SSC Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is C, Vini Mahajan. Vini Mahajan, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch of the Punjab cadre, was appointed Chief Secretary of Punjab in June 2020, the first woman to hold the state's top civil service post since Punjab was formed in 1966. The Chief Secretary is the senior-most IAS officer of a state and heads its entire administration. She had earlier served in the Prime Minister's Office and as Punjab's Additional Chief Secretary for Investment Promotion, and after her state tenure she moved to the Centre as Secretary of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. A is wrong because Akanksha Juneja is a television actress, not a civil servant. B is wrong because Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu is a doctor and politician who was a member of the Punjab assembly. D is wrong because Kiran Bedi was India's first woman IPS officer (1972) and later Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, but she was a police officer, never a Chief Secretary. Exam tip: first woman Chief Secretary of Punjab, Vini Mahajan, June 2020; first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, 1972.

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 A, Night blindness. Vitamin A, chemically retinol, is needed to make rhodopsin, the light-sensitive pigment in the rod cells of the retina that lets us see in dim light. When the vitamin is short, the eye cannot adjust to darkness, and the person cannot see properly at night or in poor light; this is night blindness (nyctalopia). If the deficiency continues, the eye becomes dry and the cornea is damaged, a condition called xerophthalmia, which can end in total blindness. Vitamin A is fat-soluble and comes from carrots, papaya, mango, green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs and fish liver oil. B is wrong because scurvy, with bleeding gums, is caused by lack of vitamin C. C is wrong because marasmus is caused by a severe shortage of both calories and protein in young children. D is wrong because kwashiorkor is a protein deficiency disease marked by a swollen belly. Exam tip: vitamin A night blindness, C scurvy, D rickets, K bleeding; marasmus and kwashiorkor are protein-energy problems, not vitamin diseases.

The correct answer is A, B3. Pellagra is caused by a lack of vitamin B3, also called niacin or nicotinic acid. The body can also make niacin from the amino acid tryptophan, so the disease is common where people live mainly on maize, which is poor in both. Pellagra is remembered by the 'four Ds': dermatitis (rough, dark skin on parts exposed to the sun), diarrhoea, dementia and, if untreated, death. Niacin is found in meat, fish, groundnuts, whole grains and milk. B is wrong because vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency causes anaemia, skin problems and convulsions in infants. C is wrong because vitamin B2 (riboflavin) deficiency causes cracked lips and sores at the corners of the mouth, called ariboflavinosis. D is wrong because vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency causes pernicious anaemia and nerve damage. Exam tip: B1 beriberi, B2 ariboflavinosis, B3 pellagra, B12 pernicious anaemia; pellagra = the four Ds.

The correct answer is C, N2O. Laughing gas is nitrous oxide, N2O, a colourless gas with a faintly sweet smell that makes people giggle and feel light-headed when they breathe it in. It was first prepared by Joseph Priestley in 1772, and Humphry Davy studied its effects and gave it the popular name. Dentists and surgeons use it mixed with oxygen as a mild anaesthetic and pain-killer, and it is also the propellant in whipped-cream cans. In the laboratory it is made by gently heating ammonium nitrate. It is a greenhouse gas too, and it damages the ozone layer. A is wrong because NO is nitric oxide, a colourless gas that turns brown in air. B is wrong because N2O3 is dinitrogen trioxide, a blue liquid at low temperature. D is wrong because NO2 is nitrogen dioxide, the reddish-brown, poisonous gas seen in vehicle smoke and acid rain. Exam tip: laughing gas = nitrous oxide = N2O, discovered by Priestley, used as a dental anaesthetic.

The correct answer is B, SF6. The name itself gives the formula: 'hexa' means six, so sulphur hexafluoride has one sulphur atom joined to six fluorine atoms, SF6. The molecule is octahedral in shape, with the six fluorine atoms arranged symmetrically around the sulphur. SF6 is a colourless, odourless, non-flammable and very unreactive gas, about five times heavier than air. Because it does not conduct electricity, it is used as an insulating gas inside high-voltage circuit breakers and switchgear. It is also one of the strongest greenhouse gases known, with a global warming potential thousands of times that of carbon dioxide, and it is listed under the Kyoto Protocol. A is wrong because S2F6 would need two sulphur atoms, which the name does not say. C is wrong because SF2 is sulphur difluoride, with only two fluorine atoms. D is wrong because S6F reverses the numbers and is not a real compound. Exam tip: mono 1, di 2, tri 3, tetra 4, penta 5, hexa 6; SF6 = one sulphur, six fluorine, used in electrical switchgear.

