2012 Prelims Paper 2 UPSC Question Paper

Ten new TV shows started in January ___ 5 sitcoms, 3 drama and 2 news magazines. By April, only seven of the new Shows were still on, five of them being sitcoms.
Based on the above information, four conclusions, as given below, have been made. Which one of these logically follows from the information given above?

Read the passage given below and the two statements that follow (given on the basis of the passage).
Four men are waiting at Delhi airport for a Mumbai flight. Two speak Gujarati and two speak Tamil. No two of the same profession speak the same language. Two are Muslims and two are Christians. No two of the same religion are of the same profession, Nor do they speak the same language. The Tamil-speaking doctor is a Christian.
1. The Christian-businessman speaks Gujarati.
2. The Gujarati-speaking doctor is a Muslim.
Which of the above statements is/are correct conclusion/ conclusions?

Consider the following statements:
"Though quite expensive, television is not a luxury item, as one can learn many things through television".
Which one of the following is a valid inference from the above statement?

Given that,
1. A is the brother of B.
2. C is the father of A.
3. D is the brother of E.
4. E is the daughter of B.
Then, the uncle of D is

Examine the following statements:
1. Rama scored more than Rani.
2. Rani scored less than Ratna.
3. Ratna scored more than Rama.
4. Padma scored more than Rama but less than Ratna.
Who scored the highest?

Directions for the following 11 (eleven) items:
Read the following three passages and answer the items that follow each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.
Passage - 1
Invasions of exotic species into new geographic areas sometimes occur naturally and without human agency. However, human actions have increased this trickle to a flood. Human-caused introductions may occur either accidentally as a consequence of human transport, or internationally but illegally to serve some private purpose or legitimately to procure some hoped-for public benefit by bringing a pest under control, producing new agricultural products or providing novel recreational opportunities. Many introduced species are assimilated into communities without much obvious effect. However, some have been responsible for dramatic change to native species and natural communities. For example, the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake Boiga irregulars into Guam, an island in the pacific, has through nest predation reduced 10 endemic forest bird species to the point of extinction.

One of the major reasons for the world's great biodiversity is the world's great biodiversity is the occurrence of centres of endemism so that similar habitats in different groups of species that happen to have evolved there. If every species naturally had access to everywhere on the globe, we might expect a relatively small number of successful species to become dominant in each biome. The extent to which this homogenization can happen naturally is restricted by the limited power of dispersal of most species in the face of the Physical barriers that exist to dispersal. By virtue of the transport opportunities offered by humans, these barriers have been breached by an ever-increasing number of exotic species. The effects of introductions have been to convert a hugely diverse range of local community compositions into something much more homogeneous.

It would be wrong, however, to conclude that introducing species to a region will inevitably cause a decline in species richness there. For example, there are numerous species of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates found in continental Europe but absent from the British Isles(many because they have so fa failed to recolonize after the last glaciations). Their introduction would be likely to augment British biodiversity. The significant detrimental effect noted above arises where aggressive species provide a novel challenge to endemic biotas ill-equipped to deal with them.

With reference to the passage, which of the following Statements is correct?

Why does man introduce exotic species into new geographical areas?
1. To breed exotic species with local varieties.
2. To increase agricultural and productivity.
3. For beautification and landscaping.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?