New Delhi/Kochi: The Government on Sunday sought to play down its constituent Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam's (DMK) stand on the Ram Setu issue that there was no historical evidence about existence of Lord Rama and said it "respected" the view of its southern ally. "That's his opinion. In a democracy, we encourage that", said Renuka Choudhury, Minister for Women and Child Development, on the sidelines of a conference. The DMK chief M Karunanidhi had on Saturday, broken his silence on the issue by supporting the first affidavit filed by the Centre in the Supreme Court which questioned the existence of Lord Ram. After the uproar by the Opposition, the government withdrew the affidavit along with the subsequent one filed with corrections.
The Minister said the government respected Karunanidhi's decision and the whole issue was being addressed by Congress party at different levels. "We respect his opinion. It's fine", she said when asked to comment on DMK chief's stand on the issue. To a question whether Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Commerce, should withdraw his remarks suggesting Culture Minsiter Ambika Soni to resign, Choudhury said "I can't speak for him. He has to decide on this."
Meanwhile, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday said, it will take legal advice on whether to launch prosecution proceedings against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the Ram Setu issue. Reacting to Karunanidhi's statement that Ram Setu was "not man-made and Lord Ram was an imaginary character," VHP secretary general, Praveen Togadia said, that Karunanidhi during his earlier innings as chief minister in 1972, when he held the additional charge of PWD Minister, had in a foreword in the Ramanathapuram district gazette, accepted existence of the Ram Setu bridge. "If he has gone back on the public document, he can be prosecuted," Togadia told reporters in Kochi adding VHP will take legal advice in this regard.
Coins, which are 1000-years-old making a mention about the Ram Setu, are available in Tamil. Even the Asiatic Society of Bengal, a well-respected body, also mentions about Ram Setu, he told reporters earlier. (PTI)
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Tracking
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Germany, India seek co-operation on climate change
With both ministers emphasizing the potential of business investment in their two nations, Glos addressed a press conference following the council meeting and said that, "German companies are able to invest more and to cooperate more on climate change." Over the next five years, India plans to invest about $475 billion in major infrastructure projects such as airports, roads and power stations. The council meeting was held as part of the build-up, to next month's visit to India by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The council meeting also came against the backdrop of a recent solid economic performance by both nations with Germany emerging in 2006 from a protracted period of stagnation. "We are confident that over the next years we will be able to increase the growth rate to 10 per cent and sustain it in the mid term," Chidambaram said. Glos told the press conference that the council meeting had represented "a milestone" in the economic relations between the two nations, while Chidambaram saw the gathering as strengthening the strategic partnership that had developed between the two nations. (IANS)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
India Multiple Choice Question Answers
Question: In which year was India's capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi?
1) 1935
2) 1900
3) 1911
4) 1929
Question: Where was India's first civilization settled?
1) Deccan
2) Indus Valley
3) Ganges Plain
4) Kashmir
Question: Who defeated the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat?
1) The British
2) The Afghans
3) The Mughals
4) The Rajputs
Question: Who completed the construction of Qutb Minar at Delhi?
1) Babur
2) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
3) Iltutmish
4) Humayun
Question: Who was the first Mughal emperor of India?
1) Ibrahim Lodhi
2) Sher Shah
3) Akbar
4) Babar
Question: Who built the Taj Mahal in India?
1) Akbar
2) Jahangir
3) Shah Jahan
4) Aurangzeb
Question: When did India achieve Independence?
1) September15,1940
2) January 26, 1950
3) August 15,1947
4) August 20,1949
Question: Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913?
1) Debendranath Tagore
2) Rabindranath Tagore
3) Mohammad Iqbal
4) Mirza Galib
Question: Who was the first royal convert to Buddhism?
1) Chandragupta Maurya
2) Ashoka
3) Ajatashatru
4) Akbar
Question: During the reign of which emperor is the poet Kalidasa accepted to have lived?
1) Bimbisara
2) Akbar
3) Chandragupta Vikramaditya
4) Ashoka
Question: During the 1857 mutiny who was the queen of Jhansi's trusted general?
1) Hyder Ali
2) Tantia Tope
3) Bhagat Singh
4) Chandrasekhar Azad
Question: Who, in collaboration with the Japanese, started the 'Indian National Army', in the hope of expelling the British from India?
1) Gandhi
2) Tantia Tope
3) Bhagat Singh
4) Subhash Chandra Bose
Question: The daughter of what general of Alexander's army married Chandragupta Maurya?
1) Seleukos Nikator
2) Diomedes
3) Ptolemaius
4) Clitus
Question: What king was the first to use rockets in warfare?
1) Hyder Ali
2) Shah Jahan
3) Jehangir
4) Tipu Sultan
Question: The Brihadeeswara temple at Tanjore was built by an emperor of what dynasty?
1) Chola
2) Mughal
3) Chera
4) Pandya
Question: What ruler is referred to as the 'Mad Monarch'?
1) Mohammad bin Tughlaq
2) Ashoka
3) Akbar
4) Hyder Ali
Question: What theory of ancient Indian history has recently been disproved?
1) Gypsy migration theory
2) Aryan invasion theory
3) Theory of origin of Vedas
4) None of the above
Question: What age in Indian History is referred to as the 'Golden Age'?
1) Ancient
2) Maurya
3) Gupta
4) Mughal
Question: Everyone knows 'The Taj Mahal'. It was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan, but for whom?
1) Jahani Mahal
2) Farida Mahal
3) Mumtaz Mahal
4) Toba Begum
Question: In which Indian state is the Sun Temple of Konark located?
1) Tamil Nadu
2) Orissa
3) West Bengal
4) Assam
1) 1935
2) 1900
3) 1911
4) 1929
Question: Where was India's first civilization settled?
1) Deccan
2) Indus Valley
3) Ganges Plain
4) Kashmir
Question: Who defeated the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat?
1) The British
2) The Afghans
3) The Mughals
4) The Rajputs
Question: Who completed the construction of Qutb Minar at Delhi?
1) Babur
2) Qutb-ud-din Aibak
3) Iltutmish
4) Humayun
Question: Who was the first Mughal emperor of India?
1) Ibrahim Lodhi
2) Sher Shah
3) Akbar
4) Babar
Question: Who built the Taj Mahal in India?
1) Akbar
2) Jahangir
3) Shah Jahan
4) Aurangzeb
Question: When did India achieve Independence?
1) September15,1940
2) January 26, 1950
3) August 15,1947
4) August 20,1949
Question: Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913?
1) Debendranath Tagore
2) Rabindranath Tagore
3) Mohammad Iqbal
4) Mirza Galib
Question: Who was the first royal convert to Buddhism?
1) Chandragupta Maurya
2) Ashoka
3) Ajatashatru
4) Akbar
Question: During the reign of which emperor is the poet Kalidasa accepted to have lived?
1) Bimbisara
2) Akbar
3) Chandragupta Vikramaditya
4) Ashoka
Question: During the 1857 mutiny who was the queen of Jhansi's trusted general?
1) Hyder Ali
2) Tantia Tope
3) Bhagat Singh
4) Chandrasekhar Azad
Question: Who, in collaboration with the Japanese, started the 'Indian National Army', in the hope of expelling the British from India?
1) Gandhi
2) Tantia Tope
3) Bhagat Singh
4) Subhash Chandra Bose
Question: The daughter of what general of Alexander's army married Chandragupta Maurya?
1) Seleukos Nikator
2) Diomedes
3) Ptolemaius
4) Clitus
Question: What king was the first to use rockets in warfare?
1) Hyder Ali
2) Shah Jahan
3) Jehangir
4) Tipu Sultan
Question: The Brihadeeswara temple at Tanjore was built by an emperor of what dynasty?
1) Chola
2) Mughal
3) Chera
4) Pandya
Question: What ruler is referred to as the 'Mad Monarch'?
1) Mohammad bin Tughlaq
2) Ashoka
3) Akbar
4) Hyder Ali
Question: What theory of ancient Indian history has recently been disproved?
1) Gypsy migration theory
2) Aryan invasion theory
3) Theory of origin of Vedas
4) None of the above
Question: What age in Indian History is referred to as the 'Golden Age'?
1) Ancient
2) Maurya
3) Gupta
4) Mughal
Question: Everyone knows 'The Taj Mahal'. It was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan, but for whom?
1) Jahani Mahal
2) Farida Mahal
3) Mumtaz Mahal
4) Toba Begum
Question: In which Indian state is the Sun Temple of Konark located?
1) Tamil Nadu
2) Orissa
3) West Bengal
4) Assam
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The World’s best General Knowledge Questions
We are used to seeing cars on the roads and planes in the sky. But these were not so common at one time. In a bid to do what others had not managed to do till then, certain enterprising people took up the challenge and designed and developed these wonderful transportation machines, which we now take for granted. Read here about the first steps in the development of these, now common, machines.
