Previous Year UPSC Questions

Explanation

The Parliament of South Africa is located in Cape Town. While South Africa has three capital cities, each serving a different purpose, Cape Town is the legislative capital and houses the Parliament. Pretoria is the Administrative capital (seat of the executive branch). Cape Town is the Legislative capital (seat of the Parliament). Bloemfontein is the Judicial capital (seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal).

Explanation

The Ghadar revolutionaries were primarily based in North America, particularly in regions like California, USA, and British Columbia, Canada. They established the Ghadar Party in 1913 to organize revolutionary activities against British colonial rule in India specifically in cities like San Francisco and Vancouver. The party played a significant role in spreading revolutionary ideas and organizing uprisings, particularly during World War I, aiming to incite mutiny in the British Indian Army and disrupt British operations in India. Central America, West America, and South America regions did not serve as significant bases for the Ghadar revolutionaries.

Explanation

The resolution on Fundamental Rights and the National Economic Program was drafted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress in 1931. The Resolution on Fundamental Rights guaranteed free speech and free press, the right to form associations, the right to assemble, universal adult franchise, equal legal rights irrespective of caste, creed and sex, free and compulsory primary education, protection to culture, language, the script of minorities and linguistic groups

Explanation

In October 1920, M.N. Roy (Manabendra Nath Roy) headed a group of Indians in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to establish the Communist Party of India (CPI). This marked the formal introduction of communism in India. The party was founded with the support of the Comintern (Communist International), reflecting global efforts to spread Marxist ideologies. This group, influenced by the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia, sought to establish a Marxist-oriented political organization in India.

Explanation

Rourkela Steel Plant was established with West German collaboration, not the Soviet Union. It was India’s first public sector integrated steel plant, commissioned in 1959. The Bhilai Steel Plant was set up with Soviet assistance. The plant was a fruit of Indo-German friendship, with machinery and expertise provided by Germany’s Krupp and Demag. Options (b), (c) and (d) are correct:

Salem Steel Plant, located in Tamil Nadu, is a premier producer of stainless steel in India. It’s a unit of SAIL and specializes in producing stainless steel in various forms like coils, sheets, and blades. It caters to both domestic and international markets. Maharashtra Elektrosmelt Ltd. (MEL) is a subsidiary of SAIL located in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. It specializes in producing ferroalloys, which are critical raw materials for steel production. Ferroalloys are used to enhance the strength and durability of steel, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant also known as Vizag Steel is operated by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). It was the first shore-based steel plant in India and plays a key role in regional industrial development.

Explanation

The U.P. Kisan Sabha was formed in February 1918 to address the grievances of peasants in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). It was initiated by Madan Mohan Malviya, Gauri Shankar Misra, and Indra Narain Dwivedi, who worked together to mobilize the peasantry against oppressive taxes, such as high rents, land revenue, and exploitation by landlords. Jawaharlal Nehru was not directly associated with the formation of U.P. Kisan Sabha.

Explanation

Pair (1) is correctly matched: Rajendra Prasad actively participated in Champaran Satyagraha under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership to address the grievances of indigo farmers against oppressive plantation laws.

Pair (2) is incorrectly matched: Ahmedabad Mill Workers Strike was led by Mahatma Gandhi to secure fair wages and better working conditions for mill workers in Ahmedabad in 1918. Morarji Desai was not involved in this movement.

Pair (3) is correctly matched: Vallabhbhai Patel, under Gandhi’s guidance, led the movement in 1918 to demand tax remission for peasants affected by famine in the Kheda district of Gujarat.

Explanation

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that commits industrialized nations to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (the third Conference of the Parties) in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan.

Statement 1 is correct: The Kyoto Protocol officially came into force on February 16, 2005.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Kyoto Protocol primarily focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change, not on the depletion of the ozone layer. The ozone layer issue is addressed by the Montreal Protocol, which focuses on phasing out substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Statement 3 is correct: Methane (CH₄) is a more potent green-house gas than carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the short term. Although CO₂ persists longer in the atmosphere, methane has a much higher global warming potential over a 20-year period--about 84 times more potent than CO₂.

Explanation

The 98th Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced in India to reform the judicial appointment process by establishing a National Judicial Commission (NJC). The NJC was proposed to replace the existing collegium system, which had been criticized for its lack of transparency and accountability in selecting judges. The Commission would have included the Chief Justice of India, senior judges, and members from the executive, ensuring a more inclusive and structured process for judicial appointments. However, the proposed amendment did not come into effect, as it was struck down by the Supreme Court, which upheld the collegium system in its 2015 judgment. Probably UPSC has mistakenly used word ‘Act instead of bill’.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Earth’s magnetic axis is tilted at approximately 11 degrees relative to its geographic axis (the axis around which the Earth rotates). The 23.5-degree tilt refers to the Earth’s rotational axis relative to its orbit around the Sun, which is responsible for the seasons, not the magnetic field.

Statement 2 is correct: The North Magnetic Pole is currently located in the Arctic region of Northern Canada, specifically on Ellesmere Island. The magnetic poles are not fixed and move over time due to changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.

Statement 3 is correct: The magnetic equator is an imaginary line where the Earth’s magnetic field is entirely horizontal (no dip angle). The magnetic equator passes near Thumba in South India. The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station was established in this location due to its proximity to the magnetic equator.