Contemporary Events: India: UPSC Previous Year Questions (General Knowledge)
118 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Indian contemporary events are listed here, from 1996 to 2010. UPSC asked about committees and their subjects, government policies and schemes, scientific missions, evacuation operations and international agreements. Each explanation describes the event as it stood in the year of the question.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 11–20 of 118 questions
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UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q11. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
List-I (Famous Person)
List-II (Well known as)
A. Anna Hazare
1. Lawyer
B. Deepak Parekh
2. Banker
C. GVK Reddy
3. Gandhian and social activist
D. Harish Salve
4. Industrialist
Explanation
A-3, Anna Hazare (Gandhian & Social Activist) - Led anti-corruption campaigns and rural development initiatives, notably the India Against Corruption movement and Jan Lokpal Bill advocacy. B-2, Deepak Parekh (Banker) - Chairman of HDFC Ltd., instrumental in shaping India’s housing finance sector. C-4, GVK Reddy (Industrialist) - Chairman of GVK Group, engaged in energy, transportation, hospitality, and infrastructure. A-1, Harish Salve (Lawyer) - Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, known for high-profile legal cases.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q12. Consider the following statements: 1. The Governor of Punjab is concurrently the Administrator of Chandigarh. 2. The Governor of Kerala is concurrently the Administrator of Lakshadweep. Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966, after which Chandigarh was administered by a Chief Commissioner reporting to the Union government. This system ended on June 1, 1984, just before Operation Bluestar, and the Punjab Governor took additional charge of Chandigarh UT.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Lakshadweep has a separate administrator and its administrative headquarters is in Kavaratti.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q13. Consider the following houses: 1. Christie’s 2. Osian’s 3. Sotheby’s Which of the above is/are auctioneer/auctioneers?
Explanation
Option 1 is correct, Christie’s is a well-known auction house that conducts auctions in fine art, antiques, jewelry, and various other categories. It is one of the largest and most famous auction houses globally.
Option 2 is correct, Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art, founded by Neville Tuli in 2000, is India’s first auction house dedicated to fine arts, antiquities, vintage and classic automobiles, and film memorabilia. Option 3 is correct, Sotheby’s is another prestigious and renowned auction house, known for dealing in fine art, collectibles, antiques, and real estate auctions. It is a major global player in the auction industry.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q14. Which one of the following Union Ministries implements the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety?
Explanation
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement that aims to ensure the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology. The protocol is a supplementary agreement to CBD, Convention on Biological Diversity. In India, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is responsible for the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The ministry handles issues related to biodiversity, the environment, and biosafety regulations. Specifically, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) play key roles in the enforcement of the protocol.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q15. With which one of the following has the B.K. Chaturvedi Committee dealt?
Explanation
B.K. Chaturvedi committee was set up for a permanent and transparent method of pricing petroleum products in India. A key aspect of their mandate was to assess the financial position of public sector oil companies and propose measures to ensure their long-term viability.
UPSC 2009General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q16. In the context of global economy, which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
Explanation
Roche Holding AG: It is a pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, not a financial services firm. It is one of the world’s largest biotech companies and focuses on healthcare, specifically in drugs and diagnostics.
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q17. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:
List-I (Person)
List-II (Position)
A. Nagender Singh
1. Chief Election Commissioner of India
B. A N Ray
2. President, International Court of Justice
C. R. K Trivedi
3. Chief Justice of India
D. Ashok Desai
4. Attorney General of India
Explanation
Nagender Singh served as India’s Chief Election Commissioner (1986-1990). A.N. Ray was appointed Chief Justice of India in 1973, superseding three senior judges. R.K. Trivedi was a judge who served as President of the International Court of Justice. Ashok Desai was India’s Attorney General (1996-1998).
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q18. In August 2006, the Government of India notified the Rural Electrification Policy. This policy aims at provision of access to all households by which year?
Explanation
The policy aims to provide electricity access to all households by 2009, ensure quality and reliable power at reasonable rates, and guarantee a minimum lifeline consumption of one unit per household per day as a merit good by 2012.
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q19. Recently, the manuscripts of which one of the following have been included in the UNESCO’s Memory of World Register?
Explanation
In a rare honour, 30 Rig Veda manuscripts dating from 1800 to 1500 BC have been included in Unesco’s Memory of the World Register, a compendium of documentary heritage of exceptional value, this year. However, India’s second entry, the Sharada script, could not make it to the register.
UPSC 2008General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q20. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:
List-I (Person)
List-II (Area)
A. K P Singh
1. Banking
B. Vikram Pandit
2. Fiction writing
C. Roopa Farooki
3. Retail business
D. Kishore Biyani
4. Real estate
Explanation
A-4, K. P. Singh, Chairman of DLF Ltd., is a key figure in India’s real estate sector. B-1, Vikram Pandit, former CEO of Citigroup, is a prominent name in banking. C-2, Roopa Farooki is an acclaimed contemporary fiction author known for novels like The Way Things Look to Me. D-3, Kishore Biyani, Founder and CEO of Future Group, is recognized as the "King of Indian Retail."
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
11
2009
(c) A-3; B-2; C-4; D-1
12
2009
(a) 1 only
13
2009
(d) 1, 2 and 3
14
2009
(c) Ministry of Environment and Forests
15
2009
(d) Price reforms in the oil sector
16
2009
(b) Roche Holding AG: Financial Services
17
2008
(c) A-1; B-3; C-2; D-4
18
2008
(b) 2009
19
2008
(d) Rig-Veda
20
2008
(d) A-4; B-1; C-2; D-3
What UPSC has tested in Contemporary Events: India
The Tarapore Committee was associated with fuller capital account convertibility.
The B. K. Chaturvedi Committee dealt with price reforms in the oil sector.
Operation Sukoon was launched to evacuate Indian nationals from Lebanon.
The Prime Minister of India is Chairman of the National Water Resources Council and President of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The manuscripts of the Rig-Veda were included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Contemporary Events: India?
This page covers 118 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Contemporary Events: India (General Knowledge), asked from 1996 to 2010. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
What was Operation Sukoon?
An operation launched by the Government of India in 2006 to evacuate Indian nationals from Lebanon during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The Navy and the Air India fleet helped to move thousands of people to safety.
What did the Tarapore Committee examine?
Fuller capital account convertibility of the rupee. The committee proposed a road map in 1997, recommending a phased move towards free movement of capital if certain conditions on inflation and fiscal deficit were met.
Who chairs the National Water Resources Council?
The Prime Minister of India. The Council, set up in 1983, has Chief Ministers and Union ministers as members and reviews the National Water Policy and water resource planning.
