SSC Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is C, China. SAARC, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, has eight members — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. China is not one of them; it holds only observer status, as do Japan, the United States, the European Union, South Korea, Iran, Mauritius, Myanmar and Australia. SAARC was set up by the Dhaka Declaration of 8 December 1985 with seven members, and its secretariat is at Kathmandu in Nepal. Option A is wrong because Nepal is a founding member and hosts the secretariat. Option B is wrong because the Maldives is also one of the seven founders. Option D is wrong because Afghanistan is a full member, admitted as the eighth at the Delhi summit of 2007. Exam tip: the seven founders are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives; Afghanistan is the eighth member and China is only an observer.

The correct answer is D, Bharat Ratna. Lata Mangeshkar received the Bharat Ratna in 2001, becoming the second singer after M.S. Subbulakshmi to be given the country's highest civilian honour. She had recorded songs for more than a thousand Hindi films and sung in over thirty languages, and was widely called the Nightingale of India. The Bharat Ratna is awarded for exceptional service in any field of human endeavour and carries no title and no cash grant, only a sanad signed by the President and a peepal-leaf medallion. Option A is wrong because her Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award came in 1993. Option B is wrong because she had already received the Padma Vibhushan in 1999. Option C is wrong because the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest honour in cinema, was given to her in 1989. Exam tip: fix her order of honours — Padma Shri 1969, Dadasaheb Phalke 1989, Padma Vibhushan 1999, Bharat Ratna 2001.

The correct answer is D, Bihar. The Rajgir Zoo Safari stands at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar, in the hills around the old Magadhan capital of Rajgriha. It was opened to visitors in 2022 and is laid out as a safari: people move through the enclosures in vehicles while tigers, lions, leopards, bears and herbivores range in open spaces. A glass bridge and a nature safari were built beside it, and the whole site sits within the wooded country of the Pant Wildlife Sanctuary. Option A is wrong because Tamil Nadu's best-known zoo is the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur near Chennai. Option B is wrong because Madhya Pradesh has the Van Vihar National Park at Bhopal. Option C is wrong because Gujarat's Sakkarbaug Zoo at Junagadh is the one known for breeding Asiatic lions. Exam tip: remember Rajgir in Bihar for the zoo safari and the glass bridge, and Rajgriha as the first capital of Magadha.

The correct answer is C, Public. The public sector is owned and run by the government, and its guiding aim is social welfare rather than profit. Services such as railways, electricity, drinking water, schools and hospitals need heavy spending and return money slowly, so private firms often keep away from them; the state supplies them at prices ordinary people can pay. The public sector is also used to reduce regional imbalance and to create employment, and in India it expanded after the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 gave the state the leading role in basic industries. Option A is wrong because the foreign sector covers trade and investment across borders and follows returns. Option B is wrong because the co-operative sector is owned by its own members and works chiefly for their benefit, not for society at large. Option D is wrong because the private sector is owned by individuals and companies whose main aim is profit. Exam tip: public sector equals government ownership plus welfare motive; private sector equals private ownership plus profit motive.

The correct answer is D, Beas and Sutlej. The third book of the Rigveda holds a hymn in which the sage Vishvamitra speaks with two rivers, Vipasha and Shutudri, and asks them to run low so that his party may cross with its wagons. Vipasha is the Beas and Shutudri is the Sutlej, and the hymn treats both as goddesses who answer the sage in their own voice. The Rigveda names many rivers this way; the Nadistuti hymn lists them from east to west, and the Sindhu and the Saraswati are praised most often. Option A is wrong because the Ganga is named only once in the Rigveda and the Yamuna three times, and neither appears in this dialogue. Option B is wrong because Alakananda and Bhagirathi are later names for the headstreams of the Ganga. Option C is wrong because the Ravi, called Parushni, belongs to the hymn on the Battle of the Ten Kings, and the Chenab is Asikni. Exam tip: learn the Vedic names — Vipasha (Beas), Shutudri (Sutlej), Parushni (Ravi), Asikni (Chenab), Vitasta (Jhelum).

The correct answer is D, Odissi. Kelucharan Mohapatra was the guru who brought Odissi, the classical dance of Odisha, back to the stage in the twentieth century. He began as a gotipua boy dancer and a pakhawaj player, and went on to train Sanjukta Panigrahi, Sonal Mansingh, Madhavi Mudgal and Protima Bedi. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2000 and a Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. Odissi is marked by the tribhanga or three-bend pose and the square chauka stance, both drawn from the temple sculpture of Konark and Puri. Option A is wrong because Kuchipudi belongs to Andhra Pradesh, whose great teacher was Vempati Chinna Satyam. Option B is wrong because Manipuri comes from Manipur and the Jhaveri sisters are among its exponents. Option C is wrong because Bharatanatyam is from Tamil Nadu, linked with Rukmini Devi Arundale and Balasaraswati. Exam tip: pair guru with form — Kelucharan Mohapatra with Odissi, Birju Maharaj with Kathak, Kalamandalam Gopi with Kathakali.

