RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

During the state visit of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to Bolivia in March 2019, India and Bolivia signed eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors. Among these were key agreements on cooperation in the field of Geology and Mineral Resources—focusing on mineral exploration, particularly lithium—and cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy. The Union Cabinet of India subsequently granted ex-post facto approval for these MoUs in April 2019.

Explanation

Article 356 of the Indian Constitution provides for the imposition of President's Rule in a state in the event of a breakdown of constitutional machinery. Since its creation on November 1, 2000, Chhattisgarh has consistently maintained stable legislative assemblies and elected governments, due to which Article 356 has never been invoked in the state.

Explanation

Chabahar Port is located in southeastern Iran along the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port and provides a strategic trade and transit hub connecting India, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asian countries.

Explanation

Yash initially moves facing West. Turning right changes his facing direction to North. A subsequent left turn changes his direction to West. Taking another left turn changes his facing direction to South.

Explanation

CPU clock speed measures the number of execution cycles a processor can perform per second. It is measured in Hertz, most commonly Megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz), where one MHz represents one million clock cycles per second. A higher clock rate indicates that the processor can execute more instructions in a given amount of time.

Explanation

The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was Mahatma Gandhi's first satyagraha movement in India, launched in the Champaran district of Bihar. It aimed to support local farmers against European planters who forced them under the Tinkathia system to cultivate indigo on three-twentieths (3/20) of their landholdings, subjecting them to heavy taxation and economic exploitation.

Explanation

The relationship between the Kelvin scale and the Celsius scale is given by the formula:

K = T(°C) + 273.15

Substituting -273.15 °C into the formula:

K = -273.15 + 273.15 = 0 K

This temperature represents absolute zero, the point at which fundamental particles have minimum thermodynamic entropy and kinetic energy.

Explanation

Sublimation is the physical process in which a substance transitions directly from the solid state to the gaseous state without passing through the intermediate liquid phase. Solid iodine readily undergoes sublimation upon gentle heating at standard atmospheric pressure, vaporizing into a distinct deep violet gas due to its relatively weak intermolecular van der Waals forces and high vapor pressure.

Explanation

Werner Buchholz coined the term 'byte' in July 1956 during the early design phase for the IBM 7030 Stretch computer. He deliberately used the spelling with a 'y' instead of an 'i' to avoid accidental confusion with the term 'bit'. Originally representing a variable number of bits used to encode a single character, the byte was later standardized as a 8-bit unit of digital information.

Explanation

Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, making it the first national park in the world. Situated primarily in the state of Wyoming, with portions extending into Montana and Idaho, the park sits atop a volcanic hotspot and is renowned for its geothermal phenomena such as the Old Faithful geyser, vast volcanic caldera, and rich wildlife ecosystems.

Explanation

The PARAM 8000 was India's first supercomputer, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the leadership of Dr. Vijay P. Bhatkar. It was officially unveiled on July 1, 1991. Built indigenously after the United States denied India the export of Cray supercomputers, the 64-node parallel processing computer marked a major milestone in Indian scientific research and technological self-reliance.

Explanation

Lala Lajpat Rai used the safety valve theory to critique the Moderate leadership of the Indian National Congress in his book Young India published in 1916. He argued that the Congress was conceived by British officials to serve as a safety valve for releasing rising Indian political discontent and forestalling a widespread rebellion similar to the Revolt of 1857. In this context, he famously opined that the Indian National Congress was a product of the brain of Lord Dufferin.

Explanation

The 19th Asian Games were awarded to Hangzhou, China, by the Olympic Council of Asia at its 34th General Assembly in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in September 2015. Hangzhou was officially chosen as the host city after presenting a comprehensive proposal to organize the multi-sport event.

Explanation

The famous slogan "Do or Die" (Karo ya Maro) was given by Mahatma Gandhi during his Quit India speech at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on August 8, 1942, inspiring the Indian masses to either free the nation from British rule or die in the attempt. It was not coined or popularized by Lala Lajpat Rai.

Explanation

NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) was established on 12 July 1982 under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. It was created on the recommendations of the B. Sivaraman Committee to serve as an apex development bank for providing and regulating credit and other facilities for the promotion and development of agriculture, small scale industries, cottage and village industries, and handicrafts in rural areas.

Explanation

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organization established in June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. Sri Lanka is one of its founding members, along with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, and Thailand. The grouping aims to foster rapid economic development, trade, and cross-border connectivity among nations surrounding the Bay of Bengal region.

