SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Uranus is the third-largest planet in our Solar System by physical size, specifically in terms of its radius and diameter. The planetary size ranking from largest to smallest begins with the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Uranus, with a mean radius of approximately 25,362 kilometers, is slightly larger in volume and diameter than Neptune, securing its position as the third-largest planet.

Explanation

Under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the state of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated to form the state of Telangana on June 2, 2014. Hyderabad was designated as the capital city of the newly formed state of Telangana.

Explanation

Under the Government of India Act 1858, which was enacted in the aftermath of the Revolt of 1857, the administration of India was transferred from the British East India Company to the British Crown. This act changed the designation of the Governor-General of India to the Viceroy of India to represent the British monarch. Lord Canning, who was already serving as the Governor-General, was appointed as the first Viceroy of India under this new constitutional arrangement, holding both offices simultaneously.

Explanation

Jahangir, born as Prince Salim in 1569, was the eldest surviving son of the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar, and his chief Rajput wife, Mariam-uz-Zamani (commonly known as Jodha Bai). He succeeded his father to the throne in 1605 and ruled the Mughal Empire as the fourth emperor until his death in 1627.

Explanation

Sir Isaac Newton designed and constructed the first functional reflecting telescope in 1668. He developed this instrument, often called the Newtonian telescope, as an alternative to refracting telescopes. Refracting telescopes of that era suffered from chromatic aberration, an optical defect where lenses disperse white light into a spectrum of colors, causing a blurry image surrounded by colored halos. By using a curved metal primary mirror instead of a lens to gather and focus light, and a small flat diagonal secondary mirror to reflect the light to an eyepiece on the side of the tube, Newton successfully bypassed chromatic aberration, providing a much clearer and sharper view of astronomical objects.

Explanation

Work is a scalar quantity, not a vector quantity. It is defined as the dot product of the force vector and the displacement vector, which is mathematically represented as W = F · d = Fd cos θ. The dot product of two vectors always yields a scalar value, meaning work possesses only magnitude and lacks any specific spatial direction. This makes the assertion that work is a vector quantity incorrect.

Explanation

Inertia is the inherent property of a physical body by virtue of which it resists any change in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line. It is a fundamental concept in physics established by Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object will continue in its current state of motion unless acted upon by an external net force. The mass of an object is a quantitative measure of its inertia, meaning a body with more mass has a greater tendency to resist changes to its state of motion.

Explanation

Article 356 of the Constitution of India deals with the provisions in case of failure of constitutional machinery in states, commonly known as President's Rule. It empowers the President of India to issue a proclamation to assume the functions of the government of a state if they are satisfied, on receiving a report from the Governor of the state or otherwise, that the state's administration cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Under this article, the state government is suspended or dissolved, and the executive authority of the state is transferred to the Governor, who administers the state on behalf of the President.

Explanation

Under the provisions of the Constitution of India, parliamentary seats are allocated to each state based on its population as per the delimitation processes. Maharashtra is represented by 48 members in the Lok Sabha, making it the state with the second-highest representation in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, following Uttar Pradesh.

Explanation

Brian Lara scored 400 not out against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground in April 2004. This historic feat remains the highest individual score by any batsman in a single innings of Test cricket.

Explanation

Jawaharlal Nehru wrote "The Discovery of India" during his imprisonment at Ahmednagar Fort between 1942 and 1945, prior to India's independence. The book provides a broad analysis of Indian history, culture, and philosophy from the Indus Valley Civilization to the British Raj, reflecting on the identity and heritage of the nation.

Explanation

The Elephanta Caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, also known as Gharapuri, in Mumbai Harbour. These rock-cut cave temples, dating primarily from the 5th to the 8th centuries, are dedicated predominantly to the Hindu deity Shiva and are celebrated for their monumental basalt stone sculptures. The site, highlighted by the famous Trimurti sculpture, is recognized globally and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Explanation

The National Film Awards were established in 1954 to honor excellence in Indian cinema. While the awards began in 1954, they have been administered by the Directorate of Film Festivals, a specialized organization set up under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, since 1973. This administrative agency also oversees the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama.

Explanation

In the human body, excess glucose is converted into and stored as glycogen. Glycogen is a large, highly branched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as the primary short-term energy reserve in animals. This storage mainly occurs in the hepatocytes of the liver and in skeletal muscle cells. When blood glucose levels rise after a meal, biochemical pathways stimulate these tissues to polymerize individual glucose molecules into glycogen for storage. When blood glucose levels fall or energy demands increase, glycogen is enzymatically broken back down into glucose to fuel cellular respiration and maintain metabolic homeostasis.

