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 321–330 of 505 questions
With respect to the year when this was asked, Bengali has largest number of speakers in the world i.e. 207 million, French - 79 million speakers, Japanese - 125 million speakers, Portuguese - 176 milion speakers.
New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893. The USA gave women full voting rights at the federal level in 1920 with the 19th Amendment. India granted women voting rights in 1950 when India adopted its constitution. Iceland gave women full voting rights in 1915, though initially limited to women over 40.
In 2003, among the given countries, India had the lowest GDP per capita. Here’s a comparison of estimated GDP per capita (in USD) around that time:
China - Higher due to rapid industrialization and economic reforms. Indonesia - Had a stronger economy than India, despite the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Sri Lanka - Had a smaller but more stable economy with a relatively higher GDP per capita than India. India - Despite economic growth, per capita income remained the lowest among these countries due to its large population and slower per capita income growth.
The Basque people primarily inhabit the Basque Country, which is located in northern Spain and southwestern France. However, their separatist movement has been more prominent in Spain, where the group ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) historically fought for an independent Basque state. Though ETA officially disbanded in 2018, Basque nationalism remains an important political issue in Spain.
Argentina was plunged into a devastating economic crisis in December 2001/January 2002, when a partial deposit freeze, a partial default on public debt, and an abandonment of the fixed exchange rate led to a collapse in output, high levels of unemployment, and political and social turmoil. This also caused mass protests, social unrest, and frequent changes in government, bank freezes (Corralito), and a sharp decline in living standards, fueling widespread discontent.
The Human Development Report 2003 by UNDP ranked South Asian countries based on the Human Development Index (HDI). Maldives led the region with strong health, literacy, and income levels, followed by Sri Lanka, which excelled in education and healthcare but lagged slightly in economic growth. India showed steady progress in literacy and life expectancy but faced challenges due to its large population and income inequality. Pakistan ranked the lowest among these nations, struggling with lower literacy rates, weaker healthcare, and slower economic growth.
The Kelkar Committee, led by Dr. Vijay L. Kelkar, recommended tax reforms to simplify India’s tax system. It proposed reducing tax rates, eliminating exemptions, broadening the tax base, and improving tax administration. The committee also advocated for GST-like reforms and lower customs and excise duties.
Trishul, a short-range surface-to-air missile under India’s IGMDP, had a 9 km range, not 30 km. It was supersonic and later discontinued in 2008.
Option (a), (b) and (d) are correct:
Prithvi-II is a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed by DRDO. It was inducted into the Indian Air Force, making it the only air force in the world to operate ballistic missiles at the time. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI, a multi-role fighter aircraft of the IAF, is capable of launching precision-guided air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles like BrahMos, Astra, and Kh-59. INS Prabal is a missile boat of the Indian Navy, capable of launching sea-to-sea missiles like SS-N-25 ‘Switchblade’ anti-ship missiles.
| List-I (Name of the person) | List-II (Associated with) |
|---|---|
| A. Brijmohan Lal Munjal | 1. Biotechnology |
| B. Kiran Karnik | 2. Automobile industry |
| C. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw | 3. Software industry |
| D. Sunil Mittal | 4. Telecom industry |
| 5. Film Industry |
A-2: Brijmohan Lal Munjal was the founder of Hero Group, he played a key role in making Hero MotoCorp the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers. B-3: Kiran Karnik was the former President of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), he significantly contributed to India’s IT and software industry growth. C-1: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the founder of Biocon. She is a pioneer in India’s biotechnology sector and has played a crucial role in pharmaceutical and bioscience innovations. D-4: Sunil Mittal is the founder and Chairman of Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telecom company. He played a significant role in revolutionizing India’s telecom sector.
Statement (b) is incorrect: The Saka calendar was adopted as India’s official calendar in 1957. Chaitra falls on 22nd March in a leap year and 21st March in a normal year, not the vice-versa. Statements (a), (c) and (d) are correct:
Vande Mataram was composed in Sanskritized Bengali by Bankimchandra Chatterji in his novel Anandamath (1882). It was later adopted as India’s National Song. The Tricolor flag was adopted on 22nd July 1947 by the Constituent Assembly as the National flag of independent India. Jana Gana Mana was originally written in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911. It was adopted as the National Anthem in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly on 24th January 1950.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 321 | 2003 | (a) Bengali |
| 322 | 2003 | (c) New Zealand |
| 323 | 2003 | (b) India |
| 324 | 2003 | (d) Spain |
| 325 | 2003 | (b) Economic crisis due to huge public debt |
| 326 | 2003 | (b) Maldives-Sri Lanka-India-Pakistan |
| 327 | 2003 | (b) recommendations for tax reforms |
| 328 | 2003 | (c) Trishul is a supersonic surface to air missile with a range of 30 km |
| 329 | 2003 | (c) A-2; B-3; C-1; D-4 |
| 330 | 2003 | (b) The National Calendar of India based on Saka era has its 1st Chaitra on 22nd March normally and 21st March in a leap year |
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.
