SSC CGL Tier 1 2021 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Alivardi Khan served as the Nawab of Bengal from 1740 to 1756. He rose to power after defeating the previous Nawab, Sarfaraz Khan, in the Battle of Giria in 1740. During his reign, he effectively governed the province of Bengal, which then included Bihar and Odisha, and was known for his administrative skills and his successful defense of the territory against repeated Maratha invasions. He maintained a cautious relationship with the British East India Company and was succeeded by his grandson, Siraj-ud-Daulah.

Explanation

Siddhendra Yogi is revered as the Adi Guru of Kuchipudi because he played a pivotal role in refining and systematizing this classical dance form from Andhra Pradesh. He is credited with transforming the existing folk traditions and temple dances into a structured classical style. His most significant contribution is the creation of the dance-drama Bhama Kalapam, which remains a cornerstone of the Kuchipudi repertoire. Legend states that he was a scholar-saint who encouraged the Brahmin boys of the village of Kuchelapuram to dedicate themselves to this art form, thereby establishing a formal lineage and pedagogical framework that allowed the tradition to survive and evolve through the centuries.

Explanation

On 28th February 2021, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the PSLV-C51 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This mission marked the 53rd flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and was the first dedicated commercial mission for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). The primary payload of this launch was Amazonia-1, which is a 637-kilogram optical earth observation satellite from Brazil. Developed by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil, the satellite was designed to provide remote sensing data to monitor deforestation in the Amazon region and analyze diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory. Along with Amazonia-1, the mission successfully placed 18 co-passenger satellites into their intended polar sun-synchronous orbits.

Explanation

The Rajya Sabha, or the Council of States, was first constituted on April 3, 1952, following the conclusion of the first general elections held in independent India. While the Constitution of India came into force in 1950, the bicameral legislature became fully operational only after the electoral process of 1951-52. The first session of the Rajya Sabha was subsequently held on May 13, 1952, with Dr. S. Radhakrishnan presiding as the first Chairman. Designed as a permanent house that is not subject to dissolution, it represents the states and union territories of India, ensuring a federal equilibrium in the legislative process at the union level.

Explanation

According to Gauss's Law for Magnetism, the net magnetic flux through any closed surface is always zero. This principle is mathematically expressed as ∮ B · dA = 0. The law reflects the physical reality that magnetic monopoles do not exist; every magnetic field line that enters a closed volume must also exit it. Consequently, magnetic field lines form continuous, closed loops, ensuring that the total flux, which is the surface integral of the magnetic field over a closed boundary, vanishes.

Explanation

The Gujarat state government announced the renaming of dragon fruit to Kamalam in January 2021. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani stated that the fruit's external appearance, with its layers of scales, resembles the petals of a lotus, which is known as Kamal in Sanskrit and Hindi. The state government filed a patent application for the name change, asserting that the name dragon fruit was inappropriate for a fruit grown locally in regions like Kutch and Navsari. The move was intended to give the fruit an indigenous identity and encourage its cultivation among local farmers, as the fruit is rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

Explanation

Achanta Sharath Kamal became the first Indian table tennis player to win nine senior national titles by clinching the men singles trophy at the 81st National Table Tennis Championship in February 2020. This achievement allowed him to surpass the previous record of eight national titles held by Kamlesh Mehta, which had stood for nearly three decades. Sharath Kamal secured this record-breaking ninth title by defeating Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the final held in Hyderabad. His consistent performance at the national level has made him the most successful player in the history of the Indian Senior National Table Tennis Championships as of January 2021.

Explanation

The Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) is a unique 11-character alphanumeric code assigned by the Reserve Bank of India to identify each bank branch participating in the primary electronic fund transfer systems in India. The structure of the code is specifically designed for routing; the first four alphabetic characters represent the bank name, the fifth character is a control character (currently set to 0), and the last six characters are usually numeric (but can be alphabetic) and identify the specific branch. This standardized coding system is mandatory for initiating transactions through the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system, as it ensures that the funds are electronically directed to the correct branch without manual intervention.

Explanation

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) launched its commodity derivatives segment on October 1, 2018, becoming the first universal stock exchange in India to do so. On the day of the launch, the exchange introduced delivery-based futures contracts in gold and silver. This transition was made possible after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) permitted stock exchanges to operate as universal exchanges, allowing them to trade both equities and commodities on a single platform. The introduction of gold and silver contracts was intended to provide market participants with efficient price discovery and hedging tools for precious metals within a regulated environment.

Explanation

Lewis Hamilton achieved the milestone of becoming the most successful Formula 1 driver in terms of race wins during the 2020 season. At the Portuguese Grand Prix held in October 2020, Hamilton secured his 92nd career victory, officially breaking the long-standing record of 91 wins previously held by Michael Schumacher. By the conclusion of the 2020 season, Hamilton had not only extended his win tally further but also secured his seventh World Drivers' Championship title, equaling another of Schumacher's most significant all-time records.

Explanation

Desert plants utilize a specialized photosynthetic pathway known as Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) to adapt to extreme heat and aridity. To minimize water loss through transpiration, these plants keep their stomata closed during the day and open them only at night when temperatures are cooler. During the night, they take up carbon dioxide and fix it into intermediate organic acids, such as malic acid, which are stored in the vacuoles of the cells. When daylight returns, the stomata close again, and the stored organic acids are broken down to release the carbon dioxide internally, allowing the plant to perform the Calvin cycle and produce glucose using energy captured from sunlight.

Explanation

The Battle of Imphal took place between March and July 1944 as part of the Japanese offensive known as Operation U-Go during the Second World War. The Japanese Imperial Army, accompanied by units of the Indian National Army under the leadership of Subhash Chandra Bose, invaded Manipur to capture the strategic Allied supply base at Imphal. This offensive was designed to disrupt British communication lines and pre-empt an Allied counter-attack into Burma. The engagement resulted in a decisive victory for the British and Indian forces, marking a major turning point in the Burma Campaign and forcing the Japanese to retreat after suffering heavy casualties.