RRB NTPC Graduate CBT 1 2024 PYQs

Concept: The RBI publishes India’s quarterly external debt data.

1. At end-September 2024, India’s external debt was about US$ 711.8 billion, and the external debt-to-GDP ratio was 19.4% (up from 18.8% at end-June 2024).
2. US dollar-denominated debt remained the largest component (over half).

Yaad rakhein: Debt-to-GDP for India stays near 19–20% – much lower than most emerging economies.

Answer: (C) 19.4%

Concept: Sound intensity is the sound energy passing per second through a unit area held perpendicular to the direction of the wave, i.e. power per unit area.

1. $I=\frac{P}{A}$, where power $P$ is in watt (W) and area $A$ in ${\text{m}}^2$.
2. So the SI unit is ${\text{W/m}}^2$.
3. Pascal is the unit of pressure (sound pressure), watt alone is power and $\text{m/s}$ is speed – not intensity.

Trick: Intensity = "power per area" → W ÷ m². Loudness level is measured in decibel (dB), which is a log scale, not the SI unit.

Answer: (B) Watt per square metre (${\text{W/m}}^2$)

Concept: Ctrl + S is the universal Save shortcut in MS Office applications, including PowerPoint.

1. Pressing Ctrl + S saves the latest changes to the presentation file (first time it opens Save As).
2. Slide show from the beginning is F5; closing the window is Ctrl + W / Alt + F4.

Trick: S = Save, O = Open, N = New, P = Print, F5 = Slide show from start.

Answer: (A) To save the current changes made to the file

Concept: Desert (arid) soil develops in regions of low rainfall and high temperature; it is sandy, saline and low in humus.

1. Most of India's desert soil lies in western Rajasthan (Thar Desert).
2. It also extends into parts of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab.
3. Kerala has laterite soil; Tamil Nadu red soil; Uttar Pradesh alluvial soil.

Yaad rakhein: Thar = Rajasthan = desert (arid) soil.

Answer: (D) Rajasthan

Concept: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 during the viceroyalty of Lord Dufferin (1884–88).

1. Initially tolerant, Dufferin later grew hostile to the Congress.
2. In 1888 he ridiculed it as representing only a "microscopic minority" of the people.
3. Lord Curzon (later) wished to "assist the Congress to a peaceful demise" – a different remark.

Yaad rakhein: Dufferin – Congress born (1885) and mocked as "microscopic minority"; Curzon – "peaceful demise".

Answer: (D) Lord Dufferin

Concept: Union Budget 2023-24 (presented 1 Feb 2023) sharply raised capital (infrastructure) investment.

1. Capital expenditure outlay was raised by 33% to ₹10 lakh crore.
2. This was about 3.3% of GDP and almost three times the 2019-20 outlay.

Yaad rakhein: Budget 2023-24 capex = ₹10 lakh crore; Budget 2024-25 = ₹11.11 lakh crore.

Answer: (A) ₹10 lakh crore

Concept: Article 143 gives the Supreme Court advisory jurisdiction.

1. Under Article 143 the President may refer any question of law or fact of public importance to the Supreme Court for its opinion.
2. The opinion is not binding on the President.
3. Art. 131 = original jurisdiction; Art. 136 = special leave petition; Art. 226 = High Court writs.

Yaad rakhein: 143 = advice (Advisory); 131 = Centre–State disputes; 136 = SLP.

Answer: (B) Article 143

Concept: After the Revolt of 1857 the British reorganised the army (Peel Commission, 1858–59).

1. The proportion of European soldiers was increased and Indian soldiers reduced (roughly 1 European : 2 Indians in Bengal army).
2. Key posts like artillery were kept with Europeans; recruitment shifted to "martial races".

Yaad rakhein: 1857 → Peel Commission → more Europeans, fewer Indians, "divide and rule" in the army.

Answer: (A) 1857

Concept: The First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951 widened the grounds of reasonable restrictions on free speech.

1. It added "public order", "friendly relations with foreign States" and "incitement to an offence" to Article 19(2).
2. It also added Article 31A, 31B and the Ninth Schedule (land reforms).

Yaad rakhein: 1st Amendment → Art. 19(2) restrictions + Ninth Schedule.

Answer: (A) Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression

Concept: Panchayati Raj (73rd Amendment, 1992) is a system of rural local self-government.

1. It decentralises power to village, block and district levels.
2. It lets local people plan and decide for themselves – democratic decentralisation at the grassroots.
3. It reduces, not increases, central control.

Yaad rakhein: Panchayati Raj = "democracy at the grassroots" (Balwant Rai Mehta committee, 1957).

Answer: (B) democratic governance and empowerment at the grassroots level

Concept: The BCCI's Polly Umrigar Award goes to the best international cricketer of the season.

