SSC CHSL Tier 1 2020 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Lord Dalhousie, who served as the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856, introduced the Doctrine of Lapse. This was an annexation policy applied by the British East India Company in India. Under this doctrine, any princely state under the direct or indirect control of the British would be annexed into the British Empire if its ruler died without a natural male heir, thereby refusing to recognize the traditional right of Indian rulers to adopt an heir. The state of Satara was the first to be annexed under this policy in 1848, followed by other states including Sambalpur, Jhansi, and Nagpur.

Explanation

The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was established in Calcutta on 17 December 1931 by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. It was initially set up as a small statistical laboratory within the Physics Department of Presidency College, where Mahalanobis taught. Under his leadership, the institute grew into a premier center for statistical research, training, and practical applications in India. Recognizing its significant contributions to national development and planning, the Parliament of India passed the Indian Statistical Institute Act in 1959, declaring it an Institution of National Importance.

Explanation

Tropical Deciduous Forests are referred to as Monsoon Forests because they thrive in regions with a distinct monsoon climate characterized by seasonal rainfall. These forests typically receive annual rainfall between 70 cm and 200 cm. The trees in these forests shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks during the dry summer season to prevent water loss through transpiration, which is a key adaptation to the seasonal moisture variations of the monsoon system. They are the most widespread forest type in India and are found extensively across South and Southeast Asia.

Explanation

Atrial Natriuretic Factor (ANF) is a peptide hormone secreted by the atrial wall of the human heart. When blood pressure or blood volume increases, the stretching of the atrial walls stimulates the cardiac cells to release ANF. Once released, ANF acts to reduce blood pressure by causing vasodilation (relaxation of blood vessels) and promoting the excretion of sodium ions and water in the urine, thereby reducing the overall blood volume and maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis.

Explanation

Virat Kohli created history at the 2018 ICC Awards by becoming the first player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men's Test Player of the Year, and the ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year awards all in the same year.

During the qualification period in 2018, Kohli exhibited extraordinary form across all formats, scoring 1322 Test runs at an average of 55.08, 1202 ODI runs at an average of 133.55, and 211 T20I runs. He was also named the captain of both the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year. This unprecedented clean sweep of the three major individual ICC honours marked a landmark achievement in international cricket history.

Explanation

Deepika Padukone was honored with the 26th Annual Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2020. The award celebrates outstanding artists and cultural leaders who inspire inclusive and sustainable change. She received this recognition for her leadership in raising awareness about mental health. After publicly sharing her personal struggles with depression in 2015, she founded The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) to reduce stigma, spread awareness, and provide accessible mental health resources across India.

Explanation

Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth is a prominent Indian badminton player who has represented India at various international tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics. He achieved a career-high world ranking of number 10 and won the bronze medal at the 2019 BWF World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, becoming the first Indian male singles player to win a World Championships medal since Prakash Padukone in 1983. For his outstanding contributions to the sport, he was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2019.

Explanation

Amitabh Bachchan was selected for the prestigious 66th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2018 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The announcement was made in September 2019, and the award was officially conferred upon him by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan in December 2019. This honor, instituted in 1969 to commemorate the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, is India's highest award in the field of cinema.

Explanation

In the mesosphere, the temperature decreases with increasing altitude rather than rising. The temperature drops from approximately 0 °C at the boundary with the stratosphere to about -90 °C near the top of the layer, making the mesosphere the coldest layer of Earth's atmosphere. A rapid increase in temperature with height is instead characteristic of the thermosphere, which lies directly above the mesosphere.

Explanation

In September 2019, Infosys was announced as the winner of the UN Global Climate Action Award in the Climate Neutral Now category. The company was the only corporate from India to receive this prestigious recognition for its efforts to combat climate change. This award recognized the company's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, its transition to renewable energy sources, the implementation of comprehensive energy efficiency measures, and its community-based carbon offset programs. The award was subsequently presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25).

Explanation

Aruna Asaf Ali is widely celebrated for her courageous act of hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay on August 9, 1942. This historic event took place just after the British government arrested senior Congress leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, immediately following the launch of the Quit India Movement. Her defiance of the colonial authorities provided a strong impetus to the masses, officially signaling the start of the movement and earning her the title of the Grand Old Lady of the Independence Movement.

Explanation

Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the prominent Kashmiri leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, wrote his autobiography titled Aatish-i-Chinar (Flames of Chinar). First published in Urdu, the book provides a comprehensive account of his life, the political struggle of Kashmir, and his experiences during the partition and post-independence era.

