SSC CHSL Tier 1 2023 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

The foothills of the Himalayas, up to an altitude of around 1000 meters, are covered with tropical deciduous forests, also known as monsoon forests. This zone, which includes the Bhabar and Terai tracts, experiences a warm climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, making it highly suitable for deciduous vegetation. Sal is the dominant and most economically important tree species found in these foothills, alongside other species such as sissoo, khair, and bamboo.

Explanation

According to the Sample Registration System data for 2011, which provides the annual demographic estimates in India alongside the decadal census, the Crude Death Rate of the country was 7.1 per 1,000 population. The Crude Death Rate is defined as the number of deaths occurring in a year per 1,000 mid-year population.

Explanation

Sangeet Natak Akademi is India's national academy for music, dance, and drama. Established in 1953 by the government, it serves as the apex body for the performing arts in the country. It confers the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, which is the highest national recognition given to practicing artists, gurus, and scholars in the fields of classical, folk, and traditional Indian dances, music, and theatre.

Explanation

Renuka Singh was named the ICC Emerging Women's Cricketer of the Year for 2022 following her outstanding performance in international cricket. During the calendar year, the Indian medium-pacer claimed 40 wickets across both One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). She took 18 wickets in eight ODIs at an average of 14.88 and 22 wickets in 22 T20Is at an economy rate of 6.50, playing a pivotal role in India's campaigns at the Commonwealth Games and the Asia Cup.

Explanation

The Alvars were Tamil poet-saints of South India who lived between the 6th and 9th centuries CE and were deeply devoted to Lord Vishnu or his avatars, associating them directly with Vaishnavism. The term Alvar literally translates to those who are immersed in the love and devotion of the divine. They expressed their intense devotion through emotional hymns composed in the Tamil language, which were later compiled into the sacred anthology known as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, often referred to as the Dravida Veda. There were twelve prominent Alvars, including Andal, Nammalvar, and Tirumangai Alvar, whose teachings and poetry played a pivotal role in the initiation and spread of the Bhakti movement in Southern India.

Explanation

Article 42 of the Constitution of India, which is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy, directs the State to make provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief. The Supreme Court of India, in landmark judgments such as the Vishaka case, interpreted the scope of just and humane conditions of work under Article 42 to include the prevention of sexual harassment of working women at their workplaces and the creation of safe, dignified, and appropriate institutional mechanisms to address such grievances.

Explanation

The Zaid cropping season is a short summer cropping season in India that typically spans from March to June. It occupies the transitional period between the harvesting of Rabi (winter) crops and the sowing of Kharif (monsoon) crops. Farmers cultivate quick-growing crops like watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, and fodder during this interval, which begins immediately after the Rabi harvest is completed.

Explanation

Talat Aziz is a renowned ghazal singer from Hyderabad, India, who received his initial training in music from the Kirana Gharana. He is highly celebrated for his soulful voice and has made significant contributions to the popularity of ghazal music since the late 1970s through numerous successful albums, concerts, and playback singing in Bollywood films.

Explanation

Mohiniyattam, the classical dance form of Kerala, evolved through the fusion and refinement of several ancient dance and drama traditions of the region. Its direct precursors include Tevitchiyattam, which was the dance performed by temple maidens or devadasis, Nangai Natakam, the theatrical performances of women belonging to the Nambiar community, and Desiyattam, a more secular and popular style of dance. Over centuries, these female-centric performance arts merged and structured into the highly expressive and graceful classical dance style known today as Mohiniyattam.

Explanation

NABARD launched the Joint Liability Groups scheme as a pilot project during 2004-05 to facilitate the flow of credit to small, marginal, and tenant farmers, as well as sharecroppers who do not have proper land titles to secure loans. A Joint Liability Group is an informal group comprising four to ten individuals who come together for the purpose of availing bank loans, either individually or through the group mechanism, against mutual guarantee, thereby reducing risk for lending banks and ensuring hassle-free credit flow to vulnerable agricultural sectors.

Explanation

The leather tanning industry extensively utilizes chromium salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate, in the chrome tanning process to stabilize raw hides and prevent biodegradation. This process results in the discharge of large quantities of industrial effluent containing toxic chromium ions, particularly trivalent chromium Cr³⁺ and its highly toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic hexavalent counterpart Cr⁶⁺, into nearby water bodies. The release of these heavy metal ions causes acute water pollution, severely disrupting aquatic ecosystems and posing grave health risks to humans through bioaccumulation in the food chain.

Explanation

Indicative planning is an economic planning approach where the state coordinates both public and private sectors by establishing broad development targets and output projections. Instead of using mandatory directives or command-and-control measures, the government acts as a facilitator and coordinator. It aligns the investment plans of the private sector with national priorities through the exchange of information, consensus-building, and supportive fiscal and monetary policies, thereby harmonizing market forces with public policy goals.

Explanation

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated the world number one Magnus Carlsen in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup 2022 held in Miami. Praggnanandhaa won three consecutive games, including two blitz tie-breaker games, to register a 4-2 victory over Carlsen in their match. This remarkable performance secured him the second place overall in the tournament standings, making him the runner-up of the prestigious event.

Explanation

National Income is defined as Net National Product at factor cost (NNP_FC). The relationship between Net National Product at market price (NNP_MP) and Net National Product at factor cost is given by the formula:

NNP_FC = NNP_MP - Net Indirect Taxes

Net Indirect Taxes represent the difference between indirect taxes and subsidies. Subtracting Net Indirect Taxes from NNP_MP excludes the impact of government taxes and subsidies on market prices, thereby yielding the true value of output produced by the factors of production, which constitutes the National Income.

Explanation

Active surveillance is a proactive method where health authorities regularly contact healthcare providers, laboratories, or communities to seek out information about new cases of a disease. This approach is specifically deployed to ensure maximum coverage and completeness of data, thereby identifying missing cases of a disease that have not been reported through routine passive reporting systems.

Explanation

Article 49 of the Constitution of India, contained within the Directive Principles of State Policy, directs the State to protect monuments, places, and objects of artistic or historic interest that are declared by or under law made by Parliament to be of national importance. It imposes an obligation on the State to prevent these sites and objects from disfigurement, destruction, removal, disposal, or export.

Explanation

NABARD launched the EShakti project, also known as the Digitisation of Self-Help Groups project, in March 2015 as a pilot project in Ramgarh (Jharkhand) and Dhule (Maharashtra). The main objective of the project is to digitise the financial and non-financial data of all SHGs to bring their members under the fold of financial inclusion. This digitisation ensures transparency, updates transactions on a real-time basis, and helps banks make quick, hassle-free credit decisions for lending to these groups.

Explanation

The autonomous expenditure multiplier in a closed economy with no taxes is given by the formula:

m = 1 / (1 - c)

where c is the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) out of disposable income.

When a proportional tax rate t is introduced, disposable income becomes Yd = Y - tY = Y(1 - t). The consumption function is expressed as C = C₀ + c(1 - t)Y.

Consequently, the multiplier with proportional taxes becomes:

m' = 1 / [1 - c(1 - t)]

In this formulation, the term c(1 - t) represents the effective marginal propensity to consume out of national income. Since the tax rate t lies between 0 and 1, the factor (1 - t) is less than 1, which means c(1 - t) is strictly less than c. By reducing the effective marginal propensity to consume, proportional taxes increase the denominator 1 - c(1 - t), which consequently reduces the overall value of the autonomous expenditure multiplier.

Explanation

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, served as the Chief Guest for India's 74th Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2023. This historic visit marked the first time that an Egyptian head of state was invited as the Chief Guest for India's Republic Day parade, reflecting the strengthening diplomatic and strategic ties between India and Egypt. A military contingent from the Egyptian Armed Forces also marched in the parade alongside Indian military units.

Explanation

The Rajarajeshwara Temple in Tanjore, also famously known as the Brihadisvara Temple, was constructed by the illustrious emperor Rajaraja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 CE. He was a prominent ruler of the Chola dynasty. This monumental Shiva temple is a magnificent example of Dravidian architecture and stands as a testament to the artistic, cultural, and military heights achieved during the Chola reign.

Explanation

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a landmark social security and labor law passed in 2005. The primary objective of the Act is to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. This rights-based framework legally ensures that if employment is not provided within 15 days of applying, the applicant is entitled to an unemployment allowance.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

Manju Barggave, also known as Manju Bhargavi, is an acclaimed classical dancer and actress who received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 2019 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Kuchipudi. She has dedicated her career to the practice, promotion, and propagation of Kuchipudi, a traditional classical dance form originating from Andhra Pradesh, earning widespread national recognition for her artistic excellence.

Explanation

Tropical Dry Deciduous forests and associated dry vegetation, which include species like sal, acacia, and bamboo, thrive in regions with moderate and highly seasonal rainfall. These forests are typically found in areas that receive an annual rainfall ranging from 50 cm to 150 cm (specifically represented as 51 cm to 151 cm). This level of precipitation is sufficient to support these species during the monsoon season while forcing them to shed their leaves or adapt during the dry winter and summer months.

Explanation

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is an autonomous body established in 1942 that operates under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. The Union Minister of Science and Technology serves as the ex-officio Vice President of CSIR, while the Prime Minister of India is its ex-officio President. CSIR is India's largest research and development organisation, spanning a wide spectrum of science and technology fields.

