CSAT Questions

If RAMON is written as 12345 and DINESH as 675849

• Non Verbal Reasoning

If RAMON is written as 12345 and DINESH as 675849, then HAMAM will be written as

1. 92233
2. 92323
3. 93322
4. 93232

If LSJXVC is the code for MUMBAI, the code for DELHI is

• Non Verbal Reasoning

If LSJXVC is the code for MUMBAI, the code for DELHI is

1. CCIDD
2. CDKGH
3. CCJFG
4. CCIFE

Monoculture carries great risks. A single disease or pest can wipe out

• UPSC Critical Reading

Monoculture carries great risks. A single disease or pest can wipe out swathes of the world's food production, an alarming prospect given that its growing and wealthier population will eat 70% more by 2050. The risks are magnified by the changing climate. As the planet warms and monsoon rains intensify, farmlands in Asia will flood. North America will suffer more intense droughts, and crop diseases will spread to new latitudes.

Which of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial message given by the passage?

1. Preserving crop genetic diversity is an insurance against the effects of climate change.
2. Despite great risks, monoculture is the only way to ensure food security in the world.
3. More and more genetically modified crops only can save the world from impending shortages of food.
4. Asia and North America will be worst sufferers from climate change and the consequent shortage of food.

The practice of dieting has become an epidemic

• UPSC Critical Reading

The practice of dieting has become an epidemic; everyone is looking out for a way to attain that perfect body. We are all different with respect to our ethnicity, genetics, family history, gender, age, physical and mental and spiritual health status, lifestyles and preferences. Thereby we also differ in what foods we tolerate or are sensitive to. So we really cannot reduce so many complexities into one diet or diet book. This explains the failure of diets across the world in curbing obesity. Unless the reasons for weight gain are well understood and addressed and unless habits are changed permanently, no diet is likely to succeed.

What is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

1. Obesity has become an epidemic all over the world.
2. A lot of people are obsessed with attaining a perfect body. 
3. Obesity is essentially an incurable disease. 
4. There is no perfect diet or one solution for obesity.

India's educational system is modelled on the mass education system

• UPSC Critical Reading

India's educational system is modelled on the mass education system that developed in the 19th century in Europe and later spread around the world. The goal of the system is to condition children as 'good' citizens and productive workers. This suited the industrial age that needed the constant supply of a compliant workforce with a narrow set of capabilities. Our educational institutes resemble factories with bells, uniforms and batch-processing of learners, designed to get learners to conform. But, from an economic point of view, the environment today is very different. It is a complex, volatile and globally interconnected world.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. India continues to be a developing country essentially due to its faulty education system.
2. Today's learners need to acquire new-age skill-sets.
3. A good number of Indians go to some developed countries for education because the educational systems there are a perfect reflection of the societies in which they function.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

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

Being a member of the WTO, India is bound by the agreements

• UPSC Critical Reading

Being a member of the WTO, India is bound by the agreements that have been signed and ratified by its members, including itself. According to Article 6 of the Agriculture Agreement, providing minimum support prices for agricultural products is considered distorting and is subject to limits. The subsidy arising from 'minimal supports' cannot exceed 10 per cent of the value of agricultural production for developing countries. PDS in India entails minimum support prices and public stockholding of food grains. It is possible that, in some years, the subsidy to producers will exceed 10 per cent of the value of agricultural production.

What is the crucial message conveyed by the above passage?

1. India should revise its PDS.
2. India should not be a member of WTO.
3. For India, food security collides with trade.
4. India provides food security to its poor.

The Arctic's vast reserves of fossil fuel, fish and minerals are now accessible

• UPSC Critical Reading

The Arctic's vast reserves of fossil fuel, fish and minerals are now accessible for a longer period in a year. But unlike Antarctica, which is protected from exploitation by the Antarctic Treaty framed during the Cold War and is not subject to territorial claims by any country, there is no legal regime protecting the Arctic from industrialization, especially at a time when the world craves for more and more resources. The distinct possibility of ice-free summer has prompted countries with Arctic coastline to scramble for great chunks of the melting ocean.

Which one of the following is the most important implication of the passage?

1. India can have territorial claims in the Arctic territory and free access to its resources.
2. Melting of summer ice in the Arctic leads to changes in the geopolitics.
3. The Arctic region will solve the world's future problem of resource crunch.
4. The Arctic region has more resources than Antarctica.

Scientific knowledge has its dangers, but so has every great thing

• UPSC Critical Reading

Scientific knowledge has its dangers, but so has every great thing. Over and beyond the dangers with which it threatens the present, it opens up as nothing else can, the vision of a possible happy world; a world without poverty, without war, with little illness. Science, whatever unpleasant consequences it may have by the way, is in its very nature a liberator.

