The new Solicitor Genral of India is: (A) Kanchen Gupta (B) Santosh Hegde (C) Soli Sorabjee (D) Kirit Rawal

Of which movement, Chaitanya was the founder? (A) Vaishnava Sect (B) Saivaite Sect (C) Bhakti Movement (D) Sufism

Who among the following knew Hindi as well as Persian? (A) Kalidasa (B) Kabir (C) Amir Khusro (D) Tansen

The biosphere of the earth comprises: (A) all the areas on the earth?s surface and the atmosphere around the earth where organisms live (B) the oceans of the earth (C) the upper crust of the earth where man, animals and other biological organisms thrive (D) the atmosphere where the micro organisms live

Why are the mountains cooler than the plains? (A) Air on the mountains is less dense and so, it absorbs less heat (B) There are thick forests on the mountains and these cool the atmosphere (C) There is snow on the mountains, which keeps the air cool

Why does a lift pump fail beyond a particular height? (A) Since the water in a lift pump is raised by the atmospheric pressure, the height of the lift pump will be lower than the height of the water barometer (B) Beyond a particular height, upward thrust of air becomes less (C) The rarefied air at higher heights cannot keep it aloft

Why do people prefer to wear white clothes during summer? (A) White clothes reflect heat but do not absorb heat (B) These clothes shine in sunlight (C) One can detect the spots of sweat on them

How does a lightening conductor protect the buildings? (A) It absorbs the charges released by lightening (B) It helps the charge to pass into the earth without damaging the building (C) It scatters the charge from lightening

What is meant by the term ?blue baby?? (A) It is term used for a sea-to-surface missile developed by the USA (B) It is referred to the infants who have congenital heart defects (C) It is the name of a software developed for the children (D) It is the new version of the ?Star Wars? concept

Why are two blankets warmer than one? (A) Two blankets have more wool and so, they are warmer (B) Two blankets enclose air, which does not allow the cold to penetrate (C) Two blankets compress the air in between the body and the blankets and this compression produces heat

Commercial vehicles are not produced by which one of the following firms in India? (A) Swaraj Mazda (B) Birla Yamaha (C) TELCO (D) Ashok Leyland

Why do diamonds shine at night? (A) Diamonds are radioactive and so, there are radiations (B) On account of high refractive index, the rays of light get internally reflected (C) Diamonds shine because they have some amount of radium in them

Why do the front wheels of motorcars lean outwards slightly? (A) It is done to allow for difference in angles; this gives stability to the car while taking a turn (B) It gives a broader base to the car (C) It helps to avoid bumping on uneven roads

Why is one?s breath visible in cold but not in hot weather? (A) The water vapours in the exhaled breath condense into small droplets, which become visible (B) During winter, visibility is clearer and water vapour in the breath can be seen (C) During hot weather, water drops in breath evaporate

Who is one of the recipient of this year?s (2004) Ashoka Chakra (posthumously)? (A) Vishnu Prabhakar (B) MN Venkatachaliah (C) Triveni Singh (D) Rupindra Batra