

A new keyboard layout named as KALQ Keyboard developed at University of St Andrews, USA for touch screen devices.
World Malaria Day is observed.

24th April:

Legendary Playback Singer Shamshad Begum died at her Mumbai residence at the age of 94.
Liverpool's Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 games by the English Football Association for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during EPL match at Anfield.
A block housing garment factories and shops collapsed in Bangladesh, killing nearly 300 people and injuring more than a thousand.

23rd April:

Chris Gayle set a new record for the fastest century in professional cricket by reaching 100 off 30 balls in IPL match against Pune Warrior in Bangalore. He also records the highest Twenty20 score of 175 not out.
Manchester United won its record 20th English Premier League title.
Police detained Sudipto Sen, the chairman of Saradha group in Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly defrauded thousands of depositors.

22nd April:

Earth Day is observed to create awareness among the masses on environmental issues.
Budget Session of Parliament resumes.
Horacio Cartes has been elected as President in Paraguay.
Union Home ministry approved 'Z' category security protection for Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
Abdul Hamid, the speaker of Bangladesh's parliament has been elected as President of Bangladesh.
Former chief justice and head of anti-rape law panel JS Verma has died in Delhi, aged 80.

21st April:

National Civil Services Day was observed across India.
Mathematical genius Shakuntala Devi, known world’s fastest ‘human computer’ died at a hospital in Bangalore following respiratory problems. She was 83.

20th April:

At least 150 people and over seven thousands have died in a 6.6 magnitude earthquake which hit southwestern China's Sichuan province.
Assam State Government implemented the Assam Right to Public Service Act 2012 in the state.
Sachin Tendulkar's wax statue unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Australian all-rounder cricketer Shane Watson stepped down from the position of Vice-Captain of the Australian test Cricket team.

19th April:

Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX) started its operations and became the country’s sixth commodity exchange to launch futures trading.
Time magazine included Amir Khan in the list of 100 Most Influential People in the world for 2013. He is also one of the seven who were selected for a cover of their own in the prestigious magazine.

18th April:

Islamabad High Court has ordered the arrest of Gen Pervez Musharraf over his attempt to impose house arrest on judges in March 2007.
The main accused of German Bakery blast, Himayat Ali Baig has been given death sentence. The blasts left 17 dead and 64 wounded at the German Bakery on February 13, 2010.
Blast at a fertilizer plant in central Texas killed 15 people, wounded more than 160 in America.
Aruna M. Bahuguna appointed as Special Director General of the CRPF. She is the first woman to be appointed for that position.

17th April:

A blast near the BJP office in Malleshwaram, Bangalore left 16 people injured including eight policemen.
Telugu writer Dr Ravuri Bharadwaja selected for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2012.

16th April:

Two bomb explosions around 2.45pm killing three people and injuring over 140 in popular Boston Marathon.
A massive 7.9 Richter scale earthquake struck southeast Iran near the border with Pakistan, which killed at least 40 people in Iran and 35 in Pakistan.
Gold price in India hit the lowest level in more than 18 months reaching 25,270 rupees per 10 gram.

15th April:

President on a three day visit to North-East India.
India celebrates Bihu, Pongal and Vaisakhi in different parts of the country.
Adam Johnson announced as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his book “The Orphan Master’s Son”.
Nicolas Maduro was elected as the new President of Venezuela

14th April:

Famous Industrialist, Known as the country's 'takeover specialist' Rama Prasad Goenka passed away in Kolkata. He was the Chairman Emeritus of the RPG Group, a multi-sector Indian industrial conglomerate.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on week long visit to USA and Canada, working on a series of steps to attract at least $20 billion in new investment in India.

12th April:

The Supreme Court reject a plea for commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment for Delhi bomb blast accused terrorist Deviderpal Singh Bhullar. President of India already reject the plea.
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, 92 has been honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The award consists of the Swara Kamal medal, a shawl and a cash prize.

11th April:

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, PJ Kurien elected as the Chairman of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD)on the 73rd Executive Committee Meeting of AFPPD at Bangkok.

10th April:

Sahara group chief Subrata Roy appeared before SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), which had summoned Sahara in refund case of an estimated Rs 24,000 crore.
Delhi court ordered to re-investigated 1984 anti-Sikh riots against Congress leader and former Union minister Jagdish Tytler for his role, dismissing CBI closure report of 2009 that had given a clean chit to Tytler.

9th April:

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed at least 37 and injured hundreds more in southern Iran.
Five U.N. peacekeepers from India working for the U.N. mission in South Sudan were killed in an ambush by attackers in the state of Jonglei.

8th April:

Britain's 'Iron Lady' and only woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher died following a stroke at the age of 87. She led her Conservative Party for 11 years and held office from May 1979 to November 1990.

7th April:

India test fired Nuke-capable ballistic missile Agni-II successfully from a defence base off the Odisha coast.

6th April:

 Arvind Kejriwal breaks 15-day-long fast on the issue of water and electricity in Delhi.
Annamalai University VC M. Ramanathan suspended for financial irregularities.
Suicide attack in a Iraqi city of Baqouba kills 25 in a political rally.

5th April:

Executive Co-Chairman of Infosys S Gopalakrishnan has been elected as the President of the industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
President Pranab Mukherjee presented Padma Awards to 108 personalities. Cricketer Rahul Dravid, woman boxer MC Mary Kom and late Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna was conferred the Padma Bhushan Award in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

4th April:

72 dead and over 36 injured as under-construction building collapse in Thane, Mumbai.

3rd April:

President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the anti-rape bill. This law has the provision of life term and death sentence for rape convicts.

2nd April:

The Lokayukta Aayog Bill, 2013 passed in the Gujarat assembly.
IPL6 opening ceremony held at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. This time 9 teams will participate.

1st April:

Supreme Court denied an India patent request by Novartis AG cancer drug.
Sports Ministry asks NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) to test Vijender for the reported use of the recreational drug heroin.
G. V. Prasad appointment as new Chairman of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Satish Reddy as Vice-Chairman.

Current Affairs 2013, Objective Current Affairs

Objective Current Affairs

Q. The person who become the first Indian Circumnavigate Globe Solo and non-stop on a sail boat -
1 Hari Ram Kumar
2 Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy
3 Lt. Ramadose
4 None of them
Ans: 2

Q. Which day has been declared by United Nation General Assembly as the World Autism Awareness Day ?
1 April 2
2 May 5
3 March 3
4 June 15
Ans: 1

Q. The Fifth Summit of BRICS was held on March 26-27, 2013 in -
1 New Delhi (India)
2 Moscow (Russia)
3 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
4 Durban (South Africa)
Ans: 4

Q. In which of the following city, the first women Post Office in the country has been established in March 2013?
1 Mumbai
2 Kolkata
3 New Delhi
4 Chennai
Ans: 3

Q. The International Newspaper which had won four Pulitzer Prize on April 15, 2013 including the award for investigative reporting for stories -
1 The Washington Post
2 The Telegraph
3 New Work Times
4 The Sun
Ans: 3

Q. Kovvada Nuclear Power Plant which was recently in news is being set up in -
1 Karnataka
2 Andhra Pradesh
3 Chhattisgarh
4 Odisa
Ans: 2

Q. Which country reached an agreement with Kosovo on overcoming ethnic enmities?
1 Macedoonia
2 Serbia
3 France
4 Albania
Ans: 2

Q. The International Day for Biological Diversity was observed on -
1 25th May
2 24th May
3 23rd May
4 22nd May
Ans: 4

Q. The largest biogas plant of the world was inaugurated in March 2013 in -
1 USA
2 Ireland
3 Finland
4 Germany
Ans: 3

Q. Who was appointed as the Chairman of the Asian forum of Parliamentarians on Population and development on April 11, 2013 at Bangkok?
1 Hamid Ansari
2 P. J. Kurien
3 Mamta Sharma
4 Ila Bhat
Ans: 2

Q. The President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee on April 30, 2013 inaugurated the 14 mega watt Solar Power Project at -
1 Nashik
2 Sri Nagar
3 Deoghar
4 Hyderabad
Ans: 3

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Q. China recently became ________ arms exporter.
1 The world's second largest
2 The world's fourth largest
3 The world's fifth largest
4 The world's sixth largest
Ans: 3

Q. Which research centre announced that it was developing the largest magnet of the world (weight would be 50000 tons)?
1 NASA, USA
2 Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India
3 CERN, Geneva
4 ISRO, India
Ans: 2

Q. Which compost plant become the first in India to receive carbon credit worth Rs.25 lakh from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change?
1 Mumbai Compost Plant
2 Kanpur Composting PLant
3 Rotopala Composting Plant
4 Okhla Compost PLant
Ans: 4

Q. Which Malaysian budget carrier to launch the new airline along with Tata Group and Telestra Tradeplace?
1 Jet Star
2 Tiger Airways
3 Air Asia
4 Cebu Pacific
Ans: 3

Q. Name the two PSUs, which were granted the Maharatna status by the Union Government of India in February 2013?
1 ONGC and NTPC
2 BHEL and GAIL
3 ONGC and GAIL
4 Coal India and SAIL
Ans: 2

Q. Who has won the "Entrepreneur of the Decade" award conferred by All India Management Association in New Delhi?
1 Mr. Ratan Tata
2 Mr. Narayan Murti
3 Mr. Mukesh Ambani
4 Mr. Sunil Mittal
Ans: 3

Q. Who is the winner of prestigious Jnanpith award for the 2012?
1 Amar Kant (Hindi)
2 Dr. Ravuri Bharadwaja (Telgu)
3 Pratibha Ray (Odia)
4 Shrilal Shukla (Hindi)
Ans: 2

Q. The proposed allocation for the newly launched "National Livestock Mission" in the Union Budget 2013-14 is
1 Rs.304 crore
2 Rs.300 crore
3 Rs.310 crore
4 Rs.307 crore
Ans: 4

Q. To encourage farmers to switch to alternative crops from rice and wheat, the Budget 2013-14 has pledged
1 Rs.700 crore
2 Rs.600 crore
3 Rs.500 crore
4 Rs.400 crore
Ans: 3

Q. The Budget 2013-14 has proposed to allocate for urban transportation under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) a sum of
1 Rs.14,873 crore
2 Rs.13,873 crore
3 Rs.12,873 crore
4 Rs.10,873 crore
Ans: 1

Q. In the Budget 2013-14, how much money has been allocated to the Ministry of Science and Technology?
1 Rs.5,275 crore
2 Rs.7,275 crore
3 Rs.6,275 crore
4 Rs.8,275 crore
Ans: 3

Q. How much money has been allocated to the Ministry of Minorities Affairs in the Budget 2013-14?
1 Rs.3,912 crore
2 Rs.3,511 crore
3 Rs.5,511 crore
4 Rs.4,511 crore
Ans: 2

Q. Agriculture and allied activities, according to the Economic Survey 2012-13, accounted for Gross Domestic Products
1 14.1 %
2 13 %
3 14 %
4 14.2 %
Ans: 1

Q. The Railway Budget 2013-14 has proposed to introduce a new hyper luxury class to be called
1 Udaan
2 Anand
3 Apoorva
4 Anubhuti
Ans: 4

Q. According to the 12th Five-Year Plan, India should bring Infant Mortality Rate by the end of the Plan down to
1 27
2 28
3 26
4 25
Ans: 2

Q. By the end of the Plan, the 12th Five-Year Plan aims to train under the Skill Development Mission
1 40 million individuals
2 30 million individuals
3 50 million individuals
4 45 million individuals
Ans: 3

Q. The projected average level of the domestic savings rate for the 12th Plan is
1 35.2 %
2 34.6%
3 34.2 %
4 30.1 %
Ans: 3

Q. According to the Census 2011, the percentage of Urban Indians connected to a piped sewer system is
1 32.7 %
2 34.6 %
3 46.4 %
4 50.3 %
Ans: 1

Q. Which film has bagged the National Film Award for best feature film?
1 Anumati
2 Paan Singh Tomar
3 Dhag
4 Spirit
Ans: 2

Q. Who has won the National Film Award as best actor?
1 Irrfan Khan & Vikram Gokhale
2 Shivaji Lotan
3 Kamal Hasan
4 Ranbir Kapoor
Ans: 1

Q. Who has bagged the National Film Award as best actress?
1 Priyanka Chopra
2 Ananya Chatterjee
3 Usha Jadhav
4 Arundhuti Nag
Ans: 3

Q. The 24th Arab League Summit got underway in which of the following city
1 Dubai
2 Doha
3 Khartun
4 Cairo
Ans: 2

Q. Who is the head of the panel on Energy Security constituted by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas?
1 C. Ranjarajan
2 Montek Singh Ahluwalia
3 Vijay Kelkar
4 Kaushik Basu
Ans: 3

Q. Which of the following states has bagged the National Tourism Award?
1 Assam
2 Madhya Pradesh
3 Maharashtra
4 Andhra Pradesh
Ans: 4

Q. Asia's largest Solar Power Project set at which of the following cities?
1 Jaipur
2 Nagpur
3 Jodhpur
4 Bikaner
Ans: 3

Q. India has signed the Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on March 28, 2013 at Bern, Switzerland with which of the following country?
1 Switzerland
2 Liechtenstein
3 Mauritius
4 Finland
Ans: 2

Q. United Nation has released "One Women" album on the occasion of International Women's Day. Name the Indian Artist who was the member of this album?
1 A. R. Rahaman
2 Anoushka Shankar
3 Mallika Sarabhai
4 Amzad Ali Khan
Ans: 2

Q. The Government of India and the RBI to introduce one billion pieces of Rs. 10 notes in polymer/plastic on a field trial basis. The field trial will be conducted in five cities. Which of the following is not among them?
1 Shimla
2 Jaipur
3 Nagpur
4 Bhubaneswar
Ans: 3

Q. On 12th March 2013 the President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee attending the celebration of 45th Anniversary of Independence of which country?
1 Maldive
2 Sri Lanka
3 Vietnaam
4 Mauritius
Ans: 4

Q. On February 14th 2013 India has conclude $6 billion Missile deal with which country?
1 Russia
2 France
3 England
4 USA
Ans: 2

Q. The first indigenously developed weaponised helicopter was handed over to Indian Army on 8th February 2013 is -
1 Rudra
2 Varun
3 Chetak
4 Indra
Ans: 1

Q. Mata Jijabai Award for 2012 was given to -
1 Smt. Omana T.K
2 Ms. Sonika Agarwal
3 Smt. Olga D’mello
4 Smt. Guramma H. Sankina
Ans: 2

Q. Devi Ahilyabai Holkar award, 2012 confer to -
1 Smt. Pranita Talukdar
2 Smt. Omana T.K
3 Smt. Olga D’mello
4 Smt. Guramma H. Sankina
Ans: 3

Q. The Uttar Pradesh government on 4 December, 2012 decided to issue Cards to industrialists and industrial associations for easy access to its offices. What is the name of that card?
1 Platinum Cards
2 Silver cards
3 Golden Cards
4 Industrial cards
Ans: 3

Q. Union Government of India on 5 December, 2012 cleared the decks for transferring the prime 12.5 acre United Mill land in Mumbai to the Maharashtra government for building a state-of-the-art memorial for an Indian revolutionary and political leader. Name the political leader ___
1 Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
2 B. R. Ambedkar
3 Ramabai Ambedkar
4 Balasaheb Thackrey
Ans: 2

Q. The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) on December 7, 2012 asked Karnataka to provide Tamil Nadu with how many TMC (thousand million cubic) feet of Cauvery water during December 2012 ____
1 12 TMC feet
2 10 TMC feet
3 8 TMC feet
4 6 TMC feet
Ans: 1

Q. Where did the American Depositary Shares (ADS) of Infosys, India's second-largest IT services provider start trading on 12 December, 2012?
1 Bombay Stock Exchange
2 National Stock Exchange
3 New York Stock Exchange
4 Singapore Stock Exchange
Ans: 3

Q. Scientists in northern Mexico discovered a new dinosaur with a large prominent nose which lived about 73 million years ago. what is the name of this new dinosaur?
1 Latirhinus Uitstlani
2 Gigantoraptor
3 Khaan
4 Raptorex
Ans: 1

Q. Who was the first top ranking Indian official to visit China after changes in Communist Party of China?
1 Shiv Shankar Menon
2 Ajit Singh
3 Anand Sharma
4 Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna
Ans: 1

Q. Software engineers as well as neuroscientists at University of Waterloo, Canada claimed that they have developed a closest model of the functioning human brain. What is this artificial human brain called?
1 AbioCor
2 Bioartifical
3 Spaun
4 i-Limb
Ans: 3

Q. Boeing, the US aircraft manufacturer claimed that a new missile was tested which can permanently blackout the electronics of the country without causing any harm to people. What is the name of this missile?
1 Mathago
2 CHAMP
3 Ikara
4 ERYX
Ans: 2

Q. Government had constituted a panel for suggesting de-control of sugar industry. This panel submitted its report in October 2012 under the Chairmanship of -
1 Anand Sinha
2 C. Rangarajan
3 M. Rafeeq Ahmed
4 Deepak Parekh
Ans: 2

Q. Kumbum is a monastery found in which of the following countries?
1 India
2 Thailand
3 China
4 Japan
Ans: 3

Q. The Indian Institute of Toxicology Research reported that the water in and around the the deserted Union Carbide plant is contaminated and not fit for consumption. Where is this Union Carbide plant located?
1 Indore
2 Raipur
3 Jabbalpur
4 Bhopal
Ans: 4

Q. Name the astronaut of Indian American origin who took over the command of International Space Station on September 2012.
1 Rakesh Sharma
2 Kalpana Chawla
3 Sunita Williams
4 Tessy Thomas
Ans: 3

Q. World Trade Organization (WTO) has ranked India as the _____ largest player in the global service trade.
1 Fifth
2 Fourth
3 Seventh
4 Sixth
Ans: 3

Q. A committee had been constituted to review taxation in IT sector under the Chairmanship of -
1 Anita Kapur
2 N. Rangacharya
3 Y. B. Reddy
4 C. Rangarajan
Ans: 2

Q. Which Indian Bollywood actress was appointed as International Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nation programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)?
1 Aishwarya Rai
2 Katrina Kaif
3 Kareena Kapoor
4 Vidya Balan
Ans: 1

Q. China recently objected to the participation of an Indian Company in its joint venture with another country for offshore oil exploration. Which one among the following is that country?
1 Taiwan
2 South Korea
3 Sri Lanka
4 Vietnam
Ans: 4

Q. ISRO recently gave clearance for using which trequency band from satellite for internet on trains?
1 C Band
2 KU Band
3 S Band
4 3G Spectram
Ans: 2

Q. Which among the following states is not awarded Krishi Karman Awards for 2011-12?
1 Madhya Pradesh
2 Manipur
3 Maharastra
4 Nagaland
Ans: 3

Q. Who is the chairman of Fourteenth Finance Commission?
1 Prof Abhijit Sen
2 Dr. Y.V.Reddy
3 Ms. Sushma Nath
4 Dr. M.Govinda Rao
Ans: 2

Q. Who is the chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India?
1 Justice Balakrishnan
2 Justice M. Kartzu
3 Justice J. S. Verma
4 Justice D. K. Jain
Ans: 4

Q. As per the latest Global Competitiveness Report 2012-13, brought out by World Economic Forum, a Swiss non-profit foundation based in Geneva, India ranks is -
1 59th
2 56th
3 57th
4 58th
Ans: 1

Q. “Water Conservation Day” observed on -
1 20th November
2 19th November
3 24th November
4 31st October
Ans: 2

Q. National Education Day observed on
1 11th November
2 14th November
3 5th September
4 21st May
Ans: 1

Q. Antyodaya scheme is meant to help the
1 Muslims
2 Minorities
3 Poorest of the poor section of the society
4 Harijans
Ans: 3

Q. The upcoming Ultra Mega Power Projects(UMPPs) at Cheyyur and Sarguja are located respectively in
1 Kerala and Chhattisgarh
2 Tamil Nadu and Odisha
3 Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh
4 Kerala and Odisha
Ans: 3

Q. Andheri's newly constructed headquarters of anti-terror force was inaugurated by N. Kumar Reddy on August 13, 2012 in Hyderabad. What is the name of this counter-terrorist commando force?
1 Anti Terrorism Agency (ATA)
2 Organization to Counter Terrorist Operations (Octopus)
3 Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS)
4 Anti Terrorism Operations (ATO)
Ans: 2

Q. Which two countries signed Agreement for the Modernisation of Indian Railways?
1 India and Belgium
2 Indian and China
3 USA and India
4 Russia and India
Ans: 1

Q. Name the Indian telecom service company which had acquired US firm WPCS International?
1 Shyam Telecom
2 MTNL
3 Tata Teleservices
4 Kavvery Telecom
Ans: 4

Q. Which company was directed by the Supreme Court to refund an amount of 17400 crore of rupees to their Investors?
1 Sahara Group of Company
2 Reliance Industries
3 Air India
4 Vodafone
Ans: 1

Q. Isle of Wight rock yielded three fossil footprints of Dinosaurs. In which one of the following countries Isle of Wight located?
1 Germany
2 USA
3 Africa
4 UK
Ans: 4

Q. Which Indian Company signed a pact with French Energy company GDF Suez to import LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)?
1 Indian Oil Corporation(IOC)
2 GAIL
3 ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation)
4 Reliance Petroleum Limited
Ans: 2

Q. What was the theme of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting organized in Davos, Switzerland?
1 Shaping the Post-Crisis World
2 Shared Norms for a New Reality
3 The power of collaborative innovation
4 Improve the state of the world: rethink, redesign, rebuild
Ans: 2

Q. Which core sector industry has the highest weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP)?
1 Coal
2 Crude Oil
3 Electricity
4 Petroleum refinery Products
Ans: 3

Q. Which of the following has a 51:49 joint venture with Japanese automobile company Nissan for manufacturing light commercial vehicles in India?
1 Tata Motors
2 Ashok Leyland
3 Mahindra and Mahindra
4 Bajaj Auto
Ans: 4

Q. According to the FDI data released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 10, 2012, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow in India declined to what amount in the April-June quarter of fiscal 2012-13?
1 6.4 billion dollar
2 5 billion dollar
3 5.4 billion dollar
4 7 billion dollar
Ans: 3

Q. Which of the following has made the largest inbound foreign direct investment in India till date?
1 Vodafone
2 BP Plc
3 Vedanta Resource
4 Dailchi Sankyo
Ans: 1

Q. SEBI, on August 16, 2012 has made it mandatory that all listed companies must have minimum ________ public shareholdings by June 2013.
1 10%
2 20%
3 30%
4 25%
Ans: 4

Q. Which leading Indian business house sold its group company Centum Learning to Everonn Education?
1 Reliance
2 Bharti Group
3 Toyota
4 LIC
Ans: 2

Q. Which among the following countries has given a grant of US $ 1 billion for the reconstruction of the Nalanda University?
1 Japan
2 UK
3 USA
4 China
Ans: 4

Q. Which one among the following is the fastest Indian Super-computer recently developed by ISRO?
1 Saga-220
2 Aakash-A1
3 Tianhe-1A
4 Jaguar-Cray
Ans: 1

Q. In the year 2011, a missile named 'PRAHAR', developed by DRDO was test fired. This is a -
1 short-range surface to air missile
2 long-range surface to air missile
3 short-range surface to surface missile
4 long-range surface to surface missile
Ans: 3

Q. Which one of the following countries had recently joined World Trade Organisation?
1 Myanmar
2 Austria
3 Russia
4 Taiwan
Ans: 3

Q. The Thar Express goes to
1 Bangladesh
2 Pakistan
3 Afghanistan
4 Myanmar
Ans: 2

Q. Census data related on July 15, 2011 reflects that 13.48 percent urban population lives in
1 Bihar
2 Uttar Pradesh
3 Rajasthan
4 Maharashtra
Ans: 4

Q. National Social Assistance Programme is aimed at providing
1 financial support to Scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes
2 old age pension to very poor
3 insurance for the poor
4 all of the above
Ans: 4

Q. As per studies, the Tummalapalle mine in Andhra Pradesh could have Uranium reserve of
1 1 lakh tonnes
2 2 lakh tonnes
3 1.5 lakh tonnes
4 2.5 lakh tonnes
Ans: 3

