UPSC Prelims 2001 Previous Year Questions with Answers and Explanations

150 questions from the UPSC Prelims 2001 General Studies Paper I, each with the correct answer, a full explanation, why every option is right or wrong, and named sources.

Q1 · Indian Polity: In what way does the Indian Parliament exercise control over the administration?
Q2 · Modern History: Who among the following organised the famous Chittagong armoury raid?
Q3 · Geography: Consider the decadal Census data given below: Decadal Population (in millions) Population 1961 10.7 1971 14.3 1981 16.2 1991 18.9 The…
Q4 · Indian Economy: Which of the following committees examined and suggested Financial Sector Reforms?
Q5 · Art & Culture: In which one of the following cities is the Lingaraja Temple located?
Q6 · Modern History: A London branch of the All - India Muslim League was established in 1908 under the presidency of
Q7 · Geography: The above map is the Union Territory of
Q8 · Geography: Identify the correct order of the processes of soil erosion from the following:
Q9 · Indian Economy: The new series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) released by the Government of India is with reference to the base prices of
Q10 · Current Affairs: The chess player Alexi Shirov represents
Q11 · Science & Technology: Consider the following organisations: I. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Research and Exploration II. Heavy Water Board III. Indian Rare…
Q12 · Modern History: Who among the following was the President of the All - India States’ Peoples’ Conference in 1939?
Q13 · Indian Polity: Consider the following statements about the minorities in India: I. The Government of India has notified five communities, namely,…
Q14 · Geography: The temperature and rainfall of a meteorological station are given below: J F M A M J J A S O N D Temperature (°C): 9.4 10.6 11.7 12.2…
Q15 · Indian Economy: The theme of the World Development Report, 2001 is
Q16 · Indian Polity: In which one of the following areas does the State Government NOT have control over its local bodies?
Q17 · Art & Culture: Who amongst the following Englishmen first translated the Bhagavad - Gita into English?
Q18 · Indian Polity: Consider the following statements regarding the High Courts in India: I. There are eighteen High Courts in the country. II. Three of them…
Q19 · Indian Economy: The term National Income represents
Q20 · Geography: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Local Wind) I. Fohn II. Samun III.…
Q21 · Geography: The given map shows four towns of the Central Asian region marked as 1, 2, 3 and 4. Identify these from the following list and select the…
Q22 · Current Affairs: Mekong Ganga Cooperation Project is
Q23 · Indian Polity: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Amendments to the Constitution) I.…
Q24 · Geography: The largest number of Buddhists is found in
Q25 · Science & Technology: Who amongst the following was the Chairman of ISRO when INSAT - 3B was launched?
Q26 · Medieval History: Assertion (A): The Battle of Khanua was certainly more decisive and significant than the First Battle of Panipat. Reason (R): Rana Sanga,…
Q27 · Geography: Assertion (A): Anti - cyclonic conditions are formed in winter season when atmospheric pressure is high and air temperatures are low.…
Q28 · Ancient History: Assertion (A): Harshavardhana convened the Prayag Assembly. Reason (R): He wanted to popularise only the Mahayana form of Buddhism.
Q29 · Indian Economy: Assertion (A): There was an increase in industrial production during 1999 - 2000. Reason (R): The period witnessed a stable exchange rate…
Q30 · Indian Economy: Assertion (A): India's software exports increased at an average growth rate of 50% since 1995 - 96. Reason (R): Indian software companies…
Q31 · Indian Economy: Assertion (A): Ceiling on foreign exchange for a host of current account transaction heads was lowered in the year 2000. Reason (R): There…
Q32 · Geography: Assertion (A): During the Neap Tides, the high tide is lower and the low tide is higher than usual. Reason (R): The Neap Tide, unlike the…
Q33 · Indian Economy: The prices at which the Government purchases food grains for maintaining the public distribution system and for building up buffer stocks…
Q34 · Science & Technology: The theme of Indian Science Congress, 2001 was
Q35 · Environment & Ecology: Consider the following statements regarding environment issues of India: I. Gulf of Mannar is one of the biosphere reserves. II. The Ganga…
Q36 · Ancient History: Which one of the Chola kings conquered Ceylon?
