RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Uranium, particularly its isotope Uranium-235, is the primary fuel used in nuclear power reactors. When a neutron strikes a Uranium-235 nucleus, it undergoes nuclear fission, splitting into lighter elements and releasing a massive amount of heat energy along with additional neutrons. This heat is utilized to produce steam that drives turbines to generate electricity.

Explanation

Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a prominent monument located on a small rock island off Vavathurai in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. Built in 1970 in honor of Swami Vivekananda, the memorial stands at the southernmost tip of mainland India, marking the site where Vivekananda meditated for three days in December 1892 before attending the Chicago Parliament of Religions.

Explanation

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, located in the Bishnupur district of Manipur. It is famous for phumdis, which are floating heterogeneous masses of vegetation, soil, and organic matter. Keibul Lamjao National Park, the world's only floating national park and the natural habitat of the endangered Sangai deer, is situated on the southern part of this lake.

Explanation

SAGA-220 (Supercomputer for Aerospace with GPU Architecture - 220 Teraflops) was built by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major facility of ISRO, in May 2011. It was designed to process complex fluid dynamics and aerospace problems associated with the design of space launch vehicles. At the time of its unveiling, it had a theoretical peak performance of 220 Teraflops, making it one of the fastest supercomputing facilities in India.

Explanation

Chloroplasts are specialized double-membrane organelles found in plant cells and green algae that contain the green pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll absorbs solar light energy, primarily from the blue and red regions of the spectrum, and converts it into chemical energy stored in ATP and NADPH molecules during the light-dependent reactions. This chemical energy is then utilized in the stroma to drive the Calvin cycle, synthesizing glucose from carbon dioxide and water.

Explanation

Bithoor, located near Kanpur on the banks of the Ganges, was the headquarters of Nana Saheb during the Revolt of 1857. After the death of his adoptive father, Peshwa Baji Rao II, who had been exiled to Bithoor by the British, Nana Saheb resided at the Bithoor palace. During the uprising, this palace served as the administrative and military center from which Nana Saheb led the resistance against British forces in the Kanpur region.

Explanation

The Sushruta Samhita is an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery, attributed to the sage Sushruta. It is one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda, particularly renowned for its detailed descriptions of surgical procedures, surgical instruments, anatomical studies, and complex reconstructive techniques such as rhinoplasty.

Explanation

Gaur dance is a popular folk dance of the Maria tribe residing in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Performed during festive occasions and weddings, the dance gets its name from Gaur (bison), as male dancers wear distinctive headgears made of bison horns and cowrie shells while dancing to the beat of traditional drums.

Explanation

The 'Make in India' campaign was launched in September 2014 to transform India into a global manufacturing hub. Its official logo depicts a silhouette of a lion made entirely of cogs and gears. The lion, derived from the Ashoka Pillar, represents courage, strength, and national pride, while the cogs symbolize manufacturing prowess, industrial growth, and technological progress.

Explanation

Holi, known as the festival of colours, is a traditional Hindu spring festival celebrated across India. The central ritual of the celebration involves people gathering in public spaces and homes to smear each other with dry coloured powders, known as gulal, and splash water mixed with vibrant colours using water guns or balloons, symbolizing joy, unity, and the arrival of spring.

Explanation

Hockey India League (HIL) is a professional franchise-based field hockey league in India, organized by Hockey India, the national governing body for the sport. Sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the league was established in 2013 to revive hockey's popularity in India by bringing together elite domestic and international players.

Explanation

Malgudi Days is a celebrated collection of short stories written by R. K. Narayan, first published in 1943. Set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi, the stories vividly capture the nuances, humors, and everyday life of middle-class Indian society. It stands as one of Narayan's most iconic literary achievements and served as the basis for the classic television series adaptation.

Explanation

India officially gained independence from British rule at the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947. To mark this historic occasion, Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his landmark "Tryst with Destiny" speech to the Constituent Assembly in New Delhi as midnight struck, ushering in India's status as an independent nation.

Explanation

Ballistics is the branch of mechanics concerned with the motion, flight behavior, and effects of projectiles such as bullets, artillery shells, bombs, and rockets. It encompasses internal ballistics (acceleration within the launching system), external ballistics (behavior during flight), and terminal ballistics (impact effects). The field focuses on designing projectiles and their propulsion systems to achieve specific trajectories and performance targets.

Explanation

WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network. It is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using high-frequency radio waves or infrared signals within a limited geographical area, such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building. This allows users to move around within the local coverage area while maintaining a continuous connection to the network.

Explanation

A bicameral legislature is a system of government in which the lawmaking body is divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses. The term originates from the Latin prefix "bi-" meaning two and "camera" meaning chamber. Examples include India's Parliament, which consists of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, and the United States Congress, which comprises the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Explanation

Methane (CH₄) is the primary component of natural gas, typically making up about 70% to 90% of its volume. Formed through the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter over millions of years, it is the simplest hydrocarbon and the most abundant combustible natural gas found on Earth.

