PPSC Past Papers & Solved MCQs

This question tests knowledge of the specific articles within the Constitution of Pakistan (1973) that address religious obligations. The Constitution outlines the framework for governance and societal principles, including provisions for an Islamic way of life. Article 31 of the 1973 Constitution is precisely dedicated to the "Islamic Way of Life," which includes provisions for the organization of Zakat, Ushr, and the proper observance of Islamic moral standards. Therefore, it directly relates to the affairs of Zakat.

• Article 30 pertains to the responsibility of the State in respect of social order, not specifically Zakat.
• Article 32 focuses on the promotion of local government institutions, which is a different administrative aspect.
• Article 33 deals with discouraging parochial and other similar prejudices, aiming for national unity, and is unrelated to Zakat.

Understanding the specific scope of constitutional articles is essential.

Iron is a vital mineral primarily required for the production of hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells. Hemoglobin's crucial role is to transport oxygen from the lungs to all tissues and organs throughout the body, enabling cellular respiration and energy production. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, impairing oxygen delivery. Iron is not directly involved in the primary production of bone or teeth, which primarily rely on calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D for their structure and strength. Thyroxine is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland, and its synthesis requires iodine, not iron.

The relationship in DISTANCE:MILE is that the first term (DISTANCE) is a concept or quantity, and the second term (MILE) is a standard unit of measurement for that concept.

• Liquid:Litre is the correct answer. Here, 'Liquid' represents a substance or quantity (volume), and 'Litre' is a standard unit of measurement for liquid volume. This perfectly mirrors the original relationship.
• Bushet:Com is incorrect. 'Bushel' is a unit of measurement for dry volume, but 'Com' is not a related concept or unit.
• Weight:Scale is incorrect. 'Weight' is a concept, but 'Scale' is an instrument used for measuring weight, not a unit of measurement itself.
• Fame:Television is incorrect. 'Fame' is a concept, and 'Television' is a medium through which fame can be achieved or displayed, not a unit of measurement for fame.

Therefore, 'Liquid:Litre' is the only pair that maintains the 'concept:unit of measurement' relationship.

In Islamic history, Jizya refers to a specific form of taxation. It was a levy imposed on non-Muslims (known as Dhimmis) living under Islamic rule, in exchange for certain rights and protections.

The correct definition is Poll-tax on non-Muslims (Option B). This tax granted non-Muslims protection from external enemies, exemption from military service (which was obligatory for Muslims), and the freedom to practice their own religion and manage their internal affairs according to their own laws.

Option A,

Titu Mir's movement, also known as the Barasat Uprising (1831), was a significant socio-religious and economic reform movement among Muslims in Bengal during the early 19th century. Its primary objective was to resist the oppressive practices faced by Muslim peasants. The movement was mainly aimed against Hindu landlords (zamindars) and British indigo planters who exploited the local populace through exorbitant taxes and forced cultivation, coupled with religious persecution. Titu Mir sought to restore Islamic practices and challenge the prevailing injustices.

• Option B, "Working against Indian national movement," is incorrect because Titu Mir's movement predates the organized Indian national movement and had distinct, localized grievances.
• Option C, "Polygamy," was not the central focus of Titu Mir's struggle; his movement was primarily concerned with economic exploitation and religious identity.

The movement highlighted the intersection of religious identity and economic grievances.

In Windows operating systems, the Alt+Tab keyboard shortcut is the standard and most widely used method to quickly switch between currently open applications or windows. Pressing and holding Alt while repeatedly pressing Tab cycles through the open programs, allowing the user to select the desired application. This shortcut is fundamental for efficient multitasking. Shift+Tab is typically used to move backward through elements in a dialog box or web page. Ctrl+Tab is commonly used to switch between tabs within a single application, such as a web browser. Alt+Shift+Tab performs the reverse action of Alt+Tab, cycling backward through open applications.

The sentence "Please be careful, the luggage contain___items" requires an adjective that explains why caution is necessary when handling the items in the luggage.

