SSC CHSL Tier 1 2024 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Earth and Venus are often referred to as sister planets or planetary twins because they are exceptionally similar in size, mass, density, and composition. Earth has a mean radius of approximately 6371 km, while Venus has a mean radius of about 6052 km, meaning Venus's size is about 95% of Earth's size. Additionally, the mass of Venus is approximately 81.5% of Earth's mass, making their physical dimensions nearly identical.

Explanation

Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, released the booklet Agenda for Members of Panchayati Raj Institutions for Rural Development in July 2022. This comprehensive guide was brought out to empower members of Panchayati Raj Institutions by providing them with detailed information about various rural development schemes and programs, thereby facilitating efficient implementation and governance at the grassroots level.

Explanation

Article 24 of the Constitution of India prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory, mine, or other hazardous employment. This fundamental right under the Right against Exploitation is designed to protect children from being subjected to unsafe working environments that could harm their physical and mental development, and to ensure they receive basic education. Since the child is 9 years old and is being asked to work in a mine, which is classified as a hazardous occupation, this situation directly violates Article 24.

Explanation

Application software is a category of computer programs designed to perform specific, user-oriented tasks rather than managing the computer system itself. It serves as an interface between the user and the system software to satisfy particular requirements, such as creating documents in a word processor, performing calculations in a spreadsheet, browsing the internet, or playing media files. By directly addressing the practical needs of the end-user, application software enables productive and specialized activities on a computer.

Explanation

In March 2023, the Government of India announced the sites for setting up 7 PM MITRA (Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel) parks across the country. These parks are being established in the states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The scheme is designed to develop world-class infrastructure, integrate the textile value chain from spinning to apparel manufacturing at a single location, significantly reduce logistics costs, and generate lakhs of jobs in the textile sector.

Explanation

Justice (Retd.) S. Abdul Nazeer was appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh by the President of India on 12 February 2023, succeeding Biswabhusan Harichandan. The Governor of Bihar appointed on the same day was Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. This makes the pairing of S. Abdul Nazeer with Bihar incorrect.

Explanation

Miyan ki Todi is a prominent morning raag in Hindustani classical music. Belonging to the Todi thaat, it is characterized by its deeply meditative, devotional, and path-of-pathos (karuna rasa) mood. Tradition credits its creation to the legendary court musician Miyan Tansen, who served in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century.

Explanation

Sri Aurobindo (Aurobindo Ghosh) was a prominent Indian nationalist, philosopher, yogi, and poet. During the early phase of his life, he was a key leader of the extremist faction of the Indian National Freedom Movement, advocating for radical methods and complete independence. After withdrawing from active political life in 1910, he settled in Pondicherry and dedicated himself to spiritual and philosophical pursuits. It was during this period that he authored his major works, including the philosophical treatise The Life Divine, which explores the evolution of consciousness, The Synthesis of Yoga, which outlines his system of Integral Yoga, and Savitri, an epic blank verse poem based on the Vedic legend of Satyavan and Savitri.

Explanation

In Microsoft Word, the Clear Formatting option (located in the Font group under the Home tab) is specifically designed to strip all custom formatting—such as font styles, sizes, colors, bolding, italics, and underlines—from the selected text. Applying this command instantly resets the selected text to its default style, typically the Normal style, while keeping the original wording and text content completely unchanged.

Explanation

The Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–2007) of India established specific monitorable targets for development, focusing on social and economic indicators alongside GDP growth. A key target among these was the reduction of the poverty ratio by 5 percentage points by 2007, with a longer-term objective of reducing it by 15 percentage points by 2012.

Explanation

According to the quantity theory of money, represented by the equation of exchange MV = PT, where M is the money supply, V is the velocity of circulation, P is the average price level, and T is the volume of transactions. When the supply of money is less than the requirements of the economy to facilitate its volume of transactions at the current price level, each unit of money must change hands more frequently. To support the transaction needs of the economy with a smaller amount of money, the velocity of circulation of money must increase.

Explanation

National Javelin Day is celebrated in India on 7th August to commemorate the historic achievement of Neeraj Chopra, who won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on 7th August 2021. He became the first Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, throwing a distance of 87.58 meters. To honor this landmark milestone and to encourage the sport among youth across the country, the Athletics Federation of India declared this day as National Javelin Day, with the inaugural celebrations beginning in 2022.

