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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2011 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT) — question paper

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UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2011 - General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

Paper #3263 · 2011 · General Studies Paper II (CSAT) · 80 reviewed questions · Showing 41–80 of 80

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2011 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 8 item(s) accept alternative answers; all accepted choices are explained, but these items are excluded from single-answer automatic scoring.

  1. A bus covers 160 km in 4 hours and a train 320 km in 5 hours at uniform speeds. What is the ratio of distances they cover in one hour?
    1. 8:5
    2. 5:8
    3. 4:5
    4. 1:2
  2. Of 100 students, 60% play cricket, 30% football and 10% both. How many play neither?
    1. 25
    2. 20
    3. 18
    4. 15
  3. A village of 4000 needs 150 litres of water per person daily. Its tank measures 20 m × 15 m × 6 m. How long will the full tank last?
    1. 2 days
    2. 3 days
    3. 4 days
    4. 5 days

  4. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer the following questions on the basis of the passage. A species that exerts an influence out of proportion to its abundance in an ecosystem is called a keystone species. The keystone species may influence both the species richness of communities and the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems. The sea star Pisaster ochraceus, which lives in rocky intertidal ecosystems on the Pacific coast of North America, is an example. Its preferred prey is the mussel Mytilus californianus. In the absence of sea stars, these mussels crowd out other competitors in a broad belt of the intertidal zone. By consuming mussels, the sea star creates bare spaces that are taken over by a variety of other species. A study at the University of Washington demonstrated the influence of Pisaster on species richness by removing sea stars from selected parts of the intertidal zone repeatedly over five years. Two major changes occurred in the removal areas. First, the lower edge of the mussel bed extended farther down into the intertidal zone, showing that sea stars can eliminate mussels completely where they are covered with water most of the time. Second, and more dramatically, 28 species of animals and algae disappeared from the removal zone. Eventually only Mytilus, the dominant competitor, occupied the entire substratum. Through its effect on competitive relationships, predation by Pisaster largely determines which species live in these rocky intertidal ecosystems.
    What is the crux of the passage?
    1. Sea stars have preferred prey.
    2. Preferred prey determines keystone-species survival.
    3. Keystone species ensure species diversity.
    4. Sea star is the only keystone species on the North American Pacific coast.

  5. Reading passage

    Consider: 1. Mussels are generally dominant in intertidal ecosystems. 2. Sea-star survival is generally determined by mussel abundance. Which is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2

  6. Reading passage

    Which are implied? 1. Mussels are always hard competitors for sea stars. 2. Pacific-coast sea stars have reached their evolutionary climax. 3. Sea stars are important in intertidal ecosystem energy flow.
    1. 1 and 2
    2. 2 only
    3. 1 and 3
    4. 3 only

  7. Reading passage

    Which assumptions are valid? 1. Keystone species influence food chains/webs. 2. Keystone species are specific to aquatic ecosystems. 3. Complete removal of the keystone species leads to ecosystem collapse.
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3
  8. To be a teacher one must graduate. All poets are poor. Some mathematicians are poets. No graduate is poor. Which conclusion is not valid?
    1. Some mathematicians are not teachers.
    2. Some teachers are not mathematicians.
    3. Teachers are not poor.
    4. Poets are not teachers.
  9. A student’s average for three tests is N. She scores 20 more than that average on the fourth. What is the four-test average?
    1. N+20
    2. N+10
    3. N+4
    4. N+5
  10. In a group, 70% are male and 30% married. Two-sevenths of males are married. What fraction of females are single?
    1. 2/7
    2. 1/3
    3. 3/7
    4. 2/3
  11. A and B’s houses face each other on a north–south road, A on the west side. A leaves, turns left, walks 5 km, turns right and walks 5 km to D’s house. B does exactly the same and reaches C’s house. Which is correct?
    1. C and D live on the same street.
    2. C’s house faces south.
    3. C and D’s houses are less than 20 km apart.
    4. None of the above

