Forthcoming Exam 2009-10

Indian Overseas Bank Probationary Officers Exam.
(April 5)
CBSE All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Entrance Exam., 2009
(April 5)
Chhattisgarh P.M.T./B.Sc. Nursing Exam., 2009
(Closing Date : 17 March, 2009)
(April 8)
Chhattisgarh Pre-Engineering Test, 2009 (Closing Date : 17 March, 2009)
(April 9)
I.I.T. Joint Entrance Exam., 2009
(April 12)
UPTU Lucknow State Entrance Examination, 2009
(April 18-19)
UPSC National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (I), 2009
(April 19)
Andhra Pradesh Grameen Vikas Bank Office Assistants Exam. (Group-B Clerical Cadre)
(April 19)
ICAR Agriculture Research Service/National Eligibility Test, 2009
(April 26)
C.B.S.E. All India Engineering Entrance Examination, 2009
(April 26)
Madhya Pradesh Assistant District Public Prosecution Officers Exam.
(April 26)
P.N.B. Clerical Cadre Exam.
(April 26)
A.F.M.C. Pune, M.B.B.S. Courses Entrance Exam.
(May 3)
Corporation Bank Clerical Cadre Recruitment Exam.
(May 3)
U.P. Polytechnic Joint Entrance Exam., 2009
(May 3–5)
All India Pre-Veterinary Test, 2009
(May 9)
NCERT National Talent Search Exam., 2009 (Stage-II) (For Class VIII)
(May 10)
CBSE All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental (Main) Exam., 2009
(May 10)
Civil Services Preliminary Examination, 2009
(May 17)
S.S.C. Junior Translators Examination, 2009 (Closing Date : 20 March, 2009)
(May 24)
Central Bank of India Clerical Cadre Exam. (Online Closing Date : 14 March, 2009)
(May 24)
Uttarakhand Polytechnic Combined Entrance Exam., 2009
(May 24–26)
West Bengal Judicial Service Preliminary Examination
(May)
JIPMER Entrance Examination (Closing Date : 15 April, 2009)
(June 7)
BSNL JTO Examination (Closing Date : 6 April, 2009)
(June 21)

