(Prelims) IAS General Studies – 2003 (Part 1)

1. The Basque people who are frequently in the news for their separatist activity live in:
(a) France (b) Italy
(C) Portugal (d) Spain

Ans: d

• The Basques are an indigenous ethnic group who primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country, a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.
• Both Spanish and French governments have, at times, suppressed Basque linguistic and cultural identity. The French Republics, the epitome of the nation-state, have a long history of attempting the complete cultural absorption of cultural minority groups. Spain has, at most points in its history, granted some degree of linguistic, cultural, and even political autonomy to its Basques, but under the regime of Francisco Franco, the Spanish government reversed the advances of Basque nationalism. Today, the Southern Basque Country within Spain enjoys an extensive cultural and political autonomy. The majority of schools under the jurisdiction of the Basque education system use Basque as the primary medium of teaching. However, the situation is more delicate in the Northern Basque Country within France, where Basque is not officially recognized, and where lack of autonomy and monolingual public schooling in French exert great pressure on the Basque language.

2. Match List-I (High Officials) with List-II (Organisation) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
       List-I                                     List-II
(High Officials)                      (Organisation)

A. C. P. Jain                       1. Indian Airlines
B. S. Ramadoral                 2. NTPC
C. Sunil Arora                    3. TCS
D. Vivek Paul                     4. Wipro Technologis

Codes:
A B C D
(a) 4 1 3 2
(b) 4 3 1 2
(c) 2 3 1 4
(d) 2 1 3 4

• Old data, not useful

3. Which one of the following statements if correct?
(a) Liquid Sodium is employed as a coolant in nuclear reactors
(b) Calcium carbonate is an ingredient of tooth paste
(c) Bordeaux mixture consists of Sodium sulphate and lime
(d) Zinc amalgams are used as a dental filling

Ans: a and b

• Liquid sodium is used as a heat transfer fluid in some fast reactors, due to its high thermal conductivity and low neutron absorption cross section, which is required to achieve a high neutron flux; the high boiling point allows the reactor to operate at ambient pressure. Drawbacks of using sodium include its opacity, which hinders visual maintenance, and its explosive properties.
• Bordeaux mixture (also called Bordo Mix) is a mixture of copper(II) sulfate (CuSO₄) and slaked lime (Ca(OH)₂) used as a fungicide. It is used in vineyards, fruit-farms and gardens to prevent infestations
• 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. In dentistry, amalgam is an alloy of mercury with various metals used for dental fillings. It commonly consists of mercury (50%), silver (~22-32% ), tin (~14%), copper (~8%), and other trace metals.. Amalgam is an “excellent and versatile restorative material” and is used in dentistry for a number of reasons. It is inexpensive and relatively easy to use and manipulate during placement; it remains soft for a short time so it can be packed to fill any irregular volume, and then forms a hard compound.
• Toothpastes are derived from a variety of components, the three main ones being abrasives, fluoride, and detergents. Abrasives constitute at least 50% of a typical toothpaste. These insoluble particles help remove plaque from the teeth. Representative abrasives include particles of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)₃), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) etc. Fluoride in various forms is the most popular active ingredient in toothpaste to prevent cavities. Sodium fluoride (NaF) is the most common source of fluoride,
• Calcium carbonate is used in the production of toothpaste and has seen a resurgence as a food preservative and color retainer, when used in or with products such as organic apples or food.

4. Consider the following statements:
1. The Cholas defeated Pandya and Chera rulers and established their domination over peninsular India in the early medieval times.
2. The Cholas sent an expedition against Sailendra empire of South East Asia and conquered some of the areas.
Which of these statements is/are correct?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: b

• In ancient time.

5. Diffusion of light in the atmosphere takes place due to:
(a) Carbon dioxide (b) Dust particles
(c) Helium (d) Water vapours

Ans: b

• Diffuse sky radiation is solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface after having been scattered from the direct solar beam by molecules or suspensoids in the atmosphere. It is also called skylight, diffuse skylight, or sky radiation and is the reason for changes in the color of the sky.
• Of the total light removed from the direct solar beam by scattering in the atmosphere (approximately 25% of the incident radiation when the sun is high in the sky, depending on the amount of dust and haze in the atmosphere), about two-thirds ultimately reaches the earth as diffuse sky radiation.