Explanation

Wular Lake, located in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, is the largest freshwater lake in India. Formed as a result of tectonic activity, the lake is primarily fed by the Jhelum River. Its surface area varies seasonally from around 30 to 260 square kilometers, and it plays a vital role in regional flood management as a designated Ramsar site of international importance.

Explanation

Pushkar Mela, also known as the Pushkar Camel Fair, is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural festival held in Pushkar, Rajasthan. It is internationally renowned as one of the world's largest camel trading events, where livestock traders buy and sell thousands of camels, horses, and cattle. The fair takes place during the auspicious Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October–November), culminating on Kartik Purnima, and features camel beauty contests, races, folk dance performances, and religious rituals on the banks of Pushkar Lake.

Explanation

Velocity is defined in physics as the vector quantity that measures the rate of change of an object's position with respect to a frame of reference as a function of time. Mathematically, it is expressed as the time derivative of position, v = ds/dt, where s represents the position vector and t represents time.

Explanation

Vivipara refers to viviparous organisms—primarily animals and vertebrates—in which embryonic development takes place inside the body of the mother, resulting in the birth of live offspring rather than egg-laying. The developing embryo receives nutrients directly from the parent during gestation, typically through a placenta or similar structure, until it is born alive.

Explanation

A limerick is a distinct poetic form consisting of a single five-line stanza. It traditionally features a strict AABBA rhyme scheme, where lines 1, 2, and 5 are longer and rhyme with each other, while lines 3 and 4 are shorter and share a separate rhyme. Limericks are lighthearted, humorous, or nonsensical in nature and rely on a distinct bouncy rhythm known as anapestic meter.

Explanation

Annual refers to an event occurring once every year (one year). Similarly, quinquennial is derived from the Latin roots quinque (meaning five) and annus (meaning year), referring to an event occurring once every five years or lasting for a duration of five years.

Explanation

Andromeda (also designated as Messier 31 or M31) is a major barred spiral galaxy located approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth. It is the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way and the largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, which also includes the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and several dozen smaller dwarf galaxies.

Explanation

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, frequently emphasizes that an enemy provides a unique opportunity to practice patience, compassion, and inner strength that friends cannot test. Drawing from Buddhist philosophical teachings on mind training and tolerance, particularly from Shantideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra, he highlights that true spiritual growth and emotional resilience develop when responding constructively to adversity and hostility.

Explanation

Shigmo, also known as Shigmotsav, is a grand spring festival celebrated in the Indian state of Goa. It is celebrated by the Hindu community over a fortnight during the Hindu lunar month of Phalguna (March) to welcome the arrival of spring and commemorate the homecoming of local warriors who fought invaders. The festival is characterized by vibrant street parades, traditional folk dances like Ghode Modni and Fugdi, music, and elaborate tableaux depicting scenes from Indian mythology.

Explanation

Apple used big cats and California landmarks as official release names for major versions of its Mac OS X (later OS X) desktop operating system. Starting with version 10.0 (Cheetah) in 2001, Apple released versions named Puma (10.1), Jaguar (10.2), Panther (10.3), Tiger (10.4), Leopard (10.5), Snow Leopard (10.6), Lion (10.7), and Mountain Lion (10.8). Beginning with version 10.9 in 2013, Apple shifted its naming scheme to California locations, introducing Mavericks (10.9) and Yosemite (10.10).

Explanation

Ahmed Adeeb served as the Vice President of the Maldives under President Abdulla Yameen. In August 2019, after attempting to flee the Maldives illegally on a tugboat to India, he was apprehended by Indian authorities, returned to the Maldives, and immediately placed in the Dhoonidhoo Detention Centre to face trials related to state corruption and money laundering.

Explanation

LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory designed to detect cosmic gravitational waves. It made the first-ever direct observation of gravitational waves, which were generated by the merger of two black holes, confirming a major prediction of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity and opening a new era in astronomy.

Explanation

Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510 after defeating the forces of the Sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah. Since the year 1510 falls within the timeline of 1501 to 1600, Portuguese merchants and forces first landed and established their presence in Goa during the 16th century.

Explanation

On 12 October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf, who was the Chief of Army Staff, ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless military coup. The coup occurred after Sharif attempted to dismiss Musharraf from his post while he was returning from Sri Lanka on a commercial airliner, prompting senior military commanders to seize control of government facilities and place Sharif under arrest.

Explanation

Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C₆H₆. It consists of a ring of six carbon atoms with alternating single and double bonds, where each carbon atom is covalently bonded to a single hydrogen atom.

Explanation

Oneirology is the scientific study of dreams. It focuses on quantitative research into dreaming, examining the relationship between dream content and brain function, neurological mechanisms during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and how memories are processed during the dreaming state.

Explanation

The first modern Summer Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was founded by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, the Panathenaic Stadium served as the main venue for the events. Greece was chosen as the host nation for the inaugural modern edition to honor the origin of the ancient Olympic Games.

Explanation

Carl Sagan (1934–1996) was a renowned American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, and science communicator. He pioneered research in exobiology, contributed significantly to NASA's robotic planetary missions—including the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft—and researched planetary atmospheres, such as the greenhouse effect on Venus. He is widely remembered for popularizing astronomy and planetary science through his television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage and its accompanying book.

Explanation

The Binary Electronic Sequence Calculator, abbreviated as BESK from its Swedish name Binär Elektronisk SekvensKalkylator, was Sweden's first electronic computer. Completed in 1953 by the Swedish Board for Computing Machinery (Matematikmaskinnämnden), BESK used approximately 2,400 vacuum tubes instead of mechanical relays and operated with a 40-bit word length. Upon its completion, it was briefly considered the fastest electronic computer in the world, capable of performing approximately 16,000 additions per second.

Explanation

Amar Chitra Katha was launched in 1967 by Anant Pai, fondly known as Uncle Pai, through India Book House. Created to educate Indian youth about their rich cultural heritage, Indian mythology, historical figures, and folklore, it became one of India's largest and most famous comic book series.

Explanation

The provided text states that proteins should ideally make up 10 to 35 percent of daily calorie intake and mentions that excess intake can lead to weight gain. This indicates that proteins must be consumed in proper, balanced amounts for optimal bodily functions like energy, metabolism, and growth.

Explanation

In December 2020, the United States Department of the Treasury released its semiannual report on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States, officially designating Vietnam as a currency manipulator. The Treasury determined that Vietnam met all three statutory criteria established under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015: a significant bilateral trade surplus with the US exceeding 20 billion, a current account surplus exceeding 2% of GDP, and persistent, one-sided foreign exchange market intervention to devalue its currency for an unfair competitive advantage in international trade.

Explanation

A nebula is a giant interstellar cloud composed of dust, hydrogen, helium, and other ionized gases. These clouds often serve as star-forming regions where gravity pulls the gas and dust together, increasing density and temperature until nuclear fusion initiates to form new stars. Nebulae can also be created when dying stars shed their outer gas layers into the surrounding space.

Explanation

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra is a historic mosque located in Ajmer, Rajasthan. It was commissioned by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1192 CE on the orders of Muhammad Ghori and completed around 1199 CE. The structure was originally a Sanskrit college constructed by the Chahamana king Vigraharaja IV (Visaladeva) before being converted into one of the earliest surviving examples of Indo-Islamic architecture in India.

Explanation

Dzongkha is the sole national and official language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Belonging to the Tibeto-Burman language family, it is written in the traditional Tibetan Uchen script. The term "Dzongkha" literally translates to "the language of the dzong", referring to the distinctive fortress-monasteries that serve as the administrative and religious centers of Bhutan.

Explanation

Sikkim officially became the 22nd state of India on 16 May 1975 following the enactment of the 36th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1975. Prior to becoming a full-fledged state, Sikkim was an Indian protectorate ruled by the Chogyal monarchy, which was abolished after a referendum in April 1975 in which the people of Sikkim voted overwhelmingly to join the Indian Union.

Explanation

PNR stands for Passenger Name Record. It is a unique 10-digit code generated by computer reservation systems in the travel industry, such as Indian Railways (IRCTC) and airlines, to store complete itinerary details, booking status, and personal information of a passenger or a group of passengers traveling together.

Explanation

The Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, declared 16 August 1946 as Direct Action Day (Pratyaksh Karyawahi Diwas) to press for its demand for a separate Muslim nation, Pakistan, following the rejection of the Cabinet Mission Plan. The League called upon Muslims across India to suspend all business activities and observe a general strike, which subsequently led to severe communal violence, most notably the Great Calcutta Killings.

Explanation

+91 is the international subscriber dialing (ISD) code assigned to India by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Anyone making an international call to a telephone number in India must prefix the number with the country code +91.

Explanation

Solanum tuberosum is a perennial plant belonging to the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Native to the Andean region of South America, it is widely cultivated across the world for its starchy, edible root tubers, making it one of the most essential global staple food crops.

Explanation

Akrit Pran Jaswal gained national and international recognition as India's child surgeon when he successfully performed a surgical procedure in 2000 at the age of seven. He operated on an eight-year-old girl whose fingers had fused together from a severe burn injury, restoring the mobility of her hand.

Explanation

The United Nations (UN) is a global intergovernmental organization established on 24 October 1945 following the end of World War II. Its principal objectives are to maintain international peace and security, foster friendly relations among nations, and achieve international co-operation in solving economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems.

Explanation

In Indian philosophy, Dharma signifies righteousness, duty, cosmic order, and moral virtue. The prefix "a-" in Sanskrit acts as a negation, so Adharma represents the direct opposite of Dharma, denoting unrighteousness, chaos, immorality, and conduct that goes against spiritual and moral law.