The general Knowledge Study Material includes most often asked questions in the Government competitive examinations. Hence, the students are advised to properly cram the contents. In competitive exams, General Knowledge is among the four main sections like English Language, Quantitative Aptitude, and Reasoning Ability Tests. This section includes the most important questions, and Free Mock Tests.
General Knowledge Study Material to Ensure Your Success
INDIA – INDIA
- India is world’s seventh largest country after USSR, Canada, China, U. S. A. , Brazil and Australia in that order.
- India lies wholly within the northern and eastern hemisphere .
- India has about 2.4% of the total world area and about 15% of the world population.
- India has a land frontier of 15,200 Kms.
- The total length of the coastline of mainland, Lakshadweep group of Islands and Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands is 7,516.5 Kms.
INDIA’S NEIGHBOURS
- In the North, India is adjoined by China, Nepal and Bhutan.
- In the East, a series of mountain ranges separate India from Burma.
- Also in the East, Lies Bangladesh.
- In the North-West, Afghanistan and Pakistan border on India .
RIVERS IN INDIA
The rivers in Indian are classified as :
(i) Himalayan rivers
(ii) Deccan rivers
(iii) Coastal rivers
(iv) River of the inland drainage basin.
The Himalayan Rivers are snow-fed and have continuous flow throughout the year. Examples , the Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra .
The Deccan rivers (or Peninsular rivers ) are rain fed and a large number of them are non-perennial. Examples, the Narmada, Tapi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri .
The Coastal rivers, specially of the West coast are short in length and limited in catchments area .
The East flowing rivers (or the rivers which fall into the Bay of Bengal ) are Ganges, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi & Pennar.
The West flowing rivers (or the rivers which fall into the Arabian Sea ) are Indus, Narmada, Tapi, Sabarmati and Mahi .
CLIMATE OF INDIA
The climate of India is “Tropical Monsoon Type”.
The Indian Meteorological Department recognizes four seasons :
- Cold weather season ( December – February )
- Hot weather season ( March – May )
- South – West Monsoon ( June – September )
Normally the south-west monsoon breaks on Kerala coast during the first week of June and slowly extends northwards and by the end of the month it is established over the most of India .
4. Retreating South-West Monsoon season (October – November)
The low pressure over North starts disappearing and the monsoon winds therefore starts retreating. Severe cyclonic streams develop in Bay of Bengal and cause havoc in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu .
In Tamil Nadu and the surrounding areas this season is known as the North- East Monsoon period.
Indian National Anthem, Song & Calendar
- The National Anthem of India ( Jana – gana – mana ) was written by Rabindranath Tagore and was adopted by the constituent Assembly as the National Anthem on 24th January, 1950.
- The National Song ( Vande Mataram ) was written by Bankim Chandra Chaterjee.
A uniform national calendar based on Sake Era with Chaitra as its first month was adopted from 22nd March, 1957. According to this calendar 1 Chaitra falls on 22nd March normally and on 21st March in a leap year.
CROPS IN INDIA
There are two crops that are grown in India :
(i) Kharif Crop
kharif Crop Sowing is done in June and raised in Autumn. Cotton, rice, maize, millets, lady’s finger, Ground-nut, Jute, Tobacco, Sugarcane, Castor, Jwar & Bajra are examples of Kharif Crops.,
(ii) Rabi Crop (or Winter Crop)
Rabi Crops are Sown in October and reaped in April. These are wheat, gram, linseed, mustard, pea, carrot, radish, barely & potatos.
