SSC CHSL Tier 1 2013 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Under the constitutional provisions in force during 2010 and 2013, the President of India could nominate a total of 14 members to both Houses of Parliament. According to Article 80 of the Constitution, the President nominated 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from amongst persons having special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art, and social service. In addition, under Article 331, the President was empowered to nominate 2 members from the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha if the community was not adequately represented. This resulted in a combined total of 14 nominated parliamentarians.

Explanation

Article 32 of the Constitution of India provides the Right to Constitutional Remedies, which guarantees citizens the right to directly petition the Supreme Court for the enforcement of their Fundamental Rights. Under this article, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction to protect these rights and is empowered to issue various writs, namely Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Quo Warranto, and Certiorari, to ensure justice is delivered when any fundamental right is violated. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar referred to this critical provision as the heart and soul of the Indian Constitution.

Explanation

The Dandi March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, was initiated by Mahatma Gandhi on March 12, 1930, and served as the inaugural event of the Civil Disobedience Movement. By marching from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi to produce salt from seawater, Gandhi deliberately and peacefully violated the British salt laws. This act of openly defying an unjust government statute, while accepting the legal consequences of doing so, is the classic definition of civil disobedience, aiming to paralyze the colonial administration through non-violent resistance to specific laws.

Explanation

A presidential system of government is characterized by a clear separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Under this system, the President is chosen through a popular election, either directly by the citizens or through an electoral college, which gives the executive independent democratic legitimacy. Furthermore, there is a strict separation of personnel, meaning there is no overlap in membership between the executive and the legislature; a cabinet member cannot concurrently hold a seat in the congress or parliament. Additionally, both the President and the legislature are elected for a fixed term of office, and the executive cannot be dissolved by a legislative vote of no confidence, which ensures stability of tenure during the prescribed term.

Explanation

The Aihole inscription is a crucial historical source issued during the reign of the Western Chalukya king, Pulakesin II. Written in Sanskrit using the Kannada-Telugu script by his court poet Ravikirti, this inscription is located at the Meguti Jain temple in Aihole, Karnataka. It describes the genealogy of the Chalukya dynasty and elaborates on the military achievements of Pulakesin II, most notably his decisive victory over the northern emperor Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada River.

Explanation

The Mansabdari system was introduced by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1571 as a standardized administrative and military framework. The word mansab denotes a rank or position, and the system classified officers of the empire into various grades to determine their administrative status, salary, and military obligations. It was structured around two main components: Zat, which indicated the personal rank and salary of the officer, and Sawar, which specified the number of cavalrymen or horsemen the mansabdar was required to maintain for the imperial army. This system was instrumental in centralizing state power, stabilizing military recruitment, and ensuring the loyalty of the diverse nobility to the emperor.

Explanation

Production in economics is defined as the process of converting inputs into outputs that possess utility. Utility is the capacity of a commodity or service to satisfy a human want. Since consumption is the ultimate goal of all economic activities, the fundamental purpose of creating goods and services through production is to fulfill the various unlimited wants and needs of consumers.

Explanation

Inflation refers to a persistent rise in the general price level of goods and services, which reduces the purchasing power of money. This phenomenon is driven by a fundamental imbalance between aggregate demand and aggregate supply. An increase in the money supply injects more liquidity into the economy, boosting consumer demand and spending power. Simultaneously, a decrease in production reduces the physical supply of goods and services available in the market. When more money chases a smaller quantity of goods, sellers raise prices, leading to inflation.

Explanation

Dumping occurs when a manufacturer exports a product to another country at a price below the price it charges in its home market, or below its cost of production. Because this practice involves charging different prices for the same commodity in different national markets, it constitutes a form of price discrimination at the international level. For dumping to succeed, the domestic and foreign markets must be segmented to prevent consumers in the lower-priced foreign market from reselling the goods back into the higher-priced domestic market.

Explanation

Under perfect competition, a firm achieves equilibrium and maximizes its profits at the level of output where Marginal Revenue (MR) equals Marginal Cost (MC). This represents the first-order or necessary condition for profit maximization. At this point, the cost of producing an additional unit of output is exactly equal to the revenue generated from selling that additional unit. If the firm produces less than this equilibrium quantity, the revenue from an extra unit would exceed its cost, prompting the firm to increase production. Conversely, if it produces more, the cost of the extra unit would exceed its revenue, prompting a reduction in output. Therefore, the stable equilibrium is established precisely where MR = MC.

Explanation

Intermediate consumption in national income accounting refers to the value of goods and services consumed as inputs by a process of production, excluding fixed assets. Expenditure on advertisement and public relations by an enterprise is treated as a business service used up to support the production, marketing, and sales of its final output. Since this expenditure is incurred to promote ongoing business operations rather than creating long-term physical assets, it is classified under intermediate consumption.

