SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Saavaj, which translates to cub in Gujarati, was chosen as the official mascot of the 36th National Games of India, held in Gujarat in 2022. The mascot represents the majestic Asiatic lion, which is native to the Gir National Park in Gujarat, and symbolizes the qualities of strength, power, and determination in sports.

Explanation

Northern Odisha is highly rich in high-grade hematite iron ore deposits. The major iron ore belt in this region is the Odisha-Jharkhand belt, where high-grade hematite ore is found in the famous mines of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh districts. For instance, the Badampahar mines in Mayurbhanj contain high-grade hematite ore, making Odisha the leading producer of iron ore in India.

Explanation

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient required for the synthesis of rhodopsin, a light-sensitive photopigment located in the rod cells of the retina. Rhodopsin is crucial for vision in dim light and nighttime conditions. When the body lacks sufficient Vitamin A, the production of rhodopsin is impaired, which directly compromises the eye's ability to adapt to darkness, leading to night blindness.

Explanation

During the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) held in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2022, Indian swimmer Chahat Arora set a new national record in the women's 100 m breaststroke event by clocking a time of 1 minute 13.13 seconds. This performance eclipsed her own previous national record of 1 minute 13.61 seconds in the same category.

Explanation

The Micro Enterprise Development Programme (MEDP) is a flagship initiative of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Launched to promote micro-enterprises, the programme focuses on skill development and capacity building for matured Self-Help Group (SHG) members. It aims to bridge the skill gaps of rural women and entrepreneurs, enabling them to take up income-generating activities and livelihood opportunities.

Explanation

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was a legendary Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical music tradition who belonged to the Kirana Gharana. He received his intense musical training under Sawai Gandharva, a direct disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, who was one of the key founders of the Kirana Gharana. This gharana is highly regarded for its focus on perfect intonation of notes (swara) and deep emotional expression. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi achieved immense fame for his masterful khayal singing and devotional music, earning the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, in 2008.

Explanation

Article 51A(b) of the Constitution of India prescribes that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom. When an individual speaks against the Indian freedom struggle and its noble ideals, their actions directly relate to and contradict the fundamental duty enshrined under this specific provision.

Explanation

Commercial banks create credit through the process of credit creation based on their primary deposits. When a bank receives a cash deposit, it keeps a specific percentage as legal reserves and lends out the remaining surplus. This lent money is deposited back into the banking system, creating secondary deposits, which are then used to make further loans. Through this continuous cycle of deposits and loans, commercial banks generate credit that is several times greater than the initial cash deposit.

Explanation

Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a pioneering social reformer who dedicated his life to women's education and the upliftment of widows. In 1893, he set a personal example by marrying a widow and, in the same year, established the Widow Remarriage Association to promote and facilitate the remarriage of Hindu widows. His lifelong efforts towards women's empowerment also led to the founding of the Hindu Widows' Home in 1896 and the establishment of the first women's university in India in 1916.

Explanation

According to Cauchy's formula, the refractive index (n) of a medium is inversely proportional to the wavelength (λ) of the incident light:

n ≈ A + B/λ²

In the visible spectrum, violet light has the shortest wavelength. Because of this, the prism glass exhibits the highest refractive index for violet light.

The angle of deviation (δ) for a prism is directly related to its refractive index by the relation:

δ = (n - 1)A

where A is the angle of the prism. Since the refractive index is highest for the shortest wavelength, violet light undergoes the maximum deviation and is bent the most.

Explanation

Habeas corpus literally translates to "to have the body of", which is a judicial order issued to protect personal liberty against arbitrary detention.

Mandamus translates to "we command", which is a command issued by a court to a public official or authority directing them to perform a duty they have failed to perform.

Quo warranto means "by what authority or warrant", which is a writ issued to enquire into the legality of a person's claim to a public office.

Certiorari translates to "to be certified", which is a writ issued by a higher court to a lower court or tribunal to review its records and ensure legality.

Explanation

On National Girl Child Day on January 24, 2021, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the PANKH Abhiyan under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. The initiative aims to foster the physical, mental, and intellectual development of girls in the state. The letters in the acronym PANKH stand for Protection, Awareness of their rights, Nutrition, Knowledge, and Health, reflecting the multi-dimensional approach of the campaign toward empowering girls and ensuring their safety and well-being.

Explanation

Lotia is a traditional regional music form of Rajasthan, closely associated with the Lotia festival celebrated in the Hindu month of Chaitra. During this festival, women carry decorated metal pitchers called lotas filled with water from wells and ponds, singing these melodious songs to celebrate the arrival of spring and the harvest.

