[Paper] Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services HPAS / HAS (Prelim) 2007 General Studies

Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services

HPAS / HAS (Prelim) 2007

General Studies Paper Solved (held on 10-08-2008)

1. Who propounded the doctrine of 'the end justifying the means'?
   1. Rousseau
   2. Hegel
   3. Machiavelli
   4. Nietzshe
2. At which place did Vaso-de-Gama land during his discovery of India?
   1. Goa
   2. Vishakahapattanam
   3. Calicut
   4. Tuticorin
3. What does a lactometer test?
   1. Flow of electric current
   2. Purity of milk
   3. Velocity of wind
   4. Quantity of heat
4. What is hydroponics?
   1. Growing plants in snow-covered areas
   2. Study of creatures living in water
   3. Growing plants through nutrients without the use of soil
   4. Study of water-borne diseases
5. What is Penatgon?
   1. Pope's residence in Rome
   2. An ancient observatory in France
   3. U.S. Defence Headquarters
   4. An entertainment park in Moscow
6. In which State of India is the rocket launching station station Thumba located?
   1. Orissa
   2. Andhra Pradesh
   3. Gujarat
   4. Kerala
7. Who founded the Belur Math near Kolkata?
   1. Swami Vivekananda
   2. Aurobindo Ghosh
   3. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
   4. Swami Ram Tirth
8. What is Korba known for?
   1. Mica deposits
   2. Coal mines
   3. Aluminium plant
   4. Rocket launching pad
9. In which country is Bethlehem, the birth-place of Jesus Christ, located?
   1. Syria
   2. Israel
   3. Egypt
   4. Jordan
10. What is "Hotel Rwanda"?
    1. A five-star hotel in Rwanda
    2. A film about genocide in Rwanda
    3. A book about the martyrdom of a Christian missionary in Rwanda
    4. None of the above
11. Whose consent has to be taken before a money-bill is introduced in a state legislature?
    1. Speaker of the Assembly
    2. Chief Minister
    3. Governor
    4. President
12. To which category does the Planning Commission in India belong?
    1. Statutory body
    2. Advisory body
    3. Constitutional body
    4. Autonomous body
13. What does the Richter scale measure?
    1. Force of an earthquake
    2. Intensity of a storm
    3. Depth of an ocean
    4. Body temperature
14. Which of the following industries needs the largest number of workers?
    1. Sugar
    2. Textile
    3. Jute
    4. Steel
15. Where is the Potala Palace?
    1. Thimpu
    2. Gangtok
    3. Jaipur
    4. Lhasa
16. What does the Antyadaya Scheme aim to achieve?
    1. Raising the standard of living of minorities
    2. Dalit uplift
    3. Helping the poorest of the poor
    4. Total eradication of poverty
17. Which is the largest source of power of supply in India?
    1. Hydro-electricity
    2. Thermal Power
    3. Nuclear Energy
    4. Biogas
18. Which is levied only by the Central Government of India?
    1. Sales Tax
    2. Toll Tax
    3. Income Tax
    4. House Tax
19. Which office does Montek Singh Ahluwalia hold at present?
    1. Union Finance Secretary
    2. Governor of the Reserve Bank
    3. Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission
    4. Chairman of the Public Account Committee
20. Who is the author of the book "The Line of Fire"?
    1. Jaswant Singh
    2. Parvez Musharraf
    3. Imran Khan
    4. Natwar Singh
21. What was the view of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) at its meeting held at Dakar in March 2008 on the question of Kashmir?
    1. Kashmir should be handed over to Pakistan
    2. Kashmir is an integral part of India
    3. The Kashmir dispute be resolved in accordance with U.N. resolutions
    4. The present line of control be converted into international border
22. Which former Prime Minister of India was instrumental in introducing the terms 'Socialist' and 'Secular' in the preamble to the Indian Constitution?
