STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION TAX ASSISTANT 2009 SOLVED PAPER

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GENERAL AWARENESS

1. Who was the first Indian woman to scale the Mount Everest ?
(A) Bachhendri Pal
(B) Phew Dorajee
(C) Onn Saang Su Kayi
(D) Yoko Ono
Ans : (A)
2. Epicentre is concerned with—
(A) Earthquake
(B) Volcano
(C) Cyclone
(D) Land-sliding
Ans : (A)
3. Name of S. Chandrashekhar is associated with which of the following subjects ?
(A) Cosmology
(B) Chemistry
(C) Fluid Mechanics
(D) Astrophysics
Ans : (D)
4. Which scale is used to measure the intensity of earthquake ?
(A) Richter
(B) Metric
(C) Centigrade
(D) Newton
Ans : (A)
5. Who was the only Indian woman to be elected as the President of U.N. General Assembly ?
(A) Vijayalakshmi Pandit
(B) V. K. Krishna Menon
(C) Jawaharlal Nehru
(D) Rajeshwar Dayal
Ans : (A)
6. Sea-coast of which of the following states is the longest ?
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Orissa
(D) Tamil Nadu
Ans : (A)
7. ‘RAF’ is the abbreviated form of which of the following ?
(A) Ready Action Force
(B) Rapid Action Force
(C) Reverse Action Force
(D) Repeat Action Force
Ans : (B)
8. Bolometer is used to measure which of the following ?
(A) Frequency
(B) Temperature
(C) Velocity
(D) Wavelength
Ans : (B)
9. Tehri dam is built on which of the following rivers ?
(A) Ganga
(B) Brahmputra
(C) Bhagirathi
(D) Yamuna
Ans : (C)
10. Which of the following is incorrect ?
(A) AIDS is a retroviral disease
(B) AIDS disease spreads due to homosexual and bisexual relations
(C) AIDS was first diagnosed in 1981 in USA
(D) Due to AIDS, ano-genetal warts are formed
Ans : (C)
11. Who lost the AFC (Asian Football Confederation Final, 2008 to India) ?
(A) Myanmar
(B) Sri Lanka
(C) Pakistan
(D) Tajikistan
Ans : (D)
12. Who won the U.S. Open Tennis Men’s Singles in August 2008 ?
(A) Roger Federer
(B) Rafael Nadal
(C) Mahesh Bhupati
(D) None of the above
Ans : (A)
13. After the terrorist attack of 26th November, 2008 in Mumbai, who was appointed as the Home Minister of India ?
(A) Sh. Shivraj Patil
(B) Sh. Pranab Mukherjee
(C) Sh. P. Chidambaram
(D) Sh. A.K. Anthony
Ans : (C)
14. Which one of the following has been appointed as the Secretary of State by Barack Obama, President of U.S.A. ?
(A) Hillary Clinton
(B) Joe Biden
(C) Condoleezza Rice
(D) Ben Porritt
Ans : (A)
15. Name the winner of the Sanjay Chopra National Award for Bravery 2008—
(A) Saumika Mishra
(B) Santosh Sen
(C) Amit Kumar
(D) Pappu
Ans : (A)
16. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2006 was awarded by the President of India to—
(A) Tapan Sinha
(B) Madhur Bhandarkar
(C) Dilip Kumar
(D) Lata Mangeshkar
Ans : (A)
17. The concept of the Directive Principles of State Policy was borrowed by our Constitution from the Constitution of—
(A) U.S.A.
(B) Canada
(C) U.S.S.R.
