UPSC 2016 Prelims-GS-I — Previous Year Questions with Answers

Statement 1 is incorrect. A Bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses only on dissolution of the Lok Sabha, not on its prorogation. Prorogation merely ends a session and does not affect pending Bills. Statement 2 is correct. A Bill pending in the Rajya Sabha which has not been passed by the Lok Sabha does not lapse on dissolution of the Lok Sabha because the Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution. Therefore, only statement 2 is correct.

The International Food Policy Research Institute computes the Global Hunger Index using four indicators: undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. Undernourishment captures the share of the population with insufficient calorie intake; child stunting reflects chronic undernutrition through low height-for-age in children under five; and child mortality reflects the death rate of children under five, partly attributable to inadequate nutrition. All three indicators listed in the question are therefore used by IFPRI in computing the index, making the correct answer 1, 2 and 3.

Reducing revenue expenditure directly cuts non-productive spending and therefore reduces the deficit. Rationalising subsidies trims a major component of revenue expenditure and similarly lowers the deficit. Introducing new welfare schemes would add to expenditure and worsen, not reduce, the deficit. Reducing import duty would lower customs revenue and also tend to widen the deficit. Hence only actions 1 and 3 are appropriate measures to reduce a persistent budget deficit, making option (c), 1 and 3 only, the correct response.

Under the Reserve Bank of India guidelines, mobile telephone companies and supermarket chains owned and controlled by residents are eligible promoters of Payment Banks, so statement 1 is correct. Payment Banks cannot undertake any lending activity, which makes statement 3 correct. They are permitted to issue debit cards and ATM cards but are explicitly prohibited from issuing credit cards, so statement 2 is incorrect. Therefore only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

LiFi, or Light Fidelity, uses visible light from LEDs as the medium for high-speed data transmission, with information encoded in rapid variations of light intensity that the human eye cannot perceive. It is a wireless communication technology and laboratory demonstrations have shown speeds several times higher than those typical of WiFi. Therefore both statements about LiFi are correct, and the correct response is option (c), Both 1 and 2.

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) refer to the climate action plans submitted by countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the run-up to the Paris Agreement of 2015. Each country outlined the steps it intended to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. After ratification of the Paris Agreement, INDCs become Nationally Determined Contributions. The term is therefore used in the context of plans of action outlined by countries to combat climate change.

Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) was launched by the Ministry of Power in 2015 to provide for the financial turnaround and operational improvement of state-owned electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs). Under the scheme, states take over a portion of DISCOM debt and the companies are required to meet operational benchmarks to reduce losses. The other options describe unrelated programmes. Hence the purpose of UDAY is providing for financial turnaround and revival of power distribution companies.

The International Finance Corporation is a member of the World Bank Group focused on private-sector financing in developing countries, so statement 1 is correct. Masala Bonds are rupee-denominated bonds issued outside India by Indian entities or by the IFC, allowing borrowers to raise funds while transferring the currency risk to investors. They are used as a source of debt financing for both public-sector and private-sector borrowers. Therefore both statements are correct, and the answer is option (c), Both 1 and 2.

Under Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara, land revenue was assessed on the basis of the quality and productivity of land, with rates varying for wet, dry and orchard lands; statement 1 is therefore correct. Contemporary records also describe levies on artisans and on private owners of workshops in the form of an industries or professions tax, making statement 2 correct. Hence both statements about the taxation system of Krishna Deva are accurate, and the correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Malavikagnimitra is a Sanskrit play by Kalidasa that narrates the love story of King Agnimitra of the Sunga dynasty, son of the dynasty's founder Pushyamitra Sunga, and Malavika, a maid of his queen. Swapnavasavadatta by Bhasa concerns Udayana of Vatsa, Meghadoota by Kalidasa is a lyric poem about a yaksha, and Ratnavali by Harsha is set in the Vatsa court. Hence the work referred to in the question is Malavikagnimitra.

The terms amber box, blue box and green box belong to the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Agriculture, which classifies domestic agricultural support measures by their potential to distort trade. The amber box covers trade-distorting subsidies subject to reduction; the blue box covers production-limiting support; and the green box covers minimally distorting support such as research and environmental programmes. The terms are therefore used in the context of WTO affairs.

The capital budget of the Government of India records capital receipts and capital expenditure. Expenditure on acquisition of assets such as roads, buildings and machinery is capital expenditure, so statement 1 is correct. Loans received from foreign governments are capital receipts that create liabilities, so statement 2 is correct. Loans and advances granted by the Centre to States and Union Territories are capital expenditure that create financial assets, so statement 3 is correct. All three items are part of the capital budget, making the answer 1, 2 and 3.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification promotes effective action through national action programmes supported by international partnerships, so statement 1 is correct. It follows a strong bottom-up approach, emphasising participation of local communities and civil society in combating desertification, so statement 3 is correct. The Convention has a particular focus on Africa, but does not have a special focus on South Asia and North Africa, nor does its Secretariat allocate the major share of finance to those regions; statement 2 is therefore incorrect. Hence only statements 1 and 3 are correct.