Verbal Reasoning Tests

In this section you will become familiar with the several types of verbal reasoning tests which are usually asked at competitive examinations. These tests use words, letters and digits and require logical, common-sense reasoning and a reasonable knowledge of the English language.
VERBAL ANALOGY
These questions have a form similar to the following example.
Example You are given a pair of words in capital letters, followed by 5 lettered pairs of words. Choose the pair which best expresses a relationship similar
to that expressed by the original pair (given in capital letters here),
DARK: LIGHT: :_________:________
(a) Thin: slim (b) Stout: strong (c) Germs: disease (d) Tree: forest (e) Hot: cold
The first step is to study the pair of words, DARK: LIGHT
The colon, ':", signifies that they are related in some way. What is the relationship?
It is clear that they are opposites (antonyms). Now look for a pair from among the answer choices that has the same relationship between the two words.
The answer is (e) Hot: Cold
DARK: LIGHT: : HOT: COLD
'DARK' is related to 'LIGHT' in the same way as 'HOT' is related to 'COLD'.
Hints For Answering Verbal Analogy Questions
1.Establish the relationship between the given pair
Example WRITER: BOOK ::--------------:--------------.
(a) Building: architect
(b) Poem: poet
(c) Gold ring: goldsmith
(d) Chair: carpenter
(e) Composer: song
Before looking at the answer choices, look for the primary relationship between the given pair of items, 'WRITER: BOOK'. The relationship clearly is that the 'WRITER' creates a 'BOOK'. After determining the relationship between the given pair, look for the pair of items with a similar relationship from among the answer choices. Make your final decision after going through all the answer choices.
2. The sequence of items in the question pair is important
In the above example, all the answer choices contain a person and the article he creates or produces. In the question pair, 'WRITER: BOOK', the person comes first, followed by the article he creates. Therefore, in the correct answer, the person must come first. The only answer that satisfies this condition is (e) Composer: Song. It is, therefore, often necessary to examine the sequence of items to choose from answers that all match the primary relationship.
3. The grammatical relationship is important
Examine the following examples,
A. Example FRIEND: GOOD::----------------: -----------------
(a) Dictatorship: evil (b) Ally: strength (c) Foe: dangerously (d) Satan: sin (e) Enemy: bad
The question pair is a noun (person) and a descriptive adjective. The parts of speech of the correct answer pair must also be the same as that of the question pair. Hence, the correct answer is (e). Enemy : Bad
(noun) : (adjective)
Word Analogies
Word analogies test your ability to see the relationships between words, distinguish between types of relationships and recognise which relationships are similar. These questions are asked in different forms.
Form 1 Directions: From the pairs of words (a-e) you are to select the pair which is related in the same way as the words of the first pair.
SCISSORS: CLOTH:: ----------------- : ......................
(a) Axe: wood (b) Stone: grinder (c) Knife: stone (d) Roller: flatten
(e) Gun: hunt
Answer (a) A pair of scissors cuts cloth as an axe cuts wood.
Form 2 FOOD is to HUNGER as SLEEP is to_____________ ?
(a) Rest (b) Night
(c) Dream (d) Bed
(e) Weariness
Answer (e) Food relieves hunger as sleep relieves weariness.
Form 3 KITE: BIRD as _________: FISH
(a) Thread (b) Boy
(c) Submarine (d) Crow
(e) Snake
Answer (c) A kite and a bird both move through air as a submarine and a fish both move through water.
The relationships in word analogies fall into several categories. For example, in 'ARCHITECT: BUILDING', the relationship is that of 'PRODUCER: PRODUCT'. Most word analogies fit into a small number of such categories. If you know these categories and learn to recognise them rapidly, you will be able to solve word analogy questions accurately and rapidly. Several possible types of relationships have been identified and covered below. You do not need to remember the names of these types. You must only understand the relationship and be able to solve the few practice tests given at the end.
Antonym (opposite) relationship
Example : EXEMPT: OBLIGED ::_________:______________
(a) Affluent: fluen t (b) Immune: susceptible
(c) V iliant : mighty (d) Steadfast: reputed
(e) Cavalier: presumption
Answer (b) 'Exempt' means free from obligation or liability. 'Oblige' means the opposite. The relationship is opposite. 'Immune' means protected from and 'susceptible' means the opposite.
Exercise
1. DESULTORY: METHODICAL::___________:_____________
(a) Integral: unified (b) Verbose : loquaciours (c): actuated : Attenuated (d) Dissipated: concentrated (e) Plaintive: contemplative
2.ALLEVIATE : AGGRAVATE ::_______:_______
(a) Joke: worry (b) Elevate: agree (c) Alluvial: gravelly (d) Level: grade (e) Elastic: rigid
3.FORTUITOUS: INHERENT ::______:______
(a) Rugged: endurable (b) Legible: indelible (c) Envious: desire (d) Gregarious: introverted
(e) Knowledgeable: incoherent
4. OPAQUE: TRANSPARENT :: ________ :_________
(a) Turbid: swollen (b) Tepid: seething
(c) Imprisoned: incarcerated (d) Forlorn: despondent
(e) Concentrated: dissipated
Answers .1.(d) 2.(e) 3.(d) 4.(e)
Synonym relationship
Example ENCUMBER: BURDEN ::_______:________
(a) Workload: weariness (b) Behead: sum up (c) Recapitulate: synopsize (d) Reconcile: alienate (e) Reptile: poisonous
Answer (c) 'Encumber' and 'Burden' are synonyms. Similarly 'Recapitulate' is a synonym for 'Synopsize'.
Exercise
1.MOUNTEBANK: QUACKERY:: _______:_______
(a) Fiery: acquiver (b) Water: sailing (c) Embezzler: fraud (d) Politician: nonfeance ( e) Huckster: thievery

