UKPSC Prelims Paper 1 Mock Test - 5 - UKPSC (Uttarakhand) MCQ

• Pauri: Jim Corbett National Park is not located in Pauri district of Uttarakhand.


• Almora: Jim Corbett National Park is not located in Almora district of Uttarakhand.


• Nainital: Jim Corbett National Park is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand.


• Tehri: Jim Corbett National Park is not located in Tehri district of Uttarakhand.

Therefore, the correct answer is Nainital.

The correct answer is Manvendra Shah.

Key Points

• ​When India got independence, Manvendra Shah was the king of Tehri.
• ‘The land of celestial beauty is the title which is given to the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttrakhand.
  

Additional Information

• It is believed that Vedas, shastras, and Mahabharta were written in Garhwal.
• In Garhwal, Kanak Pal was the first ruler.
• There was no influence of the mighty Mughals in the Garhwal region.
• The region emerged as an independent kingdom.
• The kings of the Garhwal region maintained diplomatic relations with the Mughals.
• Later, the Pala rulers were called Shahs.
• The Title of Shah was given by Mughal rulers.

The correct answer is Kazi Mohiuddin.

Key Points

• Kazi Mohiuddin has the record of being a Pro tem speaker for a maximum period i.e. 46 days.
  • Pro Tem Speaker is a person on the Chair of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the State Legislative Assemblies, temporarily holding the post.
  • They have to work for a limited period, till the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker are elected after the election.
  • A Protem speaker is elected to handle the activities of the House.

Additional Information

• About Uttarakhand
  • Capital: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
  • CM: Pushkar Singh Dhami
  • Governor: Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Gurmit Singh
  • Famous National Parks: Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park
  • Famous Wildlife Sanctuary: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Benog Wildlife Sanctuary

The winter carnival in Mussoorie was organized to showcase the local culture of Uttarakhand. This event featured various cultural performances and a food festival focused on millets, promoting both tourism and local businesses.

The specific environmental concern being addressed is the injury of the tigress from a wire noose wrapped around her stomach. Rescue efforts involve setting up cages and monitoring her movements to capture and aid her. This situation highlights the challenges faced by wildlife due to human activities, emphasizing the importance of wildlife conservation and rescue operations.

The four pillars of the Gross Environment Product Index are air, soil, water, and forest (or tree). Wildlife is important for ecological health but is not included as a direct pillar in this particular index, which focuses on these four fundamental environmental components.

The National Green Tribunal expressed concern over the absence of a fixed carrying capacity for the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dham sites. Without regulations, the unregulated influx of pilgrims can lead to overcrowding, which poses risks to both the environment and the safety of visitors.

Guru Purnima is dedicated to Maharshi Veda Vyasa, a revered sage credited with editing the Vedas and authoring significant texts like the Mahabharata. This festival is a way to honor teachers and gurus, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and guidance in spiritual and educational contexts.

Landslides are often triggered by heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, which saturates the soil, making it unstable. This natural phenomenon can lead to significant disruptions in transportation and loss of life, highlighting the need for effective disaster management strategies in vulnerable regions.

The "Home of the Himalayas" initiative aims to promote tourism in the picturesque Adi Kailash and Om Parvat region of Uttarakhand. This initiative focuses on enhancing the tourism brand identity of Uttarakhand and creating high-quality content to showcase its diverse landscapes and cultural heritage. Such initiatives are vital for boosting local tourism and preserving the natural environment.

The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Department has identified 13 glacial lakes as "high risk." This assessment is crucial as it helps in understanding the potential hazards associated with these lakes, especially in light of climate change and the increased risk of glacial lake outburst floods. Monitoring these lakes is essential for disaster preparedness and management, ensuring the safety of communities living in proximity.

The correct answer is Nanda Devi.
Key Points
Nanda Devi National Park Reserve is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is located in the Himalayan Mountains in the northern part of India in Uttarakhand.
• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO recognized Biosphere reserve under Man & Biosphere Programme.
• Designation date by UNESCO: 2004
• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve dispersed across three districts of Uttarakhand viz. Chamoli, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar.
• Several endangered mammal species find refuge in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve such as:
  • snow leopard
  • Himalayan black bear
  • brown bear
  • musk deer
  • bharal/blue sheep

Additional Infor mation
6 National Parks In Uttarakhand

• Jim Corbett National Park: Watch The Tigers
• Rajaji National Park: Admire The Natural Beauty
• Valley Of Flowers National Park: See Colorful Valleys
• Nanda Devi National Park: A World Heritage Site
• Gangotri National Park: Witness The Different Species
• Govind Pashu Vihar National Park & Sanctuary: Admire Valleys

The correct answer is the Bhilangana river.

