RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Japan is not a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It serves as a non-permanent member when elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms, though it actively seeks a permanent seat as part of the G4 group alongside India, Brazil, and Germany.

Explanation

Kedarnath Temple, one of the twelve sacred Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and a major site of the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage, is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. It is situated in the Garhwal Himalayan range near the source of the Mandakini River at an altitude of approximately 3,583 meters above sea level.

Explanation

In 2020, one of the largest, deepest, and longest-lasting ozone holes on record developed over Antarctica, reaching a peak area of approximately 24.8 million square kilometers in late September. Driven by an unusually strong, stable, and cold polar vortex in the stratosphere, extremely low temperatures facilitated the formation of polar stratospheric clouds. These clouds accelerated the chemical destruction of ozone molecules by chlorine and bromine compounds derived from man-made ozone-depleting substances.

Explanation

In Microsoft Word 2016, pressing the shortcut key Ctrl+E aligns the selected text or paragraph to the center of the page between the left and right margins.

Explanation

Anodising is an electrochemical process that forms a thick, protective oxide layer on the surface of aluminium. During this process, the aluminium article is made the anode in an electrolytic cell containing a dilute acid solution, such as sulfuric acid. Passing an electric current causes oxygen gas to be released at the anode, where it reacts with aluminium to form a uniform, durable, and corrosion-resistant aluminium oxide coating.

Explanation

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) is a government-backed accidental insurance scheme launched in May 2015. It is available to individuals in the age group of 18 to 70 years who hold a savings bank account in participating banks. The scheme provides accidental death and disability cover, offering ₹2 lakh for accidental death or permanent total disability and ₹1 lakh for permanent partial disability.

Explanation

On 31 October 1929, Viceroy Lord Irwin issued a statement known as the Irwin Declaration, making a vague offer of dominion status for India in an unspecified future. He stated that it was implicit in the Declaration of 1917 that the natural outcome of India's constitutional progress was the attainment of Dominion Status. This declaration was aimed at calming the political tension in India and securing participation in the upcoming Round Table Conferences.

Explanation

The Mahananda River originates from the Mahaldiram Hills in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It flows through northern West Bengal, Bihar, and Bangladesh, serving as a major left-bank tributary of the Ganga river, which it joins in Bangladesh.

Explanation

The Airports Authority of India came into existence on 1 April 1995 through the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994. Formed by merging the National Airports Authority and the International Airports Authority of India, it functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation as a statutory body. It is entrusted with the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure both on the ground and in the airspace across the country, including communication, navigation, and surveillance systems for safe air traffic movement.

Explanation

NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) is the operational name for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services over India and a region extending up to 1500 km around the Indian mainland.

Explanation

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established on April 1, 1935, in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. It was set up on the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission (Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance) of 1926 to manage currency issuance and regulate credit in the country. Initially established as a private shareholders' bank with its central office in Kolkata, it permanently relocated its headquarters to Mumbai in 1937.

Explanation

The major Mughal emperors ruled in the following chronological sequence: Akbar ruled from 1556 to 1605, followed by his son Jahangir who reigned from 1605 to 1627. Jahangir was succeeded by Shah Jahan, who ruled from 1628 to 1658, and Shah Jahan was followed by Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1658 to 1707.

Explanation

Pokhran is a town and municipality located in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, India. It serves as the test site for India's nuclear weapons program, where the country conducted its first underground nuclear test, code-named Operation Smiling Buddha, in May 1974, followed by a series of five nuclear explosions in May 1998, code-named Operation Shakti.

Explanation

HITEC City stands for Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy City. Located in Hyderabad, Telangana, it is a major technology and financial business district spread across suburbs like Madhapur, Gachibowli, and Kondapur. The project was commissioned in 1998 under the initiative of the former Andhra Pradesh government to attract domestic and foreign technology firms and establish the city as a leading global IT hub.

Explanation

Bhagat Singh Koshyari served as the Governor of Maharashtra from September 2019 to February 2023. During this tenure, he was also given additional charge as the Governor of Goa from August 2020 to July 2021. Prior to his gubernatorial appointments, he served as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2001 to 2002 and represented Uttarakhand in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

Explanation

World Blood Donor Day is observed globally on 14 June every year to raise awareness about the critical need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts. This date commemorates the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, the Austrian biologist and physician who discovered the ABO blood group system, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930. The day was officially established by the World Health Organization in 2005.

Explanation

Douglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse in 1964 while working at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). The initial prototype was built using a wooden shell containing two perpendicular wheels that tracked movement across a surface. He received a patent for this device in 1970 under the official name "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System," fundamentally transforming human-computer interaction and graphical user interfaces.

