UPSC Prelims 2014 — solved PYQs

Question 1

Which of the following are some important pollutants released by the steel industry in India?
1. Oxides of sulphur
2. Oxides of nitrogen
3. Carbon monoxide
4. Carbon dioxide
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (A) 1, 3 and 4 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 and 4 only (D) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4 — Correct. Steel production releases all four: SOx from sulphur in raw materials, NOx from high-temperature combustion, CO from incomplete combustion in blast furnaces, and CO2 from coke combustion and limestone calcination.

Question 2

In medieval India, the designations 'Mahattara' and 'Pattakila' were used for (A) Military officers (B) Village headmen (C) Specialists in Vedic rituals (D) Chiefs of craft guilds

Accepted Answer

(B) Village headmen — Correct. Mahattara and Pattakila were designations for village headmen or important local functionaries who played a role in medieval agrarian administration and witnessed land transactions recorded in copper-plate grants.

Question 3

Consider the following countries:
1. Denmark
2. Japan
3. Russian Federation
4. United Kingdom
5. United States of America
Which of the above are the members of the 'Arctic Council'? (A) 1, 2 and 3 (B) 2, 3 and 4 (C) 1, 4 and 5 (D) 1, 3 and 5

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 3 and 5 — Correct. Denmark (via Greenland), the Russian Federation and the United States are Arctic Council members. Japan and the UK are observers.

Question 4

Consider the following pairs:
Programme/Project — Ministry
1. Drought-Prone Area Programme — Ministry of Agriculture
2. Desert Development Programme — Ministry of Environment and Forests
3. National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas — Ministry of Rural Development
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 3 only (C) 1, 2 and 3 (D) None

Accepted Answer

(D) None — Correct. None of the programme-ministry pairings is correctly matched. The listed ministries do not correspond to the actual administrative departments responsible for these programmes.

Question 5

Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was: (A) The mosque for the use of the Royal Family (B) Akbar's private chamber of prayer (C) The hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions (D) The room in which nobles belonging to different religions gathered to discuss religious affairs

Accepted Answer

(C) The hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions — Correct. The Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) was established by Akbar in 1575 at Fatehpur Sikri as a hall for religious discussions. Scholars from various faiths — including Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains, Zoroastrians and others — were invited to debate theology and philosophy.

Question 6

Consider the following diseases:
1. Diphtheria
2. Chickenpox
3. Smallpox
Which of the above diseases has/have been eradicated in India? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 3 only (C) 1, 2 and 3 (D) None

Accepted Answer

(B) 3 only — Correct. Smallpox was declared eradicated globally in 1980 by WHO; India's last case was in 1975. Diphtheria and chickenpox remain endemic.

Question 7

Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as 'Arab Spring' originally started from: (A) Egypt (B) Lebanon (C) Syria (D) Tunisia

Accepted Answer

(D) Tunisia — Correct. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in December 2010 with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, triggering protests that spread across the Arab world.

Question 8

In addition to fingerprint scanning, which of the following can be used in the biometric identification of a person?
1. Iris scanning
2. Retinal scanning
3. Voice recognition
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (A) 1 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 2 and 3 — Correct. Iris scanning, retinal scanning and voice recognition are all biometric identification techniques used alongside fingerprint scanning.

Question 9

Consider the following pairs:
National Park : State
1. Eravikulam : Kerala
2. Kuno-Palpur : Madhya Pradesh
3. Sultanpur : Rajasthan
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(C) 1 and 3 only — Correct. Eravikulam National Park is in Kerala (pair 1 correct) and Kuno-Palpur is in Madhya Pradesh (pair 2 correct). Sultanpur National Park is in Haryana, not Rajasthan (pair 3 incorrect).

Question 10

What are the benefits of implementing the 'Integrated Watershed Development Programme'?
1. Prevention of soil runoff
2. Linking the country's perennial rivers with seasonal rivers
3. Rainwater harvesting and recharge of groundwater table
4. Regeneration of natural vegetation
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 2, 3 and 4 only (C) 1, 3 and 4 only (D) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Accepted Answer

(C) 1, 3 and 4 only — Correct. IWDP benefits include preventing soil runoff, rainwater harvesting with groundwater recharge, and natural vegetation regeneration. River-linking is an entirely different programme.

Question 11

Statutory reserve requirements such as CRR and SLR help the central bank primarily by enabling it to: (A) Control the volume of credit and liquidity in the economy (B) Fix the fiscal deficit directly (C) Decide the MSP for crops (D) Collect direct taxes

Accepted Answer

(A) Control the volume of credit and liquidity in the economy — Correct. Reserve requirements influence the lendable resources of banks and therefore credit and liquidity conditions.

Question 12

Consider the following techniques/phenomena:
1. Budding and grafting in fruit plants
2. Cytoplasmic male sterility
3. Gene silencing
Which of the above is/are used to create transgenic crops? (A) 1 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (D) None

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 and 3 only — Correct. Cytoplasmic male sterility (via mitochondrial gene manipulation) and gene silencing (via RNAi) are biotechnological tools used in developing transgenic crop varieties.

Question 13

With reference to the term 'Panchayatan' in the cultural history of India, it refers to: (A) An assembly of village elders (B) A religious sect (C) A style of temple construction (D) An administrative functionary

Accepted Answer

(C) A style of temple construction — Correct. Panchayatan denotes a style of temple construction in which a central main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines at the corners of the platform, creating a group of five (pancha = five) shrines.

Question 14

Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the 'Ten Degree Channel'? (A) Andaman and Nicobar (B) Nicobar and Sumatra (C) Maldives and Lakshadweep (D) Sumatra and Java

Accepted Answer

(A) Andaman and Nicobar — Correct. The Ten Degree Channel (at approximately 10°N latitude) separates the Andaman group of islands from the Nicobar group.

