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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 1–40 of 80

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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 subject of democracy has become severely muddled because of the way the rhetoric surrounding it has been used in recent years. There is, increasingly, an oddly confused dichotomy between those who want to ‘impose’ democracy on countries in the non-Western world (in these countries’ ‘own interest’, of course) and those who are opposed to such ‘imposition’ (because of the respect for the countries’ ‘own ways’). But the entire language of ‘imposition’, used by both sides, is extraordinarily inappropriate since it makes the implicit assumption that democracy belongs exclusively to the West, taking it to be a quintessentially ‘Western’ idea which has originated and flourished only in the West. But the thesis and the pessimism it generates about the possibility of democratic practice in the world would be extremely hard to justify. There were several experiments in local democracy in ancient India. Indeed, in understanding the roots of democracy in the world, we have to take an interest in the history of people participation and public reasoning in different parts of the world. We have to look beyond thinking of democracy only in terms of European and American evolution. We would fail to understand the pervasive demands for participatory living, on which Aristotle spoke with far-reaching insight, if we take democracy to be a kind of a specialized cultural product of the West. It cannot, of course, be doubted that the institutional structure of the contemporary practice of democracy is largely the product of European and American experience over the last few centuries. This is extremely important to recognize since these developments in institutional formats were immensely innovative and ultimately effective. There can be little doubt that there is a major ‘Western’ achievement here.
    Which of the following is closest to the view of democracy as mentioned in the above passage?
    1. The subject of democracy is a muddle due to a desire to portray it as a Western concept, ‘alien’ to non-Western countries.
    2. The language of imposition of democracy is inappropriate. There is, however, a need to consider this concept in the backdrop of culture of ‘own ways’ of non-Western society.
    3. While democracy is not essentially a Western idea belonging exclusively to the West, the institutional structure of current democratic practices has been their contribution.
    4. None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct.

  2. Reading passage

    With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Many of the non-Western countries are unable to have democracy because they take democracy to be a specialized cultural product of the West. 2. Western countries are always trying to impose democracy on non-Western countries. Which of the above is/are valid assumption/assumptions?
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2

  3. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. Corporate governance is based on principles such as conducting the business with all integrity and fairness, being transparent with regard to all transactions, making all the necessary disclosures and decisions, complying with all the laws of the land, accountability and responsibility towards the stakeholders and commitment to conducting business in an ethical manner. Another point which is highlighted on corporate governance is the need for those in control to be able to distinguish between what are personal and corporate funds while managing a company. Fundamentally, there is a level of confidence that is associated with a company that is known to have good corporate governance. The presence of an active group of independent directors on the board contributes a great deal towards ensuring confidence in the market. Corporate governance is known to be one of the criteria that foreign institutional investors are increasingly depending on when deciding on which companies to invest in. It is also known to have a positive influence on the share price of the company. Having a clean image on the corporate governance front could also make it easier for companies to source capital “at more reasonable costs. Unfortunately, corporate governance often becomes the centre of discussion only after the exposure of a large scam.
    According to the passage, which of the following should be the practice/practices in good corporate governance? 1. Companies should always comply with labour and tax laws of the land. 2. Every company in the country should have a government representative as one of the independent directors on the board to ensure transparency. 3. The manager of a company should never invest his personal funds in the company. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3

  4. Reading passage

    According to the passage, which of the following is/are the major benefit/benefits of good corporate governance? 1. Good corporate governance leads to increase in share price of the company. 2. A company with good corporate governance always increases its business turnover rapidly. 3. Good corporate governance is the main criterion for foreign institutional investors when they decide to buy a company. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3

  5. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. Malnutrition most commonly occurs between the ages of six months and two years. This happens despite the child’s food requirements being less than that of an older child. Malnutrition is often attributed to poverty, but it has been found that even in households where adults eat adequate quantities of food, more than 50 per cent of children-under-five do not consume enough food. The child’s dependence on someone else to feed him/her is primarily responsible for the malnutrition. Very often the mother is working and the responsibility of feeding the young child is left to an older sibling. It is therefore crucial to increase awareness regarding the child’s food needs and how to satisfy them.
    According to the passage, malnutrition in children can be reduced
    1. if the children have regular intake of food.
    2. after they cross the age of five.
    3. if the food needs of younger children are known.
    4. if the responsibility of feeding younger children is given to adults.

