SSC CGL 2025 PYQs

Concept: Padma awards 2025 – art category.

1. Gokul Chandra Das, a dhak (Bengali folk drum) player from West Bengal, got the Padma Shri 2025.
2. He trained women in dhak, a drum traditionally played by men.

Yaad rakhein: Dhak is the big drum heard during Durga Puja in Bengal.

Answer: (B) Gokul Chandra Das

Concept: India's size vs the world.

1. India's area ≈ 3.287 million km².
2. This is about 2.4% of the earth's land area; India is the 7th largest country.

Yaad rakhein: 2.4% of area but ~17–18% of world population.

Answer: (B) 2.4%

Concept: Earth-observation radar satellites use sun-synchronous orbits.

1. NISAR (NASA–ISRO SAR) was launched on GSLV-F16 in July 2025.
2. It sits in a sun-synchronous orbit (~743–747 km), crossing each place at the same local time.
3. Same lighting/geometry lets it compare images over time.

Yaad rakhein: SSO is a special polar LEO — but the precise answer asked is SSO, not plain LEO.

Answer: (C) Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)

Concept: Major iron-ore districts lie in the Odisha–Jharkhand belt.

1. Singhbhum (Jharkhand) – Noamundi, Gua, Kiriburu mines ✓.
2. Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh are in Odisha, not AP/Assam/Tripura ✗.

Yaad rakhein: Odisha is India's largest iron-ore producer; Bailadila (Chhattisgarh) is another key belt.

Answer: (C) Singhbhum - Jharkhand

Concept: Cell membranes are a lipid bilayer (fluid mosaic model).

1. Phospholipids form the bilayer, with proteins embedded in it.
2. DNA is genetic material, glycogen is animal storage carbohydrate, cellulose forms plant cell walls.

Yaad rakhein: Fluid mosaic model was given by Singer and Nicolson (1972).

Answer: (D) Phospholipids

Concept: The amendment with the widest changes is called the Mini-Constitution.

1. 42nd Amendment, 1976 (Emergency period, Swaran Singh Committee).
2. Added 'Socialist, Secular, Integrity' to the Preamble and Fundamental Duties (Art. 51A).
3. 44th Amendment (1978) later undid several of its changes.

Yaad rakhein: 42 = 'Mini-Constitution'; 44 = 'Right to Property removed from FRs'.

Answer: (D) 42nd Amendment Act, 1976

Concept: Steam at 100°C holds extra energy (latent heat of vaporisation).

1. Latent heat of vaporisation of water ≈ 2260 J/g (≈ 540 cal/g).
2. When steam touches skin it condenses and gives out this heat first, then cools like hot water.
3. Temperature is the same; the extra hidden heat causes deeper burns.

Yaad rakhein: Same idea: ice at 0°C cools better than water at 0°C (latent heat of fusion ≈ 80 cal/g).

Answer: (B) Because steam releases additional latent heat upon condensation.

Concept: eSanjeevani is the Health Ministry's national telemedicine service with two variants.

1. eSanjeevani OPD: patient-to-doctor video consultation from home ✓.
2. eSanjeevani AB-HWC: doctor-to-doctor link from Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (HWCs) to specialists at hubs ✓.

Yaad rakhein: eSanjeevani was developed by C-DAC Mohali.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Concept: Group folk dance of Kumaon, Uttarakhand.

1. Men and women dance in a circle, arms linked, at spring fairs ✓.
2. Hurka (small hourglass drum) is the main accompanying instrument ✓.

Yaad rakhein: Other Kumaoni dances: Chhapeli, Chholiya (sword dance).

Answer: (B) Both 1 and 2

Concept: The World Bank's Doing Business study covered formal firms only.

1. It assessed regulations faced by registered businesses in the largest business city → informal sector excluded (A true).
2. Informal units have no uniform records, so cross-country comparison is impossible (R true).
3. This data problem is the reason for exclusion → R explains A.

Yaad rakhein: The Doing Business report was discontinued by the World Bank in 2021; the new framework is B-READY.

Answer: (A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.

Concept: Railways aims to be a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.

1. Electrifying the broad-gauge network replaces diesel engines.
2. Solar and wind power are being added for traction and stations.
3. Other options increase emissions or are absurd.

Trick: Eliminate options that would raise pollution (coal, road freight) — answer is obvious.

Answer: (C) Electrifying broad-gauge routes and adopting renewable energy sources

Concept: P.C. Mahalanobis designed the strategy of the Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61).

1. It gave top priority to heavy industry and capital goods (A true).
2. Goal: a self-reliant industrial base that would sustain long-run growth (R true).
3. The goal explains the focus → R explains A.

Yaad rakhein: Second Plan = 'Mahalanobis Plan'; steel plants at Bhilai, Durgapur, Rourkela came up in this period.

Answer: (A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.

Concept: Part XVII (Art. 343–351) deals with official language.

1. Art. 343: Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union.
2. Art. 344: Official Language Commission; Art. 348: language of courts/laws; Art. 351: development of Hindi.

Yaad rakhein: Part XVII starts at 343 — the very first article names Hindi.

Answer: (B) Article 343

Concept: Landform depends on how plates move: apart, together, or sideways.

1. Mid-ocean ridge – plates move apart → divergent.
2. Mariana Trench – Pacific plate sinks under another → convergent.
3. San Andreas Fault – plates slide past → transform.

Trick: Ridge = apart, Trench = together, Fault (San Andreas) = sideways.

Answer: (B) 1-Divergent, 2-Convergent, 3-Transform

Concept: Art. 312 lets Parliament create new All India Services.

1. Rajya Sabha must first pass a resolution by 2/3 of members present and voting, in national interest → Statement 1 correct.
2. Art. 312 names no 'Security Services' → Statement 2 wrong.

Yaad rakhein: Existing AIS: IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFoS, added 1966).

Answer: (A) Only 1

Concept: Know the parts of a stupa: anda, harmika, chhatra, medhi, vedika, torana.

1. Harmika = the small square, balcony-like railing on top of the dome; it stands for the abode of the gods → Statement I true.
2. The Buddha's relics were placed in a casket inside the anda (hemispherical dome), not in the harmika → Statement II false.

Yaad rakhein: Bottom to top: Medhi (base) → Anda (relics) → Harmika (gods' seat) → Chhatra (umbrella).

Answer: (C) Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Concept: Each Veda has a distinct purpose.

1. Yajurveda (from 'yajus' = sacrificial formula) gives prose mantras and procedures for performing yajnas — the priests' handbook.
2. Rigveda = hymns to deities; Samaveda = chants set to music; Atharvaveda = charms, medicine, daily life.

Trick: Yajur → Yajna. Sama → Sangeet. Atharva → spells/Ayurveda.

Answer: (D) Yajurveda

Concept: Natya Shastra classifies instruments into four groups.

1. Tata = stringed (sitar, veena); Sushira = wind (flute, shehnai); Avanaddha = skin-covered drums (tabla, mridangam).
2. Ghana = solid instruments struck against each other or with a stick (manjira, ghatam, kartal) — they keep rhythm and are not tuned.

Yaad rakhein: Ghana = 'solid' — no string, no skin, no air.

Answer: (B) Solid, non-tunable rhythmic instruments

Concept: Sculling is a basic hand skill for control in water.

1. The hands sweep in small figure-of-eight movements under the water, producing steady lift and balance.
2. It is used by all swimmers, especially in synchronised (artistic) swimming and water polo — not only by beginners, and the hands are not above water.

Trick: 'Only', 'always' style options (like 'only by beginners') are usually wrong in GK.

Answer: (C) Sculling helps maintain balance by moving hands underwater.

Concept: First Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951.

1. Sachin Nag won the 100 m freestyle, India's first Asian Games gold in swimming.
2. Distractors: Mihir Sen and Bula Choudhury earned fame crossing the English Channel and other seas; Khajan Singh took a silver at Seoul 1986.

Yaad rakhein: Sachin Nag – 1951 – Delhi: 'first Games, first gold in the pool'.

Answer: (C) Sachin Nag