The questions which have been asked in the earlier Civil Services Examination which are required for reference purpose have been mentioned below:

Directions for the following 5 (five) items: Read the following two passages and answer the items that follow each passage. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Passage-1
Biomass as fuel for power, heat, and transport has the highest mitigation potential of all renewable sources. It comes from agriculture and forest residues as well as from energy crops. The biggest challenge in using biomass residues is a long-term reliable supply delivered to the power plant at reasonable costs; the key problems are logistical constraints and the costs of fuel collection. Energy crops, if not managed properly, compete with food production and may have undesirable impacts on food prices. Biomass production is also sensitive to the physical impacts of a changing climate. Projections of the future role of biomass are probably overestimated, given the limits to the sustainable biomass supply, unless breakthrough technologies substantially increase productivity. Climate-energy models project that biomass use could increase nearly four-fold to around 150 — 200 exajoules, almost a quarter of world primary energy in 2050. However the maximum sustainable technical potential of biomass resources (both residues and energy crops) without disruption of food and forest resources ranges from 80 — 170 exajoules a year by 2050, and only part of this is realistically and economically feasible. In addition, some climate models rely on biomass-based carbon capture and storage, an unproven technology, to achieve negative emissions and to buy some time during the first half of the century.
Some liquid biofuels such as corn-based ethanol, mainly for transport, may aggravate rather than ameliorate carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis. Second generation biofuels, based on ligno-cellulosic feedstocks — such as straw, bagasse, grass and wood — hold the promise of sustainable production that is high-yielding and emit low levels of greenhouse gases, but these are still in the R&D stage.

1. What is/are the present constraint/constraints in using biomass as fuel for power generation?
1. Lack of sustainable supply of biomass
2. Biomass production competes with food production
3. Bio-energy may not always be low carbon on a lifecycle basis
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer. d

2. Which of the following can lead to food security problem?
1. Using agricultural and forest residues as feedstock for power generation
2. Using biomass for carbon capture and storage
3. Promoting the cultivation of energy crops
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer .b

3. In the context of using biomass, which of the following is/are the characteristic /characteristics of the sustainable production of biofuel?
1. Biomass as a fuel for power generation could meet all the primary energy requirements of the world by 2050
2. Biomass as a fuel for power generation does not necessarily disrupt food and forest
resources
3. Biomass as a fuel for power generation could help in achieving negative emissions, given
certain nascent technologies
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer .b

4. With reference to the passage, following assumptions have been mad :
1. Some climate-energy models suggest that the use of biomass as a fuel for power generation helps in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions
2. It is not possible to use biomass as a fuel for power generation without disrupting food and forest resources
Which of these assumptions is/are valid?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer .a

Passage-2
We are witnessing a dangerous dwindling of biodiversity in our food supply. The green revolution is a mixed blessing. Over time farmers have come to rely heavily on broadly adapted, high yield crops to the exclusion of varieties adapted to the local conditions.
Monocropping vast fields with the same genetically uniform seeds helps boost yield and meet immediate hunger needs. Yet high-yield varieties are also genetically weaker crops that require expensive chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides. In our focus on increasing the amount of food we produce today, we have accidentally put ourselves at risk for food shortages in future.

5. Which among the following is the most logical and critical inference that can be
made from the above passage?
(a) In our agricultural practices, we have become heavily dependent on expensive chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides only due to green revolution
(b) Monocropping vast fields with high-yield varieties is possible due to green revolution
(c) Monocropping with high-yield varieties is the only way to ensure food security to millions
(d) Green revolution can pose a threat to biodiversity in food supply and food security in the long run
Answer .d

6. A class starts at 11:00 am and lasts till 2:27 pm. Four periods of equal duration are
held during this interval. After every period, a rest of 5 minutes is given to the students.
The exact duration of each period is:
(a) 48 minutes
(b) 50 minutes
(c) 51 minutes
(d) 53 minutes
Answer .a

7. Four friends A, B, C and D need to cross a bridge. A maximum of two persons can
cross it at a time. It is night and they just have one lamp. Persons that cross the bridge
must carry the lamp to find the way. A pair must walk together at the speed of slower
person. After crossing the bridge, the person having faster speed in the pair will return
with the lamp each time to accompany another person in the group. Finally, the lamp
has to be returned at the original place and the person who returns the lamp has to
cross the bridge again without lamp. To cross the bridge, the time taken by them is as
follows : A: 1 minute, B: 2 minutes, C: 7 minutes and D: 10 minutes. What is the total
minimum time required by all the friends to cross the bridge?
(a) 23 minutes
(b) 22 minutes
(c) 21 minutes
(d) 20 minutes
Answer .a

8. 30g of sugar was mixed in 180 ml water in a vessel A, 40 g of sugar Was mixed in
280 ml of water in vessel B and 20 g of sugar was mixed in 100 ml of water in vessel C.
The solution in vessel B is
(a) sweeter than that in C
(b) sweeter than that in A
(c) as sweet as that in C
(d) less sweet than that in C
Answer .d

9. In aid of charity, every student in a class contributes as many rupees as the number
of students in that class. With the additional contribution of Rs. 2 by one student only,
the total collection is Rs. 443. Then how many students are there in the class?
(a) 12
(b) 21
(c) 43
(d) 45
Answer .b
30. Anita's mathematics test had 70 problems carrying equal marks i.e., 10 arithmetic,

10 algebra and 30 geometry. Although she answered 70% of the arithmetic, 40% of the algebra and 60% of the geometry problems correctly, she did not pass the test because she got less than 60% marks. The number of more questions she would have to answer correctly to earn a 60% passing marks is:
(a) 1
(b) 5
(c) 7
(d) 9
Answer .b

11. In a class, there are 18 very tall boys. If these constitute three-fourths of the boys
and the total number of boys is two-thirds of the total number of students in the class,
what is the number of girls in the class?
(a) 6
(b) 12
(c) 18
(d) 21
Answer .b

12. Consider the following statements:
1. Either A and B are of the same age or A is older than B
2. Either C and D are of the same age or D is older than C
3. B is older than C
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
(a) A is older than B
(b) B and D are of the same age
(c) D is older than C
(d) A is older than C
Answer .d

13. The monthly average salary paid to all the employees of a company was Rs. 5000.
The monthly average salary paid to male and female employees was Rs. 5200 and Rs.
4200 respectively. Then the percentage of males employed in the company is
(a) 75%
(b) 80%
(c) 85%
(d) 90%
Answer .b

Direction for the following 3 (three) items: Consider the given -formation and answer the three items that follow.
Six boxes A, B, C, D, E and F have been painted with six different colours viz., violet,
indigo, blue, green, yellow and orange and arranged from left to right (not necessarily either kept or painted with the colours in the same order). Each box contains a ball of any one of the following six games: cricket, hockey, tennis, golf, football and volleyball (not necessarily in the same order). The golf ball is in violet box and is not in the box D. The box A which contains tennis ball is orange in colour and is at the extreme right. The hockey ball is neither in box D nor in box E. The box C having cricket ball is painted green. The hockey ball is neither in the box painted blue nor in the box painted yellow. The box C is fifth from right and next to box B. The box B contains volleyball. The box containing the hockey ball is between the boxes containing golf ball and volleyball.

14. Which one of the following boxes contains the golf ball?
(a) F
(b) E
(c) D
(d) None of the above
Answer .b

15. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(a) D is painted yellow
(b) F is painted indigo
(c) B is painted blue
(d) All of the above
Answer .b

16. The football is in the box of which colour?
(a) Yellow
(b) Indigo
(c) Cannot be determined as data are inadequate
(d) Blue
Answer .c

17. Two numbers X and Y are respectively 20% and 28% less than a third number Z.
By what percentage is the number Y less than the number X ?
(a) 12%
(b) 10%
(c) 9%
(d) 8%
Answer .b

18. A daily train is to be introduced between station A and station B starting from each at 6 AM and the journey is to be completed in 42 hours. What is the number of trains needed in order to maintain the Shuttle Service?
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) 7
Answer . c

19. A piece of tin is in the form of a rectangle having length 12 cm and width 8 cm. This
is used to construct a closed cube. The side of the cube is:
(a) 2 cm
(b) 3 cm
(c) 4 cm
(d) 7 cm
Answer .c

20. In a. question paper there are five questions to be attempted and answer to each
question has two choices - True (T) or False (F). It is given that no two candidates have
given the answers to the five questions in an identical sequence. For this to happen the
maximum number of candidates is:
(a) 10
(b) 18
(c) 26
(d) 32
Answer .d