UPSC Prelims PYQs with explanations
Real questions from official papers, mapped to syllabus topics. Attempt each one; the answer and the reason appear instantly.
If A runs less fast than B, and B runs as fast but not faster than C; then, as compared to A, C runs
Answer (b) & explanation
C runs faster than A (b). Step 1: "A runs less fast than B" means A < B. Step 2: "B runs as fast but not faster than C" means B = C. Step 3: so A < B = C, which means A < C. C is faster than A. Option (a) is the reverse. Option (c) is wrong: A is slower than B, so it cannot equal C. Option (d) is wrong: the data are enough.
Tip: turn wordy comparisons into simple symbols (<, =, >). "As fast but not faster" is a roundabout way of saying "equal". Once written as A < B = C, the answer is immediate.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
India has suffered from persistent high inflation. Increase in administered prices, demand and supply imbalances, imported inflation aggravated by rupee depreciation, and speculation — have combined to keep high inflation going. If there is an element common to all of them, it is that many of them are the outcomes of economic reforms. India’s vulnerability to the effects of changes in international prices has increased with trade liberalisation. The effort to reduce subsidies has resulted in a continuous increase in the prices of commodities that are administered.
What is the most logical, rational and crucial message that is implied in the above passage ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Economic reforms can often create high inflation (d). Step 1: find the link. The passage lists causes of inflation: higher administered prices, demand-supply gaps, imported inflation and speculation. It then says, "many of them are the outcomes of economic reforms". Trade liberalisation increased exposure to world prices, and subsidy cuts raised administered prices. So reforms can create inflation. Step 2: test the others. Option (a) is wrong: "completely avoid all" is too extreme. Option (b) is wrong: the passage does not say India is not ready. Option (c) is wrong: poverty is not discussed.
Tip: the "crucial message" is often in the sentence that names a common element, here "If there is an element common to all of them".
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane is approved by the
Answer (a) & explanation
The Fair and Remunerative Price of sugarcane is approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (a). The CACP (b) only recommends it. The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (c) handles grading and AGMARK, and the APMC (d) regulates mandis, so neither fixes the FRP.
Sugar mills must pay farmers at least the FRP, under the Sugarcane (Control) Order issued under the Essential Commodities Act. Some States, such as Uttar Pradesh, announce a higher State Advised Price. The FRP replaced the Statutory Minimum Price in 2009. Notice how cane pricing ties farmer welfare to mill finances.
CACP only recommends. UPSC asked who approves.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The term ‘Goldilocks Zone’ is often seen in the news in the context of
Answer (c) & explanation
The Goldilocks zone, or habitable zone, is the band of orbits around a star where a planet is neither too hot nor too cold, so liquid water can exist. It is used in the search for Earth-like planets in outer space (c). It does not refer to habitable limits above Earth's surface (a), shale gas regions (b) or meteorites with precious metals (d).
The name comes from the fairy tale in which Goldilocks picks porridge that is "just right". Missions such as Kepler, TESS and the James Webb Space Telescope study such planets. Notice how astronomy meets biology in the search for life.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
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.
Read the passage
I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no disadvantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth.
For the author, silence is necessary in order to surmount
Answer (d) & explanation
Silence is needed to overcome the tendency to overstate (d). Step 1: find the sentence. "Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth... is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it." To exaggerate means to overstate. Step 2: test the others. Options (a) and (b) are wrong: the author values his shyness and hesitancy; he calls them his "shield and buckler", not weaknesses to overcome. Option (c) is wrong: suppression of truth is part of the weakness, but option (c) says suppression of thoughts, which he sees as a good habit ("restraining my thoughts").
Tip: "surmount" means overcome. Look for the weakness the passage says must be overcome, and match the word, here "exaggerate" = "overstate".
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
“By liberty I mean the eager maintenance of that atmosphere in which men have the opportunity to be their best selves.”
Which one of the following expresses the view implied in the above statement ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Liberty means keeping conditions for people to grow (d). Step 1: read the definition. Liberty is "the eager maintenance of that atmosphere in which men have the opportunity to be their best selves." An "atmosphere" is a set of conditions, and being one's best self is the growth of personality. That is option (d). Step 2: test the others. Options (a) and (c) give the negative idea of liberty, simply no restraint or doing what one likes. Option (b) is wrong: liberty as only what law permits is not mentioned.
