SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Article 173 of the Constitution of India specifies the qualifications required for a person to be chosen to fill a seat in the Legislature of a State, such as being a citizen of India and meeting the minimum age requirement. This article is located within Part VI of the Constitution, which spans from Article 152 to Article 237 and is titled The States. This entire part outlines the structure, powers, and administrative framework of the State Government, which encompasses the state executive, the state legislature, and the state judiciary.

Explanation

Michael Schumacher is a highly celebrated German racing driver who competed in Formula One. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time, having won seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles. He won his first two championships with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, followed by five consecutive titles with Scuderia Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. Throughout his career, he set multiple records, including the most Grand Prix victories, pole positions, and podium finishes at the time of his retirement.

Explanation

The Guest is a contemporary young adult fiction novel written by the Indian author Mitali Meelan. Published by Black Ink, the story follows the life of an eighteen-year-old protagonist named Neha Ranade whose routine and grand plans are completely disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a foreign guest. Mitali Meelan has written multiple works in English literature and has been recognized with the Loksatta Indradhanu Yuvonmesh Award for her writing.

Explanation

The point elasticity of demand is given by the formula:

Ed = (ΔQ / ΔP) × (P₁ / Q₁)

where: Q₁ = initial quantity demanded = 5000 units Q₂ = new quantity demanded = 5200 units ΔQ = change in quantity demanded = Q₂ - Q₁ = 5200 - 5000 = 200 units P₁ = initial price P₂ = new price = 190 ΔP = change in price = P₂ - P₁ = 190 - P₁ Ed = point elasticity of demand = -0.8

Substituting these values into the formula:

-0.8 = (200 / (190 - P₁)) × (P₁ / 5000)

-0.8 = (200 × P₁) / (5000 × (190 - P₁))

-0.8 = P₁ / (25 × (190 - P₁))

Multiplying both sides by 25:

-20 = P₁ / (190 - P₁)

-20 × (190 - P₁) = P₁

-3800 + 20P₁ = P₁

19P₁ = 3800

P₁ = 200

Explanation

Mollusca is a major phylum of invertebrate animals characterized by a soft body, a muscular foot, a mantle, and often a calcium carbonate shell. Cuttlefish share these defining anatomical characteristics, placing them within this group. Describing a cuttlefish as a mollusc means identifying its classification at the phylum level.

Explanation

The Diwan-i-Khas, or Hall of Private Audiences, is a prominent chamber located within the Red Fort Complex in Delhi. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as part of his new capital Shahjahanabad, this elegant structure of white marble was used to receive state guests, courtiers, and noble visitors in a private setting. The hall is famous for its intricate floral carvings, pietre dure inlay work with precious stones, and for housing the legendary jewel-studded Peacock Throne before it was looted by Nadir Shah. It is also well-known for the inscribed Persian couplet by Amir Khusrow declaring it as paradise on earth.

Explanation

Andy Murray won the 2016 Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship, securing his second Wimbledon title and his third Grand Slam title overall. In the final, he defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. This victory marked his first Grand Slam triumph since his historic Wimbledon win in 2013, solidifying his position as one of the dominant players in men's tennis during that era.

Explanation

Vitamin A is a crucial fat-soluble nutrient that plays a vital role in maintaining healthy vision. It is essential for the production of rhodopsin, a biological pigment found in the photoreceptor cells of the retina, specifically the rod cells, which are responsible for vision in low-light conditions. When there is a deficiency of Vitamin A, the body cannot produce sufficient rhodopsin, impairing the eye's ability to adapt to darkness. This physiological impairment leads directly to nyctalopia, commonly referred to as night blindness, which is characterized by an inability to see clearly in dim light or during the night.

Explanation

Rafflesia arnoldii produces the largest individual flower on Earth. Native to the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, its massive reddish-brown bloom can reach a diameter of up to one meter and weigh as much as eleven kilograms. This unique parasitic plant lacks leaves, stems, or roots, and is also famous for emitting a strong, decay-like odor that attracts pollinating carrion flies.

Explanation

The cell theory was formulated by the German botanist Matthias Schleiden and the German zoologist Theodor Schwann in 1838 and 1839, respectively. Schleiden first observed that all plant tissues are composed of cells, and Schwann subsequently extended this finding to animal tissues. Together, they proposed the foundational principles of cell theory, stating that all living organisms are composed of one or more cells and that the cell is the basic unit of structure and organization in organisms.

Explanation

Gypsum is added to cement clinker during the final grinding stage to act as a retarding agent. When water is mixed with cement, the highly reactive tricalcium aluminate (C₃A) hydration begins immediately, which can lead to an undesirable rapid hardening known as flash setting. Gypsum dissolves quickly and reacts with the tricalcium aluminate to form a thin, protective layer of ettringite (calcium sulfoaluminate) on the surface of the aluminate particles. This barrier temporarily inhibits further hydration of C₃A, thereby decreasing the rate of setting and ensuring the concrete remains workable long enough to be properly mixed, transported, and placed.

Explanation

Alkenes were historically referred to as olefins, a name derived from the French term gaz oléfiant, which means oil-forming gas. This term was introduced in the late eighteenth century by Dutch chemists who discovered that the reaction of ethene with chlorine produced an oily liquid, specifically 1,2-dichloroethane. This oil-forming property of unsaturated hydrocarbons containing at least one carbon-carbon double bond led to the widespread adoption of the term olefins before the systematic IUPAC nomenclature established the term alkenes.

Explanation

A command language is a programming or scripting language designed to control the actions of a computer system, especially the execution of programs and the management of files. Operating through a command-line interface or system terminal, a command language allows users to direct the operating system to initiate, manage, and terminate software applications and system utilities. Shell scripts, batch files, and job control languages are classic examples of command languages used to automate and orchestrate administrative and computational tasks directly on the computer.

Explanation

The Munda folk dance is a traditional dance of the Munda tribe, which is one of the prominent Scheduled Tribes residing mainly in the state of Jharkhand. This dance form is performed during various social gatherings, harvest seasons, and traditional festivals such as Mage Parab, Phagu, and Karam. It is characterized by energetic movements, rhythmic footwork, and the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments like the madal, nagara, and flute, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and community spirit of the tribal people in the region.

Explanation

The real rate of interest is calculated using the Fisher equation relation:

r = i - π

where r is the real interest rate, i is the nominal interest rate, and π is the inflation rate.

Substituting the given values:

r = 8% - 2.5% = 5.5%

This represents the actual growth in purchasing power of the interest earned after adjusting for the effects of inflation.

Explanation

Macroeconomics studies the behavior, structure, performance, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. The circular flow of income is a fundamental macroeconomic model that represents the flow of money, goods, and services between different aggregate sectors of the entire economy, such as households, firms, government, and the external sector. This model explains how national income, expenditure, and output are generated and distributed, which is a primary concern of macroeconomic analysis.

Explanation

The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere, which is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere. It is primarily situated at an altitude of approximately 15 to 35 kilometers above the Earth's surface. Within this layer, ozone molecules (O₃) absorb about 97% to 99% of the Sun's medium-frequency ultraviolet light, protecting living organisms on the surface from harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. The chemical processes of ozone formation and destruction in this layer also generate heat, causing the temperature of the stratosphere to increase with altitude.

Explanation

Autotrophs are organisms capable of synthesizing their own food from simple inorganic substances. The term is derived from the Greek words auto, meaning self, and trophe, meaning nutrition. Those autotrophs that utilize light energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic nutrients through the process of photosynthesis are specifically known as photoautotrophs. This group includes green plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria, which form the primary trophic level of ecosystems by converting solar energy into chemical energy.

Explanation

Currency is a financial instrument and a medium of exchange issued by central banks, rather than a raw material or primary agricultural product. Consequently, currency is traded in the foreign exchange market, which is a specialized global financial market dedicated to currency pairs, rather than in a commodity market.

Explanation

Panaji is the capital of the state of Goa. Situated on the banks of the Mandovi River, it was historically the headquarters of the Portuguese India territory and became the capital of Goa after the capital was shifted from Velha Goa in 1843.

Explanation

Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, which is India's most populous state. It serves as the administrative headquarters of both the Lucknow District and the Lucknow Division. Historically, Lucknow was the seat of the Nawabs of Awadh, making it an important cultural, artistic, and administrative hub in northern India.

Explanation

Subhash Chandra Bose took over the leadership of the Indian National Army, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, in Singapore in 1943. While the army was initially formed in 1942 by Mohan Singh with the help of the Japanese, it had become inactive. Bose revitalized and revamped the force, establishing the Provisional Government of Free India and recruiting thousands of Indian expatriates and prisoners of war to fight for India's liberation from British rule.

Explanation

Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who ruled the empire from 1658 until his death in 1707, was the son of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, and his chief consort, Mumtaz Mahal. He ascended the throne after winning a war of succession among his brothers, after which he imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan, in the Agra Fort for the remainder of his life.

Explanation

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. He designed and built the first Web browser and editor, and formulated the fundamental technologies that remain the foundation of the modern web, including HTML, HTTP, and URLs. His goal was to facilitate the automatic sharing of information among scientists and universities worldwide.

Explanation

An increase in pressure forces the molecules of a liquid closer together, reducing the free space between them. This increases the intermolecular cohesive forces and the internal friction resisting flow. As a result, the viscosity of most liquids increases with an increase in pressure. Therefore, the assertion that liquid viscosity decreases as pressure increases is incorrect.

