SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Schistosomiasis is a chronic water-borne disease caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, commonly known as blood flukes. Transmission occurs when people come into contact with freshwater contaminated with the larval forms of these parasites, which are released by freshwater snails. The larvae penetrate human skin during contact with infested water, entering the bloodstream to mature and reproduce, leading to infections of the urinary tract or intestines.

Explanation

Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, located in Leh, is situated at an elevation of 3,256 meters (10,682 feet) above mean sea level, making it the highest commercial airport in India. Due to the challenging high-altitude terrain and strong mountain winds that develop in the afternoon, all commercial flights are scheduled to land and take off only during the morning hours.

Explanation

The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest land border in the world. It spans a total length of approximately 8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles). This extensive boundary consists of two main sections: the border between Canada and the contiguous United States, measuring about 6,414 kilometers, and the border between Canada and the state of Alaska, measuring about 2,477 kilometers. Known as the International Boundary, it crosses landscapes of diverse terrain, including land, forests, and water bodies.

Explanation

Baghdad is the capital and largest city of Iraq. Situated along the Tigris River, it is the second-largest city in the Arab world. Historically founded in 762 AD by the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad quickly became a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center of the Islamic Golden Age. Today, it serves as the administrative, political, and economic hub of the Republic of Iraq.

Explanation

The Bibi Ka Maqbara is a prominent monument located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It was commissioned in 1678 by Prince Azam Shah, the son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in memory of his mother, Dilras Banu Begum, who was posthumously known as Rabia-ud-Daurani. The mausoleum is widely celebrated for its architectural design, which closely replicates the Taj Mahal in Agra, earning it the moniker of the Taj of the Deccan.

Explanation

The Battle of Kanauj, also known as the Battle of Bilgram, was fought on May 17, 1540, between the Mughal Emperor Humayun and the founder of the Suri Empire, Sher Shah Suri. Sher Shah Suri emerged victorious, securing a decisive win that forced Humayun to flee into exile and established the Suri Dynasty in Delhi.

Explanation

Java was initiated as a project by James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, and Patrick Naughton at Sun Microsystems in June 1991. It was officially released to the public in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems Java platform. The language was designed to have a Write Once, Run Anywhere capability, allowing compiled Java code to run on all platforms that support Java without the need for recompilation.

Explanation

In December 1900, Max Planck presented his derivation of the blackbody radiation law, which introduced the revolutionary concept that electromagnetic energy is emitted or absorbed in discrete packets called quanta. He formulated the fundamental relation E = hν, where E is energy, ν is frequency, and h is the Planck constant (approximately 6.626 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s). This groundbreaking work solved the ultraviolet catastrophe of classical physics, established the core foundation of quantum theory, and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.

Explanation

Spin motion is defined as the rotation of an object about an axis that passes through the object itself. In this type of motion, every particle of the body, except those lying on the axis of rotation, moves in a circular path around this internal axis. A classic example is a spinning top or the rotation of the Earth on its axis, which runs directly through its geographic poles. This characteristic of having the axis of rotation within the boundaries of the object defines spin motion.

Explanation

Air India One is the official radio call sign designated for any aircraft carrying the President of India, the Vice President of India, or the Prime Minister of India. Operated by the Indian Air Force for VIP transport, this call sign is recognized globally by air traffic control authorities to ensure high-priority handling, safety, and security of the flight during official state visits both domestically and internationally.

Explanation

Article 32 of the Indian Constitution, located in Part III, provides the Right to Constitutional Remedies, which is itself a fundamental right. It guarantees the right to move the Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of the fundamental rights conferred upon Indian citizens. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar famously referred to Article 32 as the very soul of the Constitution and its heart, because a right without a remedy is meaningless. Under this article, the Supreme Court has the power to issue directions, orders, or writs, including habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, and certiorari, for the enforcement of any of these fundamental rights.

Explanation

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore created history at the 2004 Athens Olympics by winning the silver medal in the men's double trap shooting event. This outstanding achievement marked the first time an individual athlete representing independent India won a silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Explanation

J.K. Rowling is the British author who wrote the internationally acclaimed Harry Potter fantasy novel series. Published between 1997 and 2007, the seven-book series follows the adventures of the young wizard Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series achieved immense global success, selling hundreds of millions of copies worldwide and becoming the best-selling book series in history.