(D) Ireland
Ans : (D)
18. ‘Jeevan Aastha’—a scheme relating to investment and saving, was launched during 2008-09, by—
(A) Tata AIG
(B) ICICI Prudential
(C) Bajaj Allianz
(D) LIC
Ans : (D)
19. The three medals that Indians won in the Beijing Olympics were in—
(A) Shooting, Boxing and Wrestling
(B) Shooting, Boxing and Archery
(C) Shooting, Wrestling and Tennis
(D) Shooting, Boxing and Hockey
Ans : (A)
20. ATM stands for—
(A) Automatic Teller Machine
(B) Automated Teller Machine
(C) Automatic Tally Machine
(D) Automated Tally Mechanism
Ans : (A)
21. There is no provision in the Constitution for the impeachment of the—
(A) Chief Justice of India
(B) Chief Justice of a High Court
(C) Governor
(D) Vice President
Ans : (C)
22. Only one of the following can be the ex-officio Chairman of the Planning Commission. He is the—
(A) Minister for Planning and Development
(B) Home Minister
(C) Prime Minister
(D) Finance Minister
Ans : (C)
23. The train service—‘Thar Express’ between India and Pakistan, originates in India from—
(A) Jaisalmer
(B) Jodhpur
(C) Bikaner
(D) Barmer
Ans : (D)
24. Which one of the following cricketers has been awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2007 ?
(A) Sachin Tendulkar
(B) Saurav Ganguly
(C) M.S. Dhoni
(D) Virender Sehwag
Ans : (C)
25. Garba is a dance form of—
(A) Gujarat
(B) Rajasthan
(C) Orissa
(D) Assam
Ans : (A)
26. Which one of the following countries has become the world leader in the carbon credit business in 2007 ?
(A) India
(B) Brazil
(C) Mexico
(D) China
Ans : (D)
27. Who is named as the Flying Sikh of India ?
(A) Mohinder Singh
(B) Ajit Pal Singh
(C) Joginder Singh
(D) Milkha Singh
Ans : (D)
28. Find the odd one (with reference of 26th January 2009 awards).
(A) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
(B) Harbhajan Singh
(C) Pankaj Advani
(D) Abhinav Bindra
Ans : (B)
29. Fundamental Rights are not given to—
(A) Bankrupt persons
(B) Aliens
(C) Persons suffering from incurable disease
(D) Political sufferers
Ans : (B)
30. Which is the lowest layer of the atmosphere ?
(A) Troposphere
(B) Stratosphere
(C) Mesosphere
(D) Thermosphere
Ans : (A)
31. Which of the following, according to Mahatma Gandhi, is the strongest force in the world ?
(A) Non-violence of the brave
(B) Non-violence of the weak
(C) Non-violence of the coward
(D) Non-violence of the downtrodden
Ans : (A)
32. Why was the name of Kuber Singh, a 17-year old student of G.D. Goenka World School, in the news on 20th January 2009 ?
(A) He was declared as the winner of the Sanjay Chopra Award
(B) He broke the record for fastest memorising of a 9 digit number
(C) He witnessed the Swearingin-Ceremony of President Barack Obama of USA, as an official invitee
(D) He solved the crossword puzzle of the famous USA magazine
Ans : (C)
33. What is the tenure of the Prime Minister of India ?
(A) Conterminous with the tenure of the Lok Sabha
(B) Conterminous with the tenure of the President
(C) As long as he enjoys the support of a majority in the Lok Sabha
(D) Five years
Ans : (C)
34. What was the reason for Gandhiji’s support to decentralization of power ?
(A) Decentralisation ensures more participation of the people into democracy
(B) India had decentralisation of power in the past
(C) Decentralisation was essential for the economic development of the country
(D) Decentralisation can prevent communalism
Ans : (C)
35. Consent of the people means consent of—
(A) A few people
(B) All people
(C) Majority of the people
(D) Leader of the people
Ans : (C)
36. For how many categories has A. R. Rehman, the Golden Globe Award Winner for original sound track in the film ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ been nominated at the Oscars ?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 9
Ans : (C)
37. Which of the following is not a Panchayati Raj Institution ?
(A) Gram Sabha
(B) Gram Panchayat
(C) Gram Cooperative Society
(D) Nyaya Panchayat
Ans : (C)
38. Who among the following were members of the Swaraj Party ?
1. Motilal Nehru
2. Sardar Patel
3. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 1 only
(C) 2 and 3
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (B)
39. Match the following—
Union Territory
(a) Puducherry
(b) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(c) Lakshadweep
(d) Daman and Diu
Jurisdiction (High Court)
1. Kerala
2. Bombay
3. Madras
4. Calcutta
(a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 3 4 1 2
(B) 1 3 4 2
(C) 1 2 3 4
(D) 1 4 3 2
Ans : (A)
