SSC CHSL Tier 1 2017 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Bullets in Microsoft Word are graphical symbols used to introduce items in a list. They commonly appear as small dots, squares, dashes, or custom graphics positioned before the text to organize information visually, making lists easier to read and scan by clearly separating distinct points.

Explanation

Per capita income is calculated using the standard formula:

Per Capita Income = National Income / Total Population

When there is a sudden decrease in the birth rate, the rate of population growth slows down immediately, keeping the denominator of this ratio smaller than it otherwise would have been. Meanwhile, the current labor force and productive capacity of the economy, which generate the National Income in the numerator, remain unaffected in the short term, as newborns do not immediately participate in economic production. Consequently, with national output remaining steady or growing while the population size is constrained, the ratio yields a higher per capita income.

Explanation

The telecommunications sector in India has been a major driver of economic growth and one of the highest recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI). According to data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the telecommunications sector attracted cumulative FDI equity inflows of approximately USD 30 billion by 2017, representing about 8% of the total FDI inflows into the country over that period. This substantial inflow of foreign capital was catalyzed by progressive policy reforms, including the relaxation of FDI caps to allow 100% foreign investment, rapid expansion of mobile network infrastructure, a massive surge in data consumption, and the commercial roll-out of high-speed 3G and 4G wireless services across the country.

Explanation

The Navsari copper plate inscription of the Gurjara king Dadda II of Lata provides historical evidence of Emperor Harshavardhana's military campaign and conquest of Vallabhi. The inscription records that King Dadda II provided shelter and protection to Dhruvasena II, the Maitraka ruler of Vallabhi, after he was defeated and forced to flee during Harshavardhana's westward military expansion. This conflict eventually resolved through a diplomatic treaty, which was sealed by the marriage of Harshavardhana's daughter to Dhruvasena II.

Explanation

During the reign of Akbar, the Mughal Empire underwent significant expansion, extending its frontiers from the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhyas in the south, and from the Brahmaputra River in the east to the Hindukush mountain range in the northwest. By securing territories such as Kashmir, Sindh, Baluchistan, Qandahar, and Kabul, Akbar successfully established the empire's northwestern scientific frontier along the natural boundary of the Hindukush mountains, which acted as a strategic barrier separating the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia.

Explanation

Perihelion is the point in the elliptical orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet where it is closest to the Sun. Derived from the Greek words peri, meaning near, and helios, meaning Sun, this point represents the minimum distance between the orbiting celestial body and the Sun. According to Kepler's first law of planetary motion, orbits are elliptical rather than perfectly circular, which causes the distance between a planet and the Sun to continuously change throughout its orbit, reaching its lowest value at this specific point.

Explanation

Indira Point, the southernmost point of the Indian territory located on Great Nicobar Island, was historically referred to by several names before being officially named in honor of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1985. Its alternative historical names include Parson Point, La-Hi-Ching, and Pygmalion Point. Since all three names represent historical designations for this point, all options are correct.

Explanation

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in Calcutta as Narendranath Dutt. He was a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and went on to introduce the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He adopted the monastic name Swami Vivekananda later in life, which was suggested to him by Maharaja Ajit Singh of Khetri shortly before his historic departure to the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Explanation

The joint military exercise Prabal Dostyk, which translates to Robust Friendship, is a bilateral exercise conducted between the Indian Army and the Kazakhstan Army. The 14-day training exercise held in November 2017 was the second edition of Prabal Dostyk and took place at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh, India. The primary objective of this exercise is to build and promote bilateral army-to-army relations, exchange tactical skills, and enhance interoperability between the two forces during counter-terrorism and low-intensity conflict operations.

Explanation

In 2017, former Indian national hockey team captain Sardar Singh was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour, alongside para-athlete Devendra Jhajharia. Sardar Singh was recognized for his outstanding contributions to Indian hockey, having served as a mainstay of the midfield for several years. Under his leadership, India won the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon and a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, cementing his status as one of the country's finest hockey players.

Explanation

The Veddas, also known as the Wanniyala-Aetto, are the indigenous minority group of Sri Lanka. They are widely recognized as the earliest inhabitants of the island, predating the arrival of other major ethnic communities. Historically forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers, they traditionally occupied the interior forests of Sri Lanka. They possess a distinct cultural heritage, specialized knowledge of the forest ecosystem, and a unique language that incorporates elements of both ancient pre-Aryan and Indo-Aryan roots.

Explanation

Silk is a natural protein fiber produced by silkworms, primarily the caterpillars of the species Bombyx mori, to construct their cocoons. Because it is harvested directly from an animal source without undergoing synthetic chemical polymerization, it is classified as a natural fiber.