In 2015, the International Monetary Fund's Executive Board decided to include the Chinese renminbi in the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, with effect from October 2016. The renminbi joined the US dollar, euro, Japanese yen and pound sterling. The Russian rouble, the South African rand and the Indian rupee were not added to the SDR basket. Therefore the currency proposed to be added to the IMF's SDR basket is the renminbi.

The International Monetary and Financial Committee is the chief advisory body of the IMF Board of Governors. It discusses matters of common concern affecting the global economy and advises the IMF on the direction of its work, so statement 1 is correct. The World Bank, along with several other international organisations, attends IMFC meetings as an observer, so statement 2 is also correct. Hence both statements about the IMFC are correct, making the answer Both 1 and 2.

Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan, also called the National Campaign for Dignity, is a campaign led by civil society organisations to eradicate the inhuman practice of manual scavenging and to rehabilitate manual scavengers in alternative livelihoods. It works in conjunction with provisions under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The campaign is therefore aimed at eradicating manual scavenging and rehabilitating manual scavengers.

The Siddhas, also known as Sittars, of the Tamil region preached a monotheistic devotion to a formless ultimate reality and were sharply critical of idol worship and ritualism, making statement 1 correct. The Lingayats or Virashaivas of the Kannada region, founded by Basavanna in the twelfth century, rejected the Brahmanical caste hierarchy and questioned the doctrine of rebirth, holding that liberation could be attained in this very life through devotion to Shiva. Hence statement 2 is also correct, and both statements are accurate.

Import cover is a measure of the adequacy of a country's foreign exchange reserves, expressed as the number of months of imports those reserves can finance at the current rate of imports. It is computed by dividing total foreign exchange reserves by the average monthly value of imports. A higher import cover indicates a stronger external buffer against balance of payments stress. Hence the correct description is the number of months of imports that could be paid for by a country's international reserves.

The Kurds are an ethnic group spread mainly across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria, not Bangladesh, so pair 1 is incorrectly matched. The Madhesis are a group of Indo-Aryan origin living in the southern Terai plains of Nepal, so pair 2 is correctly matched. The Rohingyas are a Muslim minority community whose traditional homeland is in Rakhine State in Myanmar, so pair 3 is correctly matched. Therefore only pairs 2 and 3 are correctly matched, giving option (c).

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention; it is independent of the European Union, NATO and WHO, so statement 1 is incorrect. The OPCW conducts inspections of the global chemical industry to ensure that toxic chemicals are not diverted to weapons purposes, making statement 2 correct. It also assists and protects States Parties against threats and use of chemical weapons, so statement 3 is correct. Hence only statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, farmers do not pay a uniform two per cent premium for any crop in any season; the premium ceilings differ across seasons, set at two per cent for kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5 per cent for rabi food and oilseed crops, and five per cent for annual commercial and horticultural crops. Statement 1 is therefore incorrect. The scheme explicitly covers post-harvest losses for up to fourteen days due to specified perils such as cyclones and unseasonal rains, so statement 2 is correct.

The Great Indian Hornbill is a large frugivorous bird whose Indian range is concentrated in the evergreen and moist deciduous forests of the Western Ghats and the foothills of the Himalayas in the northeast. It does not inhabit sand deserts, the high Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir or the salt marshes of western Gujarat, all of which lack the dense forest canopy and large fruiting trees the species depends upon. Among the choices given, the Western Ghats represent its natural habitat.

The National Ganga River Basin Authority adopted the river basin as the unit of planning and management for conservation of the Ganga, so statement 1 is correct. It was created to spearhead river conservation efforts at the national level, with comprehensive coordination across ministries and basin states, making statement 2 correct. The chairmanship was vested in the Prime Minister, not in a Chief Minister of a basin state on rotation, so statement 3 is incorrect. Therefore only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Neem coating creates a thin layer over urea granules that slows down their dissolution and the conversion of urea to ammonium and nitrate forms in the soil. This staggered release improves nitrogen use efficiency by crops, reduces leaching and volatilisation losses, lowers diversion to non-agricultural uses and trims overall urea consumption. It does not bring about biological nitrogen fixation, eliminate nitrous oxide emissions completely or function as a weedicide. Hence the government promotes neem-coated urea because it slows down the dissolution of urea in soil.

The Chief Secretary of a State is the senior-most civil servant of the State and is appointed by the Chief Minister, not by the Governor; statement 1 is therefore incorrect. The post of Chief Secretary has no fixed tenure prescribed by the Constitution or by statute. The incumbent serves at the pleasure of the State Government and may be transferred or replaced at any time, so statement 2 is also incorrect. Hence neither statement is correct, and the answer is option (d).

The Stand Up India scheme was launched in 2016 to facilitate bank loans of between ten lakh and one crore rupees from scheduled commercial banks to at least one Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe borrower and at least one woman borrower per branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise, so statement 1 is correct. Refinance support under the scheme is provided through the Small Industries Development Bank of India, which has been designated as the refinancing window, so statement 2 is also correct.

The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization seeks to identify and safeguard outstanding traditional agricultural systems together with their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and the knowledge systems of local communities. Its goal is conservation of these heritage systems rather than replacing them with modern technology to maximise productivity, so statement 1 is incorrect. The scheme does not confer Geographical Indication status on the produce of identified sites, so statement 3 is also incorrect. Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam receives several major tributaries from its north bank flowing down from the Himalayas. The Dibang descends from the Mishmi Hills and joins the Brahmaputra near Sadiya, so option 1 is a tributary. The Kameng, also called Jia Bhoreli in Assam, flows from Tawang and joins the Brahmaputra in Sonitpur district, so option 2 is a tributary. The Lohit also rises in the eastern Himalayas and merges with the Brahmaputra near Sadiya, making option 3 a tributary. Therefore all three are tributaries.

Core Banking Solutions describe centralised banking software that links all branches of a bank to a common server. Customers can operate their accounts and conduct transactions from any branch on the network regardless of where their accounts were originally opened, so statement 1 captures the essence of CBS. CBS is implemented by individual banks for their own operational efficiency and customer service, not as a tool of RBI control, so statement 2 is incorrect. It has no relationship to the takeover of stressed banks, making statement 3 incorrect. Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Annex-I countries is a classification under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, not the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; pair 1 is therefore incorrectly matched. Certified Emissions Reductions are credits generated under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, not the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing; pair 2 is also incorrect. The Clean Development Mechanism itself is one of the flexibility mechanisms established by the Kyoto Protocol, so pair 3 is correctly matched. Hence only pair 3 is correct, giving option (c).

In molecular biology, the transcriptome refers to the complete set of messenger RNA molecules expressed by an organism, tissue or cell at a given time and under given conditions. Studying the transcriptome reveals which genes are being actively expressed and at what levels, providing insights into cellular function and regulation. It is not a set of enzymes used for genome editing, nor is it itself a description of the mechanism of gene expression or genetic mutation. Hence the term refers to the full range of mRNA molecules expressed by an organism.

Mission Indradhanush was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in December 2014 with the objective of fully immunising all children under the age of two years and pregnant women against vaccine-preventable diseases. The mission targets districts with low immunisation coverage and aims to expand the reach of routine immunisation services. It has no connection with the Smart Cities Mission, planetary exploration or education policy. Hence Mission Indradhanush pertains to the immunisation of children and pregnant women.

The National Mission for a Green India, popularly called the Green India Mission, is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. Its central aim is to protect, restore and enhance India's diminishing forest cover and to respond to climate change through a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures, including increasing forest and tree cover, improving ecosystem services and enhancing carbon sinks. It does not focus on green accounting in budgets or on launching a second green revolution. Hence only statement 3 describes its aim.

Under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, the principal label of every pre-packaged food article must mandatorily display the list of ingredients including additives, nutritional information per 100 grams or millilitres, and a vegetarian or non-vegetarian symbol, among other particulars. Recommendations from the medical profession on possible allergic reactions are not part of the mandatory information required on the principal display panel. Hence items 1, 2 and 4 are mandatory, while 3 is not, making the correct option (c).

Project Loon was an initiative of Google's parent company Alphabet that sought to deliver internet access to remote and underserved regions through a network of high-altitude balloons floating in the stratosphere. The balloons acted as airborne cell towers, relaying signals from ground stations to user equipment over a wide area. The project is therefore an example of wireless communication technology, rather than waste management, solar power generation or water conservation. Hence the correct answer is wireless communication technology.

Net metering is an arrangement that supports decentralised generation of solar power by households and other consumers. A grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic system supplies electricity to the consumer's load and feeds any surplus generation into the distribution grid, while the meter records the net energy drawn from or exported to the grid. The consumer is billed only for the net consumption. The mechanism is therefore associated with promoting the production and use of solar energy by households and consumers.

The Ease of Doing Business Index was published annually by the World Bank Group as part of its Doing Business report. The index ranked economies on the basis of indicators that capture the regulatory environment for starting and running a business, such as starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, paying taxes and enforcing contracts. The index was not produced by OECD, the World Economic Forum or the WTO. Hence India's ranking on this index was declared by the World Bank.

During the medieval period, the Banjaras were a nomadic community famous for transporting bulk goods across long distances on caravans of pack oxen called tandas. They moved foodgrains, salt and other commodities between producing regions, urban markets and military camps, and they served as the principal carriers for medieval armies. Their primary occupation was thus trade and transportation rather than agriculture, war or weaving. Hence the Banjaras during the medieval period were generally traders.

The Brahmi script in which most of the edicts of Emperor Ashoka were inscribed had fallen out of use and become unintelligible by the medieval period. James Prinsep, a British orientalist and Secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, made a systematic study of the script and successfully deciphered it in 1837, opening up the inscriptions of Ashoka and a vast body of early Indian epigraphy to historical scholarship. Buhler, Max Muller and William Jones contributed in other ways, but the first decipherment is credited to Prinsep.

Under the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, Gram Nyayalayas have jurisdiction over both civil disputes and certain criminal cases specified in the schedules to the Act, so statement 1, which restricts them to civil cases only, is incorrect. The Act provides that the Gram Nyayalaya may, in suitable cases, refer disputes for settlement through conciliation and may, for that purpose, utilise the services of conciliators drawn from a panel that may include local social activists. Statement 2 is therefore correct, making only 2 correct.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership was a comprehensive trade agreement among twelve Pacific Rim economies, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore and others. It did not include all Pacific Rim countries; several major economies of the region, such as China, Russia, South Korea and Indonesia, were not parties to it, so statement 1 is incorrect. The TPP was a trade and investment liberalisation agreement covering tariffs, services, intellectual property, labour and environment, and was not a maritime security alliance, making statement 2 incorrect. Hence neither statement is correct.

The India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi in October 2015 was the third edition of the summit-level engagement between India and African countries, the earlier two having been held in 2008 in New Delhi and in 2011 in Addis Ababa, so statement 1 is correct. The India-Africa Forum Summit framework was institutionalised only in 2008 and was not initiated by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951, although Nehru championed Afro-Asian solidarity in other forums. Statement 2 is therefore incorrect, making only statement 1 correct.

The Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate framework was introduced by the Reserve Bank of India in April 2016 to replace the base rate system. By tying lending rates to the marginal cost of funds, the framework aims to bring greater transparency to how banks determine interest rates on advances, since changes in policy rates can be passed through more clearly. It also seeks to ensure that bank credit is available at interest rates that are fair to borrowers while allowing banks to remain viable. Both purposes stated in the question are therefore correct.

The Kharai camel is a unique breed found in the coastal areas of Kachchh in Gujarat. It is well known for its ability to swim across creeks for distances of about three kilometres in saline seawater to reach mangrove islands, where it grazes on saline-tolerant mangroves and other halophytic vegetation. Statements 1 and 2 are therefore correct. The breed is fully domesticated and reared by pastoralists such as the Maldharis and Jats; it does not live in the wild. Hence statement 3 is incorrect, and only 1 and 2 are correct.

Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India and the French research institute IRD reported a new and distinct species of wild banana, named Musa indandamanensis, from the rain forests of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The plant grows to a height of about eleven metres and bears fruit with orange-coloured pulp, distinguishing it from other Musa species. The species was discovered in the deep forests of Little Andaman Island. Hence the part of India in which the new banana species was discovered is the Andaman Islands.

INS Astradharini is an indigenously designed and built torpedo launch and recovery vessel of the Indian Navy. It was designed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory in collaboration with the Shoft Shipyard at Bharuch and was commissioned in 2015. The ship is used for trials of underwater weapons such as torpedoes and for their recovery during testing. It is not an amphibious warfare ship, a submarine or an aircraft carrier. Hence the best description of INS Astradharini is a torpedo launch and recovery vessel.

Greased Lightning-10, also known as GL-10, is an experimental tilt-wing electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed and tested by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. It is powered by ten electric motors driving propellers along its wings and tail and demonstrated successful transition between vertical and forward flight modes. It is not a Japanese solar aircraft, a Chinese space observatory or an ISRO rocket. Hence GL-10 is an electric plane tested by NASA.

The Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion is a sub-scheme under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana that demonstrates improved production and post-harvest technologies and value addition for millets in an integrated, cluster-based manner, so statement 1 is correct. It places special emphasis on the participation of poor, small, marginal and tribal farmers in millet-growing regions, making statement 2 correct. The scheme does not seek to draw farmers of commercial crops to switch to millets through free input kits, so statement 3 is incorrect. Hence only 1 and 2 are correct.

The methods of swadeshi and boycott were adopted for the first time as instruments of mass political struggle during the agitation against the partition of Bengal, which was announced in 1905. The movement called for the use of indigenous goods and the boycott of British manufactured goods, particularly Manchester cloth, along with British-controlled institutions. These techniques were later expanded during the Home Rule Movement and the Non-Cooperation Movement, but their first use was in the anti-partition agitation of Bengal.

The Bodhisattva ideal is central not to Hinayana but to the Mahayana school of Buddhism, which emerged later and emphasised the path of the Bodhisattva over the Arhat ideal of Theravada or Hinayana traditions; statement 1 is therefore incorrect. A Bodhisattva is described as a compassionate being on the path to enlightenment for the sake of all beings, so statement 2 is correct. According to Mahayana, the Bodhisattva delays final nirvana to help all sentient beings attain liberation, making statement 3 correct. Hence only 2 and 3 are correct.

Medecins Sans Frontieres, known in English as Doctors Without Borders, is an international medical humanitarian organisation founded in 1971 in France by doctors and journalists. It is a non-governmental organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from health care in more than seventy countries. It is independent of the World Health Organization, the European Union and the United Nations system. Hence it is best described as a non-governmental international organisation.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity is a global initiative hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme; it is not jointly hosted by UNEP, the IMF and the World Economic Forum, so statement 1 is incorrect. The initiative focuses on drawing attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity, highlighting the costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, so statement 2 is correct. It offers an approach that helps decision-makers recognise, demonstrate and capture the value of ecosystems and biodiversity, making statement 3 correct. Hence 2 and 3 only are correct.

Red Sanders, Pterocarpus santalinus, is a tree species endemic to a small region of South India, mainly the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, where it occurs in the Seshachalam, Veligonda, Palakonda and Lankamalla hill ranges. Statement 1 is therefore correct. The species grows in dry deciduous forests and rocky, hilly terrain, not in tropical rain forests, and although valuable, it is not one of the most important trees of South Indian rain forest ecosystems. Statement 2 is therefore incorrect, making only 1 correct.

The UN-REDD Programme supports developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation while also seeking to deliver multiple co-benefits. Properly designed and implemented, REDD+ can contribute to the protection of biodiversity by conserving forests, to the resilience of forest ecosystems through sustainable management and restoration, and to poverty reduction by channelling performance-based payments and benefits to forest-dependent communities. All three outcomes listed are recognised co-benefits, so the correct answer covers 1, 2 and 3.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a globally recognised standardised accounting framework developed jointly by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It provides governments and business leaders with tools to understand, quantify and manage greenhouse gas emissions from operations, value chains and policies. It is neither a UN financial incentive scheme for developing countries, nor a binding inter-governmental agreement, nor a multilateral REDD+ initiative hosted by the World Bank. Hence option (a) accurately describes the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

The Financial Stability and Development Council was set up by the Government of India in 2010 to deal with macroprudential issues and inter-regulatory coordination. It is an organ under the Ministry of Finance, not under NITI Aayog, so statement 1 is incorrect. The Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and includes the heads of all financial sector regulators, making statement 2 correct. One of its core mandates is the macroprudential supervision of the economy and monitoring of large financial conglomerates, so statement 3 is correct. Hence only 2 and 3 are correct.

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive global action plan for sustainable development covering social and economic dimensions, conservation and management of resources, and the strengthening of major groups, so statement 1 is correct. However, Agenda 21 was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, popularly known as the Earth Summit, and not at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002. Statement 2 is therefore incorrect, making only statement 1 correct.

The Satya Shodhak Samaj, or Society of Truth Seekers, was founded by Jyotiba Phule in Pune in 1873. It worked for social reform among the lower castes and women in Maharashtra, opposing Brahmanical dominance, idolatry and caste-based discrimination, and promoting education for Shudras, untouchables and women. It was not a tribal movement in Bihar, a temple-entry movement in Gujarat or a peasant movement in Punjab. The Samaj is therefore correctly described as having organised an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra.

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that infect a wide spectrum of organisms across all domains of life. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, mycoviruses infect fungi, and many plant viruses such as tobacco mosaic virus infect a wide variety of plants causing significant losses in agriculture. Therefore viruses are known to infect bacteria, fungi and plants, and all three statements are correct, making the answer 1, 2 and 3.

Base Erosion and Profit Shifting refers to tax planning strategies used by multinational enterprises that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low-tax or no-tax jurisdictions where there is little or no economic activity. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, with the support of the G20, has led an international initiative to curb such tax avoidance through coordinated rules and information exchange. The term is therefore used in the context of curbing tax evasion by multinational companies.

The Government of India approved the country's first National Investment and Manufacturing Zone at Prakasam district along the proposed Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor in Andhra Pradesh. The NIMZs were envisaged under the National Manufacturing Policy as large integrated industrial townships with state-of-the-art infrastructure, intended to enhance the share of manufacturing in GDP and create employment. Hence India's first NIMZ was proposed to be set up in Andhra Pradesh.

District Mineral Foundations were established in mining-affected districts under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act of 2015. Their purpose is to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations, using funds collected from holders of mining leases. They are not vehicles for promoting mineral exploration, nor do they authorise State Governments to issue exploration licences, which is governed separately under mining law. Hence only purpose 2 is correct, making the answer (b).

SWAYAM, which stands for Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds, is an integrated platform launched by the Ministry of Education to provide online courses from school level to post-graduation, free of cost, to learners across the country. The objective is to deliver affordable and quality education to all citizens, particularly those who have been left behind by the digital revolution. It is unrelated to self-help groups, start-up funding or adolescent health programmes. Hence SWAYAM aims at providing affordable and quality education to citizens free of cost.

