RRB ALP 2018 Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is B, Kinetic energy + Potential energy. The mechanical energy of a body is the sum of the energy of its motion and the energy of its position. Kinetic energy is half m v squared and gravitational potential energy is mgh, and their total stays the same as long as only gravity acts and friction is absent. That is the law of conservation of mechanical energy: a ball thrown upward loses kinetic energy and gains exactly as much potential energy, and a falling ball does the reverse, which is why a simple pendulum keeps swinging between the same two heights. When friction or air resistance acts, part of the mechanical energy turns into heat and sound, so it is no longer conserved, although the total energy of the system still is. Option A is wrong because chemical energy is stored in the bonds of fuels and food. Option C is wrong because heat is the energy of random molecular motion and is counted separately. Option D is wrong because electrical energy comes from moving charges. Exam tip: mechanical energy equals KE plus PE, and it stays constant only when no friction acts.

The correct answer is B, kinetic energy. A stretched bow stores elastic potential energy, and when the string is released that store becomes the kinetic energy of the flying arrow. Potential energy is the energy held by a body because of its position or its shape. Pulling the string changes the shape of the bow, so the work done by the archer is stored as elastic potential energy, the same kind of store found in a compressed spring or a wound watch spring. On release the bow springs back to its old shape and pushes the arrow forward, so the stored energy turns into energy of motion. A small part does escape as the twang of sound and as heat, but the main change is potential to kinetic. Option A is wrong because chemical energy is stored in the bonds of fuels and food, not in a bent bow. Option C is wrong because the sound is only a small loss, not the main conversion. Option D is wrong because heat is likewise a minor loss here. Exam tip: a stretched bow, a compressed spring and a drawn catapult all store elastic potential energy.

The correct answer is C, 240 J. Work done against gravity is weight multiplied by height, so 120 × 2 = 240 joules. Work is done when a force moves a body along the direction of that force, and it is measured as W = F × s. Here the boy must at least match the weight of the box, which is 120 N, and he moves it through 2 m, so the work done is 240 J. This work is stored in the box as gravitational potential energy, and the box would give back the same 240 J if it fell to where it started. Note that the weight is already given in newtons, so there is no need to multiply by g again. Option A is wrong because 60 J divides the weight by the height instead of multiplying. Option B is wrong because 120 J is only the weight in newtons, with the height left out. Option D is wrong because 130 J matches no step of the calculation. Exam tip: W = F × s, and work done against gravity is mgh, where mg is the weight.

The correct answer is A, 6.67 m/s². Find each mass from F = ma, add the masses, then divide the same force by the total. The first block gives m1 = 5 ÷ 10 = 0.5 kg and the second gives m2 = 5 ÷ 20 = 0.25 kg. Tied together they move as one body of mass 0.5 + 0.25 = 0.75 kg, and the same 5 N force now produces an acceleration of 5 ÷ 0.75, which is about 6.67 m/s². The joint acceleration is always less than the smaller of the two single accelerations, because the same push has to move more mass. Option B is wrong because 1.67 m/s² matches no step of this working. Option C is wrong because 5.67 m/s² would need a total mass of about 0.88 kg. Option D is wrong because 4.67 m/s² would need a total mass of about 1.07 kg. Exam tip: for one force on tied blocks the reciprocals add, that is 1 by a equals 1 by a1 plus 1 by a2.

The correct answer is A, 275 J. Kinetic energy is half m v squared, so half of 22 multiplied by 5 multiplied by 5 gives 275 joules. Kinetic energy is the energy a body has because of its motion. It rises in direct proportion to the mass but with the square of the speed, so doubling the speed makes the energy four times larger, which is why a fast vehicle needs a much longer distance to stop than a slow one. The joule is the SI unit of energy and equals one newton metre; one joule is the work done when a force of one newton moves a body through one metre. Option B is wrong because 110 J is mass multiplied by speed, which gives momentum, not energy, and in different units. Option C is wrong because 1100 J leaves out the half in the formula, that is it works out m v squared. Option D is wrong because 2750 J is ten times the correct value. Exam tip: write half m v squared carefully, because the half and the squared speed are where marks are usually lost.

