SSC CGL Tier 1 2022 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Human sweat is naturally odorless when it is first secreted by the eccrine and apocrine glands. The foul smell associated with perspiration, particularly in warm and humid conditions, is the result of microbial activity on the skin surface. Resident bacteria break down the proteins and fatty acids present in sweat through metabolic processes. This decomposition converts odorless precursors into volatile organic compounds, such as thioalcohols and short-chain fatty acids, which possess a strong and unpleasant odor. Sultry summer conditions provide the ideal warm and moist environment for these bacteria to thrive and accelerate the chemical breakdown of sweat components.

Explanation

David Ricardo is credited with the initial formulation of the Ricardian Equivalence proposition, a theory in economics suggesting that consumers are forward-looking and internalize the government's budget constraint. According to this logic, when a government increases its deficit through debt-financed spending or tax cuts, rational individuals anticipate that the government will eventually need to raise taxes in the future to repay the debt and interest. To prepare for this future tax liability, households increase their current savings rather than increasing consumption. Consequently, the increase in private saving exactly offsets the decrease in public saving, meaning that government deficits have no effect on aggregate demand or real interest rates. While later refined by Robert Barro in the 1970s, the foundational idea that debt-financed deficits lead to higher private savings was first explored by Ricardo in his work on the funding of wars.

Explanation

Rakhigarhi is located in the Hisar district of Haryana and is one of the largest and most significant sites of the Indus Valley Civilization. Situated in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain, the site provides extensive evidence of both the Early and Mature Harappan phases. Archaeological excavations have revealed a highly organized urban layout featuring planned streets, sophisticated drainage systems, large granaries, and residential structures made of sun-dried and burnt bricks. The discovery of various artifacts, including Harappan seals, terracotta figurines, gold jewellery, and pottery, underscores its importance as a major economic and administrative center during the Bronze Age.

Explanation

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) represents the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country's geographical boundaries during a specific financial year. In India, the National Statistical Office (NSO), operating under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), is the nodal agency for estimating national income. As the official currency of India is the Indian Rupee (INR), all domestic economic transactions, government accounts, and national statistics are recorded and reported in this currency. Consequently, the official press releases issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) regarding GDP growth rates and absolute values use the Indian Rupee to provide an accurate reflection of the domestic economy's size and performance.

Explanation

Approximately 97% of the total water on Earth's surface is stored in the oceans and seas. This vast body of saline water constitutes the largest reservoir in the global hydrologic cycle. The remaining 3% exists as freshwater, primarily locked in glaciers and ice caps, or stored as groundwater, with less than 1% found in surface lakes, rivers, and the atmosphere. Standard scientific estimates, such as those provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), place the oceanic percentage at roughly 96.5% to 97.2%, making 97 the closest integer value.

Explanation

The Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 to enable the textile industry to become globally competitive, attract large investments, and boost employment generation. Under this scheme, seven textile parks were proposed to be established over a period of three years. These parks aim to create world-class infrastructure with plug-and-play facilities, enabling the creation of global champions in exports. The MITRA scheme works in tandem with the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to enhance the scale and efficiency of the Indian textile sector.

Explanation

Ozone, which has the chemical formula O₃, is a triatomic allotrope of the element oxygen. Allotropy is the property of certain chemical elements to exist in two or more different physical forms in the same state, arising from different arrangements of atoms. In the case of oxygen, the most common allotropic form is the stable diatomic molecule O₂. Ozone is formed when O₂ molecules are broken apart by high-energy ultraviolet radiation or electrical discharges, allowing the resulting free oxygen atoms to bond with other O₂ molecules. This triatomic configuration results in a pale blue gas with a distinct pungent odor and different chemical reactivity compared to standard diatomic oxygen.

Explanation

Hima Das, the ace sprinter from Assam popularly known as the Dhing Express, was formally inducted as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Assam Police on February 26, 2021. The appointment was carried out during a ceremony in Guwahati following a decision by the Assam Cabinet to amend the Integrated Sports Policy, ensuring that medal winners in international competitions are provided with Grade I and Grade II officer positions within the state government. Hima Das earned this recognition through her historic achievements in athletics, including becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships in 2018 and winning multiple medals at the 2018 Asian Games.

