UPSC CDS-2 Archives

21. How can resources be classified on the basis of their origin?

How can resources be classified on the basis of their origin?

Biotic and abiotic

Renewable and non-renewable

Individual and community

Potential and reserve

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On the basis of their origin, resources can be classified into biotic and abiotic resources. This is a fundamental classification based on whether the resource is derived from living organisms or non-living things.

Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere and have life, such as forests, wildlife, fisheries, livestock, etc. Abiotic resources are non-living things, such as rocks, minerals, water, air, soil, metals, etc.

Other classifications of resources include:
– On the basis of exhaustibility: Renewable and Non-renewable resources.
– On the basis of ownership: Individual, Community, National, and International resources.
– On the basis of the status of development: Potential, Developed, Stock, and Reserve resources.

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22. Which one of the following forms of settlement develops around a lake

Which one of the following forms of settlement develops around a lake ?

Linear

Cross-shaped

Circular

Square

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A circular pattern of settlement development often occurs around a central feature or nodal point, such as a lake, pond, or village common. People build their homes and structures around the accessible water source, leading to a settlement layout that radiates outwards or forms a ring.

Settlement patterns are influenced by the physical environment and cultural factors. A lake serves as a significant physical feature attracting settlement. The necessity of access to water and the presence of a distinct central point naturally encourage a circular or semi-circular arrangement of dwellings around it.

Other settlement patterns include:
– Linear: Develops along a line of communication or transport, such as a road, railway line, or river bank.
– Cross-shaped: Occurs at the intersection of two roads, with development extending along all four directions.
– Dispersed/Scattered: Found in areas with fragmented agricultural land or where people prefer to live separately from neighbours.
– Nucleated/Clustered: Where houses are built closely together around a central point or along a main street.

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23. Which one of the following crops is not cultivated under dryland far

Which one of the following crops is not cultivated under dryland farming ?

Jowar

Ragi

Sugarcane

Groundnut

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Sugarcane is the crop among the options that is not typically cultivated under dryland farming conditions. Dryland farming is practiced in regions with low and erratic rainfall, and the crops grown are selected for their ability to tolerate drought or mature quickly using limited moisture.

Jowar (Sorghum), Ragi (Finger Millet), and Groundnut are common rain-fed crops suitable for cultivation in dryland areas due to their drought tolerance. Sugarcane, however, is a water-intensive crop requiring significant and consistent irrigation for optimal growth, making it unsuitable for dryland farming where irrigation is limited or unavailable.

Dryland farming aims to conserve soil moisture, utilize available rainfall efficiently, and cultivate drought-resistant crops. Examples of crops suited for dryland farming in India include millets (Jowar, Bajra, Ragi), pulses (gram, moong, arhar), oilseeds (groundnut, sesame, castor), and cotton in some areas. Sugarcane cultivation is concentrated in areas with assured irrigation facilities, either from canals, wells, or abundant rainfall.

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24. Which one of the following landforms is/are formed by wind erosion ?

Which one of the following landforms is/are formed by wind erosion ?

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Cirque

Stack

Zeugen

Stack and Zeugen both

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Zeugen is a landform formed by wind erosion.

Wind erosion, also known as aeolian processes, can create distinctive landforms, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.

A Cirque is a bowl-shaped depression carved by a glacier at the head of a valley. A Stack is a vertical column of rock on a coastline, formed by wave erosion wearing away surrounding rock. A Zeugen is a type of yardang, an elongated streamlined hill carved by wind erosion in arid regions, often resembling a mushroom shape where differential erosion occurs on layers of varying hardness. Therefore, only Zeugen among the given options is primarily a result of wind erosion.

25. Consider the following statements on ‘Fog’: 1. Fog is simply a cloud

Consider the following statements on ‘Fog’:

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1. Fog is simply a cloud that forms close to the ground.
2. Radiation fog is associated with radiation cooling of the land at night.
3. Advection fog forms when moisture is blown over a cold surface and is chilled by contact.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

1 and 2 only

2 and 3 only

1 and 3 only

1, 2 and 3

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All three statements given about fog are correct.

Fog is a meteorological phenomenon that reduces visibility, caused by tiny water droplets suspended in the air near the ground.

Statement 1 is correct: Fog is essentially a stratus cloud that forms at or very near the Earth’s surface. The physical process is the same as cloud formation, but the location is different. Statement 2 is correct: Radiation fog forms under clear skies, when the ground loses heat rapidly through radiation, cooling the layer of air immediately above it below its dew point. This cooling leads to condensation and fog formation. Statement 3 is correct: Advection fog forms when warm, moist air moves horizontally over a cooler surface (land or water). As the warm air passes over the cold surface, it is cooled from below, causing the water vapor to condense and form fog.

27. The executive is given an advance grant to meet temporary and running

The executive is given an advance grant to meet temporary and running requirements of Government of India in the beginning of the new financial year until the demands are voted by the legislature. This is known as :

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Vote of Credit

Vote on Account

Appropriation Bill

Advance Account

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The advance grant given to the executive to meet temporary requirements until demands are voted by the legislature is known as Vote on Account.

