SSC CHSL Tier 1 2015 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Mass is defined as the measure of the quantitative amount of matter contained within an object. It represents a fundamental property of physical bodies that reflects the total number of atoms and molecules they comprise. Because mass is intrinsic to the substance itself, it remains constant regardless of the object's location in the universe or the gravitational forces acting upon it.

Explanation

Substitute goods are those that can be used in place of one another to satisfy a similar want, such as tea and coffee. When the price of a substitute of commodity x falls, that substitute becomes relatively cheaper. Consequently, consumers switch their consumption away from commodity x toward the cheaper substitute. This direct relationship between the price of a substitute and the demand for a commodity means that a decrease in the price of the substitute leads to a decline in the demand for commodity x.

Explanation

Transpiration is the process of water vapor loss from the aerial parts of plants, primarily through the stomata. The rate of transpiration increases significantly under conditions that enhance the rate of evaporation and maintain a steep water vapor concentration gradient between the interior of the leaf and the external atmosphere.

High temperatures increase the rate of evaporation of water from the cell walls into the intercellular spaces of the leaf. Dry air has low relative humidity, which creates a steep diffusion gradient between the saturated air inside the leaf and the dry air outside. Windy conditions continuously sweep away the boundary layer of water vapor that accumulates on the surface of the leaf, preventing local air saturation and maintaining rapid outward diffusion of water vapor.

Explanation

In plant anatomy, a conjoint vascular bundle is one in which the xylem and phloem are positioned together along the same radius. When the phloem lies on the outer side towards the periphery and the xylem lies on the inner side towards the center along this same radius, the vascular bundle is specifically termed a collateral vascular bundle. This arrangement is commonly found in the stems and leaves of gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Explanation

The Black Hole tragedy occurred on June 20, 1756, at Fort William in Calcutta. Following the capture of the fort by Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, British prisoners of war were confined overnight in a small, poorly ventilated dungeon. The extreme heat, lack of water, and suffocating conditions led to the deaths of a large number of the captives by the next morning. This incident became a major focal point for British retaliation, leading directly to the recapture of Calcutta and the subsequent Battle of Plassey in 1757.

Explanation

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It entered into force in 2005 with the primary goal of combatting global warming by committing industrialized nations to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By setting legally binding targets to control the release of key greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, the protocol aims to mitigate human-induced climate change.

Explanation

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First observed in 1970 in the United States, this day has grown into a major global event coordinated by the Earth Day Network, with participation from over 190 countries to promote sustainability, combat climate change, and raise awareness about pressing ecological issues.

Explanation

Firmware is a specific class of computer software that provides low-level control for a device's specific hardware. Because this software is written directly and permanently into non-volatile memory chips such as Read-Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), or Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), all forms of ROM used to store these instructions are commonly referred to as firmware. This integration of software and hardware allows the system to boot up and initialize hardware components without relying on external storage devices.

Explanation

Rugby Football, traditionally referring to Rugby Union, is played with 15 players on each side on the pitch at any one time. These players are divided into eight forwards, who participate in scrums and lineouts to contest possession of the ball, and seven backs, who utilize speed and agility to advance the ball and score points.

Explanation

According to the Planck-Einstein relation, the energy E of a photon is given by E = hν, where h is Planck's constant and ν is the frequency of radiation. Re-arranging this formula gives h = E/ν. Since energy has the dimensional formula [ML²T⁻²] and frequency has the dimensional formula [T⁻¹], the dimensional formula of Planck's constant is [ML²T⁻²] / [T⁻¹] = [ML²T⁻¹].

Similarly, angular momentum is the product of position vector and linear momentum, given by L = r × p. Substituting the dimensions of distance [L] and momentum [MLT⁻¹] gives the dimensional formula for angular momentum as [L] × [MLT⁻¹] = [ML²T⁻¹].

Explanation

Michael Faraday discovered the crucial reciprocal link between electricity and magnetism through his discovery of electromagnetic induction in 1831. He demonstrated that a changing magnetic field induces an electromotive force and generates an electric current in a closed conductor. This discovery showed that magnetism could be used to produce electricity, establishing the fundamental physical connection between the two forces and laying the groundwork for modern electrical generators, transformers, and electric motors.

Explanation

Article 324 of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of the Election Commission of India. This article vests the power of superintendence, direction, and control of elections to the Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President of India in this independent constitutional body, ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections.

Explanation

Glaciers and ice caps hold the vast majority of the Earth's freshwater. They contain approximately 68.7% of the total global freshwater resource, mostly locked in the massive ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland. This makes glaciers the single largest reservoir of fresh water on the planet.

Explanation

The famous Shiva temple at Ellora, widely known as the Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), was commissioned by the Rashtrakuta King Krishna I, who ruled in the eighth century (c. 756 to 774 CE). This magnificent structure is a world-renowned masterpiece of rock-cut architecture, carved entirely from a single, massive monolithic basalt cliff. Designed to resemble Mount Kailash, the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva, the temple features remarkable Dravidian architectural style, intricate relief carvings, and complex sculptural details that represent a pinnacle of ancient Indian art, engineering, and craftsmanship.

Explanation

By number of atoms, hydrogen is the most abundant element in living systems, making up approximately 62% to 63% of all atoms in the body. While oxygen is the most abundant element by mass due to its heavier atomic weight, hydrogen dominates in numerical count. This abundance is driven by the fact that water (H₂O) constitutes about 60% to 70% of the weight of living organisms, contributing two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom, in addition to the extensive presence of hydrogen in all organic biomolecules.

Explanation

Polarisation restricts the vibrations of a wave to a single plane perpendicular to the direction of its propagation. This phenomenon is exhibited exclusively by transverse waves, where the oscillations of the electric and magnetic fields occur perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. Longitudinal waves, which vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation, cannot be polarised. Therefore, the occurrence of polarisation in light serves as the definitive proof of its transverse nature.

Explanation

Andhra State was the first linguistic state created in independent India on October 1, 1953. The state was carved out of the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras State. The creation of this state was the result of a massive public movement and a 56-day fast unto death by Gandhian activist Potti Sreeramulu, who demanded a separate state for Telugu speakers. His demise led to widespread protests, prompting the Government of India to concede the demand and subsequently establish the States Reorganisation Commission in December 1953 to examine the reorganization of state boundaries on a linguistic basis.

Explanation

The Survey of India, established in 1767, is the oldest scientific department of the Government of India. It functions under the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology. The headquarters of this premier national mapping agency is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, having been moved there during the Second World War in 1942.

Explanation

The Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu is highly susceptible to soil and groundwater salinization, which has rendered large areas of agricultural land unfit for cultivation. Being a low-lying coastal tail-end district of the Cauvery delta, it suffers from severe seawater intrusion and coastal flooding. This environmental challenge was greatly exacerbated by the tsunami in December 2004, which inundated vast tracts of fertile agricultural fields with seawater. The influx of salt water deposited massive amounts of soluble salts, transforming the soil into sodic and highly saline land that is detrimental to crop growth. Additionally, the rapid expansion of aquaculture and shrimp farming in the region has led to further seepage of saline water into adjacent fields, causing them to become uncultivable for traditional crops like paddy.

Explanation

A mixed economy is an economic system that combines elements of both market and planned economies, characterized by the co-existence of the public and private sectors. In this setup, private enterprises are allowed to operate freely and search for profits under market forces, while the government or public sector runs essential enterprises, regulates key industries, and intervenes to provide public goods and social welfare.

Explanation

The natural system of classification for flowering plants was proposed by the eminent British botanists George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker. They published this highly detailed and widely accepted classification system in their landmark three-volume work Genera Plantarum between 1862 and 1883. This system classified plants based on a comprehensive analysis of their natural, morphological, and structural affinities, rather than relying on a few superficial characters.

Explanation

The Lalit Kala Akademi, also known as the National Academy of Art, was established in New Delhi on 5 August 1954 by the Government of India. It is an autonomous organisation fully funded by the Ministry of Culture. Its primary objective is to promote, propagate, and foster understanding of Indian fine arts and visual arts, which includes disciplines such as painting, sculpture, graphics, ceramics, and photography, both within the country and internationally.

Explanation

Vijay Seshadri, an India-born American poet, was awarded the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection of poems titled 3 Sections. Born in Bangalore, India, Seshadri moved to the United States at the age of five. His prize-winning work, published by Graywolf Press, was praised by the Pulitzer jury as a compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness from birth to dementia, blending lyrical, meditative, and prose forms with a voice that is both witty and grave.

Explanation

The World Wildlife Fund, now officially known as the World Wide Fund for Nature, was established on April 29, 1961. Its creation was initiated by a group of passionate conservationists who signed the Morges Manifesto. This document led to the formal registration of the organization as a charitable trust in Switzerland on September 11, 1961, with the primary objective of raising funds to support global conservation efforts and protect endangered species and their habitats.