The correct answer is B, 0 J. The body is thrown up at 20 m/s and gravity takes away 10 m/s of speed every second, so after 2 seconds its speed is zero. Using v = u − gt, we get v = 20 − 10 × 2 = 0 m/s. Kinetic energy is half m v squared, and with v = 0 the kinetic energy is also zero. At that instant the body is at the highest point of its path and all of its energy is potential energy, mgh = 2 × 10 × 20 = 400 J, since the body has risen 20 m. A moment later it begins to fall and the kinetic energy grows again. Option A is wrong because 100 J needs a speed of 10 m/s, which the body has after only one second. Option C is wrong because 400 J is the kinetic energy at the moment of throwing, and the potential energy at the top. Option D is wrong because 200 J matches no point of this motion. Exam tip: at the highest point of a vertical throw the speed, and so the kinetic energy, is zero.

The correct answer is A, Liquid. At normal atmospheric pressure water stays liquid between 0 °C and 100 °C, and 12 °C lies inside that range. Water freezes into ice at 0 °C, which is its melting point, and boils into steam at 100 °C, which is its boiling point, when the pressure is one atmosphere. Between these two fixed points the molecules have enough energy to slide over one another but not enough to fly apart, so water flows and takes the shape of its container while keeping a fixed volume. Water does evaporate slowly at 12 °C from an open surface, but that happens only at the top layer and does not change the state of the water below. Option B is wrong because ionic is not a state of matter at all; it describes a kind of bond or compound. Option C is wrong because water becomes a gas, that is steam, only above 100 °C. Option D is wrong because water turns solid only at or below 0 °C. Exam tip: remember 0 °C and 100 °C as the fixed points of water at one atmosphere.

The correct answer is C, 16 times the initial value. Kinetic energy depends on the square of the momentum, so the momentum grows as the square root of the energy. For a body of mass m, the kinetic energy can be written as p squared divided by 2m, where p is the linear momentum. If the mass does not change, p equals the square root of 2mE, so p is proportional to the square root of E. When the kinetic energy becomes 256 times, the momentum becomes the square root of 256, that is 16 times its earlier value, and the speed also becomes 16 times. Option A is wrong because a body cannot gain energy while its momentum stays the same. Option B is wrong because 8 times the momentum would make the energy 64 times, not 256 times. Option D is wrong because 32 times the momentum would make the energy 1024 times. Exam tip: E equals p squared by 2m, so if the energy becomes n times the momentum becomes root n times, and if the momentum becomes n times the energy becomes n squared times.

The correct answer is B, The stamen and pistil. The stamen and the pistil make the male and female gametes, so they are the essential or reproductive organs of a flower. The stamen is the male part and has an anther that produces pollen grains and a filament that holds the anther up. The pistil, also called the carpel, is the female part and has three portions: the stigma that receives the pollen, the style, and the ovary that holds the ovules. After pollination and fertilisation the ovary grows into the fruit and the ovules become seeds. Sepals and petals are called accessory organs because they only protect the bud and attract insects for pollination. Option A is wrong because the sepal is only the green leaf-like part that covers the bud. Option C is wrong because neither sepals nor petals take any part in making gametes. Option D is wrong because the petal is accessory, even though the pistil named with it is essential. Exam tip: stamen and pistil are essential, sepal and petal are accessory.

The correct answer is C, Silver. Silver is a noble metal and does not combine with oxygen even when it is heated strongly. Metals react with oxygen according to their place in the reactivity series. Very reactive metals such as potassium and sodium burn in air at room temperature, aluminium and zinc form an oxide layer when heated, and lead slowly turns into lead oxide on heating. Silver, gold and platinum lie at the bottom of the series, so they keep their shine in air; the black film that appears on silverware is silver sulphide formed by sulphur gases, not silver oxide. Option A is wrong because zinc burns with a bluish white flame and gives zinc oxide. Option B is wrong because aluminium forms a thin, tough coat of aluminium oxide that protects the metal below it. Option D is wrong because lead heated in air gives litharge, which is lead oxide. Exam tip: gold, silver and platinum are the noble metals that resist oxidation, which is why they are used in jewellery and contacts.

