SSC GD 2026 30 April 2026 Shift 3 GK Questions – with answers & solutions

Correct Answer: State Legislature — Option (d)
As per Article 164(2) of the Indian Constitution, the Council of Ministers in a state is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) of that state. This means the state government must enjoy the confidence of the state legislature and not of any individual authority like the Governor.
Option (a) President — Incorrect: The President appoints the Governor but does not hold state ministers collectively responsible.
Option (b) Supreme Court — Incorrect: The Supreme Court has no role in the political accountability of state ministers.
Option (c) Governor — Incorrect: Ministers are individually appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, but collective responsibility is to the legislature, not the Governor.

Correct Answer: Article 108 — Option (b)
Article 108 of the Indian Constitution provides for a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). A joint sitting is convened by the President when a bill passed by one House is rejected by the other, or if the Houses disagree on amendments, or more than six months have elapsed without the bill being passed by the other House.
Option (a) Article 107 — Incorrect: Article 107 deals with the procedure for passing bills in Parliament, not joint sittings.
Option (c) Article 109 — Incorrect: Article 109 deals with the special procedure for Money Bills.
Option (d) Article 110 — Incorrect: Article 110 defines what constitutes a Money Bill.

Correct Answer: Oral tradition — Option (d)
Indian folk and tribal music has been transmitted primarily through oral tradition — passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, through performance, and by direct participation in community events, festivals, and rituals. Unlike classical music (which uses the Guru-Shishya tradition in a formal learning setting), folk and tribal music is informal and community-based.
Option (a) Written notation — Incorrect: Folk and tribal communities have historically not used written musical notation.
Option (b) Audio recordings — Incorrect: Audio recordings are a modern tool and not the traditional medium of transmission.
Option (c) Guru-Shishya tradition — Incorrect: This formal teacher-student system is more characteristic of classical (Hindustani and Carnatic) music, not folk or tribal music.

Correct Answer: Raja Rao — Option (b)
'The Serpent and the Rope' (1960) is a celebrated novel by Raja Rao, one of the pioneering Indian writers in English. The novel is semi-autobiographical and explores themes of Indian philosophy, Advaita Vedanta, cultural identity, and the duality between India and Europe. It is considered one of the finest Indian novels in English.
Option (a) R.K. Narayan — Incorrect: R.K. Narayan is known for works like 'Swami and Friends' and the Malgudi series, not 'The Serpent and the Rope'.
Option (c) Mulk Raj Anand — Incorrect: Mulk Raj Anand is known for 'Untouchable' and 'Coolie', not this novel.
Option (d) Khushwant Singh — Incorrect: Khushwant Singh is known for 'Train to Pakistan' and 'I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale'.

Correct Answer: Space debris tracking and situational awareness — Option (b)
Project NETRA (Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis) is ISRO's initiative to monitor and track space debris, satellites, and other objects in Earth's orbit. It provides Space Situational Awareness (SSA) — the ability to detect, track, and catalogue objects in space to protect Indian assets in orbit from potential collisions with debris.
Option (a) Deep-space communication — Incorrect: NETRA is focused on Earth orbit tracking, not deep-space communication.
Option (c) Human-rated life support — Incorrect: Life support systems are part of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, not NETRA.
Option (d) Lunar landing navigation — Incorrect: Lunar landing navigation was associated with Chandrayaan-3, not NETRA.

Correct Answer: 1980 — Option (c)
The Indian men's hockey team won its last Olympic gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. India defeated Spain in the final to claim the gold. This was India's eighth Olympic gold in hockey. After 1980, India went through a long drought before winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Option (a) 1972 — Incorrect: India won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics, not gold.
Option (b) 1976 — Incorrect: India finished 7th at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Option (d) 1984 — Incorrect: India did not win gold in 1984; they won gold in 1980 (the last time).

Correct Answer: Shukrayaan (Venus Orbiter) — Option (b)
Shukrayaan-1 (also called Venus Orbiter Mission) is ISRO's planned mission to study Venus, including its thick atmosphere, clouds, and greenhouse effect. 'Shukra' is the Sanskrit name for Venus. The mission aims to study the Venusian atmosphere, surface, and subsurface using an orbiter spacecraft.
Option (a) LUPEX — Incorrect: LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration mission) is a joint ISRO-JAXA mission to explore water ice at the Moon's polar regions.
Option (c) Chandrayaan-4 — Incorrect: Chandrayaan-4 is India's planned lunar sample return mission, not a Venus mission.
Option (d) MOM-2 — Incorrect: MOM-2 (Mars Orbiter Mission 2) is ISRO's planned second mission to Mars, not Venus.

Correct Answer: Successive reflections of sound — Option (b)
Thunder is the sound produced by the rapid expansion of air heated by lightning. The 'rolling' or rumbling effect of thunder occurs because the sound waves from different parts of the lightning bolt (which can be several kilometres long) reach the listener at different times, and the sound is also successively reflected from clouds, mountains, and other surfaces. This prolonged, rolling effect is due to successive reflections of sound.
Option (a) Resonance of clouds — Incorrect: Clouds do not resonate like a musical instrument to produce the rolling effect.
Option (c) Lightning effect — Incorrect: Lightning causes thunder, but the 'rolling' character is due to reflections, not the lightning itself.
Option (d) Interference of sound waves — Incorrect: Interference produces patterns of amplification and cancellation, not the prolonged rolling of thunder.

Correct Answer: Northeast to Southwest — Option (c)
The Aravalli Range, one of the oldest fold mountain ranges in the world, extends from the Northeast (near Delhi and Haryana) to the Southwest (into Gujarat). It passes through Rajasthan, covering a length of approximately 800 km. The direction of extension is broadly from Northeast to Southwest.
Option (a) North to South — Incorrect: The Aravallis do not run purely north-south; they have a clear northeast-to-southwest orientation.
Option (b) East to West — Incorrect: This is not the correct orientation of the Aravalli Range.
Option (d) Northwest to Southeast — Incorrect: This is the opposite of the actual direction; the range runs from northeast to southwest.

Correct Answer: Gujarat — Option (a)
The Rann of Kutch is a vast salt marsh located in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India. It is divided into the Great Rann of Kutch (Banni grasslands) and the Little Rann of Kutch. It is famous for its white salt desert and is the habitat of the Indian Wild Ass ( Ghudkhur ). The region is also known for the Rann Utsav festival.
Option (b) Maharashtra — Incorrect: Maharashtra does not contain the Rann of Kutch.
Option (c) Rajasthan — Incorrect: Though Rajasthan borders the region, the Rann of Kutch lies within Gujarat.
Option (d) Uttar Pradesh — Incorrect: Uttar Pradesh is an inland state far from the Rann of Kutch.

Correct Answer: Kerala — Option (b)
In 1957, Kerala became the first place in the world to democratically elect a communist government. E.M.S. ( Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran) Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India led this government and served as the first Chief Minister of Kerala. This was a landmark event in world political history.
Option (a) West Bengal — Incorrect: West Bengal elected a communist government (CPI-M) in 1977, much later than Kerala's 1957 election.
Option (c) Tripura — Incorrect: Tripura also had communist rule but not the world's first democratically elected communist government.
Option (d) Andhra Pradesh — Incorrect: Andhra Pradesh has never had a communist state government.

Correct Answer: 1849 — Option (c)
Punjab was annexed by the British East India Company in 1849, following the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-1849). After the defeat of the Sikh forces at the Battle of Gujrat (February 1849), the Sikh Empire collapsed and Punjab was formally annexed on 29 March 1849 by Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor-General of India.
Option (a) 1836 — Incorrect: In 1836, the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh was still at its peak.
Option (b) 1841 — Incorrect: The First Anglo-Sikh War did not begin until 1845; there was no annexation in 1841.
Option (d) 1856 — Incorrect: By 1856, Punjab had already been under British rule for seven years.

