UPSC Prelims PYQs with explanations
Real questions from official papers, mapped to syllabus topics. Attempt each one; the answer and the reason appear instantly.
Read the passage
Now India’s children have a right to receive at least eight years of education, the gnawing question is whether it will remain on paper or become a reality. One hardly needs a reminder that this right is different from the others enshrined in the Constitution, that the beneficiary – a six year old child cannot demand it, nor can she or he fight a legal battle when the right is denied or violated. In all cases, it is the adult society which must act on behalf of the child. In another peculiarity, where a child’s right to education is denied, no compensation offered later can be adequate or relevant. This is so because childhood does not last. If a legal battle fought on behalf of a child is eventually won, it may be of little use to the boy or girl because the opportunity missed at school during childhood cannot serve the same purpose later in life. This may be painfully true for girls because our society permits them only a short childhood, if at all. The Right to Education (RTE) has become law at a point in India’s history when the ghastly practice of female infanticide has resurfaced in the form of foeticide. This is “symptomatic of a deeper turmoil” in society which is compounding the traditional obstacles to the education of girls. Tenacious prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls runs across our cultural diversity and the system of education has not been able to address it.
According to the passage, what could be the traditional obstacles to the education of girls ?
- 1. Inability of parents to fight a legal battle when the Right to Education is denied to their children.
- 2. The traditional way of thinking about girls’ role in society.
- 3. The prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls.
- 4. Improper system of education.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Items 2, 3 and 4 are correct (b). Step 1: the passage says society 'permits [girls] only a short childhood', a traditional view of girls' role: item 2. Step 2: it names a 'tenacious prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls': item 3. Step 3: it says 'the system of education has not been able to address it': item 4. Item 1 is wrong: the inability to fight a legal battle is said of all children, not as a traditional obstacle to girls. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: check whom each idea is about. The legal-battle point applies to every child, so it is not a girls-specific obstacle.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
At present, scientists can determine the arrangement or relative positions of genes or DNA sequences on a chromosome. How does this knowledge benefit us ?
- 1. It is possible to know the pedigree of livestock.
- 2. It is possible to understand the causes of all human diseases.
- 3. It is possible to develop disease-resistant animal breeds.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (c). Gene mapping finds the positions of genes and DNA markers on chromosomes. This helps confirm the pedigree or parentage of livestock through DNA markers (1). It also helps breeders identify genes for traits such as disease resistance and use marker-assisted selection to develop resistant breeds (3). Statement 2 is wrong because of the word 'all': many diseases come from germs, diet, environment or injury, so gene maps cannot explain every human disease. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the bigger picture: the Human Genome Project finished in 2003, and India's Genome India Project released data from 10,000 genomes in 2025. Genome mapping also supports gene therapy, such as India's first CRISPR-based sickle cell research, and precision medicine. Trap: absolute words like 'all' make a statement suspect.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
All revenues received by the Union Government by way of taxes and other receipts for the conduct of Government business are credited to the
Answer (c) & explanation
Consolidated Fund of India is correct (c). Under Article 266(1), all revenues of the Union, all loans it raises and all loan repayments it receives are credited to the Consolidated Fund of India. (a) is wrong: the Contingency Fund (Article 267) is a small emergency reserve, now ₹30,000 crore, placed at the President's disposal. (b) is wrong: the Public Account (Article 266(2)) holds money the government only keeps for others, such as provident funds and small savings. (d) is wrong: deposits and advances are a section within the Public Account.
Notice the rule: withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund need Parliament's vote, while Public Account payments do not. Trap: 'all receipts' points only to the Consolidated Fund.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following is *not* a site for *in-situ* method of conservation of flora ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Botanical garden is correct (b), since it is not in-situ. In-situ conservation protects species in their natural habitat, as in biosphere reserves (a), national parks (c) and wildlife sanctuaries (d). A botanical garden grows plants away from where they live naturally, so it is ex-situ conservation, like zoos, seed banks, gene banks and tissue culture labs. So (a), (c) and (d) are in-situ.
Notice the examples: India has 18 biosphere reserves, 13 of them in UNESCO's network, and 106 national parks. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources in Delhi runs a national gene bank, and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is the world's back-up. Trap: 'garden' sounds natural, but it is still ex-situ.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The “dharma” and “rita” depict a central idea of ancient Vedic civilization of India. In this context, consider the following statements :
- 1. Dharma was a conception of obligations and of the discharge of one’s duties to oneself and to others.