6. In India, the fist bank of limited liability managed by Indians and founded in 1881 was:
(a) Hindustan Commercial Bank
(b) Oudh Commercial Bank
(c) Punjab National Bank
(d) Punjab and Sind Bank

Ans: b

• Oudh Commercial Bank was established in 1881 in Faizabad. At the time, it was the first commercial bank in India having limited liability and an entirely Indian board of directors. It was a small bank that had no branches and that served only local needs. It failed in 1958. Before it failed it acquired the Bank of Rohilkund (or Bank of Rohilkhand), which Sir Yusef Ali Khan, Nawab of Rampur (1832–1887), had promoted over the objection of local moneylenders.

7. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
(a) The Press Council of India is an autonomous quasijudicial body established under an Act of Parliament
(b) The Press Information Bureau provides accreditation to media persons so as to have easy access to information from government sources
(c) Among all the States of India, Maharashtra publishes the largest number of newspapers
(d) Press Trust of India is the largest news agency in the country.

Ans: c

• The Press Council of India is a statutory body in India that governs the conduct of the print media. The Press Council is a statutory, quasi-judicial body which acts as a watchdog of the press. It adjudicates the complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.
• Press Trust of India (PTI) is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 500 Indian newspapers and has 984 full-time employees, as on January 8, 2014
• Largest number of publication from UP. Second is Maharashtra.

8. The government holding in BPCL is:
(a) more than 70%
(b) between 60% and 70%
(c) between 50% and 60%
(d) less than 50%

Ans: c

9. Consider the following statements regarding the relations between India and Pakistan:
(1) During Shimla Agreement, Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Bhutto agreed to maintain the sanctity of LOC.
(2) Lahore Summit took place in the year 1997.
(3) Islamabad Summit was held between Rajiv Gandhi and Nawaz Sharif.
Which of these statements is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 3
(c) Only 2 (d) Only 1

Ans: d

• The Lahore Declaration is a bilateral agreement and governance treaty between India and Pakistan. The treaty was signed on February 21, 1999, at the conclusion of a historic summit in Lahore, and ratified by the parliaments of both countries the same year. Prime Minister Navaz Sharif and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed the treaty.
• The Simla Agreement (or Shimla Agreement) was signed between India and Pakistan on July 2, 1972 in Simla,

10. During the year 2000-01, which one of the following industries recorded highest growth rate in India?
(a) Cement (b) Coal
(c) Electricity (d) Steel

Ans: a

11. An oil tanker is partially filled with oil and moves forward on a level road with uniform acceleration. The free surface of oil then:
(a) remains horizontal
(b) is inclined to the horizontal with smaller depth at the rear end.
(c) Is inclined to the horizontal with larger depth at the rear end
(d) Assumes parabolic curve

Ans: c

12. In which one of the following countries is Rupee its currency?
(a) Bhutan (b) Malaysia
(c) Maldives (d) Seychelles

Ans: d

• Bhutan: Bhutanese ngultrum
• Malaysia: Ringgit
• Maldives: Maldivian rufiyaa
• Seychelles: Seychellois rupee

13. Which one of the following countries is land locked?
(a) Bolivia (b) Peru
(c) Suriname (d) Uruguay

Ans: a

14. Which one of the following countries does NOT border the Caspian Sea?
(a) Armenia (b) Azerbaijan
(c) Kazakhstan (d) Turkmenistan

Ans: a

15. The sportsperson Soma Biswas is associated with:
(a) Sailing (b) Hockey
(c) Golf (d) Athletic

Ans: d

• Soma Biswas (born 16 May 1978 in Ranaghat) is an athlete who lives in Kolkata, India and who specialises in the heptathlon.

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