Explanation

Plants synthesize proteins by linking together amino acids, which serve as the fundamental structural building blocks of all protein molecules. This synthesis occurs during translation in the ribosomes, where amino acids are joined by peptide bonds to form polypeptide chains according to genetic instructions carried by messenger RNA. Unlike animals, which must obtain several essential amino acids from their diet, plants are autotrophic and synthesize all twenty standard amino acids themselves, utilizing carbon skeletons produced during photosynthesis and nitrogen absorbed from the soil.

Explanation

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is primarily responsible for high-level cognitive processes. It controls conscious thought, voluntary movements, intelligence, memory, learning, reasoning, and speech. The highly folded outer layer of the cerebrum, known as the cerebral cortex, processes complex sensory information and coordinates logical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving, making it the central seat of intellect and personality.

Explanation

Radon is a noble gas belonging to Group 18 of the periodic table. Because noble gases exist as monoatomic atoms, they are held together in the solid state only by weak London dispersion forces. These weak intermolecular attractions require very little thermal energy to overcome, giving radon an exceptionally low melting point of -71 °C (202 K). At room temperature, radon exists as a gas, reflecting its extremely low melting and boiling thresholds.

Explanation

The atomic number of Fluorine is 9. Sodium has an atomic number of 11, which is greater than that of Fluorine. Sodium is an alkali metal belonging to the third period of the periodic table, placing it after Fluorine in terms of atomic sequence and nuclear charge.

Explanation

Decimal to binary conversion is performed by dividing the number 106 by 2 successively and recording the remainders from last to first.

106 divided by 2 is 53 with a remainder of 0. 53 divided by 2 is 26 with a remainder of 1. 26 divided by 2 is 13 with a remainder of 0. 13 divided by 2 is 6 with a remainder of 1. 6 divided by 2 is 3 with a remainder of 0. 3 divided by 2 is 1 with a remainder of 1. 1 divided by 2 is 0 with a remainder of 1.

Reading the remainders from bottom to top gives 1101010.

This can also be verified by expanding 1101010 in base 2: 1×2⁶ + 1×2⁵ + 0×2⁴ + 1×2³ + 0×2² + 1×2¹ + 0×2⁰ = 64 + 32 + 0 + 8 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 106.

Explanation

Bihu is the most popular folk dance of Assam, performed primarily during the Bohag Bihu festival which marks the arrival of the Assamese New Year and the spring season. The dance is characterized by brisk dance steps, rapid hand movements, and rhythmic swaying of the hips, reflecting the youthfulness, joy, and vitality of the participants. Dancers dress in traditional Assamese attire made of muga silk, and the performance is accompanied by traditional musical instruments such as the dhol, pepa, gagana, and taal.

Explanation

Correct Answer: A

The price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to a change in its price. It is calculated using the formula:

Price Elasticity of Demand = Percentage Change in Quantity Demanded ÷ Percentage Change in Price

Substituting the given values into the formula:

-1.2 = 9% ÷ Percentage Change in Price

Rearranging the formula to solve for the percentage change in price:

Percentage Change in Price = 9% ÷ -1.2 = -7.5%

The negative sign indicates a reduction in price. Thus, the manufacturer must lower its price by 7.5 percent to achieve a 9 percent increase in the quantity sold.

Explanation

When a government borrows to finance its budget deficit, it enters the financial market as a major seeker of credit. This action increases the aggregate demand for loanable funds. According to the loanable funds theory, when the demand for credit rises while the supply of savings remains relatively constant, the price of borrowing—which is the interest rate—must rise to clear the market. This increase in the equilibrium interest rate is also the core mechanism of the crowding-out effect, where public sector borrowing competes with private sector borrowing, thereby exerting upward pressure on interest rates.

Explanation

The liver is known as the biochemical laboratory of the human body because it is the primary hub for countless vital metabolic and chemical reactions. It plays an essential role in metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids to sustain energy levels, while storing essential vitamins and minerals like iron. Additionally, the liver acts as a filter by detoxifying drugs, alcohol, and harmful metabolic waste products. It also synthesizes crucial plasma proteins, including albumin and blood-clotting factors, and produces bile, which is indispensable for digesting and absorbing dietary fats.

Explanation

Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. It was declared a national park in 1968 and later became a Tiger Reserve in 1993. The park is renowned for harboring one of the highest densities of Bengal tigers in India and is famously known for its rich biodiversity as well as the historical Bandhavgarh Fort situated atop a central hill within the reserve.

