RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The Dilwara Temples located at Mount Abu in Rajasthan are a famous group of Svetambara Jain temples. The most prominent among them, the Vimal Vasahi temple, was built in 1031 AD by Vimal Shah, a minister of Solanki king Bhima I. This temple is dedicated to Adinath (Rishabhadeva), the first Jain Tirthankara, and is celebrated globally for its extraordinary marble carvings and intricate craftsmanship.

Explanation

The Hudson River originates at Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. It flows southward for approximately 315 miles through the Hudson Valley, forming the western boundary of Manhattan in New York City before draining into New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean.

Explanation

Admiral Karambir Singh assumed office as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy on 31 May 2019, succeeding Admiral Sunil Lanba. He was the first helicopter pilot to serve as the Chief of the Naval Staff and remained in office until November 2021.

Explanation

Using the formula Time = Distance ÷ Speed, the time taken by sunlight to reach Earth is calculated using the average distance between the Sun and Earth (approximately 149.6 million kilometers) and the speed of light (approximately 300,000 kilometers per second).

Time = 149,600,000 km ÷ 300,000 km/s ≈ 498.7 seconds

In standard physical calculations, this value is approximated to 500 seconds, which converts to 8 minutes and 20 seconds.

Explanation

The total number of distinct colors that can be represented by a display system is given by the formula 2ⁿ, where n is the color depth in bits per pixel. Substituting n = 16 gives 2¹⁶ = 65,536 colors.

Explanation

Vikram Samvat is an ancient Indian lunisolar calendar established by King Vikramaditya of Ujjain in 57 BCE to mark his victory over the Saka invaders. Because its epoch began approximately 56.7 years before the start of the Gregorian calendar era, the Vikram Samvat year is calculated by adding 56.7 years to the current Gregorian year.

Explanation

The Paryavaran Vahini Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in June 1992 to promote active public involvement in environmental protection and conservation. Implemented at the district level under District Collectors, these committees comprise students, youth, local citizens, and non-governmental organizations to report environmental violations such as illegal deforestation, wildlife poaching, pollution, and cruelty to animals, as well as to assist in environmental monitoring and afforestation efforts.

Explanation

Dhamar is a vocal form of Hindustani classical music closely allied with the Dhrupad tradition, as well as a 14-beat rhythmic cycle (Dhamar tala) traditionally played on the pakhawaj. Its compositions primarily revolve around devotional themes and the celebration of the Holi festival, making it a musical genre rather than a classical dance style.

Explanation

Jim Corbett National Park, situated in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is India's oldest national park and was chosen as the initial site for the launch of Project Tiger in 1973.

Explanation

Article 72 of the Constitution of India empowers the President of India to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of punishment, or to suspend, remit, or commute sentences of any person convicted of an offence. This power is exercised in cases where the punishment or sentence is by a Court Martial, in all cases where the punishment is for an offence against a Union law, and in all cases where the sentence is a sentence of death.

Explanation

Justice Dipak Misra served as the 45th Chief Justice of India from 28 August 2017 to 2 October 2018. He was succeeded by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who took oath as the 46th Chief Justice of India on 3 October 2018.

Explanation

Soot consists of a mass of fine, black carbon particles produced by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons such as wood, coal, oil, and petroleum fuels. Because it is composed of microscopic solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air, soot is categorized as particulate matter, specifically falling under fine particulate pollution (PM2.5 and PM10).

Explanation

Hyla is a genus of frogs belonging to the family Hylidae, commonly referred to as tree frogs. These amphibians are adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, possessing specialized adhesive suction discs on the tips of their digits that enable them to climb and cling to smooth leaves, branches, and trees effortlessly.

Explanation

Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent, was born as Zahir-ud-din Muhammad in 1483 in Andijan, located in the Fergana Valley of present-day Uzbekistan. The name Babur, derived from the Persian word for tiger, was a title adopted by him, while his original personal name was Zahir-ud-din Muhammad.

Explanation

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez. Officially opened in November 1869, it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific Oceans by eliminating the need to sail around Africa.

Explanation

Mac, short for Macintosh, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. Introduced in January 1984 with the Macintosh 128K, it was one of the first commercially successful personal computers to feature a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse. Apple's Mac series includes various models such as the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro, all operating on Apple's proprietary macOS operating system.

Explanation

Hicky's Bengal Gazette, also known as the Original Calcutta General Advertiser, was launched by James Augustus Hicky on 29 January 1780 in Calcutta. It was an English-language weekly newspaper and stands as the first printed newspaper published in India and Asia.

Explanation

"SriShaktiSat" was a 460-gram pico-satellite developed by a team of students and faculty members from the Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Built to demonstrate Internet of Things (IoT) in space and facilitate inter-satellite communication, the satellite was built under the IN-SPACe initiative and launched by ISRO onboard the PSLV-C51 mission in February 2021.

Explanation

The liver produces and secretes bile juice, a greenish-yellow digestive fluid essential for fat digestion. Bile contains bile salts, cholesterol, water, and pigments like bilirubin. Once secreted by hepatic cells, it is carried via bile ducts to be stored and concentrated in the gallbladder, from where it is released into the duodenum to emulsify fats into smaller droplets, facilitating lipolysis by pancreatic enzymes.

Explanation

In November 2018, star Indian sprinter Hima Das was appointed as UNICEF India's first Youth Ambassador. The Asian Games gold medallist was chosen to raise awareness about children's rights, adolescent empowerment, and youth issues, encouraging young people to play an active role in shaping their communities.

Explanation

The SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme was launched on National Panchayati Raj Day, April 24, 2020, by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India by using drone technology to map inhabited land areas. This enables rural property owners to obtain official property cards, which can be used as financial assets to secure loans and other financial benefits.

Explanation

Carl Linnaeus introduced the formal system of binomial nomenclature for naming organisms and assigned the scientific name Homo sapiens to humans in 1758, published in the 10th edition of his foundational work, Systema Naturae.

Explanation

Rods and cones are specialized photoreceptor cells located in the retina, which is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Rod cells are highly sensitive to light and enable vision in dim or low-light conditions, while cone cells function best in bright light and are responsible for detecting color and visual acuity. Together, they convert light energy into electrical signals that travel to the brain via the optic nerve.

Explanation

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was established in 1863 by Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier in Geneva, Switzerland, where its headquarters has remained ever since. The ICRC is a neutral, independent humanitarian organization mandated by the Geneva Conventions to protect and assist victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence worldwide.

Explanation

Synovial fluid is a viscous fluid secreted by the inner membrane of the joint capsule in movable (synovial) joints. It acts as a lubricant to minimize friction between the articular cartilages of the articulating bones during movement, absorbs mechanical shock, and provides nutrients and oxygen to the avascular cartilage.

Explanation

Qatar recorded the highest male-to-female population ratio globally in 2019, with approximately 266 males per 100 females, where males constituted over 71% of the total population. This severe gender imbalance is primarily driven by a high volume of foreign labor migration, as the country relies heavily on an international migrant workforce composed predominantly of adult men employed in construction and infrastructure development projects.

Explanation

Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the English weekly newspaper 'Mahratta' in 1881 along with the Marathi daily newspaper 'Kesari'. The publication was created to voice nationalistic sentiments, expose the shortcomings of British colonial administration, and educate the public on socio-political issues during the Indian freedom struggle.

Explanation

The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) was established by the SAARC member nations to finance development projects across the region. Its permanent Secretariat and headquarters were officially inaugurated in Thimphu, Bhutan, during the 16th SAARC Summit held in April 2010. The SDF operates as the primary financial umbrella mechanism for SAARC projects in social, economic, and infrastructure sectors.

Explanation

Service tax was first introduced in India in 1994 under Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994, following the recommendations of the Dr. Raja Chelliah Tax Reforms Committee. It came into effect on 1 July 1994 and was initially levied at a rate of 5% on three services: telephone services, general insurance, and stockbroking. The scope of service tax was expanded in subsequent years until it was eventually subsumed into the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017.

Explanation

The World Health Organization conferred the World No Tobacco Day Award for 2019 upon the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare of the Government of Rajasthan. Rajasthan was the only state government department in India selected for this recognition, awarded for its tobacco-free initiatives and health campaigns. These included declaring premises around educational institutions and health centers tobacco-free and organizing a mass anti-tobacco pledge involving over 1.13 crore citizens across the state.

Explanation

The One Stop Centre (OSC) scheme, popularly known as Sakhi, was launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, on 1st April 2015. Funded through the Nirbhaya Fund, the scheme provides integrated support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence in both private and public spaces. It offers a range of services including medical assistance, police facilitation, legal aid, psycho-social counseling, and temporary shelter to women in distress.

Explanation

The Emirates Mars Mission, known as the Hope Probe (Al-Amal), was successfully launched by the United Arab Emirates on 19 July 2020 from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H-IIA rocket. It entered orbit around Mars in February 2021, making the UAE the first Arab country and the fifth spacefaring entity to reach the Red Planet. The primary scientific objective of the Hope Probe is to collect comprehensive data on the daily and seasonal weather dynamics and climate layers of the Martian atmosphere.

Explanation

Rukmini Devi Arundale was an eminent Indian classical dancer, choreographer, and theosophist who played a pioneering role in the revival and promotion of the classical dance form Bharatanatyam. She established the prestigious Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai for training in traditional dance, music, and allied arts, and was an accomplished exponent of performing arts rather than visual arts like painting.