A Vote on Account allows the government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for a limited period (usually a few months) at the beginning of a financial year.

The Union Budget is presented in February, but the financial year starts from April 1st. The complete budget process, including voting on demands for grants and passing the Appropriation Bill, takes time. To ensure the government can meet its essential expenditure during this interim period (April 1st until the Appropriation Bill is passed), a Vote on Account is passed by the Lok Sabha. A Vote of Credit is granted for an unexpected demand that cannot be quantified, usually related to defense or other extraordinary services. An Appropriation Bill is the legislative instrument that authorizes the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund after the demands for grants are voted.

28. As per the Cabinet Resolution of 1 st January, 2015, the NITI Aayog c

As per the Cabinet Resolution of 1^st January, 2015, the NITI Aayog consists of:

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1. Prime Minister of India
2. Governing Council comprising of Chief Minister of all the States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories
3. Rural Development Minister
4. Chief Executive Officer to be appointed by the Prime Minister

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1, 2 and 3

1, 2 and 4

1 and 2 only

3 and 4 only

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As per the Cabinet Resolution of 1st January, 2015, the NITI Aayog consists of the Prime Minister, the Governing Council (CMs of States and L-Gs of UTs), and a Chief Executive Officer.

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing directional and policy inputs.

The structure of NITI Aayog includes (1) Chairperson: Prime Minister of India, (2) Governing Council: comprising Chief Ministers of all States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories, (3) Regional Councils: to address specific regional issues, (4) Vice-Chairperson: appointed by the Prime Minister, (5) Members: full-time, (6) Part-time Members: maximum 2 from leading universities/research organizations, (7) Ex-Officio Members: maximum 4 from the Union Council of Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister, and (8) Chief Executive Officer (CEO): appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure. Statement 3, ‘Rural Development Minister’, is not listed as a structural component (like Chairperson, Governing Council, CEO, or a mandatory Ex-Officio Member post) in the core resolution, although a minister holding this portfolio could potentially be nominated as an Ex-Officio Member. However, options 1, 2, and 4 are explicitly part of the fundamental structure.

29. Which one of the following is not correct about the Indian Independenc

Which one of the following is not correct about the Indian Independence Act, 1947?

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The Bill for the Indian Independence Act was introduced in Parliament on July 4 and received the Royal Assent on July 18, 1947.

Act of 1947 laid down the basic framework of the Indian Constitution.

The Act provided for the establishment of two independent Dominions to be known as India and Pakistan.

The Act empowered the Constituent Assembly of each Dominion to have unlimited power to frame and adopt any constitution.

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Statement B is not correct about the Indian Independence Act, 1947.

The Indian Independence Act, 1947, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into two new independent dominions, India and Pakistan.

Statement A is correct: The Bill for the Indian Independence Act was introduced on July 4, 1947, and received Royal Assent on July 18, 1947. Statement C is correct: The Act explicitly provided for the creation of two independent Dominions, India and Pakistan. Statement D is correct: The Act gave sovereign power to the Constituent Assembly of each Dominion to frame and adopt any constitution it deemed fit, granting them the power to abrogate or modify any Act of the British Parliament, including the 1947 Act itself. Statement B is incorrect because the Act did not lay down the basic framework of the Indian Constitution; instead, it empowered the Constituent Assembly to create its own constitution, thereby providing the legal basis for the constitution-making process. The framework was decided by the Constituent Assembly members through deliberations and committees.

30. Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. The Bakshali Ma

Which of the following statements is/are correct ?

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1. The Bakshali Manuscript written in the Gatha language (a refined version of old Prakrit) using the Sharada script deals with topics such as fractions, square roots, arithmetic and geometric progressions.

2. In the field of geometry, Aryabhatta described the various properties of a circle giving a very accurate value for pi (π) correct to four decimal places at 3.1416.

3. Sharangadhara Samhita is an important text on political system of ancient India.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1, 2 and 3

1 and 3 only

1 and 2 only

2 only

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Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while statement 3 is incorrect.

The Bakshali Manuscript is a significant ancient Indian text on mathematics. Aryabhata was a pioneering Indian mathematician and astronomer. The Sharangadhara Samhita is a well-known medical text.

Statement 1 is correct: The Bakshali Manuscript is indeed written in Gatha language (a form of Prakrit) using the Sharada script and covers various mathematical topics, including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, fractions, square roots, and series. Statement 2 is correct: Aryabhata, in his work Aryabhatiya, calculated the value of pi (π) and gave an approximation equivalent to 3.1416, which was remarkably accurate for his time. Statement 3 is incorrect: The Sharangadhara Samhita, compiled by Sharangadhara, is a famous Ayurvedic medical text, not a text on the political system of ancient India. Important texts on ancient Indian polity include Kautilya’s Arthashastra.