Page five: General Studies Preliminary Paper 2006

As on page 10 series B
General Studies Preliminary Paper May 14, 2006
Time Allowed: Two Hours
MM: 150
Total Questions: 150

30.

Each of 8 identical balls is to be placed in the squares shown in the figure given above in a horizontal direction such that one horizontal row contains 6 balls and the other horizontal row contains 2 balls. In how many maximum different ways can this be done.
a. 38
b. 28
c. 16
d. 14

Ans: d. 14
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Pending

Category: Mathematics

31. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
a. Slovenia : Bratislava
b. Seychelles : Victoria
c. Sierra Leone : Freetown
d. Uzbekistan : Tashkent

Ans: a. Slovenia : Bratislava

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Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. Slovakia is a landlocked country between Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine. Source: Wikipedia
The Capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana. Slovenia got its independence in 1991. It is on the boarder of Italy and makes west coasts of Adriatic Sea. Source: Wikipeida
Victoria is the capital of Seychelles. It is an African country consisting of 115 islands. The nearest country is Madagascar. The island country is in Indian Ocean. Source: CIA Fact Book. Wikipedia.
Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is an African country on its west side towards Atlantic Ocean. The nearest countries are Guinea and Liberia. Source: Wikipedia. CIA Fact Book.
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan. It is one of the countries formed out of Soviet Union. It has borders with Afghanistan. Source: CIA Fact Book. Wikipedia.

Category: World Geography. Political.

32. Who is Wole Soyinka?

a. A well-known economist
b. A well-known football player
c. a well-known industrialist owning steel plants in many parts of the world.
d. Nobel Prize winner for literature.

Ans: d. Nobel Prize winner for literature.

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Wole Soyinka won Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. He is the first person of African descent to receive Nobel Prize. Source: Biography. Nobel Press Release.
The first Nobel prize in literature was given in 1901 to the poet and philosopher Sully Prudhomme, author of Stances et Poèmes (1865). Source: Literature Nobel Prizes.
Further, Rabindranath Tagore got Nobel Prize in 1913. It was the thirteenth Nobel prize starting from year 1901. No prize for literature was given for the years 1914, 1918, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1942, and 1943.
The Nobel prize for literature is given for poetry, novels, short stories, plays, essays and speeches. Source: Nobel Prize Literature Site.

Note: For future General Studies Papers, Preliminary, kindly also check Nobel Prize Winner Facts. To this day, there 776 Nobel prize winners. Out of them, 758 are individuals and 19 organizations. Out of 758 individuals, there are 33 women and 725 men. The maximum number of Nobel Prizes had been won by an organization. The organization, which has won maximum number of three prizes, is International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC). Source: Nobel Prize Winner Facts:


Category: General Knowledge Literature.

33. Consider the following statements:
1. Length of a terrestrial mile is lesser than that of a nautical mile.
2. Harmattan is a dusty land-wind of the East African Coast.
3. Greece and Albania form a part of the Iberian Peninsula.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 2 and 3, only
c. 3 only
d. 1 only

Ans: d. 1 only

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A nautical mile is equal to 1852 meters (about 6076 feet). Source: Answers.com
One mile is equal to 1609.344 m. Source: Answers.com

Iberian Peninsula is on the west-south of Europe. It consists two main countries viz; Spain, Andorra and Portugal. Similarly Scandinavia consists of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. The Netherlands consist of Holland (Netherlands), Belgium, Luxembourg as per Medieval History of Europe. Now Netherlands is a country which has popular province of Holland, the name by which this country is mostly popular.

Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, etc fall in the region of Balkans of Europe. Balkans Peninsula is also called the cockpit of Europe.
Harmattan is a dry and dusty easterly wind blowing south-west and west off the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea (North Coast of Africa). It is a Natural Hazard. It is also sometimes called Doctor because it is believed to have healthful properties. It moves towards Atlantic Coast which is on the west. Hence it is not East African coast phenomena. Source: NASA

Category: World Geography: Physical.

Page Four: General Studies Preliminary Paper 2006

As on page 8 series B
General Studies Preliminary Paper May 14, 2006
Time Allowed: Two Hours
MM: 150
Total Questions: 150

23. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?

	Inventor	:	Invention
1.	Christopher Cockerell	:	Hovercraft
2.	David Bushnell	:	Sumbarine
3.	J.C. Perrier	:	Steamship

Select the correct answer by using the code given below:
a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 1 and 2, only
c. 2 and 3, only
d. 1 and 3, only


Ans. a. 1, 2 and 3

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
Christopher Cockerell was a British Engineer. He invented Hoovercraft. He was born on June 1, 1910 and died on June 1, 1999.

