APSC CCE Prelims 2024 — General Studies Paper II (CSAT) Previous Year Question Paper

1. “His own English was by no means without blemish.” This means

   1. the teacher made mistakes in English
   2. the students made mistakes in English
   3. the teacher’s English was good
   4. the students understood what the teacher was saying

2. The author says that if the medium of education was Gujarati instead of English, many things would happen. Which of the following claims is the author not making?

   1. He would have learnt faster
   2. His Gujarati vocabulary would have been richer
   3. His English would have improved
   4. His dress would not have changed

3. Why was everything plain sailing during the first three years?

   1. The schoolmaster was well-trained
   2. The medium of teaching was the mother tongue
   3. The syllabus was easy
   4. There were only a few subjects

4. What do you think is the intention of the author?

   1. To describe strange phenomenon in nature
   2. To report findings of the research teams working in the polar regions
   3. To make us aware of the dangers of global warming
   4. To compare developments in deserts and polar regions caused by global warming

5. Polar ice caps develop huge cracks because

   1. of the movement of the Earth
   2. of the breaking off of the icebergs
   3. of the crowding of cities like New York
   4. of rising temperature

6. When ice turns green in the Arctic and the Antarctic

   1. green grass grows there
   2. heat has increased there
   3. it means there is a combination of ice and zinc sulphate
   4. plants can thrive there

7. Opera is an art form that

   1. has developed under the influence of musical theatre
   2. is often performed in Europe
   3. is the most complex of all the performing arts
   4. is a drama sung with the accompaniment of the orchestra or an ensemble

8. Natya Sangeet means

   1. music and drama together
   2. only drama
   3. only singing
   4. prose compositions

9. Musical theatre is different from opera because

   1. drama in opera is more important than in musical theatre
   2. musical theatre relies above all on music
   3. the actor’s skill is of prime importance in musical theatre
   4. musical theatre uses a larger orchestra

10. Families are choosing home service because

    1. it is cost-effective
    2. it is convenient and transparent
    3. it is mostly automated
    4. it is an urban phenomenon

11. One of the ways to keep growing the business of home services

    1. is to build trust and professionalism
    2. is to keep calling customers
    3. is to offer gifts and schemes
    4. is to send untrained personnel

12. ‘A plethora of services’ means

    1. one or two services
    2. a dyad of services
    3. a triad of services
    4. a bunch of services

13. ‘Clothes maketh a man’ means

    1. by dressing in a certain way, we can avoid being perceived by others
    2. by dressing in a certain way, we can shape our behaviour and the way we perform
    3. we can exert little control over our appearance
    4. we want to draw unwarranted attention

14. A teenager will speak to his grandmother and to his friend

    1. in the same way
    2. on any topic which might be considered taboo
    3. ignoring grammar and propriety
    4. using a different sociolinguistic strategy

15. While communicating, you should

    1. use adorned style of language
    2. be courteous
    3. use the acerbic effect of your message
    4. not control your emotions

16. Rapport building and facilitating is

    1. part of mentoring
    2. part of beguiling the innocent
    3. inhibiting the learner
    4. misaligning of expectations

17. The willingness to listen and learn helps us to

    1. cut another person to size
    2. resolve differences
    3. polarize people
    4. prejudge people

18. Ridiculing a vulnerable person is to

    1. enchant
    2. flatter
    3. cajole
    4. bully

19. While admitting a serious lapse, you should not

    1. express accountability
    2. offer an alternative solution
    3. show resentment in your tone
    4. explain how you plan to resolve

20. In a multicultural environment, a strong regional accent may

    1. hinder complete understanding
    2. be easily accepted by everyone
    3. not vary in terms of pronunciation
    4. be accepted with impatience

21. The universal gesture that conveys the same meaning in all societies is

    1. the handshake
    2. the eye contact
    3. the Indian nod
    4. the smile

22. The concept of space and territoriality is influenced by

    1. fixed circumstances
    2. cultural transmission including sociopsychological views
    3. ideas of superior status
    4. physical boundaries alone

