RRB NTPC CBT 1 2020 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Kangchenjunga, standing at an elevation of 8,586 meters (28,169 feet) above sea level, is the highest mountain peak in India and the third-highest peak in the world. It is located in the Eastern Himalayas on the border between the Indian state of Sikkim and Nepal.

Explanation

During the 1906 Calcutta (Kolkata) session of the Indian National Congress, presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji, the Congress officially proclaimed 'Swaraj' (self-government) as its main goal. In his presidential address, Dadabhai Naoroji declared that the Indian people should achieve self-government similar to that of the United Kingdom or other British colonies, marking the first time the term 'Swaraj' was explicitly used from the official platform of the Congress.

Explanation

The Ruhr region, located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, is the country's primary industrial heartland. Historically rich in extensive coal deposits, the area developed into a major center for heavy industry, particularly iron, steel, and chemical manufacturing, taking advantage of cheap water transport along the Ruhr and Rhine rivers.

Explanation

Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan was appointed as the Governor of Telangana on 1 September 2019 and officially assumed office on 8 September 2019, succeeding E. S. L. Narasimhan. She served as the second Governor of Telangana and was the first woman to hold this position in the state.

Explanation

Kamala Das wrote extensively in Malayalam under the pseudonym Madhavikutty, particularly renowned for her short stories, essays, and autobiographical works. A pioneer in modern Indian English poetry and Malayalam literature, she was acclaimed for her bold and honest treatment of female identity, desire, and personal relationships.

Explanation

António Guterres took office as the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations on 1 January 2017, following his appointment by the UN General Assembly. A Portuguese diplomat and politician, he previously served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.

Explanation

The ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution were borrowed from the French Constitution. These three concepts originated as the iconic motto of the French Revolution (1789–1799), representing individual freedom, equal status and opportunity before the law, and a spirit of common brotherhood among all citizens to strengthen national unity.

Explanation

Introduced on June 1, 1930, by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the Deccan Queen was India's first superfast train. Operating between Mumbai and Pune, it was also the country's first long-distance electric-hauled train, the first vestibuled train, and the first to feature a dedicated dining car and a women-only compartment.

Explanation

On May 1, 2019, Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito, on April 30, 2019. This transition marked the beginning of Japan's new Imperial era named Reiwa, which translates to beautiful harmony.

Explanation

The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, located in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989. The site is renowned for its Great Stupa, originally commissioned by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, and represents one of the oldest stone structures in India and a primary sanctuary of Buddhist art and architecture.

Explanation

In August 2020, Soma Mondal was recommended by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to serve as the next Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Prior to this appointment, she held the role of Director (Commercial) at SAIL. She officially assumed charge as the head of the Maharatna public sector undertaking on January 1, 2021, becoming the first woman chairperson in the company's history.

Explanation

Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was established because of its proximity to the Earth's magnetic equator. At an altitude of around 100 km directly above the magnetic equator, a narrow electric current known as the equatorial electrojet flows eastward in the ionosphere. This unique geophysical phenomenon makes Thumba an ideal location for launching sounding rockets to study the upper atmosphere and ionospheric electrodynamics.

Explanation

HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is an application-layer protocol used for transmitting hypermedia documents, such as HTML pages. It functions as a request-response protocol in the client-server computing model, where a web browser submits an HTTP request to the server, and the server returns the requested resources. It forms the foundational protocol for data exchange across the World Wide Web.

Explanation

Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) is a flagship initiative under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), established by NITI Aayog, Government of India. It aims to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination among school students in classes 6 to 12. These labs provide hands-on opportunities to work with tools and equipment to understand concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), promoting a culture of innovation and scientific temperament across the country.

Explanation

Cooperative farming has been most successful in Denmark, where the movement transformed the agricultural economy through widespread credit, processing, and marketing cooperatives. The cooperative system in Denmark is so pervasive and well-developed that practically every farmer is a member of at least one cooperative society.

Explanation

Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar exploration mission, was successfully launched on 22 July 2019 aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III-M1 (GSLV Mk III-M1) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. GSLV Mk III-M1 was ISRO's most powerful three-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle, specifically designated to carry the composite payload comprising an orbiter, the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan rover into an Earth Parking Orbit.

Explanation

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based indirect tax levied on the manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods and services throughout India. It is categorized as an indirect tax because the tax burden is ultimately passed on to the final consumer, while the supplier or business entity collects and remits the tax to the government on behalf of the consumer. GST was introduced in India on July 1, 2017, through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, subsuming multiple central and state indirect taxes into a single unified tax structure.

Explanation

Vinesh Phogat was recommended by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2020. Her recommendation came on the back of outstanding performances, including winning a bronze medal at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, which also earned her a qualification spot for the Tokyo Olympics. She subsequently conferred the award in 2020, becoming one of five recipients that year.

Explanation

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was a revered Sufi saint who established the Chishti order of Sufism in India during the late 12th century. His shrine, known as the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, is located at Ajmer in Rajasthan. It is one of the most prominent Sufi pilgrimage sites in South Asia, attracting millions of devotees across different faiths annually, particularly during the Urs festival held to commemorate his death anniversary.

Explanation

Apsara was India's and Asia's first nuclear research reactor. Designed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Trombay, Mumbai, it attained criticality on August 4, 1956, and was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in January 1957. It was a pool-type reactor utilizing enriched uranium as fuel with light water serving as both the moderator and coolant.

Explanation

Reptiles belong to the subphylum Vertebrata within the phylum Chordata, as they possess a backbone or vertebral column that surrounds and protects the spinal cord. Invertebrates are defined as animals that lack a vertebral column, making reptiles vertebrates rather than invertebrates.

Explanation

The spinal cord is a long, cylindrical bundle of nerve fibers and associated tissues enclosed within the vertebral column. As a key component of the central nervous system, it functions as the primary pathway for transmitting sensory and motor nerve impulses between the brain and the rest of the body. Additionally, it serves as an independent integrating center for spinal reflexes, mediating quick, involuntary reflex actions directly through reflex arcs without requiring immediate processing by the brain.

Explanation

A tracker ball (or trackball) is a pointing input device used to enter positional data into a computer. It consists of a movable ball held in a fixed socket containing sensors that detect rotation along two axes, allowing the user to control the movement of the screen pointer or cursor.

Explanation

In May 2018, a major outbreak of the Nipah virus occurred in the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala. The zoonotic virus, which spreads from fruit bats of the Pteropus genus to humans, led to severe acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis, claiming 17 lives before being successfully contained.

Explanation

Karnataka is the largest producer of gold in India, accounting for more than 98% of the country's total primary gold production. The primary active gold-producing center in the state is the Hutti Gold Mines located in the Raichur district, operated by Hutti Gold Mines Limited (HGML). Historically, the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in the Kolar district were also a major source of gold production in Karnataka until mining operations ceased in 2001. Additionally, significant gold deposits in the state are located in the Uti and Hirabuddini areas.

Explanation

Metazoa encompasses all multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that comprise Kingdom Animalia. Members of Metazoa are characterized by heterotrophic nutrition, cellular differentiation into specialized tissues and organs, mobility during at least one stage of life, and the absence of rigid cell walls. They range from simple multicellular organisms such as sponges (Porifera) to complex multicellular organisms including vertebrates.

Explanation

The Bering Strait is a narrow water passage located between the easternmost point of Asia (Siberia, Russia) and the westernmost point of North America (Alaska, United States). It directly connects the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean in the north with the Bering Sea of the Pacific Ocean in the south.

Explanation

In binary computer architecture, memory storage is calculated using powers of two. One kilobyte (KB) is defined as 2¹⁰ bytes, which equals 1024 bytes.

Explanation

Pretoria serves as the administrative capital of South Africa, housing the executive branch of the national government. It is the official seat of the President, the Cabinet, and foreign embassies, with executive operations centered at the Union Buildings.

Explanation

Ethylene (C₂H₄) is a primary monomer used in the petrochemical industry to manufacture plastics. Through addition polymerization, ethylene molecules link together to form polyethylene (polythene), which is one of the most widely used thermoplastic polymers globally for packaging, plastic bags, bottles, containers, and piping systems.

Explanation

Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded the Slave Dynasty (also known as the Mamluk Dynasty) in 1206 AD. He was a former Turkish slave who rose through military ranks under Muhammad Ghori to become the commander of his Indian territories. Following Ghori's assassination in 1206 AD, Aibak declared independence and assumed sovereignty, establishing the Delhi Sultanate with Lahore as its initial capital.

Explanation

'Republic' is a Socratic dialogue written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato around 375 BC. It examines the concept of justice, the organization of an ideal city-state, and the role of the philosopher-king, remaining one of the foundational texts of Western philosophy and political theory.

Explanation

The XXII Commonwealth Games were awarded to Birmingham, England, in December 2017 by the Commonwealth Games Federation after the original host city was stripped of its hosting rights. Birmingham hosted the multisport event from 28 July to 8 August 2022, making it the third English city to host the Commonwealth Games, following London in 1934 and Manchester in 2002.

Explanation

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network management protocol used on Internet Protocol (IP) networks to automatically assign IP addresses and other communication parameters to devices. Operating on a client-server model, a DHCP server dynamically allocates an IP address and related configuration information, such as the subnet mask and default gateway, from a pre-configured pool to client devices whenever they connect to the network.

Explanation

The Bogibeel Bridge, constructed across the Brahmaputra River in Assam, is India's longest road-cum-rail bridge with a length of 4.94 km. Inaugurated in December 2018, it connects Dibrugarh in Assam with Dhemaji, significantly reducing travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh while boosting strategic connectivity in the northeastern region.

Explanation

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) entered the Guinness World Records for achieving the record of opening the most bank accounts in one week as part of a financial inclusion campaign. Launched on 28 August 2014 by the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance, the scheme registered 18,096,130 bank accounts opened between 23 August and 29 August 2014, which was officially certified by Guinness World Records in January 2015.

Explanation

Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometres from Srinagar in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Established in 1981, it covers an area of approximately 141 square kilometres in the Zabarwan Range of the Western Himalayas. The park was originally created to ensure a clean drinking water supply for Srinagar city and is renowned as the primary habitat of the critically endangered Hangul, also known as the Kashmir stag.

Explanation

Green plants are biotic components of an ecosystem because they are living organisms that function as primary producers. They perform photosynthesis, manufacture organic compounds, grow, reproduce, and interact directly with other living organisms within the food web.

Explanation

Abhidharma Kosha is an ancient Sanskrit Buddhist text composed by the Indian scholar-monk Vasubandhu in the 4th or 5th century CE. It serves as a foundational compendium of Buddhist Abhidharma philosophy, systematically organizing the core doctrines of the Sarvastivada and Sautrantika traditions. The text covers various aspects of Buddhist metaphysics, cosmology, psychology, and spiritual path, remaining a fundamental study text across Northern Buddhist traditions.

Explanation

The disinvestment process of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) in India was initiated in 1991 as a key component of the New Economic Policy (Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation) and the Industrial Policy Statement of 1991. Introduced during the economic crisis to reduce the fiscal deficit, raise resources, and enhance market discipline and efficiency in public enterprises, the government began selling minority equity shares of selected PSEs to financial institutions, mutual funds, and the public.

Explanation

Operation Greens was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in the Union Budget 2018-19 on the lines of 'Operation Flood' to stabilize the supply and prices of TOP crops (Tomato, Onion, and Potato) across India. The scheme aims to enhance value chain development, reduce post-harvest losses, create cold storage infrastructure, and prevent price volatility for both farmers and consumers.

Explanation

The Kothari Commission (1964–66), officially known as the Education Commission, was appointed by the Government of India under the chairmanship of Daulat Singh Kothari to advise on the general principles and policies for the development of education in India. Its recommendations led to the formulation of the National Policy on Education in 1968.

Explanation

A syncline is a fold in rock layers that forms a downward trough or basin shape, created by compressional tectonic forces. In a syncline, the rock strata bend downwards, with the youngest geological layers positioned at the center or core of the fold.

Explanation

Ramanujacharya (1017–1137 CE) was a celebrated philosopher and theologian who founded the Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) school of Vedanta. He synthesized the devotional Bhakti tradition with Upanishadic philosophy, asserting that Brahman is the supreme ultimate reality endowed with all auspicious qualities, while individual souls and the material world exist as real, distinct, yet dependent parts of Brahman.

Explanation

Kerala has a unicameral legislature consisting solely of the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly). Under Article 168 of the Indian Constitution, states may have either a unicameral or bicameral legislative structure, and Kerala functions with a single house without a Vidhan Parishad.

Explanation

HysIS (Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite) is India's first advanced hyperspectral earth observation satellite, launched by ISRO on 29 November 2018 aboard the PSLV-C43 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The satellite collects image data in 55 spectral bands across the visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, enabling precise monitoring of agriculture, forestry, soil assessment, water resources, and strategic defense applications.

Explanation

GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) is India's regional Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), jointly developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It improves the accuracy, integrity, and availability of GPS signals by providing satellite-based corrections, primarily enhancing civil aviation navigation over the Indian airspace and neighboring regions.

Explanation

The Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) project was launched by NITI Aayog in 2017 to transform elementary and secondary school education. The initiative aims to improve learning outcomes, teacher training, governance reforms, and academic tracking, focusing on building role-model states for school education in partnership with Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha.

Explanation

Silicon is a chemical element with atomic number 14 that exhibits physical and chemical properties intermediate between those of metals and nonmetals, classifying it as a metalloid. It has a metallic luster and is a semiconductor, making it essential in microelectronics and semiconductor devices.

Explanation

Aditya-L1 is ISRO's first space-based observatory-class solar mission designed to study the Sun's atmosphere, specifically the outermost layer known as the solar corona, along with the solar chromosphere, photosphere, and solar wind dynamics from a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system.