RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Spam refers to unsolicited bulk electronic messages sent to recipients without their explicit consent or request. While spam can exist across various digital communication platforms, it is most commonly encountered in the form of unsolicited e-mails used for commercial advertising, marketing, phishing scams, or distributing malicious links and software.

Explanation

The Vikram Samvat calendar was established by King Vikramaditya of Ujjain in 57 BCE to commemorate his victory over the Saka invaders. Because its epoch begins in 57 BCE, specifically about 56.7 solar years before the epoch of the Gregorian calendar, it runs 56.7 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. To convert any year from the Gregorian calendar to Vikram Samvat, approximately 57 years are added to the Gregorian year.

Explanation

The Paryavaran Vahini Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in June 1992 to encourage public participation in environmental protection and conservation at the district level. Under this scheme, Paryavaran Vahinis (environmental brigades) consisting of students, youth, local citizens, and non-governmental organizations were constituted in selected districts. Operating under the charge of District Collectors, these committees spread environmental awareness, report illegal activities related to deforestation, wildlife poaching, and pollution, and provide feedback on afforestation and environmental quality monitoring.

Explanation

Dhamar is a classical vocal genre and rhythmic cycle (taal) of 14 beats in Hindustani classical music, closely associated with the Dhrupad tradition. Its compositions typically describe the festive celebration of Holi and the playful devotion of Lord Krishna. Thus, Dhamar is a style of Indian classical music rather than a classical dance style.

Explanation

Jim Corbett National Park, located in Uttarakhand, was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, making it India's oldest national park. It was specifically created to protect the declining population of the endangered Bengal tiger from poaching and habitat loss. Later, in 1973, it was chosen as the site for the official launch of Project Tiger, India's flagship tiger conservation program.

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 the sentence of any person convicted of any offence. This judicial power is exercised on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers and applies in all cases where the punishment is by a Court Martial, involves an offence against a law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the Union extends, or 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. Upon his retirement, Justice Ranjan Gogoi succeeded him and took the oath of office as the 46th Chief Justice of India on 3 October 2018.

Explanation

Hyla is a genus of frogs belonging to the family Hylidae, commonly known as tree frogs. They possess specialized adhesive toe pads on the tips of their digits that enable them to climb and cling to leaves, branches, and vertical bark surfaces, allowing them to lead an arboreal lifestyle.

Explanation

Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, was born as Zahir-ud-din Muhammad on 14 February 1483 in Andijan, located in the Fergana Valley of modern-day Uzbekistan. The title Babur, which translates to Tiger, was given to him as a nickname due to his bravery and leadership traits. He established Mughal rule in the Indian subcontinent after defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

Explanation

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, constructed between 1859 and 1869. It cuts across the Isthmus of Suez to directly connect the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Red Sea in the south, providing a direct maritime trade route between Europe and Asia without navigating around the African continent.

Explanation

Mac (short for Macintosh) is a line of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. First introduced in 1984, these computers operate on Apple's proprietary macOS operating system.

Explanation

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

Explanation

Students of Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, designed and developed the nanosatellite SriShaktiSat in January 2021. Built by a team of twelve students and faculty members, the satellite weighs approximately 460 grams and was created as a technology demonstrator for Internet of Things applications in space and inter-satellite communication. It was subsequently launched aboard ISRO's PSLV-C51 mission.

Explanation

The liver is the largest internal gland in the human body and continuously produces and secretes bile juice. Bile plays an essential role in digestion, primarily by emulsifying large fat molecules into smaller droplets to aid lipid digestion by pancreatic lipase. Once secreted by liver cells (hepatocytes), bile passes through the hepatic ducts and is stored and concentrated in the gallbladder until it is released into the duodenum during digestion.

Explanation

Hima Das was appointed as UNICEF India's first Youth Ambassador in November 2018. The Asian Games gold medallist sprinter from Assam was chosen to advocate for children's rights and youth empowerment, creating awareness about critical issues affecting young people across India.

Explanation

The SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme was launched on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24 April 2020, as a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It uses modern drone technology to survey and map inhabited land parcels in rural areas, enabling rural households to receive official property cards (Record of Rights) for property validation and financial monetization.

Explanation

Carl Linnaeus introduced the system of binomial nomenclature for naming living organisms. In the 10th edition of his work Systema Naturae, published in 1758, he formally coined the scientific name 'Homo sapiens' (meaning 'wise man') to classify human beings within the animal kingdom.

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 been located ever since. It operates as an independent and neutral humanitarian organization providing protection and assistance to victims of armed conflicts and armed violence worldwide.

Explanation

On 8 April 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw low-intensity smoke bombs into the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi. The act was carried out under the banner of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) to protest against the oppressive Trade Disputes Bill and Public Safety Bill. The objective was not to cause casualties, as the bombs were thrown into unoccupied areas of the chamber, but to "make the deaf hear" and highlight British high-handedness. Following the explosion, both revolutionaries shouted slogans like "Inquilab Zindabad" and showered leaflets explaining their cause before voluntarily surrendering to the police.

Explanation

Bangar represents the older alluvial soil found in the upper reaches of the Indo-Gangetic plains, situated above the flood levels of rivers. It is less fertile than newer alluvial deposits, coarser in texture, and often contains calcareous concretions locally known as 'kankar'.

Explanation

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 22 December 2015 establishing 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Implemented annually by UNESCO and UN-Women in collaboration with international institutions and civil society partners, the day aims to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, while highlighting the critical role they play in science and technology communities.

Explanation

The home page serves as the initial or main web page of a website, providing a central access point to navigate through the site's contents and links. In web browsers, the home page refers to the default web page that automatically loads when the browser is opened or when the home button is clicked.

Explanation

Antrix Corporation Limited was established on 28 September 1992 as a wholly owned Government of India company under the administrative control of the Department of Space. It was set up as the primary commercial and marketing arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to promote and market space products, technical consultancy services, and technology transfers developed by ISRO to both domestic and international customers.

Explanation

Citrus canker is a contagious plant disease caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas citri (or Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri). It affects various citrus species, including lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits. The bacterium enters plants through natural openings like stomata or through mechanical wounds, producing characteristic raised, corky lesions on leaves, stems, and fruit, which leads to leaf defoliation, dieback, and premature fruit drop.

Explanation

Salamanders belong to the class Amphibia, and amphibians possess a three-chambered heart consisting of two atria (a right atrium and a left atrium) and a single ventricle. Deoxygenated blood from the body tissues enters the right atrium, while oxygenated blood from the lungs and skin enters the left atrium. Both atria then empty into the shared ventricle, which pumps blood throughout the circulatory system.

Explanation

The Tapti (Tapi) river originates in the Satpura Range near Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. It is a major west-flowing peninsular river that runs through a rift valley bounded by the Satpura Range to the north and the Ajanta Hills to the south, ultimately draining into the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea.

Explanation

Gravitational force is the weakest fundamental force in nature. Its relative magnitude is extremely small compared to electromagnetic and nuclear forces — for instance, the gravitational attraction between two subatomic particles is approximately 10³⁶ to 10³⁸ times weaker than the electrostatic force between them.

Explanation

Force is a physical quantity that possesses both magnitude and a specific direction, and it obeys the rules of vector addition. Because scalar quantities are completely specified by magnitude alone without any directional component, force is classified as a vector quantity.

Explanation

Pushkar in Rajasthan hosts the famous annual Pushkar Camel Fair (Pushkar Mela), held during the Hindu month of Kartik (October–November). It is recognized as one of the world's largest camel and livestock trading fairs, bringing together tens of thousands of camels, horses, and cattle. Beyond livestock trading, the event features vibrant cultural performances, traditional sports, and religious pilgrimages to the holy Pushkar Lake and the rare Brahma Temple.

Explanation

Mahayana Buddhism, which emerged around the 1st century CE and received strong royal patronage under Kushana rulers like Kanishka, elevated the Buddha to a supreme divine figure. Rather than representing him solely through abstract symbols such as footprints, an empty throne, or the wheel of law, Mahayana tradition popularized the creation and ritual worship of human-form images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. This devotional practice stimulated the flourishment of famous schools of art, such as the Gandhara and Mathura schools, where sculpted figures of the Buddha were made for temple veneration.

Explanation

Green Book won the Best Picture award at the 91st Academy Awards, held on February 24, 2019. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the biographical comedy-drama follows a tour through the 1960s Deep South by African-American classical pianist Don Shirley and his Italian-American driver Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga. In addition to Best Picture, the film secured Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali.

Explanation

Entry 5 of List III (Concurrent List) in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India specifies marriage and divorce, along with related family matters such as adoption, infants and minors, wills, intestacy, and succession. Because this subject is placed in the Concurrent List, both the Parliament of India and the individual State Legislatures have the power to make laws regulating marriage.

Explanation

The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is defined as one Astronomical Unit (1 AU), which measures approximately 149.6 million kilometers (about 93 million miles). Due to Earth's slightly elliptical orbit, this distance varies from about 147.1 million km at perihelion (closest approach in January) to about 152.1 million km at aphelion (farthest distance in July), giving an overall average of approximately 150 million km.

