Geography: previous-year questions
167 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 67 of them came in the last five papers.
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Consider the following statements :
- 1. Gujarat has the largest solar park in India.
- 2. Kerala has a fully solar powered International Airport.
- 3. Goa has the largest floating solar photovoltaic project in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 2 is right: Cochin International Airport in Kerala became the world's first fully solar-powered airport in 2015. Statement 1 was wrong when asked: the largest commissioned solar park was Bhadla in Rajasthan, at about 2,245 MW. Gujarat's giant Khavda renewable park is now being built to reach 30 GW, but that came later. Statement 3 is wrong: large floating solar plants are at Ramagundam (Telangana) and Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), not in Goa.
Notice India's target of 500 GW of non-fossil power capacity by 2030. Floating solar saves land and cuts evaporation from reservoirs. The PM Surya Ghar scheme (2024) pushes rooftop solar in homes.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Gandikota canyon of South India was created by which one of the following rivers ?
Answer (c) & explanation
The Pennar created the Gandikota canyon (c). Gandikota, in Kadapa (YSR) district of Andhra Pradesh, is a deep gorge cut by the Pennar (Penna) river through the Erramala hills. It is called the "Grand Canyon of India", and a medieval fort stands on its rim. The Cauvery (a) flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Manjira (b) is a tributary of the Godavari. The Tungabhadra (d) is a tributary of the Krishna, flowing past Hampi.
Notice that the Pennar rises in the Nandi Hills of Karnataka and enters the Bay of Bengal near Nellore. India's other canyons include the Marble Rocks gorge of the Narmada at Bhedaghat.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Region often mentioned in the news | Country
| 1. Anatolia | Turkey
| 2. Amhara | Ethiopia
| 3. Cabo Delgado | Spain
| 4. Catalonia | Italy
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two pairs are correctly matched (b). Pair 1 is right: Anatolia, or Asia Minor, is the large Asian part of Turkey. Pair 2 is right: Amhara is a region of Ethiopia that was drawn into the Tigray war (2020–22) and later saw its own fighting. Pair 3 is wrong: Cabo Delgado is a province of Mozambique, rich in natural gas and hit by an Islamist insurgency since 2017. Pair 4 is wrong: Catalonia, capital Barcelona, is in Spain, not Italy; its independence vote of 2017 caused a crisis.
Notice the method: such pairs test news geography. Place each region on a map with its country and the reason it was in the news, and you can answer even when the wording changes.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Peak | Mountains
| 1. Namcha Barwa | Garhwal Himalaya
| 2. Nanda Devi | Kumaon Himalaya
| 3. Nokrek | Sikkim Himalaya
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only pair 2 is correct (b). Pair 1 is wrong: Namcha Barwa is the eastern anchor of the Himalaya, in Tibet, where the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) makes its great bend around it; it is not in the Garhwal Himalaya. Pair 2 is right: Nanda Devi, India's second-highest peak, is in the Kumaon Himalaya of Uttarakhand. Pair 3 is wrong: Nokrek is the highest peak of the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, not in the Sikkim Himalaya, and it is a biosphere reserve.
Notice the divisions of the Himalaya by rivers: Punjab (Indus–Sutlej), Kumaon (Sutlej–Kali), Nepal (Kali–Teesta) and Assam (Teesta–Dihang). Nanga Parbat anchors the west. China plans a huge dam on the Tsangpo near Namcha Barwa.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The term “Levant” often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions ?
Answer (a) & explanation
The Levant is the eastern Mediterranean shore (a). The word Levant comes from the French for "rising", meaning the lands where the sun rises, seen from Europe. It covers the eastern Mediterranean coast: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan, sometimes with Cyprus and southern Turkey. Option (b) describes the Maghreb plus Egypt, the North African coast. Option (c) describes the Gulf and the Horn of Africa, which are far to the south-east. Option (d) is too wide: the whole Mediterranean coast includes Europe and North Africa.
Notice that ISIS was also called ISIL, the "L" standing for the Levant. The region is in the news for the Gaza war since October 2023, and for India's proposed IMEC corridor through it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following countries :
- 1. Azerbaijan
- 2. Kyrgyzstan
- 3. Tajikistan
- 4. Turkmenistan
- 5. Uzbekistan
Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan border Afghanistan (c). Afghanistan's northern neighbours are Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, with much of the border along the Amu Darya river. Afghanistan also borders Iran (west), Pakistan (east and south) and China, through the narrow Wakhan Corridor. Item 2 is wrong: Kyrgyzstan is cut off from Afghanistan by Tajikistan. Item 1 is wrong: Azerbaijan lies across the Caspian Sea, in the Caucasus.
Notice that the Wakhan Corridor separates Tajikistan from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India's land route to Afghanistan is blocked by Pakistan, so India uses Chabahar port in Iran. The Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to India, consider the following statements :
- 1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
- 2. Monazite contains thorium.
