UPSC Prelims 2014 Question Paper (GS Paper I) with Answers

Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy and vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, so pairs 1 and 2 are correct. Night blindness is caused by vitamin A deficiency, not vitamin E. Hence 1 and 2.

Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity, while solar thermal plants use mirrors to concentrate the Sun's heat to raise steam for turbines (statement 1). PV cells generate direct current, not AC (statement 2 incorrect), and India has manufacturing capacity for photovoltaic modules (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 only.

Steel-making burns coal and coke and reduces iron ore, releasing oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, carbon monoxide from coke ovens and blast furnaces, and large quantities of carbon dioxide; the industry is one of India's biggest industrial emitters. Hence all four.

A lower interest rate makes borrowing cheaper, so firms undertake more investment projects and households spend more on credit; investment expenditure rises. Savings tend to fall, not rise, and tax collection is not directly increased.

The World Economic Outlook, a twice-yearly survey of global growth, inflation and economic prospects, is published by the International Monetary Fund.

Wetlands International is an independent, non-profit global organisation, not an intergovernmental body of Ramsar parties, so statement 1 is incorrect. It works in the field to generate knowledge and uses that experience to advocate better wetland policies, so statement 2 is correct.

Article 124(1) provides for a Chief Justice and such number of other judges as Parliament may by law prescribe; Parliament has raised the strength through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, most recently to 34 in 2019.

Sattriya, recognised as a classical dance, combines music, dance and drama (statement 1) and is a living tradition of the Vaishnavite sattras of Assam founded by Sankaradeva in the 15th century (statement 2). Its songs are the borgeets of Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva, not compositions of Tulsidas, Kabir or Mirabai (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 and 2.

Engineered nanoparticles can persist and accumulate in water and soil, can be taken up by organisms and move through food chains, and because of their high surface reactivity can generate free radicals that damage cells. All three concerns are valid. Hence 1, 2 and 3.

Turkey lies between the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean Sea (and its Aegean arm) to the south and west, straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosporus and Dardanelles.

The Global Environment Facility, set up in 1991, is the financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UNFCCC, the Stockholm Convention, the UNCCD and the Minamata Convention, funding environmental projects in developing countries. It does not conduct research and is not an OECD agency.

In the national (Saka) calendar, Chaitra 1 falls on 22 March in a normal year and on 21 March in a leap year, when Chaitra has 31 days instead of 30.

Article 51, a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the State to promote international peace and security, maintain just relations between nations, respect international law and encourage settlement of disputes by arbitration.

Beyond about 3 degrees C of warming, the terrestrial biosphere is expected to turn from a carbon sink into a net carbon source as forests die back and soils release carbon (statement 1), and widespread coral mortality would occur (statement 2). Claims that all wetlands would vanish or that cereals could not be grown anywhere are exaggerations. Hence 1 and 2.

Queen Victoria's Proclamation of 1858 announced that India would be governed directly by the British Crown in place of the East India Company (statement 2) and promised to respect the rights of the Indian princes and not to annex their states (statement 1). The Company's trade had already ended in 1833, so statement 3 is incorrect. Hence 1 and 2.

Chechnya is a republic of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus, so pair 1 is correct. Darfur is a region of Sudan, not Mali, and the Swat valley is in Pakistan, not Iraq. Hence 1 only.

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in December 2010 after the self-immolation of the street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi; the protests toppled President Ben Ali in January 2011 and spread to Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.

Smallpox was eradicated from India in 1977 and worldwide in 1980. Diphtheria and chickenpox still occur in India, though diphtheria is controlled by vaccination. Hence 3 only.

Under the old numbering, NH 4 ran from Mumbai to Chennai via Pune and Bengaluru, NH 6 from Hajira (Surat) to Kolkata, and NH 15 from Pathankot to Samakhiali in Gujarat; none of the pairs is correct. Hence none.

The Arctic Council's eight members are the countries with Arctic territory: Canada, Denmark (for Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the USA. Japan and the UK are observers. Hence 1, 3 and 5.

The six orthodox systems (shad-darshana) of Indian philosophy are paired as Nyaya-Vaisheshika, Sankhya-Yoga and Mimamsa-Vedanta. Lokayata (Charvaka materialism) is a heterodox school and Kapalika is a Shaiva tantric sect, so pair (c) is not part of the six systems.

