IAS Preliminary 2009 Solved Paper

1. The marine animal called dugong which is vulnerable to extinction is a/an:
(a) Amphibian
(b) Bony fish
(c) Shark
(d) Mammal
Ans: (D)

2. Which one of the following is the country's administrative capital/new federal administrative centre of Malaysia ?
(a) Kota Bharu
(b) Kuala Terongganu
(c) Putrajaya
(d) Taiping
Ans: (C)

3. Consider the following countries :
1. Brunei Darussalam
2. East Timor
3. Laos
Which of the above is/are member/members of ASEAN ?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (C)

4. Consider the following countries :
1. Australia
2. Namibia
3. Brazil
4. Chile
Through which of the above does the Tropic of Capricorn pass ?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans: (D)

5. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
City River
(a) Berlin Rhine
(b) London Thames
(c) New York Hudson
(d) Vienna Danube
Ans: (A)

6. Consider the following statements :
1. In the world, the tropical deserts occur along the western margins of continents within the trade wind belt.
2. In India, the East Himalayan region gets high rainfall from north-east winds.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (A)

7. Which one of the following rivers does not originate in India ?
(a) Beas
(b) Chenab
(c) Ravi
(d) Sutlej
Ans: (D)

8. At which one of the following places do two important rivers of India originate; while one of them flows towards north and merges with another important river flowing towards Bay of Bengal, the other one flows towards Arabian Sea ?
(a) Amarkantak
(b) Badrinath
(c) Mahabaleshwar
(d) Nasik
Ans: (A)

9. Where is the headquarters of Animal Welfare Board of India located ?
(a) Ahmedabad
(b) Chennai
(c) Hyderabad
(d) Kolkata
Ans: (B)

10. Consider the following statements :
1. The National' School of Drama was set up by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1959.
2. The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer is by electing him its Fellow.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (C)

11. A person has 4 coins each of different denomination. What is the number of different sums of money the person can form (using one or more coins at a time) ?
(a) 16
(b) 15
(c) 12
(d) 11
Ans: (B)

12. How many letters of the English alphabet (capitals) appear same when looked at in a mirror ? (a) 9
(b) 10
(c) 11
(d) 12
Ans: (C)

13. Consider the following statements regarding Indian Planning :
1. The Second Five-Year Plan emphasised on the establishment of heavy industries.
2. The Third Five-Year Plan introduced the concept of import substitution as a strategy for industrialisation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (C)

14. Who of the following scientists proved that the stars with mass less than 1.44 times the mass of the Sun end up as White Dwarfs when they die ?
(a) Edwin Hubble
(b) S. Chandrashekhar
(c) Stephen Hawking
(d) Steven Weinberg
Ans: (B)

15. Consider the following statements :
1. Between Census 1951 and Census 2001, the density of the population of India has increased more than three times.
2. Between Census 1951 and Census 2001, the annual growth rate (exponential) of the population of India has doubled.
Which of the statements given abova is/are correct ?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (D)