UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 Previous Year Questions

Cornwallis’ revenue collection (Bengal)
Refers mainly to Permanent Settlement (1793) introduced under Governor-General Lord Cornwallis in Bengal.

Ryotwari Settlement
A land-revenue system where the government deals directly with the ryot (cultivator/peasant), rather than through zamindars. (Historically associated with Madras/Bombay Presidencies, not Bengal under Cornwallis.)

Permanent Settlement (Bengal)
Land revenue demand on zamindars was fixed permanently; they had to pay the state on schedule. A strict rule called the “Sunset Law” required payment by the due date before sunset; failure led to sale/auction of the estate.

1) “Under the Ryotwari Settlement… peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests/natural calamities.”

❌ Incorrect. In the ryotwari system, peasants were often required to pay revenue even when crops were destroyed by floods or drought; it was not an automatic exemption.
(Also, linking this to “revenue collection by Cornwallis” is itself suspect because ryotwari is not Cornwallis’ Bengal settlement.)

2) “Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay revenues on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari.”

✅ Correct in effect. Under the Sunset Law, non-payment by the due time led to the sale/auction of the zamindari estate, which effectively removes the zamindar from it.

Delimitation: Redrawing the boundaries of Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituencies to reflect population changes (usually after a Census).

Delimitation Commission: A high-powered body set up by the Government of India under a Delimitation Act to carry out delimitation. Its orders have the force of law.

How many have been constituted till December 2023?

There are two ways this gets counted:

1. Standard “all-India” count (what most MCQs mean):
   Delimitation Commissions were constituted in 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002 — i.e., four times.

2. Strict “every commission ever constituted” count (including the special 2020 one):
   A Rajya Sabha answer (Ministry of Law & Justice, 3 April 2025) lists five commissions: 1952, 1963, 1973, 2002, and 2020 (the 2020 one was under the 2002 Act for Jammu & Kashmir and initially four NE states). But “five” isn’t an option in the question.

• Cicada: A plant-feeding true bug known for loud mating calls.

• Froghopper (spittlebug): A small jumping true bug; its nymph makes “cuckoo spit” foam on plants.

• Pond skater (water strider): A surface-dwelling true bug that “skates” on water using surface tension.

All three belong to the class Insecta (they are insects), specifically within the order Hemiptera (true bugs).

US Treasury Bonds
Debt securities issued by the US government. When you hold one, the government promises to pay interest and repay the principal at maturity.

Default on debt
Failure (or refusal / delay) to make promised payments (interest and/or principal) on time and in full, as per the bond contract.

“Exercise their claims”
Bondholders have a legal claim (a right to be paid under the bond’s terms). “Exercising” it means demanding payment and, in theory, pursuing remedies (though suing a sovereign government has practical limits).

Backed by hard assets vs. backed by faith/credit

• Hard assets backing: a specific pool of assets pledged as collateral (like a mortgage backed by property).

• Full faith and credit: repayment depends on the government’s taxing power, borrowing capacity, and willingness to pay—not on earmarked collateral.

Statement I: If the USA were to default, holders of US Treasury Bonds will not be able to exercise their claims to receive payment.
❌ Incorrect as stated.
A default means holders may not receive payment as promised (on time/in full), but it doesn’t mean they “cannot exercise their claims” at all. They still do have a claim under the bond contract; the problem in default is that the issuer fails to honor it properly (and remedies against a sovereign may be limited, but the claim doesn’t vanish).

Statement II: The USA Government debt is not backed by any hard assets, but only by the faith of the Government.
✅ Correct in essence.
US Treasuries are generally not collateralized by specific hard assets; they rely on the government’s full faith and credit (its capacity and commitment to pay).

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs)
DERs are small-to-medium energy resources located close to where electricity is used (at the “distribution” level, not big centralized power plants). They can either:

• Generate electricity (e.g., rooftop solar, biomass gensets, fuel cells), or

• Store electricity (e.g., battery storage), or

• Sometimes manage demand (not in your options).

The key idea: decentralized + near the load, often connected to the local distribution network or behind-the-meter.

1. Battery storage
   Stores electricity and can supply it locally when needed.
   ✅ Considered a DER.

2. Biomass generators
   Small/local biomass-based generators (especially when installed for a campus, industry, community, etc.) are distributed generation.
   ✅ Considered a DER.

3. Fuel cells
   Fuel-cell systems (often used on-site for buildings/industries) generate electricity locally.
   ✅ Considered a DER.

4. Rooftop solar photovoltaic units
   Classic example of DER: generation right at the consumer site.
   ✅ Considered a DER.

Bhasha (Bhāsa)
One of the earliest and most famous Sanskrit playwrights (often placed before Kālidāsa). A number of classical Sanskrit plays are traditionally attributed to him.

“Work attributed to”
In ancient Indian literature, authorship is sometimes based on later tradition and manuscript transmission, so the question is asking which title is known as a Bhāsa play.

(a) Kavyalankara

A term used for poetics/ornamentation treatises (alaṅkāra-śāstra). The famous Kāvyālaṅkāra is associated with Bhāmaha (and other “kavyalankara”-titled works with later theoreticians), not Bhāsa.
❌ Not Bhāsa.

(b) Natyashastra (Nāṭyaśāstra)
The foundational Indian text on dramaturgy, traditionally attributed to Bharata Muni, not Bhāsa.
❌ Not Bhāsa.

(c) Madhyama-vyayoga (Madhyamavyāyoga)
A Sanskrit play belonging to the vyāyoga type, and it is attributed to Bhāsa.
✅ This matches Bhāsa.

(d) Mahabhashya (Mahābhāṣya)
The great Sanskrit grammar commentary by Patañjali, not Bhāsa.
❌ Not Bhāsa.