SSC CGL Tier 1 2017 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The reaction between an acid and a base is a fundamental chemical process known as a neutralization reaction. In this reaction, the hydrogen ions (H⁺) provided by the acid combine with the hydroxide ions (OH⁻) provided by the base to form water (H₂O). Simultaneously, the cation from the base and the anion from the acid combine to form an ionic compound termed a salt. A standard example of this is the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which results in the formation of sodium chloride (NaCl), commonly known as table salt, and water. The general chemical word equation for this interaction is Acid + Base → Salt + Water.

Explanation

The Bishnoi movement was a nature-protection movement led by Amrita Devi in 1730 at Khejarli village in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. It was initiated to protest against the orders of Maharaja Abhay Singh, who required wood from Khejri trees to construct a new palace. Amrita Devi and 363 other members of the Bishnoi community sacrificed their lives by hugging the trees to prevent them from being felled by the King's soldiers. The movement is rooted in the 29 religious principles of the Bishnoi sect, which prioritize the sanctity of all living things and the preservation of the environment. This historic resistance is often cited as the precursor and inspiration for the modern-day Chipko movement.

Explanation

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in May 2016 with the primary objective of providing clean cooking fuel to women belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. The scheme provides financial support of 1600 rupees for each LPG connection to eligible families. By promoting the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, the initiative aims to protect the health of women and children from the hazardous smoke associated with traditional cooking fuels like firewood and coal, while also reducing the environmental degradation caused by deforestation.

Explanation

John Logie Baird was a Scottish inventor and engineer who is credited with demonstrating the world's first working television system. In 1925, he succeeded in transmitting the first moving silhouette images, and on January 26, 1926, he gave the first public demonstration of a true television system to members of the Royal Institution in London. His mechanical television system utilized a rotating Nipkow disk to scan images and convert them into electrical signals for transmission. Baird's pioneering work also included the first transatlantic television transmission in 1928 and the early development of color television technology.

Explanation

A standard indoor volleyball match is played by two teams, each consisting of six players on the court at any given time. These six players are organized into specific rotations, with three players positioned in the front row near the net and three in the back row. The primary objective is for each team to send the ball over the net to ground it on the opponent's court while preventing the same from happening on their own side. According to the international regulations set by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), this six-player format is the requirement for all official indoor competitions. While a squad may include additional substitute players and a specialized defensive player known as the libero, the active playing strength per side remains six.

Explanation

The Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, is a magnificent example of Kalinga architecture dedicated to Harihara, a form of Lord Shiva. The Tijara Jain Temple, located in Alwar district, Rajasthan, is a major pilgrimage site for Jainism; while it specifically honors Chandraprabhu, it is associated here with Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara. The Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, is one of the most visited shrines in the world and is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Explanation

Preety Shenoy was conferred with the Indian of the Year award in 2017 by Brands Academy. She is a highly acclaimed author known for her best-selling novels and was recognized for her significant contributions to Indian literature. Her status as one of the highest-selling female authors in India and her consistent presence on the Forbes India celebrity 100 list contributed to her selection for this honor, which celebrates excellence across various fields.

Explanation

Selection Day is a novel published in 2016 by the Indian-Australian author Aravind Adiga, who previously won the Man Booker Prize for his debut novel The White Tiger. The book is a story about cricket and the obsession surrounding it in India, focusing on two brothers in Mumbai, Radha and Manjunath, who are pushed by their father to become world-class batsmen. Through this narrative, Adiga explores themes of sporting ambition, social mobility, and the corruption inherent in the systems of professional sports.

Explanation

The BRICS association is an acronym representing five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The grouping was originally known as BRIC before the formal induction of South Africa in 2010. Iceland is a Nordic island nation located in the North Atlantic Ocean and is not a member of this specific economic bloc. Iceland's international cooperation is primarily centered around European and North Atlantic frameworks such as the European Economic Area and the Nordic Council.

Explanation

The Kalapani territorial dispute stems from differing interpretations of the Treaty of Sugauli, signed in 1816 between the Kingdom of Nepal and British India. According to the treaty, the Kali River was designated as the western boundary of Nepal. The dispute arises because the two nations do not agree on the precise source of the river. India maintains that the river begins at the Kalapani springs in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, where the river is traditionally named. Conversely, Nepal claims the river originates further northwest at Limpiyadhura, which would include the Kalapani area within its sovereign borders. The region has been under Indian administration since the 1962 Indo-China war, given its strategic location near the Lipulekh Pass.

