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General ScienceMediumAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2018, GAT

How is carbon black obtained ?

  1. A.By heating wood at high temperature in absence of air
  2. B.By heating coal at high temperature in absence of air
  3. C.By burning hydrocarbons in a limited supply of air
  4. D.By heating coal at high temperature in presence of air

Correct answer

C. By burning hydrocarbons in a limited supply of air

Explanation

The correct answer is C, By burning hydrocarbons in a limited supply of air. When natural gas or heavy oil burns with too little air, the carbon cannot all turn into carbon dioxide and separates as a very fine black soot, which is collected as carbon black.

Carbon black is an almost pure, finely divided form of amorphous carbon. Its biggest use is as a filler in rubber: it makes vehicle tyres stronger, longer-lasting and black. It is also used in printing ink, black paint, toner and shoe polish. The same incomplete combustion is why a kerosene lamp with a poor air supply gives a sooty flame.

A is wrong because heating wood without air (destructive distillation) gives charcoal.

B is wrong because heating coal without air gives coke, along with coal tar and coal gas.

D is wrong because heating coal in air simply burns it to carbon dioxide and ash.

Exam tip: wood without air → charcoal; coal without air → coke; hydrocarbons in limited air → carbon black (lamp black).

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Q1.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IEasy

The potential difference between the terminals of an electrical heating device is 40 V, when it draws a current of 2 A from the source. Which one of the following is the correct value of current drawn by the heating device if the potential is increased to 140 V?

  1. A.7 A
  2. B.5 A
  3. C.4 A
  4. D.2 A
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 7 A

By Ohm's law the heater's resistance is 40 V divided by 2 A, which is 20 ohms, so at 140 V it draws 140 divided by 20, or 7 A. Ohm's law states that, at constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across…

Q2.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IMedium

Consider the following statements in the light of octane number and cetane number of fuels: 1. Cetane number is used for gasoline and octane number is used for diesel. 2. Octane number of n-hexadecane is 100 and cetane number of isooctane is 100. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Neither 1 nor 2

Both statements swap the two scales: octane number rates petrol, cetane number rates diesel, and their reference fuels are the other way round.

Q3.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IMedium

Which one among the following statements related to human eye is correct?

  1. A.For a person suffering from short-sight defect, the image of a distant object is focused behind the retina.
  2. B.Short-sight defect can be corrected by a converging spectacle lens.
  3. C.For a person suffering from long-sight defect, the image of a near object is focused behind the retina.
  4. D.Long-sight defect can be corrected by a diverging spectacle lens.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. For a person suffering from long-sight defect, the image of a near object is focused behind the retina.

In long-sightedness (hypermetropia) the eye cannot see nearby objects clearly because their image is formed behind the retina.

Q4.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2025, Paper IEasy

When sunlight (white light) falls on a triangular glass prism, a band of colours called a spectrum is obtained. Which one among the following represents this effect appropriately?

  1. A.Reflection
  2. B.Diffraction
  3. C.Refraction
  4. D.Dispersion
Show answer
Correct answer: D. Dispersion

The splitting of white light into its seven component colours by a prism is called dispersion. White light is a mixture of colours, and glass bends each colour by a different amount because its refractive index depends on wavelength.

Q5.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2026, Paper IHard

Which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.The number of electrons in alpha particle is 2.
  2. B.The coordination number of EDTA is 6.
  3. C.The charge of beta (β) particle is +2.
  4. D.Both carbon and silicon form ionic compounds.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The coordination number of EDTA is 6.

EDTA is a hexadentate ligand: one EDTA ion binds a metal ion through six donor atoms, so it forms complexes with coordination number 6.