RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Panch Mahal, a five-storey pavilion also known as the "Tower of Winds", is situated in Fatehpur Sikri near Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Built by Mughal Emperor Akbar, this architectural structure features a pyramidal design supported by 176 intricately carved pillars arranged in decreasing size from bottom to top, intended as a pleasure palace for royal court women.

Explanation

Karnaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five sacred river confluences) of the Alaknanda River, located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is the precise spot where the Pindar River, which originates from the Pindari Glacier in the Bageshwar district, meets and merges into the Alaknanda River.

Explanation

The Ural Mountains run roughly north to south through western Russia, extending from the coast of the Arctic Ocean down to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. They serve as the traditional and geographical land border separating the continents of Asia and Europe.

Explanation

NCSA Mosaic, developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1993 by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina, was one of the earliest web browsers. It played a pivotal role in popularizing the World Wide Web by integrating inline images directly with text on standard web pages and offering an intuitive graphical user interface across multiple operating systems.

Explanation

The Mechi River originates in the Mahabharat Range in Nepal and flows southward, forming a part of the international border between India and Nepal. It enters West Bengal, India, and joins the Mahananda River as a major left-bank tributary.

Explanation

Umesh Sinha, a 1986-batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was appointed as the Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet extended his tenure on a contract basis for six months, effective from January 2021. Prior to this role, he served as the Secretary-General of the Election Commission of India.

Explanation

Leeches belong to the phylum Annelida, specifically falling under the class Hirudinea. Phylum Annelida comprises segmented worms characterized by true metameric segmentation, bilateral symmetry, a coelomic body cavity, and a closed circulatory system. Leeches exhibit these definitive annelid features, including a ring-segmented body structure and nephridia for excretion.

Explanation

The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act was enacted in the year 2002. It introduced Article 21-A into Part III of the Constitution of India, making the right to free and compulsory education for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years a Fundamental Right. The same amendment also modified Article 45 under the Directive Principles of State Policy to focus on early childhood care and education, and added Clause (k) to Article 51A, creating a Fundamental Duty for parents or guardians to provide educational opportunities to their children.

Explanation

All elements belonging to the same group of the periodic table have identical outer electronic configurations and the same number of valence electrons. Since valency is determined by these outermost electrons, it remains unchanged for all elements as one moves down a group.

Explanation

António Guterres, who took office as the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations on 1 January 2017, hails from Portugal. Prior to his appointment at the UN, he served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and later as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 2005 to 2015.

Explanation

Jyotirao Govindrao Phule established the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth-seekers' Society) in Pune, Maharashtra, on 24 September 1873. The society was founded with the objective of liberating Shudras and Ati-Shudras from social oppression, caste-based discrimination, and religious exploitation led by the upper castes. It advocated for social equality, human rights, rationalism, and widespread education for women and lower-caste communities.

Explanation

The National Development Council (NDC), established in August 1952 by an executive resolution, is headed by the Prime Minister of India as its ex-officio Chairman. The council serves as an apex body for decision-making and deliberations on development matters in India, bringing together Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of all states, administrators of Union Territories, and members of NITI Aayog.

Explanation

Bromine (atomic number 35) is the only non-metallic element that exists in a liquid state at standard room temperature (around 25°C) and atmospheric pressure. It is a halogen that forms a reddish-brown, volatile liquid which readily evaporates to form a dark, pungent reddish gas.

Explanation

Doddabetta, standing at an elevation of 2,637 meters (8,652 feet), is the highest peak in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. Located in the Western Ghats near the popular hill station of Ooty (Udhagamandalam), its name literally translates to "Big Mountain" in the local Badaga language. It is surrounded by a reserved forest area and is the second-highest peak in South India.

Explanation

Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam. Bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers in the north and the Dibru river in the south, it comprises tropical moist semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, and vast grasslands. It is a key habitat for endangered species such as the white-winged wood duck, water buffalo, black-breasted parrotbill, and feral horses.

Explanation

Mohammad Azharuddin made his Test debut against England in December 1984 during the 1984–85 series. He scored a century in his debut match at Kolkata (110), followed by centuries in his next two Test matches at Cuttack (105) and Kanpur (122), becoming the first player in Test cricket history to score centuries in each of his first three Test matches.

Explanation

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was established on 7 May 1960 to secure India's borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the northern and north-eastern states. Since 2015, the BRO functions fully under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence to ensure seamless operational integration, efficient logistics management, and strategic road construction along India's international borders.

Explanation

Lightning generates high temperatures and energy that break the strong triple covalent bonds of atmospheric nitrogen molecules (N₂). The free nitrogen atoms rapidly combine with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). These gases dissolve in rainwater to form dilute nitric acid, which reaches the soil and reacts with minerals to form nitrates, completing atmospheric nitrogen fixation into a usable biological form.