Which one of the following is the most important implication of the passage?

1. A happy world is a dream of science.
2. Science only can build a happy world, but it is also the only major threat.
3. A happy world is not possible without science.
4. A happy world is not at all possible with or without science.

Cooking with biomass and coal in India is now recognized to cause major health problems

• UPSC Critical Reading

Cooking with biomass and coal in India is now recognized to cause major health problems, with women and children in poor populations facing the greatest risk. There are more than 10 lakh premature deaths each year from household air pollution due to polluting cooking fuels with another 1.5 lakh due to their contribution to general outdoor air pollution in the country. Although the fraction of the Indian population using clean cooking fuels, such as LPG, natural gas and electricity, is slowly rising, the number using polluting solid fuels as their primary cooking fuel has remained static for nearly 30 years at about 70 crore.

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

1. Rural people are giving up the use of polluting solid fuels due to their increasing awareness of health hazards.
2. Subsidizing the use of clean cooking fuels will solve the problem of India's indoor air pollution.
3. India should increase its import of natural gas and produce more electricity.
4. Access to cooking gas can reduce premature deaths in poor households.

All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs

• UPSC Critical Reading

All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital in order for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. The problem is more severe for developing countries like India, which would be one of the hardest hit by climate change, given its need to finance development. Most countries do indeed treat climate change as real threat and are striving to address it in a more comprehensive and integrated manner with the limited resources at their disposal.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Climate change is not a challenge for developed countries.
2. Climate change is a complex policy issue and also a development issue for many countries.
3. Ways and means of finance must be fount to enable developing countries to enhance their adaptive capacity.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

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

Though I have discarded much of past tradition and custom

• UPSC Critical Reading

Though I have discarded much of past tradition and custom, and am anxious that India should rid herself of all shackles that bind and contain her and divide her people, and suppress vast numbers of them, and prevent the free development of the body and the spirit; though I seek all this, yet I do not wish to cut myself off from that past completely. I am proud of that great inheritance that has been and is, ours and I am conscious that I too, like all of us, am a link in that unbroken chain which goes back to the dawn of history in the immemorial past of India.

The author wants India to rid herself of certain past bonds because

1. he is not able to see the relevance of the past
2. there is not much to be proud of
3. he is not interested in the history of India
4. they obstruct her physical and spiritual growth

I am a scientist, privileged to be somebody who tries to understand nature

• UPSC Critical Reading

I am a scientist, privileged to be somebody who tries to understand nature using the tools of science. But it is also clear that there are some really important questions that science cannot really answer, such as : Why is there something instead of nothing? Why are we here? In those domains, I have found that faith provides a better path to answers. I find it oddly anachronistic that in today's culture there seems to be a widespread presumption that scientific and spiritual views are incompatible.

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

1. It is the faith and not science that can finally solve all the problems of mankind.
2. Science and faith can be mutually complementary if their proper domains are understood.
3. There are some very fundamental questions which cannot be answered by either science or faith.
4. In today's culture, scientific views are given more importance than spiritual views.

Many pathogens that cause food borne illnesses are unknown

• UPSC Critical Reading

Many pathogens that cause food borne illnesses are unknown. Food contamination can occur at any stage from farm to plate. Since most cases of food poisoning go unreported, the true extent of global food borne illnesses is unknown. Improvements in international monitoring have led to greater public awareness, yet the rapid globalization of food production increases consumers' vulnerability by making food harder to regulate and trace. "We have the world on our plates", says an official of WHO.

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

1. With more options for food come more risks.
2. Food processing is the source of all food borne illnesses.
3. We should depend on locally produced food only.
4. Globalization of food production should be curtailed.

Global population was around 1.6 billion in 1990 - today it is around 7.2 billion and growing

• UPSC Critical Reading

Global population was around 1.6 billion in 1990 - today it is around 7.2 billion and growing. Recent estimates on population growth predict a global population of 9.6 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion in 2100. Unlike Europe and North America, where only three to four per cent of population is engaged in agriculture, around 47 per cent of India's population is dependent upon agriculture. Even if India continues to do well in the service sector and the manufacturing sector picks up, it is expected that around 2030 when India overtakes China as the world's most populous country, nearly 42 per cent of India's population will still be predominantly dependent on agriculture.

