UPSC Prelims 1995 — solved PYQs

While Aryabhata made significant contributions to mathematics including the place-value system, the concept of zero as a number is not definitively attributed to him alone.

Varahamihira was primarily an astronomer and astrologer known for works like Brihat Samhita and Pancha-Siddhantika, not for the invention of zero.

Bhaskara I was a 7th-century mathematician who used zero in his works but is not credited with its invention.

Isoniazid is a first-line anti-TB drug but is not used in standard leprosy treatment regimens.

p-aminosalicylic acid is a second-line TB drug and has no role in leprosy treatment.

Streptomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used for TB but not included in WHO multi-drug therapy for leprosy.

Defence and subsidies are included, but committed expenditures and interest payments are also non-plan items.

Subsidies and interest payments are also non-plan expenditure, so this is incomplete.

Defence expenditure and committed expenditures from previous plans are also included.

Sanskrit was the language of elite male characters such as kings and Brahmins in classical dramas. Women and Sudras were conventionally assigned a different register.

Pali was the language of the Theravada Buddhist canon and was not used as the dramatic convention for women and Sudras in Sanskrit plays.

Sauraseni is itself a form of Prakrit. While women in some plays did speak Sauraseni specifically, the broader correct answer encompassing all such dialects is Prakrit.

West Bengal and Kerala were not the pair identified for this purpose in the relevant Lok Ayukta legislation at the time of this question.

Gujarat and Maharashtra had their own Lok Ayukta frameworks, but the Chief Minister was not covered in the manner described in these States at that time.

Madhya Pradesh and Orissa did not match the required criteria of including the Chief Minister within the Lok Ayukta's ambit in the relevant period.

Gargi Vachaknavi was a learned woman philosopher who participated in debates at the court of King Janaka, but she is not specifically known as a composer of Vedic hymns.

Leelavati is associated with Bhaskaracharya's mathematical text 'Lilavati' and belongs to a much later period, not the Vedic age.

Savitri is a legendary figure from the Mahabharata known for her devotion to her husband Satyavan, not for composing Vedic hymns.

If the same note is played, the pitch (determined by fundamental frequency) is the same for both instruments.

Loudness relates to amplitude and depends on how hard the instrument is played, not on the instrument's identity for the same note.

The fundamental frequency is the same when the same note is played on both instruments.

This is incorrect because RBI regulates banking and monetary policy, not the securities market as the primary regulator.

This is incorrect because SBI is a bank, not the market regulator.

This is incorrect because UTI is an investment institution, not the regulator.

Mahayana Buddhism emphasises the Bodhisattva ideal and the six paramitas, not the concept of Anuvrata. Anuvrata (small vows) is specific to Jain ethics for lay followers.

Hinayana Buddhism focuses on individual liberation through the Eightfold Path, not on the Anuvrata system, which belongs to Jain tradition.

The Lokayata (Charvaka) school was materialist and rejected religious ethics altogether, including concepts like Anuvrata which require spiritual discipline.

Jnana (knowledge) is the path to liberation in the Vedanta and Sankhya systems, not in Mimamsa, which focuses on the efficacy of Vedic rituals and proper action.

Bhakti (devotion) as a path to salvation is central to the Bhakti movement and Vishishtadvaita, but Mimamsa philosophy centres on ritual action rather than devotional surrender.

Yoga as a means of liberation is associated with the Yoga school of Patanjali, not with Mimamsa, which upholds the primacy of Vedic karma (ritual performance).

While temperature does influence some flowering responses, it is not the primary reason desert flowers bloom at night; herbivory pressure during the day is the key factor.

Lunar phases have no established role in controlling the blooming time of desert plants.

Nocturnal insect activity aids pollination, but the reason flowers bloom at night is to avoid daytime herbivory, not because insects are active at night.

Incorrect. Low polling does not by itself cause a winning candidate to lose deposit; the deposit forfeiture threshold is relative to total valid votes polled.

Incorrect. Indian legislative assembly elections use single-member constituencies under the FPTP system.

Incorrect. A marginal victory does not explain deposit forfeiture; the total vote share matters, not the winning margin.

