UPSC Prelims 2021 Question Paper (GS Paper I) with Answers

Sodium-vapour lamps radiate in all directions, so much light is wasted, whereas LEDs are directional (statement 1 correct). Low-pressure sodium light is almost monochromatic yellow, while LEDs give white light with good colour rendering (statement 3 correct). LEDs last far longer, about 50,000 hours against 15,000-20,000 for sodium lamps, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence 1 and 3.

Between the fall of the imperial Guptas and Harsha's rise (c. 550-606 AD), north India was divided among the Later Guptas of Magadha, the Maukharis of Kanauj, the Pushyabhutis of Thanesar and the Maitrakas of Valabhi. The Paramaras of Malwa (9th-10th century) and the Yadavas of Devagiri (12th century) came much later. Hence 1, 3, 4 and 6.

Licences for exploration and mining of the international seabed are granted by the International Seabed Authority under UNCLOS, not the Global Ocean Commission, so statement 1 is incorrect. India holds ISA contracts for polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin and polymetallic sulphides in the Indian Ocean ridge (statement 2), and these deposits contain rare earths and other strategic metals (statement 3). Hence 2 and 3.

Rabindranath Tagore translated 'Jana Gana Mana' into English as 'The Morning Song of India' in 1919 while staying at the Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle, where the tune was also set. Pingali Venkayya was from Machilipatnam and the Theosophical Society's headquarters were at Adyar.

Mitakshara and Dayabhaga are the two schools of Hindu law on inheritance, both applying to the upper castes and not divided by caste (statement 1 incorrect). Under Mitakshara sons acquire a right by birth in ancestral property during the father's lifetime, while under Dayabhaga (Bengal) rights arise only on the father's death (statement 2 correct). Both schools dealt with property of males, and Dayabhaga did not give women a broader share (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 2 only.

Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus with Ignatius Loyola in 1534 (statement 1), and his feast is celebrated in Goa every 3 December (statement 3). He died in 1552 on Shangchuan island off China, not in Goa; his body was later brought to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 1 and 3.

Oysters are filter feeders: they draw water across their gills and strain out plankton and organic particles. Catfish are bottom feeders, octopuses are active predators and pelicans scoop fish into their pouches.

A federal system distributes power between the Centre and the states, and disputes over that distribution must be settled by an impartial umpire; an independent judiciary is therefore an essential federal feature. The other options describe parliamentary or rights features, not federalism.

The Common Carbon Metric, developed by the UNEP Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative, is a protocol for measuring and reporting the energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions of building operations in a consistent way worldwide, so that buildings can be compared and included in carbon markets.

The 44th Amendment Act, 1978 deleted the right to property from the Fundamental Rights (Articles 19(1)(f) and 31) and made it a legal (constitutional) right under Article 300A, which says no person shall be deprived of property except by authority of law. It is available to any person, not citizens only.

WaterCredit, an initiative of the non-profit Water.org, uses microfinance so that poor households can take small loans for water connections and toilets (statement 1) and meet their needs without depending on subsidies (statement 3). It is not a WHO-World Bank initiative (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 1 and 3.

Hedgehogs roll into a ball so that their spines face outward, and pangolins curl up so that their keratin scales shield the soft underside. Marmots are ground squirrels that escape predators by retreating into burrows, not by rolling up. Hence 1 and 3.

The N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar report (1949) proposed reorganising the machinery of government but did not recommend a dedicated minister and secretary for administrative reform, so statement 1 is incorrect. On the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission (1966), the Department of Personnel was created in 1970 and placed under the Prime Minister, so statement 2 is correct.

International Mother Language Day on 21 February was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 (and later endorsed by the UN General Assembly), not by UNICEF, so statement 1 is incorrect. The demand that Bangla be made a state language was raised by Dhirendranath Datta in Pakistan's Constituent Assembly in 1948, the beginning of the Bengali language movement, so statement 2 is correct.

The Governor is appointed by the Central Government under the RBI Act, 1934 (statement 1), and the Governor's powers flow from that Act (statement 3). The government's power to issue directions to the RBI in the public interest comes from section 7 of the RBI Act, not from the Constitution, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence 1 and 3.

The finalists of the 2019-21 World Test Championship were decided by the percentage of available points won, not by the number of matches won, since COVID-19 disrupted the schedule; New Zealand finished above England on this percentage. Both statements are therefore incorrect.