- 2. Rita was the fundamental moral law governing the functioning of the universe and all it contained.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Rita in the Rigveda is the cosmic and moral order that keeps the sun, seasons and right conduct in place; the god Varuna is its guardian (2). Dharma grew out of it as the idea of duty and right conduct: what one owes to oneself, family and society (1). So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the later growth: dharma became central in the Dharmasutras, the Manusmriti and the Gita, and varnashrama dharma tied duties to class and life stage. The Rigvedic idea of 'satya' (truth) is closely linked to rita. In Buddhism, dhamma means the Buddha's teaching, and Ashoka's Dhamma was a moral code. Trap: rita is cosmic order, not a ritual.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
(Same passage and graph as the question above.)
Which region of the curve indicates that the person began showing the symptoms of infection?
Answer (b) & explanation
B is correct (b). Step 1: symptoms such as fever and loose motions start when the bacteria begin to multiply quickly and the body reacts. Step 2: on the graph, the curve starts climbing fast in region B, right after the flat incubation stretch A. That is where he began to show symptoms. Step 3: A is the quiet incubation phase; C and D are the later stages when he was already ill, before and around the peak. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: the start of a steep rise marks the start of trouble. Find where the curve first turns sharply upward.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
He walked several miles that day but could not get anything to eat or drink except some dry bread and some water, which he got from cottagers and farmers. As night fell, he slept under a haystack lying in a meadow. He felt frightened at first, for the wind blew awfully over the empty fields. He felt cold and hungry, and was feeling more lonely than he had ever felt before. He, however, soon fell asleep, being much tired with his long walk. When he got up next day, he was feeling terribly hungry so he purchased a loaf of bread with a few coins that he had.
When the night fell, he slept
Answer (b) & explanation
Under a pile of dry grass is correct (b). Step 1: the passage says 'he slept under a haystack lying in a meadow'. Step 2: a haystack is a large pile of dried grass (hay) stored for animals. So 'under a pile of dry grass' means the same thing: (b). Step 3: (a) is wrong: the meadow is only where the haystack stood, and he was under the haystack, not in the open. (c) is wrong: he got food from cottagers but did not sleep in a cottage. (d) is wrong: no tree is mentioned.
Tip: these questions test vocabulary. Replace the passage's word with its plain meaning, then match the option.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following is *not* a feature of “Value Added Tax” ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Statement (d) is not a feature of VAT, so it is the answer. Value Added Tax, introduced in most Indian States from April 2005, was a multi-point, destination-based tax (a). It taxed the value added at each stage of production and distribution, with input tax credit for tax already paid, avoiding the cascading 'tax on tax' (b). Its burden was finally borne by the consumer (c). But VAT was a State subject that replaced State sales tax; the Centre only facilitated it through the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers. So (d) reverses the roles.
Notice what came next: VAT was subsumed into the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 1 July 2017, after the 101st Amendment (2016), with the GST Council under Article 279A. GST 2.0 reforms in September 2025 moved to mainly two slabs, 5% and 18%. Trap: VAT was a State tax, with the Centre as facilitator.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Recently, the USA decided to support India’s membership in multi-lateral export control regimes called the “Australia Group” and the “Wassenaar Arrangement”. What is the difference between them ?
- 1. The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting countries to minimize the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapons proliferation, whereas the Wassenaar Arrangement is a formal group under the OECD holding identical objectives.
- 2. The Australia Group comprises predominantly of Asian, African and North American countries, whereas the member countries of Wassenaar Arrangement are predominantly from the European Union and American continents.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong: the Australia Group (1985) is indeed an informal group that controls exports useful for chemical and biological weapons, but the Wassenaar Arrangement (1996) is not an OECD body and its aim is different; it controls conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. Statement 2 is wrong: both groups are dominated by Europe and other Western states, not Asian or African countries. So (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice India's progress: it joined the MTCR (2016), Wassenaar (December 2017) and the Australia Group (January 2018), but its bid for the Nuclear Suppliers Group remains blocked, mainly by China. These memberships followed the 2008 India–US civil nuclear deal.
Statement 1 reads well until "a formal group under the OECD": both regimes are informal and stand outside the OECD.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following can aid in furthering the Government’s objective of inclusive growth ?
- 1. Promoting Self-Help Groups
- 2. Promoting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
- 3. Implementing the Right to Education Act
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (d) & explanation
All three are correct (d). Inclusive growth, the theme of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007–12), means growth whose gains reach the poor and excluded. Self-Help Groups give women and the poor credit, savings and income (1). MSMEs create jobs on a large scale and spread industry beyond big cities (2). The Right to Education Act, 2009 builds the skills that let people share in growth (3). So options (a), (b) and (c) leave out real tools.
Notice the present versions: DAY-NRLM links about 10 crore women to SHGs, the Udyam portal registers MSMEs, and the NEP 2020 builds on the RTE. The 12th Plan's theme was 'faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth'. Trap: inclusive growth is about broad access, so all three fit.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The following item consists of four statements. Of these four statements, two cannot both be true, but both can be false. Study the statements carefully and identify the two that satisfy the above condition.
