Among the Indian languages, which one is spoken maximum in the world after Hindi?
- (a)Telugu
- (b)Tamil
- (c)Bengali
- (d)Malayalam
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Official answer(c) Bengali
UPSC Prelims 2008
150 questions, in the order they were asked.
Who among the following discovered heavy water?
- (a)Heinrich Hertz
- (b)H. C. Urey
- (c)G. Mendel
- (d)Joseph Priestley
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Official answer(b) H. C. Urey
Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Prize for Peace. He is from which one of the following countries?
- (a)Vietnam
- (b)Cambodia
- (c)South Korea
- (d)Japan
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Official answer(c) South Korea
Ogaden region has been a source of conflict between which countries?
- (a)Morocco and Algeria
- (b)Nigeria and Cameroon
- (c)Angola and Zambia
- (d)Ethiopia and Somalia
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Official answer(d) Ethiopia and Somalia
Near which one of the following cities are Palitana Temples located?
- (a)Bhavnagar
- (b)Mount Abu
- (c)Nasik
- (d)Ujjain
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Official answer(a) Bhavnagar
Which one of the following countries won the Euro Football Tournament, 2004 held in Portugal?
- (a)Italy
- (b)France
- (c)Greece
- (d)Portugal
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Official answer(c) Greece
In order of their distances from the Sun, which of the following planets lie between Mars and Uranus?
- (a)Earth and Jupiter
- (b)Jupiter and Saturn
- (c)Saturn and Earth
- (d)Saturn and Neptune
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Official answer(b) Jupiter and Saturn
Cristina Kirchner succeeded her husband to become President of a South American country. Which is that country?
- (a)Chile
- (b)Argentina
- (c)Colombia
- (d)Venezuela
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Official answer(b) Argentina
Who was the Viceroy of India when the Rowlatt Act was passed?
- (a)Lord Irwin
- (b)Lord Reading
- (c)Lord Chelmsford
- (d)Lord Wavell
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Official answer(c) Lord Chelmsford
In the year 2007, an earthquake led to massive radioactive water leakage in the largest nuclear plant in the world. In which country did it occur?
- (a)Germany
- (b)Canada
- (c)Japan
- (d)USA
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Official answer(c) Japan
What is the approximate percentage of persons above 65 years of age in India's current population?
- (a)14–15%
- (b)11–12%
- (c)8–9%
- (d)5–6%
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Official answer(d) 5–6%
Which one of the following is a spacecraft?
- (a)Apophis
- (b)Cassini
- (c)Spitzer
- (d)TechSar
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Official answer(b) Cassini
In which one of the following locations is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project to be built?
- (a)Northern Spain
- (b)Southern France
- (c)Eastern Germany
- (d)Southern Italy
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Official answer(b) Southern France
What is the purpose of the US Space Agency's Themis Mission, which was recently in the news?
- (a)To study the possibility of life on Mars
- (b)To study the satellites of Saturn
- (c)To study the colourful display of high latitude skies
- (d)To build a space laboratory to study the stellar explosions
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Official answer(c) To study the colourful display of high latitude skies
Out of all the Biosphere Reserves in India, four have been recognized on the World Network by UNESCO. Which one of the following is not one of them?
- (a)Gulf of Mannar
- (b)Kanchenjunga
- (c)Nanda Devi
- (d)Sunderbans
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Official answer(b) Kanchenjunga
Which two countries follow China and India in the decreasing order of their populations?
- (a)Brazil and USA
- (b)USA and Indonesia
- (c)Canada and Malaysia
- (d)Russia and Nigeria
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Official answer(b) USA and Indonesia
Amongst the following States, which one has the highest percentage of rural population to its total population (on the basis of the Census, 2001)?
- (a)Himachal Pradesh
- (b)Bihar
- (c)Orissa
- (d)Uttar Pradesh
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Official answer(a) Himachal Pradesh
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists: List-I (Organization) A. Amnesty International B. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) C. Danube Commission D. European Space Agency List-II (Associated Convention/Person/Place/Headquarters) 1. Viskuli 2. Paris 3. Peter Benenson 4. Belgrade Convention
- (a)A B C D 3 1 4 2
- (b)A B C D 4 2 3 1
- (c)A B C D 3 2 4 1
- (d)A B C D 4 1 3 2
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Official answer(a) A B C D 3 1 4 2
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists: List-I (Person) A. K. P. Singh B. Vikram Pandit C. Roopa Farooki D. Kishore Biyani List-II (Area) 1. Banking 2. Fiction writing 3. Retail business 4. Real estate
- (a)A B C D 4 2 1 3
- (b)A B C D 3 1 2 4
- (c)A B C D 3 2 1 4
- (d)A B C D 4 1 2 3
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Official answer(d) A B C D 4 1 2 3
Where was the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio + 10) held?
- (a)Davos
- (b)Nova Scotia
- (c)Johannesburg
- (d)Shanghai
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Official answer(c) Johannesburg
Consider the following statements: 1. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in respect of carbon credits is one of the Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms. 2. Under the CDM, the projects handled pertain only to the Annex-I countries. 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
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Official answer(a) 1 only
Which of the following are among the million-plus cities in India on the basis of data of the Census, 2001? 1. Ludhiana 2. Kochi 3. Surat 4. Nagpur Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- (a)1, 2 and 3 only
- (b)2, 3 and 4 only
- (c)1 and 4 only
- (d)1, 2, 3 and 4
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Official answer(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Which of the following are the public sector undertakings of the Government of India? 1. Balmer Lawrie and Company Ltd. 2. Dredging Corporation of India 3. Educational Consultants of India Ltd. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- (a)1 and 2 only
- (b)2 and 3 only
- (c)1 and 3 only
- (d)1, 2 and 3
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Official answer(d) 1, 2 and 3
Under which one of the following Constitution Amendment Acts, four languages were added to the languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, thereby raising their number to 22?
- (a)Constitution (Ninetieth Amendment) Act
- (b)Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Act
- (c)Constitution (Ninety-second Amendment) Act
- (d)Constitution (Ninety-third Amendment) Act
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Official answer(c) Constitution (Ninety-second Amendment) Act
Consider the following statements: The Constitution of India provides that 1. The Legislative Assembly of each State shall consist of not more than 450 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the State 2. A person shall not be qualified to be chosen to fill a seat in the Legislative Assembly of a State if he/she is less than 25 years of age 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
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Official answer(b) 2 only