Geography PYQ -UPSC Mains (2013–2025) | Civilspath
Geography PYQ – UPSC Mains (2013 → 2025)
PYQ Year Wise Collection for Geography. Use the Topic menu below to jump to each topic/year.
Civilspath — Geography PYQ
| Year | Total Marks |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 100 Marks |
| 2024 | 75 Marks |
| 2023 | 85 Marks |
| 2022 | 90 Marks |
| 2021 | 85 Marks |
| 2020 | 95 Marks |
| 2019 | 85 Marks |
| 2018 | 65 Marks |
| 2017 | 90 Marks |
| 2016 | 87.5 Marks |
| 2015 | 62.5 Marks |
| 2014 | 80 Marks |
| 2013 | 50 Marks |
| Year | Marks (Topic 1) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 Marks |
| 2024 | 50 Marks |
| 2023 | 20 Marks |
| 2022 | 55 Marks |
| 2021 | 25 Marks |
| 2020 | 20 Marks |
| 2019 | 15 Marks |
| 2018 | 10 Marks |
| 2017 | 10 Marks |
| 2016 | 0 Marks |
| 2015 | 12.5 Marks |
| 2014 | 20 Marks |
| 2013 | 20 Marks |
UPSC 2025
- Discuss how the changes in shape and sizes of continents and ocean basins of the planet take place due to tectonic movements of the crustal masses.
UPSC 2024
- What is sea surface temperature rise? How does it affect the formation of tropical cyclones?
- Explain the concept of a “demographic winter”. Is the world moving towards such a situation? Elaborate.
- What are aurora australis and aurora borealis? How are these triggered?
- What is a twister? Why are the majority of twisters observed in areas around the Gulf of Mexico?
UPSC 2023
- Why is the South-west monsoon called “Purvaiya (easterly)” in Bhojpur region? How has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the cultural ethos of the region?
- How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world?
UPSC 2022
- Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks.
- What factors influence ocean currents? Describe their role in the fishing industry of the world.
- Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade.
- The troposphere is a very significant atmospheric layer that determines weather processes. How?
UPSC 2021
- Why is India considered as a sub-continent? Elaborate your answer.
- Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples.
UPSC 2020
- Discuss the geophysical characteristics of Circum-Pacific Zone.
- The process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. Justify with examples.
UPSC 2019
- How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and the coastal environment? Give suitable examples.
UPSC 2018
- Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics.
UPSC 2017
- How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth?
UPSC 2016
No Topic 1 questions in 2016.
UPSC 2015
- Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation?
UPSC 2014
- Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.
- Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bring out the association between the global distribution of Fold Mountains and the earthquakes and volcanoes.
UPSC 2013
- Major hot deserts in the northern hemisphere are located between 20–30 degrees north and on the western side of the continents. Why?
- What do you understand by the theory of continental drift? Discuss the prominent evidences in its support.
- There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghat. Why?
| Year | Marks (Topic 2) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 Marks |
| 2024 | 10 Marks |
| 2023 | 35 Marks |
| 2022 | 10 Marks |
| 2021 | 35 Marks |
| 2020 | 10 Marks |
| 2019 | 55 Marks |
| 2018 | 25 Marks |
| 2017 | 40 Marks |
| 2016 | 25 Marks |
| 2015 | 25 Marks |
| 2014 | 30 Marks |
| 2013 | 20 Marks |
UPSC 2025
- What are Tsunamis? How and where are they formed? What are their consequences? Explain with examples.
- How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations? Discuss with examples.
UPSC 2024
- What is the phenomenon of “cloudbursts”? Explain.
UPSC 2023
- Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources?
- Discuss the consequences of climate change on the food security in tropical countries.
- Identify and discuss the factors responsible for diversity of natural vegetation in India. Assess the significance of wildlife sanctuaries in rain forests regions of India.
UPSC 2022
- Discuss the meaning of color-coded weather warnings for cyclone-prone areas given by the India Meteorological Department.
UPSC 2021
- Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats.
- Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional environment.
