SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The Australian Test cricket team's traditional cap is known as the "Baggy Green", which is dark green in colour. It has been a symbol of pride and national identity for Australian cricketers since the late nineteenth century, with players receiving it upon making their Test debut.

Explanation

Amish Tripathi is the author of the Shiva Trilogy, of which The Secret of the Nagas is the second book. Released in 2011, this mythological fiction novel continues the journey of Shiva as he travels across ancient India to confront the Nagas, expanding on the themes of destiny, duty, and the philosophy of evil that began in the first book, The Immortals of Meluha.

Explanation

The Group of Monuments at Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the state of Karnataka. It served as the glorious capital of the Vijayanagara Empire during the 14th century. Situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, Hampi comprises the ruins of a highly sophisticated medieval city. The site is globally renowned for its exceptional Dravidian architecture, featuring magnificent structures like the Virupaksha Temple, the Vittala Temple complex with its iconic stone chariot, the Lotus Mahal, and the Elephant Stables.

Explanation

Taare Zameen Par did not win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Instead, it won the National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare at the 55th National Film Awards for the year 2007.

Explanation

Bambusa dendrocalmus (often referenced alongside the genera Bambusa and Dendrocalamus in botanical taxonomy) is the scientific name associated with Bamboo. Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. The genera Bambusa and Dendrocalamus comprise several species of giant, clumping woody bamboos that are highly valued for their rapid growth, tensile strength, and versatile applications in construction, paper pulp, and scaffolding.

Explanation

The scientific name Acinonyx jubatus belongs to the cheetah. It is a large feline native to Africa and central Iran, renowned as the fastest land animal on Earth. The genus name Acinonyx is derived from Greek, meaning non-moving claws, referencing the cheetah's semi-retractable claws which provide traction during high-speed chases, while the species name jubatus translates from Latin as maned or having a crest, referring to the mantle or mane seen on young cheetah cubs.

Explanation

Zinc has an atomic number of 30. Bromine, represented by the chemical symbol Br, is a halogen with an atomic number of 35, which is greater than that of Zinc. Located in group 17 and period 4 of the periodic table, Bromine is the third-lightest halogen and exists as a fuming reddish-brown liquid at room temperature.

Explanation

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to the practice of optimizing web pages and their content to make them more easily discoverable by users searching for terms relevant to the website. The primary goal of Search Engine Optimization is to improve the website's ranking in organic search engine results, thereby increasing the quality and quantity of unpaid, organic traffic to the site. This involves using relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and ensuring a user-friendly site structure and fast loading times so that search engine crawlers can index the site effectively.

Explanation

The Churches and Convents of Goa were constructed by the Portuguese during their colonial rule, which began with the conquest of Goa in 1510. Old Goa served as the capital of the Portuguese empire in India and became the center of Christian missionary activities in Asia. These religious structures, built between the 16th and 17th centuries, display a unique blend of European architectural styles including Manueline, Mannerist, and Baroque. Notable monuments within this group include the Basilica of Bom Jesus, which houses the mortal remains of Saint Francis Xavier, and the Se Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Goa. This historical complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

Explanation

Resul Pookutty won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing at the 81st Academy Awards held in 2009 for his work on the film "Slumdog Millionaire". He shared this prestigious honor with co-sound mixers Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for their outstanding achievement in mixing and blending dialogue, music, and sound effects to realistically capture the vibrant and chaotic atmosphere of Mumbai.

Explanation

A typical human somatic cell contains 46 chromosomes, which are organized into 23 pairs. This diploid number (2n = 46) consists of 22 pairs of autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes, with one chromosome of each pair inherited from each biological parent. These structures reside within the cell nucleus and carry the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that determines an individual's hereditary traits.

Explanation

In a standard 16-box Punnett square representing this dihybrid cross, the gametes for AaBb are AB, Ab, aB, and ab, while the gametes for Aabb are Ab, ab, Ab, and ab. Out of the 16 possible combinations, exactly 4 result in the AaBb genotype (a probability of 1/4).

Explanation

Ateles is the genus of New World monkeys commonly known as spider monkeys, which are highly arboreal primates native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. The term arboreal refers to their tree-dwelling lifestyle, which they are exceptionally adapted for due to their extremely long, gangly limbs and highly specialized prehensile tails. The genus name Ateles translates to imperfect in Greek, which refers to the unique anatomical trait of having reduced or absent thumbs—an evolutionary adaptation that helps them swing efficiently through the high forest canopy.

Explanation

Ammonia is a compound composed of one nitrogen atom covalently bonded to three hydrogen atoms, giving it the chemical formula NH₃. Nitrogen belongs to group 15 of the periodic table and has five valence electrons. To achieve a stable octet configuration, the nitrogen atom shares three of its valence electrons with three individual hydrogen atoms, each of which contributes its single electron to form three single covalent bonds, leaving one lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom.

Explanation

Richard Smalley, along with Harold Kroto and Robert Curl, discovered buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀) in 1985 at Rice University. This soccer-ball-shaped molecule was the first discovered member of the fullerene family, which constitutes a major allotrope of carbon alongside graphite and diamond. For this pioneering discovery of fullerenes, Smalley, Kroto, and Curl were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996.

Explanation

Firewalls are network security devices designed to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing network traffic based on established security rules. They serve as a protective barrier between a secure internal network and external networks. By analyzing data packets, firewalls can block unauthorized access by selectively preventing traffic from specific Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, ranges, or ports that are classified as untrusted or malicious, thereby protecting the network from external threats.

Explanation

Chang Lo is a traditional folk dance belonging to the Chang tribe of Nagaland, also popularly referred to as Sua Lua. Developed historically to celebrate a warrior's victory over his enemies, it is a dance of celebration and triumph. In modern times, the Chang Lo is performed during Poanglem, a three-day harvest festival celebrated by the tribe. The dancers, both men and women, wear traditional warrior-like costumes and perform synchronized group movements to mark the beginning of the harvest season.

Explanation

Gugga Naumi is a traditional folk-religious festival celebrated predominantly across the state of Haryana during the Hindu lunar month of Bhadrapada (August–September). The festival is dedicated to Gugga Pir (also known as Goga Ji), a legendary warrior-saint who is widely revered as a protector against venomous snakes and snakebites. During the festival, devotees engage in snake-worship by visiting shrines called Gugga Marhis, singing devotional songs, and offering milk, flour, and sweets to snakes and snake idols to seek safety, prosperity, and blessings.

Explanation

Arc Income Elasticity of Demand measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to a change in consumer income over a specific range of the demand curve. The formula for Arc Income Elasticity of Demand is:

E = [ (Q₂ - Q₁) / (Q₁ + Q₂) ] × [ (I₁ + I₂) / (I₂ - I₁) ]

Where Q₁ is the initial quantity demanded (200), Q₂ is the new quantity demanded (250), I₁ is the initial average income (20,000), and I₂ is the new average income (30,000).

Substituting these values into the formula gives:

E = [ (250 - 200) / (200 + 250) ] × [ (20,000 + 30,000) / (30,000 - 20,000) ]

E = (50 / 450) × (50,000 / 10,000)

E = (1 / 9) × 5

E = 5 / 9 ≈ 0.55

Explanation

In a pure monopoly, a single seller dominates the market with no close substitutes for its product, which causes the market demand curve to tend to be inelastic. In an oligopoly, the market is dominated by a small number of large firms that possess significant control over their quantity of output, but because they are highly mutually interdependent, each firm must strategically take into account the potential reactions and decisions of its competitors when determining its own production levels.

Explanation

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a well-known pathogen responsible for causing salmonellosis, a water-borne and foodborne illness that affects the intestinal tract. Infection typically spreads through contaminated water or food, leading to gastroenteritis with symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

Explanation

Methane (CH₄) is a simple hydrocarbon belonging to the alkane family, consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Halon gases, by definition, are halogenated hydrocarbons, which means they must contain carbon atoms bonded with one or more halogen atoms such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine. Because methane lacks any halogen substituents in its molecular structure, it is not classified as a Halon gas.

Explanation

The planets of the solar system are arranged in order of increasing distance from the Sun, starting with Mercury as the closest, followed by Venus, and then Earth. This order positions Earth as the third planet from the Sun.

Explanation

Nashik is situated on the banks of the Godavari River in the state of Maharashtra. The Godavari, which is the second-longest river in India after the Ganges, originates in the Brahmagiri Hills at Trimbakeshwar, located in the Nashik district. The river flows through the heart of Nashik city, making it a prominent religious and pilgrimage center, particularly known for hosting the Kumbh Mela on the banks of the river at Ram Kund.

Explanation

Ghatotkacha was an early ruler of the Gupta Dynasty in northern India, succeeding his father Sri Gupta, who founded the dynasty. He ruled as a Maharaja, a title that denotes a feudatory status before the empire achieved paramount sovereignty. Ghatotkacha was succeeded by his son, Chandragupta I, who went on to establish the imperial phase of the Gupta Empire and adopted the grander title of Maharajadhiraja.

Explanation

The Marathas, under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and later the Peshwas, fought a prolonged conflict against the Mughal Empire, most notably during the Deccan Wars from 1681 to 1707. This exhausting military struggle severely depleted the Mughal treasury and administrative control. Following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the Marathas rapidly expanded their territory across central and northern India, dismantling Mughal authority and establishing themselves as the preeminent power in the Indian subcontinent, which effectively brought an end to the Mughal hegemony.

Explanation

Marginal Revenue Product is the change in total revenue resulting from employing one additional unit of a variable input, such as labor. The formula is:

MRP = TR₂ - TR₁

where TR₁ is the initial total revenue and TR₂ is the final total revenue.

First, calculate the initial total revenue before hiring the additional cobbler: TR₁ = Initial Output × Initial Price TR₁ = 50 × 3200 = Rs 160000

Next, calculate the final total revenue after hiring the additional cobbler: TR₂ = Final Output × Final Price TR₂ = 55 × 3000 = Rs 165000

Subtract the initial total revenue from the final total revenue to find the marginal revenue product of the last cobbler: MRP = 165000 - 160000 = Rs 5000

Explanation

Sir Rowland Hill, an English teacher, inventor, and social reformer, is credited with inventing the adhesive postage stamp. In 1837, he published a pamphlet titled Post Office Reform: Its Importance and Practicability, in which he campaigned for the reform of the postal system in the United Kingdom. His efforts led to the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post and the creation of the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp, which was issued on May 1, 1840. This system revolutionized postal communication by making it cheap, simple, and accessible to everyone through prepaying postage based on weight rather than distance.

Explanation

Velocity is a vector quantity that possesses both magnitude and direction. When a body moves in a circular path at a constant speed, the magnitude of its velocity remains constant, but its direction of motion changes continuously at every point along the circular trajectory. Because a change in direction constitutes a change in the velocity vector, the velocity of the body is constantly changing during uniform circular motion.

Explanation

Plasma is considered the fourth state of matter, alongside the three classical states: solid, liquid, and gas. It is a highly energetic, ionized gas consisting of a mixture of positively charged ions and free electrons. This state is formed when gas is heated to extremely high temperatures or subjected to a powerful electromagnetic field, causing atoms to lose their electrons. Because of its charged particles, plasma possesses unique properties, including high electrical conductivity and strong responsiveness to magnetic and electric fields.

Explanation

The original Constitution of India was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada in a flowing italic style and decorated with artwork by Nandalal Bose and other artists from Shantiniketan. This historic manuscript was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey of India. The Survey of India's press in Hathibarkala, Dehradun, possessed the most advanced printing technology in the country at the time, making it the chosen facility to replicate and publish the calligraphed and illuminated pages of the Constitution.

Explanation

Article 228 of the Constitution of India deals with the power of a High Court to withdraw a case from a subordinate court if it involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution. This article is situated within Chapter V (The High Courts in the States) of Part VI (The States) of the Constitution. Part VI of the Constitution delineates the structure, organs, powers, and functioning of the State Governments, which includes the state executive, legislature, and judiciary. Therefore, Article 228 is categorized under the provisions dealing with the State Government.

Explanation

Aditya Mehta won the 2016 National Snooker Championship, which was the 83rd edition of the Senior National Billiards and Snooker Championship. Held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the tournament concluded on January 31, 2016. Mehta secured the national title by defeating Manan Chandra with a score of 6-3 in the men's snooker final round.

Explanation

Ravinder Singh is the author of the highly popular debut novel I Too Had a Love Story, which was published in 2008. The book is an autobiographical story based on the author's real-life experience of love, courtship, and tragic loss. It established his career as a prominent contemporary Indian romantic fiction writer.

Explanation

The Law of Demand is a fundamental principle of microeconomics which states that, other factors remaining constant, there is an inverse relationship between the price of a good and its quantity demanded. When the price of a good falls, the real purchasing power of consumers increases and the good becomes relatively cheaper compared to its substitutes. This induces consumers to purchase a larger quantity of the good.

Explanation

The ozone layer is a region of Earth's atmosphere containing high concentrations of ozone (O₃). It is located in the lower portion of the stratosphere, typically extending from about 15 to 30 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. This layer performs the vital function of absorbing approximately 97 to 99 percent of the Sun's medium-frequency ultraviolet light, protecting biosphere life from harmful radiation.

Explanation

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. Originally established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, it became one of the first nine tiger reserves in India under Project Tiger in 1973. It was officially declared a National Park in 1980. The reserve is renowned for its Bengal tiger population and lies at the junction of the Aravali and Vindhya hill ranges, which provides a unique landscape of dry deciduous forests and open grassy meadows.

Explanation

In 2016, India comprised 29 States and 7 Union Territories. The seven Union Territories were the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi (National Capital Territory), Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. These territories were governed directly by the federal Union Government of India through administrators or Lieutenant Governors appointed by the President of India under Article 239 of the Constitution.

Explanation

Anthracite is the highest grade of coal, known for its high carbon content and low percentage of volatile matter. It is a hard, compact variety of coal that possesses a brilliant submetallic luster. Because of its extremely low volatile matter content, anthracite burns very slowly with a clean, blue, smokeless flame and provides the highest heat value among all types of coal.

Explanation

Port of Spain is the capital city of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, a twin-island Caribbean archipelagic nation. Located on the Gulf of Paria on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad, it serves as the political, administrative, and financial hub of the country, having been established as the capital in 1757.

Explanation

Chanakya, also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, was the chief advisor and prime minister to Chandragupta Maurya. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire by guiding Chandragupta in defeating Dhanananda, the ruler of the Nanda dynasty, and capturing the throne of Magadha. Chanakya is also renowned for writing the Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy. Under his astute guidance, Chandragupta Maurya expanded his territory across most of the Indian subcontinent, creating one of the largest empires in ancient history.

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 on behalf of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Maharana Pratap bravely defended his territory of Mewar against the Mughal imperial expansion in this historic clash, which took place at a narrow mountain pass in the Aravalli Range near Haldighati in Rajasthan.

Explanation

The Ajanta Caves are a group of about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. These caves, dating from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE, are renowned for their masterpiece paintings and sculptures that represent the peak of ancient Indian art. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the complex is situated along the gorge of the Waghur River.

Explanation

Anaemia is a medical condition characterized by a reduced number of red blood cells or a lower-than-normal amount of haemoglobin in the blood. Haemoglobin is an iron-rich protein found in red blood cells that is essential for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and organs of the body. A deficiency in either red blood cells or haemoglobin impairs the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity, which typically results in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

Explanation

Ananas comosus is the scientific name of the pineapple. It is a tropical plant with an edible multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries, belonging to the family Bromeliaceae. The genus name Ananas is derived from the Tupi word nanas, which translates to excellent fruit, while the species name comosus means tufted, referring to the characteristic leafy crown at the top of the fruit.

Explanation

The pancreas is a composite gland located in the abdomen that exhibits both exocrine and endocrine functions. Its endocrine component consists of specialized groups of cells known as the islets of Langerhans. Within these islets, the beta cells synthesize, store, and secrete the hormone insulin. Insulin is essential for regulating blood sugar levels by promoting the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream into hepatocytes, skeletal muscle cells, and adipose tissue.

Explanation

Hydrogen exists as a diatomic molecular gas under standard conditions. The intermolecular forces holding the non-polar hydrogen molecules together in its solid state are extremely weak London dispersion forces, which are a type of van der Waals force. Because these forces require very little thermal energy to break, hydrogen transitions from solid to liquid at an exceptionally low temperature. It has a melting point of -259.16 °C (13.99 K), which is one of the lowest melting points of any element in the periodic table.

Explanation

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

Substituting the given equations into the equilibrium condition: 25000 - 7P = 10000 + 8P

Solving for the equilibrium price, P: 25000 - 10000 = 8P + 7P 15000 = 15P P = 15000 / 15 P = 1000

Explanation

In pure competition, firms are price takers and face a perfectly elastic demand curve at the market price. Since they can sell any quantity at this constant price, the marginal revenue is always equal to the market price, meaning MR = MP.

In an oligopoly, the market is dominated by a few large, mutually interdependent firms. Because the actions of one firm significantly impact others, any change in price triggers reactions from competitors, who may either match or ignore the price change. Consequently, the elasticity of demand for any single firm depends directly on the pricing policies of its rivals.

Explanation

Sariska National Park is situated in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, covering an area of about 881 square kilometers within the Aravalli Range. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and was later designated as a Tiger Reserve in 1978 under Project Tiger. The landscape of the park comprises dry deciduous forests, scrub-thorn arid forests, rocky hills, and grasses, which support a rich diversity of wildlife including Bengal tigers, leopards, striped hyenas, sambar deer, and nilgai.