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

Concept: Fugdi is a women's folk dance of Goa and the Konkan belt, linked to Hindu festivals of the Bhadrapad month.

1. Women form a circle or rows and dance with fast spins and rhythmic breath sounds ('foo-foo'), usually without instruments.
2. It is performed mainly during Ganesh Chaturthi and the Vrata (fasting) days of Bhadrapad.
3. Diwali, Holi and Durga Puja are not the occasions traditionally linked with Fugdi.

Yaad rakhein: Fugdi + Ganpati = Goa's women dancing for Bappa.

Answer: (D) Ganesh Chaturthi

Concept: Thaipusam is a Tamil Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Murugan (Kartikeya).

1. It falls on the full-moon day (Pusam star) of the Tamil month Thai (January–February).
2. Devotees carry the 'kavadi' as a vow; big celebrations are at Palani and other Murugan temples of Tamil Nadu.
3. It is also popular among the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia and Singapore.

Yaad rakhein: Thai (Tamil month) + Pusam (star) = Thaipusam, Tamil Nadu.

Answer: (C) तमिलनाडु

Concept: The Asiatic Society was founded at Calcutta on 15 January 1784 to promote Oriental (Indian) studies.

1. Its founder was the British judge and linguist Sir William Jones.
2. Warren Hastings was its patron (he was Governor-General then), not the founder.
3. Jones also noted the link between Sanskrit, Greek and Latin.

Yaad rakhein: Asiatic Society = Jones (1784); Hastings only patron.

Answer: (B) Sir William Jones

Concept: Navratri in Gujarat is celebrated with night-long circular dances in honour of Goddess Amba.

1. Garba: women and men dance in circles around a lamp (garbo) with claps.
2. Dandiya Raas: dancers strike pairs of decorated sticks (dandiya) in rhythm.
3. The other options are lesser-known regional dances, not the signature Navratri dances.

Yaad rakhein: Navratri = Garba + Dandiya, Gujarat's twin dances.

Answer: (A) Garba और Dandiya

Concept: Chevalier des Palmes Académiques is an honour of France for contributions to education and culture.

1. Mallika Sarabhai, the Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer and activist from Ahmedabad, received it in 2005.
2. 'Chevalier' (Knight) titles are typical of French state honours (e.g., Légion d'honneur, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres).
3. Hence the honouring government was French.

Yaad rakhein: 'Chevalier' in an award name = a French honour.

Answer: (A) French (फ़्रांसीसी)

Concept: Khelo India University Games (KIUG) is a national multi-sport event for university athletes.

1. The 2nd edition (KIUG 2021) was held in Bengaluru, Karnataka, in April–May 2022, with Jain University as the main host.
2. Jain University also topped the medal table.
3. The 1st edition (2020) was held in Odisha (Bhubaneswar).

Yaad rakhein: KIUG: 2020 Odisha, 2021 Karnataka (Bengaluru).

Answer: (D) कर्नाटक

Concept: Haji Ilyas, a noble of the Delhi Sultanate in Bengal, unified Lakhnauti, Satgaon and Sonargaon into one independent sultanate.

1. He took the title Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah and founded the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, with Pandua as capital.
2. Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was his grandson, a later ruler of the same dynasty.
3. Firoz Shah Tughlaq attacked him but failed to subdue Bengal.

Yaad rakhein: Haji Ilyas → Ilyas Shah → Ilyas Shahi dynasty: the title carries his own name.

Answer: (A) Shamsh-ud-din Iliyas Shah

Concept: Mass ratio of elements in a compound = (atomic mass × number of atoms) of each element.

1. Ammonia is ${\text{NH}}_3$: 1 N atom and 3 H atoms.
2. Mass of N $=14$; mass of H $=1\times 3=3$.
3. Ratio N : H $=14:3$.

Trick: For ${\text{NH}}_3$, just write $14:(1\times 3)$.

Answer: (B) $14:3$

Concept: India follows the parliamentary system: the President is the nominal (de jure) head, while real (de facto) power lies with the Council of Ministers.

1. Article 74: a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister aids and advises the President, and the advice is binding.
2. Article 75(3): the Council is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
3. The Governor is a nominal head at the state level; the Vice President has no executive role.

Yaad rakhein: President = name; PM + Council of Ministers = real power.

Answer: (D) प्रधानमंत्री और उनकी मंत्रिपरिषद

Concept: The Qutub Minar at Mehrauli, Delhi, is the tallest brick minaret in India and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1. Its height is about 72.5 m, i.e. approximately 73 m.
2. It was begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak and completed by Iltutmish; Firoz Shah Tughlaq repaired the top storeys.
3. It has 5 storeys and a base diameter of about 14.3 m.

Yaad rakhein: Qutub Minar ≈ 73 m, 5 storeys, Aibak → Iltutmish.

Answer: (C) 73

Concept: Railway building needs fairly level, stable ground; physical obstacles explain the poor rail network of the North-East.

1. Highly dissected, hilly topography makes laying tracks costly and difficult.
2. Dense forests add to clearing and construction problems.
3. Heavy rainfall, landslides and frequent floods (Brahmaputra valley) damage tracks and bridges.
4. So the physical factors 1, 2 and 4 together are the answer.

Yaad rakhein: N-E rail problem = Hills + Forests + Floods (all physical).

Answer: (D) 1, 2 और 4

Concept: Revenue receipts neither create a liability nor reduce assets of the government; capital receipts do one of the two.

1. Grants-in-aid, fees for services and dividends/profits are revenue receipts (non-tax revenue).
2. Sale of government assets (disinvestment) reduces the government's assets.
3. Therefore it is a capital receipt, not a revenue receipt.

Trick: Asset sale or borrowing = capital receipt; regular income = revenue receipt.

Answer: (B) सरकारी परिसंपत्तियों की बिक्री

Concept: The Indian (Thar) Desert lies to the north-west of the Aravalli hills and is very dry.

1. It receives very low rainfall, below about 150 mm per year, not 500 mm.
2. It has sand dunes and crescent-shaped barchans.
3. It is also called Marusthali; Luni is its only large river.

Yaad rakhein: Thar: west of Aravalli, rainfall below 150 mm, Marusthali.

Answer: (A) इसे प्रति वर्ष 500 mm वर्षा मिलती है।

Concept: Qawwali is a Sufi devotional singing style of the Indian subcontinent.

1. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Sabri Brothers and Aziz Warsi are famous qawwals.
2. Amir Khusrau is regarded as the father of Qawwali.
3. Shabad is Sikh devotional singing; Bhatiali is a boatmen's folk song of Bengal; Bhajan is Hindu devotional song.

Yaad rakhein: Sufi + Khusrau + Nusrat = Qawwali.

Answer: (A) क़व्वाली

Concept: Coulomb's law states that the force between two point charges is $F=\frac{k{q}_1{q}_2}{r^2}$.

1. In 1785 Charles-Augustin de Coulomb measured this force using a calibrated torsion balance.
2. Oersted (1820) found that current produces a magnetic field; Millikan measured the electron's charge (oil-drop).
3. John Michell designed a torsion balance earlier but did not use it for electric charges.

Yaad rakhein: 1785 + torsion balance + charges = Coulomb (unit of charge is also coulomb).

Answer: (D) Charles Augustin Coulomb

Concept: The BLRC was set up by the Ministry of Finance to design a new insolvency and bankruptcy framework.

1. It was constituted in August 2014 under the chairmanship of T. K. Viswanathan.
2. It submitted its report in November 2015.
3. Its recommendations led to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016.

Yaad rakhein: BLRC 2014 → report 2015 → IBC 2016.

Answer: (C) 2014

Concept: Atoms of the same element (same atomic number Z) with different numbers of neutrons (different mass numbers) are isotopes.

1. Example: hydrogen has protium (0 n), deuterium (1 n) and tritium (2 n), all with 1 proton.
2. Isobars have the same mass number but different atomic numbers (e.g. Ar-40, Ca-40).
3. Isotones have the same number of neutrons; 'isotrones' is not a term.

Trick: isotoPes = same Protons; isotoNes = same Neutrons; isobArs = same mAss number.

Answer: (A) isotopes (समस्थानिक)

Concept: The Constitution is federal in form but has strong unitary features.

1. Federal features: written constitution, division of powers, rigidity, independent judiciary, bicameralism.
2. Unitary features: single citizenship, strong Centre, single constitution, integrated judiciary, all-India services, emergency provisions.
3. India gives only one (Indian) citizenship, unlike the USA's dual citizenship.

Trick: Federal = 'divide & write'; Unitary = 'single' (citizenship, constitution, judiciary).

Answer: (D) एकल नागरिकता

Concept: Mahavir Jayanti marks the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism.

1. It is celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi (March–April).
2. Jains hold processions (rath yatra) and worship at temples and sites like Pawapuri and Girnar.
3. Sikhs celebrate Gurpurabs, Buddhists Buddha Purnima, Parsis Navroz.

Yaad rakhein: Mahavira = 24th Tirthankara = Jains.

Answer: (A) जैन

Concept: Article 76 provides for the Attorney General of India, the highest law officer of the Union.

1. He is appointed by the President and must be qualified to be a Supreme Court judge.
2. Finance Commission – Article 280; UPSC – Article 315; Election Commission – Article 324.
3. The state counterpart, Advocate General, is under Article 165.

Yaad rakhein: 76 → AG (Centre); 165 → Advocate General (State).

Answer: (D) भारत के महान्यायवादी (Attorney General)