UPSC 2014 Prelims – all questions

Turkey is located between

What is the correct sequence of occurrence of the following cities in South-East Asia as one proceeds from south to north?

1. Bangkok
2. Hanoi
3. Jakarta
4. Singapore

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The scientific view is that the increase in global temperature should not exceed 2 °C above pre-industrial level. If the global temperature increases beyond 3 °C above the pre-industrial level, what can be its possible impact/impacts on the world?

1. Terrestrial biosphere tends toward a net carbon source.
2. Widespread coral mortality will occur.
3. All the global wetlands will permanently disappear.
4. Cultivation of cereals will not be possible anywhere in the world.

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The national motto of India, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed below the Emblem of India is taken from

In the Constitution of India, promotion of international peace and security is included in the

What are the benefits of implementing the ‘Integrated Watershed Development Programme’?

1. Prevention of soil runoff
2. Linking the country’s perennial rivers with seasonal rivers
3. Rainwater harvesting and recharge of groundwater table
4. Regeneration of natural vegetation

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Which of the following are associated with 'Planning' in India?

1. The Finance Commission
2. The National Development Council
3. The Union Ministry of Rural Development
4. The Union Ministry of Urban Development
5. The Parliament

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Which of the following is/are the function/functions of the Cabinet Secretariat?

1. Preparation of agenda for Cabinet Meetings
2. Secretarial assistance to Cabinet Committees
3. Allocation of financial resources to the Ministries

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Consider the following statements : A Constitutional Government is one which

1. places effective restrictions on individual liberty in the interest of State Authority
2. places effective restrictions on the Authority of the State in the interest of individual liberty

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which of the following are the discretionary powers given to the Governor of a State?

1. Sending a report to the President of India for imposing the President's rule
2. Appointing the Ministers
3. Reserving certain bills passed by the State Legislature for consideration of the President of India
4. Making the rules to conduct the business of the State Government

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If the interest rate is decreased in an economy, it will

Consider the following statements :

1. The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
2. All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding a No-Confidence Motion in India :

1. There is no mention of a No-Confidence Motion in the Constitution of India.
2. A Motion of No-Confidence can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to Neem tree, consider the following statements :

1. Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the proliferation of some species of insects and mites.
2. Neem seeds are used in the manufacture of biofuels and hospital detergents.
3. Neem oil has applications in pharmaceutical industry.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which one of the following is the process involved in photosynthesis?

In addition to fingerprint scanning, which of the following can be used in the biometric identification of a person?

1. Iris scanning
2. Retinal scanning
3. Voice recognition

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Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding vegetative propagation of plants?

1. Vegetative propagation produces clonal population.
2. Vegetative propagation helps in eliminating the virus.
3. Vegetative propagation can be practiced most of the year.

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Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? Spacecraft : Purpose

1. Cassini-Huygens : Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
2. Messenger : Mapping and investigating the Mercury
3. Voyager 1 and 2 : Exploring the outer solar system

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Consider the following pairs : Region : Well-known for the production of

1. Kinnaur : Areca nut
2. Mewat : Mango
3. Coromandel : Soya bean

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Which of the following is/are the example/examples of chemical change?

1. Crystallization of sodium chloride
2. Melting of ice
3. Souring of milk

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The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its

Consider the following techniques/phenomena :

1. Budding and grafting in fruit plants
2. Cytoplasmic male sterility
3. Gene silencing

Which of the above is/are used to create transgenic crops?

Consider the following statements :

1. Maize can be used for the production of starch.
2. Oil extracted from maize can be a feedstock for biodiesel.
3. Alcoholic beverages can be produced by using maize.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Among the following organisms, which one does not belong to the class of other three?

The power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of India is vested in

Consider the following towns of India :

1. Bhadrachalam
2. Chanderi
3. Kancheepuram
4. Karnal

Which of the above are famous for the production of traditional sarees/fabric?

Consider the following pairs : National Highway

1. NH 4 : Chennai and Hyderabad
2. NH 6 : Mumbai and Kolkata
3. NH 15 : Ahmedabad and Jodhpur

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following international agreements :

1. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
2. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
3. The World Heritage Convention

Which of the above has/have a bearing on the biodiversity?

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Earth Hour’ :

1. It is an initiative of UNEP and UNESCO.
2. It is a movement in which the participants switch off the lights for one hour on a certain day every year.
3. It is a movement to raise the awareness about the climate change and the need to save the planet.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of a food chain?

The Partition of Bengal made by Lord Curzon in 1905 lasted until

The 1929 Session of Indian National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because the

With reference to the famous Sattriya dance, consider the following statements :

1. Sattriya is a combination of music, dance and drama.
2. It is a centuries-old living tradition of Vaishnavites of Assam.
3. It is based on classical Ragas and Talas of devotional songs composed by Tulsidas, Kabir and Mirabai.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Chaitra 1 of the national calendar based on the Saka Era corresponds to which one of the following dates of the Gregorian calendar in a normal year of 365 days?

With reference to the Indian history of art and culture, consider the following pairs : Famous work of sculpture

1. A grand image of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana with numerous celestial musicians above and the sorrowful figures of his followers below : Ajanta
2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar (boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he rescues Goddess Earth from the deep and chaotic waters, sculpted on rock : Mount Abu
3. “Arjuna’s Penance”/“Descent of Ganga” sculpted on the surface of huge boulders : Mamallapuram

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

The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a

With reference to India’s culture and tradition, what is ‘Kalaripayattu’?

Consider the following pairs :

1. Garba : Gujarat
2. Mohiniattam : Odisha
3. Yakshagana : Karnataka

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

With reference to Buddhist history, tradition and culture in India, consider the following pairs : Famous shrine

1. Tabo monastery and temple complex : Spiti Valley
2. Lhotsava Lhakhang temple, Nako : Zanskar Valley
3. Alchi temple complex : Ladakh

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

Consider the following statements :

1. ‘Bijak’ is a composition of the teachings of Saint Dadu Dayal.
2. The Philosophy of Pushti Marg was propounded by Madhvacharya.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A community of people called Manganiyars is well-known for their

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858)?

1. To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States
2. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown
3. To regulate East India Company’s trade with India

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Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was

In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the 'Seed Replacement Rates' of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint/constraints in its wider/greater implementation?

1. There is no National Seeds Policy in place.
2. There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials of horticultural crops.
3. There is a demand-supply gap regarding quality seeds in case of low value and high volume crops.

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With reference to 'Eco-Sensitive Zones', which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
2. The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities in those zones except agriculture.

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Consider the following statements :

1. Animal Welfare Board of India is established under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
2. National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body.
3. National Ganga River Basin Authority is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs : Vitamin

1. Vitamin C : Scurvy
2. Vitamin D : Rickets
3. Vitamin E : Night blindness

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

There is some concern regarding the nanoparticles of some chemical elements that are used by the industry in the manufacture of various products. Why?

1. They can accumulate in the environment, and contaminate water and soil.
2. They can enter the food chains.
3. They can trigger the production of free radicals.

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Which of the following organizations brings out the publication known as 'World Economic Outlook'?

With reference to Union Budget, which of the following is/are covered under Non-Plan Expenditure?

1. Defence expenditure
2. Interest payments
3. Salaries and pensions
4. Subsidies

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