BANK EXAMS GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. Microfinance institutions (MFI) were classified as a new category of non-banking financial company (NBFC) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2011. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
I. The margin cap for NBFC-MFIs is fixed at 12 per cent.
II. Interest on individual loans must not exceed 24 per cent per annum
III. Loan processing charges should not exceed one per cent
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) II and III only

d) III and I only

e) I, II and III

2. Only two supercomputers from India have made it to the TOP500 List of the world’s most powerful supercomputers unveiled in November 2011. They are based at which of the following locations?
I. Tata Computational Research Laboratories
II. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
III. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
IV. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
a) I and II

b) I and III

c) II and III
d) II and IV
e) III and IV

3. Which of the following statements about opening bank accounts for beneficiaries of MGNREGS and other social security schemes is/are correct?
I. RBI has asked banks to ensure opening of Aadhaar-enabled banks accounts
II. Aadhaar identity cards are accepted as valid documents under the Know Your Customer norms for opening bank accounts
III. RBI has said accounts based on the Aadhaar unique national identification number should also be opened for residents of villages with population of less than 2,000 for promoting financial inclusion
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) II and III only
d) III and I only

e) I, II and III

4. Which of the following has affirmed its ‘BBB- with stable outlook’ credit rating for leading banks such as State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Bank of India in December 2011?

a) Standard & Poor’s

b) Moody’s
c) Deloitte
d) DBRS
e) Fitch

5. Insurance companies have to complete a minimum of how many years of functioning for becoming eligible to list on stock markets according to guidelines issued by IRDA in December 2011?
a) 2 years
b) 3 years
c) 5 years
d) 7 years

e) 10 years

6. The revised Companies Bill, 2011 was cleared by the Union Cabinet on December 1, 2011. Which of the following statements about its features on the status of independent directors (IDs) on company boards is/are correct?
I. IDs will not be liable for legal action in case of malpractices by the companies
II. At least 50 per cent of a company’s board should consist of IDs if the company has executive chairman
III. A person would not be able to hold the directorship in more than 20 companies
a) I only

b) I and II only

c) II and III only
d) III and I only
e) I, II and III

7. India Telecom 2011 was organised in New Delhi in December 2011. Which of the following statements about targets set by the National Telecom Policy (NTP) is/are correct?
I. Broadband connections available on demand by the year 2015
II. Broadband access to all village Panchayats through optical fibre by the year 2014
III. 100 per cent rural teledensity by 2020
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) II and III only
d) III and I only

e) I, II and III

8. India was elected Chairman of International ____ Council in December 2011.
a) Tea

b) Sugar

c) Coffee
d) Spices
e) Rubber

9. Which of the following will be set up by the government to enhance the research and innovation capabilities of the Indian biotech industry?
a) Biotechnology Industry Innovation Forum
b) Biotechnology Industry Regulatory Authority
c) Biotechnology Industry Entrepreneurship Initiative

d) Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council

e) Biotechnology Industry Research & Development Fund

10. Which private sector company is a member of the Afghan Iron and Steel Consortium that has won mining rights for iron ore in Bamiyan province of Afghanistan?
a) JSW Steel
b) Jindal Steel and Power Ltd
c) Monnet Ispat

d) All the above

e) None of the above

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE MCQs

1.Match the following :
A, Pampas 1. Argentina
B CGYUDOS 2- Australia
C. Prairies 3. South Africa
D. Veldt 4. North America
E. Downs 5. Brazil
A B C D E
(a) 1 2 3 4 5
(b) 1 5 4 3 2
(c) 5 4 3 2 1
(d) 2 3 5 4 1
ANSWER (B)

2. Match the following :
Cities Natural Regions
A. Darwin 1. China type
B. New Orleans 2. Equatorial type
C San Francisco 3. Mediterranean type
D Vancouver 4. Tropical Monsoon type
5. West European
A B C D
(a) 4 1 3 5
(b) 3 5 2 1
(c) 4 5 3 1
(d) 3 1 2 5
ANSWER (A)
3. Mid-latitude forests have :
I. deciduous forests
ll. coniferous forests
III. evergreen forests
(a) I and II
(b) II and III
(c) I and II
(d) Only II
ANSWER (A)

4. In which region China type climate is found?
(a) South Japan
(b) South West Korea
(C) Natalin Africa
(d) All of the above
ANSWER (D)

5. Shallow-rooted trees are associated with:
(a) Savanna climate
(bl Temperate climate
(c) Tropical climate
(d) Equatorial climate
ANSWER (D)

6. Winter temperature ranging from 29°Cto 40°C, summer temperature about 1O°C,
Total annual precipitation about 25 cm and low humidity. These characterise . the ...,,.
climate :
(a) Taiga
(b) Tundra
(c) Mountain
(d) West European
ANSWER (B)

7. Which one of the following regions has Mediterranean type of climate?
(a) Cape Town region of South Africa
(b) Great Plains of North America
(C) North-EasternAusi1'alia
(d) Southern Algeria
ANSWER (A)

8.Match the following Cities
City Climatic Type
A. Auckland 1. Mediterranean
B. Lagos 2.Humid
Subtropical
C. San Francisco 3. Marine West
European
D. Shanghai 4. Equatorial
(a) A B C D
(b) 2 1 4 3
(c ) 2 4 1 3
(d) 3 1 4 2
ANSWER (B)

9. Match the following :
Timber Country
A. Cedar 1. Myanmar
B. Douglas Fir 2. Canada
C. Mahogany 3. Mexico
D. Teak 4. Honduras
ABCD
(a) 3 2 14
(b) 3 2 4 1
(c) 2 3 4 1
(d) 2 3 1 4
ANSWER (B)

