Prelims GS I · 179 questions · 2011–2026
Science & technology: every Prelims question, by topic
UPSC syllabus: “General Science.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.
Science & technology in Prelims 2014: 9 questions
All years →- Q12 · Human body, health & diseasesConsider the following diseases: Diphtheria Chickenpox Smallpox…
- Q37 · Defence, nuclear & energy technologyWith reference to Agni-IV Missile, which of the following statements is/are correct? It is a surface-to-surface missile. It is fuelled by liquid propellant only. It can deliver one-tonne nuclear warhe…
- Q65 · Human body, health & diseasesWhich one of the following is the process involved in photosynthesis?…
- Q66 · IT, computing & emerging technologiesIn addition to fingerprint scanning, which of the following can be used in the biometric identification of a person? Iris scanning Retinal scanning Voice recognition…
- Q67 · Biotechnology & geneticsWhich of the following statements is/are correct regarding vegetative propagation of plants? Vegetative propagation produces clonal population. Vegetative propagation helps in eliminating the virus. V…
- Q68 · Space technologyWhich of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? Spacecraft: Purpose Cassini-Huygens: Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth Messenger: Mapping and investigating the Mercury Voyag…
- Q70 · Physics & chemistry in everyday lifeWhich of the following is/are the example/examples of chemical change? Crystallization of sodium chloride Melting of ice Souring of milk…
- Q72 · Biotechnology & geneticsConsider the following techniques/ phenomena: Budding and grafting in fruit plants Cytoplasmic male sterility Gene silencing…
- Q97 · Human body, health & diseasesConsider the following pairs: Vitamin C: Scurvy Vitamin D: Rickets Vitamin E: Night blindness…
Science & technology in UPSC Prelims at a glance
UPSC has asked 179 questions on Science & technology in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 11 a year, the most in 2011 (17). The most-asked topic is IT, computing & emerging technologies (47 questions).
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 17 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 13 |
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.
- IT, computing & emerging technologies47 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Human body, health & diseases33 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Biotechnology & genetics28 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years
- Physics & chemistry in everyday life26 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Space technology25 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Defence, nuclear & energy technology20 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
Latest questions
- 2026 · Q41 · Biotechnology & geneticsआनुवंशिक चिकित्सा (जेनेटिक मेडिसिन) के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से कथन सही है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q42 · IT, computing & emerging technologiesयंत्र अधिगम (मशीन लर्निंग) में प्रयुक्त लार्ज लैंग्वेज मॉडलों (LLMs) के संबंध में निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से कथन सही है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q43 · Defence, nuclear & energy technologyस्टेल्थ (stealth) प्रौद्योगिकी के संबंध में निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से कथन सही है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q44 · Physics & chemistry in everyday lifeआधुनिक विमानों में प्रयुक्त होने वाले ब्लैक बॉक्सों के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से कथन सही है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q46 · Space technologyभारत के अंतरिक्ष कार्यक्रम में निजी संस्थाओं की भागीदारी के संबंध में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :…
The same ground in Mains
These official Mains syllabus lines cover Science & technology. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.
Science & technology PYQs as a PDF — free
All 48 PDFs →Every Science & technology question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 94 pages. Free; sign up once.
Science & technology PYQs: quick answers
How many Science & technology questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?
179 questions in GS Paper I — about 11 a year, the most in 2011 (17). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.
Which Science & technology topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?
IT, computing & emerging technologies: 47 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 13 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 Science & technology PYQs as a PDF?
Yes — a print-ready PDF of every Science & technology question with answers and explanations (94 pages, 1.9 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.
