RRB NTPC CBT 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Article 108 of the Constitution of India provides for a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) to resolve a deadlock over the passage of an ordinary or financial bill. If a bill passed by one House is rejected by the other, or the Houses disagree on amendments, or more than six months elapse without the bill being passed, the President may summon a joint sitting, which is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Explanation

The Constituent Assembly of India officially adopted and enacted the Constitution on 26th November 1949, a historic event commemorated in the Preamble itself. This date is celebrated annually across the nation as Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas to honor the founding fathers and the principles laid down in the founding document.

Explanation

In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean aiming to reach the East Indies by a western sea route to establish direct trade in spices and other valuable goods. Instead of reaching Asia, his fleet landed on the Caribbean islands in the Americas. Believing he had successfully reached the islands of East Asia near India, he referred to the native inhabitants of these lands as "Indians".

Explanation

In Microsoft Excel, pressing the F2 function key directly toggles the active cell into edit mode. This places the insertion point at the end of the cell's contents, allowing users to modify or add text, formulas, and data directly within the cell or in the formula bar.

Explanation

BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya under the joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the combination of the names of two rivers: the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia. It operates on a ramjet engine principle and can be launched from land, sea, submarine, and air platforms.

Explanation

In biological taxonomy, organisms are classified within a hierarchical system of ranks arranged from broadest to most specific: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Genus is the taxonomic rank situated directly below Family and immediately above Species. It comprises a group of structurally similar and closely related species that share a common evolutionary ancestry.

Explanation

In a parliamentary system of government, the executive branch (comprising the Prime Minister and the Cabinet) is drawn from the legislature and remains in office only as long as it enjoys the confidence and support of the majority in parliament. If the executive loses the confidence of the majority in the parliament, it must resign or dissolve the house, making its existence directly dependent on parliamentary majority support.

Explanation

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the 2019 Human Development Report under the theme "Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century". The report analyzed a new generation of inequalities affecting human progress beyond standard monetary metrics, focusing on disparities in access to tertiary education, technological capabilities, and climate resilience.

Explanation

Originally in 1950, Part III of the Constitution of India enshrined seven fundamental rights: Right to Equality (Articles 14–18), Right to Freedom (Articles 19–22), Right against Exploitation (Articles 23–24), Right to Freedom of Religion (Articles 25–28), Cultural and Educational Rights (Articles 29–30), Right to Property (Article 31), and Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32). The Right to Property was later removed from the list of Fundamental Rights by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1978 and made a legal right under Article 300A.

Explanation

The British achieved political power in India following the Battle of Plassey fought on 23 June 1757. The British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. This victory gave the Company political dominance over Bengal, transforming them from a trading body into a political power and laying the foundation of British rule in India.

Explanation

Albert Einstein made this statement acknowledging India's fundamental contribution to mathematics and science. The invention of the decimal system and the concept of zero by ancient Indian mathematicians provided the essential numerical framework without which complex calculations and modern scientific discoveries would not have been possible.

Explanation

Human development as conceptualized by Dr. Mahbub ul Haq and adopted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) rests on four fundamental pillars: equity, sustainability, productivity, and empowerment. Justice is not recognized as one of these four core pillars.

Explanation

Gustatory receptors are specialized sensory cells located primarily within taste buds on the tongue, soft palate, and epiglottis. They bind to dissolved chemical substances in food and beverages, sending nerve impulses to the brain to register sensory information associated with taste perception, including sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami flavors.

Explanation

Harendra Coomar Mookerjee (H.C. Mookherjee) was unanimously elected as the Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly of India in December 1946, alongside Dr. Rajendra Prasad who was elected as the President. A distinguished Bengali Christian leader, educationist, and statesman, Mookherjee chaired the Minorities Sub-Committee and contributed significantly to the drafting of key constitutional safeguards regarding secularism and minority rights.

Explanation

Indian Standard Time (IST) is calculated based on the standard meridian of 82.5° E longitude passing through Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. Since the Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours, each 1° of longitude represents a time difference of 4 minutes.

Time difference = 82.5° × 4 minutes = 330 minutes = 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Because India lies to the east of the Prime Meridian (0° Greenwich), Indian Standard Time is ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) by 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Explanation

In June 2019, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy appointed five Deputy Chief Ministers in Andhra Pradesh. The five appointees were chosen to represent five different social groups: Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC), Minorities, and the Kapu community, making Andhra Pradesh the first Indian state to have five Deputy Chief Ministers simultaneously.

Explanation

Bajirao was the last captive white tiger at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivali, Mumbai. He died in May 2019 at the age of 18 due to old-age-related health complications, including severe chronic ankylosis and arthritis. Born at the national park in 2001 to parents Sidharth and Renuka, Bajirao lived his entire life at SGNP and was the last surviving white tiger residing in Mumbai.

