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SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness Syllabus

The General Awareness syllabus for SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) in full: 6 chapters, 28 topics and 44 sub-topics, every one listed below, plus 50 General Awareness flashcards with answers.

6Chapters

28Topics

44Sub-topics

50Flashcards

General Awareness syllabus: all 6 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

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
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
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
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
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
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

SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness flashcards — 50 questions with answers

Which Indus Valley Civilization site, located in Gujarat, is known for its dockyard, indicating maritime trade?
Lothal.
Name the four Vedas of ancient India.
Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.
Who founded the Maurya Empire, and in which year (approx)?
Chandragupta Maurya, around 322 BCE.
Which Mauryan emperor embraced Buddhism after the Kalinga War (261 BCE)?
Ashoka the Great.
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.)
Who wrote the Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft and economy?
Kautilya (also known as Chanakya or Vishnugupta), advisor to Chandragupta Maurya.
Who founded the Delhi Sultanate's first dynasty (Slave/Mamluk dynasty) in 1206?
Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
List the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in order.
Slave (Mamluk), Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi dynasties.
Who founded the Mughal Empire by defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat (1526)?
Babur.
Which Mughal emperor introduced the Din-i-Ilahi and the Mansabdari system?
Akbar.
Which Vijayanagara ruler is considered its greatest, presiding over its golden age?
Krishnadevaraya (of the Tuluva dynasty).
The Battle of Plassey (1757) established British dominance in Bengal. Who did Robert Clive defeat?
Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal.
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).
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.
Who founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 and campaigned against Sati?
Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
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).
In which year and city was the Indian National Congress founded, and by whom?
1885 in Bombay, founded by A.O. Hume.
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.
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.
Which 1942 movement had the slogan 'Do or Die'?
The Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolan), launched by Mahatma Gandhi.

Show the other 30 General Awareness flashcards

Who founded the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) in its reorganized form?
Subhas Chandra Bose (Netaji), who gave the slogan 'Give me blood and I will give you freedom.'
What is the easternmost and westernmost longitude range of India, and the standard meridian?
India lies between 68°7'E and 97°25'E; the Standard Meridian (IST) is 82°30'E, passing through Mirzapur (UP).
Name the highest mountain peak in India.
Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), in Sikkim. (K2 lies in the disputed PoK region.)
Which river is the longest river in India, and where does it originate?
The Ganga (Ganges); it originates from the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand.
Which line of latitude passes roughly through the middle of India, and how many states does it cross?
The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N); it passes through 8 Indian states.
What is the southernmost point of mainland India and of Indian territory?
Mainland: Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin); Indian territory: Indira Point in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Which soil type is most widespread in India and ideal for cotton cultivation?
Black soil (Regur soil), found mainly in the Deccan plateau (Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP).
Name the three major coal-producing states of India.
Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
Which Indian state is the largest producer of tea?
Assam.
What are the two main types of monsoon winds affecting India?
The South-West (summer) monsoon, which brings most rainfall, and the North-East (winter/retreating) monsoon.
What is the largest continent and the largest ocean on Earth?
Largest continent: Asia; largest ocean: the Pacific Ocean.
What is the longest river in the world and the largest river by discharge?
Longest: the Nile (some count the Amazon); largest by water discharge: the Amazon.
What is the imaginary line at 0° longitude called, and where does it pass?
The Prime Meridian, passing through Greenwich, England.
Which lines on a map join places of equal rainfall and equal temperature respectively?
Equal rainfall: isohyets; equal temperature: isotherms.
What are the three layers of the Earth's interior from outside to inside?
Crust, mantle, and core (the core has an outer liquid and inner solid part).
Define a food chain and the role of a producer in it.
A food chain is the sequence of energy transfer from one organism to another by eating; producers (green plants/autotrophs) convert solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis, forming the base.
What is biodiversity, and what are its three main levels?
Biodiversity is the variety of life forms; its three levels are genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
Which gases are the main greenhouse gases responsible for global warming?
Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), water vapour, and CFCs.
What does an 'Endangered' species mean in the IUCN Red List classification?
A species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future (more threatened than 'Vulnerable,' less than 'Critically Endangered').
Which committee/body drafted the Indian Constitution, and who chaired the Drafting Committee?
The Constituent Assembly drafted it; Dr. B.R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee.
How long did it take to frame the Indian Constitution, and when did it come into force?
2 years, 11 months, and 18 days; it came into force on 26 January 1950 (Republic Day).
From which countries did India borrow the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy?
Fundamental Rights: from the USA; Directive Principles (DPSP): from Ireland.
How many Fundamental Rights are currently guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, and name them.
Six: Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Right against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational Rights, and Right to Constitutional Remedies.
Which Fundamental Right did Dr. Ambedkar call the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution?
The Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32).
Which amendment added the Fundamental Duties, and how many duties are there now?
The 42nd Amendment (1976) added Fundamental Duties (Article 51A); there are 11 duties (the 11th added by the 86th Amendment, 2002).
Which Article of the Constitution contains the Directive Principle on Uniform Civil Code?
Article 44.
Who is the constitutional head of the Indian Union Executive, and how is the President elected?
The President of India; elected indirectly by an electoral college (elected MPs and MLAs) through proportional representation by single transferable vote.
What are the two houses of the Indian Parliament, and what are their maximum strengths?
Lok Sabha (House of the People), max 552; and Rajya Sabha (Council of States), max 250.
What is the minimum age to become a member of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha?
Lok Sabha: 25 years; Rajya Sabha: 30 years.
What is the structure of the Indian judiciary, and who heads it?
A single integrated system: the Supreme Court at the top, headed by the Chief Justice of India, followed by High Courts and subordinate (district) courts.

SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness FAQ

What is in the SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness syllabus?

SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness is split into 6 chapters: History, Geography, Indian Polity and Constitution, Economics, General Science and Current Affairs and Static GK. Together they contain 28 topics and 44 sub-topics.

How many chapters are in SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness?

6 chapters, containing 28 topics and 44 sub-topics. The largest chapter is Indian Polity and Constitution, with 6 topics.

Are there flashcards for SSC CGL (Combined Graduate Level) General Awareness?

Yes — a 50-card General Awareness deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.