SSC GD 2026 8 May 2026 Shift 2 GK Questions – with answers & solutions

Correct Answer: Tamil Nadu — Option (b)
Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest and most celebrated classical dance forms of India, originating in Tamil Nadu. It evolved from the Devadasi tradition of temple dance in ancient Tamil Nadu, particularly in the temples of the Chola and Vijayanagara kingdoms. It was codified from the Natya Shastra and Abhinaya Darpana. The dance was revived in the 20th century by artists like Rukmini Devi Arundale at the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai.
Option (a) Karnataka — Incorrect: Karnataka is home to Yakshagana (folk) and has some Bharatanatyam practitioners, but Bharatanatyam originated in Tamil Nadu.
Option (c) Gujarat — Incorrect: Gujarat's classical art forms include Garba and Dandiya; Bharatanatyam did not originate here.
Option (d) Maharashtra — Incorrect: Maharashtra has its own dance traditions like Lavani and Tamasha; Bharatanatyam's origin is in Tamil Nadu.

Correct Answer: Four days — Option (c)
Chhath Puja is a major Hindu festival celebrated primarily in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal. It spans four days: Day 1 — Nahay Khay (ritual bath and meal); Day 2 — Kharna (day-long fast followed by prasad at night); Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya (evening offering to the setting Sun); Day 4 — Usha Arghya (morning offering to the rising Sun). The festival is dedicated to Surya (Sun god) and Chhathi Maiya.
Option (a) Two days — Incorrect: Chhath Puja is a four-day festival, not two days.
Option (b) Three days — Incorrect: Chhath Puja spans four days, not three.
Option (d) Seven days — Incorrect: Seven-day festivals include some forms of Navratri; Chhath Puja lasts four days.

Correct Answer: 10 — Option (c)
The United Nations Security Council has 15 members in total: 5 Permanent Members (P5) — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China — who hold veto power, and 10 Non-Permanent Members elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms on a rotational basis. The non-permanent seats are distributed among regional groups: Africa (3), Asia-Pacific (2), Latin America and Caribbean (2), Western Europe and Others (2), and Eastern Europe (1).
Option (a) 5 — Incorrect: 5 is the number of permanent members (P5), not the non-permanent members.
Option (b) 7 — Incorrect: The UN Security Council does not have 7 non-permanent members; the correct number is 10.
Option (d) 15 — Incorrect: 15 is the total membership of the Security Council (5 permanent + 10 non-permanent), not the number of non-permanent members alone.

Correct Answer: 1936 — Option (c)
India joined the International Badminton Federation (IBF), now known as the Badminton World Federation (BWF), in 1936. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the national governing body for badminton in India. India has produced legendary badminton players including Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, and Lakshya Sen.
Option (a) 1932 — Incorrect: India did not join the international badminton federation in 1932; the correct year is 1936.
Option (b) 1934 — Incorrect: The International Badminton Federation was founded in 1934, but India joined in 1936, not at its founding.
Option (d) 1938 — Incorrect: India joined the IBF in 1936, not 1938.

Correct Answer: 19.19 seconds — Option (b)
The men's 200 metre sprint world record of 19.19 seconds is held by Usain Bolt of Jamaica, set at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany. Bolt also holds the 100 metre world record (9.58 seconds). His 200m record of 19.19 seconds has remained unbroken as of 31 July 2025, making it one of the longest-standing records in athletics.
Option (a) 18.19 seconds — Incorrect: 18.19 seconds is faster than any human has ever run 200 metres ; this is not the world record.
Option (c) 20.19 seconds — Incorrect: 20.19 seconds is slower than Usain Bolt's world record of 19.19 seconds.
Option (d) 21.19 seconds — Incorrect: 21.19 seconds is significantly slower than the world record; it does not represent the men's 200m world record.

Correct Answer: Noot — Option (a)
Noot (also spelled 'Nout') is a traditional solid percussion instrument from Kashmir. It is shaped like a clay pot (earthen pot/ gharha ) made from smooth clay and is an idiophone — it produces sound by being struck. The Noot is used in traditional Kashmiri folk music and cultural performances, particularly in the Sufi and folk music traditions of the Kashmir Valley.
Option (b) Kasale — Incorrect: Kasale is not the clay-pot-shaped instrument from Kashmir described in the question.
Option (c) Esraj — Incorrect: Esraj is a bowed string instrument popular in Bengal and parts of North India; it is not a clay-pot-shaped percussion instrument from Kashmir.
Option (d) Pepa — Incorrect: Pepa is a wind instrument (horn) made from buffalo horn, traditionally associated with Assam and the Bihu festival; it is not from Kashmir.

