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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2014 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT) — question paper

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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2014 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

Paper #3257 · 2014 · General Studies Paper II (CSAT) · 80 reviewed questions · Showing 41–80 of 80

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Accuracy note: This is a reviewed structured rendering of an official previous-year paper and may cover only part of it. Where available, explanatory notes describe unresolved source or answer issues without supplying a scoring answer. Official examination authority notices remain final.

2014 General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A: 80 questions with 74 final-key answer dispositions 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 source: https://www.upsc.gov.in/examinations/previous-question-papers/archives 6 English-language comprehension items were excluded from examination merit under the 2014 policy; they remain available as practice with KSLC commentary, not official-key scoring answers. These are not officially dropped or defective questions. 2 item(s) accept alternative answers; all accepted choices are explained, but these items are excluded from single-answer automatic scoring.

  1. The table gives population and total income of a city for four years.
    Year — 1992 — 1993 — 1994 — 1995
    1. Population (lakhs) — 20 — 21 — 22 — 23
    2. Income (₹ crores) — 1010 — 1111 — 1225 — 1345
    Which statement is correct in respect of these data?
    1. Population increased by 5% or more every year
    2. Income increased by 10% or more every year
    3. Per capita income was always above ₹5,000
    4. Per capita income was highest in 1994
  2. The numbers in each row of the table bear a relationship.
    Column 1 — Column 2 — Column 3
    1. 29 — 13 — 18
    2. 33 — X — 19
    3. 30 — 27 — 3
    Which number can replace X?
    1. 19
    2. 15
    3. 14
    4. 8
  3. Which option completes the empty bottom-right cell of the matrix shown below?
    Reviewed source study figure
    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. Figure A
    2. Figure B
    3. Figure C
    4. Figure D
  4. In the figure below, how many different routes lead from S to T without retracing from U and/or V?
    Reviewed source study figure
    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 3
    2. 6
    3. 9
    4. 18
  5. The positions of the beads in the four figures follow a sequence. Which option should be the fifth figure?
    Reviewed source study figure
    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. Figure A
    2. Figure B
    3. Figure C
    4. Figure D
  6. A bell rings every 18 minutes. A second bell rings every 24 minutes. A third bell rings every 32 minutes. If all the three bells ring at the same time at 8 o’clock in the morning, at what other time will they all ring together?
    1. 12:40 hrs
    2. 12:48 hrs
    3. 12:56 hrs
    4. 13:04 hrs
  7. “Price is not the same thing as value. Suppose that on a day the price of everything viz., coal, bread, postage stamps, a day’s labour, the rent of houses, etc. were to double. Prices then would certainly rise, but values of all things except one would not.” The writer wants to say that if prices of all things were doubled
    1. the values of all things would remain constant
    2. the values of the things sold would be doubled
    3. the values of the things bought would be halved
    4. the value of money only would be halved
  8. A and B decide to travel from place X to place Y by bus. A has ₹10 with him and he finds that it is 80% of the bus fare for two persons. B finds that he has ₹3 with him and hands it over to A. In this context, which statement is correct?
    1. Now the money A has is just enough to buy two tickets
    2. A still needs ₹2 for buying the tickets
    3. After buying the two tickets A will be left with 50 paise
    4. The money A now has is still not sufficient to buy two tickets
  9. As per agreement with a bank, a businessman had to refund a loan in some equal instalments without interest. After paying 18 instalments he found that 60 percent of his loan was refunded. How many instalments were there in the agreement?
    1. 22
    2. 24
    3. 30
    4. 33
  10. A worker reaches his factory 3 minutes late if his speed from his house to the factory is 5 km/hr. If he walks at a speed of 6 km/hr, then he reaches the factory 7 minutes early. The distance of the factory from his house is
    1. 3 km
    2. 4 km
    3. 5 km
    4. 6 km
  11. “Liberty, therefore, is never real unless the Government can be called to account when it invades rights.” Which is the best justification of this statement?
    1. In the realisation that the government can be brought to book in a court of law
    2. In identifying a man as a political unit in a way which distinguishes him from other citizens
    3. In a decentralized society wherein the basic needs of men can find satisfaction
    4. In the understanding that liberty and restraints are complementary

  12. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. Many nations now place their faith in capitalism and governments choose it as the strategy to create wealth for their people. The spectacular economic growth seen in Brazil, China and India after the liberalisation of their economies is proof of its enormous potential and success. However, the global banking crisis and the economic recession have left many bewildered. The debates tend to focus on free market operations and forces, their efficiency and their ability for self correction. Issues of justice, integrity and honesty are rarely elaborated to highlight the failure of the global banking system. The apologists of the system continue to justify the success of capitalism and argue that the recent crisis was a blip. Their arguments betray an ideological bias with the assumptions that an unregulated market is fair and competent, and that the exercise of private greed will be in the larger public interest. Few recognize the bidirectional relationship between capitalism and greed; that each reinforces the other. Surely, a more honest conceptualisation of the conflicts of interest among the rich and powerful players who have benefited from the system, their biases and ideology is needed; the focus on the wealth creation should also highlight the resultant gross inequity.
    The apologists of the “Free Market System”, according to the passage, believe in
    1. market without control by government authorities
    2. market without protection by the government
    3. ability of market to self correct
    4. market for free goods and services

  13. Reading passage

    With reference to “ideological bias”, the passage implies that
    1. free market is fair but not competent
    2. free market is not fair but competent
    3. free market is fair and competent
    4. free market is neither fair nor biased

  14. Reading passage

    “The exercise of private greed will be in the larger public interest” from the passage 1. refers to the false ideology of capitalism. 2. underlies the righteous claim of the free market. 3. shows the benevolent face of capitalism. 4. ignores resultant gross inequity. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 and 3
    3. 1 and 4
    4. 4 only

  15. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. Net profits are only 2.2% of their total assets for central public sector undertakings, lower than for the private corporate sector. While the public sector or the State-led entrepreneurship played an important role in triggering India’s industrialization, our evolving development needs, comparatively less-than-satisfactory performance of the public sector enterprises, the maturing of our private sector, a much larger social base now available for expanding entrepreneurship and the growing institutional capabilities to enforce competition policies would suggest that the time has come to review the role of public sector. What should the portfolio composition of the government be ? It should not remain static all times. The airline industry works well as a purely private affair. At the opposite end, rural roads, whose sparse traffic makes tolling unviable, have to be on the balance-sheet of the State. If the government did not own rural roads, they would not exist. Similarly, public health capital in our towns and cities will need to come from the public sector. Equally, preservation and improvement of forest cover will have to be a new priority for the public sector assets. Take the example of steel. With near-zero tariffs, India is a globally competitive market for the metal. Indian firms export steel into the global market, which demonstrates there is no gap in technology. Indian companies are buying up global steel companies, which shows there is no gap in capital availability. Under these conditions, private ownership works best. Private ownership is clearly desirable in regulated industries, ranging from finance to infrastructure, where a government agency performs the function of regulation and multiple competing firms are located in the private sector. Here, the simple and clean solution — government as the umpire and the private sector as the players is what works best. In many of these industries, we have a legacy of government ownership, where productivity tends to be lower, fear of bankruptcy is absent, and the risk of asking for money from the tax payer is ever present. There is also the conflict of interest between government as an owner and as the regulator. The formulation and implementation of competition policy will be more vigorous and fair if government companies are out of action.
    According to the passage, what is/are the reason/reasons for saying that the time has come to review the role of public sector? 1. Now public sector has lost its relevance in the industrialization process. 2. Public sector does not perform satisfactorily. 3. Entrepreneurship in private sector is expanding. 4. Effective competition policies are available now. Which statements are correct in the given context?
    1. 1 and 3 only
    2. 2 only
    3. 2, 3 and 4 only
    4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

