505 previous year UPSC Prelims General Knowledge questions are on this page, from 1996 to 2010, in 5 chapters. In those years UPSC tested general awareness directly: people, books, institutions, places and events of the time. General Awareness: India is the largest chapter, followed by Contemporary Events: India and General Awareness: World. Every explanation states facts as they 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 101–110 of 505 questions
Bengali is the most spoken in the world after Hindi and ranks seventh among the world’s most-spoken languages, making it the most widely spoken Indian language after Hindi.
Pair 1 is incorrect: The National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) is located in Pune, Maharashtra. Established in 1986 under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, it specializes in cell biology, molecular biology, microbiology, genetic engineering, and stem cell research.
Pair 2 is correct: The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) is an autonomous organization funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. CDFD is located in Hyderabad.
Pair 3 is correct: The National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), located in the Aravalli foothills, Manesar, Gurugram, is India’s premier institute for neuroscience research and education. An autonomous institute under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, it is also a Deemed-to-be University and an Institution of Excellence.
Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904-1966), India’s 2nd Prime Minister (1964-1966), led the nation during the 1965 Indo-Pak War and coined the iconic slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan." He played a pivotal role in promoting the Green Revolution and translated Madame Curie’s Autobiography into Hindi, reflecting his passion for science and education.
Elizabeth Hawley (1923-2018) was an American journalist and historian renowned for documenting Himalayan expeditions, particularly mountaineering in Nepal. She meticulously recorded details of Mount Everest and other Himalayan climbs, making her one of the most trusted sources on Himalayan mountaineering history. She maintained a comprehensive database of Himalayan expeditions for over five decades, authoring The Himalayan Database, a key reference for mountaineers. Though never climbing herself, her records were considered authoritative.
| 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 |
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).
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.
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.
| 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 |
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."
The Veerappa Moily Committee was set up by the Government of India for Administrative Reforms. This committee’s main focus was to recommend measures for improving the efficiency and accountability of the Indian administrative system. The committee’s report, known as the Moily Committee Report, primarily dealt with reforms in the administrative processes of the government, addressing issues like the modernization of the administrative machinery and better governance.
Option (d) is correct: India’s best performance in football at the Olympics came during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. India became the first Asian country to reach the semi-finals in the Olympic Football Tournament. They beat Australia 4-2 in the quarter-finals but lost to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals.
Option (a), (b) and (c) are incorrect: India’s football team has participated in the Olympic Games, specifically in 1948, 1952, and 1956. They made appearances in the London, Helsinki, and Melbourne Olympics, respectively.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | 2008 | (c) Bengali |
| 102 | 2008 | (c) 2 and 3 only |
| 103 | 2008 | (b) Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 104 | 2008 | (c) Himalayan expeditions |
| 105 | 2008 | (c) A-1; B-3; C-2; D-4 |
| 106 | 2008 | (b) 2009 |
| 107 | 2008 | (d) Rig-Veda |
| 108 | 2008 | (d) A-4; B-1; C-2; D-3 |
| 109 | 2008 | (d) Administrative Reforms |
| 110 | 2008 | (d) India entered the Semi Final |
This page covers 505 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on General Knowledge, asked from 1996 to 2010. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
General Awareness: India has the most with 138 questions, followed by Contemporary Events: India with 118, General Awareness: World with 110, Contemporary Events: World with 99 and Sports and Games with 40.
Many remain true, such as authorship and headquarters, but contemporary-events answers describe the position in the year each question was asked. Always check a recent source for the present position before relying on an item.
They show the style of general-awareness questions UPSC used and the breadth of topics it covered, from literature and institutions to sports. The explanations also build a base of facts that still helps with current affairs.