The correct answer is B, Base year. Real GDP measures the value of all final goods and services produced in a year at the prices of one fixed earlier year, called the base year, so that the effect of rising prices is removed and true growth can be seen. Nominal GDP uses the current year's prices. The ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP, multiplied by 100, is the GDP deflator, a measure of inflation. The base year is chosen by the government's statistics office and is revised from time to time so that it reflects the present structure of the economy. A is wrong because the fiscal year is simply the twelve months over which accounts are kept, April to March in India. C is wrong because financial year is another name for the same accounting period, not a price reference. D is wrong because 'common year' means a calendar year of 365 days, a term from the calendar, not economics. Exam tip: real GDP = base-year prices, nominal GDP = current prices; GDP deflator = nominal divided by real, times 100.

The correct answer is A, 1st April of a year to 31st March of the next upcoming year. In India the fiscal or financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March, so the year that starts on 1 April 2025 is written as 2025-26. The Union Budget, the government's accounts, income tax and company accounts all follow this period. India inherited this April to March cycle from British practice in 1867; before that the government year ran from May to April. The Union Budget is presented on 1 February so that the new year can start on 1 April with the money already approved. B is wrong because a year cannot be only nine months long. C is wrong because January to December is the calendar year, used by some countries but not for India's public finances. D is wrong because it describes a two-year span, which no fiscal year covers. Exam tip: fiscal year 1 April to 31 March; Budget on 1 February; the assessment year follows the financial year.

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 D, Jhelum. The Kishanganga rises near Gurez in the Kashmir valley, flows north-west through Bandipora, crosses the Line of Control, where it is called the Neelum, and joins the Jhelum at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It is the largest tributary of the Jhelum, which itself rises at the Verinag spring and flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake. India's 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project in Bandipora district, opened in 2018, led to a dispute with Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which is why this river appears in exams. A is wrong because the Chenab is formed by the Chandra and Bhaga at Tandi in Himachal Pradesh and does not receive the Kishanganga. B is wrong because the Sutlej rises near Rakshastal in Tibet and is fed by the Beas, not the Kishanganga. C is wrong because the Ravi rises in the Kullu hills near the Rohtang Pass. Exam tip: the Kishanganga (Neelum) meets the Jhelum at Muzaffarabad; the Jhelum rises at Verinag; the Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960.

The correct answer is B, Darjeeling Hills. The Mahananda rises in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal, near Kurseong, at a height of about 2,100 metres. It flows down through Siliguri, enters Bihar near Kishanganj, and then passes into Bangladesh, where it joins the Ganga (called the Padma there). It is a left-bank tributary of the Ganga, and its own tributaries include the Balason and the Mechi. The Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary near Siliguri is named after it, and the river is a reason why Siliguri and the 'chicken's neck' corridor are so important for connecting the North-East. A is wrong because the Chota Nagpur Plateau gives rise to the Damodar and Subarnarekha, not the Mahananda. C is wrong because the Kaimur hills are near the Son valley in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. D is wrong because Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand feeds the Rishi Ganga and the Alaknanda system. Exam tip: Mahananda = Darjeeling hills, flows through Siliguri, left-bank tributary of the Ganga; Damodar and Subarnarekha = Chota Nagpur.

The correct answer is A, Tamil Nadu. The Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon strikes the Western Ghats first and drops most of its moisture on the windward western slopes, so the land on the eastern, leeward side gets little rain. This dry leeward zone is the rain shadow, and Tamil Nadu lies in it, which is why it receives its main rain later, from the retreating north-east monsoon in October to December. A famous local example is Mumbai getting far more monsoon rain than Pune, which lies just behind the Ghats. B is wrong because Gujarat is on the windward side and gets direct rain from the Arabian Sea branch. C is wrong because Goa lies on the west coast in front of the Ghats and is one of the wettest states. D is wrong because Kerala is where the southwest monsoon first arrives in India, around 1 June, and it gets very heavy rain. Exam tip: the Western Ghats block the Arabian Sea branch; west side wet (Kerala, Goa), east side dry (Tamil Nadu), which is why Tamil Nadu depends on the north-east monsoon.

The correct answer is D, Manipur. Nepal touches five Indian states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim. Manipur lies far to the east in the North-East and shares its international border only with Myanmar. Bihar has the longest border with Nepal, and the India-Nepal border is an open border of about 1,750 km along which people move without a visa. Two easy memory hooks: the Kali river separates Uttarakhand from Nepal, and the Siliguri corridor of West Bengal lies between Nepal and Bangladesh. A is wrong because Sikkim lies between Nepal and Bhutan and shares its western border with Nepal. B is wrong because Bihar has the longest boundary with Nepal among all states. C is wrong because the Darjeeling district of West Bengal borders eastern Nepal. Exam tip: Nepal's five neighbours are Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim; Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal touch Myanmar.

