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 311–320 of 505 questions
Browse General Knowledge chaptersBrowse by year
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q311. INSAT-3E, India’s communication satellite, was launched in 2003 from:
Explanation
INSAT-3E, a communication satellite operated by ISRO, was launched on 28 September 2003 from Kourou, French Guiana, using the Ariane-5 rocket. Designed to enhance telecommunications, television broadcasting, and meteorological services, it played a crucial role in strengthening India’s satellite communication infrastructure.
Additional insight:
INSAT (Indian National Satellite System) is India’s largest civilian communication satellite network, operated by ISRO since 1983. It supports telecommunications, television broadcasting, meteorology, disaster warning, and search-and-rescue operations. The system consists of multiple generations, including INSAT-1, INSAT-2, INSAT-3, and GSAT series. GSAT-N2 (GSAT-20), a communication satellite by ISRO, was launched in November 2024 via SpaceX Falcon 9 to enhance broadband services across India.
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q312. Match List-I (Person) with List-II (Position) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I
List-II
A. Anil Kokodar
1. Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff
B. Raman Puri
2. Chairman, 17th Law Commission
C. M. Jagannatha Rao
3. Chairman, ISRO
D. G. Madhavan Nair
4. Chairman Atomic Energy
Explanation
(A-4) Anil Kakodkar - He was the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy in 2004. Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty is the current chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India. (B-1) Raman Puri - He served as the Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS) in 2004, responsible for coordinating India’s three armed forces. Lt General Johnson P Mathew is the current CIDS. (C-2) M. Jagannatha Rao - He was appointed as the Chairman of the 17th Law Commission of India, which was tasked with legal reforms. The 23rd Law Commission was recently announced. The Chairman of 22nd Law Commission is Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi. (D-3) G. Madhavan Nair - He was the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 2003 to 2009 and led key space missions, including the Chandrayaan-1 mission. Dr. V. Narayanan is the current chairman of ISRO.
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q313. Which one of the following statements is correct? Deccan Odyssey’ is
Explanation
The Deccan Odyssey is a luxury tourist train in India that was launched in 2004 by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in collaboration with the Indian Railways. It is often called the "Palace on Wheels of Maharashtra" and provides a journey through various destinations in Maharashtra.
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q314. Consider the following statements: 1. Hema Malini is the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society India 2. Yash Chopra is the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification of India 3. Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand have all been recipients of Dada Saheb Phalke Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: Hema Malini served as the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI) from 1999 to 2002.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Yash Chopra was never appointed as the Chairman of the CBFC in India. Prasoon Joshi is the current Chairman of the CBFC of India.
Statement 3 is correct: Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand have all been recipients of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Dilip Kumar received it in 1994, Raj Kapoor in 1987, and Dev Anand in 2002.
Additional insight:
Prasoon Joshi is the current Chairman of the CBFC of India. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest cinematic honour, presented annually by the Government of India for lifetime contributions to Indian cinema. The 2024 award was conferred upon Mithun Chakraborty for his outstanding lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q315. Famous Golf player Vijay Singh is from which one of the following countries?
Explanation
Vijay Singh is a famous professional golfer from Fiji. He had a successful career in international golf, winning several major championships, including the PGA Championship and the Masters Tournament.
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q316. Which of the following cricketers holds the record for the highest score in a Cricket test match innings by an Indian?
Explanation
V.V.S. Laxman holds the record for the highest score by an Indian in a Test match innings with his 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Q317. Match List-I (Sports-person) with List-II (Sport/ Game) and select the correct answer using the codes: given below:
List-I
List-II
A. Shikha Tandon
1. Badminton
B. Ignace Tirkey
2. Swimming
C. Pankaj Advani
3. Lawn Tennis
D. Rohan Bopanne
4. Snooker
5. Hockey
Explanation
Shikha Tandon (Swimming) - Indian swimmer with 146 national and international medals; first Indian to qualify for two events at the 2004 Olympics. Ignace Tirkey (Hockey) - Versatile Indian midfielder; part of the 2003 Asia Cup-winning team and represented India in multiple international tournaments, including the Olympics. Pankaj Advani (Cue Sports) - 23-time world champion in snooker and billiards, one of India’s greatest cueists. Rohan Bopanna (Tennis) - Indian doubles specialist; 2017 French Open mixed doubles champion and ATP circuit star.
Additional insight:
Prakash Padukone - First Indian to win the All England Open (1980). Pullela Gopichand - 2001 All England Open champion, now a top coach. Saina Nehwal - Olympic bronze (2012), former world No. 1. PV Sindhu - Olympic silver (2016), bronze (2021), 2019 World Champion. Kidambi Srikanth - Former world No. 1, multiple Super Series titles. Lakshya Sen - 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist. HS Prannoy - Key player in India’s 2022 Thomas Cup win. Chirag Shetty & Satwiksairaj Rankireddy - India’s famous men’s doubles pair.
UPSC 2004General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q318. The record for the highest score in an innings in Test Cricket is now being held by M. Hayden. Immediately prior to him, the three record holders were:
Explanation
The highest individual score in a Test innings evolved over time, with Hanif Mohammad (337 in 1958) holding the record before Garfield Sobers surpassed it with 365* in 1958. Brian Lara then set a new record with 375 in 1994, before Matthew Hayden broke it with 380 in 2003.
UPSC 2003General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q319. Which one of the following statements is correct?
Explanation
East Timor (Timor-Leste), a Southeast Asian nation with Dili as its capital, was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years before Indonesia occupied it in 1975. Following a UN-sponsored referendum in 1999, where the majority voted for independence, violent clashes erupted. The UN Transitional Administration (UNTAET) took control to restore peace and oversee governance, leading to East Timor’s full independence in 2002. Portugal did not "hand over" the territory to Indonesia in 1975 - instead, Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor following a power vacuum created by the impending withdrawal of Portugal, leading to a civil war within East Timor between political factions. East Timor declared its independence on May 20, 2002.
UPSC 2003General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q320. In which one of the following countries is the rupee its currency?
Explanation
Seychelles is the country where Rupee is used as its currency. Bhutan uses the Ngulturn, Malaysia uses the Malaysian Ringgit and Maldives uses the Maldivian Rufiyaa.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
311
2004
(a) French Guiana
312
2004
(d) A-4; B-1; C-2; D-3
313
2004
(d) a luxury train which travels through Maharashtra and includes Goa in its journey
314
2004
(d) 3 only
315
2004
(a) Fiji
316
2004
(d) V.V.S Laxman
317
2004
(d) A-2; B-5; C-4; D-3
318
2004
(c) Hanif Mohammed, Garfield Sobers and Brian Lara
319
2003
(c) The United Nations took over East Timor in 1999 to prepare it for independence
320
2003
(d) Seychelles
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.