Explanation

The Radcliffe Boundary Commission, chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, was appointed in June 1947 with the specific mandate to demarcate the international borders between India and the newly created nation of Pakistan. The commission was divided into two joint bodies to partition the provinces of Bengal and Punjab based on religious demographics, geographical connectivity, and other socio-economic factors. The resulting boundary line, known as the Radcliffe Line, was officially published on 17 August 1947, establishing the formal borders of the two independent nations.

Explanation

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the prominent Indian festival of lights. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words deepa, meaning clay lamp, and avali, meaning row. It spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. During this festival, people traditionally illuminate their homes, temples, and streets with diyas (oil lamps), candles, and colorful lights.

Explanation

Fiscal policy is the use of government spending and taxation to influence the economy. One of its primary objectives is to boost economic growth. During periods of economic slowdown, the government can implement expansionary fiscal policy by increasing public expenditure on infrastructure and welfare, or by reducing taxes to increase disposable income and stimulate consumption and investment. Another crucial objective of fiscal policy is to maintain price stability and control inflation. When the economy is overheating and inflation is high, the government can employ contractionary fiscal policy by reducing its spending or increasing taxes to curb aggregate demand, thereby helping to stabilize prices.

Explanation

Members of the class Cyclostomata are jawless vertebrates, which include lampreys and hagfishes. They possess an elongated, eel-like body and a circular, jawless, sucking mouth that they use to feed as ectoparasites on other fishes. Their skin is smooth, slimy, containing numerous mucus-secreting glands, and is completely devoid of scales and paired fins.

Explanation

Microsoft Office uses points as the standard unit of measurement to determine font size. One point is a typographical unit defined as 1/72 of an inch. For example, setting the font size to 72 points means the character height is approximately 1 inch when printed.

Explanation

The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, enacted in 2002, inserted Article 21A into the Constitution of India, which declares the right to education as a Fundamental Right. Under this provision, the State is mandated to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. This amendment also modified Article 45 under the Directive Principles of State Policy and added a new Fundamental Duty under Article 51A(k) for parents and guardians to provide educational opportunities to their children in this same age group of 6 to 14 years.

Explanation

During the Shiv Sena national executive meeting held in Mumbai in February 2023, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was formally appointed as the chief leader (Mukhyaneta) of the party. This appointment occurred shortly after the Election Commission of India recognized his faction as the real Shiv Sena and allocated them the party name and the bow-and-arrow symbol.

Explanation

Maand is a highly sophisticated style of folk music from Rajasthan that originated and was nurtured in the royal courts of Rajput rulers, especially in Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Jodhpur. It evolved from simple folk melodies into a prestigious semi-classical genre due to royal patronage, where professional singing communities like the Langas and Manganiyars performed it to praise the rulers and depict stories of heroism, love, and the desert landscape. The iconic song Kesariya Balam Aao Ni Padharo Mhare Des is a classic example of this genre, representing the rich cultural heritage and hospitality of Rajasthan.

Explanation

The Indian men's hockey team won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in 2021. India defeated Germany 5-4 in the bronze medal match to secure its first Olympic hockey medal in 41 years, after their gold medal win at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. This achievement stands as India's last Olympic medal in men's hockey as of March 2024.

Explanation

The Delhi Ridge, which is a northern extension of the ancient Aravalli Range, acts as a major geomorphic water divide separating the Indus River basin from the Ganges River basin. Rivers to the west of this ridge flow towards the Indus basin, while those to the east drain into the Ganges basin, making it the primary watershed boundary between these two major river systems in northern India.

Explanation

The Darbhanga Gharana is a prominent school of Dhrupad vocal music belonging to the Mallik family of Bihar. Singers of this gharana are renowned for their unique synthesis and performance of both the Khandhar Vani and the Gauhar Vani styles of Dhrupad. While Gauhar Vani is characterized by its melodic purity, grace, and steady temperament, Khandhar Vani introduces powerful, majestic, and rhythmically complex movements. The amalgamation of these two vanis gives the Darbhanga Gharana its distinctive aesthetic, featuring robust vocalizations and intricate rhythmic play.

Explanation

Uranium-235 is a fissile isotope of uranium capable of sustaining a controlled nuclear fission chain reaction. When a Uranium-235 nucleus absorbs a neutron, it undergoes fission, splitting into two lighter nuclei and releasing a large amount of thermal energy alongside additional neutrons. In commercial nuclear power plants, this thermal energy is harnessed to heat water, generating high-pressure steam that drives turbines connected to electrical generators to produce electricity.

