(Prelims) IAS General Studies – 1998 (Part 2)

16. Consider the following statements regarding asteroids
1. Asteroids are rocky debris of varying sizes orbiting the Sun.
2. Most of the asteroids are small but some have diameter as large as 1000 km
3. The orbit of asteroids lies between orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.
Of these statements
(a) 1, 2 and 3 are correct      (b) 2 and 3 are correct
(c) 1 and 2 are correct          (d) 1 and 3 are correct

Ans:c

• Asteroids are minor planets, especially those of the inner Solar System. The larger ones have also been called planetoids
• There are millions of asteroids, many thought to be the shattered remnants of planetesimals, bodies within the young Sun’s solar nebula that never grew large enough to become planets.The large majority of known asteroids orbit in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, or are co-orbital with Jupiter

17. ‘MERCOSUR’ consists of group of countries of
(a) Africa      (b) Asia    (c) Latin America   (d) South East Asia

Ans: (c)

• Mercosur is a sub-regional bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Its associate countries are Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

18. Which one of the following countries has replaced Italy as the major importer of bauxite from India ?
(a) Canada      (b) Greece    (c) Ukraine   (d) United Arab Emirates

• Old Data, Not Required
• India has a known reserve of around 300 Million tonnes of Bauxite (12 % of World Reserve ) of which nearly 250 Million tonnes of Bauxite are available in the eastern coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The balance quantity is available in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, etc. While Gujarat Bauxite is very rich in Alumina ( > 50 % ), its quantity is limited.
• Currently, India mines nearly 10 Million tonnes of Bauxite (~ 3.3 % of known Reserve ), imports another nearly 1 Million tones of Bauxite and Exports also nearly 1 Million tonnes of Bauxite. Current Aluminium Production in the country is around 2.5 Million tonnes.
• In May 2014, India was the second-largest exporter of bauxite by sea to China, after Australia. China has been struggling to get bauxite from India, Australia and Africa since Indonesia had imposed a ban on ore shipments in the beginning of this year. But importing from Africa turns out to be quite expensive due to high freight rates.

19. Lord Mountbatten came to India as Viceroy along with specific instruction to
(a) balkanize the Indian sub-continent
(b) keep India united if possible
(c) accept Jinnah’s demand for Pakistan
(d) persuade the Congress to accept partition

Ans: d

20. Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the states (labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4) of India shown on the map in descending order in terms of their available ground water-resources for irrigation?
(a) 3, 4, 1, 2
(b) 3, 4, 2, 1
(c) 4, 3, 1, 2
(d) 4, 3, 2, 1

21. Consider the following statements
The price of any currency in international market is decided by the
1. World Bank.
2. demand for goods/services provided by the country concerned.
3. stability of the government of the concerned country.
4. economic potential of the country in question.
Of these statements
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 are correct    (b) 2 and 3 are correct
(c) 3 and 4 are correct            (d) 1 and 4 are correct

Ans: b

22. Consider the following statements
Coke is one of the materials of the charge added to blast furnace for the production of steel/iron. Its function is to
1. act as a reducing agent.
2. remove silica associated with the iron ore
3. function as fuel, to supply heat.
4. act as an oxidizing agent.
Of these statements
(a) 1 and 2 are correct (b) 2 and 4 are correct
(c) 1 and 3 are correct (d) 3 and 4 are correct

Ans: c

23. A consumer is said to be in equilibrium, if
(a) he is able to fulfill his need with a given level of income
(b) he is able to live in full comforts with a given level of income
(c) he can fulfill his needs without consumption of certain items
(d) he is able to locate new sources of income

Ans: a

24. Production of Rice and Wheat
(In millions of Tonnes)
Year          Rice         Wheat                Percentage of Wheat to Rice
1950-51    20.58          6.46                            31.4
1960-61    34.58        11.00                          31.8
1970-71    42.22        23.83                          56.4
1980-81    53.63        36.31                          67.7
1990-91    74.29        55.14                           74.2
1994-95    81.81        65.77                           80.4
1995-96    79.62        62.62                           78.6
The above table indicates the performance in India in rice and wheat production from 1950-51 to 1995-96. Which of the following conclusions arrived at from the above table would be valid?
1. Record production of rice as well as wheat has been in 1994-95
2. The ratio of wheat to rice production seems to have steadily increased over 16 years
3. Wheat has not been popular among the Indian population before 1980.
4. India became self-sufficient in rice and wheat only after 1990.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below
(a) 1 and 2      (b) 1, 2, 3 and 4
(c) 3 and 4      (d) None

Ans: Easy Maths and easily solvable

25. Among the Indian states shown labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the rough outline map given, the correct sequence of descending order of percent of scheduled tribe population to their total population is :
(a) 1, 3, 2, 4    (b) 3, 1, 2, 4   (c) 3, 1, 4, 2   (d) 1, 3, 4, 2

26. Which one of the following sets of states stands to benefit the most from the Konkan Railway?

(a) Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala

(b) Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala

(c) Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra

(d) Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu

Ans: a

• The Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India between Mumbai and Mangalore.

27. The supply-side economics lays greater emphasis on the point of view of

(a) producer    

(b) global economy   

(c) consumer 

(d) middle-man

Ans: a

• Supply-side economics is a school of macroeconomics that argues that economic growth can be most effectively created by lowering barriers for people to produce (supply) goods and services as well as invest in capital. According to supply-side economics, consumers will then benefit from a greater supply of goods and services at lower prices; furthermore, the investment and expansion of businesses will increase the demand for employees. Typical policy recommendations of supply-side economists are lower marginal tax rates and less regulation.

28. Which one of the following languages belongs to the Austric group ?

(a) Maratlti   

(b) Ladakhi 

 (c) Khasi  

(d) Tamil

Ans: c

• Austric is a large hypothetical grouping of languages primarily spoken in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the eastern Indian subcontinent. It includes the Austronesian language family of Taiwan, the Malay Archipelago, Pacific Islands, and Madagascar, as well as the Austroasiatic language family of mainland Southeast Asia, Eastern India, and Bangladesh
• Khasi is an Austroasiatic language spoken primarily in Meghalaya state in India by the Khasi people. Khasi is part of the Austroasiatic language family, and is fairly closely related to the Munda branch of that family, which is spoken in east–central India.

29. Which one of the following metals does not form amalgams?

(a) Zinc   

(b) Copper 

(c) Magnesium 

(d) Iron

Ans: d

• An amalgam is a substance formed by the reaction of mercury with another metal. Almost all metals can form amalgams with mercury, the notable exception being iron. Silver-mercury amalgams are important in dentistry, and gold-mercury amalgam is used in the extraction of gold from ore.

30. Indonesian forest fire in 1997 was caused by

(a) greenhouse effect    

(b) depletion of ozone laver

(c) EL Nino effect         

(d) None of the above

Ans: d

• The 1997 Indonesian forest fires were caused mainly by slash and burn techniques adopted by farmers in Indonesia. Slash and burn has been extensively used for many years as the cheapest and easiest means to clear the lands for traditional agriculture.

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