UPSC 2015 Science & Technology Previous Year Questions

Question 1

Which one of the following best describes the main objective of 'Seed Village Concept'?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Encouraging the farmers to use their own farm seeds and discouraging them to buy the seeds from others | Involving the farmers for training in quality seed production and thereby to make available quality seeds to others at appropriate time and affordable cost | Earmarking some villages exclusively for the production of certified seeds | Identifying the entrepreneurs in villages and providing them technology and finance to set up seed companies. The Seed Village Concept trains

Question 2

H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. AIDS | Bird flu | Dengue | Swine flu. H1N1 influenza, which caused the 2009 pandemic, is commonly known as swine flu because the virus circulates in pigs and crossed over to humans. It spreads through respiratory droplets and is now covered by the seasonal influenza vaccine.

Question 3

In which of the following activities are Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites used? 1. Assessment of crop productivity 2. Locating groundwater resources 3. Mineral exploration 4. Telecommunications 5. Traffic studies Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1, 2 and 3 only | 4 and 5 only | 1 and 2 only | 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Indian Remote Sensing satellites are used for crop assessment, groundwater-resource mapping and mineral exploration. Telecommunications is served by communication satellites, and traffic studies are not the core IRS use listed here.

Question 4

In a particular region in India, the local people train the roots of living trees into robust bridges across the streams. As time passes, these bridges become stronger. These unique 'living root bridges' are found in

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Meghalaya | Himachal Pradesh | Jharkhand | Tamil Nadu. Living root bridges made by training tree roots are a distinctive feature of Meghalaya, especially among Khasi and Jaintia communities.

Question 5

In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/ participants? 1. Bangladesh 2. Cambodia 3. China 4. Myanmar 5. Thailand Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 1 only | 2, 3 and 4 | 1 and 3 | 1, 2 and 5. Mekong-Ganga Cooperation includes India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Bangladesh and China are not participants among the listed countries.

Question 6

Who of the following organized a march on the Tanjore coast to break the Salt Law in April 1930?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai | C. Rajagopalachari | K. Kamaraj | Annie Besant. C. Rajagopalachari led the Vedaranyam/Tanjore coast march in April 1930 to break the Salt Law.

Question 7

The term 'Goldilocks Zone' is often seen in the news in the context of

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. the limits of habitable zone above the surface of the Earth | regions inside the Earth where shale gas is available | search for the Earth-like planets in outer space | search for meteorites containing precious metals. The Goldilocks Zone is the habitable zone around a star where conditions may allow liquid water, and is discussed in the search for Earth-like planets.

Question 8

Who of the following was/were economic critic/critics of colonialism in India? 1. Dadabhai Naoroji 2. G. Subramania Iyer 3. R. C. Dutt Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. 1 only | 1 and 2 only | 2 and 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Dadabhai Naoroji, G. Subramania Iyer and R. C. Dutt all criticized the economic impact of British colonialism, including drain of wealth, revenue policy and deindustrialization.

Question 9

Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. Syria and Jordan | Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia | Philippines and Papua New Guinea | Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam. The major West African Ebola outbreak widely in the news involved Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Question 10

Consider the following pairs: Place of Pilgrimage - Location: 1. Srisailam - Nallamala Hills 2. Omkareshwar - Satmala Hills 3. Pushkar - Mahadeo Hills. Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1 only | 2 and 3 only | 1 and 3 only | 1, 2 and 3. Srisailam is located in the Nallamala Hills. Omkareshwar is on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, and Pushkar is in Rajasthan, so the Satmala/Mahadeo pairings are incorrect.

UPSC 2015 Science & Technology PYQs with Answers