SSC 2019 Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is C, Hiralal Chaudhuri. Hiralal Chaudhuri is called the father of the Blue Revolution, the sharp rise in India's fish production. Working as a fishery scientist, he achieved induced breeding of carp by hormone injection in 1957, a method that freed fish farmers from depending on wild seed collected from rivers and allowed hatcheries to supply fingerlings in large numbers. Aquaculture grew from there, and India is today among the largest fish producers in the world. Option A is wrong because Verghese Kurien led the White Revolution in milk, building the Amul model and Operation Flood. Option B is wrong because Sam Pitroda is linked with the telecom revolution and the spread of public call offices. Option D is wrong because M.S. Swaminathan is the father of the Green Revolution in wheat and rice. Exam tip: learn the colour revolutions together, Green for food grains, White for milk, Blue for fish, Yellow for oilseeds, Pink for prawns and Golden for horticulture.

The correct answer is A, 15. The language panel on the reverse of an Indian banknote carries the value of the note in 15 languages. Hindi and English are not part of that panel: they appear on the front of the note, so the total number of languages printed on a note comes to 17. The 15 in the panel are Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Notes are issued by the Reserve Bank of India under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, except the one rupee note, which is issued by the Government of India. Option B is wrong because 17 is the count of all languages on the note, including Hindi and English on the front. Option C is wrong because 10 is far fewer than the panel holds. Option D is wrong because 12 is also short of the actual number. Exam tip: remember 15 in the panel on the back and 17 on the whole note.

The correct answer is C, Australia. Of the four countries listed, Australia gave women the vote first, in 1902. Its Commonwealth Franchise Act of that year let women vote in and stand for the federal Parliament, following the colony of South Australia, which had already granted it in 1894. New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world to allow women to vote, in 1893, but it is not among the options here. Option A is wrong because France let women vote only in 1944, at the end of the Second World War. Option B is wrong because the United States granted it in 1920 through the Nineteenth Amendment. Option D is wrong because the United Kingdom gave the vote to women above 30 in 1918 and to all adult women only in 1928. India, by contrast, gave women the vote on equal terms from its very first general election under the Constitution. Exam tip: fix the order as New Zealand 1893, Australia 1902, UK 1918, USA 1920 and France 1944.

The correct answer is B, Literature. The Saraswati Samman is a literary award given for an outstanding work of prose or poetry. It was started in 1991 by the K.K. Birla Foundation and is open to writing in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, so a book published in the previous ten years in any of those languages may win. The first award went to Harivansh Rai Bachchan for his autobiography, and the prize is counted among the most valuable literary honours in India. The same foundation runs the Vyas Samman for Hindi writing and the Bihari Puraskar for writers of Rajasthan. Option A is wrong because music is honoured by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Tansen Samman. Option C is wrong because journalism has the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards. Option D is wrong because dance is recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Kalidas Samman. Exam tip: link the three K.K. Birla Foundation prizes, Saraswati Samman for all Eighth Schedule languages, Vyas Samman for Hindi and Bihari Puraskar for Rajasthan.

The correct answer is B, Immediate Payment Service. IMPS is an interbank money transfer service run by the National Payments Corporation of India, launched in November 2010. Its great advantage is that it works round the clock, on holidays and at night, and the money reaches the beneficiary within seconds. A transfer can be made using the account number with the IFSC code, or using the mobile number with the MMID, and it can be started from mobile banking, internet banking, an ATM or a branch. NPCI, set up in 2008 as an umbrella body for retail payments, also runs UPI, RuPay, NACH, AePS and FASTag. Option A is wrong because the letter S stands for service, not sector. Option C is wrong for the same reason. Option D is wrong because the first word is immediate, not instant. Exam tip: NEFT and RTGS are run by the RBI, while IMPS and UPI are run by NPCI; RTGS is meant for amounts of two lakh rupees and above.

The correct answer is B, 2011-2012. The all-India Index of Industrial Production is compiled with 2011-12 as its base year, a revision announced in 2017 that replaced the older 2004-05 base. The IIP is a monthly volume index put out by the National Statistical Office and it measures the change in output of three sectors — mining, manufacturing and electricity. In the 2011-12 series manufacturing carries by far the largest weight, about 77.6 per cent, with mining near 14.4 per cent and electricity near 8 per cent, and the index is released about six weeks after the month it reports on. Option A is wrong because 2004-05 was the base of the series that the present one replaced. Option C is wrong because 2005-06 has never been an IIP base year. Option D is wrong because 2010-11 is not the IIP base either. Exam tip: 2011-12 is the base year of the IIP, the Wholesale Price Index and India's national accounts alike, while the Consumer Price Index uses 2012.

