UPSC CSE Prelims · Previous Year Questions

UPSC Prelims PYQs 2012

All 99 questions from the UPSC Prelims 2012 paper, tagged by subject and topic.

1. Q1

   If 20% of P = 30% of Q = 1/6 of R, then P : Q : R is :
2. Q2

   A tree increases annually by 1/8th of its height. What will be its height after 2 years, if it stands today 64 cm high ?
3. Q3

   The sides of a triangle GHL are GH = 65 m, HL = 75 m and LG = 80 m. What is the area of this triangle ?
4. Q4

   Three sets of data on comparable situations are available as under : Set No. 1 — No. of data 9, Mean Value 8, Standard Deviation 1.6; Set No. 2 — No. of data 12, Mean Value 7, Standard Deviation 1.2; Set No. 3 — No. of data 15, Mean Value 9, Standard Deviation…
5. Q5

   A train travels at a certain average speed for a distance of 63 km. Thereafter it travels a distance of 72 km with an average speed of 6 km/hour more than the original speed. Total time taken to complete the journey is 3 hours. What is the original average spe…
6. Q6

   An iron rod of 1 cm diameter and 8 cm length is drawn into a wire of 18 m length with uniform thickness. The thickness of the wire would be :
7. Q7

   A 60 m long train travels at a uniform speed of 72 km/hour. It passes non-stop along the 600 m platform of a wayside station. What is the elapsed time for the train to entirely clear the platform ?
8. Q8

   Train A is 75 m long and travels at a uniform speed of 54 km/hour. Train B is 125 m long and travels at a uniform speed of 36 km/hour in the direction opposite to that of Train A. If these trains are crossing at a double-track stretch, what is the time taken f…
9. Q9

   Biome, largest recognizable assemblage of animals and plants on the Earth, is controlled mainly by :
10. Q10

    Despite having huge coal reserve in our country, why do we import millions of tons of coal ?

    1. 1It is policy of Govt. of India to save its own coal reserve for future use and import now from other countries for present use.
    2. 2Most of the thermal plants in our…
11. Q11

    For calculating Body Mass Index (BMI), weight of the person (in kg) is divided by the :
12. Q12

    Statement (I) : Industrial relation is currently more influenced by the external market forces than the power play between employers and employees. Statement (II) : The forces of globalization have made competition so imperative that unions and their tactics l…
13. Q13

    Statement (I) : Every State in India has a High Court in its (State's) territory. Statement (II) : As per constitution of India, each State is provided to have a High Court.
14. Q14

    Statement (I) : The Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the constitution, aim at providing the social and economic base of a genuine democracy. Statement (II) : The Directive Principles are merely directives which the government has to keep in mi…
15. Q15

    Statement (I) : In order to produce electric power from a geothermal reservoir, temperature above 180° is required. Statement (II) : To drive steam turbines, high temperature steam is used.
16. Q16

    Which one of the following sets of industries were among first modern industries in India ?
17. Q17

    The regional project by name 'CASA-1000' (Central Asia-South Asia-1000), funded by World Bank, pertains to the field of :
18. Q18

    The Endeavour of 'Janani Suraksha Yojana' Programme is to :

    1. 1Promote institutional deliveries
    2. 2Provide monetary assistance to the mother to meet the cost of delivery
    3. 3Provide for wage loss due to pregnancy and confinement
19. Q19

    'Kyoto Protocol', an agreement signed by various countries, is associated with :
20. Q20

    Which of the following can be threats to the biodiversity of a geographical area ?

    1. 1Global warming
    2. 2Fragmentation of habitats
    3. 3Invasion of alien species
    4. 4Promotion of vegetarianism
21. Q21

    Vultures, which were very common in our countryside a few years ago, are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to one of the following :
22. Q22

    Who won the Golden Boot Award in the recently concluded UEFA Euro 2012 ?
23. Q23

    Which of the following sets of countries has only federations ?
24. Q24

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I (Person): A. Steve Jobs, B. Sheryl Sandberg, C. Larry Page, D. Ross Levinsohn. List-II (Company):

    1. 1Google,
    2. 2Apple,
    3. 3Yahoo,
    4. 4Facebook.
25. Q25

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I (Book): A. Rahul Dravid : Timeless Steel, B. An Ashes Summer, C. Sachin : A Hundred Hundreds Now, D. Opening Up : My autography. List-II (Author): 1. Steve Wa…
26. Q26

    Why was Justice Dalveer Bhandari in the news recently ?
27. Q28

    A cultivator has about two hectares of rain fed land without irrigation facilities. Which type of crops would he like to grow ?

