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 471–480 of 505 questions
Browse General Knowledge chaptersBrowse by year
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: World
Q471. The number of economically active women (excluding students and those doing domestic duties in their homes) as a percentage of all women of working age (generally those aged 15-64 years) was the highest in 1996 in
Explanation
Option (b) is correct: China had the highest participation rate, exceeding 70%, primarily due to state policies emphasizing gender equality in employment and a high demand for labor in both agricultural and industrial sectors. The socialist economic model historically encouraged women to contribute to the workforce. Options (a) is incorrect: The United States (USA) had a participation rate of approximately 59%, reflecting a strong labor market with relatively high employment opportunities for women, particularly in the service sector. Options (c) is incorrect: Russia had around 57% female workforce participation. After the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, many women remained active in the labor market, although economic instability led to job losses in certain sectors. Options (d) is incorrect: South Korea had the lowest rate among the given countries at approximately 47%, as traditional gender roles were still prevalent, and workforce participation among married women was relatively lower compared to Western economies.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · General Awareness: India
Q472. Which one of the following languages belongs to the Austric group?
Explanation
Option (c) is correct: Khasi belongs to the Austroasiatic (Austric) language family, specifically the Mon-Khmer branch, and is spoken mainly in Meghalaya, India.
Option (a) is incorrect: Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Maharashtra.
Option (b) is incorrect: Ladakhi is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Ladakh.
Option (d) is incorrect: Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken in Tamil Nadu.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · General Awareness: India
Q473. ‘Eco mark’ is given to the Indian products that are:
Explanation
The Eco Mark is a certification issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for products that meet environmental sustainability criteria. It is awarded to goods that have minimal adverse effects on the environment throughout their lifecycle, including production, use, and disposal. The mark helps consumers identify eco-friendly products and promotes sustainable manufacturing practices.
Additional insight:
Some notable certification marks in India along with their issuing bodies:
Certification Mark Issuing Body Purpose ISI Mark Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Ensures industrial products meet Indian standards. Agmark Directorate of Marketing & Inspection Certifies the quality of agricultural products. FPO Mark Ministry of Food Processing Industries Ensures hygiene in processed fruit products. BIS Hallmark Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Certifies the purity of gold and silver jewelry. India Organic Certification APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) Certifies organic farm products. Non-Polluting Vehicle Mark Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Certifies vehicles meet Bharat Stage emission norms. FSSAI Mark Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Ensures food products meet safety and quality standards.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q474. Bharat Ratna was awarded in 1997 to:
Explanation
An aerospace and defence scientist, Kalam was involved in the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle SLV III and was the architect of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He also served as the eleventh President of India from 2002 till 2007. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his contributions to science and defense technology.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q475. Which of the following Parties were not a part of the United Front Which was in power during ‘96-97’? 1. Bahujana Samaj Party 2. Haryana Vikas Party 3. Samata Party 4. Asom Gana Parishad Select the correct answer using the codes given below: Codes:
Explanation
The United Front was a coalition of political parties that was in power from 1996 to 1997. The major parties that were part of the United Front included the Samajwadi Party, the CPI (M), the Indian National Congress (which provided support), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and smaller regional parties. Hence among the options, Bahujan Samaj Party, Haryana Vikas Party and Samata Party were not part of United Front.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q476. The damage to the Spektr Module of the Russian Space Station Mir was due to:
Explanation
The damage to the Spektr Module of the Russian Space Station Mir occurred due to a collision with a Soyuz cargo ship in 1997 during a routine docking maneuver. The collision caused a significant breach in the module, leading to a loss of oxygen and other technical issues.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: India
Q477. Which one of the following was the venue for the preliminary talks between the Sri Lankan Government and representatives of Tamil United Liberation Front and other militant groups?
Explanation
The venue for the preliminary talks between the Sri Lankan Government and representatives of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and other militant groups was Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. These talks took place in 1985 and were an attempt to resolve the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Tamil population and the Sri Lankan government.
UPSC 1998General Knowledge · Sports and Games
Q478. Olympics 2004 is to be held in:
Explanation
The 2004 Summer Olympics took place in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected Athens as the host city in 1997, defeating cities like Rome, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, and Stockholm.
UPSC 1997General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: World
Q479. The Prime Minister of which one of the following countries is chosen by the ruling prince from a list of three candidates put up to him by the President of France?
Explanation
In Monaco, the Prime Minister (Minister of State) is not directly elected by the people but is instead appointed by the Prince of Monaco from a list of three candidates proposed by the President of France. This is because of Monaco’s close political ties with France, as established in the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1918. While Monaco is an independent country, France plays a significant role in its governance, especially in defence and foreign relations.
UPSC 1997General Knowledge · Contemporary Events: World
Q480. The world’s fastest computer has been able to perform (as of Dec. 1996):
Explanation
As of December 1996, the world’s fastest computer was ASCI Red, developed by Intel and Sandia National Laboratories under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI). It was the first computer to break the 1 teraflop (10¹² floating point operations per second) barrier in December 1996. It had 9,298 Pentium Pro processors and achieved a sustained performance of 1.06 teraflops (1.06 × 10¹² operations per second) in 1997 on the LINPACK benchmark.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
471
1998
(b) China
472
1998
(c) Khasi
473
1998
(c) environment friendly
474
1998
(d) Dr. Abdul Kalam
475
1998
(b) 1, 2 and 3
476
1998
(a) collision with a Soyuz cargo ship
477
1998
(c) Thimpu
478
1998
(d) None of these
479
1997
(d) Monaco
480
1997
(c) 1012 operations per second
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.
