KSP KSISF PSI 2023 — Paper 2 - General Studies (GS)

INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) is India's genome-sequencing network for tracking COVID-19 variants.

Dr. Chennaveera Kanavi was a noted Kannada poet/writer.

Arif Khan was India's sole competitor at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, competing in Alpine skiing.

The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Culture.

A privately-held startup valued at over USD 10 billion is called a 'Decacorn'.

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is the Railway Ministry's initiative for modernising and redeveloping railway stations.

Rht3 is a semi-dwarfing gene identified in wheat, associated with reduced plant height.

Croatia defeated Morocco to claim third place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Jowar, Ragi and Bajra are millets; Maize is a cereal but not classified as a millet.

UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), which issues Aadhaar, is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the former State Counsellor/de facto leader of Myanmar.

The informal 'G2' grouping refers to China and the United States, given their outsized influence on global affairs.

The BIND (Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development) Scheme supports upgrading India's public broadcasting infrastructure.

The McMahon Line, agreed under the 1914 Simla Accord, forms the boundary in the eastern sector with China; the claim that India recovered Tawang from Chinese control 'with Russia's help' after the 1962 war is not accurate — China withdrew unilaterally from most gained territory, and Tawang remained/returned to Indian administration without Russian intervention.

Lakshadweep falls under the jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court, has Malayalam as its official language, and is a single-district Union Territory — all three statements are correct.

MGNREGA mandates regular Social Audits of its works and requires that at least one-third of the scheme's beneficiaries be women.

Article 137 provides the basis for review petitions, and they must generally be filed within 30 days of judgment; however, a review is not restricted only to original parties — under specific circumstances, an aggrieved non-party can also seek review, so statement (3) is the incorrect one.

Blue carbon (carbon stored in coastal/marine ecosystems like mangroves and seagrasses) is important for carbon sequestration; however, India is not considered a net 'donor' of blue carbon in the sense implied by statement (3).

In India, commodity markets are regulated by SEBI (not the RBI); spot markets involve immediate delivery of physical commodities, and futures/forwards are the two main types of commodity derivatives.

India is the second-largest fish producer in the world; however, fisheries is primarily a State subject (not Union), and the sector's contribution to GVA is closer to about 1.2-1.3%, not 2.5%, so only statement (2) is correct.

Product of two numbers = LCM x HCF = 864 x 144; dividing by the known number 288 gives the other number as 432.

Let ages be 2x and 3x; six years later (2x+6):(3x+6) = 8:11, solving gives x = 9, so B's present age = 3x = 27 years.

Using the work constant (men x days), 6x9 = 54 man-days; to finish in 3 days requires 54/3 = 18 men.

The square root of 2025 is 45, since 45 x 45 = 2025.

Average speed = total distance/total time = 320/((160/64)+(160/80)) = 320/4.5 = 71.11 km/hr.

The HCF of 26 (2x13) and 91 (7x13) is 13.

Using time = distance/speed for both legs and total time 5 hours: d/3 + d/2 = 5, giving d = 6 km.

At 5:10, the hour hand is at 155 degrees and the minute hand at 60 degrees, giving an angle of 95 degrees between them.

Reduced speed = 42 km / (1h40m48s) = 25 km/hr; since this is 5/7 of actual speed, actual speed = 25 x 7/5 = 35 km/hr.

2001 was not a leap year (365 days = 52 weeks + 1 day), so 1 January 2002 falls one day of the week later than Monday, i.e. Tuesday.

Volume of the trapezoidal-cross-section pool = width x length x average depth = 9 x 12 x ((1+4)/2) = 9 x 12 x 2.5 = 270 cubic metres.

Perimeter of one face = 20 cm means each side = 5 cm, so the cube's volume = 5^3 = 125 cubic cm.

From area 120 and perimeter 46 (so length+breadth = 23), solving gives sides 15 and 8; the diagonal = sqrt(15^2+8^2) = sqrt(289) = 17 m.

With one side 12 m and diagonal 13 m, the other side = sqrt(13^2-12^2) = 5 m, so area = 12 x 5 = 60 sq. m.

Krauncha Giri is located in Bellary district, Karnataka.

In 857423, odd digits are 5,7,3 (sum 15) and even digits are 8,4,2 (sum 14); the difference is 1.

Average price = (4x5 + 8x6)/(4+8) = (20+48)/12 = 68/12 = approximately Rs. 5.66 per kg.

The Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is located in Kerala.

The Nagaur Fair, known for its cattle trading, is held in Rajasthan.

