SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness Syllabus

General Awareness syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Awareness in SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   History

   4 topics

   • Ancient India
     • Indus Valley Civilization
     • Vedic period and Mahajanapadas
     • Mauryan and Gupta empires
   • Medieval India
     • Delhi Sultanate
     • Mughal Empire
     • Bhakti and Sufi movements
   • Modern India
     • British conquest and policies
     • Revolt of 1857
     • Socio-religious reform movements
   • Indian National Movement
     • Indian National Congress and moderates-extremists
     • Gandhian mass movements
     • Towards independence and partition
2. 2

   Geography

   4 topics

   • Physical Geography of India
     • Physiographic divisions
     • Rivers and drainage systems
     • Climate and monsoon
   • Economic Geography
     • Agriculture and cropping patterns
     • Minerals and industries
     • Transport and trade
   • World Geography
     • Continents, oceans and major landforms
     • Solar system and earth movements
   • Environment and Ecology
     • Ecosystems and biodiversity
     • National parks and wildlife sanctuaries
3. 3

   Indian Polity and Constitution

   6 topics

   • Making of the Constitution and Salient Features
   • Fundamental Rights, Duties and Directive Principles
   • Union Executive and Parliament
     • President, Vice-President and Prime Minister
     • Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
   • Judiciary
     • Supreme Court and High Courts
     • Judicial review and PIL
   • Centre-State Relations and Federalism
   • Constitutional and Statutory Bodies
     • Election Commission and CAG
     • UPSC, Finance Commission and NITI Aayog
4. 4

   Economics

   5 topics

   • Basic Concepts of Micro and Macroeconomics
   • National Income and Accounting
   • Money, Banking and Inflation
     • RBI and monetary policy
     • Types of inflation and price indices
   • Public Finance and Budget
     • Taxation and GST
     • Fiscal policy and deficits
   • Indian Economy and Planning
     • Five Year Plans and NITI Aayog
     • Poverty, unemployment and HDI
5. 5

   General Science

   4 topics

   • Physics
     • Motion, force and energy
     • Light, sound and electricity
   • Chemistry
     • Matter, atoms and periodic table
     • Acids, bases and everyday chemistry
   • Biology
     • Cell, tissues and human body systems
     • Nutrition, diseases and reproduction
   • Science and Technology
     • Space and defence technology
     • Information technology and biotechnology
6. 6

   Current Affairs and Static GK

   5 topics

   • National and International Current Events
   • Awards, Honours and Sports
   • Books, Authors and Important Days
   • Schemes, Reports and Indices
   • Static GK
     • Capitals, currencies and national symbols
     • Dances, festivals and important institutions

General Awareness flashcards for SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level)

19 of 50 cards from the General Awareness deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Which Indus Valley Civilization site, located in Gujarat, is known for its dockyard, indicating maritime trade?

   Lothal.

2. Name the four Vedas of ancient India.

   Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.

3. Who founded the Maurya Empire, and in which year (approx)?

   Chandragupta Maurya, around 322 BCE.

4. Which Mauryan emperor embraced Buddhism after the Kalinga War (261 BCE)?

   Ashoka the Great.

5. The Gupta period is called the 'Golden Age of India.' Name two scholars from this era.

   Kalidasa (poet/dramatist) and Aryabhata (mathematician-astronomer). (Also Varahamihira, Brahmagupta.)

6. Who wrote the Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft and economy?

   Kautilya (also known as Chanakya or Vishnugupta), advisor to Chandragupta Maurya.

7. Who founded the Delhi Sultanate's first dynasty (Slave/Mamluk dynasty) in 1206?

   Qutb-ud-din Aibak.

8. List the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in order.

   Slave (Mamluk), Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi dynasties.

9. Who founded the Mughal Empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat (1526)?

   Babur.

10. Which Mughal emperor introduced the Din-i-Ilahi and the Mansabdari system?

    Akbar.

11. Which Vijayanagara ruler is considered its greatest, presiding over its golden age?

    Krishnadevaraya (of the Tuluva dynasty).

12. The Battle of Plassey (1757) established British dominance in Bengal. Who did Robert Clive defeat?

    Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal.

13. Which 1764 battle made the British de facto rulers of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha?

    The Battle of Buxar (British defeated combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula, and Shah Alam II).

14. What was the Permanent Settlement of 1793, and who introduced it?

    A land revenue system fixing zamindars as landowners with a fixed permanent tax; introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal.

15. Who founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 and campaigned against Sati?

    Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

16. In which year did the Revolt of 1857 (First War of Independence) begin, and where did it start?

    1857, beginning at Meerut (sparked by the greased cartridge issue).

17. In which year and city was the Indian National Congress founded, and by whom?

    1885 in Bombay, founded by A.O. Hume.

18. What event triggered the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and who ordered the firing in 1919?

    Protest against the Rowlatt Act; firing was ordered by General Reginald Dyer.

19. Which 1930 event marked the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement led by Gandhi?

    The Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha), a 240-mile march to make salt against the salt law.

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