PPSC Past Papers & Solved MCQs

Electric current, which is the flow of electric charge, is measured in Amperes (A). The Ampere is the SI (International System of Units) base unit of electric current, named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère. One ampere is defined as one coulomb of charge passing through a point in one second. Understanding this unit is fundamental to electrical engineering and physics.

• Volts (V) are the SI unit of electric potential difference, or voltage, which is the force that drives the current.
• Candela (cd) is the SI base unit of luminous intensity, used to measure the power emitted by a light source in a particular direction.
• Watts (W) are the SI unit of power, representing the rate at which energy is transferred or converted.

Correct capitalization follows specific rules, particularly for proper nouns. A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing and is always capitalized. A common noun refers to a general class of people, places, or things and is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence.

• D: Athena was the goddess is correct because "Athena" is the proper name of a specific goddess, so it must be capitalized. "Goddess" is a common noun, referring to a type of deity, not a specific one, and thus remains lowercase.
• A: athens was goddess is incorrect because "Athens" (a city) is misspelled and not capitalized, and it's not a goddess.
• B: Athena was Goddess is incorrect because "Goddess" is a common noun and should not be capitalized.
• C: Athens was the goddess is incorrect because "Athens" is a city, not a goddess.

Microsoft Word supports several types of tab stops, including Left, Center, Right, Decimal, and Bar. There is no tab stop called \"Justify Alignment\"; justification is a paragraph alignment feature, not a tab stop.

• Left Tab: Aligns text to the left of the tab stop.
• Center Tab: Centers text at the tab stop.
• Right Tab: Aligns text to the right of the tab stop.
• Decimal Tab: Aligns numbers at the decimal point.
• Bar Tab: Inserts a vertical line at the tab stop.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Justify Alignment.

استعارہ (Ista'ara) in Urdu and Arabic rhetoric refers to a metaphor, a figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. It involves borrowing a quality from one thing to describe another. The pillars or elements of استعارہ are three in number.

• The three essential components are:
1. مستعار لہ (Musta'ar lahu): The actual subject or the thing being described (the tenor).
2. مستعار منہ (Musta'ar minhu): The object or concept from which the quality is borrowed (the vehicle).
3. وجہ جامع (Wajh-e-Jami): The common quality or shared characteristic between the tenor and vehicle (the ground of resemblance).

Therefore, the correct answer is B: 3, as these three elements are fundamental to forming a complete استعارہ.

PowerPoint offers various printing options to suit different needs. The question asks which option allows printing multiple slides on a single page.

• Handouts is the correct answer. This print layout is specifically designed to arrange several slides (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 6, or 9) onto a single page, often with space for audience notes. This makes them ideal for distribution during presentations.
• Outline view prints only the text content of your slides, focusing on the structure and main points, not the visual slides themselves.
• Notes pages print one slide per page, with the speaker's notes appearing below the slide image. This is useful for the presenter, not for distributing multiple slides to an audience on one sheet.
• Slides typically refers to printing one full slide per page, which is inefficient for printing multiple slides compactly.

Therefore, Handouts provide the functionality to consolidate multiple slides onto a single printed page.

PowerPoint provides several views to help users create, organize, and present their slides effectively. The question describes a view showing thumbnails on the left and the current slide in the main window.

• Normal view is the correct answer. It is the default and primary editing view in PowerPoint. It typically displays the current slide in a large main pane, a pane on the left showing slide thumbnails for easy navigation and reordering, and often a notes pane below the main slide for speaker notes.
• Slide Sorter view displays all slides as small thumbnails, allowing users to easily reorder, delete, or duplicate slides, but it's not for detailed editing of individual slides.
• Notes Page view focuses on the speaker's notes for a single slide, showing a larger notes area below a smaller slide image.
• Reading view displays the presentation in a window, similar to Slide Show view, but with accessible Windows taskbar and controls, primarily for reviewing, not for editing with thumbnails.

Normal view is where most of the presentation creation and editing takes place.

When changing direct speech to indirect speech, especially for interrogative sentences (questions), several rules apply. The reporting verb "said to" changes to "asked." For a yes/no question, we introduce the reported speech with "if" or "whether." The tense of the verb in the reported clause usually shifts to the past (e.g., present simple to past simple). Pronouns also change to reflect the new speaker's perspective.

