KAS Previous Year Questions – 2020 – Science & Technology

1. Which of the following statements is/are true in relation to science and technology?

(i) Today’s science is tomorrow’s technology.
(ii) The border between science and technology is well defined today.
(iii) S & T developments of social/economic relevance are potential innovations.

2. The following refers to a recent development in technology. “It makes it possible to easily alter DNA sequences and modify Gene function. It can therefore correct genetic defects and improve crops, but with associated ethical problems.”

Which of the following is the recent development referred to above?

3. A famous book titled ‘10% Human’ argues that human cells are just 10% of body. The rest 90% cells are now considered key to our health. These 90% cells are mainly:

4. Nehru’s vision of S & T resulted in development of IITs and CSIR laboratories. Even though innovations from academic system in India may be very modest, CSIR laboratories with 38 National Laboratories and 4600 Scientists and 8000 S & T personal have impressive output.
Which of the following are products from CSIR?

(i) Saheli (female oral contraceptive)
(ii) Sree Chithra Heart Valve
(iii) Indelible ink applied on forefingers to mark voters in elections
(iv) Coconut de-husking device

5. Chandrayaan-2 was a mixture of success and set-back. Which of the following statements are applicable to Chandrayaan-2 mission?

(i) It aimed at exploring southpole of the moon.
(ii) To further study the evidence of water molecule found by Chandrayaan-1.
(iii) To soft land Vikram lander on the lunar surface and to relay information to earth.
(iv) The location of crash landing of Vikram has later been identified.

6. Consider the following statements in the context of Artificial Intelligence.

(i) Perceptron specifies all actions that need to be undertaken and specifies the order only when required.
(ii) Inductive machine learning derives the conclusion and then improves it based on the previous decisions.
(iii) Training scenario and feedback does not affect the performance of learner system.
(iv) Pattern matching allows computers to understand associations and relationships between objects and events.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

7. With reference to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), consider the following statements.

(i) The data related to various kinds of information with more precision and accuracy has been provided by ICT.
(ii) Through ICT, it is possible to identify the critical areas for competitive advantages in corporate sectors.
(iii) ICT products affect the process of environmental footprint of other products and activities across the economy.
(iv) The manufacturing system facilitated by ICT is energy intensive, standardized as well as departmentalized.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

8. Consider the following statements in the context of session hijacking.

(i) It is compromising a user’s session to exploit their data and perform malicious activities or misusing their credentials.
(ii) The most common method of session hijacking is IP spoofing where the attacker acts as one of the authenticated users.
(iii) Session hijacking can be prevented by using packet sniffers and cross site scripting.
(iv) To protect the network with session hijacking, the defender has to implement security measures at Application as well as Network level.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

9. Which one of the following schemes, deals with the generation of Digital Life Certificates?

10. Which one of the following has been launched by the Central Government for providing softwares for the detection of malicious programs and free tools to remove these programs?

11. The location of the planned prime landing site for Vikram Lander on Chandrayaan-2 was SLS54, which is located at 70.9S and 22.8E on the Moon. Consider the following statements regarding the selection of the potential landing site.

(i)Visible to Earth for radio communication.

(ii) Water ice has been mapped at the site earlier by Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter mission.

(iii) Local terrain features such that they don’t shadow the site for long durations.

Which of the following statements above is/are correct?

12. The first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and ultraviolet spectral bands simultaneously is:

13. Which one of the following statements is correct?

14. The second spaceport of ISRO to launch rockets is proposed at the following location:

15. The upcoming smaller counterpart of PSLV rocket is:

16. “Consistent availability of sufficient energy in various forms at affordable prices” is the definition of:

17. The online platform established by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for Installation of Solar Photovoltaic:

18. In India the largest amount of installed grid interactive renewable power capacity is associated with:

19. At the headquarters of which international organisation was the Gandhi Solar Park (GSP) recently inaugurated?

20. With reference to the cause of ozone layer depletion which of the following statement is incorrect?

21. With reference to an initiative called ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)’ which of the following statements is/are correct?

(i) It is an initiative hosted by UNEP/IMF and World Economic Forum.
(ii) It is a global initiative that focuses on drawing attention to the economic benefits of biodiversity.
(iii) It presents an approach that can help decision makers recognize, demonstrate and capture the value of ecosystem and biodiversity.

Select the correct answer: : (UPSC PYQ 2016)

22. Biomass gasification is considered to be one of the sustainable solutions to the power crisis in India. In this context, which of the following statements is/are correct?

(i) Coconut shells, groundnut shells and rice husk can be used in biomass gasification.
(ii) The combustible gases generated from biomass gasification consist of hydrogen and carbon dioxide only.
(iii) The combustible gases generated from biomass gasification can be used for direct heat generation but not in internal combustion engines.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(UPSC PYQ 2012)

23. Assertion (A): Biosphere constitutes an excellent life-support system which is sustainable and can fulfil all human needs.

Reason (R): The size and productivity of the biosphere is limited by availability of water, nutrients and environmental conditions.

Identify the correct code:

(2012 December UGC NET Paper in Environmental Sciences Paper 2)

24. Which is the first industry using plasma technology for the disposal of hazardous waste for the conservation of the environment and natural resources?

25. Radioactive waste management in our country is governed under: