IAS Prelims Sample Test
By S.K. Mishra, IAS (Retd.) & Manoj K. Jha
GENERAL STUDIES PAPER- II
Time Allowed: Two Hours
Maximum Marks: 200
INSTRUCTIONS
1.
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the Box provided alongside. DO NOT write anything else
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4.
This Test Booklet contains 80 items (questions). Each item is printed in English only. Each item comprises
four responses (answers). You will select the response which you want to mark on the Answer Sheet. In case
you feel that there is more than one correct response, mark the response which you consider the best. In any
case, choose ONLY ONE response for each item. More than one response will be treated as wrong
answer.
5.
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explaining the details of such alleged discrepancy, be submitted within three days, indicating the Question
No(s) and the Test Booklet Series, in which the discrepancy is alleged. Representation not received within
time shall not be entertained at all.
6.
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7.
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8.
For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one third (-0.33 %) of the
marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty. There will be no penalty for a question which is
left blank.
9.
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have to fill in some particulars in the Response Sheet as per instructions sent to you with your Admit Card and
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you should hand over to the Invigilator only the Response Sheet. You are permitted to take away with you
the Test Booklet.I
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Passage I
OR
About two­third of the illiterate adults in the world
are females. As the world works to implement the
goals of Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG), Women's literacy occupy
a place of importance. The United Nation's Literacy
Decade (UNLD ­ 2003­12) provides a special focus
for enhanced collective endeavors and is a chance
that must not be lost. In his book "Development as
Freedom", Amartya Sen observes repeatedly that
expansion of literacy specially female literacy, has a
positive effect on basic aspirations such as life
expectancy and political voice. It is at this level, the
discrimination is conceived putting a stop to her
Education and Development.
The neglect of education during colonial times
combined with social distortions had made the quest
for learning a rather difficult task especially for those
belonging to under privileged social groups mainly
SCs/STs and women. The problem of illiteracy was
further aggravated by social constraints, which
inhibit female literacy and educational development
of women. Gender inequality is one of the most
crucial and yet one of the most persistent disparities
in India where differences in female and male literacy
rates are glaring, more so in the rural areas and
among the disadvantaged sections of society. The
growth rate for female literacy in the last decade
has been 3% higher than the growth rate for male
literacy resulting in a decline in the absolute numbers
of illiterate women ­ from 200.7 million in 1991 to
190 million in 2001. Gender differential in education,
however, continues to be high at 21.7%. This can be
attributed to a number of factors ­ lack of access to
schools, lack of toilets and drinking water, parents
feeling insecure about sending girl children, poor
quality of education in government schools, and high
fees charged by the private ones.
E
Directions for question 1 to 3: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
GS
SC
There is a growing sense of momentum and
recognition globally around literacy in general and
Women's Literacy in particular. The global
commitment to overcome illiteracy or reducing the
imbalance between the literates and illiterates is
clearly endorsed by the UN Literacy decade (2003­
2012) and by the report on the World Social Situation
(2005). Governments are engaged and a lot has been
done in this area. The millennium development goals
(MDG) have added an additional spur to action.
Failure to address this illiteracy predicament will
impede the Human Resource Development. Literacy
is both an Indicator and an Instrument of
development, and its attainment is a major factor
behind accumulation of Human Capital.
Education in general and mass literacy in particular,
is a key contributor to Human Resource Development
and is thus basic to any programme of Social and
Economic progress. The Gender Achievements and
Prospects in Education report (GAP, 2005) quotes
"Illiteracy is a catastrophe for any child, but
particularly devastating for girls. Girls who are
denied education are more vulnerable to poverty,
hunger, violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking,
HIV/AIDS and other diseases and maternal
mortality. If they become mothers, there is a greater
chance that they will bequeath literacy and poverty
to the next generation."
2
According to the Census of India 2001, the female
literacy rate increased from 39.29 per cent in 1991
to 54.16 in 2001 (i.e. by 14.87 percentage points):
whereas, in case of males it increased from 64.13
percent to 75.85 per cent (i.e. by 11.69 percentage
points) during the same period. It means female
literacy in the last 10 years has grown at a faster
rate then the male literacy rate. This has resulted in
narrowing down of the gender gap in literacy rate
from 24.84 in 1991 to 21.69 percentage points in 2001.
1. According to the passage what has been the
main reason that has made the quest for
learning a difficult task?
(a) The neglect of education during colonial
times combined with social distortions.
(b) The neglect of education since
independence as this has been the area
where the budget allocation has always
been less.
(c) Only the social distortions that has lead to
learning being a difficult task.
(d) Gender differential in education.
2. According to the passage what are the main
factors for Gender Differentials in Education?
1. Lack of access to schools
2. Parents feeling insecure about sending girl
children.
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
4. Teacher's lack of interest in teaching the
girl child.
Select the correct code:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 1 & 2
(c) Only 1, 2 & 3
(d) All of the above
3. Failure to address this illiteracy predicament
will impede the development of …?
(a) Human Resource.
(d) World Social Situation.
Directions for question 4 to 8: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
SC
Passage II
GS
"Public service delivery is an integral component for
achieving growth oriented governance. Citizen
centricity with the aim of ensuring citizens' welfare
and satisfaction is critical for any government­local,
state or national­which aims to provide good
governance. India has an elaborate legal framework
and institutional structures underpinned by the
Constitution­articulated vision of a welfare state and
by implication, provide for creation of a citizen­
centric governance structure. The average citizen is
concerned less with the convolutions of governance
and politics, or the myriad structures and levels of
government departments than with obtaining rapid
and equitable access to government services, whether
regulatory or developmental or welfare oriented,
preferably at his doorstep. Therefore, stability,
transparency, efficiency and continuity in the
governance systems that the citizens are most
immediately concerned with, is so necessary. That is
why, our priority in India must be to place the citizen
at the centre of a modern public administration.
India is a developing country and there are special
requirements of them. It is through public service
that inclusive and sustainable economic development
can be achieved. The Government is responsible both
for accelerating the pace of growth and also for
making the growth process inclusive. The former
calls for economic modernization and liberalisation,
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
4. According to the passage:
(i) The average person is more concerned
about the corruption free administration
than anything else.
(ii) The Indian Constitution has provided a
machinery which enables the goal of a
welfare state.
(iii) Inclusive growth can only be achieved in
India if local, state and national
governments work in perfect coordination.
(iv) In order to have growth process inclusive,
public delivery system requires priority.
OR
(b) The millennium development goals (MDG).
(c) The Gender Achievements and Prospects
in Education.
for making government less intrusive and more
transparent. The latter calls for greater attention
being paid to public service delivery systems, in areas
like education, healthcare urban and rural
infrastructure and services and employment
generation."
E
3. Poor quality of education in government
schools.
Which of the statements given above are
correct?
(a) (ii) and (iii) only (b) (ii) and (iv) only
(c) (iii) and (iv) only (d) (i) and (ii) only
5. According to the passage, good governance will
require:
(a) Citizen's welfare and satisfaction.
(b) Education, healthcare, urban and rural
infrastructure and services and employment
generation.
(c) Stability, transparency, efficiency and
continuity in the governance system.
(d) Good public service along with inclusive
and sustainable economic development.
6. Government is duty bound for accelerating the
pace of growth. This can be achieved by:
(i) Modernising the economy, ensuring
deregulation, delicensing, etc.
(ii) By ensuring privatization and making the
system opaque.
(iii) By making government bare minimum
noticeable.
(iv) By making government more open and
accountable.
Select the correct answer from the code given
below:
(a) (i) and (ii) only
(b) (i) and (iii) only
(c) (ii) and (iii) only (d) (i) and (iv) only
3
(a) Ensuring inclusive growth
satisfaction of the citizen.
for
the
(b) Ensuring education, healthcare, urban and
rural infrastructure.
(c) Sustainable development with centrality of
the common people.
(d) Public service delivery ensuring peoples'
satisfaction.
Six friends went on a vacation to a hill station. They
are to be accommodated in a row of nine cottages,
numbered 1 to 9 from left. Each of them is assigned
only one Cottage. Mohan, Tanya and Roma do not
want to live in a cottage at the end of a row. Babu
and Mohan must not have anybody adjacent to their
cottages. There is only an empty cottage between
Mohan and Roma. Chander is adjacent to both
Jayanthi and Roma. Tanya is next to the cottage at
the beginning.
OR
8. According to the passage, the average citizen
is least interested to understand the hierarchical
structure and mystical shape of government,
rather more interested to know the outcome
and quick service delivery. Of the following,
which conveys his feelings?
Directions for questions 10 to 13: Answer the
questions on the basis of the information given
below:
E
7. What essential message does the author want
to convey through the passage?
(b)
People are fed up with the formal structure
and politician's role. In fact they expect the
government machinery to act fast and
ensure speedy justice at their doorstep.
GS
(c) People have nothing to do with extremely
large structure of the government which is
complicated and difficult to comprehend.
What they require is enabling governance
that should facilitate all their requirements.
(d) People hardly bother what the rules and
acts say and who are authorities, who have
to act, they are more concerned with
obtaining rapid and equitable services in a
time bound manner.
9. Two positions of a dice are shown below:
(a) Roma
(b) Babu
(c) Mohan
(d) Tanya
11. Which cottages are empty?
SC
(a) People are least concerned with long list of
rules and regulations and in govt., rather
they require quick redressal of their
grievances.
10. Who has empty cottages in both sides?
(a) 1, 6, 8
(b) 1, 5, 8
(c) 4, 5, 6
(d) 5, 6, 8
12. Who is in the third cottage?
(a) Jayanthi
(b) Chander
(c) Nobody
(d) Roma
13. What is the maximum number of consecutive
cottages that are occupied?
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 1
(d) 4
14. Four friends P, Q, R and S go to four different
movies ­ Predator, MI­2, True Lies and Tarzan
in four different theatres ­ A, B, C and D. It is
known that:
1. P did not go to A or B nor did he see MI­
2 or True Lies.
2. S went to C but did not watch MI­2 or
Predator.
3. Q did not go to B but watched MI­2
4. R did not watch any movie starting with
letter 'T'.
Which of the following is incorrect?
4
When three (3) dots are at the top, how many
will be at the bottom?
(a) P went to D and did not watch Predator.
(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) R went to B and watched Predator.
(c) 4
(d) 5
(d) S went to C and watched Tarzan.
(b) Q went to A and Watched MI­2.
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
Directions for question 15 to 18: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
The need of a constantly expanding market for its
products chases the bour­geoisie over the entire
surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle
everywhere, establish connections everywhere,
Passage III
15. Which of the assumptions are correct as per
the passage?
2. Bourgeoise has altered social relationships.
Select the correct code:
(a) Only Assumption 1 is correct.
SC
OR
The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand,
has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic
relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley
feudal ties that bound man to his ‘natural superiors’,
and has left no other nexus between man and man
than naked self­interest, than callous ‘cash pay­ment’.
It has drowned out the most heavenly ecstasies of
religious fervour, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of
philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of
egotistical calculation. It has resolved personal worth
into exchange value, and in place of the numberless
indefeasible chartered freedoms, has set up that
single, unconscionable freedom—Free Trade. In one
word, for exploi­tation, veiled by religious and
political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless,
direct, brutal exploitation.
1. Bourgeoise (capitalist) causes a constant
change in the means and processes of
production.
E
The bourgeoisie, historically, has played the most
revolutionary part.
GS
The bourgeoisie has stripped of its halo every
occupation hitherto honoured and looked up to with
reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the
law­yer, the priest, the poet, the man of science, into
its paid wage labourers. The bourgeoisie has torn
away from the family its sentimental veil, and has
reduced family relations into a mere money relation.
The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly
revolutionising the instru­ments of production, and
thereby the relations of production, and with them
the whole relations of society. Conservation of the
old modes of production in unaltered form, was, on
the contrary, the first condition of existence for all
earlier industrial classes. Constant revolutionising of
production, unin­terrupted disturbance of all social
conditions, everlasting uncertainty and agitation
distinguish the bourgeoise epoch from all earlier ones.
All fixed, fast frozen relations, with their train of
ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are
swept away, all new­formed ones become antiquated
before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air,
all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last
compelled to face with sober senses his real condition
of life and his relations with his kind.
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
(b) Only Assumption 2 is correct.
(c) Both Assumptions 1 and 2 are correct.
(d) Neither Assumption 1 nor 2 is correct.
16. What is the revolutionary part, which the
author refers to, which the bourgeoise has
played?
(a) It has transferred the social powers from
the serbs to the feudal class.
(b) It has contributed to funding of revolutions
and consequent change of power.
(c) It has made monetary interest the focal
point of relationship between individuals
and society.
(d) It has brought radical change in the means
of production.
17. Which one of the following is correct
interpretation of the views of the author?
1. Free trade has ended the exploitation earlier
carried out in the garb of religious and
political beliefs.
2. Bourgeoise has brought a degree of honour
to the paid wage labourers as it has freed
them from the clutches of feudalism and
guildship, to earn money directly for
themselves.
Select the correct code:
(a) Only Interpretation 1 is correct.
(b) Only Interpretation 2 is correct.
(c) Both Interpretations 1 and 2 are correct.
(d) Neither Interpretation 1 nor 2 is correct.
5
1. Bourgeoise had to change the means and
tools of production to cater to the rising
demand of expanding market, thereby
bringing in social changes.
2. Bourgeoise had to break the shackles of
guilds to wrest control over means of
production and the market. This brought
change in social relations.
3. The bourgeoise were resentful of the old
means of production, which did not have
space for them.
Select the correct code:
(a) 1, 2, 3, 4
(d) Only 4
GS
19. 4 men and 6 boys can do a piece of work in 12
days. 6 men and 15 boys can do the same work
in 6 days. In how much time can 2 men and 15
boys complete double the same work?
(a) 16 days
(b) 24 days
(c) 36 days
(d) None of these
20. If 4%of the total births result in twins, then
what percentage of infants are twins?
(Assuming that there are no infant deaths).
(a) less than 4%
(b) 4%
(c) 7.7%
(d) Cannot be determined
21. Two brothers Dharma and Bhim have two sons
each. Ram and Laxman are the sons of Dharma
whose ages are in the ratio 9 : 8 respectively.
Bharat and Sharat are the sons of Bhim whose
ages are in the ratio of 7 : 6. After seven years
Ram is elder than Sharat by 24 years. Given
that the ages of Ram, Laxman, Bharat and
Sharat are in A.P. Find the sum of the present
ages of Laxman and Bharat?
(a) 32 years
(b) 48 years
(c) 120 years
(d) 64 years
6
(b) 50
(c) 30
(d) 20
23. Two friends Ram and Rahim started from two
places A and B towards B and A respectively
at 11:40 a.m. The speeds of Ram and Rahim
are in the ratio 3 : 4. They meet at C (in between
A and B) spent some time together and both
started towards their destination at 12:40 p.m.
If Ram reached B at 1: 44 p.m. how much time
did they spend together?
SC
(b) 1, 2 & 4
(c) Only 1 & 4
(a) 40
OR
4. The bourgeoise value only money and
profit, which ushered in a culture of value
of money over relationships thus changing
the social relations.
22. A certain hostel block has ten times as many
rooms as there are floors in it and each floor
contains equal number of single occupancy
rooms. When 5 persons came to know that 10%
of the rooms in the block were unoccupied they
applied for accommodation and one of them
was rejected accommodation because the block
was full after the accommodation was provided
to the other four. Find the total number of rooms
in the block.
E
18. Why did the bourgeoise bring about a change
in relations in the society?
(a) 18 minutes
(b) 16 minutes
(c) 12 minutes
(d) Cannot be determined
24. A train of length L overtakes a cyclist travelling
in the same direction in 20s. It travels for 15
minutes from the time it starts overtaking the
above cyclist before it starts overtaking a second
cyclist coming in the opposite direction in 18s.
In how many seconds after the train has crossed
the second cyclist do the two cyclists meet each
other?
(a) 8750 s
(b) 8962 s
(c) 8982 s
(d) Cannot be determined
25 If a person can buy at 20% less than usual and
sell at 10% more than usual his profit increases
by 33% of the usual cost price. Find the initial
profit percentage.
(a) 15%
(b) 33%
(c) 20%
(d) Cannot be determined
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
1. Media plays a passive role in the growth of
the people in general.
2. Media does help the government by
informing the people about various
achievements of government.
3. Media has become very important also
because it has become a link between the
government and citizens.
Choose the correct answer from following
codes:
(a) All 1, 2, 3
(b) Only 1 & 2
(c) Only 2 & 3
(d) Only 1 & 3
OR
27. Two vessels contain mixtures of water and milk
in the ratio of 3 : 5 and 5 : 3. Find the ratio in
which they should be mixed to obtain a mixture
that has water and milk in the ratio of 1 : 1.
(a) 1 : 1
(b) 1 : 3
(c) 2 : 1
(d) 1 : 2
29. Consider the following statements based on the
passage.
E
26. A 50 litres jar is filled with the finest wine.
There are two measuring jars of 5 litres and 3
litre capacities each without any calibration. A
quantity of 4 litres is to be given to a customer
using the jars. What is the least number of
operations required to measure exactly 4 litres.
An operation is said to be complete every time
an amount of wine is transferred from one jar
to another.
(a) 5
(b) 6
(c) 7
(d) 8
SC
28. 7 coins are thrown simultaneously. What is the
probability of getting more number of heads
than tails
(a) 1/3
(b) 1/4
(c) 1/2
(d) 1/7
Directions for question 29 to 32: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
GS
Passage IV
In democratic systems of governance, media enjoys
a very high status because of its role as a watchdog
over the three pillars of democracy ­ the legislature,
the judiciary and the executive.
The media also plays another important role, that of
an intermediary between the government and the
people. In this role, the media becomes the purveyor
of information, facilitator, exposer, aggregator of
people's opinions and people's advocate. It informs
people of the government's good work; it reports on
achievements as well as failings of the public delivery
systems; it analyses social, economic and political
issues; generates and supports debate on government
initiatives and policies; provides feedback on public
perception of an elected government's performance;
and so on. It also helps non­governmental actors in
the society; communicate with the people and the
government. By doing so, the media acts as an active
participant in the socio­economic development of the
nation.
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
30. What the author means by 'failings of the public
delivery systems'.
1. Poor functioning and supervision of fair
price shops.
2. Poor municipal services.
3. High level of pollution.
4. Poor railway services.
Choose the correct answer from code given
below:
(a) Only 1 & 2
(c) Only 2, 3 & 4
(b) Only 1, 2 & 4
(d) All 1, 2, 3 & 4
31. What is your understanding about the term
'aggregator of people's opinion'?
1. The media collects people's opinion,
compiles it and brings into the notice of all
concerned.
2. The media scans people's opinion and
selectively projects before concerned
authorities.
Choose the correct answer from code given
below:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
32. According to passage what is not being done
by media.
(a) It provides an assessment of people's
opinion about policies of government.
(b) It facilitates citizen group's communication
with government functionaries and with
people.
7
(c) People come to know about various good
works done by government.
(d) Media helps the government in
implementation of its various schemes.
Directions for question 33 to 35: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
heterogeneous economic activities in terms of income
generating capacities, ownership of work, skills,
work status, productive capacity, links to other
sectors and to the state.
33. What is the thematic highlight of the passage?
(a) The powerlessness of the informal economy
(b) The informal economy­one word too many?
(c) ILO studies and the informal economy
Passage V
34. With the reference to the passage, consider the
following statements:
1. Only statistics can help us arrive at a
comprehensive definition of the informal
economy.
OR
The word 'informal economy' is rather strongly
embedded in the economic and policy literature
today. Conceived in the course of some ILO studies
(as part of the ILO's World Employment Programme)
in Africa by Hart in 1972, it nevertheless has been
severely criticized by some ­ mainly because till date
there is no clear definition. From the 'informal sector',
we moved to 'informal economy', and soon other
terms such as informal work and informal
employment also emerged.
E
(d) Informal employment ­ a myth?
Select the correct answer using the codes given
below:
GS
SC
Strictly speaking each of these have different
interpretations, though obviously are closely related.
And depending on how we define each, statistics
also vary. Yet, despite all these problems and harsh
criticism, the concept has survived. To understand
why, it may be useful to go back to the person who
coined the concept in the first place­Keith Hart, the
economic anthropologist. According to Hart this was
simply a means of giving expression to 'the gap
between my experience there (in Africa) and
anything that my English education had taught me
before'.
2. The concept of an informal economy has
been criticized for having no clear
definition.
Anyone sifting through the vast literature on the
informal economy will be surprised at the various
ways it has been described­'marginal', 'survivalist',
'working poor', 'small capitalist sector', 'dynamic',
'people's economy', 'entrepreneurial' are among the
descriptions. While there are those who highlight the
vulnerability, voicelessness and powerlessness of those
in the informal economy, some others speak of work
in the informal economy as a means to reclaim some
economic power that centralized agents deny them.
The fact that the informal economy has been used
to describe such varying types of economic activities
­ some stagnant, low productive, what can best be
termed 'underemployment', and some others
profitable and dynamic ­ only means that there exist
within this vast amorphous informal economy
8
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
35. Which of the following has not been mentioned
in relation to the informal economy?
1. The workers in the informal economy work
for centralized agents.
2. Income generating capacities are uniform
within the informal economy.
Select the correct answer using the codes given
below:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Directions for question 36 to 37: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
Passage VI
The real clients for any national government tourism
policy initiatives are those who comprise the regional
and local communities across India. Tourists and
the tourism industry are simply the actors.
The tourism industry is very good at spreading the
mantra that tourism will bring major economic
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
Directions for question 38 to 41 : Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
Passage VII
E
When small economic crises crop up repeatedly over
a relatively short period of time, policymakers in
each country may treat each such episode as an
independent event requiring independent action but,
in reality, such 'cluster crises' may be a sign of some
fundamental shift taking place in the global economy.
Hence, faced with cluster crises, it is important to
occasionally step back and take a more holistic view
of the situation. There has been some research trying
to do precisely that.
OR
benefits. But how often do those benefits flow back
to the travel company, the hotel chain or the tourism
operator who might be based overseas? What good
are thousands, even millions, of tourists to the
national economy if most of what they spend goes
elsewhere? The host country, or region for an
international event, must provide and maintain
airports, ports, roads and public amenities, sustain
natural and cultural heritage sites, provide water
and sewerage infrastructure for the increased traffic,
but few international visitors rarely stay long in most
of the places they visit. Few in the local community
can identify what benefits are actually captured from
the tourist traffic.
The critical issue for tourism policy development in
India is for the local economy to retain as much
tourism revenue as possible.
SC
36. What does the author imply by the question
"But how often do those benefits flow back to
the travel company, the hotel chain or the
tourism operator who might be based
overseas?"
1. It is important to understand whether the
economic benefits from tourism benefit the
national economy or not.
2. It is important to understand whether the
tourism industry is sustainable or not.
GS
Select the correct answers using the codes given
below:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
37. Consider the following statements:
1. For countries hosting international events,
people in local communities mostly do not
benefit from the tourist traffic.
2. In the case of international events, the
improved infrastructure does not benefit
local communities in the host country.
With reference to the passage, which of the
above statements is/are valid?
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
At one level, it is not difficult to see what is
happening. With rapid globalisation since the end
of World War II, goods and services and also capital
have begun moving much more freely across nations.
In addition, and maybe even more importantly, the
advance of IT has meant that it is possible for people
with a modicum of skills to sit in one country and
do work for another country. In brief, one of the
most precious resources for economic progress,
namely skilled labour, which earlier sat walled in
within the boundaries of their respective nations,
has suddenly become available to needs arising in
distant parts of the world.
What this has meant is that all emerging economies
with a little ability to organise their workspace and
impart skills to their workers are now capable of
taking advantage of this windfall. As a consequence,
the bottom end of the skilled­labour spectrum in the
US and Europe is now coming under competition
from the top end of the skilled labour band of India,
China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and several other
emerging economies. This has energised large
corporations in rich and poor countries and caused
booms in various regions, like Silicon Valley in the
United States. But this is also causing inequality to
rise in both industrialised nations and emerging
economies. In a recent paper, Spence highlights how
this process is one of the causes of growth and
employment trends, within the US economy,
diverging and inequality rising. And "the major
emerging economies are becoming more competitive
in areas in which the US economy has historically
been dominant, such as the design and manufacture
9
of semi­conductors, pharmaceuticals, and
information technology services". By the same
argument, the skilled end of the labour markets in
India and China is competing with its counterparts
in industrialised nations and, as a consequence, its
salaries are rising, resulting in growing inequality in
these countries.
1. The growth of IT and availability of cheaper
skilled labour has helped economies to grow
but has also led to rise of inequality across
the economies.
There are other domains where these kinds of inter­
country tensions have been building up. Disparities
in savings rates across nations have often led to
acrimonious debate and search for first cause. It has
been suggested that China's huge savings rate may
not be entirely because of domestic structural factors
in China but a response to the fact that the savings
rate in the U S dropped sharply between 1960 and
2010.
Select the correct answer from the following
options:
2. The growth of IT and cheap skilled labour
has also given rise to disparities in savings
rates across nations.
E
(a) Only Assertion 1 is correct.
(b) Only Assertion 2 is correct.
(c) Both Assertions l and 2 are correct.
OR
(d) Neither Assertion 1 nor 2 is correct.
(a) To emphasise on the need for taking a
holistic view of problems and issues in a
cluster crises situation
GS
SC
These adjustments give rise to economic turmoil and
crisis and, in addition, are politically sensitive matters
that can lead to protectionism, which can do more
harm than good. It is important for us to recognise
that none of these structural shifts are caused by the
actions of any one individual or nation. Millions of
little actions and thousands of scientific discoveries
over decades and human inventiveness in general
have given rise to globalisation and we have inherited
the world we have. It is for us to take the givens as
given and use collective bodies such as the G­20 to
ensure that we do not fall victim to protectionism. It
is important to remember that through all this
turmoil the global pie is expanding. Hence, by having
effective coordinated action, it is possible to convert
what appears at first as adversity into advantage.
40. The objective of the passage is
38. The progress in the field of information
technology (IT) helped in the growth of world
economy as
1. IT field attracted skilled manpower and big
investment.
2. IT growth enabled out­sourcing of services.
3. IT field enabled channelising of skills of
cheaper labour of developing countries in
growing enterprises of developed nation.
Select the correct code:
(a) 1, 2 & 3
(b) Only 2 & 3
(c) Only 2
(d) Only 3
39. Examine whether the following assertions are
correct as per what is stated in the passage.
10
(b) To highlight, how growth of IT and trans­
border movement of skilled labour and
services has helped in growth of economy
as well as created inequalities and other
problems
(c) To emphasise on the need for eschewing
protectionism in the present day world
economy
(d) All of the above
41. Which of the following statements are correct
in light of what is stated in the passage?
1. Cluster crises are a certain sign of some
fundamental shift taking place in the
economy.
2. Post World War II there has been much
freer movement of goods, services and
capital across nations.
3. Due to freer movement of skilled labour,
the bottom end of spectrum of skilled labour
in many developed economies is facing
competition with the bottom end of
spectrum of skilled labour of many
emerging economies.
Select the correct code:
(a) 1, 2 & 3
(b) Only 2 & 3
(c) Only 2
(d) Only 3
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
Spending by advertisers and viewers
25
22
% Expenses
22
19
20
20
17
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
Year
5
42. The expenses of which year added to one fourth
the expenses of another year equal the expenses
of each of two other years?
(a) 4
(b) 3
(c) 2
(d) 1
SC
43. In how many years from Year 2 has the
expenditure risen by the around 15%?
(a) 1
(b) 3
(c) 2
(d) Insufficient data
44. If in Year 6 the expenses increase at the same
rate as they did from Year 3 to Year 5, what
will be the expenditure in Year 6 (Rs. Crore )?
1. MGNREGS has improved the overall
internal security in rural areas.
2. The programme has been able to provide
gender Justice.
3. MGNREGS can fully succeed only when
people start using it as a right.
Choose the correct statement from the code
given below:
(a) Only 1 & 2
(b) Only 2 & 3
(c) Only 3 & 1
(d) All 1, 2 & 3
46. MGNREGS is playing a role of catalyst in the
rural economy because
1. It has provided employment with dignity.
2. It has empowered the women.
(b) 24.2
GS
(a) 28.2
45. Consider the following statements in respect of
above passage.
OR
Total for all five years = Rs.100 crores.
to a great extent due to MGNREGS. The programme
has immense potential to provide better livelihood
opportunities to poor rural people, focuses on poverty
alleviation. A notable aspect of this programme is
the participation of large number of rural women
who have sought work under MGNREGS. The
scheme is poised to progress from a mere wage
employment to sustainable development programme.
The success of MGNREGS however, will depend on
people's realization of the Act as a right.
E
DIRECTIONS for questions 42 to 44: Questions are
based on the graph below:
(c) 25.2
(d) 23.2
Directions for question 45 to 47: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
Passage VIII
MGNREGS is playing the role of a catalyst in the
rural economy. It is playing an important role in the
overall development of the rural area. MGNREGS
addresses itself mainly to working people and their
fundamental rights to live with dignity. This is one
of the greatest experiments undertaken by the
Government of India to eradicate rural poverty. It
has provided protection against extreme poverty,
helped in economic independence of women, reduced
crime and child labour in the rural areas. The socio­
economic conditions of the rural people has improved
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
Choose the correct option from code given
below:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
47. Of the following which benefit is not coming
out of MGNREGS?
(a) Cases of child labour has been reduced.
(b) It is a right based programme and the
people are fully understanding it.
(c) It has been able to arrest rural poverty.
(d) It has provided livelihood with dignity.
Directions for questions 48 to 50: Answer the
questions on the basis of the information given in
the line chart.
The following line chart gives the birth figures (in
hundreds) for a small town called Jiasarai from 1990
to 1998.
11
53. The members of the family belong to how many
generations?
(a) Four
(b) Two
(c) Three
(d) Either two or three
Births (in '00s)
50
40
54. D has two children. One is A and who is the
other one?
(a) E
(b) C
(c) B
(d) F
35
30
25
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
Years
OR
48. In which year did the birth of female children
decrease from the previous year for the first
time during the given period?
(a) 1991
(b) 1993
(c) 1994
(d) Indeterminate
55. Two tanks of equal volume contain chemical A
& B. The first tank contains half as much A as
B. The second tank contains one­ fourth as
much chemical B as A. The mixtures of the
two tanks are mixed in the third tank in the
ratio 3 : 5. What is the ratio of A : B finally?
(a) 4 : 1
(b) 5 : 3
(c) 4 : 3
(d) 1 : 5
E
Males
New Births
Total
45
49. What is the average annual growth rate of
female births from 1990 to 1998?
(a) 140%
(b) 20%
(c) 15.5%
(d) 17.5%
Six friends Arun, Brian, Cory, Dorthy, Eela and Faruq
decided to go on a road trip on three bikes each
having a rider and a passenger. If Arun is riding
then neither Brian nor Eela will sit with him. If Eela
is riding then Cory will sit with him. Faruq sits with
Brian and Dorthy is a rider.
SC
50. If 2500 children (born in the same year) can be
vaccinated in 1996 in Jiasarai and atleast 50%
of the female children born in the same year
have to be vaccinated, the maximum
percentage of male children born in the same
year that can be vaccinated is:
(a) 50%
(b) 63%
(c) 37%
(d) Indeterminate
Directions for questions 56 to 58: Answer the
questions on the basis of the information given
below:
GS
Directions for questions 51 to 54: Answer the
questions on the basis of the information given
below:
A family consists of 6 members namely A, B, C, D,
E and F. B is the brother­in­law of C's mother. C is
father of F. D is father of A and F is grandson of D.
There are two female members in the family.
51. Who is the mother of C?
(a) B
(b) E
(c) A
(d) Cannot be determined
52. Which of the following pairs represents the
female members in the family?
(a) A and E
(b) B and C
(c) C and D
(d) Cannot be determined
12
56. If Arun is riding, then who is his passenger?
(a) Faruq
(b) Dorthy
(c) Cory
(d) Eela
57. Who among the following can be the three
Riders?
(a) Arun, Dorthy, Eela
(b) Brian, Eela, Dorthy
(c) Cory, Faruq, Arun
(d) Dorthy, Cory, Arun
58. Who among the following sits behind Dorthy if
Arun is riding?
(a) Eela
(b) Cory
(c) Faruq
(d) Eelaither Eela or Cory
Directions for questions 59 to 61: Answer the
questions on the basis of the information given
below:
Twelve friends Ajit, Bose, Castro, Daya, Eram, Francis,
Gehna, Hanif, Ilena, Jatin, Khosla and Lamba are
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
12
1
11
10
2
3
9
8
4
5
7
6
62. Who arrived in Mercedes car?
(a) Aruna
(b) Catherine
(c) Drishti
(d) Bharti
63. Who arrived the third?
(a) Drishti
(b) Bharti
(c) Elena
(d) Cannot be determined
64. If MAJOR is coded as NCMSW then what will
be the code for ATTACK?
(a) ZUUZDL
(b) BVWEHQ
(c) BVWEIQ
(d) BVWEIP
OR
(1) Francis is sitting at chair number 1, is
diagonally opposite Castro who is sitting
opposite Daya.
Volkswagen owner arrived just after the Fiat driver
who arrived first. Three people arrived between
Catherine and Aruna.
E
sitting around rectangular table to have dinner. There
are 12 chairs around the table numbered from 1 to
12 (see figure) and only one person can sit on one
chair (not necessarily in the same order). Some
additional information is given below:
(2) Eram is sitting opposite Ilena who is the
only person sitting between Bose and
Lamba.
(3) Ajit is sitting opposite Khosla who is the
only person sitting between Castro and
Jatin.
(a) Faisal
(b) Eram
(c) Lamba
SC
59. If Jatin is not sitting opposite Lamba, then
Francis is sitting next to whom?
(d) Either Eram or Lamba
GS
60. If Francis is not sitting next to Lamba then how
many different seating arrangements are
possible?
(a) Three
(b) Five
(c) Four
(d) Six
65. There are 8 million small cubes. Each cube is of
side ½ cm.If all the cubes are piled one on the
top of the other into single cube tower, what
would be the height of the tower?
(a) 50,000 cm
(b) 500,000 cm
(c) 10,00,000 cm
(d) None of these
66. Six sides of a block are coloured Green, Blue,
Red, Yellow, Orange and White in the following
manner.
WHITE
GREEN
ORANGE
B
L
U
E
RED
Y
E
L
L
O
W
61. If Hanif is sitting at one of the corner seats,
then who is sitting opposite him?
(a) Francis
(b) Daya
(c) Ajit
(d) Gehna
Directions for questions 62 to 63: Answer the
questions on the basis of the information given below:
Five friends Aruna, Bharti, Catherine, Drishti and
Elena drive to a coffee parlor for a meeting. Each of
them arrived by a different car at different times.
Bharti arrived on a car other than Ambassador after
Drishti has arrived. The person arriving on Limo car
arrived the last. Elena arrived just before the last
person and he did not drive a Mercedes car. The
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
When Blue is on the top, which colour will be
at the bottom?
(a) Orange
(b) Red
(c) White
(d) Yellow
Directions for question 67 to 69: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
Passage IX
After the next day's competition, I was in second
place. My coach said I was "a dark horse for a
medal". the Russian and Chinese divers had been
13
But my next­to­last dive was a disaster and plunged
me into fifth place. I had one final shot at a medal.
As I stood on the platform ready to take my last dive,
I paused a bit longer than usual. The announcement
came over the loudspeaker. "Mary Ellen Clark of the
United States, doing a backward one­and­a­half
somersault with two­and­a­half twists.
Just at that moment, the tea was brought in and the
chimpanzee greeted its appearance with loud hoots
of joy. He watched me carefully while I half­filled
his mug with milk and then added the tea. I had
been told that he had a very sweet tooth so I put in
six large spoons of sugar, an action which he greeted
with grunts of satisfaction. He placed his cigarette
on the table and seized the mug with both hands;
then he stuck out his lower lip very carefully and
dipped it into the tea to make sure it was not too
hot. As it was a little warm, he sat there blowing on
it vigorously until it was cool enough, and then he
drank it all down without stopping once. When he
had drained the last drops, he peered into the mug
and scooped out all the sugar he could with his
forefinger. After that, he tipped the mug up on his
nose and sat with it like that for about five minutes
until the very last of the sugar had trickled down
into his mouth. For a few minutes, he was in a
world of his own, far away from the threat of
civilized man.
OR
I stepped up to the edge of the platform and turned
my back to the water. With a quick prayer and an
incredible sense of lightness, I was airborne, arcing
out over the pool, twisting and tumbling, the
Barcelona skyline flashing by. A micro­instant later,
I ripped into the water. I knew I had nailed the
dive. When I shot back to the surface, Coach O'Brien
was yelling, "Bronze, Mary Ellen, bronze!"
one out of the box, struck it, lit his cigarette and
threw the box down on the table. Lying back in his
chair, he blew out clouds of smoke in the most
professional manner. No one had told me that
Chimpanzee smoked. I wondered rather anxiously
what other undesirable habits he might have which
his master had not warned me about.
E
heavily favored. At 29, I had been written off by
most people as too old to win. "Maybe you should
march before all your events," Coach joked.
(c) Unlikely
SC
67. "dark horse for medal means" _____ to win:
(a) Likely
(b) Highly likely
(d) Highly unlikely
68. Final shot means:
(a) The only chance
(b) The only chance that day
(c) The last chance that day
(d) Last chance in tournament
GS
69. Nailed the dive means:
(a) Hurt in the dive
(b) Broken the diving board
(c) Dived successfully
(d) Dived poorly
Directions for question 70 to 72: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
Passage X
While we were waiting for the tea to arrive, I sat
down opposite the chimpanzee and lit a cigarette.
