UPSC CSE Prelims
World Geography Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Solved Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for World Geography in UPSC CSE Prelims in English & Hindi Medium.
Chapter Breakdown: Scroll →
Which of the following have coral reefs?
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Gulf of Kutch
- Gulf of Mannar
- Sunderbans
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Andaman and Nicobar Islands have extensive fringing coral reefs along their coasts, forming one of India's richest marine biodiversity zones.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Gulf of Kutch contains coral reefs in the northern Arabian Sea, declared as India's first Marine National Park in 1982.
✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka hosts 21 islands with fringing coral reefs, recognized as a Marine Biosphere Reserve.
❌ Statement 4 – Incorrect: Sundarbans is a mangrove delta ecosystem with brackish water and muddy substrate, unsuitable for coral reef formation which requires clear saline water.
What is the correct sequence of occurrence of the following cities in South-East Asia as one proceeds from south to north?
- Bangkok
- Hanoi
- Jakarta
- Singapore
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Detailed Explanation:
Jakarta (Indonesia) is located at approximately 6°S latitude, making it the southernmost city.
Singapore lies at approximately 1°N latitude, just north of the equator.
Bangkok (Thailand) is situated at approximately 13°N latitude.
Hanoi (Vietnam) is located at approximately 21°N latitude, making it the northernmost city.
Therefore, the correct south-to-north sequence is: Jakarta → Singapore → Bangkok → Hanoi (3-4-1-2).
The seasonal reversal of winds is the typical characteristic of -
Detailed Explanation:
Monsoon climate is characterized by seasonal reversal of winds – in summer, winds blow from ocean to land bringing heavy rainfall, and in winter, winds blow from land to ocean bringing dry conditions.
Equatorial climate has convectional rainfall throughout the year with no seasonal wind reversal, while Mediterranean climate experiences westerlies in winter and subtropical high pressure in summer, not true wind reversal.
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Which of the following phenomena might have influenced the evolution of organisms?
- Continental drift
- Glacial cycles
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Continental drift separated landmasses over millions of years, creating geographic barriers that isolated populations and led to allopatric speciation (e.g., unique species in Madagascar and Australia).
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: Glacial cycles caused repeated expansion and contraction of ice sheets, altered sea levels and habitats, and drove evolutionary adaptations, migrations, and extinctions (e.g., Ice Age megafauna evolution).
Turkey is located between
Detailed Explanation:
Turkey is a transcontinental country strategically located between the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south.
It also borders the Aegean Sea to the west, while the Caspian Sea lies far to the east (beyond the Caucasus), the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba are part of Egypt/Israel region, and the Dead Sea is located between Israel and Jordan.
“Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders.” The above statement best describes which of the following regions?
Detailed Explanation:
Central Asian Steppe is characterized by extreme continental climate with summer temperatures up to 45°C and winter temperatures down to -50°C, scanty rainfall (250-500 mm annually), and was historically inhabited by nomadic herders like the Mongols and Kazakhs.
African Savannah has moderate tropical climate with 500-1500 mm rainfall; North American Prairie receives higher rainfall (500-900 mm) with less extreme temperatures; Siberian Tundra has permafrost and extremely cold climate unsuitable for extensive grazing and nomadic pastoralism.
Which of the following is/are unique characteristic/characteristics of equatorial forests?
- Presence of tall, closely set trees with crowns forming a continuous canopy
- Coexistence of a large number of species
- Presence of numerous varieties of epiphytes
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Equatorial forests have tall trees (40-60 m) growing close together with crowns forming a continuous dense canopy that blocks sunlight from reaching the forest floor.
✅ Statement 2 – Correct: These forests exhibit maximum biodiversity with coexistence of hundreds of tree species per hectare due to stable warm-wet climate and year-round growing season.
✅ Statement 3 – Correct: The high humidity and dense canopy structure support numerous epiphytes (orchids, ferns, mosses, bromeliads) that grow on trunks and branches without rooting in soil.
The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where:
Detailed Explanation:
The world's most productive fishing grounds are located where warm and cold oceanic currents converge. This mixing creates nutrient-rich waters and ideal conditions for phytoplankton growth, which forms the base of the marine food chain.
Grand Banks (Newfoundland): Cold Labrador Current meets warm Gulf Stream, creating one of the world's richest fishing zones.
North-West Pacific (Japan): Cold Oyashio Current meets warm Kuroshio Current, supporting highly productive fisheries.
Consider the following:
- Electromagnetic radiation
- Geothermal energy
- Gravitational force
- Plate Movements
- Rotation of the earth
- Revolution of the earth
Which of the above are responsible for bringing dynamic changes on the surface of the earth?
