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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2023 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT) — question paper

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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2023 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

Paper #3239 · 2023 · General Studies Paper II (CSAT) · 80 reviewed questions · Showing 41–80 of 80

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2023 General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A: 80 questions with 80 final-key answers and concise KSLC explanations. Reading-comprehension answers are based on the accompanying passages. Original questions and applicable copyright belong to UPSC and the respective rights holders. KSLC explanations are independent educational commentary; KSLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by UPSC. Official original: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/QP_CS_Pre_Exam_2023_GENERAL_STUDIES_PAPER_II_280523.pdf

  1. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 1 Scientists studied the vernal window — transition period from winter to the growing season. They found that warmer winters with less snow resulted in a longer lag time between spring events and a more protracted vernal window. This change in the spring timetable has ecological, social and economic consequences — for agriculture, fisheries and tourism. As the ice melts earlier, the birds don’t return, causing a delay, or lengthening in springtime ecological events.
    With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
    1. Global warming is causing spring to come early and for longer durations.
    2. Early spring and longer period of spring is not good for bird populations.
    Which of the above assumptions is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2

  2. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 2 A global analysis of nitrogen use efficiency — a measure of the amount of nitrogen a plant takes in to grow versus what is left behind as pollution — says that using too much fertilizers will lead to increased pollution of waterways and the air. Currently, the global average for nitrogen use efficiency is approximately 0.4, meaning 40 per cent of the total nitrogen added to cropland goes into the harvested crop while 60 per cent is lost to the environment, says a study. More than half of the world’s population is nourished by food grown with fertilizers containing synthetic nitrogen, which is needed to produce high crop yields. Plants take the nitrogen they need to grow, and the excess is left in the ground, water and air. This results in significant emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse and ozone depleting gas, and other forms of nitrogen pollution, including eutrophication of lakes and rivers and contamination of river water.
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and crucial message implied by the passage?
    1. An enhanced efficiency of use of nitrogen is imperative for both food production and environment.
    2. Production of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers cannot be stopped as it will adversely affect global food security.
    3. Alternatives to crops that require excess of nitrogen should be identified and cultivated.
    4. Conventional agriculture using synthetic fertilizers should be replaced with agroforestry, agroecosystems and organic farming.

  3. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 3 Along with sustainable lifestyles, climate justice is regarded as a significant principle in environmental parlance. Both the principles have bearings on political and economic choices of the nation. So far, in our climate change summits or compacts, both the principles have eluded consensus among nations. Justice, in the judicial sense, is well defined. However, in the context of climate change, it has scientific as well as socio-political connotations. The crucial question in the next few years will be how resources, technologies and regulations are used to support the victims of climate change. Justice in climate is not confined to actions relating to mitigation, but includes the wider notion of support for adaptation to climate change and compensation for loss and damage.
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and crucial message conveyed by the passage?
    1. Climate justice should be ingrained in detail in the rules of all the new climate compacts/agreements.
    2. Environmental resources are unevenly distributed and exploited across the globe.
    3. There is an impending issue of dealing with a huge number of climate change victims/climate refugees.
    4. Climate change in all its connotations is mostly due to developed countries and therefore their share of burden should be more.
  4. A principal P becomes Q in 1 year when compounded half-yearly with R% annual rate of interest. If the same principal P becomes Q in 1 year when compounded annually with S% annual rate of interest, then which one of the following is correct?
    1. R = S
    2. R > S
    3. R ＜ S
    4. R ≤ S
  5. How many natural numbers are there which give a remainder of 31 when 1186 is divided by these natural numbers?
    1. 6
    2. 7
    3. 8
    4. 9
  6. Let pp, qq and rr be 2-digit numbers where p ＜ q ＜ r. If pp + qq + rr = tt0, where tt0 is a 3-digit number ending with zero, consider the following statements:
    1. The number of possible values of p is 5.
    2. The number of possible values of q is 6.
    Which of the above statements is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  7. What is the sum of all 4-digit numbers less than 2000 formed by the digits 1, 2, 3 and 4, where none of the digits is repeated?
    1. 7998
    2. 8028
    3. 8878
    4. 9238
  8. What is the number of selections of 10 consecutive things out of 12 things in a circle taken in the clockwise direction?
    1. 3
    2. 11
    3. 12
    4. 66
  9. If today is Sunday, then which day is it exactly on 10^10 th day?
    1. Wednesday
    2. Thursday
    3. Friday
    4. Saturday
  10. There are three traffic signals. Each signal changes colour from green to red and then from red to green. The first signal takes 25 seconds, the second signal takes 39 seconds and the third signal takes 60 seconds to change the colour from green to red. The durations for green and red colours are same. At 2:00 p.m., they together turn green. At what time will they change to green next, simultaneously?
    1. 4:00 p.m.
    2. 4:10 p.m.
    3. 4:20 p.m.
    4. 4:30 p.m.