Explanation

The Konark Sun Temple is located in the Puri district of Odisha. Built in the 13th century CE by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, this monument is dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya. Designed in the form of a gigantic chariot with 24 carved stone wheels pulled by seven horses, it represents the Kalinga style of temple architecture and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Explanation

Ashoka, the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty, was the first ruler in Indian history to issue royal decrees inscribed directly on natural stone surfaces, rock faces, and polished sandstone pillars. He used these edicts, primarily composed in Prakrit and written in the Brahmi script, to convey his administrative guidelines, moral principles of Dhamma, and welfare measures directly to his subjects and royal officials across the subcontinent.

Explanation

The Human Rights Council is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly, established in 2006 to replace the former UN Commission on Human Rights. It is not one of the six principal organs of the United Nations created directly under the UN Charter of 1945.

Explanation

SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging) uses ultrasonic sound waves to measure underwater distances, objects, and seabed topography. A transmitter on a ship emits acoustic pulses into the water, which travel to the ocean floor and reflect back as echoes. By recording the time interval t between emission and reception, and using the speed of sound in seawater v, the depth d of the sea is calculated using the echo formula d = (v × t) / 2.

Explanation

Pepsin is a major protein-digesting (proteolytic) enzyme secreted by the chief cells present in the gastric glands of the stomach lining. It is initially released in an inactive zymogen form called pepsinogen, which is converted into active pepsin upon exposure to hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the gastric juice. Pepsin breaks down complex protein structures into smaller polypeptides, peptones, and proteoses for further digestion.

Explanation

The Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme was launched on 30 April 2018 at the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal, Haryana. Introduced under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) as part of the ODF-Plus strategy, the scheme focuses on converting cattle dung, agricultural residue, and organic waste into biogas, bio-CNG, and organic manure to promote rural cleanliness and generate additional income for farmers.

Explanation

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its third session on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, France. Drafted as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations, the document consists of 30 articles outlining fundamental human rights to be universally protected. To commemorate this milestone event, 10 December is observed globally every year as Human Rights Day.

Explanation

Presbyopia is an age-related defect of vision in which the power of accommodation of the eye gradually decreases. As a person grows older, the ciliary muscles holding the eye lens weaken and the crystalline lens loses its flexibility and elasticity. Consequently, the eye cannot easily adjust its focal length to focus clearly on nearby objects, making reading and close-up work difficult without corrective lenses.

Explanation

Digital data storage units follow a hierarchical structure where each standard higher unit is equal to 1024 (or 2¹⁰) times the preceding unit. In increasing order of capacity, 1 Megabyte equals 1024 Kilobytes, 1 Gigabyte equals 1024 Megabytes, 1 Terabyte equals 1024 Gigabytes, and 1 Petabyte equals 1024 Terabytes (or approximately 1 quadrillion bytes). Thus, Petabyte represents the largest storage capacity among the specified units.

Explanation

The Karla Caves are an ancient complex of rock-cut Buddhist cave shrines located in Karli, near Lonavala in the Pune district of Maharashtra. Developed between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE, primarily under the patronage of the Satavahana dynasty, the complex houses the largest and best-preserved Buddhist chaityagriha (prayer hall) in India. It is famous for its intricate rock carvings, grand stone pillars topped with sculpted figures, and a remarkably preserved wooden arched roof structure.

Explanation

NHPC Limited (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) was incorporated in 1975 to plan, promote, and organize an integrated and efficient development of hydroelectric power in India. As of October 2020, NHPC held Miniratna Category-I status under the Ministry of Power, as it did not satisfy the criteria of holding Navratna status along with the required average annual turnover, net worth, and net profit thresholds mandated for Maharatna classification.

Explanation

The Rowlatt Act, officially known as the Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, empowered the British colonial government to arrest and detain individuals suspected of revolutionary activities without trial for up to two years. It allowed preventive detention and summary trial by a panel of judges without a jury or right of appeal.

Explanation

Each letter of the original word is coded as a pair of letters comprising its immediate preceding letter and immediate succeeding letter in alphabetical order.

For WET: W → V and X E → D and F T → S and U Result = VXDFSU

Applying this pattern to NIB: N → M and O I → H and J B → A and C Result = MOHJAC

Explanation

DAMINI is not a nuclear research reactor. It is a mobile application indigenously developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, operating under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, designed to monitor atmospheric conditions and provide real-time alerts and early warnings for lightning strikes.

Explanation

Dominic Thiem won his first Grand Slam singles title at the 2020 US Open by defeating Alexander Zverev in a historic five-set final with a score of 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(8–6). This victory marked the first time in the Open Era that a player rallied from two sets down in the US Open Men's Singles final to win the title.