Explanation

In Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook, the F7 function key is the standard keyboard shortcut used to initiate the spelling and grammar check tool. Pressing this key triggers a scan of the active document or text field, highlighting potential spelling errors and grammatical inconsistencies, and offering suggestions for corrections.

Explanation

The Naharkatia-Nunmati-Barauni Pipeline is the first crude oil pipeline constructed in India. Built by Oil India Limited, this pipeline was laid to transport crude oil from the Naharkatia oilfields in upper Assam to the refinery at Noonmati in Assam, and was later extended to the refinery at Barauni in Bihar. The pipeline segment between Naharkatia and Noonmati became operational in 1962, while the extension to Barauni began operations in 1964, covering a total distance of approximately 1167 km. This project marked the beginning of modern pipeline transport in India.

Explanation

The Dashavatara Temple, dating back to the Gupta period in the early 6th century CE, is located at Deogarh in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this ornate stone temple is highly celebrated as one of the earliest surviving Hindu temples in North India. It represents a crucial milestone in Indian temple architecture, particularly for its early Panchayatana style layout where a central main shrine is flanked by four smaller subsidiary shrines on a raised plinth.

Explanation

The speed of sound in a liquid medium is determined by its density (ρ) and bulk modulus of elasticity (B), using the formula:

v = √(B / ρ)

At 25°C (77°F), distilled water has a density of approximately 997 kg/m³ and a bulk modulus of about 2.24 × 10⁹ Pa. Substituting these elastic and inertial properties into the formula yields a sound wave propagation speed of approximately 1498 m/s.

Explanation

France is training Indian flight surgeons to monitor the health of astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan mission. Under this arrangement, Indian Air Force doctors specializing in aviation medicine undergo training in France. The program is facilitated by the French space agency, National Centre for Space Studies, and its subsidiary, the MEDES space clinic, which has extensive expertise in space medicine and health monitoring. This training is critical for equipping the flight surgeons with the specialized theoretical and clinical knowledge needed to manage crew healthcare before, during, and after space flights.

Explanation

Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical rather than perfectly circular. Aphelion refers to the point in this elliptical orbit where the Earth is at its furthest distance from the Sun. This event typically occurs in early July, and during this phenomenon, the approximate distance between the Earth and the Sun is about 152 million kilometers.

Explanation

ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. Designed and built by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, it was the first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer. Completed in 1945, ENIAC was originally designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, marking a monumental shift in computing speed and versatility.

Explanation

Archery was officially declared the national sport of Bhutan in 1971 when the country became a member of the United Nations. Known locally as Dha, archery is deeply ingrained in the cultural, social, and spiritual fabric of Bhutan. The sport is traditionally played during local festivals, national holidays, and community celebrations, accompanied by traditional dances, songs, and social gatherings.

Explanation

Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, officially assumed charge as the 39th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on October 23, 2019, at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. His appointment brought an end to the 33-month tenure of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) which had been governing the cricketing body since 2017. He was elected unopposed to the position.

Explanation

PROM stands for Programmable Read-Only Memory. It is a form of non-volatile semiconductor memory that can be written to or programmed only once after its manufacture. While standard read-only memory is programmed with data during the fabrication process, a PROM is manufactured as blank memory. It is programmed by utilizing a specialized device called a PROM programmer or PROM burner, which applies high-voltage pulses to permanently blow microscopic fuses within the integrated circuit. This physical alteration permanently writes the data, ensuring that the stored information remains intact and unchangeable even when the device is powered down.

Explanation

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, developed the aptitude test named Tamanna for senior school students of classes 9 and 10. Launched on 30 October 2019 under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education), the acronym Tamanna stands for Try And Measure Aptitude And Natural Abilities.

The purpose of this test is to help students discover their underlying strengths, enabling them to make informed choices when choosing subjects in higher classes and exploring future career options. The tool assesses student aptitude across seven specific dimensions: Language Aptitude, Abstract Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Mechanical Reasoning, Numerical Aptitude, Spatial Aptitude, and Perceptual Aptitude.

Explanation

Mayurbhanj Chhau is a major style of Chhau dance that originates from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Characterized by its vigorous martial movements, graceful choreography, and athletic acrobatics, it is distinct from the other variants of Chhau as the performers do not wear masks. The dance is traditionally performed during the spring festival Chaitra Parva and depicts themes from local folklore and Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It is widely recognized for its cultural significance and was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Explanation

Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the Kendrapara district of Odisha, is renowned for its unique mangrove ecosystem and serves as the primary habitat and conservation site for the endangered Estuarine (Saltwater) Crocodiles in India. Under the Crocodile Conservation Project launched in 1975 with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bhitarkanika became a key breeding and rearing center. Today, the sanctuary hosts the largest population of saltwater crocodiles in the country, making it globally significant for the conservation of this species.