David Bushnell was an American inventor who invented the first submarine which was known as turtle.

J.C. Perrier: In 1775, the French man J. C. Perrier made a steamboat. However, the further development on steamship was hindered in France due to the French Revolution. J. C. Perrier was associated with the inventions and development of Steamship in France.

Reference: http://www.shipsonstamps.org/Topics/html/rad.htm, Steamboat in Wikipedia.

Category: Mechanical Engineering, Physics, History of Technology, Transportation.

Note: In this question, the question is about those people who were associated with the improvements and further developments of the devices. They were not the first inventors.

24. Which one among the following Commissions was set up in pursuance of a definite provision under an Article of the Constitution of India?
(a) University Grants Commission
(b) National Human Rights Commission
(c) Election Commission
(d) Central Vigilance Commission


Ans. c. Election Commission.

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Pending

Category: Political Science, Indian Constitution


25. Which among the following wrote “The Communist Manifesto” along with Karl Marx?
(a) Emile Durkheim
(b) Friedrich Engels
(c) Robert Brown
(d) Max Weber


Ans. b Friedrich Engels.

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Elaboration pending

Category: Western Thinkers, World History


26. Which portfolio was held by Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the Interim Government formed in the year 1946?

(a) Defence
(b) External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations
(c) Food and Agriculture
(d) None


Ans. c. Food and Agriculture

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Dr. Rajendra Prasad Life History as First President of India on Presidents of India site.

Category: Political Science, Indian Political History.



27. Who among the following was a presented with Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Award, 2005 for her lifetime achievement in dance?
(a) Chandralekha
(b) Tanjavur Balasaraswati
(c) Uma Sharma
(d) Yamini Krishnamurthy

Ans. a. Chandralekha


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For a News report on the above award which also shows the photograph of Chandralekha visit HERE. Chandralekha started her career as dancer of Bharatnatyam. She is now popular as choreographer. Along with her, five more people had received the Award (Fellowship). They were Smt. Zora Sehgal, Sh. Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Smt. Annapurna Devi, Sh. Tapas Sen and Smt. Bidhyabasini Devi. The Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) is restricted to 30 living persons at any given point of time for their excellence in the field of performing arts. For Detail visit Press Information Bureau site.


Tanjavur Balasaraswati: She was also renowned Bharatnatiyam dancer. She died in 1984.


Uma Sharma: She is a Kathak Dancer. She received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Kathak in 1987.


Yamini Krishnamurthi: She is also a renowned Bharatnatiyam and Kuchipudi dancer. She received Sangeet Natak Akademy Award in 1977. She received Padam Shri in 1968 and Padam Bhushan in 2001.

(Guess Work): For a detailed note on the Music personalities of India visit HERE. The site can be useful as it can be used for making notes for General Studies Mains Paper II, on Indian personalities.

Category: India Heritage and Culture.

28. Which one of the following countries is the first country in the world to propose a carbon tax for its people to address global warming?
(a) Australia
(b) Germany
(c) Japan
(d) New Zealand

Ans. d. New Zealand


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Guardian News: According to May 5, 2005 report, New Zealand had proposed to introduce the tax by 2007.
The Age: According December 30, 2005 report of the Australian Newspaper, New Zealand had abandoned the plan to introduce the tax.
The Carbon Tax is being talked about for fulfilling the commitments of the signatory countries to Kyoto Protocol February 16, 2005.

Category: World Geography, Environment Pollution.




29. Consider the following statements:

1. A person who has held office as a permanent Judge of a High Court cannot plead or act in any court or before any authority in India except the Supreme Court.

2. A person is not qualified for appointment as a Judge of a High Court in India unless he has for at least five years held a judicial office in the territory of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither I nor 2


Ans. a. 1 only

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The Article 217 of the Indian Constitution relates to the appointments and conditions of the office of Judge. The second statement is not true. The duration of judicial office should be ten years. In case of first statement, such a person who was judge of High Court can plead in other High Court and he can plead and act before Supreme Court. It is statement as written in the Indian Constitution as Article no 220 which is reproduced below.

