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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2013 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT) — question paper

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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2013 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

Paper #3259 · 2013 · 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.

2013 General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A: 80 questions with 80 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 item(s) accept alternative answers; all accepted choices are explained, but these items are excluded from single-answer automatic scoring.

  1. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. The law in many parts of the world increasingly restricts the discharge of agricultural slurry into watercourses. The simplest and often the most economically sound practice returns the material to the land as semisolid manure or as sprayed slurry. This dilutes its concentration in the environment to what might have occurred in a more primitive and sustainable type of agriculture and converts pollutant into fertilizer. Soil microorganisms decompose the organic components of sewage and slurry and most of the mineral nutrients become available to be absorbed again by the vegetation. The excess input of nutrients, both nitrogen and phosphorus-based, from agricultural runoff (and human sewage) has caused many ‘healthy’ oligotrophic lakes (low nutrient concentrations, low plant productivity with abundant water weeds, and clear water) to change to eutrophic condition where high nutrient inputs lead to high phytoplankton productivity (sometimes dominated by bloom-forming toxic species). This makes the water turbid, eliminates large plants and, in the worst situations, leads to anoxia and fish kills; so called cultural eutrophication. Thus, important ecosystem services are lost, including the provisioning service of wild-caught fish and the cultural services associated with recreation. The process of cultural eutrophication of lakes has been understood for some time. But only recently did scientists notice huge ‘dead zones’ in the oceans near river outlets, particularly those draining large catchment areas such as the Mississippi in North America and the Yangtze in China. The nutrient-enriched water flows through streams, rivers and lakes, and eventually to the estuary and ocean where the ecological impact may be huge, killing virtually all invertebrates and fish in areas up to 70,000 km² in extent. More than 150 sea areas worldwide are now regularly starved of oxygen as a result of decomposition of algal blooms, fuelled particularly by nitrogen from agricultural runoff of fertilizers and sewage from large cities. Oceanic dead zones are typically associated with industrialized nations and usually lie off countries that subsidize their agriculture, encouraging farmers to increase productivity and use more fertilizer.
    What is the central theme of this passage?
    1. Appropriate legislation is essential to protect the environment.
    2. Modern agriculture is responsible for the destruction of environment.
    3. Improper waste disposal from agriculture can destroy the aquatic ecosystems.
    4. Use of chemical fertilizers is undesirable in agriculture.

  2. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. The miseries of the world cannot be cured by physical help only. Until man’s nature changes, his physical needs will always arise, and miseries will always be felt, and no amount of physical help will remove them completely. The only solution of the problem is to make mankind pure. Ignorance is the mother of evil and of all the misery we see. Let men have light, let them be pure and spiritually strong and educated; then alone will misery cease in the world. We may convert every house in the country into a charitable asylum, we may fill the land with hospitals, but human misery will continue until man’s character changes.
    According to the passage, which of the following statements is most likely to be true as the reason for man’s miseries?
    1. The poor economic and social conditions prevailing in society.
    2. The refusal on the part of man to change his character.
    3. The absence of physical and material help from his society.
    4. Ever increasing physical needs due to changing social structure.