Explanation

The concept of the Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India is borrowed from the Constitution of Australia. The Concurrent List features subjects of common interest to both the Union and the States, allowing both the Parliament and the State Legislatures to formulate laws on them. Additionally, provisions concerning freedom of trade, commerce, and intercourse, as well as the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, were also adopted from the Australian Constitution.

Explanation

Kalahari desert is a vast semi-arid sandy savanna in southern Africa, covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa.

Atacama desert is a hyper-arid plateau in South America, stretching along the Pacific coast of Chile.

Thar desert is a large, arid region in Asia, forming a natural boundary between India and Pakistan.

Great Victoria desert is the largest desert in Australia, spanning the states of Western Australia and South Australia.

Explanation

Neurons are the fundamental structural and functional units of the nervous system. They are specialized cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, sending motor commands to muscles, and transforming and relaying electrical signals at every step in between. Each neuron typically consists of a cell body containing the nucleus, dendrites that receive signals, and an axon that transmits signals to other neurons or effector organs. This specialized structure enables rapid communication throughout the body, making neurons the basic building blocks of all nervous system activity.

Explanation

Plant cells are surrounded by a rigid outer layer called the cell wall, which provides structural support, mechanical strength, and protection. The primary chemical constituent of this cell wall is cellulose, a complex polysaccharide made of linear chains of glucose units linked by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds. This cellulosic structure forms microfibrils that provide high tensile strength, allowing plants to maintain turgor pressure and stand upright.

Explanation

The nephron is the basic structural and functional unit of the kidney. Each human kidney contains approximately one million nephrons, which are responsible for filtering blood, regulating blood volume and pressure, and excreting metabolic waste products as urine. The filtration process begins in the glomerulus, a specialized network of capillaries within the nephron, where water and small solutes are forced out of the blood into Bowman's capsule by hydrostatic pressure. Subsequent tubular structures of the nephron then selectively reabsorb essential substances back into the bloodstream while converting the remaining waste into urine.

Explanation

In higher plants, particularly angiosperms, double fertilization leads to the formation of the endosperm, which serves as the primary nutritive tissue of the seed. One of the male gametes fuses with the diploid secondary nucleus to form a triploid primary endosperm nucleus, which subsequently develops into the endosperm. This tissue is highly specialized to accumulate and store reserves such as starch, proteins, and lipids, which provide the essential nutrients required for the growth and development of the embryo during seed formation and subsequent germination.

Explanation

Yeast, particularly Saccharomyces cerevisiae (such as brewer's yeast or baker's yeast), is widely recognized as a highly rich natural source of B-complex vitamins. These water-soluble vitamins, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), and folic acid (B9), play essential roles in cellular metabolism, red blood cell production, and the proper functioning of the nervous system.

Explanation

The pairing of Calcutta with Robert Clive is incorrect. Historically, the establishment of Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1690 is credited to Job Charnock, an agent of the British East India Company, who consolidated the three villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata into a British trading post. Robert Clive was a British military officer and colonial administrator who arrived much later and played a crucial role in securing British political supremacy in Bengal after winning the Battle of Plassey in 1757, rather than establishing the city itself.

Explanation

The Battle of Wandiwash, fought in 1760 during the Third Carnatic War, was the decisive clash that sealed the fate of the French empire in India. In this battle, the British forces under the command of Sir Eyre Coote defeated the French army led by Count de Lally. The crushing defeat led to the capitulation of Pondicherry and other French strongholds shortly after. It effectively eliminated French political and military power in India, reducing their presence to small trading outposts and establishing undisputed British supremacy over the Indian subcontinent.

Explanation

The Crimean War (1853 to 1856), fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, Great Britain, and Sardinia, was concluded by the Treaty of Paris. Signed on March 30, 1856, at the Congress of Paris, this peace treaty addressed the Eastern Question by preserving the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire, neutralizing the Black Sea to prohibit warships and military fortifications, and stripping Russia of its dominant influence in the Danube region.

Explanation

The Godavari is the longest river of peninsular India, flowing over a total length of approximately 1465 kilometers. Originating from the Trimbakeshwar hills near Nashik in Maharashtra, it drains a massive basin that covers about 10% of India's total geographical area. Because of its immense size, length, and cultural significance, it is also known as Dakshin Ganga or Vriddha Ganga. It flows eastwards across the Deccan Plateau, passing through Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Explanation

Moraines are depositional landforms created by the action of glaciers. As a glacier moves downslope, it erodes the underlying bedrock and transport large quantities of rock fragments, gravel, sand, and clay, collectively known as glacial till. When the glacier retreats or melts, it deposits this unsorted debris. These accumulations of till form distinct ridge-like features categorized based on their position relative to the glacier, such as lateral, medial, terminal, and ground moraines.