Tip: this is the positive idea of liberty (associated with Harold Laski): freedom to develop, not just freedom from control. Spot key words like "atmosphere" and "opportunity".
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
A, B, C, D, E and F are cousins. No two cousins are of the same age, but all have birthdays on the same day of the same month. The youngest is 17 years old and the oldest E is 22 years old. F is somewhere between B and D in age. A is older than B. C is older than D. A is one year older than C.
Which one of the following is possible ?
Answer (b) & explanation
F can be 18 years old (b). Step 1: all six have the same birthday and different ages from 17 to 22. So their ages are exactly 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. E is the oldest, 22. Step 2: A is one year older than C. A is older than B, and C is older than D. A and C must be high to have people below them, so A = 21 and C = 20. Step 3: B, D and F share 17, 18, 19, with F between B and D. So F = 18. Options (a), (c) and (d) fail: D is 17 or 19, and F cannot be 19 or 20.
Tip: when ages are whole numbers in a fixed range with no repeats, list them all first.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In India, markets in agricultural products are regulated under the
Answer (b) & explanation
Agricultural marketing is a State subject (Entry 28, State List), so markets are regulated under the APMC Acts enacted by each State (b). These set up regulated mandis run by market committees. The Essential Commodities Act (a) controls supply, stocking and prices, not market yards. The Grading and Marking Act (c) deals only with AGMARK standards, and the food product orders (d) cover processing and quality.
The 2017 model APLM Act urged States to reform these laws, and e-NAM links mandis online. Notice how the repealed farm laws of 2020 also sought to change mandi regulation.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
‘BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes’ is managed by the
Answer (d) & explanation
The BioCarbon Fund (2004) is managed by the World Bank (d). Its Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (2013) pays for lower land-use emissions across whole landscapes, including farming and forests. The ADB (a), IMF (b) and UNEP (c) do not manage it.
The World Bank also hosts the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, which supports REDD+, and the Prototype Carbon Fund, one of the first carbon funds. Notice how the World Bank has become a central player in carbon finance, linking forests, farming and climate goals through results-based payments.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The substitution of steel for wooden ploughs in agricultural production is an example of
Answer (b) & explanation
The plough is a capital good. A steel plough lasts longer and does more work than a wooden one, so the same capital becomes more productive. Technical change that raises the efficiency of capital is called capital-augmenting (b). If it made each worker more effective, it would be labour-augmenting (a). It does not reduce capital (c), so (d) also fails.
Economists such as Robert Solow showed that technological progress explains much of long-term growth. Notice how this links to the Green Revolution, where better seeds and tools transformed farm output with the same land.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Geeta : Naresh has become a better boxer since he started meditation.
Radha : Impossible. A boxer's most important asset is his aggressiveness.
Radha's statement reflects her belief that
Answer (a) & explanation
Radha believes meditation makes a person less aggressive (a). Step 1: read Radha's words. She says it is "impossible" that meditation made Naresh a better boxer, because a boxer's most important asset is aggressiveness. Step 2: for her reasoning to work, she must believe meditation reduces aggression. That is her hidden belief, option (a). Step 3: test the others. Option (b) is wrong: if meditation had no effect, it could not make him worse, and she would not call improvement "impossible" for that reason. Option (c) is wrong: she says nothing about his past. Option (d) is wrong: she does not deny he meditates.
Tip: to find someone's belief, ask: "What must they think for their argument to make sense?"
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The number of persons who read magazine X only is thrice the number of persons who read magazine Y. The number of persons who read magazine Y only is thrice the number of persons who read magazine X. Then, which of the following conclusions can be drawn ?
- 1. The number of persons who read both the magazines is twice the number of persons who read only magazine X.
- 2. The total number of persons who read either one magazine or both the magazines is twice the number of persons who read both the magazines.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
No official answer (question dropped) & notes
1. Call the readers of only X 'x', only Y 'y', and both 'b'. All Y readers = y + b; all X readers = x + b.
2. The facts say x = 3 × (y + b) and y = 3 × (x + b). So x is bigger than 3y, and y is bigger than 3x.
3. Both cannot be true at the same time for any real counts. The question has no valid answer as worded, which is why UPSC dropped it.
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation, so it has no official answer. It is printed here for practice only.
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation; there is no official answer.
