CSAT (Paper II): previous-year questions
1280 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 400 of them came in the last five papers.
How often UPSC asks this
Questions per year, counted from the official papers.
Subtopics
Arrangements, ranking, ordering and puzzles
142 questions
Clocks and calendars
5 questions
Coding-decoding, series, patterns, cubes, dice and visual reasoning
110 questions
Communication, interpersonal skills and decision-making
10 questions
Counting, permutations, combinations and probability
1 questions
Directions, blood relations and Venn diagrams
60 questions
General English: grammar, vocabulary and comprehension
20 questions
General Hindi: grammar, vocabulary, dialects and comprehension
25 questions
Geometry and mensuration
26 questions
Number system and basic algebra (divisibility, HCF/LCM, remainders, digits, equations)
196 questions
Percentages, profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest
47 questions
Ratio, proportion, averages, mixtures and alligation
47 questions
Syllogisms, statements and conclusions, assumptions and arguments
89 questions
Time and work; pipes and cisterns
2 questions
Time, speed and distance; trains, boats and streams; races
48 questions
Attempt the questions
Newest papers first. Tap an option; the answer and the reason appear instantly.
Read the passage
In our country, regrettably, teaching and learning for the examination have been our forte but the new demands of society and the future of work require critical and independent thinking, learning through doing, asking questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives on the same issue, using evidence for building arguments, and reflecting and articulation. Higher education should not “either be a mere servant of the government policy or a passive respondent to public mood.” Higher learning is all about how to think rather than what to think. Teaching has to be re-invented.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. Higher education is a constantly evolving subject that needs to align towards new developments in all spheres of society.
- II. In our country, sufficient funds are not allocated for promoting higher education.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid ?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only assumption I is valid (a). Step 1: the passage says "the new demands of society and the future of work" need new kinds of learning, and teaching must be re-invented. So higher education must keep evolving with society (I). Step 2: assumption II, about insufficient funds for higher education, is never mentioned. The passage is about teaching methods, not money. Step 3: so options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: reject assumptions that bring in a new topic like funds, staff or buildings when the passage talks only about methods. A valid assumption must link directly to the author's argument.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements:
- I. There exists a natural number which when increased by 50% can have its number of factors unchanged.
- II. There exists a natural number which when increased by 150% can have its number of factors unchanged.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Step 1: "there exists" needs just one example. Step 2: statement I: increase by 50% means × 1.5. Take 2 → 3. Both are primes with exactly 2 factors. So the factor count is unchanged: true. Step 3: statement II: increase by 150% means × 2.5. Take 2 → 5. Again both are primes with 2 factors: true. Options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Tip: for "there exists" statements, hunt for one simple example; for "always" statements, hunt for one counter-example. Primes are handy because they all have exactly two factors.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming, but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and pragmatic message conveyed by the author of the passage?
Answer (d) & explanation
The message is that India needs climate strategies at the State or regional level (d). Step 1: the passage says each State faces "a distinctive set of challenges" and has its own opportunities. Coasts face sea-level rise; dry districts face erratic monsoons; peninsular areas suit wind power. Step 2: so plans must suit each region: (d). Step 3: option (a) makes it solely the State's duty; the passage does not exclude the Centre. Option (b) is defeatist. Option (c) gives the job only to the Union Government, against the passage.
Tip: prefer options that match the passage's scope without adding "only" or "essentially". India has a National Action Plan on Climate Change, and every State has its own State Action Plan.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In only 50 years, the world’s consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100 billion tons. Less than 9% of this is reused. Batteries of old vehicles contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers’ risks are being aggravated by their suppliers’ poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense. Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and pragmatic message conveyed by the passage?
Answer (c) & explanation
The message is that a circular economy can support sustainable growth (c). Step 1: the passage says raw material use has nearly quadrupled in 50 years, but less than 9% is reused. Battery metals like lithium and cobalt are costly and supply chains are risky. Step 2: it concludes "reusing materials makes sense", sending old batteries back to factories for new ones. Reuse in a loop is a circular economy: (c). Step 3: option (a) says green economy is "not possible" without it. Option (b) says "every sector immediately". Option (d) says "only option". All three are extreme.
Tip: "can be beneficial" is mild and safe; prefer it over absolute options. India's Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, make producers responsible for collecting and recycling batteries.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In a T20 cricket match, three players X, Y and Z scored a total of 37 runs. The ratio of number of runs scored by X to the number of runs scored by Y is equal to ratio of number of runs scored by Y to number of runs scored by Z.
Value-I = Runs scored by X
Value-II = Runs scored by Y
Value-III = Runs scored by Z
Which one of the following is correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
The order cannot be determined (d). Step 1: X : Y = Y : Z means Y² = XZ: the three scores are in continued proportion (a geometric pattern). Step 2: with a total of 37, the whole-number answer is 9, 12, 16 (12² = 9 × 16 = 144). Step 3: but X = 9, Z = 16 and X = 16, Z = 9 both satisfy X : Y = Y : Z. So the scores could rise or fall. Since the order is not fixed, the answer cannot be determined. Options (a), (b) and (c) each pick one order.
Tip: a ratio condition like X : Y = Y : Z is symmetric in X and Z. Check whether swapping values still fits before choosing an order.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
One of the dismal realities of the agricultural sector in independent India has been that it never experienced a high-growth phase, unlike the non-agricultural economy. The highest decadal growth (compound annual growth rate or CAGR) for agriculture has been just 3·5% in the 1980s. Also, after experiencing a spurt in decadal growth during the 1980s, agricultural growth suffered relative stagnation thereafter. This is in sharp contrast to non-agricultural growth, which consistently increased from the 1980s to 2000s.
With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:
The growing divergence between the fortunes of the agricultural and non-agricultural economy in India could have been reduced/contained by :
- I. adapting large-scale cultivation of commercial crops and viable corporate farming.
- II. providing free insurance for all crops and heavily subsidizing seeds, fertilizers, electricity and farm machinery at par with developed countries.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither assumption is valid (d). Step 1: the passage only describes the gap: agriculture stagnated while non-farm growth rose. It suggests no remedy. Step 2: assumption I, corporate farming and commercial crops, and assumption II, free insurance and heavy subsidies, are possible policies, but neither is mentioned or implied. Step 3: they come from outside knowledge, so neither is an assumption of this passage. Options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: when a passage only describes a problem, any specific solution is outside it. Do not accept a remedy just because it sounds reasonable. India already runs PM Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance) and PM-KISAN, but the passage does not discuss them.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
“A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But, though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense. The national unity of free people depends upon a sufficiently even balance of political power to make it impracticable for the administration to be arbitrary and for opposition to be revolutionary and irreconcilable.”
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made
- I. In a democracy, a strong opposition is required only if the Head of Government is indifferent.
- II. The more aggressive the opposition, the better is the governance in a democracy.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither assumption is valid (d). Step 1: assumption I says a strong opposition is needed "only if" the head of government is indifferent. But the passage says even a wise statesman should "pray never to be left without opponents". So opposition is always needed; I fails. Step 2: assumption II says the more aggressive the opposition, the better. The passage wants balance, and warns against opposition that is "revolutionary and irreconcilable". So II fails. Step 3: options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: "only if" and "the more ... the better" are traps. Passages about balance reject extremes on both sides.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Maintaining an ecosystem just to conserve biodiversity will affect its commercial potential as well as the livelihoods dependent on the ecosystem. There is also a conflict between using an ecosystem only for livelihoods, for commercial exploitation, or strictly for conservation. Deforestation caused due to commercial exploitation will lead to indirect harm like floods, siltation problems and microclimatic instability, apart from adversely affecting livelihoods dependent on forests. These conflicts are particularly acute in developing countries where the dependence of people on the ecosystem is significant, and commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the author of the passage?
Answer (c) & explanation
The critical message is that livelihoods and ecosystem damage feed each other, causing conflict and imbalance (c). Step 1: the passage says conservation, livelihoods and commercial use pull against each other. Step 2: it adds that deforestation causes floods, siltation and climate instability, which in turn hurt livelihoods. So each problem worsens the other: (c). Step 3: option (a) dismisses conservation; the passage does not. Option (b) brings in fundamental rights, never mentioned. Option (d) says exploitation should be "completely stopped"; the passage weighs trade-offs and even notes it can boost national income.
Tip: passages about "conflicts" usually want a balanced answer. Reject extreme options like "completely stopped". This trade-off is the core idea of sustainable development.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
If there is inequality in the pattern of population growth, there is greater inequality in food production and utilization. As societies become wealthier, their consumption of animal products increases. This means that a greater proportion of such basic foodstuff as grains and legumes that could feed humans directly is instead being converted into feed for poultry and large farm animals. Yet this conversion of plant-based food into animal food for humans is far from efficient. Only 16% of the calories fed to chickens are recovered by us when we eat them. This conversion rate goes down to five to seven per cent in large animals that are fed grain to add fat and some protein before slaughter.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the passage?
Answer (b) & explanation
The crux is that animal-based food is far less efficient than plant-based food (b). Step 1: the passage says richer societies eat more animal products, so grain that could feed people is fed to animals. Step 2: it gives numbers: only 16% of calories fed to chickens come back to us, and just 5–7% for large animals. It calls this "far from efficient." That is (b). Step 3: options (a), a public policy, and (c), replacing animal protein, are prescriptions the passage does not make. Option (d) calls inequality "inevitable", which is not said.
Tip: crux questions want what the passage proves, not what someone should do about it. The numbers here prove inefficiency.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
There are 7 places A, B, C, D, E, F, and G in a city connected by various roads AB, CD, DE, BF, EG. A is 6 km south of B. A is 10 km west of C. D is 5 km east of E. C is 6 km north of D. F is 9 km west of B. F is 12 km north of G. A person travels from D to F through these roads. What is the distance covered by the person?
Answer (c) & explanation
The distance covered is 31 km (c). Step 1: place A at (0, 0). B is 6 km north: (0, 6). C is 10 km east of A: (10, 0). D is 6 km south of C: (10, −6). E is 5 km west of D: (5, −6). F is 9 km west of B: (−9, 6). G is 12 km south of F: (−9, −6). Step 2: the roads are AB, CD, DE, BF and EG. From D, the only route to F is D → E → G → F. Step 3: DE = 5, EG = 5 − (−9) = 14, GF = 12. Total = 5 + 14 + 12 = 31 km. Options (a), (b) and (d) take routes that do not exist.
Tip: draw coordinates, then follow only the given roads, not straight lines.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Each State in India faces a distinctive set of challenges regarding the impact of warming, but also offers its own set of opportunities for reducing emissions depending on its natural resources. For example, coastal States need to take action to protect their shores from sea level rise, districts that are drier need to prepare for variable monsoon precipitation. Himalayan regions have their own unique challenges, and selected parts of peninsular India and offshore areas offer great opportunities for harnessing wind power. These various aspects need to be considered for developing clear and sustainable goals for the future.
With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. Green energy production can be linked to/integrated with the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
- II. Effects of climate change are much more severe in coastal and mountainous regions.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only assumption I is valid (a). Step 1: the passage lists wind power opportunities alongside adaptation needs like coastal protection, and says all these must be considered in setting goals. So green energy fits into climate strategies (I). Step 2: assumption II says climate effects are "much more severe" in coastal and mountain regions. The passage says each region has its own challenges, including dry districts; it never ranks them. Step 3: so II makes a comparison the passage does not. Options (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: reject comparisons ("more severe", "most affected") unless the passage clearly compares. Mitigation means cutting emissions; adaptation means coping with impacts.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In only 50 years, the world’s consumption of raw materials has nearly quadrupled, to more than 100 billion tons. Less than 9% of this is reused. Batteries of old vehicles contain materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel that are pricey and can be hard to obtain. Supply chains are long and complicated. Buyers’ risks are being aggravated by their suppliers’ poor environmental and labour standards. Reusing materials makes sense. Once batteries reach the ends of their lives, they should go back to a factory where their ingredients can be recovered and put into new batteries.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. Automobile factories are examples of the circular economy.