First Bicycle Prototype
John Kemp Starley built an earlier model of the cycle in 1870 and subsequently designed a number of safety bicycles. He finally built the Rover model with equal-sized wheels. This bicycle improved the performance of racing bicycles that had reached their maximum speed by 1884. The saddle, handlebars and crank axle were well balanced and logically placed, and this established the shape of the bicycle as we know it today. Two or three years thereafter, the bicycle's components such as the frame material, tyres, variable speed gears, saddle and chain were rapidly made practical.
First Self-powered Vehicle
The first vehicle to move of its own power, for which there is a record, was designed by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot and constructed by M. Brezin in 1769. The model on its first drive around Paris hit and knocked down a stone wall. It also had a tendency to tip over frontwards unless it was conterweighted with a canon in the rear. The purpose of the vehicle was to haul canons around town. This was the prototype for more refined self-powered vehicles to come.
First Controlled Aircraft
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were Americans generally credited with engineering controlled, powered, heavier-than-air human flight for the first time on December 17, 1903. In the two years thereafter, they developed their flying machine into the world's first practical fixed-wing aircraft. The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of ‘three axis-control’, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method has been used ever since by all fixed-wing aircrafts. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer ‘the flying problem’ rather than developing powerful engines as some other experimenters did.
LONGEST MOVIE TITLE
India has the distinction of producing a feature film with the longest title. At Chennai in December 1994, a Telegu-film (Telegu is the state-language of Andhra Pradesh, a state in south India) was released with 20 words in its title: Shree Shree Rajadhiraja Shree Shree Madana Kamaraja Shree Shree Vilasa Raja Shree Shree Mahdubana Raja Shree Shree Krishnadeva Donda Raja. Lets see if you can memorize this one!
THE HIGHEST JUMPER
You won’t find them at the Olympics, but if they were allowed to participate, they would surely be the ones taking the gold medal in the high jump. We’re talking about fleas. The average flea can jump 200 mm (or 8 inches) into the air. For its size and weight, that’s amazing. To put things in perspective, the flea’s jump is equivalent to a human being jumping 130 metres (or 400 feet) high! Now that would be some world record!
THE LONGEST NAME FOR A PLACE
We’ve told you the longest name for a feature film before. If that was tough to remember, try this: `Taumatawkakatangihakoauauotanenuiarangikitanatahu.’ Well, that’s the longest name you will ever find for a place and its that for a nine hundred-foot hill in New Zealand. This 52-letter name is in the Maori language and means `the hill upon which Rangi sat and played the flute to his lady love.’
WHAT ARE DOGFIGHTS?
Dogfights were mid-air fights between single-seat scout planes in World War I. These planes usually had just one fixed forward-facing machine gun. This meant that the pilot had to aim the whole aircraft at the enemy to shoot, so flying skill was vital. Pilots who excelled were called “aces.” Aces such as Baron von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, became famous for their exploits during World War I.
APPEARANCE OF WRISTWATCHES
The exact time of the appearance of the wristwatch is unknown. But in the early twentieth century women's pocket watches started appearing attached to leather and steel bands. These were worn on the wrist and were an immediate money-spinner as their utility was established. Their usage peaked during the World War I when the time could be seen without unbuttoning the coat or jacket. The first self-winding watch was invented by John Harwood an Englishman in 1924. He patented the design and marketed it with chutzpah. Today the largest and by far the best watch industry is concentrated in the Jura Mountains and the Aar valley of Switzerland.
BADMINTON ORIGINATED IN INDIA
Many believe that the badminton game originated in England, and that it is in fact an offshoot of tennis. But while the game's name certainly sounds very British, as does shuttlecock, badminton is an ancient game that originated in India, where it was called Poona! British army officers who played the game there in the nineteenth century brought it back to Great Britain. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort entertained his guests with the game at a party he hosted in his home that was in Badminton, England. That's how Poona received its badminton name.
A MUSEUM OF TOILETS
While visiting a museum you may have felt the need to and thus may have visited the toilet. But here is a museum that showcases toilets itself. This unique museum is in Delhi's Mahavir Enclave, on the Palam Dabri Road. It has been set up by Sulabh International, an organization that is associated with pay and use toilets. Its museum of toilets traces the history of toilets over the last 4500 years. On display is a rare collection of privies, pots, bidets, water closets and the like dated from 1145 AD to the present day stylish ones!
QWERTY or DVORAK – WHICH DO YOUR FINGERS PREFER?
Does QWERTY sound familiar? Look down at your keyboard and find it there, all these are alphabets arranged in the top row on the left side of your keyboard. QWERTY is the name given to your keyboards. There is another one known as the DVORAK keyboard, which is considered to be more efficient. Yet QWERTY continues to be the popular keyboard (since it has already been around for a long time) and therefore is more commonly used.
LITTLE BOY OR BIG BOMB!
They say `little boy’s don’t cry.’ But this `Little Boy’ made millions of others cry. On August 6, 1945, what could have been a regular Monday morning this `Little Boy’, a rather unusual nickname for an atom bomb, was dropped from Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber that flew over Hiroshima.
`Little Boy’ exploded at around 8.15 a.m Japan time, about a minute after he was dropped. The blast occurred at an altitude of 2000 ft above the building
that is today called the "A-Bomb Dome."
ALL SPICE? OR ONE?
Take a sniff of ‘all spice powder’, a common ingredient called for in many a recipe. The sniff will remind you of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Well, all spice powder is not prepared by mixing all these three spices together, but is prepared by powdering the dried berries of the West Indian pepper tree. It is known by another name too – the pimento tree
DRESSING UP THE HUMBLE CABBAGE
Read through a story based in Russia and you will certainly find a mention of Sauerkraut. This is a delicacy prepared by paying a lot of attention to the humble cabbage. A huge wooden container is layered with shredded and salted cabbage and left to ferment for a month. It is often seasoned with fragrant spices like caraway seeds, peppercorns and juniper berries. It has been known to have been prepared in ancient Rome and China also. The fermenting enhances the nutritive value of cabbage and makes it rich in Vitamin C. Captain James Cook, the famous British Explorer ensured that sauerkraut was a part of his crew’s diet so that they would not fall prey to scurvy, a disease caused by the deficiency of Vitamin C.
WHEN PARROTS WENT TO WAR!
Did you know that parrots are not only good talkers, they are great listeners too. So sharp is their hearing that they can hear the most softest and distant of sounds and noise. It was thanks to their superb hearing powers that parrots actually came to play a dominant role in World War II. Employed by France, a part of the Allies, parrots were made to perch atop the Eiffel Tower and sound an alarm when they heard an approaching jet.
ON YOUR TOES!
Ballet is a form of dance that evolved in the Renaissance period in Western Europe. Several steps, movements and positions have been standardized and codified and formed into a well-defined system that is followed worldwide. Toe dancing is at times considered synonymous with ballet however it is only one of the several techniques in ballet. Ballet can also be performed without toe dancing. The earliest ballet performances were held in Italy. Later France gained prominence and ballet enjoyed royal patronage there. Then Russia emerged as another center for ballet and gradually it became popular worldwide, spawning in its wake various regional styles.
THE ILL-FATED TWINS – WTC
• The two towers of the World Trade Center stood tall at a height of 417 and 415 meters.
• The port authority of New York and New Jersey owned them.
• The architect who designed the buildings was Minoru Yamasaki, who is believed to have studied more than 100 different configurations before deciding on the twin tower and three lower rise structure design.
• The engineers in charge of the project were John Skilling and Leslie Robertson.
• The project was started in August 1966 and formally inaugurated in April 1973.
• The first tenants occupied the building even as work on the upper storeys was going on.
• The WTC (World Trade Center) was a complex of seven buildings built on a 16-acre plot.
• The two WTC towers were more than 100 feet higher than the silver mast of the Empire State Building.
• The core and elevator system were unique to the Towers, as they had to handle unprecedented heights.
RAVANA, NOT THE BAD RAKSHASA
King Rama I who ruled Thailand in the late eighteenth century is believed to have composed the Ramakian -- an adaptation of the Ramayana tailored to incorporate Buddhist ideas. King Rama encouraged the representation of the Ramakian as a dance drama and is even believed to have chalked out a curriculum to be followed for systematic training. Several years of rigorous training are required for the body to become supple and graceful. Ravana, known as Tosakanth in the Ramakian is not depicted as the bad rakshasa. Tosakanth, according to Ramakian did evil things because he was under the influence of bad emotions! A profound truth in keeping with Buddhist values -- Hate the evil, not the evildoer.
