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 391–400 of 505 questions
Browse General Knowledge chaptersBrowse by year
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q391. In the year 2001, in which one of the following events of women’s singles did Venus Williams defeat Serena Williams to win the title?
Explanation
In 2001, Venus Williams defeated her sister Serena Williams in the US Open Women’s Singles Final to win the title. This match was a memorable moment in tennis history as both sisters were at the peak of their careers, and it marked the beginning of a dominant era for both in tennis.
Additional insight:
In the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Barbora Krejcikova won the women’s singles title, defeating Jasmine Paolini with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. This victory marked Krejcikova’s first Wimbledon singles title
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q392. Which country among the following has been involved in two ties in test cricket?
Explanation
In Test cricket history, only two matches have ended in a tie, both involving Australia. The first was against the West Indies in Brisbane (1960), where Australia fell just one run short of victory. The second was against India in Chennai (1986), where India, needing four runs with one wicket in hand, was bowled out with scores level.
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q393. Who among the following won six gold medals in the 9th FINA-World Swimming Championship held in Fukuoka, Japan in the year 2001?
Explanation
Option (b) is correct: The 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2001. Ian Thorpe, an Australian swimmer, won six gold medals at the event.
Additional insight:
The latest FINA World Swimming Championships, officially known as the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), took place from December 10 to 15, 2024, in Budapest, Hungary. The United States topped the medal table, securing 18 golds and a total of 39 medals, while breaking 21 world records during the event. Switzerland’s Noe Ponti was named the best male swimmer, and the USA’s Gretchen Walsh received the best female swimmer award.
UPSC 2002General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q394. Who among the following won the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championship in the year 2001?
Explanation
The 2001 World Badminton Championships were held in Seville, Spain from June 3 to June 10, 2001. The men’s singles title was won by Hendrawan of Indonesia. He defeated Peter Gade of Denmark in the final match with a score of 15-6, 17-14.
Additional insight:
At the 2023 BWF World Championships held in Copenhagen, Denmark, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn clinched the men’s singles title by defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the final. In women’s event, South Korea’s An Se-young clinched the women’s singles title by defeating Spain’s Carolina Marin in the final. The 2025 event is scheduled to be held in Paris.
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q395. Consider the following organisations: 1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 2. International Finance Corporation 3. International Fund for Agricultural Development 4. International Monetary Fund Which of these are agencies of the United Nations?
Explanation
Statements (3) and (4) are correct: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) focused on rural poverty and agricultural development. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also a specialized agency of the UN, responsible for global monetary cooperation and financial stability. Statements (2) is incorrect: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a part of the World Bank Group and not a UN agency. Note: If the option includes 1, 3, and 4, then it would be the correct answer because the World Bank (which consists of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. However, the World Bank Group, which consists of five institutions--IBRD, IDA, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)--is not a specialized agency of the UN. Among these, only IBRD and IDA are recognized as specialized agencies of the UN.
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q396. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I (Books)
List-II (Author)
A. The Struggle is My Life
1. Lech Walesa
B. The Struggle and the Triumph
2. Nelson Mandela
C. Friends and Foes
3. Leonid Brezhnev
D. Rebirth
4. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
5. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman
Explanation
List-I (Books) List-II (Author) A. The Struggle is My Life 2. Nelson Mandela B. The Struggle and the Triumph
1. Lech Walesa C. Friends and Foes 5. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman D. Rebirth 3. Leonid Brezhnev
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q397. Falun Gong is:
Explanation
Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) is a spiritual practice that combines meditation, qigong exercises, and moral philosophy based on Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. It gained popularity in China during the 1990s but was banned by the Chinese government in 1999, labeling it as a "cult" and a threat to social stability. Since then, followers have faced persecution, leading to international human rights concerns.
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q398. Who is the scientist in whose honour the "Chandra" X-ray telescope has been named?
Explanation
The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched by NASA in 1999, is named in honor of Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, an Indian-American astrophysicist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the Chandrasekhar Limit (the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star). His research significantly contributed to the understanding of stellar evolution, black holes, and neutron stars.
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · General Awareness: World
Q399. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I (Important Day)
List-II (Date)
A. World Environment Day
1. March 20
B. World Forestry Day
2. June 5
C. World Habitat Day
3. September 16
D. World Ozone Day
4. October 3
5. December 10
Explanation
List-I (Important Day) List-II (Date) A. World Environment Day 2. June 5 B. World Forestry Day 1. March 20 C. World Habitat Day 4. October 3 D. World Ozone Day 3. September 16
UPSC 2001General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: World
Q400. The theme of the World Development Report 2001 is:
Explanation
The World Development Report 2001 focused on "Attacking Poverty". It emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to poverty reduction, stressing the importance of economic growth, human development, and access to essential services such as education and healthcare. The report also highlighted how institutions, policies, and social inclusiveness are key factors in addressing poverty globally.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
391
2002
(d) US Open 2001
392
2002
(a) Australia
393
2002
(b) Ian Thorpe
394
2002
(b) Hendrawan
395
2001
(c) 3 and 4
396
2001
(b) A-2; B-1; C-5; D-3
397
2001
(d) A spiritual movement in China
398
2001
(d) Subramanyam Chandrashekhar
399
2001
(d) A-2; B-1; C-4; D-3
400
2001
(c) attacking poverty
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.