• Fragile is the correct answer. It means easily broken or damaged. This perfectly fits the context of needing to be careful with luggage contents to prevent breakage.
• Voracious is incorrect. It means having a very eager approach to an activity, or consuming large quantities of food. It has no relevance to items needing careful handling.
• Virtuous is incorrect. It means having high moral standards. This describes a person's character, not the physical state or handling requirement of items.
• Vulnerable is incorrect. While it means susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm, 'fragile' is more specific to objects that can be physically broken. 'Vulnerable' often implies a living being or a system, whereas 'fragile' directly addresses the breakability of items.

Thus, 'Fragile' is the most appropriate word to complete the sentence, indicating the need for caution.

The foundational concept here relates to the early military expeditions in Islam, known as Ghazwat, where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) personally participated. The Ghazwa of Abwa, also known as Waddan, holds the distinction of being the first Ghazwa of Islam. It occurred in 2 AH (623 CE) and was a peaceful encounter with the Banu Damra tribe, resulting in a treaty.

• Badr was a major battle, but it took place after Abwa.
• Uhad was another significant battle, occurring after Badr.
• Tabook was a much later expedition, near the end of the Prophet's life.

Therefore, Abwa is the correct answer as the inaugural Ghazwa.

This question assesses knowledge of the historical performance of teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup, the pinnacle of One Day International (ODI) cricket. Australia holds the unparalleled record for winning the ICC World Cup the maximum number of times. They have lifted the coveted trophy an impressive six times, in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and most recently in 2023, showcasing their consistent dominance in the sport.

• India has won the World Cup twice (1983 and 2011), a significant achievement but not the maximum.
• South Africa, despite being a strong cricketing nation, has unfortunately never won the ICC World Cup.
• England secured their first and only World Cup title in 2019, making them a relatively recent winner but not the most frequent.

Australia's consistent performance sets them apart in World Cup history.

When a peripheral device, such as a printer, keyboard, or hard drive, requires immediate service or attention from the CPU, it generates a signal known as an interrupt. This signal temporarily halts the CPU's current task, allowing it to handle the device's request before resuming its original operation, ensuring efficient I/O management. A spool (Simultaneous Peripheral Operations Online) is a buffer that holds data for a peripheral device, allowing the CPU to perform other tasks. A stack is a data structure used for temporary storage, often for function calls. A page file is a portion of a hard drive used by the operating system to compensate for a lack of physical memory.

The question tests knowledge of correlative conjunctions in English grammar. The phrase requires a word to complete the structure '____ in flat or shared house', indicating a choice between two options. The correct option is 'either', which forms the correlative conjunction 'either...or'. This construction is used to present two alternatives.

• 'Either' (C) is correct because it perfectly fits the grammatical structure 'either...or', signifying a choice between a flat or a shared house.
• 'Nether' (A) is incorrect; it means lower or below and does not function as a correlative conjunction in this context. While 'neither...nor' is a conjunction, 'Nether' alone is grammatically unsound here.
• 'Comfy' (B) is an adjective meaning comfortable, and it does not serve to connect two choices grammatically.
• 'None' (D) is incorrect as 'either' is the precise and correct choice.

This question pertains to the historical achievements of national teams in the FIFA World Cup, the most prestigious international football tournament. Brazil stands as the most successful nation in the history of the World Cup, having won the championship a record five times. Their victories occurred in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002, solidifying their status as a footballing powerhouse and the only team to have participated in every World Cup tournament.

• Option A, "4," is incorrect; Brazil has surpassed this number of titles.
• Option C, "6," is also incorrect; while Brazil is highly successful, they have not yet reached six World Cup triumphs.
• Option D, "3," is significantly lower than Brazil's actual record, failing to acknowledge their dominance.

Brazil's five titles underscore their legendary status in global football.

Understanding character formatting is fundamental in word processing and digital typography. The term Superscript refers to text that is intentionally raised above the baseline of the surrounding text and is typically rendered in a smaller font size. This formatting is commonly used for footnotes, mathematical exponents (e.g., x2), or chemical formulas.

• Raised (A) is too general and not a specific typographic term for this effect.
• Outlined (B) describes a character's border or contour, not its vertical position relative to the baseline.
• Subscript (D) is the opposite; it places text below the baseline, often used in chemical formulas like H2O. Therefore, Superscript is the precise term for a character that is raised and smaller above the baseline.

This question requires the completion of a well-known Urdu proverb. The proverb describes an extremely old and frail person, emphasizing their physical decline. The first part, 'نہ منہ میں دانت' (no teeth in mouth), sets the context of old age and weakness. The second part needs to complete the idiom related to internal frailty.

• 'آنت' (A), meaning 'intestine', is the correct word. The complete proverb is 'نہ منہ میں دانت نہ پیٹ میں آنت', which literally translates to 'no teeth in mouth, no intestines in stomach', signifying extreme old age and weakness.
• 'وانت' (B), meaning 'vomit', does not fit the context of the proverb, which refers to the absence of internal strength or organs due to extreme age.
• 'ول' (C) is not a recognized word that completes this specific proverb meaningfully.
• 'ان میں سے کوئی نہیں' (D) is incorrect because option A accurately completes the proverb.

This question asks to identify the highest mountain peak within Pakistan's territory. Pakistan is home to some of the world's most formidable mountains, particularly in the Karakoram and Himalayan ranges. K2, also known as Mount Godwin Austen, is unequivocally the highest peak in Pakistan and the second-highest mountain in the entire world, standing at an elevation of 8,611 meters (28,251 feet). It is a part of the Karakoram mountain range.

• Nanga Parbat is the ninth-highest mountain globally and the second-highest in Pakistan, making it incorrect for the "highest" designation.
• Rakaposhi is a stunning peak in the Karakoram, but its elevation is considerably lower than K2, thus not the highest.
• Gasherbrum I, also known as Hidden Peak, is the 11th highest mountain in the world and the third-highest in Pakistan, again not the highest overall.

K2's immense height makes it Pakistan's undisputed highest point.

In Microsoft Excel, understanding the fundamental data types is crucial for correct data entry and calculations. Excel primarily categorizes data into three main types: Numbers, Text (often referred to as Labels), and Date/Time. These types dictate how Excel stores and processes the information in a cell.

• Character (B) is not a distinct, valid data type name used within Excel's interface or common terminology for cell content. While text is composed of characters, Excel groups them under the 'Text' or 'Label' data type.
• Number (A) is a valid data type for numerical values.
• Label (C) is commonly used interchangeably with 'Text' to refer to non-numerical data.
• Date (D) is a valid data type, stored as a serial number.

This question pertains to Urdu grammar, specifically the classification of nouns. The words 'نرمی' (softness), 'تاریکی' (darkness), and 'سردی' (coldness) are abstract nouns that denote a quality, state, or condition rather than a concrete object or an action.

• 'اسم کیفیت' (A) is the correct answer. It refers to an abstract noun that expresses a quality, state, or condition. These words are derived from adjectives (نرم, تاریک, سرد) and represent the quality itself.
• 'اسم عالیه' (B) refers to an instrumental noun, which names a tool or instrument (e.g., چاقو - knife). The given words are not instruments.
• 'اسم صفت' (C) refers to an adjective, which describes a noun (e.g., نرم - soft). The given words are nouns representing the quality, not the descriptive adjectives.
• 'اسم مفعول' (D) refers to a passive participle, indicating the recipient of an action (e.g., لکھا ہوا - written). The given words are not passive participles.

This question relates to historical diplomatic visits between the US and Pakistan. Richard M. Nixon, as the President of the United States, visited Pakistan in 1969. This visit was part of his broader diplomatic efforts in Asia and was significant as Pakistan later played a crucial role in facilitating Nixon's secret visit to China in 1971, which dramatically altered Cold War geopolitics.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Pakistan in 1959.
• Lyndon B. Johnson visited Pakistan in 1961 and 1965.
• William J. Clinton visited Pakistan much later, in 2000.

Each president had distinct periods of engagement with Pakistan.

The Panama Canal is a crucial artificial waterway that directly connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean, specifically via the Caribbean Sea. This engineering marvel significantly shortens maritime voyages between these two vast bodies of water, eliminating the need for ships to navigate around the southern tip of South America. It is a foundational concept in global trade and geography.

