Previous Years Solved UPSC Papers

CSAT Questions

Syllogism

Directions: There are four statements. Of these four statements, two cannot both be true, but both can be false. Study the statements carefully and identify the two that satisfy above condition.

Examine the following statements:

  1. All animals are carnivorous.
  2. Some animals are not carnivorous.
  3. Animals are not carnivorous.
  4. Some animals are carnivorous.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

  1. 1 and 2
  2. 3 and 4
  3. 2 and 3
  4. 1 and 3

Percentages L1

In a test, a candidate attempted only 8 questions and secured 50% marks in each of the questions. If he obtained a total of 40% in the test and all questions in the test carried equal marks, how many questions were there in the test?

  1. 8
  2. 10
  3. 15 
  4. 16

Ratio Proportion L1

The monthly incomes of Peter and Paul are in the ratio of 4:3. Their expenses are in the ratio of 3:2. If each saves Rs. 6,000 at the end of the month, their monthly incomes respectively are (in Rs.)

  1. 24,000 and 18,000
  2. 28,000 and 21,000
  3. 32,000 and 24,000
  4. 34,000 and 26,000

Ratio Proportion L1

Two equal glasses of same type are respectively 1/3 and 1/4 full of milk. They are then filled up with water and the contents are mixed in a pot. What is the ratio of milk and water in the pot?

  1. 9 : 21
  2. 11 : 23
  3. 7 : 17
  4. 1 : 3

Equations L1

A cow costs more than 4 goats but less than 5 goats. If a goat costs between Rs. 600 and Rs. 800, which of the following is a most valid conclusion?

  1. A cow costs between Rs. 2,600 and Rs. 3,800.
  2. A cow costs less than Rs. 3,600.
  3. A cow costs more than Rs. 2,500.
  4. A cow costs between Rs. 2,400 and Rs. 4,000.

Equations L1

A father is nine times as old as his son and the mother is eight times as old as the son. The sum of the father's and the mother's age is 51 years. What is the age of the son?

  1. 3 years
  2. 4 years
  3. 7 years
  4. 5 years

Equations L1

A person ordered 5 pairs of black socks and some pairs of brown socks. The price of a black pair was thrice that of a brown pair. While preparing the bill, the bill clerk interchanged the number of black and brown pairs by mistake which increased the bill by 100%. What was the number of pairs of brown socks in the original order?

  1. 15
  2. 25
  3. 10
  4. 20

Ratio Proportion L1 Time Distance L1

In a 500 metres race, B starts 45 metres ahead of A, but A wins the race while B is still 35 metres behind. What is the ratio of the speeds of A to B assuming that both start at the same time?

  1. 25:20
  2. 25:21
  3. 5:7
  4. 5:3

Time Distance L1

Two cities A and B are 360 km apart. A car goes from A to B with a speed of 40 km/hr and returns to A with a speed of 60 km/hr. What is the average speed of the car?

  1. 48 km/hr
  2. 55 km/hr
  3. 50 km/hr
  4. 45 km/hr

Time Work L1

Two pipes A and B can independently fill a tank completely in 20 and 30 minutes respectively. If both the pipes are opened simultaneously, how much time will they take to fill the tank completely?

  1. 25 minutes
  2. 10 minutes
  3. 12 minutes
  4. 15 minutes

Quant Sets L1

Out of 130 students appearing in an examination, 62 failed in English, 52 failed in Mathematics, whereas 24 failed in both English and Mathematics. The number of students who passed finally is

  1. 40
  2. 50
  3. 55
  4. 60

Equations L1

In a box of marbles, there are three less white marbles than the red ones and five more white marbles than the green ones. If there are a total of 10 white marbles, how many marbles are there in the box?

  1. 28
  2. 36
  3. 26
  4. 32

Equations L1

In a parking area, the total number of wheels of all the cars (four-wheelers) and scooters/motorbikes (two-wheelers) is 100 more than twice the number of parked vehicles. The number of cars parked is

  1. 35
  2. 45
  3. 50
  4. 55

Quant Sets L1

In a group of persons travelling in a bus, 6 persons can speak Tamil, 15 can speak Hindi and 6 can speak Gujarati. In that group none can speak any other language. If 2 persons in the group can speak two languages only and one person can speak all the three languages, then how many persons are there in the group?

  1. 21
  2. 22
  3. 23
  4. 24

Quant Sets L1

In a town, 45% population read magazine A, 55% read magazine B, 40% read magazine C, 30% read magazines A and B, 15% read magazines B and C, 25% read magazines A and C; and 10% read all the three magazines. What percentage do not read any magazine?

