SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor and electrical engineer who pioneered the development of practical radio wave-based communication systems. In 1909, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Karl Ferdinand Braun in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy. Marconi's groundbreaking work on long-distance radio transmission, including the first successful transatlantic wireless signal transmission in 1901, laid the foundation for modern radio communication and telecommunications.

Explanation

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was a legendary Indian classical musician and composer who is widely credited with elevating the santoor from a regional Kashmiri folk instrument to a highly respected classical instrument on the global stage. He modified the instrument by changing its design and playing technique to sustain notes and produce the continuous glides essential for Indian classical music. For his immense contributions to classical music, he was honored with prestigious national awards, including the Padma Shri in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.

Explanation

Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), active women Self Help Group members are trained and deployed as Business Correspondent Agents to provide essential banking services at the doorstep of rural households. These women banking agents are designated as Bank Sakhis. They facilitate financial inclusion by enabling basic transactions such as cash deposits, withdrawals, and transfers, while also promoting financial literacy within their communities.

Explanation

Potassium bitartrate, chemically known as potassium hydrogen tartrate with the formula KC₄H₅O₆, is a natural by-product of the winemaking industry. During the fermentation of grape juice, the sugar is converted into alcohol. Because potassium bitartrate is less soluble in alcohol than in grape juice, it precipitates out of the solution as wine is aged, forming crystalline deposits on the walls of the fermentation casks and barrels. These deposits, historically referred to as argol or beeswing, are harvested and purified to produce the commercially valuable cream of tartar.

Explanation

The Mundari dance is a traditional folk dance performed by the Munda tribe, who primarily inhabit the state of Jharkhand. This vibrant dance is a significant cultural expression of the community, usually performed during socio-religious festivals such as Sarhul, Karam, Mage Parab, and Phagu. The performance is characterized by rhythmic footwork and graceful body movements where both men and women participate in unison, accompanied by traditional musical instruments like the mandar, nagara, and flute, symbolizing their deep bond with nature and agricultural cycles.

Explanation

Bandhan Financial Services, which started as a microfinance institution in 2001, is headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. In April 2014, the Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle approval to Bandhan Financial Services to set up a universal bank, making it the first microfinance institution in India to receive such a license. Bandhan Bank formally commenced its banking operations in August 2015 from Kolkata.

Explanation

According to the rules specified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the standard court dimensions for a doubles tennis match require a width of 36 feet (10.97 meters). This total width consists of the 27-foot wide singles court plus two doubles alleys, each measuring 4.5 feet in width, situated on either side of the singles playing area.

Explanation

Champakkulam boat race is one of the oldest snake boat races in India, held annually on the Pampa River in Alappuzha, Kerala.

Somnath fair is a major religious and cultural fair held annually on Kartik Purnima in Gujarat.

Surajkund fair is a world-renowned international crafts mela organized annually in Faridabad, Haryana, to promote Indian handicrafts.

Baneshwar fair is a prominent tribal festival celebrated at the confluence of the Som, Mahi, and Jakham rivers in Dungarpur district, Rajasthan.

Explanation

Mid-latitude deserts, classified as BWk under the Köppen climate system, are located in the interior of continents between 35° and 60° latitudes in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These regions lie poleward of the subtropical high-pressure belt and are characterized by extreme temperature variations and low precipitation. This dryness is primarily due to their rain-shadow location behind high mountain ranges or their extreme remoteness from damp ocean winds, a phenomenon known as continentality. Examples of deserts in this latitudinal zone include the Gobi Desert in Asia and the Patagonian Desert in South America.

Explanation

The Panchpatmali deposits in the Koraput district of Odisha are the largest and most significant bauxite deposits in India. These high-grade bauxite resources are capped on the flat-topped hills of the Panchpatmali plateau. They serve as the primary source of raw material for the National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) alumina refinery located nearby at Damanjodi, making the region a major hub for India's aluminium industry.

Explanation

The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) concluded with the complete defeat of Peshwa Baji Rao II by the British East India Company forces. Following his surrender, the office of the Peshwa was abolished, and his territories were formally annexed and integrated into the Bombay Presidency. This marked the end of the Maratha Empire and consolidated British hegemony over western and central India.

Explanation

A final good is defined in economics as a commodity that is consumed by the ultimate user and does not undergo any further transformation or processing by a producer. Once a good has crossed the boundary of production, it requires no additional value addition by any manufacturing or production process, making it ready for direct use by its final consumers or for investment by businesses.