Explanation

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officially awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 Asian Games to Doha, Qatar, during its 39th General Assembly held in Muscat, Oman, on December 16, 2020. Doha secured the rights following a vote among the OCA member nations. This will be the second time the city hosts the event, having previously organized the Asian Games in 2006. The bid leveraged Qatar's extensive sports infrastructure and its experience in hosting high-profile international tournaments to convince the assembly of its readiness for the 21st edition of the games.

Explanation

Dhruva Dharavarsha, who ruled from approximately 780 to 793 CE, was one of the most powerful and successful monarchs of the Rashtrakuta dynasty of Manyakheta. He succeeded his brother Govinda II and transformed the kingdom into a pan-India power. Dhruva is particularly renowned for leading the first major Rashtrakuta expedition into North India to participate in the Tripartite Struggle for the control of Kanauj. During this campaign, he defeated the Gurjara-Pratihara ruler Vatsaraja and the Pala king Dharmapala, effectively extending Rashtrakuta influence from the Kaveri River in the south to the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna in the north. His reign marked the beginning of a golden era for the dynasty, characterized by significant military achievements and the consolidation of imperial authority over vast territories.

Explanation

Kalbelia is a traditional folk dance from the state of Rajasthan, performed by the nomadic Kalbelia community, who were historically known as snake charmers. The dance is characterized by rhythmic, sinuous movements that mimic the grace and flexibility of a serpent, performed to the music of the pungi and other traditional instruments. In recognition of its unique cultural identity and the traditional knowledge passed down through generations, UNESCO inscribed Kalbelia folk songs and dances on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Explanation

Earth Hour is a global grassroots movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour as a symbol of commitment to the planet. Held annually toward the end of March, the event usually takes place from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time. Since its inception in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, it has grown to engage millions of people in more than 190 countries and territories. This symbolic gesture aims to raise awareness about the dual challenges of climate change and nature loss, urging collective action for environmental conservation and energy efficiency.

Explanation

The Twenty-fourth Amendment Act, 1971, was enacted by Parliament to neutralize the effect of the Supreme Court's judgment in the Golaknath case (1967), which had ruled that Parliament could not abridge Fundamental Rights. This Amendment modified Article 13 and Article 368 to clarify that Parliament has the power to amend any part of the Constitution, including Fundamental Rights, using its constituent power under Article 368. It specifically added a new clause to Article 13 stating that nothing in that Article shall apply to any amendment of the Constitution made under Article 368, thereby ensuring that a constitutional amendment is not considered a law in the context of Article 13's prohibition against abridging Fundamental Rights. This change effectively restored the parliamentary authority to amend the Constitution without being restricted by the judicial interpretation of law defined in Article 13.

Explanation

Me-Dum-Me-Phi is a significant ancestral worship festival celebrated primarily by the Ahom community in the state of Assam. Observed annually on January 31st, the name of the festival is derived from the Tai-Ahom language, where Me signifies offerings, Dum refers to the ancestors, and Phi means gods. During this festival, people offer prayers and sacrifices to their departed forefathers, seeking their blessings for protection against evils and for the prosperity of the community and the state. It serves as a vital cultural practice that maintains the link between the living generations and their ancestors, reflecting the deep-rooted traditional beliefs and ethnic identity of the Tai-Ahoms in the Brahmaputra valley.

Explanation

Maize is a versatile cereal crop that serves a dual purpose as both human food and animal fodder. In the Indian agricultural cycle, it is primarily categorized as a Kharif crop, typically sown at the onset of the monsoon. It requires a moderate climate for optimal growth, specifically thriving in a temperature range between 21°C and 27°C. While it can grow in various conditions, it shows high productivity in old alluvial soil, which provides the necessary nutrient profile and drainage. These specific geographic and climatic parameters are characteristic requirements for the cultivation of maize in India.

Explanation

The 100th Amendment of the Constitution of India, officially known as the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015, was enacted to give effect to the acquiring of certain territories by India and the transfer of certain other territories to Bangladesh. This was done in accordance with the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 and its 2011 Protocol. The Constitutional Amendment Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on May 6, 2015, and by the Lok Sabha on May 7, 2015. President Pranab Mukherjee, who held office from July 2012 to July 2017, gave his formal assent to the Act on May 28, 2015, thereby operationalizing the exchange of enclaves between the two nations.