It is given in Chapter V of the Indian Constitution.
The article is reproduced below for the statement 2: 217. Appointment and conditions of the office of a Judge of a High Court.—(1) Every Judge of a High Court shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the State, and, in the case of appointment of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court, and shall hold office, in the case of an additional or acting Judge, as provided in article 224, and in any other case, until he attains the age of sixty-two years:
Provided that—
(a) a Judge may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his
office;
(b) a Judge may be removed from his office by the President in the manner provided
in clause (4) of article 124 for the removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court;
(c) the office of a Judge shall be vacated by his being appointed by the President to
be a Judge of the Supreme Court or by his being transferred by the President to any other
High Court within the territory of India.
(2) A person shall not be qualified for appointment as a Judge of a High Court unless he is
a citizen of India and—
(a) has for at least ten years held a judicial office in the territory of India; or
(b) has for at least ten years been an advocate of a High Court or of two or more such
Courts in succession.

The related article Art.220 reproduced below for statement 1:
220. Restriction on practice after being a permanent Judge.—No person who, after the commencement of this Constitution, has held office as a permanent Judge of a High Court shall plead or act in any court or before any authority in India except the Supreme Court and the other High Courts.
Explanation.—In this article, the expression “High Court” does not include a High Court
for a State specified in Part B of the First Schedule as it existed before the commencement of
the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956.

Source: Constitution on the National Portal of India.

Note: It is not relevant here, but, this blogger has been discussing about sources online in India. In case of government of India sites, one always finds difficulty in accessing public information because they are usually given in PDF files. They are not made available in HTML. It is a feature which could be well criticised in work of Raman Kaul, also a blogger and owner of a site, who had transformed short stories of Munshi Premchand in HTML after taking it from C-DAC Noida site. In case of Western Countries, all such information is readily available on net in form of HTML which make it easy to collect it. In case of Our Documents as discussed at sumir-history.blogspot.com, another site of this blogger, this can be well verified and evaluated. There is so much talk of e-governance, Right to Information etc but the users requirementand usibility are not looked into. It is so official even in case of cyber world.

Acknowledgement: Prof. Dr. Sunil Khosla, Department of Post Graduate Studies in Political Science, Arya College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, also a research scholar of UGC funded research on Human Rights in India for elaboration and clarifications.

Category: Political Science. Constitution of India.

Page Three: General Studies Preliminary Paper 2006

As on page 6 series B
General Studies Preliminary Paper May 14, 2006
Time Allowed: Two Hours
MM: 150
Total Questions: 150

17. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

(a)	States Reorganization Act	:	Andhara Pardesh
(b)	Treaty of Yandabdu	:	Assam
(c)	State of Bilaspur	:	Himanchal Pardesh
(d)	Year 1966	:	Gujarat becomes a State

Ans. d.Year 1966 : Gujarat becomes a State.

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Andhara Pardesh: “On the 1st of October, 1953, Andhra State came into existence. It consisted of the districts of Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Nellore, Chittoor, Cuddapah, Anantapur and Kurnool, and the taluks of Rayadurg, Adoni and Alur of the Bellary district. On the question of Bellary taluk, it was included in the Mysore State on the recommendation of L.S.Mishra Commission. Kurnool became the capital of the new State, under the terms of the Sri Bagh Pact of 1937 between the leaders of the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. T.Prakasam became the first Chief Minister of the Andhra State and C.M.Trivedi was appointed Governor of this new State. The creation of Andhra State in October, 1953 strengthened the general demand for linguistic States. Andhras had also long cherished demand for the formation of Visalandhra, since the people of Hyderabad State were unanimous in their demand for the trifurcation of their State. Andhras hoped that the outlying Telugu areas in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Mysore and Madras be incorporated in the greater Andhra.


The States Reorganisation Commission, with Syed Fazl Ali as the Chairman, set up by the Government of India in December 1953, who heard the views of different organisations and individuals, was though convinced of the advantages of Visalandhra, however, favoured the formation of separate State for Telangana. This report of the S.R.C. led to an intensive lobbying both by the advocates of Telangana and Visalandhra. The Communists reacted sharply and announced that they would resign their seats in the Hyderabad Legislative Assembly and contest elections on the issue. In the Hyderabad Legislative Assembly, a majority of the Legislators supported Visalandhra.


The Congress High Command favoured Visalandhra and prevailed upon the leaders of the Andhra State and Telangana to sort out their differences, who, thereupon, entered into a `Gentlemen's Agreement'. One of the main provisions of the Agreement was the creation of a `Regional Council' for Telangana for its all round development. The enlarged State by merging nine Telugu speaking districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, MahabubNagar and Hyderabad, into Andhra State with its eleven districts of Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Nellore, Chittoor, Cuddapah, Anantapur and Kurnool, totalling 20 districts* was named `Andhra Pradesh' with its capital at Hyderabad. It was inaugurated on the 1st of November, 1956 by Jawaharlal Nehru. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy became the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. ” Quoted from Post Independence History of Andhara Pardesh. Thus the Andhara Pardesh came into existance as a result of the States Reorganization Commission.


Quoted from Post Independence History of Andhara Pardesh. Thus the Andhara Pardesh came into existance as a result of the States Reorganization Commission.


State of Bilaspur was made a district of Himanchal Pardesh July 1, 1954. Earlier, it was under a Chief Commissioner as the 31st State of India. Read the history of State of Bilaspur on the Himanchal Pardesh Official Website.


Treaty of Yandabdu was signed by victorious British forces with the vanquished Burmese forces in 1826. Under this treaty, the Assam was seceded to British Indian Empire. The Burmese had earlier invaded the Assam around 1780 and brought it under there control. After the Treaty of Yandabdu, it returned back to India. For official version of history of Assam, check HERE.


Gujarat: Gujarat became a state on May 1, 1960. It is surprising that the official web site of Gujarat do not have any thing to say on the history of Gujarat. However, a write is available at Wikipedia on Gujarat. However, the Wikipedia article is bit biased. One check Gujarat history on the National Portal of India.

Category: History post Independence


18. Consider the following statements with reference to human body:

1. The common bile duct releases its contents into stomach.
2. The pancreatic duct releases its contents into duodenum.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2


Ans. d. Neither 1 nor 2.

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The Bile Duct and pancreatic duct join together before entering the duodenum. The new duct is called hepatopancreatic duct and it releases the juices into the duodenum.

Category: Human Anatomy, (Biology), Human Nutrition.


19. A watch showed a time of fourteen minutes past nine (9 hrs and 14 minutes). The positions of the hour-hand and the minute-hand of the watch are exactly interchanged. The new time shown by the watch is closest to which of the following?
(a) Twelve minutes to three
(b) Thirteen minutes to three
(c) Fourteen minutes to three
(d) Fifteen minutes to three


Ans. c. Fourteen minutes to three.

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None. The blogger will be obliged if someone provide some scientific explanation.

Category: General Mental Ability

20. Consider the following statements:
1. The agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) came into effect from 1st December 2005.
2. As per SAFTA agreement terms, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have to decrease their custom duties to the level of 0 to 5 percent by the year 2013.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2


Ans. b, 2 only.

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration

SAFTA Stands for South Asian Free Trade Area.

As per the report of PTI Dated December 31, 2005, India, Pakistan and Srilanka will bring their customs duties 0-5 percent by 2013. The least developed members (As specified in the SAFTA agreement signed on January 6, 2004) Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. It will be fully operational by 2016 and in case of LDCs by 2018.

For Web site of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation under which SAPTA (South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement) then SAFTA was signed), click here.

The Agreement comes into effect on January 1, 2006. For the Cabinet Decision news given by PIB Check HERE. For more information from the PIB (Press Information Bureau) on Ministry of Commerce and Industry click HERE.
For Reference Check this report HERE.

Category: Political Science: International Relations.

21. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

	Recent Scientific Achivements		Country
(a)	Creating the world’s first mouse with a full human chromosome	:	United Kingdom
(b)	Cloning a human embryo for the first time	:	Germany
(c)	Guiding a spacecraft for collision with a comet	:	United States of America
(d)	Landing a spacecraft on an asteroid	:	Japan

Ans. b. Cloning a human embryo for the first time: Germany

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Pending

Category: Science; General Knowledge.

21. Which one among the following is not a good source of nutritional calcium?
(a) Rice
(b) Ragi
(c) Skimmed milk
(d) Egg

Ans. a. Rice

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Pending

Category: Human Nutrition. (Biology)

Page Two: General Studies Preliminary Paper 2006

Page Two: General Studies Preliminary Paper 2006
As on page 4 series B
General Studies Preliminary Paper May 14, 2006
Time Allowed: Two Hours
MM: 150
Total Questions: 150


8. The Allahabad Pillar inscription is associated with which of the following?
(a) Mahapadma Nanda
(b) Chandragupta Maurya
(c) Ashoka
(d) Samudragupta


Ans. d. Samudragupta


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The inscription was written by Harishena, a poet and minister of Samudragupta holding the post of SandhiVighrahik. The pillar was erected in Kausambi now called Allahabad and the pillar is now situated in fort of Allahabad. It consists of 43 lines. The inscription tells about the military exploits of Samudragupta. The inscription was engraved on an Ashokan Pillar. The inscription is a major historic source apart from the Puranic sources. The other sources on the period of Samudragupta are the coins issued by the Guptan rulers.

