UPSC PRELIMS - General Studies 1 (2025)

With reference to investments, consider the following: I. Bonds II. Hedge Funds III. Stocks IV. Venture Capital How many of the above are treated as Alternative Investment Funds?

Which of the following are the sources of income for the Reserve Bank of India? I. Buying and selling Government bonds II. Buying and selling foreign currency III. Pension fund management IV. Lending to private companies V. Printing and distributing currency notes

With reference to the Government of India, consider the following information about Directorate of Enforcement, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, and Directorate General of Systems and Data Management — how many rows are correctly matched?

Consider the following statements: I. The Reserve Bank of India mandates all the listed companies in India to submit a BRSR. II. In India, a company submitting a BRSR makes disclosures that are largely non-financial in nature. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: In India, income from allied agricultural activities like poultry farming and wool rearing in rural areas is exempted from any tax. Statement II: In India, rural agricultural land is not considered a capital asset under the Income-tax Act, 1961. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member. II. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals it has identified. III. The Parliament in 2023 amended the Mines and Minerals Act empowering Central Govt to exclusively auction mining lease for certain critical minerals. Which are correct?

Consider the following statements about bondholders vs stockholders: Statement I: Bondholders are at lower risk than stockholders. Statement II: Bondholders are lenders, stockholders are owners. Statement III: For repayment, bondholders are prioritized over stockholders. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: I. India accounts for a very large portion of all equity option contracts traded globally. II. India's stock market has grown rapidly, overtaking Hong Kong's at some point. III. There is no regulatory body to warn small investors about options trading risks. Which are correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Circular economy reduces GHG emissions. Statement II: Circular economy reduces use of raw materials as inputs. Statement III: Circular economy reduces wastage in production. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: I. Capital receipts create a liability or reduce assets of the Government. II. Borrowings and disinvestment are capital receipts. III. Interest received on loans creates a liability of the Government. Which are correct?

Consider the following statements about Raja Ram Mohan Roy: I. He possessed great love and respect for traditional philosophical systems of the East. II. He desired his countrymen to accept the rational and scientific approach and the principle of human dignity and social equality. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following subjects with regard to Non-Cooperation Programme: I. Boycott of law-courts and foreign cloth II. Observance of strict non-violence III. Retention of titles and honours without using them in public IV. Establishment of Panchayats for settling disputes How many were parts of Non-Cooperation Programme?

The irrigation device called 'Araghatta' was

Who among the following rulers in ancient India had assumed the titles 'Mattavilasa', 'Vichitrachitta' and 'Gunabhara'?

Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of

Who among the following led a successful military campaign against the kingdom of Srivijaya, the powerful maritime State, which ruled the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the neighbouring islands?

With reference to ancient India (600–322 BC), consider the following pairs of Territorial region and River flowing in the region — how many are correctly matched?

The first Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music training school, was set up in 1901 by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in

Ashokan inscriptions suggest that the 'Pradeshika', 'Rajuka' and 'Yukta' were important officers at the

Consider the following statements in respect of the Non-Cooperation Movement: I. The Congress declared the attainment of 'Swaraj' by all legitimate and peaceful means to be its objective. II. It was to be implemented in stages with civil disobedience and non-payment of taxes for the next stage only if 'Swaraj' did not come within a year and the Government resorted to repression. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following countries: I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

Consider the following countries: I. Bolivia II. Brazil III. Colombia IV. Ecuador V. Paraguay VI. Venezuela Andes mountains pass through how many of the above countries?

Consider the following water bodies: I. Lake Tanganyika II. Lake Tonlé Sap III. Patos Lagoon Through how many of them does the equator pass?

Consider the following statements about turmeric during 2022–23: I. India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric in the world. II. More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in India. III. Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are major turmeric producing States. Which are correct?

Which of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift? I. Belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa. II. Gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side. III. Gondwana system of sediments from India has counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere.

Consider the following statements: Statement I: The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions. Statement II: Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans. Statement II: In January, the air over the oceans is warmer than that over the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Chalk is a very permeable rock whereas clay is quite impermeable. Statement II: Chalk is porous and hence can absorb water. Statement III: Clay is not at all porous. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: I. Without the atmosphere, temperature would be well below freezing point everywhere on Earth's surface. II. Heat absorbed and trapped by the atmosphere maintains our planet's average temperature. III. Atmosphere's gases, like carbon dioxide, are particularly good at absorbing and trapping radiation. Which are correct?