The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms left the question of women's franchise to the provincial legislatures and did not give all women above 21 the vote, so statement 1 is incorrect. The Government of India Act, 1935 reserved seats for women in the provincial and federal legislatures, so statement 2 is correct.

Retail investors can buy treasury bills and government bonds in primary auctions through demat accounts and the RBI Retail Direct scheme (statement 1), and NDS-OM is the RBI's electronic trading platform for government securities (statement 2). CDSL was promoted by the Bombay Stock Exchange with banks, not by the RBI (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 and 2.

Mitochondrial replacement therapy transfers the nuclear DNA of the mother's egg into a donor egg with healthy mitochondria, either before fertilisation (spindle transfer) or after it (pronuclear transfer), preventing transmission of mitochondrial disease (statement 1). Mitochondria, and hence mitochondrial diseases, are inherited only from the mother (statement 2). Both are correct.

Bisphenol A is the monomer from which polycarbonate plastics (used in water bottles, food containers and CDs) and epoxy resins lining tin cans are made. BPA can leach into food and mimic oestrogen, which is why BPA-free bottles are promoted. LDPE, PET and PVC do not use BPA as a structural component.

Blue carbon is the carbon captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, especially mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows, which lock carbon in their biomass and sediments for centuries. Forest and soil carbon is 'green carbon', and fossil fuel carbon is sometimes called 'brown' or 'black' carbon.

The 'Right to the City' is a concept promoted by Henri Lefebvre and urban movements and endorsed in the New Urban Agenda, not an agreed, monitored human right (statement 1 incorrect). It asserts every inhabitant's right to reclaim public spaces and participate in city decisions (statement 2) and to receive basic services irrespective of the legality of their settlement (statement 3). Hence 2 and 3.

In Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) the Supreme Court held that the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III.

Savanna grassland with scattered trees is maintained by a strongly seasonal rainfall regime with a long dry season, by frequent fires that kill tree seedlings, and by large herds of grazing and browsing herbivores. Burrowing animals and soil properties play only a minor role. Hence 2, 3 and 4.

Corals (cnidarians) live symbiotically with zooxanthellae algae; fungi form lichens with algae and mycorrhizae with plant roots; and protozoa such as the flagellates in termite guts digest cellulose for their hosts. All three groups have symbiotic species.

In Mughal administration the empire was divided into subas (provinces), each suba into sarkars (districts) and each sarkar into parganas (groups of villages). In ascending order of size the sequence is pargana, sarkar, suba.

In 1221 Chingiz Khan reached the Indus pursuing the Khwarezm prince Jalaluddin Mangabarni, when Iltutmish ruled Delhi, so statement 1 is correct. Timur invaded in 1398 during the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughlaq, not Muhammad bin Tughlaq (statement 2 incorrect), and Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498, half a century after Deva Raya II's death in 1446 (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 only.

Tiger Woods won the first Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award in 2000 (statement 1), and Roger Federer has won the award the most times (statement 3). The awards have gone to athletes from many sports, not mostly Formula One drivers (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 1 and 3.

The New York Declaration on Forests was first endorsed at the UN Climate Summit of September 2014 (statement 1); it sets a timeline to halve natural forest loss by 2020 and end it by 2030 (statement 2); and it is endorsed by governments, companies, indigenous groups and NGOs (statement 4). It is voluntary and non-binding (statement 3 incorrect), and India is not a signatory (statement 5 incorrect). Hence 1, 2 and 4.

Detritivores feed on dead and decaying organic matter. Earthworms, millipedes and woodlice break down leaf litter and soil detritus. Jellyfish are predators of plankton and small fish, and seahorses feed on small crustaceans. Hence 1, 3 and 5.

In political science a state is defined by four elements: population, a definite territory, government and sovereignty (independence from external control). Option (a) contains all four; the others omit sovereignty or add features such as culture or an independent judiciary that are not essential to statehood.

Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sahgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were officers of Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army who were tried for treason at the Red Fort in 1945-46; the trial, defended by Bhulabhai Desai and Nehru, stirred nationwide protests.

