SSC Important Organisations and Headquarters Questions with Answers

Organisations and their headquarters are a sure-shot topic in SSC General Awareness. The questions ask about the headquarters, the founding year and the head of the major international bodies and Indian institutions. This practice paper gives you fact tables and 21 questions with answers and short explanations.

Key Concepts to Remember

• The United Nations (UN) was formed in 1945 and has its headquarters in New York.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has its headquarters in Geneva, and the IMF and the World Bank are in Washington, D.C.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was set up in 1935 and has its headquarters in Mumbai.
• Many organisations are in Geneva, Paris, Rome and Vienna, so learn them as groups.

Quick Fact Table

Indian Organisations and Their Headquarters

The easiest way to learn this topic is by grouping. Learn all the organisations of Geneva together (WHO, ILO, WTO), those of Washington together (IMF and World Bank), and those of Vienna together (IAEA and OPEC). Then revise the founding years: UN 1945, IMF and World Bank 1944, WHO 1948, UNESCO 1945, UNICEF 1946. Remember that the WTO replaced the GATT in 1995.

Set 1: International Organisations (Q1–Q7)

Q1. Where is the headquarters of the United Nations?
Answer: New York
Solution: The UN was formed in 1945.

Q2. Where is the headquarters of WHO?
Answer: Geneva
Solution: WHO was formed in 1948.

Q3. Where is the headquarters of UNESCO?
Answer: Paris
Solution: It was formed in 1945.

Q4. Where is the headquarters of UNICEF?
Answer: New York
Solution: It was formed in 1946.

Q5. Where is the headquarters of FAO?
Answer: Rome
Solution: It deals with food and agriculture.

Q6. Where is the headquarters of the IMF?
Answer: Washington, D.C.
Solution: It was formed in 1944.

Q7. Where is the headquarters of the World Bank?
Answer: Washington, D.C.
Solution: It was also formed in 1944.

Set 2: More Organisations (Q8–Q14)

Q8. Where is the headquarters of the WTO?
Answer: Geneva
Solution: It started in 1995.

Q9. Where is the headquarters of OPEC?
Answer: Vienna
Solution: It is an organisation of oil-producing countries.

Q10. Where is the headquarters of IAEA?
Answer: Vienna
Solution: It deals with atomic energy.

Q11. Where is the International Court of Justice located?
Answer: The Hague
Solution: It is the main judicial organ of the UN.

Q12. Where is the headquarters of Interpol?
Answer: Lyon, France
Solution: It helps police forces of the world.

Q13. Where is the headquarters of NATO?
Answer: Brussels
Solution: It is a military alliance.

Q14. Where is the headquarters of SAARC?
Answer: Kathmandu
Solution: It was formed in 1985.

Set 3: Indian Organisations (Q15–Q21)

Q15. Where is the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India?
Answer: Mumbai
Solution: It was set up in 1935.

Q16. Where is the headquarters of ISRO?
Answer: Bengaluru
Solution: It was formed in 1969.

Q17. Where is the headquarters of SEBI?
Answer: Mumbai
Solution: It regulates the securities market.

Q18. Where is the headquarters of NABARD?
Answer: Mumbai
Solution: It supports agriculture and rural development.

Q19. Where is the headquarters of the CBI?
Answer: New Delhi
Solution: It investigates serious cases.

Q20. Where is the headquarters of NITI Aayog?
Answer: New Delhi
Solution: It replaced the Planning Commission in 2015.

Q21. Where is the headquarters of the State Bank of India?
Answer: Mumbai
Solution: It is the largest public sector bank.

Founding Years and Heads of Key Organisations

The head of an organisation changes from time to time, so check the latest names in current affairs before the exam. Questions also use titles: the head of the UN is the Secretary-General, the head of the World Bank is the President, and the head of the IMF is the Managing Director. Learning the title along with the headquarters helps you answer a question that mixes both.

How Examiners Frame These Questions

The same fact can be asked in three different ways. First, a direct question such as "Where is the headquarters of WHO?" Second, a reverse question such as "Which organisation has its headquarters in Vienna?" Third, an odd-one-out question in which three bodies are in the same city and one is not. If you have learned the organisations city by city, all three types become easy. Try to write the list of Geneva, Washington, Vienna, Paris, Rome and New York bodies from memory once every week.

Memory Trick for Headquarters

Use short stories. Imagine WHO as a doctor in the lake city of Geneva, UNESCO as a teacher in Paris, FAO as a farmer in Rome, and the IMF and World Bank as two bankers in Washington. Such pictures stay in the mind much longer than a plain list of names.

Common Mistakes in Organisations and Headquarters

• Mixing Geneva, Vienna and Washington for the major bodies.
• Confusing the founding years of the IMF and WHO.
• Writing New York for WHO or UNESCO.
• Forgetting the Indian headquarters.
• Mixing SEBI, RBI and NABARD (all in Mumbai).
• Not updating the heads of organisations from current affairs.

How to Practice These 21 Questions

1. Learn the headquarters by group.
2. Revise the founding years.
3. Solve one set daily.
4. Update the current heads from the news.

Related Topics to Study Next

• 1000 Important SSC GK Questions
• SSC Current Affairs Questions
• 200 Indian History and Polity Questions
• SSC CGL Tier 1 Mini Mock

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the headquarters of the United Nations?

New York.

Where is the headquarters of WHO?

Geneva.

Where is the headquarters of UNESCO?

Paris.

Where are the IMF and World Bank headquartered?

Washington, D.C.

Where is the headquarters of OPEC?

Vienna.

Where is the headquarters of the WTO?

Geneva.

Where is the International Court of Justice?

The Hague.

Where is the headquarters of the RBI?

Mumbai.

Where is the headquarters of ISRO?

Bengaluru.

How many such questions come in SSC exams?

Usually one to three questions.

Which organisations are most important?

UN bodies, financial bodies and Indian regulators.

How should I prepare this topic for SSC exams?

Learn by group, revise often and practise questions.