SSC CHSL 2017 PYQs

Question 1

The Arthashastra was written by

Accepted Answer

Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, authored the Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy during the Mauryan period.

Question 2

Which company developed 'Swift' Programming Language?

Accepted Answer

Swift is a powerful and intuitive programming language developed by Apple Inc. for building apps across all Apple platforms.

Question 3

"An Extraordinary Life, An Indian Destiny" is a biography on

Accepted Answer

The book "An Extraordinary Life, An Indian Destiny" is a well-known biography of Sonia Gandhi, written by Rani Singh. Recalling this fact directly leads to the correct answer.

Question 4

Who is the author of the book, 'A Suitable Boy'?

Accepted Answer

Vikram Seth is the renowned author of the novel 'A Suitable Boy'. This is a direct recall question about famous literary works and their creators.

Question 5

Who wrote the book 'Glimpses of World History'?

Accepted Answer

Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, authored 'Glimpses of World History'. This book is a collection of letters written to his daughter Indira Gandhi.

Question 6

Who is the author of the book “A Life Less Ordinary : A Memoir”?

Accepted Answer

Baby Halder is the author of the memoir "A Life Less Ordinary: A Memoir". It details her life as a domestic worker.

Question 7

Raj sells a machine for Rs 51 lakhs at a loss. Had he sold it for Rs 60 lakh, his gain would have been 8 times the earlier loss. What is the cost price of the machine?

Accepted Answer

Let CP be x. Loss = x - 51. Gain = 60 - x. Given, 60 - x = 8(x - 51). Solve for x: 60 - x = 8x - 408 => 9x = 468 => x = 52. CP is Rs 52 lakhs.

Question 8

In ΔABC, D and E are points on side AB and AC respectively. DE is parallel to BC. If lengths of AD, DB and  DE are 10 cm, 5 cm and 6 cm respectively. What is the length of BC?

Accepted Answer

Since DE || BC, ΔADE is similar to ΔABC. The ratio AD/AB = DE/BC. Given AD=10, DB=5, so AB=15. Thus, 10/15 = 6/BC, which gives BC = 9 cm.

Question 9

If tan 45° + cosec 30° = x, then find the value of x.

Accepted Answer

Recall standard trigonometric values: tan 45° = 1 and cosec 30° = 2. Substitute these values into the equation: x = 1 + 2 = 3.

Question 10

What is the value of(4a2−9b2)∕(2a+3b)is

Accepted Answer

Recognize the numerator as a difference of squares: (2a)² - (3b)². Factor it as (2a - 3b)(2a + 3b). Then, cancel out the common term (2a + 3b) from numerator and denominator.

Question 11

Simple interest on a certain sum of money for 3 years at  8% per annum is half the compound interest on Rs 1200 for 2 years at 10% per annum. The sum placed on  simple interest is

Accepted Answer

Calculate CI on Rs 1200 for 2 years at 10% (Rs 252). Simple interest is half of this (Rs 126). Use SI = (P*R*T)/100 to find P: 126 = (P*8*3)/100, so P = Rs 525.

Question 12

On dividing24a2b2by6b2, we will get

Accepted Answer

Divide the numerical coefficients (24/6 = 4) and subtract the exponents of common variables (b^(2-2) = b^0 = 1). The 'a²' term remains unchanged.

Question 13

A does 75% of a work in 50 days. He then calls in B and they together finish the remaining work in 10 days.How long B alone would take to complete the whole  work?

Accepted Answer

A completes 75% work in 50 days, so 100% in 50/0.75 = 200/3 days. Remaining 25% work is done by A+B in 10 days. A's 10-day work is 10 * (3/200) = 3/20. So B does 25% - 3/20 = 1/4 - 3/20 = 5/20 - 3/20 = 2/20 = 1/10 work in 10 days. B completes 100% work in 10 * 10 = 100 days.

Question 14

Select the synonym of carnal

Accepted Answer

The word 'carnal' refers to physical, especially sexual, needs and activities. 'Sensual' means relating to or involving gratification of the senses and physical pleasures, making it the closest synonym.

Question 15

If 2x - 1 < 5x + 2 and 2x + 5 < 6 - 3x, then x can take which of the following values?

Accepted Answer

Solve both inequalities: 2x - 1 < 5x + 2 gives -3 < 3x or x > -1. And 2x + 5 < 6 - 3x gives 5x < 1 or x < 1/5. So, -1 < x < 1/5. Only 0 satisfies this range.

Question 16

A wholesaler sells a watch to a retailer at a gain of 20% and  the retailer sells it to a customer at a loss of 10%. If the customer pays Rs 874.8, what had it cost the  wholesaler?

Accepted Answer

Let wholesaler's cost be X. Retailer buys at 1.2X. Customer pays 0.9 * (1.2X) = 1.08X. Given 1.08X = 874.8, so X = 874.8 / 1.08 = 810.

Question 17

5% discount is offered on an item. By applying a promo  code the customer wins 20% cash back. What is the effective discount?

Accepted Answer

Assume item price is 100. After 5% discount, price is 95. 20% cashback on 95 is 19. Total discount is 5 + 19 = 24. Effective discount is 24%.

Question 18

If 2x + 3(5-2x) > 2 - 3x < 2x - x/3, then x can take which of the following values?

Accepted Answer

Solve the two inequalities separately: 2x + 15 - 6x > 2 - 3x gives x < 13. And 2 - 3x < 2x - x/3 gives x > 18/14 or x > 9/7. The only option satisfying x > 9/7 and x < 13 is 2.

Question 19

Of the 5 numbers whose average is 76, the first is 3/7 times the sum of other 4. The first number is

Accepted Answer

Let the 5 numbers be a, b, c, d, e. Their sum is 5 * 76 = 380. Given a = (3/7)(b+c+d+e). Substitute (b+c+d+e) = 380 - a into the equation and solve for 'a'.

Question 20

To travel 612 km, an Express train takes 9 hours more  than Rajdhani. If the speed of the Express train is doubled, it takes 3 hours less than Rajdhani. The speed (in  km/hr) of Rajdhani is

Accepted Answer

Let Rajdhani's speed be R and Express's speed be E. Formulate equations based on time differences. Solve the system of equations to find R. The correct answer is 40.8 km/hr.