Prelims GS I · 159 questions · 2011–2026
International relations & current affairs: every Prelims question, by topic
UPSC syllabus: “Current events of national and international importance.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.
International relations & current affairs in Prelims 2021: 7 questions
All years →- Q50 · International organisations & groupingsConsider the following statements: 21st February is declared to be the International Mother Language Day by UNICEF. The demand that Bangla has to be one of the national languages was raised in the Con…
- Q84 · Government schemes & initiativesAt the national level, which ministry is the nodal agency to ensure effective implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006?…
- Q96 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards: Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India. Padma Awards, which were i…
- Q97 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements: The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Arbor Day Foundation have recently recognized Hyderabad as 2020 Tree City of the World. Hyderabad was sel…
- Q98 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements in respect of the Laureus World Sports Award which was instituted in the year 2000: American golfer Tiger Woods was the first winner of this award. The award was rece…
- Q99 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements in respect of the 32nd Summer Olympics: The official motto for this Olympics is 'A New World'. Sport Climbing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate and Baseball are include…
- Q100 · Persons, awards & miscellanyConsider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship: The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won mo…
International relations & current affairs in UPSC Prelims at a glance
UPSC has asked 159 questions on International relations & current affairs in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 10 a year, the most in 2016 (23). The most-asked topic is International organisations & groupings (56 questions).
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 6 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 21 |
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.
- International organisations & groupings56 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years
- Government schemes & initiatives36 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- Persons, awards & miscellany22 questions · asked in 9 of 16 years
- India & the world: places, pacts & relations20 questions · asked in 11 of 16 years
- Security, defence & exercises15 questions · asked in 8 of 16 years
- Reports & indices10 questions · asked in 7 of 16 years
Latest questions
- 2026 · Q35 · Government schemes & initiativesConsider the following statements with reference to the Sagarmala Programme of the Government of India: I. The Sagarmala Programme seeks to achieve port-led economic grow…
- 2026 · Q38 · International organisations & groupingsAt the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) held in June, 2025 in France, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations demonstrated its leading vo…
- 2026 · Q60 · Security, defence & exercisesConsider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India:…
- 2026 · Q61 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsConsider the following statements about river bridges connecting India with neighbouring countries:…
- 2026 · Q64 · India & the world: places, pacts & relationsWhich of the following international conventions have not been ratified by India?…
The same ground in Mains
These official Mains syllabus lines cover International relations & current affairs. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.
International relations & current affairs PYQs as a PDF — free
All 48 PDFs →Every International relations & current affairs question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 98 pages. Free; sign up once.
International relations & current affairs PYQs: quick answers
How many International relations & current affairs questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?
159 questions in GS Paper I — about 10 a year, the most in 2016 (23). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.
Which International relations & current affairs topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?
International organisations & groupings: 56 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 14 of 16 years. The topics are listed above, most asked first, each with its year-by-year trend.
Are the answers UPSC's official answer keys?
From 2016, yes: every answer is from UPSC's final answer key (2016–2025); for 2011–2015, where UPSC published no key online, each answer is worked out from official sources and reviewed independently; for 2026 UPSC has so far published a provisional key, and those answers are labelled. Explanations cite official sources — NCERT and government pages first.
Can I download the International relations & current affairs PYQs as a PDF?
Yes — a print-ready PDF of every International relations & current affairs question with answers and explanations (98 pages, 2 MB), free after a one-time sign-up, from the Vault's downloads page.
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault; answers are UPSC's keys.