The correct answer is A, Dhondo Keshav Karve. Maharshi Karve, a social reformer from Maharashtra, founded India's first women's university at Pune in 1916, inspired by the Japan Women's University. In 1920 the industrialist Sir Vithaldas Thackersey donated fifteen lakh rupees, and the university was renamed after his mother as Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women's University; it later moved to Mumbai. Karve had earlier married a widow in 1893, started the Widow Remarriage Association and, in 1896, a home and school for widows at Hingne near Pune. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1958, in his hundredth year. B is wrong because Ashutosh Mukherjee was the famous Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University, known as the 'Tiger of Bengal'. C is wrong because William Hunter headed the Hunter Commission of 1882 on education. D is wrong because Sayed Ahmed Khan founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875, which became Aligarh Muslim University. Exam tip: first women's university, Pune 1916, D.K. Karve, later SNDT; Bharat Ratna 1958.

The correct answer is D, Annie Besant. Annie Besant, an Irish-born theosophist, was the first woman to preside over the Indian National Congress, at its Calcutta session in 1917. She had started the Home Rule League in 1916, founded the newspaper 'New India', and set up the Central Hindu College at Banaras, which later grew into Banaras Hindu University. The first Indian woman to become Congress president was Sarojini Naidu, at the Kanpur session of 1925. A is wrong because Indira Gandhi became Congress president much later, in 1959. B is wrong because Sucheta Kripalani was India's first woman Chief Minister, of Uttar Pradesh in 1963, and never headed the Congress. C is wrong because Nellie Sengupta presided over the Calcutta session of 1933, making her the third woman president, not the first. Exam tip: first woman Congress president Annie Besant, Calcutta 1917; first Indian woman Sarojini Naidu, Kanpur 1925.

The correct answer is A, Babur. Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur founded the Mughal Empire in India after defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat on 21 April 1526, and he ruled till his death in 1530. He came from Fergana in Central Asia and traced his descent from Timur on his father's side and Chengiz Khan on his mother's side. After Panipat he defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar at Khanwa in 1527 and the Afghans at Ghaghra in 1529. He wrote his memoirs, the Baburnama, in Turkish, and he is buried in Kabul. B is wrong because Jahangir was the fourth Mughal emperor, ruling from 1605 to 1627. C is wrong because Sher Shah Suri was not a Mughal at all; he was an Afghan who drove Humayun out and founded the Sur dynasty in 1540. D is wrong because Humayun was Babur's son and the second Mughal emperor. Exam tip: the order of the great Mughals is Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb.

The correct answer is B, Bindusara. Bindusara was the son of Chandragupta Maurya and became the second ruler of the Mauryan Empire in about 297 BCE, ruling till about 273 BCE. Greek writers called him Amitrochates, from the Sanskrit 'Amitraghata', which means slayer of enemies. He kept up friendly ties with the Greek kingdoms of West Asia, and the Greek ambassador Deimachus lived at his court at Pataliputra. He is said to have extended the empire into the Deccan, and his son Ashoka served as viceroy at Ujjain before taking the throne. A is wrong because Kumaragupta I was a Gupta ruler of the fifth century CE, remembered for founding Nalanda. C is wrong because Ashoka was Bindusara's son and succeeded him in about 273 BCE, being crowned in 268 BCE. D is wrong because Kanishka was a Kushan king who ruled from 78 CE, the year the Saka era begins. Exam tip: the Mauryan order is Chandragupta (322 BCE), Bindusara (297 BCE), Ashoka (273 BCE); father, son, grandson.

The correct answer is B, Mughal's Rule in India. On 21 April 1526 Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last Sultan of Delhi, at Panipat in present-day Haryana, and this victory ended the Delhi Sultanate and started Mughal rule in India. Babur's army was much smaller, but he won with field guns handled by the Ottoman experts Ustad Ali and Mustafa and with the 'tulughma' tactic of encircling the enemy from the flanks. Ibrahim Lodi died on the battlefield, the only Delhi Sultan to die in battle. Panipat saw two more decisive battles: 1556, when Akbar's general Bairam Khan defeated Hemu, and 1761, when Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas. A is wrong because the French never ruled India; their power ended with the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760. C is wrong because British East India Company rule began after the Battle of Plassey in 1757. D is wrong because the Delhi Sultanate began in 1206 with Qutb-ud-din Aibak and actually ended at Panipat in 1526. Exam tip: Panipat 1526 Babur beats Ibrahim Lodi; 1556 Akbar beats Hemu; 1761 Abdali beats the Marathas.

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 D, Part IV. The Directive Principles of State Policy are placed in Part IV of the Constitution, from Article 36 to Article 51. They are instructions to the government to build a welfare state, such as equal pay for equal work, free legal aid, village panchayats, a uniform civil code and protection of the environment. The idea was borrowed from the Constitution of Ireland, which in turn took it from Spain. Unlike Fundamental Rights they cannot be enforced in a court, but Article 37 makes them fundamental in the governance of the country. A is wrong because Part II, Articles 5 to 11, deals with citizenship. B is wrong because Part III, Articles 12 to 35, contains the Fundamental Rights. C is wrong because Part I, Articles 1 to 4, deals with the Union and its territory. Exam tip: Part III = Fundamental Rights (12 to 35), Part IV = Directive Principles (36 to 51), Part IVA = Fundamental Duties (51A).