Complete UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination General Studies Paper-II / CSAT question paper for 2018.
All 80 questions from the 2018CSAT paper, classified by subject, topic and subtopic.
Consider the following three-dimensional figure: [figure shown in paper]. How many triangles does the above figure have?
The solid contains 5 triangles on the top, 5 on the bottom and 10 in the middle layer: 5+5+10=20.
Consider the following sum: • + 1• + 2• + •3 + •1 = 21•. In the above sum, • stands for
Let the dot be x. Interpreting each dotted term by place value gives 210+x on the right and the left-hand sum; solving gives x=8.
Consider the following pattern of numbers: [pattern shown in paper]. What is the number at ? in the above pattern?
Each row follows the relation first number + fourth number − third number; the missing value is 13+8−4=17.
How many diagonals can be drawn by joining the vertices of an octagon?
An n-gon has n(n−3)/2 diagonals. For n=8, 8×5/2=20.
The figure drawn below gives the velocity graphs of two vehicles A and B. The straight line OKP represents the velocity of vehicle A at any instant, whereas the horizontal straight line CKD represents the velocity of vehicle B at any instant. In the figure, D is the point where perpendicular from P meets the horizontal line CKD such that PD = 1/2 LD. What is the ratio between the distances covered by vehicles A and B in the time interval OL?
Distance is the area under a velocity–time graph. Using the given PD:LD relation, the two areas over OL are in the ratio 3:4.
A train 200 metres long is moving at the rate of 40 kmph. In how many seconds will it cross a man standing near the railway line?
40 km/h = 40×1000/3600 m/s. Time = 200/(40×1000/3600)=18 s.
Passage—1: Global population is growing rapidly; a large share of India's population remains dependent on agriculture, including into the future.
Which of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
Correct answer: (A). The selected option best matches the central point or inference supported by the passage.
Passage—2: Foodborne illness can arise at many stages, while globalization makes food production harder to regulate and trace.
Which of the following is the most logical corollary to the above passage?
Correct answer: (A). The selected option best matches the central point or inference supported by the passage.
Passage—3: A scientist explains that science cannot answer every fundamental question and sees faith and science as potentially complementary.
Which of the following is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
Correct answer: (B). The selected option best matches the central point or inference supported by the passage.
Passage—4: The author rejects oppressive past traditions while remaining proud of India's historical inheritance.
The author wants India to rid herself of certain past bonds because
Correct answer: (D). The selected option best matches the central point or inference supported by the passage.
Graph: Imports of coil steel, sheet steel and scrap steel over six months; bracketed figures give average cost per ton.
By how much (measured in thousands of tons) did the import of sheet steel exceed the import of coil steel in the first three months of the year?
First three months: sheet steel = 40+37+36=113 thousand tons; coil steel = 30+31+33=94. Difference=19.
Graph: Imports of coil steel, sheet steel and scrap steel over six months; bracketed figures give average cost per ton.
What was the approximate total value (in $) of sheet steel imported over the six months period?
Total sheet steel over six months =217 thousand tons; at $256/ton, value≈$55.55 million, matching 55,550 (thousand dollars).
Graph: Imports of coil steel, sheet steel and scrap steel over six months; bracketed figures give average cost per ton.
What was the approximate ratio of sheet steel and scrap steel imports in the first three months of the year?
First three months: sheet=113, scrap=98 thousand tons; ratio=113/98≈1.2:1.
Rotated-position diagrams of a solid whose faces carry different dot/cross/line symbols.
What is the symbol on the face opposite to that containing a single dot?
Correct answer: (B). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives Three dots.
Rotated-position diagrams of a solid whose faces carry different dot/cross/line symbols.
What is the symbol on the face opposite to that containing two dots?
Correct answer: (C). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives Four dots.
Rotated-position diagrams of a solid whose faces carry different dot/cross/line symbols.
What is the symbol on the face opposite to that containing the cross?
Correct answer: (C). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives Line.
Passage: Right to Education requires more than access to schools; it emphasizes quality, child-friendly learning, curricular reform and accountability.
According to the passage, which of the following is/are of paramount importance under the Right to Education? 1. Sending of children to school by all parents. 2. Provision of adequate physical infrastructure in schools. 3. Curricular reforms for developing child-friendly learning system. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Correct answer: (C). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage: Right to Education requires more than access to schools; it emphasizes quality, child-friendly learning, curricular reform and accountability.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The Right to Education guarantees teachers' accountability for the learning process of children. 2. The Right to Education guarantees 100% enrolment of children in the schools. 3. The Right to Education intends to take full advantage of demographic dividend. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct answer: (A). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage: Right to Education requires more than access to schools; it emphasizes quality, child-friendly learning, curricular reform and accountability.
According to the passage, which one of the following is critical in bringing quality in education?
Correct answer: (D). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage: Right to Education requires more than access to schools; it emphasizes quality, child-friendly learning, curricular reform and accountability.
What is the essential message in this passage?
Correct answer: (C). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
If LSJXVC is the code for MUMBAI, the code for DELHI is
Shift each letter backward by 1,2,3,4,5 positions respectively: DELHI→CCIDD.
If RAMON is written as 12345 and DINESH as 675849, then HAMAM will be written as
From RAMON and DINESH, H=9, A=2, M=3; hence HAMAM=92323.
If X is between -3 and -1, and Y is between -1 and 1, then X² - Y² is in between which of the following?
X² lies between 1 and 9 and Y² between 0 and 1, so X²−Y² lies between 0 and 9.
X and Y are natural numbers other than 1, and Y is greater than X. Which of the following represents the largest number?
For natural numbers X<Y with X,Y>1, XY is greater than the corresponding ratios and (X+Y)/XY; hence XY is largest.
Office-block arrangement: six officers A–F occupy offices on opposite sides of a corridor subject to the stated facing, corner and relative-position constraints.
If E sits in his office and faces the corridor, whose office is to his left?
Correct answer: (C). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives C.
Office-block arrangement: six officers A–F occupy offices on opposite sides of a corridor subject to the stated facing, corner and relative-position constraints.
Who is/are F's immediate neighbour/neighbours?
Correct answer: (A). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives A only.
Passage—1: Desertification, deforestation, erosion, salinization, water-system changes and declining agricultural productivity.
According to the passage, which of the following are the consequences of decline in forest cover? 1. Loss of topsoil 2. Loss of smaller rivers 3. Adverse effect on agricultural production 4. Declining of groundwater. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Correct answer: (D). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—1: Desertification, deforestation, erosion, salinization, water-system changes and declining agricultural productivity.
Which of the following is/are the correct inference/inferences that can be made from the passage? 1. Deforestation can cause changes in the course of rivers. 2. Salinization of land takes place due to human activities only. 3. Intense monoculture practice in plains is a major reason for desertification in Tropical Asia, Africa and South America. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Correct answer: (A). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—1: Desertification, deforestation, erosion, salinization, water-system changes and declining agricultural productivity.
With reference to 'desertification', as described in the passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Desertification is a phenomenon in tropical areas only. 2. Deforestation invariably leads to floods and desertification. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct answer: (D). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—2: Climate change requires diversity of natural assets, wider genetic resources, intact ecosystems and migration corridors.
With reference to the above passage, which of the following would assist us in coping with the climate change? 1. Conservation of natural water sources 2. Conservation of wider gene pool 3. Existing crop management practices 4. Migration corridors. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Correct answer: (B). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—2: Climate change requires diversity of natural assets, wider genetic resources, intact ecosystems and migration corridors.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Diversification of livelihoods acts as a coping strategy for climate change. 2. Adoption of monocropping practice leads to the extinction of plant varieties and their wild relatives. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct answer: (C). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—3: Environmental pressure is linked to human aspirations and consumerism; the planet functions as a biological system.
Which of the following is the most crucial and logical inference that can be made from the above passage?
Correct answer: (C). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—4: Leadership is not merely innate; it can be acquired and taught, with prompt decision-making preferable to endless hesitation.
The author of the passage holds the view that
Correct answer: (B). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
A number consists of three digits of which the middle one is zero and their sum is 4. If the number formed by interchanging the first and last digits is greater than the number itself by 198, then the difference between the first and last digits is
Let the number be 100a+0b+c with a+c=4. Reversing changes it by 99(c−a)=198, so c−a=2.
A solid cube of 3 cm side, painted on all its faces, is cut up into small cubes of 1 cm side. How many of the small cubes will have exactly two painted faces?
Exactly two painted faces occur at edge-centre cubes. A 3×3×3 cube has 4 such cubes per edge pair, giving 12 in total.
While writing all the numbers from 700 to 1000, how many numbers occur in which the digit at hundred's place is greater than the digit at ten's place, and the digit at ten's place is greater than the digit at unit's place?
Count three-digit numbers with hundreds digit > tens digit > units digit across 700–999; the count is 85.
If Pen < Pencil, Pencil < Book and Book > Cap, then which one of the following is always true?
Pen<Pencil<Book, so by transitivity Pen<Book.
A bookseller sold 'a' number of Geography textbooks at the rate of Rs. x per book, 'a + 2' number of History textbooks at the rate of Rs. (x + 2) per book and 'a - 2' number of Mathematics textbooks at the rate of Rs. (x - 2) per book. What is his total sale in Rs.?
Total = ax+(a+2)(x+2)+(a−2)(x−2)=3ax+8.
A bag contains 15 red balls and 20 black balls. Each ball is numbered either 1 or 2 or 3. 20% of the red balls are numbered 1 and 40% of them are numbered 3. Similarly, among the black balls, 45% are numbered 2 and 30% are numbered 3. A boy picks a ball at random. He wins if the ball is red and numbered 3 or if it is black and numbered 1 or 2. What are the chances of his winning?
Winning red-3 balls=6; black balls numbered 1 or 2=14. Total favourable=20 out of 35, so probability=4/7.
Two persons, A and B are running on a circular track. At the start, B is ahead of A and their positions make an angle of 30° at the centre of the circle. When A reaches the point diametrically opposite to his starting point, he meets B. What is the ratio of speeds of A and B, if they are running with uniform speeds?
A completes a semicircle (180°). B starts 30° ahead and meets A at the opposite point; comparing angular distances over the same time gives speed ratio 6:5.
A student has to get 40% marks to pass in an examination. Suppose he gets 30 marks and fails by 30 marks, then what are the maximum marks in the examination?
30 marks is 30 below the passing score, so 40% of maximum=60. Maximum marks=60/0.40=150.
19 boys turn out for playing hockey. Of these, 11 are wearing hockey shirts and 14 are wearing hockey pants. There are no boys without shirts and pants. What is the number of boys wearing full uniform?
14 have pants, so 5 have no pants and therefore only shirts. Of the 11 with shirts, 11−5=6 wear both.
A is studying in
Using the city/college/state constraints gives A in Rajasthan.
Science college is located in
The only consistent assignment places Science College in city Q.
C is studying in
The remaining consistent assignment places C in Rajasthan.
Which one of the following statements is correct?
The constraints rule out C/B alternatives; D cannot be in S, so A is the correct statement.
Which one of the following statements is correct regarding Engineering college?
The Engineering college is occupied by D.
Which one of the following statements is correct?
Engineering is in Assam under the unique assignment.
Passage—1: Climate-change action has costs; developing countries such as India need financing for adaptation and mitigation.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Climate change is not a challenge for developed countries. 2. Climate change is a complex policy issue and also a development issue for many countries. 3. Ways and means of finance must be found to enable developing countries to enhance their adaptive capacity. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct answer: (C). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—2: Household air pollution from biomass and coal causes major health damage, while clean cooking fuel use is rising slowly.
Which of the following is the most crucial and logical inference that can be made from the above passage?
Correct answer: (D). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—3: Science has dangers but is fundamentally a liberating force that opens the possibility of a better world.
Which one of the following is the most important implication of the passage?
Correct answer: (A). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—4: Melting Arctic ice is making fossil-fuel, fish and mineral resources more accessible and is prompting geopolitical competition.
Which one of the following is the most important implication of the passage?
Correct answer: (B). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—5: India's WTO commitments can conflict with food-security measures such as MSP and public stockholding.
What is the crucial message conveyed by the above passage?
Correct answer: (C). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—6: India's mass-education model was designed for an industrial age but today's economy is complex and globally interconnected.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. India continues to be a developing country essentially due to its faulty education system. 2. Today's learners need to acquire new-age skill-sets. 3. A good number of Indians go to some developed countries for education because the educational systems there are a perfect reflection of the societies in which they function. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct answer: (B). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—7: Diets cannot be reduced to one universal solution because people differ in biology, health, lifestyles and food tolerance.
What is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
Correct answer: (D). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—8: Monoculture creates vulnerability to pests, disease and climate change; crop genetic diversity provides resilience.
Which of the following is the most logical, rational and crucial message given by the passage?
Correct answer: (A). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
A shopkeeper sells an article at Rs. 40 and gets X% profit. However, when he sells it at Rs. 20, he faces same percentage of loss. What is the original cost of the article?
If cost is C and profit/loss percentages are equal, 40−C=C−20, giving C=30.
There are 24 equally spaced points lying on the circumference of a circle. What is the maximum number of equilateral triangles that can be drawn by taking sets of three points as the vertices?
With 24 equally spaced points, an equilateral triangle needs 120° central separation; 24/3=8 such triangles.
Consider the sequence given below: 4/12/95, 1/1/96, 29/1/96, 26/2/96, .... What is the next term of the series?
Each date advances by 28 days; 26 Feb 1996 plus 28 days =25 Mar 1996.
Twelve equal squares are placed to fit in a rectangle of diagonal 5 cm. There are three rows containing four squares each. No gaps are left between adjacent squares. What is the area of each square?
If each square has side x, rectangle sides are 4x and 3x. 5²=(4x)²+(3x)², so x=1 and area=1.
Graph: Expected versus actual progress of work from April to September.
Consider the following graph: [graph shown in paper]. Which one of the following statements is not correct with reference to the graph given above?
Correct answer: (D). Apply the relevant quantitative relation to the values given in the question; this yields During the period from 1st April to 1st September, at no time was the actual progress more than the expected progress..
For a sports meet, a winners' stand comprising three wooden blocks is in the following form: [figure shown in paper]. There are six different colours available to choose from and each of the three wooden blocks is to be painted such that no two of them has the same colour. In how many different ways can the winners' stand be painted?
Three distinct colours can be assigned in 6×5×4=120 ways.
Graph: Birth and death rates / population dynamics from 1970 to 2010.
Looking at the graph, it can be inferred that from 1990 to 2010
The graph does not show a single monotonic trend in the population growth rate over 1990–2010.
Graph: Birth and death rates / population dynamics from 1970 to 2010.
With reference to the above graph, consider the following statements considering 1970 as base year: 1. Population has stabilized after 35 years. 2. Population growth rate has stabilized after 35 years. 3. Death rate has fallen by 10% in the first 10 years. 4. Birthrate has stabilized after 35 years. Which of the above are the most logical and rational statements that can be made from the above graph?
From the graph, the growth-rate and birth-rate curves stabilize after about 35 years; these are statements 2 and 4.
Two graphs of average hourly earnings E against years for firms A and B.
Average hourly earnings per year (E) of the workers in a firm are represented in figures A and B as follows: [figures shown in paper]. From the figures, it is observed that the
Both graphs have the same rise per year, so their slopes are equal.
Figure sequence puzzle with symbolic shapes; choose the figure that fits the question mark.
Consider the figures given below: [figure shown in paper]. To fit the question mark, the correct answer is [options shown as figures in paper].
Correct answer: (A). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives [Option figure A].
Two graphs showing manufacturing cost and projected sales against number of pieces.
Consider the following figures A and B: [figures shown in paper]. The manufacturing cost and projected sales for a product are shown in the above figures A and B respectively. What is the minimum number of pieces that should be manufactured to avoid a loss?
At 2,000 pieces the selling-price and cost lines meet; producing fewer would create a loss. Minimum=2,000.
A lift has the capacity of 18 adults or 30 children. How many children can board the lift with 12 adults?
18 adults=30 children, so 1 adult=30/18=5/3 children. Twelve adults occupy 20-child capacity, leaving 10 children.
A person bought a refrigerator worth Rs. 22,800 with 12.5% interest compounded yearly. At the end of first year he paid Rs. 8,650 and at the end of second year Rs. 9,125. How much will he have to pay at the end of third year to clear the debt?
After the first payment the balance is 17,000; after 12.5% interest it is 19,125. After the second payment, 10,000 remains; 12.5% interest makes 11,250 due.
Figure sequence I–VI showing regular positional changes of symbols; identify stage VII.
Consider the following figures: [figures shown in paper]. In the figures (I) to (VI) above, some parts are shown to change their positions in regular directions. Following the same sequence, which of the figures given below will appear at (VII) stage?
Correct answer: (B). Applying the stated logical constraints/pattern gives [Option figure B].
Population-age-group graphs for countries A and B over several decades.
Consider the following graphs. The curves in the graphs indicate different age groups in the populations of two countries A and B over a period of few decades: [graphs shown in paper]. With reference to the above graphs, which of the following are the most logical and rational inferences that can be made? 1. Over the last two and a half decades, the dependency ratio for country B has decreased. 2. By the end of next two and a half decades, the dependency ratio of country A will be much less than that of country B. 3. In the next two decades, the work-force relative to its total population will increase in country B as compared to country A. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
From the age-group curves, statements 1 and 3 are supported; statement 2 is not.
Lakshmi, her brother, her daughter and her son are badminton players. A game of doubles is about to begin: Lakshmi's brother is directly across the net from her daughter. Her son is diagonally across the net from the worst player's sibling. The best player and the worst player are on the same side of the net. Who is the best player?
Applying the doubles arrangement and relative best/worst constraints identifies Lakshmi's brother as the best player.
The graph given below indicates the changes in key policy rates made by the Central Bank several times in a year: [graph shown in paper]. Which one of the following can be the most likely reason for the Central Bank for such an action?
A sustained increase in policy rates is consistent with an anti-inflationary stance because higher rates tighten liquidity.
Table: GDP growth rate, per-capita income and tele-density for different states.
With reference to the above table, which of the following is/are the most logical and rational inference/inferences that can be made? 1. Higher per capita income is generally associated with higher Tele-density. 2. Higher GDP growth rate always ensures higher per capita income. 3. Higher GDP growth rate does not necessarily ensure higher Tele-density. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The table supports only statement 3: higher GDP growth does not necessarily imply higher tele-density.
Table: GDP growth rate, per-capita income and tele-density for different states.
With reference to the above table, the following assumptions have been made: 1. Nowadays, prosperity of an already high performing State cannot be sustained without making further large investments in its telecom infrastructure. 2. Nowadays, a very high Tele-density is the most essential condition for promoting the business and economic growth in a State. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Neither assumption follows necessarily from the table.
Graph: composition of tax revenue over two decades.
The following graph indicates the composition of our tax revenue for a period of two decades: [graph shown in paper]. With reference to the above graph, which of the following is/are the most logical and rational inference/inferences that can be made? 1. During the given period, the revenue from Direct Taxes as percentage of gross tax revenue has increased while that of Indirect Taxes decreased. 2. The trend in the revenue from Excise Duty demonstrates that the growth of manufacturing sector has been negative during the given period. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Direct-tax share rises while indirect-tax share falls; the graph alone does not prove negative manufacturing growth. Hence 1 only.
If x - y = 8, then which of the following must be true? 1. Both x and y must be positive for any value of x and y. 2. If x is positive, y must be negative for any value of x and y. 3. If x is negative, y must be positive for any value of x and y. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
x−y=8 does not force either variable to have the asserted sign pattern; none of the three statements must always hold.
Passage—1: Industrial meat production involves cramped animal conditions, disease risks and very high water use.
What is the most rational and crucial message given by the passage?
Correct answer: (D). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—2: A relocated tiger returned toward its original habitat; wildlife corridors are needed between protected areas.
Which of the following is the most rational and crucial message given by the passage?
Correct answer: (B). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.
Passage—2: A relocated tiger returned toward its original habitat; wildlife corridors are needed between protected areas.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The strategy of conservation of wildlife by relocating them from one protected area to another is not often successful. 2. India does not have suitable legislation to save the tigers, and its conservation efforts have failed which forced the tigers to live outside protected areas. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Correct answer: (A). The passage supports the selected statement/inference and does not provide sufficient support for the alternatives.