UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2009 : General Studies Solved Paper

Union Public Service Commission Examination

Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2009

UPSC Pre General Studies Solved Paper (Ques 01-50)

1. With which one of the following has the B.K. Chaturvedi Committee dealt?

• Review of Centres-States relations
• Review of Delimitation Act
• Tax reforms and measures to increase revenues
• Price-reforms in the oil sector

2. Mahamastakabhisheka, a great religious event, is associated with and done for who of the following?

• Bahubali
• Buddha
• Mahavir
• Nataraja 

3. Consider the following pairs:
1. Gatka a traditional marital art : Kerala
2. Madhubani, a traditional painting : Bihar
3. Singhwy Khababs Sindhu Darshan Festival : Jammu and Kashmir
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched:Festiva 

• 1 and 2 only
• 3 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

4. Match List I and List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
      List I                         List II
(Famous Person)    (Well-Known as)
A. Anna Hazare        1. Lawyer
B. Deepak Parekh   2. Banker
C. GVK Reddy         3. Gandhian and Social activist
D. Harish Salve        4. Industrialist

• 1 2 4 3
• 1 4 2 3
• 3 2 4 1
• 3 4 2 1

5. Match List I and List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
     List I                              List II
(Famous Person)              (Well-Known as)
A. Amrita Sher-Gil                  1. Dancer
B. Bhimsen Joshi                    2. Painter
C. Rukmini Devi Arundale      3. Poet
D. Suryakant Tripathi Nirala   4. Singer

• 2 1 4 3
• 2 4 1 3
• 3 1 4 2
• 3 4 1 2

6. With reference to the scheme launched by the Union Government, consider the following statements:
1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
2. Ministry of Textiles launched the Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya Bima Yojana
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

7. Consider the following pairs:
1. Anand Pawar : Chess
2. Akhil Kumar : Boxing
3. Shiv Shanker Prasad Chowrasia : Golf

• 1 and 2 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

8. Match List I and List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
      List I                                           List II
    (Book)                                     (Author))
A. In custody                                 1. Amartya Sen
B. Sea of Poppies                       2. Amitav Ghosh
C. The Argumentative Indian      3. Anita Desai
D. Unaccustomed Earth             4. Jhumpa Lahiri

• 4 1 2 3
• 4 2 1 3
• 3 2 1 4
• 3 1 2 4

9. Among the following, who are the Agaria community?

• A traditional toddy tappers community
• A traditional fishing community of Maharashtra
• A traditional silk-weaving community of Karnataka
• A traditional salt pan workers community of Gujarat.

10. Recently, which one of the following was included in the UNESCO's World Heritage list?

• Dilwara Temple
• Kalka-Shimla Railway
• Bhiterkanika Mangrove Area
• Vishkhapatnam to Araku valley railway line

11. Where is the famous Virupaksha temple located?

• Bhadrachalam
• Chidambaram
• Hampi
• Srikalahasti

12. Other than Venezuela, which one among the following from South America is a member of OPEC?

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Ecuador
• Bolivia

13. Under the administration of which- one of the following is the Department of Atomic Energy ?

• Prime Minister's Office
• Cabinet Secretariat
• Ministry of Power
• Ministry of Science and Technology

14. Consider the following pairs :
       Large Bank                Country of origin
1. ABN Amro Bank :          USA
2. Barclays Bank :               UK
3. Kookmin Bank :              Japan
Which ..of the above .pairs is/are correctly matched ?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• 1 and 2
• 1 and 3

15. Which among the following has the world's largest reserves of Uranium ?

• Australia
• Canada
• Russian Federation
• USA

16. In the 'Individual Satyagraha', Vinoba Bhave was chosen as the first Satyagrahi. Who was the second ?

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
• C. Rajagopal.achari
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

17. Consider the following statements :
The Cripps Proposals include the provision for
1. Full independence for India.
2. Creation of Constitution-making body.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

18. During the freedom struggle, Aruna Asaf Ali was a major woman organizer of underground activity in

• Civil Disobedience Movement
• Non-Cooperation Movement 
• Quit India Movement 
• Swadeshi Movement

19. With whose permission did the English set up their first factory in Surat ?

• Akbar
• Jahangir
• Shahjahan
• Aurangzeb

20. In a dry cell (battery), which of the following are used as electrolytes ?

• Ammonium chloride and Zinc chloride
• Sodium chloride and Calcium chloride
• Magnesium chloride and Zinc chloride
• Ammonium chloride and Calcium chloride

21. Which one of the following planets has largest number of natural satellites or moons ?

• Jupiter
• Mars
• Saturn
• Venus

22. Consider the following statements :
1. Sweet orange plant is propagated by grafting technique
2. Jasmine plant is propagated by layering technique.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

23. Which one of the following types of waves are used in a night vision apparatus ?

• Radio waves
• Microwaves
• Infra-red waves
• None of the above

24. In the context of genetic disorders, consider the following :
A woman suffers from colour blindness while her husband does not suffer from it. They have a son and a daughter. In this context, which one of the following statements is most probabl) correct ?

