KPSC Departmental Exams 2021 — Paper 1 - General Studies (GS)

The Governor of a state appoints the Lokayukta, generally on the advice of the Chief Minister after consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court and the Leader of the Opposition.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar called Article 32, the Right to Constitutional Remedies, the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution because it lets citizens directly approach the Supreme Court to enforce their Fundamental Rights.

Apthamithra was the mobile app and call-centre helpline launched by the Karnataka government for COVID-19 information, self-assessment and contact tracing.

Karnataka's first confirmed COVID-19 case, in a person who had returned from the US via Wuhan travel history, was reported on 8 March 2020.

Mysuru is confirmed as the site of Karnataka's first Tribal Museum, set up by the Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute (KSTRI) at Kergalli and inaugurated by Tribal Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu; Mysuru was chosen as KSTRI's head office given the sizeable tribal population across Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Udupi.

In the Swachh Survekshan 2020 rankings, Mysuru was the only Karnataka city to place in the top 5 cleanest cities in India.

World Population Day is observed on 11 July every year, a date instituted by the United Nations in 1989.

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) made its closest approach to the Sun in July 2020 and was visible to the naked eye from Earth.

India's longest ropeway over a river, linking Guwahati with North Guwahati across the Brahmaputra, was inaugurated in August 2020.

Venkatrayapur village in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district was recognised as 'Tsunami Ready' by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Karnataka ranked first among major states in the India Innovation Index 2020 released by NITI Aayog.

The Maitri Setu, connecting Tripura with Bangladesh, is built over the Feni river.

Vadhavan Port, a proposed major all-weather deep-draft port, is planned in Palghar district, Maharashtra.

India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share maritime boundaries with both Thailand and Indonesia.

As per the India State of Forest Report 2019, exactly five states had forest cover exceeding 75% of their geographical area: Mizoram (85.41%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%), Meghalaya (76.33%), Manipur (75.46%) and Nagaland (75.31%) — all narrowly but genuinely above the 75% threshold.

Karnataka extends roughly 750 km from Bidar in the north to Chamarajanagar in the south.

Mullayyanagiri, Karnataka's highest peak at about 1,930 metres, is located in Chikkamagaluru district.

Vijayapura, part of Karnataka's dry northern plains with low rainfall, had the least forest cover among the state's districts as per 2011 data.

ODOP (One District One Product) is a Government of India initiative to identify and promote a unique product from each district to boost local economies and exports.

Cryptocurrency is a form of digital money secured by cryptography, existing only in electronic form rather than as physical currency.

Jalamrutha, a Karnataka scheme for groundwater recharge and water conservation, was launched under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department.

In the 2019-20 bank amalgamation, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank merged into Bank of Baroda, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India merged into Punjab National Bank, and Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank merged into Union Bank of India — all three statements are correct.

Jyothi Sanjeevini is a health insurance scheme meant for Karnataka State Government employees and their dependents.

Block pricing is a form of price discrimination where a seller charges different prices for different quantity blocks of the same good.

26 January 1950 fell on a Thursday, which is why India's first Republic Day landed on that day of the week.

At 4:20, the hour hand is at 130° and the minute hand is at 120° from the 12 mark, so the angle between them is 10°.

The series follows n²(n+1): 1²×2=2, 2²×3=12, 3²×4=36, 4²×5=80, 5²×6=150, so the next term is 6²×7=252.

Under special relativity, an object's relativistic mass increases without bound as its speed approaches the speed of light, becoming infinite at c.

The Raman effect is the inelastic scattering of photons (light) by molecules, producing a shift in the scattered light's wavelength.

The Doppler effect is classically illustrated with sound waves, where the perceived frequency changes as the source moves relative to the observer.

Semiconductor diodes are used in rectifier circuits to convert AC to DC, in logic gates for digital circuits, and as LEDs for light emission.

Laser light is monochromatic, coherent and intense, but it is highly directional (collimated), not divergent.

Churning applies centrifugal force, which separates the lighter, lower-density cream from the denser milk.

Fog is a colloid of tiny liquid water droplets dispersed in air, i.e. a liquid dispersed in a gas.

Sunlight enters through the car's glass and is absorbed inside, which then re-radiates heat as infrared radiation that cannot easily escape — the same greenhouse-effect principle that warms the atmosphere.

Ultraviolet radiation stimulates vitamin-D synthesis in skin, is used to authenticate diamonds and currency notes, and helps detect alterations in bank cheques via fluorescent markers.

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan is regarded as the Father of the Green Revolution in India for pioneering high-yielding wheat and rice varieties in the 1960s.

The gene pool is the total sum of all genes and their alleles present among the individuals of a population of a given species.

RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) converts viral RNA into complementary DNA and then amplifies it, which is why it is used to detect RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

Using the standard dipole-moment method (observed μ ≈ 1.91-1.98 D versus the theoretical 100%-ionic value of ~4.42 D from q×d with bond length 0.92 Å) gives roughly 43-45% ionic character for HF; 45% is the figure conventionally quoted in exam literature as part of the well-known decreasing series HF (45%) > HCl (17%) > HBr (11%) > HI (4%) that tracks falling H-halogen electronegativity difference down the group.

Absolute zero, the temperature at which an ideal gas would exert zero pressure, corresponds to -273°C (0 Kelvin).

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have not committed to a specialised function and can develop into various cell types.

Adipose tissue stores fat, stratified epithelium lines the skin, hyaline cartilage is found in the nose, and connective tissue includes blood — giving the correct match order (iv)(iii)(i)(ii).

The Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete insulin, glucagon and somatostatin; vasopressin (ADH) is instead produced by the hypothalamus and released via the posterior pituitary.

Hypothermia is the medical term for an abnormally low body temperature, typically below 35°C.

Article 11 empowers Parliament to regulate the right of citizenship, including prescribing the conditions for acquiring or terminating Indian citizenship.

India's Constitution establishes a parliamentary system with a cabinet responsible to the legislature and a bicameral Parliament, but not a presidential form of government.

Article 39A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment, directs the State to ensure equal justice and provide free legal aid to those unable to afford it.

Under Article 275, the Union Government gives statutory grants-in-aid to states based on the recommendations of the Finance Commission.

Article 312 empowers Parliament to create new All India Services common to the Union and the states, such as the IAS and IPS.

Article 61 lays down the procedure for impeaching the President of India for violation of the Constitution.

The Third Schedule of the Constitution prescribes the forms of oaths or affirmations for various functionaries, including Supreme Court judges and the CAG.

Article 12 defines 'the State' broadly to include the Union and state governments and legislatures, as well as all local and other authorities within Indian territory or under the Government of India's control.

Fundamental Rights in India are both negative (restraining state action, e.g. against discrimination) and positive (mandating action, e.g. certain entitlements) in character.

Unlike the US Senate, the Rajya Sabha does not give equal representation to states — seats are allocated roughly in proportion to population, making this statement the incorrect one.

In a secular state, religion is kept separate from politics and governance, with the state neither promoting nor discriminating against any faith.

Income tax is levied and collected by the Union Government but its proceeds are shared with the states as per Finance Commission recommendations under Article 270.

Article 75(3) makes the Council of Ministers collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, the directly elected House of the People.

Since the 44th Constitutional Amendment (1978), the right to property was removed from the list of Fundamental Rights and made a legal right under Article 300A, not an absolute state-guaranteed entitlement.

The Chairman and members of the Finance Commission are appointed by the President of India under Article 280.

As per Article 109, a Money Bill can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, not the Rajya Sabha.

Under Article 56(1)(a), the President of India addresses their resignation letter to the Vice-President of India.

The Chairperson and members of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes are appointed by the President of India.

The Supreme Court is regarded as the guardian and custodian of the Fundamental Rights of Indian citizens, empowered under Article 32 to enforce them.

The Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32) is itself a Fundamental Right, allowing citizens to move the Supreme Court to enforce other Fundamental Rights.

Under Article 280, a new Finance Commission is constituted by the President every five years, or earlier if necessary.

As per Article 111's proviso, the President must give assent to a Money Bill passed by Parliament and cannot withhold it or return it for reconsideration.

Under Article 101, a member's seat can be declared vacant if the member remains absent from all sittings of the House for 60 days without permission.

Andhra Pradesh, carved out of Madras State in 1953 for Telugu speakers, was the first Indian state formed purely on a linguistic basis.

Article 44 directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens throughout India.

Article 112 requires the President to lay the Annual Financial Statement (the Union Budget) before both Houses of Parliament for each financial year.

In March 2021, the container ship Ever Given ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week, causing an estimated $1 billion in trade losses per day due to disrupted shipping traffic.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the 'State of the Global Climate 2020' report, documenting record temperatures and climate extremes that year.

The National Book Trust published a corona studies booklet series, including one on the psycho-social impact of the pandemic and lockdown, to help readers cope during COVID-19.

IPL 2021 (14th edition) was played across venues in Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad before being suspended; Hyderabad, Kanpur, Mohali and Rajkot were not among the chosen stadiums.

Mangalore, Kannur and Kozhikode airports sit on elevated plateaus and have 'table-top' runways, which end abruptly with a steep drop.

Karnataka is allocated 12 seats in the Rajya Sabha, in proportion to its population.

Gokak Falls is formed by the Ghataprabha River, not the Malaprabha River, making this the mismatched pairing.

WhatsApp partnered with WHO, UNICEF and UNDP to launch a Coronavirus Information Hub providing verified COVID-19 updates to users.

Russia became the first country to complete human clinical trials and register a COVID-19 vaccine (Sputnik V) in 2020.

Lonar Lake, a saline crater lake formed by a meteorite impact, is located in Buldhana district, Maharashtra.

'Karnataka Bala' was the elite army organised by the Chalukya king Pulakesi II.

The Iron Pillar bearing an inscription attributed to Chandragupta II stands at the Qutub complex in Mehrauli, New Delhi.

Gandhara art, blending Greco-Roman and Indian styles in Buddhist sculpture, flourished under the patronage of the Kushana rulers.

The Uttaramerur inscriptions, describing detailed local self-government procedures, belong to the reign of the Chola king Parantaka I.

The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at the Bombay session of the AICC.

At 60 km/hr (≈16.67 m/s), a train crossing a pole in 9 seconds covers a distance equal to its own length: 16.67 × 9 ≈ 150 metres.

By inclusion-exclusion, the percentage passing at least one subject is 80+88-75=93%, so the percentage failing both is 100-93=7%.

Three years ago each of the three people was 3 years younger, so their combined age was 80 - (3×3) = 71 years.

Solving 2p+4(80-p)=220, where p is the number of peacocks (2 legs) and (80-p) deer (4 legs) among 80 heads, gives p=50 peacocks.

Downstream speed is 13+4=17 km/hr, so the time to cover 68 km is 68/17 = 4 hours.

If the length is 1.7 times the breadth and their difference is 35 cm, then 0.7×breadth=35 gives breadth=50 cm and length=85 cm, so the area is 50×85=4250 sq cm.

Two independent column rules confirm 9: row 1 is exactly double row 2 (10=2×5, 14=2×7, so the missing value must be 18÷2=9), and row 4 equals row 2 plus row 3 in every column (5+5=10, 7+3=10, so 9+1=10 also checks out). Both rules agree, so the blank is 9.

Plotting the path (20 m north, 30 m east, 20 m south, 15 m east) places the person 45 m east and back at the same north-south level as the start, so the straight-line distance is 45 metres.

The intended pattern adds consecutive odd numbers (+1, +3, +5, +7, +9, +11): 32, 33, 36, 41, 48, 57, 68; the given series has 42 in place of 41, making 42 the number that breaks the pattern.

Total people in the queue = (position from front) + (position from end) - 1 = 19+15-1 = 33.

Since A=B/2 and B=C/2, the ratio A:B:C is 1:2:4; the 7 parts total Rs.700, so each part is Rs.100 and C's share is 4×100=Rs.400.

If x is the number of correct answers, 2x-(100-x)=140 gives 3x=240, so x=80 correct answers.

The pump's rate is 1/2 tank/hr; with the leak it fills at 3/7 tank/hr (since 2⅓ hours = 7/3 hours), so the leak's own rate is 1/2-3/7=1/14, meaning it would drain a full tank in 14 hours.

Since A covers 22.5 m for every 25 m B covers, when B finishes 1000 m, A has covered (22.5/25)×1000=900 m, so B beats A by 100 m.