SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Dhansiri is a major river and river valley region that originates from the Laisang peak in Nagaland and flows through Nagaland and Assam before joining the Brahmaputra River. It is a major geographical feature of the Assam-Nagaland region and does not form a physiographic subdivision of the Meghalaya plateau.

Explanation

The period from 1966 to 1969 is designated as the Plan Holiday in Indian economic history. This phase was necessitated by the failure of the Third Five-Year Plan (1961–1966), which arose from severe economic distress caused by the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and a devastating drought in 1965–1966. Due to acute resource depletion and high inflation, the government postponed the launch of the Fourth Five-Year Plan and instead implemented three annual plans between 1966 and 1969, focusing heavily on agriculture and economic stabilization.

Explanation

Governor Gurmit Singh gave his assent to the Uttarakhand Public Services (Horizontal Reservation for Women) Bill, 2022 on January 10, 2023. This legislation secures a 30% horizontal reservation in state government jobs for women who are domiciled in the state of Uttarakhand. The enactment of this law solidifies the reservation benefit for local women, which was previously implemented through government orders.

Explanation

Alfiya Pathan won the gold medal in the women's +81 kg category at the inaugural Elorda Boxing Cup 2022 held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She secured the top podium finish by defeating the 2016 world champion Lazzat Kungeibayeva of Kazakhstan in the final match.

Explanation

Morris Jones characterized the Indian federal structure as bargaining federalism. He observed that the political system in India involves constant negotiations, adjustments, and compromises between the central government and the state governments. This bargaining process occurs within the constitutional framework, where both levels of government collaborate and compete to share resources, power, and influence, making the federal character of India dynamic and interactive rather than static.

Explanation

The sequence from broader to narrower concepts of national income begins with Gross National Product (GNP) at factor cost, which measures the total value of output produced by the factors of production owned by a country's residents, inclusive of depreciation. Deducting depreciation from GNP at factor cost yields Net National Product (NNP) at factor cost, which represents the net value of production and is a narrower measure. From NNP at factor cost, adjusting for corporate taxes, undistributed corporate profits, social security contributions, and transfer payments leads to Personal Income, which is the income actually received by households. Finally, subtracting personal income taxes and miscellaneous non-tax payments from Personal Income gives Personal Disposable Income, which is the narrowest concept as it represents the actual amount of money available to households for consumption and saving.

Explanation

Laho is a traditional folk dance of the Jaintia tribe in Meghalaya. It is performed during festive occasions, particularly the Behdienkhlam festival, to celebrate companionship and community bonding. In this dance, both men and women participate together, linking their arms and performing synchronized steps to the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments and vocal narration.

Explanation

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is an internationally acclaimed Indian classical maestro who plays the sarod. He belongs to the illustrious Bangash lineage, which is widely credited with modifying the ancient Afghan rabab into the modern sarod. His unique style of playing the instrument with his fingernails rather than fingertips gives it a distinct, clear, and resonant sound. In recognition of his immense contribution to Indian classical music, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor, in 2001.

Explanation

NABARD launched the Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) in December 2015. This initiative is designed to create sustainable livelihoods for Self Help Group (SHG) members by providing end-to-end support, including intensive training, handholding, and credit linkage. The programme covers both farm and off-farm activities, helping rural communities build local enterprises and secure stable incomes.

Explanation

The Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy is presented to the overall champion team at the National Games of India. At the 36th National Games held in Gujarat, the Services Sports Control Board won this prestigious trophy by finishing at the top of the medal tally. Services secured a total of 128 medals, which included 61 gold, 35 silver, and 32 bronze medals, defending their title as the overall champions.

Explanation

Bihu represents both a major festival and a traditional folk dance of the state of Assam. As a festival, it is celebrated three times a year to mark different stages of the agricultural cycle: Bohag Bihu in April celebrating the spring crop and the Assamese New Year, Kati Bihu in October, and Magh Bihu in January celebrating the harvest. As a dance, Bihu is a joyful folk dance performed by young men and women during the Bohag Bihu festival, characterized by brisk dance steps, rapid hand movements, and rhythmic swaying of the hips, accompanied by traditional musical instruments like the dhol, pepa, and gogona.

Explanation

Benzenediazonium chloride is prepared through the diazotization reaction of aniline. When aniline is treated with nitrous acid at a low temperature of 273 to 278 K, it undergoes diazotization to yield benzenediazonium chloride. The nitrous acid required for this reaction is typically generated in situ by reacting sodium nitrite with hydrochloric acid. Maintaining the temperature between 0 and 5 °C (273-278 K) is essential because the resulting diazonium salt is highly unstable and decomposes at higher temperatures.

Explanation

Ghiyas ud din Balban served as the Naib-i-Mamlakat (regent or deputy sultan) to Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud, who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1246 to 1266. Nasiruddin Mahmud was a highly religious and weak ruler, which allowed Balban to exercise actual administrative and military power. Balban consolidated his influence during this period, married his daughter to the Sultan, and eventually ascended the throne of Delhi as Sultan after Nasiruddin Mahmud's death in 1266.

Explanation

Cryptogams are plants that reproduce by spores without producing seeds or flowers. Pteridophyta is a group of vascular cryptogams because they possess vascular tissues, namely xylem and phloem, for transporting water and nutrients, but they lack flowers, fruits, and seeds, reproducing instead through spores.

Explanation

In August 1877, the American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered the two small moons of Mars, which he named Phobos and Deimos after the mythological sons of Ares. He detected Deimos on August 12 and Phobos on August 18 using the 26-inch refracting telescope at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. Both moons are small, heavily cratered, and irregularly shaped, likely representing captured main-belt asteroids orbiting close to the Martian planet.

Explanation

Meghana Ahlawat was elected as the first female President of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) in December 2022. This election took place after the Delhi High Court suspended the previous executive committee and appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) to run the federation's daily affairs until new office bearers were elected. Along with her, former national champion Kamlesh Mehta was elected as the Secretary-General of the federation.

Explanation

The Golden Quadrilateral is a national highway network that connects the major industrial, agricultural, and cultural centers of India. It forms a quadrilateral connecting the four major metropolitan cities of Delhi in the north, Mumbai in the west, Chennai in the south, and Kolkata in the east. Managed by the National Highways Authority of India, this extensive highway project was launched to establish faster transport networks between these key economic hubs, thereby significantly reducing travel time and boosting economic development across the country.

Explanation

Gopalaswami Parthasarathi, a distinguished diplomat, journalist, and educationist, was appointed as the founding Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1969. He served in this role from 1969 to 1974, playing a pivotal role in shaping the academic structure, faculty recruitment, and progressive vision of the university during its formative years.

Explanation

Kottakkal Nandakumaran Nair was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 2019 in the Kathakali classical dance category. He is a highly distinguished exponent and teacher of this traditional dance-drama of Kerala, having trained extensively at the renowned PSV Natyasangham in Kottakkal, and has contributed significantly to the preservation and propagation of the art form.

Explanation

According to the Census of India 2011, Bihar recorded the lowest literacy rate in India at 61.80%. The male literacy rate in the state stood at 71.20%, while the female literacy rate was the lowest in the country at 51.50%.

Explanation

Under Section 22 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank of India has the sole right to issue banknotes of all denominations in the country, except for the one-rupee note which is issued by the Ministry of Finance. Consequently, the ₹10 banknote is designed, printed, and circulated by the Reserve Bank of India, bearing the signature of its Governor to guarantee its value.

Explanation

The expenditure method calculates national income by summing all final expenditures made on domestic goods and services within an economy. The standard formula is GDP = C + I + G + (X - M), where C represents final consumption expenditure by households, I represents final investment expenditure by firms, G represents final government expenditure, and (X - M) represents net exports. Net exports are calculated as exports minus imports, not exports plus imports. Therefore, export plus import expenditure is an incorrect formulation of this component.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Allylamine has the chemical formula CH₂=CH-CH₂-NH₂. To determine its IUPAC name, the longest carbon chain containing the principal functional group is selected and numbered. The three-carbon chain makes the parent alkane propane. The numbering begins from the carbon atom bonded to the amine group to give it the lowest locant, which is carbon-1. This places the double bond between carbon-2 and carbon-3. Therefore, the unsaturated carbon chain is a 2-propene derivative, and the IUPAC name is 2-propen-1-amine.

Explanation

The concept of the Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India was borrowed from the Constitution of Australia. This list contains subjects of common interest to both the Union and the State Governments, such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption, and succession, allowing both the Parliament and State Legislatures to enact laws on them.

Explanation

Carbon-14 (14C) is a radioactive isotope of carbon with a half-life of approximately 5730 to 5770 years. It is continuously created in the Earth's atmosphere by cosmic rays colliding with nitrogen atoms. Living organisms absorb this isotope during their lifetime through photosynthesis or ingestion. When the organism dies, the uptake of carbon-14 ceases, and the isotope begins to decay at a constant, predictable exponential rate. By measuring the remaining amount of carbon-14 in organic materials like paper, parchment, wood, and bone, researchers can calculate the time that has passed since the death of the organism, a widely used archaeological method known as radiocarbon dating.

Explanation

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, conceptualized and championed the Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) initiative. He envisioned PURA as a strategic development model to bridge the rural-urban divide by providing physical, electronic, knowledge, and economic connectivity. Dr. Kalam advocated that PURA would empower rural populations and transform villages into active, productive economic zones, leading to balanced and sustainable national growth.

Explanation

The magnetic length of a bar magnet is the distance between its two magnetic poles. Since the poles of a magnet are located slightly inside its physical ends, the magnetic length is always less than the physical or geometric length of the magnet. The ratio of the magnetic length to the geometric length is approximately 0.84, which is equivalent to the fraction 5/6. This gives the relationship Lm = 5/6 × Lg.

Explanation

Kadambini Ganguly, along with Chandramukhi Basu, became the first female graduate of Calcutta University and the entire British Empire in 1883. She completed her bachelor's degree from Bethune College, which was affiliated with Calcutta University. Following this achievement, she went on to study medicine and became one of the first female doctors in India to practice Western medicine, earning her degree from Calcutta Medical College in 1886.

Explanation

The speculative demand for money is inversely related to the rate of interest. Speculative demand arises because people hold wealth in the form of money to take advantage of future movements in interest rates and bond prices. Bond prices and interest rates share an inverse relationship. When interest rates are low, bond prices are high, and market participants expect interest rates to rise back to normal levels in the future. Because a future rise in interest rates would cause bond prices to fall, leading to capital losses for bondholders, individuals prefer to hold cash rather than bonds. Therefore, at lower rates of interest, the speculative demand for money is higher.

Explanation

Disinvestment of Public Sector Banks by the government involves the sale of the government's equity shares or ownership stakes in these institutions to private entities or the public. In public finance, capital receipts are defined as inflows that either create a financial liability or cause a reduction in the assets of the government. Since disinvestment directly reduces the financial assets of the government, the proceeds generated from this process are classified as capital receipts.

Explanation

Article 51A (f) of the Constitution of India states that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture. By speaking to his son and friends about the rich cultural heritage of India, the father is actively promoting this specific fundamental duty.

Explanation

The Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) was launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in 2016 to incentivize employers for creating new employment. Under this scheme, the Government of India pays the full employer's contribution of 12% towards the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) for new eligible employees for a period of three years. By bearing this financial obligation, the scheme significantly reduces the cost of recruitment for employers, motivating them to expand their workforce and register semi-skilled or unskilled workers into formal employment.

Explanation

TK Rangarajan, a veteran CPI(M) leader and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), was honored with the prestigious Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Lifetime Achievement Award during the 13th Sansad Ratna Awards ceremony held in New Delhi in March 2023. This lifetime achievement award was presented to him in recognition of his outstanding contribution to parliamentary democracy, his active participation in parliamentary debates, and his long-standing dedication to public service over his multi-decade legislative career.

Explanation

Ustad Vilayat Khan was one of India's most legendary sitar virtuosos and a towering figure in Hindustani classical music. He belonged to the Imdadkhani Gharana, also known as the Etawah Gharana, and is widely credited with introducing the Gayaki Ang on the sitar, a technique that replicates the nuances and embellishments of the human vocal style on the instrument. He also modified the structure of the sitar to enhance its tonal quality, making significant contributions to the evolution of the instrument.

Explanation

The Haryana government launched the portal for the Mukhya Mantri Bagwani Bima Yojana in March 2022. This scheme provides insurance coverage to horticultural farmers against crop damage caused by adverse weather conditions and natural calamities. It covers various vegetable, fruit, and spice crops, offering financial compensation to farmers in exchange for a nominal premium payment.

Explanation

The British Empire Games, which are today known as the Commonwealth Games, were first held in 1930. The inaugural event took place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, from 16 to 23 August 1930, featuring athletes from 11 countries competing in six sports.

Explanation

Escheat is a common law doctrine under which ownerless property reverts to the state or government. This occurs when a person dies intestate, meaning they did not leave a valid will, and have no identifiable legal heirs or next of kin to inherit their estate. In such cases, the government takes ownership of the property, and the proceeds or value of these assets become a source of non-tax revenue for the state.

Explanation

Madhya Pradesh is primarily situated in the Central Highlands region of India, lying north of the Narmada River and the Satpura Range. This geographic zone includes the Malwa Plateau, the Vindhya Range, Bundelkhand, and Baghelkhand, which lie outside the northern boundary of the Deccan Plateau.

Explanation

The rivet popper hypothesis was proposed by Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich to illustrate the critical role that species richness plays in maintaining the stability and functioning of an ecosystem. In this analogy, the ecosystem is compared to an airplane, and the individual species are compared to the rivets holding the airplane together. If passengers start removing rivets, representing species extinction, the airplane might initially continue to fly safely. However, as more rivets are lost, the structure becomes progressively weaker. The loss of key rivets, such as those on the wings which represent keystone species, would lead to a catastrophic failure of the entire system, demonstrating that every species contributes to the overall integrity and resilience of the ecosystem.

Explanation

Paika is a traditional martial folk dance performed primarily in Jharkhand by the Munda and other tribal communities. The dance represents the warrior culture, where the dancers dress up as soldiers carrying wooden swords and shields. They perform highly energetic and synchronized movements to the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments like the dhol, nagara, and shehnai, depicting battle scenes and celebrating historical martial traditions during weddings and festive occasions.

Explanation

Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement promoting values and practices based on the authority of the Vedas, in Bombay on 10 April 1875.

Explanation

The Constitution of India is the lengthiest written constitution in the world. At its adoption in 1949, it originally contained a Preamble, 395 Articles divided into 22 Parts, and 8 Schedules. This extraordinary length and detail are attributed to several factors, including the geographical vastness and diversity of the country, the historical influence of the bulky Government of India Act 1935, the incorporation of a single constitution for both the Union and the States, and the dominance of legal luminaries in the Constituent Assembly. It provides detailed administrative provisions alongside fundamental principles of governance to prevent constitutional breakdowns and ensure smooth administration.

Explanation

The Modhera Dance Festival, also known as the Uttarardh Mahotsav, is an annual three-day festival of classical dance and music held at the historic Sun Temple in Modhera, Gujarat. Organized by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat and the state's Department of Culture, the festival takes place during the third week of January after the festival of Uttarayan. It showcases classical dance forms from across India against the majestic backdrop of the 11th-century Sun Temple, which was built during the reign of the Solanki dynasty.

Explanation

The Great Red Spot is a giant, high-pressure storm in the southern hemisphere of Jupiter. This anticyclonic storm is characterized by a rotating oval of crimson-colored clouds and is the largest storm in the Solar System, historically measured to be about twice as wide as Earth. Astronomers have observed and documented this massive atmospheric feature continuously since 1830, with earlier records indicating it was seen as early as 1665 by Giovanni Cassini and Robert Hooke, confirming its existence for well over 300 years.

Explanation

Narthaki Nataraj is an eminent Bharatanatyam exponent from Tamil Nadu. She is a disciple of Tanjavur Shri K.P. Kittappa Pillai and specializes in the Tanjore Nayaki Bhava tradition of Bharatanatyam. In 2019, she was awarded the Padma Shri, making her the first transgender woman to receive a Padma award in India.

Explanation

Ibn Battuta was a renowned fourteenth-century scholar and explorer who was born in Tangier, Morocco, in 1304. Over a period of nearly thirty years, he embarked on extensive travels across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. His travelogue, dictation of which is commonly known as the Rihla, provides a detailed account of the social, cultural, and political life of the Islamic world and medieval India during the reign of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq.

Explanation

Aman Sherawat won the gold medal in the men's 57 kg freestyle category at the Asian Wrestling Championships 2023, held in Astana, Kazakhstan. He clinched the top spot by defeating Almaz Smanbekov of Kyrgyzstan with a score of 9-4 in the final, securing India's only gold medal at the 2023 edition of the championship.

Explanation

Manisha Kalyan made history on August 18, 2022, when she made her debut for Cypriot club Apollon Ladies FC in a UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying match against SFK Riga. By coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute of the match, she became the first Indian football player, male or female, to play in Europe's premier club competition. Her historic appearance came shortly after she was named the AIFF Women's Footballer of the Year for the 2021-22 season following her stellar performances for Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League.

Explanation

The Committee on Credit Related Issues under Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was chaired by Professor R. Radhakrishna. In its report submitted in 2009, the committee recommended restructuring the SGSY into a demand-driven, mission-oriented programme with a focus on social mobilization, institution building, and universal financial inclusion. This recommendation directly led to the launch of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) by the Ministry of Rural Development in 2011 to systematically address rural poverty.

Explanation

Joseph Francois Dupleix was appointed as the Governor General of the French East India Company in India in 1742. During his tenure, he significantly expanded French influence in India, particularly in the Carnatic and Deccan regions, by actively intervening in the internal politics of local Indian rulers and establishing the system of subsidiary alliances before it was later adapted by the British.