Consider the following statements about the Rashtriya Gokul Mission: I. It is important for the upliftment of rural poor as majority of low producing indigenous animals are with small and marginal farmers. II. It was initiated to promote indigenous cattle and buffalo rearing and conservation in a scientific and holistic manner. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Carbon dioxide emissions from cement industry account for more than 5% of global carbon emissions. Statement II: Silica-bearing clay is mixed with limestone while manufacturing cement. Statement III: Limestone is converted into lime during clinker production for cement manufacturing. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: At the 28th UNFCCC (COP28), India refrained from signing the 'Declaration on Climate and Health'. Statement II: The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration; if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonize health sector. Statement III: If India's health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and axis. Statement II: Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amount of energy. Statement III: As the Earth's polar ice melts, the water tends to move towards the equator. Which one is correct?

Consider the following statements about Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: Statement I: Article 6 is frequently discussed in global discussions on sustainable development and climate change. Statement II: Article 6 sets out the principles of carbon markets. Statement III: Article 6 intends to promote inter-country non-market strategies to reach climate targets. Which one is correct?

Which one of the following launched the 'Nature Solutions Finance Hub for Asia and the Pacific'?

With reference to 'Direct Air Capture', an emerging technology, which of the following statements is/are correct? I. It can be used as a way of carbon sequestration. II. It can be a valuable approach for plastic production and in food processing. III. In aviation, it can be a source of carbon for combining with hydrogen to create synthetic low-carbon fuel.

Regarding Peacock tarantula (Gooty tarantula), consider the following statements: I. It is an omnivorous crustacean. II. Its natural habitat in India is only limited to some forest areas. III. In its natural habitat, it is an arboreal species. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following statements: I. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in India are less than 0.5 t CO₂/capita. II. In terms of CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion, India ranks second in Asia-Pacific region. III. Electricity and heat producers are the largest sources of CO₂ emissions in India. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following pairs of Plant and Description — how many are correctly matched? I. Cassava : Woody shrub II. Ginger : Herb with pseudostem III. Malabar spinach : Herbaceous climber IV. Mint : Annual shrub V. Papaya : Woody shrub

With reference to the planet Earth, consider the following statements: I. Rain forests produce more oxygen than that produced by oceans. II. Marine phytoplankton and photosynthetic bacteria produce about 50% of world's oxygen. III. Well-oxygenated surface water contains several folds higher oxygen than that in atmospheric air. Which is/are correct?

Consider the following types of vehicles: I. Full battery electric vehicles II. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles III. Fuel cell-electric hybrid vehicles How many are considered as alternative powertrain vehicles?

With reference to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), consider the following statements: I. All types of UAVs can do vertical landing. II. All types of UAVs can do automated hovering. III. All types of UAVs can use battery only as a source of power supply. How many are correct?

In the context of electric vehicle batteries, consider the following elements: I. Cobalt II. Graphite III. Lithium IV. Nickel How many usually make up battery cathodes?

Consider the following: I. Cigarette butts II. Eyeglass lenses III. Car tyres How many of them contain plastic?

Consider the following substances: I. Ethanol II. Nitroglycerin III. Urea Coal gasification technology can be used in the production of how many of them?

What is the common characteristic of the chemical substances generally known as CL-20, HMX and LLM-105, which are sometimes talked about in media?

Consider the following statements: I. It is expected that Majorana 1 chip will enable quantum computing. II. Majorana 1 chip has been introduced by Amazon Web Services (AWS). III. Deep learning is a subset of machine learning. Which are correct?

With reference to monoclonal antibodies, consider the following statements: I. They are man-made proteins. II. They stimulate immunological function due to their ability to bind to specific antigens. III. They are used in treating viral infections like that of Nipah virus. Which are correct?

Consider the following statements: I. No virus can survive in ocean waters. II. No virus can infect bacteria. III. No virus can change the cellular transcriptional activity in host cells. How many are correct?

Consider the following statements about Activated carbon: Statement I: Activated carbon is a good tool to remove pollutants from effluent streams and to remediate contaminants from various industries. Statement II: Activated carbon exhibits a large surface area and a strong potential for adsorbing heavy metals. Statement III: Activated carbon can be easily synthesized from environmental wastes with high carbon content. Which one is correct?