Explanation

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad authored India Wins Freedom, an autobiographical narrative published in 1959. The book provides an insider's account of the events leading up to the partition and independence of India, highlighting his key political interactions, perspectives on national leaders, and personal reflections during his tenure as a prominent Congress leader and freedom fighter.

Explanation

The Solar System is approximately 4.57 to 4.6 billion years old, having formed from the gravitational collapse of a dense region within a giant molecular cloud. This age is accurately determined through radiometric dating of the oldest meteorites found on Earth, particularly carbonaceous chondrites, which formed alongside the early Solar System.

Explanation

Justice C. N. Broomfield, the District and Sessions Judge of Ahmedabad, presided over the historic trial of Mahatma Gandhi on March 18, 1922. Gandhi was charged with sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code for publishing three articles in his weekly publication 'Young India' following the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement. During the proceedings, Judge Broomfield respectfully acknowledged Gandhi's immense public influence and unique standing before sentencing him to six years of simple imprisonment.

Explanation

Golconda Fort is a historic citadel originally constructed by the Kakatiya dynasty in the 11th century as a mud fort and later expanded into a massive stone fortress by the Qutb Shahi dynasty in the 16th century. It is located in Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana. The fort is renowned for its remarkable acoustic engineering, elaborate palaces, and historical role as a major trading center for precious gemstones, including famous diamonds such as the Koh-i-Noor and Hope Diamond.

Explanation

Nag is a third-generation, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) developed in India by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It features top-attack capability and an advanced Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker, enabling it to track, engage, and destroy heavily armored enemy tanks in both day and night conditions across ranges up to 4 km.

Explanation

Michael Phelps is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, having won a total of 28 medals across four Summer Olympic Games between 2004 and 2016. His record-breaking tally includes 23 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals, making it the highest overall Olympic medal count achieved by any individual competitor.

Explanation

Mission Shakti was a joint demonstration by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted on 27 March 2019. During this mission, an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile successfully targeted and destroyed an active Indian satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of around 300 km using a Kinetic Kill Vehicle. This operation made India the fourth country in the world—after the United States, Russia, and China—to possess anti-satellite weapon technology.

Explanation

The Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) was launched in February 2019 as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. It aims to enhance the employability of fresh graduates, particularly from non-technical degree courses like BA, BSc, and BCom, by providing them with industry-specific apprenticeship opportunities, practical on-the-job training, and monthly stipends through the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).

Explanation

The Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) is a nuclear power plant located near Surat in Gujarat, along the banks of the Tapti River. Operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the facility features pressurized heavy-water reactors (PHWRs), including India's first indigenously designed 700 MW capacity nuclear power unit.

Explanation

In May 2019, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Indian actress and activist Dia Mirza as one of the 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates. Prior to this appointment, she was serving as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador for India. In her role as an SDG Advocate, she focuses on raising global awareness, encouraging climate action, and promoting environmental conservation, clean air, and wildlife protection to help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Explanation

Multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 100 to eliminate the decimals in the denominator:

0.0625 ÷ 0.05 = (0.0625 × 100) ÷ (0.05 × 100) = 6.25 ÷ 5 = 1.25

Explanation

Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the historic 'Objectives Resolution' in the Constituent Assembly on 13th December 1946. It laid down the fundamental principles and philosophy of the constitutional structure, proclaiming India as an independent sovereign republic and guaranteeing justice, equality, and freedom to all citizens. The Constituent Assembly unanimously adopted this resolution on 22nd January 1947, and its modified form constitutes the Preamble to the Constitution of India.

Explanation

Geeta Phogat became the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympic Games at the 2012 London Olympics, competing in the women's 55 kg freestyle category. Although she won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships, she was eliminated in the repechage round at the London Olympics and did not win an Olympic medal.

Explanation

Fullerene is an allotrope of carbon where carbon atoms are linked together by single and double bonds to form hollow cage-like structures such as spheres, tubes, or ellipsoids. The most prominent fullerene is Buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀), which consists of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a soccer-ball geometry composed of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons.

Explanation

The human vertebral column consists of 33 vertebrae at birth, comprising 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 4 coccygeal vertebrae. In adults, the 5 sacral vertebrae fuse to form the sacrum and the 4 coccygeal vertebrae fuse to form the coccyx, resulting in 26 individual bones. At no stage of human development does the vertebral column contain 38 vertebrae.

Explanation

The telephone was invented and patented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. John Logie Baird was a Scottish engineer who invented the world's first working mechanical television system, demonstrating it in 1926.

Explanation

Galena, chemically known as lead sulfide (PbS), is the primary natural mineral ore of lead. It contains approximately 86.6% lead by weight and serves as the principal economic source for commercial lead extraction worldwide.

