My Way: May 2012

Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner

Number of vacancies : 253 (GEN-135,OBC-63,SC-37,ST-18,PH-10)
Qualification : Degree of a recognised University or equivalent.
Desirable: Diploma in Company Law/ Labour Laws/ Public Administration.
Pay Scale : Rs. 15600-39100PB
Age : Not exceeding 35 years

To prepare for an UPSC exam the best way is to study previous years' question papers. But this particular exam is not conducted regularly like Indian Civil services Exam. So to get the previous question papers is not easy. I got a chance to get and the result is reproduced below. It is aimed for those people who are aspirant of the post and searching for some hints of the questions set.

PART A: GENERAL ENGLISH

Directions (Qs 1 to 4 ) : In each of these questions, you find a sentence, part of which is underlined. You may also find only a group of words which is underlined. For the underlined part, four words/phrases are listed below the sentence. Choose the word/phrase nearest in meaning to the underlined part.

1. I rather like the quaint little house at end of the street.

(a) Old

(b) Quiet

(d) Haunted

2. If she continues to spend her time in such a frivolous manner, she will fail in her examinations.

(a) Frightful

(b) Leisurely

(d) Calculated

3. Sanguine as he is in his attitude to life and its problems, he cannot but be noticed wherever he goes.

(a) Optimistic

(b) Enthusiastic

(d) Dispassionate

4. One’s remonstration against social ills has to be consistent to be fruitful.

(a) Outrage

(b) Demonstration

(d) Criticism

ANTONYMS

Directions (Qs. 5 to 7) : in this section, each item consists of a word or a phrase which is underlined in the sentence given. It is followed by four words or phrases. Select the word or phrase which is closet to the opposite in meaning of the underlined word or phrase.

5. The advice rendered to him sounded to be quite sagacious.

(a) Stupid

(b) Shallow

(d) Insincere

6. The Indian cultural fair was held at Rome in a grandiose manner.

(a) Unobtrusive

(b) Unimposing

(d) Simple

7. His voice sounded haughty when I spoke to him over the telephone.

(a) Pleasant

(b) Humble

(d) Cheerful

COMPREHENSION

Directions (Qs. 8 to 12) : in this section, you have one short passage. Below the passage you will find several questions based on the passage. First, read passage to answer these questions based on it.

PASSAGE

When you buy a car, examine carefully the important features of the model you are considering. Many a buyer of the latest models has got into trouble by buying a car too broad or too long for his garage. Furthermore, a long car is much harder to manoeuvre in traffic and much more difficult to park. Another feature is the comfort afforded. Are the seats nice and durably upholstered? Is there enough glass area to give the driver a good view in all directions, particularly to the rear? It should be remembered that the heavier and more powerful a car is, the more expensive it will be to operate. High powered motors require expensive high-octane petrol. The greater weight means greater tyre wear and enlarged brakes. The old cliché is still true; it is not initial cost but the upkeep which matters I!

8. According to this passage, the two factors that the buyer of a new car should keep in mind are

(a) Its price and size

(b) Its model and upholstery

(d) Its upholstery and glass area

9. The size of the car should be in accordance with

(a) The money one can afford to pay

(b) The size of the garage the buyer has

(d) The volume of traffic on the road

10. The writer favours a car with a wide glass area so that the driver can

(a) enjoy the scene outside while driving

(b) have a good view of the rear

(d) display his beautiful upholstery with pride

11. It is very expensive to maintain a large car because it

(a) is heavy

(b) requires more space for parking

(d) needs more durable upholstery

12. While buying a new car, one should specially consider its

(a) price

(b) maintenance cost

(d) brakes

Directions (Qs. 13 to 17) : Each of these questions carries a phrase/idiom. Select the correct answer out of the four given choices (A), (B), (C) or (D) which conveys the closest meaning of the given phrase/idiom.

