UPSC Prelims 2021 MCQs

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which ancient town is renowned for its elaborate water-harvesting system of dams and channels feeding a series of interconnected reservoirs?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Between the decline of the Guptas and the rise of Harshavardhana in the early 7th century, which of these dynasties held power in northern India: Later Guptas of Magadha, Paramaras of Malwa, Pushyabhutis of Thanesar, Maukharis of Kanauj, Yadavas of Devagiri, Maitrakas of Valabhi?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] With reference to ancient Indian civil law codes, which is correct: under the Mitakshara system sons could claim rights to family property during the father's lifetime, whereas under the Dayabhaga system such a claim arose only after the father's death?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Bhavabhuti, Hastimalla and Kshemeshvara of ancient India were noted as:

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which of these pairs are correctly matched: Burzahom - rock-cut shrines; Chandraketugarh - terracotta art; Ganeshwar - copper artefacts?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] According to the Portuguese chronicler Nuniz, women at the Vijayanagara court excelled in which pursuits: wrestling, astrology, accounting, soothsaying?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Consider: (1) Chengiz Khan reached the Indus during Iltutmish's reign while chasing a fugitive Khwarezmian prince; (2) Timur occupied Multan and crossed the Indus during Muhammad bin Tughluq's reign; (3) Vasco da Gama reached the Kerala coast during Deva Raya II's Vijayanagara reign. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] In Mughal administrative geography, what is the correct ascending order of units by size?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding regional successor states: (1) the Nizamat of Arcot arose out of Hyderabad state; (2) the Kingdom of Mysore emerged from the Vijayanagara empire; (3) Rohilkhand was carved from territory taken by Ahmad Shah Durrani. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] In the early 17th century, at which of these places did the English East India Company operate a factory: Broach, Chicacole, Trichinopoly?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh, which statement is correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding St. Francis Xavier: (1) he was among the founders of the Jesuit order; (2) he died and was later enshrined in Goa, where a church is dedicated to him; (3) his feast is celebrated annually in Goa. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding constitutional reforms affecting women: (1) the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended voting rights for all women above 21; (2) the Government of India Act, 1935 gave women reserved legislative seats. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding 8 August 1942 in Indian history, which statement is correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Who is associated with 'Songs from Prison', an English translation of ancient Indian devotional lyrics?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Who served as Secretary of the Hindu Female School, which was later renamed the Bethune Female School?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered in colonial Indian history as:

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Under the Indian Constitution, concentration of wealth is seen to violate:

[UPSC Prelims 2021] What is the current legal status of the Right to Property in India?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] What was India's exact constitutional status on 26 January 1950?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] What does 'constitutional government' essentially mean?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards, which statement(s) are NOT correct: they are 'titles' under Article 18(1); Padma Awards (instituted 1954) were suspended only once; Bharat Ratna is capped at five awards per year?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding judicial custody: (1) it means the accused is held under the magistrate's authority but lodged in a police station, not jail; (2) during judicial custody, the investigating officer cannot interrogate the suspect without court approval. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding parole in India: (1) if a prisoner makes a sufficiently strong case, parole cannot be denied since it becomes a matter of right; (2) State Governments have their own Prisoners' Release on Parole Rules. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which ministry is the nodal agency ensuring effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] A law that confers unguided, uncontrolled discretionary power on an executive authority violates which constitutional article?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which feature best signifies the federal character of Indian polity?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which definition best captures the political-theory term 'State'?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding Indian judiciary: (1) a retired Supreme Court judge can be recalled to sit by the Chief Justice with the President's prior permission; (2) a High Court can review its own judgment just as the Supreme Court can. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding citizenship in India: (1) there is only one citizenship and one domicile; (2) only a citizen by birth can become Head of State; (3) a naturalised citizen can never be deprived of citizenship under any circumstance. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which factor best safeguards liberty in a liberal democracy?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] How does India's parliamentary model differ from the British model: (1) unlike Britain's sovereign Parliament, India's Parliament has limited law-making power; (2) constitutionality of an Act's amendment is often referred to a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding administrative reform in the Union Government: (1) a specific committee suggested designating a minister and secretary solely for administrative reform; (2) in 1970, the Department of Personnel was set up following the first Administrative Reforms Commission's recommendation, placed under the Prime Minister. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Under which Article is the 'Right to Privacy' protected in India?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding contesting multiple Lok Sabha seats: (1) Indian law places no restriction on a candidate contesting from three constituencies at once; (2) in the 1991 elections, Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies; (3) if such a candidate wins all the seats, their party must bear the bye-election costs for the vacated seats. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] The money multiplier in an economy increases with which of these: a rise in the Cash Reserve Ratio; a rise in the Statutory Liquidity Ratio; a rise in the banking habits of the population; a rise in the country's population?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Demand-pull inflation in India can be caused/increased by which of these: expansionary policies, fiscal stimulus, inflation-indexed wages, higher purchasing power, rising interest rates?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding India's government-securities market: (1) retail investors can invest in Treasury Bills and G-Secs through Demat accounts in the primary market; (2) the 'Negotiated Dealing System-Order Matching' is RBI's government-securities trading platform; (3) 'Central Depository Services Ltd' is jointly promoted by RBI and the Bombay Stock Exchange. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] In India, the central bank's role as 'lender of last resort' usually refers to which of these: lending to trade/industry bodies when they fail to borrow elsewhere; providing liquidity to banks facing a temporary crisis; lending to governments to finance budgetary deficits?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding the RBI Governor: (1) appointed by the Central Government; (2) certain constitutional provisions give the Central Government the right to direct the RBI in public interest; (3) the Governor draws powers from the RBI Act. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which action is most likely to be taken at the time of an economic recession?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Other things remaining unchanged, market demand for a good might increase if: (1) the price of its substitute rises; (2) the price of its complement rises; (3) it is an inferior good and consumer incomes rise; (4) its own price falls. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Indian Government Bond yields are influenced by which of the following: actions of the US Federal Reserve; actions of the Reserve Bank of India; inflation and short-term interest rates?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which of these can be included in Foreign Direct Investment: Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds; Foreign Institutional Investment (with certain conditions); Global Depository Receipts; Non-Resident External deposits?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding currency devaluation's effects: (1) it necessarily improves the competitiveness of domestic exports abroad; (2) it increases the foreign value of the domestic currency; (3) it necessarily improves the trade balance. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which effect of black money generation in India has been the main worry for the Government of India?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which of these is likely to be the most inflationary in its effects?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding Hyderabad's 'Tree City of the World' recognition for 2020: Statement 1 says the UN Capital Development Fund and Arbor Day Foundation jointly recognised the city; Statement 2 says it was recognised for a year following its commitment to grow and maintain urban forests. Which is correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding India's Climate-Smart Agriculture efforts: (1) the 'Climate-Smart Village' approach is part of a project led by Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme; (2) CCAFS operates under CGIAR, headquartered in France; (3) ICRISAT in India is one of CGIAR's research centres. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which of these organisms are primary producers in ocean food chains: copepods, cyanobacteria, diatoms, foraminifera?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] To reduce the chance of being captured by predators, which of these animals roll up to protect their vulnerable parts: hedgehog, marmot, pangolin?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Regarding the 'New York Declaration on Forests': (1) it was first endorsed at the 2014 UN Climate Summit; (2) it endorses a global timeline to end the loss of forests; (3) it is a legally binding international declaration; (4) it is endorsed by governments, big companies and indigenous communities; (5) India was one of its founding signatories. Which is/are correct?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Magnetite particles, suspected to cause neurodegenerative problems, are generated as environmental pollutants from which of these sources: brakes of motor vehicles, engines of motor vehicles, microwave ovens within homes, power plants, telephone lines?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Which of these is a filter feeder?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] In which biogeochemical cycle is the weathering of rocks the main source of nutrient release into the cycle?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Among earthworms, jellyfish, seahorses and woodlice, which are detritivores (feeders on decaying organic matter)?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] The 'Common Carbon Metric,' supported by UNEP, was developed for which purpose?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] The 'R2 Code of Practices' is a tool that promotes the adoption of:

[UPSC Prelims 2021] Why are copper smelting plants a source of environmental concern: (1) they may release lethal quantities of carbon monoxide; (2) copper slag can cause leaching of heavy metals into the environment; (3) they may release sulphur dioxide as a pollutant?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] What is 'blue carbon'?

[UPSC Prelims 2021] In nature, which of these are most likely to survive on a bare surface without soil: fern, lichen, moss, mushroom?