Explanation

Article 21 of the Constitution of India guarantees the Protection of Life and Personal Liberty. It explicitly states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. This fundamental right is available to both citizens and non-citizens, protecting individuals against arbitrary action by the state.

Explanation

The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), an autonomous institute under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment), developed and brought out the second edition of the Indian Sign Language dictionary in February 2019. This edition expanded the vocabulary from 3,000 to 6,000 words, covering terms across academic, legal, medical, technical, and everyday categories with corresponding graphic representations and sign videos.

Explanation

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Established in 1954 to manufacture advanced electronic equipment for the Indian Armed Forces, its corporate headquarters is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Explanation

Odisha is located on the eastern coast of Peninsular India, along the Bay of Bengal. It is separated from Maharashtra by Chhattisgarh, which lies directly between the two states. Consequently, Odisha shares no geographical boundary with Maharashtra.

Explanation

Binary fission is a form of asexual reproduction in which a single parent organism divides into two equal and genetically identical offspring. In unicellular organisms like Amoeba, this process begins with the division of the nucleus (karyokinesis), followed by the division of the cytoplasm (cytokinesis), ultimately giving rise to two new individuals.

Explanation

The 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) was held in Madrid, Spain, from 2 to 13 December 2019 at the IFEMA convention center under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The conference brought together world leaders and delegates to discuss climate action and advance key operational rules of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Explanation

The 44th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1978 removed the Right to Property from the list of Fundamental Rights and reclassified it as a constitutional and legal right under Article 300A in Part XII of the Constitution of India. Article 300A dictates that no person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law, ensuring that property rights remain legally enforceable against unauthorized administrative or executive interference.

Explanation

On 1 March 2019, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a 926 million loan agreement to operationalize two lines (Lines 2 and 7) for the Mumbai Metro Rail System. The loan funded rolling stock carriages, signaling and safety systems, and dedicated operational infrastructure covering approximately 58 km of metro corridors to enhance urban transport and ease traffic congestion in Mumbai.

Explanation

Tamil Nadu houses the highest number of major ports in India, featuring three major operational ports: Chennai Port, Kamarajar Port (Ennore), and V. O. Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin). These ports serve as vital gateways for cargo, container movement, and international maritime trade along the southeastern coast of India.

Explanation

A modem, short for modulator-demodulator, is a hardware device or program that enables a computer to transmit and receive data over telephone lines or cable systems. It converts digital data from the computer into an analog signal suitable for transmission over analog lines through modulation, and converts incoming analog signals back into digital data for the computer through demodulation.

Explanation

The Braille system, invented by Louis Braille in 1824, is a tactile reading and writing system designed for visually impaired individuals. It relies on raised dots arranged in a rectangular grid called a cell, which traditionally consists of six dots positioned in two parallel vertical columns of three dots each. By altering the number and pattern of these raised dots within each cell, 64 distinct combinations can be created to represent alphabetic letters, numbers, punctuation, and musical notations.

Explanation

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, consists of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office. Elections are conducted simultaneously but independently by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. To maintain continuity in the court's composition, the terms are staggered, with five judges elected every three years. Judges are also eligible for re-election upon completing their term.

Explanation

Howrah Junction Railway Station, located in Howrah, West Bengal, is the largest railway complex in India and holds the record for having the highest number of platforms in the country, with 23 operational platforms. Serving the Kolkata metropolitan area, it is divided into two main terminals (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) and handles one of the highest passenger volumes in the world daily.

Explanation

Operation Thirst was a nationwide drive launched by the Railway Protection Force in July 2019 to curb the sale of unauthorized packaged drinking water on railway station premises and inside trains. The operation aimed to ensure passenger health and safety by cracking down on illegal vendors and preventing the distribution of non-certified drinking water brands across all major Indian Railway zones.

Explanation

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was founded on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China, by the leaders of six nations: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It evolved from the Shanghai Five mechanism, originally established in 1996, to strengthen regional security, economic cooperation, and political stability among its member states.

Explanation

Bajrang Punia (wrestling) and Deepa Malik (para-athletics) were jointly conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2019, India's highest sporting honour. Bajrang Punia was recognized for his outstanding achievements in freestyle wrestling, which included winning gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and 2018 Commonwealth Games, along with a silver medal at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships.

Explanation

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language used to format, structure, and present content on the World Wide Web. It uses tags and attributes to define elements such as text, images, hyperlinks, tables, and forms, enabling web browsers to interpret and render documents as interactive web pages.