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UPSC 2023 Prelims Question Paper

1. Consider the following statements:

Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake.
Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake.
Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

2. Consider the following pairs:

Port	Well known as
1. Kamaraj Port	First major port in India registered as a company
2. Mundra Port	Largest privately owned port in India
3. Visakhapatnam	Largest container port in India

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair
(b) Only two pairs
(c) All three pairs
(d) None of the pairs

3. Consider the following trees:

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Mahua (Madhuca indica)
Teak (Tectona grandis)

How many of the above are deciduous trees?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

4. Consider the following statements:

India has more arable area than China.
The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.
The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

5. Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?

(a) Bhitarkanika Mangroves
(b) Marakkanam Salt Pans
(c) Naupada Swamp
(d) Rann of Kutch

6. Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?

(a) Aluminium
(b) Copper
(c) Iron
(d) Titanium

7. About three-fourths of the world’s cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by

(a) Argentina
(b) Botswana
(c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(d) Kazakhstan

8. Which one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin?

(a) Cameroon
(b) Nigeria
(c) South Sudan
(d) Uganda

9. Consider the following statements:

Amarkantak Hills are at the confluence of Vindhya and Sahyadri Ranges.
Biligirirangan Hills constitute the easternmost part of Satpura Range.
Seshachalam Hills constitute the southernmost part of Western Ghats.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

10. With reference to India’s projects on connectivity, consider the following statements:

East-West Corridor under the Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat.
Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Chiang Mai in Thailand via Myanmar.
Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kunming in China.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

11. Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
India, despite having uranium deposits, depends on coal for most of its electricity production.

Statement II:
Uranium, enriched to the extent of at least 60%, is required for the production of electricity.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, and Statement II is the correct explanation for Statement I
(b) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct, and Statement II is not the correct explanation for Statement I
(c) Statement I is correct, but Statement II is incorrect
(d) Statement I is incorrect, but Statement II is correct

12. Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
Marsupials are not naturally found in India.

Statement II:
Marsupials can thrive only in montane grasslands with no predators.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

13. ‘Invasive Species Specialist Group’ (that develops the Global Invasive Species Database) belongs to which one of the following organizations?

(a) The International Union for Conservation of Nature
(b) The United Nations Environment Programme
(c) The United Nations World Commission for Environment and Development
(d) The World Wide Fund for Nature

14. Consider the following animals:

Lion-tailed Macaque
Malabar Civet
Sambar Deer

How many of the above are generally nocturnal or most active after sunset?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

15. Which of the following organisms perform the waggle dance for others of their kin to indicate the direction and the distance to a source of their food?

(a) Butterflies
(b) Dragonflies
(c) Honeybees
(d) Wasps

16. Consider the following statements:

Some mushrooms have medicinal properties.
Some mushrooms have psycho-active properties.
Some mushrooms have insecticidal properties.
Some mushrooms have bioluminescent properties.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

17. Consider the following statements regarding the Indian squirrels:

They build nests by making burrows in the ground.
They store their food materials like nuts and seeds in the ground.
They are omnivorous.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

18. Consider the following statements:

Some microorganisms can grow in environments with temperature above the boiling point of water.
Some microorganisms can grow in environments with temperature below the freezing point of water.
Some microorganisms can grow in highly acidic environments with a pH below 3.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

19. Which one of the following makes a tool with a stick to scrape insects from a hole in a tree or a log of wood?

(a) Fishing cat
(b) Orangutan
(c) Otter
(d) Sloth bear

20. Consider the following:

Aerosols
Foam agents
Fire retardants
Lubricants

In the making of how many of the above are hydrofluorocarbons used?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

21. Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
Interest income from the deposits in Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) distributed to their investors is exempted from tax, but the dividend is taxable.

Statement II:
InvITs are recognized as borrowers under the ‘Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002’.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II is the correct explanation for Statement I
(b) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II is not the correct explanation for Statement I
(c) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
(d) Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct

22. Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
In the post-pandemic recent past, many Central Banks worldwide had carried out interest rate hikes.

Statement II:
Central Banks generally assume that they have the ability to counteract the rising consumer prices via monetary policy means.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

23. Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
Carbon markets are likely to be one of the most widespread tools in the fight against climate change.

Statement II:
Carbon markets transfer resources from the private sector to the State.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

24. Which one of the following activities of the Reserve Bank of India is considered to be part of ‘sterilization’?

(a) Conducting ‘Open Market Operations’
(b) Oversight of settlement and payment systems
(c) Debt and cash management for the Central and State Governments
(d) Regulating the functions of Non-banking Financial Institutions

25. Consider the following markets:

Government Bond Market
Call Money Market
Treasury Bill Market
Stock Market

How many of the above are included in capital markets?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four

UPSC Official Answer Key:

1. A

2. B

3. B

4. A

5. D

6. D

7. C

8. A

9. D

10. D

11. C

12. C

13. A

14. A

15. C

16. D

17. B

18. C

19. B

20. C

21. D

22. A

23. B

24. A

25. B

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