Online Source: Samudragupta on Wikipedia with reference to R. K. Mookerji and R. C. Majumdar.
"Ancient Indian History and Civilization by S N Sen (I strongly recommend this book for preparation for Ancient History Section of Preliminary as well as Mains. A Cultural History of History and this book are strong enough to provide good notes on some of the popular topics which have been asked in the papers.)

Category: Indian History Ancient


9 What is Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)?
(a) An agency formed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to check misuse of drugs by sportspersons
(b) A non-governmental organization which specializes in international humanitarian aid and emergency medical assistance
(c) An organization to develop application of nanotechnology in medicine
(d) An organization of medical practitioners funded by the European Union which carries out research against spread of AIDS

Ans. b A non-governmental organization which specializes in international humanitarian aid and emergency medical assistance

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Médecins Sans Frontières is a French world. The English translation is Doctors Without Frontiers which is another name by which this organization is also known. It was started in 1971 by a group of French Doctors. The headquarter of this organization is in Geneva Switzerland. Presently this organization is working in nearly 70 countries. They work in war torn areas.

Sources: For a brief History Wikipedia. Home Page of US MSF.

Category: International Organization NGO Health Services, General Knowledge: World Current Affairs and General Knowledge.

10. Bermuda triangle extends up to which of the following places?
1. Southern Florida
2. Puerto Rico
3. Hawaii islands
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 2, only
(c) 2 and 3, only
(d) 1 and 3, only

Ans. b 1 and 2, only

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Bermuda Triangle is also known as Devil’s Triangle. It refers to a place in Puerto Rico. It is an area of an ocean extending from Bermuda in Puerto Rico to Southern Florida in the Atlantic Ocean or to be more specific in Caribbean Ocean. Hawaii Islands are in Pacific Ocean.

This region was made popular as a mysterious region by Charles Berlitz Book, "The Bermuda Triangle" published in 1974.This region has become popular because it is believed that the identified region defies the laws of physics. Many ships and airplanes have been reported missing in this region under mysterious circumstances. However, there are counter views substantiated by statistical proves.

Source: Detailed article on Wikipedia. An article on National Geographic News.

Category: World Geography

11. Consider the following statements:
1. ELISA test is employed as the first and most basic test for an individual to detect cancer.
2. Almost 50% of human beings have Rh+ blood while the remaining have Rh- blood.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans. d, Neither 1 nor 2

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
For Cancer, the basic test is FNAC i.e. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology. Otherwise, the preferred test is Basic Biopsy.

ELISA is the basic test for detecting HIV infected patient or AIDS. ELISA stands for Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay.

Rh factor or Rhesus Factor refers to presence of proteinaceous erthrocyte antigen. It is found in Rhesus money. From there, the name Rhesus Factor or Rh Factor comes. It was discovered by Lansteiner and Wiener in 1940. They found that this antigen or protein is found among human beings also. Nearly 85% of human beings (in Indian nearly 93 %) have this antigen and they are having Rh+ factor. Those who lacks this factor are called Rh-.

The Rh factor is crucial for blood transfusion as Rh- produce anti-Rh antibodies when receive Rh+ blood. This factor becomes during pregnancy.

Source: Dinesh A to Z in Biology by K Bhatti 2007 Edition.

Online Source: University of Arizona for Rh Factor, For Detailed Version : Dr. Dennis O’Neil Palmor College California

ELISA on Wikipedia (Not Complete Article), University of Arizona-Quite Brief


Category: Biology, Human Health, diseases, cures and tests.

12. Which one of the following is printed on a commonly used fluorescent tubelight?
(a) 220 K
(b) 273 K
(c) 6500 K
(d) 9000 K

Ans. c 6500 K

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
K refers to Colour temperature. Kelvin (K) is standard unit colour temperature.

Source: Colour Temperature from Cyber College.
Colour Temperature Unit by Georg Mischler. Similar article on Michael W. Davidson and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Wikipeida Article on Colour Temperature.


Category: Physics. Light (Photometry)

Comment: Generally it is not found written on the covering of the "Tubelights" but printed on the surface of the glass of the tube near to the cathodes bearing ISI mark.