  12. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer the following questions on the basis of the passage. Now India’s children have a right to receive at least eight years of education. The gnawing question is whether it will remain on paper or become a reality. One hardly needs a reminder that this right is different from the others enshrined in the Constitution: the beneficiary—a six-year-old child—cannot demand it, nor can she or he fight a legal battle when the right is denied or violated. In all cases it is the adult society which must act on behalf of the child. In another peculiarity, where a child’s right to education is denied, no compensation offered later can be adequate or relevant. This is so because childhood does not last. If a legal battle fought on behalf of a child is eventually won, it may be of little use to the boy or girl because the opportunity missed at school during childhood cannot serve the same purpose later in life. This may be painfully true for girls because our society permits them only a short childhood, if at all. The Right to Education has become law at a point in India’s history when the ghastly practice of female infanticide has resurfaced in the form of foeticide. This is symptomatic of a deeper turmoil in society which is compounding the traditional obstacles to the education of girls. Tenacious prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls runs across our cultural diversity and the system of education has not been able to address it.
    With reference to the passage: 1. Adult society does not act when children are denied education. 2. The Right to Education law cannot be enforced. Which is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2

  13. Reading passage

    What are traditional obstacles to girls’ education? 1. Parents cannot fight a legal battle over denied education. 2. Traditional thinking about girls’ social role. 3. Prejudice against girls’ intellectual potential. 4. An improper education system.
    1. 1 and 2 only
    2. 2, 3 and 4 only
    3. 1, 3 and 4 only
    4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

  14. Reading passage

    Consider: 1. Education is a legal, not fundamental, right. 2. Universal education requires a system identical to developed countries’. Which is/are correct on the passage’s basis?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2

  15. Reading passage

    What is the key message?
    1. India has declared education compulsory.
    2. Adult society is not keen to implement education rights.
    3. The Right to Education, especially for girls, needs safeguarding.
    4. The education system should address the Right to Education.

  16. Reading passage

    What is the inference?
    1. Society has tenacious prejudice against girls’ intellectual potential.
    2. Adults cannot be relied on to fight for children.
    3. Legal fights for education are often protracted and prohibitive.
    4. There is no sufficient substitute for education received in childhood.

  17. Reading passage

    Read the information and answer the following questions. A, B, C, D and E belong to the same family. There are two fathers, two sons, two wives, three males and two females. The teacher is the wife of a lawyer who is a doctor’s son. E is not male and is not the wife of a professional. C is the youngest and D the eldest. B is male.
    How is D related to E?
    1. Husband
    2. Son
    3. Father
    4. Wife

  18. Reading passage

    Who are the two females in the family?
    1. C and E
    2. C and D
    3. E and A
    4. D and E

  19. Reading passage

    Whose wife is the teacher?
    1. C
    2. D
    3. A
    4. B

  20. Reading passage

    Read the information and answer the following questions. A survey about a proposed measure had 2878 participants, including 1652 males. A total of 1226 opposed the proposal, including 796 males. A total of 1425 supported it. There were 196 undecided females.
    How many females voted for the proposal?
    1. 430
    2. 600
    3. 624
    4. 640

  21. Reading passage

    How many males were undecided?
    1. 31
    2. 227
    3. 426
    4. 581

  22. Reading passage

    How many females were not in favour of the proposal?
    1. 430
    2. 496
    3. 586
    4. 1226
  23. In a queue of 48, X is fourteenth from the front and Y seventeenth from the end. Z is exactly midway between X and Y. X is ahead of Y. How many people are between X and Z?
    1. 6
    2. 7
    3. 8
    4. 9

  24. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer the following questions on the basis of the passage. He walked several miles that day but could not get anything to eat or drink except some dry bread and some water, which he got from cottagers and farmers. As night fell he slept under a haystack lying in a meadow. He felt frightened at first, for the wind blew awfully over the empty fields. He felt cold and hungry and was feeling more lonely than he had ever felt before. He, however, soon fell asleep, being much tired with his long walk. When he got up next day, he was feeling terribly hungry so he purchased a loaf of bread with a few coins that he had.
    When night fell, where did he sleep?
    1. In the open field.
    2. Under a pile of dry grass.
    3. In a farmer’s cottage.
    4. Under a tree.

  25. Reading passage

    Why did he soon fall asleep?
    1. He was exhausted.
    2. He was all alone.
    3. He had not slept for days.
    4. He was very frightened.

