[Answers with Explanation] UPSC prelims GS1 paper 2023

Q91. With reference to Home Guards, consider the following statements:

1. Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and rules of the Central Government.
2. The role of the Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary force to the police in maintenance of internal security.
3. How to prevent infiltration on the international border/coastal areas, the Border Wing Home Guards Battalions have been raised in some states.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) All Three
(d) None

Answer: (b)

Home Guards are raised under the Home Guards Act and Rules of the States/Union Territories. Hence statement 1 is not correct.

The role of Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary Force to the Police in maintenance of internal security situations, help the community in any kind of emergency such as an air-raid, fire, cyclone, earthquake, epidemic etc.

Fifteen Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) Battalions have been raised in the border States to serve as an auxiliary to Border Security Force for preventing infiltration on the international border/ coastal areas.

Q92. With reference to India, consider the following pairs:

Action	The Act under which it is covered
1. Unauthorised wearing of police or military uniforms	the Official Secrets Act 1923
2. Knowingly misleading or otherwise interfering with a police officer or military officer when engaged in their duties	the Indian Evidence Act 1872
3. Celebratory gunfire which can endanger the personal safety of others	the Arms (amendment)Act 2019

How many of the above pairs are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) All Three
(d) None

Answer: (b)

Section 6 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 clearly states that if any person is found to be unauthorizedly using the police or military uniforms, they will be held guilty of an offence under this section. Pair 1 is correctly matched.

Section 7 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 clearly states that no person in the vicinity of any prohibited place shall obstruct, knowingly mislead or otherwise interfere with or impede, any police officer, or any member of (the Armed Forces of the Union) engaged on guard, sentry, patrol, or other similar duty in relation to the prohibited place. Pair 2 is not correctly matched.

The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 says that whoever uses firearm in a rash or negligent manner or in celebratory gunfire so as to endanger human life or personal safety of others shall be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to rupees one lakh, or with both. Pair 3 is correctly matched.

Q93. Consider the following pairs

Regions Often mentioned in News	Reason for being in news
1. North Kivu and Ituri	War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
2. Nagorno-Karabakh	Insurgency in Mozambique
3. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia	Dispute between Israel and Lebanon

How many of the above pairs are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) All Three
(d) None

Answer: (d)

Pair 1 is not correctly matched. North Kivu and Ituri are provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that have been affected by conflict for decades. Since February 2023, violence and conflict in eastern DRC has increased in these regions.

Pair 2 is not correctly matched. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a landlocked mountainous area in the South Caucasus. The territory is internationally recognised as part of oilrich Azerbaijan, but its inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians. The area is disputed between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Pair 3 is not correctly matched. The regions Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were in news because in September 2022 Russia occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. These places make up about 15% of the territory of Ukraine.

Q94. Consider the following statements:

Statement I: Israel has established diplomatic relations with some Arab states.
Statement II: The ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ mediated by Saudi Arabia was signed by Israel and the Arab League.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement I and Statement-II are correct and statement 2 is the correct explanation for statement one.
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and statement 2 is not the correct explanation for statement one.
(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect.
(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

Answer: (c)

Till 2000s, the only two Arab countries Israel had signed peace treaties with are Egypt and Jordan, in 1979 and 1994 respectively. In 2020, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain were the latest countries in the Arab region to formally establish diplomatic ties with Israel which is often referred as Abraham accords.

The ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ mediated by Saudi Arabia proposed in 2002 was rejected by Israel. Hence Statement 2 is not correct.

The Arab Peace Initiative offers Israel full peace and normalization in return for full withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel, on the other hand, was in no position to seriously engage in a comprehensive peace settlement at the time, and found many points of contention with the Initiative and thus did not signed it. In 2022, The Saudi leadership has made clear that it continues to adhere to the API as the mainstay of its approach to formalizing relations with Israel.

Q95. Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards:

Major Dhyan Chand khel Ratna award	For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sports person over a period of last 4 years.
Arjuna award	For the lifetime achievement by sportsperson
Dronacharya Award	Honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar	To recognise the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement

How many of the above pairs are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) Only Three
(d) All Four

Answer: (b)

Major Dhyan Chand khel Ratna award– For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sports person over a period of last 4 years. Awarded for the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson.

Arjuna award – Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games and is the second-highest sporting honour of India.

Dronacharya Award– Honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar– Given to corporate entities (both in private and public sector), Sports Control Boards, NGOs, including sports bodies at the State and National level, who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

Q96. Consider the following statements in respect of the 44th Chess Olympiad 2020:

1. It was the first time that Chess Olympiad was held in India.
2. The official mascot was named ‘Thambi’.
3. The trophy for the winning team in the open section is the Veera Menchik Cup
4. The trophy for the winning team in the women’s section is the Hamilton-Russell Cup.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) Only Three
(d) All Four

Answer: (b)

For the 1st time ever, the world’s biggest chess event is happening in India. Chennai is hosting the 44th Chess Olympiad.
The Official Mascot of 44th Chess Olympiad is ‘Thambi’. The word ‘Thambi’ in Tamil language means – little or younger brother.
1st place in the Open section: Hamilton-Russell Cup. Hence Statement 3 is not correct.
1st place in the Women’s section: Vera Menchik Cup. Hence Statement 4 is not correct.

Q97. Consider the following pairs:

Area of conflict mentioned in the news	Country where it is located
1. Donbas	Syria
2. Kachin	Ethiopia
3. Tigray	North Yemen

How many of the above pairs are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) All Three
(d) None

Answer: (d)

Pair 1 is not correctly matched. The Donbas in eastern Ukraine has two heavily industrialised regions of Donetsk and Luhansk which were occupied by Russian forces last year.

Pair 2 is not correctly matched. Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar. In 2022, Myanmar military air strikes reportedly killed dozens of people including civilians at a concert in Kachin State.

Pair 3 is not correctly matched. Tigray is Ethiopia’s northernmost region. The region is at the center of an ongoing civil conflict involving ethnoregional militias, the federal government, and the Eritrean military that has attracted the concern of humanitarian groups and external actors since November 2020. In October 2022, the first formal African Union-led peace talks between an Ethiopian government team and Tigray forces happened in South Africa.

Q98. In recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught international attention for which one of the following reasons is common to all of them?

(a) Discovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements
(b) Establishment of Chinese military bases
(c) Southward expansion of Sahara desert
(d) Successful coups

Answer: (d)

In past few years, military leaders have toppled the governments of Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso.
These five nations that have recently experienced military coups form a broken line that stretches across the wide bulge of Africa, from Guinea on the west coast to Sudan in the east.

Q99. Consider the following heavy Industries:

1. Fertiliser plants
2. Oil refineries
3. Steel plants

Hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in decarbonizing how many of the above industries?

(a) Only one
(b) Only Two
(c) All Three
(d) None

Answer: (c)

The primary focus for adoption of green hydrogen is likely to be oil refineries, fertilisers and chemical industry.

Oil refineries using grey hydrogen for desulphurisation, ammonia production for fertilisers and chemicals industry, and treatment of basic metals are the leading market opportunities for green hydrogen in the short-medium term.

Q100. Consider the following statements about G-20 :

1. The G-20 group was originally established as a platform for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss international economic and financial issues.
2. Digital public infrastructure is one of India’s G-20 priorities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c)

The G20 group of 19 countries and the EU was established in 1999 as a platform for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss international economic and financial issues.
India is pitching its digital infrastructure at G20 as an open-access platform that can aid in improving development outcomes.