SSC CHSL Tier 1 2016 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Marginal resource cost of labor represents the change in total cost resulting from hiring one additional unit of labor.

Initially, the printing press employs 7 workers at a wage rate of Rs 450 per day. The total daily labor cost is: Total Cost (7) = 7 × Rs 450 = Rs 3150

When the 8th worker is hired, the wage rate for all 8 workers increases to Rs 500 per day. The new total daily labor cost is: Total Cost (8) = 8 × Rs 500 = Rs 4000

The marginal resource cost of hiring the 8th worker is the difference between the new total cost and the initial total cost: Marginal Cost = Total Cost (8) - Total Cost (7) = Rs 4000 - Rs 3150 = Rs 850

Explanation

According to the Quantity Theory of Money, the relationship between money supply and the price level is represented by the equation of exchange: MV = PY where M is the money supply, V is the velocity of money, P is the price level, and Y is the real output. Expressed in terms of percentage growth rates, the equation becomes: g_M + g_V = g_P + g_Y where g_M is the growth rate of the money supply, g_V is the growth rate of velocity, g_P is the inflation rate, and g_Y is the growth rate of real output. In the long run, the velocity of money is stable (g_V = 0) and the growth rate of real output (g_Y) is determined by real structural factors such as technology, labor, and capital. Since these real factors are independent of the money supply in the long run, any change in the growth rate of the money supply translates directly on a one-to-one basis into the inflation rate. Therefore, a 1% per annum increase in the growth rate of the money supply leads to an equivalent 1% per annum increase in the long-run inflation rate.

Explanation

A photo-voltaic cell is a specialized semiconductor diode designed to convert light energy directly into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. When photons of light strike the cell, they excite electrons, generating an electric current. The conversion of electrical energy into light energy is instead performed by light-emitting devices, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or lamps. Therefore, the statement that a photo-voltaic cell converts electrical energy into light energy is false.

Explanation

Enteric fermentation is a digestive process that occurs in the stomachs of herbivorous animals, particularly ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats. During this process, microorganisms break down complex cellulose and other carbohydrates in the food under anaerobic conditions, producing methane as a byproduct. This methane is then released into the atmosphere primarily through eructation, making the digestion of food by animals a significant source of global methane emissions.

Explanation

The Ashoka Chakra depicted in the center of the National Flag of India is a wheel with 24 spokes in navy blue color. Adopted on 22 July 1947, it represents the Dharma Chakra (Wheel of Law) from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka. The 24 spokes symbolize the 24 hours of the day, conveying the message of continuous progress, righteousness, and the dynamic movement of the nation.

Explanation

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on 21st June, which is known as the summer solstice. During this astronomical event, the Earth's axis is tilted in such a way that the Northern Hemisphere is inclined closest to the Sun. As a result, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon, directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5° N latitude. This produces the maximum duration of daylight and the shortest night of the year for all regions in the Northern Hemisphere.

Explanation

Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire, became an ardent follower of Jainism in the later years of his life. He was influenced and initiated into the Jain faith by the prominent Jain monk Acharya Bhadrabahu. Chandragupta eventually abdicated his throne in favor of his son Bindusara and traveled with Bhadrabahu to Shravanabelagola in present-day Karnataka. There, he spent his remaining days practicing extreme asceticism and passed away by performing the sacred Jain ritual of Sallekhana, which involves fasting unto death.

Explanation

The First Battle of Panipat, fought on 21 April 1526, was contested between the invading Timurid forces of Babur and the ruling Lodi Empire under Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. Babur secured a decisive victory through the strategic deployment of artillery, gunpowder, and the Tulughma tactical formation. This victory resulted in the death of Ibrahim Lodi on the battlefield, ended the Delhi Sultanate, and laid the foundation for the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent.

