(Prelims) IAS General Studies – 2009 (Part 1)

1. In the Individual Satyagrapha, Vinoba Bhave was chosen as the first Satyagrahi. Who was the second ?
(a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
(b) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
(c) C. Rajagopalachari
(d) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Ans : b

• During the course of the Second World War in order to secure the cooperation of the Indians, the British Government made an announcement on 8 August 1940, which came to be known as the ‘August Offer’. The August Offer envisaged that after the War a representative body of Indians would be set up to frame the new Constitution.
• Gandhi was not satisfied with this offer and decided to launch Individual Satyagraha. Individual Satyagraha was limited, symbolic and non-violent in nature and it was left to Mahatma Gandhi to choose the Satyagrahis. The Individual Satyagraha was not to seek independence but to affirm the right of speech. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first to offer Satyagraha startig from Paunar in Maharashtra and he was sentenced to three months imprisonment.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was the second Satyagrahi and imprisoned for four months. Third was Brahma Datt, one of the inmates of the Gandhi’s Ashram.
• The individual Satyagraha continued for nearly 15 months.

2. Consider the follwing statements:
The Cripps proposals include the provision for
(a) full independence for india
(b) creation of constitution-making body.

which of the statement given above is/are correct
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : b

• In March 1942, a mission headed by Stafford Cripps was sent to India with constitutional proposals to seek Indian support for the war. Stafford Cripps was a left-wing Labourite, the leader of the House of Commons and a member of the British War Cabinet who had actively supported the Indian national movement.

Why Cripps Mission was sent:

• Because of the reverses suffered by Britain in South-East Asia, the Japanese threat to invade India seemed real now ‘and Indian support became crucial.
• There was pressure on Britain from the Allies (USA, USSR, and China) to seek Indian cooperation.
• Indian nationalists had agreed to support the Allied cause if substantial power was transferred immediately and complete independence given after the war.

Main Proposals:

1. An Indian Union with a dominion status; would be set up; it would be free to decide its relations with the Commonwealth and free to participate in the United Nations and other international bodies.
2. After the end of the war, a constituent assembly would be convened to frame a new constitution. Members of this assembly would be partly elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation and partly nominated by the princes.
3. The British Government would accept the new constitution subject to two conditions. (i) any province not willing to join the Union could have a separate constitution and form a separate Union, and (ii) the new constitution- making body and the British Government would negotiate a treaty to effect the transfer of power and to safeguard racial and religious minorities.
4. In the meantime, defence of India would remain in British hands and the governor-general’s powers would remain intact.

3. During the freedom struggle, Aruna Asaf Ali was a major women organizer of underground activity in
(a) Civil Disobedience Movement
(b) Non-Cooperation Movement
(c) Quit India movement
(d) Swadeshi Movement

Ans : c

• On 8 August 1942, the All India Congress Committee passed the Quit India resolution at the Bombay session. The government responded by arresting the major leaders and all members of the Congress Working Committee and thus tried to pre-empt the movement from success. A young Aruna Asaf Ali presided over the remainder of the session on 9 August and hoisted the Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan. This marked the commencement of the movement. The police fired upon the assembly at the session. She participated in the Quit India movement (1942-46) from underground.
• Aruna was dubbed the Heroine of the 1942 movement for her bravery in the face of danger and was called Grand Old Lady of the Independence movement in her later years.

4. With whose permission did the English set up their first factory in Surat?
(a) Akbar
(b) Jahangir
(c) Shahjahan
(d) Aurangzeb

Ans : b

• English sea captain, Thomas Best, sank four Portuguese galleons off the Surat coast with his two ships, Red Dragon and Hosiander. Captain Best and his crew’s exploits in the naval Battle of Swally (corruption of Suvali) on October 28, 1612, impressed the Mughal governor of the province so much that he got them a treaty ratified by Emperor Jahangir, which translated to trading rights. By January 1613, the first East India Company factory had come up at Surat.

5. In a dry cell (battery), which of the folllwing are used as electrolytes?
(a) Ammonium Chloride and Zinc Chloride
(b) sodium Chloride and Calcium Chloride
(c) Magnesium Chloride and Zinc Chloride
(d) Ammonium Chloride and Calcium Chloride

Ans : a

• A Dry cell was developed in 1887 by the German scientist Karl Gassner and patented in 1892. A dry cell uses a paste electrolyte, with only enough moisture to allow current to flow. Unlike a wet cell, a dry cell can operate in any orientation without spilling, as it contains no free liquid, making it suitable for portable equipment.
• A standard dry cell comprises a zinc anode, usually in the form of a cylindrical pot, with a carbon cathode in the form of a central rod. The electrolyte is ammonium chloride in the form of a paste next to the zinc anode. The remaining space between the electrolyte and carbon cathode is taken up by a second paste consisting of ammonium chloride and manganese dioxide, the latter acting as a depolariser. In some designs, the ammonium chloride is replaced by zinc chloride.
• A common dry cell is the zinc–carbon battery, sometimes called the dry Leclanche cell, with a nominal voltage of 1.5 volts, the same as the alkaline battery (since both use the same zinc–manganese dioxide combination).

