Economic and Social Development

1. Economic liberalization in India started with
(a) substantial changes in industrial licensing policy
(b) the convertibility of Indian rupee
(c) doing away with procedural formalities for foreign direct investment
(d) significant reduction in tax rates
Answer (A)

2. The farmers are provided credit from a number of sources for their short- and long-term needs. The main sources of credit to the farmers include
(a) the Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies, commercials banks, RRBs and private money lenders
(b) the NABARD, RBI, commercial banks and private money lenders
(c) the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), the lead banks, IRDP and JRY
(d) the Large Scale Multi-purpose Adivasis Programme, DCCB, IFFCO and commercial banks
Answer (A)

3. The prices at which the government purchases foodgrains for maintaining the public distribution system and for building up buffer-stock is known as (2001)
(a) minimum support prices
(b) procurement prices
(c) issue prices
(d) ceiling prices
Answer (B)

4. The Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana which came into operation from 1 December 1997 aims to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed poor but does not include:
(a) Nehru Rozgar Yojana
(b) Urban Rozgar Yojana
(c) Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme
(d) Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana
Answer (A)

5. Which one of the following Five Year Plans recognized human development as the core of all development efforts?
(a) The third Five-Year Plan
(b) The fifth Five-Year Plan
(c) The sixth Five-Year Plan
(d) The eighth Five-Year Plan
Answer (D)

6. Market imperfections in underdeveloped countries are reflected in
(a) factor immobility
(b) price rigidity
(c) lack of specialization
(d) all of these
Answer (A)

7. The expenditure on civil administration has gone up markedly since independence. Which of the following is an apt reason for this increased expenditure?
(a) upward pay revisions
(b) increase in population
(c) revision of dearness allowance
(d) successive grants of interim relief to employees
Answer (D)

8. Which of the following is not a benefit of imposition of Ian ceiling
(a) it ameliorates the condition of the big landlords
(b) it helps to lift up the size of the very small holdings to a basic minimum
(c) it prepares the way for co-operative farming
(d) it helps in a more egalitarian distribution of land
Answer (A)

9. Which of the following kinds of agricultural loans does the BI not provide?
(a) block capital
(b) short-term loans to state co-operative banks
(c) medium-term loans for specified purposes .
(d) loans to state governments from the National Agricultural Credit (Long-term Operations) Fund
Answer (A)

10. Currently, four rating agencies are in operation in India and all of them have tie ups / alliances with international rating agencies. find out the right alliances.

A. CRISIL 			1. Standard & Poor’s
B. ICRA 			2. Moody’s
C. CARE 			3. Fitch IBCA
D. DCR (India) 			4. Duff and Phelps.Pvt. Ltd.

Code:
A B C D
(a) 1 2 3 4
(b) 2 1 4 3
(c) 3 2 1 4
(d) 4 3 2 1
Answer (C)

11. Bengal famine of 1943 was a tragedy of an unprecedented magnitude. The death toll was of the order of 1.5 million persons. Unofficial estimates put the no. of deaths to 3.5 million. Two factors were responsible for pushing up food prices :
1. An impending shortage of food meant hoarding and speculation which helped to push up the price level very fast.
2. Govt. did not allow any decrease in export of food grains even in the leap years.
Point out the right possible came of Bengal famine, according to the estimates of Famine Enquiry Commission (1898).
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) None of these.
Answer (C)

12. There is clear evidence that during 1974-79 period, substantial asset (land) redistribution occurred from the small and marginal farmers and tenants towards middle peasants and the land-lord trader class. This has led to the emergence and consolidation of capitalist farming in India. This process is also known as
(a) Subsidisation
(b) Weak Growth strategy
(c) Kulakisation
(d) None of these.
Answer (C)

13. Inflation is described as a regressive form of taxation because,
(a) it affects exports and makes imports attractive
(b) it leads to devaluation of the currency
(c) it may cause recession
(d) it affects the poor and vulnerable sections more
Answer (D)

14. ln the post reform period inflation was kept at bay ‘by adopting:
(a) release of buffer-stock and import of essential commodities
(b) controlling monetary expansion
(c) compensating in increased procurement prices for withdrawal of fertilizer subsidy
(d) all of the above
Answer (B)

15. Which of the following is not a component of the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana launched under the 10th Plan?
(a) Special plan for Bihar;
(b) Aravalli Development Scheme;
(c) Special plan for the KBK districts of Orissa;
(d) Backward Districts Initiative,
Answer (C)

16. It is often argued that population growth is not merely a question of numbers but that of the age composition of population. This is because
(a) More numbers will invitably mean more production
(b) More people in the productive age group means net addition of wealth
(c) The nature of public expenditure on services is determined by the composition of the population
(d) None of the above
Answer (C)

17. According to United Nations, the definition of natural resource is
(a) Natural resources as consisting of all that is given by nature on, above and under the surface of earths.
(b) A natural resource is anything found by man in his natural environment that he may in some way utilize for his own benefit.
(c) It is the resources provided by nature included the mineral ores, energy sources, other useful products, the soil which nourish the plants, and animals and surface and under ground water
(d) None of the above
Answer (B)

18. Relatively higher wages of the agricultural labour in Punjab is pest attributed to be
(a) greater availability of non-agricultural means of employment
(b) higher agricultural productivity out of adoption of the HYV technology
(c) stronger bargaining power of the organized agricultural labour
(d) more effective implementation of the Minimum Wages Act
Answer (A)

19. Which of the following statements are ‘correct’ regarding Xth Plan.
A. Current Accounts Balance was positive in 2001-02 and negative during 2006-07.
B. For the entire plan CAB was negative.
C. For the entire plan CAB was positive.
Code:
(a) Only A (b) Only B
(c) Only C (d) Only A, B
Answer (D)
 

20. Which statement is correct according to the Approach paper of 11 Plan.
A. Agricultural growth rate will be 4% per year
B. Create 70 million new work opportunities
C. Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%
(a) Only A, B (b) Only B, C
(c) Only A, C (d) All of these
Answer (D)

21. Which of the following statement s not true according to 11th Plan Approach Paper.
A. To raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20%
B. To reduce the head-count-ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage point.
(a) Only A (b) Only B
(c) All of these (d) None of these
Answer (C)