Correct Answer: 1854 — Option (b)
Wood's Educational Dispatch of 1854, also known as the 'Magna Carta of English Education in India', was sent by Sir Charles Wood (President of the Board of Control) to Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India. It recommended establishing universities at Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta; teacher training institutions; and a comprehensive system of education from primary to university level. It is considered the foundation of modern education in India.
Option (a) 1830 — Incorrect: No such major educational dispatch was sent in 1830.
Option (c) 1861 — Incorrect: The universities recommended by Wood's Dispatch were established by 1857; 1861 was not the year of the dispatch.
Option (d) 1875 — Incorrect: The dispatch was sent over two decades earlier, in 1854.

Correct Answer: Expected years of healthy living — Option (b)
The World Happiness Report uses several key variables to measure happiness. Healthy life expectancy is measured as the expected number of years a person will live in good health (free from disease and disability). This metric is based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and represents the quality-adjusted years of life.
Option (a) Number of hospitals — Incorrect: The number of hospitals is not a direct indicator used in the Happiness Index for life expectancy.
Option (c) Total fertility rate — Incorrect: Total fertility rate measures births per woman and is unrelated to healthy life expectancy.
Option (d) Average years of schooling — Incorrect: This is a component of the Human Development Index (HDI), not of the healthy life expectancy measure in the Happiness Index.

Correct Answer: Extending credit to agriculture, small industries, and priority sectors — Option (d)
On 19 July 1969, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi nationalized 14 major commercial banks. The primary objective was to direct bank credit towards agriculture, small-scale industries, and other priority sectors that were previously neglected by private banks, which largely served urban and industrial clients. This was also aimed at reducing economic inequality and expanding financial inclusion.
Option (a) Promoting exports — Incorrect: Export promotion was not the stated primary aim of bank nationalization in 1969.
Option (b) Controlling inflation — Incorrect: Controlling inflation was not the primary driver of bank nationalization.
Option (c) Reducing foreign investment — Incorrect: Nationalization of domestic banks had no direct connection to reducing foreign investment.

Correct Answer: Ricardo — Option (d)
The theory of Comparative Advantage was developed by David Ricardo, the English economist, in his 1817 work 'On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation'. The theory states that a country should specialize in producing and exporting goods in which it has a lower opportunity cost (comparative advantage), even if another country has an absolute advantage in producing all goods.
Option (a) Keynes — Incorrect: John Maynard Keynes is known for Keynesian economics (demand-side management), not comparative advantage.
Option (b) Adam Smith — Incorrect: Adam Smith gave the concept of Absolute Advantage, not comparative advantage.
Option (c) Hicks — Incorrect: John Hicks is known for IS-LM model and consumer theory, not comparative advantage.

Correct Answer: They prioritize wider socio-economic developmental objectives — Option (d)
Public sector industries (PSUs — Public Sector Undertakings) in India were established with the primary objective of achieving socio-economic development — including self-reliance in key industries, balanced regional development, employment generation, and providing essential goods/services at affordable prices. The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 emphasized the role of the public sector in national development rather than profit alone.
Option (a) — Incorrect: PSUs are not primarily set up for export promotion; their orientation is domestic development.
Option (b) — Incorrect: Profit maximization is the goal of private enterprises; PSUs balance social welfare with commercial viability.
Option (c) — Incorrect: PSUs are under government (Indian state) ownership and control, not foreign ownership.

Correct Answer: 77% — Option (a)
According to a 2024 WHO/UNICEF report, approximately 77% of children aged 6-23 months in India do not receive a minimally diverse diet as recommended by WHO guidelines. A diverse diet for children in this age group should include at least 5 out of 8 food groups. This high proportion reflects significant concerns about child nutrition and dietary diversity in India.
Option (b) 12% — Incorrect: 12% would indicate a much better nutritional situation, which is not the case.
Option (c) 90% — Incorrect: While the situation is severe, the figure reported is 77%, not 90%.
Option (d) 32% — Incorrect: This figure significantly underestimates the scale of dietary diversity deficiency reported.