  16. Reading passage

    According to the passage, rural roads should be in the domain of public sector only. Why?
    1. Rural development work is the domain of government only
    2. Private sector cannot have monetary gains in this
    3. Government takes money from taxpayers and hence it is the responsibility of government only
    4. Private sector need not have any social responsibility

  17. Reading passage

    The portfolio composition of the government refers to
    1. Public sector assets quality
    2. Investment in liquid assets
    3. Mix of government investment in different industrial sectors
    4. Buying Return on Investment yielding capital assets

  18. Reading passage

    The author prefers government as the umpire and private sector as players because
    1. Government prescribes norms for a fair play by the private sector
    2. Government is the ultimate in policy formulation
    3. Government has no control over private sector players
    4. None of the above statements is correct in this context
  19. A question paper must have a question on one of the eight poets: A, B, C, D, E, F, G or H. The first four belong to the medieval period while the rest are considered modern poets. Generally, modern poets figure in the question paper in alternate years. Generally, those who like H like G also; and those who like F like E also. The paper-setter does not like to ask about F as he has written a book on F, but he likes F. Last year, the paper contained a question on A. On the basis of the information given, this year’s paper is most likely to contain a question on
    1. C
    2. E
    3. F
    4. H
  20. In a group of six women there are four dancers, four vocal musicians, one actress and three violinists. Girija and Vanaja are among the violinists while Jalaja and Shailaja do not know to play on the violin. Shailaja and Tanuja are among the dancers. Jalaja, Vanaja, Shailaja and Tanuja are all vocal musicians and two of them are also violinists. If Pooja is an actress, who is certainly a dancer and a violinist?
    1. Jalaja
    2. Pooja
    3. Shailaja
    4. Tanuja
  21. The letters L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S and T in their order are substituted by nine integers 1 to 9 but not in that order. 4 is assigned to P. The difference between P and T is 5. The difference between N and T is 3. What is the integer assigned to N?
    1. 7
    2. 5
    3. 4
    4. 6
  22. The number of deaths among the army personnel is 8 in 1000, but among the civilian population it is 20 per 1000. Which inference can be drawn from this statement?
    1. It is better to join the army
    2. The relationship is fortuitous
    3. Quality of Life Index is very high within the armed forces
    4. The groups cannot be compared due to their heterogeneity
  23. Given the statement: “Buses are the cause of more accidents than cars, and trucks cause fewer accidents than buses”, which conclusion can we draw?
    1. There are more buses on the road than trucks
    2. Car drivers are more careful than bus drivers
    3. Truck drivers are more skilled than either car or bus drivers
    4. None of the above
  24. “If political leadership fails to emerge, there is likelihood of military taking over power in developing countries. Radical student groups or labour may try to raise revolution but they are not likely to compete with the military. Military intervention, rule, and withdrawal from politics is closely related to a society’s level of political development.” In the context of political development, the assumption is that
    1. political leadership is not an effective instrument
    2. military fills in political vacuum
    3. military intervention is inevitable for development
    4. None of the above
  25. Four persons, Alok, Bhupesh, Chander and Dinesh have a total of ₹100 among themselves. Alok and Bhupesh between them have as much money as Chander and Dinesh between them, but Alok has more money than Bhupesh, and Chander has only half the money that Dinesh has. Alok has in fact ₹5 more than Dinesh has. Who has the maximum amount of money?
    1. Alok
    2. Bhupesh
    3. Chander
    4. Dinesh
  26. George attends Music classes on Monday and Mathematics classes on Wednesday. His Literature classes are not on Friday. He attends History classes on the day following his Mathematics classes. On Tuesday, he attends Sports classes. If he attends just one subject in a day and his Sunday is free, then he is also free on
    1. Monday
    2. Thursday
    3. Saturday
    4. Friday
  27. In a row A is in the 11th position from the left and B is in the 10th position from the right. If A and B interchange, then A becomes 18th from the left. How many persons are there in the row other than A and B?
    1. 27
    2. 26
    3. 25
    4. 24
  28. Location of B is north of A and location of C is east of A. The distances AB and AC are 5 km and 12 km respectively. The shortest distance in km between B and C is
    1. 60
    2. 13
    3. 17
    4. 7
  29. Two cars start towards each other from places A and B which are 160 km apart. They start at the same time, 08:10 AM. If the speeds are 50 km and 30 km per hour respectively, they will meet each other at
    1. 10:10 AM
    2. 10:30 AM
    3. 11:10 AM
    4. 11:20 AM

  30. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. In front of us was walking a bare-headed old man in tattered clothes. He was driving his beasts. They were all laden with heavy loads of clay from the hills and looked tired. The man carried a long whip which perhaps he himself had made. As he walked down the road he stopped now and then to eat the wild berries that grew on bushes along the uneven road. When he threw away the seeds, the bold birds would fly to peck at them. Sometimes a stray dog watched the procession philosophically and then began to bark. When this happened, my two little sons would stand still holding my hands firmly. A dog can sometimes be dangerous indeed.
    The author’s children held his hands firmly because
    1. they were scared of the barking dogs
    2. they wanted him to pluck berries
    3. they saw the whip in the old man’s hand
    4. the road was uneven

  31. Reading passage

    The expression “a stray dog watched the procession philosophically” means that
    1. the dog was restless and ferocious
    2. the dog stood aloof, looking at the procession with seriousness
    3. the dog looked at the procession with big, wondering eyes
    4. the dog stood there with his eyes closed

  32. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. Cynthia was a shy girl. She believed that she was plain and untalented. One day her teacher ordered the entire class to show up for audition for the school play. Cynthia nearly died of fright when she was told that she would have to stand on stage in front of the entire class and deliver dialogues. The mere thought of it made her feel sick. But a remarkable transformation occurred during the audition. A thin, shy girl, her knees quaking, her stomach churning in terror, began to stun everyone with her excellent performance. Her bored classmates suddenly stopped their noisy chat to stare at her slender figure on the stage. At the end of her audition, the entire room erupted in thunderous applause.
    Cynthia was afraid to stand on stage because
    1. she felt her classmates may laugh at her
    2. her stomach was churning
    3. she lacked self-confidence
    4. she did not like school plays

  33. Reading passage

    Cynthia’s classmates were chatting because
    1. it was their turn to act next
    2. they were bored of the performances
    3. Cynthia did not act well
    4. the teacher had no control over them

  34. Reading passage

    Cynthia’s knees were quaking because
    1. she felt nervous and shy
    2. the teacher scolded her
    3. she was very thin and weak
    4. she was afraid of her classmates

  35. Reading passage

    The transformation that occurred during the audition refers to
    1. the nervousness of Cynthia
    2. the eruption of the entire room in thunderous applause
    3. the surprise on the faces of her classmates
    4. the stunning performance of Cynthia
  36. If the 3rd day of a month is Monday, which will be the fifth day from 21st of this month?
    1. Monday
    2. Tuesday
    3. Wednesday
    4. Friday
  37. For a charity show, the total tickets sold were 420. Half were sold at ₹5 each, one-third at ₹3 each and the rest at ₹2 each. What was the total amount received?
    1. ₹900
    2. ₹1,540
    3. ₹1,610
    4. ₹2,000

  38. Reading passage

    Use the following family relationships for the three questions. A, B, C, D, E, F are members of a family. They are engineer, stenographer, doctor, draughtsman, lawyer and judge (not in order). A, the engineer is married to the lady stenographer. The judge is married to the lawyer. F, the draughtsman is the son of B and brother of E. C, the lawyer is the daughter-in-law of D. E is the unmarried doctor. D is the grandmother of F. There are two married couples in the family.
    What is the profession of B?
    1. Judge
    2. Lawyer
    3. Draughtsman
    4. Cannot be determined

  39. Reading passage

    Which of the following is/are a couple/couples?
    1. AD only
    2. BC only
    3. Both AD and BC
    4. Both AC and BD

  40. Reading passage

    What is the profession of D?
    1. Judge
    2. Stenographer
    3. Doctor
    4. Cannot be determined

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