UPSC 2020 Prelims – all questions

With reference to Foreign Direct Investment in India, which one of the following is considered its major characteristic ?

With reference to the international trade of India at present, which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. India’s merchandise exports are less than its merchandise imports.
2. India’s imports of iron and steel, chemicals, fertilisers and machinery have decreased in recent years.
3. India’s exports of services are more than its imports of services.
4. India suffers from an overall trade/current account deficit.

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The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in news, refers to a grade of

In the context of the Indian economy, non-financial debt includes which of the following ?

1. Housing loans owed by households
2. Amounts outstanding on credit cards
3. Treasury bills

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In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA Safeguards” while others are not ?

With reference to Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS), which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. Quantitative restrictions on imports by foreign investors are prohibited.
2. They apply to investment measures related to trade in both goods and services.
3. They are not concerned with the regulation of foreign investment.

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If the RBI decides to adopt an expansionist monetary policy, which of the following would it not do ?

1. Cut and optimize the Statutory Liquidity Ratio
2. Increase the Marginal Standing Facility Rate
3. Cut the Bank Rate and Repo Rate

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With reference to the Indian economy after the 1991 economic liberalization, consider the following statements :

1. Worker productivity (₹ per worker at 2004 – 05 prices) increased in urban areas while it decreased in rural areas.
2. The percentage share of rural areas in the workforce steadily increased.
3. In rural areas, the growth in non-farm economy increased.
4. The growth rate in rural employment decreased.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Consider the following statements :

1. In terms of short-term credit delivery to the agriculture sector, District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) deliver more credit in comparison to Scheduled Commercial Banks and Regional Rural Banks.
2. One of the most important functions of DCCBs is to provide funds to the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

In India, under cyber insurance for individuals, which of the following benefits are generally covered, in addition to payment for the loss of funds and other benefits ?

1. Cost of restoration of the computer system in case of malware disrupting access to one’s computer
2. Cost of a new computer if some miscreant wilfully damages it, if proved so
3. Cost of hiring a specialized consultant to minimize the loss in case of cyber extortion
4. Cost of defence in the Court of Law if any third party files a suit

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In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture ?

1. Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops
2. Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies
3. Social Capital development
4. Free electricity supply to farmers
5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system
6. Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments

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What is the importance of the term “Interest Coverage Ratio” of a firm in India ?

1. It helps in understanding the present risk of a firm that a bank is going to give loan to.
2. It helps in evaluating the emerging risk of a firm that a bank is going to give loan to.
3. The higher a borrowing firm’s level of Interest Coverage Ratio, the worse is its ability to service its debt.

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Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past ?

1. Minimum Support Price
2. Government’s trading
3. Government’s stockpiling
4. Consumer subsidies

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Consider the following statements :

1. The value of Indo-Sri Lanka trade has consistently increased in the last decade.
2. “Textile and textile articles” constitute an important item of trade between India and Bangladesh.
3. In the last five years, Nepal has been the largest trading partner of India in South Asia.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20 ?

Under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, short-term credit support is given to farmers for which of the following purposes ?

1. Working capital for maintenance of farm assets
2. Purchase of combine harvesters, tractors and mini trucks
3. Consumption requirements of farm households
4. Post-harvest expenses
5. Construction of family house and setting up of village cold storage facility

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Consider the following statements :

1. The weightage of food in Consumer Price Index (CPI) is higher than that in Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
2. The WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.
3. Reserve Bank of India has now adopted WPI as its key measure of inflation and to decide on changing the key policy rates.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Consider the following pairs : River

1. Mekong — Andaman Sea
2. Thames — Irish Sea
3. Volga — Caspian Sea
4. Zambezi — Indian Ocean

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

Consider the following statements :

1. In the case of all cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, the procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is unlimited in any State/UT of India.
2. In the case of cereals and pulses, the MSP is fixed in any State/UT at a level to which the market price will never rise.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to the Indian economy, consider the following statements :

1. ‘Commercial Paper’ is a short-term unsecured promissory note.
2. ‘Certificate of Deposit’ is a long-term instrument issued by the Reserve Bank of India to a corporation.
3. ‘Call Money’ is a short-term finance used for interbank transactions.
4. ‘Zero-Coupon Bonds’ are the interest bearing short-term bonds issued by the Scheduled Commercial Banks to corporations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs :

1. Parivrajaka — Renunciant and Wanderer
2. Shramana — Priest with a high status
3. Upasaka — Lay follower of Buddhism

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?