FAMOUS PROJECTS in India
| PROJECT | STATES | ( On The ) RIVER |
| Beas Project | Punjab , Haryana , Rajasthan | Pong |
| Bhakra – Nangal Project | Punjab , H.P. , Rajasthan | Sutlej |
| Sei Irrigation Project | Rajasthan | Sei |
| Dehar Power Project | Himanchal Pradesh | Sutlej |
| Chambal Project | Rajasthan & M.P. | |
| Subernarekha Project | Orissa & Bihar | |
| Damodar Valley Project | West Bengal & Bihar | Damodar |
| Kosi Project | Bihar & Nepal | Kosi |
| Haldia Project | West Bengal | |
| Farakka Project | West Bengal | Ganga |
| Hirakund Project | Orissa | Mahanadi |
| Talcher Project | Orissa | |
| Gandak Project | Bihar , U.P. & Nepal | |
| Rihand Project | U.P. | Rihand |
| Ramganga Project | U.P. | Ramganga |
| Tawa Project | M.P. | Tawa |
| Kakrapara Project | Gujarat | Tapi |
| Utrai Project | Gujarat | |
| Dhuvaran Thermal Power Project | Gujarat | |
| Girna Project | Maharashtra | Girna |
| Jayabwadi Dam Project | Maharashtra | Godavari |
| Kanya Project | Maharashtra | |
| Kudremukh Project | Karnataka | |
| Sharavati Project | Karnataka | |
| Idukki Sagar Project | Kerala | Periyar |
| Nagarjun Sagar Project | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna |
| Salal Project | J & K | Chenub |
| Chukka Project | Bhutan |
FAMOUS VOCALISTS
| Hindustani Vocalists | Bhimsen Joshi Kumar Gandharva Jitendra Abhisheki Praveen Sultana Balmurali Krishna Sharafat Hussain Khan S. Dagar Siddeswari devi |
| Carnatic Vocalist | M.S. Subblakshmi |
DANCES OF INDIA
| DANCE NAME | ASSOCIATED STATE/ REGION | PERSONALITIES |
| Bharat Natyam | Tamil Nadu ( South ) | * Dr. Padma Subramaniam , * T. Balasaraswathi , * Yamini Krishnamurthy * Leela Samson * Swapna Sundari |
| Kathakali | Kerala | Champakkulam Panchu PillaiKunj KurpRaghvan NairSri Gopinath |
| Kathak | North | Roshan KumariSitara DeviAchhan MaharajBirju MaharajUma SharmaShambhu MaharajLakhia KumudiniGopi Krishna |
| Manipuri | North – East ( Manipur & Assam ) | Jhaveri sisters |
| Odissi | Orissa | Kelucharan MohapatraSanjukta PanigrahiSonal Mansingh Karan RaniDeba Prasad Das |
| Kuchipudi | Andhra Pradesh | * Raja & Radhe Reddy * G. Sarala |
Indian Feature Films
- In India feature films are being produced since 1912-13.
- In 1912, R.G. Terney alongwith N.G. Chitra made Pundalik .
( On 18 May 1912, Shree Pundalik silent film was released at the Coronation Cinematograph, Girgaum; Mumbai. It is recognized as the first feature-length Indian Film ).
Raja Harischandra
- In 1913, D.G. Phalke produced Raja Harischandra .
( The Silent film “Raja Harishchandra” released on May 3, 1913 is considered as the first Indian feature film produced and directed by Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, with humor later known as Dada Saheb Phalke. Raja Harishchandra film was based on the story of King Harishchandra from Hindu mythology ).
Alam Ara
- Alam Ara (1931) was the first talkie film in India and it was produced by A. Irani.
Films can be exhibited in India only after they have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification.
The Films Division is the largest national agency devoted to the production and distribution of documentaries and news magazines.
The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) is the Central agency to promote good cinema in the country. It was set up in April’ 1980.
Indian FOLK DANCES
There are a large number of folk dances in India. The most popular folk dances are as follows :
| FOLK DANCE NAME | STATE | FOLK DANCE NAME | STATE |
| Dandia Ras | Gujarat | Mahasu | Himachal Pradesh |
| Rouf | Kashmir | Bhangra | Punjab |
| Suisini | Rajasthan | Mauni | Maharashtra |
| Oraon | Bihar | Koodiyattam | Kerala |
| Rengma | Nagaland | Kaliyattam | Kerala |
| Kubi Bamboo | Nagaland | Karagam | Tamil Nadu |
| Kavadi | Tamil Nadu |
INDIAN MUSIC SYSTEMS
Basically, there are two systems of music prevail in India :
- Karnataka ( Carnatic )
- Hindustani
- The fundamental principles and the basic framework of both the systems are same . However , they differ in treatment of ragas, the enunciation of the tones, voice production etc.