13. In which one of the following films did the Nobel Laureate Pearl S. Buck collaborate?
(a) Shatranj Ke Khilari
(b) Guide
(c) Lawrence of Arabia
(d) Titanic

Ans. b. Guide

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Pearl S. Buck and Guide
"Recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature (the first American woman to have been so honored) as well as the Pulitzer Prize; inductee into the National Women's Hall of Fame; author of more than 70 books; recognized as the most-widely translated writer today (in more than 60 languages); humanitarian; visionary; and realizer of possibilities and promises for a peaceful future—this was Pearl Buck. Quoted from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College Web Sit.

The movie (Guide) was made in two versions - an English version in collaboration with Pearl S. Buck and directed by Ted Danielewski to introduce Dev Anand to western audiences and of course the Hindi version directed by Dev Anand's younger brother Vijay Anand. The film is based on the book "The Guide" by R. K. Narayan, India's best known author in the English language. It was released in 1965. Quoted from "The Internet Movie Database" IMBD and Pearl S Buck Filmograpy on IMBD

Shatranj Ke Khilari: Shatranj Ke Khilari is based on a short story by Dhanpat Rai Shrivastva popularly known as Nawab Sahib and Munshi Premchand or Premchand only. The screen play, direction and dialogue writing along with Javed Siddiqui and Shama Zaidi, by Satyajit Rai. Produced by Suresh Jindal. Reference: Shatranj Ke Khiladi 1977.

For Reference also check Munshi Premchand Stories online.
For Life Story: Munshi Premchand of Jeevan Prichaya by M. Rehman prepared for Indra Gandhi Rashtriya Kala Kendra

Lawrence of Arabia: Lawrence of Arbia is mainly known for T. E. Lawrence who was famous for fighting for the cause of Arabs. The movie was made in UK and released in 1962. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegal. The latest movie of Lean and Spiegal is "The Bridge on the River Kwai". The movie is based on the writings of T. E. Lawrence who was later called T. E. Shaw. He was a British liaison officer during the Arab revolt of 1916 to 1918 against the Ottoman Empire. His achievements were made famous by the reporting of an U. S. reporter Lowell Thomas.
There was another movie made in Canada in 1935.
For Reference: Lawrence of Arabia 1962 on Internet Movie Data Base and Wikipedia.

Titanic: The popular title of Titanic was released in 1997. It was directed by James Cameron (This question has appeared in previous General Studies paper). However, there are number of movies by the same title produced in different countries at different time. However, one which was directed by James Cameron and released in 1997, won 11 Oscars. It was released by Century Fox and Paramount Pictures.
Reference:For the complete list of other Titanic movies refer to Internet Movie Data Base. For a story outline check Wikipedia.

Category: Filmography, Culture and Literature

14. Which one of the following countries is not a member of Nordic Council?
(a) Norway
(d) Denmark
(c) Iceland
(d) United Kingdom

Ans. c. United Kingdom

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
The members of the Nordic Council are five countries and three autonomous regions. It is mainly the result of the history of this region. The five members countries are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The three autonomous regions are Faroe Island(Denmark), Greenland (Denmark) and Aland (Finland). Nordic Council along with Nordic Council of Ministers is mainly a cooperation forum of Parliaments and governments of Nordic Countries. The head office is in Copenhagen. The existence of this cooperation has great significance for European Economic Community. For detailed reference visit the official site of the community. Visit Wikipedia Article here. The community has been around the history Sweden and Norway.
United Kingdom or Great Britain had adopted the policy of seclusion from the politics of Europe since the days of Glorious Revolution.

Category: Political Science: International Relations; European History.

15. Which one among the following was the first to legalize euthanasia?
(a) Austria
(b) Switzerland
(c) Netherlands
(d) Canada


Ans. c. Netherlands

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration

Netherlands or as popularly known as Holland, has made changes to the penal code of the country in 2002.
Category:

16. Consider the following statements:
1. Assam shares a border with Bhutan and Bangladesh.
2. West Bengal shares a border with Bhutan and Nepal.
3. Mizoram shares a border with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 2, only
(c) 2 and 3, only
(d) 1 and 3, only


Ans. b. 1 and 2

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration

Category: Geography: India: Political

GS Prelims 2006 Solutions Answers Keys

The keys and answers to the questions of G. S. Prelims of Civil Services held on May 14, 2006 are given on the site at http://www.prabhaiasips.com/gskc.html. The series of questions are of Booklet C.