Explanation

A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity. This market structure is characterized by a single seller who faces no competition, as there are no close substitutes for the product or service being offered. The term is derived from the Greek words monos, meaning single, and polein, meaning to sell. In a monopoly, the firm has the power to influence the market price and quantity because it effectively constitutes the entire industry. High barriers to entry, such as patents, government regulations, or control of resources, typically prevent other firms from entering the market and challenging the dominant seller.

Explanation

Disguised unemployment is a scenario where the number of people working in a specific job or sector is greater than what is actually necessary. In such cases, the marginal productivity of the extra workers is zero, meaning that their withdrawal from the workforce would not lead to any reduction in total output. It is termed underemployment because the labor potential of these individuals is not being fully utilized, even though they appear to be employed. This phenomenon is most commonly observed in the agricultural sector of developing economies, where surplus labor remains on family farms due to a lack of alternative employment opportunities in other sectors.

Explanation

According to Article 79 of the Constitution of India, the Parliament for the Union consists of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha). Although the President is not a member of either House and does not sit in Parliament to attend its meetings, the President is an integral part of the legislature. This is because a bill passed by both Houses of Parliament cannot become law without the President's assent. Additionally, the President performs key parliamentary functions such as summoning and proroguing the Houses, dissolving the Lok Sabha, and addressing both Houses at the start of the first session after each general election and the first session of each year. Therefore, all three components are essential constituents of the Indian Parliament.

Explanation

According to Article 53 of the Constitution of India, the executive power of the Union is vested in the President and is exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution. As the formal head of the Indian State, the President is the first citizen and represents the unity and integrity of the nation. All executive actions of the Government of India are formally taken in the President's name. While the President acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, the constitutional position remains that the President is the supreme executive authority and the head of the state.

Explanation

King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty commissioned the construction of the Sun Temple at Konark around 1250 CE. The temple is a masterpiece of Kalinga architecture, designed in the shape of a colossal chariot for the Sun God, Surya, featuring twenty-four intricately carved stone wheels and pulled by seven horses. Historical records suggest that the king built this monument to commemorate his military victories over the forces of the Bengal Sultanate. The structure was crafted using Khondalite rocks and remains one of the most significant examples of medieval Indian temple architecture, later designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Explanation

Warren Hastings was appointed as the Governor of Bengal in 1772. Following the enactment of the Regulating Act of 1773 by the British Parliament, the administrative structure of the East India Company was reorganized, and the title was changed to the Governor-General of Bengal. Warren Hastings assumed this office in 1774, becoming the first individual to hold the position. This act also granted him supervisory powers over the presidencies of Madras and Bombay, effectively centralizing British authority in India under the Bengal administration. He served in this capacity until 1785, during which time he implemented significant administrative and judicial reforms.

Explanation

The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by discharge volume and is located in South America. It originates in the Andes Mountains of Peru and flows eastwards across the continent, with the vast majority of its course and its extensive drainage basin situated within the territory of Brazil. The river eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of Brazil.

Explanation

The Western Ghats are popularly known as the Sahyadri Range, particularly in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. This mountain range runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, stretching approximately 1,600 kilometers from the Tapti River in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. The Sahyadri Range acts as a primary geographic barrier that intercepts the moisture-laden southwest monsoon winds, resulting in heavy rainfall on its western slopes. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is recognized as one of the world's eight hottest hotspots of biological diversity. The range is characterized by a series of high plateaus and peaks, with Anamudi being the highest point in the entire region.

Explanation

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is credited with the discovery of bacteria in 1676. Using single-lens microscopes of his own design, which offered significantly higher magnification than existing compound microscopes of the era, he became the first person to observe and describe microscopic organisms. He initially referred to these tiny living creatures, found in sources like pond water and scrapings from human teeth, as animalcules. His detailed observations and letters sent to the Royal Society of London established the foundations of microbiology and proved the existence of life forms invisible to the naked eye.

Explanation

In the hierarchy of biological organization, a tissue consists of a group of similar cells that share a common origin and work together to perform a specific physiological function. These cells are often physically held together by an extracellular matrix and are specialized for tasks such as protection, secretion, or contraction. Tissues represent the level of structural organization between individual cells and complex organs.

Explanation

Newton's third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When a hammer strikes a nail on a freely suspended wooden frame, the action force applied by the hammer causes the frame to move backward because it is not held in place by any external support. Due to this movement, the wooden frame cannot provide a sufficient reaction force against the nail. Without a strong reaction force to counteract the hammer's impact, the energy of the blow is used to move the entire frame instead of driving the nail into the wood. A fixed or supported frame provides the necessary resistance to ensure that the force of the hammer is concentrated on the penetration of the nail.