• A: He asked teacher if he thought his essay was good correctly applies these rules: "said to" becomes "asked," "Do you think" becomes "if he thought" (tense shift and pronoun change), and "my essay" becomes "his essay."
• B: He asked teacher that was his essay good is incorrect because "that" is not used with "if/whether" for questions, and the word order remains interrogative.
• C: He asked teacher that if he thought his essay was good is incorrect due to the redundant use of "that if."
• D: He asked teacher if he thinks his essay is good is incorrect because the tense of the verb "think" should shift from present to past ("thought").

Pakistan is a country with diverse geographical features, including vast plains, towering mountains, and arid deserts, distributed across its provinces.

The correct answer is KPK (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). This province is predominantly characterized by its mountainous terrain, including parts of the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan ranges, along with fertile valleys and plateaus. Unlike other provinces, KPK does not contain any significant desert regions within its boundaries. Its climate and topography are generally more temperate and rugged.

The other options are incorrect because they all contain significant desert areas:

• Punjab is home to the Thal Desert and a large portion of the Cholistan Desert.
• Sindh contains a substantial part of the Thar Desert, as well as the Nara Desert.
• Baluchistan, Pakistan's largest province by area, features several deserts, including the Kharan Desert, Thal Desert, and parts of the Chagai Desert.

The invention of the computer is a complex historical process, but one individual is widely recognized for laying the foundational theoretical framework.

• Charles Babbage is the correct answer. Often referred to as the "Father of the Computer," Babbage was a 19th-century British mathematician and inventor. He conceived the Analytical Engine, a design that incorporated many features of modern computers, including a programmable processing unit, memory, and input/output. Although he couldn't build a fully functional model in his lifetime, his designs were revolutionary.
• Steve Jobs was a co-founder of Apple Inc. and a pioneer in the personal computer revolution and user-friendly interfaces, but he did not invent the computer itself.
• Nikola Tesla was a brilliant inventor and electrical engineer known for his contributions to alternating current (AC) electricity, radio, and robotics, but not for inventing the computer.
• None of these is incorrect because Charles Babbage is indeed recognized for his pivotal role in the computer's conceptual development.

Babbage's work provided the blueprint for future computing machines.

The question asks for the antonym of the word "INVOLVE." An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. The word "involve" means to include someone or something in an activity, situation, or group, or to cause someone to be concerned with something. Therefore, we are looking for a word that signifies the act of keeping someone or something out.

The correct answer is D: Exclude. To "exclude" means to deny someone access to a place, group, or privilege, or to keep something out. This is the direct opposite of involving or including.

• A: Spread means to extend over a large or increasing area, which is unrelated to the concept of inclusion or exclusion.
• B: Soften means to make or become less hard or harsh, which has no relation to the meaning of "involve."
• C: Worry means to feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled, which is also irrelevant to the antonym of "involve."

The Karakoram mountain range, located in Pakistan, is renowned for hosting some of the world's highest and most challenging peaks, attracting mountaineers globally.

The correct answer is K-2. Peak Godwin Austen is the original name given to K-2, the second-highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet). It was named in honor of Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, a British surveyor who was part of the first expedition to survey the peak in 1856. K-2 is famously known as the 'Savage Mountain' due to its extreme difficulty and high fatality rate for climbers.

The other options are incorrect:

• Mount Everest is the world's highest peak, located in the Himalayas, not the Karakoram, and is not known as Godwin Austen.
• Nanga Parbat is the ninth-highest mountain, also in the Himalayas (Pakistan), and is known as the 'Killer Mountain'.
• Tirich Mir is the highest peak of the Hindu Kush range, located in Pakistan.

Programming languages are formal languages designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. They are used to create software programs.

• Pascal is the correct answer. Pascal is a well-known imperative and procedural programming language, developed by Niklaus Wirth in the late 1960s. It was designed to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and was widely used for teaching computer science and developing software.
• Netscape was a popular web browser and a company that played a significant role in the early development of the World Wide Web, but it is not a programming language.
• Internet Explorer was another prominent web browser developed by Microsoft, used for accessing and viewing websites, not for writing code.
• Windows is an operating system developed by Microsoft. An operating system manages computer hardware and software resources, providing a platform for other applications to run, but it is not a programming language itself.

Therefore, Pascal is the only option that fits the definition of a programming language.

The question asks to match the English proverb "A guilty conscience needs no accuser" with its correct Urdu translation. This proverb implies that a person who has committed a wrong act will often betray their guilt through their actions or words, even without being directly accused.

The correct answer is B: چور کی داڑھی میں تھوکا (Chor ki darhi mein thooka). This Urdu idiom literally translates to "spit in the thief's beard." It signifies that a guilty person will often react defensively or show signs of guilt when an accusation is made, even if it's indirect or general, thus revealing their own culpability. This perfectly captures the essence of the English proverb.

