SSC CGL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Three new criminal laws replaced colonial-era codes from 1 July 2024.

1. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 replaced the IPC, 1860 – modernising and simplifying criminal law.
2. It does not touch civil law, the Constitution or the judiciary's role.

Yaad rakhein: BNS → IPC; BNSS → CrPC; BSA (Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam) → Indian Evidence Act.

Answer: (A) To simplify and modernise criminal laws

Concept: Current affairs: honours given to space scientists in 2025.

1. The 2025 G.P. Birla Memorial Award went to ISRO chief Dr V. Narayanan, recognising his role in the space programme.
2. He is a cryogenic and liquid propulsion expert who succeeded S. Somanath as ISRO chief in January 2025.

Yaad rakhein: Dr V. Narayanan earlier headed ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).

Answer: (B) G.P. Birla Memorial Award

Concept: Match the folk dance with its state.

1. Bihu is the folk dance of Assam, performed during Bohag (Rongali) Bihu in April.
2. West Bengal – Gambhira, Chhau (Purulia); Odisha – Ghumura, Gotipua; Manipur – Thang-ta, Lai Haraoba.

Trick: Assam has three Bihus: Rongali (April), Kongali (October), Bhogali (January).

Answer: (A) Assam

Concept: Jainism has 24 Tirthankaras.

1. 1st – Rishabhdev (Adinath); 22nd – Neminath; 23rd – Parshvanath; 24th – Mahavira.
2. Mahavira (Vardhamana) was born at Kundagrama near Vaishali and attained nirvana at Pavapuri.

Trick: Last two only: 23 = Parshvanath (4 vows), 24 = Mahavira (added the 5th vow, brahmacharya).

Answer: (C) Mahavira

Concept: The Himalayas are young fold mountains formed by plate collision.

1. 1 ✓ They are geologically young, folded mountains.
2. 2 ✓ Formed when the Indo-Australian (Indian) plate collided with the Eurasian plate, folding Tethys sediments.
3. 3 ✓ The northernmost, highest range (Greater Himalaya) is called Himadri.

Yaad rakhein: Three parallel ranges: Himadri (Greater) → Himachal (Lesser) → Shiwaliks (Outer).

Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3

Concept: Key literacy numbers of Census 2011.

1. Overall literacy = 74.04%.
2. Male 82.14%, female 65.46%.
3. 64.83% was the 2001 figure – a common trap.

Yaad rakhein: Highest: Kerala (~94%); lowest: Bihar (~61.8%).

Answer: (C) 74.04%

Concept: Most peninsular rivers flow east; Narmada and Tapi flow west through rift valleys.

1. Narmada rises at Amarkantak (MP), flows west between the Vindhyas and Satpuras, and enters the Arabian Sea at the Gulf of Khambhat (forming an estuary).
2. Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna – east-flowing, form deltas in the Bay of Bengal.

Trick: West-flowing = Estuary, East-flowing = Delta. Amarkantak is also the source of the Son.

Answer: (A) Narmada River

Concept: Standard books on India's freedom movement.

1. India's Struggle for Independence (1988) – Bipan Chandra, with Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee, K.N. Panikkar and Sucheta Mahajan.
2. Tara Chand wrote History of the Freedom Movement in India; Lala Lajpat Rai wrote Unhappy India.

Yaad rakhein: Bipan Chandra also wrote The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India.

Answer: (A) Bipan Chandra

Concept: Current affairs: India hosted the 89th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

1. 1 ✓ Venue Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, 15–19 September 2025.
2. 2 ✓ India was given the global secretariat for Low Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) standardisation.
3. 3 ✗ India had hosted the IEC General Meeting before (e.g. New Delhi, 2013), so it was not the first time.

Trick: 'First time' claims in current-affairs statements are frequent traps – verify history.

Answer: (C) 1 and 2 only

Concept: Taxing powers are divided by the Union and State Lists (Seventh Schedule).

1. Tax on non-agricultural income – Union List, Entry 82 ⇒ Union Government.
2. Tax on agricultural income – State List, Entry 46 ⇒ States.

Trick: Income tax: Union; agricultural income tax: State. 'Agri' goes to the States.

Answer: (B) Union

Concept: The Munda Ulgulan ('great tumult') took place in Chotanagpur.

1. Birsa Munda led the Ulgulan (1899–1900) in the Chotanagpur plateau (present-day Jharkhand) against dikus (outsiders), landlords and British rule.
2. He died in Ranchi jail in June 1900.

Yaad rakhein: His birth anniversary, 15 November, is observed as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas and is also Jharkhand's foundation day.

Answer: (A) Chotanagpur Plateau

Concept: Greenhouse gases absorb the infrared heat emitted by Earth.

1. CO₂ and CH₄ are the main greenhouse gases added by human activity.
2. N₂, O₂, Ar, Ne (most of the air) do not absorb infrared, so they don't warm the planet.

Trick: Elimination: the two most abundant gases (N₂, O₂) and noble gases are never the answer. Most abundant natural GHG = water vapour.

Answer: (B) Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and Methane (CH₄)

Concept: The Eighth Plan (1992–97) was the first plan after the 1991 LPG reforms.

1. It supported liberalisation, market-oriented reforms and a reduced role of the state.
2. Heavy industry was the focus of the Second Plan (Mahalanobis model).

Yaad rakhein: There was a Plan Holiday (1990–92) between the 7th and 8th Plans; the 8th Plan followed the Rao–Manmohan model.

Answer: (A) Economic liberalisation and market reforms

Concept: LPG = Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation (1991).

1. Disinvestment = government selling its stake in PSUs ⇒ ownership shifts to private hands ⇒ privatisation.
2. Liberalisation = removing controls/licences; globalisation = integrating with the world economy.

Trick: Ownership changes → Privatisation; rules relaxed → Liberalisation; borders opened → Globalisation.

Answer: (B) Privatisation

Concept: Part XVIII (Arts. 352–360) holds the emergency provisions.

1. Art. 356 – President's Rule when a State's constitutional machinery fails.
2. Art. 352 – National Emergency; Art. 360 – Financial Emergency; Art. 365 – effect of a State not following Union directions.

Trick: Remember 352-356-360: National → State → Financial, each 4 apart.

Answer: (B) Article 356

Concept: Each classical definition of economics is linked to one economist.

1. Lionel Robbins (1932, 'An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science') defined economics around unlimited wants and scarce means with alternative uses.
2. Adam Smith → wealth definition; Alfred Marshall → welfare definition; Samuelson → growth definition.

Trick: Remember W-W-S-G: Wealth (Smith), Welfare (Marshall), Scarcity (Robbins), Growth (Samuelson).

Answer: (A) Lionel Robbins

Concept: BAS is ISRO's plan for India's own space station.

1. It will be a modular station in low Earth orbit; the first module (BAS-1) is targeted around 2028.
2. It will host Indian astronauts for long microgravity experiments – not a Moon base or deep-space telescope.

Yaad rakhein: Target: full BAS by 2035 and an Indian on the Moon by 2040; Gaganyaan is the crewed-flight step before BAS.

Answer: (A) To build India's own orbital space station

Concept: Akbar's empire was organised into subas, each with a capital city.

1. Lahore, Allahabad and Ajmer were capitals of Akbar's subas of the same names.
2. Bidar was the capital of the Deccan Bahmani Sultanate and then the Barid Shahi kingdom – not one of these Mughal provincial seats.

Yaad rakhein: Akbar first set up 12 subas (e.g. Agra, Delhi, Lahore, Ajmer, Allahabad, Awadh, Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Malwa, Multan, Kabul).

Answer: (C) Bidar

Concept: DAY-NRLM mobilises rural poor women into Self-Help Groups and funds them.

1. It gives SHGs revolving funds, community investment funds and easy bank credit.
2. Mahila E-Haat = online selling platform; Jan Dhan = bank accounts for all; RMK lends via NGOs/intermediaries.

Yaad rakhein: NRLM was launched in 2011 and renamed 'Aajeevika' / DAY-NRLM; it comes under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Answer: (D) Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM)

Concept: Frequency stays fixed; v = f × λ.

1. Sound is faster in water (~1500 m/s) than in air (~340 m/s).
2. f does not change, so λ = v ÷ f also increases.
3. Both speed and wavelength increase.

Trick: Fixed f means v and λ always move together – pick the option where both change in the same direction.

Answer: (A) Wavelength increases, speed increases