Explanation

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1964 to 1982, spending 18 of his total 27 years in captivity on this island located off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. As a prominent leader of the anti-apartheid movement, he was incarcerated there in a tiny cell following the Rivonia Trial before being transferred to Pollsmoor Prison and later Victor Verster Prison.

Explanation

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used for the first time in India in May 1982 during the assembly elections in the Paravur constituency of Kerala. The Election Commission of India introduced them on an experimental basis across 50 polling stations in that constituency.

Explanation

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, belongs to the B-complex group of vitamins, which are water-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are transported throughout the body's tissues. Because excess amounts are readily excreted in urine rather than stored in large quantities in body tissue, they need to be consumed regularly through diet.

Explanation

In 1851, Governor General Lord Dalhousie described the kingdom of Awadh as "a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day." The British viewed Awadh as a strategically and economically valuable territory in northern India. After years of increasing political interference and allegations of misgovernance, Dalhousie officially annexed Awadh in 1856 on the grounds of maladministration, placing it directly under British administration.

Explanation

According to Article 66(1) of the Constitution of India, the Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). This electoral college includes both elected and nominated members of Parliament, voting by secret ballot through the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

Explanation

The High-Powered Committee on Stock Exchange Reforms, constituted under the chairmanship of M. J. Pherwani in 1991, recommended the establishment of a premier electronic stock exchange in India. Based on these recommendations, the National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) was incorporated in November 1992 and recognized as a stock exchange in April 1993 under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.

Explanation

On 22 June 1897, Damodar Hari Chapekar along with his brother Balkrishna Hari Chapekar assassinated W. C. Rand, the Special Plague Committee chairman in Poona, and Lieutenant Ayerst. Rand had employed oppressive tactics and invasive house search operations during the 1897 plague epidemic in Pune, causing severe outrage among the local populace. This act is considered one of the earliest revolutionary assassinations against British rule in India.

Explanation

The United Nations (UN) and its Secretary-General Kofi Annan were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world. The Norwegian Nobel Committee commended the UN for its role at the forefront of international efforts to achieve peace and security, as well as its mobilization in favor of human rights and global development.

Explanation

India is located in South Asia and is not a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian nations. India maintains strong ties with the bloc as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner since 1992 and a full Dialogue Partner since 1995, participating in ASEAN-led forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and East Asia Summit, but it is not a member state.

Explanation

Article 3 of the Indian Constitution authorizes the Parliament of India to form new states and alter the areas, boundaries, or names of existing states. Under this provision, Parliament may by law increase or diminish the area of any state, alter its boundaries, change its name, or create a new state by separating territory from an existing state or by uniting two or more states or parts thereof.

Explanation

Rourkela Steel Plant, located in the Sundergarh district of Odisha, was established during the Second Five Year Plan under an agreement signed in 1953 with a West German consortium comprising Krupp and Demag. It was the first integrated steel plant in India's public sector and introduced the LD-process (Linz-Donawitz) of steelmaking in Asia.

Explanation

When Mahatma Gandhi was arrested on May 4, 1930, during the Civil Disobedience Movement, he nominated Abbas Tyabji, a prominent nationalist and former Chief Justice of the Baroda High Court, to lead the non-violent raid on the Dharasana Salt Works in Gujarat. Abbas Tyabji took over the leadership and marched towards Dharasana before he was arrested on May 12, 1930.

Explanation

Samarth (Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector) is a flagship skill development scheme implemented by the Union Ministry of Textiles. It aims to provide demand-driven, placement-oriented National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) compliant skilling programmes to incentivize and supplement the efforts of the industry in creating jobs across the entire textile value chain.

Explanation

Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the 2021 FIAF Award by the International Federation of Film Archives for his dedication and contribution to the preservation of India's film heritage. He became the first Indian personality to receive this prestigious award, which was presented to him virtually by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan in March 2021.

Explanation

Karl Landsteiner discovered the main human ABO blood group system in 1900, demonstrating that blood transfusions between individuals with incompatible blood types cause agglutination, or clumping of red blood cells. His work revolutionized medicine by making blood transfusions safe and routine, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930. He later also co-discovered the Rhesus (Rh) factor in human blood in 1940.

Explanation

Unix, MS-DOS, and Linux are system software known as operating systems. An operating system acts as an interface between the computer hardware and the user, managing system resources such as memory, CPU scheduling, file storage, and peripheral devices while enabling application software to run. Unix was developed at AT | T Bell Labs in the late 1960s, MS-DOS was released by Microsoft in 1981, and Linux was created by Linus Torvalds in 1991 as an open-source Unix-like kernel.

