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 1–40 of 80

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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.

Reading passage

Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. In recent times, India has grown fast not only compared to its own past but also in comparison with other nations. But there cannot be any room for complacency because it is possible for the Indian economy to develop even faster and also to spread the benefits of this growth more widely than has been done thus far. Before going into details of the kinds of micro-structural changes that we need to conceptualize and then proceed to implement, it is worthwhile elaborating on the idea of inclusive growth that constitutes the defining concept behind this Government's various economic policies and decisions. A nation interested in inclusive growth views the same growth differently depending on whether the gains of the growth are heaped primarily on a small segment or shared widely by the population. The latter is cause for celebration but not the former. In other words, growth must not be treated as an end in itself but as an instrument for spreading prosperity to all. India’s own past experience and the experience of other nations suggests that growth is necessary for eradicating poverty but it is not a sufficient condition. In other words, policies for promoting growth need to be complemented with policies to ensure that more and more people join in the growth process and, further, that there are mechanisms in place to redistribute some of the gains to those who are unable to partake in the market process and, hence, get left behind. A simple way of giving this idea of inclusive growth a sharper form is to measure a nation’s progress in terms of the progress of its poorest segment, for instance the bottom 20 per cent of the population. One could measure the per capita income of the bottom quintile of the population and also calculate the growth rate of income; and evaluate our economic success in terms of these measures that pertain to the poorest segment. This approach is attractive because it does not ignore growth like some of the older heterodox criteria did. It simply looks at the growth of income of the poorest sections of the population. It also ensures that those who are outside of the bottom quintile do not get ignored. If that were done, then those people would in all likelihood drop down into the bottom quintile and so would automatically become a direct target of our policies. Hence the criterion being suggested here is a statistical summing up of the idea of inclusive growth, which, in turn, leads to two corollaries : to wish that India must strive to achieve high growth and that we must work to ensure that the weakest segments benefit from the growth.

The author’s central focus is on
1. applauding India’s economic growth not only against its own past performance, but against other nations
2. emphasizing the need for economic growth which is the sole determinant of a country’s prosperity
3. emphasizing inclusive growth where gains of growth are shared widely by the population
4. emphasizing high growth
Reading passage

The author supports policies which will help
1. develop economic growth
2. better distribution of incomes irrespective of rate of growth
3. develop economic growth and redistribute economic gains to those getting left behind
4. put an emphasis on the development of the poorest segments of society
Reading passage

Consider the following statements: According to the author, India’s economy has grown but there is no room for complacency as 1. growth eradicates poverty. 2. growth has resulted in prosperity for all. 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
Reading passage

Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. It is easy for the government to control State-owned companies through nods and winks. So what really needs to be done as a first step is to put petrol pricing on a transparent formula — if the price of crude is x and the exchange rate y, then every month or fortnight, the government announces a maximum price of petrol, which anybody can work out from the x and the y. The rule has to be worked out to make sure that the oil-marketing companies can, in general, cover their costs. This will mean that if one company can innovate and cut costs, it will make greater profits. Hence, firms will be more prone to innovate and be efficient under this system. Once the rule is announced, there should be no interference by the government. If this is done for a while, private companies will re-enter this market. And once a sufficient number of them are in the fray, we can remove the rule-based pricing and leave it truly to the market (subject to, of course, the usual regulations of anti-trust and other competition laws).

According to the passage, an oil company can make greater profits, if a transparent formula for petrol pricing is announced every fortnight or month, by 1. promoting its sales. 2. undertaking innovation. 3. cutting costs. 4. selling its equity shares at higher prices. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3
3. 3 and 4
4. 1, 2 and 4
Reading passage