Detailed Explanation:
Electromagnetic radiation (solar energy) drives weather systems, ocean currents, and photosynthesis, creating dynamic surface changes.
Geothermal energy from Earth's interior fuels volcanism, hot springs, and geysers, altering landforms.
Gravitational force (Moon and Sun) generates ocean tides, causing coastal erosion and deposition.
Plate movements cause mountain building, earthquakes, volcanism, and continental drift, reshaping the Earth's surface.
Rotation of Earth creates Coriolis effect, influencing wind patterns, ocean currents, and cyclone formation.
Revolution of Earth around the Sun causes seasonal variations, affecting temperature, precipitation, and weathering rates.
All six forces work together to bring continuous dynamic changes to Earth's surface.
The annual range of temperature in the interior of the continents is high as compared to coastal areas. What is/are the reason/reasons?
- Thermal difference between land and water
- Variation in altitude between continents and oceans
- Presence of strong winds in the interior
- Heavy rains in the interior as compared to coasts
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Detailed Explanation:
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Thermal difference between land and water is the primary reason. Land has low specific heat capacity and heats/cools rapidly, while water has high specific heat capacity causing slow temperature changes. Coastal areas experience moderating effect from oceans, reducing annual temperature range, whereas continental interiors lack this maritime influence and show extreme seasonal variations.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Variation in altitude affects absolute temperature but does not explain the difference in annual range between coast and interior. Both regions have altitude variations.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Strong winds in the interior do not cause higher annual range; rather, coastal winds help moderate temperatures by bringing maritime influence.
❌ Statement 4 – Incorrect: Coastal areas typically receive more rainfall than continental interiors due to moisture from oceans. Rainfall does not explain higher temperature range inland.
Variations in the length of daytime and nighttime from season to season are due to -
Detailed Explanation:
Seasonal variation in day and night length occurs due to the Earth's revolution around the Sun combined with its axial tilt of 23.5°.
The tilted axis causes different hemispheres to receive varying amounts of direct sunlight throughout the year – when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun (summer solstice), it experiences longer days; when tilted away (winter solstice), it experiences shorter days.
❌ Option 1 – Incorrect: Earth's rotation causes the daily cycle of day and night (24 hours), not seasonal variation in their length.
❌ Option 3 – Incorrect: Latitudinal position determines the magnitude of variation (polar regions experience extreme variation, equatorial regions minimal), but not the cause of seasonal changes.
❌ Option 4 – Incorrect: The elliptical orbit affects Earth-Sun distance but does not cause seasonal day-length variation; the tilt is the primary factor.
Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched? Geographical Feature -- Region
Detailed Explanation:
❌ Option A – Incorrect: The Abyssinian Plateau is located in Ethiopia (Horn of Africa), not Arabia.
✅ Option B – Correct: The Atlas Mountains stretch approximately 2,500 km through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in North-Western Africa, with the highest peak Toubkal (4,167 m).
❌ Option C – Incorrect: The Guiana Highlands are located in northern South America (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil), not South-Western Africa.
❌ Option D – Incorrect: The Okavango Basin/Delta is in Botswana (Southern Africa), not Patagonia (which is in southern South America).
On the planet earth, most of the freshwater exists as ice caps and glaciers. Out of the remaining freshwater, the largest proportion
Detailed Explanation:
Of Earth's freshwater, over 68% exists as ice caps and glaciers.
Among the remaining freshwater, groundwater accounts for approximately 30%, making it the largest proportion after ice, while surface water (lakes and rivers) constitutes only 0.3% and atmospheric moisture and soil moisture represent even smaller fractions.
During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the
- Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
- Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
- Violent upward movement of air and water particles
Select the correct answer using the codes given below
Detailed Explanation:
❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The meeting of cumulonimbus clouds does not produce thunder; thunder is caused by lightning, not cloud collision.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Lightning does not separate clouds; rather, the intense heat from lightning causes rapid air expansion, which produces thunder.
❌ Statement 3 – Incorrect: Violent upward movement of air and water particles creates storm conditions and lightning, but thunder itself is the sound wave from lightning-heated air expansion.
Correct mechanism: Thunder is produced when lightning heats the surrounding air to approximately 30,000°C, causing it to expand explosively and create a shock wave heard as sound.
A person stood alone in a desert on a dark night and wanted to reach his village which was situated 5 km east of the point where he was standing. He had no instruments to find the direction but he located the polestar. The most convenient way now to reach his village is to walk in the:
Detailed Explanation:
Polaris (Pole Star) is always located in the northern direction in the Northern Hemisphere.
To walk east, a person must face east with north on the left side; therefore, keeping the Pole Star to the left ensures eastward movement.