Ans: b

• Battle of Ambur: The Battle of Ambur (3 August 1749) was the first major battle of the Second Carnatic War between the French and the British. . It marked the end of Mughal centralized power and the initiation of European influenced powers.
  
• Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757.
• Battle of Wandiwash: This was the Third Carnatic War fought between the French and the British. The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years’ War. The Count de Lally’s army, burdened by a lack of naval support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi, now in Tamil Nadu. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Coote’s forces and decisively defeated. The French general Bussy and the French were then restricted to Pondichéry, where they surrendered on 16 January 1761
• Battle of Buxar was fought on 23 October 1764 between the forces under the command of the British East India Company led by Hector Munro and the combined army of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal: the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal King Shah Alam II. The battle fought at Buxar, then within the territory of Bengal, was a decisive victory for the British East India Company.

26. Which countries played in the Lawn Tennis Davis Cup Final in the year 2004?

(a) Switzerland and United States of America

(b) Spain and United States of America

(c) Australia and Argentina (d) Sweden and Belgium

• Old news. Not imp

27. Where do the Sahariya tribals, who were recently in the news, live?

(a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Assam

(c) Rajasthan (d) Orissa

Ans: c

• Saharia or Sahariya is an indigenous Munda-speaking tribe in the Madhya Pradesh and Baran district of Rajasthan.

28. Whose autobiography is the book My Music, My Life?

(a) Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma (b) Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

(c) Pandit Ravi Shankar (d) Ustad Zakir Hussain

Ans: c

• Ravi Shankar, his name often preceded by the title Pandit, was an Indian musician who was one of the best-known exponents of the sitar in the second half of the 20th century as well as a composer of Hindustani classical music

29. Consider the following statements :

1. India is the only country in the world producing all the five known commercial varieties of silk.

2. India is the largest producer of sugar in the world.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: a

• There are four types of natural silk which are commercially known and produced in the world.  Among them mulberry silk is the most important and contributes as much as 90 per cent of world production, therefore, the term “silk” in general refers to the silk of the mulberry silkworm. Three other commercially important types fall into the category of non-mulberry silks namely: Eri silk; Tasar silk; and Muga silk.   Fifth type of non-mulberry silk, which are mostly wild (Vanya Silk) and exploited in Africa and Asia, are Anaphe silk, Fagara silk, Coan silk, Mussel silk and Spider silk.
• Mulberry Silk: Mulberry silk comes from the silkworm, Bombyx mori L  which solely feeds on the leaves of mulberry plant.  These silkworms are completely domesticated and reared indoors. In India, about 97% of the raw silk is produced in the five Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. The North Bangalore regions of Muddenahalli and Kanivenarayanapura, the upcoming sites of a $20 million “Silk City” and Mysore contribute to a majority of silk production. Another emerging silk producer is Tamil Nadu where mulberry cultivation is concentrated in Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri districts.
• Tropical Tasar: Tasar (Tussah) is copperish colour, coarse silk mainly used for furnishings and interiors. It is less lustrous than mulberry silk. Tasar silk is generated by the silkworm, Antheraea mylitta which mainly thrive on the food plants Asan and Arjun. In India, tasar silk is mainly produced in the states of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa, besides Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Tasar culture is the main stay for many a tribal community in India.
• Oak Tasar: It is a finer variety of tasar generated by the silkworm, Antheraea proyeli J. in India which feed on natural food plants of oak, found in abundance in the sub-Himalayan belt of India covering the states of Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir. China is the major producer of oak tasar in the world and this comes from another silkworm which is known as Antheraea pernyi.
• Eri Silk: Eri is a multivoltine silk spun from open-ended cocoons, unlike other varieties of silk. Eri silk is the product of the domesticated silkworm, Philosamia ricini that feeds mainly on castor leaves. Ericulture is a household activity practiced mainly for protein rich pupae, a delicacy for the tribal. The silk is used indigenously for preparation of chaddars (wraps) for own use by these tribals.  In India, this culture is practiced mainly in the north-eastern states and Assam. It is also found in Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa.
• Muga Silk : This golden yellow colour silk is prerogative  of India and the pride of Assam state. It is obtained from semi-domesticated multivoltine silkworm, Antheraea assamensis. These silkworms feed on the aromatic leaves of Som and Soalu plants and are reared on trees similar to that of tasar. Muga culture is specific to the state of Assam and an integral part of the tradition and culture of that state.

30. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

(a) Arjun  — Indigenously produced Main Battle Tank (MBT)

(b) Phalcon  — Cruise missile supplied by Russia to India

(c) Saras — Indigenously developed civilian passenger aircraft

(d) Operation Seabird —  New Indian Naval Base at Karwar

Ans: b

• Phalcon is aquired from Israel