The Bhil tribal community is mostly found in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

The Koya tribe is mostly found in Bidar district of Karnataka.

'Mein Kampf' was authored by Adolf Hitler.

ASEAN's headquarters/Secretariat is located in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Husori and Bihu-related dance forms are traditional dances of Assam, performed during the Bihu festival.

'Harshacharita' and 'Kadambari' were written by Banabhatta, court poet of Emperor Harshavardhana.

Insolation refers to the incoming solar radiation received by the Earth and its atmosphere.

A psychrometer is used to measure atmospheric humidity.

The Singareni coalfields are located in the Godavari Valley region of Telangana.

Venus, similar in size and composition to Earth, is often called Earth's 'sister planet'.

Mumbai, on the windward side of the Western Ghats facing the Arabian Sea monsoon winds, receives heavier rainfall than Pune, which lies in the rain shadow region.

Black (regur) soils retain moisture well, making them ideal for cotton cultivation, which requires sustained soil moisture.

Gujarat has the longest coastline among Indian states.

Guru Shikhar, in the Mount Abu area, is the highest point of the Aravalli Range.

Bhavani, Chinnar, Hemavati, Honnuhole and Kabini are all tributaries feeding into the Kaveri river system.

The Sangam Age is closely associated with the early history of Tamil Nadu.

The Buckingham Canal runs along the coastline through Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The Singhbhum copper mines are located in Jharkhand.

The Rashtrakutas succeeded the Chalukyas in western India (Deccan).

The Great Bath, a notable Indus Valley Civilization structure, is found at Mohenjo-Daro.

Dwarasamudra, the Hoysala capital, is present-day Halebidu (Halebid).

The Aihole inscription is closely associated with the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II, recording his achievements.

British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald presided over the First Round Table Conference in London (1930-31).

Bal Gangadhar Tilak famously declared, 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it.'

Adi Shankaracharya gave Hinduism a new orientation through his philosophy of Advaita (non-dualism/Monism).

The Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1875.

Lala Hardayal played a key organisational role in the Ghadar Movement among Indian expatriates.

Lord Wellesley was Governor-General of India during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799).

The Bhoodan Movement, encouraging voluntary land donation, was started by Vinoba Bhave.

Nana Saheb (Govind Dhondu Pant) was the adopted heir of Peshwa Baji Rao II, and a principal leader of the 1857 Revolt.

Beriberi is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine).

The 'G' in 4G stands for 'Generation', referring to the fourth generation of mobile network technology.

Haemophilia is a genetic condition characterised by delayed/impaired blood clotting.

'Madalasa Charitra' was written by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya.

The temples at Halebidu and Belur belong to the Hoysala dynasty.

Bromine is the only non-metal that exists as a liquid at room temperature.

Heavy water is deuterium oxide (D2O), where hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium.

The decibel (dB) is the unit used to measure the intensity (loudness) of sound.

Solar cells generate electricity based on the photovoltaic effect, converting light directly into electrical energy.

Plutonium is a synthetic (man-made) element that does not naturally occur in significant quantities and is produced artificially in nuclear reactors.

The Supreme Court laid down the 'Basic Structure' doctrine in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973).

Article 72 deals with the President's power to grant pardons, reprieves, and remissions of punishment.

One kilometre is approximately equal to 0.62 miles.

Electric current is measured using an ammeter.

National Emergency is declared under Article 352 of the Constitution.

Article 17 of the Constitution abolishes untouchability in any form.

The Right Against Exploitation (Articles 23-24) prohibits traffic in human beings and forced labour.

Preventing concentration of wealth, ensuring a decent standard of living/leisure for workers, and protecting the environment/forests/wildlife are all Directive Principles; economic freedom for consumers/producers is not framed as a DPSP in the Constitution.

The District Magistrate typically acts as the District Election Officer/returning officer at the district level for the Election Commission.

Among the given options, the Railway Convention Committee is the one that is not classified as a Standing Committee of Parliament in this context.

The 'Semicon India Conference 2022' was held in Bengaluru.

Following the 44th Amendment, the Right to Property is now only a legal right under Article 300A, not a Fundamental Right.

Members of the Rajya Sabha representing states are elected by the elected members of the respective State Legislative Assemblies.

ISRO's solid rocket booster HS200 is a component developed for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

'Lyman' is a town/region in Ukraine that has featured in news related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, a professional Snooker player, became one of the oldest World Snooker Champions.

India's largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant is located in Gujarat.