BPSC Prelims (Combined Competitive Exam)
56th–59th BPSC Prelims 2014: Previous-Year Questions
83 questions from this paper, sorted by subject, with their options. Each one opens to its answer and explanation.
Modern History 21 questions
Who was the Governor-General of India in 1857?
- AWellesley
- BDalhousie
- CCanning
- DMinto
The correct geographical location for the Ramosi Uprising was –
- AWestern India
- BEastern Ghats
- CEastern India
- DWestern Ghats
The Waghera Uprising happened in –
- ASurat
- BPoona
- CCalicut
- DBaroda
Who founded the ‘Pagal Panth’?
- ABulleh Shah
- BKaram Shah
- CYaduvendra Singh
- DSwami Sahajananda
To control the media in India, ‘Acts’ were passed in –
- A1835, 1867, 1878, 1908
- B1854, 1864, 1872, 1910
- C1854, 1872, 1908, 1910
- D1867, 1908, 1910, 1919
Who were the Faraizis?
- AFollowers of Haji Shariatullah
- BFollowers of Dadu
- CFollowers of the Arya Samaj
- DFollowers of the Muslim League
Who was the first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress?
- AMrs. Annie Besant
- BSucheta Kriplani
- CSarojini Naidu
- DIndira Gandhi
The process of a split in the Congress in the early years of the twentieth century began over –
- AStrategies of the Congress Movement
- BObjectives of the Congress
- CParticipation of the people in the Congress Movement
- DAll of the above
Who penned the following lines? “Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai Dekhna hai zor kitna bazu-e-qatil me hai”.
- ABismil
- BRajguru
- CBhagat Singh
- DAzad
Where did Madam Cama hoist the first tricolour flag in 1907?
- ALondon
- BParis
- CMoscow
- DStuttgart
Which movement started after the Partition of Bengal?
- ACivil Disobedience
- BSwadeshi Movement
- CQuit India Movement
- DNon-Cooperation Movement
At which place in Bihar Gandhiji had his first Satyagraha?
- AChamparan
- BChhapra
- CBettiah
- DPatna
Swami Sahajananda Saraswati formed the All India United Kisan Sabha with the demand for the ‘nationalisation of land and waterways’:
- AJust before his death
- BAt a very young age
- CIn the 1930s
- DIn the 1920s
Identify the years closest to the establishment of the Communist Party of India and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh respectively.
- A1915,1914
- B1925, 1925
- C1928, 1925
- D1925, 1929
After which incident, Mahatma Gandhi had called Non-cooperation Movement as his "Himalayan Blunder"?
- AChauri Chaura
- BKheda Satyagraha
- CNagpur Satyagraha
- DRajkot Satyagraha
Fill in the blanks— The Nehru Report was prepared by a committee under the chairmanship of........... and its subject was...........
- AMotilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru; India’s relationship with the British Empire
- BJawaharlal Nehru; local self-government in India
- CMotilal Nehru; constitutional arrangements in India
- DJawaharlal Nehru; constitutional arrangements in India
Which Round Table Conference was held in 1932?
- AFirst
- BSecond
- CThird
- DFourth
In which year was the Regulating Act passed?
- AA.D. 1757
- BA.D. 1765
- CA.D. 1773
- DA.D. 1793
Who first raised the demand for 'complete independence' in the year 1921?
- AMaulana Mohammad Ali
- BPandit Jawaharlal Nehru
- CMahatma Gandhi
- DMaulana Hasrat Mohani
What was the common relationship between Katherine Mayo, Aldous Huxley, Charles Andrews and William Digby?
- AThey wrote commentaries on the condition of India during the British rule
- BThey were supporters of the Indian National Movement
- CThey were opponents of the Indian National Movement
- DThey were friends of Mahatma Gandhi
‘New Lamps for Old’ was a series of articles (1893-94) that criticized the Congress for being out of touch with the ‘proletariat.’ Who was the author of these articles?
- AAurobindo Ghose
- BA. O. Hume
- CG.K. Gokhale
- DB.G. Tilak
Ancient History 6 questions
Who among the following was not associated with the excavation of Harappa and Mohenjodaro?
- AR. D. Banerjee
- BK.N. Dikshit
- CM.S. Vats
- DV.A. Smith
Who is called ‘the Napoleon of Ancient India’?
- AChandragupta Maurya
- BPushyamitra
- CKanishka
- DSamudragupta
Who was the founder of Nalanda University?
- AChandragupta Vikramaditya
- BKumaragupta
- CDharmapal
- DPushyagupta
Which Chinese traveller visited India during Harshavardhana’s rule?
