UPSC Prelims 2023 Question Paper with Answers & Explanations – Page 2

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
7th August is declared as the National Handloom Day.

Statement-II:
It was in 1905 that the Swadeshi Movement was launched on the same day.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements in respect of the National Flag of India according to the Flag Code of India, 2002:

Statement-I:
One of the standard sizes of the National Flag of India is 600 mm x 400 mm.

Statement-II:
The ratio of the length to the height (width) of the Flag shall be 3:2.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements in respect of the Constitution Day:

Statement-I:
The Constitution Day is celebrated on 26th November every year to promote constitutional values among citizens.

Statement-II:
On 26th November, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution of India.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
Switzerland is one of the leading exporters of gold in terms of value.

Statement-II:
Switzerland has the second largest gold reserves in the world.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
Recently, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU) have launched the 'Trade and Technology Council'.

Statement-II:
The USA and the EU claim that through this they are trying to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
India accounts for 3.2% of global export of goods.

Statement-II:
Many local companies and some foreign companies operating in India have taken advantage of India's 'Production-linked Incentive' scheme.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

The 'Stability and Growth Pact' of the European Union is a treaty that:

1. Limits the levels of the budgetary deficit of the countries of the European Union.
2. Makes the countries of the European Union to share their infrastructure facilities.
3. Enables the countries of the European Union to share their technologies.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. Recently, all the countries of the United Nations have adopted the first-ever compact for international migration, the 'Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)'.
2. The objectives and commitments stated in the GCM are binding on the UN member countries.
3. The GCM addresses internal migration or internally displaced people also in its objectives and commitments.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Consider the following countries:

1. Bulgaria
2. Czech Republic
3. Hungary
4. Latvia
5. Lithuania
6. Romania

How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine?

With reference to the Earth's atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
The soil in tropical rain forests is rich in nutrients.

Statement-II:
The high temperature and moisture of tropical rain forests cause dead organic matter in the soil to decompose quickly.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter.

Statement-II:
The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

1. In a seismograph, P waves are recorded earlier than S waves.
2. In P waves, the individual particles vibrate to and fro in the direction of wave propagation whereas in S waves, the particles vibrate up and down at right angles to the direction of wave propagation.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to coal-based thermal power plants in India, consider the following statements:

1. None of them uses seawater.
2. None of them is set up in water-stressed district.
3. None of them is privately owned.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Wolbachia method' is sometimes talked about with reference to which one of the following?

Consider the following activities:

1. Spreading finely ground basalt rock on farmlands extensively.
2. Increasing the alkalinity of oceans by adding lime.
3. Capturing carbon dioxide released by various industries and pumping it into abandoned subterranean mines in the form of carbonated waters.

How many of the above activities are often considered and discussed for carbon capture and sequestration?

Aerial metagenomics' best refers to which one of the following situations?

Microsatellite DNA' is used in the case of which one of the following?

Consider the following statements in relation to Janani Suraksha Yojana:

1. It is safe motherhood intervention of the State Health Departments.
2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women.
3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.
4. Its objective includes providing public health facilities to sick infants up to one year of age.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy:

1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women.
2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child-birth.
3. It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents.
4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following statements:

1. Carbon fibres are used in the manufacture of components used in automobiles and aircrafts.
2. Carbon fibres once used cannot be recycled.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following actions:

1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously.
2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive.
3. Detection of the tilt of the smartphone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode.

In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required?

With reference to the role of biofilters in Recirculating Aquaculture System, consider the following statements:

1. Biofilters provide waste treatment by removing uneaten fish feed.
2. Biofilters convert ammonia present in fish waste to nitrate.
3. Biofilters increase phosphorus as nutrient for fish in water.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following pairs:

Objects in space — Description
1. Cepheids : Giant clouds of dust and gas in space
2. Nebulae : Stars which brighten and dim periodically
3. Pulsars : Neutron stars that are formed when massive stars run out of fuel and collapse

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Which one of the following countries has its own Satellite Navigation System?

Consider the following statements:

1. Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase of flight.

2. Agni-V is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile, while BrahMos is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding mercury pollution:

1. Gold mining activity is a source of mercury pollution in the world.

2. Coal-based thermal power plants cause mercury pollution.

3. There is no known safe level of exposure to mercury.

How many of the above statements are correct?

With reference to green hydrogen, consider the following statements:

1. It can be used directly as a fuel for internal combustion.

2. It can be blended with natural gas and used as fuel for heat or power generation.

3. It can be used in the hydrogen fuel cell to run vehicles.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Consider the following statements with reference to India:

1. According to the 'Micro Small and Medium enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006, the 'medium enterprises' are those with investments in plant and machinery between Rs. 15 crore and Rs. 25 crore.

2. All bank loans to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises qualify under the Priority sector.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to Central Bank digital currencies, consider the following statements:

1. It is possible to make payments in a digital currency without using US dollar or SWIFT system.

2. A digital currency can be distributed with a condition programmed into it such as a time-fame for spending it.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

In the context of finance, the term 'beta' refers to

Consider the following statements:

1. The Self-Help Group (SHG) programme was originally initiated by the State Bank of India by providing microcredit to the financially deprived.

2. In an SHG, all members of a group take responsibility for a loan that an individual member takes.

3. The Regional Rural Banks and Scheduled Commercial banks support SHGs.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
India's public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care.

Statement-II:
Under India's decentralized approach to health care delivery, the States are primarily responsible for organizing health services.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
According to the United Nation's 'World Water Development Report, 2022', India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year.

Statement-II:
India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world's groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world's population living in its territory.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements:

1. According to the Constitution of India, the Central Government has a duty to protect States from internal disturbances.

2. The Constitution of India exempts the States from providing legal counsel to a person being held for preventive detention.

3. According to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, confession of the accused before the police cannot be used as evidence.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Which one of the following countries has been suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and was in news in the recent past for its very severe famine?

Consider the following statements:

1. In India, the Biodiversity Management committees are key to the realization of the objectives of Nagoya Protocol.

2. The Biodiversity Management committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?