- The concept of rhythm in Karnataka is more mathematical, precise and angular than the Hindustani .
Musical Instruments & Associated Persons
| Sehnai | Bismillah Khan |
| Tabla | Ustad TirakhwaZakir HussainAlla RakhaFayaz KhanSharan Rani |
| Violin | * V.G. Jog * M.S. Gopal Krishnan |
| Sarod | Amzad Ali Khan ( Sarod Samrat )Ali Akbar KhanAllauddin KhanSharan Rani |
| Santoor | Shiv Kumar Sharma |
| Sitar | Ravi ShankarNikkil BanerjeeKartik KumarVilayat KhanRais KhanBudhaditya MukherjeeDebu Choudhary |
| Hindistani Flute | Hari Prasad ChaurasiaPanna Lal GhoshSamanta Prasad T.R. Mahalingam |
| Sarangi | Ram Narain |
| Mridangam | T.V. Gopalakrishnan Palghat R. Roghu |
First Ranked Indian States in Mineral Production
| MINERAL / METAL | STATE |
| Coal | Jharkhand |
| Bauxite (Aluminium Ore) | Odisha |
| Chromite (Chromium ore) | Odisha |
| Iron Ore | Odisha |
| Manganese | Odisha |
| Lead & Zinc | Rajasthan |
| Calcite (source of marble) | Rajasthan |
| Gypsum (used in fertiliser, plaster of paris etc.) | Rajasthan |
| Quartz | Rajasthan |
| Asbestos | Andhra Pradesh |
| Limestone | Andhra Pradesh |
| Mica | Andhra Pradesh |
| Barytes | Andhra Pradesh |
| Diamond | Madhya Pradesh |
| Copper Ore | Madhya Pradesh |
| Gold | Karnataka |
| Corundum (source of ruby, sapphire) | Maharashtra |
| Crude Oil | Himachal Pradesh |
| Natural Gas | Rajasthan |
| Barytes are used as weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil & gas exploration, barium is used in CT Scan |
First Ranked Indian States in Crop Production
| Agricultural Commodity | Top Producer State |
| Total Food Grains | Uttar Pradesh |
| Apple | J & K |
| Nut | Karnataka |
| Banana | Tamil Nadu |
| Brinjal | Odisha |
| Cashew nut | Maharashtra |
| Citrus, Lemon, Mosambi | Andhra Pradesh |
| Coarse Cereal | Karnataka, Rajasthan |
| Cocoa | Kerala |
| Coconut | Tamil Nadu |
| Cotton | Gujarat |
| Cut Flowers | West Bengal |
| Fruits | Andhra Pradesh |
| Grapes | Maharashtra |
| Guava | Madhya Pradesh |
| Horticulture Products | West Bengal |
| Jute | West Bengal |
| Litchi | Bihar |
| Loose Flowers | Tamil Nadu |
| Maize | Andhra Pradesh |
| Mango | Uttar Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh |
| Oilseeds | Gujarat |
| Orange | Punjab |
| Pineapple | West Bengal |
| Rapeseed & Mustard | Rajasthan |
| Soya bean | West Bengal |
| Rice | West Bengal |
| Sugar | Maharashtra |
| Sugarcane | Uttar Pradesh |
| Sunflower | Karnataka |
| Total Plantation Crops | Tamil Nadu |
| Total Spices | Andhra Pradesh |
| Vegetables | West Bengal |
| Wheat | Uttar Pradesh |
State- wise List of Crops in India
| STATES | CROPS | SOIL USED |
| Punjab | Wheat, Rice, Maize, Barley, Pulses, Rapeseed and Mustard, Sunflower, Oil Seeds, Sugarcane, Cotton, Fruits, Vegetables | Flood plain soil, Loamy soil, Sandy soil, Desert soil, Kandi Soil, Sierozems, Sodic and Saline soil |
| Haryana | Sugarcane, Barley, Jowar, Bajra, Gram, Rice, Wheat, Mustard, Cotton | Salt Affected soil, Alkali Soil, Saline soil |
| Rajasthan | Wheat, Sugarcane, Bajra, Baley, Jowar, Maize, Chili, Cotton, Mango, Rice, Vegetables, Groundnut, Oil seeds, Pulses | Sandy soil, Saline soil, Alkaline soil, Chalky soil, Clay soil, Loamy soil, Black Lava soil, Nitrogenous soil |
| Uttar Pradesh | Fruits, Vegetables, Spices, Floriculture, Medicinal/aromatic plants, others like Betel vine, Mushroom, Honey production | Alluvium soil, Sandy soil, Clayey Soil, Red & Black soil |
| Bihar | Rice, Wheat, Maize, Pulses, Vegetables, Fruits, Sugarcane, Jute | Sandy Loam soil, Loam soil, Clay soil, Clay Loam soil |
| Gujarat | Rice, Wheat, Jowar, Bajra, Maize, tur, Gram, Cotton, Groundnuts, Dates, Sugarcane | Black soil, Alluvial soil, Hill soil, Desert soil |
| Madhya Pradesh | Wheat, Maize, Jowar, Gram, Tur, Urad, Moong, Soybean, Groundnuts, Mustard, Cotton, Sugarcane | Black soil, Red & Yellow soil, Alluvial soil, Laterite soil, Mixed soil |
| Maharashtra | Rice, Jowar, Bajra, Wheat, Pulses, Cotton, Sugarcane, Several Oil Seeds, Sunflower, Groundnuts & Soybean | Black-Cotton soil, Kali soil, Morad soil, Pather soil, |
| Chhattisgarh | Rice, Maize, Wheat, Niger, Groundnut, Pulses | Red & Yellow soil, Red Sandy soil, Red Loam soil, Black Cotton soil, Laterite soil, |
| Jharkhand | Rice, Ragi, Maize, Wheat, Redgram, Niger, Fruits | Red soil, Micacious soil, Sandy soil, Black soil, Laterite soil |
| Himachal Pradesh | Off-season vegetables, vegetables seeds, potato & ginger besides soybean, oilseeds, pulses, fruits | Sedimentary soil, Brown soil, Brownish soil |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Barley, Bajra, Jowar, Gram, Apple, Walnuts | Brown Forest soil, Grey Brown Podzolic soil, Red & Yellow Podzolic soil, Hills Forest soil, Mountain Meadow soil, Saline Alkali soil, Alluvial soil |
| West Bengal | Rice, Jute, Tea, Potatoes, Oilseeds, Betel, Vine, Tobacco, Wheat, Barley, Maize | Laterite soil, Red soil, Alluvial soil, Coastal soil, Terai soil, Colluvial soil |
| Karnataka | Paddy, Jowar, Ragi, Maize, Sunflower, sugarcane, Cotton, Tobacco | Red soil, Lateritic soil, Black soil, Alluvio-Colluvial soil, Forest soil, Coastal soil |
LARGEST CROP PRODUCING COUNTRY
| Crops | Largest Producer | Second Largest Producer |
| Wheat | China | India |
| Rice | China | India |
| Cotton | China | India |
| Jute | India | Bangladesh |
| Silk | China | India |
| Wool | Australia | New-Zealand |
| Walnut | China | India |
| Peanut | China | India |
| Cashew Nut | Nigeria | India |
| Almond | USA | Spain |
| Lemon | India | Mexico |
| Mango | India | China |
| Banana | India | China |
| Sugarcane | Brazil | India |
| Apple | China | USA |
| Pulses | India | Mozambique |
| Millet | India | Nigeria |
NATIONAL PARKS OF INDIA
| PARK NAME | STATE | FAMOUS FOR |
| Corbett National Park OR Hailey National Park | U.P. | Tigers |
| Hazaribagh National Park | BIHAR | |
| Dudhwa National Park | U.P. | |
| Kamba National Park | M.P. | Indian Swamp Deer. |
| Shivapuri National Park | M.P. | Indian Gazett or Chinkara, Sambar , Chital , Nilgai etc. |
GAME SANCTUARIES
| Bandipur Sanctuary | Karnataka | Spotted Deer |
| Chandraprabha Sanctuary | U.P. | Indian Lion |
| Dachigam Sanctuary | Kashmir | Hangul or Kashmir Stag, Himalayan Black Bear |
| Gir Forest | Gujarat | Indian Lion |
| Jaladpara Sanctuary | West Bengal | |
| Antelope Sanctuary | M.P. | Wolves |
| Kaziranga Sanctuary | Assam | One-Horn Rhinocerous |
| Ghana Bird Sanctuary (or Keoledo Bird Sanctuary) | Assam | Migratory Birds (Nov. to Feb.) |
| Sariska Game Sanctuary | Rajasthan | |
| Manas Sanctuary ( or North Kamrup Sanctuary ) | ASSAM | Wild animals & birds |
| Mudumali Sanctuary | Oatacamund (TN) | |
| Periyar Sanctuary | Kerala | Wild Elephant |
| Ranganthitee Bird & Sanctuary | Karnataka | |
| Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary | T.N. | Varieties of Birds |
| Thekkady Game Sanctuary | Kerala |
Famous Persons & Their Contemporaries
| Chandragupta Maurya (321-298 B . C.) | Megasthenes ( wrote’ Indica’ and was an ambessdor of Selucus) |
| Samundragupta (330 – 375 AD) | Harishena ( wrote “Allahabad- Prasati” ) . |
| Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375 A.D.- 414 A.D.) | Fa-hein ( he was Ist Chinese Pilgrim in India ) , Dhanvantary, Aryabhatta . |
| Skand Gupta (455 – 477 A .D.) | Kalidas, Aryabhatta , Varahmitra, Brahmagupta |
| Kanishaka (120 – 162 A.D) | Charak (Physian), Nagarjun, Asvaghosh. |
| Harsha Vardhan ( 606 – 647 A.D.) | Banabhatta, Heiun T. Sang ( or Yuan – Chwang ) . |
| Shivaji ( 1627-1680 AD ) | Ramdas, Tukaram |
| Mohmud Gazni ( 997-1030 AD ) | Alberuni, Firadausi ( wrote “Shahnama” ) |
| Mohmud Ghori ( 1186 -1206 AD ) | Prithviraj Chauhan |
| Alaudin Khilji ( 1296 – 1316 ) | Amir Khusro |
| Mohammad Tuglaq ( 1320 – 1414 A.D. ) | Ibnbatuta |
| Akbar | Abdul Fazal, Badaoni, Bairam Khan, Tulsidas, Raskhan, Birbal & Tansen, Surdas, Faizi , Bairam Khan ( Land Revenue Minister ) |
| Jahagir | Sir. Thomas Roe |
| Gautam Buddha | Confucious |
| Carl Marx ( German) | Hegel |
REMEMBER THESE POINTS
SOURCES OF INDIAN HISTORY
( i ) Religious Books of Hindus
- Vedas
- Brahmanas
- Aranyakas
- Upnishads
- Ramayana
- Mahabharat and
- Puranas
(ii ) Historical Books
- ARTHASHASTRA by Kautilya ( on Mauryan Administration )
- MUDRA RAKSHASA by Vishakhadatta – Over-throwing of the Nandas by Chandragupta Maurya .
- HARSHCHARITA by Banabhatta ( Reign of Harsha ) .
(iii) Inscriptions on rocks, stones, copper plates, coins and seals, anicent ruins, Excavations.
(iv) Account of Foreigners
- Megasthenes : Reign of Chandragupta
- Fahien: Reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya
- Hieun Tsang: Regin of Harsha.
General Knowledge Study Material Part 2
General Knowledge Study Material Part 3
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