- AFa-Hien
- BHiuen-Tsang
- CI-Tsing
- DTaranath
Who was the author of ‘Indica’?
- AVishnugupta
- BMegasthenes
- CDeimachus
- DPliny
Who was the founder of the Karnata dynasty?
- ANanyadeva
- BNarasimhadeva
- CVijaydev
- DHaridev
- ENone of the above/More than one of the above
Medieval History 5 questions
What is ‘Adhai Din ka Jhonpra’?
- AMosque
- BTemple
- CSaint’s hut
- DTower
Who was the commander of Rana Pratap’s army in the Battle of Haldighati?
- AAmar Singh
- BMan Singh
- CHakim Khan
- DShakti Singh
In which language was ‘Tuzuk-i-Baburi’ written?
- APersian
- BArabic
- CTurkish
- DUrdu
Which Sikh Guru was born in Patna?
- ANanak
- BTegh Bahadur
- CHargobind
- DGobind Singh
Where was the capital of Shivaji?
- ARaigarh
- BSindhudurg
- CPoona
- DKolhapur
Bihar Special GK 14 questions
Which of the following statements is correct?
- AIn 1857 the Maharajas of Darbhanga, Dumraon and Hatwa and their fellow landlords helped the British with men and money
- BIn 1857 the Maharajas of Darbhanga, Dumraon and Hatwa and their fellow landlords helped the British with men, not money
- CIn 1857 the Maharajas of Darbhanga, Dumraon and Hatwa and their fellow landlords helped the British with money not men
- DIn 1857, the Maharajas of Darbhanga, Dumraon and Hatwa and their fellow landlords opposed the British
Fill in the blank: In ......... the rights of the tenants on land in Bengal and Bihar were given by the Bengal Tenancy Act.
- A1885
- B1886
- C1889
- D1900
Who was the President of the Gaya Session of the Indian National Congress held in 1922?
- AChittaranjan Das
- BS.N. Banerjee
- CDr. Rajendra Prasad
- DHakim Ajmal Khan
One of the popular beliefs in Bihar during the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920-22 was that they would be victorious because Gandhi?
- AWas the epitome of Dharma
- BWas an accomplished politician
- CKnew the ways to defeat the English
- DKnew English
In which area was Rahul Sankrityayan active in the Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920?
- AChhapra
- BDelhi
- CLucknow
- DPatna
Which of the following was/were a farmer leader/leaders of Bihar?
- I. Swami Vidyanand
- II. Swami Sahajanand
- III. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Select the correct option from the following:
- AI and II
- BII and III
- CI and III
- DOnly II
By which name is Jay Prakash Narayan known?
- ALokmanya
- BLoknayak
- CLokhitvadi
- DLokneta
How many members are elected to the Lok Sabha from Bihar?
- A20
- B30
- C35
- D40
Which of the following cities is located in the easternmost part of Bihar?
- ABhagalpur
- BPatna
- CKatihar
- DPurnia
How much square meter of forest of area is there in Bihar?
- A2812 sq. meter
- B3612 sq. meter
- C2461 sq. meter
- D2612 sq. meter
Which of the following lakes is located in Bihar?
- AAnupam Lake
- BSambhar Lake
- CSukhna Lake
- DRama Lake
Which is the unique festival of Bihar?
- ADeepavali
- BBisu
- CVinayak Chaturthi
- DChhath Puja
Who highlighted the plight of the farmers of Champaran by writing under pseudonyms such as 'Dukhi', 'Dukhi Atma', 'Dukhi Hriday'?
- APir Muhammad Munis
- BRajendra Prasad
- CSahajanand Saraswati
- DS.N. Sinha
In Bihar, Dalmianagar is famous for—
- ASilk
- BCement
- CLeather
- DJute
Indian Polity 3 questions
The Decentralization System was recommended by -
- AC. Rajagopalachari
- BJ.B. Kripalani
- CBalwant Rai Mehta
- DAshok Mehta
Justice J. S. Verma Committee Report, 2013 is related to—
- ACentre–State relations
- BChanges in laws related to crimes against women
- CFundamental Rights
- DRights of children
Amnesty International is an organization associated with
- AProtection of women’s rights
- BProtection of human rights
- CAbolition of untouchability
- DNone of the above
Geography 15 questions
Which amongst the following states has no identified tribal community?
- AMaharashtra
- BChhattisgarh
- CHaryana
- DKarnataka
In India, ‘Yarlung Zangbo River’ is known as:
- AGanga
- BIndus
- CBrahmaputra
- DMahanadi
Which of the following drainage systems fall into the Bay of Bengal?
