BPSC Prelims (Combined Competitive Exam)
47th BPSC Prelims 2005: Previous-Year Questions
92 questions from this paper, sorted by subject, with their options. Each one opens to its answer and explanation.
Modern History 22 questions
During British rule which region of India was famous for the production of opium?
- ABihar
- BSouthern India
- CGujarat
- DAssam
Who among the following abolished ‘Dual Government’ system in Bengal?
- ARobert Clive
- BLord Cornwallis
- CWarren Hastings
- DNone of the above
The policy of 'Security Cell' is related to-
- AWarren Hastings
- BLord Dalhousie
- CHenry Lawrence
- DLord Hastings
When was the new Enfield Rifle with greased cartridges introduced in the British Indian Army?
- ANovember, 1856
- BDecember, 1856
- CJanuary, 1857
- DFebruary, 1857
Which of the following papers was essentially the mouthpiece of the policies of the Liberals?
- ANew India
- BLeader
- CYoung India
- DFree Press Journal
Which category of population was primarily attracted by the religious reform movements of the nineteenth century?
- (i) Intellectuals
- (ii) Urban upper castes
- (iii) Poor ordinary class
- (iv) Liberal princes
Choose your answer from the given code:
- AOnly i
- Bi and ii
- Ci, ii and iii
- Di, ii and iv
Brahmo Samaj was founded in the year of-
- A1827
- B1829
- C1831
- D1843
Who was Sharada Mani?
- AWife of Raja Ram Mohan Roy
- BWife of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
- CMother of Vivekananda
- DDaughter of Keshab Chandra Sen.
‘Satyarth Prakash’ was written by –
- ARaja Ram Mohan Roy
- BMahatma Gandhi
- CSwami Vivekanand
- DSwami Dayanand Saraswati
Who said that “Congress Movement was neither inspired by the people, nor devised or planned by them”?
- ALord Dufferin
- BSir Syed Ahmed
- CLord Curzon
- DLala Lajpat Rai
Who was the Congress President who held talks with both the Cripps Mission and Lord Wavell?
- AAbul Kalam Azad
- BJawaharlal Nehru
- CJ.B. Kripalani
- DC. Rajagopalachari
Who presided over the Delhi Session of the Indian National Congress in 1947?
- AJ. B. Kripalani
- BRajendra Prasad
- CAbul Kalam Azad
- DJawaharlal Nehru
Who propounded the doctrine of ‘Passive Resistance’?
- AMahatma Gandhi
- BBipin Chandra Pal
- CBal Gangadhar Tilak
- DAurobindo Ghosh
The ‘Anushilan Samiti’ was –
- ADedicated to the upliftment of women
- BPromoting widow remarriage
- CInterested in labour welfare
- DA revolutionary organization
Who presided over the first session of All India Kisan Sabha?
- ASwami Sahajanand
- BIndulal Yagnik
- CN.G. Ranga
- DP.C. Joshi
When was All India Trade Union Congress established in Bombay?
- A1920
- B1925
- C1929
- D1935
Who played an important role in the signing of Gandhi-Irwin Pact?
- AMotilal Nehru
- BMadan Mohan Malviya
- CTej Bahadur Sapru
- DChintamani
How many seats were given to Depressed Classes under Communal Award and Poona Pact?
- A74 and 79 respectively
- B71 and 147 respectively
- C78 and 80 respectively
- D78 and 69 respectively
Who presided over the Meerut Session of the Indian National Congress in the year 1947?
- AJ.B. Kripalani
- BRajendra Prasad
- CAbul Kalam Azad
- DJawaharlal Nehru
Who among the following capitalists served as an AICC Treasurer for many years and went to jail in 1930?
- AG. D. Birla
- BJamnalal Bajaj
- CJ. R. D. Tata
- DBalchand Hirachand
Name the scholar of Deoband who played an important role in the freedom movement:
- AAbul Kalam Azad
- BMohammad Ali Jinnah
- CBadruddin Tyabji
- DChirag Ali
Who founded the ‘Amrita Bazar Patrika’?
- AHarish Chandra Mukherjee
- BS.N. Banerjee
- CGirish Chandra Ghosh
- DShishir Kumar Ghosh
Ancient History 10 questions
At which place did Mahatma Buddha give his first ‘Dhammachakkhapavattana’?
- ALumbini
- BSarnath
- CPataliputra
- DVaishali
A Buddhist Council during the reign of Kanishka was held at –
- AMagadha
- BPataliputra
- CKashmir
- DRajgriha
Where did Mahatma Buddha’s ‘Mahaparinirvana’ take place?
