Past Questions — 2023

A topological survey (more commonly referred to as a topographic survey) is designed to determine the relative positions of points on the earth's surface. This involves three primary components: 1. Horizontal distance (the distance between two points projected onto a horizontal plane), 2. Direction (the angle or bearing between points to establish their relative orientation), and 3. Difference in elevation (the vertical distance between two points, often represented by contours). While 'Difference in elevation' is a vertical measurement, 'Vertical distance' as a standalone term in surveying typically refers to the direct line-of-sight distance or a specific height measurement that is a result of the difference in elevation, rather than a primary method of mapping the terrain. In the context of standard surveying terminology for topographic mapping, we measure horizontal distances, directions (angles), and the difference in elevation (vertical interval). 'Vertical distance' is redundant or imprecise compared to 'Difference in elevation' when describing the methodology of a topographic survey.

India is divided into 10 distinct biogeographical zones based on the distribution of flora and fauna, climate, and topography. These zones are: 1. Trans-Himalayas, 2. Himalayas, 3. Desert, 4. Semi-arid, 5. Western Ghats, 6. Deccan Peninsula, 7. Gangetic Plain, 8. Coasts, 9. North-East, and 10. Islands. Options a, b, and c are incorrect as they do not represent the standard classification used by ecologists and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for India's biogeography.

Hardness of water is caused by the presence of multivalent metallic cations, primarily Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+). It is classified into two types: 1. Temporary Hardness: Caused by the bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium (e.g., Magnesium bicarbonate). This can be removed by boiling the water, which decomposes the bicarbonates into insoluble carbonates. 2. Permanent Hardness: Caused by the chlorides and sulphates of calcium and magnesium (e.g., Magnesium sulphate, Calcium sulphate, Magnesium chloride). These salts cannot be removed by boiling and require chemical treatment (like ion exchange or lime-soda process) for removal. Evaluating the options: - Option (a) Magnesium sulphate: A sulphate salt, which causes permanent hardness. Correct. - Option (b) Magnesium bicarbonate: A bicarbonate salt, which causes temporary hardness. Incorrect. - Option (c) Magnesium carbonate: While carbonates contribute to hardness, the 'permanent' classification specifically refers to the non-bicarbonate salts like sulphates and chlorides. Incorrect.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a systematic process used to evaluate the environmental consequences of a proposed project. While different regulatory bodies may break down the process into various sub-steps, the standard EIA process is generally categorized into 4 primary stages: 1. Screening (determining if an EIA is required), 2. Scoping (identifying the key issues and boundaries of the study), 3. Impact Analysis/Assessment (predicting and evaluating the magnitude of impacts), and 4. Mitigation/Management (proposing measures to avoid or reduce adverse effects). Some frameworks include 'Monitoring' or 'Public Hearing' as separate steps, but in the context of standard competitive examinations for Town Planning and Environmental Management, the core process is typically recognized as having 4 fundamental stages. Therefore, option (d) is the most accurate representation of the core EIA cycle.

PMGSY stands for 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana'. It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched by the Government of India in December 2000. The primary objective of this program is to provide all-weather road connectivity to unconnected habitations in rural areas, thereby enhancing rural connectivity and promoting socio-economic development. Analysis of other options: - Option (a) Urban Employment Generation: This is handled by schemes like DAY-NULM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission). - Option (b) Rural Employment Generation: This is primarily the focus of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). - Option (c) Rural Electrification: This is handled by programs such as DDUGJY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana) and Saubhagya.

Step-by-step reasoning: 1. **RAY (Rajiv Awas Yojana)**: Launched with the objective of making cities 'slum-free', RAY specifically emphasizes a 'partnership' approach. It encourages community participation through the formation of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and involves the urban poor in the planning, implementation, and management of their housing and infrastructure. 2. **IAY (Indira Awas Yojana)**: While it provided housing for the rural poor, it was primarily a demand-driven government subsidy scheme focused on individual house construction rather than a community-led urban planning framework. 3. **PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana)**: This is a rural road connectivity program. While it involves local administration, it is a civil engineering infrastructure project, not a community-participatory housing scheme. 4. **PMC (Project Management Consultant/Committee)**: This is a functional role or entity used in project execution, not a specific government housing scheme. Therefore, among the given options, RAY is the scheme most explicitly designed to integrate community participation into the urban housing process.

HRIDAY stands for 'Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana'. It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, in 2015. The primary objective of the scheme is to preserve and revitalize the rich heritage of cities in India, focusing on improving the urban infrastructure, enhancing the experience of tourists, and ensuring the sustainable development of heritage precincts. Analysis of options: - Option (a) is the correct official expansion of the acronym. - Option (b) incorrectly uses 'Revitalising Institute' and 'Amplification'. - Option (c) and (d) incorrectly suggest the scheme is specific to 'Himachal' or 'Himachal Pradesh', whereas HRIDAY is a national-level scheme applicable to various heritage cities across India.