THE WORLD’S LARGEST PIZZA
The world’s largest pizza was ‘baked’ on October 11, 1987 in Havana, Florida and measured 140 feet across. That makes it a scrumptious 10,000 square feet of luscious pizza. Wonder how many people it would have taken to lift it. It weighed a whopping 44,457 pounds. And if you are wondering how much and what all ingredients went into its making, here’s the list.
• It took 18,174 pounds of flour
• 1,103 pounds of water
• 6,445 pounds of sauce
• 9,375 pounds of cheese
• 2,387 pounds of pepperoni
All that would amount to quite a few slices wouldn’t it? Well, it totalled to 94,248 slices of pizza and more than 30,000 people relished it!
WHY DOES ‘MAYDAY’ SIGNIFY DISTRESS?
The first day of the month of May is referred to as Mayday and is celebrated as ‘Workers Day’ all over the world. Ships in distress send out distress signals with the words ‘ Mayday…. Mayday’.
Is there a connection? No. The two are entirely distinct.
The term ‘Mayday’ for use to signify distress has its origins in a French word m'aidez that means ‘help me’ or m'aider that means ‘render help to me.’ The accepted way to send a distress message is to repeat the word ‘Mayday’ three times and then give the name of the vessel and other specifications like radio call sign and whereabouts if possible. And then there should be a follow up message with the word ‘Mayday’ again followed by any other information that may be of assistance to the rescuers.
‘Mayday’ was adopted as the internationally accepted distress call in the year 1927.
WAR DOES HAVE A FEW BENEFITS
When a country goes to war its citizens have to make sacrifices of many kinds. America and her citizens were no different; there were several instances of ‘tightening the belt’ everywhere during the Second World War.
A few of the interesting ones were – slicing of bread was banned as the metal used for making bread slicing machines could be used to serve the country better by being used to make guns, tanks and the like. Food was rationed and meat was very dear.
Resourceful Americans devised the ‘Truman burger’- a burger that used a patty made of mashed beans instead of the usual meat. The name honored the President Henry Truman.
DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD’S EARLIEST VENDING MACHINES?
Today the most popular use of a vending machine is for quenching thirst. You drop a coin into the machine and out comes a beverage in one of its many branded avatars. Something not very different happened in the ancient times. In the 1st Century AD, you could stand in front of a machine and drop a coin into a slot provided, the coin would slide down its designated path strike a lever which in turn would allow a valve to open and allow a certain amount of holy water to be discharged from the machine. This was the world’s first vend0ing machine of which there is a written record. And we owe the record to a Greek scientist - the Hero of Alexandria who wrote several volumes on mechanics, mathematics and physics.
LET’S MEET BEFANA THE WITCH
In Europe, children follow an old tradition of hanging stocking from the ends of their beds on the eve of the 6th of January. January 6th is the epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the three magi who, according to legend, came by camel to the cave in Bethlehem, guided by the light of a brilliant star.
On the night before, Befana the witch flies around the sky on a broomstick, leaving lots of presents for the children: oranges, dates, small sweet cakes, and a tiny little toy.
In Spain, the magi are called Los Reyes. Spanish children write letters to them like the ones that other children send to the baby Jesus or Father Christmas! In France, Belgium and Switzerland, on the epiphany it is customary to eat la galette Des Rois, a biscuit in which three white beans and one black bean are hidden. The lucky child who gets the black bean in his piece of biscuit then becomes king at the party which follows.
POPE LAUNCHES THE FIRST CALENDAR
The calendar, which is now in use in India, Europe, in Australia, in America, and in many other countries of the world, was introduced in 1582 by a pope: Pope Gregory XIII, and it is called the 'Gregorian calendar'. But not everyone started using it immediately. In Austria, Germany and most of Switzerland, the new calendar came into effect after two years; in Denmark and Norway in the year 1700; in Great Britain in 1752; in the Soviet Union in 1918; and in Turkey not until 1927.
Calendar is a word which comes from the Latin. In the time of the Romans, the 'Ralendae' or 'calends' was the first day of every month.
LOST? FEAR NOT. THE CHINESE WILL LEAD THE WAY!
The Chinese were responsible for the invention of the compass. They can also boast of having invented paper and gunpowder.
The Chinese have been knowledgeable about the magnetic needle for over 4,500 years. The credit of introducing the compass in Europe goes to the seafaring sailors from Italy in 1200. They had seen it in Syria and Egypt.
The standard compass that was accepted worldwide was built by an Englishman Sir W. Thomson in 1877.
SMOG SAVES KOKURA FROM NUCLEAR ATTACK
Virtually everybody knows the name of the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima - the Enola Gay - but how about the one that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, 3 days later? This B-29 was known as "Bock's Car", and Nagasaki was not its original target - the intended target city was Kokura, which escaped the scourge as the bomber was under orders to attack only a clear target and the city was shrouded in smog at the time. Nagasaki was the first alternative target city.
WHICH IS THE WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR DISASTER?
On 26th April 1986 at 1.23 a.m.: The world's worst nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the northern Ukraine. 190 tons of highly radioactive uranium and graphite were expelled into the atmosphere. The result was an international ecological calamity.
The people of Chernobyl were exposed to radiation 90 times greater than from the Hiroshima bomb.
Almost 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the nuclear power plant explosion. An area the size of England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined - over 160,000 square kilometers - is estimated to have been contaminated by the disaster. Chiefly affected are Northern Ukraine, Western Russia and the Republic of Belarus.
Over 1.8 million people, including 500,000 children, live in radioactive zones in Belarus. Between three and five million people, including two million children, in the Ukraine live in radioactive zones. In the radioactive zone areas there are bans on children walking in forests or in rain, playing in the parks, and picking wild berries or flowers due to the high levels of radiation.
“The splitting of the atom has changed everything except our way of thinking and thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe.”
- Albert Einstein
ORIGINS OF THE BBC
The British Broadcasting Company was formed on December 15, 1922, and received its licence on January 18, 1923. It was backed by six great firms and licensed by the Postmaster-General until the end of 1926. A chain of eight stations was to be maintained and advertising was forbidden; the service was to be 'to the reasonable satisfaction of the Postmaster-General' "
The British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation on January 1, 1927. The Crawford Committee, who were appointed by the government to advise on future management and control of the BBC recommended that broadcasting should be run by a public corporation 'acting as trustee for the national interest. They suggested the governors of the BBC should have the maximum of freedom within this framework. Broadcasting had become a monopoly, financed by licencing fees on radio receivers, and administered by an independent public corporation.
It was on this, that the present structure of the British Broadcasting Corporation is based.
LOST? FEAR NOT. THE CHINESE WILL LEAD THE WAY!
The Chinese were responsible for the invention of the compass. They can also boast of having invented paper and gunpowder.
The Chinese have been knowledgeable about the magnetic needle for over 4,500 years. The credit of introducing the compass in Europe goes to the seafaring sailors from Italy in 1200. They had seen it in Syria and Egypt.
The standard compass that was accepted worldwide was built by an Englishman Sir W. Thomson in 1877.
SMOG SAVES KOKURA FROM NUCLEAR ATTACK
Virtually everybody knows the name of the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima - the Enola Gay - but how about the one that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, 3 days later? This B-29 was known as "Bock's Car", and Nagasaki was not its original target - the intended target city was Kokura, which escaped the scourge as the bomber was under orders to attack only a clear target and the city was shrouded in smog at the time. Nagasaki was the first alternative target city.
WHICH IS THE WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR DISASTER?
On 26th April 1986 at 1.23 a.m.: The world's worst nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the northern Ukraine. 190 tons of highly radioactive uranium and graphite were expelled into the atmosphere. The result was an international ecological calamity.
The people of Chernobyl were exposed to radiation 90 times greater than from the Hiroshima bomb.
Almost 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the nuclear power plant explosion. An area the size of England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined - over 160,000 square kilometers - is estimated to have been contaminated by the disaster. Chiefly affected are Northern Ukraine, Western Russia and the Republic of Belarus.
Over 1.8 million people, including 500,000 children, live in radioactive zones in Belarus. Between three and five million people, including two million children, in the Ukraine live in radioactive zones. In the radioactive zone areas there are bans on children walking in forests or in rain, playing in the parks, and picking wild berries or flowers due to the high levels of radiation.
“The splitting of the atom has changed everything except our way of thinking and thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe.”
- Albert Einstein
THE WAR OF ROSES
Flowers have always symbolized nature’s expression of endearment. Be it a rose on Pandit Nehru’s Sherwani or “Daffodils” of
William Wordsworth, flowers are timeless and a joy to behold.
However, the symbol of flowers is not without its sense of irony.
The famous War of Roses evidences this irony. The English aristocracy destroyed itself in a civil war called the War of the Roses, 1455-1485. Two factions fought for the throne of England. A White rose symbolized the House of York and a Red rose symbolized the house of Lancaster.