The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative raises single-bud chip settlings in a nursery, cutting seed cane use by about 75 per cent (statement 1), spaces plants widely so drip irrigation works well (statement 2) and leaves room for intercropping (statement 4). It reduces but does not eliminate chemical fertilisers (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1, 2 and 4.

The Ibadat Khana (House of Worship), built by Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri in 1575, was the hall in which he held discussions with scholars of different religions, Muslims, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Christians, which led to his idea of Sulh-i-kul and the Din-i-Ilahi.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources conserves crop genetic diversity, the UNCCD combats land degradation that destroys habitats, and the World Heritage Convention protects natural sites of outstanding biodiversity (such as the Western Ghats). All three have a bearing on biodiversity.

The Tenth Schedule, added by the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985, contains the anti-defection provisions under which legislators who voluntarily give up party membership or defy the party whip can be disqualified.

'Satyameva Jayate' (truth alone triumphs) is taken from the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6), 'satyameva jayate nanritam'; it was adopted as the national motto with the State Emblem on 26 January 1950.

Maize is a major source of starch, its germ oil can be transesterified into biodiesel, and it is fermented into alcoholic beverages such as bourbon whisky and beer. All three statements are correct.

Statutory reserve requirements (CRR and SLR) are monetary-policy tools that let the central bank control the credit banks can create (statement 1). They are not meant to make deposits safe and liquid (that is the role of deposit insurance and prudential norms), to limit bank profits or to provide vault cash. Hence 1 only.

Messenger orbited and mapped Mercury (2011-15) and Voyager 1 and 2 explored the outer planets and are now in interstellar space, so pairs 2 and 3 are correct. Cassini-Huygens orbited Saturn and landed a probe on Titan, not Venus. Hence 2 and 3.

Kalaripayattu is the ancient martial art of Kerala, practised in a kalari (training ground) with unarmed combat, weapons and healing techniques, and is still a living tradition in Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority was made a statutory body by the 2006 amendment to the Wild Life (Protection) Act (statement 2), and the National Ganga River Basin Authority was chaired by the Prime Minister (statement 3). The Animal Welfare Board was set up under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, not the Environment (Protection) Act (statement 1 incorrect). Hence 2 and 3.

The Mahadeo hills are part of the Satpura range in central India and the Mikir hills lie in Assam in the north-east, so pairs 3 and 4 are correct. The Cardamom hills are in the Western Ghats of Kerala, not on the Coromandel coast, and the Kaimur hills are in the Vindhya range, not the Konkan. Hence 3 and 4.

Business correspondents (Bank Saathi) are agents who provide banking services in villages without branches; through them beneficiaries can withdraw their subsidies and social-security payments and make deposits and withdrawals from their accounts. Both statements are correct.

The common myna is often seen walking beside grazing cattle to catch the insects they disturb (as are cattle egrets and drongos). Painted storks wade in shallow water for fish and frogs, and the black-necked crane lives in high-altitude wetlands of Ladakh. Hence 2 only.

Harike wetland lies at the confluence of the Beas and the Sutlej in Punjab, so pair 1 is correct. Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur) is fed by the Gambhir and Banganga, not Banas and Chambal, and Kolleru lake lies between the Krishna and Godavari deltas, fed by the Budameru and Tammileru, not at the Musi-Krishna confluence. Hence 1 only.

The Gond and Korku tribes of the Satpura region of Madhya Pradesh observe the month-long 'Hari Jiroti' campaign during the monsoon, in which they plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees such as mango, jamun and custard apple.

Constitutional government means limited government: the constitution places effective restrictions on the authority of the State so as to protect individual liberty, not restrictions on liberty in the interest of the State. Hence 2 only.

The Cabinet Secretariat prepares the agenda for Cabinet meetings, records their decisions and provides secretarial assistance to the Cabinet and its committees (statements 1 and 2). Allocation of financial resources to ministries is done by the Ministry of Finance through the budget (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 and 2.

Planning in India (until 2014) was associated with the National Development Council, which approved the Five-Year Plans, and with Parliament, which debated and approved them. The Finance Commission deals with tax devolution, and the rural and urban development ministries only implement schemes. Hence 2 and 5.