Explanation

Electromagnetic waves are waves that oscillate in space and time, and like all waves, they obey the principle of superposition. This principle allows electromagnetic waves to undergo interference, where two or more waves overlap to produce a new wave pattern of varying intensity. Similarly, they undergo diffraction, which is the bending and spreading of waves when they encounter an obstacle or pass through a narrow opening. Physical phenomena such as the colorful patterns in thin oil films or the patterns produced in Young's double-slit experiment definitively prove that electromagnetic waves exhibit both interference and diffraction. Because these behaviors are fundamental characteristics of electromagnetic radiation, the statement asserting that they do not show these properties is false.

Explanation

In computer science, a bug is an informal term used to describe an error, flaw, or fault in a computer program or system that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result. These errors typically arise from mistakes made during the software design or coding phases, such as logical oversights, syntax errors, or incorrect data handling. When a program contains a bug, it may crash, provide wrong outputs, or behave in ways not intended by the developer. The process of identifying, tracing, and fixing these programming errors is known as debugging, which is a fundamental part of software development to ensure the reliability and functionality of applications.

Explanation

The fraction of a radioactive substance remaining after n half-lives is given by the formula N/N₀ = (1/2)ⁿ, where N₀ is the initial amount and N is the amount remaining. When three-fourth of the substance has decayed, the amount remaining is 1 - 3/4 = 1/4 of the original quantity. Substituting this into the formula gives 1/4 = (1/2)ⁿ, which simplifies to (1/2)² = (1/2)ⁿ, resulting in n = 2 half-lives. Since the half-life of the substance is six months, the total time required for this decay is 2 × 6 = 12 months.

Explanation

The pH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of a substance on a scale from 0 to 14, where a value of 7.0 represents a neutral solution. Values below 7.0 are classified as acidic, while values above 7.0 are classified as basic or alkaline. Human blood is maintained within a very narrow and strictly regulated range of approximately 7.35 to 7.45. Since this range is consistently above the neutral value of 7.0 but is not far into the upper end of the scale, blood is characterized as being slightly basic. This alkalinity is essential for optimal enzymatic activity and oxygen transport throughout the body, and it is primarily stabilized by the bicarbonate-carbonic acid buffer system.

Explanation

The Forest Research Institute (FRI) is a premier institution under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Established in 1906 as the Imperial Forest Research Institute, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of its kind in the world. The institute is set within a sprawling 450-hectare campus and is renowned for its grand main building, which was designed in the Greco-Roman architectural style by C.G. Blomfield and is recognized as a National Heritage site. FRI operates as a Deemed University and serves as a major hub for forestry research, training, and education in India, housing specialized museums dedicated to various branches of forestry such as silviculture, pathology, and entomology.

Explanation

The Madhya Pradesh government launched the Deen Dayal Rasoi Yojana in April 2017 to provide nutritious meals to the underprivileged at a highly subsidized rate of Rs. 5 per thali. The scheme was inaugurated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with the primary goal of ensuring food security for laborers, migrants, and low-income individuals in urban areas. Initially implemented across 51 district headquarters, the program offers a wholesome meal typically comprising rotis, vegetables, dal, and rice. The initiative is supported by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and corporate social responsibility contributions to maintain its affordability and reach across the state.

Explanation

Zacharias Jansen, a Dutch spectacle-maker from Middelburg, is widely credited with inventing the first compound microscope in the late 16th century, approximately around 1590. Along with his father Hans Martens, Jansen developed a device that used a system of multiple lenses within a tube to achieve significantly higher magnification than a single magnifying glass. This breakthrough allowed for the observation of objects too small to be seen by the naked eye and served as a critical precursor to the scientific revolutions in biology and medicine.

Explanation

Badminton is played using a shuttlecock, which is also commonly referred to as a birdie. Unlike the other sports listed, it does not employ a spherical ball. The shuttlecock is a unique projectile consisting of a cork or rubber base with sixteen overlapping feathers or a synthetic nylon skirt attached to it. This conical shape creates high aerodynamic drag, causing the shuttlecock to fly differently and decelerate much more rapidly than a standard ball would when struck by a racket. The objective of the game is to hit this shuttlecock over a net and land it within the opponent's court boundaries.

Explanation

Gangaur is a major festival celebrated in Rajasthan, primarily by women to honor Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva, symbolizing marital fidelity and harvest. Ganesh Chaturthi is the most significant and widely celebrated public festival in Maharashtra, involving the installation of clay idols of Lord Ganesha in homes and public pandals. Durga Puja is the most prominent cultural and religious festival in West Bengal, commemorating the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura, characterized by elaborate pandals and artistic idols.