Explanation

Timur, the Turco-Mongol conqueror and founder of the Timurid Empire, invaded India in 1398 AD during the reign of Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq, the last ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty. Timur crossed the Indus River in September 1398 and reached Delhi in December of the same year. The Tughlaq forces, led by the Sultan and his vizier Mallu Iqbal, were defeated on the outskirts of the capital. Following the victory, Timur's army sacked Delhi, resulting in widespread destruction and the massacre of a large portion of the population. The invasion effectively broke the power of the Tughlaq dynasty and left the Delhi Sultanate in a state of chaos and fragmentation, which eventually led to the establishment of the Sayyid dynasty by Timur's deputy, Khizr Khan.

Explanation

In December 2020, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) granted regulatory approval for the sale of cultured meat, specifically lab-grown chicken developed by the American startup Eat Just. This decision established Singapore as the first nation globally to permit the commercial sale of meat products created from animal cells without traditional slaughter. The product was launched under the brand GOOD Meat and debuted at a local restaurant shortly after. This move aligned with Singapore's 30 by 30 strategy, an initiative aimed at strengthening food security by producing 30 percent of the country's nutritional requirements domestically by the year 2030 through innovative food technologies and urban farming.

Explanation

The 56th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1987, conferred the status of a full state on Goa, making it the 25th state of the Indian Union. This change was implemented following the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act of 1987, which bifurcated the erstwhile Union Territory. While Goa was elevated to statehood, Daman and Diu remained a Union Territory. The amendment also inserted Article 371-I into the Constitution, providing special provisions for the state and fixing the minimum strength of its Legislative Assembly at thirty members. This constitutional step finalized the political evolution of Goa after its liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961 and its subsequent administration as a Union Territory.

Explanation

Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal in the 53kg freestyle category at the XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial Tournament held in Kyiv, Ukraine, in February 2021. In a highly competitive final, she defeated the reigning world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus with a score of 10-8. This victory was significant as it marked her successful return to international competition after a year-long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic and solidified her position as a top contender heading into the Tokyo Olympics.

Explanation

Brain drain, also known as human capital flight, refers to the large-scale emigration of individuals with high levels of education, technical skills, and professional expertise. This phenomenon typically occurs when professionals such as doctors, engineers, and scientists leave their home countries in search of superior wages, better working environments, and advanced career prospects in more developed nations. The movement is driven by push factors like lack of opportunity or political instability in the origin country and pull factors like higher economic rewards and social stability in the destination country. This results in a significant loss of intellectual and technical talent for the country of origin.

Explanation

Coulomb's Law states that the magnitude of the electrostatic force F between two stationary point charges q₁ and q₂ in a vacuum is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance r between them. The mathematical expression for this force is given by F = k (|q₁ q₂|)/(r²), where k is the electrostatic constant, also written as (1)/(4π₀). This law applies specifically to point charges at rest and establishes that the force acts along the straight line joining the centers of the two charges.

Explanation

The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee, in its meeting held on 7 April 2021, decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 4.00 percent. This decision was taken to support the economic recovery process following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee opted to maintain an accommodative stance to ensure that inflation remained within the target while providing necessary liquidity and stability to the financial markets. This rate was part of a series of status quo decisions maintained since May 2020 to foster a conducive environment for credit flow and investment during the period of economic uncertainty.

Explanation

The name Bhangra is derived from the Punjabi word Bhang, which translates to Hemp in English. This association exists because the dance was traditionally performed by farmers during the harvest season of the hemp crop.

Explanation

Ceres is the largest object in the main asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the first object discovered in this region in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) classified Ceres as a dwarf planet because it possesses enough mass for its gravity to pull it into a nearly round shape, although it has not cleared its orbital path of other debris. Ceres accounts for approximately one-third of the total mass of the entire asteroid belt and is the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system. Its composition includes a rocky core and an icy mantle, and it is significantly larger and more spherical than the typical irregularly shaped asteroids found in the same region.

Explanation

Dendroclimatology is the scientific discipline that uses tree rings to reconstruct the history of past climates. Since trees are sensitive to local environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, they record these variations in their annual growth rings. In many species, a wider ring indicates a favorable growing season with adequate moisture and warmth, while a narrower ring suggests environmental stress such as drought or extreme cold. By cross-dating samples from living trees with older wood from buildings or archaeological sites, scientists can build continuous chronologies that provide precise, year-by-year data on climatic fluctuations over centuries or even millennia.

