General Awareness: World: UPSC Previous Year Questions (General Knowledge)
110 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on world general awareness are listed here, from 1996 to 2010. UPSC asked about international organisations and their headquarters, country groupings such as BRIC, books and authors, Nobel laureates and capitals. The explanations give the fact as it stood in the year the question was set.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 51–60 of 110 questions
Browse by year
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q51. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I (Name)
List-II (Designation)
A. Harold Pinter
1. Director-General, FAG
B. Jacques Diouf
2. President, European Commission
C. Jose Manuel Barroso
3. World Bank appointed expert for adjudicating on the Baglihar Hydel Project
D. Raymond Lafitte
4. Literature
Explanation
List-I (Name) List-II (Designation) Harold Pinter Literature: most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years Jacques Diouf Former Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization Jose Manuel Barroso Former President of the European Commission Raymond Lafitte World Bank appointed expert for adjudicating on the Baglihar Hydel Project
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q52. Which one of the following pairs is not matched?
Explanation
Pair (1) is correctly matched: Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, emphasized the unconscious mind and early childhood in shaping personality.
Pair (2) is correctly matched: Anna Freud, his daughter, contributed to child psychoanalysis, focusing on ego defense mechanisms.
Pair (3) is correctly matched: Milton Friedman, a key figure in the Chicago school of economics, advocated free markets and contributed to monetary theory.
Pair (4) is incorrectly matched: Eric R. Kandel, a neuroscientist, studied molecular mechanisms of learning and memory, not psychology.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q53. Which one among the following was the first to legalize Euthanasia?
Explanation
Netherlands holds the distinction of being the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia. This landmark legislation, enacted in 2002 and taking effect in 2002, established a regulated framework under which physicians can administer euthanasia or assisted suicide to patients who meet specific criteria. These criteria typically include unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement, a voluntary and well-considered request from the patient, and consultation with another physician.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q54. Which of the following pairs are correctly matched?
Inventor
Invention
1. Christopher
Hovercraft Cockerell
2. David Bushnell
Submarine
3. J. C. Perrier
Steamship
Select the correct answer by using the codes given below:
Explanation
Pair (1) is correctly matched: Sir Christopher Cockerell, a British engineer, is credited with the invention of the hovercraft. His innovative design utilized a cushion of air to lift the craft above the surface of both land and water, allowing for high-speed travel.
Pair (2) is correctly matched: David Bushnell, an American inventor, designed and built an early submarine known as the Turtle during the American Revolutionary War. This vessel, while rudimentary by modern standards, was a significant advancement in underwater technology.
Pair (3) is incorrectly matched: J. C. Perrier, a self-taught French engineer and businessman who, with his brother, founded the Compagnie des eaux de Paris doing a period of great stock market speculation under Louis XVI. He is known for having introduced James Watt’s steam engine to France in 1779 and for having built the first double-acting engine in 1789.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q55. Where is Davos, the venue of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum located?
Explanation
Davos, the venue of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, is located in Switzerland. It is a town nestled in the Swiss Alps, specifically within the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland. It’s renowned for its picturesque setting, surrounded by majestic mountains and offering stunning views.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q56. Consider the following statements: 1. magnitude unit represents a factor of 10 times in amplitude. 2. times that of the previous integer reading. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement (1) is correct: The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale. An increase of 1 unit in magnitude corresponds to 10 times the increase in amplitude of seismic waves.
Statement (2) is incorrect: The energy released in an earthquake increases approximately by a factor of 32 for each 1 unit increase in magnitude, not 100 times.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q57. Which one of the following countries is not a member of the Nordic Council?
Explanation
The United Kingdom is not a member of the Nordic Council.
Additional insight:
The Nordic Council consists of five member countries-- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden--along with three autonomous territories that are associated with the Council: Faroe Islands and Greenland (Denmark) and “land Islands (Finland). The Nordic Council, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, functions as a key intergovernmental organization fostering cooperation among Nordic countries. The Council recognizes Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish as its official languages. Through structured dialogues and initiatives, the Nordic Council plays a crucial role in strengthening political, economic, and cultural ties across the region.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q58. Which one of the following countries is not a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)?
Explanation
Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania (Baltic States), never joined the CIS. These countries prioritized European Union (EU) and NATO membership over integration with former Soviet states. Estonia officially joined the EU and NATO in 2004, distancing itself from Russian influence. Armenia joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Belarus is a founding member of the CIS and remains one of its strongest supporters. Georgia Joined CIS in 1993 but officially left in 2009 due to tensions with Russia (after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War).
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q59. Which one of the following countries is not a member of ASEAN?
Explanation
Bangladesh is not a member of ASEAN. The current members of ASEAN are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Additional insight:
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on August 8, 1967, with 10 member states in Southeast Asia. It promotes regional cooperation in trade, security, and culture. The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) enhance economic integration. Its headquarters is in Jakarta, Indonesia.
UPSC 2006General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q60. Match List-I (Person) with List-II (Organization/ Area of Work) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I (Person)
List-II (Organization/Area of Work)
A. Chandra Kochhar
1. Advertising
B. Amrita Patel
2. Banking
C. Indra Nooyi
3. Dairy Development
D. Piyush Pandey
4. Pepsi Co.
Explanation
Chandra Kochhar was a prominent banker and former CEO of ICICI Bank, one of India’s largest private banks. Amrita Patel is known for her work in dairy development and served as the chairperson of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Indra Nooyi is the former CEO of PepsiCo, a global food and beverage company. Piyush Pandey is a renowned figure in the field of advertising and serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy India.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
51
2006
(c) A-4; B-1; C-2; D-3
52
2006
(d) Eric R. Kandel: Literature
53
2006
(c) Netherlands
54
2006
(b) 1 and 2 only
55
2006
(c) Switzerland
56
2006
(a) 1 only
57
2006
(d) United Kingdom
58
2006
(c) Estonia
59
2006
(c) Bangladesh
60
2006
(c) A-2; B-3; C-4; D-1
What UPSC has tested in General Awareness: World
Klaus Schwab is the founder of the World Economic Forum.
The headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are at Jeddah.
The first Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs was held at Nova Scotia, Canada.
William Henry Bragg shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with his son.
Barack Obama is the author of The Audacity of Hope.
BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on General Awareness: World?
This page covers 110 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on General Awareness: World (General Knowledge), asked from 1996 to 2010. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Who founded the World Economic Forum?
Klaus Schwab, a German economist, founded it in 1971 as the European Management Forum. It is best known for its annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland, and for reports such as the Global Competitiveness Report.
Where was the first Pugwash Conference held?
In Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1957. It brought together scientists to discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons, and the movement later shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995.
Which scientist shared a Nobel Prize in Physics with his son?
William Henry Bragg, who shared the 1915 prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg for their work on analysing crystal structure using X-rays. William Lawrence Bragg remains the youngest Nobel laureate in physics, at 25 years of age.
