Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) Previous Years Questions and Answers

1 .

Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World?

A)

Tobacco, cocoa and rubber

B)

Tobacco, cotton and rubber

C)

Cotton, coffee and sugarcane

D)

Rubber, coffee and wheat

Correct Answer : Tobacco, cocoa and rubber

Note :

Cotton was cultivate in India since ancient era. Even Harappan era evidence of cotton cultivation is found. So is wheat. Wheat has been a widely cultivated crop in India since time immemorial. However tobacco, cocoa and rubber came to India through Europeans in the late medieval or early modern era. All of them originated in South America. This process is termed as Columbian exchange (named for Christopher Columbus). It was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Year : 2019

Category : History

2 .

With reference to the British colonial rule in India, consider the following statements :

1. Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the abolition of the system of 'indentured labour'.

2. In Lord Chelmsford's 'War Conference', Mahatma Gandhi did not support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.

3. Consequent upon the breaking of salt law by Indian people, the Indian National Congress was declared illegal by the colonial rulers.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

A)

1 and 2 only

B)

1 and 3 only

C)

2 and 3 only

D)

1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer : Option (B) - 1 and 3 only

Note : Statement 1 and 3 are correct. Indentured labour system soon died after Gandhi left South Africa. Also, Gandhi‘s colleague C.f. Andrews contributed in the abolition campaign. Statement 2 is incorrect. Gandhi did support the resolution on recruiting Indians for World War.

Year : 2019

Category : History

3 .

With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs :

Person		Position held
Tej Bahadur Sapru	:	President, All India Liberal Federation
K. C. Neogy	:	Member, The Constituent Assembly
P. C. Joshi	:	General Secretary, Communist Party of India

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

A)

1 only

B)

1 and 2 only

C)

3 only

D)

1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer : Option (D) - 1, 2 and 3

Note :

Tej Bahadur Sapru was a prominent Indian freedom fighter, lawyer and politician. He was a key figure in India's struggle for independence, helping draft the Indian Constitution. He was the leader of the Liberal party in British-ruled India. When the Montagu report of 1918 was made public, there was a divide in the Congress over it. The moderates welcomed it while the extremists opposed it. This led to a schism in the Congress with moderate leaders forming the "Indian National Liberal Federation" in 1919. The party (INLF) was founded by Surendra Nath Banarjea and some of its prominent leaders were Tej Bahadur Sapru, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri and M. R. Jayakar. Tej Bahadur Sapru emerged as the most important leader among the Liberals.

KC Neogy, was a politician from West Bengal. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, member of the first Cabinet of independent India and the chairman of the first Finance Commission of India.

PC Joshi was one of the early leaders of the communist movement in India. He was the first general secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1935–47.

Year : 2019

Category : History

4 .

With reference to Mian Tansen, which one of the following statements is not correct?

A)

Tansen was the title given to him by Emperor Akbar.

B)

Tansen composed Dhrupads on Hindu gods and goddesses.

C)

Tansen composed songs on his patrons.

D)

Tansen invented many Ragas.

Correct Answer : Tansen was the title given to him by Emperor Akbar.

Note :

Tansen was the title given to him by Raja Vikramjit of Gwalior. Tansen was a court musician in the darbar of Raja Ramachandra of Bandavagarh (Rewa).

Year : 2019

Category : History

5 .

Who among of the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?

A)

Humayun

B)

Akbar

C)

Jahangir

D)

Shah Jahan

Correct Answer : Jahangir

Note :

During Akbar's reign many manuscripts were illustrated, the prominent being Razmnamah, the Persian translation of Mahabharata. It was during Jahangir's reign that manuscripts became less important and individual portraits became more prominent.

Year : 2019

Category : History

6 .

Consider the following pairs :

Famous place		River
Pandharpur	:	Chandrabhaga
Tiruchirappalli	:	Cauvery
Hampi	:	Eastern Ghats

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

A)

1 and 2 only

B)

2 and 3 only

C)

1 and 3 only

D)

1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer : Option (A) - 1 and 2 only

Note :

1. Located on the bank of the Tungabhadra River, Hampi was the Vijaynagar Capital. It is famous for many temples lik e Virupaksha Temple, Vithala Temple and Nandi Statue.

2. Pandharpur is a well-known pilgrimage town on the banks of Chandrabhaga River in Maharashtra

3. Tiruchirappalli is situated on the banks of the river. It was a citadel of the early Cholas which later fell to the Pallavas.

Year : 2019

Category : History

7 .

On 21st June, the Sun

A)

does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle

B)

does not set below the horizon at Antarctic Circle

C)

shines vertically overhead at noon on the Equator

D)

shines vertically overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn

Correct Answer : does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle

Note : The equator is the circle where the Sun is directly overhead at noon on the equinoxes.

The Arctic and Antarctic Circles are located at ±66.5 degrees latitude. Note that 66.5 + 23.5 equals 90 degrees. This means that on December 21, when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at noon, it will not be visible from the Arctic Circle. So above the Arctic Circle, there is a period during the winter when the sun remains below the horizon. The same is true of the Antarctic Circle during Southern Hemisphere winter. On June 21st, when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at noon, it is not visible from below the Antarctic Circle.

Year : 2019

Category : Geography

8 .

Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?

A)

Manas National Park

B)

Namdapha National Park

C)

Neora Valley National Park

D)

Valley of Flowers National Park

Correct Answer : Valley of Flowers National Park

Note :

The Alpine forests are found all along the Himalaya at altitude ranging between 2500m to 3500m.

Valley of Flowers National Park - At 3352 to 3658 meters above sea level Namdapha National Park has a very wide altitudinal variation – from 200m to 4,500m in the snow-capped mountain. Thus, it doesn‘t lie ‘completely‘ in the temperate alpine zone.

Year : 2019

Category : Geography

9 .

Consider the following statements :

1. Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.

2. Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.

3. One-homed rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A)

1 only

B)

2 only

C)

1 and 3 only

D)

1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer : Option (A) - 1 only

Note :

Nearly all wild lions live in sub-Saharan Africa, but one small population of Asiatic lions exists in India's Gir Forest. Asiatic lions and African lions are subspecies of the same species. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.

The greater one-horned rhino lives in northern India and southern Nepal, in riverine (floodplain) grasslands and adjacent woodland. Hence, Statement 3 is not correct.

The Bactrian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of Central Asia. The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped dromedary camel. Its population of two million exists mainly in the domesticated form. A small number of feral Bactrian camels still roam in Kazakhstan and the Nubra Valley in India. Hence, Statement 2 is not correct.

Year : 2019

Category : Geography

10 .

In the context of which of the following do some scientists suggest the use of cirrus cloud thinning technique and the injection of sulphate aerosol into stratosphere?

A)

Creating the artificial rains in some regions

B)

Reducing the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones

C)

Reducing the adverse effects of solar wind on the Earth

D)

Reducing the global warming

Correct Answer : Reducing the global warming

Note :

Thinning cirrus clouds would be achieved by injecting ice nuclei (such as dust) into regions where cirrus clouds form, making the ice crystals bigger and reducing the cirrus optical depth Thinning the clouds could allow more heat to escape into space and thereby cool the planet.

Stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection has been proposed to counteract anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming and prevent regional climate emergencies. It increases reflectivity of lower stratosphere to cast a small proportion of the inbound sunlight back into space and cool the planet off.

Year : 2019

Category : Geography

UPSC Previous Years (Prelims & Mains) Questions