- How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain.
UPSC 2020
- How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources of India?
UPSC 2019
- Assess the impact of global warming on coral life system with examples.
- Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.
- How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism?
- What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India?
UPSC 2018
- What are the consequences of spreading “Dead Zones” on marine ecosystems?
- “The ideal solution of depleting ground water resources in India is water harvesting system.” How can it be made effective in urban areas?
UPSC 2017
- In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development. Discuss.
- Mention the advantages of the cultivation of pulses because of which the year 2016 was declared as the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations.
- How does the cryosphere affect global climate?
- Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects.
- In what way can flood be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India?
- What characteristics can be assigned to a monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia?
UPSC 2016
- Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.
- “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.
UPSC 2015
- How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscapes? Discuss.
- Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?
UPSC 2014
- Tropical cyclones are largely confined to the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why?
- Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree?
- Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent.
UPSC 2013
- Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world.
- The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin.” How are tropical cyclones named across the world?
- What do you understand by the phenomenon of temperature inversion in meteorology? How does it affect the weather and the habitants of the place?
- Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats.
| Year | Marks (Topic 3) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 65 Marks |
| 2024 | 15 Marks |
| 2023 | 30 Marks |
| 2022 | 35 Marks |
| 2021 | 35 Marks |
| 2020 | 65 Marks |
| 2019 | 20 Marks |
| 2018 | 40 Marks |
| 2017 | 15 Marks |
| 2016 | 62.5 Marks |
| 2015 | 37.5 Marks |
| 2014 | 50 Marks |
| 2013 | 30 Marks |
UPSC 2025
- What are non-farm primary activities? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India? Discuss with suitable examples.
- Explain briefly the ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India with suitable examples.
- Give a geographical explanation of the distribution of off-shore oil reserves of the world. How are they different from the on-shore occurrences of oil reserves?
- Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources.
- How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones be effectively used along with GIS and RS techniques in locational and areal planning?
UPSC 2024
- The groundwater potential of the Gangetic valley is on a serious decline. How may it affect the food security of India?
UPSC 2023
- Comment on the resource potentials of the long coastline of India and highlight the status of natural hazard preparedness in these areas.
- From being net food importer in 1960s, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons.
UPSC 2022
- Discuss the natural resource potentials of Deccan Trap.
- Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for their limited spatial spread.
- Describing the distribution of rubber producing countries, indicate the major environmental issues faced by them.
UPSC 2021
- Despite India being one of the countries of Gondwanaland, its mining industry contributes much less to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in percentage. Discuss.
- What are the environmental implications of the reclamation of the water bodies into urban land use? Explain with examples.
- Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world.
UPSC 2020
- Account for the present location of iron and steel industries away from the source of raw material, by giving examples.
- Why is the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in navigation?
- The interlinking of rivers can provide viable solutions to the multi-dimensional inter-related problems of droughts, floods and interrupted navigation. Critically examine.
- India has immense potential for solar energy though there are regional variations in its development. Elaborate.
- Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change.
UPSC 2019
- Discuss the factors for localization of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India.
- Can the strategy of regional-resource based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India?
UPSC 2018
- Why is India taking keen interest in resources of the Arctic Region?
- What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identify industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics.
- Define blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India.
UPSC 2017
- Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications.
UPSC 2016
- The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain.
- South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment.
- Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.
- Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India.
- In what way micro-watershed Development projects help in water conservation in drought prone and semi-arid regions of India.
UPSC 2015
- What are the economic significance of the discovery of oil in the Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences?
- India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity.
- The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand reaching the limits of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.
UPSC 2014
- Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water?
- Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.
- Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area. Explain.
- Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world.
- How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?
UPSC 2013
- Analyze the factors for the highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India.
- Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern states of India? Discuss with justification.
- It is said that India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs of the country for a quarter century. However, tapping of the resources doesn’t appear to be high on the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved.
- With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, atomic energy is gaining more and more significance in India. Discuss the availability of raw material required for the generation of atomic energy in India and in the world.