Step-by-step reasoning: 1. **Understanding Dispersed Settlements**: Dispersed (or isolated) settlements are characterized by houses being spaced far apart from one another. This pattern typically occurs in regions where resources (like water or fertile land) are scarce, or where the terrain is rugged, forcing inhabitants to live on separate farmsteads or near isolated water sources. 2. **Analyzing Option (a)**: In the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, water is a scarce resource. Settlements are often dispersed because people settle near isolated wells, oases, or scattered patches of cultivable land to maximize the use of limited water resources for their livestock and crops. 3. **Analyzing Option (b)**: The alluvial plains of the Ganga are highly fertile with abundant water. This leads to high population density and 'nucleated' or 'clustered' settlements where houses are grouped closely together. 4. **Analyzing Option (c)**: The lower valleys of the Himalayas often feature 'linear' settlements (along roads or rivers) or 'clustered' settlements in the flat valley floors where agriculture is viable. 5. **Analyzing Option (d)**: While forests and hills in the North-East can have dispersed elements, they are more commonly characterized by 'hamlets' or small clustered villages based on tribal social structures and specific valley locations. 6. **Conclusion**: Among the given choices, the extreme environmental constraints of the arid/semi-arid regions of Rajasthan most strongly necessitate a dispersed settlement pattern to manage resource scarcity.

The question asks for the process that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. 1. **Photosynthesis (Correct):** This is the biological process used by plants, algae, and some bacteria to convert light energy into chemical energy. During this process, they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil to produce glucose and release oxygen as a byproduct. Therefore, it acts as a 'carbon sink'. 2. **Deforestation (Incorrect):** This is the removal of forests. Since trees absorb CO2, removing them reduces the earth's capacity to remove CO2 from the air. Furthermore, burning or decaying trees release stored carbon back into the atmosphere. 3. **Burning of fossil fuels (Incorrect):** Fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) contain carbon stored over millions of years. Burning them releases this carbon into the atmosphere as CO2, contributing to the greenhouse effect. 4. **Respiration (Incorrect):** This is the process by which living organisms produce energy. In aerobic respiration, organisms take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide as a waste product, thereby adding CO2 to the atmosphere.

In the context of housing economics in India, housing shortage is measured not just by the absolute number of units, but by the accessibility and affordability for different income groups. 1. **EWS (Economically Weaker Sections):** This group consists of the lowest income bracket, including slum dwellers and homeless populations. Due to extreme poverty, lack of credit access, and rapid urbanization, the gap between the demand for basic shelter and the available supply is highest in this category. Most government housing schemes (like PMAY) specifically target this group because the shortage is most acute here. 2. **LIG (Low Income Group):** While there is a significant shortage for LIG, it is generally lower than that of the EWS category, as LIG households have slightly more purchasing power or access to subsidized loans. 3. **MIG (Middle Income Group) and HIG (High Income Group):** These sections typically face 'affordability' or 'preference' issues rather than a fundamental 'shortage' of shelter. The private real estate market primarily caters to these groups, ensuring that the supply of housing for HIG and MIG is relatively more stable compared to the bottom of the pyramid. Therefore, the maximum shortage of adequate and affordable housing is found in the EWS section.

In the context of urban governance and the implementation of government schemes (such as PMAY, AMRUT, or SBM), the 'local level' refers to the city or town administration. 1. **ULB (Urban Local Body)**: These are the local self-government institutions (such as Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, or Nagar Panchayats) that have the direct mandate, administrative machinery, and legal authority to implement schemes on the ground at the local level. 2. **HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation)**: This is primarily a financing agency (a company) that provides loans and technical services for urban infrastructure; it is not a local governing body. 3. **NHB (National Housing Bank)**: This is the apex regulatory body for housing finance institutions in India; it operates at a national level to regulate and promote housing finance. 4. **Housing Board**: While Housing Boards implement specific housing projects, they are typically state-level agencies (State Housing Boards) rather than the general local governance body responsible for the broad implementation of various urban schemes across a municipality.

The Bihar famine of 1966-67 was a severe drought-induced food crisis that affected the state of Bihar. It was caused by a failure of the monsoon rains, leading to widespread crop failure and food shortages. This period is historically significant as it served as a catalyst for the 'Green Revolution' in India, prompting the government to adopt high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds and improved irrigation techniques to ensure food security and prevent such catastrophes in the future. Options a, b, and d do not correspond to major recorded famine events specifically hitting Bihar in the post-independence era of that magnitude.

