General Knowledge: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims)
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 151–160 of 505 questions
Browse General Knowledge chaptersBrowse by year
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q151. Who among the following have been the Union Finance Ministers of India? 1. V P Singh 2. R Venkataraman 3. Y B Chavan 4. Pranab Mukherjee Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Explanation
V. P. Singh (1984-1987 under Rajiv Gandhi), R.
Venkataraman (1980-1982 under Indira Gandhi), Y. B. Chavan (1970-1974 under Indira Gandhi), and Pranab Mukherjee (1982-
1984 under Indira Gandhi, 2009-2012 under Manmohan Singh) have all served as Union Finance Ministers of India, playing crucial roles in shaping the nation’s economic policies.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q152. Which one of the following Himalayan Passes was reopened around in the middle of the year 2006 to facilitate trade between India and China?
Explanation
Nathu La Pass, located in Sikkim, was reopened on July 6, 2006, for trade between India and China after being closed for 44 years following the 1962 Sino-Indian War. It connects India’s Sikkim state with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. The reopening was part of efforts to improve bilateral relations and cross-border trade between the two countries.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q153. Consider the following statements: 1. In the year 2006, India successfully tested a full fledged cryogenic stage in rocketry. 2. After the USA, Russia and China, India is the only country to have acquired the capability for use of the cryogenic stage in rocketry. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: On October 28, 2006, ISRO conducted the first successful test of an indigenously developed cryogenic engine at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The test lasted 50 seconds and was a crucial milestone in India’s space program.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The claim that India was the only country after the USA, Russia, and China to develop cryogenic technology is not true. By 2006, other countries like France and Japan had already developed and operationalized cryogenic rocket engine technology.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q154. For which one of the following books did Kiran Desai win the Man Booker prize 2006?
Explanation
Kiran Desai won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for her novel The Inheritance of Loss, making her the youngest female winner at that time.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q155. What was the purpose of the Operation Sukoon launched by the Government of India?
Explanation
Operation Sukoon was launched by the Indian Navy in July 2006 to evacuate Indian nationals and other foreign nationals stranded in Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in the Middle East. This was a large-scale humanitarian evacuation mission, also involving the Indian embassy and other government bodies. The operation showcased India’s capability to undertake swift and effective rescue missions in conflict zones abroad.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q156. Which one of the following organizations won the CSIR Award for Science and Technology (S&T) Innovations for Rural Development, 2006?
Explanation
In 2006, the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) won the CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development for its impactful contributions to rural livelihoods. CLRI’s sustainable leather technologies enhanced skill development and supported small-scale entrepreneurs, promoting growth in the sector.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q157. Consider the following statements: 1. China has the observer’s status at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. 2. India has the observer’s status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: China was granted observer status at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) during the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka in 2005. This allowed China to participate in SAARC meetings and contribute as an observer without full membership.
Statement 2 is correct: India was granted observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2005. As of 2007, India actively participated in SCO meetings as an observer but was not yet a full member. India later became a full member in 2017.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q158. MCA-21 is a major initiative taken up by the Government of India in which one of the following areas?
Explanation
MCA-21 is an e-governance initiative launched by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India. It aims to simplify and automate corporate filings, improve transparency, and facilitate online compliance for businesses. The initiative allows companies to electronically file their documents and statutory requirements, making corporate governance more efficient and accessible.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q159. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:
List-I (Person)
List-II (Known As)
A. John C Mather
1. Co-founder of Microsoft
B. Michael Griffin
2. Space Walker
C. Paul G Allen
3. Administrator of NASA
D. Piers Sellers
4. Nobel Prize Winner, 2006 in Physics
Explanation
John C. Mather is an American astrophysicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE), which provided significant insights into the Big Bang theory. Michael Griffin served as the 11th Administrator of NASA, beginning his tenure on April 14, 2005. Paul G. Allen was an American business magnate best known as the co-founder of Microsoft alongside Bill Gates. Piers Sellers was a British-American NASA astronaut who participated in multiple space-walks during his missions to the International Space Station.
UPSC 2007General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q160. Basel II relates to which one of the following?
Explanation
Basel II is an international banking regulatory framework developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. It focuses on establishing international standards for measuring the adequacy of a bank’s capital, ensuring that financial institutions have sufficient capital to cover the risks they are exposed to. The framework is built upon three pillars, minimum capital requirements, supervisory review process and market discipline.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
151
2007
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
152
2007
(c) Nathu La
153
2007
(a) 1 only
154
2007
(c) The Inheritance of Loss
155
2007
(b) Evacuating the Indian Nationals from Lebanon during the conflict in the Middle East
156
2007
(a) CLRI
157
2007
(c) Both 1 and 2
158
2007
(c) E-governance
159
2007
(c) A-4; B-3; C-1; D-2
160
2007
(d) International standards for measuring the adequacy of a bank’s capital
What UPSC has tested in General Knowledge
These are single-fact questions: who wrote a book, where an organisation is headquartered, which country hosted an event.
Contemporary-events questions refer to the news of their year, so answers describe the position then, not today.
The chapters split by world and India, and by general awareness and current events, plus sports and games.
Later years’ questions sit under the other subjects on this site and lean toward analytical, statement-based formats.
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on General Knowledge?
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.
Which General Knowledge chapters have the most questions?
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.
Are General Knowledge facts still current?
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.
Why practise these older questions?
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.
