RRB NTPC CBT 1 2026 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Akhaj is an important Mesolithic archaeological site situated in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. Located east of the Sabarmati River basin, it forms part of the prominent Langhnaj cultural cluster characterized by fossilized sand dune settlements. Excavations at Akhaj have yielded a rich assemblage of microliths, including small stone blades, scrapers, and geometric tools made from materials like chert, quartz, and chalcedony. These archaeological remains provide critical evidence of hunter-gatherer adaptation, tool technology, and faunal diversity during the Mesolithic period in western India.

Explanation

The Control Unit (CU) directs and coordinates all operations within the Central Processing Unit (CPU). It fetches instructions from memory, decodes them, and emits timing and control signals to manage the flow of data and instructions between the CPU, memory, and input/output devices.

Explanation

The Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar is a classic example of Kalinga architecture, a regional sub-style of North Indian Nagara temple architecture. A defining hallmark of the Nagara style is the curvilinear shikhara (known as rekha deula in Odisha), a tall tapering tower with a curving profile that rises above the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) and is crowned by an amalaka and kalasha.

Explanation

Penguin Random House India acquired the publishing rights in India for Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy's memoir titled 'Mother Mary Comes to Me', released in September 2025 under its Hamish Hamilton imprint. The memoir chronicles her life, early years in Kerala, and her complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, an influential educator and women's rights activist.

Explanation

The Border Security Force (BSF) launched Operation Alert along the 1,048 km India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan from 11 to 17 August 2025. This week-long security exercise was conducted to strengthen border management, intensify foot and vehicle patrolling, review Standard Operating Procedures, and deploy advanced surveillance technology to prevent cross-border infiltration and anti-national activities ahead of India's Independence Day celebrations.

Explanation

The Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) scheme is implemented through Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, receiving 100% grant-in-aid support from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. In contrast, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) deliver formal long-term vocational courses under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) administered by the Directorate General of Training (DGT).

Explanation

The fourth generation of computers began in the early 1970s with the development of the microprocessor chip. A microprocessor combines thousands of integrated circuits onto a single microchip using Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) technology. This dramatic miniaturization made computers significantly smaller, faster, cheaper, and more energy-efficient, laying the foundation for personal computers and modern compact computing.

Explanation

Exercise Trishul 2025 (Tri-Services Exercise 2025) was a large-scale joint combat drill conducted by the Indian Armed Forces in October–November 2025 along India's western border. Led by the Western Naval Command in coordination with the Southern Command of the Indian Army and the South Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force, the exercise spanned the desert terrain of Rajasthan, the creek and coastal regions of Gujarat, and the northern Arabian Sea. It brought together land, air, and maritime assets alongside central armed police forces to validate multi-domain operational procedures, enhance jointmanship, and test network integration across the western theater.

Explanation

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in 2015 under the Skill India Mission. It aims to enable Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training to secure better livelihoods and recognize prior learning through certification.

Explanation

Soil is a non-living, physical component of an ecosystem that provides structural support, essential minerals, and moisture necessary for plant growth. Abiotic factors comprise all non-living chemical and physical elements of an environment, which also include water, air, sunlight, and temperature.

Explanation

Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on the southwestern coast of India in 1498, opening the direct sea route from Europe to Asia. Following this discovery, Pedro Álvares Cabral established the first European trading factory at Calicut in 1500, and the Portuguese went on to construct their first fortified trading post at Cochin in 1503 under Afonso de Albuquerque. This established the Portuguese as the pioneers of European trade settlements in India during the early modern era.

Explanation

Under Article 105(3) of the Constitution of India, the powers, privileges, and immunities of each House of Parliament, as well as those of its members and committees, are to be defined from time to time by Parliament itself by law. Until Parliament enacts specific legislation in this regard, they remain equivalent to those enjoyed by the British House of Commons at the time of the commencement of the Constitution.