10. Which one of the following activities occupies the largest area of the world '?
(a) Commercial plantation
(b) Pastoral herding
(c) Commercial grain farming
(d) Subsistance agriculture
ANSWER (B)

11. Which type of climate is known for the maximum diurnal range of temperature?
(a) Mediterranean
(b) Equatorial
(c) Hot desert
(d) Cold desert
ANSWER (C)

12. Which one of the following characteristics is not found in the convectional rainfall?
(a) Drizzling
(b) Lightning and thunder
(c) Torrential rain
(d) Afternoon rain
ANSWER (A)

13. Which of the following climatic type suffers change due to shifting of the World’s Pressure Belts?
(a) Equatorial type
(b) Tundra type
(c) Tropical desert type
(d) Monsoon
ANSWER (D)

14. The greatest average annual precipitation is in:
(a) Hawaii
(b) India
(c) Philippines
(d) West lndies
ANSWER (C)


15. The average annual temperature is 19°C. An average annual rainfall of about 120 cm is
distributed throughout the year. Late summer and autumn are the dreaded seasons of
hurricanes and typhoons. These are the climatic conditions of :
(a) China type
(b) Sudan type
(c) Tropical desert type
(d) Taiga Type
ANSWER (A)

16. A place having an average annual temperature of 27°C and an annual rainfall of
over 200 cm could be :
(a) Tehran
(b) Singapore
(c) Nagpur
(d) Moscow
ANSWER (B)

17. ln which of the following types of climate does the temperature never rise above 10°C
throughout the year ?
(a) Continental Climate ,
(b) Tundra Climate
(c) Mediterranean Climate
(d) Taiga Climate
ANSWER (B)

18. The region which does not receive most of its rainfall during winter, is :
(a) Central California
(b) Central North America
(c) South West Australia
(d) South West Africa
ANSWER (B)

19. The climate of a place is decided by :
(al proximity to the sea
(b) altitude
(c) latitude
(d) All of the above
ANSWER (D)


20. Which one of the following countries celebrates Christmas festival in summer
season?
(a) Australia
(b) Canada
(C) Mexico
(d) Italy
ANSWER (A)

Important Battles And Wars In India

Battle of Hydaspes 326 B.C.—Alexander the Great, defeated Porus, the Paurava king. Impressed by the valour of Porus, ultimately Alexander returned his kingdom to him. 

Battle of Kalinga 261 B.C.—Ashoka defeated the king of Kalinga. Ashoka embraced Buddhism and preached it during the rest of his life after this war. 

First Battle of Tarain or Thaneswar A.D. 1191  Prithvi Raj Chauhan defeated Mohammed Ghori. Second Battle of Tarain A.D. 1192—Mohammed Ghori defeated Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Ghori’s victory paved the way for the establishment of Muslim rule in India. 

First Battle of Panipat 1526—Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi. This laid the foundation of the Mughal rule in India. 

Battle of Khanwah 1527— Babar defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar. This battle resulted in the defeat of the powerful Rajput confederacy. 

Second Battle of Panipat 1556—Bairam Khan (Akbar’s General) defeated Hemu (the Hindu General and right-hand man of Mohd. Adil Shah). It also ended the Afghan Rule and Mughal Rule began instead. 

Battle of Talikota 1564- 65—United alliance between Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmednagar and Golkonda under Hussain Nizam Shah defeated Ram Raja of Vijayanagar. It destroyed the Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. 

Battle of Haldighati 1576—Akbar’s forces headed by Raja Man Singh defeated Rana Pratap, the brave Rajput king. Though defeated, Rana Pratap refused to accept Mughal authority and carried on warfare till his death. 

Battle of Plassey 1757— The English under Lord Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah.It brought Muslim Rule in Bengal to an end and laid foundations of the British Rule in India. 

Battle of Wandiwash 1760—The English defeated the French. The battle sealed the fate of the French in India and paved the way for English rule in India. 

Third Battle of Panipat 1761—Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas. It gave a terrible blow to the Maratha power. It made the field clear for the English. 

Battle of Buxar 1764— Fought in 1764 between the forces of the English and the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Oudh) and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. The English victory at Buxar finally riveted the shackles of the Company’s rule upon Bengal. 

First Mysore War (1767- 68)—In 1768, Haider Ali was defeated by the English relinquishing all his rights over Mysore in favour of the English. 

Second Mysore War 1780— A grand alliance between Haider Ali, the Nizam and the Marathas was formed and Haider Ali. He defeated the English and took possession of Arcot and became the undisputed master of the Carnatic. 

Third Mysore War 1790- 92—Fought between the English and Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan had to submit and was compelled to sign the Treaty of Seringapattam stripped him of half his territory. 

Fourth Mysore War 1799— The British forces under Arthur Wellesley defeated Tipu Sultan, which brought the end of the Tipu Sultan. Maratha War 1803-05—It weakened the Maratha power. The English annexed Tanjore, Surat and Carnatic. 

Fourth Maratha War 1817- 18—The British forces defeated Marathas and this campaign finally extinguished the Maratha Empire. 

Battle of Cheelianwala 1849—Forces of the East India Company under Lord Hugh Gough defeated the Sikhs under Sher Singh. 

Burmese War 1885—As a result of this War, the whole of Burma was occupied by the English and made a part of India. 

Afghan War III 1919—As a result of this War, Treaty of Rawalpindi was signed by which Afghanistan was recognised as an independent State. 

lndo-Pak War 1965—This was Pakistan’s second attack on India. While India had the upper hand, the fighting was brought to a stop by a call for ceasefire issued by the Security Council. Later on, Tashkent accord was signed between the two nations. lndo-

Pak War Dec 1971— Pakistan started the war attacking India on Dec 3. India defeated Pakistan on all fronts. Pakistani occupation forces, numbering about one lakh, in East Bengal (Bangladesh) surrendered. Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation.