Previous Year UPSC Questions

Explanation

In January 2001, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck El Salvador, causing a massive landslide in the town of Las Colinas, near San Salvador. The landslide buried hundreds of homes and killed more than 800 people.

Explanation

A-4: Andres Pastrana was the President of Colombia (1998-2002), known for his efforts to negotiate peace with guerrilla groups. B-3: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became the President of the Philippines in 2001, succeeding Joseph Estrada. C-1: Vicente Fox was elected President of Mexico in 2000, representing the National Action Party (PAN). D-2: Hugo Chavez was the President of Venezuela (1999-2013) and was known for his socialist policies and opposition to U.S. influence.

Explanation

Option (a) is correct: Indian Parliament exercises control over the administration primarily through Parliamentary Committees, which scrutinize the functioning of the executive and ensure accountability. The Parliament has Standing committees and Ad hoc committees that scrutinize bills, review the performance of Ministries, conduct enquiry and make recommendations.

Option (b) is incorrect: Consultative Committees, attached to various ministries, comprise MPs from both Houses and serve an advisory role by discussing policies and providing inputs. However, they lack binding powers or direct parliamentary oversight.

Option (c) is incorrect: Periodic reports sent by administrators are internal to the executive and do not involve direct parliamentary oversight. They are not a tool for Parliament to control administration.

Option (d) is incorrect: Writs play a critical role in maintaining accountability, they fall under the purview of the judiciary, not the legislature. Therefore, writs are not a mechanism for Parliament to exercise control over the administration.

Explanation

The Reserve Bank of India established in 1935 is a central bank carries out several functions such as:

The RBI acts as the banker to the central government, managing its banking transactions, including the receipt and payment of money, and facilitating the government’s borrowing program. It also manages the government’s public debt and issues government securities. The RBI is responsible for formulating, implementing, and monitoring India’s monetary policy. The aim is to maintain price stability while considering the objective of economic growth. The RBI represents the Government of India in dealings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and manages transactions and communications between the IMF and the country. The RBI manages the government’s borrowing program which includes the issuance and redemption of government securities, to raise funds for various public expenditures.

Explanation

An indirect tax is a tax imposed on the consumption of goods and services, rather than directly on an individual’s income. The tax is paid by the consumer as part of the price of the goods or services purchased from the seller. In case of Indirect taxes, the individual who pays the tax to the government is different from the person who ultimately bears the burden of the tax. Customs duty and excise duty are classified as indirect taxes because their burden is ultimately passed on to consumers through the pricing of goods and services. Customs duty is levied on the import and export of goods and indirectly borne by the consumers. Excise duty is a tax on the manufacture of goods, indirectly passed on to consumers. According to the Economic Survey 2000-01, indirect taxes like excise and customs duties formed a significant part of India’s revenue during this period. Corporation tax is a direct tax imposed on a company’s profits. Wealth tax is a direct tax on an individual’s or entity’s net wealth, it was abolished in 2015.

Explanation

The Permanent Settlement of 1793, introduced by Lord Cornwallis. It fixed land revenue that zamindars had to pay to the British government permanently. While it aimed to create a loyal class of landlords, it led to peasant exploitation and failure to issue pattas (land agreements) to farmers due to a lack of effective oversight. The zamindars often did not issue pattas because there was no effective supervision or enforcement by the British government, leaving farmers vulnerable to exploitation.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: At the mean position, the pendulum has maximum velocity and is moving in a straight line for an instant with no force along its path and hence producing zero acceleration.

Statement 2 is correct: In one complete oscillation, the bob passes through the mean position twice - once moving in each direction, hence attaining the maximum velocity twice in a complete oscillation.

Statement 3 is incorrect: At the extreme position, the bob has zero velocity as it stops for an instant before reversing the direction. However, at this point the acceleration is maximum because bob completely comes under the force of gravity and hence produces maximum acceleration.

Statement 4 is correct: In an ideal situation, due to air resistance and internal friction, the amplitude of oscillation decreases with time.

Explanation

The motion of an object traveling in a straight line can be represented on a distance-time graph, with the shape of the graph depending on whether the motion is uniform (straight line) or non-uniform (curved line). Uniform motion represents a constant change in displacement per second. The distance time graph for uniform motion is a straight line, that is, equal distance is covered by the equal units of time.

Option (d) represents the graph where change in displacement per second is constant. Therefore, velocity is constant and hence it performs uniform motion.

Explanation

Under article 143 of the Indian Constitution, the President can seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on public importance matters. However, this advice is provided only if the President asks for it; the Supreme Court does not offer advice on its own initiative. This process is known as the Advisory Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 143.

Explanation

Article 214-231 deals with the provisions of High Courts in India. Article 214 provides for a HC in each state while article 231 enables a HC to be shared with multiple states.

Statement 1 is incorrect: After the establishment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2019, there were 25 High Courts in India.

Statement 2 is correct: Three high courts (Guwahati, Bombay and Punjab & Haryana High Courts) have jurisdiction over more than one state.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Delhi is the only UT having its own HC.

Statement 4 is correct: Judges of the High Court hold office till the age of 62. However the judges of supreme court hold office till the age of 65. Note: In this question though 2 statements are correct, but "d" is the most appropriate option.