Q. Who amongst the following is the author of the book Unaccustomed Earth?
1 Jhumpa Lahiri
2 Meera Nair
3 Salman Rushdie
4 Dalai Lama
Ans: 1

Q. Which is not a feature of the American Constitution?
1 Written Constitution
2 Federation
3 Cabinet System
4 Republic
Ans: 3

Q. China recently objected the participation of an Indian company in its joint venture with another country for offshore oil exploration. which one among the following is that country?
1 Myanmar
2 South Korea
3 Vietnam
4 Taiwan
Ans: 3

Q. An African country, Sudan has been broken into two recently with formation of a new country named South Sudan. Economy of South Sudan will depend on its -
1 minerals
2 agricultural product
3 fishery product
4 forest product
Ans: 1

Q. Who has been appointed the new Controller General of Accounts on July 1,2012?
1 Jawahar Thakur
2 Neeraj Kumar
3 A.K. Aggarwal
4 Arun Mishra
Ans: 1

Q. Who is the author of the book 'Beyond the lines : An Auto-biography'?
1 Sharad Pawar
2 Khushwant Singh
3 Kuldip Nayar
4 General J.J. Singh
Ans: 3

Q. Who has been appointed the new German ambassador to India?
1 Marissa Mayer
2 Michael Steiner
3 Ross Csatary
4 None of the above
Ans: 2

Q. 'NGRBA' which was recently in news stands for-
1 National Gangotri River Basin Authority
2 National Godavari River Basin Authority
3 National Ganga River Basin Authority
4 None of the above
Ans: 3

Q. Who is the author of the book 'Turning Point - A Journey Through Challenges'?
1 A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
2 Hamid Ansari
3 Jaswant Singh
4 None of the above
Ans: 1

Q. Who has been awarded the world Food Prize 2012?
1 Kofi Annan
2 Daniel Hillel
3 Ban Ki-Moon
4 None of the above
Ans: 2

Q. P.N. Dhar passed away on July 12,2012 in New Delhi. He was a great -
1 Poet
2 Scientist
3 Musician
4 Economist
Ans: 4

Q. Who has been appointed the Prime Minister of Egypt on July 24, 2012?
1 Mohammed Morsi
2 Kamal Ganzouri
3 Hesham Qandil
4 None of them
Ans: 3

Q. Which part of India was included in World Heritage List by UNESCO on July 1,2012?
1 Eastern Ghats
2 Western Ghats
3 Kaziranga National Park
4 Konkan Railway
Ans: 2

Q. India's first Mega Food Park became functional on July 9, 2012 in -
1 Jaipur
2 Kanpur
3 Chittoor
4 Pune
Ans: 3

Q. Who is China's first woman astronaut?
1 Li Xei
2 Liu Yang
3 Yang Xei
4 None of them
Ans: 2

Q. Who is the author of the book 'A Soldier's General'?
1 General V.K. Singh
2 Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma
3 General J.J. Singh
4 None of them
Ans: 3

Q. ISRO recently gave clearance for using which frequency band from satellite for internet on trains?
1 S Band
2 C Band
3 KU Band
4 3G Spectrum
Ans: 3

Q. Veteran actor of Bengali Cinema Soumitra Chatterjee was honoured with one of the following award -
1 Dadasaheb Phalke Award
2 Dadasaheb Phalke Ratna Award
3 Lifetime Achievement Award
4 Sahitya Academy Award
Ans: 1

Q. Which of the following Indian actresses has been chosen as the brand ambassador for sanitation programme?
1 Kareena Kapoor
2 Aishwarya Rai
3 Vidya Balan
4 Hema Malini
Ans: 3

Q. A centre dedicated to the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore is being proposed to be established at -
1 Edinburgh
2 London
3 Tokyo
4 Washington
Ans: 1

Q. One of the Asia-Pacific nations has agreed to hold its first ever maritime exercise with India. The nation is -
1 Australia
2 USA
3 Japan
4 Vietnam
Ans: 2

Q. Muktinath Temple, a pilgrimage destination for Hindus is situated at which of the following nation?
1 Nepal
2 Malaysia
3 Trinidad & Tobago
4 India
Ans: 1