  3. Reading passage

    With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The author gives primary importance to physical and material help in eradicating human misery. 2. Charitable homes, hospitals, etc. can remove human misery to a great extent. Which of the assumptions is/are valid?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  4. The two symbols change position in a regular sequence. Which option shows the fifth stage?
    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
  5. Which answer figure should follow the four problem figures?
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    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. Figure A
    2. Figure B
    3. Figure C
    4. Figure D
  6. Which answer figure should follow the four problem figures?
    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
  7. If x men working at a constant rate complete a fixed job in y days, which diagram shows the relationship between x and y?
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    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. diagram I
    2. diagram II
    3. diagram III
    4. diagram IV
  8. Consider the following matrix:
    Left — Centre — Right
    1. 3 — 370 — 7
    2. 2 — 224 — 6
    3. 1 — 730 — X
    What is the number at X?
    1. 5
    2. 8
    3. 9
    4. 11
  9. Four cars are hired at ₹6 per km plus the cost of diesel at ₹40 a litre. Consider the details in the table:
    Car — Mileage (km/litre) — Hours — Total payment (₹)
    1. A — 8 — 20 — 2120
    2. B — 10 — 25 — 1950
    3. C — 9 — 24 — 2064
    4. D — 11 — 22 — 1812
    Which car maintained the maximum average speed?
    1. Car A
    2. Car B
    3. Car C
    4. Car D
  10. The numbers in the three figures follow the same pattern. Find the missing number.
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    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 7
    2. 16
    3. 21
    4. 28
  11. The three views show a cube whose faces are numbered 1 to 6. Which numbers can appear on faces A and B, respectively, in the final view?
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    Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 2 and 3
    2. 6 and 1
    3. 1 and 4
    4. 3 and 1
  12. How many Physics professors belong to the age group 35 — 44?
    Professor-count and age charts
    Professor-count and age charts — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 18
    2. 16
    3. 14
    4. 12
  13. Which one of the following disciplines has the highest ratio of males to females?
    Professor-count and age charts
    Professor-count and age charts — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. Physics
    2. Mathematics
    3. Chemistry
    4. Economics
  14. What percentage of all Psychology professors are females?
    Professor-count and age charts
    Professor-count and age charts — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 40%
    2. 50%
    3. 60%
    4. 70%
  15. If the number of female Physics professors in the age group 25 — 34 equals 25% of all the Physics professors in that age group, then what is the number of male Physics professors in the age group 25-34?
    Professor-count and age charts
    Professor-count and age charts — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 9
    2. 6
    3. 3
    4. 2
  16. If the Psychology professors in the University constitute 2% of all the professors in the University, then what is the number of professors in the University?
    Professor-count and age charts
    Professor-count and age charts — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
    1. 400
    2. 500
    3. 600
    4. 700
  17. Which option logically occupies the seventh position in the figure sequence?
    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

  18. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. Ecological research over the last quarter of the century has established the deleterious effects of habitat fragmentation due to mining, highways and such other intrusions on forests. When a large block of forests gets fragmented into smaller bits, the edges of all these bits come into contact with human activities resulting in the degradation of the entire forests. Continuity of forested landscapes and corridors gets disrupted affecting several extinction-prone species of wildlife. Habitat fragmentation is therefore considered as the most serious threat to biodiversity conservation. Ad hoc grants of forest lands to mining companies coupled with rampant illegal mining is aggravating this threat.
    What is the central focus of this passage?
    1. Illegal mining in forests
    2. Extinction of wildlife
    3. Conservation of nature
    4. Disruption of habitat

  19. Reading passage

    What is the purpose of maintaining the continuity of forested landscapes and corridors? 1. Preservation of biodiversity. 2. Management of mineral resources. 3. Grant of forest lands for human activities. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
    1. 1 only
    2. 1 and 2
    3. 2 and 3
    4. 1, 2 and 3
  20. In a rare coin collection, there is one gold coin for every three non-gold coins. 10 more gold coins are added to the collection and the ratio of gold coins to non-gold coins would be 1:2. Based on the information, the total number of coins in the collection now becomes
    1. 90
    2. 80
    3. 60
    4. 50
  21. A gardener has 1000 plants. He wants to plant them in such a way that the number of rows and the number of columns remains the same. What is the minimum number of plants that he needs more for this purpose?
    1. 14
    2. 24
    3. 32
    4. 34
  22. A sum of ₹700 has to be used to give seven cash prizes to the students of a school for their overall academic performance. If each prize is ₹20 less than its preceding prize, what is the least value of the prize?
    1. ₹30
    2. ₹40
    3. ₹60
    4. ₹80
  23. Out of 120 applications for a post, 70 are male and 80 have a driver’s license. What is the ratio between the minimum to maximum number of males having driver’s license?
    1. 1 to 2
    2. 2 to 3
    3. 3 to 7
    4. 5 to 7
  24. In a garrison, there was food for 1000 soldiers for one month. After 10 days, 1000 more soldiers joined the garrison. How long would the soldiers be able to carry on with the remaining food?
    1. 25 days
    2. 20 days
    3. 15 days
    4. 10 days
  25. The tank-full petrol in Arun’s motor-cycle lasts for 10 days. If he starts using 25% more everyday, how many days will the tank-full petrol last?
    1. 5
    2. 6
    3. 7
    4. 8
  26. A person can walk a certain distance and drive back in six hours. He can also walk both ways in 10 hours. How much time will he take to drive both ways?
    1. Two hours
    2. Two and a half hours
    3. Five and a half hours
    4. Four hours

  27. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. Seven-year-old Jim came home from the park without his new bicycle. “An old man and a little boy borrowed it,” he explained. “They are going to bring it back at four o’clock.” His parents were upset that he had given his expensive new bicycle, but were secretly proud of his kindness and faith. Came four o’clock, no bicycle. The parents were anxious. But at 4:30, the door bell rang, and there stood a happy man and a boy, with the bicycle and a box of chocolates. Jim suddenly disappeared into his bedroom, and then came running out. “All right,” he said, after examining the bicycle. “You can have your watch back !”
    When Jim came home without his bicycle, his parents
    1. were angry with him.
    2. were worried.
    3. did not feel concerned.
    4. were eager to meet the old man and the little boy.

  28. Reading passage

    Jim returned the watch to the old man and the little boy because
    1. they gave him chocolates.
    2. his father was proud of him.
    3. he was satisfied with the condition of his bicycle.
    4. they were late only by 30 minutes.

  29. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. It was already late when we set out for the next town, which according to the map was about fifteen kilometres away on the other side of the hills. There we felt that we would find a bed for the night. Darkness fell soon after we left the village, but luckily we met no one as we drove swiftly along the narrow winding road that led to the hills. As we climbed higher, it became colder and rain began to fall, making it difficult at times to see the road. I asked John, my companion, to drive more slowly. After we had travelled for about twenty kilometres, there was still no sign of the town which was marked on the map. We were beginning to get worried. Then without warning, the car stopped and we found we had run out of petrol.
    The author asked John to drive more slowly because:
    1. the road led to the hills.
    2. John was an inexperienced driver.
    3. the road was not clearly visible.
    4. they were in wilderness.

  30. Reading passage

    The travellers set out for the town although it was getting dark because
    1. they were in a hurry.
    2. the next town was a short distance away and was a hill-resort.
    3. they were in wilderness.
    4. the next town was a short distance away and promised a good rest for the night.

  31. Reading passage

    The travellers were worried after twenty kilometres because
    1. it was a lonely countryside.
    2. they probably feared of having lost their way.
    3. the rain began to fall.
    4. it was getting colder as they drove.

  32. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. A stout old lady was walking with her basket down the middle of a street in Petrograd to the great confusion of the traffic and no small peril to herself. It was pointed out to her that the pavement was the place for foot-passengers, but she replied, “I’m going to walk where I like. We've got liberty now.” It did not occur to the dear lady that if liberty entitled the foot-passenger to walk down the middle of the road it also entitled the taxi-driver to drive on the pavement, and that the end of such liberty would be universal chaos. Everything would be getting in everybody else’s way and nobody would get anywhere. Individual liberty would have become social anarchy.
    It was pointed out to the lady that she should walk on the pavement because she was
    1. a pedestrian.
    2. carrying a basket.
    3. stout.
    4. an old lady.

  33. Reading passage

    The lady refused to move from the middle of the street because
    1. she was not afraid of being killed.
    2. she felt that she is entitled to do whatever she liked.
    3. she did not like walking on the pavement.
    4. she was confused.

  34. Reading passage

    The old lady failed to realise that
    1. she was not really free.
    2. her liberty was not unlimited.
    3. she was an old person.
    4. roads are made for motor vehicles only.