13. The world is one's oyster

(a) One feels that nobody in the world would help him/her

(b) The feeling one gets when he lands in an unfamiliar country

(d) When one has an uphill task to perform

14. To go for the jugular

(a) To work very hard for the success

(b) To make a fierce destructive attack on the weakest point in an opponent’s argument

(d) To go in for dishonest means

15. To follow the primrose path

(a) To follow one?s objectives very steadfastly

(b) To go on wandering

(d) To go in for pursuit of pleasure or an easy life

16. A bee in one’s bonnet

(a) To be very enterprising

(b) To be very timid and shy

(d) To have a particular idea which occupies one’s thoughts continually

17. To take a rain-check

(a) To decline an offer but promise to accept in later

(b) To go through the weather report

(d) To take to farming as a source of livelihood

SPOTTING ERRORS

Directions (Qs. 18 to 22 ) : In this section, in each of these questions, a sentence has three underlined parts (a), (b), (c). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error. If you find an error in any one of the underlined parts (a, b, c), select that part as your answer. If a sentence has no error, then mark your answer as (d) which stands for No error. Errors may belong to grammer, usage or idiom.

18. Choose only (a) / such friends (b) / that you can trust. (c) / No error (d)

19. While he was digging sand, (a) / a large mass fell (b) / and buried him completely. (c) / No error (d)

20. The book is well printed and attractively bound (a) / making altogether (b) / an attractive volume. (c) /

No error (d)

21. A little younger (a) / to myself we, both were (b) / devoted to cricket and boating. (c) / No error (d)

22. He had no sooner (a) / arrived than (b) / he was asked a leave again. (c) / No error (d)

Directions (Qs. 23 to 25) : In these questions, select the most suitable word from the choices (a), (b), (c) and

(d) given below each sentence to fill in the blanks.

23. The Rajputs always fought ?????? the last man.

(a) upto

(b) till

(d) for

24. I have been surfing internet ?????? the last two hours.

(a) since

(b) for

(d) right from

25. You should be considerate ?????? your employees and I assure you of your success in every walk of life.

(a) for

(b) to

(d) on

PART B: GENERAL STUDIES

26. If X is mortal, Y is wise, if Z is not good, a will suffer. Y is not wise, if A suffers. If B is slave, X is immortal. If A suffers, what follows?

(a) X is mortal

(b) B is a slave

(d) Y is wise

27. Consider the following statements regarding of India :

1. Pressurised heavy water reactors have been set up at Kaiga (Karnataka) and Rawatbhata (Rajasthan).

2. Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata, is one of the five Research Centres under the Department of Science and Technology.

3. India has a vast resource of Thorium and the third stage of Indian Nuclear Power Programme envisages the use of Thorium for power generation.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 2 only

(b) 1 and 2

(d) 1, 2 and 3

28. Consider the following statements : According to Census 2001

1. The literacy rate increase for males is more than that of the females during last one decade.

2. Amongst the States and Union Territories, Delhi has the highest population density while Sikkim has the lowest.

3. The correct sequence of population in descending order of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is: Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka.

which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 and 3

(d) 3 only

29 Sagar Samrat is the name of

(a) An island near Port Blair

(b) A drilling ship in Bombay High

(d) Name of a 5-star hotel in Goa

30. Who among the following was a great protagonist of the Doctrine of Lapse?

(a) Lord Dalhousie

(b) Lord Minto

(d) Lord Wellesley

31. Chauri Chaura is known in the history of India’s struggle for freedom because

(a) Gandhiji launched his first Satyagraha in India from this place

(b) Gandhiji withdrew his Satyagraha movement when an irate mob set fire to a police station and burnt some policemen

(d) Gandhiji sat on a hunger strike

32. Who among the following is the Chairman of Planning Commission in India?

(a) Finance Minister of India

(b) Prime Minister of India

(d) Home Minister of India

33. The Grand Trunk Road connects

(a) Kolkata and Mumbai

(b) Delhi and Chennai

(d) Tirupati and Ludhiana

34. The Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930 culminated in the signing of a pact in 1931 by Gandhiji and

(a) Lord Irwin

(b) Lord Linlithgow

(d) Lord Curzon

35. Who among the following wrote the book Algebra of Infinite Justice?

(a) Anita Desai

(b) Vikram Seth

(d) Rohington Mistry

36. Who among the following became the President of India without having been the Vice-president?

(a) Shri V. V. Giri

(b) Shri Venkataraman

(d) Shri Zakir Hussain

37. In a group of 36 persons, a total of 16 take tea while 9 take tea but not coffee. How many persons in this group take coffee but not tea?

(a) 27

(b) 20

(d) 11

38. Two pipes A and B can fill a tank in 15 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. Both the pipes are opened together but after 4 minutes, pipe A is turned off. What is the total time required to fill the tank?

(a) 10 mt 30 sec

(b) 14 mt 40 sec

(d) 11 mt 45 sec

Directions (Qs. 39 & 40) : A cube has six faces, each of a different colour. The red face is opposite to black. The green face is between red and black. The blue face is adjacent to white. The brown face is adjacent to blue. The red face is the bottom-most face.

39. The four colours adjacent to green are

(a) Red, black, blue and white

(b) Red black, brown and blue

(d) Red, brown, blue and white

40. The face opposite to the brown face is

(a) Red

(b) White

(d) Blue

41. Dhanvantari was

(a) A famous General of Chandragupta Maurya

(b) A noted physician in the court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya

(d) A musician in the Court of Ashoka

42. A factory has three belt conveyors fitted in its loading station. Conveyors A and B operating simultaneously lift all the goods in the same time during which the goods can be lifted by the conveyor C operating alone. Conveyor B lifts all the goods five hours faster than the conveyor C. The durations of time required to lift all the goods, individually by the conveyors A, B and C are

(a) 17, 12, 8 hrs.

(b) 15, 10, 6 hrs.

(d) 14, 9, 5 hrs.

43. Raksha Kavach is

(a) A new safety equipment designed for the soldiers of Indian Army

(b) An anti-collision device to prevent collision between trains designed by the Konkan Railway Corporation

(d) A new device for the Indian airports for the safe landing of aircrafts

44. Consider the following statements in respect of Soccer World Cup:

1. Prior to FIFA-2002 Cup, Brazil had won the World Cup four times.

2. Indomitable Lions is the nickname for Cameroon team.

3. Azzurri is the nickname for the Italian team.

4. Senegal, Slovenia and Ecuador participating in FIFA-2002 are the only teams participating in the World Cup for the first time.

Which of these statements are correct ?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2 and 3

(d) 1, 2 and 4

45. Which tourist destination from amongst the following will be developed as an international destination for Tourism according to the Budget 2002-03 ?

(a) Port Blair

(b) Hampi

(d) Nalanda

46. Which positional value divides the series into equal parts ?

(a) Median

(b) Second quartile

(d) All of these

47. Consider the following statements :

1. Launching of Fourth Five-year Plan was postponed and three Annual Plans had to be resorted to between 1966 and 1969.

2. Fifth Five-year Plan was terminated a year earlier.

3. Eighth Five-Year Plan commenced in 1992 instead of 1990.

Which of these statements are correct?

(a) 2 and 3

(b) 1 and 2

(d) 1, 2 and 3

48. Shri Rajender Singh won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for

(a) Emergent Leadership

(b) Community Leadership

(d) Bio-technology

49. Which among the following became the first woman Prime Minister in the world?

(a) Indira Gandhi

(b) Kim Campbell

(d) Sirimavo Bandaranaike

50. Consider the following statements :

1. Part B of the Budget speech of the Finance Minister includes description of the initiatives on economic front to be taken up by the Government for the coming year in addition to direct and indirect tax proposals.

2. The receipts on account of the partial disinvestments of Central Government’s holdings in the equity capital of public sector enterprises are revenue receipts.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

51. Carbohydrates are stored in the body as

(a) Sugars

(b) Starch

(d) Glycogen

52. Consider the following statements:

1. Intel’s Pentium IV is an operating system used in PCs

2. During booting period of a PC, the operating system is first loaded.

3. Analogue computers are useful only in scientific field while digital computers have application in scientific as well as in business, administrative functions.

4. Micro-computer is another name for micro-processor.

Which of these statements are correct?

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(b) 2 and 3

(d) 1, 2 and 4

53. Bacteria and viruses cause

(a) Allergies

(b) Non-communicable diseases

(d) Infectious diseases

54. Substances which are obtained from micro-organisms but used to destroy micro-organisms are

(a) Antigens

(b) Antibiotics

(d) Antiseptics

55. Consider the following statements concerning United Arab Emirates :

1. Oman is one of the seven Emirates which form the United Arab Emirates.

2. Dubai is the capital of United Arab Emirates.

3. Fishing and tourism are the key industries of United Arab Emirates.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

56. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India is appointed by the

(a) Prime Minster

(b) President

(d) Home Minister

57. The foreign traveler who visited India during Vijayanagar period was

(a) Megasthenes

(b) Yuan Chwang

(d) Nicolo Conti

Directions (Qs. 58 to 65): These questions consist of two statements, one labeled the ‘Assertion (A)’ and the other labeled the ‘Reason (R)’. You are to examine these two statements carefully and decide if the Assertion (A) and the Reason (R) are individually true and if so, whether the Reason (R) is a correct explanation of the Assertion (A). Select your answers to these items using the Codes given below :

(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

(b) Both A and R are true but R is Not the correct explanation of A

(d) A is false but R is true.

58. Assertion (A): Amongst the three strategies overall cost leadership, differentiation and market segmentation; a company with differentiation strategy has less competition from both its direct competitors and from potential substitutes.

Reason (R) : Its consumers have greater brand loyalty, and, therefore, less price sensitivity.

59. Assertion (A): In the organizational structure of the modern companies, the trend is towards wider span of control.

Reason (R): Narrow span of control discourages autonomy.

60. Assertion (A) : Unity of command cannot always be strictly applied in practice.

Reason (R) : Workers should report to different supervisors for different aspects or tasks technical, financial, administrative, etc.

61. Assertion (A) : Point of order is raised to criticize a policy of the government.

Reason (R) : It is an important tool of legislative control.

62. Assertion (A): A bus and a car (with lower weight than that of the bus) moving at the same velocity, are brought to rest on a level road by applying brakes which exert same retarding force. The car will travel lesser distance before coming to rest.

Reason (R): The kinetic energy to be destroyed is equal to the work done by the retarding force.

63. Assertion (A) : A train has come out of the platform and is accelerating if a person sitting in the train and facing engine, throws up a coin, it will fall ahead of him.

Reason (R) : A force acts on the coin whose magnitude is equal to the product of the mass of the coin and acceleration of the train.

64. Assertion (A): Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is useful in a manufacturing company. It does not find application in service industry.

Reason (R): Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) enables a high level of interaction and coordination along the supply chain.

65. Assertion (A): Macro-economics deals with the study of aggregates and averages.

Reason (R): Central problem of macro economics is the determination of income and employment.

66. Which leader is called the father of India’s social reform movement?

(a) Mahatma Gandhi

(b) Raja Rammohan Roy

(d) Lokmanya Tilak

67. Which of the following statements is not correct?

(a) The 42nd Amendment extended the term of Lik Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies from 5 years to 6 years.

(b) The president can dissolve the Lok Sabha on the advice of the Prime Minister.

(d) One third members of the Rajya Sabha retire on the expiry of every third year.

68. Nalanda University flourished during the reign of which of the following rules?

(a) Chandragupta Maurya

(b) Ashoka

(d) Harsha

69. Recently, Cannes Film Festival was held in

(a) Switzerland

(b) France

(d) England

70. The device to convert alternating current into direct current is

(a) Transformer

(b) Rectifier

(d) Condenser

71. Shri Kiran Karnik is the

(a) President of NASSCOM

(b) Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India

(d) Managing Director of Engineers India Ltd.

72. Knesset is the name of the Parliament of

(a) Norway

(b) Sweden

(d) Spain

73. Combustion of a candle is a

(a) Photochemical reaction

(b) Exothermic reaction

(d) Endothermic reaction

74. Which of the following is a chemical compound?

(a) Air

(b) Oxygen

(d) Mercury

75. Consider the following statements :

1. Bermuda situated in Western Atlantic Ocean is a United Kingdom Overseas Territory.

2. 38th Parallel divided boundary between North and South Vietnam before unification.

3. Bahamas situated near Florida is one of the states of USA.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(d) 1 and 2

76. Consider the following statements:

1. Falkland Islands are situated in Pacific Ocean.

2. Red Sea separates Sudan from Egypt.

3. England, Norway, Denmark surround North Sea.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 2 only

(b) 1and 3

(d) 3 only

77. Which is the correct sequence of the given American cities from West to East?

(a) Salt Lake City-Pittsburg-San Francisco-Boston

(b) San Francisco-Salt Lake City-Pittsburg-Boston

(d) San Francisco-Pittsburg-Salt Lake City-Boston

78. Consider the following statements :

1. The demand for commodities having a large number of close substitutes is less elastic than the commodities having a smaller number of substitutes.

2. Luxury items have a highly elastic demand.

3. The commodities whose consumption cannot easily be postponed have less elastic demand.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(d) 1, 2 and 3

79. A town P is located in a particular district. The town A is west of P. Town T is east of P. Town K is east of B but west of T and A. They are all in the same district. Which town is the farthest west?

(a) P

(b) K

(d) A

80. Recently, Government disinvested stake in VSNL, IBP and IPCL to

(a) Bharti Telesonic, Reliance and GAIL, respectively

(b) Tata Group of Industries, Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance, respectively

(d) Motorola, Kuwait petroleum and Ranbaxy, respectively

81. Stockholm Syndrome is a mental condition experienced by

(a) The young persons who take up jobs in the industry after passing out from the Management Schools

(b) Persons who migrate from rural areas to urban cities, during the earlier stages of their stay

(d) Hostages and kidnap victims in which positive feelings develop towards their captors

82. Latitude of a place is indicative of its

(a) Time

(b) Altitude

(d) Temperature

83. What is the maximum number of pieces 1 cm in diameter and 20cm long that can be cut out of a cylindrical wooden block 20cm in length and 3cm in diameter?

(a) 4

(b) 5

(d) 7

84. A group of boys decided to buy a few cassettes whose price was between Rs. 200 and Rs. 250. But at the time of purchase, two of the boys declined to contribute as a result of which the remaining boys had to pay Re. 1 more than they had originally planned. What was the price of the cassettes if the boys contributed equally and in whole number of rupees?

(a) Rs. 220

(b) Rs. 210

(d) Rs. 240

85. Consider the following statements:

1. Alluvial soil is rich in chemical properties and is capable of yielding Rabi and Kharif crops.

2. Black soil is suitable for cotton, groundnut.

3. Rabi crops are reaped in outumn after sowing in the June.

Which of these statements are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1 and 2

(d) 1 and 3

Directions (Qs. 86 to 90) : Sumeet, Philips Wasim, Bishan and Chetan are five players of the College Cricket team and their home towns are Surat, Pune, Warangal, Bangalore and Chandigarh but not in that order. The five specialist slots of spinner, pace bowler, wicket-keeper, batsman and the captain are held by them, again not in the order of their names stated above.

(i) Their names, home towns and the specialiteis do not start with the same letter.

(ii) Neither Philps nor Wasim is the captain and they do not belong to either Surat or Bangalore.

(iii) Sumeet is neither a wicket-keeper nor a batsman.

(iv) Pune is not Bishan’s home town.

(v) The player who hails from Bangalore is a wicket-keeper.

(vi) The captian’s home town is Pune while the batsman does not hail from Warangal.

86. The spinner’s home town is

(a) Pune

(b) Warangal

(d) Chandigarh

87. Chandigarh is home town of

(a) Philips

(b) Wasim

(d) Sumeet

88. Who is the pace bowler?

(a) Bishan

(b) Sumeet

(d) Chetan

89. Who is the spinner?

(a) Wasim

(b) Bishan

(d) Philips

90. Chetan’s home town is

(a) Bangalore

(b) Warangal

(d) Pune

91. A and B stand in a circular ring with 10 other persons. If the arrangement of 12 persons is randomly done, the change that there are exactly 3 persons between A and B is

(a) 3/10

(b) 2/11

(d) 3/11

92. Consider the following statements :

While it is 6.30 AM (Sunday) in London, it is around

1. 2.30 AM (Sunday) in Honolulu (Hawaii)

2. 8.30 PM (Saturday) in Honolulu (Hawaii)

3. 3.30 PM (Sunday) in Tokyo

4. 1.30 AM (Sunday) in Tokyo

which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 4 only

(b) 2 and 3

(d) 2 and 4

93. Consider the following statements :

1. Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich and is at 00 Longitude.

2. International Date Line on the map appears as a straight line along 1800 Longitude.

3. While crossing International Date Line from east to west, one gains a day.

4. Tropic of Cancer lies at23½0 Latitude S.

Which of these statements are correct ?

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4

(b) 1 and 2

(d) 2 and 3

94. 15 men can complete a work in 280 days. They started the work and after every 10 days, 15 additional men were employed. In how many days the work was completed?

(a) 70 days

(b) 60 days

(d) 50 days

95. Bag A contains 5 white and 2 black balls. Bag B contains 2 white and 3 black balls. If any one bag is chosen and a ball is taken out of it at random, what is the probability that the ball is black?

(a) 31/70

(b) 1/2

(d) 3/5

96. Three containers have their volumes in the ratio 3 : 4 : 5. They are full of mixtures of milk and water. The mixtures contain milk and water in the ratio of 4 : 1, 3 : 1 and 5 : 2 respectively. The contents of all these three containers are poured into a fourth container. The ratio of milk and water in the fourth container is

(a) 5 : 2

(b) 157 : 53

(d) 4 : 1

97. Two dice are thrown simultaneously. The probability that the product of the two numbers on the two dice is an even number is

(a) 1/2

(b) 3/4

(d) 3/8

98. Consider the following statements :

1. For the three All-India Services, there are 24 State Cadres including three joint cadres.

2. Union Public Service Commission is the cadre controlling authority for Indian Administrative Service.

3. Staff Selection Commission is entrusted with the task of making recruitment to all the Group B and Group C posts under the Government.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2

(d) 1, 2 and 3

99. Crop yield Formulation Unit which has developed statistical models to forecast crop yield works under the control of

(a) Ministry of Water Resources

(b) Department of Agriculture and Co-operation

(d) Department of Food and Public Distribution

100. East Timor, the latest independent nation in the world, was ruled by

(a) Indonesia

(b) Australia

(d) Philippines

101. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?

(a) National Aluminium Company Ltd. : Bhubaneswar

(b) Indian Bureau of Mines : Dhanbad

(d) National Archives of India : New Delhi

102. The flowers in a basket become double every minute and the basket gets full in one hour. In how much time, the basket was 1/32 full?

(a) 12 minutes

(b) 32 minutes

(d) 55 minutes

My Way

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Sunday, May 27, 2012

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