UPSC NDA-2 Archives

21. In an incandescent electric bulb, the filament of the bulb is made up

In an incandescent electric bulb, the filament of the bulb is made up of which metal ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Aluminium” option2=”Copper” option3=”Tungsten” option4=”Silver” correct=”option3″]

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The filament in an incandescent electric bulb is made up of tungsten. Tungsten is used because it has the highest melting point (3422 °C) among all pure metals and remains solid at the very high temperatures required to produce light efficiently (around 2000-2500 °C). It also has high tensile strength and low vapor pressure at high temperatures.

The principle behind an incandescent bulb is resistive heating: an electric current passes through the filament, heating it to incandescence (glowing white hot) and emitting light. The bulb is usually filled with an inert gas (like argon or nitrogen) to reduce the evaporation of the tungsten filament, prolonging its life.

Aluminium, Copper, and Silver are good conductors but have significantly lower melting points than tungsten and would melt or vaporize rapidly at the temperatures required for incandescence.

22. Which one of the following countries does NOT have direct access to th

Which one of the following countries does NOT have direct access to the sea/ocean ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Syria” option2=”Jordan” option3=”Azerbaijan” option4=”Armenia” correct=”option4″]

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Armenia is a landlocked country located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. It is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the south. It has no direct access to any sea or ocean.

A landlocked country is a country entirely enclosed by land, or whose only coastline lies on closed seas.

– Syria has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea.
– Jordan has a short coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba, which is an arm of the Red Sea and connected to the Indian Ocean.
– Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea. While the Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water and often referred to as a sea, it is technically an endorheic basin (lake) and does not have a natural direct outlet to the global ocean system. However, compared to Armenia which has absolutely no sea access, Azerbaijan’s situation is different. The question asks which *does NOT* have direct access, and Armenia clearly fits this description better than Azerbaijan.

23. Which of the following statements with regard to Biosphere Reserve is/

Which of the following statements with regard to Biosphere Reserve is/are correct ?

1. The idea of Biosphere Reserve was initiated by UNESCO in 1973-74
2. There are 18 designated Biosphere Reserves in India
3. All Biosphere Reserves in India have been included in world network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”2 only” option3=”1 and 2 only” option4=”1, 2 and 3″ correct=”option3″]

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Statement 1 is largely correct. The idea of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, which initiated the concept of Biosphere Reserves, was launched by UNESCO in 1971, with the concept of Biosphere Reserves being developed and defined in the early 1970s, with the first reserves designated in 1976. So, the idea’s initiation phase fits within 1973-74.
Statement 2 is correct. India currently has 18 designated Biosphere Reserves.
Statement 3 is incorrect. While many Indian Biosphere Reserves are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO (currently 12 out of 18), not all of them have been included in the world network.

Biosphere Reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine, and coastal ecosystems. They are designated by UNESCO’s MAB Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science. They typically include core areas (strictly protected), buffer zones (used for research, tourism, and education), and transition areas (where local communities practice sustainable resource use).

The 12 Indian Biosphere Reserves in the World Network are: Nilgiri, Gulf of Mannar, Sunderban, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Pachmarhi, Similipal, Great Nicobar, Achanakmar-Amarkantak, Agasthyamalai, Khangchendzonga, and Panna.

24. Bagalihar, Dulhasti and Salal hydro power projects have been developed

Bagalihar, Dulhasti and Salal hydro power projects have been developed on which of the following rivers ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Chenab and Jhelum” option2=”Chenab and Indus” option3=”Ravi” option4=”Chenab only” correct=”option4″]

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Baglihar, Dulhasti, and Salal are major hydroelectric power projects located in Jammu and Kashmir (now Union Territory) in India. All three projects are built on the Chenab River.

The Chenab River is a major river flowing through India and Pakistan, and a tributary of the Indus River. These projects are part of India’s efforts to harness the hydropower potential of the Indus river system, keeping in mind the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.

– Baglihar Dam is located in Doda district.
– Dulhasti Hydroelectric Plant is in Kishtwar district.
– Salal Dam was the first hydropower project built on the Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir, located in Reasi district.

25. Which one of the following mountains lies in between Caspian Sea and B

Which one of the following mountains lies in between Caspian Sea and Black Sea ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Caucasus” option2=”Carpathians” option3=”Apennine” option4=”Elburz” correct=”option1″]

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The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain range located between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. They span parts of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, and Turkey.

Geographically, the Caucasus region is often considered the boundary between Europe and Asia. The greater Caucasus range stretches from the Taman Peninsula on the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian Sea.

Other options are incorrect:
– Carpathians are a mountain range in Central and Eastern Europe.
– Apennines are a mountain range running the length of Italy.
– Elburz (Alborz) is a mountain range in northern Iran, south of the Caspian Sea.

26. Which one of the following is a major environmental issue in eastern

Which one of the following is a major environmental issue in eastern Canada?

[amp_mcq option1=”Acid precipitation” option2=”Groundwater depletion” option3=”Land degradation” option4=”Desertification” correct=”option1″]

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Acid precipitation (acid rain) has been a historically significant environmental issue in eastern Canada. Due to its geographical location downwind from major industrial areas in the Midwestern United States and central Canada, eastern Canada receives atmospheric pollutants, primarily sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which lead to the acidification of lakes, damage to forests, and degradation of infrastructure.

Eastern Canada is particularly vulnerable to transboundary air pollution leading to acid rain due to prevailing wind patterns and proximity to industrial regions.

While groundwater depletion and land degradation can be local or regional issues, and desertification is irrelevant to eastern Canada’s climate, acid precipitation was identified as a major widespread environmental problem in the region starting in the late 20th century, prompting significant domestic and international efforts to reduce emissions (e.g., Canada-US Acid Rain Accord).

27. The principle that the framing of the new Constitution for independent

The principle that the framing of the new Constitution for independent India should be primarily (though not solely) the responsibility of Indians themselves, was for the first time conceded in the

[amp_mcq option1=”Government of India Act, 1935″ option2=”August Offer of Viceroy Linlithgow” option3=”Cripps Proposals” option4=”Cabinet Mission” correct=”option2″]

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The August Offer of 1940, made by Viceroy Linlithgow, was the first time the British government officially acknowledged that the framing of the future constitution of India should be primarily the responsibility of Indians. The offer proposed the setting up of a representative Indian body after the war to devise a new constitution. While the offer had limitations and was rejected by Indian political parties, it marked a significant shift in British policy regarding India’s constitutional future.

The August Offer was the initial British concession to the Indian demand for a Constituent Assembly composed of Indians.

The Government of India Act, 1935, was enacted by the British Parliament and did not give Indians the right to frame their own constitution. The Cripps Proposals (1942) refined the idea of a constituent assembly but came later. The Cabinet Mission (1946) Plan actually led to the formation of the Constituent Assembly, which drafted the Indian Constitution, but the principle was conceded earlier in the August Offer.

28. Who among the following had organised, in 1904, a secret society of re

Who among the following had organised, in 1904, a secret society of revolutionaries named Abhinav Bharat ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Khudiram Bose” option2=”Shyamji Krishna Verma” option3=”Har Dayal” option4=”V D Savarkar” correct=”option4″]

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The secret society of revolutionaries named Abhinav Bharat Society was founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904. It was an expansion and renaming of an earlier organization called Mitra Mela, which V.D. Savarkar had started in Nasik in 1899.

Abhinav Bharat Society was a prominent revolutionary organization involved in anti-British activities in India and also had branches in London.

Khudiram Bose was a young revolutionary involved in the Muzzafarpur bombing (1908). Shyamji Krishna Verma founded the India House in London (1905), a center for Indian students and nationalist activities. Har Dayal was a founder of the Ghadar Party (1913) in North America.

29. Which one among the following was NOT a Panch Sheel principle ?

Which one among the following was NOT a Panch Sheel principle ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Peaceful Co-existence” option2=”Mutual respect for territorial integrity” option3=”Nuclear deterrence” option4=”Non-interference in internal affairs” correct=”option3″]

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The Panch Sheel are five principles that were first formally included in the 1954 agreement between India and China regarding Tibet. These principles are:
1. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
2. Mutual non-aggression.
3. Mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
4. Equality and mutual benefit.
5. Peaceful co-existence.
Nuclear deterrence is a concept related to military strategy and international security, particularly during the Cold War era, and is not one of the Panch Sheel principles.

Panch Sheel are foundational principles of India’s foreign policy, emphasizing peaceful relations and non-interference.

The Panch Sheel principles were championed by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and were adopted by the Non-Aligned Movement as guiding principles for relations among nations.

30. Which one of the following statements about the Revolt of 1857 is corr

Which one of the following statements about the Revolt of 1857 is correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”It was a Revolt carefully organised and planned by the Rajas, Nawabs and Taluqdars” option2=”Rumours and prophecies did not play any role in its outbreak and spread” option3=”The rebel proclamations in 1857 repeatedly appealed to all sections of the population irrespective of their caste and creed.” option4=”The British succeeded in quickly and easily controlling the rebels” correct=”option3″]

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During the Revolt of 1857, many rebel proclamations, issued by leaders like Bahadur Shah Zafar, Nana Sahib, and those in Awadh, explicitly appealed to the populace to unite against the British, irrespective of their religious or caste background. They often invoked symbols and language that resonated with both Hindus and Muslims, emphasizing shared history and the common goal of overthrowing British rule.

The Revolt of 1857 saw significant attempts by rebel leaders to forge unity among different sections of Indian society against the British.

Option A is an oversimplification; while many traditional elites participated, the revolt also involved peasants, sepoys, and other sections, and its organization was complex and varied. Option B is incorrect; rumours, such as the greased cartridges and mysterious circulation of chapatis and lotuses, played a crucial role in inciting and spreading the revolt. Option D is incorrect; the British faced fierce resistance and it took them over a year, with significant reinforcements, to suppress the rebellion, demonstrating that it was neither quick nor easy.