40. Which of the following is an extra-constitutional and nonstatutory body ?
(A) Finance Commission
(B) Planning Commission
(C) Union Public Service Commission
(D) Election Commission
Ans : (B)
41. Which of the following is true regarding ‘No Confidence Motion’ in the Parliament ?
1. There is no mention of it in the Constitution.
2. A period of six months must lapse between the introduction of one ‘No Confidence Motion’ and another.
3. Atleast 100 persons must support such a motion before it is introduced in the House.
4. It can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only.
(A) 2 and 4
(B) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 1 and 4
Ans : (D)
42. Deep fried food materials are carcinogenic because they are rich in—
(A) Fats
(B) Hydrocarbons
(C) Cooking oil
(D) Nicotine
Ans : (A)
43. The toxicity of which of the following heavy metals leads to liver cirrhosis ?
(A) Copper
(B) Lead
(C) Mercury
(D) Zinc
Ans : (A)
44. If the radius of blood vessels of a person decreases his/her blood pressure will—
(A) increase
(B) decrease
(C) remain unaffected
(D) increase for males and decrease for females
Ans : (A)
45. Cell or tissue death within a living body is called as—
(A) Neutrophilia
(B) Nephrosis
(C) Necrosis
(D) Neoplasia
Ans : (A)
46. Insufficient blood supply in human body is referred as—
(A) Ischemia
(B) Hyperemia
(C) Hemostasis
(D) Hemorrhage
Ans : (A)
47. Typhoid is caused by—
(A) Pseudomonas sp.
(B) Staphylococcus
(C) Bacillus
(D) Salmonella typhi
Ans : (D)
48. BCG immunization is for—
(A) Measles
(B) Tuberculosis
(C) Diphtheria
(D) Leprosy
Ans : (B)
49. Besides carbohydrates, a major source of energy in our food is constituted by—
(A) Proteins
(B) Fats
(C) Minerals
(D) Vitamins
Ans : (B)
50. The limb bones of children become bent if there is deficiency of vitamin—
(A) A
(B) B1
(C) D
(D) E
Ans : (C)
51. The process of removing calcium and magnesium from hard water is known as—
(A) Sedimentation
(B) Filtration
(C) Flocculation
(D) Water softening
Ans : (D)
52. Major gaseous pollutant of the thermal power station is—
(A) H2S
(B) NH3
(C) NO2
(D) SO2
Ans : (D)
53. Leprosy bacillus was discovered by—
(A) Koch
(B) Hansen
(C) Fleming
(D) Harvey
Ans : (B)
54. Where are the traces of Portuguese culture found in India ?
(A) Goa
(B) Calicut
(C) Cannanore
(D) Cochin
Ans : (B)
55. Who, of the following, was awarded ‘Ashok Chakra’ on 26th January, 2009 ?
1. Hemant Karkare
2. M. C. Sharma
3. Gajendra Singh
4. Vijay Salaskar
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 1, 2 and 4
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) All the above
Ans : (D)
56. Who laid the wreath at the ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ (India Gate) on 26th January 2009 ?
(A) Prime Minister
(B) Defence Minister
(C) Home Minister
(D) Minister for External Affairs
Ans : (B)
57. The British introduced the railways in India in order to—
(A) Promote heavy industries in India
(B) Facilitate British commerce and administrative control
(C) Move foodstuff in case of famine
(D) Enable Indians to move freely within the country
Ans : (B)
58. According to Dadabhai Naoroji ‘Swaraj’ meant—
(A) Complete independence
(B) Self government
(C) Economic independence
(D) Political independence
Ans : (C)
59. Which religious reformer of Western India was known as ‘Lokhitwadi’ ?
(A) Gopal Hari Deshmukh
(B) R. G. Bhandarkar
(C) Mahadev Govind Ranade
(D) B. G. Tilak
Ans : (A)
60. Which event brought about a profound change in Ashoka’s administrative policy ?
(A) The third Buddhist Council
(B) The Kalinga War
(C) His embracing of Buddhism
(D) His sending of missionary to Ceylon
Ans : (B)
61. In which of the following states was President’s Rule imposed during the month of January, 2009 ?
(A) Uttarakhand
(B) Meghalaya
(C) Mizoram
(D) Jharkhand
Ans : (D)
62. Who was the first Governor-General of Bengal ?
(A) Robert Clive
(B) Warren Hastings
(C) William Bentinck
(D) Cornwallis
Ans : (B)
63. In which state was the Nalanda University located in India ?
(A) Bengal
(B) Bihar
(C) Orissa
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Ans : (B)
64. Match the following—
List-I
(a) Tughlaqabad Fort
(b) Red Fort (at Delhi)
(c) Hauz Khas
(d) The City of Siri
List-II
1. Alauddin Khilji
2. Shah Jahan
3. Firoz Shah Tughlaq
4. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq
(a) (b) (c) (d)

(A) 1 2 3 4
(B) 4 2 3 1
(C) 4 3 2 1
(D) 3 1 4 2
Ans : (B)
65. Which of the following are correctly matched ?
Persons—Events
1. Sultan Mahmud—Sack of Somnath
2. Muhammad Ghori—Conquest of Sindh
3. Alauddin Khilji—Revolt in Bengal
4. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq—Changiz Khan’s invasion
(A) 1 and 3
(B) 2 only
(C) 1 only
(D) 2 and 4
Ans : ()
66. Which of the undermentioned facts about Taj Mahal is not correct ?
(A) It is a magnificent mausoleum
(B) It was built by Shah Jahan
(C) It is situated outside Agra Fort
(D) The names of artisans who built it are engraved on it
Ans : (D)
67. Where did Babar die ?
(A) Agra
(B) Kabul
(C) Lahore
(D) Delhi
Ans : (A)
68. The present Indian monetary system is based on—
(A) Gold Reserve System
(B) Proportional Reserve System
(C) Convertible Currency System
(D) Minimum Reserve System
Ans : (D)
69. A situation where we have people whose level of income is not sufficient to meet the minimum consumption expenditure is considered as—
(A) Absolute Poverty
(B) Relative Poverty
(C) Urban Poverty
(D) Rural Poverty
Ans : (A)
70. Full convertibility of a rupee means—
(A) Purchase of foreign exchange for rupees freely
(B) Payment for imports in terms of rupees
(C) Repayment of loans in terms of rupees
(D) Determination of rate of exchange between rupee and foreign currencies freely by the market forces of demand and supply
Ans : (D)
71. India is called a mixed economy because of the existence of—
1. Public Sector
2. Private Sector
3. Joint Sector
4. Cooperative Sector
(A) 1, 4
(B) 1, 2
(C) 3, 4
(D) 2, 4
Ans : (B)
72. The term stagflation refers to a situation where—
(A) Growth has no relation with the change in prices
(B) Rate of growth and prices both are decreasing
(C) Rate of growth is faster than the rate of price increase
(D) Rate of growth is slower than the rate of price increase
Ans : (D)

73. Which is the largest state of India, populationwise, according to 2001 census ?
(A) Maharashtra
(B) Bihar
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) West Bengal
Ans : (C)
74. The term ‘Green Revolution’ has been used to indicate higher production through—
(A) Creation of grasslands
(B) Planting more trees
(C) Enhanced agricultural productivity per hectare
(D) Creation of gardens in urban areas
Ans : (C)
75. Revealed Preference Theory was propounded by—
(A) Adam Smith
(B) Marshall
(C) P. A. Samuelson
(D) J. S. Mill
Ans : (C)

76. Gross Domestic Product is defined as the value of all—
(A) Goods produced in an economy in a year
(B) Goods and services produced in an economy in a year
(C) Final goods produced in an economy in a year
(D) Final goods and services produced in an economy in a year
Ans : (D)
77. An exceptional demand curve is one that moves—
(A) Upward to the right
(B) Downward to the right
(C) Horizontally
(D) Vertically
Ans : (A)
78. Production function explains the relationship between—
(A) Initial inputs and ultimate output
(B) Inputs and ultimate consumption
(C) Output and consumption
(D) Output and exports
Ans : (A)