Under the Employees' Provident Fund Act only establishments with 20 or more workers are covered, and casual workers are not universally entitled to EPF or to regular hours and overtime, so statements 1 and 2 are incorrect. Under the Payment of Wages Act (as amended in 2017) the government may notify that an establishment or industry must pay wages only through bank accounts, so statement 3 is correct. Hence 3 only.

Most tamarind in India is collected from wild and homestead trees as minor forest produce (statement 3); India exports tamarind and moringa seeds (statement 4); and the seeds of both yield oil usable for biofuel (statement 5). Moringa is a fast-growing deciduous tree of the family Moringaceae, not a legume (statement 1 incorrect), and tamarind is native to tropical Africa, not South Asia (statement 2 incorrect). Hence 3, 4 and 5.

The Mysore kingdom of the Wodeyars emerged as a successor of the Vijayanagara empire after 1565, so statement 2 is correct. The Nizamat of Arcot (Carnatic) was a dependency of the Mughal Deccan subah and the Nizam of Hyderabad, not a state that emerged out of Hyderabad (statement 1 incorrect), and Rohilkhand was carved out by Afghan Rohilla adventurers such as Ali Muhammad Khan, not from Durrani's territories (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 2 only.

The official motto of the 32nd Summer Olympics (Tokyo 2020, held in 2021) was 'United by Emotion', not 'A New World', so statement 1 is incorrect. Sport climbing, surfing, skateboarding, karate and baseball/softball were included in the Tokyo programme, so statement 2 is correct.

In a recession demand falls, so governments adopt expansionary fiscal policy: increasing public spending on projects to create jobs and demand, usually with tax cuts and lower interest rates. Raising taxes or interest rates or cutting public spending would deepen the downturn.

ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) is the receptor on the surface of human cells to which the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds to enter the cell. The term became familiar during the COVID-19 pandemic in discussions of how the virus spreads and infects organs.

Lichens (a fungus-alga partnership) and mosses can grow on bare rock, walls and tree bark without soil, drawing moisture from rain and air; they are pioneer species in ecological succession. Ferns need soil for their roots and mushrooms grow on decaying organic matter. Hence 2 and 3.

Parole is a concession, not a right; it is granted at the discretion of the authorities on the facts of each case, so statement 1 is incorrect. 'Prisons' is a State subject, and each state frames its own Prisoners (Release on Parole) Rules, so statement 2 is correct.

Sugarcane is the least water-efficient crop listed, needing about 1,500-2,500 mm of water over its year-long growing season, far more than pearl millet, red gram (pigeon pea) or sunflower, which are drought-tolerant crops of semi-arid regions.

Bhavabhuti (author of Uttararamacharita and Malatimadhava in the 8th century), Hastimalla (a Jain dramatist of the 13th century) and Kshemeshvara (author of Chandakaushika in the 10th century) were all Sanskrit playwrights.

Dholavira in the Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat, is famous for its elaborate Harappan water-management system: a series of dams across the Manhar and Mansar streams channelled rainwater into a chain of large interconnected reservoirs cut into rock around the city. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2021.

Black money is income on which tax has been evaded; its most direct and worrying effect for the government is the loss of revenue to the exchequer, which shrinks the resources available for public spending. The other effects are consequences of how the hidden money is spent.

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent added to toiletries such as toothpaste, soaps, deodorants and hand sanitisers. Long exposure is linked to hormonal effects and antibiotic resistance, and the US FDA banned it from consumer soaps in 2016.

Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are saline (salt) lakes of the arid Nagaur-Sikar region of Rajasthan, like the better-known Sambhar Lake; salt is produced from their brine.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal ministry for implementing the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which recognises the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers over forest land and resources; state tribal welfare departments implement it on the ground.

In the first quarter of the 17th century the English East India Company's factories were on the west coast and in the Mughal territories: Surat (1613), followed by Broach, Ahmedabad and Agra. Chicacole (Srikakulam) and Trichinopoly saw no English factories in that period. Hence 1 only.

All three statements are incorrect. The Supreme Court held in Balaji Raghavan (1996) that Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not 'titles' under Article 18(1). The Padma awards have been suspended twice, in 1978-79 and 1993-95. The number of Bharat Ratna awards is limited to a maximum of three in a year, not five.

The Nagavali and the Vamsadhara rise in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha (Kalahandi and Thuamul Rampur areas) and flow into the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. The Brahmani is formed by the Sankh and South Koel from the Chota Nagpur plateau, and the Subarnarekha rises near Ranchi, both outside the Eastern Ghats. Hence 2 and 4.