Explanation

Arundhati Roy is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The God of Small Things, published in 1997. Set in the town of Aymanam in Kerala, India, the semi-autobiographical debut novel explores the childhood experiences of twin siblings and won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997.

Explanation

Minamata disease is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning, specifically from consuming fish and shellfish contaminated with methylmercury. It was first discovered in 1956 in Minamata City, Japan, where highly toxic industrial wastewater containing methylmercury was discharged from a chemical factory into Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea. The toxin bioaccumulated up the marine food chain, leading to severe neurological symptoms, paralysis, and death in the local population who consumed the contaminated seafood.

Explanation

Gold is referred to as the king of metals because of its exceptional chemical stability, resistance to oxidation, and high value. It does not react with oxygen, water, or most acids under normal conditions, meaning it remains lustrous and untarnished over time. This high resistance to corrosion, combined with its high malleability, ductility, and historical status as a symbol of wealth and currency, earns it this title.

Explanation

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was established in 1986, making it the first biosphere reserve in India. Spanning an area of over 5,500 square kilometers in the Western Ghats, it encompasses contiguous ecoclimatic regions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. This reserve is known for its rich biodiversity and endemic species like the Nilgiri tahr and the lion-tailed macaque.

Explanation

Harisena was the court poet and minister of the Gupta Emperor Samudragupta. He composed the Allahabad Pillar inscription, also known as the Prayag Prashasti, in the 4th century CE. Written in classical Sanskrit in the Champu kavya style and Brahmi script, this panegyric provides a detailed account of the conquests and achievements of Samudragupta, listing the rulers he defeated and the territories he annexed into the Gupta Empire.

Explanation

The kimono is the traditional national garment of Japan. Its name literally translates to thing to wear, derived from the Japanese words ki, meaning to wear, and mono, meaning thing. It is a T-shaped, straight-lined robe that falls to the ankles, featuring long, wide sleeves and a wrap-front design. Traditionally, the kimono is wrapped around the body with the left side over the right and secured at the waist with a wide sash known as an obi. While historically worn as everyday attire, in modern times it is primarily worn during formal events, festivals, weddings, and traditional ceremonies.

Explanation

Joseph Alois Schumpeter distinguished between autonomous investment and induced investment as part of his theory of economic development and business cycles. Autonomous investment is independent of current income levels or market demand, driven instead by exogenous factors such as technological innovation, the introduction of new products, and entrepreneurial initiatives. In contrast, induced investment is driven by endogenous changes in income, profit expectations, and consumer demand, expanding capacity to meet established market needs.

Explanation

Proteins are polymer chains composed of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. During translation, ribosomes decode messenger RNA (mRNA) to assemble these amino acids in a specific linear sequence. This sequence subsequently folds into a functional three-dimensional protein structure, making amino acids the essential building blocks for protein synthesis.

Explanation

The Dr. P. Rama Rao Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Defence in 2007 to conduct a comprehensive review of the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The committee recommended significant reforms to restructure the DRDO, improve its efficiency, and strengthen the synergy between the research organisation and the Indian Armed Forces. Among its key proposals were the restructuring of DRDO headquarters, establishing technology-domain-based clusters, and initiating decentralized financial advice systems to expedite defence R | D projects.

Explanation

A change in the price of the commodity itself causes a movement along the existing demand curve rather than a shift in the curve. When the price of the commodity changes, it leads to either an expansion or a contraction of demand along the same curve, representing a change in the quantity demanded. A shift in the demand curve only occurs when there is a change in factors other than the price of the product itself.

Explanation

Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama that originated in the state of Kerala during the 17th century. It is renowned for its elaborate and colorful makeup, magnificent costumes, and solemn hand gestures (mudras) combined with highly expressive facial and eye movements. The performances traditionally depict stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas, accompanied by live vocalists and percussion instruments like the chenda and maddalam.

Explanation

Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, primarily in the oceans, which hold about 97% of the planet's total water. The remaining 29% of the Earth's surface consists of land, including continents and islands.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Johannes Kepler formulated the laws of planetary motion, the first of which is the Law of Ellipses. Through his rigorous mathematical analysis of the highly accurate observational data collected by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, particularly concerning the orbit of Mars, Kepler discovered and proved that the orbit of each planet around the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun located at one of the two foci. This discovery, published in his 1609 work Astronomia nova, successfully challenged the long-held belief that planetary paths must be perfect circles.

Explanation

Raja Todar Mal started his administrative career under the Sur Dynasty, serving under Sher Shah Suri. He was actively involved in land revenue administration, surveying, and the construction of the formidable Rohtas Fort in Punjab. The valuable experience he gained under Sher Shah Suri in land assessment and administrative reforms later enabled him to develop the famous Dahsala revenue system.