In photosynthesis plants capture the free energy of sunlight and convert it into the chemical potential energy of glucose, which is stored; respiration later releases that energy. Options (c) and (d) describe respiration.

From south to north the cities are Jakarta (6 degrees S), Singapore (1 degree N), Bangkok (13 degrees N) and Hanoi (21 degrees N), i.e. 3-4-1-2.

Agni-IV is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile (statement 1). It is a two-stage solid-fuelled missile, not liquid-fuelled (statement 2 incorrect), with a range of about 4,000 km and a one-tonne payload, not 7,500 km (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 only.

In a marine food chain diatoms (phytoplankton) are the producers, small crustaceans such as copepods eat them, and herring feed on the crustaceans. The sequence is diatoms-crustaceans-herrings.

Coral reefs in India occur around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the Gulf of Kachchh, in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, and around Lakshadweep. The Sundarbans is a mangrove delta with turbid, low-salinity water where corals cannot grow. Hence 1, 2 and 3.

Sales tax (later VAT, now subsumed in GST) on goods such as toothpaste was a tax imposed and collected by the state government under entry 54 of the State List.

A lichen is a symbiotic association of a fungus, which provides structure and absorbs water and minerals, and an alga or cyanobacterium, which photosynthesises to make food. Lichens are pioneer species that colonise bare rock and begin soil formation.

Oaks and rhododendrons are characteristic trees of the temperate forests of the Himalaya between about 1,500 and 3,500 metres. Sandalwood grows in the dry deciduous forests of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the south. Hence 1 and 2.

Vegetative propagation produces genetically identical clones of the parent plant (statement 1) and can be practised through most of the year (statement 3). Because it reproduces the parent tissue, it transmits viral infections rather than eliminating them; virus-free plants need meristem culture (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 1 and 3.

The Bombay Natural History Society, founded in 1883, is a non-governmental organisation (statement 1 incorrect) that conserves nature through research, education and public awareness (statement 2) and organises nature trails and camps for the public (statement 3). Hence 2 and 3.

The Changpas are nomadic pastoralists of the Changthang plateau of Ladakh (not Uttarakhand) who rear the Changthangi goats whose fine underwool is pashmina (statement 2), and they are recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (statement 3). Hence 2 and 3.

Dampa Tiger Reserve is in Mizoram and Saramati, the highest peak of Nagaland, is on the Myanmar border, so pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is in Tripura, not Sikkim. Hence 1 and 3.

Earth Hour, in which people switch off non-essential lights for an hour on a Saturday in late March (statement 2) to raise awareness about climate change and conservation (statement 3), is an initiative of WWF started in Sydney in 2007, not of UNEP and UNESCO (statement 1 incorrect). Hence 2 and 3.

The Integrated Watershed Management Programme treats degraded land to check soil run-off, harvest rainwater and recharge groundwater, and regenerate natural vegetation. It has nothing to do with linking rivers. Hence 1, 3 and 4.

The monsoon climate is defined by the seasonal reversal of winds: in India the south-west monsoon blows from sea to land in summer and the north-east monsoon from land to sea in winter. Equatorial and Mediterranean climates have no such reversal.

The Constitution does not mention a no-confidence motion; it is provided in Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha's Rules of Procedure (statement 1). Since the Council of Ministers is responsible only to the Lok Sabha (Article 75), the motion can be moved only there (statement 2). Both are correct.

Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh is famous for its fine Chanderi sarees and Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu for its silk sarees. Bhadrachalam is a temple town and Karnal is known for agriculture, not textiles. Hence 2 and 3.

Garba is the folk dance of Gujarat and Yakshagana the dance-drama of coastal Karnataka, so pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Mohiniyattam is the classical dance of Kerala, not Odisha (whose dance is Odissi). Hence 1 and 3.

The Boundary Commission headed by Sir Cyril Radcliffe was appointed in July 1947 to demarcate the boundaries between India and Pakistan in Punjab and Bengal; the Radcliffe Line was announced on 17 August 1947.

The Bijak is the collection of Kabir's teachings, not Dadu Dayal's, so statement 1 is incorrect. Pushtimarg, the path of grace, was propounded by Vallabhacharya, not Madhvacharya (the founder of Dvaita), so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence neither.

