SSC 2021 Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is B, Haryali. Haryali is a centrally sponsored watershed development project launched in 2003 by the Ministry of Rural Development, and its whole point is that the village panchayat plans and carries out the work itself. Under it gram panchayats build check dams, farm ponds, percolation tanks and contour bunds so that rain is held where it falls; wells recharge, and dryland farmers get water for a second crop. The watershed committee is chosen by the gram sabha, and the villagers share part of the cost and the upkeep of the structures. A is wrong because the Arvary Pani Sansad is a people's parliament of villages on the Arvari river in Alwar, Rajasthan, a community effort and not a central scheme. C is wrong because Jal Kranti Abhiyan was a later water awareness campaign of the water resources ministry. D is wrong because Neeru-Meeru was a state water conservation programme of Andhra Pradesh. Exam tip: Haryali 2003, central and panchayat-led; Neeru-Meeru is Andhra Pradesh; Arvari Pani Sansad is Rajasthan.

The correct answer is B, cheque. Section 6 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 defines a cheque as a bill of exchange drawn on a specified banker and not expressed to be payable otherwise than on demand. In plain words it is a written order by an account holder, the drawer, telling the bank, the drawee, to pay a stated sum to the payee named on it, which is exactly what the question describes.

Option A, cash, is money itself and needs no instruction to anyone. Option C, a passbook, is only a record of the entries in an account, so it proves what has happened but orders nothing. Option D, currency, is the legal tender issued by the Reserve Bank and the Government of India, again not an instruction to pay. Only a cheque is an instrument carrying an order to a banker, and that is why it is a negotiable instrument under Section 13 of the Act.

The correct answer is C, Assam. Ali Ai Ligang is the spring sowing festival of the Mising tribe of Assam. The name itself describes the occasion, for it refers to the sowing of roots and seeds, and the festival begins on the first Wednesday of the month of Fagun. Villagers plant the first paddy of the season, and the Gumrag dance is performed to drums and cymbals, with rice beer and pork served at the community feast.

Option A, Kerala, is the state of Onam, Vishu and Thrissur Pooram. Option B, Bihar, holds Chhath and the Sonepur cattle fair. Option D, Chhattisgarh, has Bastar Dussehra and the Karma dance of its tribal belt. Each is a real festival state, but Ali Ai Ligang belongs to the Mising, an Assamese tribe of the Brahmaputra valley, so C is the only correct pairing.

The correct answer is D, Mumbai. Axis Bank, which began in 1994 as UTI Bank and was renamed in 2007, has its corporate office in Mumbai, the city that also holds the Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, the State Bank of India, the Central Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Bank of India and both stock exchanges. Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, so most private banks and insurers are based there.

Option A, Ahmedabad, is where Axis Bank was registered and has a large office, which makes it the trap in this question, and it is also the home of the Space Applications Centre and the Physical Research Laboratory. Option B, Bengaluru, is the headquarters of Canara Bank and of ISRO. Option C, Chennai, is the headquarters of Indian Bank and Indian Overseas Bank. None of these is the headquarters of Axis Bank.

The correct answer is A, Nubra. The first ice climbing festival of Ladakh was held in the Nubra valley in January 2021, on the frozen waterfalls near the villages of the upper Nubra, as a way of building winter adventure tourism in a region that otherwise earns only in summer. Nubra lies north of Leh across the Khardung La and is watered by the Shyok and the Nubra rivers.

Option B, Ripchar, is a side valley on the Lamayuru to Chilling trek and hosts no such festival. Option C, Markha, is the valley of Ladakh's best known summer trek, between the Zanskar range and the Stok range. Option D, Dras, spelt Drass, lies in the Kargil district and is famous instead for being one of the coldest inhabited places in India and for the Kargil war memorial.