Q37 · Current Affairs: Consider the following statements regarding the Armed Forces: I. First batch of women pilots was commissioned in Indian Air Force in 1996.…
Q38 · Indian Economy: Consider the following statements regarding power sector in India: I. The installed capacity of power generation is around 95000 MW. II.…
Q39 · Indian Polity: If a new State of the Indian Union is to be created, which one of the following Schedules of the Constitution must be amended?
Q40 · Indian Economy: National Agriculture Insurance Scheme replacing Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme was introduced in the year
Q41 · Ancient History: Who among the following presided over the Buddhist Council held during the reign of Kanishka at Kashmir?
Q42 · Current Affairs: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Country) I. Columbia II. The…
Q43 · Indian Economy: The annual agricultural production of a product for the period 1991 - 92 to 1998 - 99 is shown in the figure given above. Which one of the…
Q44 · Indian Economy: Consider the following States: I. Gujarat II. Karnataka III. Maharashtra IV. Tamil Nadu The descending order of these States with…
Q45 · Indian Polity: Consider the following statements regarding the political parties in India: I. The Representation of the People Act, 1951 provides for the…
Q46 · Science & Technology: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Institute) I. Central Institute of…
Q47 · Ancient History: Which one of the following animals was NOT represented on the seals and terracotta art of the Harappan culture?
Q48 · Science & Technology: The range of Agni - II missile is around
Q49 · Geography: The approximate age of the Aravalli’s range is
Q50 · Indian Economy: Consider the following: I. Market borrowing II. Treasury bills III. Special securities issued to RBI Which of these is/are component(s) of…
Q51 · Indian Polity: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Article of the Constitution) I.…
Q52 · Environment & Ecology: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Important Day) I. World Environment…
Q53 · Medieval History: The shaded area in the above map shows the empire of
Q54 · Indian Economy: Consider the following statements regarding Reserve Bank of India: I. It is a banker to the Central Government. II. It formulates and…
Q55 · Geography: Consider the following statements: I. Most magmas are a combination of liquid, solid and gas. II. Water vapour and carbon dioxide are the…
Q56 · Indian Economy: Consider the following schemes launched by the Union Government: I. Antyodaya Anna II. Gram Sadak Yojana III. Sarvapriya IV. Jawahar Gram…
Q57 · Current Affairs: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Books) I. The Struggle in My Life…
Q58 · Art & Culture: Hoysala monuments are found in
Q59 · Geography: Consider the following statements regarding earthquakes: I. The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Mercalli scale. II. The…
Q60 · Indian Polity: Which Article of the Constitution provides that it shall be the endeavour of every State to provide adequate facility for instruction in…
Q61 · Modern History: Who among the following Indian rulers established embassies in foreign countries on modern lines?
Q62 · Current Affairs: A great landslide caused by an earthquake killed hundreds of people in January 2001 near
Q63 · Geography: In the above map, the black marks show the distribution of
Q64 · Indian Economy: Consider the following factors regarding an industry: I. Capital investments II. Business turnover III. Labour force IV. Power consumption…
Q65 · Art & Culture: Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?
Q66 · Art & Culture: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Dancer) I. Kalamandalam Kshemavaty…
Q67 · Medieval History: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Bhakti Saint) I. Namdev II. Kabir…
Q68 · Indian Economy: The most appropriate measure of a country’s economic growth is its
Q69 · Indian Polity: The Supreme Court of India tenders’ advice to the President on a matter of law or fact
Q70 · Current Affairs: Falun Gong is
Q71 · Modern History: The Hunter Commission was appointed after the
Q72 · Geography: Who amongst the following was the first to state that the Earth was spherical?
Q73 · Indian Economy: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Term) I. Fiscal deficit II. Budget…
Q74 · Indian Economy: Consider the following organisations: I. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development II. International Finance Corporation III.…
Q75 · Current Affairs: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Person) I. Deep Sen Gupta II. P.…
Q76 · Modern History: Under the Permanent Settlement, 1793, the zamindars were required to issue pattas to the farmers which were not issued by many of the…
Q77 · Geography: If the stars are seen to rise perpendicular to the horizon by an observer, he is located on the
Q78 · Current Affairs: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Person) I. Santosh Yadav II. Oprah…
Q79 · Geography: In the shaded area of the above map, the mean temperature for the month of July varies between
Q80 · Indian Economy: The Union Budget, 2000 awarded a Tax Holiday for the North - eastern Region to promote industrialisation for
Q81 · Modern History: Consider the following statements: I. Arya Samaj was founded in 1835. II. Lala Lajpat Rai opposed the appeal of Arya Samaj to the…
Q82 · Indian Economy: Consider the following taxes: I. Corporation tax II. Customs duty III. Wealth tax IV. Excise duty Which of these is/are indirect taxes?
Q83 · Medieval History: The Mongols under Genghis Khan invaded India during the reign of
Q84 · Geography: The high density of population in Nile Valley and Island of Java is primarily due to
Q85 · Indian Economy: The largest share of Foreign Direct Investment (1997 - 2000) went to
Q86 · Indian Polity: Which one of the following duties is NOT performed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India?
Q87 · Art & Culture: Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
Q88 · Geography: Consider the following statements made about the sedimentary rocks: I. Sedimentary rocks are formed at Earth’s surface by the hydrological…
Q89 · Indian Economy: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Publisher) I. Ministry of Industry…
Q90 · Current Affairs: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Award / Prize) I. Indira Gandhi…
Q91 · Indian Polity: Which one of the following statements correctly describes the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of India?
Q92 · Medieval History: Which among the following ports was called Babul Makka (Gate of Makka) during the Mughal Period?
Q93 · Geography: Volcanic eruptions do not occur in the
Q94 · Modern History: Who among the following leaders proposed to adopt Complete Independence as the goal of the Congress in the Ahmedabad session of 1920?
Q95 · Current Affairs: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Sports Women) I. Anjali Vedpathak…
Q96 · Environment & Ecology: A class of animals known as Marsupials is a characteristic feature of
Q97 · Science & Technology: The location of the space organisation units have been marked in the given map as 1, 2, 3 and 4. Match these units with the list given and…
Q98 · Medieval History: Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
Q99 · Indian Economy: The earlier name of WTO was
Q100 · Science & Technology: Two wires have their lengths, diameters and resistivities, all in the ratio of 1 : 2. If the resistance of the thinner wire is 10 ohms,…
Q101 · Science & Technology: Assertion (A): A stick is dipped in water in a slanting position. If observed sideways, the stick appears short and bent at the surface of…
Q102 · Science & Technology: Assertion (A): A piece of copper and a piece of glass are heated to the same temperature. When touched, thereafter, the copper piece…
Q103 · Science & Technology: Assertion (A): The boiling point of water decreases as the altitude increases. Reason (R): The atmospheric pressure increases with altitude.
Q104 · Science & Technology: When light waves pass from air to glass, the variables affected are
Q105 · Science & Technology: When water is heated from 0 °C to 10 °C, its volume
Q106 · Science & Technology: Consider the following statements: In a nuclear reactor, self - sustained chain reaction is possible, because I. More neutrons are…
Q107 · Science & Technology: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Characteristic) I. Zero mass II.…
Q108 · Science & Technology: Who is the scientist in whose honour the “Chandra” X - ray telescope has been named?
Q109 · Science & Technology: The mass of a body on Earth is 100 kg (acceleration due to gravity, gₑ = 10 m/s²). If acceleration due to gravity on the Moon = gₑ/6, then…
Q110 · Science & Technology: Consider the following statements: A simple pendulum is set into oscillation. Then I. The acceleration is zero when the bob passes through…
Q111 · Geography: Cloudy nights are warmer compared to clear cloudless nights, because clouds
Q112 · Geography: Which of the following weather conditions is indicated by a sudden fall in barometer reading?
Q113 · Science & Technology: A radioactive substance has a half - life of four months. Three fourth of the substance would decay in
Q114 · Indian Economy: The following table shows the percentage change in the consumption of electricity by five towns P, Q, R, S, T from 1986 to 1988: Town Per…
Q115 · Science & Technology: Which of the following distance - time graphs (x - t) represents one - dimensional uniform motion?
Q116 · Science & Technology: Assertion (A): A chemical reaction becomes faster at higher temperatures. Reason (R): At higher temperatures, molecular motion becomes…
Q117 · Science & Technology: Which one of the following is NOT radioactive?
Q118 · Science & Technology: Which one of the following is the correct sequence in increasing order of molecular weights of the hydrocarbons?
Q119 · Science & Technology: In an atom, the order of filling up of the orbitals is governed by
Q120 · Science & Technology: An aqueous solution of copper sulphate is acidic in nature because the salt undergoes
Q121 · Science & Technology: Consider the following statements with reference to the Periodic Table of chemical elements: I. Ionisation potential gradually decreases…
Q122 · Geography: Quartzite is metamorphosed from
Q123 · Science & Technology: Which of the following cell organelles play the most significant role in protein synthesis?
Q124 · Science & Technology: Assertion (A): Scientists can cut apart and paste together DNA molecules at will, regardless of the source of the molecules. Reason (R):…
Q125 · Science & Technology: The cellular and molecular control of programmed cell death is known as
Q126 · Science & Technology: Which organelle in the cell, other than nucleus, contains DNA?
Q127 · Science & Technology: Epiphytes are plants which depend on other plants for
Q128 · Science & Technology: Antigen is a substance which
Q129 · Science & Technology: Which of the following features of DNA makes it uniquely suited to store and transmit genetic information from generation to generation?
Q130 · Science & Technology: The American multinational company, Monsanto has produced an insect - resistant cotton variety that is undergoing field - trials in India.…
Q131 · Science & Technology: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Bone) I. Breast - bone II. Collar -…
Q132 · Science & Technology: Consider the following statements: I. Tapeworm is a hermaphrodite. II. Round - worm has separate sexes. III. Filaria is caused by a…
Q133 · Science & Technology: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Achievement in genetics) I.…
Q134 · Science & Technology: “Athlete’s Foot” is a disease caused by
Q135 · Science & Technology: In the eye donation, which part of the eye is transplanted from the donor?
Q136 · Science & Technology: A man whose blood group is not known meets with a serious accident and needs blood transfusion immediately. Which one of the blood groups…
Q137 · Science & Technology: “Metastasis” is the process by which
Q138 · Science & Technology: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Substance) I. Ptyalin II. Pepsin…
Q139 · Science & Technology: Solve the given equations: x² + y² = 34 x⁴ − y⁴ = 544 The values of x and y are
Q140 · Science & Technology: A worker reaches his factory 3 minutes late if his speed from his house to the factory is 5 km/hr. If he walks at a speed of 6 km/hr, then…
Q141 · Science & Technology: A conveyer belt delivers baggage at the rate of 3 tons in 5 minutes, and a second conveyer belt delivers baggage at the rate of 1 ton in 2…
Q142 · Science & Technology: Water is filled in a container in such a manner that its volume doubles after every five minutes. If it takes 30 minutes for the container…
Q143 · Science & Technology: A city has a population of 3,00,000 out of which 1,80,000 are males. 50% of the population is literate. If 70% of the males are literate,…
Q144 · Science & Technology: In a survey, it was found that 80% of those surveyed owned a car while 60% of those surveyed owned a mobile phone. If 55% owned both a car…
Q145 · Science & Technology: In 1930, a person’s age was 8 times that of his son. In 1938, the father’s age became ten times that of his son’s age in 1930. The ages of…
Q146 · Science & Technology: A circle of 1 m radius is drawn inside a square as shown in the figure given above. What is the area of the shaded portion in m²?
Q147 · Science & Technology: Most guitarists are bearded males. If A represents all males, B represents bearded males and C represents all male guitarists, then the…
Q148 · Science & Technology: In the above figure, ABCD is a cyclic quadrilateral, AB = BC and angle BAC = 70°, then angle ADC is
Q149 · Science & Technology: Anand must be a vegetarian because he is a Buddhist. The argument assumes that
Q150 · Science & Technology: A person travels from X to Y at a speed of 40 kmph and returns by increasing his speed by 50%. What is his average speed for both the trips?

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