The war ended when Henry VII, the first Tudor king, ascended the throne.
ORIGINS OF THE BBC
The British Broadcasting Company was formed on December 15, 1922, and received its licence on January 18, 1923. It was backed by six great firms and licensed by the Postmaster-General until the end of 1926. A chain of eight stations was to be maintained and advertising was forbidden; the service was to be 'to the reasonable satisfaction of the Postmaster-General' "
The British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation on January 1, 1927. The Crawford Committee, who were appointed by the government to advise on future management and control of the BBC recommended that broadcasting should be run by a public corporation 'acting as trustee for the national interest. They suggested the governors of the BBC should have the maximum of freedom within this framework. Broadcasting had become a monopoly, financed by licencing fees on radio receivers, and administered by an independent public corporation.
It was on this, that the present structure of the British Broadcasting Corporation is based.
First Bicycle Prototype
John Kemp Starley built an earlier model of the cycle in 1870 and subsequently designed a number of safety bicycles. He finally built the Rover model with equal-sized wheels. This bicycle improved the performance of racing bicycles that had reached their maximum speed by 1884. The saddle, handlebars and crank axle were well balanced and logically placed, and this established the shape of the bicycle as we know it today. Two or three years thereafter, the bicycle's components such as the frame material, tyres, variable speed gears, saddle and chain were rapidly made practical.
First Self-powered Vehicle
The first vehicle to move of its own power, for which there is a record, was designed by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot and constructed by M. Brezin in 1769. The model on its first drive around Paris hit and knocked down a stone wall. It also had a tendency to tip over frontwards unless it was conterweighted with a canon in the rear. The purpose of the vehicle was to haul canons around town. This was the prototype for more refined self-powered vehicles to come.
First Controlled Aircraft
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were Americans generally credited with engineering controlled, powered, heavier-than-air human flight for the first time on December 17, 1903. In the two years thereafter, they developed their flying machine into the world's first practical fixed-wing aircraft. The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of ‘three axis-control’, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method has been used ever since by all fixed-wing aircrafts. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer ‘the flying problem’ rather than developing powerful engines as some other experimenters did.
LONGEST MOVIE TITLE
India has the distinction of producing a feature film with the longest title. At Chennai in December 1994, a Telegu-film (Telegu is the state-language of Andhra Pradesh, a state in south India) was released with 20 words in its title: Shree Shree Rajadhiraja Shree Shree Madana Kamaraja Shree Shree Vilasa Raja Shree Shree Mahdubana Raja Shree Shree Krishnadeva Donda Raja. Lets see if you can memorize this one!
THE HIGHEST JUMPER
You won’t find them at the Olympics, but if they were allowed to participate, they would surely be the ones taking the gold medal in the high jump. We’re talking about fleas. The average flea can jump 200 mm (or 8 inches) into the air. For its size and weight, that’s amazing. To put things in perspective, the flea’s jump is equivalent to a human being jumping 130 metres (or 400 feet) high! Now that would be some world record!
THE LONGEST NAME FOR A PLACE
We’ve told you the longest name for a feature film before. If that was tough to remember, try this: `Taumatawkakatangihakoauauotanenuiarangikitanatahu.’ Well, that’s the longest name you will ever find for a place and its that for a nine hundred-foot hill in New Zealand. This 52-letter name is in the Maori language and means `the hill upon which Rangi sat and played the flute to his lady love.’
WHAT ARE DOGFIGHTS?
Dogfights were mid-air fights between single-seat scout planes in World War I. These planes usually had just one fixed forward-facing machine gun. This meant that the pilot had to aim the whole aircraft at the enemy to shoot, so flying skill was vital. Pilots who excelled were called “aces.” Aces such as Baron von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, became famous for their exploits during World War I.
APPEARANCE OF WRISTWATCHES
The exact time of the appearance of the wristwatch is unknown. But in the early twentieth century women's pocket watches started appearing attached to leather and steel bands. These were worn on the wrist and were an immediate money-spinner as their utility was established. Their usage peaked during the World War I when the time could be seen without unbuttoning the coat or jacket. The first self-winding watch was invented by John Harwood an Englishman in 1924. He patented the design and marketed it with chutzpah. Today the largest and by far the best watch industry is concentrated in the Jura Mountains and the Aar valley of Switzerland.
BADMINTON ORIGINATED IN INDIA
Many believe that the badminton game originated in England, and that it is in fact an offshoot of tennis. But while the game's name certainly sounds very British, as does shuttlecock, badminton is an ancient game that originated in India, where it was called Poona! British army officers who played the game there in the nineteenth century brought it back to Great Britain. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort entertained his guests with the game at a party he hosted in his home that was in Badminton, England. That's how Poona received its badminton name.
A MUSEUM OF TOILETS
While visiting a museum you may have felt the need to and thus may have visited the toilet. But here is a museum that showcases toilets itself. This unique museum is in Delhi's Mahavir Enclave, on the Palam Dabri Road. It has been set up by Sulabh International, an organization that is associated with pay and use toilets. Its museum of toilets traces the history of toilets over the last 4500 years. On display is a rare collection of privies, pots, bidets, water closets and the like dated from 1145 AD to the present day stylish ones!
QWERTY or DVORAK – WHICH DO YOUR FINGERS PREFER?
Does QWERTY sound familiar? Look down at your keyboard and find it there, all these are alphabets arranged in the top row on the left side of your keyboard. QWERTY is the name given to your keyboards. There is another one known as the DVORAK keyboard, which is considered to be more efficient. Yet QWERTY continues to be the popular keyboard (since it has already been around for a long time) and therefore is more commonly used.
LITTLE BOY OR BIG BOMB!
They say `little boy’s don’t cry.’ But this `Little Boy’ made millions of others cry. On August 6, 1945, what could have been a regular Monday morning this `Little Boy’, a rather unusual nickname for an atom bomb, was dropped from Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber that flew over Hiroshima.
`Little Boy’ exploded at around 8.15 a.m Japan time, about a minute after he was dropped. The blast occurred at an altitude of 2000 ft above the building
that is today called the "A-Bomb Dome."
ALL SPICE? OR ONE?
Take a sniff of ‘all spice powder’, a common ingredient called for in many a recipe. The sniff will remind you of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Well, all spice powder is not prepared by mixing all these three spices together, but is prepared by powdering the dried berries of the West Indian pepper tree. It is known by another name too – the pimento tree
DRESSING UP THE HUMBLE CABBAGE
Read through a story based in Russia and you will certainly find a mention of Sauerkraut. This is a delicacy prepared by paying a lot of attention to the humble cabbage. A huge wooden container is layered with shredded and salted cabbage and left to ferment for a month. It is often seasoned with fragrant spices like caraway seeds, peppercorns and juniper berries. It has been known to have been prepared in ancient Rome and China also. The fermenting enhances the nutritive value of cabbage and makes it rich in Vitamin C. Captain James Cook, the famous British Explorer ensured that sauerkraut was a part of his crew’s diet so that they would not fall prey to scurvy, a disease caused by the deficiency of Vitamin C.
WHEN PARROTS WENT TO WAR!
Did you know that parrots are not only good talkers, they are great listeners too. So sharp is their hearing that they can hear the most softest and distant of sounds and noise. It was thanks to their superb hearing powers that parrots actually came to play a dominant role in World War II. Employed by France, a part of the Allies, parrots were made to perch atop the Eiffel Tower and sound an alarm when they heard an approaching jet.
ON YOUR TOES!
Ballet is a form of dance that evolved in the Renaissance period in Western Europe. Several steps, movements and positions have been standardized and codified and formed into a well-defined system that is followed worldwide. Toe dancing is at times considered synonymous with ballet however it is only one of the several techniques in ballet. Ballet can also be performed without toe dancing. The earliest ballet performances were held in Italy. Later France gained prominence and ballet enjoyed royal patronage there. Then Russia emerged as another center for ballet and gradually it became popular worldwide, spawning in its wake various regional styles.
THE ILL-FATED TWINS – WTC
• The two towers of the World Trade Center stood tall at a height of 417 and 415 meters.
• The port authority of New York and New Jersey owned them.
• The architect who designed the buildings was Minoru Yamasaki, who is believed to have studied more than 100 different configurations before deciding on the twin tower and three lower rise structure design.
• The engineers in charge of the project were John Skilling and Leslie Robertson.
• The project was started in August 1966 and formally inaugurated in April 1973.
• The first tenants occupied the building even as work on the upper storeys was going on.
• The WTC (World Trade Center) was a complex of seven buildings built on a 16-acre plot.
• The two WTC towers were more than 100 feet higher than the silver mast of the Empire State Building.
• The core and elevator system were unique to the Towers, as they had to handle unprecedented heights.
RAVANA, NOT THE BAD RAKSHASA
King Rama I who ruled Thailand in the late eighteenth century is believed to have composed the Ramakian -- an adaptation of the Ramayana tailored to incorporate Buddhist ideas. King Rama encouraged the representation of the Ramakian as a dance drama and is even believed to have chalked out a curriculum to be followed for systematic training. Several years of rigorous training are required for the body to become supple and graceful. Ravana, known as Tosakanth in the Ramakian is not depicted as the bad rakshasa. Tosakanth, according to Ramakian did evil things because he was under the influence of bad emotions! A profound truth in keeping with Buddhist values -- Hate the evil, not the evildoer.
THE WORLD’S LARGEST PIZZA
The world’s largest pizza was ‘baked’ on October 11, 1987 in Havana, Florida and measured 140 feet across. That makes it a scrumptious 10,000 square feet of luscious pizza. Wonder how many people it would have taken to lift it. It weighed a whopping 44,457 pounds. And if you are wondering how much and what all ingredients went into its making, here’s the list.
• It took 18,174 pounds of flour
• 1,103 pounds of water
• 6,445 pounds of sauce
• 9,375 pounds of cheese
• 2,387 pounds of pepperoni
All that would amount to quite a few slices wouldn’t it? Well, it totalled to 94,248 slices of pizza and more than 30,000 people relished it!
WHY DOES ‘MAYDAY’ SIGNIFY DISTRESS?
The first day of the month of May is referred to as Mayday and is celebrated as ‘Workers Day’ all over the world. Ships in distress send out distress signals with the words ‘ Mayday…. Mayday’.
Is there a connection? No. The two are entirely distinct.
The term ‘Mayday’ for use to signify distress has its origins in a French word m'aidez that means ‘help me’ or m'aider that means ‘render help to me.’ The accepted way to send a distress message is to repeat the word ‘Mayday’ three times and then give the name of the vessel and other specifications like radio call sign and whereabouts if possible. And then there should be a follow up message with the word ‘Mayday’ again followed by any other information that may be of assistance to the rescuers.
‘Mayday’ was adopted as the internationally accepted distress call in the year 1927.
WAR DOES HAVE A FEW BENEFITS
When a country goes to war its citizens have to make sacrifices of many kinds. America and her citizens were no different; there were several instances of ‘tightening the belt’ everywhere during the Second World War.
A few of the interesting ones were – slicing of bread was banned as the metal used for making bread slicing machines could be used to serve the country better by being used to make guns, tanks and the like. Food was rationed and meat was very dear.
Resourceful Americans devised the ‘Truman burger’- a burger that used a patty made of mashed beans instead of the usual meat. The name honored the President Henry Truman.
DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD’S EARLIEST VENDING MACHINES?
Today the most popular use of a vending machine is for quenching thirst. You drop a coin into the machine and out comes a beverage in one of its many branded avatars. Something not very different happened in the ancient times. In the 1st Century AD, you could stand in front of a machine and drop a coin into a slot provided, the coin would slide down its designated path strike a lever which in turn would allow a valve to open and allow a certain amount of holy water to be discharged from the machine. This was the world’s first vend0ing machine of which there is a written record. And we owe the record to a Greek scientist - the Hero of Alexandria who wrote several volumes on mechanics, mathematics and physics.
LET’S MEET BEFANA THE WITCH
In Europe, children follow an old tradition of hanging stocking from the ends of their beds on the eve of the 6th of January. January 6th is the epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the three magi who, according to legend, came by camel to the cave in Bethlehem, guided by the light of a brilliant star.
On the night before, Befana the witch flies around the sky on a broomstick, leaving lots of presents for the children: oranges, dates, small sweet cakes, and a tiny little toy.
In Spain, the magi are called Los Reyes. Spanish children write letters to them like the ones that other children send to the baby Jesus or Father Christmas! In France, Belgium and Switzerland, on the epiphany it is customary to eat la galette Des Rois, a biscuit in which three white beans and one black bean are hidden. The lucky child who gets the black bean in his piece of biscuit then becomes king at the party which follows.
POPE LAUNCHES THE FIRST CALENDAR
The calendar, which is now in use in India, Europe, in Australia, in America, and in many other countries of the world, was introduced in 1582 by a pope: Pope Gregory XIII, and it is called the 'Gregorian calendar'. But not everyone started using it immediately. In Austria, Germany and most of Switzerland, the new calendar came into effect after two years; in Denmark and Norway in the year 1700; in Great Britain in 1752; in the Soviet Union in 1918; and in Turkey not until 1927.
Calendar is a word which comes from the Latin. In the time of the Romans, the 'Ralendae' or 'calends' was the first day of every month.
LOST? FEAR NOT. THE CHINESE WILL LEAD THE WAY!
The Chinese were responsible for the invention of the compass. They can also boast of having invented paper and gunpowder.
The Chinese have been knowledgeable about the magnetic needle for over 4,500 years. The credit of introducing the compass in Europe goes to the seafaring sailors from Italy in 1200. They had seen it in Syria and Egypt.
The standard compass that was accepted worldwide was built by an Englishman Sir W. Thomson in 1877.
SMOG SAVES KOKURA FROM NUCLEAR ATTACK
Virtually everybody knows the name of the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima - the Enola Gay - but how about the one that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, 3 days later? This B-29 was known as "Bock's Car", and Nagasaki was not its original target - the intended target city was Kokura, which escaped the scourge as the bomber was under orders to attack only a clear target and the city was shrouded in smog at the time. Nagasaki was the first alternative target city.
WHICH IS THE WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR DISASTER?
On 26th April 1986 at 1.23 a.m.: The world's worst nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the northern Ukraine. 190 tons of highly radioactive uranium and graphite were expelled into the atmosphere. The result was an international ecological calamity.
The people of Chernobyl were exposed to radiation 90 times greater than from the Hiroshima bomb.
Almost 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the nuclear power plant explosion. An area the size of England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined - over 160,000 square kilometers - is estimated to have been contaminated by the disaster. Chiefly affected are Northern Ukraine, Western Russia and the Republic of Belarus.
Over 1.8 million people, including 500,000 children, live in radioactive zones in Belarus. Between three and five million people, including two million children, in the Ukraine live in radioactive zones. In the radioactive zone areas there are bans on children walking in forests or in rain, playing in the parks, and picking wild berries or flowers due to the high levels of radiation.
“The splitting of the atom has changed everything except our way of thinking and thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe.”
- Albert Einstein
ORIGINS OF THE BBC
The British Broadcasting Company was formed on December 15, 1922, and received its licence on January 18, 1923. It was backed by six great firms and licensed by the Postmaster-General until the end of 1926. A chain of eight stations was to be maintained and advertising was forbidden; the service was to be 'to the reasonable satisfaction of the Postmaster-General' "
The British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation on January 1, 1927. The Crawford Committee, who were appointed by the government to advise on future management and control of the BBC recommended that broadcasting should be run by a public corporation 'acting as trustee for the national interest. They suggested the governors of the BBC should have the maximum of freedom within this framework. Broadcasting had become a monopoly, financed by licencing fees on radio receivers, and administered by an independent public corporation.
It was on this, that the present structure of the British Broadcasting Corporation is based.
LOST? FEAR NOT. THE CHINESE WILL LEAD THE WAY!
The Chinese were responsible for the invention of the compass. They can also boast of having invented paper and gunpowder.
The Chinese have been knowledgeable about the magnetic needle for over 4,500 years. The credit of introducing the compass in Europe goes to the seafaring sailors from Italy in 1200. They had seen it in Syria and Egypt.
The standard compass that was accepted worldwide was built by an Englishman Sir W. Thomson in 1877.
SMOG SAVES KOKURA FROM NUCLEAR ATTACK
Virtually everybody knows the name of the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima - the Enola Gay - but how about the one that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, 3 days later? This B-29 was known as "Bock's Car", and Nagasaki was not its original target - the intended target city was Kokura, which escaped the scourge as the bomber was under orders to attack only a clear target and the city was shrouded in smog at the time. Nagasaki was the first alternative target city.
WHICH IS THE WORLD'S WORST NUCLEAR DISASTER?
On 26th April 1986 at 1.23 a.m.: The world's worst nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the northern Ukraine. 190 tons of highly radioactive uranium and graphite were expelled into the atmosphere. The result was an international ecological calamity.
The people of Chernobyl were exposed to radiation 90 times greater than from the Hiroshima bomb.
Almost 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the nuclear power plant explosion. An area the size of England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined - over 160,000 square kilometers - is estimated to have been contaminated by the disaster. Chiefly affected are Northern Ukraine, Western Russia and the Republic of Belarus.