Explanation

Garba is a traditional folk dance of Gujarat, performed during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri. The dance is performed in a circle around a centrally lit lamp or an image of the Goddess Durga, symbolizing the circular nature of life and the feminine form of divinity. The term Garba is derived from the Sanskrit word Garbha, which translates to womb, representing life and creative energy.

Explanation

The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) scheme was launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment as a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for the social security of unorganised sector workers. The scheme targets workers such as street vendors, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, and domestic helpers aged between 18 and 40 years whose monthly income is ₹15,000 or less. Under this scheme, beneficiaries receive an assured minimum monthly pension of ₹3,000 after attaining the age of 60 years, with the Central Government co-contributing an equal amount to the beneficiary's pension account.

Explanation

The Eleventh Five Year Plan of India was implemented from 2007 to 2012. The global financial crisis, which was triggered by the subprime mortgage collapse in the United States in 2007 and intensified with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, transpired directly during this period. This severe international economic downturn impacted India's economic growth, export performance, and capital inflows, forcing the Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India to introduce expansionary fiscal and monetary policies to mitigate the adverse domestic effects of the crisis during the plan period.

Explanation

Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state in northern India whose economy is primarily driven by agriculture, horticulture, tourism, and hydroelectric power. Due to its hilly terrain, lack of local raw materials like natural gas, rock phosphate, and sulfur, and high transportation costs, the state does not host large-scale chemical fertilizer manufacturing plants. Major fertilizer production units are heavily concentrated in regions with easy access to feedstock pipelines or coastal ports for raw materials, which Himachal Pradesh lacks.

Explanation

The Simhastha Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu pilgrimage and festival celebrated once every twelve years in the ancient city of Ujjain on the banks of the holy Kshipra (spelled as Kishipra) river. The timing of the fair is determined by celestial alignments, specifically when the planet Jupiter enters the zodiac sign of Leo (Simha), giving the festival its name Simhastha. Millions of devotees and sadhus gather to take a ritual dip in the sacred waters of this river during this period.

Explanation

Archana Suseendran of Tamil Nadu won two gold medals at the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Indian Grand Prix 2 held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on 27 March 2023. She secured her first gold medal in the women's 100-metre sprint with a timing of 11.52 seconds and clinched her second gold medal in the women's 200-metre sprint by clocking 23.21 seconds.

Explanation

Vembanad Lake, located in the state of Kerala, is the longest lake in India, stretching over a length of approximately 96.5 km. It covers an area of more than 2033 square kilometers, making it the largest lake in Kerala as well. This expansive brackish water body spans across several districts, including Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam. It is recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and is famous for hosting the traditional Nehru Trophy Boat Race.

Explanation

Rainwater harvesting involves the collection and storage of rain run-off, which is highly suited for agricultural and landscape irrigation. Since harvested rainwater is naturally soft and free from harmful chemicals like chlorine and dissolved salts found in treated municipal water, it is highly beneficial for soil structure and plant health. Utilizing harvested rainwater for irrigation helps conserve potable water resources, recharges groundwater tables, and reduces runoff, making it the most practical, sustainable, and widespread direct application of the practice.

Explanation

The Indian Independence Act 1947 was enacted by the British Parliament to formalize the end of British rule in India. This legislation followed the landmark declaration by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee on February 20, 1947, which announced that the British government would transfer power to responsible Indian hands and end its rule in India by June 30, 1948. The Act of 1947 was the statutory mechanism that fulfilled this policy, ultimately bringing forward the date of independence to August 15, 1947.

Explanation

The Indian Council of Historical Research was established by the Government of India on March 27, 1972, as an autonomous organization registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It was set up under the Ministry of Education to promote, accelerate, and coordinate scientific writing of history and historical research in India.

Explanation

Shah Jahan built the Moti Masjid, also known as the Pearl Mosque, within the Agra Fort complex. Constructed between 1648 and 1654, this elegant structure is situated to the north of the Diwan-i-Am court. It is built entirely of white marble, which is a signature characteristic of the imperial architecture of Shah Jahan's reign, and was designed for the use of the members of the royal court.

Explanation

Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was an legendary Indian classical dancer, guru, and proponent of Odissi dance who is credited with the revival and popularisation of this classical dance form in the twentieth century. He became the first person from the state of Odisha to receive the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, which was conferred upon him in the year 2000.

Explanation

The Reserve Bank of India granted the final license to Equitas Holdings Limited to commence operations as a small finance bank in June 2016. Following this regulatory approval, Equitas Small Finance Bank officially began its banking operations on September 5, 2016, with its headquarters in Chennai, becoming one of the first microfinance institutions in India to transition into a small finance bank.

Explanation

Rosy Meena Paulraj of Tamil Nadu set a new women's pole vault national record of 4.21 m at the 61st National Open Athletics Championships held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru in October 2022. With this achievement, she surpassed her own previous national record of 4.20 m, which she had established just a few weeks earlier at the 36th National Games in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Explanation

Part XVIII of the Constitution of India deals with the Emergency Provisions. These provisions are contained in Articles 352 to 360. They empower the President of India to declare three types of emergencies to safeguard the sovereignty, unity, integrity, and security of the nation. These include a National Emergency under Article 352 due to war, external aggression, or armed rebellion; President's Rule or State Emergency under Article 356/365 due to the failure of constitutional machinery in a state; and a Financial Emergency under Article 360 due to a threat to the financial stability or credit of India.

Explanation

Revenue receipts of the government are broadly classified into tax revenue and non-tax revenue. Non-tax revenue consists of all government receipts from sources other than taxes. Dividends and profits earned by the government from its equity investments in public sector undertakings (PSUs), financial institutions, and the Reserve Bank of India are classified as non-tax revenue receipts. These inflows do not create any corresponding liability or lead to a reduction in the government's assets, which is the defining characteristic of revenue receipts.

Explanation

Self-help groups (SHGs) are informal associations of people who come together to improve their living conditions by promoting small savings among their members. These individual savings are pooled into a common fund, which is used to provide collateral-free loans to members. This collective pooling of resources, combined with group liability and peer monitoring, greatly reduces default risks for lenders. Consequently, SHGs have strong collective bargaining power, enabling them to negotiate better credit terms, lower interest rates, and larger loan amounts from banks and microfinance institutions. This systemic capacity to pool resources and secure favorable credit terms is the primary reason why the SHG model has succeeded as a highly effective vehicle for microfinance and financial inclusion in India.

Explanation

According to Keynesian Liquidity Preference Theory, the speculative demand for money is inversely related to the rate of interest. Speculative demand represents the desire to hold cash instead of interest-bearing assets like bonds. When the rate of interest reaches its maximum level, bond prices are at their minimum, and investors expect interest rates to fall and bond prices to rise in the future. This expectation of future capital gains, combined with the exceptionally high opportunity cost of holding interest-free cash, motivates individuals to invest all their speculative cash balances into bonds. Under these conditions of maximum interest rates, the speculative demand for money is reduced to zero.

Explanation

The 2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup was hosted by the state of Odisha from 13 to 29 January 2023. The matches were held across two venues in the state: the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the newly constructed Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. This event marked the second consecutive time that Odisha hosted the prestigious tournament, having previously hosted the 2018 edition in Bhubaneswar.

Explanation

Atropa belladonna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Solanaceae family. It contains active tropane alkaloids, including atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine, which block acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system. Due to these anticholinergic properties, highly diluted formulations of belladonna are utilized in alternative and homeopathic medicine to alleviate joint and arthritis pain, reduce muscle spasms, and dry up secretions associated with colds, asthma, and hay fever.

Explanation

Dr Ajmer Singh was an eminent Indian sprinter who represented the country in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He achieved major success at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, where he won a gold medal in the 400 metres and a silver medal in the 200 metres. In recognition of his exemplary achievements and contribution to track and field sports, he was honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1966.

Explanation

Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction states that a change in the magnetic environment of a coil of wire will cause an electromotive force (EMF) to be induced in the coil. The magnitude of this induced EMF is directly proportional to the rate at which the magnetic flux changes with time. Mathematically, this relation is expressed as ε = -dΦ/dt, where ε is the induced electromotive force and Φ is the magnetic flux linking the circuit.

Explanation

In 1869, when the Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev formulated the Periodic Law and developed his periodic table, only 63 elements were known to science. He organized these 63 elements in the increasing order of their atomic masses and grouped them based on similarities in their physical and chemical properties, leaving deliberate gaps for elements that were yet to be discovered.

Explanation

Malini Awasthi is an acclaimed Indian folk singer who predominantly performs in Bhojpuri, Awadhi, and Bundelkhandi dialects. She is highly celebrated for her renditions of traditional Bhojpuri folk music genres such as Kajri, Jhoola, Chaiti, Birha, and Sohar. In recognition of her exceptional contributions to the preservation and promotion of folk music, she was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 2016.

Explanation

The Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, with the vision of developing sustainable and responsible tourism destinations. A key objective of this revamped scheme is to increase private sector investment in tourism and hospitality. By encouraging public-private partnerships and leveraging private capital, the scheme aims to improve tourism infrastructure, enhance service delivery, and foster economic growth and employment generation at the local level.

Explanation

Praseodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Pr and atomic number 59. It is the third member of the lanthanide series and is classified as a rare-earth metal. This element is soft, malleable, ductile, and has a distinctive silvery-yellow metallic luster. It slowly tarnishes in air, forming a green oxide layer that spalls off, exposing more metal to oxidation.