Before you proceed to this post, make sure you have read this article on Tips & Strategies to crack the UPSC CSE Prelims
As discussed in the earlier article, UPSC does follow a blueprint while setting the question paper. There are several areas where UPSC asks questions definitely in Prelims. Let’s discuss about them in detail. We have taken into consideration only the UPSC CSE 2018 & 2019 Preliminary Exam.
Intellectual Property Rights & WTO
Consider the following statements:[CSP 2019]
1. According to the Indian Patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India.
2. In India, there is no Intellectual Property Appellate Board.
3. Plant varieties are not eligible to be patented in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Consider the following pairs:[CSP 2018]
Craft Heritage of
1. Puthukkuli shawls — Tamil Nadu
2. Sujni embroidery — Maharashtra
3. Uppada Jamdani saris — Karnataka
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 only
(d) 2 and 3
India enacted The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in order to comply with the obligations to[CSP 2018]
(a) ILO
(b) IMF
(c) UNCTAD
(d) WTO
Making of the Constitution
Consider the following statements about ‘the Charter Act of 1813’:[CSP 2019]
1. It ended the trade monopoly of the East India Company in India except for trade in tea and trade with China.
2. It asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over the Indian territories held by the Company.
3. The revenues of India were now controlled by the British Parliament.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
In the federation established by The Government on India Act of 1935. Residuary Power were given to the[CSP 2018]
(a) Federal Legislature
(b) Governor General
(c) Provincial Legislature
(d) Provincial Governors
International Current Affairs (Factual)
Which of the following adopted a law on data protection and privacy for its citizens known as ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ in April 2016 and started implementation of it from 25th May, 2018?[CSP 2019]
(a) Australia
(b) Canada
(c) The European Union
(d) The United States of America
Very recently, in which of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine/acute malnutrition or died due to starvation caused by war/ethnic conflicts ?[CSP 2018]
(a) Angola and Zambia
(b) Morocco and Tunisia
(c) Venezuela and Colombia
(d) Yemen and South Sudan
The term “two-state solution” is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of[CSP 2018]
(a) China
(b) Israel
(c) Iraq
(d) Yemen
What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news?[CSP 2018]
(a) An Israeli radar system
(b) India’s indigenous anti-missile programme
(c) An American anti missile system
(d) A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea
International Organizations & Treaties
With reference to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), consider the following statements. [CSP 2019]
1. AIIB has more than 80 member nations.
2. India is the largest shareholder in AIIB.
3. AIIB does not have any members from outside Asia.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c). 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Consider the following statements:[CSP 2019]
1. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has a ‘Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air’.
2. The UNCAC is the ever-first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument.
3. A highlight of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is the inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners from whom they had been taken illicitly.
4. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated by its member States to assist in the implementation of both UNCAC and UNTOC.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Consider the following countries :[CSP 2018]
1. Australia
2. Canada
3. China
4. India
5. Japan
6. USA
Which of the above are among the ‘free-trade partners’ of ASEAN ?
(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5
(b) 3, 4, 5 and 6
(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5
(d) 2, 3, 4 and 6
With reference to the ‘Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (CACSA)’, which of the following statements is/are correct.”[CSP 2018]
1. GACSA is an outcome of the Climate Summit held in Paris in 2015.
2. Membership of GACSA does not create any binding obligations.
3. India was instrumental in the creation of GACSA.
Select the correct answer using the code given
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Map based Questions / Places in news
Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?[CSP 2019]
(a) Manas National Park
(b) Namdapha National Park
(c) Neora Valley National Park
(d) Valley of Flowers National Park
Consider the following pairs:[CSP 2019]
| Sea | Bordering country |
|---|---|
| 1. Adriatic Sea | Albania |
| 2. Black Sea | Croatia |
| 3. Caspian Sea | Kazakhstan |
| 4. Mediterranean Sea | Morocco |
| 5. Red Sea | Syria |
Which of the pair given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Consider the following pairs :[CSP 2018]
Regions sometimes mentioned in news Country
1. Catalonia – Spain
2. Crimea – Hungary
3. Mindanao – Philippines
4. Oromia – Nigeria
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b)) 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 4 only
Consider the following pairs:[CSP 2018]
Town sometime mentioned in news Country
1.Aleppo –Syria
2.Kirkuk -Yemen
3.Mosul – Palestine
4.Mazar-i-Sharif – Afghanistan
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 4
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 and 4
Rivers and related areas
Consider the following pairs[CSP 2019]
| Famous place | River |
|---|---|
| Pandharpur | Chandrabhaga |
| Tiruchirappalli | Cauvery |
| Hampi | Malaprabha |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Consider the following pairs:[CSP 2019]
| Glacier | River |
|---|---|
| 1. Bandarpunch | Yamuna |
| 2. Bara Shigri | Chenab |
| 3. Milam | Mandakini |
| 4. Siachen | Nubra |
| 5. Zemu | Manas |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1, 2 and 4
(b) 1, 3 and 4
(c) 2 and 5
(d) 3 and 5
Diseases
Which one of the following statements is not correct?[CSP 2019]
(a) Hepatitis B virus is transmitted much like HIV.
(b) Hepatitis B, unlike Hepatitis C, does not have a vaccine.
(c) Globally, the number of people infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses are several times more than those infected with HIV.
(d) Some of those infected with Hepatitis Band C viruses do not show the symptoms for many years.
Consider the following:[CSP 2018]
1. Birds
2. Dust blowing
3. Rain
4. Wind blowing
Which of the above spread plant diseases?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Reports & Indices
Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’?[CSP 2019]
(a) Maintenance of law and order
(b) Paying taxes
(c) Registering property
(d) Dealing with construction permits
The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the[CSP 2019]
(a) International Monetary Fund
(b) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(c) World Economic Forum
(d) World Bank
“Rule of Law Index” is released by which of the following ?[CSP 2018]
(a) Amnesty International
(b) International Court of Justice
(c) The Office of UN Commissioner for Human Rights
(d) World Justice Project
Institutions in India / Statutory bodies
Consider the following statements:[CSP 2019]
1. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the first regulatory body set up by the Government of India.
2. One of the tasks of PNGRB is to, ensure competitive markets for gas.
3. Appeals against the decisions of PNGRB go before the Appellate Tribunals for Electricity.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Familiar Technological Applications
With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference / differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)?[CSP 2019]
1. LTE ‘is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G.
2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
In the context of digital technologies for entertainment, consider the following statements:[CSP 2019]
1. In Augmented Reality (AR) , a simulated environment is created and the physical world is completely shut out.
2. In Virtual Reality (VR), images generated from a computer are projected onto real-life objects or surroundings.
3. AR allows individuals to be present in the world and improves the experience using the camera of smart-phone or PC.
4. VR closes the world, and transposes an individual, providing complete immersion experience.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 and 4
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 4 only
With reference to India’s satellite launch vehicles, consider the following statements:[CSP 2018]
1. PSLVs launch the satellites useful for Earth resources monitoring whereas GSLVs are designed mainly to launch communication satellites.
2. Satellites launched by PSLV appear to remain permanently fixed in the same position in the sky, as viewed from a particular location on Earth.
3. GSLV Mk III is a four-staged launch l vehicle with the first and third stages l using solid rocket motors; and the second and fourth stages using liquid rocket engines.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct.?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 2
(d) 3 only
Social Reform Movements / Pre-Independence Organisations
Consider the following pairs:[CSP 2019]
| Movement/Organization | Leader |
|---|---|
| 1. All India Anti-Untouchability League | Mahatma Gandhi |
| 2. All India Kisan Sabha | Swami Sahajanand Saraswati |
| 3. Self-Respect Movement | E. V. Ramaswami Naicker |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs:[CSP 2019]
| Person | Position held |
|---|---|
| 1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru | President, All India Liberal Federation |
| 2. K. C. Neogy | Member, The Constituent Assembly |
| 3. P. C. Joshi | General Secretary, Communist Party of India |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Who among the following were the founders of the “Hind Mazdoor Sabha” established in 1948 ?[CSE 2018]
(a) B. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George
(b) Jayaprakash Narayan, Deen Day al Upadhyay and M.N. Roy
(c) C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu
(d) Ashok Mehta, T.S. Ramanujam and G.G. Mehta
Apart from the above topics, there are several topics like Indus Valley Civilisation, Jainism/Buddhism etc, which are asked every alternate year.
These are all few of the many topics that UPSC asks questions from definitely every year. As you can observe, we have taken into consideration only the 2018 & 2019 UPSC CSE Preliminary Exams. All the remaining Sure shot questions and topics are covered in our test series in a more elaborate way, so as to ensure that there will be no stone left unturned for an aspirant to clear UPSC Exam.
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