Explanation

Non-metal oxides are acidic because they react with water to produce acidic solutions. When non-metals share electrons with oxygen, they form covalent oxides. Upon dissolution in water, these oxides form acids by increasing the hydrogen ion concentration in the solution. For instance, sulfur dioxide reacts with water to form sulfurous acid:

SO₂ + H₂O → H₂SO₃

Similarly, carbon dioxide reacts with water to form carbonic acid:

CO₂ + H₂O → H₂CO₃

These acidic oxides also react with bases to form salt and water in neutralization reactions.

Explanation

The Finance Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 280 of the Constitution of India. It is constituted by the President of India every five years, or at such earlier time as the President considers necessary. The primary responsibility of the Finance Commission is to recommend the distribution of the net proceeds of taxes between the Union and the States, and the allocation of the respective shares of such proceeds among the States, as well as to lay down the principles governing the grants-in-aid to the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Explanation

Part IX A of the Indian Constitution specifically deals with the Municipalities. This part was inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992, which came into effect on June 1, 1993. It contains Articles 243P to 243ZG, which constitutionally recognize urban local bodies and provide a structured framework for three types of municipalities: Nagar Panchayats for transitional areas, Municipal Councils for smaller urban areas, and Municipal Corporations for larger urban areas.

Explanation

Enzymes are biological catalysts, primarily made of proteins, that accelerate chemical reactions in living organisms. They work by lowering the activation energy required for biochemical reactions, allowing complex organic substances like carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids to be broken down efficiently into simpler, absorbable molecules during metabolism and digestion, without being consumed or permanently altered in the process.

Explanation

During glycolysis, which is the first step of cellular respiration and carbohydrate metabolism in nutrition, a six-carbon glucose molecule undergoes a series of enzymatic reactions in the cytoplasm. This pathway breaks down the glucose molecule into two molecules of a three-carbon compound called pyruvate. This process does not require oxygen and produces a net gain of energy in the form of two ATP molecules.

Explanation

The Saubhagya scheme, officially known as the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, was launched in September 2017 by the Government of India. The primary objective of this scheme is to achieve universal household electrification in both rural and urban areas of the country. It ensures last-mile connectivity and free electricity connections to all un-electrified households identified under the Socio-Economic and Caste Census of 2011, while other un-electrified households can obtain connections at a nominal charge. Rural Electrification Corporation Limited serves as the nodal agency for the implementation of this project across India.

Explanation

ROTAVAC is the first indigenously developed vaccine from India to receive prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO). Developed and manufactured by the Hyderabad-based company Bharat Biotech Limited, this live-attenuated oral vaccine is designed to prevent severe diarrhea and hospitalizations caused by rotavirus infection in infants and young children.

The development of the vaccine was a major milestone under a public-private partnership model that involved the Government of India, international agencies, and philanthropic organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This WHO prequalification status allows international procurement agencies, such as UNICEF and Gavi, to purchase and distribute the vaccine to developing countries with high disease burdens.

Explanation

According to the Reserve Bank of India circular on Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions issued on July 6, 2017, customer liability is capped when the responsibility lies elsewhere in the system and the customer reports the unauthorised transaction within four to seven working days of receiving the transaction alert. Under this framework, the maximum customer liability for high-value accounts, such as Credit Cards with a limit above ₹5 lakh or other Current, Cash Credit, and Overdraft accounts, is capped at ₹25,000. For other accounts, the liability is capped at lower limits of ₹5,000 or ₹10,000.

Explanation

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in the Parliament to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which is the primary legislation governing road transport and safety in India.

Explanation

The effective resistance R of two resistors R₁ and R₂ connected in parallel is given by the formula:

R = (R₁ × R₂) / (R₁ + R₂)

Substituting the given values, R₁ = 20 Ω and R₂ = 30 Ω, into the formula:

R = (20 × 30) / (20 + 30) R = 600 / 50 R = 12 Ω

Explanation

To convert kilometers per hour to meters per second, the units of distance and time are converted individually:

1 kilometer = 1000 meters 1 hour = 60 minutes × 60 seconds = 3600 seconds

Substituting these values:

1 km/h = 1000 m / 3600 s = 10/36 m/s = 5/18 m/s

Explanation

Polar bears live in extremely cold Arctic environments and rely on a thick layer of fat, also known as blubber, underneath their skin to stay warm. This insulating layer of fat can be up to 11 centimeters thick, which effectively prevents heat loss and helps them maintain a stable body temperature even when swimming in freezing waters.

