RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry-standard interface protocol and connection specification used to connect external peripheral devices to a computer. It represents an external interface standard rather than an internal core hardware processing or memory component of a computer system.

Explanation

Ctrl+V is the standard keyboard shortcut used across Windows and major operating systems to paste text, images, or other items stored in the system clipboard. When executed, it inserts the clipboard content into the active document or text field at the current cursor location without clearing the clipboard contents.

Explanation

Kim Jong-un assumed office as the Supreme Leader of North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in December 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. He holds the nation's highest political and military positions, including General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs Commission, exercising ultimate authority over the country's governance.

Explanation

Kenduli Fair, also known as Joydeb Kenduli Mela, is a major cultural festival celebrated at Joydeb Kenduli in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Held annually during Makar Sankranti in mid-January, the fair is famous for gathering Bauls, the mystic minstrels of Bengal who perform traditional folk and spiritual music. The event takes place along the banks of the Ajay River and honors the 12th-century Sanskrit poet Jayadeva, the author of Gita Govinda, who is believed to have spent part of his life in this village.

Explanation

The Kumbh Mela in Ujjain, also known as Simhastha Kumbh Mela, is held once every 12 years on the banks of the sacred Shipra River. It occurs when Jupiter enters the zodiac sign of Leo (Simha) and the Sun enters Aries. The previous Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Ujjain took place in April-May 2016. Following the 12-year cyclical interval (2016 + 12 = 2028), the next event is scheduled for 2028.

Explanation

'Why I Am a Hindu' is a 2018 book authored by Shashi Tharoor. In the book, he explores the rich history, principles, and philosophy of Hinduism, discussing core texts and historical reformers such as Adi Shankara, Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi, while offering a critique of modern political nationalism.

Explanation

Buland Darwaza, meaning 'Gate of Magnificence' or 'High Gate', was built by Emperor Akbar in 1601 AD at Fatehpur Sikri to commemorate his successful conquest of Gujarat in 1573. Standing at a height of approximately 54 metres (177 feet) from the ground level, it serves as the main entrance to the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri and is recognized as the highest gateway in India.

Explanation

The term 'United Nations' was coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was first officially used in the 'Declaration by United Nations' on 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 allied countries pledged their governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers.

Explanation

The average weight of a healthy adult human heart typically ranges between 250 and 350 grams, averaging around 280 to 340 grams in men and 230 to 280 grams in women. Across the overall adult population, 300 grams is accepted as the standard representative average weight.

Explanation

Lord Mountbatten served as the first Governor-General of independent India from 15 August 1947 until 21 June 1948. Upon India gaining independence, he was invited by the Indian leadership to continue in this role during the transition period before C. Rajagopalachari succeeded him as the first Indian Governor-General.

Explanation

The Indian Council of Medical Research launched the Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India on 24 April 2019 to prioritize, plan, conduct, and scale up research in a coordinated manner. MERA India serves as a common platform for partners and researchers working on malaria control to bridge key research gaps and support the National Framework for Malaria Elimination, which aims to eliminate malaria completely from India by the year 2030.

Explanation

The United Nations (UN) was officially established on 24th October 1945 as the international organization succeeding the League of Nations. Its founding document, the UN Charter, was signed on 26th June 1945 in San Francisco at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization. It officially came into force on 24th October 1945 after being ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and a majority of other signatories. This date is celebrated annually worldwide as United Nations Day.

Explanation

Chharbi (also spelled Charba) is a traditional folk dance that originated in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is performed during major cultural celebrations and festivals, particularly during the Dussehra festivities in the region, where dancers execute rhythmic movements to the beats of local folk instruments.

Explanation

Tree roots bind soil particles together, while the forest canopy protects topsoil from the direct impact of heavy raindrops. Mass cutting of trees removes this protective cover and root network, accelerating soil erosion caused by intense precipitation. Thus, both statements are true, and the mechanism described in the reason directly explains why deforestation is undesirable due to its impact on soil erosion.

Explanation

Granite is a coarse-grained, intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling and crystallization of silica-rich magma deep beneath the Earth's surface. Because the cooling occurs underground over long periods, individual mineral grains—primarily quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase—grow large enough to be visible to the naked eye, giving granite its characteristic coarse texture.

Explanation

The Japanese leg of the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympic Torch Relay began on March 25, 2021, at the J-Village National Training Center in Fukushima Prefecture. Fukushima was chosen as the starting point to symbolize reconstruction and recovery following the devastating March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that heavily impacted the region. From Fukushima, the 121-day relay traversed all 47 prefectures of Japan before reaching Tokyo for the Opening Ceremony.

Explanation

Ahmad Shah Abdali, also known as Ahmad Shah Durrani, was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is widely regarded as the founding father of modern Afghanistan. Following the death of Nadir Shah in 1747, he established an independent kingdom centered at Kandahar and led repeated invasions into northern India between 1748 and 1767, most notably defeating the Maratha Empire in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.

Explanation

Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’ was awarded the 8th Jnanpith Award in 1972 for his celebrated poetic drama 'Urvashi', which was published in 1961. The work is a philosophical narrative verse based on the ancient Vedic story of King Pururavas and the celestial nymph Urvashi, exploring the deep psychological and spiritual duality between physical love and transcendent devotion.

Explanation

Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky, clearly visible during winter evenings worldwide. In Greek mythology, Orion represents a legendary giant hunter, characterized by a prominent pattern of bright stars that outline a human figure holding a bow or shield and sword, centered around a distinct row of three aligned stars known as Orion's Belt.

Explanation

Under Article 110(3) of the Constitution of India, if any question arises whether a bill is a Money Bill or not, the decision of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is final. Furthermore, Article 110(4) specifies that when a Money Bill is transmitted to the Rajya Sabha or presented to the President for assent, it must carry a certificate signed by the Speaker confirming that it is a Money Bill.

Explanation

The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) was founded in Ahmedabad on 11 November 1947 by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, often regarded as the father of the Indian space program. It operates as an autonomous unit under the Department of Space, Government of India, and is a premier national research institute carrying out basic research in astronomy, astrophysics, solar physics, planetary sciences, atmospheric sciences, and theoretical physics.

Explanation

The Godavari is a major river of the Peninsular plateau that originates at Trimbakeshwar near Nashik in Maharashtra and flows eastward across the Deccan Plateau before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Since it drains central and southern India, it does not contribute to the depositional alluvium system that created the Indo-Gangetic northern plains.

Explanation

The 'First Past the Post' electoral system was adopted into the Indian Constitution from the political and constitutional system of Britain. Under this plurality voting method, the candidate who secures the highest number of votes in a single-member constituency wins the election, regardless of whether they obtain an absolute majority. India incorporated this model alongside other parliamentary features from the British Constitution, including the parliamentary form of government, the cabinet system, and the rule of law.

Explanation

Graham Reid, a former Australian field hockey player and coach, was appointed as the chief coach of the Indian men's national field hockey team in April 2019. He served in this role through December 2020 and subsequently led the team to win a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Explanation

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship program of the Ministry of Education aimed at linking higher education institutions with rural communities to enable economic and social transformation. Under this initiative, higher education institutions work with local rural bodies to identify development challenges and provide knowledge-based solutions and field-tested technologies to accelerate sustainable rural development.

Explanation

In the agricultural year 2019-20, Madhya Pradesh was the leading producer of soybean in India. Often referred to as the Soya State of India, Madhya Pradesh features ideal agro-climatic conditions, fertile black cotton soil, and extensive kharif cultivation area suited for soybean farming.

Explanation

Water reaches its maximum density at approximately 4 °C due to the unique interplay between thermal agitation and hydrogen bonding. Converting this temperature to Kelvin using the relation K = °C + 273 gives 4 + 273 = 277 K.

Explanation

Earth Hour was initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and its partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney, Australia, on March 31, 2007. The annual global environmental movement encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour to raise awareness about climate change and environmental conservation.

Explanation

The 14th G20 Summit was held on June 28–29, 2019, in Osaka, Japan. It marked the first time Japan hosted the G20 summit, bringing together world leaders to address key global issues such as trade, economic growth, digital economy, climate change, and global health.

Explanation

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway located in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea across the Isthmus of Suez. Constructed between 1859 and 1869 by the Suez Canal Company, it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the regions surrounding the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, serving as one of the world's most critical global trade corridors.

Explanation

The Bokaro Steel Plant, located in Bokaro, Jharkhand, was incorporated in 1964 as a public sector company with technical and financial assistance from the Soviet Union (USSR). It was established as India's fourth integrated public sector steel plant, designed to produce high-quality flat steel products, and was later merged into the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

Explanation

A cryogenic rocket engine uses propellants stored at extremely low temperatures. In this system, liquid hydrogen serves as the fuel (stored at −253 °C) and liquid oxygen functions as the oxidizer (stored at −183 °C). Together, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen form a high-performance propellant combination that yields high specific impulse and thrust efficiency for upper-stage rocket propulsion in space launch vehicles.

Explanation

Penicillium is a genus of ascomycetous fungi that functions as a saprophytes. Saprophytic organisms obtain their nutrients by decomposing dead and decaying organic matter. Penicillium secretes digestive enzymes externally to break down complex organic matter into simpler, soluble substances that it then absorbs. It commonly thrives on substrates like decaying fruit, bread, vegetation, and dead plant matter, playing an essential role in nutrient cycling.

Explanation

Macro viruses are written in macro programming languages embedded within application software like Microsoft Word or Excel. When an infected document is opened, the virus executes automatically, modifying the application's default template, damaging or altering document formatting, and restricting user access so that editing or saving the file is disabled.

Explanation

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1 May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the scheme aims to safeguard the health of women and children by providing deposit-free LPG connections to women belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, replacing traditional, smoke-emitting cooking fuels with clean LPG.

Explanation

During the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress in December 1929, under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) resolution was passed. The Congress declared 26th January 1930 as Poorna Swaraj Day or Independence Day, urging citizens to celebrate it nationwide. From 1930 until India achieved actual freedom on 15th August 1947, 26th January was continuously observed across the country as Independence Day.

Explanation

Jama Masjid of Delhi was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1644 and completed in 1656. Built out of red sandstone and white marble, it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors in their capital of Shahjahanabad.

Explanation

The Economic Survey of India was first introduced in 1950-51 as a part of the Union Budget. In 1964, it was delinked from the budget document to give a standalone, detailed analysis of the performance of the economy over the preceding financial year. Since 1964, it has been customarily presented in Parliament prior to the presentation of the Union Budget. The document is prepared annually by the Department of Economic Affairs under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser.

Explanation

The Sundarban delta, the largest mangrove forest and river delta in the world, is formed by the confluence of the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers (along with the Meghna River) as they empty into the Bay of Bengal across Eastern India and Bangladesh. The massive silt and sediment load carried by these river systems creates a vast fertile plain featuring an intricate network of tidal waterways, mudflats, and salt-tolerant mangrove ecosystems.

Explanation

The National Library of India is located at Belvedere Estate in Kolkata, West Bengal. Established in 1953 by merging the Imperial Library with the Calcutta Public Library, it is the largest library in India by volume and serves as the nation's primary library of public record under the Ministry of Culture.

Explanation

Employees in the government sector are excluded from coverage under the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Act, 1948, because government employees are provided with dedicated medical benefits and social security through specific government schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and Central Civil Services (Medical Attendance) Rules. Under Sections 90 and 91 of the ESI Act, the appropriate government is empowered to exempt government-owned establishments and employees where the benefits provided are substantially similar or superior to those guaranteed by the ESI scheme.

Explanation

India was among the original founding members of the United Nations, having signed the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 at the San Francisco Conference. India officially ratified the United Nations Charter on 30 October 1945, becoming a full member of the organisation prior to gaining independence.

Explanation

Atmospheric refraction of sunlight causes the Sun to appear visible to an observer on Earth about 2 minutes before it actually crosses the horizon at sunrise and about 2 minutes after it actually crosses the horizon at sunset. As light from the Sun enters the Earth's atmosphere, it travels from a rarer medium into progressively denser layers of air, bending continuously toward the normal. This bending shifts the apparent position of the Sun slightly higher than its actual physical position, resulting in a time difference of approximately 2 minutes between the actual passing of the Sun over the horizon and its visible image on Earth.

Explanation

Convex mirrors are used as rear view wing mirrors in vehicles because they always form erect and diminished images of objects behind the vehicle. This enables the driver to see a much wider field of view than would otherwise be possible, helping to monitor surrounding traffic safely.

Explanation

Begum Hazrat Mahal, the wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, led the Revolt of 1857 in Lucknow. Following the British annexation of Awadh under Lord Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse and alleged misgovernance, she organized the rebellion against the East India Company, proclaimed her minor son Birjis Qadr as the Nawab of Awadh, and assumed the regency. She successfully mobilized local landlords and sepoys during the Siege of Lucknow.

Explanation

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, an Egyptian diplomat and statesman, served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996. Hailing from Egypt, he was the first person from the African continent to hold this top diplomatic post at the UN.

Explanation

Moda Goa Museum and Research Centre, conceptualised and curated by renowned fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, is recognized as India's first costume museum. Housed in Casa Dona Maria, a 450-year-old traditional Goan villa in Colvale, Goa, the museum preserves the region's rich textile and costume heritage through a vast collection of historic garments, jewellery, accessories, and cultural artefacts dating from the 7th century AD to the modern era.

Explanation

Magnetic flux measures the total magnetic field passing through a given surface area, represented mathematically as Φ = B × A × cos θ, where B is the magnetic field strength and A is the surface area. The SI derived unit for measuring magnetic flux is the Weber (Wb), named in honor of the German physicist Wilhelm Eduard Weber. One Weber is equivalent to one Tesla square-meter (1 Wb = 1 T·m²), or one Volt-second (1 V·s), which represents the magnetic flux that, linking a circuit of one turn, produces in it an electromotive force of one volt as it is reduced to zero at a uniform rate in one second.

Explanation

Wood's Dispatch of 1854, prepared by Sir Charles Wood (President of the Board of Control) and sent to Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, is considered the Magna Carta of English Education in India. It outlined a comprehensive scheme for the diffusion of education across the country, recommending the creation of Education Departments in provinces, setting up universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, promoting female education, and emphasizing vernacular instruction at the school level alongside English at the higher education level.

Explanation

David Ricardo formulated the law of comparative advantage in his 1817 work, "On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation". The principle demonstrates that countries can mutually benefit from international trade by specializing in the production and export of goods for which they have a lower opportunity cost, even if one nation is more efficient at producing every good than another.