According to the passage, private oil companies re-enter the oil producing market if 1. a transparent rule-based petrol pricing exists. 2. there is no government interference in the oil producing market. 3. subsidies are given by the government. 4. regulations of anti-trust are removed. Which of the statements given above are correct?
1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 3 and 4
4. 2 and 4
Five persons fire bullets at a target at an interval of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 seconds respectively. The number of times they would fire the bullets together at the target in an hour is
1. 6
2. 7
3. 8
4. 9
A group of 630 children is seated in rows for a group photo session. Each row contains three less children than the row in front of it. Which one of the following number of rows is not possible?
1. 3
2. 4
3. 5
4. 6
There are seven persons up on a ladder, A, B, C, D, E, F and G (not in that order). A is further up than E but is lower than C. B is in the middle. G is between A and B. E is between B and F. If F is between E and D, the person on the bottom step of the ladder will be
1. B
2. F
3. D
4. E
Consider that: 1. A is taller than B. 2. C is taller than A. 3. D is taller than C. 4. E is the tallest of all. If they are made to sit in the above order of their height, who will occupy the mid position?
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
There are six villages A, B, C, D, E and F. F is 1 km to the west of D. B is 1 km to the east of E. A is 2 km to the north of E. C is 1 km to the east of A. D is 1 km to the south of A. Which three villages are in a line?
1. A, C, B
2. A, D, E
3. C, B, F
4. E, B, D
Four children are sitting in a row. A is occupying the seat next to B but not next to C. If C is not sitting next to D, who is/are occupying seat/seats adjacent to D?
1. B
2. A
3. B and A
4. Impossible to tell
Assume that: 1. the hour and minute hands of a clock move without jerking. 2. the clock shows a time between 8 o’clock and 9 o’clock. 3. the two hands of the clock are one above the other. After how many minutes (nearest integer) will the two hands be again lying one above the other?
1. 60
2. 62
3. 65
4. 67
Reading passage

Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. Climate change poses potentially devastating effects on India’s agriculture. While the overall parameters of climate change are increasingly accepted — a 1°C average temperature increase over the next 30 years, sea level rise of less than 10 cm in the same period, and regional monsoon variations and corresponding droughts — the impacts in India are likely to be quite site and crop specific. Some crops may respond favourably to the changing conditions, others may not. This emphasizes the need to promote agricultural research and create maximum flexibility in the system to permit adaptations. The key ingredient for “drought proofing” is the managed recharge of aquifers. To ensure continued yields of important staple crops (e.g. wheat), it may also be necessary to shift the locations where these crops are grown, in response to temperature changes as well as to water availability. The latter will be a key factor in making long term investment decisions. For example, water runoff from the Himalayas is predicted to increase over the next 30 years as glaciers melt, but then decline substantially thereafter. It will be critical to provide incentives to plan for these large-scale shifts in agro-ecological conditions. India needs to make long term investment in research and development in agriculture. India is likely to experience changed weather patterns in future.

Climate change may force the shifting of locations of the existing crops due to 1. melting of glaciers. 2. water availability and temperature suitability at other locations. 3. poor productivity of crops. 4. wider adaptability of crop plants. Which of the statements given above are correct?
1. 1, 2 and 3
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Reading passage

According to the passage, why is it important to promote agricultural research in India?
1. To predict variations in monsoon patterns and to manage water resources
2. To make long term investment decisions for economic growth
3. To facilitate wider adaptability of crops
4. To predict drought conditions and to recharge aquifers
Reading passage

Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. It is essential that we mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases and thus avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change that would take place in coming years and decades. Mitigation would require a major shift in the way we produce and consume energy. A shift away from overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels is now long overdue, but unfortunately, technological development has been slow and inadequate largely because government policies have not promoted investments in research and development, myopically as a result of relatively low prices of oil. It is now, therefore, imperative for a country like India treating the opportunity of harnessing renewable energy on a large scale as a national imperative. This country is extremely well endowed with solar, wind and biomass sources of energy. Where we have lagged, unfortunately, is in our ability to develop and to create technological solutions for harnessing these resources. One particular trajectory for carrying out stringent mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly shows the need for ensuring that global emissions of greenhouse gases peak no later than 2015 and reduce rapidly thereafter. The cost associated with such a trajectory is truly modest and would amount, in the estimation of IPCC, to not more than 3 percent of the global GDP in 2030. In other words, the level of prosperity that the world would have reached without mitigation would at worst be postponed by a few months or a year at the most. This is clearly not a very high price to pay for protecting hundreds of millions of people from the worst risks associated with climate change. Any such effort, however, would require lifestyles to change appropriately also. Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is not a mere technological fix, and clearly requires changes in lifestyles and transformation of a country’s economic structure, whereby effective reduction in emissions is brought about, such as through the consumption of much lower quantities of animal protein. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has determined that the emissions from the livestock sector amount to 18 percent of the total. The reduction of emissions from this source is entirely in the hands of human beings, who have never questioned the impacts that their dietary habits of consuming more and more animal protein are bringing about. Mitigation overall has huge co-benefits, such as lower air pollution and health benefits, higher energy security and greater employment.

