GK: Class 12 General Q&A · Page 72
3,658 free answers on GK (General) for Class 12 students, across CBSE, ICSE and State boards.
Question & Answer
Questions
- GeneralClass 12All
How does a newborn baby have characters of both his father and mother class 8
A newborn baby displays characteristics of both parents because they inherit genetic material equally from each during fertilization. When the father's sperm cell (containing 23 chromosomes) fuses with the mother's egg cell (also containing 23 chromosomes), they create a new cell with 46 chromosomes—23 pairs in total. Each chromosome carries thousands of genes, which are segments of DNA containing instructions for building and operating the human body. These genes determine everything f
- GeneralClass 12All
What characteristics come from mom and dad
Children inherit a blend of physical, biological, and genetic characteristics from both parents, with each parent contributing equally to their genetic makeup. Physical traits like eye color, hair texture, skin tone, height, facial structure, and body type come from combinations of both maternal and paternal genes. Blood type is determined by specific genes from each parent, and certain health predispositions—including tendencies toward conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or allerg
- GeneralClass 12All
How do the characteristics of mother and father get transmitted in human embryos
Parents transmit their characteristics to embryos through genetic material carried in reproductive cells—sperm from the father and egg from the mother. Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes containing DNA, which merge during fertilization to form a complete set of 46 chromosomes in the embryo. This DNA acts as a biological instruction manual, encoding traits like eye color, blood type, height potential, and predispositions to certain health conditions. The specific combination of genes
- GeneralClass 12All
What is the difference between traditional and customary
Traditional and customary overlap significantly but carry subtle distinctions. Traditional emphasizes transmission across generations—practices persist because they were inherited from ancestors and represent historical continuity. Traditional practices often carry cultural, religious, or identity significance beyond practical function. Traditional festivals, traditional crafts, and traditional medicines embody collecti
- GeneralClass 12All
What is the different meaning of traditional
Traditional carries several distinct but related meanings depending on context. The primary meaning describes practices, beliefs, customs, or styles passed down through generations—traditional ceremonies, traditional medicine, traditional crafts—emphasizing intergenerational transmission and historical continuity. A second meaning describes adhering to established conventions or customs without necessarily being very old—tra
- GeneralClass 12All
What is the synonym of age old
Synonyms for age-old (meaning very old, ancient, or existing since distant past) include ancient, time-honored, time-immemorial, long-standing, venerable, timeless, perennial, immemorial, hoary, and primordial. Each adds subtle shading: ancient emphasizes great age, time-honored</stro
- GeneralClass 12All
When to use vacant
Use vacant (adjective) to describe something empty, unoccupied, or available because no person currently occupies, uses, or claims it. Vacant properties (houses, apartments, buildings) have no tenants or owners currently living there. Vacant positions (jobs, offices, political seats) have no person currently holding or performing the role. Vacant spaces (parking spots, seats, hotel rooms) are available because no one currently occupies them. The word emphasiz
- GeneralClass 12All
What type of word is "leaving"
Leaving functions as multiple word types depending on context. Most commonly, it's the present participle of the verb "leave," used in progressive tenses: "I am leaving now" (present continuous), "She was leaving when I arrived" (past continuous), "They will be leaving tomorrow" (future continuous). Present participles combine with helping verbs to show ongoing actions. Leaving also f
- GeneralClass 12All
Shall synonym Old English
In Old English (spoken approximately 450-1150 CE), concepts similar to "shall" were expressed through forms of "sculan" (pronounced roughly "shoo-lan"), the ancestor of modern "shall." Sculan functioned as a modal auxiliary verb expressing obligation, necessity, or future intention—similar to shall's functions in later English. Other Old English expressions for obligation, necessity, or future action included forms of "willan" (ancestor
- GeneralClass 12All
What's a synonym for old-fashioned
