PPSC Past Papers & Solved MCQs

This question assesses your knowledge of prominent figures in the history of technology and the founding of major companies.

• Option C, 'Bill Gates and Paul Allen', is the correct answer. Bill Gates and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft Corporation on April 4, 1975. Microsoft went on to become one of the world's largest and most influential technology companies, primarily known for its Windows operating system and Office suite.
• Option A, 'Steve Jobs', is incorrect. Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Inc., a major competitor to Microsoft.
• Option B, 'Larry Page and Sergey Brin', is incorrect. They are the co-founders of Google.
• Option D, 'Mark Zuckerberg', is incorrect. Mark Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook (now Meta Platforms).

Religious terrorism is precisely defined as a type of religious violence where terrorism is employed as a strategy to achieve religious goals or is profoundly influenced by religious beliefs or identity. It involves acts of violence committed by groups or individuals who are motivated by their faith to instill fear and coerce societal or political change.

• Ethnic cleansing (A) refers to the systematic forced removal of ethnic or religious groups from a territory, aiming for homogeneity, which is distinct from terrorism's tactical use of violence.
• Political extremism (C) is a broader term for ideologies far outside the mainstream, which may or may not involve violence or religious motivation.
• Cultural conflict (D) describes clashes stemming from differing cultural values, a concept broader than the specific act of terrorism.

Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik is the current Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan. The NDMA is the apex body responsible for coordinating and implementing disaster management strategies across the nation, encompassing preparedness, mitigation, response, and rehabilitation efforts for various natural and man-made disasters.

• Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz Satti (A), Major General Saeed Aleem (B), and Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal (D) are not the current chairmen of the NDMA. While they may have held significant military or administrative roles, they do not currently lead this specific disaster management organization.

Lord Wavell was the Viceroy of India during the Shimla Conference in 1945. This conference was a crucial attempt by the British government to resolve the political deadlock in India and pave the way for Indian self-rule, though it ultimately failed to achieve a consensus among Indian political leaders.

• Lord Mountbatten (A) was the last Viceroy, overseeing the partition and independence in 1947.
• Lord Curzon (B) served much earlier, from 1899 to 1905, known for the partition of Bengal.
• Lord Irwin (D) was Viceroy from 1926 to 1931, associated with the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Chlorine is the element present in abundance in seawater, primarily in the form of chloride ions (Cl-), which combine with sodium ions to form sodium chloride (common salt). Seawater is a complex solution, but chloride is the most abundant anion, contributing significantly to its salinity.

• Oxygen (B) is present, but mostly dissolved as O2 gas, not as abundant as chloride ions.
• Calcium (C) is an important ion in seawater, but less abundant than chloride or sodium.
• Iron (D) is a trace element in seawater, present in very small concentrations compared to major ions like chloride.

The muscles in the posterior compartment of the thigh are collectively known as the Hamstrings. This group consists of three main muscles: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. Their primary functions include knee flexion and hip extension, crucial for activities like walking, running, and jumping.

• The Quadriceps (A) are located in the anterior compartment of the thigh, primarily responsible for knee extension.
• The Adductors (B) are found in the medial compartment of the thigh, responsible for adducting (bringing towards the midline) the leg.
• The Calf muscles (C) are located in the posterior compartment of the lower leg, primarily involved in plantarflexion of the foot.

Silicon is extensively used to make Semiconductors. Silicon's unique electrical properties, being neither a good conductor nor a good insulator, make it ideal for controlling electric current in electronic devices. It forms the fundamental material for transistors, integrated circuits, and microchips that power modern electronics.

• A Bus (B) in electronics refers to a communication system that transfers data between components, not a material.
• A Rod (C) is a shape or form, not a specific material or application for silicon.
• Therefore, "None of these" (D) is incorrect because semiconductors are a direct and primary application of silicon.

Planning is fundamentally a forward-looking process that involves setting objectives and determining the best course of action to achieve them. It encompasses several key characteristics:

• Goal oriented: Planning always begins with defining clear goals or objectives. Without these, planning lacks direction and purpose.
• Flexible: While plans provide a roadmap, they must be adaptable to changing circumstances and unforeseen events. Rigidity can render plans ineffective in dynamic environments.
• Time bound: Plans typically include specific deadlines or timeframes for completion, which aids in monitoring progress and ensuring timely execution.
• All of these: Since planning inherently includes being goal-oriented, flexible, and time-bound, 'All of these' is the most comprehensive and accurate answer. Options A, B, and C are individually true but incomplete descriptions of the planning process.

Strategic planning is a high-level organizational process that defines the overall direction and makes decisions on allocating resources to pursue the strategy.

• Long term planning: This is the correct answer. Strategic planning typically covers a period of 3-5 years or even longer, focusing on the organization's vision, mission, and overarching goals. It deals with the big picture and future positioning of the entity.
• Medium term planning: This usually refers to tactical planning, which translates strategic plans into more specific, actionable steps over a shorter horizon (e.g., 1-3 years).
• Short term planning: This is operational planning, focusing on day-to-day activities and immediate objectives, typically for a period of less than a year.
• Annual planning: While annual plans exist, they are generally operational or tactical in nature, detailing specific activities for the upcoming year, rather than the broad, long-term scope of strategic planning.

Effective planning requires making certain assumptions about the future environment in which the plans will operate. These assumptions are crucial for realistic and robust planning.

• Planning premises: This is the correct term. Planning premises are the assumptions or forecasts about future conditions (e.g., economic, political, social, technological, competitive) that are expected to influence the execution of plans. They provide the foundational framework within which plans are formulated.
• Freehold premises: This term refers to property or land owned outright, with no time limit, and is unrelated to planning assumptions.
• Business premises: This refers to the physical location or property where a business operates.
• Corporate premises: Similar to business premises, this refers to the physical property owned or occupied by a corporation.

The distractors refer to physical locations, not the underlying assumptions for future planning.

To find the new ratio, we first calculate the new salary for each person based on their initial ratio and percentage increase.

• Let the initial salaries of A, B, and C be 2x, 3x, and 5x respectively.
• New salary for A: 2x * (1 + 0.15) = 2x * 1.15 = 2.3x
• New salary for B: 3x * (1 + 0.10) = 3x * 1.10 = 3.3x
• New salary for C: 5x * (1 + 0.20) = 5x * 1.20 = 6.0x

The new ratio is 2.3x : 3.3x : 6.0x. To eliminate decimals and simplify, multiply each term by 10, resulting in 23:33:60. Distractors B, C, and D result from incorrect percentage calculations or errors in simplifying the ratio.

This question tests subject-verb agreement, specifically with indefinite pronouns.

• 'Each one' is a singular indefinite pronoun. Even though 'us' is plural, the true subject of the verb is 'Each one', which always requires a singular verb.
• 'has' is the correct singular verb form for the third person singular, indicating possession. Therefore, "Each one of us has a pen" is grammatically correct.
• 'have' is a plural verb form and would be incorrect with a singular subject like 'Each one'.
• 'are' is a plural form of the verb 'to be' and is incorrect here, as the sentence requires a verb indicating possession, not a state of being.
• 'were' is the past tense plural form of the verb 'to be' and is incorrect for the same reasons as 'are', and also for tense if the context implies the present.

This question tests subject-verb agreement and the correct use of auxiliary verbs in a contrasting statement.

• The first part of the sentence, "John loves flying," uses the simple present tense. The contrasting clause needs to maintain this tense and reflect the plural subject "we."
• 'don't' is the correct auxiliary verb. It is the contraction of "do not," which is the appropriate negative auxiliary for the simple present tense when the subject is plural ("we"). So, "John loves flying, but we don't" is grammatically correct.
• 'doesn't' is the contraction of "does not," used with singular third-person subjects (he, she, it). It is incorrect with "we."
• 'aren't' is the contraction of "are not," used with the verb 'to be' (e.g., "we aren't flying"). It doesn't fit the context of "loving flying."
• 'hasn't' is the contraction of "has not," used in the present perfect tense (e.g., "he hasn't flown"). It is incorrect for the simple present tense and the subject "we."

The question asks for the grammatical category of the word "دیگچی" (degchi). The correct answer is اسم مصغر (Ism-e-Musaggar), which means a diminutive noun. A diminutive noun indicates a smaller size or a lesser degree of the original noun. "دیگچی" is the diminutive form of "دیگ" (deg), meaning a large pot, thus "دیگچی" refers to a small pot.

• اسم مصدر (Ism-e-Masdar) refers to an infinitive noun, which denotes an action or state without specifying tense or subject.
• اسم مکبر (Ism-e-Mukabbar) refers to an augmentative noun, which indicates a larger size or greater degree.
• اسم صوت (Ism-e-Saut) refers to an onomatopoeic noun, which imitates a sound.

Therefore, "دیگچی" correctly falls under the category of a diminutive noun.

The question asks for the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization. The correct answer is New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The NYSE, located in New York City, has historically maintained its position as the world's largest stock exchange, boasting the highest total market capitalization of listed companies.

• NASDAQ is another major U.S. exchange, known for its technology stocks, and is typically the second-largest globally by market capitalization.
• The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a significant European exchange but is smaller than the NYSE and NASDAQ.
• The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) is the largest stock exchange in Asia but also ranks below the NYSE in global market capitalization.

The NYSE's vast number of listed companies and their collective value solidify its leading position.

The question asks about the profession of F.E. Chaudhary. The correct answer is Photographer. F.E. Chaudhary, whose full name was Fazal Elahi Chaudhary, was a highly renowned Pakistani photographer. He is celebrated for his extensive photographic work documenting various aspects of Pakistan's history, culture, and political events. His contributions to photojournalism and art photography in Pakistan are significant.

• He was not primarily known as a Painter, as his artistic medium was photography.
• He was not a prominent Poet; his creative expression was visual.
• While his work often had journalistic elements, his primary role and fame were as a Photographer, not a general Journalist covering various beats.

His legacy is firmly established in the field of photography.