UPSC Prelims 2013 Question Paper with Answers & Explanations

Consider the following statements regarding the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts (PAC):

1. It consists of not more than 25 members of the Lok Sabha.
2. It scrutinizes appropriation and finance accounts of the Government.
3. It examines the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following Bhakti Saints:

1. Dadu Dayal
2. Guru Nanak
3. Tyagaraja

Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?

With reference to food chains in ecosystems, which of the following organisms are known as decomposers?

1. Virus
2. Fungi
3. Bacteria

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where:

Which of the following are characteristic features of equatorial forests?

1. Presence of tall, closely set trees with crowns forming a continuous canopy
2. Coexistence of a large number of species
3. Presence of numerous varieties of epiphytes

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which of the following constitute Capital Account?

1. Foreign Loans
2. Foreign Direct Investment
3. Private Remittances
4. Portfolio Investment

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Consider the following historical places:

1. Ajanta Caves
2. Lepakshi Temple
3. Sanchi Stupa

Which of the above places is/are also known for mural paintings?

With reference to the history of philosophical thought in India, consider the following statements regarding Samkhya school:

1. Samkhya does not accept the theory of rebirth or transmigration of soul.
2. Samkhya holds that it is the self-knowledge that leads to liberation and not any exterior influence or agent.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

In the context of India, which of the following principles is/are implied institutionally in the parliamentary government?

1. Members of the Cabinet are Members of the Parliament.
2. Ministers hold office till they enjoy confidence in the Parliament.
3. Cabinet is headed by the Head of the State.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal areas. What is/are the reason/reasons?

1. Thermal difference between land and water
2. Variation in altitude between continents and oceans
3. Presence of strong winds in the interior
4. Heavy rains in the interior as compared to coasts

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which of the following is/are the characteristic/characteristics of Indian coal?

1. High ash content
2. Low sulphur content
3. Low ash fusion temperature

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which of the following statements regarding laterite soils of India are correct?

1. They are generally red in colour.
2. They are rich in nitrogen and potash.
3. They are well-developed in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
4. Tapioca and cashew nuts grow well on these soils.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Consider the following statements:

1. Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds.
2. Mica occurs in abundance in Kodarma.
3. Dharwars are famous for petroleum.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following crops:

1. Cotton
2. Groundnut
3. Rice
4. Wheat

Which of these are Kharif crops?

Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.' The above statement best describes which of the following regions?

Consider the following statements:

1. Inflation benefits the debtors.
2. Inflation benefits the bond-holders.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Disguised unemployment generally means:

Consider the following statements:

1. The Council of Ministers in the Centre shall be collectively responsible to the Parliament.
2. The Union Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the President of India.
3. The Prime Minister shall communicate to the President about the proposals for legislation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. National Development Council is an organ of the Planning Commission.
2. The Economic and Social Planning is kept in the Concurrent List in the Constitution of India.
3. The Constitution of India prescribes that Panchayats should be assigned the task of preparation of plans for economic development and social justice.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha are not the members of that House.
2. While the nominated members of the two Houses of Parliament have no voting right in the presidential election, they have the right to vote in the election of the Vice President.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), consider the following statements:

1. Its objective is to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society on the basis of equal opportunity.
2. It issues guidelines for the State Legal Services Authorities to implement the legal programmes and schemes throughout the country.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

During a thunderstorm, thunder in the skies is produced by the:

1. Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky.
2. Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds.
3. Violent upward movement of air and water particles.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Consider the following pairs:

1. Limboo (Limbu) — Sikkim
2. Karbi — Himachal Pradesh
3. Dongaria Kondh — Odisha
4. Bonda — Tamil Nadu

Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Consider the following liquid assets:

1. Demand deposits with the banks
2. Time deposits with the banks
3. Savings deposits with the banks
4. Currency

The correct sequence of these assets in the decreasing order of liquidity is:

In the context of Indian economy, ‘Open Market Operations’ refers to:

Priority Sector Lending by banks in India constitutes the lending to:

Which one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?

