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

Concept: Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316) expanded the Sultanate into South India.

1. Malik Kafur, a slave bought for 1000 dinars (hence 'Hazar-Dinari'), became Alauddin Khalji's top general.
2. He led campaigns against the Yadavas (Devagiri), Kakatiyas (Warangal), Hoysalas (Dwarasamudra) and Pandyas (Madurai).
3. Khusrau Khan and Mubarak Shah came later, and Jalaluddin was Alauddin's uncle and predecessor.

Yaad rakhein: Alauddin → Malik Kafur → South India campaigns (1306–1311).

Answer: (B) Alauddin Khilji

Concept: The Planning Commission estimated poverty for 2011-12 using the Tendulkar methodology.

1. Persons below the poverty line in 2011-12 were $25.7\%$ in rural areas, $13.7\%$ in urban areas and $21.9\%$ for all India.
2. In numbers, about $21.6$ crore people in rural areas and $26.9$ crore in total were poor.
3. So the rural figure is $25.7\%$.

Yaad rakhein: Tendulkar 2011-12: Rural 25.7, Urban 13.7, India 21.9 (all in %).

Answer: (A) $25.7\%$

Concept: Major Indian lakes and the states they are in.

1. Bhimtal is in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, so this pair is correct.
2. Dal Lake is in Jammu & Kashmir, not Himachal Pradesh, and Chilika is in Odisha, not Maharashtra.
3. Loktak Lake, known for its floating phumdis and Keibul Lamjao NP, is in Manipur, not Assam.

Yaad rakhein: Nainital district = 'Lake District': Nainital, Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal.

Answer: (B) Bhimtal lake – Uttarakhand

Concept: Some foreign-born artists have become exponents of Indian classical dance.

1. Ileana Citaristi, born in Italy and settled in Bhubaneswar, trained under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
2. She received the Padma Shri in 2006 for Odissi, the first classical dancer of foreign origin to get it.
3. She also practises Chhau (Mayurbhanj).

Yaad rakhein: Italian dancer + Bhubaneswar + Kelucharan Mohapatra → Odissi.

Answer: (D) Odissi

Concept: The ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2022 was held in the West Indies.

1. In the final at Antigua (5 February 2022), India beat England by 4 wickets, so England was the runner-up.
2. It was India's record 5th U-19 title, under captain Yash Dhull.
3. Raj Bawa was Player of the Final, and Dewald Brevis (South Africa) was Player of the Tournament.

Yaad rakhein: U-19 WC 2022: India (champion) vs England (runner-up), Yash Dhull.

Answer: (C) England

Concept: Persian was the court language of the Mughals.

1. Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Jahangirnama) is Emperor Jahangir's autobiography, written in Persian.
2. Babur's memoir, Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama), was written in Chagatai Turkish.
3. Arabic, Pali and Sanskrit were not the languages of the Mughal memoirs.

Yaad rakhein: Babur → Turkish; Jahangir → Persian.

Answer: (C) Persian

Concept: The Lodi dynasty (1451–1526) was the last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

1. Its rulers were Bahlol Lodi (founder), then Sikander Lodi (who founded Agra), then Ibrahim Lodi.
2. Ibrahim Lodi was defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat (1526), which ended the Sultanate.
3. Khizr Khan founded the earlier Sayyid dynasty.

Yaad rakhein: Lodi order: B–S–I (Bahlol, Sikander, Ibrahim); Panipat 1526.

Answer: (C) Ibrahim Lodi

Concept: The Indian Constitution borrowed features from several countries.

1. The ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in the Preamble were taken from the French Constitution and the French Revolution of 1789.
2. France also gave the idea of a Republic.
3. The UK gave parliamentary government, Canada a federation with a strong Centre, and Ireland the Directive Principles.

Yaad rakhein: French Revolution slogan = Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

Answer: (B) France

Concept: Each Five-Year Plan had a main focus.

1. The First Plan (1951–56), based on the Harrod–Domar model, focused on agriculture, irrigation and power, because of food shortages after Partition.
2. It achieved a growth of about $3.6\%$ against a target of $2.1\%$.
3. The Second Plan (Mahalanobis model) shifted the focus to heavy industry.

Yaad rakhein: 1st Plan → Agriculture; 2nd Plan → Industry.

Answer: (B) Agricultural Sector

Concept: The 86th Amendment Act, 2002 is about the right to education.

1. It inserted Article 21A, which makes free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 a Fundamental Right.
2. It also amended Article 45 (early childhood care for children under 6) and added the duty in Article 51A(k).
3. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes came from the 89th Amendment, and the readjustment of seats was frozen by the 84th Amendment.

Yaad rakhein: 86 → 21A → RTE (6–14 years); RTE Act 2009.

Answer: (D) Elementary education as a fundamental right

Concept: The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognises 8 classical dances (the Ministry of Culture also lists Chhau).

