Previous Year UPSC Questions

Explanation

The Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) are mentioned under Articles 36 to 51 of the Indian Constitution. The DPSPs have been borrowed from the Constitution of Ireland. It constitutes a comprehensive socio economic and political programme for a modern democratic State. DPSP embodies the concept of a ‘welfare state’. Article 38 (1) states that "The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the national life".

Explanation

The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak devastated West Africa, with Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia at its epicenter. This was the largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, exposing critical weaknesses in regional healthcare systems and requiring a massive international response. The rapid spread and high mortality rate highlighted the global importance of infectious disease preparedness.

Explanation

The Equatorial Counter Current (CEC) is an eastward-flowing current located between the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and the South Equatorial Current (SEC) in the oceans near the equator. It is most prominent in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and helps redistribute heat across the equator, contributing to global climate regulation.

Option (a) is incorrect: While the Earth’s rotation influences large-scale oceanic circulation through the Coriolis force, it does not directly explain the eastward flow of the Equatorial Counter Current. The Coriolis effect is minimal near the equator.

Option (b) is correct: The North Equatorial Current (NEC) and the South Equatorial Current (SEC) flow westward due to trade winds. As these currents converge in the western parts of the oceans, water piles up. Under the influence of gravity, this piled-up water flows eastward, forming the Equatorial Counter Current.

Option (c) is incorrect: While salinity influences vertical water movement, its impact on large-scale horizontal currents like the Equatorial Counter Current is negligible.

Option (d) is incorrect: The Doldrums (regions of calm winds near the equator) do not actively cause the eastward flow. Instead, they create areas of weak wind, which are more relevant for localized weather conditions than large-scale currents. Fig.: Equatorial counter current in Pacific Ocean

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: IREDA was incorporated in 1987 as a public limited government company under the Companies Act, 1956. It operates as a Government of India Enterprise and is under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). In April 2024 IREDA achieved the "Navratna" status which granted it greater financial and operational autonomy.

Statement 2 is correct: IREDA is registered as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with the Reserve Bank of In-dia (RBI). In 2023 it was granted the status of an Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC) by the RBI enhancing its capacity to finance large-scale renewable energy projects.

Explanation

Tides are the periodic rise and fall of sea levels, driven by various forces acting upon Earth’s water bodies. These forces include:

The Sun’s gravitational pull plays a secondary role in creating tides, as it is much farther away from Earth compared to the Moon. However, its gravitational influence still contributes significantly to spring tides (higher-than-normal tides) when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned (new moon and full moon phases). The Moon’s gravitational force is the primary driver of tides. Due to its proximity to Earth, the Moon exerts a stronger pull on Earth’s oceans, causing the bulge of water that forms high tides. The gravitational pull of the Moon is nearly 2.5 times more effective than that of the Sun in causing tides due to its closer proximity. The Earth-Moon system rotates around a common center of mass, creating a centrifugal force that acts opposite to the Moon’s gravitational pull. This force also contributes to the formation of tides on the side of Earth opposite the Moon, leading to high tides there. It helps explain the formation of high tides on the side of Earth opposite the Moon.

Explanation

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless technology that allows devices to communicate by tapping or bringing them close together. NFC is used in various applications, including contactless payments, data exchange, and access control.

Statement 1 is correct: NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology that enables devices to exchange data over distances typically up to 4 centimeters. It operates by generating electromagnetic fields through inductive coupling at a frequency of 13.56 MHz, which facilitates the transfer of information between devices. This contactless technology is widely used in mobile payments, access control, and data exchange.

Statement 2 is incorrect: NFC technology is designed for an operation distance of a few centimeters(not meter). This makes it more difficult for attackers to record the communication between an NFC Forum Device and an NFC Forum Tag compared to other wireless technologies which have a working distance of several meters.

Statement 3 is correct: NFC technology incorporates encryption methods to secure data transmission, ensuring that sensitive information remains protected during exchange. Techniques such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) are commonly employed to maintain confidentiality and integrity.

Explanation

One of the Fundamental Duties is to "To protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India" A-51 A (c). among the 11 Fundamental Duties. Article 51A of part IV-A of the Indian Constitution deals with the Fundamental Duties. These duties are the moral and civic obligations that all citizens of a nation have. In 1976, the Fundamental Duties were first recommended by the Swaran Singh Committee by 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.

Explanation

: Nanotechnology is a field of science and engineering that deals with the manipulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale, typically between 1 to 100 nanometers. It involves the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of materials, devices, and systems at this incredibly small scale. This emerging field has the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including medicine, electronics, materials science, and energy, by creating new materials with unique properties and developing innovative technologies with unprecedented capabilities.

Statement 1 is correct: Targeted drug distribution by nanoscale drug carriers is one of the fundamental tenets of nanomedicine. Numerous nanoscale drug delivery technologies, such as liposomes, dendrimers, quantum dots, nanotubes, polymeric biodegradable nanoparticles, and nanocapsules, have been studied.

Statement 2 is correct: Nanotechnology plays a significant role in gene therapy by creating nanocarriers that can deliver genetic material, such as DNA or RNA, to specific cells. These nanocarriers protect genetic material from degradation and improve its delivery into target cells, offering potential treatments for genetic disorders.

Explanation

The Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) is compiled and released by the Labour Bureau which operates under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. CPI-IW measures inflation and changes in the cost of living for industrial workers across various sectors. It serves as a benchmark for revising wages, dearness allowance (DA), and social security benefits for workers and government employees. The Labour Bureau publishes CPI-IW monthly based on data collected from major industrial centers across India. The Labour Bureau has been compiling the CPI-IW since 1944, with revisions to the base year occurring periodically (e.g., 2001=100, 2016=100) to reflect changing consumption patterns.

Explanation

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the first of its kind, designed to explore the cosmos from deep within the ice at the South Pole. It is operated by the IceCube Collaboration, an international team of scientists conducting research in this field. By detecting high-energy cosmic neutrinos, IceCube enables the study of some of the universe’s most violent astrophysical events, including stellar explosions, gamma-ray bursts, and catastrophic interactions involving black holes and neutron stars.

Statement 1 is correct: The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the largest neutrino detector globally, occupying a cubic kilometer of ice at the South Pole. It detects high-energy neutrinos from cosmic sources like supernovae, black holes, and gamma-ray bursts.

Statement 2 is correct: IceCube plays a critical role in the search for dark matter by detecting neutrinos produced when dark matter particles, such as WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), interact or annihilate. This makes it a vital tool in astrophysical and particle physics research.

Statement 3 is correct: IceCube’s detectors are buried at depths between 1,450 meters and 2,450 meters in Antarctic ice. This depth reduces interference from cosmic rays and other particles, allowing it to detect faint light signals from neutrino interactions.