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 2024 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: 30-11-2024

2024 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. What is sea surface temperature rise? How does it affect the formation of tropical cyclones? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. What is the phenomenon of cloudburst? Explain (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. The groundwater potential of Gangetic Valley is on a serious decline. How may it affect the food security of India  (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q4. What are aurora australis and aurora borealis? How are these triggered? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q5. What is a twister? Why are the majority of twisters observed in areas around the Gulf of Mexico? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

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. Describe the characteristics and type of primary rocks. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone-prone areas given by the India Meteorological Department. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3.Discuss the natural resource potential of the ‘Deccan trap’. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for its limited spatial spread. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in the fishing industry of the world. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q6.  Describing the distribution of rubber-producing countries indicates their major environmental issues. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q7. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q8. The troposphere is a very significant atmosphere layer that determines weather processes. How? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

2021 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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 (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. What are the environmental implications of the reclamation of the water bodies into urban land use? Explain with examples (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional environment. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. Why is India considered as a sub-continent? Elaborate your answer. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q6. Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q8. Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q9. What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

2020 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Discuss the geophysical characteristics of Circum-Pacific Zone. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. The process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. Justify with examples. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources of India? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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) Mark 10

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) Mark 15

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) Mark 15

Q7. India has immense potential of solar energy though there are regional variations in its development. Elaborate. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q8. Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

2019 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q2. Assess the impact of global warming on the coral life system with examples. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q7. Can the strategy of regional resource-based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q8. Discuss the factors for the localisation of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q1. How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q5. 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) Mark 15

Q6. How is efficient and affordable urban mess transport key to the rapid economic development of India? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

2018 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Why Indian Regional Navigational Satelite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in navigation? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. Why is India taking keen in resources of Arctic region? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. Define Mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. What are the consequences of spreading of “Dead Zones on Marine Ecosystem? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. “The ideal solution of depleting groundwater resources in India is water harvesting system.” How can it be made effective in urban areas? (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q6. Defining blue resources, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

Q7. What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identifying the industrial corridors, and explain their main characteristics. (Answer in 250 words) Mark 15

2017 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. “In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”. Discuss. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. Mention the advantage 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) Mark 10

Q4. How does the cryosphere affect global climate? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q6. Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q7. In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q8. 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? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

2016 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q2. “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q3. The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q4. Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q5. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q6. 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 ½ Mark

Q7. Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q8. 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 ½ Mark

Q9. With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme’. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

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? (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q2. 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 ½ Mark

Q3. What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences? (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q4. India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

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. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

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? (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

Q7. Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural urban integration. (Answer in 200 words) 12 ½ Mark

2014 UPSC IAS World Geography and Indian Geography Mains

Q1. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3.Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian subcontinent. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q6. 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) Mark 10

Q7. 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) Mark 10

Q8. Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q9. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q10. How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q2. There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghats. Why? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q3. Major hot deserts in the northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north and on the western side of the continents. Why? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q4. Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q5. The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin”. How are the tropical cyclones named across the world? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q6. Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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? (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

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. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q10 Discussion the various social problems which originated out of the speedy process of urbanization in India. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10

Q11. 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 150 words) Mark 10

Q12. Analyze the factors for highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India. (Answer in 150 words) Mark 10