UPSC Prelims 2026 Geography questions: topic-wise weightage
UPSC Prelims 2026 asked 9 geography questions in GS Paper I, spread over 3 topics. See the geography weightage for 2026 below, then attempt each question with the official answer and an explanation.
Geography 2026: questions by topic
- India: relief, rivers, lakes and monsoon4
- India: soils, vegetation, agriculture, minerals, energy, industry, population1
- World geography and places in the news (mapping)4
Counted from the 9 questions on this page, tagged by topic in the Battle IAS PYQ bank.
Seeing 9 Geography questions spread over 3 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
India: relief, rivers, lakes and monsoon 4
Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information :
- 1. It has an antecedent drainage system.
- 2. It flows through three countries.
- 3. It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation.
- 4. It does not form distributaries.
Select the answer from the following :
Answer (c) & explanation
The river is the Sutlej (c). Clue 1: the Sutlej rises near Rakshastal in Tibet and cuts across the Himalaya at Shipki La, so it is antecedent, older than the mountains it crosses. Clue 2: it flows through China, India and Pakistan. Clue 3: it feeds Bhakra and the Punjab canals. Clue 4: as a tributary joining the Chenab, it has no delta. Options (a) and (b) are wrong: the Brahmaputra and Indus end in deltas with distributaries. Option (d) is wrong: the Teesta rises in Sikkim, not Tibet.
Notice other antecedent rivers: the Indus and Brahmaputra, which cut deep gorges. The Sutlej is part of the Indus Waters Treaty "eastern rivers", given to India.
Brahmaputra and Indus also rise in Tibet, cross three countries and are antecedent. Statement 4 is the only one that separates them.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct ?
- 1. Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the highest number of other Indian States.
- 2. Rajasthan shares the longest international border among all Indian States.
- 3. Sikkim is the only State that shares its boundary with just one other Indian State.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are not correct (c). Statement 1 is correct: Uttar Pradesh touches eight States, plus Delhi, the most of any State. Statement 2 is wrong: the longest international border belongs to West Bengal, with Bangladesh, not Rajasthan. Statement 3 is wrong: Sikkim touches only West Bengal, but Meghalaya also touches only one State, Assam, so the word "only" fails. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the trap: the question asks which are not correct. UP's neighbours are Uttarakhand, Himachal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Rajasthan has the longest border with Pakistan, about 1,070 km. Words like "only", "all" and "never" often hide the error.
The question asks for statements that are not correct. Statement 3 is half right; the word "only" breaks it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the climate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
- 1. The climate can be defined as a humid, tropical coastal climate.
- 2. It receives rainfall from both South-west monsoon and North-east monsoon.
- 3. Maximum precipitation is between December and May.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (b). Statement 1 is right: the islands lie close to the equator in the Bay of Bengal, so they are hot and humid all year, a tropical coastal climate. Statement 2 is right: they get rain from both the south-west and north-east monsoons, from about May to December. Statement 3 is wrong: January to April is the driest part of the year, so maximum rain is not between December and May. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the islands' features: Barren Island, India's only active volcano; Saddle Peak, the highest point; and Indira Point, India's southernmost tip. Rich tropical evergreen forests cover them, and cyclones often form nearby.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following geographical features or phenomena is/are associated with the Peninsular Block of India ?
- 1. Submergence of parts of the western coast due to tectonic activity
- 2. Presence of residual mountain ranges such as the Veliconda hills and Mahendragiri hills
- 3. Deep, V-shaped river valleys formed by fast-flowing rivers
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Features 1 and 2 belong to the Peninsular Block (b). The Peninsula is an old, stable block. Item 1 is right: faulting submerged parts of the west coast. Item 2 is right: long erosion left residual hills such as the Veliconda and Mahendragiri. Item 3 is wrong: Peninsular rivers are mature, with broad, shallow valleys; deep V-shaped valleys belong to the young Himalayan rivers. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice other Peninsular traits: Gondwana coal, Deccan Traps basalt, rift valleys of the Narmada and Tapi, which flow west into the Arabian Sea, and old block mountains like the Aravallis, among the world's oldest. Rivers here are rain-fed, not snow-fed.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
India: soils, vegetation, agriculture, minerals, energy, industry, population 1
Which of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct ?
- 1. Modern technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and space exploration extensively utilise Rare Earth Elements (REEs).
- 2. China has the highest share in mining of REEs followed by India.
- 3. The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.
- 4. Rare Earth Elements are a set of 13 metallic elements.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (a). Statement 1 is right: REEs are used in magnets, chips, batteries and satellites for AI, robotics and space. Statement 3 is right: the National Critical Mineral Mission was approved in January 2025 for self-reliance. Statement 2 is wrong: China leads mining by far, but the next producers are the USA, Myanmar and Australia, not India. Statement 4 is wrong: there are 17 rare earths, the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. So options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice India's position: it has about 6% of world REE reserves, mainly in monazite beach sands of Kerala, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, mined by IREL. China also controls most REE processing.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
World geography and places in the news (mapping) 4
Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean ?
- 1. Bahrain
- 2. Syria
- 3. Qatar
- 4. Egypt
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Bahrain and Qatar must cross the Strait of Hormuz (b). The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is the only sea exit from the Persian Gulf. Items 1 and 3 are right: Bahrain and Qatar lie wholly inside the Gulf, so their ships must pass it. Item 2 is wrong: Syria is on the Mediterranean. Item 4 is wrong: Egypt reaches the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice its importance: about a fifth of the world's oil passes through Hormuz, and much of India's crude and LNG (Qatar is a top LNG supplier). Iran's threats to close it raise prices. The UAE's pipeline to Fujairah and Saudi pipelines to the Red Sea help bypass it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Tungurahua Volcano, which was declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2025, is situated in which one among the following countries ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Tungurahua is in Ecuador (a). Tungurahua, meaning "throat of fire", is an active stratovolcano in the Andes of central Ecuador, above the town of Baños. UNESCO named the area around it a Global Geopark in 2025. Options (b), (c) and (d), Peru, Bolivia and Colombia, are wrong, though the Andes pass through all of them too.
Notice Ecuador's other famous volcanoes: Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes, and Chimborazo, whose summit is the point farthest from Earth's centre, because of the equatorial bulge. Ecuador also owns the Galápagos Islands. A Global Geopark honours geological heritage; India has none yet, though sites like Lonar have been proposed.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following statements with reference to Lake Turkana is/are correct ?
- 1. It is the largest desert lake in the world.
- 2. The lake is situated in South Sudan along the eastern fringe of the Sahara desert.
- 3. The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also referred to as the ‘Jade Sea’.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (b). Statement 1 is right: Lake Turkana is the world's largest permanent desert lake and its largest alkaline lake. Statement 3 is right: its national parks are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its green colour gives it the name "Jade Sea". Statement 2 is wrong: it lies in the Rift Valley of northern Kenya, with its northern tip in Ethiopia, not in South Sudan at the Sahara's edge. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice its fame for human origins: Turkana Boy, a nearly complete Homo erectus skeleton about 1.5 million years old, was found here. Ethiopia's Gibe III dam on the Omo River, the lake's main feeder, threatens its water level.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements about river bridges connecting India with neighbouring countries :
- 1. ‘Maitri Setu’, built over Feni river, connects Ramgarh in India with Sabroom in Bangladesh.
- 2. Jhulaghat suspension bridge connects India with Myanmar.
- 3. Mechi bridge and its approaches connect Panitanki Bypass in India with Kakarvitta in Nepal.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Only statement 3 is correct (d). Statement 3 is right: the Mechi bridge links Panitanki in West Bengal with Kakarvitta in Nepal. Statement 1 is wrong: Maitri Setu over the Feni river links Sabroom in Tripura with Ramgarh in Bangladesh; the statement swaps the towns. Statement 2 is wrong: the Jhulaghat suspension bridge crosses the Kali river between Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) and Nepal, not Myanmar. So options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice why Maitri Setu matters: it gives Tripura access to Chittagong port, only about 80 km away, easing the North-East's dependence on the narrow Siliguri Corridor. It was inaugurated in 2021. The Kali river also forms the India–Nepal border in the Kalapani dispute.
Statement 1 has the right river and the right towns, but each town is in the other country.
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.