In the process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), 'Scoping' is a critical early stage. Its primary purpose is to identify the key environmental issues, concerns, and potential impacts that need to be studied in detail during the full EIA process. By 'identifying' these issues, the scoping process ensures that the assessment focuses on the most significant impacts and avoids wasting resources on insignificant ones. - Option (a) 'identifying' is correct because scoping is essentially the process of identifying the spatial and temporal boundaries of the study and the specific environmental parameters to be analyzed. - Option (b) 'impact' is incorrect because scoping is the process used to determine *which* impacts to study, not the impact itself. - Option (c) 'physical impact' is too narrow, as scoping covers biological, social, and economic issues as well. - Option (d) 'Attributes' is a general term and does not describe the procedural action of scoping.

In surveying, 'levelling' is the process of determining the difference in elevation between two or more points. This is achieved using a combination of a levelling instrument (like a dumpy level or auto level) and a levelling staff. The levelling staff is a graduated rod held vertically on the point of interest; the instrument reads the height on this staff to determine the relative elevation. Why other options are incorrect: - a. Chaining: This is used for measuring horizontal distances, not vertical elevations. - b. Vertical staff: While the staff is held vertically, the technical term for the equipment used in this process is a 'levelling staff'. - d. Level telescope: The telescope is a component of the levelling instrument used to sight the staff, but the telescope alone cannot determine elevation; it requires the graduated readings provided by the levelling staff to calculate the difference in levels.

In Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the 'scale' and 'severity' of an impact are critical parameters used to evaluate the significance of a project's effect on the environment. Severity is often determined by the duration and the permanence of the impact. An impact is considered more severe if it is 'irreversible' (meaning the environment cannot return to its original state even after the project is completed or mitigation is applied) compared to a 'reversible' impact (where the environment can recover). While 'adverse' (option c) describes the nature of the impact (negative), the scale and severity specifically look at the magnitude and the ability of the system to recover, which is defined by whether the change is reversible or irreversible. Therefore, option (d) is the most comprehensive answer as it addresses the fundamental criterion for determining severity in EIA matrices.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), specifically the Urban component (PMAY-U), is designed to provide 'Housing for All'. It consists of four primary vertical pillars: 1. In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR), 2. Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) - which matches option (b), 3. Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) - which matches option (c), and 4. Beneficiary-led Construction (BLC) - which matches option (d). While PMAY focuses on the housing unit and the immediate environment of the beneficiary, 'Urban Infrastructure Development' (such as large-scale roads, sewage systems, and city-wide utilities) is generally handled by other schemes like AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) or Smart Cities Mission, rather than being a core component of the PMAY housing subsidy framework.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a formal process used to predict the environmental consequences of a proposed project. A standard definition of EIA describes it as the study of the probable changes in the socio-economic and biophysical characteristics of the environment due to a proposed action. 1. Why 'Biophysical' is correct: The environment consists of two primary components: the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors. Together, these are termed 'biophysical' characteristics. This encompasses air quality, water quality, flora, fauna, soil, and land use, alongside the socio-economic impacts on human populations. 2. Why other options are incorrect: - 'Geological' (b) and 'Hydrological' (c) are too narrow. While geology (rocks/soil) and hydrology (water) are parts of the environment, they are subsets of the broader biophysical environment. An EIA must cover all biological and physical aspects, not just one. - 'Potential' (d) is an adjective describing the changes, but it does not describe the 'characteristics of the environment' themselves.

In housing economics and urban planning (particularly in the Indian context used for Town Planning exams), housing is categorized into hierarchical grades based on the income levels of the target occupants. The standard hierarchy, from lowest to highest income, is: 1. EWS (Economically Weaker Section): The lowest income group, often eligible for government subsidies or free housing. 2. LIG (Low Income Group): Households with low income who can afford basic housing with some assistance. 3. MIG (Middle Income Group): Households with moderate income levels. 4. HIG (High Income Group): Households with high income levels who can afford luxury or premium housing. Option (c) lists these in the correct ascending hierarchical order. Option (a) uses 'EWG' (incorrect term) and is out of order. Option (b) includes 'BPL' (Below Poverty Line), which is a socio-economic classification for welfare schemes rather than a standard housing grade. Option (d) lists the categories in a random, non-hierarchical order.

To determine which North-eastern state has the highest contribution to the national GDP, we look at the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the states in the region. Assam is the largest state in the North-East both in terms of population and land area, and it possesses the most diversified economy. Assam's economy is driven by tea production, oil and natural gas reserves, and a significant services sector, making its GSDP substantially higher than that of the other North-eastern states (the 'Seven Sisters' and Sikkim). While Sikkim often has a high GDP per capita due to its small population, in terms of absolute contribution to the national GDP (total value), Assam consistently ranks first in the region.

