2015 Archives

91. In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical la

In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason?

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Sea surface temperatures are low

Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs

Coriolis force is too weak

Absence of land in those regions

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC IAS – 2015

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Tropical cyclones do not originate in the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific tropical latitudes primarily because the sea surface temperatures are generally too low in these regions.

Tropical cyclones require warm ocean waters (typically 26.5°C or higher) extending to a significant depth to provide the necessary heat and moisture. In the South-Eastern Pacific along the coast of South America, the cold Humboldt Current keeps the sea surface temperatures low. In the South Atlantic, cold currents (like the Benguela Current) and other factors like high vertical wind shear and unfavorable positioning of the ITCZ generally suppress tropical cyclone formation. While the ITCZ (option B) is also a factor, low sea surface temperature (option A) due to persistent cold currents is a fundamental constraint that prevents the formation or sustenance of tropical cyclones in significant parts of these tropical regions. Coriolis force (option C) is weak near the equator but sufficient in higher tropical latitudes; its weakness only explains the absence near the equator itself, not the entire regions. Absence of land (option D) over the ocean does not prevent cyclone formation.

Occasionally, tropical or subtropical storms can form in the South Atlantic under unusual conditions, but full-blown hurricanes or typhoons are extremely rare. The South-Eastern Pacific is also generally inactive due to the cold water. Most tropical cyclones form in the North Atlantic, Eastern/Central/Western North Pacific, North Indian Ocean, South Indian Ocean, and the Australian/Southwest Pacific basins.

92. The ‘Fortaleza Declaration’, recently in the news, is related to the a

The ‘Fortaleza Declaration’, recently in the news, is related to the affairs of

ASEAN

BRICS

OECD

WTO

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UPSC IAS – 2015

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The ‘Fortaleza Declaration’ is related to the affairs of the BRICS group of countries.

The Fortaleza Declaration was the outcome document of the 6th BRICS summit held in Fortaleza, Brazil, in July 2014. A key achievement of this summit, as articulated in the Declaration, was the decision to establish the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

BRICS is an acronym for the association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The Fortaleza summit marked a significant step in strengthening institutional cooperation among BRICS members.

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93. With reference to the Fourteenth Finance Commission, which of the foll

With reference to the Fourteenth Finance Commission, which of the following statements is/are correct?

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It has increased the share of States in the central divisible pool from 32 percent to 42 percent.
It has made recommendations concerning sector-specific grants.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC IAS – 2015

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Both statements regarding the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission are correct.

Statement 1 is correct. The Fourteenth Finance Commission (Chairman: Y. V. Reddy) recommended a significant increase in the share of states in the divisible pool of central taxes from 32% (recommended by the 13th FC) to 42% for the period 2015-2020. This was a major shift towards greater fiscal decentralization.
Statement 2 is correct. While the 14th FC focused on increasing the untied share of states in central taxes, it also made recommendations concerning various grants, including grants to local bodies (Panchayats and Municipalities) and sector-specific grants, particularly for health and education, although the emphasis on tied sector-specific grants was reduced compared to earlier commissions.

The Finance Commission is a constitutional body under Article 280 of the Constitution, established every five years to recommend the distribution of tax revenues between the Union and the States and among the States. The 14th Finance Commission’s recommendations were implemented for the period 2015-16 to 2019-20. The Fifteenth Finance Commission (Chairman: N. K. Singh) made recommendations for the period 2020-21 to 2025-26, recommending the states’ share at 41% (a reduction by 1% due to the creation of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh).

95. Premises: All apples are golden in colour. No golden coloured things a

Premises: All apples are golden in colour. No golden coloured things are cheap.
Conclusions:

I. All apples are cheap.
II. Golden coloured apples are not cheap.

Which of the following conclusions follow logically?

Only I

Only II

Both I and II

Neither I nor II

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UPSC CAPF – 2015

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The correct conclusion that follows logically is “Golden coloured apples are not cheap.”

The premises are: (1) All apples are golden in colour. (2) No golden coloured things are cheap.
From premise (1), we know that the set of apples is a subset of golden coloured things. From premise (2), we know that the set of golden coloured things and the set of cheap things have no overlap.
Combining these, since all apples are golden coloured, and no golden coloured things are cheap, it follows that no apples are cheap.
Conclusion I states: “All apples are cheap.” This is directly contradicted by the logical consequence of the premises (“No apples are cheap”). Thus, Conclusion I does not follow.
Conclusion II states: “Golden coloured apples are not cheap.” Apples that are golden coloured are, by definition, golden coloured things. According to premise (2), no golden coloured things are cheap. Therefore, golden coloured apples are not cheap. This conclusion follows directly from the premises.

This is a syllogistic reasoning problem. Representing the sets: A = Apples, G = Golden coloured things, C = Cheap things.
Premise 1: All A are G.
Premise 2: No G are C. This implies No C are G, and if something is G, it is not C.
Conclusion I: All A are C. (False)
Conclusion II: Apples that are G are not C. Since all A are G, this is equivalent to saying A are not C. From “All A are G” and “No G are C”, we deduce “No A are C” (which means A are not C). Therefore, Conclusion II follows.

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96. Premises: All film stars are playback singers. All film directors are

Premises: All film stars are playback singers. All film directors are film stars.
Conclusions:

I. All film directors are playback singers.
II. Some film stars are film directors.

Which of the following conclusions follow logically?

Only I

Only II

Both I and II

Neither I nor II

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2015

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Both Conclusion I and Conclusion II follow logically from the given premises.

Premise 1: All film stars are playback singers. (FS ⊆ PS)
Premise 2: All film directors are film stars. (FD ⊆ FS)
Conclusion I: All film directors are playback singers.
From Premise 2, the set of film directors (FD) is a subset of the set of film stars (FS). From Premise 1, the set of film stars (FS) is a subset of the set of playback singers (PS). If A ⊆ B and B ⊆ C, then A ⊆ C. Therefore, FD ⊆ PS. This means all film directors are playback singers. Conclusion I is true.
Conclusion II: Some film stars are film directors.
Premise 2 states that all film directors are film stars (FD ⊆ FS). This is a universal affirmative statement (‘All A are B’). In traditional logic, a universal affirmative statement ‘All A are B’ implies the particular affirmative statement ‘Some B are A’, provided that the set A is not empty. Assuming there is at least one film director (which is standard in such problems unless specified otherwise), then there is at least one member in the set FD. Since every member of FD is also in FS, there must be at least one member in FS that is also in FD. Thus, some film stars are film directors. Conclusion II is true.

This problem demonstrates the transitivity of the subset relationship (for Conclusion I) and the conversion of a universal affirmative statement (for Conclusion II, assuming existential import). If we strictly adhere to modern formal logic without existential import for universal statements, ‘All A are B’ does not necessarily imply ‘Some B are A’ if the set A is empty. However, in typical syllogism questions, especially in the context of competitive exams like UPSC, the assumption of existential import for the subject class of universal statements is generally followed unless explicitly negated. Therefore, ‘All film directors are film stars’ implies ‘Some film stars are film directors’ as long as there exists at least one film director.

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97. The next three (03) items have two premises and two conclusions. If th

The next three (03) items have two premises and two conclusions. If the premises are assumed to be true (irrespective of factuality), then, in respect of each of the items given below, which of the following conclusions follow logically ?
Premises: All metals are grey in colour. Some metals are heavy.
Conclusions:

I. All heavy metals are grey in colour.
II. All light metals are not grey in colour.

Only I

Only II

Both I and II

Neither I nor II

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2015

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Only Conclusion I follows logically from the given premises.

Premise 1: All metals are grey in colour. (M ⊆ G)
Premise 2: Some metals are heavy. (Some M are H)
Conclusion I: All heavy metals are grey in colour.
“Heavy metals” refers to the set of things that are both heavy and metal (H ∩ M). According to Premise 1, anything that is a metal is grey (M ⊆ G). Therefore, if something is a heavy metal, it must first be a metal, and thus it must be grey. So, H ∩ M ⊆ G. Conclusion I logically follows.
Conclusion II: All light metals are not grey in colour.
“Light metals” refers to the set of things that are metals but not heavy (M ∩ not-H). According to Premise 1, all metals are grey (M ⊆ G). This means *any* metal, regardless of whether it is heavy or light, must be grey. Therefore, light metals are grey. Conclusion II, stating that light metals are *not* grey, contradicts Premise 1 and is false.

This is a standard problem involving categorical syllogisms. Using Venn diagrams can also help visualize the relationships. Draw three overlapping circles for Metals (M), Grey (G), and Heavy (H). Premise 1 (All M are G) means the part of M outside G is empty. Premise 2 (Some M are H) means there is at least one element in the intersection of M and H. Conclusion I (All H∩M are G) means the part of (H∩M) outside G is empty, which is true because M is entirely within G. Conclusion II (All M∩not-H are not-G) means the part of (M∩not-H) inside G is empty, which is false because M is entirely within G, meaning M∩not-H must also be within G.

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98. In a radioactive decay of a nucleus, an electron is also emitted. This

In a radioactive decay of a nucleus, an electron is also emitted. This may happen due to the fact that :

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electrons are present inside a nucleus

an electron is created at the time of conversion of a neutron into proton

an electron is created at the time of conversion of a proton into a neutron

electrons need to be emitted for conservation of momentum

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UPSC CAPF – 2015

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In radioactive beta minus (β⁻) decay, an electron is emitted because a neutron is converted into a proton within the nucleus.

Beta minus (β⁻) decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a neutron (n) within an atomic nucleus is converted into a proton (p). In this process, an electron (e⁻) and an electron antineutrino (ν̄e) are emitted from the nucleus. The reaction is typically written as: n → p + e⁻ + ν̄e. The electron is not pre-existing within the nucleus; it is created during this transformation. The atomic number of the nucleus increases by one, while the mass number remains unchanged.

Electrons are fundamental particles and are not constituents of the nucleus; protons and neutrons are the nucleons. The electron emitted in beta decay originates from the conversion of a neutron. Another type of beta decay is beta plus (β⁺) decay, where a proton converts into a neutron, emitting a positron (e⁺) and an electron neutrino (νe): p → n + e⁺ + νe. Electron capture is an alternative process where an electron from an inner atomic shell is captured by a proton in the nucleus, leading to the conversion of a proton into a neutron and emission of a neutrino. Momentum and energy conservation rules are followed in all radioactive decay processes, and the emission of the neutrino/antineutrino is necessary for conserving energy, momentum, and angular momentum, but the *reason* for electron emission in β⁻ decay is the fundamental weak interaction process of neutron decay.

99. Heavy water of an atomic reactor is :

Heavy water of an atomic reactor is :

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deionised water

an oxide of heavier isotope of oxygen

a mixture of ice and water

an oxide of heavier isotope of hydrogen

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This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2015

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Heavy water is an oxide of a heavier isotope of hydrogen.

Heavy water has the chemical formula D₂O, where D represents Deuterium. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen that contains one proton and one neutron in its nucleus (whereas common hydrogen, Protium, has only one proton). Thus, deuterium is a heavier isotope of hydrogen. Heavy water (D₂O) is water composed of two deuterium atoms and one oxygen atom.

Heavy water is used in some types of nuclear reactors (like CANDU reactors) as a neutron moderator and coolant. Its function as a moderator is to slow down neutrons, making them more likely to cause nuclear fission in Uranium fuel. D₂O is more effective as a moderator than ordinary water (H₂O) because deuterium absorbs fewer neutrons than protium. Ordinary water also contains a very small natural abundance of D₂O (about 1 part in 6400). Isotopes of oxygen exist (e.g., ¹⁶O, ¹⁷O, ¹⁸O), and water made with ¹⁸O (H₂¹⁸O) is sometimes called “heavy-oxygen water”, but “heavy water” typically refers to D₂O.

100. Two racing cars of masses m₁ and m₂ are moving in circles of radii r₁

Two racing cars of masses m₁ and m₂ are moving in circles of radii r₁ and r₂ respectively. Their speeds are such that each car makes a complete circle in the same time ‘t’. The ratio of angular speed of the first to that of the second car is :

m₁ : m₂

1 : 1

r₁ : r₂

1 : 2

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UPSC CAPF – 2015

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The correct answer is 1 : 1.

Angular speed (ω) is defined as the rate of change of angular displacement. For an object moving in a circle, the angular speed is given by ω = 2π / T, where T is the time period (time taken to complete one revolution). The problem states that both cars make a complete circle in the same time ‘t’. Therefore, the time period T is the same for both cars.
For the first car, ω₁ = 2π / t.
For the second car, ω₂ = 2π / t.
The ratio of their angular speeds is ω₁ : ω₂ = (2π / t) : (2π / t) = 1 : 1.
The masses (m₁ and m₂) and radii (r₁ and r₂) of the cars are irrelevant for determining the ratio of angular speeds when the time period is given to be the same.

Linear speed (v) is related to angular speed and radius by v = rω. If the angular speeds are the same but the radii are different, the linear speeds will be different. Centripetal acceleration (a_c = rω²) and centripetal force (F_c = m a_c = m rω²) would also depend on the mass and radius even if the angular speed is constant. This question specifically asks for the ratio of angular speed, which is determined solely by the time period in this case.

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