UPSC Prelims 2002 Question Paper & Solutions

UPSC Prelims 2002 solved question paper — GS Paper 1 and CSAT with full explanations, subject-wise breakdown, and the official cutoff.

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UPSC Prelims 2002 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

149 / 149
QQuestionSubjectAnswerSolution
1A complete cycle of a traffic light takes 60 seconds. During each cycle the light is green for 25 second, yellow for 5 second and red for 30…science-and-technologyDView
2The last opportunity to avoid the partition of India was lost with the rejection ofhistoryCView
3With reference to India, which one the following statements is correct?geographyAView
4A solid cube just gets completely immersed in water when a 0.2 kg mass is placed on it. If the mass is removed, the cube is 2 cm about the w…science-and-technologyBView
5The historian Barani refused to consider the state in India under Delhi Sultans as truly Islamic becausehistoryBView
6Who among the following won the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championship in the year 2001?art-and-cultureBView
7With reference to the latest developments in stem cell research, consider the following statements: 1. The only source of human stem cells a…science-and-technologyDView
8In the year 2001, NASA launched a spacecraft to Mars namedscience-and-technologyCView
9Consider the following climatic and geographical phenomena: 1. Condensation 2. High temperature and humidity 3. Orography 4. Vertical wind T…geographyDView
10A trader fixed the price of an article in such a way that by giving a rebate of 10% on the price fixed he made a profit of 15%. If the cost …economyCView
11Among living organisms, which one of the following is the most responsible factor for bringing about the origin of a new species?geographyBView
12For short-term climate prediction, which one of the following events, detected in the last decade, is associated with occasional weak monsoo…geographyCView
13“World Development Report” is an annual publication ofeconomyBView
14Match List I (Ancient site) with List II (Archaeological finding) and select the correct answer using the codes given below: List I (Ancient…historyBView
15Which one of the following statements is correct?art-and-cultureCView
16Open stunted forests with bushes and small trees having long roots and sharp thorns or spines are commonly found ingeographyDView
17Match List I (Article of Indian Constitution) with List II (Provisions) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:…polity-and-governanceAView
18In ancient Indian Buddhist monasteries, a ceremony called Pavarana used to be held. It was theart-and-cultureBView
19Consider the volumes of the following: 1. A parallelepiped of length 5 cm, breadth 3 cm and height 4 cm 2. A cube of each side 4 cm 3. A cyl…science-and-technologyDView
20Consider the following statements: The Draft Electricity Bill, 2001 seeks to replace 1. Indian Electricity Act, 1910 2. Electricity (Supply)…economyAView
21Consider the following statements: 1. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is a specialised agency of United Nations System o…polity-and-governanceDView
22India has the maximum volume of foreign trade witheconomyAView
23Which one of the following is a lagoon?geographyCView
24Ticks and mites are actuallyscience-and-technologyAView
25With reference to the blood in a normal person, which one of the following statements is correct?science-and-technologyDView
26Which one of the following statements is correct with reference to our solar system?geographyAView
27Which one of the following statements is correct?science-and-technologyAView
28With reference to Indian agriculture, which one of the following statements is correct?economyAView
29With reference to Sufism in Indian history, consider the following statements: 1. Shaikh Ahmad Sarhandi was a contemporary of Ibrahim Lodi 2…historyDView
30The salaries and allowances of the Judges of the High Court are charged do thepolity-and-governanceBView
31Consider the following plants: 1. Bougainvillea 2. Carnations 3. Cocoa 4. Grapes Which of these plants are propagated by stem cuttings?science-and-technologyDView
32The members of the Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution of India werepolity-and-governanceCView
33A train of length 150 metres, moving at a speed of 90 km/hr can cross a 200-metre bridge inBView
34The ancient Indian play Mudra rakshasa of Visakhadutt has its subject onhistoryDView
35India’s external debt increased from US $98,158 million as at the end of March 2000 to US $100,225 million as at the end of March 2001 due t…economyAView
36Which reference to the Indian economy, consider the following activities: 1. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 2. Manufacturing 3. Trade, Ho…economyCView
37Who among the following set a new national record in the women’s Pole vault event in the 7th edition of Senior Federation Cup held in Karnat…art-and-cultureCView
38The main reason for unrest and violence in Zimbabwe in recent years is due togeographyBView
39Match List I (Artist) with List II (Artist) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List II (Artist) (Ar…art-and-cultureCView
40Consider the following natural phenomena: 1. Terrestrial heating 2. Reflection of light 3. Refraction of light 4. Diffraction of light Due t…geographyCView
41HINDALCO, an aluminium factory located at Renukut owes its site basically togeographyBView
42In the context of the organic evolution, the loss of limbs of snakes is explained by the phenomenon ofscience-and-technologyAView
43The purpose of the inclusion of Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution is to establish:polity-and-governanceDView
44Consider the following statements: The objectives of the National Renewal Funds set up in February 1992 were 1. to give training and counsel…economyBView
45Which one of the following committees recommended the abolition of reservation of items for the small-scale sector in industry?economyAView
46India’s population growth during the 29th century can be classified into four distinct phases. Match List I (Period) with List II (Phase) an…geographyCView
47Who was the first Indian actress to receive the Padma Shri Award?art-and-cultureBView
48With reference to medieval Indian rulers, which one of the following statements is correct?historyDView
49Consider the following statements: The objectives of the National Renewal Funds set up in February 1992 were 1. to give training and counsel…economyBView
50The motive behind Shahjahan’s Balkh campaign was tohistoryBView
51Consider the following high yielding varieties of crops in India: 1. Arjun 2. Jaya 3. Padma 4. Sonalika Which of these are wheat?geographyCView
52Which one of the following submitted in 1875 a petition to the House of Commons demanding India’s direct representation in the British Parli…historyBView
53The real intention of the British to include the princely states in the Federal Union proposed by the India Act of 1935 was tohistoryDView
54When one gene control two or more different characters simultaneously, the phenomenon is calledscience-and-technologyBView
55Sun’s halo is produced by the refraction of light ingeographyCView
56Which one of the following Articles of the Directive Principles of State Policy deals with the promotion of international peace and security…polity-and-governanceAView
57Which one of the following rights was described by Dr B R Ambedkar as the heart and soul of the Constitution?polity-and-governanceDView
58Which reference to the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), consider the following statements: 1. The new WPI series with base 1993-94 = 100 became …economyBView
59Match List I (Acts of Colonial Government of India) with List II (Provisions) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the …historyAView
60Match List I (Mangrove) with List II (State) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List II (Mangrove) …geographyDView
61Which one of the following Acts of British India strengthened the Viceroy’s authority over his executive council by substituting “portfolio”…historyAView
62The age of a man is three times the sum of the ages of his two sons. Five years hence, his age will be doubled of the sum of the ages of his…BView
63The length of the longest pole that can be placed in a room 12 m long and 9 m wide and 8 m high isCView
64With reference to the human body consider the following statements: 1. The production of somatotropin goes up when a person exercise 2. Men’…science-and-technologyDView
65In the year 2001, the Prime Minister announced a five-year excise duty holiday for industries ineconomyCView
66Consider the following statements with reference to India: 1. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners enjoy equal p…polity-and-governanceBView
67In a company 60% of the employees are men. Of these 40% are drawing more than Rs 50,000 per year. If 36% of the total employees of the compa…economyAView
68Consider the following statements: 1. Light of longer wavelength is scattered much more than the light of shorter wavelength. 2. The speed o…science-and-technologyDView
69Global capital flows to developing countries increased significantly during the nineties. In view of the East Asian financial crisis and Lat…economyBView
70In terms of value, which one of the following commodities accounted for the largest agricultural exports by India during the three-year peri…economyBView
71In the year 2001, in which one of the following events of Women’s Singles did Venus Williams defeat Serena Williams to win the title?art-and-cultureDView
72The Consultative Committee of members of Parliament for Railway Zones in constituted by thepolity-and-governanceCView
73Which one of the following is monogamous?geographyAView
74Five Year Plan in India is finally approved byeconomyDView
75Consider the following countries of South AsiageographyCView
76Among the following major stock exchanges of India, the exchange which recorded highest turnover during the year 2001-01 iseconomyAView
77A bus is moving with a speed of 30 km/hr ahead of a car with a speed of 50 km/hr. How many kilometres apart are they if it takes 15 minutes …geographyAView
78The President of India National Congress as the time of partition of India washistoryBView
79Which one of the following authorities recommends the principles governing the grants-in-aid of the revenues to the states out of the Consol…polity-and-governanceAView
80With reference to colonial period of Indian history, match List I (Person) with List II (Event) and select the correct answer using the code…historyCView
81Consider the following statements: 1. Ocean currents are the slow surface movement of water in the ocean. 2. Ocean currents assist in mainta…geographyDView
82Which country among the following has been involved in two in Test cricket?art-and-cultureAView
83Match List I (Organisation) with List II (Headquarters) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I (Organis…polity-and-governanceDView
84With reference to the public Sector Undertaking in India, consider the following statements: 1. Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of I…economyAView
85Match List I (Block) with List II (Author) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List II (Book) (Autho…art-and-cultureBView
86With reference to the Indian Public Finance consider the following statements: 1. External liabilities reported in Union Budget are based on…economyCView
87With reference to Indian Polity, which one of the following statements is correct?polity-and-governanceBView
88The correct sequence of the eastward flowing rivers of the peninsular India from north to south isgeographyAView
89The world’s highest ground based telescopic observatory is located ingeographyBView
90Two ladies simultaneously leave cities A and B connected by a straight road and travel towards each other. The first lady travels 2 km/hr fa…CView
91Consider the following names: 1. Archbishop Desmond Tutu 2. Lech Walesa 3. Shimon Peres 4. Yasser Arafat Who among these won the Nobel Peace…polity-and-governanceDView
92With which one of the following mountain tribes did the British first come into contact with after the grant of Diwani in the year 1765?historyBView
93With reference to Indian transport systems, consider the following statements: 1. Indian railways system is the largest in the world. 2. Nat…geographyDView
94Match List I (Name of the Lady) with List II (Achievement) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List …art-and-cultureBView
95Which reference to the government’s welfare schemes, consider the following statements: 1. Under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the food grains …polity-and-governanceDView
96Consider the following countries: 1. Brazil 2. Indonesia 3. Japan 4. Russia What is the descending order of the size of the following countr…geographyCView
97Consider the following countries: 1. Anglo 2. Colombia 3. Congo 4. Sudan Which of these countries has/have been suffering from civil war?polity-and-governanceCView
98Who among the following was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message?art-and-cultureCView
99In a bisexual flower, if androecium and gynaecium mature at different times, the phenomenon is known asscience-and-technologyAView
100The average annual temperature of a meteorological station is 26oC, its average annual rainfall is 63 cm and the annual range of temperature…geographyAView
101With reference to the period of extremist nationalist movement in India with its spirit of Swadeshi, which one of the following statements i…historyAView
102In the Indian Constitution, the Right to Equality is granted by Five Articles. They arepolity-and-governanceCView
103Amit started a business by investing Rs. 30,000. Rahul joined the business after some time and invested Rs. 20,000. At the end of the year, …economyBView
104The time in the wall clock is 3.25 the acute angle between the hours hand and the minutes hand isscience-and-technologyCView
105Which one of the following amendments to the Indian Constitution empowers the President to send back any matter for reconsideration by the C…polity-and-governanceDView
106Recently, several hundred South Africa soldiers were sent to Burundipolity-and-governanceDView
107Chapchar Kut is a festival celebrated in the state ofart-and-cultureCView
108Consider the following statements: 1. NTPD is the largest power utility in India. 2. ONGC accounts for half of the LPG production in India. …economyDView
109Match List I (Oxidation number) with List II (The element) List I List II (Oxidation number) (The element) A. 2 1. Oxidation number of Mn in…science-and-technologyAView
110With reference to the Indian freedom struggle, which one of the following statements is correct?historyBView
111The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum was held in the year 2001 inpolity-and-governanceDView
112Match List I (Ethnic Community) with List II (Country) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I (Ethnic c…geographyAView
113The term of the Lok Sabhapolity-and-governanceCView
114In the year 2001, Germany approved a $32 million credit to IndiaeconomyDView
115Consider the following: 1. Currency with the public 2. Demand deposits with banks 3. Time deposits with banks Which of these are included in…economyDView
116Who among the following won six gold medals in the 9th FINA - World Swimming Championship held in Fukuoka, Japan in the year 2001?art-and-cultureBView
117Foot-and-mouth disease in animals, a current epidemic in some parts of the world, is caused byscience-and-technologyDView
118In the year 2001, India offered a grant of five million dollars to Tajikistan topolity-and-governanceAView
119Consider the following countries: 1. Albania 2. Bosnia Herzegovina 3. Croatia 4. Macedonia Which of these countries has/have Adriatic Sea as…geographyBView
120A hollow sphere of radius R, a hollow cube of side R and a thin circular plate of radius R, made up of the same material, are all heated to …science-and-technologyAView
121Consider the following financial institution of India: 1. Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) 2. Industrial Credit and Investment…economyAView
122During the Indian freedom struggle, the Khudai Khidmatgars, also known as Red Shirts, called forhistoryDView
123Match List I (Commission) with List II (Matter of Enquiry) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List …polity-and-governanceBView
124Consider the following statements: 1. In equatorial regions, the year is divided into four main seasons 2. In Mediterranean region, summer r…geographyDView
125A World Summit with representation from all the countries will be held in Johannesburg in September 2002 on the subject ofgeographyDView
126Which one of the following statements is correct?science-and-technologyCView
127Assume that the moon takes exactly 30 days to complete the cycle and also assume that it rises in the East exactly at 6.48 p.m. on the first…geographyBView
128Match List I (Scientists) with List II (Achievement) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I List II (Sc…science-and-technologyAView
129Berber speaking community, frequently in the news, lives ingeographyBView
130In the case of election to the Lok Sabha, the amount of Security deposited for general category candidates and SC/ST category candidates res…polity-and-governanceCView
131With reference to power sector in India consider the following statements: 1. Rural electrification has been treated as a Basic Minimum Serv…economyCView
132A country is said to be in debt trap ifeconomyBView
133Which one of the following statements is correct?science-and-technologyCView
134Match List I (Country) with List II (President) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists: List I (Country) (Presi…polity-and-governanceAView
135Consider the following ecosystems: 1. Taiga 2. Tropical evergreen 3. Tropical deciduous 4. Tundra The correct sequence in decreasing order o…geographyCView
136Consider the following statements: Full convertibility of the rupee may mean 1. its free float with other international currencies. 2. its d…economyDView
137The sea coast of which one of the following states has become famous as a nesting place for the giant Olive Ridley turtles from South Americ…geographyCView
138With reference to Indian satellites and their launchers, consider the following statements: 1. All the INSAT-series of satellites were launc…science-and-technologyCView
139The 93rd Constitutional Amendment Bill deals with thepolity-and-governanceBView
140Assertion (A): Drinking of whisky increases the frequency of urination. Reason (R): Alcohol intake speeds up the secretion of vasopressin in…science-and-technologyCView
141Assertion (A): Muhammad bin Tughlaq left Delhi, and, for two years lived in a camp called Swarga-dwari. Reason (R): At that time, Delhi was …historyCView
142Assertion (A): With the increase of temperature, the viscosity of glycerine increases. Reason (R): Rise of temperature increases kinetic ene…science-and-technologyDView
143Assertion (A): The effect of labour participation in the Indian nationalist upsurge of the early 1930s was weak. Reason (R): The labour lead…historyAView
144Assertion (A): Synthetic detergents can lather well in hard water. Reason (R): Synthetic detergents form soluble calcium and magnesium salts…science-and-technologyAView
145Assertion (A): 60°-65° latitudes in both the hemispheres have a low-pressure belt instead of high pressure. Reason (R): The low-pressure are…geographyCView
146Assertion (A): Artificial satellites are always launched from the earth in the eastward direction. Reason (R): The earth rotates from west t…science-and-technologyCView
147Assertion (A): Human diet should compulsorily contain Glycerine, Serine and Tyrosine. Reason (R): Essential amino acids cannot be synthesise…science-and-technologyDView
148Assertion (A): The surface winds spiral inwards upon the centre of the cyclone. Reason (R): Air descends in the centre of the cyclone.geographyBView
149Assertion (A): An iron ball floats on mercury but gets immersed in water. Reason (R): The specific gravity of iron is more than that of merc…science-and-technologyCView

Subject-wise weightage

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

  • geography33 (22%)
  • science-and-technology28 (19%)
  • economy27 (18%)
  • polity-and-governance25 (17%)
  • history19 (13%)
  • art-and-culture13 (9%)
  • Others4 (3%)

Frequently asked questions

Where can I download the UPSC Prelims 2002 question paper?
Every question from the official UPSC Prelims 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.