In the tropics the easterly trade winds push warm surface water westward, so the western parts of the oceans (such as the Caribbean and the western Pacific warm pool) are warmer than the eastern parts, where cold upwelling occurs (statement 1). In the temperate zone the westerlies drive warm currents such as the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio towards the eastern margins, making the eastern sections warmer (statement 2). Both are correct.

The Jhelum and the Ravi join the Chenab, and the Beas joins the Sutlej; the Chenab then merges with the Sutlej, and the combined stream (the Panjnad) joins the Indus. Among the four rivers named, the Sutlej is the one that receives the others and joins the Indus directly.

As lender of last resort the central bank provides emergency liquidity to solvent banks facing a temporary shortage of funds, so that a liquidity problem does not become a banking collapse. It does not lend to trade bodies, and financing government deficits is a separate (and in India restricted) function. Hence 2 only.

Article 14 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws. The Supreme Court has held that a law giving the executive unguided and uncontrolled discretion in applying it enables arbitrary and discriminatory treatment and therefore violates Article 14 (the doctrine against arbitrariness).

Recombinant vector vaccines are made by genetic engineering: the gene for a pathogen's antigen is inserted into a harmless carrier (vector) such as a modified adenovirus or an attenuated bacterium, which then produces the antigen in the body. Covishield and Sputnik V use viral vectors. Both statements are correct.

'Songs from Prison' (1934) is a collection of Gandhi's English translations of ancient Indian religious lyrics, made during his imprisonment in Yeravda jail in 1930 and adapted by John S. Hoyland.

Demand for a good rises when the price of its substitute rises, since buyers switch to it (statement 1), and a fall in its own price raises quantity demanded (statement 4). A rise in the price of a complement reduces demand (statement 2 incorrect), and demand for an inferior good falls when income rises (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 and 4.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar served as secretary of the Hindu Female School founded by J.E.D. Bethune in Calcutta in 1849, which became the Bethune School, the first school for girls in Bengal; he later promoted many girls' schools himself.

Water is a polar (dipolar) molecule: its oxygen end carries a partial negative charge and its hydrogen end a partial positive charge, so it can surround and separate the ions and polar molecules of other substances. This is why it is called the universal solvent.

Hyderabad was recognised as a '2020 Tree City of the World' by the Arbor Day Foundation and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, not the UN Capital Development Fund, so Statement 1 is incorrect. It was chosen for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests under programmes such as Haritha Haram, so Statement 2 is correct.

Constitutional government is government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution, so that rulers act under law and cannot exercise arbitrary power. It is not defined by federalism or by whether the head of state has real or nominal powers.

The Climate-Smart Village approach in India is part of the CCAFS research programme (statement 1), which is run under CGIAR, headquartered at Montpellier in France (statement 2), and ICRISAT at Hyderabad is one of CGIAR's 15 research centres (statement 3). All three statements are correct.

Rapid decomposition of leaf litter leaving a bare soil surface, and vegetation dominated by lianas climbing to the canopy and epiphytes rooted on upper branches, are the hallmarks of the tropical rain forest, where warmth and moisture speed decay and the dense canopy forces plants to compete for light.

The black cotton soil (regur) of the Deccan has formed from the weathering of the basaltic lava of the Deccan Trap, which poured out through fissures in the Cretaceous period. Its clay content gives it the moisture-retaining, self-ploughing character that suits cotton.

A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. It can serve as a unit of distance only because the speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant, the same everywhere and at all times.

Furnace oil is a heavy residual product of petroleum refining (statement 1), burned in industrial boilers and captive power plants to generate heat and electricity (statement 2); its high sulphur content releases sulphur dioxide when burned, which is why several states have banned it (statement 3). All three are correct.

In judicial custody the accused is held in jail under the authority of the magistrate, not in a police lock-up, so statement 1 is incorrect. The police cannot interrogate a person in judicial custody without the court's permission, so statement 2 is correct.

Demand-pull inflation arises when aggregate demand outruns supply: expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, fiscal stimulus and higher purchasing power all raise demand (statements 1, 2 and 4). Inflation-indexed wages feed cost-push inflation, and rising interest rates reduce demand. Hence 1, 2 and 4.