    1. 1Jowar
    2. 2Cotton
    3. 3Arhar
    4. 4Potatoes
28. Q29

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I: A. Buxa Tiger Reserve, B. Periyar Tiger Reserve, C. Sariska National Park, D. Wild Ass Sanctuary. List-II:

    1. 1Rajasthan,
    2. 2Gujarat,
    3. 3West Bengal,
    4. 4Keral…
29. Q30

    Which one of the following statements is true about red soil ?
30. Q31

    Gun metal is an alloy of
31. Q32

    If the electrical resistance of a typical substance suddenly drops to zero, then the substance is called :
32. Q33

    The material used for electric fuse is an alloy of tin and lead. This alloy should have :
33. Q34

    The word FTP stands for :
34. Q35

    RAM stands for :
35. Q36

    Which of the following is also known as brain of computer ?
36. Q37

    A technique in which data is written to two duplicate disks simultaneously, is called :
37. Q38

    The term 'e-Waste' refers to :
38. Q39

    CAD stands for :
39. Q40

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I (Contribution): A. Industrial Welfare Movement, B. Human Relations Thought, C. Concept of Third Force, D. Ahmedabad Experiment. List-II (Contributor): 1. Char…
40. Q41

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I (Board/Committee): A. First National Commission on Labour, 1969, B. Wage Board for Working Journalists, 2009, C. Second National Commission on Labour, 2002, D…
41. Q42

    Which of the following is NOT covered by the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 ?
42. Q43

    Which of the following statements about Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 is true ?
43. Q44

    Which of the following legislations is comprehensive social security legislation ?
44. Q45

    What is the maximum limit of gratuity payable under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 ?
45. Q46

    In which part of the Indian Constitution, Worker's participation in Management has been incorporated ?
46. Q47

    Which of the following is the earliest to be constituted ?
47. Q48

    Which of the following statements is true about Industrial Policy since 1991 ?
48. Q49

    The newly introduced rupee symbol is based on :
49. Q50

    Which one of the following Institutions was NOT set up by the Constitution of India ?
50. Q51

    The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) aims at enhancing livelihood security in rural areas of India by providing at least one hundred :
51. Q52

    One of the following Government of India programmes aims to help, build or upgrade dwelling units of below the poverty line rural families :
52. Q53

    The following provision, “Protection of monuments and places and objects of national importance” is a :
53. Q54

    The Seventh schedule of the Constitution of India contains provisions regarding :
54. Q55

    The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was launched in 1995 with the aim to :

    1. 1Enhance enrolment, retention and attendance of primary school children
    2. 2Improve the nutritional status of primary school children
    3. 3Improve the habit of reading among rural households
    4. 4Enco…
55. Q56

    The President of India is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of elected members of :

    1. 1Both Houses of Parliament
    2. 2The Legislative Assemblies of the States
    3. 3Union Council of Ministers
56. Q57

    The responsibility of preparation of electoral rolls in India rests with :
57. Q58

    At the time of becoming the Prime Minister of our country one :
58. Q59

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I (Commission): A. Second Administrative Reforms Commission, B. Second Commission on Centre-State relations, C. Thirteenth Finance Commission, D. National Commi…
59. Q60

    What is common to Sardar Hukum Singh, Jagjivan Ram, Inderjit Gupta, Somnath Chatterjee and Seth Govind Das ?
60. Q61

    The purpose of Adjournment motion in our Parliament is :
61. Q62

    Consider the following statements regarding limitations on the authority of the Indian Parliament :

    1. 1Most of the important laws can be introduced in the Parliament with the prior consent of the President.
    2. 2Parliament has to operate within the jurisdiction…
62. Q63

    Archaeological studies suggest the theory that :
63. Q64

    Which term is used to describe the spread of Buddhism from India through Southeast Asia ?
64. Q65

    The main objective of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 is to safeguard the interests of the workers engaged in :
65. Q66

    Which one of the following expresses the relation between normal price and market price ?
66. Q67

    Consider the following statements about heritage :

    1. 1Heritage is that which has been or may be inherited.
    2. 2Heritage is anything given or received to be a proper possession.