With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements :

1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin ?

1. Nagarhole National Park
2. Papikonda National Park
3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

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With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are

Which one of the following protected areas is well-known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer (Barasingha) that thrives well on hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous ?

Steel slag can be the material for which of the following ?

1. Construction of base road
2. Improvement of agricultural soil
3. Production of cement

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Which of the following are the most likely places to find the musk deer in its natural habitat ?

1. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary
2. Gangotri National Park
3. Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Manas National Park

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In rural road construction, the use of which of the following is preferred for ensuring environmental sustainability or to reduce carbon footprint ?

1. Copper slag
2. Cold mix asphalt technology
3. Geotextiles
4. Hot mix asphalt technology
5. Portland cement

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Consider the following statements :

1. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead and mercury.
2. Coal-fired power plants release sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen into the environment.
3. High ash content is observed in Indian coal.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

What is the use of biochar in farming ?

1. Biochar can be used as a part of the growing medium in vertical farming.
2. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it promotes the growth of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms.
3. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it enables the growing medium to retain water for longer time.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, what is the implication ?

With reference to the period of Gupta dynasty in ancient India, the towns Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were well known as

What is/are the advantage/advantages of zero tillage in agriculture ?

1. Sowing of wheat is possible without burning the residue of previous crop.
2. Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.
3. Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.

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According to India's National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels ?

1. Cassava
2. Damaged wheat grains
3. Groundnut seeds
4. Horse gram
5. Rotten potatoes
6. Sugar beet

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Which one of the following statements best describes the term 'Social Cost of Carbon' ? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the

With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statements :

1. Black gram can be cultivated as both kharif and rabi crop.
2. Green-gram alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production of rabi pulses has decreased.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

"The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost-free days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop." Which one of the following is that crop ?

With reference to solar water pumps, consider the following statements :

1. Solar power can be used for running surface pumps and not for submersible pumps.
2. Solar power can be used for running centrifugal pumps and not the ones with piston.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements :

1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when 'bud chip settlings' are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
2. When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
3. If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

In the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be practice(s) of eco-friendly agriculture ?

1. Crop diversification
2. Legume intensification
3. Tensiometer use
4. Vertical farming

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What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture ?

1. Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
2. Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
3. Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
4. Reduction in the leaching of chemical nutrients is possible.

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Consider the following minerals :

1. Bentonite
2. Chromite
3. Kyanite
4. Sillimanite In India, which of the above is/are officially designated as major minerals ?

With reference to Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT), which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. OMT is measured up to a depth of 26°C isotherm which is 129 meters in the south-western Indian Ocean during January – March.
2. OMT collected during January – March can be used in assessing whether the amount of rainfall in monsoon will be less or more than a certain long-term mean.

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With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements :

1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

With reference to India's Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct ?

1. It is spread over two districts.
2. There is no human habitation inside the Park.
3. It is one of the natural habitats of Great Indian Bustard.

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Siachen Glacier is situated to the

With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs : Famous Place — Present State

1. Bhilsa — Madhya Pradesh
2. Dwarasamudra — Maharashtra
3. Girinagar — Gujarat
4. Sthanesvara — Uttar Pradesh

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?

Consider the following statements :

1. 36% of India’s districts are classified as “overexploited” or “critical” by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
2. CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3. India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Consider the following statements :

1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat” ?