  6. Reading passage

    According to the author, poverty is not the main cause of malnutrition, but the fact that 1. taking care of younger ones is not a priority for working mothers. 2. awareness of nutritional needs is not propagated by the Public Health authorities. 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

  7. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. A number of empirical studies find that farmers are risk-averse, though only moderately in many cases. There is also evidence to show that farmers’ risk aversion results in cropping patterns and input use designed to reduce risk rather than to maximize income. Farmers adopt a number of strategies to manage and cope with agricultural risks. These include practices like crop and field diversification, non-farm employment, storage of stocks and strategic migration of family members. There are also institutions ranging from share tenancy to kinship, extended family and informal credit agencies. One major obstacle to risk sharing by farmers is that the same type of risks can affect a large number of farmers in the region. Empirical studies show that the traditional methods are not adequate. Hence there is a need for policy interventions, especially measures that cut across geographical regions. Policies may aim at tackling agricultural risks directly or indirectly. Examples of risk-specific policies are crop insurance, price stabilization and the development of varieties resistant to pests and diseases. Policies which affect risk indirectly are irrigation, subsidized credit and access to information. No single risk-specific policy is sufficient to reduce risk and is without side-effects, whereas policies not specific to risk influence the general situation and affect risks only indirectly. Crop insurance, as a policy measure to tackle agricultural risk directly, deserves careful consideration in the Indian context and in many other developing countries - because the majority of farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture and in many areas yield variability is the predominant cause of their income instability.
    The need for policy intervention to mitigate risks in agriculture is because
    1. farmers are extremely risk-averse.
    2. farmers do not know how to mitigate risks.
    3. the methods adopted by farmers and existing risk sharing institutions are not adequate.
    4. majority of farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture.

  8. Reading passage

    Which of the following observations emerges from the above passage?
    1. One can identify a single policy that can reduce risk without any side-effect.
    2. No single risk-specific policy is sufficient to reduce agricultural risk.
    3. Policies which affect risk indirectly can eliminate it.
    4. Government’s policy intervention can mitigate agricultural risk completely.
  9. Consider the following statements: (i) A primary group is relatively smaller in size. (ii) Intimacy is an essential characteristic of a primary group. (iii) A family may be an example of a primary group. In the light of the above statements, which one of the following is true?
    1. All families are primary groups.
    2. All primary groups are families.
    3. A group of smaller size is always a primary group.
    4. Members of a primary group know each other intimately.
  10. Four friends, A, B, C and D distribute some money among themselves in such a manner that A gets one less than B, C gets 5 more than D, D gets 3 more than B. Who gets the smallest amount?
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D

  11. Reading passage

    Use the following information to answer the questions. Five cities P, Q, R, S and T are connected by different modes of transport as follows : P and Q are connected by boat as well as rail. S and R are connected by bus and boat. Q and T are connected by air only. P and R are connected by boat only. T and R are connected by rail and bus.
    Which mode of transport would help one to reach R starting from Q, but without changing the mode of transport?
    1. Boat
    2. Rail
    3. Bus
    4. Air

  12. Reading passage

    If a person visits each of the places starting from P and gets back to P, which of the following places must he visit twice?
    1. Q
    2. R
    3. S
    4. T

  13. Reading passage

    Which one of the following pairs of cities is connected by any of the routes directly without going to any other city?
    1. P and T
    2. T and S
    3. Q and R
    4. None of these

  14. Reading passage

    Between which two cities among the pairs of cities given below are there maximum travel options available?
    1. Q and S
    2. P and R
    3. P and T
    4. Q and R

  15. Reading passage

    Use the following information to answer the questions. A tennis coach is trying to put together a team of four players for the forthcoming tournament. For this 7 players are available : males A, B and C; and females W, X, Y and Z. All players have equal capability and at least 2 males will be there in the team. For a team of four, all players must be able to play with each other. But, B cannot play with W, C cannot play with Z and W cannot play with Y.
    If Y is selected and B is rejected, the team will consist of which one of the following groups?
    1. A, C, W and Y
    2. A, C, X and Y
    3. A, C, Y and Z
    4. A, W, Y and Z

  16. Reading passage

    If B is selected and Y is rejected, the team will consist of which one of the following groups?
    1. A, B, C and W
    2. A, B, C and Z
    3. A, B, C and X
    4. A, W, Y and Z