1. The recognised classical dances are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya.
2. Lavani is a folk dance of Maharashtra, performed to the beat of the dholki.
3. So Lavani is not a classical dance.

Yaad rakhein: Maharashtra folk: Lavani, Tamasha, Koli.

Answer: (D) Lavani

Concept: Molecules are 3-D, but paper is 2-D, so special symbols are used to show depth.

1. In the dash-wedge (wedge-and-dash) formula, a solid wedge shows a bond pointing towards the viewer, a dashed wedge shows a bond pointing away, and a plain line shows a bond in the plane of the paper.
2. This shows the 3-D shape of molecules, for example the tetrahedral carbon in CH₄.
3. Bond-line, Lewis and condensed formulae show only how atoms are connected, not their 3-D arrangement.

Yaad rakhein: Wedge = towards you, Dash = away from you.

Answer: (C) Dash-wedge formula

Concept: India took much of its parliamentary system from Britain.

1. The Rule of Law (A.V. Dicey's idea that no one is above the law and everyone is equal before it) comes from the UK.
2. The UK also gave parliamentary government, single citizenship, the legislative procedure and the writs.
3. The USA gave Fundamental Rights and judicial review, and the USSR gave Fundamental Duties.

Yaad rakhein: UK → Rule of Law, Parliament, Speaker, single citizenship.

Answer: (C) United Kingdom

Concept: The Delhi Sultanate had several departments (diwans), each headed by a minister.

1. Diwan-i-Wizarat was the finance and revenue department, headed by the Wazir (prime minister). He acted as general supervisor over all departments.
2. Diwan-i-Mustakharaj (Alauddin) recovered arrears of revenue, and Diwan-i-Amir Kohi (Muhammad bin Tughlaq) dealt with agriculture.
3. Diwan-i-Waqoof (Jalaluddin Khalji) dealt with expenditure.

Yaad rakhein: Wizarat → Wazir = PM of the Sultanate.

Answer: (D) Diwan-i-Wizarat

Concept: Each crop needs particular climatic conditions (NCERT Class 10, Agriculture).

1. Maize is used both as food and fodder. It is a kharif crop.
2. It needs a temperature of ${21}^{\circ }\text{C}$ to ${27}^{\circ }\text{C}$ and grows well in old alluvial soil. Major producers are Karnataka, MP and UP.
3. Bajra prefers sandy soil, and coffee is a plantation crop.

Yaad rakhein: Food + fodder + old alluvium + $21$–${27}^{\circ }\text{C}$ = Maize.

Answer: (C) Maize

Concept: Digital India is the Government of India's flagship programme to make India a digitally empowered society.

1. Digital India was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 1 July 2015.
2. It has three vision areas: digital infrastructure as a utility for every citizen, governance and services on demand, and digital empowerment of citizens.
3. It is run by MeitY.

Yaad rakhein: 2015 schemes: Digital India, Smart Cities, AMRUT, Skill India.

Answer: (C) 2015

Concept: Rivers north of the Vindhyas join the Ganga, and peninsular rivers have their own systems.

1. Ghaghara (left bank) and Ramganga (left bank) join the Ganga. The Yamuna, its largest right-bank tributary, joins it at Prayagraj.
2. The Bhima rises at Bhimashankar in the Western Ghats and joins the Krishna in Karnataka.
3. So Bhima is not a tributary of the Ganga.

Yaad rakhein: Bhima, Tungabhadra, Koyna, Ghataprabha → Krishna.

Answer: (B) Bhima

Concept: Several heavy, man-made elements are named after scientists.

1. Nobelium (No), atomic number 102, is named after Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and founder of the Nobel Prize.
2. Fermium is 100 (Enrico Fermi), Dubnium is 105 (Dubna) and Hassium is 108 (Hesse).
3. Nearby elements: 101 Mendelevium, 103 Lawrencium.

Yaad rakhein: Actinides 99–103: Es, Fm, Md, No, Lr (Einstein, Fermi, Mendeleev, Nobel, Lawrence).

Answer: (A) 102

Concept: The Women's Cricket World Cup started before the men's.

1. The first Women's Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1973.
2. England won it, and Australia was second (it was played in a round-robin format).
3. The first men's World Cup came later, in 1975.

Yaad rakhein: Women's WC 1973 came two years before the men's WC in 1975.

Answer: (D) 1973

Concept: Jet streams are fast, narrow westerly winds in the upper troposphere.

1. In winter, the subtropical westerly jet stream blows over India south of the Himalayas at a height of about 9–13 km (NCERT gives about 12 km).
2. It is split by the Tibetan Plateau and brings western disturbances, which give winter rain in north-west India.
3. In summer it moves north of the Himalayas, and an easterly jet blows over peninsular India.

Yaad rakhein: Winter = westerly jet, 9–13 km; it brings western disturbances.

Answer: (D) 9-13 km