Science Questions for SSC MTS

Biology: Human Body and Diseases

The human body section covers organs, their functions, and diseases. SSC MTS loves asking which organ does what, which vitamin cures which disease, and which germ causes which illness. Think of the body as a factory — each department (organ) has one main job. Diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or deficiency of nutrients.

• Heart pumps blood; Lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide; Liver detoxifies blood and makes bile; Kidney filters waste as urine; Brain controls all body functions.
• Deficiency diseases: Vitamin A = Night blindness, Vitamin B1 = Beriberi, Vitamin C = Scurvy, Vitamin D = Rickets, Iron = Anemia, Iodine = Goitre.
• Bacterial diseases: TB, Cholera, Typhoid, Plague. Viral diseases: Dengue, Rabies, Polio, COVID-19. Protozoan: Malaria (Plasmodium via Anopheles mosquito).
• Blood groups: A, B, AB, O. AB is universal recipient, O is universal donor.
• Largest organ of body: Skin. Largest internal organ: Liver. Smallest bone: Stapes (in ear). Hardest substance in body: Tooth enamel.

Biology: Plants and Nutrition

Plants make their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Chlorophyll is the green pigment responsible for capturing sunlight. This section also covers the food chain and nutrients in food like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

• Photosynthesis: Plants take CO2 + Water + Sunlight and produce Glucose + Oxygen.
• Chlorophyll is in chloroplasts and gives plants green colour.
• Carbohydrates give energy (rice, wheat, potato). Proteins build body (dal, meat, eggs). Fats store energy (butter, oil).
• Osmosis: movement of water from low concentration to high concentration through a membrane — like how roots absorb water from soil.
• Mitosis = cell division for growth. Meiosis = cell division for reproduction (produces gametes).

Physics: Motion and Forces

Newton gave three laws of motion that are frequently asked. Think of Newton as the rule-maker of movement. Speed and velocity are different — speed has no direction, velocity does. SSC MTS asks simple definitions and one-line applications of these laws.

• Newton's First Law: An object stays at rest or in motion unless a force acts on it. (Law of Inertia — seatbelt works on this).
• Newton's Second Law: Force = Mass x Acceleration. Heavier object needs more force to move.
• Newton's Third Law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. (Rocket launches, gun recoil).
• Speed = Distance / Time. Velocity = Displacement / Time. Acceleration = Change in velocity / Time.
• Gravity pulls objects toward Earth. Value of g = 9.8 m/s2 (use 10 for quick calculations).

Physics: Light, Sound, and Electricity

Light travels in straight lines and is the fastest thing in the universe at 3 x 10 to the power 8 m/s. Sound needs a medium to travel — it cannot travel in vacuum. Electricity flows through conductors. These three are high-frequency areas in SSC MTS.

• Speed of light = 3 x 10^8 m/s. Sound travels slower than light — that is why we see lightning before we hear thunder.
• Sound cannot travel in vacuum. Light can travel in vacuum.
• Concave mirror: caves inward, used in torches and headlights. Convex mirror: bulges outward, used in rear-view mirrors (shows wider view).
• Ohm's Law: V = I x R (Voltage = Current x Resistance). Good conductors have low resistance.
• Primary colours of light: Red, Green, Blue (RGB). Primary colours of paint: Red, Yellow, Blue.

Chemistry: Acids, Bases, and Salts

Acids are sour and turn blue litmus red. Bases are bitter and turn red litmus blue. pH scale goes from 0 to 14. Below 7 is acidic, above 7 is basic, exactly 7 is neutral. SSC MTS loves asking real-life examples of acids and bases.

• Common acids: HCl (stomach acid), H2SO4 (battery acid, called sulfuric acid), Citric acid (lemon), Acetic acid (vinegar), Lactic acid (curd).
• Common bases: NaOH (caustic soda), Ca(OH)2 (lime water), Baking soda = NaHCO3 (slightly basic).
• pH of pure water = 7 (neutral). Human blood pH = 7.4 (slightly basic).
• Neutralization: Acid + Base = Salt + Water. Antacids work on this — they are basic and neutralize excess stomach acid.
• Rust = Iron oxide (Fe2O3). Rust forms when iron reacts with oxygen and moisture.

Chemistry: Important Chemical Compounds

SSC MTS regularly asks the chemical names and formulas of common substances found in daily life. Memorize these like a short vocabulary list — it is direct one-mark scoring.

• Water = H2O. Common salt = NaCl. Baking soda = NaHCO3. Washing soda = Na2CO3. Bleaching powder = Ca(OCl)Cl.
• Dry ice = Solid CO2 (Carbon dioxide). Laughing gas = N2O (Nitrous oxide). Marble = CaCO3 (Calcium carbonate).
• LPG = Liquefied Petroleum Gas — mainly Butane and Propane. CNG = Compressed Natural Gas — mainly Methane.
• Alcohol (drinking) = Ethanol (C2H5OH). Alcohol in thermometers = Mercury (not alcohol — that is old style).
• Ozone = O3. It protects Earth from ultraviolet rays of the Sun. Found in stratosphere.

• Confusing Concave and Convex mirrors — remember Concave Caves inward like a bowl, used for focusing light. Convex bulges outward, used in rear-view mirrors.
• Mixing up Universal Donor and Recipient — O blood group is the universal DONOR (gives to all), AB is the universal RECIPIENT (takes from all).
• Thinking Sound travels faster than Light — it is the opposite. Light is always faster. Thunder comes after lightning because of this.
• Confusing Bacteria and Virus diseases — Malaria is caused by a Protozoan (Plasmodium), not bacteria or virus. This is a common trap question.
• Mixing up Baking Soda and Baking Powder — Baking Soda is NaHCO3 (single compound). Baking Powder is a mixture. SSC asks formula of Baking Soda.

• ABCD for Vitamins: A = blinD (Night Blindness), B1 = BeriBeri, C = Cuts and Scurvy, D = D-formed bones (Rickets). Easy to recall as Avoid Bad Cuts Daily.
• For Newton's Laws: 1st = Lazy objects stay put (Inertia), 2nd = Push harder for heavy things (F=ma), 3rd = You push wall, wall pushes back.
• Acid turns Blue litmus Red — remember ABR like Always Be Ready. Base turns Red litmus Blue — RBB like Really Big Blue.
• RGB for light colours, RYB for paint colours. Remember: Light is techy (RGB like screen), Paint is old school (RYB).

• SSC MTS Science questions are 100 percent factual — no calculations in Chemistry or Biology. In Physics, at most one formula-based question on speed or force may appear.
• Disease and vitamin deficiency questions appear in almost every MTS paper. Memorize the deficiency disease list as a top priority — it gives easy guaranteed marks.
• Chemical formulas of everyday substances like water, salt, baking soda, and common acids are direct one-mark questions. Do not skip these.
• Questions are usually framed as which of the following is correct or which vitamin prevents which disease — so focus on correct pairings, not detailed explanations.
• Recent MTS papers have also asked about space science basics like ozone layer, greenhouse effect, and composition of atmosphere. Add these to your revision list.