UPSC Mains Answer Writing – Chapter 5: Diagrams, Maps and Flowcharts in Answers (20 MCQs)

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UPSC Mains Answer Writing – Chapter 5: Diagrams, Maps and Flowcharts in Answers (20 MCQs) – 20 questions, subject: Mains Answer Writing. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

A cycle diagram best shows:

Correct Answer: B [a loop that repeats]

Explanation:

A cycle shows a loop that repeats, such as the poverty trap or the disaster management cycle.

2.  

As a rule, the time spent on a diagram should be:

Correct Answer: C [under two minutes]

Explanation:

The rule is one diagram per answer, spending under two minutes on it.

3.  

The structure of three-tier panchayats is best shown by:

Correct Answer: B [a levels diagram]

Explanation:

Three-tier panchayats form a hierarchy, and a hierarchy is best shown by a levels (pyramid) diagram.

4.  

In "Crown, bulge, tip, delta, wing", the "bulge" is:

Correct Answer: B [Gujarat]

Explanation:

In this outline-drawing aid, Gujarat with Kutch is the 'bulge' on the western side of India.

5.  

The first thing to write when drawing a diagram is:

Correct Answer: C [the title]

Explanation:

Write the title before you draw; it fixes the purpose and is read first.

6.  

In a Dravida temple, the garbhagriha lies beneath the:

Correct Answer: C [vimana]

Explanation:

In the Dravida plan the vimana rises directly above the garbhagriha, the shrine of the main deity.

7.  

"T-L-K" stands for:

Correct Answer: D [Title, Labels, Key]

Explanation:

T-L-K stands for Title, Labels and Key – the three finishing touches every diagram needs.

8.  

Which question most needs a sketch map?

Correct Answer: C [Distribution of mineral belts in India]

Explanation:

Distribution over space is a question of place, so mineral belts are best shown on a sketch map.

9.  

A diagram does not earn marks when it:

Correct Answer: A [repeats the text without labels]

Explanation:

A diagram earns nothing when it repeats the text, lacks labels or cannot be read.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. A sketch map must be recognisable and labelled, not accurate.
2. A 150-word answer should normally have three diagrams.
3. A diagram can be placed at the start when the question is about a process.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 3 only]

Explanation:

Statement 1 is the sketch-map rule and statement 3 the placement rule; statement 2 describes a listed trap.

11.  

Assertion (A): A labelled temple plan can save about 25 words in a culture answer.

Reason (R): Labels show several technical terms at once.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Labelled parts of a temple plan save about 25 words precisely because they show six technical terms at once.

12.  

Who drew the 1858 polar-area diagram on deaths in the Crimean War?

Correct Answer: D [Florence Nightingale]

Explanation:

Florence Nightingale published the polar-area diagram in 1858, showing most Crimean War deaths came from preventable disease.

13.  

Harry Beck's London Underground diagram (1933) chose:

Correct Answer: A [clarity over geographic accuracy]

Explanation:

Beck used straight lines and even spacing, giving up true distances so the network could be read easily.

14.  

NATMO, India's national atlas organisation, is located in:

Correct Answer: A [Kolkata]

Explanation:

NATMO, begun as the National Atlas Organisation in 1956, is headquartered in Kolkata under the Department of Science and Technology.

15.  

The "four-label rule" says a diagram should normally have:

Correct Answer: D [at least four and at most ten labels]

Explanation:

At least four labels show enough; at most ten avoid crowding.

16.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. Beck's London Underground diagram
2. Playfair's line and bar charts
3. Minard's map of Napoleon's march
4. Nightingale's polar-area diagram

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-3-1]

Explanation:

1786, 1858, 1869, 1933.

17.  

A hub-and-spoke diagram suits a question on:

Correct Answer: B [many factors around one issue]

Explanation:

A hub and spoke shows many factors around one issue, such as the causes of farmer distress.

18.  

"Diagram shows what; text says why" means the text after a diagram should give:

Correct Answer: B [reasons and significance]

Explanation:

The diagram carries the parts or steps; the text after it explains reasons and significance.

19.  

A suitable size for a diagram in an answer is about:

Correct Answer: D [a quarter of a page]

Explanation:

About a quarter page is large enough for labels and small enough to leave room for text.

20.  

William Playfair's early line and bar charts were drawn to show:

Correct Answer: C [trade and finance data]

Explanation:

Playfair's Commercial and Political Atlas charted England's trade and finances.

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