23. Emotional intelligence is

    1. blend of watching, sympathizing and communicating
    2. critically watching human language
    3. the ability to pick up subtle cues, even when no words are spoken
    4. to be emotionally charged up

24. Old wives’ tales are

    1. misconceptions
    2. authentic
    3. plausible
    4. credible

25. Interpersonal skills involve

    1. a rigid hierarchical attitude
    2. active listening
    3. absence of coordination and interdependence
    4. working solitarily to achieve goals

26. Sometimes the fear of not being perfect may stem from

    1. being realistic about ourselves
    2. accepting ourselves as we are
    3. ignorance and lethargy
    4. overthinking

27. A sense of one’s own worth needs

    1. achieving personal growth
    2. pleasing others most of the time
    3. no social acceptance
    4. happy-go-lucky attitude

28. Find the remainder when 10³³⁵ − 4 is divided by 3.

    1. 0
    2. 1
    3. 6
    4. 2

29. A number is increased by 30% and then decreased by 30%. Find the net increase/decrease in percentage.

    1. Increased by 9%
    2. Increased by 39%
    3. Decreased by 9%
    4. There is neither an increase nor a decrease

30. What is the value of (5√7 + 2√7)(6√7 + 3√7)?

    1. 521
    2. 441
    3. 381
    4. 481

31. Tim was calculating the area of a square. He made a mistake in measuring the side of the square, the error being 10% in excess. Find the resultant percentage error in the area of the square.

    1. 11%
    2. 15%
    3. 21%
    4. 60%

32. The sides of a rectangular garden are 36 m × 64 m. Find the perimeter of a square garden which has the same area as that of the rectangular garden.

    1. 192 m
    2. 140 m
    3. 160 m
    4. 182 m

33. An 80 m long ladder is leaning against a wall making an angle of 45° with the ground. Find the distance of the foot of the ladder from the wall.

    1. 40√2 m
    2. 41√2 m
    3. 39√2 m
    4. 42√2 m

34. The table below shows the daily income of 50 persons in rupees:

    Income (₹)	Number of Persons
    Less than 200	12
    Less than 250	26
    Less than 300	34
    Less than 350	40
    Less than 400	50

    How many persons earn ₹250 or more but less than ₹350?

    1. 6
    2. 40
    3. 16
    4. 14

35. The expenditures of a company per annum (in lakh rupees) over a given period are given in the following table. Study the table and answer the question based on it:

    Year	Head of Expenditures (in lakh rupees)
    	Salary	Fuel & Transport	Bonus	Interest on Loans	Taxes
    1998	288	98	3.00	23.4	83
    1999	342	112	2.52	32.5	103
    2000	324	101	3.84	41.6	74
    2001	336	133	3.68	36.4	88
    2002	410	142	3.96	49.4	98

    The total amount of bonus paid by the company during the given period is what percent of the total amount of salary paid during the same period?

    1. 0.1%
    2. 1.5%
    3. 1.25%
    4. 1%

36. The seats for Mathematics, Physics and Biology in a school are in the ratio 5:7:8. There is a proposal to increase the seats by 40%, 50% and 75% respectively for Mathematics, Physics and Biology. What will be the new ratio of the seats in Mathematics, Physics and Biology when the proposal is implemented?

    1. 2:3:4
    2. 6:7:8
    3. 6:8:9
    4. None of the above

37. The HCF of two numbers is 8. Which of the following can never be their LCM?

    1. 24
    2. 48
    3. 56
    4. 60

38. In an examination, a candidate scores \(4\) marks for every correct answer and loses \(1\) mark for every incorrect answer. If he attempts all \(75\) questions and scores \(125\) marks, then the number of questions he answered correctly is

    1. \(35\)
    2. \(40\)
    3. \(42\)
    4. \(46\)

39. The vertices of a quadrilateral \(ABCD\) are respectively \(A(0,0)\), \(B(4,4)\), \(C(4,8)\) and \(D(0,4)\). Then \(ABCD\) is a

    1. square
    2. rhombus
    3. rectangle
    4. parallelogram

40. If \[ x+\frac{1}{x}=1, \] then the value of \[ \frac{x^{2}+3x+1}{x^{2}+7x+1} \] is

    1. \(\dfrac{1}{2}\)
    2. \(\dfrac{3}{7}\)
    3. \(2\)
    4. \(1\)

41. Study the given pie charts and answer the question:

    

    If the scholarship has to be paid out of the donations fund, then what is the percentage of donations fund used for this purpose? The entire funds that the school gets from different sources is ₹10 lakhs.

