UPSC 2026. Which of the following geographical features or phenomena is/are associated with the Peninsular Block of India?

1. Submergence of parts of the western coast due to tectonic activity — CORRECT — the west coast sank
2. Presence of residual mountain ranges such as the Veliconda hills and Mahendragiri hills — CORRECT — worn-down relict hills
3. Deep, V-shaped river valleys formed by fast-flowing rivers — WRONG — that is the Himalaya

Answer: (b) 1 and 2

Remember: Peninsula = old, rigid, eroded: residual hills + broad shallow valleys + a sunken west coast. Himalaya = young: gorges and V-valleys.

UPSC 2026. Which of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct?

1. Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the highest number of other Indian States. — TRUE statement — so it is not the answer
2. Rajasthan shares the longest international border among all Indian States. — FALSE — West Bengal has the longest
3. Sikkim is the only State that shares its boundary with just one other Indian State. — FALSE — Meghalaya also has just one

Answer: (c) 2 and 3

Remember: Most neighbours: UP (8). Longest international border: West Bengal. Only one neighbour: Sikkim (WB) AND Meghalaya (Assam).

UPSC 2022. Consider the following pairs: Peak — Mountains

1. Namcha Barwa — Garhwal Himalaya — WRONG — the far eastern end
2. Nanda Devi — Kumaon Himalaya — CORRECT
3. Nokrek — Sikkim Himalaya — WRONG — Garo Hills, Meghalaya

Answer: (b) 2 only

Remember: Namcha Barwa = Brahmaputra’s U-turn (east end). Nanda Devi = Kumaon. Nokrek = Garo Hills.

UPSC 2019. Consider the following pairs: Glacier — River

1. Bandarpunch — Yamuna — CORRECT
2. Bara Shigri — Chenab — CORRECT
3. Milam — Mandakini — WRONG — Milam feeds the Goriganga
4. Siachen — Nubra — CORRECT
5. Zemu — Manas — WRONG — Zemu feeds the Teesta

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4

Remember: Bandarpunch → Yamuna · Bara Shigri → Chandra/Chenab · Siachen → Nubra · Milam → Goriganga · Zemu → Teesta.

UPSC 2014. Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the ‘Ten Degree Channel’?

Answer: (a) Andaman and Nicobar

Remember: 10° = Andaman–Nicobar · 9° = Minicoy–Lakshadweep · 8° = Minicoy–Maldives · Great Channel = Nicobar–Sumatra.

UPSC 2026. Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information:

1. It has an antecedent drainage system. — Fits Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra
2. It flows through three countries. — Fits Sutlej, Indus, Brahmaputra — not Teesta
3. It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation. — Sutlej is India’s great irrigation river
4. It does not form distributaries. — The decider — only the Sutlej

Answer: (c) Sutlej

Remember: Sutlej = Rakas Tal (Tibet) → Shipki La gorge → Bhakra → joins the Chenab/Indus. Tributaries make no distributaries.

UPSC 2024. With reference to the Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Prayagraj from West to East, which one of the following sequences is correct?

Answer: (b) Gomati – Ghaghara – Gandak – Kosi

Remember: Below Prayagraj, west → east: Gomati → Ghaghara → Gandak → Kosi.

UPSC 2023. Consider the following statements:

1. Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake. — CORRECT
2. Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake. — WRONG — fed by seasonal streams
3. Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake. — WRONG — it was the Burhi Gandak

Answer: (a) Only one

Remember: Wular = Jhelum · Kolleru = between the Krishna and Godavari deltas · Kanwar = Burhi Gandak oxbow.

UPSC 2021. Consider the following rivers: Which of the above rise from the Eastern Ghats?

1. Brahmani — NO — Chota Nagpur plateau
2. Nagavali — YES — Eastern Ghats
3. Subarnarekha — NO — Chota Nagpur plateau
4. Vamsadhara — YES — Eastern Ghats

Answer: (b) 2 and 4

Remember: Chota Nagpur: Brahmani, Subarnarekha, Damodar. Eastern Ghats: Nagavali, Vamsadhara.

UPSC 2024. Consider the following information: Waterfall — Region — River. In how many of the rows is the information correctly matched?

1. Dhuandhar — Malwa — Narmada — WRONG region
2. Hundru — Chota Nagpur — Subarnarekha — CORRECT
3. Gersoppa — Western Ghats — Netravati — WRONG river

Answer: (a) Only one

Remember: Dhuandhar = Narmada, Jabalpur · Hundru = Subarnarekha, Ranchi · Jog/Gersoppa = Sharavati.

UPSC 2026. With reference to the climate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The climate can be defined as a humid, tropical coastal climate. — CORRECT
2. It receives rainfall from both South-west monsoon and North-east monsoon. — CORRECT
3. Maximum precipitation is between December and May. — WRONG — that is the dry season

Answer: (b) 1 and 2

Remember: A&N: humid tropical · rain from BOTH monsoons · wet May–Dec · dry Jan–Apr.

UPSC 2017. With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)’ sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. — WRONG — both ends are in the Indian Ocean
2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino’s impact on the monsoon. — CORRECT

Answer: (b) 2 only

Remember: IOD = west vs east INDIAN Ocean. Positive IOD helps the monsoon and can offset El Niño.

UPSC 2012. Consider the following statements:

1. The duration of the monsoon decreases from southern India to northern India. — CORRECT
2. The amount of annual rainfall in the northern plains of India decreases from east to west. — CORRECT

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Remember: Monsoon: longer in the south, shorter in the north · rain falls from east to west across the northern plains.

UPSC 2004. Assertion (A): Bangalore receives much higher average annual rainfall than that of Mangalore. Reason (R): Bangalore has the benefit of receiving rainfall both from south-west and north-east monsoons.

Answer: (d) A is false but R is true

Remember: Windward coast (Mangalore) ≫ rain-shadow plateau (Bangalore), even though Bangalore gets both monsoons.

UPSC 2004. Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the given Indian cities in the decreasing order of their normal annual rainfall?

Answer: (c) Kochi – Kolkata – Patna – Delhi

Remember: Kochi > Kolkata > Patna > Delhi: windward coast first, then the Ganga plain drying to the west.

UPSC 2026. Which of the following statements about Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Critical Minerals is/are correct?

1. Modern technological innovations including Artificial Intelligence, robotics and space exploration extensively utilise Rare Earth Elements (REEs). — CORRECT
2. China has the highest share in mining of REEs followed by India. — WRONG — India is not No. 2
3. The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. — CORRECT
4. Rare Earth Elements are a set of 13 metallic elements. — WRONG — there are 17

Answer: (a) 1 and 3 only

Remember: REE = 17 elements · mining: China ≫ USA, Myanmar, Australia · India: reserves in beach-sand monazite, NCMM (2025).

UPSC 2023. Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?

Answer: (d) Titanium

Remember: Beach sands: ilmenite + rutile → titanium · monazite → thorium + REEs · zircon → zirconium · also garnet, sillimanite.

UPSC 2022. With reference to India, consider the following statements:

1. Monazite is a source of rare earths. — CORRECT
2. Monazite contains thorium. — CORRECT
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India. — WRONG — only in patches
4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite. — CORRECT

Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 4 only

Remember: Monazite = REEs + thorium · patchy beach sands · government-only (IREL).

UPSC 2016. In which of the following regions of India are shale gas resources found?

1. Cambay Basin — YES
2. Cauvery Basin — YES
3. Krishna-Godavari Basin — YES

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

Remember: Shale-gas basins: Cambay, Assam–Arakan, Damodar (Gondwana), KG, Cauvery, Indo-Gangetic.

UPSC 2013. Which of the following is/are the characteristic/characteristics of Indian coal?

1. High ash content — CORRECT
2. Low Sulphur content — CORRECT
3. Low ash fusion temperature — WRONG — it is HIGH

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Remember: Indian coal: high ash · low sulphur · high ash-fusion temperature · little coking coal → imports (UPSC 2015).

UPSC 2026. In what way(s) does the Vizhinjam International Seaport represent a structural shift in India’s maritime trade and logistics policy?

1. By functioning exclusively as a domestic cargo hub to reduce reliance on coastal shipping and eliminate the need for foreign collaborations. — WRONG — the opposite
2. By focusing primarily on passenger cruise tourism and heritage shipping to increase Kerala’s profile as a maritime heritage destination. — WRONG — it is a cargo port
3. By leveraging its natural deep draft and strategic location to reduce dependence on foreign trans-shipment ports, enhance revenue retention, and reposition India in regional maritime trade. — CORRECT — this is its whole point

Answer: (d) 3 only

Remember: Vizhinjam (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) = India’s first deep-water container trans-shipment port (commissioned 2025).

UPSC 2025. India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect

Answer: (a) India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran

Remember: INSTC = India → Iran → Caspian / Central Asia → Russia → Europe.

UPSC 2023. With reference to India’s projects on connectivity, consider the following statements:

1. East-West Corridor under Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat. — WRONG — Silchar to Porbandar
2. Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Chiang Mai in Thailand via Myanmar. — WRONG — it ends at Mae Sot
3. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kunming in China. — WRONG — Kolkata, not Varanasi

Answer: (d) None

Remember: East–West = Silchar–Porbandar · North–South = Srinagar–Kanyakumari · Trilateral = Moreh–Mae Sot · BCIM = Kolkata–Kunming.

UPSC 2009. In India, the ports are categorized as major and non-major ports. Which one of the following is a non-major port?

Answer: (b) Dahej

Remember: 12 major ports: Kolkata–Haldia, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Kamarajar (Ennore), V.O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin), Cochin, New Mangalore, Mormugao, Mumbai, JNPA, Deendayal (Kandla).

UPSC 2013. Which one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?

Answer: (d) Thermal power

Remember: Industrial water use in India: thermal power ≫ everything else.

UPSC 2014. With reference to ‘Changpa’ community of India, consider the following statements:

1. They live mainly in the State of Uttarakhand. — WRONG — Ladakh
2. They rear the Pashmina goats that yield a fine wool. — CORRECT
3. They are kept in the category of Scheduled Tribes. — CORRECT

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Remember: Changpa = Changthang, Ladakh · Pashmina goats · Scheduled Tribe.

UPSC 2013. Consider the following pairs: Tribe — State

1. Limboo (Limbu) — Sikkim — CORRECT
2. Karbi — Himachal Pradesh — WRONG — Assam
3. Dongaria Kondh — Odisha — CORRECT
4. Bonda — Tamil Nadu — WRONG — Odisha

Answer: (a) 1 and 3 only

Remember: Odisha: Dongaria Kondh (Niyamgiri), Bonda (Malkangiri) · Assam: Karbi · Sikkim: Limbu, Lepcha.

UPSC 2009. In which one of the following places is the Shompen tribe found?

Answer: (b) Nicobar Islands

Remember: Shompen = Great Nicobar · Onge = Little Andaman · Jarawa = South/Middle Andaman · Sentinelese = North Sentinel.

UPSC 2011. India is regarded as a country with “Demographic Dividend”. This is due to

Answer: (b) Its high population in the age group of 15–64 years

Remember: Demographic dividend = a large working-age (15–64) share + low dependency ratio. It is a window, not automatic.

UPSC 2000. Assertion (A): Ganga Plain is the most densely populated part of India. Reason (R): Ganga is the most harnessed river of India.

Answer: (b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

Remember: Density follows fertile, flat, well-watered land: the Ganga plain, the deltas, the coastal plains.