SSC GD 2026 30 April 2026 Shift 2 GK Questions – with answers & solutions

Correct Answer: 3 — Option (b)
The Indian Constitution provides for three types of emergencies:
1. National Emergency (Article 352) — on grounds of war, external aggression, or armed rebellion.
2. State Emergency / President's Rule (Article 356) — when constitutional governance fails in a state.
3. Financial Emergency (Article 360) — when the financial stability of India or a state is threatened.
Option (a) 2 — Incorrect; there are three, not two types of emergencies.
Option (c) 4 — Incorrect; the Constitution does not provide for a fourth type of emergency.
Option (d) 5 — Incorrect; five types of emergencies are not mentioned in the Constitution.

Correct Answer: One-third of its members retire every two years — Option (c)
Rajya Sabha is a permanent house and cannot be dissolved. To ensure continuity, one-third of its members retire every two years, and new members are elected to fill those vacancies. Each member serves a six-year term.
Option (a) — Incorrect: The President can dissolve the Lok Sabha (lower house), not the Rajya Sabha.
Option (b) — Incorrect: The Prime Minister has no constitutional power to dissolve Rajya Sabha.
Option (d) — Incorrect: Rajya Sabha is never dissolved; it is a permanent body.

Correct Answer: A fast and lively dance performed in a circle by men and women — Option (a)
Nati is a popular folk dance of Himachal Pradesh. It is performed by both men and women in a circular formation, characterized by fast, energetic movements. It is recognized as one of the largest folk dances in the world.
Option (b) — Incorrect: Nati is a group folk dance, not a solo classical performance.
Option (c) — Incorrect: Nati is not a seated dance and is performed by both men and women.
Option (d) — Incorrect: Nati does not use swords and shields; such descriptions fit certain martial folk dances from other regions.

Correct Answer: Mekhela Chadar adorned with bright colors and jewelry — Option (b)
Bihu is the traditional folk dance of Assam. Women participating in the Bihu dance wear the Mekhela Chadar, a two-piece traditional Assamese garment, paired with bright silk fabrics and traditional gold and silver jewelry. This vibrant attire reflects Assam's rich cultural heritage.
Option (a) — Incorrect: Heavy embroidered sarees are not the traditional Bihu costume.
Option (c) — Incorrect: Simple cotton dress does not represent the traditional Bihu dance attire.
Option (d) — Incorrect: Salwar Kameez is not associated with Assamese Bihu tradition.

Correct Answer: 1905 — Option (c)
Die Bruecke (meaning 'The Bridge') was a German Expressionist art group founded in Dresden in 1905 by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. It was one of the pioneering Expressionist groups in Europe and significantly influenced 20th-century art. The group disbanded in 1913.
Option (a) 1895 — Incorrect: The group was not founded in 1895.
Option (b) 1925 — Incorrect: Die Bruecke had already dissolved in 1913, well before 1925.
Option (d) 1915 — Incorrect: Die Bruecke was founded a decade earlier, in 1905.

Correct Answer: Argentina — Option (b)
The first FIBA Basketball World Championship (now called the FIBA Basketball World Cup) was held in 1950 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina won the inaugural tournament, defeating the United States in the final to claim the first-ever FIBA world title.
Option (a) United States — Incorrect: The USA finished as runners-up in 1950. They won later editions of the championship.
Option (c) Brazil — Incorrect: Brazil won the FIBA World Championship in 1959 and 1963, not in 1950.
Option (d) Uruguay — Incorrect: Uruguay did not win the first FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Correct Answer: Federation Internationale des Echecs (International Chess Federation) — Option (b)
FIDE stands for Federation Internationale des Echecs (French), which translates to 'International Chess Federation' in English. It is the global governing body for the sport of chess, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. FIDE was founded in Paris in 1924 and oversees world chess championships, chess olympiads , and player ratings.
Option (a) — Incorrect: No organization called 'Federation of International Digital Events' exists.
Option (c) — Incorrect: This is a fabricated expansion with no factual basis.
Option (d) — Incorrect: FIDE is an international organization and has no connection to Indian domestic events.

Correct Answer: Ganga — Option (b)
The Ganga and the Brahmaputra together form the Sundarbans Delta (Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta), the world's largest river delta, spanning parts of West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh.
Option (a) Godavari — Incorrect: Godavari forms its own smaller delta on the eastern coast of India (Andhra Pradesh).
Option (c) Krishna — Incorrect: Krishna has a separate delta in Andhra Pradesh, unrelated to the Brahmaputra.
Option (d) Yamuna — Incorrect: Yamuna is a tributary of the Ganga and does not form any independent delta.

Correct Answer: Indonesia — Option (c)
The Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost island of India, is geographically closest to Indonesia (specifically the island of Sumatra). The distance between Great Nicobar and Sumatra is approximately 150 km.
Option (a) Myanmar — Incorrect: Myanmar is closer to the northern Andaman Islands, not to Great Nicobar.
Option (b) Sri Lanka — Incorrect: Sri Lanka is closest to India's southeastern mainland (Tamil Nadu), not the Nicobar Islands.
Option (d) Bangladesh — Incorrect: Bangladesh has no geographic proximity to the Nicobar Islands.

Correct Answer: Gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon — Option (a)
The precession of Earth's axis (axial precession) is caused by the combined gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon acting on Earth's equatorial bulge. This causes Earth's axis to trace a slow wobble (like a spinning top) over a cycle of approximately 26,000 years, gradually shifting the positions of celestial poles.
Option (b) Earth's rotational speed — Incorrect: Earth's rotation creates the equatorial bulge, but the speed itself does not cause axial precession.
Option (c) Variation in Earth's orbit — Incorrect: Orbital variations relate to Milankovitch cycles affecting climate, not to axial precession.
Option (d) Solar wind — Incorrect: Solar wind affects Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere, not the gravitational precession of its axis.

Correct Answer: Madhya Pradesh — Option (a)
According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), Madhya Pradesh has the largest total forest cover by area in India (approximately 77,482 sq. km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Note: While states like Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh rank higher in terms of forest cover as a percentage of their total geographical area, Madhya Pradesh leads in absolute forest area.
Option (b) Assam — Incorrect: Assam's total forest area is significantly less than Madhya Pradesh.
Option (c) Arunachal Pradesh — Incorrect: It ranks second in total forest area, not first.
Option (d) Chhattisgarh — Incorrect: Chhattisgarh ranks third in total forest area.

Correct Answer: Kuyili — Option (a)
Kuyili was a commander in the army of Rani Velu Nachiyar of Sivaganga , who fought against the British East India Company in the 18th century. She is regarded as India's first female suicide attacker and martyr. According to historical accounts, she set herself ablaze and ran into the British ammunition depot to destroy it, enabling Rani Velu Nachiyar's forces to capture the fort.
Option (b) Lakshmi Sehgal — Incorrect: She was a commander in the Indian National Army (INA) in the 1940s, not associated with Rani Velu Nachiyar.
Option (c) Matangini Hazra — Incorrect: She was a nationalist martyr during the Quit India Movement (1942), unconnected to Rani Velu Nachiyar.
Option (d) Jhalkari Bai — Incorrect: She was a soldier in the army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, not Rani Velu Nachiyar.

Correct Answer: To collect revenue from farmers and provide it to the Company — Option (b)
The Permanent Settlement of 1793, introduced by Lord Cornwallis, fixed the land revenue to be paid to the British East India Company permanently. Under this system, zamindars were recognized as landowners. Their primary responsibility was to collect rent from peasants (ryots) and pay a fixed amount of revenue to the Company. Failure to pay on time could result in the auctioning of their land.
Option (a) — Incorrect: Zamindars were not cultivators; they were intermediaries between peasants and the colonial administration.
Option (c) — Incorrect: Trading goods with the British was not the zamindars' function under the Permanent Settlement.
Option (d) — Incorrect: Managing trade routes was not part of the zamindars' assigned role.

