UPSC 2019 Previous Year GK Questions with Answers

The correct answer is A, Abu'l Hasan al Hujwiri. He wrote Kashf-ul-Mahjub in Lahore in the 11th century, and it is the oldest Persian treatise on Sufism. Al Hujwiri came from Ghazni in Afghanistan and settled in Lahore. The title means "Unveiling of the Veiled", and the book explains Sufi ideas, practices and the lives of earlier saints for ordinary readers. His shrine in Lahore, Data Darbar, is still one of the busiest in South Asia, and people call him Data Ganj Bakhsh, "the giver of treasures". Option B is wrong because Moinuddin Chishti set up the Chishti order in India at Ajmer in the late 12th century and did not write this book. Option C is wrong because the sayings of Nizamuddin Auliya were recorded by Amir Hasan Sijzi in Fawaid-ul-Fuad. Option D is wrong because Amir Khusrau was a poet and musician, known for works such as Khazain-ul-Futuh and Tughluq Nama. Exam tip: Kashf-ul-Mahjub by Hujwiri of Lahore; Fawaid-ul-Fuad records Nizamuddin Auliya.

The correct answer is D, He is a whole-time counsel for the Government. The Attorney-General is not a full-time government servant and may keep a private practice. He is appointed by the President under Article 76 and holds office during the pleasure of the President, with no term fixed by the Constitution. He is the highest law officer of the country, yet he is not a member of the Union Cabinet. Because he is not a whole-time counsel, the only bar on him is that he must not advise or hold briefs against the Government of India. Option A is a correct statement because Article 88 lets him speak and take part in either House of Parliament, though he cannot vote. Option B is a correct statement because Article 76(3) gives him a right of audience in all courts in India. Option C is a correct statement because Article 76(1) requires the qualifications of a Supreme Court judge. Exam tip: Article 76 creates the office, Article 88 lets him speak in Parliament, and he never gets a vote there.

The correct answer is B, Fundamental duties. These words form clause (b) of Article 51A, the list of duties every citizen owes the nation. The Fundamental Duties were added as Part IVA by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 on the advice of the Swaran Singh Committee, and the idea was borrowed from the Constitution of the former USSR. There were ten duties at first; the 86th Amendment Act, 2002 added the eleventh, asking parents to give their children aged 6 to 14 a chance of education. Clause (a) asks citizens to respect the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem, and clause (b) is the line in this question. Option A is wrong because the Directive Principles in Part IV are instructions to the State, not duties of citizens. Option C is wrong because the Fundamental Rights in Part III are claims a citizen can enforce in court. Option D is wrong because the Preamble states the ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity but lists no duties. Exam tip: Article 51A, Part IVA, 42nd Amendment 1976, eleven duties today.