Explanation

The famous 'Dancing Girl' sculpture, discovered at the Harappan site of Mohenjo-daro, was crafted from bronze using the lost-wax casting technique (cire perdue) around 2500 BCE. Harappan artisans possessed advanced metallurgical skills, alloying copper and tin to produce bronze, which allowed them to create detailed metal figurines, tools, and ornaments.

Explanation

Ozone is a secondary air pollutant rather than a primary air pollutant because it is not emitted directly into the atmosphere from natural or human sources. Ground-level ozone is formed through complex photochemical reactions between primary pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, in the presence of heat and sunlight.

Explanation

Laman is a traditional folk music form of Himachal Pradesh, particularly prominent in the Kullu Valley region. It is a romantic, dialogue-style musical exchange between groups of young women and men. A group of girls sings a stanza expressing poetic couplets, and a group of boys responds with a matching reply. These extempore musical sessions frequently echo across neighboring hilltops and valleys and continue uninterrupted for hours during social gatherings, local fairs, and festivals.

Explanation

The 'Make in India' initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 September 2014. The initiative was designed to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property, and build best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub.

Explanation

Under Section 4 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, as amended by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003, a person born outside India on or after December 3, 2004, cannot acquire Indian citizenship by descent unless their birth is registered at an Indian consulate within one year and the parents submit a declaration that the child does not hold a passport or citizenship of any other country. Since India does not permit dual nationality, any other foreign citizenship must not be held or must be renounced at the time of claiming Indian citizenship.

Explanation

The Twelfth Schedule was added to the Constitution of India by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992. It specifies 18 functional matters falling within the domain and jurisdiction of Urban Local Bodies (Municipalities), including urban planning, regulation of land use, public health, fire services, water supply, and urban poverty alleviation.

Explanation

In 1510, the Portuguese Governor Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from Ismail Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur, with the aid of the local privateer Timoji. Due to its strategic position on the Konkan coast and its excellent natural harbor, Goa was established as the political and administrative capital of the Portuguese State of India (Estado da Índia), serving as the chief center for Portuguese trade and naval operations in the Indian Ocean region.

Explanation

Assamese belongs to the Eastern Indo-Aryan group of the Indo-European language family, originating from Kamarupi Prakrit or Magadhi Prakrit. Its core structure, vocabulary, and grammatical features are derived directly from Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit roots rather than the Sino-Tibetan family.

Explanation

Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, is situated on the eastern coast of Odisha. It extends over an area of more than 1,100 square kilometers, spreading across the three coastal districts of Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam at the mouth of the Daya River where it meets the Bay of Bengal.

Explanation

A phyllode is a modified, flattened petiole or leaf stalk that functions like a leaf blade by performing photosynthesis. In many xerophytic plants, such as Australian Acacia species, the true leaf lamina is reduced or shed early to prevent water loss through transpiration, and the petiole expands into a green, leaf-like phyllode to synthesize food.

Explanation

Dr. Mahbub-ul-Haq introduced the conceptual framework of human development in 1990. He defined human development as a process of enlarging people's choices and building human capabilities to enable them to lead long, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Under his leadership, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published the first annual Human Development Report in 1990, which formally integrated this concept and established the Human Development Index (HDI) to measure social and economic development beyond mere national income.

Explanation

In most computer software applications and operating systems, Ctrl+S is the standard keyboard shortcut used to save the active file or document.

Explanation

In November 2025, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, partnered with UNICEF to sign a milestone pricing agreement for the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. Financed through Gavi's International Finance Facility for Immunisation mechanism and executed by UNICEF, the deal reduced the vaccine price to 2.99 per dose. This pricing reduction generates up to90 million in savings and secures over 30 million additional doses to protect nearly 7 million children across high-burden countries.

Explanation

The elastic potential energy stored in a spring is given by the formula U = ½ k x², where k is the spring constant and x is the displacement from the equilibrium position. At the equilibrium position (x = 0), the potential energy is zero. When the spring is compressed, displacement x becomes non-zero, making x² positive. Work done against the restoring force of the spring is stored as elastic potential energy, causing the potential energy to increase.

