UPSC CAPF Archives

1. Which one of the following countries has been ranked as the least corr

Which one of the following countries has been ranked as the least corrupt country in the Corruption Perception Index 2016 released by Transparency International ?

Denmark

Sweden

Switzerland

Norway

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2017

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According to the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2016, Denmark and New Zealand were ranked jointly as the least corrupt countries (Rank 1) with a score of 90. Among the given options, Denmark is listed and was tied for the top position.

Denmark was ranked among the least corrupt countries in the Transparency International CPI 2016.

The CPI ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index, drawing on 13 different surveys and assessments from 12 different institutions that capture perceptions of corruption.

2. Which one of the following portals was launched on the 250th anniversa

Which one of the following portals was launched on the 250th anniversary of Survey of India ?

ServicePlus

DigiMap

Udaan

Nakshc

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2017

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The Survey of India, established in 1767, celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2017. On this occasion, the government launched the ‘Nakshc’ (or Nakshe) portal, providing free public access to digitized topographical maps (open series maps) of the country for download.

The ‘Nakshc’ portal was launched by the Survey of India in 2017 to provide public access to maps.

The Nakshe portal (nakshe.surveyofindia.gov.in) allows users to download maps in PDF format, subject to terms and conditions. This initiative was part of the government’s efforts to promote geospatial data availability and use.

3. Which one of the following statements about Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yoj

Which one of the following statements about Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is NOT correct ?

It is a social welfare scheme to provide LPG connections in BPL households

The scheme was launched in the year 2015

The Government has set a target of 5 crores LPG connections under the Yojana

The objective of the scheme is to safeguard the health of women and children by providing them with clean cooking fuel

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Option A is correct: PMUY is indeed a scheme targeting BPL households to provide LPG connections. Option C is correct: The initial target for PMUY was set at 5 crore LPG connections for BPL families. Option D is correct: A primary objective of the scheme is to improve the health outcomes of women and children by replacing polluting traditional cooking fuels with clean LPG. Option B is NOT correct: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by the Indian government on May 1, 2016, not in 2015.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in 2016, not 2015.

The scheme aims to provide free LPG connections (deposit-free) to women belonging to poor households, covering the security deposit, while beneficiaries pay for the stove and refills. The target was later expanded to 8 crore connections.

4. Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Dadabhai Naoroji arg

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Dadabhai Naoroji argued that what was being drained out was ‘potential surplus’ that could generate more economic development in India if invested in India
Statement-II: Imperialists believed that India was brought into the large capitalist world market and that was in itself a progress towards modernization

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

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UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Statement I is true; Dadabhai Naoroji, through his ‘Drain Theory’, argued that British rule resulted in the systematic drain of wealth from India, representing a ‘potential surplus’ or investible capital that, if retained and invested in India, could have fueled its industrial and economic development. Statement II is true; Imperialists and colonial apologists frequently argued that British rule brought India into contact with the global capitalist system, promoting trade, infrastructure, and a degree of institutional modernization, which they presented as inherently progressive. Both statements are individually true, reflecting distinct viewpoints (nationalist critique vs. imperialist justification). However, Statement II does not explain why Dadabhai Naoroji developed his argument in Statement I. They represent contrasting analyses of the impact of British rule.

Dadabhai Naoroji critiqued the economic drain, while imperialists claimed modernization through integration into the world market; these are contrasting views, not cause and effect.

Naoroji’s Drain Theory was a cornerstone of early Indian nationalist economic critique, highlighting the exploitative nature of colonial rule. Imperial narratives, conversely, often focused on the ‘benefits’ of British rule, such as railways, telegraphs, and entry into global commerce, portraying them as signs of progress towards modernization.

5. Consider the following statements: Statement-I: The British legal sc

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: The British legal scholars relied on Indian Pandits and Maulavis for understanding of canons of authoritative texts
Statement-II: British codified the Hindu Laws in 1783 and the Muslim Laws in 1785

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

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UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Statement I is true; during the early period of British rule, especially under figures like Warren Hastings, British judges and administrators often relied on the expertise of local legal scholars (Pandits for Hindu law, Maulavis for Muslim law) to understand and apply the personal laws and customs of the Indian population. Statement II is false; while efforts were made to compile and understand Indian personal laws early on (e.g., Halhed’s Gentoo Code in 1776 for Hindu law), the systematic codification of laws, including procedural and penal codes, occurred much later in the 19th century (like the Indian Penal Code 1860). There was no formal codification of Hindu Laws in 1783 and Muslim Laws in 1785 as standalone legal codes akin to modern statutes.

British relied on Indian legal experts initially, but did not codify Hindu and Muslim personal laws in comprehensive codes in the 1780s.

The reliance on pandits and maulavis led to issues of interpretation, corruption, and inconsistency, prompting later efforts towards more standardized legal procedures and, eventually, formal codification of certain areas of law in the 19th century. Personal laws continued to be administered largely based on scriptural interpretation and custom, with limited codification in specific areas much later.

6. Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Nationalism in India

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Nationalism in India, which was assigned a privileged position by its western educated political leadership, was a ‘different’, but a ‘derivative discourse’ from the west
Statement-II: Indian nationalism as a response to western imperialism was ‘like all such responses, shaped by what it was responding to’

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

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UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Statement I is true; scholars like Partha Chatterjee have argued that Indian nationalism, largely articulated by a Western-educated elite, was a ‘derivative discourse’ in that it adopted concepts, language, and organizational forms from Western nationalism, while also being distinct in its context and goals. Statement II is true; Indian nationalism emerged as a response to Western imperialism and colonial rule, and as such, its nature, strategies, and even criticisms were fundamentally shaped by the structure and impact of the imperialism it was confronting. Statement II directly explains why Statement I is true: because it was a response to Western imperialism, Indian nationalism inevitably took on characteristics influenced by that which it was responding to, leading it to be, in part, a derivative discourse.

Indian nationalism, a response to Western imperialism, adopted elements from Western discourse while being shaped by the context of colonial rule.

Partha Chatterjee’s work, particularly “Nationalist Thought and the Colonial World: A Derivative Discourse?”, is central to this line of argument, suggesting that even while asserting its distinctiveness, anti-colonial nationalism operated within the intellectual frameworks established by colonialism.

7. Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Occasionally we see

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Occasionally we see two rainbows together, the primary rainbow with another less intense secondary rainbow about 10 degrees away
Statement-II: The secondary rainbow appears due to refraction after a reflection of sunlight from the water droplets

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

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UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Statement I is true; it is possible to see a secondary rainbow outside the primary one. The secondary rainbow is less intense and typically appears about 10 degrees wider than the primary bow, with the colours reversed. Statement II is false; the secondary rainbow is formed by sunlight undergoing *two* internal reflections inside the water droplets before refracting out. The primary rainbow is formed by a single internal reflection.

A secondary rainbow results from two internal reflections of light within raindrops, not one reflection followed by refraction.

The order of colours in the primary rainbow (red on the outside, violet on the inside) is reversed in the secondary rainbow (violet on the outside, red on the inside) due to the extra internal reflection.

8. Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Chameleon changes it

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Chameleon changes its skin colour to match with the colour of the surroundings
Statement-II: The skin of chameleon emits light of the colour of the surrounding through fluorescence

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

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UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Statement I is true; chameleons are well-known for their ability to change skin colour, which helps them in camouflage, communication, and thermoregulation, adapting to their surroundings and physiological state. Statement II is false; chameleons change colour not by emitting light through fluorescence but by altering the structural properties of specialized cells called iridophores in their skin, which control how light is reflected, combined with the action of pigment-containing cells (chromatophores).

Chameleons change colour using structural colouration and pigments, not by emitting light through fluorescence.

The colour change in chameleons involves manipulating layers of nanocrystals within iridophore cells. By relaxing or exciting their skin, they can change the spacing between these crystals, which in turn reflects different wavelengths of light, producing structural colours like blue and green, which combine with pigment colours (like yellow from xanthophores) to create the observed spectrum.

9. Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Plantation farming h

Consider the following statements:

Statement-I: Plantation farming has mostly been practiced in humid tropics
Statement-II: The soil of humid tropics is highly fertile

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I

Statement I is true but Statement II is false

Statement I is false but Statement II is true

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2017

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Statement I is true as plantation farming, requiring specific climate and soil conditions, is predominantly practiced in humid tropical regions where crops like tea, coffee, rubber, and sugarcane thrive. Statement II is false because the soils of humid tropics are often highly leached due to heavy rainfall and high temperatures, leading to low nutrient content and fertility. While biomass productivity is high, the soil itself is typically not inherently fertile; fertility is concentrated in the thin top layer of decomposing organic matter.

Plantation farming is common in humid tropics, but tropical soils are often infertile due to leaching.

Humid tropical soils like Oxisols or Ferralsols are characterized by intense weathering and leaching (desilication), resulting in a concentration of iron and aluminum oxides. Nutrients are rapidly cycled in the ecosystem, with minimal long-term storage in the soil matrix itself.

10. Which of the following statements is /are correct ? 1. Gravitationa

Which of the following statements is /are correct ?

1. Gravitational Waves were predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of General Relativity
2. Gravitational waves do also exist in the Newtonian theory of Gravitation
3. Gravitational Waves are to be detected by very sensitive detectors known as Interferometers

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1 only

1 and 3 only

2 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2016

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Statements 1 and 3 are correct.

1. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 as a consequence of his theory of General Relativity. This statement is correct.
2. The Newtonian theory of Gravitation describes gravity as an instantaneous force between masses. It does not predict the existence of gravitational waves which are ripples in spacetime propagating at the speed of light. This statement is incorrect.
3. Gravitational waves are extremely weak and require highly sensitive detectors. Interferometers, such as those used in the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and Virgo experiments, are the primary instruments used for their detection. This statement is correct.

The first direct detection of gravitational waves was made by the LIGO collaboration in September 2015 (and announced in February 2016), confirming Einstein’s prediction nearly a century later. This detection originated from the merger of two black holes.