Coal bed methane is methane extracted from coal seams, but shale gas is natural gas, chiefly methane, trapped in shale, not a mixture of propane and butane, so statement 1 is incorrect. India has identified shale gas resources in the Cambay, KG, Cauvery and other basins, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence neither.

At its Lahore session in December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted Purna Swaraj (complete independence) as its goal, authorised civil disobedience and fixed 26 January 1930 as Independence Day.

The first BRIC summit was held at Yekaterinburg in Russia in 2009, not Rio, so statement 1 is incorrect. South Africa joined in 2010, making the group BRICS, so statement 2 is correct.

Biosphere reserves, under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme, conserve biodiversity together with the traditional life of local communities through their core, buffer and transition zones; national parks and sanctuaries exclude most human use.

In medieval inscriptions of western and central India, 'mahattara' (mahtar) and 'pattakila' (patel) were the designations of village headmen who collected revenue and maintained order.

The Drought-Prone Area Programme, the Desert Development Programme and the National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas are implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development (the first two, now merged in the watershed programme) and the Ministry of Agriculture (NWDPRA), not as stated. Hence none.

Besides fingerprints, biometric identification uses iris scanning (patterns of the coloured ring of the eye), retinal scanning (blood-vessel patterns at the back of the eye) and voice recognition, as well as facial recognition. Hence 1, 2 and 3.

Mites, scorpions and spiders belong to the class Arachnida (eight-legged arthropods), whereas the crab is a crustacean of the class Malacostraca. Hence (a).

Venture capital is long-term risk capital provided by investors to new or young enterprises with high growth potential, usually in exchange for equity, to fund their start-up and expansion.

The Buddha was born in the Shakya territory under Kosala, attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in Magadha and preached mainly in Magadha and Kosala, whose kings Bimbisara, Ajatashatru and Prasenajit were his patrons. Avanti and Gandhara were not directly associated with his life. Hence 3 and 4.

Before the plan/non-plan distinction was abolished in 2017, non-plan expenditure covered all spending outside the Five-Year Plan schemes: defence, interest payments, salaries and pensions, subsidies, grants to states and so on. Hence 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Under Article 77(3) the President makes rules for the convenient transaction of government business and its allocation among ministers (the Allocation of Business Rules), so statement 1 is correct. Under Article 77(1) all executive action is expressed to be taken in the name of the President, not the Prime Minister, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence 1 only.

The current account of the balance of payments comprises the balance of trade in goods and the balance of invisibles (services, income and transfers). Foreign assets and Special Drawing Rights belong to the capital/financial account and reserves. Hence 1 and 3.

The Manganiyars are a community of hereditary Muslim folk musicians of the Thar desert in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan, famous for their singing accompanied by the kamaicha and dholak.

Souring of milk is a chemical change, as bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, forming a new substance. Crystallisation of salt and melting of ice are physical changes in which the substance remains the same. Hence 3 only.

Continental drift separated and joined land masses, isolating populations and shaping the distribution and evolution of species (as with Australia's marsupials), and the glacial cycles of the ice ages repeatedly altered climates and habitats, driving adaptation and extinction. Both influenced evolution.

The Montreux Record, maintained under the Ramsar Convention, lists wetlands of international importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur because of human interference; Keoladeo and Loktak are Indian wetlands on it.

Transgenic crops are created by transferring genes: cytoplasmic male sterility engineered through gene transfer (as in GM mustard) and gene silencing by RNA interference (as in virus-resistant papaya) are such techniques. Budding and grafting are conventional horticultural methods. Hence 2 and 3.

Dams and barrages fragment the dolphin's habitat and reduce flows (statement 1), dolphins drown when accidentally caught in fishing nets (statement 3), and agricultural chemicals pollute the rivers (statement 4). Crocodiles are not a cause of the decline (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 1, 3 and 4.

Brominated flame retardants are persistent organic pollutants that resist degradation in the environment and bioaccumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and humans, where they are linked to hormonal and neurological effects. Both statements are correct.

Carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions, by the respiration of plants and animals, and by the decay of organic matter by decomposers. Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Hence 1, 2 and 4.