Explanation

The Garo and Khasi hill ranges are located in the state of Meghalaya in northeastern India. These hills are part of the Shillong Plateau and are named after the indigenous Garo and Khasi tribes who inhabit the region. The unique funnel-shaped alignment of these hills intercepts the moisture-laden southwest monsoon winds rising from the Bay of Bengal, which leads to exceptionally heavy rainfall, making this region home to some of the wettest places on Earth, such as Mawsynram and Cherrapunji.

Explanation

Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, founded the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 in Tamil Nadu. The movement aimed to achieve a society where backward castes have equal human rights, and it actively opposed Brahminical dominance, caste-based discrimination, and gender inequality. Periyar advocated for self-respect marriages, women's liberation, and the eradication of social evils embedded in religious orthodoxy, laying the foundation for the modern Dravidian movement.

Explanation

Batukeshwar Dutt, along with Bhagat Singh, threw low-intensity bombs into the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi on April 8, 1929. Their objective was not to cause harm or kill anyone, but to make the deaf hear, protesting against the passage of the repressive Public Safety Bill and the Trade Disputes Bill. Following the explosion, they threw pamphlets into the air and shouted slogans of Inquilab Zindabad, deliberately allowing themselves to be arrested to use the subsequent court trial to propagate their revolutionary message to the Indian masses.

Explanation

The Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted a redesigned official logo on 9 January 2020. This new logo features the National Emblem alongside the state flower, the Foxtail Orchid (Rhynchostylis Retusa). In this design, the National Emblem signifies the federal structure of the Indian Constitution, while the Foxtail Orchid represents the state, its people, and its diverse cultural heritage. The blue background color used in the logo symbolizes the autonomy of the Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

Explanation

The Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress in December 1929 was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru. It was during this historic session that the Congress passed the famous Poorna Swaraj resolution, declaring complete independence from British rule as its ultimate goal. Under his leadership, the tricolor flag of India was hoisted on the banks of the Ravi River at midnight on December 31, 1929, and January 26, 1930 was fixed as the first Independence Day.

Explanation

Kanhaiyalal Maniklal Munshi, a distinguished lawyer and prominent member of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India, famously described the Preamble as the political horoscope of our sovereign democratic republic. In his view, the Preamble defined the fundamental values, goals, and future direction of the newly independent nation, acting as a guiding chart or horoscope that reveals the political destiny and character of the Indian state.

Explanation

Kunchikal Falls, also known as Kunchikal Abbe, is located near Masthikatte-Hulikal in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. Formed by the Varahi River, this tiered waterfall cascades down rocky boulders from a total height of 455 meters (1,493 feet), making it the tallest waterfall in India.

Explanation

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) formally inscribed Yoga on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2016. This decision was made during the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The committee unanimously supported India's nomination, recognizing the ancient physical, mental, and spiritual practice of Yoga as a human treasure that promotes mental, spiritual, and physical well-being without discrimination of gender, class, or religion.

Explanation

Charles's law states that the volume of a given mass of an ideal gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature when the pressure is held constant. Mathematically, this relation is expressed as V ∝ T, which can also be written as V/T = k, where V represents volume, T represents absolute temperature in Kelvin, and k is a constant. Under changing conditions for a fixed amount of gas at constant pressure, the law is formulated as V₁/T₁ = V₂/T₂. As the temperature of the gas increases, the average kinetic energy of its molecules increases, causing them to move faster and occupy more space, which results in an increase in volume to maintain a constant pressure.

Explanation

Greenockite is a rare sulfide mineral consisting of cadmium sulfide with the chemical formula CdS. It is a major source of cadmium rather than mercury. The primary and most common ore of mercury is cinnabar, which has the chemical formula HgS. Therefore, pairing mercury with greenockite is incorrect.

Explanation

Ramanathan Krishnan became the first Asian player to win the Junior Wimbledon's Boys singles title in 1954. He achieved this historic milestone by defeating the Australian player Ashley Cooper in the final with a score of 6-2, 7-5. This landmark victory marked a significant breakthrough for Asian tennis on the international stage.

Explanation

Baba Amte, born Murlidhar Devidas Amte, was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1988. He remains the only Indian to have received this prestigious quinquennial award, which was established by the United Nations General Assembly to recognize outstanding achievements in the promotion and protection of human rights. Baba Amte was honored for his exemplary and lifelong devotion to the rehabilitation and empowerment of marginalized individuals, particularly those suffering from leprosy, through the creation of self-reliant cooperative communities such as Anandwan in Maharashtra.