    1. Jawaharlal Nehru
    2. Indira Gandhi
    3. Lal Bahadur Shastri
    4. Chandra Shekhar
23. In which of the following countries is the Kalahari desert located?
    1. Congo
    2. Botswana
    3. Mangolia
    4. Kazakhistan
24. Which of the following is the largest island?
    1. Sumatra
    2. Honsu
    3. Newfoundland
    4. Greenland
25. Which scientist is associated with the explosion of the first atomic bomb?
    1. James Chadwick
    2. Robert Openheimer
    3. Gordon Gold
    4. Bertrand Russell
26. Who laid the foundation of Yoga therapy?
    1. Patanjali
    2. Charaka
    3. Susruta
    4. Dhanwantari
27. In which year was slave trade abolished in the British empire?
    1. 1807
    2. 1789
    3. 1815
    4. 1820
28. Who wrote the famous book 'Essay on Population'?
    1. Adam Smith
    2. Thomas Malthus
    3. John Stuart Mill
    4. T.H. Green
29. Which of the following authors wrote the script of the famous movie "2001: A Space Odyssey"?
    1. Isaac Asimov
    2. Frederick Pohl
    3. Arthur C. Clarke
    4. Kurt Vonnegut
30. For which historical event is the term 'Holocaust' used?
    1. Genocide of Jews under the Nasis
    2. The Great Fire of London
    3. The Atomic bombing of Japan
    4. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour
31. What is 'Xinua'?
    1. A city in Vietnam
    2. A news agency in China
    3. A monastery in Tibet
    4. The head quarters of the Nationalist Chinese Government in Taiwan
32. Which serving Minister of the Union Cabinet was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for 2008?
    1. Lalu Prasad Yadav
    2. Arjun Singh
    3. P. Chidambaram
    4. Pranab Mukherjee
33. Which of the food-stuffs has the highest caloric content?
    1. Peas
    2. Cashewnut
    3. Coconut
    4. Groundnut
34. What happens when an object is transferred from the earth to the moon?
    1. Its weight increases
    2. Its mass increases
    3. Its mass decreases
    4. Its weight decreases but its mass remains constant
35. Who discovered electrons?
    1. Rutherford
    2. Neil Bohr
    3. J.J. Thomson
    4. Max Planck
36. Which scientist was the first to demonstrate the circulation of blood?
    1. Georges Cavier
    2. William Harvey
    3. Richard Owen
    4. Edmund Tyson
37. To which category does an 'asparagus' belong?
    1. Root
    2. Stem
    3. Leaf
    4. Flower
38. Which of the following countries is the largest producer of rubber?
    1. Brazil
    2. Malaysia
    3. Bangladesh
    4. Philippines
39. In which country is Greenwich located?
    1. Sweden
    2. England
    3. France
    4. Spain
40. To which of the following subjects is 'light year' related?
    1. History
    2. Theology
    3. Geography
    4. Astronomy
41. Which of the following communities live in an 'igloo'?
    1. Maoris
    2. Santhals
    3. Eskimos
    4. Ujbeks
42. For what is the word 'Blitzkrieg' used?
    1. A sudden crippling attack
    2. Forest fire
    3. Mass massacre
    4. A devastating flood
43. Which of the following positions does M. Elbardei hold at present?
    1. A judge at the International Court of Justice at the Hague
    2. Head of the Iraqi delegation at the UNO
    3. Chief of International Atomic Energy Agency
    4. UN Chief Weapons Inspector
44. Who is the present Director General of the World Trade Organization?
    1. Pascal Lamy
    2. Nicolas Burns
    3. Peter Mendelson
    4. Thebo Mbeki
45. Who was the captain of the Indian Under-19 cricket team which won the World Cup at Kualalumpur in March 2008?
    1. M. Pandey
    2. R. Jadeha
    3. Virat Kohli
    4. P. Sangwan
46. From which country has India purchased the Barak-I anti-missile defence system?
    1. France
    2. Israel
    3. Russia
    4. Japan
47. What role has the UNO assigned to its envoy Ibrahim Gambari at present?
    1. To oversee the functioning of the Iraqi Government
    2. To create conditions for a dialogue between LTTE and Sri Lankan Government
    3. To bring about a rapprochement between Aung San Su Chi and the military Junta in Myanmar
    4. To inquire into Human Rights violations in Malaysia
48. At which place in Australia was the last cricket match of the tri-series in March 2008, played when India defeated Australia?