Explanation

The Himalayan mountain range is a classic example of young fold mountains. They were formed during the Tertiary period as a result of the continental collision between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate. The immense compressive forces generated by this convergent boundary squeezed and folded the sedimentary rocks that had accumulated in the ancient Tethys geosyncline, uplifting them to form the highest mountain range in the world.

Explanation

The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, flows northward along the eastern coast of the United States, and crosses the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe. It plays a crucial role in regulating global climate by transporting warm equatorial waters to higher latitudes, which significantly moderates the climate of Western and Northern Europe.

Explanation

In computer architecture and digital computing, a nibble is a unit of data that consists of four binary digits or bits. Since a standard byte is comprised of eight bits, a nibble is exactly equal to half of a byte. It is often used in the context of hexadecimal representation, where each hexadecimal digit represents one nibble.

Explanation

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) tags are the fundamental building blocks of web pages. These tags are defined by keywords enclosed within angular brackets, specifically the opening angle bracket < and the closing angle bracket >. For example, the tag for a paragraph is written as <p> and the tag for a main body section is written as <body>. The web browser reads these bracketed keywords to understand the structure and formatting of the document, rendering the content inside them accordingly without displaying the tags themselves to the end user.

Explanation

A daisy-wheel printer is a type of impact printer classified as a character printer. It utilizes a rotating plastic or metal disk with petal-like spokes, where each spoke holds a single fully formed character at its outer edge. To print, the wheel rotates to align the selected character with a single hammer, which then strikes the petal against an inked ribbon onto the paper. Because this mechanism relies on rotating to and striking one specific petal at a time, the printer is physically limited to producing only one character at a time.

Explanation

Enzymes are biological catalysts that accelerate chemical reactions in living systems. Structurally, the vast majority of enzymes are proteins composed of amino acids linked together in polypeptide chains. These chains fold into specific three-dimensional structures, creating a unique active site that binds to specific substrates to lower the activation energy of biological reactions and speed up their rates.

Explanation

Calcination is the thermal treatment process of heating an ore to a high temperature below its melting point, in the complete absence or in a limited supply of air. This process is mainly used to decompose carbonates and hydrated oxides, driving off moisture, volatile organic matter, and carbon dioxide to convert the ore into its corresponding metal oxide. For example, the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide occurs through calcination:

CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂

This makes the ore porous and more suitable for subsequent reduction.

Explanation

Fluorine is the most electronegative element in the periodic table, possessing a value of 3.98 on the Pauling scale. Its high electronegativity is due to its small atomic size and high effective nuclear charge, which allows its nucleus to exert a very strong electrostatic attraction on shared electrons in a chemical bond.

Explanation

Ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl) is a compound that contains all three types of chemical bonds. The bond between the ammonium cation (NH₄⁺) and the chloride anion (Cl⁻) is ionic, resulting from the strong electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. Within the ammonium ion itself, there are three normal covalent bonds formed by the sharing of electron pairs between the central nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms. The fourth bond in the ammonium ion is a coordinate (or dative covalent) bond, which is formed when the nitrogen atom in ammonia (NH₃) donates its entire lone pair of electrons to a hydrogen ion (H⁺) that has an empty 1s orbital.

Explanation

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are highly stable synthetic organic compounds containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. When released into the atmosphere, they migrate up into the stratosphere where they are broken down by intense ultraviolet radiation. This photolytic decomposition releases free chlorine atoms. These chlorine atoms act as catalysts in a highly efficient chain reaction, where a single chlorine atom can break down tens of thousands of ozone (O₃) molecules into diatomic oxygen (O₂). This process drastically reduces the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere, leading to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Explanation

Bacterium matches with Tuberculosis because it is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Fungus matches with Ringworm because it is a highly contagious fungal infection of the skin, scalp, or nails caused by various types of dermatophytes.

Protozoan matches with Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) because it is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania, which are transmitted through the bites of infected female phlebotomine sandflies.

Virus matches with Influenza because it is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses.

Explanation

Matter waves, fundamentally known as de Broglie waves, represent a central concept of quantum mechanics reflecting the wave-particle duality of matter. In 1924, French physicist Louis de Broglie proposed that all moving material particles possess wave-like properties under appropriate conditions. The wavelength associated with a moving particle, called the de Broglie wavelength, is given by the relation λ = h / p = h / (mv), where h is Planck's constant, p is the momentum of the particle, m is its mass, and v is its velocity. This relation directly connects the wave character (wavelength λ) of a particle with its corpuscular character (momentum p).

Explanation

When milk is churned vigorously, it is subjected to a rapid rotational motion. In this rotating frame of reference, the mixture experiences an outward apparent force known as centrifugal force. Because the skimmed milk portion is denser than the fat-rich cream, it is driven outward toward the walls of the container. The lighter, less dense cream globules experience less outward force and collect near the center of rotation, allowing them to separate cleanly from the rest of the milk.