Over 1.8 million people, including 500,000 children, live in radioactive zones in Belarus. Between three and five million people, including two million children, in the Ukraine live in radioactive zones. In the radioactive zone areas there are bans on children walking in forests or in rain, playing in the parks, and picking wild berries or flowers due to the high levels of radiation.
“The splitting of the atom has changed everything except our way of thinking and thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe.”
- Albert Einstein
THE WAR OF ROSES
Flowers have always symbolized nature’s expression of endearment. Be it a rose on Pandit Nehru’s Sherwani or “Daffodils” of
William Wordsworth, flowers are timeless and a joy to behold.
However, the symbol of flowers is not without its sense of irony.
The famous War of Roses evidences this irony. The English aristocracy destroyed itself in a civil war called the War of the Roses, 1455-1485. Two factions fought for the throne of England. A White rose symbolized the House of York and a Red rose symbolized the house of Lancaster.
The war ended when Henry VII, the first Tudor king, ascended the throne.
ORIGINS OF THE BBC
The British Broadcasting Company was formed on December 15, 1922, and received its licence on January 18, 1923. It was backed by six great firms and licensed by the Postmaster-General until the end of 1926. A chain of eight stations was to be maintained and advertising was forbidden; the service was to be 'to the reasonable satisfaction of the Postmaster-General' "
The British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation on January 1, 1927. The Crawford Committee, who were appointed by the government to advise on future management and control of the BBC recommended that broadcasting should be run by a public corporation 'acting as trustee for the national interest. They suggested the governors of the BBC should have the maximum of freedom within this framework. Broadcasting had become a monopoly, financed by licencing fees on radio receivers, and administered by an independent public corporation.
It was on this, that the present structure of the British Broadcasting Corporation is based.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Outsource Software Development of India
Are you into a spot of bother? Are cost related issues giving you sleepless nights? Do you think that the dissatisfaction among staff members is growing due to the ever-increasing workload? Are you convinced, that your frail shoulders are no more going to carry the unreasonable burden of work bestowed upon you? If yes, then join the rat race by procrastinating these feeble looking issues, else, outsource.Outsourcing certainly is a befitting reply to your problems.
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is an old concept, but its increasing popularity among leading organizations is what is making it coveted. Companies, through out the world have willingly accepted outsourcing, and are allocating there in-house operations to several other organizations situated in all parts of the world.
Outsourcing in simple terms is, sharing or transfer of responsibility. It is all about hiring someone else, to acquire services. Companies either outsource a part of business process or, take help in the infrastructure management. It’s absolutely crucial that the two partners work in tandem with each other. This would inspire a huge reduction in costs, and quality solutions could be delivered.
Why Outsource?
Cost Benefits
For companies who are still in there infancy, every penny spent, counts. They need to cut down on their costs. Outsourcing here would prove to be enormously beneficial. If you outsource to countries like
Freedom
Outsourcing facilitates you with a great deal of freedom. Maneuvering your work force as per the tasks in hand doesn’t sound quite possible. Outsourcing makes it achievable. One can actually get the workforce required for a particular project. In addition to it, your company cannot be proficient in all the areas. No need to feel handicapped. Outsource what you are not brilliant at.
The endless benefits of Outsourcing are evident, as the whole world is moving towards it. What are you waiting for?
Why Outsource to India
‘Growth is only starting, but the country’s brainpower is already re- shaping corporate
Source: Businessweekonline by Manjeetkriplani and Pete Engardio with Steve Hamm in
The above statement says it all.
- System of education prevailing in
The age-old belief, that Indian education system is defective, and that it kills the creativity of a student, has proved to be awfully wrong. In fact it has produced students with all round talents. Command over quantitative concepts, along with a comfortable grip over communication skills, has paved the way for students to the top. We are best equipped to make the most out of the current international scenario.
- Government Policies
Government of India has taken several liberalization initiatives to support the growth of outsourcing sector. Government is trying to pull a lot of FDI (foreign direct investment) into the country. The motive is to make technology reach the grass roots.
Outsourcing Industry in
In the pages to follow we have attempted to briefly explain:
- Services that can be outsourced to
- Why Outsource Software Development to
- Legal issues relating to Offshore software outsourcing.
- Few case studies relating to offshore software development.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
GK Test Questions for Intro. to Philosophy (Phil 251):
Philosophy in General, Socrates, and Plato
Answers at end.
True/False (True=A, False=B)
1. To say that philosophy encourages the adoption of a questioning attitude means that philosophic thinking encourages people to deny the existence of God or traditional moral beliefs.
2. In philosophy the purpose of rational self-examination is to develop arguments that correct or support beliefs in ways that could be persuasive even to people with different backgrounds.
3. Though philosophy is defined as the pursuit of wisdom, it does not investigate what it means to ask questions in the first place.
4. As the pursuit of wisdom, philosophy raises questions about almost everything except what it means to question in the first place.
5. Because philosophy requires that we question our beliefs, it cannot provide reasons why one set of beliefs should be preferred over another.
6. One of the primary aims of philosophy is to see how our beliefs compare with those of others who can and do raise objections against those beliefs.
7. Philosophy attempts to answer questions such as "Why do we exist?" by examining what it means to ask such questions and to evaluate whether proposed answers to such questions are justified.
8. Philosophical questions are generally more concerned with identifying how beliefs differ among persons or cultures than with how those different beliefs can be justified.
9. Myth provides the vocabulary and grammar in terms of which both philosophical questions and their answers are intelligible.
10. By giving us a sense of purpose and moral value, myth indicates our place in nature and explains in general why things are the way they are.
11. The point of the Socratic method is to determine the truth of a belief by means of dialectical exchange (questions and answers, hypothesis and counter-example).
12. Socrates's comment that "the unexamined life is not worth living" is an example of his ironic technique of saying something that means just the opposite.
13. In the Socratic method of enquiry, one asks questions aimed at discovering the nature, essence, or fundamental principles of the topic under consideration.
14. Socratic ignorance is the same as complete skepticism because Socrates admits he knows nothing, not even whether his method of enquiry is appropriate.
15. Like the social sciences (e.g., psychology or sociology), philosophy discovers truths by identifying what people in fact believe instead of judging whether those beliefs are justified.
16. To say that philosophy is a "second order" discipline means that it investigates the presuppositions, criteria, and methods assumed by other disciplines.
17. To say that philosophy is more concerned with "second-order" or meta-level topics means that it is concerned more with facts and beliefs than with their presuppositions.
Multiple Choice
18. "Is there anything you would be willing to die for?" is a philosophical question insofar as:
(a) it does not have any right or wrong answer because it is a meaningless question.
(b) it is a meaningless question because everyone could have a different answer to it.
(c) it forces us to articulate and justify our beliefs about what we know and ought to do.
(d) it is more concerned with one's religious beliefs than with factual claims about the world.
19. One of the aims of philosophy is to think critically about whether there are good reasons for adopting our beliefs. Reasons are considered "good reasons" if they are consistent with everyday experience and:
(a) are part of a set of religious, moral, or political beliefs that an individual feels deeply about.
(b) are considered good by at least one culture, sub-culture, or individual.
(c) cannot be interpreted in different ways by different people or cultures.
(d) take into account objections, are acceptable to impartial third parties, and avoid undesirable consequences.
20. If the world that we individually perceive is limited to an internal perspective, then there is no way that we could determine whether our own perspective is useful, true, or valuable because:
(a) we know whether our internal perspective is correct only by comparing it with an objective, external perspective (the "real" world).
(b) whatever we appeal to in order to prove that our perspective is right itself would be part of the standard we use in evaluating that perspective.
(c) scientific research that reveals facts about the world would cause us to challenge our perceptions in a dreamworld of our own making.
(d) without limiting our perspective to an internal dreamworld, we cannot achieve any objective, external knowledge of the real world.
21. Philosophy is concerned primarily with identifying beliefs about human existence and evaluating arguments that support those beliefs. These activities can be summarized in two questions that drive philosophical investigations:
(a) why should we bother? and what are the consequences of our believing one thing over another?
(b) what do you mean? and how do you know?
(c) who really believes X? and how can we explain differences in people's beliefs?
(d) how do philosophers argue? and are their differences important?
22. One of the tasks of philosophy is to test conceptual frameworks for depth and consistency. It does this through (1) expressing our ideas in clear, concise language and (2) supporting those ideas with reasons and with overcoming objections to them. Philosophy thus emphasizes the need to:
(a) pose questions that can be resolved not by reasoning but only by faith or personal belief.
(b) show why the beliefs adopted by most people in a culture are preferable since more people understand those beliefs and see no reason to raise objections to them.
(c) articulate what we mean by our beliefs and to justify our beliefs by arguments.
