SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Rani ki vav is an exquisite, ornate stepwell located in Patan, Gujarat, on the banks of the Saraswati River. Built in the eleventh century during the rule of the Solanki dynasty, it was commissioned by Queen Udayamati in memory of her husband, King Bhimdev I. Known for its monumental size, multi-storeyed subterranean architecture, and intricate sculptures depicting various deities, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Explanation

V.P. Singh, who served as the seventh Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990, has never been conferred with the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.

Explanation

Fexofenadine is a second-generation antihistamine medication widely used to treat and relieve symptoms of allergies, such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and chronic urticaria (hives). It works by selectively blocking peripheral H₁ histamine receptors, thereby preventing histamine—a chemical released by the body during an allergic reaction—from binding to its receptors and causing common allergy symptoms like sneezing, itching, runny nose, and watery eyes. Since it does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, it provides effective allergy relief without causing the significant drowsiness associated with first-generation antihistamines.

Explanation

Oysters are soft-bodied, invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Mollusca, specifically under the class Bivalvia. Molluscs are characterized by a soft, unsegmented body, which in bivalves like oysters, clams, and mussels is protected by a calcareous shell made of two hinged parts. Oysters reside in marine or brackish habitats and are well-known for their filter-feeding behavior and their ability to produce pearls.

Explanation

Oxygen gas exists naturally as a diatomic molecule, O₂. The molar mass of oxygen gas is calculated by multiplying the atomic mass of a single oxygen atom by 2:

Molar mass of O₂ = 2 × 16 g/mol = 32 g/mol

The mass of a substance is given by the formula:

Mass = number of moles × molar mass

Substituting the given values:

Mass = 2 moles × 32 g/mol = 64 grams

Explanation

Potassium has an atomic number of 19, which represents the number of protons in its nucleus. Calcium has an atomic number of 20, which is greater than that of potassium. Calcium is located immediately after potassium in period 4 of the periodic table.

Explanation

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is a standardized programming language used to manage, manipulate, and query relational databases. Originally developed by IBM in the 1970s, it became a standard of the American National Standards Institute in 1986 and the International Organization for Standardization in 1987. It allows users to write queries to perform tasks such as retrieving, inserting, updating, and deleting data within a database management system.

Explanation

Consumer surplus is defined as the difference between the maximum price a consumer is willing to pay for a product and the actual price they pay.

Consumer Surplus = Maximum Price Willing to Pay - Actual Price Paid

Here, Priya is willing to pay Rs 30000.

The marked price of the gown is Rs 25000, and the store offers a 30% discount.

Discount Amount = 30% of Rs 25000 = 0.30 × 25000 = Rs 7500

Actual Price Paid = Marked Price - Discount Amount = 25000 - 7500 = Rs 17500

Using the consumer surplus formula:

Consumer Surplus = 30000 - 17500 = Rs 12500

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Tomatoes serve as a primary raw material or input in the production of tomato ketchup. In economics, an increase in the price of an input increases the overall cost of producing the final good. This rise in production costs reduces the profit margin for manufacturers of tomato ketchup at any given selling price, which prompts them to produce and offer fewer units for sale. Consequently, the supply curve for tomato ketchup shifts to the left, representing a decrease in the supply of tomato ketchup.

Explanation

Kawal Tiger Reserve is located in the northern part of Telangana state. It was declared a tiger reserve in 2012. The reserve is situated in the Jannaram mandal of Mancherial district and serves as an important habitat for the Bengal tiger, leopard, gaur, nilgai, and several other wildlife species. The area is positioned in the catchment of the Godavari and Kadam rivers, featuring a landscape dominated by Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest with extensive teak and bamboo growth.

Explanation

Ranthambore National Park is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan. Originally established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, it was declared a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1973 and officially designated as a national park in 1980. The park is highly famous for its significant population of Bengal tigers and is situated at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges, making it an important ecological and historical site.

Explanation

Agriculture is the largest sector in India in terms of employment, absorbing nearly half of the country's total workforce. It continues to engage the largest portion of the population, particularly in rural areas, making it the primary source of livelihood for the majority of Indian households.

Explanation

A canal is an artificial waterway or human-made channel constructed to facilitate navigation, irrigation, or drainage. Navigation canals are specifically engineered to allow the passage of boats and ships, often connecting larger bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or oceans to create efficient transport routes.

Explanation

Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea. Situated on the Taedong River, it serves as the primary political, cultural, and industrial hub of the country. Pyongyang has a rich history dating back thousands of years and was officially established as the capital of North Korea when the nation was founded in 1948.

Explanation

Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, died on May 4, 1799, while defending his capital city, Seringapatam, during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The British forces, led by Governor-General Lord Wellesley and supported by the Nizam of Hyderabad, successfully breached the fortress walls, which resulted in the death of Tipu Sultan and the subsequent fall of the Kingdom of Mysore to the British East India Company.

Explanation

Mariam-uz-Zamani, popularly known as Jodha Bai, was a Rajput princess who married the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1562. She was the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber, which is modern-day Jaipur. This marriage was a highly significant political alliance that strengthened relations between the Mughal Empire and the Rajputs, fostering a policy of religious tolerance and cultural integration. She was also the mother of Akbar's successor, Emperor Jahangir.

Explanation

Tetris was designed and programmed by the Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. He created the game while working at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in Moscow. The name Tetris is derived from the Greek numerical prefix tetra- (since all of the game's pieces, known as tetrominoes, contain four segments) and tennis, which was Pajitnov's favorite sport.

Explanation

Work is the mechanism by which energy is transferred to or from a system through the application of an external force acting over a displacement. When a force F acts on a system resulting in a displacement d, the work W done on the system is given by the formula W = F · d = Fd cos θ, where θ is the angle between the force and the displacement vectors. If work is done on the system (W > 0), the system gains energy; if work is done by the system (W < 0), the system loses energy. This directly defines work as the mechanical transfer of energy.

Explanation

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, is a refractive error of the eye where close objects appear clearly, but distant objects appear blurry. This occurs when the physical length of the eyeball is too long from front to back, or the curvature of the cornea is too steep. As a result, light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina instead of directly on its surface, causing the inability to see distant objects clearly. This condition is typically corrected using concave lenses, which diverge the incoming light rays so they focus precisely on the retina.

Explanation

The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority established on January 25, 1950, to administer election processes in India. Created in accordance with the Constitution under Article 324, its formation occurred one day before India adopted its Constitution and became a republic. January 25 has been celebrated as National Voters' Day since 2011 to commemorate this founding.

Explanation

Tamil Nadu is allocated 39 seats in the Lok Sabha, which is the lower house of the Parliament of India. These representatives are elected directly by the voters from 39 single-member territorial constituencies across the state using the first-past-the-post electoral system. This level of representation is based on the state's population as determined during the delimitation process, making it one of the largest state delegations in the Indian Parliament.

Explanation

Kimi Raikkonen, nicknamed The Iceman, is a renowned Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One. He achieved his greatest success in motorsport by winning the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2007 while driving for Scuderia Ferrari. Over his extensive career in Formula One, which spanned from 2001 to 2021, he drove for major teams including Sauber, McLaren, Lotus, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo, establishing himself as one of the most successful and popular drivers in the history of the sport with numerous Grand Prix wins and podium finishes.

Explanation

Love Stories That Touched My Heart is an anthology published in 2012 by Penguin Books India. The book features a collection of twenty-five emotional and heartwarming love stories contributed by readers across India, which were shortlisted from over two thousand entries submitted in a nationwide contest. Bestselling romance novelist Ravinder Singh served as the editor and curator of this anthology, selecting and compiling the real-life stories that touched his heart the most.

Explanation

The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, which include the famous Great Stupa, are located in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh. Commissioned originally by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, the site is one of the oldest stone structures in India and a major center of Buddhist art and architecture. It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its exceptional preservation of early Buddhist monuments, including stupas, temples, monasteries, and pillars.

Explanation

Madhuri Dixit, despite being one of the most successful and acclaimed actresses in Hindi cinema with a career spanning several decades, has never won a National Film Award. While she has received numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri in 2008 and multiple Filmfare Awards, she has not been a recipient of the National Film Award.

Explanation

Promethazine is a first-generation H₁ receptor antagonist belonging to the phenothiazine chemical class. It functions as an antihistamine by competing with free histamine for binding at H₁ receptor sites in the gastrointestinal tract, uterus, large blood vessels, and bronchial muscle. By blocking these receptors, it effectively prevents the physiological effects of histamine, which is a major chemical mediator released by mast cells during allergic reactions. This mechanism of action helps relieve common symptoms of allergies, such as sneezing, runny nose, itching, hives, and watery eyes. Additionally, promethazine crosses the blood-brain barrier and exhibits central sedative, antiemetic, and anticholinergic properties, which also make it effective in managing motion sickness, nausea, and vomiting.

Explanation

Carotene is a photosynthetic pigment belonging to the carotenoid family. It absorbs ultraviolet, violet, and blue light, while reflecting orange and red wavelengths. Consequently, this pigment is responsible for imparting the characteristic bright orange color to various fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and apricots.

Explanation

Equus caballus is the binomial scientific name of the domestic horse, an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The genus name Equus is derived from the Latin word for horse, while the specific epithet caballus refers specifically to the domestic horse.

Explanation

Analgesics, commonly known as painkillers, are a class of medications specifically designed to relieve pain. They achieve this therapeutic effect by acting on the peripheral or central nervous system to block or reduce the transmission of pain signals to the brain, without causing a loss of consciousness. This group of drugs includes common over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, as well as stronger prescription medications like opioids.

Explanation

Calcium is represented by the symbol Ca and has an atomic number of 20, placing it in group 2 and period 4 of the periodic table. Scandium is represented by the symbol Sc and has an atomic number of 21, which is a transition metal that immediately follows calcium. Since 21 is greater than 20, Scandium has a higher atomic number than calcium.

Explanation

Garba is a traditional folk dance that originated in the state of Gujarat. It is primarily performed during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri to honor the feminine form of divinity, Goddess Durga or Shakti. The dance is characterized by circular movements, synchronized clapping, and rhythmic steps performed around a centrally lit clay lamp or an image of the deity, symbolizing the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

Explanation

The marginal resource cost of labor is defined as the change in total labor cost that results from hiring one additional worker.

Total cost of hiring 8 craftsmen at Rs 900 per day is: 8 × 900 = Rs 7200

Total cost of hiring 9 craftsmen at Rs 950 per day is: 9 × 950 = Rs 8550

The marginal resource cost of the 9th craftsman is the difference between these two total costs: Rs 8550 - Rs 7200 = Rs 1350

Explanation

Stagflation is an economic state where an economy experiences a simultaneous combination of stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, and rising prices (inflation). Under normal economic conditions, inflation usually goes hand in hand with economic expansion, whereas a slowdown typically leads to stable or falling prices. When stagnation in economic activity and inflation occur at the same time, it creates a highly challenging situation known as stagflation, which complicates monetary and fiscal policy since actions designed to curb price rises can further slow down economic growth and increase unemployment.

Explanation

Human beings consume both plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains, and animal-based products like meat, fish, and dairy. In ecological food webs, organisms that obtain their energy and nutrients by feeding on both producers and other consumers are classified as omnivores. This dietary flexibility allows humans to obtain nutrients from multiple trophic levels.

Explanation

Maharashtra is the wealthiest state in India and has historically maintained the highest Gross State Domestic Product among all Indian states. The state's economy is primarily driven by its robust services sector, strong industrial base, and international trade. Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, serves as the financial capital of India and houses key financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, and the National Stock Exchange, which significantly boosts the state's overall economic output and GDP.

Explanation

Dehradun is the capital of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Following the creation of the state on 9 November 2000, Dehradun was designated as its capital due to its developed infrastructure, administrative facilities, and strategic location in the Doon Valley. It houses the state Legislative Assembly, Raj Bhavan, and key government offices.

Explanation

The crust is the outermost solid shell of the Earth, representing less than 1% of the planet's total volume. It is a thin, rocky layer that varies in thickness, ranging from about 5 kilometers under the oceans to around 70 kilometers beneath mountain ranges on the continents. This layer is composed primarily of relatively low-density silicate rocks and sits directly above the mantle.