Explanation

First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) is the simplest CPU-scheduling algorithm because it allocates the CPU to processes in the exact order of their arrival. It is implemented easily using a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) queue structure. When a process enters the ready queue, its process control block is linked to the tail of the queue, and when the CPU becomes free, it is allocated to the process at the head of the queue. Since it is non-preemptive and requires no complex priority calculations or state transitions, it involves the least amount of system overhead and implementation complexity.

Explanation

The radius of an atomic nucleus is of the order of 10⁻¹⁵ meters. One fermi is defined as exactly 10⁻¹⁵ meters, which directly matches this subatomic scale. Because nuclear dimensions typically range from 1 to 10 fermis, this unit provides the most appropriate and convenient scale for expressing nuclear radii without using extremely large negative exponents.

Explanation

The League of Nations was formally established on January 10, 1920, when the Covenant of the League of Nations, ratified by the member nations, came into force. It was created as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War, with the primary objective of preventing future wars through collective security, disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration.

Explanation

Mahatma Gandhi attended the Second Round Table Conference in London in 1931 as the sole representative of the Indian National Congress. This participation followed the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact in March 1931, under which the Congress agreed to halt the Civil Disobedience Movement and join the discussions regarding constitutional reforms for India.

Explanation

When air is blown through an open pipe, the pipe's open ends allow the air inside to remain in continuous contact with the surrounding atmosphere. This open connection ensures that any pressure differences are instantly balanced, keeping the pressure of the flowing air constant and equal to the atmospheric pressure throughout the process. Since the pressure remains constant while other variables like volume and temperature may change, the process is classified as an isobaric process.

Explanation

Namibia is a member of the Common Monetary Area alongside South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. The official national currency of Namibia is the Namibian Dollar, which is pegged to the South African Rand on a 1:1 ratio. The South African Rand is recognized as legal tender in Namibia and circulates freely alongside the Namibian Dollar, making the Rand an accepted currency in the country.

Explanation

Iron is a ferromagnetic material, meaning it possesses strong magnetic properties and is attracted to magnets. When a magnet is brought near a heterogeneous mixture containing iron filings, the magnetic force selectively attracts the iron filings, causing them to cling to the magnet. This allows the iron filings to be easily lifted and separated from the non-magnetic components of the mixture.

Explanation

Christmas factor, also known as Factor IX, is a crucial clotting protein involved in the blood coagulation cascade. It is an inactive protease precursor that is activated in the presence of calcium ions by either Factor XIa or the Factor VIIa-tissue factor complex. Once activated, Factor IXa works alongside Factor VIIIa, calcium, and phospholipids to activate Factor X, leading to the formation of a stable blood clot. A deficiency or defect in this clotting factor causes Hemophilia B, also known as Christmas disease, which is a genetic bleeding disorder characterized by the body's inability to clot blood effectively.

Explanation

According to Article 56(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, the President of India may resign from office before the completion of their five-year term by writing a resignation letter under their hand addressed to the Vice-President of India. Additionally, Article 56(2) mandates that the Vice-President must immediately communicate this resignation to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Explanation

Romancing with Life is the autobiography of the legendary Indian actor, director, and producer Dev Anand, published in 2007. In this memoir, Dev Anand narrates his life story in his characteristic energetic and optimistic style, spanning over six decades of his illustrious career in Indian cinema. The book chronicles his youth in Lahore and Gurdaspur, his early struggles in Bombay during the 1940s, his rise to stardom, and his encounters with various prominent figures of Bollywood, offering an intimate look into his professional and personal journey.

Explanation

Alfred Marshall introduced the concept of the time element in price analysis in his seminal work, Principles of Economics. He divided time into four distinct periods: the market period (very short run), the short run, the long run, and the very long run (secular period). Marshall utilized this classification to show how the interaction of demand and supply in determining the price of a commodity varies depending on the time available for supply to adjust. In the short run, demand is the more active factor because supply is relatively inelastic, whereas in the long run, supply becomes highly elastic and plays a more dominant role in determining price.

Explanation

The Sindu River, also known as the Indus River, originates in the northern slopes of the Kailash Range in Tibet near Lake Manasarovar. The Kailash Range is a major part of the Trans-Himalayan mountain system, which lies to the north of the Great Himalayan range. From its source in this Trans-Himalayan region, the river flows northwest through the Ladakh region of India before entering Pakistan and eventually emptying into the Arabian Sea.