SSC
'The Fall of a Sparrow' is the autobiography of:
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Answer: Option D — Salim Ali
Detailed Solution
"The Fall of a Sparrow" is the autobiography of Dr. Salim Ali, India's most famous ornithologist, popularly known as the "Birdman of India". It was published in 1985.
About the book:
The title refers to an incident in his childhood when he shot a sparrow with a yellow throat with his air gun. Curious to identify it, he was guided by W. S. Millard of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), who showed him the society's collection of birds. This experience started his lifelong passion for birds.
The book describes his education, his years in Burma (Myanmar), his training in Germany, and his many bird surveys across India.
About Salim Ali (1896-1987):
- His full name was Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali; he was born in Bombay.
- He carried out systematic bird surveys of many regions of India, including Hyderabad, Travancore, Kutch, Bhutan and Sikkim.
- His book "The Book of Indian Birds" (1941) introduced generations of Indians to birdwatching.
With S. Dillon Ripley, he wrote the ten-volume "Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan".
He played a key role in the protection of the Keoladeo (Bharatpur) bird sanctuary and the Silent Valley in Kerala.
He received the Padma Bhushan (1958) and the Padma Vibhushan (1976).
The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore is named after him. National Bird Day (12 November) is observed on his birthday.
Other naturalists and scientists:
- Jim Corbett: hunter-turned-conservationist; author of "Man-Eaters of Kumaon"; India's first national park (1936) was renamed Jim Corbett National Park.
- S. Swaminathan: "Father of the Green Revolution in India".
- Verghese Kurien: "Father of the White Revolution"; autobiography "I Too Had a Dream".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Jim Corbett wrote "Man-Eaters of Kumaon".
- ✗S. Swaminathan was an agricultural scientist.
- ✗Verghese Kurien's autobiography is "I Too Had a Dream".
Quick tip
Remember: "The Fall of a Sparrow" = Salim Ali (Birdman of India, 1985); "The Book of Indian Birds" (1941); SACON Coimbatore; "I Too Had a Dream" = Verghese Kurien.
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.