Explanation

Statement I is correct because Maverick Viñales won the 2017 season-opening Qatar Motorcycle Grand Prix MotoGP held on March 26, 2017, riding for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP.

Statement III is correct because Gautam Gambhir was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2017 Indian Premier League season.

Statement II is incorrect because Zaheer Khan captained the Delhi Daredevils franchise in the 2017 IPL season, whereas Virat Kohli captained Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Explanation

Character formatting in Microsoft Word refers to the properties that can be applied to individual letters, numbers, punctuation marks, or selected words. This includes modifying the font style, typeface, text size, color, highlighting, and specific effects like superscript or subscript. These attributes change the visual appearance of the selected characters directly.

Explanation

In a capitalist economy, the factors of production, which include land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship, are privately owned and controlled by individuals and private corporations. This system of private ownership allows individuals to acquire, use, and dispose of property as they see fit, driving economic activities through self-interest, profit maximization, and competitive market forces. The state plays a minimal role, primarily focusing on maintaining law and order and protecting property rights, leaving the allocation of resources to be determined by the price mechanism of supply and demand.

Explanation

The expert group under the chairmanship of Suresh Tendulkar was constituted by the Planning Commission in 2005 to review the methodology for estimation of poverty. The committee submitted its report in 2009, recommending a shift away from the calorie consumption-based estimation to a nutritional, health, and education expenditure-based indicator, thereby revising and updating the poverty line concept in India.

Explanation

Mehrgarh is an archaeological site located on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, near the Bolan Pass. It is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most significant Neolithic sites in the Indian subcontinent, with sedentary settlement and agricultural activity dating back to around 7000 BCE. Excavations at the site have yielded the earliest known evidence of farming, including the cultivation of wheat and barley, as well as pastoralism with the rearing of sheep, goats, and cattle. The transition from a semi-nomadic lifestyle to a settled agricultural village economy in this region represents the oldest documented evidence of the Neolithic revolution in South Asia.

Explanation

The Nagina Masjid, also known as the Gem Mosque, is a small, elegant white marble mosque situated within the Agra Fort complex. It was constructed by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1640 AD for the private use of the royal ladies of the court. The architectural design of the Nagina Masjid is heavily influenced by the traditional Bengal style, often referred to as the bangladar style. This regional influence is clearly visible in the mosque's structure, which features curved chhajjas (roof coverings or eaves), curved parapets, and a curved central dome that resemble the traditional thatched-roof huts of Bengal.

Explanation

The planets of our solar system are positioned in a specific, constant order of increasing distance from the Sun. This sequence begins with the four inner, terrestrial planets: Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, followed by Venus as the second, Earth as the third, and Mars as the fourth. This layout is determined by their respective average orbital radii from the central star.

Explanation

India has a vast coastline of 7,516.6 km, comprising the mainland coastline and the coastlines of the island territories. The mainland coastline of India touches nine states. These nine coastal states are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala on the western coast along the Arabian Sea, and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal on the eastern coast along the Bay of Bengal.

Explanation

Amir Khusrow was a devoted disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the eminent Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in Delhi. Khusrow regarded Nizamuddin Auliya as his spiritual master and wrote extensively about his deep reverence and love for him. Their spiritual bond was so profound that upon the death of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in 1325, Khusrow was overwhelmed with grief and passed away only a few months later. As per his wishes, Amir Khusrow was buried close to the tomb of his beloved spiritual master in the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah complex in Delhi.

Explanation

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor, famously known as the bullet train project, is being developed with technical and financial assistance from the Government of Japan. Under the project framework and the schedule managed by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited, the official timeline set for the completion of the 508-kilometer corridor was December 2023.

Explanation

Vishw Mithok Sarit Sagar is a distinguished work of literary criticism written by the Hindi scholar, critic, and academician Ramesh Kuntal Megh. It is not written by Krishna Sobti. Ramesh Kuntal Megh received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017 in the Hindi language category for this monumental exploration of mythology and aesthetics.

Explanation

Cambodia is located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia and is completely separated from China by other nations. Its land borders are shared exclusively with Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, and Vietnam to the east and southeast, meaning it does not share any geographic boundary with China.

Explanation

Rayon is a regenerated cellulose fiber made from purified cellulose, which is primarily obtained from chemically treated wood pulp. Since cellulose is a naturally occurring polymer, rayon is classified as a semi-synthetic fiber rather than a fully synthetic one. The manufacturing process involves dissolving the wood pulp cellulose in chemical solvents and extruding it through spinnerets to form soft, versatile fibers that mimic the properties of natural materials.

