UPSC 2010 Prelims – all questions

A geographic area with an altitude of 400 metres has following characteristics: Month J F M A M J J A S O N D Average maximum temp. °C 31 31 31 31 30 30 29 28 29 30 31 Average minimum temp. °C 21 21 21 21 21 20 20 20 20 20 20 Rainfall (mm)

51 85 188 158 139 121 134 168 185 221 198 86

If this geographic area were to have a natural forest, which one of the following would it most likely be?

If a potato is placed on a pure paper plate which is white and unprinted and put in a microwave oven, the potato heats up but the paper plate does not. This is because

With reference to the Constitution of India, consider the following:

1. Fundamental Rights
2. Fundamental Duties
3. Directive Principles of State Policy

Which of the above provisions of the Constitution of India is/are fulfilled by the National Social Assistance Programme launched by the Government of India?

A new type of El Nino called El Nino Modoki appeared in the news. In this context, consider the following statements:

1. Normal El Nino forms in the Central Pacific ocean whereas El Nino Modoki forms in Eastern Pacific ocean.
2. Normal El Nino results in diminished hurricanes in the Atlantic ocean but El Nino Modoki results in a greater number of hurricanes with greater frequency.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Mon 863 is a variety of maize. It was in the news for the following reason

A cuboid has six sides of different colours. The red side is opposite to black. The blue side is adjacent to white. The brown side is adjacent to blue. The red side is face down.

Which one of the following would be the opposite to brown?

Consider the following statements:

1. Estimating the water vapour content in the atmosphere.
2. Predicting the onset of monsoons.
3. Monitoring the pollution of coastal waters.

The satellite Oceansat-2 launched by India helps in

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Genetically modified “golden rice” has been engineered to meet human nutritional requirements.

Which one of the following statements best qualifies golden rice?

In a tournament 14 teams play league matches. If each team plays against every other team once only then how many matches are played?

Consider the following statements: The Supreme Court of India tenders advice to the President of India on matters of law or fact

1. On its own initiative (on any matter of larger public interest).
2. If he seeks such an advice.
3. Only if the matters relate to the Fundamental Rights of the citizens.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Chlorination is a process used for water purification. The disinfecting action of chlorine is mainly due to

With reference to Lok Adalats, which of the following statements is correct ?

Consider the following :

1. Bluetooth device
2. Cordless phone
3. Microwave oven
4. Wi-Fi device

Which of the above can operate between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz range of radio-frequency band ?

Though coffee and tea both are cultivated on hill slopes, there is some difference between them regarding their cultivation. In this context, consider the following statements :

1. Coffee plant requires a hot and humid climate of tropical areas whereas tea can be cultivated in both tropical and subtropical areas.
2. Coffee is propagated by seeds but tea is propagated by stem cuttings only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

In the context of the affairs

of which of the following is the phrase “Special Safeguard Mechanisms” mentioned in the news frequently ?

Which of the following terms indicates a mechanism used by commercial banks for providing credit to the government ?

In order to comply with TRIPS Agreement, India enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999. The difference/differences between a “Trade Mark” and a Geographical Indication is/are

1. A Trade Mark is an individual or a company’s right whereas a Geographical Indication is a community’s right.
2. A Trade Mark can be licensed whereas a Geographical Indication cannot be licensed.
3. A Trade Mark is assigned to the manufactured goods whereas the Geographical Indication is assigned to the agricultural goods/products and handicrafts only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

The SEZ Act, 2005 which came into effect in February 2006 has certain objectives. In this context, consider the following :

1. Development of infrastructure facilities.
2. Promotion of investment from foreign sources.
3. Promotion of exports of services only.

Which of the above are the objectives of this Act ?

Which one of the following statements is an appropriate description of deflation ?

Consider the following statements :

1. Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions.
2. India has four biodiversity hotspots i.e., Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria. Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine ?

Consider the following statements:

1. The boundaries of a National Park are defined by legislation.
2. A Biosphere Reserve is declared to conserve a few specific species of flora and fauna.
3. In a Wildlife Sanctuary, limited biotic interference is permitted.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A pesticide which is a chlorinated hydrocarbon is sprayed on a food crop. The food chain is: Food crop – Rat – Snake – Hawk. In this food chain, the highest concentration of the pesticide would accumulate in which one of the following?

