UPSC CSE Answer Key Prelims 2022

22.”System of Rice Intensification” of cultivation, in which alternate wetting and drying of rice fields is practised, results in :
1. Reduced seed requirement
2. Reduced methane production
3. Reduced electricity consumption
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D
The System of Rice Intensification involves cultivating rice with as much organic manure as possible, starting with young seedlings planted singly at wider spacing in a square pattern; and with intermittent irrigation that keeps the soil moist but not inundated, and frequent inter cultivation with weeder that actively
https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/best-practices/sustainable-agriculture/crop-management/sri-2013-new-method-of-growing-rice

23. Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert ?
(a) Lake Victoria
(b) Lake Faguibine
(c) Lake Oguta
(d) Lake Volta

Answer : B

24. Gandikota canyon of South India was created by which one of the following rivers ?
(a) Cauvery
(b) Manjira
(c) Pennar
(d) Tungabhadra

Answer: C

25. Consider the following pairs

Peak	Mountains
1. Namcha Barwa	Garhwal Himalaya
2. Nanda Devi	Kumaon Himalaya
3. Nokrek	Sikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 3 only

Answer: B

Namcha Barwa is located in the Eastern Himalayas. It is located in Arunachal Pradesh. Garhwal Himalayas is in Uttarakhand.
Nanda Devi is located in the state of Uttarakhand specifically in the Kumaon Himalayas.
Nokrek is located in the state of Meghalaya in the Garo Hills.

---

---

26. The term “Levant” often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions ?
(a) Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores
(b) Region along North African shores stretching from Egypt to Morocco
(c) Region along Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa
(d) The entire coastal areas of Mediterranean Sea

Answer: A

 

27. Consider the following countries :
1. Azerbaijan
2. Kyrgyzstan
3. Tajikistan
4. Turkmenistan
5. Uzbekistan
Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan ?
(a) 1, 2 and 5 only
(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Answer: C

28.With reference to India, consider the following statements :
1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
2. Monazite contains thorium.
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: B
Monazite is a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral that contains rare-earth elements
Thorium content of monazite is variable and sometimes can be up to 20–30%. Monazite from certain carbonatites or from Bolivian tin ore veins is essentially thorium-free. However, commercial monazite sands typically contain between 6 and 12% thorium oxide
Monazite occurs naturally in the entire eastern coast and Kerala coastal sands in India.
Maintaining that only IREL can produce & process monazite, the DAE has said no given licence to any private entity for this purpose.

29.In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year normally occurs in the :
(a) First half of the month of June
(b) Second half of the month of June
(c) First half of the month of July
(d) Second half of the month of July

Answer: B
The longest day for those living north of the Equator is June 21. In technical terms, this day is referred to as the summer solstice, the longest day of the summer season. It occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, or more specifically right over 23.5 degree north latitude.

30. Consider the following pairs :
Wetland /Lake Location
Hokera Wetland — Punjab
Renuka Wetland — Himachal Pradesh
Rudrasagar Lake Tripura
Sasthamkotta Lake , Tamil Nadu
How many pairs given above are correctly matched ?
(a) Only one pair
(b) Only two pairs
(c) Only three pairs
(d) All four pairs

Answer: B

31.Consider the following
1. Aarogya Setu
2. CoWIN
3. DigiLocker
4. DIKSHA
Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer : D

32. With reference to Web 3.0, consider the following statements :
1. Web 3.0 technology enables people to control their own data.
2. In the Web 3.0 world, there can be blockchain based social networks.
3. Web 3.0 is operated by users collectively rather than a corporation.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web3

33. With reference to “Software as a Service (SaaS)”, consider the following statements :
1. SaaS buyers can customise the user interface and can change data fields.
2. SaaS users can access their data through their mobile devices.
3. Outlook, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are forms of SaaS.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D
https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/Software-as-a-Service
SaaS applications are often customizable and can be integrated with other business applications, especially across applications from a common software provider.

34. Which one of the following statements best reflects the idea behind the “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” often talked about in the media ?
(a) A hypersonic missile is launched into space to counter the asteroid approaching the Earth and explode it in space.
(b) A spacecraft lands on another planet after making several orbital motions.
(c) A missile is put into a stable orbit around the Earth and deorbits over a target on the Earth.
(d) A spacecraft moves along a comet with the same speed and places a probe on its surface

Answer: C

35.Which one of the following-is the context in which the term “qubit” is mentioned ?
(a) Cloud Services
(b) Quantum Computing
(c) Visible Light Communication Technologies
(d) Wireless Communication Technologies

Answer: B
https://www.ibm.com/topics/quantum-computing

36. Consider the • following communication technologies :
Closed-circuit Television
Radio Frequency Identification
Wireless Local Area Network
Which, of the above are considered Short-Range devices/technologies ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D
​​www.etsi.org/technologies/short-range-devices

37. Consider the following statements :
Biofilms can form on medical implants within human tissues.
Biofilms can form on food and food processing surfaces.
Biofilms can exhibit antibiotic resistance.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Answer: D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofilm\

38. Consider the following statements in respect of probiotics :
Probiotics are made of both bacteria and yeast.
The organisms in probiotics are found in foods we ingest but they do not naturally occur in our gut.
Probiotics help in the digestion of milk sugars.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
1 only
2 only
1 and 3
2 and 3

Answer: C
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14598-probiotics

39. In the context of vaccines manufactured to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, consider the following statements :
The Serum Institute of India produced COVID-19 vaccine named Covishield using mRNA platform.
Sputnik V vaccine is manufactured using vector based platform.
COVAXIN is an inactivated pathogen ‘based vaccine.
Which of the statements given. above are correct ?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Answer: B
The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand names Covishield and Vaxzevria among others, is a viral vector vaccine for prevention of COVID-19.
So statement 1 is wrong

---

Practice Mains mock questions 

---

40. If a major solar storm (solar-flare) reaches the Earth, which of the following are the possible effects on the Earth ?
GPS and navigation systems could fail.
Tsunamis could occur at equatorial regions.
Power grids could be damaged.
Intense auroras ‘could occur over much of the Earth.
Forest fires could take place over much of the planet.
Orbits of the satellites could be disturbed.
Shortwave radio communication of the aircraft flying over polar regions could be interrupted.
Select the correct answer using the code give-n below :
1, 2, 4 dnd 5 only
2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 only
1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 only
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Answer: C

https://www.space.com/solar-flares-effects-classification-formation
Tsunamis are occurring due to the plate tectonics movement. The incident of solar flares on Earth will not result in Tsunamis as they are both not interlinked.
The statement related to forest fires is not an impact caused due to the incidents of solar flares in Earth.