  1. 15%
  2. 25%
  3. 10%
  4. 20%

Equations L1

Each of A, B, C and D has Rs 100. A pays Rs 20 to B, who pays Rs 10 to C, who gets Rs 30 from D. In this context, which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. D is the poorest
  2. C is the richest
  3. B is richer than D
  4. C has more than what A and D have together

UPSC Critical Reading

We are witnessing a dangerous dwindling of biodiversity in our food supply. The green revolution is a mixed blessing. Over time farmers have come to rely heavily on broadly adapted, high yield crops to the exclusion of varieties adapted to the local conditions. Monocropping vast fields with the same genetically uniform seeds helps boost yield and meet immediate hunger needs. Yet high-yield varieties are also genetically weaker crops that require expensive chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides. In our focus on increasing the amount of food we produce today, we have accidentally put ourselves at risk for food shortages in future.

Which among the following is the most logical and critical inference that can be made from the above passage?

  1. In our agricultural practices, we have become heavily dependent on expensive chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides only due to green revolution
  2. Monocropping vast fields with high-yield varieties is possible due to green revolution
  3. Monocropping with high-yield varieties is the only way to ensure food security to millions
  4. Green revolution can pose a threat to biodiversity in food supply and food security in the long run

UPSC Critical Reading

We generally talk about democracy but when it comes to any particular thing, we prefer a belonging to our caste or community or religion. So long as we have this kind of temptation, our democracy will remain a phoney kind of democracy. We must be in a position to respect a man as a man and to extend opportunities for development to those who deserve them and not to those who happen to belong to our community or race. This fact of favouritism has been responsible for much discontent and ill-will in our country.

Which one of the following statements best sums up the above passage?

  1. True democracy could be established by providing equal opportunities to all
  2. It will never be possible for us to establish truly democratic governance in our country
  3. Our country has a lot of diversity with its many castes, communities and religions
  4. So far none of us have actually understood the meaning of democracy

UPSC Critical Reading

Governments may have to take steps which would otherwise be an infringement on the Fundamental Rights of individuals, such as acquiring a person's land against his will, or refusing permission for putting up a building, but the larger public interest for which these are done must be authorized by the people (Parliament). Discretionary powers to the administration can be done away with. It is becoming more and more difficult to keep this power within limits as the government has many number of tasks to perform. Where discretion has to be used, there must be rules and safeguards to prevent misuse of that power. Systems have to be devised which minimise, if not prevent, the abuse of discretionary power. Government work must be conducted within a framework of recognised rules and principles, and decisions should be similar and predictable.

Which among the following is the most logical assumption that can be made from the above passage?

  1. Government should always be given wide discretionary power in all matters of administration
  2. The supremacy of rules and safeguards should prevail as opposed to the influence of exclusive discretion of authority
  3. Parliamentary democracy is possible only if the Government has wider discretionary power
  4. None of the above statements is a logical assumption that can be made from this passage

UPSC Critical Reading

No Right is absolute, exclusive or inviolable. The Right of personal property, similarly, has to be perceived in the larger context of its assumed legitimacy. The Right of personal property should unite the principle of liberty with that of equality, and both with the principle of cooperation.

In the light of the argument in the above passage, which one of the following statements is the most convincing explanation?

  1. Personal property is a theft and an instrument of exploitation. The Right of personal property is therefore violative of economic justice.
  2. The Right of personal property is a Natural Right duly supported by statutes and scriptures.
  3. The comprehensive idea of economic justice demands that the Right of each person to acquisition of property has to be reconciled with that of others.
  4. The Right of personal property is violative of distributive justice and negates the principle of cooperation.

UPSC Critical Reading

Open defecation is disastrous when practised in very densely populated areas, where it is impossible to keep away human faeces from crops, wells, food and children's hands. Groundwater is also contaminated by open defecation. Many ingested germs and worms spread diseases. They prevent the body from absorbing calories and nutrients. Nearly one-half of India's children remain malnourished. Lakhs of them die from preventable conditions. Diarrhoea leaves Indian's bodies smaller on average than those of people in some poorer countries where people eat fewer calories. Underweight mothers produce stunted babies prone to sickness who may fail to develop their full cognitive potential. The germs released into environment harm rich and poor alike, even those who use latrines.

Which among the following is the most critical inference that can be made from the above passage?

  1. Open defecation reduces the human capital of India's workforce
  2. Open defecation is the most important public health problem of India
  3. The Central and State governments in India do not have enough resources to afford a latrine for each household
  4. Open defecation is a public health problem in all developing countries

UPSC Critical Reading

Set against a rural backdrop, 'Stench of kerosene' is the story of a couple, Guleri and Manak, who have been happily married for several years but do not have a child. Manak's mother is desperate to have a grandchild to carry on the family name. Hence, she gets Manak remarried in Guleri's absence. Manak, who acts as a reluctant but passive spectator, is meanwhile, informed by a friend that Guleri, on hearing about her husband's second marriage, poured kerosene on her clothes and set fire to them. Manak is heartbroken and begins to live as if he were a dead man. When his second wife delivers a son, manak states at a the child for a long time an blurts out, "Take him away! He stinks of kerosene."

This is a sensitive issue-based story which tries to sensitise the readers about

  1. Male chauvinism and infidelity
  2. Love and betrayal
  3. Influence of patriarchal mindset
  4. Lack of legal safeguards for women

UPSC Critical Reading

The conflict between man and State is as old as State history. Although attempts have been made for centuries to bring about a proper adjustment between the competing claims of State and the individual, the solution seems to be still far off. This is primarily because of the dynamic nature of human society where old values and ideas constantly yield place to new ones. It is obvious that if individuals are allowed to have absolute freedom of speech and action, the result would be chaos, ruin and anarchy.

The author's viewpoint can be best summed up in which of the following statements?

  1. Old values, ideas and traditions persist despite the dynamic nature of human society.
  2. Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech is not in the interest of society.
  3. The conflict between the claims of State and individual remains unresolved.
  4. Anarchy and chaos are the obvious results of democratic traditions.

UPSC Critical Reading

India has suffered from persistent high inflation. Increase in administered prices, demand and supply imbalances, imported inflation aggravated by rupee depreciation, and speculation - have combined to keep high inflation going. If there is an element common to all of them, it is that many of them are the outcomes of economic reforms. India's vulnerability to the effects of changes in international prices has increased with trade liberalisation. The effort to reduce subsidies has resulted in a continuous increase in the prices of commodities that are administered.

What is the most logical, rational and crucial message that is implied in the above passage?

  1. Under the present circumstances, India should completely avoid all trade liberalisation policies and all subsidies.
  2. Due to its peculiar socio-economic situation, India is not yet ready for trade liberalisation process.
  3. Economic reforms can often high inflation economy.
  4. There is no solution in sight for the problems of continuing poverty and inflation in India in the near future.

UPSC Critical Reading

Climate change is already making many people hungry all over the world, by disrupting crop yields and pushing up prices. And it is not just food but nutrients that are becoming scarcer as the climate changes. It is the poorest communities that will suffer the worst effects of climate change, including increased hunger and malnutrition as crop production and livelihoods are threatened. On the other hand, poverty is a driver of climate change, as desperate communities resort to unsustainable use of resources to meet current needs.

Which among the following is the most logical corollary to the above passage?

  1. All the countries of the world must unite in fighting poverty and malnutrition and treat poverty as a global problem
  2. We must stop unsustainable agricultural practices immediately and control food prices
  3. Poverty and climate impacts reinforce each other and therefore we have to re-imagine our food systems
  4. Government should allocated more funds to poverty alleviation programmes and increase food subsidies to the poor communities

UPSC Critical Reading

The richer States have a responsibility to cut down carbon emissions and promote clean energy investments. These are the States that got electricity, grew faster and now have high per capita income, making them capable of sharing India's burden of becoming eco-friendly. Delhi, for example, can help by generating its own clean electricity using solar rooftop panels or even help poor States finance their clean energy projects. It is no secret that State Electricity Boards, which control 95% of the distribution network, are neck-deep in losses. These losses further discourage State utilities from adopting renewable energy as it is more expensive than fossil fuels.

Which among the following is the most logical and rational assumption that can be made from the above passage?

  1. The poor States always have to depend on rich States for electricity.
  2. The richer States must lead in the production and adoption of renewable energy.
  3. The high economic disparity between the rich and poor States is the major cause of high carbon emissions in India.
  4. The State Electricity Boards can improve their finances by undertaking clean energy projects.

UPSC Critical Reading

The Global Financial Stability Report finds that the share of portfolio investments from advanced economies in the total debt and equity investments in emerging economies has doubled in the past decade to 12 per cent. The phenomenon has implication for Indian policy makers as foreign portfolio investments in the debt and equity markets have been on the rise. The phenomenon is also flagged as a threat that could compromise global financial stability in a chain reaction, in the event of United States Federal Reserve's imminent reversal of its 'Quantitative Easing' policy.

Which among the following is the most rational and critical inference that can be made from the above passage?

  1. Emerging economies are at a risk of shock from advanced economies
  2. India should desist from accepting foreign portfolio investments in the future
  3. Advanced economies undermine the global financial stability
  4. Foreign portfolio investments are not good for emerging economies

Money Banking

The lowering of Bank Rate by the Reserve Bank of India leads to

  1. More liquidity in the market
  2. Less liquidity in the market
  3. No change in the liquidity in the market
  4. Mobilization of more deposits by commercial banks

Money Banking

Economic growth is usually coupled with

  1. Deflation
  2. Inflation
  3. Stagflation
  4. Hyperinflation

Agriculture

Salinization occurs when the irrigation water accumulated in the soil evaporates, leaving behind salts and minerals. What are the effects of salinization on the irrigated land?

  1. It greatly increases the crop production
  2. It makes some soils impermeable
  3. It raises the water table
  4. It fills the air spaces in the soil with water

Culture

The Jain philosophy holds that the world is created and maintained by

  1. Universal Law
  2. Universal Truth
  3. Universal Faith
  4. Universal Soul

Organisations & Policies

With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements:

  1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
  2. It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
  3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 3 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Rivers

Which one of the following is an artificial lake?

  1. Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)
  2. Kolleru (Andhra Pradesh)
  3. Nainital (Uttarakhand)
  4. Renuka (Himachal Pradesh)