- 1. All trains are run by diesel engine.
- 2. Some trains are run by diesel engine.
- 3. No train is run by diesel engine.
- 4. Some trains are not run by diesel engine.
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (c). Step 1: we need two statements that cannot both be true but can both be false. Step 2: 'All trains are run by diesel' (1) and 'No train is run by diesel' (3) clash, so they cannot both be true. If only some trains use diesel and others are electric, both are false. So 1 and 3 fit. Step 3: check others. 1 and 4 are exact opposites: one must be true. 2 and 3 are also exact opposites. 1 and 2 can both be true. So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Tip: this is the same pattern as the question before. Learn it once: All vs None is always the answer to 'cannot both be true, can both be false'.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
A village having a population of 4000 requires 150 litres of water per head per day. It has a tank measuring 20 m × 15 m × 6 m. The water of this tank will last for
Answer (b) & explanation
3 days is correct (b). Step 1: the tank's volume = 20 × 15 × 6 = 1,800 m³. Since 1 m³ = 1,000 litres, it holds 18,00,000 litres. Step 2: the village needs 4,000 people × 150 litres = 6,00,000 litres every day. Step 3: the water lasts 18,00,000 ÷ 6,00,000 = 3 days. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: always convert units before dividing. Remember that 1 cubic metre is 1,000 litres; forgetting this gives answers that are a thousand times too big or too small. Write the units next to each number as you go.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
You have to accomplish a very important task for your Headquarters within the next two days. Suddenly you meet with an accident. Your office insists that you complete the task. You would
Answer (a) & explanation
UPSC's key lists (a) and (c), with no negative marking. Step 1: you are injured, but the task for Headquarters is important. Step 2: (a) asking for an extension keeps you responsible for the task with a realistic timeline, and (c) suggesting an alternate person ensures the work gets done on time. Both keep the task alive. Step 3: (b) only reports inability without a solution. (d) staying away abandons the task and leaves Headquarters stranded.
Tip: for these interpersonal items, pick the response that is lawful, honest and keeps the public work going. Avoid options that give in to pressure, pass the buck or abandon duty.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
A layer in the Earth’s atmosphere called Ionosphere facilitates radio communication. Why ?
- 1. The presence of ozone causes the reflection of radio waves to Earth.
- 2. Radio waves have a very long wavelength.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). The ionosphere (about 80–600 km up) reflects radio waves back to Earth because solar radiation fills it with ions and free electrons, which bend and reflect medium- and short-wave signals. Statement 1 is wrong: ozone sits much lower, in the stratosphere, and absorbs ultraviolet rays; it plays no part in radio reflection. Statement 2 is wrong: radio waves do have long wavelengths, but that alone does not explain why a layer reflects them; it is the electron density that matters. So (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Notice the wider idea: very high frequencies (TV, FM, satellite signals) pass through the ionosphere, which is why satellites are needed for them. Solar flares disturb the ionosphere and cause radio blackouts.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Biodiversity forms the basis for human existence in the following ways :
- 1. Soil formation
- 2. Prevention of soil erosion
- 3. Recycling of waste
- 4. Pollination of crops
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (d) & explanation
All four are correct (d). Biodiversity supports human life through ecosystem services. Microbes, fungi and earthworms break down rock and litter to form soil (1). Roots and plant cover hold soil against wind and water erosion (2). Decomposers recycle wastes and return nutrients to the soil (3). Bees, butterflies, birds and bats pollinate crops (4). So options (a), (b) and (c) leave out real services.
Notice the wider frame: the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment groups services as provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural. Soil formation and nutrient cycling are supporting services; pollination and erosion control are regulating ones. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The jet aircrafts fly very easily and smoothly in the lower stratosphere. What could be the appropriate explanation ?
- 1. There are no clouds or water vapour in the lower stratosphere.
- 2. There are no vertical winds in the lower stratosphere.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Weather happens in the troposphere. In the lower stratosphere, temperature stops falling with height and then rises, so warm air sits on cool air and there is no convection, meaning no vertical air currents (2). There is almost no water vapour or clouds (1), so storms and rain are absent. That makes flight smooth and free of turbulence, and jets save fuel in the thin air. So (a), (b) and (d) fail.