- 3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
- 4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct (b). Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral. Statement 1 is right: it is a major source of rare earth elements such as cerium and neodymium. Statement 2 is right: it contains thorium, a fuel for the third stage of India's nuclear programme. Statement 4 is right: it is a "prescribed substance" under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, so only government bodies such as IREL (India) Ltd may process or export it. Statement 3 is wrong: it is found in the beach sands of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, not along the entire coast.
Notice that India has among the world's largest thorium reserves. China dominates global rare earth processing, which India wants to reduce through the National Critical Mineral Mission (2025).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following rivers :
- 1. Brahmani
- 2. Nagavali
- 3. Subarnarekha
- 4. Vamsadhara
Which of the above rise from the Eastern Ghats?
Answer (b) & explanation
The Nagavali and Vamsadhara rise from the Eastern Ghats (b). Item 2 is right: the Nagavali rises in the Eastern Ghats of Kalahandi district, Odisha, and reaches the Bay of Bengal near Srikakulam. Item 4 is right: the Vamsadhara also rises in the Eastern Ghats of southern Odisha and enters the sea at Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Item 1 is wrong: the Brahmani, formed by the South Koel and Sankh, rises on the Chota Nagpur plateau. Item 3 is wrong: the Subarnarekha also rises on the Chota Nagpur plateau near Ranchi.
Notice the Vamsadhara River Water Disputes Tribunal, which settled the Andhra–Odisha dispute. Other Eastern Ghats rivers include the Rushikulya, known for olive ridley turtle nesting.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The Global Ocean Commission grants licences for seabed exploration and mining in international waters.
- 2. India has received licences for seabed mineral exploration in international waters.
- 3. ‘Rare earth minerals’ are present on seafloor in international waters.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong: licences for the deep seabed beyond national limits come from the International Seabed Authority (Kingston, Jamaica), set up under UNCLOS. The Global Ocean Commission was only an advocacy group. Statement 2 is right: India holds ISA contracts for polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (since 1987 as a pioneer investor) and for polymetallic sulphides on the Indian Ocean ridge. Statement 3 is right: seabed nodules and muds contain rare earth elements.
Notice India's Deep Ocean Mission (2021) and Samudrayaan, which plans to send people to 6,000 m in the submersible Matsya-6000.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. In the tropical zone, the western sections of the oceans are warmer than the eastern sections owing to the influence of trade winds.
- 2. In the temperate zone, westerlies make the eastern sections of oceans warmer than the western sections.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Statement 1 is right: in the tropics, the trade winds blow from east to west, piling warm surface water on the western side of oceans, while cold water upwells on the eastern side, near South America and Africa. Statement 2 is right: in temperate latitudes, the westerlies carry warm currents, such as the North Atlantic Drift, towards the eastern side of the oceans. That is why north-west Europe is mild in winter, while places at the same latitude in eastern Canada are frozen.
Notice that when the trade winds weaken, warm water moves east across the Pacific: that is El Niño, which often weakens India's monsoon. Cold eastern currents include the Humboldt and Benguela.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the water on the planet Earth, consider the following statements :
- 1. The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is more than the amount of groundwater.
- 2. The amount of water in polar ice caps and glaciers is more than the amount of groundwater.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). About 97% of Earth's water is salty, in the oceans. Of the 2.5–3% that is fresh, roughly 69% is locked in ice caps and glaciers, about 30% is groundwater, and only about 1% is surface water in lakes, rivers and swamps. Statement 1 is wrong: rivers and lakes hold far less water than groundwater. Statement 2 is right: ice caps and glaciers hold more water than groundwater.
Notice that Antarctica holds most of the world's ice. India has about 18% of the world's population but only about 4% of its freshwater. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of
Answer (b) & explanation
Black cotton soil formed from fissure volcanic rock (b). Black (regur) soil formed from the weathering of basalt lava that poured out through long fissures about 66 million years ago to build the Deccan Traps. It is rich in iron, lime, magnesium and potash, but poor in nitrogen and phosphorus. It holds moisture well, swells when wet and cracks when dry, so it ploughs itself. It suits cotton, hence its name. Brown forest soil (a), granite and schist (c), and shale and limestone (d) give rise to other soils.
Notice that black soil covers much of Maharashtra, western Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Red soil forms from granite and gneiss, and laterite from heavy leaching.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the Indus river system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one is such river that joins the Indus direct?
Answer (d) & explanation
The Sutlej joins the Indus directly (d). Among the Punjab rivers, the Jhelum joins the Chenab first. The Ravi then joins the Chenab. The Chenab then joins the Sutlej, which has already received the Beas. The combined stream, called the Panjnad ("five rivers"), meets the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan. So the Sutlej carries the water of all the others into the Indus. Options (a), (b) and (c) are wrong because the Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi all reach the Indus only through the Sutlej.
Notice the Indus Waters Treaty (1960): India controls the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej); Pakistan gets the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab). India put the treaty in abeyance in April 2025; a Hague court called this invalid in August 2026, but India rejects that ruling.