Explanation

Gas thermometers are highly sensitive because gases have a much larger coefficient of thermal expansion compared to liquids. The coefficient of volume expansion of a gas is approximately ten times greater than that of a liquid. Consequently, a very small change in temperature results in a significant and easily measurable change in the volume or pressure of the gas, allowing the thermometer to detect minute temperature variations with high precision.

Explanation

The red appearance of the Sun at sunset is caused by the scattering of light, specifically Rayleigh scattering, rather than atmospheric refraction. During sunset, sunlight must travel through a much thicker layer of the atmosphere to reach our eyes compared to when the Sun is high in the sky. As a result, shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue and violet, are scattered out of the line of sight by gas molecules and other tiny particles in the air. The longer wavelengths, predominantly red and orange, are scattered the least and pass through the atmosphere to reach the observer's eyes, making the Sun and the surrounding sky appear red.

Explanation

Minorities Rights Day is observed in India on 18th December every year to protect and promote the rights of minority communities. This day marks the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities by the United Nations General Assembly on 18th December 1992. In India, the National Commission for Minorities carries out various programs and events on this day to safeguard the religious, linguistic, and cultural identity of minority groups and to raise awareness about their constitutional rights.

Explanation

The Central Drug Research Institute is located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and not in Kanpur. It is a premier drug research institute in India established under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1951.

Explanation

London is home to Trafalgar Square, a historic public plaza built to commemorate the British naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Vatican City features St. Peter's Square, the iconic plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica where papal audiences and gatherings are held. Moscow contains Red Square, the central city plaza separating the Kremlin from the historic merchant quarter of Kitay-gorod. New York is famous for Times Square, the major commercial intersection and entertainment center located in Midtown Manhattan.

Explanation

Margaret Court holds the all-time record for the most Grand Slam singles titles in women's tennis history, having won 24 major singles championships during her illustrious career. She captured her titles between 1960 and 1973, achieving a calendar-year Grand Slam in 1970.

Explanation

In the film Zanjeer, released in 1973, Pran played the iconic role of Sher Khan, a Pathan who starts as an adversary in a club fight but quickly becomes a loyal, trustworthy friend and ally of the protagonist, Inspector Vijay Khanna. This performance marked a significant transition in Pran's legendary career, shifting his screen image from a menacing villain to a highly respected and beloved character artist.

Explanation

The primary and most significant advantage of Rain Water Harvesting is the replenishment and recharge of underground aquifers. When rainwater is captured and systematically channeled into the subsurface through structures like recharge wells, shafts, borewells, or percolation pits, it directly raises the water table level. This artificial recharge mechanism ensures a sustainable and continuous supply of groundwater, which helps overcome water scarcity, combats groundwater depletion in over-exploited regions, and maintains the overall hydrological balance.

Explanation

Electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, refers to discarded electrical or electronic devices. Personal computers contain various electronic components such as microprocessors, printed circuit boards, wiring, and monitors. When these devices reach the end of their useful life and are discarded, they are classified under this category due to the presence of both valuable materials like copper and gold, and hazardous substances like lead, mercury, and cadmium.

Explanation

Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India, was the first person to be awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. The original statutes of the country's highest civilian award, established in 1954, did not contain provisions for posthumous awards. Following his untimely demise on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, the statutes were amended in January 1966 to permit posthumous recognition. He was subsequently honored with the award in the same year, 1966.

Explanation

Australia won the 2013 ICC Women's World Cup, which was hosted by India in February 2013. In the final match played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on 17 February 2013, Australia defeated the West Indies by 114 runs to claim their sixth World Cup title. Australia batted first and posted a total of 259/7 in their allotted 50 overs, and then successfully bowled out the opposition for 145 runs.

Explanation

The Ngultrum is the official currency of the Kingdom of Bhutan. It was introduced in 1974 to replace the Bhutanese rupee at par. The currency is pegged directly to the Indian Rupee at a one-to-one exchange rate, allowing both currencies to be used in the country, and it is subdivided into 100 chhertum.

Explanation

Sattriya Nritya originated in the state of Assam. It was introduced in the 15th century CE by the great Vaishnavite saint and reformer Sankaradeva as a medium for the propagation of the Bhakti movement. The dance form is deeply rooted in the Sattras, which are the Vaishnavite monasteries of Assam, and it derives its name from these institutions. Originally performed by male monks, known as bhokots, as a part of their religious rituals and theatrical performances, Sattriya has preserved its traditional features over centuries to become one of the premier classical dances of India.

Explanation

At the 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards held in July 2013, the award for Best Film was won by the movie Barfi! rather than Agneepath.