Explanation

Weight is defined as the force exerted on a body due to gravity. According to Newton's second law of motion, force is equal to the mass of an object multiplied by its acceleration. In the case of gravity, the acceleration is the acceleration due to gravity, represented by g. Therefore, the weight (W) of an object with mass m is given by the product of its mass and the acceleration due to gravity, which is expressed as W = mg.

Explanation

Narendra Modi is the 14th unique individual to serve as the Prime Minister of India. He assumed office on May 26, 2014, succeeding Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was the 13th Prime Minister. This sequence of prime ministers represents individual persons who held the office, excluding acting Prime Minister Gulzarilal Nanda.

Explanation

Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar, popularly known as Dadasaheb, was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. He presided over the first Lok Sabha from 15 May 1952 until his demise on 27 February 1956. Prior to this, he had also served as the President of the Central Legislative Assembly and the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly of India (Legislative), bringing immense legislative experience to the foundational years of Indian democracy.

Explanation

Atletico de Kolkata won the inaugural season of the Indian Super League in 2014. In the final match played on December 20, 2014, at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, they secured a 1-0 victory. The match was decided by a dramatic late goal scored by Mohammed Rafique in injury time, specifically in the 95th minute, making Atletico de Kolkata the first-ever champions of the tournament.

Explanation

The book Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past was written by K. Natwar Singh, a former diplomat and Union Minister for External Affairs of India. Published in 2013, the book consists of fifty entertaining and insightful episodes from his extensive diplomatic career spanning over three decades. It recounts his personal interactions and experiences with several major global and national leaders, including Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Morarji Desai, and Lord Mountbatten, presenting them with a blend of humour, empathy, and diplomatic insight.

Explanation

The Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, which include the famous Great Stupa, were originally commissioned by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. As a ruler of the Maurya Dynasty, Ashoka embraced Buddhism and played a pivotal role in propagating the faith. He chose Sanchi to establish a major monastic and spiritual center, constructing the original brick stupa to enshrine the sacred relics of Lord Buddha.

Explanation

At the 81st Academy Awards held in 2009, lyricist Gulzar won the Oscar for Best Original Song for penning the lyrics of Jai Ho from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. He shared this prestigious honor with the song's composer, A. R. Rahman. The track went on to achieve global popularity, also winning a Grammy Award for the creators in 2010.

Explanation

Haemoglobin is an iron-rich protein found inside red blood cells. Its primary function is to transport oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. Haemoglobin molecules are composed of four polypeptide subunits, each containing a central heme group with an iron atom in the ferrous state (Fe²⁺). Each iron atom can bind reversibly with one molecule of oxygen, allowing a single haemoglobin molecule to carry up to four oxygen molecules. In the lungs, where the partial pressure of oxygen is high, oxygen binds to haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin. This oxygenated blood is then transported throughout the body, releasing oxygen to tissues where cellular respiration occurs and oxygen concentration is low.

Explanation

Bryophyta is a division of non-vascular plants that includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. These plants lack specialized vascular tissues, specifically xylem and phloem, which are responsible for transporting water, minerals, and prepared food throughout the plant body. Because they do not possess these conducting tissues, they cannot form vascular bundles. Instead, bryophytes rely on simple diffusion, osmosis, and capillary action to move water and nutrients from cell to cell, which is why they generally remain small in size and are restricted to moist, shady environments.

Explanation

The taxonomy Sauria Lacertidae refers directly to lizards. In biological classification, Sauria is the suborder within the order Squamata that encompasses all lizards. Within this suborder, Lacertidae is the diverse family of terrestrial reptiles commonly known as true lizards or wall lizards.

Explanation

Chemically, soap is a sodium or potassium salt of a long-chain carboxylic acid, commonly referred to as a fatty acid. These fatty acids typically contain twelve to eighteen carbon atoms, with common examples being stearic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid. Soap is produced through a process called saponification, where fats and oils (triglycerides) are heated with a strong base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. This alkaline hydrolysis breaks down the ester bonds in the triglycerides, yielding glycerol and the sodium or potassium salts of the fatty acids, which act as the cleansing agents.

Explanation

In classical mechanics, a couple consists of two parallel forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, separated by a perpendicular distance. Because these forces are equal and opposite, their vector sum is zero, meaning there is no resultant translational force acting on the body. Instead, they produce a rotational effect known as a torque or moment of a couple. The magnitude of this moment is calculated by multiplying the magnitude of one of the forces by the perpendicular distance between their lines of action. This pure rotational effect can rotate a body without causing any translational motion.

Explanation

HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language, is a standard markup language used to structure and display content on the World Wide Web. It is used by web developers to create webpages, define text formatting, and insert multimedia elements. Since it is a markup language processed by web browsers rather than system software designed to manage hardware and execute other applications, it does not function as an operating system.

