UPSC Prelims 2011 Analysis
Subject-Wise MCQ Distribution
- Environment & Ecology (21 Questions): The highest weightage, emphasizing UPSC’s growing focus on environmental issues, biodiversity, climate change, and global agreements. Aspirants must focus on analytical abilities and map-based learning in this section.
- Economy (17 Questions): Focused on core economic concepts, banking, financial institutions, and policies, with minimal emphasis on current economic developments. Aspirants should master "match the following" questions related to economic policies.
- Science & Technology (15 Questions): Covered biotechnology, space research, defense technology, and general scientific concepts, requiring both static and applied knowledge. A deep understanding is crucial for answering these questions.
- Indian Polity (11 Questions): Included constitutional provisions, governance mechanisms, federalism, and judicial independence. A static-heavy approach requires thorough study of NCERTs and reference books.
- Modern History (9 Questions): Concentrated on India’s freedom struggle, British policies, revolutionary movements, and social reform efforts. Familiarity with key events and leaders is essential.
- Geography (Indian Geography: 7, Physical Geography: 4, World Geography: 3): A strong focus on Indian geography, especially rivers, agriculture, monsoons, and resource distribution. Maps and geographical concepts must be well-prepared.
- International Relations (5 Questions): Covered India’s foreign policy, international organizations, and global treaties, focusing on institutional aspects and global affairs.
- Art & Culture (1 Question) and Ancient History (3 Questions): Minimal representation, covering temple architecture, Vedic texts, and early Indian civilizations.
- Medieval History (0 Questions): No questions in this section, continuing the trend of reduced emphasis on medieval history in UPSC Prelims.
Difficulty Analysis
- Medium Difficulty (60 Questions): The largest segment, requiring conceptual clarity and deeper understanding rather than rote memorization.
- Easy Questions (20 Questions): A fair portion, offering scoring opportunities for well-prepared aspirants.
- Hard Questions (20 Questions): Required advanced understanding and critical thinking, particularly in Science & Technology and Economy.
Variations in Question Framing
- Multi-Statement Questions (50%): Required careful evaluation and elimination strategies, particularly in subjects like Environment, Economy, and Polity. Analytical abilities were critical in solving these questions.
- Direct Questions (50%): Straightforward factual recall, mostly in History and Geography. Focused on well-established concepts, such as those from NCERT.
- Assertion-Reasoning Questions (0%): Unlike some later years, there were no assertion-reasoning questions, making the paper more direct in approach.
Current Affairs vs. Static Questions
- Static-Based (81 Questions): Dominated the paper, highlighting the importance of foundational knowledge from standard sources like NCERTs, Laxmikanth, and GC Leong.
- Current Affairs-Based (19 Questions): A relatively low proportion, indicating that UPSC in 2011 focused more on long-term concepts rather than recent events.
Key Learnings for Future Preparation
- Focus on Environment & Ecology: The high number of questions in this section suggests that it has been a priority for UPSC since the early 2010s. Topics like climate change, biodiversity, and conservation efforts should be well-prepared.
- Strengthen Conceptual Understanding: A significant portion of the paper required deeper knowledge rather than memorization, especially in Economy, Science & Technology, and Polity.
- Master Multi-Statement Questions: Since half the paper consisted of multi-statement questions, aspirants should develop elimination techniques and improve analytical abilities.
- Prioritize Static Subjects: With 81% of the paper based on static knowledge, aspirants must have a strong foundation in NCERTs, standard textbooks, and conceptual clarity in traditional subjects.
- Be Prepared for Moderate to Hard Questions: With 80 questions falling in the medium-to-hard category, the focus should be on understanding the "why" behind concepts, rather than just factual recall.
- Adopt an Interdisciplinary Approach: Questions often combined elements from multiple subjects, reinforcing the need for integrated study, including a balance of map-based learning, assertion-based reasoning, and analytical thinking.
Subject-Wise Answer Key
QUESTION 1
GS
Medium
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
The function of heavy water in a nuclear reactor is to -
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QUESTION 2
GS
Medium
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
A genetically engineered form of brinjal, known as the Bt-brinjal, has been developed. The objective of this is -
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QUESTION 3
GS
Hard
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
The surface of a lake is frozen in severe winter, but the water at its bottom is still liquid. What is the reason?
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QUESTION 4
GS
Hard
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
Regular intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is recommended in the diet since they are a good source of antioxidants. How do antioxidants help a person maintain health and promote longevity?
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QUESTION 5
GS
Hard
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
A company marketing food products advertises that its items do not contain trans-fats. What does this campaign signify to the customers?
- The food products are not made out of hydrogenated oils.
- The food products are not made out of animal fats/oils.
- The oils used are not likely to damage the cardiovascular health of the consumers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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QUESTION 6
GS
Hard
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener sold in the market. It consists of amino acids and provides calories like other amino acids. Yet, it is used as a low-calorie sweetening agent in food items. What is the basis of this use ?
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QUESTION 7
GS
Medium
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
A new optical disc format known as the Blu-ray Disc (BD) is becoming popular. In what way is it different from the traditional DVD?
- DVD supports Standard Definition video while BD supports High Definition video.
- Compared to a DVD, the BD format has several times more storage capacity.
- The thickness of BD is 2.4 mm white that of DVD is 1.2 mm.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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QUESTION 8
GS
Hard
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
When the bark of a tree is removed in a circular fashion all around near its base, it gradually dries up and dies because?
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QUESTION 9
GS
Medium
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
What is the difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices?
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QUESTION 10
GS
Easy
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
What is the difference between asteroids and comets?
- Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by a rocky and metallic material.
- Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and mercury.
- Comets show a perceptible glowing tail, while asteroids do not.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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QUESTION 11
GS
Easy
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
At present, scientists can determine the arrangement or relative positions of genes or DNA sequences on a chromosome. How does this knowledge benefit us?
- It is possible to know the pedigree of livestock.
- It is possible to understand the causes of all human diseases.
- It is possible to develop disease-resistant animal breeds.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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QUESTION 12
GS
Medium
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
An artificial satellite orbiting around the Earth does not fall down. This is so because of the attraction Of Earth -
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QUESTION 13
GS
Medium
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
Satellites used for telecommunication relay are kept in a geostationary orbit. A satellite is said to be in such an orbit when:
- The orbit is geosynchronous.
- The orbit is circular.
- The orbit lies in the plane of the Earth’s equator.
- The orbit is at an altitude of 22,236 km.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
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QUESTION 14
GS
Hard
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
A married couple adopted a male child, A few years later; twin boys were born to them. The blood group of the couple is AB positive and O negative. The blood group of the three sons is A positive, B positive, and O positive. The blood group of the adopted son is -
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QUESTION 15
GS
Easy
Science & Technology
Prelims 2011
What is “Virtual Private Network”?
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