Explanation

System software refers to programs designed to manage computer hardware, provide a platform for application software, and handle core computing tasks. Operating systems manage system resources such as the CPU, memory, and storage, while device drivers enable communication between the operating system and hardware peripherals, making both essential components of system software.

Explanation

Article 243X of the Constitution of India empowers the Legislature of a State to authorize Municipalities to levy, collect, and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls, and fees. It also provides for assigning state-collected taxes to Municipalities, providing grants-in-aid from the Consolidated Fund of the State, and establishing funds for crediting all moneys received by or on behalf of the Municipalities.

Explanation

An open system is a thermodynamic system that allows the transfer of both mass (matter) and energy across its boundary to and from the surroundings. Common examples include boiling water in an open container or a living organism, where both heat energy and physical substances like water vapour or gases are freely exchanged with the environment.

Explanation

Article 11 of the Constitution of India explicitly empowers Parliament to regulate citizenship by law. It states that nothing in Part II shall derogate from the power of Parliament to make provisions regarding the acquisition and termination of citizenship and all other matters relating to it. Using the authority granted under Article 11, Parliament enacted the Citizenship Act, 1955, to provide detailed rules for Indian citizenship after the commencement of the Constitution.

Explanation

According to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, India maintained the 3rd position worldwide in net annual forest area gain between 2015 and 2025, adding approximately 191,000 hectares of forest cover per year. India achieved this rank following China and Russia, driven by continuous afforestation policies, restoration projects, and community-based tree plantation initiatives. Under the same report, India also moved up to 9th position in total forest area and ranked 5th among global carbon sinks.

Explanation

The ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) is a premier institute for higher fisheries education in India, functioning as a Deemed University. Established in 1961, its main headquarters is located in Versova, Mumbai, Maharashtra, under the administrative control of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Explanation

The Natyanjali Dance Festival is an annual 5-day classical dance festival held at the 1000-year-old Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu. Beginning on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri (February or March), the festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. Dancers from across India and around the world assemble to present their performances as an offering (anjali) of dance (natya) in the prakara (outer precinct) of the temple.

Explanation

Over the past century, economic development in advanced nations has been characterized by a structural shift from manufacturing to services. In developed countries, the tertiary sector generates the largest share of total national income and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while also employing the majority of the workforce. Activities such as trade, transport, communications, finance, education, healthcare, and public administration drive economic growth and overall output in these high-income economies.

Explanation

The 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 inserted Article 15(6) and Article 16(6) into the Constitution of India. Article 15(6) enables the State to make special provisions, including up to 10% reservation in educational institutions, for the advancement of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of citizens other than SCs, STs, and non-creamy layer OBCs. Article 16(6) permits the State to provide up to 10% reservation for EWS in government jobs and public service appointments.

Explanation

The 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) was hosted by the Parliament of Barbados and the CPA Barbados Branch in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 5 to 12 October 2025. Organised around the main theme "The Commonwealth: A Global Partner", this annual flagship event of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association brought together parliamentarians and delegates from across the Commonwealth to deliberate on democratic governance, parliamentary cooperation, and sustainable development.

Explanation

The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve is located in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh in the Western Himalayan region. Declared a biosphere reserve in 2009, it encompasses protected areas such as the Pin Valley National Park, Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandratal, and Sarchu. Situated at high altitudes, the reserve represents a unique cold arid mountain ecosystem that provides critical habitat for endangered wildlife, including the snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, Tibetan gazelle, and snow partridge, as well as specialized high-altitude medicinal flora.

Explanation

In October 2025, President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau conducted the world's first live underwater interview by a head of state to raise global awareness about ocean conservation and climate risks. Immersed beneath the Pacific Ocean, he spoke with ocean activist Merle Liivand using Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) technology, which transmits audio through light waves underwater. The historic broadcast drew international attention to the critical threats facing small island nations, including rising sea levels, ocean warming, and coral bleaching.

