UPSC World and Indian Geography Mains Previous Year Questions

Here we are provided subject wise previous Year questions. This will help more understanding of the topic and exam pattern.

Provided questions from 2023 to 2013.

Syllabus for World Geography and Indian Geography

1. Salient features of world’s physical geography
2. Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)
3. Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Last Updated on: 04-02-2024

2023 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Discuss the consequences of climate change on the food security in tropical countries. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. Why is the South-West Monsoon called Purvaiys’ (easterly) in Bhojpur Region? How has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the cultural ethos of the region? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. 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) Mark 15

Q6. Identify and discuss the factors responsible for diversity of natural vegetation in India. Assess the significance of wildlife sanctuaries in rain forest regions of India. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q7. Why did human development fail to keep pace with economic development in India? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q8. From being a net food importer in the 1960s, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

2022 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone-prone areas given by the India Meteorological Department.

Q2.Discuss the natural resource potential of the ‘Deccan trap’.

Q3. Describe the characteristics and type of primary rocks.

Q4. The troposphere is a very significant atmosphere layer that determines weather processes. How?

Q5. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade.

Q6. Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for its limited spatial spread.

Q7. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in the fishing industry of the world.

Q8.  Describing the distribution of rubber-producing countries indicates their major environmental issues.

2021 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats

Q2. Despite India being one of the countries of the Gondwanaland, its mining industry contributes much less to its Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in percentage. Discuss

Q3. What are the environmental implications of the reclamation of the water bodies into urban land use? Explain with examples

Q4. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional environment.

Q5. Why is India considered as a sub-continent? Elaborate your answer.

Q6. Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples.

Q7. 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.

Q8. Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world.

Q9. What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India?

2020 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Discuss the geophysical characteristics of Circum-Pacific Zone. (Answer in 150 words)

Q2. The process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. Justify with examples. (Answer in 150 words)

Q3. How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources of India? (Answer in 150 words)

Q4. Account for the present location of iron and steel industries away from the source of raw material, by giving examples.(Answer in 150 words)

Q5. 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)

Q6. Account for the huge flooding of million cities in India including the smart ones like Hyderabad and Pune. Suggest lasting remedial measures. (Answer in 250 words)

Q7. India has immense potential of solar energy though there are regional variations in its development. Elaborate. (Answer in 250 words)

Q8. Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change. (Answer in 250 words)

2019 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism?

Q2. Assess the impact of global warming on the coral life system with examples.

Q3. Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.

Q4. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India?

Q5. How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and the coastal environment? Give suitable examples.

Q6. How is efficient and affordable urban mess transport key to the rapid economic development of India?

Q7. Can the strategy of regional resource-based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India?

Q8. Discuss the factors for the localisation of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India.

2018 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Why is India taking keen in resources of Arctic region?

Q2. What are the consequences of spreading of “Dead Zones on Marine Ecosystem?

Q3. Defining blue resources, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India.

Q4. What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India?Identifying the industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics.

2017 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. How does the cryosphere affect global climate?

Q2. What characteristics can be assigned to the monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia?

Q3. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects.

Q4. In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India?

Q5. “In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”. Discuss.

Q6. Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications.

2016 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.

Q2. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.

Q3. The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain.

Q4. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment.

Q5. Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.

Q6. Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India.

Q7. In what way micro-watershed Development projects help in water conservation in drought prone and semi-arid regions of India.

Q8. With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme’.

Q9. Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.

2015 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation?

Q2. How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscapes? Discuss.

Q3. What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences?

Q4. India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity.

Q5. The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand arc reaching the limits of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.

Q6. 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?

Q7. Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural urban integration.

2014 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1.Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.

Q2. 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.

Q3. Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why?

Q4. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree?

Q5. Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian subcontinent.

Q6. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world.

Q7. How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?

Q8. 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.

Q9. Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.

Q10. Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water?

2013 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. What do you understand by the theory of continental drift? Discuss the prominent evidence in its support.

Q2. There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghats. Why?

Q3. Major hot deserts in the northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north and on the western side of the continents. Why?

Q4. Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats.

Q5. The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin”. How are the tropical cyclones named across the world?

Q6. Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world.

Q7. What do you understand by the phenomenon of temperature inversion in meteorology? How does it affect the weather and the habitants of the place?

Q8. With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the 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.

Q9. It is said the India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs of country for quarter century. However, tapping of the resources doesn’t appear to be high on the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved.

Q10 Discussion the various social problems which originated out of the speedy process of urbanization in India.

Q11. Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern states of India? Discuss with justification.

Q12. Analyze the factors for highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India.