  35. Reading passage

    Use the following information to answer the questions. Each item describes a situation followed by four possible responses. Choose the response you find most appropriate. The responses are evaluated according to their appropriateness for the situation. In the original examination there was no penalty for wrong answers to these six items.
    You are the head of your office. There are certain houses reserved for the allotment to the office staff and you have been given the discretion to do so. A set of rules for the allotment of the houses has been laid down by you and has been made public. Your personal secretary, who is very close to you, comes to you and pleads that as his father is seriously ill, he should be given priority in allotment of a house. The office secretariat that examined the request as per the rules turns down the request and recommends the procedure to be followed according to the rules. You do not want to annoy your personal secretary. In such circumstances, what would you do?
    1. Call him over to your room and personally explain why the allotment cannot be done.
    2. Allot the house to him to win his loyalty.
    3. Agree with the office note to show that you are not biased and that you do not indulge in favouritism.
    4. Keep the file with you and not pass any orders.

  36. Reading passage

    While travelling in a Delhi-registered commercial taxi from Delhi to an adjacent city (another State), your taxi driver informs you that as he has no permit for running the taxi in that city, he will stop at its Transport Office and pay the prescribed fee of ₹40 for a day. While paying the fee at the counter you find that the transport clerk is taking an extra fifty rupees for which no receipt is being given. You are in a hurry for your meeting. In such circumstances, what would you do?
    1. Go up to the counter and ask the clerk to give back the money which he has illegally taken.
    2. Do not interfere at all as this is a matter between the taxi driver and the tax authorities.
    3. Take note of the incident and subsequently report the matter to the concerned authorities.
    4. Treat it as a normal affair and simply forget about it.

  37. Reading passage

    A person lives in a far off village which is almost two hours by bus. The villager’s neighbour is a very powerful landlord who is trying to occupy the poor villager’s land by force. You are the District Magistrate and busy in a meeting called by a local Minister. The villager has come all the way, by bus and on foot, to see you and give an application seeking protection from the powerful landlord. The villager keeps on waiting outside the meeting hall for an hour. You come out of the meeting and are rushing to another meeting. The villager follows you to submit his application. What would you do?
    1. Tell him to wait for another two hours till you come back from your next meeting.
    2. Tell him that the matter is actually to be dealt by a junior officer and that he should give the application to him.
    3. Call one of your senior subordinate officers and ask him to solve the villager’s problem.
    4. Quickly take the application from him, ask him a few relevant questions regarding his problem and then proceed to the meeting.

  38. Reading passage

    There is a shortage of sugar in your District where you are the District Magistrate. The Government has ordered that only a maximum amount of 30 kg sugar is to be released for wedding celebrations. A son of your close friend is getting married and your friend requests you to release at least 50 kg sugar for his ‘son’s wedding. He expresses annoyance when you tell him about the Government’s restrictions on this matter. He feels that since you are the District Magistrate you can release any amount. You do not want to spoil your friendship with him. In such circumstances, how would you deal with the situation?
    1. Release the extra amount of sugar which your friend has requested for.
    2. Refuse your friend the extra amount and strictly follow the rules.
    3. Show your friend the copy of the Government instructions and then persuade him to accept the lower amount as prescribed in the rules.
    4. Advise him to directly apply to the allotting authority and inform him that you do not interfere in this matter.

  39. Reading passage

    You are in-charge of implementing the Family Planning programme in an area where there is a strong opposition to the present policy. You want to convince the residents of the need for keeping small families. What would be the best way of communicating this message?
    1. By logically explaining to the residents the need for family planning to improve the health and living standards.
    2. By encouraging late marriages and proper spacing of children.
    3. By offering incentives for adopting family planning devices.
    4. By asking people who have been sterilized or are using contraceptives to directly talk to the residents.

  40. Reading passage

    You are a teacher in a University and are setting a question paper on a particular subject. One of your colleagues, whose son is preparing for the examination on that subject, comes to you and informs you that it is his son’s last chance to pass that examination and whether you could help him by indicating what questions are going to be in the examination. In the past, your colleague had helped you in another matter. Your colleague informs you that his son will suffer from depression if he fails in this examination. In such circumstances, what would you do?
    1. In view of the help he had given you, extend your help to him.
    2. Regret that you cannot be of any help to him.
    3. Explain to your colleague that this would be violating the trust of the University authorities and you are not in a position to help him.
    4. Report the conduct of your colleague to the higher authorities.

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