Prelims GS I
Prelims GS I · 235 questions · 2011–2026
Geography: every Prelims question, by topic
UPSC syllabus: “Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.
Geography in Prelims 2023: 23 questions
All years →- Q1 · India: relief, rivers & drainageConsider the following statements: Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake. Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake. Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake.…
- Q2 · Population, settlement & transportConsider the following pairs: Kamarajar Port — First major port in India registered as a company Mundra Port — Largest privately owned port in India Visakhapatnam Port — Largest container port in Indi…
- Q3 · India: climate, soils & vegetationConsider the following trees: Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Mahua (Madhuca indica) Teak (Tectona grandis)…
- Q4 · Agriculture & cropsConsider the following statements: India has more arable area than China. The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China. The average productivity per hectare in Indian agricul…
- Q5 · India: relief, rivers & drainageWhich one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?…
- Q6 · Minerals, energy & industryIlmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?…
- Q7 · Minerals, energy & industryAbout three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by…
- Q8 · World: places, rivers & mappingWhich one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin?…
- Q9 · India: relief, rivers & drainageConsider the following statements: Amarkantak Hills are at the confluence of Vindhya and Sahyadri Ranges. Biligirirangan Hills constitute the easternmost part of Satpura Range. Seshachalam Hills const…
- Q10 · Population, settlement & transportWith reference to India's projects on connectivity, consider the following statements: East-West Corridor under Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat. Trilateral Highway connects M…
- Q11 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: India, despite having uranium deposits, depends on coal for most of its electricity production. Uranium, enriched to the extent of at least 60%, is required for the …
- Q27 · Agriculture & cropsConsider the following statements: The Government of India provides Minimum Support Price for niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seeds. Niger is cultivated as a Kharif crop. Some tribal people in India use n…
- Q55 · Agriculture & cropsWith reference to the role of biofilters in Recirculating Aquaculture System, consider the following statements: Biofilters provide waste treatment by removing uneaten fish feed. Biofilters convert am…
- Q60 · Minerals, energy & industryWith reference to green hydrogen, consider the following statements: It can be used directly as a fuel for internal combustion. It can be blended with natural gas and used as fuel for heat or power ge…
- Q61 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following countries: Bulgaria Czech Republic Hungary Latvia Lithuania Romania…
- Q62 · Climate & atmosphereWith reference to the Earth's atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?…
- Q63 · Earth, landforms & geomorphologyConsider the following statements: The soil in tropical rain forests is rich in nutrients. The high temperature and moisture of tropical rain forests cause dead organic matter in the soil to decompose…
- Q64 · Climate & atmosphereConsider the following statements: The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter. The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.…
- Q65 · Earth, landforms & geomorphologyConsider the following statements: In a seismograph, P waves are recorded earlier than S waves. In P waves, the individual particles vibrate to and fro in the direction of wave propagation whereas in …
- Q66 · Minerals, energy & industryWith reference to coal-based thermal power plants in India, consider the following statements: None of them uses seawater. None of them is set up in water-stressed district. None of them is privately …
- Q76 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: According to the United Nations' 'World Water Development Report, 2022', India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year. India ne…
- Q97 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following pairs: Donbas — Syria Kachin — Ethiopia Tigray — North Yemen…
- Q98 · World: places, rivers & mappingIn the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?…
Geography in UPSC Prelims at a glance
UPSC has asked 235 questions on Geography in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 15 a year, the most in 2023 (23). The most-asked topic is Agriculture & crops (44 questions).
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 14 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 11 |
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.
- Agriculture & crops44 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- India: relief, rivers & drainage38 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- Minerals, energy & industry38 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years
- World: places, rivers & mapping37 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years
- Climate & atmosphere30 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Earth, landforms & geomorphology15 questions · asked in 8 of 16 years
- Oceans13 questions · asked in 10 of 16 years
- India: climate, soils & vegetation13 questions · asked in 9 of 16 years
- Population, settlement & transport7 questions · asked in 6 of 16 years
Latest questions
- 2026 · Q11 · India: relief, rivers & drainageConsider the following assertion: In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of …
- 2026 · Q25 · India: relief, rivers & drainageIdentify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information:…
- 2026 · Q26 · India: relief, rivers & drainageWhich of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct?…
- 2026 · Q30 · World: places, rivers & mappingShips from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean?…
- 2026 · Q31 · World: places, rivers & mappingTungurahua Volcano, which was declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2025, is situated in which one among the following countries?…
The same ground in Mains
These official Mains syllabus lines cover Geography. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.
Geography PYQs as a PDF — free
All 48 PDFs →Every Geography question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 124 pages. Free; sign up once.
Geography PYQs: quick answers
How many Geography questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?
235 questions in GS Paper I — about 15 a year, the most in 2023 (23). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.
Which Geography topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?
Agriculture & crops: 44 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 15 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 Geography PYQs as a PDF?
Yes — a print-ready PDF of every Geography question with answers and explanations (124 pages, 2.5 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.