Correct Answer: Vernacular — Option (a)
The British colonial administration used the term 'Vernacular' to refer to native or local languages and dialects as opposed to English. Colonial policies often distinguished between 'English medium' and 'Vernacular medium' schools. The word originates from Latin ' vernaculus ', meaning 'native' or 'domestic'. Terms like 'Vernacular Press Act' (1878) further reflect its colonial usage.
Option (b) Provincial — Incorrect: 'Provincial' refers to something related to a province or region in general, not specifically to a local language.
Option (c) Federal — Incorrect: 'Federal' relates to a system of government with shared powers between central and regional bodies, not to language.
Option (d) Linguist — Incorrect: A linguist is a person who studies languages scientifically, not a term used for a local language.

Correct Answer: Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Orchha — Option (b)
The Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, is renowned for its unique fusion of Hindu temple architecture with Mughal (Islamic) elements such as arched gateways, domes, and decorative motifs. Built in the 17th century, it is a rare example of architectural syncretism in India.
Option (a) Qutub Minar — Incorrect: Qutub Minar is primarily an Islamic monument. Although it used materials from demolished Hindu temples, it is not architecturally a blend of both styles.
Option (c) Sanchi Stupa — Incorrect: Sanchi Stupa is a purely Buddhist monument with no Islamic architectural influence.
Option (d) Sun Temple, Konark — Incorrect: The Konark Sun Temple is an exclusively Hindu architectural masterpiece with no Islamic elements.

Correct Answer: Suberin — Option (c)
Cork cells (part of the periderm/bark of older plant stems and roots) have their cell walls impregnated with Suberin, a complex waxy, hydrophobic polymer. Suberin makes cork cells completely impermeable to water and gases. Once the cell wall is suberized, the cell contents die and the cell becomes an air-filled, dead protective layer. This is why cork is used as a sealant (e.g., bottle stoppers).
Option (a) Cutin — Incorrect: Cutin is found in the cuticle of the leaf epidermis, not in cork cells.
Option (b) Lignin — Incorrect: Lignin provides mechanical strength to xylem cells but does not make cork cells impermeable.
Option (d) Cellulose — Incorrect: Cellulose forms the primary cell wall of most plant cells and does not provide impermeability to gases and water.

Correct Answer: Two — Option (b)
A mitochondrion is a double-membrane-bound organelle with two membranes:
1. Outer membrane — smooth and permeable to small molecules and ions.
2. Inner membrane — highly folded into cristae, the site of ATP synthesis (oxidative phosphorylation).
The space between the two membranes is the intermembrane space, and the innermost compartment is the matrix.
Option (a) One — Incorrect: Mitochondria have two membranes, not one.
Option (c) Three — Incorrect: There is no third membrane in a mitochondrion.
Option (d) Four — Incorrect: Mitochondria are bounded by exactly two membranes.

Correct Answer: 2 months — Option (a)
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2019, abolished the No-Detention Policy for Classes 5 and 8. According to the government notification, students who fail the annual examination will be given additional coaching and an opportunity to re-appear in the examination within 2 months of declaration of results. If they fail the re-examination as well, they may be detained in the same class.
Option (b) 5 months — Incorrect: The specified period is 2 months, not 5.
Option (c) 6 months — Incorrect: The period is 2 months, not 6.
Option (d) 4 months — Incorrect: The period is 2 months, not 4.

Correct Answer: Only I — Option (a)
Transparency International publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) annually, which ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
The Democracy Index is published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), NOT by Transparency International.
Therefore, only Statement I (Democracy Index) is NOT published by Transparency International, while Statement II (Corruption Perceptions Index) IS published by Transparency International.
Option (b) Only II — Incorrect: The CPI is indeed published by Transparency International, so Statement II is wrong.
Option (c) Both I and II — Incorrect: CPI is published by Transparency International, so this option is incorrect.
Option (d) Neither I nor II — Incorrect: The Democracy Index is not published by TI, so at least Statement I is correct.