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

Concept: Primary succession on bare rock begins with pioneer species that can survive without soil.

1. Lichens (an association of an alga and a fungus) secrete acids that dissolve and weather the rock, forming the first thin soil.
2. Mosses follow, then herbs, shrubs and finally trees form the climax community.
3. Orchids and lily need soil or a host; Aspergillus is a mould that grows on organic matter, not bare rock.

Yaad rakhein: Bare rock → Lichen → Moss → Herbs → Shrubs → Trees.

Answer: (B) Lichens

Concept: Thorn and scrub forests grow where annual rainfall is less than about 70 cm.

1. Such low rainfall occurs in north-western India: Rajasthan, Gujarat, south-west Punjab, Haryana and adjoining Madhya Pradesh/Uttar Pradesh.
2. Typical plants: acacia, babool, khair, cactus, khejri and euphorbias with long roots and thorny leaves.
3. North-eastern and south-western India receive heavy rain and have evergreen/moist forests.

Yaad rakhein: Least rain → thorny bushes → Thar region of north-west India.

Answer: (C) North-western India

Concept: Many natural substances owe their sour taste to a particular organic acid.

1. Lemon (and other citrus fruits) → citric acid: i-b.
2. Sour milk/curd → lactic acid: ii-c.
3. Vinegar → acetic acid: iii-d.
4. Tamarind → tartaric acid: iv-a.

Yaad rakhein: Lemon–Citric, Milk–Lactic (lact = milk), Vinegar–Acetic (acetum = vinegar), Tamarind–Tartaric.

Answer: (D) i-b, ii-c, iii-d, iv-a

Concept: Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons with general formula ${\text{C}}_n{\text{H}}_{2n+2}$.

1. Butane has 4 carbon atoms, so $n=4$.
2. Hydrogen atoms $=2(4)+2=10$, giving ${\text{C}}_4{\text{H}}_{10}$.
3. ${\text{C}}_4{\text{H}}_8$ is butene (alkene), ${\text{C}}_2{\text{H}}_6$ is ethane, and ${\text{C}}_2{\text{H}}_{10}$ is not a possible formula.

Yaad rakhein: Meth-1, Eth-2, Prop-3, But-4 carbons; alkane H $=2n+2$.

Answer: (D) ${\text{C}}_4{\text{H}}_{10}$

Concept: The Western Ghats (Sahyadri) run along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and are continuous, unlike the broken Eastern Ghats.

1. Their height increases from north to south (about 900–1600 m in the north; Anamudi 2695 m in the south) – statement a is true, d is false.
2. They are higher than the Eastern Ghats (average about 900–1600 m vs about 600 m) – statement c is true.
3. Mahendragiri (1501 m) is the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats; Anamudi is the highest of the Western Ghats – statement b is false.

Yaad rakhein: Western Ghats: higher, continuous, height rises southwards; Anamudi top. Eastern Ghats top: Mahendragiri.

Answer: (B) a and c

Concept: A volleyball net carries two flexible antennas that mark the crossing space above the net.

1. Each antenna is 1.80 m long, 10 mm in diameter and made of fibreglass or similar material.
2. It is painted in contrasting stripes of 10 cm, in red and white.
3. The antennas stand just outside the side bands; the ball must cross the net between them.

Yaad rakhein: Volleyball antenna = red–white stripes, 1.80 m long.

Answer: (A) Red and white

Concept: Most of Earth's water is saline; only a small part is fresh water.

1. About $97.5\%$ of the total water is salt water in oceans and seas.
2. Fresh water is only about $2.5\%$ of the total.
3. Of this fresh water, roughly $70\%$ is frozen in ice sheets and glaciers; most of the rest is ground water, so usable surface water is tiny.

Yaad rakhein: Salt $97.5\%$ + Fresh $2.5\%$ $=100\%$.

Answer: (B) $2.5\%$

Concept: The NSSO survey of 2011–12 shows how India's workforce is divided among the three sectors.

1. Primary sector (agriculture etc.): about $48.9\%$ of workers.
2. Secondary sector (manufacturing, construction, electricity): about $24.3\%$.
3. Tertiary/service sector: about $26.8\%$.
4. Check: $48.9+24.3+26.8=100$.

Yaad rakhein: 2011–12 workforce ≈ half in agriculture, about one-fourth each in industry and services.

Answer: (D) $24.3\%$

Concept: Pulakeshin II (c. 610–642 CE) was the greatest ruler of the Chalukyas of Vatapi (Badami).

1. He defeated Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada, stopping Harsha's southward expansion.
2. His court poet Ravikirti composed the Aihole inscription describing his victories.
3. Pandya and Chera were Tamil dynasties; the Rashtrakutas rose later (8th century) by overthrowing the Chalukyas.

Yaad rakhein: Pulakeshin II – Chalukya – Aihole inscription – defeated Harsha.

Answer: (A) Chalukya

Concept: Lakshya Sen is an Indian badminton player.

1. He was born in 2001 in Almora, Uttarakhand.
2. He won bronze at the 2021 World Championships and gold in men's singles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham.
3. He was part of India's Thomas Cup-winning team in 2022.

Yaad rakhein: Lakshya Sen – Almora (Uttarakhand) – badminton.

Answer: (A) Uttarakhand

Concept: The Thar (Great Indian) Desert lies in western Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan.

1. It lies to the west/north-west of the Aravalli range, which runs from Gujarat to Delhi.
2. The Aravallis lie parallel to the south-west monsoon winds, so they fail to block them and the region to their west stays dry.
3. Vindhya and Satpura are in central India; the Eastern Ghats are along the east coast.

Yaad rakhein: Aravalli = eastern boundary of Thar; Thar = west of Aravalli.

Answer: (B) Aravalli range

Concept: The Kalidas Samman is a national-level arts award instituted by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1980.

1. It is named after the classical Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, associated with Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh).
2. It is given in fields such as classical music, classical dance, theatre and plastic arts.
3. Other states have their own awards, but the Kalidas Samman belongs to Madhya Pradesh.

Yaad rakhein: Kalidasa – Ujjain – Madhya Pradesh.

Answer: (B) Madhya Pradesh

Concept: In West Bengal, rice is grown three times a year, and each crop has a local name.

1. Aus – autumn (pre-kharif) rice, sown in summer.
2. Aman – winter rice, the main kharif crop sown in the monsoon.
3. Boro – summer/spring rice grown with irrigation in the dry season.
4. So the words name rice-sowing seasons, not wells, soils or festivals.

Yaad rakhein: Aus–Aman–Boro = three rice crops of Bengal.

Answer: (A) Types of seasons of sowing rice in West Bengal

Concept: Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) are in Part IV of the Constitution.

1. Part IV covers Articles 36 to 51.
2. They are borrowed from the Irish Constitution and are non-justiciable (not enforceable by courts).
3. Fundamental Rights are in Part III (Articles 12–35).

Yaad rakhein: Part III: 12–35 (FR); Part IV: 36–51 (DPSP); Part IV-A: 51A (Duties).

Answer: (B) Article 36-51

Concept: Holi is the Hindu festival of colours celebrated at the end of winter.

1. It is celebrated on the full-moon day (Purnima) of the month of Phalguna (February–March).
2. Holika Dahan is performed the night before.
3. Sravana, Magha and Asadha are other months – e.g. Raksha Bandhan falls in Sravana.

Yaad rakhein: Phalguna Purnima = Holi.

Answer: (D) Phalguna

Concept: In the simple model, money multiplier $=\frac{1}{\text{CRR}}$, i.e. it moves inversely with the cash reserve ratio.

1. If CRR $=10\%$, multiplier $=\frac{1}{0.10}=10$.
2. If CRR falls to $5\%$, multiplier $=\frac{1}{0.05}=20$.
3. A lower CRR leaves banks more funds to lend, so credit creation and the multiplier rise.

Yaad rakhein: CRR down → multiplier up (inverse relation).

Answer: (D) rises

Concept: Fundamental Duties were added to the Constitution on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.

1. The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 inserted Part IV-A (Article 51A) with 10 duties.
2. The 86th Amendment Act, 2002 added the 11th duty – parents/guardians to provide education to children aged 6–14.
3. So total duties today = 11, of which 10 came from the 42nd Amendment.

Yaad rakhein: 42nd: 10 duties; 86th: +1 = 11.

Answer: (B) 10

Concept: Jamshedpur in Jharkhand is called the Steel City of India.

1. Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO, now Tata Steel) was set up here by Jamsetji Tata's vision in 1907.
2. The city is named after Jamsetji Tata and lies near the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers, close to iron ore and coal fields.
3. Ranchi is the state capital; Mumbai and Patna are not steel centres.

Yaad rakhein: Jamshedpur = Tata = Steel City (also called Tatanagar).

Answer: (D) Jamshedpur

Concept: Making India Awesome (2015) is a non-fiction collection of essays.

1. It was written by Chetan Bhagat and deals with issues such as governance, youth, women and society.
2. Chetan Bhagat also wrote Five Point Someone and 2 States.
3. Aravind Adiga wrote The White Tiger; Vikram Seth wrote A Suitable Boy; Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote The Emperor of All Maladies.

Yaad rakhein: Chetan Bhagat's non-fiction: What Young India Wants, Making India Awesome.

Answer: (C) Chetan Bhagat

Concept: A bank is defined (Banking Regulation Act, 1949) as an institution that accepts deposits from the public, repayable on demand, for lending or investment.

1. Many financial institutions (NBFCs, development banks) lend and give long-term loans, so lending alone is not unique to banks.
2. Accepting demand deposits (savings/current accounts withdrawable by cheque) is the key feature that sets banks apart.
3. These deposits also allow banks to create credit.

Yaad rakhein: Bank = deposits + loans; the deposit-taking function is its identity.

Answer: (A) Accepting deposits