General Studies - Preliminary Examination 2003 - Solved Question paper

Question

Correct

Answer

1. In December 2002, the Prime Minister of India signed ‘Delhi Declaration’ with the
(a) President of Indonesia
(b) President of Russia
(c) Prime Minister of Cambodia
(d) Prime Minister of Laos

(b)

2. Among the following cities, which one is nearest to the Tropic of Cancer ?
(a) Delhi (b) Kolkata
(c) Jodhpur (d) Nagpur

(b)

3. ‘Mrichchhakatika’ an ancient Indian book written by Shudraka deals with
(a) the love affair of a rich merchant with the daughter of a courtesan
(b) the victory of Chandragupta II over the Shaka Kshatrapas of western India
(c) the military expeditions and exploits of Samudragupta v(d) the love affair between a Gupta King and a princesss of Kamarupa

(a)

4. Consider the following statements :
1. Vardhamana Mahavira’s mother was the daughter of Lichchhavi chief Chetaka.
2. Gautama Buddha’s mother was a princess from the Koshalan dynasty.
3. Prashvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankara, belonged to Banaras.
Which of these statements is / are correct ?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) 2 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3

(c)

5. A car travels the first one-third of a certain distance with a speed of 10 km/hr, the next one-third distance with a speed of 20 km/hr and the last one-third distance with a speed of 60 km/hr. The average speed of the car for the whole journey is
(a) 18 km/hr (b) 24 km/hr
(c) 30 km/hr (d) 36 km/hr

(a)

6. Consider the following statements :
The purpose of adding sodium sulphate and sodium silicate to the detergent in a washing powder is
1. to keep the washing powder dry.
2. to maintain the alkalinity of the powder.
Which of these statements is / are correct ?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

(c)

7. Debenture holders of a company are its
(a) Shareholders (b) Creditors
(c) Debtors (d) Directors

(b)

8. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct ?
(a) The National Song Vande Mataram was composed by Bankimchandra Chattterji originally in Bengali.
(b) The National Calendar of India based on Saka era has its Ist Chaitra on 22nd March normally and 21st March in a leap year.
(c) The design of the National Flag of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22nd July, 1947.
(d) The song ‘Jana-gana-mana’ composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constitutent Assembly on 24th January, 1950, as the National Anthem of India.

(a)

9. Which one of the following Articles of the Indian Constitution provides that ‘It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance’?
(a) Article 215 (b) Article 275
(c) Article 325 (d) Article 355

(d)

10. ‘A’ walks around a circular field at the rate of the one round per hour while ‘B’ runs around it at the rate of six rounds per hour. They start in the same direction from the same point at 7.30 a.m. They shall first cross each other at
(a) 8.30 a.m. (b) 8.10 a.m.
(c) 7.48 a.m. (d) 7.42 a.m.

(d)

11. Consider the following statements :
In India, stamp duties on financial transactions are
1. levied and collected by the State Government
2. appropriated by the Union Government
Which of these statements is / are correct ?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

(c)

12. Which one of the following statements is correct ?
(a) East Timor was a British colony for four centuries
(b) The European colonial rulers handed over East Timor to Indonesia in 1975
(c) The United Nations took over East Timor in 1999 to prepare it for independence.
(d) East Timor finaly declared its independence in December 2001.

(c)

13. Match List-I (Item in the Indian Constitution) with List-II (Country from which it was derived) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List I List II
(Item in the Indian (Country from which
Constitution) it was derived)
A. Directive Principles 1. Australia of State Policy
B. Fundamental Rights 2. Canada
C. Concurrent List in 3. Ireland
Union-State Relations
D. India as a Union of 4. United Kingdom
States with greater
powers to the Union
5. United States of America
Codes :
A B C D
(a) 5 4 1 2
(b) 3 5 2 1
(c) 5 4 2 1
(d) 3 5 1 2

(d)

14. With reference to Indian defence, which one of the following statements is NOT correct ?
(a) With the induction of Prithvi-II, the IAF is the only air force in the world with surface-to-surface ballistic missiles under its command
(b) Sukhoi-30 MKI jet fighters can launch air-to-air and air-to-surface precision missiles
(c) Trishul is a supersonic surface-to-air missile with a range of 30 km
(d) The indigenously built INS Prabal can launch surface-to-surface missiles

(c)

15. The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, 2002 was awarded to
(a) John Hume (b) Nelson Mandela
(c) Norodom Sihanouk
(d) Sadako Ogata

(c)

16. Match List-I (Name of the Person) with List-II (Associated with) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists :
List I List II
(Name of the Person) (Associated with)
A. Brijmohan Lall Munjal 1. Biotechnology
B. Kiran Karnik 2. Automobile Industry
C. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw 3. Software Industry
D. Sunil Mittal 4. Telecom Industry
5. Film Industry
Codes :
A B C D
(a) 4 1 5 2
(b) 4 3 1 2
(c) 2 3 1 4
(d) 2 1 5 4

(c)

17. Whom did Mahesh Bhupati and Max Mirnyi beat in the US Open men’s doubles tennis championship in the year 2002 to win the title ?
(a) Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett
(b) Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan
(c) Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge
(d) Jiri Novak and Radek Stepanek

(d)

18. Four different candles, which can last for 5 hours, 4 hours, 3 hours and 2 hours of burning, respectively, are lit in a room at the same instant and allowed to burn till such time that the three candles in the room get extinguished. The cost of burning each one of these candles is 75 paise per hour. The cost involved is :
(a) Rs. 2.75 (b) Rs. 3.75
(c) Rs. 9.75 (d) Rs. 12.50

(c)

19. Which one of the following statements is correct with reference to FEMA in India ?
(a) The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was replaced by Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in the year 2001
(b) FERA was given a sunset clause of one year till 31st May, 2002 to enable Enforcement Directorate to complete the investigation of pending issues
(c) Under FEMA, violation of foreign exchange rules has ceased to be a criminal offence
(d) As per the new dispensation, Enforcement DiMatch list I with list II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List - I List - II
A. Pneumonia 1. Virus
B. Malaria 2. Bacteria
C. Smallpox 3. Protozoa
D. Athlete’s foot 4. Fungi
A B C D
(a) 1 2 3 4
(b) 2 3 1 4
(c) 2 1 3 4
(d) 1 3 2 4 rectorate can arrest and prosecute the people for the violation of foreign exchagne rules

(c)

20. Consider the following statements :
1. India’s import of crude and petroleum products during the year 2001-02 accounted for about 27% of India’s total imports.
2. During the year 2001-02, India’s exports had increased by 10% as compared to the previous year.
Which of these statements is / are correct ?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

(a)

21. Who among the following was selected for the 2001 Dada Saheb Phalke Award ?
(a) Dev Anand (b) Lata Mangeshkar
(c) Ramanand Sagar (d) Yash Chopra

(d)

22. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
(a) Milk contains none of the B-vitamins
(b) Vitamin-A (retinol) deficiency leads to dry and scaly skin
(c) One of the symptoms of scurvy is pain in the joints
(d) Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency can lead to heart failure

(a)

23. As per the Human Development Index given by UNDP, which one of the following sequences of South Asian countries is correct, in the order of higher to lower development ?
(a) India-Sri Lanka-Pakistan-Maldives
(b) Maldives-Sri Lanka-India-Pakistan
(c) Sri Lanka-Maldives-India-Pakistan
(d) Maldives-India-Pakistan-Sri Lanka

(c)

24. Which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
(a) The velocity of sound in air increases with the increase of temperature
(b) The velocity of sound in air is independent of pressure
(c) The velocity of sound in air decreases as the humidity increases
(d) The velocity of sound in air is not affected by the change in amplitude and frequency

(c)

25. Consider the folowing statements :
1. India ranks first in the world in fruit production
2. India ranks second in the world in the export of tobacco. Which of these statements is / are correct ?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

(d)

26. Which one of the following statements is correct ?
(a) Alliance Air is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Airlines
(b) The Airports Authority of India manages seven of the country’s international airports
(c) The Airports Authority of India is the regulatory organisation for enforcing civil air regulations in India
(d) It is the function of Directorate General of Civil Aviation to plan and construct runways and terminal buildings and to provide air safety services.

(c)

27. Which one of the following Bills must be passed by each Hosue of the Indian Parliament separately, by special majority ?
(a) Ordinary Bill (b) Money Bill
(c) Finance Bill
(d) Constitution Amendment Bill

(d)

28. Consider the following animals of India :
1. Crocodile 2. Elephant
Which of these is / are endangered species ?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

(c)

29. Which one among the following covers the highest percentage of forest area in the world ?
(a) Temperate Coniferous forests
(b) Temperate Deciduous forests
(c) Tropical Monsoon forests
(d) Tropical Rain forests

(a)

30. A two member committee comprising of one male and one female member is to be constituted out of five males and three females. Amongst the females, Ms. A refuses to be a member of the committee in which Mr. B is taken as the member. In how many different ways can the committee be constituted ?
(a) 11 (b) 12
(c) 13 (d) 14

(a)

31. Consider the following statements :
1. The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha was assassinated by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Sunga.
2. The last Sunga King, Devabhuti, was assassinated by his Brahmana minister Vasudeva Kanva who usurped the throne.
3. The last ruler of the Kanva dynasty was deposed by the Andhras.
Which of these statements is / are corrct ?
(a) 1 and 2 (b) Only 2
(c) Only 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3

(d)