2.PUBLICATION: LIBEL::_______:______
(a) Newspaper: editorial (b) Radio: television
(c) Information: liability (d) Journalism: attack'
(e) Speech: slander
3.KIND: BENEVOLENT ::______:______
(a) Requital: reverberate (b) Reverentral: imprudent
(c) Incautious: sagacity (d) Circumspect: short-sighted
(e) Muddy: unclear
4.ESCAPE : ABSCOND ::_______:_______
(a) Endless: eternal (b) Escalate: weaken
(c) Flee: surrender (d) Confront: submit (e) Exult: jubilate
5.ALWAYS: NEVER ::________:________
(a) Often: rarely (b) Frequently: normally (c) Constantly: frequently (d) Intermittently: casually
Answers 1. (c), 2. (e), 3. (e), 4. (a), 5. (a)
Explanations
1.Mountebank engages in quackery and embezzler engages in fraud.
2.Libel is written defamation, slander is oral defamation.
3.Kind and benevolent are synonyms as muddy and unclear.
4.Escape and abscond are nearly similar in meaning as endless and eternal.
Cause and effect relationship
Example : EMBROIL: STRIFE ::__________ :_________
(a) Counteract: performance (b) Infiltrate: cull (c) Indemnify: reduction
(d) Arbitrate: settlement (e) Predicate: conclusion
Answer (d) As embroil results in strife, similarly arbitration results in settlement.
Exercise
1.IRRITANT: ANNOYANCE::_________:________
(a) Stimulus: incitement (b) Soporific: sanctification
(c) Caustic: invigorate (d) Repercussion: inhibition
(e) Coagulant: glut
2.RACE: FATIGUE ::__________:_________
(a) Fast: hunger (b) Track: athlete (c) Ant: bug (d) Air: sleep (e) Walking: running
3.INSULT: HUMILIATE::_______:_______
(a) Shoot: kill (b) Abuse: disrespect
(c) Dog: bark (d) Injury: pungent
(e) Proscribe: banishment
4.MOSQUITO: MALARIA ::_______:_________
(a) Diabetes: mellitus (b) Digastric: dysgenic
(c) AIDS: virus (d) Dysenteric: diatase
(e) Infection: disease
Answers 1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. (e)
Explanation
l. Irritant causes annoyance and a stimulus causes incitement.
2.Race causes fatigue and fast results in hunger.
3.Insult results in humiliation as shooting kills.
4.Mosquito causes malaria and infection is the cause of every disease.

B. B. Lal

Braj Basi Lal (born in Jhansi, India in 1921) is a well-known Indian archaeologist. He was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1968 to 1972, and has served as President of the World Archaeological Congress. He also worked in for UNESCO committees. He received the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2000.

He has done excavations in the Indus Valley Civilization with Mortimer Wheeler and other archaeologists. He has had a spectacularly successful and exemplary archaeological career spanning more than half‑a‑century. He was trained in excavation by the veteran archaeologist, Wheeler at Taxila, Harappa and other famous sites in the forties of the last century. Out of his many pupils Wheeler chose Lal to entrust the excavation of the Early Historic site of Sisupalgarh in Orissa before relinquishing the charge of the Director‑General of Archaeology in India in 1947.

The eminent British archaeologists, Stuart Piggott and D.H. Gordon, in their reviews of B. B. Lal’s classic article on the Copper Hoards of the Gangetic basin (Piggott 1954), and his Hastinapura excavation report (Gordon 1957), both published in Ancient India, the annual journal of the Archaeological Survey of India, hailed them as models of research and excavation reporting. In subsequent years Lal excavated the Mesolithic site of Birbhanpur in West Bengal, the Chalcolithic site of Gilund and the Harappan site of Kalibangan, both in Rajasthan, and the Ramayana sites of Ayodhya, Bharadwaj Ashram, Nandigram, Chitrakut and Shringaverapura in Uttar Pradesh.

For his academic achievements and the high quality of his scholarship Professor Lal has been honoured by many prestigious institutions in India and abroad. In 2000, the President of the Indian Republic conferred upon him the coveted title of Padmabhushan.

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Prabha Atre

Prabha Atre (1932, Pune) is an eminent Maharashtrian vocalist of Kirana Gharana classical Indian music.
Prabha was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai Atre. As children, Prabha and her sister, Usha, were interested in music, but neither of them planned to pursue music as a career. When Prabha was eight, Indirabai was not keeping good health, and at a friend's suggestion that classical music lessons would help her feel better, she took a few lessons (before stopping after five lessons). However, listening to those lessons inspired Prabha to learn classical music herself.

Prabha learned classical music first from Pandit Sureshbabu Mane, and after his demise in 1952, from Smt. Hirabai Badodekar. Both Sureshbabu and Hirabai were children and disciples of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan. While studying under Hirabai, Prabha accompanied her on her musical concert tours in different parts of India, and thus got exposure to different audiences.

While studying music, Prabha also finished college courses in science and law to receive degrees in both of those disciplines. She later earned a Ph. D. in music too. Her doctoral thesis was titled "Sargam", and pertained to the use of sol-fa notes in Indian classical music.

Awards

In 1976, Prabha received the Acharya Atre Award for music. Jagatguru Shankaracharya conferred on her the title of "Gana Prabha". She received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1991. The Government of India conferred on her Padma Shree in 1990 and Padma Bhushan in 2002. During the first four months of 2002, she received four awards, including Padma Bhushan.