Civil Services Prep

Prelims 2025 · Science and Technology · Question 5

Consider the following substances: I. Ethanol II. Nitroglycerine III. Urea. Coal gasification technology can be used in the production of how many of them?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All the three
  4. None

Answer

Only two

  • I. Ethanol: Coal gasification gives syngas (CO + H2), which can be catalytically converted to alcohols, including ethanol (directly or via methanol/acetic-acid routes). Verdict: Correct.
  • II. Nitroglycerine: Nitroglycerine is produced by nitration of glycerol. Coal gasification is not a standard/direct route cited for nitroglycerine production in this context; UPSC does not count it here. Verdict: Incorrect.
  • III. Urea: Coal gasification provides H2 for ammonia synthesis and CO2; ammonia + CO2 are used to make urea. Verdict: Correct.

Hence, only two substances — ethanol and urea — are counted.

  1. Which of the following statements with regard to genetic medicine is/are correct ? 1. Genetic medicines…
  2. Which of the following statements with regard to Large Language Models (LLMs) used in machine learning is/are…
  3. Which of the following statements with regard to stealth technology is/are correct ? 1. Stealth objects have a…
  4. Which of the following statements with regard to Black Boxes used in modern aircrafts is/are correct ? 1. They…
  5. Consider the following statements with regard to involvement of private entities in India's space programme :…
  6. Which of the following statements with regard to drone swarms is/are correct ? 1. They use Terahertz band of…