General Knowledge MCQs
Topic Notes: General Knowledge
MCQs and preparation resources for competitive exams, covering important concepts, past papers, and detailed explanations.
Plato
- Biography: Ancient Greek philosopher (427–347 BCE), student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, founder of the Academy in Athens.
- Important Ideas:
- Theory of Forms
- Philosopher-King
- Ideal State
1
Which calendar reform shortened the year from 365.25 days to 365.2425 days?
Answer:
Gregorian Reform
The Gregorian reform refined the leap year rule (skipping century years not divisible by 400) to approximate the solar year more accurately.
2
The 'Regnal year' system dates years based on:
Answer:
The reign of a monarch
Regnal years count the years a monarch has been on the throne (e.g., 'In the 5th year of the reign of King George').
3
Which of these is a lunisolar calendar?
Answer:
Hebrew Calendar
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, meaning it tracks lunar months but adds leap months to stay synchronized with the solar year.
4
The 'Yuga' cycle in Hindu cosmology consists of how many Yugas?
Answer:
4
The four Yugas are Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali.
5
The 'Nanakshahi' calendar is used by followers of which religion?
Answer:
Sikhism
The Nanakshahi calendar is a solar calendar used by Sikhs, dating from the birth of Guru Nanak in 1469.
6
What event marks the beginning of the 'Seleucid Era'?
Answer:
The retaking of Babylon by Seleucus I Nicator
The era dates from 312 BC, when Seleucus I Nicator established his dominance in Babylon.
7
In the Julian date system (used in astronomy), dates are expressed as:
Answer:
A continuous count of days
Julian Day Number (JDN) is a continuous count of days from the beginning of the Julian Period (4713 BC).
8
The 'Sexagenary cycle' is a 60-year cycle used in which region's calendar?
Answer:
East Asia (China, Japan, Korea)
The cycle combines 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches to create a 60-year counting system.
9
The 'Holocene Calendar' adds how many years to the current AD year?
Answer:
10,000
The Holocene Era (HE) adds 10,000 years to the current CE year to better encompass human history (e.g., 2025 CE = 12025 HE).
10
The 'Diocletian Era' (Era of Martyrs) is associated with which group?
Answer:
Christians in Egypt
It commemorates the martyrs who died under the persecution of Emperor Diocletian and is used by the Coptic Church.