    1. Sydney
    2. Perth
    3. Brisbane
    4. Melbourne
49. Which position does Samdhong Rimpoche hold at present?
    1. Tibetan representative in Beijing
    2. Panchen Lama
    3. Tibetan Prime Minister in exile at Dharmshala
    4. Heir-apparent to present Dalai Lama
50. Which American leader has been campaigning about the climate crisis caused by global warming?
    1. Al Gore
    2. Nancy Pelosi
    3. Richard Gere
    4. John McCain
51. With which sport is Narain Kartikeya, associated?
    1. Badminton
    2. Motor-racing
    3. Archery
    4. Swimming
52. What position does Fahmida Mirza hold in Pakistan now?
    1. Central Minister
    2. Speaker of Parliament
    3. Ambassador to India
    4. Leading of Muttahida Quomi Mahaj
53. Which country has honoured Mrs. Sonia Gandhi with the 'Order of Leopold'?
    1. Holland
    2. Italy
    3. Belgium
    4. England
54. With which game is Joaquim Carravelho associated?
    1. Football
    2. Hockey
    3. Tennis
    4. Cricket
55. Who said, "The earth has enough for man's need but not for man's greed"?
    1. Leo Tolstoy
    2. Mahatma Gandhi
    3. Karl Marx
    4. George Bernard Shaw
56. From which country has India purchased the warship INS Jalashwa?
    1. Russia
    2. Sweden
    3. U.S.A.
    4. Germany
57. Which country is known as the 'sugar bowl of the world'?
    1. Indonesia
    2. Cuba
    3. Poland
    4. Kenya
58. In which State of India is the Dudhwa National Park located?
    1. Uttar Pradesh
    2. Rajasthan
    3. Uttarakhand
    4. Assam
59. What is 'Esperanto'?
    1. An African tribe
    2. A tributary of river Nile
    3. An artificial language
    4. A medicine for headache
60. Which of the following erstwhile nations has now been divided into separate states?
    1. Yugoslavia
    2. Bulgaria
    3. Turkey
    4. Czechoslovakia
61. On which mountain range is the Shilla Peak located?
    1. Pir Panjal
    2. Dhauladhar
    3. Zaskar
    4. Shivalik
62. Which river enters Jammu and Kashmir after passing through Himachal Pradesh?
    1. Chenab
    2. Jhelum
    3. Sutlej
    4. Ravi
63. At which place in Himachal Prades is the Central Potato Research Institute located?
    1. Mashobra
    2. Kufri
    3. Naldera
    4. Rohru
64. Which Muslim King besieged the fort of Nagarkot for six months in the later half of the 14the century compelling its ruler to surrender?
    1. Mahmood Ghaznavi
    2. Mohammad Bin Tughlak
    3. Firoz Shah Tughlak
    4. Mohammad Ghori
65. Who forced Raja Ghamand Chand to pay tribute to him in 1770?
    1. Jassa Singh
    2. Amar Singh Thapa
    3. Ahmad Shah Abdali
    4. Jai Singh
66. How did the status of Himachal Pradesh change after the states were reorganised in 1956?
    1. In became a Chief Commissioner's Province
    2. It became a Part C state
    3. It became a Union Territory
    4. It became a full-fledged State
67. Which Governor-General was the first to stay at Shimla?
    1. Lord Mayo
    2. Lord Cornwallis
    3. Lord Amherst
    4. Lord Dalhousie
68. In which year was the Himalayan Hill States Regional Council formed?
    1. 1942
    2. 1946
    3. 1950
    4. 1956
69. What is 'Kee'?
    1. A tributary of river Beas
    2. A hill station
    3. An animal with long horns
    4. A Buddhist Monastery
70. In which year was the "Big Landed States and Land Reforms Act" passed in Himachal Pradesh?
    1. 1954
    2. 1972
    3. 1956
    4. 1960
71. In which year did the first legislative assembly come into existence in Himachal Pradesh?
    1. 1956
    2. 1972
    3. 1952
    4. 1978
72. Which two side were the signatories to the Treaty of Sagauli in 1815?
    1. Sikhs and Gurkhas
    2. Sikhs and the British
    3. Gurkhas and the British
    4. British and the Himachal Princely States
73. Which Himachal Princely State refused to side with the British during the War of Independence of 1857?
    1. Kangra
    2. Bushahar
    3. Nurpur
    4. Bilaspur
74. At which of the following places in Himachal Pradesh is the Mohan Meakins Breweries located?
    1. Nahan
    2. Solan
    3. Parwanoo
    4. Bilaspur
75. At which places are resin and turpentine oil factories located in Himachal Pradesh?
    1. Nahan and Bilaspur
    2. Mandi and Una
    3. Nurpur and Parwanoo
    4. Kullu and Manali
76. On which river is the Kol Dam Hydro-power Plant being constructed?
    1. Ravi
    2. Chenab
    3. Beas
    4. Sutlej
77. Which district of Himachal Pradesh has rock salt deposits?
    1. Kinnaur
    2. Mandi
    3. Chamba
    4. Sirmaur
78. Which princely state was founded by Raja Rasalu?
    1. Sirmaur
    2. Bushahar
    3. Jubbal
    4. Suket
79. In which Himachal princely state did the people demand abolition of 'Begar', leading to police firing on agitators?
    1. Suket
    2. Chamba
    3. Dhami
    4. Keonthal
80. Which of the two great men were contemporaries?
    1. Nicolas Copernicus and Galileo Galilie
    2. Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon
    3. Karl Marx and Charles Darwin
    4. Sigmund Freud and Adam Smith
81. Which American President ordered dropping of atomic bombs on Japan during World War II?
    1. Dwight D. Eisenhower
    2. F.D. Roosevelt
    3. Harry Truman
    4. Herbert Hoover
82. Which British Prime Minister was awarded Nobel Prize for Literature?
    1. Ramsay MacDonald
    2. Lloyd George
    3. Harold McMillan
    4. Winston Churchill
83. In which country is 'Wateloo' located?
    1. Holland
    2. England
    3. France
    4. Belgium
84. With whom is the ideology of Fascism associated?
    1. Joseph Stalin
    2. Adolf Hitler
    3. Benito Mussolini
    4. Fredericd Nietzsche
85. Who is known as "The Lady With The Lamp"?
    1. Florence Nigthingale
    2. Helen Keller
    3. Margaret Thatcher
    4. Annie Besant
86. Which country adopted the 'Monroe Doctrine' as a part of its foreign policy?
    1. Britain
    2. USA
    3. Soviet Union
    4. China
87. Which Russian leader introduced 'perestroika' and 'glassnost' in the Soviet Union, leading to its disintegration?
    1. Nikita Khrushchev
    2. Leonid Breznev
    3. Mikhael Gorbachev
    4. Boris Yeltsin
88. Which independent country is the latest to be carved out of the erstwhile Yugoslavia?
    1. Albania
    2. Kosovo
    3. Slovakia
    4. Bosnia Harjegovina
89. Which leader is credited with introducing globalization and market economy in China?
    1. Lieu Shao Chi
    2. Deng Shiao Ping
    3. Chou En-Lai
    4. Ziang Zemin
90. Which office did Vitthal Bhai Patel hold after the formation of the Swaraj Party in 1925?
    1. Deputy Leader of the Swaraj Party
    2. Member of the Viceroy's Council
    3. Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly
    4. Secretary of All India Congress Committee
91. Which of the following books helped Mahatma Gandhi in shaping his views on social and economic reform?
    1. The Wealth of Nations
    2. Unto This Last
    3. Das Capital
    4. Arthashastra
92. Which of the following if the last of the 50 states constituting the United States of America?
    1. Alaska
    2. New Mexica
    3. Indiana
    4. Hawaii
93. Which of the following never became Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
    1. Anant Shayanam Ayengar
    2. Rabi Roy
    3. G S Dhillon
    4. Madhu Limaye
94. Who was Torman?
    1. A Hun invader and ruler of the 5th century
    2. A historian of the Gupta dynasty