    1. 75.25%
    2. 74.29%
    3. 72.15%
    4. 80.25%

42. Looking up towards the sky, David realized that the vast majority of swans flying above are blue in colour. Which of the following can David logically conclude?

    1. There is a blue swan.
    2. There is a white swan.
    3. Not everything that is blue is a swan.
    4. None of the above conclusions is satisfactory.

43. Rohit has a few cricket trophies that he placed in three different display boxes— Left, Centre and Right. Each box has space for two trophies. The Ranji is kept in the Right box. Nayudu and Premier are in the next one near the box with World. The Vizzy is kept in the Left box. The World is in the same box as Vizzy. In which box should he place the Champions?

    1. Right box
    2. Centre box
    3. Left box
    4. All are already full

44. “Doramian students were right in 1995 to stage protests demanding that the university education should be made free.”

    Which of the following assumptions is not required for acceptance of the above situation?

    1. Citizens of Doramy have the freedom to stage protests.
    2. Universities of Doramy are not fully state funded, and hence they charge fee from students.
    3. Doramian universities accept enrollment of students from other countries.
    4. Students of Doramy were not happy that the university education in their country was not free.

45. In a sale, the following lots are to be placed:

    Lot	Brand	Product	Price (INR)
    Lot 1	Maximus	Filter	10,000
    Lot 2	Desdem	Fryer	7,000
    Lot 3	Romulus	Filter	6,000
    Lot 4	Ignis	Heater	4,500
    Lot 5	Florice	Fryer	17,500

    If the lots are placed by product, then by brand, in alphabetical order, then what would be the price of buying one item from the lot placed at the fourth position and one item from the lot placed at the second position?

    1. INR 21,500
    2. INR 17,500
    3. INR 23,500
    4. INR 24,500

46. Based on the question, “In a developing nation like ours, should the Government be engaging more in space exploration research?“, identify which of the following is a weak argument.

    1. No, the money spent on these programmes can be used to increase the funding for education and health care, which would increase quality of life of our country’s population.
    2. Yes, the findings and results of these space exploration programmes have been successfully applied to industry and agriculture, thereby boosting our economy in general.
    3. Yes, space exploration research being a frontier area of research has provided a boost to our military strength.
    4. No, our country has spent too much already, and any further expense would hardly provide any marginal advantage.

47. While visiting another planet, our forefathers learnt that:

    1. Jhummaliya means manpower.
    2. Plutojhumma means superman.
    3. Jhummahusa means mankind.

    In that planet, which of the following words could possibly mean ‘kindhearted’?

    1. Husabling
    2. Plutoliya
    3. Husapluto
    4. Husajhumma

48. Identify the best suitable choice of words to complete the following sentence:

    “A __________ cannot exist without __________.”

    1. horse; saddle
    2. country; king
    3. bottle; beverage
    4. champion; winning

49. Four entities—rhino (Kaziranga), tea (Jorhat), silk (Sualkuchi) and tiger (Manas)— are linked to four persons—Priya, Raju, Sumi and Tora.

    • Priya avoids animals.
    • Raju loves fabrics.
    • Sumi studies plants.
    • Tora tracks wildlife.

    Who is linked to silk?

    1. Priya
    2. Raju
    3. Sumi
    4. Tora

50. If all Zinks are Winks and no Winks are Pinks, then which of the following statements must be true?

    1. Some Zinks are Pinks.
    2. No Zinks are Pinks.
    3. All Pinks are Zinks.
    4. Some Winks are not Pinks.

51. In a certain village, every person is either a knight or a knave. Knights always speak the truth and knaves always lie. Two villagers, A and B, make the following statements:

    A says, “B is a knave.”

