General Awareness-Mock Test 1 -DECE Job Entrance,RRB Group D & NTPC

The correct answer is ​Switzerland.In News

• India ranked 134 out of 193 countries on the global Human Development Index (HDI), according to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) latest report.

Key Points

• The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development.
• The HDI is part of the Human Development Report published annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Generally, countries like Switzerland have historically performed very well on the HDI, often securing top positions.
• The HDI rankings take into account various factors, including life expectancy at birth, expected and mean years of schooling, as well as Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
• Switzerland has consistently been among the top countries in the HDI rankings due to its high scores across all indicators, including a long life expectancy, a high level of education, and a high GNI per capita, which reflects the well-being and standard of living of its citizens.

Additional Information

The Correct Answer is Taylor Swift – Midnights.

In News

• The 66th Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles.

Key Points

• Album of the Year: Taylor Swift – Midnights.
• Record of the Year: Miley Cyrus – Flowers.
• Song of the Year: Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?.
• Best New Artist: Victoria Monét.
• Best Pop Solo Performance: Miley Cyrus – Flowers.

Correct Answer 1

Key Points:Crust:

• The uppermost layer over the earth’s surface is called the crust.
• It is the thinnest of all the layers.
• On the continental masses, It is about 35 km and on the ocean floors, only 5 km.
• The density of the rocks found at the surface rocks: 2.7 – 2.9 gm/cm3
• The density of rocks found at the sea floor is around: 3.0 gm/cm3
• The oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust.
• The crust is the thinnest layer of the Earth and it amounts to less than 1% of our planet’s volume.
• The earth is made up of several concentric layers with one inside another, just like an onion.
• The crust is the outermost layer of Earth and is made up of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.
• The Earth’s crust is unstable because of the exogenic forces.

Discontinuity:

• All those layers are separated from each other through a transition zone.
• These transition zones are called discontinuities.
• Conrad Discontinuity: It lies between the Upper crust and Lower crust.
• Mohorovicic Discontinuity: It lies between crust and mantle.
• Repiti Discontinuity: It lies between the Upper mantle and Lower mantle.
• Gutenberg Discontinuity: It lies between core and mantle.
• Lehman Discontinuity: It lies between the upper core and lower core.​
• Discontinuities are the transition zones that separated the layers of the earth.
• Earth’s interior is made of different kinds of materials.
• Each of those materials is different from the others by their physical and chemical properties, such as temperature, density, etc.

The correct answer is Income.

Key Points

• Per capita income is a measure of the average income earned by an individual in a particular country.
• It is calculated by dividing the total income of a country by its total population.
• It is a useful indicator of a country’s economic well-being and can be used to compare the standard of living across different countries.

Additional Information

• Income: This refers to the money earned by an individual or business from various sources such as wages, salaries, investments, and profits.
  • It is an important measure of economic activity and is used to gauge the financial health of individuals, businesses, and countries.
• Loan: This refers to the amount of money borrowed by an individual or business from a lender.
  • It can be used for various purposes such as buying a house, starting a business, or financing education. Loans come with interest rates and repayment terms that need to be fulfilled by the borrower.
• Capital: This refers to the assets owned by a company or individual such as property, equipment, and investments.
  • It is an important measure of wealth and is used to determine the financial strength of a company or individual.
• Liability: This refers to the debts owed by a company or individual such as loans, mortgages, and credit card balances.
  • It is an important measure of financial obligations and is used to determine the financial risk associated with a company or individual.

The correct answer is Maharashtra 

In News

•  Maharashtra State topped the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 medal table.

Key Points

• Maharashtra finished atop the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 medal tally with 158 medals at the end of the tournament. They have won 57 gold, 48 silver, and 53 bronze medals.
• Tamil Nadu moved to the second position in the medal tally with 98 medals, having won 38 gold, 21 silver, and 39 bronze medals.

Additional Information

• The 6th Khelo India Youth Games 2023 are being held from January 19 to 31, 2024, in Tamil Nadu.
• This is the first time that the Khelo India Youth Games are being held in South India.
• The Games are being played across four cities of Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, and Coimbatore.
• The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai is the main venue for the Games.
• The Games will feature competitions in various sports, including archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kho-kho, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.
• The Khelo India Youth Games are a national-level multi-sport event for young athletes in India.
• The Games aim to promote sports among the youth and identify talented athletes for further training and development.

The correct answer is Babu Kunwar Singh.

Key Points

• Babu Kunwar Singh was the leader of revolutionaries in Bihar during the Revolt of 1857.
• Babu Kunwar Singh:
  • Kunwar Singh was a prominent leader during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
  • He was associated with a family of the Ujjainiya clan of the Parmar Rajputs of Jagdispur, currently a part of Bhojpur district, Bihar, India.
  • At the age of 80, he led a handpicked band of armed soldiers against the troops under the command of the British East India Company.
  • He was the chief contriver of the fight against the British in Bihar.
  • He is popularly known everywhere as Veer Kunwar Singh.
  • He died on 26 April 1858.

Additional Information

• Namdar Khan:
  • Namdar Khan was a part of the Pinadari group.
  • The Pindaris were irregular military plunderers and foragers in the 17th- through early 19th-century Indian subcontinent who accompanied initially the Mughal army, later the Maratha army, and finally on their own before being eliminated in 1817-18 Pindari War.
  • They were unpaid and their compensation was entirely the loot they plundered during the war.
  • They were horsemen, foot brigades and partially armed, creating chaos and delivering intelligence about the enemy positions to benefit the army they accompanied.
• Birsa Munda:
  • Birsa Munda was a folk hero and a tribal freedom fighter hailing from the Munda tribe.
  • He was a spearhead behind the Millenarian movement that arose in the Bihar and Jharkhand belt in the early 19th century under British colonisation.
  • Munda rallied the tribals to fight against the forceful land grabbing carried out by the British government which would turn the tribals into bonded labourers and force upon them abject poverty.
  • Known as ‘Dharti Abba’ or the Earth Father, Birsa Munda stressed the need of the tribals to study their own religion and not forget their cultural roots.
  • He influenced his people to realise the importance of owning their land and asserting their right upon them.
• Shankar Shah:
  • Shankar Shah was the king of the Garha Kingdom, which was situated in the Indian region of Gondwana.
  • He led an uprising against the British colonial occupiers of India and was put to death along with his son.
  • His son’s name was Kunwar Raghunath Shah.
  • The flame of the Revolt of 1857 was burning all over India.
  • He called for war to make his motherland independent from the British.
  • In this struggle, Raghunath Shah greatly supported his father.
  • Raja Shankar Shah was the great-grandson of Nizam Shah and the only son of Sumer Shah.
  • His son’s name was Raghunath Shah.
  • Raja Shankar Shah was very popular among the zamindars and the general public.

The correct answer is Article 21A.

Key Points

Article 21A states that children in the age group of 6 to 14 years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine.

• The RTE Act enables for the Right of children to free and compulsory education till the completion of elementary education in a neighborhood school.
• It states that ‘compulsory education’ means the obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance, and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group.
• ‘Free’ states that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may restrict him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
• It was inserted in the Constitution of India by the Eighty-sixth Amendment Act, 2002.
• The National Commission for Elementary Education shall be constituted to monitor all aspects of elementary education including quality.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Bangladesh

In News

•  Padma Shri has been conferred upon renowned singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya. She belongs to Bangladesh.

Key Points

• Renowned Bangladeshi Rabindra Sangeet singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya receives the fourth-highest civilian award from the Indian government.
• She is the founder of the music education institute Surer Dhara and the author of Rabindranath Tagore’s music books.
• She was awarded ‘Bangabhushan’ by West Bengal government, Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal, and the Bangladesh Independence Award in 2016.
• She is the first Rabindra Sangeet singer to have a dedicated website by the Bangladesh government, preserving 5,000 songs, biography, and photographs.

Additional Information

• The following are the names of Padma Award 2024 recipients:

The correct answer is a typhoon.

Key Points

• A cyclone is known by different names in different parts of the world.
• It is called a ‘typhoon’ in Japan and the Philippines.
• While they are called ‘cyclones’ in the Indian and South Pacific oceans.
• In the Atlantic Ocean, they are called ‘hurricanes’.

Additional Information

• Cyclone:
  • A cyclone is a large air mass that rotates around a strong centre of low atmospheric pressure.
  • Cyclones rotate clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • Cyclones are rapid inward air circulation around a low-pressure area.
  • Factors like wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity contribute to the development of cyclones.
  • Cyclone/Strom is termed by different names in different continents –

Important Points

• Cyclone is a chain of events that ends with the formation of a very low-pressure system with very high-speed winds revolving around it.
• The centre of a cyclone is a calm area.
• It is called the eye of the storm.
• A large cyclone is a violently rotating mass of air in the atmosphere, 10 to 15 km high. 
• A cyclone is known by different names in different parts of the world.
• It is called a ‘hurricane’ on the American continent.
• In the Philippines and Japan, it is called a ‘typhoon’.
• In Australia it is known as willy – willy.

The correct answer is Government of India Act, 1935.

Key Points

• The Government of India Act of 1935 is also called the blueprint of the Indian constitution.
  • The act abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced provincial autonomy in its place.
  • The act introduced dyarchy at the centre.
  • The act laid the foundation of democracy in India.

Additional Information

• Charter Act of 1793
• Charter Act of 1793 was granted extensive power to Governor-General.
  • It was also known as The East India Company Act 1793.
  • It was an act of Great Britain’s Parliament that renewed the charter given to the British East India Company (EIC).
  • Contrary to the legislation proposed in the previous two decades concerning British India, the 1793 Act “passed with limited trouble”.
  • This Act separated the company’s revenue administration and judicial functions which resulted in Maal Adalats (revenue courts) disappearing.

• Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919
  • It is also called as Government of India Act 1919.
  • Montague was the secretary of state for India and Chelmsford was the viceroy of India during the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms 1919.
  • Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 introduced dyarchy in provinces by dividing the provincial subjects into transferred and reserved.
    • It also introduced bicameralism and direct election for the first time in India.
    • It provided for the establishment of a public service commission which was set up in 1926.

• The Pitt’s India Act 1784
  • The Pitt’s India Act 1784 was passed by the British Parliament in 1784.
  • Pitt’s India Act 1784 is named after William Pitt.
  • Pitt’s India Act 1784, passed in an effort to fix the problems with the 1773 Regulating Act, gave the British government control over the East India Company in India.

The correct answer is They are both inversely proportional. 
Key Points

• The Phillips Curve is an economic concept that describes the relationship between the inflation rate and the unemployment rate in an economy. It suggests that there is an inverse relationship between the two variables.
• When the unemployment rate is low, there is a higher demand for labour, and as a result, wages tend to increase. This leads to higher costs for businesses, which are often passed on to consumers as higher prices, causing inflation to rise.
• Conversely, when the unemployment rate is high, there is less competition for jobs, leading to lower wage growth or even wage decreases. This reduces costs for businesses, which can result in lower prices and lower inflation. Thus, the Phillips Curve implies that there is a trade-off between unemployment and inflation, known as the “Phillips Curve trade-off.”
• However, it’s important to note that the Phillips Curve concept has been subject to criticism and limitations over time.
• Factors such as supply shocks, changes in inflation expectations, and structural changes in the economy can weaken or even break down the relationship between unemployment and inflation.

Therefore, while the inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation is a useful framework, it may not hold true in all circumstances.

The correct answer is Maharashtra.

Key Points

• Pola Festival
  • Pola Festival is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by farmers in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture and farming activities.
  • It falls on the day of the Pithori Amavasya in the month of Shraavana.
  • The farmers decorate their bulls on this day and then worship them to perform in the festival.
  • This festival is celebrated to show their gratitude towards the bulls for their assistance in the agricultural works by the farmers.
  • On the following day of the festival, the plowing activities are started and seeds are sown in the fields.
  • It is a very unique festival in Maharashtra where an animal is made the focus of the occasion.
  • During the Sravana month, the Pola festival is celebrated on a new moon day which is also called the Pithori Amavasya day.
  • The farmers celebrate this day with many traditional dishes like kunbis, poli and karanji which are authentic Maharashtra dishes.

Additional Information

•  Mizoram:-
  • It is known for its Chapchar Kut festival, which is celebrated in March after the completion of the Jhum cultivation.
•  Nagaland:-
  • ​It celebrates the Hornbill festival in December to showcase the state’s tribal culture and traditions.
•  Karnataka:-
  • ​It is famous for its Mysuru Dasara festival, which is a 10-day-long celebration of the victory of good over evil.