Explanation

The First Buddhist Council was convened in 483 BC at the Sattapanni Cave in Rajgriha shortly after the Mahaparinirvana of Gautama Buddha. It was held under the patronage of King Ajatashatru of the Haryanka dynasty and presided over by the venerable monk Mahakassapa. The primary objective of this council was to preserve the teachings of the Buddha and the rules of the monastic order, which led to the compilation of the Sutta Pitaka and the Vinaya Pitaka.

Explanation

The Ibadat Khana, meaning House of Worship, was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1575 AD at his capital city, Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar established this assembly hall to gather spiritual leaders, theologians, and scholars to debate and discuss religious and philosophical doctrines. While it was initially restricted to Islamic scholars, Akbar later opened the discussions to representatives of other religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism, which eventually led him to formulate the syncretic philosophy of Din-i Ilahi.

Explanation

Theophilus Van Kannel, an American inventor, invented the revolving door and was granted US patent number 387,571 on August 7, 1888, for a Storm-Door Structure. His design consisted of three individual panels attached to a central shaft that rotated within a glass-enclosed cylinder. This structure was designed to regulate airflow, keep out street noise, and prevent rain, snow, and wind from entering buildings.

Explanation

An ergometer is a device designed to measure the amount of work performed or the energy expended by muscles during physical exertion. Derived from the Greek words ergon, meaning work, and metron, meaning measure, this instrument is widely used in sports science, medicine, and physiology to evaluate physical performance, exercise capacity, and muscular power output.

Explanation

Stress is defined as the internal restoring force acting per unit cross-sectional area of a deformed body.

Stress = Force / Area

The SI unit of force is the newton (N) and that of area is the square meter (m²). Therefore, the SI unit of stress is the newton per square meter (N/m²). This unit is named the pascal (Pa) in honor of the scientist Blaise Pascal, where 1 Pa is equal to 1 N/m².

Explanation

Under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, India established a three-tier Panchayati Raj system to decentralize governance and promote local self-government. The intermediate tier of this structure, functioning at the block or taluka level, is called the Panchayat Samiti. It serves as a vital administrative link between the village-level administration and the district-level administration, coordinating development plans, managing block-level resources, and executing governmental schemes across its jurisdiction.

Explanation

Goa has two parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha, which are the North Goa and South Goa constituencies. This division of constituencies was established following the reorganization of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, which led to Goa attaining full statehood on May 30, 1987. Since then, the state has consistently sent two representatives to the lower house of the Parliament of India.

Explanation

Andy Murray is a prominent British professional tennis player who represents Great Britain in lawn tennis. He achieved significant global recognition by winning multiple Grand Slam singles titles, including the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013. Murray also made history by winning the men's singles gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, establishing himself as one of the premier players in the sport of tennis.

Explanation

Chanakya's Chant is a best-selling political thriller novel written by Ashwin Sanghi and published in 2010. The book features two parallel narratives, with one set in ancient India depicting the rise of Chandragupta Maurya under the mentorship of the strategist Chanakya, and the other set in contemporary Indian politics centering on a modern-day political strategist named Gangasagar Mishra who employs ancient statecraft to achieve political power.

Explanation

Plants are living organisms and constitute the biotic component of an ecosystem. The environment is composed of biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living physical and chemical) elements. Because plants grow, reproduce, and carry out metabolic processes such as photosynthesis, they are classified under the biotic environment rather than the abiotic environment.

Explanation

Swift is a general-purpose, compiled programming language developed by Apple Inc. for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS development. First introduced by Apple in June 2014 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Swift was designed to co-exist with and eventually replace Objective-C, offering modern safety, performance, and software design patterns.

Explanation

Victoria Memorial in Kolkata is a large marble monument built between 1906 and 1921 in memory of Queen Victoria. While it is a prominent historical monument and museum under the administration of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, it does not hold the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Explanation

Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 for his exceptional and distinguished service in the field of arts and Indian cinema. The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, making it the highest civilian honour he has received.