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  1. Brief analysis of RAS Preliminary-2012 paper
    1. Overall breakup
    2. Topicwise Breakup
    3. Rajasthan specific Questions
  2. History and Culture
    1. Ancient India
    2. Modern India
    3. Rajasthan history
    4. Rajasthan Culture
      1. Raj.Language
      2. Raj. Literature
      3. Raj.Music, Dance, Drama
      4. Raj. Religion
      5. Raj.Craft
  3. Geography
    1. Geography: world
    2. Geography India
    3. Geography of Rajasthan
    4. Raj. Agriculture related
  4. Polity India
    1. Polity Rajasthan
    2. Government schemes (India)
    3. Government schemes (Rajasthan)
  5. Economy (Raj.Budget related)
    1. Science
    2. Physics
    3. Chemistry
    4. Biology
  6. Environment & Biodiversity (EnB)
  7. EnB: Rajasthan Related
  8. International current affairs
  9. Persons in News (PIN)

Brief analysis of RAS-2012 paper

Unlike the UPSC CSAT-2013 paper, the RAS-2012 prelims paper had following differences:

  • Very few Economy questions and all of them based on current affairs, number based.
  • Very few Qs on polity and all of them centered on current affairs / Rajasthan.
  • Environment biodiversity matter mostly GK and Rajasthan based.
  • Science forms a major part, and mostly based on direct theory from conventional books.
  • Current affairs form a significant part- including person in news, awards, events etc.

Overall breakup

chart RAS preliminary internal breakup

History 7
Culture (Raj) 13
Geography 23
polity & Govt Schemes 11
economy 3
Science 17
enb 12
IR and PIN 14
total 100

Topicwise Breakup

history Ancient 1
Modern 2
Raj 4
Culture (Raj) Language, Litt. 4
Music, Dance, Drama 4
Religion 2
Craft 3
geography World 6
India 2
Rajasthan 9
Agriculture Rajasthan 6
polity India 5
Raj 1
Government schemes India 3
Raj 2
economy Raj.Budget 3
science Physics 8
Chemistry 4
Biology 5
enb Without Raj 6
Raj. Specific 6
Current Affairs International 9
Pin 5
Total Total 100

Rajasthan specific Questions

from the above breakup, we can see that out of 100 questions, 40 were from Rajasthan only.

Topic Rajasthan specific questions
History and culture 13
Geography and Agro 15
Environment and biodiversity 6
Polity, economy, schemes 6
Total 40

let’s look @the questions:

History and Culture

Ancient India

  1. ‘Tripitaka’ texts are related with which religion? (This question can be classified under Culture-religion also)
    1. Vedic
    2. Buddhism
    3. Jainism
    4. Shaivism

Modern India

  1. Who is considered as the ‘Modern Man’ of India?
    1. Nana Saheb
    2. AO Hume
    3. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
    4. Swami Vivekanand
  2. Who was first woman President of the Congress?
    1. Kadambini Ganguli
    2. Sarojini Naidu
    3. Annie Besant
    4. Kamla Nehru

Rajasthan history

Medieval India

  1. In which battle did Maharana Sanga defeat Ibrahim Lodi?
    1. Battle of Khatoli
    2. Battle of Sarangpur
    3. Battle of Siwana
    4. Battle of Khanua
  2. Which Rajput ruler continued his struggle for independence against Mughals and did not surrender?
    1. Raja Raisingh of Bikaner
    2. Rao Chandrasen of Marwar
    3. Raja Bharmal of Amer
    4. Maharana Amar Singh of Mewar

Modern India

  1. Identify the incorrect pair amongst the following relating the freedom fighters of Rajasthan with the area of their activities.
    1. Arjun Lal Sethi : Udaipur
    2. Jai Narayan Vyas : Jodhpur
    3. Kesari Singh Barhath : Mewar
    4. Govind Giri : Vagad
  2. Which amongst the following place was not a centre of the Revolution of 1857?
    1. Ajmer
    2. Jaipur
    3. Neemuch
    4. Auwa

Rajasthan Culture

Raj.Language

  1. Identify the incorrect pair about the dialects of Rajasthan and the area of their prevalence:
    1. Tonk:Dhoondhari
    2. Fall : Bagadi
    3. Baran : Hadoti
    4. Karauli : Mewati
  2. Which of the following is not a sub-dialect of Marwari?
    1. Bikaneri
    2. Nagarchol
    3. Jodhpur
    4. Thali

