SSC CHSL Tier 1 2025 General Awareness Questions with Solutions

Explanation

Neeraj Chopra is a highly accomplished Indian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58 meters, becoming the first track and field athlete from independent India to win an Olympic gold medal.

Explanation

R. Venkataramani was appointed as the 16th Attorney General for India by the President of India, effective from October 1, 2022, for a tenure of three years. Under Article 76 of the Constitution of India, the Attorney General is appointed by the President and holds office during the pleasure of the President. As his three-year tenure extends until September 30, 2025, he remains the serving Attorney General for India as of May 31, 2025.

Explanation

The Stand-Up India Scheme, launched by the Government of India, is implemented in close partnership with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). SIDBI acts as the principal partner institution by developing and managing the dedicated Stand-Up Mitra portal. This digital platform plays a crucial role in connecting prospective entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women communities with commercial banks, credit guarantee mechanisms, handholding agencies, and mentoring services to facilitate loans between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore for starting greenfield enterprises.

Explanation

The National AI Mission, also known as the IndiaAI Mission, is designed to establish a comprehensive and robust artificial intelligence ecosystem in the country. It focuses on building high-performance computing infrastructure, developing foundational models, creating high-quality datasets, and fostering AI skills to ensure that the benefits of technological advancements drive economic development and social inclusion across all sections of society.

Explanation

The Global Findex Report, compiled and published by the World Bank, is the comprehensive database that tracks financial inclusion across the globe, monitoring how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage financial risk. The report in the 2024-25 period highlighted India's extraordinary progress in financial inclusion, showcasing a massive increase in bank account ownership and active usage of formal financial services. This transformation has been primarily propelled by India's robust digital public infrastructure, notably the combination of Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar biometric identification, and mobile connectivity, which collectively closed the gender and income gaps in access to banking.

Explanation

Project Tiger is a pioneer conservation initiative launched by the Government of India on April 1, 1973, from Jim Corbett National Park. The primary objective of the project is to ensure a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage that represents the diverse ecosystems across the tiger range in the country.

Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Manu Joseph is an Indian journalist and novelist who wrote the critically acclaimed novel Serious Men, published in 2010. The book is a sharp satire on the Indian caste system, class dynamics, and the scientific establishment, centering on the life of Ayyan Mani, a Dalit personal assistant working at a premier scientific institute in Mumbai. The debut novel won prestigious accolades, including the Hindu Literary Prize in 2010 and the PEN/Open Book Award in 2011, and was later adapted into a feature film in 2020.

Explanation

Lavani is a traditional folk dance form of Maharashtra. It is a combination of song and dance performed to the rhythmic beats of the Dholki, a percussion instrument. Lavani is renowned for its powerful rhythm, quick tempo, and expressive movements, and it has contributed significantly to the development of Marathi folk theatre. The dance is traditionally performed by female artists dressed in nine-yard-long Nauvari sarees.

Explanation

Chhau is a traditional semi-classical dance form of Eastern India that blends martial arts, acrobatics, and storytelling. It is performed in three distinct regional styles, one of which is Mayurbhanj Chhau from Odisha. While the styles of Jharkhand and West Bengal use masks, the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha is unique for performing without masks while maintaining the characteristic martial movements, mock-combat techniques, and rhythmic vigor. This dance form is deeply integrated into local festivals and is recognized on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Explanation

A polar orbit is one in which a satellite passes above or nearly above both poles of the Earth on each revolution. It has an inclination of approximately 90° to the equator, allowing the satellite to scan the entire globe as the Earth rotates beneath its orbital plane.

Explanation

Density is an intrinsic physical property representing mass per unit volume and does not directly govern the rate of evaporation. Evaporation is a surface phenomenon where molecules at the liquid boundary escape into the vapor phase. The factors influencing this rate are those that alter the kinetic energy of the surface molecules or affect the concentration gradient of the vapor above the liquid surface, such as temperature, surface area, humidity, and wind speed. Density does not determine how rapidly these surface molecules transition into the gaseous phase.

Explanation

Kinetic energy is the energy that an object possesses by virtue of being in motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes. Mathematically, the translational kinetic energy of a non-rotating object of mass m traveling at a speed v is given by the formula K.E. = ½mv². This demonstrates that kinetic energy is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the square of its velocity.