Explanation

In Dravidian temple architecture of South India, the lofty and monumental gateway towers erected at the entrance of temple courtyards are known as gopurams. These towering structures are typically multi-storied, tapered in shape, and ornately decorated with intricate sculptures of deities, celestial beings, and mythological themes, serving as the grand entry points to the temple complex.

Explanation

Bt Cotton is a genetically modified pest-resistant variety of cotton designed to combat bollworm infestations. It incorporates specific genes derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee approved its commercial release in India in 2002. It remains the only genetically modified crop officially cleared for commercial cultivation in India, significantly transforming the country's cotton production landscape by enhancing yields and reducing the reliance on chemical pesticides.

Explanation

Shubman Gill won the Orange Cap in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) by scoring the highest number of runs in the tournament. Playing for Gujarat Titans, he amassed 890 runs in 17 matches at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80. His outstanding performance during the season included three centuries and four half-centuries, making him the second-highest run-scorer in a single IPL season in the history of the tournament.

Explanation

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, amended the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes orders for Uttar Pradesh. The legislation transferred the Gond community, including its sub-castes like Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari, and Rajgond, from the Scheduled Castes list to the Scheduled Tribes list in four specific districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Chandauli, and Bhadohi. This change ensured that members of the Gond community in these districts are recognized as Scheduled Tribes, enabling them to access the constitutional benefits and protections reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

Explanation

According to Keynesian macroeconomic theory, interest rates and bond prices share an inverse relationship. When the general rate of interest falls to an extremely low level, it approaches a historical floor below which it is unlikely to decline further. At this stage, market participants anticipate that interest rates have bottomed out and must rise in the future. Since a future rise in interest rates leads to a decline in bond prices, which would cause capital losses for bondholders, individuals overwhelmingly expect interest rates to rise back to normal levels and prefer to hold liquid cash instead of bonds.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Launched in 2015, the objective of this skill certification scheme is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood. The scheme provides free short-term skill training and also RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) certification to youth.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Mahadev Govind Ranade was a prominent social reformer, scholar, and jurist who co-founded the Widow Remarriage Association in 1861 in Maharashtra. The association was established to promote, encourage, and facilitate the remarriage of Hindu widows, actively challenging the prevailing orthodox social customs and taboos of nineteenth-century India. Ranade dedicated much of his life to uplifting the status of women, advocating for female education, and campaigning against child marriage.

Explanation

Odisha has the largest concentration of aluminium smelting plants in India, driven by the state possessing over half of the country's bauxite reserves. Major operating aluminium smelters in the state include the National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) plant at Angul, the Vedanta Aluminium plant at Jharsuguda, and the Hindalco Industries plant at Hirakud. This high concentration of smelting capacity is supported by the abundant local availability of high-grade bauxite, extensive coal reserves for captive thermal power generation, and well-developed infrastructure.

Explanation

Aditi Ashok secured her fourth Ladies European Tour (LET) title by winning the Magical Kenya Ladies Open on February 5, 2023, at the Vipingo Ridge in Kenya. Her previous three LET victories came at the Hero Women's Indian Open in November 2016, the Qatar Ladies Open in November 2016, and the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi in November 2017.

Explanation

Article 23 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the Right against Exploitation by explicitly prohibiting traffic in human beings, begar, and other similar forms of forced labour. It makes any contravention of this provision an offence punishable in accordance with law, protecting individuals from exploitation by both the State and private entities.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Rukmini Devi Arundale was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956 for her monumental contributions to the arts, particularly for her pioneering role in the revival and global popularization of Bharatanatyam. She successfully transitioned the traditional dance form from temple spaces to the modern stage, founded the prestigious Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, and became the first woman in Indian history to be nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Explanation

John Alexander Newlands, an English chemist, propounded the Law of Octaves in 1865. He arranged the then-known 56 elements in increasing order of their atomic weights and observed that every eighth element exhibited similar physical and chemical properties to the first, a relationship analogous to the octaves found in music.

Explanation

Article 40 of the Indian Constitution directs the State to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. This provision is based on Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of Gram Swaraj, which envisioned self-sufficient and self-governing villages as the foundation of India's democratic structure.