Raj. Literature

  1. Who is the author of ‘Prithviraja Vijaya’?
    1. Chand Bardai
    2. Prithviraj Chauhan
    3. Jayanak
    4. Nayachand Suri
  2. Which category of Rajasthani literature is related to story or narrative genre?
    1. Vat
    2. Veil
    3. Vachanika
    4. Vigat

Raj.Music, Dance, Drama

  1. Which artist associated with music was honoured with Rajasthan Ratna posthumously?
    1. Khem Chand Prakash
    2. Mohammed Rafi
    3. Jagjit Singh
    4. Bhupen Hazarika
  2. Identify the incorrect pair relating the folk dances of Rajasthan with their area of prevalence :
    1. Gindar Dance : Shekhawati
    2. Dhol Dance : Jalor
    3. Bamarasia Dance : Bikaner
    4. Dandia Dance : Marwar
  3. What is the name of the famous folk drama of Bhils?
    1. Gavari
    2. 5wang
    3. Tamasha
    4. Rammat
  4. Gopiji Bhatta is related with which folk drama style of Rajasthan?
    1. Tamasha
    2. Swang
    3. Ram mat
    4. Nautanki

Raj. Religion

  1. Where is the temple of folk deity Mallinathji located?
    1. Tilwara (barmer)
    2. Nagala Jahaz (bharatpur)
    3. Santhu village (Jalor)
    4. Panchota village (Jalor)
  2. Which amongst the following is not as folk Goddess of Rajasthan?
    1. Chhink Mata
    2. Karani Mata
    3. Auwari Mata
    4. Hidimba Mata

Raj.Craft

  1. Which is the famous centre of ‘Blue Pottery’ in Rajasthan?
    1. Bikaner
    2. Dungarpur
    3. Jaipur
    4. Jaisalmer
  2. Identify the incorrect pair amongst the following :
    1. Beneshwar Fair : Dungarpur
    2. BaciShah Fair : Beawar
    3. Maru Mahotsava : Barmer
    4. Gautameshwar Fair : Sirohi
  3. ‘Tarabhant Id Odhani’ is the popular costume of which category of women in Rajasthan?
    1. Rajput women
    2. Gurjar women
    3. Adivasi women
    4. Jat women

Geography

Geography: world

  1. Which one of the following is not a correct match?
    1. Finland : Helsinki
    2. Bolivia : La Paz
    3. Ethiopia : Lusaka
    4. Ukraine : Kiev
  2. Syr and Amy rivers are fall into
    1. Caspian sea
    2. Black sea
    3. Baltic sea
    4. Aral sea
  3. Which mountain forms boundary’ between Spain and France?
    1. Jura
    2. Pyrenees
    3. Carpathians
    4. Caucasus
  4. Which continent is known as ‘Cradle of Mankind’?
    1. Asia
    2. Africa
    3. Europe
    4. South America
  5. Match following
List-I(Country) List-II(Largest City)
A.Canada 1.Lagos
B.Greece 2.Damascus
C.Nigeria 3.Toronto
D.Syria 4.Athens
  1. Arrange the following countries in a descending order according to their area and select the correct answer using the codes given below
  1. Brazil
  2. Canada
  3. China
  4. USA

Select correct code

  1. 3, 4, 1, 2
  2. 2, 3, 4, 1
  3. 2, 4, 1, 3
  4. 1, 3, 2, 4

Geography India

  1. Which one of the following is the highest Aravalli peak?
    1. Sajjangarh
    2. Lilagarh
    3. Kumbhalgarh
    4. Taragarh
  2. Which of the following rivers originate from MP and drops its water into the Gulf of Khambhat?
    1. The Parvati
    2. The Luni
    3. The Mahi
    4. The Javai