The correct answer is Swaran Singh Committee. In 1976 the government set up a committee under Sardar Swaran Singh to suggest changes to the Constitution. It recommended a separate chapter on Fundamental Duties, arguing that citizens should be conscious of their duties as well as their rights. It suggested eight duties; the 42nd Amendment adopted ten. Some of its ideas were not accepted, such as a duty to pay taxes and penalties for not performing the duties.

The other committees are real but belong to other subjects. The Tarapore Committee was set up by the Reserve Bank of India on capital account convertibility. The Radhakrishnan Committee, the University Education Commission of 1948–49 headed by Dr S. Radhakrishnan, dealt with higher education. The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) recommended the three-tier Panchayati Raj system. A later body on the same subject is also asked: the Justice J.S. Verma Committee (1999) identified the laws that give effect to the Fundamental Duties.

The correct answer is 39A. Article 39A asks the State to ensure that the legal system promotes justice on the basis of equal opportunity, and in particular to provide free legal aid, so that no citizen is denied justice because of economic or other disabilities. It was added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976. Parliament gave effect to it through the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, which set up the National Legal Services Authority and legal services bodies in the States and districts.

The other options are the three other Articles with a letter that the 42nd Amendment made famous, and one that does not belong. Article 43A, also added in 1976, is about workers' participation in the management of industries. Article 48A, again from 1976, is about protecting the environment, forests and wildlife. Article 32A was inserted in 1976 but repealed by the 43rd Amendment in 1977, so it no longer exists. A useful memory line: 39A legal aid, 43A workers, 48A environment, all from 1976.

The correct answer is D, Dhyan Chand Award. The Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games was instituted in 2002 to honour sportspersons who not only performed well in their playing days but kept serving the sport after retiring. It is named after Major Dhyan Chand, the hockey wizard who won Olympic gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936; his birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day, when all the national sports awards are given. A is wrong because the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, started in 1991-92, is the highest award for the best performance over the previous four years, and in August 2021 it was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, which is a different award from the lifetime achievement one. B is wrong because the Arjuna Award, started in 1961, is for consistent outstanding performance by active players. C is wrong because the Dronacharya Award, started in 1985, is for coaches. Exam tip: Khel Ratna best performance, Arjuna players, Dronacharya coaches, Dhyan Chand Award lifetime achievement; all given on 29 August.

The correct answer is A, Sucheta Kriplani. Sucheta Kripalani became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in October 1963 and served till March 1967, making her the first woman to head a state government in India. A freedom fighter who worked closely with Gandhi during the Quit India movement, she was a member of the Constituent Assembly and sang Vande Mataram in the Assembly on the night of 14 August 1947. She was married to the socialist leader Acharya J.B. Kripalani. B is wrong because Mamata Banerjee became the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal only in 2011. C is wrong because Indira Gandhi was India's first woman Prime Minister, in 1966, and never a Chief Minister. D is wrong because Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of an Indian state, Uttar Pradesh, in 1947, and the first Indian woman to preside over the Congress, but never a Chief Minister. Exam tip: first woman CM Sucheta Kripalani (UP, 1963); first woman Governor Sarojini Naidu (UP, 1947); first woman PM Indira Gandhi (1966).

The correct answer is D, Madhya Pradesh. The Son rises at Amarkantak on the Maikal hills in Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, the same plateau from which the Narmada starts in the opposite direction. It flows north and then east for about 780 km through Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and joins the Ganga near Maner, a little west of Patna. It is the largest right-bank (southern) tributary of the Ganga; its own tributaries include the Rihand and the North Koel, and the Bansagar dam in Madhya Pradesh and the Rihand dam in Uttar Pradesh stand on this system. The famous Koilwar rail-road bridge in Bihar crosses the Son. A is wrong because West Bengal is where the Ganga ends its Indian course, not where the Son begins. B is wrong because Uttar Pradesh only lies on the Son's middle course. C is wrong because Assam belongs to the Brahmaputra basin. Exam tip: Amarkantak sends the Narmada west and the Son north-east; the Son meets the Ganga near Patna.