The correct answer is D, 75%. The ball falls from 10 m but rises back only 2.5 m, so it keeps one quarter of its energy and loses three quarters. Just before the ball hits the ground, its kinetic energy equals the potential energy it had at the top, that is mgh with h = 10 m. Just after the bounce, the kinetic energy is only as much as is needed to lift it 2.5 m, so it is mg multiplied by 2.5. The ratio is 2.5 divided by 10, which is one fourth, so 25 per cent of the kinetic energy is left and 75 per cent is lost as heat and sound during the collision. The mass cancels out, so the heights alone decide the answer. Option A is wrong because the ball does rebound, so all the energy is not lost. Option B is wrong because 25 per cent is the energy kept, not the energy lost. Option C is wrong because losing half the energy would take the ball back to 5 m. Exam tip: in a bounce, percentage loss equals (1 minus h2 by h1) multiplied by 100.

The correct answer is D, Mamta Kalia. The Vyas Samman for 2017 went to the Hindi writer Mamta Kalia for her novel 'Dukham Sukham'. The Vyas Samman is given every year by the K.K. Birla Foundation for an outstanding Hindi work published in the previous ten years, and it carries a citation and a cash prize. The same foundation gives two other literary awards: the Saraswati Samman, open to a work in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule, and the Bihari Puraskar for writing from Rajasthan. Mamta Kalia is known for her Hindi stories and novels and has headed the Mahadevi Verma Srijan Peeth in Allahabad. Option A is wrong because Namita Gokhale writes in English and co-founded the Jaipur Literature Festival. Option B is wrong because Meena Kandasamy is an English-language poet and translator. Option C is wrong because Jhumpa Lahiri writes in English and won the Pulitzer Prize for 'Interpreter of Maladies'. Exam tip: Vyas Samman is for Hindi alone, while Saraswati Samman covers all Eighth Schedule languages.

The correct answer is C, Karnataka. Kambala is a traditional buffalo race of coastal Karnataka, held mainly in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, the Tulu Nadu region. Pairs of buffaloes, yoked together and driven by a farmer, race along two parallel tracks filled with slushy water in paddy fields. The season runs roughly from November to March, after the harvest, and the race began as a thanksgiving to local deities for a good crop. After a legal debate similar to the one over Jallikattu, Karnataka amended its animal cruelty law in 2017 so that Kambala could continue. A is wrong because Kerala is famous for its snake-boat races such as the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. B is wrong because Punjab is known for the Kila Raipur rural sports festival with bullock-cart races. D is wrong because Odisha is known for the Rath Yatra of Puri. Exam tip: Kambala = Karnataka (buffalo race), Jallikattu = Tamil Nadu (bull taming), Vallam Kali = Kerala (boat race), Kila Raipur = Punjab (rural Olympics).

The correct answer is C, Manipur. The Manipur Sangai Festival is held every year from 21 to 30 November to showcase the state's culture and tourism. It is named after the Sangai, the brow-antlered deer, which is Manipur's state animal and lives in the wild only in Keibul Lamjao National Park on Loktak Lake. This is the world's only floating national park, resting on floating mats of vegetation called phumdis. The festival features Manipuri classical dance, the Thang-Ta martial art, polo, local food and handloom and handicraft stalls. A is wrong because Gujarat is known for Navratri garba and the Rann Utsav. B is wrong because Assam is known for Bihu. D is wrong because Tamil Nadu is known for Pongal and Jallikattu. Exam tip: Sangai = Manipur (21 to 30 November), Hornbill = Nagaland (1 to 10 December), Kambala = Karnataka, Bihu = Assam; Loktak Lake's phumdis carry the floating Keibul Lamjao park.

The correct answer is D, Blue Flag. In 2018 the Union Environment Ministry started a pilot project to clean up and develop selected beaches so that they could win the Blue Flag. The Blue Flag is an international eco-label given by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), based in Copenhagen, Denmark; it began in France in 1985. A beach must meet strict standards on water quality, environmental education, safety and services, and environmental management. India's programme for this is called BEAMS (Beach Environment and Aesthetics Management Services), and in 2020 Shivrajpur in Gujarat was among the first Indian beaches to receive the Blue Flag. A is wrong because Swachh Bharat is the national sanitation mission started in 2014, not a beach label. B is wrong because the Green Flag is a different award, used in the UK for well-kept parks and green spaces. C is wrong because Clean India is only the English name of the Swachh Bharat campaign. Exam tip: Blue Flag = beach eco-label by FEE, Denmark; India's scheme = BEAMS; the first eight Indian Blue Flag beaches were certified in 2020.