Geography of Rajasthan

  1. In which region of the Rajasthan ravines are found?
    1. Banas Basin
    2. Mahi Basin
    3. Luni Basin
    4. Chambal Basin
  2. Which mineral of the following is associated with the Jhamar Kota region in Rajasthan?
    1. Lead and zinc
    2. Manganese
    3. Rock phosphate
    4. Silver
  3. In which region of Rajasthan Entisol group of soils are found?
    1. Eastern
    2. Western
    3. South-Eastern
    4. Southern
  4. Which one of the following is not a cause of desertification in Rajasthan?
    1. Overgrazing
    2. Deforestation
    3. Urbanization
    4. Improper soil and water management
  5. The two important Beryllium producing districts of Rajasthan are
    1. Udaipur and Jaipur
    2. Alwar and Jhunjhunu
    3. Nagour and Pali
    4. Sirohi and Dungarpur
  6. Dholpur Power Project will be based on
    1. lignite
    2. water
    3. solar
    4. gas
  7. match following
Tribes in Rajasthan Region/Area
A.Sahariya 1.Marwar
B.Kathodi 2.Abu road
C.Garasia 3.Baran
D.Rabaries 4.Banswara
  1. Match following
Parks Districts
A.Stone park 1.Neemrana,Alwar
B.Bio-Tech Park 2.Jaipur,Jodhpur,Kota,Udaipur
C.IT Park 3.Sitapur,Jaipur
D.Japanese Park 4.Dholpur and Karauli
  1. Match following
 ITEM  Districts
A.Namda 1.Jaipur
B.Doria 2.Tonk
C.Ajaraka 3.Barmer
D.Marble-sculpture 4.Bikaner5.Kota

Raj. Agriculture related

  1. According to 2007 Livestock Census, the total number of livestock in Rajasthan is
    1. 491 lakh
    2. 547 lakh
    3. 579 lakh
    4. 484 lakh
  2. The production of foodgrains in Rajasthan in the year 2010-11 was highest after independence. It was.
    1. 250 lakh tonne
    2. 235 lakh tonne
    3. 210 lakh tonne
    4. 192 lakh tonne
  3. Which one of the following statements is not correct?
    1. Wells and tubewells are the main source of irrigation in Rajasthan
    2. The construction of Gang Canal was completed in 1927
    3. The water of Indira Gandhi Canal is only used for irrigation
    4. ‘Khadin’ is a traditional method of water conservation in arid Rajasthan
  4. RIICO has developed agro-based food parks to promote
    1. exports of agriculture commodities
    2. investment In agriculture
    3. agro-based industries
    4. food-storage
  5. In which districts of Rajasthan ‘Khas’ grass is grown?
    1. Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar
    2. Dholpur, Kaurali and Alwar
    3. Ajmer, Bhilwara and Chittorgarh
    4. Sawai Madhopur,Bharatpur and Tonk
  6. Match following
Irrigation Project District
A.Takli 1.Jhalawar
B.Piplad 2.Kota
C.Lahasi 3.Baran
D.Sukali 4.Sirohi5.Jalore

Polity India

  1. In March 2012, in which state of India, the Election Commission countermanded the Rajya Sabha elections?
    1. Uttar Pradesh
    2. Jharkhand
    3. Uttarakhand
    4. Madhya Pradesh
  2. Who is the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee set up to look into the 2G spectrum scandal?
    1. Mutt Manohar Joshi
    2. PC Chacko
    3. AB Bardhan
    4. Sita Ram Yechury
  3. In which state of the Indian Union, the government encouraged- a private militia (Selva Judum) and whose action was invalidated by the Supreme Court?
    1. Odisha
    2. Chhattisgarh
    3. Madhya Pradesh
    4. West Bengal
  4. With which subject, the 97th Constitution Amendment Act of 2012 is concerned?
    1. Free and compulsory education of children till the age of 14 years
    2. Organization and working of cooperative societies
    3. Stringent measures to deal with terrorism
    4. Provision of Lok Pal to prevent corruption
  5. Who got membership of the Rajya Sabha by Presidential nomination in 2012?
    1. Mayawati
    2. Jaya Bachchan
    3. Hema Malini
    4. Anu Agha

Polity Rajasthan

  1. Which of the following areas were integrated at the seventh stage (November 1, 1956) of the integration of Rajasthan?
    1. Matsya Sangh
    2. Jaipur
    3. Sirohi
    4. Ajmer and Abu

Government schemes (India)

  1. The main objective of Rajeev Avas Yojana (RAY) is
    1. to provide free houses to BPL families
    2. to provide free houses to SC/ST families
    3. to provide interest free loan for construction of houses in rural areas
    4. slum free India
  2. Which of the following being responsibility for the planning, execution and implementation of MGNREG schemes?
    1. Gram Sabha
    2. Gram Panchayat
    3. State Government
    4. DRDA
  3. Desert Development Programme is being implemented in 16 districts of Rajasthan. This programme is being founded
    1. 100% by Government of India
    2. 100% by Government of Rajasthan
    3. In the ratio of 50 : 50 by both the governments
    4. 75% by Government of India and 25% by Government of Rajasthan

Government schemes (Rajasthan)