The correct answer is D, Akbar. The town on the Bhagirathi that later became Murshidabad was founded as Maksudabad in the reign of Akbar, and it kept that name until the Bengal governor Murshid Quli Khan shifted his seat there in the early eighteenth century and renamed it after himself. Murshidabad then served as the capital of Bengal under the Nawabs until the British moved power to Calcutta after Plassey. Option A is wrong because Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last emperor, ruled only at Delhi in the nineteenth century and founded no city. Option B is wrong because Shah Jahan built Shahjahanabad at Delhi, not Maksudabad. Option C is wrong because Humayun spent much of his reign fighting Sher Shah Suri and in exile in Persia, and the city is not credited to him. Remember the pair Maksudabad and Murshidabad together with Akbar.

The correct answer is A, Khetri. Khetri, in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, is famous for its copper mines. The Khetri belt runs along the Aravalli range, and its ore is mined and processed by Hindustan Copper Limited, which set up the Khetri Copper Complex there. Rajasthan is the country's leading copper state, followed by Madhya Pradesh with the Malanjkhand mine in Balaghat and Jharkhand with the Singhbhum belt. Copper is valued because it conducts electricity and heat well and is ductile, so it goes into wires, cables, utensils and alloys such as brass and bronze. Option B is wrong because Keonjhar in Odisha is known for iron ore and manganese. Option C is wrong because Gaya in Bihar lies in the mica belt and has no copper mining. Option D is wrong because Satna in Madhya Pradesh is known for limestone and its cement plants. Exam tip: for copper remember Khetri in Rajasthan, Malanjkhand in Madhya Pradesh and Singhbhum in Jharkhand.

The correct answer is D, BSE. The Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange in India and in Asia. It began in 1875 as the Native Share and Stock Brokers' Association, growing out of the meetings of brokers under a banyan tree near Horniman Circle in Mumbai, and it was the first Indian exchange to be recognised under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956. Its home on Dalal Street is the Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers, and its benchmark index is the Sensex, made up of 30 companies. A is wrong because the Calcutta Stock Exchange, though old, was set up in 1908. B is wrong because the National Stock Exchange started in 1992 on the advice of the Pherwani Committee and was the first in India to bring in fully electronic screen-based trading, with Nifty as its index. C is wrong because the Delhi Stock Exchange came up in 1947. Exam tip: BSE 1875 with Sensex 30, NSE 1992 with Nifty 50.

The correct answer is D, Lignite. Lignite is the low grade brown coal the question describes: it is soft, brown to blackish brown, and holds a high amount of moisture, often 35 to 45 per cent, so it gives less heat when it burns. Coal is graded by how much carbon it holds, and the order from lowest to highest is peat, lignite, bituminous and anthracite. India's main lignite field is at Neyveli in Tamil Nadu, with other deposits in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir, and it is burnt mostly in power stations built right beside the mines because it crumbles and catches fire easily if carried far. A is wrong because bituminous is the common hard coal used in industry and for making coke. B is wrong because anthracite is the best grade, hard and with more than 80 per cent carbon. C is wrong because peat is the first stage, closer to wood than to coal. Exam tip: peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite, with quality rising in that order.

The correct answer is D, Golconda. Golconda Fort near Hyderabad in Telangana was first raised as a mud fort by the Kakatiya rulers of Warangal in the thirteenth century. The Bahmani sultans took it later, and the Qutb Shahi kings rebuilt it in granite in the sixteenth century, adding the long walls, the eight gates and the palaces seen today. The fort is famous for its acoustics: a clap at the Fateh Darwaza can be heard at the pavilion on the hilltop, a signal once used to warn the garrison. The diamond mines around it, such as Kollur, made Golconda a great market for stones like the Koh-i-Noor and the Hope diamond. A is wrong because Panhala in Kolhapur is linked with the Shilaharas and later with Shivaji. B is wrong because Raigad was Shivaji's capital fort in Maharashtra. C is wrong because Neemrana in Rajasthan was a Chauhan fort. Exam tip: Golconda, a Kakatiya mud fort rebuilt by the Qutb Shahis, known for diamonds and acoustics.

The correct answer is C, 65. Under Article 316 of the Constitution, a member of the Union Public Service Commission holds office for six years from the day he takes charge, or until he turns 65, whichever comes first. The same rule applies to the chairman of the UPSC. For a State Public Service Commission the term is also six years, but the retirement age is 62, and this pair of numbers is what paper setters usually test. A member may resign by writing to the President and can be removed only in the manner Article 317 lays down, on a reference to the Supreme Court, which is what protects the commission's independence. A is wrong because 60 is the usual retirement age for central government servants. B is wrong because 68 is not a limit fixed anywhere for this office. D is wrong because 62 is the age for a member of a State Public Service Commission. Exam tip: UPSC six years or 65, State PSC six years or 62.

The correct answer is C, Satyameva Jayate. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya popularised the slogan Satyameva Jayate, meaning truth alone triumphs, and it was later adopted as the national motto of India. The line comes from the Mundaka Upanishad, and it is written in Devanagari on the abacus of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, which India adopted as the State Emblem in January 1950. Malaviya founded Banaras Hindu University in 1916, edited the newspaper Abhyudaya, served four terms as president of the Congress and was given the Bharat Ratna in 2015. A is wrong because Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and appears in his novel Anandamath. B is wrong because Jai Jawan Jai Kisan was Lal Bahadur Shastri's slogan, raised during the 1965 war. D is wrong because Inquilab Zindabad was popularised by the poet Hasrat Mohani and used by Bhagat Singh. Exam tip: Satyameva Jayate, from the Mundaka Upanishad, popularised by Malaviya, India's national motto.

The correct answer is B, Troposphere. The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere, lying right above the Earth's surface, and nearly all weather happens in it. It reaches about 18 km over the equator and about 8 km over the poles, and it holds roughly three quarters of the mass of the air along with almost all the water vapour and dust. Because this layer is heated from the ground upwards, the temperature falls with height by about 6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometre, which keeps the air churning and makes clouds, rain, storms and winds possible. Its upper limit is called the tropopause. A is wrong because the mesosphere lies above the stratosphere and is the layer where meteors burn up. C is wrong because the ionosphere is far higher and reflects radio waves back to Earth. D is wrong because the stratosphere holds the ozone layer and has calm air that jet aircraft use. Exam tip: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, from the ground upwards.

The correct answer is D, Bagha Jatin. Jatindranath Mukherjee, known as Bagha Jatin, planned an armed rising against the British with German help during the First World War. He led the Jugantar group in Bengal and worked with Rash Behari Bose on what is called the Indo-German conspiracy: German ships were to land rifles on the Odisha coast, and those arms were to reach revolutionaries across the country for a general revolt. The plan leaked to British intelligence, and Jatin died in a gun battle with the police at Balasore in September 1915. He had earned his nickname years earlier by killing a Royal Bengal tiger with a dagger. A is wrong because Prafulla Chaki shot himself in 1908 after the Muzaffarpur bomb attack, well before the war. B is wrong because Ashfaqulla Khan belonged to the Kakori train robbery of 1925. C is wrong because Khudiram Bose was hanged in 1908, also for Muzaffarpur. Exam tip: Bagha Jatin, Jugantar, German arms plot, killed at Balasore in 1915.

The correct answer is B. Mulching means covering the bare soil between plants with a layer of organic matter such as straw, dry leaves, husk or grass clippings. The cover shades the ground, so less water evaporates and the soil stays moist and cool, and it also softens the blow of falling rain, which would otherwise loosen the topsoil and wash it away. As the mulch rots it adds humus to the field, and by cutting off light it keeps weeds down. Farmers use it widely in orchards and vegetable plots, and in dry regions it is one of the cheapest ways to hold moisture. A is wrong because raising barriers of stone, grass and soil along the contours is contour barrier work. C is wrong because growing different crops in alternate rows is strip cropping. D is wrong because piling up rocks to slow the flow of water describes a rock dam. Exam tip: mulching covers the soil, strip cropping alternates rows, terracing cuts steps into a hillside.