Explanation

Prayagraj, located in Uttar Pradesh, is home to the Triveni Sangam, which is the sacred confluence of three holy rivers: the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. This confluence is of immense religious significance in Hinduism. The Kumbh Mela, one of the largest peaceful religious gatherings in the world, is celebrated at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj once every twelve years, attracting millions of pilgrims and tourists from across the globe.

Explanation

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was enacted by the Parliament of India in the year 1967. Its primary objective is to provide for the more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations, and for dealing with terrorist activities. The Act, which empowers the government to designate individuals and organisations as terrorists, was passed by Parliament and received presidential assent on 30 December 1967.

Explanation

Rajendra I, who ruled from 1014 to 1044 CE, led a celebrated military expedition to Northern India around 1021 to 1022 CE. His forces marched through Odisha and reached the Ganges River in Bengal, where they defeated the Pala ruler Mahipala I. To commemorate this historic victory, Rajendra I assumed the title Gangaikondachola, meaning the Chola who conquered the Ganges, and established a new capital city named Gangaikondacholapuram.

Explanation

A mirror is used in a solar cooker to reflect and focus incident sunlight onto the cooking vessel or into the glass-covered cooking compartment. This concentration of solar radiation increases the amount of heat energy entering the cooker, thereby raising the internal temperature and significantly reducing the cooking time.

Explanation

According to the Census of India 2011, India has a total population of approximately 1.21 billion. Out of this total, the rural population stands at 833.7 million, while the urban population is 377.1 million. This translates to the rural population accounting for approximately 68.84% of the country's total population, which is rounded to 68.8%.

Explanation

Article 51A, which outlines the Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens, was inserted into Part IVA of the Indian Constitution by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. The provisions of this amendment, including the introduction of Article 51A, officially came into force on 3rd January 1977 following its notification in the Gazette of India.

Explanation

The Karma dance is a traditional folk dance performed by several tribal communities, such as the Gond, Baiga, Oraon, and Binjhwar tribes of Chhattisgarh. This dance is performed during the autumn festival of Karma Puja, which is dedicated to the worship of Karam Devta, the god of fate, fortune, and youth. The dancers, dressed in vibrant traditional attire, perform in a circle around a branch of the Karam tree to the rhythmic beats of traditional percussion instruments like the mandar and timki.

Explanation

Asha Bhosle is one of the most celebrated and prolific playback singers in the history of Indian music. With a career spanning over eight decades, she has recorded thousands of songs in Hindi and various other Indian and foreign languages, spanning genres such as filmi music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, and traditional Indian classical music. Her extraordinary contribution to Indian music has been recognized globally, including a Guinness World Record for being the most recorded artist in music history, and prestigious national honors such as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Vibhushan.

Explanation

Money supply is a stock concept because it represents the total stock of money in circulation among the public measured at a specific point in time, unlike flow variables which are measured over a period of time.

Under the monetary aggregates of the Reserve Bank of India, M3 is a broad measure of money supply calculated as the sum of M1 and time deposits with banks. Since M1 consists of currency and coins with the public along with demand deposits, currency and coins with the public are indeed included in the M3 measure. Therefore, only the statement regarding money supply being a stock concept is correct.

Explanation

Hema Malini is an acclaimed Indian actress, director, producer, and classical Bharatanatyam dancer. In the year 2000, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, in recognition of her distinguished contributions to the field of art, cinema, and classical dance.

Explanation

Esters are organic chemical compounds formed by the reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid. They are chemically characterized by their pleasant, sweet, and distinctive fruity fragrances. Many natural fruits and flowers owe their characteristic aromas to the presence of specific esters, which is why synthetic esters are extensively used as artificial flavoring agents in the food industry and as scents in perfumes, cosmetics, and essential oils.

Explanation

A klystron is a specialized linear-beam vacuum tube that operates at microwave frequencies to amplify or generate radio frequency signals. It works on the principle of velocity modulation, where an electron beam is accelerated and passed through cavity resonators. The high-frequency electric field in the cavity modulates the velocity of the electrons, causing them to bunch together. This bunching converts the kinetic energy of the electrons into high-power microwave energy, making the klystron highly efficient for both oscillation and amplification in microwave applications.

Explanation

Barren Island is home to South Asia's only active volcano and is situated in the Andaman Sea. It lies approximately 138 kilometers northeast of Port Blair and forms a part of the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The volcano first recorded eruption dates back to 1787, with several subsequent eruptions occurring over the centuries, making it a key geological feature of the Andaman Sea region.