Explanation

Cochin International Airport in Kerala became the world's first fully solar-powered airport in August 2015. The airport transitioned to 100% solar power with the inauguration of a 12 megawatt-peak solar power plant near its cargo complex, which consists of 46,150 solar panels spread over 45 acres. This system generates sufficient electricity to meet all the operational needs of the airport terminals and offices daily, making it entirely self-sufficient and carbon-neutral.

Explanation

Western Railway successfully achieved 100% electrification of its entire broad-gauge network. This milestone was completed across all its six divisions, namely Mumbai, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ratlam, Rajkot, and Bhavnagar, covering thousands of route kilometers. The complete electrification of this heavily loaded and busy network helps in seamless train operations, reduces traction change delays, lowers fuel costs, and significantly assists Indian Railways in its mission to transition towards becoming a net-zero carbon emitter.

Explanation

Ahmad Shah Bahadur, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1748 to 1754, was deposed by his own Grand Vizier, Imad-ul-Mulk, in collusion with Maratha forces. Following his deposition, the emperor and his mother, Qudsia Begum, were blinded and imprisoned at the Salimgarh Fort, where he remained confined until his death in 1775. Shah Jahan, while imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb at the Agra Fort, was never blinded. Thus, only Ahmad Shah Bahadur fits the description of being blinded and imprisoned by his own nobles.

Explanation

The supply curve is the graphical representation of the supply function, which depicts the relationship between the price of a commodity and the quantity supplied by producers, holding other non-price factors constant. Under the law of supply, this curve typically slopes upward from left to right, showing that producers are willing to offer more of a good for sale at higher prices.

Explanation

The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) was established by the Government of India in December 2015 as a collaborative investment platform for international and domestic investors. It was created as an Alternative Investment Fund registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to channel funding into infrastructure projects across the country, following its initial announcement in the Union Budget 2015–16.

Explanation

The revision of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the modernization of its base year were guided by the recommendations of the National Statistical Commission chaired by Dr. C. Rangarajan. This comprehensive restructuring aimed to modernize the price collection mechanism and better represent contemporary consumption patterns. The process culminated in the formulation of a revised CPI series with 2010 as the base year, which was officially introduced and launched in 2011 by the Central Statistics Office, releasing separate indices for rural, urban, and combined populations.

Explanation

Education is included in the Concurrent List (List III) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. It was shifted from the State List to the Concurrent List through the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976. This allows both the Central government and the State governments to legislate on education, ensuring a coordinated approach to educational planning and policy across the country.

Explanation

Plantation refers to a type of commercial farming where a single crop like tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, or banana is grown on a large scale. It represents a system of agriculture and a method of cultivation rather than a specific cropping season.

Explanation

Montek Singh Ahluwalia served as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from July 2004 to May 2014. His decade-long tenure covered the entire duration of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–2012) as well as the initial years of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012–2017), which was the last Five-Year Plan of India before the Planning Commission was replaced by the NITI Aayog.

Explanation

Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) refer to any policy measures other than customs tariffs that restrict, impede, or distort international trade.

Import quotas represent quantitative restrictions that specify the maximum physical volume or value of a specific good allowed to be imported over a given timeframe, directly restricting trade volumes through administrative limits.

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures are technical regulations established to protect human, animal, or plant life and health from risks associated with pests, diseases, toxins, or food additives. Although aimed at biosecurity and health, these measures function as non-tariff barriers because their stringent compliance and certification procedures can significantly increase the cost and difficulty of exporting goods to a market.

Explanation

The year 1921 is known as the Year of the Great Divide in the demographic history of India. Prior to 1921, the population growth of India was stagnant and fluctuating because of high death rates caused by frequent famines and epidemics. Post-1921, the death rate began to decline consistently due to the introduction of systematic public health measures, improved sanitation, better control over epidemic diseases such as plague, cholera, and smallpox, and the gradual expansion of basic healthcare and medical services across the country.

Explanation

Amoeba utilizes pseudopodia, which are temporary, finger-like extensions of its cytoplasm, for both locomotion and food capture. During movement, the cytoplasm flows into these projections, pulling the organism forward. To capture food, the pseudopodia extend around the prey and fuse together to engulf it, forming a food vacuole through the process of phagocytosis.

