IAS (Pre)-2011 Cont. -2

51. Indane gas is a mixture of
(a) butane and hydrogen
(b) butane and oxygen
(c) butane and propane
(d) methane and oxygen
Answer- c
Explanation- Indane Gas or LPG is a mixture of propane and butane It may also contain small amounts of propylene and/or butylene. An odorant such as ethanethiol (ethyl mercaptan) or thiophene is added so that people can easily smell the gas in case of a leak.

52. Which one of the following States has granted Sanskrit language the status of the second official language of the State?
(a) Bihar (b) Chhattisgarh (c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Uttarakhand
Answer-d
Explanation-
The Uttarakhand Government has declared Sanskrit as the second official language of the State. The hill State becomes the first to take such a step.The Vidhan Sabha had passed the relevant legislation recently.Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said the step had been taken to promote the ancient language so that the children could understand it and translate or co-relate traditional and Vedic wisdom with current day science, economics and polity.

53. Which one of the following has the right to address the Parliament?
(a) Attorney General of India
(b) Chief Election Commissioner of India
(c) Chief Justice of India
(d) National Security Advisor
Answer-a
Explanation-
The Attorney General for India is the Indian government's chief legal advisor, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. The Attorney General for India is appointed by the President of India under Article 76(1) of the Constitution of India and holds office during the pleasure of the President. He must be a person qualified to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court. The Attorney General has the right of audience in all Courts in India as well as the right to participate in the proceedings of the Parliament, though not to vote.

54. Which one of the following statements about the Parliament of India is not correct?
(a) The Constitution provides for a Parliamentary form of Government.
(b) The foremost function of the Parliament is to provide a Cabinet.
(c) The membership of the Cabinet is restricted to the Lower House.
(d) The Cabinet has to enjoy the confidence of the majority in the popular Chamber.
Answer-c
Explanation-
The Cabinet of India is the collective decision-making body of the Government of India, composed of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers. The Cabinet is the ultimate decision-making body of the executive within the Westminster system of government in traditional constitutional theory. The membership of the Cabinet is not restricted to the Lower House.

55. Voting right by the youths as the age of 18 years was exercised for the first time in the General Election of
(a) 1987 (b) 1988 (c) 1989 (d) 1990
Answer-c
Explanation- Constitution (61st Amendment) Act, 1989: It lowers the voting age from 21 to 18 to give wider representation and involve the present day literate youth, in the mainstream of political life of the nation. Voting right by the youths as the age of 18 years was exercised for the first time in the General Election of 1989.

56. Under which one of the following Articles of the Indian Constitution, the Legislative Assembly is allowed to resolve for the creation of the Legislative Council?
(a)168 (b) 169 (c) 170 (d) 171
Answer-b
Explanation-
Article 169 Abolition or creation of Legislative Councils in States-
Notwithstanding anything in article 168, Parliament may by law provide for the abolition of the Legislative Council of a State having such a Council or for the creation of such a Council in as State having no such Council, if the Legislative Assembly of the State passes a resolution to that effect by a majority of the total membership of the Assembly and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Assembly present and voting.

57. Missile 'Astra' is a
(a) land to land missile
(b) land to air missile
(c) air to air missile
(d) waster to land missile
Answer-c
Explanation-
Astra is an active radar homing beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India. This is the first air-to-air missile developed by India- an advanced missile that enables fighter pilots to lock-on and shoot down enemy aircraft from a distance of more than 80 km away.

58. Match List- I with List-II and select the correct answer from the code given below:
List -I List-II
A. Pandit Durgalal 1. InstrumentalMusic
B. Lalgudi Jayaraman 2. Dance
C. Bala Murali Krishna 3. Painting
D. Amrita Shergil 4. Vocal Music
Code:
A B C D
(a) 2 1 4 3
(b) 1 2 4 3
(c) 3 1 2 4
(d) 2 4 3 1
Answer-a
Explanation-
Durga Lal was a renowned Kathak dancer from Jaipur in Indian state of Rajasthan. Lalgudi Jayarama Iyer is a well-known Carnatic violinist, vocalist and composer. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna is a Carnatic vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and a playback singer. He is also acclaimed as a poet, composer and respected by all Indian classical musicians for his knowledge of Carnatic Music. Amrita Sher-Gil, was an eminent Indian painter.

59. South Indian festival of 'Onam' is associated with which of the following?
(a) Ram's victory over Rawan
(b) Durga's killing of Mahishasur
(c) Shiva Shakti
(d) Mahabali
Answer-d
Explanation-
Onam is the largest festival in the Indian state of Kerala. It marks the homecoming of the legendary King Maveli/ Mahabali. Mahabali was the grandson of Prahlad (son of Hiranyakashyap who was slain by Vishnu in his Narasimha Avataram). Prahlad, despite being an Asura, had great faith in Vishnu. Mahabali learned the act of love and devotion to Lord Vishnu as a child, from Prahlad.

60. Which among the following is the largest software company in India?
(a) Infosys (b) TCS (c) WIPRO (d) HCL Tech
Answer-b
Explanation- Top five software company in India are
1 Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
2 Infosys Technologies Ltd.
3 Wipro Technologies Ltd.
4 Satyam Computer Services Ltd.
5 HCL Technologies Ltd.

61. Which one of the following is different from the others from the point of view of ownership?
(a) LIC Policy
(b) Bank Fixed Deposit
(c) Kisan Vikas Patra
(d) Debenture of a Company
Answer- a

62. In the Union Budget-2011- 12, the effective rate of interest for farmers on timely repayment of the bank loan is
(a) 7 percent (b) 6 percent (c) 4 percent (d) 3 percent
Answer-c
Explanation-
In the Union Budget-2011- 12, the effective rate of interest for farmers on timely repayment of the bank loan is 4%. "In the last Budget, Budget provided an additional two per cent interest subvention to those farmers who repay their crop loans on time. In order to provide further incentive to these farmers, Union Budget-2011- 12 enhance the additional subvention to three per cent in 2011-12. The effective rate of interest for such farmers would be four per cent.

63. 'Athapoo' is associated with which of the following festivals?
(a) Dol Yatra
(b) Onam
(c) Pongal
(d) Vishwakarma Puja
Answer-b
Explanation-
Pookalam, also known as 'Atha-Poo' is an intricate and colorful arrangement of flowers laid on the floor. Tradition of decorating Pookalam is extremely popular in Kerala and is followed as a ritual in every household during ten-day-long Onam celebrations.

64. Golden rice has the highest quantity of
(a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin B (c) Vitamin C (d) Vitamin K
Answer-a
Explanation-
Golden rice is a variety of Oryza sativa rice produced through genetic engineering to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor of pro-vitamin A in the edible parts of rice.

65. Which one of the following is useful in the treatment of scurvy disease?
(a) Mango (b) Papaya (c) Aonla (d) Ber
Answer-c
Explanation-
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. Most animals manufacture their own vitamin C. Primates, such as humans, gorillas, and monkeys, have somehow lost this ability.
It is well known that citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, tangerines, limes, mandarins and others contain vitamin C. Indian gooseberry, or aamla', is richest sores of vitamin C.

66. Which of the following crops are grown mainly in the irrigated areas during Zaid?
(a) Arhar and Gram
(b) Moong and Urad
(c) Rice and Millets
(d) Maize and Groundnut
Answer-b
Explanation-
Moong and Urad are Kharif crop but it also can be grown in the irrigated areas during Zaid.

67. The largest producer of Sugar in India is
(a) Bihar
(b) Karnataka
(c) Maharashtra
(d) Uttar Pradesh
Answer-c
Explanation-
India's western Maharashtra state, the biggest sugar producer in the country, has revised downward its 2010/11 sugar output forecast to 9 million tonnes from the previous 9.1 million tonnes.


68. Which of the following authority sanctions foreign exchange for the import of goods?
(a) Any Nationalised Bank
(b) Exchange Bank
(c) Reserve Bank of India
(d) Ministry of Finance
Answer- c

69. A letter of credit has to be produced by
(a) an exporter
(b) an importer
(c) custom authorities
(d) shipping company
Answer-b
Explanation-
A Letter of Credit is a written undertaking by the Importer’s bank, known as the Issuing Bank, on behalf of its customer, the Importer (Applicant), promising to effect payment in favour of the Exporter (Beneficiary) up to a stated sum of money, within a prescribed time limit and against stipulated documents.A key principle underlying Letters of Credit is that banks deal only in documents and not in goods.

70. Which organisation promotes the foreign trade?
(a) ECGC
(b) MMTC
(c) STC
(d) All of the above
Answer-d
Explanation-
Organization promotes the foreign trade:
A. Public Sector Undertakings
State Trading Corporation (STC)
MMTC Limited
PEC Limited Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited
India Trade Promotion Organisation
B. Export Promotion Councils
C. Other Organisations
Federation of Indian Export Organisations
Indian Council of Arbitration
Indian Diamond Institute
Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) National Centre for Trade Information
Price Stabilization Fund Trust
GS1-India

71. The main source of fund for the National Highway Authority of India is
(a) Cess
(b) Foreign assistance
(c) Market borrowings
(d) Budgetary support of Union Government
Answer-a

72. Private Sector Mutual Funds in India were permitted in
(a) 1964 (b) 1993 (c) 1994 (d) 2001
Answer-b
Explanation-
With the entry of private sector funds in 1993, a new era started in the Indian mutual fund industry, giving the Indian investors a wider choice of fund families. Also, 1993 was the year in which the first Mutual Fund Regulations came into being, under which all mutual funds, except UTI were to be registered and governed. The erstwhile Kothari Pioneer (now merged with Franklin Templeton) was the first private sector mutual fund registered in July 1993.

73. The State known as 'Garden of Spices' is
(a) Karnataka (b) Kerala (c) Maharashtra (d) Tamil Nadu
Answer-b
Explanation-
The humid equatorial tropic climate and steep mountain slopes are ideal for spice cultivation. Kerala is one of the popular tea and spice producing states of India. Kerala spice plantation is famous across the globe since time immemorial. During ancient time Chinese and Arab traders came here for spice trading.

74. MODVAT is related to
(a) Excise duty
(b) Value Added Tax (VAT)
(c) Wealth Tax
(d) Income Tax
Answer-b
Explanation-
Modvat stands for "Modified Value Added Tax". It is a scheme for allowing relief to final manufacturers on the excise duty borne by their suppliers in respect of goods manufactured by them. The scheme was first introduced with effect from 1 March 1986. Under this scheme, a manufacturer can take credit of excise duty paid on raw materials and components used by him in his manufacture. Accordingly, every intermediate manufacturer can take credit for the excise element on raw materials and components used by him in his manufacture. Since it amounts to excise duty only on additions in value by each manufacturer at each stage, it is called value-added-tax (VAT)

75. More than one-third of the crude steel production of the world comes from
(a) China (b) Japan (c) Russia (d) U.S.A.
Answer-a
Explanation-
China's share of world crude steel production has also increased exponentially and produces more than one third of all crude steel produced in the world.

76. The Sun City is located in
(a) Italy (b) Japan (c) Mexico (d) South Africa
Answer-d
Explanation-
Sun City is a luxury casino and resort, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. Sun City was developed by the hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of his Sun International group of properties.

77. The correct descending order of the leading producers of milk is
(a) China, India, Russia, U.S.A.
(b) India, U.S.A., China, Russia
(c) U.S.A. India, China, Russia
(d) India, China, U.S.A., Russia
Answer-b

78. Match list- I and List- II and select the correct answer from the code given below the lists :
List- I List- II
(Iron-Steel Centre) (Country)
A. Hamilton 1. China
B. Birmingham 2. Canada
C. Essen 3. U.K.
D. Anshan 4. Germany
Code :
A B C D
(a) 4 3 1 2
(b) 2 1 4 3
(c) 2 3 4 1
(d) 3 4 2 1
Answer-c
Explanation-
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Essen is a city in the central part of the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Anshan, Liaoning, a major city in Liaoning Province in Northeastern China.