Explanation

Iris Mittenaere, representing France, was crowned Miss Universe 2016 at the 65th Miss Universe pageant held on January 30, 2017, in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. A dental surgery student at the time of her win, she became the second woman from France to hold the title, following Christiane Martel in 1953. She was officially crowned by the outgoing titleholder, Pia Wurtzbach.

Explanation

Numbers Do Lie: 61 Hidden Gems from the World of Cricket is authored by Aakash Chopra, a former Indian opening batsman and prominent cricket commentator. Released in early 2017, the book employs a data-driven approach to challenge traditional cricketing wisdom and debunk various myths surrounding the sport. By using the Impact Index analytics system, Chopra provides deeper insights into player performances and match-winning contributions that often go unnoticed by standard statistics, offering a unique perspective on the history and dynamics of international cricket.

Explanation

Antonio Guterres, a Portuguese diplomat and politician who previously served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015, took office as the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 1, 2017. He was formally appointed by the General Assembly on October 13, 2016, following the recommendation of the Security Council, to succeed the outgoing Secretary-General and lead the international organization.

Explanation

India shares its longest international land border with Bangladesh, covering a distance of approximately 4096.7 kilometers. This extensive boundary touches five Indian states: West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. The border length is primarily due to the highly irregular and winding nature of the Radcliffe Line established during the 1947 partition. This border represents nearly 27 percent of India's total land frontier, which exceeds the lengths of borders shared with any other neighboring nation.

Explanation

A bilateral monopoly is a market structure characterized by the existence of only one seller and only one buyer for a particular product or service. This represents a combination of a monopoly, where a single firm dominates the supply, and a monopsony, where a single entity dominates the demand. In such a market, neither party can take the price as given; instead, the equilibrium price and quantity are determined through a process of negotiation and strategic bargaining. The outcome depends on the relative bargaining power and information available to each participant, as the seller aims for a high price and the buyer seeks the lowest possible cost.

Explanation

Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) were established under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976, to provide credit and other facilities to small farmers, agricultural laborers, and artisans in rural areas. The equity of an RRB is held by the Central Government, the concerned State Government, and a Sponsor Bank in the ratio of 50:15:35 respectively. These Sponsor Banks are typically Nationalized Commercial Banks. The duties of the sponsor bank include subscribing to the share capital, providing managerial and financial assistance for the initial period of five years, and assisting with the recruitment and training of personnel to ensure the RRB operates effectively as a local-level banking institution.

Explanation

Under Article 53(2) of the Indian Constitution, the supreme command of the Defence Forces of the Union is explicitly vested in the President of India. This constitutional provision establishes the President as the formal head of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, though the exercise of this power is regulated by law and performed on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers. As the Supreme Commander, the President has the authority to declare war and conclude peace, subject to the approval of the Parliament.

Explanation

The Tenth Schedule, popularly known as the Anti-defection law, was inserted into the Indian Constitution by the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985. It provides for the disqualification of members of either House of Parliament or the State Legislature on the grounds of defection from one political party to another. The law was enacted to curb the evil of political defections and provide stability to the government by ensuring that elected representatives remain loyal to the party on whose ticket they were elected. The 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, further strengthened these provisions by removing the protection previously granted in the case of a split in a political party.

Explanation

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya founded the Banaras Hindu University in 1916. He established the institution in Varanasi as a residential university with the aim of promoting modern education along with Indian culture and values. Malaviya worked extensively to raise funds for the university and collaborated with Annie Besant, who had previously founded the Central Hindu College, and the Maharaja of Benares, Prabhu Narayan Singh. The university was officially established under the Banaras Hindu University Act of 1915 and remains one of the largest residential universities in Asia.

Explanation

The second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 CE between the Ghurid ruler Muhammad Ghori and the Chahamana King Prithviraj Chauhan. After his defeat in the first battle a year earlier, Ghori returned with a much larger and better-equipped army consisting of highly mobile horse archers. The battle took place at the same site near Taraori in present-day Haryana. Ghori used advanced tactical maneuvers to overcome the Rajput forces, resulting in a decisive victory. This battle is considered a major landmark in Indian history because it broke the power of the Rajputs in Northern India and facilitated the eventual establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.