  1. In which year Rajasthan Mission on livelihood was started?
    1. 2002
    2. 2004
    3. 2005
    4. 2007
  2. Hon’ble CM’s seven point programme is related to
    1. rural development of Rajasthan
    2. empowerment of women in Rajasthan
    3. eradication of poverty in Rajasthan
    4. agricultural -development of Rajasthan

Economy (Raj.Budget related)

  1. What is true with the present position of revenue account in the budget of Rajasthan?
    1. Revenue deficit is alarming
    2. Revenue deficit is under control
    3. Revenue deficit is lower than other neighbouring states
    4. There is revenue surplus
  2. Indicate the share of industries in GSDP of Rajasthan in 2010-11 at 2004-05 prices.
    1. 13%
    2. 18%
    3. 24%
    4. 30%
  3. The Rajasthan Government announced in the budget 2012 to Set-up a Hydrology and Water Management Institute. In which of the following district, it is being established?
    1. Jodhpur
    2. jaisalmer
    3. Bikaner
    4. Kota

Science

Physics

  1. In microwave oven, the microwave tube used is
    1. a combination of klystron and magnetron tubes
    2. klystron tube
    3. magnetron tube
    4. travelling wave tube
  2. In fibre-optics communication, the signal travels in the form of
    1. light wave
    2. radio wave
    3. micro wave
    4. electric wave
  3. Dynamo is a machine which is used for
    1. conversion of high voltage to low voltage
    2. conversion of low voltage to high voltage
    3. conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy
    4. conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy
  4. A 100 W electric bulb is used for 10 hours. What will be the cost of electricity consumed, if the consumption cost is Rs. 5 per unit?
    1. Rs.5
    2. Rs.10
    3. Rs.25
    4. Rs.50
  5. Which of the following is the best conductor of electricity?
    1. Aluminium
    2. Copper
    3. Silver
    4. Gold
  6. The saliva helps in the digestion of
    1. starch
    2. proteins
    3. fibres
    4. fat
  7. In television broadcast, the picture signals are transmitted by
    1. amplitude modulation
    2. frequency modulation
    3. phase modulation
    4. angle modulation
  8. The cooling by a desert cooler is based on
    1. hot air replacement
    2. air dehydration
    3. evaporative cooling
    4. air rehydration

Chemistry

  1. ‘Dry ice’ is
    1. frozen ice
    2. frozen carbon dioxide
    3. frozen water
    4. frozen oxygen
  2. The halogen being used as analgesic is
    1. chlorine
    2. bromine
    3. iodine
    4. fluorine
  3. The IC chip is used in computer is made of
  1. copper
  2. silicon
  3. steel
  4. plastic
  1. The first metal used by man was
    1. gold
    2. silver
    3. copper
    4. Iron

Biology

  1. Linseed is a rich source of
    1. vitamin C
    2. omega-3 fatty acid
    3. essential amino acids-
    4. antioxidants
  2. The latest technique used to establish identity of a human being based ,on biotechnological principles is
    1. biomatrix analysis
    2. genome sequencing
    3. DNA fingerprinting
    4. karyotyping
  3. The optimum sound level for human beings, is
    1. 90 db
    2. 60 db
    3. 120 db
    4. 100 db
  4. A biotechnique in which ultrasonic sound is used
    1. Sonography
    2. ECG
    3. EEG
    4. X-ray
  5. Daily energy required by a hard worker man is
    1. 3000 kilocalorie
    2. 2700 kilocalorie
    3. 4000 kilocalorie
    4. 6000 kilocalorie

Environment & Biodiversity (EnB)

  1. Biodiversity day is celebrated on
    1. December 29
    2. June 27
    3. February 28
    4. January 30
  2. Ozone layer is above the Earth crust around
    1. 50 km
    2. 300 km
    3. 2000 km
    4. 20 km
  3. Which one of the following is not a Project Tiger Reserve in India?
    1. Dudhwa
    2. Chilka
    3. Kanha
    4. Manas
  4. Which one of the following is the main cause of the ecological imbalance in India?
    1. Deforestation
    2. Desertification
    3. Floods and Famine
    4. Rainfall variations
  5. If all the plants and trees vanish from the Earth, the gas which will decrease is
    1. carbon dioxide
    2. nitrogen
    3. water vapour
    4. oxygen
  6. In which year the Wildlife Protection Act was introduced in India?
    1. 1962
    2. 1970
    3. 1972
    4. 1982

