KAS Prelims Mixed Practice Test #419

Question 1

Dadabhai Naoroji's 'Drain Theory' was elaborated in:

Accepted Answer

Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901) — Argued wealth drained from India to Britain through home charges, remittances, salaries. 'Grand Old Man of India'; first Indian MP in British House of Commons (1892).

Answer

India Today

Answer

Hind Swaraj

Answer

Unhappy India

Question 2

A reflex action is a:‌​‍

Accepted Answer

Fast, involuntary response mediated by spinal cord — Reflex arcs bypass brain for speed — e.g., withdrawal from hot object.‌​‍

Answer

Conscious thought

Answer

Slow voluntary response

Answer

Memory recall

Question 3

ART — IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation):‌​‍

Accepted Answer

Sperm + egg fused in dish; embryo transferred to uterus — Louise Brown (1978, UK). ‌​‍India's first: Durga (1978), by Subhash Mukhopadhyay. ICSI for low sperm count.

Answer

Surrogate

Answer

Only cloning

Answer

Test-tube baby

Question 4

The 1991 economic reforms in India were primarily necessitated by a severe economic crisis. Which of the following factors most accurately represents the immediate and critical challenge that triggered these reforms?

Accepted Answer

B. A critical balance of payments crisis, leading to a drastic fall in foreign exchange reserves. — India faced a severe balance of payments crisis in 1991, with foreign exchange reserves barely enough to cover a few weeks of essential imports, pushing the country to the brink of default. This acute shortage of foreign exchange was the immediate and critical trigger for the reforms. While high inflation and external factors like the Gulf War contributed to the crisis, the BoP crisis was the most pressing issue requiring immediate structural changes.

Answer

A. Persistent high inflation combined with widespread unemployment.

Answer

C. Declining agricultural output and a looming food security crisis.

Answer

D. The collapse of major trading partners and a global economic downturn.

Question 5

The largest women's movement in Asia with membership of 41 lakh families:

Accepted Answer

Kudumbashree — Kudumbashree (Kerala) — one of the largest women's networks in Asia.

Answer

Indira Awas Yojana

Answer

Mahila Samriddhi Yojana

Answer

Balika Samriddhi Yojana

Question 6

Operation Blue Star against Khalistani militants at the Golden Temple was conducted in:‌​‍

Accepted Answer

1984 — Operation Blue Star — 1-8 June 1984 — led to Indira Gandhi's assassination on 31 Oct 1984.‌​‍

Answer

1982

Answer

1985

Answer

1991

Question 7

UPI was developed by:‌​‍

Accepted Answer

NPCI — UPI (Unified Payments Interface) was developed by NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) in 2016.‌​‍

Answer

RBI

Answer

SEBI

Answer

SBI

Question 8

In Kerala, the 'Kerala State Co-operative Marketing Federation (MARKETFED)' primarily assists farmers by:

Accepted Answer

B. Facilitating collective bargaining and marketing of agricultural produce — MARKETFED is a state-level cooperative that helps farmers sell their produce collectively to secure better prices, acting as a marketing intermediary. Option A is incorrect as it does not provide subsidies for machinery. Option C is wrong because MARKETFED does not impose price ceilings. Option D is incorrect as it does not regulate imports of agricultural machinery.

Answer

A. Providing direct subsidies for purchasing tractors

Answer

C. Imposing price ceilings on essential food items

Answer

D. Regulating the import of agricultural machinery

Question 9

Kerala's first woman chief secretary:‌​‍

Accepted Answer

Padma Ramachandran — Padma Ramachandran.‌​‍

Answer

Both A and B

Answer

Neela Gangadharan

Answer

Anita Bhatia

Question 10

Capillary rise h in a tube of radius r is given by:‌​‍

Accepted Answer

h = 2T cos θ/(rρg) — Jurin's law. ‌​‍h inversely proportional to r. Water rises (θ<90°), mercury depresses (θ>90°).

Answer

h = T/r

Answer

h = rρg/2T

Answer

h = ρg

KAS Prelims Mixed Practice Test #419