According to the passage, which of the following would help in the mitigation of greenhouse gases? 1. Reducing the consumption of meat 2. Rapid economic liberalization 3. Reducing the consumerism 4. Modern management practices of livestock Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1. 1, 2 and 3
2. 2, 3 and 4
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 2 and 4 only
Reading passage

Why do we continue to depend on the fossil fuels heavily? 1. Inadequate technological development 2. Inadequate funds for research and development 3. Inadequate availability of alternative sources of energy Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3
Reading passage

According to the passage, how does the mitigation of greenhouse gases help us? 1. Reduces expenditure on public health 2. Reduces dependence on livestock 3. Reduces energy requirements 4. Reduces rate of global climate change Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1. 1, 2 and 3
2. 1, 3 and 4
3. 2, 3 and 4
4. 1 and 4 only
Reading passage

What is the essential message of the passage?
1. We continue to depend on fossil fuels heavily
2. Mitigation of the greenhouse gases is imperative
3. We must invest in research and development
4. People must change their lifestyle
There are 50 students admitted to a nursery class. Some students can speak only English and some can speak only Hindi. 10 students can speak both English and Hindi. If the number of students who can speak English is 21, then how many students can speak Hindi, how many can speak only Hindi and how many can speak only English?
1. 21, 11 and 29 respectively
2. 28, 18 and 22 respectively
3. 37, 27 and 13 respectively
4. 39, 29 and 11 respectively
A gardener increased the area of his rectangular garden by increasing its length by 40% and decreasing its width by 20%. The area of the new garden
1. has increased by 20%
2. has increased by 12%
3. has increased by 8%
4. is exactly the same as the old area
Six books are labelled A, B, C, D, E and F and are placed side by side. Books B, C, E and F have green covers while others have yellow covers. Books A, B and D are new while the rest are old volumes. Books A, B and C are law reports while the rest are medical extracts. Which two books are old medical extracts and have green covers?
1. B and C
2. E and F
3. C and E
4. C and F
A straight line segment is 36 cm long. Points are to be marked on the line from both the end points. From each end, the first point is at a distance of 1 cm from the end, the second point is at a distance of 2 cm from the first point and the third point at a distance of 3 cm from the second point and so on. If the points on the ends are not counted and the common points are counted as one, what is the number of points?
1. 10
2. 12
3. 14
4. 16
If Sohan, while selling two goats at the same price, makes a profit of 10% on one goat and suffers a loss of 10% on the other
1. he makes no profit and no loss
2. he makes a profit of 1%
3. he suffers a loss of 1%
4. he suffers a loss of 2%
Out of a total of 120 musicians in a club, 5% can play all the three instruments, guitar, violin and flute. It so happens that the number of musicians who can play any two and only two of the above instruments is 30. The number of musicians who can play guitar alone is 40. What is the total number of those who can play violin alone or flute alone?
1. 45
2. 44
3. 38
4. 30
Six identical cards are placed on a table. Each card has number ‘1’ marked on one side and number ‘2’ marked on its other side. All the six cards are placed in such a manner that the number ‘1’ is on the upper side. In one try, exactly four (neither more nor less) cards are turned upside down. In how many least number of tries can the cards be turned upside down such that all the six cards show number ‘2’ on the upper side?
1. 3
2. 5
3. 7
4. This cannot be achieved
Reading passage

Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. The Himalayan ecosystem is highly vulnerable to damage, both due to geological reasons and on account of the stress caused by increased pressure of population, exploitation of natural resources and other related challenges. These aspects may be exacerbated due to the impact of climate change. It is possible that climate change may adversely impact the Himalayan ecosystem through increased temperature, altered precipitation patterns, episodes of drought and biotic influences. This would not only impact the very sustenance of the indigenous communities in uplands but also the life of downstream dwellers across the country and beyond. Therefore, there is an urgent need for giving special attention to sustain the Himalayan ecosystem. This would require conscious efforts for conserving all the representative systems. Further, it needs to be emphasized that the endemics with restricted distribution, and most often with specialized habitat requirements, are among the most vulnerable elements. In this respect the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with rich endemic diversity, is vulnerable to climate change. The threats include possible loss of genetic resources and species, habitats and concomitantly a decrease in ecosystem services. Therefore, conservation of endemic elements in representative ecosystems/habitats assumes a great significance while drawing conservation plans for the region. Towards achieving the above, we will have to shift toward contemporary conservation approaches, which include a paradigm of landscape level interconnectivity between protected area systems. The concept advocates a shift from the species-habitat focus to an inclusive focus on expanding the biogeographic range so that natural adjustments to climate change can proceed without being restrictive.