Explanation

Kanailal Dutta was a prominent member of the Jugantar revolutionary group in Bengal and played a significant role in the early phase of the Indian independence movement. He was arrested in May 1908 in connection with the Alipore Bomb Conspiracy Case, also known as the Manicktolla Bomb Case or the Muraripukur Conspiracy, which followed the attempted assassination of Magistrate Douglas Kingsford. While in Alipore Jail as an undertrial, Dutta and fellow revolutionary Satyendranath Bose famously assassinated Narendranath Goswami, a former associate who had turned into a crown witness or approver. By killing Goswami inside the prison hospital, they prevented him from providing testimony that could have led to the conviction of other leaders like Aurobindo Ghosh. Kanailal Dutta was subsequently convicted for this assassination and was executed by hanging in Alipore Jail on November 10, 1908.

Explanation

Zahir-ud-din Muhammad was the birth name of the founder of the Mughal Empire, who is famously known by his nickname Babur. Born in 1483 in the Fergana Valley, he was a direct descendant of Timur from his father's side and Genghis Khan from his mother's side. The name Zahir-ud-din, which translates to Defender of the Faith, was his formal given name, while Babur, meaning Tiger, was a Persian sobriquet adopted due to the difficulty his Central Asian Mongol followers had in pronouncing his formal Arabic name. He established the Mughal dynasty in India after defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

Explanation

Sreeshankar Murali secured his qualification for the Tokyo Olympics during the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships held in Patiala in March 2021. He achieved a massive jump of 8.26m, which not only set a new Indian national record at the time but also surpassed the Olympic qualification standard of 8.22m. By April 2021, he was the sole Indian athlete in the long jump discipline to have met the entry requirements for the Tokyo Games.

Explanation

India's general government debt, which aggregates the liabilities of both the Central and State governments, reached a historical peak of 84.2 percent of GDP in the fiscal year 2003-04. This high debt level was the result of persistent fiscal deficits during the late 1990s and early 2000s, coupled with the fiscal burden imposed by the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations. The escalation of the debt-to-GDP ratio to this record level served as a primary catalyst for the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act in 2003. This legislation was designed to institutionalize fiscal discipline and set targets for reducing the deficit and stabilizing public debt, leading to a period of fiscal consolidation in the years that followed.

Explanation

Vikas Swarup, a retired Indian diplomat who served as the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, authored the novel Q and A. Published in 2005, the book tells the story of Ram Mohammad Thomas, a poor waiter who wins the top prize in a television quiz show and must explain how he knew the answers to the questions based on his life experiences. The novel gained immense international fame after being adapted into the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight Academy Awards. Swarup wrote the book in just two months while posted in London, and it has since been translated into over forty languages worldwide.

Explanation

Vidisha Baliyan made history in 2019 by becoming the first Indian to be crowned Miss Deaf World. A former international tennis player from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, she represented India at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics before entering the pageant world. She won the title at the 19th edition of the Miss and Mister Deaf World pageant held in Mbombela, South Africa, marking a significant milestone for Indian representation in international platforms for the hearing-impaired.

Explanation

The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, was enacted to remove gender-based discrimination regarding property rights in the original 1956 legislation. This significant amendment granted daughters equal rights in the ancestral property of a Hindu Undivided Family, making them coparceners by birth in the same manner as sons. It ensured that daughters have the same rights, duties, and liabilities in the coparcenary property that they would have had if they had been sons. The law came into effect on September 9, 2005, and applies to the entire country, fundamentally altering the legal landscape of inheritance for Hindu women.

Explanation

Germanium is an indirect bandgap semiconductor, which makes it unsuitable for the fabrication of light-emitting diodes. In an indirect bandgap material, the minimum energy state of the conduction band and the maximum energy state of the valence band occur at different values of crystal momentum k. When an electron and a hole recombine in such a material, the conservation of momentum requires the involvement of a phonon (a lattice vibration). As a result, the majority of the recombination energy is dissipated as heat rather than being emitted as a photon. For efficient light emission, LEDs require direct bandgap semiconductors where the electron-hole recombination can occur directly with the emission of light, a property that Germanium lacks.