- ALumbini
- BBodh Gaya
- CKushinagar
- DKapilvastu
Where was Mahavira Swami born?
- AKundagram
- BPataliputra
- CMagadha
- DVaishali
The first disciple of Lord Mahavira was –
- AJamali
- BYashoda
- CBipin
- DPrabhash
Which one was the capital of Magadha?
- APataliputra
- BVaishali
- CGirivraj (Rajagriha)
- DChampa
The most famous centre of learning during the Mauryan period was:
- AVaishali
- BNalanda
- CTaxila
- DUjjain
Who of the following was the writer of Mudrarakshasa?
- AAshvaghosha
- BVishakhadatta
- CKalidasa
- DBhasa
What is the name of Megasthenes’ book?
- AEconomics
- BRig Veda
- CPurana
- DIndica
Who wrote the book 'Harshacharita'?
- AAryabhata
- BBanabhatta
- CVishnugupta
- DParimalagupta
Medieval History 6 questions
Who was the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty?
- AIltutmish
- BQutbuddin Aibak
- CRaziyya
- DBalban
Who was the ruler of Devagiri at the time of Alauddin Khilji’s invasion?
- ARamchandra Dev
- BPrataprudra Dev
- CMalik Kafur
- DRana Ratan Singh
A common feature of all Bhakti Saints was that they –
- AComposed their verses in the language understood by their followers
- BRejected the authority of the priestly class
- CEncouraged women to go to the temples
- DEncouraged idol worship
In the Mughal administration ‘Muhtasib’ was –
- AMilitary Officer
- BHead of Foreign Affairs
- CAn Officer-in-Charge of public morals
- DOfficer of Correspondence Department
In medieval India, why was the mansabdari system introduced?
- AFor revenue collection
- BFacilitating recruitment to the army
- CTo establish religious harmony
- DEnsuring clean administration
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Who illustrated “Dastan-e-Amir Hamza”?
- AAbdus Samad
- BMansur
- CMir Sayyid Ali
- DAbul Hasan
Bihar Special GK 20 questions
Which British Commander was defeated by the Santhals in 1855?
- ACaptain Nek Feville
- BLt. Bastion
- CMajor Burrough
- DColonel White
Who was the leader of the Munda Rebellion?
- ABirsa
- BKanhu
- CTilka Manjhi
- DSidhu
Who was the leader of the Munda revolution of 1899-1900 AD?
- ASidhu
- BBudha Bhagat
- CBirsa Munda
- DShambhudan
When did Kunwar Singh, the leader of the 1857 revolt in Bihar, pass away?
- A10 April, 1858
- B17 June, 1858
- C9 May, 1858
- D20 June, 1858
In Bihar, at which place was the session of the Indian National Congress held in the year 1922?
- AHaripura
- BPatna
- CGaya
- DRamgarh
Name the revolutionary from Bihar who attended the meeting of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army in September, 1928–
- APhanindranath Ghosh
- BAjay Ghosh
- CJyotindranath
- DBhagat Singh
The final phase of elections in February, 2005 in Bihar was for –
- A93 seats
- B83 seats
- C73 seats
- DNone of these
Correctly match List-I (Agro-climatic zones) with List-II (Percentage of Bihar's area):
List-I (Agro-climatic zones) List-II (Percentage of Bihar's area) A. North and North-Eastern Bihar Plains 1. 29.87% B. South Bihar Plains 2. 23.71% C. Chhota Nagpur Plateau 3. 26.14% D. Chhota Nagpur Hills 4. 20.28% Select the correct answer using the codes given below (in the order A B C D):
- A3 4 1 2
- B1 2 3 4
- C2 1 4 3
- D4 3 2 1
Consider the following statements regarding the various geographical aspects of Bihar –
- I. Agriculture contributes nearly 67 per cent to Bihar's domestic product.
- II. Silk industry in Bihar provides self-employment to over 1,50,000 people.
- III. About 47 lakh acres of land in Bihar get flooded every year, while 10 lakh acres remain permanently waterlogged.
- IV. 85 to 90 percent of Bihar's rural households own less than 5 acres of land each.
Which of these statements are correct?
- AII and IV
- BI and II
- CII and III
- DIII and IV
Which state has the lowest per capita income in India at the current prices?
- ABihar
- BOdisha
- CRajasthan
- DGujarat
The percentage share of agricultural labour in total workers of Bihar is –
- A40.18 percent
- B48.18 percent
- C29.17 percent
- D46.18 percent
Which one of the following statements about irrigation in Bihar is not correct?
- AOf the total sown area in Bihar nearly 30 percent is irrigated
- BOf the total irrigated area in Bihar nearly 30 percent is irrigated by canals and 39 percent by tubewells
- CThe maximum area irrigated by canals is found in Bhojpur, Aurangabad, West Champaran, Rohtas and Munger districts
- DThe maximum area irrigated by tube wells is found in Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and Khagaria districts
Joint irrigation project of the States of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is –
- ADamodar Valley Project
- BKosi Project
- CSon Barrage Project
- DGandak Project
Coal Reserves in Bihar on January 1, 2003 is (in million tonnes) –
- A260
- B360
- C160
- D210
Which state has the lowest literacy rate according to the 2001 Census Report?
- AArunachal Pradesh
- BMadhya Pradesh
- CBihar
- DHaryana
According to the year 2002, the birth rate of Bihar (per 1000) is –
- A7.9
- B30.9
- C20.9
- D26.6
Which one of the following groups of districts in Bihar indicates the correct descending order of population density as per the 2001 census?
- ADarbhanga, Samastipur, Siwan, Saran
- BSiwan, Saran, Darbhanga, Samastipur
- CSaran, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Siwan
- DDarbhanga, Saran, Samastipur, Siwan
Rivers belonging to which one of the following groups form the boundary between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh?
- AKamla, Son and Baghmati
- BBudh Gandak, Kosi and Ganga
- CKarmanasa, Gandak and Ghaghara
- DNorth Koel, Ajay and Punpun
Match List-I (Characteristics of National Highways) with List-II (Numbers of National Highways):
List-I (Characteristics of National Highways) List-II (Numbers of National Highways) A. National Highway that passes through Bihar 1. National Highway No. 12 B. National Highway that does not pass through Bihar 2. National Highway No. 87 C. National Highway having maximum length in Bihar 3. National Highway No. 2 D. Proposed National Highway not to serve Bihar 4. National Highway No. 31 Select the correct answer using the codes given below (in the order A B C D):
- A3 1 4 2
- B4 2 3 1
- C1 3 2 4
- D2 4 1 3
Nearly 55 percent of the total population of Bihar survives in absolute poverty because:
- I. Bihar lacks in natural resources, both existing and potential.
- II. Bihar has the fastest total fertility rate in India.
- III. Bihar has very unfavorable agro-climatic conditions.
- IV. Bihar lacks in quality infrastructure and business-friendly environment.
Which of these reasons are correct?
- AI and II
- BII and III
- CII and IV
- DI, III and IV
Indian Polity 19 questions
Economic planning is a subject of-
- AUnion List
- BState List
- CConcurrent List
- DNot mentioned in any specific list
Which of the following Subject lies in the Concurrent List?
- AAgriculture
- BEducation
- CPolice
- DDefence
Which Article of the Constitution of India is related with Freedom of the Press.
- AArticle 19
- BArticle 20
- CArticle 21
- DArticle 22
Which of the following is given the power to enforce the Fundamental Rights by the Constitution?
- AAll Courts in India
- BThe Parliament
- CThe President
- DThe Supreme Court and High Courts
The President of India can be removed from his post by –
- AThe Prime Minister of India
- BLok Sabha
- CChief Justice of India
- DParliament
The Prime Minister of India is the head of-
- AThe state government
- BCentral Government
- CBoth the state and central government
- DNone of the above
Prime Minister of India is generally-
- ANot a member of Parliament
- BMember of Lok Sabha
- CMember of Rajya Sabha
- DMember of both the Houses
The state-wise allocation of seats in Lok Sabha is based on the 1971 Census. Up to which year does this remain intact?
- A2031
- B2026
- C2021
- D2011
Rajya Sabha is called Permanent House because –
- AAll members are lifelong
- BIt cannot be dissolved
- CSome members retire after every two years
- DBoth
Who appoints the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir?
- AThe Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir
- BThe Chief Justice of High Court of Jammu & Kashmir
- CThe Prime Minister of India
- DThe President of India
When was the Planning Commission established?
- A10th March, 1950
- B15th March, 1950
- C16th March, 1951
- D20th March, 1950
Which of the following Constitutional Amendment Acts was termed as Mini Constitution?
- A42nd
- B44th
- C46th
- D50th
The decision to conduct Panchayat Elections is taken by which of the following?
- AThe Central Government
- BThe State Government
- CThe District Judge
- DThe Election Commission
The committee on whose recommendation, the ‘Panchayati Raj System’ was introduced in the Country, was headed by –
- AJivraj Mehta
- BBalwant Rai Mehta
- CAshok Mehta
- DDr. Iqbal Narayan
The Panchayati Raj System was first started in India in the State of Rajasthan and ..................
- AHaryana
- BGujarat
- CUttar Pradesh
- DAndhra Pradesh
Function of Bureaucracy—
- AImplementing government policies
- BRunning the administration
- CAssisting ministers
- DAll of the above
Who is the Secretary-General of the United Nations?
- AKofi Annan
- BU Thant
- CKurt Waldheim
- DNone of the above
In international relations, which of the following factors does not contribute?
- ATechnological progress
- BA spirit of aggressive nationalism
- CGrowth of international trade
- DDevelopment of industries
In the United Nations Security Council, which of the following countries is not a permanent member?
- AJapan
- BUnited States of America
- CBritain
- DFrance
Geography 15 questions
Consider the following statements regarding the formation of landforms in India : I. Structurally, the Meghalaya Plateau is an extended part of the Deccan Plateau. II. The Valley of Kashmir was formed in a synclinorium. III. The Gangetic plain was formed in a foredeep. IV. The Himalayas originated as a result of triangular convergence of the Indian Plate, the European Plate and the Chinese Plate. Which of these statements are correct?
- AI, II and III
- BI, III and IV
- CI and III
- DII and IV
Jhumri Telaiya (famous for requests of songs on radio) is located in which state?
- ABihar
- BJharkhand
- COdisha
- DWest Bengal
Match List-I (Natural Hazards) with List-II (Regions) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List-I List-II (Natural Hazards) (Regions) A. Floods 1. Himalayan foothill Zone B. Earthquakes 2. Jharkhand and Northern Odisha C. Droughts 3. Plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar D. Cyclones 4. Mid-Eastern India. Code : A B C D
- A3 1 2 4
- B3 1 4 2
- C2 3 1 4
- D4 2 3 1
What is true about the second Green Revolution in India? 1. It aims at further increasing the production of wheat and rice in areas already benefited from the Green Revolution. 2. It aims at extending seed-water-fertilizer technology to areas which could not benefit from Green Revolution. 3. It aims at increasing yields of crops other than those used for the Green Revolution in the beginning. 4. It aims at integrating cropping with animal husbandry, social forestry and fishing Select the correct answer from the code given below :
- A1 and 2
- B2 and 3
- C2 and 4
- D1 and 4
Which fertilizer will you use for wheat cultivation?
- ANitrogen
- BPotassium
- CCopper
- DIron
Which of the following Indian states is the biggest producer of Mica?
- AAndhra Pradesh
- BBihar
- CJharkhand
- DRajasthan
Which one of the following statements about energy production and consumption in India is not correct?
- ADuring the last decade, energy production in India has shown a declining trend
- BThe per capita energy consumption in the world is the lowest in India
- CThe non-conventional sources of energy contribute less than one percent of the total commercial energy produced in India
- DThe industry is the major energy consuming sector in India
Some iron and steel plants have been planned along the western coast of India. What is the major reason for this locational shift in this industry?
- AIncreased nuclear power generation in the western coastal region
- BThe occurrence of high-grade iron ore deposits in Goa and parts of Madhya Pradesh and the comparative ease of exporting steel from here
- CThe decline in international demand for Indian iron ore from the western coastal region
- DAdoption of sponge iron technology
When does solar eclipse occur?
- AWhen the Sun comes between the earth and the moon
- BWhen the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon
- CWhen the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun
- DNone of the above
The shortest day of the year in Northern Hemisphere is on –
- A21 December
- B22 December
- C21 June
- D22 June
Israel has common borders with:
- ALebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt
- BLebanon, Syria, Turkey and Jordan
- CLebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Egypt
- DLebanon, Syria, Iraq and Egypt
A ridge of 64000 km. length and 2000 km to 2400 km width passing through the north and south Atlantic oceanic basin enters into the south Pacific oceanic basin through the Indian oceanic basin and then from the middle of Australia and Antarctic. This ridge is –
- ASocotra-Lakshadweep - Chagos-Ridge
- BPacific - Antarctica Ridge
- CDolphin - Challenger Ridge
- DMid - Oceanic Ridge
The high tide in the Ocean is caused by
- AEarthquake
- BSun
- CStars
- DMoon
Match List- I with List- II and select the correct answer using the codes given below: List- I List II (A) European trans- (1) Paris to Istanbul Continental railway (B) Trans-Andean railway (2) Leningrad to Vladivostok (C) Trans-Siberian railway (3) Leningrad to Volgograd (D) Orient Express (4) Buenos Aires to Valparaiso (5) Paris to Warsaw Code : A B C D
- A5 4 2 1
- B1 4 3 2
- C5 1 2 3
- D1 2 3 4
Acid rain is caused by –
- AIndustries
- BPetrol
- CBurning coal
- DWood