Explanation

Brazil has been the world's largest producer and exporter of coffee for over 150 years, accounting for roughly one-third of total global coffee production. The vast tropical climate, rich soil, and favorable topography of regions like Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Espírito Santo provide optimal conditions for the large-scale cultivation of both Arabica and Robusta varieties.

Explanation

India is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, extending between latitudes 8°4′N and 37°6′N (with its southernmost territory at Indira Point at 6°45′N). The South Pole, situated at 90°S in the Antarctic region, lies at a latitudinal separation of nearly 97° to 127° from India—a distance of over 10,000 km—making it geographically the farthest latitude from India.

Explanation

The Pushkar Fair, also known as the Pushkar Mela, is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural festival held in the town of Pushkar, Rajasthan. It is widely recognized as the world's largest camel fair, where thousands of camels, horses, and cattle are traded alongside traditional music, dance, and cultural events around the Hindu month of Kartik (October–November).

Explanation

The Indian peacock was declared the national bird of India in 1963 due to its rich cultural heritage, widespread distribution across the Indian subcontinent, and striking appearance. Its binomial scientific name in biological classification is Pavo cristatus, belonging to the family Phasianidae.

Explanation

Article 1 of Part I of the Constitution of India defines the name and territory of the nation. Clause (1) of Article 1 explicitly states that "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." This provision establishes the official nomenclature of the nation while emphasizing the indestructible nature of the Indian federation, wherein states do not possess the right to secede from the Union.

Explanation

A-3: Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume. B-1: Bharatiya Janata Party was established in 1980 under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani. C-4: Bahujan Samaj Party was founded in 1984 by Kanshi Ram on Ambedkar Jayanti. D-2: Communist Party of India (Marxist) was formed in 1964 following a split in the original Communist Party of India.

Explanation

Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021. Prior to assuming the presidency, he served as the 47th Vice President of the United States from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama and represented Delaware in the United States Senate from 1973 to 2009.

Explanation

Lakshadweep is India's smallest Union Territory, covering a total geographical area of only 32 square kilometres. Located in the Arabian Sea, it is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands, of which 10 are inhabited. Its capital is Kavaratti, and the entire territory is administered as a single district.

Explanation

Silent Valley National Park is located in the Palakkad district of Kerala, nestled within the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats. It protects one of the last remaining undisturbed tracts of tropical evergreen rainforest in South India, renowned for its rich biodiversity, including the endangered lion-tailed macaque, and the pristine Kunthi River that flows through it.

Explanation

The modern industrial cotton textile industry in India began in 1818 with the establishment of the first cotton textile mill at Fort Gloster near Calcutta. Although this initial venture was not commercially successful and closed down later, it marked the beginning of modern machine-based textile production in the country.

Explanation

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is secreted by parietal cells in the gastric glands of the stomach lining. It plays a crucial role in digestion by creating an acidic environment with a pH of around 1.5 to 3.5, which converts inactive pepsinogen into the active protein-digesting enzyme pepsin. It also aids in breaking down food particles and helps eliminate ingested bacteria and pathogens to protect the digestive tract.

Explanation

Project Elephant was launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in February 1992. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at protecting wild elephants, their natural habitats, and migration corridors. The project provides financial and technical support to major elephant-bearing states to reduce human-elephant conflict, prevent poaching, and promote the welfare of captive elephants.

Explanation

Scolopendra is a genus of centipedes belonging to the phylum Arthropoda and class Chilopoda. It is characterized by a segmented body, jointed appendages, paired legs on each body segment, and a chitinous exoskeleton, which are defining traits of arthropods rather than molluscs.

Explanation

In 1651, the English East India Company established its first factory in Bengal at Hugli, located on the banks of the Hugli River. Permission to trade and set up the factory was granted by Shah Shuja, the Subahdar of Bengal and son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in exchange for a fixed annual payment of ₹3,000 in lieu of custom duties.

Explanation

The Golden Quadrilateral superhighway connects the four major metropolitan cities of India—Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai—covering a total distance of 5,846 km. The Kolkata-Chennai section, running along the eastern coast primarily via National Highway 16, is the longest corridor of this highway network, spanning a distance of approximately 1,684 km.

Explanation

Dumhal is a traditional folk dance performed in the Kashmir region by male members of the Wattal tribe. Dancers wear long, colorful robes along with tall conical caps studded with beads and shells. The dance is performed on specific ceremonial occasions, where the dancers sing in chorus and move in a circle around a tall wooden pole planted firmly into the ground to the beat of large drums.

