UPHESC Assistant Professor Geology PYQs

Concept: Volcanic arcs release CO₂ when active, and their fresh rocks later remove CO₂ by chemical weathering (silicate weathering locks carbon in carbonates).

1. Statement (1): volcanic chains both emit (the printed 'omitting' means emitting) and, through weathering of their rocks, remove CO₂ over geological time – correct.
2. Statement (2): this emission–removal balance acts as Earth's long-term thermostat, keeping surface temperature within a habitable range – correct.

Short trick: Volcano = CO₂ tap ON (eruption) + sponge (weathering) → long-term thermostat.

Concept: The Ganga Action Plan (Phase I) was launched by PM Rajiv Gandhi at Varanasi on 14 January 1986 to reduce pollution of the Ganga.

1. It was run by the Central Ganga Authority (set up in 1985).
2. GAP Phase II followed in 1993; National Ganga River Basin Authority came in 2009 and Namami Gange in 2014.

Short trick: GAP-1986 → GAP-II 1993 → NGRBA 2009 → Namami Gange 2014.

Concept: 'Pratibimba' was launched by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah in March 2017 as a performance-management web dashboard showing the progress of government programmes.

1. It tracked departmental targets and achievements in real time for the public.
2. The word 'Pratibimba' means 'reflection' – the portal reflects government performance.

Short trick: Pratibimba = reflection of Karnataka government's work.

Concept: Vajra Prahar is the India–USA Special Forces joint exercise; its 12th edition was held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, in 2021.

1. France: Shakti (army), Varuna (navy), Garuda (air).
2. Japan: Dharma Guardian, JIMEX; Sri Lanka: Mitra Shakti, SLINEX.

Short trick: Vajra Prahar & Yudh Abhyas = USA (both start with army might).

Concept: In the TTFI national ranking list issued after the senior Nationals of February 2021, Sreeja Akula (Telangana) was placed No. 1 among women.

1. Press reports of March 2021 gave her 380 points, ahead of Sutirtha Mukherjee (340) and national champion Manika Batra (300).
2. Manika Batra (spelt 'Monika' in the question) won the 2021 Nationals and was India's top player on the ITTF world list, but she was third on this domestic ranking list.

Short trick: Early 2021 TTFI women's list: Sreeja–Sutirtha–Manika.

Concept: Action research (Stephen Corey, 1953 in education) is done by practitioners to solve an immediate local problem and improve the present situation.

1. Fundamental research aims at new theory/generalisation.
2. Experimental research tests cause–effect under control; survey research describes the existing status.

Short trick: Action research = 'research for action now, here, by me'.

Concept: Primary data are first-hand data collected originally by the investigator (survey, interview, experiment, observation).

1. Secondary data are already collected by someone else (census reports, journals).
2. Tertiary sources are compilations of the above (encyclopaedias, indexes).

Short trick: Primary = first hand, fresh; Secondary = second hand, published.

Concept: NCTE was set up in 1973 as an advisory body; it became a statutory body under the NCTE Act, 1993, effective 17 August 1995.

1. Eighth Five Year Plan = 1992–97, which covers both 1993 and 1995.
2. Seventh Plan was 1985–90; Ninth Plan 1997–2002.

Short trick: NCTE: 1973 advisory → 1993 Act / 1995 statutory → 8th Plan.

Concept: In Bloom's cognitive domain, Synthesis = putting parts together to form a new whole, e.g. 'writes a well-organised theme/essay'.

1. Analysis breaks a whole into parts.
2. Comprehension = understanding/translation; Application = using rules in new situations.
3. Bloom's own example for synthesis: 'skill in writing, using an excellent organisation of ideas and statements'.

Short trick: Synthesis = Sum-up parts into a new whole (essay, plan, design).

Concept: The arithmetic mean is the preferred average when scores are symmetrically (normally) distributed, when every score should carry weight, and when the most stable/reliable measure is required.