The ‘Fortaleza Declaration’, recently in the news, is related to the affairs of
Answer (b) & explanation
The Fortaleza Declaration came out of the 6th BRICS summit at Fortaleza, Brazil, in July 2014 (b). That summit agreed to set up the New Development Bank, headquartered in Shanghai with K. V. Kamath of India as its first president, and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement for members facing balance-of-payments stress. ASEAN (a), the OECD (c) and the WTO (d) have their own declarations but not this one.
Notice how the NDB and CRA were seen as the emerging economies' answer to the World Bank and IMF, reflecting a wish for a bigger voice in global finance.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Medieval Indian State | Present Region
| 1. Champaka | Central India
| 2. Durgara | Jammu
| 3. Kuluta | Malabar
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only pair 2 is correct (b). Early medieval hill states are named in Kalhana's Rajatarangini and in inscriptions. Durgara is the Jammu (Dogra) region. Champaka is Chamba, in Himachal Pradesh, not central India. Kuluta is Kullu, also in Himachal, not Malabar.
Chamba is known for its temples, Chamba rumal embroidery and Pahari miniature painting, while Kullu is famous for its Dussehra fair and woollen shawls. Notice how many old names survive in modern ones: Champaka–Chamba, Kuluta–Kullu and Durgara–Dogra. Spotting such links makes medieval geography questions easier.
Pair 3 is a sound trap: Kuluta sounds southern but is Kullu.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)’, consider the following statements :
- 1. It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills.
- 2. It is an alliance meant for maritime security only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). IORA, founded in 1997 in Mauritius and renamed in 2013, is not a recent body formed in response to piracy or oil spills, so statement 1 is wrong. It is a regional forum for economic and trade cooperation, covering trade, fisheries, tourism, the blue economy and disaster management, as well as maritime safety, so it is not a security-only alliance.
Its secretariat is in Mauritius, and India is a founding member that chaired it in 2011–13 and again from 2025. Notice how the Indian Ocean links India's trade, energy imports and the SAGAR vision.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
"To uphold and protect the Sovereignty, Unity and Integrity of India" is a provision made in the
Answer (d) & explanation
"To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India" is a Fundamental Duty under Article 51A(c) (d). The Preamble (a) speaks of "unity and integrity of the Nation" but not in these exact words. The Directive Principles (b) and Fundamental Rights (c) do not contain this provision.
The Fundamental Duties were added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the advice of the Swaran Singh Committee, and the eleventh duty, on education for children, came through the 86th Amendment (2002). They draw on the Soviet Constitution. Notice how rights and duties are meant to go together.
the Preamble has "unity and integrity of the Nation". Look for the verbs "uphold and protect", which belong to Part IVA.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Each of A, B, C and D has ₹ 100. A pays ₹ 20 to B, who pays ₹ 10 to C, who gets ₹ 30 from D. In this context, which one of the following statements is not correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statement (c) is not correct (c). Step 1: everyone starts with ₹100. Step 2: A pays ₹20 to B: A = 80, B = 120. B pays ₹10 to C: B = 110, C = 110. C gets ₹30 from D: C = 140, D = 70. Step 3: final amounts: A 80, B 110, C 140, D 70. Step 4: test each option. (a) C is the richest, with 140: correct. (b) D is the poorest, with 70: correct. (c) A + D = 80 + 70 = 150, which is more than C's 140. So (c) is not correct. (d) B (110) is richer than D (70): correct.
Tip: in money-transfer questions, track each person in a small table step by step. Then check every option against the final numbers.
the question asks for the statement that is not correct.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Read the passage
No Right is absolute, exclusive or inviolable. The Right of personal property, similarly, has to be perceived in the larger context of its assumed legitimacy. The Right of personal property should unite the principle of liberty with that of equality, and both with the principle of cooperation.
In the light of the argument in the above passage, which one of the following statements is the most convincing explanation ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Each person's right to property must be balanced with others' (d). Step 1: read the passage. "No Right is absolute." The right to property must unite liberty with equality and with cooperation. So one person's right has to be reconciled with the rights of others. That is option (d). Step 2: test the others. Option (a) is wrong: calling it a natural right backed by scriptures goes beyond the passage, which says no right is absolute. Options (b) and (c) are wrong: they reject the right outright, while the passage accepts it with limits.
Tip: when a passage says "no right is absolute" but does not abolish the right, the answer is about balance, not rejection.
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.