Explanation

Pulakeshin I founded the Chalukya dynasty of Badami (Vatapi) in the 6th century CE and established Vatapi as its capital. His grandson, Pulakeshin II, was the most renowned emperor of the Chalukya dynasty, famous for expanding the kingdom across the Deccan region and successfully halting the southward expansion of Emperor Harshavardhana at the battle near the Narmada River.

Explanation

Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow, and Stuart Broad are prominent international cricketers who represent the England national cricket team. Mark Wood is a fast bowler known for his high pace, Jonny Bairstow is a versatile wicketkeeper-batsman, and Stuart Broad is one of the highest wicket-takers in Test cricket history for England.

Explanation

Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, is situated in the Khasi Hills at an average altitude of approximately 1,525 meters above sea level. Located on the Meghalaya Plateau, the city lies near Shillong Peak, which is the highest point in the Khasi Hills and the entire state. The region experiences a subtropical highland climate owing to its elevation in this central hill range.

Explanation

As of January 2021, Oil India Limited held the status of a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise. It was elevated to Maharatna status later, in August 2023, becoming the 13th CPSE in India to receive this recognition.

Explanation

National Waterway 5 (NW-5) encompasses the Talcher–Dhamra stretch of the Brahmani River along with the East Coast Canal, Matai River, and the Mahanadi delta rivers, spanning across Odisha and West Bengal. This waterway plays a vital role in transporting minerals like coal and iron ore from the Talcher mining region to the ports of Dhamra and Paradeep.

Explanation

The Discovery of India was written by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, during his imprisonment at Ahmednagar Fort from 1942 to 1945 during the Quit India Movement. The book provides a comprehensive overview of Indian history, philosophy, and culture from the ancient era of the Indus Valley Civilization up to the late British colonial period.

Explanation

Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, British colonial authorities restricted the freedom of movement of plantation labourers in Assam. Workers were strictly prohibited from leaving the tea gardens without prior permission from estate owners, and such permission was rarely granted in practice, effectively keeping them captive to secure cheap labor.

Explanation

In September 1928, young revolutionaries led by Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Bhagwati Charan Vohra gathered at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi. They reorganized the existing Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) into the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA), formally adopting socialism as their primary objective to achieve complete independence and establish a socialist republic in India.

Explanation

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted by the Parliament of India in 1974 to prevent and control water pollution and maintain or restore the wholesomeness of water across the country. This legislation led to the establishment of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to monitor water quality standards and enforce environmental regulations.

Explanation

Microsoft Word uses the .docx file extension as its standard default format for saving documents. Introduced with Microsoft Office 2007, .docx is based on the Office Open XML standard, replacing the older proprietary binary format .doc used in earlier versions.

Explanation

Crocodiles are unique among reptiles in having a fully four-chambered heart, which consists of two distinct atria and two distinct ventricles. A complete interventricular septum completely separates the heart into right and left sides, preventing the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood during internal circulation, similar to the cardiac structure found in birds and mammals.

Explanation

The Jnanpith Award, established in 1961 and first awarded in 1965, is India's highest literary honor presented annually by Bharatiya Jnanpith. The award comprises a cash prize, a citation plaque, and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati in her form as Vagdevi. The design of this replica is modeled on the historical statue of Goddess Vagdevi located at the Saraswati temple in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, which was commissioned by King Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty.

Explanation

The 100th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2015 ratified the historic Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, which was originally signed in 1974 along with a protocol signed in 2011. This amendment facilitated the exchange of 111 Indian enclaves to Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves to India, as well as the demarcation of an un-demarcated boundary stretch. To give effect to this territorial adjustment, it amended the First Schedule of the Constitution of India regarding the lands in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Tripura.

Explanation

The USB flash drive, commonly referred to as a pen drive, was invented in 1998. IBM developed and introduced this portable solid-state mass storage technology in 1998, which replaced floppy disks as a high-capacity, rewritable, and convenient storage medium for computers.

Explanation

Article 243D of the Constitution of India, introduced through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, mandates that not less than one-third (33%) of the total number of seats in local body elections, including Panchayati Raj institutions, be reserved for women. This reservation applies to both direct election seats and the offices of chairpersons at all three tiers of the Panchayat system.

Explanation

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) was launched on 25th June 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (then Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation). It is a flagship mission of the Government of India aimed at providing all-weather pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries in urban areas.

Explanation

In the Union Budget 2021-2022 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2021, the total expenditure budget size of India was estimated at ₹34.83 lakh crore (₹34,83,236 crore). This included ₹5.54 lakh crore allocated toward capital expenditure and ₹29.29 lakh crore toward revenue expenditure.