I have started posting the answers to Booklet B question series on this blog from Page One posting as per the model (Which I have also adopted for all my postings in case of my other blogs) adopted by me for the last year paper. Last year, I have completed the posting of whole paper in 12 days. I may take that much time again.

Thanks.

Page One: General Studies Preliminary Paper 2006

As on page 2 series B
General Studies Preliminary Paper May 14, 2006
Time Allowed: Two Hours
MM: 150
Total Questions: 150

1. Which one of the following countries is not a member of ASEAN?
a. Vietnam
b. Brunei Darussalam
c. Bangladesh
d. Myanmar

Ans. c. Bangladesh

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration

The full form of ASEAN is Association of South East Asian Nations. It has presently 10 members viz. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is a political, economic and cultural organization of Southeast Asia. The Association was formed on August 8, 1967 by four countries namely Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines. It was an act of solidarity against the communist expansion in Vietnam. However, latter Vietnam (mainland) was included as a member of association.

The seat of the Association is Jakarta (Indonesia).

For further details refer to
ASEAN on Wikipedia

ASEAN Home Page


Category: International Relations: Political Science

2. Consider the following statements in respect of India’s advanced satellite INSAT – 4A:
1. INSAT – 4A was launched in December 2005 from New Mexico.
2. The European commercial launch service provider Arianespace was associated with the launch of INSAT – 4A.
3. Tata-Sky a digital cable service provider is associated with DTH television broadcasting services from INSAT-4A.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 1 and 2 only
c. 2 and 3 only
d. 1 and 3 only

Ans. C. 2 and 3, only.

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
Well it is true that INSAT-4A was launched on December 22, 2005 but not from New Mexico. It was launched from Kourou, French Guiana as per the press release of ISRO. Kourou (Territory of France-Europe) is on the North coast of South America and an Atlantic coast.

TATA-Sky (Earlier Space TV and now a joint venture of TATA and STAR group) has leased 12 KU Band of INSAT 4A before it launch for beaming 1500 channels through DTH (Direct to Home). The agreement was signed in November 2005 before the launch.


For further Reference:
Kourou and French Guiana on Wikipedia
ISRO Home page and Wikipedia
Press Release of ISRO
INSAT 4A by ISRO


Category: Science and Technology: Physics

3. Match List I (Person with List II (Organization/Area of World) and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:

	List I (Person)		List II (Organization/ Area of Work)
A.	Chanda Kochhar	1	Advertising
B.	Amrita Patel	2.	Banking
C.	Indra Nooyi	3.	Diary Development
D.	Piyush Pandey	4.	Pepsi Co

Code:

	A	B	C	D
(a)	2	1	4	3
(b)	4	3	2	1
(c)	2	3	4	1
(d)	4	1	2	3

Ans. C. A2 B3 C4 D1

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
Chanda Kochhar is Executive Director, Retail Banking of ICICI Bank Ltd. She belongs to those elite women executives (Kalpana Morparia, DMD, Madhabbi Puri-Buch Senior GM, Shikha Sharma CEO ICICI Prudential, Lalita D Gupte JMD, Renuka Ramnath, CEO, ICICI Venture) who dominates ICICI Bank and its subsidiaries. It is a gossip that Chanda Kochhar may succeed K. V. Kamath as CEO. Remember Parikh of HDFC Bank for your GS Paper B. (source: Business Today Special Issue, March 12, 2006 and ICICI Bank website. Photo)
Amrita Patel, the daughter of former Finance Minister H. Y. Patel, succeeded the illustrious Dr. V. Kurien (The Amul Man) as a Chairperson of National Diary Development Board. (Source: Business Today, Photo, Short Biography )
Indra Nooyi, the most illustrious among the four mentioned in this question is presently senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Pepsico. (Source: Business Today, IIM Calcutta, Yale School of Management, )
Piyush Pandey is the Group President of Ogilvy and Mather Advertising Agency (High Rating) and National Creative Director. (Source: Business Today. Photo and detail. For his award winning creations works

Special Note: Remember these ladies: Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochhar, Kaplana Morparia, Madhabbi Puri-Buch, Shikha Sharma, Lalita Gupte, Renuka Ramnath, Zia Moody (Last year GS 2005) Renu Karnad ED, HDFC, Vinita Bali of Britannia Industries, Kiran Majumdar of Biocon (last year GS) Neelam Dhawan MD, Microsoft India, Swati Piramal of Nicholas Piramal and Preetha Reddy of Apollo Hospitals Group especially for their Health Tourism initiatives and Health services outsourcing. These persons may be there in G. S. Paper B.


