1. Steel slag can be material for which of the following:

1. Construction of base road
2. Improvement of agriculture soil
3. Production of cement

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

2. The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in news, refers to a grade of

1. Crude oil
2. Bullion
3. Rare earth elements
4. Uranium

3. Which of the following statements are correct regarding the general difference between plant and animal cells?

1. Plant cells have cellulose cell walls whilst animal cells do not.
2. Plant cells do not have plasma membrane unlike animal cells which do.
3. Mature plant cell has one large vacuole whilst an animal cell has many small vacuoles.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

4. According to Indian’s National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels?

1. Cassava
2. Damaged wheat grains
3. Groundnut seeds
4. Horse gram
5. Rotten potatoes
6. Sugar beet

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2, 5 and 6 only
2. 1, 3, 4 and 6 only
3. 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

5. Consider the following statement:

1. Genetic changes can be introduced in the cells that produce eggs or sperms of a prospective parent.
2. A person’s genome can be edited before birth at the early embryonic stage.
3. Human induced pluripotent stem cells can be injected into the embryo of a pig.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 2 only
4. 1, 2 & 3

6. What is the importance of using Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines in India?

1. These vaccines are effective against pneumonia as well as meningitis and sepsis.
2. Dependence on antibiotic that are not effective against drug-resistant bacteria can be reduced.
3. These vaccines have no side effects and cause no allergic reactions.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

7. Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution?

1. Automobile exhaust
2. Tobacco Smoke
3. Wood burning
4. Using varnished wooden furniture
5. using products made of polyurethane

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

8. With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct?

1. It is spread over two districts
2. There is no human habitation inside the Park.
3. It is one of the natural habitats of the Great Indian Bustard.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

9. Consider the following statements:

1. 36% of India’s districts are classified as “overexploited” or “critical” by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
2. CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3. India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 2 only
4. 1 & 3 only

10. Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat”?

1. Corbett
2. Ranthambore
3. Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam
4. Sunderbans

11. If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, what is the implication?

1. A licence is required to cultivate the plant.
2. Such a plant cannot be cultivated under any circumstances.
3. It is a Genetically Modified crop plant.
4. Such a plant is invasive and harmful to the ecosystem.

12. Which one of the following statements best describes the term “Social Cost of Carbon”? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the

1. long-term damage done by a tonne of CO₂ emissions in a given year.
2. requirement of fossil fuels for a country to provide goods and services to its citizens, based on the burning of those fuels.
3. efforts put in by a climate refugee to adapt to live in a new place.
4. contribution of an individual person to the carbon footprint on the planet Earth.

13. In the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be practices(s) of eco-friendly agriculture?

1. Crop diversification
2. Legume Intensification
3. Tensiometer use
4. Vertical farming

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 3 only
3. 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

14. With respect to Indian Elephants, consider the following statements:

1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving fill the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 4 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 3 and 4 only

15. Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin?

1. Nagarhole National Park
2. Papikonda National Park
3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

16. With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are

1. Birds
2. Primates
3. Reptiles
4. Amphibians

17. Which one of the following protected areas is well known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer(Barasinga) that thrives well in hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous?

1. Kanha National Park
2. Manas National Park
3. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary

18. Which of the following are the most likely places to find the musk deer in its natural habitat?

1. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary
2. Gangotri National Park
3. Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Manas National Park

Select the correct answer using the code given below

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 3 and 4 only
4. 1 and 4 only

19. In rural road constuction, the use of which of the following is preferred for ensuring environmental sustainability or to reduce carbon footprint?

1. Copper Slag
2. Cold mix asphalt technology
3. Geotextiles
4. Hot mix asphalt technology
5. Portland cement

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 4 and 5 only
4. 1 and 5 only

20. The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft. The experiment in question refers to

1. Voyager-2
2. New Horizons
3. LISA Pathfinder
4. Evolved LISA

21. In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA Safeguards” while others are not?

1. Some use uranium and others use thorium
2. Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies
3. Some are operated by foreign enterprises and other are operated by domestic enterprises.
4. Some are State-owned and others are privately-owned

22. Consider the following activities:

1. Spraying pesticides on a crop field
2. Inspecting the craters od active volcanoes
3. Collecting breath samples from spouting whales for DNA analysis

At the present level of technology, which of the above activities can be successfully carried out by using drones?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

23. In India, term “Public Key Infrastructure” is used in the context of

1. Digital security infrastructure
2. Food security infrastructure
3. Health care and education infrastructure
4. Telecommunication and transporation infrastructure

24. With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following?

1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units
2. Create meaningful short stories and songs
3. Disease diagnosis
4. Text-to-speech conservation
5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
2. 1, 3, and 4 only
3. 2, 4, and 5 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

25. With reference to Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology, which of the following statements are correct?

1. VLC uses electromagnetic spectrum wavelengths 375 to 780nm
2. VLC is known as long-range amounts of data faster than Bluetooth
3. VLC can transmit large amounts of data faster than Bluetooth
4. VLC has no electromagnetic interference.

Select the correct answer using the code given below

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 2 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only
4. 2, 3 and 4 only

26. With reference to solar water pumps, consider the following statements:

1. Solar power can be used for running surface pumps and not for submersible pumps.
2. Solar power can be used for running centrifugal pumps and nor the ones wirh piston.

Which of the statements given is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2