The correct answer is A, Sudarshan Sahoo. Sudarshan Sahoo, the stone and wood sculptor from Puri in Odisha, was given the Padma Vibhushan in 2021 in the field of art. He had already received the Padma Shri in 1988, and his work carries the Odishan temple-sculpture tradition of Konark and Puri into modern studios. The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of India, after the Bharat Ratna, and the Padma list is announced every year on the eve of Republic Day. Option B is wrong because Tarlochan Singh, a former chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, was given the Padma Bhushan in 2021. Option C is wrong because the table tennis player Mouma Das received the Padma Shri that year. Option D is wrong because Sumitra Mahajan, a former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, was also a Padma Bhushan awardee in 2021. Exam tip: the civilian honours in order are Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

The correct answer is C, Local Area Network. A LAN joins computers and devices inside a small area such as one room, one building or a campus. It usually runs on Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi, is owned and managed by a single organisation, and gives a high data transfer rate with very few errors, which is why offices, schools and cyber cafes use it. Networks are classed by the area they cover: PAN for one person's own devices, LAN for a building, MAN for a city and WAN for a country or the world, the internet being the largest WAN. Option A is wrong because 'Line Area Network' is not a networking term. Option B is wrong because no class of network is called a 'Linear Area Network'. Option D is wrong because 'Land Area Network' does not exist either. Exam tip: learn the four by rising size — PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN — and remember the LAN is the one limited to a single building or campus.

The correct answer is A, Banking method. National income is estimated by three standard methods — the product or value-added method, the income method and the expenditure method — and there is no banking method. The product method adds the value added by every producing unit so that intermediate goods are not counted twice. The income method adds the wages, rent, interest and profit earned by the factors of production. The expenditure method adds private consumption, investment, government spending and net exports. In India the National Statistical Office uses all three and cross-checks them, since in theory each must give the same total. Option B is wrong because the expenditure method is a recognised route to the same figure. Option C is wrong because the product method is what the estimates for agriculture and industry rest on. Option D is wrong because the income method is used mainly for the service sector. Exam tip: remember the identity Product = Income = Expenditure, the threefold basis of national income accounting.

The correct answer is C, Ceres. Ceres is the only dwarf planet that orbits inside the main asteroid belt, the ring of rocky bodies between Mars and Jupiter. Giuseppe Piazzi spotted it in 1801 and it was first called a planet, then an asteroid, and since the International Astronomical Union's definition of 2006, a dwarf planet — the smallest of them. With a diameter of about 940 km it holds roughly a quarter of the mass of the whole belt, and NASA's Dawn spacecraft orbited it in 2015 and found bright salt deposits. Option A is wrong because Eris is a scattered-disc body far beyond Neptune, and its discovery forced the 2006 redefinition. Option B is wrong because Makemake orbits in the Kuiper belt. Option D is wrong because Haumea, with its stretched shape and a thin ring, is also a Kuiper belt object. Exam tip: of the five recognised dwarf planets — Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake and Haumea — only Ceres lies inside the asteroid belt.

The correct answer is A, Rakhigarhi. Rakhigarhi lies in Hisar district of Haryana, on the dry bed of the Ghaggar river. It is the largest Harappan site found in India, spread over several mounds, and excavations there have given up planned streets, brick drains, a granary area, seals and terracotta toys. DNA work on skeletons from its cemetery has made the site famous well beyond archaeology. Option B is wrong because Dholavira is in the Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat, known for its water reservoirs and its signboard. Option C is wrong because Lothal, also in Gujarat, is the dockyard site near the Gulf of Khambhat. Option D is wrong because Kalibangan is in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, where ploughed fields and fire altars were found. Exam tip: fix the states in mind — Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Dholavira, Lothal and Surkotada (Gujarat), Ropar (Punjab) and Banawali (Haryana).

The correct answer is To vote in public elections. Voting is not among the eleven Fundamental Duties in Article 51A. The right to vote comes from Article 326, which provides for elections on the basis of adult suffrage, and from the Representation of the People Act, 1951. It is not a Fundamental Right, and voting is not a Fundamental Duty. Critics often point to its absence, along with paying taxes, as a gap in the list.

The other three options are genuine Fundamental Duties: valuing and preserving the rich heritage of our composite culture is clause (f); safeguarding public property and abjuring violence is clause (i); and upholding and protecting the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India is clause (c). Whenever a "NOT a Fundamental Duty" question appears, look first for voting, paying taxes, family planning or respecting the National Song: none of these is on the list.

The correct answer is Verma Committee. In 1999 the Committee on the Fundamental Duties of Citizens, headed by Justice J.S. Verma, a former Chief Justice of India, looked at how the duties could be made operational. It identified the laws already in force that give effect to some of them, such as the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and laws on wildlife and forests, and suggested ways to teach the duties.

