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General ScienceHardAsked in: UPSC Civil Services · Prelims GS Paper I, 10 Oct 2021

In a pressure cooker, the temperature at which the food is cooked depends mainly upon which of the following? 1. Area of the hole in the lid 2. Temperature of the flame 3. Weight of the lid

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3

Correct answer

C. 1 and 3 only

Explanation

The correct answer is C, 1 and 3 only. The cooking temperature is set by the pressure inside the cooker, and that pressure is fixed by the weight sitting on the vent and the area of the hole under it. The boiling point of water rises with pressure. In an open pan water boils at 100°C, but when steam is trapped, pressure builds up until it can lift the weight, the whistle, off the vent. Pressure is force divided by area, so a heavier weight or a smaller hole means a higher pressure before steam escapes, and water then boils at about 120°C, which is why food cooks faster. Statement 2 is wrong because a bigger flame only makes the water boil and the whistle blow sooner; once steam escapes, the temperature stays at the boiling point for that pressure, and extra heat just makes more steam. Statements 1 and 3 are right for the reason above. So options A, B and D, which include statement 2, are wrong. Exam tip: higher pressure means a higher boiling point; the flame changes the speed, not the temperature.

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Q2.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. A.Urea is produced in liver.
  2. B.Urea is produced in blood.
  3. C.Urea is produced from digestion of starch.
  4. D.Urea is produced in lung and kidney.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Urea is produced in liver.

Liver cells turn the toxic ammonia released from the breakdown of amino acids into urea through the ornithine cycle, also called the urea cycle.

Q3.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKMedium

Which one of the following is the correct sequence of passage of light in a compound microscope?

  1. A.Condenser-Objective lens-Eyepiece-Body tube
  2. B.Objective lens-Condenser-Body tube-Eyepiece
  3. C.Condenser-Objective lens-Body tube-Eyepiece
  4. D.Eyepiece-Objective lens-Body tube-Mirror
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Condenser-Objective lens-Body tube-Eyepiece

Light passes through the condenser to the specimen, is picked up by the objective lens, travels up the body tube and reaches the eye through the eyepiece.

Q4.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements regarding haemoglobin is correct?

  1. A.Haemoglobin present in RBC can carry only oxygen but not carbon dioxide.
  2. B.Haemoglobin of RBC can carry both oxygen and carbon dioxide.
  3. C.Haemoglobin of RBC can carry only carbon dioxide.
  4. D.Haemoglobin is only used for blood clotting and not for carrying gases.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Haemoglobin of RBC can carry both oxygen and carbon dioxide.

It binds oxygen at its iron-containing haem groups and carries some carbon dioxide on its protein chains. Each haemoglobin molecule has four polypeptide chains and four haem groups, and each haem iron can hold one oxygen molecule, forming oxyhaemoglobin in the lungs.

Q5.General ScienceAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements regarding histone proteins is correct?

  1. A.Histones are proteins that are present in mitochondrial membrane.
  2. B.Histones are proteins that are present in nucleus in association with DNA.
  3. C.Histones are proteins associated with lipids in the cytosol.
  4. D.Histones are proteins associated with carbohydrates in the cytosol.
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Histones are proteins that are present in nucleus in association with DNA.

They are the proteins around which DNA winds to form chromatin in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Histones are small basic proteins, rich in the positively charged amino acids lysine and arginine, which attract the negatively charged phosphate groups of DNA.