To my surprise, he became very excited and held
out his hand across the table to me. Wondering what
he would do, I handed him the cigarette packet. he
opened it, took out a cigarette and put it between
his lips. He then reached out his hand again and I
gave him the matches; to my astonishment, he took
14
70. What effect did Durrell's lighting of a cigarette
have on the chimpanzee? It got
(a) Surprised
(b) Excited
(c) Annoyed
(d) Angry
71. The phrase "had a sweet tooth" means
(a) Its tooth tasted sweet
(b) Loved sweets
(c) Was polite
(d) Was well­mannered
72. By undesirable needs author means
(a) Acceptable
(b) Unacceptable
(c) Expected
(d) Unexpected
Directions for question 73 to 75: Read the following
passage and answer the questions that follow. Your
answers to these questions should be based on the
passage only.
Passage XI
The fact that superior service can generate a
competitive advantage for a company does not mean
that every attempt at improving service will create
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
Direction for questions (76 to 80): Given below are
five items. Each item describes a situation and is
followed by four possible responses. Indicate the
response you find most appropriate. Choose only
one response for each item. The responses will be
evaluated on the level of appropriateness for the
given situation.
Please attempt all the items. There is no penalty
provision for these five items.
E
76. You are senior officer of the electricity
department. A poor man has come before you
with a grievance that your junior officers are
threatening him to pay electricity bill otherwise
they will disconnect his domestic connection.
The poor man is repeatedly pleading for
verification of inflated bill. You will…
SC
OR
such an advantage. Investments in service, like those
in production and distribution, must be balanced
against other types of investments on the basis of
direct, tangible benefits such as cost reduction and
increased revenues. If a company is already
effectively on a par with its competitors because it
provides service that avoids a damaging reputation
and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable
rate, then investment in higher service levels may be
wasted, since service is a deciding factor for
customers only in extreme situations. This truth was
not apparent to managers of one regional bank,
which failed to improve its competitive position
despite its investment in reducing the time a customer
had to wait for a teller. The bank managers did not
recognize the level of customer inertia in the
consumer banking industry that arises from the
inconvenience of switching banks. Nor did they
analyze their service improvement to determine
whether it would attract new customers by
producing a new standard of service that would
excite customers or by proving difficult for
competitors to copy. The only merit of the
improvement was that it could easily be described
to customers.
73. Which of these facets of customer behavior was
not immediately realized by the bank managers
of the regional bank
(a) Customers don’t enjoy waiting for tellers.
GS
(b) Service is not the most important factor in
switching banks.
(c) Customers only switch banks in extreme
situations.
(d) Cost reduction is not a tangible benefit.
74. What is consumer inertia in regards to banking?
(a) Cost of improving service time.
(b) Cost of attracting new customers.
(c) Low motivation of consumers in switching
banks.
(d) Increased revenues in regards to new
customers.
75. Which of these improvements did the reduced
service time actually provide?
(a) Change easy to explain to customers.
(b) Helped in attracting new customers.
(c) Impossible for competitors to copy.
(d) Increased profit margins for the bank.
IAS TEST SERIES 2014
(a) Ask the poor man to pay the pending bill
first and then file a grievance petition.
(b) Ask one of your subordinate to checkup
inflated bill and in the mean time do not
disconnect his connection.
(c) Ask him to meet the concerned officer and
place the problem before him.
(d) Take a grievance petition from the poor
man and endorse it to concerned officer
for appropriate action.
77. You are a revenue officer and under your
jurisdiction there is a disputed land on which
some members of weaker section are making
claim. An influential member of the locality is
also making a claim. You are the competent
officer to decide such claims and counterclaims.
You will…
(a) Issue notice to both parties and ask them
to appear through their lawyer before you.
(b) Seek instruction from your senior officer as
it is a very sensitive matter.
(c) Depute a subordinate officer for enquiry
and take decision strictly as per his
recommendations.
(d) Make a personal enquiry and examine the
records produced by both parties to take
final decision.
78. You are a senior officer incharge of civil supply
matters. Various reports are reaching to you
regarding organized corruption and other
15
malpractices in which your subordinates are
important beneficiaries. People of the rural areas
are making complaints and you have finally
decided to take appropriate steps. You will…
(c) Constitute vigilance committee for each fair
price shop and bring transparency and
accountability.
(d) Refer her case to local Panchayat for
necessary assistance.
80. A village Panchayat has been provided with
some discretionary grant from government for
immediate expenditure. The grant should be
utilized for...
(d) Seek instruction from government.
(a) Ask a local NGO to help her.
(b) Purchase for medicines for local primary
centre because people are very poor and
cannot afford costly medical treatment.
OR
79. You are an administrative officer and in course
of your tour of rural area meet an old lady
who does not have a support system and is on
the verge of starvation. You will…
(a) Developing village roads especially for
connecting villages to main road so as to
increase marketing of surplus agricultural
commodities.
E
(a) You will recommend for mass transfer of
your subordinates.
(b) Computerize the whole system in order to
reduce the element of discretion.
the competent authority and she is an
eligible person for such assistance.
(b) Give Rs. 100 from your pocket so that she
may not die.
(d) Desilting of ponds to remove shortage of
water for various purposes.
SC
(c) Sanction her old age pension as you are
(c) Construction of a community toilet cum
bath facility because total absence of this
facility.
GS

16
IAS TEST SERIES 2014

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