Population density is calculated as the total population divided by the total land area. Based on the 2011 Census of India (the standard reference for such competitive exams), the population densities of the North-eastern states are as follows: 1. Assam: Approximately 398 persons per sq km (Highest). 2. Mizoram: Approximately 134 persons per sq km. 3. Meghalaya: Approximately 128 persons per sq km. 4. Arunachal Pradesh: Approximately 17 persons per sq km (Lowest). Assam has the highest population density due to its fertile plains (Brahmaputra valley) and larger population base compared to the other hilly states of the North-east. Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest density due to its rugged mountainous terrain and vast forest cover.

Population density is calculated as the number of persons per square kilometer. Based on the Census of India 2011 (which is the standard reference for most competitive exams unless specified otherwise), the population densities of the given states are as follows: 1. Arunachal Pradesh: 17 persons per sq km (Lowest in India). 2. Mizoram: 42 persons per sq km. 3. Rajasthan: 200 persons per sq km. 4. Haryana: 573 persons per sq km. Comparing these values, Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest population density due to its rugged mountainous terrain, dense forest cover, and challenging geographical conditions, which limit large-scale human settlement. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Water pollution is defined as the contamination of water bodies (such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater) usually as a result of human activities. 1. Why 'Human activities' is correct: The primary drivers of water pollution include industrial waste discharge, agricultural runoff (containing pesticides and fertilizers), sewage and wastewater disposal, oil spills, and plastic pollution. These are all direct results of anthropogenic (human) actions. 2. Why 'Plants' is incorrect: While some plants can release organic matter into water during decomposition, this is a natural biological process and not considered a 'cause of pollution' in the environmental science context. In fact, many plants are used for phytoremediation to clean water. 3. Why 'Animals' is incorrect: Animal waste in natural ecosystems is part of the nutrient cycle. While concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) cause pollution, that is a result of human management of animals, not the animals themselves. Therefore, human activities are the primary and dominant cause of water pollution globally.

In the context of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the process of identifying, assessing, and predicting impacts requires the selection of specific 'Environmental Attributes' (also known as Valued Ecosystem Components or VECs). An environmental attribute is a specific characteristic of the environment (e.g., air quality, water purity, biodiversity, or noise levels) that is measured to determine if a project will cause a significant change. 1. Why 'Environmental attributes' is correct: To predict an impact, one must first define the attribute being measured. For example, to assess the impact on 'Air Quality' (the attribute), one predicts the change in 'PM10 levels' (the parameter). 2. Why 'Environmental impact' is incorrect: The impact is the result of the assessment, not the tool used to identify and predict the impact. 3. Why 'Complex system' is incorrect: While the environment is a complex system, the system itself is not the specific mechanism used to identify and predict individual impacts. 4. Why 'Variable parameter' is incorrect: While parameters are used for measurement, 'Environmental attributes' is the standard technical term used in EIA frameworks to categorize the components of the environment being evaluated.

HUDCO stands for the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited. It is a government-owned company (a Mini Ratna) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Its primary objective is to provide financial assistance for housing and urban infrastructure projects. Specifically, HUDCO focuses heavily on providing loans for the construction of low-cost housing, slum upgrading, and affordable housing schemes to ensure that the economically weaker sections (EWS) and low-income groups (LIG) have access to adequate shelter. Why other options are incorrect: - Option (a): HUDCO is a public sector undertaking (PSU), not a private financial agency. - Option (b): While HUDCO may fund various urban projects, its core mandate and social objective are centered on affordability and urban development rather than the promotion of luxury apartments. - Option (c): HUDCO is a corporate financial institution and has no relation to the construction or management of private palaces.

Poor water hygiene and lack of access to clean water for personal hygiene contribute to the spread of various infectious diseases. 1. Trachoma: This is a neglected tropical disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It is strongly associated with poor water hygiene and lack of facial cleanliness, as it spreads through contact with eye or nose discharges from infected people or via flies that breed in unsanitary conditions. 2. Conjunctivitis: Many forms of conjunctivitis (pink eye), particularly bacterial and viral types, are spread through contaminated hands and water, or by using contaminated water to wash the eyes. 3. Leprosy: While primarily transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact, historical and public health data indicate that poor living conditions, overcrowding, and lack of basic hygiene (including water hygiene) facilitate the transmission and persistence of Mycobacterium leprae in communities. Since all three conditions are exacerbated or caused by poor hygiene and lack of clean water for sanitation, the correct option is 'Allofthese'.