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

1. Prosperity of agriculture sector is of critical importance to India. 
2. Indian economy greatly depends on its agriculture. 
3. India should take strict measures to control its rapid population growth. 
4. India's farming communities should switch over to other occupations to improve their economic conditions.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities

• Basic LR Sets

Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that

1. D is studying in Assam
2. Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
3. A is studying in Commerce college
4. B is studying in city Q
5. Science college is located in Kerala

A bag contains 15 red balls and 20 black balls

• Quant Probability

A bag contains 15 red balls and 20 black balls. Each ball is numbered either 1 or 2 or 3. 20% of the red balls are numbered 1 and 40% of them are numbered 3. Similarly, among the black balls, 45% are numbered 2 and 30% are numbered 3. A boy picks a ball at random. He wins if the ball is red and numbered 3 or if it is black and numbered 1 or 2. What are the chances of his winning?

1. 1/2
2. 4/7
3. 5/9
4. 12/13

A solid cube of 3 cm side, painted on all its faces, is cut

• Cubes

A solid cube of 3 cm side, painted on all its faces, is cut up into small cubes of 1 cm side. How many of the small cubes will have exactly two painted faces?

1. 12
2. 8
3. 6
4. 4

Which reflects the nicest, appropriate relationship between law and liberty

• Constitution

Which one of the following reflects the nicest, appropriate relationship between law and liberty?

1. If there are more laws, there is less liberty.
2. If there are no laws, there is no liberty.
3. If there is liberty, laws have to be made by the people. 
4. If laws are changed too often, liberty is in danger.

In the federation established by The Government on India Act of 1935

• Modern History

In the federation established by The Government on India Act of 1935. Residuary Power were given to the

1. Federal Legislature
2. Governor General
3. Provincial Legislature
4. Provincial Governors

In which States is Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary located

• Biodiversity

In which one of the following States is Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary located?

1. Arunachal Pradesh
2. Manipur
3. Meghalaya
4. Nagaland

Right to Privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty

• Organisations & Policies

Right to Privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty. Which of the following in the Constitution of India correctly and appropriately imply the above statement?

1. Article 14 and the provisions under the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution
2. Article 17 and the Directive Principles of State Policy in Part IV
3. Article 21 and the freedoms guaranteed in Part III
4. Article 24 and the provisions under the 44th Amendment to the Constitution

International Labour Organization's Conventions 138 and 182 are related to

• World GK

International Labour Organization's Conventions 138 and 182 are related to

1. Child labour 
2. Adaptation of agricultural practices to global climate change 
3. Regulation of food prices and food security 
4. Gender parity at the workplace

With reference to digital payments, consider the following statements

• Money Banking

With reference to digital payments, consider the following statements:

1. BHIM app allows the user to transfer money to anyone with a UPI-enabled bank account.
2. While a chip-pin debit card has four factors of authentication, BHIM app has only two factors of authentication.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

India enacted The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999

• Organisations & Policies

India enacted The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 in order to comply with the obligations to

1. ILO
2. IMF
3. UNCTAD
4. WTO

Tradition and State Matching

• Indian States
• Culture

Consider the following pairs:

Tradition - State

1. Chapchar Kut festival - Mizoram 
2. Khongjom Parba ballad - Manipur 
3. Thang-Ta dance - Sikkim

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

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

Craft and Heritage of State Matching

• Indian States
• Culture

Consider the following pairs:

Craft - Heritage of

1. Puthukkuli shawls - Tamil Nadu 
2. Sujni embroidery - Maharashtra 
3. Uppada Jamdani saris - Karnataka

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

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

Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true

• Modern History

Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true?

1. Grants-in-Aid system was introduced. 
2. Establishment of universities was recommended. 
3. English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended. 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India

• Modern History

With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs:

Institution - Founder 

1. Sanskrit College at Benaras - William Jones
2. Calcutta Madarsa - Warren Hastings
3. Fort William College - Arthur Wellesley

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

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

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)

• World GK

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a UN mechanism to assist countries transition towards greener and more inclusive economies, emerged at

1. The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, Johannesburg
2. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, Rio de Janeiro 
3. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2015, Paris 
4. The World Sustainable Development Summit 2016, New Delhi

With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements

• Agriculture
• Soils

With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements:

1. A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity.
2. Soil does not play any role in the sulphur cycle.
3. Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinization of some agricultural lands.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Which led to the introduction of English Education in India

• Modern History

Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India?

1. Charter Act of 1813
2. General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823
3. Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy

Select the correct answer using the code given below

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

In which of the following areas can GPS technology be used

• Technology GK

In which of the following areas can GPS technology be used?

1. Mobile phone operations
2. Banking operations
3. Controlling the power grids

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

If the President of India exercises his power as provided under Article 356

• Executive

If the President of India exercises his power as provided under Article 356 of the Constitution in respect of a particular State, then

1. the Assembly of the State is automatically dissolved. 
2. the powers of the Legislature of that State shall be exercisable by or under the authority of the Parliament. 
3. Article 19 is suspended in that State. 
4. the President can make laws relating to that State.

Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India

• Modern History

Economically, one of the results of the British rule in India in the 19th century was the

1. increase in the export of Indian handicrafts 
2. growth in the number of Indian owned factories 
3. commercialization of Indian agriculture 
4. rapid increase in the urban population

After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what were the measures taken

• Modern History

After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what was/were the measure/measures taken by the colonial government?

1. The territories called `Santhal Paraganas' were created.
2. It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 only 
2. 2 only 
3. Both 1 and 2 
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Increase in absolute and per capita real GNP do not connote

• National Income

Increase in absolute and per capita real GNP do not connote a higher level of economic development, if

1. industrial output fails to keep pace with agricultural output.
2. agricultural output fails to keep pace with industrial output.
3. poverty and unemployment increase.
4. imports grow faster than exports.

If a commodity is provided free to the public by the Government

• Budget Fiscal Policy

If a commodity is provided free to the public by the Government, then

1. the opportunity cost is zero.
2. the opportunity cost is ignored.
3. the opportunity cost is transferred from the consumers of the product to the tax-paying public.
4. the opportunity cost is transferred from the consumers of the product to the Government.

Which statements correctly describes the meaning of legal tender money

• Money Banking

Which one of the following statements correctly describes the meaning of legal tender money?

1. The money which is tendered in courts of law to defray the fee of legal cases.
2. The money which a creditor is under compulsion to accept in settlement of his claims.
3. The bank money in the form of cheques, drafts, bills of exchange, etc.
4. The metallic money in circulation in a country.

Which one of the following links all the ATMs in India

• Indian Economy

Which one of the following links all the ATMs in India?

1. Indian banks' Association 
2. National Securities Depository Limited 
3. National Payments Corporation of India 
4. Reserve Bank of India

He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna

• Modern History

He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was

1. Aurobindo Ghosh
2. Bipin Chandra Pal
3. Lala Lajpat Rai
4. Motilal Nehru

How is the National Green Tribunal (NGT) different from

• Organisations & Policies

How is the National Green Tribunal (NGT) different from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)?

1. The NGT has been established by an Act whereas the CPCB has been created by an executive order of the Government.
2. The NGT provides environmental justice and helps reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts whereas the CPCB promotes cleanliness of streams and wells, and aims to improve the quality of air in the country.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Which leaf modifications occur in the desert areas to inhibit water loss

• GB Living Organisms

Which of the following leaf modifications occur(s) in the desert areas to inhibit water loss?

1. Hard and waxy leaves
2. Tiny leaves 
3. Thorns instead of leaves

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Which statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance

• Modern History

Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley?

1. To maintain a large standing army at other's expense 
2. To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger 
3. To secure a fixed income for the Company 
4. To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States

Which foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds

• Medieval History

Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India?

1. Francois Bernier
2. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
3. Jean de Thevenot
4. Abbe Barthelemy Carre

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company

• Modern History

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

1. Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
2. Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
3. Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
4. Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

With reference to solar power production in India

• Minerals Industries

With reference to solar power production in India, consider the following statements:

1. India is the third largest in the world in the manufacture of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units. 
2. The solar power tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India

• Current GK

With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements :

1. GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide variety of pests.
2. GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridization.
3. GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.

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

With reference to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

• Current GK

With reference to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), consider the following statements :

1. IRNSS has three satellites in geostationary and four satellites in geosynchronous orbits.
2. IRNSS covers entire India and about 5500 sq. km beyond its borders. 
3. India will have its own satellite navigation system with full global coverage by the middle of 2019.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. None

Four political parties W, X, Y and Z decided to set up a joint candidate

• Basic LR Sets

Four political parties W, X, Y and Z decided to set up a joint candidate for the coming parliamentary elections. The formula agreed by them was the acceptance of a candidate of the most of the parties. For aspiring candidates A, B, C and D approached the parties for their ticket.

• A was acceptable to W but not Z
• B was acceptable to Y but not X
• C was acceptable to W and Y
• D was acceptable to W and X

When candidate B was preferred by W and Z, candidate C was preferred by X and Z and candidate A was acceptable to X but not Y: Who got the ticket?

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D

In five flats, one above the other, live five professionals

• Basic LR Sets

In five flats, one above the other, live five professionals. The professor has to go up to meet his IAS officer friend. The doctor is equally friendly to all, and has to go up as frequently as go down. The engineer has to go up to meet his MLA friend above whose flat lives the professor's friend.

From the ground floor to the top floor, in what order do the five professionals live?

1. IAS officer, Engineer, Doctor, Professor, MLA
2. Engineer, Professor, Doctor, IAS officer, MLA
3. Professor, Engineer, Doctor, MLA, IAS officer
4. Professor, Engineer, Doctor, IAS officer, MLA