SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Bhatiali is a traditional form of folk music deeply rooted in the riverine culture of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The term Bhatiali originates from the word bhata, which signifies the downstream flow or ebb tide of a river. These songs are traditionally sung by boatmen and fishermen as they sail down the rivers of the Bengal delta, reflecting their daily lives, spiritual thoughts, and the rhythmic flow of the waters.

Explanation

The National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) is located in Dirang, which is in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Established as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, it is the first national institute in India designed to conduct structured training across land, air, and aqua-based adventure activities.

Explanation

Pullampara Grama Panchayat, located in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, achieved the distinction of becoming the first 100% digitally literate panchayat in India. This milestone was achieved through the Digi-Pullampara project, which was launched to provide digital education to the local community, training residents in using smartphones, accessing online government services, and utilizing digital transaction platforms. The official declaration of this achievement was made in September 2022.

Explanation

Langvir Nritya is a traditional acrobatic folk dance native to the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. In this unique dance, a male performer climbs to the top of a flexible bamboo pole and balances himself on his stomach at the tip. Accompanied by the lively beats of traditional instruments like the dhol and damau, the dancer performs remarkable acrobatic feats and spins. The movement and agility mimic a langur, which is how the dance gets its name.

Explanation

Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj on 10 April 1875 in Bombay. It was established as a Hindu reform movement advocating for a return to the absolute authority of the Vedas, rejecting idol worship, ritualism, and the rigid caste system while promoting monotheism, women's education, and widow remarriage.

Explanation

The Indian peninsular plateau was originally a part of the ancient southern supercontinent Gondwanaland, which consisted of South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Approximately 140 million years ago, during the Mesozoic era, the Indian plate split away from the eastern coast of Africa and began its northward drift across the Tethys Ocean, eventually colliding with the Eurasian plate.

Explanation

Part III of the Constitution of India, encompassing Articles 12 to 35, guarantees the Fundamental Rights to its citizens. These rights are classified into six broad categories: Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Right against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational Rights, and Right to Constitutional Remedies. Originally, there were seven categories, but the Right to Property was removed from the list of Fundamental Rights by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1978, leaving these six essential categories in Part III.

Explanation

Justice Prakash Shrivastava, a former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, assumed office as the Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal on August 21, 2023, and continues to serve in this capacity as of March 2024. The Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal is appointed by the Central Government of India in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

Explanation

A standard chessboard is structured as a grid of 8 rows and 8 columns of alternating colored squares. The total number of individual small unit squares on this grid is calculated by multiplying the number of rows by the number of columns:

Number of unit squares = 8 × 8 = 64

This represents the 64 individual playing squares on the board.

Explanation

Article 11 of the Constitution of India explicitly grants Parliament the power to regulate the right of citizenship by law. This constitutional provision empowers Parliament to make laws regarding the acquisition, termination, and all other matters relating to citizenship. In exercise of this power, Parliament enacted the Citizenship Act, 1955, which governs the acquisition and determination of Indian citizenship.

Explanation

The Second Five-Year Plan of India was implemented from 1956-57 to 1960-61 under the Mahalanobis model, which prioritized rapid industrialization and heavy industries. Following its completion, the Third Five-Year Plan was launched for the period 1961-62 to 1965-66, aiming to make the economy self-reliant and self-generating with a focus on agriculture and basic industries. Both of these plan durations are accurately aligned with the financial years of their implementation.

Explanation

The Balance of Trade represents the difference between the monetary value of a nation's exports and imports of goods over a specific period of time. It is calculated using the formula:

Balance of Trade = Exports - Imports

A positive value indicates a trade surplus, meaning the nation exports more than it imports. A negative value indicates a trade deficit, where imports exceed exports. This metric serves as a key component of a country's balance of payments and reflects its overall trade competitiveness in the global market.

Explanation

Daler Mehndi is a highly popular Indian singer, songwriter, and record producer who is credited with making Bhangra and Punjabi pop music popular worldwide. He rose to fame in the late 1990s with major hit songs like Bolo Ta Ra Ra, Tunak Tunak Tun, and Dardi Rab Rab, which are all sung in the Punjabi language. His energetic style and traditional Punjabi beats played a key role in bringing Punjabi pop music into the mainstream Indian music industry and global charts.

Explanation

In 1923, Danish chemist Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted and English chemist Thomas Martin Lowry independently proposed a new, more comprehensive theory of acids and bases. Under the Brønsted-Lowry concept, an acid is defined as a proton (H⁺) donor, while a base is defined as a proton acceptor. This definition expanded upon the earlier Arrhenius concept by allowing for acid-base reactions to occur in non-aqueous solvents and in the gas phase.

Explanation

India hosted the first-ever Asian Games in 1951. The multi-sport event took place in New Delhi from March 4 to March 11, 1951, with athletes representing 11 nations competing across six sports. The games were officially opened by India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, at the National Stadium.

Explanation

Narendra Chandra Debbarma was a prominent tribal leader and the president of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura, an ally of the ruling BJP in the state. He served as the Minister for Revenue and Forest in the Government of Tripura. In recognition of his long-standing service and contribution to public affairs, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 2023, following his passing on January 1, 2023.

Explanation

Transcription is the process by which the genetic information stored in a segment of DNA is copied into a complementary RNA molecule. This process is strictly governed by the principle of complementarity, where the base sequence of the template DNA strand determines the sequence of the newly synthesized RNA through specific base pairing. Adenine pairs with uracil in RNA, thymine pairs with adenine, cytosine pairs with guanine, and guanine pairs with cytosine. This precise pairing ensures the accurate transfer of genetic instructions from DNA to RNA.

Explanation

According to the Census of India 2011, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar experienced the highest levels of out-migration to other states. Economic factors, such as the search for better employment opportunities, agricultural distress, and relatively lower industrial development in these regions, are the primary drivers for this large-scale migration. Uttar Pradesh registered the largest number of out-migrants in the country, closely followed by Bihar, with major destination areas being highly urbanized and industrialized states.

Explanation

In India, the financial year is the twelve-month period used for government budgeting, financial reporting, and tax assessment. This period officially commences on 1st April of a calendar year and concludes on 31st March of the subsequent calendar year. This accounting cycle was adopted in 1867 to align the Indian financial system with the imperial budget cycle of the British government.

Explanation

According to demographic data and census records of India, the population growth rate peaked during the 1971 to 1981 decade, reaching an average annual growth rate of approximately 2.22%. Since 1981, the growth rate has shown a steady and continuous decline. This downward trend is primarily attributed to a gradual decrease in the crude birth rate, influenced by successful family planning initiatives, rising female literacy, and urbanization. The decadal growth rate decreased from 24.66% in the 1971-1981 period to 23.87% in the 1981-1991 period, and continued to fall in subsequent censuses, establishing 1981 as the transition point to declining growth rates.

Explanation

In Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet applications, the Auto Sum tool, represented by the Greek Sigma symbol Σ on the toolbar, features a drop-down menu that provides quick access to the most commonly used basic functions. This drop-down menu contains Sum, Average, Count Numbers, Max, and Min, allowing users to quickly calculate the average of a selected range of cells without manually typing the formula.

Explanation

Sakewa is an important religious and cultural festival celebrated by the Kirat Khambu Rai community in Sikkim. It is a nature-worshipping festival, commonly known as Bhumi Puja, where prayers are offered to Mother Earth for a bountiful harvest, protection from natural calamities, and the overall well-being of all living beings. The festival marks the beginning of the agricultural cycle and is characterized by the performance of the traditional Sili dance, which mimics the movements of birds and animals, reflecting the deep relationship between humans and nature.

Explanation

In standard instant messaging applications, the text input box where users compose their messages is positioned at the bottom of the conversation window. The emoticon or emoji shortcut icon is placed directly within or immediately adjacent to this input field, making it located at the bottom of the chat window to allow users to easily insert emoticons while typing their messages.

Explanation

Correct Answer: D

The term geoid translates literally to Earth-shaped, representing the actual physical shape of the Earth. It is defined as the equipotential surface of the Earth's gravity field that closely coincides with global mean sea level. Due to the centrifugal force of rotation and the uneven distribution of mass within the planet, the Earth is not a perfect sphere but rather an irregular oblate spheroid, which is scientifically referred to as a geoid.

Explanation

The Brihatkathakosha is a celebrated collection of Sanskrit stories compiled in 931–932 CE by the Digambara Jain monk and scholar Harisena. He belonged to the Punnata sangha and completed this monumental work in Wadhwan, located in modern-day Gujarat, during the reign of the Rashtrakuta Empire. The text comprises 157 stories written in sloka meter, providing rich historical, cultural, and geographic details about early medieval India alongside moral and religious teachings of Jainism.