Explanation

Suryanamaskar, also known as Sun Salutation, is a classic yogic practice composed of a dynamic flow of 12 distinct physical postures or asanas. Each of these 12 positions is designed to stretch, tone, and systematically stimulate the entire body, synchronized with rhythmic inhalation and exhalation of breath. The complete sequence begins with Pranamasana (Prayer Pose), transitions through poses like Hastauttanasana, Hastapadasana, Ashwa Sanchalanasana, Dandasana, Ashtanga Namaskara, Bhujangasana, and Adho Mukha Svanasana, before reversing the sequence to return to the starting posture, completing exactly 12 steps in one cycle.

Explanation

Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist and geophysicist, formally proposed the Continental Drift Theory in 1912. He hypothesized that millions of years ago, all the landmasses on Earth were joined together as a single massive supercontinent called Pangaea, which was surrounded by a single mega-ocean called Panthalassa. Over geological time, this supercontinent fractured, and the fragmented pieces drifted apart to form the modern continents. To support his theory, Wegener presented multiple lines of empirical evidence, including the jigsaw-like fit of South America and Africa, matching fossil records of species like Mesosaurus across distant oceans, and matching geological structures and rock sequences on separated continents.

Explanation

Ottawa was chosen as the capital of Canada by Queen Victoria in 1857. It is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario, bordering Gatineau, Quebec. The city serves as the political and administrative center of the nation, hosting Parliament Hill as well as the official residences of Canada's Governor General and Prime Minister.

Explanation

The Renaissance was a period of intense cultural, artistic, political, and scientific rebirth in Europe that bridged the Middle Ages and modern history. It began in Italy during the 14th century, promoted by a rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature, and art. This intellectual movement, heavily characterized by humanism, spread across the rest of Europe and lasted until the 17th century, when it transitioned into the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment.

Explanation

Aurangzeb, also known by his regnal title Alamgir, was the sixth Mughal emperor, ruling from 1658 until his death in 1707. Under his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest territorial extent, encompassing nearly the entire Indian subcontinent. He succeeded his father, Shah Jahan, and consolidated imperial authority through extensive military campaigns, administrative reforms, and a centralized system of governance.

Explanation

German ophthalmologist Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick is credited with inventing and fitting the first successful contact lens in 1888. He developed an afocal scleral contact shell made from heavy blown glass, which was designed to rest on the less sensitive rim of tissue surrounding the cornea. He first tested his device on rabbits, then on himself, and eventually on human volunteers to correct visual refractive errors. He published his pioneering work on contact lenses, titled "Contactbrille", in March 1888.

Explanation

In an atom, electrons revolve around the positively charged nucleus in specific paths or regions of probability called orbits or orbitals. This movement of the electron in its defined path around the nucleus is referred to as orbital motion. This type of motion represents the revolution of the electron, which generates orbital angular momentum and determines the energy levels and spatial distribution of the electron within the atom.

Explanation

A sphygmomanometer is a medical device used to measure arterial blood pressure. It consists of an inflatable rubber cuff that is wrapped around the upper arm, a measuring unit (either a mercury manometer or an aneroid gauge), and an inflation bulb with a release valve. By inflating the cuff, blood flow through the brachial artery is temporarily obstructed, and as the pressure is gradually released, the examiner listens to the sounds of blood flow (Korotkoff sounds) using a stethoscope to determine the systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, which are typically recorded in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

Explanation

A. K. Gopalan (Ayillyath Kuttiari Gopalan) was a prominent leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) who served as the de facto leader of the opposition in the first Lok Sabha after the inaugural general elections of 1951–52. Because the Communist Party of India emerged as the largest opposition group in the House with 16 seats, he was recognized as the primary voice of the opposition, serving in this capacity long before the post of Leader of the Opposition was formally and statutorily recognized by law in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Explanation

Under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and union territories, West Bengal is allocated 16 seats. The allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha is primarily based on the population of each state. Representatives of West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly through the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

Explanation

The Lodha Committee, headed by former Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha, was appointed by the Supreme Court of India in January 2015 to recommend reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting scandal. The committee submitted its report in January 2016, recommending far-reaching changes to the structure, governance, and administrative functioning of the BCCI, including the "one state, one vote" policy, age and tenure limits for office bearers, and the establishment of an apex council to manage the board's affairs.

Explanation

Chetan Bhagat is the author of the bestselling 2004 novel Five Point Someone: What Not to Do at IIT. The story is set in IIT Delhi and explores the academic pressure, friendship, and college life of three undergraduate students, Hari, Ryan, and Alok, who find themselves struggling with low grade point averages. This debut novel gained immense popularity and served as the primary inspiration for the blockbuster Bollywood film 3 Idiots.

Explanation

In January 2016, Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal was awarded the Padma Bhushan, which represents the highest civilian award she has received. The Government of India conferred this honour upon her for her exceptional contributions to sports, notably her historic accomplishments in international badminton, including securing the world number 1 ranking in 2015 and winning an Olympic medal in 2012.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Urochrome, also known as urobilin, is the pigment responsible for the yellow color of human urine. It is produced as a byproduct of the breakdown of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. When old red blood cells are destroyed in the spleen and liver, hemoglobin is degraded into bilirubin, which is subsequently converted by intestinal bacteria into urobilinogen. A portion of this is absorbed back into the bloodstream, oxidized into urobilin, filtered by the kidneys, and excreted in the urine. The intensity of the yellow color varies depending on the concentration of urochrome, which is determined by the level of hydration.

Explanation

Wilting in plants occurs when they lose more water through transpiration than they are able to absorb from the soil. Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts, primarily through the stomata in leaves. When the rate of transpiration exceeds the rate of water absorption by the roots, the turgor pressure within the plant cells drops, causing the cells to become flaccid, which results in the drooping and wilting of the plant.

Explanation

Sheep belong to the biological family Bovidae and the genus Ovis. The domestic sheep is scientifically classified as Ovis aries, representing this taxonomic lineage. These even-toed ruminant mammals are commonly raised as livestock for their wool, meat, and milk.

Explanation

Crookes glass is composed mainly of silica and cerium oxide (CeO₂). The inclusion of cerium oxide gives this glass the specific ability to sharply absorb and filter out harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight while maintaining optical clarity. This makes it highly suitable for protecting human eyes from eye strain and cataracts, leading to its extensive use in manufacturing spectacles and sunglasses.

Explanation

Barium is an alkaline earth metal located in Group 2 of the periodic table with an atomic number of 56. Its ground state electron configuration is [Xe] 6s², indicating that it has two valence electrons in its outermost shell. To achieve a stable noble gas configuration, which corresponds to the electronic structure of Xenon, Barium readily loses these two valence electrons to form a Ba²⁺ cation.

Explanation

Charles Babbage is recognized as the father of computing because he designed and conceptualized the first mechanical general-purpose computer. In the 1830s, he developed the concept for the Analytical Engine, which featured key components of modern computers, including an Arithmetic Logic Unit, basic program flow control, and integrated memory. His pioneering designs laid the foundational framework for the development of modern digital computers.

Explanation

Telugu is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh, as declared under the Andhra Pradesh Official Languages Act, 1966. It is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the Telugu people. Telugu is one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of India and was designated as a Classical Language of India in 2008 due to its ancient literary tradition and rich history.

Explanation

At market equilibrium, the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied. Therefore, we set the demand equation equal to the supply equation:

D = S

Substituting the given equations into this relation:

67500 - 18P = 22500 + 12P

Rearranging the terms to group the constants on one side and the variable terms on the other:

67500 - 22500 = 12P + 18P

45000 = 30P

Solving for the equilibrium price P:

P = 45000 ÷ 30

P = 1500

Explanation

Plants are autotrophic organisms that synthesize their own food using light energy. The Sun serves as the ultimate source of this energy. During the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll molecules in plant cells absorb solar radiation. This captured light energy is then utilized to convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil into chemical energy in the form of glucose, which serves as food for the plant.

Explanation

The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is located in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. It forms part of the Sundarbans, the largest contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the world, situated in the deltaic region of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The reserve was established as a Tiger Reserve in 1973 and was later designated as a National Park in 1984 to protect its unique population of Bengal tigers, which are adapted to the saline estuarine environment.

Explanation

The term ad valorem is a Latin phrase that translates to according to value. An ad valorem tax is a tax or duty that is calculated as a fixed percentage of the assessed monetary value of the underlying product, service, or property. Common examples include sales taxes and property taxes, where the amount of tax owed increases proportionally as the value of the transaction or asset increases.

Explanation

The planets in our Solar System, when ordered by size from largest to smallest based on their mean radius, are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Mars is the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, positioned just ahead of Mercury. This places Mars seventh in the ranking of planets by size.

Explanation

The Gupta Empire is referred to as the Golden Age of India due to the immense achievements and advancements in fields such as science, mathematics, astronomy, literature, art, and philosophy between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. This period witnessed great peace, prosperity, and cultural revival under rulers like Chandragupta I, Samudragupta, and Chandragupta II. It was the era of legendary scholars like Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Dhanvantari, and Kalidasa, whose contributions profoundly shaped Indian heritage and scientific progress.