According to the passage, the adverse impact of climate change on an ecosystem can be a 1. permanent disappearance of some of its flora and fauna. 2. permanent disappearance of ecosystem itself. 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
Reading passage

Which one of the following statements best implies the need to shift toward contemporary conservation approach?
1. Exploitation of natural resources causes a stress on the Himalayan ecosystem
2. Climate change alters precipitation patterns, causes episodes of drought and biotic interference
3. The rich biodiversity, including endemic diversity, makes the Himalayan region a biodiversity hotspot
4. The Himalayan biogeographic region should be enabled to adapt to climate change smoothly
Reading passage

What is the most important message conveyed by the passage?
1. Endemism is a characteristic feature of Himalayan region
2. Conservation efforts should emphasize on biogeographic ranges rather than on some species or habitats
3. Climate change has adverse impact on the Himalayan ecosystem
4. Without Himalayan ecosystem, the life of the communities of uplands and downstream will have no sustenance
Reading passage

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. To maintain natural ecosystems, exploitation of natural resources should be completely avoided. 2. Not only anthropogenic but also natural reasons can adversely affect ecosystems. 3. Loss of endemic diversity leads to the extinction of ecosystems. Which of the above assumptions is/are correct?
1. 1 and 2
2. 2 only
3. 2 and 3
4. 3 only
Reading passage

Read the passage and answer using the information it contains. It is often forgotten that globalization is not only about policies on international economic relationships and transactions, but has equally to do with domestic policies of a nation. Policy changes necessitated by meeting the internationally set conditions (by WTO etc.) of free trade and investment flows obviously affect domestic producers and investors. But the basic philosophy underlying globalization emphasizes absolute freedom to markets to determine prices and production and distribution patterns, and view government interventions as processes that create distortions and bring in inefficiency. Thus, public enterprises have to be privatized through disinvestments and sales; sectors and activities hitherto reserved for the public sector have to be opened to the private sector. This logic extends to the social services like education and health. Any restrictions on the adjustments in workforce by way of retrenchment of workers should also be removed and exit should be made easier by removing any restrictions on closures. Employment and wages should be governed by free play of market forces, as any measure to regulate them can discourage investment and also create inefficiency in production. Above all, in line with the overall philosophy of reduction in the role of the State, fiscal reforms should be undertaken to have generally low levels of taxation and government expenditure should be kept to the minimum to abide by the principle of fiscal prudence. All these are policy actions on the domestic front and are not directly related to the core items of the globalization agenda, namely free international flow of goods and finance.

According to the passage, under globalization, government interventions are viewed as processes leading to
1. distortions and inefficiency in the economy
2. optimum use of resources
3. more profitability to industries
4. free play of market forces with regard to industries
Reading passage

According to the passage, the basic philosophy of globalization is to
1. give absolute freedom to producers to determine prices and production
2. give freedom to producers to evolve distribution patterns
3. give absolute freedom to markets to determine prices, production and employment
4. give freedom to producers to import and export
Reading passage

According to the passage, which of the following is/are necessary for ensuring globalization? 1. Privatization of public enterprises 2. Expansionary policy of public expenditure 3. Free play of market forces to determine wages and employment 4. Privatization of social services like education and health Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1, 3 and 4
4. 2, 3 and 4
Reading passage

According to the passage, in the process of globalization the State should have
1. expanding role
2. reducing role
3. statutory role
4. none of the above roles
In which year is the average profit of A and B same?

Average-profit graph — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
1. 1995
2. 1996
3. 1997
4. 1998
What is the difference between the average profit of B and A in the year 1998?

Average-profit graph — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
1. − ₹100
2. − ₹1,000
3. + ₹600
4. − ₹300
How much more average profit did A make in the year 2000 than in the year 1999?

Average-profit graph — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
1. ₹200
2. ₹1,000
3. ₹1,500
4. ₹2,000
What is the trend of the average profit of B from the year 1997 to the year 2000?

Average-profit graph — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
1. Non-increasing
2. Non-decreasing
3. Steady
4. Fluctuating
The table shows the marks obtained by two students in different subjects.
Subject — A: marks — A: maximum — B: marks — B: maximum
1. English — 60 — 100 — 80 — 150
2. Psychology — 70 — 100 — 70 — 100
3. History — 50 — 100 — 60 — 100
4. Sanskrit — 30 — 50 — 15 — 25
The difference in the mean aggregate percentage marks of the students is
1. 2.5%
2. 13.75%
3. 1.25%
4. Zero
Examine the figure below. Which option contains the given figure embedded in it?

Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
1. Figure A
2. Figure B
3. Figure C
4. Figure D
Which option fits the blank cell in the arrow matrix shown below?

Reviewed source study figure — KSLC redrawn study figure; no answer marking.
1. Figure A
2. Figure B
3. Figure C
4. Figure D

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