Explanation

In the simple circular flow of income model, households spend their entire income on goods and services produced by firms without any savings. As a result, the total money spent by households on consumption is exactly equal to the total value of goods and services produced by firms, which constitutes the aggregate expenditure of the economy. Since aggregate consumption is equal to aggregate expenditure, statement i is false.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Sonal Mansingh is an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer specializing in Odissi and Bharatanatyam. In 2003, she was honored with the Padma Vibhushan, making her the first Indian woman dancer to receive this prestigious award. Earlier in 1992, she was also the youngest recipient of the Padma Bhushan. Her immense contributions to the promotion and preservation of Indian classical dance forms have made her one of India's most celebrated performing artists.

Explanation

The Gender Development Index was introduced by the United Nations Development Programme in 1995 to measure gender gaps in human development achievements. It is a separate socioeconomic metric and is not one of the three indicators used to calculate the Physical Quality of Life Index, which was developed by Morris David Morris in the mid-1970s to measure the quality of life or well-being of a country.

Explanation

Rajini Gabra and Harni Gabra are traditional socio-religious festivals celebrated by the Dimasa community, one of the prominent indigenous tribes inhabiting the state of Assam. These festivals are deeply rooted in agriculture and community welfare. Rajini Gabra is performed before the commencement of new cultivation, where the community worships deities to seek protection and a bountiful harvest. Harni Gabra is celebrated to invoke blessings for the peace, prosperity, and general well-being of the entire village, protecting the inhabitants from diseases and natural calamities.

Explanation

Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University in February 2022, becoming the first woman to hold this prestigious academic position since the university was established in 1969. An alumna of JNU herself, she previously served as a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Savitribai Phule Pune University. Her appointment was cleared by the President of India, who is the Visitor of the University, for a five-year tenure.

Explanation

In 1932, Linus Pauling developed the Pauling scale to quantitatively measure the relative ability of an atom in a chemical bond to attract shared electrons to itself. By utilizing bond energy data from different molecules, he calculated relative electronegativity values and assigned fluorine, the most electronegative element, a value of approximately 4.0. This dimensionless scale became the most widely used standard for predicting bond polarity and chemical reactivity.

Explanation

The Green Revolution accelerated the commercialization and monetization of the rural economy. With the increase in agricultural productivity and market integration, traditional systems of patronage and barter were replaced by market-oriented transactions. Consequently, there was a shift from payment in kind, such as grain or crop sharing, to payment in cash for agricultural labor. This monetization of wages allowed landowners to streamline costs and aligned agricultural practices with modern capitalist farming, making the transition from cash to kind historically incorrect.

Explanation

Hydration is a chemical reaction in which water molecules combine with a substance, or a physiological process where an organism absorbs and retains water. Because it is a localized chemical or biological phenomenon rather than a physical mechanism for circulating water globally through the atmosphere, land, and oceans, it is not considered a step in the hydrological cycle.

Explanation

Rudrankksh Patil won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup held in Cairo, Egypt, in February 2023. He secured the top podium finish by defeating Germany's Maximilian Ulbrich with a score of 16-8 in the gold medal match.

Explanation

The Great Indian Desert, also known as the Thar Desert, is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, this arid region lies to the northwest of the Aravalli Range, which acts as a climatic barrier separating the desert from the more humid regions of central and eastern India.

Explanation

The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by discharge volume of water, releasing an average of approximately 209,000 cubic meters per second into the Atlantic Ocean. This tremendous volume accounts for roughly 20% of the world's total river flow. The river also possesses the largest drainage basin globally, spanning approximately 7,000,000 square kilometers across South America, making it the most powerful river in terms of water volume and drainage capacity.

Explanation

The Kaveri River originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. It flows in a southeasterly direction through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, eventually emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The river has a well-defined drainage basin supported by numerous key tributaries, which include the Kabini, Arkavathi, Noyyal, and Amaravati.

Explanation

During the National Race Walking Championship held in Ranchi in February 2023, Akshdeep Singh won the Gold medal in the men's 20 km race walk event, rather than the Silver medal. He achieved this by clocking a time of 1 hour 19 minutes 55 seconds, which established a new national record.

Explanation

In 1865, the English chemist John Newlands classified the then-known elements in increasing order of their atomic masses. He observed that the properties of every eighth element were similar to those of the first, mirroring the octaves found in music. This systematic arrangement and periodic relationship is known as Newlands' Law of Octaves or Newland's relation.

Explanation

The Chota Nagpur Plateau is known as the storehouse of minerals because of its immense concentration of mineral wealth. It possesses vast reserves of metallic and non-metallic minerals such as coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, manganese, mica, and limestone. The region encompasses major coalfields in the Damodar Valley and extensive iron ore deposits, making it the industrial backbone of India and earning it comparison to Germany's Ruhr valley.

Explanation

Import substitution is an economic and trade policy that aims to replace foreign imports with domestic production to foster self-reliance and protect local industries. To achieve this, governments restrict the inflow of foreign goods using protectionist measures. Tariffs and quotas are the primary tools of this policy, where tariffs make imported goods more expensive and quotas physically limit the volume of imports, thereby creating a protected domestic market for local manufacturers to grow.

Explanation

A person is considered a normal resident of a country if they ordinarily reside in that country and their center of economic interest lies in that country.

Indians working in foreign embassies located in India are normal residents of India because they live in India and their economic activities of earning, spending, and accumulation are carried out within India.

Indian ambassadors and diplomats stationed in the rest of the world are also considered normal residents of India. Under international conventions, diplomats, ambassadors, and military personnel stationed abroad are treated as normal residents of the country they represent and belong to, rather than the country where they are temporarily posted, as their primary economic interest remains tied to their home country.

Explanation

The double coincidence of wants is the primary and most fundamental barrier to trade in a barter economy. It dictates that for a transaction to occur, two individuals must each possess the specific good or service that the other desires. Finding such a perfect match of mutual needs and surpluses is highly improbable and creates massive transaction and search costs. Money eliminates this core problem by serving as a universally accepted medium of exchange, removing the necessity of finding someone with matching complementary wants.

Explanation

Kaushalya Reddy is an acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer, choreographer, and teacher who has contributed significantly to the promotion and global propagation of the traditional Kuchipudi dance form of Andhra Pradesh. Along with Raja Reddy and Radha Reddy, she is a key figure in the renowned Reddy family of Kuchipudi exponents. She also serves as the director of the Natya Tarangini Performing Arts Centre, which trains students in the Kuchipudi dance style and hosts major classical music and dance festivals.

Explanation

The Chota Nagpur Plateau has the maximum concentration of iron and steel industries due to its rich endowment of essential raw materials. This region contains abundant reserves of high-grade iron ore, particularly in the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand and adjoining areas of Odisha. It is also home to India major coalfields in the Damodar Valley, including Jharia and Raniganj, which supply high-quality coking coal required for smelting. Other necessary inputs like limestone, dolomite, and manganese are also available in close proximity. The region benefits further from an established transport network, cheap labor, and a reliable water supply from the Damodar and Subarnarekha rivers, making it the most economically viable hub for iron and steel production in India.

Explanation

Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal, was accused of orchestrating the "judicial murder" of Raja Nand Kumar. In 1775, Raja Nand Kumar leveled charges of bribery and corruption against Hastings before the Supreme Council. Shortly thereafter, Nand Kumar was arrested on charges of forging a bond document. He was prosecuted under English law in the newly established Supreme Court at Calcutta, presided over by Chief Justice Sir Elijah Impey, who was a close friend of Hastings. Nand Kumar was found guilty and hanged, an unprecedented and extreme punishment for forgery under local Indian traditions, which led contemporary critics and later historians to term the execution a conspiracy and a judicial murder.

Explanation

Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement, on 7 April 1875 in Bombay. The organization was established to promote the authority of the Vedas, reject idol worship, and introduce social reforms such as women's education and the eradication of untouchability.

Explanation

Beryllium is a divalent s-block alkaline earth metal characterized by its silvery-white appearance, low density, and high rigidity. When alloyed with copper or nickel, it drastically improves the tensile strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity of the base metal while retaining excellent formability. These alloys are highly resistant to fatigue, wear, and corrosion, and they are non-magnetic and non-sparking. Consequently, beryllium alloys are the material of choice for manufacturing high-precision gyroscopes, heavy-duty springs, electrical contacts, spot-welding electrodes, and non-sparking safety tools used in hazardous environments with explosive vapors.

Explanation

Transfer payments are unilateral payments received by individuals without any corresponding provision of goods, services, or past productive work in return.

Unemployment allowances and scholarships are unilateral payments made by the government to individuals without expecting any current or past productive service, qualifying them as transfer payments.

Retirement pension, on the other hand, is paid to retired employees by their employers as part of their service contract for past productive services. It is classified as deferred factor income (compensation of employees) rather than a transfer payment, unlike old-age pensions which are given as social welfare and considered transfer payments.