Explanation

Chapchar Kut is the most popular and significant spring festival celebrated in the state of Mizoram. It is observed annually in March after the completion of the arduous task of clearing forests for jhum (shifting) cultivation. The term Chapchar refers to the cut and dried trees and bamboo, while Kut means festival. During this brief period of leisure before the burning of the cleared fields begins, the Mizo community comes together to celebrate with great enthusiasm. The festival features traditional Mizo dances like Cheraw (the famous bamboo dance), Chai, and Khuallam, accompanied by music, singing, and grand community feasts.

Explanation

Arc elasticity of demand is calculated using the mid-point formula:

E_d = (ΔQ / Q_avg) / (ΔP / P_avg)

where: ΔQ = Q₂ - Q₁ Q_avg = (Q₁ + Q₂) / 2 ΔP = P₂ - P₁ P_avg = (P₁ + P₂) / 2

Substituting the given values: Initial quantity (Q₁) = 750 units Final quantity (Q₂) = 650 units Initial price (P₁) = Rs 15 Final price (P₂) = Rs 20

We get: Change in quantity (ΔQ) = 650 - 750 = -100 Average quantity (Q_avg) = (750 + 650) / 2 = 700

Change in price (ΔP) = 20 - 15 = 5 Average price (P_avg) = (15 + 20) / 2 = 17.5

Plugging these into the formula: E_d = (-100 / 700) / (5 / 17.5) E_d = (-1/7) / (2/7) E_d = -0.5

Explanation

During the depression phase of a business cycle, economic activity, national income, and consumer purchasing power fall to their lowest levels. Consequently, aggregate demand for goods and services declines rapidly. Since manufacturers cannot instantly halt or adjust their production schedules to match this sudden and severe drop in consumption, production exceeds consumption for a prolonged period. This massive disparity between supply and demand leads to an unprecedented accumulation of unsold goods, resulting in the highest level of inventory stock in the economy.

Explanation

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is caused by the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which is a viral pathogen. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory illnesses in humans. While SARS is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets from person-to-person contact, research and outbreak investigations have also indicated that the virus can survive in water and sewage, leading to potential water-borne transmission under certain environmental conditions.

Explanation

Eutrophication is the process of nutrient enrichment in a water body, primarily involving excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. This high concentration of nutrients stimulates the rapid proliferation of algae and aquatic plants, leading to algal blooms. As these dense plant populations die and decompose, aerobic bacteria consume significant quantities of dissolved oxygen in the water. This depletion of oxygen creates hypoxic conditions that lead to the death of fish and other aquatic life, severely degrading the water quality and disrupting the aquatic ecosystem.

Explanation

Wealth tax is classified as a direct tax because its incidence and impact fall on the same entity. The tax is assessed directly on the aggregate value of personal assets owned by an individual, Hindu Undivided Family, or corporation, and the burden of this payment cannot be shifted or transferred to another person.

Explanation

The Radcliffe Line is the international boundary drawn in 1947 to demarcate the borders between India and the newly created domains of West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Partition of British India. It was designed by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who served as the joint chairman of the boundary commissions for Punjab and Bengal. Officially published on 17 August 1947, the line divided the regions based on religious demographics, establishing the modern international border between India and Pakistan.

Explanation

Cuttack is a major historic city in Odisha located on a peninsula flanked by the Mahanadi River to the north and its distributary, the Kathajodi River, to the south. Founded in the 10th century, the city grew significantly due to its strategic position at the apex of the Mahanadi delta, serving as the ancient capital of Odisha for centuries.

Explanation

The Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 between the Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap and the Mughal army commanded by Raja Man Singh I of Amber, who represented the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The battle took place in the narrow mountain pass of Haldighati near Gogunda in Rajasthan.

Explanation

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who commanded the first fleet to sail directly from Europe to India. Departing Lisbon in July 1497, his expedition successfully rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and arrived in Calicut, on the southwestern coast of India, on May 20, 1498. This pioneering voyage established a direct maritime route between Europe and Asia, which bypassed traditional overland and Mediterranean trade routes, paving the way for direct Portuguese trade and colonial expansion in the Indian Ocean.

Explanation

German chemist Felix Hoffmann synthesized a stable and chemically pure form of acetylsalicylic acid on August 10, 1897, while working for the pharmaceutical company Bayer. This compound was subsequently registered and marketed worldwide under the trade name Aspirin. Hoffmann succeeded in finding a synthesis method that made acetylsalicylic acid suitable for pharmaceutical use, initially seeking a more tolerable treatment for his father's chronic arthritis than the stomach-irritating salicylic acid that was used at the time.

Explanation

Torque (τ) is the rotational equivalent of linear force and is defined by the relation:

τ = r F sin θ

where F is the magnitude of the applied force, r is the distance from the axis of rotation to the point where the force is applied, and θ is the angle between the force vector and the position vector. Since torque is directly proportional to the force applied (τ ∝ F), a larger force on a rotating body results in a larger torque.