(d) develop a set of ideas about the nature of society (i.e., an ideology) that can be used to support a religious conceptual framework.
23. The philosophic insistence on providing a logos for the world and our experience of it might itself rely ultimately on adopting a certain mythos, insofar as:
(a) philosophy assumes that it is possible and meaningful to reason about the world and experience.
(b) the myths of philosophy are really lies that are told to make so-called philosophic enquiries sound more respectable.
(c) philosophy is based on logic, whereas myths are not based on logic.
(d) mythos refers to the philosophic understanding of the world, whereas logos refers to the philosophic understanding of our experience of the world.
24. "There is no rationale for myth because it is through myth that reason itself is defined." This means that:
(a) mythos is ultimately based on logos, just as myth is ultimately based on reasoning or thinking.
(b) myth does not "explain" how things are related as much as it simply reveals them as related.
(c) metaphysicians are justified in reasoning as they do because there is only one true answer about being.
(d) myth and reason are the same: "myth" defines "reason," and "reason" defines "myth."
25. Whereas the social sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics) ask questions about how people think and act, philosophy is the study of:
(a) how people with different beliefs or backgrounds disagree with one another.
(b) what beliefs mean and whether people with different beliefs are justified in having them.
(c) the reasons why philosophic questions never have better or worse answers.
(d) questions that can be answered better by appealing to scientific experiments.
26. To say that "philosophy" (like "love" or "art") is not a closed concept means that we cannot state the necessary and sufficient conditions by which it is defined. Rather, philosophic issues are identifiable as having "family resemblances" with one another. In other words:
(a) there is no one distinguishing feature that identifies an issue as philosophic, only an overlapping of issues roughly associated with one another.
(b) the way we come to think about philosophy, love, or art really depends on how we were raised by our families to identify things as resembling one another.
(c) the necessary and sufficient condition for something to be considered philosophic is that it answers either of these questions: What does it mean? and How do you know?
(d) philosophy is not a closed discipline insofar as it is willing to accept any answer suggested by the "human family" as being true.
27. According to Socrates, just as there is a difference between what an ironic statement says and its true meaning, so also appearances differ from reality. Even though societies or individuals appear to differ about what is required for the good life, that in no way contradicts the fact that:
(a) what is right or wrong, true or false varies from one culture to another.
(b) appearances are the only real way we have for knowing reality.
(c) the distinction of appearance and reality is the basis for the dialectical discovery of truth.
(d) there are objective principles for thought and action that are required for the good life.
28. According to Socrates, an unexamined life is not worth living; and it certainly could not be a virtuous life. Why not?
(a) Because if someone did not know how to act virtuously, he or she would still be considered virtuous by others who also did not know the principles for good living.
(b) Because since Socrates was a philosopher, he of course thought that people who examined their lives philosophically were more virtuous than those who did not.
(c) Because without knowing the rationale for why one should act in a particular way, one does not know whether actions are justified and ought to be repeated.
(d) Because a virtuous life would be one in which someone does what the rest of the society says is right, and that means examining views other than one's own.
29. In spite of the fact that Socrates claims to be ignorant of the essence or nature of certain things like justice, he is wise insofar as he recognizes that without such knowledge actions are rationally unjustified. That is, his wisdom consists in his recognition not only that he is ignorant of such essences but also that:
(a) justice, like knowledge, requires that we admit that we know nothing and never will.
(b) he knows what he is supposed to be looking for--knowledge of the essences of things.
(c) knowledge of the essences of things is impossible, because that would require that we know what we are looking for before we know what it is we are looking for.
(d) his method of asking questions about essences is itself unjustified because he does not know why he engages in such a practice.
30. According to Socrates, the value or quality of one's life depends on understanding the principles of, or basic rationale for human existence. Without such knowledge (he suggests) life lacks virtue, because:
(a) acting virtuously means acting in way that is informed about what one is doing and why.
(b) someone who does not understand existence philosophically could never do anything right.
(c) to have the power or ability to do anything at all requires that we know what we are doing.
(d) not only is virtue knowledge but also the unexamined life is not worth living.
31. According to Socrates, it is important that we discover what makes a particular action (e.g., a merciful or just act) the kind of action that it is, because without such knowledge:
(a) no one in society will ever do any action that really is merciful or just, only those actions that they think are merciful or just.
(b) the primary purpose of human existence--which is to think and to know--is replaced by a focus on morality (acting and doing).
(c) we can refer only to how people characterize actions without knowing why such actions should be characterized that way.
(d) there would be no way to distinguish one kind of action (e.g., a merciful action) from another kind of action (e.g., a just action).
32. For Socrates, the belief that "virtue is knowledge" is related to his claim that "the unexamined life is not worth living," because he believes that:
(a) the unexamined life is one in which we live day to day without asking questions about who we are and why we are here in the first place.
(b) the Delphic oracle identified Socrates as the wisest person on earth because he claimed to know nothing.
(c) by questioning traditional beliefs, we learn to recognize how some answers seem to be more satisfactory than others.
(d) the only way to be a good or worthwhile person is to know how human beings should behave based on universal norms or values.
33. Socrates' claim that "the unexamined life is not worth living" is often cited as a central theme in the activities of philosophy. By it, Socrates is typically understood to mean that:
(a) it is sometimes simply not worth all the effort of examining life and its problems in great detail; sometimes it is better simply to "go with the flow."
(b) while taking a reflective attitude toward life is interesting and even sometimes important, most of what makes life worth living is not worth examining.
(c) simply doing whatever everyone else does without thinking about why we should do what we do can hardly be thought of as worthwhile, noble, or admirable.
(d) it is a waste of time to sit around thinking about whether life is worth living; we should leave such reflection to talk-show hosts, political figures, and religious leaders.
34. According to Socrates, the task of the wise and virtuous person is not simply to learn various examples of just or virtuous actions but to learn the essence of justice or virtue, because:
(a) by knowing enough examples of justice or virtue, we will live a worthwhile life even if we do not know what makes them examples of justice or virtue.
(b) knowledge of individual examples alone would not prepare someone for situations of justice or virtue to which the examples do not immediately apply.
(c) what makes an action just or virtuous can be known only by asking people for their opinions and respecting each answer as equally valuable.
(d) justice and virtue are universal goals of all human beings, even if people do not always agree on how to achieve those ends.
35. Plato indicates that the knowledge of pure reason is preferable to conceptual understanding, because knowing that something is a certain kind of thing is not as good as knowing:
(a) how we come to learn what to call a thing in virtue of our own experiences.
(b) the logos or rationale of the thing, that is, why it is the way it is.
(c) why we differ among ourselves about what we claim to know.
(d) the difference between knowledge and opinion as outlined in Plato's divided line image.
36. Like most rationalists, Plato defines knowledge as justified true belief. In terms of this definition, we might be able to claim to know something as true which might actually be false, but it is impossible for us really to know something that is false. Why?
(a) Because to know something that is false is to know no real thing, nothing (i.e., not to know at all).
(b) Because what we know as true is ultimately based on what we claim to know as true.
(c) Because we cannot give a justification or reason for believing in something that is false.
(d) Because in contrast to our knowledge of the unchanging Forms, beliefs about particular objects can change.
37. Plato distinguishes knowledge from mere belief or opinion by saying that knowledge must be a true belief for which one can give a justification, a rationale, or "logos." In terms of his image of the Divided Line, for Plato, knowledge is attained only when our sensible experience is:
(a) grounded ultimately in what our senses reveal to us about the world of becoming.
(b) based on images of the good, beauty, and truth obtained from particular objects and on which the concepts and Forms depend.
(c) replaced by what we sincerely believe is true or have come to believe based on our upbringing.
(d) understood in terms of concepts or innate ideas (Forms) that are perceived as rationally ordered.
38. According to Plato, we can attain knowledge only by seeing beyond this world of particular, changing objects to the true essences or Forms in terms of which things in this world are intelligible. For example, we know what triangularity is not from comparing sensible triangles but by thinking of the ideal of triangularity in terms of which these sensible figures are recognized as triangles. From this Plato concludes that all knowledge (as opposed to opinion) is innate, because:
(a) from the moment we are born we know what things are in the world in terms of ideas that we get through our senses.
(b) since we are born with senses (that is, our senses are innate), we can know things about the sensible world with certainty as long as we rely on the senses alone.
(c) our knowledge of the world is not really of the sensible world itself but of the world grasped mathematically and ideally.
(d) since our absolutely certain knowledge of things cannot be based on the changing things in sensible experience, it must merely be triggered by sensible experience.
39. In Plato's idealism, the unchanging Ideas or "Forms" in terms of which sensible objects both exist and are known must transcend (that is, exist beyond) the changing realm of appearances; because if Forms changed, then:
(a) the only things in the sensible world that we could ever experience would be concepts.
