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 2025: 18 questions
All years →- Q6 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified. The Parliame…
- Q22 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following countries: Bolivia Brazil Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Venezuela…
- Q23 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following water bodies: Lake Tanganyika Lake Tonlé Sap Patos Lagoon…
- Q24 · Agriculture & cropsConsider the following statements about turmeric during the year 2022–23: India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric in the world. More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in India. Ma…
- Q25 · Earth, landforms & geomorphologyWhich of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift? The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa. The gold deposits of Ghana are deri…
- Q26 · Climate & atmosphereConsider the following statements: The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions. Subtropical and temperate areas have …
- Q27 · Climate & atmosphereConsider the following statements: In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans. In January, the air ove…
- Q28 · Earth, landforms & geomorphologyConsider the following statements: In the context of effect of water on rocks, chalk is known as a very permeable rock whereas clay is known as quite an impermeable or least permeable rock. Chalk is p…
- Q29 · Climate & atmosphereConsider the following statements: Without the atmosphere, temperature would be well below freezing point everywhere on the Earth's surface. Heat absorbed and trapped by the atmosphere maintains our p…
- Q31 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: Studies indicate that carbon dioxide emissions from cement industry account for more than 5% of global carbon emissions. Silica-bearing clay is mixed with limestone …
- Q33 · Earth, landforms & geomorphologyConsider the following statements: Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth’s rotation and axis. Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth’s ou…
- Q45 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following substances: Ethanol Nitroglycerine Urea…
- Q63 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: Of the two major ethanol producers in the world, i.e., Brazil and the United States of America, the former produces more ethanol than the latter. Unlike in the Unite…
- Q76 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following countries: United Kingdom Denmark New Zealand Australia Brazil…
- Q77 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following statements: Anadyr in Siberia and Nome in Alaska are a few kilometers from each other, but when people are waking up and getting set for breakfast in these cities, it would be d…
- Q79 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following pairs: Botswana — Diamond Chile — Lithium Indonesia — Nickel…
- Q80 · World: places, rivers & mappingConsider the following pairs: Mallorca — Italy Normandy — Spain Sardinia — France…
- Q89 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: In India, State Governments have no power for making rules for grant of concessions in respect of extraction of minor minerals even though such minerals are located …
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.