With reference to soil conservation, consider the following practices:

1. Crop rotation
2. Sand fences
3. Terracing
4. Wind breaks

Which of the above are considered appropriate methods for soil conservation in India?

With reference to the Non-banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) in India, consider the following statements:

1. They cannot engage in the acquisition of securities issued by the government.
2. They cannot accept demand deposits like Savings Account.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which one of the following was NOT stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003?

Two trains leave New Delhi at the same time. One travels north at 60 kmph and the other travels south at 40 kmph. After how many hours will the trains be 150 km apart?

A question paper had ten questions. Each question could only be answered as True (T) or False (F). Each candidate answered all the questions. Yet, no two candidates wrote the answers in an identical sequence. How many different sequences of answers are possible?

In the parlance of financial investments, the term ‘bear’ denotes

A great deal of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to India comes from Mauritius than from many major and mature economies like UK and France. Why?

Six books A, B, C, D, E and F are placed side by side. B, C and E have blue cover and the other books have red cover. Only D and F are new books and the rest are old. A, C and D are law reports and others are Gazetters. What book is a new law report with a red colour?

Following are the characteristics of an area in India:

1. Hot and humid climate
2. Annual rainfall 200 cm
3. Hill slopes up to an altitude of 1100 metres
4. Annual range of temperature 15 °C to 30 °C

Which one among the following crops are you most likely to find in the area described above?

Running at a speed of 60 km per hour, a train passed through a 1.5 km long tunnel in two minutes. What is the length of the train?

India-based Neutrino Observatory is included by the Planning Commission as a mega science project under the 11th Five-Year Plan. In this context, consider the following statements:

1. Neutrinos are chargeless elementary particles that travel close to the speed of light.
2. Neutrinos are created in nuclear reactions of beta decay.
3. Neutrinos have a negligible, but non-zero mass.
4. Trillions of Neutrinos pass through human body every second.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

The “Instrument of Instructions” contained in the Government of India Act 1935 have been incorporated in the Constitution of India in the year 1950 as

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles produce one of the following as “exhaust”.

Recently, LASIK (Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) procedure is being made popular for vision correction.

Which one of the following statements in this context is not correct?

Consider the following:

1. Oxides of Hydrogen
2. Oxides of Nitrogen
3. Oxides of Sulphur

Which of the above causes/cause acid rain?

Six persons M, N, O, P, Q and R are sitting in two rows, three in each. Q is not at the end of any row. P is second to the left of R. O is the neighbour of Q and is sitting diagonally opposite to P. N is the neighbour of R. On the basis of above information, who is facing N?

A person X has four notes of Rupee 1, 2, 5 and 10 denomination. The number of different sums of money she can form from them is

Consider the following countries:

1. Brazil
2. Mexico
3. South Africa According to UNCTAD, which of the above is/are categorized as “Emerging Economies”?

Which one of the following is not related to United Nations?

In the context of Indian economy, consider the following pairs:

1. Melt down – Fall in stock prices
2. Recession – Fall in growth rate
3. Slow down – Fall in GDP

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

With reference to BRIC countries, consider the following statements:

1. At present, China’s GDP is more than the combined GDP of all the three other countries.
2. China’s population is more than the combined population of any two other countries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which of the following is/are treated as artificial currency?

Stiglitz Commission established by the President of the United Nations General Assembly was in the international news. The commission was supposed to deal with

With reference to the mineral resources of India, consider the following pairs: Mineral — 90% Natural sources in

1. Copper — Jharkhand
2. Nickel — Orissa
3. Tungsten — Kerala

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

As regards the use of international food safety standards as reference point for the dispute settlements, which one of the following does WTO collaborate with?

An objective of the National Food Security Mission is to increase the production of certain crops through area expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the identified districts of the country. What are those crops?

In India, the interest rate on savings accounts in all the nationalized commercial banks is fixed by