PMS Examination General Knowledge Syllabus

What is the United Nations and when was it founded?

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945 to maintain world peace and security, with headquarters in New York City. It has 193 member states.

Name the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. Each holds veto power.

What does SAARC stand for, and how many member states does it have?

SAARC is the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, founded in 1985 with eight members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

What do the abbreviations WHO, WTO, and IMF stand for?

WHO = World Health Organization; WTO = World Trade Organization; IMF = International Monetary Fund.

What is the G20 and what does it represent?

The G20 (Group of Twenty) is a forum of 19 major economies plus the European Union (and now the African Union), representing the world's largest economies to coordinate global economic policy.

What is OIC and what does it represent?

OIC is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the second-largest intergovernmental organization after the UN, comprising 57 Muslim-majority member states, headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

How many continents and oceans are there on Earth, and name the largest of each?

There are seven continents and five oceans. The largest continent is Asia, and the largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is the short-term, day-to-day state of the atmosphere (temperature, rain, wind). Climate is the long-term average of weather conditions in a region over many years (typically 30+).

What is the Equator and what is its latitude?

The Equator is an imaginary line dividing the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, located at 0 degrees latitude. It is the longest line of latitude.

What is the world's highest mountain and its approximate height?

Mount Everest, in the Himalayas on the Nepal-China border, is the highest at about 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) above sea level.

What is the world's largest desert and the longest river?

The largest hot desert is the Sahara in Africa (Antarctica is the largest cold desert). The longest river is the Nile (with the Amazon a close rival by some measures).

Name the capital cities of Japan, Australia, and Canada.

Japan: Tokyo. Australia: Canberra. Canada: Ottawa.

What are the currencies of the United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia?

United Kingdom: Pound Sterling. Japan: Yen. Saudi Arabia: Saudi Riyal.

What is the Line of Control (LoC)?

The Line of Control is the military control line dividing the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir between Pakistani-administered and Indian-administered areas, established after the 1947-48 war and formalized by the 1972 Simla Agreement.

How do you calculate a percentage of a number, and what is 15% of 200?

Percentage of a number = (percentage / 100) x number. So 15% of 200 = (15/100) x 200 = 30.

How do you calculate percentage increase or decrease?

Percentage change = ((New value - Old value) / Old value) x 100. A positive result is an increase; a negative result is a decrease.

If a price of 80 rises to 100, what is the percentage increase?

((100 - 80) / 80) x 100 = (20/80) x 100 = 25% increase.

How is the average (arithmetic mean) of a set of numbers calculated?

Average = (Sum of all values) / (Number of values). For example, the average of 4, 6, and 8 is (4+6+8)/3 = 6.

What is a ratio, and how do you express the ratio of 12 to 18 in simplest form?

A ratio compares two quantities. 12:18 simplifies by dividing both by their greatest common factor (6), giving 2:3.

State the basic relationship in direct proportion.

In direct proportion, two quantities increase or decrease together at a constant rate: if y is directly proportional to x, then y = kx, where k is a constant. As one doubles, so does the other.

If 5 workers build a wall in 12 days, how long would 10 workers take (inverse proportion)?

In inverse proportion, more workers means less time: workers x days is constant. 5 x 12 = 60, so 10 workers take 60/10 = 6 days.

What is the difference between hardware and software in a computer?

Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer (CPU, monitor, keyboard, RAM). Software refers to the programs and instructions that run on the hardware (operating systems, applications).

What does CPU stand for and what is its function?

CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, often called the 'brain' of the computer. It carries out instructions, performing arithmetic, logic, control, and input/output operations.

What is the difference between RAM and ROM?

RAM (Random Access Memory) is volatile temporary memory that loses data when power is off. ROM (Read Only Memory) is non-volatile permanent memory that retains data and stores essential startup instructions.

How many bits are in a byte, and arrange these in ascending order: KB, GB, MB, TB.

There are 8 bits in a byte. Ascending order: KB (kilobyte) < MB (megabyte) < GB (gigabyte) < TB (terabyte).

In data interpretation, how do you read a pie chart, and what total do all slices represent?

A pie chart shows parts of a whole as proportional slices of a circle. All slices together represent 100% (or the full 360 degrees). Each slice's value = (its percentage / 100) x total.

In a data set, what is the difference between the mean, median, and mode?

Mean is the arithmetic average. Median is the middle value when data is ordered. Mode is the value that occurs most frequently.

Name four major ancient river-valley civilizations and their rivers.

Mesopotamian (Tigris and Euphrates), Egyptian (Nile), Indus Valley/Harappan (Indus), and Chinese (Yellow/Huang He).

What was the Indus Valley Civilization, and name two of its major cities?

The Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization (c. 2500 BCE) in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, known for advanced town planning. Major cities: Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.

When did World War I and World War II take place, and what event triggered WWI?

World War I: 1914-1918. World War II: 1939-1945. WWI was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo in June 1914.

What event triggered the start of World War II in Europe, and which alliances fought it?

WWII in Europe began with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. It was fought between the Allied Powers (Britain, France, USSR, USA, China) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan).

What were the two atomic bombings that ended World War II, and in what year?

In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima (6 August) and Nagasaki (9 August), leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.