Explanation

Lord Ripon, who served as the Viceroy of India from 1880 to 1884, is known as the Father of Local Self-Government in India. In 1882, he introduced a historic resolution on local self-government that aimed to decentralize administration and encourage political education among Indians. This led to the establishment of local bodies like rural boards and municipal councils equipped with elected non-official members to handle local matters.

Explanation

Alang, located in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat on the Gulf of Khambhat, is home to the world's largest ship breaking and recycling yard. Established in 1983, it benefits from ideal natural geographical conditions, including a high tidal range and sloping sandy beaches. These features allow heavy ocean-going vessels to be safely beached at high tide and dismantled during low tide, making it a globally dominant hub for ship recycling.

Explanation

Rayleigh scattering of light by air molecules and fine particles in the Earth's atmosphere causes shorter wavelengths, such as blue light, to scatter much more strongly than longer wavelengths like red. As sunlight travels through the atmosphere, this preferentially scattered blue light reaches our eyes from all directions, giving the sky its blue appearance.

Explanation

Line, Daisy Wheel, Laser, and Drum are all various categories of computer printers classified based on their printing mechanisms and technology. Line and Drum printers print an entire line at a time using impact mechanisms, Daisy Wheel printers use a wheel containing pre-formed character elements to strike an inked ribbon, and Laser printers use electrostatic non-impact technology with a laser beam and toner to produce high-quality output.

Explanation

The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple among the Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Madhya Pradesh. Built around 1025–1050 CE by the Chandela king Vidyadhara, it represents the pinnacle of Nagara-style temple architecture, famous for its intricate relief sculptures and grand shikhara reflecting the peak of medieval Indian art. The Khajuraho monuments were collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

Explanation

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is a Public Sector Enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. Incorporated in 1987 under the Companies Act, 1956, it is headquartered at Anushaktinagar in Mumbai, Maharashtra. NPCIL is responsible for the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of nuclear power reactors across India.

Explanation

Panini was an ancient Indian Sanskrit grammarian who authored the Ashtadhyayi, a foundational treatise on Sanskrit grammar composed around the 4th to 5th century BCE. The text consists of eight chapters containing nearly 4,000 sutras that systematically define the phonetics, morphology, and syntax of Sanskrit through a concise, rule-based formal framework.

Explanation

Solar cars use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity to power an electric motor. Since this process relies entirely on clean, renewable solar energy, solar vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions during operation and do not emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide or methane into the atmosphere.

Explanation

On January 24, 2021, SpaceX set a new world record for the highest number of satellites deployed in a single rocket launch during its Transporter-1 rideshare mission. A Falcon 9 rocket carried 143 satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, surpassing the previous record of 104 satellites set by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in February 2017. The payload included 120 CubeSats, 11 microsatellites, 10 Starlink satellites, and two orbital transfer vehicles.

Explanation

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft that organizes data into a grid of rows and columns. It enables users to perform calculations, analyze data, create charts, and automate financial and statistical tasks using built-in functions and formulas.

Explanation

Lord Canning served as the Governor-General of India from 1856 to 1858, making him the head of the British administration during the Indian Rebellion (Sepoy Mutiny) of 1857. Following the suppression of the revolt, the British Parliament passed the Government of India Act 1858, which transferred power from the East India Company to the British Crown, making Lord Canning the first Viceroy of India.

Explanation

On 17 November 1966, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2152 (XXI), officially establishing the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as an autonomous organ within the UN system. UNIDO was created to assist developing nations in promoting and accelerating their industrialization efforts, and it officially began operating on 1 January 1967 with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Explanation

The Swadesh Darshan scheme, launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism, identified 15 thematic circuits for integrated tourism infrastructure development across India: Buddhist, Coastal, Desert, Eco, Heritage, Himalayan, Krishna, North-East, Ramayana, Rural, Spiritual, Sufi, Tirthankar, Tribal, and Wildlife circuits. Mountain Circuit is not recognized under the scheme, as mountainous regions are specifically covered under the Himalayan Circuit.

Explanation

The United Nations University (UNU) was established in 1973 by the UN General Assembly as the academic and research arm of the United Nations. Its global headquarters is located in Tokyo, Japan.

Explanation

The Nai Roshni scheme was launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2012–13 as a scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women. It aims to empower and instill confidence in women belonging to notified minority communities—including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains—by providing them with knowledge, tools, and techniques to interact effectively with government agencies, banks, and public institutions.

Explanation

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) is a government-backed accident insurance scheme launched in May 2015. It provides an accidental death cover of ₹2 Lakh, as well as ₹2 Lakh for total and permanent disability, to eligible savings account holders aged 18 to 70 years for an annual premium of ₹12.