The Official GK Thread for B School Entrance Exams 2008-09

[cyrusg]

Current General Knowledge -

PLACES
Baikal Lake
Siberia’s lake Baikal has warmed faster than global air temperatures over the past 60 years, which could
put animals unique to the world’s largest lake in jeopardy. The lake has warmed 1.21 degrees Celsius
since 1946 due to climate change, almost three times faster than global air temperatures, according to a paper published in the journal Global Change Biology.
PROJECT
Undersea electricity line to link India, Lanka India and Sri Lanka are working on a plan to lay a transmission line under the sea to connect the power distribution networks of the two countries so that electricity can be supplied by one when the other is running short. An initial report prepared by Power Grid has pegged the cost of the project at Rs 2,292 crore and said it could be completed within 42 months of getting investment approvals. The report projects laying a power cable under the Gulf of Mannar, between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Talaimannar on the left flank of the Mannar islands in Sri Lanka.

[cyrusg]

Current General Knowledge -

RESEARCH
Solar energy cheaper than coal
Energy company Sunrgi has announced an astounding new solar system that will break grids free from the fossil fuel lockdown. Their Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics promise a low-cost, high-efficiency system with an incredible projected energy pricing of 5
cents per kilowatt. This breakthrough puts solar on par with the cost of coal, natural gas, and other nonrenewable energy sources. If solar energy is ever going to live up to its
world-changing potential, it’s going to have to mesh with our existing energy infrastructure, competing with coal and natural gas on price point. While traditional photovoltaic arrays span great expanses and struggle to keep costs down, Sunrgi’s system proposes
a novel idea, making better use of fewer expensive materials.
The XCPV system is based on a principle blinding in its simplicity: use a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun’s energy into a single high efficiency solar cell. Each unit features a lens that magnifies the sun’s rays 2,000 times, focusing it onto a solar cell that converts more
than 37% sunlight to energy. The result is a system that maximizes the potential output of each solar cell while minimizing cost and space required.

[cyrusg]

Current General Knowledge -

SPACE RESEARCH
ISRO places satellite cluster in orbit
On April 19, 2008, India created a record of sorts in space history as scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully put 10 satellites in orbit in a single mission launched from Sriharikota.
The 230-tonne PSLV-C9 carried the heaviest luggage of 824 kg, which included an Indian
mini-satellite and eight foreign nano satellites and the CARTOSAT-2A remote sensing satellite. This was PSLV’s 12th successful flight. This was the third time that the PSLV was launched in the core alone version, without the six solid propellant first stage strap-on motors.
The challenge of this mission was that the fourth stage of the rocket that fired the 10 satellites into the orbit, one after the other in a timed sequence, without any collision.
The two Indian satellites were CARTOSAT-2A and Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1). CARTOSAT-2A, is a remote-sensing satellite and its images will have a resolution of one metre. The images will be used in vital defence applications as well as making maps which will provide valuable information in planning urban infrastructure, rural roads, ring roads and settlements.
The IMS-1, which weighs 83 kg, is also a remotesensing satellite. The images sent down by its two cameras can be used to monitor features on the earth such as its vegetation and water bodies. Six of the eight nano satellites were clustered together and were named NLS-4. The University of Toronto, Canada developed the NLS-4. It comprised Cute 1.7 and SEEDS, both built in Japan, while the remaining four—CAN-X2, AAUSAT-II, COMPASS-1 and
Delphi-C3 were built in Canada, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, respectively.
The two other nano satellites, NLS-5 and Rubin-8, belong to the University of Toronto and Germany.

[cyrusg]

Current General Knowledge -

MISCELLANEOUS
Love waves: Earth hums a mysterious tune
Seismilogists have detected a subtle and mysterious global hum, known as Love waves, by studying records from some of the most uninteresting seismic stations of the earth.
According to a report in Discovery News, the newfound vibration is made of two-minute to fiveminute, side-to-side surface seismic waves. They are named after the British mathematician Augustus Edward Hough Love, who created the mathematical
model of such waves in 1911. The Love wave is a mode that essentially torques
the Earth’s north and south hemispheres against each other. All of the planet’s natural oscillations have signatures, or modes of vibration, depending on where and how they are created by earthquakes, ocean waves or other forces.
That’s why among the suspects for making the love wave hum are winds, ocean waves or even the sun. The new detection comes 10 years after seismologists first identified louder global oscillations that resemble the ringing of a gigantic bell. This oscillation is known as Earth’s roaring spheroidal ring, which is a far more powerful oscillation that actually warps the shape of the planet like waves on a water surface. On the other end of the spectrum is the newfound toroidal love wave hum, which moves the earth’s surface a mere millionth of a metre every five minutes and dissipates less than 500 watts of energy.


From 2009, 8-digit PIN code
Remembering your PIN code is set to become tougher but your letter could reach you faster. The Union government has moved a proposal to increase the digits in Postal Index Number or PIN from the present six to eight for easy sorting of mail and to meet international standards.
The proposal, likely to be implemented in 2009, would make the postman’s job much easier because the last two digits would identify the beat (specific mohalla). It will help in speedier delivery of mail. A PIN code for New Delhi, say 110001, covers post
offices in as many as 19 areas, including Connaught Place, Parliament House, Eastern Court, Janpath, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi GPO and Pragati Maidan to name a few.
Under the new system, a person living near Pragati Maidan for example, could have a PIN code like 110001-11. The first six digits would identify his broader area (New Delhi), but the last two would zero down almost to his exact house. The US began with a 5-digit zip code and later added four more digits. The American system is now
known as Zip+4. The Indian system, when in place, would be something like PIN+2.

[no signal]

Originally Posted by Internetia

5. Connect the following brands Aston Martin, BMW, Bollinger, Sony, Rolex, Seiko and Omega. There is common thread that runs among all these brands. Just detail the connection. Even the name or number will do.

6. Identify the country/state that issues this currency. The three languages used are English, Tamil and Hindi?

5: Nascar ??
6: Singapore. (not sure though)

[no signal]

1. Silvio Berlusconi has recently won a third term as the Prime Minister of?

2. The joint CEOs of Wipro’s IT business have been announced as Suresh Vaswani and ________

3. Which firm has tied up with ICC to be the latter’s title sponsor for its rankings?

4. Fresenius Kabi has acquired 73 percent stake in which pharmaceutical firm?

5. Maitree Express would be traversing between _________ and ___________.

6. With which sports would one associate Yuki Bhambri?

7. ‘Bringing Smiles’ is the punch line of ___________________.

8. Who clocked the fastest 100 in Twenty20 history recently?

9. Which private Indian bank recently raised its minimum account balance in the savings account to Rs 10,000?

10. Who won the US Masters Golf Tournament 2008?

[sumitrocks]

Here are my attempts:

1. Silvio Berlusconi has recently won a third term as the Prime Minister of? Italy

2. The joint CEOs of Wipro’s IT business have been announced as Suresh Vaswani and ________ Girish Paranjpe

3. Which firm has tied up with ICC to be the latter’s title sponsor for its rankings? Reliance Mobile? (not too sure)

4. Fresenius Kabi has acquired 73 percent stake in which pharmaceutical firm? Dabur

5. Maitree Express would be traversing between India and Bangladesh.

6. With which sports would one associate Yuki Bhambri?

7. ‘Bringing Smiles’ is the punch line of

8. Who clocked the fastest 100 in Twenty20 history recently? Gilchrist

9. Which private Indian bank recently raised its minimum account balance in the savings account to Rs 10,000?

10. Who won the US Masters Golf Tournament 2008? Trevor Immelman

[KIMSTER]

Originally Posted by no signal

9. Which private Indian bank recently raised its minimum account balance in the savings account to Rs 10,000?

ICICI Bank

[doitvittu]

Hey Chikedu,

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Dream is not that what you see in sleep,Dream is the thing which does not allow you to sleep

[no signal]

Originally Posted by sumitrocks

Here are my attempts:

1. Silvio Berlusconi has recently won a third term as the Prime Minister of? Italy

2. The joint CEOs of Wipro’s IT business have been announced as Suresh Vaswani and ________ Girish Paranjpe

3. Which firm has tied up with ICC to be the latter’s title sponsor for its rankings? Reliance Mobile? (not too sure)

4. Fresenius Kabi has acquired 73 percent stake in which pharmaceutical firm? Dabur

5. Maitree Express would be traversing between India and Bangladesh.

6. With which sports would one associate Yuki Bhambri?

7. ‘Bringing Smiles’ is the punch line of

8. Who clocked the fastest 100 in Twenty20 history recently? Gilchrist

9. Which private Indian bank recently raised its minimum account balance in the savings account to Rs 10,000?

10. Who won the US Masters Golf Tournament 2008? Trevor Immelman

Originally Posted by KIMSTER

ICICI Bank

SR--->6/10
KIMSTER--->1/10 (with 100% accuracy)

Answers:
1. Italy
2. Girish Paranjpe
3. Reliance Communication
4. Dabur Pharma
5. India and Bangladesh
6. Tennis
7. PVR cinemas
8. Mike Hussey
9. ICICI (India's largest pvt. bank)
10.Trevor Immelman