Civil Services Prep

UPSC Prelims 2013

UPSC Prelims 2013 question paper with answers

99 questions, each with its answer.

General Studies Paper I

  1. Consider the following statements regarding The Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts: 1. Consists of not…Polity and Constitution
  2. Consider the following Bhakti Saints: 1. Dadu Dayal 2. Guru Nanak 3. Tyagaraja Who among the above was/were…Medieval History
  3. With reference to the food chains in ecosystems, which of the following kinds of organism is/are known as…Environment
  4. The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions whereGeography
  5. Which of the following is/are unique characteristic/characteristics of equatorial forests? 1. Presence of…Geography
  6. Which of the following constitute Capital Account? 1. Foreign Loans 2. Foreign Direct Investment 3. Private…Economy
  7. Consider the following historical places: 1. Ajanta Caves 2. Lepakshi Temple 3. Sanchi Stupa Which of the…Art and Culture
  8. With reference to the history of philosophical thought in India, consider the following statements regarding…Ancient History
  9. In the context of India, which of the following principles is/are implied institutionally in the parliamentary…Polity and Constitution
  10. The annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal areas. What…Geography
  11. Which of the following is/are the characteristic/characteristics of Indian coal? 1. High ash content 2. Low…Geography
  12. Which of the following statements regarding laterite soils of India are correct? 1. They are generally red in…Geography
  13. Consider the following statements: 1. Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds. 2. Mica occurs in abundance in…Geography
  14. Consider the following crops: 1. Cotton 2. Groundnut 3. Rice 4. Wheat Which of these are Kharif crops?Geography
  15. "Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders." The above statement best…Geography
  16. Consider the following statements: 1. Inflation benefits the debtors. 2. Inflation benefits the bond-holders.…Economy
  17. Disguised unemployment generally meansEconomy
  18. Consider the following statements: 1. The Council of Ministers in the Centre shall be collectively responsible…Polity and Constitution
  19. Consider the following statements: 1. National Development Council is an organ of the Planning Commission. 2.…Polity and Constitution
  20. Consider the following statements: 1. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha are not the…Polity and Constitution
  21. With reference to National Legal Services Authority, consider the following statements: 1. Its objective is to…Polity and Constitution
  22. During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the 1. Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the…Science and Technology
  23. Consider the following pairs: | Tribe | State | |---|---| | 1. Limboo (Limbu) | Sikkim | | 2. Karbi | Himachal…Geography
  24. Consider the following liquid assets: 1. Demand deposits with the banks 2. Time deposits with the banks 3.…Economy
  25. In the context of Indian economy, 'Open Market Operations' refers toEconomy
  26. Priority Sector Lending by banks in India constitutes the lending toEconomy
  27. Which one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?Geography
  28. To obtain full benefits of demographic dividend, what should India do?Economy
  29. In the context of cultural history of India, a pose in dance and dramatics called 'Tribhanga' has been a…Art and Culture
  30. Annie Besant was 1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement 2. The founder of the Theosophical Society…Modern History and the Freedom Struggle
  31. The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to theModern History and the Freedom Struggle
  32. A rise in general level of prices may be caused by 1. An increase in the money supply 2. A decrease in the…Economy
  33. Which one of the following groups of items is included in India's foreign-exchange reserves?Economy
  34. Which one of the following is likely to be the most inflationary in its effect?Economy
  35. Supply of money remaining the same when there is an increase in demand for money, there will beEconomy
  36. Fruits stored in a cold chamber exhibit longer storage life becauseScience and Technology
  37. Consider the following fauna of India: 1. Gharial 2. Leatherback turtle 3. Swamp deer Which of the above…Environment
  38. Ball bearings are used in bicycles, cars, etc., becauseScience and Technology
  39. Consider the following statements: 1. Size of the sun at dusk 2. Colour of the sun at dawn 3. Moon being…Science and Technology
  40. Rainbow is produced when sunlight falls on drops of rain. Which of the following physical phenomena are…Science and Technology
  41. Many transplanted seedlings do not grow becauseScience and Technology
  42. Economic growth in country X will necessarily have to occur ifEconomy
  43. Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Viruses lack enzymes necessary for the generation of…Science and Technology
  44. Which of the following leaf modifications occurs/occur in desert areas to inhibit water loss? 1. Hard and waxy…Science and Technology
  45. The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz., gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear…Science and Technology
  46. The efforts to detect the existence of Higgs boson particle have become frequent news in the recent past. What…Science and Technology
  47. Mycorrhizal biotechnology has been used in rehabilitating degraded sites because mycorrhiza enables the plants…Environment
  48. Who among the following constitute the National Development Council? 1. The Prime Minister 2. The Chairman,…Polity and Constitution
  49. The national income of a country for a given period is equal to theEconomy
  50. Which of the following grants/grant direct credit assistance to rural households? 1. Regional Rural Banks 2.…Agriculture
  51. What will follow if a Money Bill is substantially amended by the Rajya Sabha?Polity and Constitution
  52. Which one of the following statements is correct?Polity and Constitution
  53. With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements: 1. The caves…Art and Culture
  54. Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic Engineering) allows genes to be transferred 1. across different species of…Science and Technology
  55. The Chinese traveler Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang) who visited India recorded the general conditions and culture…Ancient History
  56. Consider the following: 1. Star tortoise 2. Monitor lizard 3. Pygmy hog 4. Spider monkey Which of the above…Environment
  57. Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India? 1. Arsenic 2.…Environment
  58. With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces wereModern History and the Freedom Struggle
  59. Consider the following animals: 1. Sea cow 2. Sea horse 3. Sea lion Which of the above is/are mammal/mammals?Environment
  60. Consider the following statements: 1. An amendment to the Constitution of India can be initiated by an…Polity and Constitution
  61. Consider the following statements: Attorney General of India can 1. take part in the proceedings of the Lok…Polity and Constitution
  62. With reference to the usefulness of the by-products of sugar industry, which of the following statements…Economy
  63. Variations in the length of daytime and nighttime from season to season are due toGeography
  64. The Narmada river flows to the west, while most other large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why? 1. It…Geography
  65. On the planet earth, most of the freshwater exists as ice caps and glaciers. Out of the remaining freshwater,…Geography
  66. Consider the following pairs: | | Feature | Location | |---|---|---| | 1. | Nokrek Biosphere Reserve | Garo…Geography
  67. Consider the following: 1. Electromagnetic radiation 2. Geothermal energy 3. Gravitational force 4. Plate…Geography
  68. Which of the following bodies does not/do not find mention in the Constitution? 1. National Development…Polity and Constitution
  69. The demand for the Tebhaga Peasant Movement in Bengal was forModern History and the Freedom Struggle
  70. The Parliament can make any law for whole or any part of India for implementing International treatiesPolity and Constitution
  71. In the grasslands, trees do not replace the grasses as a part of an ecological succession because ofEnvironment
  72. Which one of the following is the correct sequence of ecosystems in the order of decreasing productivity?Environment
  73. Contour bunding is a method of soil conservation used inGeography
  74. The Government enacted the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act in 1996. Which one of the…Polity and Constitution
  75. Under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, who…Environment
  76. Improper handling and storage of cereal grains and oilseeds result in the production of toxins known as…Science and Technology
  77. 'Economic Justice' as one of the objectives of the Indian Constitution has been provided inPolity and Constitution
  78. Due to improper/indiscriminate disposal of old and used computers or their parts, which of the following are…Environment
  79. Acid rain is caused by the pollution of environment byEnvironment
  80. With reference to food chains in ecosystems, consider the following statements: 1. A food chain illustrates…Environment
  81. Consider the following pairs: | National Park | River flowing through the Park | |---|---| | 1. Corbett…Environment
  82. Consider the following organisms: 1. Agaricus 2. Nostoc 3. Spirogyra Which of the above is/are used as…Science and Technology
  83. Which of the following adds/add nitrogen to the soil? 1. Excretion of urea by animals 2. Burning of coal by…Environment
  84. In which of the following States is lion-tailed macaque found in its natural habitat? 1. Tamil Nadu 2. Kerala…Environment
  85. Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas, while the others are called Viharas. What is the difference…Art and Culture
  86. Which one of the following describes best the concept of Nirvana in Buddhism?Ancient History
  87. According to the Constitution of India, which of the following are fundamental for the governance of the…Polity and Constitution
  88. The people of India agitated against the arrival of Simon Commission becauseModern History and the Freedom Struggle
  89. Quit India Movement was launched in response toModern History and the Freedom Struggle
  90. The balance of payments of a country is a systematic record ofEconomy
  91. The Reserve Bank of India regulates the commercial banks in matters of 1. liquidity of assets 2. branch…Economy
  92. An increase in the Bank Rate generally indicates that theEconomy
  93. In India, deficit financing is used for raising resources forEconomy
  94. Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization? 1. They possessed great…Ancient History
  95. Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing? 1.…Science and Technology
  96. Which of the following statements is/are applicable to Jain doctrine? 1. The surest way of annihilating Karma…Ancient History
  97. Which one of the following terms describes not only the physical space occupied by an organism, but also its…Environment
  98. Photochemical smog is a resultant of the reaction amongEnvironment
  99. Consider the following minerals: 1. Calcium 2. Iron 3. Sodium Which of the minerals given above is/are…Science and Technology