Explanation

The Raika is a semi-nomadic pastoral community primarily inhabiting the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly around the Thar Desert. They are traditional livestock herders, specializing in breeding camels, sheep, and goats, and have played a significant role in managing the desert ecosystem and maintaining indigenous livestock breeds in the state.

Explanation

Pandavani is a traditional folk ballad and performing art form of Chhattisgarh that narrates stories from the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. The name is derived from the Pandavas, the five heroic brothers of the epic, and Vani, meaning voice or narrative. During a performance, a lead singer enacts and sings various episodes of the epic, particularly focusing on the character of Bhima, accompanied by traditional instruments such as the tambura and kartal.

Explanation

Section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 explicitly deprives individuals confined in a prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or otherwise, or in the lawful custody of the police, of their right to vote in any election. This statutory provision restricts both convicts and undertrials from casting their votes. The only exception provided under this subsection is for individuals subjected to preventive detention, who are permitted to vote via postal ballots.

Explanation

Kalaripayattu is an ancient martial art form that originated in the southwestern state of Kerala during the Sangam period, dating back to around the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. It is widely regarded as one of the oldest surviving fighting systems in the world. The practice incorporates physical training, weapon-based combat, self-defense techniques, and traditional medicine, deeply embedded in the cultural and historical heritage of Kerala.

Explanation

HYV stands for High Yielding Variety. These specialized seeds were a cornerstone of the Green Revolution, specifically developed to produce substantially higher crop yields per unit of land compared to traditional seed varieties. They are highly responsive to chemical fertilizers and require controlled irrigation, which significantly boosted the production of staple food grains like wheat and rice in India during the late 1960s.

Explanation

Hola Mohalla is a three-day Sikh festival celebrated annually in the month of March, typically a day after the Hindu festival of Holi. Established by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, in 1701 at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, the festival was created to showcase and strengthen the military prowess of the Sikh community. During Hola Mohalla, Nihang Sikhs engage in mock battles, display martial arts skills such as Gatka, perform tent pegging, and participate in poetry and music competitions, making it a grand celebration of Sikh valor and community spirit.

Explanation

Henri Becquerel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 in recognition of his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity. In 1896, while investigating phosphorescent materials, he found that uranium salts emitted a new form of penetrating radiation that could blacken a photographic plate even when wrapped in black paper and kept in the dark, demonstrating that the emission was spontaneous and did not depend on an external energy source like sunlight. He shared this Nobel Prize with Pierre and Marie Curie for their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by him.

Explanation

Good Friday is a significant Christian holiday observed during Holy Week on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is a day of solemn reflection, penance, and fasting for Christians worldwide, marking the cornerstone event of Christian theology regarding salvation and the redemption of humanity.

Explanation

Certificates of Deposit are negotiable, unsecured money market instruments issued by scheduled commercial banks and select financial institutions to raise short-term resources. They are typically issued in dematerialized form or as a Usance Promissory Note at a discount to their face value. The return to the investor is the difference between the discounted issue price and the face value paid at maturity. This structure makes them a key instrument for commercial banks to manage liquidity and mobilize short-term funds from corporations, individuals, and mutual funds.

Explanation

The Deccan Plateau is a distinct physiographic division of India, characterized as a triangular landmass situated to the south of the Narmada River. This triangular shape is defined by its natural boundaries, where the Satpura range, Mahadev hills, Kaimur hills, and Maikal range form its broad northern base, while the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats form its western and eastern edges, tapering towards the southern tip of the Indian peninsula.

Explanation

In Microsoft Word, the default text alignment for a new blank document is left-aligned. When a user begins typing, the text automatically aligns with the left margin, leaving a ragged or uneven edge on the right side of the page. This is the standard setting for left-to-right languages like English to ensure readability and standard document formatting.

Explanation

Ahmedabad is referred to as the Manchester of India due to its prominent position as a leading cotton textile manufacturing hub. The city's geographic location in a cotton-growing region, along with the availability of skilled labor, abundant water from the Sabarmati River, and favorable climatic conditions, fostered the rapid expansion of textile mills. This industrial growth mirrored that of Manchester in Great Britain, making Ahmedabad a central hub for the textile industry in the country.

Explanation

The Tansen Samman is a prestigious national music award instituted by the Department of Culture of the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1980. This award is conferred annually to outstanding exponents of Hindustani classical music to honor their contribution to the field. The award ceremony is held during the Tansen Samaroh, a renowned music festival celebrated near the tomb of the legendary musician Tansen in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

Explanation

The Regulating Act of 1773 was passed by the British Parliament to regulate the affairs of the East India Company in India. Section 13 of this Act empowered the King of Great Britain to issue a royal charter to establish a Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William in Calcutta. Following this legislative mandate, the Supreme Court of Calcutta was formally established by Letters Patent on March 26, 1774, which constituted it as a Court of Record with jurisdiction over civil, criminal, admiralty, and ecclesiastical matters, with Sir Elijah Impey serving as its first Chief Justice.

Explanation

Louis Pasteur developed the food preservation technique known as pasteurization in the 1860s. This process involves heating liquids or foods to a specific temperature below their boiling point for a designated period, followed by rapid cooling. The thermal treatment destroys or inactivates harmful pathogens and spoilage micro-organisms, thereby extending the shelf life of food products and ensuring they are safe for consumption without significantly altering their quality, taste, or nutritional value.

Explanation

According to the Census of India 2011, the decadal population growth rate of the country during the decade 2001 to 2011 was 17.64%. This register of growth shows a notable decline from the previous decade of 1991 to 2001, which recorded a growth rate of 21.54%.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Dharmapala did not found the Valabhi University. Valabhi University was established in Saurashtra, Gujarat, under the patronage of the Maitraka dynasty, specifically associated with Princess Dudda, the niece of King Dhruvasena I. Dharmapala, the prominent Pala ruler, actually founded the famous Vikramashila University in Bihar and the Somapura Mahavihara in Bengal.

Explanation

India's first hockey club was established in Calcutta in 1885-1886. The city played a pioneering role in introducing and popularizing the game of field hockey in India, which eventually led to the creation of the Beighton Cup in 1895, one of the oldest hockey tournaments in the world.

Explanation

The Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022 received the assent of the President of India on 31 January 2023. This legislation, officially designated as Act Number 3 of 2023, was enacted to give effect to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the suppression of piracy on the high seas and to provide a comprehensive legal framework for the prosecution of persons associated with piracy.

Explanation

Article 26 of the Constitution of India guarantees the freedom to manage religious affairs. Specifically, Article 26(a) provides that, subject to public order, morality, and health, every religious denomination or any section thereof has the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes. This fundamental right allows religious groups to set up, operate, and manage their own institutions without arbitrary state interference.

Explanation

A banana kick is a specialized technique in football where a player strikes the ball off-center to impart spin. This spin creates a pressure differential on opposite sides of the ball as it travels through the air, known as the Magnus effect, which causes the trajectory of the ball to curve or bend in a banana-like shape. This technique is commonly used during free kicks and corner kicks to bypass defensive walls and deceive the goalkeeper.

Explanation

Application software consists of programs designed to perform specific tasks for users, rather than managing the computer system itself. A word processor is a classic example of application software because its primary purpose is to enable users to create, edit, format, view, and print text-based documents. It directly serves the end-user's needs for document creation and productivity.

Explanation

Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is one of the most prominent and recognizable constellations in the northern celestial hemisphere. It consists of a large group of stars that form a distinctive pattern in the night sky, containing the well-known seven-star asterism known as the Big Dipper or Saptarishi. Designated as one of the 88 modern constellations by the International Astronomical Union, Ursa Major has been used for centuries in navigation to help observers locate the North Star, Polaris.

Explanation

Operation Ganga was an evacuation mission launched by the Government of India in early 2022 to bring back Indian citizens, primarily students, who were stranded in Ukraine following the outbreak of the conflict with Russia. Since Ukrainian airspace was closed, the operation facilitated the safe return of thousands of Indians by land transit through neighboring countries such as Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Moldova, from where they were flown back to India on special flights.

Explanation

Article 39(d) of the Constitution of India, which falls under the Directive Principles of State Policy, directs the State to secure equal pay for equal work for both men and women. This constitutional provision aims to prevent gender-based wage discrimination and ensure economic justice for all workers. In accordance with this principle, the Parliament of India enacted the Equal Remuneration Act in 1976 to mandate equal wages for male and female employees performing the same or similar work. Consequently, a situation involving unequal payment for a male and female employee working in the same office, with the same designation and nature of work, directly invokes the principles enshrined in Article 39(d).