General Aptitude & Reasoning

General Aptitude & Reasoning

The pH of human blood is about:

Human blood pH is tightly regulated between 7.35-7.45 by bicarbonate, phosphate and protein buffers plus respiratory and renal compensation. Slight acidity arises from dissolved CO2 forming carbonic acid. Value 7.4 optimizes enzyme activity, oxygen transport and hemoglobin Bohr effect physiologically.

Ref: Hall, Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology, 14th Edition, Chapter 30 Acid-Base Regulation of Blood pH, discusses blood pH homeostasis at 7.4 maintained by bicarbonate buffer respiratory renal compensation and optimal enzymatic function, published by Elsevier Saunders Philadelphia.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

The gas used for artificial ripening of fruits is:

Ethylene is gaseous plant hormone synthesized from methionine via ACC synthase and ACC oxidase. It activates ripening genes causing chlorophyll degradation, softening and sugar accumulation. Commercial ripening uses exogenous ethylene; ethane is inert alkane, acetylene analogue less safe.

Ref: Salisbury and Ross, Plant Physiology, 4th Edition, Chapter 19 Ethylene: The Gaseous Hormone, describes ethylene biosynthesis via ACC synthase ripening gene activation fruit softening chlorophyll breakdown and commercial artificial ripening application, published by Wadsworth Publishing Company Belmont.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

The colour of the onion is pink due to the presence of:

Onion bulb scale color arises from vacuolar flavonoid pigments. Pink to red cultivars accumulate anthocyanins, especially cyanidin derivatives, in epidermal cells. Carotene gives orange, xanthophyll yellow, lycopene red in tomato. Hence onion pink reflects anthocyanin deposition, not other pigments.

Ref: Taiz, Zeiger, Moller and Murphy, Plant Physiology and Development, 6th Edition, Chapter 13 Secondary Metabolites Anthocyanins, discusses anthocyanin pigments cyanidin responsible for pink red onion coloration versus carotene xanthophyll lycopene distribution, published by Sinauer Associates Oxford University Press.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

Nosophobia is:

Nosophobia originates from Greek nosos disease and phobos fear, classified under specific phobias in psychiatric taxonomy. Patients experience persistent irrational anxiety about contracting serious illness, leading to excessive medical checks. Nomophobia relates to mobile phones, distinct from nausea or smell phobias.

Ref: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5-TR, Chapter Anxiety Disorders Specific Phobia, defines nosophobia as irrational fear of developing disease persistent anxiety excessive medical checks distinct from nomophobia, published by American Psychiatric Publishing Washington.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

The scientific study of dreams is called:

Dream study branches include psychological interpretation and neurobiological analysis of REM sleep. Term oneirology derives from Greek oneiros meaning dream. Arachnology studies spiders, pomology fruits, speleology caves. Therefore scientific study of dreams is correctly termed oneirology in medical literature.

Ref: Kandel, Schwartz and Jessell, Principles of Neural Science, 6th Edition, Chapter 47 Sleep and Dreaming, defines oneirology as scientific study of dreams contrasted with arachnology pomology speleology etymology Greek oneiros meaning dream, published by McGraw Hill Medical New York.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

One light year is equal to:

Light year defines distance light travels in vacuum in one Julian year. With c = 299792458 m/s and 365.25 days, product yields about 9.461×10^12 km. Astronomers use it for interstellar scales, approximate commonly rounded to 9.5×10^12 km for estimation purposes.

Ref: Carroll and Ostlie, An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, 2nd Edition, Chapter 1 Celestial Distances and Light Year, defines light year as distance light travels in one Julian year approximately 9.5×10^12 km based on speed of light, published by Pearson Addison-Wesley.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

GPS is an abbreviation for?

GPS comprises constellation of satellites transmitting timed radio signals. A receiver triangulates position by calculating distance from multiple satellites using signal delay. Developed by US Department of Defense, GPS stands for Global Positioning System, providing navigation, timing and geolocation worldwide.

Ref: El-Rabbany, Introduction to GPS: The Global Positioning System, 2nd Edition, Chapter 1 Fundamentals, defines GPS acronym as Global Positioning System satellite ranging triangulation navigation timing principles and receiver position determination, published by Artech House Boston.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

A pea when soaked in water, gains about 40% by weight and 20% by volume. By what factor does the density increase?

Density equals mass divided by volume. After soaking, mass becomes 1.4 times original, volume becomes 1.2 times. Ratio 1.4/1.2 equals 1.1667, approximately 1.16. Hence pea density increases by factor 1.16, not proportionally to mass gain alone due to simultaneous swelling.

Ref: Giancoli, Physics: Principles with Applications, 7th Edition, Chapter 10 Fluids Density, discusses density defined as mass over volume fractional change problems including soaking gains and calculation of factor 1.4 divided by 1.2, published by Pearson Education International.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

Gases usually used for filling an electric bulb are:

Incandescent filament requires inert atmosphere to prevent oxidation and sublimation. Argon provides low thermal conductivity and chemical inertness, nitrogen reduces arcing and cost. Together they extend filament life. Carbon dioxide and oxygen would react with tungsten, causing rapid failure.

Ref: Shakhashiri, Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Volume 1 Gases, discusses inert filling gases argon nitrogen preventing tungsten oxidation extending incandescent bulb life versus reactive oxygen carbon dioxide failure, published by University of Wisconsin Press Madison.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

Which of the following is not an anti- virus software?

Antivirus software detects, quarantines and removes malware using signature and heuristic analysis. Avira, Bitdefender and Panda offer such protection suites. Oracle develops database management, cloud infrastructure and Java platform, not consumer antivirus, so it does not belong to that category.

Ref: Stallings, Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 4th Edition, Chapter 10 Malware and Antivirus Software, discusses antivirus vendors Avira Bitdefender Panda signature heuristic detection versus Oracle database corporation not offering antivirus products, published by Pearson Education.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified which country as Malaria free in 2021?

After decades of vector control, surveillance and case management, China reported zero indigenous malaria cases from 2017 onward. WHO certification requires 3 consecutive years without local transmission and robust response system. In June 2021 China was declared malaria-free, a major public-health milestone.

Ref: World Health Organization, Weekly Epidemiological Record, 2021 Issue on Certification of Malaria Elimination, Section China malaria-free status, discusses zero indigenous cases for three years, surveillance requirements and malaria elimination achievement criteria, published by WHO Press Geneva Switzerland.

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General Aptitude & Reasoning

The difference in the duration of day and night increases as one moves from:

Seasonal day-length variation stems from Earth's 23.5 degree axial tilt and orbital revolution. At equator incidence remains nearly perpendicular, causing 12-hour days year-round. Toward poles, tilt produces extreme photoperiodism, increasing difference between day and night duration progressively.

Ref: Barry and Chorley, Atmosphere Weather and Climate, 10th Edition, Chapter Solar Radiation and Seasonality, discusses Earth's axial tilt of 23.5 degrees, day-length variation, latitudinal dependence from equator to poles and photoperiodism, published by Routledge London.

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