The correct answer is B, France. France was the first country to introduce GST, in 1954. The idea came from Maurice Lauré, a French tax official, who designed a tax charged at every stage of production and sale but only on the value added at that stage. This avoids "tax on tax", the cascading effect of older sales taxes. This value added tax (VAT) model later spread across Europe and the world. India adopted GST on 1 July 2017 through the 101st Constitutional Amendment, with a dual model: CGST and SGST on sales within a state and IGST on sales between states. A is wrong because Canada brought in its GST only in 1991. C is wrong because Australia introduced GST in 2000. D is wrong because Germany adopted its VAT system in 1968, long after France. Exam tip: First GST = France, 1954 (Maurice Lauré); India's GST from 1 July 2017 under the 101st Amendment; 1 July is observed as GST Day.

The correct answer is A, Assam. Assam became the first state to ratify the GST Constitution Amendment Bill, on 12 August 2016, soon after Parliament passed it. Because GST changes the taxing powers of both the Centre and the states, the bill needed approval from at least half of the state legislatures under Article 368. Bihar was the second state and Jharkhand the third. After enough states ratified it, the President gave assent on 8 September 2016 and it became the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016. It added Article 246A and created the GST Council under Article 279A, and GST came into force on 1 July 2017. B is wrong because West Bengal ratified the bill only after Assam. C is wrong because Meghalaya was not the first state to ratify it. D is wrong because Arunachal Pradesh was not the first state either. Exam tip: GST = 101st Amendment, 2016; first state to ratify = Assam; GST Council = Article 279A, chaired by the Union Finance Minister; GST in force from 1 July 2017.

The correct answer is A, 2nd Oct 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2 October 2014, Mahatma Gandhi's 145th birth anniversary, at Rajpath in New Delhi. Its target was a clean and open defecation free (ODF) India by 2 October 2019, Gandhiji's 150th birth anniversary, mainly by building household and community toilets and improving waste management. The mission has two parts, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) for villages and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) for towns and cities. Its logo is Gandhiji's round spectacles with the words "Swachh Bharat". B is wrong because 14 November is Children's Day, Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday, and 2015 is also the wrong year. C is wrong because 14 November 2014 was Children's Day, not the launch date. D is wrong because by 2 October 2015 the mission had already completed its first year. Exam tip: Swachh Bharat = 2 October 2014, target ODF India by 2 October 2019, logo = Gandhiji's spectacles; the Swachh Survekshan ranks cities on cleanliness.

The correct answer is A, Orange River. The Orange River is the longest river of South Africa, about 2,200 km long. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains of Lesotho, flows west across South Africa and falls into the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay. For part of its course it forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. Its main tributary is the Vaal, and the Augrabies Falls lie on the Orange. The Limpopo is the other big river of South Africa, flowing east into the Indian Ocean. B is wrong because the Nile, the longest river in the world, flows north through countries such as Uganda, Sudan and Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea. C is wrong because the Congo flows through Central Africa, crosses the Equator twice and enters the Atlantic. D is wrong because the Niger flows through West Africa (Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria) into the Gulf of Guinea. Exam tip: South Africa = Orange and Limpopo; Nile = north-east Africa; Congo = crosses the Equator twice; Niger = West Africa; Zambezi = Victoria Falls.

The correct answer is C, Panama Canal. The Panama Canal cuts across the narrow Isthmus of Panama in Central America and joins the Atlantic Ocean, through the Caribbean Sea, with the Pacific Ocean. It was opened in 1914 by the United States and is about 82 km long. Because the land in between is higher than the sea, ships are raised and lowered by locks that use water from the man-made Gatun Lake. The canal saves ships the long voyage around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. The USA handed the canal over to Panama on 31 December 1999. A is wrong because the Kiel Canal in Germany joins the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. B is wrong because the Suez Canal in Egypt, opened in 1869, joins the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. D is wrong because the White Sea Canal in Russia links the White Sea with the Baltic Sea. Exam tip: Suez 1869 (Mediterranean to Red Sea, no locks), Panama 1914 (Atlantic to Pacific, with locks), Kiel (North Sea to Baltic Sea).