Strong synonyms for old-fashioned include outdated, antiquated, dated, outmoded, unfashionable, behind the times, passé, and obsolete, though each carries subtle distinctions in intensity and connotation. Outdated neutrally describes something no longer current or in use. Antiquated adds stronger sugge
- GeneralClass 12All
What is the antonym of ancient
Primary antonyms of ancient include modern, contemporary, current, recent, new, present-day, or current depending on emphasis. Modern most directly opposes ancient when contrasting historical eras—ancient civilizations versus modern societies, ancient technologies versus modern innovations. Contemporary emphasizes the p
- GeneralClass 12All
What is an example of vacated
A clear example of vacated is a tenant moving out of a rental apartment, leaving it empty and ending their lease agreement—the tenant has vacated the premises. Property managers inspect vacated apartments before returning security deposits or preparing units for new tenants. Court orders also get vacated: when a judge vacates a previous ruling, they cancel or nullify that decision, as when convictions get vacated after new evidence emer
- GeneralClass 12All
What's between ancient and modern
The period between ancient and modern is the Middle Ages or medieval period, spanning roughly from the fall of Rome (5th century CE) to the Renaissance (15th-16th century CE), though exact dates vary by region and historian. In Western history, this includes the Early Middle Ages (roughly 500-1000 CE), High Middle Ages (1000-1300), and Late Middle Ages (1300-1500). This middle period saw feudalism, the rise of Christianity and Islam, the Byza
- GeneralClass 12All
Are classic and modern opposites
Classic and modern can function as opposites but aren't always opposed—the relationship depends on which meanings of each term you're comparing. When "classic" means traditional, established, or time-tested (classic design, classic approaches), it opposes "modern" as contemporary or innovative. When "classic" means from the Classical period (ancient Greece and Rome), it opposes "modern" as a historical era centuries lat
- GeneralClass 12All
What are 5 antonyms
Here are five basic antonym pairs demonstrating how opposites work: hot/cold (temperature extremes), big/small (size contrasts), happy/sad (emotional opposites), fast/slow (speed differences), and light/dark (presence or absence of illumination). These represent fundamental conceptual oppositions understood across languages and cultures, making them useful for teaching vocabulary, understanding semantic relat
- GeneralClass 12All
What is the opposite of modern physics
The opposite of modern physics is typically classical physics or Newtonian physics—the physical theories developed before the revolutionary changes of the early 20th century, particularly before quantum mechanics and relativity. Classical physics includes Newton's laws of motion and gravity, classical mechanics, classical electromagnetism (Maxwell's equations), and classical thermodynamics. These theories work excellently for everyday-s
- GeneralClass 12All
What is another meaning of modern
Beyond its primary meaning of "contemporary" or "current," modern functions as a specific historical period designation. Historians use the Modern Era or Modern Period to describe approximately 1500 CE to present (or sometimes 1500-1945, with "contemporary" describing the post-WWII period). This period followed the Middle Ages and is characterized by Renaissance humanism, scientific revolution, Enlightenment rationalism, industrialization, de
- GeneralClass 12All
Why is it called traditional
Something is called traditional because it derives from tradition—the transmission of customs, beliefs, practices, or knowledge from one generation to the next. The word comes from Latin "traditio" meaning "handing over" or "passing down," from "tradere" (to hand over, deliver, or betray). Traditional practices persist not through innovation but through deliberate preservation and intergenerational teaching. When we label something traditional, we empha
- GeneralClass 12All
What's a word for not traditional
Several words describe not traditional with varying connotations. Modern, contemporary, innovative, or progressive emphasize newness, current relevance, or forward-looking approaches. Unconventional, nontraditional, alternative, or unorthodox describe departures from established norms without necessarily being modern. Radical
- GeneralClass 12All
What is the synonym of olden
Olden is somewhat archaic itself, typically appearing in the phrase "olden days/times," meaning the past or former times, especially the distant past. Synonyms include ancient, bygone, former, old, past, earlier, previous, antiquated, and historical. Bygone particularly matches the nostalgic