Explanation

In December 2020, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi to set up its Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S). The centre serves as a regional hub for advanced space science and technology research, facilitating both short-term student projects and long-term research initiatives across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Explanation

The Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 3281 (XXIX) on 12 December 1974. Initially proposed by President Luis Echeverría of Mexico in 1972 and strongly championed by developing nations of the Group of 77, the charter sought to establish a New International Economic Order (NIEO). It affirmed the sovereign equality of all states and their full permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, wealth, and economic activities.

Explanation

The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility states that as a consumer continues to consume additional units of a good or service, the additional satisfaction or utility derived from each successive unit decreases or diminishes, assuming all other factors such as tastes, preferences, and income remain constant.

Explanation

Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was appointed as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in January 2021. He succeeded Nazmul Hassan, President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, becoming the youngest administrator to assume the role. The Asian Cricket Council serves as the continent's regional administrative body responsible for governing and promoting cricket across Asian member nations.

Explanation

Lord Dalhousie served as the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856 and is regarded as the 'Father of Indian Railways'. Under his administration, the first passenger train in India operated between Bombay (Bori Bunder) and Thane on April 16, 1853, covering a distance of 34 kilometers. He formulated a comprehensive plan for building trunk railway lines across India through his famous Railway Minute of 1853, establishing the framework for the modern Indian railway system.

Explanation

The motto of the Supreme Court of India is "Yato Dharmastato Jayah", a Sanskrit phrase inscribed on its official emblem below the Lion Capital of Ashoka. Taken from the Mahabharata, the phrase translates to "Where there is Dharma (righteousness or duty), there is victory."

Explanation

As of December 2020, Tamil Nadu held the largest installed wind power capacity in India, exceeding 9,300 MW. The state's leading position was driven by favorable geographical conditions, including high-velocity wind passes such as the Palghat, Aralvaimozhi, and Shencottah gaps along the Western Ghats. Additionally, major installations like the Muppandal Wind Farm in Kanyakumari district, one of the largest operational onshore wind farms globally, contributed substantially to its top rank in cumulative wind energy capacity.

Explanation

Cytoplasm is the fluid, jelly-like substance present between the nucleus and the cell membrane in eukaryotic cells. It consists of cytosol, water, salts, organic molecules, and cellular organelles, serving as the site where most metabolic activities, chemical reactions, and cellular processes take place to sustain the cell.

Explanation

The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23 ½° from the perpendicular to its orbital plane. Consequently, the angle made by the Earth's axis with the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun) is 90° - 23 ½° = 66 ½°. This constant inclination, combined with the Earth's revolution around the Sun, is responsible for the occurrence of varying day lengths and changing seasons.

Explanation

Tajikistan is situated in Central Asia and is geographically separated from India by the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land located in northeastern Afghanistan. Consequently, it shares no direct land border with India.

Explanation

Telnet (Teletype Network) is an application layer network protocol that provides a text-based, bidirectional communication facility. It allows a user on a local computer to establish a remote command-line session on another computer or terminal over a network or the Internet, enabling full remote control and administration as if sitting directly at the remote machine.

Explanation

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted by the Parliament of India in 1981 to implement the decisions taken at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in June 1972. The Act provides for the prevention, control, and abatement of air pollution by establishing Pollution Control Boards at both central and state levels to monitor air quality and regulate industrial emissions.

Explanation

The Dilwara Temples at Mount Abu in Rajasthan are a famous group of Svetambara Jain temples built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD. The oldest and most prominent among them is the Vimal Vasahi temple, constructed in 1031 AD by Vimal Shah, a minister of the Solanki ruler Bhima I. This main temple is dedicated to Rishabhanatha, also known as Lord Adinath, who is revered as the first Tirthankara of Jainism.

Explanation

The Hudson River originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows south through the Hudson Valley. It forms a boundary between New York City and New Jersey, running along the western side of Manhattan, before emptying into Upper New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Explanation

Admiral Karambir Singh assumed office as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy on May 31, 2019. Prior to taking over as the naval chief, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Eastern Naval Command.

Explanation

Time taken = Distance / Speed. The average distance between the Sun and the Earth is approximately 1.5 × 10¹¹ meters, and the speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 3 × 10⁸ meters per second.

Time = (1.5 × 10¹¹ m) / (3 × 10⁸ m/s) = 500 seconds

Converting 500 seconds into minutes gives 8 minutes and 20 seconds.

Explanation

The number of colors available in a digital display is calculated using the formula 2ⁿ, where n represents the pixel depth in bits. For a monitor with a 16-bit color depth, the total number of distinct displayable colors is 2¹⁶ = 65,536.