RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The acceleration due to gravity g on the surface of Earth is given by g = GM/R² - ω²R cos²ϕ, where R is the radius of Earth, ω is the angular velocity of rotation, and ϕ is the latitude. Because Earth is an oblate spheroid, its polar radius is shorter than its equatorial radius, which increases the value of g near the poles as g is inversely proportional to R². Additionally, the centrifugal force caused by Earth's rotation becomes zero at the poles where ϕ = 90°, so there is no rotational reduction in gravity. This makes g reach its maximum value of approximately 9.83 m/s² at the poles.

Explanation

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote the famous Bengali romance novel Devdas in 1901, which was later published in 1917. The novel depicts a tragic love triangle involving Devdas, Parvati (Paro), and Chandramukhi, and remains one of the most celebrated and widely adapted classics in Indian literature.

Explanation

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, were held in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. With this event, London became the first city to host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously hosted them in 1908 and 1948.

Explanation

Gautam Buddha was born around 563 BCE in the sacred garden of Lumbini, located in present-day Rupandehi district of Nepal. Lumbini is one of the four principal holy sites of Buddhism associated with key events in the life of the Buddha, alongside Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini in 249 BCE and erected a commemorative stone pillar bearing an inscription that marks it as the official birthplace of the Buddha.

Explanation

The Alps is a major European mountain system spanning eight countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Belgium is located in Northwestern Europe, well north of the Alpine system, with a terrain composed primarily of flat coastal plains and low-altitude hills such as the Ardennes plateau. Its highest point is Signal de Botrange at just 694 meters above sea level, making it geographically distinct and entirely outside the Alpine region.

Explanation

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations. It began its official duties in April 1946 and is seated at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The court settles legal disputes between sovereign states and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

Explanation

Odisha is a coastal state situated along the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, located well to the south of the Himalayan region. It is geographically separated from Bhutan by intervening Indian states such as West Bengal and Bihar, and therefore shares no land border with Bhutan.

Explanation

The Young Party was not an organization or secret society associated with the revolutionary movement during the Indian independence struggle. Revolutionary activities in India were led by organizations that aimed to overthrow British colonial rule through armed resistance, whereas no recognized revolutionary group under the name Young Party operated within the Indian freedom movement.

Explanation

The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of India, read alongside Article 4(1) and Article 80(2), deals with the allocation of seats in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to the states and union territories. The allocation of seats to each state and union territory is determined primarily on the basis of its population to ensure equitable representation in the Upper House of Parliament.

Explanation

The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) serves as the land border separating North Korea and South Korea. Established under the Korean Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953, at the end of the Korean War, the line spans approximately 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula. It runs roughly along the 38th parallel north and forms the central axis of the 4-kilometer-wide buffer zone known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Explanation

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard Application Programming Interface (API) developed for accessing database management systems (DBMS). It allows software applications to interact with different databases using Structured Query Language (SQL), providing database independence regardless of the underlying database engine or operating system.

Explanation

The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 (Act XV, 1856) was enacted on 26 July 1856 during the tenure of Lord Canning, who served as Governor-General of India from 1856 to 1862. Drafted during the term of Lord Dalhousie and strongly advocated by social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, this landmark legislation granted legal validity to the remarriage of Hindu widows across all territories under the East India Company's rule.

Explanation

Nandan Bal is a former Indian tennis player and coach who was conferred with the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games in 2020 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He represented India in the Davis Cup and later served as the coach and captain of the Indian Davis Cup team, contributing immensely to the sport as both a player and mentor.

Explanation

The supreme legislative body of Norway is called Stortinget (or the Storting), which translates to the Great Assembly. Established by the Constitution of Norway in 1814 and located in Oslo, it is a unicameral parliament responsible for passing legislation, adopting the national budget, and supervising the executive branch.

Explanation

Shivaji Sagar Lake (also called Shivsagar Lake) is the largest artificial freshwater lake in India by surface area, covering approximately 891.7 square kilometers. It was formed by damming the Koyna River with the construction of the Koyna Dam in 1962, located in the Satara district of Maharashtra. The reservoir serves as a major water body supplying water for regional irrigation and generating electricity through the Koyna Hydroelectric Project.

Explanation

Param Shivay, an 833-Teraflop supercomputer, was inaugurated on February 23, 2019, at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. Built under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)—jointly spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)—it holds the distinction of being the first supercomputer assembled indigenously in India for advanced scientific research and high-performance computing tasks.

Explanation

Prolactin is a peptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland in vertebrate animals. Its primary biological function is to stimulate milk production (lactation) in mammals, along with regulating reproductive functions, metabolism, and immune responses. It is an animal hormone and is not synthesized or used by plants.

Explanation

World Health Day is celebrated annually on April 7th to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. Each year, the day focuses on a specific public health concern to raise global awareness and promote health equity worldwide.

