UPSC Prelims 2006 — solved PYQs

Radioisotope applications in metallurgy were not the IGCAR milestone of that year.

Heavy water production technology was not the area of progress reported from IGCAR in 2005.

High-level waste management was not the specific IGCAR achievement highlighted in 2005.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Ikshvaku rulers of the Krishna-Guntur region actually patronised Buddhism and built several Buddhist stupas at Nagarjunakonda.

Statement 1 is wrong. Archaeological evidence from Nagarjunakonda shows the Ikshvakus patronised Buddhism extensively, with many Buddhist monuments built under their rule.

Statement 2 is correct. The Palas are well known as the last great Indian dynasty to patronise Buddhism, particularly the Vajrayana school.

The Bhil uprisings took place in western India (Khandesh, Rajputana) and were not the subject of Anandamath.

The Rangpur and Dinapur uprising was a peasant revolt in Bengal, but it was not the revolt depicted in Anandamath.

The Bishnupur and Birbhum rebellion was not the primary revolt that inspired Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's novel.

Tilak had died in 1920 and could not have presided over the 1929 session.

Gokhale had died in 1915, well before the 1929 session.

Motilal Nehru presided over the Calcutta session of 1928, not the Lahore session of 1929. He was Jawaharlal's father.

The area between the Jhelum and Chenab is the Chaj Doab, which did not host Taxila. This region lies further east of Taxila's actual location.

The area between Chenab and Ravi is the Rechna Doab in central Punjab. Taxila was located much further to the northwest near Rawalpindi.

The area between Ravi and Beas is the Bari Doab in the eastern Punjab. This is far from Taxila, which was in the northwestern part of the subcontinent.

The left hepatic artery supplies oxygenated blood to the left lobe of the liver; it does not carry nutrient-rich blood from the gut.

The hepatic vein carries deoxygenated blood away from the liver to the inferior vena cava, not towards the liver from the intestines.

The right hepatic artery supplies oxygen to the right lobe of the liver and is not the vessel transporting absorbed nutrients from the gut.

While Hampi has iconic stone chariot wheels at the Vittala Temple, the Indian Airlines logo was not derived from Hampi.

The Pallava-era temples at Mamallapuram feature monolithic rathas and shore temples but are not associated with the airline's wheel logo.

Khajuraho temples are famous for their sculptural art but do not have the prominent wheel motif that inspired the airline logo.

Nirmal Gram Puraskar was not a scholarship scheme for girl children. It was linked to sanitation achievements by local bodies.

The award had nothing to do with sports or scholarships for female athletes. It was focused on rural sanitation outcomes.

Computer education in village schools was not the purpose of Nirmal Gram Puraskar. The scheme incentivised open-defecation-free status.

This is incorrect because It was a stock market initiative, not a tourism programme.

This is incorrect because It had no connection with handicrafts export promotion.

This is incorrect because It was not an RBI guarantee fund.

The equator does not pass through Zambia or Malaysia. Zambia lies entirely south of the equator, and peninsular Malaysia is just north of it but the equator itself clips Indonesia.

The equator does not pass through Sudan (it passes through South Sudan) or Malaysia.

The equator does not pass through Venezuela or mainland Ethiopia.

This is incorrect because service tax was not a direct tax. The tax incidence could be passed on to consumers.

This is incorrect because service tax was neither direct nor levied by the States.

This is incorrect because service tax was not imposed by the State Governments.

The reason is false. Most of Andhra Pradesh does not have laterite soil; it has a mix of black, red and alluvial soils.

The reason is false, so this combination cannot apply.

The assertion is true, not false. Andhra Pradesh has a lower proportion of net sown area than West Bengal.

Abdul Hamid Lahori was not a military commander. He was a literary figure associated with the Mughal court of Shah Jahan.

Lahori was not particularly associated with Aurangzeb's court. He was commissioned by Shah Jahan to write the imperial chronicle.

Lahori lived during Shah Jahan's reign (r. 1628-1658), not during the much later reign of Muhammad Shah (r. 1719-1748).

Kourou is correctly matched. The Guiana Space Centre is located in Kourou, French Guiana.

Borobudur is correctly matched. This famous Buddhist temple is in Central Java, Indonesia.

Cannes is correctly matched. The city famous for its film festival is in southern France.

Vietnam does not share a border with Myanmar.

Cambodia and Malaysia do not border Myanmar.

Vietnam and Malaysia do not share borders with Myanmar.

The Sri Mariamman Temple in Singapore is a Tamil Hindu temple built by South Indian migrants in the 19th century CE, entirely unrelated to Suryavarman II.

Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are a natural limestone cave complex associated with Tamil Hindu worship. They were not built by Suryavarman II.

Kamakhya Temple at Guwahati in Assam is a major Shakta pilgrimage centre dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya, rebuilt in the 17th century. It has no connection to Suryavarman II.

Dolby B and C are not frequency modulation systems used for signal broadcasting.

Dolby technologies are not related to amplitude modulation.

Dolby designations have nothing to do with power supply compatibility.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Madam Cama unfurled a version of the Indian flag at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart (Germany), not Paris, in 1907.

Statement 1 is incorrect regarding the location. The conference was held in Stuttgart, Germany, not in Paris.

While statement 3 is correct, statement 2 is also correct. Madam Cama served as Dadabhai Naoroji's private secretary.

Amoghavarsha I (c. 814-878 CE) was a later Rashtrakuta ruler famous for his patronage of Kannada literature and his work Kavirajamarga. He did not found the dynasty.

Dhruva Dharavarsha was the third Rashtrakuta ruler who expanded the empire significantly, but he was not the founder.

Krishna I succeeded Dantidurga and is famous for commissioning the Kailasa temple at Ellora, but the dynasty was already founded by Dantidurga.

Dhankar Monastery is correctly located in the Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh. It was the traditional capital of Spiti and houses an important Buddhist complex.

Rumtek Monastery is correctly located in Sikkim. It is the seat of the Karmapa and one of the most important Kagyu monasteries outside Tibet.

Tabo Monastery is correctly located in the Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Founded in 996 CE, it is one of the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclaves in India.

This incorrectly places Sikandar Shah first. Bahlol Khan Lodi founded the Lodi dynasty in 1451 and preceded Sikandar.

This incorrectly places Sikandar Shah before Bahlol Khan Lodi, who was the founder of the Lodi dynasty.

This incorrectly places Ibrahim Lodi before Sikandar Shah. Ibrahim was the last Lodi sultan, not the second.

Incorrect. The Sakas came before the Kushans, not after them. The correct order places Sakas between Greeks and Kushans.

Incorrect. The Greeks (Indo-Greeks) preceded the Sakas in their incursions into India.

Incorrect. The Greeks were the first of these three groups to invade India, not the last.

The Ken-Betwa link became more prominent later, but the specific 2006 MoU referenced in this question pertained to a different pairing as per the original answer key.

Chambal and Son were not the pair mentioned in the MoU between UP and MP at the time.

Ken and Narmada were not linked under this particular MoU between the two states.

Bangalore was not an early English trading centre. It was a Mysore kingdom city and came under British control much later.

Madras (Fort St. George) was established in 1639, decades after the Surat factory.

Masulipatnam had an English factory from 1611, but the 1613 imperial firman from Jahangir specifically authorised the Surat factory.

While both statements are true, cellulose is used in shatter-proof glass because of its transparent film-forming property when processed as cellulose acetate, not because polysaccharides are water-insoluble.

R is true — most polysaccharides (cellulose, starch) are indeed insoluble or poorly soluble in water.

A is also true; cellulose acetate interlayers are used in the manufacture of safety/shatter-proof glass.