6. Which one of the following planets has largest number of natural satellites or moons?
(a) Jupiter
(b) Mars
(c) Saturn
(d) Venus

Ans : a

Number of Natural Satellites (Solar System):

7. Consider the following statements
(1) Sweet orange plant is propagated by grafting technique.
(2) Jasmine Plant is propagated by layering technique.

which of the statement given above is/are correct
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans : c

Grafting technique.

• Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation.
• The technique is most commonly used in asexual propagation of commercially grown plants for the horticultural and agricultural trades. In most cases, one plant is selected for its roots and this is called the stock or rootstock.
• The other plant is selected for its stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits and is called the scion or cion. The scion contains the desired genes to be duplicated in future production by the stock/scion plant.

Layering technique:

• Stems that are still attached to their parent plant may form roots where they come in contact with a rooting medium. This method of vegetative propagation is generally successful, because water stress is minimized and carbohydrate and mineral nutrient levels are high. The development of roots on a stem while the stem is still attached to the parent plant is called layering. A layer is the rooted stem following detachment (removal) from the parent plant.
• This is done in plant nurseries in imitation of natural layering by many plants such as jasmine which bow over and touch the tip on the ground
• Simple layering can be accomplished by bending a low growing, flexible stem to the ground covering part of it in soil.

8. Which one of the following types of waves are used in a night vision apparatus?
(a) Radio Waves
(b) Microwaves
(c) Infra-red waves
(d) None of the above

Ans : c

• A night vision device (NVD) is an optoelectronic device that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. The image may be a conversion to visible light of both visible light and near-infrared. The image produced is typically monochrome, e.g. shades of green.

9. In the context of genetic disorders, consider the following
A women suffers from colour blindness. while her husband dose not suffer from it they have a son and a daughter .In this context which one of the following statement is most probably correct?

(a) Both Children Suffer from colour Blindness.
(b) Daughter Suffer from colour blindness while son dose not suffer from it.
(c) Both children do not suffer form colour blindness .
(d) Son suffers from colour blindness while daughter dose not suffer from it .

Ans : d

• Color blindness, or color vision deficiency, is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under normal lighting conditions. The most usual cause is a fault in the development of one or more sets of retinal cones that perceive color in light and transmit that information to the optic nerve. This type of color blindness is usually a sex-linked condition. The genes that produce photopigments are carried on the X chromosome; if some of these genes are missing or damaged, color blindness will be expressed in males with a higher probability than in females because males only have one X chromosome (in females, a functional gene on only one of the two X chromosomes is sufficient to yield the needed photopigments)

10. A person travels 12 km due North, then 15 km due East, after that 15 km due west and then 18 km due south . how far is he from the starting point?
(a) 6 km
(b) 12 km
(c) 33 km
(d) 60 km

Ans : a

11. Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F are standing in a row. C and D are standing close to each other alongside E. B is standing beside A only. A is fourth from F. who are standing on the extremes ?
(a) A and F
(b) B and D
(c) B and F
(d) None of the above
Ans : c

• Sequence will be : F,C,D,E,A,B

12. Which one of the following is used as an explosive?
(a) Phosphorous Trichloride
(b) Mercuric Oxide
(c) Graphite
(d) Nitroglycerine

Ans : d

• Nitroglycerin or trinitroglycerin (TNG) or glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) is a heavy, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating glycerol with white fuming nitric acid. Chemically, the substance is an organic nitrate compound rather than a nitro compound, yet the traditional name is often retained.
• Phosphorus trichloride, PCl₃ is an important industrial chemical, being used for the manufacture of organophosphorus compounds for a wide variety of applications.

13. Consider the following :
1. Camphor
2. Chicory
3.Vanilla
which of the above is/are plant product(s)?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans : d

• Vanilla is a flavor derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla
• Camphor is a waxy, flammable, white or transparent solid with a strong aromatic odor. Its chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel, a large evergreen tree found in Asia (particularly in Sumatra, Indonesia and Borneo ) and also of the kapur tree, a tall timber tree from the same region.
• Common chicory is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or for roots, which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive. It is also grown as a forage crop for livestock. It lives as a wild plant on roadsides in its native Europe, and now common in North America and Australia where it has become widely naturalized.

14. In the context of indian wild life the flying fox is a
(a) Bat
(b) Kite
(c) Stork
(d) Vulture

Ans : a

• Bats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the megabat suborder, Megachiroptera, are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as the fruit bats or flying foxes
• The Indian flying fox, also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox in the Pteropodidae family. It is nocturnal (active during the night) and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar.

15. During which Five Year Plan was the Emergency clamped, new election took place and the Janata party was elected?
(a) Third
(b) Fourth
(c) Fifth
(d) Sixth

Ans : c

• 5th Plan from 1974 to 79

                                                                     Next Page (Part 2)