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India: Physical Environment

Class 11 · Geography

Real UPSC Prelims questions from 2016–2026, linked to this book. Try each one first, then open the answer. 2026 answers follow UPSC's provisional answer key.

A question can draw on more than one chapter, so the chapter counts add up to more than 11.

Ch 2 · Structure and Physiography

Prelims 2018 · Q85

Consider the following statements:

  1. 1.The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory.
  2. 2.Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
  3. 3.The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a)1 only
  2. (b)2 and 3
  3. (c)3 only
  4. (d)1 and 3
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 2 (Structure and Physiography); Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 1 (Geographical Diversity of India).

The one fact NCERT doesn't give: Barren Island has erupted again since 1991, for example in 2005 and 2017, so it has not been inactive since then.

Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 2, calls it India's only active volcano (statement 1). Answer (a).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2018), question 85 ↗

Prelims 2026 · Q34

Which of the following geographical features or phenomena is/are associated with the Peninsular Block of India?

  1. 1.Submergence of parts of the western coast due to tectonic activity
  2. 2.Presence of residual mountain ranges such as the Veliconda hills and Mahendragiri hills
  3. 3.Deep, V-shaped river valleys formed by fast-flowing rivers

Select the answer using the code given below:

  1. (a)1 only
  2. (b)1 and 2
  3. (c)2 and 3
  4. (d)3 only
Show answer

UPSC's provisional answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 2 (Structure and Physiography).

Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 2: part of the Peninsula's western coast is submerged beneath the sea (1), and it has residual mountains such as the Veliconda and Mahendragiri hills (2). Its river valleys are shallow with low gradients (3 false). Answer (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2026), question 34 ↗

Ch 3 · Drainage System

Prelims 2016 · Q28

Which of the following is/are tributary/tributaries of Brahmaputra?

  1. 1.Dibang
  2. 2.Kameng
  3. 3.Lohit

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. (a)1 only
  2. (b)2 and 3 only
  3. (c)1 and 3 only
  4. (d)1, 2 and 3
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (d)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (Drainage System).

India: Physical Environment (ch 3): the Brahmaputra's left-bank tributaries include the Dibang and the Lohit, and its right-bank tributaries include the Kameng. All three are Brahmaputra tributaries. So (d).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2016), question 28 ↗

Prelims 2017 · Q30

With reference to river Teesta, consider the following statements:

  1. 1.The source of river Teesta is the same as that of Brahmaputra but it flows through Sikkim.
  2. 2.River Rangeet originates in Sikkim and it is a tributary of river Teesta.
  3. 3.River Teesta flows into Bay of Bengal on the border of India and Bangladesh.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a)1 and 3 only
  2. (b)2 only
  3. (c)2 and 3 only
  4. (d)1, 2 and 3
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (Drainage System).

India: Physical Environment (ch 3): the Tista joins the Brahmaputra inside Bangladesh, so it does not flow into the Bay of Bengal on the border — statement 3 is false. Every option except (b) contains 3. So (b).

Beyond NCERT: the Teesta itself rises inside Sikkim, from the glacial lake Khangchung Chho below the Teesta Khangse glacier, so statement 1 is false. The Rangit is one of its right-bank tributaries (statement 2). Source: Government of Sikkim (Forests & Environment), State of Environment 2007 – Sikkim, ch 3 'Water Resources', incl. Table 3.1

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2017), question 30 ↗

Prelims 2019 · Q38

Consider the following pairs:

Glacier : River

  1. 1.Bandarpunch : Yamuna
  2. 2.Bara Shigri : Chenab
  3. 3.Milam : Mandakini
  4. 4.Siachen : Nubra
  5. 5.Zemu : Manas

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. (a)1, 2 and 4
  2. (b)1, 3 and 4
  3. (c)2 and 5
  4. (d)3 and 5
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (Drainage System).

India: Physical Environment (ch 3): the Yamuna rises in the Yamunotri glacier on the Banderpunch range (pair 1 right). But the Milam glacier is the source of the Sarda, not the Mandakini (pair 3 wrong). Only (a) has 1 without 3. So (a).