The correct answer is B, President. A bill passed by both Houses of Parliament becomes an Act only when the President gives assent to it, as laid down in Article 111. The President has three choices: give assent, withhold assent, or return the bill (if it is not a Money Bill) to Parliament for reconsideration. If both Houses pass the returned bill again, with or without changes, the President has to give assent. The Constitution fixes no time limit, so this delaying power is often called a 'pocket veto'. For state bills the Governor plays the same role under Article 200. A is wrong because the Law Minister only pilots bills; a minister's approval cannot turn a bill into law. C is wrong because the Supreme Court can strike down a law later but does not approve it before it is made. D is wrong because the Prime Minister heads the government but the formal assent is the President's. Exam tip: Parliament passes, the President assents (Article 111); the Governor assents for states (Article 200).

The correct answer is C, Pascal. Pressure is force acting per unit area, so its SI unit is the newton per square metre, which is given the special name pascal (Pa) after the French scientist Blaise Pascal, who stated the law of transmission of pressure in liquids used in hydraulic brakes and lifts. One pascal is a very small pressure, so larger units are common: 1 bar = 10⁵ Pa, 1 atmosphere = 101,325 Pa = 760 mm of mercury, and weather reports use the hectopascal (1 hPa = 100 Pa), while blood pressure is still read in mm Hg. Option A is wrong because the volt is the SI unit of electric potential difference (1 V = 1 J/C). Option B is wrong because the ampere is the SI base unit of electric current. Option D is wrong because the ohm is the SI unit of electrical resistance (1 Ω = 1 V/A). Exam tip: pressure = force ÷ area, N/m² = pascal; and the electrical trio: volt for voltage, ampere for current, ohm for resistance.

The correct answer is B, Article 61. It lays down the procedure for impeachment of the President, the only ground being "violation of the Constitution". The charge may be started in either House by a resolution signed by at least one-fourth of its members, with fourteen days' notice, and must be passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of that House. The other House then investigates, the President may appear and be represented, and if it too passes the resolution by a two-thirds majority the President stands removed. No Indian President has ever been impeached. A, Article 51, is a Directive Principle on promoting international peace and security. C, Article 63, simply says there shall be a Vice-President of India. D, Article 54, is about the election of the President by the electoral college. Exam tip: 54 election, 56 term, 61 impeachment, 63 Vice-President.

The correct answer is Habeas Corpus, a Latin phrase meaning "to have the body of". Through this writ a court orders whoever is holding a person to produce that person before it and show the legal grounds for the detention. If the detention is found unlawful, the person is set free at once. It can be issued against public authorities and private individuals alike, and a petition can be filed by the detained person or by someone on their behalf. It is not issued where the detention is lawful, where it is for contempt of a legislature or a court, or where a competent court has ordered it.

The other three writs do different jobs. Certiorari transfers a case from a lower court or tribunal, or quashes an order it has already passed. Prohibition stops a lower court or tribunal from exceeding its jurisdiction while a case is pending. Mandamus, meaning "we command", orders a public official to perform a duty. Habeas Corpus is often called the strongest safeguard of personal liberty, because it puts the protections of Articles 21 and 22 into immediate effect.

The correct answer is 26 November 1949. On that day the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution, and the date is now observed every year as Constitution Day. Some provisions, such as those on citizenship, elections, the provisional Parliament and temporary and transitional matters, took effect on 26 November 1949 itself.

26 January 1950 is the trap in this question: it is the date the Constitution came into force, now celebrated as Republic Day, not the date it was adopted. The day was chosen because the Congress had observed 26 January as Purna Swaraj Day in 1930. The other two options, 26 November 1950 and 26 January 1949, simply swap the years and match no event in the making of the Constitution. When you revise, keep the pair together in the right order: adopted on 26 November 1949, in force from 26 January 1950.

The correct answer is Dr Rajendra Prasad. Dr Sachchidananda Sinha presided over the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly on 9 December 1946 only as its temporary President. On 11 December 1946 the Assembly elected Dr Rajendra Prasad as its permanent President, and he held that office until the Assembly finished its work. On 24 January 1950, at its last session, the Assembly also elected him the first President of India.

The other names played different parts. Jawaharlal Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution and chaired the Union Powers, Union Constitution and States Committees. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel chaired the Provincial Constitution Committee and the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities. Mahatma Gandhi was not a member of the Constituent Assembly at all. Exams like to pair the words "temporary" and "permanent", so fix the sequence: Sinha first, then Prasad two days later.