Explanation

The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is awarded to corporate entities in both the private and public sectors, as well as sports control boards, non-governmental organizations, and individuals who have played a visible role in the promotion and development of sports. This award consists solely of a trophy and a citation, making it the only national sports award in India that does not carry any financial or cash prize.

Explanation

Saturn's moons Enceladus and Titan are highly significant in the search for extraterrestrial life because both harbor vast liquid water oceans beneath their icy outer shells. Enceladus features active geysers at its south pole that vent water vapor, organic compounds, and salts from its subsurface ocean directly into space. Titan possesses a thick atmosphere, hydrocarbon lakes on its surface, and a deep interior liquid water ocean. The presence of liquid water, essential chemical elements, and potential energy sources on both of these moons makes them some of the most promising locations in the solar system for supporting microbial life.

Explanation

Ishwari Prasad is revered as the founder of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak. He was a prominent devotee of the Bhakti movement who lived in the Handia tehsil of Allahabad district in southeastern Uttar Pradesh. According to dance history, Lord Krishna appeared in his dream and commanded him to develop and propagate Kathak as a medium of worship and devotion, which led to the establishment of this classical dance tradition.

Explanation

Correct Answer: A

Article 344 (1) of the Constitution of India provides for the constitution of a Commission by the President which consists of a Chairman and other members representing the different languages specified in the Eighth Schedule. Article 351 directs the Union to promote the spread and development of the Hindi language so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India, securing its enrichment by assimilating the forms, style, and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth Schedule. Both constitutional provisions are thus directly linked to the languages listed under the Eighth Schedule.

Explanation

Andhra Pradesh has Telugu as its official language, which is the major Dravidian language spoken in the region.

Kerala has Malayalam as its official language, which is the native language of the majority of its population.

Karnataka has Kannada as its official language, serving as the primary administrative and cultural language of the state.

Goa has Konkani as its official language, which is an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly along the Konkan coast.

Explanation

The Fundamental Duties of citizens were incorporated into the Indian Constitution through the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976. This amendment was enacted on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee, which was constituted to make recommendations about fundamental duties. The amendment added a new part, Part IV-A, and Article 51A to the Constitution, which originally specified ten fundamental duties for the citizens of India.

Explanation

In the A.G. Perarivalan v. State of Tamil Nadu case (2022), a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice L. Nageswara Rao invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to order the release of A.G. Perarivalan, who was serving a life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Furthermore, the Court ruled that the Governor is constitutionally bound by the aid and advice of the State Council of Ministers when exercising powers under Article 161. The judgment clarified that the Governor's power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of punishment is qualified by the constitutional mandate, which chiefly requires them to act in aid and advice of the Council of Ministers rather than acting independently or referring the matter to the President.

Explanation

The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 amends the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972. The original 1972 Act was enacted to nationalise the general insurance business in India by establishing the General Insurance Corporation of India and its four public sector subsidiaries. The 2021 amendment removes the mandatory requirement that the Central Government must hold at least 51% of the equity share capital or control in these specified public sector insurers, thereby facilitating increased private sector participation and private investment in these insurance companies.

Explanation

In kabaddi, the official rules specify only three types of warning and penalty cards used by referees to discipline players, coaches, and team officials. These are the Green card for an initial warning, the Yellow card for a temporary suspension of two minutes, and the Red card for complete disqualification or suspension for the remainder of the match. A Black card is not used in kabaddi officiating.

Explanation

The Howrah Bridge, which spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal, was officially opened to the public on February 3, 1943. The construction of this iconic balanced cantilever bridge began in 1936 and was completed in late 1942. It was opened to traffic without a formal inauguration ceremony due to the ongoing World War II and the threat of Japanese air raids in the region.

Explanation

In Microsoft PowerPoint, the slide number is added to slides through the Header and Footer dialog box, which is accessed under the Insert tab. Within this dialog box, checking the Slide number option places the slide number in the designated footer placeholder of the slide layout, allowing it to appear on all or selected slides in the presentation.

Explanation

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was executed in Delhi in 1675 under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Guru was arrested and brought to Delhi for opposing the forced religious conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and others to Islam. When he refused to convert to Islam himself, Aurangzeb ordered his public execution. He was beheaded at Chandni Chowk, a site now marked by the historical Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib.

Explanation

Swami Vivekananda delivered his historic address at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893. His opening words, "Sisters and brothers of America!", deeply resonated with the audience, earning him a standing ovation and establishing him as a key figure in introducing Indian philosophy, Vedanta, and Yoga to the Western world.

Explanation

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was officially renamed as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in August 2021. This decision was made to honor the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand, India's legendary hockey wizard who won three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936. The award remains the highest sporting honor in India, presented annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Explanation

The concept of the Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution was borrowed from the Constitution of Australia. Under this provision, both the Parliament of India and the State Legislatures have the power to frame laws on the subjects listed in this category, such as education, forests, marriage, and adoption. In case of any conflict or overlap between a central law and a state law on a concurrent subject, the law made by the Parliament prevails. Other key features borrowed from the Australian Constitution include the provision for a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament and the freedom of trade, commerce, and intercourse.

Explanation

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. It functions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Originally created in 2009 as an attached office under the Planning Commission, the government revised its allocation of business rules in 2015 to attach UIDAI to MeitY, which was later formalized with the passage of the Aadhaar Act in 2016.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

The Mahila Samman Savings Certificate is a one-time small savings scheme specifically designed for women and girls. The maturity period of this certificate is 2 years from the date of opening the account, meaning the tenure of the scheme is 2 years and not 5 years.

Explanation

The Battle of Khanwa was fought on March 16, 1527, near the village of Khanwa in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, between the Mughal emperor Babur and the Rajput king Rana Sanga of Mewar. Following the First Battle of Panipat, this conflict was a decisive confrontation for supremacy over Northern India. Babur secured a victory by utilizing advanced gunpowder artillery and tactical formations, which effectively consolidated Mughal rule in India and weakened the Rajput confederacy.

Explanation

Satyashodhak Samaj was founded by the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in Pune, Maharashtra, on September 24, 1873. The primary mission of this society was to secure social justice, human rights, and education for the underprivileged and marginalized sections of society, particularly the Shudras and Ati-Shudras. It worked to eradicate caste-based discrimination, eliminate social evils, and uplift the depressed classes through consciousness and educational empowerment.

Explanation

Christiaan Huygens proposed the wave theory of light in 1678, suggesting that light is made up of waves propagating through a medium called luminiferous ether. According to Huygens' principle, every point on a wave front acts as a source of secondary spherical wavelets that spread out in the forward direction. This wave model was pivotal in explaining optical phenomena such as reflection and refraction, laying the foundation for the wave theory of light.

Explanation

The Gundecha brothers, Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha, are leading exponents of the Dhrupad genre of Hindustani classical music. They received their extensive training under the renowned Dhrupad masters Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. Because of this lineage and training, they are prominently associated with the Dagarvani style of singing, which belongs to the Dagari Gharana. This gharana is particularly famous for its highly systematic, meditative, and elaborate presentation of Alap.

Explanation

In the Hindustani classical music system, ragas are systematically assigned to specific times of the day and distinct seasons. This concept, known as the Samay Siddhanta or the time-theory of ragas, divides the 24-hour cycle into eight periods of three hours each, called praharas. Each raga is believed to evoke a specific mood or rasa that is best expressed at its allotted hour or during its designated season, such as Raga Yaman in the evening or Raga Basant during the spring season. This connection aligns the musical performance with the natural cycles of the environment and human emotions.

Explanation

The Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) was launched by the Government of India on April 8, 2015. It was established to provide funding and refinancing support to microfinance institutions and non-banking financial companies that lend to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro enterprises. Under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, collateral-free loans up to ₹10 lakh are categorized into Shishu, Kishor, and Tarun based on the stage of growth and funding requirements of the beneficiary micro unit.

Explanation

Bharatanatyam is a prominent Indian classical dance form that originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu.

Mohiniattam is a classical dance form characterized by graceful, gentle movements that developed and remains popular in Kerala.

Garba is a vibrant folk dance native to the state of Gujarat, traditionally performed during the nine-day Navratri festival.

Sattriya is a classical dance-drama performance art with origins in the Krishna-centered Vaishnavism monasteries of Assam.

Explanation

CTRL + V is the standard keyboard shortcut used across Microsoft PowerPoint and other Windows applications to paste content from the clipboard. When a slide is copied or cut, navigating to the desired position in the slide thumbnail pane and pressing CTRL + V inserts that slide into the presentation.

Explanation

Section 8 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 provides the legal framework for the renunciation of Indian citizenship. Under this provision, any citizen of India of full age and capacity can make a declaration renouncing their Indian citizenship. Upon the registration of this declaration by the prescribed authority, that individual ceases to be a citizen of India. This Act is the principal legislation governing all matters related to the acquisition, determination, and termination of Indian citizenship.