Neem oil, containing azadirachtin, is a natural pesticide against many insects and mites (statement 1) and is used in pharmaceuticals, soaps and cosmetics (statement 3). Neem seeds are not used to make biofuels or hospital detergents (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 1 and 3.

Panchayatana is a style of temple construction in which the main shrine stands on a raised platform with four subsidiary shrines at the corners, as in the Dashavatara temple at Deogarh and the Lakshmana temple at Khajuraho.

India has had a National Seeds Policy since 2002 (statement 1 incorrect) and private companies dominate the supply of vegetable and horticultural seeds (statement 2 incorrect). For low-value, high-volume crops such as wheat and paddy, where private seed companies see little margin, there is a demand-supply gap in quality seed (statement 3 correct). Hence 3 only.

The Ghadar Party was a revolutionary association of Indian immigrants founded in 1913 in the USA, with its headquarters (the Yugantar Ashram) at San Francisco and leaders such as Sohan Singh Bhakna and Lala Har Dayal; it planned an armed uprising in India in 1915.

The Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-17) had as its central objective 'faster, sustainable and more inclusive growth', with a growth target of 8 per cent.

Guar gum, extracted from cluster-bean seeds, is used as a thickening agent in the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluid for shale-gas extraction; the US shale boom sent guar prices and Rajasthan's guar cultivation soaring around 2012.

Under Article 131 the Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction over disputes between the Government of India and one or more states, or between states, concerning legal rights.

The Ten Degree Channel, lying along the 10 degrees N parallel, separates the Andaman Islands (Little Andaman) to the north from the Nicobar Islands (Car Nicobar) to the south.

The Lohit and the Subansiri rise in Tibet/Arunachal and flow through Arunachal Pradesh to join the Brahmaputra. The Barak rises in Manipur and flows through Manipur, Mizoram and Assam into Bangladesh. Hence 2 and 3.

The Marginal Standing Facility rate is the rate at which banks can borrow overnight from the RBI against securities in emergencies, and Net Demand and Time Liabilities is the base on which CRR and SLR are calculated; both are banking terms.

Tabo monastery is in the Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh and the Alchi temple complex is in Ladakh, so pairs 1 and 3 are correct. The Lhotsava Lhakhang temple at Nako is in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, not the Zanskar valley. Hence 1 and 3.

The partition of Bengal was annulled in 1911 when King George V announced at the Delhi Durbar the reunification of Bengal and the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi, after the Swadeshi agitation made the partition untenable.

The Estimates Committee, with 30 members all from the Lok Sabha, is the largest committee of Parliament; the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings have 22 members each.

Kinnaur is known for apples, not areca nut; Mewat is not a mango region; and the Coromandel coast grows rice, not soya bean (which is grown in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra). Hence none.

Eco-sensitive zones around protected areas are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wild Life (Protection) Act, so statement 1 is incorrect. They regulate rather than prohibit activities, acting as a buffer with prohibited, regulated and permitted categories, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence neither.

A Governor's discretionary powers include recommending President's Rule under Article 356 and reserving bills for the President's consideration under Article 200 (statements 1 and 3). Ministers are appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister, and rules of business are made on ministerial advice, so statements 2 and 4 are not discretionary. Hence 1 and 3.

Deforestation exposes soil to rain and wind and is the main cause of soil erosion in India. Terrace cultivation is a soil-conservation measure that checks erosion on slopes, and the tropical climate by itself is not the cause. Hence 2 only.

The great Mahaparinirvana image of the Buddha is in Cave 26 at Ajanta, and 'Arjuna's Penance' or the 'Descent of the Ganga' is carved on boulders at Mamallapuram, so pairs 1 and 3 are correct. The huge rock-cut Varaha avatar rescuing the Earth is at Udayagiri near Vidisha, not Mount Abu. Hence 1 and 3.

Hibernation, a state of reduced body temperature and metabolism through winter, is seen in bats, in bears (a lighter form called torpor) and in many rodents such as ground squirrels, dormice and marmots. Hence 1, 2 and 3.

Kannada and Telugu were declared classical languages in 2008, joining Tamil (2004) and Sanskrit (2005). Gujarati has not been given classical status. Hence 2 and 3.