Permaculture designs farms as diverse, self-sustaining ecosystems: it rejects monoculture (statement 1), avoids the chemical inputs that cause soil salinisation (statement 2) and relies heavily on mulching to conserve moisture and build soil (statement 4). Permaculture is in fact well suited to semi-arid regions, so statement 3 is incorrect. Hence 1, 2 and 4.

The oil palm is native to West Africa, although Indonesia and Malaysia are now the main producers, so statement 1 is incorrect. Palm oil and its derivatives go into cosmetics such as lipsticks and perfumes (statement 2) and can be converted into biodiesel (statement 3). Hence 2 and 3.

The R2 (Responsible Recycling) standard and its code of practices, administered by Sustainable Electronics Recycling International, certify electronics recyclers that handle e-waste in an environmentally responsible, safe and data-secure manner.

Adenoviruses have double-stranded DNA genomes and retroviruses have RNA genomes that are reverse-transcribed into DNA, so statement 1 is incorrect. Some common colds are caused by adenoviruses, while AIDS is caused by HIV, a retrovirus, so statement 2 is correct.

Of the Earth's fresh water about 68 per cent is locked in polar ice caps and glaciers and about 30 per cent is groundwater, while rivers and lakes hold well under 1 per cent. So ice holds more water than groundwater (statement 2 correct), but rivers and lakes hold far less than groundwater (statement 1 incorrect).

Magnetite nanoparticles, found in human brains and linked to Alzheimer's disease, come from combustion and friction: vehicle brake wear, vehicle engines and the burning of fuel in power plants all emit them. Microwave ovens and telephone lines do not. Hence 1, 2 and 4.

Bollgard I and Bollgard II are Monsanto's genetically modified Bt cotton technologies: Bollgard I carries the Cry1Ac gene and Bollgard II adds Cry2Ab, both from Bacillus thuringiensis, giving the plant resistance to bollworms. Bt cotton is the only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation in India.

Unlike the sovereign British Parliament, the Indian Parliament's law-making power is limited by a written constitution, fundamental rights and judicial review (statement 1). Under Article 145(3), questions of constitutional interpretation, including the validity of amendments, are decided by a Constitution Bench of at least five Supreme Court judges (statement 2). Both are correct.

When the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 the Preamble declared India a 'Sovereign Democratic Republic'. The words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' were added only by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.

The Chausath Yogini temple at Mitaoli near Morena is a circular temple built by the Kachchhapaghata king Devapala in the 11th century (statement 1), and its circular colonnaded plan is popularly believed to have inspired the old Parliament House (statement 4). It is one of several circular yogini temples (others at Khajuraho, Bheraghat and Hirapur), and it was dedicated to the tantric Shakta cult of the 64 yoginis, not Vaishnavism. Hence 1 and 4.

The phosphorus cycle has no significant atmospheric (gaseous) phase; phosphorus enters the cycle mainly through the weathering of phosphate-bearing rocks, after which it moves through soil, plants, animals and sediments. The carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles all have major atmospheric reservoirs.

Devaluation lowers the foreign-currency price of exports, making them more competitive abroad (statement 1). It reduces, not increases, the foreign value of the domestic currency (statement 2 incorrect), and it improves the trade balance only if export and import demand are sufficiently elastic (the Marshall-Lerner condition), so it does not necessarily do so (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 only.

Chandraketugarh in West Bengal is famous for its fine terracotta art of the Sunga-Kushana period, and Ganeshwar in Rajasthan is a Chalcolithic site rich in copper artefacts, so pairs 2 and 3 are correct. Burzahom in Kashmir is a Neolithic site known for pit dwellings and dog burials, not rock-cut shrines. Hence 2 and 3.

Copper ores are sulphides, so smelting releases large amounts of sulphur dioxide (statement 3), and copper slag can leach heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium into soil and water (statement 2), the concerns raised over the Sterlite plant at Thoothukudi. Carbon monoxide in lethal quantities is not the main concern (statement 1 incorrect). Hence 2 and 3.

Lemongrass contains citronella and other essential oils whose scent repels mosquitoes; citronella oil distilled from it is the base of natural mosquito repellents. Congress grass (Parthenium) is an invasive weed, elephant grass is fodder and nut grass is a weed.

India has single citizenship and a single domicile, unlike federations such as the USA (statement 1 correct). Any citizen, whether by birth, descent, registration or naturalisation, can become President (statement 2 incorrect). A naturalised citizen can be deprived of citizenship under section 10 of the Citizenship Act for fraud, disloyalty or similar grounds (statement 3 incorrect). Hence 1 only.

Liberty in a liberal democracy is best protected by separating the legislative, executive and judicial powers so that each checks the others and no organ can act arbitrarily. Centralisation threatens liberty, elections alone do not prevent a majority from being oppressive, and a 'committed' judiciary is one that has lost its independence.

In a pressure cooker water boils at a higher temperature because steam is trapped at a pressure set by the weight on the vent: the heavier the weight and the smaller the vent hole, the higher the pressure and cooking temperature. The flame only determines how fast that pressure is reached, not the final temperature. Hence 1 and 3.

Urban cooperative banks are regulated jointly by the RBI (banking functions) and the state Registrars of Cooperative Societies, not by local boards (statement 1 incorrect). After the 2020 amendment to the Banking Regulation Act they can raise capital by issuing equity and preference shares (statement 2), and they were brought under the Act by the 1966 amendment (statement 3). Hence 2 and 3.

The money multiplier is the ratio of broad money to the monetary base. It rises when the public keeps more money in bank deposits rather than cash (greater banking habit), because banks can lend more of it. Higher CRR or SLR forces banks to hold more reserves and lowers the multiplier, and population size has no direct effect.

Under India's FDI policy, investment through capital instruments such as equity, fully and compulsorily convertible preference shares and debentures (including foreign currency convertible bonds and global depository receipts) counts as FDI, and FPI holdings above 10 per cent in a company are reclassified as FDI. Non-resident external deposits are bank deposits, not investments. Hence 1, 2 and 3.

Primary producers make their own food by photosynthesis. In the oceans these are phytoplankton, of which cyanobacteria and diatoms are the most important groups. Copepods are tiny crustaceans that graze on phytoplankton, and foraminifera are single-celled consumers with calcareous shells. Hence 2 and 3.

The Portuguese chronicler Fernao Nuniz recorded that the Vijayanagara royal household employed women in many roles: as wrestlers, astrologers, soothsayers, accountants and writers, besides musicians and bodyguards. All four areas are mentioned.

On 8 August 1942 the All India Congress Committee meeting at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, adopted the Quit India Resolution, and Gandhi gave the call 'Do or Die'; the leaders were arrested the next morning. The Congress ministries had resigned in 1939 and the Cripps proposals came in March-April 1942.

Under Article 128 the Chief Justice of India may, with the previous consent of the President, request a retired judge of the Supreme Court to sit and act as a judge of the Court, so statement 1 is correct. The Supreme Court's power to review its judgments comes from Article 137; High Courts have only the limited review power under the procedural codes, not an equivalent constitutional power, so statement 2 is incorrect.

The Ajanta caves are cut into a horseshoe-shaped cliff in the gorge of the Waghora river in Maharashtra. Sanchi stands on a hill near the Betwa, the Pandu-lena caves are on a hill near Nashik and the Amaravati stupa is on the bank of the Krishna, so the other options are wrong.

Financing a deficit by creating new money (monetising the deficit) adds directly to money supply without any offsetting withdrawal of purchasing power, so it is the most inflationary option. Borrowing from the public transfers existing money, borrowing from banks is less inflationary than money creation, and repaying debt withdraws no new money.

Government bond yields respond to the RBI's policy rate and bond purchases, to inflation and short-term interest rates, which set investors' required returns, and to the US Federal Reserve, whose rate changes shift global capital flows and the yields demanded on emerging-market bonds. All three influence Indian yields.

Bacteria and fungi can be grown on artificial media such as nutrient agar or broth, because they are living cells that can metabolise nutrients. Viruses have no metabolism of their own and multiply only inside living host cells, so they must be cultured in cell cultures, embryonated eggs or animals, not synthetic media. Hence 1 and 2.

Halbi (Chhattisgarh and Bastar), Ho (Jharkhand and Odisha, Munda family) and Kui (Odisha, Dravidian family) are languages spoken by tribal communities of central and eastern India.

Article 39(c), a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the State to ensure that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment. Concentration of wealth therefore offends the Directive Principles.