Many answer the Chenab because it collects the Jhelum and the Ravi. But the Chenab itself flows into the Sutlej before reaching the Indus.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to India, Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are the names of
Answer (d) & explanation
They are saline lakes (d). Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol and Khatu are saline lakes in the Thar region of Rajasthan, along with the larger Sambhar, India's biggest inland salt lake. These lakes fill in the monsoon and dry out in summer, leaving salt that is harvested as common salt. They are not glaciers (a), which are in the Himalaya; not mangrove areas (b), which are on the coasts; and, apart from Sambhar, not Ramsar sites (c).
Notice that Sambhar is a Ramsar site (1990), known for flamingos and a mass bird death from avian botulism in 2019. Rajasthan's inland drainage includes the Luni, which ends in the Rann of Kachchh.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| River | Flows into
| 1. Mekong | Andaman Sea
| 2. Thames | Irish Sea
| 3. Volga | Caspian Sea
| 4. Zambezi | Indian Ocean
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Only pairs 3 and 4 are correct (c). Pair 1 is wrong because the Mekong, which rises in Tibet, reaches the South China Sea through its delta in Vietnam, not the Andaman Sea. Pair 2 is wrong because the Thames flows east past London into the North Sea, not the Irish Sea. Pair 3 is right because the Volga, Europe's longest river, ends in the Caspian Sea. Pair 4 is right because the Zambezi crosses Mozambique to the Indian Ocean, passing Victoria Falls on the way.
Notice the rivers that do reach the Andaman Sea: the Irrawaddy and Salween of Myanmar. The Caspian is the world's largest inland water body, with no outlet to the ocean.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
“The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost-free days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop.” Which one of the following is that crop ?
Answer (a) & explanation
The crop is cotton (a). Cotton is a subtropical crop that needs high temperatures, at least 210 frost-free days, moderate rain of 50–100 cm, and bright, sunny weather at picking time. A hard frost damages it. It grows best on light, well-drained soil that holds moisture, such as the black (regur) soil of the Deccan. Jute (b) needs hot, humid weather and over 150 cm of rain in the deltas. Sugarcane (c) needs 75–150 cm of rain or irrigation. Tea (d) needs over 150 cm of rain on well-drained hill slopes.
Notice the top cotton States: Gujarat and Maharashtra. Bt cotton is India's only approved GM crop. Cotton is a kharif crop.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following minerals :
- 1. Bentonite
- 2. Chromite
- 3. Kyanite
- 4. Sillimanite
In India, which of the above is/are officially designated as major minerals ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Chromite, kyanite and sillimanite are major minerals (d). Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, the Union regulates major minerals, while States make rules for minor minerals. Item 1 is wrong: bentonite, a clay used in drilling and foundries, was notified as a minor mineral in 2015 along with others such as building stone, sand and limestone used in kilns. Item 2 is right: chromite is a major mineral, mined mostly in Odisha (Sukinda valley). Items 3 and 4 are right: kyanite and sillimanite are major minerals used in refractories that resist high heat.
Notice the 2023 amendment to the MMDR Act, which let the Union auction critical minerals such as lithium.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT), which of the following statements is/are correct ?
- 1. OMT is measured up to a depth of 26°C isotherm which is 129 meters in the south-western Indian Ocean during January – March.
- 2. OMT collected during January – March can be used in assessing whether the amount of rainfall in monsoon will be less or more than a certain long-term mean.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Ocean Mean Temperature is the average sea temperature from the surface down to the depth of the 26 °C isotherm. Statement 1 is wrong per the key: in the south-western Indian Ocean in January–March, the 26 °C isotherm does not lie at the 129 metres the statement claims. Statement 2 is right: studies found that OMT in January–March predicts whether the monsoon will be above or below the long-term mean better than sea surface temperature does, because it captures the ocean's stored heat.
Notice the other monsoon drivers: El Niño, the Indian Ocean Dipole and the MJO. The IMD issues its first monsoon forecast in April, against a long-period average of about 87 cm.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Siachen Glacier is situated to the
Answer (d) & explanation
Siachen lies north of the Nubra Valley (d). The Siachen Glacier lies in the eastern Karakoram, between the Saltoro Ridge to the west and the Chinese-held Shaksgam area to the east. Its meltwater feeds the Nubra River, which flows south into the Shyok, so the glacier is north of the Nubra valley. Option (a) is wrong: Aksai Chin lies to the east. Option (b) is wrong: Leh lies to the south-east. Option (c) is wrong: Gilgit lies far to the west.
Notice Operation Meghdoot (1984), when India took control of Siachen. It is called the world's highest battlefield. At about 76 km, it is among the longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
- 2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
- 3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (c). Statement 1 is wrong: jet streams blow in both hemispheres; the subtropical and polar-front jets circle each pole. Statement 2 is right: only mature, strong tropical cyclones develop a clear eye; weaker storms and temperate cyclones do not. Statement 3 is wrong: sinking air in the eye warms as it compresses, so the eye is warmer than its surroundings, by up to about 10 °C, not colder. The eye is calm, with light winds and clear skies, ringed by the violent eyewall.
Notice that the sub-tropical westerly jet shifting north of the Himalayas helps the Indian monsoon set in, and the tropical easterly jet blows over India in summer.
The 10 °C figure is real. Statement 3 is wrong because it says lesser instead of warmer.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.