Explanation

The Economic Survey 2019-20 highlighted a significant disparity between the size of the Indian economy and the scale of its banking sector. It noted that despite India being the fifth-largest economy in the world, only one Indian bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), featured in the top 100 global banks list. At that time, SBI was ranked 55th globally. The Survey emphasized that for India to achieve its goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy, its banking system needed to scale up significantly, as other major economies like China and the United States had 18 and 12 banks respectively in the top 100. This observation was used to argue for banking sector reforms and the need for more large-scale Indian banks to support global trade and domestic investment.

Explanation

Bhagat Singh was born on September 28, 1907, in Banga, Punjab. He was executed by hanging in the Lahore Central Jail on March 23, 1931, following his conviction in the Lahore Conspiracy Case for the killing of British police officer John Saunders. At the time of his execution, he was 23 years, 5 months, and 23 days old. His sacrifice at this young age made him a prominent symbol of the Indian independence movement and earned him the title Shaheed-e-Azam.

Explanation

Sustainable Development Goal 15, also known as Life on Land, is specifically dedicated to the protection, restoration, and promotion of the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. This goal encompasses the sustainable management of forests, efforts to combat desertification, and the mission to halt and reverse land degradation. Furthermore, it aims to halt the loss of biodiversity by protecting natural habitats and preventing the extinction of threatened species. The targets under SDG 15 include ensuring the conservation of mountain ecosystems, restoring degraded land and soil, and integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning and development processes. It addresses the critical need to maintain healthy land ecosystems, which provide essential services such as clean air and water, food security, and climate regulation.

Explanation

Permanent tissues are composed of mature cells that have originated from meristematic tissues and have lost the capacity to divide, instead specializing to perform specific functions. One of the defining structural characteristics of many permanent tissues, particularly parenchyma, is the presence of intercellular spaces. These spaces occur because the cells are often loosely packed or have rounded shapes that do not fit together perfectly. These gaps between cells are vital for the plant as they facilitate gaseous exchange and allow for the diffusion of water and nutrients throughout the plant body. While some permanent tissues like sclerenchyma may be more compact, the presence of intercellular spaces remains a standard feature used to distinguish differentiated tissues from the densely packed, actively dividing cells of meristematic regions.

Explanation

The States Reorganisation Act was enacted in 1956 to fundamentally redraw the administrative boundaries of India based on linguistic and cultural homogeneity. This landmark legislation was the culmination of recommendations made by the States Reorganisation Commission, headed by Fazal Ali, which aimed to replace the complex system of Part A, B, C, and D states inherited from the colonial era. By implementing the Act in November 1956, the government established 14 states and 6 union territories, thereby streamlining governance and fulfilling long-standing regional demands for linguistic states. This process was facilitated by the Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, which provided the necessary legal framework for these structural territorial adjustments across the nation.

Explanation

Karnataka is the leading producer of coffee in India, accounting for approximately 70 percent of the total national output, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The coffee industry in India primarily cultivates two varieties: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora, the latter commonly known as Robusta. Arabica is well-known for its high quality and mild flavor. Regarding its origin in India, the Arabica variety was first introduced by the Sufi saint Baba Budan, who brought seven coffee beans from Yemen in the 17th century and planted them in the Chandragiri Hills of Karnataka. Since the variety was sourced from Yemen rather than Mexico, only the statements regarding Karnataka's production status and Arabica being a coffee variety are factually accurate.

Explanation

The Uparkot Buddhist Caves are located in the city of Junagadh, situated within the premises of the historic Uparkot Fort. These rock-cut caves date back to the 2nd or 3rd century AD and represent early Buddhist architecture in the region. The cave complex is unique for its three-tiered structure, where the lower levels contain a spacious hall with intricately carved pillars and ornate capitals. These tiers were designed to serve as residential quarters (viharas) and meditation halls for Buddhist monks. The craftsmanship displays heavy influences of the Satavahana style, featuring beautiful carvings of floral patterns and human figures. The presence of deep cisterns and water tanks within the complex indicates an advanced understanding of water management systems during the era of the Western Kshatrapas.

Explanation

Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Theaceae whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. The plant is native to East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent, but it is currently cultivated across the world in tropical and subtropical regions. Various types of tea, such as black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea, are all harvested from this single species, with the differences in the final product arising from the varying degrees of oxidation and processing methods applied to the leaves after harvesting.