Category: Business and Economy: Indian Business Personalities

4. To which one of the following processes is the term CMYK related?
(a) Railway signalling
(b) Navigation
(c) Offset printing
(d) Electronic voting machine

Ans. C. Offset Printing

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration

CMYK is a subtractive colour model used in colour printing. CMYK stands for four colours. C is Cyan. M is for Magenta. Y is for Yellow. K stand for Key which is for black. It is also written as YMCK or CYM.

Further Reference:
A good article is at Wikipedia.
Another good article is at Webopedia.
Another reference is at Answer.com with additional references from the books.
Next impressive article is at IT encyclopedia.

Category: Science: Physics

5. Consider the following statements:
1. Kofi Annan-the UN Secretary General is from Nigeria.
2. Kofi Annan is the first UN Secretary General to be appointed from the ranks of the United Nations staff.
3. Kofi Annan was appointed for a second term to the office of the UN Secretary General.

Which of the following statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 3 only

Ans. C. 2 and 3, only

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
Kofi Annan is from Ghana. He is the seventeenth General Secretary of the United Nations. His second term will end on December 21, 2006.

Source: Biography United Nations

Fascinating Observation: The order of the assertions on Kofi Annan is in the same order as it is given in the biography mentioned in the source. Similar thing has been observed in case of Q7. Both the questions are in nature of a history of an institution or a person.

Category: International Personality: Political Science.

6. Which one of the following countries is not a participating team in the Football World Cup-2006 to be held in Germany in July 2006?
(a) Russia
(b) Togo
(c) Ivory Coast
(d) Switzerland

Ans. a. Russia

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
Russia was eliminated by Portugal in qualification round. There are 32 teams in 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany or simply Football World Cup 2006. It will be played between June 9 to July 9 2006.

The next 2010 FIFA Football World Cup will be played in South Africa. However, South Africa team was eliminated during qualifying rounds and is not playing this cup.

Source: There are large number of sources. However, the good ones are those which are hosted by established TV channels or Newspapers. The above information is gathered from Wikipedia. Other Source BBC.

An Observation:
Football World Cup will remain important even for General Studies Mains. Any Comment.

Category: Sports: Events: Game: World Tournaments

7. Consider the following statements:
1. The Nobel Prize Awarding Ceremony takes place on December 10 of every year.
2. The Nobel Prize for Literature was added later on to the other five areas – Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Peace and Economics.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans. a. 1 only

Authentication Verification Validation Elaboration
It was Prize in economic science which was later constituted in 1968 and given in 1969 onwards. It was established when Bank of Sweden made a large donation to the Nobel foundation. It was decided later, that no new prize will be constituted.

The date December 10 is date of death of Alfred Nobel who had died in 1896. However, the Nobel Foundation and the prizes were constituted in 1900. The Nobel Foundation was constituted on June 29, 1900.

Source: Nobel Prize Org History.

An Observation: There is always a question on Nobel Prize or related to prizes equivalent to Nobel Prize like Japan Prize, Koyoto Prize, Booker Prize etc. This time, it a question on Nobel Prize History. Such questions had appeared earlier also.

Category: General Knowledge: World Cultural Affairs Prizes and Awards.

General Studies May 14, 2006, Answers, Keys and Solutions

The answers, keys, solutions to the General Studies Paper, held on May 14, 2006, will start appearing on this blog with in next 24 hours.

The question series will be of Booklet B

The patter of answer will be similar to the previous years pattern adopted by this blogger. For reference kindly check http://generalstudiesupsc.blogspot.com/2005/05/solutions-and-keys-to-general-studies.html and also http://generalstudiesupsc.blogspot.com/2005/05/general-studies-preliminary-paper-2005.html.

Each question will have its due Authentication, Validation, Verification and Argument which was adopted last year as per the model developed this blogger for all his blogs.

Er. Tripathi is requested to check the mathematics/probability answers for their correctness as this blogger is not all that good in mathematics. However, I assure that this time I have roped in established mathematicians who will soon provide me the answers as desired by me.


Kindly keep watching Civilservices Prelims blog as some more useful information and data will be posted which may be useful for those sitting for mains 2006 or gearing up to take Prelims 2007.

Comments are solicited as it increase your enthusiasm