    B says, “A and I are both knaves.”

    What are A and B?

    1. A is a knight, B is a knave.
    2. A is a knave, B is a knight.
    3. Both are knights.
    4. Both are knaves.

52. In a certain village, two-thirds of the villagers own bicycles, one-fourth of the villagers grow vegetables, one-fifth of the villagers are employed and three-fourths of the villagers are above 30 years of age. Which one of the following statements must certainly be true?

    1. All villagers who own bicycles are employed.
    2. Some villagers who are above 30 years of age own bicycles.
    3. One-third of the villagers who grow vegetables own bicycles.
    4. Half of the villagers who are employed grow vegetables.

53. In a group of 100 people, 60 like milk tea, 50 like green tea and 20 like neither. How many people like both milk tea and green tea?

    1. 10
    2. 20
    3. 30
    4. 40

54. What replaces the blank box with a question mark in it?

    

55. As an administrator of a city, you received a complaint from a lady that a stranger has rented a house in her neighbourhood and he looks very suspicious. She has never seen him around earlier. He has a strange behaviour and goes out during night at odd hours. People who come to meet him also appear to be of the same type. She is apprehensive that this man might be engaged in some terrorist activities. In such a situation, what would you do?

    1. Go to the house and ask the suspected person to give his personal details.
    2. Ask the lady, who complained, for more details and then act accordingly.
    3. Tell her to keep calm and stop being apprehensive.
    4. Do nothing because you have no evidence about any unlawful activities of the man.

56. You are in charge of a time-bound infrastructure project in a remote place. During the project review meeting, you find that the project is likely to be delayed on account of lack of cooperation from the team members. In such a situation, you would

    1. ask for replacement of team members
    2. look into the reasons for non-cooperation from the team members and try to mitigate them
    3. warn the team members for their lack of cooperation
    4. ask for extension of the project on some pretext

57. Your city is facing severe air pollution on account of vehicular emissions. You have to decide on the most effective policy measure on a short-term basis. What would you do?

    1. Launch a mass reforestation drive across the city
    2. Ban all private vehicles with immediate effect
    3. Implement odd-even vehicle rationing based on license plate
    4. Mandate electric vehicle (EV) usage for all government employees

58. You are a receptionist at the front desk of a hospital. An emergency hit-and-run accident case has been brought in by some people. What would you do?

    1. First, complete the admission procedure and then call the doctor on duty.
    2. Call the doctor on duty and start the admission procedure.
    3. Inform the police and wait for the police to arrive.
    4. Call the doctor on duty, inform the police, and start the admission procedure.

59. You are teaching in a class. A student gets up and asks a question, whose answer you are not aware of. What will you do?

    1. You will censure the student for disrupting the proceedings of the class.
    2. You will try to answer the question by beating around the bush so that the student may not get the impression of your ignorance about the answer.
    3. Ask the student a counter-question and ask him to study more.
    4. Tell the student that at the moment you do not know the answer, but you will try to find an answer for him the next day.

60. You have received an e-mail from an unknown source asking you to share your bank account login ID and password, and also to update your bank KYC. What will you do?

    1. Will not respond to the sender and forward the e-mail to the concerned authority for their perusal and necessary action.
    2. Will send your bank details immediately so that your account may not be made inoperative.
    3. Will delete the e-mail and forget about it.
    4. Will reply to know why they need the bank login ID and password.

61. You took your vehicle to an approved pollution testing centre. The executive at the centre fed the required data into his computer, came out of the kiosk and took front and back photographs of your vehicle. He then went back to his computer and, surprisingly, handed over the PUCC to you without actually testing the emission. Needless to say, all data shown in the PUCC were within permissible limits. What will you do?

    1. You nonchalantly pay the required amount and leave the centre.
    2. You pay the required amount, praise the executive for his cost-cutting efforts and leave the centre.
    3. You admonish the centre executive and make him do a real emission test and then pay the required amount.
    4. You pay the required amount and leave the centre, but report the entire matter to the District Transport Office for necessary action.

