SSC CGL Tier-1 General Awareness Practice Set: 25 Questions with Answers
SSC CGL Tier-1 General Awareness Practice Set: 25 Questions with Answer Key
In one line: This is a free 25-question SSC CGL Tier-1 General Awareness mock test built exactly on the real SSC pattern — 15 static GK questions (60%) from History, Polity, Geography, Science and Economy, and 10 current affairs questions (40%) from national and international events, sports, awards and government schemes. A full answer key with one-line revision facts follows the questions, so attempt first, score yourself, then analyse — the whole cycle fits inside 30 minutes.
- SSC CGL Tier-1 General Awareness Practice Set: 25 Questions with Answers
- Exam Pattern & Weightage: How GA Is Tested in SSC CGL Tier-1
- Practice Set: Questions 1–15 (Static GK — History, Polity, Geography, Science, Economy)
- Practice Set: Questions 16–25 (Current Affairs)
- Answer Key with Brief Explanations
- Topic-wise Performance Analysis
- How This Set Compares to Actual SSC CGL Tier-1 Difficulty
- Relevance for UPSC, Banking, and Other Competitive Exams
- High-Yield Topics for SSC CGL General Awareness 2024–25
- Revision Strategy: How to Attempt This Mock Test Effectively
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How many questions are asked from General Awareness in SSC CGL Tier-1?
- What is the static GK vs current affairs ratio in SSC CGL GA?
- Which current affairs sources are best for SSC CGL?
- Can this practice set help with UPSC or Banking exams?
- How much time should I take to complete this 25-question set?
Exam Pattern & Weightage: How GA Is Tested in SSC CGL Tier-1
The General Awareness (GA) section is one of the four sections of the SSC CGL Tier-1 Computer Based Examination, sitting alongside General Intelligence & Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension. Internalise these four facts before you attempt a single question of this practice set:
- Number of questions: 25 questions come from General Awareness.
- Marks: 2 marks per question, totalling 50 marks.
- Negative marking: 0.50 marks deducted for every wrong answer — blind guessing without elimination is a marks leak, not a strategy.
- Time: The full Tier-1 paper (100 questions) must be finished in 60 minutes, leaving roughly 15 minutes for GA — but strong aspirants routinely close it in 8–10 minutes, banking time for Quantitative Aptitude.
The GA section splits broadly into static GK (~60%) and current affairs (~40%). Static GK covers Indian History, Polity, Geography, General Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Economics, and Static Awareness (books, dances, festivals, important days). Current affairs typically draws from the last 6–12 months: government schemes, sports events, awards, appointments, summits, and reports. Before the exam, verify the latest notified pattern on the official SSC website (https://ssc.gov.in) — pattern notifications sometimes shift weightage, and the examiner will not warn you.
Practice Set: Questions 1–15 (Static GK — History, Polity, Geography, Science, Economy)
Attempt all 15 static GK MCQs in one sitting — no lookups, no pausing on a tablet. Each question carries 2 marks, and the examiner’s favourite traps are already planted in the options below. Read every option before you lock an answer.
Q1. Which of the following Vedas is the oldest?
(a) Samaveda (b) Rigveda (c) Yajurveda (d) Atharvaveda
Q2. The Dandi March of 1930 was associated with which movement?
(a) Non-Cooperation Movement (b) Quit India Movement (c) Civil Disobedience Movement (d) Swadeshi Movement
Q3. Who was the first Governor-General of independent India?
(a) C. Rajagopalachari (b) Lord Mountbatten (c) Lord Wavell (d) Lord Canning
Q4. The concept of Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution has been borrowed from which country?
(a) USA (b) Ireland (c) UK (d) Canada
Q5. Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the abolition of untouchability?
(a) Article 14 (b) Article 17 (c) Article 19 (d) Article 21
Q6. The Tropic of Cancer does NOT pass through which of the following Indian states?
(a) Rajasthan (b) Chhattisgarh (c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Mizoram
Q7. Which is the longest river in the world?
(a) Amazon (b) Nile (c) Yangtze (d) Mississippi
Q8. The SI unit of electric current is:
(a) Volt (b) Ohm (c) Ampere (d) Watt
Q9. Deficiency of which vitamin causes scurvy?
(a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin B12 (c) Vitamin C (d) Vitamin D
Q10. Which gas is primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect on Earth?
(a) Oxygen (b) Nitrogen (c) Carbon dioxide (d) Hydrogen
Q11. Which is the apex body that regulates the securities market in India?
(a) RBI (b) SEBI (c) IRDAI (d) NABARD
Q12. The repo rate in India is decided by:
(a) Ministry of Finance (b) NITI Aayog (c) Monetary Policy Committee of RBI (d) SEBI
Q13. Who wrote the book ‘Arthashastra’?
(a) Kalidasa (b) Kautilya (Chanakya) (c) Banabhatta (d) Harsha
Q14. The Battle of Plassey was fought in the year:
(a) 1757 (b) 1764 (c) 1761 (d) 1767
Q15. Fundamental Duties were added to the Indian Constitution by which amendment?
(a) 42nd Amendment (b) 44th Amendment (c) 73rd Amendment (d) 86th Amendment
Practice Set: Questions 16–25 (Current Affairs)
These 10 questions cover recent current affairs themes — national events, international developments, sports, awards, and government schemes — the exact mix SSC examiners have rotated through recent CGL cycles. Expect at least 3–4 questions from this corridor in Tier-1. One discipline before you begin: always cross-check current affairs against trusted sources such as PIB (Press Information Bureau) and The Hindu for the latest exam cycle — examiners love the freshest revision of a scheme or summit.
Q16. Which country hosted the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023?
(a) Indonesia (b) India (c) Italy (d) Brazil
Q17. Chandrayaan-3, launched by ISRO, achieved a historic soft landing near which region of the Moon?
(a) North Pole (b) South Pole (c) Equatorial region (d) Far side
Q18. The Padma Vibhushan ranks at which position in the order of precedence of Indian civilian awards?
(a) First (b) Second (c) Third (d) Fourth
Q19. The ‘PM Vishwakarma’ scheme, launched in September 2023, extends collateral-free credit and skill support to:
(a) Farmers (b) Traditional artisans and craftspeople (c) Startups (d) Fishermen
Q20. Who became the first Indian to win the Japan Open badminton women’s singles title (July 2026)?
(a) Saina Nehwal (b) PV Sindhu (c) Lakshya Sen (d) Kidambi Srikanth
Q21. The ‘Bharat Atta’ initiative is related to the sale of wheat flour at:
(a) Export markets (b) Subsidised prices (c) Premium prices (d) Free of cost
Q22. The Asian Games 2026, opening on 19 September, are hosted at:
(a) Doha, Qatar (b) Hangzhou, China (c) Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (d) Bangkok, Thailand
Q23. Which country takes over the BRICS chairship after India, as per the New Delhi Declaration (September 2026)?
(a) Brazil (b) Russia (c) China (d) South Africa
Q24. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to:
(a) Provide digital health IDs (ABHA) and integrate healthcare records nationwide (b) Digitise land records (c) Provide direct cash transfers to farmers (d) Digitise school education
Q25. Which Indian became the first women to be appointed as officers on a frontline warship of the Indian Navy under a new progressive posting policy?
(a) Sub Lieutenant Riti Singh (b) Sub Lieutenant Kumudini Tyagi (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) None of the above
Answer Key with Brief Explanations
In one line: This is your scoring audit — read the one-line fact column, not just the answer letter, because the fact is what the examiner re-tests next year in a different question.
Mark your responses first, then open this table. For every wrong answer, the “One-Line Fact for Revision” column tells you exactly what to log into your error notebook. Note how Q.4, Q.5 and Q.17 are classic confusion-pair traps — the paired fact in bold is where examiners harvest their next distractor.
| Q. No. | Correct Answer | One-Line Fact for Revision |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (b) Rigveda | The Rigveda is the oldest Veda, composed roughly 1500–1200 BCE. |
| 2 | (c) Civil Disobedience Movement | Gandhi marched 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi (1930) to break the salt law. |
| 3 | (b) Lord Mountbatten | Mountbatten was the last British Governor-General; C. Rajagopalachari was the first and last Indian Governor-General. |
| 4 | (b) Ireland | DPSPs were borrowed from the Irish Constitution; Fundamental Rights came from the USA — the most examined borrowing pair. |
| 5 | (b) Article 17 | Article 17 abolishes untouchability; Article 15 prohibits discrimination — do not swap them. |
| 6 | (c) Uttar Pradesh | The Tropic of Cancer passes through 8 states — UP is not among them. |
| 7 | (b) Nile | The Nile (~6,650 km) is conventionally the longest; the Amazon is the largest by volume. |
| 8 | (c) Ampere | Ampere measures current; volt measures potential difference. |
| 9 | (c) Vitamin C | Scurvy results from deficiency of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). |
| 10 | (c) Carbon dioxide | CO₂ is the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas; methane is more potent per unit — a favourite trap. |
| 11 | (b) SEBI | SEBI, established in 1988 and made statutory in 1992, regulates India’s securities market. |
| 12 | (c) Monetary Policy Committee of RBI | The 6-member MPC, chaired by the RBI Governor, sets the repo rate. |
| 13 | (b) Kautilya (Chanakya) | The Arthashastra is an ancient treatise on statecraft and economics. |
| 14 | (a) 1757 | Plassey (1757) established British dominance in Bengal; Buxar followed in 1764. |
| 15 | (a) 42nd Amendment | Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) were added in 1976 on the Swaran Singh Committee’s recommendation. |
| 16 | (b) India | India hosted the G20 Summit in New Delhi (September 2023); Brazil took over in 2024. |
| 17 | (b) South Pole | Vikram landed near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023 — now celebrated as National Space Day. |
| 18 | (b) Second | Bharat Ratna ranks first; Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award. |
| 19 | (b) Traditional artisans and craftspeople | PM Vishwakarma provides credit, skill training and toolkit support across 18 traditional trades. |
| 20 | (b) PV Sindhu | Sindhu beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 to become the first Indian Japan Open champion; she also won the Singapore Open 2026. |
| 21 | (b) Subsidised prices | Bharat Atta was sold at subsidised rates through cooperatives like NAFED and NCCF. |
| 22 | (c) Aichi-Nagoya | The Asian Games 2026 run 19 September–4 October 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. |
| 23 | (c) China | New Delhi Declaration, para 140: China takes the 2027 BRICS chairship and hosts the XIX Summit. |
| 24 | (a) Digital health IDs and integrated records | ABDM issues ABHA health IDs for interoperable digital health records. |
| 25 | (c) Both (a) and (b) | Sub Lieutenants Riti Singh and Kumudini Tyagi became the first women airborne tacticians on Indian Navy warships. |
Scoring benchmark: 20+ correct means your GA base is exam-ready; 15–19 means revise the static portion using the fact column above; below 15, rework Polity and Modern History sources before attempting another set.
Topic-wise Performance Analysis
Score yourself honestly: 2 marks per correct answer, minus 0.50 per wrong answer. Then map your errors to subjects:
- History (Q1, 2, 3, 13, 14): If you lost 3+ marks here, revisit Modern Indian History and Ancient Vedic literature — these are the highest-frequency history areas.
- Polity (Q4, 5, 15): Errors indicate weak constitutional fundamentals — revise amendments, Articles, and borrowed features.
- Geography (Q6, 7): Mapwork and river systems are repeat offenders; practise the Tropic of Cancer states and world rivers monthly.
- Science (Q8, 9, 10): NCERT Class 6–10 basics cover 90% of asked science questions.
- Economy (Q11, 12): Know all regulators and the MPC’s monetary policy framework.
- Current Affairs (Q16–25): Below 12/20 means your monthly current affairs revision cycle is too slow — tighten it to fortnightly.
How This Set Compares to Actual SSC CGL Tier-1 Difficulty
This set is calibrated to moderate difficulty, mirroring recent SSC CGL Tier-1 shifts (2022–2024). In actual papers, roughly 17–20 of 25 GA questions are answerable from standard preparation, 3–5 are tricky or obscure, and 1–2 are genuinely uncertain. A fair benchmark:
- 36–44 marks (18–22 correct): Excellent — GA becomes your rank-booster section.
- 28–34 marks: Competitive; consistent with the GA portion needed for safe overall Tier-1 cutoffs, which have historically ranged between ~140–160 for general category UR posts (varies by year and post).
- Below 24 marks: GA is likely dragging your overall score; commit to daily 30-minute GK slots.
Because of 0.50 negative marking, the optimal attempt range for most aspirants is 20–23 questions, using elimination on uncertain ones.