The correct answer is Vallabhbhai Patel 

Key Points

• Vallabhbhai Patel:-
  • He was also related to Bardoli Satyagraha.
  • He is known as the Iron Man of India.
  • Mahatma Gandhi gave the title of Sardar to Vallabhbhai Patel.
  • It was during the struggle and after the Indian National Congress victory in Bardoli Satyagraha, that Patel first began to be referred to as Sardar.
  • He is also known as the Bismark of India because he had played a major role in uniting India.
• Bardoli Satyagraha:-
  • It is an event in the Indian Freedom struggle against the rise in tax during times of financial troubles.
  • It took place in the town of Bardoli (Gujarat) in the year 1928.

Additional Information

• Lala Lajpat Rai (1865 – 1928):-
  • He is also known as “Punjab Kesari” (Lion of Punjab).
  • He was an Indian freedom fighter, politician, and social reformer who played a significant role in India’s struggle for independence from British rule.
  • He was born in Punjab, which is now in modern-day Pakistan. Rai was one of the prominent leaders of the Indian National Congress during the early 20th century.
• Motilal Nehru (1861 – 1931):-
  • He was an Indian lawyer, politician, and prominent leader in the Indian National Congress during the colonial era.
  • He was a key figure in the Indian independence movement and played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of pre-independence India.
  • He was the father of Jawaharlal Nehru, who later became the first Prime Minister of India.
• Chakravarti Rajagopalachari:-
  • He was commonly known as C. Rajagopalachari or Rajaji (1878 – 1972),
  • He was an Indian lawyer, statesman, freedom fighter, and one of the prominent leaders in the Indian National Congress.
  • He played a multifaceted role in the struggle for India’s independence and later in the post-independence period.
  • He is also known for being the last Governor-General of India before the country became a republic.

The correct answer is French Constitution.

Key Points

• On 26th November 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India,
• The Indian Constitution draws on a number of sources for some of its elements.
• The ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity of the Indian Constitution were borrowed from the French Constitution.
  • The concept of Republic in the Indian Constitution is also adopted from the French Constitution.

Additional Information

• Important features adopted from the Russian Constitution are:
  • Fundamental duties
  • Ideals of justice (social, economic, and political) in the Preamble.
• Important features adopted from the American Constitution are:
  • Fundamental rights.
  • Independence of judiciary.
  • Judicial review.
  • Impeachment of the president.
  • Removal of Supreme Court and High Court judges.
  • Post of vice-president.

The correct answer is Ravi.

Key PointsRavi:

• It is one of the five tributaries of the Indus River that give the Punjab (meaning “Five Rivers”) its name. Other tributaries are: Jhelum, Chenab, Beas and Sutlej.
• Transboundary River: It rises in the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh (India) and flows to the Pakistani border and along it for more than 80 km before entering Pakistan’s Punjab province.
• Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about 24 km west of Sahiwal.
• The Bronze Age Harappan civilisation, now more often called the Indus Valley Civilisation, is named after the site, which takes its name from a modern village near the former course of the Ravi River, which now runs 8 km to the north.

Harappa:

• The site of the ancient city contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Harappan civilisation centred in Sindh and the Punjab.
• The city is believed to have had as many as 23,500 residents and occupied about 150 hectares (370 acres) with clay brick houses at its greatest extent during the Mature Harappan phase (2600 BC – 1900 BC), which is considered large for its time.
• Per the archaeological convention of naming a previously unknown civilisation by its first excavated site, the Indus Valley Civilisation is also called the Harappan Civilisation.
• The ancient city of Harappa was heavily damaged under British and French rule, when bricks from the ruins were used as track ballast in the construction of the Lahore–Multan Railway.

The correct answer is Bharatanatyam.

Key Points

• Bharatanatyam:-
  • It originated in Tamil Nadu.
  • Bharatanatyam is the oldest Indian classical dance and it originated hundreds of years ago in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
  • This dance form expresses the religious themes and spiritual ideas of South India.
  • The ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram contains the description of Bharatanatyam.
  • ‘Alarippu’ is a dance piece from Bharatanatyam classical dance.
  • The Sangeet Natak Akademi currently confers classical status on eight Indian classical dance styles: Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (North, West and Central India), Kathakali (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odissi (Odissa), Manipuri (Manipur), Mohiniyattam (Kerala), and Sattriya (Assam).

