SSC CPO General Knowledge: important topics with facts to revise

Sashastra Seema Bal personnel marching during a Republic Day parade rehearsal
Photo: Ministry of Defence, Government of India (GODL-India), via Wikimedia Commons

The General Knowledge and General Awareness part of SSC CPO Paper I has 25 questions in 15 minutes. Because you cannot work out a GK answer, the best preparation is to know which areas carry the questions and to revise the facts that come up again and again. This list follows the official syllabus (history, culture, geography, economic scene, general polity including the Constitution, scientific research, and current events) and gives the facts most worth revising in each. For a week-by-week schedule, see the General Awareness revision plan.

History

  • Ancient: Harappan sites (Mohenjo-daro and Harappa in present-day Pakistan; Lothal and Dholavira in Gujarat), the Mauryas (Chandragupta, Ashoka and the Kalinga war), the Guptas, Buddhism and Jainism.
  • Medieval: the Delhi Sultanate (Qutb-ud-din Aibak, Iltutmish, Alauddin Khalji, Muhammad bin Tughlaq), the Mughals (Babur's victory at Panipat in 1526, Akbar, Shah Jahan), the Marathas (Shivaji, crowned in 1674), the Vijayanagara Empire.
  • Modern: Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), the Revolt of 1857, the founding of the Congress (1885), the Partition of Bengal (1905), the Lucknow Pact (1916), Champaran (1917), Jallianwala Bagh (1919), Non-Cooperation, the Dandi March (1930), Quit India (1942).
  • Who's who: titles like "Lokmanya" (Tilak), "Netaji" (Subhas Chandra Bose), "Frontier Gandhi" (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan), "Iron Man" (Sardar Patel).

Polity

  • Parts and Articles: Fundamental Rights in Part III (Articles 12 to 35), Directive Principles in Part IV, Fundamental Duties in Article 51A (11 duties).
  • Key Articles: 14 (equality), 17 (untouchability abolished), 21 (life and liberty), 32 (constitutional remedies), 72 (pardoning power), 112 (Union Budget), 352, 356 and 360 (emergencies), 368 (amendment).
  • Institutions: President (minimum age 35), Vice-President (Chairman of the Rajya Sabha), Speaker, Election Commission, CAG (Article 148), UPSC (Article 315), Finance Commission (Article 280).
  • Amendments: 42nd (Fundamental Duties, 1976), 44th (Right to Property removed), 73rd and 74th (local bodies), 86th (Article 21A and the 11th duty), 101st (GST).
  • Writs: habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, quo warranto.

Geography

  • India: rivers and where they rise (Narmada at Amarkantak), passes (Zoji La, Nathu La, Shipki La), national parks by state, largest and smallest states, soils (black soil for cotton) and crops.
  • World: continents and oceans, largest and longest (Pacific, Asia, the Nile), capitals and currencies, straits (Palk Strait, Bering Strait).
  • Physical: layers of the atmosphere (ozone in the stratosphere), latitudes and longitudes (the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer, the Prime Meridian).

Economy

  • RBI: established in 1935; repo rate, reverse repo, CRR and SLR; issues currency notes except the one-rupee note.
  • Budget and tax: fiscal deficit, direct and indirect taxes, GST (in force from 1 July 2017).
  • Institutions: NITI Aayog (2015, replaced the Planning Commission), NABARD, SIDBI, SEBI, IRDAI.
  • Terms: GDP, inflation, stagflation, devaluation, disinvestment, the Gini coefficient.

Science

  • Physics: SI units (newton, joule, watt, pascal, coulomb, ohm), laws of motion, reflection and refraction, convex and concave mirrors and lenses, sound.
  • Chemistry: common names (baking soda NaHCO₃, washing soda, quicklime CaO), acids in daily life (citric in lemon, lactic in curd), metals and non-metals.
  • Biology: vitamins and deficiency diseases (A: night blindness, C: scurvy, D: rickets, K: clotting), blood and its parts, organs, plant tissues (xylem and phloem), photosynthesis.

Static GK and culture

  • Classical dances: Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathakali and Mohiniyattam (Kerala), Odissi (Odisha), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri, Sattriya (Assam), Kathak.
  • Festivals by state: Bihu (Assam), Hornbill (Nagaland), Baisakhi (Punjab), Onam (Kerala).
  • Books and authors, sports trophies (Ranji Trophy for cricket, Durand Cup for football, Thomas Cup for badminton), awards (Dronacharya for coaches), headquarters of the UN, WHO, IMF and World Bank.

Current affairs

Keep current affairs to the last twelve months, from one source: national awards, major sports events, appointments to constitutional posts, schemes, summits and records. Write each fact on one line.

Practise the facts, not just read them

Each of our 15 SSC CPO mock tests has 25 General Awareness questions with an explanation for every answer, in English and Hindi. Add every fact you miss to your notes. For guessing in GK, see SSC CPO negative marking.

Frequently asked questions

Which GK topics are most important for SSC CPO?

Polity, history (especially the freedom movement), geography and general science carry most questions, followed by economy, static GK and current affairs.

Is static GK more important than current affairs in SSC CPO?

Yes, for most candidates. Static GK covers most of the 25 questions and does not change, so time spent on it lasts.

Can I prepare SSC CPO GK in one month?

You can revise a large part of it if you use one standard book and one-line notes, and revise them daily. Do not start several new books in the last month.