The other committees dealt with other subjects. The L.M. Singhvi Committee (1986) recommended constitutional status for local self-government institutions, which led towards the 73rd and 74th Amendments. The Vasantrao Naik Committee was set up by Maharashtra on democratic decentralisation and panchayati raj. The Rajamannar Committee (1969) was appointed by the Tamil Nadu government to study Centre-State relations. For the Fundamental Duties remember two committees: Swaran Singh (1976) recommended them, and Verma (1999) looked at how to make them work.

The correct answer is To protect and improve the natural environment. Teaching people to turn kitchen waste into compost for a park reduces waste and enriches the soil, which is exactly what Article 51A(g) asks for: to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures. It matches the Directive Principle in Article 48A, which asks the State to protect the environment.

The other duties do not fit the activity as closely. Striving towards excellence, clause (j), is about raising the nation's achievements in every field. Safeguarding public property and abjuring violence, clause (i), is about not damaging what belongs to the public. Developing the scientific temper, clause (h), is about questioning and reasoning, and although making compost involves some science, the purpose of the session is environmental. This kind of situation-based question is becoming common in SSC papers, so practise linking everyday actions to the clause they fulfil.

The correct answer is To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity. The tenth Fundamental Duty is clause (j) of Article 51A, which continues: "so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement". It was also the last of the ten duties added in 1976, which is why it is sometimes described as the concluding duty of the original list.

The other options sit at different positions in the list. Developing the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform is clause (h), the eighth duty. Cherishing and following the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom is clause (b), the second. Providing opportunities for education to a child or ward between six and fourteen is clause (k), the eleventh, added in 2002. Counting is easy once you know the letters: (a) is the first duty, so (j), the tenth letter, is the tenth duty and (k) the eleventh.

The correct answer is To safeguard public property and to abjure violence. That is the duty in Article 51A(i). It asks citizens not to damage buses, trains, roads, government buildings and other public property, and to reject violence, for example during protests. Parliament has also made damage to public property a criminal offence through the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

The other options are duties from different clauses. To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture is clause (f). To defend the country and render national service when called upon is clause (d). To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India is clause (c). Clause-matching questions are common, so it helps to link each letter with a keyword: (a) Constitution, Flag and Anthem; (c) sovereignty; (d) defence; (e) harmony and women's dignity; (f) composite culture; (g) environment; (h) scientific temper; (i) public property; (j) excellence; (k) education.

The correct answer is Fundamental Duty. Article 51A(h) asks every citizen "to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform". It means questioning superstition, looking for evidence before believing a claim, and being open to change. India is one of the few countries whose Constitution asks its citizens to develop a scientific outlook.

The other options are the other parts of the Constitution that people confuse with the duties. A constitutional remedy is the right to move the Supreme Court or a High Court for the enforcement of a right, under Articles 32 and 226. The Fundamental Rights in Part III are guarantees that the State must respect, not duties that citizens must perform. The Directive Principles in Part IV are instructions to the State, not to citizens. Remember the difference in one line: rights are what the State owes you, directives are what the State should aim for, and duties are what you owe the nation.

The correct answer is Article 51A (a). The very first Fundamental Duty asks every citizen to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem. Parliament had already backed this up with the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which punishes insulting the Flag, the Constitution or the Anthem.

The other clauses carry different duties. Clause (b) asks citizens to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired the national struggle for freedom. Clause (c) asks them to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. Clause (d) asks them to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so. A frequent trap follows from this question: clause (a) names the National Flag and the National Anthem, but it does not mention the National Song, "Vande Mataram". An option such as "to respect the National Song" is therefore not a Fundamental Duty.

The correct answer is Eighty - sixth amendment Act. The 86th Amendment Act, 2002 inserted clause (k) in Article 51A: "who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years." The same amendment made free and compulsory education for children of six to fourteen a Fundamental Right under Article 21A, and rewrote Article 45 so that it now covers early childhood care and education below six. It is the only amendment to the Fundamental Duties since they were introduced in 1976.

The other options are amendments from the same period on different subjects. The 81st (2000) and 82nd (2000) dealt with reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs, covering backlog vacancies and relaxed qualifying marks in promotions, and the 84th (2001) extended the freeze on the delimitation of constituencies. When you see "51A(k)", "21A" or "six to fourteen years" in a question, think of the 86th Amendment.

The correct answer is 11. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 added ten Fundamental Duties in Article 51A, clauses (a) to (j). The 86th Amendment Act, 2002 added an eleventh, clause (k), which asks a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his or her child or ward between the ages of six and fourteen. So today there are eleven Fundamental Duties, all in a single Article.

Each wrong option is a number from the same story, which is why it tempts. Eight is the number of duties the Swaran Singh Committee recommended. Ten is the number added in 1976, before the 2002 amendment. Six is the number of Fundamental Rights today, after the right to property was removed in 1978. Keep the sequence in one line: the committee suggested 8, Parliament added 10 in 1976, and the 86th Amendment made it 11 in 2002. Questions often ask "how many were added in 1976" as well, and there the answer is ten.