Explanation

Bauxite is a sedimentary rock and the primary commercial ore of aluminium. It is composed mainly of hydrated aluminium oxide minerals, including gibbsite, boehmite, and diaspore. Bauxite is refined through the Bayer process to extract alumina (aluminium oxide), which is then electrolytically reduced via the Hall-Héroult process to produce pure aluminium metal.

Explanation

In February 2021, Rashmi Samant became the first Indian woman to be elected as the President of the Oxford University Student Union. An alumna of the Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka, she was pursuing her MSc in Energy Systems at Linacre College, Oxford, when she achieved this milestone.

Explanation

Mahatma Gandhi launched the Individual Satyagraha movement in October 1940 to affirm the right to free speech against British India's involvement in World War II without Indian consent. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was chosen as the first individual satyagrahi and began his satyagraha on 17 October 1940, while Jawaharlal Nehru was selected as the second individual satyagrahi and began his satyagraha on 21 October 1940.

Explanation

Stephen Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist, authored 'A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes', which was published in 1988. The popular-science book explains complex cosmological concepts, including the origin of the universe, black holes, space, time, and general relativity, in accessible language for general readers.

Explanation

The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336 CE by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. The year 1336 CE falls within the 14th century (1301–1400 CE).

Explanation

In the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) along with Cornell University and INSEAD, India secured the 48th rank among 131 economies. Moving up four positions from 52nd place in 2019, India entered the top 50 group of most innovative nations for the first time. Additionally, India retained the 1st position among countries in Central and Southern Asia.

Explanation

The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 was enacted by the Parliament of India on 2 June 2010 to establish a specialized judicial body dedicated to environmental protection and the conservation of forests and other natural resources. Under this legislation, the National Green Tribunal was formally established on 18 October 2010 for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and enforcement of legal rights relating to the environment.

Explanation

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar represented the Depressed Classes at all three Round Table Conferences held in London in 1930, 1931, and 1932. Along with Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, he was among the prominent Indian leaders who attended all three sessions to demand constitutional safeguards, civil rights, and political representation for the marginalized communities in India.

Explanation

Kathakali originates from Kerala and is derived from two words: 'Katha', meaning story, and 'Kali', meaning play or performance. Thus, the name Kathakali literally translates to 'Story-Play'. It is a major South Indian classical dance-drama renowned for its elaborate face makeup, vibrant costumes, intricate hand gestures (mudras), and expressive facial movements used to enact traditional stories from Indian epics.

Explanation

Buffer stock in India refers to the reserve of essential food grains, primarily wheat and rice, procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). This stock is maintained to ensure national food security, meet emergency requirements during droughts, floods, or crop failures, and prevent price volatility by releasing grains into the market or distributing them through the Public Distribution System (PDS) at subsidized prices.

Explanation

Under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), launched in December 2000 by the Government of India, foodgrains are provided at highly subsidized rates to the poorest of the poor families. Under this scheme, beneficiaries receive rice at ₹3 per kg, wheat at ₹2 per kg, and coarse grains at ₹1 per kg.

Explanation

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. It is a semiconductor p-n junction diode that emits light through electroluminescence when an electric current passes through it in the forward direction. Recombination of electrons and electron holes inside the semiconductor material releases energy in the form of photons.

Explanation

Harappa, one of the major urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilisation, was located on the left bank of the Ravi River in the Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan. First excavated by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921 under the direction of Sir John Marshall, the site benefited from the river's fertile alluvial plains, steady water supply, and riverine trade routes that sustained its flourishing agricultural and commercial economy.

Explanation

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its strategic vision document titled "Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019-2021" in May 2019. Centered on the theme "Empowering Exceptional (E)payment Experience", the document set a roadmap to build a highly digital and cash-lite society. It focused on four primary goalposts—Competition, Cost-effectiveness, Convenience, and Confidence (4Cs)—aiming to scale digital payment acceptance infrastructure and enhance customer experience across India.

Explanation

On 10 February 2021, the Indian Navy and IIT Delhi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further cooperate on research in the underwater domain of Naval Electronic Systems. The partnership between the Indian Navy and IIT Delhi dates back to the 1970s, with key technologies in underwater electronics being developed by the Centre for Applied Research in Electronics (CARE) at IIT Delhi.

Explanation

A printer is an output device that receives digital data from a computer and translates it into a physical hard copy, such as text or images on paper. It processes electronic signals generated by the system and presents the final output in a human-readable form.

Explanation

During the late 18th century, the East India Company consolidated its political and commercial control over India by establishing Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai), and Calcutta (Kolkata) as Presidency towns. These three port cities developed as major hubs of British administrative, military, and economic power, replacing older Indian political centers and dominating maritime trade in the subcontinent.