• The Khatling Glacier is the source of the rivers Bhilangana, Sahasratal and Masartal.
• Khatling Glacier is located in the Tehri district of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state.
• The Ghuttu village is the starting point of the Khatling Glacier trek.
• The source of River Bhilangana, Khatling Glacier is a mesmerizing glacier perched at an elevation of 3,700 m.
• The glacier is surrounded by the Himalayan peaks of the Jogin group (6,466 m), Barte Kauter (6,579 m), Sphetic Pristwar (6,905 m), and Meru (6,660 m).

Key Points
Famous Glaciers in Uttarakhand are:

• Bhandarpunch Glacier.
• Gangotri Glacier.
• Doonagiri Glacier.
• Milam Glacier.
• Ralam Glacier.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Bagwal.

• A stone-pelting festival named Baghwal is held every year in Uttarakhand.
• At the temple of Goddess Barahi Devi, the festival is held.

Key Points

• The festival is celebrated on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.
• In Devidhura, Goddess Barahi Devi temple is located.
• The festival celebrates Rakshabandhan in a special way.
• In Bagwal festival, the people of the area pelt stones on each other.
• Many devotees come to the temple to enjoy the festival.
• In 2019, in this stone pelting festival, more than 120 people were injured in the temple.
• The stone-pelting was done in order to please the deity.

The correct answer is Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam.

Key Points

• Kailash Mansorvar Yatra
  • Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is conducted from June to September each year by India's Ministry of External Affairs and the Chinese Government.
  • Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is considered a spiritual pilgrimage for not only Hindus but also for Jains and Buddhists.
  • The Kailash range's supreme peak lies in the Chinese-occupied Tibet.
  • The pilgrimage to Kailash and to the sacred Mansarovar lake lies 30km. to its south, is run exclusively by a government organization the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam.
• Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam
  • Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam is responsible for development in the Kumaon region which includes creating employment opportunities and sustainable community development.
  • Managing Director: Rohit Meena.
  • It is conducting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra since 1981.
  • Primary Functions of the Nigam are:
  1. Tourism.
  2. Marketing.
  3. Industry and Entrepreneurial Development.

Additional Information

• Nehru Mountaineering Institute
  • It is a premier mountaineering institute working under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence and the Government of Uttarakhand.
  • It was established at Uttarkashi on 14 November 1965 to honor the desire of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru.
  • It is the only mountaineering institute in India certified by the International Federation for Climbing and Mountaineering- UIAA.
  • President: Rajnath Singh (Defence Minister of India), Vice-President: Tirath Singh Rawat ( Chief Minister of Uttarakhand).
  • NIM trainees and its alumni played a major role during the Kedarnath floods in 2013.
  • The current (2021) CM of Uttarakhand is Pushkar Singh Dhami.
• Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam
  • It was formed on 31 March 1976.
  • It operates Char Dham Yatra.
• Pithoragarh District Administration
  • It is the easternmost district of Uttarakhand and is widely known as 'Little Kashmir'.
  • It is located in Saur Valley.
  • In 1997, part of the Pithoragarh district was separated to form the new district Champawat District.
  • This district is divided into 20 wards and 11 Tehsils.

• SECURE Himalaya is a six-year program that works for the conservation of locally and globally important biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan region spread over four states which are- Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the project on 2 October 2017.
• SECURE stands for Securing Livelihoods, Conservation, Sustainable Use and Restoration of High Range Himalayan Ecosystems.
• The program mainly focusses on the protection of snow leopards and other endangered species, their habitats, securing livelihoods of people in the region and enhancing enforcement to reduce crimes against wildlife.

The correct answer is Uttarakhand​.

Key Points

• Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh has been declared as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) by the Union Environment Ministry.
• The sanctuary area is now limited from the original area of 599.93 square km to only 454.65 square km giving a comparatively little area for the fauna to move around.
• Known as ‘Green Paradise on the Earth’, the sanctuary was established in 1986.