Q. Francois Hollande has been elected at the President of which of the following nation?
1 Poland
2 Portugal
3 France
4 Greece
Ans: 3

Q. The Teesta treaty has becomes a bone of contention between India and ...?
1 China
2 Pakistan
3 Bangladesh
4 Nepal
Ans: 3

Q. Kumbum is a monastery found in which of the country?
1 China
2 India
3 Japan
4 Thailand
Ans: 1

Q. A 600 MW solar power park, touted as Asia's first and largest, was dedicated to the person of which one of the following places?
1 Anand, Gujarat
2 Badmer, Rajasthan
3 Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
4 Patan, Gujarat
Ans: 4

Q. Which one of the following will be the longest tunnel of India being constructed in J&K?
1 Banihal tunnel
2 Chennai-Nashri tunnel
3 Rohtang tunnel
4 None of them
Ans: 2

Q. Government has fixed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of tur (Arhar) for 2012-13 at
1 Rs 3740 per quintal
2 Rs 3640 per quintal
3 Rs 3940 per quintal
4 Rs 3840 per quintal
Ans: 4

Q. A committee had been constituted to review taxation in IT sector under the Chairmanship of -
1 Y.B. Reddy
2 N. Rangachary
3 Anita Kapur
4 Rashmi Sahani Saxena
Ans: 2

Q. During April 2011-February-2012, which of the following state stood first in creating largest employment in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)?
1 Uttar Pradesh
2 Karnataka
3 West Bengal
4 Andhra Pradesh
Ans: 3


Q. Which of the following bank has been awarded Finance Asia Award 2012?
1 AXIS Bank
2 HDFC Bank
3 ICICI Bank
4 Kotak Bank
Ans: 4

Q. 4th Advance Estimates of Ministry of Agriculture, puts oilseeds production for 2011-12 at -
1 30.01 MT
2 28.89 MT
3 32.32 MT
4 31.01 MT
Ans: 1

Q. Govt. approves an ordinance to completely digitise TV Broad-casting. The entire nation has been targeted to be covered by -
1 2013
2 2014
3 2016
4 2015
Ans: 2

Q. First Nuclear Power Plant in Bushehr. The country reffred here is:
1 Kazakhstan
2 Argentina
3 North Korea
4 Iran
Ans: 4

Q. She started her career as an IFS officer and was unanimously elected the 15th Lok Sabha Speaker. She was elected to Lok Sabha and representing a constituency in the state of:
1 Jharkhand
2 Madhya Pradesh
3 Bihar
4 West Bengal
Ans: 3

Q. Who among the following is the author of the book "My Country, My Life?
1 A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
2 Atal Bihari Vajpayee
3 L.K. Advani
4 Shashi Tharoor
Ans: 3

Q. In the year 2012, which actor bagged the Best Actor Award at the 59th National Film Awards?
1 Ranbir Kapoor
2 Appu Kutty
3 Girish KulKarni
4 Hrithik Roshan
Ans: 3

Q. Emomali Rahmon recently visited India is the president of
1 Turkmenistan
2 Russia
3 Republic of Tajikistan
4 Turkey
Ans: 3

Q. Who is the UN Messengers of Peace
1 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
2 Michael Douglas
3 Monique Coleman
4 Elie Wiesel
Ans: 2

Q. Kaushik Basu the ex-economic adviser of PM recently in news, appointed as
1 President of IMF
2 President of World Bank
3 Economic Adviser of UNO
4 Chief Economist of World Bank
Ans: 4

 

Online GK & Current Affairs links

Helpful in all aspects for competition candidates..
Here are some links for Reading GK & Current Affairs online

www.onlinegk.com/current-affairs/‎

www.importantquestionsabout.blogspot.com/

www.jagranjosh.com/hindi-general-knowledge

https://sapnaonline.com/general-knowledge-2014-current-affairs

Courage

What is courage? What defines a courageous act? It is said that the brave and cowardly person are both fearful. However, it is the brave one who faces his fear and does what needs to be done. We will be faced with many things that scare us throughout our lives. How can we become the kind of people that face our fear and do it anyway? Human growth takes place when we take small steps. Each time we face our fears we become more of the courageous person that we would like to be.