Beyond NCERT: pair 5 is wrong too: the Zemu glacier lies in the Zemu Chu basin, part of the Teesta basin in Sikkim, so it feeds the Teesta, not the Manas. Source: Government of Sikkim, State of Environment 2007 – Sikkim, ch 3 (glacier tables from the Glacier Atlas of Teesta Basin; Table 3.1 lists Zemu Chhu as a right-bank tributary of the Teesta)

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2019), question 38 ↗

Prelims 2022 · Q25

Consider the following pairs:

Peak : Mountains

  1. 1.Namcha Barwa — Garhwal Himalaya
  2. 2.Nanda Devi — Kumaon Himalaya
  3. 3.Nokrek — Sikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. (a)1 and 2
  2. (b)2 only
  3. (c)1 and 3
  4. (d)3 only
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (Drainage System); Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (Natural Vegetation).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 3, places Namcha Barwa where the Brahmaputra bends round the eastern Himalaya, far from Garhwal, so pair 1 is wrong. Ch 5 lists the Nokrek biosphere reserve in Meghalaya, not Sikkim, so pair 3 is wrong. That leaves (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2022), question 25 ↗

Prelims 2024 · Q6

With reference to the Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Prayagraj from West to East, which one of the following sequences is correct?

  1. (a)Ghaghara – Gomati – Gandak – Kosi
  2. (b)Gomati – Ghaghara – Gandak – Kosi
  3. (c)Ghaghara – Gomati – Kosi – Gandak
  4. (d)Gomati – Ghaghara – Kosi – Gandak
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (Drainage System).

The one fact NCERT doesn't give: NCERT's list of the Ganga's left-bank tributaries (Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda) runs from west to east. You can confirm it on the drainage map in the same chapter.

Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 3, gives the list in that order. Answer (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2024), question 6 ↗

Prelims 2026 · Q25

Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information:

  1. 1.It has an antecedent drainage system.
  2. 2.It flows through three countries.
  3. 3.It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation.
  4. 4.It does not form distributaries.

Select the answer from the following:

  1. (a)Brahmaputra
  2. (b)Indus
  3. (c)Sutlej
  4. (d)Teesta
Show answer

UPSC's provisional answer: (c)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (Drainage System).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 3: the Satluj rises near Mansarovar in Tibet, is an antecedent river, and feeds the Bhakra Nangal canals. It ends in the Panjnad, which joins the Indus in Pakistan, so it crosses three countries. Answer (c).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2026), question 25 ↗

Ch 4 · Climate

Prelims 2023 · Q64

Consider the following statements:

Statement–I:

The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter.

Statement–II:

The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. (a)Both Statement–I and Statement–II are correct and Statement–II is the correct explanation for Statement–I
  2. (b)Both Statement–I and Statement–II are correct and Statement–II is not the correct explanation for Statement–I
  3. (c)Statement–I is correct but Statement–II is incorrect
  4. (d)Statement–I is incorrect but Statement–II is correct
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (d)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 8 (Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature); Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 4 (Climate).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, ch 8: isotherms bend most in January, so the land–ocean contrast is greatest in the northern winter and statement I is false. Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 4: water heats up and cools down more slowly than land, which is what a higher specific heat means, so II is true. Answer (d).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2023), question 64 ↗

Ch 5 · Natural Vegetation

Prelims 2021 · Q60

"Leaf litter decomposes faster than in any other biome and as a result the soil surface is often almost bare. Apart from trees, the vegetation is largely composed of plant forms that reach up into the canopy vicariously, by climbing the trees or growing as epiphytes, rooted on the upper branches of trees." This is the most likely description of

  1. (a)coniferous forest
  2. (b)dry deciduous forest
  3. (c)mangrove forest
  4. (d)tropical rain forest
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (d)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 11 (World Climate and Climate Change); Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (Natural Vegetation).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, ch 11: tropical rain forests have a dense canopy. Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 5: climbers are typical of evergreen forests. A description built on canopy, climbers and plants growing on tree branches fits only the rain forest. Answer (d).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2021), question 60 ↗

Prelims 2026 · Q23

Which of the following best explain(s) the rationale for protecting mangrove ecosystems in the context of climate resilience?

  1. 1.Mangroves reduce tidal energy and store freshwater, making them ideal sites for paddy cultivation in saline estuarine belts.
  2. 2.Their salt-sensitive roots filter seawater, making mangroves key to converting coastal land into freshwater aquaculture zones.
  3. 3.By withstanding tidal surges and offering biomass resources, mangroves function both as natural bio-shields and livelihood bases for rural communities.

Select the answer using the code given below:

  1. (a)1 only
  2. (b)1 and 2
  3. (c)2 and 3
  4. (d)3 only
Show answer

UPSC's provisional answer: (d)

NCERT answers it: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (Natural Vegetation); Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 6 (Landforms and their Evolution); Class 9 Exploration, Ch 12 (Patterns in Life: Diversity and Classification).

How to solve it with NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, ch 5: mangroves grow in salt marshes, tidal creeks and estuaries, so they are neither salt-sensitive nor freshwater stores (1, 2 false). Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, ch 6: mangroves absorb storm and tsunami waves (3). Answer (d).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2026), question 23 ↗

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