1. (i) In a normal distribution mean = median = mode, so the mean represents data best.
2. (ii) Mean uses every score – each score matters.
3. (iii) Mean has the least sampling fluctuation, so it is used when accuracy and reliability are needed.

Short trick: Mean: Normal data, All scores count, Most reliable – all three apply.

Concept: FTP = File Transfer Protocol, the standard protocol for transferring files between client and server over TCP/IP (ports 20/21).

1. HTTP – web pages; SMTP – sending e-mail; POP3/IMAP – receiving e-mail.

Short trick: FTP moves Files; HTTP moves pages.

Concept: Network bandwidth is the data-carrying capacity of a channel, measured in bits per second (bps, kbps, Mbps, Gbps).

1. 'Per unit area' is meaningless for a channel – rejects A and C.
2. Bandwidth is quoted in bits (small b), not bytes (B) – rejects B.

Short trick: Bandwidth = bits/second (Mbps has small 'b').

Concept: Yahoo is a web portal/search engine and e-mail service, not a social networking site.

1. Facebook, Instagram (photo sharing, owned by Meta) and Twitter (now X, micro-blogging) are social networking sites.

Short trick: Yahoo = search + mail; the other three = social networks.

Concept: TB (capital B) = Terabyte = 1024 GB (2⁴⁰ bytes); memory/storage is expressed in bytes.

1. KB → MB → GB → TB → PB, each 1024 times the previous.
2. Terabit would be written Tb (small b); 'Tetra' is not a memory prefix.

Short trick: Capital B = Byte; T = Tera = 2⁴⁰.

Concept: Output devices present processed results to the user – monitor, printer, speaker, plotter, projector.

1. Keyboard, mouse and scanner send data into the computer – input devices.

Short trick: Speaker speaks OUT; keyboard/mouse/scanner put IN.

Concept: The Sanctuary Nature Foundation's Lifetime Service Award (Sanctuary Wildlife Awards 2020) went to S. Theodore Baskaran, Tamil naturalist, writer and film historian.

1. Deepak Kabra (gymnastics judge) and Pawan Singh (shooting jury member) are sports officials, known for the Tokyo Olympics – not wildlife.
2. P. V. Sindhu is a badminton player.

Short trick: Wildlife 'lifetime' 2020 → Theodore Baskaran, writer on Tamil nature & cinema.

Concept: ICAR classified Indian soils into eight major groups.

1. Alluvial, Black (regur), Red & yellow, Laterite, Arid/desert, Saline & alkaline, Peaty & marshy, Forest & mountain soils.
2. Alluvial soil covers the largest area (~40%).

Short trick: 8 soils – 'A Black Red Lady Always Sells Peaty Forest' (Alluvial, Black, Red, Laterite, Arid, Saline, Peaty, Forest).

Concept: National Maritime Day is observed on 5 April, commemorating the 1919 voyage of SS Loyalty (Scindia Steam Navigation Co.) from Mumbai to London – the first Indian-owned ship on international waters.

1. First celebrated in 1964.
2. World Maritime Day (IMO) is the last Thursday of September.

Short trick: 5 April 1919 – SS Loyalty sailed → Maritime Day.

Concept: The Wildlife (Protection) Act was enacted on 9 September 1972; it provides Schedules of protected species and the framework for sanctuaries and national parks.

1. Water Act – 1974; Air Act – 1981; Environment (Protection) Act – 1986.
2. Project Tiger followed in 1973.

Short trick: Wildlife 72 → Water 74 → Air 81 → EPA 86.

Concept: The Second Earth Summit (UN General Assembly Special Session, New York, June 1997) reviewed progress five years after Rio 1992, hence 'Earth Summit +5'.

1. First Earth Summit: Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
2. Rio+10: Johannesburg 2002; Rio+20: Rio 2012.
3. Kyoto Protocol (1997) is a climate treaty; Montreal Protocol (1987) protects the ozone layer.

Short trick: Rio 1992 + 5 years = 1997 New York = Earth Summit +5.