Explanation

The APPEND command is used in various operating systems, database management systems, and programming languages to add or merge the contents of one file to the end of another. Unlike commands that overwrite existing files, appending preserves the current data in the destination file and concatenates the new contents directly to the end, effectively merging the data of both files.

Explanation

Josephine Cochrane invented the first commercially successful automatic dishwasher in 1886. She designed a mechanical dishwashing machine that used water pressure to clean dishes instead of scrubbers, securing US Patent number 355139 on December 28, 1886. Her design involved placing dishes in wire compartments inside a wheel that lay flat within a copper boiler, which spun as hot, soapy water was pumped over them. Cochrane later founded the Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Company to market her invention, which gained widespread recognition and won a top award for design and durability at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Explanation

Blood platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are specialized cell fragments in the blood that play a vital role in blood clotting and hemostasis. When a blood vessel is injured, platelets quickly adhere to the damaged site and release chemical factors, including thromboplastin. In the presence of calcium ions, thromboplastin triggers a biochemical cascade that activates and converts the inactive precursor prothrombin into active thrombin. Thrombin then converts soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin threads that trap blood cells and form a stable clot, preventing further blood loss. Thus, blood platelets are the key cellular elements responsible for initiating the coagulation cascade and the activation of prothrombin at the site of injury.

Explanation

Acacia arabica is the scientific name of Babhul, which is commonly known as Babul or the Indian gum arabic tree. This spiny evergreen tree belongs to the family Fabaceae and is native to dry and semi-arid regions of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.

Explanation

Canis vulpes is an older scientific name for the fox, specifically the red fox. The species was originally classified and described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 under the binomial name Canis vulpes. In modern scientific classification, it has been moved to the genus Vulpes, making its accepted scientific name Vulpes vulpes, while Canis vulpes remains a recognized historical synonym.

Explanation

The pH of pure water is determined by its self-ionization, where water molecules dissociate into hydrogen ions H⁺ and hydroxide ions OH⁻. At 25 °C, pure water is neutral and has equal concentrations of H⁺ and OH⁻ ions, with [H⁺] = 10⁻⁷ mol/L. The pH is defined by the formula:

pH = -log₁₀[H⁺]

Substituting the concentration of hydrogen ions:

pH = -log₁₀(10⁻⁷) = 7

This neutral value of 7 indicates that the water is neither acidic nor basic.

Explanation

Solid carbon dioxide is commonly known as dry ice. It gets this name because it resembles regular ice but does not melt into a liquid when heated. Instead, at standard atmospheric pressure, it undergoes sublimation, transitioning directly from a solid state to a gaseous state at a temperature of -78.5 °C. This property makes it highly effective for cooling and refrigeration purposes without leaving any liquid residue.

Explanation

In 2008, scientists analyzing murals from the Bamiyan caves in western Afghanistan discovered that several of the Buddhist cave paintings dating from the fifth to tenth centuries were created using oil-based paints. The artists utilized natural oils, such as walnut and poppy seed oil, as binders for the pigments. This finding proved that oil paint was used in Central Asia by Indian and Chinese painters along the Silk Road hundreds of years before its development and widespread use in Europe.

Explanation

The Flamingo Festival is celebrated annually in Andhra Pradesh. This eco-tourism event is organized at Pulicat Lake and the Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary in the Nellore district. It aims to promote tourism and raise awareness about the conservation of migratory bird species, especially the Greater Flamingos, which visit the brackish water lagoon of Pulicat Lake in large numbers during the winter.

Explanation

According to the expenditure approach, the Gross Domestic Product of a country is calculated using the formula GDP = C + I + G + (X - M), where C represents consumer spending, I is investment by businesses, G is government spending, and (X - M) is net exports (exports minus imports).

Substituting the given values into the formula:

990 = 630 + 110 + G + (55 - 45)

990 = 740 + G + 10

990 = 750 + G

G = 990 - 750

G = 240 million

Therefore, the government spending for the year is 240 million.

Explanation

Economic equilibrium is a state of balance in a market where the market forces of supply and demand are perfectly aligned. This equilibrium is reached at a specific price, known as the market-clearing price, where the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy is exactly equal to the quantity that producers are willing and able to sell. At this point, there is no upward or downward pressure on the market price, resulting in a stable market state.

