UPSC Prelims 2015 Geography questions: topic-wise weightage
UPSC Prelims 2015 asked 14 geography questions in GS Paper I, spread over 4 topics. See the geography weightage for 2015 below, then attempt each question with the official answer and an explanation.
Geography 2015: questions by topic
- Climate and oceans5
- India: relief, rivers, lakes and monsoon4
- India: soils, vegetation, agriculture, minerals, energy, industry, population4
- World geography and places in the news (mapping)1
Counted from the 14 questions on this page, tagged by topic in the Battle IAS PYQ bank.
Seeing 14 Geography questions spread over 4 topics can feel overwhelming. That's exactly why the Battle IAS PYQ Book maps every question topic by topic, so you know what to study first. Download free sample
Climate and oceans 5
In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason?
Answer (b) & explanation
Tropical cyclones grow out of disturbances along the ITCZ. Over the South Atlantic and south-east Pacific, the ITCZ rarely moves south of the equator, so the seed disturbances seldom form. UPSC's key gives this as the reason (b). Option (a) is partly true, as cold currents cool the sea, but the key does not accept it. Option (c) is wrong because the Coriolis force at these latitudes is strong enough. Option (d) is wrong: cyclones need open ocean, so an absence of land would help, not hinder.
The cold Benguela and Humboldt currents and strong wind shear also help keep these seas cyclone-free.
Cool water there is real, but the official key picks the ITCZ. Learn the keyed reason.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
What explains the eastward flow of the equatorial counter-current?
Answer (b) & explanation
The North and South Equatorial Currents flow westward and pile up water on the western side of the oceans. This raised water flows back eastward as the counter-current, between the two westward currents, so the answer is convergence of the two equatorial currents (b). Option (a), Earth's rotation, drives the westward currents but does not explain the return flow. Salinity (c) is not the main driver, and the calm belt (d) only allows the flow to happen.
Notice how ocean currents act like a giant conveyor belt, and how shifts in this system are linked to El Niño and monsoon rainfall in India.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The winds which blow between 30° N and 60° S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
- 2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). The westerlies blow between 30° and 60° latitude in each hemisphere. Statement 1 is wrong because "30° N to 60° S" would stretch across the tropics, where the trade winds blow. Western disturbances, which bring winter rain and snow to north-west India, travel from the Mediterranean region on the westerly jet stream, so they are part of the westerlies.
Their winter rain is vital for the rabi wheat crop of Punjab and Haryana. Notice how a wind belt far away shapes Indian farming, and how the "roaring forties" mark strong westerlies in the south.
Statement 1 changes one letter, N to S, and the band then covers the tropics as well.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Tides occur in the oceans and seas due to which among the following?
- 1. Gravitational force of the Sun
- 2. Gravitational force of the Moon
- 3. Centrifugal force of the Earth
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (d) & explanation
All three contribute (d). Tides come from the Moon's gravitational pull (2), which is the strongest effect; the Sun's pull (1), which is weaker but still important; and the centrifugal force of the Earth–Moon system turning around a common centre (3). The pull creates a bulge facing the Moon, and the centrifugal effect creates one on the opposite side.
When Sun, Moon and Earth line up at new and full moon, the pulls add up to give spring tides. At right angles, during quarter moons, they partly cancel to give neap tides. Notice how the Gulf of Khambhat's high tides make it a site for tidal energy.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
“Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up, dark clouds form, then rain comes with thunder and lightning. But rain is soon over.” Which of the following regions is described in the above passage?
Answer (b) & explanation
The passage describes the equatorial climate (b). Strong heating every day drives convection: cumulonimbus clouds build up by afternoon and bring a short thunderstorm at about the same time each day, often called "four o'clock rain". There is hardly any seasonal change, so "each day is more or less the same". The savannah (a) and monsoon (c) climates have distinct wet and dry seasons, and the Mediterranean (d) has dry summers and wet winters.
Such climate supports dense tropical rainforests, as in the Amazon and Congo basins. Notice how daily weather can reveal the climate type.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
India: relief, rivers, lakes and monsoon 4
Which one of the following pairs of States of India indicates the easternmost and westernmost State?
Answer (d) & explanation
India's eastern limit, about 97°25′ E, lies in Arunachal Pradesh in the Dibang–Lohit area near Kibithu. The western limit, about 68°7′ E, lies in Gujarat at Guhar Moti in Kutch. So the answer is (d). Assam (a, c) lies west of Arunachal, and Rajasthan's western border (a, b) lies east of Kutch.
The roughly 30° spread of longitude creates about a two-hour difference in local time between the two ends. That is why India uses one standard meridian, 82°30′ E through Mirzapur, and why the North-East has long asked for its own time zone. Notice how geography shapes daily life.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Place of Pilgrimage | Location
| 1. Srisailam | Nallamala Hills
| 2. Omkareshwar | Satmala Hills
| 3. Pushkar | Mahadeo Hills
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only pair 1 is correct (a). The Srisailam jyotirlinga stands in the Nallamala Hills of the Eastern Ghats, beside the Krishna, in Andhra Pradesh. Omkareshwar is on an island in the Narmada, between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges in Madhya Pradesh, not in the Satmala Hills, which are in Maharashtra. Pushkar, with its lake and Brahma temple, lies in the Aravalli hills near Ajmer, not in the Mahadeo Hills (Pachmarhi).
The Nallamala forests also hold the Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam Tiger Reserve, India's largest. Notice how pilgrimage sites follow rivers and hills, linking culture with physical geography.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following rivers :
- 1. Vamsadhara
- 2. Indravati
- 3. Pranahita
- 4. Pennar
Which of the above are tributaries of Godavari?
Answer (d) & explanation
The Indravati, rising in Odisha and flowing through Bastar, and the Pranahita, formed by the Wardha and Wainganga, are left-bank tributaries of the Godavari (d). The Vamsadhara and the Pennar are separate east-flowing rivers that reach the Bay of Bengal on their own, so options with 1 or 4 fail.
The Godavari is the largest river of peninsular India, often called the Dakshin Ganga. Other tributaries include the Manjira and the Sabari. The Vamsadhara has been the subject of an Andhra–Odisha water dispute. Notice how tributary questions reward learning rivers in their basins.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In a particular region in India, the local people train the roots of living trees into robust bridges across the streams. As the time passes, these bridges become stronger. These unique ‘living root bridges’ are found in
Answer (a) & explanation
Living root bridges are found in Meghalaya (a). The Khasi and Jaintia people guide the aerial roots of the rubber fig (Ficus elastica) across streams, and over years the roots grow into strong bridges, such as the famous double-decker bridge at Nongriat. Himachal Pradesh (b), Jharkhand (c) and Tamil Nadu (d) do not have this tradition.
The bridges grow stronger with age and can last for centuries. The "Jingkieng Jri" root bridge landscapes were placed on UNESCO's tentative list in 2022. Notice how this shows indigenous engineering working with nature: a model of sustainable infrastructure.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
India: soils, vegetation, agriculture, minerals, energy, industry, population 4
With reference to ‘dugong’, a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. It is a herbivorous marine animal.
- 2. It is found along the entire coast of India.
- 3. It is given legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (c). The dugong or "sea cow" is a herbivorous marine mammal that grazes on seagrass (1). It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (3). Statement 2 is wrong: in India it survives only in the Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay, the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar islands, not along the entire coast.
Tamil Nadu notified India's first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay in 2022. It is listed as Vulnerable globally. Notice how protecting seagrass meadows protects the dugong, and also stores carbon.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following regions of India has a combination of mangrove forest, evergreen forest and deciduous forest?
Answer (d) & explanation
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands combine mangroves along creeks and coasts, tropical evergreen forest in the wet interior and moist deciduous forest on drier slopes (d). North Coastal Andhra (a) has mainly dry deciduous forest. South-West Bengal (b), with the Sundarbans, is mostly mangrove, and Southern Saurashtra (c) is dry, with thorn and dry deciduous forest.
The islands get heavy rain from both monsoons and lie near the equator, which explains this rich mix. Notice how island ecosystems are rich but fragile, as debates over the Great Nicobar project show.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following States :
- 1. Arunachal Pradesh
- 2. Himachal Pradesh
- 3. Mizoram
In which of the above States do ‘Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests’ occur?
Answer (c) & explanation
Tropical wet evergreen forests need more than 250 cm of rain and a short dry season. They are found in the Western Ghats, the North-East, including Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. So 1 and 3 are correct (c). Himachal Pradesh has subtropical pine and temperate forests instead, so options with 2 fail.
These forests are dense, multi-layered and tall, with trees such as rosewood, mahogany and ebony, and they never shed leaves all at once. Notice how rainfall and temperature decide forest type, so a rainfall map of India is a forest map too.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In India, in which one of the following types of forests is teak a dominant tree species?
Answer (a) & explanation
Teak and sal are the dominant trees of tropical moist deciduous forests, which get roughly 100–200 cm of rain (a). These forests grow along the Western Ghats, in central India and the Shiwalik foothills, and shed their leaves in the dry season. Tropical rain forests (b) are evergreen, with species such as rosewood and mahogany. Thorn scrub (c) has acacia and cactus-like plants, and temperate forests (d) have oak, deodar and conifers.
Teak also grows in the drier deciduous belt. Notice how teak's strength made it prized for shipbuilding, which led the British to set up India's first forest department.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
World geography and places in the news (mapping) 1
Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea?
Answer (b) & explanation
Jordan does not open onto the Mediterranean (b). It is nearly landlocked, with only about 26 km of coast at Aqaba on the Red Sea. Syria (a), Lebanon (c) and Israel (d) all have Mediterranean coastlines.
Jordan borders Israel, the West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and shares the Dead Sea with Israel and the West Bank. The port of Aqaba is its only gateway to the sea, making it vital for trade. Notice how UPSC returned to this idea in 2017; learning which West Asian countries touch which seas makes map questions much easier.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
All years by topic
Every question from 2011 to 2026, grouped by syllabus topic, with year-wise trends.