GS Prelims Previous Years Question Paper- 2010 (Part 2)

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

A. It is a sudden fall in the value of a currency against other currencies
B. It is a persistent recession in both the financial and real sectors of economy
C. It is a persistent fall in the general price level of goods and services
D. It is a fall in the rate of inflation over a period of time

ANSWER: C

52.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?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: B

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

A. Elimination of revenue deficit by the end of the fiscal year 2007-08
B. Non – borrowing by the central government from Reserve Bank of India except under certain circumstances
C. Elimination of primary deficit by the end of the fiscal year 2008-09
D. Fixing government guarantees in any financial year as a percentage of GDP

ANSWER: C

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

A. An investor who feels that the price of a particular security is going to fall
B. An investor who expects the price of particular shares to rise
C. A shareholder or a bondholder who has an interest in a company, financial or otherwise
D. Any lender whether by making a loan or buying a bond

ANSWER: A

55.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?     .

A. India has preference for certain countries as regards receiving FDI
B. India has double taxation avoidance agreement with Mauritius
C. Most citizens of Mauritius have ethnic identity with India and so they feel secure to invest in India
D. Impending dangers of global climatic change prompt Mauritius to make huge investments in India

ANSWER: B

56.Consider the following countries:

1. Brazil

2. Mexico

3. South Africa

According to UNCTAD, which of the above is /are categorized as “Emerging Economies”?

A. 1 only
B. 1 and 3 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER: D

57.Rivers that pass through Himachal Pradesh are

A. Beas and Chenab only
B. Beas and Ravi only
C. Chenab, Ravi and Satluj only
D. Beas, Chenab, Ravi, Satluj and Yamuna

ANSWER: D

58.When you travel in certain parts of India, you will notice red soil. What is the main reason for this colour ?

A. Abundance of magnesium
B. Accumulated humus
C. Presence of ferric oxides
D. Abundance of phosphates

ANSWER: C

59.Which one of the following is the appropriate reason for considering the Gondwana rocks as most important of rock systems of India?

A. More than 90% of limestone reserves of India are found in them
B. More than 90% of India’s coal reserves are found in them
C. More than 90% of fertile black cotton soils are spread over them
D. None of the reasons given above is appropriate in this context

ANSWER: B

60.Sustainable development is described as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this perspective, inherently the concept ‘of sustainable development is intertwined with which of the following concepts?

A. Social justice & empowerment
B. Inclusive Growth
C. Globalization
D. Carrying capacity

ANSWER: D

61.As per the UN – Habitat’s Global Report on Human Settlements 2009, which one among the following regions has shown the fastest growth rate of urbanization in the last three decades?

A. Asia
B. Europe
C. Latin America and Caribbean
D. North America

ANSWER: A

62.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

A. 16
B. 15
C. 12
D. 8

ANSWER: B

63.Two numbers X and Y are respectively 20% and 28% less than a third number Z. By what percentage is the number Y less than the number X?

A. 8%
B. 9%
C. 10%
D. 12%

ANSWER: C

64.Two of the schemes launched by the Government of India for Women’s development are Swadhar and Swayam Siddha. As regards the difference between them, consider the following statements:

1. Swayam Siddha is meant for those in difficult circumstances such as women survivors of natural disasters or terrorism, women prisoners released from jails, mentally challenged women etc. whereas Swadhar is meant for holistic empowerment of women through Self Help Groups.

2. Swayam Siddha is implemented through Local Self Government bodies or reputed Voluntary Organizations whereas Swadhar is implemented through the ICDS units setup in the states.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: D

65.With reference to the Consumer Disputes Redressal at district level in India, which one of the following statements is not correct?

A. A State Government can establish more than one District Forum in a district if it deems fit
B. One of the members of the District Forum shall be a woman
C. The District Forum entertains the complaints where the value of goods or services does not exceed rupees fifty lakhs
D. A complaint in relation to any goods sold or any service provided may be tiled with a District Forum by the State Government as a representative of the interests of the consumers in general

ANSWER: C

66.As a result of their annual survey, the National Geographic Society and an international polling firm Globe Scan gave India top rank in Greendex 2009 score. What is this score?

A. It is a measure of efforts made by different countries in adopting technologies for reducing carbon footprint
B. It is a measure of environmentally sustainable consumer behaviour in different countries
C. It is an assessment of programmes / schemes undertaken by different countries for improving the conservation of natural resources
D. It is an index showing the volume of carbon credits sold by different countries

ANSWER: B

67.With reference to the National Investment Fund to which the disinvestment proceeds are routed, consider the following statements :

1. The assets in the National Investment Fund are managed by the Union Ministry of Finance.

2. The National Investment Fund is to be maintained within the Consolidated Fund of India.

3. Certain Asset Management Companies are appointed as the fund managers.

4. A certain proportion of annual income is used for financing select social sectors.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

A. 1 and 2
B. 2 only
C. 3 and 4
D. 3 only

ANSWER: C

68.In India, which of the following is regulated by the Forward Markets Commission?

A. Currency Futures Trading
B. Commodities Futures Trading
C. Equity Futures Trading
D. Both Commodities Futures and Financial Futures Trading

ANSWER: B

69. What was the immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi movement?

A. The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon
B. A sentence of 18 months rigorous imprisonment imposed on Lokmanya Tilak
C. The arrest and deportation of Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh; and passing of the Punjab Colonization Bill
D. Death sentence pronounced on the Chapekar brothers

ANSWER: A

70.Consider the following statements:

1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad persuaded Mahatma Gandhi to come to Champaran to investigate the problem of peasants.

2. Acharya J. B. Kriplani was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s colleagues in his Champaran investigation.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: B

71.A person travelled a distance of 50 km in 8 hours. He covered a part of the distance on foot at the rate of 4 km per hour and a part on a bicycle at the rate of 10 km per hour. How much distance did he travel on foot?

A. 10 km
B. 20 km
C. 30 km
D. 40 km

ANSWER: B

72.How many numbers from 0 to 999 are not divisible by either 5 or 7?

A. 313
B. 341
C. 686
D. 786

ANSWER: C

73.Consider the following statements :

The functions of commercial banks in India include

1. Purchase and sale of shares and securities on behalf of customers.

2 Acting as executors and trustees of wills.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: C

74.In India, the tax proceeds of which one of the following as a percentage of gross tax revenue has significantly declined in the last five years?

A. Service tax
B. Personal income tax
C. Excise duty
D. Corporation tax

ANSWER: C

75.Inclusive growth as enunciated in the Eleventh Five Year Plan does not include one of the following:

A. Reduction of poverty
B. Extension of employment opportunities
C. Strengthening of capital market
D. Reduction of gender inequality

ANSWER: C

76.Consider the following actions by the Government:

1. Cutting the tax rates

2. Increasing the government spending

3. Abolishing the subsidies

In the context of economic recession, which of the above actions can be considered a part of the “fiscal stimulus” package?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER: A

77.When the Reserve Bank of India announces an increase of the Cash Reserve Ratio, what does it mean?

A. The commercial banks will have less money to lend
B. The Reserve Bank of India will have less money to lend
C. The Union Government will have less money to lend
D. The commercial banks will have more money to lend

ANSWER: A

78.Consider the following statements :

1. Hepatitis B is several times more infectious than HIV / AIDS

2. Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: C

79.Which one of the following processes in the bodies of living organisms is a digestive process?

A. Breakdown of proteins into amino acids
B. Breakdown of glucose into CO2 and H2O
C. Conversion of glucose into glycogen
D. Conversion of amino acids into proteins

ANSWER: A

80.From the point of view of evolution of living organisms, which one of the following is the correct sequence of evolution?

A. Otter – Tortoise – Shark
B. Shark – Tortoise – Otter
C. Tortoise – Shark – Otter
D. Shark – Otter – Tortoise

ANSWER: B

81.Excessive release of the pollutant carbon monoxide (CO) into the air may produce a condition in which oxygen supply in the human body decreases. What causes this condition?

A. When inhaled into the human body, CO is converted into CO2
B. The inhaled CO has much higher affinity for haemoglobin as compared to oxygen
C. The inhaled CO destroys the chemical structure of haemoglobin
D. The inhaled CO adversely affects the respiratory centre in the brain

ANSWER: B

82.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?

A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1, 2 and 3 only
C. 2, 3 and 4
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

ANSWER: D

83.Consider the following:

1. Oxides of Hydrogen

2. Oxides of Nitrogen

3. Oxides of Sulphur

Which of the above causes / cause acid rain?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 3 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER: C

84.Some species of plants are insectivorous. Why?

A. Their growth in shady and dark places does not allow them to undertake sufficient photosynthesis and thus they depend on insects for nutrition.
B. They are adapted to grow in nitrogen deficient soils and thus depend on insects for sufficient nitrogenous nutrition
C. They cannot synthesize certain vitamins themselves and depend on the insects digested by them
D. They have remained in that particular stage of evolution as living fossils, a link between autotrophs and heterotrophs

ANSWER: B

85.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?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: A

86.Consider the following statements:

1. The Taxus tree naturally found in the Himalayas.

2. The Taxus tree is listed in the Red Data Book.

3. A drug called “taxol” is obtained from Taxus tree is effective against Parkinson’s disease.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER: B

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

A. ADR
B. GDR
C. SDR
D. Both ADR and SDR

ANSWER: C

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

A. The challenges posed by the impending global climate change and prepare a road map
B. The workings of the global financial systems and to explore ways and means to secure, a more sustainable global order
C. Global terrorism and prepare a global action plan for the mitigation of terrorism
D. Expansion of the United Nations Security Council in the present global scenario

ANSWER: B

89.The International Development Association, a lending agency, is administered by the

A. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
B. International Fund for Agricultural Development
C. United Nations Development Programme
D. United Nations Industrial Development Organization

ANSWER: A

90.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?

A. Rice and wheat only
B. Rice, wheat and pulses only
C. Rice, wheat, pulses and oil seeds only
D. Rice, wheat, pulses, oil seeds and vegetables

ANSWER: B

91.Consider the following statements:

In India, taxes on transactions in Stock Exchanges and Futures Markets are

1. Levied by the Union

2. Collected by the State .

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only 
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: A

92.Consider the following statements:

1. The Union Government fixes the Statutory Minimum Price of sugarcane for each sugar season.

2. Sugar and sugarcane are essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: C

93.Genetically modified “golden rice” has been engineered to meet human nutritional requirements. Which one of the following statements best qualifies golden rice?

A. The grains have been fortified with genes to provide three times higher grain yield per acre than other high yielding varieties.
B. Its grains contain pro-vitamin A which upon ingestion is converted to vitamin A in the human body.
C. Its modified genes cause the synthesis of all the nine essential amino acids.
D. Its modified genes cause the fortification of its grains with vitamin D.

ANSWER: B

94.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?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1 and 4 only
C. 1, 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

ANSWER: D

95.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?

A. Food crop
B. Rat
C. Snake
D. Hawk

ANSWER: D

96.Which feature of some species of blue-green algae helps promote them as bio-fertilizers?

A. They convert- atmospheric methane into ammonia which the crop plants can absorb readily,
B. They induce the crop plants to produce the enzymes which help convert atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates.
C. They have the mechanism to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that the crop plants can absorb readily.
D. They induce the roots of the crop plants to absorb the soil nitrates if larger quantities.

ANSWER: C

97.Other than Jatropha curcas, why is Pongamia pinnata also considered a good option for the production of bio-diesel in India?

1. Pongamia pinnata grows naturally in most of the arid regions of India.

2. The seeds of Pongamia pinnata are rich in lipid content of which nearly half is oleic acid.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: C

98.Due to their extensive rice cultivation, some regions may be contributing to global warming. To what possible reason/reasons is this attributable?

1. The anaerobic conditions associated with rice cultivation cause the emission of methane.

2. When nitrogen based fertilizers are used, nitrous oxide is emitted from the cultivated soil.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER: C

99.Given below are the names of four energy crops. Which one of them can be cultivated for ethanol?

A. Jatropha
B. Maize
C. Pongamia
D. Sunflower

ANSWER: B

100.Which among the following do/does not belong/belongs to the GSM family of wireless technologies?

A. EDGE
B. LTE
C. DSL   
D. Both EDGE and LTE

ANSWER: C

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