    3. A Chieftain in the Alexander's army
    4. A monk who spread Buddhism in China
95. Who built Charminar at Hyderabad?
    1. Sikandar Shah
    2. Shah Jahan
    3. Nizam-ul-Mulk
    4. Adil Shah of Bijapur
96. Who was the author of the famous Sanskrit drama 'Mrichchkatik'?
    1. Sudrak
    2. Bhavbhuti
    3. Bharavi
    4. Bhasa
97. Who wrote 'Pilgrim's Progress'?
    1. Oliver Goldsmith
    2. Christopher Marlowe
    3. John Bunyan
    4. Alexander Pope
98. In which year was the People's Republic of China admitted as a member of the UNO?
    1. 1949
    2. 1962
    3. 1971
    4. 1980
99. Of which country does 'Xinjiang Uygur' province form part?
    1. Iran
    2. Turkomanistan
    3. Indonesia
    4. China
100. In which continent is Surinam located?
     1. South America
     2. Asia
     3. Africa
     4. Europe
101. Which of the following African countries has the larges area?
     1. Egypt
     2. Nigeria
     3. Sudan
     4. Somalia
102. Which country is skirted by the warm Kuroshio current?
     1. China
     2. Japan
     3. Norway
     4. Ireland
103. Which Sikh Guru was sentenced to death by Emperor Jahangir for blessing rebellion prince Khosrau?
     1. Guru Hargovind
     2. Guru Tegh Bhadur
     3. Guru Arjun Dev
     4. Guru Har Rai
104. Which Peshwa emerged as the real head of Maratha Confederacy under the Sangola Agreement?
     1. Balaji Vishwanath
     2. Madhav Rao
     3. Bahi Rao I
     4. Balaji Baji Rao
105. What was the main proposal of the original Ilbert Bill presented in the Central Legislative Council during the tenure of Viceroy Lord Ripon?
     1. Promotion of Indians up to the rank of district collector
     2. Empowering Indian judges to try cases involving Europeans also
     3. Confiscating the property of freedom fighter without assigning any reason
     4. Setting up a centre of ICS examination in India
106. Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress held at Bombay in 1885?
     1. Dadabhai Naoroji
     2. Surendra Nath Bannerjee
     3. A O Hume
     4. W C Bannerjee
107. Who had set up the India Home Rule Society in London in 1905?
     1. Bhikaji Kama
     2. Shyamji Krishna Verma
     3. Lala Har Dayal
     4. Madan Lal Dhingra
108. Which Viceroy had promulgated the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 to muzzle press freedom?
     1. Lord Ripon
     2. Lord Mayo
     3. Lord Lytton
     4. Lord Dufferin
109. Which amendment to the Indian Constitution banned floor-crossing by Members of Parliament and State Legislatures elected on party-ticket?
     1. 42
     2. 44
     3. 52
     4. 54
110. Which schedule of the Indian Constitution describes the division between Centre and State functions on the basis of three lists?
     1. Fourth Schedule
     2. Eighth Schedule
     3. Third Schedule
     4. Seventh Schedule
111. Which of the following types of disputes can be directly raised in the Supreme Court?
     1. Enforcement of Fundamental Rights
     2. Civil matters where the amount involved is not less than Rs. 20000
     3. Cases of murder
     4. Cases related to destruction of public property
112. Which of the refineries at the following places is not owned by the Indian Oil Corporation?
     1. Barauni
     2. Haldia
     3. Vishakhapattanam
     4. Koyali
113. Which of the following fundamental rights was repealed by an Act of Parliament in 1978?
     1. Right to Equality
     2. Right against Exploitation
     3. Right to Freedom of Speech
     4. Right to Property
114. Who was the first leader to call Mahatma Gandhi 'Father of the Nation'?
     1. Jawaharlal Nehru
     2. Sardar Vallabhbhai Pate
     3. C. Rajagopalachari
     4. Subhash Chandra Bose
115. Who was the author of the book 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde'?
     1. Oscal Wilde
     2. H G Wells
     3. R L Stevenson
     4. John Galsworthy
116. Who has written the book 'My Country My Life'?
     1. Atal Bihari Vajpai
     2. Indra Kumar Gujral
     3. Lal Krishna Advani
     4. V P Singh
117. Which of Shakespeare's plays was once banned in England in 1788?
     1. Julius Caesar
     2. King Lear
     3. Othello
     4. Tempest
118. Why does a burning candle get extinguished when it is covered with a tumbler?
     1. Because of the vacuum inside the tumbler
     2. Because the supply of oxygen is cut off
     3. Because of pressure exerted by the tumbler
     4. None of the above
119. Why does water get cooled in an earthen pitcher?
     1. Because the clay does not absorb hear from the atmosphere
     2. Because of the pores in the clay walls of the pitcher
     3. Because the thick clay walls keep out heat
     4. Because of cold air present inside the pitcher
120. Why is sea water saline?
     1. Because of the presence of salt rocks in the sea
     2. Because of the saline liquid exuded by sea creatures
     3. Because of evaporation caused by sun-rays
     4. Because of salt brought to sea by rivers