Explanation

Andre Russell won the Most Valuable Player of the Series award in the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) for his outstanding all-round performance representing the Kolkata Knight Riders. Throughout the tournament, he scored 510 runs in 13 innings at an exceptional strike rate of 204.81 and a batting average of 56.66. He hit 52 sixes in the tournament and also contributed significantly with the ball, taking 11 wickets.

Explanation

The novel Quichotte, published in 2019, was written by Salman Rushdie. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes classic novel Don Quixote, it is a contemporary metafictional satire about a mediocre writer who creates a courtly romance involving a television star. The book was highly acclaimed and successfully made it to the shortlist for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2019.

Explanation

The Brahmaputra River originates in the Angsi Glacier on the northern side of the Himalayas in Tibet, where it is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo. It flows eastward through southern Tibet for about 1,700 kilometres. Upon reaching the eastern end of the Himalayas near Namcha Barwa, the river makes a sharp U-turn and carves a deep gorge to enter India through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, where it is initially called the Siang or Dihang River.

Explanation

Rambir Singh Khokhar is a highly respected coach who has made extensive contributions to Kabaddi in India. Over a career spanning several decades, he served as a coach with the Sports Authority of India and guided the Indian national kabaddi team to multiple international successes, including a gold medal at the Asian Kabaddi Championship. In August 2019, he was honored with the Dronacharya Award in the lifetime category to recognize his outstanding achievements and dedication to nurturing talent in the sport.

Explanation

Venkataraman Krishnamurthy is widely regarded as the Father of Public Sector Undertakings in India due to his visionary leadership and pioneering contributions in turning around and modernizing key state-run industries. He served as the chairman and chief executive of major public sector giants, including Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Maruti Udyog Limited, Steel Authority of India Limited, and Gas Authority of India Limited. His professional management strategies successfully transformed these struggling public entities into highly profitable, efficient, and globally competitive enterprises.

Explanation

The Government of India, through the Department of Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, officially granted the prestigious Maharatna status to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) on October 23, 2019. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) was also awarded the Maharatna status alongside HPCL on the same date. This status provides the company's board with enhanced autonomy and delegation of powers to take strategic and financial decisions, including making equity investments in joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries up to 15% of their net worth, subject to a limit of ₹5000 crore in a single project.

Explanation

Rajendra Chola I assumed the title Gangaikonda Chola, which translates to the Victor of the Ganges, to commemorate his successful military expedition to Northern India. His forces marched up to the Ganges River, defeating the Pala ruler Mahipala of Bengal. To celebrate this triumph, he established a new capital city called Gangaikondacholapuram and constructed the grand Brihadisvara Temple there, filling its sacred tank, Chola Gangam, with the holy water brought from the Ganges.

Explanation

JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich in 1995 while he was working at Netscape Communications. Initially developed under the project name Mocha and briefly released as LiveScript, it was officially renamed JavaScript and launched alongside Netscape Navigator 2.0 in December 1995 to enable dynamic and interactive features on web browsers.

Explanation

The elections to the Constituent Assembly of India were held in July and August 1946 as proposed by the Cabinet Mission Plan. These elections were conducted indirectly, with the members of the provincial legislative assemblies electing the representatives of the Constituent Assembly using the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. The newly formed assembly met for the very first time on December 9, 1946, in New Delhi to begin drafting the Constitution of India.

Explanation

Following the demonetisation of high-denomination currency in November 2016, the Reserve Bank of India introduced the new 2,000 banknote as part of the Mahatma Gandhi New Series. The reverse side of this magenta-colored note features a motif of Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter Mission, which represents India's first successful interplanetary space exploration achievement.

Explanation

India shares its eastern land boundaries with Myanmar and Bangladesh. To the far east, India shares a border stretching over 1643 kilometers with Myanmar, running along the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. Bangladesh lies to the east of India's main landmass and is surrounded by Indian territory on three sides, sharing a border of 4096 kilometers with West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. Together, these two countries form the eastern land frontier of India.

Explanation

In Microsoft Office applications like Microsoft Word and Excel, the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F2 is used to display the Print Preview window. This shortcut instantly opens the Print screen in the Backstage view, allowing users to preview the document's layout and adjust printing options before sending it to the printer.

Explanation

India's first World Cup-winning cricket captain, Kapil Dev, was honored with the Bharat Gaurav Award by the East Bengal Football Club during its 99th foundation day celebrations on August 1, 2019, at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. This award is the highest decoration bestowed by the club to honor outstanding sports personalities who have made the nation proud. Kapil Dev has a unique association with the East Bengal club, having signed for them and played for 27 minutes as a substitute striker in an exhibition football match against Mohun Bagan in June 1992.