UPSC Prelims 2000 Question Paper & Solutions

UPSC Prelims 2000 solved question paper — GS Paper 1 and CSAT with full explanations, subject-wise breakdown, and the official cutoff.

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UPSC Prelims 2000 solved paper

Every question from the official paper with the correct answer and a full explanation. Click any row to open the detailed solution.

General Studies — Paper 1

135 / 135
QQuestionSubjectAnswerSolution
1Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: I. Development ProgrammeeconomyBView
2“……instil into the vast millions of workers, men and women, who actually do the job, a sense of partnership and of cooperative performance….…economyBView
3The Speaker can ask a member of the House to stop speaking and let another member speak. This phenomenon is known aspolity-and-governanceDView
4Along which one of the following meridians did India experience the first light of the sunrise of the new millennium?geographyDView
5The Standing Committee of State Finance Ministers recommended in January 2000 uniform rates across the States in respect ofBView
6At the time of partition of India, which one of the following provinces of the British India came forward with a plan for a united and indep…historyAView
7Consider the following functionaries: I. Cabinet Secretary II. Chief Election Commissioner III. Union Cabinet Ministers IV. Chief Justice of…polity-and-governanceCView
8The primary function of the Finance Commission in India is topolity-and-governanceAView
9The State which has the largest number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes in Lok Sabha ispolity-and-governanceDView
10Consider the following statements: I. Tides are of great help in navigation and fishing. II. High tide enables big ships to enter or leave t…geographyDView
11Indian Human Development Report does not give for each sample villageeconomyDView
12Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Oceanic Trench) (Location) I. Aleutia…geographyBView
13The Balkan Plan for fragmentation of India was the brain-child ofhistoryCView
14Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II >> (Institute) (Location) I. C…polity-and-governanceBView
15Economic liberalisation in India started witheconomyAView
16The practice of military governorship was first introduced in India by thehistoryAView
17Consider the following statements about the Indian National Congress I. Sarojini Naidu was the first woman to be the President of the Congre…historyBView
18Match the drainage basins labelled as A, B, C and D with the names listed below and select the correct answer using the codes given below th…geographyCView
19The Raga which is sung early in the morning isart-and-cultureAView
20Gilt-edged market meanseconomyBView
21Which one of the following dynasties was ruling over North India at the time of Alexander’s invasion?historyAView
22To reach the final of first Grand Slam of the year 2000, Martina Hingis defeatedart-and-cultureCView
23The Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana which came into operation from Dec. 1, 1997 aims to provide gainful employment to the urban unemplo…economyDView
24Consider the following statements regarding the Chakiarkoothu form of dance: I. It is performed by Chakiar caste. II. It cannot be tradition…art-and-cultureDView
25Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Minerals) I. Mineral oil II. Copper I…geographyAView
26Consider the following statements: The Indian rupee is fully convertible I. in respect of Current Account of Balance of Payment. II. in resp…economyAView
27Who among the following streamlined the Maratha administration after Sambhaji?historyBView
28Match List I (Books) with List II (Authors) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I I. My Music, My Life…art-and-cultureBView
29Which one of the following is known as the “Coffee port” of the world?geographyBView
30Resurgent India Bonds were issued in US Dollar, Pound Sterling andeconomyBView
31Match List I (Power generation plant) with List II (Feed material) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List…economyCView
32Consider the following events: I. Reign of Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara. II. Construction of Qutab Minar. III. Arrival of Portuguese in…historyAView
33Consider the following statements: The Ministerial Meeting of the WTO held in December 1999 was unsuccessful because it attempted to link tr…economyBView
34Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I (Artist) (Medium of music delivery) I.…art-and-cultureAView
35Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I I. Iqta A) Marathas II. Jagir B) Delhi…historyBView
36Consider the following statements about the ‘Roaring Forties’: I. They blow uninterrupted in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. II. They…geographyBView
37A college student desires to get elected to the Municipal Council of his city. The validity of his nomination would depend on the important …polity-and-governanceCView
38Consider the following provinces of former Yugoslavia: I. Bosnia II. Croatia III. Slovenia IV. Yugoslavia. The correct sequence of these pro…geographyBView
39Which one of the following Muslim rulers was hailed as the ‘Jagadguru’ by his Muslim subjects because of his belief in secularism?historyCView
40Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II (Local bodies) (States as in 1…polity-and-governanceDView
41Which one of the following statements is incorrect?polity-and-governanceDView
42Which one of the following lakes forms an international boundary between Tanzania and Uganda?geographyCView
43The growth rate of per capita income at current prices is higher than that of per capita income at constant prices, because the latter takes…economyCView
44“In this instance we could not play off the Mohammedans against the Hindus”. To which one of the following events did this remark of Aitchis…historyAView