Explanation

In Indian philosophy, the Purusharthas represent the four core aims of human life. Dharma is the foundational objective that governs the conduct of an individual. It refers to moral duty, righteousness, ethics, and cosmic order. By practicing Dharma, an individual maintains social harmony, performs their prescribed duties, and leads a virtuous life, which serves as the ethical basis for pursuing all other goals of life.

Explanation

The SI unit of frequency is the hertz (Hz). Frequency is defined as the number of periodic events, cycles, or oscillations that occur per unit of time, typically one second. One hertz is equivalent to one cycle per second, represented mathematically as 1 Hz = 1 s⁻¹. The unit is named in honor of the German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, who made pioneering contributions to the study of electromagnetism and electromagnet waves.

Explanation

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is India's National Mission for Financial Inclusion, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 August 2014. The scheme aims to ensure affordable access to financial services such as bank accounts, remittances, credit, insurance, and pensions for all unbanked households in the country.

Explanation

India secured the 38th position in the Global Innovation Index 2025 published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. This achievement highlights India's sustained growth in innovation, driven by its robust performance in key indicators such as information and communication technology services exports, venture capital received, and the quality of its scientific publications and universities. The index ranks world economies according to their innovation capabilities, and India's rise reflects its growing ecosystem for startups, research and development, and technological advancement.

Explanation

India has committed to achieving 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. This target was announced as part of the five nectar elements (Panchamrit) at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. The Ministry of Power, along with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, actively monitors and implements policies to meet this capacity goal, which is essential for ensuring that 50% of the country's cumulative electric power installed capacity comes from non-fossil fuel energy sources by 2030.

Explanation

Baul is a highly distinctive folk music and spiritual tradition originating from Bengal, primarily associated with the state of West Bengal and neighboring Bangladesh. The Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels whose music reflects a syncretic blend of Sufism, Vaishnavism, Buddhism, and Tantra. Their songs, characterized by deep spiritual and philosophical themes expressed through simple everyday metaphors, are typically performed using traditional instruments like the ektara, duggi, and khamak. In recognition of its unique cultural and oral tradition, Baul music was included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Explanation

The National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC), India's and Asia's first specialized research facility dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin, is located in Patna, Bihar. Built on the banks of the Ganges River within the Patna University campus, the centre plays a pivotal role in studying dolphin behavior, population dynamics, food habits, and threat mitigation strategies to protect India's national aquatic animal.

Explanation

The Reserve Bank of India Digital Payments Index is a comprehensive measure used to capture the extent of digitization of payments across India. It was launched with March 2018 as the base period with a score of 100. The index comprises five broad parameters that measure the growth and deepening of digital payment systems, including Payment Enablers, Demand-side and Supply-side Payment Infrastructure, Payment Performance, and Consumer Centricity. As of March 2025, the index reached 493.22, indicating a substantial and continuous expansion in the adoption of digital payments across the country.

Explanation

Bidesia is a popular folk dance-drama format native to Bihar. Created in the twentieth century by Bhikhari Thakur, who is widely known as the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri, this performing art combines dance, music, and theater. The narratives predominantly focus on social reforms, the pain of migration, and the emotional plight of women left behind by husbands who travel to distant places for work.

Explanation

The Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. The book covers his life from early childhood through to 1921, detailing his spiritual and moral development, and his formulation of the principles of Satyagraha and Ahimsa. It was originally written in Gujarati and published as weekly installments in his journal Navajivan from 1925 to 1929, before being translated into English and widely distributed globally.

Explanation

Amish Tripathi is the author of 'Sita: Warrior of Mithila', which was published in 2017. It is the second book in his Ram Chandra Series, which is a mythological fantasy retelling of the Indian epic Ramayana. The novel explores the journey of Sita, depicting her not just as a traditional princess, but as a strong, capable warrior and the prime minister of Mithila.

Explanation

The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite programme was officially initiated with the successful launch of India's first operational remote sensing satellite, IRS-1A, on March 17, 1988. Launched into a polar sun-synchronous orbit by a Soviet Vostok rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, IRS-1A established the foundation for India's capabilities in earth observation, resource mapping, and environmental monitoring.

Explanation

Public goods are characterized by non-excludability, which means that once the good is provided, it is impossible to prevent individuals from using or benefiting from it, regardless of whether they have paid for it. This characteristic leads to the free-rider problem, where consumers have a strong incentive to consume the good without contributing to its production costs. Since private firms cannot exclude non-payers to secure revenue and generate profit, they cannot recover their production costs, leading to a market failure where the private sector underprovides or fails to provide the public good.

