Questions

October 24 is observed as

Which of the following is/are the feature(s) of the Brahmadeya Grants during c 600-1200 AD?

1. Their creation meant a renunciation of actual or potential sources of revenue by the State.

2. These grants could vary from a small plot to several villages.

3. Most grants were made in unsettled areas.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Improve the bracketed part of the sentence.

With its overall popularity sliding, (the party will have been working hard) to bring in the next generation of leaders.

Ashtadhyayi was written by

Which of the following birds is the state bird of three Indian states ?

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.

The instructor's rules were simple. Breathe through your mouth, not your nose; else the mask will fog up. Easier said than done; I got it wrong many a time. But once you fought habit and got the hang of it, the panoramic underwater world revealed itself to you with high-definition clarity.

Led by him, I slowly peered through the mask into what till then was crystal-clear water, shimmering in the sunlight. I saw pebbles, sand and my fluid shadow. I was in Nemo's universe. Sea cucumbers, sea anemone, clown fish, star fish, sea horses, parrot fish, butterfly fish and a bevy of colourful salt water fish swam past. A shoal of canary-yellow fish did a merry dance and another with vibrant blue fish followed it. They were oblivious to the snorkelers who struggled to take in the sight of a world so beautiful, so colourful, and resist opening their mouth wide in amazement; the tube would fall off!

What is 'Nemo'?

Improve the bracketed part of the sentence.

His decision (will be fair) to everyone as he is the most disinterested party in this controversy.

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.

Genetic variation is the cornerstone of evolution, without which there can be no natural selection, and so a low genetic diversity decreases the ability of a species to survive and reproduce, explains lead author Yoshan Moodley, Professor at the Department of Zoology, University of Venda in South Africa.

Two centuries ago, the black rhinoceros – which roamed much of sub Saharan Africa – had 64 different genetic lineages; but today only 20 of these lineages remain, says the paper. The species is now restricted to five countries, South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Genetically unique populations that once existed in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi and Angola have disappeared. The origins of the 'genetic erosion' coincided with colonial rule in Africa and the popularity of big game hunting. From the second half of the 20th century, however, poaching for horns has dramatically depleted their population and genetic diversity, especially in Kenya and Tanzania.

From the second half of the 20th century what has caused a dramatic fall in black rhinoceros population?