Question 15

Consider the following statements:
1. The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
2. All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 only (B) 2 only (C) Both 1 and 2 (D) Neither 1 nor 2

Accepted Answer

(A) 1 only — Correct. Article 77(3) empowers the President to make rules for the more convenient transaction of business of the Government of India and for the allocation among ministers of the said business. Statement 2 is false because executive action is expressed in the name of the President, not the Prime Minister.

Question 16

Consider the following statements regarding 'Earth Hour':
1. It is an initiative of UNEP and UNESCO.
2. It is a movement in which the participants switch off the lights for one hour on a certain day every year.
3. It is a movement to raise the awareness about the climate change and the need to save the planet.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 and 3 only (B) 2 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(C) 2 and 3 only — Correct. Earth Hour is organized by WWF (not UNEP/UNESCO). Participants switch off lights for one hour annually to raise awareness about climate change.

Question 17

If you walk through countryside, you are likely to see some birds stalking alongside the cattle to seize the insects disturbed by their movement through grasses. Which one of the following is/are such bird/birds?
1. Painted Stork
2. Common Myna
3. Black-necked Crane
Select the correct answer using the code given below. (A) 1 and 2 (B) 2 only (C) 2 and 3 (D) 3 only

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 only — Correct. The Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) is well-known for following cattle and other large animals to feed on insects disturbed from the grass. Painted Storks are wetland feeders and Black-necked Cranes inhabit high-altitude marshes.

Question 18

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of a food chain? (A) Diatoms - Crustaceans - Herrings (B) Crustaceans - Diatoms - Herrings (C) Diatoms - Herrings - Crustaceans (D) Crustaceans - Herrings - Diatoms

Accepted Answer

(A) Diatoms - Crustaceans - Herrings — Correct. Diatoms are microscopic algae (primary producers) eaten by crustaceans (primary consumers), which are in turn eaten by herrings (secondary consumers). This is a classic marine grazing food chain.

Question 19

Consider the following pairs:
Region often in news — Country
1. Chechnya — Russian Federation
2. Darfur — Mali
3. Swat Valley — Iraq
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(A) 1 only — Correct. Chechnya is a republic within the Russian Federation. Darfur is in Sudan (not Mali) and the Swat Valley is in Pakistan (not Iraq).

Question 20

Which of the following kingdoms were associated with the life of the Buddha?
1. Avanti
2. Gandhara
3. Kosala
4. Magadha
Select the correct answer using the code given below. (A) 1, 2 and 3 (B) 2 and 4 only (C) 1, 3 and 4 only (D) 3 and 4 only

Accepted Answer

(D) 3 and 4 only — Correct. The Buddha was born in Lumbini (within the Kosala sphere), attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya (Magadha), gave his first sermon at Sarnath (near Kosala), and spent much of his life teaching in these two kingdoms.

Question 21

The most important strategy for the conservation of biodiversity together with traditional human life is the establishment of: (A) Biosphere reserves (B) National parks (C) Wildlife sanctuaries (D) Botanical gardens

Accepted Answer

(A) Biosphere reserves — Correct. Biosphere reserves are designed under UNESCO's MAB programme to integrate biodiversity conservation with sustainable human activities. They have core, buffer and transition zones allowing traditional communities to coexist with conservation.

Question 22

Brominated flame retardants are used in many household products like mattresses and upholstery. Why is there a concern about their use?
1. They arepersistent organic pollutants.
2. Theyaccumulate in the environment and can contaminate food chains.
3. Theyareknown to cause thyroiddisruption in humans.
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1, 2 and 3 (D) 1 and 3 only

Accepted Answer

(C) 1, 2 and 3 — Correct. Brominated flame retardants are persistent organic pollutants (Statement 1), bioaccumulate in food chains (Statement 2), and are documented thyroid disruptors (Statement 3).

Question 23

Consider the following pairs:
Hills — Region
1. Cardamom Hills: Coromandel Coast
2. Kaimur Hills: Konkan Coast
3. Mahadeo Hills: Central India
4. Mikir Hills: North-East India
Which of the above pairs are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 (B) 2 and 3 (C) 3 and 4 (D) 2 and 4

Accepted Answer

(C) 3 and 4 — Correct. Mahadeo Hills are part of the Satpura Range in Central India (Madhya Pradesh), and Mikir Hills (Karbi Anglong) are in Assam in North-East India. Cardamom Hills are in Kerala's Western Ghats, and Kaimur is in the Vindhyan belt.

Question 24

The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its: (A) Advisory jurisdiction (B) Appellate jurisdiction (C) Original jurisdiction (D) Writ jurisdiction

Accepted Answer

(C) Original jurisdiction — Correct. Article 131 gives the Supreme Court original jurisdiction in disputes between the Union and one or more States or between States.

Question 25

Consider the following pairs:
Region — Well-known product
1. Kinnaur — Areca nut
2. Mewat — Mango
3. Coromandel — Soya bean
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 3 only (C) 1, 2 and 3 (D) None

Accepted Answer

(D) None — Correct. Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) is famous for apples and dry fruits, not areca nut which grows in tropical coastal areas. Mewat (Haryana) is not a mango-producing region. Coromandel coast is known for rice cultivation, not soya bean which is grown mainly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

UPSC Prelims 2014 — solved PYQs

2014 PYQs by subject

Solved questions

Other years

Practise the full 2014 paper

UPSC Prelims 2014 — solved PYQs

2014 PYQs by subject

Solved questions

Other years

Practise the full 2014 paper