Explanation

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched the National Mission on Climate Resilient Agriculture to address the challenges posed by climate change to Indian agriculture. This initiative aims to develop and promote climate-resilient crop varieties, sustainable agricultural practices, and innovative technologies. By enhancing the adaptive capacity of farmers and stabilizing agricultural production against extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and temperature fluctuations, ICAR plays the lead role in securing food security and sustaining rural livelihoods.

Explanation

Dadoji Konddeo was the administrator of the Pune jagir on behalf of Shahaji Raje Bhosale. He was entrusted with the responsibility of looking after Jijabai and young Shivaji. In this capacity, he served as Shivaji's guardian and mentor, overseeing his education and training in weapons, horsemanship, military tactics, and administrative governance, which laid the foundation for his future rule.

Explanation

Rani Lakshmibai, the queen of the princely state of Jhansi, was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She led the uprising in Jhansi after the British East India Company applied the Doctrine of Lapse, annexed her state, and refused to recognize her adopted son as the rightful heir to the throne. She valiantly defended the fort of Jhansi against the British forces led by Sir Hugh Rose before escaping to Kalpi and continuing her fight.

Explanation

The National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) was launched in October 1980 during the Sixth Five-Year Plan, replacing the earlier Food for Work Programme. Its primary objective was to generate additional gainful wage employment opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed poor in rural areas. Alongside providing immediate livelihood support through wages, the programme aimed to create durable community assets, such as rural roads, school buildings, and irrigation facilities, to strengthen the rural infrastructure and improve the overall quality of life in villages.

Explanation

The human nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system serves as the primary integration and command center for the body and is composed of two major structures: the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is housed within the cranial cavity of the skull and is responsible for processing sensory information, regulating cognitive functions, and controlling voluntary and involuntary movements. The spinal cord extends downwards from the brainstem through the vertebral column and acts as the major pathway for transmitting neural signals between the brain and the peripheral nerves, as well as coordinating simple reflex actions.

Explanation

The Bailadila mountain range in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh is renowned for its massive deposits of high-grade hematite iron ore. This region possesses some of the richest and highest quality iron ore reserves in India, characterized by exceptionally high iron content. The mining operations here are managed by the National Mineral Development Corporation, and a significant portion of the extracted iron ore is exported to countries like Japan and South Korea through the Visakhapatnam port.

Explanation

Dialysis is a medical treatment that filters and purifies the blood using a machine, acting as an artificial kidney when the kidneys can no longer perform their natural function due to kidney failure or severe renal disease. This process helps maintain the body's fluid and electrolyte balance by removing waste products, toxins, and excess fluids from the bloodstream.

Explanation

Under Article 155 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of a State is appointed by the President of India by warrant under his hand and seal. The Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President as per Article 156 of the Constitution, typically for a term of five years from the date on which they enter office.

Explanation

After independence, India adopted an inward-looking trade strategy known as import substitution industrialization to achieve self-reliance. This policy aimed to replace imports with domestic production by protecting domestic industries from foreign competition through high tariffs, import quotas, and strict licensing. By manufacturing goods locally that were previously imported, the government sought to reduce foreign dependence, conserve foreign exchange reserves, and build a strong, self-reliant domestic industrial base.

Explanation

According to the 2011 Census, Goa is the most urbanised state in India, with 62.17% of its population residing in urban areas. This makes it the state with the highest percentage of urban population to the total population in the country.

Explanation

The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy written by Kautilya, who is also known as Chanakya or Vishnugupta. Kautilya was the chief advisor and prime minister to Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya Empire. The text outlines the administrative, judicial, and economic structures characteristic of the Maurya dynasty's governance in the late fourth century BCE.

Explanation

The Preamble to the Constitution of India declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic. The term Democratic indicates that the constitution establishes a government that derives its authority from the will of the people, where supreme power is vested in the citizens and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of periodic free and fair elections.

Explanation

Gyanesh Kumar assumed office as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India in February 2025. He succeeded Rajiv Kumar, who completed his tenure upon reaching the superannuation age of 65 years. Prior to this elevation, Gyanesh Kumar served as an Election Commissioner, having been appointed to the Election Commission of India in March 2024. He is a retired 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Kerala cadre.