UPSC NDA-2 Archives

1. Achyut Lahkar, who died recently, was a

Achyut Lahkar, who died recently, was a

sports administrator

wildlife photographer

mobile theatre personality

bureaucrat

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Achyut Lahkar was a mobile theatre personality.

Achyut Lahkar (1931-2016) was a pioneer of mobile theatre in Assam, India. He founded the ‘Natraj Theatre’, one of the first mobile theatre groups in the state, significantly contributing to its popularity and development.

Mobile theatre is a unique form of popular theatre prevalent in Assam, where theatre groups travel across the state performing plays in temporary venues (tents or makeshift halls).

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2. Consider the following statements: He was an Indian journalist, editor

Consider the following statements:
He was an Indian journalist, editor and author. He was associated with the Statesman, the Guardian, the Times of India etc. He received the Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. He died in June 2016.
The person referred to above is

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B K Karanjia

K M Mathew

Inder Malhotra

Nanasaheb Parulekar

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The person described is Inder Malhotra.

Inder Malhotra was a prominent Indian journalist, editor, and author who had a long and distinguished career associated with major newspapers like The Statesman, The Guardian, and The Times of India. He received the Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to journalism in 2013 and passed away in June 2016.

B.K. Karanjia was primarily a film journalist and editor. K.M. Mathew was the Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama. Nanasaheb Parulekar founded the Marathi newspaper Sakal.

3. Who among the following was defeated by Saina Nehwal to win the women’

Who among the following was defeated by Saina Nehwal to win the women’s title of the Australian Open Super Series Badminton Tournament, 2016 ?

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Sun Yu

Carolina Marin

Wang Yihan

Sung Ji Hyun

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The correct answer is A. Saina Nehwal won the Australian Open Super Series Badminton Tournament women’s singles title in 2016.

In the final match of the Australian Open Super Series 2016 held in Sydney, Saina Nehwal of India defeated Sun Yu of China. Saina won the match in three games with a score of 11-21, 21-14, 21-19.

This was Saina Nehwal’s second Australian Open Super Series title, having also won it in 2014. The Super Series circuit was a series of top-level badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

4. Consider the following statements : 1. Periplus is a Greek word mean

Consider the following statements :

1. Periplus is a Greek word meaning sailing around.
2. Erythraean was the Greek name for the Mediterranean Sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

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The correct answer is A. The question asks which of the given statements is/are correct.

Statement 1 is correct. “Periplus” is a Greek word derived from “periplous” (περίπλους), meaning “sailing around”. A periplus is a type of historical document that describes a coastal voyage, listing ports and landmarks along the route.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Erythraean Sea (Erythra Thalassa in Greek) refers to the body of water encompassing the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and potentially extending into the Indian Ocean, according to classical geographers like the author of the “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea”. The Mediterranean Sea was known by other names in Greek and Roman antiquity, such as simply “the sea” (ἡ θάλασσα) or, by Romans, “Mare Nostrum” (Our Sea).

The “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea” is an important ancient Greek text, written by an unknown author around the 1st century CE, which describes navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports along the coast of the Red Sea, and points along the coast of Northeast Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

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5. Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by

Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by

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Lord Wellesley

Lord Dalhousie

Lord Canning

Lord Ripon

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The correct answer is A. The system of Subsidiary Alliance was primarily implemented and expanded by Lord Wellesley.

Lord Wellesley served as the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805. He devised and widely used the Subsidiary Alliance system as a tool to bring Indian states under British control without direct annexation. Under this system, an Indian ruler would accept British paramountcy, agree to keep a British resident at their court, disband their own army and accept British troops for protection (paying for their maintenance), and not enter into alliances with other powers or engage in warfare without British permission. This system significantly expanded the territory and influence of the British East India Company.

Although the concept of British troops stationed in princely states existed before Wellesley, he systematized it into the ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ and applied it aggressively to integrate many Indian states, such as Hyderabad, Mysore, Awadh, the Peshwa, etc., into the Company’s political sphere.

6. Who among the following invented the powerloom that revolutionized the

Who among the following invented the powerloom that revolutionized the cotton textile industry ?

Edmund Cartwright

Samuel Crompton

Richard Arkwright

James Hargreaves

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The correct answer is A. The power loom was invented by Edmund Cartwright.

Edmund Cartwright, an English clergyman and inventor, patented the first power loom in 1785. This invention mechanized the process of weaving, significantly increasing the speed and efficiency of cloth production and playing a key role in the Industrial Revolution, particularly in the cotton textile industry.

Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule (combined features of spinning jenny and water frame), Richard Arkwright invented the water frame, and James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny. These were all crucial inventions in the spinning process of the textile industry, preceding or coinciding with the invention of the power loom, which mechanized the weaving process.

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7. Which of the following are the features of the ideology of utilitarian

Which of the following are the features of the ideology of utilitarianism?

1. Utilitarians believed that all value derives from land
2. The most celebrated spokesmen of utilitarianism were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
3. Utilitarians were advocates of the idea that India could be ruled through indigenous laws and customs
4. Utilitarians were advocates of the idea of the ‘greatest good for the greatest number of people’

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1 and 4 only

2 and 4 only

1, 2 and 4

2 and 3

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The correct answer is B. Utilitarianism is a philosophy that holds that the best course of action is the one that maximizes utility, often defined as maximizing happiness or pleasure and minimizing suffering or pain.

Statement 1 is incorrect; Utilitarianism is based on utility/happiness, not land value. Statement 2 is correct; Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are considered the most important figures in classical Utilitarianism. Statement 3 is incorrect; Utilitarians often advocated for legal and social reforms based on rational principles aimed at maximizing utility, sometimes viewing indigenous laws and customs as obstacles to progress. Statement 4 is correct; The principle of “the greatest good for the greatest number” is a central tenet of Utilitarianism, especially associated with Bentham.

Bentham focused on a quantitative approach to calculating utility (felicific calculus), while Mill introduced qualitative distinctions among pleasures and emphasized individual liberty within the framework of utilitarian principles. Utilitarian ideas significantly influenced legal reform, administrative policy, and political thought, including British policy in India, where it was sometimes used to justify intervention and reform on the grounds of promoting the “greatest good.”

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8. Which of the following items is used in the household wirings to preve

Which of the following items is used in the household wirings to prevent accidental fire in case of short circuit ?

Insulated wire

Plastic switches

Non-metallic coatings on conducting wires

Electric fuse

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The correct answer is D. An electric fuse is a safety device specifically designed to protect electrical circuits and prevent fires caused by overcurrents, such as those resulting from a short circuit.

In case of a short circuit or overload, an excessively large current flows through the circuit. This large current causes the fuse wire, which has a specific melting point and resistance, to heat up rapidly and melt. When the fuse wire melts, it breaks the circuit, interrupting the flow of current and preventing overheating of wires and appliances, thus preventing accidental fire.

Insulated wires (A) and non-metallic coatings (C) are crucial for preventing *initial* contact between conductors that could cause a short circuit, but they do not protect against the consequences *after* a short circuit or overload has occurred. Plastic switches (B) are used for safely opening and closing circuits under normal operating conditions, not for overcurrent protection. Modern installations often use Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs) or Residual Current Devices (RCDs) in addition to or instead of traditional fuses for overcurrent and fault protection.

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9. When a force of 1 newton acts on a mass of 1 kg which is able to move

When a force of 1 newton acts on a mass of 1 kg which is able to move freely, the object moves in the direction of force with a/an

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speed of 1 km/s

acceleration of 1 m/s²

speed of 1 m/s

acceleration of 1 km/s²

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The correct answer is B. According to Newton’s Second Law of Motion, the force (F) acting on an object is equal to the mass (m) of the object multiplied by its acceleration (a): F = m × a.

Given F = 1 Newton (N) and m = 1 kg, we can calculate the acceleration:
a = F / m
a = 1 N / 1 kg
The unit of Newton is defined as 1 kg·m/s².
So, a = (1 kg·m/s²) / 1 kg = 1 m/s².
The object will move in the direction of the force with an acceleration of 1 m/s².

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. A constant force acting on a mass produces a constant acceleration. The object’s speed will increase by 1 meter per second every second, starting from rest or its initial velocity. Options A and C refer to speed, not acceleration, and D uses incorrect units (km/s²).

10. Which one of the following is not a contact force ?

Which one of the following is not a contact force ?

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Push force

Gravitational force

Frictional force

Strain force

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The correct answer is B. A contact force is a force that acts only when there is direct physical contact between two interacting objects.

Gravitational force is a non-contact force (also known as a field force). It acts between any two objects possessing mass, even when they are separated by a distance, without any physical contact between them (e.g., the force between the Earth and the Sun, or the force between the Earth and an object in free fall). Push force, frictional force, and strain force (which arises from interactions between atoms/molecules within a material under deformation) are all examples of contact forces.

Other common examples of non-contact forces include electrostatic force (between charges) and magnetic force (between magnets or currents). The concept of forces acting at a distance was initially puzzling but is now understood in terms of fields (gravitational field, electric field, magnetic field) which mediate the interaction.