The correct answer is A, Ibrahim Lodi. Ibrahim Lodi was the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty and the last Sultan of Delhi; he was killed in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, where Babur defeated him and began Mughal rule in India. The Lodis were the third and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate and the first Afghan line to hold Delhi. Bahlul Lodi set it up in 1451, his son Sikandar Lodi shifted the capital to Agra in 1504, and Ibrahim, who came to the throne in 1517, quarrelled with his Afghan nobles. Daulat Khan Lodi, the governor of Punjab, then invited Babur, and the Sultanate ended on the field of Panipat. B is wrong because Sikandar Lodi ruled before Ibrahim and died in 1517. C is wrong because Barbak Shah was a Lodi prince who governed Jaunpur, not Delhi. D is wrong because Bahlul Lodi was the founder. Exam tip: Bahlul 1451, Sikandar 1489, Ibrahim 1517, Panipat 1526.

The correct answer is C, 6 years or the age of 62 years, whichever is earlier. Article 316 of the Constitution fixes this term for the chairman and members of a State Public Service Commission. The same article gives members of the Union Public Service Commission six years or the age of 65, so the six years is common and only the retiring age differs. The Governor appoints the chairman and members of a State Commission, but they can be removed only by the President, on a report of the Supreme Court, which protects their independence. At least half the members must be persons who have held office under the government for ten years or more. Option A is wrong because it mixes the state term with the Union retiring age of 65. Option B is wrong because the age for a State Commission is 62, not 60. Option D is wrong on both counts, as the term is six years and the age is 62. Exam tip: UPSC 6 years or 65, State PSC 6 years or 62.

The correct answer is B, Serchhip. Serchhip district of Mizoram recorded the highest literacy rate of any district in India in the Census of 2011, at almost 98 per cent. Mizoram was the second most literate state in that census after Kerala, and its small hill districts, helped by mission schools and a high rate of school attendance, came out ahead of every district in the country. The census counted a person aged seven years and above who can both read and write with understanding as literate, and put India's overall literacy at 74.04 per cent. Option A is wrong because Kottayam in Kerala has very high literacy but stands below Serchhip. Option C is wrong because Champhai, also in Mizoram, comes after Serchhip. Option D is wrong because Ernakulam is among Kerala's best districts but again not the highest in India. Exam tip: Kerala is the most literate state and Serchhip in Mizoram the most literate district in Census 2011.

The correct answer is B, Red laterite soil. Cashew grows best on red laterite soil, which is coarse, well drained and slightly acidic, exactly what the crop needs. Laterite soil forms in areas of heavy rain and high temperature, where running water washes away the lime and silica and leaves behind iron and aluminium oxides. It is poor in nitrogen and organic matter, so ordinary food grains do badly on it, but plantation crops such as cashew, tea, coffee, rubber and coconut do well. This is why the cashew belt runs along the laterite coasts of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Option A is wrong because black or regur soil holds moisture and is the cotton soil of the Deccan. Option C is wrong because red and yellow soil is used mainly for millets, pulses and groundnut. Option D is wrong because alluvial soil of the plains suits wheat, rice and sugarcane. Exam tip: laterite soil means plantation crops, cashew above all.

The correct answer is D, Field hockey. A 16-yard hit is the free hit given to the defending team in field hockey when an attacker sends the ball over the back line without a goal being scored. The ball is placed in line with the point where it crossed the line, 16 yards or about 14.63 metres out from the inner edge of the back line, and a defender takes the hit while opponents stand at least five metres away. The same hit is awarded when an attacking player commits an offence inside the shooting circle. A is wrong because golf is measured in holes, pars and the yardage of fairways and has no such hit. B is wrong because lawn tennis uses terms such as deuce, ace, let and smash. C is wrong because cricket's restarts are the no-ball, the wide and a free hit of an entirely different kind. Exam tip: hockey terms - 16-yard hit, penalty corner, and the penalty stroke taken from 6.4 metres.