  17. Reading passage

    If all the three males are selected, then how many combinations of four member teams are possible?
    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 4
  18. The music director of a film wants to select four persons to work on different aspects of the composition of a piece of music. Seven persons are available for this work; they are Rohit, Tanya, Shobha, Kaushal, Kunal, Mukesh and Jaswant. Rohit and Tanya will not work together. Kunal and Shobha will not work together. Mukesh and Kunal want to work together. Which of the following is the most acceptable group of people that can be selected by the music director?
    1. Rohit, Shobha, Kunal and Kaushal
    2. Tanya, Kaushal, Shobha and Rohit
    3. Tanya, Mukesh, Kunal and Jaswant
    4. Shobha, Tanya, Rohit and Mukesh
  19. Five people A, B, C, D and E are seated about a round table. Every chair is spaced equidistant from adjacent chairs. (i) C is seated next to A. (ii) A is seated two seats from D. (iii) B is not seated next to A. Which of the following must be true? (I) D is seated next to B. (II) E is seated next to A. Select the correct answer from the codes given below.
    1. I only
    2. II only
    3. Both I and II
    4. Neither I nor II

  20. Reading passage

    Use the following information to answer the questions. Out of four friends A, B, C and D, A and B play football and cricket, B and C play cricket and hockey, A and D play basketball and football, C and D play hockey and basketball.
    Who does not play hockey?
    1. D
    2. C
    3. B
    4. A

  21. Reading passage

    Who plays football, basketball and hockey?
    1. D
    2. C
    3. B
    4. A

  22. Reading passage

    Which game do B, C and D play?
    1. Basketball
    2. Hockey
    3. Cricket
    4. Football
  23. Geeta is older than her cousin Meena. Meena’s brother Bipin is older than Geeta. When Meena and Bipin visit Geeta, they like to play chess. Meena wins the game more often than Geeta. Based on the above information, four conclusions, as given below, have been made. Which one of these logically follows from the information given above?
    1. While playing chess with Geeta and Meena, Bipin often loses.
    2. Geeta is the oldest among the three.
    3. Geeta hates to lose the game.
    4. Meena is the youngest of the three.

  24. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. Financial markets in India have acquired greater depth and liquidity over the years. Steady reforms since 1991 have led to growing linkages and integration of the Indian economy and its financial system with the global economy. Weak global economic prospects and continuing uncertainties in the international financial markets therefore, have had their impact on the emerging market economies. Sovereign risk concerns, particularly in the Euro area, affected financial markets for the greater part of the year, with the contagion of Greece’s sovereign debt problem spreading to India and other economies by way of higher-than-normal levels of volatility. The funding constraints in international financial markets could impact both the availability and cost of foreign funding for banks and corporates. Since the Indian financial system is bank dominated, banks’ ability to withstand stress is critical to overall financial stability. Indian banks, however, remain robust, notwithstanding a decline in capital to risk-weighted assets ratio and a rise in non-performing asset levels in the recent past. Capital adequacy levels remain above the regulatory requirements. The financial market infrastructure continues to function without any major disruption. With further globalization, consolidation, deregulation, and diversification of the financial system, the banking business may become more complex and riskier. Issues like risk and liquidity management and enhancing skill therefore assume greater significance.
    According to the passage, the financial markets in the emerging market economies including India had the adverse impact in recent years due to 1. weak global economic prospects. 2. uncertainties in the international financial markets. 3. sovereign risk concerns in the Euro area. 4. bad monsoons and the resultant crop loss. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
    1. 1 and 2 only
    2. 1, 2 and 3
    3. 2 and 3 only
    4. 2, 3 and 4

  25. Reading passage

    The Indian financial markets are affected by global changes mainly due to the
    1. increased inflow of remittances from abroad.
    2. enormous increase in the foreign exchange reserves.
    3. growing global linkages and integration of the Indian financial markets.
    4. contagion of Greece’s sovereign debt problem.

  26. Reading passage

    According to the passage, in the Indian financial system, banks’ ability to withstand stress is critical to ensure overall financial stability because Indian financial system is
    1. controlled by the Government of India.
    2. less integrated with banks.
    3. controlled by Reserve Bank of India.
    4. dominated by banks.