79. Import procedure begins with
(a) Indent (b) Mate's receipt (c) Marine insurance (d) Shipping bill
Answer- a

80. Match List- I and List- II and select the correct answer from the code given below:
List- I (Lake) List-II (City)
A. Erie 1. Duluth
B. Michigan 2. Detroit
C. Ontario 3. Gary
D. Superior 4. Hamilton
Code :
A B C D
(a) 2 1 4 3
(b) 1 3 2 4
(c) 4 2 3 1
(d) 2 3 4 1
Answer-d
Explanation-
Erie Lake- Detroit, Buffalo, Ohio
Michigan-Gary, Milwaukee, Chicago
Ontario-Hamilton, Toronto
Superior-Duluth

81. In India the State with the largest area under very dense forest is
(a) Arunachal Pradesh
(b) Madhya Pradesh
(c) Maharashtra
(d) Orissa
Answer-a
Explanation-
State having its maximum geographical area under dense forest cover-Arunachal Pradesh
State having lowest geographical area under forest cover-Haryana
State having Largest geographical area under forest cover-MP

82. In India two largest producers of coal (2008-09) are
(a) Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
(b) Chattisgarh and Orissa
(c) Chattisgarh and Jharkhand
(d) Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh
Answer-b
Explanation-
The provisional total production of coal in 2008-09 was around 492.9 million tonnes which was higher by 7.8% as compared to the previous year.
Chhattisgarh is the largest coal producing state with a share of about 20.7%, followed closely by Orissa and Jharkhand having contribution of 20.0% and 19.5%, respectively, in the national output. Next in order of share in the total production were, Madhya Pradesh (14.5%), Andhra Pradesh (9.0%), Maharashtra (7.9%), West Bengal (4.6%) and Uttar Pradesh (2.4%).

83. Which of the following towns lie in the National Capital Region?
1. Ambala 2. Khurja 3. Karnal 4. Rohtak
Select the correct answer from the code given below :
Code :
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3 only (d) 2,3 and 4 only
Answer-d
Explanation-
The criterion for selecting counter magnet towns are that they should not be within approximately. 250 Km. from Delhi, should have their own established roots and potential of growth and should not be centres of either religious, strategic or environmental importance.

84. Coolgardie lies in the Australian province of
(a) New South Wales
(b) Northern lerritory
(c) Queensland
(d) Western Australia
Answer-d
Explanation-
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. The town was founded in 1892, when gold was discovered in the area.

85. Which one of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched ?
(a) Koyali - Gujarat
(b) Nagapattinam - Andhra Pradesh
(c) Numaligarh - Assam
(d) Manali - Tamil Nadu
Answer-d
Explanation-Manali is an important hill station of Himachal Pradesh. It is located in the Kullu district of H.P.

86. Arrange the following States of India in descending order of their forest-area and select the correct answer from the code given below:
1. Andhra Pradesh
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. Chhattisgarh
4. Orissa
Code :
(a) 1, 3, 4, 2 (b) 1, 2, 3, 4 (c) 4, 3, 1, 2 (d) 2, 1, 4, 3
Answer-d

87. Which one of the following does NOT lie in Maharashtra ?
(a) Balaghat Range
(b) Harischandra Range
(c) Mandav Hills
(d) Satmala Hills
Answer-c
Explanation-Mandav Hills are located in Gujrat.

88. Which one of the following is NOT the port town of Gujarat?
(a) Jamnagar (b) Okha (c)Porbandar (d) Veraval
Answer-a
Explanation- Jamnagar is famous for refinery whereas Kandla, Pipavav, Porbandar, Okha, Veraval, Dahej and Mundra are famous port of Gujrat.

89. Who among the following has been awarded the prestigious Abel Prize for the year 2011 ?
(a) Isadore M. Singer
(b) John Griggs Thompson
(c) John Willard Milnor
(d) Peter D. Lax
Answer-c
Explanation-
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has chosen one of the living legends of mathematics, John Willard Milnor of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences in the University of Stony Brook, U.S.A, for the award of its prestigious Abel Prize for the year 2011.

90. Assertion (A) : Kerala stands first in terms of human development human development index.
Reason (R) : Its unemployment rate is the highest in the country.
Select the correct answer from the code given below :
Code :
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Answer-b
Explanation-
Kerala stands first in Human Development Index among the states in India, while Chandigarh stands first in Human Development Index among the Union territories in India.
Unemployment rates, especially among educated youth, started increasing during the 1980s. Faced with a stagnant economy, international migration, especially to West Asia, was a welcome respite for the people. Kerala got transformed from being an agrarian economy to a money-order economy, with very high levels of consumption and very poor goods production. Today Kerala has the highest rates of unemployment in the country and has touched nearly 29% in 2004-05 compared with the national average of around 8%.

91. Who among the following film actors was given Mother Teresa Award in March 2011?
(a) Prem Chopra (b) Rajesh Khanna (c) Shammi Kapoor (d) Shatrughan Sinha
Answer-a

92. Which one of the following Indian States has recently signed a $ 220 million agreement with the World Bank?
(a) Bihar (b) Kerala (c) Maharashtra (d) Tamil Nadu
Answer-a
Explanation-
The World Bank Wednesday signed a $220 million reconstruction aid agreement with the Bihar government to rebuild the flood-affected areas of the state with new bridges, roads and houses.

93. According to the World Bank's Global Development Finance Report 2010 the correct descending order of the world's five most indebted countries is
(a) Russia, Brazil, China, Turkey, India.
(b) Russia, China, Turkey, Barzil, India.
(c) Russia, China, Brazil, India, Turkey.
(d) Russia, Brazil, India, China, Turkey.
Answer-b
Explanation- World's five most indebted countries
Russian Federation- 402,453 (US$ millions)
China ------------------378,245
Turkey -----------------277,277
Brazil -------------------255,614
India --------------------230,611

94. In February 2011 India International Youth Film Festival was held in
(a) Hyderabad (b) Kolkata (c) Mumbai (d) New Delhi
Answer-d
Explanation-
The Second IIYFF was held on 1st and 2nd Feb. 2011 at Jawahar Lal Nehru University Campus, New Delhi. It was a great success and the response was overwhelming.
The Two Day festival was inaugurated by Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor Prof .S . K . Sopory of JNU along with the Senior Actor Sushma Seth and number of celebrities and dignitaries at SSS-1 Auditorium, JNU Campus.

95. At the 83rd Oscar Award the best film award was won by
(a) Black Swan
(b) The Fighter
(c) The King's Speech
(d) The Social Network
Answer-c
Explanation-
83rd Oscar Award:
Actor in a Leading Role-Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
Actress in a Leading Role-Natalie Portman for her role in ‘Black Swan’.
Directing-“The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
Best Picture-“The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

96. The foundation stone of the third Indian Research Centre in Antarctica was laid by the name of
(a) Sarswati (b) Bharti (c) Anweshan (d) Yamnotri
Answer-b
Explanation-
India is all set to build the third such centre in Antarctica at a cost of Rs 230 crore to take up cutting-edge research in various fields. The new station, tentatively named Bharti, is scheduled to be operational by 2012, making India a member of an elite group of nine nations that have multiple stations in the region. Dakshin Gangotri, set up in 1984, was buried in ice and had to be abandoned in 1990, a year after India set up Maitri, the second station. The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, will set up the new station on Larsmann Hill, 3,000 km from Schirmacher Oasis, where Maitri stands.

97. The author of the book "The Emperor of All Maladies : A Biography of Cancer", for which 2011 Pulitzer Prize has been awarded, is
(a) Farid zakariya
(b) Geeta Anand
(c) Jhumpa Lahri
(d) Siddhartha Mukherjee
Answer-d
Explanation-
Indian-American physician Siddhartha Mukherjee has become the fourth person of Indian origin to
bag the prestigious Pulitzer Prize 2011 in the general non-fiction category for his acclaimed book on cancer, ‘The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.’

98. The 18th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhawana Award has been given to
(a) Shabana Azmi
(b) Mulana Wahiduddin Khan
(c) Javed Akhtar
(d) None of the above
Answer-b
Explanation-
Eminent Islamic scholar and champion of peace and harmony Maualana Wahiduddin Khan has been bestowed with 18th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill at a function held at Jawahar Bhawan in New Delhi.

99. India in February 2011 signed Free Trade Agreement with
(a) Australia (b) Indonesia (c) Japan (d) South Korea

Answer-c
Explanation-
16 February 2011, Japan and India have signed a free-trade agreement. They are trying to make it easier to sell goods between the two countries. Japan is trying to build greater trade links since it was recently overtaken by China as the world's second biggest economy.

100. India has recently signed Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement with
(a) Indonesia (b) Malaysia (c) Saudi Arabia (d) Vietnam
Answer-b
Explanation- Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Mustapa Mohamed, Minister for International Trade & Industry, Malaysia, signed the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in the presence of Malaysian Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Razak at Putrajaya in Kuala Lumpur on February 18, 2011. The Agreement will come into effect on July 1, 2011 and the first review will be held within a year of coming into force.