SSC CPO Paper I 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 PYQs

Concept: A tick's mouthparts (capitulum) have three parts: two chelicerae that cut the skin, two palps that sense, and a central hypostome.

1. The hypostome is a hairpin-/harpoon-like structure with backward-pointing teeth (denticles).
2. It anchors and stabilises the mouthparts in the host's skin, and the channel along it carries blood in and saliva out.
3. Substratum, peduncle and trunk are not tick mouthparts.

Yaad rakhein: Hypo-stome = below the mouth – the toothed anchor that makes ticks so hard to pull off.

Answer: (B) Hypostome

Concept: India has a few national mountaineering institutes in Himalayan states.

1. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) is at Manali, Himachal Pradesh (founded 1961, renamed after Vajpayee).
2. Uttarkashi has the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering; Darjeeling has the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute; Pahalgam has the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering.

Yaad rakhein: Uttarkashi – Nehru, Darjeeling – HMI (Tenzing), Pahalgam – Jawahar, Manali – Atal.

Answer: (D) Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Concept: Neeraj Chopra won India's first Olympic gold in athletics (javelin throw) at Tokyo 2020, on 7 August 2021.

1. His winning throw was 87.58 m, made in the second round of the final.
2. He crossed 90 m only later (89.94 m in 2022, 90.23 m in 2025), so 90.58 m and 90.00 m are wrong.

Yaad rakhein: 7 August = National Javelin Day in India, marking 87.58 m.

Answer: (A) 87.58 m

Concept: Articles 19–22 form the Right to Freedom; Article 21 is its most important part.

1. Article 21: 'No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law' – Protection of Life and Personal Liberty.
2. Freedom of speech is Article 19(1)(a); managing religious affairs is Article 26; minorities' language and culture is Article 29.

Yaad rakhein: 21 = Jeevan (life) – right to life, privacy, clean environment all flow from Art. 21.

Answer: (D) Protection of Life and Personal Liberty

Concept: MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment a year to every rural household whose adults volunteer for unskilled manual work.

1. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed in August 2005 (notified 7 September 2005).
2. It came into force on 2 February 2006 in 200 districts – so 2006 is the start year, not the year of passing.
3. 'Mahatma Gandhi' was added to its name in 2009.

Yaad rakhein: Passed 2005 → launched 2006 → renamed 2009.

Answer: (B) 2005

Concept: Firms can enter foreign markets by exporting, licensing/franchising, joint ventures or wholly owned subsidiaries, in increasing order of risk and investment.

1. Exporting (selling goods made at home to buyers abroad) is the oldest and most traditional mode.
2. It needs little investment and carries low risk, unlike fully owned plants or mergers and acquisitions.
3. Portfolio investment is a financial investment, not a way of entering a market with products.

Yaad rakhein: Easiest and oldest door to a foreign market = export.

Answer: (B) Exporting

Concept: India won 7 medals at Tokyo 2020, including two in boxing and weightlifting-related events by women.

1. Lovlina Borgohain (Assam) won bronze in women's welterweight (69 kg) boxing.
2. Mirabai Chanu won silver in weightlifting; Aditi Ashok (golf) finished 4th; Mary Kom lost in the pre-quarterfinal at Tokyo (her bronze was at London 2012).

Yaad rakhein: Tokyo women: Mirabai – silver (lifting), Sindhu – bronze (badminton), Lovlina – bronze (boxing).

Answer: (C) Lovlina Borgohain

Concept: Kathak has three main gharanas – Lucknow, Jaipur and Benaras (plus Raigarh).

1. Acchan Maharaj (Jagannath Mishra) was a leading exponent of the Lucknow gharana, son of Kalka Prasad.
2. He was the father of Birju Maharaj, the most famous Lucknow-gharana dancer.
3. Lucknow style is known for grace and expressive abhinaya; Jaipur for powerful footwork.

Yaad rakhein: Lucknow ke 'Maharaj' parivar: Kalka–Bindadin → Acchan, Lacchu, Shambhu → Birju.

Answer: (C) Lucknow

Concept: Article 124 provides for a Supreme Court of a Chief Justice and other judges whose number Parliament fixes by law.

1. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019 raised the number of other judges from 30 to 33.
2. So the sanctioned strength is 33 judges + 1 Chief Justice = 34.
3. 30 was the figure from 2008 to 2019.

Yaad rakhein: 33 + CJI = 34 (since 2019).

Answer: (B) 33

Concept: The 67th National Film Awards (for films of 2019) were presented in October 2021; Best Music Direction has two parts – songs and background score.

1. Best Music Direction (background score) went to Prabuddha Banerjee for the Bengali film Jyeshthoputro.
2. Best Music Direction (songs) went to D. Imman for the Tamil film Viswasam.
3. Hence among the options, the award is linked to Jyeshthoputro.

Yaad rakhein: 67th NFA music: Viswasam (songs) + Jyeshthoputro (background score).

Answer: (C) Jyeshthoputro

Concept: Organic compounds are acyclic (open chain) or cyclic. Cyclic compounds whose ring behaves like an aliphatic compound (not aromatic) are called alicyclic.

1. Cyclopropane, ${\text{C}}_3{\text{H}}_6$, is a closed ring of three carbons with no aromatic character – alicyclic.
2. Isobutane and ethane are open-chain alkanes; acetic acid is an open-chain carboxylic acid.

Trick: 'Cyclo-' in the name + no benzene ring = alicyclic (cyclopropane, cyclohexane).

Answer: (A) Cyclopropane

Concept: After the Revolt of 1857 the British Parliament ended East India Company rule.

1. The Government of India Act, 1858 transferred power from the Company to the British Crown.
2. It created the post of Secretary of State for India; the Governor-General became the Viceroy (Lord Canning the first).
3. The Charter Act 1813 ended the Company's trade monopoly; the 1818 Regulation dealt with detention; the 1872 Act is a contract law.

Yaad rakhein: 1857 revolt → 1858 Act → Crown rule (Queen's Proclamation).

Answer: (D) Government of India Act 1858

Concept: Padma awards are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day.

1. R. Muthukannammal of Viralimalai (Tamil Nadu), one of the last Sadir (devadasi temple dance) artistes, received the Padma Shri in 2022 for art.
2. Sadir is the temple-dance tradition from which Bharatanatyam was reconstructed.

Yaad rakhein: Folk and traditional artists honoured at grassroots level usually get the Padma Shri.

Answer: (B) Padma Shri Award

Concept: NCERT classifies energy as conventional (in use for a long time: firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas, electricity) and non-conventional (solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas, atomic energy).

1. Cattle dung cakes have been used as fuel in rural India for centuries – a conventional source.
2. Solar power, atomic (nuclear) energy and geothermal energy are listed as non-conventional sources.

Yaad rakhein: Conventional = traditional village fuels + fossil fuels.

Answer: (A) Cattle dung

Concept: Kirana gharana is a khayal gharana named after Kirana (Kairana) in Uttar Pradesh.

1. Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937) is regarded as its pioneer and founder (with Abdul Wahid Khan as a major figure).
2. Sawai Gandharva was his disciple, Bhimsen Joshi was Sawai Gandharva's disciple, and Firoz Dastur was another disciple – they carried the gharana forward.

Yaad rakhein: Kirana chain: Abdul Karim Khan → Sawai Gandharva → Bhimsen Joshi.

Answer: (B) Abdul Karim Khan

Concept: An IUPAC name has three parts: Prefix + Word root + Suffix.

1. The word root gives the number of carbon atoms in the longest chain: meth (1), eth (2), prop (3), but (4), pent (5)…
2. The suffix shows the functional group or saturation (-ane, -ol, -oic acid); the prefix shows substituents (chloro-, methyl-).
3. Example: propan-1-ol → root 'prop' = 3 carbons.

Yaad rakhein: Root = Roots count the carbons.

Answer: (C) Root

Concept: The IOC session in Tokyo on 21 July 2021 elected the host of the 2032 Summer Olympics.

1. Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) was chosen for 2032 – the third Australian Olympics after Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.
2. Upcoming hosts: Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028, Brisbane 2032.

Yaad rakhein: P–L–B: Paris 24, LA 28, Brisbane 32.

Answer: (C) Brisbane

Concept: Populations of one species living in different habitats can develop genetically fixed adaptations to local conditions.

1. Such a locally adapted population (subspecies/race) is called an ecotype (term by Göte Turesson).
2. Biome – a large regional community (e.g. desert); niche – the functional role of a species; prototype – an original model.

Yaad rakhein: Eco + type = 'type' of a species shaped by its local environment.

Answer: (C) Ecotype

Concept: PMEGP is a credit-linked subsidy scheme of the Ministry of MSME for setting up micro-enterprises, implemented by KVIC.

1. It was launched in August 2008 (2008-09) by merging the Prime Minister's Rojgar Yojana (PMRY, 1993) and the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP).

Yaad rakhein: PMRY + REGP → PMEGP (2008).

Answer: (D) 2008

Concept: Area-development programmes for backward regions were started in the 1970s.

1. The Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) began in the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974–79).
2. It covered hilly districts of Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal (Darjeeling), Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris) and the Western Ghats.
3. The Drought Prone Areas Programme started earlier, in the Fourth Plan.

Yaad rakhein: Fifth Plan = 'Garibi Hatao' + area programmes like HADP and Minimum Needs Programme.

Answer: (C) Fifth Five Year Plan