  27. Reading passage

    Risk and liquidity management assumes more importance in the Indian banking system in future due to 1. further globalization. 2. more consolidation and deregulation of the financial system. 3. further diversification of the financial system. 4. more financial inclusion in the economy. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
    1. 1, 2 and 3
    2. 2, 3 and 4
    3. 1 and 2 only
    4. 3 and 4 only
  28. There are five hobby clubs in a college viz., photography, yachting, chess, electronics and gardening. The gardening group meets every second day, the electronics group meets every third day, the chess group meets every fourth day, the yachting group meets every fifth day and the photography group meets every sixth day. How many times do all the five groups meet on the same day within 180 days?
    1. 3
    2. 5
    3. 10
    4. 18
  29. A, B, C, D and E belong to five different cities P, Q, R, S and T (not necessarily in that order). Each one of them comes from a different city. Further it is given that: 1. B and C do not belong to Q. 2. B and E do not belong to P and R. 3. A and C do not belong to R, S and T. 4. D and E do not belong to Q and T. Which one of the following statements is not correct?
    1. C belongs to P
    2. D belongs to R
    3. A belongs to Q
    4. B belongs to S
  30. Seven men, A, B, C, D, E, F and G are standing in a queue in that order. Each one is wearing a cap of a different colour like violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. D is able to see in front of him green and blue, but not violet. E can see violet and yellow, but not red. G can see caps of all colours other than orange. If E is wearing an indigo coloured cap, then the colour of the cap worn by F is
    1. Blue
    2. Violet
    3. Red
    4. Orange
  31. There are some balls of red, green and yellow colour lying on a table. There are as many red balls as there are yellow balls. There are twice as many yellow balls as there are green ones. The number of red balls
    1. is equal to the sum of yellow and green balls.
    2. is double the number of green balls.
    3. is equal to yellow balls minus green balls.
    4. cannot be ascertained.

  32. Reading passage

    Read the passage and base your answers on it. Crude mineral oil comes out of the earth as a thick brown or black liquid with a strong smell. It is a complex mixture of many different substances, each with its own individual qualities. Most of them are combinations of hydrogen and carbon in varying proportions. Such hydrocarbons are also found in other forms such as bitumen, asphalt and natural gas. Mineral oil originates from the carcasses of tiny animals and from plants that live in the sea. Over millions of years, these dead creatures form large deposits under the sea-bed; and ocean currents cover them with a blanket of sand and silt. As this mineral hardens, it becomes sedimentary rock and effectively shuts out the oxygen, so preventing the complete decomposition of the marine deposits underneath. The layers of sedimentary rock become thicker and heavier. Their pressure produces heat, which transforms the tiny carcasses into crude oil in a process that is still going on today.
    Mineral oil deposits under the sea do not get completely decomposed because they
    1. are constantly washed by the ocean currents.
    2. become rock and prevent oxygen from entering them.
    3. contain a mixture of hydrogen and carbon.
    4. are carcasses of organisms lying in saline conditions.

  33. Reading passage

    Sedimentary rock leads to the formation of oil deposits because
    1. there are no saline conditions below it.
    2. it allows some dissolved oxygen to enter the dead organic matter below it.
    3. weight of overlying sediment layers causes the production of heat.
    4. it contains the substances that catalyze the chemical reactions required to change dead organisms into oil.
  34. In a class of 45 students, a boy is ranked 20th. When two boys joined, his rank was dropped by one. What is his new rank from the end?
    1. 25th
    2. 26th
    3. 27th
    4. 28th
  35. A thief running at 8 km/hr is chased by a policeman whose speed is 10 km/hr. If the thief is 100 m ahead of the policeman, then the time required for the policeman to catch the thief will be
    1. 2 min
    2. 3 min
    3. 4 min
    4. 6 min
  36. A train travels at a certain average speed for a distance of 63 km and then travels a distance of 72 km at an average speed of 6 km/hr more than its original speed. If it takes 3 hours to complete the total journey, what is the original speed of the train in km/hr?
    1. 24
    2. 33
    3. 42
    4. 66

  37. 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.
    According to the passage, why should the discharge of agricultural slurry into watercourses be restricted? 1. Losing nutrients in this way is not a good practice economically. 2. Watercourses do not contain the microorganisms that can decompose organic components of agricultural slurry. 3. The discharge may lead to the eutrophication of water bodies. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
    1. 1 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3

  38. Reading passage

    The passage refers to the conversion of “pollutant to fertilizer”. What is pollutant and what is fertilizer in this context?
    1. Decomposed organic component of slurry is pollutant and microorganisms in soil constitute fertilizer.
    2. Discharged agricultural slurry is pollutant and decomposed slurry in soil is fertilizer.
    3. Sprayed slurry is pollutant and watercourse is fertilizer.
    4. None of the above expressions is correct in this context.

  39. Reading passage

    According to the passage, what are the effects of indiscriminate use of fertilizers? 1. Addition of pollutants to the soil and water. 2. Destruction of decomposer microorganisms in soil. 3. Nutrient enrichment of water bodies. 4. Creation of algal blooms. Select the correct answer from the codes given below.
    1. 1, 2 and 3 only
    2. 1, 3 and 4 only
    3. 2 and 4 only
    4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

  40. Reading passage

    What is/are the characteristics of a water body with cultural eutrophication? 1. Loss of ecosystem services 2. Loss of flora and fauna 3. Loss of mineral nutrients Select the correct answer using the code given below.
    1. 1 only
    2. 1 and 2 only
    3. 2 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3

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