Notice the related facts: the tropopause is about 8 km at the poles and 18 km at the equator. The ozone layer lies in the stratosphere, at 15–35 km. Jet streams blow near the tropopause and help or hinder flights. Trap: 'no clouds' has rare exceptions, such as polar stratospheric clouds.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
A moral act must be our own act; must spring from our own will. If we act mechanically, there is no moral content in our act. Such action would be moral, if we think it proper to act like a machine and do so. For, in doing so, we use our discrimination. We should bear in mind the distinction between acting mechanically and acting intentionally. It may be moral of a king to pardon a culprit. But the messenger carrying out the order of pardon plays only a mechanical part in the king’s moral act. But if the messenger were to carry out the king’s order considering it to be his duty, his action would be a moral one. How can a man understand morality who does not use his own intelligence and power of thought, but lets himself be swept along like a log of wood by a current ? Sometimes a man defies convention and acts on his own with a view to absolute good.
The passage contains a statement “lets himself be swept along like a log of wood by a current”. Among the following statements, which is/are nearest in meaning to this ?
- 1. A person does not use his own reason.
- 2. He is susceptible to influence/pressure.
- 3. He cannot withstand difficulties/challenges.
- 4. He is like a log of wood.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (b). Step 1: the passage asks how a man can understand morality 'who does not use his own intelligence and power of thought'. That matches statement 1. Step 2: being 'swept along like a log of wood by a current' means drifting with whatever pushes him: being open to outside influence or pressure, statement 2. Step 3: statement 3, about difficulties, is not the idea. Statement 4 reads the simile literally; the man is not actually a log. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Tip: a simile compares one quality, not everything. Ask what quality the image shares; here it is passivity.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
Now India’s children have a right to receive at least eight years of education, the gnawing question is whether it will remain on paper or become a reality. One hardly needs a reminder that this right is different from the others enshrined in the Constitution, that the beneficiary – a six year old child cannot demand it, nor can she or he fight a legal battle when the right is denied or violated. In all cases, it is the adult society which must act on behalf of the child. In another peculiarity, where a child’s right to education is denied, no compensation offered later can be adequate or relevant. This is so because childhood does not last. If a legal battle fought on behalf of a child is eventually won, it may be of little use to the boy or girl because the opportunity missed at school during childhood cannot serve the same purpose later in life. This may be painfully true for girls because our society permits them only a short childhood, if at all. The Right to Education (RTE) has become law at a point in India’s history when the ghastly practice of female infanticide has resurfaced in the form of foeticide. This is “symptomatic of a deeper turmoil” in society which is compounding the traditional obstacles to the education of girls. Tenacious prejudice against the intellectual potential of girls runs across our cultural diversity and the system of education has not been able to address it.
On the basis of the passage, consider the following statements :
- 1. Right to Education is a legal right and not a fundamental right.
- 2. For realising the goal of universal education, the education system in the country must be made identical to that of developed countries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). Step 1: statement 1 says RTE is only a legal right, not a fundamental one. The passage says this right is 'different from the others enshrined in the Constitution', which treats it as one of the constitutional rights. So 1 is wrong. (In fact, Article 21A, added in 2002, makes it a fundamental right.) Step 2: statement 2 talks about copying developed countries, which the passage never mentions. So 2 is wrong. Step 3: options (a), (b) and (c) fail.
Tip: if the passage never mentions something, a statement built on it cannot be 'on the basis of the passage'. Strike it at once.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In terms of economy, the visit by foreign nationals to witness the XIX Common Wealth Games in India amounted to
Answer (a) & explanation
The answer is (a), export. When foreign nationals came to watch the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and spent money on hotels, tickets, transport and food, India was selling them services and earning foreign exchange. In the balance of payments, spending by foreign tourists in India counts as an export of services under the current account, even though the goods and services never leave the country. It is not an import (b), which would be Indians spending abroad. Production (c) and consumption (d) do not describe the transaction from the external-sector angle.
Notice the rule: what matters is the direction of money. Money flowing in for goods or services = export; money flowing out = import. Similarly, foreign students studying in India, foreign patients under medical tourism, and IT services to foreign clients are all exports. India's services exports crossed about US$ 387 billion in 2024-25.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to people of low-income groups. This includes both the consumers and the self-employed. The service/services rendered under microfinance is/are :
- 1. Credit facilities
- 2. Savings facilities
- 3. Insurance facilities
- 4. Fund Transfer facilities
Select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists :
Answer (d) & explanation
All four are correct (d). Microfinance is more than small loans: it brings the full basket of financial services to low-income people, including credit (1), savings (2), insurance (3) and fund transfer or remittances (4). So options (a), (b) and (c) are too narrow. India delivers these through self-help groups, the SHG–Bank Linkage Programme (NABARD, 1992), NBFC-MFIs and Small Finance Banks.
Notice the wider idea: Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank (Nobel Peace Prize 2006) popularised group lending without collateral. The RBI's 2022 framework treats any collateral-free loan to households earning up to ₹3 lakh a year as microfinance. Trap: equating microfinance with microcredit only.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.