2011 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2011 · GS Paper I

Question 1: Environment and Ecology

In the Union Budget 2011-12, a full exemption from the basic customs duty was extended to the bio-based asphalt (bioasphalt). What is the importance of this material ?

  1. 1.Unlike traditional asphalt, bio-asphalt is not based on fossil fuels.
  2. 2.Bioasphalt can be made from non-renewable resources.
  3. 3.Bioasphalt can be made from organic waste materials.
  4. 4.It is eco-friendly to use bioasphalt for surfacing of the roads.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

a1, 2 and 3 only
b1, 3 and 4 only
c2 and 4 only
d1, 2, 3 and 4

AnswerThe answer is (b).

Bio-asphalt is a road binder made from renewable bio-oil, which can come from organic waste such as agricultural residue, rather than from petroleum, so it does not depend on fossil fuels. Using it for road surfacing lowers the carbon footprint of road building, which is why the Budget exempted it from basic customs duty. Remember: bio-asphalt means renewable and waste-derived, never non-renewable, so any option that includes statement 2 fails.

  • 1. The binder comes from bio-oil, not from petroleum.
  • 2. It is made from renewable biomass, not non-renewable resources.
  • 3. Organic waste can be converted into the bio-oil binder.
  • 4. Lower fossil fuel use and reuse of waste make it eco-friendly.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (a), (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 2.

    What you needed to know: It is made from renewable biomass, not non-renewable resources.

Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statements 1, 3 or 4.

This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Includes statement 2, which is wrong: bio-asphalt comes from renewable sources, not non-renewable ones.
  • (b) Right: statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct, and the false statement 2 is left out.
  • (c) Takes the false statement 2 and misses the correct statements 1 and 3.
  • (d) Wrongly includes statement 2.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2011, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.