- II. Economic growth is compatible with circular use of mineral resources.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only assumption II is valid (b). Step 1: the passage says recovering battery materials and putting them into new batteries makes sense, keeping production going with fewer raw materials. So growth and the circular use of minerals can go together (II). Step 2: assumption I says automobile factories are examples of the circular economy. The passage says batteries should go back to factories, a suggestion, not a description of what already happens. Step 3: so I fails. Options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: watch the difference between "should" (a recommendation) and "is" (a fact). An assumption that turns a suggestion into a present fact is invalid.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Let p + q = 10, where p, q are integers.
Value-I = Maximum value of p × q when p, q are positive integers.
Value-II = Maximum value of p × q when p ≥ −6, q ≥ −4.
Which one of the following is correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
The two values are equal (c). Step 1: Value-I: p + q = 10 with positive whole numbers. A product is largest when the two numbers are equal: 5 × 5 = 25. Step 2: Value-II allows p down to −6 and q down to −4, so p can range from −6 to 14. The new pairs, like (−6, 16) or (14, −4), have negative products. The best is still 5 × 5 = 25. Step 3: so Value-I = Value-II. Options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Tip: for a fixed sum, the product is greatest when the numbers are as equal as possible. Allowing negative numbers only adds smaller (negative) products here.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
In our country, handlooms are equated with a culture that ensures a continuity of tradition. This idea has become part of the public policy-framing and provides a legitimate basis for the State to support the sector. But the notion of tradition as a single, linear entity is being strongly contested today. The narratives dominant in defining culture/tradition in a particular way are seen to have emerged as the identities and histories of large sections. The discounted and, at times, forcibly stifled identities are fighting for their rightful place in history. Against this backdrop, when we promote handloom as a traditional industry, it is not surprising that large sections of our population choose to ignore it.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the author of the passage?
Answer (a) & explanation
The message is that handloom must be freed from the narrow "cultural heritage" narrative (a). Step 1: the passage says handloom is promoted as tradition, but the idea of one single tradition is now contested. Step 2: so when handloom is sold as "traditional", "large sections of our population choose to ignore it". The narrow narrative is the problem: (a). Step 3: option (b) repeats the very framing the author questions. Options (c), modernising household units, and (d), machine-made products, are not suggested and (d) is extreme.
Tip: identify what the author criticises; the answer usually removes that problem. India marks National Handloom Day on 7 August, recalling the Swadeshi Movement of 1905.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
P is the brother of Q and R. S is R's mother. T is P's father. How many of the following statements are definitely true ?
- I. S and T are a couple.
- II. Q is T's son.
- III. T is Q's father.
- IV. S is P's mother.
- V. R is T's daughter.
- VI. P is S's son.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer (c) & explanation
Only four statements are definitely true (c). Step 1: P is the brother of Q and R, so P, Q and R are siblings. S is R's mother, so S is mother of all three. T is P's father, so T is father of all three. Step 2: so I (S and T are a couple), III (T is Q's father), IV (S is P's mother) and VI (P is S's son; P is a brother, so male) are true. Step 3: II says Q is T's son, and V says R is T's daughter. The genders of Q and R are not given, so these are not certain. That makes four. Options (a), (b) and (d) miscount.
Tip: in blood-relation questions, never assume gender from a name or letter. Only words like brother, mother or son fix gender.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Maintaining an ecosystem just to conserve biodiversity will affect its commercial potential as well as the livelihoods dependent on the ecosystem. There is also a conflict between using an ecosystem only for livelihoods, for commercial exploitation, or strictly for conservation. Deforestation caused due to commercial exploitation will lead to indirect harm like floods, siltation problems and microclimatic instability, apart from adversely affecting livelihoods dependent on forests. These conflicts are particularly acute in developing countries where the dependence of people on the ecosystem is significant, and commercial exploitation has the potential to boost national income.
With reference to above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. No country needs to depend on ecosystems to boost national income.
