Static general knowledge is the larger part of every UPSC general studies paper. The notices name the same areas again and again: the history of India and the national movement, Indian and world geography, polity and the Constitution, the economy and social development, and general science with environment and ecology. The balance shifts from exam to exam. NDA puts about half of its General Knowledge part on Physics, Chemistry and General Science. CSE favours polity, modern history, environment and the economy. CAPF adds security and human rights, and CDS spreads its questions across polity, history, geography, the economy and school science.
GK24's GK notes are written topic by topic in English and Hindi, as short, fact-first chapters that are easy to revise. They cover Indian Polity, Indian History, Geography, Indian Economy, General Science, Environment and Ecology, Art and Culture, Computer, and the fact lists of awards, sports, books and days. A new chapter is added in each subject as the series grows. Each note carries practice questions, and those that have appeared in an exam say which exam and year. Start with Polity and modern history, then Geography, the Economy and Science. Read a note, take its topic quiz, and come back to it in your monthly revision.
Which one of the following is a filter feeder?
The oyster feeds by drawing water over its gills and straining out plankton and organic particles, which is filter feeding.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert ?
Lake Faguibine in northern Mali, once one of the largest lakes of West Africa, has dried up and turned into desert.
Read the full explanation →With reference to radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), consider the following statements :
1. RTGs are miniature fission reactors.
2. RTGs are used for powering the onboard systems of spacecrafts.
3. RTGs can use Plutonium-238, which is a by-product of weapons development.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
RTGs power spacecraft using heat from the natural decay of plutonium-238; they are not reactors and involve no fission. In an RTG, a radioactive isotope gives off heat as it decays on its own.
Read the full explanation →The FAO accords the status of 'Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)' to traditional agricultural systems. What is the overall goal of this initiative?
1. To provide modern technology, training in modern farming methods and financial support to local communities of identified GIAHS so as to greatly enhance their agricultural productivity
2. To identify and safeguard eco-friendly traditional farm practices and their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems of the local communities
3. To provide Geographical Indication status to all the varieties of agricultural produce in such identified GIAHS
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
GIAHS exists to identify and safeguard traditional farming systems together with their landscapes, agrobiodiversity and local knowledge. The Food and Agriculture Organization launched the GIAHS programme in 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following pairs :
Tradition — State
1. Chapchar Kut festival — Mizoram
2. Khongjom Parba ballad — Manipur
3. Thang-Ta dance — Sikkim
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct ?
Chapchar Kut belongs to Mizoram and Khongjom Parba to Manipur, but Thang-Ta is from Manipur, not Sikkim. Chapchar Kut is the spring festival of the Mizos, held in March after the bamboo and forest are cut and left to dry for jhum cultivation; Cheraw, the bamboo dance, is its highlight.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the 'New World' and introduced into the 'Old World'?
Tobacco, cocoa and rubber all come from the Americas and spread to Asia, Africa and Europe after Columbus. The exchange of plants and animals between the Americas (New World) and Afro-Eurasia (Old World) after 1492 is called the Columbian Exchange.
Read the full explanation →In the context of recent advances in human reproductive technology, "Pronuclear Transfer" is used for
Pronuclear transfer is a mitochondrial replacement technique that stops a mother from passing faulty mitochondria to her child. Mitochondria have their own small DNA, inherited only from the mother; defects in it cause serious muscle, heart and brain diseases.
Read the full explanation →Magnetite particles, suspected to cause neurodegenerative problems, are generated as environmental pollutants from which of the following?
1. Brakes of motor vehicles
2. Engines of motor vehicles
3. Microwave stoves within homes
4. Power plants
5. Telephone lines
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Magnetite nanoparticles in polluted air come from high-temperature combustion and friction: vehicle engines, brake wear and power plants. Magnetite is an iron oxide (Fe3O4).
Read the full explanation →"System of Rice Intensification" of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practised, results in :
1. Reduced seed requirement
2. Reduced methane production
3. Reduced electricity consumption
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
SRI saves seed, cuts methane and, by using less irrigation water, saves the electricity spent on pumping. The System of Rice Intensification was developed in Madagascar in the 1980s by the French priest Henri de Laulanié.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following :
1. Demographic performance
2. Forest and ecology
3. Governance reforms
4. Stable government
5. Tax and fiscal efforts
For the horizontal tax devolution, the Fifteenth Finance Commission used how many of the above as criteria other than population, area and income distance?
Besides population, area and income distance, the Fifteenth Finance Commission used demographic performance, forest and ecology, and tax and fiscal efforts.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following :
1. Cashew
2. Papaya
3. Red sanders
How many of the above trees are actually native to India ?
Of the three, only red sanders is native to India; cashew and papaya were brought from the Americas. Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats, mainly the Seshachalam and nearby hills of Andhra Pradesh.
Read the full explanation →Which among the following is/are the objective(s) of the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) initiative under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) ?
1. Encouraging monoculture in rainfed areas
2. Increasing rice cultivation in irrigated regions
3. Enhancing productivity and minimising climatic risks through Integrated Farming Systems (IFS)
Select the answer using the code given below :
RAD aims to raise productivity and cut climate risk in rainfed farming by promoting Integrated Farming Systems. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture is one of the missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change.
Read the full explanation →It is possible to produce algae based biofuels, but what is/are the likely limitation(s) of developing countries in promoting this industry?
1. Production of algae based biofuels is possible in seas only and not on continents.
2. Setting up and engineering the algae based biofuel production requires high level of expertise/technology until the construction is completed.
3. Economically viable production necessitates the setting up of large scale facilities which may raise ecological and social concerns.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The real hurdles are the high technology needed to build algae plants and the very large scale they need to pay off; algae can be grown on land.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements:
1. As per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in a State, a person would be required to possess the minimum qualification laid down by the concerned State Council of Teacher Education.
2. As per the RTE Act, for teaching primary classes, a candidate is required to pass a Teacher Eligibility Test conducted in accordance with the National Council of Teacher Education guidelines.
3. In India, more than 90% of teacher education institutions are directly under the State Governments.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Only statement 2 is right: under the RTE Act a primary teacher must clear a Teacher Eligibility Test held as per NCTE guidelines.
Read the full explanation →On 21st June, the Sun
21 June is the summer solstice of the Northern Hemisphere, when the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun and the whole Arctic Circle gets 24 hours of daylight.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements:
1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga.
2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana.
3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta - II.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Only the third pairing is right: Kalidasa is traditionally placed at the court of Chandragupta II Vikramaditya. Tradition counts Kalidasa, author of Abhijnanashakuntalam, Meghaduta and Raghuvamsha, among the nine gems (navaratnas) of King Vikramaditya, identified with the Gupta ruler Chandragupta II of the late fourth and early fifth century CE.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the 'New York Declaration on Forests', which of the following statements are correct?
1. It was first endorsed at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014.
2. It endorses a global timeline to end the loss of forests.
3. It is a legally binding international declaration.
4. It is endorsed by governments, big companies and indigenous communities.
5. India was one of the signatories at its inception.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The declaration was launched at the 2014 UN Climate Summit, sets a timeline to end forest loss and has a mixed set of endorsers, but it is voluntary and India did not sign it.
Read the full explanation →Among the following crops, which one is the most important anthropogenic source of both methane and nitrous oxide ?
Flooded paddy fields release methane, and the nitrogen fertiliser used on them releases nitrous oxide, so rice is the main crop source of both gases.
Read the full explanation →Consider the investments in the following assets :
1. Brand recognition
2. Inventory
3. Intellectual property
4. Mailing list of clients
How many of the above are considered intangible investments?
Brand recognition, intellectual property and a client mailing list have no physical form, while inventory is a stock of physical goods.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following :
1. Butterflies
2. Fish
3. Frogs
How many of the above have poisonous species among them ?
Each of the three groups includes species that carry toxins in their bodies to deter predators. Butterflies: the Monarch butterfly feeds as a caterpillar on milkweed and stores its bitter cardiac glycosides, so birds that eat it fall sick; its bright orange colour is a warning.
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