Explanation

Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆. It serves as the primary commercial source of the alkaline earth metal beryllium. The mineral is characterized by its hexagonal crystal structure and is highly valued both as a gemstone and as an industrial ore for extracting beryllium, which is utilized in aerospace, defense, and electronics applications due to its high thermal conductivity, low density, and structural stability.

Explanation

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon where certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat, warming the planet's surface. Solar radiation passes through the atmosphere and heats the Earth. The Earth then radiates this energy back towards space as thermal infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide absorb this outgoing radiation and re-emit it in all directions, including back down to the surface. This process retains heat in the lower atmosphere, maintaining global temperatures at a level capable of supporting life.

Explanation

Gorakhpur Railway Station, located in Uttar Pradesh, became the longest railway platform in India and the world after its remodeling work was completed in October 2013. The platform spans a total length of 1,366.33 metres (approximately 4,482.7 feet), securing its position as the longest functional platform during this period.

Explanation

Saturn is the second-largest planet in our Solar System, surpassed in physical size only by Jupiter. It has a mean radius of approximately 58,232 kilometers, which is about nine times the radius of Earth, and a volume over 760 times that of Earth, establishing its position as the second most massive and largest planetary body.

Explanation

Europe has a land area of approximately 10.18 million square kilometers, which constitutes about 6.8% of the Earth's total land area. Globally, it is the second-smallest continent by surface area, being larger only than Australia. Its relatively small geographic extent makes its land area the smallest among the listed options.

Explanation

The Jodhpur Fort, popularly known as Mehrangarh Fort, was built by Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur and the 15th Rajput ruler of the Rathore clan. In 1459, he decided to shift his capital from the nearby town of Mandore to a more secure location. He laid the foundation of this massive fort on an isolated, rocky hill known as Bhaurcheeria (the mountain of birds), which rises 122 meters above the surrounding plains to provide superior natural defenses for his kingdom.

Explanation

The First Battle of Panipat was fought on 21 April 1526 between the invading forces of Babur and the Lodi dynasty under Ibrahim Lodi. Babur's decisive victory in this battle marked the end of the Delhi Sultanate and established the Mughal Empire in India.

Explanation

Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems titled Gitanjali. With this prestigious honor, he became the first Indian as well as the first non-European to receive a Nobel Prize. His work was highly acclaimed for its deeply sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verse, which introduced his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, to Western literature.

Explanation

Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted on a surface by the weight of the air above that surface in the Earth's atmosphere. A barometer is the scientific instrument designed specifically to measure this pressure. Invented by the Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli in 1643, a traditional mercury barometer works by balancing the weight of mercury in a glass tube against the atmospheric pressure of the surrounding air. As the atmospheric pressure changes, the height of the mercury column rises or falls, providing an accurate measurement of the weight of the atmosphere.

Explanation

A hyetometer is a meteorological instrument used to measure the quantity of precipitation, specifically rainfall, over a specified period of time. The term originates from the Greek word hyetos, which translates to rain, combined with metron, meaning measure. It is also referred to as a rain gauge, udometer, or pluviometer, and it collects and measures liquid precipitation in a standardized area to determine rainfall depth in millimeters or inches.

Explanation

According to Article 80 of the Constitution of India, the maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha is 250 members. Out of this total, 12 members are nominated by the President of India for their special knowledge or practical experience in fields such as literature, science, art, and social service. The remaining 238 members are representatives of the States and Union Territories, who are elected indirectly by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States and Union Territories in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

Explanation

The Look East Policy of India was initiated in 1991 during the administration of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. It was designed to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia, particularly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to integrate India into the broader Asia-Pacific region. This strategic shift marked a major transition in India's foreign policy during the post-Cold War era, aiming to bolster trade, investment, and strategic partnerships as part of India's economic liberalization reforms.

Explanation

Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa won the gold medal in the men's 400-meter sprint at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Running from the disadvantageous lane eight, he finished the race in a world-record time of 43.03 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 43.18 seconds set by Michael Johnson in 1999.

Explanation

Arundhati Roy wrote the debut novel "The God of Small Things", which was published in 1997. Set in the state of Kerala, India, the book explores how small, seemingly insignificant things shape people's lives and destinies, while addressing complex themes of caste, class, and family dynamics. The novel received critical acclaim worldwide and won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1997.

Explanation

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially administers the World Heritage program, which identifies, protects, and preserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. This initiative is governed by the World Heritage Convention, which was adopted by UNESCO in 1972 to safeguard these unique landmarks for future generations.

Explanation

Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, making him the first Asian and first non-European to receive this honor. The Swedish Academy recognized him because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verse, which was elegantly showcased in his collection of poetry titled Gitanjali: Song Offerings. Published in English translation in 1912 with an introduction by W. B. Yeats, this work introduced Indian spiritual and poetic traditions to a global audience.

Explanation

Hydralazine is a direct-acting vasodilator medication used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It works by relaxing and dilating the smooth muscles of the arterial blood vessels, particularly the arterioles. This direct vasodilation decreases peripheral vascular resistance, allowing blood to flow more easily and effectively lowering systemic arterial blood pressure. By reducing the overall workload on the heart, it helps prevent serious cardiovascular complications associated with chronic high blood pressure.

Explanation

The beetroot is the modified taproot of the beet plant (Beta vulgaris). A taproot is the main, central root that grows directly downward into the soil from the radicle of the seed.

In beetroot, this taproot is modified specifically for food and water storage. It is categorized as a napiform taproot, which is swollen and spherical at the upper portion and narrows abruptly into a thin, tail-like projection at the base. The root swells as it accumulates carbohydrates and other nutrients during the first growing season of the plant.

Explanation

A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes are composed of specific sequences of DNA that carry the coded instructions necessary for synthesizing proteins, which ultimately determine the specific traits and characteristics passed from parents to offspring during reproduction. Each gene resides at a specific location on a chromosome and serves as the fundamental vehicle of inheritance.

Explanation

Vinegar is a liquid consisting of about 5% to 20% acetic acid by volume, with the chemical formula CH₃COOH, dissolved in water. Acetic acid is produced through the fermentation of ethanol or sugars by acetic acid bacteria. It is the key component that gives vinegar its characteristic sour taste and strong, pungent aroma.

Explanation

A polar covalent bond is formed between two non-metal atoms that have a significant difference in electronegativity, typically ranging from 0.4 to 1.7 on the Pauling scale. In a P-Cl bond, phosphorus has an electronegativity of 2.19 and chlorine has an electronegativity of 3.16. The electronegativity difference between the two atoms is 3.16 - 2.19 = 0.97. Because of this difference, the shared pair of electrons is drawn closer to the more electronegative chlorine atom, creating a dipole with a partial negative charge on chlorine and a partial positive charge on phosphorus. This unequal sharing of electrons establishes a polar covalent bond.

Explanation

The Control Unit is a core component of the central processing unit that acts as the coordinator of the entire computer system. It is responsible for fetching instructions from the main memory, decoding them to determine what operation needs to be performed, and generating the necessary control signals. By issuing these signals, the Control Unit directs the flow of data and instructs the arithmetic/logic unit, memory registers, and input/output devices on how to respond and execute the program instructions in the correct sequence.

Explanation

Meghalaya designated English as its official language to facilitate administration and communication among its diverse population, which speaks various local tribal languages such as Khasi, Garo, and Pnar. This policy ensures a uniform medium for legislative, judicial, and executive functions within the state.

Explanation

At market equilibrium, the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied: D = S

Substituting the given demand and supply equations: 11000 - 30P = 4000 + 40P

Grouping the like terms together to solve for the price P: 11000 - 4000 = 40P + 30P 7000 = 70P P = 7000 / 70 P = 100

Explanation

Disposable income is the net income available to households for consumption and saving after subtracting personal direct taxes from their total personal income. This is represented by the relation:

Yd = Y - T

where Yd is disposable income, Y is national or personal income, and T is the total tax paid. Since taxes are calculated as a function of the tax rate, a reduction in the tax rate directly lowers the tax burden T for any given income level. As a result, households retain a larger portion of their earned income, which guarantees that disposable income will increase. Additionally, in macroeconomic theory, a lower tax rate increases the multiplier effect, boosting aggregate demand and national income, which further elevates disposable income.

Explanation

Carbon monoxide is not considered a direct greenhouse gas because it does not absorb terrestrial infrared radiation in the atmosphere to any significant extent. Instead, it is classified as an indirect greenhouse gas or a precursor. Once released into the atmosphere, carbon monoxide undergoes chemical reactions with hydroxyl radicals (OH), which affects the concentrations of direct greenhouse gases like methane, tropospheric ozone, and carbon dioxide, rather than acting as a greenhouse gas itself.