UPSC Civil Services(IAS) Question Paper General Studies
Main Paper II 2004
1. Answer any TWO of the following (Answer to each
question should be in about 150 words) :15 x 2 = 30
(a) Discuss the role played by the United States in
promoting/hindering improved relations between India
and Pakistan.
(b) Explain India's strategic relationship with Russia. .
(c) Account for India's increasing involvement in the
South-East Asian region.
2. Answer the following (Answer to each question
should be in about 20 words) : 2 x 5 = 10
(a) The Panchsheel Pact.
(b) India-Israel Cooperation.
(c) European Union's trade restrictions against India.
(d) Weak-spots in India-Nepal relations.
(e) Hot Line between Islamabad and New Delhi.
3. Answer the following (Answer to each question
should be in about 20 words) : 2 x 5 = 10
(a) Categorize the People of Indian Origin (PID).
(b) Point out the difference between the Jewish
Diaspora and the Indian Diaspora.
(c) What are the references made to the NRI in the
Union Budget July 2004 ?
(d) What is known as reverse migration?
(e) Why was January 9 chosen to observe the NRI
(Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas) Day?
4. Answer any ONE of the following (in about 250
words): 30
(a) State the comprehensive struc.tural reforms undertaken
to improve the Indian economy since 1991.
(b) How is poverty level measured? Evaluate poverty
eradication programmes in India.
5. Answer any TWO of the following (in about 150
words each) : 15 x 2 = 30
(a) Describe the recommendations of Narasimham
Committee regarding the banking sector in India.
(b) Examine the effect of economic development on
environmental degradation in India.
(c) What ails India's road transport economy? Suggest
measures of remedy.
6. Answer the following (in about 20 words each) :
2 x 15 = 30
(a) What are the major provisions of Agreements on
Agriculture in the context of World Trade Organisation?
(b) Elucidate Special Drawing Rights.
(c) What is Cash Reserve Ratio?
(d) What does "priority sector lending" mean?
(e) What is Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) ?
(f) What is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) ?
(g) What is 'social justice' in the ccntext of Indian
economy?
(h) Explain the objectives of Plant Varieties Right Act,
2002.
(i) How is human development index for life expectancy
measured ?
(j) What are the objectives of the Twelfth Finance
Commission?
(k) Explain the necessity and role of controls in a mixed
economy like India.
(I) Distinguish between primary sector, secondary sector and
tertiary sector. What is the change in the share of each sector
in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during period of 1950--
2000 ?
(m) What is the main objective of Security and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) ?
(n) What has been the policy of agricultural development
during last two decades in India ?
(0) What is deficit financing?
7. Answer any TWO of the following (Answer to each
question should be in about 150 words): 15x2 = 30
(a) Discuss the role of 'intelligence' in the making of foreign
policy.
(b) Describe the role of the Amnesty International in securing
human rights.
(c) Examine the relevance of pt. Jawaharlal Nehru's ideas in
the international relations of today.
6. Answer the following (Answer to each question should
be in about 20 words) : 2x 5 = 10
(a) 10 verdict on Israel's erection of barrier on the
West Bank.
(b) Beijing-Taiwan Spat.
(c) Prospects of international water-wars .
(d) AI Gharib Prisoners.
(e) Recent developments in India-Myanmar relations.
9. Answer the following, by expanding and explaining the
objectives (Answer to each question should be in about
20 words): 2 X 5 = 10
(a) BIMSTEC (b) ARF (c) Red Cross
(d) OPEC (e) IAEA
10. Answer any ONE of the following (Answer should be in
about 250 words) :
(a) Discuss in detail "Alternative Energy Sources". 30
(b) "Global Warming" -- Discuss. 30
11. Answer any TWO of the following (Answer to each
question should be in about 150 words): 15x2 = 30
(a) What is 'Superconductivity' ? Give its uses and
applications.
(b) What is Biotechnology? Discuss the important applications
of Biotechnology.
(c) Describe the importance of "Laser" in war and peace.
12. Answer the following (in about 20 words each) :
2 x 5 = 10
(a) What do you understand by E-governance ?
(b) What is a URL?
(c) What do the following stand for?
(i) CD-ROM' (ii) USB
(iii) ITES (iv) FORTRAN
(d) What do you understand by MP3 ?
(e) What are cyber crimes? How are these protected?
13. (a) The table below shows the average monthly
house hold expenditure on different items for the years
2001 to 2004 :
Item Average Monthly expenditure in Rs.
2001 2002 2003 2004
Food 4500 4800 5400 5700
Rent 1800 1800 2200 2300
Chidren,s
Education 650 800 1000 1200
Others 2400 2600 3000 3400
Represent the above information by suitable diagram
(b) According to the Union Budget 2004-05, the total receipts
of Rs. 4,77,829 crore can be approximately broken up as
follows :
A. Direct Taxes 25%
B. Indirect and other Taxes 32%
C. Non-tax Revenue Receipts 13%
D. Non-debt Capital Receipts 6%
E. Borrowings and other liabilities 24%
Represent the above by a Pie-diagram.
8
14. a) Read the given data and answer the question
the question that follow:
uuuiiiiiiii
(i) At what speed (kmph) is the engine considered to have its
normal length of life?
(ii) The life of an engine driven at 20kmph is how many times
more than the life of an engine driven at 40 km per hour?
(Iii) If an engine, usually driven at speed of 60 km per hour, had a
lifespan of 30;000 kilometres, what will be the lifespan of an
engine which is usually driven at a speed of 40 km per hour?
(iv) Given that the normal lifespan of an engine is 60,000
km, what was
the lifespan of an engine, which was driven for 20,000 kilo metres at a
speed of 60 km per hour and later at a speed of 40 km per hour?
(v) Running an engine between 60 kilometres per hour and 40 km per
hour, the lifespan increases by what percent?
(vi) At what speed (kmph) would the engine have the maximum life? 8
b) The Human Development Index (HDI) is a simple average of three
indexes:
(A) Life Expectancy Index (to reflect health) (B) . Education
Index (to reflect knowledge)
(C) GDP/SDP Index (to reflect standard of living) The Education
Index (B) is a combined index of two indexes: (i) adult literacy rate
with 2/3 weight and (ii) combined gross enrolment rate with 1/3
weight.
Compute the HDI for INDIA and KERALA from the following data :
INDIA KERALA
A. Life Expectancy Rate 57.2 78.0
B. Education Index
1). Adult Literacy Rate 48.7 86.0
2. Combine Gross
enrolment rate 59.1 100.6
C. GDP/SDP Index 19.0 19.5
[ Note : SDP is state domestic product ]
15. Attempt all the questions. All questions carry equal marks:
Consider the following Data: 4 x 2 = 8
Weekly Wages in an office ( Rs )
Position In the office Weekly Wages
Senior Consultant 700
600
550
Junior Consultant 180
180
160
Clerical Consultant 100
100
100
100
100
100
a) Which of the three averages -- arithmetic mean, median and mode,
adequately represents the data? (b) In a moderately skewed distribution
the following values were obtained:.
Arithmetic mean = 24.6
Mode = 26.1
Find the value of the median and explain the reason for the method
employed.
(c) Suppose an item is sold at the rates or 18, 20, 22 and 25 rupees per
litre in four different months. Assuming that equal amounts of
money are spent on the particular item by a customer in the four
months, find the average price in rupees per litre of the item.
(d) The average of 11 observations is 50. The mean of the first six
observations is 49 and that of the last six observations is 52. Find
the value of the sixth observation.