• The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean, located between Africa and Asia, and does not connect the Atlantic and Pacific.
• The North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, situated between Great Britain and mainland Europe, unrelated to trans-oceanic connections.
• The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, providing a vital link between Europe and Asia, but it does not link the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

This problem requires basic algebraic reasoning to solve a system of two equations. Let the ages of the two children be 'x' and 'y'. We are given two conditions: their sum is 12 (x + y = 12) and their product is 32 (x * y = 32). By substituting y = 12 - x into the second equation, we get x(12 - x) = 32, which simplifies to x2 - 12x + 32 = 0. Factoring this quadratic equation yields (x - 4)(x - 8) = 0, giving possible ages of 4 and 8 years.

• The elder child's age is 8 years (A).
• If the elder child were 10 years (B), the other would be 2, making their product 20, not 32.
• If 12 years (C), the other would be 0, making the product 0.
• If 7 years (D), the other would be 5, making the product 35.

This question delves into the history of printing in British India, specifically at Fort William College. Established in 1800, the college was instrumental in promoting Urdu and Persian literature. It played a significant role in standardizing and printing texts, and the choice of script was crucial for its publications.

• 'نستعلیق' (A) is the correct answer. Fort William College extensively used the Nastaliq script for printing Urdu and Persian texts. Nastaliq was highly regarded for its aesthetic beauty and was the preferred calligraphic style for these languages, making it a natural choice for the college's publications.
• 'بند کو' (B) is not a recognized script and is therefore an incorrect option.
• '(Incomplete)' (C) is not a script but an indication of an incomplete option, making it invalid.
• 'ان میں سے کوئی نہیں' (D) is incorrect because Nastaliq was indeed the primary script used for Urdu printing at Fort William College.

This question pertains to the climatic patterns of Pakistan. Pakistan receives its primary rainfall during the Monsoon season, which typically occurs from July to September. The monsoon is a seasonal reversal of winds, bringing moist air from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, resulting in heavy and widespread precipitation across much of the country, crucial for agriculture and water resources.

• While July to September falls within the broader Summer season, 'Monsoon' specifically describes the atmospheric phenomenon responsible for the rainfall.
• Winter in Pakistan (December-February) receives rainfall from western disturbances, which is generally lighter and less widespread than monsoon rains.
• Autumn (October-November) follows the monsoon, and rainfall significantly decreases during this period.

Rakaposhi is a prominent peak located in the Karakoram mountain range, specifically in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. It is renowned for its dramatic vertical rise above local terrain, making it a visually striking mountain. Understanding the major mountain ranges is fundamental to world geography.

• The Himalayan range is a distinct mountain system, home to peaks like Mount Everest, but Rakaposhi is not part of it.
• The Hindu Kush is another separate major mountain range, primarily situated in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with its own unique peaks.
• Therefore, stating 'None of these' would be incorrect as Rakaposhi is definitively located within the Karakoram range.

This is a classic work and time problem, which relies on the concept of total work units. First, calculate the total work required: 4 men working for 42 days equals 4 * 42 = 168 man-days of work. Next, determine the effective workforce under the new conditions. If three men work full days and one man works half days, the effective number of men is 3 + 0.5 = 3.5 men.

• To find the time taken, divide the total work by the effective workforce: 168 man-days / 3.5 men = 48 days (B).
• Options 45 days (A), 52 days (C), and 60 days (D) are incorrect calculations that do not account for the reduced work output of one man.

This question tests knowledge of prominent Urdu literary figures and their works. 'خیالستان' is a significant collection in Urdu literature, known for its unique style and themes. Identifying the author requires familiarity with the contributions of various writers to Urdu prose.

• 'سجاد حیدر یلدرم' (C) is the correct answer. 'خیالستان' is a celebrated collection of short stories and essays by Sajjad Haider Yaldram, who is considered a pioneer of romanticism and psychological realism in Urdu literature. His work profoundly influenced modern Urdu short story writing.
• 'پریم چند' (A) was a renowned Hindi and Urdu writer, famous for his realistic portrayal of rural life and social issues, but 'Khayalistan' is not his work.
• 'فرحت اللہ بیگ' (B) was a distinguished humorist and essayist, known for his simple and engaging prose and biographical sketches, but 'Khayalistan' is not attributed to him.
• 'ان میں سے کوئی نہیں' (D) is incorrect because Sajjad Haider Yaldram is the rightful author of 'Khayalistan'.