The Montagu-Chelmsford Proposals, drawn up by Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State for India, and Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy, were embodied in the Government of India Act, 1919. They introduced significant constitutional changes in British India, including dyarchy in the provinces, an enlarged and partly elected central legislature with two chambers, expanded electorates and partial responsibility of provincial ministers to elected legislatures. The proposals dealt with the structure of government rather than social, educational or police reforms. Hence they were related to constitutional reforms.

The Ajanta caves were excavated mainly between the second century BCE and the fifth century CE and are predominantly Buddhist; the Mahabalipuram monuments were created under the Pallavas in the seventh and eighth centuries CE and are mainly Hindu. The two sites therefore belong to different periods, ruling out statement 1, and to different religious traditions, ruling out statement 2. Both, however, are famous as rock-cut monuments, making statement 3 correct. Hence only statement 3 is correct, giving option (b).

Bitcoins are a decentralised cryptocurrency that operates outside the formal banking system; they are not tracked or regulated by central banks, so statement 1 is incorrect. Anyone holding a Bitcoin address can send and receive Bitcoins to and from any other Bitcoin address on the network, making statement 2 correct. Bitcoin transactions are pseudonymous, since they are recorded against addresses rather than verified personal identities, so payments can be made online without either party knowing the real identity of the other, making statement 3 correct. Hence only 2 and 3 are correct.

The New Development Bank was established by the BRICS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and not by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping; statement 1 is therefore incorrect. The headquarters of the New Development Bank is located in Shanghai, with an Africa Regional Centre in Johannesburg. Statement 2 is therefore correct. Hence only statement 2 is correct about the New Development Bank, making the answer option (b).

The Gadgil Committee, formally the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel chaired by Madhav Gadgil, submitted its report in 2011. The Kasturirangan Committee, formally the High Level Working Group on the Western Ghats led by K. Kasturirangan, was constituted to examine the Gadgil report and submitted its own recommendations in 2013. Both reports concern the conservation of the Western Ghats and the demarcation of ecologically sensitive areas within them, with differing approaches. They are therefore related to the protection of the Western Ghats.

Keshab Chandra Sen, a leading figure of the nineteenth century Brahmo movement, was associated with the establishment of all three organisations listed. He was involved in the activities of the Calcutta Unitarian Committee, founded the Indian Reform Association in 1870 to promote social reforms such as women's education, temperance and inter-caste marriage, and later established the New Dispensation, sometimes called the Tabernacle of New Dispensation, as a religious synthesis. Hence Keshab Chandra Sen is associated with all three, making the answer 1, 2 and 3.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, formally the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, was established in 1981. Its six member states are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Iran, although a major Gulf country, is not a member because the GCC was constituted as a grouping of Arab states of the Persian Gulf and Iran is a Persian, non-Arab state. Hence among the options listed, Iran is not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme allows investors to hold gold in paper form and the Gold Monetisation Scheme enables households and institutions to deposit physical gold with banks in return for interest. By providing alternatives to physical gold, both schemes seek to bring idle gold lying with Indian households into the formal economy and reduce the import bill for gold; statements 1 and 3 are therefore correct. The schemes are not designed to promote foreign direct investment in the gold and jewellery sector, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence only 1 and 3 are correct.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a major transcontinental development strategy launched by China in 2013 under President Xi Jinping. It comprises the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt connecting China with Central Asia, West Asia and Europe and the Maritime Silk Road linking China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The initiative aims to enhance regional connectivity through infrastructure investment, trade and policy coordination. It is therefore associated with the affairs of China.

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, launched in 2015, provides loans up to ten lakh rupees to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro enterprises through banks, micro finance institutions and non-banking financial companies. The loans are categorised as Shishu, Kishore and Tarun depending on the size of the loan and the stage of the enterprise. The scheme is intended to bring small entrepreneurs, particularly those in the informal sector, into the formal financial system. It is not a crop loan, pension or grant for voluntary organisations.

Shale gas is natural gas trapped within shale formations, and exploration in India has identified several sedimentary basins as prospective. The Cambay Basin in Gujarat, the Cauvery Basin off the Tamil Nadu coast and the Krishna-Godavari Basin off Andhra Pradesh have all been recognised as shale gas-bearing basins, alongside others such as the Assam-Arakan and Damodar Valley basins. All three regions listed in the question are therefore among the regions where shale gas resources are found, and the correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

The Global Financial Stability Report is a flagship publication of the International Monetary Fund. It provides an assessment of the global financial system and markets, addressing emerging market financing in a global context, and identifies systemic issues that could pose risks to financial stability and to sustained market access by emerging market borrowers. It is published twice a year, with updates in between. It is not produced by the European Central Bank, the World Bank or the OECD. Hence the report is prepared by the International Monetary Fund.

The Atal Pension Yojana is a guaranteed pension scheme administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, primarily aimed at workers in the unorganised sector, so statement 1 is correct. There is no rule that only one member of a family may join; multiple members of the same family can subscribe to the scheme separately, so statement 2 is incorrect. After the death of the subscriber, the same pension is payable to the spouse, but on the death of both subscriber and spouse the corpus is returned to the nominee; statement 3 as worded is misleading. Hence only 1 is correct.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a proposed mega-regional free trade agreement initiated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations together with its free trade agreement partners such as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The negotiations were launched at the ASEAN Summit in 2012 and the framework is centred on ASEAN as the convening grouping. The initiative is not driven by G20, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SAARC. Hence the term is associated with the affairs of ASEAN.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency operates the Standards and Labelling Programme under the Energy Conservation Act, awarding star ratings to energy-using appliances based on efficiency. Ceiling fans, electric storage geysers and tubular fluorescent lamps are all among the appliances brought under the BEE star labelling programme, alongside refrigerators, air-conditioners, distribution transformers and others. Therefore the BEE star label can be found on all three categories listed, and the correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ITER, is a multinational megaproject being built in France to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of producing fusion energy on a commercial scale. India is a full partner contributing to its design and components. If the experiment proves the viability of controlled thermonuclear fusion, the immediate technological advantage for India would be the ability to design and build fusion reactors of its own for power generation, rather than being limited to fission reactors that use uranium or thorium.

Eripatti, a term from the Chola period, refers to land whose revenue was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank, used for irrigation; pair 1 is therefore correctly matched. Taniyurs were large villages or revenue units, often capital towns, which were administered as separate units; they were not by definition villages donated to a single Brahmin or group, so pair 2 is incorrectly matched. Ghatikas were colleges, often attached to temples, providing education in the Vedas and other subjects, so pair 3 is correctly matched. Hence only 1 and 3 are correct.

The International Solar Alliance was jointly launched by India and France at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris in November 2015, so statement 1 is correct. Membership of the Alliance was originally limited to countries lying fully or partly between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and although membership has since been opened to all UN member states, it does not currently include all member countries of the United Nations. Statement 2 is therefore incorrect. Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The European Stability Mechanism is a permanent intergovernmental institution established by the eurozone member states in 2012, headquartered in Luxembourg. It provides financial assistance, through loans and other instruments, to euro area countries that are experiencing or threatened by severe financing problems, subject to strict conditionality. It is not concerned with refugees, trade negotiations or general dispute settlement among EU members. Hence it is best described as an agency of the European Union that provides financial assistance to eurozone countries.

Drip irrigation delivers water in small quantities directly to the root zone of plants through a network of pipes and emitters. Because water is applied only near the targeted plants, weeds in the inter-row areas receive little moisture and weed growth is reduced, so statement 1 is correct. Localised wetting and the absence of overland flow also minimise soil erosion compared with flood irrigation, making statement 3 correct. Drip irrigation does not by itself reduce soil salinity; in fact, salts can accumulate at the wetting front, so statement 2 is incorrect. Hence 1 and 3 only.

DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of the Government of India under the Digital India Programme launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, so statement 1 is correct. It provides citizens with a secure cloud-based platform to store and access authentic digital copies of documents such as driving licences, vehicle registration certificates, educational certificates and policy documents, accessible from anywhere via the internet. Statement 2 is therefore correct. Hence both statements about DigiLocker are correct, making the answer Both 1 and 2.

The Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme in Andhra Pradesh, completed and dedicated to the nation in 2015-16, links the Godavari river with the Krishna river by lifting Godavari waters from near Pattiseema and transferring them through the Polavaram Right Main Canal into the Krishna delta system. This is the first major operational link between two of peninsular India's largest rivers and is often cited as a successful river-linking project. Hence the linking referred to in the question is that of the Godavari and Krishna rivers.

India's National Air Quality Index, launched in 2014, is computed for eight pollutants. Among atmospheric gases, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ground-level ozone are routinely included, alongside particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10, ammonia and lead. Carbon dioxide and methane, although greenhouse gases, are not used as Air Quality Index pollutants because they are not direct ambient air health hazards in this context. Hence among the options listed, only carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide are normally considered, giving option (b).

Astrosat, India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory launched by ISRO in September 2015, joined a small group of similar observatories that already included missions from countries such as the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency and Japan, so India was not the only country apart from the USA and Russia to have launched such an observatory; statement 1 is incorrect. Astrosat weighs about 1513 kg and was placed in a near-equatorial orbit at around 650 km, not at 1650 km; statement 2 is also incorrect. Hence neither statement is correct.

In medieval Indian sources, the term Araghatta refers to the Persian wheel or waterwheel, a mechanical device used to lift water from wells, tanks and rivers for the irrigation of agricultural land. Variants of the device, sometimes called rahat, were widespread across north and northwest India during the Sultanate and Mughal periods and significantly improved the efficiency of irrigation. The term does not denote bonded labour, military land grants or wasteland conversion. Hence Araghatta refers to a waterwheel used in irrigation.

In ancient Indian society, the Magadhas were a class of bards and panegyrists whose profession was the memorisation and recitation of chronicles, dynastic histories and epic tales at royal courts and on ceremonial occasions. They were closely associated with the Sutas and other classes of bards. Shramanas were wandering ascetics, Parivraajakas were itinerant mendicant philosophers, and Agraharikas were Brahmins enjoying agrahara grants. Hence the profession of memorising chronicles, dynastic histories and epic tales belonged to the Magadhas.

In June 2015, Maharashtra became the first State in India to declare a State butterfly, choosing the Blue Mormon, Papilio polymnestor, a large swallowtail found in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. The decision was taken on the recommendation of the State Wildlife Board to highlight the conservation of butterflies and their habitats. Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka had not declared a State butterfly at that time. Hence the State that declared a particular butterfly as its State Butterfly is Maharashtra.

Mangalyaan is officially named the Mars Orbiter Mission and was launched by ISRO in November 2013, with successful insertion into Martian orbit in September 2014, so statement 1 is correct. India was not the second country to put a spacecraft in Mars orbit; missions of the United States, the Soviet Union and the European Space Agency had already done so, so statement 2 is incorrect. India did, however, become the first country to succeed in placing a spacecraft in Mars orbit on its very first attempt, making statement 3 correct. Hence 1 and 3 only.

The split of the Indian National Congress at the Surat session in 1907 occurred because of growing differences between the Moderates and the Extremists, led by Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal. The Extremists had lost faith in the willingness and capacity of the Moderates to extract meaningful concessions from the British Government through prayers and petitions, and they pressed for a more assertive programme of swadeshi, boycott, national education and passive resistance. The other options are unrelated to the immediate cause of the Surat split.

The Cripps Mission of 1942, led by Sir Stafford Cripps, brought a draft declaration that promised, after the conclusion of the Second World War, the framing of a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly and the grant to India of the status of a self-governing Dominion, free to remain within or secede from the British Commonwealth. The plan did not promise immediate complete independence, did not envisage formal partition before independence and did not specifically link Republic status with Commonwealth membership. Hence India was to be given Dominion status.

Bodhgaya lies in the Magadha region of southern Bihar, not in Baghelkhand, so pair 1 is incorrectly matched. Khajuraho is situated in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, so pair 2 is correctly matched. Shirdi is in the Ahmednagar district of western Maharashtra, in the Marathwada or Desh region, not in Vidarbha, so pair 3 is incorrect. Nashik is on the Godavari in north-western Maharashtra, not in Malwa, so pair 4 is incorrect. Tirupati is located in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, so pair 5 is correctly matched. Hence only 2 and 5 are correct.

Under Article 249 of the Constitution, Parliament is empowered to legislate on a matter in the State List in the national interest if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution to that effect supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting. Such a resolution remains in force for one year and may be renewed. The power flows from the Rajya Sabha because of its role as the representative chamber of the States. The other options misstate the House or the required majority. Hence option (d) is correct.

The Government of Rajasthan explored the possibility of constructing an artificial inland port in the State, to be connected to the sea through a long navigational channel running across Gujarat. The proposal envisaged a dredged channel from the Gulf of Kachchh through the Rann to facilitate maritime trade for landlocked Rajasthan, particularly for the cement and other industries of the State. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka did not put forward such a project. Hence the State concerned is Rajasthan.

Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 at Paris, France. It deals with: Limit global warming to 1.5-2°C above pre-industrial levels. Bottom-up NDCs. Global Stocktake every 5 years. India's NDC: 50% non-fossil power capacity by 2030, net zero by 2070. Entered force Nov 2016.

The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; they were not proposed by the Club of Rome in 1972. The Club of Rome's 1972 report was The Limits to Growth, which informed broader sustainability thinking but not the SDGs themselves. Statement 1 is therefore incorrect. The seventeen SDGs and their associated targets are to be achieved by 2030, so statement 2 is correct. Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The 2015 film The Man Who Knew Infinity, directed by Matt Brown and starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, is based on the life of the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and his association with the British mathematician G. H. Hardy at Cambridge. The film draws on Robert Kanigel's biography of the same title. It is not a biographical film about S. Chandrasekhar, S. N. Bose or C. V. Raman. Hence the movie is based on the biography of S. Ramanujan.

The Constitution provides that to be a member of a Panchayat a person must be qualified to be elected to the State Legislative Assembly, for which the minimum age is twenty-one years, not twenty-five. Statement 1 is therefore incorrect. Under Article 243-E, a Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved Panchayat would have continued, had it not been dissolved, so statement 2 is correct. Hence only statement 2 is correct, making the answer option (b).