SSC CHSL 2026 Tier 1 Mock Test (New Pattern) 24

1. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. Every satellite launched into orbit eventually becomes a problem of housekeeping. When a spacecraft runs out of fuel or simply stops working, it does not fall neatly back to Earth; in higher orbits it may circle the planet for centuries. Engineers estimate that tens of thousands of fragments larger than a cricket ball are now tracked from the ground, and millions of smaller pieces escape detection altogether. At orbital speeds of nearly eight kilometres per second, even a fleck of paint can pit a window, and a loose bolt can disable an entire satellite. The danger is not only the single collision but the chain reaction it may trigger: each crash creates fresh debris, which raises the odds of the next crash. Scientists call this runaway scenario the Kessler syndrome, after the researcher who described it in 1978. Solutions are slowly emerging. Some agencies now require operators to lower dead satellites into the atmosphere, where they burn up, within a fixed number of years. Start-ups are testing robotic arms, nets and harpoons to capture larger wrecks. Yet the hardest part may be diplomatic rather than technical, because no single country owns the sky, and a clean orbit benefits everyone only if everyone agrees to keep it clean.

   Q1.According to the passage, why does a dead satellite in a higher orbit remain a hazard?

   • A.It falls back to Earth within a few days
   • B.It explodes as soon as its fuel runs out
   • C.It may keep circling the Earth for centuries
   • D.It is too large to be tracked from the ground

2. Q2.What does the term 'Kessler syndrome' refer to in the passage?

   • A.A rule that dead satellites must burn up in the atmosphere
   • B.A disease that affects astronauts on long missions
   • C.A method of capturing large wrecks with nets
   • D.A chain reaction in which collisions create debris that causes more collisions

3. Q3.According to the author, the hardest part of keeping orbits clean may be:

   • A.building robotic arms strong enough to catch wrecks
   • B.tracking pieces smaller than a cricket ball
   • C.reducing the speed of satellites in orbit
   • D.getting all countries to agree on keeping orbits clean

Start the test to answer these. Correct answers and explanations are shown after you submit.