Explanation

Zinc is a metal, and metals possess the physical property of malleability. Malleability is the characteristic of a substance that allows it to be beaten, hammered, or rolled into thin sheets without breaking. When heated to temperatures between 100°C and 150°C, zinc becomes highly malleable and can be easily processed into thin sheets, which are commonly utilized in roofing, battery manufacturing, and corrosion-resistant coatings.

Explanation

The Prime Minister of India is the ex-officio or de-facto chairperson of all three of these bodies:

NITI Aayog, which was established on January 1, 2015, as a policy think tank of the Government of India to replace the Planning Commission, is chaired by the Prime Minister.

The National Integration Council, which was established in 1961 to find ways to address communalism, casteism, and regionalism in India, is chaired by the Prime Minister.

The Indian Board of Wildlife, which was constituted in 1952 and later replaced by the National Board for Wildlife under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, is also chaired by the Prime Minister.

Explanation

Under the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992, urban local bodies are categorized based on the size and population of the urban area they govern. A Municipal Corporation is established for the administration of larger urban areas or metropolitan cities. These corporations are designed to manage complex infrastructure, public services, and civic administration in major cities that have high population densities and substantial revenue-generating capacities.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide undergoes reduction to form carbohydrates such as glucose. Reduction is characterized by the gain of electrons or the addition of hydrogen, which is obtained from the water molecules split during the light-dependent reactions. Since carbon dioxide is reduced rather than oxidized to produce carbohydrates, oxidation of carbon dioxide does not occur during photosynthesis.

Explanation

Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the circulatory system, forming a vast network that connects arterioles to venules. Their walls are composed of a single layer of endothelial cells, making them only one-cell thick. This extremely thin barrier minimizes the diffusion distance, enabling the efficient exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and waste products between the blood and the surrounding tissues.

Explanation

In September 2017, the countrywide Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat scheme was launched by the then Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, at Mota Ishanpur village in Gandhinagar district, Gujarat.

The scheme serves as an interactive communication platform and a backup initiative to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). It was designed to bring LPG users, particularly rural women, together to share experiences, address safety issues, and raise awareness about the clean cooking fuel's benefits on health, environment, and women's empowerment.

Explanation

Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua are two identical crab-eating or long-tailed macaques cloned by Chinese scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai. Born in late 2017, they are the first non-human primates successfully cloned using somatic cell nuclear transfer, which is the same advanced cloning technique that was used to create Dolly the sheep in 1996. Their names are derived from the Chinese adjective Zhonghua, which translates to the Chinese nation or people.

Explanation

In the Union Budget of India for the Financial Year 2016-17, the central government set a target to limit the fiscal deficit to 3.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By implementing strong tax revenue collection measures, maintaining capital spending discipline, and consolidating non-salary revenue expenditures, the government successfully adhered to this fiscal consolidation path, containing the provisional fiscal deficit of the Central Government to exactly 3.5% of GDP for that financial year.

Explanation

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on 10 April 2017, amended the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, to enhance road safety and revise compensation structures. Under the updated provisions of Section 161, the compensation for death in hit-and-run accident cases was increased from ₹25,000 to ₹2 lakh or more, as prescribed by the Central Government. In addition, the compensation for grievous injury in such cases was raised from ₹12,500 to ₹50,000 or more.

Explanation

The electric current is defined as the rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor per unit time. The formula to calculate electric current is:

I = Q / t

where I is the current in Amperes, Q is the net charge in Coulombs, and t is the time in seconds.

Substituting the given values: Q = 500 C t = 25 s

I = 500 / 25 = 20 A

Explanation

In uniform motion along a straight line, an object covers equal distances in equal intervals of time, meaning its speed remains constant. Since the direction of motion is also unchanging along the straight line, both the magnitude and direction of the velocity vector remain constant over time. Therefore, during uniform motion, the velocity of the object remains constant, resulting in zero acceleration.

Explanation

The tropical region is located around the equator, extending between the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5° N and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5° S. Because of this equatorial location, the region receives direct, near-vertical sunlight throughout the year. The concentration of solar radiation over a smaller surface area near the equator results in high solar intensity, leading to a consistently hot climate with minimal seasonal temperature variations.

Explanation

Johanna Konta won the 2017 Miami Open Women's Singles title by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, making her the first British woman to win the prestigious tournament.

The 2017 BWF World Senior Championships was hosted by Kochi, India, rather than the United Arab Emirates.

The 2017 US Open Men's Singles title was won by Rafael Nadal, who defeated Kevin Anderson in the final.