Explanation

Under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, the ombudsman framework brings the Prime Minister under its jurisdiction regarding allegations of corruption and abuse of power, subject to specific statutory procedures and exclusions such as international relations, national security, public order, atomic energy, and space. Inquiries against the Prime Minister can be initiated following approval by a full bench of the Lokpal. Therefore, asserting that the ombudsman mechanism cannot question the Prime Minister on allegations of abuse of power is incorrect.

Explanation

According to the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers in the country, with a total population of 526 tigers. This national estimation exercise, conducted every four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) along with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), led to Madhya Pradesh reclaiming the title of 'Tiger State of India'.

Explanation

M. S. Swaminathan, widely known as the Father of the Green Revolution in India, was an eminent agricultural scientist who led the successful initiative to increase crop production in the 1960s. Working alongside Norman Borlaug, he adapted high-yielding varieties of dwarf wheat and rice to Indian soil and climatic conditions. His leadership in introducing modern farming methods, chemical fertilizers, and improved irrigation practices transformed India from a food-deficient nation dependent on imports into a self-reliant agricultural power.

Explanation

Candy was never an official code name or version release for the Android operating system. Google traditionally named its Android versions alphabetically after sweet desserts and treats, but Candy was never part of this official naming sequence.

Explanation

Guglielmo Marconi is credited with the discovery and practical development of long radio waves for long-distance wireless communication. In the late 1890s, he modified spark-gap transmitters by using grounded connections and elevated vertical antennas, which generated longer radio wavelengths. These long radio waves could diffract around the curvature of the Earth and reflect off the ionosphere, enabling the first successful transatlantic wireless telegraphy signals in 1901.

Explanation

e-Granthalaya is an Integrated Library Management Software developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It automates in-house operations of libraries such as cataloging, circulation, serial control, and acquisition, while offering web-based public access catalog services and digital library functionality to members.

Explanation

An electric motor works on the principle that when a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a mechanical force (Lorentz force). This force produces continuous rotation of the motor's shaft, effectively converting input electrical energy into mechanical work.

Explanation

NASA launched its Mars 2020 mission carrying the Perseverance rover on July 30, 2020. The primary planned duration of the surface operations phase for the mission is at least one Mars year, which is equivalent to 668 Martian sols or approximately 687 Earth days. This timeframe allows the spacecraft to observe a full cycle of Martian seasons while searching for signs of ancient microbial life and collecting samples in Jezero Crater.

Explanation

The Suez Canal was officially opened for international navigation in November 1869. By connecting the Mediterranean Sea directly to the Red Sea, it drastically reduced the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 kilometers. This significantly lowered shipping costs and travel time, transforming Bombay into India's primary gateway port for international commerce and deeply integrating its economy with world markets.

Explanation

Collateral is an asset owned by a borrower—such as property, land, vehicles, or bank deposits—pledged as a guarantee to a lender until the loan is fully repaid. It serves as security for the lender, granting them the legal right to seize and sell the asset to recover the outstanding debt if the borrower defaults on repayment.

Explanation

Disinvestment refers to the process of liquidating or selling off government-held equity or stakes in public sector undertakings (PSUs) to private entities, institutional investors, or the general public. It reduces the financial burden on the government, generates capital for public expenditure, and aims to improve overall efficiency and corporate governance in PSUs by introducing market discipline and private participation.

Explanation

During the Gupta period, court poets composed prashastis, which were eulogistic inscriptions inscribed on pillars or stone walls to praise the achievements, genealogy, and military conquests of kings. A prominent example is the Prayag Prashasti (Allahabad Pillar Inscription), composed in Sanskrit by court poet Harishena, which detailed the extensive military victories and accomplishments of Emperor Samudragupta.

Explanation

Chholiya (or Choliya) is a traditional folk dance form from the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Rooted in ancient martial art traditions of the Kumaoni Rajputs dating back over a thousand years, it was originally performed during sword-point wedding processions to ward off evil spirits. Performers dress in colorful traditional warrior attire and execute synchronized swordplay and mock fights while holding swords, shields, and triangular red flags. The dance is accompanied by energetic war music played using traditional instruments such as dhol, damau, and bagpipes.

Explanation

An equinox occurs when the Earth's axis of rotation is oriented perpendicular to the incoming rays of the Sun, occurring twice each year around March 21 and September 23. On these dates, the Earth's rotational tilt is aligned laterally relative to the Sun, ensuring that neither the Northern Hemisphere nor the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the Sun. Consequently, the Sun shines directly over the Equator, resulting in equal lengths of day and night across the entire globe.

Explanation

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. It was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and technology, promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament. The treaty defined nuclear-weapon states as those that had manufactured and exploded a nuclear device prior to 1 January 1967, effectively restricting nuclear state status to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, and China.

Explanation

Ultrasound waves are reflected back when they encounter cracks, flaws, or defective locations within a material. In non-destructive testing, ultrasound is passed through metal blocks or structures, and if there is any defect or discontinuity, the waves reflect back from the boundary of the flaw and are picked up by a detector. This reflection mechanism is precisely how ultrasound is used to identify defects.

Explanation

Nuclear weapons primarily rely on nuclear fission, which uses heavy fissile isotopes capable of sustaining a rapid nuclear chain reaction. The most common isotopes used as fissile material in nuclear weapons are Uranium-235 (enriched uranium) and Plutonium-239. When these atomic nuclei absorb neutrons, they split (fission), releasing an enormous amount of energy along with additional neutrons that sustain the explosive chain reaction.

Explanation

EKA was a supercomputer developed in 2007 by Computational Research Laboratories, a subsidiary of the Tata Group. Built using Hewlett-Packard systems and Intel processors, it achieved a peak performance of 117.9 TFLOPS. In the November 2007 TOP500 list, EKA was ranked as the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world and the fastest in Asia.

Explanation

According to the 2011 Census of India, Delhi recorded an urban agglomeration population of approximately 16.35 million (1.63 crore), placing it second in overall population among all Indian urban centers, following Greater Mumbai.

Explanation

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in January 1915. His first major public appearance took place in February 1916 at the inauguration of Banaras Hindu University, following an invitation from Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. In his speech on February 4, 1916, Gandhi addressed an audience that included Indian princes and elite leaders, highlighting the stark contrast between their wealth and the poverty of the Indian masses, and emphasizing that true self-rule required the active inclusion and upliftment of the peasantry.

Explanation

On 5 September 2019, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan became the youngest player in history to captain a Test match team at the age of 20 years and 350 days, leading his side against Bangladesh in Chattogram. He broke the previous 15-year-old record set by Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu, who had captained at 20 years and 358 days old in 2004.

Explanation

Block mountains are created when large areas of the Earth's crust are broken and displaced vertically due to faulting caused by tensional or compressional forces. The uplifted blocks are known as horsts, while the lowered blocks are called graben. Famous examples of block mountain systems include the Sierra Nevada in North America and the Vosges mountains and Rhine Valley in Europe.

Explanation

In desert plants such as cacti, the leaves are modified into spines to minimize water loss through transpiration. Consequently, the green, fleshy stem takes over the process of photosynthesis, utilizing chlorophyll to prepare food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, while also serving as a water-storage organ to survive arid conditions.

Explanation

Synthetic fibres are man-made polymers created artificially from chemical substances, predominantly petrochemicals derived from petroleum. Unlike natural fibres obtained from plants or animals, synthetic fibres such as nylon and polyester are manufactured through chemical synthesis where small molecular units called monomers are joined together to form long chains called polymers.

Explanation

A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system consisting of billions of stars, along with extensive clouds of dust and gases, stellar remnants, and star clusters. For example, our solar system belongs to the Milky Way galaxy, which contains hundreds of billions of stars held together by mutual gravity.

Explanation

The stapes, also known as the stirrup, is the smallest bone in the human body. Located in the middle ear, it measures approximately 3 millimetres by 2.5 millimetres and is responsible for transmitting sound vibrations from the incus to the inner ear's oval window.

Explanation

Mahatma Gandhi established the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) on 22 August 1894 in South Africa to unite the Indian community and fight against institutionalized racial discrimination and disenfranchisement. Through the organization, Gandhi led petitions and peaceful demonstrations, laying the early groundwork for his philosophy of Satyagraha.

Explanation

Aryabhata composed the Aryabhatiya, a landmark 5th-century Indian treatise on mathematics and astronomy, in Sanskrit. Written in verse form using the Aryavritta metre, the text summarizes fundamental mathematical and astronomical concepts of ancient India, including the place-value system, algebraic techniques, plane trigonometry, and planetary movement models.

Explanation

Blood pressure is defined as the force or pressure exerted by circulating blood against the internal walls of blood vessels as it flows through the circulatory system. This pressure is generated by the pumping action of the heart and varies throughout the vascular network depending on cardiac output and arterial resistance.

Explanation

The Revolt of 1857, also known as the Indian Mutiny or Sepoy Mutiny, began on May 10, 1857, when Indian sepoys of the East India Company's army stationed at Meerut revolted against their British officers. The rebellion quickly spread across large parts of northern and central India, gaining the support of local rulers, peasants, and civilian population, posing the most significant challenge to British colonial authority in the nineteenth century.

Explanation

Translucent materials allow light to pass through them partially while scattering the light rays in different directions. Because the transmitted light is diffused, objects placed behind translucent materials are visible, but their details appear hazy, blurry, or indistinct rather than sharp and clear. Common examples include frosted glass, butter paper, and tissue paper.

Explanation

Sri Lanka is an island nation separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, meaning it shares a maritime boundary with India rather than a land border.