79. Who has been appointed the Governor of RBI after the retirement of Shri Y. V. Reddy ?
(A) Dr. Indra Rangarajan
(B) Dr. Dilip Sanghvi
(C) Dr. Vijay L. Kelkar
(D) Shri D. Subbarao
Ans : (D)
80. The Draft of the Five Year Plans in India is approved by the—
(A) National Development Council
(B) Planning Commission
(C) National Productivity Council
(D) Ministry of Finance
Ans : (A)
81. In Economics the terms ‘Utility’ and ‘Usefulness’ have—
(A) Same meaning
(B) Different meaning
(C) Opposite meaning
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)
82. Nature of unemployment in agriculture in India is—
(A) Only seasonal
(B) Only disguised
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) None of the above
Ans : (C)
83. Among the following the celestial body farthest from the Earth is—
(A) Saturn
(B) Uranus
(C) Neptune
(D) Pluto
Ans : (D)
84. A soap bubble shows colours when illuminated with white light. This is due to—
(A) Diffraction
(B) Polarisation
(C) Interference
(D) Reflection
Ans : (C)
85. The instrument used to see the distant objects on the Earth is—
(A) Terrestrial telescope
(B) Astronomical telescope
(C) Compound microscope
(D) Simple microscope
Ans : (A)
86. A person is hurt on kicking a stone due to—
(A) Inertia
(B) Velocity
(C) Reaction
(D) Momentum
Ans : (C)
87. The fuse in our domestic electric circuit melts when there is a high rise in—
(A) Inductance
(B) Current
(C) Resistance
(D) Capacitance
Ans : (B)
88. Which of the following is an example for cantilever beam ?
(A) Diving board
(B) Bridge
(C) See-saw
(D) Common balance
Ans : (A)
89. It is difficult to cook rice—
(A) At the top of a mountain
(B) At the sea level
(C) Under a mine
(D) Same anywhere
Ans : (A)
90. A dynamo is a device which—
(A) creates mechanical energy
(B) creates electrical energy
(C) Converts mechanical energy into electrical energy
(D) Converts electrical energy into mechanical energy
Ans : (C)
91. X-rays were discovered by—
(A) Becquerel
(B) Roentgen
(C) Marie Curie
(D) Van Lue
Ans : (B)
92. Which of the following substance is highly plastic ?
(A) Quartz
(B) Mica
(C) Granite
(D) Clay
Ans : (D)
93. The National Chemical Laboratory (India) is located in—
(A) Mumbai
(B) Bengaluru
(C) Hyderabad
(D) Pune
Ans : (D)
94. A medicine which promotes the secretion of urine is called—
(A) Adrenaline
(B) Monouretic
(C) Diuretic
(D) Triuretic
Ans : (C)
95. The chemicals released by one species of animals in order to attract the other members of the same species are—
(A) Hormones
(B) Nucleic acids
(C) Pheromones
(D) Steroids
Ans : (C)
96. The tip of the match-stick contains—
(A) Phosphorus pentoxide
(B) White phosphorus
(C) Red phosphorus
(D) Phosphorus trichloride
Ans : (C)
97. Match the source in Column B with the product of Column A.
Column A (Product)
(a) Formic acid
(b) Citric acid
(c) Tartaric acid
Column B (Source)
1. Lemon
2. Tamarind
3. Ants
(a) (b) (c)

(A) 3 2 1
(B) 3 1 2
(C) 2 3 1
(D) 2 1 3
Ans : (B)
98. Commercially, sodium bicarbonate is known as—
(A) Washing soda
(B) Baking soda
(C) Bleaching powder
(D) Soda ash
Ans : (B)
99. An emulsifier is an agent which—
(A) Stabilises an emulsion
(B) Aids the flocculation of an emulsion
(C) Accelerates the dispersion
(D) Homogenises an emulsion
Ans : (A)
100. Mortar is a mixture of water, sand and—
(A) Slaked lime
(B) Quick lime
(C) Limestone
(D) Gypsum
Ans : (A)