• Both children suffer from colour blindness.
• Daughter .suffers from colour blindness while son does not suffer from it.
• Both children do not suffer from colour blindness.
• Son suffers from colour blindness while daughter does not suffer from it.

25. A person travels 12 km due North, then 15 km duo East, after that 15 km due West and then 18 km due South. How far is he from the starting point"?

• 6 km
• 12 km
• 33 kin
• 60 km

26. 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 and F
• B and D
• B and F
• None of the above

27. Which one of the following is used as an explosive ?

• Phosphorus Trichloride
• Mercuric oxide
• Graphite
• Nitroglycerine

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

• 1 and 2 only
• 3 only
• 1 and 3 only
• 1,2 and 3

29. In the context of Indian wild life, the flying fox is a

• Bat
• Kite
• Stork
• Vulture

30. During which Five Year Plan was the Emergency clamped, new elections took place and the Janata Party was elected ?

• Third
• Fourth
• Fifth
• Sixth

31. Which one of the following is not a drug/pharma company ?

• Chevron
• Nicholas Piramal
• Pfizer
• Zydus Cadila

32. Who of the following is the author of the book "The Audacity of Hope" ?

• Al Gore
• Barack Obama
• Bill Clinton
• Hillary Clinton

33. A present group of nations known as G-8 started first as G-7, Which one among the following was not one of them ?

• Canada
• Italy
• Japan
• Russia

34. Consider the following statements :
1. The Baglihar. Power Project had been constructed within the parameters of the Indus Water Treaty.
2. The project was completely built by the Union Government with loans from Japan and the World Bank.
Which of the statements given above is/arc; correct ?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

35. When Leander Paes won the "mixed doubles" at the US Open in the year 2008, who of the following was his partner ?

• Ana Ivanovic
• Cara Black 
• Dinara Safina 
• Jelena Jankovic

36. In the context of Indian news in recent times; . what is MCX-SX ?

• A kind of supercomputer
• Title of Moon Impact Probe
• Stock exchange
• Nuclear-powered submarine

37. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?

• Barbora Spotakova : Javelin throw
• Pamela Jelimo : Weightligting
• Sanya Richards : Sprint
• Yelena Isinbayeva : Pole Vault

38. India has recently landed its Moon Impact Probe on the Moon. Among the following countries, which one landed such probe on the Moon earlier ?

• Australia
• Canada
• China
• Japan

39. Who of the following is a football player ?

• Fernando Alonso
• Kimi Raikkonen
• Lewis Hamilton
• Nicolas Anelka

40. Consider the following pairs :
Famous place Country
1. Cannes : France
2. Davos : Denmark
3. Roland Garros : The Netherlands
Which of the pairs given above is/arc correctly matched ?

• 1 only
• 1 and 2 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

41. Among the following, which one is not a football club ?

• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Chelsea
• Monte Carlo

42. The marine animal called dugong which is vulnerable to extinction is a/an:

• Amphibian
• Bony fish
• Shark
• Mammal

43. The Dul Hasti Power Station is based on which one of the following rivers ?

• Beas
• Chenab
• Ravi
• Sutlej

44. Consider the following statements :
1. V.K. Krishna Menon Foundation is based in New Delhi.
2. The first recipient of the V.K. Krishna Menon Award is the Chief Justice of India, KG. Balakrishnan.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

45. Which one of the following is the country's administrative capital/new federal administrative centre of Malaysia ?

• Kota Bharu
• Kuala Terongganuv 
• Putrajaya
• Taiping

46. Elephant Pass, which is frequently in the news, is mentioned in the context of the affairs of which one of the following ?

• Bangladesh
• India
• Nepal
• Sri Lanka

47. Consider the following countries :
1. Brunei Darussalam
2. East Timor
3. Laos
Which of the above is/are member/members of ASEAN ?

• 1 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 1 and 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

48. Consider the following countries :
1. Switzerland
2. Malta
3. Bulgaria
Which of the above are members of European Union?

• 1 and 2 only
• 2 and 3 only
• 1 and 3 only
• 1, 2 and 3

49. Consider the following countries :
1. Australia
2. Namibia
3. Brazil
4. Chile
Through which of the above does the Tropic of Capricorn pass ?

• 1 only
• 2, 3 and 4
• 1, 2 and 3
• 1, 2, 3 and 4

50. In the structure of planet Earth, below the mantle, the core is mainly made up of which one of the following ?

• Aluminium 
• Chromium 
• Iron 
• Silicon