Additional Information

•  8 Classical Dances of India and States:
  

  Dance	State
  Bharatanatyam	Tamil Nadu
  Kathak	Uttar Pradesh
  Kathakali	Kerala.
  Kuchipudi	Andhra Pradesh.
  Odissi	Odisha
  Sattriya	Assam
  Manipuri	Manipur
  Mohiniyattam	Kerala

The correct answer is Onam.

Key Points

• Onam is the most popular and world-famous festival in Kerala which is celebrated with great pump and show.
• Onam is celebrated in kerela to honor the legendary king Mahabali and to welcome his annual visit to Kerala.
• Mahabali is a king who is considered the greatest and to have ruled ancient Kerala.
• Mahabali’s kingdom signifies Kerala at its best stage with rich culture and heritage.
• The ten-day celebrations of Onam start with Atham and end with the Thiruvonam.
• Each of the days from Atham to Thiruvonam, it marks a specific stage of Mahabali’s journey to Kerala.
• The most iconic tradition associated with Onam is creating ‘Pookalams‘.
• The festival is marked by various cultural events and traditional activities such as boat races, flower decorations, and feasting.

Additional Information

• Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
• Ugadi is a New Year festival celebrated in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.
• Bonalu is a festival celebrated in Telangana, which is dedicated to the goddess Mahakali.

The correct answer is It speaks in detail the victory of Pulakesin II over Harshavardhana.

Key Points

• Aihole inscription
  • During Pulakeshi II’s rule, poet Ravikirti created the Aihole inscription.
  • Aihole, which is in the state of Karnataka, is well known as the birthplace of Indian architecture.
  • It served as the Chalukyas’ capital.
  • This inscription details Pulakesin’s achievements, particularly how he fought Harshavardhana.
  • Harshavardhana was defeated by Pulakeshin II, the King of the Chalukya dynasty when he attempted to expand his Empire towards the southern peninsula of India.
  • On the banks of the River Narmada, Pulakesin II had beaten Harshavardhan in 618 AD.

Additional Information

• In the construction of structure temples, the Chalukyan developed the Deccan or Vesara style in the buildings.
• They mastered the technique for stone construction, which involves joining stones carefully without mortar.
• Aihole provides important details on the early history of the Badami Chalukyas up until 634 AD, as well as the birth and death dates of the poets Kalidasa and Bharavi.
• It is highly commendable to the poet named Ravikirti who wrote the song.
• Its final verse is crucial to the history of Sanskrit literature.
• It states that Ravikirti, the record’s author, has achieved the fame of Kalidasa and Bharavi through his poetic talent.

Vajji Mahajanapada was a confederation of 8 republican clans.

Key Points

• The principality of the Vajji (Vrijji) was in eastern India, north of the Ganga, extending up to the Nepal hills.
• Historians consider the Vajji a confederacy of eight clans.
• This is based on a reference in Buddhaghosha’s Sumangala Vilasini.
• The most important members of the confederacy were the Vajjis, Lichchhavis, Videhas, and Nayas/Jnatrikas.
• Historians know little about other affiliated clans such as the Ugras, Bhogas, Kauravas, and Aikshvakas.
• Vaishali was both the capital of the Lichchhavis and of the Vajji confederacy.

• Vatsa or Vamsa, south of the Ganga, was noted for its fine cotton textiles.
• Its capital was Kaushambi.
• The famous king of this kingdom was Udayana.

• The kingdom of Magadha roughly covered the modern Patna and Gaya districts of Bihar.
• It was bounded by the Ganga, Son, and Champa rivers on the north, west, and east respectively and the Vindhyan spurs on the south.
• Its capital was initially Girivraja or Rajagriha, near modern Rajgir.
• The Puranas give lists of Magadhan kings, starting with Brihadratha.

• The Malla principality was located to the west of the Vajjis and consisted of a confederacy of nine clans.
• There were two political centres at Kusinara and Pava.
• Kusinara has been identified with Kasia and Pava with Padaraona village.
• The Mallas are said to have originally been a monarchy.

​Hence, we can conclude that Vajji Mahajanapada was a confederation of 8 republican clans.