Additional Information

• It was established to protect the endangered flagship species Musk Deer and its habitat.
• As per the gazette notification issued by the Union Environment Ministry, the Sanctuary area has been reduced—a stretch of 146 square kilometers along which over 111 villages are located has been kept out of the ESZ ambit with an aim to make the flagship species habitat safe from human interferences.
• In the sanctuary there are 2600 plants, 250 birds and 37 mammal species like snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan tahr, blue sheep, serow besides musk deer.
• Among the fauna are species like loong, monal, kalij pheasant and cheer pheasant.
• Uttarakhand:.
  • Lok Sabha seats - 5.
  • Rajya Sabha seats - 3.
  • State Animal - Alpine musk deer.
  • State Bird - Himalayan monal.
  • Registered GI - Uttarakhand Tejpat.
  • National Parks - Corbett National Park, Gangotri National Park, Govind National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, Rajaji National Park, Valley of Flowers National Park.

The correct answer is ​Cholia Dance.

Key Points

Cholia Dance

• Choliya dance is the sword dance, meant to depict the martial art traditions of the Kumaoni tribe.
• This dance form is as old as a thousand years, and it is performed during the local Rajput weddings.
• The Choliya dancers are equipped with swords and shields, regional brass instruments including Turi and Ransing, and percussion instruments like dhol and damaru, etc.
• The dancers dress like the Kumaon warriors and engage in mock sword fights with duly synchronised twists and turns of the body.​

Additional Information

Bhotia Dance

• The Bhotiyas are an ancient tribe of Uttarakhand, and the namesake dance is performed by them is closely linked to their death rituals.
• It is a common belief among the Bhotiyas that the soul of the dead lives in the body of a sheep or goat after the human body dies.

Pandav Nritya

• The Pandava Nritya tells the tale of the five heroes of Hindu mythology, the Pandava brothers of Mahabharata, from start to end.
• Through this ecstatic dance, the various stages of their lives are portrayed, performed on the drum beats.
• It is a 10 - 12 day dance-drama celebration performed between November to February every year
• It is believed that the energies of the five Pandavas enter the body of performing artists during the stage performance.
• On the last day of Pandava Nritya, a grand feast is organised for the villagers.

Jhora Dance

• Jhora dance is a springtime celebration performed by the local people by moving around in circles.
• It is a highly popular dance in the Kumaon Himalayas.
• It aims to break caste barriers, thus allowing both higher and lower caste people to perform it together.
• Besides springtime, this dance is also performed during weddings and local fairs.

The Correct Answer is "Mana Pass".

Important Points

Mana Pass :

• Mana pass connects the remote villages of Kuti and Sela.
• It lies in the northern part of the Pithoragarh district.
• It is seldom used these days.
• Location: India
• Range: Himalayas
• Elevation: 5,545 meter.

Additional Information

Imis La Pass :

• Imis La is an international high mountain pass at an elevation of 5,290m (17,355ft) above sea level, located between Ladakh (India) and Tibet (China).
• It is one of the major passes over the main Himalayan Range.
• It's one of the highest mountain roads in the country.

Nathu La Pass :

• Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas in the East Sikkim district.
• It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
• The pass, at 4,310 m above mean sea level, forms a part of an offshoot of the ancient Tea Horse Road.
• Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in Tibetan.
• Elevation: 4,310 meter.
• Location: India (Sikkim) – China (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Range: Himalayas.

Jelep La Pass :

• Jelep La or Jelep Pass, elevation 4,267 m or 13,999 ft, is a high mountain pass between East Sikkim District, Sikkim, India and Tibet Autonomous Region, China.
• It is on a route that connects Lhasa to India.
• Elevation is 4,270 meter.
• Location: India (Sikkim) – China (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Range: Himalayas.

The correct answer is Tehri Garhwal.

• Angali Math is situated in district Tehri Garhwal.

Additional Information

• Tehri Garhwal stretches from the snow-clad Himalayan peaks of Thalaiya Sagar, Jonli, and the Gangotri group all the way to the foothills near Rishikesh.
  • The gushing Bhagirathi which runs through seems to divide the district into two, while the Bhilangna, Alaknanda, Ganga, and Yamuna rivers border it on the east and west.
  • Tehri Garhwal is surrounded by Uttarkashi district in the north, Pauri Garhwal district in the south, Rudraprayag district in the east, and Dehradun district in the west.
• Pauri Garhwal is a district of Uttrakhand.
  • Located partly in the Gangetic plain and partly in the northern Himalayas.
  • The district is bordered on the southwest by Bijnor district, Uttar Pradesh, and, clockwise from west to southeast, by the Uttarakhand districts of Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Almora, and Nainital.
• Rudraprayag District was established on 16 September 1997.
  • It lies at the confluence of two rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag or five confluences of the Alaknanda River.
  • Rudraprayag is blessed with nature’s bounty, the climate of which depends upon the height of the region.

