UPSC 2003 Prelims – all questions

Assertion (A): Emperor Akbar marched towards Afghanistan in 1581 with a huge army.

Reason (R): He was on his way to reclaim his ancestral country of Ferghana in Central Asia.

Assertion (A): During the year 2001-02, the value of India’s total exports declined, registering a negative growth of 2.17%.

Reason (R): During the year 2001-02, negative growth in exports was witnessed in respect of iron and steel, coffee, textiles and marine products.

Assertion (A): The eastern coast of India produces more rice than the western coast.

Reason (R): The eastern coast receives more rainfall than the western coast.

Assertion (A): The new EXIM Policy is liberal, market-oriented and favours global trade.

Reason (R): GATT has played a significant role in the liberalisation of economy.

Assertion (A): In the periodic table of chemical elements, electron affinity is always found to increase from top to bottom in a group.

Reason (R): In a group, the atomic radius generally increases from top to bottom.

Assertion (A): Coal-based thermal power stations contribute to acid rain.

Reason (R): Oxides of carbon are emitted when the coal burns.

Assertion (A): The weight of a body decreases with the increase of latitude on earth.

Reason (R): The earth is not a perfect sphere.

Assertion (A): Unsaturated fats are more reactive compared with the saturated fats.

Reason (R): Unsaturated fats have only single bonds in their structure.

Assertion (A): The amount of moisture in the atmosphere is related to latitude.

Reason (R): The capacity to hold moisture in the form of water vapour is related to temperature.

Assertion (A): Unlike temperate forests, the tropical rain forests, if cleared, can yield productive farm-land that can support intensive agriculture for several years even without chemical fertilizers.

Reason (R): The primary productivity of the tropical rain forest is very high when compared to that of the temperate forests.

Assertion (A): In 1916, Maulana Mohammad Ali and Abul Kalam Azad resigned from the Legislative Council.

Reason (R): The Rowlatt Act was passed by the government in spite of being opposed by all Indian members of the Legislative Council.

Assertion (A): Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an Emperor far away from his capital.

Reason (R): There was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the north-west frontier.

Assertion (A): Areas lying within five to eight degrees latitude on either side of the equator receive rainfall throughout the year.

Reason (R): High temperatures and high humidity cause convectional rain to fall mostly in the afternoons near the equator.

Assertion (A): Saluva Narasimha put an end to the old dynasty and assumed the royal title.

Reason (R): He wanted to save the kingdom from further degeneration and disintegration.

Assertion (A): Marathas emerged as the strongest native power in India after the decline of Mughal empire.

Reason (R): Marathas were the first to have clear concept of a united Indian nation.

Which one of the following countries does NOT border the Caspian Sea?

The sportsperson Soma Biswas is associated with

Which one of following is produced during the formation of photochemical smog?

Consider the following statement:

1. Kitab-I-Nauras, a collection of songs in praise of Hindu deities and Muslim saints, was written by Ibrahim Adil Shah II
2. Amir Khusrau was the originator in India of the early form of the musical style known as Qawwali.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

Three bells toll at intervals of 9, 12 and 15 minutes respectively. All three begin to toll at 8 a.m. At what time will they first toll together again?

Match List I (Distinguished Lady) with List II (Organisation/Industry) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists:

1. National Dairy Development Board
2. Park Hotels
3. Pfizer Limited
4. Thermax Limited
5. Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited

List I (Distinguished lady) A. Amrita B. Anu Aga C. Mallika Srinivasan D. Priya Paul

List II (Organisation/Industry)

Codes: A B C D

Consider the following statements: In the electoral college for Presidential Election in India.

1. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals
2. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Parliament equals
3. There were more than 5000 members in the latest election

Which of these statements is/are correct?

Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

Which of the following Constitutional Amendments are related to raising the number of Members of Lok Sabha to be elected from the States?

How did Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak die?

Among the following which planet takes maximum time for one revolution around the Sun?

Which one among the following languages has largest number of speakers in the world?

Which one of the following provisions was NOT made in the Charter Act of 1833?

With reference to normal human beings, consider the following statements:

1. In response to the presence of HCl, secretin is produced from the duodenum
2. Enterogastrone is produced in the small intestine in response to the presence of fatty acids

Which of these statements is/are correct?

Survey of India is under the Ministry of

Which among the following countries was the earliest to give women the right to vote?

Total time taken by a person in going to a place by walking and returning on cycle is 5 hours 45 minutes. He would have gained 2 hours by cycling both ways. The time taken by him to walk both ways is

Sandeep Pandey, the winner of Raman Magsaysay Award, is mainly an activist in

What was the main reason for a great civil strife in Argentina recently?

With reference to colonial rule in India, what was sought by the Ilbert Bill in 1883?

An important aspect of the Cripps Mission of 1942 was

When Congress leaders condemned the Montagu-Chelmsford Report, many moderates left party to form the

In the FIFA World Cup Football event in the year 2002, the number of goals scored by Ronaldo of Brazil was

Which one of the following schedules of the Indian Constitution lists the names of states and specifies their territories?

In the year 2002, the President of India presented the national award for excellence in public administration and management sciences to

‘A’ and ‘B’ are two fixed points in a field. A cyclist C moves such that ACB is always a right angle. In this context, which one of the following statements is correct?

The thermal power plant of Bokaro is located in

Among the following commodities imported by India during the year 2001-02, which one was the highest in terms of Rupee value?

With reference to ionic compounds, consider the following statements:

1. Ionic compounds are insoluble in alcohol.
2. Ionic compounds in the solid state are good conductors of electricity.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

Which one of the following statements is correct?

With reference to India,

which one of the following statements is NOT correct?

Which amongst the following States has the highest population density as per Census 2001?

The Ninth Schedule to the Indian Constitution was added by

Who headed the Interim Cabinet formed in the 1946?

The waterfall ‘Victoria’ is associated with the river