Relevance for UPSC, Banking, and Other Competitive Exams
The overlap across exams is significant, making this set multi-purpose:
- UPSC Prelims: Polity questions (Articles, DPSP sources, amendments) and economy questions (regulators, monetary policy) map directly to the UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I syllabus. Current affairs items like Chandrayaan-3 and COP28 have appeared in UPSC-style framing too.
- Banking (IBPS/SBI PO & Clerk): The banking GA section emphasises schemes, RBI policy, and appointments — Q11, 12, 19, 21, and 24 fit perfectly.
- CLAT and other law exams: Static GK and current affairs carry direct weight in CLAT’s GK section; the awards and international relations questions here are ideal revision material.
- Other SSC exams (CHSL, MTS, CPO): Nearly identical GA patterns apply, so this set doubles as revision for those too.
High-Yield Topics for SSC CGL General Awareness 2024–25
Based on repeated patterns in recent shifts, prioritise these static topics:
- Modern Indian History: freedom struggle movements, governors-general/viceroys, battles (Plassey, Buxar)
- Ancient India: Vedas, Buddhist and Jain councils, Mauryan and Gupta administration
- Polity: Fundamental Rights and Duties, DPSP, key Articles, constitutional amendments, borrowed features
- Geography: rivers and their tributaries, national parks, passes, Tropic of Cancer states, world capitals
- General Science: human physiology, vitamins and deficiency diseases, SI units, acids-bases, common chemical names
- Economy: RBI and monetary policy, regulators (SEBI, IRDAI), budget basics, GDP/inflation definitions
Current affairs themes to prioritise for 2024–25: government schemes (PM Vishwakarma, Ayushman Bharat, PMAY), space missions (ISRO launches), sports events (Olympics, ICC tournaments), major awards (Padma, Nobel, Bharat Ratna), international summits (G20, COP), and key appointments.
Revision Strategy: How to Attempt This Mock Test Effectively
- Simulate exam pace: Set a timer for 8–10 minutes for all 25 questions. In the real Tier-1 paper, you have ~15 minutes per section, but finishing GA early frees time for Quant.
- Apply elimination: Mark questions you can narrow to two options; skip blind guesses entirely — the 0.50 negative marking punishes them.
- Maintain an error log: After the test, record every wrong or skipped question in a notebook or spreadsheet with the fact tested. This becomes your personal revision sheet and typically covers 60–70% of repeat topics.
- Revise at spaced intervals: Re-attempt this set after 7 days, then after 21 days. Current affairs questions should be refreshed with monthly compilations from the last 6–12 months.
- Follow authoritative sources: For ongoing preparation, rely on PIB releases, official SSC notifications, and NCERT textbooks for static grounding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are asked from General Awareness in SSC CGL Tier-1?
SSC CGL Tier-1 contains 25 General Awareness questions worth 50 marks (2 marks each), with negative marking of 0.50 marks per wrong answer.
What is the static GK vs current affairs ratio in SSC CGL GA?
The split is roughly 60:40 in favour of static GK. This practice set mirrors it exactly — 15 static questions and 10 current affairs questions.
Which current affairs sources are best for SSC CGL?
The last 6–12 months of PIB summaries, government schemes, national and international awards, sports events, and important appointments cover most of what SSC asks.
Can this practice set help with UPSC or Banking exams?
Yes. The polity, economy, and current affairs questions here overlap substantially with UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I and the General Awareness sections of banking exams like IBPS and SBI PO.
How much time should I take to complete this 25-question set?
Aim for 8–10 minutes to simulate real exam pace, then spend about 15 minutes reviewing the answer key and logging your mistakes for revision.
Quick revision
- Number of questions: 25 questions come from General Awareness.
- Marks: 2 marks per question, totalling 50 marks.
- Negative marking: 0.50 marks deducted for every wrong answer — blind guessing without elimination is a marks leak, not a strategy.
- Time: The full Tier-1 paper (100 questions) must be finished in 60 minutes, leaving roughly 15 minutes for GA — but strong aspirants routinely close it in…
- History (Q1, 2, 3, 13, 14): If you lost 3+ marks here, revisit Modern Indian History and Ancient Vedic literature — these are the highest-frequency history areas.
- Polity (Q4, 5, 15): Errors indicate weak constitutional fundamentals — revise amendments, Articles, and borrowed features.
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