UPSC 2013 Prelims – all questions

Consider the following statements : The Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts

1. Consists of not more than 25 Members of the Lok Sabha
2. Scrutinizes appropriation and finance accounts of the Government
3. Examines the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following Bhakti Saints :

1. Dadu Dayal
2. Guru Nanak
3. Tyagaraja Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?

With reference to the food chains in ecosystems, which of the following kinds of organism is/are known as decomposer organism/organisms?

1. Virus
2. Fungi
3. Bacteria

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where

Which of the following is/are unique characteristic/characteristics of equatorial forests?

1. Presence of tall, closely set trees with crowns forming a continuous canopy
2. Coexistence of a large number of species
3. Presence of numerous varieties of epiphytes

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which of the following constitute Capital Account?

1. Foreign Loans
2. Foreign Direct Investment
3. Private Remittances
4. Portfolio Investment

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Consider the following historical places :

1. Ajanta Caves
2. Lepakshi Temple
3. Sanchi Stupa

Which of the above places is/are also known for mural paintings?

With reference to the history of philosophical thought in India, consider the following statements regarding Sankhya school :

1. Sankhya does not accept the theory of rebirth or transmigration of soul.
2. Sankhya holds that it is the self-knowledge that leads to liberation and not any exterior influence or agent.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

In the context of India, which of the following principles is/are implied institutionally in the parliamentary government?

1. Members of the Cabinet are Members of the Parliament.
2. Ministers hold the office till they enjoy confidence in the Parliament.
3. Cabinet is headed by the Head of the State.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

The annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal areas. What is/are the reason/reasons?

1. Thermal difference between land and water
2. Variation in altitude between continents and oceans
3. Presence of strong winds in the interior
4. Heavy rains in the interior as compared to coasts

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which of the following is/are the characteristic/characteristics of Indian coal?

1. High ash content
2. Low sulphur content
3. Low ash fusion temperature

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which of the following statements regarding laterite soils of India are correct?

1. They are generally red in colour.
2. They are rich in nitrogen and potash.
3. They are well-developed in Rajasthan and UP.
4. Tapioca and cashew nuts grow well on these soils.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Consider the following statements :

1. Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds.
2. Mica occurs in abundance in Kodarma.
3. Dharwars are famous for petroleum.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following crops :

1. Cotton
2. Groundnut
3. Rice
4. Wheat

Which of these are Kharif crops?

“Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” The above statement best describes which of the following regions?

Consider the following statements :

1. Inflation benefits the debtors.
2. Inflation benefits the bond-holders.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Disguised unemployment generally means

Consider the following statements :

1. The Council of Ministers in the Centre shall be collectively responsible to the Parliament.
2. The Union Ministers shall hold the office during the pleasure of the President of India.
3. The Prime Minister shall communicate to the President about the proposals for legislation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. National Development Council is an organ of the Planning Commission.
2. The Economic and Social Planning is kept in the Concurrent List in the Constitution of India.
3. The Constitution of India prescribes that Panchayats should be assigned the task of preparation of plans for economic development and social justice.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha are not the members of that House.
2. While the nominated members of the two Houses of the Parliament have no voting right in the presidential election, they have the right to vote in the election of the Vice President.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to National Legal Services Authority, consider the following statements:

1. Its objective is to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society on the basis of equal opportunity.
2. It issues guidelines for the State Legal Services Authorities to implement the legal programmes and schemes throughout the country.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the

1. Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
2. Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
3. Violent upward movement of air and water particles

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Consider the following pairs: Tribe State

1. Limboo (Limbu) : Sikkim
2. Karbi : Himachal Pradesh
3. Dongaria Kondh : Odisha
4. Bonda : Tamil Nadu

Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Consider the following liquid assets:

1. Demand deposits with the banks
2. Time deposits with the banks
3. Savings deposits with the banks
4. Currency The correct sequence of these assets in the decreasing order of liquidity is

In the context of Indian economy, ‘Open Market Operations’ refers to

Priority Sector Lending by banks in India constitutes the lending to

Which one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?

To obtain full benefits of demographic dividend, what should India do?

In the context of cultural history of India, a pose in dance and dramatics called ‘Tribhanga’ has been a favourite of Indian artists from ancient times till today.

Which one of the following statements best describes this pose?

Annie Besant was

1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
2. The founder of the Theosophical Society
3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress

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

The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the

A rise in general level of prices may be caused by

1. An increase in the money supply
2. A decrease in the aggregate level of output
3. An increase in the effective demand

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which one of the following groups of items is included in India’s foreign-exchange reserves?

Which one of the following is likely to be the most inflationary in its effect?

Supply of money remaining the same when there is an increase in demand for money, there will be

Fruits stored in a cold chamber exhibit longer storage life because

Consider the following fauna of India:

1. Gharial
2. Leatherback turtle
3. Swamp deer

Which of the above is/are endangered?

Ball bearings are used in bicycles, cars, etc., because

Consider the following phenomena:

1. Size of the sun at dusk
2. Colour of the sun at dawn
3. Moon being visible at dawn
4. Twinkle of stars in the sky
5. Polestar being visible in the sky

Which of the above are optical illusions?

Rainbow is produced when sunlight falls on drops of rain. Which of the following physical phenomena are responsible for this?

1. Dispersion
2. Refraction
3. Internal reflection

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Many transplanted seedlings do not grow because

Economic growth in country X will necessarily have to occur if

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Viruses lack enzymes necessary for the generation of energy.
2. Viruses can be cultured in any synthetic medium.
3. Viruses are transmitted from one organism to another by biological vectors only.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Which of the following leaf modifications occurs/occur in desert areas to inhibit water loss?

1. Hard and waxy leaves
2. Tiny leaves or no leaves
3. Thorns instead of leaves

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz., gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct?

The efforts to detect the existence of Higgs boson particle have become frequent news in the recent past. What is/are the importance/ importances of discovering this particle?

1. It will enable us to understand as to why elementary particles have mass.
2. It will enable us in the near future to develop the technology of transferring matter from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them.
3. It will enable us to create better fuels for nuclear fission.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Mycorrhizal biotechnology has been used in rehabilitating degraded sites because mycorrhiza enables the plants to

1. Resist drought and increase absorptive area
2. Tolerate extremes of pH
3. Resist disease infestation

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Who among the following constitute the National Development Council?

1. The Prime Minister
2. The Chairman, Finance Commission
3. Ministers of the Union Cabinet
4. Chief Ministers of the States

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The national income of a country for a given period is equal to the

Which of the following grants/grant direct credit assistance to rural households?

1. Regional Rural Banks
2. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
3. Land Development Banks

Select the correct answer using the codes given below: