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 2013: 16 questions
All years →- Q51 · Climate & atmosphereVariations in the length of daytime and night time from season to season are due to:…
- Q53 · Climate & atmosphereThe annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal areas. What is/are the reason/reasons? Thermal difference between land and water Variation in altitude …
- Q54 · Population, settlement & transport“Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” The above statement best describes which of the following regions?…
- Q55 · Climate & atmosphereDuring a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the: Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky. Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds. Violent upward movement of air and water part…
- Q56 · OceansThe most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where:…
- Q57 · India: climate, soils & vegetationWhich of the following statements regarding laterite soils of India are correct? They are generally red in colour. They are rich in nitrogen and potash. They are well-developed in Rajasthan and UP. Ta…
- Q58 · Minerals, energy & industryConsider the following statements: Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds. Mica occurs in abundance in Kodarma. Dharwars are famous for petroleum.…
- Q59 · Earth, landforms & geomorphologyConsider the following: Electromagnetic radiation Geothermal energy Gravitational force Plate movements Rotation of the earth Revolution of the earth…
- Q60 · Minerals, energy & industryWhich of the following is/are the characteristic/ characteristics of Indian coal? High ash content Low sulphur content Low ash fusion temperature…
- Q61 · Agriculture & cropsConsider the following crops: Cotton Groundnut Rice Wheat…
- Q62 · Minerals, energy & industryWhich one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?…
- Q63 · India: climate, soils & vegetationContour bunding is a method of soil conservation used in:…
- Q65 · India: relief, rivers & drainageThe Narmada river flows to the west, while most other large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why? It occupies a linear rift valley. It flows between the Vindhyas and the Satpuras. The land slopes t…
- Q68 · World: places, rivers & mappingWhich one of the following pairs is correctly matched? Geographical Feature Region…
- Q74 · OceansOn the planet earth, most of the freshwater exists as ice caps and glaciers. Out of the remaining freshwater, the largest proportion…
- Q80 · Minerals, energy & industryWith reference to the usefulness of the byproducts of the sugar industry, which of the following statements is/are correct? Bagasse can be used as biomass fuel for the generation of energy. Molasses c…
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 & drainageनिम्नलिखित अभिकथन पर विचार कीजिए : अत्यंत नूतन (प्लीस्टोसीन) काल में या तो यमुना, कभी सिन्धु में प्रवाहित होती थी, या फिर सतलुज, यमुना में प्रवाहित होती थी तथा इनमें से क…
- 2026 · Q25 · India: relief, rivers & drainageनिम्नलिखित सूचना के आधार पर भारतीय उप-महाद्वीप की नदी को पहचानिए :…
- 2026 · Q26 · India: relief, rivers & drainageभारतीय राज्यों के संदर्भ में निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से सही नहीं है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q30 · World: places, rivers & mappingनिम्नलिखित में से किन देशों से आने वाले जहाजों को हिंद महासागर तक पहुँचने के लिए होर्मुज जलडमरूमध्य (स्ट्रेट ऑफ़ होर्मुज) को पार करना होता है ?…
- 2026 · Q31 · World: places, rivers & mappingतुंगुराहुआ ज्वालामुखी, जिसे वर्ष 2025 में यूनेस्को (UNESCO) द्वारा एक वैश्विक भू-उद्यान (ग्लोबल जियोपार्क) घोषित किया गया था, निम्नलिखित में से किस देश में स्थित है ?…
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.