  11. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 1 Sourcing food from non-agricultural lands (uncultivated systems such as forests, wetlands, pastures, etc) in addition to agricultural lands enables a systemic approach to food consumption. It allows rural and tribal communities to sustain themselves for the whole year and steer clear of natural disasters and season-induced shortfalls of agricultural food. Since the productivity of trees is often more resilient to adverse weather; conditions than annual crops, forest foods often provide a safety net during periods of food shortages caused by crop failure; forest foods also make important contributions during seasonal crop production gaps.
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage?
    1. Food yielding trees should replace other trees in rural and tribal areas and community owned lands.
    2. Food security cannot be ensured in India with the present practice of conventional agriculture.
    3. Wastelands and degraded areas in India should be converted into agroforestry systems to help the poor.
    4. Agroecosystems should be developed in addition to or along with conventional agriculture.

  12. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 2 While awareness on use/misuse and abuse of antibiotics is common knowledge, as is the impact of dosing poultry with antibiotics, the environmental impact of antibiotics-manufacturing companies not treating their waste has scarcely been discussed at any length or seriousness thus far. Pollution from antibiotics factories is fuelling the rise of drug-resistant infections. The occurrence of drug-resistant bacteria surrounding the pharma manufacturing plants is well known.
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and practical message conveyed by the passage?
    1. It is necessary to put proper effluent treatment protocols in place.
    2. It is necessary to promote environmental awareness among people.
    3. Spread of drug-resistant bacteria cannot be done away with, as it is inherent in modern medical care.
    4. Pharma-manufacturing companies should be set up in remote rural areas, away from crowded towns and cities.