Explanation

According to James Clerk Maxwell's electromagnetic theory, electromagnetic waves carry momentum and exert a force upon any surface they strike. For a beam of light incident normally on a perfectly absorbing surface, the radiation pressure P is equal to the energy flux density U (the energy incident per unit area per unit time) divided by the speed of light C. This relation is expressed as P = U / C. In 1903, the American physicists Ernest Fox Nichols and Gordon Ferrie Hull successfully measured this extremely small pressure exerted by visible light using a highly sensitive torsion balance, quantitatively verifying this exact relation and providing key experimental support for Maxwell's theory.

Explanation

The standard measures of money supply compiled by the Reserve Bank of India are defined as follows:

M₁ (i) matches with b because it represents the narrowest and most liquid measure of money, comprising currency held by the public (Cₚ), demand deposits with the banking system (D_d), and other deposits with the RBI (O_d).

M₂ (ii) matches with d because it is a broader measure that adds post office savings bank deposits (POSB_d) to M₁.

M₃ (iii) matches with a because it represents broad money, which is the sum of M₁ and time deposits with the banking system (T_d).

M₄ (iv) matches with c because it includes broad money M₃ and the total deposits with post office savings organizations (TPO_d), excluding National Savings Certificates.

Explanation

The Sheorinarayan fair is held annually in the Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh. This famous fair begins on the auspicious day of Magh Purnima, which typically falls in February, and attracts devotees from all over the region. The town of Sheorinarayan is situated at the holy confluence of three rivers, namely the Mahanadi, Shivnath, and Jonk. It holds immense religious and historical significance as it is mythologically associated with the Ramayana, believed to be the sacred site where the devotee Shabari offered tasted sweet berries to Lord Rama during his exile.

Explanation

The Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Multipurpose Stadium, also known as the Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar International Sports Stadium, is situated in Faizabad (Ayodhya), Uttar Pradesh. It is a modern sports complex equipped with a synthetic athletic track, a football turf, and facilities for multiple indoor and outdoor sports disciplines.

Explanation

Article 24 of the Constitution of India contains the provision that prohibits the employment of children below the age of fourteen years in any factory, mine, or any other hazardous employment. This article is a crucial fundamental right categorized under the Right against Exploitation, designed to protect children from abuse and ensure their safety, health, and development.

Explanation

Pandit Totaram Sharma is an eminent maestro of the Pakhawaj, a traditional double-headed Indian barrel drum. He is highly regarded for his contributions to the Nathdwara tradition of Pakhawaj playing, which is closely associated with the Haveli Sangeet style of devotional music. His mastery over the complex rhythmic patterns and traditional compositions of the instrument has earned him significant acclaim in the field of Indian classical percussion.

Explanation

Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336, began their career as administrators and military commanders in the service of the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal under King Prataparudra II. Following the capture of Warangal by the forces of the Delhi Sultanate in 1323, they migrated to the kingdom of Kampili before eventually establishing their own independent empire on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.

Explanation

The traditional Odissi dance recital concludes with Moksha, which represents spiritual liberation and salvation. This final segment of the performance is a fast-paced, pure dance sequence choreographed to the vibrant, rhythmic syllables of the Mardal, which is the Odissi variant of the bilateral Pakhawaj drum. The dancer executes rapid and intricate movements synchronized with these escalating drum syllables to build a crescendo, marking the formal conclusion of the dance.

Explanation

Sir B. N. Rau served as the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly of India, appointed in 1946. He was responsible for leading the general research and preparing the original draft of the Constitution, which was later analyzed and refined by the Drafting Committee. He was not a member of the Drafting Committee itself.

Explanation

Sir Benegal Narsing Rau (B.N. Rau) was appointed as the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. In this key role, he was responsible for preparing the initial draft of the Constitution of India, which served as the foundational framework for the Drafting Committee. He was an eminent jurist, civil servant, and diplomat who also assisted in drafting the Constitution of Myanmar (Burma) and later served as a judge of the International Court of Justice.

Explanation

Lovlina Borgohain won the gold medal at the 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, held in New Delhi. She defeated Australia's Caitlin Parker in the final of the 75 kg middleweight category to secure her first World Championship gold medal. This victory followed her previous Olympic bronze medal in the welterweight division, marking a successful transition to the higher weight class.

Explanation

In March 2023, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority amended the PFRDA (Redressal of Subscriber Grievance) Regulations, 2015, to increase the upper age limit for holding the office of the Ombudsman from 65 years to 70 years. The Ombudsman is appointed by the authority to receive, consider, and facilitate the resolution of complaints or grievances from subscribers under the National Pension System and other pension schemes regulated by the authority.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

According to the official data of the Census of India 2011, the overall literacy rate of Andhra Pradesh is 67.02%. Among this, the male literacy rate in the state stands at 74.88% and the female literacy rate is 59.15%.