Correct Answer: Ashim Kumar Ghosh — Option (d)
Ashim Kumar Ghosh was appointed as the Governor of Haryana in 2025. He is a retired IPS officer who served in senior positions in the central government. His appointment as Governor of Haryana was part of a broader reshuffle of governors across several states by the Government of India.
Option (a) Kavinder Gupta — Incorrect: Kavinder Gupta served as the Governor of Mizoram and later other roles; he was not appointed Governor of Haryana in 2025.
Option (b) Manoj Kumar Singh — Incorrect: Manoj Kumar Singh is a senior IAS officer and served as Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh; he was not the Haryana Governor in 2025.
Option (c) Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju — Incorrect: He is a politician from Andhra Pradesh and was a Union Minister; he was not the Haryana Governor in 2025.

Correct Answer: Parag Jain — Option (d)
Parag Jain, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was appointed as the head (Secretary) of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — India's external intelligence agency — in 2025. RAW, established in 1968, is responsible for gathering foreign intelligence, conducting counter-terrorism operations, and advising the government on national security matters related to external threats.
Option (a) Ravi Sinha — Incorrect: Ravi Sinha served as the chief of RAW before Parag Jain's appointment; he was the predecessor.
Option (b) Praveen Sood — Incorrect: Praveen Sood served as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), not as the head of RAW in 2025.
Option (c) Ajay Kumar — Incorrect: There are multiple senior officials with this name in the Indian government; none were the RAW chief in 2025.

Correct Answer: Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Mahila Startup Yojana — Option (a)
The Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Mahila Startup Yojana was launched by the Maharashtra government in September 2024 to support early-stage women-led startups. The scheme is named after the legendary Maratha queen and administrator Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. It provides financial support, mentoring, and incubation assistance to women entrepreneurs in their initial stages of business development.
Option (b) Acharya Chanakya Kaushal Vikas Yojana — Incorrect: This is a skill development scheme for youth in Maharashtra; it is not specifically for women-led startups.
Option (c) Maharashtra Innovation Startup Initiative — Incorrect: This is not the name of the scheme launched in September 2024 for women-led startups in Maharashtra.
Option (d) Maha-Fund Startup Sahayata Yojana — Incorrect: This is not the official name of the scheme launched for women startups in Maharashtra in 2024.

Correct Answer: 5 — Option (c)
India's planned Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS — Indian Space Station) is designed to have 5 modules. ISRO plans to establish this space station by 2035, with the first module to be launched around 2028. The station will orbit at an altitude of approximately 400 km and will support both scientific research and human spaceflight missions as part of India's Gaganyaan human space programme .
Option (a) 3 — Incorrect: The Indian Space Station is planned with 5 modules, not 3.
Option (b) 4 — Incorrect: The planned number of modules for the Bharatiya Antariksha Station is 5, not 4.
Option (d) 6 — Incorrect: The Indian Space Station design includes 5 modules, not 6.

Correct Answer: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru — Option (c)
In July 2025, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, conducted a landmark study in India to map the biological, social, and lifestyle indicators driving ageing in the Indian population. The study examined biomarkers of ageing across diverse demographic groups in India to understand how ageing patterns differ from Western populations and to identify factors that accelerate or decelerate the ageing process in Indians.
Option (a) CDRI, Lucknow — Incorrect: The Central Drug Research Institute focuses on drug discovery and development; it did not conduct this particular ageing study in July 2025.
Option (b) NIN, Hyderabad — Incorrect: The National Institute of Nutrition focuses on nutrition and dietary science; this ageing mapping study was not conducted by NIN.
Option (d) TIFR, Mumbai — Incorrect: TIFR focuses on fundamental research in natural sciences and mathematics; the ageing study in question was conducted by IISc Bengaluru.

Correct Answer: Humidity — Option (a)
Humidity is the measure of water vapour (water in gaseous form) present in the air. It is expressed in two ways: Absolute Humidity (mass of water vapour per unit volume of air) and Relative Humidity (ratio of actual water vapour to the maximum possible water vapour at that temperature, expressed as a percentage). Humidity is measured using a hygrometer or psychrometer.
Option (b) Density — Incorrect: Density measures mass per unit volume of a substance; it does not specifically measure water in air.
Option (c) Temperature — Incorrect: Temperature measures the degree of hotness or coldness; it does not measure water content in air.
Option (d) Pressure — Incorrect: Pressure measures force per unit area; atmospheric pressure is not a measure of water content in air.