  13. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 3 Benefits of good quality school education accrue only when students complete and leave school after having acquired the gateway skills. Like one learns to walk before running, similarly one picks up advanced skills only after picking the basic foundational skills. The advent of the knowledge economy poses new challenges, and one of the severe consequences of having an uneducated workforce will be our inability to keep pace with the global economy. Without a strong learning foundation at the primary level, there can be no improvement in higher education or skill development.
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage?
    1. To become a global power, India needs to invest in universal quality education.
    2. India is unable to become a global power because it is not focussing or promoting knowledge economy.
    3. Our education system should focus more on imparting skills during higher education.
    4. Parents of many school children are illiterate and are unaware of the benefits of quality education.
  14. 40 children are standing in a circle and one of them (say child-1) has a ring. The ring is passed clockwise. Child-1 passes on to child-2, child-2 passes on to child-4, child-4 passes on to child-7 and so on. After how many such changes (including child-1) will the ring be in the hands of child-1 again?
    1. 14
    2. 15
    3. 16
    4. 17
  15. What is the middle term of the sequence
    Z, Z, Y, Y, Y, X, X, X, X, W, W, W, W, W, ..., A?
    1. H
    2. I
    3. J
    4. M
  16. Question: Is p greater than q?
    Statement-1: p × q is greater than zero.
    Statement-2: p² is greater than q².
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Question and the Statements?
    1. The Question can be answered by using one of the Statements alone, but cannot be answered using the other Statement alone.
    2. The Question can be answered by using either Statement alone.
    3. The Question can be answered by using both the Statements together, but cannot be answered using either Statement alone.
    4. The Question cannot be answered even by using both the Statements together.
  17. Question: Is (p + q − r) greater than (p − q + r), where p, q and r are integers?
    Statement-1: (p − q) is positive.
    Statement-2: (p − r) is negative.
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Question and the Statements?
    1. The Question can be answered by using one of the Statements alone, but cannot be answered using the other Statement alone.
    2. The Question can be answered by using either Statement alone.
    3. The Question can be answered by using both the Statements together, but cannot be answered using either Statement alone.
    4. The Question cannot be answered even by using both the Statements together.
  18. In a party, 75 persons took tea, 60 persons took coffee and 15 persons took both tea and coffee. No one taking milk takes tea. Each person takes at least one drink.
    Question: How many persons attended the party?
    Statement-1: 50 persons took milk.
    Statement-2: Number of persons who attended the party is five times the number of persons who took milk only.
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Question and the Statements?
    1. The Question can be answered by using one of the Statements alone, but cannot be answered using the other Statement alone.
    2. The Question can be answered by using either Statement alone.
    3. The Question can be answered by using both the Statements together, but cannot be answered using either Statement alone.
    4. The Question cannot be answered even by using both the Statements together.
  19. Consider a 3-digit number.
    Question: What is the number?
    Statement-1: The sum of the digits of the number is equal to the product of the digits.
    Statement-2: The number is divisible by the sum of the digits of the number.
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Question and the Statements?
    1. The Question can be answered by using one of the Statements alone, but cannot be answered using the other Statement alone.
    2. The Question can be answered by using either Statement alone.
    3. The Question can be answered by using both the Statements together, but cannot be answered using either Statement alone.
    4. The Question cannot be answered even by using both the Statements together.
  20. For five children with ages a＜b＜c＜d＜e; any two successive ages differ by 2 years.
    Question: What is the age of the youngest child?
    Statement-1: The age of the eldest is 3 times the youngest.
    Statement-2: The average age of the children is 8 years.
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Question and the Statements?
    1. The Question can be answered by using one of the Statements alone, but cannot be answered using the other Statement alone.
    2. The Question can be answered by using either Statement alone.
    3. The Question can be answered by using both the Statements together, but cannot be answered using either Statement alone.
    4. The Question cannot be answered even by using both the Statements together.

  21. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 1 The paradox of choice is illustrated by the story of Buridan’s ass. Jean Buridan, the 14th century philosopher, wrote about free will and the inability to choose due to numerous choices and uncertainties. In the story, a donkey stands between two equally appealing stacks of hay. Unable to decide which to eat, it starves to death. Changes in technology and innovations such as smart phones and tablets only exacerbate our glut of choices. Constant connectivity and overconsumption of real-time data and social media can leave little room for self-reflection and rest, making decisions more difficult. Life is about choices. Many people are overwhelmed with attractive life choices, yet find themselves unhappy and anxious.
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical message implied by the above passage?
    1. Modern technology enfeebles societal structure and makes life difficult.
    2. Modern life is full of uncertainties and endless difficult choices.
    3. We are influenced by the opinion of others and have no courage to follow our own convictions.
    4. In our lives, having too few choices may not be a good thing, but having too many can be equally as difficult.

  22. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 2 Household finance in India is unique. We have a tendency to invest heavily in physical assets such as gold and property. Steps to encourage the financialization of savings are critical. A populace accustomed to traditional processes will not simply jump into financialization. Hurdles to change include onerous bureaucracy, a scepticism of organized financial institutions, a lack of basic information about which of the myriad services and providers is best for each family, and how (and even if) one can make the transition between them if necessary.
    Regarding the financialization of household savings, which of the following statements best reflect the solutions that are implied by the passage?
    1. A flexible environment is needed to develop solutions.
    2. Households need customised solutions.
    3. Innovations in financial technology are required.
    Select the correct answer using the code given below:
    1. 1 and 2 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3

  23. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 3 Pharmaceutical patents grant protection to the patentee for the duration of the patent term. The patentees enjoy the liberty to determine the prices of medicines, which is time-limited to the period of monopoly, but could be unaffordable to the public. Such patent protection offered to the patentees is believed to benefit the public over the longer term through innovations and research and development (R&D), although it comes at a cost, in the nature of higher prices for the patented medicine. The patent regime and price protection — through a legally validated high price for the medicine during the currency of the patent — provide the patentee with a legitimate mechanism to get returns on the costs incurred in innovation and research.
    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
    1. Patent protection given to patentees puts a huge burden on public’s purchasing power in accessing patented medicines.
    2. Dependence on other countries for pharmaceutical products is a huge burden for developing and poor countries.
    3. Providing medicines to the public at affordable prices is a key goal during the public health policy design in many countries.
    4. Governments need to find an appropriate balance between the rights of patentees and the requirements of the patients.
    Which of the above assumptions are valid?
    1. 1 and 2
    2. 1 and 4
    3. 3 and 4
    4. 2 and 3

  24. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 4 India should ensure the growth of the digital economy while keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected. No one will innovate in a surveillance-oriented environment or in a place where an individual’s personal information is compromised. The ultimate control of data must reside with the individuals who generate it; they should be enabled to use, restrict or monetise it as they wish. Therefore, data protection laws should enable the right kind of innovation — one that is user-centric and privacy protecting.
    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
    1. Protection of privacy is not just a right, but it has value to the economy.
    2. There is a fundamental link between privacy and innovation.
    Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  25. In an examination, the maximum marks for each of the four papers namely P, Q, R and S are 100. Marks scored by the students are in integers. A student can score 99% in n different ways. What is the value of n?
    1. 16
    2. 17
    3. 23
    4. 35
  26. A flag has to be designed with 4 horizontal stripes using some or all of the colours red, green and yellow. What is the number of different ways in which this can be done so that no two adjacent stripes have the same colour?
    1. 12
    2. 18
    3. 24
    4. 36
  27. A rectangular floor measures 4 m in length and 2.2 m in breadth. Tiles of size 140 cm by 60 cm have to be laid such that the tiles do not overlap. A tile can be placed in any orientation so long as its edges are parallel to the edges of the floor. What is the maximum number of tiles that can be accommodated on the floor?
    1. 6
    2. 7
    3. 8
    4. 9
  28. There are five persons P, Q, R, S and T each one of whom has to be assigned one task. Neither P nor Q can be assigned Task-1. Task-2 must be assigned to either R or S. In how many ways can the assignment be done?
    1. 6
    2. 12
    3. 18
    4. 24
  29. There are large number of silver coins weighing 2 gm, 5 gm, 10 gm, 25 gm, 50 gm each. Consider the following statements:
    1. To buy 78 gm of coins one must buy at least 7 coins.
    2. To weigh 78 gm using these coins one can use less than 7 coins.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  30. Consider the following:
    I. A + B means A is neither smaller nor equal to B.
    II. A − B means A is not greater than B.
    III. A × B means A is not smaller than B.
    IV. A ÷ B means A is neither greater nor equal to B.
    V. A ± B means A is neither smaller nor greater than B.
    Statement: P × Q, P − T, T ÷ R, R ± S
    Conclusion-1: Q ± T
    Conclusion-2: S + Q
    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Statement and the Conclusions?
    1. Only Conclusion-1 follows from the Statement.
    2. Only Conclusion-2 follows from the Statement.
    3. Both Conclusion-1 and Conclusion-2 follow from the Statement.
    4. Neither Conclusion-1 nor Conclusion-2 follows from the Statement.

  31. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 1 In India, while the unemployment rate is a frequently used measure of poor performance of the economy, under conditions of rising school and college enrolment, it paints an inaccurate picture. The reported unemployment rate is dominated by the experience of younger Indians who face higher employment challenges and exhibit greater willingness to wait for the right job than their older peers. The unemployment challenge is greater for people with secondary or higher education, and rising education levels inflate unemployment challenges.
    Which one of the following statements most likely reflects as to what the author of the passage intends to say?
    1. Enrolment in schools and colleges is high but there is no quality education.
    2. Unemployment must be seen as a function of rising education and aspirations of young Indians.
    3. There are no labour-intensive industries to accommodate the huge number of unemployed people.
    4. The education system should be properly designed so as to enable the educated people to be self-employed.