Explanation

At the time of India's independence in 1947, the country's industrial sector was extremely limited and lacked diversification. The development of modern industry was primarily confined to traditional consumer goods industries, dominant among which were cotton textiles and jute. The cotton textile mills were largely concentrated in the western regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat and were mostly owned by Indian entrepreneurs. In contrast, the jute mills were concentrated in Bengal and were primarily controlled by British capital. These two sectors represented the major part of India's manufacturing capability prior to the post-independence push for heavy industrialization.

Explanation

By definition in national income accounting, the transition from a domestic product to a national product is made by adding Net Factor Income from Abroad (NFIA) to the domestic aggregate.

Therefore, the formula is: Net National Product at Factor Cost (NNP at FC) = Net Domestic Product at Factor Cost (NDP at FC) + Net Factor Income from Abroad (NFIA)

In this equation, the prefix Net and the valuation at Factor Cost (FC) remain unchanged, while the Domestic component (D) is converted to National (N) by adding the net factor income earned by domestic residents from the rest of the world.

Explanation

BVR Subrahmanyam, a retired IAS officer of the 1987 batch from the Chhattisgarh cadre, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog in February 2023. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his appointment for a tenure of two years. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Commerce Secretary to the Government of India and the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir.

Explanation

Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 title by defeating Bengal by nine wickets in the final match played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in February 2023. This victory marked Saurashtra's second Ranji Trophy title, following their maiden triumph in the 2019-20 season. The team was led by captain Jaydev Unadkat, who delivered a decisive performance in the final to secure the championship.

Explanation

Food grains are broadly categorized into fine grains and coarse grains based on their structural characteristics, texture, and dietary composition. Wheat is classified as a fine grain because it has a refined structure with a high starch content and is processed into flour to serve as a primary staple food. Unlike coarse grains, which have a huskier texture and higher fiber content, fine grains like wheat and rice are easily digestible and form the core of daily diets for a major portion of the population.

Explanation

The Treaty of Bassein was signed on 31 December 1802 between Peshwa Baji Rao II and the British East India Company under Governor-General Lord Wellesley. Following his defeat by Yashwantrao Holkar, the ruler of Indore, at the Battle of Poona, Baji Rao II fled to Bassein to seek British protection. Under this subsidiary alliance treaty, the Peshwa agreed to station a permanent British force in his territory, cede certain lands for its maintenance, and surrender his foreign relations to the British. In return, the British East India Company helped restore him to his position as Peshwa in Poona.

Explanation

Money acts as a unit of account by providing a common measure or standard for expressing the value of all goods and services in an economy. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a specific period. To calculate GDP, diverse physical quantities of goods and services (such as tons of steel, hours of legal advice, and numbers of apples) must be converted into a single, comparable metric. By serving as a unit of account, money enables this aggregation, allowing economists to sum the values of highly diverse outputs to derive the total GDP of a nation.

Explanation

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. Officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, this inaugural multi-sport event was organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to revive the ancient Greek Olympic tradition.

Explanation

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) is registered under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act. It was set up on 2 October 1958 with the primary objective of promoting the cooperative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit farmers by ensuring they get fair prices for their crops and by facilitating agricultural trade across states.

Explanation

During the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England, India achieved a total tally of 61 medals. This outstanding performance included 22 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 23 bronze medals, placing India fourth in the overall medal standings. India's athletes excelled across various disciplines, with wrestling being the most successful sport, contributing 12 medals, including six gold. Weightlifting also yielded significant success with 10 medals, followed by strong performances in boxing, table tennis, badminton, and athletics.

Explanation

The Right to Constitutional Remedies is classified under Part III of the Constitution of India, covering Articles 32 to 35. Article 32 guarantees the right to move the Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of the Fundamental Rights. Article 33 empowers Parliament to restrict or abrogate the fundamental rights of the members of the armed forces, paramilitary forces, police forces, and analogous forces. Article 34 provides for the restriction on fundamental rights while martial law is in force in any area. Article 35 lays down that the power to make laws to give effect to certain specified fundamental rights vests only in Parliament and not in state legislatures. Together, these articles ensure the enforcement and protection of the fundamental rights of citizens.

Explanation

The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, established legally binding emission reduction targets for developed countries during its first commitment period from 2008 to 2012. The overall goal was to reduce collective emissions of greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2% compared to 1990 levels. This target applied to a basket of six specific greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆).