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

Concept: Kwashiorkor is a severe form of protein–energy malnutrition caused mainly by lack of protein.

1. It usually appears around weaning (when breast-feeding stops) up to about 5 years of age.
2. Signs: swollen belly and limbs (oedema), skin and hair changes, irritability.
3. Meningitis and pneumonia are infections; diarrhoea is an intestinal illness – not forms of malnutrition.

Yaad rakhein: Kwashiorkor = protein deficiency (swollen belly); Marasmus = protein + calorie deficiency (wasting).

Answer: (D) Kwashiorkor

Concept: Lead chromate is a bright yellow compound, so it is used to adulterate yellow spices.

1. It is mixed in turmeric (haldi) powder to make it look bright yellow; it is toxic and carcinogenic.
2. Metanil yellow is another common turmeric adulterant; chilli powder is adulterated with brick powder/Sudan red.

Yaad rakhein: Yellow colour → lead chromate → turmeric.

Answer: (C) turmeric

Concept: NCERT (Class 8) notes that in 1849 Dalhousie announced the Mughals would leave the Red Fort, and in 1856 Governor-General Canning decided Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king.

1. After Zafar's death his descendants would only be recognised as princes.
2. Canning became Governor-General in 1856 and was the first Viceroy after 1858; Cornwallis and Hastings ruled much earlier, and Munro was Governor of Madras.

Yaad rakhein: 1856 → Canning; 1857 revolt also under Canning.

Answer: (A) Canning

Concept: Fundamental Duties are listed in Article 51A (Part IVA), added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976 on the Swaran Singh Committee's advice.

1. Article 51A begins: 'It shall be the duty of every citizen of India…'.
2. They are confined to citizens (not foreigners), unlike some Fundamental Rights; DPSPs are the ones addressed to the State.

Yaad rakhein: Rights → against the State; DPSP → to the State; Duties → to citizens.

Answer: (D) Citizens

Concept: A false start occurs when an athlete leaves the blocks before the gun (reaction time below 0.1 s).

1. Under the traditional rule, the first false start in a race was charged, the athletes were recalled and the race could restart; only a further false start led to disqualification.
2. In combined events (decathlon/heptathlon) this is still the practice: one false start per race is allowed and the field restarts.
3. Since 2010, in individual track events a false start leads to disqualification.

Yaad rakhein: False start → recall → restart; repeat offender → out.

Answer: (B) can restart

Concept: The ICC World Twenty20 began in 2007 (South Africa).

1. India hosted the men's T20 World Cup for the first time in 2016; West Indies won, beating England in the final at Kolkata.
2. 2012 was in Sri Lanka, 2014 in Bangladesh; there was no edition in 2018.

Yaad rakhein: 2007 SA, 2009 Eng, 2010 WI, 2012 SL, 2014 Ban, 2016 India.

Answer: (C) 2016

Concept: The Treaty of Salbai (1782) between the English East India Company and the Marathas (Mahadji Scindia mediated) ended the First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82).

1. It brought about 20 years of peace between the two sides.
2. Second Anglo-Maratha War ended with the treaties of Deogaon, Surji-Arjungaon (1803); Buxar ended with the Treaty of Allahabad (1765).

Yaad rakhein: Surat (1775) started it, Purandar (1776) paused it, Salbai (1782) ended it.

Answer: (C) First Maratha War

Concept: Rice is a commercial crop in Punjab and Haryana, but a subsistence crop in Odisha and most of eastern India (NCERT Geography).

1. Pair I says Punjab – subsistence crop: wrong (Punjab grows rice mainly for sale/procurement).
2. Pair II says Odisha – commercial crop: wrong (in Odisha rice is grown mainly for the farmers' own consumption).
3. Hence neither pair is correctly matched.

Yaad rakhein: Punjab–Haryana: commercial rice; Odisha: subsistence rice – the pairs are swapped.

Answer: (C) Neither I nor II

Concept: The 86th Amendment Act, 2002 dealt with elementary education.

1. It inserted Article 21A – free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 as a Fundamental Right.
2. It added Fundamental Duty 51A(k) – parents/guardians to provide education opportunities to children of 6–14 years.
3. It also changed Article 45 (early childhood care up to 6 years). Article 48A was added in 1976.

Yaad rakhein: 86th (2002): 21A + 45 + 51A(k) – the 'education trio'.

Answer: (B) Article 21A

Concept: Kirchhoff's Current Law (junction rule) is based on conservation of charge: $\sum I_{\text{in}}=\sum I_{\text{out}}$ at any junction.

1. Example in figure: currents entering $3+2=5\text{A}$ equal currents leaving $4+1=5\text{A}$.
2. Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1845) also gave the voltage (loop) law.
3. Ohm gave $V=IR$; Faraday – electromagnetic induction; Hess – cosmic rays.

Yaad rakhein: Kirchhoff: Junction = Current (charge conserved), Loop = Voltage (energy conserved).

Answer: (D) Gustav Robert Kirchhoff

Concept: At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Manoj Sarkar won the bronze medal in badminton (men's singles SL3).

1. In the same SL3 event Pramod Bhagat won gold.
2. India's other Tokyo para-badminton medals: Krishna Nagar (gold, SH6) and Suhas Yathiraj (silver, SL4).

Yaad rakhein: Tokyo para-badminton: Pramod (gold), Manoj Sarkar (bronze) – both SL3.

Answer: (B) Badminton

Concept: Hydrogen has three isotopes: protium (${}^1\text{H}$), deuterium (${}^2\text{H}$) and tritium (${}^3\text{H}$).

1. Only tritium is radioactive; it has 1 proton and 2 neutrons and undergoes beta decay (half-life about 12.3 years).
2. Xenon, technetium and thorium are separate elements, not isotopes of hydrogen.

Yaad rakhein: Pro–Deu–Tri: 0, 1, 2 neutrons; only Tri is radioactive.

Answer: (D) Tritium

Concept: Globalisation means integrating the economy of a country with the world economy.

1. Statement I: it creates networks and activities transcending economic, social and geographical boundaries – correct (NCERT definition).
2. Statement II: outsourcing (e.g., BPOs, call centres in India) is one of the important outcomes of globalisation – correct.
3. So both statements are correct.

Yaad rakhein: Outsourcing = a key child of globalisation (NCERT).

Answer: (A) Both I and II

Concept: James Brown, the American singer called 'The Godfather of Soul', titled his 1986 autobiography 'James Brown: The Godfather of Soul'.

1. He was a pioneer of soul and funk music.
2. Tina Turner's autobiography is 'I, Tina'; Johnny Cash wrote 'Man in Black' and 'Cash'; Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) wrote no such autobiography.

Yaad rakhein: Godfather of Soul = James Brown; King of Pop = Michael Jackson.

Answer: (D) James Brown

Concept: Tropical evergreen forests grow in warm, humid areas receiving more than 200 cm annual rainfall (Western Ghats, North-East, Andaman).

1. They are well-stratified, with trees reaching 60 m or more – (A), (B), (D) are correct.
2. About $100\text{cm}$ rainfall suits tropical deciduous forests, not evergreen ones – so (C) is NOT correct.

Yaad rakhein: Evergreen > 200 cm; Moist deciduous 100–200 cm; Dry deciduous 70–100 cm.

Answer: (C) These forests receive annual precipitation of about 100 cm.

Concept: Harappan cities were divided into a raised citadel (western, smaller) and a larger lower town (eastern).

1. The citadel had special public structures: granaries/storehouses, the Great Bath (Mohenjodaro), and fire altars (Kalibangan).
2. Ordinary residential houses for the common people were in the lower town, not the citadel.

Yaad rakhein: Citadel = public/elite buildings; Lower town = common people's houses.

Answer: (D) Residential buildings for masses

Concept: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar received the Bharat Ratna in 1999.

1. In 1999 the award also went to Amartya Sen, Jayaprakash Narayan (posthumous) and Gopinath Bordoloi (posthumous).
2. M.S. Subbulakshmi got it in 1998; Lata Mangeshkar and Bismillah Khan in 2001.

Yaad rakhein: Musicians with Bharat Ratna: M.S. Subbulakshmi 1998, Ravi Shankar 1999, Lata & Bismillah 2001, Bhimsen Joshi 2009.

Answer: (B) 1999

Concept: Article 112(3) lists expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India – it is not voted by Parliament.

1. The first item is the emoluments and allowances of the President and other expenditure relating to his office.
2. Others: salaries of the Speaker, Chairman/Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Supreme Court judges, CAG, etc.
3. The Contingency Fund is for unforeseen expenses; the Public Account holds money like provident funds.

Yaad rakhein: Charged = non-votable = Consolidated Fund of India (Art. 266).

Answer: (C) consolidated fund

Concept: Atomic radius depends on the number of shells and the effective nuclear charge.

1. Across a period (left → right) electrons enter the same shell while nuclear charge increases, so the electrons are pulled closer – radius decreases (Li > Be > B …).
2. Down a group a new shell is added each time – radius increases (Li < Na < K).
3. Only option (B) states both trends correctly.

Yaad rakhein: Across → shrink, Down ↓ → grow.

Answer: (B) Atomic radius decreases across a period and increases down a group in the periodic table.

Concept: Aqua regia ('royal water') is a freshly prepared mixture of concentrated $\text{HCl}$ and concentrated ${\text{HNO}}_3$ in the ratio $3:1$.

1. It can dissolve noble metals like gold and platinum, which neither acid can dissolve alone.
2. ${\text{HNO}}_3$ oxidises the metal and chloride ions form soluble complexes such as $[{\text{AuCl}}_4{]}^{-}$.
3. Formic acid, acetic acid and chloroform cannot dissolve gold.

Yaad rakhein: Aqua regia = 3 HCl : 1 HNO₃ → dissolves the 'royal' metals.

Answer: (B) Aqua regia