• A: جور کی داڑھی میں تکا (Jor ki darhi mein tukka) is grammatically incorrect and does not form a recognized proverb. "جور" (Jor) means oppression, not thief.
• C: جور چور اکاٹ بڑی (Jor chor akaat bari) is also grammatically incorrect and not a known proverb.
• D: چار آنکھیں چار خبریں (Char aankhen char khabren) translates to "four eyes, four news," which is not a proverb and bears no relation to the concept of guilt.

The River Thames is a fundamental geographical feature of England, flowing through the heart of London and much of Southern England. It is recognized as the longest river entirely within England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom. Its historical and economic significance to England is immense, having served as a vital trade route and a source of inspiration for centuries.

• B: England is the correct answer because the Thames is intrinsically linked to English geography and culture.
• A: France's longest river is the Loire, a completely different waterway.
• C: Italy's longest river is the Po, which flows across northern Italy.
• D: Germany's major rivers include the Rhine and the Elbe, neither of which is the Thames.

Therefore, the Thames is unequivocally the largest river of England.

Email communication uses specific fields to address recipients and manage how they receive and view the message. The "CC" field is a standard part of this system.

• Carbon Copy is the correct answer. The term "CC" stands for Carbon Copy, a legacy term from the days of typewriters where carbon paper was used to create duplicate copies of a document. In email, placing an address in the CC field means that recipient will receive a copy of the email, and their address will be visible to all other recipients in the To, CC, and sometimes even BCC fields (depending on the email client).
• Cereal Communication is a nonsensical phrase and has no relation to email terminology.
• Copy and Cut are common editing functions (for text or objects) in software applications, not an email addressing convention.
• Contact Copy, while involving contacts and copies, is not the recognized or correct abbreviation for the email field.

Understanding email fields like CC and BCC is crucial for professional communication.

The question asks about the title under which Allama Iqbal's poetry from his final period is included. Allama Iqbal was a renowned poet-philosopher whose works are categorized into different collections, each reflecting various phases of his thought and life.

The correct answer is A: ارمغانِ حجاز (Armaghan-e-Hijaz). This collection is indeed Allama Iqbal's last poetic work, published posthumously in 1938, shortly after his death. It contains both Urdu and Persian poetry and reflects his final philosophical thoughts, spiritual journey, and profound longing for Hijaz (the holy land of Mecca and Medina).

• B: جاوید نامہ (Javid Nama) is a long philosophical poem, often called "The Book of Eternity," but it was published in 1932, preceding Armaghan-e-Hijaz.
• C: ضربِ کلیم (Zarb-e-Kaleem) was published in 1936 and is known as "The Staff of Moses," focusing on social and political issues, but it is not his absolute last work.
• D: بانگِ درا (Bang-e-Dra) was his first Urdu poetry collection, published in 1924, representing his early period.

Every sovereign nation has a designated capital city that serves as its seat of government and often its cultural and economic hub. For the South American nation of Colombia, this vital role is played by Bogota.

• B: Bogota is the correct answer. It is the official capital and largest city of Colombia, situated high in the Andes mountains. It is the country's political, economic, administrative, industrial, artistic, cultural, and sports center.
• A: Santiago is the capital city of Chile, a different South American country.
• C: La Paz is one of the two capitals of Bolivia, serving as the administrative capital, while Sucre is the constitutional capital.
• D: None of these is incorrect because Bogota is indeed the capital of Colombia and is listed as an option.

Understanding the capitals of major countries is a basic aspect of world geography.

Keyboards are organized into different sections, each serving a specific purpose. The arrow keys are a distinct group with a primary function.

• Navigation keys is the correct answer. The arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) are specifically designed to move the cursor, scroll through documents, navigate menus, or move between cells in a spreadsheet. They are also commonly referred to as cursor control keys because they control the position of the cursor or selection.
• Function keys are the keys labeled F1 through F12, typically located at the top of the keyboard. Their functions vary depending on the software application being used.
• Alphanumeric keys include all the letter (A-Z) and number (0-9) keys, along with punctuation marks, used for typing text and numerical data.
• Special keys is a broad category that might include many non-alphanumeric keys like Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Enter, etc. While arrow keys are special in their function, "Navigation keys" is the most precise and commonly accepted term for them.

Therefore, the arrow keys are best described as navigation keys due to their primary role in moving around digital interfaces.

اردو قواعد کو بنیادی طور پر پانچ حصوں میں تقسیم کیا جاتا ہے۔ یہ تمام حصے زبان کو صحیح طریقے سے بولنے، پڑھنے اور لکھنے کے بنیادی اصول فراہم کرتے ہیں۔

ان پانچ حصوں کی تفصیل درج ذیل ہے:

• علمِ ہجّا: اردو قواعد کا یہ حصہ حروف تہجی کے صوتی اور تحریری نظام، حرکات و سکنات (زبر، زیر، پیش) اور تلفظ سے متعلق معلومات فراہم کرتا ہے۔
• علمِ صرف: اس حصے میں الفاظ کی ساخت، ان کے روپ بدلنے، واحد سے جمع بنانے اور نئے الفاظ اخذ کرنے کے قوانین سکھائے جاتے ہیں۔
• علمِ نحو: اس حصے میں جملوں کی درست بنت، الفاظ کی ترتیب اور کلمات کے باہمی تعلق کے اصول بیان کیے جاتے ہیں تاکہ مفہوم واضح ہو۔
• علمِ بلاغت: قواعد کے اس حصے کے ذریعے کلام کی لفظی اور معنوی خوبیاں، استعارہ، تشبیہ اور روزمرہ کی گہری باتیں سیکھی جاتی ہیں۔
• علمِ عروض: یہ شاعری کا حصہ ہے، جس میں وزن، بحر، قافیہ اور ردیف کی پہچان کے ذریعے شعر کو قواعد کے پیمانے پر پرکھنا سکھایا جاتا ہے۔

Big Ben is the iconic nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It is one of the most famous landmarks globally, synonymous with the city and the United Kingdom. The clock tower itself is officially known as Elizabeth Tower. Therefore, London is the correct location.

• Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, known for its historic Old Town Square and Charles Bridge, but not Big Ben.
• Budapest is the capital of Hungary, famous for its thermal baths and the Parliament Building, distinct from London's landmarks.
• Bombay (now Mumbai) is a major city in India, a bustling metropolis with its own unique cultural and architectural heritage, entirely separate from European capitals.

The Arya Samaj was a significant Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Its primary aim was to revive Vedic values and practices, advocating for a return to the original teachings of the Vedas while rejecting idolatry, the caste system, child marriage, and other social evils prevalent in Hinduism at the time.

The correct answer is 1875. Swami Dayananda Saraswati officially established the Arya Samaj on April 10, 1875, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. This date marks the formal beginning of a movement that profoundly impacted Hindu society and contributed to the Indian nationalist awakening.

The other options are incorrect: 1874, 1877, and 1878 are close but do not correspond to the actual founding year of the Arya Samaj. While the movement gained momentum and expanded its influence in the years following its establishment, its foundational year remains unequivocally 1875.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a deeply rooted ethnic and territorial dispute primarily between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This volatile region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically populated by ethnic Armenians, has been a flashpoint for decades. The conflict escalated into full-scale wars multiple times, most notably in the early 1990s, 2020, and 2023, directly involving the armed forces of both nations. Therefore, Armenia and Azerbaijan is the accurate answer.

• Russia and Ukraine are engaged in a separate, ongoing geopolitical conflict.
• China and India have long-standing border disputes in the Himalayas.
• The conflict between Israel and Palestine is centered in the Middle East, involving complex historical and religious factors.

These are distinct international issues unrelated to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Constitution of Pakistan, adopted in 1973, is the supreme law of the land, outlining the structure of the government and the rights of its citizens. It clearly defines the roles of various state functionaries, including the President and the Prime Minister.

The correct answer is Article 41. Specifically, Article 41(1) of the 1973 Constitution states, "There shall be a President of Pakistan who shall be the Head of the State and shall represent the unity of the Republic." This article unequivocally establishes the President as the ceremonial head of state, symbolizing national unity, while the Prime Minister serves as the head of government.

The other options are incorrect: Article 370 is not part of Pakistan's 1973 Constitution; it refers to a specific article in the Indian Constitution concerning Jammu and Kashmir. Article 90 of the 1973 Constitution deals with the exercise of executive authority by the Federal Government, not the President's role as head of state. Therefore, "None of these" is also incorrect as Article 41 precisely addresses the question.

The groundbreaking popular science book "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes" was written by the renowned British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking. Published in 1988, the book aimed to explain complex concepts about the universe, such as the Big Bang, black holes, and spacetime, to a general audience. Hawking's ability to simplify intricate scientific theories made the book a global bestseller.

• Jane Goodall is a famous primatologist known for her work with chimpanzees.
• Alan Guth is a theoretical physicist who proposed the theory of cosmic inflation, but did not write this specific book.
• James Watson is a molecular biologist, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.