62. You are carrying about 3 kg in excess of the luggage allowance for your upcoming flight to your ancestral place. You have packed your bag with presents for relatives and friends. You plan to plead with the check-in executive at the airport to overlook the excess luggage and waive the charge for it.

    At the check-in counter, the executive behind the desk seems to ignore your plea and hands over a paper note mentioning the amount to be paid. You get annoyed and want to argue your case further. Then you notice that the executive is wearing a tag stating that he can neither hear nor speak. What will you do?

    1. You will give a thumbs up to the executive and pay for the excess baggage with a smile.
    2. You will withdraw from the counter and move to the adjacent one.
    3. You will pay for the excess baggage, but will lodge a complaint to the airline for employing a person with disability as a check-in executive.
    4. You will create a scene as your pleas were not being heard.

63. You are leading a group of professionals to prepare a digital twin of an industrial township. The project involves extensive fieldwork as well as AI-assisted computing. Also, the project should be completed within a given timeline. What will you do?

    1. The team will be in constant touch with one another through social media.
    2. The entire team will assemble in the company conference room every morning to take stock of the situation till the project is over.
    3. Some of the team members will be allowed to work from home, if justified by the nature of the job.
    4. No team member will be allowed to work from home.

    Select the correct answer from the codes given below.

    1. (i) and (iii)
    2. (i) and (iv)
    3. (ii) and (iv)
    4. Only (iv)

64. You are the head of the civil administration of a subdivisional town. Without much warning, the town and its neighbouring locations were ravaged by a cloudburst. You and your team are working tirelessly in the field as well as in the control room.

    While you were busy in the control room, a few people from the media approached you to enquire about the loss of life and property and the administration’s response to it. What will you do?

    1. You will brief the media persons with the latest data and inform them of the relief and rehabilitation works currently being undertaken.
    2. You will refuse to talk to the media persons as you are extremely busy and tell them that your office will issue a press note by the evening.
    3. You will refuse to talk to the media persons as you are extremely busy and assign a junior person from your office to brief them.
    4. You will refuse to talk to the media persons as you are extremely busy and reprimand them for disturbing the relief and rehabilitation works.

65. You are the leader of a team working on a certain project. On a certain issue pertaining to the project, opinion is divided among the team members on the steps to be taken. What will you do?

    1. You will impose your idea.
    2. You will consult each member of the team regarding the best way forward and then approve one of the suggestions coming from the team members.
    3. You will pick up a few alternative ideas and allow voting among the team members to select one.
    4. You will consult your seniors in the institution, go through some case studies, and then select the most appropriate approach to the problem. You will acquaint the team members with your solution to the problem and then implement it.

66. Generic medicines are many times cheaper than the branded varieties and they are effective alternatives to the branded ones. As a civil servant, you wish to popularize generic medicines, especially among the economically challenged section of the population in the town where you are currently posted. What will you do?

    1. Organize awareness meetings.
    2. Distribute pamphlets.
    3. Create awareness through social media.
    4. All of the above.

67. You have planned a vacation and decided to fly to the destination. But, despite having a confirmed air ticket, you were denied boarding by the airline staff on the pretext that the flight was overbooked. However, you were offered boarding on the next available flight on the same day. What will you do?

    1. You will vehemently and loudly protest, sit on a Dharna at the airport itself, and come back home after some time.
    2. You will express extreme displeasure but will accept their offer for the next flight.
    3. You will express extreme displeasure but will accept their offer for the next flight and later describe your unpleasant experience with the airline on your social media account.
    4. You will vehemently and loudly protest, reject the offer for the next flight, book a fresh ticket with a different airline, and later describe your unpleasant experience with the airline concerned on your social media account.

68. Consider the following statements and conclusions:

    Statements:

    1. All engineers are mathematicians.
    2. Some mathematicians are logicians.
    3. No logician is a poet.

    Conclusions:

    1. Some mathematicians are not poets.
    2. Some engineers are not poets.
    3. No engineer is a poet.

    Which conclusion (conclusions) follows (follow) from the statements?

    1. Only (i) and (ii)
    2. Only (ii)
    3. Only (iii)
    4. All of the above

69. The following Venn diagram shows, out of 200 people, how many own smartphones, laptops and tablets. What is the number of people who own both smartphones and laptops?

    
    1. 120
    2. 60
    3. 50
    4. 30

70. Pointing to a boy, Dipankar says, “His mother is the daughter-in-law of my mother’s mother.” How is Dipankar related to the boy?

    1. Father
    2. Uncle
    3. Cousin
    4. Brother

71. A cube is painted on all its faces and then cut into 27 smaller cubes. How many smaller cubes will have exactly 3 faces painted?

    1. 6
    2. 8
    3. 12
    4. 24

72. In a room full of 100 people, 99% are right-handed. How many right-handed people have to leave the room to make that percentage 98%?

    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 25
    4. 50

73. What combination of alphanumeric characters should occupy the vacant space in the given table?

    \[ \begin{array}{|c|c|c|} \hline 1Y & 4Z & 7X \\ \hline 10Z & \ ?\ & 50Y \\ \hline 3Z & 2Y & 1X \\ \hline \end{array} \]

    1. 25X
    2. 20X
    3. 1X
    4. 1Z

74. Which letter of the English alphabet should occupy the blank space in the given horizontal table?

    \[ \begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|c|} \hline \mathrm{W} & \mathrm{S} & \mathrm{Q} & \mathrm{M} & \phantom{X} \\ \hline \end{array} \]

    1. L
    2. K
    3. I
    4. E

75. In this sequence, what number would logically come next?

    \[ 2,\;4,\;8,\;4,\;6,\;5,\;9,\;4,\;\underline{\qquad} \]

    1. 6
    2. 8
    3. 4
    4. 3

76. From the given set of 5 numbers, identify the odd number out:

    \[ 5712,\;9211,\;4307,\;2309,\;7512 \]

    1. 9211
    2. 4307
    3. 2309
    4. 7512

77. Consider the statement and the conclusions given below:

    Statement:

    As compared to the earlier times, the weather forecasts issued by the meteorological department are fairly accurate.

    Conclusions:

    1. In recent times, the meteorological department has hired some highly qualified individuals.
    2. The science of meteorology has made great advances in recent years.

    Choose the correct option.

    1. Only conclusion (i) follows.
    2. Only conclusion (ii) follows.
    3. Both conclusion (i) and conclusion (ii) follow.
    4. Neither conclusion (i) nor conclusion (ii) follows.

78. Consider the following statements in respect of the two distance travelled vs. time graphs for one-dimensional motion of objects:

    
    1. Graph 1 describes a uniform motion.
    2. Graph 2 describes a uniform circular motion.
    3. Graph 1 describes a motion with a constant speed of 4 m/s.
    4. Graph 2 describes a motion with a variable speed.

    Select the correct statement (statements) using the codes given below.

    1. Only (i)
    2. (i) and (ii)
    3. Only (i) and (iii)
    4. (i), (iii) and (iv)

79. In the figures below, the outer box represents the population of Assam as per the 2011 Census. Its left subdivision represents the male population while the right one represents the female population. The male and female boxes are further subdivided topwise and bottomwise to represent the illiterate and literate population of the respective sexes. Which one of the following is closest to the actual data?

    
    1. Diagram (A)
    2. Diagram (B)
    3. Diagram (C)
    4. Diagram (D)

80. Consider the statement and the conclusions given below:

    Statement:

    All members of the Chowdhury family of Junagarh are honest. Deepika is an honest girl.

    Conclusions:

    1. Deepika lives in Junagarh.
    2. All honest persons are girls.

    Choose the correct option.

    1. Only conclusion (i) follows.
    2. Only conclusion (ii) follows.
    3. Both conclusion (i) and conclusion (ii) follow.
    4. Neither conclusion (i) nor conclusion (ii) follows.

If you prefer reading the original question paper or want to verify the formatting, you can view the official APSC CCE Prelims 2024 General Studies Paper-II PDF below.

Official Question Paper (PDF)

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Official Provisional Answer Key (PDF)

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