Explanation

Philip Diehl invented the electric ceiling fan in 1887. He utilized the electric motor he had previously developed for Singer sewing machines and adapted it to drive a ceiling-mounted fan, filing a patent for his invention. Later, in 1889, he further enhanced the design by integrating a light fixture into the fan, creating the first ceiling fan with a built-in light.

Explanation

Power is defined as the rate at which work is done or the rate at which energy is transferred over time. Mathematically, it is expressed by the formula:

P = W / t

where P represents power, W represents work done, and t represents the time taken to complete the work. The SI unit of power is the Watt (W), which is equivalent to one Joule per second (J/s).

Explanation

Young's modulus is defined as the ratio of longitudinal stress to longitudinal strain.

Y = Stress / Strain

Stress is defined as the internal restoring force restoring per unit cross-sectional area, which is calculated as Force / Area. The SI unit of stress is newtons per square meter (N/m²), which is equivalent to the pascal (Pa).

Strain is the ratio of the change in length to the original length. Since it is a ratio of two similar physical quantities, strain is dimensionless and has no unit.

Consequently, the SI unit of Young's modulus is the same as that of stress, which is the pascal (Pa).

Explanation

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8, 2015. The flagship scheme aims to provide formal financial assistance and loans up to ₹10 lakh to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro enterprises. Under this initiative, Mudra loans are categorized into three stages based on funding requirements: Shishu (loans up to ₹50,000), Kishor (loans from ₹50,001 to ₹5 lakh), and Tarun (loans from ₹5,00,001 to ₹10 lakh), thereby promoting entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and self-employment.

Explanation

Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) seats and 7 Rajya Sabha seats. Thus, the correct option representing Punjab's Lok Sabha seats is B.

Explanation

Michael Phelps holds the record for the highest number of gold medals in Olympic history. Up to August 2016, the American swimmer had won 18 Olympic gold medals, a tally he achieved across the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, and 2012 London Games. This count includes his historic achievement at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won 8 gold medals in a single Games, breaking the previous record of 7 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. His total of 18 gold medals far exceeded any other athlete in Olympic history at that time, establishing him as the most decorated Olympian of all time.

Explanation

Sudha Murty is the author of Gently Falls: The Bakula, a novel published in 2008. The story revolves around the lives of Shrimati and Shrikant, a married couple whose relationship undergoes significant changes due to Shrikant's relentless pursuit of professional success, ultimately leading Shrimati to contemplate her own self-worth and goals.

Explanation

Jaisalmer Fort is popularly known as the Golden Fort, or Sonar Qila, due to its construction using yellow sandstone. Situated on the Trikuta Hill in the Thar Desert, the massive sandstone walls of the fort blend seamlessly with the golden sands of the desert and emit a brilliant golden hue when illuminated by the sun.

Explanation

Shabana Azmi was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2012 for her distinguished contributions to Indian cinema and social activism. It remains the highest civilian award she has received to date, following her earlier receipt of the Padma Shri.

Explanation

Protium is the most abundant and common isotope of hydrogen, constituting about 99.98% of all naturally occurring hydrogen in the universe. It contains one proton and one electron, with no neutrons. The rarest naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen is actually tritium, which exists only in trace amounts in nature because it is radioactive and has a short half-life of about 12.3 years.

Explanation

Chilika Lake is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest brackish water lagoon in the world, spanning across the Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam districts of Odisha on the east coast of India. It is separated from the Bay of Bengal by a long sandy spit and flows into the bay through a shallow channel. Its unique brackish water ecosystem supports highly diverse biodiversity, making it renowned as the premier lagoon lake of India.

Explanation

SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard programming language designed specifically for managing, querying, and retrieving data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS). It provides a structured way to interact with databases through operations such as selecting, updating, inserting, and deleting data.

Explanation

Fyodor Pirotsky was a pioneering engineer who invented and tested the world's first electric tramway. In 1875, he successfully ran an electrically powered railway car on a section of the Sestroretsk railway near Saint Petersburg, transmitting electricity over a distance of approximately one kilometer using a Gramme generator connected directly to the rails. In September 1880, Pirotsky conducted the first public demonstration of a double-decker electric tram in Saint Petersburg, marking the historic transition from horse-drawn carriages to modern electric streetcars.

Explanation

Haemophilia is an inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to form blood clots, which is the mechanism needed to stop bleeding. This occurs due to a deficiency or absence of specific clotting factors in the blood, such as Factor VIII in Haemophilia A or Factor IX in Haemophilia B. Without these essential proteins, the coagulation cascade cannot function properly, leading to failure of blood clotting and consequently resulting in prolonged bleeding after injuries, cuts, or surgeries.

Explanation

Ornithophily is the specialized relationship where birds act as the primary agents of pollination for flowering plants. Birds such as hummingbirds, sunbirds, and honeyeaters possess specific adaptations, including specialized bills and tongues, to feed on nectar. In response, ornithophilous flowers have evolved distinct traits to attract these avian pollinators, such as vibrant red, orange, or yellow coloration, tubular structures to accommodate bird beaks, and the production of abundant, dilute nectar.

Explanation

Spiders belong to the phylum Arthropoda, which is the largest phylum in the animal kingdom. Members of this phylum are characterized by having jointed appendages, a segmented body, and a tough chitinous exoskeleton. Within Arthropoda, spiders are classified under the class Arachnida, as they possess these key diagnostic features, including a body divided into a cephalothorax and abdomen, along with four pairs of jointed legs.

Explanation

Water reaches its maximum density of approximately 1.00 g/cm³ (or 1000 kg/m³) at 4 °C due to its unique hydrogen bonding. In the liquid state, water molecules are packed closely together, resulting in a density that is higher than that of its solid phase, as well as typical organic solvents and gases under standard conditions.

Explanation

Oxidation is chemically defined as a process in which an atom, molecule, or ion loses one or more electrons during a chemical reaction. When this loss of electrons occurs, the oxidation state of the chemical species increases. This fundamental concept is commonly remembered using the mnemonic OIL RIG, which stands for Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain of electrons.

Explanation

The Nalanda Mahavihara site is an ancient Buddhist monastery located in Bihar, situated about 95 kilometers southeast of the state capital, Patna. Established in the 5th century CE during the Gupta Empire, Nalanda flourished as a prestigious center of higher learning and Buddhist study for several centuries, attracting scholars and students from across Asia. In 2016, the archaeological ruins of this monumental university were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its exceptional historical, educational, and cultural significance.

Explanation

The Desert Festival is a highly popular cultural event celebrated annually in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Organized by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, this three-day extravaganza takes place in the month of February amidst the Sam Sand Dunes of the Thar Desert. The festival showcases the rich and vibrant Rajasthani folk culture through traditional dance forms like Gair and Kalbelia, folk music performances, camel races, turban-tying competitions, and the famous Mr. Desert contest.

Explanation

The real rate of interest is calculated using the Fisher equation, which relates nominal interest rates, inflation, and real interest rates:

Real interest rate = Nominal interest rate - Inflation rate

Substituting the given values into the formula:

Real interest rate = 6% - 1.5% = 4.5%

The real interest rate measures the actual growth in purchasing power that a lender or investor receives after accounting for inflation. With a nominal interest rate of 6% and inflation eroding the value of money by 1.5%, the net increase in purchasing power is 4.5%.

Explanation

Giffen goods are non-luxury, inferior products that defy standard economic theory because demand for them rises when their price increases, and falls when their price decreases. This is a unique violation of the fundamental law of demand.

This anomaly occurs because the income effect of a price change outweighs the substitution effect. When the price of an essential staple rises, the purchasing power of low-income consumers falls. Because they can no longer afford more expensive substitute foods, they are forced to spend a larger portion of their income on the basic staple to satisfy their needs, leading to an increase in overall consumption of that Giffen good.

Explanation

The German zoologist Ernst Haeckel coined the term ecology in 1866. He introduced the term as Oekologie in his pioneering book Generelle Morphologie der Organismen. The word is derived from the Greek terms oikos, meaning home or place to live, and logos, meaning study. Haeckel defined it as the study of the relationship of living organisms with each other and with their physical and organic environment.

Explanation

Banana freckle is a significant plant disease that affects banana leaves and fruit, causing dark brown to black spots that give the tissue a rough, sandpapery texture. This disease is caused by fungal pathogens belonging to the genus Phyllosticta, most notably Phyllosticta cavendishii (formerly known as Guignardia musae). The fungus is primarily spread by rain splashes or the transport of infected plant material, resulting in decreased plant vigor, blemishes on the fruit, and substantial yield loss.

Explanation

Pablo Picasso was a world-renowned Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and theatre designer. Born in Málaga, Spain, in 1881, he spent his childhood and early formative years studying art in his native country before moving to France. His early training in Spain laid the foundation for his highly influential career and his co-founding of the Cubist movement, which revolutionized Western art in the twentieth century.

Explanation

Bhut Jolokia, also known as the ghost pepper, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India, particularly in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. In 2007, Guinness World Records officially certified it as the world's hottest chili pepper, with a rating of over 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU). It is highly celebrated globally for its intense pungency and heat, which is about 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.

Explanation

Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system due to its dense atmosphere, which is composed of about 96.5% carbon dioxide. This thick atmospheric blanket, along with clouds of sulfuric acid, traps solar heat in a runaway greenhouse effect. Because the trapped thermal energy cannot escape back into space, the surface temperature of the planet remains constantly high at approximately 462°C, which is hot enough to melt lead.

Explanation

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 in the compound of Birla House, a large mansion in New Delhi, by Nathuram Godse. Godse, an advocate of Hindu nationalism, fired three bullets into Gandhi's chest at point-blank range during an evening prayer meeting. He was subsequently arrested, tried, and sentenced to death, leading to his execution in November 1949.

Explanation

Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore in July 1799 after defeating the Bhangi Sikh rulers who held control over the city. Following his victory, he established the Sikh Empire and was crowned Maharaja of Punjab in April 1801. He chose Lahore as the political and administrative capital of his kingdom, while Amritsar served as the spiritual and religious capital. Under his sovereign rule, Lahore became the heart of the empire's administrative machinery, military operations, and cultural flourishing.

Explanation

Leonardo DiCaprio won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 88th Academy Awards, which took place on February 28, 2016. He was honored for his leading role as the frontiersman Hugh Glass in the biographical survival drama film The Revenant, directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu. His performance required intense physical dedication and was highly acclaimed by critics, earning him his first Best Actor Oscar win after being nominated several times throughout his career.

Explanation

Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity, which comprises two interrelated theories: special relativity and general relativity. Special relativity, published in 1905, explains the relationship between space and time for objects moving at constant speeds in a straight line, establishing that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant for all observers regardless of their motion. General relativity, published in 1915, extends these principles to include acceleration and gravity, describing gravity not as a force but as the curvature of spacetime caused by the uneven distribution of mass and energy.

Explanation

A fathometer is a specialized instrument used to measure the depth of water, particularly in oceans, by utilizing the principles of active sonar. It functions by transmitting an acoustic pulse or sound wave from the water surface down to the ocean floor. This sound wave travels through the water column, reflects off the seabed, and returns as an echo to the receiver on the ship. Since the speed of sound in seawater is known, the time taken for the sound wave to travel to the bottom and return allows the fathometer to precisely calculate the depth using the relation: depth = (speed of sound × time travel) / 2.

Explanation

The Objectives Resolution (referred to as Objections Resolution in the question) was moved in the Constituent Assembly of India by Jawaharlal Nehru on December 13, 1946. It laid down the fundamental principles, philosophy, and values that guided the deliberations and the overall drafting of the Indian Constitution. The resolution declared India as an independent, sovereign republic and outlined the commitment to provide social, economic, and political justice, equality, and freedom to all its citizens. It was unanimously adopted by the Assembly on January 22, 1947, and later served as the basis for the Preamble of the Constitution of India.

Explanation

Under Article 83(1) of the Constitution of India, the Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. The term of office of its members is six years, as prescribed under Section 154 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. To ensure continuity, one-third of the members retire every second year, and fresh elections are held to fill these vacancies.

Explanation

Limba Ram is a prominent Indian archer who represented India in three Olympic Games, namely Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta 1996. He achieved major international success in 1992 at the Asian Archery Championships in Beijing, where he won the gold medal in the 30-meter event and equalled the world record with a score of 358/360. In recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to archery, he was honored with the Arjuna Award in 1991 and the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2012.

Explanation

Glimpses of World History was written by Jawaharlal Nehru. It is a collection of 196 letters on world history written from various prisons in British India between 1930 and 1933. Nehru wrote these letters to his young daughter, Indira Gandhi, to introduce her to the history of humankind from ancient civilizations to modern times. The book was published in 1934 and is highly regarded for its comprehensive and accessible narrative of global history.

Explanation

Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist and former steam-boat engineer from Buffalo, New York, is credited with inventing the electric chair. In 1881, Southwick witnessed an intoxicated man touch a live electric generator terminal and die almost instantly. Believing that electrocution could serve as a quick and more humane alternative to hanging for capital punishment, he began developing a method to administer lethal electrical shocks. Since his dental practice accustomed him to working with patients in a specialized seat, he adapted the concept of a dental chair to secure the condemned individual. His efforts culminated in New York passing the world's first electrical execution law in 1889, leading to the first execution by electric chair in 1890.

Explanation

Brain fever is a common term for Japanese Encephalitis, an inflammatory infection of the brain. The disease is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes, particularly those of the Culex species, such as Culex tritaeniorhynchus. These vector mosquitoes breed in abundance in stagnant water resources, including agricultural rice fields, and acquire the virus by feeding on infected reservoir hosts such as pigs and water birds. When a mosquito carrying the virus bites a human, it transmits the infection directly into the bloodstream, allowing it to migrate to the central nervous system.

Explanation

Mangroves grow in saline, waterlogged, and oxygen-deficient coastal soils. To survive in these anaerobic conditions, they develop specialized aerial roots known as pneumatophores, or respiratory roots. These roots grow vertically upwards out of the mud and water into the air. They feature numerous tiny pores called lenticels on their surface, which enable the plant to take in oxygen directly from the atmosphere and transport it to the underground root system for respiration.

Explanation

Sciurus is a genus of tree squirrels that belongs to the order Rodentia. The term Sciurus comes from the ancient Greek words for shadow and tail, reflecting the characteristic behavior of squirrels sitting under the shadow of their bushy tails. Organisms in this genus are widely distributed across the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa.

Explanation

Redox reactions, short for reduction-oxidation reactions, are chemical processes that involve the transfer of electrons between two chemical species. During this process, one substance loses electrons and undergoes oxidation, while another substance gains those electrons and undergoes reduction. Since electrons cannot exist freely in a reaction mixture, the loss of electrons by one species must be accompanied by the gain of electrons by another, meaning that both oxidation and reduction always take place simultaneously.

Explanation

Daniel Rutherford, a Scottish physician and chemist, discovered nitrogen in 1772. He isolated the gas by keeping a mouse in a confined volume of air until it died, then burning a candle in the remaining air until it went out, and finally burning phosphorus until it ceased to burn. After passing the leftover air through an alkaline solution to absorb the carbon dioxide, the remaining gas did not support combustion or respiration. Rutherford identified this as a distinct gaseous substance, which he referred to as noxious air or phlogisticated air, establishing his credit for the discovery of nitrogen.