- AGanga, Brahmaputra, and Godavari
- BMahanadi, Krishna, and Cauvery
- CLuni, Narmada, and Tapti
- DBoth (a) and (b)
Which one of the following is the driest place?
- AMumbai
- BDelhi
- CLeh
- DBangalore
‘Nagarjuna Sagar Multipurpose Project’ is on which river?
- ATapti
- BKosi
- CGodavari
- DKrishna
What was the total production of oilseeds in India in the year 2013–14?
- A34.32 million tonnes
- B43.34 million tonnes
- C20.89 million tonnes
- D30.72 million tonnes
The two states of India, most richly endowed with iron ore, are
- ABihar and West Bengal
- BMadhya Pradesh and Odisha
- CBihar and Odisha
- DMadhya Pradesh and West Bengal
What is mainly found in the Jharia area of Jharkhand?
- AThorium
- BSilk
- CGold
- DCoal
The oldest oil field in India is –
- ABombay High, Maharashtra
- BAnkleshwar, Gujarat
- CNavgam, Gujarat
- DDigboi, Assam
The scientist who first discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun was—
- ANewton
- BDalton
- CCopernicus
- DEinstein
Pennines (Europe), Appalachians (America) and Aravalli (India) are examples of-
- AYoung mountain ranges
- BOld mountain ranges
- CBlock mountain ranges
- DFold mountain ranges
Which country has the largest coastline?
- AU.S.A
- BAustralia
- CCanada
- DIndia
Match the rivers with the cities through which they are flowing and select the correct answer using the codes given below: City River A. Rotterdam (1) Seine B. Paris (2) Potomac C. Budapest (3) Rhine D. Washington (4) Danube Code : A B C D
- A2 3 1 4
- B1 3 4 2
- C3 1 4 2
- D4 3 2 1
The largest producer of aluminium in the world is –
- AFrance
- BIndia
- CU.S.A
- DItaly
Which of the following is the largest metal trading centre?
- AJohannesburg
- BNew York
- CLondon
- DSingapore
Biology 14 questions
Who synthesized the DNA in Vitro?
- AArthur Kornberg
- BRobert Hooke
- CEdward Jenner
- DJoseph Lister
Cloves are obtained from which of the following parts of the plant?
- ADried leaves
- BDried stems
- CDried seeds
- DDried flower buds
A plant bud is
- AAn embryonic shoot
- BAn embryonic leaf
- CAn endosperm
- DA seed
The smallest organism, capable of autonomous growth and reproduction, is
- AVirus
- BBacteria
- CMycoplasma
- DBacteriophage
Energy is stored in liver and muscles in the form of
- ACarbohydrate
- BFat
- CProtein
- DGlycogen
The total volume of blood in a normal adult human being is?
- A5-6 liters
- B3-4 liters
- C8-10 liters
- D10-12 liters
The average blood flow through kidneys per minute is
- A1000 cc
- B1200 cc
- C200 cc
- D500 cc
The reason of large-scale diversity among the organisms is
- AAdaptation
- BCooperation
- CMutation
- DPolyploidy
Oncogenes are associated with?
- ATuberculosis
- BHepatitis
- CCancer
- DTyphoid
Which of the following can cause cancer as well as cure it depending upon its intensity and use?
- ATobacco
- BAlcohol
- CIonized radiation
- DUltraviolet rays
Typhoid and cholera are typical examples of
- AInfectious diseases
- BAirborne diseases
- CWaterborne diseases
- DNone of the above
What is vermiculture?
- AThe science of raising worms
- BThe science of studying animals
- CThe science of studying fishes
- DThe science of killing worms
Who discovered bacteria?
- AFleming
- BLamble
- CTemin
- DLeeuwenhoek
The first human heart transplant was performed in __________.
- AAmerica
- BEngland
- CSouth Africa
- DFrance
Chemistry 4 questions
Which is the most reactive metal?
- ASodium
- BPotassium
- CIron
- DCalcium
Which of the following elements is found in all organic compounds?
- ACarbon
- BCalcium
- CNitrogen
- DOxygen
Which of the following gases is used in cigarette lighters?
- AButane
- BMethane
- CPropane
- DRadon
What was the fissionable material used in the bombs dropped at Nagasaki (Japan) in the year 1945?
- ASodium
- BPotassium
- CPlutonium
- DUranium
Physics 1 question
Cosmic rays
- Aare charged particles
- Bare uncharged particles
- Ccan be charged as well as uncharged
- DNone of the above