UPSC 2013 Prelims – all questions

What will follow if a Money Bill is substantially amended by the Rajya Sabha?

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched? Geographical Feature : Region

With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements:

1. The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.
2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic Engineering) allows genes to be transferred

1. Across different species of plants
2. From animals to plants
3. From microorganisms to higher organisms

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

The Chinese traveller Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from robbery.
2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person.
3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Consider the following:

1. Star tortoise
2. Monitor lizard
3. Pygmy hog
4. Spider monkey

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India?

1. Arsenic
2. Sorbitol
3. Fluoride
4. Formaldehyde
5. Uranium

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were

Consider the following animals:

1. Sea cow
2. Sea horse
3. Sea lion

Which of the above is/are mammal/mammals?

Consider the following statements:

1. An amendment to the Constitution of India can be initiated by an introduction of a Bill in the Lok Sabha only.
2. If such an amendment seeks to make changes in the federal character of the Constitution, the amendment also requires to be ratified by the legislatures of all the States of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements. The Attorney-General of India can:

1. Take part in the proceedings of the Lok Sabha
2. Be a member of a committee of the Lok Sabha
3. Speak in the Lok Sabha
4. Vote in the Lok Sabha

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the usefulness of the by-products of the sugar industry, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Bagasse can be used as biomass fuel for the generation of energy.
2. Molasses can be used as one of the feedstocks for the production of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
3. Molasses can be used for the production of ethanol.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Variations in the length of daytime and night-time from season to season are due to

The Narmada river flows to the west, while most other large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why?

1. It occupies a linear rift valley.
2. It flows between the Vindhyas and the Satpuras.
3. The land slopes to the west from Central India.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

On the planet Earth, most of the freshwater exists as ice caps and glaciers. Out of the remaining freshwater, the largest proportion

Consider the following pairs:

1. Nokrek Biosphere Reserve : Garo Hills
2. Loktak Lake : Barail Range
3. Namdapha National Park : Dafla Hills

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following:

1. Electromagnetic radiation
2. Geothermal energy
3. Gravitational force
4. Plate movements
5. Rotation of the earth
6. Revolution of the earth

Which of the above are responsible for bringing dynamic changes on the surface of the earth?

Which of the following bodies does not/do not find mention in the Constitution?

1. National Development Council
2. Planning Commission
3. Zonal Councils

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was for

The Parliament can make any law for whole or any part of India for implementing international treaties

In the grasslands, trees do not replace the grasses as a part of an ecological succession because of

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of ecosystems in the order of decreasing productivity?

Contour bunding is a method of soil conservation used in

The Government enacted the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act in 1996.

Which one of the following is NOT identified as its objective?

Under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, who shall be the authority to initiate the process for determining the nature and extent of individual or community forest rights or both?

Improper handling and storage of cereal grains and oilseeds result in the production of toxins known as aflatoxins which are not generally destroyed by normal cooking process. Aflatoxins are produced by

'Economic Justice' as one of the objectives of the Indian Constitution has been provided in

Due to improper/indiscriminate disposal of old and used computers or their parts, which of the following are released into the environment as e-waste?

1. Beryllium
2. Cadmium
3. Chromium
4. Heptachlor
5. Mercury
6. Lead
7. Plutonium

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Acid rain is caused by the pollution of environment by

With reference to food chains in ecosystems, consider the following statements:

1. A food chain illustrates the order in which a chain of organisms feed upon each other.
2. Food chains are found within the populations of a species.
3. A food chain illustrates the numbers of each organism which are eaten by others.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs: National Park : River flowing through the Park

1. Corbett National Park : Ganga
2. Kaziranga National Park : Manas
3. Silent Valley National Park : Kaveri

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following organisms:

1. Agaricus
2. Nostoc
3. Spirogyra

Which of the above is/are used as biofertilizer/biofertilizers?

Which of the following adds/add nitrogen to the soil?

1. Excretion of urea by animals
2. Burning of coal by man
3. Death of vegetation

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

In which of the following States is lion-tailed macaque found in its natural habitat?

1. Tamil Nadu
2. Kerala
3. Karnataka
4. Andhra Pradesh

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas, while the others are called Viharas. What is the difference between the two?

Which one of the following describes best the concept of Nirvana in Buddhism?

According to the Constitution of India,

which of the following are fundamental for the governance of the country?

The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission because

Quit India Movement was launched in response to

The balance of payments of a country is a systematic record of

The Reserve Bank of India regulates the commercial banks in matters of

1. Liquidity of assets
2. Branch expansion
3. Merger of banks
4. Winding-up of banks

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

An increase in the Bank Rate generally indicates that the

In India, deficit financing is used for raising resources for

Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?

1. They possessed great palaces and temples.
2. They worshipped both male and female deities.
3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.

Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing?

1. Chikungunya
2. Hepatitis B
3. HIV-AIDS

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which of the following statements is/are applicable to Jain doctrine?

1. The surest way of annihilating Karma is to practice penance.
2. Every object, even the smallest particle, has a soul.
3. Karma is the bane of the soul and must be ended.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which one of the following terms describes not only the physical space occupied by an organism, but also its functional role in the community of organisms?

Photochemical smog is a resultant of the reaction among

Consider the following minerals:

1. Calcium
2. Iron
3. Sodium

Which of the minerals given above is/are required by human body for the contraction of muscles?