UPSC Prelims 1995

104. The technique used to transmit audio signals in television broadcasts is

1. (a)Amplitude Modulation
2. (b)Frequency Modulation
3. (c)Pulse Code Modulation
4. (d)Time Division Multiplexing

105. A parachutist jumps from a height of 5000 metres. The relationship between his falling speed ‘v’ and the distance fallen through ‘d’ is best represented as (four graphs labelled a, b, c, d).

1. (a)Graph (a)
2. (b)Graph (b)
3. (c)Graph (c)
4. (d)Graph (d)

106. Which one of the following can be used to confirm whether drinking water contains a gamma-emitting isotope or not?

1. (a)Microscope
2. (b)Lead plate
3. (c)Scintillation counter
4. (d)Spectrophotometer

107. The normal temperature of human body on the Kelvin scale is

1. (a)280
2. (b)290
3. (c)300
4. (d)310

108. When the same note is played on a sitar and a flute, the sound produced can be distinguished from each other because of the difference in

1. (a)pitch, loudness and quality
2. (b)pitch and loudness
3. (c)quality only
4. (d)loudness only

109. Assertion (A): A diamond sparkles more than a glass imitation cut to the same shape. Reason (R): The refractive index of diamond is less than that of glass. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?

1. (a)Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
2. (b)Both A and R are true, but R is not a correct explanation of A
3. (c)A is true, but R is false
4. (d)A is false, but R is true

110. Who among the following anticipated Newton by declaring that all things gravitate to the earth?

1. (a)Aryabhata
2. (b)Varahamihira
3. (c)Buddha Gupta
4. (d)Brahmagupta

111. Optical fibre works on the principle of

1. (a)total internal reflection
2. (b)refraction
3. (c)scattering
4. (d)interference

112. Suppose a rocketship is receding from the earth at a speed of 2⁄10th the velocity of light. A light in the rocketship appears blue to the passengers on the ship. What colour would it appear to an observer on the earth?

1. (a)Blue
2. (b)Orange
3. (c)Yellow
4. (d)Yellow-orange

113. Which one of the following pairs of materials serves as electrodes in chargeable batteries commonly used in devices such as torchlights, electric shavers, etc.?

1. (a)Nickel and cadmium
2. (b)Zinc and carbon
3. (c)Lead peroxide and lead
4. (d)Iron and cadmium

114. Cryogenic engines find applications in

1. (a)sub-marine propulsion
2. (b)frost-free refrigerators
3. (c)rocket technology
4. (d)researches in superconductivity

An air bubble in water will act like a

1. (a)convex mirror
2. (b)convex lens
3. (c)concave mirror
4. (d)concave lens

The difference between a nuclear reactor and an atomic bomb is that

1. (a)no chain reaction takes place in nuclear reactor while in the atomic bomb there is a chain reaction
2. (b)the chain reaction in nuclear reactor is controlled
3. (c)the chain reaction in nuclear reactor is not controlled
4. (d)no chain reaction takes place in atomic bomb while it takes place in nuclear reactor

Which one of the following fuels causes minimum environmental pollution?

1. (a)Diesel
2. (b)Coal
3. (c)Hydrogen
4. (d)Kerosene

Zero was invented by

1. (a)Aryabhata
2. (b)Varahamihira
3. (c)Bhaskara I
4. (d)an unknown Indian

Which one of the following sets is correctly matched?

1. (a)Diphtheria, Pneumonia and Leprosy: Hereditary
2. (b)AIDS, Syphilis and Gonorrhoea: Bacterial
3. (c)Colour blindness, Haemophilia and Sickle cell anaemia: Sex linked
4. (d)Polio, Japanese B encephalitis and plague: Viral

No answer is recorded for this question: (None of the options (a–d) is correct)

A person with ‘AB’ blood group is sometimes called a universal recipient because of the

1. (a)lack of antigen in his blood
2. (b)lack of antibodies in his blood
3. (c)lack of both antigens and antibodies in his blood
4. (d)presence of antibodies in his blood

Which one of the following is a membrane that protects the developing embryo from desiccation?

1. (a)Amnion
2. (b)Allantois
3. (c)Chorion
4. (d)Yolk sac

Which one of the following antimicrobial drugs is suitable for treatment of both tuberculosis and leprosy?

1. (a)Isoniazid
2. (b)p-aminosalicylic acid
3. (c)Streptomycin
4. (d)Rifampicin

Most of the desert plants bloom during night time because

1. (a)their blooming is controlled by low temperature
2. (b)they are sensitive to the phases of moon
3. (c)the desert insects eat away flowers during day time
4. (d)the desert insects are active during night time

The only snake that builds a nest is

1. (a)Chain viper
2. (b)King Cobra
3. (c)Krait
4. (d)Saw scaled viper

Which of the following elements are present in all proteins? I. Carbon II. Hydrogen III. Oxygen IV. Nitrogen Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

1. (a)I and II
2. (b)I, II and IV
3. (c)I, III and IV
4. (d)I, II, III and IV

Which one of the following hormones contains iodine?

1. (a)Thyroxine
2. (b)Testosterone
3. (c)Insulin
4. (d)Adrenaline

“By weaving threads of physics, chemistry and biology into a rich tapestry, this remarkable scientist provided a unifying molecular view of the world... He touted the wonderful properties of Vitamin C first as a cure of common cold and later as a preventive agent against cancer.” One of science’s major figures of all time referred to above is

1. (a)G.N. Lewis
2. (b)Linus Carl Pauling
3. (c)Fritz London
4. (d)Walter Heitler

“The final Agent Orange raid in Vietnam took place in 1970…. areas have begun to bloom again. But 19 years after the war’s end, it seems plain that Agent Orange is killing and maiming human beings, something it never intended to do. The apparent toxic fall-out from those clouds ... is a crop of human miseries including cancers, miscarriages and birth defects — that may persist for decades.” The offensive substance referred to in the above quotation is

1. (a)DDT used as insecticide
2. (b)a complex mixture of herbicides and weedicides used to increase agricultural output in the then South Vietnam under the US aid programme
3. (c)a complex mixture of DDT and other insecticides used as aerial sprays for protection against malaria and other tropical diseases
4. (d)dioxin used as defoliants