The correct answer is 1839 A. D.

Key Points

• In 1839 A. D Kumaon was divided into two districts Kumaon and Garhwal.
• In 1815 the Kumaon region was joined with the eastern half of the Garhwal region as a chief commissionership on the Non-Regulation System, also known as the Kumaon Province.
• In 1889, Kumaon became a commissionerate that included parts of Garhwal.
• Garhwal became a separate commissionerate in 1967. It got its first university in 1973, after a movement for education.

Additional Information

• The Kunidas was the first ruling dynasty of Kumaon from 500 BCE to 600 CE.
• The Katyuri king ruled the Kumaon region and built the old Sun temple at Katarmal.
• Every year, the people of Kumaon celebrate a Khatadva festival to commemorate a legend according to which a Kumaoni king called Khatad Singh had defeated a Garhwali ruler.

The correct answer is option (3) i.e. Sanskrit.

Key Points

• Hindi is the official language of the state and Sanskrit is the additional official language. Garhwali and Kumaoni are the dialects that are often spoken in Uttarakhand.
• On 19th January 2010 Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal made Sanskrit as the second official language of the state.
• Emblem of the state is Diamond Shield and Satyameva Jayate is the motto.
• According to the 2011 Census, 79.63 % is the literacy rate of Uttarakhand.
• At 7816 m Nanda Devi is the highest peak of the state.

Additional Information

• About Uttarakhand: (as of May 2022)
  • Governor: Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh
  • CM: Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami
  • State flower: Saussurea obvallata
  • State Bird: Himalayan Monal
  • Capital: Gairsain (Summer) Dehradun (Winter)

The correct answer is option (2) i.e. Barada Nati.

• Barada Nati is a famous dance form of Uttrakhand whose capital is Dehradun.
• It is a dance type that is performed by the people of Jaunsar Bhawar that is located in the Chakrata hill station.
• This dance form is mostly celebrated by the Jaunsar tribe on various occasions and it is performed in a storytelling manner.

Additional Information
Dance and the states in which they are famous.

Nainital received 107 mm of rainfall from January to March 2025, lower than in previous years, contributing to Naini Lake’s low water level. The other amounts are not cited for this period.

The primary objective of the Tiger Triumph exercise is to enhance interoperability during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. This focus on HADR allows participating forces from India and the U.S. to coordinate effectively in crisis situations, ensuring a more efficient response to disasters. Such exercises are crucial as they help build trust and collaboration between nations, particularly in the face of global challenges like natural disasters.

Key Points

• Under the Mukhyamantri Saur Swarozgar Yojana, solar entrepreneurs are exempted from GST registration in all cities in the state.
• This initiative aims to promote solar energy and encourage entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector.
• The exemption from GST registration applies to all urban and rural areas, making it easier for entrepreneurs to start and manage their businesses.
• The scheme is part of a broader effort to increase the adoption of solar power and support sustainable energy development.
• By providing this exemption, the government aims to reduce the financial burden on solar entrepreneurs and boost the local economy.

Additional Information

• Mukhyamantri Saur Swarozgar Yojana
  • It is a scheme launched by the state government to promote self-employment through solar energy.
  • The scheme provides financial assistance and incentives to individuals setting up solar power plants.
  • The objective is to increase the use of renewable energy and create job opportunities in the sector.
  • It also aims to contribute to the state's power generation capacity and reduce reliance on non-renewable sources of energy.
• Goods and Services Tax (GST)
  • GST is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.
  • It was introduced in India on July 1, 2017, to replace multiple indirect taxes previously levied by the central and state governments.
  • GST is divided into Central GST (CGST), State GST (SGST), and Integrated GST (IGST), depending on the transaction's nature.
  • The tax is aimed at creating a single, unified market and simplifying the tax structure in the country.
• Renewable Energy
  • Renewable energy comes from natural sources that are constantly replenished, such as sunlight, wind, and water.
  • It is considered a clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, which are finite and contribute to environmental pollution.
  • Adopting renewable energy helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
  • Common types of renewable energy include solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, and biomass energy.
• Solar Power
  • Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP).
  • It is one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy worldwide.
  • Solar power systems can be installed on rooftops, ground-mounted, or integrated into building materials.
  • Advancements in technology and decreasing costs have made solar power more accessible and economically viable.