Correct Answer: Tehri Dam — Option (c)
Tehri Dam, built on the Bhagirathi river in Uttarakhand, is the tallest dam in India and one of the tallest dams in the world, standing at a height of 260.5 metres (855 feet). It is also the largest hydropower project in India. The dam forms the Tehri reservoir (Tehri Lake) which is the largest reservoir in India by capacity. The project serves purposes of irrigation, municipal water supply, and electricity generation.
Option (a) Bhakra Nangal Dam — Incorrect: Bhakra Dam (on the Sutlej river in Himachal Pradesh) is 226 metres tall — significant, but shorter than Tehri Dam.
Option (b) Hirakud Dam — Incorrect: Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi river in Odisha is one of the longest dams in the world but not the tallest in India.
Option (d) Sardar Sarovar Dam — Incorrect: Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river in Gujarat is 163 metres tall — shorter than Tehri Dam.

Correct Answer: Only I — Option (a)
Gir National Park (also known as Gir Forest National Park) is located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat and is the only natural habitat of the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) in the world. It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 and declared a national park in 1975.
Bandipur National Park is located in Karnataka (not Gujarat), on the foothills of the Nilgiri Hills. It is a Project Tiger reserve and part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Option (b) Only II — Incorrect: Bandipur is in Karnataka, not Gujarat.
Option (c) Both I and II — Incorrect: Only Gir is in Gujarat; Bandipur is in Karnataka.
Option (d) Neither I nor II — Incorrect: Gir National Park is indeed in Gujarat.

Correct Answer: It means Earth-like shape — Option (c)
The term 'Geoid' comes from the Greek word 'geo' meaning Earth and 'eidos' meaning shape/form — literally meaning 'Earth-shaped.' In geodesy, the geoid is the hypothetical shape of the Earth defined by mean sea level and its extension under land surfaces. It represents the true physical shape of the Earth based on gravitational and rotational forces, which is an oblate spheroid (slightly flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator).
Option (a) It means a large shape like the Sun — Incorrect: The Sun is a star and has no relation to the meaning of 'geoid'; geoid specifically means Earth-like shape.
Option (b) It means a planet without a moon — Incorrect: 'Geoid' has nothing to do with the presence or absence of a moon; it refers to Earth's shape.
Option (d) It means a black hole of large size — Incorrect: Black holes are collapsed stars; they have no relation to the concept of geoid.

Correct Answer: Perigee — Option (b)
Perigee is the point in the orbit of a satellite (or any object orbiting Earth) where it is closest to Earth — i.e., where the vertical distance from Earth's surface is minimum. Conversely, the point farthest from Earth is called the Apogee. For orbits around other celestial bodies, similar terms are used: Perihelion (closest to the Sun), Perilune (closest to the Moon), etc.
Option (a) Apogee — Incorrect: Apogee is the point where the satellite is farthest from Earth (maximum distance), opposite to Perigee.
Option (c) Inclination — Incorrect: Inclination refers to the angle between the orbital plane of a satellite and Earth's equatorial plane; it is not a specific orbital point.
Option (d) Lagrange Point — Incorrect: Lagrange Points are specific positions in space where the gravitational forces of two large bodies and the centrifugal force balance each other; they are not the closest orbital point to Earth.

Correct Answer: To increase the life of the filament — Option (c)
Chemically inert gases like nitrogen and argon are filled in electric bulbs primarily to increase the life of the tungsten filament. When the bulb is operational, the filament reaches very high temperatures (~2500°C). In vacuum, the tungsten evaporates rapidly. Inert gases like argon suppress the evaporation of tungsten from the filament, slow down the rate of filament deterioration, and thereby significantly increase the bulb's operational life. Argon is preferred as it reduces heat loss by convection less than nitrogen.
Option (a) To make the bulb heavier — Incorrect: The weight of the gas inside the bulb is negligible and has no practical purpose in making it heavier.
Option (b) To increase brightness of light — Incorrect: The inert gas does not increase brightness; the brightness depends on the filament's temperature and wattage.
Option (d) To reduce production cost — Incorrect: Using inert gases increases cost slightly; the purpose is to extend filament life, not reduce cost.

Correct Answer: In manufacturing of steel — Option (d)
Coke (metallurgical coke) is a solid carbonaceous material produced by heating coal in the absence of air (destructive distillation). Its primary use is in the manufacturing of steel and iron in blast furnaces. In the blast furnace, coke serves three purposes: (1) Fuel — it burns to generate the high temperatures required; (2) Reducing agent — CO produced from burning coke reduces iron ore (Fe2O3) to metalite iron; (3) Structural support — it supports the burden (iron ore + limestone) in the blast furnace.
Option (a) As fuel for residential cooling — Incorrect: Coke is not used for residential cooling; air conditioning uses refrigerants, and coke is an industrial fuel.
Option (b) As food preservative — Incorrect: Coke has no role as a food preservative; food preservatives include salt, vinegar, citric acid, etc.
Option (c) In production of pharmaceuticals — Incorrect: Pharmaceuticals are produced using chemical synthesis and biological processes; coke is not a pharmaceutical ingredient.