Explanation

The Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya was characterized by a highly centralized political and administrative structure guided by the governance principles outlined in Kautilya's Arthashastra. The king exercised ultimate authority at the apex of administration, supported by a council of ministers (Mantriparishad) and a elaborate hierarchy of civil servants, departmental heads (Adhyakshas), and officers (Amatyas). This elaborate administrative apparatus maintained direct central oversight over trade, revenue collection, law enforcement, agriculture, and an extensive network of intelligence gathering.

Explanation

In his landmark 1901 book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India, Dadabhai Naoroji propounded the Drain of Wealth theory. He systematically demonstrated how Britain was continuously transferring India's wealth and resources to England without providing any adequate economic or material returns. This systematic economic drain occurred through home charges, pensions and salaries of British officials, profits on foreign investments, and interest on public debt, which Naoroji identified as the primary cause of widespread poverty and economic stagnation in India during colonial rule.

Explanation

Usual Principal Status Unemployment uses a long reference period of 365 days preceding the date of the survey. Under this measurement approach, an individual is classified as unemployed if they were without work for the major part of the reference year (183 days or more) while seeking or available for work. Because it evaluates activity over a full year, it effectively measures structural and chronic long-term unemployment in the economy.

Explanation

Rancidity refers to the condition in which food containing fats and oils undergoes deterioration, resulting in an unpleasant odor and taste. This process is primarily caused by oxidation, where oxygen reacts with unsaturated fatty acids present in fats and oils upon exposure to air, light, heat, or moisture. This oxidative breakdown leads to the formation of volatile aldehydes, ketones, and short-chain carboxylic acids, which spoil the quality and freshness of food products. Antioxidants, nitrogen flushing, and airtight packaging are commonly used to prevent this oxidative reaction.

Explanation

The 96th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011 substituted the word "Oriya" with "Odia" in entry 15 of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India. This amendment was enacted in conjunction with the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2011, which officially changed the state's name from Orissa to Odisha.

Explanation

James Prinsep, an English scholar and founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, deciphered the ancient Brahmi script in 1837. Through his epigraphic study of various rock and pillar edicts, he decoded the inscriptions referring to a king named Devanampiya Piyadasi ("Beloved of the Gods"), which was subsequently matched with Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicles to identify the monarch as the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.

Explanation

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea directly to the Red Sea across the Isthmus of Suez. By offering the shortest maritime transit route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans, it eliminates the need for vessels to navigate around the continent of Africa, making it one of the most critical arteries for global trade.

Explanation

Ghatam is a traditional Indian percussion instrument made from a specially conditioned clay pot fired with metallic filings like copper and iron. It belongs to the category of Ghana Vadya (idiophones), which consist of solid instruments that generate sound through the vibration of their own body when struck. Since it lacks stretched membranes, strings, or reeds, it requires no tuning prior to performance.

Explanation

The economic reforms of 1991, known as Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation (LPG), fundamentally restructured India's economy by dismantling the license-permit raj. The government reduced state control over key sectors, opened up industries to private enterprises, relaxed foreign trade barriers, and significantly eased foreign direct investment (FDI) norms to attract global capital and modern technology.

Explanation

Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India (1505–1509), introduced the "Blue Water Policy". His strategic aim was to make Portugal the master of the Indian Ocean by establishing absolute maritime supremacy through a powerful navy and controlling key sea trade routes, rather than building a land empire or constructing fortresses on the mainland.

Explanation

Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, organized an online film festival titled 'Nrityanjali' from September 15 to 17, 2020. The festival screened a series of documentary films highlighting various Indian classical dance forms and their legendary exponents.

Explanation

According to the 10th Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2025 published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), India secured the 99th rank out of 167 countries with an overall score of 67. This marked the first time India achieved a position inside the top 100 in the global UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index rankings, rising from the 109th position in 2024.