UPSC Prelims 2017 Question Paper with Answers & Explanations

Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom?

With reference to ‘Global Climate Change Alliance’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is an initiative of the European Union.

2. It provides technical and financial support to targeted developing countries to integrate climate change into their development policies and budgets.

3. It is coordinated by World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

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With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:

1. Sautrantika and Sammitiya were the sects of Jainism.

2. Sarvastivadin held that the constituents of phenomena were not wholly momentary, but existed forever in a latent form.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Mediterranean Sea is a border of which of the following countries?

1. Jordan
2. Iraq
3. Lebanon
4. Syria

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With reference to ‘National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is an organ of NITI Aayog.
2. It has a corpus of Rs. 4,00,000 crore at present.

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The Global Infrastructure Facility is a/an

For election to the Lok Sabha, a nomination paper can be filed by

Consider the following statements:

1. In India, the Himalayas are spread over five states only.

2. Western Ghats are spread over five states only.

3. Pulicat Lake is spread over two states only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standard criterion for

With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations Programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct?

1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.

2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only.

3. UN-Habitat contributed to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

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With reference to ‘National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)’, which of the statements given below is/are correct?

1. Under NSQF, a learner can acquire the certification for competency only through formal learning.

2. An outcome expected from the implementation of NSQF is the mobility between vocational and general education.

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In the context of Indian history, the principle of ‘Dyarchy (diarchy)’ refers to

Consider the following in respect of ‘National Career Service’:

1. National Career Service is an initiative of the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India.

2. National Career Service has been launched in a Mission Mode to improve the employment opportunities to uneducated youth of the country.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Which of the following statements best describes the term ‘Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A)’, recently seen in the news?

Consider the following statements:

1. Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants is a unique initiative of G20 group of countries.

2. The CCAC focuses on methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)’ sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.

2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Niño’s impact on the monsoon.

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If you want to see gharials in their natural habitat, which one of the following is the best place to visit?

Consider the following in respect of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS):

1. Inaugural IONS was held in India in 2015 under the chairmanship of the Indian Navy.

2. IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at

Consider the following pairs:

Traditions - Communities

1. Chaliha Sahib Festival — Sindhis
2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra — Gonds
3. Wari-Warkari — Santhals

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Which of the following statements can help in water conservation in agriculture?

1. Reduced or zero tillage of the land
2. Applying gypsum before irrigating the field
3. Allowing crop residue to remain in the field

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Consider the following statements: The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at

1. expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.

2. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.

3. checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs:

Commonly used/consumed materials Unwanted or controversial chemicals likely to be found in them

1. Lipstick — Lead
2. Soft drinks — Brominated vegetable oils
3. Chinese fast food — Monosodium glutamate

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are used to create digital display in many devices. What are the advantages of OLED displays over Liquid Crystal displays?

1. OLED displays can be fabricated on flexible plastic substrates.

2. Roll-up displays embedded in clothing can be made using OLEDs.

3. Transparent displays are possible using OLEDs.

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Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples?

1. Arasavalli
2. Amarakantak
3. Omkareshwar

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Consider the following statements:

1. In the election for Lok Sabha or State Assembly, the winning candidate must get at least 50 percent of the votes polled, to be declared elected.

2. According to the provisions laid down in the Constitution of India, in Lok Sabha, the Speaker’s post goes to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker’s to the Opposition.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Which of the following has/have occurred in India after its liberalization of economic policies in 1991?

1. Share of agriculture in GDP increased enormously.

2. Share of India’s exports in world trade increased.

3. FDI inflows increased.

4. India’s foreign exchange reserves increased enormously.

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What is the application of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Technology?

Consider the following statements:

1. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) helps in promoting the financial inclusion in the country.

2. NPCI has launched RuPay, a card payment scheme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The term ‘M-STrIPES’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of

What is/are the most likely advantages of implementing ‘Goods and Services Tax (GST)’?

1. It will replace multiple taxes collected by multiple authorities and will thus create a single market in India.

2. It will drastically reduce the ‘Current Account Deficit’ of India and will enable it to increase its foreign exchange reserves.

3. It will enormously increase the growth and size of economy of India and will enable it to overtake China in the near future.

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Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of negotiations held between India and

Consider the following statements:

1. India has ratified Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of WTO.

2. TFA is a part of WTO’s Bali Ministerial Package of 2013.

3. TFA came into force in January 2016.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

What is the importance of developing Chabahar Port by India?

In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the following to report on cyber security incidents?

1. Service providers
2. Data centres
3. Body corporate

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Right to vote and to be elected in India is a

What is the purpose of ‘evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA)’ project?

What is the purpose of ‘Vidyanjali Yojana’?

1. To enable the famous foreign educational institutions to open their campuses in India.

2. To increase the quality of education provided in government schools by taking help from the private sector and the community.

3. To encourage voluntary monetary contributions from private individuals and organizations so as to improve the infrastructure facilities for primary and secondary schools.

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What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’?

Consider the following statements:

1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.

2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.

3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognized political parties.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

In India, if a species of tortoise is declared protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, what does it imply?

In India, Judicial Review implies

With reference to Indian freedom struggle, consider the following events:

1. Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy
2. Quit India Movement launched
3. Second Round Table Conference

What is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?

Consider the following statements:

1. Tax revenue as a percent of GDP of India has steadily increased in the last decade.

2. Fiscal deficit as a percent of GDP of India has steadily increased in the last decade.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Recently there was a proposal to translocate some of the lions from their natural habitat in Gujarat to which one of the following sites?

Which of the following are not necessarily the consequences of the proclamation of the President’s Rule in a State?

1. Dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly
2. Removal of the Council of Ministers in the State
3. Dissolution of the local bodies

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Which of the following are envisaged by the Right against Exploitation in the Constitution of India?

1. Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour

2. Abolition of untouchability

3. Protection of the interests of minorities

4. Prohibition of employment of children in factories and mines

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Which of the following is geographically closest to Great Nicobar?

Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government:

Which one of the following is not a feature to Indian federalism?

The object of the Butler Committee of 1927 was to

The term ‘Domestic Content Requirement’ is sometimes seen in the news with reference to

Consider the following statements:

1. The Nuclear Security Summits are periodically held under the aegis of the United Nations.

2. The International Panel on Fissile Materials is an organ of International Atomic Energy Agency.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)?

With reference to river Teesta, consider the following statements:

1. The source of river Teesta is the same as that of Brahmaputra but it flows through Sikkim.

2. River Rangeet originates in Sikkim and it is a tributary of river Teesta.

3. River Teesta flows into Bay of Bengal on the border of India and Bangladesh.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. In tropical regions, Zika virus disease is transmitted by the same mosquito that transmits dengue.

2. Sexual transmission of Zika virus disease is possible.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes.

2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

What is/are the advantage/advantages of implementing the ‘National Agriculture Market’ scheme?

1. It is a pan-India electronic trading portal for agricultural commodities.

2. It provides the farmers access to nationwide market, with prices commensurate with the quality of their produce.

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With reference to the ‘National Intellectual Property Rights Policy’, consider the following statements:

1. It reiterates India’s commitment to the Doha Development Agenda and the TRIPS Agreement.

2. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is the nodal agency for regulating intellectual property rights in India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

According to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which of the following animals cannot be hunted by any person except under some provisions provided by law?

1. Gharial
2. Indian wild ass
3. Wild buffalo

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