1. At the BCCI Naman Awards announced in early 2025 (for 2023-24), Smriti Mandhana won the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Women).
2. Jasprit Bumrah won the men's award; Sachin Tendulkar received the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Yaad rakhein: Mandhana – best women's international cricketer (Polly Umrigar), Bumrah – men's.

Answer: (C) Smriti Mandhana

Concept: Under the Nehru–Mahalanobis model, PSUs got the "commanding heights" of the economy, with protection from competition.

1. By the 1970s many PSUs were criticised for inefficiency, over-staffing, low productivity and continuing losses.
2. Being protected and state-owned, they did not face strong MNC competition or rely on exports – so A, B, C are wrong.
3. This criticism led to the 1991 reforms (disinvestment).

Yaad rakhein: Protection + no competition → inefficiency and losses → 1991 LPG reforms.

Answer: (D) Operational inefficiencies, low productivity, and financial losses

Concept: Behramji Malabari (1853–1912) was a Parsi poet, journalist and social reformer.

1. His collection "The Indian Muse in English Garb" (1877) contains 32 poems in English.
2. He is better known for campaigning for the Age of Consent Act, 1891 and against child marriage.

Yaad rakhein: Malabari – "Indian Muse in English Garb" (1877, 32 poems) + Age of Consent Act 1891.

Answer: (C) 32

Concept: The Bareilly uprising of 1816 in Rohilkhand (U.P.) was led by Mufti Muhammad Aiwaz.

1. It began against a new police (chaukidari) tax imposed by the British and became an armed revolt.
2. Santhal (1855–56) and Kol (1831–32) revolts were tribal revolts in Jharkhand region; Chuar revolt was in Bengal (Jungle Mahal).

Yaad rakhein: Bareilly 1816 – Mufti Muhammad Aiwaz – police tax.

Answer: (A) Bareilly Uprisings

Concept: Ctrl + N creates a New blank file in MS Office applications.

1. In PowerPoint 365, Ctrl + N opens a new blank presentation instantly.
2. Ctrl + O = Open, Ctrl + P = Print; Shift + N is not a standard shortcut.

Trick: N = New, O = Open, P = Print, S = Save.

Answer: (D) Ctrl + N

Concept: Ctrl + Shift + V is "Paste as plain text" (paste without formatting) in Google Docs, Chrome and many other apps.

1. Ctrl + V pastes with the original fonts, colours and links; adding Shift removes all that formatting.
2. Find and Replace is Ctrl + H; going back in a browser is Alt + Left arrow.

Trick: Shift added to paste = "strip the style" → plain text.

Answer: (D) Pastes content without any formatting

Concept: The President is the formal head of the State, and India's foreign relations are conducted in his/her name.

1. The President appoints ambassadors and High Commissioners and receives foreign diplomats.
2. International treaties are negotiated and concluded in the President's name, but on the advice of the Council of Ministers (Art. 74) – so C is wrong.
3. The President does not "delegate all" powers to the PM, so B is wrong.

Yaad rakhein: Diplomatic powers = President in name, Council of Ministers in fact.

Answer: (A) The President appoints ambassadors and conducts diplomatic work in his/her name.

Concept: The Loop of Henle works as a counter-current multiplier.

1. Its descending limb is permeable to water; the thick ascending limb pumps out NaCl but is impermeable to water.
2. This builds a high osmotic gradient in the medulla (about 300 to 1200 mOsm/L).
3. The collecting duct only uses this gradient (with ADH) to concentrate urine – it does not create it.

Yaad rakhein: Loop of Henle creates the gradient; collecting duct uses it.

Answer: (B) Loop of Henle

Concept: Natya Shastra classifies instruments into Tata (string), Sushira (wind), Avanaddha (membrane/drum) and Ghana (solid) vadya.

1. Ghana vadya are solid idiophones struck to make sound – bells, cymbals (manjira), ghatam (clay pot), jaltarang (bowls).
2. They are the oldest group and developed from objects of daily utility like pots, vessels and metal plates.

Yaad rakhein: Ghana = solid, "ghar ka saaman" (pots, bowls, bells).

Answer: (C) Ghana Vadya

Concept: NPS Vatsalya, launched on 18 September 2024, lets parents open an NPS account for their minor children.

1. Statement 1 is true: it is regulated and administered by PFRDA.
2. Statement 2 is false: each child has an individual PRAN account, not a pooled fund.
3. Statement 3 is true: at 18 the account shifts smoothly to a regular NPS (Tier-I) account.
4. Statement 4 is false: there is no compulsory shift to Atal Pension Yojana.

Yaad rakhein: Vatsalya = child's own NPS account → becomes normal NPS at 18.

Answer: (C) 1 and 3