SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The inaugural Cricket World Cup was held in England in June 1975. The West Indies team, captained by Clive Lloyd, won the tournament by defeating Australia by 17 runs in the final match played at Lord's. Clive Lloyd played a crucial role in the victory by scoring a brilliant century, making the West Indies the first-ever world champions in ODI cricket.

Explanation

The novel Promise Me a Million Times was written by Keshav Aneel and published in 2016 by Srishti Publishers | Distributors. It is a contemporary fiction story that revolves around the themes of dreams, deep friendship, struggles, and love, following the life journeys of the main characters Charlie, Edwin, and Aster. Keshav Aneel, a marketing professional turned writer, made his literary debut with this heartwarming book.

Explanation

The Jama Masjid of Fatehpur Sikri is a 16th-century congregational mosque located within the Fatehpur Sikri UNESCO World Heritage Site in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh. Built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar between 1571 and 1575, it is one of the largest mosques in India and marks the transition in Mughal architecture from Persian to indigenous Indian styles. The grand mosque complex also houses the famous Buland Darwaza, which serves as its southern entrance, and the tomb of the Sufi saint Salim Chishti.

Explanation

Ajay Devgn was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2016. The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award in India, and it represents the highest civilian honour he has received for his significant contributions to Indian cinema.

Explanation

Fluorine, primarily in the form of fluoride, is an essential trace element required for the development and maintenance of healthy teeth. It plays a crucial role in preventing tooth decay by promoting the remineralization of dental enamel, making it significantly more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugars. A deficiency of fluoride leads to the demineralization of enamel, which directly increases the susceptibility of teeth to decay, commonly known as dental caries.

Explanation

In a dihybrid cross of AaBb × AaBb, the inheritance of the two genes can be analyzed independently using the product rule of probability.

For the first gene, crossing Aa with Aa yields a probability of 2/4 (or 1/2) for the heterozygous genotype Aa.

For the second gene, crossing Bb with Bb yields a probability of 1/4 for the homozygous recessive genotype bb.

To find the probability of the combined genotype Aabb, the individual probabilities are multiplied:

P(Aabb) = P(Aa) × P(bb) = 2/4 × 1/4 = 2/16

In a standard 16-cell Punnett square representing this cross, the fraction 2/16 indicates that exactly 2 out of the 16 possible outcomes will have the genotype Aabb. These two occurrences correspond to the combinations of gametes Ab from one parent with ab from the other, and ab from the first parent with Ab from the second.

Explanation

The nucleus is the master control center of the eukaryotic cell because it stores the hereditary material in the form of DNA. By directing the replication of DNA and the transcription of RNA, the nucleus regulates gene expression and dictates which proteins are synthesized. This genetic regulation enables the nucleus to coordinate all essential cellular activities, including metabolism, growth, protein synthesis, and cell division.

Explanation

Krypton is a noble gas belonging to Group 18 of the periodic table. As a monatomic nonmetal, the forces holding krypton atoms together in its solid state are extremely weak London dispersion forces. Because these intermolecular attractions require very little thermal energy to overcome, krypton has an exceptionally low melting point of -157.36 °C (115.79 K).

Explanation

Magnesium sulphate heptahydrate, which has the chemical formula MgSO₄·7H₂O, is commonly known as Epsom salt. It was originally discovered in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England, where it was obtained by boiling down mineral water from local saline springs. Epsom salt is highly soluble in water and is widely used for various agricultural, therapeutic, and medicinal purposes, such as treating magnesium deficiency in soil and relaxing sore muscles when dissolved in bathwater.

Explanation

In digital data storage using the binary system, measurement units scale by factors of 1024 (which is 2¹⁰). One Gigabyte is equal to 1024 Megabytes, and one Terabyte is equal to 1024 Gigabytes. Converting Terabytes directly to Megabytes requires multiplying these two stages, which yields 1024 × 1024 Megabytes.

Explanation

The Elephanta Caves, located on Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour, are a network of sculpted caves dating back to between the fifth and eighth centuries. The main cave, known as the Great Cave, is primarily dedicated to Shiva. It contains numerous rock-cut sculptures and reliefs celebrating Shiva in various forms and manifestations, such as Nataraja, Ardhanarishvara, Kalyanasundara, and Gangadhara. The most prominent and iconic sculpture within these caves is the colossal three-headed bust of Shiva, known as the Trimurti or Sadashiva, which represents the three essential aspects of the deity: creation, preservation, and destruction.

Explanation

The relationship between Average Total Cost (ATC), Average Fixed Cost (AFC), and Average Variable Cost (AVC) is defined by:

ATC = AFC + AVC

First, calculate the Average Fixed Cost (AFC) using the formula:

AFC = TFC / Q

Substituting the given values:

AFC = 52500 / 75 = 700

Using the first formula to solve for the Average Variable Cost (AVC):

AVC = ATC - AFC AVC = 1700 - 700 = 1000

Explanation

Microeconomics focuses on the decision-making of individual consumers, households, and firms, and how their choices affect the supply, demand, and prices of specific goods and services in individual markets. The analysis of how a price change in one sector, such as higher fees at private schools, influences consumer demand and increases enrollment at public schools represents a fundamental microeconomic concept. This relationship illustrates the principle of substitute goods, where consumers shift their demand from a more expensive service to a cheaper alternative, demonstrating individual market behavior and consumer choice.

Explanation

Halons, which are halogenated hydrocarbons, are highly effective clean-agent fire suppressants. They function by chemically interrupting the combustion chain reaction rather than merely cooling the fire or smothering it. When released, these agents vaporize quickly and produce halogen radicals, specifically bromine and chlorine, that react with the active chain carriers in the flame, terminating the combustion process. Because they are electrically non-conductive and leave no corrosive residues or damage after discharge, they have been widely utilized to protect sensitive electronic equipment, server rooms, and aviation cabin environments.

Explanation

Ammonia is exceptionally soluble in water due to its highly polar nature and its ability to form strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds with water molecules. When ammonia dissolves in water, a significant portion of it also chemically reacts with water to establish an equilibrium:

NH₃ + H₂O ⇌ NH₄⁺ + OH⁻

This combination of hydrogen bonding and chemical reaction allows water to dissolve an enormous volume of ammonia gas at room temperature, with approximately 500 liters of ammonia gas dissolving in just one liter of water.

Explanation

Sant Gora Kumbhar, also known as Goroba, was a prominent Hindu saint and poet-saint of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra. He belonged to the Varkari tradition, which emphasizes the egalitarian worship of Lord Vithoba, a manifestation of Vishnu enshrined at Pandharpur. A potter by trade, he expressed his deep spiritual devotion through the composition and singing of numerous Abhangs. He was a contemporary of other revered Varkari saints like Dnyaneshwar and Namdev, and his life of simple living, humility, and intense devotion remains an integral part of Maharashtra's spiritual heritage.

Explanation

A hygrometer is a meteorological instrument used to measure the humidity or moisture content in the atmosphere. It determines the relative humidity of air by measuring changes in the physical properties of materials, such as electrical resistance, capacitance, or mechanical expansion, when they are exposed to water vapor.

Explanation

Amsterdam is the officially designated capital city of the kingdom of the Netherlands under the Dutch Constitution. It is the country's economic, cultural, and creative center, famous for its historic canal system, museums, and artistic heritage. Although the seat of the Dutch government, parliament, and the royal palace are situated in The Hague, Amsterdam remains the capital of the nation.

Explanation

The Provisional Government of Free India, also known as Azad Hind, was established by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Singapore on October 21, 1943, during World War II. At that time, Singapore was under Japanese military occupation. This provisional government was recognized by several Axis powers and served to mobilize Indian expatriates and resources in Southeast Asia to fight against British colonial rule in India.

Explanation

Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor and the son of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire. Bindusara ascended the throne in 297 BCE and successfully ruled the empire before being succeeded by his own son, Ashoka the Great.

Explanation

William Friese-Greene was an English inventor and professional photographer celebrated as a pioneer of cinematography. In 1889, he designed and patented a rapid-sequence camera designed to capture moving images on paper and celluloid film, making him one of the earliest inventors of motion picture technology.

Explanation

Mass is an intrinsic property of matter that represents the quantity of matter contained within an object. It is a fundamental measure of the object's inertia. Since the actual amount of matter in an object does not change regardless of its location, altitude, or the local gravitational field strength, the mass of an object remains constant and identical everywhere in the universe.

Explanation

Tesla is the SI derived unit of magnetic induction, which is also referred to as magnetic flux density (represented by the symbol B).

By definition, magnetic induction measures the strength of the magnetic force exerted on moving charges. According to the Lorentz force relation, the force (F) acting on a conductor of length (L) carrying a current (I) perpendicular to a magnetic induction field (B) is given by:

F = B × I × L

Rearranging the formula to solve for B yields:

B = F / (I × L)

Consequently, 1 Tesla (T) is defined as 1 Newton per Ampere-meter:

1 T = 1 N / (A × m)

This is also equivalent to one Weber per square meter (Wb/m²).

Explanation

Article 19 of the Constitution of India guarantees six basic democratic freedoms to the citizens of India. These freedoms include the right to freedom of speech and expression, to assemble peaceably and without arms, to form associations or unions or co-operative societies, to move freely throughout the territory of India, to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India, and to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade, or business. This article is a core component of Part III of the Constitution, which enshrines the fundamental rights of the Indian citizen. These rights are justiciable and serve to protect individual liberties against arbitrary state action.

Explanation

The National Democratic Alliance was founded in May 1998 as a coalition of political parties to contest the general elections. Led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the alliance successfully formed the government with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister, establishing the first non-Congress coalition government to complete a full five-year term in India.

Explanation

Lalita Babar is an accomplished Indian long-distance runner who predominantly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase, which is a track racing event. She made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics by becoming the first Indian woman in 32 years to qualify for the final of a track event, where she finished 10th. She also won the gold medal at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan, establishing herself as a prominent figure in competitive racing and athletics.

Explanation

Preeti Shenoy is the author of the national bestselling novel Life is What You Make It, which was published in 2011. The book is a poignant story about love, hope, and determination, centering on the protagonist Ankita Sharma, a young woman who struggles with bipolar disorder and battles to rebuild her life against all odds.

Explanation

The Sundarbans, located in the delta region of the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal, is the largest contiguous estuarine mangrove forest in the world. Spanning across India and Bangladesh, this unique bioclimatic zone is characterized by its complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats, and salt-tolerant mangrove forests. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a globally critical ecosystem that provides a habitat for a vast array of flora and fauna, including the Royal Bengal tiger.

Explanation

Amartya Sen was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his outstanding contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory. His research deeply analyzed the mechanisms of poverty, famine, and inequality, which fundamentally reshaped the understanding of economic development and directly influenced the creation of the United Nations Human Development Index.

Explanation

The kidneys of a healthy adult male weighing 70 kg receive about 20% to 25% of the total cardiac output. Since the average cardiac output is around 5000 ml to 6000 ml per minute, the volume of blood passing through and filtered by both kidneys per minute is approximately 1100 ml to 1200 ml. This is known as the renal blood flow, which represents the volume of blood delivered to the kidneys for filtration in a single minute.

Explanation

Leaf venation is the pattern of veins in the blade of a leaf. Monocots and dicots differ significantly in their leaf venation patterns. Monocots typically possess parallel venation, where the veins run parallel to one another from the base to the tip of the leaf. Dicots, on the other hand, exhibit reticulate or net-like venation, where veins branch out and form a complex interconnected network. This makes venation a highly reliable and easily observable vegetative character to distinguish between monocot and dicot plants.

Explanation

Hugo de Vries proposed the Mutation Theory of evolution in 1901 based on his extensive experiments on the evening primrose, Oenothera lamarckiana. He observed that sudden, distinct, and inheritable variations appeared in these plants from one generation to the next. He termed these sudden variations as mutations. According to this theory, evolution is a jerky and discontinuous process driven by large, sudden, and random mutations, rather than a gradual continuous process of natural selection working on minor variations.

Explanation

Helium has the lowest melting point of all elements. Due to its extremely weak interatomic London dispersion forces and high zero-point quantum energy, helium remains in a liquid state at standard atmospheric pressure even when cooled to absolute zero. It requires a pressure of at least 2.5 MPa to solidify at a temperature of 1.15 K (-272 °C), which represents its melting point under pressure.

Explanation

The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in the nucleus of its atom. Phosphorus has an atomic number of 15. Chlorine, located in Group 17 of the periodic table, has an atomic number of 17, which is greater than that of phosphorus.

Explanation

The Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), which was designed by the creators of the original Internet Protocol, defines an IP address as a 32-bit number. This 32-bit address space is typically expressed in dotted-decimal notation, consisting of four decimal numbers (octets) separated by periods, where each octet represents 8 bits of the address.

Explanation

Samvadini is a modified version of the harmonium, which is a hand-pumped free-reed keyboard instrument. It produces sound as air forced from its bellows passes over vibrating metal reeds. Since it relies on the flow of air to generate sound, it is classified as an aerophone or wind-based instrument.

Explanation

Economic profit is calculated by subtracting both explicit and implicit costs from the total revenue of the firm.