EnB: Rajasthan Related

  1. Where was first Solar Park in Rajasthan will be established?
    1. Balotra (barmer)
    2. Badla (Jodhpur)
    3. Pokaran (Jaisaimer)
    4. Shergarh (jodhpur)
  2. Which of the following institutions has been playing a leading role to promote generation of non-conventional energy in Rajasthan?
    1. RUDA
    2. The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation
    3. The Rajasthan Non-Conventional Energy Corporation
    4. The Rajasthan Non-conventional Power Generation Corporation
  3. The Solar Power Policy was announced first time by the Government of Rajasthan in the year
    1. 2011
    2. 2010
    3. 2009
    4. 2008
  4. In Rajasthan, there is great potential of bio-mass energy because of
    1. availability of desert area
    2. availability of sun-heat
    3. availability of livestock stock
    4. availability of mustard husk
  5. Consider the following statements : In Rajasthan, development of gas based power plants becomes most appropriate and preferred option for meeting the peak energy demand on following grounds
  1. The state has no coal reserves.
  2. It is most renewable source of energy.
  3. Hydro potential has already been exploited.
  4. Gas-based power plants need less water compared to coal-based power plants.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 4
  2. 1, 3 and 4
  3. 1, 2 and 3
  4. 1 and 3
  1. Match following
List-I(National Park/Sanctuary) List-II(District)
A.National Desert Park 1.Udaipur
B.Talchapar 2.Bharatpur
C.Phoolwadi-Ki-Nal 3.Jaisalmer
D.Bandh-Baretha 4.Churu

International current affairs

  1. In. which country the Arab spring witnessed its inauguration in 2011?
    1. Egypt
    2. Tunisia
    3. Libya
    4. Yemen
  2. Which new state came into being in 2011?
    1. East Timor
    2. West Sahara
    3. North Korea
    4. South Sudan
  3. Where was the seventeenth conference of SAARC held in 2011?
    1. Dhaka
    2. Male
    3. Thimphu
    4. Colombo
  4. With which country India signed 2 + 2 treaty in 2010?
    1. USA
    2. Russian Federation
    3. China
    4. Japan
  5. Which country’s resolution was supported by India in the United Nations Human- Rights Council that condemned suppression of Tamil militants in Sri Lanka?
    1. China
    2. America
    3. Russian Federation
    4. Britain
  6. With which country India signed a treaty in 2011 for the exploration of oil resources in South China Sea?
    1. Australia
    2. Vietnam
    3. China
    4. Japan
  7. Where was held the fifteenth conference of the non-aligned nations in 2009?
    1. Durban
    2. Havana
    3. Sharm-el-Sheikh
    4. Kuala Lumpur
  8. On which date in 2012 Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas celebration at Jaipur was inaugurated?
    1. January 5
    2. January 7
    3. January 9
    4. January 11
  9. Which party got notable success in the Parliamentary elections under the leadership of Suu Kyi held in Myanmar in 2012?
    1. Democratic Party
    2. League for Democracy
    3. National League
    4. National League for Democracy

Persons in News (PIN)

Controversial

  1. Against which Judge, the Rajya Sabha passed the Motion of Impeachment in 2011, but he resigned to save himself before it could be passed by the Lok Sabha?
    1. Justice V Ramaswami
    2. Justice Bhattacharya
    3. Justice Soumitra Seri
    4. Justice PD Dinakaran
  2. Which Maoist leader was finished by the security forces in 2011?
    1. Veerappan
    2. Charu Majumdar
    3. Kishenji
    4. Kanu Sanyal

Appointments

  1. Which Indian has been elected as a Judge of the International Court of Justice in 2012?
    1. Nagendra Singh
    2. BN Rau
    3. Dalveer Bhandari
    4. Dinkar Lal Bhandari

Award

  1. Who was honoured with Bharat Ratna in 2009?
    1. Pandit Ravi Shankar
    2. Lata Mangeshkar
    3. Bismillah Khan
    4. Bhimsen Joshi

Sports

  1. In which game Saina Nehwal earned international recognition and was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Prize in 2010?
    1. Tennis
    2. Table-Tennis
    3. Badminton
    4. Swimming

Exam related Technical details

Thanks Mr.csl80 for these details.

Mains papers of 2008 and 2010 https://files.secureserver.net/0sU4TvbvGiB72C
Cutoffs for 2012’s Prelims Go to this link and download whatever PDFs you require:
https://files.secureserver.net/0fHXKGPK4piZyE
Syllabus for 2013’s Exam
Notification for 2013’s Exam
Press Note regarding reforms in RAS exam