Explanation

Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, constituting approximately 8.1 percent of its total elemental composition by weight. In the hierarchy of elements found within the crust, it ranks third overall, following the non-metal oxygen and the metalloid silicon. Because of its high chemical reactivity, aluminium is never found as a free element in nature; instead, it occurs in various combined forms, primarily within silicate minerals and oxide ores such as bauxite. Its widespread presence makes it the most prevalent metallic constituent of the Earth's outermost layer.

Explanation

Pedalfer soil is a classification of soil characterized by a high concentration of aluminum and iron oxides. The term itself is a portmanteau derived from the Greek word pedon, meaning soil, combined with the chemical symbols for aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe). These soils typically form in humid, temperate regions where high annual rainfall facilitates the leaching of soluble minerals like calcium carbonate from the upper soil horizons. Because iron and aluminum oxides are less soluble, they remain and accumulate within the soil profile, often resulting in a distinct reddish or yellowish-brown color.

Explanation

Red rot is a fungal disease primarily affecting sugarcane, caused by the pathogen Colletotrichum falcatum. It is characterized by the internal reddening of the pith in the sugarcane stalks, interspersed with white transverse bands. Infected plants often show signs of wilting and drooping of the leaves, while the split canes emit a sour, alcoholic odor due to the fermentation of sucrose. This disease is highly damaging as it significantly reduces the juice quality, sugar recovery, and the overall yield of the sugarcane crop.

Explanation

Skin is primarily classified as an epithelial tissue rather than a connective tissue. The outermost layer of the skin, known as the epidermis, is composed of stratified squamous epithelial cells that serve as a protective barrier against the environment. While the skin as an organ contains various tissue types, including the connective tissue found in the dermis, its fundamental structural identity in histological classification distinguishes it from specialized connective tissues like blood, bone, and cartilage, which are defined by their extensive extracellular matrices and supportive roles.

Explanation

Polio and chicken pox are infectious diseases caused by viruses. Poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio, is caused by the poliovirus, which is a member of the Enterovirus genus and primarily affects the central nervous system. Chicken pox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which belongs to the herpesvirus family and typically results in a characteristic skin rash and fever. Viruses are unique infectious agents consisting of genetic material, either DNA or RNA, encased in a protein coat. They are obligate parasites, meaning they require a living host cell's machinery to replicate and cause infection. Both of these viral conditions are effectively managed and prevented through specific viral vaccines.

Explanation

Convex mirrors are extensively used as rear-view mirrors in vehicles because they always produce an erect and diminished image of the objects behind. Due to the outward curvature of the mirror surface, it provides a much wider field of view compared to a plane mirror or a concave mirror. This enables the driver to see a large area of traffic in a relatively small mirror, significantly increasing safety by reducing blind spots and allowing for better monitoring of distant vehicles.

Explanation

The hertz (Hz) is the International System of Units (SI) derived unit of frequency, defined as one cycle per second. It is named after Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, the first person to provide conclusive proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Frequency represents the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time, and its relationship with the period T of a wave is given by the formula f = 1/T. Therefore, the unit hertz is dimensionally equivalent to the reciprocal second (s⁻¹).

Explanation

Modifier keys are specific keys on a computer keyboard that are used in combination with other keys to perform special operations or provide shortcuts. These keys typically do not perform any action when pressed alone; instead, they modify the standard action of another key. The Control (Ctrl) key is used for various software shortcuts and commands. The Shift key is primarily used to type capital letters or the symbols located on the upper part of numeric and punctuation keys. The Alt (Alternate) key is used to access alternate functions in software or to navigate menus via keyboard shortcuts. Since each of these keys functions by altering the output or behavior of other keys, they are all classified as modifier keys.

Explanation

Argon belongs to Group 18 of the periodic table, a category of elements known as noble or inert gases. It possesses a full valence shell with an electron configuration of [Ne] 3s² 3p⁶. This complete octet makes the atom exceptionally stable and chemically non-reactive under most conditions, as it does not need to bond with other atoms to achieve stability. Argon is the most abundant noble gas in Earth's atmosphere, comprising nearly 1% of the air by volume. Its primary applications involve providing a protective, non-reactive environment for high-temperature industrial processes, such as arc welding and semiconductor manufacturing, where it prevents chemical reactions with atmospheric oxygen or moisture.

Explanation

Allotropy is the property by which a chemical element can exist in two or more different physical forms in the same physical state. These different forms, known as allotropes, arise because the atoms of the element are bonded together in different ways. Oxygen exists in several allotropic forms, the most common being dioxygen (O₂) and ozone (O₃). While dioxygen consists of two oxygen atoms bonded together, ozone is a triatomic molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms. Because ozone is a distinct structural modification of the element oxygen, it is classified as an allotrope.