RRB NTPC Graduate Level (22nd March 2026 Shift 1) — RRB NTPC 2025

• Key Fact: The Government of India has mandated the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to maintain retail inflation at $4\%$ with a margin of $\pm 2\%$.

• Supporting Detail: This means the comfortable inflation band is between $2\%$ and $6\%$. This framework is valid until March 31, 2026.

• Related Concept: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) uses tools like the repo rate to keep inflation within this targeted band.

• Why others wrong: The other percentages do not reflect the statutory target established by the government in consultation with the RBI under the RBI Act, 1934.

• Exam Trick: Remember the sequence: Target = 4, Lower limit = 2, Upper limit = 6 (i.e., $4 \pm 2$).

• Additional Info: The MPC consists of 6 members: 3 from the RBI (including the Governor) and 3 external members appointed by the Government.

• Given conditions: $A = \div$, $B = \times$, $C = +$, $D = -$. Equation: $13 \text{ B } 2 \text{ C } 6 \text{ D } 8 \text{ A } 4 = ?$

• Deduction process:
Step 1: Substitute the given mathematical signs into the equation.
Original: $13 \text{ B } 2 \text{ C } 6 \text{ D } 8 \text{ A } 4$
New: $13 \times 2 + 6 - 8 \div 4$
Step 2: Apply the BODMAS rule. First, solve the Division part.
$8 \div 4 = 2$
Step 3: The equation becomes: $13 \times 2 + 6 - 2$
Step 4: Solve the Multiplication part.
$13 \times 2 = 26$
Step 5: The equation becomes: $26 + 6 - 2$
Step 6: Solve Addition and Subtraction.
$26 + 6 = 32$
$32 - 2 = 30$

• Exam Trick: Always rewrite the full equation with the new signs clearly on your rough sheet before starting calculations to avoid simple symbol-reading errors.

• Final Answer: 30

• Given: Marked Price (MP) is $100\%$ above Cost Price (CP). Desired profit is $88\%$. Find Discount $\%$.

• Basic Method (Solution):
Step 1: Let the Cost Price (CP) of the item be $₹100$.
Step 2: The Marked Price (MP) is fixed $100\%$ above the CP.
$\text{MP} = 100 + 100\% \text{ of } 100 = 100 + 100 = ₹200$.
Step 3: The shopkeeper wants to gain $88\%$. Therefore, the Selling Price (SP) should be:
$\text{SP} = 100 + 88\% \text{ of } 100 = 100 + 88 = ₹188$.
Step 4: The discount given is the difference between MP and SP.
$\text{Discount} = \text{MP} - \text{SP} = 200 - 188 = ₹12$.
Step 5: Calculate the discount percentage on the MP.
$\text{Discount } \% = (\frac{\text{Discount}}{\text{MP}}) \times 100 = (\frac{12}{200}) \times 100 = 6\%$.

• Shortcut Method: Directly relate SP and MP. $\text{CP} = 100$, $\text{MP} = 200$, $\text{SP} = 188$. The ratio of $\frac{\text{SP}}{\text{MP}} = \frac{188}{200} = \frac{94}{100} = 0.94$. Since SP is $94\%$ of MP, the discount is exactly $100 - 94 = 6\%$.

• Final Answer: 6%

• Given conditions: Find the odd letter-cluster pair out of ZC-AD, OR-OU, DG-EH, RU-SV.

• Deduction process:
Let's analyze the alphabetical gap between the letters within each cluster of the pairs.
Option A (ZC-AD):
ZC $\rightarrow$ Z(26) to C(3, or 29). Gap is $+3$.
AD $\rightarrow$ A(1) to D(4). Gap is $+3$.
Option C (DG-EH):
DG $\rightarrow$ D(4) to G(7). Gap is $+3$.
EH $\rightarrow$ E(5) to H(8). Gap is $+3$.
Option D (RU-SV):
RU $\rightarrow$ R(18) to U(21). Gap is $+3$.
SV $\rightarrow$ S(19) to V(22). Gap is $+3$.
Option B (OR-OU):
OR $\rightarrow$ O(15) to R(18). Gap is $+3$.
OU $\rightarrow$ O(15) to U(21). Gap is $+6$.
In all options except B, both clusters in the pair have an internal forward gap of $+3$. In option B, the second cluster has a gap of $+6$, making it the odd one out.

• Exam Trick: When checking pairs separated by a hyphen, always test the internal gap (1st letter to 2nd letter of the same cluster) before testing external cross-relations. It's usually the intended pattern.

• Final Answer: OR-OU

• Given conditions: Numbers: 442, 405, 297, 384, 316. Find: (3rd digit of highest) + (2nd digit of lowest).

• Deduction process:
Step 1: Identify the highest number from the given set.
The numbers are 442, 405, 297, 384, 316.
The highest number is 442.
Step 2: Identify the third digit of this highest number.
For 442, the third digit is 2.
Step 3: Identify the lowest number from the given set.
The lowest number is 297.
Step 4: Identify the second digit of this lowest number.
For 297, the second digit is 9.
Step 5: Add the two digits together.
Resultant $= 2 + 9 = 11$.

• Exam Trick: Quickly scan the first digits (hundreds place) to spot the highest (starts with 4, so compare 442 and 405 $\rightarrow$ 442) and the lowest (starts with 2 $\rightarrow$ 297). Then extract the needed digits directly to save time.

• Final Answer: 11

• Key Fact: Thermal pollution is primarily caused by power plants and industrial manufacturers using natural bodies of water as a coolant and subsequently discharging the heated water back into the environment.

• Supporting Detail: This sudden increase or decrease in temperature decreases dissolved oxygen levels in the water, which can kill fish and negatively alter aquatic ecosystems.

• Related Concept: Coal-fired and nuclear power plants are among the biggest contributors to thermal pollution globally.

• Why others wrong: Addition of detergents and heavy metals causes chemical water pollution, not thermal pollution. Suspended solids cause turbidity (physical pollution) but do not primarily raise the baseline temperature.

• Exam Trick: "Thermal" relates to heat. Coolants absorb heat from industrial machinery and transfer that excess heat to natural water bodies.

• Additional Info: To mitigate this, modern industries use cooling towers or artificial cooling ponds to dissipate heat into the atmosphere before releasing the water.

• Key Fact: Alauddin Khilji established the 'Diwan-i-Riyasat' as the department of commerce to regulate markets and enforce strict price control measures.

• Supporting Detail: Under this department, officers called 'Shahna-i-Mandi' were appointed to supervise the markets, ensure fair weights, and strictly punish hoarding or overcharging.

• Related Concept: This market control system was primarily implemented to maintain a large standing army at low costs during a time of constant Mongol threats.

• Why others wrong: Diwan-i-Kohi (created later by Muhammad bin Tughlaq) was the department of agriculture. Diwan-i-Insha was the department of royal correspondence. Diwan-i-Risalat dealt with religious affairs/appeals.

• Exam Trick: Alauddin Khilji is most famous for his stringent 'Market Reforms'. Any unique administrative body linked to him (like Diwan-i-Riyasat) is highly likely to be related to market and price control.

• Additional Info: Khilji set up separate markets for food grains, cloth (Sarai-i-Adl), and horses/cattle/slaves in Delhi.

• Key Fact: Warli painting is a form of tribal art predominantly created by the Warli tribes from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra.

• Supporting Detail: The art form uses basic geometric shapes like circles, triangles, and squares to depict daily village life, harvest scenes, and the famous Tarpa dance. It is traditionally painted white on a red mud background.

• Related Concept: Unlike many other classical Indian art forms, Warli paintings usually do not depict mythological characters or deities, focusing entirely on social life.

• Why others wrong: Odisha is known for Pattachitra; Rajasthan for Phad and miniature paintings; Madhya Pradesh for Gond tribal art.

• Exam Trick: Think of 'Warli' as an indigenous tribe of the Western Ghats (Sahyadris) in Maharashtra, closely associated with the Palghar district.

• Additional Info: The white pigment used in these paintings is typically made from a mixture of rice paste, water, and gum.

• Key Fact: According to Article 246A of the Indian Constitution, inserted by the 101st Amendment, Parliament has the exclusive power to make laws with respect to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) when the supply takes place in the course of inter-state trade or commerce (IGST).

• Supporting Detail: For intra-state trade (within a state), both the Parliament and the State Legislatures have concurrent powers to make laws on GST.

• Related Concept: The GST Council (Article 279A) is the joint forum that recommends the GST rates, but the actual legislative power to pass the laws resides with the Parliament and State assemblies.

• Why others wrong: State Legislatures cannot legislate on inter-state GST. The President gives assent but does not "make" the laws. NITI Aayog is a policy think tank, not a legislative body.

• Exam Trick: Inter-state = IGST = Integrated. Anything moving across state borders falls strictly under the Union (Parliament's) jurisdiction to ensure seamless national trade.

• Additional Info: The IGST collected by the Centre is later apportioned between the Union and the States based on the recommendations of the GST Council.

• Given: 7 consecutive integers. Mean $\mu = 0$. Find Standard Deviation (SD).

• Basic Method (Solution):
Step 1: If 7 consecutive integers have a mean of 0, the integers must be perfectly symmetrical around 0.
The integers are: $-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3$.
Step 2: Formula for variance $\sigma^2 = \frac{\sum (x_i - \mu)^2}{n}$. Since $\mu = 0$, it becomes $\frac{\sum x_i^2}{n}$.
Step 3: Calculate $\sum x_i^2$.
$(-3)^2 + (-2)^2 + (-1)^2 + 0^2 + 1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 = 9 + 4 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 4 + 9 = 28$.
Step 4: Variance $\sigma^2 = \frac{28}{7} = 4$.
Step 5: Standard Deviation is the square root of the variance.
$SD = \sqrt{4} = 2$.

• Shortcut Method: The variance of first $n$ consecutive natural numbers (or any sequence of $n$ consecutive integers) is given by $\frac{n^2 - 1}{12}$.
Here $n = 7$. Variance $= \frac{7^2 - 1}{12} = \frac{49 - 1}{12} = \frac{48}{12} = 4$.
$SD = \sqrt{4} = 2$. This formula saves time as it doesn't require finding the actual integers.

• Final Answer: 2