Explanation

Jute is known as the 'Golden Fibre' due to its natural golden color, silky texture, and high commercial value. It is a biodegradable and eco-friendly natural plant fibre extracted from the stem of jute plants, cultivated extensively in fertile alluvial soils under warm, humid climatic conditions with heavy rainfall.

Explanation

Aphelion is the point in Earth's elliptical orbit where it is farthest from the Sun, reaching a distance of approximately 152.1 million kilometers. This event occurs annually, typically between July 3 and July 5, which falls in early July. At aphelion, Earth receives about 6.7% less solar radiation than at perihelion and travels at its minimum orbital speed.

Explanation

The medulla oblongata, situated in the hindbrain, serves as the primary control center for vital autonomic and involuntary body functions. It contains specialized reflex centers that automatically regulate cardiorespiratory actions, blood pressure through blood vessel constriction and dilation, as well as visceral reflexes such as salivation, vomiting, swallowing, coughing, and sneezing.

Explanation

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of the country and serves as the sole regulatory authority for money supply and credit in India. Established under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the RBI formulates and implements monetary policy using various quantitative and qualitative tools, such as the Repo Rate, Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), and Open Market Operations (OMOs), to manage liquidity and maintain economic stability.

Explanation

The energy sector is the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions, contributing over 70% of total emissions worldwide. This sector encompasses electricity and heat generation, industrial energy consumption, transportation, fuel production, and energy use in buildings. The widespread combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas across these activities releases massive volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Explanation

Article 112 of the Constitution of India requires the President to lay before both Houses of Parliament an Annual Financial Statement for every financial year. Popularly known as the Union Budget, this statement details the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government of India for that specific year.

Explanation

The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) was established in 1971 at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, as a premier research and development establishment under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. It was set up primarily to conduct research and development in sodium-cooled Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) technology and associated closed fuel cycle technologies.

Explanation

The Big Bang Theory is the prevailing cosmological model explaining the origin and evolution of the universe. It posits that approximately 13.8 billion years ago, all matter, energy, space, and time were concentrated in an infinitely dense and hot point known as a singularity, which expanded rapidly and continues to expand today.

Explanation

Debugging is the process of detecting, locating, and fixing errors or bugs within computer software or hardware systems. The term traces back to early computing, when physical insects like moths would get trapped in machinery and disrupt electrical circuits, requiring physical removal. In modern programming, debugging involves identifying syntax, logic, or runtime faults in code and correcting them so that the program runs accurately according to its design.

Explanation

The British Cabinet Mission arrived in New Delhi on March 24, 1946. Comprising three Cabinet members—Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander—the delegation was sent by the British Government to negotiate with Indian political leaders regarding the transfer of power, evaluate the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan, and propose a constitutional scheme for an independent India.

Explanation

Tarabai Shinde wrote 'Stri Purush Tulana' (A Comparison Between Women and Men), published in 1882 in Marathi. It is considered one of India's earliest modern feminist texts. In this work, she sharply criticized patriarchal structures, religious orthodoxy, and the double standards of contemporary Indian society regarding the treatment of women and men.

Explanation

COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) was developed in 1959 by CODASYL (Conference on Data Systems Languages) specifically for business, finance, and administrative applications. It is designed to handle large-scale data processing, record-oriented file manipulation, and precise numeric calculations required in corporate and governmental transactional systems.

Explanation

Indian Railways is the single largest employer in India's organised sector, maintaining a regular workforce of over 1.2 million employees. Operating under the Ministry of Railways, it runs the fourth-largest railway network in the world, requiring extensive human resources across operations, maintenance, safety, administration, and manufacturing.

Explanation

Rajeshwar Acharya, a renowned Hindustani classical vocalist from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, was conferred the Padma Shri award in 2019 for his outstanding contribution to the field of art (vocal music), whereas the Padma Bhushan is India's third-highest civilian honour.

Explanation

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme was announced during the 2019-20 Interim Union Budget of India on February 1, 2019. Under this central sector scheme, eligible landholding farmer families receive income support of ₹6,000 per year, transferred directly into their bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in three equal instalments of ₹2,000 every four months. Although announced in February 2019, the scheme was made effective retroactively from December 1, 2018.

Explanation

Mahatma Gandhi gave the iconic slogan 'Do or Die' (Karo ya Maro) during his historic speech at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on 8 August 1942, marking the launch of the Quit India Movement. Through this call, he urged every Indian to strive passionately for the nation's independence or perish in the effort, demanding an immediate and total withdrawal of British rule from India.

Explanation

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is a central public sector undertaking owned by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. Established in 1964, BHEL is one of India's largest engineering and manufacturing enterprises, engaged in the design, engineering, construction, and servicing of products in power, transmission, industry, transportation, and renewable energy sectors.

Explanation

Suneet Sharma took charge as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board and ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Government of India on January 1, 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as the General Manager of Eastern Railway.