Explanation

A progressive tax system is designed so that the tax rate increases as the taxable amount or income increases. This system operates on the ability-to-pay principle, ensuring that individuals with higher incomes contribute a larger percentage of their earnings to the state compared to those with lower incomes. By using marginal tax brackets, the government captures a greater share of wealth from the top earners, which serves as a mechanism for income redistribution and reducing economic inequality.

Explanation

Daskathia is a traditional form of folk ballad singing and dramatic narration prevalent in the state of Odisha, particularly in the Ganjam district. The name is derived from the instrument used, known as the Kathia, which consists of two wooden clappers held in the hands to produce a rhythmic clicking sound during the performance. This art form usually involves two performers: the lead singer, called the Gayaka, and an assistant known as the Palia. Together, they narrate mythological stories and heroic legends from the Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata using a blend of rhythmic verses, music, and humorous dialogue. It serves as a significant medium for oral storytelling and social entertainment in the rural regions of Odisha.

Explanation

According to the data released by the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India regarding India's external debt statistics, the external debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 21.6% at the end of September 2020. At that time, India's total external debt was estimated at approximately US$ 556.2 billion. This ratio reflected a slight increase from the 20.6% recorded at the end of March 2020, primarily driven by the contraction in GDP during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and valuation losses resulting from the depreciation of the US dollar against the Indian rupee and other major international currencies. Under the external debt classification, commercial borrowings remained the largest component, followed by non-resident deposits and short-term trade credit.

Explanation

Red Sindhi is a prominent indigenous milch breed of cattle that originated in the Sindh region. It is widely recognized for its high milk-producing capacity and is considered one of the best dairy breeds among Zebu cattle. These animals are characterized by their distinct deep red color and are exceptionally hardy, showing great resistance to heat and common tropical diseases. In well-managed conditions, a Red Sindhi cow can produce a significant volume of milk, with lactation yields often exceeding 1700 kilograms, making them a cornerstone for dairy development and crossbreeding programs aimed at improving milk production in tropical climates.

Explanation

George Yule presided over the fourth session of the Indian National Congress held in Allahabad in 1888. He was a Scottish merchant who lived in Calcutta and served as the President of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce. Yule holds the historical distinction of being the first non-Indian and the first European to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress. His presidency was significant as it demonstrated the inclusive nature of the early nationalist movement, drawing support from individuals of diverse backgrounds who sympathized with Indian political aspirations. During the Allahabad session, the Congress discussed various administrative reforms and dealt with increasing resistance from the British colonial government regarding the organization of its meetings.

Explanation

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, conferred constitutional status on Panchayati Raj institutions by adding Part IX to the Constitution of India, titled "The Panchayats." This amendment also introduced the Eleventh Schedule, which enumerates 29 functional items within the purview of these local bodies. It established a uniform three-tier system of local self-government across the country—at the village, intermediate, and district levels—and made it mandatory for states to hold regular elections every five years. By providing a constitutional basis, the act ensured the continuity and stability of rural local government while implementing the directive principle of Article 40, which mandates the state to organize village panchayats.

Explanation

The Contempt of Courts Act was passed by the Indian Parliament in 1971. This legislation was introduced based on the recommendations of the H.N. Sanyal Committee, which was constituted in 1961 to examine the law and procedure relating to contempt of court in India. The Act provides a clear statutory definition for both civil contempt and criminal contempt, establishes the limits of the punishment that can be awarded by the courts, and prescribes the procedure to be followed for such proceedings. It ensures that the summary power of the courts to punish for contempt is exercised in a regulated manner that balances judicial authority with the fundamental rights of citizens.

Explanation

Urea, chemically known as carbamide, is industrially produced through the Bosch-Meiser process. This method involves the reaction of anhydrous ammonia with carbon dioxide (CO₂) under high pressure (approximately 150 to 200 atmospheres) and high temperature (about 180°C to 200°C). The chemical synthesis occurs in two distinct stages. In the first stage, the reactants form an intermediate compound called ammonium carbamate according to the equation 2NH₃ + CO₂ ⇌ NH₂COONH₄. In the second stage, this ammonium carbamate undergoes dehydration to produce urea and water: NH₂COONH₄ ⇌ NH₂CONH₂ + H₂O. Carbon dioxide serves as the essential source of the carbonyl group in the urea molecule.