2024 Prelims Paper 2 UPSC Question Paper

Directions for the following 4 (four) items :
Read the following two passages and answer the items that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.
Passage-1
Today, if we consider cities such as New York, London and Paris as some of the most iconic cities in the world, it is because plans carrying a heavy systems approach were imposed on their precincts. The backbone of the systems theory is the process of translating social, spatial and cultural desirables into mathematical models using computing, statistics, optimization and an algorithmic way of formulating and solving problems. The early universities of the West which began to train professionals in planning, spawned some of the most ingenious planners, who were experts in these domains. This was because these very subjects were absorbed into the planning curriculum that had its roots in the social sciences, geography and architecture. Planning in India, and its education differ from the West.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :
1. India needs a new generation of urban professionals with knowledge relevant to modern urban practice.
2. Indian universities at present have no capacity or potential to impart training in systems approach.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are correct?

Passage-2
Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience. When anonymous private entities with high capital can pay for more space for their opinions, they are effectively buying a louder voice. If political discourse in the digital sphere is a matter of outshining one's opponent till the election is won, then the quality of politics suffers. The focus of social media is restricted to the promotion of content that generates more user engagement, regardless of how inflammatory the content may be.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage ?

Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made :
1. Internet is not inclusive enough.
2. Internet can adversely affect the quality of policies in a country.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

222³³³ + 333²²² is divisible by which of the following numbers?

What percent of water must be mixed with honey so as to gain 20% by selling the mixture at the cost price of honey?

What is the rightmost digit preceding the zeros in the value of 30³⁰?

421 and 427, when divided by the same number, leave the same remainder 1. How many numbers can be used as the divisor in order to get the same remainder 1?

A can X contains 399 litres of petrol and a can Y contains 532 litres of diesel. They are to be bottled in bottles of equal size so that whole of petrol and diesel would be separately bottled. The bottle capacity in terms of litres is an integer. How many different bottle sizes are possible?

Consider the following statements in respect of the sum S = x + y + z, where x, y and z are distinct prime numbers each less than 10 :
1. The unit digit of S can be 0.
2. The unit digit of S can be 9.
3. The unit digit of S can be 5.
Which of the statements given above are correct?