To obtain full benefits of demographic dividend, what should India do?

In the context of cultural history of India, a pose in dance and dramatics called ‘Tribhanga’ has been a favourite of Indian artists from ancient times till today. Which one of the following statements best describes this pose?

Annie Besant was:

1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement
2. The founder of the Theosophical Society
3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress

Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.

The Ilbert Bill controversy was related to the:

A rise in general level of prices may be caused by

1. An increase in the money supply
2. A decrease in the aggregate level of output
3. An increase in the effective demand

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which one of the following groups of items is included in India’s foreign-exchange reserves?

Which one of the following is likely to be the most inflationary in its effect?

Supply of money remaining the same, when there is an increase in demand for money, there will be:

Fruits stored in a cold chamber exhibit longer storage life because:

Consider the following fauna and India:

1. Gharial
2. Leatherback turtle
3. Swamp deer

Which of the above is/are endangered?

Ball bearings are used in bicycles, cars, etc., because:

Consider the following statements:

1. Size of the sun at dusk
2. Colour of the sun at dawn
3. Moon being visible at dawn
4. Twinkle of stars in the sky
5. Polestar being visible in the sky

Which of the above are optical illusions?

Rainbow is produced when sunlight falls on drops of rain. Which of the following physical phenomena are responsible for this?

1. Dispersion
2. Refraction
3. Internal reflection

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Many transplanted seedlings do not grow because:

Economic growth in country X will necessarily have to occur if:

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Viruses lack enzymes necessary for the generation of energy
2. Viruses can be cultured in any synthetic medium
3. Viruses are transmitted from one organism to another by biological vectors only

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Which of the following leaf modifications occurs/occur in desert areas to inhibit water loss?

1. Hard and waxy leaves
2. Tiny leaves or no leaves
3. Thorns instead of leaves

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz., gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force.
With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct?

The efforts to detect the existence of Higgs boson particle have become frequent news in recent years.
What is/are the importance/importances of discovering this particle?

1. It will enable us to understand as to why elementary particles have mass.
2. It will enable us in the near future to develop the technology of transferring matter from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them.
3. It will enable us to create better fuels for nuclear fission.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Mycorrhizal biotechnology has been used in rehabilitating degraded sites because mycorrhiza enables the plants to:

1. Resist drought and increase absorptive area
2. Tolerate extremes of pH
3. Resist disease infestation

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Who among the following constitute the National Development Council?

1. The Prime Minister
2. The Chairman, Finance Commission
3. Ministers of the Union Cabinet
4. Chief Ministers of the States

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The national income of a country for a given period is equal to the:

Which of the following grants/grant direct credit assistance to rural households?

1. Regional Rural Banks
2. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
3. Land Development Banks

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

What will follow if a Money Bill is substantially amended by the Rajya Sabha?

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?

Geographical Feature — Region

1. Abyssinian Plateau — Arabia
2. Atlas Mountains — North-Western Africa
3. Guiana Highlands — South-Western Africa
4. Okavango Basin — Patagonia

With reference to the history of Indian rock-cut architecture, consider the following statements:

1. The caves at Badami are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India.
2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originally made for Ajivikas by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic Engineering) allows genes to be transferred:

1. Across different species of plants
2. From animals to plants
3. From microorganisms to higher organisms

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The Chinese traveler Yuan Chwang (Hiuen Tsang), who visited India, recorded the general conditions and culture of India at that time. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The roads and river-routes were completely immune from robbery.
2. As regards punishment for offences, ordeals by fire, water and poison were the instruments for determining the innocence or guilt of a person.
3. The tradesmen had to pay duties at ferries and barrier stations.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Consider the following:

1. Star tortoise
2. Monitor lizard
3. Pygmy hog
4. Spider monkey

Which of the above are naturally found in India?

Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India?

1. Arsenic
2. Sorbitol
3. Fluoride
4. Formaldehyde
5. Uranium

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were:

Consider the following animals:

1. Sea cow
2. Sea horse
3. Sea lion

Which of the above is/are mammal/mammals?