    Which of these statements is/are correct ?
67. Q68

    Bancassurance is :
68. Q69

    Inflation can be controlled by :
69. Q70

    Consider the following statements :

    1. 1By the early nineteenth century British carried out detailed surveys.
    2. 2The effort was to know the topography, the soil quality, the flora, the fauna, the logical histories and the cropping pattern.

    Which of these statem…
70. Q71

    Which of the following is a correct statement about both the Mughal and Ottoman empires in the sixteenth century ?
71. Q72

    Which is the correct meaning of the term 'rule of primogeniture' ?
72. Q73

    Which of the following would be the most useful source of evidence for research about the agrarian history of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries ?
73. Q74

    Consider the following :

    1. 1Rowlatt Act movement
    2. 2Khera movement
    3. 3Champaran
    4. 4Ahmedabad mill strike. What is the correct chronological order of the above mentioned Gandhian movements ?
74. Q75

    Which of the following can be termed an infrastructural bottleneck in the development of India's economy ?
75. Q76

    Passage: It has been rightly said that we spend the first half of our lives trying to understand the older generation, and the second half trying to understand the younger generation. Youth has always felt somewhat exasperated with age, and age has always been…
76. Q77

    Passage: (as in Q76). The older generation is suspicious about the younger generation as the youngsters lack :
77. Q78

    Passage: (as in Q76). The author seems to be supportive of the idea that :
78. Q79

    Passage: (as in Q76). “And yet the world goes on”—what is the tone of the author in this statement ?
79. Q80

    Passage: Who deserves more severe punishment ? One who gives bribes or the one who takes them ? The corrupt practice of bribery is possible because there is someone who is ready to pay money for illegal action or decision in his favour. Otherwise, how can one…
80. Q81

    Passage: (as in Q80). Who, according to the author, is more responsible among the following ?
81. Q82

    Passage: (as in Q80). Who, according to the author, should be punished more severely ?
82. Q83

    Passage: (as in Q80). Who, according to the author, is more corrupted ?
83. Q84

    A judgment made before all the facts are known must be called :
84. Q85

    Which of the following pairs of words expresses the same relationship as in ELUSIVE : CAPTURE ?
85. Q86

    Choose the word which is the nearest opposite to the meaning of the underlined word : I wish I could pursue my studies.
86. Q87

    Which of the following options is the closest in meaning to the word CIRCUITOUS ?
87. Q88

    It is said that, in order to control inflation, foreign inflow needs to be sterilized. Sterilization here refers to :
88. Q89

    NABARD means :
89. Q90

    In which of the following Acts, housing facility is a statutory provision ?
90. Q91

    Consider the following statements regarding human development :

    1. 1Skills may be harnessed in the society through participations of NGOs.
    2. 2To fill the internal gaps in the system, reviews and international experiences can prove to be helpful.

    Which of these…
91. Q92

    Which of the following are the main causes of the slow rate of growth of per capita income in India ?

    1. 1High rate of capital formation
    2. 2High level of fiscal deficits
    3. 3High rate of growth of population
92. Q93

    If the RBI adopts an expansionist open market operations policy, this means it will :
93. Q94

    Which of the following is NOT a recommendation of the National Cooperative Farming Advisory Board for putting cooperative farming on a sounder footing ?
94. Q95

    Structural Planning refers to :
95. Q96

    Three States which have Human Development Index (HDI) higher than China are :
96. Q97

    Consider the following statements in respect of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) :

    1. 1Reports on the accounts of the States are submitted to the President who shall cause these to be placed before the Parliament.
    2. 2CAG is appointed by the President o…
97. Q98

    Which of the following is NOT one of the features of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) being set up for promoting exports ?
98. Q99

    Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists : List-I (Chairperson): A. D.M. Dharmadhikari, B. Anil Kakodkar, C. B.N. Srikrishna, D. Adi Godrej. List-II (Issue):

    1. 1National Corporate Governance Policy,
    2. 2Air In…
99. Q100

    How does National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) seek to improve livelihood options of rural poor ?

    1. 1By setting up a large number of new manufacturing industries and agribusiness centers in rural areas.
    2. 2By strengthening Self Help Groups (SHG) and providi…