  26. Reading passage

    Consider: 1. He walked through countryside. 2. Cottagers and farmers gave enough food to prevent hunger at night. Which is/are correct?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2

  27. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer the following questions on the basis of the passage. I opened the bag and packed the boots in; and then, just as I was going to close it, a horrible idea occurred to me. Had I packed my toothbrush? I don’t know how it is, but I never do know whether I’ve packed my toothbrush. My toothbrush is a thing that haunts me when I’m travelling and makes my life a misery. I dream that I haven’t packed it, and wake up in a cold perspiration, and get out of bed and hunt for it. And, in the morning, I pack it before I have used it, and it is always the last thing I turn out of the bag; and then I repack and forget it, and have to rush upstairs for it at the last moment and carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in my pocket-handkerchief.
    The idea occurring as he closed his bag was
    1. unpleasant.
    2. sad.
    3. fantastic.
    4. amusing.

  28. Reading passage

    What makes his life miserable when travelling?
    1. Going to the railway station.
    2. Forgetting the toothbrush.
    3. Packing his bag.
    4. Bad dreams.

  29. Reading passage

    Where is his toothbrush finally?
    1. In his bag.
    2. In his bed.
    3. In his handkerchief.
    4. Lost.

  30. Reading passage

    Read the passage and answer the following questions on the basis of the passage. In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three-month-old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to her remaining reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent stands to gain an extra meal and it may have the meal at the expense of others. The smallest of the litter forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are protective of their cubs but tend to ignore family rivalry over food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears I’ve only once seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.
    When do female polar bears give birth according to the passage?
    1. Spring
    2. Summer
    3. Autumn
    4. Winter

  31. Reading passage

    The mother bear
    1. takes sides over cubs.
    2. lets cubs fend for themselves.
    3. feeds only her favourites.
    4. ensures every cub receives an equal share.

  32. Reading passage

    Which assumptions are valid from the passage? 1. Polar bears fast for up to eight months because prey is unavailable. 2. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
  33. You must explain missing an important meeting. Your immediate boss did not inform you and now pressures you not to allege that. You would
    1. Send a written reply explaining the facts.
    2. Seek an appointment with the top boss to explain.
    3. Admit fault to save the situation.
    4. Blame the meeting coordinator for not informing you.
  34. A thug illegally builds on your vacant plot, refuses to leave and threatens you unless you sell cheaply. You would
    1. Sell cheaply.
    2. Approach police for necessary action.
    3. Ask neighbours for help.
    4. Negotiate a higher sale price with him.
  35. You must complete an important Headquarters task within two days but suddenly have an accident. Your office insists on completion. You would
    1. Seek a deadline extension.
    2. Inform Headquarters you cannot finish on time.
    3. Suggest an alternative person to do the needful.
    4. Stay away until recovery.
  36. You oversee medical relief after an earthquake. Despite your efforts, people allege you are profiting from relief funds. You would
    1. Allow an inquiry into the allegations.
    2. Ask your senior to replace you.
    3. Ignore the allegations.
    4. Stop all initiatives until resolution.
  37. You must urgently hire flood-relief boats. The lowest quote is about three times the government-approved rate. You would
    1. Reject it and invite fresh prices.
    2. Accept the lowest price.
    3. Refer to Government and wait.
    4. Warn boat owners about possible licence cancellation.
  38. In an isolated epidemic-hit village, you have one vaccine dose needed by both the Gram Pradhan and a poor villager. The Pradhan pressures you for it. You would
    1. Expedite the next supply without giving either the dose.
    2. Arrange vaccine for the poor villager from another area’s distributor.
    3. Ask both to get a doctor’s assessment of urgency.
    4. Arrange vaccine for the Pradhan from another area’s distributor.
  39. After you establish winter night shelters for homeless people, residents complain of increased theft and demand removal. You would
    1. Ask them to lodge a written police complaint.
    2. Assure residents of an inquiry.
    3. Ask them to consider the humanitarian effort.
    4. Ignore them and continue.
  40. An influential person’s daughter-in-law reports dowry harassment. Her parents cannot approach due to social pressure. As an administrative authority you would
    1. Call her in-laws for an explanation.
    2. Counsel her to adjust.
    3. Act only after her parents approach.
    4. Ask her to lodge a police complaint.

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