The formula for economic profit is:

Economic Profit = Total Revenue - (Explicit Costs + Implicit Costs)

By substituting the given values:

Total Revenue = Rs 180 crores Explicit Costs = Rs 95 crores Implicit Costs = Rs 25 crores

Economic Profit = 180 - (95 + 25)

Economic Profit = 180 - 120

Economic Profit = 60 crores

Explanation

Ensuring the payment of minimum wages to tea leaf pickers establishes a mandatory legal floor for labor compensation. Because tea harvesting is a highly labor-intensive process that relies heavily on manual plucking, wages constitute a major share of the total cost of production. When employers are legally required to meet or raise wages to a minimum threshold, the direct financial outlay for employing labor rises, thereby increasing the overall picking and harvesting costs for all tea-producing companies operating in the region.

Explanation

Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis A virus (HAV). It is primarily transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person. Because the virus is shed in the feces of infected individuals and can survive in water bodies, it is classified as a classic water-borne viral pathogen.

Explanation

An aurora is a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic. This phenomenon occurs when charged particles, mainly electrons and protons from the solar wind, collide with atmospheric gases such as oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's upper atmosphere.

As these charged particles travel along Earth's magnetic field lines, they are guided toward the magnetic poles. When they collide with the atmospheric gases, they transfer energy to the atoms and molecules, exciting them. As these excited atoms return to their ground state, they release energy in the form of light. The characteristic colors vary depending on the altitude and the specific gases involved; collisions with oxygen atoms typically produce green and reddish light, while nitrogen molecules produce blue and violet glows. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is known as the aurora borealis, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is called the aurora australis.

Explanation

Sabarimala, a renowned Hindu pilgrimage centre dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is situated within the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The temple is located on a hilltop surrounded by eighteen hills in the Western Ghats, which fall within the protected forest area of the reserve.

Explanation

The Earth's crust is composed predominantly of silicate minerals. Oxygen and silicon are the two most abundant elements in the crust, making up approximately 46.6% and 27.7% of its total mass, respectively. These two elements combine to form silica, also known as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), which, along with silicate minerals, constitutes more than 90% of the Earth's crust. This high abundance of silica is why the upper continental crust is commonly referred to as sial, representing silica and alumina.

Explanation

Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. Located on the Han River in the northwestern part of the country, it has been the historic capital of the region for centuries and serves as the country's political, cultural, and economic hub.

Explanation

The Indus Valley Civilization is historically classified as a Bronze Age civilization because of the widespread manufacture and use of bronze during this period. Spanning roughly from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, the civilization marked a major technological advancement as artisans learned to alloy copper with tin to produce bronze. This stronger metal was utilized to create durable tools, weapons, ornaments, and sculptures, such as the famous Dancing Girl figurine discovered at Mohenjo-daro. The mastery of bronze metallurgy supported the urban development, trade, and craft specialization that characterized this ancient society.

Explanation

Mughal Emperor Akbar bestowed the honorific title Mian, meaning master or learned man, upon the legendary musician Tansen. Born Ramtanu Pandey, Tansen joined Akbar's court in 1562 and was inducted as one of the Navaratnas, the nine jewels of the imperial court. Renowned for his exceptional mastery of Hindustani classical music, he composed numerous famous ragas such as Mian ki Todi and Darbari Kanada.

Explanation

Gordon Gould was an American physicist who coined the term LASER, which stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, in 1957. He formulated the concept of using an open optical resonator consisting of two parallel mirrors to amplify light, which became a foundational component of modern laser technology. After a prolonged thirty-year patent dispute with other researchers and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Gould was eventually granted multiple patents for his laser-related designs and optical amplifiers, securing his legacy as one of the primary inventors of the laser.

Explanation

Torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force and is mathematically defined as the cross product of the position vector and the force vector:

τ = r × F

In this relation, r represents the position vector or distance from the pivot point, which is measured in meters (m), and F represents the force applied, which is measured in newtons (N). Therefore, the SI unit of torque is the product of the two, which is newton meter (N m).

Explanation

Illuminance is defined as the total luminous flux incident on a surface per unit area. It represents the perceived brightness of the incident light on a given surface. The SI derived unit for illuminance is the lux (symbol: lx), which is mathematically defined as one lumen per square meter (1 lx = 1 lm/m²).

Explanation

Article 21 of the Constitution of India is a crucial provision located in Part III, which guarantees Fundamental Rights. It declares that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. This right is considered the cornerstone of the Constitution, ensuring the protection of an individual's basic existence and freedom against arbitrary state action.

Explanation

Article 211 of the Constitution of India deals with the restriction on discussion in the Legislature. It specifies that no discussion shall take place in the Legislature of a State with respect to the conduct of any Judge of the Supreme Court or of a High Court in the discharge of their duties. Since this provision regulates the proceedings and code of conduct within state legislative assemblies, it falls under Part VI of the Constitution, which deals with the State Government.