(b) the sensible realm (in contrast to the intelligible realm) would consist only of copies of real things.
(c) nothing in the experienced world could be or be identified as one determinate thing or another.
(d) the sensible world would consist of unchanging Forms.
40. For Plato, ordinary sensible objects exist and are knowable as examples or instances of Ideas or "Forms" that do not exist in our ordinary sensible world. Forms do not exist in the sensible world because:
(a) in the sensible world only mathematical objects (e.g., triangles) can be known using hypotheses which are recollected when we are asked the right kinds of questions.
(b) unlike everything in the sensible world, Forms are not individual things but rather the universal essences or natures by which individual things are what they are and are known.
(c) nothing in the sensible, experienced world could exist or be identified as one particular thing or another unless there were a "Sensible World" Form (like the Form of beauty or justice).
(d) the sensible world consists of changing Forms that exist and are known in terms of other changing Forms, which in turn exist and are known in terms of yet others in an endless regress.
41. "When a person starts on the discovery of the absolute by the light of reason only, and without any assistance of sense, and perseveres until by pure intelligence he arrives at the perception of the absolute good, he at last finds himself at the end of the intellectual world. . . . Dialectic, and dialectic alone, goes directly to the first principle and is the only science which does away with hypotheses in order to make her ground secure." Here Plato indicates how hypothetical knowledge cannot provide the foundation of dialectical knowledge, insofar as hypotheses simply:
(a) explain sense experiences in terms of general concepts which themselves are not explained.
(b) show how particular objects of experience cause us to recall innate ideas.
(c) describe sense experience without providing an explanation for dialectical methods.
(d) reject the use of reason, preferring instead dialectic, to achieve knowledge.
42. Plato's suggestion that knowledge is innate or remembered as a result of being triggered by experience is in response to a paradox he sets up for himself. The paradox, now referred to as Meno's Paradox, has to do with the question of:
(a) how a person can remember anything about the realm of the Forms after the shock of being born into this world.
(b) how knowledge of the Forms can ever be anything other than a generalization of experience.
(c) how anyone can recognize the correct answer to a question without already knowing the answer.
(d) how concepts bound to the realm of becoming have meaning only when associated with the realm of Being.
43. In his discussion of the Divided Line, Plato says that, in contrast to mere belief or opinion, knowledge is a belief for which we give reasons or justifications by appealing:
(a) to what our senses reveal to us about how things appear to us, not how they really are.
(b) beyond the Forms to images of goodness, beauty, and truth obtained from particular objects.
(c) to what we sincerely believe is true about the Forms based on our experiences in the world.
(d) beyond sense experience to unchanging ideas (Forms) that are perceived as rationally ordered.
44. Aristotle says that what makes things be what they are--their essence--does not exist apart from individ-uals that exist in the world. So if all the members of a species were destroyed, then their essence or form:
(a) would likewise be destroyed.
(b) would be destroyed only if there were no one around to remember the species.
(c) would continue existing (as with Plato's Forms) in some other realm of being.
(d) would not be destroyed because there was no essence or form originally to be destroyed; there are only individuals, not universal essences or natures of things.
| 1. B 2. A 3. B 4. B 5. B 6. A 7. A 8. B | 9. A 10. A 11. A 12. B 13. A 14. B 15. B 16. A | 17. B 18. C 19. D 20. B 21. B 22. C 23. A 24. B | 25. B 26. A 27. D 28. C 29. B 30. A 31. C 32. D | 33. C 34. B 35. B 36. A 37. D 38. C 39. C 40. B | 41. A 42. C 43. D 44. A |
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
India Prime Ministers Gallery
PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA
PT. JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
The first Prime Minister of Independent India, also holds the record for continuously being in the office for the longest period (Aug. 15, 1947 to May 27, 1964) about 17 years, or 6,131 days - to be precise! 
Born in Allahabad, November 14, 1889; died on May 27, 1964. A prolific writer ("Discovery of India") and a great orator, he was the co-founder of Non-Aligned Movement. Conferred Bharat Ratna (1955).
GULZARI LAL NANDA A
Gandhian to the core, was interim Prime Minister on two occasions - after the sudden demise of Pt. Nehru (from may 27, 1964 to June 9, 1964), for 14 days, and again after the sudden demise of Lal Bahadur Shastri (from January 11 to 24, 1966), again for a period of 14 days. 
Born in Sialkot (now in Pakistan), July 4, 1898; died on January 15, 1998, as a centenarian. Was a leading light in the labour movement. Conferred Bharat Ratna (1997).
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI
Though he came to power under the shadow cast of the ever-famous Pt. Nehru, he quickly won the hearts of all Indians, especially after routing Pakistan in the 1965 war. Indian still reverbrates with his slogan "Jai Jawan ! Jai Kisan !". He held office for 582 days, from June 9, 1964 to January 11, 1966. 
Born in Moghalsarai (Varanasi), October 2, 1904; died in Tashkent (USSR) on January 11, 1966 , while negotiating peace talks with Pakistan. Conferred Bharat Ratna (posthumous, 1966).
INDIRA GANDHI
Proved her mettle as the chip of the old block; held office from Jan. 24, 1966 to March 24, 1977 and again |from Jan. 14 to Oct. 31,1984, for a total of 5,831 days, just 300 days short of her father, Pt. Nehru. Abolition of privy purse, nationalization of banks, birth of Bangladesh are some of her achievements. 
Born in Allahabad, Nov. 19, 1917; died on Oct. 31,1984. Conferred Bharat Ratna in 1971.
MORARJI DESAI
The first non-congress Prime 
Minister since Independence, Morarji Desai headed the Janata Party Government for 857 days, from March 24, 1977 to July 28, 1979. He was one of those rare Gandhians. Born on 29th February, 1896, in Bahadesli Village, Gujarat; a centenarian, he passed away on April 10, 1995. Conferred Bharat Ratna in 1991.
CHARAN SINGH
A "kisan" Prime Minister from Uttar Pradesh, he never faced Parliament, even though he was in office for 171 days, from July 28, 1979 to Jan. 14, 1980. Within days of assuming office, one of the supporting parties withdrew its support, after which he continued as caretaker P.M , till fresh elections were held. 
Born in Noorpur, Meerut Dist., U. P. on Dec.23, 1902; died in 1987.
RAJIV GANDHI
The youngest Prime Minister so far, this grand son of Pt. Nehru assumed office at the age of 41, the day his mother was assassinated (Oct. 31,1984). In the 1985 elections, he led his party to a big win and continued as P. M. till Dec. 1,1989, when his party lost the hustings. 
Born in Bombay (Mumbai, now) on Aug. 20, 1944; died in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991, at the hands of a human bomb. Conferred Bharat Ratna (posthumous, 1991)
V.P. SINGH
Riding the wave of the Janata 
Dal, V. P. Singh became Prime Minister on Dec. 2,1989 and continued till Nov. 10, 1990 (344 days). He took a major decision in implementing the Mandal Commission recommendations.
Born in Allahabad on June 25, 1931.
CHANDRA SHEKHAR
The " Young Turk" became Prime Minister on Nov. 10,1990 and continued till June 21, 1991 (224 days). 
Born in Village Ibrahimpatti in Ballia District, U P., on July 1, 1927.
P. V. NARASIMHA RAO
The first ever from South to hold this office, he ruled for full five years, from June 21, 1991 to May 10, 1996 (1, 785 days), despite a hung Parliament, initially. 
A literature, Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao was born in Vangara, Karimnagar District, Andhra Pradesh, on June 28, 1921. He launched the Economic Liberalisation Programme.
A. B. VAJPAYEE
The first "bachelor" Prime Minister, he was at the helm for 16 days from May 16 to June 1, 1996, creating a record for the shortest stint in office. 
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in Gwalior (M. P) on 25th December, 1926. A prolific writer and a great orator.
H D DEVE GOWDA
The second Government of the 11th Lok Sabha was headed by Haradanahalli Dodde Deve Gowda, who was in office from June 1, 1996 to April 21, 1997 (for roughly 11 months). 
Deve Gowda was born on May 18, 1933, in Haradanahalli Village, Hassan District, Karnataka.
I. K. GUJRAL
Inder Kumar Gujral became Prime Minister on April 21, 1997. He resigned office on Nov. 28. 1997. 
Gujral was born on December 4, 1919, in Jhelum (in the undivided Punjab, now in Pakistan).
A. B. VAJPAYEE
He assumed charge for the second time on March 19, 1998. He took the oath on October 13, 1999 after General Election. He submitted resignation on May 13, 2004.
DR. MANMOHAN SINGH
A globally renowned economist and former Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh assumed charge on May 22, 2004.
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