2020 Prelims Paper 2 UPSC Question Paper

Directions for the following 6 (six) items:
Read the following five passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Passage-1
Spanish ships in the late 16th century first brought the potato tuber from South America to Europe whereby in the early 19th century, it had become a reliable backup to cereal crops, particularly in the cold, rain-soaked soils of Ireland. The Irish were soon almost wholly dependent on the potato as their staple food. And they were planting primarily one prodigious variety, the Lumper potato, whose genetic frailty would be cruelly exposed by the fungus 'Phytophthora infestans'. In 1845, apores of the deadly fungus began spreading across the country, destroying nearly all the Lumpers in its path. The resulting famine killed or displaced millions.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message of the passage?

Passage-2
India is at once among the fastest growing global economies and home to the largest number of malnourished children in the world. There are regions where malnutrition is not the exception but the norm. And across the country, malnutrition in the cause of death for roughly half the 13 million children who die before their fifth birthday each year. Even those children who survive suffer permanently from the damage that has already been done to their bodies and minds from not getting enough of the right foods and nutrients. Around 44 million children under 5 are stunted. That makes it harder for them to learn in school and subsequently earn a living as adults. Their lifetime earnings potential is almost a quarter less than that of their healthy peers.

With reference to the above passage, which of the following is/are the most rational and practical implication/ implications?
1. India's Public Distribution System should be monitored by the Union Government.
2. Girls should be encouraged to delay marriage and first pregnancy.
3. Mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their children immediately after birth.
4. The supply of safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities to all should be ensured.
5. Authorities should ensure the vaccination as prescribed.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Passage-3
The pulse variety Pusa Arhar 16' has the potential to be grown in the paddy-growing regions of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and eventually in all of India. Its yield (about 2000 kg/hectare) will be significantly greater than those of the existing varieties and because its size will be uniform, it will be amenable to mechanical harvesting, an attractive feature for farmers in northern India who currently use this technology for paddy. Most important, Arhar straw, unlike paddy straw, in green and can be ploughed back into the soil. In paddy straw, the problem is the high silica content, which does not allow for easy decomposition. In the case of Arhar, the farmer, even after combine harvesting, just needs to run a rotovator to cut the leftover straw into pieces, which can be ploughed back and will decompose very fast. All this is difficult with leftover paddy stalks that cannot be easily salvaged or ploughed back. Farmers, therefore, choose the easiest option of simply burning it.

Which of the following are the most rational inferences that can be made from the passage?
1. Farmers' income will be higher with pulse cultivation than with paddy cultivation.
2. Pulse cultivation causes less pollution as compared to paddy cultivation.
3. Pulse straw can be used to improve soil quality.
4. In the context of northern Indian agriculture, paddy straw has no usefulness.
5. Mechanized agriculture is the main cause for stubble burning.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Passage-4
In India, authorities always look to store the maximum amount of water in reservoirs during the monsoon season, which is then used for irrigation and generation of electricity during the summer months. It is an internationally accepted practice that the water level of a reservoir should be kept below a certain level. before the onset of monsoon season. This is so that when monsoon rains come, there in space to store the excess rainwater and also so that water can be released in a regulated manner. But the authorities store the maximum amount of water in reservoirs even before the close of the monsoon, only to ensure greater electricity generation and irrigation.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. High risks involved in holding maximum water in reservoirs are due to our over-dependence on hydropower projects.
2. Storage capacity of dams should not be fully used before or during monsoon season.
3. Role of dams in flood control is underestimated in India.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Passage-5
Economic liberalization in India was shaped largely by the economic problems of the government than by the economic priorities. of the people or by the long-term development objectives. Thus, there were limitations in conception and design which have been subsequently validated by experience. Jobless growth, persistent poverty and rising inequality have mounted as problems since economic liberalization began. And all these years later, four quiet crises confront the economy; agriculture, infrastructure, industrialization and education as constraints on the country's future prospects. These problems must be resolved if economic growth has to be sustained and transformed into meaningful development.

Which of the following is/are the most rational and logical inference/ inferences that can be made from the passage?
1. It is essential to rethink and redefine the economic role of the State in the quest for development.
2. India has not made effective implementation of its policies in social sectors nor made sufficient investments in them.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. India's economy needs to be greatly integrated with global economy so as to create large number of jobs and to sustain its growth momentum.
2. Economic liberalization would cause large economic growth which would reduce poverty and create sufficient employment in the long run.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

A shop owner offers the following discount options on an article to a customer:
1. Successive discounts of 10% and 20%, and then pay a service tax of 10%.
2. Successive discounts of 20% and 10%, and then pay a service tax of 10%
3. Pay a service tax of 10% first, then successive discounts of 20% and 10%
Which one of the following is correct?

What is the missing term @ following?
ACPQ : BESU :: MNGI : @

What is the largest number among the following?