45The following news item appeared in a National daily dated 1-12-1999: “…Parliament today rejected a Bill to grant women the right to vote an…polity-and-governanceAView
46Which one of the following statements is not true?geographyAView
47The upper part of the graph is a hypothetical movement in the BSE Sensex over a few months and the lower part is the fluctuation in the aver…economyCView
48The first Indian State to have its Human Development Report prepared and released by Amartya Kumar Sen in Delhi iseconomyCView
49Consider the following statements about the megacities of India: I. Population of each megacity is more than 5 million. II. All the megaciti…geographyDView
50The Parliament can make any law for the whole or any part of India for implementing international treatiespolity-and-governanceDView
51Which one of the following is not a feature of the Government of India Act of 1935?polity-and-governanceAView
52The correct sequence in decreasing order of the four sugarcane producing States in India isgeographyBView
53Which one of the following statements about a Money Bill is not correct?polity-and-governanceAView
54The Indian National Army (INA) came into existence in 1943 inhistoryCView
55A rise in ‘SENSEX’ meanseconomyCView
56The new Gross Domestic Product (GDP) series released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) in February 1999 is with reference to bas…economyCView
57Consider the following statements: I. Maharashtra has the highest acreage under jawar in India. II. Gujarat is the largest producer of groun…geographyBView
58The last major extension of British Indian territory took place during the time ofhistoryBView
59Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?art-and-cultureDView
60Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II (Industrial Unit) (Centre) I. …economyDView
61The 73rd Constitution Amendment Act, 1992 refers to thepolity-and-governanceCView
62As an alternative to the partition of India, Gandhiji suggested to Mountbatten that hehistoryBView
63Which one of the following ports of India handles the highest tonnage of import cargo?geographyCView
64The native State of Tripura became involved in the Freedom Movement early in the 20th century becausehistoryBView
65Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II I. Boom A) Business activity a…economyAView
66That the per capita income in India was Rs. 20 in 1867-68, was ascertained for the first time byeconomyDView
67Which one of the following pairs of primitive tribes and places of their inhabitation is not correctly matched?geographyCView
68Consider the following statements about the megacities of India: I. Population of each megacity is more than 5 million. II. All the megaciti…geographyDView
69Which one of the following statements is false?economyCView
70The best performance in terms of Human Development among the Asian countries is bygeographyCView
71After returning from South Africa, Gandhiji launched his first successful Satyagraha inhistoryCView
72Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II I. Chittagong Armoury Raid A) …historyAView
73Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I List II I. Land allotted to big feudal…historyBView
74Which one of the following countries occupies the first place in the “Global Competitive Report” of World Economic Forum?economyBView
75Assertion (A): Lord Linlithgow described the August Movement of 1942 as the most serious revolt after the Sepoy mutiny. Reason (R): Peasants…historyAView
76Assertion (A): The Aham and Puram poems of the Padinen Kilukanakku group formed a continuation of the Sangam composition. Reason (R): They w…art-and-cultureAView
77Assertion (A): In Australia, cattle rearing is done more for meat than for milk. Reason (R): Australians are traditionally non-vegetarians.geographyDView
78Assertion (A): The frequency of floods in North Indian plains has increased during the last couple of decades. Reason (R): There has been re…geographyAView
79Assertion (A): The rate of growth of India’s exports has shown an appreciable increase after 1991. Reason (R): The Govt. of India has resort…economyBView
80Assertion (A): Ganga Plain is the most densely populated part of India. Reason (R): Ganga is the most harnessed river of India.geographyBView
81Assertion (A): The emphasis of Jainism on non-violence (ahimsa) prevented agriculturalists from embracing Jainism. Reason (R): Cultivation i…art-and-cultureAView
82Assertion (A): The origin of feudal system in ancient India can be traced to military campaigns. Reason (R): There was considerable expansio…historyCView
83Assertion (A): Ashoka annexed Kalinga to the Mauryan Empire. Reason (R): Kalinga controlled the land and sea routes to South India.historyBView
84Assertion (A): The basic weakness of the early nationalist movement lay in its narrow social base. Reason (R): It fought for the narrow inte…historyCView
85In an open economy, the national income (Y) of the economy is: (C, I, G, X, M stand for Consumption, Investment, Govt. Expenditure, total ex…economyCView
86Which one of the following does a TV remote control unit use to operate a TV set?science-and-technologyCView
87A noise level of 100 decibels would correspond toscience-and-technologyDView
88A ‘black hole’ is a body in space which does not allow any radiation to come out. This property is due to itsscience-and-technologyCView
89The memory of a computer is commonly expressed in terms of Kilobytes or Megabytes. A byte is made up ofscience-and-technologyAView
90Consider the following features of newer models of motor cars: I. Radial tyres II. Streamlined body III. Multipoint fuel injection IV. Catal…science-and-technologyBView
91Fluorescent tubes are fitted with a choke. The choke coilsscience-and-technologyCView
92For reproducing sound, a CD (Compact Disc) audio player uses ascience-and-technologyCView
93When a CD (Compact Disc used in audio and video systems) is seen in sunlight, rainbow like colours is seen. This can be explained on the bas…science-and-technologyDView
94Assertion (A): A man standing on a completely frictionless surface can propel himself by whistling. Reason (R): If no external force acts on…science-and-technologyAView
95Assertion (A): In a motion picture, usually 24 frames are projected every second over the whole length of the film. Reason (R): An image for…science-and-technologyAView
96Assertion (A): Small glass beads fixed on traffic signals glow brightly when light falls upon them. Reason (R): Light is totally reflected w…science-and-technologyAView
97The stones formed in human kidney consist mostly ofscience-and-technologyAView
98Most of the explosions in mines occur due to the mixing ofscience-and-technologyCView
99Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I I. German Silver II. Solder III. Bleac…science-and-technologyDView
100Which one of the following materials is very hard and very ductile?science-and-technologyDView
101Soft drinks such as colas contain significant quantities ofscience-and-technologyAView
102Aluminium surfaces are often 'anodized'. This means the deposition of a layer of a) chromium oxide b) aluminium oxide c) nickel oxide d) zin…science-and-technologyBView
103A small pouch containing silica gel is often found in bottles of medicine in tablet or powder form because silica gelscience-and-technologyCView
104Match List I (Industrial processes) with List II (Industry with which associated) and select the correct answer using the codes given below …science-and-technologyBView
105Assertion (A): Large cold storage plants use ammonia as refrigerant while domestic refrigerators use chlorofluorocarbons. Reason (R): Ammoni…science-and-technologyAView
106Which one of the following organisms can serve as a biofertilizer for rice crop?geographyAView
107At which stage in its life-cycle does the silkworm yield the fibre of commerce?science-and-technologyCView
108Match List I (Diseases) with List II (Types of disease) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I I. Haemo…science-and-technologyBView
109The blood glucose level is commonly expressed asscience-and-technologyBView
110Phytotron is a facility toscience-and-technologyCView
111Match List I (Endocrine glands) with List II (Hormones secreted) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the Lists: List I…science-and-technologyCView
112Insect resistant cotton plants have been genetically engineered by inserting a gene from a/anscience-and-technologyBView
113Hybridoma technology is a new biotechnological approach for commercial production ofscience-and-technologyAView
114The sensation of fatigue in the muscles after prolonged strenuous physical work is caused byscience-and-technologyDView
115Consider the following statements: Hard water is not suitable for I. drinking. II. washing clothes with soap. III. use in boilers. IV. irrig…science-and-technologyDView
116Canola refers to special type of oil seed mustard varieties bred for human consumption. The main characteristic of these varieties is that t…economyBView
117Within biological communities, some species are important in determining the ability of a large number of other species to persist in the co…geographyAView
118Assertion (A): In human beings, the females play a major role in determining the sex of the offspring. Reason (R): Women have two-‘X’ chromo…science-and-technologyDView
119Assertion (A): “DNA Finger-printing” has become a powerful tool to establish paternity and identity of criminals in rape and assault cases. …science-and-technologyAView
120A rectangular water tank measures 15 m x 6 m at top and is 10 m deep. It is full of water. If water is drawn out lowering the level by 1 met…geographyBView
121An accurate clock shows 8 O’clock in the morning. Through how many degrees will the hour hand rotate when the clock shows 2 O’clock in the a…science-and-technologyDView
122The monthly income of Komal and Asha are in the ratio of 4: 3. Their monthly expenses are in the ratio of 3: 2. However, both save Rs. 600 p…economyCView
123If X = -2, then X3 - X2 - X - 1 is equal toscience-and-technologyCView
124Examine the following relationships among members of a family of six persons A, B, C, D, E and F. I. The number of males equals that of fema…polity-and-governanceBView
125In a certain code, MARCH is written as OCTEJ, how is RETURN written in that code?science-and-technologyCView
126A, B, C, D, E and F, not necessarily in that order, are sitting in six chairs regularly placed around a round table. It is observed that A i…polity-and-governanceDView
127In a class there are 18 boys who are over 160 cm tall. If these boys constitute three fourths of the boys and the total number of boys is tw…polity-and-governanceBView
128A rectangular piece of iron sheet measuring 50 cm by 100 cm is rolled into a cylinder of height 50 cm. If the cost of painting the cylinder …science-and-technologyAView
129In an examination, every candidate took Physics or Mathematics or both. 65.8% took Physics and 59.2% took Mathematics. The total number of c…science-and-technologyBView
130A bag contains 20 balls. 8 balls are green, 7 are white and 5 are red. What is the minimum number of balls that must be picked up from the b…science-and-technologyDView
131Which one of the following has a greater perimeter than the rest?CView
132A club has 108 members. Two thirds of them are men and the rest are women. All members are married except for 9 women members. How many marr…polity-and-governanceCView
133A person starts from a point A and travels 3 km eastwards to B and then turns left and travels thrice that distance to reach C. He again tur…geographyCView
134The distribution of 1,00,000 tourists who visited India during a particular year is shown in the given charts. Based on this, the number of …geographyDView
135What is the maximum number of pieces of 5 cm x 5 cm x 10 cm cake that can be cut from a big cake of 5 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm size?CView

Subject-wise weightage

How GS Paper 1 distributed marks across History, Polity, Geography, Economy, Science & Tech, Environment and Current Affairs.

  • science-and-technology37 (27%)
  • geography25 (19%)
  • economy24 (18%)
  • history21 (16%)
  • polity-and-governance17 (13%)
  • art-and-culture8 (6%)
  • Others3 (2%)

Frequently asked questions

Where can I download the UPSC Prelims 2000 question paper?
Every question from the official UPSC Prelims 2000 GS Paper 1 and CSAT paper is reproduced above with the correct answer and a detailed explanation. UPSC also hosts scanned PDFs of all four sets on upsc.gov.in under the "Examinations" section.
How is the UPSC Prelims 2000 paper scored?
GS Paper 1 had 100 questions worth 2 marks each (200 total) with 0.66 negative marking. CSAT had 80 questions worth 2.5 marks each (200 total) with 0.83 negative marking. Only GS Paper 1 marks count towards the cutoff; CSAT had to be cleared at 33%.
Are Set A, B, C and D papers different?
No. UPSC distributes four shuffled versions with identical content but different question orders. Our archive shows the canonical order — the questions are the same regardless of which set you wrote.
Can I use the UPSC Prelims 2000 paper for current practice?
Yes. PYQ revision is one of the highest-yield activities for current aspirants. UPSC reuses themes and concepts every few years, so working through 2000 questions sharpens both content recall and the elimination strategy that UPSC's MCQ format rewards.
Were any answers in the UPSC official key for that year challenged?
UPSC accepts written objections to its provisional answer key during a fixed window each year. A small number of questions across most years are dropped or have answers changed in the final key — the version shown above reflects UPSC's final accepted answers.
Is CSAT counted in the Prelims cutoff?
No. CSAT (Paper 2) is qualifying only — you must score 33% (66 of 200 marks) to qualify, but the merit cutoff is decided entirely by GS Paper 1 marks.
How do I practice UPSC Prelims 2000 questions in test mode?
Click any row in the answer key to open the full-solution page. Each question carries subject and topic tags so you can build subject-wise revision sets, and the test generator (linked from the header) can compose a timed mock from any year or subject.