Geography Mains PYQs UPSC | Geography Mains PYQs IAS Exam | Geography Mains PYQs UPSC Topic Wise Collection | Geography UPSC Mains | Geography Questions UPSC Mains | Topic wise questions Geography UPSC Mains

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Geography Syllabus: UPSC Mains

Topic 1 – Salient features of the world’s physical geography.

Topic 2 – Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Topic 3 – Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

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Geography Mains PYQs UPSC – Year wise Marks Weightage (2013 – 2025)

Year	Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2025	100 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2024	75 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2023	85 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2022	90 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2021	85 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2020	95 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2019	85 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2018	65 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2017	90 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2016	87.5 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2015	62.5 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2014	80 Marks
Geography Mains PYQs UPSC 2013	50 Marks

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Geography Mains PYQs UPSC – Year wise & Topic wise Collection (2013 – 2025)

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Geography Mains PYQs UPSC (Topic 1)

Topic 1 – Salient features of the world’s physical geography.

2025

1. 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. (Answer in 250 words) 15 Marks

2024

1. What is sea surface temperature rise? How does it affect the formation of tropical cyclones? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. What is the concept of a ‘demographic winter’? Is the world moving towards such a situation? Elaborate. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. What are aurora australis and aurora borealis? How are these triggered? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2023

1. 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? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2022

1. Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in the fishing Industry of the world. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
3. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
4. The troposphere is a very significant atmospheric layer that determines weather processes. How? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2021

1. Why is India considered as a sub-continent? Elaborate your answer. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2020

1. Discuss the geophysical characteristics of Circum-Pacific Zone. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. The process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. Justify with examples. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2019

1. How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and the coastal environment? Give suitable examples? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2018

1. Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2017

1. How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2015

1. Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation? (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)

2014

1. Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. 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. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2013

1. Major hot deserts in the northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degrees north and on the western side of the continents. Why? (Answer in 200 words) (10 Marks)
2. What do you understand by the theory of continental drift? Discuss the prominent evidences in its support. (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)
3. There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghat. Why? (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)

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Geography Mains PYQs UPSC (Topic 2)

Topic 2 – Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

2025

1. What are Tsunamis? How and where are they formed? What are their consequences? Explain with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 Marks
2. How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations? Discuss with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 Marks

2024

1. What is the phenomenon of ‘cloudbursts’? Explain. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. What is a twister? Why are the majority of twisters observed in areas around the Gulf of Mexico? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2023

1. Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Discuss the consequences of climate change on the food security in tropical countries. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. 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. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2022

1. Discuss the meaning of color-coded weather warnings for cyclone-prone areas given by the India Meteorological Department. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2021

1. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional environment. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. 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. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2020

1. How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources of India? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2019

1. Assess the impact of global warming on coral life system with examples. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
4. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2018

1. What are the consequences of spreading ‘Dead Zones’ on marine ecosystems? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. “The ideal solution of depleting ground water resources in India is water harvesting system.” How can it be made effective in urban areas? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2017

1. In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development.” Discuss. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. 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. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. How does the cryosphere affect global climate? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
4. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks) 
5. In what way can flood be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
6. 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? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2016

1. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
2. “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)

2015

1. How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscapes? Discuss. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
2. 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? (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)

2014

1. Tropical cyclones are largely confined to the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2013

1. Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)
2. The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin”. How are tropical cyclones named across the world? (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)
3. What do you understand by the phenomenon of temperature inversion in meteorology? How does it affect the weather and the habitants of the place? (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)
4. Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats. (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)

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Geography Mains PYQs UPSC (Topic 3)

Topic 3 – Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

2025

1. What are non-farm primary activities? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India? Discuss with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 Marks
2. Explain briefly the ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 Marks
3. 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? (Answer in 250 words) 15 Marks
4. Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources. (Answer in 250 words) 15 Marks
5. How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones be effectively used along with GIS and RS techniques in locational and areal planning? (Answer in 250 words) 15 Marks

2024

1. The groundwater potential of the Gangetic valley is on a serious decline. How may it affect the food security of India? (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2023

1. Comment on the resource potentials of the long coastline of India and highlight the status of natural hazard preparedness in these areas. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
2. From being net food importer in 1960s, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2022

1. Discuss the natural resource potentials of Deccan Trap’. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for their limited spatial spread. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. Describing the distribution of rubber producing countries, indicate the major environmental issues faced by them. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2021

1. Despite India being one of the countries of Gondwanaland, its mining industry contributes much less to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in percentage. Discuss. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. What are the environmental implications of the reclamation of the water bodies into urban land use? Explain with examples. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2020

1. Account for the present location of iron and steel industries away from the source of raw material, by giving examples. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Why is the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in navigation? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. The interlinking of rivers can provide viable solutions to the multi-dimensional inter-related problems of droughts, floods and interrupted navigation. Critically examine. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
4. India has immense potential for solar energy though there are regional variations in its development. Elaborate. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
5. Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2019

1. Discuss the factors for localization of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Can the strategy of regional-resource based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2018

1. Why is India taking keen interest in resources of the Arctic Region? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identify industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)
3. Define blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2017

1. Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications. (Answer in 250 words) (15 Marks)

2016

1. The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
2. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
3. Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
4. Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
5. In what way micro-watershed Development projects help in water conservation in drought prone and semi-arid regions of India. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)

2015

1. What are the economic significance of the discovery of oil in the Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences? (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
2. India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)
3. The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand reaching the limits of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate. (Answer in 200 words) (12.5 Marks)

2014

1. Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
2. Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
3. 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. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
4. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world. (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)
5. How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa? (Answer in 150 words) (10 Marks)

2013

1. Analyze the factors for the highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India. (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)
2. Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern states of India? Discuss with justification. (Answer in 100 words) (05 Marks)
3. 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. (Answer in 200 words) (10 Marks)
4. 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. (Answer in 200 words) (10 Marks)

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Geography Mains PYQs UPSC | Geography Mains PYQs IAS Exam | Geography UPSC Mains | Geography Questions UPSC Mains | Topic wise questions Geography UPSC Mains