- II. Resource-rich countries need to share their resources with those of scant resources so as to prevent the degradation of ecosystems.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither assumption is valid (d). Step 1: assumption I says no country needs ecosystems to boost national income. But the passage says commercial exploitation "has the potential to boost national income" in developing countries. So I contradicts the passage. Step 2: assumption II asks rich countries to share resources with poor ones. The passage never talks about sharing between countries. Step 3: so I goes against the text and II is outside it. Options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: an assumption that contradicts a line in the passage is invalid at once. One that brings in a new idea (like international sharing) is also invalid. Check each against the text, not against what sounds fair.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
If there is inequality in the pattern of population growth, there is greater inequality in food production and utilization. As societies become wealthier, their consumption of animal products increases. This means that a greater proportion of such basic foodstuff as grains and legumes that could feed humans directly is instead being converted into feed for poultry and large farm animals. Yet this conversion of plant-based food into animal food for humans is far from efficient. Only 16% of the calories fed to chickens are recovered by us when we eat them. This conversion rate goes down to five to seven per cent in large animals that are fed grain to add fat and some protein before slaughter.
With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- I. The food manufacturing and processing industries in every country should align their objectives and processes in accordance with the changing needs of the societies.
- II. Wealthier societies tend to incur great loss of calories of food materials due to indirect utilization of their agricultural produce.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only assumption II is valid (b). Step 1: the passage says wealthier societies feed grain to animals and recover only 16% (chicken) or 5–7% (large animals) of the calories. So they lose many calories through this indirect use of farm produce (II). Step 2: assumption I talks about food manufacturing and processing industries aligning with society's needs. The passage does not discuss these industries at all. Step 3: so I is outside the passage. Options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: when an assumption names a group (industries, governments) that the passage never mentions, reject it. Feeding animals grain is why meat has a bigger land and water footprint than plant food.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In a certain code if 64 is written as 343 and 216 is written as 729, then how is 512 written in that code?
Answer (b) & explanation
512 is written as 1331 (b). Step 1: notice the cubes: 64 = 4³ and 343 = 7³. 216 = 6³ and 729 = 9³. Step 2: the rule: add 3 to the cube root, then cube again: 4 → 7, 6 → 9. Step 3: 512 = 8³, so 8 + 3 = 11, and 11³ = 1331. Option (a), 1000 = 10³, adds only 2. Options (c) 12³ and (d) 13³ add too much.
Tip: learn cubes up to 15 (1331 = 11³, 1728 = 12³, 2197 = 13³). Spotting squares and cubes solves many number codes quickly.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
If the social inequality is the most acutely felt social problem in India, insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem. Besides those below the official poverty line, even those just over the poverty line are subject to multiple economic insecurities of various kinds (due to wealth and/or health risks, market fluctuations, job-related uncertainties). Many Government policies are actually intended towards mitigating these insecurities.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the passage?
Answer (d) & explanation
The critical message is that insecurity, more than poverty, is the main economic issue policy must address (d). Step 1: the passage says plainly: "insecurity, more than poverty, is the most acutely felt economic problem." Step 2: it adds that even those just above the poverty line face risks from health, markets and jobs, and many policies aim at "mitigating these insecurities". That is (d). Step 3: option (a) calls insecurity a social problem; the passage calls inequality the social problem. Option (b) makes poverty the primary cause. Option (c) calls it "unmanageable", which is not stated.
Tip: watch for options that mix up labels (social vs economic). Social security schemes like health insurance and pensions target such insecurity.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
A set (X) of 20 pipes can fill 70% of a tank in 14 minutes. Another set (Y) of 10 pipes fills 3/8th of the tank in 6 minutes. A third set (Z) of 16 pipes can empty half of the tank in 20 minutes. If half of the pipes of set X are closed and only half of the pipes of set Y are open, and all pipes of the set (Z) are open, then how long will it take to fill 50% of the tank?
Answer (d) & explanation
It takes 16 minutes to fill half the tank (d). Step 1: work out the rate of each full set per minute. X fills 70% in 14 min: 5% a minute; half of X = 2.5%. Y fills 37.5% in 6 min: 6.25%; half of Y = 3.125%. Z empties 50% in 20 min: 2.5% a minute (all of Z is open). Step 2: net filling = 2.5 + 3.125 − 2.5 = 3.125% a minute. Step 3: time for 50% = 50 ÷ 3.125 = 16 minutes. Options (a), (b) and (c) forget to halve a set or ignore the emptying pipes.
Tip: convert everything into "percent of tank per minute". Add filling pipes, subtract emptying ones, then divide.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.