The tomb of Sher Shah at Sasaram has an impressive dome, but it is significantly smaller than the dome of Gol Gumbaz, which spans about 44 metres in diameter.

The Jama Masjid in Delhi, built by Shah Jahan, has three domes that are notable but not among the largest in the world in terms of internal diameter.

The tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq in Tughlaqabad has a relatively modest dome characteristic of the austere Tughlaq architectural style.

Heroin is a narcotic derived from opium poppies and is not called 'yellow cake'.

Crude gold is not referred to as 'yellow cake' in any standard terminology.

UN aid food packets have no connection to the term 'yellow cake'.

Pahari painting, including the Basohli and Guler-Kangra sub-schools, was significantly influenced by Mughal court painting traditions, especially in technique and compositional conventions.

Rajasthani miniature schools such as Mewar, Bundi and Kotah absorbed Mughal compositional and technical elements even as they retained their indigenous character.

The Kangra school (part of the Pahari tradition) had clear Mughal influences in its refinement of line, perspective and portraiture.

AM is used for the video signal in analogue TV broadcasts, not for the audio signal.

Pulse Code Modulation is a digital encoding technique used in telephony and digital audio, not in analogue TV audio transmission.

Time Division Multiplexing is a channel-sharing technique and is not the modulation method for TV audio.

AIDS is caused by a virus attacking immune cells, not by a single cell growing uncontrollably.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection, not a disease that begins as a single abnormal cell.

Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disorder involving protein misfolding, not single-cell origin growth.

Incorrect. None of these parties held national party status in the recognition framework of the time.

Incorrect. Neither RSP nor PWP was recognised as a national party.

Incorrect. The All India Forward Block was not a national party either.

Sevagram was Gandhi's later ashram near Wardha, established in 1936. The Civil Disobedience Movement did not start from here.

Dandi was the destination of the march where Gandhi broke the salt law, but the march started from Sabarmati Ashram.

Wardha was the location of Gandhi's later activities. The 1930 march began from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

The Greeks used terms like 'Indoi' for the people of India, derived from the river Indus, but 'Hindu' as a term was popularised by the Arabs.

Romans used Latin terms derived from Greek references to India, not the term 'Hindu'.

The Chinese used terms like 'Tianzhu' or 'Yindu' for India, not 'Hindu' in its Arabic-origin form.

The Gupta administration did not have a council called Ashtapradhan. Their ministerial system used different titles such as Kumaramatya and Sandhivigrahika.

The Chola administration was famous for its local self-government through ur, sabha, and nagaram assemblies, not for a council called Ashtapradhan.

The Vijayanagara empire had its own administrative apparatus with Nayankara and Ayagar systems, not the Ashtapradhan.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was in 1931, after the Independence for India League had already been formed.

The Home Rule Movement was in 1916-18 and was not opposed by the radicals in this manner.

The Montford Reforms (1919) were earlier and not the specific trigger for the Independence for India League.

Incorrect. Article 156(1) states the Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President. This 'pleasure doctrine' means the President can remove a Governor at any time before the completion of the five-year term.

Incorrect. Article 156(1) also provides that the Governor shall continue to hold office until a successor enters upon office, meaning a Governor may serve beyond five years if no replacement is appointed.

Incorrect. Neither deduction follows from Article 156. The five-year term is subject to the pleasure of the President (allowing early removal) and the continuation clause (allowing extension beyond five years).

Bombay-Karnataka had its own revolutionary activities later, but the Barrah dacoity was not associated with this region.

Punjab became a major centre of revolutionary activity with the Ghadar movement and HSRA, but the Barrah dacoity took place in East Bengal.

The Madras Presidency saw some revolutionary activity but was not the site of the Barrah dacoity.

Nagaland has special provisions under Article 371A but does not have a uniform civil code that restricts polygamy for all communities in this manner.

Mizoram does not possess a common civil code that distinguishes marriage rules across religions in the way described in the question.

Arunachal Pradesh is governed by customary laws for many communities but does not have a uniform civil code that creates this particular legal distinction.