  32. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 2 “Science by itself is not enough, there must be a force and discipline outside the sciences to coordinate them and point to a goal. It is not possible to run a course aright when the goal itself has not been rightly placed. What science needs is philosophy — the analysis of scientific method and the coordination of scientific purposes and results; without this, any science must be superficial. Government suffers, precisely like science, for lack of philosophy. Philosophy bears to science the same relationship which statesmanship bears to politics: movement guided by total knowledge and perspective, as against aimless and individual seeking. Just as the pursuit of knowledge becomes scholasticism when divorced from the actual needs of men and life, so the pursuit of politics becomes a destructive bedlam when divorced from science and philosophy.”
    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most rational, logical and practical message conveyed by the passage?
    1. Modern statesmen need to be well trained in scientific methods and philosophical thinking to enable them to have a better perspective of their roles, responsibilities and goals.
    2. It is not desirable to have Governments managed by empirical statesmen unless well mixed with others who are grounded in learning and reflect wisdom.
    3. As the statesmen/bureaucrats are the products of a society, it is desirable to have a system of education in a society that focuses on training its citizens in scientific method and philosophical thinking from a very early age.
    4. It is desirable that all scientists need to be philosophers as well to make their work goal-oriented and thus purposeful and useful to the society.

  33. Reading passage

    Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage - 3 “The last end of the state is not to dominate men, nor to restrain them by fear; rather it is so to free each man from fear that he may live and act with full security and without injury to himself or his neighbour. The end of the state, I repeat, is not to make rational beings into brute beasts and machines. It is to enable their bodies and their minds to function safely. It is to lead men to live by, and to exercise, a free reason; that they may not waste their strength in hatred, anger and guile, nor act unfairly toward one another.”
    Based on the above passage, which one of the following terms best expresses the ultimate goal of the state?
    1. Personal safety
    2. Health of body and mind
    3. Communal harmony
    4. Liberty
  34. What is the remainder if 2^192 is divided by 6?
    1. 0
    2. 1
    3. 2
    4. 4
  35. Consider the sequence
    ABC__ABC_DABBCD_ABCD
    that follows a certain pattern.
    Which one of the following completes the sequence?
    1. DACB
    2. CDAB
    3. DCCA
    4. DDCA
  36. AB and CD are 2-digit numbers. Multiplying AB with CD results in a 3-digit number DEF. Adding DEF to another 3-digit number GHI results in 975. Further A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I are distinct digits. If E = 0, F = 8, then what is A+B+C equal to?
    1. 6
    2. 7
    3. 8
    4. 9
  37. Consider the following statements in respect of five candidates P, Q, R, S and T. Two statements are true and one statement is false.
    True Statement: One of P and Q was selected for the job.
    False Statement: At least one of R and S was selected for the job.
    True Statement: At most two of R, S and T were selected for the job.
    Which of the following conclusions can be drawn?
    1. At least four were selected for the job.
    2. S was selected for the job.
    Select the correct answer using the code given below:
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  38. Let P, Q, R, S and T be five statements such that:
    I. If P is true, then both Q and S are true.
    II. If R and S are true, then T is false.
    Which of the following can be concluded?
    1. If T is true, then at least one of P and R must be false.
    2. If Q is true, then P is true.
    Select the correct answer using the code given below:
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  39. A cuboid of dimensions 7 cm × 5 cm × 3 cm is painted red, green and blue colour on each pair of opposite faces of dimensions 7 cm × 5 cm, 5 cm × 3 cm, 7 cm × 3 cm respectively. Then the cuboid is cut and separated into various cubes each of side length 1 cm. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
    1. There are exactly 15 small cubes with no paint on any face.
    2. There are exactly 6 small cubes with exactly two faces, one painted with blue and the other with green.
    Select the correct answer using the code given below:
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  40. The letters of the word “INCOMPREHENSIBILITIES” are arranged alphabetically in reverse order. How many positions of the letter/letters will remain unchanged?
    1. None
    2. One
    3. Two
    4. Three

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