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 231–240 of 505 questions
Browse General Knowledge chaptersBrowse by year
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q231. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? Current Name Old Name
Explanation
Pair (c) is incorrectly matched: Ghana, an African country, was formerly known as the Gold Coast. Dutch Guiana is the old name for Suriname, a country in South America. Pairs (a), (b) and (d) are correctly matched:
Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, was formerly known as Salisbury during the colonial era. Ethiopia was historically known as Abyssinia. Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was formerly known as Leopoldville during the colonial period.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q232. In which country is Bandung, where the conference of African and Asian nations was held which led to establishing Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) situated?
Explanation
Bandung is a city in Indonesia, where the historic Bandung Conference was held in 1955. This conference brought together leaders from African and Asian nations to promote economic and cultural cooperation and oppose colonialism or neocolonialism by any nation. It laid the foundation for the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961. Sukarno (Indonesia), Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana) and Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) aware its main leaders along with few others.The XIX Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement was held on January 15-20, 2024 in Kampala.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q233. In which one of the following countries, is Tamil a major language?
Explanation
Tamil is a major language in Singapore. It is one of the four official languages of Singapore, alongside English, Malay, and Mandarin. The Tamil-speaking community in Singapore is significant, and Tamil is used in education, media, and government. Malaya in roman script is Singapore’s National Language.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q234. Which one of the following cities is not a former capital of the given country (Country given in the brackets)?
Explanation
Brisbane has never been the capital of Australia.
Melbourne was the capital of Australia from 1901 until 1927, when Canberra became the capital.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q235. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
Explanation
Option (a) is incorrectly matched: Seikan Rail Tunnel is located in Japan and not China. It is one of the longest railway tunnels in the world, connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The world’s longest railway tunnel is the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland. Options (b), (c) and (d) are correctly matched:
The Petronas Towers are iconic skyscrapers located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Appalachian Trail is a long-distance hiking trail in the eastern United States. The Rogun Dam is a hydroelectric dam under construction in Tajikistan.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q236. For which one of the following countries is Spanish not an official language?
Explanation
The official language of the Republic of Congo is French. It has four national languages: Swahili, Tshiluba (Kiluba), Lingala, and Kongo. French is the official language and the language of instruction, business, administration, and international communications. The Republic of Congo, like many countries in Africa, was colonized by European powers. Specifically, it was a French colony, and as a result, French became the official language. Thus, Spanish is not an official language in the Republic of Congo due to its colonial history with France.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q237. What was Komagata Maru?
Explanation
The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steamship that gained historical significance due to an incident in 1914 involving Indian immigrants attempting to immigrate to Canada. The ship carried 376 passengers, mostly Sikhs, Punjabis, and other Indians, who were seeking a new life in Canada. Upon arrival in Vancouver, the passengers were denied entry due to Canada’s discriminatory Continuous Journey Regulation, which aimed to restrict immigration. After being stranded for two months, the ship was forced to return to India. Upon arrival in Calcutta, the passengers faced arrest and violence from British colonial authorities.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q238. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? British Prime Minister: Political Party
Explanation
Harold Wilson served as the Prime Minister of the UK (1964-1970 and 1974-1976) and was a member of the Labour Party. John Major served as the Prime Minister of the UK from 1990 to 1997 and was a member of the Conservative Party. James Callaghan served as the Prime Minister of the UK from 1976 to 1979 and was a member of the Labour Party. Margaret Thatcher served as the Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990 and was a member of the Conservative Party.
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q239. Which one of the following cities is the seat of Parliament of South Africa?
Explanation
The Parliament of South Africa is located in Cape Town. While South Africa has three capital cities, each serving a different purpose, Cape Town is the legislative capital and houses the Parliament. Pretoria is the Administrative capital (seat of the executive branch). Cape Town is the Legislative capital (seat of the Parliament). Bloemfontein is the Judicial capital (seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal).
UPSC 2005General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: World
Q240. Where has world’s largest ever meet on HIV AIDS held in July, 2004?
Explanation
The 15th International AIDS Conference, the largest-ever HIV/AIDS gathering, was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in July 2004 to unite experts, researchers, and activists in advancing HIV/ AIDS research and treatment. Thailand’s leadership in HIV/ AIDS prevention and treatment, along with its strategic location in Southeast Asia, made it an ideal host for global collaboration.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
231
2005
(c) Ghana: Dutch Guiana
232
2005
(c) Indonesia
233
2005
(d) Singapore
234
2005
(d) Brisbane (Australia)
235
2005
(a) Seikan Rail Tunnel: China
236
2005
(c) Republic of Congo
237
2005
(c) A naval ship on voyage to Canada.
238
2005
(c) Harold Wilson: Conservative Party
239
2005
(d) Cape Town
240
2005
(a) Bangkok
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.
